In the shadows of industry: LA County’s port communities

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Scarred by industrial landscapes but home to family neighborhoods and parks, Wilmington bears the weight of the region’s high-polluting oil and shipping economy.

About 89% Latino, Wilmington is a bustling mecca for vendors selling birria tacos, agua fresca and homemade tortillas on neighborhood streets as an oil refinery looms in the distance. One street merchant peddles uniforms and equipment to workers on their way to the refineries. Across the 710 freeway, young men play soccer in a park against a backdrop of rail lines, a freeway, smokestacks and industrial storage tanks.

Wilmington and two of its neighbors in southwestern Los Angeles County— West Long Beach and Carson — have been designated for clean-air priority under California’s landmark environmental justice law. About 300,000 people live there, exposed to tons of smog-forming gases and toxic fumes as well as noxious odors that permeate their homes. More than half are Latino, and more than a third are Asian American or African American.

The imbalance between the plight of people in these communities and the industries that thrive there is a hallmark of environmental injustice.

Even though they’re next door to two prosperous ports that handle $450 billion in cargo a year, people there face high rates of poverty and unemployment. Some work in high-paying jobs at the ports and refineries, but not everyone benefits from them: One of every five residents in Wilmington lives below the nation’s poverty threshold.

Refineries, trucks, rail yards, freeways and the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are the major sources of emissions there. Nearly 2 million pounds of toxic air contaminants a year are spewed by industrial plants located in these communities.

This is an up-close exploration of these places and people — portraits of daily life in one of the most polluted parts of the state, where the health and wellbeing of residents is shaped by the oil industry and the nation’s two busiest ports.

A pedestrian walks past mural in downtown Wilmington. Photo by Pablo Unzueta — A fading mural adorns a building in downtown Wilmington containing a Salvadoran restaurant, a pawn shop, a boutique outlet and other businesses.

Left: A homeless man sitting at the bus stop, next to a 76 gas station in downtown Wilmington. Right: Smoke lingers outside La Michoacana, as people stand in line for food in Wilmington. Photos by Pablo Unzueta — A homeless man sits at a bus stop next to a gas station in downtown Wilmington. People line up for food outside the popular Mexican restaurant La Michoacana.

A man crosses the street in downtown Wilmington. According to the MATES data done by the South Coast AQMD, downtown Wilmington's cancer risk is 664 per million, which is in the top 2 percent category of the most polluted sectors in the South Coast Basin. Photo by Pablo Unzueta — This street in downtown Wilmington leads into one of the region’s large oil refineries and the ports. Wilmington, a waterfront part of Los Angeles, was founded in 1857. Wilmington had a booming tourism industry during the early 1900s, but now its economy relies on the ports and oil industry.

Backdropped by the 710 Freeway and an industrial landscape, a group of people plays soccer near Drake Park in the Wilmore neighborhood of Long Beach on June 28, 2021. — Young athletes play soccer in Long Beach’s Drake Park against a backdrop of the 710 freeway, industrial storage tanks and a refinery smokestack. The park is about half a mile from the Port of Long Beach and less than two miles from the Valero refinery in Wilmington.

A mechanic cleans out residue from a semi truck's engine pipe. According to the South Coast AQMD, nearly three quarters of air pollution is contributed by dirty diesel, typically run from semi trucks. A study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, found that communities exposed to higher levels of toxic air pollution contributed to higher COVID-19 death rates. — A mechanic cleans out residue from a heavy-duty truck’s engine at a shop on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. He said work fixing a steady stream of industrial trucks in the area is never-ending. Diesel exhaust, largely from trucks, is responsible for about three-quarters of the cancer risk posed by air pollution in the area.

Javier Beltrán in front of his home in Wilmington's Figueroa Place on July 26, 2021. According to Beltrán, he worked at the nearby refineries throughout his life. "It was a good job, obviously, but it also had its bad sides," Beltrán said. "The pollution and everything that exists inside [the refineries] the bad odors, and all of the toxins that people are exposed to." After working that job for nearly 10 years, Beltrán says that he eventually left because he noticed a decline in his health. "Before I used to run, and over time I found myself not being able to do it anymore without breathing so heavily." Photo by Pablo Unzueta — Javier Beltrán, 66, who lives on Wilmington’s Figueroa Place, worked at nearby refineries for much of his life. “It was a good job, obviously, but it also had its bad sides,” Beltrán said. “The pollution and everything that exists inside (the refineries), the bad odors and all of the toxins that people are exposed to.” Beltrán said he left his refinery job because he noticed a decline in his health. “Before I used to run, and over time I found myself not being able to do it anymore without breathing so heavily.”

TKTKTKA merchant sells industrial uniforms and safety equipment near refineries off the Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. Photo by Pablo Unzueta — A roadside vendor sells industrial uniforms to refinery workers along the Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington, across the street from a gas station. The community’s economy revolves around the oil industry and the ports of LA and Long Beach.

Life beneath the smokestacks

Five pollution-spewing oil refineries loom over neighborhoods in Wilmington and Carson. Juan Perez can see the Phillips 66 refinery’s smokestacks from the home on Figueroa Place where he’s lived for 37 years.

Like many residents of Wilmington, Perez’s wife has asthma. “Sometimes you can’t breathe because the smell is so strong,” Perez said.

