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Writers, Artists and Musicians Series Continues With Palisadian Eugene Levy

Eugene Levy and Tim Schneider
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

The Pacific Palisades Library Association continued its Writers, Artists and Musicians Series on Thursday evening, March 9, with a conversation with Eugene Levy, Emmy- and Grammy-winning actor, producer, writer and honorary mayor of the Palisades.

The program was open to the public, and tickets for the in-person component were claimed within hours. Due to limited seating, individuals were invited to watch the program virtually. 

At the start of the program, PPLA President Laura Schneider shared that she had asked those with tickets to let her know ahead of time if they were no longer able to attend, to open the opportunity to individuals on the waitlist. 

“Not only did no one give up their ticket, but people who had previously RSVPed, RSVPed again,” she said with a laugh. 

After kicking off the “much-anticipated” event, Laura passed the microphone to Tim Schneider, who moderated the evening’s discussion.

Tim began by asking Levy about one of his most recent projects, Apple TV+’s “The Reluctant Traveler,” and people who doubt that Levy is “really a reluctant traveler.”

“I could not have said ‘no’ more times to the show,” Levy revealed. “It was pitched to me as a travel show with me as a host, and there are certain aspects about traveling that I’m just not excited about … But the more I talked about it with them and explained why I’m not the person, the more amused they got.

“That’s when they connected with the Apple+ TV exec and the producer of the program, and said, ‘Wait a minute, that’s the show … It’s a travel show but the guy doesn’t like to travel. We need to put that in the show.’”

Schneider pointed out “The Reluctant Traveler” marks the first time in Levy’s career that he is not portraying a character: “How different is that for you?” he asked

“It’s much more frightening,” Levy said. 

Levy explained that the show has surprised him in different ways. He revealed it has helped him become a better conversationalist, allowing him to spark up conversations at Porta Via in Palisades Village and other spots in town.

“The show has brought out a better side of me, in terms of talking and listening,” he said, “and carrying on a conversation that is actually interesting and quite fascinating at times.”

Of living in the Palisades, Schneider asked Levy how he originally came across the area. Levy said he had an apartment in Brentwood that he would visit during the winter from Toronto, Canada. He eventually began to search for something bigger and fell in love with a home in Temescal Canyon. 

“It was like, ‘Wow, this is wow. This is beautiful,’” Levy said. “And then we started to get into the town and the vibe of it … and it really is incredible.

“Families are out and they’re moving around, and it’s just active and … you don’t have to leave the Palisades to go somewhere to get a good bite to eat, you don’t have to leave the Palisades if you want to pick up a little article of clothing … That’s what I love.”

When it comes to his role as honorary mayor, Tim asked Levy if any of his predecessors offered him words of advice before taking on the position. 

“I remember Billy and Janice Crystal said, ‘Just embrace it,’” Levy said. “‘And just get into everything that they ask you to do, and you’ll find that you’re actually going to have a great time, and it’s going to be fun.’”

LADWP Hosts Mono Basin Presentation at Pacific Palisades Community Council Meeting

Photo courtesy of LADWP

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Pacific Palisades Community Council hosted a presentation on Thursday, March 9, by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power regarding the State Water Resources Control Board’s upcoming decision on whether or not the agency can continue to divert up to 16,000 acre-feet of water from the Mono Basin each year.

The Mono Lake Committee sent a letter on December 16, 2022, to the State Water Resources Control Board, requesting an “emergency action to protect Mono Lake and its public trust resources.”

“A combination of drought and continuing climate disruptions is imposing severe impacts on all of us—in Los Angeles, here in the Eastern Sierra and throughout California,” the letter read. “For Mono Lake, which is already artificially low due to decades of water diversions by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the most urgent and immediate threat is to the California Gull population.”

On February 15, State Water Board hosted a workshop to discuss a potential emergency action to protect the gulls. The Mono Lake Committee was joined by the Mono Lake Kutzadika’a Tribe and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, according to its website.

