Although summery sunflowers and white linens dressed the tables surrounding the polo fields Sunday at Will Rogers State Historic Park, the morning felt more like fall, with bare arms and shoulders sprouting goose bumps. The bumps erupted again, despite an afternoon warming trend, during a moving closing ceremony that featured a dramatic flyover and soulful delivery of Taps by a member of the U.S. Navy Color Guard.   The day’s fundraising champagne brunch and polo match, benefiting the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation, topped off a weekend of events commemorating the 75th anniversary of Will Rogers’ death. The ‘Philosopher Cowboy’ died in a 1935 plane crash in Alaska at age 55. That day, a bereaved nation honored the beloved humorist, writer and entertainer by shutting down all media for one hour.   This past weekend’s activities were decidedly more boisterous, beginning on Friday night with the grand opening of the new Visitor’s Center followed by an outdoor screening of the Will Rogers’ rollicking road trip film ‘Mr. Skitch.’ Cleora Robb and Glorea Robb, 87-year-old twins and co-stars from the film, thrilled the audience with stories about making the movie and visiting the ranch as kids.   In 1928, Rogers moved his wife Betty and three children, Will Jr., Mary and Jim, from their Beverly Hills mansion to the weekend house on 186 acres in Pacific Palisades. In 1944, his widow donated their historic ranch home and expansive grounds to the state of California.   In earlier years, Rogers enjoyed the polo field (now the last one remaining in L.A. County) with friends including Clark Gable, Walt Disney and Spencer Tracy. On Sunday, the tradition continued with two hard-fought polo matches. Honorary event chair Dennis Quaid, clad head to toe in denim and sporting cowboy boots, handled the ceremonial ‘throw-in’ to the legendary field.   ’I’ve been a huge fan of Will Rogers since the time I was a kid growing up in Texas,’ said the actor, an avid horseman who lives nearby with his family and frequently takes advantage of the park trails. ‘I feel the spirit of Will when I ride my horse. This place is truly a little piece of heaven.’   Preserving all those heavenly aspects of the park’from the scenic trails and equestrian atmosphere to tours of Will’s historic home’is the mission of the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation, officially incorporated in 2008 as a fundraising arm to the park.   ’Given the current budget crisis facing the state of California and its impact on our State Parks, our fundraising efforts are more important than ever,’ Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, Will Rogers’ great-grand-daughter, said during welcoming remarks to nearly 300 guests at Sunday’s inaugural sold-out gala. Other special guests included Bette Rogers-Brandin (Rogers’ granddaughter); James Rogers (Rogers’ great-grandson); Marisa Brandin (Rogers’ great-granddaughter), Meeghan and Mason Etcheverry (Rogers’ great-great-grandchildren); and actor/producer Wyatt McCrea, a foundation board member and grandson of famed western actor Joel McCrea, who starred with Rogers in several movies. ‘Slow and steady wins the race,’ said Palisadian Trudi Sandmeier, one of the founders, regarding the progress already made by the 300-member Foundation. Sandmeier is head of education at the L.A. Conservancy. Her grandparents, Emil and Trudy, worked for the Rogers family and lived on the ranch in the 1930s. Membership categories range from a $20 ‘Roper’ to $1,000 ‘Uplifters Club’ status that includes a free annual day-use parking pass for the ranch, among many other benefits. The refurbished Visitor’s Center features a new shop, where mugs with famous quotations by Will Rogers, books, DVDs and other memorabilia were selling at a brisk pace throughout the celebration weekend. In addition to many other passions, Rogers crusaded for aviation expansion in its infancy and provided Americans with exotic first-hand accounts of his world travels. The flyover moment by the Condor Squadron’simultaneous with ones in Claremont, Oklahoma, Rogers’ birthplace and home of Will Rogers Memorial Museum, and Barrow, Alaska, where Rogers’ and aviator Wiley Post’s plane went down 75 years ago’aptly symbolized the down-home philosopher’s far-reaching influence. The mounting success of the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation might be summed up by one of Rogers’ famous remarks: ‘People are marvelous in their generosity, if they just know the cause is there.’

