IRWINDALE>> A city councilman from Texas said Wednesday if the Sriracha hot chili sauce manufacturer is not welcome in Irwindale, it should look east to the Lone Star state to relocate their business.
Talks between Huy Fong Foods and the city of Irwindale continued Wednesday after the city filed a lawsuit and request for injunction if the chili sauce manufacturer did not curb the allegedly “strong, offensive chili odor” emanating from the Azusa Canyon Road facility that several residents have said causes headaches and irritation to their eyes and throat.
City Attorney Fred Galante said the city will seek a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday if an informal agreement on limiting the odor is not reached.
Denton, Texas City Councilman Kevin Roden began a campaign to bring Sriracha to his city in Northeast Texas Wednesday posting an “open letter” on his website.
“The brand name of Sriracha, is so hot, so to speak, and well-loved throughout the country that it seems like a good fit,” he said.
The hashtag #sriracha2denton created a firestorm in the community of 113,000, including 48,000 college students. He said Sriracha’s “hipster credibility” meshes well with the city’s creative community.
He said there are a number of industrial sites in the city located far away from residential neighborhoods, so the chili odor that has affected Irwindale residents should not be an issue.
Huy Fong officials said if the company is forced to halt production due to a court order, the price of Sriracha will likely go up.
Huy Fong Foods founder David Tran said last week that chili supplies are already low this year due to a wind storm that affected the chili farm in Ventura that produces the chilies for the sauce.
Many Sriracha lovers took to social media to show their support for the hot sauce and fear that production would cease, some used the hashtag #srirachapocalypse.
A Duarte woman has started an online fundraising campaign on the gofundme.com webpage, www.gofundme.com/512nmo, to raise $20,000.
“If we can just raise $20,000, we can help support their legal battle or even consider moving their plant to more Sriracha friendly pastures,” the website reads.
The hot chili sauce with the green lid and a roster on its bottle is hugely popular. It is sold in every U.S. state and every continent.
The company sold 20 million bottles last year, according to Businessweek.
An inspector from the South Coast Air Quality Management District did not smell a foul odor and did not find any compliance violations last week when visiting the neighborhood and inspecting the factory, according to spokesman Sam Atwood.
The AQMD received 11 complaints from residents about foul odors emanating from the Huy Fong Foods factory beginning on Oct. 21, Atwood said.
The chili harvest season begins at the end of August and lasts about 12 weeks.
Huy Fong installed active carbon filters last year when residents first complained about smells. Since the factory began operating at about 90 percent capacity, the filters have not contained the smell, according to the city.
Residents said the smell causes hacking and the taste of chili lingers in their mouth.
The odor is strongest in the early afternoon and lingers into the evening, according to resident Dena Zepeda who circulated a petition to complain about the smell.
Resident Art Tapia told the City Council last week he had to move a party at his house on Central Street indoors due to the smell. “It gags you,” he said, according to meeting minutes.
