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Mayor Bass Seeks Measure ULA Exemption for Palisades Fire Victims

By
Sarah Shmerling
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Mayor Karen Bass at Palisades Recreation Center on Monday, January 27
Photo by Sarah Shmerling

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Mayor Karen Bass called on City Council to adopt an ordinance that would assist in establishing a “one-time exemption to Measure ULA” for Pacific Palisades homeowners, as announced Thursday, October 9.

The “Measure United to House Los Angeles” was approved by voters in the city of Los Angeles in November 2022 to create a real estate transfer tax. The tax applies to the sale of properties valued over a certain threshold (currently 4% for sales over $5.3 million and 5.5% for sales over $10.6 million), to “fund affordable housing projects and provide resources to tenants at risk of homelessness.”

“I don’t want you to lose hope over the ULA issue, as I do believe we’re going to get that done,” Bass said during a webinar on September 17. “I feel passionately that anyone who lost their home or was affected by the fires shouldn’t have to pay the transfer tax.”

Bass is requesting in a letter to City Council dated October 9 exemption for owners of homes, condominiums and other residential housing whose ownership was affected by the “devastating wildfires” from Measure ULA for a “one-time exemption over three years,” which will “speed up sales of these properties and spur rebuilding and rehabilitation of the Palisades.”

“This will create more housing citywide, and generate higher Measure ULA tax revenue when these rebuilt or renovated properties are subsequently sold to new homeowners because those second and subsequent sales will remain subject to Measure ULA,” she continued.

Bass wrote that the exemption for fire-affected properties from Measure ULA could be accomplished in two steps.

“For the first step, I request that the City Council adopt an ordinance giving the director of finance increased delegated authority to promulgate rules that grant this limited one-time exemption to Measure ULA,” she wrote. “I request that the council adopt such an ordinance as soon as possible. I look forward to signing it into law.

“After adoption of the ordinance, I will issue an executive directive instructing the director of finance to promulgate a temporary exemption that provides much-needed relief for those Palisades residents who owned and occupied residential property in the Palisades at the time of the fire, avoids unintended loopholes and furthers the purpose of ULA.”

The letter follows a meeting between Bass and Steadfast LA Founder Rick Caruso, who she said proposed ideas to help address the issue.

“The mayor’s plan to create a time-limited exemption from the Measure ULA property transfer tax will help homeowners who need to or wish to move from the fire-impacted area and speed up sales of these properties and spur rebuilding and rehabilitation of the Palisades,” read a statement.

Since Measure ULA was adopted by voters, it has generated “hundreds of millions of dollars” to fund “affordable housing development and preservation,” according to Bass.

“Yet, the measure, as written, is silent on an issue now affecting our Palisades community: how to exempt natural disaster survivors who are impacted by Measure ULA’s costs as they attempt to rebuild their families’ lives,” Bass said. “The successful rebuilding and revitalization of the Palisades is contingent on new homes quickly being built on vacant residential lots and on the timely sale of those lots or of those residences left standing by homeowners who want to leave the area. Many homeowners affected by the fires are long-time residents living on fixed incomes and with much of their life savings tied to the equity in their property. Some of these owners want to leave the fire zone area and rebuild their lives in other communities, giving an opportunity for a new owner to rebuild on the now vacant lot or renovate an older home still standing.

“But potential buyers of these Palisades residential properties are factoring in the cost of Measure ULA to make lower than market value offers. Sellers may be unable or unwilling to accept these low offers resulting in vacant residential lots that continue to sit empty and houses not destroyed being stuck on the market. This makes it harder for homeowners, even if they need to or wish to move, and delays or potentially misses the opportunity for the recovery and rebuilding of the Palisades.”

Students Return to Marquez Campus

By
Sarah Shmerling
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Photos by Sarah Shmerling

Temporary Buildings Placed While Permanent Reconstruction Plans Are Underway

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Just under nine months after the Palisades fire began, students returned to the Marquez Charter Elementary School campus on Tuesday, September 30.

