CLASSIFIED ADS FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 31, 2007

May 31, 2007

HOMES FOR SALE 1

ANGUILLA, BRITISH WEST INDIES. Situated on one acre with 200’ of waterfront and spectacular views of 4 islands, this private, romantic, Caribbean water’s edge one-of-a-kind West Indian Villa with an established rental income history is available for $2M. Contact: (264) 497-3282 or anguilla@earthlink.net

HOMES WANTED 1b

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

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

DUPLEX, 863 HAVERFORD. $3,150/mo. Pets welcome, 2 bdrm, 1 ba, all app., gardener, garage incl, near beach & village center, quiet street. Available 6/4/07. Call agent Linda Taylor, (310) 994-0168

FULLY RENOVATED 3 story Mediterranean home. 1/2 block from beach. Built by J. Paul Getty for his mistress. 4 bdrm, 6 ba, billiard room w/ wet bar. 800 bottle wine cellar, 4 person elevator, several patios & decks & a multi-level yard w/ jacuzzi. Hardwood flrs, California tile, steam shower, 2 indoor Jacuzzi tubs, 3-car garages, loft storage. $15,000/mo. One or more year lease required. For more information or to set up an appointment please contact us at (213) 494-0059 or at fidel68@sbcglobal.net

ATTRACTIVE 3 BDRM, 1.75 BA plus bonus room, large master bdrm. All appliances, corner home with view. Gardener incl. Available 7/5/07. Short term lease to 5/31/08. $4,200/mo. (310) 454-1669

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

UNUSUAL 1,800 SQ FT upper apt. in Mediteranean triplex near bluffs. 2 bdrm+bonus rm, 1 ba, tiles, wood floors, plantation shutters, frplc, ceiling fans, garden. $3,500/mo N/S, no pets. (310) 804-3142

LARGE 2 BDRM+2 BA, carpet, w/d, dishwasher, balcony, walk-in closet, F/P. Village close, controlled access bldg. $2,895/mo. Call (310) 230-4110

1 BDRM, 1 BA VINTAGE 6 unit building. Hardwood and tile, laundry, parking, lots of light. Available June 1st. Approx 700 sw. ft. $1,625/mo., 1 yr lease. (310) 230-9479

CONDOS/TOWNHOMES FOR RENT 2d

OCEAN VIEW POINT DUME Townhome with private beach key. 2 bedroom 2 story home with garage parking and laundry fac. $3,200/mo. Available now. Call Catherine, (310) 487-3018

STUNNING OCEAN VIEW, designer interior 2 bdrm+2 ba condo. 1/2 block to beach. 7 min. to SM. All new granite, marble, hdwd flrs, cabinets, appliances, hi ceilings, large deck. Huge closets. W/D, garage. 1,200 sq.ft. $3,900/mo. (310) 230-4200 • www.malibucoastline.com

HEART OF PACIFIC PALISADES. 2 bdrm, 2 ba. corner unit. Balc, F/P, Din+study areas. W/D, D/W, all app. 2-car garage pkg w/ storage. Pool+gym. 1 yr. Lease. Avail. 7/1. $3,300/mo. (310) 454-0351

WANTED TO RENT 3b

PROFESSIONAL FEMALE, 48, quiet, non smoker, no pets, local references, looking for a beautiful & peaceful place to live in Pac. Pal. Tel. (310) 717-6829

DR. LAURA OF Laura’s Wholesome looking ISO bright, quiet home with view. Professional with low key, quiet life and no pets looking for a new home. Have outgrown current space. Friendly and considerate neighbors a bonus. Flexible about date of move. Email: homeflowersmusic@yahoo.com or (310) 821-9409

3 BDRM + HOME or larger or condo for month of August. Need yard and good neighborhood. (310) 393-1171

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

PROFESSIONAL BUILDING in Pacific Palisades. Newly painted, renovated suite with new pergo laminated floors. Pleasant office space located in village. 862 sq. ft. Call Maria, (310) 230-6712 x114

PALISADES OFFICE spaces avail in the heart of the VILLAGE. 1.) 250 sf with views of the Santa Monica mountains. Best suite in building. 2.) 750 sf 2-room suite and reception area with large windows, great natural light, balcony. Add’l office space avail. for lease: 3.) 1,150 sf office on top floor; 4.) 285 sf office on top floor; 5.) 3,310 sf office avail. in Dec. with fantastic build-out; T1 internet access. Elevator and parking. Call (310) 591-8789 or e-mail leasing@hp-cap.com

MONTH TO MONTH Lease. Furn/unfurn office suites on Sunset near Pacific Palisades Village DSL, Receptionist area w/ guest seating, Conference room w/ computer, monitor, TV and VCR. copy center w/ b/w & color laser printers, scanner & fax. Kitchen, cleaning service & alarm system. Call (310) 254-5496

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

VACATION RENTALS 3e

RV FOR RENT. 29’, fully self-contained travel trailer. Just steps to Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades. $1,600/mo. (310) 454-2515

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM TO THE BOARD ROOM. These guys do it all. Premier business club. Strongest applicants accepted. (888) 376-5215 • www.dreamsbecomereality.net

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY LOOKING for a lucrative business that you can start TODAY? www.SuccessAndPrivilege.com

PERSONALS 6b

KATHY FORMERLY OF “A Cut Above” has relocated to “The Krimpers” at 857 Via de la Paz. For an appointment please call (310) 459-0023

BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b

NEED HELP WITH PAPER & BILLS? I can help you with bookkeeping, bank recs, filing, online banking,etc. Know Quicken, Quickbooks, MAC & PC. $30/hr. with a 2 hr minimum. Call Allison at (310) 428-5935

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. Enjoy Problem-Free Computing. 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

CLARES SECRETARIAL SERVICES. Providing all aspects of administrative/bookkeeping support in the home or office. (310) 430-6701

OVERLOADED WITH CLUTTER? All Areas Organized can restore order to any home, office or garage w/ effective organizing solutions. Including: paper management, desk overhauls, home office set-ups, clutter control, closet organization, filing & storage systems. Save time, energy, money & space while reducing stress! Professional, reliable & non-judgmental. Locally based in Pacific Palisades. Call (310) 562-7271 for consultation. Member National Association of Professional Organizers.

