The Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce will hold its first Community Expo on Sunday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., along Antioch Street, Via de la Paz and Swarthmore Avenue (below Sunset). The streets will be closed to cars. Admission is free. The ambitious Expo will include booths promoting local health, environment, technology, financial, home and garden-related businesses, nonprofits and other businesses, vendors and organizations. Other highlights will include a display of classic and exotic cars, plus featured entertainment. The goal, according to the Chamber’s Community Expo Committee, ‘is to provide the residents of the community with a wide variety of information and education in a relaxed, familiar setting that encourages interaction between the attendees and participating vendors.’ To participate, applications must be completed and returned by Friday, May 8. Set up and teardown hours and instructions will be provided upon registration. For more information and to get an application, contact the Chamber at (310) 459-7963, or stop by the office at 15330 Antioch. Ramis Sadrieh, founder and owner of Technology for You!, is chairing the Community Expo Committee. Other members include include Brett Bjornson, Esq. (Professional Law Corporation); Joyce Brunelle (Suntricity, Inc.); Roberta Donohue (publisher, Palisadian-Post); Sandy Eddy (SJE Nonprofit Consulting); Angela Parker (Body Inspired Fitness); Christopher Scott (C. Scott Design Group); and Greg Wood (chief financial officer at Palisades Charter High School). Heading the various sub-committees: Brunelle (Environmental), Bjornson (Financial), Eddy (Health), Scott (Home and Garden) and Sadrieh (Technology). Donohue is in charge of the Classic Auto Display Committee.
John Fante: Father of L.A. Lit
But to Vickie Fante Cohen and Her Brother, Jim Fante, He Was Simply ‘Father’
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Jim Fante is weeping. He sits across from his sister, Victoria, at the dining room table of her Sunset Mesa home. A watercolor of their childhood family home, the Pt. Dume hacienda nicknamed ‘Rancho Fante,’ hangs near the window, which boasts a panoramic view of the Queen’s Necklace. A small, framed 1960s photo of John Fante, avuncular and distinguished with pipe in hand, stands on the kitchen counter. The tears stream down Jim’s face as he shares with the Palisadian-Post his favorite part from his father’s second novel, the 1939 Los Angeles-set masterpiece, ‘Ask the Dust.’ This particular passage, in the voice of the young writer Arturo Bandini”Fante’s literary alter ego of four novels”is a meditation on bigotry: ‘I have seen them stagger out of their movie palaces and blink their empty eyes in the face of reality once more, and stagger home, to read the Times, to find out what’s going on in the world. I have vomited at their newspapers, read their literature, observed their customs, eaten their food, desired their women, gaped at their art. But I am poor, and my name ends with a soft vowel, and they hate me and my father, and my father’s father, and they would have my blood and put me down, but they are old now, dying in the sun and in the hot dust of the road, and I am young and full of hope and love for my country and my times, and when I say Greaser to you it is not my heart that speaks, but the quivering of an old wound, and I am ashamed of the terrible thing I have done.’ As Jim finishes, Vickie appears visibly moved. One gathers that, as much as Jim has taken himself aback by the power of his father’s writing, even after so many reads, Jim is not surprised. Such was Fante’s command over the written word. ‘Ask the Dust’ follows the exploits of 20-year-old Bandini, author of the short story ‘The Little Dog Laughed,’ who lives off of its residuals at the fleabag hotel Alta Loma, on the crest of downtown’s Bunker Hill (an L.A. which no longer exists). Ostensibly a writer’s doomed romance, subtextually a love letter to the City of Angels, ‘Dust,’ at its core, comments on bigotry, the layers of it. ‘Bandini felt the bigotry that he hated for himself,’ Jim explains, ‘and projected it on Camilla because [as a Mexican immigrant] she represented the only thing lower than him.’ Jim prefers his father’s earlier stories, primarily ‘Dust,’ over Fante’s latter-day work. He feels his father became distracted by his Hollywood screenwriting assignments, and that Fante’s output became increasingly glib. ‘It’s so raw and honest,’ Jim, 58, says of ‘Dust.’ ‘I love his prose.’ If his semi-autobiographical Bandini novels are to be believed, Fante was simultaneously proud of his Italian-American culture and self-conscious about it. Given the immigrant family he sprang from and the era in which he grew up in, Fante could not avoid his ethnicity. In his fiction, he courageously faced it head on, in all of its paradoxical glory. But his protective pride over his craft and his angst regarding his place in the literary world may have gotten the better of him in the long run. ‘It was Mom’s opinion that he was his own worst enemy,’ Vickie, 59, says. In the late 1930s/early 1940s, Fante wrote poetry masquerading as prose; novels rich with quasi-autobiographical detail and perceptive humor, which were not fully appreciated until near his death in 1983. When his novels failed to provide a steady income, he turned to Hollywood screenwriting in the 1940s through 1960s; a m’tier he detested. Years later, Charles Bukowski fell in love with the economical, impressionistic prose of ‘Dust,’ and he vocally proclaimed that the novel single-handedly inspired him to write. Bukowski ultimately helped get Fante’s books back in print via the small Santa Barbara publisher Black Sparrow and pave the way for a wider Fante appreciation. ‘Fante was the hip guy who was not afraid to write about his feelings, which is why Bukowski championed him,’ says Richard Schave, founder of Esotouric, which conducts a bus tour of Fante’s L.A. ‘Bukowski was central to the fact that we’re having this conversation right now,’ Fante biographer Stephen Cooper (2000’s ‘Full of Life’) tells the Post. ‘Had Bukowski not jumped in, Fante would’ve fallen through the cracks of history.’ Jim and Vickie tell the Post the story of their relationship with their father, a complicated man who was alternately loving, aloof, big-hearted, short-tempered, and bitter over his treatment by Hollywood, by New York, even by Adolph Hitler himself. Born in 1909 to an Italian father and Italian-American mother, Fante chronicled his turbulent Boulder, Colorado childhood in his first published novel, ‘Wait Until Spring, Bandini’ (1938), in which he captured his dysfunctional immigrant family, headed by his father, a hard-working, alcoholic womanizer. [‘The Road to Los Angeles,’ which Fante had written first, surfaced posthumously in 1985]. Fante was writing in the Sacramento Bee when Joyce Smart, a Stanford graduate and former editor of the college newspaper, caught his columns. ‘She wrote letters to Dad relating to things he was writing about,’ Vickie says. ‘My mother comes from a family that’s conservative, wealthy and white. Grandma said, ‘Don’t you go meet him! You’ll marry him!” John and Joyce eloped in 1936, and Joyce’s mother promptly disinherited her for four years. The feeling from Fante toward his mother-in-law was mutual. ‘He took great satisfaction in peeing on her lawn,’ Jim says of Fante (who comically riffed on such escapades and tensions in his 1977 novel, ‘Brotherhood of the Grape’). When the Post asks whether their grandmother objected to the couple marrying because Fante was a writer, Jim and Vickie laugh, chiming in simultaneously: ‘Because he was Italian!’ Despite the family drama, John and Joyce complemented each other. ‘She supported him,’ Vickie says of Joyce. ‘They fought, but they had political fights. She was a Republican, he was a Democrat.’ Vickie adds that, throughout their marriage, it was Joyce who took care of Fante’s affairs, saving all of his manuscripts and letters and, in later years, lording over his dealings with Hollywood. Until the publication of ‘Wait Until Spring, Bandini,’ Fante wrote for periodicals. He had begun writing professionally at the age of 23 with the publication of his first short story in The American Mercury, and his stories continued to appear in such magazines as The Atlantic Monthly, The Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s, Esquire, and Harper’s Bazaar. ‘Ask the Dust’ followed a year after ‘Wait’ in 1939, capturing, in Fante’s precise style, the poetry of life in downtown L.A., the horrors of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the restless drive of the young, ambitious writer’s struggle against the forces of the universe to find success. Of all of Fante’s children”Nicholas, Dan, Vickie and Jim”the oldest son became the most troubled. Jim remembers Nick as ‘brilliant, a math genius with an IQ of 160. When he was 5 years old, he played chess with several of Dad’s friends at once and beat them all. ‘Nick worked as a toolmaker for most of his life,’ he continues. ‘Nick went to the Navy and came back and alcoholic and he never kicked it.’ Nicholas died of alcoholism in 1997. Fante scoffed at the idea of his children ‘taking up his line of work. ‘He would have terrible arguments with Dan,’ Jim says. ‘He wanted Dan to go to a trade school and become a plumber. Something practical.’ Only Dan, the second-oldest, became a writer (in the Bukowski mold). The 65-year-old author of ‘Chump Change,’ and ‘Spitting Off Tall Buildings’ has insinuated in the press that their father was an angry drunk, but if Fante went through a volatile, alcoholic stage, Vickie and Jim, youngest of the Fante kids, did not witness it. They were babies when Fante acquired enough success to relocate from Mid-Wilshire to Malibu in 1951. But Jim and Vickie do not deny that their father was a complicated man: dominating, with a short fuse. ‘He was someone you didn’t want to mess with,’ Jim says. ‘He had the most remarkable use of words I had ever seen,’ Jim says. ‘It was like going through the wood-shredder. They wouldn’t realize he had destroyed them until later.’ Fante’s work time was sacred. ‘When he was writing,’ Jim says, ‘you couldn’t make any noise. Mom would run interference. When we watched TV, it was the show he wanted to watch. When we went out, it was where he wanted to go.’ Vickie admits she was disappointed when she became homecoming princess at Santa Monica High and her father didn’t show up. Jim remembers returning from his Cal State Northridge graduation ceremony: ‘Dad was sitting in a recliner in front of the TV. I said, ‘Well, Dad, I graduated! I’m done!’ His response was, ‘Can you change it to Channel 2 for me?’ ‘I remember being hurt, and I talked to Mom about it. She must have scolded him for it. He went into a Santa Monica pawnshop and he bought me a new watch,’ Jim says, laughing. ‘When he was in a black mood, he wouldn’t talk,’ Jim continues. But the siblings also remember their father’s mix of generosity and braggadocio with great fondness, such as the time Vickie really wanted a horse. She received a note from her dad, working in Italy, which read, ‘This is a little letter about something big. Yes, you may have the horse!’ When Vickie desired a pair of shoes, Fante entered the store, pointed to the pair, and told the salesperson, ‘I’ll take them in every color!’ ‘Vickie and I had friends come over not to see us but to see Dad,’ Jim recalls. ‘He would tell them stories and they loved that. And every time he told the story a little bit different.’ Vickie recalls the time she made a mistake of bringing an Italian joke home to the dinner table. ‘Dad was furious,’ Vickie recalls. ‘He said, ‘You don’t ever say things about Italians.” She and Jim also recall a man who loved animals. Many a mammal had made Rancho Fante its residence over the years. The horse Fante allowed his daughter to get was named Stardust, and later on they had two more stallions. There was also a quartet of bull terriers (Mingo, Rocco, Dominic and Elizabeth Anne), a pair of mutts (Ginger and Duchess), Willy the German Shepherd, four cats (Joe, Oliver, Gomez and Tahuti), a donkey named Jenny, two pairs of Chihuahuas (Lucky and Kita, Mitzi and Sam), an Akita dubbed Buck, Corky the beagle, an iguana, a pair of guinea pigs (Scruffy and Phoebe), and a goose named Ambrose (not to mention the chicken coop). All that was missing, evidently, was a pair of monkeys and Noah with his ark. Jim says his father was an avid golfer and ‘a huge, huge, huge sports fan, he watched everything.’ His literary heroes were Knut Hamsun, Sherwood Anderson, and Friedrich Nietzsche. On TV, Fante enjoyed watching Jackie Gleason and Johnny Carson, and in the movies, anything starring Humphrey Bogart. But heaven help anyone who put out inferior product. The Fante children insist they never saw many films in their youth because if their father, a tough critic, didn’t like the first few minutes of a movie, he walked out on it. ‘He was such a complicated person,’ Jim says. ‘As time went on and his career dwindled, he took jobs he was embarrassed about. Movies such as ‘Maya the Magnificent’ with Jay North. He was very disgusted to write that one, and he took a lot less money for it.’ Another badge of dishonor: ‘Going My Way’ with Gene Kelly. Jim and Vickie even remember a moment when an abashed Fante gathered all of his children before him to inform them that he had no choice but to work in Hollywood to make a living. As he ventured deeper into screenwriting for the studios”working on screenplays for such films as ‘My Man and I,’ ‘The Reluctant Saint,’ ‘Something for a Lonely Man,’ ‘My Six Loves,’ and ‘Walk on the Wild Side”’Fante strayed from writing novels. It would be a long stretch until his next one, ‘Full of Life’ (1952), arrived. ‘It was biggest success of his career,’ Jim says. ‘The movie did very well.’ The film version, starring Richard Conte and Judy Holliday, was directed by Richard Quine, whose 1954 film noir, ‘Pushover,’ featured Kim Novak in her debut role. Novak became a friend of Fante’s after the author wrote the screenplay for her movie, ‘Jeanne Eagels.’ Once, the famous actress was over at Rancho Fante when Nick Fante asked Novak if he could borrow her white Corvette to impress a guy he knew down at the gas station. Novak suggested one better: drive her sports car to the station with movie star Kim Novak riding alongside. In Hollywood, Fante also befriended Malibu residents such as ‘Then Came Bronson’ star Michael Parks and Martin Sheen. When Peter Sellers was attached to star in a movie based on Fante’s ‘My Dog Stupid’ (which never materialized), he dined at the Fantes’ home, where the ‘Pink Panther’ star won over the writer. ‘They just loved each other,’ Vickie recalls. Fante knew John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway, but his closest friend from the literary community was William Saroyan. He no doubt related to the ethnic playwright, an Armenian-American, who was about Fante’s age and who told blue-collar stories set in Saroyan’s native Fresno. By the 1960s, Fante followed the money to Europe, where he worked on screenplays for such producers as Dino de Laurentiis. He fell in love with Italy, where his ancestors hailed from. ‘If he could, he would sell the Malibu house and move to Italy,’ Vickie says. ‘He used to talk about it.’ Joyce returned from Northern California one time to find a ‘For Sale’ sign planted outside the family home. She was livid. But by the early 1970s, Fante’s career was dead. The reason the novel ‘1933 Was a Bad Year’ had not surfaced until following his death is because, in the 1960s, ‘it was flatly rejected,’ Jim says. ‘They wrote a letter that was very upsetting. It said, ‘When you get to the point where you’re as good as the guy who wrote ‘Full of Life,’ contact us. He was devastated. ‘By the time we were in high school, they were broke all the time,’ Jim continues of their parents. Luckily, Joyce had invested in land. ‘She had inherited some property,’ Vickie says, ‘and during the dry period, she would sell off parts of it.’ Call it the ‘Ask the Dust’ curse: the bad luck which has perpetually plagued what many Fante scholars consider his greatest literary accomplishment. For the last seven years, Fante’s novels have been published by a large publisher, HarperCollins. But that was not always the case. ‘He writes ‘Ask the Dust’,’ Jim says, ‘and he was considered on a level with Steinbeck, Faulkner and Hemingway.’ Unfortunately, Stackpole Sons, ‘Dust”s original publisher, also released an English-language edition of ‘Mein Kampf,’ evidently without permission. Hitler promptly sued Stackpole and won. As a result, the financially damaged Stackpole neglected marketing ‘Ask the Dust,’ which bit the dust commercially in 1939. The year that ‘Dust’ was published, Fante’s novel found itself in stellar company. Cooper calls 1939 ‘an annus mirabilis’ which also saw the release of Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ Nathanael West’s ‘Day of the Locust,’ and Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Big Sleep.’ Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ came out only a year later, and Budd Schulberg’s ‘What Makes Sammy Run?’ came out in 1941. The summer of 1939 saw the release of such classics as ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Stagecoach,’ ‘Of Mice and Men,’ and the ‘Titanic’ blockbuster behemoth of its era, ‘Gone With the Wind.’ So it was an especially fertile creative period in American history, and Cooper deems Fante ‘an important figure in 20th century literature.’ Three decades after ‘Dust”s release, Robert Towne, one of Hollywood’s greatest screenwriters (and a Palisadian), fell in love with ‘Dust,’ which he came across while researching 1974’s L.A. history-steeped ‘Chinatown.’ Mel Brooks, who has produced such diverse fare as ‘The Elephant Man’ and ‘Frances,’ once owned the rights to ‘Dust’ but let them lapse. Now Towne excited Fante with several meetings at Rancho Fante to discuss a film adaptation, which Towne wanted to title ‘The Love of Arturo Bandini for Camilla Lopez.’ ‘When he first told my father that he wanted to do it, Dad was very excited,’ Jim says. ‘They had several meetings about it at our house. Then it became a tremendous source of frustration.’ Towne spent the better part of three decades working on other projects. At various points, Johnny Depp and Val Kilmer had committed to playing Bandini. But by the time Towne’s film was released, 23 years after Fante’s death, it starred Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek, and the ‘Los Angeles’ depicted in the movie was constructed in South Africa. Despite Towne’s pedigree and his passion and promotion for his project, the 2006 film version of ‘Dust’ failed to ignite critics and audiences and it quickly disappeared. The movie’s marketing may have been a victim of tensions between Paramount Pictures and Tom Cruise, who co-produced Towne’s movie with his producing partner, Paula Wagner. This was, after all, in the wake of Cruise’s May 2005 ‘Oprah’ couch-jump incident. By mid-2006, Sumner Redstone, chairman of Paramount’s parent company Viacom, had publicly chastised Cruise. Shortly after, Paramount ended its 14-year relationship with Cruise and, that November, Cruise/Wagner Productions set up shop at United Artists. ‘It’s very sad,’ Vickie says. ‘It’s had a lot of bad luck for such a great book. If the movie had been a success, maybe it would’ve changed things.’ What Hollywood began, diabetes finished. By the early 1970s, Fante’s waning screenwriting career and maple syrup-flow of literary output was exacerbated by his deteriorating health. Diabetes robbed him of his toes, then his feet and his legs, then his sight…but never his spirit. When Fante wrote ‘Brotherhood of the Grape’ (about an L.A. writer who, while visiting his Italian-immigrant family in San Joaquin Valley, gets roped into assisting his dominating father on his final masonry gig), one of the first people he gave it to was Towne, who forwarded it to ‘The Godfather’ director Francis Ford Coppola. The pair flipped over ‘Grape’ and ‘they took him out on the town in San Francisco,’ Jim says. ‘It was a big deal.’ By the early 1980s, a blind Fante wrote his final Bandini epic, ‘Dreams From Bunker Hill,’ by dictating the book to Joyce. ‘He had been very disoriented for a long time,’ Jim says, adding the book seemingly flowed out of him. ‘She wrote it down on yellow pads as fast as she could. They worked on it for months.’ Jim never did meet Fante’s champion, but he phoned Bukowski to inform him when his father, 74, passed away on May 8, 1983. Bukowski’s reaction was ‘Oh, [expletive]!’ and he hung up. ‘That was the only conversation I had with him,’ Jim says. Joyce died in 2005 at age 91. Today, John and Joyce’s offspring have produced nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. In recent years, Cal State Long Beach has been an epicenter for Fante fever, thanks to such teachers as Cooper and Teresa Fiore. ‘The poet Gerald Locklin, a friend of Bukowski’s, was including Fante in his Cal State Long Beach classes in the ’70s and ’80s,’ says Cooper, a professor of English at the university. ‘David Fine, a former professor of English, wrote what is still the definitive book on the Los Angeles novel. In 1995, Cal State Long Beach sponsored a three-day conference on Fante. David and I had this brainstorm to celebrate and investigate Fante. The turnout was in the hundreds and from all over the world. The L.A. Times writer [now book section editor] David Ulin covered the conference.’ Cooper explains his personal attraction to Fante’s prose. At age 24 in the early 1970s, Cooper had found a copy of ‘Dust’ at a now-defunct Westwood bookstore. ‘I was young and trying to write a novel,’ Cooper says. ‘The identification factor was off the chart.’ As the years transpired, ‘I kept waiting for someone else to write a biography,’ Cooper continues. Realizing no one had, he finally wrote his Fante portrait, ‘Full of Life,’ based on extensive interviews with Joyce and her offspring. ‘What was challenging was gaining the trust of John Fante’s widow,’ Cooper says. ‘She’s a very savvy, very worldly, sophisticated woman. She’d been approached by other hopeful biographers. I wrote her a letter and she screened me for I don’t know how many meetings on her patio and in her living room.’ Delving headfirst into writing Fante’s biography, Cooper says, ‘One of the great adventures is that nobody knew nothing about Fante. He was all but completely forgotten.’ Despite the efforts of Cal State Long Beach’s English faculty, a full-blown Fante appreciation in America has yet to calcify. In recent summers, Torricella Peligna”the town of origin of Fante’s lineage, located in Abruzzo, Italy”has hosted a Fante festival. Fante, who has been translated into more than 20 languages, has a bigger following abroad than in his native country. (Cooper says a French translation of ‘Dust’ kicked off a European Fante fervor in the early 1980s). ‘They were fast to seize upon the reappearance of Fante’s work in large part because of Bukowski’s fame over there,’ Cooper says. ‘But then Fante got a foothold on his own strengths.’ As they give Fante’s personal effects”first typewriter, his letters and manuscripts, even a lock of his hair snipped by Joyce”to UCLA, which acquired them for posterity, Vickie and Jim are optimistic that an American revival”make that a long-deserved recognition”will finally come to John Fante. ‘My hope,’ Vickie says, ‘is that he will become as well known as Steinbeck, Faulkner and Hemingway.’ Then Vickie shares an anecdote. Recently, she was at Spectrum gym on Sunset at Pacific Coast Highway. She happened to be within earshot of two men, in their early 20s, one of whom recommended to the other his all-time favorite book. ‘That’s my father,’ Vickie proudly told the young men. ‘He wrote ‘Ask the Dust.”
