The Franklin Fire resulted in evacuations to local Red Cross sits.
Photo: CAL FIRE_Official
The Franklin Fire in Malibu, which started as a 10-acre fire around 10:50 p.m. on December 9, exploded.
By December 10, the fire had burned 2,800 acres with zero containment and evacuation orders and warnings were put into place for 20,000 residents.
Two Red Cross Shelters opened immediately. One was at the small gym at the Palisades Recreation Center, which is probably one of the closest recreation centers to Malibu.
This editor stopped by the center around 9 a.m. and was told that although the gym was empty, several people had registered, but preferred to stay in their cars.
The Palisades emergency center was closed that afternoon and the center moved to Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Professional Development Learning Center on 4th Street in Santa Monica.
There was no heat at the Palisades Rec Center, no WiFi and no ADA-accessible restrooms. CTN reached out to L.A. City Recreation and Parks Director Jimmy Kim. Public Information Director Rose Watson responded:
“The Palisades Recreation Center, rated as an “A” site for ADA compliance, was activated by the Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) in response to a mutual aid request from the LA County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) for the Franklin Fire.
“The site was chosen for its proximity to evacuees and quick accessibility,” Watson said. “While RAP informed LA County OEM of the facility’s limitations, such as the lack of WiFi and heating, the urgency of the evacuation required its immediate use. As an agency responsible for mass care during emergencies and with extensive experience in such operations, RAP was entrusted by OEM due to its proven ability to respond swiftly and effectively in crisis situations.”
Per the information on the Red Cross site, “All Red Cross shelters are accessible to people with disabilities. When you arrive, please let us know if you have any specific needs or requests for equipment, supplies, food or cultural or religious requirements. Every effort will be made to accommodate your needs.”
The bathrooms at the Palisades small gym are not ADA accessible. The Palisades Park Advisory Board has asked for replacements of the 1950s bathroom since 2018.
Finally, after the Board of Rec and Park Commissioners held a meeting at this Rec Center in September, and had to use the facilities, they voted at their the next month’s meeting to upgrade the restrooms. The cost will be more than $800,000 and includes bathrooms and accessible parking improvements. The design phase is late 2025, the bid period is March to August 2026, with construction starting late 2026.
The Rec Center playground, built in the 1980s, is not ADA-accessible either.
A person at one of the news trucks that were at the Rec Center on December 10 asked how come this rec center has not been updated.
As one resident wrote CTN at the beginning of December, “new bathrooms and a new playground are not going to happen in our lifetime.”
With so many fires adjacent to the Palisades, it would be beneficial to be able to open an emergency center closer to the area where people are displaced.
Councilmember Traci Park’s office was also notified about the inadequacies of this Rec Center.
Initially, the Palisades Rec Center was opened as an evacuation center in the a.m. but closed because of lack of heat hours later.