CD 11 City Councilmember Park to Hold Community Town Hall on Will Rogers Site
Protesters marched against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to use the Will Rogers State Beach parking lot as a hazardous waste processing site for debris from the Palisades Fire on Sunday.
The EPA, which is tasked with removing hazardous materials such as batteries, propane tanks, paint, and pesticides from wildfire zones, is currently storing debris at three different locations. The agency has deployed approximately 1,200 workers across the Palisades and Eaton fire areas to assist with cleanup efforts.
In an online petition organized by concerned residents, the organizers said, “Malibu Said No—Why Can’t We?” It goes on to say the decision is “not only short-sighted but also a significant risk to public health, our ecosystem, and local economy.”
While officials say the site is necessary to facilitate debris removal before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can begin clearing ash and structural remains, local residents argue that storing toxic waste so close to the shoreline poses unacceptable risks.
The petition states, “To store, even temporarily, the remnants of catastrophe at the fragile boundary of land and sea is to invite irreversible damage. Wildfire debris isn’t just ash—it’s poison. Asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) will not remain contained. Our beaches are already suffering from post-fire trauma, presenting serious risks to public health.”
The petition further warns that toxic contaminants from wildfire debris could leach into the soil and waterways and that onshore winds could carry hazardous particulates, potentially compromising air quality.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park has urged the EPA to consider locating the processing site in an area already impacted by the fires. Park has organized a Virtual Community Town Hall on Tuesday, February 11, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with EPA and FEMA to discuss key issues, including EPA’s decision to use Will Rogers Beach for hazardous material storage, drought, and fire resilience, and emergency response efforts. Park stated she has concerns about the EPA’s debris collection approach and lack of community engagementt, and I look forward to addressing them. You can RSVP here to attend.
However, agency officials say such an option is not feasible.
“There’s not a lot of flat space in the Palisades and in Malibu, especially in the Palisades Fire area compared to the Eaton Fire,” EPA Deputy Incident Commander Karl Banks said during a town hall meeting Thursday. “We understand this is a sensitive issue, and we recognize people’s concerns. But all I can say is that we create a controlled environment.”
EPA officials maintain that fears of contamination along the coast are unfounded and emphasize that safety protocols will be in place. The agency aims to begin construction of the processing site as soon as possible.
