Norman Kulla Steps Down

Residents, Officials Bid Farewell to Community Friend

By FRANCES SHARPE and DEBORAH STAMBLER | Editor-in-Chief/Contributing Writer

Dozens of Palisadians and other Westsiders crowded into a second-floor room at Councilmember Mike Bonin’s West Los Angeles field office on Friday, June 26 to bid farewell to a longtime friend of the Palisades community.

After a decade of public service, first as District Director and Chief Counsel for Bill Rosendahl and then as Senior Counsel for Bonin, former Palisadian Norman Kulla stepped down June 30.

Among the many attendees honoring Kulla for his years of service to the community at the afternoon send-off were Palisadians Jack Allen, Dick Littlestone, Shirley Haggstrom, Stuart Muller, Donna Vaccarino, Maryam Zar, Christian Irwin, David Card and Joyce Brunelle, as well as Santa Monica Canyon residents Sharon Kilbride and Doug Suisman.

The group clapped heartily when Rosendahl made an appearance and gave an impromptu, heartfelt speech.

Rosendahl made a bold move in 2005 when he tapped Kulla to join his staff.

“I thought I’d be smart if I had a lawyer on staff to help work with the lawyers in the City Attorney’s office,” Rosendahl said. “There wasn’t an issue that went by us.”

Rosendahl added that if an is sue was a legal matter or confusing, he would say, “Norman, tell me what this is all about.”

Rosendahl also attended an official farewell ceremony at the City Council earlier that morning but made the extra effort to stop by the afternoon event designated for community members.

“I just wanted to come here this afternoon because… the truth is, you’re the folks that make me tick and that make him tick,” Rosendahl said to a rousing round of applause.

With his typical humbleness and easy-going style, Kulla eventually said a few words that resonated with the crowd of supporters.

“It’s really been fun to be a public servant,” Kulla said. “I spent so many years in private industries serving individuals, but this idea that you’re working for the people and being at your service is really sweet and a lot of fun.”

Throughout his career, Kulla has managed to bring people with differing opinions together. His parting words to the community were an encouragement to keep the discussions going.

“Be nice to each other, acknowledge one another, talk to each other and enjoy your life,” Kulla said.

Bonin told the crowd Kulla gave that same advice to the City Council that morning.

“Norman didn’t have a big speech prepared, but he gave that same simple, blunt advice to the City Council, and it’s what we need to make sure we work together better and that we get things done,” Bonin said.

Bonin added that Kulla’s secret to dealing effectively with people was simple.

“He really cared about every person he was working with – whether they were being nice to him or whether they were screaming at him,” Bonin said. “He didn’t pay attention to the volume and he didn’t pay attention to the tone. He paid attention to the substance and because of that Norman was able to weave solutions together. Norman was able to make baby steps here and great strides for progress.”

One of Kulla’s attributes that most impressed Bonin during their time together was his willingness to tackle the sticky issues.

“I’m still baffled by Norman. This district has its share of controversies and its share of complex issues and some of them are so mind-numbingly complicated with so many pieces and so many of them are so controversial that no matter what you do, somebody’s going to yell,” Bonin said. “And those are usually not the assignments where someone raises their hand and says ‘Ooh, ooh, let me!’”

Kulla was that guy, according to Bonin.

“The more complex and the more controversial, the more eager Norman was to get involved,” Bonin continued. “And there are things that became far less complex because of his engagement and far less controversial because of his work.”

Kulla’s eagerness will be missed in the Councilmember’s office. At the farewell party, Bonin told the Palisadian-Post, “It’s a bittersweet day. I’m very happy for Norman and the time he’ll have with his family, but it’s still a bit of a punch in the gut to be without him.”

A Time to Reflect

Prior to working for city officials, Kulla devoted himself to community issues in the Palisades. As a testament to his community involvement his name has been mentioned in well over 100 articles in the Palisadian-Post in the past decade.

In 2004-2005, he was chair of the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) and he is still a regular fixture at its meetings.

If you’ve ever attended meetings at the PPCC, Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness, Optimist Club, Temescal Canyon Association or any of several other community organizations then you’ve probably met up with Kulla.

One of the first things people notice is his easy, friendly manner. Watching him field questions at PPCC meetings, it’s easy to see his extensive knowledge base and connection to the community.

Kulla has always combined work and community. He started his law career in 1972 as a criminal defense, parole defense, civil rights and personal injury plaintiff’s lawyer.

“I went to court every day,” Kulla said. “It was fun and I got to do that in the community that I lived in.”

He and his wife Katherine Mader, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, had moved to Sacramento after graduating law school because Mader wanted to break barriers for women lawyers in that area.

They came back to Southern California and lived in the Palisades from 1986-2013. During that time, Kulla made a transition and found success as a tax and securities lawyer.

Following that, Kulla made another shift and he describes his third career as a “house dad.” He took his kids to school, volunteered in their classrooms, made their lunches and coached their teams.

From there he became a financial analyst and worked with an investment firm. During that time he became active in the Palisades community with the Optimist’s Club and PPCC. He describes that community work as “carrying me forward into my city service.”

In looking at the Palisades, he said that the community is near and dear to his heart since he’s worked with a lot of different groups and community activists.

“I’m very proud of some of the stuff we’ve been able to work together and do,” he said.

In particular, Kulla cited projects like Potrero Canyon that he’s personally worked on a lot with community members, including George Wolfberg, David Card and Stuart Muller.

He pointed to the Palisades-Malibu YMCA’s Simon Meadows spot at the corner of Temescal Canyon Road and Sunset Boulevard and said, “That was a long, contested conflict within the community and has just become a remarkable success of collaboration between the people that sued each other and fought each other and now work together on behalf of everyone to make that a beautiful spot.”

While reeling off many important projects within the community, he also highlighted the excellent work of the Task Force on Homelessness, Palisades PRIDE and his excitement over developer Rick Caruso’s project.

He said that he’s seen a revitalization of the business district and expressed his pride over business leaders having such success in their campaign.

In listing changes to the Palisades community, he characterized things this way: “It’s really terrific to see the community coming together. It’s happened before my eyes. In some measure, I’ve been able to be a liaison with the city to see that we can be part of the solution rather than the problem.”

Kulla admitted that the Palisades is a place where people care deeply about issues and where there are a lot of different points of view. One of his greatest contributions is bringing people with opposing views together.

“I’ve probably been helpful with that…at least a time or two,” he said.

After so many years of public service and community activism, it’s no wonder so many Palisadians turned out for Kulla’s farewell party.

Even though Kulla is closing the chapter on his city service, he said he’s not done yet.

“Each time I’ve transitioned, I’ve typically tried to learn something new. I just like to always stretch. I’m looking for something to do that will stretch me.”

While he decides on what exactly that will be, he currently has plans for travel with family, home repair and working on a property conversion project.

Community members may also catch a glimpse of Kulla in the Village or out hiking on our local trails – enjoying the beauty and spirit of his contributions.

Former Councilmember Rosendahl expects to see more of Kulla in the future. “It’s going to be exciting to see what he does next,” Rosendahl said. “His day isn’t done.”