Yusra Farzan
monitored social media during the January firestorms to provide timely fact checks.
Published January 13, 2025 2:22 PM
A helicopter flies over homes threatened by the wind-driven Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, January 7, 2025.
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David Swanson
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
The thing with social media platforms is misinformation can spread as fast as the fires currently burning across the L.A. region. Hot off the announcement that Meta is doing away with fact checkers, social media has been ablaze with conspiracy theories and AI generated images and videos.
Why does misinformation spread during a tragedy: Kristina Lerman, a research professor at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering who specializes in misinformation, AI and how people communicate in digital spaces, said during times of crises everybody's talking about the same thing so it gives opportunities for people to push their misinformation.
Consequences: Cailin O'Connor, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, said sometimes when misinformation spreads, people can act on them and this could have consequences during an emergency situation.
Read on .. to find out if the Hollywood was sign was actually on fire and if firefighters from South Africa arrived to help in the firefight.
The thing with social media platforms is misinformation can spread as fast as the fires currently burning across the L.A. region. Hot off the announcement that Meta is doing away with fact checkers, social media has been ablaze with conspiracy theories and AI generated images and videos.
The Department of Homeland Security says scammers take advantage of disasters and emergency situations “to further an ulterior agenda” by playing on people’s emotions and using trending algorithms for “hijacking conversations and financial scams.”
Kristina Lerman, a research professor at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering who specializes in misinformation, AI and how people communicate in digital spaces, said during times of crises everybody's talking about the same thing so it gives opportunities for people to push their misinformation.
“They use these opportunities, times of crisis, to push their agendas through propaganda,” she said. “They would take one grain of truth, and then they would twist it to fit the narrative, to promote their own specific narrative that they want to push.”
Cailin O'Connor, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, said sometimes when misinformation spreads, people can act on it, which could have consequences during an emergency situation.
" There's also kind of emotional impacts where sometimes people are upset or scared about things that they don't need to be because of misinformation spreading about something that's so scary and serious," she said.
LAist sorted through the fact and fiction for you regarding some of the misinformation that has cropped up recently:
Should you book a ticket to L.A. to aid in clean up?
No, there is a false post making the rounds on Facebook asking people to come to California to aid in the cleanup of areas affected by the fires. CalFire officials say this is false and “there is no such opportunity available.”
Are fire crews from South Africa aiding in the firefighting efforts?
No. A video circulating on social media shows firefighters from South Africa landing at a Canadian airport while supposedly enroute to Los Angeles. The video was from 2023 when South African crews aided in firefights in Mexico.
Were Oregon firefighters turned away because their equipment did not pass emission tests?
No. They were not turned away and their equipment did pass safety checks. Oregon firefighters joined in the L.A. firefight Friday morning. ”The L.A. County Fire Department has never turned down any offers for mutual aid assistance and resources,” L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Monday.
We want to clear up any misinformation regarding our deployment to Southern California. Please see our statement below. pic.twitter.com/tXTF41q2h2
Did fire crews actually use handbags to put out the fire?
On the contrary, those bags in the videos circulating online are canvas bags, an LAFD spokesperson told CBS News. Canvas bags are a common tool used by first responders to put out smaller flames — an easier response than pulling out a hose.
Did the Hollywood sign burn? Was a neighborhood mosque the only structure left standing?
WhatsApp messages a reporter received to verify a video doing the rounds.
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Yusra Farzan
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LAist
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No and no. The image of the Hollywood sign on fire is AI generated and the mosque in question is in Indonesia. Want to fact check content forwarded to you? You can use Google Reverse Image Search.
Is Gov. Gavin Newsom going to work with property developers to rebuild Pacific Palisades into apartments instead of single family homes?
No, Newsom took to X to refute those claims. And changes to zoning fall under the purview of city governments, not the state.
Why didn’t Newsom sign the "water restoration" declaration?
There is no water restoration declaration, despite what President-elect Donald Trump said. Read more here.
Why did the water hydrants in Pacific Palisades run dry?