The school, which had been temporarily co-housed with Nora Sterry Elementary School, is now convening in the lower portion of the Marquez campus in temporary buildings while plans to build permanent facilities are underway. A series of design update community meetings regarding the rebuild have begun, with an additional meeting anticipated to take place this fall.

The decision to return to the campus during the reconstruction process was made following a survey of Marquez families and staff, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said during a media briefing on Monday, September 29.

“As some families begin to rebuild and others return to their standing homes in the area, I’m proud that LA Unified has an option for kids to attend school near home,” LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin said in a statement. “With input from the school community at each step, my office and district officials have worked diligently to build this facility, and to reassure families through extensive and ongoing environmental testing that this is a safe environment.”

Following the Palisades fire, Marquez was considered a “total loss,” including 37 classrooms, four permanent buildings, 20 relocatable buildings, three lunch shelter/shade structures, and two play structures.

The families at Palisades Charter Elementary School, whose campus was also damaged in the fire, have elected to stay at Brentwood Science Magnet School through the rebuild process, officials explained, citing that the Marquez campus has additional space, which allowed the interim buildings to be set up while permanent construction will take place.

Marquez’ current enrollment is 130 students, according to LAUSD. Prior to the Palisades fire, it was approximately 310. The temporary campus has 19 classrooms, which means that it can hold up to 300-plus students. It is also staffed as if 310 students are enrolled.

LAUSD estimated that 75% of Marquez families are currently living outside of the Palisades. Prior to the fire, 85% of Marquez families were living within the community.

Debris at Marquez was removed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in spring, with further assessments, including infrastructure, completed in the summer, LAUSD reported. Portable classrooms with administration/support, library and food services were then installed.

“Planning, design and construction of proposed permanent facilities will occur over the next few years,” LAUSD reported, “with an eye on fully reopening in 2028.”

LAUSD explained that the temporary campus cost about $19 million, including “cleanup, decontamination and construction.” Funding sources for the rebuild at Marquez include voter-approved bond funds (approximately $202.6 million), according to LAUSD. Officials said anything received from insurance and FEMA funding would go toward reimbursing the bond.

After Phase 1 (Household Hazardous Waste Removal) and Phase 2 (Debris Removal, including site assessment and removal of asbestos and the top three to six inches of surface soils within burnt building footprints), LAUSD completed site-wide debris removal.

There was also an environmental assessment of soils, comprehensive environmental assessment and cleanup of building interiors, and LAUSD pre-occupancy testing and inspection. Officials reported that the temporary buildings that have been placed, which were not on campus during the fire, were also tested.

There will be on-going environmental monitoring at Marquez at three locations, according to officials, through the LA Unified Know Your Air Network 2.0. This includes “enhanced air quality monitoring for PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and weather data,” which will be available in “real-time with online public access.”

The school hosted a press conference on campus its first day back, where local officials spoke to media and parents gathered, including LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, Councilmember Traci Park, Principal Lisa Timmerman, Melvoin’s District Director & Senior Advisor Allison Holdorff Polhill, and two Marquez students and teachers.

Carvalho spoke first, thanking Timmerman for her leadership during “very trying times” and for the “elegance” with which she welcomed students, teachers, support staff and families. He also spoke on accelerating the rebuild process “as much as we can.”

“This isn’t just a school reopening,” Park said on September 30. “As the superintendent said, it’s a promise kept that our children will always have a place to learn and to dream, and it’s also a reminder that the Palisades may bend, but it doesn’t break. No doubt, there’s a long road ahead, but by 2028, a brand-new Marquez will rise right here.”

