By JEFF GOODMAN Palisadian-Post Intern Despite the mainstream media’s around-the-clock coverage of the presidential campaign, we risk digesting news regarding Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain in a vacuum. But understanding the upcoming election is difficult without historical context. That was the overriding message imparted by Barry Goldwater, Jr. when he spoke last Wednesday afternoon at Village Books before signing copies of ‘Pure Goldwater,’ a book containing the previously unpublished diaries of his father, the longtime Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. Though it has been more than 40 years since Goldwater ran for president, his race against Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 provides an appropriate reference point for today’s presidential politics. In particular, his thoughts on campaign finance, energy policy, and international relations seem especially relevant. ‘[The book] gives a perspective on where we are today based on what happened in the past,’ said Goldwater, Jr., who co-authored the collection with former White House counsel John Dean, during an interview following the presentation. ‘It’s difficult to pass judgment if you don’t know how [this election] fits into the overall history of the country.’ The elder Goldwater carved out a large chunk of that history during his career, serving as a senator in Arizona from 1953 to 1965 and from 1969 to 1987, when he retired and was succeeded by McCain. Nicknamed ‘Mr. Conservative,’ Goldwater advocated limited government, a doctrine from which the GOP has strayed, his son asserted. ‘[Republicans] became what they campaigned against,’ Goldwater, Jr. said. ‘Under Republicans, we’ve got more government. My father would turn over in the grave.’ Goldwater also supported low taxes, a strong defense and, above all, individual liberty. Goldwater, Jr. said he remembers putting up posters during his father’s senatorial campaigns, and taking a year off from work to help his father run for president. And while his bid for the White House was not successful, Goldwater eventually inspired his son to run for office in the House of Representatives. The feeling of responsibility, he said, was overwhelming. ‘I was in Congress with my hand up swearing to uphold the Constitution,’ said Goldwater, Jr. to a small but attentive audience at Village Books. ‘Talk about feeling inadequate. My dad talks about [the same feeling] in ‘Pure Goldwater.” ??The diaries were discovered at the Arizona Historical Foundation by Dean, who was in the process of writing a book with Goldwater when the senator became ill and died soon thereafter. Dean told Goldwater, Jr. (his high school roommate at Staunton Military Academy) that previous biographers had missed out on a plethora of insightful first-hand accounts. For Goldwater, reading the journals reinforced two central facets of his father’s political career: his philosophy of pure conservatism, which the book jacket says ‘has lost its way’ in recent years, and the steadfast nature in which he held those beliefs. An appreciation for unwavering principles led Goldwater, Jr. to endorse Ron Paul in the 2008 presidential primaries, and he believes the American people crave that kind of sincerity. ‘A politician ought to stand for something. His constituents ought to know what he stands for,’ said Goldwater, who is 70. ‘[My father] was dogmatic about his views. People would say, ‘I don’t agree with your dad, but I sure like him.’ ‘ During a Q&A session after his presentation, Goldwater contextualized the partisan gridlock in Congress, calling the stalemate ‘unacceptable.’ When the Democrats controlled Congress, they welcomed bills and amendments by Goldwater, Jr. and other Republicans. But when the political tides turned in 1994, Republicans didn’t give Democrats the same privileges. Since 2006, Goldwater said, liberals have exacted justifiable revenge. What about 2008? ‘It’s a Democratic year,’ said Goldwater, whose prediction came with a twist. ‘Republicans deserve the beating they’re gonna get. Democrats will take both houses, but McCain is gonna win the presidency. After a while, people are going to start looking for substance.’ He noted that although Obama excites people much like John F. Kennedy did, he lacks foreign policy experience. But neither candidate lacks monetary resources, said Goldwater, who estimated that nearly $1 billion would be spent on the upcoming election. Goldwater agrees with his father that the best solution to curbing the exponential increase in campaign finances is a time limit on the campaign itself. ‘You’d think we could learn about these politicians in maybe six months,’ he said. Through the memoirs, Goldwater learned about his father’s insecurities, doubts and personal relationships with several influential political figures. ‘He was a lot more involved in government than I thought,’ his son said. Goldwater, Jr. admitted that he never planned on running for office. But one night at a bar, after a few beers and some encouragement from friends who said they would manage his campaign, Goldwater agreed to follow in his father’s footsteps. After representing areas of Ventura County and northern Los Angeles County (including Woodland Hills, Oxnard, Camarillo, Valencia, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks) from 1969 to 1983 and losing his bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1982, Goldwater returned to the financial sector. He is currently chairman of MyStudio, which allows people to showcase their talents by making videos in high-tech mall kiosks. Starting in mid-September, customers can pay $20 for DVDs of their performances as well as a link to the Web site (MyStudio.net), where their singing, dancing, acting and modeling clips can become part of an online profile. ‘It’s got lots of sizzle from an investment point of view,’ said Goldwater, who lives in Phoenix with his wife, Sylvia. Their son, Barry Goldwater III, also lives in Arizona, and works in the entertainment business.

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, 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.