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

HOME INVENTORY SERVICES 7j

HOME INVENTORY SERVICES for FIRE, THEFT, Earthquake, Wills/Estates, Rentals, Divorce. Incl video, photos & detailed reports. Pali resident. (310) 230-1437 www.homesweethomevideo.com

MISCELLANEOUS 7k

PART-TIME CEO FOR YOUR FAMILY BUSINESS. Take that vacation. Don’t lose a beat. Treating your business like my own. 28 years experience. CEO/C.F.O./Esquire. Call Steve M. Marks, (310) 889-6900

DAYCARE CENTERS 8

PALISADES LEARN AND PLAY. Creative & nurturing Pre-K program. Crafts, music & educational curriculum. Openings for summer & fall, F/T or P/T. (310) 459-0920

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

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

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

NANNY/LIGHT HOUSEKEEPER, 10 yrs exp. Loves kids, energetic, responsible, excellent refs. DMV, clean record. Bilingual Spanish/English. Avail. Mon.-Sun., F/T, live out, Call Mirna, (323) 937-2323

YOUNG ENTHUSIASTIC NANNY! Willing to drive, tutor, cook for & play with your kids. 5 days/wk. I am a USC graduate with a car and a flexible schedule. Available right away! Please call (310) 666-7276

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

HOUSEKEEPING TEAM available M-F, full time, own transportation, references. Call Leslie & Gloria, (323) 233-9310 • (323) 839-8473

I’M MOVING & my wonderful housekeeper of 8 yrs is available Mon./Tues. mornings, Wed. afternoon & Fri. all day. Own reliable transport. Fluent Eng. Will housesit & manage your home. Call me at (310) 210 0631

HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday. Own transportation, CDL, references. Call Emma, (213) 383-7781

HOUSECLEANING LADY looking for 3-5 days/wk, English speaking, CDL, own transportation, 20 yrs experience, babysitting also available. Call Nila or Silvia, (323) 735-0935 or (323) 387-8882

MARTINEZ HOUSECLEANING SERVICE. Quality, Experience, Carpets, Free estimates. Good references. Ask for Dario or Cris, (323) 388-0218

HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Monday-Friday. Own transport, CDL, insured, good references. Call Alejandra, (323) 757-8110 or (213) 220-2556

HOUSEKEEPER BABYSITTER available Mon. & Thurs., own transportation, local references, CDL. Call Marion, (323) 217-5010

HOUSEKEEPING TEAM available Monday-Friday, own transportation, CDL, insured, references. Call Delfia or Jacqueline, (213) 487-4694 or (213) 400-6810

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER, experienced, own transportation, CDL, insured, references. (310) 695-5154

HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER with many years experience. Palisades references, own car, CDL, insured, available Tues., Wed. & Sat. Please call Lilian, (310) 390-9235 or leave a message.

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. Cell, (310) 498-5380, (310) 390-1276. www.TheKingKoi.com

www.ongoldenpondec.com. Under supervision of Aquaculture Engineer. We service Koi ponds and design filtration systems according to your needs. We considerably improve the aesthetics. (310) 922-5817

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

MOVING & HAULING 11b

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

TREE SERVICE 11d

JOHNSON TREE SERVICE • TREE • SHRUB • STUMP REMOVAL SINCE 1924 • St. lic. #685533. (310) 454-8646, Brad

JUAN’S TREE SERVICE • Complete tree service • Ornamental trimming • Removals • Stump grinding • Hauling & clean-ups • All professional work. Free estimates. Juan Baltazar, owner, (818) 364-5428

MASSAGE THERAPY 12b

THAI MASSAGE in the Palisades. Experience an ancient form of healing with Phoebe Diftler. Compassionate, intuitive practitioner/Thai massage and yoga teacher. (310) 573-1499

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

PARTY ENTERTAINMENT 14e

SOUTHERN CRUX BARTENDING SERVICE • Andrew Funke Certified Bartender • Parties • Special Events • Etc. (310) 699-8190

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

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

VIOLIN INSTRUCTION. Expert, friendly guidance at all levels by highly qualified teacher. Home or studio. Teaching in Palisades 20 years. Laurence Homolka, (310) 459-0500

TUTORS 15e

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. EXPERIENCED TUTOR 20+ YEARS. Children & adults, 20+ yrs teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly special ed teacher. Call (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

EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR • All grades, levels • Grammar • Conversational • SAT • Children, adults • 7 yrs exper. • Great refs. Noelle, (310) 273-3593

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

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

CONSTRUCTION 16d

ALAN PINE GENERAL CONTRACTOR • New homes • Remodeling • Additions • Kitchen & Bath Planning/Architectural services • Licensed & Insured #469435. (800) 800-0744 or (818) 203-8881

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

HANDYMAN • PAINTING • DRYWALL REPAIRS • Water damage repair • Small carpentry work • Tile • 17 years EXCELLENT service & experience. FREE ESTIMATES! Call (310) 502-1168. Not lic.

