MEET
REVERE’S
NEW
LIBRARIAN
Vol. 1, No. 9 • March 4, 2015
Uniting the Community with News, Features and Commentary
Circulation: 14,500 • $1.00
See Page 4
Seven Arrows Celebrates Black History Month
T
The Temptations star Louis Price leads students and parents in song to celebrate Black History Month.
July Parade Needs
‘Movers, Shakers’
The Palisades Americanism Parade
Association (PAPA) will meet at 6:30
p.m. on Monday, March 9, at the
American Legion Hall,15247 La Cruz.
This first meeting will start the
planning for the town’s Fourth of July
festivities, including the home decorating contest, parade, concert and
fireworks show.
Daphne Gronich, who is serving her
second term as PAPA president, urges
residents to come and see what committee they would like to join or where
they could best volunteer. The day,
which also features the 5/10K Will
Rogers Run, is made possible by volunteers and community donations.
If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to become involved
or know someone who would, please
e-mail info@palisadesparade.org.
Photo: Photographer
Community Council vs.
Neighborhood Council
By SUE PASCOE
Editor
T
empers flared at the February 12
Community Council meeting when
the discussion focused on whether
a Neighborhood Council (NC) would better serve residents of Pacific Palisades.
Council President Chris Spitz introduced Tom Soon, L.A. Neighborhood Empowerment Advocate, who said that NC
advantages included advising the mayor on
budgets, receiving $37,500 annually and
early notification on land-use topics, ability
to work with the area planning advisory
board, partnering with regional councils
and access to the city attorney.
Speaking against NCs were Steve Sann
(Westwood Community Council), Dr. Jerry
Brown and Sandy Brown (Westwood CC
and Westwood NC) and Sharon Commins
(past chair of Mar Vista’s NC). Problems
cited included abiding by the Brown Act,
with its specified meeting notifications and
forbidden behind-closed-doors meetings.
Critics also said the money came “with a
heavy price” and that the NC cannot sue
the City, as the PPCC could do.
Dr. Brown said, “The PPCC was a model
for Neighborhood Councils. The NC was
forced on us by a few disgruntled stakeholders. You’re doing phenomenal work;
you don’t need the City to empower you.”
He cited a potential for dissonance in a
community and spoke about Playa Vista,
where Playa Vista Executive Steve Soboroff
loaded up busloads of workers to vote.
(According to a February 2004 Argonaut
story: “Last year, when Playa Vista also
pulled off this dubious stunt of busing in
its employees to ensure that Playa Vista
supporters would continue to run the
Neighborhood Council, the Playa Vista
president, Steve Soboroff, reveled in what
he had achieved and told us, with great
glee, ‘It’s the American way.’”)
PPCC Treasurer Richard Cohen recounted a story about how the threat of
suing the City was the reason street furni(Continued on Page 5)
hrough the evolution of music,
kindergarten through sixth-grade
students at Seven Arrows learned
about black history.
A special kuyam was held on February
20 in the courtyard with parents, teachers,
students and guests, explaining how the development of music paralleled blacks fight
for equality.
Starting with the beat that came from
Africa with the slave trade, music was transformed and sung in the new land.
“As the slaves worked in their fields,
they sang together in sorrow, they sang to
remember their home, their old ways and
themselves,” said Norm from Rhythm
Child, who served as emcee at a school
gathering.
He introduced Ray Syndey and the Firm
Soundation, who sang Gospel songs.
Norm continued the narration: “The
fight to find the road back to freedom
began and still more songs sprang up from
what became known as the Underground
Railroad, a network of secret routes and
safe houses to help slaves to safety.”
Kindergarten students sang a song with
a message of hope, “The Drinking Gourd.”
“With the turn of the century, the sound
changed. Instruments gave rise to a new
style and words and melody were filled with
messages,” Norm told students. “It was the
birth of The Blues and through an incredible invention called television, the first
African American to sing right into our
homes was blues singer Ethel Waters, the
first of many to do so.”
The sixth-grade band performed
“Stormy Monday,” a traditional 12-bar
blues song.
Norm continued the story: “Then came
the ‘60s. A new generation of Americans,
driving the charge of civil rights, sang and
shouted from their hearts to a beat that was
so infectious, the entire world stood up and
took notice. Motown was here and it filled
the airwaves, streets, homes, shops and
dance halls.”
Louis Price, the lead singer of The Temptations from 1997-1980, then sang to the
assembled audience. His wife, Fay Hauser,
performed an original poem, “Hope.”
“The Detroit sound of Motown eventually led to the development of Hip Hop
in the Bronx,” Norm said, introducing
Seven Arrows alum Devin Tillis, who with
his dad Robert performed an original Rap
song, “Celebrating Black History.”
The kuyam closed with a quote by
Martin Luther King, Jr. “We must learn to
live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
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Palisades News
Page 3
Village Green
Yarn Bombed!
By LAUREL BUSBY
Staff Writer
W
hen Rosa Parks was fighting
for civil rights in Alabama, she
surely never imagined that one
day she would become a bench in Pacific
Palisades.
And yet, today, she is a Palisades bench,
or rather a bench on the Village Green is
colorfully decorated with yarn in her honor. Other famous women are also commemorated this month in the two-week
crocheted display in honor of Women’s
History Month, which also happens to be
National Craft Month.
“Sally Ride is a bench,” said Michelle
Villemaire, the six-year Palisadian who
spearheaded the event. “Jane Goodall is a
tree. Helen Keller is a tree. Harriet Tubman
is a lamp post.”
On her web site, homemademimi.com/
yarnbomb, Villemaire offers a map of all of
the women that she chose to include and
their specific portion of the yarn display,
which like the recent crafty embellishment
at the YMCA Pumpkin Patch is called a
yarn bombing—a colorful temporary artwork often used to enliven a public area.
In keeping with the theme, all the pieces
will be removed in mid-March and refashioned into blankets to be donated to a women’s shelter, said Villemaire, an “Air Force
brat” born in Massachusetts but who spent
much of her childhood in Saudi Arabia.
“I wanted [the yarn bombing] to be for
something,” the mother of two said. “It became a great way to talk with my kids about
inspirational women and women who had
an impact on us in history. It’s a great thing
to include both history and philanthropy.”
On the Village Green, one tree, whose
trunk honors Amelia Earhart, is filled with
branches dedicated to female comedians,
such as Lucille Ball, Ellen DeGeneres, Tina
Fey, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett.
Rosa Parks is a favorite historical figure
of Villemaire’s oldest daughter, Pearl, 7,
who selected some honorees and also crocheted several pieces, including the red,
white and blue Betsy Ross flagpole.
Younger daughter Vivi, 4, was able to
help a bit by joining her mother, her grandmother Penchan Villemaire (who learned
to crochet in order to contribute), and Pearl
in putting the pieces on the trees, lampposts
and benches on the Green this week. Even
sister-in-law Luann Abrahams, who lives in
the Bay Area, joined the effort by mailing
a knitted piece for the Earhart tree.
One of the women Villemaire chose to
recognize, in part for personal reasons, is
local actress and writer Jamie Lee Curtis.
Once, as a pregnant mom, Villemaire
checked out several of Curtis’ children’s
books from the library to read to Pearl, who
was two. Just after reading the books, they
happened to run into Curtis at the Palisades
farmers market, and Villemaire introduced
Pearl to Curtis as the author of the books
they had just read. Curtis was “very sweet”
and welcoming to Pearl.
A few months later, after her second
daughter was born, Villemaire was sleepdeprived and miserable. She went out to the
beach early one morning with both girls
and saw Curtis out for a morning stroll.
The two made eye contact, and Curtis
Palisadian Michelle Villemaire, with help from daughters Pearl, 7, and Vivi, 4, crocheted
Photo: Bart Bartholomew
the display in the Village Green.
smiled. Villemaire imagined that maybe
Curtis might have been thinking that Villemaire looked like the picture of young
motherhood, while Villemaire thought
about the solitary Curtis. “To take a walk
on the beach by yourself. That’s the life.”
It was a small moment of epiphany that
“these hard times won’t be forever.”
Noticing these types of moments and
recording them in a comic way on her
homemademimi.com blog has been another one of Villemaire’s recent activities.
Both an actress and writer, Villemaire has
written for the Huffington Post and was
Youth Musical Opens This Friday
The Theatre Palisades Youth cast members perform one of the musical numbers from
Photo: Bart Bartholomew
Doo-Wop Wed Widing Hood.
Theatre Palisades Youth’s spring musical,
Doo-Wop Wed Widing Hood, will open this
Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd.
Director Dorothy Dillingham Blue, a
perennial TPY favorite, will guide 22 talented youth in a humorous 1950’s-era
musical version of the fairy tale “Little Red
Riding Hood.”
Produced by Jody Crabtree and April
O’Sullivan, with musical director DJ Brady,
the story revolves around three characters:
Wise Prince Jason, Strong Prince Justin and
Loud Prince Frank who all want to win
Red Riding Hood’s hand in marriage.
The show continues Saturday, March 7
and 14 at 5 p.m.; Sunday, March 8 and 15 at
2 p.m. and Friday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $14 and can be purchased online at theatrepalisades.com or at the box
office. Call (310) 454-1970.
recently hired to write for Babble, Disney’s
parenting web site. Her blog focuses on
home do-it-yourself projects.
“I want to empower women to take control of their own garages, their own drills,”
said Villemaire, whose husband is TV
writer Jonathan Abrahams. “Don’t wait for
your man to come home. I like the idea of
empowering women and it empowers me
at the same time.”
PPCC Fire Safety
Meeting Tonight
The Pacific Palisades Community Council, in conjunction with the Brentwood
Community Council, will host a Hillside
Fire Safety and Preparedness meeting from
7 to 9 p.m. tonight, March 4, at the Paul
Revere Auditorium, 1450 Allenford Ave.
The public is invited.
Speakers include: Katie Martel (California Fire Safe Council), Beth Burnam (North
Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council), John
Novela (Fire Inspector, Los Angeles Fire Department) and Captain Albert Torres (Los
Angeles Park Rangers, Recreation and Parks).
Rustic Canyon Bridge Club
The Rustic Canyon duplicate
bridge club meets from 6:15 to 9 p.m.
every Wednesday at Rustic Canyon
Park. No master points are awarded;
instead the game is friendly and residents are invited to join. Call Russ
Sherman at (310) 454-2989 or e-mail
russmetal@aol.com.
Page 4
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
Christina Berke Is Revere’s New Librarian
By LAURA ABRUSCATO
Staff Writer
A
display in Paul Revere Middle
School’s library is entitled “Ms.
Berke’s Favorite Books from Middle
School,” with titles such as A Wrinkle in
Time, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone,
Strider and Nothing But the Truth.
“Books were important to me when I
was growing up,” recalls Christina Berke,
who began working as the school’s librarian
in November and who hopes to help students find the books they will love and long
remember from their middle-school years.
Berke began her career through Teach
for America, teaching English at Ánimo Jefferson Middle School in South L.A. after
graduating from UC Berkeley in 2010.
“It was the first middle school Green
Dot [charter school organization] opened,
so I got to brainstorm with other teachers
a vision for the school,” says Berke, who
helped build the English curriculum, such
as choosing which novels to teach.
The school did not have a library, so
through trips to thrift stores and donations
Berke built her own classroom library. She
taught for four years at the school of about
500 students while earning her master’s
degree in education at UCLA.
She is happy to be working in a library
that has more than 16,000 books and is
New Paul Revere Middle School librarian Christina Berke.
well-used throughout the day. Groups of
students, up to 140 at the busiest times,
come in during homeroom, nutrition
break, lunch and before and after school
to read books or magazines, use the computers or play board games. Teachers also
bring in their classes to pick out books for
silent and independent reading.
“The faculty and students have been so
welcoming,” says Berke, a Ventura County
native whose interest in education was
sparked by a beloved third-grade teacher.
Photo: Lesly Hall
“It’s such a diverse group of students. I feel
fortunate to be here.”
On the 12 iMacs in the library, which are
available for homework and research, Berke
teaches students how to look up books as well
as online research techniques, such as finding
credible sources. “We teach them to Google
more efficiently, to be specific in their search,
as well as the differences between an academic and personal website,” she says. “Students tend to click on the first link they see.”
When looking for books, many students
already know what genre or series they like.
With others who need more help finding
books, Berke asks questions about what
they do outside of school. She also likes the
book recommendation site goodreads and
has a display of the most popular books
checked out of the library which include
the Naruto graphic novels, the Al Capone
Does My Shirts series, If I Stay and The Fault
in Our Stars.
