Circling The News

Kids scramble to avoid being hit by embers  – February 2024. The fireworks were lit at the Palisades Recreation Center and no one was ever held accountable.

By LOUISE FRASER

 Why Pacific Palisades Needs Its Own Police Station Now

Residents of Pacific Palisades, reeling from tragedy caused by inadequate resources at every level, are demanding the immediate establishment of a local police station. Even before the fire, residents faced escalating crime that demanded urgent action. Those demands went ignored. As a result, we faced rising home invasions, burglaries, and lawlessness among youth which left us not only vulnerable to crime but ultimately devastated by a preventable tragedy. The recent deadly Palisades Fire, allegedly ignited by illegal firework activity that residents have demanded be addressed by the LAPD for years, underscores the need for a stronger and more immediate police presence.

Rising Crime Rates, Delayed Response Times, and a Preventable Tragedy

Regarding home invasions alone, between January 1 and October 22, 2024, Pacific Palisades reported 76 burglaries, one every few days—a 13.4% increase from the same period in 2023. Residents have repeatedly voiced frustration over police response times, reportedly exceeding 40 minutes. This lag allows criminals ample opportunity to loot and flee before authorities arrive, leaving victims – many of whom have been held at gun or knife point, including children – feeling abandoned and powerless. We demand a commitment to typical response time of 10 mins or less for a crime in progress, which can only be provided by a local force.

Further, reports from community centers indicate ongoing youth delinquency, including explosions and vandalism occurring several times per week. Residents have long warned of inevitable tragedy from unchecked illegal firework activity, begging for a police response for years. As a result of inaction, our community now lies devastated – 27 dead, 7000 properties destroyed, and an estimated economic cost of hundreds of billion dollars that will inevitably be shouldered by taxpayers. The rationale that we ‘cannot afford’ crime prevention is utterly flawed. The lack of proactive enforcement against illegal fireworks directly contributed to this catastrophic event. The taxpayer should no longer bear the daunting consequences of poor city planning.

Funding a Dedicated Police Station

Pacific Palisades contributes significantly to Los Angeles’ tax base, yet it lacks a dedicated police station to ensure the safety of its residents. Overall, the LAPD serves around 4 million people with 10,000 officers, a ratio of 1 officer per 400 residents. Santa Monica, with a population of 89,000, employs 250 police officers, a ratio of 1 officer per 356 residents. It is long overdue that the Palisades, with 23,000, receives commensurate police presence. As evidenced by the recent deadly fire, funding a Police Station is ultimately a cost saving measure.

A Call to Action

Residents of Pacific Palisades cannot afford to wait for another tragedy before action is taken. It is imperative that city officials prioritize the establishment of a local police station to address crime, reduce response times, and prevent future disasters like the Palisades Fire. Residents are tired of being told that we have to wait for homicides to occur before we are allocated proper police resources. This is reckless and unacceptable. Crime prevention should not be reactive but proactive—addressing rising burglaries, home invasions, and violent threats before they escalate into fatal incidents. Each crime, no matter how seemingly minor, contributes to a culture of lawlessness that emboldens criminals – or, as recently evidenced, the destruction of an entire community. How much more tragedy must we endure before we receive the protection we deserve?

 Please help by signing the petition click here., emailing Councilmember Traci Park councilmember.park@lacity.org and Mayor Karen Bass mayor.helpdesk@lacity.org

People who have “complex” lots that include basements, swimming pools and intensive stone and deck work are Opting-out on debris removal by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Many people who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire, such as Mark Tabit, looked at both options for debris removal. He discovered that the Army Corps of Engineers does not take out driveways, patios, swimming pools, or other hardscaping, so he decided to Opt-out.

But Opting-out, and what has been a simple process in other disaster areas, turned into a two-month ordeal for private contractors and their clients.

March 4, CTN received an email from a Huntington Palisades resident who had wanted to Opt-out for debris removal because they felt their property was complex. They learned that even after the Army Corps did an initial cleaning, the resident would still have to hire a private company to finish it.

They opted-out and thought they were set, but the contractor wrote that after weeks of negotiating with the County that “Despite our strict adherence to all pertinent city and county regulations, it is evident that the city, county, and Waste Management are hindering private homeowners from managing their own lot clearances.”

