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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a “green tip” to our readers in each newspaper. This edition’s tip was written by Sara G. Marti.
Many of you are reaching out to us and asking the same questions: What should I plant now? What’s safe near the house? How do I make it beautiful again while keeping my home protected?
Together with our friends at Theodore Payne Foundation, we’re answering those questions—helping neighbors reimagine their yards as both sanctuaries and shields.
With guidance from Theodore Payne Foundation, you can design defensible, fire-resilient landscapes rooted in beauty and biodiversity. They specialize in California native plants—species that not only belong here but also protect our hillsides. When planted thoughtfully, native gardens can slow fire, save water and bring the pollinators back.
Rebuilding is a chance to plant hope. Native gardens are beautiful and an important part of defensible space. As Katie from TPF reminded us: Keep it “lean, clean and green”—lean (space plants out), clean (remove dead debris) and green (keep plants hydrated and well-maintained).
If you’re re-planting right now, they’ve got you covered with:
Free one-year memberships for anyone affected by the fires—call 818-768-1802 extension 27. Members get 10 to 15% off plants and seeds (more during their big Fall Plant Sale).
Fall Plant Sale: October 28 to November 8 (Tuesday to Saturday)—RSVP for parking at theodorepayne.org.
About Theodore Payne Foundation
TPF empowers SoCal communities with a nonprofit native plant nursery, science-based education, professional landscaper training and bilingual outreach. Their Wildfire Resilience program blends classes, community engagement and free resources to reduce risk in the Wildland–Urban Interface—the zone where human development (homes, neighborhoods, infrastructure) intermingles with wildland vegetation like forests, chaparral or grasslands.
Pros and Community Groups Professionals in the landscape trade can join the TPF Professional Membership ($250 per year) for 25% off plants and seeds and 10% off TPF merchandise. To set up an account, email flora@theodorepayne.org.
Resilient Palisades is teaming up with Theodore Payne Foundation to offer workshops designed for our community. Sign up for our newsletter to stay connected and get the latest resources to help you rebuild and restore: resilientpalisades.org/join-us.
Lowe Family YMCA Pumpkin Patch Photo by Jude De Pastino
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
From fundraising efforts to trunk or treating, several community entities are offering ways for Palisadians to gather this October.
Photo courtesy of Taylor Mammen
Trunk or Treat Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host its annual Trunk or Treat Halloween event on Saturday, October 18, beginning at 6 p.m.
“The entire Palisades community is invited to decorate their cars and kids are invited to trunk or treat,” Pacific Palisades Ward Bishop Taylor Mammen told the Palisadian-Post. “This is an annual tradition, and even though our building is still going through smoke remediation, there’s great desire to get together.”
In addition to trunk or treating, the event will include dinner, a costume contest and slide. It will take place in the church’s parking lot, which is located at 575 Los Liones Drive.
Photo by Sarah Shmerling
‘The Birds’ Halloween Party Palisades Recreation Center
Each year, Palisades Recreation Center hosts a Halloween-themed event, and 2025 is no exception. With a theme of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” this year’s Halloween Party will take place on Saturday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with “fun for all ages.”
Festivities will include food trucks (The Love Bird and The Beignet Truck), spooky crafts, inflatables, games and prizes, a scavenger hunt, coloring contest, trick or treat stations, and a 360-degree photo experience. There will be a costume parade at 12 p.m.
Palisades Recreation Center is located at 851 Alma Real Drive. The event, which is free to attend, will take place in the courtyard and inside of the small gym, which reopened for limited programming at the end of July.
Photo courtesy of RCDSMM
Not-So-Creepy Crawlers Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains
The first workshop in this year’s WiLD CiTY series will be Not-So-Creepy Crawlers on Saturday, October 18, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The series is hosted by Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, with the workshop led by Darlyn Prieto, environmental scientist and outreach/communication associate at Santa Monica Mountains Fund.