Berke enjoys working with middleschool students, whom she says are “independent, not set in their ways; there’s
wiggle room and they still get excited
about reading. They’re enthusiastic and
they still have a lot of firsts.”
She also feels that books can help with
the challenges of this age. “It can be a trying time. In books you can find something
funny or something you can relate to. You
can connect with others over books.”
Library parent liaison Lori Froeling
works weekly in the library. “Christina
had an enthusiasm that was genuine,” recalls Froeling, who was on the librarian
search committee made up of teachers,
parents and administrators who interviewed Berke. “She’s very inquisitive and
open to new ideas.”
Berke, who lives in Manhattan Beach,
also teaches writing in community college,
and hopes to someday write a children’s or
young adult book.
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Page 5
Palisades News
Council
(Continued from Page 1)
ture was kept out of Pacific Palisades. “This
would have been impossible if we were a
certified NC,” Cohen said.
PPCC Board Member Reza Akef wanted
to know why there wasn’t anyone from an
NC present at the meeting to give the pros
of the issue.
“This is just an informational meeting,”
Spitz said, pointing out that the City’s representative Soon had spoken.
As the argument intensified, PPCC
members Amy Kalp pleaded for civility and
Donna Vaccarino suggested that a committee be formed to investigate.
“As the chair I am the one who forms a
committee and we are not doing that now,”
Spitz said. “This is just a discussion.”
PPCC member Kelly Comras said, “I
don’t understand why we’re having this
conversation.”
“There are those who wanted to know
more about NCs,” Spitz said.
“Who are the people who are supporting
an NC? We should have them come and
explain why they feel they need one,” said
PPCC member Gil Dembo.
Soon said: “I’ve heard there is dissatisfaction and lack of respect for the PPCC. People say that they are not represented, that
there are people [serving] appointed on the
council for years—there is a lack of voice.”
PPCC Secretary Jennifer Malaret said she
is working on PPCC bylaws and has repeatedly asked people to contact her about
changes: no one has. (The current PPCC
president, vice president, secretary and treasurer are first selected by a committee, which
is appointed by the president, and then that
slate is voted on by the PPCC board.)
Jay Handel, chair of the West L.A. NC,
came late to the meeting (Soon invited him).
“It’s an important decision, but you have
to do it on fact, have an open discussion,”
Handel said. “It the end, ask, are you really
representing everyone or would a neighborhood council be more representative?”
PPCC member Rick Mills said, “If we
don’t do our job to represent a broad crosssection of the community, I don’t have confidence an NC would do any better than we
are. Sometimes at meetings we get too defensive. We need to stay in touch with our
constituent groups.”
After the meeting, Handel was contacted
and asked about how the West L.A. NC
spends its $37,000. “We do 100 percent
community outreach,” he said. “We have an
up-to-date web site, alerting everyone of
everything that is going on; we sent out
fliers; and we pay for 10 movies in the park
in the summer and 10 concerts.”
He said money could go to schools and
nonprofits, depending on an NC vote.
When asked if the money could fix streets,
Handel said, “Yes, but we choose not to;
we figure that is the City’s job.”
Solar
Seniors Deja Bowen and Remy Beland perform in the Palisades High Winter Show.
Photo: Bart Bartholomew
Nickel and Dimed at PaliHi
P
alisades High School is presenting
Nickel and Dimed at 7 p.m. on March
5, 6, 7 and 13 and 14 in Mercer Hall.
The play is based on Barbara Ehrenreich’s
2001 book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not)
Getting by in America, which grew out of an
article for Harper’s magazine. Ehrenreich
clandestinely worked for three months in
a number of blue collar low-wage jobs to
see if one could survive doing so.
PaliHi’s Remy Beland plays Ehrenreich
and is supported by a cast of more than 30
ensemble players. Director Nancy Fracchiolla said, “The play is especially trenchant
given Obama’s State of the Union in which
he said, ‘And to everyone in this Congress
who still refuses to raise the minimum
wage, I say this: If you truly believe you
could work full-time and support a family
on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not,
vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.’”
Tickets are available at the door: $10 student, $15 general, $20 VIP.
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Page 6
Palisades News
Heard
About Town
March 4, 2015
ANN CLEAVES
Bravos for the Symphony
The all-Beethoven Palisades Symphony
concert was absolutely wonderful; the
soloist Yolanda Klappert amazing. She got
a standing ovation that lasted and lasted.
Who knew we had someone so talented
in our midst? She works in the Lutheran
church office.
Breakfast Dilemma
Mayberry has closed and Maison Giraud and Matthew’s are closed on Monday mornings. It you want to meet
someone for breakfast in Pacific Palisades on this day, your choices are really
limited.
Emergency Response
Delayed on Sunset
A flatbed truck failed to negotiate the
turn from the Palisades Drive onto Sunset,
dumping a load of construction debris
onto the roadway, over the Lake Shrine
fence and then overturning onto the driver’s side [February 17]. With the help of
wonderful bystanders, the driver was
pulled from the smoking cab as others
used fire extinguishers. Many bystanders
cleared all the debris from the roadway.
VIEWPOINT
Stepping Into a Father’s Role
18th Hole Tee-Off Jerks
By JONATHON SHILER
I went to the Northern Trust Tournament Open on Saturday, and just as some
players were going to tee off on Hole 18,
some jerks in the house above started
shouting from the balcony, and then one
woman tried to squeal an opera song.
They may live in an exclusive area, but
that doesn’t give them the right to shout
at world-class golfers.
came from Brentwood, a neighborhood
where worries were nonexistent. All families
had both parents and money was not a
concern. A sense of security was always present
and I was never worried when a family issue
would arise because I always assumed that it
would resolve itself. All of this was taken one day.
It was a gloomy morning when my dad
drove us to school. My sister and I were busy
playing a game on his PDA [personal digital
assistant]. He had just returned after a long
business trip and although he was going to leave
again we were only concerned with the new
gadget. His constant absences had weakened
our relationship, but we accepted them since we
always assumed he would come back. Little
did I know that at ten years old this would be
the last I saw my father.
When my parents divorced, the world I was
familiar with ceased to exist. Now our sole
provider, my mother worked even longer
hours to make ends meet. I was always the last
one to get picked up from daycare. We kept
moving into smaller and smaller places so we
could keep a roof over our heads. My sister
cried constantly and asked where our father
was. And I was caught in the middle, forced to
give up my childhood to help my mother.
Prior to the divorce, life was different.
Everyone was happy and my dad and I did
many things together. My father was a service
engineer who worked on both the hardware and
the software of computer systems, so he easily
taught me how to use our home computer. He
also explained the basics of the home theater
Potrero Park Dog Walkers
It makes me so angry every time I walk
past the land where Potrero Park is being
built and see rim residents and others
inside, walking their dogs. I thought this
canyon was supposed to be off-limits to
everyone until the park opens.
No Paper Again
I live in the Alphabet Streets and once
again I didn’t get your paper on Wednesday. To whom do I complain?
(Editor’s note: The Palisades News
comes out on the first and third Wednesday of the month, after being delivered to
the post office on Monday. It is up to the
carriers when they deliver it, since it is not
first class. We suggest speaking to your
carrier. The entire issue is posted on our
website: Palisadesnews.com.)
———————
If you’d like to share something you’ve
“heard about town,” please email it to
spascoe@palisadesnews.com
I
system when I asked, describing how three
different lights from the projector made up a
single image on the screen. My dad introduced
me to a plethora of gadgets, and I treasure those
few experiences we shared because he opened
the door to my fascination with technological
innovations.
After my father left, I wanted to fill the void
his absence had created and make my family
happy again. Cooking for, cleaning up after
and mentoring my sister became a big part of
my new world. I realized I needed to be more
serious about my education in order to ensure
myself a better future.
I’m now a senior in high school and I know
what I want and am determined to get it.
With the support and love of my family, I have
regained a happy spirit despite the divorce. I
am self-motivated and know I can tackle any
seemingly insurmountable obstacle that
stands in my way.
My childhood ended when my father left
but I now realize he left me with more than a
broken heart. He introduced me to technology,
made it accessible and sparked my desire to
understand how things worked. His absence
brought out my courage and ability to be a
better brother and son. And my pain has
taught me one more important thing: to
never abandon my children during the most
important years of their lives.
(Editor’s note: Jonathon Shiler, a senior at
Palisades High School, was awarded a Posse
Scholarship, which provides a four-year full
tuition scholarship at Northwestern University.
Shiler thinks his father may live in Israel.)
Thought to Ponder
“The essential intention
is the real sin. A man
who cannot choose
ceases to be a man.”
― Anthony Burgess,
author of A Clockwork
Orange (1917-93)
Founded November 5, 2014
———————
15332 Antioch Street #169
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 401-7690
www.PalisadesNews.com
———————
Publisher
Scott Wagenseller
swag@palisadesnews.com
Editor
Sue Pascoe
spascoe@palisadesnews.com
Graphics Director
Manfred Hofer
Digital Content and Technology
Kurt Park
Advertising
Jeff Ridgway
jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com
Grace Hiney
gracehiney@palisadesnews.com
Advisor
Bill Bruns
Contributing Writers
Laura Abruscato, Laurel Busby,
Danielle Gillespie, Libby Motika
Contributing Photographers
Wendy Price Anderson,
Bart Bartholomew, Shelby Pascoe
———————
A bi-monthly newspaper mailed on
the first and third Wednesday of each
month. 14,500 circulation includes
zip code 90272 and Sullivan, Mandeville and Santa Monica Canyons.
Online: palisadesnews.com
All content printed herein, and in our
digital editions, is copyrighted.
Palisades News
March 4, 2015
Page 7
A forum for open discussion of community issues
EDITORIAL
Grand Entertainment at the Riviera
Their sudden-death playoff started at the 10th hole,
regarded as one of golf ’s most challenging short par-4s.
Hahn and Johnson birdied, Casey got a par. One extra
ur three-person editorial board is staffed with stroke and he was out.
Hahn and Johnson moved to the 14th hole, a par-3,
two golfers—one who plays frequently, one who
plays annually in his family golf tournament— where Hahn sunk a long birdie putt and Johnson
missed. Hahn won $1.2 million and Casey and Johnson
and a non-golfer, who if she played would have a
split the payoff for second place, each earning slightly
handicap about the same as her IQ and her weight.
Attendance at this year’s Northern Trust Open at the under $400,000.
One putt, one stroke, meant a lot of money, and
Riviera was mandatory. After all, this is the sole national
sporting event played in Pacific Palisades. And to stand knowing this reality places huge mental pressure on PGA
as close as five or six feet to some of the top athletes in tour golfers. Writers don’t have crowds watching every
word we type, and if we inadvertently spell a word
a sport, while they are playing, almost never happens
wrong, it’s not going to cost us a potential $800,000,
in any other sport.
the difference between first and second at the Riviera.
One reason I enjoy watching a golf tournament is
With all this golf drama so near to our community,
knowing that this sport not only requires athleticism,
one would think that swarms of Pacific Palisades residents
but a mental concentration on each and every shot.
They know—we know—that one bad swing, one care- would have been at the course.
Not the case. For some reason, people in the Palisades
less putt, can make the difference in hundreds of thoujust don’t make it over to the Riviera—even though we
sands of dollars.
At the end of four rounds at the 2015 Northern Trust, don’t have to fight the traffic like those who come from
outside the area to watch the only PGA tournament in
James Hahn, Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson were all
Los Angeles.
tied at six-under 278.
By SUE PASCOE
Editor
O
Hopping on the Metro 2 bus along Sunset provides a
quick trip to one of the grandest old dames, the Riviera
Country Club. Golfers and sports writers alike refer to
this course as one of the great classic courses in America—
and it’s right in our backyard.
With an admission ticket, a spectator can follow a
group of golfers for 18 holes. If you’re a hiker and not a
golfer, there’s no prettier spot to walk than the George
Thomas, Jr.-designed golf course, completed in 1927.
Although the “old” guys, such as Vijay Singh, Retief
Goosen and Sergio Garcia, were in contention on Sunday,
it was also fun to see the upcoming golfers such as
23-year-old Carlos Ortiz, a Mexican professional who
played college golf at the University of North Texas. He
finished one-under and tied for 20th.
This year, bloody Mary’s and screwdrivers were available
for breakfast at the Riveria, and for those on the cocktail
tour, beer, wine and other mixed drinks could take you
well into the afternoon. Food trucks were parked near
Hole 14 and concession stands were at various locations.
