A long-awaited set of reports on how to build fire-resistant Pacific Palisades, commissioned by Los Angeles city officials at a cost of $5 million, found that much of the hilly area does not meet emergency evacuation standards.
The reports, by the city and global infrastructure firm AECOM, also recommended that the city complete significant brush-clearing work, strengthen its water system and move power lines underground.
All recommendations are often asked of Palisades residents. Many have been extensively discussed by independent experts. They will inform the city’s “Long-Term Recovery Plan” to rebuild infrastructure and improve wildfire resilience after the Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in January 2025.
The reports revealed nearly billions of dollars in infrastructure projects by 2033, including more than R650 million for underground electrification and $150 million for water system repairs.
“Full recovery is a long-term, multi-year effort that requires continued cooperation — and must continue to be community-led,” wrote Mayor Karen Bass in a Tuesday newsletter to Palisades residents that included links to the reports. “This past year has been unimaginable for the Palisades community, but I am committed to supporting you every step of the way in recovery.”
He noted that the Long-Term Recovery Plan will be finalized “in the coming months.”
A month after the fire, Bass selected Illinois-based Hagerty Consulting to work on fire restoration under an annual contract of up to $10 million.
However, in June, Bass announced that AECOM would develop a plan to restore the city. Hagerty, who had trouble explaining his role at public meetings, ended up focusing on waste removal and ended his job in December, billing the city $3.5 million.
In December, the city approved $5 million in payments for AECOM’s first set of reports — originally due in mid-November — and another $3 million for a long-term rehabilitation planning firm.
Palisades residents say they are frustrated by the price tag and feel the effort has been chaotic and lacks urgency. Some have questioned whether the reports will contain an honest assessment of the situation, since AECOM does not operate independently outside the city.
AECOM’s three reports include recommendations to improve the Palisades’ fire resilience, a plan to rebuild damaged public infrastructure and how to coordinate traffic as the area becomes a construction site.
The sustainability report found that “virtually all” local streets within the Palisades are narrower than allowed by the city’s fire code — especially on Alphabet, Rustic Canyon and Castellammare streets. The “majority” of dead-end highways did not meet sections of the fire code that ensure fire engines have adequate turning space, the report said.
The case was filed in December He alleges that the city has repeatedly failed to comply with the same government regulations when approving new construction in the city’s “highest fire risk” areas.
These codes “directly affect the ability of firefighters and residents to evacuate safely,” said Jaime Hall, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, a group of Santa Monica Mountains residents and a fire safety advocacy group. “It’s not just the rules written on paper.”
The resilience report also found that residents experienced “evacuation warning fatigue” from frequent false alarms, making them hesitant to go out.
In addition, many intersections in the Palisades can act as bottlenecks during the evacuation, leading to significant delays, the report said, based on the conclusion of the traffic pattern analysis. The Times investigation found that the city did not conduct a similar analysis to help comply with state law.
Home clearing requirements, including the state’s upcoming Zone Zero laws, aren’t enough to meaningfully reduce wildfire risk in the Palisades, with its high elevations and dense vegetation, a sustainability report found. The city should work with land managers — including state and county — on measures such as cutting open spaces for firefighter access, maintaining buffer zones around public infrastructure and restoring native vegetation, the report said.
The public infrastructure report listed $150 million in “wet” infrastructure repairs, including replacing aging and leaking water mains.
The feasibility report identified other potential improvements to provide more water for firefighting, such as building larger pipelines and additional tanks to move and store more drinking water; improving communication between local water systems; and collecting rainwater, clean wastewater or even seawater from the Pacific.
During the Palisades fire, the reservoirs on the hills ran out of water. Many fire hoses, especially in high places, low pressure and dry. The fire department’s report said installing pressure monitoring systems “can ensure water availability and prevent dry hydrants by broadcasting live data to fire crews,” and that remote-controlled valves can also help maintain water pressure during a fire.
The city’s Department of Water and Power is already considering options to improve the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which was empty and awaiting repairs to its floating cover at the time of the Palisades fire.
The city has also committed to putting power lines underground in the Palisades where possible.
An infrastructure report revealed six underground projects will cost the city $664 million, after nearly 57 percent of all power supply facilities — from power distribution poles to transmission lines — were destroyed in the fire.
