The first hurdle to resuming work on the 20-year Potrero Canyon project was cleared when the California Coastal Commission agreed to the sale of residential properties at 615 and 623 Alma Real Drive during a June meeting. The proceeds from the two sales (estimated at close to $5 million) will be placed in a special Potrero Canyon Trust Fund to be used only for the completion of all remaining phases of the protracted canyon infill and beautification project. Originally, the Coastal Commission specified that no city-owned properties on the rim of Potrero could be sold until the proposed riparian habitat and park construction had been completed. In addition to the two properties on Alma Real, the city owns 20 residential properties across the canyon on Friends and DePauw Streets, which it acquired through litigation because of drainage problems, landslides and slope instability. The Department of Recreation and Parks purchased Potrero Canyon in 1964, and over the ensuring years there have been ongoing attempts to stabilize the canyon. The current plan is to complete Phase II and go to Phase III, the creation of a passive recreation park with hiking trails down to Pacific Coast Highway. Phase I, which took place from the late 1980s into the 1990s, consisted of adding a storm drain, a subdrain system and 25 feet of compacted fill. Phase II was intended to add 75 feet of additional fill (plus grading) and residential backyards. That phase came to a standstill in 2004 because of lack of funding, and the canyon is currently in a partially graded state. During a recent review of the historical stabilization work, the City of Los Angeles Geotechnical Engineering Division (GED) uncovered several areas that were deficient or lacked documentation including missing compaction reports, in-grading geologic mapping documents and no records of the number, location and as-built design of the installed hyudraugers. Phase II is now being described as 65 percent completed. No city funds are available to complete the park, so the City asked the Coastal Commission for a special permit amendment to allow the sale of the Alma Real properties. The commission agreed, but added four special conditions: that all other conditions imposed under original permit (1991) remain in effect, that a prior condition to sell the two houses be modified, that a new geotechnical report be generated, and a revised conceptual grading plan be submitted. The procedure to sell the houses is underway, with plans ‘to place the properties for auction in mid-October,’ said L.A. City Senior Real Estate Officer Gemma Lopez. In order for that to happen, an ordinance must be drafted and given to the city attorney for approval. It then goes to the City Council and, once approved, the auction will be posted and advertised for 40 days. The two families renting 615 and 623 Alma Real will be notified, so that open houses can be held. The Gil Hubbs family, which has resided at 615 for about five years, has already been notified by Lopez. ‘We always knew it would eventually happen,’ said Hubbs, a cinematographer (whose son Jamie happens to be featured in the article on the bottom of page 1). ‘The lots are wide and there are nice views.’ Hubbs and his wife, costume designer Ann Major, are planning to rent another City- owned home on DePauw. ‘There were six people who wanted the DePauw house,’ said Lopez, ‘but the Hubbs have been given priority because they are being relocated.’ Palisades realtor Michael Edlen thinks that each of the Alma Real lots could sell for about $2 million. Even though the lots are a good size, the backyards slope down. ‘We’re not in a market like we were,’ Edlen said. ‘There are a lot of developers who are less enthusiastic now than they would’ve been in previous years. ‘You have two adjacent properties and a developer could either build a major home, or two side-by-side, which could be done at the same time,’ Edlen added. ‘That could be appealing because costs go down. How effectively they’re marketed could make a difference.’ The City, which estimates the sale of the lots at $5,400,000, plans to use the money for geologic investigations, creation of final grading plans and final park plans. ‘Probably the first thing is completing the geologic inquest into the existing grading,’ said Potrero Committee chair George Wolfberg. ‘They cannot do anything until they determine the quality of this work. After that they will know what remediation, if any, and what final rough grading work is necessary.’
