PCH partially reopening on Sunday morning following Palisades Fire

The Pacific Coast Highway will be partially reopened this Sunday morning for the first time since the Palisades Fire. 

Beginning Feb. 2 at 8 a.m., essential traffic can use one lane in each direction between McClure Tunnel and Carbon Beach Terrace. 

"We will be monitoring the Palisades day and night," Mayor Karen Bass said.

The PCH reopening outraged some residents like Charles Lew. 

"It seems like a complete dereliction of duty on the part of the City and individuals that are empowered to do so," Lew said. 

Councilmember Traci Park who represents the area also expressed her discontent with the plan. 

"We are just not ready for this right now," she said. "We worry about burglaries, and looters and squatters."

National Guard troops will remain in many areas to protect critical locations such as banks, schools and roadways. While the curfew has been lifted, the Los Angeles Police Department will keep officers on 12-hour shifts in the area to implement zero-tolerance patrols. During the reopening, LAPD will deploy 33 patrol cars and automated license plate readers. Before the fire, one LAPD car would patrol the neighborhood. California Highway Patrol will also be deployed in the area. 

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell noted that zones under the Sheriff Department's jurisdiction did not see an increase in crime after reopening. 

"Inevitably, those homes become targets," Park said. "We see it all over the city."

The 23,448-acre Palisades Fire exploded in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan.7., forcing many to flee their communities as the flames spread. Since that week, officials have diverted traffic from PCH to allow first responders quick movement to the burn area. 

The wildfire leveled entire neighborhoods, destroying nearly 7,000 buildings and damaging a little more than 1,000 others. Based on preliminary data from Cal Fire, the blaze is the third-most destructive fire, just behind the Eaton Fire.

On Monday, Bass and newly named Chief Recovery Officer Steve Soboroff met Monday near the Palisades Fire zone to discuss recovery efforts, promising to "maximize resources and minimize time" to get residents back in their community.

"Los Angeles County has worked diligently and with all deliberate speed to reopen PCH in a way that is safe and allows our residents, businesses, workers, and students to more easily navigate our coastal communities," Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said. 

Repair and cleanup efforts will continue as scheduled. Motorists will be restricted to 25 mph speed limits.