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

SPIROS PAINTING, INTERIOR/EXTERIOR. Painting on the Westside since 1980. Lic. #821009. Fax and phone: (310) 826-6097. NO JOB is too small or too big for Spiro the Greek

ZARKO PRTINA PAINTING. Interior/Exterior. 35 years in service. License #637882. Call (310) 454-6604

PAINTING • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INTERIOR • EXTERIOR • PLASTERING • STUCCO REPAIR • DRYWALL • WATER DRAINAGE • WALL PAPER REMOVAL • POWER SANDING • STAIN & TERMITE DAMAGE REPAIR • 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE • REFERENCE ON REQUEST • FREE ESTIMATE. Call Armon, Cell: (310) 562-9435, (310) 556-0867. Lic. #291753

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

COMPLETE CUSTOM CONSTRUCTION • New homes • Kitchen+Bath remodeling • Additions. Quality work at reasonable rates guaranteed. Large & small projects welcomed. Lic. #751137. Call Michael Hoff Construction today, (310) 230-2930

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

RECEPTIONIST-ORTHODONTIC OFFICE. Exclusive practice in Pacific Palisades. Exceptional opportunity—Salary DOE. Please call (310) 454-0317

ASSIST IN START-UP of new biz in Pacific Palisades. $10-$12/hr DOE. Approx. 25 hr/wk. Permanent or temporary. Potential for higher earnings. Basic computer skills req. (310) 459-7675

HAIR SALON IN Pacific Palisades has rental space available. Hairstylist, manicurist. Call (310) 600-7362

NANNY/HOUSEKEEPER needed for newborn & 5-year-old. Legal, clean DMV, fun, energetic & loving. Speak English. F/T, M-F. $13-$14/hr. Call Melissa, (310) 753-2842.

AUTOS 18b

1988 MERCEDES 560 SL CONVERTIBLE. Classic beauty, 108K, silver, very clean & well maintained, local owner. $12,500 obo. (310) 454-0708

2005 VW NEW BEETLE Convertible, GLS, beige, excellent condition, only 14,000 miles, 4 year warranty. $18,000 obo. Call (310) 890-0799 pp

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

GARAGE SALE! Sunday, June 3rd, 9 a.m.-2:00 p.m. 470 Wynola St. No Early Birds

WANTED TO BUY 19

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

‘Citizen’ Dinner Celebrates an Historian, Activism

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May 30, 2007

The Ole Citizen Troupe roasted the Citizen of the Year, Emil Wroblicky, with a medley of songs during a sold-out celebration at the American Legion Hall last Thursday.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

Emil Wroblicky raises his glass to a sold-out audience at the Citizen of the Year celebration hosted by the Palisadian-Post.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

Betty Lou Young received a Community Treasure Award from the Palisadian-Post in recognition of her vital role as the author of numerous books involving the history of Pacific Palisades. She is congratulated here by Laurie Newman, a deputy for State Senator Sheila Kuehl.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

Maintaining a tradition that began in 1947, the Palisadian-Post honored Emil Wroblicky as the 2006 Citizen of the Year last Thursday evening with a down-home banquet at the American Legion Post 283 Hall on La Cruz. The Post also presented a Community Treasure Award to Betty Lou Young, 88, who has chronicled the town’s history and its neighborhoods through books (including ‘Pacific Palisades: From the Mountains to the Sea’) and articles, usually in collaboration with her son Randy, a photographer. ‘Betty Lou is a giant dynamo in a petite package, and I would never underestimate what this gal can do,’ said Post Publisher Roberta Donohue. ‘She has taken the true spirit of what our founding fathers saw in Pacific Palisades and has been at the forefront of many hard-fought battles to preserve our small-town atmosphere and the parkland that surrounds us. ‘Betty Lou’s writing has given this community an identity, and she brings it to life through her books.’ In her humorous, heartfelt acceptance talk, Young thanked her friends at the Palisades Historical Society, the various homeowner associations she has worked with over the years, and ‘all the wonderful characters’ she researched and interviewed, whose deeds have made her books come alive. Introducing ‘Citizen’ Wroblicky, Donohue noted that ‘this award is the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed on a resident. We feel that recognizing the volunteer efforts of people who improve the quality of life for all of us is a gratifying responsibility.’ ‘Emil,’ Dononue continued, ‘fits the ‘Citizen’ criteria like a glove”an individual who, through unselfish efforts, has made a lasting contribution to Pacific Palisades in the previous year that ideally promotes the town’s environment and character and inspires and encourages a great interest in civic affairs.’ ‘Emil does this year after year in his work on behalf of the American Legion and the Palisades Fourth of July parade committee, while also promoting patriotism among young people.’ Wroblicky, who was joined by his wife of 57 years, Alice, amused everybody by noting historical connections to various people in the audience. There was 92-year-old Phyllis Genovese, founder of The Letter Shop on Via de la Paz, who attended his old high school in Illinois. And Lou Hruby, a 1935 graduate of Notre Dame (Emil’s alma mater), and John Huarte, the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner, and actor Peter Graves, ‘who threw out the first pitch at the park one year, and the ball was caught by my son Steve.’ The evening’s entertainment, featuring singer Didi Carr Reuben and a supporting troupe, was directed and choreographed by Babs Warden Lebowsky, written by Barbara Dawson, and produced by Joan Graves, with Dr. James Smith on piano and Steven Carr Reuben on drums.

