MINUTES FROM July 17th, 2025
Voting Members in Attendance: Sue Kohl, Jenny Li, Beth Holden Garland, Maryam Zar, Chris Spitz, JoAnna Rodriguez, Carole White, Julia Nilsen, Kimberly Bloom, Karen Ridgley, Lorie Cudzil, Sharon Kilbride, Andrew Wolfberg, John Padden, James Alexakis, Richard Blumenberg, Hagop Tchakerian, Janet Anderson, Donna Vaccarino, Courtney Macker, Haldis Toppel (partial attendance) / David Card (upon Toppel departure)
Non-voting Members and Advisors: Cindi Young, Joanna Spak, Leeanne Sanderson, Daphne Gronich, Allison Holdorff Polhill, Diana Daniele, Michael Edlen, Andy Frew, Rob Weber, Ella Nozar
1. Call to Order and Reading of Community Council’s Mission. The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Lorie Cudzil read the Mission Statement.
2. Introductions / Roll Call. The President introduced the members and called the roll.
3. Certification of Quorum. The President certified quorum.
4. Approval of Minutes. The minutes of June 26, 2025, were approved as distributed.
5. Consideration of Agenda & Upcoming Meetings. The agenda was as distributed. August 14, 2025 (Friends of the Palisades Library; SBA loan presentation); September 11, 2025 (topics to be announced).
[NEW Item 11.3/Councilwoman Traci Park, called prior to Item 6 below.]
6. Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer reported that the Council’s balance in the Schwab money market account (holding our fire-related donations) is $645,000.88). The balance in our US Bank account is $50,243.10, taking into account a payment of $25,000 to NORC for the survey, which has not yet cleared. There were no other significant transactions. The total of both accounts is $695,243.98.
7. General Public Comment:
7.1. Cindy Kirven (Village Green President) announced an inspiring, proposed public art installation at the Village Green, for which public input will be sought. Information will be made available about a Zoom meeting to preview the installation.
7.2. Kent Newmark (Cosmic Buildings) reminded us about the Cosmic initiative to donate to needy
Palisades families one house for every 10 houses sold, which has now launched. PPCC will assist via Mailchimp in providing Information on how to apply. [https://www.cosmicbuildings.org/]
7.3. Andrea Stone (resident) expressed concern about the number of groups forming in the Palisades to deal with recovery, about the lack of coordination among the groups and about the slow pace of recovery. She also indicated that obtaining information and answers to questions was difficult. She and other meeting attendees were encouraged to sign up for PPCC email bulletins for updates and information.
7.4. Carmel Kadrnka (resident) asked about Supervisor Horvath’s motion in the Board of Supervisors about a Rebuilding Authority, its status, and how it may differ from Senator Allen’s bill.
8. Reports, Announcements and Concerns.
8.1. From the Chair/Presiding Officer.
8.1.1. Appointment of PPCC Committees, Advisors and Liaisons for the 2025-26 term:
a) List: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PPCC-Committees-etc.-2025-26.pdf. The President noted that she has reappointed all committees, advisors and liaisons.
b) Board consent to appointment of (i) Legal Advisor and (ii) Youth Advisor. Bylaws Art. V.1.D, XIV.A. 2 .
The President explained that the Bylaws require the Board’s consent to appointment of both the Legal and Youth Advisors. She asked if there were any objections to the re-appointment of Rob Weber as Legal Advisor and Ella Nozar as Youth Advisor. There were no objections; the President therefore deemed these appointments approved by the Board.
8.1.2. 4th of July update. The President summarized the successful events that took place on July 4 this year, with the participation of many Palisadians: first, the 5K run in Venice and parade in Santa Monica, in which several enthusiastic PPCC board members participated and were cheered on by the crowds lining the street: Julia Nilsen, Diane Danielle, Karen Ridgley, Ella Nozar (carrying the PPCC banner); Kaye Steinsapir, marching with the Palisades Recovery Coalition; Sue Kohl & Sharon Kilbride, riding with Cindi Young (last year’s Citizen of the Year) in Kilbride’s convertible VW bug; and last year’s Golden Sparkplugs Leslie Campbell and Carlos Rodriguez, riding in another VW bug! She also described the beautiful evening Celebration at Paul Revere, which included Mayor Bass and Councilwoman Park as special guests, Sam Lagana as M.C., music and a wonderful drone show. The President thanked Matt Rodman (PAPA President) and Daphne Gronich (PAPA Treasurer) for providing a special Celebration for the community during this incredibly difficult year.
8.1.3. CD 11-LADWP 7/2/25 Town Hall update (link to recording on www.pacpalicc.org). The President noted that the DWP Town Hall recording is on the website homepage.
