Will Rogers State Beach Parking Lot to be Used as Processing Site for Fire Debris

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades will be used as a temporary site for household hazardous materials to be processed, multiple agencies announced in a statement on Wednesday, February 5.

Under executive orders, EPA has been tasked with conducting the first phase—Household Hazardous Waste Removal—of what is being described as a two-phase cleanup process. The first phase involves “assessing and safely removing hazardous materials,” including paints, cleaners, pesticides, fuel, propane tanks, batteries and more from impacted parcels.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California State Parks, and the city and county of Los Angeles to assist in the safe removal of household hazardous materials from properties damaged by the Palisades fire,” according to the February 5 statement. “This necessary action helps speed up debris removal on properties destroyed by the wildfire and will enable residents to rebuild their homes faster.”

Household hazardous materials will be collected and transported from nearby properties to the parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach to be “consolidated, securely packaged and safely loaded” to be transported to either a permanent disposal or recycling facility. The parking lot was selected because it is “flat, open land close to the damaged properties that require debris removal.”

“All agencies are working closely to complete this critical recovery work safely and efficiently,” according to EPA. “The temporary processing site is closed to the public, and EPA is using best management practices to process any hazardous household material and keep it contained within the facility. Throughout this process, EPA will conduct air monitoring to ensure that operations in and around the site are health protective.”

The parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach is owned by California State Parks and operated by Los Angeles County for over five decades through an agreement.

Councilmember Traci Park—who represents Pacific Palisades—shared a statement following the announcement about the site.

“The EPA has decided to use Will Rogers State Park as a sorting, staging and storage site for hazardous materials from the Palisades burn area,” Park wrote. “While cleanup is crucial, we must protect our fragile coastal ecosystems. No beach or coastal waterway—Palisades, Topanga or anywhere else—should be used to sort, stage or store toxic debris. I have called on the EPA to hold an informational session so you can get answers about this decision and what safeguards are in place.”

The announcement about the parking lot being used as a staging area came two days after a special Malibu City Council meeting, during which residents and elected officials expressed concern after EPA was considering opening a site on a lot in Malibu, as reported by The Malibu Times.

“The City of Malibu is grateful to California State Parks and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for working together to accelerate wildfire recovery efforts,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said in a statement. “The addition of a second temporary EPA processing site at Will Rogers State Beach parking lot is an important step in ensuring hazardous materials are removed safely and efficiently, helping impacted residents move forward in rebuilding their homes. As recovery efforts progress, we remain committed to advocating for safeguards that protect our coastal environment and the health of our residents. We will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to ensure this process is carried out with transparency, safety, and care for our community.”

The Will Rogers State Beach parking lot site joins a staging area located at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which is also owned by California State Parks.

Assessments of parcels by EPA began on January 16, with removal beginning the week of January 27. Residents can check the status of their homes and verify if the first phase is complete by visiting epa.gov/ca/2025-california-wildfires or calling 1-833-798-7372.

Phase two—Comprehensive Debris Removal Program—can begin at a parcel when phase one is complete. Residents have two options for phase two: opting-in to the county’s debris removal program, which is being led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Colonel Eric Swenson at no cost, or opting-out of the county-run program and hiring a private contractor.