Monty Python’s Innes Doc Opens Film Fest
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Call Neil Innes the missing link of the legendary six-man British comedy troupe Monty Python. Or perhaps Shemp to their Three Stooges. You’ll also call him funny, outrageous, even musically inclined. The enigmatic Innes is the subject of a documentary, ‘The Seventh Python,’ which opens the Sixth Annual Pacific Palisades Film Festival on May 14. ‘Neil’s a great songwriter, a great comedian, and a great philosopher,’ says ‘Seventh”s director/co-producer, Burt Kearns. ‘And all this while rejecting the star-making machinery, which is quite relevant today.’ With the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band in 1968, Innes recorded ‘I’m The Urban Spaceman,’ the group’s only hit, which was produced by Paul McCartney. ’Neil appeared in The Beatles film ‘Magical Mystery Tour,” Kearns continues. ‘He appeared in the last season of Monty Python’s ‘Flying Circus.’ They did a parody of the Beatles called The Rutles. It was brought to ‘Saturday Night Live’ by Eric Idle in the late 1970s. The Rutles took on a life of its own.’ Indeed, when ‘Spamalot’ arrives in L.A. in July, the Python musical will contain Innes’ ditties (‘Brave Sir Robin’). ‘Our film is a crowd-pleaser, with lots of laughs and songs,’ Kearns says. ‘How it came together, that’s a movie unto itself,’ says ‘Seventh’ co-producer Brett Hudson. Kearns has lived in Pacific Palisades since 2000. And, in addition to ‘Seventh Python”s director, the documentary has other local ties. Supervising producer Alison Holloway lives here (conveniently, Kearns’ wife) and associate producer Joachim ‘J.B.’ Blunck”an Emmy-winning producer/director and former Palisadian”now resides in Malibu, where producer/musician Hudson (one of the original Hudson Brothers and an uncle of actress Kate Hudson) also lives. And, Kearns notes, ‘My son Sam is a production assistant on the film.’ Blunck co-created the syndicated television show, ‘A Current Affair,’ which Kearns worked on in 1989, when syndication was awash in tabloid news magazines. Kearns joined ‘A Current Affair’ after three years as a producer/writer on ‘Hard Copy.’ (‘I was kidnapped by a group of Australians,’ Kearns facetiously describes his kangaroo jump to ‘Affair’). Previous to ‘Hard Copy,’ Kearns worked for CBS News. Since the tabloid news genre faded, with its aesthetics since appropriated by mainstream news programs (’48 Hours,’ ‘Dateline’), Kearns launched Tabloid Baby (www.tabloidbaby.blogspot.com), a Web site commenting on celebrities and media. Kearns met Hudson in the late ’90s while working on Miramax’s ‘The Best Money Can Buy.’ They plugged away on the TV pilot for Harvey Weinstein, who was consumed with ‘Shakespeare in Love”s Oscar campaign. ‘We were afraid to interrupt him and give him the tape,’ Kearns recalls. By the time Weinstein finally saw it, he was battling ABC over the short-lived ‘Clerks’ cartoon. ‘Nothing came of our pilot,’ Kearns says. ‘But it was great, we had Bruce Vilanch writing on it.’ Kearns and Hudson formed Frozen Pictures, producing documentary-style programming, including ‘All the President’s Movies’ for Bravo, Showtime’s ‘My First Time,’ and ‘Adults Only: The Secret History of the Other Hollywood,’ which, after Court TV tried to bury it with a Sunday-night airing, pulled in the highest ratings for original programming in the channel’s history. ‘What Burt and I like to do,’ Hudson says, ‘is not give our point of view. We lay the truth out and let viewers decide.’ In 2006, Frozen released the Burt Reynolds comedy ‘Cloud Nine.’ Originally from Connecticut, where he wrote for community newspapers in Richfield and Wilton, Kearns relocated to the Palisades from the Hollywood Hills. ‘We moved here because we had a son,’ says the Marquez Knolls resident. Today, Sam is 12 and a Paul Revere Middle School student, while daughter Sally Jade, 8, attends Marquez Elementary. ‘Living near the beach is terrific,’ Kearns says. ‘We filmed ‘Cloud Nine’ on Will Rogers Beach near Temescal.’ Kearns got the idea for ‘Seventh Python’ while working on a doc called ‘Death of a Beatle.’ ‘I went to London and traced John Lennon’s life,’ he says. ‘The person I wanted to interview was the guy who played John Lennon in The Rutles.’ ‘As a musician, I listen to his melodies, his harmonics,’ Hudson says. ‘He’s very clever. The guy had fame in front of him on a silver platter and he rejected it. Given my background, I find that unique.’ Kearns credits associate Bonnie Rose for playing a key role: ‘Bonnie had brought him to Hollywood in 2002. We thought he’d be a good documentary subject. ‘I don’t like what tabloid television gave birth to, this whole culture of stalking celebrities. The film with Neil is an antidote to that, the way he could influence culture and not be a part of it.’ Some footage comes from Innes’ 2002 Hollywood performances at 1600 and Lava Lounge, and a Melbourne, Australia appearance. ‘Everything went into a box for a few years as we tried to raise money to finish it,’ Kearns says. ‘In 2007, we interviewed John Cleese. We finished the film in 2008.’ In addition to Cleese, Kearns interviewed Pythons Idle and Michael Palin. ‘We couldn’t get Terry Gilliam [former Python/movie director],’ Kearns adds, ‘because he was out raising money for the movie Heath Ledger was supposed to do when he died.’ Musician Aimee Mann and cartoonist Matt Groening (‘The Simpsons’) also appear in ‘Seventh.’ ’It’s not archival-looking black-and-white footage,’ Kearns says. ‘You’re seeing the Pythons today.’ Last summer, ‘Seventh Python’ debuted at American Cinematheque’s Mods and Rockers festival, and has since screened in Chicago, New Jersey, and at the Las Vegas Film Festival, where it won a Golden Ace Award. Up next for Frozen: documentaries on Latin rocker Chris Montez, and on John Lennon’s seven-month ‘lost weekend,’ with mistress May Pang. Last year, Hudson conquered throat cancer, and this inspired ‘The Clinic,’ about his journey to Germany to get cured. This is also in development, as is the pair’s scripted comedy, ‘Live From The Gaza Strip.’ For now, all eyes are on ‘Seventh”s Palisades premiere. ‘This is literally a homecoming,’ Kearns says. ‘To be invited to the festival is in itself a great honor. And then to be opening it!’ ‘The Seventh Python’ screens with Jennifer Clary’s short, ‘The Christmas Conspiracy,’ at 7 p.m., Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd. Tickets: www.FriendsOfFilm.com. Visit www.TheSeventhPython.com
Palisades Party Boosts Icelandic Pop Music
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
‘The sweetness of the gentle breeze/brings back precious memories,’ sang the 20-something brunette Lay Low in a Pacific Palisades backyard on April 25. Well, the Palisades must have brought back scores of memories for the singer-songwriter, given the gusts whisking through town that Saturday. No matter, such weather is a joke compared to what they’re used to in Iceland, where Lay Low and her peers hail from. The musicians were guests of honor at an Icelandic pop music party in the Palisades, hosted by music-industry veteran Phillips and husband Scott Hackwith. The idea: spotlight Iceland’s vital music scene as the country’s government faces bankruptcy during this pandemic economic meltdown. A notable was Jon Por Birgisson of the group Sigur Ros, arguably the highest-profile Icelandic act in America beyond Bjork. Among the 75 people in attendance: Haukur, frontman of the Reykjavik group Dikta (who performed), Palisadian movie producer Steve Chasman (the ‘Transporter’ movies), his wife Nadia, and daughters Shana, 6, and Cylia, 3, ‘How High’ director (and son of Bob) Jesse Dylan, Santa Monica restaurateur Juliano of Juliano’s Raw, and Robi Dr’co Rosa, Grammy-winning songwriter of Ricky Martin’s biggest hits, ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ and ‘She Bangs.’ Looking Silver Lake hip in goatee, tattoos and jeans, Rosa, a resident of L.A. and Puerto Rico, told the Palisadian-Post, ‘I travel a lot so I love learning through music.’ The former member of Menudo brought his sons, Revel, 14, and Redamo, 8, to expose them to Icelandic music. Birgisson (whose band is on a sabbatical) told the Post that coming from Iceland’s barren landscapes, he was impressed with lush, green Pacific Palisades: ‘I grew up in the countryside, in Mosfellsb’r.’ This event was important ‘to support our music scene during this current economic crisis.’ ‘Everyone’s trying to stick together,’ said Lay Low (n’e Louisa Elisabet Sigrunardiltiv). As she spoke, her countrymen were voting for a new government. She was hopeful that a new liberal contingent would break Iceland’s conservative governing body. (In fact, Iceland elected its first left-wing government in two decades that weekend). But the spirit of the afternoon was fun over foment. ‘Lanette and Scott went to such a length to get all of these people here for Icelandic music,’ said Kari Sturluson, Sigur Ros and Lay Low’s manager. Post-party, Phillips”executive producer at Mighty 8, which produces videos”said, ‘We are hoping to do this every year.’
