Community Council gave Lotus Foundation $4,000 for an event it is holding this Saturday at the Legion. The event is sponsored by these partners.
After the Palisades Fire, several entities gave money to Pacific Palisades Community Council, including the Riviera Country Club and the California Community Foundation.
A grants committee was formed. The committee vets applicants and puts recommendations before the board for final approval, which has to be two-thirds of voting members present.
Those grants have to consistent with the PPCC Mission and must benefit “fire recovery.” Regulations state that “PPCC will not fund individual homeowner, group or business losses, nor will it fund lawsuits or pay for legal fees incurred by individuals, groups or businesses arising from or related to the Palisades Fire.”
At an earlier meeting, the Palisades Forestry Committee received a $75,000 grant to coordinate the watering of standing trees in the Palisades; the Crayon Collection received a $15,000 grant to take artwork created by local displaced students and put it on banners to be displayed.
At the September 25 meeting the Long-Term Recovery Group, headed by Jim Cragg, received $17,500 to provide long-term help to residents after the fire; Friends of Marquez received $11,833 to put up a tent to serve as an “auditorium” meeting place until Marquez Elementary is rebuilt; and St. Matthew’s Parish School received $25,000 to help rebuild outdoor gathering spaces.
The Pacific Palisades Baseball Association received $50,000 to rebuild the Field of Dreams. Among the needed repairs/improvements: replacing landscaping, fencing and storage infrastructure; rebuilding burned dugout; replacing destroyed equipment containers; replacing maintenance equipment, including lawnmowers; and purchasing replacement equipment for league and community use.
There was discussion because many representatives thought that Steadfast (Rick Caruso’s nonprofit), LA Strong Sports (Lakers coach JJ Redick nonprofit) and the City were going to rebuild the Rec Center, including the field. PPCC members were told that the rebuild did not include the field. Others wanted to know if the money would be used for artificial turf, which they opposed.
It was pointed out that lawnmowers were being requested and that a decision had not been made between grass and turf.
The only other grant to come under discussion was Lotus Rising L.A., a nonprofit formed in 2025 after the Palisades and Eaton Fires. Jacqui Medina, the founder of Studio Aki and of Lotus Rising LA, said both started from the same belief – “that space shapes us, and everyone deserved one that feels like home.”
Medina asked for money to host yet another rebuild event in the Palisades. The American Legion is providing space for her “Ready Rebuild – Prefab 101” that takes place on September 27.
According to the grant application, “this funding from PPCC will help cover the cost of event materials and printing, marketing and outreach to reach Palisades Fire survivors, operations and team support, permits, insurance and compliance for a safe public event, and logistics and other supplies.”
Representative Jessica Rogers pointed out her vendor list is worth over $1 billion and wondered why vendors couldn’t sponsor the event. They include Prefab Partners & Builders (curated by Friends of Prefab): Bevy House, Buildoly, Cahill Works, Casa Nova, Cassette Homes, Conex Modular, Cover, Digz Prefab Homes, Hapi Homes, Liv-Connected, LiveLarge, Masaya Homes, Plant Prefab, SuperLA, Reframe Systems, The Home Gallery and The Future of Housing.
Circling the News reached out to a local builder about modular building, which seems to come up at the nonstop building events.
The builder said, “Modular buildings are not always less expensive or more resilient compared to traditional home buildings. In fact, modular homes over 1,200 sq.-ft. tend to be the same cost or more expensive compared to stick build construction.”
Despite three people abstaining from voting on Lotus, one committee member urged them to vote in favor, saying, “if she doesn’t use it all, she has promised to give the remainder to the Post 283 American Legion Distribution Center” (in Culver City, which gives out clothes, laundry soap and other essentials to Fire Victims or transitioning military veterans). Medina received the $4,000 grant.