DWP Said It Would Leave the Park

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

“One-third of the Palisades remains after the Palisades Fire,” Park Advisory Board (PAB) member Rick McGeagh said, urging the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to exit the park. “People need a place for recreation. Those of us who have relocated, need a place to meet.”

At the PAB meeting, held via Zoom on April 22, LADWP representatives said they could vacate the park, whenever the city and residents decided they needed it back.

Immediately after the Palisades Fire on January 7, DWP took over the Rec Center. They used the standing old gym as a UUROC (Unified Utilities Rebuild Operations Center). It was supposed to be a center where customers and contractors could talk directly with LADWP. Numerous tables and chairs were set up through the small gym with dividers, but when CTN stopped in, there were only three people in the small gym.

DWP placed poles and other equipment on a lower tennis court after the fire. DWP’s Senior Assistant General Manager – Power System David Hanson said the Rec Center location was ideal as a centralized site for emergency restoration of electrical power to the area.

Residents were not allowed to use the park. A DWP guard was and is situated at the entrance to the park and no one was allowed in for park activities.

Contractors, who had been hired by residents to examine the bocce or tennis courts for repair purposes, were turned away.

PAB Member Rob Weber asked, “When will UUROC vacate the small gym? This is the only standing gym in the Palisades.”

Weber offered to help DWP find other space because “This community needs and wants its gym back.”

Kim and Hanson were asked why contractors for repairing bocce, baseball and the tennis courts had been denied access.

“We want to get things fixed,” said PAB member Kambiz Kamdar.

“DWP needs site control,” Kim said. “If they need to get in, they can make an appointment with Sonja (Young-Jimenez, superintendent in charge of the Westside).”

PAB Member Alex Hemmat, who has 8-year-old twins said, “We need our little gym back as soon as possible.”

A new playground has been funded by the L.A. Parks Foundation. Construction to replace the nearly 40-year-old playground, which is not ADA accessible, is slated to start soon, with a completion scheduled by July 4.

The large gym, the maintenance building and the tennis center burned in the fire. A public-private partnership between the City, L.A. Strong Sports co-founder (and Laker’s Coach) JJ Redick and Steadfast L.A.’s Rick Caruso, will see the park rebuilt. Money will come from outside sources to offer city amenities to residents.

During an April 10 press conference “This will be one of the greatest parks in the United States,” Caruso said about the park that would replace destroyed buildings and the antiquated 1950s Rec Center.

During the hour PAB meeting, parents from the Palisades High School tennis team made a plea to have the tennis courts back because the high school uses the rec center for its teams.

Resident Mariam Engle said “Kids lost so much. Tennis provides them structure. The delay is impacting kids.”

Another parent, Joanne said, “I am in complete agreement with Mariam. “It is crucial that all eight courts be available as soon as possible.”

“Our kids mental health needs this sport. They need to play,” said parent Michelle Stuffman. “It’s desperately needed that these courts be up and running.” Other tennis players chimed in they wanted courts back, too.

“We don’t want to get in anyone’s way,” Hanson said. “Give us two weeks’ notice. We will get out of the way once anyone starts construction.”

He also promised that the tennis court that had been used to store equipment that “We’ll give it back to you better than it was.”

L.A. Rec and Park General Manager Jimmy Kim gave an update and said that they are waiting FEMA to make an onsite visit. Removal of the large gym has been approved and could start as early as next week.

The City has done testing on the playground sand and found no contamination. “We are working on monthly testing for the park,” Kim said, and sites would include the bocce, tennis and baseball areas.

There is air quality monitoring by Fire Station 69, which is a block away from the park, and the air is consistently good despite the ongoing debris removal in town, but “we’ll see if we can put it at the park, too.”

The next PAB Meeting will be on Zoom on May 20 and the timeline for DWP to exit the Rec Property will be discussed.

On another note the George Wolfberg Park at Potrero has been reopened but can only be accessed via Frontera. There is no parking on the lower lot off Frontera, but resident Cindy Simon said, “Not only are the plants growing, but they are also adding plants.”

Posted in Parks | 1 Comment

Another Dead Body in Venice

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

Another dead body in Venice, a life wasted. The statistics in Los Angeles are overwhelming. Seven people die per day on the streets.

The paramedics had responded and had sent someone back to the vehicle to get a sheet, when this editor went by on the bike path at 9:10 a.m.