8.1.4. “Palisades Stories” project: https://sites.google.com/view/palisadesstories. The President briefly explained this project (developed by high school seniors and friends Henry Kamer and Max Dorband) and encouraged everyone to visit the website and participate.
8.1.5. Position letter written by EC since last PPCC meeting: support Park motion to restrict disaster tourism bus operations in the Palisades (motion passed unanimously in City Council on 7/2/25): https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/PPCC-EC-Letter-Disaster-Bus-TourismR.pdf
Additional position letter sent 6/24/25 re opposition to SB 79 (to the Assembly):
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/PPCC-Letter-Oppose-SB-79-Assembly.pdf
The President explained that these letters have been submitted.
8.2. From Officers/Chair Emeritus. – None.
8.3. From At-Large and Area Representatives.
8.3.1. Chris Spitz (At-large Representative) reported on the status of SB 79 (passed narrowly in the Senate and the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committees; Sen. Allen does not support). She thanked Lori Cudzil who before the last committee meeting had emailed to Assemblymembers a video showing Palisades residents fleeing the Fire on January 7 as well as PPCC’s request for an unconditional exemption for the VHFHSZ, which unfortunately did not seem to impact the vote). Spitz noted that some on social media are questioning why PPCC opposes this bill when we currently don’t have the conditions that would trigger application of the provisions (light rail stops or dedicated bus lanes/bus stops at scheduled intervals of 15 mins.). She explained that we do not yet know what the bus stop or bus lane conditions will be going forward; conditions may change, and it is important to take a position now rather than based on an assumption as to what conditions may exist in the future. The bill is still in the legislative process and must be voted on by the full Assembly and again in the Senate. We will monitor.
8.3.2. Sharon Kilbride (Area Seven Representative) reported on her visit to the new LADWP Rebuilding Center located at the corner of PCH and Topanga Canyon Blvd. (at the site of the old Malibu Feed Bin). She had a pleasant experience and LADWP representatives responded quickly.
8.3.3. Cindi Young (Area One 1st Alternate) announced that the Castellammare Mesa Owners Association is holding an informative Town Hall, featuring several speakers (including Councilwoman Park and Senator Allen), on July 20th from 11am-2pm at the Santa Monica YMCA. All are invited.
8.4. From Organizational Representatives.
8.4.1. David Card (Palisades Forestry Committee/PFC) reminded everyone that the Zone 0 regulations are still just a draft (not yet enacted); he advised: do not cut down trees at this time based on a misunderstanding about Zone 0. He reported on PFC’s efforts to understand why the City Urban Forestry Division is apparently cutting down many street trees. He also spoke of private efforts by Tracy Price, the PFC and Valeria Serna, using water trucks to water certain select street and park trees, as well as PFC’s work to save a tree in Palisades Park from the impacts of rebuilding. During his remarks there was mention of the Blue Ribbon Commission’s work and Supervisor Horvath’s public meeting regarding a rebuilding resilience. [Meeting link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsgKsYypmw4.]
8.5. From Government Offices / Representatives (as available). Contact information: https://pacpalicc.org/index.php/government-contacts/.
8.5.1. Brian Espin, LAPD Senior Lead Officer (SLO), Pacific Palisades – not present.
8.5.2. Arus Grigoryan, Palisades Field Deputy, CD 11 (Councilwoman Traci Park) – not present.
Juan Fregoso (CD 11 District Director) attended in her place and explained that Ms. Grigoryan was on a well-deserved vacation and would return the following week. He reported that his office is working with the Dept. of Recreation & Parks (RAP) on the new playground at the Recreation Center; he will attend the next Park Advisory Board meeting to participate in discussion about this topic.
8.5.3. Marian Ensley, West Area Representative, Mayor Karen Bass – not present. The President announced that Ms. Ensley has a new position with the Mayor’s office, as Deputy Director of Recovery & Community Engagement. She also announced that Konstantin Hatcher has been appointed as the Mayor’s Senior Director for Community Engagement
8.5.4. Zac Gaidzik, Coastal & Westside Field Deputy, County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, reported on the Supervisor’s work and explained that her recent motion regarding a possible Rebuilding Authority is an attempt to understand legally what can be done in this regard. There will be no changes in zoning. The goal is to make the rebuilding process faster and easier.