Aboriginal Art Exhibit Opens at the Fowler
In 1971 in the tiny settlement of Papunya, a group of Australian Aboriginal men began transferring their sacred ceremonial designs onto pieces of masonite board. Since this crucial transformative period, Australian Aboriginal art has become an international phenomenon, widely exhibited and acquired by museums, galleries and collectors. The Fowler Museum at UCLA will present two exhibitions through August 2”’Icons of the Desert: Early Aboriginal Paintings from Papunya’ and ‘Innovations in Western Desert Painting, 1972’1999: Selections from The Kelton Foundation”which tell this remarkable story, from its beginnings in the early 1970s to the profound changes reflected in works made by Aboriginal artists in the two decades that followed. At Papunya, a government-established Aboriginal relief camp in the central Australian desert, Sydney-based school teacher Geoffrey Bardon provided a group of ranking Aboriginal men with the tools and the encouragement to paint. The resulting works became the first paintings ever to systematically transfer the imagery of their culture to modern portable surfaces. The designs from which these paintings are drawn are thousands of years old, but are still in regular use today; they appear in body painting for religious ceremonies and in the temporary ground paintings at ceremonial sites of the Pintupi and Warlpiri Aboriginal groups. In ‘Icons,’ the Australian Aboriginal worldview is based on Tjukurrpa, or ‘The Dreaming,’ a belief that creator-ancestors who shaped the land formed the world, made all living things, and masterminded the moral code for human conduct. The dreamings relate to specific geographical features, animals, plants and elements which form the collective responsibility of numerous indigenous nations, who ensure their preservation in song, story and imagery. ‘Innovations’ features 14 paintings drawn from the vast collection of the Kelton Foundation. It explores changes in the Western Desert painting movement since its founding, including the shift to canvas, the use of nontraditional colors, the transformations in content with regard to sacred imagery, and the maturation of personal styles by individual artists and the recognition of female artists. The Fowler Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m., and Thursdays, from noon to 8 p.m. Admission is free. Parking is available for a maximum of $9 in Lot 4. Contact: 310-825-4361; visit www.fowler.ucla.edu
CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 7, 2009
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO NEW POSTAL REQUIREMENTS, THE CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS NOW FRIDAY AT 11 A.M.
HOMES FOR SALE 1
EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE HOME, Poipu, Kauai, end of cul-de-sac. 1 blk from beach. Pool, separate ‘ohana, view of mtns over backyard pool. $2.35 million. (808) 634-7189
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 $14,000/mo. Contact Dolly Neimann, (310) 230-3706
UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a
RUSTIC CANYON CRAFTSMAN CHARMER with 3 bd, 3.5 ba, great room with river rock FP, & cathedral ceilings. Huge porch & large yard. $6,400/mo. Call Dolly at (310) 230-3706
SPECTACULAR 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
$4,950/MO. UPDATED 4 BD, 2 BA RANCH TRADITIONAL. Open LR/DR, w/ peekaboo ocean view. Kit/FR w/ direct access to pvt brick patio, 2 car gar, sec. sys. AC. Call Katy Kreitler, (310) 230-3708
16904 DONNA YNEZ LANE. Located on a cul-de-sac street this light & bright 4 BD, 2.5 BA house features a living rm & dining area w/ an open fireplace. Updated kitchen. Large master w/ bath. Pvt fenced in yard. $5,300/mo. Jody Fine, (310) 230-3770
LARGE GUESTHOUSE. $2,200/mo. One+one, village, bluffs, new kitchen, bath, carpet. Private yard, includes utilities. Parking, large LR, fireplace, new appliances. (310) 586-1946
FURNISHED APARTMENTS 2b
BEAUTIFUL FULLY FURNISHED CORPORATE apt, Pacific Palisades. 1 bd, 1 ba. Cable TV, Internet. All you need is your toothbrush & clothes! Avail now! $2,750/mo. 3 mo. min. (310) 713-1303
LOVELY 3 BDRM, 3 BA apartment at Edgewater Towers, across from beach, ocean view. $6,000/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 bath. Plantation shutters, fireplace, ceiling fan, balcony, garden, garage, light & airy. 1 year lease. No pets. N/S. $3,500/mo. (310) 804-3142
PANORAMIC OCEAN VIEW GUESTHOUSE. 1 BR+LR, 2 bath. Private. Wood floors, laundry, nice patio, some furnishings available. Near old Getty. Listen to the surf. For 1 person only. No pets. $2,000/mo. (310) 459-1983
PALISADES 1 BEDROOM apt, remodeled, upper, carpet, gas stove, refrigerator, one year lease, covered parking, storage, laundry, Non-smoker. No pets. MUST SEE. $1,345/mo. (310) 477-6767
STUDIO KITCHENETTE, FULL BATH, private entrance, private home. Walk to village. $850/mo. plus utilities. (310) 454-3883
CONDOS, TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d
3 BED, 3 BATH corner unit. Ocean & mountain views, pools, tennis court, parking, gated. Pac Pal, Sunset/PCH. $3,950/mo. Includes utilities. Westside Leasing, (800) 551-1586
AMAZING OCEAN VIEWS, designer interior. Just steps to bch. 5 min to S.M. All new cabinets, applcs, granite, marble, hdwd flrs. High ceils. W/D in condo. Ocean view patio. Garage. 1,200 sf. Reduced to $3,500/mo. (310) 702-1154. www.MalibuCoastline.com
BEAUTIFUL 3 BDRM, 2′ BA, HIGHLANDS townhouse. Upgraded, light, spacious, patio, W/D, 2 car garage, pool, tennis & gym. $3,675/mo. (310) 459-3264
GEM IN THE PALISADES, 2 bdrm, 2′ ba, townhouse, hdwd, tile, new carpet, W/D, dishwasher. Parking. $3,350/mo. (310) 392-1757
$3,500/mo. 3 BDRM, 2.5 BATH, over 1,700 sq.ft. Newer appliances, tile floors, view of mountains, living, dining, W/D in unit, open patio, community tennis, gym, pool. John Portman, agent, (818) 645-3681
LOVELY MAINTAINED ‘ Senior citizen complex ‘ Bright, 1 bedroom, walk-in closet. Elevator, close to everywhere. Available now. (310) 456-8770 or (c) (310) 795-3795
ROOMS FOR RENT 3
ROOMMATE WANTED TO SHARE spacious, clean 2-story, 2 br, 2 bath condo in Brentwood near Bundy and Wilshire. $1,000/mo on lease. Bedroom & bath located on private top floor. AC, washer/dryer in unit; 2-space gated parking. 2 cats on premises. Call (310) 980-0016, (818) 645-8632
PAC PAL RENTAL. Lovely furnished room w/ bathroom & mini kitchen, open to garden, sep entry, quiet single, N/S, mature person or student, preferred female. $800. Refs req. Avail 7/1. (310) 459-5261
WANTED TO RENT 3b
LOCAL EMPLOYED male seeks guesthouse. Quiet, local references. Non-smoker, no pets. Call Palisadian-Post, (310) 454-1321
WANTED TO RENT: 1-car garage for my vintage car. Palisades, Malibu or Santa Monica area. (310) 413-6789
OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c
OFFICE SUBLEASE W/ OCEAN VIEW. Four offices available in Pacific Palisades, at the corner of Sunset & PCH, fabulous ocean views. Includes telephone system, internet access & utilities. Lease terms negotiable. Call Angela at (310) 566-1888
PALISADES OFFICE SUITES AVAILABLE in the heart of the Village: Single room offices & office suites ranging in size up to 3,235 sf, all with large windows with great natural light. Amazing views of the Santa Monica mountains, private balconies and restrooms. Building amenities include high speed T1 internet access, elevator and secured, underground parking. CALL BRETT AT (310) 591-8789 or email brett@hp-cap.com
PALISADES OFFICE, two rooms, 2nd floor, 15115′ Sunset Blvd. Across from Ralphs. $950/mo. (310) 459-3493
VACATION RENTALS 3e
FOUR FULLY SELF-CONTAINED trailers for rent across from Will Rogers State Beach & about 2 miles from Santa Monica Pier. Two for $1,095/mo. and two for $995/mo. (310) 454-2515
LOST & FOUND 6a
FOUND: A single KEY was found on 4/27/09 in the Huntington area of the Palisades. Please call (310) 230-9434
PERSONALS 6b
SINGLE MEN AND WOMEN NEEDED, ages 50-70, to start an events based westside circle of friends. Non-smokers only. (310) 573-7656
BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b
QUICKBOOKS ‘ LOCAL PALISADIAN Call Shirley, (310) 570-6085
BOOKKEEPING SERVICES. Quickbooks, Quicken, Excel, payroll. Available to come to your office or work from line. Reasonable rates. Audrey, (310) 502-8484
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 * SET-UP, TUTORING, REPAIR, INTERNET. Problem-Free Computing, Guaranteed. Satisfying Clients Since 1992 ‘ If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! 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
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/
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
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
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
NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a
EXCELLENT NANNY looking for employment. Many years of experience. Great local refs. Speaks English. Own transportation. Available M-F & weekends. Full time. Vanessa, (213) 250-3275, (c) (213) 505-6165
EXPERIENCED NANNY, loving, responsible, trustworthy, looking for a F/T position, Monday-Friday. Local references, 14 yrs experience. Call Aida, (323) 496-4984 after 2 p.m.
