Three Spring Chorale Concerts Promise Magnificent Music

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Sue

The Methodist Church on Via de la Paz, which burned, used to be home for the Palisades Symphony when performing with the Brentwood Palisades Chorale. A new venue had to be found for the spring concert. 
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN

By BERNICE FOX

Spring is choral concert season. And three choral groups with singers from Pacific Palisades have concerts in the next few days. In order by date and time, the concerts are:

Sunday, May 18, 4 p.m. – Concert Choir with L.A. Concert Orchestra

First United Methodist Church

1008 11th St., Santa Monica

Faure Requiem and Choral Masterpieces

Free – Donations are Welcome

Sunday, May 18, 7:30 p.m. – Brentwood Palisades Chorale with Palisades Symphony

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

3400 Sawtelle Blvd., Mar Vista

Verdi Requiem

Free – Donations are Welcome

Sunday, May 25, 4 p.m. – Angel City Chorale with Orchestra

Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center

1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach

People Get Ready

Purchase tickets at https://accsings.ticketspice.com/people-get-ready

Because of January’s wildfire, one of these choral groups with orchestra wasn’t certain until just a few weeks ago where or when their concert would take place.

The Brentwood Palisades Chorale normally holds its concerts at the Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades on Via de La Paz. Tragically, the church was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

Dr. Maxim Kuzin leads the Palisades Symphony Orchestra.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT

In an interview this week with Circling the News, Maxim Kuzin, music director of the Palisades Symphony, who is conducting Sunday evening’s concert with the symphony and the Brentwood Palisades Chorale, said the uncertainty began with the fire.

“We were devastated,” Kuzin said. “We were ready to stop performing because we lost one of the churches – Community United Methodist on Via de La Paz. It’s completely gone.

“And although Palisades Lutheran Church survived, it’s not available to us for rehearsals or symphony performances for an indefinite time.”

But the decision was made to move forward.

“We didn’t stop,” he said. “And the reason we didn’t stop is because our orchestra and choir members contacted us asking ‘when are we going to have rehearsal?’”

He told CTN that some of those asking when the music would start up again were players and singers who lost their homes in the fire.

“We realized that people need this music to find solace, some kind of remedy,” Kuzin said. “And we continue, and we press on.”

So, rehearsal spaces were found elsewhere. The symphony has been rehearsing in a space at the Belmont Village Senior Living in Westwood. The chorale’s rehearsals moved to Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Resnick Campus – formerly University Synagogue – in Brentwood.

While Kuzin conducted the symphony’s rehearsals, Susan Rosenstein trained and conducted the Brentwood Palisades Chorale during the rehearsal phase.

That still left the question of where this Sunday’s concert would be. First of all, it initially had been set for May 4. That date was tossed when venues were unavailable.

Sunday evening, May 18 at 7:30 p.m, was selected when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered their Mar Vista location at 3400 Sawtelle Boulevard.

That date and time worked for just about all involved, including the professional soloists. The program is one powerful piece: the Verdi Requiem.

Although the Verdi Requiem was selected last year for the May 2025 concert, Kuzin felt it was appropriate for the grieving Palisades community.

He explained to CTN “It’s a deeply, deeply moving piece. This is one of the most gorgeous pieces in the entire repertoire for choir and orchestra. It’s one of the pinnacles, if not the pinnacle.

“Verdi knew how to write for voices, voices with orchestra,” Kuzin said.

Several singers in the Brentwood Palisades Chorale also are singing with the Concert Choir a few hours earlier on Sunday. That concert will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, 1008 11th Street, Santa Monica.

Jim Smith

That program will begin with another beloved piece: the Faure Requiem. It, too, is appropriate for what the fire-ravaged community is going through. Music director, Jim Smith, has selected a number of other pieces to follow. Calling them Choral Masterpieces, they are individual movements from Carmina Burana, Mozart Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria, Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, Brahms Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi Requiem, Bach Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah and more to complete the program.

A free dessert reception follows to honor Jim Smith’s 60 years as music director at the Santa Monica church. In addition to his position at the church, he is the retired chairman of the music department at Santa Monica College.