Principal Art Copper Retires From Revere Middle School
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Principal Art Copper, who had spent the last 16 years of his 35-year education career at Paul Revere Charter Middle School, retired on June 27. ‘I can’t just walk out,’ he said. ‘I will be coming back to sit and talk with the new principal and I’ll be available to answer questions.’ Once a replacement is hired, Copper plans to invite the new principal to lunch and tell him/her about the Palisades community as well as giving the new principal a history of the California Distinguished School. Significant changes occurred at the school after Copper became principal five years ago, including an after-school program that was nonexistent before 2003. With Copper’s cooperation, parents were able bring in programs that ranged from sports to foreign languages and drama. ‘I think one of my strengths has been my ability to facilitate all stakeholders in the educational process,’ Copper said. In addition to new programs, the school’s academic index (API), which measures the academic performance and growth of schools, rose. It was 753 in Copper’s first year and rose to 817 in 2007’one of the highest middle-school scores in the state. Copper supported and backed his teachers, while still holding them accountable. ‘I tried to allow them to do their job and not breathe down their necks,’ he said. He also started investigating the pros and cons of having Revere become fiscally independent like Palisades Charter High School. ‘We’re renewing the charter in two years, and I want everyone to be informed and educated,’ Copper said. Revere’s principal was also a proponent of the arts, music, drama and shop electives. ‘Students don’t live for academics alone,’ he said. ‘If it hadn’t been for music, I would’ve never become a teacher.’ He started playing the saxophone in junior high school and by the age of 15 he was playing professionally at major venues (including the Coliseum and Universal Amphitheatre) and touring with James Brown and Blood, Sweat and Tears as an opening act in a band. He started taking the ‘easy’ courses in high school because he had no plans to go to college’until his general science teacher did a section on acoustics. This kindled an interest because of music. ‘One unit, one class, made me rethink college,’ said Copper, who signed up the following year for college-prep classes. If one thing could convince Copper to come out of retirement and go back into education it would be to restructure middle and high schools to bring back industrial arts, auto mechanics and other hands-on classes. ‘I think it’s why we see such a huge dropout rate,’ he said. ‘Many students who are going through school can’t explore their interests. We’re instructing everyone like they’re going to a four-year college. ‘Once educators started using the word ‘tracking,’ it came to have a negative connotation,’ Copper continued. ‘We need to find out a student’s interest and see how that relates to academics. We can’t cram academics down every child’s throat.’ When he retires from education, Copper plans to try real estate because a good friend invited him to try it. He hopes to have his broker’s license by the end of the summer. ‘It’s lending, sales, staging properties and helping people,’ he said, admitting that he’s looking forward to a new career because he’s not the kind of person who actually retires. ‘I get antsy after a couple of weeks, even when I’m on vacation.’ Copper does admit it will be hard to leave Revere. ‘After eighth-grade graduation, as I was walking off the stage, I thought of a way we could improve it next year,’ he said. ‘Then I realized there wouldn’t be a next time.’ His advice for the incoming principal is simple: ‘Listen to all stakeholders, be flexible and learn how to work within the district guidelines whiloe still giving the community what it needs.’ Copper and his wife, Kandee, live in Baldwin Hills with their son James, who attends Westview School. His daughter Leilani and husband Terron Brooks had their first child, Andrew, last August.
Palisadians Tapped for Las Madrinas To Debut at Annual Ball in December
Forty families and their daughters will be honored at the Las Madrinas Ball on December 20 for their service to the Southern California community and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The debutantes from Pacific Palisades are: Erin Moore Hookstratten, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jon Crowley Hookstratten, and granddaughter of long-time Palisadians Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Cardenas; Eleanor Galt Crowell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ryder Crowell; Stephanie Anne Hinds, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Elkins Hinds; Katherine Claire Kanoff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Milan Kanoff; and Katherine Ann Sebastian, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Bryson Sebastian. Also honored are Alexis Bailly Dunne, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Patrick Dunne, Bridget Florence Hearst, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Andrew Hearst; Molly Marilyn Peterson, daughter of Mrs. James Paul Peterson and the late Mr. Peterson; and Lindsay Louise Simon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Edward Simon, Jr.