Top athletes, exercise, fresh air, food and booze are
only a short bus ride away. If you’ve never gone, put
the Northern Trust on your list for next February.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Objections to Editorial
Cartoon about Measles
It surprises me that misleading information can be
printed that is devoid of fact. If the Palisades News is
interested in the truth and not misleading people, then
why would this be printed?
Regarding the February 14 issue, either: 1. Cartoonist
Ann Cleaves (or the editor) is not aware of the history
of the measles vaccine, or 2. They are aware of history
but have other motives. I’m eager to receive a response
to this comment/question.
There is a picture of the ship with a slogan that reads
“No Measles Vaccine” with a caption that reads: “One
quarter of the Hawaiian People died in 1948—One
third of the Fijian People Died in 1875.”
What does this imply to the reader? I think it clearly
implies that the measles vaccine was responsible for
curbing death from measles. This is completely incorrect.
Perhaps the facts you should be reporting are these:
The CDC [Centers for Disease Control] reports that
from 2004 to 2015 not a single person in the U.S. died
from measles. Most importantly, the VAERS database, a
database that is co-sponsored by the CDC and the FDA,
details that 108 people have died from the measles vaccine.
If truth is your aim, I would suggest researching what
I’ve said here and posting a correction in your paper. I
eagerly await your reply.
Ryan L. Morelli
• Tighten residency and business requirements for all
vaccination program. According to the World Health
Board members, including officers;
Organization, the disease remains one of the leading
causes of death among young children globally, despite the • Eliminate certain unelected positions held by individuals.
Ted Weitz
availability of a safe and effective vaccine. About 145,700
people died from measles in 2013. Most were children under
the age of 5. Measles vaccination resulted in a 75 percent
drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2013 worldwide.)
Regarding By-Law Changes
For Pacific Palisades Council
Burglars Are About:
Stay Alert in Pacific Palisades
(Editor’s note: Marquez Knolls resident Haldis Toppel
sent the following message to her e-mail list.)
Last night, Saturday, February 21, at 7:49 p.m., the
alarm went off at a house in the 17000 block of
(Editor’s note: At the February 12 Pacific Palisades
Community Council meeting, Secretary Jennifer Malaret Livorno, and caused the intruder(s) to leave the house
after a glass sliding door was smashed and entry into
asked all interested parties to send her by-law change
the house was gained.
suggestions. Resident Ted Weitz sent his suggested
The security company [Palisades Patrol] was at the
amendments to Malaret, introduced by the following
scene immediately. Please notify LAPD at (310) 444-0703
comments.)
In summary, these changes seek to further representation if you saw or heard anything unusual. Please be on the
of the general public and provide broader transparency alert, turn on your alarm when you leave the house and,
if you hear somebody at the door, always let them know
through the following:
• Increase the number of Board members who are elected that you are home even though you may decide not to
by the public, resulting in a Board with a majority of open the door. You don’t want to come face to face with
a burglar who thinks the home is empty.
elected members;
Haldis Toppel
• Provide for election of officers by the public at-large;
(Editor’s note: After the monitored alarm was activated,
• Separate the responsibilities of the President (primary
Palisades Patrol responded immediately with two cars and
executive officer) from the Board Chair (who shall
two patrol officers—one an off-duty LAPD officer and the
chair meetings);
other a reserve military police officer. It was reported that a
• Democratize the election process by eliminating
possible suspect may have escaped when he saw the patrol
insular committees and committee make-up;
officers arrive.)
•
Establish
term
limits
for
all
Board
members
(including
(Editor’s note: The editor almost died from measles as an
area
representatives,
officers
and
organizational
8-year-old after being in a coma for three days. After waking,
Palisades News welcomes all letters, which may
representatives);
her 20/20 vision was gone. A little boy down the block had
be
mailed to spascoe@palisadesnews.com. Please
complications resulting in encephalitis, and although he • Increase transparency of actions by committees,
include
a name, address and telephone number so
including the Executive Committee;
recovered, he was deaf. Roald Dahl’s child died from
we
may
reach you. Letters do not necessarily
measles complications. Many Americans have no experience • Suggested reduction in the number of regular meetings
reflect
the
viewpoint of the Palisades News.
(perhaps also expanding meeting length if necessary);
with this devastating disease because of a successful
Page 8
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
Rabbi Meets with Design Board
At the Pacific Palisades Design Review
Board meeting on February 25 in the
Chamber office, Rabbi Zushi Cunin met
with board members to discuss the wall that
surrounds the Chabad Jewish Center on
Sunset Boulevard at Los Liones Drive. Residents in the neighborhood have been upset
with the size of the wall and its placement.
When asked why the Chabad did not ask
the DRB for specific plan guidelines before
the wall was built, Cunin explained that the
project was funded by the Department of
Homeland Security and time-mandated.
“We did everything we could in our understanding of City guidelines,” he said.
DRB President Barbara Kohn explained
that all design-related projects in the
DRB’s purview, including walls, signage
and landscaping, need to be vetted. “If
that would have happened, we could have
all been on the same page from the begin-
ning,” Kohn said.
Cunin agreed to work with the board in
the future. “We will come here and discuss
it [landscaping and signs] with you. We will
have a partnership with you.”
The Chabad is waiting for the City to finish moving utility boxes and perform curb
work, so that a sidewalk can be installed
and landscaping planted.
At the meeting, Palisades News queried
the DRB about the newly installed parking
kiosk in the Bank of America parking lot,
which some residents find unattractive. In
October, representatives of TOPA (the lot’s
owner) met informally with the DRB,
which made suggestions that were not incorporated in the kiosk.
The board was questioned about an
anonymous comment in the PalisadianPost’s Two Cents column that questioned
the board’s taste: “If they cannot do a good
Allied Artists Host Plein-Air Paint-Out
A plein-air paint-out will be held from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at
Point Dume Headlands, 7200 Westward
Beach Rd. in Malibu. A voluntary critique
will be held at 12:30 p.m. near the restrooms.
All levels of artists are welcome.
Masses of brilliant yellow giant coreopsis
should be in full bloom this time of year.
From PCH, drive west past Kanan Road to
Westward Beach Road. Turn left onto West-
ward Beach Road and proceed to furthest
parking area closest to Point Dume. There
is a parking fee.
Bring your own art supplies, water, lunch,
sunscreen and repellent, hat and walking
shoes. Meet in the parking lot. Rain cancels
the paint-out.
Contact Bruce Trentham, (818) 397-1576
or bmtrentham@charter.net, or Annie Hoffman, (310) 339-8396 or annieart2@me.com.
job with a small kiosk,” somebody asked,
“how can we trust them with any project?”
Kohn responded, “The matter of the
kiosk has complex elements of which the
Post is unaware because their reporter so
rarely attends DRB meetings. Efforts to address the issue are ongoing.”
Site of DWP Substation
Location Questioned
The Palisades News received a Heard
About Town inquiry about the proposed
DWP electrical substation. “Someone told
me that Councilman Mike Bonin promised
members of the Castellammare Mesa Home
Owners Association at their annual meeting that the substation would not be built
anyway near Los Liones State Park or Fire
Station 23.”
The News contacted Bonin’s senior advisor Norman Kulla about the statement.
“That is a hearing-what-you-want-to-hear
evaluation of a response that Mike gave,”
Kulla said. “The councilman made no
promises. What he said is that we don’t have
enough parks, and that he understood State
Parks to have given DWP a firm no to
DWP’s request to the site adjacent to Fire
Station 23. Mike, like everyone else, is waiting on DWP to propose where they intend to locate DS 104.”
Decorating Contest
Sponsored by Sather
It is not too early to start thinking about
home decorating—for the annual Fourth
of July Patriotic Home Decorating Contest.
This will be the fourth year that Palisadian
realtor Joan Sather will sponsor the contest.
All Palisades homes are eligible. To enter,
residents must upload a photo of their
decorated home to the “Pacific Palisades
Fourth of July Celebration” page on facebook or e-mail the photo to info@palisadesparade.org, and it will be uploaded
to the facebook page.
The winner receives a flag flown over
the U.S. Capitol, gift certificates, a story in
the Palisades News and participation in
judging the 2016 contest.
Arthritis Foundation
Offers Exercise Classes
The Arthritis Foundation is offering a
free, low-impact physical-activity program Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30
to 1:30 p.m. from March 18 through April
24 at the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club,
901 Haverford.
Exercise will keep joints flexible and
muscles strong, promote better sleep and
increase energy. The routines include gentle range-of-motion exercises. Call Danny
Vasquez, (818) 984-1380 Ext. 108.
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March 4, 2015
SPEAKERS CORNER
Nahai Will Speak On
The Luminous Heart
B
est-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, at 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. The book is a dramatic,
insightful, and humorous exploration of
Iranian Jewish culture and history.
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
Page 9
Palisades News
Optimist Club
Seeks Grant
Applicants
Pacific Palisades Optimist Club, whose
motto is “Friends of Youth” and whose
goal is “Bring Out the Best in Kids,” will
once again make annual grants to youth
organizations based in Pacific Palisades or
those that provide services that benefit
youth in this community.
Grants may be used for funding of a specific event, for equipment, a facility or service, and must be spent this year. Grants are
not given to organizations that request continuing financial support. The application
must be received no later than March 31.
Award decisions will be made within
two months, and grant recipients will be
notified and, if possible, receive their
awards at the weekly Tuesday breakfast
meeting of the Palisades Optimists.
Interested organizations, schools and
clubs may send queries to grant committee
chairman Bill Skinner (ibeeel@aol.com)
or call (310) 459-8286 to receive an application and grant guidelines.
Applications are also available at the
Chamber of Commerce at 15330 Antioch
Greater Los Angeles and has twice been a Street. They may be returned to the Chamber or mailed to Grants Committee Chairfinalist for an L.A. Press Club award.
Call: (310) 459-2754 or visit friendsof- man, Optimist Club of Pacific Palisades,
P.O. Box 211, Pacific Palisades 90272.
palilibrary.org.
Pali Elementary
Auction Is Open
To All Residents
Pacific Palisades Elementary is opening its online auction to local residents
for the first time in the school’s history.
From March 6 through the 16th, residents may visit paligala.com and bid on
restaurants, travel, children’s classes
and camps. Opportunities include:
seven nights in a luxurious private villa
at the Amanpuri Phuket, Thailand; two
tickets for Taylor Swift’s August concert
at Staples Center; VIP Behind-theScenes Experience for two to the NFL on
Fox; and a limited edition lithograph, “A
Sky Full of Stars,” signed by Coldplay.
There’s also a “Buy It Now” option,
allowing one to avoid bidding wars.
Raffle tickets are available for three
prizes: 1. One-of-a-kind 61-carat Tourmaline necklace, designed by local
jeweler Jaimie Geller ($10,500); 2.
Four-night stay at the Grand Wailea
in Maui ($2,800); and 3. A Brompton
folding bike ($1,700), designed and
manufactured in London.
All proceeds from the auction support hiring teachers to reduce class
sizes, purchase books and provide access to computers, music and physical
education.
AG Adriano Goldshmied
Michael C. Solum
White + Warren
, Principal
Insurance and Financial Services Agent
Rebecca Taylor
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Raffi Italia
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Page 10
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
Sonia Batra Offers College Advice
By SUE PASCOE
Editor
D
r. R. Sonia Batra, a 1991 Palisades
High graduate, Harvard graduate
and Rhodes Scholar, was the inaugural speaker for the newly formed
Roads to Your Future Club at PaliHi.
“Work hard and go for it,” she told the
nearly 100 students assembled in Gilbert
Hall during lunchtime on February 3.
“What you do in this short window of your
life plays out for your future. It will have an
impact on every opportunity, and has a
direct impact on your life.
“These opportunities come before you’re
ready for them,” Batra said.
While at Pali, “I was on the AcaDec team
with Mama G [famed teacher Rose Gilbert]. We won City and took second in
state,” Batra said. “We wanted to go to Nationals so badly because Mama G told us if
we made it, she’d take us to Hawaii.”
The multi-talented Batra played piano
in a.m. orchestra with Joel Lish and flute in
the marching band—both a continuation
of her musical career at Paul Revere under
One enthusiastic PaliHi student took a
selfie with the doctor.
Stewart Rupp.
She also was the 1991 valedictorian. A
student asked her GPA. “I think it was a 4.0,
but that was before they were weighted,”
Batra said.
