CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 18, 2007

October 18, 2007

HOMES WANTED 1b

LAST GOOD DEAL AT THE BEACH! Best ocean views in Palisades. 10 homes. Up to 1,500 sq.ft. $233,000-$659,000. Call Agent, Michelle Bolotin, (310) 230-2438

HUNTINGTON GEM FOR SALE. By Owner. 820 Alma Real Drive. Four bedroom, four bathroom ranch located a block from Palisades Park and the town center. The property includes a generous lot with lovely pool and adjacent sitting area. Distinctive features include spacious living room with high, broad-beamed ceiling and large English stone fireplace and hearth; family area with indoor brick gas grill and beautiful slate floor. Ideal for renovation or building your dream home. List price: $3.2 million. Contact dignam820@yahoo.com with all inquiries and offers. Viewing by appointment only; do not contact occupants.

OCEAN VIEW HOME FOR SALE at Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park. Call R.E. Agent Franklin, (310) 592-6696. Mfg. Home Lic. #SP1136798. Your Mfg. Home Specialist

PETITE PARADISE COVE MOBILE HOME. Steps to sand. Charming writer’s pad, surfer’s paradise retreat. Indoor/outdoor living. Light, airy, serene, fun. Fully furnished. Best deal in Malibu. Only $340,000. Call now: (310) 454-0920

HOLLYWOOD HILLS MEETS THE PACIFIC. Enjoy sweeping ocean, mtn & canyon views from this new remodel on the village bluffs! 4 bds, 4.5 ba Contemp. mod. style w/ open floor plan w/ hdwd flrs & F/P. Large pvt. mstr. ste. upstairs w/ French doors that open to large deck. Over $40,000 worth of glass that surround 3 full decks. Each bdrm has its own remodeled bath. Gated for privacy. Light & bright. Great for entertaining. Walk to schools & village. Permitted guest unit w/ pvt entry. $1,849,000. Agent, Ron Evans, (310) 403-9951

HOMES WANTED 1b

WE BUY HOUSES, APTS & LAND! ALL CASH, AS-IS, FAST CLOSE. David, (310) 308-7887

FURNISHED HOMES 2

CHARMING COTTAGE, fully furnished, 1 bdrm, 1 ba, frplc, close to village & bluffs. Flexible terms. No pets. (310) 459-0765

SHORT TERM LEASE AVAILABLE for 6 months (Dec.-June). Contemporary Monterrey Colonial home in Palisades Village newly built. Main house has 3 bedrooms, 21⁄2 baths, & library. Master bedroom has walk-in closets and steam shower. Ocean views from the second floor. Large gourmet kitchen with indoor/outdoor dining area w/ huge custom door opening from ground to ceiling. Beautifully furnished. Hardwood floors throughout. Outdoor gas barbecue. Pool is heated, saline, & safety pool cover. Gorgeous detached pool house has separate 3/4 bath with shower, treadmill, & large sectional sofa w/ fold out queen bed. Projection system with DVD, cable TV, 8 ft. screen & full surround sound. Move-in condition fully equipped w/ linens, silverware, etc. $18,000/mo. Contact Steve Sawaii at (310) 979- 4165

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

OCEAN VIEW 4 bdrm, 3 ba, remodeled with beautiful detail, gourmet kitchen, private deck to watch sunset. 1 yr. min. $6,950/mo. Agent, Suzanne Anthony, (310) 230-7393

SMASHING WHITEWATER VIEWS from this very private 5 bdrm, 4 ba home. Hdwd, walls of glass, updated kitchen, bath & decks+expansive grounds. Great for entertaining. 2 year lease preferred. Available now. $12,500/mo. Agent Paula Tebbe, (310) 820-9331

OCEAN VIEW 4 BDRM, 2.5 BA, rec. room, F/P, hdwd flrs, remodeled kit, patio w/ firepit+BBQ, pool, spa, deck, garden. $7,500/mo. (310) 633-0470.

SHORT TERM LEASE. Light filled spotless ranch style 2 bd, 1 bath updated kit, oak flrs, deck view of tree-filled property. Lg brick patio, W/D & gardener incl. 2-car garage w /side entry. Gated rear lot perfect for boat or RV storage. $3,450/mo. (310) 993-4007

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

PRIVATE OCEAN VIEW GUESTHOUSE, partially furnished; small but cool; gated, tropical gardens, patio. Near old Getty villa. No pets, no smoking. $1,450/mo. Ready now. (310) 459-1983

$2,500/mo. LARGE, LIGHT 1 bdrm, 1 ba, Mediterranean triplex near bluffs. Mucho charm! Unique touches. Built-in bookcases, cabinets, drawers, tile, hdwd. flrs, bay window, gar/gdn. 1 yr lease. N/P, N/S. (310) 829-6931

1 BDRM+OFFICE/DEN 2 ba, 2 F/P, hdwd flrs, new paint, wood blinds, 1 garage space, laundry on premises. $2,300/mo.+sec. Call (310) 459-5576

CONDOS/TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d

NEW LOFT in Playa Vista. 2 bdrm, 2 ba +den. Security bldg. All new appliances. 1 mile from ocean & walking distance to LMU. $3,300/mo.+security. (310) 569-1190

WANTED TO RENT 3b

USC PHD EUROPEAN female N/S, seeks private guesthouse, studio, 1 bdrm/rm Palisades, Santa Monica, Mar Vista. Kasia, (310) 625-0254

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

PALISADES OFFICE spaces available in the heart of the VILLAGE including those measuring approximately: 1) Single suites ranging from 245 sf-500 sf, windows in each office and balconies. 2) Larger offices ranging in size from 950 sf-2,000 sf. All have large windows with great natural, light. Amazing views of the Santa Monica mountains, private balconies and bathrooms. Building amenities include high speed T1 internet access, elevator and secured, underground parking. Call Kim at (310) 591-8789 or e-mail leasing@hp-cap.com

OFFICES FOR SHORT to medium term sublet available with potential for long term with the right person in the heart of Pacific Palisades. Prefer media-oriented and creative ventures. Office furniture and many business tools included as well as potential use of world class recording studio. Available immediately. (310) 230-2050

OCEAN VIEW OFFICES for rent in creative suite on Sunset and PCH in Spectrum Club bldg. Near great restaurants. 3 brand new offices available now. DSL/fax and phone lines with call answering will be in. Furnishing available. Shared conference room, kitchen area. Just sit down and do business. $1,100 to $1,200/mo. Call Pam, Jen or Rob, (310) 230-6866

RENTAL SPACE, STORAGE 3d

STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE for lease at The Atrium Building (860 Via de la Paz) in Palisades Village. Secured units ranging in size from 67 sf to 168 sf. Please contact Pietra @ (310) 591-8789 or email pietra@hp-capital.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 3f

FULL SERVICE Property Mgt. Co. To rent out &/or manage your house rental. No more tenant hassles. We Do It All. Illana, (310) 498-0468

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5

DOUBLE YOUR INCOME IN 90 DAYS! We will show you how to be self employed, earn executive level income and live the lifestyle you deserve! www.haveanamazinglife.com (800) 892-3165