Malcolm J. Abzug, 87

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May 30, 2007

Longtime resident and community activist Malcolm J. Abzug, Ph.D., died on May 23 at the age of 87. Abzug was awarded the Pacific Palisades Community Service Award in 1997 for his years of varied work in the community. He received the Trail Volunteer of the Year Award in 2001 from the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council in recognition of many hours spent building and maintaining hiking trails. In the mid-1990s he started a vegetable gardening program at Paul Revere Middle School and ran it for six years, until a regular teacher was found to take it over. In addition, he served as board member of the Palisades Human Relations Council, Pacific Palisades Residents Association, No Oil, Inc., Graffiti Busters, the Village Green Committee, and the Temescal Canyon Association. His book ‘Palisades Oil,’ published in 1991 and available at the Palisades Branch Library, is a definitive history of the 22-year community struggle over oil drilling in the Palisades. What is less well known to residents is Dr. Abzug’s illustrious career as one of the nation’s leading aeronautical engineers. His accomplishments were recognized in 1996 by his election to the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Engineering, an honor shared by fewer than 2,000 engineers in the United States. He was also a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and chair of the Institute’s Los Angeles Section from 1958 to 1959. Abzug’s engineering career spanned some 50 years, as recounted in his autobiography ‘Waco Gliders to Stealth Bomber,’ which is also in the Palisades library, as is a Cambridge University Press book ‘Airplane Stability and Control,’ co-authored by an MIT professor. A second edition appeared in 2002. Another publication was ‘Computational Flight Dynamics,’ a textbook appearing in 1998. He held a B.S. in engineering from MIT and, in 1962, a doctorate in engineering from UCLA. At the Douglas Aircraft Company, he was Chief Engineer, Advanced Flight Mechanics. He also served as a department manager at TRW Systems, a project engineer at Sperry Gyroscope, an adjunct professor at both UCLA and USC, and as an independent consultant for many southland firms, including Northrop, and for the Canadair Corporation of Montreal. A naval officer in World War II, Abzug later served on numerous government advisory committees. In the engineering community, he was best known for pioneering work in flight mechanics. When, in the 1950s, the nation’s first jet fighters experienced dangerous pitching and yawing motions in rapid rolls, Abzug’s small perturbation stability method was used at his own company and in other groups to find solutions. In the 1980s, he developed wind correction logic for the air measurement data system of the B-2 stealth bomber. For relaxation, Abzug grew vegetables, built and maintained hiking trails in the Santa Monica Mountains with a local Sierra Club crew, flew light planes and sailplanes, and rowed a single shell at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center. He held a commercial pilot’s license, with multi-engine, instrument, and glider ratings. When Abzug learned about his award from the Community Council in 1997, he told a Palisadian-Post reporter, ‘I enjoy giving to the community. The work means a great deal to me. I feel honored to be awarded for something I do with great pleasure.’ He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Gordon Breedon Abzug, whom he married on August 24, 1946; two sons, administrative law judge Michael David Abzug of Hancock Park, and dentist Dr. Mark McGregor Abzug of Scottsdale, Arizona; and seven grandchildren. Services will be private.

Rosendahl Claims Budget Victories for Palisades

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May 30, 2007

The Los Angeles city budget for the next fiscal year will expand police services and preserve key city services that will benefit residents of Pacific Palisades, said Councilman Bill Rosendahl on Tuesday in an interview with the Palisadian-Post. The City Council approved the budget unanimously last week, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to sign it this week. Villaraigosa sent the council a budget in April that significantly increased police department spending. But he slashed spending across almost every other department in an effort to reduce the city’s $200-million deficit. Since then, the Budget and Finance Committee met for dozens of hours each week to modify that budget. The budget was only ‘altered a bit,’ said Rosendahl, who is a member of the powerful, five-person committee. But he says those small changes will restore important benefits for the Palisades and the 11th Council District, which encompasses a large swath of west L.A., including Brentwood, Venice, Palms and Westchester. The proposed budget allocates an additional $13.8 million to hire more police officers and provide 113,000 police overtime hours. Rosendahl, a first-term councilman, said the budget will give LAPD’s West L.A. division more flexibility to hire police to serve the area, including the Palisades. ‘For us in CD 11, approving the hiring of more cops was a no-brainer,’ Rosendahl said. Some of the features of the new budget that Rosendahl highlights include: ‘ The Budget and Finance Committee increased funding of the Department of Recreation and Parks to extend hours at municipal parks. ‘ The Fire Department’s Helitanker lease was extended for one year. Rosendahl says the tanker is an essential tool in fighting brush fires that threaten local hillsides. He also says that the budget provides funding for an additional helicopter for command staff and pilot training. ‘ More than $1 million was restored to Fund for illegal sign removal, which the city estimates will result in the removal of 300,000 illegal signs such as posters and flyers in the public right-of-way. ‘ $4.3 million was restored to the city’s 50/50 sidewalk repair program. The councilman said the mayor’s budget made a large cut to the program, which has benefited many Palisadians. ‘ The committee restored $654,144 to the Fire Department’s Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program. Local activists convinced Rosendahl to continue funding the program, he said. ‘ $1 million was restored to the city library system’s budget to acquire new library books. ‘ Tree trimming services will be accelerated by nearly one year after the Council allocated $1 million. The wait time will be reduced from 10.1 years to 8.8 years. Rosendahl said that the budget approved by the Council is the result of a slow and deliberative process. ‘We’ve been very conservative and strategic in how we’ve been working,’ he said. ‘We weren’t rushed. I thought the process was excellent.’ Geoge Wolfberg, president of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association, has followed this year’s budget process closely. And he says that Rosendahl’s second year on the committee has given him more refined attention to detail that will benefit the Palisades. ‘I watched the city budget committee on TV for more hours than I had time for. It’s mind-numbing,’ said Wolfberg, who worked for decades as a financial administrator for the city. ‘The first year [as a councilmember] you’re a deer in the headlights. There are tons of details, and you’ve got to know all of them or else you’re going to get your pockets picked.’ Wolfberg appreciates continued funding for the city’s 50/50 sidewalk program and tree trimming services. But he worries that funding for illegal sign removal which does not increase enforcement could have little effect. The budget’s allocation of more police funding for the West L.A. Division pleases Community Council Vice Chair Richard G. Cohen, who has advocated for more police protection in the Palisades. But he is hesitant to call the budget a victory for the community. ‘It’s nearly impossible for an individual to analyze the city budget to understand its impact on a neighborhood,’ Cohen said. ‘The problem I have reacting to this type of news is that the good things are mentioned but the bad news is absent. Who knows what was cut or left out of the budget?’ One large omission in this year’s budget, Rosendahl concedes, is funding for the city’s aging infrastructure. Funding for street repaving was also cut. And no additional resources will go towards repairing city sewers. So far this year, more than 80,000 gallons of raw sewage have spilled from sewer lines in the Palisades, where the ruptured lines were at least 50 years old. ‘Infrastructure maintenance is not resolved,’ said Rosendahl, who chairs the Public Works Committee. ‘It’s an ongoing problem. And we can only do so much when the city has not reinvested for 30 years.’ Rosendahl said that he is currently working with other council members to put a bond on a 2008 ballot that would fund street repaving. Prop. O provides funding to prevent polluted storm water from entering Santa Monica Bay. No bond is currently planned to reinvest in the city’s sewer lines, but he said he is considering promoting it. The councilman says that programs like the 50/50 sidewalk program and his Point-of-Sale program, which asks home-sellers to pay for sidewalk repair, could take needed pressure off the Department of Public Works. ——— To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