One student wanted to know if there was
some subject that was hard for her. “Golf.
I was not good with it and it was a P.E. requirement.” Another student asked her least
favorite class. “Life skills and health. I sat
there thinking this was a complete waste
of my time.”
After PaliHi, Batra attended Harvard
University, where she was elected to Phi
Beta Kappa. “When I went to Harvard I was
in a class with students who had gone to
some of the most elite private schools in
the country, but I felt prepared because of
the great teachers I had here.”
“What you need for your future is obtainable here,” Batra said. “It is a question
of dedication, passion and utilizing the
platform to go for it. Where you go to college does make a difference.”
Graduating after only three years at Harvard with a dual degree in history and biochemistry, she was nominated to be a
Rhodes Scholar and received one of only 32
scholarship given annually in the United
States. Academic excellence, personal energy,
ambition and ability to work with others
and to achieve goals are necessary requirements in order to earn a scholarship to Oxford, with tuition, transportation costs and
a stipend provided for one to three years.
“My parents are immigrants from India
and they were not pleased I was applying,”
Batra said. “They are doctors and thought
I should start working.”
Batra graduated from Oxford in 1996
with a master’s degree in genetics and then
entered Harvard Medical School, where she
also earned a master’s degree in public health
in 2000. Her internship, residency and chief
residency in dermatology was at Stanford.
“I decided on dermatology because of
the continuum—you treat men and women and all ages. My oldest patient is 107
years old and I treat newborns,” Batra said.
“There are few fields left in medicine that
Dr. R. Sonia Batra
are multi-generational.” She also told students she likes performing surgery.
After Stanford, Batra became head of
dermatology at the City of Hope National
Medical Center in Duarte in 2005. Since she
grew up near Kenter Canyon School, she
and her husband Sameer Malhotra, a urologist, bought a home about a mile from
where Batra grew up.
In 2007, she went into private practice
and now has a staff of 12 at her office in
Santa Monica. “I like running the show,”
Batra told students. “Some of my patients
were my former high school teachers.” She
is also a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at USC Keck School of Medicine.
A student asked Batra if there was anything she would change if she looked back.
“I wish there were some things I hadn’t
given up so early,” she said. “At Oxford, I
played soccer; I wish I had held onto that a
little more tightly. But then there’s not time
to do everything.”
The couple have two children: Tara, 7,
and Shaun, 5, who attend Kenter Canyon,
their mother’s old school.
Freshman class president Amir Ebtehadj,
who with the help of the Pacific Palisades
Optimist Club, has brought this highly successful Revere Middle School speaker program to PaliHi, said: “It was important to
bring the program here because it is a great
resource to hear successful stories, meet the
professionals, and most importantly to
have students gain crucial facts and tips
about college and ultimately the real world.
After today’s presentation, I can say that the
program is off to great start.”
The March speaker is architect Rich Wilken, also a Palisades High School alumnus.
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March 4, 2015
Page 11
Palisades News
Theme
PCH Update: Incline Closure Nears Parade
Sought for
By SUE PASCOE
Editor
D
elays will continue through June
on Pacific Coast Highway between
Chautauqua and the Annenberg
Beach House.
At the quarterly PCH Taskforce meeting February 18, Coastal Interceptor Relief
Sewer (CIRS) Project Manager Andy Flores
announced that work on this portion of
the road, which was slated to be finished in
April, has been pushed back again.
“The tunneling has been completed and
the 48-inch sewer pipe has been installed,”
Flores said. The $10-million clean-water
project included installing a new sewer
line that will take rainwater runoff from
Pacific Palisades to the Hyperion Treatment Center.
“We found out there was 9-inches of asphalt on top of beach sand,” Flores said.
“There is a gas line and sewer line buried
under it, so we are going to have to take out
the asphalt by hand, bring in base, compact it and then put down new asphalt.”
Flores quipped, “It’s just like surgery;
you don’t always know what you have until
you open it up.” He estimates that with the
new street construction, the earliest this
stretch will be completed will be late June.
Meanwhile, the California Incline construction project that will replace the 1930s
Fourth of July
Ever since American Legion Post 283 revived the Pacific Palisades Fourth of July
parade in 1961, a theme has helped define
the parade. This year is no different, and
PAPA (Palisades Americanism Parade Association) is asking your help to pen a clever,
witty, poignant or memorable theme.
Last year’s winner was Kim Traenkle’s
entry, “Star-Spangled Palisades.”
Submit your best idea(s) to info@paliThe California Incline served memorably as a location in Stanley Kramer’s classic car
sadesparade.org, by Friday, April 10. If your
Photo: credit
chase comedy, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).
theme is selected, in addition to bragging
bridge that serves as the roadway from PCH at Canyon Elementary School for morning rights, you can also ride in the parade aboard
to Santa Monica, is still on schedule, with and afternoon school opening and dis- a fire engine (with selected family members)
and Palisades News will feature you in a story.
closure set for early April.
missal during the Incline closure.
Motorists on southbound PCH wishing
Adding to traffic woes for San Fernando
to access Santa Monica will be directed to Valley commuters is a planned underMoomat Ahiko and Lincoln Boulevard exits. ground utility project at the intersection of
Residents of Santa Monica Canyon are Old Topanga Boulevard and Topanga Boulworried about increased traffic, if people evard that will involve six months of trenchCertified yoga instructor Alison Burdecide to cut through to enter Santa Mon- ing. The entire project will take 18 months,
meister,
co-owner of The Yogurt Shoppe,
ica, avoiding that stretch of PCH.
with lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
teaches
community
yoga classes (all levels)
The City of Santa Monica will put out Monday through Friday. It is estimated that
Mondays
at
9:45-11
a.m. at the Woman’s
dynamic message signs for the duration of more than 19,000 cars use the road daily.
Club,
901
Haverford.
Beginners are welthe project (three on Highway 101, four in
Caltrans is scheduled to replace the blinkcome.
The
class
is
donation
based ($15 sugPacific Palisades and one in Santa Monica) ing traffic light at the Palisades Bowl crossgested).
Participants
should
bring a mat,
to alert motorists of the closure and best walk, just north of Temescal Canyon Road
water,
towel
and
a
smile.
Visit:
alisontraffic routes.
in 2016, with a more permanent and visible
burmeister.com.
Santa Monica will pay for a traffic officer fixture, which will require cars to stop.
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March 4, 2015
Palisades News
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©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. 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
service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning 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 accuracy of that
information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals. * Based on information total sales volume from California Real Estate Technology Services, Santa Barbara Association of REALTORS,
REALTORS, SANDICOR, Inc. for the period 1/1/2013 through 12/31/2013 in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego,
Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Due to MLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy, this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate. Therefore, 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.
Palisades News
March 4, 2015
Page 13
DRB Okays Plan for La Cruz Building
By SUE PASCOE
Editor
D
esign plans for the two-story
building located between the U.S.
Post Office and UDO Real Estate
on La Cruz were approved by the Design
Review Board (DRB) on February 11. Remodeling is projected to start in May and
end in November.
“Our ‘For Lease’ sign will go up this
week,” said Elliot Zorensky, UDO co-president, who with Randy Nonberg purchased
the property in May 2014.
When finished, the 1950s building will
maintain its 4,025-sq.-ft. space. The lower
floor will be about 3,000 sq. ft. and the second floor about 1,000.
“We would love a retail tenant for the
ground floor and a service tenant for the
second floor,” Zorensky said. “We will be
approaching the tenants on Swarthmore to
get them to relocate permanently. I foresee
there will be a shortage of space for them
all to operate in when Caruso vacates them
to remodel [in 2016]. Some tenants may be
left standing when the music stops. I think
the smart ones will move soon.”
TAG (The Albert Group Architects) was
hired for the project and asked to maintain
the mid-century architectural style. “Our
choice became obvious when we walked
around the Village with our architect,”
said Zorensky.
Although that mid-century look is prevalent on Swarthmore and several of those
buildings have been torn down, with others to follow, Zorensky said the style is
prevalent throughout the Palisades.
“We picked up the architectural elements
and the materials of this style and used
them in a bit more contemporary way for
our building,” he said. “We love the warmth
of brick and it is our major material used,
while maintaining the lines of the architectural style, which was critical.”
The building at 15239 La Cruz was built
in 1955 and expanded four years later. The
site always housed a pet hospital.
Veterinarian Debbie Oliver purchased the
building in 2000 and named it the Blue Cross
Pet Hospital. Shortly after her purchase, she
painted the building a bright blue. The color
choice raised the ire of many in town.
Although it would have been easier for
UDO to construct a new building, and most
likely less expensive, the current space is
grandfathered into existence, which means
an elevator to the second floor is not required: there are back and front stairs. A
new building would also have required
more parking.
Although the initial deconstruction was
completed by October, there have been de-
Rendering of the completed building at the site of the former Blue Cross Pet Hospital on La Cruz.
lays. It took a month to get an appointment
to submit plans to the L.A. City Planner
and an additional 10 weeks before it was
placed on the Pacific Palisades DRB agenda.
At the January 14 DRB meeting, the architectural design won high marks from the
seven-member board. Vice-chair David
Hibbert asked if the brick color would be the
same as the rendering. The DRB determined
that there was a general flaw in the appli-
cation process and that a material board
(samples of proposed materials) should be
included as part of the submission process.
“I’m more concerned about future projects than this one,” Hibbert said. “We should
see the materials.”
At the February 11 DRB meeting, a material board was presented and approved,
allowing the building to go forward.
“At this time our permit is nearly ready
to pull but cannot until Planning signs
off,” Zorensky said last week. “That will be
a minimum of another two-and-a-half
months, the planner says. Once we have a
permit, we can start.”
UDO also owns property on La Cruz
and Sunset that includes Palisades Garden
Café, Naturella Beauty Center, Ruby Nails,
Philips French Cleaners, Wells Fargo Bank
and Palisades Patrol.
The Other ‘Alphabet Streets’ Neighborhood
Contributed by Michael Edlen,
Coldwell Banker
N
drain that terminated at the upper end of
what is now Hampden Place could have
been extended much farther toward the
ocean. Unfortunately, uncontained storm
waters eroded more of the canyon sides;
and numerous homes were undermined
to such a degree that in the 1950s they had
to be demolished. Landslides began putting additional homes at risk, and ultimately the City of Los Angeles had to deal
with a $75-million class-action lawsuit in
the 1980s.
The resulting Portrero Canyon Park Development Project eventually required filling the canyon to a depth ranging from 40
to 200 feet, utilizing more than 3 million
cubic yards of dirt. The city had to buy 22
of the 35 affected properties along the edge,
but has already resold 15 at public auction
to help pay for the enormous costs involved
in the infill and park development.
The final Phase Three of the project
must meet strict conditions for the canyon’s
re-vegetation, including native bushes and
a riparian zone along a streambed. A pedestrian path will extend from the south end
of the Recreation Center down to Pacific
Coast Highway. To pay for this, the City is
preparing to sell its final seven lots and expects to receive more than $9 million. These
lots could actually yield far more, based
on current values for development.
The project’s estimated total cost will
exceed $30 million, and the park is slated
to be completed by 2017.
Below is a comparison of recent market
lows and highs in the Via Bluffs neighborhood.
ot many people know that the Via
Bluffs streets were mostly named
for Christian colleges in the U.S.
Similar to the north-of-Sunset “alphabets,”
six streets in this area are in alphabetical
sequence: Antioch, Bowdoin, Carthage,
DePauw, Earlham and Friends. This has
always been a highly desirable neighborhood because of its proximity to Village
shops, the park and ocean-view bluffs.
The Via Bluffs area (so-called because Via
de la Paz and Via de las Olas are two of the
main defining streets in the neighborhood)
was the second part of what became Tract
9300 in 1928. It consists of streets south of
Sunset from Temescal Canyon to Swarthmore and to Portrero Canyon, where
# SOLD
MEDIAN $
AVG $
$/SQ FT
Friends and Earlham terminate.
