‘Not For Sale’

Led by Lifelong Locals, Together Palisades Distributes Signs, Raises Funds to Help Rebuilding Efforts

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Colin Enzer has a message to share: Pacific Palisades is “Not For Sale.”

The day after the Palisades fire started, the lifelong Palisadian began to partner with Mac Bradley, Colin Enzer, Quinn McGinley, Henry Ramsey, Vince DeSantis, Gabe Wachtel, Erel Israel, Eros Surya and Bryce Sexton to launch Together Palisades—which is now distributing signs that say: “Not For Sale: Protect the Palisades. Keep the Community Together.”

“Together Palisades is a group of lifelong Palisades residents deeply committed to restoring our community,” Enzer explained. “The Palisades is a unique, irreplaceable home, full of people and places that profoundly shaped us. In the wake of the Palisades fire, we are dedicated to rebuilding our hometown and bringing back the vibrant, tight-knit neighborhood we love dearly.”

One of those efforts has been the signs, which Enzer said were crafted to inspire the neighbors who are planning to rebuild. Together Palisades placed signs throughout town and have also received requests from people who want to place them outside their lot or house.

He described spending a weekend driving through the Palisades, talking with people who were taking pictures of the sign and asking if they’d like one of their own.

“People can feel the connection there,” Enzer described.

Enzer has also talked with Councilmember Traci Park, noting that one of the focuses for now is encouraging people who are on the fence about leaving to not sell yet.

“We’re not trying to say you’re wrong for selling,” Enzer continued. “We understand there’s many reasons people are choosing to leave the area.”

The signs are designed for people to let their neighbors know they’re coming back and to foster a sense of community, Enzer said.

To date, Together Palisades has raised nearly $200,000 to support “community-driven projects and plan events that bring people together in meaningful ways,” Enzer said.

The first few days, Enzer said he imagined planning things like fundraising car washes and cleanup events, but the group “raised way more” funds than they thought they would, prompting them to begin—and continue—the organization.

“Since we’ve started, we’ve narrowed down what we can really do,” Enzer said, adding that county-run debris removal program and private contractors are currently leading the cleanup charge, but Together Palisades can help “fill in the gaps” for things like businesses who are pledging to come back.

He described reconnecting with the other board members and advisors, all friends who are in their 20s, some of whom met through things like Pacific Palisades Baseball Association or at school, including Calvary Christian, St. Matthew’s, Corpus Christi, Palisades Charter Elementary and Marquez Charter Elementary schools.

“We’re remembering the things that we love about the Palisades, and [want to] protect things and areas we hold so dearly,” Enzer said.

Enzer grew up in the Highlands before moving with his parents to the Huntington—where they still reside in a house that survived the fire. Though he lives in Santa Monica, his goal is to move back to the Palisades.

Together Palisades was able to attain nonprofit status through a fiscal sponsorship with the Edward Charles Foundation. Enzer said they are prioritizing projects that “fall outside the city budget,” to “streamline the town’s recovery and ensure its future is as vibrant as its past.”

“Born out of a desire to act in the wake of devastation, we began organizing groups to bring the community together, and it quickly grew into a movement committed to protecting and restoring the spaces that make the Palisades special,” according to Enzer. “Our focus extends beyond physical restoration—we aim to rebuild the town by fostering community engagement, preserving traditions, building community spaces and giving back to key institutions.”

Together Palisades is also responsible for one of the first communitywide WhatsApp threads to begin following the fire, which has more than 1,200 members across its four groups, which include “Cleanup Strategizing,” “Helpful Links,” “Photos & Videos,” and “Location Updates.”

Looking to the future, Enzer explained that the group plans to partner with other area organizations, including those that have launched following the fire.

“Anyone that wants to help, we welcome them into our group meetings,” he said. “So many people are taking action. We’re taking a lot of meetings with them and seeing what projects we can support.”

They are also beginning to think about how to participate in Fourth of July, which Palisades Americanism Parade Association reported is in the works to take place this summer.

Enzer said he dedicates roughly four to five hours per day to Together Palisades after work. He finishes his work as a talent manager and then “hops on a call to talk through things.”

“We believe that together, we can restore the Palisades to the vibrant and extraordinary town we were all lucky to experience,” the Together Palisades website read. “We are currently working closely with the city to understand their budget and projects to best put our resources and efforts to use. Together Palisades will continue our efforts until the goal of restoring the Palisades becomes a reality.”

For more information or to make a donation, visit togetherpalisades.com.