From Hiroshima to PaliHi, A Personal Plea Against War

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May 30, 2007

Last week, Kazu Sueishi spoke to students at Palisades Charter High School about her personal experience surviving the bombing of Hiroshima on April 6, 1945. Photo: TV Fan

On August 6, 1945, Kazu Sueishi thought she saw an angel flying through the sky. One bright yellow flash later, she had fallen to the floor unconscious, dreaming that she was in heaven. Instead, when the 18-year-old emerged that morning from what she remembers as a five-minute coma, she awoke to an apocalypse. The blue sky was now black. Her back was broken under the weight of her house. Third-degree burns covered her father’s body. Her mother was hidden under the house’s rubble. And in a powerful, violent blast of heat and wind, her cousins, niece and uncle had disappeared–forever. At Palisades Charter High School last week, the 80-year-old Sueishi recalled with pain and humor her life and how it changed the day the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. In her hour-long speech to more than 100 students, she made a personal plea against warfare and nuclear weapons. ‘It’s my duty as an American citizen to talk about the horrors of nuclear war, so it never happens again,’ said Sueishi in sometimes broken English. ‘I’m not a politician. But I think war is nothing but a stupid game.’ Students on the high school newspaper, The Tideline, invited Sueishi to speak and organized the event, which also featured student poems, a documentary of the bombing and dozens of posters chronicling the history of atomic warfare. Longtime anti-nuclear activists and Palisadians Josh Greenfeld and his wife Foumiko Kometani, who lived in Japan during the war, were inspired to bring Sueishi’s story to a younger generation after meeting her four years ago. And they helped students organize the event. ‘There are a lot of things to work for,’ said Greenfeld, a writer who lives on El Medio Avenue. ‘But at this point in my life, I think the most important is to make the age of nuclear weapons taboo. If just two kids understand its dangers, that’s all. One is an infinitely greater number than none.’ Sueishi was born in 1927 in Pasadena. Her parents’ struggle to learn English made running their grocery store difficult, and they returned to their native Hiroshima one year after their daughter’s birth. When Japan’s war against China began in 1937, Sueishi was a middle-school student. In 1941, a new front in Japan’s war opened when it attacked Pearl Harbor, joining Germany and Italy in World War II. Wartime rations and air raids became a way of life and virtually all young men were drafted to fight, including Sueishi’s middle-school English teacher–a small consequence of Japanese aggression she still resents. But lying on a large island southwest of mainland Japan, Hiroshima was largely spared much of the costs of its nearly decade-long war–until August 6, 1945. ‘Most people would watch the [American] B-29s,’ said Sueishi. ‘It was a beautiful plane. It came by many times but never dropped the bomb.’ When a bomber named Enola Gay released the 9,700-pound uranium bomb–the first ever–on the city, about 70,000 people died instantly. An elementary school class Sueishi visited a day before the bomb had become a graveyard of 25 students’ bodies charred black. Postwar reports by the U.S. government described a blast so powerful that people’s shadows were burned onto walls; birds burst into flames in mid-air; clothes’ patterns were burned onto skin. Those not killed on impact died in a conflagration of smoke and radiation that engulfed the city with immediate and lingering effects. ‘I wasn’t burned, but I became very sick,’ Sueishi said. ‘There was no water for days and I lost my appetite. Every day, really normal looking people would die. And every day after that I thought that today is my turn to die.’ Despite her broken back, the self-described hibakusha–atomic-bomb victim–said that the shock of the bomb kept her from feeling pain. As many as 200,000 people died within five years of the attack because of radiation-induced cancer, according to the Department of Energy, which designed the bomb. And even today, many Japanese trace their tumors to the effects of radiation from the bombing. The devastation of Hiroshima was replicated three days later in Nagasaki, which brought Japan’s unconditional surrender to the United States and the Allied forces. A longtime resident of the United States, Sueishi now lives in Rolling Hills Estates. In 1949, she left Hiroshima for Hawaii and then Los Angeles, where she studied fashion before returning to Hiroshima. In the late 1950s, a Japanese-American proposed to her and she moved back to Los Angeles–this time permanently. ‘Many people ask if I hate America because it dropped the bomb,’ she said. ‘America is a big, beautiful country with very generous people. I love this country. My daughter was born here.’ During her presentation, Sueishi encouraged PaliHi students to pepper her with questions. And although she uses a cane, she was determined to demonstrate her vivacity. ‘I can do the jitterbug,’ said Sueishi, who interspersed humor throughout her lecture. Sueishi’s presentation came at a perfect time for Marcy Winograd, whose U.S. history classes recently finished studying World War II. ‘For kids who couldn’t imagine the reign of destruction, I wanted them to see the effects of atomic weaponry,’ said Winograd, who had three of her classes attend the nuclear war presentation. ‘It was incredible to hear her speak,’ said Elena Loper, a ninth-grader. ‘She has so much love. It was really inspiring. And when she was talking about the bomb dropping, I had tears falling down my face.’ Sueishi ended her speech by asking students to repeat an exhortation. ‘We will not repeat the same mistake again. No more Hiroshima! No more Nagasaki! No more hibakusha!” —————- To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Dolphins Swim to City Title