32
$2,817,500
$2,855,500
$894
In contrast to the typical rectangular 2014 (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31)
grid plan used on the narrow streets north 2011 (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31)
20
$1,425,000
$1,698,250
$670
of Sunset, this area was designed more ar- % Diff
60%
98%
68%
33%
tistically to benefit from the oceanfront
Based on information from the Association of REALTORS®/Multiple Listing Service from 1/1-12/31 in 2011 and 2014 and/or other sources. Display of MLS
plateau bordered by canyons and cliffs.
data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the MLS. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have
Portrero Canyon has been the site of been the Listing and/or Selling Agent. If your Property is currently listed for sale this is not intended as a solicitation of that listing. CalBRE#00902158
what might be the country’s most expenMichael Edlen is ranked #52 of all agents in the country with over $1.5 billion in sales and more than
sive municipal park project. Decades ago, 1,100 transactions. He has tracked Pacific Palisades sales since 1987. If you would like to know what your
the runoff from the underground storm home may be worth today, Michael can be reached at (310) 230-7373 or michael@michaeledlen.com.
Page 14
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
PASSINGS
Vuongs Plead No Contest in
Pregerson Hit-and-Run Case Margaret Kirby: Wife, Mother,
O
n February 8, Marguerite Vuong,
a 28-year postal employee who
worked in Pacific Palisades, pleaded no contest to a felony hit-and-run. Her
husband Michael pleaded no contest to
being an accessory.
Vuong was driving to work at 3 a.m. last
December 27 when she struck Palisadian
David Pregerson, 23, on Chautauqua Boulevard. She fled the scene.
Pregerson, the son of Dean D. Pregerson, a judge in the U.S. Central District,
and Sharon Pregerson, was later found in
serious condition by a private security officer. He died four days later.
Detectives said David Pregerson was “in
the roadway” at the time of the hit-andrun. Police, who had few clues, sought witnesses to the deadly incident.
The only substantial lead police had was
from residential security cameras surveillance videos that showed a 1990s Volvo
station wagon on Chautauqua at the approximate time of the accident.
In March 2014, Pregerson’s family and
the Los Angeles City Council each offered
rewards of $50,000 for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of the driver.
At the time, the victim’s father called on
the perpetrator to surrender, saying he
and his wife were “not looking for blood.”
That same month, a postal co-worker
noticed that Vuong had stopped driving
her Volvo to work and alerted police, who
tracked the car to the couple’s Mar Vista
home.
Initially, Michael Vuong claimed he was
the driver and was charged with vehicular
manslaughter. With further investigation, it
became apparent that his wife was the driver,
and his charge was reduced to accessory.
Absent a deal, Superior Court Judge
Kathyrn Solarzano will decide the sentence
at a hearing on March 6. Marguerite Vuong
faces a maximum of four years in prison
and her husband three.
According to the L.A. Times, Anthony
Salerno, Michael Vuong’s attorney, said the
district attorney’s office rejected a proposed
deal of a year in jail and probation for Marguerite Vuong and probation with no jail
time for her husband.
Salerno and David Murphy, Marguerite
Vuong’s attorney, were told by a representative of the district attorney’s office that
“any offer would have to be approved at
the highest levels in their office.”
Salerno said that lawyers were told that
a plea deal for the 67-year-old Vuongs
would have to include prison time.
Grandmother, Volunteer
Margaret Beryl Larabee Kirby was born
January 5, 1927, in Los Angeles, and four
years later moved with her parents to Erskine Drive in Pacific Palisades. The family
joined the Community United Methodist
Church, where they became lifelong members. She passed away on January 15; a remembrance service was held at the church.
As a young girl, Margaret attended Palisades Elementary, where her mother was
one of the first PTA presidents. She attended Emerson Junior High School. The
family moved to Virginia when Margaret’s
father, who was in the Reserve Army Air
Corps, was called up to serve in World War
II. While in Virginia, Margaret graduated
from Arlington High.
After the war, the family moved back to
Pacific Palisades, living first on Hartzell and
then Alcima. Margaret attended Pomona
College and UC Berkeley. She received her
master’s degree from the University of Colorado and was employed by UC Riverside
at its Citrus Experimentation Center.
Attending dances at the USO at March
Air Force Base, she met her future husband,
Ray Kirby. They married in 1954 at the Palisades Methodist Church and two years later
moved back to a house on Swarthmore.
The couple had two children, Ruth (1956)
and Ray Edward (1959).
Margaret was active in the church,
making crafts for the United Methodist
Women’s Bazaar, and finding new merchandise for the church flea market. She
was active in the annual CROP Walk,
church dinners and cooking meals for the
homeless at Christmas and Easter; helping
with Thanksgiving dinners in Santa Monica; and making sandwiches each week for
the Ocean Park Community Service.
She was also active in the Woman’s Club,
PTA and PEO. She read medical textbooks
to the blind and tutored local children.
Margaret and Ray attended American Legion and Masonic events.
In 2008, the couple moved to Marina
del Rey, and in 2010 to a senior living center in Northridge.
Margaret is survived by her husband
Ray, their children and grandchildren.
Memorial gifts may be made in Margaret’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN
38105 or stjude.org.
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March 4, 2015
Page 15
Palisades News
PASSINGS
Atria Invites
Residents
To Concerts
George H. Burns, Jr., 88;
A Success in Three Careers
G
eorge Hannegan Burns, Jr., who
was born November 22, 1926 in
Chicago, Illinois, passed away on
February 22 at his home in Pacific Palisades, surrounded by family.
His funeral will be held at Corpus Christi
Church on Friday, March 6 at 3 p.m.
Wife Patty called George the “happiest
man I ever knew.” She cited his love of family,
the belief God loved him, and his work ethic
and enjoyment that lasted throughout his
three careers. He always had a smile and an
appropriate remark for any occasion, always
making those around him laugh every day.
Born to George and Isabelle Burns, he
was raised in Chicago with his siblings
Mary, Jack and Bill. He played football on
scholarship at St. Ignatius High School and
then Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. During high school, he was the Illinois state
shot-put champion.
During World War II, George was a naval
weatherman, which meant he spent two
years flying off aircraft carriers, searching
for hurricanes in the South Pacific. When
the Korean War began, he once again joined
the military to serve his country.
After naval service, George returned to
Chicago, married and became the father of
five: George (wife Bernice), Gene, Stephan,
Heather (Jim Skeen) and Martin.
He moved to Pacific Palisades in 1968,
where he met Patty. They were married in
1973. The couple had four children: Danny,
Wendy (Steve Bull), Tim (Beth) and Suzy
(Jeff Pion).
During his life, George had three careers.
His first was as CEO of a paper company.
He then worked as a probate salesman. At
age 70, he embarked on his favorite occupation, working as a tutor, mentor and
coach of football and shot put at Palisades
High School. He retired at the age of 80.
He and wife Patty sailed on three Windstar cruises, and also enjoyed traveling in
the U.S. and abroad. But his favorite place
was at home or enjoying friends and family
at the Bel-Air Bay Club.
A long-standing member of Corpus
Christi Church, George’s faith in God was
unshakeable and precious. He was a lector
and for 15 years also played Santa Claus.
Patty once asked him if he spoke to Jesus.
“Every day,” he replied. “Does he hear you?”
Gotta love a
good combo
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Atria Park of Pacific Palisades, located just west of the Shell Station at
15441 Sunset, invites all Palisades residents to its March concerts.
George H. Burns, Jr.
Patty asked. “Do you think I’d spend all of
this time talking to myself?” he replied.
George was a loving grandfather to 16:
Kevin, Sheila, Sean Riley, Tessa, Carter,
Haley, Justin, Casey, Ryan, Erin, Victoria,
Andy, Charlie, Chase, Drew and Griffin.
He was predeceased by his brother Bill and
son Danny.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made
to Step Up on Second, 1328 Second Street,
Santa Monica, CA 90401 or Corpus Christi
Educational Endowment (809 Toyopa Dr.)
• French singer Natalie will sing at 3
p.m. on Tuesday, March 10.
• Marion Calhoun, a Las Vegas-style
entertainer, will sing songs made
popular by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Engelbert Humperdinck and The
Drifters at 3 p.m. on March 12.
• Frank Sinatra impersonator Jimmy
Brewster will take the spotlight at 3
p.m. on March 19.
• Opera singer Francesca, performs
at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 20.
• Guitarist and singer Joey Aaron
performs at 3 p.m. on March 24.
• Pianist and singer Mathew Stoneman will perform at 10:30 a.m. on
Thursday, March 26. Afterwards,
guests are invited to stay for lunch. To
RSVP for lunch, call (310) 573-9545
or visit atria-pacificpalisades.com.
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NEXT ISSUE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
Send us your comments and suggestions to
spascoe@palisadesnews.com
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www.TheAgencyRE.com
Contact Jeff, (310) 573-0150 or jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com
or Grace at gracehiney@palisadesnews.com
THANK-YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS!
Please patronize them, and tell them
you saw their ad in the News!
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Page 16
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
PPBA World Series champs—Pinto Yankees, Mustang Red Socks and Bronco Tigers—
Photo: Bart Bartholomew
surround long-time umpire Dirk Robinson.
Batter Up! PPBA Pancake SUMMER CAMPS
& SCHOOL
Breakfast Set March 14
PROGRAMS
A
s the eastern U.S. digs out from
snow and ice, Pacific Palisades residents are invited to bring their
stadiums seats, baseball caps and appetites
to the PPBA’s 63rd annual pancake breakfast on Saturday, March 14.
This popular tradition, held on the outdoor basketball courts at the Palisades
Recreation Center from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.,
launches the town’s baseball season.
Pacific Palisades Baseball Association
pancake breakfast co-chairs Liz Denham
and Rene Rodman are promising tasty pancakes, sizzling sausage, sweet orange slices
and hot coffee, orange juice or milk for only
$5 a person. Tickets can be purchased beforehand or on the day of the event.
Parents of players do all of the cooking,
and one year, Tom Hanks and Jake Steinfeld
stood side-by-side, flipping pancakes.
By buying a ticket from your favorite
neighborhood player, you can help the
boy/girl win a bat from Benton’s, two private coaching sessions with Rays coach
Steve Gambale, a three-day session at Westside baseball camp, a week of baseball camp
at Pepperdine or at UCLA, or the opportunity to be a bat boy at a Pepperdine or
UCLA game.
Immediately after the breakfast, opening-day ceremonies will be held. Singing
the National Anthem this year is 10-yearold Coco Kennedy, a fifth grader at Corpus
Christi, who sings with her school choir
and has performed at different events.
Her brother Ryan is a second year Bronco,
playing with the Tigers. Dad Joe has
coached or assistant coached since Ryan
stated in PPBA in 2010. Mom Monica
helps run the Bat ‘N’ Grill, a snack booth
run by volunteers to help support the
PPBA treasury.
After the introduction of the coaches and
local dignitaries, the first pitch is thrown
out by a local celebrity. Those who have had
this honor in the past include Chris O’Don-
nell, Adam Sandler, Ray Liotta, Julia LouisDreyfus, Goldie Hahn, Mary McDonnell
and Maria Shriver.
In 2011, PPBA Commissioner Bob Benton surprised long-time umpire Dirk Robinson by asking him to take the mound in
front of hundreds of parents and players
and then giving him the ball, telling him
he had been selected to throw out the first
pitch. Robinson said he was “blown away”
by the honor.
This year’s selection is still shrouded in
secrecy. PPBA board member Michelle
Gurvitch said there are several exciting
possibilities, but the final decision had not
yet been made.
Games are on Saturday for the eight
Pinto (7- to 9-year-olds), Mustang (10)
and Bronco (11 and 12) teams. Additional
games for Pintos and Broncos are either
Tuesday or Thursday, and Mustangs play on
Wednesday. There is one Pony team this
year (13- and 14-year-olds), which generally
plays Friday evenings against other Westside
teams, such as Santa Monica and West L.A.
Of the 24 uniform sponsors this year,
Norris Hardware is the oldest, having participated for at least 50 years. A thank-you
plaque from PPBA hangs on a wall in the
store.
There are four new local business sponsors: Palisades News, Ronny’s Market,
Spectrum Athletic Club Palisades and the
Palisadian-Post.
Additional sponsors are: Palisades Patrol,
Sons of the American Legion Squadron
283, Sue Kohl (Berkshire Hathaway Home
Services), Joy Stowell Designs, Optimist
Club, Dr. Jacobson, Movies in the Park,
Palisades Garden Café, U.S. Bank, StorQuest
Self Storage, Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts,
Benton’s Sports Shop, Amalfi Estates, Village
76, Sotheby’s International Realty, Kay ‘N
Dave’s, Barney’s Beanery, Pacific Palisades
Medical Group and The Yogurt Shoppe.
Special Section—
March 18, 2015
Place Your Ads NOW in the
Palisades News!