INCOME PROPERTY 5b

WANTED SOPHISTICATED INVESTORS to purchase highly desirable 5 bdrm, gate guarded, Mediterranean Ocean view home. (310) 947-1844

LOST & FOUND 6a

REWARD: LOST PARROT. May answer to “Bogie.” It is a black parrot (about 20”) and looks more like a pigeon or a crow. Lost on October 13th. Belongs to Carol and Richard Milton, in Pacific Palisades. Makes cat-like sounds. (310) 454-2979, (310) 779-7074

FOUND: Floppy eared bunny. Corona Del Mar Dog Park. (310) 573-1684

BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b

BOOKKEEPER/PERSONAL ASSISTANT/Notary Public, personal bookkeeping & financial organizing, clerical duties, honest, reliable, discreet. Excellent references. Patti, (310) 720-8004

QUICKBOOKS Bookkeeping Service. Call (310) 977-7935

LOCAL BOOKEEPER/Exec./Pers. Assist. My home office or yours. Confidential, honest and reliable. Celebrity clientele. Excellent references. (310) 403-8654

SMALL BUSINESS OR PERSONAL BOOKKEEPING. The Mess Untangler is again available in the Palisades. Fast, discreet, loyal, friendly, excellent references. saekorn@aol.com or (310) 570-6085

COMPUTER SERVICES 7c

COMPUTER SOLUTIONS & SUPPORT. HOME & BUSINESS–Windows Vista/XP–20 Yrs exp. frankelconsulting.com (310) 454-3886

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

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 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

BUSY AND OVERWHELMED with household/office clutter? Call for help and make life easier. I put things in order and make a difference for you. (310) 477-6489

PERSONAL ASSISTANCE, ORGANIZATION & Bookkeeping. Superior services provided w/ discretion & understanding. Pali resident, local references. Call Sarah, (310) 573-9263

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

VIP NANNY AGENCY • “Providing very important people with the very best nanny.” • Baby Nurses • Birthing Coaches • Housekeepers. (818) 907-1017, (310) 614-3646

WEST LA NANNIES • Caring • Committed • TRUSTED • (310) 584-4555

EUROPEAN EXPERIENCED NANNY looking for full or part time job. Legal to work. Clean DMV record. Call Vera, (951) 454-4079

PROFESSIONAL LOVING NANNY seeking F/T job. Last 7.5 years in Palisades. Excellent local references. Excellent driver. Clean DMV. Call Aida, (323) 496-4984

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 AVAILABLE Mon., Tues. & Fri. Own transportation, Very good local references. Call Ayda, (310) 397-7586

HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Wed., Thurs. & Fri. Own transportation. Excellent local references. Call Judith, (310) 482-8267, (310) 386-5948

HOUSEKEEPING/BABYSITTING. Excellent English, Avail. Mon.-Fri., some Saturdays. Experienced, references, own transportation. Call Edith at (213) 256-9107 or (213) 745-4931

HOUSEKEEPER. Own transportation, references, available now, days open, light English. Please call Ethel, (323) 734-0362

ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a

ELDER/CAREGIVER. Available Mon.-Fri. Refs. Exp. CNA. Call Argentina, (213) 384-6156

SUGAR & SPICE Nanny Service. Elder/child care. Experienced (special needs), Alzheimers & dementia. Can cook. Personal & house sitting. Call (323) 474-8943, (323) 758-6271

GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11

PALISADES GARDENING • Full Gardening Service • Sprinkler Install • Tree Trim • Sodding/Seeding • Sprays, non-toxic • FREE 10” Flats, Pansies, Snap, Impatiens. (310) 568-0989

WATERFALLS & POND CONSTRUCTION: Water gardening. Japanese Koi fish. Filtration pond service, repair & maintenance. Free estimates. (310) 435-3843, cell (310) 498-5380. www.TheKingKoi.com

PRECISION LANDSCAPE SERVICES! Tired of mow, blow, let’s go! Specializing in fine maintenance • outdoor lighting • fertilizing • automatic timer repair & installation • artificial grass installation • hillside clean ups • new sod • sprinkler repair. Fair prices. (310) 696-6453

EDIBLE GARDENING CLUB: Now Forming. Get connected to other Pac Pal and Malibu edible gardeners to swap advice and visit gardens. Contact Wendy at wstretten@verizon.net or (310) 456-9520

GARDENING SERVICE • General maintenance Svcs • Sprinkler installation (manual & automatic) • Hillside cleanups • Tree service • New lawn (topping, pruning & removal) • Block/brick planters • Cement work • Free estimates • All work guaranteed. Daniel Velasco, Hm. (323) 934-9284, Cell (323) 839-0819

MOVING & HAULING 11b

BC HAULING & CLEAN-UP • Houses • Garages • Apts • & Yards. All junk removed. Home demolition, i.e., patios, yards & walls. Truck with liftgate. (310) 714-1838

HONEST MAN SERVICES. All jobs big or small. Hauls it all. Homes & businesses. 14’ van/dollies. 15th yr. Westside. Delivers to 48 states. (310) 285-8688

TREE SERVICE 11d

STUMP REMOVAL, since 1924. Get rid of those ugly termite-infested stumps. 10% off w/ ad. Lic. #685533. Brad, (310) 454-8646

DON’T PANIC, IT’S ORGANIC! Fall Special. 50% off all new local services with 6 mos. contract. Free housecall w/ mention of this ad. Since 1972. Natural pest control, lawn, roses, tree, pond, fruit trees, veg. gdns, natural spraying, whole property restoration, water mgmt & more as seen on PBS, NBC, CBS YOUTUBE & more. Invisible Gardener Inc. (310) 457-4438. Doing it organically keeps the oceans clean. www. InvisibleGardener.com

HEALING ARTS 12

SOUND THERAPY for health & regeneration with Marion Mayer R.N.M.S.N.P. Using cutting edge sound healing technology of the Cyma1000. Cymatherapy is safe & effective for all types of ailments, physical & emotional. Specializing in Women’s Health & integrating Mind/Body techniques. Call for an appt. today. (310) 573-0400 or go to www.cymatherapy.com for more info.

WINDOW WASHING 13h

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, Bonded

EXPERT WINDOW CLEANER • Experienced 21 yrs on Westside. Clean & detailed. Can also clean screens, mirrors, skylights & scrape paint off glass. Free estimates. Brian, (310) 289-5279

PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g

HAPPY PET • Dog Walking • Park Outings • Socialization • Insured. Connie, (310) 230-3829

PET HEAVEN • TOTAL PET CARE • Training. Walking. Playgroups and hikes. 30 years Pali resident. References. Call (310) 454-0058 for a happy dog!