PPCC Meeting Includes Marvin Braude Bike Trail Repairs Update, Pali LTRG Presentation

By
Sarah Shmerling
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February 2024 Marvin Braude Beach Trail storm damage
Photo courtesy of LA County Public Works

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The Pacific Palisades Community Council board meeting on Thursday, September 25, included several updates, including the approval of additional grants, an update on Marvin Braude Bike Trail repairs and Santa Monica Canyon Channel Outlet restoration, and a presentation on Palisades Long Term Recovery Group.

The board approved five additional grants from donations received by PPCC that were recommended by its Grants Committee, chaired by Quentin Fleming: Pali LTRG, Lotus Rising LA, Friends of Marquez, St. Matthew’s Parish School and Pacific Palisades Baseball Association.

Pali LTRG received $17,500 to support its Senior Recovery & Resilience Program, while Lotus Rising LA received $4,000 to “help defray the cost of producing a ‘Ready Rebuild – Prefab 101’ event,” which took place at American Legion Ronald Reagan – Palisades Post 283 on September 27.

Friends of Marquez received $11,833 to purchase a “large ‘pole tent’ to be used for student, family and school-wide events” at the Marquez Charter Elementary School campus, and St. Matthew’s received $25,000 to go toward the renovation of its outdoor gathering spaces.

PPBA received $50,000 to go toward the restoration of the “Field of Dreams,” as well as associated facilities at Palisades Recreation Center, including replacing landscaping, fencing and storage infrastructure; rebuilding a burned dugout; replacing destroyed equipment containers; replacing maintenance equipment, including lawnmowers; and purchasing replacement equipment for league and community use.

Later in the meeting, Kerjon Lee and Yggy Ruiz of Los Angeles County Public Works gave a presentation with updates on the Marvin Braude Bike Trail repairs and Santa Monica Canyon Channel Outlet restoration—with work expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The “region’s most popular bike path,” with an estimated 10,000 users per day, Marvin Braude Beach Trail stretches 22 miles from Will Rogers State Beach to Torrance. An extended portion between Will Rogers State Beach and Santa Monica with a new trail added for cyclists opened to the public in May 2023. It was then damaged in February 2024 following a series of storms where the Palisades saw about 15 inches of rain, Lee explained.

Repair work began on Monday, August 4, according to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. The project was approved in December 2024, with FEMA authorization granted on May 20 and a construction contract executed on May 27. The project is FEMA eligible, due to a federal disaster declaration, Ruiz explained.

Repair work, with a budget of $4.2 million, includes restoring and improving the bike trail, Ruiz said, as well as modifying the channel outlet for “better flow and erosion control.” This will “enhance safety, resilience and recreational access.” Trail improvements include a bike path shift, eliminating the lower loop near the tidal zone, grading and replacement of the new trail, and enhanced durability and accessibility, Ruiz reported.

The final presentation of the evening was given by Jim Cragg, president of Pali LTRG, which is part of the VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Assisting in Disasters) network and established after the Palisades fire to provide “recovery assistance to the community”—particularly to “vulnerable and/or at-risk residents, including those without insurance and the elderly.”

Jessica Rogers serves as vice chair/executive director, with Richard Lombari as vice chair, Martin Hak as finance chair/treasurer and Elynor Chiu as secretary. The group launched on August 8 at Post 283

Its primary goal is to provide “disaster case management to affected residents with unmet needs.” Secondary and supporting efforts include communication, wellness and education, construction and safety, volunteers, and small business and employment.

“Disaster Case Managers serve as the primary link between people with disaster-related unmet needs and the LTRG,” read the presentation. “Families and residents often don’t know what assistance is available, how to access it and where to turn for support. Those in greatest need … may require specific forms of information and communication.”

VOAD works with 40-plus charity organizations, like the Salvation Army and Red Cross, Cragg explained, with roughly 10% of the population qualifying for support through the effort.

“These major relief organizations have turned to our group to help identify and vet over 10,000 Palisades families in need of money, manpower, materials and information to get their lives back,” Cragg said at the launch event in August. “Palisadians are relying on us.”

