19.03.2015 Views

Palisades-News-March-18-2015

Palisades-News-March-18-2015

Palisades-News-March-18-2015

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Vol. 1, No. 10 • <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> Uniting the Community with <strong>News</strong>, Features and Commentary Circulation: 14,500 • $1.00<br />

INSIDE THIS ISSUE<br />

SUMMER<br />

CAMPS<br />

AND<br />

SCHOOLS<br />

Pfannkuche to Leave<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> YMCA<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

After nearly 10 years as executive director<br />

of the <strong>Palisades</strong>-Malibu<br />

YMCA, Carol Pfannkuche is leaving<br />

to accept a similar position at the Ketchum-<br />

Downtown YMCA on Hope Street.<br />

“She’s fantastic and we hate to lose her,”<br />

said YMCA Board Chair Layth Carlson,<br />

who was on the board when Pfannkuche<br />

was hired in 2005. “She is dedicated, tireless<br />

and selfless. She was like a quarterback of<br />

the Y, meeting with elected officials, community<br />

activists and members. She was<br />

even-keeled and always had a smile.”<br />

Said Pfannkuche, who has lived in Pacific<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> for 20 years, “When I came to the<br />

YMCA, I had been a community organizer<br />

and worked with nonprofits. My kids<br />

took swimming lessons at the Y Pool [in<br />

Parade Theme<br />

Sought for<br />

Fourth of July<br />

Ever since American Legion Post 283<br />

revived the Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Fourth<br />

of July parade in 1961, a theme has<br />

helped define the parade. This year is<br />

no different, and PAPA (<strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Americanism Parade Association) is<br />

asking your help to pen a clever, witty,<br />

poignant or memorable theme.<br />

Last year’s winner was Kim Traenkle’s<br />

entry, “Star-Spangled <strong>Palisades</strong>.”<br />

Submit your best idea(s) to info@<br />

pali sadesparade.org, by Friday, April 3.<br />

The winner will be selected at the next<br />

PAPA meeting on April 6.<br />

If your theme is selected, in addition<br />

to bragging rights, you can also ride in<br />

the parade aboard a fire engine (with<br />

selected family members) and Pali -<br />

sades <strong>News</strong> will feature you in a story.<br />

Temescal Canyon] and had gone through<br />

the Y Guides program with my husband.”<br />

Last summer, Pfannkuche said, when<br />

she attended the YMCA World Council in<br />

Estes Park, Colorado, “I was moved by the<br />

amazing mission work the Y is doing in<br />

countries around the world. The move<br />

downtown was inspired by that. I want to<br />

use what I’ve learned here to move the<br />

mission forward in Los Angeles.”<br />

Given that executive director positions<br />

do not often come open within the YMCA,<br />

Pfannkuche felt it was important to capture<br />

this opportunity to move up to a larger facility<br />

with top-notch facilities. A new pool<br />

opened in November and there’s a massage<br />

service, a sauna, steam rooms, and a café<br />

that serves healthy foods, including shakes<br />

and wraps.<br />

More interesting to Pfannkuche, “It<br />

serves a diverse area and includes the second<br />

largest homeless population in the nation.<br />

Plus, nearly 56 percent of the people<br />

who work downtown, now live there.”<br />

Rob Lowe, a Y-board member during<br />

Pfannkuche’s employment, credits her with<br />

the creation of Simon Meadow; expanding<br />

the Y’s reach into the community (continuing<br />

the <strong>Palisades</strong> High School community<br />

service program); and guiding the Y through<br />

tough economic years in 2009 and 2010.<br />

“She truly believed in and cared about<br />

creating a Y with a mission to serve needs<br />

that were both unmet and would be valuable<br />

to the community,” Lowe said.<br />

Pfannkuche, a graduate of USC with a<br />

degree in public administration, established<br />

a Youth and Government program in the<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> that has grown from five students<br />

three years ago to more than 70 this year.<br />

The Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> resident who grew<br />

up in Manhattan Beach, was hired May 2,<br />

2005. At that time, Y board member Duke<br />

Osteroff told this reporter, “We have a good<br />

one. She lives in the community, she’s smart<br />

and she knows everyone.”<br />

Six weeks after she took the position, the<br />

(Continued on Page 4)<br />

Monument at Albright Is<br />

Closed through <strong>March</strong> 23<br />

Soil remediation on the north side of<br />

Swarthmore that began in mid-February<br />

required relocating a storm drain under<br />

the property and under the street, resulting<br />

in complete street closures on upper<br />

Swarthmore.<br />

The intersection of Monument and Albright<br />

was completely closed to traffic on<br />

<strong>March</strong> 9. It will reopen Monday, <strong>March</strong><br />

23. North- and south-bound traffic on<br />

Monument remains open.<br />

Play<br />

Ball!<br />

Actor/comedian and<br />

former Saturday Night<br />

Live star Bill Hader<br />

(right) threw out the<br />

ceremonial first pitch<br />

Saturday, before leaving<br />

to fly to Texas with Will<br />

Ferrell. Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Baseball Association<br />

Commissioner Bob<br />

Benton (left) told Hader<br />

to tell his friend that<br />

even though Ferrell<br />

played all nine positions<br />

for ten Major League<br />

teams in five games in<br />

one day, it was Hader<br />

who had the greater<br />

honor, kicking off the<br />

PPBA season. See<br />

story on Page 15.<br />

Photo: Sue Pascoe<br />

When Caruso Affiliated first entered<br />

into a purchase agreement with <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Properties in 2012, inspectors discovered<br />

that the former Emerson-LaMay Cleaners<br />

on Swarthmore had for decades poured<br />

toxic material into the soil, which now requires<br />

cleanup.<br />

Part of that remediation involved relocating<br />

the storm drain. The City is overseeing<br />

the storm drain work from 8 a.m.<br />

to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.<br />

Presorted Standard<br />

U.S. Postage<br />

PAID<br />

Pasadena, CA<br />

Permit #422<br />

**************ECRWSSEDDM*************<br />

Postal Customer<br />

Local resident Lynn Borland submitted this photo of Swarthmore with the note, “As I was<br />

walking by, the skip loader backed into M. Giraud’s table (on the deck) and you might<br />

note the parking meter is listing to starboard. A double whammy!” Photo: Lynn Borland


Page 2 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

ANTHONY MARGULEAS<br />

310.293.9280<br />

Recent Donations<br />

The Kitchen Community - $5,000 (on behalf of Chuck T.) - impacts school children daily with 200 Learning Gardens<br />

Helping Hands Orphanage - $6,750 (on behalf of Krishna N.) - provides shelter and care for those in need<br />

St. Paschal Baylon School -$600 (on behalf of Suzanne D.) - encourages students to be self-motivated learners<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Village Green -$5,000 - helps maintain the Village Green in the center of town<br />

- $1,029 (on behalf of Mark and Liza-Mae C.) - nurtures children and prevents child abuse<br />

Will your favorite charity be next?<br />

<br />

1630 AMALFI<br />

Happily donating 10% from each sale to your favorite charity.<br />

Available Properties<br />

13535 LUCCA 2695 OLD TOPANGA<br />

Zoned for Horses<br />

7 Bed, 9 bath, 11K sq ft, <strong>18</strong>,590 sq ft lot<br />

$13,900,000<br />

6 bd, 5.5 bth + guest house, 4,976 sq ft, 20.877 lot 2 Bed, 2.5 bath, 3,600 sq ft<br />

$8,150,000<br />

$3,199,000<br />

Buyers - We have access many homes not on the market!<br />

Sellers Ask how we can get you top dollar for your home.<br />

The Marguleas Team<br />

WWW.AMALFIESTATES.COM<br />

Contact Anthony now if you are thinking of buying or selling a home.<br />

310.293.9280 Anthony@AmalfiEstates.com CalBRE#01173073


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 3<br />

Jump Aboard the<br />

July 4 Celebrations<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

Join the local residents and businesses<br />

who have already made a commitment<br />

to PAPA (<strong>Palisades</strong> Americanism Parade<br />

Association). Last year the <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Fourth of July parade, concert and fireworks<br />

cost close to $150,000. The projected<br />

cost is the same this year.<br />

At PAPA’s first <strong>2015</strong> meeting on <strong>March</strong> 9<br />

at the American Legion Hall, second-term<br />

president Daphne Gronich said that she has<br />

already received commitments from the following:<br />

The Yogurt Shoppe (Kids on Bikes<br />

and Happy Hour donations), Realtor Joan<br />

Sather (Most Patriotic Home decorating<br />

contest, Spectrum Athletic Club (manager<br />

Diane Poff), On Stage Talent (Matt Barnett),<br />

Fran Flanagan Realty, White & Co. insurance<br />

(Dennis White), Gelson’s (will allow<br />

checkout donations), UDO Real Estate and<br />

Sunset La Cruz (Elliot Zorensky), Robert<br />

Munakash (Village 76), Coldwell Banker<br />

(Anne Russell), the Donald and Nancy de<br />

Brier family and the American Legion.<br />

Gronich is in communication with several<br />

other entities and individuals about<br />

their planned support, as well.<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> has also committed to donate<br />

a percentage of all parade advertising<br />

to the parade committee, so that people taking<br />

out ads in the official parade program<br />

produced by the <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong>, will also be<br />

helping the Fourth of July events.<br />

It is not too early to start thinking about<br />

parade entries. “We would love new entrants,”<br />

Gronich said. “It’s more interesting<br />

for residents to see different bands and<br />

floats in the parade, and we encourage people<br />

to put them together.”<br />

A search is on for a parade grand marshal,<br />

as well as a headline band for the<br />

evening concert at <strong>Palisades</strong> High, which<br />

was attended by 7,000 people last year.<br />

Lawyer, <strong>Palisades</strong> resident and concert organizer<br />

Keith Turner said that he has already<br />

heard from local bands that would like the<br />

opportunity to play on the second stage.<br />

The day, which also features the 5/10K<br />

Will Rogers Run, a parade, a concert and<br />

fireworks, is made possible by volunteers<br />

and community donations.<br />

Gronich says that the celebrations wouldn’t<br />

be possible without all the local volunteers<br />

who work hard to make July 4th the<br />

best day possible for the entire community.<br />

Many of these people have worked for years<br />

Kids on Bikes was a colorful entry in last year’s parade.<br />

with PAPA People leader Sylvia Boyd.<br />

In addition to parade banner carriers,<br />

volunteers are especially needed at the Pali -<br />

Hi stadium starting at 4 p.m., after the parade,<br />

where there are food trucks and<br />

activities for kids, prior to the concert and<br />

fireworks.<br />

If you would like to donate directly or pay<br />

Photo: Tom Hofer<br />

to sponsor a parade entry such as a band,<br />

please e-mail info@palisadesparade.org.<br />

Parade theme suggestions can be submitted<br />

to the same email address by April 5.<br />

The next volunteer meeting will be<br />

held at 7 p.m. on April 6 at the American<br />

Legion when a theme will be selected. The<br />

public is invited.<br />

Advisory Board Seeks Parking Change<br />

The Park Advisory Board (PAB) has<br />

proposed changing the parking<br />

hours at the <strong>Palisades</strong> Recreation<br />

Center on Alma Real Drive from four to<br />

two hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday<br />

through Friday.<br />

The four-hour limit would remain in effect<br />

after 3 p.m., in order to accommodate<br />

park patrons who are involved in afternoon<br />

and early-evening sports leagues and other<br />

park programs.<br />

“Through spot checks and interviews with<br />

City employees and others, it was determined<br />

that up to half of the individuals using the<br />

The Park Advisory Board for the <strong>Palisades</strong> Recreation Center is recommending changing<br />

parking from four hours to two hours.<br />

parking spaces at the Park were not using the<br />

park at all,” said PAB member Robert Harter.<br />

“The individuals who were parking illegally<br />

had apparently chosen to park at the<br />

Rec Center because it was a free and convenient<br />

alternative during the work week to<br />

the nearby metered and fee-based parking.”<br />

In a letter to the <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> (see page<br />

8), Harter notes that “The lack of parking<br />

at the Park is not a new issue. In fact, the<br />

upcoming change in parking hours will<br />

culminate an inclusive and deliberative<br />

process that began in 2013,” through community<br />

surveys and PAB meetings, which<br />

are open to the public.<br />

The <strong>News</strong> contacted Superintendent of<br />

Recreation and Parks Charles Singer about<br />

these proposed parking changes. He responded<br />

on <strong>March</strong> 3: “As far as the parking<br />

situation, ultimately, only the Department<br />

can request and/or approve a change in the<br />

parking structure. Depending on what is<br />

being requested, it may also involve other<br />

city agencies and/or the Departments<br />

board of commissioners.<br />

“Superintendent [of Rec and Parks Operations]<br />

Joe Salaices has been receiving<br />

proposals from the <strong>Palisades</strong> PAB regarding<br />

proposed parking changes. I believe at<br />

this juncture, the Department’s position<br />

is to only review and no action is being<br />

contemplated.”<br />

Library Book Sale<br />

Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 21<br />

The Friends of the <strong>Palisades</strong> Branch Library<br />

will hold a gently-used book sale in<br />

the parking lot of the library, from 8:30<br />

a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 21,<br />

at 861 Alma Real Dr.<br />

Due to the generous donations from<br />

community members, there is an excellent<br />

collection of well-priced books, DVDs and<br />

CDs. Sales depend on the continuing support<br />

of volunteers, and the library benefits<br />

from the time and energy they provide. In<br />

case of inclement weather, the book sale will<br />

be postponed until the following Saturday.<br />

Atria Offers Cooking<br />

Demonstrations<br />

Atria Park of Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, located<br />

just west of the Shell Station at 15441<br />

Sunset, invites all <strong>Palisades</strong> residents to<br />

participate at its cooking demonstration<br />

on Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 26, at 6 p.m.<br />

The theme of the demonstration is<br />

“The Growing Popularity of a Plant-<br />

Based Diet.” Participants will learn how to<br />

make delicious meatless meals that can<br />

ward off chronic diseases and help with<br />

weight control.<br />

Please RSVP (310) 573-9545. Visit<br />

atria-pacificpalisades.com.


Page 4 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Pfannkuche<br />

(Continued from Page 1)<br />

Coastal Commission okayed the Y’s right<br />

to exercise its option on a 4-acre parcel in<br />

Temescal Canyon, at the entrance off Sunset.<br />

Pfannkuche told the <strong>News</strong> that her subsequent<br />

accomplishments in Temescal were<br />

all part of a “relay” race. “It was because<br />

Corwin Davis, Everett Maguire, Duke and<br />

others had been fighting for the right for<br />

the Y to buy the property.”<br />

She also credits the Simon family. “Certainly<br />

Simon Meadow would not be what<br />

it is without Bill and Cindy feeling strongly<br />

about a place for families to get together,” and<br />

making a major donation towards that goal.<br />

Pfannkuche also remembers reaching<br />

out to several individuals, including Kelly<br />

Comras, Rob Lowe, Randy Young and<br />

Volunteers Sought<br />

At Village Green<br />

The monthly Village Green “spruce up”<br />

will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday,<br />

<strong>March</strong> 21, at the triangular park located<br />

between Sunset Boulevard, Swarthmore<br />

Avenue and Antioch Street.<br />

Residents who have never volunteered before<br />

are welcome to join the “regular” Village<br />

Green crew. Those participating are asked to<br />

bring clippers and gloves. High school students<br />

can receive community service hours.<br />

YMCA Executive Director Carol Pfannkuche with board member and contributor<br />

Everett Maquire in Simon Meadow.<br />

Photo: Shelby Pascoe<br />

David Card, in order to achieve effective<br />

landscaping at Simon Meadow.<br />

She was asked about the Temescal Pool,<br />

which closed during her watch. “The facility<br />

was 50 years old and the pipe structure<br />

needed to be replaced. We were willing to<br />

raise the money to do it, but our contract<br />

[with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy]<br />

only allowed for routine repairs<br />

and maintenance. We asked if we could do<br />

the repairs, but we were declined.”<br />

Pfannkuche said that several members<br />

of the pool committee wanted to sue for<br />

the right to make the repairs, but the legal<br />

costs and the possible ill will resulted in a<br />

decision not to go ahead.<br />

When Pfannkuche arrived at the Y, the<br />

exercise equipment was mismatched and<br />

not of professional grade. State-of-the-art<br />

equipment is now leased and renewed on<br />

a regular basis.<br />

“What the Y offers, in addition to top<br />

equipment, is a personal relationship,” she<br />

said. “It’s those relationships that help people<br />

become successful in fitness programs.<br />

My staff is friendly and knows everyone—<br />

it’s hard to find that anywhere else.”<br />

While serving as director, Pfannkuche<br />

has looked at other possibilities to build a<br />

new facility in town, but that quest remains<br />

elusive.<br />

“Every Y has to ask what the community<br />

needs,” she said. “This community is short<br />

of playing field space for kids and Simon<br />

Meadow has turned out to be great for that.”<br />

She believes that bringing in a new director<br />

will help “give the Y a new perspective”<br />

on what to do about acquiring or building<br />

a larger facility.<br />

Pfannkuche, who starts full-time downtown<br />

April 1, is currently working at both<br />

locations.<br />

She and her husband Tony, a management<br />

consultant in the health field, have<br />

two daughters. Molly is working on a graduate<br />

degree in clinical exercise physiology<br />

at the University of Wisconsin and Katie<br />

is majoring in psychology at Cal Poly San<br />

Luis Obispo.<br />

Although the Pfannkuches might like<br />

to move downtown in the future, Carol is<br />

grounded here with an <strong>18</strong>-month-old<br />

golden retriever named Princess Bella<br />

Samantha Cupcake (her girls couldn’t decide<br />

on the name), and presidency of the<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Rotary Club, starting in July.


