Barrio Logan residents claimed a partial victory on March 25 when a Superior Court judge

More than 80 Barrio Logan residents, including Areli Moreno, joined EHC for a demonstration calling for the immediate shutdown of Master Plating.

ordered a temporary stoppage of chrome-plating operations at a business that is emitting toxic chemicals into the air.

Superior Court Judge S. Charles Wickersham ordered Master Plating to temporarily stop chrome-plating while state and local air pollution officials conduct air testing to determine what level of a toxic, cancer-causing substance known as chromium 6 is being emitted by operations at the facility. The decision is the first ruling in an ongoing case presented by the County of San Diego against Master Plating. Public pressure from Barrio Logan residents and Environmental Health Coalition prompted the county’s legal response.

The County announced its legal action against Master Plating at a press conference on March 7, calling the company a "chronic violator" of laws for toxic waste handling. "I will not allow Master Plating to continue to operate as a hazard to the community," said County Supervisor Greg Cox.

Master Plating is a decorative chrome-plater that has been operating within several feet of the Martinez family on the 2100 block of Newton Avenue since the late 1980s. Despite hundreds of violations of environmental regulations, criminal prosecutions of the business owner and attempts by the City of San Diego to purchase the underlying property, residents had previously been unsuccessful in getting the company shut down or relocated.

"This is a small victory, but it is still a victory," said Elvia Martinez. "We are at risk daily here. At least now people know about the problem."

Cancer in the air

In January, EHC and Barrio Logan residents called for the immediate shutdown of polluting operations at two facilities, Master Plating and Carlson & Beauloye, after the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and the San Diego Air Pollution Control District issued a notice that showed high levels of chromium 6 detected near the two plating companies. Levels of chromium 6 detected during the ARB’s chromium monitoring program conducted in December 2001 were up to 28 times higher than typical levels detected in large urban areas. The samples were collected at six residential locations within 200 feet of the facilities. The highest levels were found in the front and back of the Martinez residence, located between the two businesses.

"These results were alarmingly high and validated the community’s belief that there is a real public heath hazard from these operations in Barrio Logan," said Paula Forbis, Director of EHC’s Toxic-Free Neighborhoods Campaign "Residents have waited for more than a decade for action to be taken to eliminate these toxics from their neighborhoods."

Barrio Logan is plagued by mixed land-use zoning that allows polluting industries to be located near and even next to residences. Residents have long asserted that the chrome-plating operations located in their neighborhood posed serious health risks.

"If this were happening in a neighborhood like Point Loma or La Jolla, it would have been taken care of immediately. We have had to live with this zoning and we are suffering the consequences," said Michael Martinez.

In 1990, EHC and local residents proposed a "buffer zone" ordinance, which would have required that industries using or storing large quantities of hazardous materials be separated from residential uses. As a result, the San Diego City Council formed a multi-agency hazardous material task force, which recommended that plating operations be relocated from residential areas. In November 1994, the Transportation and Land Use Committee of the City Council voted unanimously in favor of the recommendation. However, since that time, none of the plating shops has been relocated.

Residents take action

Tired of officials ignoring the hazardous conditions in Barrio Logan, EHC and more than 80 Barrio Logan residents demonstrated in front of the San Diego Hall of Champions in Balboa Park on February 6, calling for the immediate shutdown of polluting operations at Master Plating. The demonstration coincided with the State of the County address taking place inside the Hall.

Carrying signs and banners reading "Toxics and Neighborhoods Don’t Mix," and "No More Waiting, Stop Chrome Plating," demonstrators called on the County Board of Supervisors to protect public health by revoking permits for chrome-plating and any other operations posing a health hazard to the community. Demonstrators also demanded that the City of San Diego honor it’s promise to relocate the chrome-platers and change unsafe zoning in Barrio Logan to provide residents there with the same protections enjoyed by other San Diego communities.

Planning for the future

EHC and Barrio Logan residents now are working with the County and City of San Diego Councilmember Ralph Inzunza to develop a relocation assistance plan for Master Plating that would move the business to a more suitable industrial-zoned location.

Residents also are working with City officials to change the zoning in Barrio Logan to prevent the side-by-side locating of polluters and families. Inzunza has initiated a review of Barrio Logan’s community plan and zoning ordinances and is working to develop ways that the City can get involved in the cleanup of polluted properties.

As the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial said on March 30, "Barrio Logan is a proud community that has been given short shrift by city planners for decades. . .The transformation of Barrio Logan from a poor neighborhood plagued by pollutant-spewing businesses to the vibrant residential community it used to be several decades ago will take time. But the change could take place once community members begin to gain clout at City Hall...the attention Barrio Logan has received from state and county health officials and the court, should get things rolling."

Change is coming to Barrio Logan. Look for updates on the Master Plating case in the next issue of the Toxinformer and online at www.environmentalhealth.org