They didn’t. Pressure in those water hydrants was reduced as demand for water – four times than normal – increased. My colleague Kevin Tidmarsh has a great explainer here.
More brush clearance could have helped prevent the Palisades Fire, why wasn’t it done?
Even if the excess vegetation was cleared, there was no stopping the powerful winds that fueled the spread of the wildfires. The winds could cast embers more than a mile away, making containing the spread impossible, my colleague Jacob Margolis writes.
Can I donate to the L.A. County Fire Department via links I found online?
No, the L.A. County Fire Department is currently not accepting online donations as they do not have a system in place to accept them. "We have staff working on a process to accept donations over the internet for our L.A. County Fire Department," said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. "I ask that those wanting to donate hold off until we have a process established that will guarantee the funds benefit our personnel."
I am seeing reports online about how the L.A. Fire Department prioritized DEI efforts in the last few years and that's why the wildfires caused so much destruction. Is this true?
L.A. Fire Department is headed by a gay woman, Kristin Crowley. As our friends at NPR write, partisan politics during a crisis is used to drive engagement online.
"The story is something like this: We as a society used to hire on the basis of competence and meritocracy. But that system has been hijacked by powerful minorities," Ian Haney López, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the author "Dog Whistle Politics" told NPR.
How can I get a permit for expedited reentry into Malibu?
You can't get one because they don't exist. The city of Malibu said people are not currently allowed into evacuation zones, neither are private contractors. If people need to check on a pet or obtain medication, they can call the city at (310) 456-2489.
I have heard the billionaire owners of The Wonderful Company, Stewart and Lynda Resnick own most of the water in California. Is this true?
Stephanie Pincetl, director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA, told NPR that they do use a lot of the state's water, but it is not "distinct and not germane to the problem" of battling wildfires.
Are we running out of water to fight the wildfires?
We are not. Local reservoirs have enough water to aid firefights. " There's way more water in local storage than you could ever fight a fire with," Marty Adams, former general manager and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, told NPR.
Did mansions belonging to Ukrainian military officers burn down in the fire?
No, that was misinformation pushed by pro-Kremlin accounts. "It is the latest in a long string of assertions by Russian officials, media, and the pro-Kremlin online ecosystem that Ukrainian officials are corrupt and use foreign aid money to enrich themselves." Léa Ronzaud, a senior investigator at research firm Graphika, told NPR.
California has stringent environmental policies. Did those cause the wildfires?
No, this is a claim by people like Elon Musk doing the rounds on social media. Experts from UCLA's Law School Emmett Institute say the regulations help rather than hurt California. The L.A. Municipal Code requires homeowners to clear brush that could pose fire risk from near their property. The state also passed a law in 2020 requiring homeowners to create a 5-foot fire resistant buffer zone around their property. That law hasn't been formally enforced as some homeowners are resistant to the change because they don't find it aesthetically pleasing.
How to be a fact checker
Lerman and O'Connor shared some tips that people can use to sift through all the information:
Take a moment to verify. Turn to other people in your social circles, the media or government officials to verify claims. For example, when the false alarm evacuation texts were sent out, a call to the local police station confirmed that it was indeed false.
Check your source. If the message has a political bias, ask whose agenda it could be serving. “ Anything that's linked to the blame game right now, like blaming somebody as being responsible for it, that's a sure sign that's actually being used for propaganda purposes and not to convey relevant information,” Lerman said. Some of the best information comes from those who have vast experience and background on topics. “If it’s an online influencer, like a fashion influencer or celebrity or even a politician from outside of the state who really is not addressing the wildfires directly, then be skeptical about the information they are promoting because they could have some hidden agenda behind it.”
Check if an image is AI generated — a tall tale sign is misplaced text or inaccuracies. For example, the viral photo of the Hollywood sign on fire had an extra L in “Hollywood.”
Slow down. O'Connor said take a moment to pause before sharing information. Sometimes just stopping to think through what you are about to share can help distinguish whether it is false or not.
This story will be updated as more misinformation is spotted.
Do you have a question about the wildfires or fire recovery?
