Cindi Young, on beach patrol with her dog Missy, has been named the Citizen of the Year.
Castellammare resident Cindi Young has been named Citizen of the Year by the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) and will receive her award at a gala dinner on Thursday at the Casa Nostra restaurant in the Highlands.
This exceptional Palisades volunteer is being recognized for stepping in as the co-president (with Carmen Kalberg) to lead the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTFH) in January 2024.
The organization is responsible for keeping hillsides safe from fires set by homeless, while offering aid to those desperately need it.
When she learned she was the recipient of the award, Young said, “Pacific Palisades is filled with extraordinary people; men and women of action who know the community is what you make of it. I’m proud to be part of the team.”
Her co-president Kalberg, who initially brought Young into the organization in 2021, said “She accompanied me, along with Sharon Kilbride (current co-president), on my Wednesday beach rounds. Cindi is undoubtedly one of the finest human beings I have had the good fortune to work with.
“A wonderful friendship and partnership was born out of our common interest to help those who are experiencing homelessness,” Kalberg said. “It’s a joy to work with Cindi. Our Wednesdays doing outreach are the best part of our week. When I pull up to pick Cindi and Missy (the dog), she’s always waiting and so happy to go out. Between the task force and our HOA fight, we have become best friends.”
The two walk the beach areas pulling a little blue wagon filled with snacks, water and hygiene kits and Missy rides along.
Kilbride past president of the PPTFH said, “Cindi has endless energy and dedication to the community. She is always willing to jump in to make a positive difference for people less fortunate.”
Young first came to this editor’s attention when she was the president of the Castellammare Mesa Home Owners Association (CMHO) https://castellammaremesa.com/. The Castellammare neighborhood abuts the Getty Museum and California state park land.
The state had not done brush clearance on park land and had no intention of doing it. Young repeatedly contacted local, state and federal elected officials with requests for assistance in clearing the dead growth. No one could seemingly cut through the red tape, collaborate, or even cooperate with homeowners.
Realizing there would be no funding, Young put out a plea and about $65,000 was raised in private funds to pay for the clearance. In January 2020, she wrote to homeowners “Phase One of the project will concentrate on the perimeter of the parkland: brush clearance 100 feet from habitable structures, as well as ten feet of brush clearance along Los Liones Drive so that the sidewalk is usable once again. Any remaining funds will be used to begin Phase Two: the removal of dead trees, ladder fuel and the trimming of native species. We cannot complete all of the work as we are still short of funds, so our fundraising will continue.”
Young continues to serve on CMHO Architecture and HOA Advisory Committees. She has served as Area One 1st Alternate on the PPCC board for the past two years and represents PPCC on the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils.
Young has researched and devoted many hours to the proposed project that the West L.A. Planning Commission approved: four large homes built on the active Tramonto Landslide. The project will not remediate the landslide, which many residents feel could be detrimental to Tramonto Drive, the only road in and out of the mesa, but also to surrounding homes on the hillside.
Young has reached out to Councilmember Traci Park, personally showing her the area. She attended numerous City meetings, including most recently the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee meeting on December 3. At that meeting because of a lack of quorum the project will now go directly to the City.
Kalberg said, “Cindi is one of the main reasons our appeal fighting the Tramonto development has gotten as far as it has. She works on this issue 24/7.”
Young continues to advocate for the safety of her community. Through her presidency on the PPTFH, she was able to secure an abandoned house on city property that had become inhabited by squatters.
Through her volunteer efforts, residents agree that Young continues to make Pacific Palisades a better place to live.
Kalberg summed it up, “She’s smart, resourceful, calm and I’ve been so blessed to have found a friend like her late in my life.”
Cindi Young and Carmen Kalberg, co-presidents of the Homeless Task Force, clean up an abandoned encampment.
Post 283 also gave money to support this group