BOARD ACTS TO PROTECT COUNTY BEACHES FOLLOWING PALISADES FIRE
February 4th, 2025
LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath’s motion to take immediate action to clean fire debris from County beaches to prevent further pollution from impacting coastal waters and marine life. Miles of coastline in Malibu and Pacific Palisades is littered with fire debris that requires additional resources and expertise to clean our beaches and prevent further water quality advisories.
“Since I introduced this motion, our Departments of Public Works and Beaches and Harbors have already called on CalOES and the State Water Board to bring additional people, equipment, and advanced water testing to Los Angeles County,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “Governor Gavin Newsom has affirmed California’s commitment to protecting our beaches in partnership with LA County and we are grateful. This is exactly what we need to expedite clean beaches and waters, preventing further harm to public health and our environment. Through this motion, we will also harness local expertise and the incredible spirit of Angelenos to join us in protecting our beloved beaches.”
“The devastating fires in Los Angeles were unprecedented in many ways, one of them being their impact on our coastal habitats.” said Heal the Bay President and CEO Tracy Quinn. “Heal the Bay applauds our LA County Supervisors for taking swift action to leverage the resources of local, state, and Federal agencies to protect public health, safely clean up contaminated debris from our beaches and work to restore our coastline.”
The motion directs Public Works and Beaches and Harbors to seek State and Federal support to scale up cleanup efforts — both to address current beach conditions and to prepare for future storm runoff. It also requests the departments to identify the resources needed to expand water and fire debris testing along our beaches, as well as recommendations on best practices employed in similar natural disasters.
For more information on how the County is preparing for upcoming rains and recovery information, visit recovery.lacounty.gov.
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