Charitable organization helps Malibu in its time of need
With 610 homes lost in Malibu city limits alone and scores more in the Malibu postal code, hundreds of residents affectedby the Palisades Fire and are hurting in many ways. World Central Kitchen has been feeding first responders and the Malibu community through partnerships with Malibu Brewing Company and now Pita Bu restaurant. And now, even more caring and community service from the nonprofit that recently opened a free organic produce distribution for area residents with fresh fruit and produce to nourish the stomach and the soul.
The weekly initiative started on Feb. 26 in the parking lot of the Malibu Boys & Girls Club Disaster Recovery Center in the Malibu Village shopping center. The community market’s first day was a rousing success, featuring a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables for those in need.
Suigen Constanza Malibu, Boys and Girls Club director of community affairs and outreach, was overwhelmed with the generosity the market offered with free healthy, organic, freshly grown food. “This is very helpful. That’s who they are,” Contanza commented on WCK. “They have all these amazing vegetables, strawberries and blueberries. I mean, all kinds of stuff that people can just come grab and fill a bag with healthy products. And they love it. A lot of people came. We posted on social media. We spread the word everywhere we could, and it was very successful.”
Constanza said those who came to the first organic produce distribution event were very happy and grateful to be able to choose their own produce. The variety was vast, from the mundane potatoes, lettuce, beets, and bananas to the exotic, offering guavas and blood oranges among the many offerings. “It was so fresh,” Constanza described. She was so busy working at the Disaster Recovery Center she barely had time for lunch so grabbed a pint of blueberries to eat during her shift. “They were delicious. I mean, that was my lunch for that day, but it was so nice.”
Constanza, a beloved BGCM staffer and Dolphin Award winner, described how helpful the market is. “People come here, they’re stressed. They are, overwhelmed. And then you see that beautiful setup there with vegetables, the fruits, and it’s so inviting and they’re very nice. Just take whatever you need and make sure to leave some for everybody, right? It was so amazing. I think people felt happy and excited that they can go and have fresh fruit and vegetables. And they told us they were very thankful. They were.”
“Community is everything right now,” commented Trish Engel, Community Outreach Manager at WCK, who is also the nonprofit’s Response Director for California Fires Response. WCK is committed to providing nourishing hot meals to families recovering from the wildfires. Since the Jan. 7 fires throughout the Los Angeles area, WCK has served more than one million meals so far. Its website states the service “is available to anyone who needs” it.
Engel confirmed WCK will be offering fresh produce each Wednesday throughout the month of March. The market hours are noon to 5 p.m. It’s uncertain if the initiative can continue beyond March due to changing conditions and need in different communities.
“It is really important for us to be sure we are supporting the whole chain of impacted. For the directly impacted, we have multiple hot meal distribution sites across LA, serving meals from local restaurants, as well as a potable water truck for recipients to pick up as much as they need. As of today, we have served over 1 million meals in Los Angeles for this response,” according to Engel.
The WCK program also benefit local organic farms. Engel explained they “have taken such a huge cut as a result ofdisplaced clients and market closures. So, by buying directly from these farms to supply our markets, we’re not only able to provide the highest nutrient produce at no cost to the recipient, but we can support the local economy by ensuring farmers can move their product. Right now, we have six active farmers’ markets in LA.
“Additionally, we are working on a gift card program where we buy a set number of cards from 50 local restaurants near both burn zones and distribute at our current sites to encourage eating local.”
BGCM Vice President of Philanthropy Molly Scott said, “Boys and Girls Club of Malibu is grateful to work alongside partners like WCK who are here to provide for the community in such a time of need.”
Malibu residents hear from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and county authorities
More than 700 Malibu homes burned in the Palisades Fire, and there are probably 700 questions that affected homeowners want answered about the complicated process of debris removal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and county authorities answered many of these questions at a nearly three-hour town hall in Malibu on Feb. 26.
The first step in the process is the removal of household hazardous materials. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims it has completed its Phase 1 removal of these hazardous materials from properties destroyed in the Palisades Fire. But in fact, the EPA has deferred hundreds of properties in Malibu and elsewhere in the burn area. So how do affected homeowners get their fire debris removed? It’s complicated and every property has different concerns.
