Whether it was her artist’s muse or a leap of faith, Linda Jackson Vitale’s determination to bring opera to the Palisades blossomed in 2008 with the debut of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera Company. With the success of the first season’s featured operas”La Boh’me’ and ‘La Traviata”Jackson launched the 2010-2011 season with expanded performances of ‘Cos’ fan Tutte’ (January) and high hopes for the year to follow. For realizing her dream in her own community, Jackson will be honored with a Golden Sparkplug Award at the annual Citizen of the Year dinner on April 22. One has to ask not only about Jackson’s temerity in forming an opera company when so many cultural institutions are failing, but also her ability to present top-notch singers in a convenient Palisades venue on a shoestring budget. Apart from her exquisite soprano and an extensive repertoire, which accounts for her love of music, Jackson possesses those intangible genes called optimism and self-confidence. It’s no surprise that Jackson looked to another optimist, Lucille Ball, for inspiration. ‘One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged,’ Ball once said. Although Jackson never met the redhead comedienne, she followed her career and her advice. Ball shared not only Jackson’s optimism, but also her belief in hard work. ‘I don’t know anything about luck,’ Ball said. ‘I’ve never banked on it, and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.’ Jackson certainly did not grow up in a family where opera was the entertainment choice. As a matter of fact, her childhood played more like a Puccini libretto: a single mother, the rough times in the Exposition Park area, where she was heckled for being a good student, and for smiling and wanting to please the teacher. ‘I had to fight my way, literally, from the start,’ Jackson says, adding that in elementary school and junior high she had to fight to protect herself, and later when that became too dangerous, she had to learn how to intimidate her aggressors. In a neighborhood with a ‘ghetto’ mentality, Jackson took accelerated classes, which added to her isolation. Music was a part of Jackson’s early life. ‘The neighborhood bully would make me sing or else,’ she recalls. She sang in her neighborhood church choir’Disciples of Christ, which was the same denomination as Lyndon Johnson’s church’and while she enjoyed singing in elementary and at L.A. High (too afraid to stand out in junior high), there was no mentoring. On full scholarship at Pitzer College in the later 1960s and early ’70s, Jackson majored in psychology, never realizing that she could probably have majored in music. ‘I assumed that to get into college as a singer, I had to have extensive vocal experience.’ ‘Boys,’ she says, smiling, ‘changed my plans and I didn’t graduate from Pitzer, but got married and had a baby.’ The marriage dissolved and left Jackson a single mom with a two-year-old. She turned to voice to support herself, and was hired by the Great American Food and Beverage Company, which was famous for its singing wait staff. The schedule allowed her to spend time with Kent, volunteer at his school, and eventually move to the Westside. Music has always been in Jackson’s life. In 2001, she was accepted in the mentoring program at Santa Monica College, by both the voice and composition departments, and two years later she moved on to UCLA for her bachelor’s degree in voice, and a master’s degree from Cal State Northridge. Surveying the opportunities for a soprano with an ever-shrinking number of opera companies, Jackson decided ‘If I was every going to get anywhere, my best chance would be to create something for me, here.’ Once again, she looked to Lucille Ball. ‘Not having too much success as an A-list actress and having been told that she was ‘too meek to be a professional actress,’ she created ‘I Love Lucy’ and became her own producer,’ Jackson points out. Jackson dropped preconceived ideas of how she should go about forming her company’like creating a board of directors, searching for a performing space somewhere in the city’and trusted her instincts. With a minuscule budget but lots of talented friends and solid community support, she set a date. She had also been encouraged by her students at Santa Monica Emeritus College, where she teaches opera appreciation to over 100 pupils. Mostly senior citizens, they clamored for staged opera closer to home. ‘I figured that out of a class of 115, I could count on at the least 30 supporters and another 30 from the Palisades and that was a good audience.’ She co-founded the company with Ella Lee, who has been cited in Kurt Pahlan’s book, ‘Great Singers from the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day,’ as one of the world-class singers from the United States to gain prominence in European opera. For the first three operas, Jackson secured the Palisades Methodist Church, but for the next opera, ‘Tosca’ in October, she is moving to the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica, thrilled to be in a theater with ‘wonderful acoustics.’ Upon learning that she had been selected a Sparkplug, Jackson says she was overwhelmed. ‘I was screaming; it makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Six to eight years ago, I may not have been able to do this, and certainly I wasn’t alone.’ She has had a lot of support, including from John, her husband of 28 years, Kent, 36, and daughter Mimi, 26, who is also a singer and performer. Moving forward, Jackson reflects on the lessons of the past two years. ‘I learned that I can be very effective and still be myself, and I realized that my personal power is a lot more than I thought.’

