CRD, Rebuilding Authority & Special District with Limited Authority

for the Recovery

Last week, the CA state senate passed SB782, which authorized a city or county to adopt a resolution providing for the division of taxes of any participating entity without following specified procedures for the preparation and adoption of an infrastructure financing plan, if certain conditions are met. This enables our City and County lawmakers to create special districts or from authorities with limited powers, and a funding stream, to spearhead the recovery of Pacific Palisades and other communities, post-disaster.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has introduced a motion to create a Rebuilding Authority for the Palisades and Eaton Fires:

🔗 Read the Motion

This follows a recommendation made by the Blue Ribbon Commission, which presented ideas to a small group of Pacific Palisades leaders during a May 5th convening. That session explored the science and policy behind the proposals and sparked the idea of a Pacific Palisades Authority—an initiative PRC has since been pursuing with lawmakers, including Senator Ben Allen and Councilmember Traci Park.

Climate Resilience District (CRD) – City of L.A. Initiative

In January, Councilmember Park introduced a motion to create a Climate Resilience District, funded by Tax Increment Financing (TIF). She requested a report back from EWDD, which is now available. The motion is scheduled to be heard by the Ad Hoc Committee on L.A. Recovery later this month, and will then proceed to the Budget Committee, and finally, to the City Council for a vote.

PRC supports this district as it would lock in the current depressed property tax base and allow incremental increases to be reinvested in the resilient rebuilding of Pacific Palisades over time.

Although the City’s CRD would only draw from its 17% share of property taxes, this still represents a robust, long-term funding stream for recovery. Potential uses of CRD funds include:

• Undergrounding utilities
• Water and sewer infrastructure upgrades
• Slope stabilization
• Fire prevention improvements
• Evacuation route upgrades
• Projects addressing flooding, wildfires, extreme heat, and drought Importantly, a CRD can be:

• Non-contiguous, meaning it could include areas like Malibu, Pasadena, and parts of L.A. County
• Jointly managed by cities and counties—there are no legal restrictions preventing partnership Palisades Authority Still Needed
  PRC continues to advocate for the formation of a Pacific Palisades Authority with limited powers to accelerate recovery with the urgency our community demands. 📘 Read the PRC Recovery Plan (attached) to understand:

• Priorities and needs
• The scale of the rebuild (5,000+ structures, 400+ permits in process)
• Implications of the eventual conclusion of USACE operations Recovery Resources Since our last meeting, many people have reached out to share resources for the community as we lead onto the rebuilding stage of our recovery. According to LADBS, there are more than 400 permits in process. That foretells rebuilding ahead – for that reason our Logistics Plan becomes all the more urgent, and resources to assist Palisadians as they contemplate rebuilding become increasingly timely. See some that were shared with us, below:

🏛 LegalAidFoundationofLosAngeles(LAFLA)

Free legal help for low-income wildfire survivors. Common services include:

• FEMA appeals
• Insurance disputes
• Tenant/landlord issues
• Accessing aid (e.g., unemployment, student loan relief)
 🔗 Visit LAFLA for clinic schedules and resources 🏠 JMDesignStudiosRebuildBudgetTemplate
  Shared by Jodi Mendelsohn, this customizable budgeting tool can help owners plan and track rebuild costs. ⚡ Rebuild LA Safe This community led campaign advocating for secure, affordable, fast and electric rebuild of fire impacted communities in Altadena & Palisades is looking for testimonials for the Rebuild LA Safe campaign, which has urged the California Legislature to provide $10,000 in incentives for each homeowner who lost their home, to rebuild all-electric. 🧰 AIACaliforniaFireResiliencyWebinars
  Focused on sustainable and coordinated rebuilding efforts across the region— through advocacy, education, and communication. 🌱 USGreenBuildingCouncilCalifornia(USGBC-CA) Support for sustainable rebuilding through:

• Landscape restoration
• Resilience planning
• The Wildfire Defense Toolkit
• A curated Rebuild Marketplace for fire-resilient materials
 🔗 More Info

Mayor Bass Announces AECOM

Mayor Karen Bass announced that global infrastructure firm AECOM will expand its role to support long-term recovery planning for Pacific Palisades. AECOM will partner with City agencies and Hagerty Consulting to lead a community-driven rebuild, aiming to minimize disruption during widespread reconstruction.

📝 PRC reminds the Mayor and City leaders that we have already produced
a comprehensive recovery plan, shared at multiple community meetings, including PPCC on April 10. Key components have been adopted by Councilwoman Park’s CD11 recovery plan. We hope AECOM will actively engage with PRC and other stakeholders to build upon the work that has already been done.

Governor Announces Mortgage Relief for Fire Survivors

The CalAssist Mortgage Fund launches June 12, 2025, offering grants up to $20,000 to homeowners whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by recent disasters, including the Palisades fire.

📞 Call800-501-0019(Mon–Fri,8AMto5PM)

💡 HUD-certified counselors are also available for support.

Security & Public Safety Update

LAPD has informed PRC that checkpoint operations will likely conclude on July 7, per confirmation from the Council Office. In preparation, PRC is coordinating with partners to ensure public safety resources remain intact through the recovery phase.

👮 LAPD will continue providing:

• Five patrol cars per shift, with two officers each
• A dedicated A1 car
• Ongoing Beach Detail during the day There will be gaps in coverage which we hope to be able to fill with private security as well as the deployment of technology. An RFP will become necessary to solicit proposals, drive down prices, and ultimately decide on how best to maintain a public private partnership to protect the community.

Wildfire Safety – Zone Zero Regulations

The Zone Zero concept, established under AB 3074, introduces strict fire-prevention measures within 5 feet of structures in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ)—which includes all of Pacific Palisades. It restricts:

• Planting of combustible vegetation
• Use of mulch, wood chips, or leaf litter
• Certain fencing and privacy landscaping Although passed in 2021, enforcement is pending sign-off from the State Fire Marshal. With rebuilding underway, compliance has become a pressing issue. 🗓 June 12 at 5:30 PM – Joint Webinar on Zone Zero:

  Hosted by Assemblymember Irwin, Senator Allen, and State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant
 ➡ Learnaboutenforcement,firehazardmaps,homehardening,andmore.
 📌 Flyer and QR code available below for registration wildfire prep flyer.pdf (2,705K) 👥 The’ComebackClub’ We’ve launched the “Comeback Club” — a biweekly gathering for those who’ve returned to Pacific Palisades to reconnect, share updates, and support one another. Our first meeting took place last Thursday at Garden Café, bringing together over 30 residents for a vibrant exchange of stories, resources, and the latest developments. If you’ve repopulated the Palisades, we’d love to hear from you — and hope you’ll join us! 💬 LADWP We have learned from DWP that the Marquez site is being used for temporary conduit storage and daily soil lay down to support undergrounding work along Sunset Blvd, connecting to DS-29. Crews “short haul” by staging soil locally during the day and hauling it out at night to reduce traffic impact. All soil is clean and sourced from beneath Sunset’s asphalt—none is from fire-damaged properties. The Santa Ynez Reservoir was drained to repair minor cover defects (pinholes and small tears). Water service remains fully compliant with fire safety standards during this work. Undergrounding along Sunset is underway with 11 miles of cable being installed. An additional 90 miles is planned, pending funding.

Undergrounding is currently being done along Sunset Boulevard, with 11 linear miles of cable being laid (trench digging is observable) underground along the center of the roadway. Another 90 linear miles is planned, but funding has not yet been identified.

–Thanks, as always, for your support and your partnership. We will recover together!

Best,
Maryam Zar and the PRC team