COLLEGE SOPHOMORE majoring in education available for babysitting and driving. I LOVE children and have excellent local references. Call Alexandra, (310) 804-1717
HOUSEKEEPERS 9a
‘PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.’ We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in housekeeping for the best price. Good references. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER/ELDER CARE, day or night, available Monday-Sunday. Own transportation, excellent references. Call Maria Patricia, (310) 948-9637
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER ‘ looking for work Mon. to Fri. Own car, experience & good refs. Speaks Spanish & English. Call Carmen at (323) 810-6324 or Nila at (323) 735-0935, (323) 268-7917
NANNY/HOUSEKEEPER available any day. Live-in or live-out. Has experience & excellent Palisades references. Call Sara, (562) 804-5071 or (323) 664-4419
HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE TO work 4 days a week: Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Sat. Own car, Palisades exper., English & Spanish speaking. Good refs. Call Yolanda, (323) 820-7163, (213) 880-4637, (323) 573-5309
MY NAME IS ROSIE & I’m looking for P/T housekeeper or babysitter work. Experienced, drivers license, good refs. Call any time, (310) 709-0753 or Alicia, (310) 979-6421
HOUSECLEANING. Alicia available Tuesday. Cleaning supplies furnished. Call (310) 367-3214
EXCELLENT HOUSEKEEPER. Available Mon.-Sat. Good refs. Own transportation. CDL. Over 19 yrs exper in Malibu & Beverly Hills. Speaks English. Call Yolanda, (h) (323) 731-6114, (c) (323) 580-2859
HOUSEKEEPER-BABYSITTER ‘ Good refs, Malibu & Hollywood. 20 yrs exp. Avail Mon.-Sat. Own transportation, CDL. Speaks English & Spanish. Pls call Luz & Juana, (323) 569-1048 or (323) 737-2193
MY HOUSEKEEPER wants work 2 days a week. Excellent worker, 19 years experience, dependable, speaks English, local references, own car. Call Allison, (310) 459-1643
ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a
ELDER CARE/NANNY. Excellent references, flexible, experienced. Monday to Sunday. Full time, speaks English. Call Dolores, (310) 780-4038
CAREGIVER FOR SENIORS OR DISABLED: 5 days per week (may include weekends), 12 to 24 hours a day, 20 years of experience, lifting, transfers, own transportation. Local references upon request. Call (310) 500-9381 or (310) 702-6635
EUROPEAN CAREGIVER. Highly recommended. Over 12 years of local references. Looking for P/T morning hours & some weekends. Please leave a message. (424) 214-9091
NURSING CARE 10b
YOUR EXTRA SPECIAL PALISADES-BASED STAFFING AGENCY. Registered nurses, LVNs, CNAs & caregivers. Best rates! Free smiles!! Call Jim, (310) 573-9436 (ofc), (310) 795-5023 (c). yourextraspecial.com
GARDENING/LANDSCAPING 11
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
SEWER & DRAIN CLEANING 13f
SEWER & DRAIN CLEANING SERVICE. All Stoppages Cleared. Sewer Repair & Replacement. High Velocity Water Jetting. Video Camera Inspections. Lic. #512638. Call (310) 648 2611
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
EXPERT WINDOW CLEANER ‘ Experienced 21 yrs Westside, 15 yrs Palisades. Clean & detailed. Can clean screens, mirrors, skylights & scrape paint off glass. Free estimates. Brian, (310) 289-5279
HAVING A PARTY? SELLING some real estate, or just want to do some spring cleaning? Get those WINDOWS SHINING by calling No Streak Window cleaning, where we offer fast friendly quality service you can count on! For a free estimate, call Marcus, (323) 632-7207. Lic. #122194-49, insured.
CATERING 14
HOLIDAY EVENT PLANNER & CULINARY STUDENT. Le Cordon Bleu student and event planner to help with your holiday prep, cooking, serving, menus & all event details. 10+ years experience. $50/hr. Please call Danielle, (310) 691-0578. daniellesamendez@gmail.com
COOKING/GOURMET 14a
HILLARY HAS BEEN COOKING for friends & celebrity clients for over 25 years. Her ‘personal chef’ business brings her lifelong passion for cooking into private homes. For people who can’t spare the extra time that cooking & shopping requires, THE HUNGRY DUCHESS allows them to eat artisanal organic food & pursue other pleasures. www.thehungryduchess.com ‘ (323) 807-5718
PERSONAL SERVICES 14f
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE, ORGANIZATION & BOOKKEEPING. Superior services provided w/ discretion & understanding. Pali resident, local refs. Extensive experience. Call Sarah, (310) 573-9263
GIRL FRIDAY/HOME ORGANIZATION: (including computer work). Dog walking, gardening, errands, driving, babysitting, light housekeeping, cooking. 20 years experience. Local references upon request. Reasonable rates. Call Michelle, (310) 433-6362
HOUSESITTING, DOG WALKING, watering, driver & errands. Palisades resident over 30 years. Great references. Call Eric, (310) 428-3364
PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g
PRIVATE DOG WALKER/runner/housesitter, Palisades & Santa Monica. S.M. Canyon resident. Please call or email Sherry, (310) 383-7852, email: Sherry230@verizon.net
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
SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTION 15d
DREAM OF THROWING a perfect game? Learn how, with emphasis on age-appropriate proper mechanics, to prevent injury on your way to that ‘no-hitter.’ 24-year Pali resident, college pitching scholarship, recent cum laude graduate. EXTRA: Batting cage w/ pitching machine. Call TREY, (310) 709-3965
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
SPANISH TUTOR, CERTIFIED TEACHER for all levels. Has finest education, qualifications, 21 yrs exper. Palisades resident, great references, amazing system, Colombian native speaker. Marietta, (310) 459-8180
MATH & SCIENCE TUTOR. Middle school-college level. BS LAUSD credentialed high school teacher. Test Prep. Flexible hours. AVAILABLE to help NOW! Seth Freedman, (310) 909-3049
MATH TUTORING – K-12. Experienced, credentialed math teacher seeks new clients for test preparation, basic skills and self concept. (Special Ed and gifted included). Rick, (310) 704-6284
HOME SCHOOL ‘ TUTOR ‘ LEARNING COACH ‘ Individual Approaches to Learning. Lifetime Credentialed Teacher 4-12. NANCY LA ZAR, (310) 699-8957. nancy@hometeach.org
SUMMER CAMPS 15f
PRIVATE SURFING LESSONS!! Wanna learn to surf? Wanna get better at surfing? Please contact me for further details. Greg Richmond, (c) (310) 254-7053
CARPENTRY 16a
FINE WOODWORKING: Carpentry of any kind. Bathrooms, kitchens, doors, cabinets, decks & gates. State lic. #822541. No project too small. References available. Reasonable prices. Contact: Ed Winterhalter at (310) 213-3101
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
ELECTRICAL 16h
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
PALISADES ELECTRIC. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437 Insured Professional Service
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.
DECK REPAIR, SEALING & STAINING. Local resident, local clientele. 1 day service. (See ad under handyman.) Marty, (310) 459-2692
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
A BOOTH COMPANY HARDWOOD FLOORING specialist from the mid west, 15 years of design, installation, sanding, finishing, refs avail. ABC@Floored.TV, Insured, lic applied for. Dustin Booth, (323) 806-9215
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
CARPENTRY AND REPAIR. Repairs to fences, decks, & gates. Finish carpentry & cabinet installations. No job too small. Non-lic. (310) 454-4121, (c) (310) 907-6169
ROCK BOTTOM PRICES! Dave The Handyman. You won’t be disappointed! Lic. #629651. (310) 739-6253
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
JAN MASLER PAINTING CO. Interior/exterior, custom finishes, 20 yrs experience. Lic. #826711. Bonded. Insured. (818) 269-7744. ‘Taking pride in our work.’
ALL SEASONS PAINTING: Spring clean-up specials. Kitchen cabinets ‘ Decks ‘ Garage doors ‘ No job too small. Interior/exterior painting. Free estimates. Call Randy, (310) 678-7913. Lic. #106150
ECO FRIENDLY HOUSE PAINTING. Safe & natural paint solutions for your home & family. NO ODOR. NO TOXIC FUMES. THE GREEN HOUSE PAINTERS. (310) 486-2930. Lic. #843099
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
COMPLETE CUSTOM CONSTRUCTION ‘ New/Spec Homes ‘ Kit+bath remodeling ‘ Additions ‘ Quality work at reasonable rates guaranteed. Large & small projects welcomed. Lic. #751137. Call Michael Hoff Construction, (310) 710-3199
HELP WANTED 17
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER, good references. Excellent housecleaning, babysitting. Full time, some Saturdays. Must speak English & have CA drivers license. Please call Debbie, (310) 459-9270
AP CLERK. EXPERIENCED. P/T. Malibu office. QB/ Excel required. Team player w/attention to details & problem solving skills. Salary DOE. Fax resume (310) 456-8986 or email: payables@malibutimes.com
FRONT DESK/OFFICE ass’t. P/T. 9-5, Mon., Tue. & Fri. Malibu office. PC & Mac friendly. Phones, errands, proofreading, etc. Creative, self starter w/ attention to details & excellent spelling. $10/hr. Fax resume (310) 456-8986 or email: legals@malibutimes.com
AUTOS 18b
2008 MERCEDES BENZ C300, gray exterior with gray interior. Only 9,500 miles. Looking for someone to take over my lease! Payments are $589 a month. This car is loaded. Contract started 10/20/07. Maturity date is 1/20/2011. Contact (310) 459-2927
1999 DODGE DURANGO. Orig. owner. Very low miles. All service records. Good condition. $5,999. 4GNT356. (310) 291-9659
GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d
W. HOLLYWD! Huge collectibles sale! Designer clothes/shoes/purses/vintage jewelry/art/shabby chic furn./grt.furnishgs. So much more. Fri.-Sat., May 8-9; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 6640 Maryland Dr. (Bet. Orlando & Sweetzer; Bet 5-6th. TG 633, A-2. Photos/details: www.bmdawson.com
CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 30, 2009
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO NEW POSTAL REQUIREMENTS, THE CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS NOW FRIDAY AT 11 A.M.
