Circling The News

Celebrating with the Y on its million gift were (back row, left to right) Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, Lou Kamer, Memo Macalpin, Tracey Price, Senator Ben Allen, Jim Kirtley, Genevieve Bostic, Gavin Kirtley, Lisa Van Ingen Pope, Quinlyn Kirtley, Cindy Simon, Sam Lagana, Traci Park and Maryam Zar (front row from left to right) Ezra Allen, JoJo, Shalimar and June Carducci.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

California State Senator Ben Allen presented a check for one million dollars to YMCA Executive Director Jim Kirtley at the end of the Pacific Palisades Jubilee and Community Celebration on September 30 in Simon Meadow.

“Having grown up here and benefited from programs such as these as a kid, I know how invaluable the YMCA is to our families, and I’m so glad we were able to secure them this crucial funding.” Allen said. “This funding will help to make Simon Meadows a more vibrant and useful site for the YMCA’s regional programs that expose youth to the wonders of the outdoors.”

Kirtley said that the Los Angeles Y had worked with Ben Allen’s team to submit a budget request for the 2023 year.

“The L.A. Y has successfully received budget requests because of the good works and impact in the communities we serve and our relationships with local offices,” Kirtley said, noting that the money given by Allen’s office is “not an official application or grant opportunity in the traditional sense.”

The money the Y sought was for a shade/bathroom combo structure at Simon Meadow. “That means we will not need the eyesore portable restrooms we currently have for community events, Y Sports, summer day campers and Pumpkin Patch/Christmas Tree participants,” Kirtley said.

During the Jubilee celebration, emcee Sam Lagana said, “Senator Allen grew up in Santa Monica, but he transversed these grounds as a young man and wants to continue to keep them for the next generation.”

Allen told the people assembled that as a child he hiked in the Santa Monica Mountains and Canyons and that “This place is near and dear to my heart. This is a place for YMCA kids from all over L.A.”

The senator said there were limited funds provided in the state budget this year for certain local projects that will provide regional community benefits. “This project is being funded in that portion of the budget,” the senator said.

Kirtley plans to expand a teen program to Simon Meadow, because “We at the Y have a teen solution.”

The City placed barriers to warn drivers of the unsafe conditions on Temescal Canyon Road. That took away one downhill lane on the busy street.

Councilmember Traci Park’s office announced on September 29, that repair of Temescal Canyon Road is set to begin tomorrow, Monday, October 2.

Park’s field deputy Michael Amster sent an email to the Pacific Palisades Community Council that “Repairing this road has been a top priority for Councilwoman Park, who recognizes it as the central traffic artery of the Palisades–and vital for emergency preparedness.”

Amster wrote in that email: “The Bureau of Engineering has advised us that the repairs are projected to be finished around the end of October. The streets will remain open to local traffic. The workers, trucks, supplies, and equipment should be out of the way of traffic.”

Temescal Canyon Road, which is one of only three ways in and out of Pacific Palisades and also the main thoroughfare to Palisades Charter High School, was repaved in November 2022 over two weekends.

After it was done, already in December, the newly paved roadway on the downhill side had developed a “lip” and the City was informed of the problem with the road.

The city redid the road in March, but then it developed a second “lip,” which was blamed on the heavy rains last year.

Marisol Rodriquez, director of external relations StreetsLA, sent a note to Pacific Palisades Community Council President Maryam Zar on July 3, “Per our crews, this location has been on our radar for a few months now. Our resurfacing crew did resurface the roadway, however the roadway started to fail once again soon after most likely due to additional water coming from the hillside and onto the street. Some of that water is getting under the roadway and causing the large road failure. This is a larger issue that needs to be addressed, possibly in conjunction with other departments, such as BOE.”

One lane of the downhill side was shut to traffic, and residents were told there wasn’t money to repair the road.

Councilwoman Park expedited a motion through the City Council in August to secure funding ($800,000) for road repairs.

How much tax dollars has it cost to pave, repave and finally repair the road, as we come up on the one-year anniversary of the initial paving? CTN has asked, no one seems to know. Maybe now the question is, “will this finally fix Temescal, so that a lane can be reopened?”

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LAFD Station 69 responded to a teen who was unresponsive at the park.

“I was at the park yesterday with my daughter and a young girl was taken by ambulance. She seemed unresponsive,” a resident wrote Circling the News on September 23.

The resident said that it happened in the area behind the library and that many teenagers who were standing there said it was an overdose.

The resident hoped the girl was okay, and hoped this might be a cautionary tale for other teens in this area.

A second reader wrote, “There were three fire trucks on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Rec Center. My husband walked over, and a girl was passed out and then being lifted into an ambulance. There were dozens of teens gathered around. They said she had been ‘throwing up.’”

The girl was described as 16, experiencing a medical emergency, and had been transported to the hospital.

CTN contacted Senior Lead Office Brian Espin and also West Los Angeles Bureau Captain Richard Gabaldon, and asked, “if it was a drug overdose, it might mean it would be good for LAPD narcotics to know.  Residents would also like to know if she survived.” There was no response.

One parent said was overdose and that the girl had taken an animal tranquilizer. CTN hopes it was not Xylazine, which is a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use. It has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide in the evolving drug addiction and overdose crisis. Narcon doesn’t work with xylazine.

Additionally, fireworks and other illegal activity was taking place after hours at the Palisades Recreation Center.

Palisades Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin wrote in an email to the community that “I am aware of the issues at the park. The park is listed as one of the extra/directed patrol area’s for the Patrol officers.

“Unfortunately, we are extremely short-staffed and have to prioritize the emergency calls for service,” Espin said. “The reality is the patrol officers do check the park when they are available but the kids either leave the area or hide and then when the patrol car leaves is when the activity occurs.

