The Palisades Bowl Homeowners Board has started negotiations with its mobile park owner, Eddie Biggs and his wife, to purchase the 20-acre parcel that abuts Pacific Coast Highway just north of Temescal Canyon Road. ‘The owners of the park have received an offer from tenants and are considering it,’ Eddie Biggs’ attorney, Richard Norris, told the Palisadian-Post late Tuesday afternoon. At an August 5 board meeting, residents of the 176-space park were told that Biggs would consider selling them the park, and if that wasn’t possible, he was considering bankruptcy, citing the cost of numerous lawsuits that he’s embroiled in at the park as a major reason. After that meeting, the Palisades Bowl board sent out a survey asking if residents favored buying the land. At a second residents-only meeting on August 26, those results as well as different purchase options were displayed in a Power-Point presentation. Afterwards, the board told residents that they would receive a hard copy of that presentation. Early this week, after Biggs had already received the board’s initial offer, residents still had not received a hard copy with all the details of the offer. Board member Ivan Puchalt, an attorney for the Santa Monica-based firm Greene, Broillet and Wheeler, spoke to the Post on Tuesday and said that at this point there is no reason to release the presentation. He said that negotiations with Biggs are just that’negotiations’and no legal offer has been made or accepted. Puchalt said that if Biggs responds favorably, then the next step would be to present a document to residents. He also said that in lieu of a written copy, the board was happy to sit down and talk to individual residents who had questions or needed more information. Members of the board worried that if something were put in writing, it would be leaked to the local newspaper and this information could harm negotiations. On Tuesday, the board released the following statement: ‘Due to the sensitivity, complexity and importance of the ongoing purchase negotiations with the park owner, it is appropriate that such details only be discussed in closed meetings amongst the park homeowners. The important point is that no deal will be made without every homeowner having the deal terms in writing and an opportunity to vote on it.’ For some residents, though, the board’s action raised questions of full disclosure and concerns about whether buying the park is the wisest option. James Cotton, who is currently based in London but owns a home in the Bowl jointly with his wife and his mother, spoke to the Post on Tuesday. ‘I am concerned there is not sufficient transparency between the board and the people they represent,’ said Cotton, a consultant to the insurance industry. ‘My greatest concern is that what they’re doing may be self-serving, rather than in the collective self-interest. But without transparency, how can we know?’ Cotton also worries about the Asilomar hillside behind the Bowl, as well as the park property itself, because when he purchased his mobile home in 2002, part of the disclosure stated that the park is in an ‘officially designated earthquake induced liquefaction zone and an earthquake induced landslide zone.’ More recently, in an August 2008 geotechnical report by consultants Ninyo and Moore (commissioned by the City of Los Angeles, Tahitian Terrace owner Desmond McDonald, and Biggs), the land is described as a multiple landslide complex that included older landslide deposits, younger landslide deposits and an area of recent movement. The land in and around Palisades Bowl and adjacent Tahitian Terrace has been evaluated by consultants dating back to 1958, and remedial recommendations were made in 1962, 1980, 2001 and now in 2008. Cotton thinks that if the hillside slides down, destroying a home (or homes) and injuring and possibly killing the occupants, ‘it would be a massive liability belonging to the owner, which would be the residents,’ should they ultimately purchase the property. He added, ‘Insuring against that liability exposure would be extremely difficult unless the engineering work to fix the hillside had been completed to the satisfaction of the insurance underwriters and risk engineers.’ Additionally, the cost of repairing the hillside would have to be shared by the new Palisades Bowl owner. Councilman Bill Rosendahl spoke to the Post on Tuesday, confirming that an estimate of $18.3 million to fix the hillside had been made, but cautioning that it was only an estimate, not a request for proposals, which means the cost could be much higher when the project was put out to bid. When asked how the cost of the remediation would be divided between the Bowl, Tahitian Terrace and the City, Rosendahl said, ‘There’s no resolution, that is yet to be determined.’ Currently, owner Eddie Biggs is paying property tax based on the property’s 1975 base-year value, which is just under $3 million. According to George Welch, chief appraiser for L.A. County, the property was not reassessed in 2005, when Biggs bought the property for almost $15 million, because it was determined to be a non-reappraisable event.   When the property is sold, the county assessor will look at the sales price and determine if it is fair market value and then the owner of the land (the residents or another buyer) will pay 1.25% of’the fair market value as property tax.
