Los Angeles Bans Disaster Tour Buses in Fire-Hit Pacific Palisades

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a resolution to ban 'disaster tours,' which are bus tours operating in fire-impacted areas of Pacific Palisades. The Department of Transportation is authorized to restrict tour bus operations within a roughly 16-square-mile area, with boundaries including the Santa Monica Mountains ridgeline, the Los Angeles city limit near Coastline Drive and Pacific Coast Highway, and Sunset Boulevard between Chautaugua Boulevard and Mandeville Canyon Road. These restrictions aim to preserve public safety amid ongoing construction to repair roadways, stabilize slopes, and rebuild homes and businesses, with signs to be posted prohibiting vehicles over 6,000 pounds, a limit most tour buses exceed. The Los Angeles Police Department will enforce the restrictions, which will remain in place during the January wildfire emergency declaration. City Councilwoman Traci Park, representing the 11th District, pushed for the restrictions after reports surfaced of commercial operators conducting disaster tours following the June 14 reopening of Pacific Palisades. The Palisades Fire caused significant damage, displacing tens of thousands, destroying 6,837 structures, and killing 12 people.