Introduction to the Issue
A burned-down hilltop mansion once featured in HBO’s “Succession” is one of eight Pacific Palisades properties declared a public nuisance by Los Angeles city officials who alleged the owner still hasn’t removed fire ash and debris. The Los Angeles Board of Building and Safety Commissioners, a five-member committee that adjudicates public nuisance cases, voted that the fire debris at the eight properties — a mix of luxury estates, multifamily apartments and businesses — constituted a public nuisance and could pose a risk to public health and safety. City officials alleged the owners of these properties failed to meet the Oct. 2 deadline to clear hazardous fire debris.
The Board’s Decision and Its Implications
The board’s vote pressures owners to clean up the toxic debris — or prepare for a city contractor to step in, clear their lots and send them a bill for the work. “Once a property is declared a public nuisance, the owner has the right to abate the nuisance until the department solicits bids for the work,” said Gail Gaddi, a spokesperson for the L.A. Department of Building and Safety. “A process or timeline has not been established for when the department will begin to solicit bids.” The board voted to cite a burned-down mansion in the 1600 block of North San Onofre Drive, which was the filming location in season 4 of the HBO drama “Succession” as the luxury estate of the Roy siblings.
The Affected Properties and Their Owners
The six-bedroom, 18-bathroom home, which last sold for $83 million in 2021, is owned by a trust, according to public records. After the Palisades fire, the owner withdrew from the federal debris removal program led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, fearing that the government contractors were inflexible and would haphazardly remove salvageable sections of the estate, according to Jon Mansfield, a representative of the owner who appeared at the board meeting on their behalf. “There’s millions of dollars of [building materials] that we were afraid would be destroyed in the process and further degrade the value of the property,” Mansfield said. But the property’s owner, who had a California FAIR Plan policy that provides basic fire insurance for high-risk properties, learned that a private debris cleanup would cost between $500,000 and $600,000.
Concerns from the Community
At the board hearing, Steven Bardack, who owns the home next door, said the San Onofre estate was one of the most expensive purchases in recent memory within the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood. He argued the owner’s wealth does not give them the right to extra leniency. “That should not afford him or anybody else special treatment,” Bardack said. “The site remains toxic, and several families with small children have refused to move back into the neighborhood, fearing the toxicity.” All of the properties deemed a public nuisance had either opted out of the federal debris removal program, or were deemed ineligible. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declined to clear some multifamily buildings where the owner did not reside.
Specific Cases and Challenges
One such example is the Pacific Palisades Bowl, a 170-unit mobile home park near Will Rogers State Beach. Danielle Mayer, an attorney whose law firm represents PPBME Park Manager LLC, which co-manages the park, had asked the commission for more time before declaring the property a public nuisance. She said the property was fenced off and posed no risk to the public. “I just wanted to start out by saying we just received notice of this on Friday afternoon,” Mayer said. “The owner stumbled upon this. So I wanted to start out by asking if we could continue this to another hearing date, to give us more time and an opportunity to be heard as to the substance of the property being a public nuisance.” Mayer’s remarks were met with skepticism by Commissioner Javier Nunez.
Community Urging Action
About five former residents from the Pacific Palisades Bowl attended the meeting. They urged commissioners to vote to deem the property a safety hazard and require fire debris be removed immediately. Joseph Vermuelen, who had lived in the park for 29 years, said he worried autumn rains would wash toxic ash onto neighboring beaches and into the ocean. “I’ve lived through a lot of storms, and this is a very hilly area, and all of the homes’ lots just flow directly onto the streets of the park, and then it all runs down to the PCH,” Vermuelen said. “There’s a steel grate, and the water runs underneath the grate, underneath the tunnel, below PCH, and right onto the sand and right out into the bay. This is a real public hazard.”
Conclusion
The declaration of these properties as public nuisances highlights the challenges faced by both property owners and the community in the aftermath of the Palisades fire. The city’s decision to potentially step in and clear the debris, at the owners’ expense, underscores the urgency of the situation and the need for prompt action to mitigate public health and safety risks. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the affected property owners will respond to the city’s demands and what measures will be taken to restore these properties to a safe and habitable condition.
FAQs
- Q: What is the current status of the properties declared as public nuisances?
A: These properties have been declared public nuisances due to the presence of hazardous fire debris, posing a risk to public health and safety. - Q: What actions can the city take against these properties?
A: The city can dispatch a contractor to clear the debris and potentially demolish irreparably damaged portions of the buildings, with the costs being billed to the property owners. - Q: Why did some property owners not qualify for the federal debris removal program?
A: Some properties were deemed ineligible because they were commercial properties or the owners did not reside on the premises, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s criteria. - Q: What are the concerns of the community regarding these properties?
A: The community is concerned about the toxicity of the sites and the potential for autumn rains to wash toxic ash onto neighboring beaches and into the ocean, posing a significant public hazard. - Q: What is the next step for the property owners?
A: Property owners are under pressure to clean up the toxic debris on their own or face the city stepping in to do the work at the owners’ expense.