“This year the lake has dropped so low that coyotes can access nesting islands that support one of the world’s largest nesting California Gull populations, creating a high risk of colony depredation and disruption,” according to the Mono Lake Committee. “Gulls are considered leading indicators of the overall health of the lake ecosystem.”

Clint Kautsky, a civil engineer speaking on behalf of LADWP, attended the March 9 PPCC meeting to deliver a presentation on Mono Lake—one of the “critical sources of water for citizens of LA,” according to LADWP.

“We don’t have our own water source,” Kautsky explained of LA’s water supply. “We bring water in from three separate sources, like three straws drinking out of the pool.”

Two of the three sources—California State Water Project and Colorado River Aqueduct—are made available to the city through Metropolitan Water District, which is a water broker.

“Anytime we pick water from these sources,” Kautsky explained, “this is what’s called ‘purchase water.’”

The third source, the city-owned LA Aqueduct, gathers water from “all along the Eastern Sierras,” through the “northern-most source in Mono Basin.” LA receives anywhere from 10 to 50% of its supplies from the Eastern Sierra through the LA Aqueduct, according to Kautsky’s presentation, which is based on snowpacks. This includes up to 16,000 acre-feet of supplies from the Mono Basin, depending on annual lake levels—LA’s “most cost-effective water source.”

Water from the LA Aqueduct is about $75 per acre-foot—“a football field with the end-zones about a foot deep in water,” Kautsky explained—compared to about $1,200 per acre-foot from the California State Water Project and Colorado River Aqueduct.

The amount of water LADWP takes from Mono Basin each year depends on the water elevation of the lake, Kautsky explained, a threshold that was set in 1994. The agency currently takes about 4,500 acre-feet, according to the LA Times.

“Part of that is also the thresholds that are set for protection of the lake,” Kautsky continued, “and its resources and its habitat.”

“There are no emergency conditions, and the gulls are not in danger,” according to LADWP. “Lake levels are nearly four feet higher than the SWRCB threshold.”

Kautsky reported during the meeting that the lake, with a depth of 150 feet, is sitting at an elevation of 6,380 feet, while 6,375 feet is when the landbridge to Negit Island would appear. The “aspirational target” for the lake elevation is 6,391.

PPCC Vice-Chair Jenny Li posed a question during the meeting about how long it would take to reach the aspirational level if diverting water was halted, which Kautsky explained is “a very complicated question,” due to variables.

“The current models that we have predicted anywhere from 20 to 40 years to refill the lake if we were to stop taking our diversions,” Kautsky said. “Even if we do keep our diversions … it doesn’t change how quickly the lake fills back up, the model says the same.”

Replacing the missing water could cost Los Angeles ratepayers between $18 and $44 million per year by 2045, according to LADWP, depending on the year. LADWP also generates electricity off of the water to power about 179,000 residents for the year.

“LADWP is doing everything possible to expand local supplies and reduce reliance on imports,” according to Kautsky’s presentation, including conservation, water recycling, stormwater projects and increasing groundwater storage capacity.

Kautsky explained that “imported water”—including from the LA Aqueduct, State Water Project and Colorado River—constitute “foundational supplies” to “keep local supply projects running smoothly.”

“Without LA Aqueduct supplies, LA’s entire water system would be less stable,” according to the presentation. “We would have less water to store, recycle and conserve.”

The PPCC Board voted at the end of the discussion in favor of a motion to support LADWP’s efforts.

“Los Angeles residents have a human right to safe, clean, affordable and reliable water,” the motion read. “Water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct is the city’s most cost-effective water supply and is the backbone of the city’s water system. Revoking LADWP’s ability to utilize the Mono Basin rights belonging to Angelenos … will jeopardize our community’s access to water and further burden low-income Los Angeles ratepayers.”

The motion explained that the “cost of sustainability” in the city has “long fallen on the backs of ratepayers,” which residents have “taken in stride because it has meant creating a more water-resilient future.” But “no amount of conservation” will allow LA to be “fully independent of water supplies,” so losing supplies from “LA Aqueduct will only force” LA to receive water from other sources.