One way to have debris removed is advertised as a free service by the USACE. This can be done even if a homeowner has no insurance. But there is a caveat: After signing a Right of Entry (ROE) form, the homeowner indemnifies the USACE and their subcontractors who perform the service from any damage to their property that might occur. The USACE is estimating that it will clear all Palisades Fire parcels that opt in by January 2026. There can be delays if ROEs are not properly signed. Accuracy is important to prove ownership of the property before work begins. Those who opt in will be called 72 hours in advance of demolition and debris removal and owners and their friends or contractors can be present during the process.
According to USACE Col. Brian Sawser, the process begins with a “360 degree walk-through. We’re going to talk about your foundation, if you’ve elected to take your foundation. We’re going to try to describe what that looks like. Likely we are not going to know how thick your foundation is, because we’re not going to have specs. We’ve seen everything from 6-inch slabs on grades to almost 3-foot footers.
“We’re pulling out some considerable concrete as we move through this process in some cases. We will talk to you about that. Septic tanks in Malibu will definitely be a part of the conversation. There’s going to be a general understanding between us on the government side, the contractor and the homeowner exactly how the debris removal is going occur.”
Sawser confirmed the work is done with “heavy equipment” which could be a concern to homeowners trying to preserve other areas on their parcel, but some hand collection is actually happening currently on beachside properties.Sawser indicated pools and septic tanks are not removed by USACE and would be covered with plywood.
For those with insurance, according to Chris Sheppard of LA County Public Works, “The ROE asks you to assign that insurance for debris removal over to the county. We are collecting those on behalf of FEMA because FEMA is not allowed to provide a duplication of benefits.” Sheppard added that “collection only occurs after debris removal is completed, and in some cases, not until rebuild is completed as well.”
After USACE debris removal there may be some other material to remove including septic systems, foundations, pools, driveways and more.
“None of this is to remove that material and then only after all the debris removal work is done, including your owndebris removal,” Sheppard said. “Then whatever’s remaining of the debris removal portion only would be what is askedto be remitted to the county, and then we actually send that back to FEMA.”
Sheppard added, “If you do have other debris that’s not covered by the program such as septic tanks and you need to dip into your debris removal portion of your insurance, you can do that. Then, the county will only be able to collect whatever’s remaining from that debris removal portion of your insurance. [This is consistent with statements from other federal and county officials, but is nowhere found in the ROE, which in section B.1.i requires assignment of all insurance benefits to the county, authorizes payment solely to the county, and suggests the fire victim may request a refund from the county if the victim incurs any debris removal costs.]
“Each property is unique and [the cost] is not something that’s known up front. There will be a final accounting at the end of what that cost is. In our experience from past fire events, those costs typically far exceed what’s available in insurance policies. I know that everyone has a different insurance policy, so $100,000 may be closer to what the cost is.”
The county representative said he was trying to get estimates of what debris removal might cost privately.
“Each project is so unique and we have some past fire examples, but they were in different areas,” Sheppard said. “He threw out the number “$180,000 per property” as “just an example.”
As one who lost his home in the Woolsey Fire, I became far more familiar with my homeowner’s policy than I ever wanted to. I do not hold myself out in any way as an expert, but I learned a few lessons which might prove helpful to some readers.
For those of you who have recently lost your homes, please accept my condolences. I wish you strength and patience as you navigate the very difficult road ahead. If you haven’t done so already, when you are able, you might want to check your policy to see if, in addition to insurance for your dwelling, possessions, landscaping, loss of use, etc., you also have coverage for “other structures” and coverage for “code or ordinance upgrade.” We were lucky enough to have both. I realize that the policy I collected on after Woolsey was written over six years ago, and that many policies today might not include this coverage. (I am also painfully aware that sadly, in the world of insurance today, you are fortunate if you have insurance at all.)
“Other structures” coverage may include almost everything not attached to your house. For instance, gates, fences, detached garages, driveways, retaining walls, pools, and patios are just a few of the items which may be considered “other structures.” Having separate coverage for these items allows you to apply all of your “dwelling” coverage to rebuilding your house. “Code or ordinance upgrade” coverage refers to changes in the various codes which were passed since your house was first built and the increased costs necessitated by conforming to these codes when rebuilding.
