MINUTES FROM AUGUST 8th 2024
Voting Members in Attendance: Sue Kohl, Jenny Li, Beth Holden-Garland, Maryam Zar, Chris Spitz, Murray Levy, Steve Cron, Haldis Toppel, Karen Ridgley, Cindy Simon, Julie Silliman, Aileen Haugh, Eric Dugdale, Courtney Macker, Kevin Niles, Valeria Serna
Non-voting Alternates and Advisors: Alan Goldsmith, Cindi Young, Joanna Spak, Bruce Schwartz, Nancy Niles, Michael Edlen, Lee Anne Sanderson, Harlan Hogue, Richard Blumenberg, James Alexakis
1. Call to Order and Reading of Community Council’s Mission. President Sue Kohl called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. Area Rep 4 Karen Ridgley read the Mission Statement.
2. Introductions / Roll Call. The President introduced the Board and called the roll of voting members present.
3. Certification of Quorum. The President certified quorum.
4. Approval of Minutes. The minutes of July 25, 2024, were approved as distributed.
5. Consideration of Agenda & Upcoming Meetings. September 12, 2024: the results of the Area and At-large Representatives Election will be announced. September 26, 2024: this will be the last meeting of the term for the current Area, At-large and Organizational representatives.
6. Treasurer’s Report. Treasurer Jenny Li reported that PPCC’s bank balance is $54,390.30. There is a $23 recurring monthly donation that is appreciated. Recent expenses include the $54 monthly Mailchimp charge. The balance includes donated funds totaling $7,550, which have been earmarked for a possible public safety project.
7. General Public Comment – None.
8. Reports, Announcements and Concerns.
8.1. From the Chair/Presiding Officer.
8.1.1. The President first explained that because many board members wanted to meet together in person, this meeting was being held in hybrid format, with most board and audience members in person at the Library, and others who were able to attend by Zoom. She then introduced Ella Nozar for appointment as the new PPCC Youth Advisor. Ella is a rising Freshman at Pali High, and very adept at social media. She has over 100,000 TikTok followers, and many followers and videos posted on YouTube as well. She has also agreed to serve as PPCC’s informal Zoom technical advisor. Per PPCC bylaws, the President requested that the Board approve Ella’s appointment as Youth Advisor. The Board enthusiastically gave unanimous approval for her appointment.
8.1.2. The President also announced that LAFD CERT training will be held in the Palisades at Calvary Christian School starting on September 12th at 6:30 pm for 7 weeks. Those interested should contact C. Soll (PPCC’s Emergency Preparedness Advisor) at cert.palisades@gmail.com for information and to sign up.
8.2. From Officers/Chair Emeritus – deferred to next meeting.
8.3. From At-Large and Area Representatives – deferred to next meeting.
8.4. From Organizational Representatives – deferred to next meeting.
8.5. From Government Offices / Representatives – all reports deferred except as set forth in 8.5.1 and 8.5.2 below.
8.5.1. LAPD Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Brian Espin. SLO Espin reported that burglaries are up on the Westside. He urged citizens to keep an eye out for a black SUV (Chevy Suburban) that is making rounds in the area, and to alert neighbors to continue being vigilant and to take photos and videos of any suspicious activity. He reminded everyone to please report any crimes (even if there is a wait calling 911), as it’s important to register the offenses that may be occurring in the area.
8.5.2. CD 11 Palisades Field Deputy Michael Amster. Amster announced that there will be an open forum to discuss the proposed walking path linking George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon and Will Rogers State Beach (at the intersection of Temescal Canyon Rd. and PCH) on August 21st at 6:30 pm at the Palisades Library. He also reported on several other matters:
Governor Newsom has ordered that state agencies address homeless encampments on state property and has urged cities to take more action on homelessness under their jurisdiction.
