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April 2023 Meetings Recap & Updates...
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Pacific Palisades Community Council
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:
At our regularly scheduled PPCC meetings in April (4/11 and 4/27)
the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) covered a great deal. I encourage you all to see our minutes posted
here
.
We discussed
voted to bring two new organizations onto our board
in the rotational categories of Service Clubs and Civic Organizations. The two organizations we voted in as new members were the Pacific Palisades Americanism Parade Association (
PAPA
) and the Palisades Forestry Committee (
PFC
). PAPA has a 75 history in the Palisades, leading the Fourth of July festivities that begin each year with a 5/10K run, a parade and finally a must festival and fireworks at night. They are an important Palisadian Organization and we are proud to welcome them to PPCC. PFC was originally constituted as a PPCC Committee, which has now spun off into a robust organization that beautifies and positively impacts the Palisades by strategically increasing our tree canopy. They've already plated trees at the Palisades Recreation Center and are currently working on medians and streets across the community.
We heard from the Bureau of Street Services (
Streets LA
)
, with presentations that help the community understand how streets are allocated for improvements/repairs and how priority calls into 311 are flagged. We were informed that comments in the comment section can flag urgent requests and that City crews are working overtime to address all the issues that have arisen as a result of recent storms. Board members were given direct contact with streets LA External Relations team as well as the Street Maintenance Division to address specific concerns.
We talked at great length about communications and outreach to the community.
We took the time at both April meetings to address the need for better/more effective communication with the community. What began as a conversation about public safety and our ability to help
LAPD
and
LAFD
get the word out to the community on matters of immediate import, has evolved to a discussion about the value and work of PPCC, its significance for the community, as well as our ability to inform the public - not only about what we do but about community issues and events in general. As an example, the Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee (
PCOC
) has been discussing how to inform the community that dogs must remain on-leash at Potrero Canyon because of the delicate habitat engineered around this passive riparian park. In Area Four, the enduring problem of wood dumping along Temescal Canyon Road has persisted, even while signs prohibit dumping. On other matters, the PPCC has worked hard to ensure that the unique qualities we cherish most about this community remain intact through the shifts and changes of policies and priorities, not only from the City and the County (where NCs can comment) but even at the State and Federal level. Much of this is unbeknownst to the many who live here. This month, PPCC President, Maryam Zar, suggested that public outreach and our ability to interface with the community might be our greatest tool for information sharing. Our most potent tool to inform the community is our ability to reach out through community messaging that is created by Palisadians and intended for Palisadians.  As such, she has formed the PPCC Outreach Committee. More information will be forthcoming.
We supported our Area One residents as they raised concerns about a large development planned for the Castellamare/Paseo Miramar neighborhoods
, at the site of a previously known landslide, where an Environmental Impact Report has not been done for a pending development project, and residents worry about the length and volume of excavation, as well as public safety in small hillside streets that can easily be obstructed with large construction vehicles. We've spent months talking about emergency preparedness and evacuation routes, asking LAFD to ensure they have evacuation plans for our hillside streets, ostensibly in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (
VHFHSZ
). The Council wrote
this letter in support
of an EIR as well as the scrupulous monitoring of narrow hillside streets for excavation and building compliance.
In April we also held a Community Safety Town Hall, in partnership with the American Legion, Post 283.
In attendance were Kristen Ly of BOE, Captain Heredia, Sgt. Alpert, SLO Espin and SLO Kirk of LAPD, Claudia Martin of the City Attorney's
Neighborhood Prosecutorial
office and Capt Nassour from
LAFD Brush Clearance
among others. We had a robust conversation about the various aspects of public safety in our Community and learned from the panelists that both the Fire Department and the Police Department are working on ways to communicate with the community effectively, while also thinking ahead about ways to protect or secure Palisadians streets and open spaces that pose new or ongoing concerns. LAPD has added a foot-beat to Potrero Canyon, and while Rangers have not been assigned to the Park (as we had asked), we did understand that Potrero canyon needed to be designated as a Regional Park before it can receive ongoing Park Ranger support for monitoring and law enforcement. (See two related letters from
PPCC
and
PP PAB
). What emerged from the discussion was the need to create a task force that is focused on messaging as well as fire prevention. Ideas that were floated included a community app as well as a pole top camera pilot, possibly in the communities of Pacific Palisades and Brentwood. People interested are encouraged to
contact PPCC
with ideas or to volunteer their time.
Internally, we took the matter of the
Pacific Palisades Honorary Mayor
tradition and whether the PPCC had a role to play in the absence of a Palisades Chamber of Commerce
. The conversation cast a wide net and heard from various points of view. In general, people agreed that the
Honorary Mayor tradition
was an important one for Pacific Palisades and should be sustained. With the merger of the Palisades Chamber of Commerce (the entity that traditionally installed the Hon. Mayor) with the Malibu Chamber, many expressed concern that the community of Malibu businesses would pick the Honorary Mayor of the Palisades. Some thought the
joint Malibu-Pacific Palisades Chamber
could take on the tradition if they wished to, and keep it uniquely Palisadian (separate from Malibu) as they worked to choose the Honorary Mayor figure and install them in a ceremony similar to the traditional "Installation Dinners" of the past. Most agreed that this was a uniquely Palisadian tradition which should be kept here, one way or the other, whether or not the Palisades-Malibu Chamber were to be part of PPCC (something still being contemplated). A suggestion has been made that Palisadian organizations come together as a group to chose the Honorary Mayor (not just the PPCC or the Chamber, but a collection of several organizations). PPCC At-large rep, Chris Spitz, who represents both Palisadian residents as well as business entities, has reached out to the Chamber to get their thoughts on the Honorary Mayor tradition.
