The Palisades Alliance group will hold its third meeting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, in Room D-107 on the Palisades High campus. All residents are invited.
The first meeting of the group, held on March 1, focused on the transportation needs of seniors and the “aging in place” population of Pacific Palisades.
The group was formed not only to deal with senior transportation, but also confronting other needs of those who live here.
Former PaliHi teacher Iris Kaplan led the latest meeting and welcomed the group leaders, Steve Lantz, Karen Stigler and Esther Brudo.
“A key thing that was clarified was that we are interested in supporting a broad range of projects intended to improve life for seniors in the Palisades,” Stigler said. “Because transportation was the subject of our first program, some people were under the impression that that this our group’s primary focus. It is not.”
The meeting started with a recap of transportation issues. Many in the Alliance can still drive, but realize there will be a day when that might change.
Others have had their licenses taken away, which means they have to rely on others for rides. Those who live in the Highlands or other hilly areas in the Palisades are particularly affected because there is no public transportation in order to reach the Metro or Big Blue buses along Sunset.
Others would like help learning to use Uber and Lyft apps on their phones. Alliance members hope to stimulate conversation and ultimately foster a change in the problem regarding transportation.
Other needs identified by seniors were a senior center, opportunities to feel “useful,” excursions and better crosswalks.
Some recognized solutions were: seeking a shuttle within the town, by having people circulate a petition in their neighborhood; planning excursions; a senior corner in a local newspaper that would feature upcoming activities; and asking altruistic people in their 50s and 60s to help with projects.
Stigler said she would really like to see a senior center come to fruition. “I think so many good things would flow from that—social, recreational, counseling and advocacy. The most helpful thing that we could get from city officials would be Rec & Parks bond money to build a senior center. Of course, the other oft-cited need is for LA DOT to reinstate the DASH bus or something similar.”
Visit: palisadesalliance.org or email palisadesalliance@gmail.com.
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