By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The application period for a Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation wildfire recovery grant is open now through June 6 at 5 p.m. for small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

“The Small Business Disaster Recovery Fund grant program is designed to support qualified small businesses impacted by the catastrophic Los Angeles County wildfires beginning January 7 throughout the Eaton and Palisades Wildfire Disaster Impact and Evacuation Area,” according to information available on the website.

To qualify for the program, the authorized signer (owner or officer) submitting the application must be at least 18 years old. The business or nonprofit must have had $10 million or less in annual revenue for 2023. Eligible zip codes in the Palisades fire area include 90049, 90263, 90265, 90272 and 90290.

The entity must also be “currently open and operating within the Eaton and Palisades Wildfire Disaster Impact and Evacuation Area” or plan “to reopen and resume operations within the Eaton and Palisades Wildfire Disaster Impact and Evacuation Area.” They must also meet both of the following criteria: “is/was physically located within the Eaton and Palisades Wildfire Disaster Impact and Evacuation Area” and “50% or more of its business clientele base is/was located within the Eaton and Palisades Wildfire Disaster Impact and Evacuation Areas.”

A complete list of eligibility requirements is available here. The application period, which opened May 7 at 9 a.m., is subject to change.

“Through our Small Business Recovery Fund and other efforts, we’re empowering entrepreneurs to restart and reimagine,” the LA Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation wrote. “We’re rallying residents to support their neighborhoods, and reminding the world that when Los Angeles comes together, there’s no limit to what we can rebuild.”

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Ted McGinley and Gigi Rice have been named the next co-honorary mayors of Pacific Palisades—a tradition in the community that dates back more than seven decades.

Rice and McGinley are taking over the position from Eugene Levy, who served as honorary mayor from 2021 to 2024.

The couple, which has been displaced since the Palisades fire began on January 7, has lived in the Huntington for more than 30 years. They are splitting their time between friends and family—including one of their sons—while remediation work is underway on their home, which is still standing.

“These are very difficult times,” McGinley said to the Palisadian-Post. “You can’t put a happy-go-lucky message on it—we’re just there like everybody else, and we understand what we’re all going through.”

The two have volunteered and given back in various ways: McGinley as a Pacific Palisades Baseball Association coach in 2010 and 2011, as well as Teen Talent Contest Judge in 2019 and 2020. He also coached basketball and flag football. Rice has been an AYSO soccer coach and does cleanup efforts at the beach. They both volunteered at St. Matthew’s Parish School while their sons, Beau and Quinn, were attending, as well as at the PPBA Pancake Breakfast and snack bar.

The co-honorary mayors join a list of previous leaders that began in 1951 with Virginia Bruce and includes Adam West, Vivian Vance, Martin Short, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Steinfeld, Steve Guttenberg and more. This is the second time the position has been led by co-honorary mayors, with Billy and Janice Crystal serving from 2018 to 2020. McGinley and Rice were nominated by a group of previous honorary mayors.

“It truly is an honor,” McGinley said. “We’re thrilled to be part of it.”

McGinley is an actor, with roles in shows like “Shrinking,” “Married… with Children,” “Happy Days,” “The Love Boat” and more. An actress, Rice has had roles in “The John Larroquette Show,” “Delta,” “Do Over,” “Frasier” and others. She previously played the on-screen wife of Levy in “The Man.”

McGinley said the idea of mayorship has “come around before—years and years ago” when he was coaching baseball, but at the time, he said they just wanted to be people who lived in the community.

“But now, Gigi and I, we’ve been wanting to help the Palisades,” McGinley said of taking on the role as the community recovers from the fire. “Gigi said, ‘If not now, when?’ That’s sort of what we’ve hung our hat on, and that’s what we both really feel like—if we don’t do it now, when are we going to do it? This is the time, and we feel like we want to get involved.”

Rice described wanting to be “of service in any way” that they can, that they “believe in this community” and “want it to come back—come back beautiful and strong.”

“We want to be cheerleaders,” Rice continued. “There’s a lot of sadness, loss, grief. With friends, we know hundreds of people who have lost everything.”

