Garden Grove, Stanton demand GKN Aerospace pay for 50,000-person evacuation

The mayors of Garden Grove and Stanton are demanding that GKN Aerospace reimburse thousands of residents and businesses left with mounting expenses after a defective chemical tank at the aerospace manufacturer's plant forced about 50,000 people to evacuate over Memorial Day weekend.

The five-day evacuation — the largest in Orange County in recent memory — has intensified calls to revisit industrial zoning rules that place heavy manufacturing facilities next to homes and schools across the county.

More than 250 residents filled a special Garden Grove City Council meeting Tuesday — the same day authorities lifted the final evacuation orders for about 16,000 people still displaced from their homes, according to Voice of OC. Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein told the crowd the city would compile all available records and pursue the company. "We're going to compile everything we have to get to the bottom of this. We will hold GKN accountable. We've never experienced anything like this, it's completely unprecedented," Klopfenstein said.

The crisis began May 21 after OC Fire Authority officials warned that a defective tank at GKN's Western Avenue plant could rupture and trigger a massive explosion releasing toxic chemicals. The evacuation order spread across Garden Grove and neighboring Stanton through the Memorial Day weekend, displacing about 50,000 people. "Some families had to leave their homes with very little notice. Some businesses had to close. Some employees lost work hours. Many people are left anxious, angry and uncertain about what comes next," Klopfenstein said.

Stanton Mayor David Shawver said his city's residents — whose community sits about four miles from the GKN facility — should not bear the financial burden. "Who's going to pay the bills? At this particular point, everything should be going in the direction of the company that was responsible," Shawver said at Tuesday's Stanton council meeting, according to Voice of OC. Stanton is one of the lowest-income cities in Orange County, with a population of roughly 40,000 spread across just three square miles.

Residents who addressed the Garden Grove council criticized the emergency response as too slow. Nathan Tran, a Garden Grove resident, said during public comment that "evacuees have had to sleep in their cars or tents because the city has failed to open shelters in any timely manner." Christine Lopez echoed the demand for corporate accountability: "I'm here to demand that the city hold GKN accountable for their negligence and their repeated environmental violations that have placed our communities at risk," she said.

GKN Aerospace Senior Vice President Steve Carlin issued an apology in a Wednesday statement to Voice of OC. "On behalf of the team at GKN Aerospace, I want to say how sorry we are for the uncertainty and disruption this situation has caused. I recognize how challenging this has been, particularly over the Memorial Day holiday," Carlin said. Council member Yesenia Muñeton called for a broader policy review. "We should have a serious conversation about whether we should allow these types of facilities so close to residents and schools," she said.

GKN Aerospace has operated its Garden Grove plant since 1966, employing more than 500 workers who manufacture canopies for commercial and military aircraft. The company's continued presence at the site now faces scrutiny as city officials weigh potential zoning reforms.