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 5<br />

Stress Can Provide Insight<br />

By LAUREL BUSBY<br />

Staff Writer<br />

Earlier this year, stress expert Amanda<br />

Enayati asked an assembly of about<br />

500 Marquez Elementary School<br />

students to say “bad” if stress could be really<br />

bad.<br />

“The entire assembly erupted,’” she said.<br />

“I then asked the kids to say ‘good’ if stress<br />

can be really good. Nobody said anything.”<br />

And yet, Enayati, who has written on the<br />

subject for CNN, NPR and the Washington<br />

Post, has found that stress can actually be<br />

beneficial on many levels, and it’s our cultural<br />

view that stress is always bad that is<br />

the problem.<br />

In her new book, Seeking Serenity: The<br />

10 New Rules for Health and Happiness in<br />

the Age of Anxiety” (Penguin Publishing<br />

Group), Enayati discusses ways to help<br />

people take advantage of stress and turn<br />

life’s challenges into growth experiences.<br />

“There is good stress. Stress helps you be<br />

more creative. It helps you recover from<br />

wounds better,” said Enayati, who moved to<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> two years ago. It is important<br />

that “we try to see stress in the right way<br />

as a path to evolution, a path to growth.”<br />

Enayati became an expert on stress in<br />

part through her own life experience. She<br />

was flooded with adversity. At nine years<br />

old, while growing up in Iran, she lost her<br />

home during the Iranian Revolution and<br />

for five years became a refugee living in various<br />

parts of Europe without her parents.<br />

In September 2011, she was in New York<br />

City and saw the World Trade Center collapse,<br />

which caused severe post-traumatic<br />

stress disorder owing to her childhood experiences.<br />

Most recently, when her children<br />

were toddlers, she developed cancer, which<br />

she has fought successfully.<br />

Strangely enough, the latter event put<br />

Enayati on the path that led her to her current<br />

jobs—writing about stress for CNN<br />

Health and PBS Media-Shift. In the process,<br />

she became an expert on the role stress<br />

plays in our lives, which resulted in book.<br />

“Seeking Serenity” is full of fascinating<br />

insights about stress. For example, in one<br />

section, Enayati talks about post-traumatic<br />

growth—”the ability not only to bounce<br />

back from adversity, but also to flourish.”<br />

As an example, she describes the experience<br />

of Major Rhonda Cornum, a young<br />

flight surgeon who survived a Black Hawk<br />

helicopter crash with two broken arms and<br />

a bullet in her back only to be sexually assaulted<br />

and imprisoned, but who then triumphed<br />

through the adversity and is now<br />

a brigadier general who has helped de-<br />

Amanda Enayati<br />

velop a program to teach resilience skills<br />

to other soldiers.<br />

Statistically, the human response to extreme<br />

stress tends to lie on a bell curve,<br />

according to Dr. Martin Seligman, whose<br />

work Enayati describes. On one end are<br />

people who have an intense, long-lasting reaction<br />

and may suffer from depression, anxiety<br />

and PTSD with a higher risk for suicide.<br />

In the middle are those who are mostly<br />

resilient and may have a hard time for<br />

several months, while on the far end are<br />

those who emerge from the trauma even<br />

stronger than before it—experiencing<br />

post-traumatic growth.<br />

This skill for resilience is not necessarily<br />

in-born; it can also be learned, and Enayati<br />

provides readers the tools to develop it<br />

themselves.<br />

Drawing from scientific studies, philosophy<br />

and individual stories, she also details<br />

other ways to enhance positive<br />

reactions to stress.<br />

Her book has chapters on the power of<br />

belonging, the benefits of giving to others,<br />

and the importance of creativity. She describes<br />

skills using meditation and mindfulness<br />

that can help with handling every day<br />

stresses, such as traffic and the demands of<br />

our modern world.<br />

In addition, she delineates the physiology<br />

of stress and the stories that we tell ourselves<br />

about the inevitable stresses of life.<br />

“What can make stress dangerous is the<br />

way you see stress,” said Enayati, who has<br />

two children, Mina, 10 and Rohan, 8, with<br />

her husband Jaime Uzeta. “It’s those stories<br />

that pave the way for whether we evolve<br />

and learn and grow instead of saying<br />

‘Why me?’ and ‘Why is this adversity happening<br />

to us?’”<br />

(Amanda Enayati’s tips for helping kids<br />

handle stress can be read on Page 3 of the<br />

camp section in today’s paper.)<br />

Solar<br />

Estates Director & Westside Specialist Since 1988<br />

SOLD IN 2014<br />

Electricity from the Sun<br />

1000 Fiske St.<br />

Listed at $3,695,000<br />

717 Toyopa Dr.<br />

Listed at $3,750,000<br />

866 Muskingum Ave.<br />

Listed at $5,850,000<br />

FOR DYNAMIC REPRESENTATION,<br />

CALL JOAN!<br />

www.joansather.com • joan@joansather.com<br />

310.740.0302<br />

CalBRE #00575771<br />

Lighten Your Electric Bill with Solar!<br />

Your own <strong>Palisades</strong> Solar Company<br />

Free Quote (310) 459-7062<br />

Joyce Brunelle (310) 459-7062<br />

Joyce@solarsuntricity.com<br />

www.solarsuntricity.com<br />

Licensed, Bonded, Insured 35 yrs in CA<br />

Lic #369267, B1, C10, C46


Page 6 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Heard<br />

About Town<br />

ANN CLEAVES<br />

Monitor Your<br />

Sprinkler System<br />

If we get another rainstorm this spring,<br />

remember to turn off your lawn sprinklers<br />

or ask your gardener to do so. Cali -<br />

fornia’s water supply thanks you.<br />

(Editor’s note: If you’ve lost the directions<br />

to how to turn off the sprinkler system,<br />

many of those instructions can be found<br />

online.)<br />

Smoking in the Park<br />

I observed students going behind the<br />

maintenance building at the park and<br />

smoking. The ground is littered with pine<br />

needles and abuts property along Alma<br />

Real. With the towering eucalyptus<br />

nearby, it seems that fire danger could<br />

be a real problem.<br />

(Editor’s note: We’ve alerted Recreation<br />

Center director Erich Haas about the situation.)<br />

Movies in the Library<br />

Once a month the <strong>Palisades</strong> Branch Library<br />

offers a free movie. Last Saturday,<br />

I saw the movie about Stephen Hawking<br />

that was up for an Oscar [The Theory of<br />

Everything]. It seems that more people<br />

would like to know about this opportunity.<br />

High School Show<br />

The <strong>Palisades</strong> High show Nickel and<br />

Dimed was great. The director was Nancy<br />

Fracchiolla, who now teaches at Pali. She<br />

used to do shows all over town for kids.<br />

Why don’t you do a story about her?<br />

No Hand-held Devices<br />

On Sunday at the farmers market, I<br />

watched a woman try to turn a pickup<br />

and the horse trailer hooked to it into the<br />

bank parking lot. Although she didn’t<br />

have her phone to her ear, she was holding<br />

it in one hand, talking into it as she<br />

was trying to steer the truck—probably<br />

had it on speaker. I don’t want to be judgmental,<br />

but maybe she should have taken<br />

the call after she was safely parked.<br />

Incline Fears<br />

After last Saturday and all the traffic<br />

backed up on Pacific Coast Highway, I’m<br />

really worried about the summer and the<br />

California Incline closure. I may never<br />

make a Dodger game unless I get a hotel<br />

room downtown.<br />

(Editor’s note: The closure really shouldn’t<br />

impact PCH traffic, because the light<br />

at the Incline will be mostly green.)<br />

———————<br />

If you’d like to share something you’ve<br />

“heard about town,” please email it to<br />

spascoe@palisadesnews.com<br />

Read the Labels Carefully<br />

By JULIA M. BREITMAN<br />

Despite the rise in consumer awareness<br />

about food processing and labeling,<br />

many people have no idea that our<br />

personal-care products (such as shampoo,<br />

conditioner, soap, lotion, sunscreen, deodorant,<br />

toothpaste, makeup) and household cleaning<br />

products can be toxic, too.<br />

Just as with our food, we need to read labels<br />

on our personal-care and household products,<br />

as many contain harmful ingredients that were<br />

banned in other countries years ago but are<br />

still allowed in the United States.<br />

I discovered this more than 10 years ago<br />

when I was trying to figure out why three of<br />

my children had developmental delays and<br />

special needs and what was causing my own<br />

thyroid and infertility issues.<br />

My research revealed that there are many<br />

products on the market that contain harmful<br />

ingredients and toxins our bodies don’t know<br />

what to do with. My family’s health issues were<br />

directly linked to these toxins. We changed our<br />

food, household cleaning products and lastly,<br />

our personal-care products when I discovered<br />

that what we put on our skin goes directly into<br />

our bloodstream and reaches every major<br />

organ within 26 seconds!<br />

Our skin is our largest organ and the primary<br />

method by means of which our bodies detox.<br />

Unlike food that travels through the gastrointestinal<br />

tract where toxins are filtered through<br />

the liver and kidneys, personal-care products<br />

aren’t filtered when applied to our skin.<br />

The average child uses five products a day<br />

and an adult uses 15—but many of us are<br />

above-average. A little toxin every day during<br />

VIEWPOINT<br />

the course of a lifetime adds up and has been<br />

linked to cancer, hormone and reproductive<br />

issues, autoimmune diseases and other health<br />

issues. This is why we have to be so careful to<br />

place pure, safe products on our bodies.<br />

Some harmful chemicals in common<br />

personal-care products include petroleum/<br />

mineral oil/baby oil (a byproduct of gasoline<br />

that prevents skin from detoxing), formaldehyde,<br />

parabens (linked to cancer and early puberty),<br />

sodium lauryl sulfates, propylene glycol, PEGs,<br />

dioxin (found in triclosan), phthalates, and<br />

artificial color and fragrance (leading case of<br />

skin irritation).<br />

There are more than 1,000 ingredients still<br />

allowed in personal-care products in the United<br />

States that were banned years ago in other<br />

countries.<br />

There’s so much we can do to heal our bodies<br />

simply by using safer food and products around<br />

the home. As a result of my family changing our<br />

lifestyle, my children recovered from their special<br />

needs, I had a fourth child without any health<br />

issues, and my own health issues disappeared.<br />

This journey encouraged me to start my own<br />

business to teach others about healthier choices<br />

and to offer safer alternatives for personal-care<br />

products used regularly in the home.<br />

The reality is that most people don’t care<br />

about healthier products until they or someone<br />

they love has health issues or their doctor tells<br />

them they have to change their lifestyle. My goal<br />

is to reverse this mindset with education—<br />

one family at a time.<br />

(Brietman is an executive area manager for<br />

Arbonne International and a mother at Marquez<br />

Elementary.)<br />

Thought to Ponder<br />

“‘Thank you’ is the best<br />

prayer that anyone could<br />

say. I say that one a lot.<br />

Thank you expresses<br />

extreme gratitude,<br />

humility, understanding.<br />

― Alice Walker, American<br />

author and activist<br />

Founded November 5, 2014<br />

———————<br />

15332 Antioch Street #169<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

(310) 401-7690<br />

www.<strong>Palisades</strong><strong>News</strong>.com<br />

———————<br />

Publisher<br />

Scott Wagenseller<br />

swag@palisadesnews.com<br />

Editor<br />

Sue Pascoe<br />

spascoe@palisadesnews.com<br />

Graphics Director<br />

Manfred Hofer<br />

Digital Content and Technology<br />

Kurt Park<br />

Advertising<br />

Jeff Ridgway<br />

jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com<br />

Grace Hiney<br />

gracehiney@palisadesnews.com<br />

Advisor<br />

Bill Bruns<br />

Contributing Writers<br />

Laura Abruscato, Laurel Busby,<br />

Danielle Gillespie, Libby Motika<br />

Contributing Photographers<br />

Wendy Price Anderson,<br />

Bart Bartholomew, Shelby Pascoe<br />

———————<br />

A bi-monthly newspaper mailed on<br />

the first and third Wednesday of each<br />

month. 14,500 circulation includes<br />

zip code 90272 and Sullivan, Mandeville<br />

and Santa Monica Canyons.<br />

Online: palisadesnews.com<br />

All content printed herein, and in our<br />

digital editions, is copyrighted.


<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> A forum for open discussion of community issues<br />

Page 7<br />

Daylight-Saving Time Rationale Questioned<br />

If someone told you a national policy would increase<br />

the risk of having a heart attack and getting into a<br />

traffic accident, would you blithely go along with<br />

it? Never question it?<br />

Welcome to Daylight-Saving Time. Repeated studies<br />

have shown that traffic accidents increase on the Monday<br />

following the start of DST, and the risk of having a heart<br />

attack increases in the first three days after switching to<br />

DST. Maybe California should join Arizona and Hawaii<br />

and leave the clocks alone.<br />

DST was called “fast time” when President Woodrow<br />

Wilson signed it into law in 19<strong>18</strong> to support the war effort.<br />

Writing for the History Channel (“8 Things You May<br />

Not Know about Daylight-Saving Time”), Christopher<br />

Klein points out, “In fact, the agriculture industry was<br />

deeply opposed to the time switch when it was first<br />

implemented. The sun, not the clock, dictated farmers’<br />

schedules, so daylight saving was very disruptive. Farmers<br />

had to wait an extra hour for dew to evaporate to harvest<br />

hay, hired hands worked less since they still left at the same<br />

time for dinner and cows weren’t ready to be milked an<br />

hour earlier. Agrarian interests led the fight for the 1919<br />

repeal of national daylight-saving time, which passed<br />

after Congress voted to override President Woodrow<br />

Wilson’s veto. Rather than rural interests, it has been<br />

urban entities such as retail outlets and recreational<br />

Hard Facts about<br />

Measles Vaccination<br />

Ryan Morelli’s letter [“Objections to Editorial and<br />

Cartoon about Measles”] in your <strong>March</strong> 4 edition<br />

suggests that the measles vaccine has caused more<br />

deaths than measles itself between 2004-<strong>2015</strong>.<br />

While I do not know Mr. Morelli’s background, I have<br />

been a pediatric RN since 1989 with an advanced degree<br />

in health service administration. I am currently a pediatric<br />

triage nurse at Cedars-Sinai. I feel I am qualified to<br />

comment on his letter.<br />

The writer quotes his facts from the VAERS database,<br />

which is co-sponsored by the CDC and the FDA. What<br />

he fails to cite is that VAERS clearly states that “no cause<br />

and effect relationship is established between vaccines<br />

and resulting deaths. The event (of severe adverse<br />

reaction/death) may be related to underlying disease or<br />

a condition, by concurrent meds or by chance.”<br />

According to data from the World Health Organization,<br />

15.6 million deaths from measles were prevented by the<br />

vaccination between 2000-2013. The National Vaccine<br />

Information Center, which uses data obtained from<br />

VAERS, states that since 1990 there have been 329<br />

deaths linked to the measles vaccine. Those statistics<br />

are overwhelmingly in favor of vaccination.<br />

There is no money to be made on vaccines for the<br />

physician. The only vested interest health professionals<br />

have in pushing vaccines is that they save lives and<br />

prevent debilitating complications.<br />

The reason there were no cases of measles in the U.S.<br />

between 2004 through the start of this year is because<br />

EDITORIAL<br />

businesses that have championed daylight saving over<br />

the decades.” Despite the repeal, some cities—including<br />

Pittsburgh, Boston, and New York—continued to use<br />

DST. During World War II, DST was called “War Time”<br />

and was implemented after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.<br />

After the war, states and localities were free to choose<br />

when and if they would observe DST. Time confusion<br />

led Congress to establish the Uniform Time Act of 1966,<br />

stating that DST would begin on the last Sunday of April<br />

and end on the last Sunday of October. States could pass<br />

a local ordinance to be exempt.<br />

The current DST schedule was introduced in 2007<br />

and follows the Energy Policy Act of 2005, starting on<br />

the second Sunday in <strong>March</strong> and ending on the first<br />

Sunday in November.<br />

How much energy does the country save by moving<br />

clocks an hour ahead in the spring and one hour back in<br />

the fall? In the 1970s, a U.S. Department of Transportation<br />

study concluded that total electricity savings associated<br />

with daylight saving time amounted to about one percent<br />

in the spring and fall months.<br />

By contrast, in the summer months, economists at<br />

UC Santa Barbara have calculated that Indiana’s move to<br />

statewide daylightsaving time in 2006 led to a one-percent<br />

rise in residential electricity use through additional<br />

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR<br />

measles was eradicated due to the vaccine.<br />

Guess what? It’s back and it is time to start protecting<br />

our babies, our children who cannot get the vaccine,<br />

and our immune-compromised friends and neighbors.<br />

There is no downside unless you have a medical reason<br />

to not get the vaccine. Please vaccinate. The alternative<br />

can be tragic.<br />

Sue Marguleas, RN, MPA<br />

Dog Also Attacked<br />

Thanks for the article, “Doggy Politics in the ‘Hood’”<br />

by Marci Slade Crestani, February <strong>18</strong>.<br />

My 12-pound dog has been attacked by large off-leash<br />

dogs three times. I asked a man to leash his dog this<br />

morning; he ignored me. I asked a man last week to<br />

leash two dogs; he ignored me. I now carry pepper<br />

spray whenever I walk my dog.<br />

Patty Detroit<br />

Cost for Technical Support For<br />

Incline Project Is Outlandish<br />

I thought I had become inured to the outlandish price<br />

tags on public projects, what with the surcharges for<br />

nepotism, graft, fraud, mismanagement and downright<br />

incompetence.<br />

Even I was shocked, however, to learn, from the<br />

cover story in the February 4 issue [“California Incline<br />

Update”] that Wallace, Roberts & Todd will be paid<br />

“almost $3 million” [according to Santa Monica City<br />

records] to provide 365 days of “technical support” to<br />

demand for air conditioning on summer evenings.<br />

Additionally, there are no current studies to document<br />

the increased demand for energy during evening hours<br />

for electronic devices such as cell phones and computers.<br />

There are no studies to document the effect on the<br />

increasing number of people who work split and<br />

evening shifts and the amount of energy savings, if any.<br />

The California Energy Commission did a report on the<br />

effects of Daylight-Saving Time on California electricity<br />

use in 2001. The study concluded that both winter<br />

daylight-saving time and the summer season double<br />

daylight-saving time would probably save marginal<br />

amounts of electricity.<br />

That same year, the California state legislature sent a<br />

Senate Joint Resolution to the White House and Congress<br />

asking to be allowed to extend DST year-round, but it<br />

was never acted on.<br />

A 2007 California report stated that DST effects had<br />

no statistically significant effect on total daily electricity<br />

use in the month of <strong>March</strong> 2007. And according to a 2013<br />

Rasmussen Report, only 37 percent of Americans see the<br />

purpose of DST, compared to 45 percent the year before.<br />

Maybe it’s time to re-examine a policy instituted<br />

during World War I that today has questionable energy<br />

conservation effects.<br />

the Incline project as “engineer of record.”<br />

Apparently, the time and expertise of this firm is worth<br />

$8,219 per day or $1,027 per hour for an eight-hour<br />

workday. Given that the median income, even among the<br />

affluent, highly-educated citizens of the <strong>Palisades</strong>, is less<br />

than $100 per hour, I am left to wonder how those elected<br />

to represent our interests sleep at night after approving<br />

such high expenditures of our hard-earned tax dollars.<br />

Lisa Wolf<br />

In Response to<br />

‘No Monday Breakfast’<br />

I read in the <strong>March</strong> 4 “Heard about Town” column<br />

that locals are bummed about the lack of places to eat<br />

breakfast. Please let Palisadians know that The Yogurt<br />

Shoppe on Swarthmore is open for breakfast.<br />

We offer 20+ different cereals (and yes, some healthy)<br />

along with regular and flavored yogurt, granola options,<br />

oatmeal, a wide variety of fresh fruits and choice of milk<br />

(oh, and we also offer shakes). Open daily for breakfast<br />

7 to 10 a.m. and 8 to 10 a.m. on Sunday.<br />

Kevin Sabin<br />

(Editor’s Note: Additionally, Tivoli owner Sohail<br />

Fatoorechi has started opening at 8 a.m. daily for people<br />

who need a meeting place for breakfast.)<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> welcomes all letters, which may<br />

be mailed to spascoe@palisadesnews.com. Please<br />

include a name, address and telephone number so<br />

we may reach you. Letters do not necessarily<br />

reflect the viewpoint of the <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong>.


Page 8 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Park Advisory Board<br />

Proposes Parking Changes<br />

(Editor’s note: The Park Advisory Board is proposing<br />

changes for parking at the <strong>Palisades</strong> Recreation Center.<br />

See related news story, page 3.)<br />

In order to increase available parking at the Recreation<br />

Center on weekday afternoons after 3 p.m. and lessen<br />

the impact on neighborhood streets, the Park Advisory<br />

Board is proposing the following changes:<br />

First, the hours for the main lot accessed from Alma<br />

Real will be changed from a maximum of four hours to<br />

a maximum of two hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.<br />

on Monday through Friday.<br />

Second, parking hours for the tennis lot accessed<br />

from Frontera Drive will be changed from a maximum<br />

of two hours to a maximum of four hours.<br />

All parking spaces at the Park will continue to be exclusively<br />

available to patrons of the Park. Equally important,<br />

the Department of Transportation will<br />

enforce these parking restrictions by issuing citations<br />

to those who violate the posted limit.<br />

The lack of parking at the Park is not a new issue. In<br />

fact, the upcoming change in parking hours will culminate<br />

an inclusive and deliberative process that began in 2013.<br />

That year, the Park Advisory Board held two wellpublicized<br />

meetings to receive comments from the<br />

community on the improvements that should be<br />

implemented at the Park. Residents made it clear that a<br />

major ongoing concern was the lack of available parking.<br />

Through spot checks and interviews with Park<br />

employees and others, the PAB determined that up to half<br />

of the individuals using the parking spaces at the Park<br />

were not Park patrons. These individuals had apparently<br />

chosen to park there because it was a free and convenient<br />

alternative during the workweek to metered and feebased<br />

parking. As a consequence, many Park patrons<br />

attempting to use the Park were unable to find a parking<br />

place.<br />

At its quarterly meeting in January 2014, the PAB,<br />

including the Park Director and parents and officials<br />

actively involved in baseball, soccer and other Park<br />

programs, thoroughly discussed the parking enforcement<br />

issue. The Board concluded that a plan should be<br />

implemented that would make more spaces available for<br />

Park patrons by discouraging people from using parking<br />

spaces for non-Park purposes. The agreed upon solution<br />

is what I described earlier.<br />

Following this meeting, the community was notified<br />

that the Department of Recreation and Parks would<br />

consider the recommendation that parking hours be<br />

changed, and that the subject would be on the PAB<br />

agenda last July. All residents were invited to comment<br />

on the proposed change.<br />

The <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> editor has questioned whether<br />

