Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and co-authored by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath to reallocate up to $3 million from the County’s Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program. The funds will be used to support soil testing for residential property owners living near the Eaton Fire burn area, where preliminary findings have revealed elevated lead levels in the soil.
The motion directs the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health—working in coordination with the Los Angeles County Development Authority—to use a portion of the County’s 2018 lead paint settlement funds to help residents afford soil testing. The initiative will focus on properties located within a one-mile radius of the burn zone and in areas downwind of the fire.
“The findings shared by the Department of Public Health are concerning for our residents who live near the Eaton Fire burn area and are now facing the possibility of soil contamination,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger. “I’m aware some of my constituents want to test their soil but are worried about the cost. I want to make sure they have access to resources and support to protect their health and their homes.”
The Eaton Fire, which impacted the Altadena area earlier this year, caused widespread structural damage and raised significant environmental concerns. Soil samples taken by an environmental consulting firm contracted by the Department of Public Health detected unexpectedly high lead concentrations in areas with intact housing—likely the result of legacy lead-based paint and the fire’s dispersal of airborne toxins.
The Department of Public Health will now move forward with contracting certified laboratories to offer timely and efficient soil testing assistance for affected residents.