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A Canvas of Resilience

By
Lily Tinoco
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Sheila Morovati
Photos courtesy of Crayon Collection

Crayon Collection Unveils ‘Banners of Hope’ Project Across Pacific Palisades and Brentwood

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor 

Waves of color and messages of hope now line the streets of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, as local nonprofit Crayon Collection unveiled the Banners of Hope project—a community-driven effort.

Banners of Hope for Pacific Palisades invited area schools impacted by the January fire to create art that would be on display on light poles across the community. Students at each participating school worked to create one unique artwork—representative of their school—and chose three words to describe the future of the Palisades.

To celebrate the launch, Crayon Collection hosted a community event on Tuesday, June 3, with families, local educators and civic leaders. The event featured a live performance of “Hope” by Palisadian musician Joe Sumner, “honoring the strength and spirit of those impacted,” according to Crayon Collection.

A launch event on June 3 features a display of the banners.

“I feel like when I drive through the Palisades right now, it’s really not our community,” Crayon Collection Founder Sheila Morovati explained to the Palisadian-Post. “When I come through and I [see] ads for debris removal, or remediation or lawyers … It’s just not about our community and the people. There’s this togetherness that we wanted to bring about through these images that the kids are providing us within each school.”

Morovati hoped the artwork would provide a sense of community, joy and hope to those who have been affected and are navigating great loss.

“To be honest, it feels like it’s going to do a lot because as we drive through and see the rubble and all the depressing sights, just seeing what these kids have produced already has been so uplifting,” Morovati said.

Of the artwork that Morovati previewed ahead of the unveiling, she said three words stood out most: Love, Faith and Rebuild.

Now on display throughout Brentwood and the Palisades since the start of June, light pole banners feature the student-created artwork.

Participating schools include Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Methodist Preschool of Pacific Palisades, Kehillat Israel Early Childhood Center, Seven Arrows Elementary, Calvary Christian, Corpus Christi School, Village School and St. Matthew’s Parish School.

“The Banners of Hope project serves as a powerful reminder that hope and creativity can flourish even in the most challenging times,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a statement.

The banners will be up through the end of August. As a conclusion, Crayon Collection is also planning on replenishing every school’s art supply closet in August, in honor of #NationalCrayonCollectionMonth, “ensuring that students are equipped for the new school year.”

Crayon Collection was founded by Morovati, a resident of the Palisades, in 2010, with a mission to collect little-used or new crayons and donate them to children in need all over the country.

“Morovati’s daughter was a year-and-a-half old and a finicky eater when the two would dine at California Pizza Kitchen and be given a pack of crayons prior to their meal,” according to a 2014 Post article. “At such a young age, her daughter would scribble a bit and be done. Morovati noticed the staff would throw away the nearly new crayons along with the napkins and straw wrappers left on the table at the end of the meal.”

Over time, Morovati continuously noticed this trend in kid-friendly dining establishments. This led her to start collecting the discarded crayons off of tables. In September 2010, she expanded her efforts and became the founder of Crayon Collection.

Now, Crayon Collection serves 30,000 low-income youth annually and provides equal access to art education in vulnerable communities where art has been defunded. The organization has saved over 22 million crayons to date and has partnered with different institutions to offer art education to vulnerable schools.

Crayon Collection is currently accepting donations to support ongoing arts programming and community recovery efforts. For more information or to get involved, visit crayoncollection.org or contact info@crayoncollection.org.

Our Town

By
the Palisadian-Post
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Paliskates hosted a Fire Relief Skate Jam on June 7 at Stoner Park, with professional and amateur skateboarders, vendors, food trucks, and more. Supported by dozens of entities, including Councilmember Traci Park, city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, and LA Strong Foundation, the event was hosted to support the Swarthmore Avenue skate shop in its rebuilding efforts after the Palisades fire.

Photos courtesy of Hooten

Palisades Charter High School Social Sciences teacher and golf coach Dave Suarez received an Honored National Teaching Award in June for his “incredible impact on students during and after the Palisades fire.”

Suarez was nominated by his student, Jacob Leatherman.

