Page 2147 – Palisadian Post

Via de las Olas Sewer Project Is Completed

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August 13, 2008

This 35-ft. deep hole that was dug along Friends Street on the Via de las Olas bluffs in order to install new sewer and storm-drain lines has since been filled with cement and dirt. Via has also been repaved.

A major bulkhead and sewer realignment project, which began two years ago on the Via de Las Olas bluffs between Lombard Avenue and Friends Street, has been completed. On Tuesday, foreman Manuel Sanchez of the Clarke Contracting Company in Lawndale was overseeing the final stages, which included abandoning the old storm drain and sewers by filling them with cement. The project originated in early 2005 after winter storms supersaturated the soil under Via de las Olas and caused the asphalt to buckle. The bluffs along Via have a history of geological instability, most notably the ‘killer slide’ in 1958 that buried Pacific Coast Highway and destroyed part of Via de las Olas, which was eventually rebuilt with a wooden bulkhead supporting the roadway. In 2005, Congressman Henry Waxman directed $2.6 million of Federal Emergency Management Administration funds toward repairing the street and the state and city agreed to split the remaining costs of the estimated $3.5-million project. The new bulkhead is now mostly buried underground and consists of 61 individual 59-foot steel beams that were placed between 15251 and 15205 Via de las Olas. The bulkhead was finished early this year, but the sewer line running along Via (into a pipeline below the bluffs), kept breaking because of the unstable ground. ‘Movement of the landslide has resulted in repeated emergency maintenance repairs to piping,’ Los Angeles Public Works spokeswoman Lauren Skinner told the Palisadian-Post last December. New sewer and storm-drain lines were laid and redirected to pipes that drain into existing lines in Potrero Canyon. To accommodate the pipes, a 17- by 20-ft. wide hole, 35 feet deep was dug at the top of the bluffs on Friends Street overlooking the canyon. The sewer line connects with another line that eventually feeds into the Hyperion treatment plant in Playa del Rey. The stormwater drain connects with another pipe that goes into the ocean. ‘The pit has been filled in and there are two maintenance hole covers,’ said Sanchez, who laughed as he added, ‘They used to be called manhole covers.’ In last December’s Post story, the project had an estimated completion time of nine months, but the actual work took about five months.

Temescal Gateway Park Plan Underway

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August 13, 2008

YMCA Pool

The future of Temescal Gateway Park, nestled in a canyon of sycamore and oak trees above Sunset Boulevard, will be reshaped in the coming months. Starting in September, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will host public hearings so that community members and interested parties, such as the Temescal Canyon Association, Friends of Temescal Canyon and Pacific Palisades Historical Society, can help develop a vision for the park. The plan will cover the 160 acres of Temescal Gateway Park and Temescal Canyon Conference and Retreat Center, said Conservancy Executive Director Joe Edmiston. About 20 acres of the park was purchased in 1982 from Los Angeles Unified School District. The Conservancy, a state agency, bought another 140 acres in 1994 from the Presbyterian Synod with funding from the Safe Neighborhood Parks Act for trails and at-risk programs. ‘Given the ongoing expansion of the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority programs, the ever-increasing need for public open space and the increasing requests for both short-term and long-term uses in the canyon, MRCA staff feels that the best way to address park development and management will be to prepare a public works plan for California Coastal Commission review,’ Edmiston wrote in a July 2 letter to the governing board of the MRCA, which oversees the day-to-day operations and provides management of various Conservancy properties. The MRCA board agreed with Edmiston and decided to hire Dudek, an environmental and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Encinitas, to help develop a plan that will be a guide for the next 20 years and beyond. The board also voted not to spend more than $75,000 for Dudek’s services. Dudek is working with the MRCA on the Malibu Parks Public Access Enhancement Plan and a plan for King Gillette Ranch. Previously, the firm worked with Santa Barbara County on the Santa Barbara Shores Park Master Plan, Goleta Beach County Park Management Plan and the Goleta Trails Study. (Continued on Page 4)

Heal the Bay Raises $650K To Aid Environmental Work

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August 13, 2008

Actress Amy Smart, a 1994 graduate of Palisades High and a Heal the Bay board member, at the organization’s Making Waves fundraiser.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

More than 1,200 guests helped Heal the Bay celebrate its biggest fundraising dinner ever on May 30 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Themed ‘Making Waves,’ the event celebrated environmental stewards whose thoughts, words and actions show that every individual is capable of affecting positive change. Many Southland celebrities and civic leaders were on hand to pay tribute to special honorees H. David Nahai, CEO and general manager of Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power; Don Corsini, general manager of local broadcast stations KCBS and KCAL; and Pacific Palisades resident Tom Unterman, founder and managing partner of venture capital firm Rustic Canyon Partners. All three leaders have made waves in their respective fields, encouraging the adoption of more ocean-friendly practices in their business and community activities. ‘We are proud to recognize these longtime friends of Heal the Bay for their years of public service,’ said Heal the Bay president Mark Gold. ‘They lead by example, encouraging all of us to remain steadfast and make Earth-friendly choices in our daily lives.’ In a bid to make the ‘Back the Beach’ event as sustainable as possible, Heal the Bay selected vendors committed to green business practices. Patina Restaurant Group, known for supporting local farms, created a menu consisting of all organic and sustainable food items. The team ensured that 100 percent of the evening’s waste was recycled. Styrofoam was not allowed on the event site. Kunde Estate Winery, noted for its strict commitment to sustainable winegrowing practices, provided wines to accompany dinner. During the evening’s live auction, a fully accessorized 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid led the spirited bidding, netting $33,000 for the organization. Among the notables mingling at the dinner: Heal the Bay board members Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Amy Smart; fellow actors Ingo Rademacher and J.D. Roth; Los Angeles Kings captain Rob Blake; political leaders Fran Pavley and Bobby Shriver; and visual artist Chris Jordan. Celebrating its 23rd year, Heal the Bay netted more than $650,000 to promote the organization’s ongoing work. Among many initiatives, the group has successfully led the regional fight to reduce the proliferation of marine debris, especially plastic bags, and to impose stricter controls on cities’ discharge of harmful urban runoff. Heal the Bay is dedicated to making Santa Monica Bay and Southern California coastal waters safe and healthy again for people and marine life.’ It is one of the largest non-profit environmental organizations in Los Angeles County, with more than 12,000 members. For information about the organization’s education, outreach, research and advocacy programs, visit www.healthebay.org