Will Rogers Group Seeks Park Control
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Responding to the California State Parks’ call for public and private partnerships to keep parks open, the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation has petitioned to operate Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades.   ’We’d like to help out the state and take over more responsibilities,’ said Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, Will Rogers’ great-granddaughter and one of the founders of the foundation, which was incorporated in January 2008 to provide additional funding for the park.   In July, the state cut $14.2 million from the State Parks’ budget, which means that about 100 parks could be closed. The department is now looking to the private sector, cities and counties as well as the National Park Service for financial help.   ’We feel we can come in and with proper management make it a profitable park,’ Rogers-Etcheverry told the Palisadian-Post.   The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation is one of 84 cooperating associations within State Parks. The associations are nonprofit organizations that raise millions to pay for staff positions, exhibits, visitor centers, nature walk programs, special events and more, but they do not manage the state parks. Will Rogers Ranch Foundation has raised about $100,000 since it was formed. In response to the foundation’s request, State Parks Director Ruth Coleman wrote a letter on August 28, saying ‘I am thrilled you are interested in a joint proposal with State Parks ‘ the site serves as a tremendous resource for the public, and we are eager to explore a creative management solution with you.’   There are currently four nonprofit organizations that operate a state park or part of one, said Sheryl Watson, State Parks’ spokeswoman. They include El Presidio de Santa Barbara, Marconi Conference Center, Mendocino Woodlands and Mount San Jacinto.   ’By law, only public entities can operate state parks,’ Watson said. However, special legislation was obtained for those four parks.   Todd Vradenburg, a Pasadena resident and Will Rogers Ranch Foundation board member, said the organization would like to enhance the 186-acre park and is devising a management plan. The park currently collects money from leasing the polo field and the horse stables as well as from the entertainment industry for filming.   ’We are developing a more detailed plan as we speak,’ Vradenburg said, who is also the executive director of the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation.   He noted that renting space for special events is one option being explored by the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation’s board, which also consists of Rogers-Etcheverry, Trudi Sandmeier (whose grandfather was Will Rogers’ personal assistant), Wyatt McCrea, (grandson of actor Joel McCrea), and Diane Keaton (an Academy Award-winning actress).   If the state allows the foundation to operate the park, Rogers-Etcheverry said her group would like to resume construction on the visitors’ center, which will house a gift shop. Construction was halted when state legislators froze all bond-funded projects.   ’We lost a season of revenue with the gift shop,’ Rogers-Etcheverry said.   The foundation would also like to have the ranch house open six or seven days a week. Tours of the ranch house are currently offered Thursday through Sunday.   Another goal is to place more interpretive signs at historical landmarks around the park. Unless park-goers take a tour of the ranch house, they may not even know Rogers lived there, Vradenburg said. Betty Rogers deeded the property to the state in 1944 as a memorial to her husband, a legendary actor and humorist.   ’We want to keep Will’s legacy alive ‘ it’s our duty to educate any person who visits the park, so they know what is so special about this place,’ Vradenburg said.   There is also a long list of deferred maintenance. The barn’s roof leaks, the fencing needs repairs, and a lath structure behind the ranch house is ‘falling to pieces,’ Rogers-Etcheverry said.   ’The money has just not been there to pay for repair and restoration,’ she added.   Rogers-Etcheverry believes that such improvements can easily be made. The foundation already has the support of the Will Rogers Memorial in Oklahoma, the Will Rogers Cooperative Association, the Pacific Palisades Historical Society, the Rogers Co., the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and the Will Rogers Polo Club.   Discussions with the state regarding the proposal have just begun and no decisions have yet been made.   ’We are here to work side by side with State Parks,’ Vradenburg said.
CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
EARLY DEADLINE: OUR OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED LABOR DAY, MONDAY, SEPT. 7. THE CLASSIFIED DEADLINE WILL BE THURS., SEPT. 3, AT 11 A.M.
FURNISHED HOMES 2
PICTURE PERFECT LEASE, Huntington Palisades. Beautifully decorated 3 bd, 3 ba, LR w/ FP, FR w/ FP, FDR, den, lovely garden, pool. Furn or unfurn at $11,000/mo. Contact Dolly Niemann, (310) 230-3706
LIGHT, AIRY, SPACE IN THE TREE-TOPS. 1 bed/bath, huge living areas for 1-2 non-smoker, no pets. Laundry, spa, cable, internet, dishes . . . Avail. October. Monthly with 3 mo. min. $2,800/mo. includes all. (310) 454-2568
UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a
OCEAN VIEW near Pali schools. 4 BDRM, 3 BA, LR & master BDRM w/ frpls. W/D, 2 car garage. Jacuzzi bath. Gardener incl. 1 yr lease min. $6,400/mo. (310) 908-8390
OJAI LARGE 1 BDRM +/office alcove, kitchen, large dining area. Charming light, airy lovely creative space. Partially furnished. $1,200/mo. (310) 613-1572
FURNISHED APARTMENTS 2b
LOVELY 3 BDRM, 3 BA apartment at Edgewater Towers, across from beach, ocean view. $4,000/mo. Call or e-mail for pictures, (310) 887-1333, s@90210law.com
UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c
RARE, CHARMING FIND in lovely neighborhood. Large, upper unit, 2 bd + bonus room, 1 ba. Plantation shutters, fireplace, ceiling fan, balcony, garden, garage, light & airy. 1 yr lease. Cooperates w/ brokers. N/P, N/S. $3,500/mo. (310) 804-3142
PALISADES GUEST COTTAGE. Small, charming studio w/ separate entrance. Built in stove, frig, microwave. Utilities & cable included. $925/mo. No pets. Street parking only. (310) 210-8455
LIVE AT THE BEACH! 1 bdr mobile home. 2 car parking, large patio, ocean view. No pets. $1,450/mo. Call Glen, (310) 895-0537
DUPLEX LOWER LEVEL, spacious 2 bdrm, 2 ba, built-ins, closets, approx. 1,200 sq. ft., private entrance & patio, utilities included. $2,850/mo. (310) 454-8216
PALISADES SINGLE/STUDIO, remodeled, full kitchen, new carpet, gas stove, refrigerator, laundry, covered parking, storage. Non-smoker. No pets. One year lease. $1,085/mo. (310) 477-6767
CONDOS, TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d
WALK TO P.P. VILLAGE. WOODSY VU, 2 br, 2 ba, open den, AC, WD in unit, security bldg. 2 car parking, storage, pool, jacuzzi, gym. $2,800/mo. Avail 9/1/09. Nancy, (310) 454-5257
ROOMS FOR RENT 3
$900/MO. ROOM IN CONDO on Albright St. Utilities and cable included. Pool. Walk to village and shops. (310) 890-2961
WANTED TO RENT 3b
LOCAL PALISADIANS looking for two bedroom month-to-month lease. House, condo, duplex, etc. Call JoAnn (310) 459-7300
OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c
OFFICE TO SHARE, $950/MO. Two treatment rooms in Holistic Chiropractic Center in village on Sunset. Light filled, cheerful, healing environment. Includes use of large reception, front office, kitchen. Utilities included. Convenient parking. (310) 612-9111
THE SKI CHANNEL in the 881 Alma Real building has 2 offices and 2 cubes for sub-lease featuring shared use of many amenities. (310) 230-2050
PALISADES OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE, $900/MO.: In the heart of the Village. Single room office with large window & private restroom. Building amenities include high speed internet access, elevator & covered parking garage. Office has a/c, beautiful hardwood floors & is professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Call Catherine at (310) 573-4245 x104, please leave your contact info.
