The Brief

Water departments across L.A. County, including the L.A. Department of Water and Power and Pasadena Water and Power, have issued water advisories for residents near the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Because the fires have opened up the potential for contaminants to get in the water system, these notices offer guidelines for how to use the water safely if you’re in an affected area.

There are two types of advisories in effect right now due to the wildfires. Here’s what advisories are active, what they each mean and what you should do if they affect your area.

What areas are under advisory right now?

To check whether your home is under a water advisory, first make sure you know what water department or district you’re in. You can figure that out by checking your water bill to see which agency is listed. If you’re a renter, ask your landlord.

Here are the current notices. Keep in mind these advisories don’t always apply to the entire district. Read the notice to see if your address is in the impacted area:

• L.A. Department of Water and Power (ZIP code 90272 and adjacent areas): Do Not Drink
• Pasadena Water and Power: Do Not Drink. See the map of affected areas here
• Kinneloa Irrigation District: Do Not Drink
• Las Flores Water Company: Do Not Use
• L.A. County Waterworks Districts
  
  • LACWD No. 29, Malibu: Do Not Drink
• Lincoln Avenue Water Company: Do Not Use
• Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association: Do Not Use

Note: L.A. County Waterworks District No. 21 in Kagel Canyon cancelled its Boil Water notice on Jan. 13. Pasadena Water and Power also reduced the areas affected by the Do Not Drink notice on Jan. 13, but some areas remain under the advisory. The most recent map is linked above.

What is a Do Not Drink Notice?

A Do Not Drink Notice means you should not drink your tap water at all — and don't try to treat the water yourself by boiling, filtering or adding anything to it.

Agencies will issue a Do Not Drink notice when “the water supply has an acute contaminant that cannot be rendered safe by boiling the water or by disinfection, or is an unapproved source with no water quality data,” according to LADWP.

Here are the guidelines to follow if you’re under a Do Not Drink Notice:

• Drinking and baby formula: Do not use tap water at all, even if it is boiled. Use bottled water to drink, make baby formula and all your other drinking needs.
• Showering and bathing: Using tap water to bathe is safe, but be careful not to swallow the water or let it come into contact with nicks, cuts or open wounds. Sponge bathing is advised. Limit your time in the bath or shower, and do not take hot baths. Use lukewarm water and ventilate the area. 
• Washing dishes: Use bottled water. If you’re using a dishwasher, use the air-dry setting. 
• Washing clothes: It’s OK to use cold tap water to wash your clothes. If your clothes dryer does not vent outside, avoid using it and dry your laundry indoors.
• Washing vegetables and other food prep: Use bottled water for washing or handling food, and for making ice — don’t use automatic ice makers. 
• Washing hands: It’s safe to wash them with tap water as long as you wash vigorously with soap. If you’re washing your hands to prepare food, use bottled water. 
• Water for pets: Use bottled water.
• Swimming pools and hot tubs: Do not use them.

What is a Do Not Use Notice?

This notice means you shouldn’t use the tap water for any home activities, including showering, hand washing, drinking, food preparation or washing dishes. Local water departments say to use bottled water only for all of your water needs.

What is a Boil Water Notice?

A Boil Water Notice means it’s not safe to drink or use your water without boiling it first. There are not currently any Boil Water Notices in effect — as we noted earlier, a Boil Water Notice for L.A. County Waterworks District No. 21 in Kagel Canyon was cancelled earlier this week.

According to LADWP guidelines, a Boil Water Notice is put out when “the water supply has a microbiological contaminant that can be rendered safe by boiling the water or by using bottled water.” The widespread practice of disinfecting water via boiling dates back to 1858 to fight cholera outbreaks.

The rule of thumb for boiling your water is to bring it to a full rolling boil for at least one minute and then allow the water about 30 minutes to cool, according to the CDC.

LADWP advises that you “make up a batch of boiled water in advance so you will not be tempted to use it hot and risk scalds or burns. Boiled water may be used for drinking, cooking, and washing.”

To store your water after it has cooled, just pour it into a clean and covered container.

Here are the guidelines to follow if you’re under a Boil Water Notice:

• Drinking and baby formula: Use pre-boiled or bottled water. 

