Margano, a contemporary clothing store offering moderate prices, opened last Saturday at 15228 Sunset Blvd., next to Philips French Cleaners. Owner Larissa Love, who also has a boutique shop on Montana and 11th Street in Santa Monica, will carry dresses, skirts, shirts, shoes and accessories. ‘I focus on basics,’ she said. Love has wanted to open a store in Pacific Palisades for a while”I love the people here,’ she said, ‘and the vibe of the community’–but was waiting for the right opportunity. When the owners of Philips, who are friends, decided to downsize, Love seized the opportunity. ‘It just came up that way,’ she said. ‘It was meant to be.’ Although the interior of the store is completely finished, Love is still waiting for furniture for a front sitting area, her first shipment of shoes and additional shipments of clothing. ‘I wanted to bring in good-quality clothes for good prices,’ said Love, who has priced the most expensive items in her stock at between $100 and $125. A basic yoga pant retails for $32, tank tops range in price from $12 to $20 and shoes will retail for $38 to $68. Love has chosen styles that accommodate mothers and daughters. Her long skirts might be more appealing to the older generation, while her mini-skirts are geared towards the younger crowd. In addition to clothes, she has a large selection of hair accessories, including jeweled bobby pins, clasps, and combs. She also plans to give students with ID cards a 10-percent discount. With so many high-end clothing stores in the Palisades, Love opted to go into a lower price range and give local shoppers more choices. ‘I didn’t want to compete with anyone,’ she said. ‘My neighbors should be happy because I’m not going head to head with any of them. I like everyone to be happy’I like a serene environment.’ In the 1990s, Love had a Palisades pet store, Bel-Air Pet 2 Pat, which was located just up the block, next to Kay ‘n’ Dave’s Cantina. She eventually closed the store because she was going to college at the same time and the demands were too high. In addition, she had a tough time parting with the pets. ‘Every time I sold a pet, I cried,’ she said. After graduating from the University of San Francisco with a degree in business and art history, Love went into fashion. She still loves animals and designs high-end pet beds, pet handbags/carriers and matching outfits. That are all made in the United States. Samples will be available at her store and available for order. Initially, Love and her mother or sister will be in Margano to welcome customers. ‘I like my clients to feel as if they belong to a family,’ said Love, who added that the response from women who have stopped in the store so far has been positive and that many are pleased with the affordability of her clothing. In addition, she will also offer a gift-wrapping business. Love plans to keep her shop on Montana, which leaves little free time for her personal life. ‘I’m an aunt of three and a mom of a Chihuahua,’ she observed. Margano is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Telephone: (310) 454-7021.

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council approved a nearly $6-million package of left-turn arrows and traffic-signal upgrades that promises congestion relief at 361 intersections on the Westside. But despite local experiences of mind-numbing waits at jam-packed intersections, none in Pacific Palisades will benefit. Officials at the L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT) blame the lack of change on the community’s Specific Plan, part of the municipal code that regulates commercial development in the Palisades’ four commercial zones. The Pacific Palisades Commercial Village and Neighborhoods Specific Plan does not collect fees to address the ‘cumulative impact’ of additional traffic created by new development, says Jay Kim, a senior transportation engineer at LADOT. And because money raised through the plans must be spent within the areas they cover–in this case, parts of West L.A., Brentwood, Venice, Westchester, Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey–LADOT is prohibited from making similar improvements in the Palisades. ‘We could have been part of the global West L.A. Specific Plan if only we had known,’ said George Wolfberg, president of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association (SMCCA), which frequently advocates for traffic improvements. LADOT’s Kim warns against expecting rapid progress if the Plan is changed. Relative to those areas on the Westside, development in the Palisades is less frequent and smaller-scale, which means that raising necessary funds could take a long time. ‘It might take 10 years before you have a sizeable balance,’ Kim says. ‘Every bit could help. But the expectation should not be that there’s going to be immediate change.’ Of course, improvements to Westside traffic infrastructure have not happened quickly. Most of the changes that LADOT will make involve replacing technology of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Beginning this fall, the LADOT improvements will include making the following specific upgrades: ‘ Controller Improvements. Currently, there is more traffic on the Westside than signals can process. New computers atop signals will send 25 percent more data to the city’s traffic engineers, allowing them to see traffic and change signal length in real time. Engineers expect intersections with the most lanes like Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue to see the most change. Also, these new controllers will recover automatically from power outages, unlike current ones which require that city crews reset each signal manually. ‘ Enhanced Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS): More lane sensors will be installed to ‘better monitor how many people are at an intersection and change the length of lights, accordingly,’ according to LADOT. ‘ Left-turn Arrows. Thirty-three designated left-turn arrows will be installed at 18 intersections. Engineers expect the largest improvements at these intersections. In West L.A., the streets with the most signal improvements include Sunset, Barrington, Bundy, Centinela, National and Olympic. Noticeably absent from the list is Wilshire Boulevard, where only a few changes are planned. According to LADOT Principal Transportation Engineer Sean Skehan, most of the signals along Wilshire were upgraded a ‘few years back.’ He said that by replacing the surrounding controllers, the department will be better able to manage traffic throughout the area. ‘There should be some improvement realized on Wilshire,’ Skehan said. Although Palisades’ streets won’t benefit directly from these upgrades, city officials insist that local residents who commute throughout the Westside will notice the changes. LADOT officials expect a three percent increase in traffic capacity overall on city roads as a result of the controller and lane improvements. They also predict bigger benefits from the left-turn changes at affected intersections. ‘That three percent increase in capacity translates into shorter queues,’ Skehan said. ‘It’s a small perceived benefit to the individual motorist, but a large benefit to commuters as a whole.’ City Councilman Bill Rosendahl co-wrote the motion that will bring traffic upgrades. The councilman, who ran for office with the pledge of lowering congestion in his Westside District 11, foresees benefits for his Palisades constituents. ‘This is a quick fix,’ he told the Palisadian-Post last week. ‘It helps the Palisades incrementally. It’s not a complete solution, but little things add up. If it saves people a couple minutes commuting time, it’s worth it.’ Changing the Specific Plan to collect development fees for traffic upgrades would require City Council action and community support. But even if the money were raised locally for LADOT traffic improvements, it wouldn’t affect some of the most congested intersections along State Route 1 or Pacific Coast Highway. That’s because the highway is owned and managed by the state’s–not the city’s–Department of Transporation (Caltrans). According to Caltrans Spokesperson Maria Raptis, the department has begun installing the latest technology along 40 miles of PCH. Raptis said, ‘124 intersections will have this technology that will tell us how many cars are at the intersections.’ Also, 19 new cameras at intersections along the highway, including ones as Sunset, Temescal and Chautauqua, will give the department live video of traffic conditions. Caltrans expects that work to be complete by summer 2008. —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

The dials on Lauren Allen’s satellite car radio are already well-worn. But her new job might test the limits of their durability–not to mention her car’s–when she unwinds to hits from the ’80s during her new 60-plus-mile daily commute from Fillmore to Palisades Charter High School. “The drive is not as bad you think!” she joked during an interview with the Palisadian-Post on Monday. “Plus, I love driving.” Last week, the 39-year-old mother of four began her first trek to the school, where she is now its director of instruction–a position recently reinvented by PaliHi’s board. In June, board members saw a need for an administrator who could be an intermediary between the long-range educational vision of a goal-setting principal and the nitty-gritty, day-to-day job of managing the academic staff at the 2,700-student school. And in mid-August, they chose Allen for the job. Teachers began returning to school this Monday, but classes won’t start until next Tuesday–and that’s when her job will pick up. Among a dizzying array of other duties, Allen will manage academic programs, including the Pyramid of Intervention, Dolphin Days and the Literacy Program; meet with parents to mediate issues related to classroom instruction; lead faculty meetings and teacher learning groups; ensure the school’s accreditation; develop budgets for academic programs; and work closely with the principal, Marcia Haskin, to supervise and manage department chairs and teachers. Board members say that Allen’s tirelessness and her experience in education made her the right candidate for the job. “She really understands teachers and what they need,” explained Rene Rodman, vice chair of the school board. “That’s a real good fit for our school’s model. And because she’s been a principal, she has an appreciation of the big picture, too.” Board member Eileen Savage said that Allen’s attitude aligned well with the needs of the new position. “What I really like about her is that she is willing to roll up her sleeves,” Savage said. “She has the whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done mentality–that’s what we need at Pali.” Allen entered education for reasons as personal as they were professional. “I decided to become a teacher because I had a ‘life-changing’ experience [at Diamond Bar High School],’ she