“Is the coroner coming?” I asked.

“Yes,” was the response.

“Drug overdose?” I asked.

“Likely, don’t know,” was the response. Then a medic returned, and the man was covered. As I rode off, a police car with lights flashing was coming down the sidewalk to reach the public bathrooms location.

“Leaving people on the street affects everyone – small businesses, residents and the Angelenos who live in RVs and tents,” Mayor Karen Bass said in an April 23 press release.

She notes that since the beginning of this year, more than 350 Angelenos have been moved inside through Inside Safe. But if seven people per day are dying on the streets, that means that 791 have died in that same time period – including this man, since the beginning of the year.

“Ensuring folks have access to housing is key to building strong communities,” Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said in the release. “Inside Safe is an important piece of that puzzle connecting Angelenos experiencing homelessness with housing and supportive services.”

But does putting people inside apartments help the drug- and alcohol-use problems and the mental health issues? Housing does not include 24/7 support services.

Even though Los Angeles is projecting an $8 billion deficit, Bass is doubling down on money spent on homeless programs. In the proposed 2025-26 budget, $900 million will be spent on homelessness, of which $100 million will go to Inside Safe.

The City Council has now asked for an analysis of homelessness spending and a creation of a public database of homeless-related programs click here.

The analysis would examine spending under Inside Safe, LAHSA contracts, safe parking, and street medicine teams.

Having worked as volunteer with the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness, this editor watched social workers and volunteers offer services to the homeless, which are often turned down. The people with drug issues generally do not want services. The mentally ill don’t recognize they need services. And of course there are the few with warrants, eluding the police.

Here’s the crux of the matter. Mayor Bass means well. If the people on the streets wanted apartments they could get them. They exist. This is not really about housing.

I watched people in Pacific Palisades scramble once the January 7 Fire destroyed homes – more than 25,000 were homeless in a day.

Those people contacted relatives and friends and slept on sofas, they maxed out credit cards to stay in hotels – and FEMA helped those who asked. Some had a second home, but the majority did not.

The Westside Current did an investigation in September and found that 1,200 city-owned permanent housing units were vacant. (“After spending $550 Million, Over 70 Percent of Los Angeles County Project Homekey Homeless Rooms Vacant”) click here.

The investigation focused on properties acquired through Project Homekey, a state-funded initiative to convert hotels and motels into permanent supportive housing. Of the 2,157 rooms purchased by Los Angeles County, over 71% remain unoccupied years after acquisition. Notable examples include the 57-room former Motel 6 in Harbor City ($7.9 million), the 107-room Extended Stay in Carson ($41.8 million), and the 109-room Grand Park Inn in Baldwin Park ($42.8 million).

Housing is available.

In the past two fiscal years, the city has spent a combined total of $1.28 billion on homelessness.

It might be time to change the focus from housing to mental-health help and aid for substance abuse. This year another $100 million will be used for Inside Safe to save 1,400 homeless people – while another 2,555 people die on the street.

Venice has once again become a place for homeless to go.

Posted in Homelessness | 1 Comment

ULA, The Mansion Tax, Fails to Deliver Affordable Housing

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

The “Mansion” tax, ULA has not produced the money it promised.

(Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the Westside Current and is a great analysis of the failure of ULA. It is reprinted with permission.)

By ANGELA MCGREGOR

Despite promises of a billion-dollar windfall to fight homelessness, L.A.’s real estate transfer tax has delivered just a fraction—while stalling development, gutting the tax base, and complicating post-fire recovery.

At the March 19 meeting of the Los Angeles City Council, City Administrator Matt Szabo, delivered a startling presentation about the current state of the city’s finances: Los Angeles is currently facing a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. This amounts to roughly 13% of the city’s total budget.

This dire situation contrasts starkly with last year’s budget, approved in July, 2024, which noted a few shortfalls, but by comparison was relatively benign, with spending over revenues for 2025-26 estimated at just $61 million. In this series, we’ll look into some of the impacts of this massive budget shortfall, and the ways in which the city is attempting to cut costs and raise revenue.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, one such money-saving move would be to suspend Measure ULA, a transfer tax on the sale of all privately developed properties over $5 million which was passed by voters in November 2022.

Mayor Karen Bass

At a press conference in late March, Mayor Bass said that she was considering a temporary suspension of the tax in order to support post-fire reconstruction efforts in Pacific Palisades. However, within weeks it was reported that she was privately rescinding that proposal. We have reached out to the Mayor’s office for clarification but have not heard back.

