LA County Board

16. Addressing Overgrown Vegetation and Fire Risk Conditions in Altadena and the Santa Monica Mountains Recommendation as submitted by Supervisors Barger and Horvath: Instruct the Director of Public Works in his capacity as the leader of Public Works and in his upcoming role as the Director of the Rebuild Authority (RA) when the RA commences operations on July 1, 2026, in coordination with the Agricultural Commissioner/Director of Weights and Measures (AR), Fire Chief, Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) and other relevant Departments, and in consultation with and coordinated with the Chief Executive Office (CEO) to ensure alignment with the overall recovery strategies to do the following: Work with community based organizations to develop and implement a coordinated, environmentally sensitive strategy to address hazardous vegetation, brush clearance, and related nuisance conditions on fire-impacted, vacant, or stalled residential properties throughout Altadena and the unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains. Instruct the Director of Public Works, the RA, and the Agricultural Commissioner/Director of Weights and Measures to prioritize voluntary compliance, defensible space assistance, community outreach, and non-punitive mitigation efforts before pursuing financial penalties against fire-impacted property owners. Instruct the Director of Public Works and, upon its commencement of operations on July 1, 2026, the Director of the RA, the Agricultural Commissioner/Director of Weights and Measures, CSO, and the Fire Chief to evaluate innovative vegetation management approaches utilized by neighboring jurisdictions, including targeted grazing, nature-based solutions, and other alternative vegetation reduction strategies, and assess the feasibility of pilot programs in Altadena and the Santa Monica Mountains. Instruct the Director of Public Works and, upon its commencement of operations on July 1, 2026, the Director of RA, in coordination with CEO, AG, Fire, and other relevant Departments, to report back to the Board in writing within 30 days with: Recommendations for immediate implementation actions and pilot vegetation mitigation programs; Any operational or legal barriers limiting proactive vegetation management efforts; Potential partnership and funding opportunities to support vegetation reduction efforts without placing additional financial burdens on residents; and Any additional authorities or policy changes needed to support long-term wildfire risk reduction and vegetation management efforts in Altadena and the Unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains, including Sunset Mesa. (26-3385)