New Principal Fern Somoza Takes the Helm at Revere

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August 13, 2008

Fern Somoza, the new principal at Paul Revere Middle School.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Fern Somoza first saw Paul Revere Charter Middle School about 14 ago, when she and her husband, Tony, attended the Nissan Open golf tournament at the Riviera. ’We were told to park at the Revere campus,’ Somoza recalled during a recent interview. ‘When we pulled up, I told my husband ‘What a gorgeous school. I’d love to work here if it weren’t so far from home and we didn’t have two kids.” Fast forward to May 2008. Somoza’s two sons are grown and when she saw an advertisement that Revere was seeking a principal, she initially hesitated because of the commute from West Hills in the San Fernando Valley. But when the application deadline was extended, she applied and was one of two people asked back for a second interview’and then hired on July 1. ‘I was really thrilled,’ said Somoza, who previously worked at Birmingham High School. Even though she was also offered a job as a high school principal, she wanted middle school because ‘I enjoy this age. I get a big charge out of the kids.’ A graduate of Polytechnic High School in North Hollywood, Somoza received her degree in English and her teaching certificate from Cal State Northridge in 1974. After graduation, she taught for two years at Lanai Elementary in Encino before she had her first son, Wesley. When her second child, Brian, was born three-and-a-half years later, she went on the sub list and mostly stayed at home with her boys, teaching occasionally and volunteering in the schools; she even became a PTA president. With Wesley entering El Camino High School and Brian going to Columbus Middle School, Somoza told the principal at Columbus, ‘I’m going back to work,’ thinking she would return to the elementary school classroom. But to her surprise the principal hired her on the spot to teach sixth- and seventh-grade English and history. ‘I worked for eight years and I loved it,’ said Somoza, who also worked at a Title 1 coordinator. She later moved to El Camino High School to teach English. After just six months in the classroom, Somoza was asked to become the career advisor and mentor program coordinator at the school. During that two-and-a-half years, she earned her master’s in administration from Cal Lutheran University, and then became an assistant principal (AP) at George Ellery Hale Middle School, where she was in charge of curriculum and instruction. ‘Hale is an active community, similar to Revere,’ Somoza said. ‘I was there four years and I thought I might like to be a principal, but I needed two different AP positions in order to be eligible.’ Her next AP was at Birmingham High School, where for two years she was in charge of instruction and curriculum, as well as two of their learning academies. Although Somoza hasn’t directly worked for a charter school, she helped write the charter for El Camino when it considered going fiscally independent. The school was denied a charter, but Somoza thinks it might have been because Granada Hills also applied that same year. Sixteen years ago, she took a class to Universal Studios Park for an assembly. When a representative from Universal called Somoza for feedback, she offered suggestions how to change it. The park hired her as a consultant and she still helps them hone their school assemblies, tours and self-facilitated lesson plans. Somoza doesn’t foresee any immediate changes for Revere, until she has time to settle in. ‘I have to see the school in action,’ she said. ‘I want to observe, like I do whenever I learn a new job.’ The focus will always be on the students. ‘What do they need?’ Somoza wants to know. ‘I need the teachers to come and talk to me. I need parents and community members to tell me what their children need.’ She also wants more than complaints. ‘Give me a solution, give me something to hang onto,’ just like she did for Universal. Now commuting from West Hills, which takes about 40 minutes, Somoza finds that she enjoys taking Topanga Canyon because, ‘I drive along PCH with a lovely view of the ocean and I enjoy the ocean’breeze.’ Her husband Tony is an investment advisor for Santa Barbara Bank and Trust. Son Wesley is head of Click Productions and has a five-month-old daughter with his wife, Courtney. Brian is a commercial real estate agent with Marcus & Millichap.

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CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 14, 2008

HOMES FOR SALE 1

HOMES WANTED 1b

FURNISHED HOMES 2

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

CONDOS/TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d

ROOMS FOR RENT 3

WANTED TO RENT 3b

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5

PERSONALS 6b

MISCELLANEOUS 6c

BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b

COMPUTER SERVICES 7c

GARAGE, ESTATE SALE SERVICES 7f

SOLAR/WIND ENERGY 7l

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

HOUSEKEEPERS 9a

GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11

MOVING & HAULING 11b

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES 12c

MISCELLANEOUS 12f

WINDOW WASHING 13h

AUTO DETAILING 13i

PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g

FITNESS INSTRUCTION 15a

TUTORS 15e

CARPENTRY 16a

CONCRETE, MASONRY, POOLS 16c

CONSTRUCTION 16d

DOORS 16f

ELECTRICAL 16h

FENCES, DECKS 16j

FLOOR CARE 16m

HANDYMAN 16o

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16p

PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16r

REMODELING 16v

MISCELLANEOUS 16z

HELP WANTED 17

AUTOS 18b

FURNITURE 18c

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

PETS, LIVESTOCK 18e

MISCELLANEOUS 18g

WANTED TO BUY 19

YMCA Pool

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