8.5.5. Sean Regan, District Representative, Congressman Brad Sherman – not present.
8.5.6. Samantha Gallegos, Field Representative, SD 24 (Sen. Ben Allen) (see item 11.1 below).
8.5.7. Anthony Avila, Field Representative, AD 42 (Asm. Jacqui Irwin) – not present.
8.6. From PPCC Advisors and Liaisons.
8.6.1. Allison Holdorff Polhill (Education) was pleased to report that LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin and his wife had their 1st child. The Board congratulated the Melvoins. Also announced: LAUSD community meetings to discuss design of Marquez and Palisades Elementary Schools, respectively on July 23 and July 24 at 6pm via Zoom. In addition, she commended Paul Revere Middle School for successfully hosting the 4th of July Celebration, as well as Revere Counselor Brett Shibata, who worked to provide copies of student photos and school records to fire victims.
8.6.2. Lou Kamer (Transportation) noted that we need updates on various after-action reports from government agencies.
9. Reports from PPCC Committees.
9.1. Three Chairs Committee (Maryam Zar, Chair; Dave Card & Chris Spitz). Report and nomination of Area Three 2nd Alternate; election by the Board. Chair Zar noted that several applications were received from excellent candidates and the decision was difficult. The Committee confered with Area Three Representative Julia Nilson, and after deliberation decided on longtime resident Bonnie Burgess as the Committee’s nominee for the position. Chair Zar introduced Ms. Burgess, who thanked the Committee and spoke briefly about her eagerness to participate on the Council, her long family connection with and residence in Area Three, her experience with the Palisades Fire destruction, and her desire to assist with the community recovery. There were no objections from the Board to the nomination; the President therefore deemed Ms. Burgess elected as Area Three 2nd Alternate.
9.2. Rebuild Committee (David Schwarz, Chair). Update on NORC community survey. Committee Chair Schwarz reported that the NORC survey was moving apace, with the six focus groups now completed and the survey being drafted. The Committee will review and discuss the draft with NORC. NORC believes it now has contact information (email or text) for about 8,000 of 11,000 residents.
9.3. Grants Committee (Quentin Fleming, Chair). Update re guidelines for grants/donations. ThePresident read the following report from Quentin Fleming (who was away and not able to attend):
“The Grants Committee held its first meeting on Friday 7/11 with all members in attendance. We discovered a potential issue with who is eligible for awards, namely, will PPCC lose its 503(c)3 tax exempt status if it gives grants to member organizations. The committee is pursuing a pro bono legal opinion from law firms that are doing pro bono work for the Palisades. We hope to resolve this issue soon. The committee also brainstormed possible processes for making applications for a grant as well as defining eligibility criteria for awarding grants.”
9.4. Bylaws Committee (Chris Spitz & Maryam Zar, Co-Chairs). Required First Distribution of proposed Bylaws Amendments (second Distribution and Board vote on August 14, 2025; Bylaws, Art. XII.2.B). See the following documents distributed concurrently with this meeting agenda via PPCC email and posted on the PPCC website:
1) Committee Report: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bylaws-Cmte-Report-July-2025R.pdf
2) Amendments “Redline”: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PPCC-Bylaws-Amend.2025-RedlineR.pdf
3) Amendments “Clean”: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PPCC-Bylaws-Amend.2025-ClnR1.pdf
Co-Chair Spitz briefly explained the proposed Bylaws amendments, noting that this was the 1st required Distribution; she reiterated that there will be a 2nd Distribution, discussion and a Board vote on the amendments on August 14, 2025.
10. Old Business – None.
11. New Business.
11.1. Sen. Ben Allen: Presentation on SB 459 (proposed creation of County “authority” to organize the Palisades’ recovery). Bill text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB549.
The President welcomed and thanked Sen. Allen for joining us. Sen. Allen explained his original objectives for SB 549 (his bill to establish a Rebuilding Authority for the Palisades) and his recent decision to pause the bill. He noted that he is working closely with Councilwoman Park; he explained the need, if the bill moves forward, for potential amendments, especially pertaining to governance structure; and he assured us that PPCC and the community will be engaged going forward for input. He stressed that a great deal of misinformation has been spread on social media, and emphasized that any such Authority would not have the ability to change zoning for the Palisades.
Following the Senator’s initial remarks, the President introduced a motion sponsored by the Executive Committee, which had been previously distributed to the Board. No second was necessary because the motion was made by more than one voting member. She read aloud the motion text as follows:
“PPCC acknowledges and commends the recommendations and concerns raised in Councilwoman Traci Park’s letter to Senator Allen and Supervisor Horvath of July 8, 2025, regarding the proposed Rebuilding Authority for Pacific Palisades.
“We strongly support the principles of transparency and robust public engagement, and agree that community input and involvement in the governing structure must be an integral part of any path forward. As Councilwoman Park noted, ‘Far more study and direct engagement with Palisades residents is essential before such powers are assigned to the Rebuilding Authority.’
