Public hearing set back a month for Humidor BESS project 

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The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has pushed the public hearing about the franchise agreement allowing Hecate Grid to operate its Humidor Battery Energy Storage System in the unincorporated Acton area back to Nov. 26. 

Initially, the public hearing was supposed to be held on Tuesday and local leaders of “Acton Takes Action” Ruth Brock and Director of “Save of Rural Town” Jackie Ayer planned to be in attendance with 30 other Acton community members to oppose the project. 

“The Department of Public Works requested that the item be continued until the next public hearing due to concerns about a voluminous appeal that was submitted late on Monday afternoon to the Executive Office,” Helen Chavez, communications director for 5th District L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, wrote in an email.  

Brock said that when she checked on Saturday there were 127 letters submitted to the Board of Supervisors in opposition to the project. Ayer said she had submitted a detailed 99-page letter that showed why the Humidor BESS project should not be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and how it violated zoning codes because the project should be considered a “Heavy Industrial” use project, and the unincorporated Acton area is in is a “Light Industrial” use zone.  

On the Hecate Grid website, the company states it carefully selected the site to build the battery energy storage system miles away from the closest residential area and that it will be placed near the freeway and a rail line.  

The Oct. 8 Board of Supervisors meeting agenda stated that the Humidor BESS project will help California move toward its decarbonization goals, help boost the economy with new job opportunities and reduce power shutoffs in the area.  

If the project is approved, the franchise agreement would be for 35 years, starting Nov. 28 and running until 2059, according to this week’s county meeting agenda.  

The new public meeting is set to start at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 26 at 500 W. Temple St., Room 381B, at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles.    

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