For instance, our original home was built in the mid-1980s. Between then and when we rebuilt our house, a building code was passed requiring homes to be built to minimize the impact of earthquakes. That meant we needed to build our home with steel supports, which was obviously an additional cost. There are few areas of construction which haven’t had new codes passed in the past 20 or 30 years. The increased cost of conforming to these code upgrades may be covered by your insurance as an extra benefit.
As for those of you fortunate enough to still have your home, I learned an important lesson shortly after I bought my house. Somebody strongly suggested that I hire a professional photographer to take detailed photos and videos of my home, its contents, other structures, and the yard. I wish I remembered who suggested that I do this, because I owe that person a tremendous debt of gratitude.
We followed this person’s advice and hired a woman who specializes in creating a visual record of your home, its contents, other structures, landscaping, etc. She spent several hours doing a thorough and detailed job, and then gave me a couple of thumb drives containing these records. I immediately put one of the thumb drives in a bank’s safe deposit box. If you don’t have such a box, you can give a thumb drive to a friend or relative who doesn’t live nearby, or put the contents online and share the link with your loved ones. If your house burns, you certainly don’t want the thumb drive burning with it. After Woolsey, even before we were allowed back in Malibu after the fire, we went to our safe deposit box (over the hill) and retrieved the thumb drive, which I gave to our insurance adjuster. He made it clear that very few people document their homes this way, and it made all the difference. We did not need further proof of what we had lost. We were able to get money from the insurance company quickly and without a lot of argument.
Even if you take photos and videos, you might also want to digitize your receipts for significant items like furniture, and for major work done to your home, so you can retrieve these receipts if your house is damaged or destroyed. The more proof you have, the better your chances are of having your insurance company cover your losses.
I hope some of these tips provide at least a little help, whether you are now coping with devastating loss, or trying to prepare for the possibility of future events we all pray never happen.
If you hope to rebuild, please hang in there. The process of rebuilding is arduous and emotionally draining.
Many of you reached out this past week, moved by my suggestions for transforming our community amid this ongoing crisis. I was encouraged at this week’s council meeting—our city is trying, but trying alone isn’t enough. We need to convert good intentions into concrete action.
On March 9, I’ll be the Keynote Speaker at The Lifesavers Conference, the largest gathering of highway safety professionals in the United States. I don’t mention this seeking recognition, but to illustrate a crucial point: When our Emily was murdered on PCH, my wife and I channeled our grief into purpose. Ellen founded The Emily Shane Foundation (emilyshane.org), and I became an advocate for road safety. Before that tragic day, I had no background in transportation policy. This transformation happened because ordinary people find extraordinary resolve when something matters enough.
Did you know who Haylynn Conrad was a year ago? Probably not. She decided she’d had enough and wanted to make a difference—so she did. You can do the same. There is a fire burning in our community right now—not of flames, but of opportunity and urgency. Will you let it consume you into action, or will you watch from a safe distance as it dies out?
As we push for rebuilding, we must demand intelligence over expediency. The Getty Center and Pepperdine University prove that proper planning and materials work. They survived not by luck but through deliberate design, prioritizing safety. Yet our neighbors fighting to rebuild with these same proven methods face years of bureaucratic resistance. Thisisn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous and economically devastating.
I’ve spoken about comprehensive solutions before. Now I’m asking: What are YOU going to do about it? The time for nodding in agreement is over. While the city is seeking assistance from the governor, it’s crucial that we include essential resources in our request. The Army Corps of Engineers has a wealth of experience in developing innovative infrastructure in areas impacted by disasters. Their participation could elevate our recovery from fragmented repairs to holistic solutions—if we advocate for it strongly and consistently. We have a voice; let’s make it heard. We are Malibu, recognized globally. Let’s remember this and leverage it to our advantage.
YOU NEED TO ATTEND the council meeting. Not to watch—to participate. Bring specific, researched proposals. Reference successful models from communities like Portugal’s Madeira region or Spain’s Costa Brava. Form small groups with your neighbors focused on specific issues. Three dedicated citizens tackling water management solutions can accomplish more than thirty expressing general frustration.