The other 90% of the population will be able to benefit from other efforts Pali LTRG will put on, including classes and informational fairs.

For more information, including links to the presentations, visit pacpalicc.org.

Seven Arrows Spearheads TREEAMS Project Launch

By
Steve Galluzzo
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Seven Arrows Head of School and Founder Margarita Pagliai speaks at the event and leads a moment of silence for Dr. Jane Goodall.
Photos courtesy of EF Academy

The Student-Led Movement’s Goal is to Plant 5,000 Trees in the Next Three to Five Years

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Seven Arrows Elementary School students participated in the TREEAMS kickoff event on Wednesday, October 1, at the EF Academy campus in Pasadena.

The gathering of students, educators and community leaders, a student-led movement for reforestation and restoration, was anticipating a speech by world-renowned conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, who died earlier that morning.

TREEAMS is the brainchild of Margarita Pagliai, head of school at Seven Arrows and founder of both Seven Arrows and Little Dolphins by the Sea preschool.

Uniting students from Altadena to Pacific Palisades following the January fires, TREEAMS (which stands for Trees + Dreams) is designed to empower youth to learn, grow and move forward together as they transform Los Angeles into a model of ecological renewal and harmony for generations to come.

Through environmental education, tree mapping and large-scale tree planting, the project seeks to transform grief into action by restoring burned landscapes, replanting lost trees and cultivating resilience.

The facility’s gym was converted into an auditorium with a makeshift stage. Seven Arrows participants were among 1,000 students invited from schools on the Westside, Los Angeles and Altadena, including Rosebud Academy, Saint Mark’s, Loyola, Windward, Brentwood, Crossroads, Archer, Marlborough, New Roads, Calvary Christian and Santa Monica Pacifica Christian.

The event began with adults and kids singing “Let it Grow” from the 2012 animated movie “The Lorax,” based on the 1971 children’s book by Dr. Seuss.

“When you plant a tree, you feel good and the earth feels good,” said Pagliai, who conceived of the idea in the aftermath of the January wildfires. “Jane told me 42 years ago that if we work together we can accomplish anything … she’s one of the most incredible human beings I’ve ever met.”

Speaking next on behalf of the Jane Goodall Institute, Erin McCombs stepped to the podium to announce that the famed primatologist (known best for her 60 years of study and research of chimpanzees in Tanzania) had just died at the age of 91. A moment of silence was observed, after which a video message was shared in Goodall’s memory from a talk she had given at the EF Global Student Leaders Summit in Costa Rica in 2015 during which she shared her thoughts on the environment and youth empowerment.

Students share their hopes and dreams.

“I’ve been working on trying to make this a better world for animals, people and the environment since 1986 … and one of my greatest reasons for hope is the youth,” she said in the four-minute clip. “The key thing is to realize that everyday on this planet you make a difference and if you start thinking about the consequences of the small choices you make—what you buy and what you eat—and if millions of people are thinking like that then you start to get the kind of world that we cannot be too embarrassed to leave to our children.”

Then, at Pagliai’s direction, everyone in the room shouted in unison one of Goodall’s messages: “Together we can, together we will, together we must change the world.”

Now with key partners, including Jane Goodall Institute, Roots & Shoots Foundation, Steadfast LA, TreePeople, UCLA School of Education, Saint Mark’s School, EF Academy Pasadena, the SoLa Foundation and EcoRise, plus dozens of other public and private schools across LA as well as local expert advisors on tree planting, the goal is to plant more than 5,000 trees over the next three to five years.

“This movement shows what is possible when schools and communities unite in a shared purpose,” Pagliai added. “I’m very concerned about the depression among young people. We want to provide the scaffolding for students across Los Angeles to lead the way in turning loss into a vision for a brighter and greener future, and we’re honored to stand beside them.”