HOMES FOR SALE 1
EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE HOME, Poipu, Kauai, end of cul-de-sac. 1 blk from beach. Pool, separate ‘ohana, view of mtns over backyard pool. $2.35 million. (808) 634-7189
REDUCED! BEAUTIFUL KAUAI HOME. in desirable Kalaheo. $539,000. Near Poipu Beach, 1,846 sq. ft. Gorgeous views, 3 bdrm, 2 ba. Huge kitchen, 2-car garage. Jodi Elizabeth Matsumoto, Realtor, (ofc) (808) 245-6205 or (cell) (808) 652-7034
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 $14,000/mo. Contact Dolly Neimann, (310) 230-3706
SOPHISTICATED AND ROMANTIC beautifully furnished 3 bd, 3 ba in the heart of Pac Pal. $5,200/mo. Available June 1 or sooner. Dolly, (310) 230-3706
UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a
RUSTIC CANYON CRAFTSMAN CHARMER with 3 bd, 3.5 ba, great room with river rock FP, & cathedral ceilings. Huge porch & large yard. $7,000/mo. Call Dolly at (310) 230-3706
$4,800/MO. 3900 CASTLEROCK, two blocks to beach & Getty Villa. 2,136 sq.ft. 4+3+dine. Totally remodeled. All wood floors, new kitchen, private yard. (310) 309-7714
SPECTACULAR 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
$4,950/MO. UPDATED 4 BD, 2 BA RANCH TRADITIONAL. Open LR/DR, w/ peekaboo ocean view. Kit/FR w/ direct access to pvt brick patio, 2 car gar, sec. sys. AC. Call Katy Kreitler, (310) 230-3708
16904 DONNA YNEZ LANE. Located on a cul-de-sac street this light & bright 4 BD, 2.5 BA house features a living rm & dining area w/ an open fireplace. Updated kitchen. Large master w/ bath. Pvt fenced in yard. $5,300/mo. Jody Fine, (310) 230-3770
2 BED, 1 BATH. Remodeled bathroom. Refrigerator, microwave. Covered parking for 2 cars. Community pool & laundry facilities. Private patio. 900 sq ft. No pets. $1,695/mo.+utilities. Last month free w/ 1 year lease. Avail NOW. (310) 450-8070
FURNISHED APARTMENTS 2b
BEAUTIFUL FULLY FURNISHED CORPORATE apt, Pacific Palisades. 1 bd, 1 ba. Cable TV, Internet. All you need is your toothbrush & clothes! Avail now! $2,750/mo. 3 mo. min. (310) 713-1303
UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c
PRIVATE REAR UNIT with serene hillside views. 1 bdrm, 1 ba, hardwood floors, new granite kitchen/ bath. Half block to beach off Sunset. Pool, sec/gated parking. Best location. $1,495/mo. (310) 459-6369
RARE, CHARMING FIND in lovely neighborhood. Large, upper unit, 2 bd + bonus room, 1 bath. Plantation shutters, fireplace, ceiling fan, balcony, garden, garage, light & airy. 1 year lease. No pets. N/S. $3,500/mo. (310) 804-3142
PANORAMIC OCEAN VIEW GUESTHOUSE. 1 BR+LR, 2 bath. Private. Wood floors, laundry, nice patio, some furnishings available. Near old Getty. Listen to the surf. For 1 person only. No pets. $2,000/mo. (310) 459-1983
PALISADES 1 BEDROOM apt, remodeled, upper, carpet, gas stove, refrigerator, one year lease, covered parking, storage, laundry, Non-smoker. No pets. MUST SEE. $1,345/mo. (310) 477-6767
STUDIO KITCHENETTE, FULL BATH, private entrance, private home. Walk to village. $850/mo. plus utilities. (310) 454-3883
CONDOS, TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d
3 BED, 3 BATH corner unit. Ocean & mountain views, pools, tennis court, parking, gated. Pac Pal, Sunset/PCH. $3,950/mo. Includes utilities. Westside Leasing, (800) 551-1586
AMAZING OCEAN VIEWS, designer interior. Just steps to bch. 5 min to S.M. All new cabinets, applcs, granite, marble, hdwd flrs. High ceils. W/D in condo. Ocean view patio. Garage. 1,200 sf. Reduced to $3,500/mo. (310) 702-1154. www.MalibuCoastline.com
LOVELY 3 BDRM, 2′ BA, HIGHLANDS ‘WOODIES’ townhouse. Upgraded, light, spacious, patio, W/D, 2 car garage, pool, tennis & gym. Available April 1st. $3,850/mo. (310) 459-3264
GEM IN THE PALISADES, 2 bdrm, 2′ ba, townhouse, hdwd, tile, new carpet, W/D, dishwasher. Parking. $3,350/mo. (310) 392-1757
$3,500/mo. 3 BDRM, 2.5 BATH, over 1,700 sq.ft. Newer appliances, tile floors, view of mountains, living, dining, W/D in unit, open patio, community tennis, gym, pool. John Portman, agent, (818) 645-3681
ROOMS FOR RENT 3
ROOMMATE WANTED TO SHARE spacious, clean 2-story, 2 br, 2 bath condo in Brentwood near Bundy and Wilshire. $1,000/mo on lease. Bedroom & bath located on private top floor. AC, washer/dryer in unit; 2-space gated parking. 2 cats on premises. Call Wendy at (310) 980-0016
PAC PAL RENTAL. Lovely furnished room w/ bathroom & mini kitchen, open to garden, sep entry, quiet single, N/S, mature person or student, preferred female. $800. Refs req. Avail 7/1. (310) 459-5261
WANTED TO RENT 3b
LOCAL EMPLOYED male seeks guesthouse. Quiet, local references. Non-smoker, no pets. Call Palisadian-Post, (310) 454-1321
PAID VACATION FOR YOU! Family looking for 3 bdrm, 2 ba, home for month of Aug. Walking distance to village, if possible. Local refs. (310) 393-1171
TWO ARTISTS. Older adults, responsible, looking for a space usable as a studio in West LA. (310) 393-8848
OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c
OFFICE SUBLEASE W/ OCEAN VIEW. Four offices available in Pacific Palisades, at the corner of Sunset & PCH, fabulous ocean views. Includes telephone system, internet access & utilities. Lease terms negotiable. Call Angela at (310) 566-1888
PALISADES OFFICE SUITES AVAILABLE in the heart of the Village: Single room offices & office suites ranging in size up to 3,235 sf, all with large windows with great natural light. Amazing views of the Santa Monica mountains, private balconies and restrooms. Building amenities include high speed T1 internet access, elevator and secured, underground parking. CALL BRETT AT (310) 591-8789 or email brett@hp-cap.com
PALISADES OFFICE, two rooms, 2nd floor, 15115′ Sunset Blvd. Across from Ralphs. $950/mo. (310) 459-3493
VACATION RENTALS 3e
FOUR FULLY SELF-CONTAINED trailers for rent across from Will Rogers State Beach & about 2 miles from Santa Monica Pier. Two for $1,095/mo. and two for $995/mo. (310) 454-2515
PERSONALS 6b
SINGLE MEN AND WOMEN NEEDED, ages 50-70, to start an events based westside circle of friends. Non-smokers only. (310) 573-7656
ARCHITECTS 7
LIC. ARCHITECT & GEN. CONTRACTOR. Residential & commercial. Additions & new construction. Green design/build. LEED AP. Lic. #885511 ‘ (310) 373-3999 ‘ www.gillilandpartners.com
BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b
QUICKBOOKS ‘ LOCAL PALISADIAN. Call Shirley, (310) 570-6085
QUICKBOOKS FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS. Set-up, Data Entry, Reporting, Tax Preparation. 10 Years of Experience and Flexible Hours, Palisades Resident. Doris, (310) 913-2753
BOOKKEEPING SERVICES. Quickbooks, Quicken, Excel, payroll. Available to come to your office or work from line. Reasonable rates. Audrey, (310) 502-8484
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 * SET-UP, TUTORING, REPAIR, INTERNET. Problem-Free Computing, Guaranteed. Satisfying Clients Since 1992 ‘ If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! 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
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/
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
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
FENG SHUI YOUR LIFE. Clear the clutter. Imagine how much better you’ll feel when it’s done! Local references available. Elizabeth, (310) 721-5933 / lizaamina@roadrunner.com
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
NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a
EXCELLENT NANNY looking for employment. Many years of experience. Great local refs. Speaks English. Own transportation. Available M-F & weekends. Full time. Vanessa, (213) 250-3275, (c) (213) 505-6165
FANTASTIC NANNY, HOUSEKEEPER, COOK. Wonderful infant/childcare skills plus domestic work and cooking. Call Carmen @ (310) 402-9522 or current employer @ (310) 430-8030
HOUSEKEEPERS 9a
‘PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.’ We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in housekeeping for the best price. Good references. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER/ELDER CARE, day or night, available Monday-Sunday. Own transportation, excellent references. Call Maria Patricia, (310) 948-9637
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER/ELDERCARE ** Day or night. Avail. Mon.-Sun. Responsible, experienced, good refs. Spanish & English speaking. Live-in or live-out. Silvia, (323) 252-0112
EXCELLENT HOUSEKEEPER. GOOD REFERENCES. Live-out. Available full time. Babysitting also. Drives and speaks English. Call Ruth, (cell) (323) 215-7983 and (home) (323) 521-1626
HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE TWO DAYS a week. Own car, excellent Palisades references. Good English and Spanish. Please call Daisy, (c) (323) 793-8287 or (h) (213) 200-3335
MY NAME IS ALICIA. I’m looking for a job as a housekeeper or babysitter. Experience, drivers license. Good references. Please call (323) 662-8102
HOUSEKEEPER LOOKING FOR WORK. 19 yrs experience. Excellent worker, dependable, trustworthy, local references. Own car. Call Teresa, (323) 754-8058
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER ‘ looking for work Mon. to Fri. Own car, experience & good refs. Speaks Spanish & English. Call Carmen at (323) 810-6324 or Nila at (323) 735-0935, (323) 268-7917
NANNY/HOUSEKEEPER available any day. Live-in or live-out. Has experience & excellent Palisades references. Call Sara, (562) 804-5071 or (323) 664-4419
HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE TO work 4 days a week: Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Sat. Own car, Palisades exper., English & Spanish speaking. Good refs. Call Yolanda, (323) 820-7163, (213) 880-4637, (323) 573-5309
MY NAME IS LENNY. I’m an excellent employee looking for a great opportunity cleaning houses & apartments. Available Mon.-Sat., own car, great refs, good English. Please call (323) 849-9649
EXPERIENCED HOUSEKEEPER & BABYSITTER available for work one day a week or five days a week! Good refs. Own car. 25 years experience. Good English. Please call Aida, (323) 735-7603
EXCELLENT HOUSEKEEPER, 27 yrs experience, looking for full time or part time work. Available everyday, M-F, own transportation, speaks English, local refs. Call Carmen, (323) 762-6448 or (323) 252-8069
ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a
LOOKING FOR CAREGIVER? Extraordinary caregiver available in this area! She worked for our family’s Dad and was loving, giving, thoughtful and skilled. She is an LVN, and trained in CPR and emergency medicine. She speaks Filipino, Spanish and excellent English. She has her own car and can transport patients to doctor’s appointments. Please call Joselyn Hughes at (323) 353-0340 or (323) 353-1547
ELDER CARE/NANNY. Excellent references, flexible, experienced. Monday to Sunday. Full time, speaks English. Call Dolores, (310) 780-4038
CAREGIVER FOR SENIORS OR DISABLED: 5 days per week (may include weekends), 12 to 24 hours a day, 20 years of experience, lifting, transfers, own transportation. Local references upon request. Call (310) 500-9381 or (310) 702-6635
EUROPEAN CAREGIVER. Highly recommended. Over 12 years of local references. Looking for P/T morning hours & some weekends. Please leave a message. (424) 214-9091
NURSING CARE 10b
YOUR EXTRA SPECIAL PALISADES-BASED STAFFING AGENCY. Registered nurses, LVNs, CNAs & caregivers. Best rates! Free smiles!! Call Jim, (310) 573-9436 (ofc), (310) 795-5023 (c). yourextraspecial.com
GARDENING/LANDSCAPING 11
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
INDEPENDENT LANDSCAPE GARDENER. Expertise in: Planting ‘ Plumbing & irrigation drip systems ‘ Sprinklers ‘ Timers & repairs on existing systems. Landscape lighting, fencing, arbors & trellises ‘ Pruning & trimming ‘ Sod removal or installation ‘ Soil preparation ‘ Right plants for given conditions ‘ Regular maintenance. Client references upon request ‘ Bulmaro, (310) 442-6426 or cell, (310) 709-3738
MEDICAL BILL HELP 12e
BE PREPARED AND IN CONTROL OF YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS. Have your complete medical history compiled and at your fingertips either electronically and/or as a hard copy. RN/MSN will implement this secured project for you. Call (310) 710-9244
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
EXPERT WINDOW CLEANER ‘ Experienced 21 yrs Westside, 15 yrs Palisades. Clean & detailed. Can clean screens, mirrors, skylights & scrape paint off glass. Free estimates. Brian, (310) 289-5279
HAVING A PARTY? SELLING some real estate, or just want to do some spring cleaning? Get those WINDOWS SHINING by calling No Streak Window cleaning, where we offer fast friendly quality service you can count on! For a free estimate, call Marcus, (323) 632-7207. Lic. #122194-49, insured.