CD 11 has been working on RV dwellings and homelessness, especially since more are occurring on Pacific Coast Highway. Councilwoman Park’s motion to restrict RV dwelling in residential and sensitive areas has passed in the Council Transportation Committee. The Councilwoman has opposed the proposed Kroger / Albertsons merger as it will affect her constituents’ ability to get groceries and impact employment at Vons stores in her district. There have been squatters at 19749 Porto Marina; plywood has now been placed on the windows and the CD 11 office is helping to secure the property. Amster mentioned that SLO Espin has been very helpful in all of these efforts, and has been enforcing ticketing on PCH for RVs as well as people who are breaking beach parking restrictions at Will Rogers, making the thoroughfare unsafe. Amster is looking into signage, although resources are limited. He also commented that the herbicide applied at Potrero Canyon Park was unacceptable. He and the Councilwoman are working with BOE to finding an alternate solution.
8.6. From PPCC Advisors and Liaisons – deferred to next meeting.
9. Reports from PPCC Committees.
9.1. Election Committee (Maryam Zar, Chair): Report on upcoming community-wide Election of Area and At-large Representatives. Voting and Election Information (“Notice of Ballot Availability”): https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Notice-of-Ballot-Availabilty-2024-R1.pdf. See Item 11.1 below.
10. Old Business – None.
11. New Business.
11.1. Candidates Forum, Area and At-large Representatives Election. Moderator: Maryam Zar, Election Committee Chair. Chair Zar started the Candidates Forum by thanking those who served on the Election Committee with her: PPCC VP Quentin Fleming; Cindy Kirven, Village Green President and 2023 Citizen of the Year; Courtney Macker, Rep for PPCC member PPRA; and Lee Anne Sanderson, PPCC Area 4 Alternate Rep. She then announced that Area 3 now has two candidates seeking election, Joe Layton and Julia Nielsen, with former candidate Linda Friar having withdrawn, and that Area 6 also has two candidates running, Lorie Cudzil and David Schwarz, with former candidate Barbara Schelbert also having withdrawn. Chair Zar welcomed all candidates present and gave brief positive remarks about the candidates in uncontested areas who were also present and with whom she has personally worked: JoAnna Rodriguez, Area 1; Steve Cron, Area 2; Karen Ridgley, Area 4; Sharon Kilbride, Area 8, and Chris Spitz, At-large. [See the updated Candidate Statements at: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Candidates-statements-FIN-1.pdf.]
Chair Zar explained that the election will be held electronically from August 16th to August 30th, with the ballot accessed via a VOTE button that will be posted on the PPCC website at 8am on August 16, has already been tested and is working. Voting will continue for two weeks, until 8pm on August 30, when the VOTE button will be taken down. Votes will be counted by the Election Committee and the official results will be announced at the PPCC meeting on September 12, 2024.
She then invited all candidates for Area and At-large positions to make opening statements:
JoAnna Rodriguez (Area 1) — Rodriguez stated that she moved to the Palisades from New York in 2019 and has resided on Tramonto Drive since 2020. She has loved the sense of community and heart, and is invested in the future of this tight- knit village. She is the mother of two teenagers and wants safety for her family and community. She recently experienced a disturbing incident at her home where an unhoused man entered and wrongly insisted that his brother lived in her home. She is concerned about homelessness, overdevelopment, and the Tramanto landslide. She previously served as PPCC’s Corresponding Secretary in 2023-24.
Steve Cron (Area 2) — Cron stated that he has been the Area 2 Rep for 6 years. He feels that fire is the biggest issue in Area 2. He mentioned that there have been some burglaries, but Palisades Drive only has one way of ingress and egress (Palisades Drive). Cron has hosted Canyon Clean-Ups with Area 2 Alternate Bruce Schwartz. The Clean-Ups help keep the area more trash-free and bring the Area 2 community together.