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

PERSONAL TRAINER 15c

PEAK PERFORMANCE Fitness Training. Ivan Baccarat, A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer • Body Shaping • Strength • Endurance • Prenatal/Post Partum • Cardio Kickboxing • Stretch/Flexibility • Plyometrics • Fat Loss • Core Work Individualized Program Design • 20 Yrs. Experience • Insured • References • Call for a free consultation: (310) 829-4428

SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTION 15d

NEED HELP WITH COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAY? Recent graduate & professional writer available. Will help to perfect essay for admissions success. Call (310) 985-1607 or e-mail maxtaves@gmail.com

PIANO IN YOUR FUTURE? Dedicated & patient piano teacher. Children, adults. Professional pianist, UCLA graduate. Call (310) 453-1064

TUTORS 15e

A TUTOR FOR A JUMP START WITH SCHOOL. Children & adults. 25+ years teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, ESSAY WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly Sp. Ed. Teacher. Call Gail, (310) 313-2530

SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR. All levels (elementary to college). Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614

MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145

READING SPECIALIST • Master of Education—Reading and Learning Disabilities • Special Education Teaching Certificate: K-12 • Regular Education Teaching Certificate: K-9 • Elementary Education Teaching experience: 12 yrs • Services provided for special & regular education students of all levels • Academic areas taught include reading (phonics and reading comprehension) writing and spelling • Private tutoring includes accessing the student’s needs, developing an individualized education program and implementation of that program. Palisades resident. Call Brandi, (310) 230-9890

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 & Spanish! Elementary thru college level. Test prep, algebra, trig, geom, calculus. Fun, caring, creative, individualized tutoring. Math anxiety. Call Jamie, (310) 459-4722

EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR. All grades • Levels • Grammar • Conversational • SAT • Children, adults • Great references. Noelle, (310) 273-3593

SPANISH TUTOR CERTIFIED TEACHER for all levels. Has finest education, qualifications, 20 yrs exper. Palisades resident, many good references, amazing system, affordable rates. Marietta, (310) 459-8180

TUTORING & HOMEWORK HELP. Teacher with credentials in Elementary, Special Ed., and Reading. Masters in Education & 23 years teaching experience including 2 years as Reading Recovery specialist. Palisades resident. Affordable rates. Call Diana, (310) 717-5472

CREDENTIALED MATH & STUDY SKILLS TEACHER (BA-UCSD, M.Ed-UCLA, PhD Candidate-USC) Tutor K-College. Most subjects. 15 years recent classroom experience in the Palisades. Libby, (310) 963-0093

SPANISH TUTOR & PALISADES resident from South America is back in town! All ages, students, housewives, travellers, business people, all professionals, SAT & AP Prep. Call (310) 741-8422

CONCRETE, MASONRY, POOLS 16c

MASONRY, CONCRETE & POOL CONTRACTOR. 36 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. Custom masonry & concrete, stamped, driveways, pools, decks, patios, foundations, fireplace, drainage control, custom stone, block & brick, tile. Excellent local references. Lic. #309844. Bonded/insured/ workmen’s comp. Family owned & operated. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 • www.horusicky.com

ELECTRICAL 16h

PALISADES ELECTRIC. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437 Insured Professional Service

ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local Service Only. Lic. #775688. Please Call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286

FENCES 16j

THE FENCE MAN • 14 years quality workmanship. Wood fences • Decks • Gates • Chainlink & overhang • 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.

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

HART HARDWOOD FLOORING. Best pricing. Sr. discounts, quality workmanship. Bamboo, maple, oak and laminate. Installation & refinishing. Call for free quote. Lic. #763767. Ron, (310) 308-4988

GOLDEN HARDWOOD FLOORS. Professional Installation and refinishing. National Wood Flooring Association member. License #732286. Plenty of local references. (877) 622-2200 • www.goldenhardwoodfloors.com

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

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 • 53 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. Ref’s. 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. 35 years in service. License #637882. Call (310) 454-6604

WALLPAPER REMOVAL • REPAIR • INSTALLATION • Plus minor household repairs. 32 years in business. Lic. #576445. Owen Cruickshank, (310) 459-5485

PLASTERING, DRYWALL 16s

THE WIZARD OF WALLS • Invisible repairs • Popcorn on/off • Textures • Paintings • Renovations • Plumbing • Wallpaper • Stucco repair • Instant quotes. 35 yrs experience. (800) 637-9994

PLUMBING 16t

BOTHAM PLUMBING AND HEATING. Lic. #839118. (310) 827-4040

JLK PLUMBING. Re-pipe and sewer specialist & all plumbing repairs. Mention this ad & receive 10% off. Lic. #722414. Call (310) 678-6634

WHITTLE’S PLUMBING • Drain & sewer problems • Garbage disposal & H2O heaters • Copper repiping & gas lines • Fixtures, remodels • Gen. Construction • Free est. Lic. #668743. (310) 429-7187

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

D SQUARE CONSTRUCTION. Bonded, Insured. References available. St. Lic. #822701 B, C-33. David R. Dwyer, (310) 699-7164

HELP WANTED 17

DRIVERS: 150K PER YEAR-TEAMS! Earn more plus GREAT Benefits! Western Regional Solo and Team Runs. Werner Enterprises, (800) 346-2818 x123

LOOKING FOR A HOUSEKEEPER/nanny. Tues.-Sat. Must have excellent local references. Must be legal. Inquiries, (310) 696-9139

SUPERSTAR HOUSEKEEPER WANTED. We are looking for an experienced live-out Housekeeper to start immediately. Tues., Thursday & Saturday. Must be flexible on hours. We have one school-age child and a small dog. Must have good English, driver’s license and own car. Must be organized and have great references. Job includes laundry, ironing, closet organization, cleaning, running errands and simple meal prep. Please call (310) 780-8622

DERMATOLOGY OFFICE. Front and back office. Computer knowledge. Experience preferred. Refs. required. F/T. Fax resume: (310) 459-1014

AUTOS 18b

CASH 4 MERCEDES BENZ/BMW $$ 1980-1995, running or not. Any questions, please call (310) 995-5898

2003 ACURA TL, white with beige leather. Local, professional owner. Perfect condition, 61,000K. ABS Anti-lock, air, alloys, Bose 6 CD changer, moonroof. $16,995. Steve, (310) 459-5662

FURNITURE 18c

PIANO SPINET SHONINGER. Maple, perfect condition. 50+ years. One owner. $595. (310) 573-1735

Unique Furniture Sale in the Palisades! Contemporary Italian Furniture. Purchased only 3 months ago. Substantial discounts. We are moving. www.nmrjapan.com/la. Call Maria, (310) 454-3676

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

MULTI FAMILY GARAGE SALE! Children’s clothes, toys & more. Sunday, OCT. 21, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. 507 Via de la Paz. No early birds.