Document the obstacles. Every permit delay, every rejected application for safety improvements, every inconsistent enforcement of codes—these aren’t isolated incidents but symptoms of a broken system that will continue failing us until we force change.
The mudslides that recently blocked PCH are just the latest chapter in a disaster story that will keep repeating until we rewrite it. Every rainstorm, every earthquake tremor, and every wildfire season reminds us that halfway measures lead to complete failures.
I experience anger when I drive by vacant lots that were once home to families. I feel a deep sense of desperation as I witness temporary housing turning into a long-term solution. Yet, I also feel a strong determination when I recall how other communities have rebuilt after disasters. Why not us? Are we missing their courage? Their vision? Their tenacity? Absolutely not!
Right now, your neighbors are fighting battles alone. They are trapped in permit purgatory, struggling with insurance denials, and navigating a rebuilding process designed to exhaust rather than assist them. How many more must abandon our community before we say “enough”?
I want your blood to boil with possibility. Picture walking along a redesigned PCH with dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian paths. Envision water taxis connecting our coastal points when landslides inevitably block the highway. See homes standing resilient against the subsequent fire rather than reduced to ash. This isn’t fantasy—it’s happening in communities worldwide that refused to accept the status quo.
The difference between triumph and continued tragedy isn’t knowledge—it’s action. When residents demanded it, Colorado transformed its building codes in 18 months. Austin implemented its wildland-urban interface code in just one year when community pressure became unstoppable.
The time for mourning what we’ve lost must give way to building what we need. But triumph requires more than hope—it demands sustained, strategic pressure from people just like you.
We stand at a crossroads between rebuilding the same vulnerable structures on the same dangerous foundations—or creating something that honors those we’ve lost by protecting those who remain. Your voice, presence, and persistence are not optional—it’s essential.
Today, we choose to become the community that future disaster-struck towns look to for inspiration or remain the cautionary tale of what happens when good people wait for someone else to fix what’s broken.
The time for mourning what we’ve lost must give way to building what we need: the power to transform tragedy into legacy in your hands. What will you do with it?
Esme Frances Jacobson passed away peacefully on December 11, 2024, at 10:45 p.m. in Los Angeles at the age of 95. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, she lived a life filled with love, kindness, and devotion to family and friends.
A dedicated mother, she is survived by her three children—Richard, Steve, and Brenda Jacobson—whom she loved deeply. She also cherished her four grandchildren, Karly, Jonathan, Katherine, and Michael, and her two great-grandchildren, Arain and Athalia. Esme worked hard to keep her family emotionally close, always fostering love and connection.
Her journey took her from South Africa to Mexico and eventually to Malibu, CA, where she lived for over two decades. She was a passionate educator, working as a speech pathology teacher, helping students find their voices.
Esme had a deep love for writing and gardening. She was especially gifted with rhymes, often crafting playful verses that delighted those around her. A warm and welcoming host, she frequently gathered friends for dinner parties, creating lasting memories with her kindness and hospitality.
While Jewish by heritage, Esme embraced a personal spirituality, guiding her life with compassion and an open heart. Her friendships were many, a testament to her warmth and generosity.
Honoring her wishes, no memorial service was held. Instead, her ashes were returned to the ocean, a place she loved.
Esme’s life was a beautiful poem—one of love, laughter, and unwavering devotion. Her spirit lives on in the hearts of those she touched.
Four Malibu families among 44 at the school receive assistance from the dance community
Coming off successful performances of “The Nutcracker” in December, Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica had just a moment to relax before gearing up for their next big performance in the spring. Then, on Jan. 7, life was turned upside down when the Palisades Fire tore through the community that many of the dancers call home. More than 70 dancers with the Los Angeles area’s oldest and most successful public ballet school lost their homes, including the school’s artistic director and a young Malibu dancer recently profiled in The Malibu Times.
After TMT previewed the company’s performance of “The Nutcracker” and the debut of one of its newest dancers, 11-year-old Olivia Legowiecki, Artistic Director Martine Harley, also interviewed by TMT, learned the two lived just a few doors apart in Sunset Mesa. Unfortunately, Harley and Olivia lost their homes along with 42 other families from Westside Ballet.
