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.’”

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.”

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.

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.