Full-Color Pages, Full-Color Ads
Distribution to the entire 90272 Palisades
Community (by US Mail to 13,300 addresses
& 1,200 distribution around town)
Special Section Pricing—
PLUS, additional ads on the Camps Page
in a following issue available (call for details)
Make your Ad Reservation Today!
Ad Space Reservation Deadline: March 9
Camera-ready Ad Artwork Deadline: March 10
(ads must be supplied by advertiser)
Contact for Information:
Jeff at (310) 573-0150
jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com
Grace at (310) 454-7383
gracehiney@palisadesnews.com
Palisades News
March 4, 2015
Page 17
PALISADES HIGH WINTER SPORTS ROUNDUP
Wrestlers Qualify for State
I
f a screenwriter were to turn this into
a movie, he wouldn’t have to rely on
fiction to portray the drama that the
school’s wrestling team has gone through
since the sport was first offered at Palisades High in 2011.
Physical education teacher Randy
Aguirre started the program without mats,
without practice space and with many kids
who had never wrestled before.
Last month, seniors David Rheingold
(115 pounds), Brad Boorstein (170 pounds)
and Kenny Jones (heavyweight) took first in
their weight classes to qualify for the State
Tournament in Bakersfield this weekend—
the first Pali wrestlers to achieve this goal.
Wrestling is an individual and team
sport, with athletes vying in 14 weight
classes. Palisades was ranked fourth in the
City Section finals and competed against
fifth-ranked Carson, winning 61-15. The
Dolphins then upset top-seeded San Fernando, 33-28, but lost the championship
match to El Camino, 54-18.
“We had a few more kids that almost made
it, but we couldn’t get a call. Not one call
went our way,” said Coach Aldo Juliano, who
is working with some college coaches to
help his athletes find a possible scholarship.
Juliano started as the assistant coach, but
when his friend Aguirre was diagnosed
with gliobastoma, a grade IV brain tumor,
he stepped up to help.
“It was awful, I didn’t plan on that,” Juliano said. “We fought it tooth and nail, and
just when I thought he was coming around,
it [the tumor] came back.”
Aquirre died in January and his wrestlers
dedicated a tournament in Tustin to him,
which made local news. Kenny Jones told
a reporter, “He showed me when you really
want something you have to work for it.
It’s not given to you.”
“Aguirre wanted to take a wrestler to
state to state, so there was a lot of emotion
when our first wrestler won,” Juliano said.
“It’s been interesting. It’s been tough. One
of our promising wrestlers quit in January
because he said he couldn’t do it anymore.”
Although the team is heavy on seniors,
there are also replacements in every weight
category. “We’re losing some good guys,
but there’s a lot good guys behind them,”
Juliano said. “We’re going to be missing our Brad Boorstein took first in his weight class to qualify for the State Tournament.
two big guys next year.”
Aquirre said to watch for sophomore
Marcelo Maya (160 pounds), who took
fourth in City, and juniors Kevin Rosen
Coach Torino Johnson’s team was 1, PaliHi made an early exit in the City
(138 pounds) and Samson Dorff (120
seeded
second behind Narbonne in the Section playoffs, losing 90-87 in overtime
pounds), who took third.
City’s Open Division. The Dolphins beat to ninth-seeded Sylmar, on February 20.
Under coach Vejas Anaya, the Dolphins
seventh-seeded El Camino Real, 64-40, in
the quarterfinals on February 20, and beat had finished 6-6 in the tough Western League
third-seeded Fairfax, 66-59, last Saturday (competing against the likes of Fairfax and
Westchester), and were 15-13 overall.
in the semifinals.
The Dolphins will play for the champiBOYS SOCCER
onship this Saturday, March 7, at Cal State
Seeded 9th in Division I, Pali lost to
Dominguez Hills against Narbonne.
eighth-seeded Birmingham, 2-0 in its openPaliHi went 12-0 in Western League play,
ing round match on February 19. Coached
edging Fairfax, 70-69, in their season finale.
by David Suarez, the Dolphins had gone
undefeated in Western League play (10-0-2)
BOYS BASKETBALL
Although seeded number 1 in Division and finished the season 10-2-2.
Girls Basketball Advances to Finals
Girls Soccer Ousted Early, 1-0
The PaliHi Girls water polo team took second in City finals.
Photo: Bart Bartholomew
Water Polo Loses in Final
In a repeat of last year’s match-up, the Palisades Dolphins once again finished second,
losing to Eagle Rock, 12-9, in the City Section final at Valley College on February 26.
Mardell Ramirez scored five goals, Jackie
Au had three and Roya Visconti had one
for Pali, which played in the championship
game for the third time since the program
began in 2011. The second-seeded Dolphins
reached the finals by defeating Marquez,
20-5, and then Birmingham, 12-5.
In an earlier interview, first-year coach
Brad Silver said part of the challenge for his
team was a lack of competitive matches
during the regular season. The team was
10-0 in league and 18-6 overall.
Third-ranked Palisades lost to sixth-seeded
Bell in the City Section quarterfinals, 1-0,
last Friday at home. With less than a minute
to go, a Bell player nailed a football-style
kick from near the 30-yard line that sailed
over the goalie’s hands, just below the bar.
The Dolphins had dominated for most
of the game, with two apparent goals not
counting because of off-sides.
“Bell had more intensity today. That player
made a fantastic goal to win the game,” said
first-year Pali coach Christian Chambers.
“It’s a shame the season had to end this way.”
The girls were 14-2 overall and 12-0 in
league play. “We had five seniors and great
depth,” Chambers said. “We’ll come back
stronger next year.”
Photo: Jennifer Wilkes
Page 18
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
Three Awarded Eagle Scout Honor
P
acific Palisades Troop 23 held an
Eagle Scout Court of Honor at the
Bel-Air Bay Club on February 11
for Daniel Allen, Mitchell Burdorf and
Austin Jones.
To receive the Eagle Scout award, the
highest rank in scouting, candidates must
be active in the troop, demonstrate that he
lives by the principles of the Scout Oath
and Scout Law, present recommendations,
earn a minimum of 21 merit badges and
complete a community-service project that
requires a minimum of 100 hours.
Allen, grandson of Jack and Diane Allen,
is a sophomore at Palisades High School,
and has earned 41 merit badges, allowing
him to receive the Bronze and Silver Palms
reflecting the number of merit badges
earned beyond the rank of Eagle.
He is a graduate of the Boy Scout National Youth Leadership Training Course
and the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience Course. Allen now serves
as an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and instructor at the National Youth Leadership
Training Course. For his community service, he constructed a six-station personal
fitness course for the Palisades-Malibu
YMCA at Simon Meadow.
Burdorf, the son of Gary and Sherry
Burdorf, is a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake. He built six large stage platforms for
by John Wilson, has resisted all attempts to
co-opt its members into the larger organization simply because a few Scouts, and
their parents, still prefer the highly individualistic approach to Scouting inherent in 23.
“I don’t know how much longer John
will be running his troop, but the fact that
10 percent of his entire troop is getting the
elite Eagle Scout honor means he definitely
deserves a lot of kudos for scrapping it out
against the odds,” Finn-Olaf Jones said.
Call (310) 454-5602 for information
about Troop 23.
Rain Report
Participating in the Eagle Scouts Court of Honor were (left to right) Troop 23 Scoutmaster
John Wilson, Austin Jones, Daniel Allen, Mitch Burdorf and Jack Allen.
Kehillat Israel.
Austin Jones, the son of Kristin and
Finn-Olaf Jones, is a sophomore at Brentwood High School. For his community
service, he prepared and planted a garden
at Pacific Palisades Lutheran Church.
Troop 23, let by retired city attorney John
Wilson, has 23 boys, with plans to add another patrol. The troop goes to Emerald
Bay for seven days each summer and has
a monthly campout or hike. Every patrol
has to make a week-long hike in the High
Sierras. Campouts are held at destinations
such as Calico near Barstow, Fiesta Island
in San Diego, Emma Woods State Park in
Ventura, Lake Cachuma, Rawhide Ranch
near Oceanside and Camp Josepho in Pacific Palisades.
“The Troop Court of Honor is an especially big event for Troop 23,” said Finn-Olaf
Jones. “Although 223 is well-known as the
‘Eagle Scout’ factory, small, scrappy 23, run
The official Los Angeles rain gauge,
located at Carol Leacock’s home on
Bienveneda Avenue, registered .51
inches of rain on Oscar night, February 22, bringing the season total to
6.58 inches of rain.
The normal year to date is 11.50
inches of rain and last year at this time
Pacific Palisades had 1.49 inches, before
ending the season with 6.13 inches of
rain. Assistant rainmeister Ted Mackie
said 2006 to 2007 was the driest year
since 1942, with only 4.11 inches of
rain reported. The wettest year was
1997 to 1998 with 42.60 inches of rain.
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March 4, 2015
Page 19
Palisades News
Effros: Aging Happens to Everyone
By SUE PASCOE
Editor
A
ging is a lifelong process,” said Palisadian Dr. Rita
Effros, who was recently elected president of the
Gerontological Society of America (GSA). “Even
things that happen in the womb can affect us decades later.”
GSA is the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging; its membership
consists of more than 5,500 researchers, educators,
practitioners and other professionals.
Effros, an immunologist at the UCLA School of
Medicine, also teaches an undergraduate course on
human aging. One of the first tasks the freshman students
are asked to do is describe “older people.”
“You hear words like geezer, old fart, set in their
ways: almost everything is negative,” said Effros, who
then asks the students to describe people their own
age: all of the responses are positive. The professor
then asks the students to reflect about their friends,
asking if some of them are stubborn or set in their
ways, and the conversation starts.
“Ageism is sort of built into us as a society,” said Effros,
who then has her students look at media portrayals of
different ages. Students find that the young are portrayed
positively, but other ages don’t receive the same treatment.
“Media is not all at fault. Many young kids may not
know any old people—except family members. They
think everyone is like their grandparents.”
Effros said that college freshmen are particularly
surprised to find that “older people still enjoy sex.”
During the course, students meet different people and
learn first-hand that not all “old” people aren’t the same.
A
nother topic addressed is the country’s changing
demographics, which means that there will be many
job opportunities for architects, lawyers and doctors
who deal specifically with issues unique to the elderly.
As president of the GSA, Effros said that the group
looks at many facets of aging including medical and
psychology issues as well as national policies. “We share
a goal of enhancing the quality of life as people age.”
For example, just as young children are on a vaccination
schedule to prevent diseases, Effros said there is also a
national recommendation for immunization of adults.
The policy arm of GSA is lobbying for implementation
of a vaccination routine for adults—when one goes for
an annual checkup, an internist would automatically
recommend that it’s time for a shingles or pneumonia
vaccination. “We’re also working with pediatricians to
adapt practices dealing with education regarding
preventable diseases,” she said.
Effros earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from
working to fight that virus, ultimately leading to
telomere shortening in certain immune cells.
Some long-term studies have shown certain correlations
between telomere length and subsequent lifespan, but
this work is still in the research stage. “It’s a kind of
marker, not a long-term diagnostic test,” Effros said.
Emotional stress is another factor that can cause
inflammation—and shortened telomeres. “We all have
stress,” Effros said. “How do we respond to it? If we’re
stuck in traffic, do we take deep breaths and deal with
it in a positive way? Or do we let it get to us?”
She continued, “It has also been firmly shown that
good nutrition and lifelong exercise have a positive effect
on aging. These are some of the only things we have
control over.”
How much exercise? It depends. Effros said studies
have shown that walking a half-hour a day four to five
times a week, is beneficial, tai chi was also shown to
reduce stress and possibly enhance immune function.
Weight-bearing exercise to strengthen muscles and
bones should also be considered.
Jeanne Louise Calment died at the age of 122. The
French resident ate chocolate every day, but not in
excess. It appears that moderation in weight might also
be optimal. People who are either obese or too thin
Rita Effros researches aging.
Photo: Todd Chene
generally do not live as long.
Brandeis University, and her Ph.D. in immunology from
“I’m not interested in pushing the age we live to. I’m
the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of not looking for a Fountain of Youth that will allow
Peter Doherty, a 1996 Nobel Laureate. Her thesis work people to survive to age 200,” Effros said. “My goal is to
was on immunity to viruses, and now its relationship
allow people to be healthy and productive to the end of
to the aging process.
their life; to enjoy life without having a period of
She was one of the first investigators to document
chronic disease or being dependent on someone else.”
similarities between age-related immune alterations and
those associated with HIV/AIDS.
