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Drone Show

Wow I was completely blown away by the Fourth of July drone show. I had never seen one/didn’t know what to expect, but wow. Every part of it was so moving, the word choices and pictures were all great.


Thank You

Shout out to PAPA for organizing a memorable gathering, despite the circumstances. I loved seeing the community gather, even though it looked different than previous years. #palistrong


CTW

Congratulations to Marlo and Gianba for their perseverance in opening a restaurant in Venice. I am looking forward to dining at Cinque Terre West.


Jimmy Dunne

Jimmy’s piece in last week’s Post was particularly moving. The quote on the napkin had me tearing up.


Objects of Affection

I love the concept and meaning behind Objects of Affection (featured in the June 26 edition)—honoring items that mean the most to us. What a special event to put on.


Got something to say? Call 310-454-1321 or email 2cents@palipost.com and get those kudos or concerns off your chest. Names will not be used.

Crime Report

The following information was sent by Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer for Pacific Palisades Brian Espin on Sunday, July 6.


I’m sure everyone has seen we have a significant police presence in the Palisades. LAPD and California Highway Patrol are still patrolling, as well as our three contract security companies providing eyes and ears for the neighborhood.

We are still seeing a small number of theft crimes occurring in the area. For those that still have property standing but are not living in their homes: Please check on your properties or have someone check frequently so as to make sure we do not have anyone breaking in or staying in a vacant home.

This year we had to adjust the usual Palisades holiday celebration of the parade and fireworks show. It was amazing to be able to participate with the Palisades community and join the Santa Monica parade. Then, later in the evening, see our community come together for the drone show at Paul Revere Charter Middle School.

It was a breath of fresh air to see so many familiar faces and the positivity of this strong community. Thank you again for allowing us to be a part of it.

Here is a survey from our department to gather information on what our community finds most important in our priorities and policing: engage.zencity.io/lapd/en/engagements/59291f81-f543-4582-b3a3-d378aa4a6630?utm_medium=social. You can either scan the QR code below with your phone or follow the URL.

 

Please help us understand your biggest concerns as an important stakeholder in our community.


Provided by LAPD Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin. In case of emergency, call 911. To report a non-emergency, call 877-275-5273.

Speakers Present on Pacific Palisades Pedestrian Trail Project at PPCC Meeting

Proposed trail options
Photo courtesy of City of LA BOE

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Pacific Palisades Community Council met on Thursday, June 26, to discuss updates on the Pacific Palisades Pedestrian Trail, with project representatives outlining its current status.

When complete, the trail—formerly known as the Lateral Trail—will extend from the bottom of George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon to the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon, in order to provide safe passage from the park to the beach, as required by the California Coastal Commission.

City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering Project Manager Kristen Ly and Project Consultant Goodwin Wharton of Geosyntec Consultants previously joined PPCC in 2024 to discuss the project, and heeded community feedback and concerns regarding the trail.

Ly and Wharton returned on June 26 to provide an updated presentation. Wharton explained that this project is “not high on anybody’s priority list right now,” but is a component of the rebuilding process after the Palisades fire. Construction of the project would continue at a later, more “appropriate time,” Wharton said.

“Right now, we are completing the Feasibility Study,” Wharton explained. “The purpose of this meeting is to present the preliminary recommendations that are going to go into our report … and also to solicit some feedback on that recommended alignment.”

At the start of the meeting, Wharton reviewed key points and takeaways from the August 2024 Community Meeting. During the 2024 meeting, three hypothetical examples of trail alignments were presented, and attendees were invited to offer verbal or written feedback. Concerns over potential safety issues were identified as the strongest sentiment, while trail maintenance and construction considerations were considered the lowest.

“Those concerns are well founded, so we did take that into consideration as we were developing our final feasibility criteria,” he said.

Wharton presented the Final Feasibility Criteria list, which included accessibility, separation from PCH and separation from Via de Las Olas, user experience, pedestrian safety, slope stability, neighborhood privacy, hours of use enforcement or security, and more.

Wharton also presented a map with proposed trail options that was divided into four regions: a Trail Region, a West Region, a Central Region and an East Region.

“Within those four main regions, we have evaluated two or three alternatives for how the trail might be aligned,” Wharton said. “Then they’re connected by lateral trails, such that you could mix and match, or combine any permutation of these that you want to come up with a final trail alignment.”

Wharton walked meeting attendees through the feasibility rankings of each region, as well as the lateral trails, explaining that all three lateral trails are feasible. The recommended trail route, based on the evaluation, was listed as Trailhead B, along Lateral-1 up to the West-A route, using the Lateral-2 route down to Central B—and a final recommendation for East-A or East-B is to be determined.