METHODIST COUNTRY BAZAAR, 801 Via de la Paz. Shop Early Thurs., Oct. 25, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. $5 includes dessert. Fri. Oct. 26, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. free adm. Lunch $12. Resv, (310) 454-5529. Handcrafted Gifts, Quilts, Collectibles, Food

GREAT GARAGE SALE: Mid-century books, games, ceramics. Kids toys, groovy furniture, lamps. NOT JUNK. Great stuff! Sat., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 1130 Maroney Lane

PETS, LIVESTOCK 18e

LOOKING FOR LOVING homes for cats. Brothers/sisters. Take one or more. Emerald eyes. Gorgeous. Ask for Delanie. Mention cats. (310) 456-9810

HORSE FOR LEASE in Pacific Palisades, unique opportunity to ride in Will Rogers Park. Very calm and sweet Warmblood/Quarter mix. $650/month. E-mail: louise@stockholmdesign.com

MISCELLANEOUS 18g

FOREST LAWN, HOLLYWOOD HILLS Hillside “Lincoln Terrace” companion plot. Currently selling for $15,400. Asking $5,900 neg. (310) 454-0893

WANTED TO BUY 19

WANTED: Old tube guitar amplifiers, working or not. ‘50s, ‘60s, etc. Tommy, (310) 895-5057 • profeti2001@yahoo.com

6 (ca.1170) E-Indian RARE COINS Old/New Int’l collecting since 1969. 1075 (coins), 1300 (stamps), 619 (wacky collectibles). Serious buyers. Call Ehsan Syed, (562) 468-0533, Mon.-Fri. only 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

When Construction Never Stops (or Re-Starts)

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October 17, 2007

City, Castellammare Neighbors Powerless to Complete a House 10 years in the Making

The house at 17484 Tramonto Dr. is 4,000-square-feet, pink, three stories tall and made of stucco. But that’s not how neighbors describe it. They prefer “the never-ending nightmare next door.” Construction began at the steep Castellammare site, which looks south over Santa Monica Bay, 10 years ago last month; but the house owned by Hans Schollhammer is still incomplete. There are open trenches in the front yard where utility lines are supposed to lie. Windows are broken, boarded or both. Loose conduits lie haphazardly. The front door is covered with pierced paper-board. Rebar and PVC protrude from a smashed–or is it half-finished?–concrete pillar. For several years while the house has lain vacant, near completion and under siege–literally–from vermin and vandals, neighbors have faced a dilemma: What do you do when a homeowner, for all intents and purposes, lets his house go? In the summer of 2006, L.A. County’s Health Services Department found a rat infestation on the property. It ordered Schollhammer, a professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, to eliminate the rats and close the openings to his house through which they entered. The Castellammare Mesa Homeowners Association said it received complaints about the infestation from neighbors and even people driving past the property. For Schollhammer’s next-door neighbor Vince Flaherty, a producer and 1980’s TV actor, the problem had become so bad that rats and ground squirrels burrowed underground into his cliff-side basement. “You can still smell the urine in the basement,” says Flaherty, who claims he spent more than $10,000 pouring concrete to fix the problem. “The only good thing about [the house] is that there’s nobody there, so we have privacy. But it’s such a blight on the neighborhood. People call it the abandoned Taco Bell.” Neighbors of Schollhammer even admit to offering to buy the property from him. “I live directly across the street,” says Cort Wagner, a Grand Am race-car driver. “It’s such an eyesore, and I have to look at it. I asked him how much he wanted and offered to write a check right there.” Schollhammer rejected Wagner’s offer and numerous others. The homeowners association contends that the professor has broken the due-diligence clause of its CC&Rs, which demands that construction be pursued diligently and continuously and within two years from its start. But the association, which only collects voluntary dues, has been wary of a long, expensive lawsuit, so it has turned to the city for help–with negligible results. Only after repeated efforts over several years has the city’s Building and Safety Department responded to Castellammare residents’ concerns, says Kim Clary, the association’s president. In June 2006, the city declared the building a ‘vacant structure’ that had violated several building codes. It ordered Schollhammer to waterproof the house and fix its “general dilapidation.” With few signs of progress at the house, the City Attorney took Schollhammer to court last January. There, the owner pledged to finish the house by January 2008. But even if he reneges, the city has little power. “As long as the property is kept clean and secure, there isn’t anything we can legally do to him,” said Frank Bush, the city’s chief building inspector. In other words, the city can’t force property owners to finish their houses. Despite Schollhammer’s new pledge, neighbors aren’t optimistic. That’s because the professor, who specializes in business ethics and intra-organizational conflict, has plowed through other deadlines before. In September 2004, he told the Canyon News that he hoped to complete construction within five months. And in February 2006 when the house was still incomplete, Schollhammer told the homeowners association that the house would be ready for occupancy by August 2006. That deadline came and went. “I don’t understand his motives,” says Cort Wagner, who lives across the street. “The real estate boom has come and gone.” (Still, nearby houses on the street were recently sold for $3 million and $7 million.) Schollhammer says his neighbors have unfairly blamed him for the delay, which he attributes to a series of unfortunate and uncontrollable events. He cites his contract with an “admittedly slow” contractor, Ralph Herman (the contractor rejects that characterization). He points to a series of vandalisms, which he insinuates his neighbors have caused. His windows have been smashed, rocks thrown on the roof and ‘dog feces smeared’ on his house’s walls. (Before Schollhammer began building his controversial home, he built and sold an adjacent house in the mid-1990s. That house, he says, was built on schedule–a fact he attributes, in part, to using a different contractor.) In April 2003, his nearly complete house was severely vandalized. In addition to breaking windows and the front door, someone flooded his and Flaherty’s house with a hose over a long weekend. To make things worse, says Schollhammer, the insurance company forced him to use a different contractor to repair the damage. The police never caught the wrongdoer, but they suspected Wagner. “The cops came over and named me as a suspect,” Wagner says. “I told them it doesn’t surprise me because I hate the house and despise [its] owner. But I told them if I had anything to do with it, I would have done much worse. I would have burned it [to] the ground!” Schollhammer says that vandalism in 2003 delayed construction by 18 months. This summer a drunk driver caused $11,000 of damage when he smashed through his fence and knocked off a corner of the house, Schollhammer says. But his neighbors reject his explanations. “So what!” Clary says. “These are all excuses. Even if some of these things are true, it shouldn’t have stopped him from completing it. And many of these events wouldn’t have occurred if [the house] had been completed and occupied.” Schollhammer’s contractor attributes much of the slow construction delay to the professor’s indecisiveness. “The whole house has been design-as-you-go,” Herman says. “It takes [Schollhammer and his wife] a long time to make a decision. They spend a lot of time deciding what color the stucco will be, what the door will look like, etc. And then sometimes, they change their minds. I’m not sure even he knows what to do.” According to the contractor, the house still lacks underground utility and site plans, which are needed for completion. Ten years into construction, both Schollhammer and his neighbors are embittered and resigned. “I would never want to live in this neighborhood,” says Schollhammer. “I’ve thought many times about letting someone else finish the house, but I have a contract.” For one of his neighbors living across the street, she’s stopped caring. “The thing that is really disconcerting to me is that I’ve had to call their contractor to push them as if I were the owner,” says the neighbor, who requested that her name be withheld. “I’m not wasting my time anymore. I’ve let my tree grow large, so I don’t have to see the place.” —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call ext. 28.

