By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor
Though a number of familiar faces were out on spring break, Pacific Palisades Community Council met on Thursday, March 28, to cover a variety of topics—including officer election and crime updates.
PPCC Vice President Sue Kohl spearheaded the March 28 meeting and gave attendees a rundown of what would be expected in the coming months.
Regarding PPCC officer elections, April 11 marked the appointment of the nominating committee. On May 9, the committee nominations are slated to be announced and nominations will be open for board members. Board nominations will remain open until 15 minutes before the end the PPCC meeting on May 23.
A candidates forum—if needed—will take place during the PPCC meeting on June 13, as well as the election of officers. The new officers will officially begin their term July 1.
Though PPCC President Maryam Zar was not in attendance, she sent a message for attendees, reporting that she has continued to work with the city of LA Department of Recreation and Parks, in hopes of engaging their technology team to come out to Palisades Recreation Center, and reassess existing buildings and electrical infrastructure for cameras, which would “assist park staff, LAPD, and monitoring deterrence and law enforcement.” PPCC first discussed camera installation to boost security in the Palisades in January.
“We’re working on … trying to get cameras on the buildings that we already have,” Kohl explained. PPCC is also considering obtaining foot patrols for the rec center through a RAP-certified vendor.
“While I’ve received a quote for a monthly service for two patrolmen, I do not have the specific parameters of service and hope to bring that to PPCC when I do,” Kohl said on behalf of Zar. “I have a call scheduled now with the RAP GM on April 9 and hope to report back at our first April meeting. I must admit that it [has] been difficult getting the city’s attention on this manner and having them work with us towards … doable solutions.”
Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer for Pacific Palisades Brian Espin then spoke, thanking attendees who were present for the March 20 communitywide virtual town hall, which had almost 300 people in attendance.
The meeting addressed several community concerns regarding behavior of juveniles in the Village and park areas, including fights, fireworks and riding of e-bikes.
“It was pretty successful,” Espin reported. “Being able to relay a lot of info to the community, offsetting … the rumor mill that was going on.”
He reminded attendees that if they are a victim of a crime to file a police report.
Espin also spoke on burglaries in the Palisades, reporting that this year’s count-to-date was 16, versus 15 at this point in 2023.
“In the beginning of the year, I thought our burglary numbers were going to be much higher, based on the crews that were hitting the area,” Espin said.
He also explained that theft is up in the community. He said this may be due to an online reporting system, which allows individuals to report items lost or stolen.
“Our theft numbers are higher than they were last year, we’re about 10 more than last year,” Espin concluded.
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