the change in parking hours will help solve the parking<br />

problem. We believe it will have a positive influence by<br />

limiting the number of illegally parked cars at the Park<br />

after 3 p.m., when various after-school programs and<br />

youth sports begin to impact the parking lot.<br />

I believe we can all agree that there are people working<br />

in the offices and stores near the Park who, given the<br />

choice of paying for metered parking or parking in the<br />

Park lot all day for free, will choose to park for free. Our<br />

spot checks showed an average of 33 cars parked illegally<br />

on the three days we counted cars.<br />

If there are only 20 cars in the lot at some point before<br />

3 p.m. and those cars remain there for the remainder<br />

of the day, this presents a real problem because there<br />

are only 92 generally available spaces. It means that 20<br />

Park patrons are deprived of the spaces to which they<br />

are entitled. The new two-hour limit will discourage<br />

car owners from parking at the Park all day because it<br />

will become inconvenient for them to keep moving<br />

their car.<br />

Bob Harter<br />

Vice Chair, Park Advisory Board<br />

Vandalism on the Green<br />

Is Disheartening and Evil<br />

On <strong>March</strong> 4, a group of dedicated volunteers put<br />

colorful, handmade quilts on the trees, branches,<br />

benches, and light poles on the Village Green, a project<br />

headed by Michelle Villemaire.<br />

This effort was in honor of Women’s History Month,<br />

as explained in the poster and signs on the Green.<br />

Passersby seemed to enjoy this colorful decoration,<br />

smiling as they walked by our little private park. It<br />

brought surprise and joy into folks’ daily lives.<br />

Unfortunately, on <strong>March</strong> 11, between noon and 4:30<br />

p.m., some damage was done to this display: the yarncovered<br />

bike was thrown down, the quilt on the grass was<br />

covered with food scraps; some blue foam-like substance<br />

was sprayed around; and some of the explanation papers<br />

were ripped up and tossed around.<br />

It is very sad to think of the unhappy folks who did<br />

this. Some would say that kids who gather on the<br />

Green after school might have had something to do<br />

with this, as they are often seen abusing this park. I<br />

would ask them to consider the time and effort of this<br />

project, done by local volunteers for the enjoyment by<br />

all, than a place to vandalize. Perhaps they didn’t know<br />

that these quilts will be washed and sewn together and<br />

donated to the women’s shelter downtown, to help<br />

others in need.<br />

Betsy Collins<br />

John Closson,<br />

Vice President<br />

and Regional<br />

Manager of<br />

Berkshire<br />

Hathaway<br />

HomeServices,<br />

congratulates<br />

Dan on<br />

being the<br />

Top Producing<br />

Agent in the<br />

Pacific<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong><br />

office<br />

for 2014.<br />

STUNNING PANORAMIC<br />

OCEAN VIEWS!!!<br />

3534 Shoreheights Dr, Malibu<br />

Rarely does a home come to market with such commanding<br />

unobstructed ocean views. Situated on the<br />

view side of the street on a larger lot. 4 bed/2 bath.<br />

First time on market since it was built in 1965. An extraordinary<br />

opportunity to create your dream home.<br />

www.3534Shoreheights.com<br />

OFFERED AT $1,890,000<br />

A GEM IN THE HIGHLANDS<br />

1766 Michael Ln, Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Enchanting mtn & cyn vus from this pristine 4bd/3ba<br />

home featuring vaulted ceilings & hrdwd flrs. Wonderful<br />

large kit/fam rm opens to yard which offers rare access<br />

to rec center w/ pool/spa and tennis courts. Enjoy<br />

sensational views, serenity and privacy from the spacious<br />

master suite featuring walk in closet, large master<br />

bath & soaring ceilings.<br />

OFFERED AT $1,595,000<br />

Call Dan Directly at: 310.230.3757<br />

Dan Urbach<br />

Palisadian and Realtor<br />

since 1992.<br />

BRE #01147391<br />

Info@DanUrbach.com • www.ExclusiveRealtor.com<br />

881 Alma Real Drive, Suite 100, Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

S PECIALIZING I N PACIFIC PALISADES, MALIBU, SANTA M ONICA


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 9<br />

Nahai to Speak at Library<br />

About The Luminous Heart<br />

When<br />

your<br />

toaster<br />

turns<br />

into<br />

a pyro.<br />

We’ve e go<br />

ot an agent for that.<br />

You’re finally on your own and real life takes over. What do you do? Start by getting car<br />

insurance from someone tha<br />

t gets you—your own State Farm ® agent. Then get renters<br />

insurance for just a dollar or two more a month*.<br />

®<br />

Like a good neighbor, S tate Farm is there.<br />

CONTACT AN AGENT TODAY.<br />

1001203.1<br />

®<br />

s tatefarm.com<br />

Festa Insurance Agcy Inc<br />

Rich Festa, Agent<br />

Insurance Lic#: 0786049<br />

festainsurance.com<br />

Bus: 310-454-0345<br />

Best-selling author and University of<br />

Southern California creative writing professor<br />

Gina B. Nahai will speak about her<br />

new book, The Luminous Heart of Jonah S.,<br />

at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 19, in the<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Branch Library community<br />

room. The free event is sponsored by the<br />

Friends of the Library.<br />

Nahai, author of Cry of the Peacock,<br />

Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, Sunday’s<br />

Silence and Caspian Rain, will discuss her<br />

new novel, set in Tehran and Los Angeles.<br />

It is the story of an immigrant family<br />

caught in a murder mystery and a multigenerational<br />

feud.<br />

Nahai’s novels have been translated into<br />

<strong>18</strong> languages and have been selected as<br />

“One of the Best Books of the Year” by the<br />

Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.<br />

Nahai’s writings have appeared in the Los<br />

Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the San<br />

Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles magazine<br />

and the Huffington Post. She writes a<br />

monthly column for The Jewish Journal of<br />

Greater Los Angeles and has twice been a<br />

finalist for an L.A. Press Club award.<br />

Call: (310) 459-2754 or visit friendsofpalilibrary.org.<br />

Jerry J Festa Ins Agcy Inc<br />

Jerry Festa, Agent<br />

Insurance Lic#: 0477708<br />

15129 Sunset Blvd<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

* Estimated cost per month for $10,000 in renters insurance coverage with purchase of auto insurance from State Farm.<br />

State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL<br />

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity I Company, Bloomington, IL<br />

The Spolin Players have been entertaining audiences with their improvisational skills<br />

for more than 30 years.<br />

Spolin Players at Pierson<br />

If you need a good laugh, or many laughs<br />

and maybe even a few belly laughs,<br />

come watch the Spolin Players perform<br />

at 8 p.m. on Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 28, at the Pierson<br />

Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd.<br />

This improvisational troupe plays the<br />

theater games of Viola Spolin, “the High<br />

Priestess Of Improv,” who created the techniques<br />

used by the cast of Chicago’s Second<br />

City in the early 1960s, as well as every other<br />

improvisational comedy troupe since.<br />

The Players, who include Palisadian Gail<br />

Matthius plus Casey Campbell, Donna<br />

Dubain, Jim Staahl, Danny Mann, John<br />

Mariano, Anna Mathias, David McCharen,<br />

Edie McClurg and Pat Musick, were among<br />

the last group to study with Spolin, who<br />

died in 1994 at the age of 88.<br />

The hour-long, completely improvised<br />

show is based solely on audience suggestions.<br />

Every show is completely different<br />

and original. No sets, no props, no costumes,<br />

and yet you “see and hear” all three.<br />

Audiences are asked to bring their imagination<br />

and suggestions.<br />

“We’ve had very successful shows in<br />

years past,” said Matthius, explaining that<br />

the group has been together off and on for<br />

almost 30 years and every member is a<br />

working actor. “We haven’t been in the Pali -<br />

sades for almost four years, so we wanna<br />

pack the house with our fellow Palisadians<br />

and leave ‘em laughing!”<br />

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at<br />

the box office or through www.brownpapertickts.com<br />

or call (800) 838-3006.<br />

Dark Street Corners? Pacific<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Takes Second Place<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> and Southeast Los Angeles<br />

have something in common. They are<br />

among the neighborhoods where street light<br />

bulb replacement takes the longest.<br />

According to an investigative piece written<br />

by Mike Reicher for the Los Angeles<br />

Daily <strong>News</strong> in February, it takes an average<br />

of 7.1 days to repair a lightbulb in Southeast<br />

L.A., and 7.5 days in the <strong>Palisades</strong>.<br />

The slowest place for replacement was Silver<br />

Lake/Echo Park/Elysian Valley at 8 days.<br />

The place for fastest street bulb replacement<br />

was the Port of L.A. (0.2 days), followed<br />

by Sherman Oaks (2.3 days). On<br />

this side of the hill, Westwood averaged 3.8<br />

days, LAX 3.9 days and Venice 3.9 days.<br />

Reicher analyzed city data, obtained<br />

through the state open records act, from<br />

January 2009 through early October 2014.<br />

He wrote: “Over those years, the bureau averaged<br />

a five-day repair time. Broken poles<br />

and incidents of multiple outages were excluded<br />

from the analysis, which focused on<br />

single lights turned dark.<br />

“Bureau of Street Lighting officials blame<br />

the delays on equipment, geography, copper<br />

theft and budget cuts. Some neighborhoods<br />

have 90-year-old systems and the<br />

bureau doesn’t stock replacement parts;<br />

crews have to wait for orders.”<br />

The City has only two maintenance<br />

yards: one is in North Hollywood, the second<br />

is in Sun Valley. Reicher found “officials<br />

installed new LED lights there before other<br />

districts. From the complaint to the repair,<br />

it took an average of three days to fix a light<br />

in the Valley.”<br />

His report said that the City collects<br />

about $42 million of annual property assessments<br />

for its streetlight maintenance<br />

fund and a typical homeowner pays $70 to<br />

$95 a year through an annual assessment.<br />

Since expenses are projected to exceed<br />

revenue in coming years, the bureau is<br />

planning a citywide ballot proposition to<br />

increase assessment rates.


Page 10 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Martin Town Center Promotes Transit<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

Rendering of the proposed Martin Expo Town Center project proposed for the intersection<br />

of Olympic and Bundy Avenues in West Los Angeles.<br />

Bumper-to-bumper traffic on the<br />

westbound 10 Freeway in the a.m.<br />

and the eastbound 10 in the p.m. is<br />

causing many Westside residents to avoid<br />

the area near the 405/10 intersection during<br />

peak hours.<br />

Therein lies a major challenge for the<br />

proposed Martin Expo Town Center project<br />

at the corner of Bundy and Olympic.<br />

If ultimately approved by the City of<br />

L.A., the Center would include 516 residential<br />

units, 67,000 square feet for retail<br />

and restaurants, and a 12-story office<br />

building anchored by the Martin Cadillac<br />

showroom.<br />

The five-acre development, which currently<br />

includes a Martin Cadillac showroom<br />

and a body and repair shop on the<br />

site, has generated controversy because<br />

many people feel that it will add to traffic<br />

congestion.<br />

“Studies have shown that if transit is<br />

available, more people will use it,” said<br />

Philip Simmons of the Simmons Group, a<br />

land and development management firm.<br />

“There is a huge jobs/housing imbalance in<br />

this area. There are close to 10,000 workers<br />

and little housing for them.”<br />

Located only a half block from the upcoming<br />

Expo/Bundy light-rail station, the<br />

Town Center project is called a Transient<br />

Oriented Development (TOD). People living<br />

near this station will be able to go from<br />

Santa Monica to downtown L.A. and beyond<br />

on public transportation.<br />

“In the first two months the apartments<br />

are available, we will open them up to people<br />

who work within a quarter of a mile of<br />

the complex,” Simmons said. There will be<br />

studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments,<br />

at market-value, with an affordable housing<br />

component.<br />

Riot Games [video game producer of<br />

League of Legends] and its 1,200 employees<br />

are moving from Santa Monica into the<br />

area just north of Martin Cadillac.<br />

“They’ve talked to us several times and<br />

are interested in the project because they<br />

would be close to public transit and there<br />

would be housing for their employees,” said<br />

Martin Cadillac CEO Dan Martin and a<br />

Brentwood resident.<br />

He added, “This [TOD] project has been<br />

an educational process.” As part of his research,<br />

he visited Germany, London, Paris,<br />

Russia and Sweden, and lived in locations<br />

near mass transit. “I wanted to see how it<br />

worked. I walked everywhere, I never had<br />

to use a car.”<br />

In California, if people rent an apartment,<br />

they expect at least one free parking<br />

space, but that would not be the case at the<br />

Town Center apartments.<br />

“Parking will be available, but just like in<br />

Manhattan (New York City) it will be decoupled<br />

from the rent and people will pay<br />

more to have a parking space,” Martin said.<br />

“The reality is people will not have to buy a<br />

car and there will be a car-share program<br />

on site.”<br />

Martin was asked about the counterintuitiveness<br />

of a Cadillac dealer promoting<br />

(Continued on Page 11)<br />

A Top 100 Team Nationwide<br />

Serving the Westside with more than seven decades combined experience.<br />

by appointment:<br />

1111 Las Lomas Avenue<br />

<br />

<br />

for lease:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

YOUR PACIFIC PALISADES REALTORS ®<br />

PEKAR/ELLIS REAL ESTATE GROUP<br />

310.496.5955 direct<br />

pekarellis.com


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 11<br />

Martin<br />

(Continued from Page 10)<br />

a development that promotes public transit<br />

rather than car ownership.<br />

“We need to modernize for employees<br />

and customers,” he said. “With a more attractive<br />

store, we will sell more cars. But we<br />

also need to support the alternative.<br />

Martin also noted, “There are almost no<br />

lunch places around here. People have to<br />

get in their car and drive to Brentwood or<br />

Westwood just for lunch.”<br />

The Town Center would have amenities<br />

needed for living within walking distance.<br />

Additionally, there are plans to rent office<br />

space to creative companies, whose employees<br />

generally work off-hours.<br />

If the development is approved, construction<br />

could start in 2016 and be completed<br />

in 20<strong>18</strong>.<br />

In the environmental impact review for<br />

Martin Expo Town Center, which just<br />

closed for public comment, traffic impact<br />

was analyzed. Not surprisingly, many of the<br />

intersections that may be affected already<br />

have failing grades during at least one of the<br />

peak times. (http://cityplanning.lacity.org/<br />

eir/MartinExpoTownCenter/DEIR)<br />

JUMBLE SOLUTION<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

The Martin family has owned and operated<br />

Martin Cadillac for three generations.<br />

The dealership was founded in Santa Monica<br />

in 1947 by Clarence Daniel (“Dan”)<br />

Martin, Jr. after he returned from World<br />

War II as a naval officer.<br />

While running Martin Cadillac, Dan<br />

served as Undersecretary of Commerce for<br />

Transportation, working as the principal<br />

adviser to Presidents John F. Kennedy and<br />

President Lyndon Johnson on national<br />

transportation policy.<br />

In 1974, Dan relocated his dealership to<br />

West Los Angeles. Nephew Dana took over<br />

as CEO in 1976 and he and his wife Mary<br />

raised their four boys (Dan, Chris, Brian<br />

and Matthew) in Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> (and still<br />

live here). They have been active members<br />

of St. Matthew’s Parish for more than 40<br />

years. Dana’s son, Dan, said the impetus<br />

for the Town Center started when General<br />

Motors strongly encouraged all dealers to<br />

participate in an “image enhancement”<br />

program by modernizing facilities and<br />

showrooms.<br />

“Complying with this program required<br />

a significant capital investment,” Martin<br />

said. “That became hard to justify given that<br />

we’re on an oversized property of five acres,<br />

where we only need about three. With the<br />

arrival of the Expo line just 500 feet from<br />

the corner of Martin Cadillac, these two<br />

factors caused us to step back and rethink<br />

the vision for the property and for transportation<br />

in general. We asked, ‘What is the<br />

right thing to do?’”<br />

NEXT ISSUE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1<br />

Send us your comments and suggestions to<br />

spascoe@palisadesnews.com<br />

Get Your Advertising in Place Now!<br />

Contact Jeff, (310) 573-0150 or jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com<br />

or Grace at gracehiney@palisadesnews.com<br />

THANK-YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS!<br />

Please patronize them, and tell them<br />

you saw their ad in the <strong>News</strong>!<br />

“Wavegirl,” a painting by Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Art Association president Annette Dugdale-Alexakis.<br />

Dugdale-Alexakis Art on<br />

Exhibit at <strong>Palisades</strong> Library<br />

The paintings currently on the walls<br />

of the community room at the Pali -<br />

sades Branch Library were done by<br />

Annette Dugdale-Alexakis, and are availa -<br />

ble for viewing through <strong>March</strong> 21.<br />

The 43-year <strong>Palisades</strong> resident, a selftaught<br />

artist, attended a Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Art Association (PPAA) meeting, which<br />

has been in this community since 1947, to<br />

learn more about art. “I wanted to better<br />

my technique,” said Dugdale-Alexakis, who<br />

runs a full-time pet-care business.<br />

Five years ago, she became the organizing<br />

force for the Art Association, taking<br />

over from Ellen Travis, Susan Coddington<br />

and Carol Gee, and is currently the president.<br />

In addition to seeking new members<br />

and organizing shows, Dugdale-Alexakis<br />

finds speakers and art demonstrations for<br />

the club’s monthly meetings.<br />

She also co-chairs the annual Village Green<br />

Art Show and Sale with Terri Brom berg<br />

and arranges scholarships for art students<br />

at <strong>Palisades</strong> High School’s Showcase night.<br />

Annette credits her brother Eric Dugdale,<br />

husband Glenn, and sons James and<br />

Christopher for helping her make the<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, Brentwood,<br />

Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Venice<br />

CalBRE#01437780<br />

The Agency<br />

(424) 400-5921<br />

www.TheAgencyRE.com<br />

events happen.<br />

The PPAA, which is open to all ages,<br />

meets on the fourth Tuesday of most<br />

months (with the exception of December,<br />

June, July and August) at the Woman’s<br />

Club. Members gather for lectures and<br />

demonstrations on oil painting, sculpting,<br />

watercolor, photography and animation.<br />

Membership is $50, and those interested<br />

do not have to live in Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> to<br />

join. Contact: palisadesart@gmail.com.<br />

Blood Drive <strong>March</strong> 22<br />

Dr. Mike Martini is organizing a community<br />

blood drive, sponsored by Providence<br />

St. John’s Health Center. The event<br />

will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday,<br />

<strong>March</strong> 22, at Corpus Christi Hall, 890<br />

Toyopa Dr. For an appointment, call (310)<br />

829-8886 or e-mail sherry.arroyo@providence.org.<br />

Donors are reminded to eat a nutritious<br />

meal beforehand, drink plenty of fluids<br />

and bring a photo identification. Donors<br />

will receive a coupon for a pint of Baskin-<br />

Robbins ice cream.<br />

Ninkey Dalton<br />

Your Local Neighborhood Agent


Page 12 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

NO ONE SELLS<br />

MORE<br />

HOMES<br />

IN<br />

SOUTHERN<br />

CALIFORNIA<br />

THAN COLDWELL ®<br />

BANKER<br />

1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

FEATURED PROPERTIES<br />

1<br />

P ACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $13,500,000<br />

French Country w/ ocean & vineyard vws.<br />

Ali Rassekhi sekhi (310) 359-5695<br />

2<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $6,499,000<br />

6bd/7bth. Lease option @ $30,000/ 000/month<br />

Hollingsworth orth & Leff (310) 230-2483<br />

4<br />

5<br />

6<br />

3<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $4,495,000<br />

Riviera Trad. w/vie<br />

views WWW.730NAPOLI.COM<br />

Fran Flanagan (310) 801-9805<br />

4<br />

P ACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $4,445,000<br />

Guard-gated East Coast Traditional.<br />

Michael Edlen (310) 230-7373<br />

5<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $3,950,000<br />

New 4,200+sq ft home on 8,400 sq ft lot.<br />

Michael Edlen (310) 230-7373<br />

7<br />

8<br />

9<br />

6<br />

7<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $3,950,000<br />

Great Ocean Views 4BD+3.5BA, Grassy Yard<br />

Ali Rassekhi sekhi (310) 359-5695<br />

BRENTWOOD<br />

$2,595,000<br />

Opportunity awaits. Move-in/remodel 4+3<br />

Nicolas Beauvy (310) 573-7473<br />

8<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES $2,295,000<br />

Pristine home w/open flrpln + den/ofc.<br />

Michael Edlen (310) 230-7373<br />

10<br />

11<br />

12<br />

9<br />

10<br />

MALIBU<br />

4BD w/Topanga Beach Views in Sunset Mesa<br />

Marta Samulon (310) 230-2448<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES<br />

$1,899,000<br />

$1,795,000<br />

1st Time On Mkt In 50 Years! Rare Views!<br />

M. Hedges | M. Gertzman (310) 475-7500<br />

11<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES<br />

$1,595,000<br />

Great home 2+1 Move in / develop. Views!<br />

Liz Keenan | Lexie Brew (310) 463-6323<br />

13<br />

14<br />

15<br />

12<br />

13<br />

P ACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES<br />

$1,495,000<br />

Beautiful 3+3 TH in Sea Ridge.<br />

Afrouz Nosratian (310) 230-2489<br />

LOS ANGELES<br />

$1,295,000<br />

4+3 Condo w/c<br />

ontemporary gourmet kit<br />

Adam Katz (310) 230-2415<br />

14<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES<br />

$945,000<br />

Light & Bright TH w/Mtn+Cyn VIEWS<br />

Sharon & John (310) 573-7737<br />

15<br />

P ACIFIC PALISADES<br />

ADES<br />

$750,000<br />

Prime Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> 2+2+den/office<br />

Inne Chung (310) 230-2492<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

15101 W SUNSET BLVD<br />

(310) 454-1111<br />

facebook.com/ColdwellBankerPacific<strong>Palisades</strong><br />

PALISADES HIGHLANDS<br />

1515 P ALISADES DRIVE<br />

(310) 459-7511<br />

facebook.com/ColdwellBanker<strong>Palisades</strong>Highlands<br />

Connect With Us<br />

VIEW MORE LISTINGS AT<br />

CALIFORNIAMOVES.COM<br />

®<br />

©<strong>2015</strong> Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved.<br />

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered<br />

service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.<br />

Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage,<br />

lot size or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources,<br />

and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that<br />

information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals.<br />

* Based on information total sales volume from California Real Estate Technology Services, Santa Barbara Association of REALTORS, SANDICOR, Inc. for the period 1/1/2013 through 12/31/2013 in Los Angeles, Orange,<br />

Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego,<br />

Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Due to MLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy,<br />

this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate.<br />

Therefore,<br />

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage does not guarantee the data accuracy. Data maintained by the MLS’s may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.


