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Palisades fires damaged historic structures and park infrastructure; State Parks outlines recovery and FEMA process
Summary
State Parks described damage to Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park from January's Palisades fire, detailed ongoing damage assessments, employee impacts and FEMA coordination, and said recovery costs and funding sources remain under review.
California State Parks officials told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 that the Palisades and related fires in January burned more than 8,600 acres of park land, destroyed historic structures at Will Rogers and Topanga, disrupted visitor access and affected many state park employees, some of whom lost homes.
Director Armando Quintero described losses including the original Will Rogers ranch house, the barn and stables, the Topanga Ranch Motel and several concession buildings. He said more than 160 State Parks professionals have already contributed over 10,000 hours to emergency response, hazard mitigation, artifact preservation and planning. A department official said preliminary assessments identified 59 damaged facilities across the two parks and that State Parks will submit a comprehensive damage assessment to FEMA in May to better estimate costs and reimbursement potential.
Officials said federal and state responders are using park lands for hazardous-materials staging and removal operations tied to debris and household hazardous waste; parks staff are coordinating to minimize impacts to natural and cultural resources. Jay Chamberlain, chief of natural resources for State Parks, told the subcommittee the change from general fund to bond funding proposed in the governor's budget for some stewardship activities would be a change in fund source but not an impediment to project implementation.
Lawmakers asked whether Proposition 4 bond funds could be used for recovery and rebuilding; staff said that eligibility depends on bond purpose and that the department would identify potential climate-bond allocations once the damage assessment is complete. Members also asked about FEMA cost share, non-eligible costs and prior funding sources used for past disasters; State Parks said general fund, FEMA reimbursements, donations and insurance have historically been used and that exact decisions for this event will follow the damage-assessment process.
The department said it will conduct a public planning process to develop a shared vision for recovery similar to the reimagining process used for Big Basin State Park after the 2020 fires, and that Parks would work with partners (including Parks California) for early support and planning. Community members expressed interest in fundraising and rapid restoration of visitor access to parks used for community events and gatherings.
