Each cover of Pali Life featured a story highlighting everything from local nonprofits to area artists—many of which pivoted operations and offerings this year to support the Palisades after the fire. Read below to see some of the stories that were published throughout 2025.

January 23

In the face of uncertainty, Director Lara Ganz worked behind the scenes to ensure the show went on for Theatre Palisades Youth and Paul Revere Charter Middle School students—with rehearsals for shows resuming four days after the Palisades fire started. Ganz, despite losing her own home, worked with her team, including choreographer Rebecca Brancato Barragan, to secure a rehearsal space at St. Monica Catholic Church. The students presented several performances in 2025, including “Crazy for You,” “HADESTOWN: Teen Edition” and “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical.”

March 27

Looking for a way to give back to the community and help heal through art, a group of artists with nearly three decades of history in Pacific Palisades, Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore, launched the “Art is the Healing Force” fundraising campaign to benefit wildfire recovery.

April 10

One Palisadian used his recently launched brand to help bring the community closer together—no matter where they were residing. After launching in October 2024, Pali Life founder Colton Etheridge lost his home and inventory in the Palisades fire—but then focused on rebuilding the brand, as well as used it to give back through a fire relief initiative.

May 8

More than 1,500 community members gathered at Clover Park in Santa Monica to attend “Rooted in Resilience” on Saturday, April 19—hosted by 1Pali to serve as a day of “reflection, support and unity for displaced and fire-impacted residents.” 1Pali was founded by Ben Perlman, Anthony Marguleas and Andrew Grant to reconnect the community following the Palisades fire.

June 26

Kristen Goldberg was embarking on a project to get back into painting, centered on a series of meaningful objects to people—starting with her friend, Liz Madden, who had just moved into a new apartment and requested a piece from Goldberg. Madden suggested Goldberg call the series “Objects of Affection.” The project took on a new meaning after the fire, shifting into a fundraising event that took place on June 1 to support Together Palisades, put on by Goldberg, Madden and Josie Washburn, a trio of friends who originally met while attending St. Matthew’s Parish School.

August 14

For 65 years, Patty Ryan Bearer Burns lived on McKendree Avenue in the Alphabet Streets, but since her house burned in the Palisades fire, Patty has coped with the tragedy thanks to the love and support of her children. They have rallied around their mom, who, for decades, has been an active member of the community near and dear to her heart.

August 28

Palisadians Shamon and Sara Shamonki are seeking to provide a sense of connection and support through The Faces of Pacific Palisades—a campaign devoted to the community they love that gives fellow residents a platform to share their stories with the world. Whether the person is retired, a student, a teacher, a doctor, a business owner, a government official or a military officer, the Shamonkis have featured a range of voices since they launched the series in July.

October 23

For Emmett Whitaker, the final season of “Survivor Palisades” marks the end of an almost-decade-long era, but the show took on an even deeper meaning following the Palisades fire. The locations he used for filming were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire, offering viewers video footage of the town from June 2024: “This season is incredibly sentimental, as it was filmed before the fires and shows an untouched, majestic Pacific Palisades,” Whitaker, who lost his home in the Alphabet Streets, told the Palisadian-Post.

November 13

From St. Matthew’s Music Guild to Chamber Music Palisades and beyond, community members had the opportunity to attend a concert or performance in 2025. Multiple organizations, including Palisades Symphony and Pali High Visual Performing Arts Department, pivoted from performance spaces that were lost or damaged in the fire, and continued to offer performances throughout the year.

November 27

Palisadian Kathleen Katims has been “empowering voices, building community” and “changing lives—one story at a time” for over 10 years. Now, following the January fires, she has built a space for wildfire survivors from Pacific Palisades and Altadena to come together to share their stories.

Following the Palisades fire, local organizations have been formed to support various aspects of the community and rebuild efforts. Some of the organizations founded in 2025 are highlighted here. 

Palisades Beautiful

With rebuilding and recovery work underway across Pacific Palisades, one resident with multi-generational roots hoped to do his part to beautify public and private spaces. 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. The group hosted several events over the course of the year, including a tree planting and a cleanup near Palisades Charter High School along Bowdoin Street.

palisadesbeautiful.org

Build Back Pali

Three teenage boys who saw their homes lost or damaged in the Palisades fire formed Build Back Pali to revitalize the community they grew up in. Mason Cohen teamed up with two childhood friends, Jake Yoon and Dylan Fullmer, in the wake of the fire to create a fundraising campaign that received over $100,000 in less than one month. All funding goes toward restoration projects and initiatives, including rebuilding and maintaining local businesses, schools, places of worship, supporting community programs, and preserving the character of the Palisades. The mission statement is three words: Rebuild. Restore. Revive.

buildbackpali.org

PaliStrong2025

In the wake of the January wildfires, a group of students started their own initiative to help rebuild Palisades Charter High School—both as a school and as a home. Alessandra and Yasmine Santini, along with Lily Yadegar, created PaliStrong2025, a project focused on restoring the Palisades community. This initiative launched on January 8, and has continued to host events and fundraisers, including recently partnering with Coral Tree Cafe in Brentwood and a donation drive through Barry’s Bootcamp.

instagram.com/palistrong2025

Palisades Long-Term Recovery Group

Jim Cragg addressed fellow residents Friday morning, August 8, at American Legion Ronald Reagan – Palisades Post 283—marking the official launch of Palisades Long-Term Recovery Group. In direct response to ongoing challenges following the Palisades fire in January, Pacific Palisades community members, including Cragg (the 2025 Pacific Palisades Community Council Citizen of the Year), formed Pali LTRG, which is dedicated to identifying and connecting local survivors to a network of associated donor relief organizations. They also conduct and coordinate wellness programs, recovery education and events designed to reconnect the community.

paliltrg.org

Palisades Recovery Coalition

Described as a “community-rooted, volunteer-led coalition,” Palisades Recovery Coalition was founded by Pacific Palisades Community Council Chair Emeritus Maryam Zar with a “simple but urgent” goal: “To help Pacific Palisades rebuild smarter, faster and stronger—without losing the character, charm and close-knit spirit that makes this place home.”

