Across the street from Topanga Beach the scorched remains of signs indicate the burned ground once home to the Topanga Motel and the Reel Inn restaurant.
Nearby, Environmental Protection Agency contractors have begun preparing the land to be used as a staging site for hazardous waste removed from the debris left in the wake of the Palisades fire.
Over a dozen concerned protesters, mostly Topanga residents, gathered on Friday, Jan. 31, to express their opposition to the hazardous waste removal site being established on the land of the former Topanga Motel location, which is owned by the California State Parks system.
“It’s our beach, keep it clean,” they chanted, many holding brightly colored signs referencing water safety, a main concern for many protesters given the site’s proximity to the ocean.
Representatives from the EPA were at the protest, answering questions and providing further information about the site’s operations, timeline and environmental protections that are in place.
Anna Drebak, an EPA spokesperson, emphasized that the agency is experienced in wildfire responses and that a staging area is the first step to being able to clean up following a fire – nothing further can be done until materials are removed from properties and sorted.
Hazardous waste, which includes items commonly found in households such as batteries, motor oil and spray paint, will be trucked over to the site and sorted. All waste will be in multiple layers of plastic, or drums and will not touch the soil. Currently, the EPA expects the temporary staging site to be in use for about 30 days.
“We (the EPA) don’t expect for any of the materials we are temporarily storing there to get out into the environment. We haven’t had materials get out into the environment at any other wildfire response site,” Drebak said during a phone call on Friday.
But for many attendees, the answers they heard weren’t enough to assuage their concerns about the potential impact of the site.
Alyssa Morang-Pavlock, 30, felt that the answers she received from the representatives were “scripted” at times, and cemented her feelings that the community of Topanga has no say in this choice.
“Obviously none of us wanted this to happen, but he made it sound like this is already happening,” she said.
Other Topanga residents shared the sentiment of having no voice in the matter as an unincorporated part of Los Angeles, not a part of the city itself.
Morang-Pavlock heard about the old motel site being used for waste staging from a fellow community member’s message and it was confirmed for her the next day when she read a news article, leading her to feel shocked about this “very sudden process.”
Speaking to EPA representatives during the protest, two things that she learned did make her feel better about the site: The materials transported in on trucks will be sealed and the EPA is planning to be done with the site in 30 days.
But, Morang-Pavlock and many other protestors wondered why the people of Topanga had not been consulted and felt blindsided that they received the news of the site’s location after everything was seemingly already decided.
Their concerns echo those expressed by residents of Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa and other cities that are located near the Lario Park staging site, which is handling the hazardous materials from the Eaton fire.
EPA public information officer Rusty Harris-Bishop referenced the “compressed timeline” the agency is facing, noting that a community meeting and other outreach events “would be nice,” but were not possible in this instance.
“Because we were trying to move quickly and efficiently, we didn’t notify the communities and we learned our lessons there,” Drebak said.
Alisa Land, a resident of Topanga for 13 years, appreciated that the EPA had representatives on the ground to speak to concerned locals, but still has concerns about the site.
“I got married on this beach, my children learned to walk on this beach, I love this beach. We’re just really convinced that this is moving fast. We don’t understand why the hazardous waste is leaving the Pacific Palisades and coming to Topanga,” Land said.
Moving from the initial location in the parking lot of Topanga Beach, many protesters donned white hazmat suits and crossed Pacific Coast Highway to enter the site, where preparation for the waste staging has begun.
When EPA representatives, including Harris-Bishop, followed the protestors to the site, many began asking questions and recording videos of the answers.
As protestors spoke about their concerns, many returned to this idea – why is the waste being brought to a separate area, rather than staying closer to where the majority of the fire damage was sustained?
Multiple protesters asked Harris-Bishop why Will Rogers State Beach, which is closer to the Palisades, was not utilized.
Harris-Bishop stated that Will Rogers State Beach had been put forth as a potential location for the staging site, but ultimately rejected, though he could not provide information about who this decision came from.
Other residents feared that the increased amount of trucks, equipment and personnel would pose problems if an emergency forced them to evacuate the already difficult to access Topanga Canyon.
“We have fears that those trucks are going to start coming through Topanga Canyon. It’s a one way road in both directions. It’s our emergency exit road, it’s the only one we have. If all of those trucks are going through, how much space is there for residents to leave?” Land said.
Both residents protesting and EPA officials expressed gratitude that the other party seemed willing to communicate and listen. Protesters acknowledged that the waste should be removed, but their concerns about the location still stood.
“We have friends who lost their homes and businesses, who call us crying every day. We want the hazardous waste removed, but we have concerns about why it is being brought to such a sensitive ecosystem,” said Carolyn Day, a Topanga resident.