Edison Scrapes Vacant Lot In Downtown Malibu For Power Line Safety Effort
Written by 991KBU on February 21, 2019
Southern California Edison will start first in Malibu … as it embarks on a half billion dollar project to reduce fire dangers in high fire risk areas.
That’s the word from the City of Malibu … as it explains why it has granted the Edison Company permission to use a vacant lot int he center of Malibu … as a temporary equipment storage yard.
Edison is raising 582 million dollars from its ratepayers for this program.
It will trim trees … replace bare wires with plastic-coated insulated cables … and install fire-resistant poles in some places.
The state has ordered Edison to reduce the risk of another Woolsey fire conflagration … too late to save western Malibu.
In Malibu …. the removal of grass and weeds from a vacant lot and placement of gravel and fencing has some residents upset.
City planner Bonnie Blue told the Planning Commission Tuesday that the city approved permits for the storage yard on an emergency basis.
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“They are starting with Malibu first, and in order to keep us as the first city in these inspections and repairs, we wanted to permit the use of that property as quickly as possible so we kept our place in line.”
Blue says that the Edison company will remove the gravel and restore the vacant lot to its previous vacant lot conditions in about three months.
Edison set up a much larger temporary lot on the city-owned Chili Cook Off lot immediately after the Woolsey Fire … but took it down after two months.
In that case … the gravel surface was left in place at the request of the city.
That lot is a dusty mess when civic events like the Chili Cook Off use it … and the gravel will keep the dust down … the city says.