OFFICE SPACES FOR RENT. Individual offices for rent in Pacific Palisades Village. $750 to $1,250/mo. Call (310) 230-8335
IN VILLAGE QUIET UPSTAIRS OFFICE with soft natural lighting. Available September 1, 2009 at $849/mo. $2,300 security deposit. (310) 454-4668
OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE in Pacific Palisades. Beautiful views. Leasing terms & price flexible. Debby Harrington, broker, (310) 454-5519
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING in Pacific Palisades village for lease. Lovely and spacious suite available. Lease hold improvement allowance. 850 square feet conveniently located in the village. Please call Ness, (310) 230-6712 ext. 105, for more details.
LOST & FOUND 6a
FOUND: BLACK KITTEN. 3 or 4 months old. Found on Via de la Paz bluffs week of August 16, 2009. Wearing a collar. Please call (310) 459-4459
BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b
PART-TIME BOOKKEEPER TO GO! * F/C bookkeeper specializing in small businesses & private individuals. QB, Quicken & Peachtree proficient. PC or MAC. Refs upon request. Call (310) 486-1055
COMPUTER SERVICES 7c
MARIE’S MAC & PC OUTCALL. I CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WITH: ‘ Consultation on best hard/software for your needs ‘ Setting up & configuring your system & applications ‘ Teaching you how to use your Mac or PC ‘ Upgrades: Mac OS & Windows ‘ Internet: DSL, Wireless, E-mail, Remote Access ‘ Key Applications: MS Office, Filemaker, Quicken ‘ Contact Managers, Networking, File Sharing, Data backup ‘ Palm, Visor, Digital Camera, Scanner, CD Burning ‘ FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL ‘ BEST RATES ‘ (310) 262-5652
YOUR OWN TECH GURU * EXPERT SET-UP, OPTIMIZATION, REPAIR. Problem-Free Computing Since 1992. Work Smarter, Faster, More Reliably. If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! ALAN PERLA, (310) 455-2000
THE DETECHTIVES’ ‘ PROFESSIONAL ON-SITE MAC SPECIALISTS. PATIENT, FRIENDLY AND AFFORDABLE. WE COVER ALL THINGS MAC ‘ Consulting ‘ Installation ‘ Training and Repair for Beginners to Advanced Users ‘ Data recovery ‘ Networks ‘ Wireless Internet & more ‘ (310) 838-2254 ‘ William Moorefield ‘ www.thedetechtives.com
EXPERT COMPUTER HELP ‘ On-Site Service’No travel charge ‘ Help design, buy and install your system ‘ One-on-One Training, Hard & Software ‘ Troubleshooting, Mac & Windows, Organizing ‘ Installations & Upgrades ‘ Wireless Networking ‘ Digital Phones, Photo, Music ‘ Internet ‘ Serving the Palisades, Santa Monica & Brentwood ‘ DEVIN FRANK (310) 499-7000
USER FRIENDLY’MAC CONSULTANT. User friendly. Certified Apple help desk technician and proud member of the Apple consultant network. An easy approach to understanding all of your computer needs. Offering computer support in wide variety of repairs, set-ups, installs, troubleshooting, upgrades, networking, and tutoring in the application of choice. Computer consulting at fair rates. Ryan Ross: (310) 721-2827 ‘ email: ryanaross@mac.com ‘ For a full list of services visit: http://userfriendlyrr.com/
GARAGE, ESTATE SALE SERVICES 7f
PLANNING A GARAGE SALE? an estate sale? a moving sale? a yard sale? Call it what you like. But call us to do it for you. We do the work. Start to finish. ‘ BARBARA DAWSON ‘ Garage Sale Specialist ‘ (310) 454-0359 ‘ bmdawson@verizon.net ‘ www.bmdawson.com ‘ Furniture ‘ Antiques ‘ Collectibles ‘ Junque ‘ Reliable professionals ‘ Local References
ORGANIZING SERVICES 7h
ORGANIZE IT! Clean your clutter. Organize your home, office, playroom, garage, and closets. Garage sales. Shopping. Create your space without clutter. (310) 245-5002, Courtney
SOLAR/WIND ENERGY 7l
SOLAR ENERGY with ALTERNATIVE ENGINEERING SOLAR. Go green, save 40% to 50%! Huge rebates and tax incentives! Call for free estimate or questions. Local Palisades contractor. Lic. #912279. (877) 898-1948. e-mail: sales@alternativeengineering.net
MESSENGER/COURIER SERVICES 7n
MESSENGER & COURIER SERVICES (S. Cal.). Direct, same day or overnite, PU & Del. 24/7 guaranteed, on-time service. All major credit cards accepted. Santa Monica Express Inc. ‘ Since 1984 ‘ Tel: (310) 458-6000 www.smexpress.com
NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a
NANNY/HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE 8-6, Monday-Friday. * Has worked for me, a local Paliades resident, for 16 years. Speaks English, drives, very trustworthy and ethical. Laura, (310) 454-2162
HOUSEKEEPERS 9a
PROFESSIONAL MAID SERVICES In Malibu! We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in house-keeping for the best price. Good references. Licensed. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419. professionalmaidinmalibu@google.com
HOUSEKEEPER/NANNY AVAILABLE. Reliable, excellent with children & friendly, speaks English. Available Wednesdays & Thursdays weekly. Great references, Please call (310) 418-1445
HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE! Good local references, own transportation. Speaks English. Available Mon.-Sat. Marlene, (c) (323) 423-2558, (h) (323) 750-1957
MY FABULOUS HOUSEKEEPER is seeking employment. Speaks English. Naturalized citizen. Excellent cleaner. Honest. Cooks. Drives. Wonderful with children and pets. Call Mary, (310) 230-0503
HIGH & MIGHTY CLEANING & MAINTENANCE for homes, apts. & offices. Construction, painting, elec., gen. maintenance. Honest, reliable. Refs. Teresa, (323) 823-8947, or Jose, (310) 713-1250
EXCELLENT HOUSEKEEPER. Reliable, trustworthy, excellent cook. Good references. Call Arlina, (323) 229-9327
HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE every Friday and every other Monday. First day is free! Good references, experience, own transportation, speaks English. Call Zoila or Francisca, (323) 336-1649
HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE 3 days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Local references. Speaks English. Own transportation. 23 years experience. (323) 737-1382
HOUSECLEANING or HOUSESITTING. Experienced, own transportation, local references. Please call Delmy, (323) 708-4327