Sunday afternoon, May 25, Memorial Day weekend, finds the Angel City Chorale in concert at its new location – the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Redondo Beach.

Sue Fink

The concert begins at 4 p.m. Founder and Artistic Director, Sue Fink, is calling this concert People Get Ready. This program is described as “a powerful concert and call to action. With music that inspires hope, joy, and unity,” the chorale “will explore themes of empowerment, peace, environmental care and working together for a better world.”

There also will be a special appearance by the Angel City Youth Chorale. Find out more about the adult chorale and the youth chorale at angelcitychorale.org.

Posted in Music | Leave a comment

FIREAID Letter to Annenberg: Where’s the Money?

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Sue

Olivia Rodrigo; Stevie Nicks; Stevie Wonder; Pink were among the A-list of stars who performed to raise money for fire victims.

(Editor’s note: CTN ran a story on May 12, “Fire Aid Concerts Net $100 Million: Fire Victims Ask Where’s the Money?” Subsequently the Westside Current ran the story on May 13. The Pacific Palisades Community Council sent the letter (below) on May 15. KABC Radio Host Randy Wang has invited this editor to speak about the story on Monday, May 19. He takes comments from callers and you are invited to dial in.)

To Annenberg Foundation: Via email communications@annenberg.org, Wallis Annenberg, Chair, Board of Directors Via email info@annenberg.org, Cinny Kennard, Executive Director Via email ckinnard@annenberg.org, Barbara Chen, Media Strategist Via email bchen@annenberg.org

Re: FireAid Concert Donations – Accounting

Dear Ms. Annenberg, Ms. Kinnard and Ms. Chen:

Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) has been the most broad-based community organization and voice of Pacific Palisades since 1973. As you know, our community was devastated by the massive Palisades Fire in January 2025. Community members were forced to evacuate on an emergency basis, with many fleeing on foot from encroaching flames.

Thousands of our members, friends and neighbors lost their homes and a lifetime of possessions (including all three of the undersigned); our business community was largely destroyed; our beloved recreation center was substantially damaged; our library, our houses of worship and other landmark gathering places are gone; and all community members were traumatized by this unprecedented catastrophe.

In addition, hundreds if not thousands of Palisades homeowners were uninsured or underinsured. As a result, innumerable Palisadians will be faced with the difficult choice of either leaving the Palisades – where they expected to live out the remainder of their lives – or substantially reducing their retirement funds in order to rebuild, placing them in a potentially precarious economic position going forward.

Against this backdrop, we were heartened to learn of the FireAid Concert, which reportedly raised over $100 million (and by some recent reports, purportedly over $800 million) in donations that were intended to help victims of the Palisades and Eaton Fires. We were also encouraged that the Annenberg Foundation would oversee distribution of the funds raised. We thank the Foundation and Concert organizers for their work in raising these substantial funds to assist communities affected by the fires.

However, almost four months after the Concert, we now write to inquire as to the extent to which any of the donated funds have in fact been distributed to assist actual victims of the Palisades Fire.

Unfortunately, this information is not available either on https://annenberg.org/ or on https://fireaidla.org/.

When your website indicates that the Annenberg Foundation advised the “FireAid Grants Advisory Committee” as to distribution of grants from donated funds, which were in turn awarded by the “FireAid Board of Directors” (unfortunately, there is no information on the FireAid website as to who are members of the FireAid Board). The FireAid website also states that donations are continuing to be received, with matching funds (“dollar for dollar”) donated by Connie and Steve Ballmer (https://fireaidla.org/#donate).

Moreover, the Annenberg Foundation website states that additional donations totaling $3.175 million have been paid or committed by the Foundation to “over fifty nonprofit community partners” for fire relief (aside from FireAid grants). There is no information after February 2025 on either the Annenberg Foundation website or the FireAid website as to the status of FireAid grants, other donations made or committed, or donations received for fire aid and relief.

One of the undersigned recently repeatedly called your office for more information, she received no response to her calls and messages.

