A Letter from Maryam Zar, incoming PPCC Chair

Dear Pacific Palisades,

Tonight I will effectively begin my term as the Chair of the Pacific Palisades Community Council. The PPCC was established in 1974, and has since been an influential body that has considered many community issues, addressed countless local concerns and represented, or protected, the interests of the Palisades and Palisadians on regional issues.

I could not be more proud to serve in this role, or more humbled that Palisadians have entrusted me with an important community role twice – first with the Chairship of the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (Pride of the Palisades 2015), and now with the Presidency of the PPCC.

As I pivot to this role, I am mindful of how much I don’t know, and grateful for the support I have from those who have been on the Council for years, and hold a great deal of Palisades history and perspective.  I thank George Wolfberg, my friend and former PPCC President, for agreeing to serve as the Vice Chair during the 2016-2017 term. His insight over the last two years while I served on the board of the PPCC, first as the primary Educational rep and later as the VP, have been instrumental in my ability to be an effective Board member and valuable in guiding my thinking, even as I take on the Presidency. Prior PPCC Presidents have been forthcoming with their support, and Chris Spitz, my formidable predecessor, has been indispensable over the last few weeks as a pillar of support, even while she underwent surgery and embarks on recovery.

This summer we will hold PPCC elections for Area Representatives who will be elected to serve a new two year term. I have been working with the Elections Committee and our local newspapers to help get the word out about candidates and voting options. This year we will be testing an online voting platform for the first time, and we are excited to break this new ground. Under my administration we will also launch a monthly digital newsletter and re-constitute a Communications Committee to take on new tasks including public outreach, community messaging, robust social media and continuing to develop our web site.

As I embark on my term I will be appointing several new Advisers, including new youth advisers, a legal adviser, an expert adviser to the By Laws Committee and a special adviser for community projects. As I look ahead to some of the important issues that impact our community, I am mindful of the Caruso Village construction project, which will begin soon. We have formed a new PPCC committee to monitor construction schedules and foresee issues that may arise which impact the community, in order to swiftly address them. I will also keep an eye on the BMO/HMO carve out, which our Councilman, Mike Bonin advocated for on our behalf, following a motion which passed after a discussion and vote at the PPCC. The consensus was that the proposed amendments to the ordinance were unsuited to the Palisades given our unique community. The result of our unified position and the support of our Council office is that we have been able to collaborate with the West LA area City Planning Commission to craft a fitting set of codes for Pacific Palisades with all its distinctive neighborhoods. This is an issue that threatens to divide us, but need not. We can make room for all points of view, as long as we are willing to work together.

While I turn to the work of the PPCC, I leave behind my leadership of the PPTFH which has made great strides since its inception in 2014. I plan to continue the PPCC collaboration with the new President of the PPTFH, Doug McCormick, and maintain a crucial cooperation with the law enforcement agencies, such as LAPD, that operate in the Palisades in order to sustain the gains we’ve made in the strategy of enforcement coupled with the offer of services.

Thank you again for placing your trust in me and for allowing me to lead this model for community involvement – our very own, respected and admired, PPCC.