City departments report wide infrastructure damage and recovery needs after wildfires; council receives reports

City departmental representatives told the City Council that the January wildfires caused extensive damage to water, stormwater, street lighting, traffic-control equipment, parks and other public infrastructure, and outlined immediate repairs, temporary measures and longer-term needs.

Department representatives said crews conducted thousands of inspections, mobilized emergency generators and contractors, and installed temporary lighting and circuit repairs while coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on debris removal. Mark López, a representative identified as DCD, said the city mobilized additional emergency generators and emergency contractors and is consolidating and replacing damaged pumps. "We have asked for additional generators and arranged emergency contracting to make these repairs," López said.

Street-maintenance staff reported inspections of damaged trees and removal or monitoring plans. The Streets division said about 371 trees need removal and that another group of trees requires monitoring; staff have begun contracting removal and post-fire monitoring. The division also described its enforcement approach to illegal dumping: residents should report violations to 311, inspectors first issue corrective notices and repeated violations can escalate to fines of $250, $500 and $1,000 per the municipal ordinance.

Board of Engineering staff (Patrick Schmidt) said more than 1,000 bags and debris piles have been addressed; structural inspections of hillside areas identified a small number of sites needing repair or replacement. Schmidt said the Army Corps helped clear access to Positano and that crews are awaiting materials to rebuild base structures before reopening roads.

Department of Water and Power (DWP) representatives reported electrical and water-system impacts. A DWP speaker said crews have completed more than 1,300 jobs (including cross-arm installations), replaced hundreds of transformers and replaced conductors and underground cable; design work for undergrounding is underway. The DWP presenter said site-level damage varies by fire and that some circuits have been restored while others need further work.

DWP also reported on a precautionary "do not drink" order issued January 10 and lifted March 7, 2025; the department said it completed roughly 470 investigations and restored services to customers as properties are cleared and reconstructed. The DWP representative said ongoing water-quality sampling is available to residents on request.

The Street Lighting Office reported that an initial study identified several hundred poles potentially damaged by heat; staff recommended replacing many poles and have installed temporary solar lighting in some locations. Victor Tercios, principal engineer for the Street Lighting Office, said the office has shifted some inventory intended for other programs to provide temporary solar lighting and temporary poles in damaged neighborhoods.

Parks and Recreation and other departments noted damage at multiple parks and playgrounds; one department representative (Ching My Ken) said replacement of a recreation building could cost between $30 million and $50 million (figure given by the presenter). The presenter said preliminary soil and sand testing found no contaminants in one park sample but that further testing and removal of affected sand would proceed as needed.

Council action: Councilmember Rodriguez proposed a modification to agenda item 8 (to prioritize undergrounding in high‑hazard zones and other clarifications); the council approved the modification (vote recorded as in favor by Councilmembers Tracy Park, Rodriguez, Soto Martínez and Makosker; one member absent). The council later moved agenda items 5–7 onto the consent list and approved them. The council received and filed the infrastructure reports for agenda item 1; the motion to receive and file the reports passed on a 5–0 recorded vote.

Ending: Department heads told the council that short-term emergency repairs and temporary measures are in place, but that comprehensive recovery will require additional funding, materials and federal coordination. Councilmembers instructed staff to provide quarterly reports on recovery progress and to continue coordinating with the Army Corps and federal grant eligibility processes.