Palisades-News-March-18-2015

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Page 8 Palisades News March 18, 2015 Park Advisory Board Proposes Parking Changes (Editor’s note: The Park Advisory Board is proposing changes for parking at the Palisades Recreation Center. See related news story, page 3.) In order to increase available parking at the Recreation Center on weekday afternoons after 3 p.m. and lessen the impact on neighborhood streets, the Park Advisory Board is proposing the following changes: First, the hours for the main lot accessed from Alma Real will be changed from a maximum of four hours to a maximum of two hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Second, parking hours for the tennis lot accessed from Frontera Drive will be changed from a maximum of two hours to a maximum of four hours. All parking spaces at the Park will continue to be exclusively available to patrons of the Park. Equally important, the Department of Transportation will enforce these parking restrictions by issuing citations to those who violate the posted limit. The lack of parking at the Park is not a new issue. In fact, the upcoming change in parking hours will culminate an inclusive and deliberative process that began in 2013. That year, the Park Advisory Board held two wellpublicized meetings to receive comments from the community on the improvements that should be implemented at the Park. Residents made it clear that a major ongoing concern was the lack of available parking. Through spot checks and interviews with Park employees and others, the PAB determined that up to half of the individuals using the parking spaces at the Park were not Park patrons. These individuals had apparently chosen to park there because it was a free and convenient alternative during the workweek to metered and feebased parking. As a consequence, many Park patrons attempting to use the Park were unable to find a parking place. At its quarterly meeting in January 2014, the PAB, including the Park Director and parents and officials actively involved in baseball, soccer and other Park programs, thoroughly discussed the parking enforcement issue. The Board concluded that a plan should be implemented that would make more spaces available for Park patrons by discouraging people from using parking spaces for non-Park purposes. The agreed upon solution is what I described earlier. Following this meeting, the community was notified that the Department of Recreation and Parks would consider the recommendation that parking hours be changed, and that the subject would be on the PAB agenda last July. All residents were invited to comment on the proposed change. The Palisades News editor has questioned whether the change in parking hours will help solve the parking problem. We believe it will have a positive influence by limiting the number of illegally parked cars at the Park after 3 p.m., when various after-school programs and youth sports begin to impact the parking lot. I believe we can all agree that there are people working in the offices and stores near the Park who, given the choice of paying for metered parking or parking in the Park lot all day for free, will choose to park for free. Our spot checks showed an average of 33 cars parked illegally on the three days we counted cars. If there are only 20 cars in the lot at some point before 3 p.m. and those cars remain there for the remainder of the day, this presents a real problem because there are only 92 generally available spaces. It means that 20 Park patrons are deprived of the spaces to which they are entitled. The new two-hour limit will discourage car owners from parking at the Park all day because it will become inconvenient for them to keep moving their car. Bob Harter Vice Chair, Park Advisory Board Vandalism on the Green Is Disheartening and Evil On March 4, a group of dedicated volunteers put colorful, handmade quilts on the trees, branches, benches, and light poles on the Village Green, a project headed by Michelle Villemaire. This effort was in honor of Women’s History Month, as explained in the poster and signs on the Green. Passersby seemed to enjoy this colorful decoration, smiling as they walked by our little private park. It brought surprise and joy into folks’ daily lives. Unfortunately, on March 11, between noon and 4:30 p.m., some damage was done to this display: the yarncovered bike was thrown down, the quilt on the grass was covered with food scraps; some blue foam-like substance was sprayed around; and some of the explanation papers were ripped up and tossed around. It is very sad to think of the unhappy folks who did this. Some would say that kids who gather on the Green after school might have had something to do with this, as they are often seen abusing this park. I would ask them to consider the time and effort of this project, done by local volunteers for the enjoyment by all, than a place to vandalize. Perhaps they didn’t know that these quilts will be washed and sewn together and donated to the women’s shelter downtown, to help others in need. Betsy Collins John Closson, Vice President and Regional Manager of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, congratulates Dan on being the Top Producing Agent in the Pacific Palisades office for 2014. STUNNING PANORAMIC OCEAN VIEWS!!! 3534 Shoreheights Dr, Malibu Rarely does a home come to market with such commanding unobstructed ocean views. Situated on the view side of the street on a larger lot. 4 bed/2 bath. First time on market since it was built in 1965. An extraordinary opportunity to create your dream home. www.3534Shoreheights.com OFFERED AT $1,890,000 A GEM IN THE HIGHLANDS 1766 Michael Ln, Pacific Palisades Enchanting mtn & cyn vus from this pristine 4bd/3ba home featuring vaulted ceilings & hrdwd flrs. Wonderful large kit/fam rm opens to yard which offers rare access to rec center w/ pool/spa and tennis courts. Enjoy sensational views, serenity and privacy from the spacious master suite featuring walk in closet, large master bath & soaring ceilings. OFFERED AT $1,595,000 Call Dan Directly at: 310.230.3757 Dan Urbach Palisadian and Realtor since 1992. BRE #01147391 Info@DanUrbach.com • www.ExclusiveRealtor.com 881 Alma Real Drive, Suite 100, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 S PECIALIZING I N PACIFIC PALISADES, MALIBU, SANTA M ONICA