The kickoff event concluded with a ceremonial tree planting of a coast live oak on site at EF Academy, a private high school that partnered with Saint Mark’s School in the immediate aftermath of the Eaton fire to house the Catholic school’s 250 kindergarten through sixth-graders.

“Hosting the launch of TREEAMS and planting the first tree in support of this incredible program on our campus is both a privilege and a responsibility,” said Dr. Sally Mingarelli, head of school at EF Academy Pasadena. “Our students understand healing the earth begins in our own communities, and they’re eager to lead with compassion, courage and action.”

The students also created a time capsule box into which they dropped handwritten   letters containing their hopes and dreams for the future of Los Angeles. One such message, penned by Nathaniel, said: “I hope future generations do not pollute the world so much” and was read out loud by Pasadena City Councilmember Rick Cole.

“Through TREEAMS, our students aren’t only planting trees, they’re planting seeds of hope, unity and leadership,” said Jennifer Tolbert, head of school at Saint Mark’s School. “This initiative shows how young people can take real action to address the climate crisis while also rebuilding their communities after hardship, something we know first-hand after losing our beloved campus in Altadena.”

The first of 5,000 trees is planted at EF Academy in honor of Dr. Jane Goodall.

TREEAMS goals are four-pronged: unity (bringing together public and private schools, students and community in Altadena and the Palisades), healing through connection (connecting to process the emotional toll of the January wildfires through nature), ecological restoration (planting 5,000 trees in the Palisades, Altadena, Malibu and beyond) and student empowerment (teaching students environmental literacy and leadership skills).

Over the next six months, the TREEAMS leadership team will be focused on fundraising, organizing participating schools and educating students before the planting phase is slated to begin on April 22, 2026—Earth Day—with a large-scale tree-planting event at Will Rogers State Historic Park.

The Jane Goodall Institute is a global, community-led conservation organization founded in 1977 that advances the vision and work of Goodall in 25 chapters around the world. JGI uses research, community-led conservation, best-in-class animal welfare standards and the use of science and technology to inspire hope and transform it into action for the common good.

Through its Roots & Shoots program for young people of all ages, presently active in 75 countries around the world, JGI is aiming to create a movement of compassionate people who will help create a better world for people, animals and the environment.

Immediately following the assembly, the first tree of the project’s 5,000 was planted in Goodall’s honor on the EF Academy campus. Supervisor Kathryn Barger joined Cole, Mingarelli, Tolbert and Pagliai in digging the hole in which the tree was placed and leaders of the Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation of Southern California sang a song, the lyrics of which translate to “Good day to ancestors.”

“It’s devastating news that casts a shadow over this because students didn’t get to see her today, but hopeful in the sense that she wanted to be here,” a teary-eyed Cole said. “Her name was Goodall and she was the epitome of that. We’re going to hold her in our hearts.”

Shortly after, the Jane Goodall Institute released the following statement:

“The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes. She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States. Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”

To learn how to get involved with TREEAMS, visit treeams.org.

Pali Elementary to Host Annual Yee Haw Day Festival

By
Sarah Shmerling
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A previous Yee Haw Day
Photos courtesy of Palisades Enrichment Programs

Inaugural Main Stage to Feature Fitz and the Tantrums With Special Guest X Ambassadors

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Palisades Charter Elementary School is preparing to host its community Yee Haw Day festival on Saturday, October 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.—and this year, for the first time ever, there will be a main stage, headlined by Fitz and the Tantrums with special guest X Ambassadors.

The event, hosted by Palisades Enrichment Programs, will take place at Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet (740 S Gretna Green Way), which is serving as Pali Elementary’s temporary campus while rebuild plans are underway.

“In the wake of the Palisades fire, our school community has faced unimaginable loss—but through it all, we’ve stayed strong,” read information about the event. “On October 18, we come together to reconnect, to uplift our children and to remind each other that healing happens when we gather with purpose. With exciting games, delicious food trucks, hands-on activities and live music all day—there’s something for everyone.”

