Palisades Rec Center Will Be Rebuilt Through Public-Private Partnership

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Severely damaged in January's wildfires, the Palisades Recreation Center will be rebuilt through a public-private partnership that has Mayor Karen Bass teaming up with her former political rival.

The partnership between the city, Steadfast LA and LA Strong Sports was announced earlier this month. Billionaire Rick Caruso — who ran against Bass in 2022 — launched Steadfast LA in February "to assemble the expertise, influence, and power of the private sector to expedite the rebuilding of the Los Angeles communities destroyed by the wildfires by cutting through delays, encouraging action, and developing solutions with the brightest minds in real estate, finance, construction, infrastructure, and more," according to the mayor's office.

The organization includes business leaders from Gensler, CBRE, Parsons, Esri, Latham & Watkins LLP and more.

"The city's number-one pledge has been to eliminate any and every obstacle in the way of rebuilding, and we are forging new partnerships with all sectors as we continue to move Los Angeles forward," Bass said in a statement.

JJ and Chelsea Rednick, Charles and Jenna Jackson and Kylee Kilgore formed LA Strong Sports in late March to build top-tier sports and recreation facilities in Los Angeles following the fire emergencies.

"We visited the Pali Rec Center the same day we decided to move to the Palisades," JJ and Chelsea Rednick said in a statement. "That visit showed us not only how important the park was as a physical space, but how the people and families who took advantage of it made up the beating heart of the community."

Charles and Jenna Jackson added that rebuilding the rec center will reclaim the space for community members, who suffered immense loss.

The coalition has held meetings with residents and organizations with close ties to the park. They are forming design plans for the construction of the new center.

They expect to host further discussions, refine their design plan and release details in the near future.

City News Service contributed to this report.