Viva la
Sriracha. The city of Irwindale, California, yesterday dropped its
declaration that Huy Fong Foods, maker of the famous hot sauce, is
a pungent “public nuisance.”
Reuters
explains that “at a city council hearing on Wednesday, three
council members and Mayor Mark Breceda voted unanimously to dismiss
the resolution” that was made last month and “would have allowed
Irwindale, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, to act on its own to
remedy the fumes, with the company assuming any abatement
costs.”
“I will say that I believe that not always lawsuits are good for
any business or any community. It’s not only hurtful but expensive.
I don’t believe at this point that it was the right way to go,”
said Mayor Mark Breceda.
The squabbling began last year when reports emerged that some
residents of the 1,500-person town experienced watery eyes and sore
throats due to the smells emitted by the Huy Fong factory. However,
L.A. Weekly‘s Dennis Romero was skeptical,
noting that “most of the odor complaints have come from four
nearby homes, one of which is occupied by the relative of a city
councilman. That councilman, Hector Ortiz, recused himself from
discussion and voting on the matter because, he says, he owns
property near the plant.” And, the city was trying to sell property
next to the factory at the time.
Even the judge who ordered a partial shutdown of the factory
said that there was a “lack of credible evidence” that the makers
of the award-winning condiment were responsible for the poor air
quality in the primarily
industrial town.
California’s health regulators
changed their own rules in December as they demanded a 30-day
hold on operations, which
created fear of a national Sriracha shortage.
David Tran, CEO of the $80 million business, recently
accused the city council of acting like a “local king” and
compared their governance to that of his birth country—Communist
Vietnam. He received numerous offers to move his operation to more
business friendly states, but decided to stay and agreed to install
stronger air filters in his factory to contain the peppery
smells.
Check out Reason TV’s coverage of the saucy standoff here:
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