November 6, 2026 | Joseph — Khemetic Nation News Network, Cities Desk. California officials announced new figures Friday showing major progress in a long-running effort to remove lead-contaminated soil around the shuttered Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, southeast of Los Angeles. The state also acknowledged that residential cleanup is not finished.
What the state says has been completed
According to the November 6 announcement from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, the Department of Toxic Substances Control had completed cleanup at 6,495 residential parcels, 7,818 parkways, 12 schools, 68 childcare centers and five parks as of October 23.
State officials said residential work covered approximately 80% of the roughly 8,000 eligible properties where owners had provided access. That percentage applies to properties with access agreements, not necessarily every potentially affected parcel. More work is underway.
A decade-long public-health effort
The former Exide site recycled lead-acid batteries for decades. Investigations identified lead contamination in nearby residential soil, exposing surrounding communities to a potentially harmful environmental hazard. California has spent more than $700 million since 2016 on cleanup in the area, according to the Governor’s office.
Lead exposure is especially concerning for children because it can affect development and learning. Cleaning soil around homes, schools and playgrounds is a way to reduce exposure pathways, although announcement totals alone do not establish the health status of any individual resident.
What remains unresolved
California says DTSC has sampled 10,028 parcels and identified 9,016 eligible for further remediation using its screening criteria. Officials said the state will continue seeking access to additional eligible residential properties and carrying out work at sites still in the queue.
The newly announced totals represent progress reported by the state; they are not an independent environmental audit. Residents can follow the state’s latest cleanup figures and program description for specific details and future updates.
Featured photograph: Governor Gavin Newsom at a June 2025 public-safety event, archival California Governor’s Office photograph, U.S. public domain. Not photographed during the November 6 announcement or at the Exide cleanup site.