“I wish I could post a Patrol unit there all night on the weekends, but we just don’t have the resources,” Espin said. “I will meet with the park director and see what ideas we can do to better address the after-hours activity.”

One resident asked, “I was wondering if any of the neighbors who live near the Park have Palisades Patrol, ACS or ADT and could ask them to patrol the area more often in the evening and later in the night.  The local S.L.O. is overwhelmed and short of staff to come to our aid.  He does do a great job with homeless and everything else he has to handle in our area though.”

The reader is right that LAPD is severely understaffed.

NBC reported in August (“Fewest Cops in a Generation: LAPD Shrinks below 9,000 Officers), “the number of officers employed by the LAPD has dropped below 9,000, a staffing level unseen since the administration of former LA Mayor Richard Riordan in the 1990s.

“Several City officials told NBC’s I-Team that as of July 30 there were 8,967 officers employed, far below Mayor Karen Bass’ goal of 9,500 officers, and about 300 below what the current budget allows, roughly 9,300 officers.

“Since then, another class graduated from the LAPD academy — bringing the total number of officers to 8,995, though it will be several months before the newest officers complete field training.

“A new academy class began last week at less than half capacity.”

This might explain to Pacific Palisades residents the reason for slow police response or why patrolling is not happening.

Palisades Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin.

Single family homes in Pacific Palisades have become the target of burglaries.
Photo: Brian Espin

It appears that criminals have become more brazen and are targeting single-family homes.

Now with no-bail going into effect on October 1, there will even be less deterrent for criminals.

On September 26, The West Los Angeles Police Department put on a  WARNING that in the last several months, there have been a wave of burglaries targeting single-family homes in Pacific Palisades, Riviera, Brentwood, Westwood Hills, Bel Air, Bel Air Crest, Beverly Glen, Benedict Canyon, Holmby Hills, Little Holmby-Westwood, Westwood South, Cheviot Hills and Beverlywood areas.

In the Pacific Palisades September 26 crime report, Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin reported that on September 23, that around 8:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of Corsica Drive, the suspects used a ladder to gain access to a second floor balcony, use a laser cutter to smash a glass door. The suspected entered the location and removed property.

The warning said that criminals, usually two to four males, are part of an organized burglary crew that target large homes that appear to be unoccupied at the time of the break-in.

On several occasions suspects have used a ladder, step stool, outdoor furniture or exterior drainpipes attached to the rear of the residence to get up to the balcony of the master bedroom on the second story. Criminals may use trees, bushes, pony walls to climb to an upper floor.

Once there,  they smash or cut out a glass partition of the door and crawl in and remove property.

These criminals ransack the master bedroom and closet for jewelry, watches, high-end purses, safes and cash.

Often, suspects have a getaway vehicle out front with a person acting as a lookout in case of law enforcement response.

Suspects are known to carry handheld short-range radios for communication with the lookout. Suspects also carry a WIFI Jammer in an attempt to disrupt the WIFI signal of wireless residential security cameras like RING or NEST.

Residents should know that criminals enter the house by smashing or cutting the glass, and do not open the door to prevent setting off alarm sensors.

Hours of break-ins vary and can occur night or day. In some cases, suspects attempt entry while the victim is inside their residence.

The criminals are male, generally masked and gloved. The getaway vehicles can be rentals with dealer paper plates, temporary paper plates or “cold plates”- freshly stolen plates not yet reported. Sometimes the license plates are removed prior to committing a crime to avoid police or surveillance detection.

Police say that a residence may be a greater target if there is a lack of video surveillance, alarm system/active security guard on patrol.

Residents are asked to check backyards and perimeters for possible hidden recording devices and be aware of drones (used to obtain surveillance of a residence and patterns of life for residents).

BURGLARY PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Neighbors should be alert to suspicious activity and noises. Take photos of suspects or vehicles (showing plate) loitering by the building if you can do so safely.
2. Implement a group email alert system to notify neighbors of unusual activity. If you see something, say something.
3. If there is not currently a video surveillance system on your exterior sides and interior areas of your residence, consider installation options. Operable cameras and signs alerting that surveillance is on premises can be a deterrent. Also, consider an online community neighborhood watch (i.e. Neighbors from “Ring” or “Nextdoor” apps for information sharing).
4. If your neighborhood has an HOA association, consider investing in a neighborhood/community camera surveillance system (i.e. “Flock” or “Vigilant”) for ongoing monitoring of vehicles that are not local to the area.
5. Residents may wish to add motion lights and alarms to their glass sliding doors for additional security.
6. Keep alarms activated at all times, whether you are at home or out for a short period of time and try and place your DVR in a location protected from tampering.
7. Harden your exterior electrical circuit box with a padlock to prevent cutting power to security alarms and camera surveillance systems.
8. Keep a pole in the sliding glass door track at all times to deter door opening by prying the lock.
9. If you are out for the evening, leave lights on in several rooms, and possibly leave the television on. If you will be away from your residence for several days, install timer lights to activate at night, and ask your neighbors to be on the alert, providing them with your contact info. Ask a neighbor to retrieve your mail and packages.
10. If possible, keep expensive jewelry in a bank safe deposit box, not in your residence.
11. If a safe is owned, make sure it is bolted down to the floorboard and consider placing a GPS tracking device inside as a contingency (In the event it is taken, it can be tracked and found by police).
12. Consider purchasing GPS tracking devices like Apple Air Tags for your safes and or valuables in the event you are victimized.

Finally, if a resident has any information, contact WLA Burglary Detective Carrillo at (310) 444-1568 or (213) 216-5308.

Police recommend that safes be bolted to the floor.