said. “I was falling through the cracks because I was too shy to ask for help. However, a dynamic teacher made a huge impact on me. She was the first teacher who treated students as people and did not talk ‘down’ to us. She challenged us to think, which was a first [for me] in education.” Hoping to have the same influence on others, Allen became a teacher after graduating from Cal State San Bernardino in 1995 and began teaching English at Barstow High School. She worked there in a variety of roles in addition to teaching: She was chair of the school’s accreditation team; she worked in a literacy program; and she coached teachers who were in the process of earning their credentials. In 2000, Allen left Barstow High to work for the San Bernardino County superintendent of schools. As a curriculum specialist, she worked with 3,000 teachers per year throughout 17 school districts, evaluating curricula against state and county educational standards. After statewide budget cuts left her–and countless other educators–jobless in 2003, she joined a private company established by her former colleagues. In that position, she helped new teachers acquire needed skills: plan lessons, grade tests, design curricula, and meet state standards. Allen returned to teaching again in 2005, when she started working at LEAP Academy in Chatsworth. But within a couple of months, she ascended to academic dean and then principal at the start-up, college-prep charter. She worked there until last May. Allen has spent her first week at Pali familiarizing herself with the school and dozens of its 100-plus teachers. Her impression: ‘There’s more talent here than at any of the schools I’ve worked at.’ Allen said she sees opportunities in the school’s staff and its independence from Los Angeles Unified School District. “Our teachers have the freedom to tap into their specialties and their passions. And students’ test scores [here] reflect that that’s working,” she said. Allen also hopes to extend the success of the school’s achievement for all of its students. “I want to increase opportunities for minority students. All students who graduate from here should be able to go to a four-year university.” Principal Haskin began working with Allen this week and she’s optimistic about their collaboration this year. “We’re on the same wavelength, and that excites me,” she said. “We’re both go-getters. And I think it’s going to work out great!” —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich left Pacific Palisades last week looking a little more presidential after visiting Joe Almaraz, longtime owner and operator of the venerable Palisades Barber Shop on Antioch Street. The Ohio congressman, who came to town to see the acclaimed art collection of his friends Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, was having coffee with several of his campaign staffers at Caf’ Vida, early Wednesday evening. Almaraz explains what happened next: ‘We had about 10 minutes until closing, and an attractive lady came in and asked if we were willing to take someone after we closed. She said, by the way, ‘It’s a presidential candidate.” That ‘lady’ was Kucinich’s wife, Elizabeth. And when they entered together along with Hollywood publicist David Brokaw, she asked if Almaraz could make him look ‘more presidential’ before a candidates forum he planned to attend the following day at the Morongo Indian Reservation in Cabazon. Almaraz obliged and offered some suggestions. ‘He is a very pleasant man with very beautiful but flat hair,’ he said. ‘I suggested cutting it short enough to maybe even spike it. I wanted to make it fluffy and not so flat.’ But according to Almaraz, the congressman’s liberal streak didn’t extend to hair fashion. ‘He was conservative,’ Almaraz says. ‘He didn’t want to do anything crazy, so I cut it short.’ Kucinich was charged $30 for the after-hours cut, and’in the words of Almaraz’left the Palisades looking more ‘presidential.’

The enthusiasm that Principal Art Copper radiated when he returned to Paul Revere Charter Middle School on July 1, after a year’s absence, was contagious. ‘I am back!’ were among his first words to a Palisadian-Post writer, who called him about setting up an interview. Last year at this time, during his annual physical exam, Copper told the doctor about a little lump in front of his ear. The doctor did a precautionary CAT scan, found several lumps, and ordered a biopsy. It was cancerous. The doctor then ordered a whole-body scan and found multiple lumps. Copper was diagnosed with stage two non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in the lymph system. The stage refers to how far the disease has progressed on a scale of 1 to 4. Two treatment options were available: Copper could undergo eight chemotherapy treatments (spaced three weeks apart), with each session lasting from six to eight hours, or he could undergo radiation. He was told that side effects of radiation can include losing one’s salivary glands and a possible hearing loss, and since he plays saxophone (he was a professional musician for 16 years before he went into education), he opted for chemotherapy. Last October 24 was Copper’s last day of school, with assistant principal Fari Yashar taking over as interim principal. Once Copper’s treatments started, he found himself tired all the time. ‘The first 10 to 12 days after chemo made me weak,’ he said last week. ‘My eyes constantly watered and there were sores in my mouth.’ He also lost nearly 30 pounds, which led the doctor to warn him that he would have to stop the treatments unless he gained weight. Even though all food had a metallic taste, Copper started forcing himself to eat, so he could continue chemotherapy. ‘When I was sick, I couldn’t read, because I couldn’t focus,’ Copper said. ‘There was nothing on TV; I got antsy. It was boring around the house. I’d take the dog for a walk, and that got boring. I couldn’t wait to get back to work.’ At the end of June, Copper went back in for a CAT scan–and the cancer was gone. He was overjoyed, but he told the Post that once he started chemotherapy he knew he was going to be cured. ‘I had no doubts.’ ‘I join the new fraternity and sorority of cancer survivors,’ Copper said, ‘thanks to medical technology and the man upstairs.’ He will return for a check-up every three months for the first year, every six months for the following two years, and then once a year. Copper’s joy was even greater, because last Christmas his daughter Leilani and her husband Terron Brooks gave him a baseball cap. He didn’t pay much attention at first glance, but then noticed the words on it–Grandpa 2007. His first grandchild, Andrew James Brody, was born August 8. Copper and his wife, Kandee, live in Baldwin Hills and also have a son, James, who attends Westview School. It seems that Copper’s illness has made him tougher in some respects. ‘I will still be diplomatic, knowing that I’m at the stage in my life and career that I am,’ he said, ‘but the buck stops here. The bottom line is, I will choose to do what will be best for the student.’ He explained that when there’s a tough decision to be made that involves other administrators, teachers or parents, the focus will solely be on the student. This year’s projected enrollment at Revere is 1,971 students, down from 2,140 in 2006, and there are 85 teachers–only six of whom are new. ‘We have low teacher turnover,’ Copper said proudly. ‘I talk to some principals who have as high as 50 percent turnover; they spend all summer staffing the school.’ He continues to support lowering class sizes, a campaign that PRIDE (the parent group) initiated several years ago by paying for individual teachers. Several PRIDE parents secured School Board President Marlene Canter’s promise at a June board meeting that she would help Revere get two additional teachers this year in order to help lower its teacher-student ratio. ‘We were not given two teachers,’ Copper said, but throughout LAUSD this year, sixth-grade class size will be reduced from 38 to 36. Test scores continue to rise at Paul Revere, which is one of the few district middle schools above 800 on the important API (Academic Performance Index). ‘Our test scores have gone up every year,’ Copper said, ‘but the sky is the limit; you’re always looking to improve.’ He explained that he is looking at more than test scores to determine the school’s success. He wants to know that students are discovering the joy and love of learning. ‘I want lifelong learners. We want to help each individual student, so they don’t have to see education as being so formal. If they pick up a magazine like National Geographic, and learn something by getting a little piece of knowledge, then you get students who start to develop an interest.’ Aesthetics are also high on Copper’s to-do list this year. ‘I’m looking at curb appeal,’ he said. ‘This school needs a face-lift.’ He hopes to see the school painted a different color and gates and fencing replaced. But as he says ruefully, ‘It all takes money.’ Another goal is to have a digital marquee sign installed out front, replacing the existing 1950s sign. ‘I don’t want someone crawling up on a ladder to change the messages [school news and important calendar dates],’ Copper said. ‘It is cumbersome and dangerous and I don’t want to wait until someone is injured to get one.’ Meanwhile, he will have Revere’s Web site (www.lausd.net/Revere_MS/) updated, so that visitors can take a virtual tour of the school’s 27 acres of buildings, classrooms and field space.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30 Weekly campfire program in Temescal Gateway Park, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the campfire center past the General Store. Sing songs, tell stories and roast marshmallows, courtesy of the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority. Admission is free; parking is $5. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 Theatre Palisades presents its summer musical, ‘The Boy Friend,’ book, music and lyrics by Sandy Wilson, 8 p.m. at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road. The show, directed by Lewis Hauser, runs Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees through October 14. Ticket reservations: (310) 454-1970, or visit www.theatrepalisades.org. (See Senior Editor Libby Motika’s review in Lifestyle) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 Marv Winegar, president and CEO of Wind Energy Group in Irvine, will speak at the Palisades Rotary Club breakfast meeting about the current status and future plans of “Harvesting Wind to Help; Solve the World’s Energy Needs,” 7:15 a.m., Gladstone’s restaurant on PCH at Sunset. Contact: Tanja Kinkel will read from her book ‘Conversation Between Friends,’ 6:30 p.m. at Villa Aurora on Paseo Miramar. Palisades resident Neil Baker signs and discusses ‘The Quality of Light,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. (See story, page 12.)