Recommendations Regarding a Palisades Disaster Recovery District

The Palisades Recovery Coalition convened an assembly of twenty-five Palisades residents, randomly selected to represent the community, to come together and deliberate on two key questions facing our community’s recovery — if the Palisades were to have a Disaster Recovery District (DRD), what types of projects should it fund, and how should it remain accountable to the community?

25

Participants randomly selected to represent the
community

2

Two full days of deliberations

1

Comprehensive set of recommendations

Community Recovery Labs

What the Community Recovery Lab set out to answer

On April 11 and 25, the Palisades Recovery Coalition convened its first Community Recovery Lab (CRL). A randomly chosen, representative group of twenty-five Palisades residents convened as a civic assembly to deliberate on two core questions about a potential Palisades Disaster Recovery District (DRD).

Participants were supplied with expert background materials and option memos prepared by a resource team with expertise in finance, law, recovery districts, and disaster recovery. Participants deliberated in structured sessions, asked questions of the resource team, and arrived at concrete recommendations.

These recommendations reflect the community’s voice — not PRC staff positions — and are being shared with the community and with city, county, and state officials.

In consultation with Councilwoman Traci Park and Senator Ben Allen we posed two questions to the Community Recovery Lab

If the Palisades were to have a Disaster Recovery District (DRD) —

1. What types of projects should it fund?

2. How should it remain accountable to the Palisades community?

State law allows a DRD to fund projects that repair, restore, and replace damaged structures and infrastructure; mitigate risk of future disaster; and support economic recovery. The CRL was asked to advise on priorities within that framework.

Background Reading

What is a DRD?

Read the handout →

Background Reading

What is a civic assembly?

Read the handout →

Recommendations

What to Fund

State law allows a Disaster Recovery District to fund projects that repair, restore, and replace damaged structures and infrastructure; mitigate risk of future disaster; and support economic recovery. The CRL recommended that any Palisades DRD consider a broad range of projects, focusing on four areas:

Rebuilding Help — Grants, financing, and permitting support for returning residents and property owners.
Utilities & Infrastructure — Water, power, undergrounding, and critical system upgrades.
Wildfire & Climate Resilience — Prevention, detection, and multi-hazard planning.
Economic Recovery — Small business support and commercial revitalization.

Recommendations · Part 2

How to Remain Accountable

Context: State law mandates that a DRD be governed by a five-member board — three elected City of LA officials and two Palisades residents — all appointed by the LA City Council. The following CRL recommendations work within this structure.

PPCC Appointment
The City Council appoint to the DRD governing board at least one Palisades resident recommended by the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC).

Community Advisory Board
The DRD establish a twelve-member community advisory board, elected by the community.

Investment Plan Review
The advisory board review the DRD’s draft investment plan and make written recommendations to the DRD governing board.

Written Explanations
Any governing board adjustments to the advisory board’s recommendations be explained in writing.

Community Input
The community advisory board may create committees, convene civic assemblies, or conduct surveys to seek expertise and community input on specific matters.

With the CRL recommendations, the DRD governance would look like this:

Governing board required by state law

Seat 1

LA City Elected Official

Seat 2

LA City Elected Official

Seat 3

LA City Elected Official

Seat 4

Palisades Resident

Nominated by PPCC

Seat 5

Palisades Resident

Additions recommended by CRL

12-Member Community Advisory Board — elected by the community

All five governing board members appointed by the LA City Council.

"These recommendations reflect the deliberations of twenty-five randomly selected Palisades residents — a cross-section of the community — who came together to consider the governance and investment priorities of a potential Disaster Recovery District."

Reference Materials

What the Participants Read

The morning of each session focused on learning. The afternoons focused on deliberations. Here we provide the learning materials offered to participants for both the April 11 and April 25 sessions.

Handouts

Short overviews of Disaster Recovery Districts: what they are, how they work, and examples from comparable recovery efforts across California.

View documents →

Presentations

Presentations made by speakers at the April 11 session.

Craig Bullock, Planning Director, Office of Traci Park — LA City Legislative Process
Jay Balagna, Asst. Policy Researcher, RAND; PRC Director of Research — What might a DRD fund?
Laura Blaul, Sr. Wildfire Fellow, IBHS — Fire Safe Communities
Greg Kochanowski, Partner & Director of Design at Practice — Districts in Other Communities

View documents →

Handouts

Short overviews of the law associated with the composition and responsibilities of a DRD governing board, options for community engagement, a summary of the April 11 discussions, and a backgrounder on civic assemblies.

View documents →

Presentations

Presentations made by speakers at the April 25 session.

Sushil Tyagi, RAND
Liam Dillon, Politico
Rob Lempert, PRC
Traci Park, Councilwoman, CD11
Tony Hocking, Team Palisades
Jonah Susskind, SWA Group

View documents →

Further Reading

Additional resources for a deeper dive — relevant to both sessions.

What Happens Next

How these recommendations move forward

PRC has shared these recommendations with the office of Councilwoman Park and is awaiting a meeting with City staff before distributing them more broadly to additional lawmakers and legislative offices. We also hope to present the findings publicly through PPCC and will make the final report available through our newsletter and website as part of the public record of this community’s recovery and the civic engagement helping shape a roadmap for disaster recovery at this scale. Participants and community members are encouraged to remain engaged and advocate publicly around these ideas as the conversation moves forward.

Delivered to officials

Recommendations have been formally shared with relevant elected officials overseeing Palisades recovery planning.

Read latest updates →

More CRLs coming

CRL 1 on Governance is the first. Future labs will address additional dimensions of the Palisades recovery.

See all CRLs →

Volunteer for future labs

We’ll keep recruiting residents for future CRLs. Sign up to be notified when the next volunteer call opens.

Express interest →

Share your perspective

Weren’t a participant but want to weigh in? The PRC welcomes input from all community members.