The Malibu Feed Bin, Oasis Imports, The Reel Inn, the old Topanga Ranch Motel, Wylie’s Bait Shop, Cholada Thai Restaurant and the Rosenthal Wine Bar, have weathered decades on the corner of Topanga Canyon Blvd and along Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga Beach. The names of some of these familiar landmarks have changed over the years, but the same quirky buildings have greeted visitors for decades, and in the case of the motel, for more than a century. Losing them in the Palisades fire was a blow to local residents in Malibu and Topanga. Learning the EPA was going to use the burned out site for hazardous waste processing was a shock to a community that is already numb from loss and grief.
Almost no trace of the buildings remains. The debris of the buildings has been scraped away. Chain link fencing surrounds the site. EPA workers are busy sorting packages and barrels of plastic-wrapped material under the shelter of a large canopy. The creek, denuded of vegetation, its water brown with silt and ash, flows through the site into an ocean full of fire debris.
In 2001, the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased 1,659 acres in lower Topanga Canyon, in a $43-million deal intended to restore a critically important coastal wetland and preserve the environmentally sensitive and significant Topanga Creek Lagoon. The area was deemed too ecologically sensitive to allow the one thousand or so residents of the lower canyon to retain their homes. They were bought out and relocated.
Most of the Lower Topanga businesses that burned in the Palisades fire are also located in ESHA—environmentally sensitive habitat area. They were scheduled for demolition as part of the multi-year, multi-agency creek and lagoon restoration project that was finally approved late last year, after decades of delay, and was already moving forward when the disaster occurred. Ironically, the Topanga Ranch Motel and the Reel Inn were spared from demolition. The restaurant could remain, parts of the motel, which closed in 2004, would be renovated and reopen as affordable beach accommodations similar to those at Crystal Cove in Orange County. The reprieve was a short one.
Officials say they are aware of the environmentally sensitive nature of the area and will work to protect those resources, and that no other site under consideration met the needs of the EPA under these extreme circumstances, but questions remain. Why was what is arguably the most ecologically sensitive area on Pacific Coast Highway within the burn zone selected to be a hazardous waste sorting facility? Who made that choice and was there really no other option? The strangest part of the decision to use this site isn’t its historical significance, its distance for the part of the fire with the highest number of damaged and destroyed homes, or the presence of ESHA, it’s the size of it. We now know that the Topanga site is far too small to accommodate the amount of material that must be processed, and that it is already at capacity.
The official word from Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office was that the EPA’s decision to choose the Topanga Ranch Motel for the site of its first Palisades fire hazardous waste material processing operation was not random or made without considering all of the options, but subsequent information doesn’t support that contention.
There’s only one thing all sides agree on, and that is the need to quickly and safely remove hazardous household materials from the burnzone, before they have the opportunity to leach into the soil or add to the already unsafe level of contaminants in the air.
The EPA is tasked with inspecting, identifying and removing potentially toxic and hazardous materials from every property damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire. These are the kind of hazardous household materials that cannot be disposed of with ordinary household waste. The list includes paint, aerosol cans, pesticides, solvents, fuel canisters and tanks, asbestos, and batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are the most dangerous type of material on the list. They’ve been described as being like unexploded ordnance, with the capacity to explode, release toxic gases, or quietly smolder, reigniting long after they were damaged. The EPA is reporting that the agency has already removed 80 electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems, and will continue ramping up such operations.
A January 24, 2025 Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump intended to expedite the cleanup process set the clock ticking on the mammoth operation. It gave officials just five days to “develop and execute a plan to expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris,” and just 30 days to complete the first phase of the clean-up, something that would ordinarily take the Federal agency six months to a year. “Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is doing everything within our power to expedite cleanup of hazardous debris and to help provide Californians safer access to their property as soon as possible,” said EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Chad McIntosh. “With President Trump’s Executive Order, he has authorized a whole of government response [sic] to the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles—an effort that has never been seen before.”
That “never seen before clause.” meant to reassure, has caused consternation instead, residents question whether safety and thoroughness will be sacrificed under the pressure to complete the cleanup within just a month. Activists are accusing the Federal government of not only rushing the clean-up, but of rushing the vetting process for the staging area.
On January 29, the city of Malibu released a statement stating that “the EPA has identified the former Topanga Motel property in LA County’s unincorporated area, near the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and PCH as a potential staging location within the burn area.”
The former location of the Topanga Ranch Motel was chosen “because it is within the burn area and has enough space to safely stage materials before transport,” a statement from the EPA proclaimed,, adding that “the State has authorized the use of the Topanga Motel site, and its selection is not up for negotiation.”
On January 30, social media and email chains blew up over the announcement, with hundreds of activists and residents raising concerns. A change.org petition protesting the location created by local activist, resident, and filmmaker Bonnie Wright received more than 5,500 signatures within 12 hours of going live.
On January 31, officials reiterated that the selection was final, but activists in Topanga and Malibu have a long history of taking on giants against impossible odds. Local grassroots activism has stopped entire cities from being built, and created the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area instead. A determined group of activists from staging a protest, gathering by the site regardless of the fact that Pacific Coast Highway remains closed, the site is currently off limits. They chanted “It’s our beach, keep it clean.”
The Topanga Town Council, Topanga Chamber of Commerce, and the Topanga Association for a Scenic Community announced that they are “jointly advising our community to make a strong, full-throated effort to oppose the planned ‘hazardous waste’ sorting site for the entire Palisades Fire debris.”
