Pacific Palisades Community Council Working to Recover the "Heart and Soul" of Community

But to those who've lived there, the Palisades have always been defined by the caring, close-knit community. The neighbors you ran into walking your dog. Shopping at Gelson's. Hiking the trails. Showing up at sporting events and adult ed classes. Joining hundreds of neighbors at the community's celebrated festivities on the Fourth of July and annual interfaith gathering before Thanksgiving.

Nurturing those neighborly bonds is the Pacific Palisades Community Council, which has served to protect and improve the area's quality of life since 1973. Known as the "voice of Pacific Palisades," the council's cohesive leadership was called on as never before when wildfires ignited Jan. 7 and tore through the community – destroying more than 6,800 homes and other structures, displacing thousands of families and upending life as they knew it.

Now, with the help of the California Community Foundation, the council is working to restore the Palisades. A CCF grant is helping fund a comprehensive survey by NORC, a non-partisan research organization based at the University of Chicago, to ask residents about their evolving needs and vision of the future of the Palisades. 

Council leaders also hope to award grants to help restore the community's valued resources –  the public library and recreation center, for instance, said Sue Kohl, PPCC president. Other potential projects that could receive funding include an effort to preserve historic chimneys that survived the fires and supplies for "Banners of Hope," art pieces hung on 100 flagpoles in Pacific Palisades and parts of Brentwood created by students at several schools expressing optimism for the community's recovery.

No grants have been disbursed yet because a council committee is still developing guidelines for them and an application process, Kohl said. One issue being reviewed is whether it would be proper to award a grant to a community organization that sits on the council, she added. 

"The grants from the CCF are really wonderful because it's the first funds that the Palisades has actually seen," said Courtney Macker, a council member. 

"It means we're going to be able to help worthy organizations with rebuilding the future of the town," Kohl added. 

The council is an all-volunteer nonprofit governed by elected representatives from each of the Palisades' eight residential neighborhoods, an at-large member and appointed representatives from key community organizations. It provides a forum for community members to discuss issues, advocates for neighbors to public and private agencies and posts a wealth of information of interest.

Key issues had included the reopening of Potrero Canyon Park and problematic teenage behavior with fireworks and disruptive street biking, Kohl said. Then the fires hit and "everything changed," she said.

Now the PPCC website is filled with information about wildfire resources, emergency preparedness, meeting notices with elected representatives and council positions on a range of issues – soils testing, disaster bus tourism, coastal fire debris, permit fee waivers. 

At its July meeting, the council brought in L.A. City Councilwoman Traci Park and state Senator Ben Allen to discuss Palisades recovery developments and related legislation. Other planned speakers include a representative from the U.S. Small Business Administration to share information about applying for SBA loans.

But council members said the process of restoring the Pacific Palisades they know and love will be slow and difficult. 

A drive through the area highlighted the massive devastation, as blocks and blocks of the once vibrant community lay flattened. In the downtown area, only charred concrete arches remain of a century-old historic building that housed Starbucks – the "most beloved" building in the Palisades, Kohl said. Many other businesses and services in Palisades Village, however, were untouched thanks to public and private firefighters. Rick Caruso, the Palisades Village developer, has said he is hopeful for a reopening in 2026.

Kohl has begun to rebuild her home after it burned to the ground on that harrowing January day. She only had time to grab her dogs, photo albums and a bag of needlepoint Christmas stockings, thinking she would be back in a few days as the Palisades had been through fire scares so many times before. But this time, she lost nearly everything. Her lifelong collection of Christmas ornaments. Her children's portraits on the wall. Her paintings, clothes, passport.

"I get PTSD when people ask me questions about things, and I remember something that I don't have anymore," she said. "That's what causes tears."

But Kohl is looking ahead with hope. So is Donna Vaccarino, a council member and president of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society who said the CCF grant will make a difference. 

"The grant coming to the council…is helping to establish a broader sense of community," she said. "I think we're all looking at how we hold onto and recover the heart and soul of the Palisades."

Pacific Palisades is a windswept enclave in western Los Angeles, famed for its stunning geography of coastal bluffs, rolling hills, wooded canyons and panoramic ocean views.