College freshmen are particularly
When a virus enters the body, inflammation results
surprised to find that older people
as the immune system tries to fight it off through cell
still enjoy sex.
division. Successive rounds of cell division results in
shortened telomeres (the regions at the ends of
Although the topic may be controversial, Effros
chromosomes).
urges people to have a conversation with their doctor
ffros found that with HIV and also in aging, there
well before they are seriously ill. “I don’t want someone
are shortened telomeres in certain immune cells.
to keep me alive if I’m not responsive or barely there,”
Although the HIV virus is kept in check and that disease she said. “The idea of living longer and incapacitated is
is no longer a death sentence, the body continues to
not quality of life for an individual, nor is it my goal.”
respond to the virus, with cell division and resulting
In 1998, Effros was awarded the UCLA Woman of
shortened telomeres.
Science Prize, and in 2007, she received the Kleemeier
“The response means that the immune system ages
Award from the Gerontological Society of America.
prematurely,” Effros said, noting that even though we may
She and her husband Edward, a UCLA mathematics
not have HIV, there are other viruses in our body that
professor, moved from Pennsylvania to Pacific Palisades
may be causing a similar situation of extensive cell division. in 1979. Their children, Rachel and Stephen, graduated
If we have a chronic viral infection (which can be
from Palisades High School, attended UC Berkeley and
lurking in our body, such as the chickenpox virus—the now both live in Portland, Oregon. Rachel is a pediatrician
cause of shingles), it means that the body is constantly and Stephen an architect.
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Palisades News
March 4, 2015
Page 20
Gallery 169 Features ‘Poaching Wars’
By LIBBY MOTIKA
Palisades News Contributor
Photographs by Frank af Petersens
T
o see a chain of elephants, trunks and
tails linked, lumbering across the savannah, centers our imagination on
the untethered wonder of these creatures.
We can’t help romanticizing their powerful
dominion, silent intelligence and emotional
capacity. And yet, we know that this bucolic
fiction may be relegated to history.
One hundred elephants are killed every
day in sub-Saharan Africa—all for the demand for ivory trinkets and jewelry. Ivory
has become a lucrative commodity, controlled by thugs who play a dangerous and
deadly game.
Ivory achieved an aesthetic and cultural
pinnacle in China as far back as the Qing
dynasty (1644-1911). Objects included a
wide range of figurines: snuff bottles, per-
fume boxes, mah-jong sets and, most ironically, intricately carved elephants.
Today, thanks to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES), ivory carving is now illegal around
the globe. But in sub-Saharan Africa, where
governments are weak and corruption
abounds, the illicit ivory trade continues
and has grown into a multibillion-dollar
business, pitting highly organized gangs
against the small number of poorly trained
and ill-equipped wildlife rangers trying to
stop them.
“Sometimes I say it’s the most depressing
exhibition you’ll ever see,” says photographer Frank af Petersens, who despite the
gruesome slaughter still retains hope for
change and avows that bringing awareness
to the devastating crisis creates “a lot of
optimism for change.”
His stunning black-and-white images, entitled “The Poaching Wars” are now on view
There are only 25,000 rhinos left in all of Africa. That’s a tiny fragment of the numbers
that once roamed the continent.
at Gallery 169 on West Channel Road in
Santa Monica Canyon, through March 29.
To request a viewing, call (310) 963-3891.
Af Petersens’ single-minded focus is on
the escalating elephant- and rhino-poaching crisis in Africa. “This is a huge story, an
absolute disaster,” he says. Unstinting in his
mission, he works pro bono as a photographer for national parks and conservancies
in Africa in support of the struggle against
organized poaching.
Leaving his home base in Sweden, where
he lives with his family, he travels three or
four times a year to parts of East Africa (including Kenya) Zimbabwe and South
Africa to document the threats not only to
elephants and rhinos, but those against the
brave men who are trying to protect them.
“I donate thousands of images every year
for web sites, media contacts, education
and fundraising presentations,” af Petersens
says. “These visual presentations are key to
raising awareness.”
Af Petersens grew up in East Africa, living
in Somalia until he was 12 years old. His father worked for the United Nations, which
led the family to move to a number of countries—Yemen, Libya, Somalia—that today
are devastated by civil wars. The young boy
enjoyed a blissful childhood, playing on the
beaches of Somalia and hunting in the bush
for antelope and gazelles. “I wanted to stay
in East Africa, but as British colonization
was ending, with the expectation of turmoil, my family decided it was better for me
to go to boarding school in Sweden.”
After studying at the Stockholm School
of Economics, af Petersens achieved officer
rank in the Swedish army, and then worked
for many years as a strategy consultant and
investment banker.
“But, I always wanted to get back to
Africa, so in 2004 I resigned from the investment bank,” he says. “On some trips I have
contacts in place, especially if I travel in a
conflict zone like Eastern Congo. On others,
I just go and meet people as I travel. You can
(Continued on Page 21)
In vicious bush wars throughout sub-Saharan Africa, small numbers of poorly trained
and armed wildlife rangers risk their lives trying to save the last rhinos and the rapidly
declining elephant herds.
March 4, 2015
Page 21
Palisades News
Frank af Petersens
move freely in sub-Saharan countries if you
speak English, French and a little Swahili.”
While he had always been an amateur
photographer, his African ventures gave
him an opportunity to hone his skills.
“A photographer’s life is mostly about
waiting around,” af Petersens explains. “I
rarely plan photo shots, so that means putting myself in a situation where something
may be happening. You’re getting up in the
middle of the night, staying out all day. It’s
important to understand cultural patterns
and history around the subject in order to
take a good picture. If you don’t, it shows.”
Af Petersens says he creates an image
much as if he were drawing or painting.
“There is an intelligent part, but the images
must also be beautiful in order to provide a
counterpoint. Beauty has a fantastic power
to influence. I try to convey the message
that this would be horrible were we to lose
the beauty of these animals.” For the past
10 years af Petersens has been building his
album, and he sells his large-format photographs as fine art, which helps cover costs.
The statistics on the diminishing populations are grim. There are only 25,000 rhinos
left in all of Africa. In South Africa alone,
with 90 percent of Africa’s remaining rhinos, and the best anti-poaching program,
1,215 rhinos were killed in 2014, a huge increase from the 13 rhinos killed in 2007.
The total number of elephants in Africa
is hard to estimate, but an educated guess
is 470,000 to 690,000. Poaching is increasing at unfathomable rates. Demand is
driven by the status aspirations of China’s
rapidly growing middle class.
“An average 25-lb. elephant tusk may be
worth more than $30,000 before being
carved into decorative gift items,” af Petersens says. “The ivory market in Bangkok
is booming. Big hotels sell ivory in their gift
shops. In the Philippines, priests encourage
the people to save money so they can buy
a real ivory crucifix.
“Rhino horn is more expensive than cocaine in China and Vietnam,” the photographer continues. “There is a deeply rooted
belief that its medicinal properties as a mul-
The grim reality is that wild elephants could be gone from Africa in a few decades. That
would be the end of an iconic species.
tivitamin, cancer prevention, are highly effective.” No clinical tests have proven any
medicinal benefits from rhino horn. It’s
made of keratin, the same protein as in fingernails and hair.
Poaching has a long history in Africa, af
Petersens says. “But, these days, poaching is
a highly organized, multibillion-dollar business, controlled by the same gangs that control narcotics, arms and human trafficking.”
Underequipped and badly paid, the
rangers face bad odds when going out to
the bush. One is killed every four days.
There are actions that we can take, af Pe-
tersens says. “Number one is stop the killing
with better training and better equipment,
and involve the local communities so they
feel a sense of stewardship. Stop the smuggling and stop the demand. Educate school
kids by bringing them close to elephants
so they’ll become little ambassadors.”
For those who wish to see the animals,
af Petersens recommends safaris, provided
they are organized in Africa with the revenue benefitting the local communities.
“But, he adds, “clearly not everyone has
money to go on safari, and zoos, especially
the more modern ones, do a great job.”
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Page 22
Palisades News
Jolene Knight Will Be
Honored by Las Doradas
Baby Seal Rescued
Near Bay Club
Palisades Patrol Sergeant Eric Fine responded to a 10 a.m. call on February 23
to assist a Fish and Game official near the
Bel-Air Bay Club. A baby seal had wandered up from the ocean and was on PCH.
The two officers guided the pup back to
the Bel-Air parking lot towards the ocean.
According to Fine, the seal made several
detours under parked vehicles, but the
healthy baby eventually reached the ocean
a half hour later.
Visit Two Pasadena Gardens
R
esidents are invited to join a chartered bus trip to tour two gardens
in the Pasadena area on Thursday,
March 26.
The bus, provided by Council District
11, will board at 9:15 a.m. at Los Liones
Drive (one block north of Sunset, by Fire
Station 29). The bus will return to Pacific
Palisades around 3 p.m. The cost is $8 for
Pacific Palisades Garden Club members
and $13 for guests.
Arlington Garden in Pasadena is a dedicated public garden with olive, sycamore
and orange trees as well as succulents and
Mediterranean plants with lots of color.
The Old Mill in San Marino is nearly two
centuries old and has thick stone walls that
March 4, 2015
once enclosed the stone wheels that ground
flour for the friars at the nearby San Gabriel
Mission. Outside the mill there is a garden
that highlights native California trees and
plants. Indoors on the top level, the California Art Club maintains a gallery where
paintings are displayed for sale.
Following the visit, tour members will
stop for lunch at a local restaurant.
The trip was initially set up by the nonprofit Palisades Beautiful to benefit senior
members living here. Members of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society are also
invited to attend.
To reserve a seat, contact Barbara Wold
at (310) 476-1318 or e-mail bbwold@roadrunner.com.
The winner of the Jolene L. Knight Memorial Scholarship, given in memory of
Jolene Knight, will be announced at the
Las Doradas Scholarship & Community
Service awards dinner at the Riviera
County Club on March 6.
Knight, who passed away last October,
was a member of Las Doradas since 1969
and the organization’s president in 1976.
She was a long-time supporter of the
Neighborhood Youth Association and the
Las Doradas Learning Center.
Las Doradas was founded in 1962 by
eight women, who were “aging” out of the
Pacific Palisades Junior Women’s Club.
They formed a social club with the intent
of using their talents to benefit others.
Their first recipient to receive financial aid
was the All Nations Neighborhood Center,
a 50-year-old facility serving the needs of
the Mexican-American community in
downtown Los Angeles.
Since the early 1980s, the Neighborhood
Youth Association has been the recipient
of fundraising efforts by Las Doradas. The
NYA is now housed in a permanent facility on the grounds of Broadway Elementary School in Venice.
NYA serves 200 low-income, at-risk children and youth. In 2013, 100 percent of its
Jolene Knight
high school seniors graduated on time—
for the sixth year in a row, and all were college
bound: Cal State and UC universities, as well
as MIT, Mount Holyoke and other schools.
Knight and her husband, William, lived
in the Palisades from the 1960s through the
1980s. She worked part-time at the Palisadian-Post from 1996 through 2012. At her
funeral service, her son Kevin, grandson
James, sister Penny Pellow and brother
Fred Drexel asked that in lieu of flowers,
donations be made to Las Doradas, P.O.
Box 582, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
Spring Is Just
Around the Corner
The early blooming wildflowers in the Santa Monica Mountains are still reaping
the rewards of the January rains. Photographs of the California poppies were
taken in Malibu Creek State Park on February 20. Late March, April and May
Photo: James Kenney
wildflowers will still need much rain to be as prolific.
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Page 23
Orchids of Ecuador Talk
To Be Held March 10
T
he Malibu Orchid Society will host
Ivan Portilla, vice president of Ecuagenera, one of the largest orchid exporters in the Western Hemisphere, at 7
p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at the Pacific
Palisades Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford.
Residents are invited to attend this free talk.
Located in the small town of Gualaceo,
near Cuenca in southern Ecuador, Ecuagenera produces and exports thousands of
orchids annually. Portilla’s presentation will
cover some of the more unusual orchid
species found in that country, and will give
an overview of his company’s work in research and conservation.
Father Angel Andreetta, an Italian-born
priest who arrived to set up a mission in
Ecuador, founded Ecuagenera in the 1950s.
He became fascinated with the diversity of
orchids and as a hobby began researching
and collecting the plants.
His young assistant, Mario Portilla, and
Portilla’s brothers recognized the business
potential and eventually launched their orchid business with Andreetta as an advisor.
