Disasters.

In light of the statement yesterday that the government has denied North Carolina’s request to continue matching 100% of the state’s spending on Hurricane Helene recovery, I was moved to think about the California fires.

The photo taken by my daughter last month depicts my Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Recovery in Pacific Palisades actually appears to be gaining momentum.

Since I was personally affected I follow the news closely.

Over 5,636 single-family homes were destroyed.

Clean up is moving along, Palisades High School, a few blocks from my home, has relocated to the old Sears building in Santa Monica. Restoration had begun and, hopefully, Pali High will open for the start of school in September.

The Army Corps of Engineers is busy with clean up and the beloved Garden Cafe which miraculously avoided the same fate as all the surrounding buildings, has recently reopened.

Rick Caruso, a Palisades resident, owner of the Village in the Palisades and the Grove in West Hollywood and a recent Los Angeles mayoral candidate who lost to Karen Bass, is heavily involved in rebuilding the Palisades and most recently, the community rec center.

Caruso also announced the reopening for Palisades Village in early 2026. This is likely months, if not years, ahead of the recovery timeline for other Palisades businesses and homes reduced to rubble.

In February, Caruso announced the launch of the Steadfast L.A. foundation dedicated to accelerating recovery from the Palisades and Eaton fires by cutting through red tape, leveraging private-sector expertise and promoting the use of fire-resistant building materials.