Why this mall survived and the rest of The Palisades did not

Leave a CommentWhy this mall survived and the rest of The Palisades did notCommentary

This is what the glorious and wealthy area, The Palisades looks like now.

Before and after

Except this place

When wildfires tore through Pacific Palisades yesterday, LA Mayor Karen Bass was notably absent, off on a diplomatic trip to Africa while the city burned. Meanwhile, Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, had his Palisades Village miraculously survive due to his foresight in using fire retardants and equipping the area with top-notch fire suppression systems.

This was the Starbucks across from Palisades Village. The building was 100 years old. Now gone.

Caruso didn’t hold back, slamming Bass for the city’s unpreparedness and resource scarcity. He pointed out the empty fire hydrants as a sign of “mismanagement” under Bass’s watch. With Bass having cut the fire department’s budget by $17 million the previous year, critics were quick to question her leadership. Caruso’s sharp rebuke painted a picture of LA as a city in chaos, akin to a “third-world country” during the crisis, highlighting Bass’s absence when the city needed her most.

They can’t say they weren’t warned.