“The Santa Monica Mountains after dark is a completely different world,” read an event description. “Most of the animals we normally see during the day are fast asleep. But as the sun sets, different kinds of animals, like scorpions, are just waking up.”
With UV flashlights, participants will hike a two-and-a-half-mile trail under the stars, searching for “these mysterious creatures in their natural habitat.”
“Scorpions often get a bad rap, but they play an important role in the ecosystem and they’re not as scary as they seem,” RCDSMM wrote. “This adventure is all about opening minds and seeing the beauty in misunderstood wildlife. By the end of the night, you might just walk away with a newfound appreciation for these amazing arachnids.”
Half of the funds raised from the workshop will go to SAMO Fund, which “works to protect and encourage appreciation and understanding of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.”
The workshop will take place at Paramount Ranch, located at 2903 Cornell Road in Agoura Hills. Tickets are available for purchase at rcdsmm.org/wild-city.
Lowe Family YMCA Pumpkin Patch Photo by Jude De Pastino
Fall Community Picnic & Glass Pumpkin Sale Lowe Family YMCA Pumpkin Patch
Following its opening on Thursday, October 2, the Lowe Family YMCA Pumpkin Patch will host a Fall Community Picnic and Glass Pumpkin Sale at on Saturday, October 11.
The Fall Community Picnic will take place between 12 and 4 p.m., with spooky stories being read/told for kids by Theatre Palisades performers from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Bring a blankets and chairs to enjoy outdoor fun like frisbees and bubbles,” read an event description. “See your friends and neighbors, catch up, laugh, hug, family time, and community.”
There will also be food trucks on site, as well as opportunities to purchase pumpkins or walk through the art installation at Winding Way.
The annual Glass Pumpkin Sale, presented by Santa Monica College Art Department, will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. with blown glass pumpkins available for purchase.
“Join the fun at the pumpkin patch and purchase a beautiful glass pumpkin to last all year round,” read the description. “A portion of the proceeds go to the YMCA.”
The patch hours are Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at Simon Meadow, at the corner of Temescal Canyon Road and Sunset Boulevard.
Photo courtesy of Night of the Jack
Palisades Gift Shop Pop-Up Night of the Jack
Palisades Gift Shop will host a series of pop-ups at the marketplace at Night of the Jack—an immersive Halloween experience at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas.
“We’re popping up all over the place over the next few months,” Palisades Gift Shop said. “Our first pop up of this season will be at Night of the Jack, where we will be selling lots of fall items and a special Malibu collection.”
Night of the Jack is designed for attendees of all ages, with “vast grounds of intricately hand-carved and illuminated jack’olanterns” throughout a walking trail around the ranch’s grounds. Festivities include a live pumpkin carver, food trucks and a “Spookeasy Bar.”
The pop-up dates are October 11, 12, 19, 23 and 26 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. King Gillette Ranch is located at 26800 Mulholland Highway. Tickets and more information are available at nightofthejack.com.
Photo courtesy of Friends of Marquez
Boo Bash Marquez Charter Elementary School
Marquez Charter Elementary School will host its annual Boo Bash on Sunday, October 26, beginning at 12 p.m. at Pacific Palisades Highlands Park, located at 1950 Palisades Drive.
“Calling all ghosts and goblins, witches and wizards,” read an event flyer. “You are invited to a fun afternoon filled with games, activities, tricks and treats. Join us for Marquez Charter’s community Halloween party.”
The event is hosted by Friends of Marquez, the parent-run nonprofit that funds supplemental educational programs at the schooo. Tickets go on sale beginning October 12.
Palisadian Arden Seretean Shares a First-Hand Account of the Palisades Fire and Debris Removal at Her Home
By ARDEN SERETEAN | Intern
My name is Arden Seretean, and Pacific Palisades has been my home my entire life. It’s where I walk my dogs every evening, take dance classes, perform for the community, make documentaries, write poetry, participate in the Fourth of July parade and watch the fireworks from Pali High’s field.
