Letters to the Editor: Extinguish the smoldering falsehood that everyone in the Palisades is wealthy

To the editor: I’ve lived in the Pacific Palisades for nearly 30 years. I found this story overly critical of our healing diverse community (“Palisades could rebuild with more affordable housing. But many in the wealthy area oppose the idea,” March 3).

Prior to the fire, many residents lived in rent-controlled apartments. With some low-income housing, these folks might be able to return to the area. Pacific Palisades is so much more than the image presented by developer Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village.

Deborah Alexander, Pacific Palisades

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To the editor: The super-wealthy residents of this exclusive enclave don’t want any affordable housing, not even one building on the toxic grounds of the old gas station. Yet they will gladly take federal, state and city funding as well as personal GoFundMe contributions. They are all very liberal in words, yet not-in-my-neighborhood in practice.

And yes, the rest of us L.A. residents, who will not ever be able to own a house in such neighborhoods, have to be empathetic. The American Dream, in contemporary times, is relegated to the rich.

Michele Castagnetti, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The piece about Louvenia Jenkins was one of the most beautifully written and powerful stories I have read in a long time. (“She was one of the first Black homeowners in the Palisades. At 96, she is starting over,” Feb. 27)

Jill Smith, Pacific Palisades

The writer lost her home in the fire and is currently living in Silver Lake.

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To the editor: The story about Louvenia Jenkins brought back many fond memories of playing tennis at Rustic Canyon Park. She was part of the group of players who made the tennis courts home in the mid-1960s. Like Louvenia, I no longer play tennis and live in a senior home. The memories remain.

William Minderhout, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: All the sympathy and sorrow I felt for those who lost their multimillion-dollar homes in the fire was burned out of my brain by the story in Tuesday’s edition. It didn’t take long for their true colors to come through. There’s a long distance between setting up drug dens on the corner and providing some apartments that teachers, nurses and small business owners can afford. I’m going to be rooting for Justin Kohanoff to realize his dream of turning a burned-out gas station into affordable housing.

Penny Ramos, Redlands