Pacific Palisades residents preserve community with block party

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At the block party on Duende Lane, Elissa Atwood was delighted Saturday morning to greet neighbors she hadn’t seen in months, hoping their reconnection would help preserve the sense of community that was so shaken by the Palisades fire.She is a third-generation Palisadian whose home, built by her grandfather in 1953, was threatened by the flames.

Several of her immediate neighbors’ lost their homes.Atwood’s daughter was pregnant during the disaster, and her granddaughter is the fifth generation of the family to live in that home.The party, organized by the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Assn., was the neighborhood’s only gathering of the year — music playing from a speaker, Pueblano-style tacos sizzling on the grill, dogs happily roaming around.Many residents say it has been difficult to get in touch with their neighbors, some of whom have left or are still deciding whether or not to sell their land.

They fear developers will turn what were originally middle-class properties into rows of walled-off mansions where residents don’t know each other.“I think that it’s hard to overestimate how debilitating and disorienting this has been,” Atwood said.“One of the things we’re doing in our neighborhood is knowing each other’s contact information so we know who’s gonna need help.”About 40% of residents in this corner of Pacific Palisades are senior citizens, according to Haldis Topple, former president of the Marquez Knolls Property Assn.The 83-year-old lost her three-bedroom home in January.

Topple has called Pacific Palisades her home for more than 60 years.Now, she rents an apartment in Marina del Rey while her house is under construction.“I met my husband here.

My son was born here,” Topple said.“I have decided to rebuild because I can’t live anywhere else.

Where will I go?”Like Topple, some residents have found it difficult to rebuild their h...