Residents/Advocates Rally At Santa Clara City Hall Over Apple's Secret Fab & Contamination

8/18/26 RESIDENTS AND ADVOCATES TO RALLY AT SANTA CLARA CITY HALL OVER APPLE’S SECRET CHIP FAB NEXT TO HOMES, PARKS, AND A CHILDREN’S SCHOOL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press conference precedes City Council meeting; follows amended federal lawsuit seeking to shut down hazardous semiconductor plant at 3250 Scott Blvd, Santa Clara, California.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Community members, labor advocates, and environmental activists will hold a press conference and rally on Tuesday, August 18, outside Santa Clara City Hall (1500 Warburton Avenue), ahead of that evening’s City Council meeting, to demand the City stop protecting an unmarked, high-hazard semiconductor fabrication plant (“chip fab”) operated by Apple Inc. at 3250 Scott Boulevard — directly across the street from the 1,840-unit Santa Clara Square Apartments, public city parks, children’s playgrounds, a church and Whole Foods, and the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek.

WHO: Ashley Gjovik, former Apple senior engineering program manager, environmental whistleblower, and plaintiff in Gjovik v. Apple Inc., City of Santa Clara, et al.; community members; labor and environmental advocates.

WHAT: Press conference and rally regarding the federal environmental citizen suit seeking to shut down hazardous operations at the chip fab — followed by attendance and public comment at the Santa Clara City Council meeting.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Press conference and rally at 6:00 PM; City Council meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 6:00 PM and stay through the Council meeting.

WHERE: Santa Clara City Hall, 1500 Warburton Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050 (rally outside; Council meeting in the Council Chambers).

CAN’T ATTEND IN PERSON? The Council meeting is a hybrid meeting — join and speak during public comment via Zoom:

Zoom: https://santaclaraca.zoom.us/j/99706759306 (Meeting ID: 997-0675-9306)
By phone: 1 (669) 900-6833
Watch only: livestreamed on the City’s Facebook (facebook.com/cityofsantaclara) and YouTube (youtube.com/cityofsantaclara) channels
Supporters joining remotely are encouraged to sign on by 7:00 PM and speak during the public comment period. Full participation instructions: santaclaraca.gov > City Clerk’s Office > Watch and Participate in Public Meetings. (https://www.santaclaraca.gov/our-city/departments-a-f/city-clerk-s-office/city-council-meetings/watch-and-participate-in-public-meetings)

SPEAK DURING “PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS”: Speakers will address the Council during the “Public Presentations” portion of the meeting which is open to anyone attending in person or via Zoom. Gjovik and other advocates will speak during Public Presentations, and all community members are invited to speak as well including sharing thoughts about fenceline communities, responsible zoning in the City of Santa Clara, and the issues in this lawsuit. Speakers may use their few minutes to share their views, or to formally request that the Council place these issues on a future meeting agenda under Council Policy 030 (“Adding an Item to the Agenda”):https://www.santaclaraca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/82368/638354905782130000.

The entire meeting, including every Public Presentations speaker, is livestreamed and recorded, with playback available on the City’s website (santaclara.legistar.com), Facebook page, and YouTube channel (youtube.com/cityofsantaclara). Every comment becomes part of the public record.

WHY: On August 6, 2026, Gjovik filed a Second Amended Complaint in federal court (N.D. Cal. Case No. 5:25-cv-07360-PCP) bringing thirty-five claims against Apple, the City of Santa Clara, and the property owners under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, and California public nuisance law. The suit seeks removal of the facility’s hazardous chemicals and toxic gases, community warnings, and enforcement of the environmental laws that federal, state, and local regulators have documented the facility violating for a decade.

The facility — which bears no company name and no street-visible hazard warnings — stores and uses acutely lethal gases including arsine, phosphine, and chlorine. Apple’s own worst-case dispersion modeling places its arsine toxic endpoint at 1.1 miles, covering thousands of residents. A school serving up to 900 children sits within that radius; in a chemical emergency, the school’s evacuation plan directs children to assemble at a park directly across the street from the plant.

The lawsuit follows government enforcement triggered by Gjovik’s complaints. In October 2025, the U.S. EPA resolved seven federal hazardous waste counts against Apple’s facility through a Consent Agreement and Final Order with a monetary penalty — an action EPA’s own records credit to Gjovik’s tip. In May 2026, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District settled air quality violations at the site, including operating emission sources without required permits. Sworn testimony and records obtained in related litigation — cited throughout the amended complaint — include Apple’s own hazard analysis identifying failure scenarios resulting in “injury and/or fatality” to site personnel or neighbors, and Apple’s admission that it is still using the facility today.

The complaint also details the City of Santa Clara’s role: approving thousands of apartments beside the fab while omitting it from the project’s environmental review, failing its state-delegated hazardous materials enforcement duties, and — in 2025 — formally amending its General Plan after City officials stated on the record that the area is “not an appropriate area for housing” and “we do not want housing there.” Decades earlier, in LSI Logic Corp. v. City of Santa Clara, the California Court of Appeal rejected this same City’s attempt to site children next to chip fabs.

“I almost died in an apartment across the street from this factory. When I went to agencies asking for help, no one knew or would admit this chip fab even existed. Six years later, the plant is still running, still unmarked, and still next to a children’s playground. The agencies fined Apple and moved on. The City rezoned its mistake and left my neighbors and coworkers behind. Nobody even warned the families who live there — so we’re going to court, and we’re going to City Hall.” - Ashley Gjovik

Speakers will address the litigation, the enforcement record, the City’s ongoing refusal to warn residents, and calls for the Council to act. After the 6:00 PM rally, participants will move inside to attend the 7:00 PM Council meeting and speak during public comment — in person and via Zoom. Visuals include signs, the facility’s hazard placard imagery, and maps of the plume radius over the surrounding homes, parks, and school.

Case:Gjovik v. Apple Inc., City of Santa Clara, Property Owners (Jenab, Lindsey, et al.), N.D. Cal. No. 5:25-cv-07360-PCP. The Second Amended Complaint and exhibits are available on the public court docket via CourtListener: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71272728/gjovik-v-apple-inc/

Media Contact: Ashley Gjovik legal [at] ashleygjovik.com | WorkWeek lvpsf [at] igc.org | Friends of Saratoga Creek friendsofsaratogacreek.org |