L.A. agrees to mediation with Palisades Fire victimsFormal talks with survivors of the January 2025 fire are scheduled to begin in early October, but the state has not joined.Friday, August 28, 2026
Grammy winner Diane Warren adopts runaway West Hollywood pigletWilbur — the pig that led rescuers on a chase through West Hollywood — is headed for an animal sanctuary in the Santa Monica Mountains.Friday, August 21, 2026
Caltrans to drill in PCH landslide zone next week; lane closure aheadGeotechnical rigs will be set up just past Sunset, heading towards Malibu, with a westbound lane closed all next week.Thursday, August 20, 2026
Palisades Fire arson suspect set for November trialJonathan Rinderknecht's second trial is set for Nov. 2, after the federal case against him collapsed in June.Thursday, August 20, 2026
State approves Zone Zero fire rules for hazardous places like MalibuNew rules give homeowners about 3-1/2 years to clear burnable material from within five feet of structures in very high fire hazard zones - like all of MalibuWednesday, August 19, 2026
Construction site burglaries surge in Pacific PalisadesResidents are barricading streets at night as thieves target copper wire and pipes; Malibu has not seen a similar spike yet.Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Feds try again to convict Palisades Fire suspect after mistrialJonathan Rinderknecht is set to be arraigned on a revised indictment after a jury deadlocked 10-2 to acquit him earlier this year.Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Senators seek ban on wildfire betting marketsPolymarket took $1.25 million in bets on California fires as Malibu, the Palisades and Altadena burned, the L.A. Times reports.Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Caruso reopens Palisades Village 19 months after fireDeveloper Rick Caruso cut the ribbon Saturday at the rebuilt Pacific Palisades shopping center, calling it one chapter in a long recovery.Monday, August 17, 20261 comment
Palisades Fire suspect faces second trial after mistrialFederal prosecutors have filed a revised indictment against Jonathan Rinderknecht after a jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquittal.Friday, August 14, 2026
Palisades Village reopens Saturday after $100M rebuildRick Caruso's shopping center, saved from the January 2025 wildfires by private firefighters, cuts its ribbon at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow.Friday, August 14, 2026
Caltrans races to shore up PCH at Big RockEmergency weekend repairs aim to stop waves from washing more of Pacific Coast Highway into the ocean west of the Big Rock signal.Monday, August 10, 2026
Post-Palisades Fire study: ocean clean, but lead lingers in soilA USC-led consortium analyzed 6,000 soil samples and 900 seawater samples after the January 2025 fire.Saturday, August 8, 2026
Malibu Seeks Public Input on Vacant Park LandsCity council members will hold another summertime listening session next Wednesday on plans for three lots bought a decade ago for $43 million.Thursday, August 6, 2026
L.A. Voters to Decide Palisades Exemption from Mansion TaxA November ballot measure would exempt fire-damaged Pacific Palisades homes from the city's tax on high-value real estate sales.Thursday, August 6, 2026
Malibu presses Caltrans to shore up PCH before winterCity Manager Joe Irwin says the state may be underestimating the immediate threat of erosion to Pacific Coast Highway near Big Rock.Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Malibu Planning Commission rejects DWP storage yard on Corral CanyonCommissioners voted 3-0 against Los Angeles's plan to stage electrical equipment on a Malibu hillside for a Pacific Palisades project 10 miles away.Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Southern California fire crews sent to battle Spokane wildfiresOfficials in Washington are comparing the destruction to the Palisades Fire, with more than 600 homes burned and tens of thousands evacuated.Tuesday, August 4, 2026
YIMBY Law says Malibu agreed to repeal anti-duplex ordinanceThe housing group sued after the governor exempted four fire-hit cities from SB 9; it now says Malibu will accept duplex applications.Monday, August 3, 2026
Malibu Film Society pitches privately funded arts centerThe group wants to raise private money to build a theater, performing arts center and art studios on city land behind Cross Creek Ranch.Sunday, August 2, 2026
