West Hollywood reviews January fires response, pledges clearer multilingual alerts

City staff told the West Hollywood Public Safety Commission on Dec. 8 that the city activated a crisis-response team, coordinated with county fire and sheriff partners, and stood up human-services and sheltering options during the January 2025 regional fires.

The presentation recalled that the city issued real-time news releases, social-media updates, and an emergency website banner while public works teams surveyed streets for hazards and the city distributed N95 masks and arranged transportation for vulnerable residents. "Key staff members from the city gathered at City Hall through the evening and the night ... to form a crisis response team," staff reported.

Public comment and several commissioners framed the briefing. Joe Green, a West Hollywood resident who identified himself as a member of the city'9s disabilities advisory board, said the city'9s vulnerable populations were not reached during the January fires: "The elderly, the disabled, and the Russian-speaking community were utterly left alone," he said, urging better outreach and door-knock checks for people who do not receive texts.

Staff said the city has prioritized clearer, multilingual alerts and better mapping in texts to reduce confusion when neighboring jurisdictions issue warnings. Director of Community Safety Danny Rivas said jurisdictions that plan street work normally "reach out to the city ... to acquire an encroachment permit," which helps emergency partners know about planned closures, and staff pledged to follow up with departments and the fire station cited by a resident.

The presentation also addressed two causes of public confusion in January: (1) a Los Angeles city alert that reached nearby West Hollywood residents even though it targeted Los Angeles addresses, and (2) an LA County countywide message that was corrected after it was sent. Staff said overlapping zip codes and tight municipal borders make cross-jurisdiction messages likely, and the city is working with county and neighboring-city partners to clarify wording so recipients know which city an evacuation notice applies to.

To expand reach, staff described efforts to promote Nixle and Everbridge sign-ups (text your West Hollywood zip code to 888777 to receive city-targeted Nixle messages) and a city option to use Everbridge to contact up to 42,000 residents in a true citywide emergency. The city also said it mailed a preparedness card to about 32,000 residents in English, Spanish and Russian and hosted a FEMA disaster-assistance center at the West Hollywood Library during recovery.

Commissioners asked whether the city runs alert drills and how the city handles user experience on city web pages. Staff said city staff conduct internal tests of Nixle and Everbridge and that communitywide tests are possible but require careful planning so they do not produce unnecessary alarm. Staff invited feedback on website usability and said the crisis communications plan and emergency response plan remain living documents that the city will continue to update.

The commission did not take formal action on the presentation. The city said it will follow up on several requests raised by commissioners, including clarifying the scope and frequency of alerts, exploring ways to expand non-text outreach for residents who do not receive messages, and sharing updates on the county'9s independent review where available.