PACIFIC PALISADES, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — As fire debris is cleared and Pacific Palisades begins its transition from a disaster zone to a massive construction site, restaurants and stores have begun to reopen.
“The journey ahead is going to be challenging. We have a lot of work to do to rebuild, getting our trucks in and out. It’s going to be busy. But the heart and soul of the Palisades community is strong, vibrant, united,” said Larry Vein, the Executive Director of the Pali Strong Foundation.
Rick Caruso says he wants his Palisades Village shopping center to not only bring people back but also serve as a place where the community can see that the future is bright. On Wednesday, Caruso announced that the longtime Palisades clothing store, Elyse Walker, which burned in the fire, will reopen at Palisades Village.
“Great retailers don’t make moves even if they’re emotionally connected unless they know there’s a thriving future and that’s what Elyse knows here. The Palisades is really gonna get accelerated, and we’re gonna create an economic engine for this whole block here, and we want the retailers all around us to open up, and we want it to also spur activity in Altadena and Malibu. Just because there’s great devastation doesn’t mean you can’t have great economic growth and bring a community back,” Caruso said.
Caruso’s company is also committing roughly $50 million to upgrade Palisades Village and improve the surrounding streets and sidewalks. Although thousands of Palisades residents are currently living in other places because they lost their homes, Caruso believes a vibrant retail district will expedite the community’s recovery.
“A win-win for the city. A win-win for the councilmember. A win-win for the mayor that these improvements are going in. So I’m hoping they’ll cut the red tape. We have to design it to city standards and city code, which we’ll do, and be respectful of that. But, I want them to expedite it because this community needs that boost and those retailers across the street need that boost,” said Caruso.
“This is a critical day for us, seeing that a new store is coming back to our community… That sense of comfort we have going to an Elyse Walker store. It gives us hope and promise. We know that we will be back,” said Vein.
Palisades Village plans to reopen in 2026.
When asked about his political future in the city of Los Angeles or the state of California, Rick Caruso said he won’t make a decision about politics until well after the summer.
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