Local Boy Makes Good
The Grape Vine
By Merv Hecht Post Columnist A lot of newspaper articles deal with people having problems. If your car is stolen it might make the papers, but if you buy a new one it?s not newsworthy. If you die, you may make the obituaries, but there?s no guarantee that your birth will be recorded in the local paper unless it?s on January 1. So I?ve decided to write about a Palisadian who?s made good. Tommy Stolkovitch went to PaliHi, and was a classmate of our oldest son. After high school, he teamed up with Mike Garrett and they went into the restaurant and nightclub business. Eventually they ended up with the Pearl Dragon in the Palisades, and Falcon in Hollywood. The Pearl Dragon sits in the same location where a well-loved Chinese restaurant, The House of Lee, thrived for many years Now an up-scale Asian haven for Palisadians, it?s packed pretty much every night, first with the family crowd, then a dinner crowd, and later the sushi geeks. The service is fast and the food is trendy?including different and eclectic sushi rolls. There is something for everyone on the menu, and it operates the only full bar in the Palisades. Falcon draws a different crowd. It?s a beautiful, middle-of-Hollywood late-night restaurant. Not many families show up, but a lot of very attractive young people come for good food and good music. Chef Alain Giraud recently helped redo the menu and the kitchen operation, and his partner (me) redid the wine list. Now it?s better than ever. With these two operations running smoothly, Mike and Tommy began to dream of a restaurant on the Westside unlike any other: a genuine French brasserie like one finds only in France. To make their dream into a reality, they pored over books with pictures of beautiful classic French brasseries, and partnered with Chef Alain Giraud. They found a perfect location at 225 Santa Monica Boulevard, between the Third Street Promenade and Ocean Avenue, in one of Santa Monica?s the historic buildings dating from the 1930s. As a team, the three of them put together their dream. Anisette Brasserie is now open. It?s truly beautiful. Friends are writing to me that being there is like being in Paris. The menu is certainly like a Paris brasserie, and since I did the wine list I can report that the wines are carefully selected and priced much more fairly than in any other restaurant that I know of in Los Angeles. And where else in California can you find a 37-ft. long genuine zinc bar made in France? I?ll be there from time to time to check over the wine list, so come in and say hello. Meanwhile, drop in and congratulate Mike, Tommy and Alain on a job well done.
Jackson Senator, a Young Spirit
Jackson Thomas Abrams Senator, son of Beth Abrams and Stuart Senator, passed away on July 21 at age 8 after battling brain cancer for three months. Jackson was an active youth in Pacific Palisades, where he lived with his parents, his older brother Zachary and his younger sister Sarah. His grandparents, Jane and Richard Abrams, also lived in the Palisades. Recently, his aunt Laura and uncle Owen moved to the Los Angeles area with their sons, Eli and Noah. Jackson enjoyed spending time playing in his backyard with his younger cousins. Jackson’s friends and relatives will remember his free spirit, his pure heart and his radiant smile. He and his crazy hair were fixtures at local neighborhood haunts like Coffee Bean and Caf’ Vida. He could also be routinely spotted around the neighborhood dressed in Lakers gear and riding his scooter, or more recently his bicycle. An avid sports enthusiast, Jackson was involved in AYSO soccer, YMCA swim team, and PPBA baseball; he also played basketball at Palisades Park. His teammates will remember him as having loved playing more than winning and valuing his team’s success more than his own. Jackson attended preschool and religious school at Kehillat Israel and elementary school at Wildwood School. He would have started third grade in the fall. Friends and relatives from all over the country attended Jackson’s memorial service, including his paternal grandparents, Martin and Miriam Senator from New Jersey, and his uncles, aunts, and cousins from Maryland, Colorado and Ohio. Jackson will live forever in the hearts and minds of his family and many friends. His family are extremely grateful for the outpouring of community support they received during Jackson’s treatment and in the days since his passing. Donations in Jackson’s memory can be made to the following organizations: Kehillat Israel, 16019 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades 90272; Wildwood School, 12201 Washington Pl., Los Angeles 90066; and Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, 302 Ridgefield Ct., Asheville, NC 28806 (www.pbtfus.org). Please note Jackson’s name with your contribution.
