Watts' contentious Atlas Iron & Metal Co. has been closed permanently following a no contest plea by the company's owners to multiple counts related to hazardous waste violations, as reported by the L.A. County District Attorney's Office. The decision brings an end to the recycler's operations, which had been implicated in environmental and safety breaches dating back several years. As per the DA's announcement, the facility had been a source of danger for the community for over seven decades, a situation now finally addressed with its closure.
Gary Weisenberg, 78, and his son Matthew Weisenberg, 37, faced felony counts for their company's improper disposal of hazardous waste and a series of misdemeanors, including public nuisance, according to KTLA. The Weisenbergs are expected to receive sentences carrying two years of probation, community service hours, and fines, on top of a significant restitution and clean-up bill. Atlas Irons is now mandated to fund an $2 million payment, covering restitution to the Los Angeles Unified School District, fees, and ensuring the site is cleared of contaminants and barred from future industrial use, the DA's Office outlined the restitution in a statement obtained by NBC Los Angeles.
The settlement includes provisions that Atlas Iron must pay $1 million to LAUSD, with the remainder distributed between various agencies engaged in the legal and cleanup efforts, per the District Attorney's Office. LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho called the shutdown a cessation of "a decades-long injustice," asserting the community's victory over a company that "prioritized profits over the community’s well-being for far too long," Superintendent Carvalho told NBC Los Angeles.
Compounding the Weisenbergs' legal woes are the specifics of the environmental fallout; soil sampling revealed high levels of lead and zinc at Jordan High School and within Atlas' own grounds, prompting health concerns and substantial community outrage, while the 2024 explosion at Atlas, which threatened students on their way to school, underscored the facility's hazardous presence in the area, according to KTLA. The facility, adjacent to Jordan High School and the Jordan Downs Housing Development, had become an increasing concern with violations that have been occurring since 2017, additional details provided by the office of the District Attorney suggest a significant initiative to protect public health and hold those at fault accountable.
The case emphasizes a stringent opposition to entities undermining community safety, with District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman warning, "if you break the law and put public health at risk, we will hold you accountable." His sentiments echo the broader legal and moral stance of the authorities involved in bringing Atlas' detrimental operations to a halt, confirming the gravity with which environmental crimes are pursued in Los Angeles County, as Hochman told KTLA.