PROFESSIONAL CHILDCARE/HOUSEKEEPING. M/W/F, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., flexible hours. Great references. CPR certified. Own transportation. Call Sandra at (310) 449-0170
ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a
GOOD COMPANY Senior Care. A premiere private duty home care agency. Provides in-home care and companionship to help people remain independent and happy at home. If you are a caring individual who would like to join our team, please call (323) 932-8700. joni@goodcopros.com
ELDER CARE EXERCISE W/ DEBORAH STERN. Certified personal trainer with positive attitude & smile. Offers companionship along w/ walking, gentle stretching & movement. Refs avail. (310) 623-0361
CAREGIVER AVAILABLE Saturday, Sunday and one other day during the week. Live out. Own transportation, speaks English. Call Elizabeth, (323) 937-5080 or (323) 377-3670
NURSING CARE 10b
CAREGIVER/MAID. Young, energetic, experienced nurse. Great references. Have car. Zula, (323) 812-3135
GARDENING/LANDSCAPING 11
PALISADES GARDENING ‘ Full Gardening Service ‘ Sprinkler Install ‘ Tree Trim ‘ Sodding ‘ Sprays, non-toxic ‘ FREE AZALEA PLANT ‘ Cell, (310) 701-1613, (310) 568-0989
GARCIA GARDENING * Landscape, planting, maintenance, sprinkler systems, cleanup, low voltage lights. Everything your garden needs! Many yrs exp. Free estimates. Call Efren, (310) 733-7414
WINDOW WASHING 13h
THE WINDOWS OF OZ. Detailed interior/exterior glass & screen cleaning. High ladder work. 10% new customer discount. Next day service available. Free estimates. Lic. & bonded. Insured. (310) 926-7626
CATERING 14
EVENT PLANNER & CULINARY GRADUATE. Le Cordon Bleu graduate & event planner to help with your prep, cooking, serving, menus & all event details. 10+ years experience. $50/hr. Please call Danielle, (310) 691-0578. daniellesamendez@gmail.com
PERSONAL SERVICES 14f
HOUSEMAN/DRIVER. BODYGUARD. Personal contact for all your needs including catering, plumbing, electrical. Excellent references. 10 years experience. Full time, part time. Salary negotiable. Call Big John Mueller, (310) 709-9143
GIRL FRIDAY: HOME Organizer/Personal Assistant. Excellent references, 20 years experience. Reasonable rates. Call Michelle, (310) 433-6362
PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g
PRIVATE DOG WALKER/housesitter, Palisades & Santa Monica. S.M. Canyon resident. Please call or email Sherry, (310) 383-7852, www.palisadesdogwalker.com
PUPPY HEAVEN ‘ TRAINING/WALKING ‘ Play groups and hikes. 30 years Palisades resident. References. Call (310) 454-0058 for a happy dog!
FITNESS INSTRUCTION 15a
HAVE FUN! GET FIT! NORDIC WALKING CLASSES. Certified Advanced Nordic walking instructor, Palisades resident teaches private/group classes in the Palisades. Weekends. (310) 266-4651
TUTORS 15e
INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. Children & adults. 20+ years teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, ESSAY WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly Sp. Ed. teacher. Call Gail, (310) 313-2530
MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145
PROFESSIONAL TUTOR. Stanford graduate (BA and MA, Class of 2000). Available for all subjects and test prep (SAT & ISEE). In-home tutoring at great rates. Call Jonathan, (310) 560-9134
CLEARLY MATH & MORE! Specializing in math & now offering chemistry & physics! Elementary thru college level. Test prep, algebra, trig, geom, calculus. Fun, caring, creative, individualized tutoring. Math anxiety. Call Jamie, (888) 459-6430
EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR ‘ All grade levels ‘ Grammar ‘ Conversational ‘ SAT/AP ‘ Children, adults ‘ Great references. Noelle, (310) 273-3593, (310) 980-6071
SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR. All levels (elementary to college) Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614
GROZA LEARNING CENTER. Tutoring K-12, all subjects. SAT, ISEE, HSPT, ACT, ERB, STAR. Caring, meticulous service. GrozaLearningCenter.com ‘ (310) 454-3731
MUSIC THEORY TUTOR ‘ AP Music Theory ‘ MTAC all levels ‘ MTAC Guild Artist. (310) 454-8276
HSPT/ISEE PREP CLASSES. Central Palisades Location. Small class size, 12 classes. September 25th Start. (310) 459-3239
MUSIC LESSONS & INSTRUCTION 15h
SAXOPHONE LESSONS By professional. All levels and ages welcome. Call (310) 283-9975
CONCRETE, MASONRY, POOLS 16c
MASONRY, CONCRETE & POOL CONTRACTOR. 39 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. New Construction & Remodels. Hardscapes, custom stone, stamped concrete, brick, driveways, retaining walls, BBQs, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, foundations, drainage, pool & spas, water features. Excellent local refs. Lic #309844. Bonded, ins, work comp. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 ‘ WWW.HORUSICKY.COM
CONSTRUCTION 16d
ALAN PINE, GENERAL CONTRACTOR ‘ New homes ‘ Remodeling ‘ Additions ‘ Kitchen & bath ‘ Planning/architectural services ‘ Insured ‘ Local refs. Lic. #469435. (310) 457-5655 or (818) 203-8881
ELECTRICAL 16h
PALISADES ELECTRIC. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437. Insured. Professional Service
ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local service only. Non-lic. Please call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286
LICHWA ELECTRIC. Remodeling, rewiring, troubleshooting. Lighting: low voltage, energy safe, indoor, outdoor, landscape. Low voltage: telephone, Internet, CCTV, home theatre, audio/video. Non-lic. Refs. LichwaElectric@gmail.com, (310) 270-8596
ELECTRICAL WORK. Over 25 yrs experience, All phases of electrical. 24 hrs, 7 day service. (310) 621-3905. Lic. #695411
FENCES, DECKS 16j
THE FENCE MAN ‘ 18 years quality work ‘ Wood fences ‘ Decks ‘ Gates ‘ Chainlink & patio ‘ Wrought iron ‘ Lic. #663238, bonded. (818) 706-1996
INDEPENDENT SERVICE CARLOS FENCE: Wood & Picket Fences ‘ Chain Link ‘ Iron & Gates ‘ Deck & Patio Covers. Ask for Carlos, (310) 677-2737 or fax (310) 677-8650. Non-lic.