<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> Page 13<br />

Ogden Cleaners Changes Hands<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

Daniel and Yanna Sapozhnikov<br />

closed a chapter of their lives on<br />

Saturday, February 28, after selling<br />

Ogden Cleaners on Sunset Boulevard to<br />

Tommy Goullais.<br />

The following Monday, the couple was<br />

in the store, helping with the transition and<br />

saying goodbye to customers and friends.<br />

“I’m sorry, I’ll miss you,” said long-time<br />

customer Helena Lara. “Who’s going to do<br />

my pants? Don’t go, I don’t like change.”<br />

Long-time customer, Norman Beegun,<br />

said: “I’ve become friends with Daniel and<br />

Yanna. We’ve gone out to dinner with<br />

them; gone to services with them. They’ve<br />

become part of the community.”<br />

Beegun was one of many who praised<br />

Daniel’s tailoring ability on that Monday.<br />

“My son would come in with a pair of<br />

pants and say he needed them tomorrow<br />

and Daniel would do it,” Beegun said. “He<br />

would never say no. He just altered a<br />

tuxedo I hadn’t worn in 20 years and<br />

couldn’t get into, but now it fits.”<br />

Fran Dunner, who has three daughters,<br />

said her youngest, Susie, would typically<br />

buy something in the morning and need<br />

it that evening, but that Daniel always<br />

came through with the alteration.<br />

Daniel remembered Patty Pappas as his<br />

first alteration customer when the couple<br />

took over the cleaners in 1997.<br />

“We had a special arrangement,” said<br />

Pappas, the mother of three girls. “Daniel<br />

would always agree to the shorter hem<br />

length they sought,” she said, “but when he<br />

altered it, he always let it down lower.”<br />

After the Sapozhnikovs took over the<br />

cleaners, Daniel estimates business grew by<br />

100 percent. He said that several thousand<br />

Temescal Garden<br />

Cleanup <strong>March</strong> 28<br />

The Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Garden Club and<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Beautiful co-sponsor the beautification<br />

efforts at the N/E/X/T/Garden in<br />

the northeast corner of Temescal Canyon<br />

Park. This new acronym for the long-established<br />

garden area spells: Native/Environmental/Xeriscape/Temescal.<br />

Hands-on help is needed with various<br />

gardening tasks on Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 28 from<br />

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. People can come any time<br />

and volunteer as long or short as they want.<br />

Street parking next to the site (just south<br />

of Bowdoin) is available on Saturdays.<br />

Contact: ppgardenclub@verizon.net or<br />

call Barbara Marinacci (310) 459-0190.<br />

Daniel and Yanna Sapozhnikov welcome Tommy Goullais, the new owner of Ogden<br />

Cleaners on Sunset.<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

people went in and out of the shop’s door<br />

every week—and he knew most of them<br />

by their first name.<br />

The owners were asked if the Caruso<br />

Affiliated purchase of nearby Swarthmore<br />

influenced the sale. “It didn’t have anything<br />

to do with it,” Daniel said. “It was just time<br />

to let it go.”<br />

He cited his difficulty with finding good<br />

help because of the town’s geographical<br />

location. “I’m sure many businesses have<br />

the same problem.”<br />

The Sapozhnikovs live in Tarzana, and<br />

six days a week would fight the traffic on<br />

the 405 going and coming from the <strong>Palisades</strong>.<br />

He said even when he was away<br />

from work, “my head was thinking of work,<br />

of situations, of people.”<br />

Daniel said Yanna wants him to rest,<br />

read a book, go to the beach, travel, and<br />

“do all of the things I haven’t done in the<br />

past 17 years.”<br />

Before coming to the <strong>Palisades</strong>, he sold<br />

a previous dry-cleaning business, but stayed<br />

home for a only month before he couldn’t<br />

take the inactivity.<br />

“This time I’m going to try to stay home<br />

for six months,” Daniel jokingly said, but<br />

then reflected: “I may have a hard time<br />

doing it.” The couple has a three-year clause<br />

that does not allow them to open a similar<br />

business in Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>.<br />

Daniel and Yanna shed tears as customer<br />

after customer gave hugs and asked for<br />

their phone numbers so they could stay in<br />

touch.<br />

“It’s too emotional about leaving,” said<br />

Yanna whose mother is suffering from dementia,<br />

which is demanding more of<br />

Yanna’s time and is another reason for<br />

selling the shop.<br />

The couple have two grandchildren, ages<br />

1 and 3, and would also like to spend more<br />

time with them.<br />

“If I had known it would be this difficult,<br />

I’d reconsider,” Daniel, 63, said.<br />

Goullais, the former owner of Fame<br />

Cleaners on La Cienega, was helping at the<br />

counter. “I enjoy a service business,” he said,<br />

noting that he doesn’t plan to make any<br />

changes at Ogden’s. The Woodland Hills<br />

resident will continue pickup and delivery,<br />

as well as the environmentally friendly<br />

cleaning processes the cleaner uses.<br />

The new owner will retain all of the<br />

current employees, including the women<br />

at the front counter, Jesse Hernandez and<br />

Gina Vargas and tailor Fernando Pena,<br />

who worked with Daniel. A second tailor,<br />

Enio Aguilar, who worked at Fame Cleaners,<br />

has been added.<br />

“We just wanted all our customers to<br />

know we appreciated their business. We<br />

weren’t able to tell everyone in person, but<br />

please tell them ‘thank you,’” Yanna Sapozhnikov<br />

said.<br />

Winning Strategies for Buyers in a Bidding War<br />

By MICHAEL EDLEN<br />

Multiple offers” occur either when<br />

a seller receives more than one<br />

purchase offer at the same time<br />

or receives another offer before a counteroffer<br />

is presented to the first buyer. This<br />

has occurred fairly often since 2012 and has<br />

created a frustrating environment for wellqualified<br />

buyers who repeatedly are outbid<br />

in their attempts to buy a home.<br />

The following suggestions are based on<br />

my having participated in hundreds of<br />

multiple-offer negotiations and observing<br />

the various dynamics that can occur.<br />

• Ideally, being an “all-cash” buyer with the<br />

cash available or, at a minimum, being<br />

fully approved for financing before<br />

writing an offer, will usually give you<br />

the advantage.<br />

• Know the market inventory well by attending<br />

open houses and becoming familiar<br />

with what has recently actually sold.<br />

• Have a family or personal photo to be<br />

presented with your offer, as well as an<br />

introductory letter which your agent<br />

can help you prepare.<br />

• Be as rational and disciplined as you<br />

can, willing to either step up or pull<br />

back depending on the circumstances.<br />

• Take the long view. Remember that you<br />

may be living in this neighborhood for<br />

many years. The house can often be<br />

changed in various ways, but the location<br />

cannot.<br />

• Ask your agent to counsel you on contract<br />

details that may improve your position<br />

at little cost or risk to you. A<br />

seasoned agent will know ways to make<br />

your offer stand out over others.<br />

• Be prepared to make decisions in a<br />

short amount of time, as timing your<br />

offer and any responses to the seller is<br />

essential to success.<br />

• Select an agent who has successfully<br />

guided many other buyers in multipleoffer<br />

situations.<br />

Although the highest and best offer usually<br />

succeeds, it is not uncommon in this<br />

market that a seller will receive more than<br />

one strong offer. The seller will at times ultimately<br />

select the buyer based upon personal<br />

or other nonfinancial reasons rather<br />

than one who offers a higher price.<br />

Michael Edlen has been involved in hundreds<br />

of multiple offer negotiations since 1987,<br />

including several that had 20-35 offers. He<br />

and his team have carefully developed strategies<br />

for multiple offers when working with<br />

both buyers and sellers. More tips and information<br />

are available at MichaelEdlen.com.<br />

He can be reached at (310) 230-7373 or<br />

michael@michaeledlen.com.


Page 14 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Parking Kiosk Design Ongoing<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

We were all astonished when we<br />

saw it,” said a member of the<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Design Review<br />

Board at its <strong>March</strong> 11 meeting, referring to<br />

the new parking attendant kiosk in the lot<br />

next to Bank of America on Sunset.<br />

At meetings on last October 8 and 22, a<br />

Broker Associate<br />

Fine Home Specialist<br />

30+ Years Experience<br />

Happy LA to Host<br />

Hudson Trunk Show<br />

Happy LA, one of Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>’ premiere clothing boutiques, will be the<br />

site of a Spring <strong>2015</strong> Trunk Show, debuting Hudson Jeans’ spring collection.<br />

“This will be our first Hudson trunk show,” said boutique owner Dawn Baker.<br />

“But we’ve been carrying the product in the store for more than seven years.”<br />

Hudson Jeans is one of the top leading denim brands in the world and carries<br />

a variety of cuts for all body types including: super skinny, skinny, straight leg,<br />

baby boot, bootcut and flare.<br />

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 26, at the store,<br />

542 <strong>Palisades</strong> Drive in the Highlands Plaza. Hors d’oeuvres and champagne will<br />

be served.<br />

“We are looking forward to a fun day and there will be a gift with purchase<br />

on the day of the event provided by Hudson Jeans,” Baker said.<br />

Call (310) 459-5511 or visit dawn@ happy-la.com.<br />

representative from TOPA, which manages<br />

the parking lot, came to the board with a<br />

proposed kiosk design, to replace the one<br />

knocked over by a vehicle in June.<br />

The DRB is an advisory board, appoint -<br />

ed by Councilman Mike Bonin, Council<br />

District 11, operating under the Brown Act<br />

and tasked with reviewing exterior design,<br />

site layout, landscapes, signs and other design<br />

elements governed by the Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

specific plan.<br />

The kiosk does not fall under DRB pur -<br />

view, but members were delighted that<br />

TOPA had come to them for suggestions.<br />

“They didn’t need to, because they didn’t<br />

need a permit,” DRB President Barbara<br />

Kohn explained. But members discussed<br />

it at length and made suggestions that included<br />

color, size, windows and even the<br />

possibility of landscaping to make it more<br />

attractive.<br />

When the kiosk was installed, DRB<br />

members found that many suggestions had<br />

not been implemented.<br />

“We thought they were going to put a<br />

window where the wall was,” said member<br />

Sarah Griffin, “and a sliding door on both<br />

sides so that Roman [the attendant] could<br />

access ingoing and outgoing cars easier.”<br />

Also, the giant air conditioner on one side<br />

of the building, in addition to being unattractive,<br />

had other issues. “It’s oversized,”<br />

said member Donna Vaccarino. “The line<br />

going to it doesn’t have the correct power,<br />

so in order for it to operate, they would<br />

have to put in a new electrical line.”<br />

“There were good suggestions given by<br />

everyone around the table,” said Kohn, who<br />

contacted TOPA management and discovered<br />

that they agreed with the need to revisit<br />

the kiosk design and implementation.<br />

This kiosk has come under fire for its design.<br />

She and DRB member Kelly Comras<br />

met with TOPA on <strong>March</strong> 13 to discuss<br />

what happens next, and they are confident<br />

that several improvements will be made,<br />

but caution that implementation will take<br />

a couple of months.<br />

“Communications and the relationship<br />

with TOPA continues to be highly cordial<br />

with ongoing meetings in an effort to resolve<br />

the issue,” Kohn said on <strong>March</strong> 14.<br />

Get Plugged In.<br />

Overwhelmed by technology? Want to learn more<br />

about your computer and your electronics?<br />

Do you want a new home theater system?<br />

I have all the Solutions!<br />

Ramis Sadrieh, MBA<br />

KATY<br />

KREITLER<br />

Former Mr. <strong>Palisades</strong> ‘93 • Best New Business, 2005<br />

Chamber President 2009-10 • PAPA President 2011 & 2012<br />

Proud to Be Serving the <strong>Palisades</strong> Community!<br />

Technology<br />

for You! ®<br />

Solutions from Us!<br />

Dependable, Quality Service • In Home or Office<br />

Consulting • Sales • Installation • Maintenance<br />

(310) 597-5984<br />

www.technologyforyou.com<br />

Computer Hardware/Software Installation, Repair & Training<br />

Setup Wireless/Wired Networks and Home-Theater Systems<br />

Authorized Dealer of and Computers and Electronics<br />

Configure Smartphones, iPods, and other Gadgets


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 15<br />

90404 Changing<br />

Film Hosted by<br />

Conservancy<br />

The historically culturally diverse Pico<br />

neighborhood of Santa Monica is the subject<br />

of the film, 90404 Changing, to be presented<br />

by the Santa Monica Conservancy<br />

on Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the<br />

Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium at the<br />

Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.<br />

Admission is free but seating is limited.<br />

Producer/director Michael Barnard will<br />

introduce the film, and after the screening<br />

he and leading cast member and co-producer<br />

Paulina Sahagun will conduct a Q&A.<br />

The film captures the once historically<br />

rich and culturally diverse neighborhood in<br />

the 90404 zip code. It follows a local Latina<br />

teacher and an African-American poet in<br />

their quest to piece together the history of<br />

this area.<br />

Blending narrative and documentary storytelling,<br />

90404 Changing includes a wide<br />

range of personal stories of former and current<br />

residents, clergy and business owners.<br />

Founded in 2002, the Santa Monica<br />

Conservancy is a nonprofit organization<br />

dedicated to promoting understanding<br />

and appreciation of the cultural, social,<br />

economic and environmental benefits of<br />

preserving the historic resources of Santa<br />

Monica’s unique urban landscape.<br />

Visit: www.smconservancy.org.<br />

I. Roman Accounting Services<br />

Ilana Roman<br />

Providing tax preparation, financial and<br />

management services to businesses<br />

and individuals.<br />

• Bookkeeping & Payroll Services<br />

• QuickBooks Pro Advisor<br />

310.230.8826<br />

fax: 310.454.8917<br />

7 Aloha Drive<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

www.ilanaroman.com • iroman@ilanaroman.com<br />

Coco Kennedy sang the National Anthem.<br />

PPBA Kicks Off Season at Park<br />

Record heat did not stop players,<br />

coaches, former coaches and even<br />

former fans from attending the Pacific<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Baseball Association’s 63rd<br />

annual pancake breakfast on Saturday<br />

morning at the <strong>Palisades</strong> Recreation Center.<br />

Alice Wroblicky may be the event’s big -<br />

gest fan: this was her 54th pancake breakfast.<br />

Her husband Emil, now deceased,<br />

coached teams in the 1960s, when their<br />

three boys played. She had attended every<br />

breakfast since then until last year, when<br />

Emil was sick.<br />

On Saturday, Alice was wearing a jacket<br />

and explained, “I know it’s supposed to be<br />

hot, but I remember when the wind came<br />

up the canyon, I’d freeze, sitting in the<br />

Introducing Danielle’s Skin Care<br />

Located inside Spa dMarie in the Highlands<br />

20% Off Any Skin Care Service<br />

for First Time Clients<br />

1515 <strong>Palisades</strong> Drive • (310) 890-4468 for appointments<br />

OPENING DAY <strong>2015</strong><br />

Tim McCaffrey, a member of the PPBA Board,<br />

with wife Natasha and daughter Carly. Son Jake is<br />

a second-year Tiger Pinto.<br />

bleachers.”<br />

A group of 11 <strong>Palisades</strong> men, all former<br />

Troop 223 dads who walk together every<br />

Saturday and coached AYSO, basketball and<br />

baseball when their boys were younger,<br />

stopped by for the breakfast. They included<br />

Andy Breech, who coached the Phillies<br />

from 1991-2001; former Unocal station<br />

owner Frank Jakel, who sponsored a team<br />

for 35 years and coached the Indians from<br />

1985 to 1990; and Bud Kling, the longtime<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> High tennis coach, who helmed<br />

the Dodgers in 1995.<br />

Rich Wilken, who once coached the Phil -<br />

lies, said: “I had a perfect record, we went<br />

0-17—totally unblemished by a single victory.”<br />

He remembered how actor David<br />

Matt Moore’s brother Asher is a Pinto<br />

Yankee.<br />

Photos: Sue Pascoe<br />

Niven, who had a son on the team, would<br />

show up with his silver case and then mix<br />

martinis. James Arness would join Niven<br />

in the bleachers.<br />

Susan Samama, her son Shane and<br />

grandson Mason (5) were in attendance.<br />

Shane recalled playing with Peter Wallin<br />

and Bill Bruns as his coaches. “We won<br />

every year,” he said, noting that his brother<br />

Mark also played in the PPBA. “We’ll have<br />

Mason in the line-up soon.”<br />

Coco Kennedy, a fifth grader at Corpus<br />

Christi School, sang the National Anthem.<br />

Baseball commissioner Bob Benton afterwards<br />

told Coco, “You hit a homerun.”<br />

Eon Sullivan was recognized for selling<br />

the most pancake tickets and will be a batboy<br />

for one UCLA game. The PPBA board<br />

was recognized, as well as Oscar Gonzales,<br />

who works nonstop on field maintenance.<br />

Then it was time for Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

actor/comedian Bill Hader to throw the<br />

first pitch to the waiting glove of Pinto<br />

Cub Jett Teegardin, and the <strong>2015</strong> PPBA<br />

season was underway.<br />

Michael C. Solum, Principal<br />

Insurance and Financial Services Agent<br />

881 Alma Real Dr., Suite T-10<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

(310) 454-0805<br />

msolum@farmersagent.com<br />

PaliInsurance.com<br />

License #OG51003


<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

Page 16 <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Hoops Coach Johnson Savors City Title<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

After winning the City Section Open Division<br />

championship on <strong>March</strong> 7, <strong>Palisades</strong> High girls<br />

basketball coach Torino Johnson said, “I’d like<br />

to make a new dictionary. I’d put in the word team,<br />

and below it I’d put a picture of my girls. They define<br />

that word.”<br />

By the same token, many would put down the word<br />

“coach” and then put Johnson’s photo next to it. This<br />

soft-spoken coach, who works as a special education aide<br />

at PaliHi, has helmed the girls program for eight years.<br />

The Dolphins beat Narbonne 60-56 in the final,<br />

winning the first open-division basketball playoffs in<br />

City history. Johnson said the new division was created<br />

to allow the best teams to play more competitive games.<br />

Johnson was reflective before practice, preparing for<br />

his team’s State playoff opener by watching a taped game<br />

from early November. The large City trophy sat on his<br />

desk in a closet-sized office.<br />

“We don’t need hardware to be champions,” he said.<br />

“We control our own destiny by winning or losing.”<br />

To make it to the finals against Narbonne, <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

overcame a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to defeat<br />

Fairfax. Johnson was asked what he told his team during<br />

a key timeout. “I told them to have fun,” he said. “Playing<br />

should be fun, it shouldn’t be a job.”<br />

Johnson’s philosophy was tested two days after their<br />

championship game. As a Section winner, the Dolphins<br />

were scheduled to open the State playoffs at home<br />

against second-seeded Mater Dei, the number-one<br />

ranked girls team in the nation. Mater Dei had been<br />

PaliHi head girls basketball coach Torino Johnson looks<br />

for challenges for his team, and in the process pushes his<br />

girls to success.<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

The Dolphins celebrate the 60-56 win over Narbonne, which clinched the first City Section Open Division championship.<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

upset by Chaminade. But Monday afternoon, Johnson<br />

was told the game had been moved to the Monarchs’<br />

court in Santa Ana.<br />

“In one way it’s a lack of respect [to take away the<br />

home advantage], but I get it,” Johnson said. “If Mater<br />

Dei loses to Chaminade, is that an actual loss? I can’t<br />

get involved in the politics. We will go to their place and<br />

do what we can do. We look at this as an opportunity,<br />

rather than an adversity.”<br />

Reflecting the life lessons he tries to impart on his<br />

players, Johnson said: “We can’t control the place or<br />

time, but we can control how well we shoot and how<br />

well we play.”<br />

A graduate of Manual Arts and USC (2005), Johnson<br />

doesn’t back down. “I never schedule bad teams—there<br />

are no cream puff games here,” he said. His young team<br />

had only three seniors when it played Mater Dei in the<br />

second game of the season and was thrashed, 74-32.<br />

He called the second chance to play Mater Dei, “an<br />

exciting position for us,” despite his team’s underdog<br />

status. At Mater Dei, a private school, athletics is king<br />

and money is pumped into the program and facilities—<br />

everything is state-of-the-art. “They care about athletics,”<br />

Johnson said.<br />

At <strong>Palisades</strong> High, that same level of support for<br />

facilities and equipment doesn’t exist. This is the first<br />

year the girls have had a locker room, but as Johnson<br />

points out, “We won a championship without it.”<br />

Mater Dei defeated Pali, 99-73, after taking a 32-12<br />

first-quarter lead. Although PaliHi outscored the<br />

Monarchs in the second and third quarter, in the fourth<br />

quarter Mater Dei came back with a vengeance.<br />

“We worked very hard and although the score will tell<br />

a story of us losing, we played hard and put ourselves in<br />

a very good position throughout the game,” Johnson<br />

said afterwards.<br />

The Dolphin scoring was led by junior K. Merrill-Gillett<br />

(23 points), senior Bianca King (21) and sophomore<br />

Chelsey Gipson (16).<br />

Johnson also praised players that don’t always get press,<br />

such as, “Chaniya Pickett has to guard the opposing<br />

team’s best ball handler, and Sammy Spanier (Fr.) Rita<br />

Herbstman (Sr.), Julia Ide (So.), Hannah Akahoshi (Jr.)<br />

and Arianna Haghani (Sr.) because they always work<br />

hard in practice, helping us to get good.”<br />

Pali does have a major advantage that many other<br />

programs lack: Coach Johnson, but he gives all the credit<br />

back to the girls. “We have a really great group of girls<br />

who are creating their own destiny. They’re champs.”<br />

He works with his players year-round. “The kids are<br />

dedicated student-athletes who sacrifice weekends,”<br />

Johnson said, noting that the girls who are on varsity<br />

or trying to make the team practice Monday through<br />

Saturday.<br />

In addition to drills, the girls do weight training,<br />

conditioning and skill building. “We partnered with<br />

the football team and did the Navy Seals training with<br />

them,” said Johnson, who is also strict about girls keeping<br />

their grades high. His players are routinely recruited:<br />

Dominique Scott went to USC, Nicole Flyer to the<br />

University of Michigan and Molly Ross to Carleton.<br />

“Study hall is mandatory during lunch and at seventh<br />

period (2:27 to 3:08 p.m.) and sometimes they stay<br />

until 4 p.m.,” Johnson said. This means some players<br />

have to miss practice time to make sure their grades<br />

are kept high.<br />

His team doesn’t go unnoticed on campus. “This is<br />

one of the best climates of one of the best programs at<br />

the school,” said journalism teacher and former<br />

sportswriter Lisa Saxon. “The girls support each other,<br />

they know how to bring the best of each other on and<br />

off the court.”


