The Brief

Residents affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires now have a way to try to preserve trees that still stand on their properties. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and L.A. County released a waiver form on Monday that allows residents to request that certain trees deemed hazardous not be cut down. The Army Corps updated the process on Thursday to include that residents can now also email the waiver, rather than having to provide it in person.

The waiver comes after Altadena residents raised alarm over trees, some of which could recover with time and care, being cut down in the burn zone.

How the waiver works

The waiver applies only to trees on private property, where the Corps of Engineers is in charge of removing fire debris. (Trees in the public right-of-way are overseen by L.A. County or L.A. city departments, depending on where you live.)

Residents who have opted in to the federal debris removal program are eligible for the new waiver.

Here’s how it’ll work: You should get a call a few days before the Corps of Engineers plans to clear debris from your property. They’ll ask you to do a comprehensive walk-through with them (though it’s not required). During that walk-through, homeowners will be able to sign a form to consent that hazardous trees be removed, according to county Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.

But, if you want to keep a tree that’s been deemed hazardous, you can sign the waiver. You’ll need to provide a sketch and list of the trees you don’t want removed, then hand the waiver to the Corps contractor in person when you do the walk-through. On Thursday, the Army Corps announced residents can also now email the completed form to:

• Eatoncallcenter@ecc.net for Altadena properties
• Palisadescallcenter@ecc.net for Palisades properties

"We are committed to listening to the community and improving our processes," U.S. Army Colonel Eric Swenson, commander of the Corps' wildfire recovery efforts in L.A. County, said in a statement in a press release.

Officials emphasized that residents should assess their trees as soon as possible.

Some trees can't be saved, though. Trees within the ash footprint of the home — determined when contractors assess the site and defined as the immediate area around a burnt home where ash settled — will be removed. That's so crews can thoroughly and safely remove debris and ash.

Graphic depicting a tree flagged for removal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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Additional clarity on tree markings

On Thursday, the Army Corps also provided additional clarity on what different tree markings mean:

• Blue dot: Trees marked with a blue dot at the base and a barcode have been determined to be hazardous and are scheduled for removal.
• Yellow dot with yellow Ribbon: Trees where a property owner has submitted a hazardous tree removal waiver will be marked with a yellow dot at the base and a yellow ribbon wrapped around the tree.
• Brown dot: If a tree is reassessed and determined to be non-hazardous by a higher-level ISA-certified arborist, it will be marked with a brown dot over the existing blue dot.

The Army Corps' hazardous tree marking system.

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Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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What makes a tree hazardous?

The county defines a hazardous tree as “any tree that poses an immediate threat to lives or public health and safety, including risks to debris removal crews.” The Corps of Engineers has a list of specifications for defining a hazard tree, including the following:

• The tree has a diameter of 6 inches or greater (measured 4.5 feet above ground).
• The tree is a distance less than 1.5 times the tree height from a structure or presents a hazard to work crews.
• The tree is dead or expected to die within five years as determined by an ISA-certified arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification.

Find more information from the Corps on hazard trees here. You can find additional fire recovery information at recovery.lacounty.gov.

Things to consider 

If you can, get a second opinion from a local arborist about how the trees on your property marked for removal are faring post-fire. Some species, such as coast live oak, have a remarkable ability to survive and even thrive after fire.

Also, property owners who sign the waiver will be on the hook financially for dealing with the tree later if it does die or become a hazard.

Community reacts

Defining which trees are hazardous has been a point of contention.

Some residents, such as those who started Altadena Green, a grassroots group working to save Altadena’s surviving trees, have been calling for an independent review of trees marked for removal, as well as calling for independent, local arborists to lead the hazard tree identification efforts.

Rebecca Latta, an arborist and co-founder of Altadena Green, said that although the waiver is a help, she worries the Corps’ contract arborists don’t have sufficient qualifications or local tree knowledge and are under too much pressure to move quickly.

“It’s a step in the right direction. We just think it’s a big onus on the homeowners,” Latta said.

The restaurant:

Detroit-style pizza is hard to find in Southern California, given how far away it is from the Motor City.