The Palisades holds a special place in my heart, and losing parts of it to the fires has only strengthened my commitment to telling its story. Having documented this place my whole life, I felt an even stronger desire to create a documentary for the Palisadian-Post during my time as an intern.
Below is a first-hand account of the Palisades fire, from January 7 through the start of June, as well as a poem.
01/07/25
The day we were told to evacuate.
We saw the fire growing on the other side of the hill. A news team asked if they could film the fires from our deck. We even locked our doors, thinking we might return.
Alarms blared. Traffic was so jammed that people had to abandon their cars on Pacific Coast Highway, taking only what they could carry.
01/09/25
Photos from two days after the fire.
No residents were allowed to approach their homes. Most streets were closed off, and from anywhere you stood, you could see smoke billowing from the fires. The wind pushed the flames several football fields per second.
I remember frantically watching the news, desperately hoping our house had survived. An article showed a fire burning inside someone’s house, and for a moment, I thought it was mine. It was around 2 a.m., and I completely broke down, panicked, thinking it could be our house.
Here are photos of our home then, taken by someone who was able to get access up there.
01/11/25
Trying to get closure.
Photos by Arden Seretean
We waited in a line for 10 hours where cars filled the streets for many blocks—everyone desperately wanting to see if their house had survived. Only two cars were allowed up every hour.
After waiting, the National Guard let us see our house for a maximum of 10 minutes, as I was seeking some closure before returning to college. I couldn’t recognize anything; nothing looked like our home, and I was in denial for many months after.
05/30/25
Pacific Palisades.
Our drive to our house that day showed the damage in Pacific Palisades. Our neighborhood was completely gone.
05/30/25
Debris removal at our house.
Our mom let the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers handle it, but we stayed during the process in case we saw anything that had survived and could be salvaged. We wore masks, boots, suits—everything. We couldn’t save anything because the floors had collapsed on top of each other, making anything inaccessible.
05/31/25
Day two of the debris removal by the Army Corps.
The team worked quickly and efficiently. By the end of day two, noticeable progress had been made. We had very little time to look through the debris for anything we could save, while they took their lunch break.
05/31/25
Our neighbor’s house to the right.
I documented my neighbor’s home; they lived to the right of us. They saw their house on fire through their security cameras. They did not use the Army Corps for debris cleanup. Nothing was recognizable—just gone.
05/31/25
Debris removal is complete.
Here’s when the Army Corps completed our debris removal. Unfortunately, in the process, there was nothing for us to save. It took them just a few days to fully clear out our house. It was unfamiliar and devastating seeing our home this way. Everything was completely gone.
06/01/25
Ready for approval.
Our house was cleaned up and cleared out. The debris removal was finished, and they prepared the property for inspection and fenced everything off to mark the completion of their work. Here’s our house in its entirety.
“My Thoughts Undress the Silence”
I will never wake up to you again, my heart murmurs,
as my eyes remember the sun’s warm fingertips resting on your cheek of glass.
I wonder if you’d still recognize me as I stand over your body—splintered into the things I loved most
strings from a burned piano,
photographs collapsing from lack of air,
letters torn from their origins—
all spilling into the bed of a truck.
I miss your moon-colored skin
how you stood like a soldier
once a mother shielding me
from the heavy blankets of night
Now you lie cold, shaking
I try to cradle you,
gathering your shattered bones,
cupping them in my hands like how you used to hold me
My heart soaks my chest as I cry a little too
I don’t know how to deal with this pain as I write about loss to erase the feeling
Losing you left a dent in me
while the smaller things tug at me like an impatient child
Your smile that greeted me at the door
the letters you kept safe inside your ribs,
the shelter of your spine.
Since losing you,
I’ve been in constant motion—sliding from cousin’s house to grocery store, pet store to gas station—never really landing
I’ve become weightless
A kind of floating that feels like falling
I never thought you could burn, with
shoulders so strong they mocked the heaviness of rain,
arms so warm they held me as if I were fragile.