“Many in our community are already struggling to meet their basic needs,” the motion concluded. “With as many as 50% of Los Angeles residents living in disadvantaged communities, we cannot afford to shoulder an additional expense nor risk reliable access to clean water from our taps. Therefore, we oppose the restriction placed on LADWP.”

State Water Board staff will be accepting written comments on the workshop from individual rate payers through March 17 at 4 p.m. They can be sent to monolake@waterboards.ca.gov.

“The Mono Lake Committee does not submit this emergency request lightly,” the December letter read. “We understand that the drought has caused serious shortages for water users in many parts of the state, and that LADWP is rightfully concerned about where it will get water to replace the 4,500 acre-feet (less than 1% of the city’s supply) the emergency regulation would require to remain at Mono Lake. We see this ecological crisis—imposed on all of us—as an opportunity for further collaboration, a new generation of cooperation and, working together, successful joint investment in contemporary solutions.”

Palisadian Teens to Host ‘A Night of Fashion’ and Fundraising at BOCA

Leena Adeli and Maren Ghaffari
Photo courtesy of Fati Adeli

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Palisadians Leena Adeli and Maren Ghaffari are hosting a fundraiser in support of the Dillon Henry Foundation and The Congo Peace School on Thursday, March 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. at BOCA in Pacific Palisades.

Sophomores at Palisades Charter High School, Adeli and Ghaffari shared that they launched the Pali Women in STEM Club last year. Since launching the club and taking on the roles of co-presidents, the friends have launched different fundraising opportunities to support women and empower them to be involved in STEM—an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

After Adeli’s mother ran into Palisadian Harriet Zaretsky and BOCA owner Denise Martinez, the girls thought of the idea to partner with the two for their latest fundraising endeavor.

Zaretsky honors her son, Richard Dillon Henry, through the efforts of the foundation. Henry died at the age of 17 in 2007, leaving a wound on the community as he was heavily involved at Pali High, local clubs and sports teams.

“The Dillon Henry Foundation has been created to honor the memory of Dillon Henry,” according to the organization, “a remarkable teenager, who wanted to make the world a better place and planned to do it through great leadership and compassion.”

One project the foundation supports is The Congo Peace School, which provides an education to students of the Democratic Republic of Congo who cannot afford school fees. Adeli and Ghaffari said they were inspired by the Dillon Henry Foundation’s efforts to further support The Congo Peace School’s students, raising money to expose the girls in Congo to STEM and encourage them to explore careers in the field.

“We really loved Dylan’s story,” Ghaffari said to the Palisadian-Post. “We were so inspired by how they took such a tragic event, Dillon’s passing, and created something positive and beautiful out of it … We really wanted to help fundraise because it is just such a beautiful story.”

Ghaffari explained that the funds will also go toward the purchase of female hygiene products for the students of The Congo Peace School.

“Right now in Congo, they have very minimal supplies and very minimal money for the villagers,” Ghaffari said. “This could be some of the first feminine products that some of these students will have ever come in contact with. We, as women and co-founders of Women in STEM, are trying to empower women.”

The “Night of Fashion” fundraiser will be on Thursday, March 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. at BOCA, located on Monument Street. BOCA will donate 20% of the sales made within that window.

Adeli and Ghaffari said they will continue their fundraising efforts throughout the year, and Palisadians can catch them once per month at Ralphs.

Adeli also has a 5K walk and run in the works to raise additional funds for the Dillon Henry Foundation.

More Rain Falls in Pacific Palisades

A waterfall in The Highlands after the recent rain.
Photo courtesy of Susan Whitmore

The most recent storm—which started Friday, March 10—brought just over an inch and a half of rain to Pacific Palisades, according to Craig Weston, who tracks data in the community.

“The most recent storm produced 1.66 inches of rain in the Huntington Palisades,” Weston wrote. “This brings our yearly total to a very healthy 23.86 inches vs. an average yearly rainfall in Los Angeles of just under 15 inches.”