C’THRU WINDOW CLEANING. Friendly, reliable, insured, excellent refs, affordable. (310) 456-2886. www.c-thruwindows.com
CATERING 14
HOLIDAY EVENT PLANNER & CULINARY STUDENT. Le Cordon Bleu student and event planner to help with your holiday prep, cooking, serving, menus & all event details. 10+ years experience. $50/hr. Please call Danielle, (310) 691-0578. daniellesamendez@gmail.com
PERSONAL SERVICES 14f
GREAT ORGANIZER! Declutter your home, office, closet, etc. Errands, bill paying, etc. No project too large or too small. Local references! Please call ‘T’, (310) 488-9575
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE, ORGANIZATION & BOOKKEEPING. Superior services provided w/ discretion & understanding. Pali resident, local refs. Extensive experience. Call Sarah, (310) 573-9263
PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g
PRIVATE DOG WALKER/runner/housesitter, Palisades & Santa Monica. S.M. Canyon resident. Please call or email Sherry, (310) 383-7852, email: Sherry230@verizon.net
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
SPANISH TUTOR, CERTIFIED TEACHER for all levels. Has finest education, qualifications, 21 yrs exper. Palisades resident, great references, amazing system, Colombian native speaker. Marietta, (310) 459-8180
MATH & SCIENCE TUTOR. Middle school-college level. BS LAUSD credentialed high school teacher. Test Prep. Flexible hours. AVAILABLE to help NOW! Seth Freedman, (310) 909-3049
MATH TUTORING – K-12. Experienced, credentialed math teacher seeks new clients for test preparation, basic skills and self concept. (Special Ed and gifted included). Rick, (310) 704-6284
HOME SCHOOL ‘ TUTOR ‘ LEARNING COACH ‘ Individual Approaches to Learning. Lifetime Credentialed Teacher 4-12. NANCY LA ZAR, (310) 699-8957. nancy@hometeach.org
CARPENTRY 16a
FINE WOODWORKING: Carpentry of any kind. Bathrooms, kitchens, doors, cabinets, decks & gates. State lic. #822541. No project too small. References available. Reasonable prices. Contact: Ed Winterhalter at (310) 213-3101
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
ELECTRICAL 16h
ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local service only. Non-lic. Please call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286
ELECTRICIAN: remodeling, rewiring, troubleshooting. Lighting: low voltage, energy safe, indoor, outdoor, landscape. Low voltage: telephone, Internet, CCTV, Home Theatre, Audio/Video. Non-lic. Refs. LichwaConstruction@gmail.com (310) 270-8596
PALISADES ELECTRIC. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437 Insured Professional Service
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.
DECK REPAIR, SEALING & STAINING. Local resident, local clientele. 1 day service. (See ad under handyman.) Marty, (310) 459-2692
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
A BOOTH COMPANY HARDWOOD FLOORING specialist from the mid west, 15 years of design, installation, sanding, finishing, refs avail. ABC@Floored.TV, Insured, lic applied for. Dustin Booth, (323) 806-9215
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
CARPENTRY AND REPAIR. Repairs to fences, decks, & gates. Finish carpentry & cabinet installations. No job too small. Non-lic. (310) 454-4121, (c) (310) 907-6169
MASTER HANDYMAN. JAMES, (213) 268-4446. Kitchen, bath, drywall, painting, plumbing, tile, windows, etc. Non-lic. Always on time. No job too small.
ROCK BOTTOM PRICES! Dave The Handyman. You won’t be disappointed! Lic. #629651. (310) 739-6253
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
JAN MASLER PAINTING CO. Interior/exterior, custom finishes, 20 yrs experience. Lic. #826711. Bonded. Insured. (818) 269-7744. ‘Taking pride in our work.’
ALL SEASONS PAINTING: Spring clean-up specials. Kitchen cabinets ‘ Decks ‘ Garage doors ‘ No job too small. Interior/exterior painting. Free estimates. Call Randy, (310) 678-7913. Lic. #106150
ECO FRIENDLY HOUSE PAINTING. Safe & natural paint solutions for your home & family. NO ODOR. NO TOXIC FUMES. THE GREEN HOUSE PAINTERS. (310) 486-2930. Lic. #843099
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
COMPLETE CUSTOM CONSTRUCTION ‘ New/Spec Homes ‘ Kit+bath remodeling ‘ Additions ‘ Quality work at reasonable rates guaranteed. Large & small projects welcomed. Lic. #751137. Call Michael Hoff Construction, (310) 710-3199
HELP WANTED 17
GROUP EX INSTRUCTORS WANTED. Palisades-Malibu YMCA is looking for group exercise instructors in all areas. This position requires a friendly, enthusiastic & conscientious leader w/ excellent knowledge & skill in the areas of health & fitness. Must possess a professional image & ability to provide excellent leadership, up-to-date instruction & high-energy motivation. Contact Anne Ullstrom, (310) 454-5591, for more info.
LIVE-IN CAREGIVER WANTED for active 91-year-old. Please call between the hours 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. only. Pay is commensurate w/ experience. (310) 454-1956, ask for Wendy.