“In January 2025, the Palisades fire brought devastation to California, destroying homes and parts of Palisades Charter High School,” read a statement from Honored. “In the aftermath, Suarez banded his golf teams together to help students navigate the challenges and surround them with support. During this time, Suarez saw how sports play a powerful role in bringing people together and providing a sense of normalcy for students during uncertain times.”

Leatherman said he is “forever grateful” for Suarez’ help getting him “back to the game” he loves.

“This recognition highlights extraordinary educators who inspire their students,” according to Honored. Suarez received a cash award and was featured on Inspiring Teachers: The Honored Podcast.

Honored, a nonprofit, is “dedicated to keeping great teachers in the classroom and inspiring a new generation of talent to pursue teaching.”

Photos courtesy of Honored

Palisades Charter High School graduating seniors attended a live Q&A event at Skirball Cultural Center on May 28 with alum will.i.am, Black Eyed Peas frontman, tech founder, CEO of FYI.AI and philanthropist.

“Pali High students [Miranda Casas and Joshua Tavasti] co-hosted the evening’s discussions, in which will.i.am shared inspirational advice and insights on a variety of topics, including the advantages of being focused, of understanding the problems you seek to solve in order to find effective solutions, the importance of paying it forward to improve local communities, the rise of women in STEAM fields, AI and jobs, and the necessity of persistence in the pursuit of your dreams regardless of your age,” according to information from the school.

The evening also included remarks from Pali High Executive Director/Principal Dr. Pam Magee and AP Spanish & Culture teacher Myrna Cervantes (Pali alum Class of ’93).

Photo courtesy of Emily Choi for FYI.AI

Honorary Town Sheriff Sam Laganà attended the wedding of Frank Hathaway Harrer—the 1995 Pacific Palisades First Baby of the Year— and Maëlle Poirier on Saturday, May 23, in Paris, France, at Mairie de Maisons-Alfort Hotel de Ville. Frank is the son of Chris Harrer and Pam Hathaway, and grandson of the late Frank Hathaway, a former leader of The Riviera Country Club. Frank and Maëlle reside in Paris.

Photo courtesy of Sam Laganà

Regal Cleaners Owners Save Precious Memories

By
the Palisadian-Post
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Photos courtesy of Lisa Kaas Boyle

By LISA KAAS BOYLE | Contributing Writer

Cira and Antonio Flores

We can all count the things, the community, the sense of home we lost in the Palisades fire. We were blessed beyond measure to have experienced our town together and for now, it’s mostly gone. But some things, community and reminders of home have a way of circling back, of providing relief and reminding us of who we are.

I’ve had three great gifts that survived the total loss of my home. My cats were rescued weeks after the fire by Viva Cat Rescue. My safe deposit box miraculously survived at Chase Bank preserving jewelry my ancestors brought to America. And finally, Regal Cleaners brought me a very unexpected gift. I had no idea what clothing we had at Regal when the fire burned our village, and a very special item was preserved, thanks to the care of Regal.

It is the intangible loss of community that I miss the most post fire. The friendly faces I had seen daily or weekly since I moved to be with my husband to his town of Pacific Palisades in 1990 when we graduated from law school.

One set of faces that I truly loved was the Flores family of Regal Cleaners. They took care of my suits when I was a practicing environmental attorney, my husband’s suits as an entertainment attorney who built his own law practice over these years and my now grown children’s clothing.

As my family grew, so did the Flores family, and I recall Cira’s pregnancy with twins, now 14. Lovely Cira was always smiling and handsome Antonio always wore beautifully patterned shirts. They were a warm part of the Palisades family that we almost took for granted until it was gone in a flash.

Boyle visits French Hand Laundry.

My husband read that the Regal family had reopened as French Hand Laundry in Pasadena and had saved the clothing from the Palisades. I called the number and was so happy to hear Cira’s voice. We made a day of it in Pasadena with the highlight, a visit to see the Flores family’s new business and see what memories they had saved for us.

The Flores Family

Cira and Antonio Flores bought Regal Cleaners on July 31, 2006, from previous owners.