Angelenos can consider themselves fortunate though to have a spot tucked in West Hollywood — DTown Pizzeria. The pizzeria is owned by Ryan Ososky, the 2025 Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Expo. He's received numerous honors for his pan pizzas.

The food: 

Oskosky's been all over the map during his time as a chef, and he's worked under the likes of Michael Mina, Charlie Palmer and Wolfgang Puck. After gaining all that experience, he’d eventually start a pizza pop-up in West Hollywood.

“I’m a chef by trade, but I guess I just happen to own a pizzeria and won some awards around it,” Ososky said.

What Austin tried:

• Goomba
• "Haole" aka not Hawaiian
• The 313
• The 1946 cheese

The verdict:

“Excellent puff of flavor in the middle of an excellent pizza, soft crust,” Austin said after trying the pepperoni-topped Goomba slice.

When taking a bite of the 313, Austin said “the pesto on top of this zings it up,” adding, “It stays moist … but it’s got a moist and crisp with soft dough.”

Listen:

Los Angeles Angels legend Garret Anderson has died. The team announced his death today on social media.

The cause and location of his death were not immediately announced.

"Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons," owner Arte Moreno said in a statement, "and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship."

Anderson's story is a Southern California one in so many ways. He was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, where he was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball and football. He won All-Los Angeles City and All-League Honors as a junior and helped lead Kennedy's basketball team to an L.A. City Championship.

The Angels drafted him out of high school in 1990, and he made his Major League debut in 1994.

He spent all but two of his 17 Major League seasons with the Halos and was a key player on the 2002 team that won the franchise's first, and still only, World Series.

After the Angels decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2008 season, Anderson signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2009 before returning to SoCal in 2010, this time as a member of the Dodgers. He spent a single season there before retiring in 2011.

He leads the Angels all-time in a slew of statistics, including games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), doubles (489) and several others. He was a three-time All-Star, the 2003 Home Run Derby winner and All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

But Angels fans will probably remember him best for his go-ahead, three-run double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. It gave the Angels a 4-1 lead, which they never surrendered.

But despite all the accolades, one of the most impressive stats from Anderson's career was his reliability. He had a stretch of eight seasons where he appeared in at least 150 games and played in at least 140 games in 11 of his 17 seasons in the pros.

Shortly after he retired, he joined the Angels television broadcast team to provide pregame and postgame analysis.

The Angels will wear a special "GA" memorial patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the season. They'll also play a tribute and hold a moment of silence in his honor before tonight's game against the San Diego Padres at Angel Stadium.

This story first appeared in The LA Local.

For Koreatown resident George Chan, the appeal of public transit in Los Angeles is simple: avoiding the daily grind of driving.

“I don’t like cars, so I’m all for having more public transportation,” said Chan, who lives near Olympic Boulevard and Hobart Street and uses transit about twice a week to get to work in Culver City. “I feel like that’s one of the things L.A. really lacks, a working public transportation system. You go to any other major city and you’re able to take a train anywhere, but here you can’t.”

Even if it takes longer, he said, public transit offers something driving doesn’t.

“I don’t have to sit in traffic. I don’t have to deal with drivers at all,” he said. “I feel pretty comfortable on the train and bus, so it’s not a big deal for me.”

That’s why Chan is looking forward to the opening of the first phase of the Metro D Line extension on May 8, which Koreatown residents like him say will make it easier to reach some of Los Angeles’ most visited cultural hubs without sitting in traffic.

Where things stand

The project, more than a decade in the making, will add three new underground stations along Wilshire Boulevard at La Brea, Fairfax and La Cienega, closing an important gap between Downtown Los Angeles and the Mid-Wilshire area.

From Koreatown, the new stops will put destinations like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the La Brea Tar Pits within roughly a 15- to 20-minute ride from Union Station, offering a faster alternative to driving along one of the city’s most congested corridors. 

Another view of the Wilshire/La Brea Station.

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Courtesy Metro Art

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Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

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Metro projects the new stations will add roughly 16,200 daily riders and increase foot traffic for local businesses. The opening comes more than three years behind its original 2023 timeline and about $700 million over budget, with this part of the project now reaching around $3.51 billion. 

