City Hall gathering honors lives lost, reflects on recovery, and reaffirms commitment to healing and rebuilding
Colorful knit works created by the Malibu Senior Center’s knitting club warmly embraced those who entered City Hall on Jan. 7 to attend “Palisades Fire Commemoration: Finding Strength in Community,” a remembrance gathering for the entire community marking the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire. The purpose of the commemoration, the event program noted, was to provide “a time to recognize the challenges and traumatic losses we have endured, and reaffirm our shared commitment to healing, rebuilding and moving forward.”
The event began with a video recounting the ravenous inferno, including harrowing moments when fire imminently threatened those trying to flee and providing an overview of firefighters’ valiant efforts to stop the flames. The movie also included somber moments — moments that anyone who experienced the devastation experienced when the reality of the disaster’s impact on Malibu came to light.
The Malibu Senior Choir’s rendition of “What the World Needs Now is Love,” helped inject a little positivity into the gathering. Mayor Marianne Riggins’ comments focused on the significance of the community’s recognizing the first anniversary of the fire. “The one-year mark reminds us both of the pain we experienced and the strength we discovered in one another,” Riggins said. “Through loss, uncertainty, and recovery, our community has shown extraordinary resilience. As we look ahead, we remain focused on supporting every resident, honoring what we’ve overcome, and building a future rooted in hope and long-term restoration.” All city officials, Riggins noted, are committed to increasing the community’s safety, supporting those who are rebuilding and all residents, and fashioning a more resilient Malibu.
Then, it was time to honor those who succumbed to the fire and whose lives were lost on that awful day. Attendees of all ages respectfully bowed their heads in silence, many painfully aware that they had lost all their material possessions but had at least escaped with their lives.
Let’s allow the worst to bring out the best of us
Remarks by elected officials followed, with State Sen. Ben Allen noting that he and other public officials are pressing for FEMA reimbursement to hasten the recovery efforts and are seeking to find a way to expedite the granting of permitting, a comment that garnered wide applause from the crowd.
“Thank you to our public workers who worked so hard to help fire victims,” he said. “We know that Malibu is a resilient community, but we all have to take fire resiliency and home hardening very seriously.”
Allen also discussed that communities and homeowners must work with insurance companies to convince them that both the city and owners have done all they can to arm themselves for wildfires.
Assemblywoman Jaqui Irwin discussed how the fire caused not only the loss of lives, but also of livelihoods, stating, “what continues to be profound is that there are those who lost everything who show up for their neighbors however they can, which proves that our community is not just a collection of buildings, but of people.” Irwin added, “We understand that the job of recovering is far from being done — we reaffirm our resolve to help you rebuild stronger, safer, and more resiliently and we will honor your perseverance with our persistence.”
Fire recovery is not linear
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath remarked about the Malibu community exhibiting tremendous resilience, but added, “I don’t know about you, but some days, I don’t want to be called ‘resilient!’ Please know that I and my staff are here to support you, knowing that fire recovery is not linear. Some days bring promise, while others bring hardship. We aim to provide you with service whatever your needs are.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said, “That we lost seven neighbors in the fire is not lost on any of us and my remarks today are a tribute to them. A remark by Bob Schieffer, a seasoned television commentator, comes to mind: ‘Let’s allow the worst to bring out the best of us.’ That’s what I’ve seen from this Malibu community.”
There was hearty applause when Luna asked all attendees who work for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to stand, noting that they and members of the Los Angeles Fire Department went toward the fire even as residents fled. “I have faith in our public leaders that we will get the job done and that those in the Malibu community will get the job done!” Luna said.
It seemed fitting that in Malibu, a town blessed with a myriad of creative residents, the event would end with a reading by Malibu Poet Laureate Charlotte Ward, whose poem “Waveforms” artfully captured the occasion. Ward recited in part, “Protean time dawns another year — remembrance through this window, translucent under opportune skies, brings a healing balm of flow fringing the mountains green. During reassuring daylight, calmed by cascading spindrift and waveforms of tenderest night, dreams evolve ever so slowly … Dilemmas that seemed sisyphean resolve to meaning in the fluted surf. Now, promise evokes a new meridian.”
Overall, attendees remarked that they thought the event struck a balance between, on the one hand, somberly remembering the devastation and loss caused by the largest disaster to strike Malibu since its cityhood — the fire destroyed more than 700 structures, displaced families, and left entire neighborhoods reduced to smoldering ruins — and on the other hand, expressing gratitude for first responders and others who stepped up to help, tempered by measured optimism as Malibu and fire victims carry on with efforts to rebuild.
Arno Koch noted, “I think it was a nice opportunity to gather. We are now in a place where permits are getting issued and I hope the cadence of permit granting will build up. I believe this is the right time for fire survivors to start the permitting process, even if they only apply for the fee waiver at first. It’s important for people to start the process, even if they want to sell, it’s better to have the permit in place if you want to sell.”
Ani Dermenjian, whose family lost their home in the fire, commented, “I thought the event was very genuine. I am convinced that all the public officials who spoke definitely want to help and that our healing process is finally beginning.”