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May 30, 2007

Pali Girls Repeat; Boys Finish Eighth

Palisades swimmers (from left) Hayley Lemoine, Kristen Fujii and Patrice Dodd cheer on Nicole Washington in the 200 freestyle relay at last Wednesday's City Championships. — Palisades swimmers (from left) Hayley Lemoine, Kristen Fujii and Patrice Dodd cheer on Nicole Washington in the 200 freestyle relay at last Wednesday’s City Championships.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

Halfway through last Wednesday’s City Section Swim Championships, the only drama left in the girls’ varsity competition was in the race for second place. Palisades had already staked its claim to a second consecutive title and the only thing left for the Dolphins was to finish their final meet as strong as they started it. Mission accomplished. With multiple swimmers in every event, Palisades’ girls lapped the 10-team field on the way to finishing with 302 points, well ahead of Western League rival Venice, which took second with 171. Granada Hills finished third with 164 points at John C. Argue Swim Stadium, located next to the Los Angeles Coliseum. “It feels great, it’s such a relief,” said Dolphins’ Coach Maggie Nance, who was spared a push into the pool for a celebratory swim because she is eight and a half months pregnant. “A lot of my kids were tapered for the prelims last week, so not everybody swam faster today.” Palisades advanced 17 girls to the finals and won as much with sheer numbers as with sparkling times. The Dolphins’ 200 medley relay team of Kristen Fujii, Alyssa Machida, Nicole Washington and Julie Wynn set the tone in the opening event by winning in 1:56.51’over two seconds faster than its qualifying time. Jasmine Punch followed with a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle, then Hayley Lemoine and Sophia Perelshteyn placed third and fifth, respectively, in the 200 individual medley. “Julie [Wynn] and Patrice [Dodd] are the only seniors, so everyone else will be back,” Nance said, already looking towards a possible three-peat next spring. “Losing Julie is huge. She scored in four events today so that’s a big loss. But we have so many good freshmen and a promising crop of girls entering Pali next year that will give us a good chance.” Dominating the sport is nothing new for the Dolphins, who have captured 28 swim titles since 1981–17 by the girls and 11 more by the boys. The girls last won three consecutive titles from 2001-03 under previous coach Merle Duckett. “These girls will only get faster,” Nance said, referring to her younger swimmers who continue to drop times. “Ana Silka and Hayley Hacker are two freshmen to watch for next year. They had an outstanding meet.” Pali widened its lead in the 50 freestyle when Washington, Fujii and Wynn finished second through fourth. The 100 butterfly was the only event in which the Dolphins did not have a top six finisher, although Washington won the consolation final in 1:09.78. In the 100 freestyle, Wynn was second in 56.33 and Lemoine was fifth in 57.46. Freshman Shelby Pascoe swam third in the 500 freestyle and the Dolphins’ 200 freestyle relay team of Dodd, Lemoine, Washington and Fujii clocked a 1:44.68 to take second. Fujii was second in the 100 backstroke (1:02.17) and Hacker was sixth (1:08.17) while Machida swam second in the 100 breastroke (1:12.04). Pali capped the meet off in style, beating Granada Hills by 52 hundreths of a second in the 400 freestyle relay (consisting of Cheyanne Kampe, Punch, Wynn and Lemoine). The Dolphins’ margin of victory nearly equaled that of last year, when they outdistanced runner-up Cleveland 316-180 1/2. Frosh/soph swimmers Elizabeth Ebert and Katherine Lemoine didn’t make their events initially because they were taking AP exams. But after the meet was over, Ebert swam a race by herself for time. “It was great,” Nance said. “All of her teammates were cheering for her and she was the only one in the pool.” Palisades’ varsity boys, which had its string of consecutive City titles snapped at four last year, finished eighth overall with 75 points, one behind Reseda. Junior Carl Kaplan was fifth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 52.45, sophomore Eric Pietraszkiewicz won the consolation final in the 100 breastroke and placed third in the consolation final in the 200 individual medley and senior captain Vladimir Ufimtsev won the 500 freestyle consolation finals in 5:31.76. Andrew Le was first in the consolation final of the 100 backstroke. “All the boys swam well,” Nance said. “Five years ago, we won City with only six boys. The reason is that they all scored high. If you can go first in every event, it can make a huge difference.” Unlike the girls, Palisades’ boys lacked the depth to compete for the team title and none of their three relay teams finished in the top six. The 200 medley relay won the consolation race in 1:50.89 and Pali’s 400 freestyle relay was second in the consolation final in 3:42.02. Cleveland’s boys won the meet with 297 points, well ahead of second-place Birmingham (184).

Bring on Chatsworth!

