DESTINATION: TOPANGA, Part II

Diana Mathur
Jun 21
3 min read

Updated: Jul 3

Topanga Chamber of Commerce Visitor Fun Map 2025 Created by Topanga Muralist Tim Jobst, and digital artist Georgia Saroj

This is Part II in the behind-the-scenes saga of making DESTINATION: TOPANGA, Essential Guide & Directory —and the scrappy Topanga Chamber of Commerce crew of volunteers that put it together.

All was going swimmingly until…

The Palisades Caught Fire

On January 7, 2025, our Santa Monica Mountains neighbor Pacific Palisades went up in flames. Buffeted by 80 mph winds, residents abandoned cars in gridlock. The fire jumped five lanes of PCH and took out beloved local haunts like the Malibu Feed Bin, the Reel Inn, and Cholada Thai.

Evacuation orders were in effect for ten days. However, many folks stayed put, hardening their properties and assisting emergency responders with local knowledge and manpower. My neighbor Bill Buerge of the Mountain Mermaid, Topanga’s gold standard in both hospitality and fire readiness, stepped up big, keeping firefighters fueled and cared for.

Firefighters dining at the Mermaid. Photo by Dianne Porchia.

Topanga held its breath as flames crossed the steep brushland between the Palisades and us. A fire engine parked in our driveway. Firefighters said the inferno would be at our house by midnight. Flames licked the premises of Topanga Lumber and Hidden Treasures.

Creating a Topanga guidebook, map and directory of Chamber members now seemed absolutely pointless considering the likelihood that Topanga would be reduced to cinders.

Video by Cecelie Stuart-Garcia

But the wind shifted. Pilots made heroic drops. We were spared—most of us. The Palisades Fire became the third-most destructive in U.S. history. Topanga lost 70 structures. One life.

To say our community was traumatized would be a gross understatement. Next door, the Palisades, a breezy if somewhat posh surf town, looked like a lunar wasteland. The losses were staggering. Everybody was affected. The grief was raw. The needs, enormous.

Relief came from many quarters. World Central Kitchen fed everybody. Topanga’s emergency systems—notably TCEP—held strong. Grassroots neighborhood safety and relief networks bloomed overnight. Chris Kelly of Topanga Creek Outpost grilled dinner for Chamber members and gave handmade belts to first responders. Max of Kramer Insurance was in the thick of it—processing emergency claims all day and night.

Heavy rains doused any stubborn embers – but also caused mudslides blocking Topanga Canyon Blvd. The closure lasted five months, and starved businesses of the life-blood of income from commuter customers. Frustration and desperation mounted as each lean month passed and business owners strove to keep from letting their workers go.

It was not an auspicious time to sell advertising. But everybody pulled together to create DESTINATION: TOPANGA at a time when the town needed a lift. We dedicated many additional pages to safety, emergency preparedness and support services. The Chamber comped ads for many businesses impacted by the fire, and promoted ALL Canyon brick-and-mortar businesses.

Print, Bind, Breathe

80 advertisers supported the Guide, which was twenty pages thicker than the previous edition.

Nira designed an expanding centerfold for the Fun Map. Bonnie Morgan at Topanga New Times proofed every word with eagle eyes. Raz at Printing Zone was super helpful.