You were not meant to be a sandcastle for the tides
Not meant to melt away
But the fire found your spine
Bathed in your lungs
Consumed your skin
Until all that was left was sand.
Photo courtesy of Luke Content/Johnson Tree Company
Johnson Tree Company and Local Creatives Launch Comeback Campaign After Palisades Fire
By LUKE CONTENT | Special to the Palisadian-Post
After nearly a century serving the trees and landscapes of Los Angeles, Johnson Tree Company—a third-generation family business—is launching a spirited comeback campaign in partnership with boutique production studio Luke Content.
The grassroots campaign aims to lift community spirits, support local businesses recovering from the Palisades fire and encourage residents to take proactive steps toward fire-prevention tree care.
The Palisades fire in January marked a turning point for Johnson Tree Company: With long-standing clients facing scorched properties, Eli and his crew—who had cared for many of these trees and landscapes for decades—were called in to assess the damage. Some trees were lost, while others endured.
The fire reduced the number of properties the team regularly maintained and shifted their work toward recovery and renewal. Now, the nearly 100-year-old, family-owned Palisades business is using humor and heart to reconnect with longtime neighbors—and reach new communities—through a campaign that highlights local resilience, small business recovery, and the vital role of community-supported tree and landscape care in rebuilding.
Johnson Tree Company’s story is deeply rooted in the fabric of Southern California. Founded by Everett Johnson, a graduate of the famed Bartlett School of Tree Surgery, the company has grown through three generations, earning a reputation for expert craftsmanship and family values. Today, the nine-person team provides tree trimming, pruning, shaping, installation, fire-prevention services and post-fire recovery to help neighborhoods rebuild and reduce future fire risks.
This new chapter comes to life through a collaboration with Luke Content, a local creative studio specializing in community-driven campaigns.
“The fire devastated our communities and left many of us feeling helpless,” said Lucas Spaulding, partner at Luke Content. “I know so many wonderful businesses that were impacted, and I wanted to help. My creative partner, John ‘Mochi’ Park, and I decided to put our marketing skills to work for them.”
Spaulding, Park and their team of filmmakers developed a “whimsical, high-energy” campaign starring a cast of woodland puppets.
“After so much hardship, we wanted to create something funny, uplifting and heartfelt,” Spaulding explained. “Puppets turned out to be the perfect storytelling tool—with a big heart.”
At the center of the campaign is Wayne, the fast-talking squirrel and new spokesperson for Johnson Tree Company, alongside his woodland crew, including a crow, possum and skunk. Through humor and heart, the campaign celebrates family tradition, community resilience, and the importance of supporting local businesses and protecting green spaces after the fire.
“The response has been incredible,” Spaulding said. “People genuinely want to help, and this project has reminded us of all what community is about. I’ve worked in advertising for years, but this project has been uniquely meaningful. It’s been a joy to give back while seeing firsthand how we can come together to rebuild and reconnect.”
#RootedInPALI and #RootedInLA Campaign Call to Actions
Share the campaign on social media using #RootedInLA and #RootedInPALI
Support small businesses recovering from the fires
Attend local pop-ups: Join pop-up events or markets featuring fire-impacted businesses and artisans to show direct support
Book preventative tree care: Schedule a consultation with Johnson Tree Company to protect your property and reduce future fire risks
Volunteer for green space clean-ups: Organize or join local clean-up events in parks and public spaces to help restore natural areas
Adopt-A-Tree initiative: Sponsor tree planting in a local park or fire-affected area in honor of community resilience
Support local creators: Follow and promote local artists, filmmakers and musicians who are using their craft to uplift the community
Advocate for local business policies: Contact your city council to support policies that prioritize local business recovery and sustainable landscaping practices
By blending storytelling with actionable steps, the campaign turns viewers into participants—helping rebuild community ties, support small businesses and prevent future fire damage.
