Stanton City Councilmember Donald Torres reflected the urgency of the situation when he appeared at a press conference. His clothes were hastily chosen as he joined more than 50,000 Orange County residents in an evacuation prompted by a potential chemical threat. Over the course of four days, Torres, along with his family and pets, resided at three different locations while managing concerned calls from residents.
When evacuation orders were lifted, Torres returned to a disorderly home. That same day, he joined activists outside Garden Grove City Council chambers, advocating against the expansion of GKN Aerospace and proposing the shutdown of its local facility. As a lifelong Stanton resident, Torres, at 26, was driven not only by the immediate crisis but by a broader vision for his community.
Stanton, one of Orange County’s poorest and most diverse cities with approximately 40,000 residents, often remains unnoticed unless tragedy strikes. Even during the GKN crisis, media attention focused on Garden Grove, overlooking Stanton, where most of the evacuation occurred. Many homes were perilously close to the chemical tank.
Stanton’s absence from daily news briefings did not deter Torres. His speech in Garden Grove conveyed the frustrations of overlooked residents, demanding the respect Stanton seldom receives. “As Stanton residents call me, I hear the hardship and a lack of adequate resources,” he read, urging action.
Torres later spoke with Carlos Perea from the Harbor Institute, emphasizing the neglect of Latino areas in Orange County, a region where about 53% of Stanton’s population is Latino and 27% is Asian. Torres has also reached out to legislators for support through hotel and food vouchers for affected residents and sought insurance assistance for impacted businesses.
Stanton’s reputation has suffered over the years. Despite sharing a past with other central Orange County cities, it gained neither their fame nor their development. While crime and homelessness have decreased, and plans for mixed-use developments are underway, there remains a pervasive perception of Stanton as a struggling community.
Mayor David Shawver, a long-time resident and city council member, emphasized past struggles and progress against negative stereotypes, hinting at support received from surrounding cities during the crisis.
“All my neighboring cities were so supportive of what our needs were,” Shawver said, “and hopefully will continue to do so once we figure out what our residents need.”
While touring local businesses to assess damages, Torres found that the evacuation imposed significant losses. At Carniceria El Novillo, Adalberto Barrera Valencia faced spoiled meat and high bills, a common narrative throughout the area. Maria Ngo of Cerritos Nutrition was discarding expired goods, reflecting on the ongoing crisis and its implications.
At each stop, business owners grappled with the aftermath. Hotels were costly during the evacuation, and some businesses reopened to scant crowds. The full impact continues to unfold as authorities work to understand and prevent future emergencies in Stanton.
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