• Showering and bathing: According to LADWP, the water in your home may be used for showering, bathing, shaving and washing as long as you take care not to swallow any water and avoid having water come into contact with nicks, open wounds, cuts or blisters. Limiting time in the bath or shower can help minimize contact with the water.

  • People who are immunocompromised or have chronic illnesses should use boiled, then cooled water to bathe — sponge bathing is advisable here. 

• Washing dishes:

  • Hand-wash with pre-boiled water. Otherwise, you can rinse your dishes for a minute in a diluted bleach solution (1 tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water) after washing them with dish detergent. 
  • It’s fine to use the water for home dishwashers under the condition that the hot wash is at least 170° F and includes a full dry cycle. If you aren’t sure about the temperature of your specific dishwasher, that diluted bleach mixture rinse we mentioned above is your best friend.
  • You can use a commercial dishwasher if it is a National Sanitation Foundation listed washer.
• Washing clothes: It’s fine to use a washing machine for laundry, as long as the clothes are fully dried before being worn.
• Washing vegetables and other food prep: Wash them with boiled, then cooled, water.
• Brushing teeth: Use pre-boiled or bottled water. 
• Washing hands: It’s okay to use tap water, but use soap and scrub well. If you plan to handle food, use bottled or pre-boiled water.
• Water for pets: Pets can drink pre-boiled or bottled water. For more specific information, contact your vet.

What if I accidentally drank the tap water?

Under any of these advisories, LADWP says the likelihood of becoming sick is low, but still possible, especially for those who are immunocompromised or have a chronic illness. Seek out medical attention if you have any symptoms of gastroenteritis, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or abdominal cramps, with or without fever.

Is my home water filter enough to make my water safe to drink? 

No — and that applies to all three advisories. The average home filter is not designed to filter out the types of bacteria that are produced by a wildfire, according to Newsha Ajami, a hydrologist and leading expert in sustainable water resource management. Home filters are built for metals and toxins that are more commonly found in tap water on a day to day basis, Ajami said.

How does water contamination happen from a wildfire?

Ajami says there are a few different ways that the water supply can get contaminated from a wildfire.

One is cracks in the pipes. When water pressure goes down in the pipes due to the high usage from firefighting, the water that has leaked out into the ground is sucked back through the cracks along with all kinds of toxins and pollutants.

A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire.

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Justin Sullivan

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Getty Images

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Another risk is debris making its way into groundwater.

Overheated pipes can also lead to contamination of the water supply. The fires can melt them and affect the efficiency of entire water systems, Ajami said.

How long will these notices be in effect? 

Expect notices to be updated every two days. According to an FAQ from LADWP, the agency will inform residents when tests show that water is safe to drink. That testing takes a minimum of 48 hours to complete according to public safety protocols.

For the Do Not Drink Notice, LADWP says that the changing conditions of this particular event, along with the time it will take to flush the system and making sure the water adheres to their standards makes it difficult to give an estimate.

Pasadena Water and Power began testing its water on Jan. 12. You can look for the latest updates on the department’s website.

Where can I get bottled water?

Potable water is available at:

• 450 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena, 91101 (Wednesday, Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) 
• 23533 West Civic Center Way, Malibu, 90265 (every day until further notice, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• Adjacent to the Brentwood Country Club, 741 S. Gretna Green Way, Los Angeles, 90049 (Monday to Wednesday, Jan. 13 – 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, 90025 (every day until further notice, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Who do I contact with questions about the safety of my water?

Here are phone numbers to call for local water departments:

• Pasadena Water and Power
  
  • Customer service: (626) 744-4005
  • Water emergencies: (626) 744-4138 
• LADWP: (800) DIAL DWP or (800) 342-5397
• Kinneloa Irrigation District: General Manager Tom Majich, (626) 797-6295
• L.A. County Waterworks District: (800) 675-4357 
• Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association: Assistant General Manager Armando De La Paz, (626) 797-0509
• Lincoln Avenue Water Company: (626) 798-9101
• State Water Resources Control Board District Office: (818) 551-2004

LAist reporters Erin Stone and Cato Hernández contributed to this story.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.