This editor is joining residents in “crying uncle.” For those too young to understand the phrase, it originated around the 1900’s among American school children as a way to surrender in a physical fight, meaning “give up” and was still a term used when I was a child.
“UNCLE!”
Everyone is well-meaning, but what Pacific Palisades has done has produced so many groups that the community no longer has one voice. We are fractured. No one in the City or State is listening to us, because it’s one group after another and each group does not seem to want to relinquish control, and also seems to have slightly different ideas on how to proceed.
We need one voice. We need one voice to get DWP to say “yes” we’re undergrounding and this is what needs to be included in the spec – and Building and Safety needs to know that and agree.
We needed one voice to organize Palisadians to ensure we all reach out to City Councilmembers to ask them to waive permit fees.
We need one voice to go to the governor and tell him its time to drop his dispute with Trump long enough to get FEMA dollars for Pacific Palisades.
We need one voice to ensure that FEMA funds come to Pacific Palisades, so the library is rebuilt and streets repaired.
This editor finds it interesting that so many groups duplicate efforts, with no real results. How many more building expos will we need to attend that tell us that if only we build differently our homes would not have burned. (P.S. that won’t happen unless the State adopts brush clearance and the City reinstates Santa Ynez and the Chautauqua Reservoirs as a helicopter water-filling site.)
It is time to put egos aside and help the people in Tahitian Terrace and Palisades Bowl and all the people on fixed income get back in the Palisades. Where are all the free homes promised by Rick Caruso and Habitat for Humanity? Do only some poor people count?
We need to speak with one voice; no one is listening to individual chatter. We have so many groups: there is Pali Strong (Palisades High School), Pali Strong (Larry Vein) Palisades Dolphin Strong (Larry Goldberg), Team Palisades, Palisades Recovery Group (Maryam Zar), Pacific Palisades Long Term Recovery Group (Jim Cragg), Action Network (Jeremy Padawar), Steadfast L.A. (Caruso), The Department of Angels ( Evan Spiegel) and the Pacific Palisades Community Council (subsequent subcommittees formed after the fire) and all of the What’s Apps groups that were established after the fire.
That also doesn’t include groups that were established before the fire, such as the PaliBu Chamber of Commerce, individual school groups, Rotary, Palisades Beautiful, Temescal Canyon Association . . .
We need a team of all groups working together. As football coach Vince Lombardi said, “People who work together will win,” whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.
There is too much duplication of effort, without results. There is talk, lots of talk, but there are no results. There are studies and lots of after-action reports, but nothing changes.
Every weekend there seem to be five and six events scheduled, all with the premise of helping people reestablish community and showing those displaced a way to rebuild resiliently.
UNCLE!
Enough events, enough groups, enough wonder materials, enough of being blamed for this colossal failure of local and state government.
Amen!
There are many “groups” and to a large degree they have accomplished nothing. But the cacophony from the numerous groups is not the reason nothing has happened. The reason nothing has happened is that 90272 may have been a bucolic Mayberry-esque community but it is an “all bark and no bite” community that has no influence, no leverage over the outcomes heading its way. Early on some expressed confidence that 90272 would benefit from the abundance of local movers and shakers who would jump into action. The movers and shakers have accomplished nothing. Not because of channel conflict with all the community groups and WhatsApp channels but because the movers and shakers are paper tigers with no political power. Caruso has accomplished nothing (possibly because he is an empty suit with no political power even though his frequent YouTube interviews are full of primrose promises). Soboroff accomplished nothing. The reason Traci Park’s 90272 fee waiver proposal went down in flames isn’t because she didn’t make 90272’s demands clear it’s that 90272 apparently doesn’t realize that when horse trading one has to bave something to trade with. The city council showed Traci Park and 90272 that 90272 has no political power. Even if 90272 turned 100% Republican 90272 would have no political power. 90272’s local entertainment residents have done nothing other than channel the spirits of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland (“Let’s put on a show”) and deliver FireAid. The insurance companies know that 90272 residents can complain all they want but a contract is a contract and not knowing what is in the contract is not an excuse. 90272 has been through an unusual learning experience. Don’t belittle the value of the education by by blaming WhatsApp.
As a resident of Tahitian Terrace, the idea of “free homes” doesn’t work because 1) our “landlord” hasn’t commited to rebuilding the park and 2) in order to be placed in a mobile home park, a house needs to comply with antiquated rules by HCD which precludes bringing modern building ideas (prefab) to our park. The homes Steadfast has made available do not meet those requirements. I can’t speak for the Bowl, which has it’s own unique issues. As to the lack of a true leader for the greater Palisades taking charge with a small expert team to “speak for the community” I fully agree. The approacch now, which is driven by egos and ideas jocking for “power” and pushing “adgendas” that only dilute the goal of rebuilding, must be ended if we are to ever find our way HOME again.
I CANT AGREE MORE!!! Well said! We need to see some unity, clarity and movement forward as ONE group. We have no time for huge egos.
So true. It’s the cutting edge right now, the tipping point will come soon.
Sue is spot on in this article. Unfortunately many of use are still mired in insurance struggles—it would really help if the Insurance Commissioner would release their report on State Farm or at least give some indication of when we can expect that to happen. Focused efforts can bring results. Let’s get the waiving of permit fees done and concentrate on getting some concrete progress on undergrounding. Also Rick Caruso has a big megaphone and it’d be good to see him take more of a leadership role on some of these issues..
Several Palisades community groups working on fire recovery are beginning a series of meetings (starting today) to coordinate efforts in planning for the anniversary. This will help with coordination between groups.
Thank you, Sue! For months I’ve been saying to anyone who would listen, incl. a member of the board of Pali LTRG and a director of the foundation funding the Pali Community Renewal Center, “It’s not that there’s no help out there, it’s that there’s too MUCH help out there. How do we navigate the torrent of words, links, zooms, webinars, calls, community meetings?” My list of over 30 helping organizations is still growing. None has helped — and we’re 11 months in! Thanks, but I don’t need another “event,” I need a human helper. The detritus of daily displaced living swamps efforts to research “build back” vs. leave the state for an affordable, rest-of-my-life home. Good luck, Neighbors.
Maybe someone should spearhead a “group” to synergize the groups! (Couldn’t resist!) Right on as usual Sue. Goal: one much more powerful lobbying voice for us.