The project is part of Metro’s “Twenty-Eight by ’28” push to finish major transit expansions before the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

For Chan, that could mean easier trips west, whether that’s grabbing brunch near Miracle Mile or visiting museums that currently require multiple transfers.

How residents are feeling

Other residents said the expansion is also expected to reshape how often they use transit, particularly for trips that currently require driving. Davis Read, a Koreatown resident who is a part of the Wilshire Center Koreatown neighborhood council, says he uses Metro about once a week now, but that will likely change once he gets more access to the museums by La Brea. 

“I’m also excited to be able to go to Beverly Hills, where a lot of my medical appointments are,” Read said. “That’s something that was usually like a half-hour drive.”

But while many welcome the expansion, residents say the city still has work to do — especially when it comes to building housing people can actually afford, shortening timelines for major transit projects and improving bus infrastructure.

Sherin Varghese, a Koreatown resident and organizer with Ktown for All, said buses remain essential for many in the neighborhood.

“A lot of our neighbors, housed and unhoused, don’t have cars,” she said. “Building out infrastructure that isn’t car-forward is generally a good move.”

At the same time, she noted that buses, which often serve lower-income riders, have historically been deprioritized.

“I’m really excited about the trains,” Varghese said. “But I also want us to continue investing in bus infrastructure, like dedicated bus lanes that don’t get closed off that aren’t just for rush hour.”

Wilshire/La Brea Metro station remains closed off to the public as of April 14.

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Marina Peña

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The LA Local

)

For Varghese, who relies on transit regularly, the D Line will open up parts of the city that currently feel out of reach.

“I’m going to be able to take the D straight to LACMA or to the Academy Museum to see a movie,” she said. “It opens up a huge amount of access to the west side.”

Metro's overall plan

The D Line extension is part of Metro’s broader plan to connect Downtown Los Angeles to Westwood through a nine-mile subway, with future phases expected to open in 2027. Additional stations will include Beverly Drive, Century City, Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital.

Another major project — the K Line Northern Extension — would further expand that network by linking South L.A. to West Hollywood. But with funding not expected until 2041 and an opening still years after that, between 2047 and 2049, many residents say the timeline highlights a broader frustration.

After last-minute negotiations between Mayor Karen Bass and local leaders, Metro’s board voted unanimously in late March to approve the route. The planned underground extension would tie into four major rail lines and is projected to carry up to 100,000 riders daily

“There’s a repeated trend in which these great public projects are having to conform around the needs of wealthy home ownership groups. I think that’s frustrating,” Read said. “I think at this point, we should be pressuring our elected leaders to act quicker on the Metro.”

He pointed to the K Line extension as one example, where opposition from a group of homeowners in Mid-City, particularly in affluent Black neighborhoods like Lafayette Square, raised concerns about construction, safety and property values, contributing to delays.

“That’s the most important stitch in the Metro system — it would be a game changer,” Read said. “A two-seat ride to LAX from Koreatown or downtown would make a huge difference. Right now, it takes about three lines and can take just as long as driving in traffic.”

The Wilshire/Fairfax station where the D line and K line would meet is expected to add 33,000 riders, according to Metro.

Residents ask: Why'd it take this long

Varghese, who has lived in Koreatown for 15 years, said her frustration is less about the current timeline and more about missed opportunities in the past.

“I wish we had started this 50 years ago,” she said. “But I’m glad it’s happening now.”

Alongside transit improvements, residents also raised concerns about what new development around stations will look like, particularly whether it will include housing that current residents can afford.

“A lot of the housing is built for upscale renters,” he said. “If they built low-income or cheaper housing, that would be great, but that’s not what’s happening.”

Read said transit and housing need to be planned together.

“If we don’t act drastically to construct new housing, we’re never going to dig ourselves out of this crisis,” he said.

Varghese echoed that concern, pointing to what she sees as a gap between policy goals and what’s actually being built.

“We need to build housing that people can actually afford now,” she said. “We need to be affecting the supply directly and not hoping that housing eventually trickles down in terms of pricing.”

The post ‘I wish we had started this 50 years ago’: Koreatown is ready for Metro’s D Line appeared first on LA Local.