Wharton concluded his presentation by answering questions from PPCC board members and meeting attendees. The team is expected to return in the future with updates.

According to PPCC, next steps for the project include discussions between involved stakeholders, including the city of Los Angeles, Caltrans and the Coastal Commission.

“Geosyntec has a recommendation for trail alignment (based on the ratings), but it’s unclear at this point which route will eventually be decided on, whether any might be altered, and/or when construction may actually begin,” PPCC said.

A recording of the presentation is available at pacpalicc.org.

Theatre Palisades Youth to Present ‘Disney’s Descendants: The Musical’

Photo courtesy of Laura Jung

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Theatre Palisades Youth will present “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical,” which is set to open on Friday, July 11, at Paul Revere Charter Middle School.

Director Lara Ganz and Co-Director and Choreographer Rebecca Brancato Barragan spearheaded production of the show, leading a cast of 35 youth actors.

“Disney’s Descendants: The Musical” is a stage adaptation of Disney Channel original movies, featuring additional lyrics by Nick Blaemire, a score adapted by Madeline Smith and orchestrated by Matthew Tishler.

“‘Disney’s Descendants: The Musical’ is set on the Isle of the Lost—home of the most infamous villains who ever lived—where the teenaged children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Cruella De Vil have been imprisoned, never venturing off the island … until now,” according to a statement. “When the four troublemakers are sent to attend prep school alongside the children of beloved Disney heroes, they have a difficult choice to make: Should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good?”

Theatre Palisades Youth lost its performance space, Pierson Playhouse, in the Palisades fire. Ganz, despite losing her own home, ensured the program would continue, working with Barragan to secure a rehearsal space just four days later.

“Everyone is so scared of losing this community of love and performing arts that we built together,” Ganz said at the time. “We have had so many ‘what ifs?’ flooding our minds. But we decided to ask: ‘What if we do everything possible to ensure that the show will go on?’”

Theatre Palisades Youth then presented “Crazy For You: Youth Edition” during a two-weekend run beginning at the end of February at Paul Revere.

Performances of “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical” will take place on July 11 at 4 and 7 p.m.; July 12 at 12 and 3 p.m.; July 16 at 7 p.m.; July 17 at 7 p.m.; July 18 at 7 p.m.; and July 19 at 12 and 3 p.m.

Tickets are $17 for seniors and students, $22 for general admission, and $25 to $30 for VIP. Paul Revere is located at 1450 Allenford Avenue. Performances will take place in the school’s auditorium.


For more information, including a link to purchase tickets, visit theatrepalisades.org.

Christopher Murphy

Christopher Murphy of Pacific Palisades passed away in his sleep from cardiac arrest on May 19 in San Diego at the age of 51. He is survived by his mother, Mary Fran, his father, Bob, and his sister, Meghan Murphy Rowan.

Christopher was larger than life in every respect. He attended Methodist Preschool and Corpus Christi where he was student body president. At an early age he established himself as the loudest singer and the tallest eighth-grade graduate at 5’10”.

Christopher graduated from Crossroads High School in 1992 in Santa Monica where he had a lead role in the school musical as well as other drams events. He then went on to Sonoma State where he discovered he loved to write poetry and found his love for the blues, especially the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Christopher suffered a series of physical setbacks during his young life, including a heart attack, but they never dimmed his smile.

Everyone who met him will likely remember him as a loving and gentle soul who left us with a bounty of memories and words of wisdom. He would often say, “Don’t judge; everyone has a story.”

We know he had no time to say goodbye, but if he had the chance, he would have reassured us that everything would be alright. Heaven always has a place for 6’5”, empathetic, non-judgmental, talented and caring people. By now he is certainly singing with the angels.

We miss him.

Gladstones to Reopen Outdoor Space on July 4

Photo by Arden Seretean

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Gladstones will reopen its public deck on Friday, July 4, following months of recovery efforts after the Palisades fire.

“The reopening of Gladstones is more than just the return of a beloved landmark, it’s a celebration of resilience, community and coastal Los Angeles at its finest,” Gladstones shared with the Palisadian-Post. “Guests can look forward to our seafood classics, sweeping ocean views, the beach, good vibes and a refreshed experience that honors our legacy while embracing a bold new chapter.”

The public deck will provide ample space for visitors. Designed by architect Stephen Francis Jones, the remodeled area will feature a fresh coastal aesthetic that blends “timeless beach vibes with a contemporary twist.” A new mural by Los Angeles-based artist Jonas Never, celebrating local culture and resilience, will also be on display at Gladstones.