March 18, 2015 Palisades News Page 9 Nahai to Speak at Library About The Luminous Heart When your toaster turns into a pyro. We’ve e go ot an agent for that. You’re finally on your own and real life takes over. What do you do? Start by getting car insurance from someone tha t gets you—your own State Farm ® agent. Then get renters insurance for just a dollar or two more a month*. ® Like a good neighbor, S tate Farm is there. CONTACT AN AGENT TODAY. 1001203.1 ® s tatefarm.com Festa Insurance Agcy Inc Rich Festa, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0786049 festainsurance.com Bus: 310-454-0345 Best-selling author and University of Southern California creative writing professor Gina B. Nahai will speak about her new book, The Luminous Heart of Jonah S., at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, in the Palisades Branch Library community room. The free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Nahai, author of Cry of the Peacock, Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, Sunday’s Silence and Caspian Rain, will discuss her new novel, set in Tehran and Los Angeles. It is the story of an immigrant family caught in a murder mystery and a multigenerational feud. Nahai’s novels have been translated into 18 languages and have been selected as “One of the Best Books of the Year” by the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. Nahai’s writings have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles magazine and the Huffington Post. She writes a monthly column for The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles and has twice been a finalist for an L.A. Press Club award. Call: (310) 459-2754 or visit friendsofpalilibrary.org. Jerry J Festa Ins Agcy Inc Jerry Festa, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0477708 15129 Sunset Blvd Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 * Estimated cost per month for $10,000 in renters insurance coverage with purchase of auto insurance from State Farm. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity I Company, Bloomington, IL The Spolin Players have been entertaining audiences with their improvisational skills for more than 30 years. Spolin Players at Pierson If you need a good laugh, or many laughs and maybe even a few belly laughs, come watch the Spolin Players perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, at the Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd. This improvisational troupe plays the theater games of Viola Spolin, “the High Priestess Of Improv,” who created the techniques used by the cast of Chicago’s Second City in the early 1960s, as well as every other improvisational comedy troupe since. The Players, who include Palisadian Gail Matthius plus Casey Campbell, Donna Dubain, Jim Staahl, Danny Mann, John Mariano, Anna Mathias, David McCharen, Edie McClurg and Pat Musick, were among the last group to study with Spolin, who died in 1994 at the age of 88. The hour-long, completely improvised show is based solely on audience suggestions. Every show is completely different and original. No sets, no props, no costumes, and yet you “see and hear” all three. Audiences are asked to bring their imagination and suggestions. “We’ve had very successful shows in years past,” said Matthius, explaining that the group has been together off and on for almost 30 years and every member is a working actor. “We haven’t been in the Pali - sades for almost four years, so we wanna pack the house with our fellow Palisadians and leave ‘em laughing!” Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the box office or through www.brownpapertickts.com or call (800) 838-3006. Dark Street Corners? Pacific Palisades Takes Second Place Pacific Palisades and Southeast Los Angeles have something in common. They are among the neighborhoods where street light bulb replacement takes the longest. According to an investigative piece written by Mike Reicher for the Los Angeles Daily News in February, it takes an average of 7.1 days to repair a lightbulb in Southeast L.A., and 7.5 days in the Palisades. The slowest place for replacement was Silver Lake/Echo Park/Elysian Valley at 8 days. The place for fastest street bulb replacement was the Port of L.A. (0.2 days), followed by Sherman Oaks (2.3 days). On this side of the hill, Westwood averaged 3.8 days, LAX 3.9 days and Venice 3.9 days. Reicher analyzed city data, obtained through the state open records act, from January 2009 through early October 2014. He wrote: “Over those years, the bureau averaged a five-day repair time. Broken poles and incidents of multiple outages were excluded from the analysis, which focused on single lights turned dark. “Bureau of Street Lighting officials blame the delays on equipment, geography, copper theft and budget cuts. Some neighborhoods have 90-year-old systems and the bureau doesn’t stock replacement parts; crews have to wait for orders.” The City has only two maintenance yards: one is in North Hollywood, the second is in Sun Valley. Reicher found “officials installed new LED lights there before other districts. From the complaint to the repair, it took an average of three days to fix a light in the Valley.” His report said that the City collects about $42 million of annual property assessments for its streetlight maintenance fund and a typical homeowner pays $70 to $95 a year through an annual assessment. Since expenses are projected to exceed revenue in coming years, the bureau is planning a citywide ballot proposition to increase assessment rates.
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