Las Pulgas Canyon On Sale For $25 Million

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October 17, 2007

Neighbors Fear Development and the Loss of L.A.’s “Last Wild” Canyon

Bob Locker overlooks Las Pulgas Canyon from his house on Puerto del Mar. Locker and other longtime residents have reincorporated the nonprofit Save Las Pulgas Canyon, Inc. to fight development in the canyon, which is on sale for the first time since 1996.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

The following is not an excerpt from the archives of the Palisadian-Post: Las Pulgas Canyon is for sale–and for ‘only $25 million,’ according to its Sotheby’s listing. On October 2, when the property came on the market, prospective buyers and interested neighbors were treated to obstacle-jumping horses, free lunch and an invitation to what its realtor, Rodrigo Iglesias, calls a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to build one’s ‘own dream estate in Los Angeles.’ The buyer wealthy enough to purchase the coastal canyon east of Sunset Boulevard and west of Temescal Canyon Road will lay claim to 16 lots, a three-bedroom, two-bath 1930s-era ranch house, the former dwelling site of the Gabrielino Indians, six horse corrals, ‘beautiful ocean vistas,’ hiking trails and waterfalls–and 33 acres fraught with a history (and probable future) of political headaches and geological calamity. For members of the nonprofit Save Las Pulgas Canyon, Inc. (SLPC), it’s deja vu all over again. Mostly residents from the canyon’s rim along finger-like streets–Grenola, Marquette, Bienveneda, Muskingum and Puerto del Mar–SLPC members spent thousands of hours in the late 1980s and early 90s rallying against development there. Now, its leaders and organizers find themselves preparing to fight yesterday’s long, epic land-use battle today and wanting closure more than ever. ‘This issue should be settled once and for all,’ says Puerto del Mar resident Bob Locker, who has helped restart SLPC. ‘It’s been hanging over residents’ heads for years.’ In 1989, then-owner and would-be developer Neil Senturia presented his plan to build 45 single-family homes (down from more than 125 homes in previous years) in the canyon. That proposal, and the illegal bulldozing of the canyon’s vegetation-rich floor that preceded it, incited residents into action. They raised money, hired lawyers, land-use consultants and archaeologists and lobbied the city, county and state to protect ‘the last undeveloped coastal canyon in Los Angeles’ from development that they say threatened its natural springs and abundant ecosystem of birds, deer, coyotes and bobcats–and their property values. Owing as much to their political effort as nature’s obstacles, Senturia’s vision of a subdivided canyon went down in flames. Geologists described the canyon as practically un-developable. In fact, an extensive, independent valuation study commissioned by the SLPC and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1990 estimated that the property was worth negative $10.5 million. It cited a flood-prone creek, ‘inadequate’ drainage and water runoff, unstable soil and hillsides pockmarked by landslides. (A collapsed dam still sits on the property, a witness to–and victim of–devastating floods in 1979.) The study’s conclusion was damning: The price that Senturia’s company, Pulgas Canyon Venture, had asked for the property fell from $10.1 million to $5.9 million and then kept falling. The conservancy, which residents and local activists had urged to buy the property in hopes of preserving it as open space, declined to purchase it at any price because of the canyon’s hazardous liability. By the time real-estate investor Barry Maiten bought the property in 1996, the asking price of the canyon had fallen below $1.4 million–the exact purchase price is unknown. Maiten has owned the property ever since but has made no improvements to brace the property against its geology. ‘Nothing has changed there [since I was involved],’ said Jack Allen, a lawyer and former president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association, which has opposed development there since the late 1980s. ‘There’s been no remedial work, so selling it for $25 million is crazy. If that were mine, I’d be glad if I could give it away. As the property owner, you’re liable for the property of the dozens of houses that surround it. Whoever owns it owns the liability! Allen added: ‘Mother nature is going to have its impact regardless. That’s the history of the Palisades. It’s been going on for 100 million years. You can slow it down, buy you can’t stop it. It’s a big gamble.’ Maiten would not respond to the Post’s request for an interview. However, his realtor, Iglesias, contends that the property’s sale price is realistic. ‘What [Maiten] paid and what some nutcase said in 1990 is irrelevant,’ says Iglesias, referring to the market-valuation study. ‘If you look at all the different land sales with about three or four acres that have flat land in the Palisades or Brentwood, they sell for $200 per square foot for the flat land. There’s nine flat acres of level land in Las Pulgas. There are properties that have been sold all over the Palisades with [geological] problems like this.’ Still, Iglesias acknowledges that geological and political obstacles pose barriers to construction in Las Pulgas. Of the property’s 16 lots, 12 lie on a steep, landslide-stricken hillside with no direct road access; two are on Pacific Coast Highway; and the rest of the canyon, largely resting on uncompacted fill, is one lot. In the property’s first two weeks on the market, no one has made a bid, according to Iglesias. In recognition of widespread community opposition to large-scale development in Las Pulgas, the realtor says he is prioritizing buyers who want to build a ‘large, single-family estate.’ ‘What I am trying to accomplish is what’s best for the neighborhood and what’s best for the buyer,’ Iglesias says. ‘That would be a single-family home.’ Lloyd Ahern, who once led the SLPC, isn’t convinced of the property’s viability or its current price tag. He moved to Malibu in 1997, but he said he plans to spearhead the organization’s efforts to fight development. ‘Anyone who does their due diligence will spend a year and realize they can’t do anything with it,’ Ahern says. ‘It’s uncompacted fill. The canyon is more geologically unstable than Potrero [Canyon]. What it means is that it’s a fool’s journey to go into this canyon!’ Ahern and other SLPC members say they want the conservancy to consider buying the property again and permanently protecting its habitat. Frances Tibbits lives on Puerto del Mar in a house overlooking the canyon. As a former member of the SLPC, she fought against its development. Tibbits rejoined the nonprofit last year when it reformed to fight Maiten’s installation of thirteen 20-ft streetlights–a conflict still unresolved. But she doesn’t fear an imminent or even realistic threat of development. ‘Twenty-five million dollars is a lot of money for an unstable canyon,’ she says. ‘And frankly, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m having a hard time getting excited about it.’ —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Collection Ignites Creativity

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October 17, 2007

Native Palisadian and artist Tom Hofer, whose exhibition of matchbook collages is now on display at The Hidden Cafe, 1515 Palisades Dr., through November 30.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