Due to damage sustained during the Palisades fire, Gladstones said the team has used this time to begin renovating the indoor space. The indoor renovation is expected to be completed by early 2026. The newly opened deck will remain fully operational in the meantime.

Gladstones told the Post it is currently in Phase One of the project, and due to limited kitchen space, will be offering a “pared down” version of its previous menu. But guests can still enjoy a menu of “fan favorites,” including Gladstones’ fish tacos, ceviche and lobster rolls.

“Our goal with Phase Two is to use modern techniques and updated equipment to create a food-driven program that will far exceed the expectations of casual diners and sophisticated palettes alike,” Gladstones explained. “We will have something for everyone.”

As a thank you to the community, Gladstones will offer 50% off food and drinks throughout July for Malibu and Palisades residents, as well as first responders.

“After everything this community has endured, we hope to offer something simple but meaningful—good food and some good news in a world that needs both,” Co-Owner and General Manager of Gladstones Legacy Group Jim Harris said in a statement. “This reopening is our way of saying—we’re still here, and we’re here for you.”

For the foreseeable future, Gladstones will be open from 11 a.m. to sunset.

Palisades Gift Shop Sells Copies of Town Flag

Photo courtesy of Palisades Gift Shop

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Palisades Gift Shop is selling copies of the Palisades flag, which are now available on its website for $45.

The flag was created through a contest with then-Honorary Mayor of Pacific Palisades Jake Steinfeld in the Palisadian-Post. A campaign was launched to solicit designs for the flag while raising money for charities.

The flag was originally available in 2014, with a design by Sean Lim and Will Dintenfass—who met at Palisades Charter Elementary School—chosen out of more than 230 entries. The flag has been reprinted several times since then, most recently available in February after the Palisades fire, with Steinfeld’s mantra at the bottom: “DON’T QUIT.” (This iteration of the flag does not include the phrase.)

“Today [the flag] represents the true strength of our town, and we are honored to sell them, with all proceeds going to replanting trees in the Palisades through Palisades Beautiful,” according to Palisades Gift Shop.

Palisades Beautiful Plans Chautauqua, Bowdoin Cleanup

A previous cleanup event
Photo courtesy of Palisades Beautiful

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Locally founded nonprofit Palisades Beautiful will host its fourth cleanup event on Saturday, July 5, at 11 a.m.

“Help clean up trash and trim back plants on Chautauqua near Sunset [Boulevard],” read an event description.

This time, the group will conduct trash pickup on Chautauqua, heading south from Sunset Boulevard. They will then break for lunch, before pulling weeds on Bowdoin Street.

“It will be a bit different from our past events that focused mainly on the trash pickup, hopefully we’ll get to use our green thumbs a bit this time,” organizers continued.

Gloves, grabbers and trash bags will be provided by Palisades Beautiful. Volunteers are encouraged to wear closed-toe shoes and bring water. Long pants and sleeves are also recommended.

“We had a busy June, with our third trash cleanup and a booth at ‘Venice Welcomes the Palisades,’” organizers said. “Volunteers removed over 15 bags of trash around Marquez, and native poppy seeds were sown. [Councilmember] Traci Park stopped by our booth and even played our new game.”

Noah Martin is the president of Palisades Beautiful—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that he launched in February “dedicated to restoring natural spaces” in the community.

“We’re dedicated to revitalizing our neighborhood through native landscaping,” read the Palisades Beautiful website. “Our mission is to make the Palisades more beautiful and sustainable one plant at a time.”

The group has created a proposal to replace trees that were cut down on Swarthmore Avenue in front of CVS. The project is in discussion with the city’s public works department, according to Palisades Beautiful, which would need to approve it.

“We have been planting many new native plants around the Palisades, and still have more to donate,” the organization continued. “If you know an area that could use some greenery—or even if you need a few plants for your own property—don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Pali High to Begin School Year at Sears Building

Architecture firm Practice presents three potential schemes at a Pali Elementary design concept meeting.
Courtesy of Practice

LAUSD Hosted Three Design Concept Community Meetings for Palisades Charter Schools

By SARAH SHMERLING and LILY TINOCO

Palisades Charter High School will begin the 2025-26 academic year at its temporary campus in Santa Monica at a renovated Sears building, officials announced on June 18.

“After thoughtful consideration and multiple visits to our Palisades campus, we’ve determined that the best place to kick off the 2025-26 school year will be our Pali South campus in Santa Monica,” Pali High Executive Director/Principal Dr. Pam Magee wrote in a message sent to the school community. “This move allows us the time and space needed to continue restoration work on our main campus, while ensuring that our students and staff can start the year in a safe, fully functional learning environment.”

