Even the prospect of a Palin/Biden dust-up failed to make a dent in a well-attended event last Thursday evening, as nearly 300 people swung by the Palisadian-Post’s offices to celebrate the newspaper’s 80th anniversary. Party guests represented a wide swath of the community, including members of organizations and schools, local business owners and employees, and past Palisadians, such as film historian and author Harry Medved, who enjoyed his first visit to the Post’s offices. ‘This newsroom looks straight out of those 1930’s screwball comedies about news reporters,’ said an impressed Medved, head of public relations for Fandango.com, as he toured the Post’s offices and on-site press facilities. ‘The core of Pacific Palisades is this wonderful newspaper,’ said Chamber of Commerce President Toni Balfour before introducing Post Publisher Roberta Donohue to partygoers. Donohue, in turn, paid homage to a very special guest: 93-year-old former Post owner Charlie Brown, who ran the newspaper from 1954 to 1981 with his late brother, Bill Brown. ‘He was my mentor, my second father, my teacher, my first boss,’ said Donohue, who lived on the same street as Charlie Brown in Marquez Knolls, when she was growing up. ‘I’ve known him since I was two years old.’ Dressed colorfully in a bright blue blazer and a necktie festively illustrated with snare and bass drums, Charlie Brown cut quite a figure at the festivities. Post Production Manager Jim Reynolds, a current employee of nearly 30 years, was excited to reconnect with his former employer. ‘We built this from nothing,’ Brown said, surveying the newspaper’s assembly-line machinery from his chair in the pressroom. When he and his brother purchased the Post, they greatly expanded the facilities and installed a letterpress.   ’Ten years later, we junked all of it and put in the off-set press,’ Brown told Reynolds with a laugh. The Browns, who bought the Pacific Palisades Post from Paul Weaver and, in 1960, acquired the Palisadian, almost did not buy the newspaper, as Charlie said they had been considering purchasing a community paper in their Minnesota. Despite the repeated insistence of an intermediate party, who pleaded with them to visit Pacific Palisades and consider the Post, the Brown brothers resisted until they visited the third party’s Beverly Hills office, where Charlie Brown asked the secretary two questions. ‘I asked her, ‘Did you grow up in Los Angeles?” Brown recalled. ‘She said, ‘Born and raised here.’ Then I asked her where she would like to live if she could live anywhere in the city. She said, ‘No question, Pacific Palisades.’ So my twin brother and I finally drove out to Pacific Palisades. We were sold.’ Nearly 170 journalism awards later, Charlie and his brother sold the newspaper (and commercial printing business) to its current owner, the Small Newspaper Group of Kankakee, Illinois. Today, Brown agrees with that secretary. He told the Post that while he enjoys his current Lake Forest address, ‘Nothing compares to Pacific Palisades.’ In addition to Brown, distinguished guests included 10 Citizen-of-the-Year recipients: Kurt Toppel, Emil Wroblicky, Mike Martini, Phyllis Genovese (founder of The Letter Shop in 1947), Flo Elfant, Carol Leacock, Dottie Larson, Palisades historians Randy Young and Betty Lou Young, and current Citizen-of-the-Year Bob Jeffers. Carol Hurley, one of the founders of the Palisades AARP chapter, joined the festivities, along with Palisades High CFO Greg Wood and American Legion member Hal Vieau, accompanied by his wife of 63 years, Beverly. Welcoming all arrivals was the Post’s staff, assisted by the publisher’s daughter, Jennifer Donohue. You couldn’t miss a Post employee, as all staffers, from Production and Reception to Advertising and Editorial, wore matching navy-blue polo shirts created to commemorate the occasion. The employees gave guests informal tours of the newspaper’s various departments and manned several bars set up throughout the building. One guest who had his hands full was David Williams, owner of Mogan’s Caf’, who personally catered the event. The Post’s parking lot, converted into a burger-and-salad bar, became the party’s most popular destination. ‘I’m totally excited about catering the 80th, I look at it as kind of an honor,’ said Williams, who grew up in the Palisades and graduated from PaliHi in 1983. Dick Wullinger, a Palisadian of 32 years, said he values the Post’s contributions to his organization, the Pacific Palisades Historical Society, noting ‘We’ve been scanning archival photos from the Post.’ Appearing cool and casual in a mint green dress shirt and black slacks, the always-presentable Chris ‘Mr. Palisades’ Alexakis was all smiles. ‘Every Thursday, I learn something new about the Palisades,’ said the PaliHi grad, now a freshman at Cal State Channel Islands. ‘The newspaper is exciting, edgy and funny but most of all, it’s informative. It’s the best way to find out what’s going on in town.’ Guests took in the press plant, where the most popular libations came courtesy of J.J. Reynolds, son of Post employees Jim and Sharon Reynolds. J.J., who worked in that same press room from 1987 through 2000, served up the special 80th anniversary microbrew that he created just for the occasion. So how popular was his beer? Reynolds brought 10 gallons of his pale ale, which was all gone by evening’s end. ‘It’s great to be back!’ said Reynolds, a graphic designer. ‘This is where I got my start. It’s great to meet some new faces and still see a lot of the old faces.’ There was even a celebrity sighting at the party, as Pacific Palisades Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod stopped by to catch up with friends, including Andrew Frew of Theatre Palisades. The ‘Love Boat’ actor remarked how his Thursday night tradition is to read the Post. The festivities may have been enough to give MacLeod flashbacks to playing in Blake Edwards’ ‘The Party,’ but fortunately, this party did not end up submerged in soapsuds. So was the Post event worth missing the debates for? ‘Yes! Absolutely,’ Medved said. ‘It’s rare to find a newsroom that has its own printing press as colorful as the Palisadian-Post’s. It would make a great movie location!’