The annual Yee Haw Day serves as a fundraising effort, with proceeds from this year’s event benefiting PEP, a nonprofit that “funds essential programs” at Pali Elementary, including music, drama, STEAM and physical education; instructional aides and smaller class sizes; and enrichment experiences that “make learning vibrant and engaging.”

Fitz and the Tantrums

“We’re thrilled to welcome Fitz and the Tantrums, with Pali Elementary dad Jeremy Ruzumna on keys, to headline Yee Haw Day—and to have X Ambassadors join us as a special guest,” Yee Haw Day Chair Cali Tendle said.

Known for songs like “HandClap” and “The Walker,” Fitz and the Trantrums will deliver a “signature high-energy acoustic show” at 5 p.m. on the Frontier Stage in “what promises to be the most exciting Yee Haw Day yet.” X Ambassadors, with songs like “Renegades” and “Unsteady,” will join as special guests at 4:15 p.m.: “Their dynamic sound and powerful live performance will add an unforgettable layer to this year’s festival, making the 2025 lineup the most ambitious in Yee Haw Day history.”

The main stage will also feature a lineup of “incredible local performers,” including School of Rock West LA and Ford the Lord. There will be a Honky Tonk Stage, with “family-friendly entertainment,” like Mr. Silly, Sharpo the Magician and Celebration Station.

Other festivities set to take place include Twinkle Town hair braiding extensions, airbrush art and a bracelet bead bar. There will be a “bustling Marketplace,” with local artisans and vendors.

Rides and carnival games will be available for all ages, with MOTHER as the lead ride sponsor, as well as “interactive experiences and hands-on STEAM activities.” There will be “delicious bites” from “top local food trucks and restaurants.”

Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation is this year’s premiere sponsor, supporting the main stage, as well as a free bundle of game and ride tickets for each Pali Elementary student.

X Ambassadors

The Palisades fire damaged Pali Elementary’s campus in January, leaving approximately 70% of students displaced from their homes, according to the school. Yee Haw Day will mark the first “large-scale gathering” since then—designed to be “a day to reconnect, heal and experience joy together.”

Last year’s event drew more than 1,300 attendees, according to organizers, with an expectation to exceed that number this year.

“To ensure a safe and fun experience for everyone, entry tickets are required to manage capacity,” according to organizers.

Attendees 12 and under are free, but a ticket is required for entry. For guests 13 and older, a ticket bundle must be purchased for $50, which includes an entry wristband and $30 in ride/game tickets. Unlimited ride wristbands are sold separately for $25.

Games are one ticket to play, with rides ranging from one to three tickets. Experiences, including a photo booth and hair braiding, will range from two to seven tickets. Food can be purchased separately (not with tickets).

“This year’s celebration will be unforgettable,” Tendle said. “More than entertainment, it’s a gift to our students, families and neighbors, and a testament to the resilience, strength and spirit of our community.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit yeehawpali.com.

‘The Longest Table’

By
Sarah Shmerling
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Photo by Jude De Pastino

Community members were invited to gather along Pampas Ricas Boulevard in The Huntington on Sunday, October 5, with around 650 people registering to enjoy a meal at “The Longest Table.”

The event, hosted by Team Palisades, The Longest Table, Huntington Palisades Property Owners Corporation and Council District 11, included a “potluck lunch, stories and connection.”

“The Longest Table brought together Palisades residents from across the community in a wonderful celebration of unity and connection,” Councilmember Traci Park said. “Thank you to Team Palisades, our dedicated block captains and ambassadors for organizing this outstanding event.”

Tables and chairs were provided, with guests encouraged to bring enough food for their party.

Team Palisades is a “neighbor-led support network formed in the aftermath” of the Palisades fire. It is “built on the Block Captain framework developed” by After The Fire USA.

Team Palisades’ Lee Ann Daly, who is focused on the social and emotional well-being of residents after the Palisades fire, noted the importance of the community convening. She described the event as “really amazing” with an “excellent” turn out.

