MINUTES FROM APRIL 24th 2025
Voting Members in Attendance: Sue Kohl, Quentin Fleming, Jenny Li, Beth Holden-Garland, Maryam Zar, Chris Spitz, JoAnna Rodriguez, Carol White, Julia Nilsen, Kimberly Bloom, Karen Ridgley, Lorie Cudzil, Sharon Kilbride, Andrew Wolfberg, John Padden, Eric Dugdale, Jessica Rogers, David Card, James Alexakis, Hagop Tchakerian, Janet Anderson
Non-voting Members and Advisors: Joanna Spak, Cindi Young, Michael Edlen, Lee Anne Sanderson, Daphne Gronich, Cindy Simon, Allison Holdorff, Ella Nozar, Rob Weber
1. Call to Order and Reading of Community Council’s Mission. The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Quentin Fleming 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 April 10, 2025, were approved as distributed.
5. Consideration of Agenda & Upcoming Meetings. The agenda was as distributed. May 8, 2025 (Pali High Ambassador Katelyn Chang – high school student’s perspective on the fire; Evan Hall, Preserving Palisades Architectural Heritage – project to preserve chimneys; Nominating Committee to nominate candidates for officer positions, 2025-26 term); May 22, 2025 (Rick Caruso & Nick Geller – Steadfast LA; Board nominations of officer candidates accepted until 15 minutes before scheduled close of the meeting; Bylaws, Art VII).
6. Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer reported that the Council’s bank balance is $619,557.42, including donations recently received as announced by the President, and expenses for Directors & Officers insurance ($971) and Miracle Data ($1,225, tech assistance).
[Note: Items 8.1.1, 11.1 and 11.2 were called after Item 6]
7. General Public Comment:
7.1. Justin Skaggs, who described himself as a “utility consultant,” expressed concerns about LADWP’s planned conversion from overhead to underground power lines.
8. Reports, Announcements and Concerns.
8.1. From the Chair/Presiding Officer.
8.1.1. The President announced that Chris Spitz (At-large Representative) would introduce a young LAFD firefighter, Ben Sweet. The At-large Representative did so, explaining that she had met him through his mother, and asked him to describe for the Board and attendees what occurred on the night of the Palisades Fire. He provided background about his experience as a rookie firefighter with LAFD Station 10 and explained how he came to be stationed on the roof of Station 69, where he and another young firefighter worked all night to save the Station and an adjacent home and ADU. They were able to do so, despite the fact that they were impeded by the weak water flow. He and the other firefighters were awake for 36 hours working to save structures. Kimberly Bloom (Area 5 Representative) explained that she knows the owners of the home that was saved, who are currently in Ireland, and she thanked Ben profusely for his service and work, as did the President and the At-large Representative. The President also noted that she had spoken with the Station 69 Firefighters and they were also grateful that Ben and other firefighters from Station 10 were able to save the Station.
8.1.2. The President announced that she has appointed Richard Blumenberg to the Rebuild Committee.
8.1.3. Following up on the Treasurer’s report, the President reported on the generous total donation to PPCC of more than $600,000, which includes $507,876 donated to date from the Watanabe family and the balance to come from the Riviera County Club membership. She thanked the donors for their amazing generosity.
8.1.4. The President provided a recap of the event at the American Legion, where the Seattle-based artist Jim Bakker, along with his wife and professional art installer, installed his painting, “Rising From Ashes,” as a gift to the Palisades community. Mr. Bakker appreciated the reception. The painting will remain at the American Legion temporarily, and may then be transferred to the Library or other worthy public space.
8.1.5. EC letter supporting SB 495 (see information for Item 8.1.5 attached below): https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PPCC-EC-Support-SB-495R.pdf
8.1.6. Other letters sent since last meeting – oppose SB 79; support AB 238:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PPCC-Letter-Oppose-SB-79-R.pdf
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PPCC-Letter-Support-AB-238.pdf
8.1.7. The President added that brush clearance notices went out that were wrong; residents should ignore these notices.
8.2. From Officers/Chair Emeritus.
8.2.1. Chair Emeritus Maryam Zar gave a detailed report on the work of the Palisades Recovery Coalition, including upcoming meetings and speakers. She also spoke about the Mayor’s State of the City address at City Hall, which she, the President, Larry Vein and Kevin Chin (a Stage 4 cancer survivor who had helped save Sea Ridge homes) attended.
8.3. From At-Large and Area Representatives.
8.3.1. Sharon Kilbride (Area 7 Representative) announced that more unhoused individuals are heading northwards and entering the Palisades since the prior National Guard blockade along the beach path has now opened up. She is very concerned that former “restrictive entry” signs on the Via bluffs were destroyed in the fires; presently nothing is restricting unhoused persons from entering into the bluff areas; she has spoken with the Mayor’s office and Recreation and Parks, and new signs may be implemented and installed. Kilbride also mentioned that a large amount of mustard plant growth is already growing there, which could later become a fire hazard without proper monitoring.