Moreover, the FireAid website (a link buried on your website) lists only names of organizations, not the amounts given to each and whether or how any funds were distributed to victims of the Palisades Fire. In fact, our investigation mirrors the efforts described by a local journalist in the Westside Current: click here.

More specifically, the FireAid website names only three Palisades organizations that received grants (among almost 120 organizations listed as receiving grants, none of whom are specific to Pacific Palisades): Kehillat Israel, Chabad of Pacific Palisades and Palisades Charter High School.

While we are pleased that these respected community entities received grants, it is not clear how distributions to these organizations specifically helped fire victims throughout the Palisades. Indeed, other than funds to rebuild Palisades High (which are greatly appreciated), it is currently unclear whether any of the tens of millions of dollars in FireAid funds have actually gone to help the wider Palisades community or specific fire victims, either in the short or long term.

As the voice of the Palisades, PPCC accordingly requests that the Annenberg Foundation provide an accounting of all funds donated in connection with the FireAid Concert, including any and all matching funds for donated amounts provided by the Ballmers; the grant amounts that were received by each of the organizations listed on the FireAid website; all funds donated or committed to be donated by the Annenberg Foundation (aside from FireAid) for fire relief, and the specific amounts that have been distributed to date to actual victims of the Palisades Fire and/or toward recovery and rebuilding from the Fire.

We also request that you provide a more detailed explanation as to how the FireAid Grants Advisory Committee determined to make grants to the recipients listed on the FireAid website, including an explanation as to why only three Palisades-specific organizations were included.

Finally, we ask that you please advise whether the Annenberg Foundation or FireAid websites will be updated as of May 2025 to list any additional grants made since February 2025.

Thank you for your consideration and anticipated prompt attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Sue Kohl, President

Christina Spitz, At-large Representative

Kimberly Bloom Area 5 Representative

Pacific Palisades Community Council

www.pacpalicc.org

Tahitian Terrace and Palisades Bowl mobile homes parks were destroyed in the Palisades Fire. Those victims have received no funds from FireAid.

Posted in FireAid, Letters, Palisades Fire | 12 Comments

Palisades Beautiful Recharged: Led by Martin

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Sue

Noah Martin, who has revitalized Palisades Beautiful, hand waters plants in the Palisades, such as the median on Bowdoin Street.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN

The original Palisades Beautiful, which was formed in the 1970s, planted more than 1,500 trees in Pacific Palisades. Starting with the Jacarandas on Northfield, it grew into a project that spanned across the Palisades. That organization shut down in the early 2020s.

The new version of Palisades Beautiful was started by Noah Martin in February because he said he was inspired by the initial group. He’s joined by new generation of Palisadians Rachel Martin, JJ Amis, Chetan Munugala and Orestis Lykouropoulos.

Noah said, “We’re a team of multi-generational Palisadians, we went to Pali, hiked to the waterfall, surfed at Will Rogers, were sustained by Gelson’s pizza and PGC [Pacific Garden Café] burritos, and in 2025 our homes and community burned.

Noah and his roommate lived on Northfield. “It was a house my mom inherited from her dad,” and it, like many, burned.

“It was the fire that led to this new Palisades Beautiful to help build back even more resilient than before,” Noah said.

He attended Marquez, Paul Revere Middle School and graduated from Palisades High School before attending UC San Diego where he studied computer engineering. He completed his master’s degree from the University of Southern California and is working on a computer science doctorate from Tufts.

Martin worked with Airbnb before he started his own company, Emerge Tools, which created software for developers of mobile apps so they could understand and improve their app performance.

Last week his company, which had grown to 10 employees, was acquired by Sentry, which also creates software for developers. click here.

In addition to completing his doctorate and working on a house replacement, his attention is on Palisades Beautiful.

“We are focused on restoring natural spaces right now, and that’s taken two forms, planting trees/shrubs and cleanups,” he said and added he is watering plants/trees in some of the areas/parkways that desperately need a “drink” in this below average rainfall season.

On Earth Day 2025, the group worked on a trash pickup at Bowdoin Street off Temescal Canyon Road. The group picked up 14 bags and planted four native species including a Coast Live Oak and a Toyon at the Bowdoin median that had burned. Initially, Palisadian Scott Cullum had planted and hand watered the area. click here.