FINISH CARPENTRY 16k
CUSTOM FINISH CARPENTRY * Cabinets * Doors * Crown * Base * Wainscoting * Windows & more . . . New construction & remodels. Contractors & homeowners welcome. Call John @ (818) 312-3716. Licensed (#886995) & bonded.
FLOOR CARE 16m
GREG GARBER’S HARDWOOD FLOORS SINCE 1979. Install, refinish. Fully insured. Local references (310) 230-4597 Lic. #455608
CENTURY HARDWOOD FLOOR ‘ Refinishing, Installation, Repairs. Lic. #813778. www.centurycustomhardwoodfloorinc.com ‘ centuryfloor@sbcglobal.net ‘ (800) 608-6007 ‘ (310) 276-6407
JEFF HRONEK, 40 YRS. RESIDENT. HARDWOOD FLOORS INC. ‘ Sanding & Refinishing ‘ Installations ‘ Pre-finished ‘ Unfinished ‘ Lic. #608606. Bonded, Insured, Workers Comp. www.hronekhardwoodfloors.com (310) 475-1414
HANDYMAN 16o
HANDYMAN ‘ HOOSHMAN. Most known name in the Palisades. Since 1975. Member Chamber of Commerce. Lic. #560299. Call for your free est. Local refs available. Hooshman, (310) 459-8009, 24 Hr.
LABOR OF LOVE carpentry, plumbing, tile, plaster, doors, windows, fencing & those special challenges. Work guaranteed. License #B767950. Ken at (310) 487-6464
LOCAL RESIDENT, LOCAL CLIENTELE. Make a list, call me. I specialize in repairing, replacing all those little nuisances. Not licensed; fully insured; always on time. 1 Call, 1 Guy: Marty, (310) 459-2692
DJ PRO SERVICES ‘ Carpentry, Handyman, Repairs. ALL PROJECTS CONSIDERED. See my work at: www.djproservices.com. Non-lic. (c) (310) 907-6169, (h) (310) 454-4121
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16p
SANTA MONICA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING. .INSTALLATION: New and old service and repairs. Lic. #324942 (310) 393-5686
PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16r
PAUL HORST ‘ Interior & Exterior PAINTING ‘ 55 YEARS OF SERVICE. Our reputation is your safeguard. License No. 186825 ‘ (310) 454-4630 ‘ Bonded & Insured
TILO MARTIN PAINTING. For A Professional Job Call (310) 230-0202. Refs. Lic. #715099
SQUIRE PAINTING CO. Interior and Exterior. License #405049. 25 years. Local Service. (310) 454-8266. www.squirepainting.com
ZARKO PRTINA PAINTING. Interior/Exterior. Serving Palisades/Malibu over 35 years. Lic. #637882. Call (310) 454-6604
ALL SEASONS PAINTING. Summer specials ‘ Kitchen cabinets, garage doors, deck & fences. Interior/exterior painting specialist. ‘Green’ environmentally friendly paint upon request. Excellent referrals. Free estimate. Lic. #106150. Randy, (310) 678-7913
PLUMBING 16t
$50 HOUR!! ‘ Water heaters ‘ Wall heaters ‘ Repipes ‘ Remodels ‘ Disposals ‘ Toilets ‘ Vanities ‘ Pumps ‘ Faucets ‘ CDM, (310) 739-6253. Lic. #629651
REMODELING 16v
KANAN CONSTRUCTION ‘ References. BONDED ‘ INSURED ‘ St. Lic. #554451 ‘ DANIEL J. KANAN, CONTRACTOR, (310) 451-3540 / (800) 585-4-DAN
LABOR OF LOVE HOME REPAIR & REMODEL. Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tile, doors, windows, decks, etc. Work guar. Ken Bass, General Contractor. Lic. #B767950. (310) 487-6464
HELP WANTED 17
THE SKI CHANNEL & THE SURF CHANNEL located in the Palisades village have immediate openings for interns in programming, production & marketing. (310) 230-2050
SENIOR EXECUTIVE INCOME. Work from home. (800) 662-2954
PACIFIC PALISADES patent law firm with a busy practice concentrating in high profile medical devices and internet related technologies seeks a patent legal secretary. Candidates must be organized, detail oriented, and have at least two years experience in patent application preparation and prosecution. We are seeking an individual with immediately transferable skills who can work independently. We offer competitive compensation and benefits in a collegial and fiendly enviroment. Please submit resume and salary requirements in confidence to patenthiring@gmail.com
AUTOS 18b
2004 HONDA CIVIC EX. Mileage 31,500, private owner, condition good, 5 speed manual, asking $9,500. (310) 454-9846
GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d
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Historical Society Honors Waite’s Legacy
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
By BETTY LOU YOUNG Special to the Palisadian-Pot The Pacific Palisades Historical Society hosted an event in Temescal Gateway Park Saturday to recognize the significant role played by Dr. Oren Waite in planning and staging the renowned summer Chautauqua gatherings in Temescal Canyon from 1923 until 1934. About 30 members of the Waite family were on hand at the Rubell Helgeson Memorial Lawn to celebrate Dr. Waite’s achievements and to dedicate a plaque recognizing his important role in the community’s history. Almost 90 years ago, Dr. Owen Waite and his family joined other pioneer families for the first summer Chautauqua meeting in Temescal Canyon, where he oversaw the programs and activities for the two-week assembly. In 1923, the Methodist Conference assigned Waite as program chairman for the Association, and pastor of the Palisades church. In 1925, a four-bedroom parsonage was built on the corner of Bestor and McKendree, with an unobstructed view of the coastline. A committee selected the corner of Via de la Paz and Bowdoin Street as the best site for the church building; in early 1929, Waite initiated a building campaign to raise $45,000. Not as recognized now as Pacific Palisades founder Dr. Charles Scott, Waite nevertheless was responsible for carrying out Scott’s broad plans for establishing the town of Pacific Palisades, based on the principles of the Chautauqua assemblies. Each winter, Waite traveled to the East and Midwest to recruit talent for the assemblies. He booked famous singers from the Metropolitan Opera, including Alice Gentle and Olga Steeb, and eminent speakers on a variety of topics’religious, political and social. He instituted a series of courses on such topics as astronomy, and discussion sessions on world affairs conducted by professors and department heads from the new campus at UCLA. Sculptor Merrill Gage taught painting and art appreciation, and Dr. Lincoln Edwards, head of the nature study program in L.A. schools, taught nature studies. Theologians Reinhold Niebuhr and Ralph Stockman were prominent speakers. Waite also set up a fully accredited summer school for children from kindergarten through high school, and oversaw Chautauqua circles and round tables that led to four-year degrees for adults in the liberal arts.   