
Photo via Youtube
Larry Vein, the founder of the controversial Pali Strong Foundation ended his life on April 27. He was 60 years old and the father of a baby boy.
Many have said Vein was energetic voice for Pacific Palisades residents.
Vein and the Pali Strong Foundation had come under fire when his Pali Strong Foundation recieved $500,000 of Fire Aid money. Money from the benefit concert that was advertised would go directly to victims of the California wildfires.
Pali Strong Foundation is basically an Instagram account and a website where Vein would post about the Palisade recovery. Because the Instagram has only 1k followers and very little interaction on posts, and the site is rarely visited, many were upset that Vein took the money.
When the backlash started, back in October 2025, Vein turned off all comments on his Instagram posts. He made a post explaining that he would use the $500,000 to make an app and more complete information website to be a hub for the Palisades Recovery. He mentioned "every voice matters", but kept all comments turned off.
Palisades residents and community leaders have questioned how this large sum was allocated to a newly formed group to operate an "online hub" for information rather than direct, tangible relief for the 13,000 homes destroyed across Los Angeles County. Some have alleged that he was not an active participant in community programs prior to receiving the funds.
Vein's statement claimed that Pali Strong operating under Community Partners, which is a used a "fiscal sponsor". This is a way to fast track the process of becoming a non-profit.
Vein said Community Partners encouraged him to apply for the Fire Aid Grant. Community Partners typically takes a 9% cut of grant money to provide nonprofit status and administrative support.
Pali Strong Foundation should not be confused with Pali Strong 2025
Pali Strong 2025 is students from Palisades High School who started an Instagram account and a GoFundMe to raise money to rebuild their school. They started using the Pali Strong name on January 7, 2025. Vein did not start using it until February.
Vein started by making Youtube videos on a channel he created called PacificPalisadesFire, with his first video on January 9th. He changed the channel's name to Pali Strong™️ (filmed by resident Larry Vein) in mid February, the same time he started the Instagram account.
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