In past years, the honorary mayors have attended various community events, including the Pali Bee, the grand opening of Palisades Village in 2018, and Christmas tree and menorah lightings. Rice and McGinley acknowledged that their time will look different, but they plan to be at as many reopenings and events as possible—including Fourth of July—noting the comfort neighbors and friends have had when seeing each other while the community is largely “scattered.”

“We’ve lived there for 30 years, so we have a very clear understanding of what the Palisades was and what it meant to our family,” McGinley said, “and what it meant to people who’ve lived there for a long time, and even people who lived there for a short time, who moved in because of what it was.”

McGinley described spending “more hours in that park than you could imagine” of Palisades Recreation Center, with Rice adding the family was a part of things like Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Studio and tutoring programs, recalling former spaces like Greg’s Grill and Mort’s Deli.

“We’ve seen it change and grow,” Rice described, “but the thing that stayed the same was everybody who goes there and raises their family, we all want the same thing, and that’s this love and community and protection. We just want everybody to be healthy, happy and thriving.”

McGinley said that he and Rice believe their kids “benefited greatly from being a part of the Palisades community.”

“We’re there because we want to help,” McGinley said. “We’re there because we believe in Pacific Palisades and the community and the people, and we want to try to help. I know this may seem like a trite, simple way to do so, but we’re hoping that in some way, we can make an impact … ”

“And bring some joy and some support … and attention,” Rice added.

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Representatives from Los Angeles Department of Water & Power presented at the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center Park Advisory Board meeting on April 22, detailing the agency’s ongoing work through an operations center and command post on site, as well as its potential plan to exit the space.

In response to the Palisades fire and related utility repair work, LADWP Senior Assistant General Manager – Power System David Hanson explained that the department established an Incident Command Post in January and a Unified Utilities Rebuild Operations Center on March 1 at the site of the rec center.

Present to interface with the public, the UUROC is located in the small gym—which was not damaged in the fire—and the ICP is in the outdoor basketball court area, with an ICP laydown, which stores materials like power poles for easier access and cutting time for “commuting in and out” of the Palisades for LADWP, near the lower tennis courts.

“It’s always a challenge for us to be able to find a storage location for multiple poles,” Hanson explained. “We were able to stage a lot of material down there in the lower tennis courts and keep it local.”

As of the April 22 meeting, LADWP reported that “all structures that can be energized have been energized” in the Palisades area, which has included the installation of 1,269 poles and over 170,000 feet of cable. Hanson said that LADWP has committed to undergrounding services in the Palisades, but that is “going to take us some time,” which means building “overhead infrastructure in the meantime.”

Since it opened on March 1, the UUROC has served 150 customers in person as of April 22, helping with things like power restoration status, instructions on how to turn on main power breakers, temporary power requests, water trouble and general account inquires, according to LADWP.

Hanson broke down rebuilding efforts into three categories: “emergency restoration,” which is “substantially completed;” “temporary rebuild”—estimated to be completed in summer 2025; and “permanent rebuild,” which includes aspects like undergrounding power.

With no changes to the site being used by LADWP, the agency explained that temporary rebuilding efforts would continue, estimating it would exit the rec center “mid-summer.” LADWP reported that this would allow them to “maintain temporary rebuild momentum.”

To exit the rec center site by June 1, LADWP explained, it could delay temporary rebuild completion until “late-summer.” A third scenario had LADWP exiting by May 1, which would delay the temporary rebuild until “early fall.”

All scenarios had the UUROC remaining on site—but LADWP reported that it has been exploring other potential options for sites within the Palisades if the community has a desire for it to exit the small gym.

“If you can give us until early summer, we’ll get out of your way and everything will be great,” Hanson said. “But if you need us to get out sooner, we’re prepared to do that as well.”

Alternate properties outside of the Palisades that are being considered for materials laydown include Topanga (former Reel Inn and adjacent) or Malibu near Corral Canyon.

“We’re trying to get as close as we can to the Palisades,” Hanson explained. “That will just minimize our delays for transit into and out of the area. But we definitely don’t want to stand in the way of anything that the community wants to do with the recreation center.”

