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Topanga Canyon Boulevard to open when PCH reopens; residents report pass confusion and inconsistent enforcement
Summary
Caltrans and law-enforcement officials told Topanga residents that Topanga Canyon Boulevard will reopen when Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) reopens, but residents described inconsistent pass enforcement and confusion over who authorized checkpoints.
Officer Oscar Ramstead, the on-scene law-enforcement representative, told the County Council on Public Teams that the agency is enforcing directives from Caltrans and does not decide which passes are honored.
"We are the enforcement branch," Ramstead said. "When we work with Caltrans, we are basically… taking orders from Caltrans."
Residents said the guidance has been inconsistent. Several speakers described episodes in which contractors or officers refused to accept green passes that had previously been honored. A Caltrans official, Lauren Wunder, said the problem was a miscommunication that has been resolved.
"When PCH opens, Topanga Canyon Boulevard will open. It is a public road," Wunder said, adding that traffic signals will be operable and checkpoints used during the emergency will be removed once reopening occurs.
Why it matters: residents who have been limited to long detours said daily life and local businesses have been disrupted. Council members and residents pressed officials for a clear, consistent statement about which passes will be accepted at checkpoints and who issues pass directives.
What officials said: Ramstead said that his lieutenant has been relaying instructions from Caltrans and that out-of-area officers or private contractors — some working supplemental duties — sometimes arrive without the same briefing and cause inconsistent enforcement on the ground. One resident said a Caltrans staffer named "Tyler" told contractors not to allow green-pass traffic through; another Caltrans speaker acknowledged a short-lived miscommunication and said it had been corrected.
Daniel Vicente, a field deputy for the county supervisor's office, said local officials expect surge staffing from CHP and the sheriff when PCH reopens, and that checkpoints and resident-pass requirements will end when PCH reopens for general traffic. "There will be no need for checkpoints or resident passes at that point," Vicente said.
Community concerns: multiple residents asked whether Topanga could be reopened as a "soft closure" limited initially to residents and workers to reduce traffic backups; officials said they lack legal authority to keep a state route closed to the public once Caltrans reopens it, except for emergency operations and first responders.
What remains unresolved: residents requested an authoritative, written notice about which passes are valid and who to contact when there are local discrepancies. Officials said they would continue coordination and public outreach but repeated that pass decisions come from Caltrans.
Ending: Caltrans and law enforcement said they will continue community outreach and surge staffing planning ahead of PCH’s reopening; residents and business owners asked for firm, written guidance to avoid future confusion and inconsistent enforcement.
