From the spectacular cliffs just west of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, which afforded a sweeping view of the Pacific Coast Highway and the sparkling blue-green ocean beyond, a small ceremony marked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ official completion of debris cleanup in the wake of the Palisades fire.
“We’ve accomplished a truly unprecedented feat,” declared Lt. Col. David Weart, commander of the Corps of Engineers’ recovery field office. “The accomplishments here were truly a team effort.”
The milestone is one of an array of recent markers, amplifying the end of what has been a massive federal cleanup effort since the fires in the Palisades and Altadena exploded into being on Jan. 7 in two distinct parts of the county.
It was fast, but it wasn’t always without criticism.
Along with dozens of on-the-ground workers from FEMA and the ACE, government officials and media on Tuesday, there were also some unhappy residents from the Palisades who voiced their frustration with the cleanup process, and with some city officials.
Los Angeles Major Karen Bass — herself the focus of criticism for her response to the fire in its early days — was scheduled to appear, but apparently had a scheduling conflict and was unable to be there.
With the location at 17726 Tramonto Drive only disclosed in the morning to the media, and some neighbors saying they weren’t even notified about the event, word was passed online through some chat groups and several people made their way there.
“We wanted to ask Karen Bass a few questions,” declared Michael Geller, a Palisades native and owner of Jaimie Geller Jewelry. “Is she going to be supportive of the congressional investigation into the Palisades fire and is she going to help us get back to rebuilding.”
People listen to speakers during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Traci Park, Los Angeles City Councilwoman, talks with Noland West, property owner, during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Brad Sherman, U.S. Representative for California’s 32nd District, presents Brig. Gen. John Lloyd, Commander, USACE South Pacific Division, a U.S. Flag that flew over the capital during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County Supervisor, speaks during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Brad Sherman, U.S. Representative for California’s 32nd District, speaks during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Brig. Gen. John Lloyd, Commander, USACE South Pacific Division, speaks during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Brig. Gen. John Lloyd, Commander, USACE South Pacific Division, speaks during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Traci Park, Los Angeles City Councilwoman, speaks during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Property owner Noland West speaks during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 9People listen to speakers during a ceremony to mark the start of debris removal at the final opt-in property in the Pacific Palisades Fire recovery area in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) ExpandGeller, wearing a t-shirt that read “Karen Bass Burned My House Down,” said he’s been extremely frustrated by the permitting process for rebuilding, along with having witnessed his house burning for three days straight, he said, without any fire personnel responding.
Bass has called for a full investigation of everything that occurred leading up to the devastating Palisades Fire on Jan. 7 — such as why a water reservoir sat empty in the Pacific Palisades, issues with water pressure, inoperable fire hydrants, and the LAFD’s model of pre-deployment during last month’s windstorm and critical fire danger, among other things.
But she has faced a barrage of criticism over the handling of the wildfire, in particular because the mayor went on a diplomatic trip to Ghana days before the fires erupted despite the warnings about anticipated severe wind and fire-danger conditions.
The issues have led to Bass’s firing of then Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who has filed a legal claim against the city and Bass for defamation, retaliation and negligence, alleging she was the victim of a pattern of “dishonesty, scapegoating and unlawful retaliation” that resulted in her firing in the wake of the wildfires.
Noland West, however, on Thursday had nothing but praise for the workers that literally scaled and repelled off the enormous cliff that makes up his property to clear the wreckage of the fire.
West, 93, saw two adjacent houses designed and built by his brother, Ira, burned by the fire.
“I got away with the clothes on my back,” said Noland West, who moved to L.A. in 1944.
While he was heartbroken to lose everything, including photographs, heirlooms and possessions, he’s planning to rebuild as soon as possible and looks forward to reclaiming his home of many decades.
“I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” he said. “This is the place. People say, but there are gonna be more fires, but probably not til I’m dead.”
West praised the work of the ACE on such a precarious site as his property. “These guys here, they did a fantastic job,” he said. “And some of this is risky. My lost if maybe the hardest to do.”
Officials cited some of the key numbers from over the past eight months of response, including 1,152,714 tons of debris removed from the Palisades during 2,372,748 hours of work. There were 95,912 truckloads of debris taken from the 23,449 acres affected by the Palisades wildfire, with 4,010 properties included in the removal.
“There has never been a faster cleanup is USACE history,” said Brigadier General John Lloyd, commander of the Corps’ South Pacific Division. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
In neighboring Malibu, also scorched by the catastrophic fire, leaders were also celebrating on Tuesday.
The city issued its first Palisades fire rebuild building permit, allowing this homeowner to begin construction.
“Each permit we issue represents a family’s path home,” Mayor Marianne Riggins said in a written statement. “Rebuilding takes time, not only because of insurance and construction decisions, but also because families are moving through the grieving process.”
She said Malibu’s City Council and staffers were working to streamline the rebuild process.
“But we know it is ultimately a personal journey. We stand with our community as friends and neighbors return home.”
The city also recently reached another important milestone: its 100th planning rebuild submittal, which is the first step in the development process.
Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents the area in Congress and who present Tuesday in the Palisades, urged everyone to come together to rebuild.
“I’ve been here often, seen the debris removal at one step or another,” Sherman said. “What I hear mostly from residents is we want to rebuild quickly, and that is why we are here to celebrate government doing something well ahead of schedule.”
He noted that $2.5 billion has been by the U.S. government toward debris removal, but said that more money is needed for rebuilding owing to the enormity of the economic loss.
“That’s why I’m going back to Washington with the hope of getting a supplemental appropriation,” Sherman said.
L.A. City Councilwoman Traci Park grew teary in talking about the fire and the rebuild.
“This moment is a testament to what we can achieve when governments and communities pull together,” she said.
But if Park was teary in contemplation of the work accomplished, resident Bonnie Kanner of Pacific Palisades was teary because of an ongoing feeling of neglect.
“It still looks like the day it happened,” said Kanner, who lives at the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates, a community of 172 mobile homes situated just north of the Pacific Coast Highway.
“Why don’t we matter?” she said. “It’s just disgusting. How can they completely ignore us?”
Larry Vein, a resident and organizer with Pali Strong, said that his group continues to work with the community to try and help people solve problems in conjunction with officials.
“It was a record-setting debris removal,” Vein said, attributing the success to a collaborative effort.
“We’re eight months into the Palisades disaster … They anticipated a year and a half,” he said.
Jarret Liotta is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and photographer. City News Service contributed.
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