Package ran live on NewsWaves 32 on Feb. 11
Update: PCH will reopen Thursday, Feb. 20. The Graphic published this story before the reopening was announced Feb. 19.
In the wake of the SoCal fires, residents express their concerns over looters taking advantage of their already delicate state.
Jefferson Wagner, two-time Malibu Mayor and owner of Zuma Jays, said looters took advantage of his shop in the midst of the Franklin Fire that sparked Dec. 9. Sgt. Christopher Soderlund, 16-year LASD veteran, said the Lost Hills/Malibu Department is doing all they can to deter unwanted visitors.
“We are trying to cover all the bases and make sure that the place is locked down and people can feel safe that their homes and their belongings are safe,” Soderlund said.
Jefferson Wagner’s Zuma Jay Surf Shop
When the power went out across Malibu on Dec. 9, Wagner said he left his 50-year-old surf shop to defend his home from the impending fire. It was during this time that Wagner said the local looters took advantage of his shop that was left in the dark.
Southern California Edison shut off the power, which included the circuits that run along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), affecting the homes and businesses along the route, Wagner said.
“When the circuits are off, the burglars and the looters know that there’s no power and there’s no lights on the streets, so it’s very convenient because everything is left very dark,” Wagner said.
Wagner said the looters who stole from him knew he had a battery powered back up alarm that lasted 10 hours. With the public safety power shutoff lasting four days in December, looters had ample time to wait for the battery-backup alarm to die out. However, the looters didn’t stop there, they also robbed Wagner’s neighbor.
“At the same time they were burglarizing this, they tried to burglarize the dispensary upstairs by breaking in their metal door,” Wagner said. “All those pry marks are on their door as well as they were on mine.”
Wagner said he isn’t a stranger to recent suspicious activity in Malibu with the combination of working late at the surf shop and helping the National Guard at what is referred by authorities and locals as “Checkpoint Charlie,” near Malibu Pier.
“What we’ve found in the last two weeks, is a lot of people are using the mean high tide line as an access way to the homes from the beach,” Wagner said.
The sheriffs can identify trespassers from PCH, but looters were finding their way onto properties using beach access without being caught.
“Yesterday, (Feb. 7) I saw a police helicopter going up and down the beach very slowly, so they finally caught on,” Wagner said.
The residents that he’s spoken to, who live past the National Guard checkpoint, are the most concerned about looters, Wagner said. These residents have limited access to the area.
“That’s when they’re most concerned is at night and [looters] coming up from the beach,” Wagner said.
Residents Share Concerns
Wagner spoke during public comment at the City of Malibu Palisades Fire Town Hall Meeting on Jan. 25. The meeting lasted nearly five hours with officiant Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart. The rest of Malibu’s city council members were present along with L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, State Senator Bill Allen, Assemblywoman Jaqui Irwin, Congressman Brad Sherman and Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Capt. Jennifer Seetoo.
Dean Jenkins spoke of the remnants he stumbled upon from a trespasser, once he returned to his burned property.
“My home burned completely to the ground January 8,” Jenkins told the panel of officials. “This Wednesday [Jan. 22] I returned home for the third time since it burned and I walked around the only standing wall on our property and I was greeted by a makeshift bed.”
Jenkins said he also found trash, half-eaten food, human feces and bottles of urine that were not there days prior.
“Someone has clearly set up camp on my property and I can only imagine this person was remaining within the roadblocks not just to stay, but to possibly loot whatever is left of the homes along La Costa Beach,” Jenkins said.
PCH isn’t open yet, but the looters are still finding their way onto burned properties, Jenkins said. He asked the panel what will happen months from now when no one is living there to prevent looters from stealing.
What the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department Is Doing
Soderlund is a 16-year LASD veteran, who has been assigned to the Malibu/Lost Hills Station for four years. He said he defines looting as burglary during a natural disaster where looters go into damaged homes and take whatever is left.
The department is proactively patrolling PCH using LAPD and highway patrol to prevent looters from trespassing, Soderlund said.
However, the number of deputies patrolling at the onset of the fires has dramatically decreased from 100 to 20-25 per shift. These deputies are in charge of overseeing checkpoints, closures and looter suppression, Soderlund said.
“We’re managing it effectively and we’re doing a good job at it,” Soderlund said.
Detectives are patrolling in unmarked vehicles, regular unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone flights take place each shift, deputies on motorcycles are patrolling back canyon roads and helicopters are monitoring from an aerial perspective.
“Our station, Malibu/Lost Hills station, is the first station in the county that uses drones,” Soderlund said. “We are actually using those for looters suppression missions to identify people who are coming in.”
The drones cover more distance in a shorter amount of time than deputies can do in their cars, Soderlund said. The drones are also helping local deputies respond to calls of suspicious persons’ activity which has resulted in several successful missions, Soderlund said.
The department is encouraging those driving along PCH to avoid taking pictures and posting on social media. This can invite looters into evacuation areas, Soderlund said.
“We’re trying to deter people from stopping, from taking pictures, from you know looking at somebody else’s misfortune for their own gain,” Soderlund said.
Wagner’s Advice
Wagner advises residents to keep all valuables out of sight. Wagner said he’s bringing his generator inside every night after some of Sun Belt’s generators, that are responsible for running traffic signals and lights during a power outage, were stolen.
“When you see how modified their use of them, they’re really caged in, the wheels off, you can’t wheel them away, chains, I mean they’re ready for pilfering,” Wagner said.
Wagner’s advice for residents and travelers, when PCH opens, is to avoid being predictable.
“Don’t be so perfect on a time schedule,” Wagner said. “Leave a different time each day, come back a different time each day. So if some burglar or looter is watching your property they can’t depend on you.”
Looters will choose homes based on predictability, so when residents are able to change up their routines just enough they can avoid becoming a target, Wagner said.
New Bill Proposal
Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel, Jacqui Irwin and Blanca Pacheco announced Assembly Bill 469 on Feb. 10. The adoption of this bill would crack down on looters and emergency personal impersonators during wildfires and other emergencies, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office statement. The bill would make looting a felony and an increased possible prison time, according to NBC L.A.
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