Photo: Instagram

On May 10, the group was joined by about 35 volunteers that scoured the streets and sidewalks in the Palisades Village. When the half-day cleanup was completed 25 big garbage bags of trash had been collected.

Palisades Beautiful cleaned up Bowdoin on Earth Day.
Photo: INSTAGRAM

Palisades Beautiful states “Our focus is on plants that are a natural fit for the community. Requiring little water, tolerant of our coastal fog and droughts, fire resistant, and enhancing the beautiful landscape.” And they offer recommendations on their site https://www.palisadesbeautiful.org/catalog

Noah said, “We are entirely funded by donations which go to the supplies for these cleanups and also to buy plants. Anyone can contact us through the website if they have a location where plants were destroyed that they want to have replaced. Donations can also be made on the website.”

(Editor’s note: A big shout out to the next generation of Palisadians, who are helping to shape what and who this community will become after the fire.)

Posted in Community, Environmental, Geology/Dinosaurs/Earth | 2 Comments

Katie O’Neill’s Studio Opens this Week

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Sue

Will Rogers famous ranch house was painted by Katie O’Neill and burned in the Palisades Fire. Some prints are available.

Artist Katie O’Neill, who captured the beauty of Pacific Palisades, the surrounding mountains and coastline, lost her store on Antioch and her apartment in the January 7 fire Palisades Fire.

This weekend, she will open at 1819 Stanford – across the street from Little Dolphins Preschool and few blocks west of New Roads school.

Former students will come in on Friday and Saturday to paint. “It will give me an idea of what I still need to replace,” O’Neill said. “I had collected so much over 30 years of painting and teaching. Still life props, tools, drawing boards etc.

“I’m grateful to a former teaching assistant of mine, Jessica Begum, for subletting her floral studio to me to give me an opportunity to figure out my next steps and to be able to see my students,” said O’Neill, who will be in the space until the end of January 2026.

Today, May 12, she finished new art benches her brother Hugh made for her. “Now I’m going to get out the Allen wrench and finish putting together the last of the easels,” she said.

O’Neill is also starting an art book registry if anyone would like to contribute. “I lost 30 years’ worth of art books – some of which are impossible to replace,” she said. “Used, well-worn books are more than welcome as long as the prints are still good to paint from. And people don’t need to order from amazon – Thriftbooks.com has a great selection of used books.” https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2DJGGBDRMR7VG

In an earlier story for CTN, she shared exquisite paintings of Will Rogers State Historic Park—one features the “tunnel” of eucalyptus trees that leads to the horse barns. “They are not replanting these trees because they are non-native,” O’Neill said, so she has preserved some important visual history.

“I am eternally grateful for Will Rogers and his heirs for donating this land,” she said, noting that much of her art has Will Rogers in the title.

She also captured the former St. Matthew’s Church sanctuary, prior to 1978, when it burned down during the fire that swept from Brentwood along the edge of Pacific Palisades.

O’Neill has also painted numerous lifeguard towers at Will Rogers State Beach.

“After it rains, I will run down to the bluffs,” O’Neill said, noting she takes numerous photographs of the area and brings them back to help her create the painting. “I get all the pieces — it’s like problem solving — and I put them together.”

“It brings joys to look at all the vistas and views,” O’Neill said.

Go to her site click here.and one can see she singlehandedly captured the town and its buildings before they were destroyed in the fire.

She was asked about her prints—because O’Neill has painted all aspects of the beauty of the Palisades. “I have been selling some prints on demand for the last couple of months as I’ve been settling into my new apartment,” the artist said. “Right now, my printer’s printer needs a new printer head so those are on hold for at least a week. I’ll have some in-stock prints available at the new studio.”  Email: katieoneillart@yahoo.com

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Westside Councils Tell U.S. Attorney They’ll Help the Investigation

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Sue

Money intended to help the homeless has seemingly disappeared.

Pacific Palisades belongs to the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC), and that group has offered to assist the U.S. Attorney in the investigation of the “disappearance” of homeless money.