“To that end, we believe it is critical for any proposal for a Rebuilding Authority or District to take into account data forthcoming from the NORC survey commissioned by PPCC, along with recommendations from the PPCC Rebuild Committee and additional community input. Our priority is to ensure the recovery moves forward in a way that is inclusive, informed and responsive to the needs of Palisades residents.”
Following Board discussion on the motion, a vote was taken: the motion above passed unanimously (no objections). Additional discussion and extensive Q&A then ensued with Sen. Allen regarding SB 549 and the proposed Authority going forward. He made clear that our community’s views will guide any next steps with respect to the proposal for a Rebuilding Authority. The Senator was also asked about his position on SB 79, which he indicated he did not support (he clarified the reason for his taking a “No Vote Recorded/NVR” position on the bill in the Senate, explaining that the “NVR” is the equivalent of a No vote). He also introduced his new field representative, Sophia Liebman, who was in attendance. [Recording of the meeting presentations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG28rX05lcQ]
11.2. WRAC-recommended Motions A-C re Homelessness Matters (sponsored in PPCC by Chris Spitz and Sharon Kilbride):
A) Request Mayor to Consent to City Controller’s Audit of Inside Safe.
B) Request Mayor and/or CAO to Disclose Sources of Funding for the Inside Safe Program.
C) Support Council File 20-1376-S5 (Park). See attached motions’ text and background information, below.
Chris Spitz explained each of the motions A-C (no second required because the motions were made by more than one voting member). She noted that the motions were supported by Sharon Kilbride (past Co-President of the Task Force on Homelessness/PPTFH), by Cindi Young (last year’s PPCC Citizen of the Year, current PPTFH Co-President, and PPCC’s primary representative to the WRAC Homelessness Committee/HOC), and by Chris Spitz (WRAC Board and HOC Vice-Chair). Following discussion, a vote was taken on the motions. Result: All of the motions A-C (text in Attachment below) were passed unanimously (with one abstention on motion C).
11.3 [NEW]. Councilwoman Traci Park [called prior to item 6 above].
The President welcomed and thanked Councilwoman Park for joining us. The Councilwoman indicated that she was pleased to be able to speak with PPCC and noted that even though the City Council is in recess, she and her staff are still working. She provided extensive details regarding the status of recovery to date, including information about lot clearance, the status of PCH, families returning, reopening of schools, and status of the Recreation Center, park facilities and the Library. She reiterated points made by LADWP at the recent Town Hall, including the fact that they said that the Santa Inez reservoir had been filled, that undergrounding of power lines will occur, that the former proposed DS 104 will not go forward and that a new LADWP support center is now located at the corner of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH. CW Park also spoke about the Rebuilding Authority proposals from Sen. Allen (SB 549) and Supervisor Horvath (motion in the County Board of Supervisors), explaining that she wasn’t satisfied that she had enough information to support the bill. She stated that any effort for a Rebuilding Authority must be community-led and supported. She has sent a letter to Sen. Allen and Supervisor Horvath raising concerns and explaining her position. She also answered questions and listened to concerns expressed during her presentation. These included remarks by a resident that it is difficult for those whose homes survived to live in the Palisades now due to the lack of access to grocery stores, pharmacies and recreation after the fire. Additional comments included mention of a shortfall of what is happening to public land, with remarks that the Bureau of Engineering should look into constructing a fire barrier wall and the state needs to work on brush clearance. We also need clear answers as to whether the Santa Inez reservoir has been filled. The President thanked CW Park for speaking with us. [Recording of the meeting presentations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG28rX05lcQ]
12. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
ATTACHMENT – Item 11.2 (WRAC-recommended motions regarding homelessness matters):
Motion A Text:
“Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) a member of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC), urges Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to immediately consent to a full audit of the City’s Inside Safe program by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia.”
Background:
WRAC motion webpage:
https://westsidecouncils.com/motion/request-mayor-to-consent-to-city-controllers-audit-of-inside-safe/
Motion B Text:
“Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC), a member of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC), urges Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and/or the City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo to disclose the full extent of all sources of funding for the City’s Inside Safe program.”
Background:
WRAC motion webpage:
https://westsidecouncils.com/motion/request-mayor-and-cao-to-disclose-sources-of-funding-for-the-inside-safe-program/
Motion C Text:
“Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC), a member of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC), strongly supports CF 20-1376-S5 (Park), which calls for certain amendments of LAMC Sec. 41.18 and a report back by the City Attorney on the feasibility of amending 41.18 to prohibit encampments as per the Governor’s model ordinance.”
Background:
WRAC motion webpage:
https://westsidecouncils.com/motion/support-cf-20-1376-s5-park/