Bob Fenton is the FEMA Region 9 Administrator. He explained that the Topanga hazardous waste sorting site was only the first of several. “We need over 20 acres of staging area,” he said. “We need significantly more.”
Fenton was in Malibu to discuss plans to use a vacant property in the Malibu Civic Center as a second hazardous waste sorting site. He confirmed that the Topanga Ranch Motel site is too small. Fenton explained that hazardous waste from the Palisades was being transported to the Topanga site, but that Malibu materials were not apparently earmarked for that location. “Until we get a site we can’t move stuff from Malibu,” he said. “If Malibu doesn’t give this site they will move it to places where there are opportunities,” he said.
But the property the EPA was requesting is also adjacent to wetlands, it is currently the subject of an active Coastal Commission appeal, it has a high water table, and it is right in the middle of the Malibu Civic Center, surrounded by schools, housing, a medical facility, and businesses. It is also well outside the footprint of the Palisades fire, one of the prime criteria cited when the Topanga Ranch Motel site was announced.
According to the EPA, extensive protective measures will be put in place to ensure that nothing toxic comes into contact with the soil or water, and the site will be secure, safe, and regularly monitored. EPA representatives have stressed that these facilities “are not waste-disposal site[s]—long-term storage is not occurring here.” Materials are kept on site only as long as it takes to assemble a truckload of the same type of waste. Paint is disposed of differently than pesticides. All of the materials of the same type are sent to the same facility to be either recycled or safely stored. However, the process involves potentially thousands of truck trips to bring the materials to the site and take them away again once they are sorted, and in between transit, those materials will be onsite. Securely packaged and stored, but still present, potentially in large quantities.
Malibu’s city council questioned the logic of trucking the hazardous waste out of the burn zone and into Malibu’s town center. They wanted to know why the parking lot at Will Rogers Beach was not being used instead of the site at Topanga Creek and the newly proposed one in Malibu.
Fenton explained that the Will Rogers parking lot was their first choice but that the request was denied, despite also explaining that FEMA and the EPA technically do not have to ask,under the provisions of the Stafford Act, they are authorized to override local governments and agencies. It was suggested at the meeting that the reason the parking lot was unavailable was because the first deployment of National Guards were stationed there. That deployment has ended. The new arrivals will be staying in Van Nuys, potentially putting the lot back on the table.
Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart and councilmember Steve Uhring volunteered to talk to officials and negotiate for the use of the parking lot, which would eliminate the need for trucks to travel up Pacific Coast Highway and down again, something that might be challenging if winter rains cause rockslides and mud flows on the fire-ravaged portions of the road.
The city was given 24 hours, and the negotiation was successfully concluded within the time limit. It’s unclear whether Will Rogers State Beach is big enough to accommodate all of the hazardous waste processing, or if other sites would still be required, but its proximity to the largest number of burned buildings, its size, and its accessibility, are seen as a better option, one that will help facilitate EPA efforts to quickly—and safely—complete Phase 1.
The nonprofit environmental advocacy organization Heal the Bay has raised concerns about the process underway at the Topanga Lagoon site. They released a statement that says, “There are no good places to handle hazardous waste in a community, but we hope the EPA considers moving to a site that is further from creeks, the ocean, and families.”
Activists hope that the EPA will consider moving this facility to someplace with more space and fewer environmental constraints. Those waiting for phase 1 to be complete so that they can move on to clearing their property and begin rebuilding their lives are anxious for this phase to go swiftly and without complications. The EPA has pledged to ensure that “the area will be left like before we got there” when the site is no longer needed.
The plan to restore the lagoon is on hold during the recovery from the Palisades fire. Someday, the gateway to Topanga will be green again, the lagoon restored and the beach, with its treasured surfbreak, reopened. The Topanga Ranch Motel, with its red and white cottages, and the Reel Inn with its clever puns on the sign and lively Friday nights, may eventually be rebuilt, but not until the debris is cleared and the disaster is over. It’s going to be a long road.
About Phase 1 Cleanup
Phase 1 is mandatory and must be completed before Phase 2—the clearing of burned and damaged materials and contaminated soil—can begin. Residents cannot be present during the Phase 1 process for safety reasons. If residents are on their property when EPA arrives for the hazardous materials removal, the crew will not be able to conduct work at that property and will return at a later time. EPA will remove only hazardous materials, by hand, and will not remove any non-hazardous materials.
At most sites, hazardous materials are limited to things like motor oil, paint and solvents, cleaning supplies, pool chemicals, aerosol cans, and propane tanks and canisters—materials that cannot be disposed of with non-toxic waste, but many properties also had large lithium-ion batteries for solar power backup, or electric or hybrid vehicles, that are extremely dangerous and require special handling to neutralize. Propane tanks can also be highly dangerous.
If crews find objects of value, EPA will contact local law enforcement to track and remove the objects for safekeeping. Law enforcement will also be notified if firearms or live ammunition is found.
Only when all potentially dangerous materials have been removed and disposed of can Phase II begin. The materials will be secured and removed from houses and business sites throughout the Palisades fire burn zone, transported to the Topanga Ranch site, where they will be sorted, packaged to prevent leaks, fires, and other problems, sequestered in containers, and transported to their final disposal destination, which has not yet been announced.
To learn more, visit https://recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/phase-1/
