Pali Strong Founder Larry Vein has come under extreme scrutiny from local residents about receiving half million dollars in FireAid money. People say the Highlands resident never participated in any Pacific Palisades community programs, such as community council, Rotary, Optimist Club before the fire. This is true. People have asked for months how the money Vein received has helped the community.
The same should be asked of the other 172 grantees of FireAid.
A FireAid concert held in January was intended for the victims of the Palisades/Eaton Fires to help with survival and rebuilding. Instead that money went to nonprofits, many of whom had no ties to either community.
The FireAid web site stated that money would go to “direct aid to victims and not used for administrative purposes.” Comments made by the performers during the concert repeated “all of the money raised will go directly to people who need it now.”
But now FireAid representatives and designated spokespeople say that they never intended to give money directly to the victims that donors and possible recipients were mistaken.
In July, Congressman Kevin Kiley asked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into FireAid Funds.
Latham & Watkins, an international law firm, engaged by FireAid released an investigative report for FireAid Concerts on September 8, explaining how distributing money to nonprofits rather than victims was okay.
In the Latham & Watkins pro bono report they write, “our investigation to date indicates that FireAid’s processes align with its stated mission.” That money “will be distributed for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California.” To see the nonprofits and how much money they received click here. The list of the grantees is in the Appendix.
You can also view the board of directors and ask them why money did not go to fire victims? P. 3 CTN reached out to a member of the board, who never responded.
Palisades and Altadena residents who are dealing with destroyed homes, insurance companies refusing to pay out, no insurance or Fair Insurance feel money should have been divided between victims. (Red Cross and FEMA gave money to victims. L.A. County has a record of whose homes were destroyed and could also make a “payment” to those people.)
One resident wrote CTN “Did ANY of your really believe that the 100 million was going to go to ‘fire victims?’ The whole point of the concert was to virtue signal and collect money for politically connected NGO’s (non-governmental organizations).”
Vein is only one of 172 nonprofit grantees. For example, the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, received $1,125,000 and was one of nine food banks/charities to receive cash. In this case the foodbank is a legitimate nonprofit, but did the money raised help wildfire victims?
Where’s the accountability for Door of Hope ($100,000) or the IDEPSCA ($100,000) or Inclusive Action for the City ($250,000) or the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade ($250,000) or the Vision y Compromiso ($250,000)?
Vein’s Pali Strong, like some nonprofits, such as the Palisades Recovery Coalition only formed after the Fire. This editor has been told it takes about a year to get a nonprofit approved and receive a tax number. But there is a way around it.
Community Partners, which is a nonprofit, will sponsor other “new” nonprofits (Pali Strong) allowing them to use their nonprofit number for a small fee. California Community Foundation also sponsors burgeoning nonprofits, such as PRC, for a fee.
(Editor’s note: FYI at this point many in Pacific Palisades are angry that our town was taken away, our neighbors may not be moving back, that we don’t have money to rebuild, that the City Council thinks we’re all multimillionaires with the ability to pay permit fees on a house we didn’t want to build and that many seniors were robbed of their retirement. Focus your anger on City, County and State officials who put us in this position and are not helping.)
Thank you for continuing to keep this issue in the news. It’s an absolute travesty!!! And hoping the DOJ will continue to investigate the non profits use of the money.
It is endless and so disgusting how this tragedy is being handled. The nerve of our officials to continue to act like everyone is wealthy. Bless those that are but what a generalization. It’s disgusting. So many not only lived here but their businesses were here and they lost BOTH!!! The disappointment is constant and it doesn’t change. There are thieves having a hey day with might be left. It’s disgusting and beyond disappointing. I wish we had leadership that CARED.
BTW, thank you for always telling the truth and not cowering to THEM.
People are amazed at the bait and switch tactic used by FireAid?! This is standard operating procedure to falsely take money from people genuinely compassionate and funneling the funds to unaccountable organizations.
It is all the more enraging after sitting through the LA City Council budget committee meeting where the 5 council members unanimously passed an amendment limiting building permit fee relief because “how can I ask my constituents to give up LAFD and LAPD protection to fund the Palisades?” Really your lowest spending priority is police and fire! Our community was burned to the ground by incompetence on an epic scale. As the September 25th LA County After Action report found, “The review identified no single point of failure”. There wasn’t one single point of failure; the whole system failed resulting in billions in damages, countless lives emotionally and physically destroyed, and vast swaths of the accumulated history destroyed.
Normal people think 100 million dollars was raised for rebuilding and supporting our displaced seniors and residents when we actually got ripped off first by FireAid fraudulently saying one thing and lining the pockets of everyone but Palisades refugees and then by LA City Finance Committee thinking we don’t need help. Oh and all that after the total failure of the bureaucracy we bought and paid for specifically to protect us from civilizations greatest threat: fire.
The only thing rising to this level of evil has been the systematic looting of what remains of our community by outsiders. FireAid is simply institutionally executed looting.
People are amazed at the bait and switch tactic used by FireAid?! This is standard operating procedure to falsely take money from people genuinely compassionate and funneling the funds to unaccountable organizations.
It is all the more enraging after sitting through the LA City Council budget committee meeting where the 5 council members unanimously passed an amendment limiting building permit fee relief because “how can I ask my constituents to give up LAFD and LAPD protection to fund the Palisades?” Really your lowest spending priority is police and fire! Our community was burned to the ground by incompetence on an epic scale. As the September 25th LA County After Action report found, “The review identified no single point of failure”. There wasn’t one single point of failure; the whole system failed resulting in billions in damages, countless lives emotionally and physically destroyed, and vast swaths of the accumulated history destroyed.
Normal people think 100 million dollars was raised for rebuilding and supporting our displaced seniors and residents when we actually got ripped off first by FireAid fraudulently saying one thing and lining the pockets of everyone but Palisades refugees and then by LA City Finance Committee thinking we don’t need help. Oh and all that after the total failure of the bureaucracy we bought and paid for specifically to protect us from civilizations greatest threat: fire.
The only thing rising to this level of evil has been the systematic looting of what remains of our community by outsiders. FireAid is simply institutionally executed looting.
No wonder he’s always smiling in his videos.
There is a video of Larry Vein giving Karen Bass an award and saying he speaks on behalf of all Palisades residents and she is a hero. He sure in the heck doesn’t speak on my behalf and she is no hero in my book! Interesting that Larry is a real estate broker getting this Fire Aid money and he’s kissing Karen Bass’s ass. An apology and retraction is in order from Larry for telling Karen Bass he speaks on behalf of all Palisades residents and that she is a hero. She’s a hero for doing what? Cutting the budget of the fire department, having 83 fire trucks not being repaired and operable in a timely manner, the list is extensive. Bass’s mishandling of this fire is egregious, Larry telling her she’s a hero and giving her an award is beyond belief. Larry needs a reality check. And, he should never claim he speaks on behalf of all Palisades residents.
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The $500k that Pali Strong would have been better in the hands of PPCC or PPRA. Sadly Fire Aid was one big grift by the non-profits and newly founded ones (Pali Strong).
I can’t believe that any of you actually believed that FireAid would help fire victims. Look at the numerous non profits within the state and check their stated intentions versus their actual accomplishments. Non profits exist to provide a cushy well paying job to politically connected individuals.