City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 22, 2026
Agenda Item: 11.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Darrick Jacob, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: 2025 Palisades Fire and Windstorm After-Action Report Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council review and comment on the Palisades Fire After-Action Report, and direct staff to proceed with evaluating and completing the report’s identified improvement actions. This report is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). The report is administrative and informative in nature. Pursuant to CEQA Section 21065, the project does not meet the definition of a “project” subject to CEQA as it will not “cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.”
Summary
On January 28, 2025, the Santa Monica City Council directed staff to conduct an “After Action Review” across all City departments to “accurately capture lessons learned during the City’s response to the Palisades Fire and to better prepare for the next natural disaster or emergency crisis.” The City of Santa Monica retained Jacob Green & Associates (JGA), to assess Santa Monica’s response and recovery efforts to the Palisades Fire and related wind event and to prepare an independent After-Action Report (Appendix A). The completed report by JGA provides an incident overview, evaluates key actions taken by City personnel, and presents recommendations and an improvement plan to enhance disaster readiness.
Successful implementation of the improvement plan will require a multi-departmental approach, supported by the leadership and participation of the City Council. Staff recommends City Council review the Palisades Fire After-Action Report and direct City 2 of 6
staff to evaluate all recommendations for improvement of Santa Monica’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities and to implement such recommendations as necessary and to the extent applicable.
Discussion
The January 2025 Palisades Fire and windstorms caused devastating impacts in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, directly north of Santa Monica. The wildfire resulted in 12 civilian fatalities, destroyed over 6,000 residential and commercial structures, and burned 23,448 acres of the Santa Monica Mountains, which impacted the Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu communities. The Palisades Fire was one of fourteen destructive wildfires that ignited in Los Angeles County during January 2025, placing substantial strain on local and regional emergency response resources.
Although Santa Monica did not sustain direct wildfire damage, the fire perimeter reached within 0.4 miles of the City’s northern boundary. In response to extreme Santa Ana winds and rapidly deteriorating wildfire conditions in neighboring communities, the City of Santa Monica initiated substantial emergency response activities in coordination with other local and state response agencies. The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and City response personnel were mobilized to address three primary response activities: 1) firefighting monitoring and coordination; 2) evacuation and curfew order implementation; and 3) debris removal of downed trees related to the windstorm.
Mandatory evacuation orders affected approximately 5,550 Santa Monica households and businesses. The City issued a local emergency proclamation due to the scale of Santa Monica’s local response, with the event also receiving a state emergency proclamation and federal disaster declaration. Throughout the dynamic incident, City staff worked diligently to share timely and verified information and amplify messaging from the regional, state, and federal response partners.
The City of Santa Monica successfully transitioned from response to recovery operations by mid-January 2025. In the months that followed, City staff continued to support local and regional recovery efforts, including hosting the U.S. Small Business 3 of 6
Administration’s Business Recovery Center, facilitating wildfire debris testing and cleanup along local beaches and parks, and temporary relocating several Pacific Palisades schools, businesses, and community programming to Santa Monica facilities.
In March 2025, the City’s emergency management team facilitated FEMA disaster cost recovery efforts to secure $1.48 million in reimbursement for disaster-related response costs.
In response to the Council’s direction to complete an independent after action review, the City requested proposals from several firms with emergency incident review expertise. Jacob Green & Associates was selected by Santa Monica public safety leadership in part due to it having the most experience with California public safety agencies. JGA was tasked to provide a critical evaluation of the City’s response to the Palisades Fire and windstorm, to evaluate the effectiveness of response activities, and identify the areas where the City could improve. JGA conducted the after-action review in accordance with the principles and methodology outlined in the California Office of Emergency Services After-Action Review Creator Guidance (2025). JGA collected and analyzed information using a systems-based approach, including a review of relevant plans, policies, incident documentation, and publicly available information. The firm also conducted 16 structured interviews with 29 individual members of current City leadership and staff, including councilmembers, and several former personnel who served in leadership roles during the incident.
