The Pacific Palisades DWP building was built in 1935. This building survived the Palisades Fire.
Photo: Palisades Historical Society
During L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ biweekly news conference on Tuesday, February 18, someone asked about the progress of undergrounding the power lines in Pacific Palisades.
Bass gave the question to a DWP person who was identified on his Zoom picture as JL. “The intent is do it 100 percent,” he said.
JL explained that the first thing that had to happen was to find a new location for a power station in Pacific Palisades because the community was dramatically underserved.
There is one DWP station, at Via de la Paz and Sunset Boulevard, built in the 1930s, which survived the fire.
JL explained that to route the underground wires they would need to know the location of the new station. He said that DWP has property near Marquez school playground, but some in the community protested that location, which is why two pole-top distribution (PTD) stations were built—one at Temescal Canyon Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, by the Palisades High School baseball field and one at the corner of Sunset and Marquez.
When the poles were built, a DWP person told residents that an additional power station, Distributing Station 104, was supposed to be built in the Palisades in 1970-1971. The DWP acquired land off Marquez Avenue, just west of Marquez Elementary, for that purpose. But after the Sylmar earthquake in February 1971, the focus shifted from new construction to repairs citywide.
DS 104 construction was further postponed when the town did not see much growth through the 1980s.
By 2012, however, the DWP knew that a new distribution station was sorely needed to supplement the one at Sunset and Via de la Paz.
A department press release noted, “DS 29 is working at its designed capacity and will exceed its capacity within the next six years due to increasing electricity demand in the surrounding community.” Most everyone had underestimated how the widespread construction of large, energy-draining houses and the growing popularity of electric cars would make that situation so dire.
When the DWP announced its new intention to build DS 104 on its Marquez property, parents at Marquez Elementary and nearby residents objected that the station was too close to the school. This forced the DWP and the City Council District 11 office to organize an 11-member task force, largely from the Marquez area, which met and provided recommendations for other sites in the western area of the Palisades.
DWP officials systematically investigated these sites, even pleading to State Parks for a DS station on Los Leones parkland (behind Fire Station 29). This request was rejected.
The result was two pole-top distributions stations were built. In a 2016 story (“DWP Poles on Sunset Raise Ire”), this editor wrote that “Although the two PTDS stations are ‘temporary,’ construction of a new permanent station (on a yet-to-be-decided site) may take at least four years.
The pole-top distribution station (right) is at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road by the high school baseball field.
NEWSOM SIGNS UNDERGROUND WIRE BILL
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 884 in late September 2022. The bill accelerates the placement of utility power lines underground in California. The bill was introduced by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) after the origination of several Northern California wildfires were traced to Pacific Gas & Electric power lines and equipment.
The law states that it applies to electrical corporations with 250,000 or more customers. DWP serves four million residents and businesses.
According to the law, “undergrounding projects to be prioritized are to be based on wildfire risk reduction, public safety, cost efficiency and reliability benefits. Only undergrounding projects located in tier 2 or 3 high fire-threat districts or rebuild areas may be considered and constructed as part of the program.”
It appears that Pacific Palisades also qualifies under this law.
People feel that these power lines, which burned and snapped should be underground.
I live on Marquez and just wish they’d go ahead and build the damned station there. This is as stupid as the situation with chips at the 76 station.
Do you know if any of the power lines sparked any spot fires in the midst of all this? Curious if sparking power lines may have contributed to how widespread the fire traveled.
Lauren,
I’ve asked when the power was turned off in Pacific Palisades, but haven’t received an answer.
Sue
Haha what was the situation with chips at the 76 station?!? 🤣