In the leadup to the 2022 elections, proponents of ULA – in particular, the affordable housing developers who would be exempt from the tax – were successful in convincing Angelenos that the tax would disproportionately impact so-called high-end, single-family “mansions” and result in nearly a billion dollars in revenues to fight homelessness.

According to a September, 2022 study from the Lewis Center at UCLA, “Measure ULA would raise $923 million annually for affordable housing production and homelessness prevention in the form of rent relief, income support, and legal counsel for tenants. Measure ULA would have a positive impact on the city’s housing crisis, while having no effect on the average Angeleno.” In April of last year the same group of authors issued a glowing report of the Measure’s progress.

In her 2024 budget, the Mayor allocated $400 million in ULA funding to affordable housing production and homelessness prevention. Equally convinced of a forthcoming windfall from ULA, three councilmembers – Raman, Hernandez and Harris-Dawson – authored a motion exploring the possibility of using ULA funds for a social housing program. And just last week, newly elected City Councilmember Isabel Jurado said “ULA is an indispensable force for protecting Angelenos and improving their lives.”

But in two years, the Measure has raised only $632 million — just a third of what its proponents stated it would bring in. As we reported in September, 2024, the tax’s effect on overall housing production in Los Angeles has been disastrous. A study from Hilgard economics of building permits issued before and after the passage of ULA showed a fall of 18.9% between the first half of 2023 (pre tax) and 2024. Since that study was published, the impact of ULA has intensified.

In November, Mott Smith, an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Development at USC, posted an eye-opening thread about ULA on Bluesky. Examining 160,000 LA County real estate transactions going back to January, 2020, he compared the effects of the measure with a similar one passed in Culver City, which, unlike ULA, created four tax brackets for properties over $1.5 million (beginning with a modest .45% rate and going up to 4%), and exempted first time transfers of multi-family housing and all sales of 100%, deed-restricted affordable housing.

The differences are stark. Culver City’s Measure RE, according to Smith, does not appear to be affecting sales. Measure ULA, on the other hand, “makes it almost a requirement not to sell”, meaning that, under California’s Proposition 13, property values and taxes aren’t being reassessed.

“Measure ULA appears to have caused sales to plummet on high-value commercial, industrial, multifamily & single-family parcels in LA, it’s taken away the primary mechanism by which assessed prop tax valuations climb to market levels. Billions of potential public revenues, gone,” he wrote.

Interestingly, sales of properties not impacted by ULA have actually risen during that period, providing more evidence that the Measure has suppressed economic activity.

ULA’s impacts could prove particularly damaging to efforts to rebuild the Palisades. According one Palisades-based financial consultant we spoke to, “For homeowners in high-value areas like Pacific Palisades, rebuilding could push property values above [ULA] thresholds, resulting in substantial taxes upon sale.

This potential tax burden may discourage homeowners from rebuilding, leading some to leave lots vacant or sell at a loss. Additionally, the added tax liability can affect mortgage lending. Lenders may be hesitant to finance rebuilds if the property’s future sale is encumbered by significant taxes, perceiving increased risk.

This hesitancy can limit homeowners’ access to necessary funds for reconstruction…As for insurance, after a fire, even a large insurance check may not fully cover construction costs (especially with inflation in materials and labor).

Families might need to sell their damaged property to get additional funds. ULA tax makes selling prohibitively expensive: If a family owns a property worth $5M+ (even if it’s damaged), and they need to sell it to fund rebuilding elsewhere, they now face a 4%–5.5% transfer tax — easily $200K–$400K+ in extra taxes. That’s on top of agent commissions, closing costs, and other expenses. Many simply can’t afford to sell because they’d lose too much net cash.”

According to a new study out of the Lewis Center, entitled “The Unintended Consequences of Measure ULA” (co-authored by Smith and Michael Manville, a Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA, who were not involved in the previous study), sales of all properties over $5 million has fallen by 50% since the passage of ULA.

The resulting damage to the growth of the city’s tax base is startling. As Manville and two other co-authors point out in a recent L.A. Times Op-Ed, “Large transactions contribute disproportionately to that growth. Sales over $5 million are only 4% of all transactions but account for more than 40% of the growth in the city’s tax base.”

