Nearly 2,000 Palisades properties cleared of fire debris, LA Mayor Bass says

PACIFIC PALISADES — Nearly 2,000 properties have been cleared of all fire debris in Pacific Palisades by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and received final approval from Los Angeles County, a key step for rebuilding, Mayor Karen Bass announced on Monday, May 19.

“Rebuilding is underway — crews are working every day to remove debris in the Palisades and expedite the timeline to get families home,” Bass said during a news conference Monday at a construction site, where the frame of a home under reconstruction stood in the background.

“Thanks to their work, the city is issuing new permits every week, rebuilding is underway across the Palisades, and our recovery is on track to be the fastest in modern California history,” she added.

The mayor noted that 54 permits have been issued for 40 addresses so far, with hundreds more applications currently under review.

The first permit was issued 57 days after the start of the Palisades Fire, which the mayor’s office said was more than twice as fast as permits issued following the devastating Camp and Woolsey fires.

According to USACE Col. Jeff Palazzini, nearly 900,000 tons of debris have been removed from the Palisades area, and cleared about 75% of total “opt-in” properties in the city.

“On behalf of the hundreds of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees and contractors assisting with this operation, we are honored to be coordinating this historically fast and safe debris removal operation,” Palazzini said.