In 2006, the Westside Waldorf School received a temporary certificate of occupancy to move into its Sunset Boulevard location with the stipulation that the school install a traffic signal at Los Liones Drive and Sunset, which has yet to happen.   L.A. City Associate Zoning Administrator Sue Chang told Waldorf representatives at a hearing last Thursday that they have one month to report back to her with the final cost of the proposed traffic signal and a time estimate for when the installation will be complete. Then, she will determine whether they have complied with the condition and can continue to operate at their current location.   ’This is totally the responsibility of the school,’ Chang said. ‘I think the school is being irresponsible and does not see the seriousness of this.’   At the hearing in the West L.A. Municipal Building, Waldorf School board member Jeff Beall (a parent with twins in the first grade) along with Paul Livadary (a grandparent of a first grader) pleaded with Chang to give the school’s leadership 90 days to address the issue.   Chang questioned why a parent and grandparent were the sole representatives for the K-8 school, with an enrollment of 200 students.   ’Why are [the school’s administrators] not even here?’ she asked. ‘I hope they take this seriously. You may not have a school next semester.’   Franzi Utter, the school’s administrative director, and Gita Labrentz, the academic director, did not attend the hearing. Beall explained that the six-member board of trustees is responsible for dealing with the traffic signal.   ’The administrative staff was handling it before, but that was not working,’ said Beall, a Santa Monica resident. ‘I’m the one who understands best what is going on, and I am working on a path forward to resolve it.’   Beall said that the school has experienced turnover and that a former administration and board agreed to install the traffic signal, which he asserted was a poor decision because the school simply does not have the funding available. He added that the school’s current leadership is committed to finding a solution by partnering with the neighbors and L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s office.   ’We have every intention of installing the light, but we can’t do it alone,’ Beall said, adding the traffic signal is now estimated to cost between $720,000 to $750,000.   The school has already spent $50,000 on the design phase of the project. The school’s traffic engineer, KOA Corporation, working in concert with Diamond West (which is responsible for the ancillary requirements such as new curbs and additional street lights), has submitted plans to the appropriate city departments and is awaiting final approval, Beall reported.   Beall said the school’s engineer has not yet heard back from the L.A. Bureau of Engineering. Without the plans approved, school leaders have not been able to receive bids on the traffic signal to determine the exact cost.   Chang directed Beall to contact the Bureau of Engineering to find out what has held up the process and report back to her in two weeks.   In addition to the $50,000 already spent, the Waldorf School leaders have also pledged $250,000 for the project. In the past couple of weeks, they were able to raise $150,000 of those funds, Beall said.   ’We hope that the additional funds put forth might (Continued on Page 3) engender support of the community,’ he added.   The Getty Villa has already pledged $150,000 toward the traffic signal, and Beall said he is hopeful the museum will give more. He is looking to the neighbors and the nearby Los Angeles Fire Station 23 (located at the corner of Sunset and Los Liones) for financial help. He hopes to collaborate with Rosendahl’s office, so that the city can waive some of its fees to make the project more affordable.   Attorney Jeffrey Haber, representing the Getty Villa, explained to Chang that the Getty has generously donated $150,000 from its Neighborhood Protection Plan fund toward the traffic signal.   ’We’re happy to help out ‘ but that [$150,000] is the extent of it,’ Haber said. ‘There is no nexus for the Getty to provide extra money for this.’   When the Getty Villa underwent renovation and expansion (completed in 2006), the city asked the organization to set aside $2 million in the Neighborhood Protection Plan fund to address unforeseen community issues arising from the operations at the Villa.   The traffic study in the Getty’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR) showed that the traffic generated by the Villa would not require a traffic signal at the intersection, Haber said. The Getty uses Los Liones Drive as a service entry, while all visitors enter the museum from Pacific Coast Highway.    ‘The Waldorf School [which opened in January 2007] created a significant difference in traffic,’ Haber said, adding that the Getty’s traffic has actually been less than the EIR anticipated.   At the hearing, Castellammare resident Shirley Haggstrom, representing the Pacific Palisades Community Council, and Norma Spak, representing the Castellammare Mesa Home Owners, told Chang they think the Waldorf School should be held to its commitment.   ’We want the city to enforce its rules and regulations,’ Haggstrom said, while Spak added that homeowners who live near that intersection are concerned for their safety and the school children’s.   Beall told the Palisadian-Post on Monday that he has contacted Rosendahl’s office to discuss how to proceed.   ’We are trying to understand every option available to us,’ Beall said.