He had even more ambitious and exciting plans in prospect when the dream came to an end in 1934. At this point, the lagging sales of property and the Depression left no way out for the Association but foreclosure, and the upper canyon, with all of its structures, was sold to the Presbyterian Synod’a process that Waite had to initiate, with much regret. The memory of Waite lives on in Pacific Palisades in the Alphabet Streets, for it was he who took on the responsibility for choosing the names, honoring renowned Methodist ministers.
Thursday, September 3 – Thursday, September 10
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s weekly Family Fun Campfire Night, featuring nature tales, campfire songs, games and, of course, marshmallows, 7 p.m. in Temescal Gateway Park. Parking is $7, but the campfire is free. Pacific Palisades screenwriter/director Nicholas Meyer discusses and signs ‘The View From the Bridge: Memories of ‘Star Trek’ and a Life in Hollywood,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Theatre Palisades presents Larry Shue’s ‘The Nerd,’ 8 p.m. at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd. The character-driven farce centers on a dinner party interrupted and brought down by the titular houseguest from hell. Performances continue Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through October 11. (See story, page 13.)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Monthly meeting of the Pacific Palisades AARP chapter, 2 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. Guest speaker Ted Ashby will talk about the Old West, and Palisades Rotary Club president Sanda Alcalay will talk about Rotary International’s international campaign against polio. The public is invited.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library Community Room, 861 Alma Real. The public is invited. Rabbi Sheryl Lewart of Kehillat Israel discusses and signs ‘Change Happens,’ a beautifully illustrated ‘how-to’ guide for the Jewish holidays, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. (See story, page 12.)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Pacific Palisades resident Zo Owen discusses and signs ‘Finding Our Way Back to Eden,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore. (See story, page 13.)
Pacific Western Bank Buys Affinity Bank
Pacific Western Bank, based in San Diego, took 
control of failed Affinity Bank on Saturday and assumed responsibility for its customers as of Monday, August 31. This includes the Affinity branch office in Pacific Palisades, which hosted the Chamber of Commerce mixer in March. Ventura-based Affinity, which had about $1.2 billion in assets as of July 31, was shut down on August 29 by the California Department of Financial Institutions after failing to maintain an adequate level of capital, spokeswoman Alana Golden said. Representatives of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took immediate control of the bank and accepted Pacific Western’s bid to assume the deposits and most of Affinity’s assets. Under the terms of the loss sharing agreement, the FDIC will absorb 80 percent of losses and share in 80 percent of loss recoveries on the first $234 million of losses, and absorb 95 percent of losses and share in 95 percent of loss recoveries on losses exceeding $234 million.   Originally known as San Francisco Thrift and Loan, Affinity Thrift and Loan was purchased by Affinity Group in 1995. The name was changed to Affinity Bank in 1997. In November 2001, Affinity Bank acquired Westcoast Savings in Pacific Palisades at its current location, 15310 Sunset. Westcoast originally opened in 1985 with one deposit branch.   Affinity grew to have seven branches in Southern California, including Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Irvine and two in Ventura.   ’We welcome Affinity Bank customers to the Pacific Western Bank family,’ said Matt Wagner, CEO of parent company PacWest Bancorp. ‘We look forward to providing strength and service, for which Pacific Western is known, and ensuring new customers from Affinity Bank have the best possible banking products and services at their disposal.’ Affinity Bank customers and Pacific Western Bank customers should continue using their existing branches until Pacific Western can fully integrate Affinity’s systems with the Pacific Western network. After this transition period, Affinity Bank customers will gain access to Pacific Western’s 59 existing locations throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties.   Pacific Western, which was founded in 1982, has 59 locations in five Southland counties and is a wholly owned subsidiary of PacWest Bancorp, a bank holding company with $4.5 billion in assets as of June 30.   The merged banks will provide full-service community banking and commercial banking commercial banking services, including real estate, construction and commercial loans to small and medium-sized businesses.