Pali High, which sustained damage in the Palisades fire, will remain at the Santa Monica space at least through Thanksgiving break, according to Magee, with a possibility of through the end of the first semester. The temporary campus first opened in April.

“Our goal is to return to the Palisades with as little disruption as possible to teaching and learning,” Magee said. “In the meantime, restoration work is well underway—focusing on key shared spaces like the football field, gym and aquatic center—so they may possibly be ready for community use even before we return.”

Ahead of the announcement from Pali High, Los Angeles Unified School District hosted a series of three design concept community meetings June 4 to 6 regarding the charter school campuses damaged in the Palisades fire: Pali High, Marquez Charter Elementary School and Palisades Charter Elementary School.

“The January 2025 Palisades fire caused an unprecedented loss of facilities due to fire damage, with significant impacts to Marquez Charter Elementary School, Palisades Charter Elementary School and Palisades Charter High School,” read a slide from LAUSD. “The proposed projects have been developed to expedite the repopulation of the affected schools. These projects replace facilities that were destroyed at each school. Both temporary and permanent facilities will be constructed to serve the student populations that were present prior to the fire at each school.”

The projects at Marquez and Pali Elementary will be “funded by the category of need for major modernizations, upgrades and reconfigurations to school campuses,” LAUSD continued.

During the meetings, the LAUSD facilities team, as well as the contracted architect for each school, led a “discussion of the preliminary design for the rebuild” of the schools.

The Pali Elementary meeting took place on June 4, with Practice: an “award-winning architecture firm based in Pasadena,” which is “nationally recognized for its innovative, sustainable and community-centered design.” They work alongside Hongjoo Kim Landscape Architects.

The scope of the project at Pali Elementary includes to “restore and repair intact buildings with upgrades for reoccupancy,” 16 new classrooms (nine general, five kindergarten/TK and two flexible/makerspace), administrative spaces, multipurpose room, and maintenance facilities.

The proposed permanent multipurpose room would be larger than the auditorium at about 3,000 square feet, according to the presentation. It would have more seating, could be used for indoor dining, would offer more storage, and would have “pipe grid stage lighting and built-in projector with motorized projection screen.”

What Practice reported hearing ahead of the meeting from the community regarding the rebuild included maximizing open space and connectivity, restoring a “community resource and social anchor,” constructing a “resilient school for future generations,” and respecting the “historic resource, while promoting a forward-looking vision.”

During the meeting, Practice presented three potential “schemes,” with the first focused on a two-story, linear building, with “one big open space.” Scheme two focused on “interwoven landscapes” and scheme three on “garden courts.”

Pali Elementary will remain at Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet while its home campus is rebuilt, according to information from Councilmember Traci Park’s office.

The Pali High meeting took place on June 5, where DLR Group was introduced.

“For over 25 years, DLR Group has been a trusted partner to LAUSD, and has collaborated with schools and communities to create learning environments that are not only safe and sustainable, but truly transformational,” according to information shared by the group.

During the June 5 meeting, attendees previewed a preliminary design and were invited to provide feedback, which the architectural team said will use to further refine the concept.

“Tonight is our first meeting,” LAUSD FSD-Community Relations Director Lorena Padilla-Melendez said. “We will be hosting a community meeting to bring you a more developed design sometime in July … Come fall of 2025, we will come back, and at that time, the architectural team will present the final design for the permanent structures on your campus.”

The Pali High project scope includes 22 new classrooms (16 general, one flexible science lab, one flexible engineering, one media and filmmaking, and others) as well as administrative and support spaces. The track and football field, baseball field, field lighting, and ancillary buildings will be replaced.

There will be “interim classrooms during design and construction” of the permanent spaces, including about 29 portable classrooms, five administrative portables and three portable restroom units.

DLR described its project goals and guiding principles as: “belonging, resilience and sustainability.” The firm planned to “foster social connection through layered indoor/outdoor gathering spaces,” while designing with “fire-adaptive materials, passive systems and flexible structures.”

The series of design concept meetings concluded on Friday, June 6, with Marquez, which will be working with NAC: a “national leader in K-12 educational design and architecture.” NAC has designed educational facilities in 32 states, according to the presentation. The firm has worked on Malibu High and Playa Vista Elementary school campuses.

The project scope for Marquez includes 22 new classrooms (15 general classrooms, four kindergarten/TK, two flexible learning spaces and a parent center), administrative spaces, a multipurpose room, library (2,000 square feet, designed for approximately 6,000 books), food services and maintenance facilities. There will also be infrastructure upgrades, which include utilities, landscape and parking improvements.

NAC’s design and planning principals include to “restore Marquez campus culture,” “child-scale, minimize height and two-story structures,” and have “indoor/outdoor connection.”