Joe Layton (Area 3) — Layton moved with his family to his residence on Akron Street in December of 2018. He first fell in love with the Palisades as a high school student and later as a college sophomore when he was an athlete and visited his friends in the area. He spoke about his love for the fact that the Palisades feels like a small town in Los Angeles, and combines the best that L.A. has to offer. He is involved in PPBA (and helped design their website) and has volunteered as a youth sports coach. He has two young children, 9 years old and 2 1/2. He ran for a Council seat in La Cañada when he lived there, and compares that city to Pacific Palisades, as being about the same size and having fire issues similar to those experienced in the Palisades. His father was an L.A. County Sheriff, and public safety is a big priority for Layton. He would cherish the opportunity to expand his involvement by serving on the PPCC board.
Julia Nilsen (Area 3) — Nilsen has lived in both the Palisades Highlands and Ridgeview Estates (Marquez Knolls) for a total of 21 years (12 years in Area 3). She has served on a homeowners association board, and says she has seen changes in Los Angeles in the past 5 years. Within the last 6 months, 3 homes in her area, which is a gated community, have been broken into. She is an attorney and a certified divorce coach, and has worked with a non-profit she founded called the Butterfly Fund. She is the mother of 4 children who all attended public schools in the Palisades, and has been very involved in the schools, including with PTA, Pali High fundraising, and more. She is also a member of the Bel Air Bay Club. She would be honored to serve the community.
Karen Ridgley (Area 4) — Ridgley, a 40+ years resident on Northfield Street in the El Medio bluffs, has served as the Area 4 Rep for 4 years. A mother of 3 adult sons who attended local schools, she has dealt with varying issues affecting her area over her two terms, including dumpsters placed at the park, the DWP at El Medio cutting into traffic lanes, protection of the Asilomar Bluffs park, and more. She acknowledged the guidance of Haldis Toppel (Area 3 Rep) in mentoring her onto the council. She originated her career in the tech business, and later in her career taught French in public schools, including Pali High. She has enjoyed bridging the mobile home parks (Tahitian Terrace and Palisades Bowl) with the upper Area 4 community to tackle some of their common issues together.
Kimberly Bloom (Area 5) — President Kohl read a statement from Bloom, who was unable to attend due to a prior commitment: Bloom has served as Area 5 Rep for 2 years, has worked with local leaders and has been a voice for issues concerning Alphabet Street residents. She believes in fighting to protect quality of life (to “Keep the Palisades the Palisades”) and has lived in her current home on Fiske Street since 1993. She cherishes the small town feeling and strong sense of community in the Alphabet Streets neighborhood. After reading Bloom’s statement, the President added that as the former Area 5 Rep, she was thrilled when Bloom agreed to serve and that Bloom has been a terrific representative of the Area.
Lorie Cudzil (Area 6) — Cudzil moved to the Palisades in 2012 and really enjoys the sense of community and small-town feel. She originally lived in the Alphabet Streets and then moved to Area 6 on Alma Real, where she has resided for 9 years. She is mother of 3 children, ages 10, 16 and 18, the Deacon of her church (Calvary Christian), and is involved with the National League of Young Men and Notre Dame. She enjoys the Turkey Trot and the July 4th Parade each year. She understands the concerns of Potrero Canyon rim residents about safety and security, as her home is one that is along the canyon rim. She mentioned that some unknown teens at one point jumped her fence and used her trampoline, which caused one of her family members to ask the intruders to leave. She is concerned about outside street vendors located close to schools. Her priority would be to protect and improve the quality of life in the Palisades.
David Schwarz (Area 6) — Schwarz, a resident on Frontera Drive since 2021 and father of two children, opened by jokingly noting that he is also the father of dogs “George and Henry.” He is an attorney by profession, has extensive experience working with the city and state on various governmental issues, and has also worked with many non-profit organizations. He has a longstanding interest in good government and civic engagement. He explained that his reason to run is to show his children that they can make a difference, and they don’t have to “curse the darkness, but light a match” to help and improve quality of life. He said he would be honored to serve as the Area 6 Representative and would also be up for potential consideration as an Area alternate representative.