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 17<br />

Wrestlers Fail to<br />

Advance at State<br />

SUMMER CAMPS<br />

& SCHOOL<br />

PROGRAMS<br />

Special Section—<br />

April 15, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Place Your Ads NOW in the<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong>!<br />

Full-Color Pages, Full-Color Ads<br />

Distribution to the entire 90272 <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

Community (by US Mail to 13,300 addresses<br />

& 1,200 distribution around town)<br />

Special Section Pricing—<br />

PLUS, additional ads on the Camps Page<br />

in a following issue available (call for details)<br />

Make your Ad Reservation Today!<br />

Ad Space Reservation Deadline: April 6<br />

Camera-ready Ad Artwork Deadline: April 7<br />

(ads must be supplied by advertiser)<br />

Contact for Information:<br />

Jeff at (310) 573-0150<br />

jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com<br />

Grace at (310) 454-7383<br />

gracehiney@palisadesnews.com<br />

The top 40 wrestlers at each of the 14 individual<br />

weight classes participated at the<br />

CIF State meet in Bakersfield on <strong>March</strong> 6<br />

and 7.<br />

Among those participating were Pali -<br />

sades High School seniors David Rheingold<br />

(115 pounds), Brad Boorstein (170 pounds)<br />

and Kenny Jones (heavyweight), who qualified<br />

by taking first in their weight class at<br />

City Section finals. They made history by<br />

being the first PaliHi wrestlers to achieve<br />

this goal since the program was started<br />

three years ago by Randy Aguirre, who<br />

passed away in January.<br />

Although no one advanced to the semi’s<br />

or finals, Coach Aldo Juliano cited lack of<br />

experience at large venues as one of the reasons.<br />

Six matches went on at the same time<br />

and the bleachers were filled to capacity.<br />

Rustic Canyon Offers<br />

All-Ages Tennis Classes<br />

“There were no fish there.” He was asked<br />

about the term. “A fish is someone who is<br />

easy, who flounders around. If you want<br />

fish you came to the wrong pond.<br />

“Kenny should have won,” Juliano said.<br />

“He got a bad call and that changed everything.”<br />

Juliano said the person who beat<br />

the PaliHi senior heavyweight went onto<br />

take third.<br />

“David Rheingold lost his first match,<br />

then won his second, before dropping the<br />

third,” the coach said. “It’s a whole mind<br />

game, you could see the more seasoned<br />

wrestlers handle the crowds and noise.”<br />

Boorstein lost his first match, won his<br />

second, and lost in his third to a wrestler<br />

who went to the finals. “It’s a luck of the<br />

draw,” Juliano said.<br />

The tennis courts at Rustic Canyon<br />

Park were resurfaced last year<br />

through a fundraising effort by the<br />

community and are in impeccable condition,<br />

according to Santa Monica Canyon<br />

resident Debbie Alexander. “The vibe is relaxed,<br />

shady and mellow,” she reported.<br />

Weekly one-hour tennis classes for adults<br />

and children are $165 and provide a variety<br />

of options depending on age and skill level.<br />

Tiny Tot classes geared to three- and<br />

four-year-olds are now offered. They serve<br />

as an introduction to the sport, and classes<br />

are Tuesdays at 1, 1:30 and 2 p.m.<br />

Peewee classes (ages 6 to 9), are offered<br />

at 2 p.m. on Tuesday and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday<br />

and Sunday.<br />

A beginner/intermediate class for kids 9<br />

to 13 teaches the basics of play, how to keep<br />

score, serve and play for points. Classes are<br />

4 p.m. Tuesday, 2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturdays<br />

and Sundays at 10:30 a.m.<br />

Adult classes for beginners, advanced<br />

beginners and intermediates are held on<br />

Tuesday and Wednesday under the direction<br />

of tennis pro Park Liu.<br />

An adult tennis workout class is held on<br />

Monday and Friday from 9 to 10:30 p.m.<br />

and the fee is $<strong>18</strong>0 for 10 weeks.<br />

A Rustic Canyon Tennis Club has been<br />

formed. The program is uninstructed and<br />

participants must be of USTA level 3 or<br />

higher to register. The club meets Monday,<br />

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.<br />

to 1 p.m.<br />

The Rustic Canyon Live Ball Tennis Club<br />

meets from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and is<br />

uninstructed. The cost is $15 and participants<br />

are asked to bring a can of balls on<br />

the first day of class.<br />

An adult advanced drills class involves<br />

a half-hour lesson, then an hour match<br />

play with the instructor. Fee is $<strong>18</strong>0 for 10<br />

weeks, 10 to 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday.<br />

Adult drills intermediate class is a halfhour<br />

lesson to serve and volley, then an<br />

hour instructed play. Fee is $<strong>18</strong>0 for 10<br />

weeks, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays.<br />

On-line registration is closed. Walk-ins<br />

can go to Rustic Canyon Park, 601 Latimer<br />

Road, to register before the start of<br />

the new session on April 12, which runs<br />

through June 6.<br />

Contact park manager Tracy Field at<br />

(310) 459-7594.<br />

Visit: rusticcanyon.rc@lacity.org.<br />

Texas Hold ‘Em Poker<br />

Coming on May 9<br />

The second annual Rotary Texas Hold<br />

‘Em Poker Tournament will be held from<br />

5 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, in Janes<br />

Hall at the Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Presbyterian<br />

Church. Proceeds will benefit the <strong>Palisades</strong>-Malibu<br />

YMCA and the Rotary<br />

Club of Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Foundation.<br />

The prize pool will be more than<br />

$5,000. The initial buy-in is $200 (includes<br />

dinner) and the maximum number<br />

of players is 100. The deadline is May<br />

1, unless player spaces are sold out sooner.<br />

Contact Pete Crosby at (310) 454-6387<br />

or pcrosby@cgrmc.com; or Perry Akins at<br />

(310) 459-8551 or perry@perryakins.com.


Page <strong>18</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

A Home with Architectural History<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

There’s something reassuring about a<br />

home built decades ago with architectural<br />

insight and graciousness<br />

that people don’t instantly feel the need to<br />

renovate it or tear it down. Those buildings,<br />

like grand dames, have a history and are the<br />

more interesting for it.<br />

One property that fits into that category<br />

is the Trippet House at 13535 Lucca Dr. in<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>. The Los Angeles Times featured<br />

this historic French Tudor house in<br />

December 2006 and it is now on the market<br />

for $8.15 million.<br />

“Gerard Colcord was only 29 when he<br />

designed the Trippet House in 1930,” the<br />

story read. “Inspired by farm houses in the<br />

Normandy region of France, its exterior<br />

is rough field stone masonry. A dramatic<br />

high-pitched roof drives the design. Thick<br />

stone walls lend an air of stolidity and give<br />

the impression of a house built to last for<br />

generations.”<br />

Two years later, the house was featured in<br />

the entire first chapter of Bret Parsons’ book<br />

Colcord Homes (Angel City Press, 2008).<br />

Parsons wrote: “Rough fieldstone masonry<br />

veneer exemplifies the picturesque<br />

quality of Trippet House. A massive masonry<br />

wall with no window openings facing<br />

the street emphasizes the fireplace and<br />

the solidarity of farm buildings that were<br />

designed to be protective.<br />

“Colcord often modified traditional details.<br />

For example, the steel-easement windows<br />

in Trippet House were generally found<br />

only in the most expensive residences—<br />

not farmhouses. Even the proportions of<br />

the thin steel-framed windows are quite<br />

different from the heavier wood-framed<br />

casement windows found in a French<br />

farmhouse.”<br />

When Parsons published his book, he<br />

received a phone call from actor Harrison<br />

Ford, who owned two of the architect’s<br />

houses. Other celebrities who have owned<br />

Colcord homes included Tom Jones,<br />

Dean Martin, Tony Curtis, Debbie<br />

Reynolds, Richard Chamberlain and<br />

AMAZING MUSIC STORE.COM<br />

<br />

ALL AGES, ALL STYLES!<br />

Group & Private Lessons • Instrument Rentals & Sales<br />

<br />

NOTICE TO READERS<br />

The <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> welcomes submissions of obituary notices<br />

for Palisadians, past and present. Notices must be 400 words or<br />

less. A photo may be sent for possible inclusion. There is no charge<br />

for the notice, nor the photo. For questions, or to submit, please<br />

e-mail editor@palisadesnews.com. The desired deadline for submissions<br />

is Thursday before the intended publication date (the<br />

first and third Wednesday of the month).<br />

The historic Trippet House in the Riviera neighborhood of Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> is now on the market.<br />

Reese Witherspoon.<br />

“Every owner I talked with said they love<br />

having guests over,” Parsons wrote. “The<br />

problem is they don’t want to leave because<br />

they feel so comfortable.”<br />

There is some notoriety about the Trippet<br />

House’s second owner, Dr. Ernst C.<br />

Fishbaugh, a physician to the oil-rich Doheny<br />

family.<br />

In February 1929, Edward “Ned” Doheny,<br />

36, and his friend and assistant<br />

Theodore Hugh Plunkett, were found dead<br />

in the Greystone mansion in Beverly Hills.<br />

Historical accounts vary but Fishbaugh<br />

may have helped up cover up a crime surrounding<br />

the possible murder/suicide of<br />

the two men.<br />

According to the doctor, “I received a call<br />

at the Hollywood Playhouse from my maid<br />

at 10:30 p.m. and was told to go to the Doheny<br />

home immediately. Upon my arrival<br />

there, one of the watchmen let me in the<br />

house . . . As I entered, Mrs. Doheny was<br />

standing in the middle hallway approximately<br />

eight feet back from the door and<br />

greeted me. She said her husband was in a<br />

guestroom on the first floor, to the left of<br />

the hall leading from the front entrance.<br />

“Both Mrs. Doheny and I started down<br />

the hall, side by side. A door, which partitions<br />

the hall, was slightly ajar, and I saw<br />

Plunkett walking toward it. ‘You stay out of<br />

here,’ he shouted at me and slammed the<br />

door shut. I then heard a shot. ‘You go back,’<br />

I told Mrs. Doheny, and she returned to the<br />

living room, which was about 75 feet away<br />

from the guest room. I pushed the door<br />

open and saw Plunkett lying on his face<br />

opposite the door to the bedroom where<br />

I later found Mr. Doheny. Plunkett, to the<br />

<br />

Proudly<br />

Serving the<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> for<br />

Over 35<br />

Years!<br />

Photo: Courtesy of Amalfi Estates<br />

best of my recollection, was fully clothed.<br />

The door to the bedroom was open, and<br />

when I looked in I saw Mr. Doheny lying<br />

on his back, a chair overturned between<br />

him and the bed.”<br />

An ensuing media storm soon called<br />

Ned Doheny a hero because of a rumor he<br />

was trying to help a troubled friend, and<br />

had been killed for his efforts.<br />

The forensic investigator, Leslie White,<br />

doubted Fishbaugh’s story. He found a smoldering<br />

cigarette in Hugh’s fingertips, who<br />

supposedly had just killed his best friend<br />

and then himself. The gun used in the murder<br />

lay under Plunkett’s body, very warm,<br />

as if someone had heated it in the oven.<br />

Indeed, the doctor was caught in several<br />

lies, including withholding the fact that<br />

Ned had been alive when the doctor burst<br />

(Continued on Page 19)<br />

Follow<br />

us on<br />

Facebook!<br />

HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONAL WORKMANSHIP<br />

• Re-piping Specialists • Sewer, All-Drain Cleaning • Earthquake Shut-off Valves<br />

• Repair Work • Sprinkler Systems • Installation of Sub Meters & Tankless Water Heaters<br />

16626 Marquez Ave. Ray Church, owner<br />

email: PalPlum1@aol.com (310) 454-5548 INCORPORATED — CA Lic. #385995


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 19<br />

Trippet House<br />

(Continued from Page <strong>18</strong>)<br />

into the room. White also observed that<br />

Ned had been shot at very close range,<br />

Hugh had not.<br />

The case initially hit all of the local papers,<br />

but 36 hours later District Attorney<br />

Buron Fitts officially closed the investigation,<br />

killing any further investigation.<br />

Several theories had been floated, including<br />

that the two men were lovers, but there<br />

was also a financial aspect that cannot be<br />

discounted.<br />

The elder Doheny had become involved<br />

in the Teapot Dome scandal, in which Doheny,<br />

Albert Fall [U.S. Secretary of State]<br />

and oilman Harry Sinclair were charged<br />

with conspiracy. Earlier, Ned and Hugh had<br />

gone to New York and after withdrawing<br />

$100,000 from a banking account, gave<br />

the money to Fall.<br />

Doheny was acquitted in December<br />

1926, but was later charged again, this time<br />

with bribery.<br />

Ned and Hugh had been called to testify<br />

in the upcoming bribery trials of Albert Fall<br />

and E.L. Doheny. And although Ned had<br />

been assured immunity, Hugh had not.<br />

After the murders, Fishbaugh purchased<br />

the Trippet House.<br />

Today, the 4,976-sq.-ft. home has 6 bedrooms<br />

and 5.5 bathrooms on a 20,877-sq.-<br />

ft. flat lot in the Riviera, plus a guest house,<br />

a pool/spa and an outdoor kitchen. The listing<br />

agent is Palisadian Anthony Marguleas,<br />

who can be contacted at (310) 293-9280.<br />

Documentarian Brian Ivie Will<br />

Speak at ‘Food for Thought’<br />

By SUE PASCOE<br />

Editor<br />

Documentarian Brian Ivie is the<br />

next speaker in the monthly “Food<br />

for Thought” series on Thursday,<br />

<strong>March</strong> 26, after the free luncheon at 11:30<br />

a.m. in the <strong>Palisades</strong> Presbyterian Church’s<br />

community room, Janes Hall. Ivie will<br />

speak about The Drop Box, which opened<br />

at 750 theaters on <strong>March</strong> 3.<br />

Clips will be shown from this featurelength<br />

documentary, which tells the story<br />

of one man’s efforts to protect and care for<br />

newborn babies who might have otherwise<br />

been abandoned on the streets of Seoul,<br />

South Korea.<br />

Pastor Lee Jong-Rak built a “baby<br />

box”—a safe harbor to welcome and care<br />

for these babies. So far, more than 600 babies,<br />

many of whom have disabilities, have<br />

been helped. A portion of the film’s proceeds<br />

will go to support Pastor Lee’s ministry.<br />

He has been quoted as saying, “They<br />

aren’t the unnecessary ones . . . God sent<br />

them here for a purpose.”<br />

“The Drop Box is a profoundly moving<br />

documentary that sheds much-needed<br />

light on the inherent dignity and mission<br />

of each human person, especially those<br />

with a serious disability. In a world that<br />

Teen Poets Can Win Book Deal<br />

The Los Angeles Public Library is offering<br />

free creative writing workshops for<br />

teens, culminating in the opportunity to<br />

become the Los Angeles youth poet laureate<br />

and to secure a book deal to publish a first<br />

book of poems.<br />

Attend any or all of the workshops at<br />

the <strong>Palisades</strong> Branch Library from 3:30 to<br />

5:30 p.m. on Monday, <strong>March</strong> 23; Tuesday,<br />

<strong>March</strong> 31; and Monday April 6 and 13 with<br />

Rachel Kann. During the workshop, teens<br />

will also be able to work on their professional<br />

resumes.<br />

Trish Bowe CLU, Agent<br />

Insurance Lic#: 0606059<br />

845 Via De La Paz<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

Bus: 310-454-0349<br />

Kann has taught poetry workshops at<br />

the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program<br />

since 2008 and is a TEDx Poet who has<br />

performed her work at venues from Royce<br />

Hall to San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts.<br />

She has won a James Kirkwood Award for<br />

fiction.<br />

After attending a workshop(s), teens<br />

(ages 13 to 19) will write five poems and<br />

fill out the resume form at urbanword.org.<br />

The top poets will perform at the L.A.<br />

Youth Poet Laureate Finals on Sunday,<br />

June 28 at the Mark Taper Auditorium.<br />

Gotta love a<br />

good combo<br />

… especially when it saves you money.<br />

I can help you save an average e of $ 600.* Talk to me<br />

about combining your renters and auto insurance today.<br />

G et to a bette<br />

er State<br />

®<br />

. Get Sta<br />

te Farm<br />

m.<br />

CALL ME TODAY.<br />

*A Average annual per household savings bas<br />

ed o<br />

n a 2010 0 national survey of new policy<br />

yholders who reported savings by switc<br />

ching to Sta<br />

te Farm<br />

.<br />

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL<br />

1201143<br />

State Farm Fire and Casualty<br />

Company, State Farm General Insurance Company,<br />

Bloomington, IL<br />

Brian Ivie will speak at Janes Hall.<br />

often emphasizes the need to be perfect,<br />

this real-life story gets to the heart of love,<br />

life, and the unique giftedness of every<br />

human being,” said one reviewer, Jeanne<br />

Monahan, president of <strong>March</strong> for Life.<br />

“Through this movie, we’re hoping that<br />

people will see more than Christians working<br />

on behalf of orphans,” said Ivie. “We’re<br />

hoping that people will see a God who has<br />

always and will always love the broken and<br />

PPO 14191<br />

ACO 6002<br />

C10 899092<br />

ALARMS<br />

Interactive alarms are now standard and keep you in<br />

control. We install and maintain integrated alarm<br />

systems to protect your home and family. Our local<br />

state-of-the-art, 24-hour Central Monitoring Station<br />

is staffed with professional operators ready to assist<br />

you at home and in the community.<br />

PATROL / RESPONSE<br />

Our academy-trained patrol officers ensure your<br />

safety and security at home and in the community.<br />

Highly trained and quick response, we are the most<br />

effective patrol service in town.<br />

CAMERAS<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Patrol installs cameras that deliver exceptional<br />

image quality, capturing more details and clearer<br />

images versus competitive options. We monitor and<br />

respond to camera monitoring.<br />

the lost.”<br />

A graduate of the University of Southern<br />

California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Ivie<br />

became interested in the hidden world of<br />

child abandonment in South Korea and<br />

other countries. While making the film, he<br />

became a Christian.<br />

Afterwards, he co-founded the nonprofit<br />

Kindred Image, which works on preventing<br />

abandonment, meeting mothers in crisis<br />

and offering alternatives to abandonment<br />

in unsafe places and providing long-term<br />

solutions for single mothers and children.<br />

The nonprofit is committed to holistic solutions<br />

through counseling, care packages<br />

and adoption support.<br />

Ivie is a published film critic and recreational<br />

songwriter; he was the only white<br />

male in the Saved by Grace Gospel Choir.<br />

With four other like-minded individuals,<br />

Ivie founded Arbella Studios, whose mission<br />

is to tell truthful stories that can expose<br />

the heart to its most desperate need. The<br />

company believes that film communicates<br />

stories with unique authority and authenticity,<br />

and believes that the gospel of Jesus<br />

Christ is the most beautiful story ever.<br />

Please RSVP to (310) 454-0366 in order<br />

to ensure enough food for the luncheon.<br />

PALISADES PATROL<br />

15332 Antioch Street, #117 • Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272 • Fax: (310) 459-7773<br />

310.454.7741<br />

Gates Security Systems – Malibu Patrol – Conejo Valley Patrol – Brentwood Patrol<br />