Anthony Marguleas, a leading Pacific Palisades real estate broker and owner of Amalfi Estates, is breaking the mold with his charitable donations to the local community through home sales.   This week, he announced that he is donating $27,000 to the Fourth of July parade committee (the Palisades Americanism Parade Association) from a Huntington Palisades home that he listed and sold. He divided 100 percent of the gross commission ($54,0000) between the parade committee and a local educational nonprofit. He has now given $90,000 to local nonprofits and schools from the sale and purchase of two homes in the last 12 months.   Not satisfied with donating just a small percentage of his commission, Marguleas hopes to donate his entire gross commission from two home sales each year to a charity/nonprofit organization in the Palisades that has been specified by the home seller or homebuyer.   The donations that Marguleas makes benefit the entire Palisades community, and residents can help by referring him to someone who is ready to buy or sell a home in the Palisades, Santa Monica, Brentwood and Malibu markets.   Marguleas explains his motivation:   ’Many people have asked how I’m able to do this. The way I see it, being referred to a new client through our charitable contribution program is an opportunity to give back to the community by helping a client that I may not have come into contact with otherwise. This year I was happy to help the parade because it represents what living in the Pacific Palisades is all about: a unique sense of community and small-town traditions. The parade is a point of pride for all of us but its expenses have increased as PAPA continually strives to offer more activities each year. I attended a parade meeting this spring and realized there was an opportunity for me to make a difference. Many families, including my own, have participated and enjoyed the parade and we need to keep this tradition going strong.’   Rob Weber, PAPA president in 2008 and 2009, notes that Marguleas has made the single largest donation in parade history. ‘We’re deeply moved by Anthony’s remarkable generosity. His donation will allow us to significantly increase the quality of the parade and rebuild our reserves.’   Current president Scott Wagenseller adds: ‘The parade is a volunteer, privately sponsored event that depends on the generosity of people like Anthony.’His donation will help establish a long-term fund that will be integral for the survival of the parade as the city looks to generate new income from our hometown event.’   Marguleas says he is hopeful that his next donation can benefit Palisades PRIDE, the Field of Dreams at the Palisades Recreation Center, or the new Palisades High swimming complex.   ’There are many worthwhile causes in this town and I am just fortunate to be able to help,’ he says. ‘In these tough economic times, nonprofit organizations need our support more than ever. With the help of the community, I hope I can continue supporting these vital charities.’   Amalfi Estates, founded by Marguleas in 1994, is located at 984 Monument Street, suite 105. He can be reached on his cell at (310) 293-9280. For more information about the company, visit www.AmalfiEstates.com   Marguleas has sold over $350 million in real estate and is considered one of the top real estate brokers in Los Angeles. He has published 90 articles, co-authored the book ‘California Real Estate Client Strategies,’ and has been a guest lecturer at UCLA’s Real Estate Principles class since 2004.