But to those who've lived there, the Palisades have always been defined by the caring, close-knit community. The neighbors you ran into walking your dog. Shopping at Gelson's. Hiking the trails. Showing up at sporting events and adult ed classes. Joining hundreds of neighbors at the community's celebrated festivities on the Fourth of July and annual interfaith gathering before Thanksgiving.

Nurturing those neighborly bonds is the Pacific Palisades Community Council, which has served to protect and improve the area's quality of life since 1973. Known as the "voice of Pacific Palisades," the council's cohesive leadership was called on as never before when wildfires ignited Jan. 7 and tore through the community – destroying more than 6,800 homes and other structures, displacing thousands of families and upending life as they knew it.

Now, with the help of the California Community Foundation, the council is working to restore the Palisades. A CCF grant is helping fund a comprehensive survey by NORC, a non-partisan research organization based at the University of Chicago, to ask residents about their evolving needs and vision of the future of the Palisades. 

Council leaders also hope to award grants to help restore the community's valued resources –  the public library and recreation center, for instance, said Sue Kohl, PPCC president. Other potential projects that could receive funding include an effort to preserve historic chimneys that survived the fires and supplies for "Banners of Hope," art pieces hung on 100 flagpoles in Pacific Palisades and parts of Brentwood created by students at several schools expressing optimism for the community's recovery.

No grants have been disbursed yet because a council committee is still developing guidelines for them and an application process, Kohl said. One issue being reviewed is whether it would be proper to award a grant to a community organization that sits on the council, she added. 

"The grants from the CCF are really wonderful because it's the first funds that the Palisades has actually seen," said Courtney Macker, a council member. 

"It means we're going to be able to help worthy organizations with rebuilding the future of the town," Kohl added. 

The council is an all-volunteer nonprofit governed by elected representatives from each of the Palisades' eight residential neighborhoods, an at-large member and appointed representatives from key community organizations. It provides a forum for community members to discuss issues, advocates for neighbors to public and private agencies and posts a wealth of information of interest.

Key issues had included the reopening of Potrero Canyon Park and problematic teenage behavior with fireworks and disruptive street biking, Kohl said. Then the fires hit and "everything changed," she said.

Now the PPCC website is filled with information about wildfire resources, emergency preparedness, meeting notices with elected representatives and council positions on a range of issues – soils testing, disaster bus tourism, coastal fire debris, permit fee waivers. 

At its July meeting, the council brought in L.A. City Councilwoman Traci Park and state Senator Ben Allen to discuss Palisades recovery developments and related legislation. Other planned speakers include a representative from the U.S. Small Business Administration to share information about applying for SBA loans.

But council members said the process of restoring the Pacific Palisades they know and love will be slow and difficult. 

A drive through the area highlighted the massive devastation, as blocks and blocks of the once vibrant community lay flattened. In the downtown area, only charred concrete arches remain of a century-old historic building that housed Starbucks – the "most beloved" building in the Palisades, Kohl said. Many other businesses and services in Palisades Village, however, were untouched thanks to public and private firefighters. Rick Caruso, the Palisades Village developer, has said he is hopeful for a reopening in 2026.

Kohl has begun to rebuild her home after it burned to the ground on that harrowing January day. She only had time to grab her dogs, photo albums and a bag of needlepoint Christmas stockings, thinking she would be back in a few days as the Palisades had been through fire scares so many times before. But this time, she lost nearly everything. Her lifelong collection of Christmas ornaments. Her children's portraits on the wall. Her paintings, clothes, passport.

"I get PTSD when people ask me questions about things, and I remember something that I don't have anymore," she said. "That's what causes tears."

But Kohl is looking ahead with hope. So is Donna Vaccarino, a council member and president of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society who said the CCF grant will make a difference. 

"The grant coming to the council…is helping to establish a broader sense of community," she said. "I think we're all looking at how we hold onto and recover the heart and soul of the Palisades."

Founded in 1915, the California Community Foundation (CCF) enables partnerships and investments, and champions advocacy for reforms that multiply impact for communities. Since 2000, the foundation has given more than $ 4.5 billion in grants. CCF's Wildfire Recovery Fund has raised over $100 million from more than 47,000 donors. The support provided critical, immediate relief to grantee—ensuring that families had access to shelter, food, medical care, and other vital services in the aftermath of destruction.

Media Contact:
Gilien Silsby
Director of Media
California Community Foundation
213-500-8673

SOURCE California Community Foundation