WWW.GATESSECURITY.COM


<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

Page 20 <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

J.W.M.<br />

Turner:<br />

Master<br />

of Sea,<br />

Mist and<br />

Light<br />

By LIBBY MOTIKA<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Contributor<br />

If the renowned <strong>18</strong>th-century British<br />

artist J.W.M. Turner could have slipped<br />

into the eye of a hurricane, he most certainly<br />

would have rendered the power and<br />

intensity of the storm looking from the inside<br />

out, with an emotional intensity that<br />

seemed impossible with paint on canvas.<br />

But this was the man who claimed that<br />

he was tied to the mast of a ship on the<br />

night of a storm and witnessed it for four<br />

hours. When looking at the finished painting,<br />

“Snow Storm: Steamboat off a Harbour’s<br />

Mouth,” the viewer is caught up in<br />

that very vortex.<br />

Turner was captivated by natural phenomena—sunrises,<br />

fog and the mutable skies—<br />

J.M.W. Turner self-portrait<br />

“The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, <strong>18</strong>34.”<br />

and he was obsessed with natural catastrophes,<br />

raging storms and conflagrations.<br />

Turner was captivated by natural phenomena—sunrises,<br />

fog and the mutable<br />

skies—and he was obsessed with natural catastrophes,<br />

raging storms and conflagrations.<br />

“When the Tower of London was burning<br />

down in <strong>18</strong>21, Turner applied to the<br />

Duke of Wellington to go into the Tower<br />

and make studies, but he was denied. So he<br />

made the studies from across the water,<br />

which are so incredibly fresh to our eye,”<br />

says Julian Brooks, co-curator of the exhibition<br />

“J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free”<br />

at the Getty Museum through May 24.<br />

The 60 watercolors and oil paintings on<br />

view represent the last 15 years of Turner’s<br />

life. Remarkably, these are the most expressive,<br />

dynamic and innovative of his life’s<br />

work, says Timothy Potts, director of the<br />

J. Paul Getty Museum.<br />

“This is an exhibition with a thesis,” Potts<br />

continues. “It wants to look at Turner’s late<br />

work and understand it going back to the<br />

end of the <strong>18</strong>th century and early 19th century<br />

when he is consciously drawing on the<br />

work of other great landscape artists. Then<br />

you have this flourish that is so totally different.<br />

Instead of defining and representing<br />

reality in a traditional way, the artist’s late<br />

work is much more expressive. It flows between<br />

solid and liquid, air and wind and<br />

sea—all these elements of nature in a very<br />

expressive and atmospheric way. That’s<br />

what appeals to modern audiences.” It has<br />

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art: The John Howard McFadden Collection, 1928<br />

been seen as, in a sense, proto-modern.<br />

Turner was born in London in 1775 and<br />

lived as the Industrial Revolution was transforming<br />

England from hand production<br />

methods to machines. He showed an early<br />

talent for drawing and watercolor and was<br />

admitted to the Royal Academy of Art in<br />

1789 at age 14. During these early years, he<br />

developed the custom of traveling throughout<br />

Britain, producing a wide range of<br />

sketches for working up into studies and<br />

watercolors.<br />

Throughout his life, Turner continued to<br />

travel every summer on his own, often on<br />

foot, having no retinue carrying his bags. He<br />

had his boots resoled and re-heeled countless<br />

times, but he was just driven to carry<br />

on. This was where his subject matter was.<br />

He expanded his itinerary to the Continent,<br />

after the end of the Napoleonic wars in<br />

<strong>18</strong>15 when Continental travel was possible.<br />

Venice was one of his favorite places<br />

and it was easy to see why. It was all about<br />

(Continued on Page 21)<br />

“Venice at Sunrise from the Hotel Europa, with Campanile of San Marco,” about <strong>18</strong>40.<br />

Photo © Tate, London 2014


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 21<br />

“Snow Storm: Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth,” exhibited <strong>18</strong>42. Photo © Tate, London 2014<br />

whole career focuses on the sea. These maritime<br />

scenes capture more than just pretty<br />

seascapes, but rather show his intensely<br />

emotional observations of the play of light<br />

on the water and the radiance of the skies.<br />

“In ‘Snow Storm,’ the steamboat is absolutely<br />

at the mercy of the elements,”<br />

Brooks says. “This new technology (steam<br />

power) is nothing compared to the power<br />

of nature. Here you can’t even see the horizon,<br />

it’s a vortex. These veils of spray that<br />

come up, you feel it also in the coloring,<br />

there is hardly any blue or green—the normal<br />

colors you’d find in a maritime picture.<br />

It’s really black and white; you feel a seeth -<br />

ing power of the ocean underneath.”<br />

Critics were outraged by this exhibition.<br />

One opined, “It’s just a load of soapsuds<br />

and whitewash.” Turner replied, “Well, I<br />

wish I’d been in it.”<br />

Notably eccentric, Turner had few<br />

friends, except for his father, who lived with<br />

him for 30 years until his death in <strong>18</strong>29.<br />

While he never married, later in life Turner<br />

lived with Sophia Caroline Booth, in whose<br />

house he had rented a room in the seaside<br />

town of Margate. The two lived together<br />

in Chelsea until his death in <strong>18</strong>51. (Mr.<br />

Turner, director Mike Leigh’s film currently<br />

in theaters, received high marks from the<br />

director of the Tate Galleries, who said:<br />

“Mike Leigh and star Timothy Spall’s great<br />

achievement is showing us how the artist<br />

approached the physical business of painting.<br />

But they also convey the spirit of a man<br />

whose reputation as a curmudgeon is un-<br />

(Continued from Page 20)<br />

atmosphere. As he said to John Ruskin,<br />

the leading English art critic at the time,<br />

“Atmosphere is my style.”<br />

Success followed Turner’s recognized talent,<br />

which allowed him financial independence.<br />

His early works stayed true to the<br />

traditions of English landscape, but as he<br />

aged he began to push the envelope by introducing<br />

new subject matter that his contemporaries<br />

weren’t painting.<br />

“He painted contemporary scenes and<br />

much more assiduously than his contemporaries,<br />

who were generally working on<br />

medieval subjects or pure landscapes, descriptive,<br />

photographical landscapes,”<br />

Brooks says.<br />

By <strong>18</strong>35, when Turner was 60 years old,<br />

he was at the top of his game, had made a<br />

great deal of money, and could have easily<br />

settled into a quiet life, but continued to<br />

paint. Everything in the Getty exhibition<br />

is what he did after that period.<br />

About half of his subject matter over his<br />

warranted, given his passionate interest in<br />

people and the world around him.”)<br />

Turner left the majority of his works,<br />

over 19,000 works on paper and 200<br />

paintings, finished and unfinished, to the<br />

English nation, which are housed at the<br />

Tate Britain. The Getty exhibition is the<br />

first major exhibition on the West Coast<br />

devoted to Turner’s paintings, organized<br />

by Tate Britain.<br />

On Tuesday, April 14, at 1:30 p.m., Assistant<br />

Curator of Paintings Peter Bjorn Kerber<br />

and Curator of Drawings Julian Brooks<br />

will lead gallery tours of the exhibition.<br />

Want a Free<br />

Street Tree?<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Beautiful, a nonprofit local organization,<br />

will plant new trees in the parkways<br />

in front of homeowners’ houses. Every<br />

street in Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> has a designated tree<br />

and those planted will follow that pattern.<br />

When signing a request form, people<br />

promise to follow instructions for a tree’s<br />

future care. <strong>Palisades</strong> Beautiful will arrange<br />

to obtain the tree and plant it. “Get Your<br />

Free Tree!” flyers are available at the Pali -<br />

sades Branch Library or the Chamber of<br />

Commerce. The form is also available online<br />

at palisadesbeautiful.org.<br />

Contact info@palisadesbeautiful.org; or<br />

phone Barbara Marinacci at (310) 459-0190<br />

or Marjorie Friedlander (310) 459-7145.<br />

Pulp ’n Hide<br />

The Candy Alley<br />

Brentwood<br />

Two great stores in one location!<br />

Stationery<br />

Leather Photo Albums<br />

Blank Page Books<br />

Chocolate Bunnies and Eggs<br />

Plush Bunnies for Easter Baskets<br />

Chocolate Seder Plates for Passover<br />

filled with dipped Matzo,<br />

Macaroons and Meringues<br />

We are back in Brentwood<br />

310-394-0700<br />

pulpandhide@ aol.com at 13028 San Vicente Blvd.<br />

Also available<br />

at Nate ‘n Al<br />

of Beverly Hills<br />

Delicatessen.<br />

310-394-0714<br />

candyalley7@ aol.com


Page 22 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Local Teachers Featured in Photography Show<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> High School teachers Steve<br />

Engelmann and Paula Riff will be<br />

featured in a Los Angeles Center of<br />

Photography exhibition entitled “f16–New<br />

Photographic Visions.” The opening reception<br />

is 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, <strong>March</strong><br />

21, at the Center, 1515 Wilcox Ave. in Hollywood.<br />

The exhibition is free and runs<br />

through April 17.<br />

This fine art photography collection includes<br />

multiple processes and highlights the<br />

Steve Engelmann uses multiple negatives to<br />

combine the human form with the twisted<br />

heartwood of the ancient bristlecone pine.<br />

varying points of view of artists: Maureen<br />

Bond, John Bosma, Tom Carmichael, Ladini<br />

Conder, Cindy Crane, Sheri Determan,<br />

Beth Dubber, Engelmann, Carol Erb,<br />

Samantha Geballe, Crystal Dickerson-Hancock,<br />

Shari Yantra Marcacci, Maureen Price,<br />

Riff, Anne Slattery and Isabella Vosmikova.<br />

Engelmann, who teaches AP environmental<br />

science and coaches the Environthon<br />

team, received a bachelor’s degree in<br />

marine biology from UCLA.<br />

A lifelong Palisadian (his parents moved<br />

here in 1962), Engelmann started taking<br />

photos when he was a student at Paul Revere<br />

Junior High. He continued studying<br />

photography with Rob Doucotte at PaliHi,<br />

graduating in 1982.<br />

In addition to the L.A. Center of Photography,<br />

Englemann’s work has been exhibited<br />

many times at the Santa Monica<br />

College Photography Gallery and at the<br />

Happening Gallery in Marina del Rey.<br />

Englemann was the sole artist featured<br />

at SMC in a 2012 show “Natura Humana,”<br />

with the theme of how human beings relate<br />

to nature—in each photograph, he<br />

juxtaposed two images into one.<br />

In an earlier interview, he explained, “I<br />

isolate a form from nature and incorporate<br />

a human shape or detail within. Each image<br />

has a complement with either a positive or<br />

negative background. The duality of these<br />

pairings emphasizes the struggle to find a<br />

new equilibrium.”<br />

The photographer said that people have<br />

difficulty deciphering both images. “People<br />

see something totally different, like psychology’s<br />

figure-ground tests.”<br />

The environmentalist added that he is<br />

“exploring our senses as our connection to<br />

natural elements. Nature feeds us, quenches<br />

us, nurtures us, heals and soothes us, and<br />

yet we increasingly insulate ourselves from<br />

our environment. What does ‘natural’<br />

mean to our mind and senses today, as they<br />

are continually altered by new technologies<br />

and the built environment? I am fascinated<br />

by our changing perceptions, subconscious<br />

contradictions and the conflicts that ensue.”<br />

Englemann’s wife, Diana, is an English<br />

professor at SMC. The couple have two<br />

children, Sasha and Elliott.<br />

Paula Riff has worked as a special education<br />

teacher at PaliHi for the last five years.<br />

She grew up in Ohio and attended UC<br />

Berkeley, where she majored in Japanese<br />

language and studies.<br />

After college, she lived in Tokyo for several<br />

years. When she returned to the U.S.,<br />

Riff became an interpreter for Japanese film<br />

production companies in Los Angeles.<br />

As a self-taught photographer, Riff<br />

switched careers, landing an internship in<br />

the photo department at the Los Angeles<br />

County Museum of Art. Although she<br />

had a fairly successful career shooting<br />

This is one of nine photographs that are part<br />

of a larger series called “Russian Postcards”<br />

by <strong>Palisades</strong> High teacher Paula Riff.<br />

portraits and hand-coloring photographs,<br />

she entered graduate school and received<br />

a teaching credential.<br />

Riff often hand-colors her black-andwhite<br />

photographs using a subtly colorful<br />

palette. She recently purchased a digital<br />

camera, but still prefers film.<br />

Visit: f16newphotographicvisions.blog -<br />

spot.com/or juliadean.com.<br />

ELLEN MCCORMICK<br />

JUST LISTED<br />

Offered at $1,595,000 | 631 Baylor St., Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>. 3 BR, 2 BA | www.631Baylor.com<br />

Move right in to this jewel box of a home. 3 BR, 2 BA, family room, updated kitchen & baths, large yard.<br />

ELLEN MCCORMICK<br />

Distinguished representation of the<br />

Westside since 1984.<br />

ellenmccormick.com<br />

(310) 230-3707 | ellen@ellenmccormick.com<br />

CalBRE# 008725<strong>18</strong><br />

©<strong>2015</strong> An Independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC.


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 23<br />

April Group<br />

Show Seeks<br />

Art Entries<br />

The Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Art Association<br />

will host its April Group Show, featuring<br />

painting on canvas, painting under<br />

glass and sculpture. This show is open<br />

to all paid members. Art may be submitted<br />

at the <strong>Palisades</strong> Branch library<br />

from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday,<br />

<strong>March</strong> 25.<br />

The entry fee is $10 per item and<br />

there is a maximum of three entries<br />

in each category. All work must have<br />

a sturdy hanging wire across the<br />

back, with a maximum size of 42<br />

inches on any side. Framing should<br />

be of professional quality or canvases<br />

may have wrapped sides. Sculpture is<br />

picked up after judging, about 1 p.m.<br />

<strong>March</strong> 25, and brought back for the<br />

reception only.<br />

A reception and awards ceremony<br />

will be held on Saturday, April 4,<br />

from noon to 2 p.m. Ribbons will be<br />

awarded in each category. (The show<br />

in November will include art in the<br />

mixed-media, photo, print and drawing<br />

categories.)<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Postal Worker<br />

Sentenced for Hit-and-Run<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> postal worker Marguerite<br />

Dao Vuong, 67, was sentenced<br />

to three years in prison for a December<br />

2013 hit-and-run crash that killed 23-<br />

year-old David Pregerson. Her husband,<br />

Michael, 67, received one year in jail and<br />

three years’ probation for claiming he drove<br />

the vehicle at the time of the crash.<br />

At the sentencing on <strong>March</strong> 6, Deputy<br />

District Attorney Marna Miller told Los<br />

Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathryn<br />

Solorzano that Marguerite Vuong, who was<br />

driving to work at the Post Office facility on<br />

La Cruz, turned her vehicle around after<br />

it struck Pregerson. Miller said it was clear<br />

that Vuong drove back by his body before<br />

she went home and switched cars so she<br />

could drive to work without notifying authorities<br />

about what had happened.<br />

Judge Solorzano was also told that<br />

Vuong’s husband was responsible for having<br />

the car’s windshield replaced after the<br />

crash, resulting in destruction of evidence.<br />

Pregerson, a recent UCLA graduate, a son<br />

of U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson and<br />

a grandson of U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals<br />

Judge Harry Pregerson, was walking<br />

on the 600 block of Chautauqua Boulevard.<br />

According to the L.A. Times, “The victim,<br />

drunk after a party, was struck as he<br />

was walking home about 3 a.m. For<br />

months, the case went unsolved, but surveillance<br />

videos from homeowners in the<br />

residential area where the collision took<br />

place helped lead police to identify Marguerite<br />

as the driver. He was found later<br />

in the bushes by the side of the road by a<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Patrol officer, transported to the<br />

hospital and died four days later.<br />

“In a secret recording made at the police<br />

station, Marguerite told her husband<br />

to ‘lie about everything.’”<br />

A City <strong>News</strong> Service report noted the<br />

victim’s father called what had happened<br />

a “horror” and said his son had been “annihilated<br />

by a three-ton vehicle.”<br />

“You never get over the loss of a child,” he<br />

said. “Every day is just pain management.”<br />

Dean Pregerson wondered, “What kind<br />

of person is capable of leaving a broken<br />

body on a highway?” The family and the<br />

Los Angeles City Council each offered<br />

$50,000 rewards for information leading to<br />

the driver’s arrest and conviction.<br />

Dao Vuong’s son Andrew, an emergencyroom<br />

physician, told the Pregersons how<br />

deeply they were affected by the tragedy<br />

and that his parents were not evil, but had<br />

made mistakes, and asked for forgiveness.<br />

Another of the couple’s sons, Johnny,<br />

said his parents came to the United States<br />

from war-torn Vietnam. “They are not<br />

monsters,” he said. “Ultimately they are<br />

imperfect people.”<br />

In addition to her state prison sentence,<br />

Marguerite Vuong’s California driver’s license<br />

will be revoked for a one-year period that will<br />

begin when she is paroled from state prison.<br />

Rain Report<br />

The February 28 drizzle plus the <strong>March</strong><br />

1 downpour resulted in 1.01 inches of rain,<br />

per an official Los Angeles County rain<br />

gauge, located at Carol Leacock’s home on<br />

Bienveneda Avenue.<br />

Deputy assistant rainmeister Ted Mackie<br />

said normal to date is 12.48 inches; currently<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> has received 7.59<br />

inches. Last year’s total at this time was 5.94<br />

inches. He reminded us that 2006-2007 was<br />

the driest year in recent history, when only<br />

4.11 inches of rain were reported.<br />

STYLE FOR EVERYONE<br />

20% OFF FOR FIRST TIME CLIENTS<br />

Full-service hair, skincare, and beauty studio serving the<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong>, Malibu, and Westside community. With adjacent<br />

blow-dry bar and professional beauty supply store.<br />

Blow Dry - $40+<br />

Coloring - $75+<br />

Cuts & Design - $95+<br />

Men's Cuts - $50<br />

Children Styles - $30+<br />

1016 Swarthmore Ave • Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272 • (310) 454-<strong>18</strong>85


Page 24 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

The Fine Art of Paint<br />

Cox Paint, Santa Monica<br />

1130 Santa Monica Blvd.<br />

310.393.7208<br />

Cox Paint, Culver City<br />

11153 Washington Blvd.<br />

310.838.2284


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 25<br />

Fundraiser Showcases Top Fashion Lines<br />

Servicing<br />

Westside Communities<br />

from the City to the Beach<br />

BRETT DUFFY<br />

REAL ESTATE<br />

BRETT C. DUFFY<br />

Cindy Jones is in BOCA clothing.<br />

The Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Woman’s Club<br />

hosted its annual fashion show and<br />

luncheon on <strong>March</strong> 3. More than<br />

120 guests watched as <strong>18</strong> models strutted<br />

down a runway in clothing provided by<br />

BOCA Man, BOCA and Vivian’s Boutique.<br />

The tradition began more than 30 years<br />

ago, as not only a way to showcase local<br />

stores and available fashions, but also as a<br />

fundraiser for the club.<br />

This year the organizing committee responsible<br />

for securing fashions, finding<br />

models and decorating the room included<br />

Nichelle Toomire, Stephanie Smith, Terri<br />

Webb, Dr. Jane George, Terri Lyman,<br />

Haldis Toppel, Roberta Donohue and<br />

Brook Dougherty.<br />

Smith crafted the ceiling floral overhangs,<br />

using flowers from her own garden,<br />

and joined with Toomire to create floral<br />

centerpieces for the tables.<br />

The normally drab yellow curtain on<br />

the stage was partially pulled to reveal a<br />

colorful backdrop hung by Smith. Once<br />

she had selected the material for the backdrop,<br />

she used that color theme to design<br />

invitations, banners and the menus<br />

tucked into the napkins.<br />

Toomire and Smith chose Taste restaurant<br />

in the Highlands to provide the food.<br />

Guests were able to select from a Mexican-style<br />

salad with chicken or a roasted<br />

vegetable salad. Wine was donated by club<br />

members. Dessert, also from Taste, included<br />

a selection mini-cupcakes, chocolate-chip<br />

cookies and brownies.<br />

Servers were from the Midnight Mission:<br />

men who are honing skills in food services.<br />

The nonprofit offers a self-sufficiency path<br />

and job opportunities to men and women<br />

who have lost everything. The Mission provides<br />

the accountability and structure that<br />

homeless individuals need to rejoin their<br />

communities. After securing a job, participants<br />

gradually move into the Midnight<br />

Mission’s Transitional Housing Center or<br />

back into the community.<br />

Palisadian Greg Alper performed on<br />

his saxophone, providing live background<br />

music.<br />

Dr. George was in charge of securing raffle<br />

items. Webb arranged and wrapped the<br />

items, aided by Phyllis Nelson, Judy Grosh,<br />

Sharon Kanan and Cathie Yonke. Guests<br />

dropped tickets into jars placed in front<br />

of the items they wanted to win; during<br />

the show, tickets were drawn and winners<br />

announced.<br />

Jean Aroeste and Donohue worked on<br />

reservations and table seating, while<br />

Woman’s Club president Lyman, Toppel<br />

and Dougherty worked behind the scenes<br />

to ensure that the event ran smoothly.<br />

In addition to the clothing, Flash Jewelry<br />

Gallery donated jewelry for models to wear.<br />

Club member Holly Surya sold jewelry in<br />

the lobby before the show.<br />

Vivian Foster, owner of Vivian’s Boutique<br />

on Via de la Paz, served as the emcee<br />

during the fashion show. Male models were<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Chamber of Commerce<br />