“I have only good memories of Regal,” Cira said. “Palisadians took us in with a welcoming attitude. Before I knew it, I felt part of the community. We were blessed to get to know many, many people that made us feel appreciated, and we serviced their dry cleaning needs with pleasure.”

Cira described having a “big amount of clothing” from customers coming back from vacations on Monday, January 6.

“The morning of January 7, we were thinking, ‘It seems we are going to have a good year,’” Cira continued. “Then about 10:30 [a.m.], we could see the flames starting from the mountain in front of us. Anxiety started to take over our bodies, and we had to leave like everyone did.”

It took the Flores family about five weeks after the fire before they could go into the Village and find out the damage to their store.

“The feeling was indescribably hopeless,” Cira said. “We went back home to think how we were going to give customers back the clothes. During the few times we went inside the Village, some of the customers we saw, they took their clothes with smoke.”

At the start of February, Cira said they received a call about a location in Pasadena.

“Our idea was to go back to Regal as soon as they let us in and work in both stores, but we could not get an agreement with the landlord in the Palisades, so we removed all the inventory from Regal by March 31 when our lease was finished, and on April 1 we took over French Hand Laundry on 606 S Lake Avenue in Pasadena,” Cira said. “This store has a big empty room, which allowed us to do the smoke treatment for all the clothes from Regal, and now it’s all clean and ready to be picked up or mailed.”

Antonio is making trips to the Palisades every Wednesday, while Cira has been trying to contact all of their customers.

“The list is long,” Cira said, “so please call us at 626-792-3881 or even at my cell: 310-869-8615. It is really sad for me to say we won’t be able to go back to the Palisades, but I will always keep Palisadians in my heart.”

Preserving and Persevering

Seeing Cira and Antonio’s smiles again was very healing for me, and their new business is beautiful.

The biggest gift they saved for me: the kilt my husband bought for me in Ireland in his family tartan 35 years ago before I became a Boyle.

So many memories were preserved thanks to the Flores family’s care. I am deeply grateful for all the years of community with this special family, and wish them all success and love in their new community.

Double Dribble

By
Steve Galluzzo
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OJ Popoola (left) and twin brother EJ (right) are ready to showcase their basketball talent at Palisades High in the winter.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Thirty years after their father transferred to Palisades High, twin brothers Olujimi and Elijah Popoola are following in his footsteps. The 6-foot-6 juniors are two of the nation’s fastest rising prep basketball players in the 2027 class and it did not take them long to adapt to a new team and a new city.          

OJ and EJ made their summer league debuts against St. Pius X-St. Matthias on June 14 and five games in the two are already drawing college scouts’ attention. Last week they dominated at both ends of the floor and powered the Dolphins to a 4-0 record in the Fairfax Tournament at Pan Pacific Park. In the semifinal round on Friday versus Inglewood, OJ fed EJ for a layup that broke a 99-99 tie with 1:08 left, then OJ dunked a lob pass from Jack Levey for the clinching basket with 10.5 ticks to go and Palisades prevailed 106-102 despite a big game by Sentinels five-star recruit Jason Crowe Jr. The next day, OJ had 14 points and EJ added eight as the Dolphins routed Santa Monica by 40 points to win the championship.

OJ Popoola (left) and twin brother EJ (right) are ready to showcase their basketball talent at Palisades High in the winter.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo

 

“We’ve only been in town for two weeks but we like it,” said EJ, a shooting guard. “We’ve been playing since we were very little.”

“Our dad wanted us to play for his alma mater,” point guard OJ added. “So here we are.”

Raised in Las Vegas, the twins aspire to be like their older brother Christian, who led Bishop Gorman to three state titles before graduating in 2017 and went on to play at the University of Utah.   

OJ and EJ each played in four games their freshman year at Arbor View High in Las Vegas and spent last season at Voyageur College Prep in Detroit. They already have two scholarship offers, from UNLV and California, but wherever the two end up signing they insist they are “a package deal.”   

Head coach Jeff Bryant is delighted the twins have enrolled at Palisades.

