Monday, March 3, 2025

Memo of Understanding With Los Angeles County for Debris Removal Program Scheduled for City Council

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The Pasadena City Council will vote on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County of Los Angeles to facilitate the administration of the Right of Entry (ROE) program, which is essential for the Phase 2 Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) program following the devastating Eaton Fire.

The program is part of the broader federal assistance provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aimed at removing hazardous debris from private properties damaged by the fire.

The MOU allows the County to manage the ROE program, a key component of federal disaster recovery efforts that involves collecting property owner consent for debris removal on private property.

The County has been designated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as the lead agency for administering the ROE program. The County, in turn, has contracted with Tetra Tech BAS, Inc. to oversee the collection, review, and transmission of ROEs to the USACE on behalf of several cities, including Pasadena.

“We are moving forward at an unprecedented pace to address the debris removal process,” said Pasadena City Manager. “The MOU ensures we’re aligned with our county and federal partners to remove debris efficiently while ensuring property owners’ rights are respected.”

Pasadena property owners have been submitting ROEs for the Phase 2 debris removal since the form went online on January 28.

As of last week, 137 ROEs for Pasadena have been submitted. Twenty-five have been approved and forwarded to the USACE. Four property owners have opted out of the program.

Debris removal must be completed and signed off on before homeowners can rebuild their property.

Property owners have the right to complete the debris removal and property remediation by hiring qualified and licensed private contractors and consultants at their own cost to perform the cleanup work. An application and workplan must be approved prior to the commencement of work.

For opt-out sites, the City is administering its own program. That program is not part of this MOU.

Under the terms of the MOU, the City is responsible for its share of the costs associated with the ROE program, based on the number of properties in the city that choose to opt into the program.

Although exact costs are yet to be determined, the city estimates its share could be under $250,000. These costs are expected to be reimbursed through FEMA.