The tennis ball, an undisturbed artifact of a horrific wildfire, sat just off the Pacific Palisades court and was so covered in gray ash that its Penn logo was only faintly visible. Pam Shriver studied it the way she might a precious archaeological discovery. "I find that so moving," the Hall of Fame tennis player said. "The ball survived." All of this is intensely personal to Shriver, as it is to millions of Southern Californians.
The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed 7,000 structures in the Pacific Palisades area, killing twelve people. Nearly 80% of all residential properties in Los Angeles that were destroyed have been fully cleared of debris. Mayor Karen Bass reports debris removal is ahead of schedule with nearly one-third of over 600 rebuilding requests approved.