Multiple members of the PAB suggested allowing for park concessionaires—including bocce and baseball—access to the area to begin their own repair work so that when the new playground opens, several facets of the park will be ready for the community to use. Hanson and the LADWP representatives then took questions and comments from PAB and community members.

“One-third of the Palisades remains, and they need a place to go and play,” a board member said of the rec center facilities being available to the community, “and those of us that have had to relocate temporarily need a place to meet and an oasis to return to.”

At the time of the meeting on April 22, RAP General Manager Jimmy Kim reported that an application for debris removal had been submitted and approved by Cal OES. The playground was on track for a July opening.

Kim also reported that RAP was working on a contract for monthly soil testing, including at the bocce courts, tennis courts and baseball fields. Research was also in progress for air quality monitoring. Kim shared plans of returning to a future meeting with further updates.

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Pacific Palisades Community Council hosted a representative from the California Department of Insurance during its Thursday, April 24, board meeting, addressing concerns related to fire recovery and insurance matters.

Outreach Analyst Rob Obedoza delivered a presentation from the department—covering a range of topics, as well as offering updates and advice to meeting attendees.

As of March 5, Obedoza said 27,872 claims had been paid, totaling $12.1 billion. The average claim payout was $435,000.

When dealing with adjusters, Obedoza advised Palisadians to ensure every adjuster they are working with is properly licensed and to keep a documentation trail.

“Ask questions, ask why something may not be covered,” Obedoza said. “Ask for it in writing. If a company changes adjusters, make sure to keep documentation.”

Obedoza said documenting agreements helps hold insurance companies accountable.

If Palisadians are being offered low claim payments, Obedoza said, nobody should be forced into accepting an amount.

“In many cases, the first payment is called the ‘undisputed amount,’ which is the minimum amount they are required to pay you,” he explained.

Obedoza said to advise the Department of Insurance if there is pressure to accept a payment.

When considering rebuilding, building or buying elsewhere, Obedoza explained that after a total loss is declared, insurance companies are “required to pay the full replacement cost benefits, which must include any building code upgrade and extended replacement costs associated with rebuilding the insured property,” even if the individual chooses to rebuild or buy a property in another location.

“Value of land cannot be deducted from this settlement,” he said. “Make sure you advise the insurance, and your lender … if you are considering this. Generally, once you identify the property and go into escrow, the insurance company will pay the amount it owes. You would only be eligible up to the full replacement costs owed if you actually spend that amount in rebuilding or buying property in another location.”

If an individual has a mortgage, he advised to speak with the lender to discuss payment and escrow.

In relation to emergency actions, insurers are required to continue providing Additional Living Expenses coverage until wildfire survivors’ homes are deemed habitable as a result of fire debris, ash and other hazardous materials.

Obedoza also explained that a one-year nonrenewal moratorium was declared for residential policies within or adjacent to wildfire perimeters. The insurance moratorium expires January 6, 2026.

In a total loss, law guarantees two automatic renewals, and the insurance company is required to work with the individual to determine any adjustments in coverage, Obedoza explained. If an individual has a lender, they are required to have no gap in coverage.

Obedoza also explained that insurance companies were unable to properly assess risk in California before and were void of using modern tools that had been used across the country—but they are being allowed to do that now. Obedoza said these models are currently under review by the Department of Insurance, and they should be finalized in June.

“The commissioner expects more policies in those areas by early next year, as part of the agreement,” he said. “But … insurance companies are now allowed to charge .. reinsurance costs.”

Obedoza explained that reinsurance costs have been “skyrocketing” and rates are expected to increase.

“In order for them to write these policies, they are going to be charging what it costs for them to assess the risk properly,” he said. “There are going to be options available. It’s going to be more expensive, unfortunately … The goal long term is, the more options that are available, the more competition there is in the market. [That] hopefully drives prices down.”

Obedoza said the Department of Insurance plans on hosting more community-level webinars in the coming months, with the next one slated for June.

For more information, visit insurance.ca.gov, or call 1-800-927-4357 to reach a consumer hotline for insurance complaints, questions and assistance.