“They have 4.3 GPAs, they’re great kids and it’s the right place at the right time,” said Bryant, who is expecting a smooth a transition. “It makes sense for them to come to their dad’s old stomping grounds. It’s like a match made in heaven, love at first sight, they fit right in.”

Chris Popoola transferred from Westchester to Palisades his senior year (1995-96) and the Dolphins went 24-3 under coach James Paleno, winning their third straight Western League crown on their way to the City semifinals, where they fell to Crenshaw in overtime. One of his teammates that season was Donzell Hayes, who would later serve as the Dolphins’ head coach from 2016-23. Ironically, 1995-96 was the last time Palisades captured the outright league title (it finished in a three-way tie for first  with Westchester and Fairfax in 2011-12). So Popoola’s sons are plenty motivated to end a drought that began the year after Chris graduated (he went on to play two seasons at UNLV).

Bryant would like that a lot.

Helping the twins achieve that goal will be another transfer, BJ Evans, who attended Taft last season but did not play basketball. He scored 16 points against Santa Monica and is the younger brother of James Evans (now at UNLV), whom Bryant coached for four years at West Ranch High in Stevenson Ranch.

Bryant took over Palisades’ program in the spring of 2024 and in the middle of his first season the Palisades Fire destroyed several players’ homes and left the team without a gym on campus to practice or play in. Bryant scrambled to find alternate sites and navigated the Dolphins all the way to the semifinals of the City Open Division playoffs, then to the CIF Southern Californa Division III regional semifinals.

Palisades is currently practicing at UCLA but Bryant said he is “100 percent confident” the team will play in its own gym next winter. The Dolphins are expected to be one of the top teams in the City.

Summer Football Practice Kicks Off

By
Steve Galluzzo
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Quarterback Caleb Burnett
Photo: Steve Galluzzo

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The Palisades High football team came within one victory of capturing the City Section championship in program history last fall and the Dolphins figure to be serious contenders again in 2025.

Summer practice started Monday at Santa Monica College, where head coach Dylen Smith got his first look at the incoming freshman and newcomers  and liked what he saw.

Players were put through a series of drills to test their agility, stamina, strength, quickness and hand-eye coordination. Wind sprints capped off the two-and-a-half hour session, after which Smith had some encouraging words for his squad.

“All of the goals that we want to accomplish… everything we’re working towards begins right here and now,” he said. “We want to win the fourth quarter every game and to do that you have to be mentally tougher than the other team.      

Smith revealed that LeHenry Solomon (who led the Dolphins last season with 836 receiving yards and added 15 total touchdowns) is transferring to Chaminade, but the Dolphins still may have the best wideout corps in the City with speedster Demare Dezeurn (a junior transfer from Bishop Alemany in Mission Hills) joining King Demethris (41 catches for 714 yards) and Harrison Carter, who led the Dolphins with 2,218 all-purpose yards (1,124 rushing, 581 receiving and 513 on kick returns) and 18 total touchdowns. Dezeurn, one of the fastest high schoolers in the country, ran the 100-meter dash in 10.39 seconds to take third at the CIF state track and field finals in Clovis on May 31, one week after repeating as champion in the same event at the Southern Section Masters Meet in 10.35. He had 20 receptions for 451 yards in only seven games last season.   

“We should be the best skill-wise,” Smith added. “Harrison is one of the top wide receivers in the City and adding Demare makes us that much better. Birmingham has big, strong lines along with Carson and the other Marine League schools. That’s an aspect we’ll have to develop as we go.”

Sophomore quarterback Caleb Burnett launched  spiral after spiral during Monday’s afternoon workout and heeded the advice of Smith, himself a former quarterback at Santa Monica High.

“He needs reps but the thing I’m most impressed with is his coachability.” Smith said of Burnett, who transferred from WISH Academy in Los Angeles—a school that does not have a football program. “When I show him something he listens and tries to copy it.”      

Returners and varsity players report next week, including quarterback Jack Thomas. He won the Joe Spector Award as varsity Most Valuable Player, was named Western League Player of the Year in December and garnered City Division I Offensive MVP honors after throwing for 3,369 yards and 46 touchdowns and running for 570 yards and 12 scores.

Summer practice runs through July 25.