Joe Edmiston, executive officer of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority may have finally gotten his wish.   When Pacific Palisades Community Council members questioned the MRCA’s decision to use automated stop-sign cameras in Temescal Gateway Park at a January 2008 meeting, Edmiston said, ‘Sue us. Maybe the court will settle this clearly. This body [PPCC] doesn’t have adjudicatory authority. I invite people to sue us.’   The challenge was finally answered last week (on March 29) when a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Fareth Estwick, Jody Bice and Phillip Robbins, Jr. by Michael Braun of the Braun Law Group in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that the MRCA imposed an administrative ordinance that was inconsistent with rules established in the California Vehicle Code (CVC).   Complaints include: 1) stop-sign camera photos do not include the driver’s face, 2) a governmental agency cannot enter into a contract based on number of citations generated, 3) signs in the park don’t conform to Department of Transportation standards, and 4) the camera tracks the speed of a car, which is currently illegal in California. Specifically, the lawsuit argues that according to the CVC, an automated enforcement system must provide a clear photograph of the driver and the vehicle’s license plate. The Redflex cameras installed at two locations in Temescal Gateway Park supply only a video of the back license plate. The owner of the car is determined through the Department of Motor Vehicles and then issued an administrative ticket. The fine is paid directly to MRCA and does not go on the driver’s record. Drivers are told that if they don’t pay the administrative fee, it will be turned over to a collection agency.   The lawsuit also contends that according to the CVC, a governmental agency cannot enter into a contract with a supplier of an enforcement system that includes payment based on the number of citations generated. When the cameras were installed in Temescal in June 2007, MRCA paid Redflex $20 out of every $100 generated for a ticket. (In May 2008, MRCA amended the contract, agreeing to pay a flat fee of $4,400 per camera. MRCA, with five operative cameras’two in Temescal, one in Topanga and two in Franklin’now pays Redflex $22,000 a month, which was confirmed through an e-mail with MRCA spokesperson Dash Stolarz.)   In regards to traffic and vehicular signs in Temescal not conforming to specifications adopted by the DOT, Palisades resident Jack Laxer fought his November 2008 ticket because he found the signs confusing. His attorney, Steve Boyers (a former Community Council chairman and now counsel for the plaintiffs on the lawsuit), told the Palisadian-Post last December after Laxer won his fight, ‘We were informed by MRCA counsel that the traffic signs that Mr. Laxer found confusing, and which contributed to his citation being issued, have been changed by the MRCA to prevent future occurrences of this problem.’ MRCA changed the signs around the time of the lawsuit, but Stolarz said that Boyers was incorrect about Laxer being the reason for changes. ‘The signage in question was never part of the legal requirement,’ Stolarz reiterated. ‘Signs are there to make sure park users are informed. If we are not communicating clearly, we want to change it.’ Community Council member Jack Allen, a former Beverly Hills city attorney, has decried the cameras as illegal since their installation because he thinks that they deliberately ignore state laws and national standards. MRCA Contract Legal Counsel Lance Bayer told the Post in July 2007 that the Vehicle Code covers public highways, but not necessarily roadways through parks, essentially leaving the MRCA to police its own roads. When Edmiston appeared before the Council in January 2008, he noted ‘It’s true that this isn’t done according to the Vehicle Code and for a good reason. That is an internal road or driveway, not a state roadway. Your driveway is not subject to the Vehicle Code. Because this isn’t a public road, we’re held to a different standard.’ In April 2008, Edmiston requested and received an informal opinion from the Attorney General’s office which stated: ‘Government Code section 53069.4 authorizes local agencies to adopt ordinances and to make the violation of those ordinances subject to an administrative fine or penalty.’ That opinion has since supported the MRCA’s continued deployment of the stop-sign cameras. When the MRCA was asked for a comment about the filed complaint, Stolarz wrote in an April 1 e-mail: ‘As of today MRCA has received no notification from anyone (except the Post) of a ‘class action lawsuit against the stop-sign cameras.’ A subsequent letter to the editor from Edmiston is published adjacent to this article. Allen commented on the lawsuit, ‘Basically the complaint mirrors what I have argued since the time the stop-sign cameras were installed: that they are in violation of the Vehicle Code, despite Joe Edmiston’s arguments to the contrary and the legal opinions of his hired guns. ‘The enforcement of citations issued as the result of the use of these cameras by MRCA exposed them to the risk of a class-action lawsuit that could cost MRCA far more than has been collected,’ Allen continued. ‘The risk just wasn’t worth the potential consequences.’ The complaint asks for restitution to all parkgoers who improperly incurred charges and/or expenses, reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs of the lawsuit and pre- and post-judgment interest.

MRCA’s Executive Officer Edmiston Responds to Class-Action Lawsuit

The automated enforcement program in Temescal Gateway Park is a fair and effective public safety measure. We fully expect to be upheld in the courts. To the extent permitted by law, we will collect attorney fees from the plaintiffs for a frivolous lawsuit wasting the taxpayers’ money.   The lawyers who filed this lawsuit want to allow people to bust through stop signs. For a violator, this would be a nice situation, and that is why they have paid for this so-called ‘class action suit.’ But from the standpoint of the park visitor it is an invitation to a public safety hazard. Temescal Gateway Park has an admirable safety record because park patrons know that the law will be enforced and that they will be safe’at least to the extent humanly possible.   As part of this public safety program, stop-sign violators are confronted by scientific photo evidence. I challenge each one of the so-called ‘class action plaintiffs’ to authorize release of the video evidence of their violations. Post them on the Palisades Post Web site. Let the public judge.   Everyone who visits Temescal Gateway Park knows how many pedestrians use this park access. The violators object, and for obvious reasons, they want to keep from paying a fine.   Shame on the ‘class action’ lawyers who would endanger the public in defense of their lead-footed clients who can’t stop behind a stop sign. Joseph T. Edmiston, Executive Officer, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority