The County put up a map on the internet, so one could see the status of the debris clearance for Phase 2. The lots in green have been turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers. The lots in orange are waiting to be turned over to the Corps. The County needs more information about the lots in yellow.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass held her bi-weekly meeting on February 25. Like the past few meetings, she generally attends the first few minutes and then leaves. Before she left today, she cheerfully reminded residents to get the Right of Entry (ROE) filed with LA County so that Phase 2 Debris Removal could start.
Has she ever tried the process? Probably not, or she might be as frustrated as those of going through it.
Residents have filled out the ROE forms in record numbers. We were told that if everyone in the neighborhood filled them out, it would make it easier for the Army Corp of Engineers. It would be more efficient for the Corp to work on a block, rather than moving heavy pieces of equipment from just one house to a different neighborhood.
Look at a snapshot of the map taken from the County website at Radcliffe Avenue and surrounding lots.
A block captain reminded everyone to do it, and neighbors filled out forms. There are probably more than 30 parcels now waiting in the queue for the County to give to the Corp of the engineers.
Why hasn’t the county handed over the ROE’s on Radcliffe?
Good question. This editor/homeowner asked that question in the Mayor’s meeting.
“The county is so slow with ROE that ACE are standing around waiting for the paperwork. How can the county speed it up? I do not want to hear any more that the reason that it is taking so long is because they have to take time to verify everything. Why were more people not hired to speed this process up?”
Faith Williams from the Mayor’s office answered “Hi, we are working on having the relevant County officials join an upcoming webinar to address questions regarding ROE processing.”
Another person wrote in the meeting chat, “There is an error with my ROE docusign form where the ‘Name provided by sender’ is my trust name and not my name. When I attempted to sign my form, I received an error message that the ‘Name provided by sender’ doesn’t match the name on my ID. I have contacted the debris removal hotline multiple times, and the representatives have not been able to help (yet). I’ve also emailed them. Is there a method to reach the people that are handling the docusign process?”
Williams responded “ Hi I’m sorry to hear this. We will pass this along to the County and are working on having the relevant officials join an upcoming webinar to address questions like this.”
Another wrote: “Colonel Swenson had said that if entire neighborhoods opted in to the ACE program, that would speed up removal from all of the lots in the area. So far that is not the case, one lot was cleared, but the others are still waiting. Will this be rectified?”
Vahid Khorsand- Board of Public Works answered, “You can view progress at (www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Management/Los-Angeles-County-Wildfire-Debris-Removal-Mission). It is still early in the process. It is still recommended for communities to work together and turn in as many ROEs as possible in neighborhood blocks.
Another resident wrote: “ACE began on my debris clearance up in Will Rogers neighborhood and was told the Corps wished they had more ROE permits ready, but the County said that several homeowners submitted incomplete applications.”
On January 30, this editor turned in a completed ROE at the Disaster Center. My husband and I inquired if they had everything they needed. “Yes,” was the answer and we were given a form that showed we had completed everything. By February 17, we had not heard back and called the County. It seems they did not have everything they needed and so we supplied picture identification, again. We were told now everything was in order.
There was no further communication. This editor called back on February 24 to check the status of the ROE and was told it had been passed on to the next step and we would receive verification by Wednesday. I called at the end of the day today, and everything went to voice mail.
The Army Corps of Engineers is waiting.
Of the 13,579 eligible parcels, 1,515 (coded green) have been transmitted from the County to the ACE. If the parcel is orange colored, it means the ROE is under review.
If a building is yellow on the map, it means more information is needed and one should call (they say they will call you if there is a problem, but that was not our experience).
This editor would like to give you a good number to call, but the number I’m calling goes to voice mail. Maybe try L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and ask why there’s a delay at the County’s end for Phase 2 debris removal.
I submitted my form on 1/22 and have not heard a thing since…and my parcel on the map doesn’t have any color at all…sigh. Ill just sell it as a tear down without the teardown.
Doug,
Reach out to the county, it probably means the form is either lost or somethings missing. The county doesn’t seem organized. Sigh, sigh, sigh –and people want to know what we do all day . . .hours and hours with public officials and insurance agents – and listening to different zoom meetings, that often have conflicting advice. (and we didn’t ask for any of this.)
Sue