Overview

• District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson’s office last week dropped a 10-count indictment against Radius Recycling and two plant managers, saying a deep review found insufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
• The original grand jury indictment had alleged safety-protocol neglect and evidence destruction at the West Oakland plant and threatened up to $33 million in fines.
• An Alameda County Superior Court judge previously barred multiple prosecutors from the case, sharply rebuking the lead counsel for negligent and disingenuous conduct.
• The August 2023 blaze in a 40-ton debris pile sent toxic smoke over the East Bay, prompting nearly 50 pollution complaints and an air quality advisory.
• Community advocates decried the dismissal as a setback for accountability and public health at a plant with a century-long record of environmental violations, including a $4.1 million settlement in 2021.