The yearly rain total is measured starting July 1, 2022, and will end June 30, Weston explained.

As the Palisadian-Post went to print Tuesday, March 14, another storm had reached the Palisades, with rain expected to continue through Wednesday, March 15.

There was more rain predicted for Tuesday, March 21.

Updates will be published in future editions of the paper.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Tax Relief is Available for Winter Storms

This has been a challenging year when it comes to our weather because until recently the region has had no noticeable rain whatsoever. In its place there has been extreme heat warnings with three-digit temperatures the common denominator. Since we’ve been experiencing extremely dry conditions this fall, there’s always the concern now with flooding, especially since we’ve experienced torrential winter rain storms.

Along those lines, I want to remind property owners that tax relief is available in the event of damage to property not only by fires and other natural disasters but rain damage and/or flooding. By filing a claim for Misfortune & Calamity relief within one year of the incident, properties that have sustained a minimum of $10,000 in damage or destroyed may be eligible for a refund of taxes already paid and lower annual tax bills until the property is repaired or rebuilt.

You must file the Application for Reassessment – Misfortune & Calamity claim, which is available online at assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief; by phone: 213-974-8658; or by social media at @lacassessor.

Again, the claim has to be filed with my office within 12 months of the rain damage or flooding or any other natural disaster. The savings can be for a total loss of the property or a percentage of the damage as long as it’s $10,000 or more.

Sometimes, the tax relief may not be a significant amount but it most assuredly helps in a time of need, and can come in handy when you are planning on rebuilding or replacing. The percentage is calculated by the appraiser using a standard formula, oftentimes in conjunction with other factors such as existing insurance.

As just one example, our reassessments led to more than $3 million in tax relief a few years back during the Woolsey fire. This relief was by way of refunds and adjustments to the 2018-19 tax bills. The Woolsey fire had 1,328 homes and businesses affected. Of those, 797 were entirely destroyed.

We believe that every property was identified. Dozens of appraisers were at work around the clock to ensure people received the required reassessment of the property that led to the tax relief. I estimate for that fire alone my staff logged more than 2,500 hours on the job. We are on the job again this winter.

I’m going to be sharing with you several other savings programs that we offer. Those programs include the Homeowners’ Exemption and Senior Replacement, to name just a few of those we offer.

The recent rains were a welcomed relief from the extreme heat and dry weather conditions but they proved to be too much for a parched land, as there has been significant damage and even loss of life.

Again, the M&C claim forms can be obtained online at assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief or by phone at 213-974-8658. If ever needed, please avail yourself of this tax relief program.

Jeff Prang
Los Angeles County Assessor


The Palisadian-Post accepts letters to the editor via email at mypost@palipost.com or mail/hand-delivered at 881 Alma Real Drive, Suite 213, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed, and are subject to editing for length and clarity. Opinions expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the views of opinions of the Palisadian-Post.

Your Two Cents’ Worth

Weather

I’ve seen the PaliPost mention Craig Weston and I was wondering if he has the data compiled to compare recent weather to years prior? I don’t remember if this amount of rain and flood warnings are the norm.

(Editor’s note: We plan to do a weather recap toward the end of the rain year—which is from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, so please look out around then.)


Driving Response

It’s so funny to me how different people can have such different experiences in the community. While I drove through the village yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly others stopped to let me turn out of a busy driveway. No honking and lots of ‘thank you’ hand gestures all around.


ROCA I

I haven’t made it out yet, but I am looking forward to trying ROCA in Palisades Village. I am glad to see another restaurant opening, as I don’t shop for clothes there, so the restaurants are more appealing to me at least.


ROCA II

So excited to try ROCA Pizza. Saw your Instagram post and made plans to try it on my next outing in the Village. Who doesn’t love pizza??


Cleanup I

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the recent community cleanup!!! Your efforts do not go unnoticed. I was unfortunately was unable to make it out this year but hopefully next year.