Simply put, ULA is costing the city’s general fund more money than it is raising, as well as 160 new units of affordable housing per year that are not being built by private developers. The op-ed concludes with a recommendation of action by the state government to amend the measure.

One such state proposal is Assembly Bill 698, authored by East Bay Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. According to Calmatters, “This bill would require a legislative body of a city, as specified, before it adopts any transaction or sales tax on the sale of real property, to develop and post on its internet website an analysis that examines, at a minimum, the effect of the proposed transfer tax on, among other things, the production of affordable housing, including affordable housing produced by market-rate housing projects.”

In their latest email blast to their membership, the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing, who were instrumental in the passage of ULA, said that AB698 “could have major implications for locally adopted real estate transfer taxes, such as Measure ULA in Los Angeles.” They go on to say that “after meeting with the Assemblymembers office, the SCANPH Policy Team has strong evidence that the bill may seek to create exemptions for certain market rate housing projects from transfer taxes statewide.” We’ve reached out to the Assemblymember for comment and have not heard back.

In early April, the City Council approved a motion to earmark $15 million in ULA funds for rent relief for Palisades residents impacted by the fires.

Proponents of ULA are pushing back hard against any effort to alter the measure. Joe Donlin, the head of United to House L.A. Coalition strongly disapproved of the City Council’s motion, saying “it would “divert essential administrative funds, trigger a complex revision process and potentially put the city out of compliance with the ordinance.”

He told the LA Times in response to the latest Lewis Center study that “Measure ULA is already producing hundreds of units of affordable housing, protecting tens of thousands of renters and creating thousands of construction jobs,” Donlin said. “Its initial dip in revenue owes more to developers and the real estate lobby hoping to overturn it in court or at the ballot box — and losing.”

But according to Mott Smith, that claim is simply untrue. As he posted on Bluesky, “Nine projects have received ULA funds. Only four are under construction — all started a year before ULA was in effect. The dip in sales has been persistent, even after the court challenges to ULA were lost.”

Whether or not Mayor Bass is still considering suspending ULA, it may be that the city can no longer afford it.

Posted in General, Real Estate | 2 Comments

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Sifts through Fire Debris

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

Palisades resident Julia Louis-Dreyfus found her podcast microphone in the ashes of her home.

By BERNICE FOX

Like so many others, Julia Louis-Dreyfus carefully looked through the rubble of what had been her Pacific Palisades home, searching for anything that might have survived the fire.

And on Tuesday, she posted a photo on Instagram and wrote:

“Our house of 31 years burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades Fire. I found my podcast microphone in the rubble and ash.”

For her podcast, Louis-Dreyfus has been recording her conversations with women who have life experience she says she doesn’t have. She calls her podcast Wiser Than Me.

One of Louis-Dreyfus’ passions is the environment. So along with posting the photo of her burned-out microphone, she added “Climate scientists estimate that the fire that burned Pacific Palisades was made 35-percent more likely by the effects of climate change.”

With Earth Day on Tuesday, she announced that her latest podcast guest is a marine biologist “who’s out in the world trying to do something about the climate crisis.”

Louis-Dreyfus and her husband, Brad Hall, have a second home in the Santa Barbara area. That’s where Hall grew up.

She’s been active in environmental issues there, most recently calling on the State of California not to allow an offshore oil pipeline to again carry oil. The “Don’t Enable Sable” oil pipeline rally was held on March 13. There was a spill from that pipeline 10 years ago.

And Louis-Dreyfus has another project to take her mind off the loss of her Pacific Palisades home. She plays the director of the CIA in the upcoming Marvel movie, Thunderbolts. It opens in theaters May 2.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus at a rally in Santa Barbara on March 13.

Posted in Film/Television, Palisades Fire | Leave a comment

Two Meetings of Note: LAUSD and Schools; Community Council and Insurance

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

The burned buildings have been cleared from Palisades Elementary, now input from parents is needed for the next steps of rebuilding.

SCHOOLS:

Los Angeles Unified School District will hold a Palisades Community at Large Town Hall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 via Zoom. District representatives will provide the latest updates on rebuilding efforts and share resources.

The school district plans to continue to gather input and recommendations for the charter schools (Palisades Elementary, Marquez Elementary and Palisades High School).

Participants will be able to ask questions and offer comments in the Zoom’s Q&A feature.

The Zoom link is https://lausd.zoom.us/j/86418598418 and the meeting id is 864 1859 8418.

PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL:

The Pacific Palisades Community Council will meet at 6 p.m. via Zoom on Thursday, April 24. (The link can be found at https://pacpalicc.org) An outreach analyst of the California Department of Insurance Rob Obedoza will discuss insurance issues impacting Palisadians after the fire. Residents are urged to bring questions related to insurance.

DWP will present plans for this scattergood steam plant by LAX.

Also on the agenda is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power who will provide information about a “scattergood” generating station modernization plan of the electricity- generating plant near El Segundo and LAX. In February 2023, the LA city council unanimously approved an $800 million plan to convert the plant from natural gas to hydrogen. The refitted plant will provide base load during periods of high demand or emergencies as part of city plans to run on 100% renewable energy by 2035.

Residents would also like to hear about more about underground plans for electricity. Where is the DWP with its plans? In a webinar, Rick Caruso said that Parsons had developed plans and would share them with DPW.

The Board will also consider hiring NORC at the University of Chicago, to measure Pacific Palisades residents’ preferences and priorities for recovery & rebuilding. To view the proposal: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pdfhandler.ashx_.pdf There was no mention of the cost of a survey.

Posted in General | 1 Comment

L.A. County Addiction Program Motivated by Money, Not Results

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

(Editor’s note: This story was written January 6 and updated April 23. )

The video is courtesy of John Alle, founder of the Santa Monica Coalition. He asks L.A. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, “Are these your kids, grandkids or nephews?

The L.A. County Drug Addition Program for users is called Harm Reduction. How does Harm Reduction stop drug use? It does not. Supposedly, by giving addicts new and clean needles, it keeps them alive until the decide they are ready to go into rehab.

Harm reduction, as defined by the County, allows those that are not ready to give up drugs to receive Naloxone, syringe exchange and linkages to treatment.

Harm Reduction does not require someone to stop using. But the program, which does not have any statistics that show effectiveness, is being expanded this year. The L.A. County budget for needle exchange is increasing from $5.4 to $31.5 million.

Responding to a May 31 CTN inquiry, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said “Harm reduction services have been demonstrated to reduce overdose deaths, reduce the public use of injectable drugs, reduce transmission of communicable diseases such as HIV/AID and hepatitis, increase access to substance use services, reduce the use of emergency medical services, and prevent the disruption of public safety.”

Then, CTN asked for the stats that show that the program works, that people with addictions are helped and stay “clean.”

The County said it is an “evidence-based” program, which meant there are no statistics to support its effectiveness. Free needles were/are given out in Reed, Tongva and Palisades Parks in Santa Monica.

Palisades resident John Alle, founder of the Santa Monica Coalition, posted this heartbreaking video December 27 with the question “Are these YOUR kids, grandkids or nephews?”

At a Los Angeles Department of Public Health two-hour forum held in March, Ferrer defended free needles for users and explained the benefits of “Harm Reduction.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO7KYTh8YP0&rco=1

The questions residents might want to ask is the program working by helping those with addiction problems? Or is continuing because funds have been provided to run it – and expand it?

On April 16, the Trump administration announced that it is considering a more than 30 percent cut, about $40 billion, to the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services. Funding for many of the administration’s priorities are on the chopping block, including federal programs focused on autism, chronic disease, drug abuse and mental health.

Those cuts would greatly impact the L.A. County Department of Health. About $1 billion would be cut from the county health department, which relies on two-thirds of its budget from federal grants.

The L.A. Times reported on April 22 that “Under the proposed federal cuts the county department would lose about $300 million and roughly 500 employees.” Ferrer, the County’s Public Health Director, said that those cuts would decimate local public health “as we know it today.”

Posted in County Supervisors | Leave a comment

L.A. City Finances in a Bad Way: Building Permit/Fee Waivers to Go to City Council

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

Rabbi Amy Bernstein offered a prayer before the Mayor gave her State of the City speech.

Palisades KI Rabbi Amy Bernstein was one of three spiritual leaders who offered a prayer before the Mayor’s State of the City Speech in City Hall on April 21. She spoke about the source of life, strength and hope at this time, just like ancestors during Passover in ancient Egypt. “Many of us have nothing,” she said. “Give us the strength to go forward . . .may we rebuild . . may we come out of this stronger.”

President of the Los Angeles City Council Marqueece Harris Dawson introduced the 43^rd Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass.

Despite Bass’ optimism during her speech, the picture was grim. L.A.City is facing a $1 billion shortfall.

The synopsis: it’s time to take away the credit cards and perks, including raises for labor unions, and slash essential services for all Angelinos, except the homeless, because there is no money.

But before L.A. Mayor Karen Bass actually has to give pink slips to 1,700 city workers, she’s making one last-ditch attempt and going to Sacramento to ask for money.

How did L.A. end up in this financial freefall? Simple math. More money is going out than coming in.

Projected revenue is down. About 35 percent of revenue comes from hotel and property taxes. One of the areas contributing a large share of property taxes to the City’s coffers was Pacific Palisades. Unfortunately, because of the mismanagement of a fire, compounded by extreme Santa Ana winds, there is no community of Palisades left to pay into the city piggy bank.

It makes sense to get this community back online as soon as possible and Bass announced that she is calling on the Council to pass an ordinance to waive all plan check and permit fees for those rebuilding.

CTN contacted the Mayor’s office this afternoon and asked when Palisadians could anticipate the Council passing the ordinance. (When there is a response, the story will be updated.)

In early stories, CTN was told rebuilding fees/permits could range from $40,000 to $80,000, which are hefty for people who have lost everything and who are also fighting for insurance money.

“We must reform how are city works,” Bass said and announced two new initiatives designed to further accelerate rebuilding. A self-certification program that will reduce redundancy in the planning process.

“We will use AI-technology to accelerate and support the City’s Plan Check Review process,” she said and noted if those programs are successful, they could be expanded citywide.

Bass spoke about the importance of a public-private partnership with JJ Rednick and Steadfast in rebuilding the Palisades Park and Recreation Center.

She thanked the Army Corp of Engineers for their rapid and efficient debris removal and called the wildfire recovery in the Palisades on track to be the fastest in California history.

Mayor Karen Bass promised to ask the Council to pass an ordinance to waive permit/building fees for Pacific Palisades residents impacted by the Palisades Fire. during her speech in City Hall.

WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?

Costs have increased with large liability payouts anticipated that $320 million being paid this year.

Labor contracts added $259 million in costs. According to Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, “eighty-five to 90 percent of the city’s budget is labor costs.”

To save money, Bass has proposed consolidating the departments of Aging, Economic and Workforce Development, and Youth Development into the Community Investment for Families Department.

She has also wanted to reduce governmental bureaucracy saying that a single street repair could involve up to 10 different departments. “This is a broken system that we have to fix,” she said.

POLICE/CRIME:

It was not a good day to highlight the reduction in crime. A vandal, armed with a chainsaw cut down several mature trees and left them lying in the road at Hope and Ninth Street, Grand Avenue and Fifth Street, Broadway and Cesar Cavez Avenue and Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street over the weekend.

On the positive side: Bass said homicides fell 14% and gang-related homicides fell 45%. Citywide Property Crimes, which includes Burglary, Motor Vehicle Theft, Theft from Motor Vehicle, and Theft, decreased by -7,259 crimes (109,025 Property Crimes in 2023). Burglaries decreased by -1,092 crimes (15,340 Burglaries in 2023). Motor Vehicle Thefts (MVT) decreased by -1,963 crimes (26,827 MVTs in 2023).

LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell was hired by Bass in October and as of the end of November 2024, LAPD reported a four-year-high of applications to join the LAPD. But that department is expected to shrink from 8,733 to 8,639 officers next year.

FIRE DEPARTMENT:

According to city officials, the Fire Department will see an increase of funding by 12.7%, adding 277 new positions. This will include pickup trucks with a small water tank, hose and medical supplies that can respond to the increasing number of calls for help from unhoused people.

HOMELESSNESS:

About one third of all city fires are caused by the homeless, according to data from the fire department.

But with encampments driving emergency calls, Mayor Bass feels something must be done because financially it is unsustainable to continue to transport people to ERs. (That sentiment was articulated in a 2006 New Yorker story “Million-Dollar Murray,” which advocated housing first. That policy only seems to be effective if it is combined with social workers, nurses, psychiatrists and vocational and substance abuse counselors who are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day to the people enrolled.)

“The homeless crisis is a humanitarian crisis,” Bass said. “We must figure out how to prevent Angelinos from ending up on streets.”

The homeless budget still remains one of the city’s largest line items.

The budget is not final. City Council must consider and approve the budget by June 1, 2025.

City Hall was packed with city officials and other dignitaries to hear L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ State of the City Address.

Posted in City | 4 Comments

Maya Brattkus Paints Pictures of Homes Lost

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

A Palisades home painted by Maya Brattkus.

Former Alphabet Street residents Dean and Laurie Paul wrote, “We’re sorry and saddened about the loss of your home, along with many others in the Palisades.”

Dean had found a story about a woman who is painting pictures of people’s lost homes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena that he thought might be worth sharing with Circling the News readers.

He sent the link Artist Draws Homes Lost in LA Wildfires for Free. Painter Maya Brattkus is featured. She said,“after being evacuated and watching our community go up in flames, I fell into a pretty dark place.”

Brattkus, who grew up in LA and watched the temple where her Bat Mitzvah was held burn on TV, said in an interview with Nice News, that “The process of drawing was cathartic for me and helped me begin to process the grief of what was going on in a small way.”

Brattkus posted the image on Reddit on January 17 offering to draw more lost homes for free, and adding that she’d also draw houses that weren’t lost, in which case she’d charge a small sum and donate the proceeds to victims. The positive feedback and outpouring of requests she received led her to create more posts, some of which garnered thousands of upvotes as her offer gained traction.

She currently posts the artwork on Los Homes Project website Lost Home and eventually her goal is to compile all the drawings in a book.

Two of the residents at the Hive informal meeting today had their homes drawn and were happy to have a reminder. One had taken a photo off Zillow and sent it to Brattkus. The Fiske Street resident showed a photo of the drawing and it was indeed lovely.

On her website, Brattkus said, “I hope to raise awareness and support for those who lost so much.”

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Chamber Music Palisades Will Hold Enthralling Concert

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

Bernadene Blaha and Kevin Fitz-Gerald. will play Rachmaninoff Six Pieces for four-hand piano.

Chamber Music Palisades will present an eclectic evening of chamber music at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica,1008 11th Street.

It will be an evening of French composers, including music by Ibert, Ravel, Saint-Saens, and Poulenc. Composer, lyricist, pianist, radio producer and host of Classical KUSC, Los Angeles, Alan Chapman will serve as program host.

This spectacular concert will also include a world premiere of “Cross Talk” by American composer Adrienne Albert. The piece is written for flute, clarinet, and piano.

Also on the program is Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter” from The Planets for wind quintet and piano.

Rachmaninoff Six Pieces for four-hand piano, will be performed by Bernadene Blaha and Kevin Fitz-Gerald.

Blaha has performed in North America, Europe Australia, Asia and Mexico and has been a member of the Keyboard Faculty at the Thorton School of Music, University of Southern California since 1993, where she is Professor of Piano Performance.

Fitz-Gerald, a professor of Keyboard Studies at the USC Thorton School of Music, is the winner of several major competitions, grants, scholarships, and awards, he enjoys an international reputation as teacher presenting master classes and lecture-symposiums throughout the world.

Susan Greenberg, formerly LA Chamber Orchestra and now Santa Monica Symphony, is flutist and co-founder/artistic director of Chamber Music Palisades. The Los Angeles Times has described her playing as “brilliant,” “elegant” and “supple,” and has lauded her “panache” and “musical projection.”

Susan Greenberg is the co-founder of Chamber Music Palisades and the flutist.

Dr. Jonathan Davis (oboe) plays regularly with orchestras throughout Southern California, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pacific Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony.

Bassoonist Judith Farmer, is currently a member of the Pasadena Symphony and recently retired from Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. A GRAMMY® nominee, she is former principal bassoonist of the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Camerata Academica Salzburg.

Clarinetist is Sergio Coelho, who has collaborated with orchestras throughout the world such as, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra. He also collaborated with Mason Home Concerts, Chamber Music Palisades, South Bay Chamber Music Society, Sunset ChamberFest, National Repertory Orchestra Festival, Camerata Pacifica, Ojai Music Festival and Mainly Mozart.

Horn player Amy Jo Rhineon moved to Southern California in 2012. Prior to that she spent nine years in St. Louis, Missouri, where she held adjunct teaching positions at Webster and Mayrville Universities and performed regularly with the St. Louis Symphony. From 1996-2001, Rhine was the Assistant Professor of Horn at Wichita State University and Principal Horn with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets will be available for $35 online at cmpalisades.org or at the door the evening of the concert at First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, Santa Monica, CA 90403. Free parking is available under the building across the street, with access from 11th St. CMP offers free admission for full-time students with an ID.

The concert is sponsored in part by the Mu Phi Epsilon James and Lola Faust Scholarship.

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Palisadians Coming Together: Celebrating Friends and Community

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Sue Pascoe

Pacific Palisades residents gathered about 100 days after they evacuated their homes, which burned. Many others cannot return until homes have been remediated from smoke damage.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN

People were happy to see their neighbors in person on Saturday.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN

About six weeks ago, Amalfi Founder Anthony Marguleas, who lost his home in Pacific Palisades had an idea. “I thought it’d be a good to get the community back together since people were getting so zoomed out and we’re miss seeing their neighbors and their friends,” he said.

After the January 7 Palisades Fire, residents were forced to find apartments and rentals throughout Southern California. The neighbors that people spoke to and saw daily were in the South Bay, in Santa Barbara, in other states.

“In the wake of the devastation, I felt there was an urgent need to create a space where our community could come together,” Marguleas said, noting this was not just about grieving what was lost, but to “reconnect, support one another, and begin healing. This event was about reminding each other that we’re not alone, and that together, we will rebuild stronger than ever.”

With 1Pali Founders Ben Perlman and Andrew Grant, the three planned an event that was held at Clover Park in Santa Monica on April 19. Aided by Sue Marguleas and Anthony’s assistant Rachel Aronson, the park was filled with nearly 2,000 people who gathered to visit booths, have food, such McConnell’s ice cream and pizza supplied by Flour. The owner Robert Flutie, not only lost his Palisades home but his shop on January 7. He has since opened a place in Brentwood, but has plans to also come back to Pacific Palisades. Shawna McConald of the Band 1969 sang the National Anthem.

With stalwart Palisadian Sam Lagana as an emcee, the Palisades High School band was first to perform. The high school had also burned and have not been able to hold practices since January, although with a special invite they had played the National Anthem at the Hollywood Bowl in early April.

The Palisades High School band played the “fight” song.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN

The band played the PaliHi fight song that is played at football games. Lagana said it was written in 1962 by then orchestra/band teacher Joel Lish, who also founded the Palisades Symphony (also now displaced).

Lagana said the day reminded him of when you went to the grocery store or the church in town, you would run into people you knew and this day was important for everyone after the isolation caused by the fire.

“People also liked engaging with Colonel Swenson and Councilwoman Traci Park,” Lagana said. “They were happy and floating around and enjoying the company of people they knew and they met. The power of positivity reigns in the people of Pacific Palisades.”

Swenson, who is charge of the Army Corps of Engineers said, “It’s an honor to be here today.” He noted that there were 97 crews currently working in the Palisades, and “there is a huge push on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).” Governor Gavin Newsom wants to open PCH at the end of May, and clearing the houses along that road is necessary.

“Our goal is to get our part done as rapidly as possible, so you can rebuild safely on your lots,” Swenson said, “and get you back in as soon as possible.”

Councilmember Traci Park said, “It is wonderful to reconnect in person.” She said that the Corps is moving at warp speed, and that rebuilding should be “community led and government supported.”

Past Palisades Honorary Mayor Jake Steinfeld, who also lost his home in the fire, read a poem that was given to him when he was cut from his 8^th grade basketball team, “Don’t Quit.”

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said, “That poem really hits you in the heart.” And spoke how this recovery would be the fastest in the nation. “From the grief, we turn to the hope,” she said. “I will stay with you until you’re home.”

Marguleas told CTN that “Yesterday’s event was a powerful reminder of the strength and spirit of our community. While many of us are still rebuilding, it was deeply moving to see neighbors, friends, and families come together in solidarity and hope. The support shown reflects the heart of the Palisades — resilient, compassionate, and united.”

(Left to right) Anthony Marquleas welcomed Colonel Eric Swenson, Jake Steinfeld and Sam Lagana to the gathering of Palisades residents.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN

Palisades High School Fight Song

By Joel Lish

Oh we are the Dolphins so get get nervous
While we are here we will make you serve us.
Palisades! Palisades!
All is right with the blue and the white!
So head for the hills and don’t look behind you,
When we get through they will never find you.
Palisades! Palisades!
On to Victory !!!

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