‘Cutler’s Gate’ Uses 1918 Flu as Background
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Known as the ‘forgotten pandemic,’ the influenza of 1918 killed more Americans than all of the great wars of the 20th century and AIDS combined. A new novel by Palisadian Gene Harrison Starbuck uses the American tragedy as its backdrop. On Wednesday, August 7, Starbuck will appear at Village Books on Swarthmore to discuss and sign copies of his debut novel, ‘Cutler’s Gate.’ ‘I wrote most of ‘Cutler’s Gate’ during National Novel Writers’ Month in November of 2006,’ says Starbuck, 61, a first-time novelist who is retired from teaching college. Set in the fictional town of Salida, Colorado, and built around a family of German immigrants struggling through the 1918 flu epidemic, ‘Cutler’s Gate’ is loosely based on Starbuck’s great-grandfather’s family. ‘My cousins had read it and were disappointed that it wasn’t historically accurate,’ Starbuck says, laughing. Like the Cutler family, Starbuck’s ancestors ‘lived on a dairy farm. They had 10 children, three of whom did, in fact, die of the flu.’ Coupled with the pandemic was the plight of German-American immigrants such as Starbuck’s ancestors. ‘There were almost as many of German ancestors as English ancestry [in this country],’ he says. It’s important to remind people that ‘folks of all ethnic backgrounds have some rough spots to go through in the history of the country.’ Indeed, during World War II, the name-change of sauerkraut to ‘liberty cabbage,’ a true-life attempt to distill the ethnicity from the German-origin condiment, very much echoed post-9/11 ‘freedom fries.’ ‘People know very little about that influenza epidemic in spite of how devastating it was,’ Starbuck says. ‘No matter where they were in the world, they had ancestors who went through that epidemic. Think about what might happen if another epidemic were to occur. There’s no real reason why it’s impossible to have another epidemic.’ Originally from the small town of Meeker, Starbuck spent nearly all of his life in Colorado, where he attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. After 31 years of teaching sociology of the family and gender at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Starbuck, who had written academic and text books, decided to spread his wings by tackling a novel upon relocating to the Palisades. Starbuck’s wife, LaTisha, landed a position as vice president of St. John’s Medical Center, so, Starbuck says, ‘I retired a little earlier than planned and moved in with her.’ After two-and-a-half years, Starbuck enjoys his life here. ‘It’s wonderful,’ says the author, who lives near the Getty Villa. ‘The weather obviously is great, the climate is good. I have trouble explaining to people back in Colorado that I don’t live in a concrete jungle. That’s their image, either that or the beach.’ What’s great about the Palisades, he says, is that ‘it’s like a small town surrounded by the city with all of the benefits of both.’ Even as the Village Books engagement marks his very first book signing, Starbuck has begun mulling over his upcoming ‘detective procedural thriller.’ So how does it feel to toss the textbooks aside and write a novel for a change? ‘It was kind of liberating,’ Starbuck says. ‘You get to lie, which I couldn’t do writing nonfiction. But you have to lie convincingly.’ Starbuck expects that fans of historical fiction will come down to Village Books and buy a copy. In the parlance of the Starbuck families, both real and fictional: ‘Excuses don’t get the cows milked!’
Beijing Bound
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
When he’s not scrambling from one end of Pacific Palisades to the other on various assignments, you can bet Palisadian-Post Staff Photographer Rich Schmitt is somewhere in Southern California, cameras at the ready, in pursuit of that perfect shot. Schmitt is an avid sports fan and with the 2008 Beijing Olympics a week away, he gathered this collection of photos from his archives to give our readers just a small sampling of some of the sports they’ll be watching.
