L.A. freeway fire spurs change

Legal review of firms leasing under roadways recommended

LOS ANGELES — Three months after an arson fire at a state-leased storage space shut down a major Los Angeles freeway, California transportation officials are recommending changes to the leasing program that would explicitly ban storage of hazardous materials like wood pallets and gasoline and provide more scrutiny of people who want to rent out the properties.

The state should require any individual who wants to lease one of the 600 available state-owned properties under roadways to attest they haven’t entered into bankruptcy in the past 10 years and are not embroiled in legal actions related to other properties, the head of the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, said Tuesday in recommendations to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The man who leased the property under Interstate 10 that caught fire had filed for bankruptcy twice since 2016 and was the target of several legal filings related to other sites he managed, Associated Press reporting found. The state is fighting to evict Ahmad Anthony Nowaid and scores of tenants subleasing through him in violation of his contracts with Caltrans, according to court records.

Nowaid and his attorney haven’t responded to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.

The Nov. 11 blaze quickly spread, fueled by wooden pallets, supplies of hand sanitizer and other flammable materials stored there in violation of the lease contract. Officials said it was a case of arson. No one has been arrested.

Caltrans director Tony Tavares wrote in a memo Tuesday that his agency had completed a review of all 600 properties around and under roadways that the state leases to firms and individuals. The agency recommended the state explicitly prohibit any storage of flammable or hazardous items and define more clearly what constitutes dangerous materials, he said.

The overhauls are meant to “ensure the lease agreements governing each property are up-to-date and reflective of potential risks, streamline enforcement of lease terms and allow Caltrans to more quickly address risks,” Tavares wrote.

Since the fire, Caltrans has inspected 47 sites, most of which were identified as potentially high-risk and some that have more than one parcel. Of these parcels, more than three quarters failed their inspections.

Following the inferno, Newsom ordered a review of all the so-called “airspace” sites that Caltrans has leased around roadways.