Cleanup II

It was just incredible to see the community get together to help keep our town clean. Thank you to the organizers who helped spearhead the cleanup!


Got something to say? Call (310) 454-1321 or email 2cents@palipost.com and get those kudos or concerns off your chest. Names will not be used.

‘Back to the ’80s’ Marquez Auction Raises Over $60,000

Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

More than $60,000 was raised at the Marquez Charter Elementary School annual auction, which took place Saturday, March 11, at The Buffalo Club in Santa Monica with a “Back to the ’80s” theme.

The event, hosted by Friends of Marquez, was led by Shoshana Himmel with Co-Chairs Jamie Wolin, Sarah Gottlieb, Sarah Goldsmith, Dawn Taffler and Michelle Oles.

“I’m so proud to lead this team of dedicated volunteers,” Himmel shared with the Palisadian-Post. “We worked hard to throw a well-attended, fun and, most importantly, successful event to raise funds dedicated to making our school the best it can be.”

Festivities included a silent and live auction, photo booth, dinner, and dancing with DJs Andrew Hires and Sean Taffler, who are Marquez parents.

“The auction items included four nights at the Four Seasons hotel in Maui [and] two nights at the Nobu Hotel in Cabo,” Himmel shared. “The most anticipated live auction items were a ride to school in a fire engine from [Los Angeles Fire Department] Station 23 on Los Liones and a reserved parking spot in the Marquez lot.”

Adam Wolfson and Himmel served as live auctioneers, while Sahar Abraham designed and donated the flowers and balloons.

American Legion Ronald Reagan – Palisades Post 283 donated $10,000 to Marquez, presented by Matt Plume.

Friends of Marquez is a nonprofit run by parent volunteers who fundraise and work alongside the Marquez Governing Board and school leaders.

“All proceeds raised go directly to lowering class size, paying for additional teachers, providing enrichment classes and any additional needs for the school,” Himmel concluded. “I feel extremely fortunate to have my daughter attend Marquez as we have the best teachers, best principal and best parents.”

‘Jimmy Dunne Says’

The Palisadian-Post presents an homage to Will Rogers’ column, “Will Rogers Says,” with a column by Palisadian Jimmy Dunne—on life in the “greatest town in America.”


‘A Beautiful Flower in Our Town’

It was early Sunday morning. I was just at Veterans Gardens tidying things up—getting things ready for this week’s bocce leagues’ Opening Days.

It was quiet. Just me and a handful of birds singing their morning song.

I looked over to the side of the court. There’s a bench there to watch the games.

And I imagined seeing 91-year-old Dolores, as I did every game day, sitting on that bench with her oxygen tank’s tube snuggled under her nose.

Enthusiastically cheering on the players.

She was a fixture at our games.

Dolores Fritzsche passed away over the winter.

Here’s what I know.

Everything beautiful about the Palisades—was right on the face of Dolores.

She never played on a bocce team; she never rolled a single ball in her life.

But Dolores was always, always there.

And right next to her, her fantastic, caring, beautiful, full-of-heart daughter, Maria Molloy—right by her side. Always by her side. Just for the record book, they don’t make ’em better than Maria.

A little bit about Dolores.

Dolores Jones was born in Missouri in the hurricane of the Depression to two great parents. Sparked with a love of adventure and traveling, Dolores hopped on three trains at 18 across the country for college days at Immaculate Heart in Los Angeles.

She met her Prince Charming, Bill Fritzsche—and moved to the Palisades in 1956.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes seven kids in baby carriages.

She put her college diploma in the drawer and was proudly a stay-at-home mom—who loved cooking fantastic, warm meals every night for the nine in her castle. She adored her kids, and they adored her back.
“She couldn’t wait to hear about our days at school—or to see the shells we’d find at the beach,” said Maria. “Mom was Maria von Trapp. She just loved watching us all shine.”

In a day when time stood a little still in the Palisades, everybody in town knew Dolores’ red Flyer wagon. She’d wave to all her Palisadian pals in town, pulling it behind her right into Hughes Market (before Ralphs was there).