ACCT. REP NEEDED to work on behalf of our company. 18 yrs or above needed. Must have computer skills. Job exp needed. For more info: mclarkemployment111@gmail.com
HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER, good references. Excellent housecleaning, babysitting. Full time, some Saturdays. Must speak English & have CA drivers license. Please call Debbie, (310) 459-9270
SITUATIONS WANTED 17a
TEAMSTER UNION MAN, 28 year resident needs work. Please call Sam, (310) 459-7300, (c) (310) 948-4788
AUTOS 18b
2008 MERCEDES BENZ C300, gray exterior with gray interior. Only 9,500 miles. Looking for someone to take over my lease! Payments are $589 a month. This car is loaded. Contract started 10/20/07. Maturity date is 1/20/2011. Contact (310) 459-2927
1999 DODGE DURANGO. Orig. owner. Very low miles. All service records. Good condition. $5,999. 4GNT356. (310) 291-9659
FURNITURE 18c
JAPANESE 7 STEP TANSU. Museum quality, by Iwayado. 4 section piece. 80 W x 71 H x 18 D. $15,000. Must pick-up. (310) 301-6506
2008 ITALIAN WHITE LEATHER SECTIONAL, $1,500. Natuzzi white leather sofa & chair, $750. Four handmade wrought iron bar stools, $850. Life Fitness 5500 HR Elliptical, $895. (310) 459-1893
GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d
GARAGE SALE at 525 El Medio. Sunday, May 3rd, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Green Activist Steckmest Toasted as 2008 ‘Citizen’
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
A record 21 past Citizens of the Year attended the Palisadian-Post’s 61st annual ‘Citizen’ dinner last Thursday to honor Marie Steckmest, an environmental leader who has been cajoling the community at every level to reduce, reuse and recycle. Over 160 Palisadians and guests enjoyed the festivities at the American Legion Hall, which had been transformed into a gala ballroom, resplendent with black, silver and green balloons. Steckmest was joined by the Community Council’s Golden Sparkplug winners Ilene Cassidy and Dick Littlestone (see story, page 3), and Rich Wilken, who received the Post’s Community Defender Award. Introducing Wilken, Palisadian-Post Publisher Roberta Donohue recounted his assiduous, single-focus attempts to save the town’s traditional Fourth of July fireworks show from being scrapped last June by the Los Angeles Fire Department. ‘For 23 years, Wilken has worked on the parade and the fireworks show, serving as a parade-route announcer and coordinating the fireworks show,’ Donohue said. ‘Most people would have given up upon hearing ‘No’ from the fire department, but Rich was able to put their safety concerns to rest. All the kids in town’young and old’want to thank him for saving our fireworks.’ John Petrick, who grew up in the Palisades and is now a financial advisor manager in West L.A., debuted smoothly as a banquet emcee and provided an amusing hometown touch when he introduced 1967 Citizen Mike Martini as ‘my pediatrician.’ The invocation was given by Rev. Peter Kreitler, an Episcopalian Earth Minister whom Steckmest praised as ‘my mentor.’ The spotlight (fluorescent we presume) ultimately centered on Citizen Steckmest, who the famously energetic Councilman Bill Rosendahl noted, ‘has more energy than me.’ When introducing Steckmest, Community Council Chairman Richard G. Cohen was equally succinct in his characterization: ‘The woman is so green, she makes Al Gore look like a member of OPEC.’ Certainly in her 25 years living in the Palisades, Steckmest could be cited for numerous volunteer projects, from founding Career Day at Marquez Elementary and working with the Junior Women’s Club to volunteering in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina and founding PalisadesCares, her nonprofit clearinghouse for community involvement opportunities. Women from each of these chapters of her life attended the Citizen dinner to honor their friend. Elected officials, too, cited Steckmest’s various ‘greening’ campaigns in the Palisades, particularly her success in proposing and funding the 14 blue recycling bins throughout the Village. Jennifer Badger, Mayor Villaraigosa’s West Area representative, awarded Steckmest (and the other honorees) a fancy commendation, as did Assemblywoman Julia Brownley’s deputy Louise Rishoff. Letters were read from Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Governor Arnold Schwartznegger. State Senator Fran Pavley, who attended the dinner and skit with her husband Andy, spoke of Steckmest’s efforts that are dear to her heart. Pavley has staked out environmental issues, particularly her landmark auto-emissions bills while serving in the Assembly, as her prime focus in Sacramento. She gave Steckmest a copy of the stunning pictorial history, ‘The Santa Monica Mountains: ‘Range on the Edge,’ by Matthew Jaffe with photographs by Tom Gamache (Angel City Press). Serious notes of the evening turned to spoof as the infamous, homegrown vaudeville chorus line, ‘Just Off Via,’ featuring singer Paige Kamin (aka Marie Steckmest) gently roasted Steckmest by ‘recycling’ numerous Broadway tunes to fit the theme. The show, written by Roberta Donohue and produced by Joan Graves, featured choreography by Babs Warden Lebowsky and piano accompaniment by Dr. James E. Smith. The chorus members (including Donohue, Graves, Ed Lowe, Arnie Wishnick, Brad Lusk and Marge Gold), each of whom were dressed in blue recycling bins, proceeded to tell the story. ‘We’re irresistibly mad for you,’ they chanted, before inviting everyone to ‘Tip toe through the trash cans with me.’ Crooning to ‘Strangers in the Night,’ they remarked ‘Little did we know/Trash became a dream away/A clean recycling bin away” Finally to the tune of ‘Chicago,’ the message was clear: ‘The Palisades, the Palisades that recycling town’where they have the time to green our nice town/Say, they have the time, to green our nice town, We love Marie, she marched all around, in the Palisades, the Palisades our new town!’ Steckmest, carrying a PalisadesCares ‘evening bag,’ bounded on stage to thank all for her award, bestowed by the Post’s Donohue. Characteristically enthusiastic and ready for the next challenge, Steckmest said simply: ‘I love this town!’
Temescal Stormwater Update
The overriding question during the Temescal Stormwater Project briefing April 22 at the Palisades Branch Library was whether the proposed $15.9-million system is actually needed during the ‘wet’ season (October through April), in terms of reducing bacterial flow into Santa Monica Bay at Will Rogers State Beach. The City of L.A. project, which would be built below Temescal Canyon Road, just north of Pacific Coast Highway, would funnel rainwater runoff to a diversion tank, then to a hydro-separator and finally into a 1.25-million-gallon holding tank before traveling to the Hyperion Water Treatment Plant in El Segundo. Many residents at the meeting were concerned that stormwater runoff is not to blame for high bacteria counts at Will Rogers and a sewer smell that can be detected along PCH between Chautauqua and Temescal. ‘You need to investigate the sewer system to make sure it isn’t going into the ocean,’ resident Bernard Kinsey told city officials. ‘This may have nothing to do with water runoff. This sewage thing is a real deal.’ ’I have filed an appeal,’ Patrick Hart said. ‘There are 60-year-old sewer pipes that are mixing with storm-water drains. The water is contaminated from that.’ ’We are looking at sewers and odors, but our study is not complete,’ said Shahram Kharaghani, the Bureau of Sanitation’s Watershed Protection Division Manager. ‘I will share it with you later.’ ’Will this study entail source tracking?’ resident Angela Petillo asked. Source tracking is done by taking water samples from three separate sites, before and after rain, in order to determine where water-borne bacteria is coming from. ‘This is a much more difficult testing,’ said Kharaghani, who added that money was being sought for that purpose. The L.A. County Department of Health reported no beach closures during the past 18 months in the general area of the Temescal Canyon storm-drain site. The last beach closure, in 2007, was caused by a neighborhood sewage spill. Also at last week’s meeting, Kendrick Okuda, Bureau of Engineering Proposition O Program Manager, reported that although the Temescal project is exempt from the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and doesn’t require an Environmental Impact Study, his department will respond to neighborhood concerns by conducting a study to see whether an EIR should actually be undertaken. This initial study will address noise, traffic and geology concerns. ’We’re pausing the project because of you,’ Okuda told the audience. ‘I’ve also withdrawn the City Coastal Committee permit.”
Cassidy, Littlestone Applauded as Sparkplugs
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
In a speech packed full of jokes, Pacific Palisades Community Council Chair Richard G. Cohen honored this year’s Golden Sparkplug Award winners at last Thursday’s Citizen of the Year dinner held at the American Legion Hall. To start, Cohen recycled a part of former Council Chair Steve Boyers’ speech from last year’s dinner, adding his own funny twist. ‘Both of you are celebrated individuals who are now an integral part of the history of this community,’ Cohen said to honorees Ilene Cassidy and Dick Littlestone. ‘You will be remembered and respected always ‘ or at least until the end of the ceremony.’ The Council honored Cassidy for co-founding Friends of the Temescal Pool (a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring Temescal Pool in Temescal Gateway Park), and Littlestone for beautifying the median at the intersection of Alma Real and Ocampo. The Council gives the award annually to citizens who have launched projects that strive to improve life in the community. At last Thursday’s event, hosted by the Council and the Palisadian-Post, city and state officials also presented the winners with certificates. In November, Cassidy and resident John Yeh formed Friends of the Temescal Pool to work with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Palisades-Malibu YMCA and other interested parties to reopen the pool, which was closed in February 2008 owing to the need for repairs. The Conservancy and YMCA, which had operated the pool, were unable to reach a new lease agreement. The Conservancy, citing liability concerns, has since filled in the pool and covered it with sod. In January, Friends of the Temescal Pool filed a lawsuit against the Conservancy and its partner, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, asking the court to order the Conservancy to negotiate a pool lease, pay to repair the pool and make the park fully accessible to the disabled. The organization is also developing a viable business plan with potential operators to present to the Conservancy. ‘You printed more sweatshirts, bracelets and signs than the entire Obama campaign and pulled together volunteers to get out the word and help you lead a protest in the park,’ Cohen said to Cassidy. ‘You succeeded in getting over 2,000 Palisades residents as well as the Community Council and other local organizations to support saving the pool ‘ It’s still an ongoing battle, but thanks to you, the community came together to fight for the pool that you and your friends loved so much.’ Cassidy, who swam at the Temescal pool for 26 years, told the audience that ‘once the pool closed, I decided that I had to take some kind of action to try to get it reopened, so virtually overnight I went from a Palisades resident and Y swimmer to a Sparkplug. However, I am really just a representative of the 3,000 people in our community who have signed our petitions and who consider the closure of this Temescal pool a tragedy.’ Cassidy described the pool as a community gathering place, where residents developed friendships and pursued a healthy activity. She stressed that even though Palisades Charter High School is constructing the Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center, the community still needs another pool. ‘Unfortunately, there will be very little time for community use [at PaliHi],’ Cassidy said. PaliHi Executive Director Amy Dresser-Held has told the Palisadian-Post that aquatic user groups can secure time from 5 to 7 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on the weekends during the school year. The pool will be available to various user groups all day in the summer. Dresser-Held said school officials are committed to setting aside time for public swimming. Cassidy thanked Yeh, Jane Albrecht (president of Friends) and activists Jean Rosenfeld, Kelly Camras, Cabell Smith, Christa Wilk, Dave Olsen, Michelle O’Neill and Grace Ayres. Cohen then presented Littlestone, a former Army colonel, with his award. ‘You bravely went into battle with the city over seven years ago. Your mission was to beautify the weed-infested median at Alma Real and Ocampo ‘ to install a lovely garden that would welcome all those to the Huntington. And when I say weed-infested, I don’t mean that Woody Harrelson was living there,’ Cohen said, to laughter. The project was completed last November and cost $75,000. ‘It has enhanced, beautified and improved our community,’ Cohen noted. When Littlestone stepped to the microphone, he took the opportunity to honor those who helped him. He recognized Mike and Kathleen McCroskey and Darren Dreifort for their vital financial contributions and Arnie Wishnick for his pro bono accounting. He also thanked those who nominated him for the award, including Council member Mary Cole and neighbor Sue Helmy. In addition, Littlestone said, ‘I take this occasion to honor my sweetheart [his wife, Doris] who had no idea what she was getting into as an Army wife, but has stuck with me, raising our family almost single-handedly, while I worked 24/7 much of the time during 32 years in the Army, moving and resettling our household 17 times in strange places around the United States and the world, waiting for me to come home.’ Littlestone and his wife have been married for 60 years.