Key decision points, according to the presentation, will include the location of kindergarten and TK, location of the library/makerspace, scale of circulation/gathering, strategies to negotiate topography, campus access/service access, and character of play/outdoor spaces.

Three concepts NAC discussed during the meeting were The Secret Garden (a “protected, outdoor play/learn space”), The Front Porch (a “covered indoor/outdoor zone running the length of the building”) and The Village Green (a “snaking roof” that “ties together cozy clusters”).

Marquez is slated to reopen in the Palisades this fall, according to Park’s office. The campus will have portable classrooms on site, as well as administration and a library in portables, a mobile kitchen with shaded lunch area, and three portable restroom units, LAUSD said.

During all three meetings, there was a time for stakeholders to pose questions to LAUSD and the architect firms.

Next steps for all three campuses include a design update community meeting with a “more detailed design concept,” where additional community input will be collected, slated for summer 2025. A final design community meeting is projected to take place in fall 2025, with a pre-construction meeting estimated for the beginning of 2027 and reoccupation by the end of 2028, according to the slides.

LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin spoke on the projected timeline during the Pali Elementary meeting.

“We—as we discussed when we started meeting with you all a few months ago—are doing everything we can to expedite this process,” Melvoin said. “The superintendent and I have been meeting weekly about this. We are on bi-weekly calls with the governor and his team, who has committed to expediting and waiving whatever they can.”

LADWP Relocates Unified Utilities Rebuild Operations Center to Topanga Canyon Boulevard

Courtesy of USACE/City of LA

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has relocated its Unified Utilities Rebuild Operations Center from Palisades Recreation Center to Topanga Canyon Boulevard, effective Monday, June 23.

Now operating at 3931 South Topanga Canyon Boulevard (where Malibu Feed Bin was located), the UUROC’s current hours will be Monday through Sunday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“Recovery doesn’t follow a set timeline, and we understand that our customers are still navigating a long road ahead,” LADWP Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones said. “This relocation ensures uninterrupted access to the resources and support our customers who have been impacted by the January wildfires rely on—and reaffirms our commitment to staying accessible every step of the way.”

The UUROC, which originally opened in the small gym at the rec center on Saturday, March 1, has served over 250 customers, according to LADWP.

From its new location, the UUROC will “continue to offer direct access to LADWP services to those affected by the Palisades fire,” with LADWP representatives on site to discuss “immediate and future needs” with customers, including “starting and stopping water and power service; account inquiries; electric service repair or replacement; electric meter spots; electrical panel replacement; and electrical panel upgrades.”

Representatives can also discuss entire build plans (“site and/or architectural plans,” “electrical load schedule” or “electrical single line diagram”) with customers, or their contractors or designees, according to LADWP.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to meet people where they are, and we did that by bringing the services to them,” LADWP UUROC’s Incident Commander John Vanacore said. “Our customers’ recovery is not just a priority for us but a responsibility we share as part of this community.”

Since the Palisades fire in January, LADWP has set over 1,675 power poles, installed more than 300,000 feet of conductor, and installed “several underground substructures and over 2,300 feet of underground conduit,” the agency reported.

“Last week, LADWP performed additional water distribution system flushing in the affected areas to ensure that water quality continues to meet and/or exceed all state and federal drinking water standards,” according to a statement.

Rebuilding work continues across Pacific Palisades with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—which is leading the government-run debris removal program—reporting that 3,682 sites had been cleared in the Palisades fire area as of June 24, according to Charles Delano with the USACE Public Affairs Office. There have been 3,430 sites that have received final sign off and given back to the county.

USACE has received 4,004 eligible rights of entry from the county as of June 24. There are 322 parcels remaining to be cleared by USACE. There are 31 debris crews working in the Palisades fire area, with a five-day average of 10 sites cleared.

As of Monday, June 23, 124 permits for 95 unique addresses have been issued related to rebuilding efforts in the Palisades, according to Mayor Karen Bass’ office. The number of non-responsive parcels, who have not opted in or out of the government-run debris removal program, was 15 as of June 24, according to the office of the LA city attorney.

“On May 19, the LA Department of Building and Safety began contacting residential property owners who either didn’t respond to or opted out of the Army Corps’ debris removal program and for whom debris removal hadn’t been verified,” according to the mayor’s office. “These owners must clear debris within 30 days of their notice’s effective date, unless granted an extension by the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners.”

Properties that do not meet the deadline, without an extension, will be referred to FEMA beginning June 30.

“While commercial properties aren’t part of the federal debris removal program,” read the statement from the mayor’s office, “the city has applied to FEMA for special inclusion of certain sites.”