More than 27,750 acres burned. Approximately 2,211 structures destroyed. This is the impact that the Franklin and Palisades fires left on the Malibu and Pacific Palisades communities as of Jan. 15, according to Cal Fire.
Over the past two months, Malibu has faced two large wildfires. The Franklin Fire ignited the night of Dec. 9 and scorched through Pepperdine’s campus. The Palisades Fire sparked a month later Jan. 7, destroying a community overnight.
Although the fires have left scars throughout the city, they have also strengthened a community that is supporting each other. Malibu’s Emergency Operations Committee has utilized Pepperdine’s campus as a headquarters for their recovery efforts, according to Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart.
“The relationship between Pepperdine and Malibu has never been stronger than it is today,” Stewart said.
City Efforts
The city’s main efforts are on reopening, repopulating and clearing the roads — focusing on taking care of its residents first.
“We’ve got to take care of getting the city reopened right now,” Stewart said. “Our Public Works teams are working in coordination with the county and the state to clear the roads, get ready for the rains, and more than anything else, get Malibu at a point where we can get people in and out.”
Even further than those directly impacted by these fires, residents whose businesses survived the blaze are still seeing the effects.
“If you’re in the restaurant business right now, you can’t even open for business because you probably don’t have a gas stove to cook anything on, much less hot water,” Stewart said the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Furthermore, the impact these businesses face goes beyond just the loss of an establishment; it includes a loss of revenue, jobs and a small community, Stewart said. Many businesses that have burned down have set up GoFundMe pages as a first step toward recovery and rebuilding and, most importantly, to prioritize the needs of the workers who have lost their jobs.
Take Moonshadows, for example, as the establishment was just one of many lost to the blazes. Owner JD Slajchert has experienced wildfires before, as his childhood home burned down during the Woolsey Fire in 2018, according to a CBS News article.
This prompted him to take to social media asking for the community’s support in raising money for those who helped keep his business afloat, understanding the hardships and struggles his crew may be facing.
“I hope that anybody out there watching, maybe that’s just lost a home or lost a business, can look at us and say, ‘Hey, you’ll be OK, you will bounce back from this,'” Sclajchert said in the same CBS article. “Brighter days are ahead.”
The city of Malibu is determined to help local businesses survive, Stewart said. Bringing residents back into the city once it’s safe to do so will bring business back.
Pepperdine students, Stewart said, will play an important role in keeping the city’s economy afloat.
“We asked the students to bear with us, and their presence helps support Malibu going forward,” Stewart said. “When they go down to Howdy’s or one of these other places and gets a burrito, that’s helping out, and we appreciate that very much.”
State Efforts
Fires spread throughout L.A., prompting a response from government officials including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“When the fires are extinguished, victims who have lost their homes and businesses must be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks,” Newsom said on the official California website. “The executive order I signed today will help cut permitting delays, an important first step in allowing our communities to recover faster and stronger. I’ve also ordered our state agencies to identify additional ways to streamline the rebuilding and recovery process.”
However, fast rebuilds will only mirror the infrastructure of the home that was damaged or destroyed by the fires, Stewart said.
“What it’s not going to do is to allow somebody to go, ‘I always wanted to have 3,000 square feet instead of 2,000 square feet,’” Stewart said. “If that’s what you want to do, you’re going to go to the back of the line, probably.”
On Jan. 15, Gov. Newsom went a step further and signed a new executive order to jumpstart the cleanup process of damaged and destroyed homes in L.A. County once it is safe to do so, according to Newsom’s website.
“Cleanup crews are moving into neighborhoods devastated by this firestorm,” Newsom said on the official Governor of California website. “California is working swiftly to ensure survivors from these devastating firestorms can begin their road to recovery. We appreciate the fast-acting work of teams on the ground to begin this first phase of recovery — all while first responders are continuing to battle ongoing flames in the area.”
Although rebuilding the city quickly is a priority, it will still be some time before change is noticeable.
“It’s going to take at least a year or two to get some of these homes rebuilt, even if we fast-track everything, and we will,” Stewart said.
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Contact Justin Rodriguez via email: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
Contact Gabrielle Salgado via email: gabrielle.salgado@pepperdine.edu