Smith is optimistic the blue and white can return to the  Open Division playoffs, the City’s highest level. Palisades made the eight-team bracket in his first season, losing 14-10 at Gardena in the quartertfinals.

The Dolphins finished 11-3 last season, dropping the Sunset Showdown to Brentwood 33-30 in overtime, losing to league rival Venice by a single point and falling to King/Drew 56-35 in the City Division I final at Birmingham High. The team reclaimed the Charter Bowl trophy with a 42-28 victory over Granada Hills and scored 63 points (a school playoff record) in the semifinals at Eagle Rock.

The team piled up 582 points in 14 games and averaged 400 yards per contest.          

Smith was an assistant coach under Jake Ford at Brentwood before being hired to head Palisades’ program in 2023. He has won 18 of his first 24 games at the helm, the second-best record for a head coach in their first two seasons at Palisades, trailing only his predecessor Chris Hyduke, who went 21-5.

   

Pali High Sports: Year in Review

By
Steve Galluzzo
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Palisades High has won more City Section championships than any other school. Here is a recap of how far each Dolphins athletic program advanced in the postseasons in 2024-25:

FALL SPORTS

Boys Cross Country
Division I champion

Girls Cross Country
Division I Runner-Up

Girls Golf
Champion

Girls Tennis
Open Division Runner-Up

Girls Volleyball
Open Division Semifinals

Boys Water Polo
Open Division Runner-Up

WINTER SPORTS 

Boys Basketball
Open Division Semifinals

Girls Basketball
Open Division Semifinals

Boys Soccer
Open Division Quarters

Girls Soccer
Open Division Semifinals

Girls Water Polo
Open Division Finals

Competitve Cheer
Runner-Up (Varsity Large Division)

Boys Wrestling
Seventh Place

Girls Wrestling
15th Place

SPRING SPORTS

Baseball
Division I Quarterfinals

Boys Golf
Champion

Boys Lacrosse
Champion

Girls Lacrosse
Champion

Girls Beach Volleyball
Lost in First Round

Softball
Division I First Round

Boys Swimming
Runner-Up

Girls Swimming
Runner-Up

Boys Tennis
Champion

Boys Track & Field
Sixth Place

Girls Track & Field
Third Place

Boys Volleyball
Open Division Quarters

Will Rogers 5K to Be Run in Venice

By
Steve Galluzzo
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2018 winner Natalie Marsh
Photo: Rich Schmitt
2014 winner Andrew Bland
Photo: Rich Schmitt
2019 winner Darby Green
Photo: Rich Schmitt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

There is a distinct patriotism that permeates Pacific Palisades every Fourth of July morning and this year it will drift a few miles down the coast to Venice Beach for the annual Palisades Will Rogers Run.

What makes this year’s race unique, besides the location, is that for the first time there will be no 10K. For the first eight years, beginning in 1978, there was only the 6.2-mile route from the Palisades Recreation Center up to Will Rogers State Park and back. A 5K through the streets of the Huntington debuted in 1986 and because of the damage to that neighborhood caused by the Palisades Fire in January, the event will instead be held at Venice Beach on Independence Day. The Kids’ Fun Run will follow at 8:30 a.m., an hour and a half after the 5K.

2023 winner Noah Wexler
Photo: Craig Weston

The route is mostly flat and sraight and is slightly longer than the Palisades course. It starts at the intersection of Ocean Front Walk and Westminster Avenue, turns right at Brooks Avenue and right again onto Pacific Avenue just before the mile mark. After a left turn onto South Venice Blvd., the route continues up Venice Blvd., bends to the right at Abbot Kinney Blvd. and makes a U-turn at the two-mile mark, heading down Abbot Kinney in the opposite direction before turning left onto Venice Blvd., then right onto Pacific at the three-mile mark and finishing at Windward Plaza. The Fun Run will also be slightly longer than usual (0.65 miles instead of the half-mile course in the Palisades), starting and finishing at the Venice Beach Recreation Center.

Runners are encouraged to register early on the race website (runsignup.com/Race/CA/Venice/PalisadesWillRogers5K10KRun) at prices of $54.25 for the 5K and $32.75 for the Fun Run. No refunds allowed.

