Major Victory for LA County in Landfill Dispute Stemming from Historic 2025 Palisades Fire
Following a December 2025 trial between the County of Los Angeles and the City of Calabasas, last week the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled in the County’s favor and rejected the City’s attempt to stop the disposal of fire debris from approximately 9,000 properties impacted by the historic 2025 Palisades Fire. The case raised complex environmental and separation-of-powers issues and required close coordination with regulators including FEMA, EPA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Now, critical debris removal efforts will continue, and the ruling will have a lasting impact on wildfire recovery efforts and landfill policy.
This result reflects a sustained team effort for the County throughout 2025: denial of the City’s request for a TRO; success on a key County demurrer; and now prevailing at trial. The case and surrounding issues were covered by the media across the state and the nation, including the New York Times.
Special thanks to our attorneys and staff: David Mehretu, Deborah Fox, Cristina Talley, Matthew Nazareth, Mark J. G. Desrosiers, Julie Pfister, Gabrielle Duran, and Tatiana Le.