The organization will continue to bring events like this to the community, Daly said: “It’s all absolutely needed.”

The Parish of St. Matthew to Reopen for Services

By
Sarah Shmerling
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Refinished pews are placed in the sanctuary ahead of the reopening.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer McCarthy

The Parish of Saint Matthew announced weekly worship is set to resume at its home location at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue beginning October 19 at 10 a.m.

“This return marks another significant milestone since the Palisades fire for St. Matthew’s, led by its Return to Bienveneda Task Force,” read information shared by the church. “The homecoming service on October 19 will include a blessing of the Parish in honor of its reopening.”

St. Matthew’s has temporarily been convening at its partner church, St. Augustine by-the-Sea in Santa Monica, which has “graciously hosted the St. Matthew’s community” for worship services and events since January. It will continue to share its space for activities that will not yet return to the Palisades.

“While the church sanctuary doors will be open wide, all other areas of the campus will continue to be off limits as remediation progresses in thoughtful stages,” the church wrote. “During this transitional phase, all visitors will be required to stay within posted boundaries for safety reasons.”

—SARAH SHMERLING

Gallery 169 to Host Artist Opening Reception

By
Sarah Shmerling
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Courtesy of Jeff Lipsky

Gallery 169 will host an artist opening reception on Saturday, October 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. for Palisadian Jeff Lipsky’s “The Polaroid Years.”

“Jeff’s Polaroids capture passion from an earlier era,” read information about the exhibition. “Created between 2001 and 2010 on medium and large format cameras, most were shot during editorial assignments for publications such as Vogue, Esquire, Premiere, Outside, Vanity Fair and Men’s Journal. Originally used as a preview for large-format film shots the Polaroids soon became a focus of their own. Drawn in their unique colors, textures and character, each Polaroid is one of a kind.”

Billed as “an evening of community, filled with art, food and drink,” the reception will include complimentary valet parking. The gallery is located at 169 West Channel Road. For more information, visit gallery169.com.

—SARAH SHMERLING

PPCC Encourages Residents to Take NORC Survey

By
Sarah Shmerling
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Courtesy of PPCC

Pacific Palisades Community Council has partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago to create a communitywide survey “focused on recovery and rebuilding after the Palisades fire,” which is now available to complete.

“The findings will help PPCC advocate for policies and resources that reflect the community’s vision—ensuring residents’ voices are heard and their preferences are communicated to decision makers,” according to PPCC.

Survey invites come from ppccstudy@norc.org with a personalized link that “cannot be shared or forwarded to others, and are only sent to verified Pacific Palisades residents.”

Those who did not receive an invitation but believe they should have can provide PPCC their name, address, email and phone number through a contact form available at pacpalicc.org.

Questions about the survey can be directed to ppccrebuild@outlook.com.

—SARAH SHMERLING

‘Jimmy Dunne Says’

By
the Palisadian-Post
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Photo courtesy of Jimmy Dunne/iStock

The Palisadian-Post presents an homage to Will Rogers’ column, “Will Rogers Says,” with a column by Palisadian Jimmy Dunne—on life in the “greatest town in America.”

Caddy Days

I just got back from playing golf. Snappy club, snappy caddies, snappy everything.

On the 18th green, I handed my caddy $140.

As I forked over a wad of 20s, I flashed back to my caddy days.

$4.75 and a “caddy special” hot dog. At La Grange Country Club. A lovely club in my hometown.

Let’s back up a second.

————-

I own a record in my hometown that I’m very proud of. The “Worst All-Time Caddy at La Grange Country Club.”

In my rookie caddy season in sixth grade, I started like every kid in my town—as a “shagger.”

Our driving range was only about 150 yards, and in those days, golfers had their own bag of “shag balls.”

As a “shagger,” you’d stand out in the driving range with a catcher’s face mask and baseball glove—catching the member’s iron shots he was aiming at you.