Palisades Charter High School will receive $200,000 to $300,000 more in funding from the state than school leaders had anticipated. PaliHi Chief Business Officer Greg Wood had calculated that the school would receive about $400,000 less, based on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget last May. The governor, however, decided to increase education funding when he signed the 2008-09 budget on September 23. The state pays schools a certain amount per student based on their attendance rate. PaliHi was paid about $8,300 per student last year and that amount increased to approximately $8,500 for this year, Wood said. ‘I have been told that the governor could make cuts mid-year, but I think it’s pretty safe,’ Wood said. ‘It would be tougher to collect the money back in the middle of the year because those who received it may have already spent it.’ The PaliHi board of directors approved an operating budget of $22.5 million in June, expecting a tight financial year. The board did not lay off any staff and set aside a $3.8 million reserve. ‘It is indeed good news that the budget picture is slightly better than anticipated,’ Executive Director Amy Dresser-Held told the Palisadian-Post. ‘However, this one percent increase in our anticipated budget could easily be offset or absorbed by increased health benefits costs or increased facilities costs.’ Meanwhile, she said the Los Angeles Unified School District has also decided to cut its integration funding for the Permits with Transportation program. The district provided $179,000 in funding for the PWT program last school year, but the amount for this year is $26,600. Last year, the money was used to pay for the salaries and benefits of teachers who were hired to reduce freshman class sizes. ‘The loss in funding from LAUSD is being supported by the general fund and our reserve,’ Wood said. ‘PaliHi is coordinating with the six other conversion charter schools [Granada Hills Charter High School and five elementary schools] impacted by this ruling to engage LAUSD in their rationale and lack of input on this unilateral decision.’ ‘Additionally, PaliHi believes that, given its charter agreement, which requires the acceptance of large number of PWT students in our enrollment, we are in a unique position to retain this funding as well,’ Wood continued. ‘We will initially engage the district en masse, then look to our individual situation with our LAUSD board member [Marlene Canter] or the charter office at LAUSD.’ The PaliHi board voted this spring to increase enrollment in order to generate more money for the school. If the school maintains a daily attendance rate of 2,600 students for the year, Dresser-Held said it should end the year in solid financial shape. At the end of September, the school had a total enrollment of 2,736 students with a daily attendance rate of 2,662 students. PaliHi has 37 more students enrolled than last year at this time. Dresser-Held said the school is able to accommodate the additional students, while keeping class sizes reasonable. School counselors try to cap class size at 37 students. To provide additional classroom space, the meeting room off the study center has been converted into a classroom and another bungalow was added near the baseball field. ‘We are spreading the campus out more,’ Dresser-Held said. The high school also has a partnership with West Los Angeles College and offers courses online for students. The counselors review the courses students take at the community college or online to make sure they are rigorous and meet standards.

The 16th Annual Chamber of Commerce Polo Tournament was held at Will Rogers State Park last Sunday, which is the site of the last remaining grass polo field in Los Angeles County. The winner of the Chamber of Commerce Championship trophy was the Body Inspired Fitness team, who beat the Wells Fargo Private Bank team 10 to 8 in a dramatic come from behind effort. In the Will Rogers Polo Club Championship game, the Perennial Financial Service team went into overtime with the Amalfi Estates’ team, and finally won with a score of 8 to 7. The free event drew a large crowd, who watched riders change horses between chukkers (time-outs), as well as participating in the divot stomp. ‘You have to be careful what you step on, because it isn’t always a divot,’ said attendee Tom Hofer. Tradition dictates that champagne is served during the stomp and the crowd was not disappointed as champagne flowed freely. Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod, and Mr. and Miss Palisades Chris Alexakis and Elena Loper, Chamber President Antonia Balfour and Steve Ghysels, whose team won last year, threw out the ball to start the different games. Loper sang the National Anthem and Al Epstein announced the play-by-play. Six teams vied for the championship including: Anthony Marguleas at Amalfi Estates, Body Inspired Fitness, Jennifer Lowe at Metrocities Mortage, John Petrick at Perennial Financial Services, Pacific Palisades Lions Club and Wells Fargo Private Bank. In addition to polo, a silent auction was held, and there were face painting and pony rides for the kids.