Dulce Altamirano, who lives on King Avenue nearby, is a short walking distance from the refinery. Her youngest child struggles with irregular breathing, headaches and a persistent runny nose.

“At night when everyone is asleep, it’s like they (refineries) open something up and you smell a strong gas,” Altamirano said. “When I go outside, I smell it even more, and sometimes it is also a rotten smell.”

Teresa Herrera, who also lives on Figueroa Place and works at a nearby McDonald’s, doesn’t have time to worry about the impacts of the refinery. “I work so much that I don’t have time to think about refineries or my health,” Herrera said. “But at night, I do notice a strong smell.”

The Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington is one of the largest industrial polluters in the Los Angeles basin, spewing more than 1,500 tons of smog-forming gases and 60 tons of toxic air contaminants in 2020, according to South Coast Air Quality Management District data.

The cancer risk from air toxics, particularly diesel exhaust, is high in Wilmington, Carson and West Long Beach. And residents need emergency room treatment for asthma attacks more frequently than their neighbors in the rest of Los Angeles County.

Juan Perez fixes his roof as fumes from the Phillips 66 refinery pour into the air in the Figueroa Place community, located in Wilmington. Perez, whose wife has asthma, claims that a 'strong smell' has tainted this community for decades. According to the MATES data done by the South Coast AQMD, Figueroa Place ranks in the top 2 percent of most polluted areas in the South Coast Basin. Photo by Pablo Unzueta — Juan Perez fixes his roof as fumes from the Phillips 66 refinery funnel into the air on Figueroa Place in Wilmington. Perez, who has lived there since 1985, says a “strong smell” has tainted the neighborhood for decades. The 90744 ZIP code including Figueroa Place ranks in the top 2% in the Los Angeles basin for cancer risk from air pollution, mainly from diesel exhaust, which also can trigger asthma attacks. “There are a lot of people here with asthma,” Perez said.

Dulce Altamirano washes dishes after cooking breakfast for her family in Wilmington. Altamirano has lived in this home for nearly 15 years. Her youngest child, Freddy Herrera, has struggled with irregular breathing, headaches and runny noses. Photos by Pablo Unzueta

Dulce Altamirano has lived in her home in Wilmington home for nearly 15 years. Photo by Pablo Unzueta — Dulce Altamirano washes dishes after cooking breakfast for her family in Wilmington, including her youngest son, Freddy Herrera, 12. Altamirano, who works at a local nonprofit organization, has lived in the home for 15 years. Herrera said he suffers from headaches and has trouble breathing while playing soccer at school.

Teresa Herrera sits on her bed inside her bedroom, which has been converted into a small housing unit in Figueroa Place in Wilmington. Herrera has lived here for a decade, next to the Phillips 66 refinery. "I work so much that I don't have time to think about refineries or my health," Herrera, who works at McDonalds, said. "But at night, I do notice a strong smell." Photo by Pablo Unzueta — Teresa Herrera sits inside her bedroom, which has been converted into a small housing unit on Figueroa Place in Wilmington. Herrera, who works at McDonald’s, has lived near the Phillips 66 refinery for a decade. She said she works so hard making a living that she doesn’t have time to think about the effects of pollution on her health.

Left: Samuel Ortega was an iron worker for 15 years, and now collects scrap metal and car parts from junk yards in Wilmington to recycle and make money. Right: Esmeralda Acosta hugs her daughter in front of their home in Wilmington. Acosta's neighborhood has seen an increase in noise and pollution caused by semi-trucks exiting and entering the community, due to the backlogs along the ports. Esmeralda states the she does not let her kids play outside anymore. Their windows are closed during all hours of the day and night, to reduce the noise and dirt in the air. Photos by Pablo Unzueta — Samuel Ortega (left), who has lived in a trailer in Wilmington for two years, said he was an ironworker for many years. He now collects scrap metal and car parts from junkyards to raise money. Esmeralda Acosta (right) hugs her 8-year-old daughter outside their home in Wilmington. The family lives on Drumm Avenue, which has been plagued with noise, dirt and exhaust from trucks traveling to and from the ports. “The kids go out for maybe half an hour, but they get dirty,” Acosta said. “We have to keep all of the windows closed day and night with all of the noise.”

Jose Ulloa holds the inhalers he uses for severe emergencies in Wilmington, on Jan. 11, 2022. Ulloa, who lives on Drumm Avenue, a street that has been plagued by noise and dirt pollution caused by truck traffic, says he developed bronchitis one year ago. "Even with this medicine, the cough doesn't go away," Ulloa said. "I have to be inside so I don't cough so much." Photo by Pablo Unzueta — Jose Ulloa holds inhalers that he uses for asthma emergencies. Ulloa also lives on Wilmington’s Drumm Avenue, a street with heavy truck traffic. He said he developed bronchitis a year ago, and “even with this medicine, the cough doesn’t go away. I have to be inside so I don’t cough so much.”

Industrial Landscapes

Trucks, smokestacks, freight train tracks, freeways, oil wells, ships, port industries, chemical facilities and warehouses dominate the landscape.

In addition to five oil refineries, residents in these communities live among nine rail yards, miles of freeways, several chemical plants, industrial storage tanks, port facilities and the third largest oilfield in the contiguous U.S.

Life beneath the smokestacks

Industrial Landscapes

Pablo Unzueta