=.  A fourth Malibu resident has died from the Palisades Fire.

=.  Significant changes to the roadblocks on PCH.  Residents will need a pass.

=.  Malibu City Hall will verify and hand them out .. and LAPD will supposedly honor them at their roadblock near Chatauqua.

=.  Contractors will need passes from the Lost Hills Sheriffs Office to get through the roadblocks. .

=.  It’s first come-first serve for residents …wanting to have the state clear the debris from their land.

=  Signups start today. 

=  The forgotten fire … Serra Estates fire victims say they are being overlooked for debris removal and other state aid.

= And one city council member … a fire victim himself … says things are too toxic to enter.

=.  It’s not worth it ….to retrieve a sofa.

Fourth Malibu Death Reported: Person Dies In Hospital

The Palisades Fire has claimed the life of a fourth Malibu resident.

This person had been hospitalized with injuries since the January Ninth blaze.

The injuries were treated for two weeks at a hospital … but the person died several days ago.

No name has been released to the public.

Next of kin are still being notified. 

PCH Roadblock Changes: Pass Needed To Get Into Your Burned House, No Thru Traffic On PCH In Foreseeable Future

Significant changes in the roadblocks … and entry procedures …. for residents and their workers trying to enter the Palisades burn area.

Passes are needed. 

And passes will not be available to drive through the closure area … no matter how far your commute is.

Passes will only go for the owners of burned houses or businesses … to visit their lots only.

That means the City of Malibu has to go in the pass business. 

Those passes are being handed out at Malibu City Hall … proof of ID required … the passes do not expire. 

The LAPD is allowing Malibu residents to pass through their checkpoint down in Santa Monica … if they are entering the city of LA (Pacific Palisades) using a City of Malibu issued pass. 

Sheriff’s sergeant Chris Soderlund.

 70878 Soderland 222

“PCH is for essential traffic only.  

“Expect significant delays and potential temporary delays due to trench work in the area.

“We have been listening to the residents and we know a lot of them are in hotels or other accommodations down in Los Angeles … Santa Monica… or the Soutt Bay.

“LAPD has stopped doing escorts they are now requiring passes to streamline access.,

“So we are doing what LAPD is doing … so it is the same across the board.”

The Malibu passes must first be picked up at Malibu City Hall.  They will be good until further notice. 

And those dolphin stickers that were handed up by the city years ago???

They are no good for entry into the fire zone … because they are citywide.

Another change: contractors working for Malibu residents in the burnout area … they can get passes to enter the fire zone.  And there is a different bureaucracy to get those.

Contractors will have to take some sort of written authorization from the homeowner … and present it at the Lost Hills sheriffs station …. over the hill on Agoura Road.

Deputies will verify that the contractor has been hired … by contacting the homeowner.

Again: Sgt. Chris Soderlund: 

SODERPASS 111

“LAPD will honor the pass in their jurisdiction on PCH. 

“The dolphin sticker is not going to be accepted due to the fire only affecting the eastern portion of Malibu. You must obtain a pass.  

“Contractors and essential personnel need to go to the Malibu Lost Hill sheriff’s station between 10 AM and 5 PM to obtain an essential contractors pass.

“Contractors and  personnel need to provided valid ID and bring documentation, for example an invoice or contract from the resident, showing that they are serving a resident in the affected areas.

“We will vet that information with the resident.”

One day … PCH is going to be reopened to general traffic. 

There is no way … Soderlund says … that they will man a checkpoint system indefinitely … to keep the general public off PCH .. and allow Malibu residents only to enter Malibu.

LAPD Checkpoint On PCH Keeps Unauthorized Traffic Off Road To/From Malibu

That checkpoint operated by the City of Los Angeles … on PCH heading out towards Malibu … it looks like that will be there for some time.

Yesterday … there was chaos at the roadblock in Santa Monica.

A drive through credential checking station was set up in a Santa Monica beach parking lot.

Drivers were directed to line up … on southbound PCH … to wait for clearance to get in.

That access is from California Incline. 

And no entry until 10 in the morning.

First Come First Served Reservations Taken For Debris Removal On The Web

Sign ups are being taken .. starting today … for the state of California’s debris removal project here in Malibu. 

First come … first served. 

