Pacific Palisades residents say LADWP's trench requirements are delaying home power restoration
PACIFIC PALISADES, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Nearly 20 months since the Palisades Fire, many homeowners trying to rebuild say their biggest roadblock has been their utility company, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Eyewitness News brought you stories on fire victims not able to get their power turned on or waiting months for inspections.
Now, we are digging into the issue of trenches required to connect a home to existing power and how the changing requirements have led to costly delays for some homeowners.
"We already have underground power here. We thought this process would be pretty easy. But as it turns out, they sent my contractor on a digging expedition," said Palisades fire victim Rebecca Baron.
Baron says the most difficult part of rebuilding over the last year has been dealing with LADWP.
"Originally, LADWP instructed the contractor to dig 5 to 5 feet. He did, so the contractor couldn't find the power. So then, the next LADWP representative said, just keep digging until you find it. He had to dig almost 14 feet into the ground to find the main connection. And after that, then we were required to dig this huge trench that's over 100 feet long. Multiple steps with slurring, backfilling, putting conduit in place and really every time LADWP says to jump, we say how high and we do exactly what they ask but they never follow up," said Baron.
The Barons are hoping to be back home by Thanksgiving, but LADWP has told them that they can't turn the power on until construction is finished. But the Barons say that they can't finish construction until LADWP runs the lines for new power through the trench, allowing the trench to be filled in.
The trench, which looks like a moat around the Barons' property, has delayed construction along with the fact that they never got temporary power and had to build their new home using a gas generator. What's also frustrating is the sporadic communication.
"Every time I send an email, or every time my contractor or an electrician sends an email to LADWP, we automatically get this response saying it can take 10 business days to get a response to your email. If you're waiting for an appointment or an inspection or a meter spot, they're running 20 to 30 days out for scheduling. And then it says, if you're waiting for a permanent power connection, they have no authority over that. So don't email them about that. Call the West L.A. division," said Baron.
That's the same complaint we've heard from dozens of Palisades residents.
MORE: Palisades Fire victim gets power at rebuilt home after ABC7 report
"They have a monopoly, and they don't seem concerned with how long it's taking, even though this is a critical path for people to get back in their houses. It's not just me. I mean, there's hundreds, thousands of people who are going to be facing this. We want to be back home," said Pacific Palisades resident Scott Warner.
Warner's home is almost finished. He was able to have LADWP install temporary power for construction, but was told because his new home is all electric and requires more power than before, the system could fail once the connection is made.
"They told me that the material is old from when the development was done in the '60s, and it's very prone to breaking when they try to pull the new wires, but we won't know until they actually try to pull it," said Warner.
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Warner is also having trench issues. He's been trying for months for a clear answer on where his trench should go and when LADWP can electrify his home. Warner is considering the expensive option of solar if he runs into issues.
"Everybody also needs bigger service now because everything's electrified now versus having more gas-powered appliances. So you're going to need a bigger service. And if these old conduits can't help it, I mean, it's going to be a continuing problem," said Warner.
LADWP has begun a major post-fire project undergrounding power in Palisades neighborhoods that don't have that infrastructure, but it's unclear why they're not updating their aging infrastructure in neighborhoods - like Rebecca Baron's and Scott Warner's - that already have underground lines. Palisades fire victim Virginia, who asked us not to show her face or use her full name, is also almost ready to move in, but she is having similar issues with LADWP.
"We didn't expect most of our money to go to a trench," said Virgina.
Virginia says she's had to change the size of the trench three times at the request of the LADWP, but this is not how her home will get power because there's no underground power lines yet in this section of Pacific Palisades.
She'll get power from the lines above her home, but she still has to construct the trench. Undergrounding won't be completed in her Palisades neighborhood until at least 2031.
"I strongly support it because like if there's another fire, we do want to be protected, We don't want this to repeat. We just want it done properly, have good communication and have all of documentation match with what's online and what's being provided in person and have an easy way to schedule online inspections. Right now, we're just dealing with phone calls or emails and that's delaying. I've had responses that it would take over three weeks, and just everyone's confused. They keep coming up with corrections and they expect the owners to just accept it and continue to take whatever they want. They assume that everyone's wealthy just 'cause they live here," said Virginia.
MORE: Family moves into rebuilt home nearly 16 months after Palisades Fire
In a statement, LADWP said in part: "LADWP is committed to supporting Pacific Palisades residents as the community rebuilds and prepares for future electrical system upgrades." LADWP also said "once customer-installed elements are confirmed to meet the LADWP specifications, the project can proceed through the established inspection and approval process toward service activation."
In response to Scott Warner's situation, LADWP said:
"In one example, LADWP advised the customer several times that the project required an engineering review because the planned conduit run exceeded the standard 120foot limit that triggers an engineering review. Most recently, LADWP provided updated guidance in May 2026. The project drawings are being prepared and will be reviewed by LADWP's engineering team as part of the established process for conduit installations of this length. LADWP will proceed once the required documents are submitted and approved."
In response to Virginia's situation, LADWP said:
"LADWP has maintained consistent communication with the second customer since late 2025, providing direction on meter placement, underground requirements, and conduit specifications. The underground depth standard was updated from 38 inches to 41 inches, and LADWP provided guidance to align the project with current construction requirements. Several issues with the customerinstalled conduit were identified and required correction, including incorrect glue, insufficient conduit depth, an overhead rise that was too short, conduit not reaching the property line, and use of a nonGRC riser. As of August 2026, LADWP continues to work closely with the customer to ensure compliance with current standards."
In response to Rebecca Baron's situation, LADWP said:
"LADWP has also maintained ongoing communication with the third customer and their contractor throughout the project, providing guidance on requesting temporary service, installing required equipment, and preparing the site for inspection. The customer ultimately chose not to proceed with temporary service and requested a refund. They have since moved ahead with requesting permanent service. To receive permanent power, customers must obtain power releases from both LADBS and LADWP, which can occur concurrently."
For these three Palisades Fire victims, the last thing they worried about at the end of construction was how their home would get power. Now, they say, that's a very real fear.
You can read LADWP's full statement here.