Check out LAist.com/FireFAQs to see if your question has already been answered. If not, submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
Jason Wells
manages the daily news product that you hear and read every day.
Published September 9, 2026 5:13 PM
Smoke rises from a brush fire near the Getty Center on Sept. 9, 2026.
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CBS LA
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Topline:
Firefighters appeared to make quick progress against a brush fire the broke out Wednesday near the Getty Center.
What we know so far: As of 5 p.m., evacuation warnings had been issued for zones LFD-0895 and LF-0967, although the LAFD said no structures were immediately threatened as the water-dropping helicopters attacked the fire from above.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Firefighters appeared to make quick progress against a brush fire the broke out Wednesday near the Getty Center.
As of 5 p.m., evacuation warnings had been issued for zones LFD-0895 and LF-0967, although the LAFD said no structures were immediately threatened as the water-dropping helicopters attacked the fire from above.
Yusra Farzan
is covering general assignment news this week.
Published September 9, 2026 2:50 PM
Recent storm surges already have damaged Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Southern California is reeling from the destruction left behind by Tropical Storm Marie.
Damages in Dana Point: Six homes were red-tagged when high tides pummelled the coastline. Don Russel, the Capistrano Bay district general manager, said it's possible two other homes will be red-tagged (critically damaged) after high tide activity Tuesday night. Around five homes were yellow tagged (structural damage), he said. Workers are lining the shoreline with large boulders about the size of a small office desk when waters recede, but efforts to armor the beach have been hampered by the tides, Russel added.
Malibu felt the effects too: In Malibu, a large sinkhole formed on Sea Level Drive, prompting authorities to declare a local state of emergency. Five homes were red-tagged — meaning they are uninhabitable — and residents from around 30 homes were evacuated. Evacuees can find temporary shelter at the American Red Cross at Malibu High School.
Evac orders lifted: Evacuation orders were lifted in Long Beach, where the storm resulted in flooding. No homes were red-tagged, but the boardwalk between 63rd Place and 68th Place remains closed to the public.
Keep up with LAist.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Jared Bennett
is the watchdog correspondent covering immigration and law enforcement at LAist.
Published September 9, 2026 2:49 PM
Officers from the Long Beach Police Department responded to a March 2025 report of an armed robbery just blocks away — the arrest that followed is now at the center of allegations the department concealed one officer's assault conviction.
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Megan Garvey
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LAist
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Topline:
A prominent attorney working on a low-level criminal case in Long Beach is alleging the police department there concealed an officer’s assault conviction for years — potentially calling into question the legitimacy of hundreds of cases.
What the defense uncovered: Scott Sanders, who exposed the Orange County jailhouse snitch scandal, is the court-appointed attorney in a case where the defense was trying to depose a Long Beach Police Department officer.
In a series of court motions, Sanders raised questions about why the officer arrested a man who was bald when the alleged victim described a man with long dreadlocks. When the defense tried to the subpoena the officer after he left the force, an investigator discovered that the now-former officer had been convicted in an assault case in Georgia while employed with the Long Beach Police Department.
Why that matters: In a landmark 1963 case, Brady v. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court established that law enforcement has a legal responsibility to disclose such information to defendants. Lack of disclosure could call into question the legitimacy of other cases involving the officer and the Long Beach Police Department.
Keep reading... for the full in-depth report on this case.
A prominent attorney working on a low-level criminal case in Long Beach is alleging the Police Department there concealed an officer’s assault conviction for years — potentially calling into question the legitimacy of hundreds of cases.
Jacobs is facing felony charges after Long Beach police said they found a small bag of cocaine tucked inside his sock while he was held at a jail following an arrest in March 2025. Jacobs has pleaded not guilty to the charge of bringing a controlled substance into a jail, which could carry a sentence of up to four years in prison.
At issue is the arrest that landed Jacobs in that cell in the first place — which Sanders argues in court filings was based on misrepresentations of now-former Long Beach police Officer Erik Suarez.
According to the defendant’s motion to dismiss, Suarez resigned from the Long Beach Police Department in June.
