Conditions ripe for XL rats

Rotting produce dumped on a downtown L.A. street has created foul odors and attracted vermin, angering neighbors and business owners

- NATHAN SOLIS

Photographs by GARY CORONADO For The Times BRENDA, who lives in the area, says she sees trucks unloading the produce at night. "It's not fair," she said.

Under cover of night, trucks have been regularly dumping rotten produce in an industrial neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles.

In the morning, the sidewalk and pavement along Naomi Avenue are littered with crates of discarded melons, tomatoes and other overripe fruit, creating an ugly sight and putrid odor.

The problem has persisted for years, according to local business owners, who say city officials have done little to alleviate the problem.

The downtown neighborhood around Naomi Avenue is home to several produce distributors and markets, and local residents suspect that trucks delivering produce have made the street an unofficial dumping ground for produce that is too old or spoiled to sell. On a recent morning, a soursweet stench wafted in the air, and a blanket of flies settled on the ground near the spilled produce boxes that amass after weeks of neglect.

Local residents say whole pallets of fruit are often left on the street.

"I have been trying to get the city's attention about all of this, but it takes weeks for them to respond," Miriam Ronquillo said from behind the counter at her family's market near Naomi Avenue.