This past weekend, the ballet community gathered at the school to help their fellow dancers who lost all of their possessions. Ballerina Brittany Cavaco and The Ballet Agency hosted a dancewear drive for dancers affected by the fire. Cavaco and Westside’s fire relief volunteers collected more than $30,000 in new dancewear to distribute. Adult and children dancers received dance gear bags with leotards, tights, pointe shoes, and ballet slippers. “Everything that a dancer would need and it’s all free to the dancers. It’s really extraordinary,” Harley said.
Harley, who’s been associated with the school for nearly five decades and artistic director since 2013, recalled her experience on Jan. 7: “Oh, my goodness, the smoke and flames were visible from our neighborhood and everybody received the emergency warning on our cellphones to evacuate immediately, so we did. We grabbed a few things, my sister and I, and evacuated and that was the last we saw of our home that we’ve been in since 1968.”
That home Harley grew up in was filled with warm memories and irreplaceable mementos from her career, including 24 years as a critically acclaimed soloist with the Houston Ballet. “It was filled with things that you can’t get again that have so much sentimental value, but that’s true of everyone who has lost their home,” she said.
The owner of Westside Ballet, Allegra Clegg, along with another teacher, were among the 70 associated with the school to also lose their homes.
Even though Harley has been displaced to Simi Valley, she’s still driving into Santa Monica for Westside Ballet, and she’s now focused on the future. But she’s grateful for the bond she’s formed with the dance community who’ve rallied around her and the others affected by the fire.
“They donated clothes, beauty products, sunscreen, jackets, to hair dryers, pajamas, and toothbrushes. It was an overwhelming amount of generosity from so many of the families at Westside,” she said. These immediate need donations came from Westside families right after the fire and well before the dancewear drive of the past weekend.
“I’m incredibly grateful for all of the love and support and the way everybody has come together,” Harley said. “Even the parents who have to relocate with their children. Even they are being so supportive and saying how grateful they are for the Westside ballet community. They took care in the beginning to make bags full of things for the children and all of our dancers. We have students that were going to graduate from [Palisades] High who lost their school and their home and everything and had to relocate many miles away and the parents were just saying how grateful they are for the Westside ballet community, and all the families that got together to take care of each other. It’s really been extraordinary and moving.”
As she looks forward, Harley cites the old showbiz maxim “the show must go on.” And it is for Westside Ballet. The company is rehearsing for its spring showcase and fundraising gala featuring the masterful choreography of August Bournonville and other famous choreographers. Performances are scheduled at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica for May 31 and June 1.
Marine experts warn of toxic algae event, urge public to report distressed sea lions and support rescue efforts
“We are in the middle of what appears to be a sudden, extreme event involving domoic acid harming sea lions along the Malibu Coast,” Heather Henderson, marine program manager with the California Wildlife Center said. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin produced by harmful algae blooms that accumulates in the food chain and can poison California sea lions, causing some to suffer neurological symptoms, including having seizures and being disoriented, Henderson explained.
“We are conducting studies to confirm that the sea lions are reacting to domoic acid — we believe that is what is happening because the animals are exhibiting behaviors mimicking what we usually see when they have ingested this toxin,” she said.
“Sadly, some sea lions we are finding along Malibu beaches are deceased,” Henderson stated. “People should know that such domoic acid events do happen along our coast. However, they are not usually in February — they are usually in spring or summer. Further, except for the algae bloom in the middle of the summer of 2023, which was the most harmful bloom in 25 years and went on for a full six weeks, such occurrences are not usually as intense as that we are currently experiencing in Malibu.”
When The Malibu Times caught up with Henderson on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 23, she and her team had endured a very long day.
“The domoic acid event began on Wednesday, Feb. 19 when we were called about one sea lion, then we had another call about a sea lion in distress the next day,” she said. “Then, the floodgates opened on Friday and we had eyes on eight suffering sea lions, two of whom were deceased.”
Over the weekend, the California Wildlife Center picked up an additional 15 sea lions, she added.
“We triage each animal and give medicine to those suffering neurological effects and seizures and provide antibiotics and nutrition as needed,” Henderson said.
California sea lions are sentinels of ocean health
“California sea lions and humans share our ocean waters and it is therefore very important that we identify what’sbothering their health. Essentially, they are sentinels of ocean health,” Henderson said. “They are the canary in the coal mine and by our understanding of the effects of toxins in the ocean on sea lions, scientists can correlate such concerns with human health.”