In a filing made Sept. 8, the defense attorney said an investigator discovered that Suarez had been convicted of a misdemeanor in the beating of a man outside a Waffle House in Marietta, Georgia in 2019. He had initially been charged with felony assault.
At that time, Suarez had served on the Long Beach force for two years.
LAist attempted to contact Suarez by calling a phone number connected to him in public records. A man who answered said he was not Suarez, but asked what the story was about and said he would check with Suarez about contacting LAist.
In a recent court filing seeking more information about Suarez’s conduct, Jacobs’ defense asserts that the Long Beach Police Department knew about the conviction, but never disclosed this information to defendants or the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
That’s information Jacobs’ attorney argues was potentially exculpatory, and that withholding it amounts to a major violation of criminal defense laws. In the landmark 1963 case Brady v. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court established that law enforcement has a legal responsibility to disclose such information to defendants. In Jacobs’ case, for example, the Sept. 8 filing said information about Suarez’s arrest and subsequent conviction could have been used to impeach him as a witness, as well as in other cases Suarez touched as a police officer.
The Long Beach Police Department has not yet responded to LAist’s emailed questions.
“The actions of the LBPD demonstrate a complete disregard to the danger Officer Suarez presented to the community and to the due process rights of defendants,” according to the motion to force disclosure. “The concealment of Officer Suarez's arrest and prosecution enabled [LBPD] to hide mandated discovery related to Officer Suarez’s conduct from what have likely been hundreds of defendants during the nearly seven-year period between the time of Officer Suarez’s August 2019 arrest and June 2026.”
Jacobs’ attorney alleges in the filing that Long Beach has an “unwritten policy” to keep information that could be used to impeach its officers in personnel files protected from public disclosure.
“The potential systemic consequences are enormous,” the filing argues.
“Not just to the individual,” she said, “but to the entire community.”
Lacey said the information about Suarez’s conviction should have been known to the prosecutors, so they could vet the reliability of the evidence presented by law enforcement, and turned over to the defense at the outset of the case.
A spokesperson for L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in an emailed response to questions that they could not comment on what information they disclosed to Jacobs’ defense.
The District Attorney’s Office said it has a “collaborative relationship with the Long Beach Police Department,” and that the department does disclose material to prosecutors that is allowed under California law.
“Generally speaking, if our office had any such Brady material regarding an officer, we would have been legally obligated to turn that over to the defense.”
Lacey said if prosecutors did not have access to Suarez’s criminal record, the scope of people affected could be wide.
“We don't know how many cases are impacted by the potential unreliability of statements from the arresting law enforcement officer,” Lacey said. “This could impact people who have already pled guilty, who maybe are currently incarcerated, who are awaiting sentencing, or who are, like I said, incarcerated pretrial on other cases.”
In an interview with LAist, Sanders said the case raises three troubling issues: There’s the concealment of evidence leading to Jacobs' initial arrest, Suarez’s 2019 assault that was never disclosed, and the question of whether the Long Beach Police Department has concealed Brady material in other cases.
“If that's your modus operandi, we've got an enormous problem here,” Sanders said.
The underlying arrest that led to allegations about concealing an assault
Long Beach police responded to the intersection of 52nd Street and Atlantic Boulevard after a man reported being held at gunpoint, with the robber driving away in the van he was repossessing.
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Megan Garvey
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LAist
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Just after 7:45 p.m. on March 18, 2025, Suarez and his partner Dylan Kelley responded to a call reporting a person with a gun at the intersection of 52nd Street and Atlantic Boulevard in Long Beach.
The alleged victim, identified in the filing by his last name, Ochoa, told the officers that he was attempting to repossess a black Dodge Sprinter van when someone threatened him with a gun, took the keys and drove off with the van.
Police later tracked down the van and detained Lonnie Jacobs and his brother, Lamar Jacobs.
According to court records, at the scene officers only presented Lonnie Jacobs to Ochoa.
Before seeing him, Ochoa stated that the suspect had braids, and body camera footage detailed in the court filing shows him gesturing to show long hair around his shoulders.