WRAC which includes 14 (Neighborhood and Community) Councils requested an investigation in the use of homeless funds in December 2024. They asked (1)   the federal government to intervene and conduct a federal investigation into the use by the city of Los Angeles, the county of Los Angeles, the state of California and all city, county and state agencies of federal funds received to address homelessness; (2) the state government to investigate the use of state funds for such purpose; (3) the county government to investigate the use of county funds for such purpose; and (4) the city government to investigate the use of city funds for such purpose, due to the mismanagement and non-accountability of taxpayer dollars being squandered while leaving a humanitarian crisis on our streets.

WRAC may finally have an “ear” with Bill Essayli the new interim U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles.

Essayli announced at the beginning of April, the formation of the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force, which will investigate fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption involving funds allocated toward the eradication of homelessness within the seven-county jurisdiction of the Central District of California.

The U.S. Attorney said, “California has spent more than $24 billion over the past five years to address homelessness. But officials have been unable to account for all the expenditures and outcomes, and the homeless crisis has only gotten worse. Taxpayers deserve answers for where and how their hard-earned money has been spent. If state and local officials cannot provide proper oversight and accountability, we will do it for them. If we discover any federal laws were violated, we will make arrests.”

In October 2024, Pacific Palisades Community Council had already sent a letter, asking for accountability to the U.S. Attorney General, state and city officials “Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) urges (1) the federal government to intervene and conduct a federal investigation into the use by the city of Los Angeles, the county of Los Angeles, the state of California and all city, county and state agencies of federal funds received to address homelessness; (2) the state government to investigate the use of state funds for such purpose; (3) the county government to investigate the use of county funds for such purpose; and (4) the city government to investigate the use of city funds for such purpose, due to the mismanagement and non-accountability of taxpayer dollars being squandered while leaving a humanitarian crisis on our streets.

“PPCC further calls upon our city Councilmembers to communicate this request to the relevant respective federal, state, county and city authorities, including our U.S. Senators, Congressmembers, the U.S. Attorney General and Dept. of Justice; our Governor, state Senators, Assemblymembers and state Attorney General; our county Supervisors and District Attorney; and our Mayor and City Attorney.”

WRAC sent a similar letter on December 14, approved by the Council and written by WRAC Chair Robin Greenberg, WRAC Co-Chair Chris Spitz and WRAC’s HOA Vice Chair Jay Handal www.westsidecouncils. https://westsidecouncils.com/

Federal Judge David O. Carter of Los Angeles had ordered an audit in March of the homeless spending and found a lack of data and financial systems to track the programs in L.A. City, L.A. County and LAHSA  (and Los Angeles Housing Service Authority).

“Nobody is asking our providers what they did or what services they performed. We may have providers who committed fraud, and we may never know. We may have providers that provided excellent services, and we’ll never know,” said Judge Carter. “If we’re so short on money, why aren’t these providers being sued…These parties owe you that money. Are they waiting for us to get senile or die? Go and get that money.”

Drugs and alcoholism are a problem for many of the homeless.

Posted in Homelessness | Leave a comment

Palisades Residents Take Garbage Seriously

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Sue

Bruce Schwartz, representing PRIDE and Cindy Kirven, president of the Village Green helped with the town cleanup on Saturday.

A portion of the commercial district has burned in Pacific Palisades, mostly buildings on Antioch between Swarthmore and Via de la Paz. Storefronts have burned on Via and both grocery stores are shells.

Despite that fact, there are a group of residents that take pride in the town. They find overflowing garbage cans and  litter from  workers, contractors and residents distasteful. Additionally garbage encourages rodents.

On May 10, Palisades Beautiful handed out gloves, grabbers and trash bags and about 35 people fanned out across Pacific Palisades to pick up trash left in streets and on the sidewalks.

Ronald Reagan Post 283 provided lunch, and the event was organized in conjunction with Palisades PRIDE, The Palisades Village and Palisades Beautiful.

Palisades Beautiful Noah Martin said he was working mostly by Palisades High School and collected 10 bags of trash, with help from his sister Racheal.

