Altadena residents call for state to probe LA County's fire response
Kamala Harris offers positive message in LA ‘conversation'
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NO. 243
After report on fire response, LA County looks to bolster emergency management
Voting by landowners starts for proposed Monrovia Lighting, Landscaping, Parks District
By City News Service
By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
I
n an sometimes-emotional and occasionally testy hearing, members of the county Board of Supervisors pressed for answers Tuesday about a delay in evacuation orders for residents in western Altadena during January's Eaton Fire, while also vowing to streamline emergency management operations. The board on Tuesday received a detailed presentation on an after- action report released last week that pointed to a series of outdated policies, weaknesses and systemic vulnerabilities that hampered emergency notifications and evacuation orders during the deadly Eaton and Palisades wildfires. The independent "afteraction report" was commissioned by the Board of Supervisors and produced by McChrystal Group, a consulting firm led by retired fourstar Gen. Stanley McChrystal. The firm was charged with conducting "an independent after-action review of alerts and evacuations" to provide "a comprehensive picture of actions taken during the catastrophic January wildfires along with recommendations to help guide future Los Angeles County responses." Some concerns arose during and after the fires regarding the effectiveness of community notifications in terms of evacuation warnings and alerts — particularly regarding the effectiveness or absence of warnings for many western Altadena-area residents at the onset of the Eaton
Monrovia stretches from the northern San Gabriel Valley into the foothills. | Photo courtesy of the city of Monrovia
A county fire engine stations near burning structures during the January wildfires. | Photo courtesy of Los Angeles County
Fire. The report noted that investigators found "no single point of failure" relating to public alerts, warnings and notifications. "Instead, a series of weaknesses, including outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities impacted the system's effectiveness," according to the report. "These systemic issues did not manifest uniformly across the two major fires. The effects of these weaknesses varied based on environmental conditions, community readiness and operational complexity caused by the variables of wind, power outages and fire behavior." During Tuesday's meeting, supervisors grilled representatives of the McChrystal Group,
along with Sheriff Robert Luna, county Fire Chief Anthony Marrone and Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan about specific issues cited in the report and efforts to rectify problems. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the Eaton Fire burn area, became visibly angry during the discussion, noting that while county agencies cooperated fully with the McChrystal investigation, some other law enforcement declined to be interviewed or provide emergency-response information. "To me it is inexcusable and I would challenge any one of those departments or any one of those chiefs to explain why (they did not participate),"
Barger said, adding that she was "incredibly frustrated and disappointed." Barger asked repeatedly about the law enforcement and fire response in the western Altadena area, where evacuation orders were not issued until roughly 3:25 a.m. Jan. 8, hours after spot fires were being reported in the area. Marrone acknowledged that fire personnel and commanders were "severely challenged" due to the number of blazes that were raging during the unprecedented windstorm, and it took time to verify the path and status of the fast-moving fire, delaying the process of issuing an evacuation order. But the fire chief strongly
See Emergency management Page 14
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oting has opened for property owners to cast ballots on the proposed Monrovia Citywide Lighting, Landscaping, and Parks Maintenance District, which officials said is necessary to issue property tax assessments to cover a budget shortfall. Ballots began mailing out Friday, with the voting open until Nov. 18 when a City Council hearing on the proposed district is scheduled. The proposed district would replace the two existing tax-assessment districts that have funded streetlights, traffic signals, landscaping and park upkeep since the 1990s. The existing Lighting and Landscaping and Park Maintenance districts no longer generate enough revenue to cover rising costs,
officials said. The total "budget less general benefit contribution" for these services is roughly $3.6 million, with the "amount assessed to properties" totaling more than $1.8 million resulting in a budget shortfall requiring subsidy from the city's General Fund of just over $1.8 million, according to the city. "If approved by voters, the new district will provide a stable and self-sustaining structure to maintain these services, protect property values, and allow the City to keep investing in safety, accessibility, and long-term neighborhood improvements," a city statement said. City Manager Dylan Feik said If the district is approved, property owners will receive higher tax assessments "in a phased-in approach" over
See Property taxes Page 27