Phillumeny is the word ascribed to the hobby of collecting matchbooks or other match related ephemera. Some people pick up matches as souvenirs or reminders of places they’ve visited; others seek out matchbooks because they are interested in the different labels and advertisements; and still others save them for their obvious function, lighting cigarettes. Native Palisadian Tom Hofer, though, has a different reason. Part phillumenist, part artist, Hofer recently created 18 matchbook collages, 11 of which are on display at The Hidden Cafe in the Palisades Highlands, by recreating his favorite matchbooks, on a much larger scale, complete with striker and staple. ‘I don’t consider myself a matchbook collector, but I am collecting them,’ Hofer says. ‘I collect them for their artistic resource, so I can turn it into something else.’ Hofer began creating collages several years ago. In an attempt to recreate the artwork of one of his favorite artists, Hofer quickly became aware that paint was not his medium. He was much more adept in working with paper and glue, in part due to his job as a graphic artist at the Palisadian-Post, since 1989. ‘It was a lot easier for me to recreate something by cutting out paper and creating different layers,’ Hofer says. ‘It was easier for me to do it with paper than paint.’ Soon after making his first collage, based on a painting by Shag, Hofer discovered his father’s large collection of matchbooks, mostly from places he had been. His father, Arnold, who came to America from Germany in the 1950s, had been collecting matchbooks since he arrived. ‘I happened to see my dad’s matchbook from the House of Lee and I thought, ‘Hmm, I can reproduce that and I’m not limited to paper if I’m doing an object,” Hofer says. ‘I can go for different texture for the striker and stick a staple on the bottom.’ After completing the House of Lee collage, representing the legendary Chinese restaurant on Sunset, and several others, Hofer moved on to other artistic endeavors. A bass player, songwriter and vocalist, he focused his creative energy on his music for a couple of years. But after cleaning out an art file at work, and beginning to compile a portfolio, Hofer’s interest in creating collages was sparked once again. ‘Earlier this year I was trying to work on music, but it was creatively just not happening, so I thought I would give the collages another go. Suddenly I began throwing myself head-first into those and having a blast doing it.’ Working at his parents’ house in Pacific Palisades, Hofer completed several collages the first weekend. ‘I had always meant to come back to them because I had plenty of matchbooks I had left to do,’ he says. ‘Now that pile is growing daily.’ The variety of collages he has created range from Las Vegas hotels, to bars and diners, from beverages to historical establishments such as Don the Beachcomber. And although many of his inspirations are from his father’s extensive collection, Hofer is always on the lookout for visually interesting matchbooks to recreate. ‘The first dozen or so that caught my eye were from my dad’s collection,’ he says. ‘Now I just go on eBay and spend far too much time looking up matchbooks I haven’t seen before that feature good artwork.’ In the beginning Hofer was much less selective, bidding on small lots of matchbooks, confident that somewhere in the pile would be a matchbook he could recreate. ‘Now I take closer looks at the images on eBay and make sure there is something worth my while before I even start to bid.’ After Hofer selects the matchbook he wants to recreate, the artistic process begins. He scans the image into his computer and blows up the image to the size he wants to recreate, then visits the art store to find the paper or matboard whose colors match the original matchbook most closely. After creating a template on his computer, he begins the tedious process of cutting out each individual element of the matchbook, and assembling the pieces to create the final product. ‘Working on them is my version of meditation because I get sort of lost in the period and the art of the matchbook,’ Hofer says. ‘By doing the collage it’s almost like I’m dissecting the artwork of the original piece and seeing it for its elements of shape and color and rebuilding it.’ After completing 18 collages, and receiving numerous compliments from those who had viewed his work, Hofer began exploring the idea of having it displayed somewhere. After reading a story in the Post about a local artist whose work was shown at The Hidden Cafe (1515 Palisades Dr.), Hofer scouted the location and then contacted owner Mary Autera. ‘It was amazing. It went great,’ Hofer says of their meeting. ‘She even suggested that I could start hanging them that night.’ Although Hofer waited a few days before doing so, giving him a chance to frame them, he soon had 11 of his collages on display in the restaurant, and the following week held an artist’s reception, where he received enough positive feedback to encourage him to continue this artistic endeavor. Hofer now hopes to begin selling his pieces commercially and displaying them in more places. He plans to take some of his Vegas-inspired collages, which are among his favorites, to different hotels or restaurants in Vegas, to see about having them hung there. With three more collages in the works, Hofer intends to continue recreating matchbooks, incorporating new media like fabric, wood or found objects and he wants to begin new collages inspired by stained glass art, stamps, album covers and comic books. For more examples of Hofer’s work, go to www.tomhofer.org

Calendar for the Week of October 18

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October 17, 2007

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 All are invited to join a Peace Vigil hosted by Palisadians for Peace every Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Swarthmore and Sunset. Palisadian Janette Rainwater discusses and signs ‘2060: A Love Story in a Utopian Future,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Rainwater is a retired clinical psychologist who earned her Ph.D. from Berkeley in 1964. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 Palisades Beautiful meeting, 10 a.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Upcoming neighborhood tree planting will be discussed. Members, friends and the general public are welcome. Contact: www.palisadesbeautiful@earthlink.net.’ A free screening of ‘Call Me Madam,’ starring Ethel Merman and Donald O’Connor, 1 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. This monthly program is co-hosted by Friends of the Library and the Palisades AARP chapter. Gala opening concert of the 2007-2008 season by the St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Neenan, 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church, 1031 Bienveneda. Tickets at the door: $25. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20 Friends of the Library used book sale, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Palisades Branch Library parking lot, 861 Alma Real. All proceeds benefit the library. Volunteers are invited to join the monthly work party on the Village Green from 9 to 11 a.m. Just bring shears and gloves. Contact: Marge Gold of the Village Green Committee at 459-5167. Holiday Boutique & Crafts Fair, today and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine Temple, 17080 Sunset Blvd. Free parking and free admission. (See story, page TK.) Singer/musican Shakeh and guitarist Chris Pinnick (formerly with the group Chicago) present a concert of adult contemporary eclectic music, 2 to 3 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Free admission; donations are accepted. Everyone is invited to an Oktoberfest meal, 6 p.m. in Luther Hall at the Palisades Lutheran Church, corner of Sunset and El Medio. For ticket prices and other information, call (310) 459-2358. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 Tenth Annual Town Fair, sponsored by the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Antioch, between Swarthmore and Via de la Paz. The Westside Waldorf School holds a benefit event to help pay for a traffic signal at Sunset Boulevard and Los Liones Drive, 3 to 7 p.m. at The Outdoor Room at 17311 Sunset, across the street from the school. Palisades Symphony will perform ‘The Newspaper Suite for Trombone and Orchestra’ and other classical music, 7:30 p.m. at the Palisades Lutheran Church, 15905 Sunset. Free admission. MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Stewart Hall in Temescal Gateway Park. Public testimony begins at 8 p.m. Pacific Palisades Residents Association and No Oil, Inc. invites the community to a combined annual meeting on Monday, October 22, 2007, in the main meeting room of the Pacific Palisades Women’s Club, 901 Haverford Street, Pacific Palisades CA. Beginning at 7 p.m. refreshments will be available, followed at 7:30 by a short business meeting and election of the 2007 ‘ 2008 Board of Directors. Ms. Joy Horowitz, author and journalist, will discuss her recently published book parts per million, the poisoning of Beverly hills high school. Guest speaker, Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, will discuss important community and regional district issues. There will be time for audience discussion with the speakers. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23 Chamber Music Palisades opens its season at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s parish, 1031 Bienveneda. Tickets at the door: $25. Artist and educator Ruth San Pietro addresses the Palisades Art Association at 7 p.m. at the Palisades Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24 Palisades AARP Travel Group features a slide presentation on Myanmar by television’s Dr. Art Ulene, 2 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Weekly writing meeting for members of all 12-Step programs or anyone with a habitual problem or illness, 7 to 8 p.m. at 16730 Bollinger Dr. Telephone (310) 454-5138 or e-mail info@12stepsforeverybody.org. A three-hour writing workshop is held at the same location every third Saturday at 9 a.m. Pacific Palisades resident John Stein discusses and signs ‘The World’s Fastest Motorcycle: The Day the Bonneville Salt Stood Still,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. (See story, page 8.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m., Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Public invited. ‘Thanking Father Ted: Thirty-Five Years of Notre Dame Co-Education,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore.

