More than just a block party

Pacific Palisades residents reunite in their first gathering since the fire

- BY JASMINE MENDEZ

JULIE VALENTINE, a Pacific Palisades resident since 1986, and her dog Ripley attend the block party.

At the block party on Duende Lane, Elissa Atwood was delighted Saturday morning to greet neighbors she hadn't seen in months, hoping their reconnection would help preserve the sense of community that was so shaken by the Palisades fire.

She is a third-generation Palisadian whose home, built by her grandfather in 1953, was threatened by the flames. Several of her immediate neighbors lost their homes. Atwood's daughter was pregnant during the disaster, and her granddaughter is the fifth generation of the family to live in that home.

Photographs by CHRISTINA HOUSE Los Angeles Times

MITRA LOTFI, left, embraces Alicia Albek during the Saturday party on Duende Lane. Lotfi's home burned down in the Palisades fire.

The party, organized by the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Assn., was the neighborhood's only gathering of the year — music playing from a speaker, Pueblano-style tacos sizzling on the grill, dogs happily roaming around.

Many residents say it has been difficult to get in touch with their neighbors, some of whom have left or are still deciding whether or not to sell their land.