The motion references the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, where fallen poles and wires blocked escape routes and contributed to dozens of deaths
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to begin formal proceedings with the California Public Utilities Commission aimed at compelling telecommunications companies to underground their lines in the unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains, citing delays that have stalled wildfire-safety projects.
Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, whose district includes the area, authored the motion, which directs the county’s Public Works Department and County Counsel to file a complaint with the CPUC if necessary. The action targets telecom providers that share utility poles with Southern California Edison but have refused to move their equipment underground even after Edison removes its own lines.
Edison has already completed undergrounding in the Las Flores/Rambla Pacifico area and is on schedule to finish projects along Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway by year’s end. Leftover poles with telecom wires remain standing, creating fire hazards and potential road blockages in communities with limited evacuation routes.
“Fire season is here now, and our residents cannot wait for safer infrastructure,” Horvath said after the vote.
The motion references the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, where fallen poles and wires blocked escape routes and contributed to dozens of deaths. A subsequent CPUC complaint filed by the Town of Paradise eventually forced coordinated undergrounding by all utilities.
County officials say repeated construction in narrow mountain canyons, such as Topanga, would be minimized if telecoms bury their lines at the same time Edison does the work.
