Councilmember Park meeting with the Army Corp of Engineers

Friends,

As we continue navigating our way through the aftermath of the devastating Palisades fire, there are still many worries and unanswered questions. How bad will the rain be today and tomorrow? When will more neighborhoods open for repopulation? When will debris removal start and how long will it take? Answers are still in short supply, largely because no one really knows yet.

But, there are encouraging signs of forward progress. Hundreds of workers are inspecting properties, clearing debris from the public right of way, sweeping up nails, and readying the area for people to return, which we expect much more of in the coming days. The EPA, FEMA, and CalOES are working closely with the County and City on toxic debris removal and preparations for wet weather this weekend. The Disaster Recovery Center has serviced thousands of residents, shoring up FEMA benefits, filing insurance claims, and assisting with housing and business support.

On Friday, President Trump visited the Palisades and met with residents and firefighters from Station 69. He is eager to see residents return and start rebuilding as soon as possible. I appreciate his visit and welcome the help of our federal government to speed things along.

The community is also coming back together. This week, hundreds of Palisadeans joined The Change Reaction and local faith leaders at the YMCA in West Los Angeles, residents of Tahitian Terrace and the Palisades Bowl met for a briefing, and a thousand people joined the first Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting since the fire.

In the coming days and weeks, there will be many more meetings and information sessions. We will dive deeper into filing insurance claims, applying for FEMA benefits, and obtaining new property tax assessments. We will push out announcements about those events, so keep following along.

Today, January 26, join us at 3 p.m. for a town hall on debris removal at the Santa Monica College Student Services Center. The event will be held in person, but you can also join via Zoom or watch the livestream on Youtube (link here). Check out the flyer below for more information.

I also wanted to share this beautiful ode to the Palisades penned by beloved community leader, Jimmy Dunne. I cried when I read it, a haunting note of things lost but a profound sense of love and hope for our future.

Around the District, things are slowly returning to a new normal. Our usual district operations, including our Care+ and encampment interventions, are resuming as resources free up and become available to us. I attended the Westchester-Playa and Venice Neighborhood Council meetings, and I stopped by CPAB to see leaders from across the Westside. We have to walk and chew gum at the same time, and we are, but I want to thank all of you for your grace and patience as your CD11 team shifted to help our neighbors through this disaster.

Hang in there, CD11. We are getting through this, and I'm right here with you.