At last Thursday?s meeting, the Pacific Palisades Community Council honored outgoing Councilmember Patti Post for her nearly 10 years of service. Post, a transportation expert, recently served as a co-representative for the Temescal Canyon Association and will continue to volunteer on the boards of several other organizations. The Bienveneda resident joined the Council in 1997 and served in a variety of roles, including as Area 3 (Marquez Knolls to Bienveneda) alternate and representative and treasurer. ?Patti has been an invaluable leader on the Community Council,? Councilman Bill Rosendahl said. ?She played an active role with transportation, finance, parks and many other important community projects. Patti is a wonderful example of a true community leader.? Rosendahl?s office will present a certificate of appreciation to Post at the next Community Council meeting on February 22. Post owns Patti Post and Associates, which consults many California municipalities on transportation. She brought her expertise to the Council, where she advocated traffic safety and transportation solutions for Pacific Palisades. Many Council members credit Post with helping to save LADOT Commuter Express Line 430 in Pacific Palisades despite significant political opposition. The line was declared cost-ineffective by LADOT, and then-Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski approved the cancellation of the line, which is the only direct bus route from the Palisades to downtown. But after successfully rallying incoming-Councilman Rosendahl and gaining the support of then-Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, the line was spared. As chairperson of the Council?s traffic committee, Post lobbied for the ability of civilians to deploy speed trailers in the Palisades and West L.A. In previous years, only L.A.P.D. officers were able to set up the trailers, but the department?s chronic shortage of officers meant infrequent trailer use. ?Patti was instrumental in that program,? said Norm Kulla, former chairman of the Community Council and current district director for Rosendahl. ?That couldn?t have been done without a lot of bureaucratic wrangling.? Council chairman Steve Boyers, who awarded Post a plaque, credited her with bringing calm to often emotionally charged issues. ?Patti was always helpful in reducing emotional issues to a level that we could rationally deal with,? Boyers said. ?It?s been an extreme pleasure to work with such an intelligent and focused individual.? In 1984 after a career in international diplomacy, Post worked for the L.A. Olympic Committee, where she crafted and organized transportation solutions for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Although she will no longer be an official member of the Community Council, Post plans to remain its transportation advisor. She also hopes to improve transportation for local seniors. A city program allows seniors to buy reduced-fare taxi rides, but the program is limited to city-licensed cabs. The Palisades? remoteness from the main areas of the city coupled with the short trips requested by seniors has meant limited interest from taxi operators. But Post is working to expand the supply of available cabs for seniors by allowing county-licensed cabs, which frequently operate in Malibu and Santa Monica, into the program. She will continue to be a board member of the Temescal Canyon Association, the Pacific Palisades Library Association, the Traffic Committee of the West L.A. Community Police Advisory Board, and the Transportation Committee of Council District 11 Neighborhood Empowerment Congress. Post received her master?s degree in urban planning from Harvard University and her bachelor?s degree in urban studies from UCLA. Her husband, Richard Cohen, will continue to serve as vice chairman of the Community Council. ————– Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. E-mail: reporter@palipost.com Phone: (310) 985-1607 ext. 28.
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