IRWINDALE >> Sriracha’s spicy relationship with the City Council cooled off a bit Wednesday after officials unanimously dismissed a lawsuit and public nuisance declaration against manufacturer Huy Fong Foods.
The standoff between the city and Sriracha creator David Tran began in October when the city filed a lawsuit against his iconic company. The battle sparked fears among Sriracha fans there would be a global shortage of the popular condiment and its bottle with the tell-tale green cap.
An informal meeting Tuesday between Tran and city officials, accompanied by a written statement from Tran, provided the council the assurance it needed that Huy Fong will address residents’ odor complaints.
“We forged a relationship. Let’s keep that going,” City Councilman Julian Miranda said Wednesday.
Resident Fred Barbosa thanked the council for negotiating instead of litigating.
“Thank you so much for saving Irwindale because we were headed in the wrong direction,” Barbosa said.
Bob Machuca, of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said the resolution showed California is “open for business.”
“This is what we needed to do a long time ago,” he said.
Texas politicians visited the Sriracha factory in an effort to lure the company to expand in the Lone Star State.
Before the vote to dismiss the public nuisance order, Irwindale Chamber of Commerce President Marlene Carney gave a presentation to the council announcing the chamber will launch a marketing campaign “to talk about the positives of doing business” in Irwindale.
Tran on Tuesday credited representatives from Gov. Jerry Brown’s Office of Business and Economic Development for bringing the city officials to his factory.
Residents complained last fall the fumes seeping from the factory during the chile grinding season burned their eyes and throats and forced them to stay indoors.
The company recently installed stronger filters on its rooftop air filtration system, which Tran said he tested with pepper spray.
It is unknown if the new filters will be adequate until the company begins to process chiles, which is expected to begin in August.
“At the commencement of this year’s chile harvest season, if the air filtration system does not perform well, then Huy Fong Foods will make the necessary changes in order to better the system right away,” Tran wrote in a letter to the council.
He did not attend the Wednesday night meeting.
Mayor Mark Breceda, who met with Tran on Tuesday morning, asked the council to dismiss the public nuisance order, which the council had unanimously approved last month.
“I believe he stands by his word,” Breceda said. “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, but certain things had to be done.”
Miranda joined Breceda Tuesday on a tour of the facility.
“The discussions we had afterwards were candid,” Miranda said. “And I think he understood where we were coming from with the residents and having to be advocates for our residents, and I was pleased that he saw that.”
Councilman H. Manuel Ortiz abstained from the vote due to a conflict of interest.
