Army Corps begins phase 2 debris removal in Altadena and Pacific Palisades; state, federal partners urge property owners to sign rights‑of‑entry

For the first time since her home burned, resident Margot Stuber said she slept with relief after crews from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began debris removal on her property, officials said at a news conference in Altadena.

The Army Corps, working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local partners, formally began phase 2 of debris removal for the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fire areas. Governor Gavin Newsom said the effort will accelerate recovery while emphasizing safety, environmental monitoring and a March 31 deadline for property owners to submit rights‑of‑entry (ROE) forms so work can be batched for efficiency.

Why it matters: Officials described a large, 24‑hour operation to remove millions of tons of debris that will require coordinated traffic, landfill access and public‑health monitoring. Faster ROE returns allow contractors to cluster properties and reduce logistical bottlenecks, officials said, increasing the pace at which neighborhoods can move from debris removal to rebuilding.

The nut of the plan: Bob Fenton, FEMA regional administrator for Region 9, said the Army Corps will lead phase 2 removal with safety and speed as top priorities. Major General Jason Kelly, deputy commanding general for civil and emergency operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, described a multiagency team and said the Corps will deploy its contracted prime (named in remarks as ECC) and subcontractors to execute the physical removal.

Governor Newsom outlined the operation and urged residents to complete ROE forms: “We want to get everyone enrolled in this program,” he said, noting that, as of his remarks, about 7,353 ROEs had been submitted and about 315 property owners had opted out. He said the work will be free to homeowners who opt in, with contractors billing insurance first and federal/state programs covering amounts beyond insurance.

Officials described the scale and sequence. Newsom and others estimated the total potential debris at roughly “4‑ish million tons,” though he prefaced the number as an estimate. Newsom said roughly 1,300 personnel were already on the ground supporting the effort and that approximately 65 percent of the first hazardous‑waste phase would be complete by the end of the week.

Environmental and logistics concerns: The governor and Nancy Ward, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said state, federal and local teams are using mobile air monitoring and watershed management crews to limit impacts from runoff, benzene, arsenic and lead. Newsom highlighted a public dashboard at ca.gov/lawildfires (described in remarks as ca.govbackslashlawildfires) that posts real‑time air monitoring and water‑system information and said state agencies and the U.S. EPA are coordinating sampling and transparency.

Officials acknowledged short‑term staging sites for hazardous materials and said those sites will be monitored and cleaned after use. The governor said some staging areas may be used for up to 60–90 days while the hazardous phase finishes and the larger removal and recycling work continues.

Access, traffic and landfill capacity: Newsom said logistics — ingress/egress, scales and ramps at receiving facilities — are the major constraints. He said Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Defense are helping with traffic management and 24‑hour operations; the Department of Defense was described as providing additional logistical support. Officials also said some debris (concrete, steel, wood chips) will be recycled, reducing final landfill tonnage.

Rebuilding and permitting: Newsom and Supervisor Kathryn Barger said state and county officials have been working to stack phases — hazardous removal, phase 2 removal, permit streamlining and rebuild planning — so reconstruction can start sooner. Newsom said he will sign an executive order addressing Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) issues and other permitting “thickets” to expedite a one‑stop permitting approach the county is piloting.

Financial assistance: FEMA officials said homeowners may be eligible for a FEMA grant up to $43,000 for housing and other needs; Newsom said the state provides an additional $10,000 to eligible individuals. FEMA’s representative also described access to U.S. Small Business Administration loans (remarks referenced loans up to $500,000 and an interest rate figure mentioned in remarks of roughly 2.56 percent). Officials emphasized FEMA grants and SBA loans cannot duplicate insurance proceeds and urged homeowners to provide insurance information to speed decisions.

Questions and concerns: Residents and reporters raised environmental and staging‑site concerns (including possible effects on beaches and parks) and asked about utility‑caused ignitions. Newsom said investigations and legal processes remain and that California has a wildfire fund created by legislation commonly referred to in remarks as SB 1054, which provides a claims backstop; he stressed that culpability had not been determined in these fires. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara was referenced as engaging insurers to pay covered claims.

Officials repeatedly asked the public to return ROE forms by the March 31 deadline so crews can cluster work efficiently. “If you want to help us go fast, we need the rights of entry in,” Bob Fenton said.

Ending: Officials said the operation will continue around the clock and that progress will be posted to the state’s fire recovery website and dashboards. They urged homeowners to submit required forms and to consult posted air and water monitoring data as cleanup proceeds.