With a headquarters on Sunset Boulevard, PRC has since hosted a series of community visioning charrettes, insurance roundtables and more. Zar received a Golden Sparkplug award from Pacific Palisades Community Council for her work on PRC.

palirecovery.org

Pali ❤️ Beats

Searching for a way to contribute to rebuilding the community, two Palisadians discovered a win-win-win situation. Andrew Hires described looking for a way to rebuild the community experience that people are missing, as well as support businesses that are trying to restart operations while also fundraising to support Palisades workers. Combining these avenues, Pali ❤️ Beats was founded by Hires and Nima Mashkouri—both residents of the Highlands—to host fundraising events at still-standing venues in the community, providing music and a place for people to gather. They have hosted events at Spruzzo Restaurant & Bar and Gladstones.

instagram.com/dj.nimazzo

Team Palisades

Team Palisades—whose founders were named a 2025 Pacific Palisades Community Council Pride of the Palisades honoree—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. One of the events the organization helped host was “The Longest Table” meal along Pampas Ricas Boulevard in The Huntington on Sunday, October 5, with around 650 people registering to attend.

teampalisades.org

Palisades Forever

Four Palisadians are committed to rebuilding the community they grew up in and hold dear: In the aftermath of the Palisades fire, brothers Spencer and Justin Howard teamed with twins Will and Haley Holbrow to found Palisades Forever, an organization that is solely devoted to the restoration and revitalization of public spaces, businesses, schools, landmarks and recreational areas. The group recently gave $12,000 to replace Pali High yearbooks lost in the fire.

palisadesforever.com

For many years, Palisadian-Post readers have taken a print edition of the newspaper along with them as they traveled the globe. Here are some of the places the Post has traveled to in 2025 for our Postcard section, including Los Angeles Fire Department Station 69. 

March 13

The Build Back Pali team—a student-run organization featured on the Pali Life cover on February 13 dedicated to supporting the community through rebuilding efforts—brought a copy of the Palisadian-Post to Los Angeles Fire Department Station 69.

June 12

Sara G. Marti is pictured in Rome with a copy of the Palisadian-Post.

July 10

Nicole and David Kramer with the Palisadian-Post in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Palisadian-Post interns had the opportunity to help out with several aspects of newspaper production, from pitching stories to taking assignments, proofreading and assisting with projects, including community events. Here are some of the stories that our interns wrote or covered this year. 

Arden Seretean

Combining stories, a first-hand report and poetry, Arden Seretean put together a series for the Post, which began on September 25 with interviews with Emily Kay Tillman of Fancy Feet Dance Studio, the Peterson family and Lita Mustika of Palisades Garden Cafe. The second part included an account of the Palisades fire and debris removal at her home, as well as a poem: “My Thoughts Undress the Silence.”

Audrey Smith

Beginning a tenure with the Post as a junior reporter, Audrey Smith was an intern in 2025, completing several feature stories for the paper. One story included an interview with Highlands resident Kim Marshall, who launched the “#L.A. Rising: Stories of Healing, Help and Hope” podcast two weeks after the fire started: “As a communications expert for my entire career and a podcast host and producer for the past five years, telling stories is my skill and wellness is my specialty,” Marshall told Smith. “This podcast about healing, help and hope is something meaningful that I can offer to help find the light in a very dark situation.”

Jude De Pastino

As a photography intern, Jude De Pastino covered a range of things for the Post, including the reopening of parts of Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, Lowe Family YMCA Pumpkin Patch, The Longest Table event in October and the annual Pacific Palisades Holiday HoHoHo! in December.

Michael Matlof

During his internship, Michael Matlof covered Palisades Americanism Parade Association’s Fourth of July event at Paul Revere Charter Middle School, as well as an interview with Kehillat Israel Associate Rabbi Daniel Sher.

Nissara Shah

In addition to helping with proofreading and edits, Nissara Shah wrote for Reel Pali, covering the release of “Happy Gilmore 2” on Friday, July 25, starring Palisadian Adam Sandler as the titular character and season five of “Only Murders in the Building,” starring former Honorary Mayor Martin Short.

Camille Cornell

Camille Cornell spoke with lifelong Palisadian Phil Pecsok, who shared details on his experience fighting the fire on January 7: “On January 7, Pecsok worked across his property and his neighbors’—pulling multiple hoses onto roofs, clearing burning brush and putting out embers to protect homes that were in imminent danger,” Cornell wrote.

Daila Harinck

Daila Harinck wrote a piece about Pali High grad Todd Lawrence, who traveled the world, visiting 22 countries before eventually settling in Taiwan, where he has lived for over three decades. Lawrence launched Custom Home Vaults, utilizing “modular paneling to convert standard shipping containers into fully secure, concealed bank vaults for residential use.”