Writing in the Fast Lane

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October 17, 2007

Motorcycle enthusiast and new author John Stein, surrounded by several vintage bikes in the garage of his home on Chatauqua.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

By Shuhei Matsuo John Stein has had many successes in his advertising career, but he now can add an accomplishment just as impressive to his resume. He is now officially an author. Driven by his passion for motorcycles, the 15-year Pacific Palisades resident published his first book, “World’s Fastest Motorcycle: The Day The Bonneville Salt Stood Still,” on August 31, thus fulfilling one of his lifelong goals. Stein will discuss his book and autograph copies for guests at Village Books on Swarthmore Avenue next Wednesday, October 24, at 7:30 p.m. Stein’s talents as a creative thinker and writer have always served him well in his advertising career. In 1988, he founded Stein Robaire Helm, which was named the West’s fastest growing agency in three years. In 1995, he founded Band of Gypsies, a creative consulting firm that has developed campaigns for a number of famous companies such as K-Swiss, Baja Fresh, HealthNet and UPN. He now serves the firm as the president. While Stein has worked on just about every kind of product imaginable, cars and motorcycles are where his passion lies. Over the years, he has created advertisements for Nissan, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Isuzu, Suzuki, Daewoo and Porsche as well as Honda, Yamaha, and Indian Motorcycles. So one day, he decided to write a book about his life’s passion. “I’ve always done advertising as a profession and I’ve always been with motorcycles as a hobby,” Stein says. “Ever since I was 12 or 13, I’ve been fascinated by them.” In “World’s Fastest Motorcycle,” Stein journeys the Bonneville Salt Flats to chronicle the history of motorcycle land speed racing and the monumental 2006 BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials, where three of the sport’s leaders campaigned for world record honors. Stein uses his advertising creativity in the book, which includes over 200 photographs and gives readers an opportunity to experience the triumphs and failures of landspeed racing alongside the fastest men in the world. Stein began writing his book about two years ago and despite the amount of information he had to cover, he says finishing it was “not that hard.” “I knew there would be information in old magazines or books,” he says. “I knew because people are so passionate about it, it wouldn’t be difficult to get them to talk. It’s not like they are hiding anything, but they are only too happy to talk about it.” Sure, interviewing those motorcyclists may have been easy, but that is only one part of publishing a book. What about the writing part? “To me it was like doing a college term paper,” Stein admits. “But just 50 times more because of the amount of the tale.” Still, Stein claims the whole process wasn’t hard to do because he knew he had a good idea. “It was just a function of hours and determination,” he says. However, Stein faced the most difficult time during the process when he lost months’ worth of work on his computer. He abandoned the project for about a month but decided to get back into it once he realized there was nothing he could do to get the lost work back. Finally, after two years of writing, Stein has a sense of satisfaction from publishing his first book and says the experience taught him an important life lesson. “Maybe it sounds like a cliche, but if you set your sights on doing something and just keep at it, the chances are very good that you’ll do it,” he says. “If you have an idea, go for it.” His wife Marilyn, is an L.A. native, plays volleyball four times a week and also teaches special education at a local school. He has a son, Nick, 26, who is learning to be a film editor and a daughter, Liz, 23, who works in advertising sales at MTV. In some ways, Stein says, writing a book is similar to racing a motorcycle in that both require the utmost discipline and determination. “These are larger-than-life guys that are kind of like in the Wild West,” he says. “You know, like an Olympian, ‘I want to be the fastest man in the world, not second or third,’ and they do it. That’s really great.” Although he has 25 motorcycles at his house, including a 50cc Grand Prix roadracer, Stein says he doesn’t ride them very often for safety reasons. Yet he has always been fascinated by them, and they are one of the reasons he moved to Southern California 20 years ago. “If you are into theater, you go to New York,” says Stein, a native of St. Louis. “But if you are into cars and motorcycles, some of the most talented, knowledgeable people are around here [in Southern California].” A stereotypical image of Southern California, especially areas like Pacific Palisades, might be someone driving a fancy car along the beach. And it is true that many people in the Palisades do drive fancy cars, but they know about their cars, Stein says. “In the Palisades you see a lot of beautiful cars, but there are also several people who are what I call ‘gear heads,’ meaning that for them it’s not just about driving a fancy car, it’s about actually knowing how to take it apart,” Stein explains. “There is an interesting collection of people around here who really do know about their cars. They can’t just write a check, but they know how to take it apart. So I found this interesting and surprising.” A “gear head” from Pacific Palisades has got his thoughts together and published a book on motorcycles. What’s his next goal? “When I went to Bonneville [in the beginning of September], I had one gentleman approach me about maybe doing some television, related to the same subject,” Stein says. “And I had other interesting books related to this, maybe biographies of some of these people, as opposed to this more general book about this subject.” Published by Parker House Publishing, World’s Fastest Motorcycle is available at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore. (Editor’s note: Shuhei Matsuo is a senior journalism major at Pepperdine and sports editor of the student newspaper, The Graphic).

Football Goes from Worst to First

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October 17, 2007

Dolphins Beat Hami in League Opener, Halt a Four-Game Road Losing Streak

Linebacker Terrance Quarles drags down Hamilton wide receiver Donnie Duncan in the third quarter of Palisades' 21-14 victory last Friday afternoon. — Linebacker Terrance Quarles drags down Hamilton wide receiver Donnie Duncan in the third quarter of Palisades’ 21-14 victory last Friday afternoon.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

It was only one game, but for a Palisades squad that had lost four in a row, Friday afternoon’s 21-14 victory over Hamilton might just as well have been the Super Bowl. Not only did it give the team some much-needed confidence, it also vaulted the Dolphins into a share of first place in the Western League. “I’m pleased as punch but we have a long way to go,” PaliHi Head Coach Kelly Loftus told his players in the team huddle after the game. “We have a long way to go and a statement to make.” Palisades had the worst record of any of the league’s six teams going into Friday’s opener. Now the Dolphins find themselves not at the bottom, but the top–and they intend to stay there. “Our new motto is ‘Keep it rolling,'”‘ Loftus said. “It starts at practice Monday through Thursday and hopefully carries over to Friday night.” Up next for the Dolphins is Fairfax (4-2), which also opened league play with a win. The junior varsity game kicks off at 4 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7 p.m. Just like it had at Reseda the week before, Palisades marched downfield for a touchdown on its opening drive Friday, setting the tone for a hard-hitting, physical game that was dominated by the defenses. “Getting that first score was huge because it showed we could play with them,” Loftus said. “Our offense got us the lead in the first half and our defense kept us in the lead in the second half. Even though we lost last week I thought we started playing better and that effort carried over to today.” Leading 21-7 at halftime, the Dolphins (2-4) forced a three-and-out on Hamilton’s first possession of the third quarter, but Pali’s offense was unable to capitalize. The Yankees’ defense also buckled down and when Joe Berman’s punt was blocked and recovered by Hamilton at Pali’s 24-yard-line early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins’ lead looked in jeopardy. Their defense stiffened, however, and Hamilton turned the ball over on downs. “That was a huge turning point in the game,” Loftus said afterwards. “If they score there they get the momentum and anything can happen.” Hamilton (3-3) pulled to within a touchdown on a desperation 29-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left, but Palisades recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

Corpus Cruises at Revere Tourney

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October 17, 2007

Corpus Christi Coach Haley Jorgensborg (second from right) and her players with their first-place trophies from the Rider Volleyball Tournament.

