A Los Angeles County judge ordered the owners of a troubled metal recycling facility to pay $2 million in penalties and permanently cease operations next door to a Watts high school, ending decades-long fears over industrial pollution and dangerous mishaps.
S&W Atlas Iron & Metal had processed scrap metal in Watts since 1949, shredding and baling aluminum cans, steel rims and copper wire. Over that time, students and staff at Jordan High School complained that the facility’s operations coated their campus in toxic dust, occasionally pelted outdoor areas with shrapnel and disrupted classes with explosions.
Atlas, along with its father-and-son owners Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, were arraigned two years ago on numerous criminal charges in connection with illegal dumping and handling of hazardous waste from July 2020 and August 2022. A little more than a year later, a compressed gas canister ignited at the scrap yard, causing a fiery explosion on the first day of school, after which the district attorney’s office filed additional charges against the defendants.
The company and the Weisenbergs eventually pleaded no contest to several charges.
During sentencing on Oct. 21, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Terry Bork directed the company to shut down the scrap yard for good and sign a land covenant that would prohibit future recycling on the site. The owners were also placed on two years of probation and must perform 200 hours of community service.
Bork also ordered Atlas to pay $2 million in fines and penalties, including $1 million in restitution to Los Angeles Unified School District. In addition, Atlas will be required to give the school district and city of L.A. the first opportunity to purchase the property, if it decides to sell.
“This sentencing delivers long-overdue justice to a community that has lived in the shadow of this dangerous facility for generations,” L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “For too long, children at Jordan High School and families in Watts were put at risk by a company that placed profits over safety. My office will continue to hold accountable any business that endangers our children or our communities.”
An attorney and public relations firm representing the Weisenbergs did not respond to a request for comment.
The sentence concludes a long-running saga of dangerous mishaps and close calls in and around school grounds.
In 2002, in perhaps one of the most ignominious episodes, the recycling center was dismantling Navy artillery shells — that were supposedly inert — when one exploded and a chunk of metal launched onto Jordan High’s campus. No one at the school was hurt, but one person visiting the Atlas yard suffered a minor injury.
L.A. Unified School officials urged the court to impose “a strong and appropriate” sentence that would deter future environmental hazards.
“For decades, Jordan High School students and educators have borne the consequences of Atlas’ reckless disregard for safety,” an L.A. Unified School District spokesperson said in a statement. Accountability is essential to ensure this community is not subjected to any further harm.”
Earlier this week, Supt. Alberto Carlvaho echoed those sentiments.
“For far too long, our students and educators in Watts have carried the burden of others’ negligence, yet they have met every challenge with strength, grace and unity,” Carvalho said in a statement on social media. “Schools must always be sanctuaries, free from environmental harm. Environmental justice is educational justice, and Los Angeles Unified remains unwavering in our commitment to a safer, healthier future for every student.”
As an additional requirement of the sentence, Atlas must conduct an environmental cleanup of the site as mandated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control. School district officials expect the grounds to contain elevated levels of lead, which can cause permanent cognitive impairments in children.
Timothy Watkins, president of Watts Labor Community Action Committee, had mixed emotions when hearing of the court decision. On one hand, he said, he’s glad that Atlas is finally closing. But, he worries the devastating effects of lead from Atlas may have inflicted a lasting harm to generations of children that cannot be undone.
“Atlas Metal created a wound in the community, and salt goes into that wound every day it remains contaminated,” Watkins said. “Who says they are going to clean it to the extent that it needs to be clean? And even if they do, they still have profited from the exploitation of our community.”
For the last several months, the neighborhood has been much quieter. The scrap yard ceased operating in May. Atlas workers dismantled a makeshift wall of shipping containers between the scrap yard and school, which was intended to prevent sharp metal shards and other debris from flying onto the school yard.
Watkins said the community will continue to be involved until the environmental risks are gone.
“We’re not done,” he said. “By no means are we finished.”