Providence Saint John’s Health Center will once again serve as the presenting sponsor. Others are the Cynthia L. & William E. Simon Foundation, Kennedy Wilson, Laura Brau Estates, LA Councilwoman Traci Park and American Legion Post 283. The Palisades Will Rogers  5 & 10K Run Foundation is supporting recovery efforts and race proceeds will go toward rebuilding the Palisades Recreation Center. Donations can be made on the website or by mail to Palisades Will Rogers 5 & 10K Run Foundation, P.O. Box 601, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

Brian Shea, Chris Carlson and Bill Klein founded the race and Shea served as director until passing the torch to Thomas Hathaway in 2023. Locals have enjoyed great success at their hometown race over the years, particularly Palisades High alums Peter Gilmore (eight-time 5K champion and course recordholder), Katie Dunsmuir (six-time 10K champion and course recordholder) and 11-time champion Kara Barnard, who won the 5K five times and won the 10K on six occasions.   

Last year’s 5K winners were UC Santa Barbara runner Gus Marshall, whose 15:40 clocking was the fastest since the course was lengthened by 427 feet and to gain USATF certification in 2015. Santa Monica High’s Phoebe Benun was last year’s female 5K winner in 19:13.     

The Dick Lemen Perpetual Trophy will again be awarded to the winner of the high school competition (sign-ups available on the race website). Participating schools must enter at least three runners between the ages of 14-18 to be eligible.

Last year’s July 4 race drew 2,470 runners (1,828 in the 5K and 642 in the 10K)—the biggest field since the event resumed in 2022 following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Palisadians Pace Rival Teams

By
Steve Galluzzo
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Cooper Robinson
Photos: UCLA Athletics
Spencer Graves
Dillon Klein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UCLA men’s volleyball team reached its third straight NCAA final in May thanks to the contributions of a pair of Palisadians—redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson and sophomore middle blocker Spencer Graves.

Robinson led the team in kills (365), digs (120) and aces (41), was second in sets played (103) and blocks (63) and was third in assists (41). Graves had a kill, a dig and three aces in 10 matches. The Bruins finished 22-7 but were denied a three-peat by Long Beach State, which swept the championship match 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 on May 12 in Columbus, Ohio.

Robinson was chosen Player of the Year in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the seventh Bruin to be so honored and the second hailing from Pacific Palisades (Palisades High graduate and beach volleyball Olympian Miles Partain was the first in 2022). He had double-digit kill totals 18 times in the regular season. He was an all-conference second team selection in 2024.

Across town, fellow Palisades resident Dillon Klein powered USC to the MPSF title match after finishing first on the squad in kills (338) and kills per set (3.84) and adding 107 digs, 18 aces and 65 blocks in 88 sets. The Trojans’ junior outside hitter joined Robinson on the MPSF first team after earning second team honors in 2023 and 2024.

Robinson, Graves and Klein all starred at Loyola under head coach Mike Boehle. Robinson led the Cubs to the Southern Section semifinals in 2018, 2019 and 2021 and was named to the 2020 Boys 25 Underclassmen to Watch List by Volleyballmag.com. Klein was picked CIF Co-Player of the Year as a senior in 2022 and was a member of the 2020 USA Boys Youth National Training Team. Graves helped the Cubs capture the SoCal regional crown in 2023 while hitting over .600 as a senior and led his Manhattan Beach Surf club squad to the AAU 18 Open national championship.

Palisadians Powering College Baseball Teams

By
Steve Galluzzo
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Jack Gurevitch
San Diego Athletics
Truman Pauley
Harvard Athletics
Lucas Herman
Hamilton Athletics

 

Anton Shelton
Oberlin Athletics
Mason Edwards
USC Athletics

By STEVE GALLUZZO
Sports Editor

The college baseball season ended Sunday when LSU beat Coastal Carolina to win the World Series in Omaha, but several players with Palisades connections enjoyed  stellar seasons for their respective teams. Perhaps no one had a greater  impact on his school’s success than  former PPBA All-Star and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High standout Jack Gurevitch.

