LA leaders place restrictions on tour buses in the Palisades after rumors of 'disaster tours'

The L.A. City Council unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday that makes it a crime to operate a tour bus within a roughly 16-square-mile area of the Pacific Palisades affected by the January fires — despite there being no apparent record of the so-called "disaster tours" ever taking place.

Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes the Pacific Palisades, introduced the motion at the beginning of July.

At the time, she told her colleagues her office had been receiving reports about “commercial tour operators conducting disaster tours in the Pacific Palisades disaster area” ever since the neighborhood opened to the public the month prior.

“These are people looking to profit off of destruction and other people’s losses,” she said. “It’s really gross and it needs to be stopped.”

There aren’t many details on the extent of the reported problem and which companies were hosting the so-called “disaster tours.” LAist reached out to Park's office for more details about what her constituents observed, including if anyone saw a specific company operating tour buses in the area. Park’s office did not respond and neither did the Pacific Palisades Community Council, which submitted a letter in support of the resolution.

Criminal penalties for violators

The city’s municipal code allows for the Department of Transportation to restrict tour buses from streets it deems unsafe.

“Based on their size and weight, tour buses pose an apparent hazard on certain streets that are unsuited to accommodate a high volume of large vehicles,” the Department of Transportation said in a July report following Park’s motion.

After Wednesday’s vote, the Department of Transportation will install signage about the tour bus restriction at the entry points to the affected area.

People who drive a tour bus through the restricted area of the Pacific Palisades could be criminally charged. The employer or “operator of the tour bus company” would be responsible, not the driver of the bus, the Department of Transportation said in the report.

The ban is in place until the emergency order is lifted.

(

The Department of Transportation

)

The L.A. Police Department will lead enforcement, the details of which will be “outlined in a forthcoming report” to the City Council.

The restrictions will apply until the end of the wind and wildfire emergency declaration that started on Jan. 7. The Department of Transportation, however, is assessing a longer-term restriction.

Boundaries for the restricted area

The restricted area is around 16 square miles.

• The ridgeline of the Santa Monica Mountain is the northern boundary
• The city limit is the western boundary
• Pacific Coast Highway is the southern boundary
• Chautauqua and Sunset Boulevards and Mandeville Canyon Road make up the eastern boundary

The restriction doesn’t apply to Pacific Coast Highway itself, which is under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. Wednesday’s resolution directs the city to ask the state transportation department to consider extending the tour bus ban.

Public safety concerns

The Pacific Palisades continues to rebuild from the fires that displaced thousands and resulted in at least 12 deaths.

Citing ongoing construction on the road, hillsides, utilities, homes and businesses, the Department of Transportation said tour buses risk public safety and the speed of recovery.