“Those bags were picked up by Mike Sosa with ECC who saw us working and volunteered his truck to brings the bags to their trash, “ Martin said. ECC Construction is the prime contractor working with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in the Palisades. (Look for a future story about Palisades Beautiful and Noah Martin.)

Now, the streets are noticeably cleaner as garbage was stacked up, but who is responsible for picking up trash? The City of Los Angeles has not picked up trash in the Palisades Village for years.

The Palisades Business Improvement District (BID) formed in January 1, 2016, to take over tasks the City was not doing, such as sidewalk cleaning, tree trimming and of course, trash pickup.

Local businesses pay an assessment (tax), which then goes to the BID, which specifically paid Chrysalis for trash pick-up, sidewalk cleaning and graffiti removal.

On the BID website, it is explained that “Normally Chrysalis works three days a week, but because of the Palisades Fire, they have not had access.

“Chrysalis now has a group of employees who completed the HAZWHOPPER 40 training (requirement to clean in areas post-fire) but needed a Site Supervisor.”

Grace Davis, the Assistant Vice President at Chrysalis Enterprises, reported that on May 1, the supervisor was completing training and now “a team of 10 people will be cleaning the business district the remaining Wednesdays in May. Beginning June, a team of two to three will clean two times a week.”

At a March Zoom meeting, the BID voted to continue its operations. The next meeting is June 4, and people are invited to join click here.

Posted in BID--Business Improvement District, Community | 1 Comment

Krishna Thangavelu “Angel Art” Exhibition

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Sue

The city of Santa Clarita’s latest art exhibition, “Angel Art,” by Krishna Thangavelu, is on view at The Main through July 21.

Tahitian resident Krishna Thangavelu’s paintings are being featured in art exhibition “Angel Art” by the City of Santa Clarita May 15 to Monday, July 21.  The community is invited to a special reception on Thursday, May 15 from 7 to 10 p.m. at The MAIN, 24266 Main Street. The art reception will provide an opportunity to meet Thangavelu and gain insight into her creative process. The event is free and open to the public.

“Angel Art is a collection of paintings that survived the Palisades Fire,” Thangavelu said, “all the paintings that could fit in my compact car.”

The art reception coincides with the City’s Senses Block Party on Main Street, with food trucks, live music and outdoor activities.

The exhibition showcases pieces from Thangavelu’s Floral and Oceanscapes series, including vivid portrayals of blooming landscapes, moonlit waters and radiant sunsets. Created on canvas and wood panels, these paintings invite viewers to reflect on the beauty of the natural world, as well as the strength found in transformation.

Thangavelu’s process is deeply intuitive and rooted in the natural world, “I bring home leaves, flowers, rocks, twigs and driftwood from the beach. I paint them, I’ve painted on them, and, sometimes, wrestling with a painting, the sun visits my studio and guides me.”

In addition to being an artist and writer Thangavelu long advocated for public safety in Pacific Palisades. She was named a Sparkplug by the Pacific Palisades Community Council in 2021 for organizing grassroots opposition to a proposed plan to build a homeless shelter at Will Rogers State Beach. She started the Facebook group “Protecting Parks and Beaches” and then helped with the formation of the nonprofit “Beaches and Parks 4 All.”

The youngest of six children, she calls herself an “accidental activist.”

Posted in Arts | Leave a comment

TPY Presents a Cabaret “Things We Found in the Fire”

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Sue

Theatre Palisades Youth (TPY) was invited to present a cabaret Things We Lost in the Fire at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, at Harvard-Westlake School Rugby Auditorium,3700 Coldwater Canyon Studio City, CA 91604

The show will highlight the incredible talent of the Palisades youth community in solo and small group performances, with vocal and instrumental music, dance, improv and stand-up comedy.

The show was the brainchild of Harvard-Westlake almnus Gaba, who also serves as the TPY’s music director. She spoke to HW’s performing Arts Director, Aaron Martin. Several of his students were impacted by recent fires and wanted to support others who had been impacted by fires.

The idea of producing a TPY cabaret seemed to be a fantastic way to show their support. Additionally, Harvard-Westlake high school students are also mentoring TPY performers.