While looking at photos of the suspects in the van, Ochoa identified Lamar Jacobs. “That’s him! With the dreads!,” Ochoa is recorded saying on body camera footage.
Body camera footage shows Suarez confirming this description. “You said he had dreads? Can you remember if he has dreads?,” Suarez asks. The footage shows Ochoa nodding to confirm.
But Ochoa then identified Lonnie Jacobs in person, telling officers he recognized Lonnie Jacobs’ chain and ripped jeans as matching the person who pulled a gun on him earlier that night.
Jacobs’ court filings state that body camera footage shows both he and his brother wore the exact same chain, and they both wore ripped jeans that night.
In an interview with a detective for the District Attorney’s Office in August 2026 that is included in court filings, Ochoa said he was positive he identified a man with braids during the show-up.
Lonnie Jacobs in a still from a police body cam on the night of his arrest.
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Long Beach Police Department
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L.A. County Superior Court filing
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Lamar Jacobs in a still from the night his brother was arrested. An officer is handing him a chain identical to one around his neck.
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Long Beach Police Department
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L.A. County Superior Court filing
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His attorney argued this fact is inconsistent with the description and should have disqualified Jacobs as a suspect, or at least warranted more questioning. Furthermore, he alleges Suarez failed to correct another officer at the scene who questioned why Ochoa didn’t see the hairstyle of the man who allegedly pulled a gun on him.
By this point, Ochoa had already described the suspect as having braids to Suarez and Kelley, according to the body cam footage, but Suarez did not correct the other officer.
“He couldn’t tell by the haircut,” Suarez said, adding he said “everything happened too fast.”
Jacobs’ defense alleges Suarez’s response was “actively misleading his fellow officers.”
Furthermore, body camera footage also shows Suarez agreeing with another officer who expressed doubts that Lonnie Jacobs was the one who brandished the firearm.
A still of officers discussing the potential suspects on the night of Lonnie Jacobs' arrest. A court filing by his defense said officers, including Erik Suarez, expressed doubts that he was the correct person.
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Long Beach Police Department
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L.A. County Superior Court
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“Yeah I think it was him, too,” Suarez said, referring to Lonnie’s brother Lamar. Lamar Jacobs was never charged in connection with the case.
In filings to the court, the District Attorney’s Office said the officers had probable cause to arrest Jacobs because he was in the van described by the witness and matched at least some of the characteristics of the suspect.
How that led to the Georgia case coming to light
Once Jacobs’ defense reviewed the body cam footage, they began attempting to depose Suarez in the case. Although Lonnie Jacobs was never charged with threatening Ochoa, the arrest led to the charges of bringing drugs into a jail. If the initial arrest was illegitimate, the drug case would go away.
The court scheduled a hearing earlier this year to discuss the evidence, but the Long Beach Police Department told Jacobs’ defense that Suarez was out of the country.
The defense subpoenaed Suarez through the Police Department again and on June 15, the department told the team that Suarez had resigned.
An investigator for Jacobs’ defense searched for his address to subpoena him at home. That search, according to the court filing, uncovered the assault charges in Georgia in 2019, two years after he joined the police force in Long Beach.
In the motion to dismiss the charges against Jacobs, his defense argues it is “plausible” that Suarez resigned from the police force out of concern he may have been questioned about his alleged misconduct that led to Jacobs’ arrest.
“However, it is also now apparent that Officer Suarez has been living with another secret that may also have propelled a decision to abandon his police officer position,” the defense wrote.
Through discovery, Jacobs’ attorney said in court filings they learned that Suarez had traveled to Georgia where he watched the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 on Aug. 17, 2019.
According to an incident report attached to court filings, a witness saw Suarez wearing a Dodgers jersey in a Waffle House, “talking shit” and arguing with the victim.
“Suarez then walked up to the table where the victim was seated and began punching him in the face until the victim was left unconscious on the ground,” the filing describes. According to the incident report and other filings from that case, Suarez continued to punch the victim while he was unconscious.
The most recent filing from Jacobs’ defense says Suarez was arrested walking away from the restaurant.
