Since the Palisades Fire is still burning close by, Santa Monica city officials have proclaimed a local state of emergency.
According to a city statement, the proclamation includes a possible curfew for all places within mandatory evacuation zones, which would extend from sunset to sunrise as long as the emergency is in place. According to them, the curfew will enable firefighters to respond to the fire more effectively.
Within a week, a special meeting of the City Council will be held to decide whether or not the orders are approved.
“The Palisades Fire is currently impacting neighborhoods in the northern part of Santa Monica with approximately 2,472 households under a mandatory evacuation order within the city of Santa Monica and 8,338 under a voluntary evacuation warning,” stated Mayor Lana Negrete. “This emergency order further assists our first responders and further protects residents as we weather this regional crisis and, ultimately, begin and support recovery efforts.”
The SMPD Chief Ramon Batista was consulted, and they conclude that a curfew would help reduce the “continued threat of theft and looting in areas subject to mandatory evacuation orders.”
Officers from the Santa Monica Police Department have been called in to assist with the evacuation operations as the fire continues to burn, having consumed over 15,000 acres and almost 300 structures in less than 24 hours.
In addition to the curfew, the emergency order will prohibit price gouging for emergency goods and services, suspend preferential parking rules and enforcement for residents displaced by the fire, restrict evictions of tenants providing accommodations to those displaced by evacuation orders, and forbid construction in evacuation areas. It will also allow affected schools to operate within non-residential zones within Santa Monica city limits.