Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn Urges LA City Officials to Expedite Reimbursement of El Segundo Residents Impacted by Hyperion Sewage Spill

El Segundo, CA—Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is urging Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin to expedite the reimbursement of El Segundo residents who were impacted by the July 11th Hyperion sewage spill. In the weeks after the spill, the odor coming from the plant was so strong that residents complained of headaches, nausea, and skin irritation. The City of Los Angeles offered to reimburse residents for hotel stays and air conditioning units, but nearly two months after the spill, only a fraction of the residents who filed claims have been reimbursed.

“[T]he residents who took the city up on that offer had no idea that it would mean being saddled with thousands of dollars of credit card debt for months,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn in a letter to Mayor Garcetti and Controller Galperin, “Timely reimbursements are not too much to ask. Imagine if your residents took six to twelve weeks to pay their utility bills.”

The City of Los Angeles has received nearly 3000 reimbursement applications. The latest statements from the City of Los Angeles estimate that residents can expect to be reimbursed six to twelve weeks after submitting their completed paperwork.

“I know the process of verifying and approving reimbursements can be tedious, but the El Segundo residents shouldn’t be the ones paying the price,” continued Hahn. “I urge you to devote more resources to this program and expedite these reimbursements.”