President’s Briefing Recap #2 – Palisades Fire – January 2025

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The President’s Briefing Recap summarizes important information for the Pepperdine community shared during each President’s Briefing. In the second special broadcast for faculty, staff, and students, president Jim Gash (JD ’93) was joined by members of Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Committee to share their insights on campus operations and community safety in light of the Palisades Fire and other fires in the area.

Return to Campus and Malibu Canyon Reopening Plan

Pepperdine’s Malibu campus plans to resume in-person classes on Tuesday, January 21, for those classes scheduled to be in person this term. Malibu Canyon Road is expected to open in the coming days. Accordingly, students are expected to return to campus or to their off-campus housing locations in advance of Tuesday. In the unlikely event that Malibu Canyon does not open on Tuesday, classes will continue to be held online for that day. President Gash reinforced that these decisions were made with the highest consideration of the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.

Caruso School of Law Final Exams

Regardless of the status of Malibu Canyon Road, Caruso School of Law final exams scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, will proceed as scheduled. Students should watch for communications from their deans for the most up-to-date guidance. 

Current Fire Conditions and Containment

The Palisades Fire does not have active flames, and smoke is no longer visible. While there may be isolated small smoldering patches, fire personnel are focused on the mop-up phase, which requires extinguishing such patches. Fire personnel have created a perimeter around the burn area using bulldozers to separate unburned vegetation from the charred landscape. Throughout the duration of the Palisades fire, none of Pepperdine’s campuses were in an evacuation warning or mandatory evacuation zone and the Malibu campus remains unaffected by the direct impact of the fire.

Air Quality

Air quality at the Malibu campus, as well as at all Pepperdine campuses, continues to score in the healthy range, and AQI scores continue to be “safe” consistent with typical conditions in Malibu. Because Pepperdine was not adjacent to a large number of structure fires in the Palisades, and because the Palisades Fire plume extended over the ocean, Pepperdine’s air quality was not directly impacted. 

​​After the Franklin Fire in December 2024, Pepperdine changed all air filters on campus, and all major air handlers have been vacuumed and wiped clean. The University has also been conducting its own particulate testing to verify AQI scores. Students with respiratory concerns are encouraged to reach out to the Student Care Team with specific needs, and employees should contact Human Resources. N95 masks will be available upon request to anyone on campus. 

Gas and Utility Restoration and Boil Water Notices

Pepperdine is hosting SoCalGas in the Firestone Fieldhouse parking lot, which they are using as their incident command center to assist with restoring gas services to Malibu residents. Due to the University’s partnership, service restoration is proceeding ahead of schedule. As of the briefing, SoCalGas had restored gas service to more than 2,000 people in the area, ahead of schedule in part because of their advantageous location on our campus.

Pepperdine’s Malibu campus is not and has never been under a boil water notice, and water remains safe for use.

Mudslide Mitigation

The University is actively working with local experts to mitigate potential mudslides following periods of heavy rain, including surveying the entirety of campus. The University has employed mitigation measures, including cleaning out debris basins and spraying soil glue to keep loose soil from rolling down the hills. The University has also taken extra precautions by employing sandbags and soil reinforcement to ensure the hillside stays intact.

Travel to Campus from LAX

The University is providing some shuttle service from LAX to campus and is currently reviewing responses to the shuttle interest form. Students will be contacted to confirm shuttle availability or to be reminded of alternative transportation options. Students may choose to use other rideshare options such as Uber and Lyft, which are available to the Malibu campus. To help reduce costs, students are encouraged to share their rides when possible. 

As a reminder, for residential students returning from the fall semester, access to residence halls has been restored. New residential students should reach out to Housing and Residence Life with any questions. Also, students facing financial challenges should contact the Student Care Team for assistance.

This entry was posted in Calabasas, Malibu.