“When the TPY community lost the physical space that had become their second home, I was immediately reminded of my own second home as a teenager—my high school theater,” Gaba said “The incredible teachers and students at Harvard-Westlake didn’t hesitate to step up—not only to help raise the funds needed to keep our program alive, but to give our kids a space to express themselves and share their stories. I’m deeply grateful to both the TPY and HW communities for turning this wild idea into a beautiful reality!”

TPY Director Lara Ganz said, “It is truly humbling to be on the receiving end of such a beautiful gesture from Harvard Westlake’s inspirational young leaders. Our fragile TPY is so fortunate to be supported, lifted and united in song, service and laughter with the brilliantly talented and empathic Harvard Westlake theater community!”

Tickets for TPY/Teen Cabaret – Things We Found in the Fire will be available for purchase through the Theatre Palisades Youth webpage: https://theatrepalisades.org/youth/ or tickets may also be purchased on-site at the Harvard-Westlake School on the day of the event.

Posted in Arts, Kids/Parenting, Schools | Leave a comment

Pacific Palisades Historical Annual Meeting May 18

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Sue


Rustic Canyon became the choice location for gatherings of the pioneering Marquez family, holding an annual picnic reunion, as far back as the 19th Century–long before the Uplifters and the Methodists both came to discover it. 
Clearwater Collection Photo

The Pacific Palisades Historical Society annual general membership meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, at the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center. There will be light refreshments, and there is no need to make a reservation.

Many may remember that the location of this meeting was original site of the Uplifters and is located at 601 Latimer Road. One doesn’t have to go through Palisades security  checkpoints to access the meeting. As a point of information, Canyon Elementary is hosting its annual School Fiesta from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the same day, so plan on possible traffic.

The program will feature a presentation on the fire’s impact on Palisades locations imbued with historical importance and the challenge of salvage and restoration. The vast majority of the PPHS collection of historic photos, documents, postcards and clippings was in storage, where it remains.

The program will also feature a slideshow chronicling the history of Rustic Canyon, including California’s first experimental forestry station and the exploits of the Uplifters, presented by the inimitable Randy Young. There will also be an announcement regarding some of the much sought-after books on Palisades history that have been out of print.

Current members will vote on the board officers to lead the organization the coming year.

Posted in History | Leave a comment

FIREAID Concerts Net $100 Million: Fire Victims Ask Where’s the Money?

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Sue

Tahitian Terrace and Palisades Bowl mobile homes parks were destroyed.

What do El Nido, Home Grown, Vision y Compromiso and L.A.’s Home for Native People have in common? They all received FireAid Grants.

On April 21, this editor received a query from a reader, “Do you have any information as to where one can apply for the Fire Aid Concert Funds?  I never could figure out where to apply for those funds?”

To support those residents in Pacific Palisades and Eaton who had lost homes – and in some cases – all their earthly possessions in the January 7, 8 and 9 Fires, a Fire Aid Benefit Concert was held on January 30, 2025. FireAid raised an estimated $100 million – and, if they want, people can still donate at https://fireaidla.org.

The Annenberg Foundation was tasked with administering the funds. This editor emailed that organization after the reader’s inquiry and asked, “How much of the funds were spent specifically for the Palisades and which nonprofits in that community are receiving money?”

There was no reply. I sent several subsequent emails. Still no reply. CTN called the Annenberg on April 25, and repeated the request. The person answering the phone tried several extensions, but no one answered. She took down my information and said someone would call back.

No one did, so this editor called again. It was the same drill, someone thought it was Phillip I needed to talk, too, (no last name given), but he did not respond, nor did anyone at any of the other extensions. My information was once again taken down. No one called.

CTN phoned and emailed again, and on April 30, received the following email from Barbarra Chen, Annenberg Foundation Media Strategist.

“With apologies for the delayed reply – I want to provide you with details published previously by FireAid re: grantmaking. (See the screenshot included and button “See our grantees,” which will lead you to this: https://fireaidla.org/grants/)

“For further [stet], please contact Chris Wallace, Chief Communications Officer.”