The company said that they had complied with all required guidelines but still faced roadblocks. “We have clients who have checked all the boxes and still can’t clear their lots to move forward. Our clients have received debris removal permits, Opted-out, have a full comprehensive survey by a CIH, phase I completed, and are even going above the Army Corp guidelines with soil testing which we now understand the Army Corp is not doing.”

The company finally “gave up” and pulled out of the Palisades, leaving some residents in the Huntington without a private contractor  for debris removal.

Now, almost two months after the fire, there are finally private companies finishing the first debris removal.

Tabit told CTN that there has been a lot of problems with the opt-out process and put the editor in touch with Renee Houston a consultant that works with private contractors.

Houston came to the Palisades on January 12. It seemed that the County/City had no process in place for private contractors. When she went to the Pavilion to inquire, she was passed from person to person, but nobody had answers. Ultimately she went to the Public Works office to inquire about technical difficulties as well as process complexities.

It seemed that residents were being pushed toward the Opt-in process with the Army Corps because it was easier.  “It was very clear what the Opt-in process was, but the Opt-out process was not in place.”

She said that the Federal government, through the Army Corps of Engineers, specializes in disasters and are efficient when a disaster strikes.

It would take more than two months for the County get a process in place so that private contractors could start debris removal for those who wanted to Opt-out.

Initially private contractors had to fill out a form by Epic L.A., through public works. But the form was not online, and everything had to be submitted via paper.

Then the form was put online, and if a contractor started the form and did not complete it, it would not save, and the entire form needed to be filled out again. “It kicked you out if you did not fill in everything,” Houston said.

She worked with other contractors experiencing the same problem: the system was not working. When she went to the County Public Works, no one seemed to know what was going on. After working with the technical team that saw the problems and the point of contact on the process of the permit, it was clear that changes were being made on a continued basis.

Oran Belillti, of Ortam Construction, has been working in the Palisades for the past decade. He also acknowledged that there were initial difficulties. “It has been a topsy turvy process,” he said. “There were issues in pulling permits.”

Houston said the required licensing changed from day-to-day, too. One day contractors were told they were supposed to have a C-21, then a C-21 with a Haz Certificate which it doesn’t allow you to acquire through the California Contractor’s Board. A C-12 can acquire the Haz Certificate. Ultimately, they said that a C-12 plus Haz along with a C-21 would be acceptable.

“There is no C12 Hazardous permit,” Houston said, who made another trip to the County and said, “The form is getting kicked out again. What license do we need?”

“It changed and fluctuated daily,” Belilti said, and added the license needed is B or C21 and with either of those licenses there needs to be a Haz or Haz Whooper certification. (Haz means that the contractor has passed a test for hazardous removal. A Haz Whooper meant a contractor has attended a training course to supervise Haz removal.)

Finally, private contractors who had forms approved and were able to show the correct license were able to start removal the past two weeks, two months after the fire.

Then they faced another obstacle, dumping. Unlike the Army Corps, who have dump sites in place, private contractors are only allowed to take debris to certain areas, which in this case is Calabasas.

The turn around on this haul route is about three hours and the site is closed if it is raining.

One resident who lives in the El Medio bluffs had her debris removed and it is sitting on a pile in her yard covered with a tarp. She’s worried that if the rains, the debris will go into ocean. The contractor had been unable to bring it to the site.

Houston, like many contractors,  said that residents seem to be pushed toward the Opt-in process with the Army Corps.

The County “definitely made it difficult for a private contractor to get debris removal going,” Belillti said. “I could have done five or six lots by now. “

CTN had also heard that private contractors need to get a final sign off from the City/County, once the property is cleared.

Belillti hoped that the final signoff would come as soon as the process is finished, because the owner of the lot he has cleared, is ready to build.

It appears the City/County were not set up for a disaster of this size. If they had a system in place for private contractors, the area might have been cleaned faster (and perhaps cheaper) because there would have been competition between private companies.

(Editor’s note: there are those in Los Angeles who may not understand that the lack of emergency organization is a real problem, particularly since the area is prone to earthquakes and Los Angeles is hosting two international events, the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.)

The Abraham Lincoln “Fire Crew” (left to right) is Chief Petty Officer Mayra Ochoa, Russell McCannel, Kami Naraghi and Ellis Sarn.

Troop 223 is one of the most active in California and has more of its Scouts achieve Eagle Scout status than any other area of the country.  Its vision statement: “Young people leading skillfully, making good choices, serving others.”