PTC Hosts “Shotgun 21” Sunday
Nobody is more enthusiastic about tennis than Steve Bellamy. Now, the Palisades Tennis Center founder admits he’s never been more excited than he is about this Sunday’s “Shotgun 21” tournament–one of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived in the history of the sport. The tournament will bring in the neighborhood of 50 pros and celebrities to the public courts at the Palisades Recreation Center for a drop-hit competition sure to produce exciting rallies and tactical play rarely seen in today’s power game. “I can honestly look people in the eye and say the tennis played here will be as good or better than what you see at a Grand Slam Final,” Bellamy said. “Forty percent of the points in tennis are lost on the serve or the return. This means that nearly half of the points are over before they start. In the shotgun format, every point gets played out. There will be no short, easy points. It’s going to be incredibly exciting to watch.” Many of the best male and female players and biggest names in the game have indicated that they are going to play, including Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson, WTA Tour pro Angela Haynes, two-time Grand Slam Champion Justin Gimelstob and Vince Spadea, one of only a few players with wins over GRand Slam champions Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick. For the first time, men and women will play each other head-to-head in the same draw. Only underhanded serving is allowed and scoring is up to 21 points, hence the name “Shotgun 21.” The format is so unique that stories have been written about it in the USA Today, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and hundreds of other media outlets worldwide. It was even featured on the front page of the Shanghai sports page in China. Sam Querrey, the No. 3-ranked American in the world, and ATP Tour star Tommy Haas, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, are entered in the 32-player main draw along with Ashley Harkleroad, the fifth-ranked American woman. Grand Slam champions Roddick, Marat Safin and Carlos Moya have also been invited. “I gave Sam his first wildcard to get into a pro tournament, so maybe he is returning the favor,” Bellamy joked about Querrey, who won The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas in March. Other notable players expected to participate include former Palisades High star Scott Davis, who won 24 ATP Titles and was ranked No. 2 in the world in doubles and No. 11 in singles; Derrick Rostagno, who reached No. 13 in the world in singles and had wins over John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Jim Courier and Sampras; ATP pros Eric Taino, Cecil Mammit, Phillip King, Travis Parrott, Zach Fleishman, Sam Warburg and Steven Huss. Celebrities participating include Gavin Rossdale (Gwen Stefani’s husband and lead singer of the band “Bush”) and Hass’ girlfriend, actress Sara Foster. The best part, Bellamy said, is that anyone who wants to do more than just watch can play in the qualifying round that starts at noon on Sunday. At least four players will advance through qualifying for a spot in the main draw and a chance to trade groundstrokes with the pros. Those interested in participating should call the PTC at (310) 573-1331 and talk to Andy McDonnell. The deadline is Friday at 6 p.m. Over the years, the PTC has hosted numerous free community tennis events, like the Jimmy Connors-John Lloyd charity exhibition in 1997 and a Prince-sponsored exhibition two years later that featured Patrick Rafter and Jan-Michael Gambill. Last year, the PTC put on the “mother” of all exhibitions with brothers Mike and Bob Bryan, Spadea, Rossdale, comedian Jon Lovitz, actresses Elizabeth Shue and Melissa Rivers and numerous other pro tennis players and celebrities. This inaugural “Shotgun 21” will be the PTC’s most unique event yet and eyes around the world are waiting for the results. The winner will get $10,000 and a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. “I have played against guys my entire life and in drop-hit games I think I can beat a lot of them,” Stevenson said. The entire tournament will take place on the four upper courts and each match will last 15 to 20 minutes. The main draw will start at 3 p.m. and conclude by 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.palitenniscenter.com.
Howland’s Hoops Camp Ends
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland held his summer youth camp at Palisades High last week and 210 kids–70 more than last year–attended. He addressed his audience at Friday afternoon’s awards ceremony in the gym, first thanking all of the players for participating and congratulating them on their effort. In the SEC Division (grades 1-2), Alabama defeated Auburn, 26-20, in the finals and Anthony Spencer of Alabama was named most valuable player. Oregon State won the PAC-10 Division (grades 3-4) with a 32-25 finals victory over Washington State and Noah Kingsdale of Oregon State was named MVP. In the NBA Division, the Lakers defeated the Sonics, 27-24, to win the championship, with the Lakers? Dylan Hart earning MVP honors.
Pali Blues in Semifinals
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
In their first match since winning the regular season title, the Pali Blues Soccer Club returns to action tonight against the Washington Freedom in the W-League semifinals in Virginia Beach. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific time. If the top-seeded Blues win, they will advance to Saturday’s championship game, which will air on Fox Soccer Channel at 8 p.m. The fifth-seeded Freedom defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks in overtime, 2-1, to reach tonight’s game. “The Freedom are a well-coached team with fantastic players,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo said. “They play the game right, which makes for a great challenge defensively. There will be some minor tweaking in our group in an effort to match their strengths. Player for player it will be a very even match and as close to true professional women’s soccer as you will see this year. We are all excited for it.” Five Blues players were named All-Conference, led by goalkeeper Val Henderson, first in the league with a 0.142 goals against average. Other Blues making the list were defenders Kendall Fletcher and Amy LePeilbet, midfielder Jill Oakes and forward Danesha Adams.