A junior infielder at the University of San Diego, Gurevitch led the Toreros in batting average  (.371), OPS (1.158), runs (56), hits (85), homers (17), total bases (156), runs batted in (56), slugging percentage (.681), walks (35)  and was second in RBIs (56). In the field he had a .984 percentage with 325 put-outs and 39 asssists as the Toreros posted an overall  record of 28-30 and a 19-5 mark in the West Coast Conference. He went four-for-four at the plate with a run scored and one RBI on February 25 against Arizona and went four-for-six with three runs  and four RBIs and a homer against Gonzaga on May 23.

As a sophomore he started all 56 games, hit .324 with nine home runs, 11 doubles and 110 bases and made the All-WCC Second Team. He made the All-WCC Freshman Team in 2023 and made  only two errors in 229 chances for a .992 fielding percentage.    

As a senior at Notre Dame he batted .357 with 41 hits and earned CIF All-State First Team honors and was named Mission League MVP after leading the Knights to a 25-9-1 record and a CIF finals appearance.

Meanhile, Truman Pauley put together an excellent season on the mound at Harvard University, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention and a spot on the Ivy League All-Tournament sqiad. The sophomore right-hander ranked third in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (5.37) and 33rd in strikeouts per nine innings (11.64). He led the Ivy League in both strikeouts (91) and opponents average (.171), while ranking third in innings pitched (70.1), fourth in games started (12), fifth in wins (four), and ninth in earned run average (4.61). He made 15 appearances and four starts as a freshman in 2024.

Pauley was a PPBA All-Star and a first team All-League choice in 2022 and 2023 at Windward School, where he made the Dean’s List and won the Athletics Scholar of the Year Award as a senior . He played club for Legacy Baseball and SoCal Renegades.

One of Pauley’s teammates at Windward was Anton Shelton, who just wrapped up his junior year at Oberlin College in Ohio, where he played catcher and had 13 hits, 14 runs, 10 RBIs and four doubles in 71 at-bats for the Yeomen. He had 15 runs, 22 hits and five doubles his sophomore year.    

Also starting behind the dish was Hamilton College (Clinton,  NY) junior Lucas Herman, who  helped the Continentals go 14-17 overall. The Viewpoint School alum finished the 2025 campaign with 12 runs, 21 hits, six doubles and 19 RBIs in 31 games played. He appeared in 14 games in 2024 when he hit his only college home run as a sophomore and had 17 hits with 13 RBIs and eight runs scored as a sophomore.

Palisades High alum Mason Edwards is beginning to feel right at home at USC. The sophomore left-hander made 12 appearances with five starts for the Trojans,  striking out 46 batters in 32.2 innings pitched and accumulated a 3.86 earned run average. He made 20 appearances (four starts) in his first year at USC with a 52 to 19 strikeout to walk ratio.     

At Palisades, Edwards was an intimidating figure on the mound, playing two seasons on varsity and earning All-City honors twice.

He was a two-time Western League Pitcher of the Year and as a senior in 2023 he posted a 1.15 earned run average with 103 strikeouts in 55 innings while leading the Dolphins to the City Open Division semifinals, where they lost to Birmingham at USC’s Dedeaux Field. Palisades went 26-4 and Edwards finished with an 8-1 record. As a junior in 2022, Edwards went 6-4 with a 1.20  earned run average and 102 strikeouts in 64 innings.

Another ex-Dolphin pitcher,  righty John Iacono, struck out 27

batters in 24.2 innings for Biola University in La Mirada. He was 4-4 with 91 strikeouts his senior year at Palisades.

Former Pali High catcher Nate Sterling had 36 hits, 14 runs, nine doubles and 19 RBIs in 107 at-bats for LA Valley College and lefty relief pitcher Ryan Higgins, also a former Dolphin, posted a 5-0 record with four saves and 47 strikeouts for the Monarchs. Sterling had 30 hits and 25 RBIs as a senior at Pali High in 2023. Higgins was 8-1 and had 85 strikeouts and a 0.92 earned run average.     