Therefore, she added, “we in the scientific community are involving a broad spectrum of scientists to work together and evaluate the larger environmental health in the ocean.”
When asked whether the neurotoxins currently affecting the sea lions along Malibu coast could be attributable to the debris flow into the ocean of rain and most after the Palisades Fire, Henderson stated, “We observe quite regularly a correlation between heavy coastal rains and runoffs into the ocean and intensity in algal blooms and therefore it is reasonable to be concerned that this intense algae growth may be connected to the runoff of chemicals from houses and cars burning as those are chemicals that are usually not in our ocean environment here in Malibu.” More research needs to be conducted to further explore that possible causal nexus, she added.
What to do when one sees a sea lion suffering from seizures or disoriented
“People need to understand that even if a sea lion looks docile, when they are experiencing demonic acid side effectsthey are often very confused and if a person approaches them, they can be very aggressive,” Henderson explained.“Please never try to put the animal back into the ocean, pour water on it, or approach it. Rather, call the California Wildlife Center at (310) 924-7256 and provide details about where the animal is located and your observations. We will go out and evaluate their situation and, if needed, evacuate them so we can treat them at the center.”
How else can readers help the sea lions
The California Wildlife Center is a nonprofit organization and the public can help us by donating money to the center which will help the team carry on its mission and fund staff, vehicle and operating costs. Those who are interested in volunteering on a long-term basis can explore submitting an application on the center’s website, cawildlife.org.
Malibu’s Peter Asher on the bill with other legendary entertainers
Some of Los Angeles’ biggest comedic and musical voices are coming together to perform a benefit concert for wildfire relief. The show scheduled for March 16 at the United Theater on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles features a wide variety of talent combining standup comedy and music inspired by Los Angeles including Al Jardine of the Beach Boys and Malibu resident Peter Asher.
The comedic show featuring more than a dozen acts and appropriately titled “Let’s Get L.Aid” is being headlined by comedy musician “Weird Al” Yankovic and includes Eric Idle, Margaret Cho, Reggie Watts, Tim Heidecker, Paul Shaffer, Rufus Wainwright, and more, plus other acts yet to be announced.
The entertainers on the bill call Los Angeles home and one organizer who said he was lucky to be able to return home after evacuating wanted to give back to those who were less fortunate in the aftermath of the fires.
Asher, a legendary performer, manager, and hit record producer, has called Malibu home for 40 years and didn’thesitate to lend his talents for the upcoming evening after his own home survived the January fire. “It’s the right thing to do,” the musician said. “Helping people who’ve suffered gigantic unthinkable losses.”
Asher, the English guitarist who rose to fame as part of Peter and Gordon in the 1960s and launched the careers of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, has many friends on the bill but commented he’s looking forward to hearing and perhaps playing with Yankovic, whom he called an “underrated musician.” He also commented on his friend, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, saying “He’s sensational. I am a huge fan.” Asher said he’s also looking forward to seeing his good friend Eric Idle of “Monty Python” fame.
“If you think about it from ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ onwards, he’s written some classics,” Asher said. “I’ll be excited about seeing all these people. It’s a good cause but at the same time you can actually go and hear incredibly good music and people playing together whom you might not have heard before.”
Wainwright has called Los Angeles home for more than a decade and lived here in the late 1990s while launching his career and recording his first albums. Although he was not personally affected by the Palisades Fire, he has a deep affinity for LA.
“I love LA and I very deeply consider it my home on several fronts,” he said. “One being that initially, it was really LA that understood my music more than any other city. I couldn’t get arrested in Manhattan or in London. As soon as I got here I just kind of hooked right into this great tradition of a singer/songwriter, and like many other romantic figures.”
Locked down in LA during COVID and sharing daily concerts online during the pandemic Wainwright commented,“Now with the fire we seem to be having very intense experiences in this town and as everyone obviously, I was just want to be part of the solution. We have to get out there and be proactive and be part of the solution and be a helper as Mr. Rogers would say.”
After asking about the damage suffered in Malibu from the Palisades Fire, Wainwright concluded, “I’ve always loved Malibu. My heart goes out to you guys. I’ll be part of the solution.”