Hazardous waste must be removed from burned lots before debris can be scraped away. 

And in order to do that … the EPA needs a location where it can gather the different kinds of waste .. sort it … and load it into covered trucks. 

That site will be a stretch of beach near PCH at Temescal Canyon Road … Will Rogers Beach. 

Federal officials from the EPA are in charge. 

They tell the Los Angeles Daily News that the Malibu site will begin taking hazardous waste in the next few days,

City council members last night said again and again that… this time … the type of fire debris is more dangerous than in past fires.

70886 STEWART LITHIUM 

“Everybody says ‘we have had wildfires forever.’  We have had wildfires forever, but we have not had urban fires like this.

“Whether this is a Tesla burning up, throwing off lithium gas or are you talking about asbestos or lead and so forth.

“This is the reason why in your return kit that the city has been providing you, you get a Tyvek suit, you get goggles, you get gloves.

“This is very toxic and all you have to do is look at 9/11 and see the impact from 9/11 on the firefighters and the first responders that went in to do cleanups, and you realize what we’re facing here.

“The phase one (hazmat clearing) that is being proposed is not optional.  That is a EPA mandate.

“And the County is managing the cleanup with the Corps Of Engineers, and the phase one is required even tfor he Corps of Engineers to go on site because they know it’s not safe so they wanna make sure it’s safe before they go. 

And you are about these guys .. there are engineers Army … they know what it takes to be safe … let’s take their guidance and realize that’s what needs to be done.”

Again … first come first serve reservations are being taken for the phase two debris removal … starting online today.

Victims Of Dec Fire Miss Help For Jan Fire Victims, They Plea: ‘Don’t Forget Us’

Residents of eastern Malibu are getting substantial help … with debris removal by the state … and rules being waived.

But not so … for the 20 Malibu households that were burned out December Ninth … when there Franklin fire started.

That December 9th fire has been overshadowed … all but forgotten … by the conflagration that happened in Pacific Palisades and eastern Malibu one month later.

Marnie Kammens lived in Malibu Canyon. 

She begged the city council last night … add her Serra Estates neighborhood to the emergency declaration. 

70884 KAMMENS 111

“We don’t have any of those benefits, and so I’m just asking for you guys to reach out to all the powerful people you know that can help get this declaration – us added into the declaration – because it would be life-changing for our community. 

“It’s kind of this … this left-behind area that’s not gonna be included in the debris removal. 

“We’re gonna not be included in the expedited stuff. 

“So we’re just gonna be sitting with burn lots for … for longer than everybody else … even though our fire was first.”

Marnie Kammen said that she evacuated from Malibu Canyon to her family’s house.

In Pacific Palisades. 

70885 KAMMENS 222

“My folks lost their home in the Palisades Fire. My grandparents’ home has been lost. 

“I love Malibu. I’m not leaving.

“But please fight for our fire … the Franklin Fire.”

City council members last night said they would fight to get the 20 families burned out by Franklin … in December … to be added to the list of hundreds of houses lost to the Palisades Fire in January. 

Edmiston Blamed For Fire, At His Own Board Meeting, As Video Shows MRCA Keystone Kops Fire Response

Last night … the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy voted to apply for state bond money to build more trails in Malibu.  Te conservancy controls the MRCA … the much-attacked agency that some hold responsible for abetting the Palisades Fire.

One board member asked Executive Director Joe Edmiston if some of that money could go to maintain the existing trails …

Edmiston said … no.

70877 EDMISTON TRAILS 

“We closed everything off …  at the request of Malibu …

“The problem is with trail construction … that will work.  But trail maintenance … they are gonna say ‘you have to do that next year or next year or in the next year.’

“So that’s an issue and I think we gotta address that with maybe we should change some of these requirement … so that we could use capital money on an ongoing basis and not just on a one time every seven years basis. “

The combined Board of Directors for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the MRCA met last night … and watched videos of how the fire broke out on land right next to the MRCA buildings and trailheads in Pacific Palisades.  Critics say the MRCA controlled the access and failed to lock it up as the predicted windstorm arrived.

The MRCA videos showed a bunch of MRCA pickup trucks driving around in the smoke … largely in circles …  fire tourists.