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May 30, 2007

Pali Beats Roosevelt to Reach Semifinals

Eric Verdun hugs Oliver Goulds at home plate after Goulds' two-run homer in the third inning of last Friday's victory over Roosevelt. The Dolphins advanced to the semifinals against Chatsworth. — Eric Verdun hugs Oliver Goulds at home plate after Goulds’ two-run homer in the third inning of last Friday’s victory over Roosevelt. The Dolphins advanced to the semifinals against Chatsworth.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

The first two games of the City playoffs could not have been more different, but at this point in the season the Palisades High baseball team will take any win it can get. Two days after Johnny Bromberg’s clutch pitching eked out a 2-0 win over Sylmar in the first round, the Dolphins’ offense came alive Friday in a thrilling 9-8 quarterfinal victory over Roosevelt. The reward for holding serve at home was exactly what the Dolphins hoped they would have before the playoffs began–an opportunity to play top-seeded Chatsworth (28-4) in the semifinals with the winner advancing to Saturday’s championship game at Dodger Stadium. “I’ve been wanting to play them [Chatsworth] since 10th grade so now I’ll have my chance,” a jubilant but arm-weary Cole Cook exclaimed after his gutsy complete-game effort against Roosevelt. “This was a huge win for us and hopefully we can carry our momentum into next week.” Friday’s game pitted two of the best pitchers in the City against each other in Cook and Martin Villanueva, who had tossed a five-hitter with nine strikeouts to frustrate the Dolphins 9-1 on March 5. Anticipating that Roosevelt would start its crafty left-hander again, Dolphins coach Tom Seyler invited lefty alum Nick Kaufman to practice Thursday so his batters could adjust to left-handed pitching. It worked. Palisades teed off on the Rough Riders’ ace, scoring eight runs on six hits in the first three innings. Eric Verdun started the barrage in the first with a RBI double to center field, then scored on a fielding error. The fourth-seeded Dolphins (23-9) added four more runs in the second when Austin Jones drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Oliver Goulds, Verdun executed a squeeze bunt to score Zach Dauber and Andy Megee singled to plate two more runs. On most days, a five-run cushion would be more than enough for Cook, who had reeled off nine wins in a row since losing Palisades’ season opener. But when he hung a slider that Jesse Castellanos whacked over the left field fence to lead off the second inning, it was clear the Dolphins’ 6′ 6′ right-hander was struggling with his control. “Both pitchers were up in the zone and whenever that happens runs are going to score,” Seyler said. “I thought about pulling Cole a couple of times but every time I talked to him between innings he said he had no doubt in his mind he was going to finish that game.” The fifth-seeded Rough Riders (32-3) scored six runs on six hits in the third to take go ahead 7-6, but Pali regained the lead in the bottom of the frame on a two-run homer to center by Oliver Goulds, who also made two dazzling catches at third base to rob Roosevelt of extra base hits. “They were laying off the bad pitches and really made me work,” said Cook, who struck out six but gave up 13 hits and needed 128 pitches in seven innings. “As the game went on I started locating my offspeed stuff better. Once [the pitch count] gets into triple digits you just have to find something extra.” Roosevelt almost regained the lead in the fifth when Jonathan Torres doubled with two on, but Pali right fielder Alex Meadow chased the ball down and relayed to shortstop Andy Megee, who fired to catcher Garrett Champion in time to tag out Alfredo Acevedo at home plate. “That was a key play that cost us a run,” Roosevelt Coach Scott Pearson lamented. “This was a game between two evenly-matched teams and they were able to capitalize on our mistakes.” With the score tied 8-8 in the bottom of the fifth, Cook doubled and scored the decisive run on Dauber’s two-out single to center. After Cook retired the first two batters in the seventh, Megee made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch on the edge of the outfield grass to rob Tony Martinez of a single and end the game. “The bottom line is that my team gave me nine runs today,” Cook said. “Without those runs, nothing I did would’ve mattered.” In the Dolphins’ playoff opener against 13th-seeded Sylmar (16-11), Bromberg matched Spartans’ ace Scott Taylor pitch for pitch through five innings. After Verdun scored from third on a changeup in the dirt to break a scoreless tie in the sixth, Bromberg doubled to score Megee for a 2-0 lead. With two outs in the top of the inning, Seyler had signaled for a curveball on a full count and Bromberg caught the outside corner to strike out Erick Lopez looking. Cook pitched the seventh for his first save. “I was able to throw strikes when I needed too,” Bromberg said. “The way the game was going I thought one run might win it.” Bromberg (9-3) threw 107 pitches, allowing five hits, three walks and striking out 10. Even Sylmar coach Ray Rivera was impressed. “We had several chances to score but you have to give their pitcher credit,” he said. “That kid battled through pressure the whole way and threw some great breaking balls when we weren’t expecting them.” The Chatsworth-Palisades winner will meet either Cleveland or defending champion Kennedy at 4 p.m. Saturday in Chavez Ravine.

Spark, Spark, Get it Going!

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May 30, 2007

Gold Sparkplug winner Lisa Taylor and her husband, Jim, who grew up in Pacific Palisades.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, *Staff Photographer*