Although she may not possess the “Midas Touch,” Palisadian Haley Jorgensborg certainly knows how to get the best out of her players. And in a team sport such as volleyball, that trait is worth its weight in gold. Since Jorgensborg took over as head coach of the Corpus Christi girls squad last year, the Condors have seemingly forgotten what it’s like to lose. The latest example came Saturday at the Rider Cup tournament, where Corpus won every game en route to the championship at Paul Revere Middle School. The Condors were clicking on all cylinders from the moment the first ball was struck, even winning one game 11-0 on the ace serving of Courtney Levan. She also served an ace on championship point. In an interesting twist, the Corpus varsity had to play the Corpus JV in the semifinals. With a roster full of local players, the Condors have been on a roll since winning the American Martyrs Mustangs tournament September 15 in Manhattan Beach. Jorgensborg, herself a Corpus grad who went on to play volleyball at Marymount High and UCLA, has molded a talented group of girls into a cohesive unit on the floor. The Condors consist of eighth-graders Levan, Christine Irvin, Lanti Moye-McClaren, Meghan Middleton, Erica Wahlgren, Lauren Waters, Sophie Zaloom, Izzy Desantis and Lucy Tilton and seventh-graders Katie Kaufman, Annie McCroskey and Ariel Wilbur.

More Juvenile Arrests For Drugs and Drinking

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October 17, 2007

The Los Angeles Police Department Vice Unit has arrested seven juveniles and one adult this month for alcohol violations and illegal drug use in Pacific Palisades. This follows 14 arrests in September for similar illegal activity at the Mobil station, corner of Sunset and Swarthmore. On October 4, a 21-year-old male and an underage male were observed drinking alcohol in the parking lot behind the Mobil station. Both live in the Palisades. The adult was charged for drinking in a public place, the minor was cited for underage drinking. On October 10, five youths were arrested for possession of marijuana and a sixth was charged with dealing. The drug activity was first observed in the Mobil station area at 3 p.m. A 17-year-old female Palisades resident was followed and arrested at Via de la Paz and Sunset. Evidence found on the girl included a scale, grinder and ‘pay and owe’ sheets. She had previously been arrested for drinking in public. The other five youths, all males from outside the Palisades, drove from the Mobil station to the Palisades Charter High School parking lot, where they were arrested for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. The youngest was 14, joined by two 16-year-olds, a 17- and an 18-year-old. The youth told police that they thought it was okay to buy the marijuana because it was sold to them by a person who had a medical marijuana card. LAPD Vice Unit member Ronald Crump told the Palisadian-Post that since the federal courts have not ruled on the legality of medical marijuana, selling and possession is still a crime. (The Supreme Court ruled in Raich v. Gonzales in 2005 that the federal government can prosecute medical marijuana patients. Several medical marijuana dispensaries in California have since been subject to drug raids.) In addition to the arrests made in conjunction with illegal activity at the Mobil station, the vice unit has also learned about similar activity at other Palisades locations. ‘We’ve been disappointed that no one initiated mobilization from the community,’ Crump said, referring to the Post’s September 29 front-page story on about the arrests. ‘I received no calls. I was disappointed there wasn’t a response from anybody. Even the Palisades Community Council never called to ask us for advice.’ In the article, LAPD asked the Community Council’s assistance ‘in taking a stand against the Mobil station’s practice of selling alcohol to minors as well as allowing the property to be used as a haven for minors to consume alcoholic beverages and narcotics.’ In addition, Crump complained that Palisades Patrol and Bel-Air/ADT Patrol (the local private security companies) haven’t provided help. ‘They know more of the kids than we do,’ he said. ‘We were unaware they wanted our help,’ Palisades Patrol CEO Scott Wagenseller told the Post this week. ‘We’d like to assist LAPD in any possible way.’ Bel-Air Patrol’s Mike Ball was on vacation and unavailable for comment. Crump also wants Palisades parents, residents and business owners to become more responsible and proactive in responding to illegal activity by the town’s youth and not to ignore lawbreaking (as he writes in an Opinion piece, page 2). ‘There should be zero tolerance from the community,’ Crump said. ‘We’re not the moral police. It is the community’s responsibility to change the trends and norms of behavior: what is accepted and what’s not. ‘We’re [the vice unit] not going to waver in right and wrong,’ Crump emphasized, and he urged residents ‘to create a community consensus that clearly states that drug use and underage alcohol consumption are illegal, unhealthy and unacceptable.’ Anyone who wants to report criminal activity such as underage drinking or the use or sale of narcotics can call the LAPD Vice Unit at (310) 444-1514 or e-mail 33383@LAPD.LACITY.ORG. Or, contact Palisades Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore at (310) 444-0737.

Dolphins Spike Uni in Three

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October 17, 2007

Alex Lunder celebrates one of her eight kills in Monday's Western League win over University. — Alex Lunder celebrates one of her eight kills in Monday’s Western League win over University.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

Even without All-City hitter Alex Lunder in its lineup, the Palisades High girls volleyball team was a contender for the City Section title. Now that Lunder is back on the floor the Dolphins may just be the team to beat. Palisades certainly played that way on Monday, needing just over 35 minutes to dispatch visiting University, 25-6, 25-11, 25-9. Lunder pounded eight kills and showed little rust in her second full match back from a sprained ankle injury that had sidelined her for a month. That bodes well for the Dolphins heading into today’s showdown at first-place Venice which will likely determine the Western League champion. “I think we’re playing really well,” Lunder said. “We beat Venice in their tournament [September 22] but I’m not sure how much that will count. The deciding factor is to beat them now.” Venice beat Palisades in five games on October 1 in the first of two league meetings. The Gondos also have home-court advantage for today’s contest. “We have to beat them more decisively than they beat us,” Lunder said. “They beat us by two points in the fifth game so hopefully we can take them in four [games] this time.” Venice coach Allen Hunt knows what to expect from Palisades and doesn’t plan to change his lineup or do anything different. “No, we play our game no matter what,” Hunt said. “Sometimes it’s good enough, sometimes it’s not. When we take care of our side of the court we’re fine.” Outside hitter Laura Goldsmith had nine kills and Teal Johnson had four blocks for the Dolphins, who raced to early leads in each game against the Wildcats and rotated players in and out constantly to keep everyone sharp. Palisades hosted Santa Monica in an intersectional match on Wednesday (result unavailable at press time) to make up a match that was postponed in September. As well as the Dolphins’ varsity is playing, the junior varsity looks even more unstoppable. Pali’s JV squad is undefeated this season and won the Sylmar Tournament last weekend in dominating fashion. The Dolphins beat Lancaster, Granada Hills and Eagle Rock in pool play (winning seven of eight games in the process), then beat L.A. Baptist in the quarterfinals and Gabrielino in the semifinals before routing host Sylmar in the finals.

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