Pacific Palisades Reopens to the Public Following Fire

By
Sarah Shmerling
-
Checkpoints limiting access into parts of Pacific Palisades were removed on Saturday, June 14.
Photo by Gina Kernan

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Following months of checkpoints that have been staffed by Los Angeles Police Department and National Guard, Pacific Palisades reopened to the public, effective Saturday, June 14, at 6 a.m.

Since the Palisades fire on January 7, a portion of the Palisades has had its access restricted to residents, contractors, first responders and essential businesses. Following the reopening of a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between Chautauqua Boulevard and Carbon Beach Terrace to the public on Friday, May 23, access to the Palisades was provided through 16 checkpoints.

“Due to citywide operational needs and demands, the LAPD has recommended a shift in the security plan in the Pacific Palisades to deploy officers to other parts of the city,” Mayor Karen Bass wrote on June 15. “On Saturday, the LAPD and contracted security guards began engaging in high-visibility patrols throughout the Pacific Palisades instead of operating fixed traffic control points.”

Bass’ office, along with Councilmember Park and LAPD officials, hosted a one-hour community meeting on Monday afternoon, June 16, to detail the changes.

“I know these changes are upsetting for some of you, and I take those concerns very seriously,” Park said on June 14. “Please know there will continue to be a very heavy presence of police and security in and around the area, and LAPD is fully committed to working closely with the community to make additional changes as needed.”

LAPD confirmed they would have “high-visibility patrols” seven days per week, 24 hours per day. The city-contracted private security companies that LAPD will be working with include ACS, Gates, Nastec, Black Knight, Allied and Apollo.

There were “no reported crimes since Saturday,” June 14, according to LAPD, with Chief Jim McDonnell saying during the meeting that the Palisades was in a “very good place” from a public safety standpoint.

“I wish we had the luxury of being able to provide some advance notice on [changes], but we had the unrest,” McDonnell said during the meeting. “That’s something I really have a hard time describing unless you were here in downtown LA—it was intense. It went on for an extended period of time.”

McDonnell said that “it’s a balancing act, always,” as LAPD has “very limited resources.”

“We’re down 1,400 officers from where we were a couple of years ago,” McDonnell said. “It’s a constant triage to be able to do the best job we can with the limited resources we could get to apply to any problem.”

Captain Rich Gabaldon described a “pretty successful” transition over the weekend. For patrolling purposes, the Palisades has been divided into four sectors, with two officers in each sector, as well as 16 private security officers at a time.

There is also the “traditional A1 and basic car,” to “handle calls for service and respond to emergencies.” California Highway Patrol was also still patrolling the Palisades as of the time of the meeting, but their resources will be pulled at their discretion, according to McDonnell.

LAPD also announced it will be launching a “Stop in Center” in the Palisades, which will open as soon as next week. This is a location where officers assigned to the Palisades can write reports, eat lunch and meet with community members. This will “minimize officers’ time away from the Palisades.”

The potential location being considered at the time of the meeting was 15224 Sunset Boulevard. When operational, community members will be invited to visit the center when they see a police car parked outside, indicating an officer is available—which differs from a sub-station, as those have officers available on-site at specific times.

There will be public roll calls each morning at 10 a.m., which LAPD invited community members to attend. The next few will be taking place June 19 at 15100 Pacific Coast Highway (lifeguard headquarters), June 20 at 16605 W. Sunset Boulevard (Marquez square) and 17380 W. Sunset Boulevard (Vons). Pacific Palisades Community Council later provided an extended calendar of roll call locations.

When it comes to contacting LAPD, life-threatening emergencies should be called or texted to 911. For non-emergencies, community members can call 877-275-5273 or the LAPD West Los Angeles Community Police Station: 310-444-0701. There is a community online reporting system available at lapdonline.org.

An email address, which will reach LAPD Senior Lead Officers Brian Espin and Matthew Kirk, has been set up: palisades@lapd.online. “Tips and other non-emergency information” can be sent to this address.

“I believe we’re in a good place to be able to be effective moving forward,” McDonnell said on June 16, “and anybody who comes to test it, I think we’ll see that the level of visibility is pretty dramatic.”

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