8 fire-damaged sites a 'public nuisance'

L.A. officials' declaration puts pressure on Palisades property owners to clear debris. Some say they can't afford the cost.

- TONY BRISCOE

DEBRIS is cleared this month from a business destroyed in the Palisades fire. The Oct. 2 deadline has passed.

A burned-down hilltop mansion once featured in HBO's "Succession" is one of eight Pacific Palisades properties declared a public nuisance by Los Angeles city officials who alleged that the owner still hasn't removed fire ash and debris.

The Los Angeles Board of Building and Safety Commissioners, a five-member committee that adjudicates public nuisance cases, voted Oct. 8 that the fire debris at the eight properties — a mix of luxury estates, multifamily apartments and businesses constituted a public nuisance and could pose a risk to public health and safety. City officials alleged that the owners of these properties failed to meet the Oct. 2 deadline to clear hazardous fire debris.

The board's vote pressures owners to clean up the toxic debris — or prepare for a city contractor to step in, clear their lots and send them a bill for the work.

"Once a property is declared a public nuisance, the owner has the right to abate the nuisance until the department solicits bids for the work," said Gail Gaddi, a spokesperson for the L.A. Department of Building and Safety. "A process or timeline has not been established for when the department will begin to solicit bids." The board voted to cite a burned-down mansion in the 1600 block of North San Onofre Drive, which was the filming location in Season 4 of the HBO drama "Succession" as the luxury estate of the Roy siblings. The sixbedroom, 18-bathroom home, which last sold for $83 million in 2021, is owned by a trust, according to public records.

After the Palisades fire, the owner withdrew from the federal debris removal program led by the U.S.