CTN replied “Thank you for responding. I had gone to that website and saw the assortment of nonprofits that had received grants. It seemed like Pacific Palisades was mostly ignored or forgotten, which is why I reached out to the Annenberg and asked specifically for the grants awarded. Many of the nonprofits receiving money such as the People Concern or St. Joseph’s do not help Palisades families.

“I saw that the Chabad, KI, Metro YMCA, LAUSD and Palisades High received grants, but what about Palisadians who lived in apartments on rent control, or the nearly 700 people who lived in the mobile home parks, who received no aid?

“What about the middle class, who might have had high mortgages, lack of insurance coverage (due to no fault of their own – Fair plan), lost all of their belongings and have no money to rebuild on their property? And these people have either had to rent, borrow or buy furniture, and that includes dishes, pots/pans, bath rugs, towels–

“Of all the grants awarded, which ones targeted Pacific Palisades residents” and “Why were individuals not considered for fire aid?”

No response.

CTN asked Tim Campbell, who managed a municipal performance audit program and conducted an audit for the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights (homeless spending), if there was a way to see the amounts that nonprofit organizations (NPO) receive.

He responded “NPO’s don’t have the reporting requirements that government agencies do, but they should be able to give you a breakdown of how much went to each NPO for use in the Palisades.  That seems like a reasonable request, and if I were their auditor, I’d expect them to be able to produce the data.”

Campbell concluded “It would certainly be in the community’s best interest to know where donations went.”

The FireAid website explains that with nonprofits  “Our intention is to strike a balance, geographically and organizationally, assisting both large funds and organizations with longstanding experience navigating moments of crisis, and community groups with deep knowledge of impacted neighborhoods.”

The site noted that community nonprofits could apply for grants ranging from $10,000-$50,000.”

There are ten categories listed, and in each are the nonprofits that received grants. Below is a sample.

Children and Family:

El Nido continues to build healthy families by providing community-based social services in some of the most underserved communities in Los Angeles County, including; Pacoima and surrounding communities, South Los Angeles, Compton, and the Antelope Valley.

Home Grown – Our mission is to build a more inclusive childcare system that values and supports home-based childcare (HBCC) as a quality option for families and children.

Pathways LA – based in downtown “works to make sure that children in our most vulnerable communities have access to high-quality and affordable childcare services. And on that site, the NPO recommend reaching out to L.A. County Emergency Services, American Red Cross and 211 L.A. County for fire aid.

Health and Housing:

St. Josephs– In a 2022 Westside Current Story “Almost Half of $5M Venice Boardwalk ‘Encampment to Home’ Funding Used for Staffing, Operations” the money used by St. Josephs went to staffing, operations and indirect costs.

The People’s Concern also received a fire aid grant. People in Pacific Palisades had made donations to the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness. That group in turn gave the money to the People’s Concern to hire social workers to reach out to the homeless.

Another grant recipient was the L.A.’s Home for Native People, located at West Temple Street, whose mission is to promote and support the physical, behavioral, and spiritual well-being of American Indian/Alaska Natives in Los Angeles and Orange counties. If you go to the calendar of events, most are done Mondays and Thursdays on Zoom.

Pacific Clinics “offer a continuum of services for all ages, including behavioral health treatment and culturally responsive programs, such as the Asian Pacific Family Center, the Latina Youth Program and the Armenian Hye-Wap program,” and is at Western Avenue, New Hampshire Street and El Centro Ave. in Los Angeles and at three sites in Pasadena.

Visión y Compromiso “is committed to community well-being by supporting promotores and community health workers. And what is a promotore? Because they share the same language, culture, ethnicity, status and experiences of their communities, Promotores are able to reduce the barriers to health education and services that are common for native-born and immigrant communities.”

It appears that the FireAid concert was a boon to nonprofit organizations, but for the ordinary fire victim, they’re left to sift through the ashes.

This house on Earlham in Pacific Palisades is one of 5,419 homes, 135 multi-family homes, and 158 commercial structures destroyed. Additionally, 1,017 structures were damaged. 

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