By 1993, Ecuagenera became the first
Ecuadorian company to obtain legal permission to export orchids. Today, Ivan and
his brother Pepe run the nursery, located
on three sites with sprawling greenhouses
and two large tracts of jungle.
The orchid family is believed to be the
world’s largest family of flowering plants,
with nearly 26,000 species and 900 genera.
Since the introduction of tropical species into
cultivation in the 19th century, orchid growers have produced more than 100,000 hybrids. Ecuador is considered among the
world’s most orchid-rich countries with
4,200 species, many of which are endangered.
Visit: www.malibuorchidsociety.org
Grow Native Nursery
Hosts Plant Workshop
The Grow Native Nursery will host a
native plant workshop, “Traditional Uses
of California Native Plants,” from 10 to
11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14. The
free workshop will teach about the traditional uses of several native species that
can be grown at home. Participants must
RSVP to (424) 234-0481.
The nursery, located on the West L.A. VA
campus, offers opportunities for veterans
in the sustainable horticulture industry
and is open Wednesday through Sunday,
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Visit rsabg.org/gnn-westwood.
Page 24
Palisades News
Philharmonic
Scholarships for
Young Musicians
The Westside Committee of the Los Angeles Philharmonic annually awards scholarships varying from $100 to $500 to music
students in grades 6 through 12.
Students must have studied at least three
years on the instrument they play, perform
a piece of classical music of three to five
minutes, have a written recommendation
from their teacher, live in Pacific Palisades,
Santa Monica, Brentwood, Malibu or
Topanga and be available to perform at a
Committee meeting during the year.
All auditions will be in the afternoon on
either March 30 or 31, starting with the
youngest students. The exact time and location will be announced. Students must
bring their own accompanist.
Students trying for the Philharmonic
awards and also the Palisades Symphony
must fill out different applications for the
different awards, but need only audition
once. The deadline for received applications is March 23.
Call (310) 454-8040 for an application.
Mysterious Book
Club to Meet
Performance by Violist Woolweaver
To Highlight Chamber Concert
T
he Westside concert series, Chamber
Music Palisades (CMP), will present
the third concert of its 18th season
on Tuesday, March 17.
Acclaimed Boston violist Scott Woolweaver will join a roster of outstanding
chamber musicians in concert at 8 p.m. at
St. Matthew’s Church, 1031 Bienveneda
Ave. He will perform Brahms Sonata for
Viola and Piano and the world premiere
of a piano quartet, “Aerial Perspectives,” by
award-winning composer Stephen Cohn.
Joining Woolweaver onstage will be
prize-winning American cellist Sarah Rommel and CMP Co-Artistic Directors flutist
Susan Greenberg and pianist Delores Stevens. Live commentary on the works will
be delivered by Alan Chapman, KUSC’s
popular on-air host, who has been entertaining CMP audiences at every concert
since the series’ inception in 1997.
Following his graduation with honors
from the University of Michigan School
of Music, Woolweaver moved to Boston
to study with German violist and teacher
Walter Trampler.
Woolweaver founded the Boston Composers String Quartet, which won a silver
medal in a string quartet competition in
Osaka, Japan; he was also a founding
APT FOR RENT
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The Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma
Real, hosts a monthly Mysterious Book
Club. This month’s selection is Last Winter
We Parted by Fuminora Nakamura and the
discussion will take place 6:30, Tuesday,
March 17 in the Library’s Community
Room. Newcomers are welcome.
Reminiscent of the work of Osamu
Dazai and Patricia Highsmith, Nakamura’s
latest novel is a dark and twisting house
of mirrors that philosophically explores
the violence of aesthetics and the horrors
of identity.
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Group & Private Lessons • Instrument Rentals & Sales
Cellist Rommel came to international
attention last year when she won top prize
in the George Enescu International Cello
Competition in Romania. In 2013, she
joined the Antipodes String Trio for its
concert tour of New Zealand; this year she
is joining Marlboro Music.
Composer Cohn is internationally recognized for his music for the concert stage
and scores for feature films and television.
He has received an Emmy Award for
“Outstanding Achievement in Music” and
recordings of his music have been released by six major labels.
Chamber Music Palisades was founded
by longtime residents of the Palisades. In
addition to bringing the familiar classic
repertoire to the Westside, CMP has commissioned and premiered more than 15
new works, primarily by local and regional musicians.
For tickets or a season brochure call (310)
Scott Woolweaver
463-4388 or visit www.cmpalisades.org.
member of the Vaener String Trio, which Tickets ($30) will be available at the door;
was grand prize winner at the Joseph students with ID are admitted free.
Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
Recently Woolweaver toured several
JUMBLE SOLUTION
years with the San Francisco-based Ives
Quartet and, for nearly a quarter of a century, was a member of the New England
Piano Quartet.
March 4, 2015
Page 25
Palisades News
45th Annual
Young Artist
Competition
Palisades Symphony is seeking students,
in grades 1 through 12, who are able to perform a movement of a concerto with orchestra, to audition for monetary awards
and the opportunity to play with the Palisades Symphony in concert on June 14.
The concerto performed must be from
the standard repertoire, memorized and
with orchestration readily available.
There are three categories, and former
winners may not apply with the same instrument in the same grade level. In grades
1 through 6, first place will win $100; grades
7 through 9, $200; grades 10 through 12,
$200. The Alfred Newman Memorial Scholarship for $1,000 and the Chamber Music
Palisades Award for $500 will also be awarded.
Auditions will be held on the afternoon
of March 31 in Mercer Hall at Palisades
High School.
Applicants should write their name,
address, phone number, age, school and
grade, a brief biographical sketch that includes musical training and teacher and
send that information to Palisades Symphony, P.O. Box 214, Pacific Palisades. A
$10 application fee must be included. The
deadline is March 23. Call (310) 454-8040.
Philharmonic Players To
Perform at St. Matthew’s
S
t. Matthew’s Music Guild presents
Britten’s Double Concerto for Violin
and Viola, with violinist Jin-Shan Dai
and violist Dana Hansen at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 13, at St. Matthew’s Church,
1031 Bienveneda Ave.
Dai and Hansen are members of the Los
Angeles Philharmonic’s string section.
The program also includes the “Lyric for
Strings” by George Walker and Schubert’s
Symphony No. 2 in D major.
A native of China, Dai studied at the
Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing
before moving to the U.S. at the age of 17.
He received top prizes in the 2000 Emerson International Chamber Music Competition and the 2000 Van Rooy National
Violin Competition. Dai was a member of
the Toronto Symphony from 2004 to
2010, when he joined the Los Angeles
Philharmonic.
Hansen, a Massachusetts native, graduated from Harvard University with a degree
in modern European history before attending the Juilliard School, where she received
her master’s degree in 2003. She was a
member of the Saint Louis Symphony
Orchestra before joining the Los Angeles
Tivoli
Café
All N
Hormo atural
Chicke ne-Free
n,
& Seaf Meats
ood!
PALISADES
Serving the Palisades since 1989
We’ve made major
changes to Tivoli.
Jin-Shan Dai
Photo: Craig Mathew/Mathew Imaging
Philharmonic in 2004.
Britten composed his Double Concerto
at the age of 18 and the work is in the Romantic vein with modernist overtones and
includes rocking ostinatos, mildly dissonant harmonies and a vocal approach to
instrumental writing.
George Walker composed his “Lyric for
Strings” in 1946 while he was as student at
the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The first performance was given by
the student orchestra at Curtis, followed by
its public premiere by the National Gallery
Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
Schubert’s Symphony No. 2 in D was
composed while he was a teenager. Its
opening movement is based on Beethoven’s
incidental music for the “Creatures of Prometheus.” The symphony is in the usual
four movements and the only orchestral set
of variations forms the second movement.
A rustic minuet and rollicking finale follow.
Tickets are $35 and available at the door
or online through the Music Guild’s web
site: www.MusicGuildOnline.org.
Call (310) 573-7422.
Palisades Branch Library and Pacific Palisades Wiseconnet will present “What
Is Normal Aging vs. Dementia” at 2 p.m., Friday, March 13, in the library
community room. The informative discussion will be led by Catherine Jonas, a
certified geriatric care manager and director of the Adult Day Service Center at
WISE and Healthy Aging. The event is free, but an RSVP is required (310) 829-5699.
PREVIEWS ESTATES DIRECTOR
So come on in and experience
the new Tivoli for yourself.
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. • Sat. & Sun. 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
NEW BREAKFAST & BRUNCH ITEMS
310.459.7685
15306 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades
HOLLY DAVIS
Normal Aging Versus
Dementia Talk March 13
We’ve hired new chefs, upgraded all our
equipment and, with the help of our
creative chefs, improved our menu items.
FAST, PROMPT DELIVERY • TAKE-OUT, CATERING
Dana Hansen
Photo: Craig Mathew/Mathew Imaging
310.230.7377
hollydavis@coldwellbanker.com
www.hollydavis.com
BRE #00646387
Whether you are buying or selling a home,
condominium or income property, I will produce
the results you are looking for and have the
right to expect.
DINING WITH GRACE
Page 26
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
MASTRO’S OCEAN CLUB
18412 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu • (310) 454-4357
M
astro’s Ocean Club (formerly the Chart House)
overlooks the ocean and has
a busy vibe reflecting the restaurant’s
reputation for good food at a hearty
price. The setting with its seaside view,
low and soft candle lighting, and inhouse music prepares you for the best.
Furthermore, the service is first-rate
and your server is more than willing
to detail the various menu items.
Once we had placed our order, a
basket of bread arrived; as you would
expect, these were exceptional
breads, especially the pretzel roll
with a little pat of butter.
There are about 20 appetizer and
sushi selections, priced from $15 for
fried calamari to $17 for a veggie roll to $29 for a lobster
roll and $35 for chilled Alaskan king crab legs. One
Ocean Club crab cake ($18) was my choice, while my son
ordered the ahi tuna tartare ($19). Each appetizer was
delicious with its wrapped lemon and various seasonings.
We then shared an heirloom tomato and burrata cheese
salad ($20). Beautifully served on a plate painted with a
mixture of vinegar and olive oil, centered with succulent
creamy burrata cheese and a few slices of ripe heirloom
tomatoes—it was a prefect preview to our entrees.
Sautéed sea scallops ($39) had caught my eye, while
my son ordered the 12-oz. bone-in
filet of beef ($57). I sampled his
steak which was beautifully cooked,
as ordered, and tender and delicious.
Equally so were my large sea scallops
served with wedges of fragrant
garlic bread.
These succulent scallops were a
large enough portion that I did not
need any sides of vegetables. Main
entrees are served without any vegetable sides, which are listed and
billed separately. My son ordered the
twice-baked potato ($14), which
came with sour cream, butter and
chives, and the sautéed broccoli ($7).
Other side dishes include lobster
mashed potatoes ($35), gorgonzola
macaroni and cheese ($14), sautéed mushrooms, sautéed
sugar snap peas, creamed corn or spinach, and more. Most
vegetables were $14 for a full order or $7 for a half order.
Seafood entrees vary in price: twin baked lobster tails
are $68 and Chilean sea bass and Hawaiian big eye tuna
are $49. A broiled live Maine lobster is $35 per lb. Steaks
and chops also come in various sizes: the 6-oz. petit filet
is $41 and the 18-oz. bone-in filet is $64. A 24-oz. herbroasted chicken is $35 and a 22-oz. rack of lamb is $49.
The dessert menu also offers Port, cognac, Armagnac
and dessert wines. Desserts vary in price from $9 for ice
cream to $10 or $11 for Key Lime pie and pecan pie à la
mode, to $16 for the restaurant’s signature warm butter
cake. The latter was excellent, as was the Key Lime Pie;
both came with a little bowl of freshly whipped cream.
Mastro’s serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through
Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to
2:30 p.m. The menu varies from steel-cut oatmeal and
fresh fruit ($14) to a Maine lobster omelet ($34) to a
Belgian waffle ($18) to a tuna burger ($22). Brunch
cocktails are available.
And of course, do not forget the ocean view, which is
spectacular at any hour of the day or evening. (Located
just before Topanga Canyon Blvd.) Valet parking is $9.
Come and Join the Fun
at our
St. Patrick’s Day
Party
Tuesday, March 17
Corned Beef and Cabbage
$17.95
Irish Coffee $3
Irish Music
170 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica Canyon
310.230.0402
GOLDENBULL.US
March 4, 2015
Page 27
Palisades News
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Page 28
March 4, 2015
Palisades News
MichaelEdlen.com
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