As cleanup efforts focus on land, marine experts warn of the Palisades Fire’s hidden toll on beaches and ocean life
As the Environmental Protection Agency removes hazardous materials from fire-devastated Malibu coastal properties afflicted by the assault of the Palisades Fire, two Malibu-based marine scientists are advocating that remediation specialists, various government agencies tasked with assisting in removing debris, and, perhaps most importantly, Malibuites and all Californians, all need to be proactive about addressing the damage the fire inflicted on the beaches as well as in the ocean and its ecosystems along Malibu’s coastline.
Pepperdine’s Karen Martin, Ph.D, a distinguished professor emeritus who serves on the board of directors for the nonprofit Beach Ecology Coalition, has been collecting data concerning the effect of the ash and silt on the beaches where the California grunion spawn.
“The grunion were out in the sea when the wildfire occurred, but the highest time of concern begins in March when they spawn between the high tide of the new moon and the full moon,” Martin explained. “The grunions’ spawning season spans from March to August and we have a large presence of the spawning grunion on Topanga Beach.”
The grunion eggs are left behind in the sand for 10 days to two weeks and the big question caused by the wildfire is whether there will be a good sandy area for them to bury their eggs, according to Martin.
“The presence of heavy metals and soot will alter the ocean floor near shore for a while and can also get into the food chain,” she said. “If there is too much soot on the beach, which is much finer than the coarse sand that is generally on the beach, it is hard for the oxygen that the eggs need to get through the soot and supply the oxygen.”
If the beach has eroded too much, the grunion will avoid it. If that happens, the grunion population may be in peril, shecautioned.
Literally while this journalist wrote this article, she received the City of Malibu’s weekly recovery and rebuild newsletter. In a part of the newsletter entitled “Sediment Testing and Natural Recovery,” quite incredulously, the newsletter stated, “Charred silt on the shoreline is a mix of fine ash and sand. Initial testing at Will Rogers and Topanga Beaches confirmed it is non-hazardous to people or the environment. To avoid harming marine habitats, this sediment won’t be removed — natural tides will gradually break it down.” (Emphasis supplied).
But what about the grunion, whose spawning season begins in March?
“It is very difficult to assess and address the runoff caused by mudflows as well as the toxicity of waste from houses and cars that were destroyed in the fire,” Martin noted. “The grunion are wonderful fish, and I hope that they can continue to thrive.”
A beach goer takes a photo of grunion gathering on the shore last April. Two Malibu-based marine scientists are gathering data on the effect of recent fires on the annual grunion spawn. Photo Courtesy of K Martin
“As scientific divers, we are the eyes and ears of the ocean!”
“What’s happening right now to our ocean with the aftermath of the Palisades Fire is something we who call Malibu home all need to care about,” said Barbara Gentile Crary, environmentalist, scientific diver, and owner of Malibu Divers at a Feb. 5 online presentation by scientists and concerned citizens. The event, entitled “Malibu’s Unique Marine Ecosystem: Impacts on Wildfires on Kelp Forests & Marine Life,” explored what scientists are doing to monitor and define toxic chemicals that have been detected in the ocean and to determine what can be done to help mitigate the harm.
The seemingly endless and terrible tentacles of the fire include its deleterious effects on the ocean and its ecosystems, Gentile Crary said.
“When wildfires burn through our hillsides, we often focus on the destruction above ground — homes lost, landscapes charred — but the damage doesn’t stop there. The rains that follow these fires carry an enormous amount of debris straight into our ocean,” she said. “Right now, everything from ash, toxic chemicals, plastics, and burned household materials is washing into our waters. This isn’t just unsightly; it’s dangerous.”
The Malibu Divers research team is planning to deploy light sensors to measure changes in water clarity downstream of the burned watersheds and compare light measurements upstream of the unburned watersheds, most likely somewhere north of Point Dume. They are doing so because kelp forests need sunlight to survive.
Procedures scientists are using to assess damage to the ocean
Malibu’s coastline supports one of the highest densities of fish in Southern California, Gentile Crary said, explaining that she is a scientific diver for Reef Check and the American Academy of Underwater Scientists and noting that shehas seen firsthand the impact of pollution on marine life.