Sharon Kilbride (Area 7) — Kilbride, a 66-year resident of Santa Monica Canyon and a Pali High graduate, explained that she is a 6th generation Palisadian and member of the Marquez family, which obtained a land grant in 1839 covering Santa Monica Canyon and Pacific Palisades. She has worked closely with CD11 Field Deputy Michael Amster, and is close friends with her neighbor and current Area Rep 7, Julie Silliman. She has worked closely with SMCCA & BOCA, and works to preserve the historic Marquez Family Cemetery in the Canyon, where she regularly leads groups of 4th grade students on tours to learn about local history in an educational program she developed. She has also been co-President of the PPHTF and has covered Will Rogers State Beach, working with the LAPD Beach Detail, for all of the Palisades. She has worked diligently to keep the pedestrian tunnel (in Area 7) clean from homeless use and useable for the pubic. She often hires the homeless to do this work, so they can make a little money and feel good about themselves. She was honored as Citizen of the Year in 2015 for her efforts. She feels that she can be an asset to the work of PPCC in representing Santa Monica Canyon.
Andrew Wolfberg (Area 8) – not present (no statement).
Chris Spitz (At-large) – Spitz, a 32-year resident on Friends St. in the Via bluffs neighborhood, began by expressing admiration for all the candidates who had spoken before her and her agreement with all that had been said about the character of the Palisades. She is the mother of a grown daughter who attended local schools, returns to visit the Palisades often and plays with her dad in a bocce league at the Palisades Rec. Center. She related her long experience on PPCC, having served as President and in every position except Treasurer since 2007, including the elected At-large Rep position since 2022. She was honored to be awarded Citizen of the Year in 2021. She recounted not only how she first learned about the Palisades (through a “surfer” boyfriend decades ago), but how she became involved with PPCC — with an issue involving an illegal over-height fence in the late 2000’s — and how she and the council have consistently been required to address serious issues that repeatedly arise over the years, involving land use and zoning, homelessness, fire prevention, crime, public safety and security. She stated that she wishes to continue to serve as At-large Rep and although unopposed, would be honored by Palisadians’ votes.
The candidates also answered questions posed by the Election Committee and audience, including their views as to the issues of importance to PPCC Areas and the Palisades; their experience on any other local / civic organizations; and their plans to conduct outreach with constituents.
On issues: A wide range of topics was discussed, with uniformity among all candidates on core issues of concern to Palisadians: crime, safety and security, homelessness, wildfire prevention, overdevelopment, bluff instability, preservation of our open spaces and protection of the natural beauty and character of the Palisades. Specific issues that were raised in connection with the Area 3 race included concerns about the status of the long-proposed DWP substation, burglaries, juvenile crimes and wildfires. In Area 6, issues included a proposed residential project on a long-vacant lot situated along a steep slope on Mt. Holyoke Avenue, and development of Potrero Canyon and plans for the proposed bridge and lateral trail (pathway from the Canyon to Temescal Canyon Rd.). The candidates acknowledged that some residents may be opposed and others supportive of these projects, that more information and outreach is needed, and that residents must be provided with safety and security.
On local / civic organization experience: The candidates provided information about their prior experience with organizations in their opening statements.
On constituent outreach: The candidates indicated that they will seek to reach out to the community in various ways, including using email lists, going door-to-door and/or speaking with neighbors, engaging with local clubs in which they are members, interacting with local homeowner associations, and/or occasionally using NextDoor to communicate specific announcements. Technological outreach was also discussed, including the possibility of developing a local App (such as the “Whistle” App that is used in Area 1), of using a local Google Group platform (used in Area 7), or using other non-invasive technological tools. A non-technological suggestion from Steve Cron: set up periodic “office” hours for residents onweekends at a local Starbucks – a practice he instituted a few years ago.
Chair Zar concluded by asking the contested candidates if they would be willing to serve as an alternate if they were not elected as the primary. All 4 of the contested candidates enthusiastically answered “Yes.” She noted that information about the process of applying to become an alternate will come later, after the election is concluded. She thanked all the candidates for participating in the forum.
12. Adjournment. The President adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.