Dr. Louis Paul, 90; Former Palisadian
Dr. Louis Paul, a former 20-year resident of Pacific Palisades, died peacefully in his family’s company at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills on August 19. He was 90 years old. Born in Cleveland, Ohio to Jacob and Gertrude Paul, Louis was raised in Lakewood, Ohio where he graduated from high school in 1937. After graduating from Antioch College in 1942, he earned a medical degree from Western Reserve Medical School. Louis married Betty Hazel Kimble in 1943 and they moved in 1951 to Pacific Palisades, where they built a house overlooking Temescal Canyon and the Pacific Ocean. Louis and Betty raised five daughters who all graduated from Palisades High School. Louis loved books, and visits to the Palisades library, first on Via de la Paz and later at its current location on Alma Real, were a family affair. After serving proudly in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, Louis worked 10 years in the public health service before establishing a private practice in psychiatry. He was a dedicated doctor, pursuing his profession in a variety of ways including training and mentoring social workers and physicians. He was an educator and clinician for the L.A. County Mental Health Services for 19 years, an educator and trainer at Camarillo State Hospital, and worked for the California Department of Social Services Disability Evaluation Division until his retirement in 2005 at age 86. He moved to Beverly Hills in 1970. Louis was a generous and civic-minded man who supported many environmental, civil rights, human justice and liberal political causes. He had a deep interest in American literature, opera, film and theater. He also enjoyed the outdoors, taking family vacations to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Saturday jaunts to the Santa Monica Mountains. Predeceased by his wife Betty and brothers Sherman and Julius, Louis is survived by his daughters: Susan Davis of Washington, D.C., Deborah Kuryan of Long Beach, Sage (Kathyrn) Waters of Nooksak, Washington, Elizabeth Paul (husband Scott Smay) of Boise, Idaho, and Margaret Lazar (husband George) of Piedmont; and seven grandchildren: Eleanor Davis, Rachel and Benjamin Kuryan, Travis Holland, Shawn Landden, and Hannah and Max Smay. Louis Paul’s ashes will be interred in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. No services have been scheduled.
Marcia W. Lebow, 90; Renowned Musicologist
Pianist, musicologist, teacher and writer Marcia Wilson Lebow passed away on August 6 The former longtime resident of Pacific Palisades was 90. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Lebow was a product of the Boston Latin School, where she learned Latin, French and German before entering Radcliff College in 1940. Enjoying a full scholarship for four years, Marcia became the only woman in Nadia Boulanger’s Harvard composition seminar, which also included her high school chums Leonard Bernstein, composer Irving Fine and composer Harold Shapero. In 1947, Marcia married Ralph Lebow, an MIT engineering graduate, and followed his career opportunities, first to Ohio, where their two children were born, then to Pacific Palisades in 1953. After Ralph’s death in 1965 and with two teenaged kids, Marcia earned a Ph.D. in systemic musicology from UCLA. She started the docent program for the L.A. Philharmonic and later hosted a series of private lectures-recitals, many at her home in Castellammare. After re-reading novelist George Elliot, Marcia began to research the author’s use of music and musical devices in her works. Though Marcia completed several chapters of a book and presented scholarly papers at conferences here and in England, encroaching Alzheimer’s disease over the last eight years prevented her from completing the book. Beside her husband, she was predeceased by her daughter Lisa, who died at age 49 in 2002. She is survived by her son Roger (wife Wendy Schorr) and grandson Theo, of Sierra Madre, a tenor whose voice she loved, and who carries on to the next generation the musical art she held so dear.
Rabbi Lewart Promotes ‘Change’ at Village Books
Rabbi Sheryl Lewart is looking forward to mid-September, when the Jewish holiday season kicks off. The arrival of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time for change and renewal for Jews worldwide, and Lewart recently addressed the subject in a new book. She will sign and discuss ‘Change Happens: Owning the Jewish Holidays in a Reconstructionist Tradition,’ on Thursday, September 10, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Previously the editor on various anthologies, including ‘Jewish Alive and American’ (1991), Lewart says that ‘Change Happens’ is the first book she has written. A Pacific Palisades resident and member of Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation on Sunset Boulevard for 12 years, Lewart teachers various classes addressing Jewish-American values at the Sunset Boulevard temple. Since 1997, Lewart has been married to Bob Auerbach, an environmental auditor. Lewart has a son, Mark Shulewitz, 34, a biochemist residing in the Bay Area, and a daughter, Judy Amidor, 32, a lawyer in Tel Aviv. Lewart’s book makes for a good primer that walks the reader through ways of personalizing Jewish holidays and traditions”from Passover and Purim to the weekly Jewish rituals such as Shabbat (the weekly Friday/Saturday-sundown-to-sundown time during which Jews break from everything wordly and material to worship) and Havdalah (the end-of-Shabbat ritual). Naturally, ‘Change Happens’ offers a perspective particular to Lewart’s branch of Judaism. Reconstructionist Judaism is an American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan (1881’1983). Originally a radical left branch of Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionism views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. The movement, which embraces aspects of modernism, developed from the late 1920s to 1940s, and established a rabbinical college in 1968. Simply put, Reconstructionism takes some contemporary liberties to involve its community in a process of education and gleaning values from traditional Jewish sources. ‘Reconstructionism takes more of a civilization view of Judaism, not as a religion but as a way of life; the cultural aspects,’ Lewart explains. ‘Jewish values can infuse our lives as Americans, and American values would infuse our view of Judaism. The movement has been at the forefront of equal rights for women, LGBT rights, and the tenets of democracy.’ The goal of Reconstructionism and her book, Lewart continues, is to give the religion a contemporary context that is relevant 21st-century Americans. ‘People want to take ownership of the traditions and have it work in the context of the kind of families they have, the friends they have, the availability of time,’ she says. ‘It’s so important that we don’t lose the baby with the bathwater, to not have Jewish traditions be difficult, onerous and intimidating.’ ‘Change Happens’ ‘streamlines the holidays and traditions and it opens it up,’ the rabbi says. ‘The book offers meditation or the chance to offer your great-grandmother’s recipe. It suggests ways to make the holiday memorable, meaningful and your own.’ For the Jewish New Year, ‘If you have the type of garden that can support an apple tree, grow an apple tree,’ Lewart says, alluding to apples and honey, symbolic foods of Rosh HaShannah. For the Day of Atonement, Lewart recommends creating one’s own ‘soul candles. ‘You can go to a crafts store,’ she suggests for Yom Kippur, ‘and pick up wicks and make a candle that has multiple wicks, one for every member of the family that you’d like to remember. So this is an expression of making your own soul candle and this becomes an experience for your entire family.’ During the High Holy Days, Lewart will conduct services at the sanctuary at KI, while alternative services will be held at Westwood’s Wadsworth Theatre. For more information on services, visit www.kellihatisrael.org.