The January Palisades Fire forced postponements and cancellations of many Troop activities. Now, Troop 223 has resumed its weekly meetings, and held its first campout.  

During the Troops visit to its camp in Balboa Park in San Diego on March 1, Scouts were invited to visit several U.S. Navy active-duty ships. Scouts were hosted by the crews of the USS Curtis Wilbur, USS Pinckney, USS Stockdale and the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Crewmembers showed the Scouts how they carried out their duties while at sea and allowed them to wear and use some of their emergency response gear.  In the afternoon, the Scouts returned to Camp Balboa where they cooked their own meals and fell asleep to the sounds of the animals next door at the San Diego Zoo.

The Troop normally met at St. Matthews in Pacific Palisades, but that school suffered significant damage to its campus and is closed for the foreseeable future.

Through the generous offering of St. Paul the Apostle School in Westwood, the Troop resumed its weekly Scout meetings on February 11 (Monday nights for girls, Tuesday night for boys) hosted by St. Paul at 1536 Selby Avenue.

On March 18, the Troop welcomed nearly 50 new Scouts into both the Boys and Girls Troops in a Court of Honor held at St. Paul the Apostle.

Scouts now include girls and offer them the chance to explore the outdoors, learn cooking, survival skills and learn leadership skills. Community service is emphasized and required to become an Eagle Scout. It provides young women a chance to stand out, because only 2.5% of Eagle Scouts are women.

Mike Lanning became the Scoutmaster in 1953 and after being in Scouting for nearly eight decades, he said he wished that “I could figure out a way to get more parents to come and take a look at the program.” He noted that there’s no way to quantify the leadership skills and self-confidence that youth in the program acquire.

Those who join soon will be able to participate in the April campout at Joshua Tree National Park for rock climbing.  If interested, please email Greg Frost at frostfamily@frostinvestigations.com

Scouts have their first campout after the Palisades Fire.

When completed, at the beginning of June, this Palisades playground will be top-notch.

This editor sent a March 19 note to Tony Budrovich, the head of the L.A. Parks Foundation, thanking him for spearheading a new playground in Pacific Palisades and asked that he send thanks to the Rec and Parks Board (RAP)of Commissioners, too.

“I have been writing about this dilapidated and ADA -inaccessible playground for over a decade and I had almost given up hope that the children of Palisades would ever have a safe, creative and well-maintained place to play,” this editor wrote.

“Many say the Palisades is just a rich community and should pay for its own playground.  But before the fire, we had numerous low-income housing units and rent-controlled apartments. We had families who had sacrificed everything to live in small rental homes just so their children could go to school in the Palisades.

“It was for these families that the playground was so important. It is the sole playground and Rec Center in the Palisades and ALL children should have a place to play.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” this editor said.

He responded on March 20 after RAP had approved the playground, saying that the RAP board had approved the project and “With a record pace we expect to have the new playground opened by July 4, 2025.  Spending some time at the park and meeting the Park Advisory Board tells me it’s a very special park in a very special place.

“So happy to share the good news and in a small way help the Palisades community,” Budrovich said, and attached a Draft Design, which had been modified a bit at the Park Advisory Meeting, including choosing colors.

“It will be a top tier playground in all of Los Angeles,” he said.

Beetlejuice Jr. has been called the perfect show for all ages, groups and families and is an age-appropriate telling of the hilarious Broadway musical. It opens this weekend at Paul Revere Middle School Auditorium, 1450 Allenford Avenue.

The cast under the direction of Lara Ganz and Aaron Jung, includes 35 youth actors in sixth through eighth grades.

The story revolves around Barbara and Adam Maitland who die in a car accident. But they find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house. When an unbearable couple the Deetzes and teen daughter Lydia buy the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away without success.

Their efforts attract Beetlejuice, a rambunctious spirit whose help quickly becomes dangerous for the Maitlands and innocent Lydia.

This crazy play is full of singing and dancing and is woven together to tell a heartwarming story about family, friendship, and embracing who you are.

Ganz said, “Thank you for supporting youth theater and investing in the next generation of storytellers, problem solvers, and leaders. See you at the show!”

The show opens tomorrow, Friday, March 21 at 7 p.m. There are six additional shows: Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m., Sunday, March 23 at 1 and 4 p.m., Thursday, March 27, at 6 p.m., Friday, March 28 at 5 and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 29 at 1 and 4 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online at  click here.

Seniors are $10 and elementary students are $3, if one uses the code Home.