Red Cross picks Boys and Girls Club as Palisades Fire recovery partnerThe Malibu-based recovery coalition has already distributed $3.3 million in cash and $3.5 million in goods to fire survivors.Sunday, August 2, 2026
LA DWP Seeks Seven-Year Storage Yard in Malibu HillsThe plan would send dozens of daily truck trips through PCH lane closures to serve Pacific Palisades reconstruction 10 miles away.Friday, July 24, 20262 comments
Malibu asks state to independently study PCH cliff stabilityCouncil members are skeptical of Caltrans' assurance that the highway in the fire zone is not in danger of falling into the ocean.Thursday, July 16, 2026
Fire victims may be asked to pay to bury Malibu communications linesSCE's high-voltage lines are now underground, but household voltage wires and thick communications cables from Verizon, Charter and Crown Castle remain on poles.Thursday, July 16, 2026
Malibu officials fight LADWP storage yard on Corral CanyonCity says emergency permit expired Monday for hillside graded by Los Angeles utility to store pipe for Palisades rebuild 10 miles away.Tuesday, June 23, 20261 comment
Palisades Fire suspect asked ChatGPT about cigarette liability, prosecutors sayFederal prosecutors say Jonathan Rinderknecht queried ChatGPT about cigarette fire liability moments after the fire was set on New Year's Eve.Friday, June 12, 2026
Prosecutors: Palisades fire suspect sought revenge on societyFederal prosecutors say Jonathan Rinderknecht set the Lachman fire out of anger; the defense says he tried to stop it.Thursday, June 11, 2026
L.A. Mayor's brother joins fire victims suing the cityKenneth Bass lost his Rambla Pacifico home in the Palisades fire and is now among thousands of plaintiffs naming his sister as a defendant.Thursday, June 11, 2026
Caltrans to brief Malibu council on PCH stability after fire damageBurned wooden piers and retaining walls that protected the highway for a century are gone, leaving vertical drops to the ocean.Thursday, June 4, 2026
Traci Park wins re-election in Pacific Palisades and VeniceThe LA councilmember and ally of police and fire unions trounced democratic socialist Faizah Malik, 55 to 35 percent.Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Emergency rent control for fire victims expires in LA CountySupervisors declined to extend price caps imposed after 12,000 homes were destroyed; price gouging limits on building materials are also over.Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Study: cancer-causing chromium-6 spread miles from fire zonesUC researchers found nanoparticles of chromium-6 traveled six to nine miles downwind from the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires.Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Malibu pauses lawsuit against LA County over Palisades FireThe city is dropping the county from its fire-damage lawsuit, citing Supervisor Horvath's $250 million water line plan.Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Judge bars LA fire-blame defense in Palisades arson trialFederal judge rules Jonathan Rinderknecht cannot blame LA City Fire Department's handling of the earlier Lachman Fire at his upcoming arson trial.Friday, May 22, 2026
State to unveil new Topanga Lagoon plans May 31California will reveal revised designs for a 31-acre lagoon and rebuilt PCH bridge at Malibu's gateway, after the Palisades Fire erased earlier plans.Friday, May 15, 2026
Newsom budget cuts spending but boosts Malibu fire aidGovernor's revised budget offers $100,000 mortgage grants and a $100 million loan guarantee fund for Palisades, Franklin and Altadena fire victims.Friday, May 15, 2026
Newsom proposes $100 million fund to close wildfire rebuilding gapThe average Palisades and Malibu fire victim is $1.5 million short between insurance payouts and the cost of rebuilding.Thursday, May 14, 2026
Caltrans to Shift PCH Lanes Inland for Rebuild AccessThe shift, expected late next week, will give oceanfront homeowners more room to unload construction materials in the Malibu fire zone.Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Palisades Fire Suspect Says ATF Agent Biased, Cites Past CaseJonathan Rinderknecht's attorneys want to introduce evidence from a failed Navy arson case investigated by the same federal agent.Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Federal Judge to Hold Hearing for Alleged Palisades Fire ArsonistJonathan Rinderknecht, charged with igniting the fire that killed 12 and destroyed parts of Malibu, faces a key admissibility ruling today.Monday, May 11, 2026