I was shagging for Sandy Austin. A nice, dapper, short guy. Crazy rich. Owned a bank downtown. Even his shag balls were brand-new Titleists.

Since I was making only $1.65 as a runt-of-the-litter shagger, I decided to make up a rule standing out there, like a big dope, in that itchy catcher’s face mask.

The first ball I’d catch would go in his shag bag. The next ball—right into my shorts’ pockets.

I figured it was kind of like a mandatory “tip.” One ball for him, one for me, until my pants were stuffed. The problem was, I got a little greedy that day. I ran out of room in my pockets. Started shoving ’em up in my underpants.

After an hour of shagging, you’d carry the guy’s clubs to the cement floor “bag room.” As he was standing next to me, signing the chit for my whopping $1.65, I bent over to set down his bag.

About five golf balls with his name on ’em snuck out of my underwear and started bouncing up and down on the cement.

Whoops.

I got a couple of months of “hiatus” after that lovely stunt.

Who cares. It was rookie year. On to the big leagues of being a real caddy in seventh grade.

————-

I had a number of legendary stories to earn the title of “Worst All-Time Caddy,” but here’s one of my personal favorites.

Scorching hot, I mean a scorching hot, muggy August day. Mosquitoes enjoying full-course meals on my neck, arms and legs.

Caddying for J. C. Kenter. A big ole, tightwad grump. Spongy gut hung over his embroidered country club-logoed belt.

He thought my name was “Caddy.”

That morning, the club just got brand-new golf carts.

The fancy kind that didn’t steer like go-carts—they steered like a car. You had to turn the wheel a lot more to head in a direction.

It was totally against the rules to let a caddy ever get in the carts. You just ran after the thing like a big goof, raked the traps and then handed ’em their clubs.

Cut to the 15th hole’s green. Dizzy-long par four. Sun sizzling everyone—with sweat soaking everyone’s shirts and patience.

With the foursome getting ready to putt, I reached into Kenter’s bag on the back of the cart to get his putter—and realized I committed a mortal sin.

I left his putter back on the green of the last hole. About a Sahara Desert away.

Let’s just say those four dripping, liquored-up golfers weren’t real happy campers.

Kenter screamed a whole long laundry list of very colorful adjectives that he decided described me—and then half threw up half his roast beef sandwich as he pointed for me to get in the cart, get the putter and bring it back.

I hopped on that horse and gunned it straight down the fairway. Pulled right up to the side of the mini-lake next to the previous green—with a lovely pitched, brick embankment around the water’s edge.

Ran over, grabbed the putter off the green and threw it in the cart.

Here’s where things kind of started falling apart.

I forgot the cart didn’t steer like a go-cart anymore.

Turned the wheel, gunned it and the next thing I knew, it was down the embankment—and most of me and most of the cart were underwater.

I put it in reverse with the wheels spinning and splashing—and got in the water, trying to shove the thing back up the embankment.

Good luck with that one.

All the cart did was puke buckets of mud and God-only-knows what on my soaked face.

Hopped out of the cart, grabbed his putter and sprinted as fast as I could down the fairway like a sopping wet goose.

Completely out of breath and slopped in mud, I said to Kenter, “Good news, bad news. The good news is—here’s your putter. The bad news is your cart and your clubs are in the drink.”

————-

Here’s my takeaway.

The club’s cost for the tow truck to yank the cart and clubs out of the water? $274.

Caddy fees I made that day? Goose egg.

The look on that ol‘ sweaty, hammered geezer’s face when I handed him his putter?

Priceless.

Jimmy Dunne is a modern-day Renaissance Man; a hit songwriter (28 million hit records), screenwriter/producer of hit television series, award-winning author, an entrepreneur—and a Palisadian “Citizen of the Year.” You can reach him at j@jimmydunne.com or jimmydunne.substack.com.

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