Potrero Canyon
A ceremony will take place on December 3 to mark the official opening of George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon. This has been a long-awaited moment for Pacific Palisades, with conceptualization, planning and implementation phases that have spanned decades.
Few people have put more time and heart into the project than our very own George Wolfberg, PPCC chair twice. I was lucky enough to meet him early in my own tenure at PPCC, first as the education representative and later as vice chair and then chair.
I met George on the pitch, reffing a soccer game in the rain, and it was there we formed our friendship. I quickly came to rely on his wisdom and considerable insight on all matters.
When I was asked to chair the PPCC, I humbly asked him if he would serve at my side in the role of vice chair, and he agreed to serve as my rudder as I took on a new and unfamiliar role. His steady hand was a blessing for two years, and his passing was devastating for all who knew him.
Thankfully, PPCC, under the leadership of David Card and his exceptional executive committee, was able to make an appeal to the City of LA to name the park at Potrero Canyon in George’s name, knowing how much this park and its passive intent to offer Angelenos a natural setting in which to enjoy beautiful vistas and open space meant to him.
On December 3, George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon will open with hours from sunrise to sunset—regulated by automatic locking gates that will allow guests in as the sun rises in the morning and lock as the sun sets at night.
This has long been the promise made to our community, and we have confirmed with Councilmember Mike Bonin that he will introduce a motion at City Council to instruct the Department of Recreation and Parks to make those hours clear on all signage throughout the park. The councilmember’s office confirmed that the “sunrise to sunset operating hours have always been the intent of the park.”
In November, PPCC passed a motion introduced by At-Large Representative Chris Spitz, co-sponsored by the Area 6 Primary and 2nd Alternate representatives, Cindy Simon and Quentin Fleming, to have our LAPD officers—including SLO Brian Espin—accompany installers to pinpoint the best locations for the signs to serve as deterrents for disallowed activity in this passive park.
With that, I’d like to congratulate our community on this upcoming milestone, and while not everyone will be at the opening ceremony, everyone will be able to responsibly enjoy the park, which will feature a riparian way, a 12-foot soil/cement pathway, and plenty of views to enjoy, from dawn till dusk.
Maryam Zar
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