California Says 6,500 Homes Near Shuttered Exide Plant Are Cleaned as Soil Tests Raise Questions

California officials say lead-contaminated soil has been cleaned at 6,500 homes near the shuttered Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, about 80% of the 8,000 eligible properties where owners granted access. Yahoo published the report, which originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

Newsom's Statement on the Exide Cleanup

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Friday that "every school, park, and childcare center in the affected area has been cleaned" and that "nearly 6,500 homes have been made safer." The 6,500 figure was current as of Oct. 23, according to the statement, leaving about 1,500 properties for the state to clean up.

"That is real progress for communities that waited far too long for justice," Newsom said. "California will keep fighting to do right by the families of Southeast Los Angeles."

The former Exide facility melted down lead-acid car batteries for recycling and released lead dust across Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Commerce and Maywood while operating for decades under a temporary permit. Exide closed the Vernon plant in March 2015 in an agreement with federal prosecutors to avoid criminal charges, and a bankruptcy court ruled in 2020 that the company could abandon the site, leaving the cleanup to California taxpayers. Newsom's office said the state has spent more than $700 million on the effort.

In April, The Times reported on a study by university researchers and a local environmental health organization that found some remediated homes still had lead levels above California's standard for residential properties. The Department of Toxic Substances Control then sent letters to homeowners; more than a dozen were told individual soil samples exceeded the standard, many deeper underground and in harder to reach areas. The department told homeowners those areas "could not be removed because of physical limitations," such as tree roots, utility lines, power poles or nearby structures, and that clean soil and landscaping materials were placed over the properties.

Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, said the results suggest the department may need to redeploy crews for additional soil remediation at some homes. "It does appear from the data the state recently released that some homes may not meet the cleanup goals and that additional work may be needed to ensure these homes meet the standard," she said.

Exide Industries' Battery Business

Exide Industries is India's largest lead-acid storage battery manufacturer, with roughly 50% domestic market share and a 12 GWh lithium-ion cell gigafactory under construction through subsidiary EESL, according to akta.pro company records. The same records show standalone revenue of ₹17,269 crore for FY 2025-26, up 4.1% year on year, and standalone profit after tax of ₹1,111 crore.

Exide Industries' Recent Investments

Exide Industries invested ₹149.99 crore in wholly owned subsidiary Exide Energy Solutions through a rights issue on October 27, 2026, ScanX reported. On September 29, 2026, the company subscribed to a rights issue in the same subsidiary for ₹99.99 crore, The Times of India reported, putting cumulative investment in EESL at ₹5,202.23 crore. Exide Industries signed a long-term strategic cooperation with ExCom Energy Solutions GmbH on September 15, 2026, to develop industrial battery business across the European Economic Area, ScanX reported.

Federal Superfund Push for the Vernon Site

State lawmakers, including Newsom, have pushed for the site to be designated a Superfund priority site in the hopes of bringing in additional federal funding to accelerate cleanup efforts.