The panelists explained that the first thing to do is to define the damage the Palisades Fire has inflicted on the ocean and its ecosystems in Malibu and area beaches by immediately conducting assessments. They emphasized that toxins from urban fires significantly impact ocean chemistry and marine life.
“We have to ask some tough questions: What is in our ocean right now from this debris?” Gentile Crary said. “My impression is that the Palisades Fire has a lot more debris in it compared to prior fires because so many houses burned.”
There are salient questions that scientists must answer, according to Gentile Crary.
“How is the debris affecting our reefs, our marine life, and ultimately, our own health? Who is truly testing our waters for contaminants like heavy metals and toxic chemicals?” she asked. “And perhaps most importantly, when will it be safe?”
Dr. Zoe Kitchel, a postdoctoral researcher and visiting professor at Occidental College, explained that scientists have been studying how the density of fish and algae change over time along Malibu’s coast for decades.
“We also examine how the biomass changes over time. We measure the complexity of reefs to determine whether they are mostly sand or consist of small or big rocks?” Kitchel said, explaining that complicated “high relief habitats,” (a marine biology term referring to coral reefs with structures that have significant vertical variation and have a topography consisting of many crevices), overhangs, and peaks are present in the ocean near Malibu. Higher relief reefs provide animals to seek shelter and also serve as food sources for fish and other organisms.
“In the ocean along the Malibucoast there is a lot of rocky reef habitat and we’ve lost a lot of it in the last 50 to 60 years because sediment goes all the way from the land into the reefs,” Kitchel stated. “We have years of data regarding the rocky reefs off of the coast of Malibu. Now, we are going to study how the ecosystem has changed due to the most recent fires.”
Kitchel further expressed concern that Malibu “is going to have a huge influx of runoff into the ocean after the catastrophic wildfire.”
“We’ve lost trees and vegetation and that runoff is rapidly going into the ocean,” she added. “This runoff is coming from highly urbanized sites and areas and that means the acid from car batteries ends up in the runoff and all of the fire retardant is also running off the terrestrial habitats right into the ocean.”
Kitchel explained that fire retardant is made of water and ammonia which is highly toxic to fish.
“Their whole physiological system breaks down and we know this from scientists who have studied the effects of runoffs from lakes and streams in California,” she said. “There is a lot of sediment running to the rocky reefs whichwill get buried, hurting kelp forests’ development because they need to fasten onto a hard surface.”
Divers assess how wildfire debris, ash, and pollutants affect Malibu’s ocean
The Malibu Divers research team, in collaboration with Kitchel and other scientists, is going to deploy light sensors to measure changes in water clarity downstream of the burned watersheds and to compare light measurements upstream of the unburned watersheds, most likely somewhere north of Point Dume. Kitchel shared images demonstrating that even in 2022, four years after the Woolsey Fire, there was evidence of fire debris harming the marine ecosystems.
“We need help to get action immediately! Saying ‘stay out of water’ doesn’t address the short-term nor the long termimpact for recovery,” Gentile Crary said. “I am seriously shocked at the lack of interest and attention that I am getting for this issue. Just now, I received a phone call back from LA County with no useful information or follow-up contacts.I received the same reply from Gov. Newsom’s office, and was asked to fill out a ‘contact us form,’ which I did.Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of focus, i.e, funding and action to address this critical issue.” She noted that ocean impact assessments and cleanup efforts should be prioritized in fire response efforts.
“As divers, we are the eyes and ears of the ocean,” Gentile Crary noted. “We see the changes happening beneath the surface that most people never witness.”
The damage done to the ocean is extensive and concerning, she stressed, sharing a report from San Diego that monitored Urban Ash, the term used for ash derived from urban fires such as the Palisades and Eaton fires, more than 100 miles away as the Palisades fire burned on land. That report can be found at youtu.be/7BcUfvy6y8E?feature=shared.
“I urge everyone to pay attention, ask questions, and demand solutions!” Gentile Crary said. “This isn’t just about today — it’s about the future of our coastline, our economy, and the health of our ocean. Let’s work together to protect what makes Malibu so special.”
For interested readers, here’s the complete online presentation: youtube.com/watch?v=nkhOKK6E7sk
