Living on a Ticking Time Bomb? The Hidden Truth Beneath 2885 Leeward Ave.

Is it acceptable for the basic mobility of a person in a wheelchair to depend on an elevator that periodically floods with groundwater? 

The short answer is no. 

In our building, this is not just a mechanical failure; it is a potential public health crisis and a structural safety concern that the administration can no longer ignore.

The "Black Oil": Not just water; it is a combination of tar. 

Whenever the elevator floods, our community is exposed to a "black oil" with a penetrating odor. According to chemical safety data (such as that for Coal Tar Pitch), this substance is far from harmless "dirt." Coal tar is a highly hazardous material:

Toxicity: Its vapors can cause severe irritation to the nose, throat, and lungs.

Cancer Risk: It is classified as a known human carcinogen that affects the lungs, kidneys, and skin.

The Mysterious "White Powder": When management spreads sand or absorbent materials to "dry" the "black oil" in the parking lot, we are not informed about what chemicals we are breathing or if those materials are even adequate to neutralize toxic waste.

Here is the point: the building was built similarly to other buildings in Wilshire, over a tar pool; but the point is, understand whether everything is fine when rain and subterranean water combine with black oil, flooding the parking and leaving the community exposed for several days. This situation has been intermittent for several years. 

Methane Gas: The Invisible Danger in Our Kitchens

Our building is located in a city-designated Methane Zone. When the parking lot is flooded, the community notices a tar-like odor. This odor rising through our kitchen sinks is a major red flag. Now, the main question here is whether there exists a connection between the tar odor and the gas methane? 

Methane is odorless, but the tar is not. But they have a direct and active relationship. Methane gas, along with other hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane, originates from deep, ancient underground oil fields. In other words, as heavy crude oil seeps to the surface via faults and cracks (such as the 6th Street Fault at La Brea), lighter components—mainly methane—evaporate and escape to the atmosphere.  

Methane gas is an asphyxiating and highly flammable gas. The escape of methane must occur in a safe way, especially in a residential area. 

Now, 

Does the building have a functional methane mitigation system? 

Are the construction and occupancy permits up to date, given the constant underground water seepage, especially during the rainy season?

If, during flooding in the parking lot and elevator, the community sees a combination of water and "black oil" and smells a tar odor, is it not logical to assume that methane gas is escaping from the underground to our apartments in an unsafe manner? 

Negligence and Inequality

Our most vulnerable neighbors—seniors, children, and people with disabilities—are being trapped in their homes. An elevator that fails due to "groundwater flooding" in a building constructed over a high-risk geological zone (tar pits and methane) is not an accident; it is structural negligence. 

These unsafe conditions will not be accepted if this were a luxury building in Beverly Hills. 

Our safety is no less valuable because we live in affordable housing. We demand absolute transparency regarding:

Soil studies and the management of contaminated groundwater.

Current certification of the methane ventilation and mitigation systems.

A permanent structural solution for the elevator, not a temporary "patch."

Our health is not negotiable!