Palisadians To Be Honored at PPCC Holiday Gala

By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter

The Pacific Palisades Community Council will honor five Palisadians at its annual holiday gala, the council shared at its Thursday, Nov. 8, meeting.

Jimmy Dunne and Bob Harter were named Co-Citizens of the Year for their work on the Veterans’ Gardens project at the Palisades Recreation Center.

“The two put in endless hours in meetings and discussions with the city, Rec and Parks and the Park Board, working on the project plan and the funding needed to keep the project moving toward the final Park Board recommendation,” PPCC said in a press release.

Palisadian John Steadman will be given a Golden Sparkplug Award for “his ongoing, reliable and commendable voluntary work to clean and maintain numerous public areas of the community.”

Steadman has lived in the area for 50 years and is well known throughout the Via Mesa and Bluffs neighborhood.

“Many neighbors know him as the guy who is always outside working on his own and others’ gardens, most don’t know just how extensive his work is,” PPCC said.

Dede Vlietstra was also selected as a Golden Sparkplug Honoree for “her exceptional work in devising and following through with a plan to monitor, clean out and keep the dense park areas and bluffs along Temescal Canyon Road free of homeless encampments, trash and combustibles.”

A 30-year resident, Vlietstra serves on the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness Enforcement Coordination and Volunteer Recruiting Committees and is partly responsible for cleaning up 30 homeless camps along Temescal Canyon in 2017.

Finally, the man who comes to mind when talking about “Palisadians,” Arnie Wishnick will receive the Pride of the Palisades honor award.

The 40-year local has served as vice president of two former Palisades Savings & Loan Associations for several years and then as executive director of the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce for 25 years. His community accolades include a Golden Sparkplug Award in 1980 and a Lion’s Club Citizen of the Year award in 1984.

Name a community organization, and Wishnick has likely been a part of it.

“His knowledge of, enthusiasm for and commitment to the Palisades are second to none. We are very proud to bestow this special recognition upon Arnie this year,” the council shared.