The MRCA video showed their MRCA firefighters watching tankers dropping retardant. 

The MRCA video showed their firefighters rushing to and fro … from Pacific Palisades to Dirt Mulholland to upper Las Virgenes Creek … in Calabasas. 

But the MRCA video did -not-  show any actual fires being out out by the MRCA crew.

The MRCA did -not- show any coordinated MRCA firefighting under the joint fire command. 

The MRCA firefighters clearly did not have the same wildland firefighting equipment used by the thousands of woodland firefighters brought in by the professional teams.

Their so-called patrol trucks were modified medium size pickup trucks … with very small water tanks.   And the firefighters’ jackets were still yellow when they gathered that night to yuck it up at an MRCA cabin.

The board members last night proclaimed great success … and said the MRCA fire fighters were heroes.

Here’s one board member … sorry she did not give her name in the Zoom call.

20876 MRCA HEROES

“Even though many things were lost … to see how much our great staff was able to save because of all of the preplanning … and all of the money that was spent. 

“Certainly on the national level we don’t have people that realize all it went into it and they don’t realize you know what heroes you all are.”

Another MRCA board member said it was important for the public to not overreact … she warned against what she called “over-brushing” … rushing to clear land.

MRCA Executive Director Joe Edmiston last night dismissed any notion that the Palisades Fire started on MRCA land.

His proof? 

He showed the original map put out by Watch Duty onto his phone. … at best … an imprecise map that was created by people listening to scanners miles away from the actual blaze.

The actual fire ignition spot … not nailed down by that unofficial map.  

And it may not have been on actual MRCA land … as Edmiston noted last night.  But it was in a canyon that sits behind MRCA gates.   And it is accessed by going through park gates on MRCA land.

Unlocked park gates.

MRCA’s self congratulatory exercise last night did not address the fact that the parks agency had failed to close it trails … to lock the gates … as the National Weather Service had predicted for six days that life-threatening, hurricane-force winds were going to hit.

Some neighbors last were less thrilled with the MRCA dog and pony show. 

Mona Sargon lives next to MRCA land in Sepulveda Pass … MRCA land that has caught fore three times this winter.

70881 MONA SARGONI

“The Conservancy is responsible for clearing brush on the properties and actively managing vegetation, particularly focusing on brush removal to mitigate wildfire risk.

“They have been neglecting this simple task. 

“They will not allow us to clear past the 200 feet (distance from structures). 

“For example, the brush surrounding Sepulveda Pass has not been cleared for years. Maybe even decades.

“It has caught fire for the third time in the past few years .. despite many years of homeowners outreach.” 

Joe Edmiston’s triumphant Powerpoint show was delayed for more than a few minutes … while his staff fumbled and stumbled to load the file into their computer.   

That caused Edmiston great discomfort … as his staff proved that is as inept at loading a computer … as it is running public land. 

70882 RUN THESE PARKS

UNIDENTIFIED VOICE #1: “Uh, no, I do not have that, uh. It was shared in the …  uh … earlier … So let met see if I can email it too you that correctly here

“Thank you.  Can you email Willie as well??

VOICE 2:  “Most definitely.”

VOICE 1: “Dash is emailing that to you as well.   Dash, can you send it to Willie also? 

EDMISTON: “Well … I guess if we can’t get a map up … maybe we shouldn’t run these parks.  Heh heh heh. [GENERAL LAUGHTER]

Truer words might never have been said. … some Malibu residents might say. 

Homes With Smoke Are Not Safe To Enter, Silverstein Warns

Bleak news .. accurate but bleak … from city council member Bruce Silverstein last night.

His house was partly destroyed in the December Franklin fire … and he told Malibu fire victims they should not rush to get back in

70883 BRUCE TOXIC

“Those homes are not safe.

“This is a toxic event for the community and it looks like Nine Eleven.  People are gonna be suffering health consequences for years to come. 

“Please don’t rush back to your home … just because you’re home did not burn.

“Your homes may be toxic.  Toxins are going to be spread by the waste clearance that’s going to occur on your next door neighbors’ property. 

“I don’t wanna sit here and be doom and gloom.  But all is not going to be well for a while.

“We need to wake up to that … and we need to all be prepared for a lot more pain before there’s going to be relief.”