According to a description of the crime by Barry Morgan, a Cobb County assistant solicitor general, Suarez “caused the victim significant injuries, including orbital fracture, fracture of the maxillary sinus, traumatic orbital hematoma, and concussion.”
A memo details injuries caused by Erik Suarez in a 2019 assault. A grand jury indicted him on two felony counts. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and served a year of probation.
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Cobb County Superior Court
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via L.A. County Superior Court filing
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“Defendant beat the victim while the victim was on the ground, apparently unconscious,” the description explains. “This should be aggravated battery.”
On April 1, 2021, a grand jury indicted Suarez on two felony counts of aggravated battery, accusing him of “seriously disfiguring” the victim and rendering his right eye useless.
Right before trial, Suarez pleaded guilty in November 2022 to reduced misdemeanor charges of battery, was ordered to stay away from the victim and Cobb County, and was ordered to take anger management classes. He was sentenced to 12 months, which he was allowed to serve on probation.
According to Jacobs’ defense, “Suarez’s actions in Georgia triggered immediate reporting responsibilities related to his employment” with the Long Beach Police Department.
The court filing explains that the Long Beach police manual requires officers to inform their watch commander when they are arrested by another department or under a criminal investigation.
It’s not yet clear when the department learned about Suarez’s arrest. But Jacobs' defense argues that if the department learned of the arrest between 2019 and 2026, “this would have clearly triggered Brady responsibilities in this case and numerous others.”
That information is relevant to the case against Jacobs, the filing argues, because “it is entirely logical that the same officer who beat a victim into unconsciousness and then cavalierly walked from the scene would just as thoughtlessly arrest a man for whom no probable cause existed — concealing that the victim previously identified another suspect who possessed features irreconcilable with the defendant’s culpability.”
When does law enforcement need to disclose misconduct?
While law enforcement has a legal requirement to proactively disclose Brady material that could help defendants build their case, California law exempts most police personnel records from disclosure, except under certain circumstances including findings of unnecessary use of force and misconduct while on the job.
Jacobs’ defense attorney, in the Sept. 8 filing, alleges Long Beach police purposefully placed evidence related to Suarez’s conviction in his personnel file, where it could be protected from disclosure.
He wrote this “enabled the agency to hide mandated discovery related to Officer Suarez’s conduct from what have likely been hundreds of defendants during the nearly seven-year period between the time of Officer Suarez’s August 2019 arrest and June 2026.”
Furthermore, the filing argues “there is every reason to believe that the hiding of Brady evidence extends far beyond Officer Suarez’s conduct and is the product of a long-established undisclosed policy designed to conceal Brady evidence.”
The filing points to a June 2021 news article wherein a spokesperson for the LBPD told reporters that it does not maintain a formal list of officers whose case involvement triggers Brady disclosures, but that it “continues to comply with its obligations to share such information.”
By that time, Suarez’s assault case was nearly two years old and, according to Jacobs’ defense, had never been disclosed.
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Erin Stone
covers climate and environmental issues in Southern California.
Published September 9, 2026 2:28 PM
Composted organic mulch on Lydia Whitlock's Altadena property helped prevent erosion after rain.
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Courtesy Lydia Whitlock
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Topline:
The El Niño climate pattern is here and, in Southern California, that can mean heavy rain in the winter. For the thousands of people who lost their homes and businesses in the Eaton and Palisades fires, there are some additional concerns.
Why it matters: Open dirt lots are prone to flooding and erosion, and that soil can still be contaminated with toxic metals, which can wind up downstream with rain.
Keep reading...for some tips and resources on how fire survivors can prepare.
The El Niño climate pattern is here and, in Southern California, that can mean heavy rain in the winter — which is why experts say now is the time to prepare and make sure you’re signed up for emergency alerts. But for the thousands of people who lost their homes and businesses in the Eaton and Palisades fires, there are some additional concerns.
With no trees or vegetation with roots to hold soil together, open dirt lots are prone to flooding and erosion. That soil can still be contaminated with toxic metals, which can wind up downstream with rain.