She’d fill it up with the family’s groceries for her seven kids—and pull it back to her lovely home on Ocampo Drive.

Everyone in town knew and loved Dolores.

A daily communicant from her teenage years, she was devoted to her faith.

She was passionately involved in Sister of Social Service and Meals on Wheels. I can only imagine how amazing she was in her days as a Cub Scout den leader.

She defined what selfless means. Integrity means.

You could always find Dolores supervising the voting polls in town, and she loved her days teaching kids about their faith down the street at Corpus Christi.

She was the president of the Legion of Mary and the Rotary Anns—and just beloved by her Corpus Christi family.

Dolores and her hubby Bill couldn’t have been more involved in our town’s clubs and events.

A young entrepreneur, Bill founded a water filtration company—which ultimately snowballed into PuroServe.

“My mom was always proudly right on his arm,” said Maria. “They traveled everywhere together.”

Bill passed away in 2006, and Dolores missed him deeply, living alone in their family and neighborhood home.

Her daughter Maria (and her husband David) had raised their family in a quaint Connecticut town, not a lot different than the Palisades.

Seven years ago, with her mom’s health failing, Maria and David packed up their lives and selflessly moved back into her old family home with her mom.

“Regrets? We have none. We live on the greatest block in the world,” said Maria. “The Mortensens, Smiths, Martinis, McRoskeys, Martins, Landrys, Olsens, Serras, Loefs, Borgesons—it doesn’t get better than that!

“I miss the drives around town with my mom,” said Maria. “She was my co-pilot, and my mom would love to drive down the streets of the Palisades, finding the blooming pear blossoms on the Alphabet Streets, the tulips and magnolias in Rustic Canyon, or the jacarandas on Albright.”

“My mom grew up listening to World War II songs on her vinyl records, and she had a song for everything! I mean everything!” laughed Maria. “On her last night with all of us, we had a houseful of family making meatballs for dinner. With a big smile on her face, she was belting out some random Bing Crosby lyric, ‘You get no bread with one meatball.’”

She gently passed away in her sleep, knowing she had tilled the soil so gently, so respectfully, for her seven kids and 17 grandkids.

As days pass by in all of our lives, we look for meaning. For what mortality means.

I know one thing for sure.

You were a gardener, Dolores.

And what a beautiful garden you created. Touching so many lives along the way. Your family. A lifetime of friends. Your church and your town.

Lucky, lucky us that you got on that train to California—and made the Palisades your home.

Gracing us with the most beautiful flower of all; so precious, so rare, so lovely …

You.


Jimmy Dunne is a modern-day Renaissance Man; a hit songwriter (28 million hit records), screenwriter/producer of hit television series, award-winning author, an entrepreneur—and a Palisadian “Citizen of the Year.” You can reach him at j@jimmydunne.com or jimmydunne.substack.com.

Resilient Palisades Green Banking Team Prepares for ‘Banking Day of Action’

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor 

Environmental groups across California—including locally founded organization Resilient Palisades—are gearing up for “Banking Day of Action” on Tuesday, March 21.

Led by Third Act, the groups are planning to protest the use of the four banks most responsible for funding the fossil fuel industry. According to a Fossil Fuel Finance Report, the world’s 60 largest commercial and investment banks loaned the fossil fuel industry over $3.8 trillion between 2016 and 2020.

Palisadian and member of Resilient Palisades’ Green Banking team Dennis Higgins told the Palisadian-Post as a result of the burning of fossil fuels, the world is seeing the planet warm at a rapid rate with the increase of flash floods and pollution.

“People should know that these banks are using our money to contribute to the climate craziness,” Higgins said. “Your bank account may be the largest part of your carbon footprint … There are alternative, cleaner ways to produce energy.”

Higgins is one of Resilient Palisades’ Green Banking team members steering Palisadians on the March 21 demonstration.