And some of that pain may be lengthy roadblocks on Pacific Coast Highway. 

Once the road gets reopened there probably will only be one lane in each direction from the McDonald’s restaurant all the way to Santa Monica. 

Construction vehicles demolition vehicles, dump trucks they’re all gonna be in the right lane. And then comes to construction. 

PCH may be a disaster for a very long time.

Other Fire Items: Bulldozers Here For Months, ROE Means Right Of Entry, Short-Term Rentals Are Necessary For Fire Victims

A laundry list of important news from the mayor last night ….

Doug Stewart said the fire breaks that were cut into the mloiuntains above Malibu will ne reconfigured 

70887 STEWART LAUNDRY

“These big D9 bulldozers that cut a wide path?  They’re supposed to put it back … supposed to bring the same equipment back to do it. 

“You’re gonna have fire people here for months doing restoration work, not just making sure the debris is cleaned up.

“As far as Franklin Fire inclusion goes: I believe Trevor (City Attorney Trevor Russin) made the comment.

“We’ve been actively asking for the Franklin fire victims to be included in this. There are about 20 of them. It seems like it’s just a stroke of the pan. 

“Hopefully it can get done. We’ve asked it to be done, and we’ll make sure that if it can be, it will be.

“Comment was made about the ROE form. I want to make sure you know that is ‘Right Of Entry.’ 

“Before they can do the phase one cleanup, or the future cleanup, you have to have that ROE form filled out. It’s on the website. 

“The colonel from the Army Corps of Engineers said ‘first come, first served.’  So if you wanna get your debris cleaned up, get that thing turned in to them right away. 

“There was also a comment made about ‘what are they gonna do with the debris?’

“One of the comments from Saturday night, that I wanna repeat from the colonel, was that the county has assured him, and he has identified that there are places in the county to dump this debris or, if it’s toxic, they have got places out of state to put it. 

“I don’t know how the other states feel about that, but that supposed to be where its going. 

“So if you are looking at lithium batteries from a burned up Tesla, they may be going to Nevada or somewhere, I don’t know.

“Somebody made a comment about brush clearance. Somebody made a comment that more brush fire has to be done. 

“All you have to do is call your local fire station for brush cleanup around a residence, and it’s the county Agriculture Department for open fields except they don’t reply to MRCA.

“Sorry about that. We’re working on that too.

“Temporary housing while your house is under construction: we did that for Woolsey. it’s in part of the plan and part of the waivers are being provided by the governor and Coastal Commission. 

“We will make sure that that’s in there, because you do need temporary housing, especially if it’s gonna be you overseeing your house being reconstructed.

“It was very common during Woolsey.  In fact, I know one of the Planning Commissioners had temporary housing at his house while it was being built.  

built 

“Short term rentals: before we get too eager to shut them off, not that I am a big fan of them.

“But a lot of people who needed a home after they got burned out, are in short term rental.

“So let’s let’s make sure that we don’t shoot the people that are trying to be temporary until they can get other housing.

“I think it is a just idea to maximize residential space and having some dedicated housing for short term rentals might be good for that.  

Doug Stewart, checking up laundry list of items for the Malibu. 

Plans By SM School Board To Raise Malibu’s Rent Blocked By City Council

Plans by the Santa Monica school district to dramatically increase its charge to Malibu taxpayers … for public access to Malibu Schools … angered city council members last night.

As in … what are you talking about???
The city council unanimously said the city should not pay more … proportionally … than the school board charges Santa Monica for residents to use public school facilities like the swimming pool … gym or grass fields.

Malibu has been renting those facilities for years … and the school district wants to crank up the rental fee to match what it calls the commercial rate … the amount paid by movie shoots or event organizers. 

Last night … the city council said no.  They want the school board in Santa Monica to hold off for three months while the city and school district try to reach a deal on a rent that is fair for both sides.

They told the Santa Monica school board … taxpayers in Malibu have already paid for those facilities. 

The city wants the school district to exp[lain the costs … and explain why Santa Monica may be paying much less on a per capita basis than Malibu.

The school district contract expires this weekend. 

City council members say they are confidant that the Santa Monica school board will not lock Malibu residents out of the school playgrounds and pool … this weekend.