8.3.2. Chris Spitz (At-large) gave an update (along with Mr. Obedoza during Item 11.1), about SB 495 (the “Eliminate the List” bill by Sen. Allen, which PPCC supports, and which has passed in the Insurance Committee in the state Senate, with more hearings to come). She also reported on SB 79 (the newest housing streamlining bill from Sen. Wiener, which PPCC opposes); the bill passed narrowly in the Senate Housing Committee, with more hearings to come.
8.4. From Organizational Representatives.
8.4.1. David Card (Palisades Forestry Committee) reported on the recent Park Advisory Board meeting, including the announcement that George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon is open and may be accessed via the Frontera gate. He also announced that the state Board of Forestry is considering new “defensible space” regulations which may increase the perimeter around homes in our area where trees or higher vegetation would be banned, possibly to 30 ft. The PFC may be taking a position on the regulations and may confer with the PPCC Executive Committee.
8.5. From Government Offices / Representatives (as available). Contact information for government representatives: 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, CD11 (Councilwoman Traci Park), reminded us of the upcoming special Resources Fair to take place this Sunday, April 27th, at the LA Airport Police Facility in Westchester. She also mentioned the ongoing work of various City agencies in the Palisades area, including the Bureau of Street Lighting, LADBS, the Bureau of Engineering and the Planning Dept., who will have representatives present at the Resource Fair from 9am – 12pm.
8.5.3. Marian Ensley, West Area Field Deputy, Mayor Karen Bass, spoke about the Mayor’s work in advocating state officials for more resources for the Palisades recovery efforts; she also provided information about recent Executive Orders involving a self-certification pilot program and an AI pilot program to help expedite the permit process (EDs 6 and 10).
8.5.4. Zac Gaidzik, West-Coastal Deputy, Sup. Lindsey Horvath – present but did not speak due to time constraints; he added the following in the chat: https://beaches.lacounty.gov/beach-health/.
8.5.5. Samantha Gallegos, Field Representative, SD 24 – not present.
8.5.6. Anthony Avila, Field Representative, AD 42 (Asm. Jacqui Irwin) – not present.
8.6. From PPCC Advisors and Liaisons.
8.6.1. Allison Holdorff (Area 5 First Alternate, PPCC Education Advisor and District Director for LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin) reported that Pali High has resumed classes in-person at the old Sears Building in Santa Monica, now renovated to accommodate the students. This is a temporary site until June. Everyone is excited that the Pali High graduation ceremony will take place on June 4th at the Hollywood Bowl.
9. Reports from PPCC Committee.
9.1. PPCC Rebuild Committee (David Schwarz, Chair). In the absence of the Committee Chair, Member Lorie Cudzil (Area 6 Representative) gave a detailed report on the City Council Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery meeting, 4/21/25. See her report at:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Notes-on-Ad-Hoc-Cmtee-Mtg.-4-21-25.pdf.
9.2. Executive & Rebuild Committees. (No report; motion in Item 11.3 postponed to 5/8/25.)
10. Old Business – None.
11. New Business. (Note: Items 11.1 and 11.2 were called after Item 6).
11.1. “Scattergood” Station Modernization Project/LADWP representatives: Presentation/Q&A.
Katherine Rubin and Nermina Rucic of LADWP provided detailed information and answered questions about the “Scattergood Hydrogen-Ready” generating station modernization plan. They explained the project and CEQA process and timeline. The projected cost of this project is approximately $750M – $800M. They mentioned that they have been working on community outreach within the area (near Hyperion), and that Councilwoman Traci Park had requested that they come present to us directly, which is why they have joined the PPCC meeting this evening. Chris Spitz (At-large Rep and WRAC Vice-Chair) mentioned that Ms. Rubin and Ms. Rucic also gave a presentation at the April WRAC board meeting. Their outreach locally has been from October 31st to April 7th, and they have created a website online. The presenters can be reached with any questions at scattergood_CEQA@ladwp.com. The President thanked them for their presentation.
11.2. CA Dept. of Insurance/Guest Speaker Rob Obedoza, Outreach Analyst: Presentation/Q&A. Mr. Obedoza gave an extended presentation about issues and questions that frequently arise concerning insurance coverage for losses due to the fires. [See his presentation slides at:
https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CDI-Presentation-04242025.pdf.] The Board and meeting attendees asked many questions on various specific insurance issues, which Mr. Obedoza answered. Mr. Obedoza explained that if anyone has any issues with insurance and/or non-compliance by insurers, they should please contact his office. The Insurance Dept. wants to be helpful in instances when the insurance companies are not complying with their obligations to consumers. He also discussed Senator Allen’s bill, SB 495, to provide that residents will not have to put together a detailed list of items lost during a disaster; however, it appears the bill may not be retroactive to cover losses from the recent January 7th fire, only those that may happen in the future. The President thanked Mr. Obedoza for his informative presentation.
11.3. Motion for Board Approval of NORC Survey of Community Opinion, by the Executive and Rebuild Committees. The President postponed the motion to the next Board meeting on May 8, 2025, due to time constraints.
12. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 pm.
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ATTACHMENT– Item 8.1.5:
Background re SB 495:
Bill text/history: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB495
Insurance Commissioner LARA support: https://pacpalicc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Commissioner-Lara-Support-to-Elimimate-the-List-SB-495.pdf