CEO Arnie Wishnick, personal trainer Rigo<br />

Manzanares (Gelson’s former wine manager),<br />

Dr. Shannon Watson and Caruso<br />

Affiliated executive Rick Lemmo.<br />

Modeling for Vivian’s and BOCA were<br />

Robin Fuchs, Jan Gentry, Ingrid Vinje,<br />

Krystyna Kaszubowski, Dr. Susan Crane,<br />

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices<br />

881 Alma Real Drive, Suite 100<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>, CA 90272<br />

(310) 230-3716 / brettduffy@bhhscal.com<br />

©<strong>2015</strong> An Independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. CalBRE# 01241284<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

Dr. Shannon Watson wears BOCA Man.<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

Carol Pfannkuche, Reny Cantu, Sue Pascoe,<br />

Frances Sharpe, Brooke King, Cindy Jones,<br />

Marie Tran, Sarah Ketelhut and Dana Glover.<br />

Everyone attending received a gift bag<br />

containing shampoo, lotion and other cosmetic<br />

samples. There were gifts from Flash,<br />

Vivian’s and Marie Tran in every bag.<br />

Proceeds from the event will be used<br />

towards the $1.5-million clubhouse renovation.<br />

Bryan’s Smile Focuses<br />

On Drug Awareness<br />

When Santa Monica dentist Melanie<br />

Gullet lost her 26-year-old son Bryan to<br />

drug addiction, she formed Bryan’s Smile,<br />

a nonprofit organization dedicated to<br />

bringing awareness about addiction and<br />

depression.<br />

“The ‘not my child’ and the ‘not me’ attitude,<br />

along with the lack of knowledge<br />

about addiction and depression, have created<br />

a disturbing increase in deaths of<br />

America’s young,” Gullet said. “Our mission<br />

is to bring awareness and communication<br />

about what is being called an<br />

epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control<br />

and Prevention.”<br />

On <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, April 16 and May 14, there<br />

will be programs from 6 to 9 p.m. at St.<br />

Martin of Tours, 11955 Sunset Blvd., in<br />

ATRIUM<br />

HAIR SALON<br />

Is Here to Serve You<br />

Men • Women • Kids<br />

Free Toy w/ Kid’s Cuts<br />

Walk-Ins Welcome • Senior Discount<br />

_______________________________<br />

Voted “Best Haircut”<br />

Tues-Sat 9-5<br />

– LA Magazine..<br />

860 Via de la Paz 424.272.9267<br />

Reny Cantu wears clothing from Vivian’s.<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

Brentwood. Participants will follow the fate<br />

of a fictitious teen addicted to drugs, which<br />

includes arrest, jail and ultimately a funeral.<br />

Each attendee will be given a drug-abuse<br />

profile to adopt during the program, so<br />

he/she can become familiar with different<br />

addictive drugs and gateway drugs. Participants<br />

will hear from an addict in recovery,<br />

and Gullet will speak.<br />

The organizations believes that the best<br />

way to prevent substance abuse is to prevent<br />

it from happening in the first place.<br />

The program is open for youth ages 10<br />

to 17, who must be accompanied by a parent.<br />

The event is free and advanced registration<br />

is necessary because space is limited.<br />

RSVP bryanssmile@bryanssmile.com.<br />

Visit: bryanssmile.com<br />

APT FOR RENT<br />

1BD/1BA – $2300/MO<br />

Upper with Privacy, Treetop & Sunset<br />

Views! Quiet 50s Building with solarheated<br />

Swimming Pool, on-site Laundry,<br />

on-site Manager, Parking space, lovely<br />

Common Area, and close walking distance<br />

to Gelson’s Market & the Village.<br />

Safe, Convenient, great Ambiance, great<br />

Neighbors. Pet Friendly.<br />

THIRD MONTH FREE OFFER!<br />

Call Jeff for details : (310) 573-0150


Page 26 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

DINING WITH GRACE<br />

Idiscovered the Glendon Bar & Kitchen restaurant a<br />

year or two ago for a quick dinner before I went to<br />

the Geffen Playhouse. The Glendon is handily just<br />

down the street from the Trader Joe’s parking lot where<br />

the Geffen gives ticketholders free parking.<br />

Before performances I always enjoyed sharing a salad<br />

and a crispy rustic pizza, or bourbon buffalo wings or<br />

sliders. However, this time my friend and I enjoyed a<br />

leisurely dinner and a chat with Chef and Managing<br />

Partner Nicholas Jacobs.<br />

It is always fascinating to see young chefs like Nick,<br />

almost 30, who was a working chef in New York before<br />

opening the Glendon about five years ago.<br />

After eating the excellent food, it is clear why the<br />

restaurant has been a success.<br />

The setting is attractive, with a large bar, tables<br />

throughout and banquette seating with tables along<br />

one wall. Two elegant chandeliers hang from the high<br />

ceilings, and the back wall features handsomely framed<br />

mirrors. Upstairs, there is a separate dining room for<br />

private parties and special occasions.<br />

With glasses of wine came crispy cheese bread sticks<br />

and a small dipping sauce. My friend and I shared a<br />

Hilgard salad composed of baby arugula, strawberries,<br />

candied pecans, gorgonzola and a fine balsamic Dijon<br />

vinaigrette. This was a delicious salad, especially with<br />

the strawberries and the superb vinaigrette.<br />

My friend had ‘The Marc” pasta, consisting of penne<br />

pasta with grilled chicken, parmesan and fresh basil<br />

Hike with Mike<br />

Councilman Mike Bonin invites<br />

constituents to join him on a hike in<br />

Temescal Canyon from 9 a.m. to noon<br />

on Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 28. Chat with the<br />

councilman about issues, and hear<br />

about the work he is doing for local<br />

neighborhoods.<br />

Meet at the north side of Sunset<br />

Boulevard at Temescal Canyon. Parking<br />

is $7 in the lot. Be sure to stop<br />

completely at Stop signs, so you don’t<br />

receive a ticket from the Santa Monica<br />

Mountains Conservancy. Please RSVP<br />

for the hike at 11thDis trict.com/Hike_<br />

with_Mike_Mar28.<br />

310.230.7377<br />

hollydavis@coldwellbanker.com<br />

www.hollydavis.com<br />

BRE #00646387<br />

THE GLENDON BAR & KITCHEN<br />

1071 Glendon Ave., Westwood • (310) 208-2023<br />

along with sun-dried and grape tomatoes, and toasted<br />

almonds, all accented with nutmeg, freshly cracked<br />

pepper and light cream. It was excellent, tasty and not<br />

overpowering but quite scrumptious.<br />

The fresh fish, a sesame crusted mahi-mahi with<br />

lemon, was superb. The accompanying sautéed spinach<br />

side I ordered was perfect with the fish.<br />

Prices are moderate: the mahi-mahi or fresh Alaskan<br />

salmon were $14.50, while the pastas ranged from $16.50<br />

for The Marc to $17 for a truffle tequila farfalle pasta<br />

with grilled flank steak.<br />

Newport Farms Angus beef New York steak is $16.50,<br />

and a free-range chicken breast is $13.50. All salads come<br />

with a suggestion of various added proteins, such as<br />

chicken, grilled steak, seared ahi and salmon. The salads<br />

were $13 to $15.50, with the protein additions only $2<br />

to $3.50 more.<br />

The Grand Marnier baked brownie with candied<br />

pecans and ice cream was served on a berry-painted plate.<br />

This succulent rich dessert was good to the last bite, even<br />

though my guest and I usually have only one bite each.<br />

Desserts, such as the banana-bourbon bread pudding,<br />

or the cobbler, or a warm cookie trio with bourboninfused<br />

whipped cream, are $8.<br />

The Petit Plates dinner menu (which I selected before<br />

theater at the Geffen) offers more than a dozen items<br />

in the $7 to $12.50 price range. There are sliders (a duo<br />

is $9.50 and a trio $12); chicken spring rolls ($7.50);<br />

fried asparagus ($11); baked mac’n cheese ($8.50); a<br />

Library Bookstore Open<br />

The Friends of Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Library’s<br />

bookstore continues to offer “new” books<br />

that are shelved almost daily. Many of these<br />

books are in mint condition, and most can<br />

be purchased for less than $2, perfect to take<br />

traveling. Unlike a library book, if you forget<br />

it in a hotel, there are no fines or replacement<br />

costs; rather it is the hotel maid’s gain.<br />

Store hours are Monday through Friday<br />

from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m.<br />

to 5 p.m., in the library’s converted back<br />

patio. Proceeds from sales are used to purchase<br />

new books for the <strong>Palisades</strong> and other<br />

branch libraries. If you would like to volunteer,<br />

visit: friendsofpalilibrary.org.<br />

HOLLYDAVIS<br />

PREVIEWS ESTATES DIRECTOR<br />

Whether you are buying or selling a home,<br />

condominium or income property, I will produce<br />

the results you are looking for and have the<br />

right to expect.<br />

crispy rustic pizza ($14); and burgers and sandwiches<br />

($13 to $14.50).<br />

Furthermore, they have specials such as Margarita<br />

Monday, when margaritas are $5 from 7 to 10 p.m., or<br />

Wine Wednesday, with 50 percent off the bottle list from<br />

11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.<br />

Happy Hour prices are from 4 to 7 p.m. and from 10<br />

p.m. to midnight. The restaurant/bar is open Monday<br />

through Friday from 11:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday<br />

the restaurant opens at 4 p.m. They also validate for<br />

parking next door at the Palazzo ($4 or $5 validation<br />

depending on the hour).<br />

Moderate pricing is always a good thing, but excellent<br />

food is another, and here they go together. A winner!<br />

Tivoli<br />

Café<br />

PALISADES<br />

Serving the <strong>Palisades</strong> since 1989<br />

NOW OPEN FOR BREAKFAST<br />

8 A.M. DAILY<br />

Offering Juices from PRESSED JUICERY<br />

And Tivoli’s POWER BOWL – vegetables, quinoa,<br />

chicken and egg whites in a light tomato sauce – $14.99<br />

EGGS BENEDICT<br />

Plus waffles, eggs, French toast,<br />

oatmeal, granola and more<br />

All Natural<br />

Hormone-Free<br />

Chicken, Meats<br />

& Seafood!<br />

Breakfast served Monday through Friday 8-12,<br />

Saturday and Sunday 8 to 3<br />

FAST, PROMPT DELIVERY • TAKE-OUT, CATERING<br />

Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-10 p.m. • Sat. & Sun. 8 a.m.-10 p.m.<br />

310.459.7685<br />

15306 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Page 27<br />

Betty-Jo Tilley presents<br />

Hiking Trails, Mountain Views & Village . . .<br />

All from a Condo to Call Home<br />

16000 Sunset Blvd. #302 • Offered at $1,150,000<br />

2 bedrooms w/ den (or another well placed bedroom) & 2 baths,<br />

penthouse level, exquisite kitchen & baths, corner of Almar<br />

If you were to sell your property, wouldn’t you want it marketed like this?<br />

Outstanding<br />

Representation<br />

since 1987<br />

16655 Akron St. • SOLD • Offered at $3,995,000<br />

LUXURY PROPERTY SPECIALIST<br />

Top 1% of Agents Nationwide<br />

CalBRE #1001357<br />

Call Betty-Jo at<br />

310.429.9833<br />

bettyjo@bettyjotilley.com<br />

www.BettyJoTilley.com


Page 28 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

MichaelEdlen.com<br />

Over 1,200 homes sold and $1.5 BILLION in home sales<br />

SERENE VIEW SETTING<br />

3<br />

CLASSIC TRADITIONAL<br />

4<br />

JUST COMPLETED<br />

5<br />

Offered at $2,295,000<br />

2.5<br />

Offered at $4,445,000 4.5<br />

Offered at $3,950,000<br />

5.5<br />

You pick the 501(c)(3)<br />

charity, we donate<br />

10% of net commission in your name<br />

A Team of licensed agents with<br />

more than 90 years<br />

of combined real estate experience<br />

CalBRE#00902158<br />

310.230.7373<br />

©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate te LLC. All l Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate te LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each<br />

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell l Banker® ® and the Coldwell l Banker Logo, , Coldwell l Banker Previews International® ® and the<br />

Coldwell l Banker Previews International Logo, , are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or<br />

other information concerning ning the condition or features of property provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to independently verify the<br />

accuracy of that t information n through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals. If your property is currently listed for sale, this is not intended as a solicitation. tion.


B”H<br />

CHABAD JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF PACIFIC PALISADES WISHES YOU A<br />

Happy Passover!<br />

MARCH <strong>2015</strong> |<br />

15 STEPS TO<br />

THE SEDER<br />

PAGE 2<br />

www.Chabad<strong>Palisades</strong>.com<br />

Supplement to the <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong>


GO BLUE OR GO HOME PICNIC<br />

AUTISM AWARENESS DAY<br />

AT THE PACIFIC PALISADES PARK<br />

EVENTS<br />

THE NATIONA<br />

ONAL WOMEN’S<br />

WELLNESS RETREAT<br />

LAG B’OMER<br />

FAMILY BBQ<br />

Sunday, April 12th at 11:00am<br />

April 19-21<br />

Thursday, May 7th at 5:30pm<br />

SHAVUOT DAIRY BUFFET DINNER<br />

& ICE CREAM PARTY<br />

CGI SUMMER CAMP<br />

NOW ENROLLING<br />

SCHOOL YEAR <strong>2015</strong>-2016<br />

Sunday, May 24th at 5:30pm June 22-August 7<br />

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.CHABADPALISADES.COM<br />

www.chabadpalisades.com ~ 310-454-7783


SPECIAL SECTION<br />

Summer Camps<br />

& Schools<br />

<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong>


Page 2 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong>


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools Page 3<br />

Local Expert Offers Stress Tips for Parents<br />

By LAUREL BUSBY<br />

Staff Writer<br />

Children today are often under pressure<br />

to “do things faster, better and<br />

earlier,” stress expert and author<br />

Amanda Enayati says. Whether it’s walking,<br />

talking, or learning to read, parents<br />

may feel pressure to help their kids move<br />

forward in building skills instead of simply<br />

enjoying the fun of childhood.<br />

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Parents<br />

can act as “protective barriers” between our<br />

competitive society and their kids—allowing<br />

children more time and space to play<br />

and relax, while also helping youngsters<br />

develop resiliency in handling life’s stresses.<br />

Here are Enayati’s top stress tips for parents<br />

and kids that she has discovered in<br />

her years investigating the subject for<br />

CNN Health, PBS Media Shift and other<br />

media outlets.<br />

1. Playtime, downtime and family time:<br />

“The young child’s job is to play,” Enayati<br />

says. “Even when kids have a moment, we<br />

try to get them to do something constructive<br />

and formal, but we need to build<br />

wide-open spaces in their day where they<br />

have nothing to do but play.” This play<br />

would also be gadget-free with things like<br />

blocks and Legos, instead of using the instant<br />

gratification of phones, iPads, computers<br />

and television.<br />

2. Build an unconditionally loving family:<br />

In her research, Enayati learned that the<br />

strongest predictor of high achievement<br />

and low behavioral problems is family<br />

On the Cover<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Elementary fourth graders<br />

(left to right) Letizia Oetker, Gabriella<br />

Bose, Sofia and Sasha Shull, Olivia<br />

Rodeno and Claire Monaco jumped<br />

rope to show support for American<br />

Heart Month. The annual event<br />

promotes exercise and a healthy diet, as<br />

well as awareness of a national event<br />

to prevent heart attacks and strokes.<br />

Photo: Bart Bartholomew<br />

meals. “The importance of family time<br />

and being part of a family cannot be emphasized<br />

enough. Family doesn’t have to<br />

be defined a certain way just as long as the<br />

child feels like they are part of a community<br />

or family.”<br />

3. Resting, rejuvenating and relaxing:<br />

Sleep is vital. “Lack of sleep is coordinated<br />

with high levels of anxiety and depression,”<br />

Enayati notes. She suggests maintaining a<br />

child’s routine with parts of the day to anticipate<br />

happily, so that no matter what<br />

stresses might be affecting the parents, the<br />

child still has a stable schedule.<br />

4. Teach children the art of distraction:<br />

Stress is an inevitable part of life, and part<br />

of childhood is learning to handle life’s difficulties.<br />

One way to deal with stress is simply<br />

to turn one’s attention away from it. If<br />

children practice this with a parent, they<br />

can eventually learn to do it for themselves.<br />

5. Problem solving: In discussions with<br />

children about a problem, try asking openended<br />

questions, such as “Tell me what’s<br />

happening.” Then discuss any misunderstandings<br />

a kid may have and brainstorm<br />

strategies that may help solve the problem.<br />

If similar situations have occurred in the<br />

with Sinjin<br />

Smith<br />

Amanda Enayati<br />

past, aid a child in recalling what was beneficial<br />

then that might also help now.<br />

6. Validate children’s feelings: It is important<br />

to say “I know how that feels” instead<br />

of saying “You shouldn’t be feeling that<br />

way,” Enayati says. By doing this, the parent<br />

alleviates stress and helps a child learn<br />

empathy. Another good question during<br />

conflicts is simply “How do you think the<br />

other person feels?”<br />

7. Treat children like children: “Kids are<br />

not mini-adults,” she says, so it’s important<br />

to make certain that they are not<br />

being exposed to inappropriate media, inappropriate<br />

ways of dressing or inappropriate<br />

adult issues.<br />

8. Some stress is good: It’s vital that kids<br />

learn to handle some adversity, so that<br />

they can develop resiliency and coping<br />

skills as they encounter stress throughout<br />

their lives. “There has to be some degree<br />

of legitimate suffering—not abuse . . . but<br />

growing and failing and learning from<br />

that,” Enayati says.<br />

9. Ask the big important whys: A good<br />

question to ask ourselves is “What is our<br />

value system as a society and as a family?”<br />

she said. Each family has its own value system,<br />

and it is worth taking a look at what<br />

that is. Sometimes, the value system itself<br />

may be causing stress, so identifying the<br />

value system may help address the stress.<br />

If some values aren’t what you want<br />

them to be, then alter them to what is truly<br />

important to your family. “It’s never too<br />

late. Put your stake in the ground and live<br />

your values,” Enayati says. “Sometimes that<br />

causes suffering and difficulty, but that is<br />

the good kind of suffering. You’re asking<br />

the big whys.”<br />

(Amanda Enayati’s book, Seeking Serenity:<br />

The 10 New Rules for Health and Happiness<br />

in the Age of Anxiety, was published<br />

this month, and an article about her and the<br />

book is featured on page 5 of this paper.)<br />

Optimist Club Seeks Grant Applicants<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> Optimist Club, whose<br />

motto is “Friends of Youth” and whose<br />

goal is “Bring Out the Best in Kids,” will<br />

once again make annual grants to youth<br />

organizations based in Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> or<br />

those that provide services that benefit<br />

youth in this community.<br />

Grants may be used for funding of a specific<br />

event, for equipment, a facility or service,<br />

and must be spent this year. Grants are<br />

not given to organizations that request continuing<br />

financial support. The application<br />

must be received no later than <strong>March</strong> 31.<br />

Award decisions will be made within<br />

two months, and grant recipients will be<br />

notified and, if possible, receive their<br />

awards at the weekly Tuesday breakfast<br />

meeting of the <strong>Palisades</strong> Optimists.<br />

Interested organizations, schools and<br />

clubs may send queries to grant committee<br />

chairman Bill Skinner (ibeeel@aol.com)<br />

or call (310) 459-8286 to receive an application<br />

and grant guidelines.<br />

Applications are also available at the<br />

Chamber of Commerce at 15330 Antioch<br />

Street. They may be returned to the Chamber<br />

or mailed to Grants Committee Chairman,<br />

Optimist Club of Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>,<br />

P.O. Box 211, Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> 90272.<br />

Santa Monica - 2030 Ocean Avenue – Beach Lot #4 south<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> - Will Rogers State te t<br />