The Palisades Fire After-Action Report describes key City response agencies, provides an incident overview, and lays out key decision points and actions taken by City personnel. The report’s Implementation and Improvement Plan identifies 36 recommendations to build stronger planning and response capabilities in the following subject areas:
• Public information, communications and elected official coordination; • Emergency Operations Center (EOC) governance and staffing; • Emergency Management program development;
• Fire Department operations and interagency coordination; • Police Department operations and security;
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• Evacuation planning and traffic management;
• Public works, utilities and field safety;
• Training, exercises, and community preparedness;
• Citywide planning.
The After-Action Report specifies lead and supporting departments or divisions, estimated timelines, and measures of success for each recommendation. Eight departments have a role in leading or supporting report recommendations and all departments are needed to participate in Emergency Operations Center staff training and development. The Police Department’s Emergency Services & Preparedness Unit will oversee citywide progress towards Improvement Plan implementation; however, individual city departments are responsible for implementing their respective recommendations.
Past Council Actions
On January 28, 2025, City Council directed staff to conduct an independent review of City department actions during the January 2025 windstorm and Palisades Fire. Since the historic event, City Council has taken several actions to improve wildfire mitigation and overall disaster readiness.
In February 2025, the City Council adopted updates to the Safety Element of the General Plan, establishing a long-term framework for reducing potential risk caused by natural and human-related hazards. The Safety Element includes goal, policy, and action recommendations related to fire mitigation, emergency preparedness, community hazard awareness, and climate change.
In March 2025, the CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal released a revised Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) map for Santa Monica. For the first time, portions of northern Santa Monica were designated as Very High, High, and Moderate fire hazard severity zones. In June 2025, City Council approved an ordinance to designate Fire Hazard Severity Zones in the northern section of Santa Monica, 5 of 6
pursuant to California Government Code 51178. As a result, certain code modifications will be implemented in Santa Monica’s Very High-risk areas to ensure properties are compliant with safety wildfire risk reduction standards.
The City Council adopted a revised Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) in November 2025, identifying fourteen high-priority mitigation actions including brush fire mitigation, Red Flag Warning restrictions, evacuation planning, and inclusive emergency communications. These actions have a five-year implementation target. The LHMP has received approval from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Several of the After-Action Reports Improvement Plan priorities align with recommendations presented in the revised Safety Element and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, including evacuation planning, coastal bluff and freeway slope mitigation, and technology enhancements.
Meeting Date Description
01/28/25 (attachment B) City Council directed staff to conduct an After Action Review across all City departments to
capture lessons learned during the City’s response to the Palisades Fire to better prepare for the next natural
disaster or emergency crisis.
02/11/25 (attachment C) City Council adopted the City of Santa Monica’s amended Safety Element of the General Plan
06/24/25 (attachment D) Adoption of an Ordinance to add chapter 8.46 to the Santa Monica Municipal Code to designate Fire Hazard
Severity Zones pursuant to California Government Code
Section 51178
11/18/25 (attachment E) City Council approved and adopted the City of Santa Monica’s Updated Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Environmental Review
This report is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). The report is administrative and informative in nature. Pursuant to CEQA Section 21065, the project does not meet the definition of a “project” subject to CEQA 6 of 6
as it will not “cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment”.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the recommended actions. It is expected that the implementation of recommendations will require significant staff time. Recommendations related to technology improvements and any studies or training requiring consultant support may require additional funding.
Staff will return to Council if specific budget actions are required in the future.
Prepared By: Lindsay Call, Chief Resilience Officer
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Attachment A_City of Santa Monica After-Action Report_Palisades Fire Windstorm
B. Attachment B_SR 01-28-2025 16M_Palisades Fire After Action Review Direction C. Attachment C_SR 02-11-2025 12A_2025 Safety Element (weblink) D. Attachment D_SR 06-24-2025 4E_Fire Hazard Severity Zones (weblink) E. Attachment E_SR 11-18-2025 4S_Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (weblink) F. Written Comments
G. PowerPoint Presentation