Our next meeting will be on April 13th.
Join us at 6pm by
ZOOM
(password
embedded).
UPCOMING MEETINGS
May 11: Jeff Khau, CD11 Sr. Planning Deputy. Nominating Committee announcement of nominations for Officer elections.
May 25: Captain Nassour and Inspector Warren of LAFD Brush Clearance Unit.
June 8: PPCC Officer Elections & Candidate Forum (if necessary)
June 22: Councilmember
Traci Park
OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS MAY BE ADDED TO OUR AGENDA in MAY
PPCC AT 50!
The Pacific Palisades Community Council is turning 50 this year and the PPCC board has discussed coming together with other Palisadian organizations, celebrating their own milestones, for a big community celebration!
This year, along side PPCC at 50, the Pacific Palisades Historical Society (PPHS) will be celebrating its 50th year, the Village Green will be celebrating its 50th year, Rustic Canyon will be celebrating 100 years and the Palisades itself will be looking back at its Centennial just one year ago... We hope to celebrate the strides this Community Council has made alongside the beautiful achievements of so many other important local organizations that help keep this community unified and strong. We are a unique community where volunteerism is high, political engagement is strong (to the point of often being determinative in local elections), and the community spirit is robust - as evidenced by the multiple organizations across the Palisades that address and preserve everything from our modern tree canopy to our 100 year history.
This year, we plan to collaborate with CD11 for a big community celebration that brings together all the things we hold dear -
from the serious to the sweet
- in Pacific Palisades, and celebrate decades of community alongside all our friends and neighbors and the community organizations that make the Palisades uniquely wonderful.
Stay tuned... and send ideas as well as volunteer interest to
president@pacpalicc.org
.
PACIFIC PALISADES AT 100 (photo courtesy of PAPA -
website
)
PP HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT 50
RUSTIC CANYON (& THE UPLIFTERS) AT 100
THE VILLAGE GREEN AND 50
PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL (PPCC) AT 50
TIME TO CELEBRATE!
Letters written to elected officials in April, per motions passed or EC Action:
Positions/Letters written
First letter of the joint BCC/PPCC sent:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FIN-Joint-Cannabis-Letter.pdf
Letter asking for EIR and community safety in Area One:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Tremonto.-Pas-Mir-Construction-1.pdf
Letter opposing unpermitted concrete structure at 15245 W. De Pauw St.:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FIN-Magur-PPCC-letter-April-23-2023-1.pdf
Letter in opposition to AB1287:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PPCC-EC-letter-AB1287.pdf
Watch the Community Safety Meeting
Updates from the President and Exec Committee:
A team of PPCC board members had a discussion with Lance Oishi, Audrey Netsawang and Daniel Halden at Streets LA about our bus furniture concerns. the meeting set up by Gaby, District Director at CD11, following our concerns about street furniture. We were assured that no new street furniture would be rolled out in the Palisades in the first year of the recently signed Tranzito Vector contract with LA City. We were assured that when the roll out does take place, it will be customizable to comply with our coastal and scenic environs.
Chair Emeritus, Dave Card, and Area Six Rep, Cindy Simon (along with PPCC Pres.), met with Waste Unlimited and Robert Buenrostro (RAP Maintenance supervisor) to review weeding, trash cans, repairs and more. Repairs continue to be made across Potrero Canyon with the hillside and soil slippage being addressed by Ford E.C. We met with one of their engineers and were assured that reinforcement of soil in slippage and erosion areas is being done in a substantive way. Look for new trash cans and doggie poop-bag dispensers with new signs along the trails inside the park.
The President has appointed the PPCC Nominating Committee, 2023, co-Chaired by Steve Cron and Sue Kohl, to nominate a slate of officers for 2023-24 term. (Officers are up for re-election annually.)
Area Seven Rep, PPCC Transportation Advisor, PPCC President and others met with Michael Amster at PCH and West Channel Rd. to discuss safety and forming a
task force to advise and monitor
improvements, following a fatal crash last weekend (the second in two consecutive weekends in Pacific Palisades). PPCC Prudent has also reached out to stakeholders to jump-start the PCH Task Force meetings, traditionally spearheaded by the office of the Assemblymember (Bloom being particularly interested in transportation safety along PCH and the role of Cal Trans). ASM Irwin has now taken the lead.
The PPCC/BCC joint committee met for the first time and identified priorities around which our two communities can work together. See out=r first
agenda
and
letter
, here.
This month, PPCC board members discussed fundraising, community outreach and anniversary celebrations (see above). We need to make the community more aware of the work we do and the value we bring to the Palisades, so we can effectively fundraise as well as inform community members of important matters affecting Palisadians/the Palisades.
This month, PPCC board member discussed a
Palisades App
as well as a possible survey program that would poll community members about their thoughts or preferences on matters that impact/may impact the community.
P
lease send your ideas or tech resources to us, and offer to get involved
.
Sabrina Messiha, our Advisor on Communication and Social Media, has been managing the PPCC Community Calendar and has added all events that organizations or members have noticed. Please
email
her at
pacpalicc90272@gmail.com
to inform her of any events you'd like to see included in the community calendar.
For a listing of community events, please visit our
website calendar
.