But there are ways survivors can prepare their properties, according to experts LAist spoke with, including understanding how water is flowing in your area, applying organic mulch to bare soil, and diverting water from structures and foundations.
Organic composted mulch ftw
Natalie Levy, a soil scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, has been studying how organic mulch can help prevent erosion and reinvigorate soil on fire-scarred properties in Altadena since last year.
In a pilot project, she and a group of 14 Altadena property owners applied 1 to 2 inches of compost "erosion-control blankets" to their lots. The mixture needs to be a combination of fine-screened compost and larger, coarser, composted mulch.
"Think of this coarse composted mulch as a protective blanket," Levy said. "Your strategy here is you're reducing rainfall hitting bare soil directly. We're really trying to slow the movement of water down and give it more opportunity to infiltrate."
The larger pieces of mulch dissipate the energy of rainfall, while the finer compost can break down and help nourish the soil over time, Levy said.
The pilot analyzed 14 properties before and after significant rains last year. Levy found the properties with organic mulch had less erosion.
"Instead of a mass of soil that had fallen off of the edge of the parkway, we saw very clean curbs and less actual sediment in that storm drain," Levy said.
Lydia Whitlock was one of the participants in the pilot. A UC Master Gardener, she wanted to find more natural ways to clean her soil and prevent erosion after her home burned in the Eaton Fire. She worked closely with Levy and later contacted local native plant and nature-based stormwater capture experts, Hardy Californians, who connected her with a local landscaper to spread 645 tons of organic mulch across more than 128,000 square feet of her and her neighbors' properties.
A truck dumps organic composted mulch on Lydia Whitlock's property in Altadena.
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Courtesy Lydia Whitlock
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"Seeing how tended for and cared for the land looked as opposed to how it had looked as just bare dirt, it really felt like, oh, I'm taking a step towards coming back home," Whitlock said.
She was especially pleased with a neighbor’s property across the street, which had a steeper slope.
"After the first rains post-mulch, we noticed that she had almost no soil movement whatsoever," Whitlock said.
The county paid for the mulch to be applied for this pilot, but Whitlock said she hopes there's a broader effort and additional support from local authorities ahead of the rainy season, which officially starts mid-October. Many of the lots covered in the pilot have now been uncovered as rebuilding continues, Whitlock said.
"It was encouraging to get this done," she said, "but at the same time, 14 lots feels like a drop in the bucket compared to how many still-empty dirt lots there are around Altadena."
Resources and tips
Where to find organic composted mulch in the L.A. area:
When applying mulch on fire-affected properties, be sure to wear personal protective equipment — at least an N95 mask and gloves, and don’t bring dirty clothes and shoes into a home.
You can see Natalie Levy’s video on properly applying organic mulch here.
Fire survivors who are already working with a building contractor should speak with them about protecting the property from rain because some protection strategies may require crews and equipment
Hardy Californians will also provide phone consultations and assistance in prepping your property.
Other ways to prepare your property
Meanwhile, Parker Davis, founder of Hardy Californians, said there are other affordable ways to prep your property ahead of potential significant rain. The group has been working closely with fire survivors on natural soil remediation strategies, as well as erosion control and water capture.
In most cases, on properties with moderate to minimal sloping, he said, residents shouldn’t be all that concerned.
"In general, the moderately-sloped [properties], they can help themselves," Davis said.
However, Davis emphasized, people right against recently burned hillsides do need to prepare for more significant mudflows and potential evacuations.
"People should really start preparing now," he said. "Crews are going to get busy, and once things get wet, then there's not a whole lot you can do about it."
Here are some other ways to prepare your property, according to Davis:
Filling and placing sandbags now
Staggering chain link fences on sloped properties can help capture debris
Creating channels to redirect water from construction areas (though be sure to coordinate with neighbors if you can’t direct to a public storm drain)
Apply jute on exposed soil under mulch on hillsides. That can also be used in combination with natural material wattles (some are made with plastics, which Davis doesn’t recommend, as it can contaminate soil and water)
