LA fire took more than homes. It took our vibrant, caring Palisades community. | Opinion
When my wife and I moved to LA in 2023 we found our community in Pacific Palisades. Our neighbors cared for others when they were sick and looked out for each other.
It was a scene right out of a Hollywood disaster movie. Ashes falling, fire blazing all around, people crying and chaos everywhere. My community burned to the ground.
My wife and I moved to Pacific Palisades in July 2023 for work. The California sunshine and landscape was a far cry from my hometown of Philadelphia. They say when you move to Los Angeles, it takes two to three years to feel like home. As life would have it, less than two years later, we found ourselves at home. But it was not because of the house or nature or beach walks. We found our community.
I keep reading on the news of celebrity homes that have been destroyed and the price of homes in the Pacific Palisades. That is all true. But it is not the complete picture.
Pacific Palisades is full of hardworking people, good neighbors
The area is – or was – inhabited by people of different incomes and walks of life. People who went to jobs every day and who cared about their neighbors.
Every Friday, those friends and neighbors from the Palisades Highlands, where the fire started, met at Spruzzo Restaurant and Bar. Tucked in a strip mall, it could be easy to miss for people cruising by.
My friends who gathered ranged from ages 23 to 77. Hank Marting and his wife, Barbara Buck, have lived in the Palisades since 1969. Hank served in the Navy, then as a nurse at UCLA. They later opened up a pet grooming store near Marquez Elementary.
Ryan Gowhari and his family own Spruzzo. You could walk in at any time of day and Ryan would be there to greet you with a smile, hug and many times a free drink or two. He opened his doors for the elderly and families while we were stuck in gridlock trying to escape the fire. Wouter Herwerden, Chad and Tori Young, the list goes on and on. Emma and Haley Lennarz, and Jenni Bowers do not just work there, they are family.
This is the Pacific Palisades that I knew. Hardworking people who bypassed the ritzy glam of Hollywood for a simple Friday night at the local Italian restaurant. We never talked about work or jobs or possessions. It's purely laughter and camaraderie. If you were having a bad day, you knew you could go down the hill to Spruzzo and someone who is a stranger would soon become your friend.
Los Angeles is reeling from a loss of homes, community
Spruzzo is still standing – but the fire is not over. It was only 17% contained at the time this was published. Hank and Barbara’s home and business burned down. Chad and Tori’s did, too.
So many of our friends lost everything. We don’t know if our home is standing, but it will surely not be livable again. The tragedy of this fire is unfathomable.
But it is not just the homes, cars and possessions. It is the community we lost. The human connection to people who care for you when you’re sick, who give you a hug when you’re feeling down or tell a bad joke just to see a smile on your face.
I imagine many people throughout the Los Angeles area are feeling this same thing. I am not sure at this time that any of us have been able to process the loss. But I do know what I have gained. I have gained perspective on humanity and what matters – each other.
Our homes don’t just mean a place to sleep; they mean a memory, a smile, a laugh and a place where we can just be.
I do not know where everyone will go, where we will live next. But I do hope our community and others around Los Angeles that were destroyed by the fires can find a way to come together again.
Kelsey Trainor is a sports, marketing, entertainment and legal executive. She has worked with the hit CBS television series "Blue Bloods" starring Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Selleck and served as in-house counsel for Dan Abrams’ media company overseeing legal and business affairs for websites, tv/film productions and other platforms. Most recently, she started and ran Rob McElhenney’s ("Welcome to Wrexham," "Always Sunny in Philadelphia") More Better Industries, across production, advisory and venture.