Beach ( Tower <strong>18</strong>)<br />

June 8th thru August 28th<br />

Beach Volleyball Camps: 9:00am to 12:00pm (M-F)<br />

Sand & Sea Beach Camps: 9am-12pm and, or 12-3pm<br />

(M-F)<br />

REGISTER ONLINE<br />

AT<br />

Boys & Girls ages 7-<strong>18</strong>.<br />

All skill levels welcome!<br />

www.beachvolleyballcamps.com<br />

For more information call<br />

310-940-7166<br />

or email us at info@beachvolleyballcamps.com<br />

Summertime<br />

Pool Fun<br />

After group swimming<br />

lessons, this happy<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong>-Malibu<br />

camper was allowed to<br />

play in the <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

High School swimming<br />

pool.<br />

Photo: Courtesy of<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong>-Malibu YMCA


Page 4 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Camps Should Be Fun<br />

By LAUREL BUSBY<br />

Staff Writer<br />

As the school year came to a close last<br />

year, my then-nine-year-old son<br />

announced that summer would be<br />

his rest time, so he wouldn’t be participating<br />

in any activities.<br />

When I list the number of activities he<br />

had been participating in, you might think<br />

that he had a point that it was all a bit much.<br />

He did gymnastics, chess, saxophone,<br />

drama, chorus, Chinese, strategy games, art,<br />

soccer and an occasional nature class.<br />

On the other hand, he didn’t have to go<br />

to school, because he’s a homeschooler. At<br />

home, we took a laid-back approach to<br />

homeschooling. We read books, did some<br />

casual math when he was in the mood,<br />

played board games and explored science<br />

kits. He also had lots of time to draw, make<br />

his own cards and otherwise engage in activities<br />

that called to him. In addition, we<br />

went on field trips to plays and museums.<br />

He was also tired of the field trips,<br />

though, and was insistent that he just want -<br />

ed to hang out at home. So we did . . . for<br />

a while, and it was nice. He listened to audiobooks<br />

and made cards. He created an<br />

origami animal game where he was the<br />

game master, and he made teams of animals<br />

and special power boosts for them.<br />

We also watched some movies and continued<br />

to play board games. We didn’t<br />

even plan a vacation.<br />

I have to admit that I was exhausted, too,<br />

and cherished the down time. We both<br />

needed a break from driving all over the<br />

L.A. basin to so many activities. But what<br />

about camp? I had loved camp as a kid and<br />

didn’t want him to miss out on the fun.<br />

He turned down my suggestion that he<br />

might like the camp that his chorus director<br />

had created. Even though he enjoyed<br />

chorus, he thought a singing and acting<br />

camp would be too much for him.<br />

He eventually agreed to try the same<br />

Chinese camp that he had attended the year<br />

before. He enjoyed it, and he was ready to<br />

try another camp. He did so, and we also<br />

decided to travel a bit, venturing to San<br />

Francisco and Yosemite for a laid-back vacation.<br />

Both the camps and the trips<br />

seemed to inspire him to want a bit more<br />

in the way of activities again.<br />

Not too many, though. For the fall, we<br />

scaled back. He dropped chorus and<br />

drama. I decided that the drives I had been<br />

making for chess, art and saxophone were<br />

just too long for me, so those were dropped<br />

too. Instead, Chinese, gymnastics, soccer<br />

and the occasional nature class or field trip<br />

became the remaining regular activities.<br />

Suddenly our lives were more manageable.<br />

In the process of overdoing it and perhaps<br />

at times underdoing it, I discovered<br />

Linus Busby Thompson works on his gymnastic skills.<br />

that for both our sakes, we needed to pick<br />

and choose activities with a bit more attention<br />

to burnout. As spring approached, my<br />

son realized that he was missing chorus,<br />

while soccer came to an end. So he rejoined<br />

the chorus. He also was ready to add back<br />

chess and was intrigued by the gymnastic<br />

sport, Parkour, so he began sporadically<br />

attending a class.<br />

The whole family did a bit of volunteering—working<br />

at a state park to help remove<br />

invasive plants and install native ones, and<br />

we all felt enlivened by it. Over the holiday<br />

break, my son tried a winter camp, which<br />

was a big hit with him. He has already asked<br />

to attend more summer camps this year.<br />

Strangely enough, during the previous<br />

school year, my husband had been experiencing<br />

the same thing at work—too<br />

much work and too little downtime—and<br />

the combination was affecting his health<br />

and well-being.<br />

So, now we all are on the lookout for<br />

burnout. We cherish our moments at<br />

home, and we take more time just to be together.<br />

We also take care to pick and choose<br />

our activities with more thought, so that<br />

we choose those that we really want to do.<br />

My son was right. He needed a rest time.<br />

We all did.<br />

(Editor’s note: Laurel Busby, a veteran<br />

newspaper writer, lives in Culver City.)


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools Page 5<br />

Fitness by the Sea: Endless Possibilities<br />

Kids should have fun in the summer: a camp<br />

should not be another job for a child, it should<br />

be a break from a structure schedule.<br />

Fitness by the Sea is a place kids love to go because<br />

“We encourage children to ‘learn by doing’ and our<br />

experienced staff members are there to serve as mentors<br />

and participants during all activities,” said camp founder<br />

Eric Colton. “While we call it ‘Growth, Caring & Endless<br />

Fun’ . . . the kids just call it ‘the time of their lives!’”<br />

Who wouldn't want to boogie board, swim with the<br />

dolphins, jump over the gymnastics vault, get their faces<br />

painted as their favorite animal, and just have a fun day<br />

on the beach? Fitness by the Sea offers this and more,<br />

right here locally at Will Rogers State Beach.<br />

Designed for children from 4 to 14, campers are<br />

allowed to choose from more than 80 activities.<br />

Physical sports such as baseball, volleyball, kickball<br />

and capture the flag help kids develop interdependence,<br />

confidence and sportsmanship.<br />

Arts and crafts, dance, face painting, and music help<br />

foster creativity, imagination and self-expression, while<br />

surfing, swimming and boogie boarding promote an<br />

active lifestyle, self-esteem and perseverance.<br />

Gymnastics, boxing, cheerleading and martial arts<br />

all cultivate self-discipline, determination and courage.<br />

“We believe that active kids are happy kids,” Colton<br />

said, noting that many of the kids who have come to his<br />

program proclaiming not to have an interest in sports,<br />

once encouraged to try something new, find a niche that<br />

they love.<br />

Founded in 2000, Fitness by the Sea has become synon -<br />

ymous with excellence in the field of day camps. The FBS<br />

formula for success blends an experienced and spirited<br />

Eric and Billie Colton, owners of Fitness by the Sea, with twins<br />

Maia and Willow and sister Violet. Photo: Courtesy of Eric Colton<br />

staff (average age 28) with dynamic and creative activities,<br />

offered in an encouraging, nurturing environment.<br />

With the camp’s growing popularity with children,<br />

Fitness by the Sea has expanded to four locations:<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> at Will Rogers (June 8 to August 28), <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

North (June 15 to August 21), Santa Monica (June 8 to<br />

August 28 and at the Jonathan Club (June 15 to August<br />

21—members and sponsored guests only.)<br />

Safety is a number one priority. “The former Chief of<br />

LA County lifeguards called FBS the safest beach camp<br />

he’s ever seen,” continued Colton. “A staff to camper ratio<br />

of 6 to 1 is strictly maintained, and during surfing, we<br />

maintain a ratio of 3 to 1 to further improve our safety<br />

measures.” Sunscreen is applied liberally and often.<br />

The Coltons, who are Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> residents,<br />

have three children. Twins, Maia and Willow are 8 and<br />

younger sister Violet is 5. The sisters are often amongst<br />

the campers at the Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> camp location.<br />

Because they are also parents, the Coltons understand<br />

the importance of allowing campers to make their own<br />

choices. A recent study by the American Camp Association<br />

revealed that kids need more opportunities to practice<br />

leadership and decision-making and that is available at<br />

Fitness by the Sea.<br />

Campers are encouraged to become involved in<br />

activities and staff members watch kids on the sidelines<br />

and work to bring them in. It goes without saying that<br />

teasing and bullying is not allowed.<br />

This is a place a kid can reinvent him/herself. Many<br />

come to the came with labels, such as nerd or jock.<br />

Encouraged to try other activities, they discover that<br />

they may not only be good at basketball, but also good<br />

at painting, something they had never tried.<br />

Counselors constantly work with kids, encouraging<br />

them to go outside of their comfort zone, which ultimately<br />

results in increased self-confidence.<br />

Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended care<br />

available in the mornings and afternoons from 8:30 a.m. to<br />

5:45 p.m. Parents can register their children for a minimum<br />

of five days and these do not have to be consecutive days.<br />

Call: (310) 459-2425 or visit: fitnessbythesea.com or<br />

e-mail: info@fitnessbythesea.


Page 6 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Library Story Telling<br />

Let your children experience the joys of<br />

having another adult read them a book at<br />

the <strong>Palisades</strong> Branch Library, 861 Alma Real.<br />

STAR (Story Telling and Reading) times:<br />

Mondays: 10 a.m.-noon (Grandma Peggy)<br />

Mondays: 3-5 p.m. (Uncle Mark)<br />

Tuesdays: 2-4 p.m. (Tutu Bobbie)<br />

Wednesdays: 2-4 p.m. (Grandmom Judy)<br />

Thursdays: 2:30-4:30 p.m. (Grandma Lou)<br />

Fridays: 10 a.m.- noon (Aunt Ashley)<br />

Fridays: 2-4 p.m. (Granny Stephanie)<br />

Saturdays: 10 a.m.-noon (Momma Flo)<br />

45th Annual Young<br />

Artist Competition<br />

High School Art Sought for Competition<br />

Each spring, the Congressional Institute<br />

sponsors a nationwide high school<br />

visual-art competition to recognize and<br />

encourage artistic talent. Since the competition<br />

began in 1982, more than<br />

650,000 high school students have participated.<br />

Congressman Ted Lieu invites all students<br />

in his district to enter the competition.<br />

The submission deadline is 5 p.m.,<br />

Friday, April 10, at 5055 Wilshire Blvd.<br />

Suite 310, L.A. 90036.<br />

The winner will receive a trip to Washington,<br />

D.C. to attend the national awards<br />

ceremony, where work will be displayed<br />

for one year at the U.S. Capitol. There<br />

are also district prizes for second and<br />

third place.<br />

Artwork must be two-dimensional and<br />

each framed artwork can be no larger<br />

than 28 inches long, 28 inches wide, and<br />

4 inches deep. No framed piece should<br />

weigh more than 15 pounds.<br />

Accepted mediums include: paintings<br />

(oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.); drawings<br />

(colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels,<br />

charcoal); collages (must be two-dimensional);<br />

prints (lithographs, silkscreen<br />

MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Symphony is seeking students,<br />

in grades 1 through 12, who are able to perform<br />

a movement of a concerto with orchestra,<br />

to audition for monetary awards<br />

and the opportunity to play with the Pali -<br />

sades Symphony in concert on June 14.<br />

The concerto performed must be from<br />

the standard repertoire, memorized and<br />

with orchestration readily available.<br />

There are three categories, and former<br />

winners may not apply with the same instrument<br />

in the same grade level. In grades<br />

1 through 6, first place will win $100; grades<br />

7 through 9, $200; grades 10 through 12,<br />

$200. The Alfred Newman Memorial Schol -<br />

arship for $1,000 and the Chamber Music<br />

<strong>Palisades</strong> Award for $500 will also be awarded.<br />

Auditions will be held on the afternoon<br />

of <strong>March</strong> 31 in Mercer Hall at <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

High School.<br />

Applicants should write their name,<br />

address, phone number, age, school and<br />

grade, a brief biographical sketch that includes<br />

musical training and teacher and<br />

send that information to <strong>Palisades</strong> Symphony,<br />

P.O. Box 214, Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>. A<br />

$10 application fee must be included. The<br />

deadline is <strong>March</strong> 23. Call (310) 454-8040.<br />

Philharmonic Scholarships<br />

For Young Musicians<br />

The Westside Committee of the Los Angeles<br />

Philharmonic annually awards scholarships<br />

varying from $100 to $500 to music<br />

students in grades 6 through 12.<br />

Students must have studied at least three<br />

years on the instrument they play, perform<br />

a piece of classical music of three to five<br />

minutes, have a written recommendation<br />

from their teacher, live in Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>,<br />

and block prints); mixed media; computer-generated<br />

art; and photographs.<br />

Each entry must be original in concept,<br />

design and execution.<br />

Congressman Lieu will host a reception<br />

and awards ceremony for his district<br />

on April 20, at the Fantasea Yacht Club,<br />

4215 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey.<br />

Call Ashley Fumiko Dominguez at<br />

(323) 651-1040 or e-mail ashley.domin -<br />

guez@mail.house.gov or David Leger at<br />

(323) 651-1040 or e-mail david.leger<br />

@mail.house.gov. Visit: lieu.house.gov/<br />

services/art-competition.<br />

Santa Monica, Brentwood, Malibu or<br />

Topanga and be available to perform at a<br />

Committee meeting during the year.<br />

All auditions will be in the afternoon on<br />

either <strong>March</strong> 30 or 31, starting with the<br />

youngest students. The exact time and location<br />

will be announced. Students must<br />

bring their own accompanist.<br />

Students trying for the Philharmonic<br />

awards and also the <strong>Palisades</strong> Symphony<br />

must fill out different applications for the<br />

different awards, but need only audition<br />

once. The deadline for received applications<br />

is <strong>March</strong> 23.<br />

Call (310) 454-8040 for an application.<br />

Fitness by the Sea<br />

Celebrating our 16th Year!<br />

Sign up by the Day!<br />

“FBS is the safest beach camp I have ever seen.”<br />

- Chief of LA County Lifeguards<br />

2 Locations<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong> . Santa Monica<br />

Ages 4-14 ... Over 60 Activities!<br />

Surfing . Swimming . Capture the Flag<br />

Martial Arts . Gymnastics . Boogie Boarding<br />

Volleyball . Soccer . Arts & Crafts . Dance<br />

10% Discount<br />

ends May 1st<br />

6:1 Ratio . Older Staff (Avg. Age 28) . 310-459-2425<br />

Enroll at www.FitnessByTheSea.com<br />

Rated by LA Parent as the<br />

Best Value Beach Camp<br />

on the West Side<br />

“Still one of the best values in camps<br />

on the west side.”<br />

- Susan A.<br />

Los Angeles<br />

“I felt so very safe with my kids in the<br />

ocean with their amazing staff.”<br />

- Tara M.<br />

Santa Monica<br />

“The only camp my kids ask to go<br />

back to every summer. Unbelieveable<br />

courselors and staff!”<br />

- Gloria K.<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong><br />

“By far my daughter’s favorite camp.”<br />

- Jennifer B.<br />

Pacific <strong>Palisades</strong>


<strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong> <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools Page 7<br />

Hike, Swim at YMCA Camp<br />

Registration for the <strong>Palisades</strong>-Malibu<br />

YMCA summer day camp is now<br />

open and parents are encouraged to<br />

enroll early because last year the camp was<br />

full. Sessions run from June 8 through<br />

August 6.<br />

Not only is it one of the most competitively-priced<br />

camps, it is also located at one<br />

of the premier locations in the country, at<br />

Simon Meadow, at the corner of Sunset<br />

Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road.<br />

Situated on a landscaped four-acre park<br />

at the entrance to the Santa Monica Mountains,<br />

this camp takes advantage of its location.<br />

A mile from the beach, a quarter of a<br />

mile from the <strong>Palisades</strong> High School swimming<br />

pool and near hiking trails, campers<br />

are able to have the best of all worlds.<br />

The camp spotlights the three f ’s—<br />

friends, freedom and fun. Everyday activities<br />

include archery, arts and crafts, hiking,<br />

football, soccer, dodge ball, moon bounce,<br />

mini-golf and party games.<br />

Once a week, campers enjoy splash time at<br />

the PaliHi pool; children will be provided<br />

with group swim lessons by certified instructors<br />

at no additional charge. Private swim lessons<br />

are also available for an additional fee.<br />

Older campers go to the beach once a<br />

week, and have fun playing in the sand<br />

and water.<br />

Campers try a variety of sports at the YMCA Camp.<br />

Special groups come to Simon Meadow<br />

weekly to offer a variety of activities, such<br />

as visiting with exotic animals, playing outdoor<br />

laser tag or trying a rock-climbing<br />

wall. Enrichment classes at camp this year<br />

will include cooking, Spanish, Mad Science,<br />

nature and STEM (science, technology,<br />

engineering and mathematics).<br />

Children are divided into groups, with<br />

Photo: Courtesy of <strong>Palisades</strong>-Malibu YMCA<br />

the youngest campers (3 to 5 years old),<br />

encouraged to play in the moon bounce,<br />

learn camp songs, try arts and crafts, experience<br />

water play and make friends.<br />

Kindergarten and first grade students<br />

are part of the Mountain Cub group and<br />

join their elder peers in scavenger hunts,<br />

team building activities and trips to the<br />

pool and the beach.<br />

Second and third graders are grouped<br />

into the Coyotes and fourth and fifth<br />

graders are Hawks.<br />

Coaches are sixth and seven graders who<br />

are offered a unique position of being both<br />

a counselor and a camper. Middle school<br />

students work directly with the YMCA<br />

staff to guide their younger peers, but are<br />

also able to participate in activities with<br />

other Coaches.<br />

More than activities, the Y Summer<br />

Camp experience provides a caring environment<br />

for all children; encourages posi -<br />

tive peer interaction; offers creative activities<br />

and helps all kids developed self-esteem.<br />

The Y has received an American Camping<br />

Association accreditation, which means<br />

the camp went through a thorough (up to<br />

300 standards) review of its operation—<br />

from staff qualifications and training to<br />

emergency management.<br />

The American Camp Association collaborates<br />

with experts from the American<br />

Academy of Pediatrics, the American Red<br />

Cross, and other youth-serving agencies to<br />

assure that current practices at camp reflect<br />

the most up-to-date, research-based standards<br />

in camp operation.<br />

Contact Ashley Russell, YMCA Youth &<br />

Family Director, (310) 454-5591 or ashley -<br />

russell@ymcaLA.org.<br />

SUMMER CAMPS &<br />

SCHOOL PROGRAMS<br />

Special Section — April 15, <strong>2015</strong><br />

Place Your Ad NOW in the <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong>!<br />

Full-Color Pages, Full-Color Ads<br />

Distribution to the entire 90272 <strong>Palisades</strong> Community<br />

(by US Mail to 13,300 addresses & 1,200 distribution around town)<br />

Special Section Pricing (call for details)<br />

Make your Ad Reservation Today!<br />

Ad Space Reservation Deadline: April 6<br />

Camera-ready Ad Artwork Deadline: April 7<br />

(ads must be supplied by advertiser)<br />

Contact for Information:<br />

Jeff at (310) 573-0150 • jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com<br />

Grace at (310) 454-7383 • gracehiney@palisadesnews.com


Page 8 <strong>Palisades</strong> <strong>News</strong> Special Section — Summer Camps & Schools <strong>March</strong> <strong>18</strong>, <strong>2015</strong><br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

881 ALMA REAL #115 •<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

310/454.3731 • www.GrozaLearningCenter.com<br />

arn<br />

ng<br />

ent<br />

er.<br />

.com

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!