This fall, the City of Los Angeles will begin constructing a Coastal Interceptor Relief Sewer that will result in lane closures along Pacific Coast Highway into 2012.   Andy Flores, project manager of the Proposition O Clean Water Bond Program, told the Pacific Palisades Community Council last Thursday that during construction at least two of the three southbound lanes between the Will Rogers State Beach parking lot across from Potrero Canyon and the Annenberg Community Beach House will be open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. At least one southbound lane will be open from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The three northbound lanes will not be affected.   ’It won’t be [every day during] the complete two years,’ Flores said, explaining that the contractor will construct about 3,100 ft. of the 4,500-ft. relief sewer on PCH and the other 1,400 ft. in the parking lots of Will Rogers Beach and the Santa Monica Beach Club. While working in the parking lots, the contractor will not need to close any lanes on PCH.   Work in the parking lots will occur during the daytime hours in the non-summer months (Labor Day to two weeks before Memorial Day).   The bike path at the bottom of Chautauqua Boulevard where it crosses the Santa Monica Channel will also be affected by the construction. The city will be installing a temporary bridge at that location to create a minor detour.   The $10-million Coastal Interceptor Relief Sewer is a part of Proposition O, which was passed in 2004 by Los Angeles voters to improve water quality in the city’s beaches, harbors and lakes.   The city is nearly finished with upgrading the eight low-flow diversion (LFD) structures in the Palisades area. The LFDs will divert urban runoff to the sanitary sewer system during year-round dry weather, so that stormwater does not reach Santa Monica Bay. The LFDs currently function only during the spring and summer.   A Central Interceptor Relief Sewer is being built to increase capacity of the existing Coastal Interceptor Sewer in PCH to accommodate the additional stormwater from the LFD upgrades.   As a result of the upgrades, less bacteria and pollutants will reach the water and there should be fewer beach closures. ‘With this project, we should be getting ‘As’ from Heal the Bay [which rates beaches],’ Flores said.   Flores told the Community Council that the city is close to hiring a contractor, and he expects that work will begin near the Annenberg Community Beach House.   Concerned about traffic flow, the Council unanimously passed a motion urging ‘the City of Los Angeles, and other entities with projects impacting PCH traffic, to take all possible measures to reduce traffic on PCH.’   The Council asked the city place electronic message boards on the 101 Freeway to inform commuters (who use canyon roads to connect to the PCH) about the construction as well as encourage drivers to carpool and alter their travel times.   Flores responded that the city already plans to use electronic message boards, at locations still to be determined.   Jessyca Avalos, field deputy for L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, said she would work with L.A. Department of Public Works officials on setting up e-mail blasts and Twitter alerts about lane closures.   To help preserve the scenic coastline, the Council also unanimously passed a motion asking that the city move the above-ground electrical wires on the beach side of PCH underground as part of the sewer project. Council member George Wolfberg said that he thinks it would be a good idea, since the city would already be digging a trench at that location.   Flores told the Council that funding for such an option would not be available through Proposition O, which is restricted to clean-water projects.   For more information on the sewer project, visit www.lapropo.org or call (877) 700-3069.

AT&T and the Pacific Palisades Community Council finally reached a consensus on the placement of a cell tower site in the Riviera neighborhood at last Thursday’s meeting.   John Delavigne, a Technology Associates real estate specialist representing AT&T, announced that the company plans to replace an existing street light standard on the corner of Napoli Drive and Sunset Boulevard with a new, taller pole that will serve as a streetlight and cell tower. The cell antennas will be hidden inside a canister so they are not visible.   ’We have been really trying to come up with a design that makes everyone happy,’ Delavigne said. ‘There is no coverage [in the Riviera]; I think it will be a great thing.’   Council member Barbara Kohn applauded AT&T for its proposal, saying it would mean no new poles creating visual blight in the public right-of-way.   AT&T representatives first approached the Council in January about potential locations for a cell tower, including the Riviera Country Club’s parking lot, which the Council opposed.   The last time AT&T representatives met with the Council on June 24, they proposed placing a 45-foot cell tower disguised as a cypress tree at 13540 Sunset Blvd., east of Capri, with two live cypress trees planted next to it. At that meeting, the Council informed AT&T that it would prefer the company use an existing light standard. The representatives agreed to work with the L.A. Bureau of Street Lighting on the possibility.   To thank AT&T for its efforts, Council member Marguerite Perkins Mautner recommended a motion, which the Council unanimously approved, saying ‘We as the Council extend our appreciation to AT&T for facilitating the best possible tower for our neighborhood. We hope that it will become a model for future installations in other parts of the City of Los Angeles.’   Delavigne told the Council that he would return with more specifics about the exact height and diameter of the replacement pole. AT&T still has to apply for approval for the site through the L.A. Bureau of Engineering.