Wendy Graf Ponders Strict Orthodoxy in One-Act Play
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
By LIBBY MOTIKA Senior Editor In June 2008, playwright Wendy Graf made a long anticipated trip to Israel, a country that not only had become palpable in her imagination, but whose history has informed so much of her work, including ‘The Book of Esther’ and ‘Lessons.’ Her two weeks in the country stirred strong emotions that prompted a new play in which she explores these feelings. ‘This play reflected my feelings about Israel,’ Graf says, struck by the weight of its history. ‘This is where David fought Goliath, where Jesus was condemned. Some people suffer Jerusalem fever, where they actually get physically ill because of the extreme emotionality and religious fervor that exists around such sacred sites.’ Graf wrote the play in October of 2008. In January, she noticed a call for submissions to the Attic Theatre’s One Act Play Festival. ‘I hadn’t workshopped the rest of the play, so I sent off the first act and forgot about it,’ she says. Now, a year later, Graf is a finalist with three other playwrights whose one-act plays will be given fully staged performances from September 11 through October 3 at the Attic Theatre, 5429 W. Washington Blvd. The festival, known as the Denis Ragan Wiesenmeyer One Act Play Festival, was co-founded by Wiesenmeyer and James Carey. The Attic’s Theatre’s Literary Committee screened over 150 plays for this year’s contest, rating each on plot, character, theme and quality. The winners this year include two West Coast playwrights and two East Coast writers. The winners will be announced at the closing night celebration on October 3. Graf calls this first act of a full-length play, ‘Behind The Gates,’ she expects to produce in 2010, controversial, mainly because of the strong feelings people have about Israel, both inside and beyond its borders. While in the country, both Wendy and her husband Jerry learned as much as they could about the political and social history, especially from their guide, who escorted them around the country. ‘I’d ask him about politics and what he thought the most pressing issues were,’ Graf says. ‘He became a symbol for me of the guy who loves Israel.’ Steeped in the discovery of the country, Graf nevertheless avoids polemics, guided instead by her strong sense of narrative and her continuing search for self-awareness. Her one-act is, in fact, a 25-minute monologue that traces the journey of a 17-year-old Palisadian girl who is floundering in the confusion and alienation of the material world of the 21st century. Bethany Leiberman is appropriately pierced and reckless, numbing herself with drugs and sex, cutting school, and driving her parents to their wits’ end. They finally decide to send her to a summer program in Israel, which results in her radically turning away from her rebellious life but, equally alarming to her parents, also losing herself in the hermetic world of the ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem. Bethany becomes completely absorbed into this world, changing her name to the Hebrew name Bakol, adopting a new identity, cutting off all contact with her parents, and ultimately disappearing into the haredi (Ultra Orthodox Jews) community. That is the first act. The play asks questions, says Graf, who is a confirmed Brechtian, believing that theater should contribute towards social change, rather than merely reflect or portray society. That theater should be experimental, progressive and dynamic, not normative, reactionary and static. ‘My play asks questions about orthodox communities, whether it be Muslim, Catholic or Jewish. In Israel, these communities have locked themselves away from the outside world. But when Bethany is invited by a rabbi she meets at the Wailing Wall and accepts his invitation to Shabbat dinner, she feels the relief of absolutes. She is reborn in this haredi society; feeling honored and revered as a woman, a shayna maidel (‘pretty woman’) in this new community. She discovers that these things speak to her,’ Graf says. ‘She is a part of a family, relieved to be seen for herself instead of what she wears or owns.’ In the course of the monologue, Bethany undergoes her transformation, symbolized by slowly shedding her ‘Goth’ attire in favor of the long-sleeved, modest clothing for women. ‘This is a story about the coming of age of a young girl and the emotional journey of a family,’ Graf says. Graf, a Mandeville Canyon resident, grew up in Brentwood and graduated from Palisades High. Her Jewishness was dormant, as her parents felt it was more important to be an American than a Jew. Through her work, Graf has used the journey of discovering her own identity to explore the questions of identity. ‘The story is about a family,’ she says. ‘The context is identity.’ Performances will be on Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. For tickets ($20) call The Attic box office at 323-525-0661 or visit attictheatre.org/tickets.