“This is important to me as a parent,” Higgins added. “I want to do my best to make sure the Earth my children inherit is as livable as possible. We are not headed in that direction now. Our children deserve their own future.”

The event is being described as a “Day of Action,” a coordinated, “movement-building” day.

“Thousands of people are coming together for a giant collective ‘break-up’ with the banks funding the climate crisis,” according to an event flier. “Switching to a climate-safe bank has never been easier or more important.”

In Los Angeles County, demonstrations will be held in Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Studio City and Beverly Hills—which is closest to the Palisades. Interested individuals are invited to meet at the Beverly Hills sign, located at Santa Monica Boulevard and N. Beverly Drive.

For more information or to sign up, visit resilientpalisades.org/green-banking.

Neighborhood News

Matilda the Musical  |  Pali High

More than 100 Palisades Charter High School students are involved with the school’s spring musical, “Matilda,” which opens on Thursday, March 16.

“Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” features music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, with a book by Dennis Kelly.

“Please join us for Palisades Charter High School’s production of ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical,’ the story of an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny,” according to a synopsis of the show. “‘Matilda’ has won 47 international awards and continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages around the world. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.”

Performances are slated to take place March 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 7 p.m., as well as March 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for general admission, $25 for VIP and $10 for students. All performances take place at Pali High, located at 15777 Bowdoin Street, in Mercer Hall.

To purchase tickets, visit gofan.co/app/school/CA18976.

—SARAH SHMERLING


Hiker Rescue | Paseo Miramar

Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call for a hiker rescue on Thursday, March 9, at 1:18 p.m. near 575 N Los Liones Drive, according to LAFD Spokesperson Nicholas Prange.

“LAFD located an injured hiker on or near a hiking trail in a remote location,” Prange reported. “LAFD Air Operations located an approximately 67-year-old female in fair condition, lowered a rescuer to her and hoisted her into the airship.”

The hiker was then transported by air by LAFD to a local hospital.        

—SARAH SHMERLING


LA Made Series  |  Palisades Branch Library

Palisades Branch Library will host its next program in the LA Made series, which highlights “artists, writers and creators who make Los Angeles so unique,” on Saturday, March 18, at 1 p.m. with “Darkness Under the Light: Noir Writing in Los Angeles.”

“What makes Los Angeles the end of the road for dreams and lives in so many great novels, from Raymond Chandler to the gritty alleyways, beaches and streets of today’s great noir writers?” read a flyer for the event. “Join local noir buff and musician, David Kendrick, in a lively, far-reaching discussion with a special guest scribe.”

Kendrick is an LA-based musician and writer, who has a collection of more than 1,000 film noir movies from around the globe. The event will take place at 861 Alma Real Drive.

—SARAH SHMERLING


Board of Trustees Election Committee Pali High

The Palisades Charter High School Board of Trustees Election Committee is accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year through March 17 at 4 p.m.

Those who wish to apply can send materials—a Candidate Form, Candidate Statement, Candidate Ballot Statement, Candidate Resume, Roles and Responsibilities Form, and Candidate Photo—to Karen Cox at kcox@palihigh.org to be considered.

All terms begin July 1 and are for two years, except for the faculty seat, which is a one-year commitment.

For more information, including the required forms, visit palihigh.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=410903&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=1056455.        

—SARAH SHMERLING


TCA Hike  |  Will Rogers State Historic Park

Temescal Canyon Association will lead a hike up the trail from Will Rogers State Historic Park to Chicken Ridge Bridge viewpoint on Sunday, March 19.

Those who wish to attend are asked to meet at 8:45 a.m. at 756 Hartzell Street to sign in and drive to the park. Wearing sturdy shoes/hiking boots was advised, as well as bringing water and snacks.

“Please carpool, if possible,” members of TCA encouraged, “as WRSP charges for parking.”

Described as a “moderate hike,” the trek was expected to take approximately two hours. TCA requested no dogs.

RSVPs may be sent to TCA President James Alexakis via jamesalexakislawyer@gmail.com.

          —SARAH SHMERLING