In every community there are the unsung heroes who make ‘it’ happen. Unasked, they take responsibility to fix an injustice, right a wrong, help the town solve a problem or start an innovative program. The Pacific Palisades Community Council recognizes those citizens with its yearly Golden Sparkplug Award. Last Thursday evening at the Citizen of the Year dinner, Lisa Taylor and John Grosse were honored. Taylor received her award for battling graffiti in the stairwell between the Methodist Church parking lot and Haverford Avenue. ‘She saw a problem and didn’t wait for the Community Council or anyone else to get involved,’ said council chairman Steve Boyers. ‘She decided to act on it promptly and bought a gallon of paint at Norris Hardware. The Sparkplug is designed for this type of initiative and effort.’ In accepting the award, Taylor told the audience that she had moved with her family to the Palisades in August and was upset when she walked her seven-year-old up the steps to Palisades Elementary School and saw graffiti and trash. When her son remarked, ‘The robbers came,’ she knew she had to do something because, as she explained, ‘This is our daily commute.’ She also wanted her children to know that one person can make a difference. ‘I went about taking care of the stairwell and keeping it clean,’ Taylor said. ‘It became a daily routine because there are a lot of people who go up and down the stairwell. It’s their commute as well.’ She looked into a neighborhood beautification grant through Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s office, but learned it required a matching grant. ‘Maybe some day I’ll have money for matching grants,’ she said. Undeterred, Taylor visited Marilyn Crawford in the Chamber of Commerce office, which gives out gloves, a mask, and a certificate for paint at Norris to ‘grafffiti-busters.’ Crawford also told her that the police need photos of the graffiti, not only to see if it’s gang activity, but to document repeat offenders. ‘I love the small-town charm here and I’m proud to call Pacific Palisades home,’ said Taylor, who moved here from Scottsdale, Arizona. ‘I’m tickled with the honor and I want to be able to tell my son, ‘Maybe someday we’ll catch the robbers.” John Grosse was recognized for his efforts to improve traffic flow and increase safety in the streets around Marquez Elementary School. ‘He saw that the unbearable traffic in that area was dangerous and intolerable for the neighborhood and community,’ Boyer said. ‘He put together a meeting with residents and city officials, and the result was a crosswalk, a stop sign and several left-hand-turn-only signs. If anyone can do it, he will.’ In his acceptance remarks, Grosse told about the traffic issues he discovered when he moved back to the Palisades in 2003. ‘I found I could hardly park my car on the street on school days,’ he said. ‘I got people together who were in the same situation and formed a committee.’ After the early successes, he continues to meet with the Marquez principal to work on solutions for the threefold problem of inadequate parking for school employees (which causes street parking problems), intense traffic at drop-off and pick-up times, and lack of traffic control. ‘Short term we’ve done well,’ Grosse said, ‘but long term, we’ve got to get the city and LAUSD to support solutions.’ He vowed ‘I’ll stay with it until it’s done. ‘

Calendar for the Week of May 31

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May 30, 2007

THURSDAY, MAY 31 Susan Straight discusses ‘A Million Nightingales,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Haunting and beautifully written, this novel of 19th-century Louisiana is the tale of a slave girl’s journey’emotional and physical’from captivity to freedom. FRIDAY, JUNE 1 Kids Pajama Storytime, featuring Jody Roberts and Lisa Gelber reading ‘P Is for Peanut: A Photographic ABC,’ 6:30 p.m., Village Books on Swarthmore. This delightful volume uses 26 photographs from the Getty Museum’s collection to show children the alphabet in action, and to teach them some interesting ways to look at art. (See story, page TK.) Paul Revere Charter Middle School students present their spring musical, ‘Annie, Jr.,’ today and tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium on Allenford. Tickets for the family-oriented show are $5 at the door. The cast consists of 35 seventh- and eighth-graders who participate in an elective, year-long drama class taught by Joshua Roig. The show’s co-producer is Palisadian Nancy Cassaro-Fracchiolla, and choreography is by Palisadian Lindsay Kerr. ‘Full Moon Hike: Galileo and the King Planets’ is the theme of a guided hike in Temescal Canyon, 7 p.m. Hike is free; parking is $5. Meet in the front parking lot. SATURDAY, JUNE 2 Professor Ronald White discusses his book ‘The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words,’ 2 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Former Pacific Palisades resident Beckie Weinheimer will talk about her new novel, ‘Converting Kate,’ 3 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. SUNDAY, JUNE 3 Art Show on the Village Green, 10 a.m., hosted by the Pacific Palisades Art Association and Friends. MONDAY, JUNE 4 Philip Giroux will discuss his book ‘Landscaping for Dummies’ at the Palisades Garden Club meeting, 7:30 p.m. in the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. The public is invited. TUESDAY, JUNE 5 Storytime for children ages 3 and up, 4 p.m., Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Tuesday Night Hikes with the Temescal Canyon Association will take a steep climb up from Paseo Miramar, but the payoff is a review of the city at dusk from Parker Mesa Overlook. Meet at 6 p.m. in the Temescal Gateway parking lot for carpooling. Please, no dogs. Expect to be back between 8 and 9 p.m. Contact: temcanyon.org. Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy meeting, 7:30 p.m. in Stewart Hall in Temescal Gateway Park. Public testimony begins at 8 p.m., followed by Conservancy and Advisory Committee deliberations. THURSDAY, JUNE 7 Local activist Bob Jeffers will update plans for renovating and upgrading the football field and running track at Palisades High School this summer, 7:15 a.m., Palisades Rotary Club breakfast meeting at Gladstone’s. Information: (310) 482-2006. Ian Gurvitz discusses ‘Hello, Lied the Agent,’ an funny insider’s look at what being a television writer is really all about, 7:30 p.m., Village Books on Swarthmore.

All the World Is Scott Anderson’s Stage

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May 30, 2007

Anderson shows off his 1909 Model T Ford. This is the vehicle he's currently driving in the centennial re-run of the Peking to Paris Motor Rally. He left Beijing on May 27 and plans to reach Paris on June 30. — Anderson shows off his 1909 Model T Ford. This is the vehicle he’s currently driving in the centennial re-run of the Peking to Paris Motor Rally. He left Beijing on May 27 and plans to reach Paris on June 30.

Whether it’s skiing to the South Pole, driving a 1909 Model T from Beijing to Paris, or writing, directing and starring in a modern-day film adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III,’ to do or not to do is never the question for Scott Anderson. In fact, he’s pursued all these activities–and more–while maintaining his full-time work as a top veterinary surgeon in Los Angeles. ‘I figure you only go around once, so why not take the opportunities life presents,’ Anderson says matter-of-factly. His modest, low-key manner belies an incredibly bold, seize-the-moment spirit. He and his wife, Dr. Lisa Brevik Anderson, also a veterinarian, live with their two sons Paul, 8, and Erik, 5, in the Huntington Palisades. ‘I think it’s about taking that first step. It’s easy to convince yourself not to try something.’ As a longtime fan of Shakespeare, and of ‘Richard III’ in particular, Anderson originally wrote his screenplay three years ago with no intention other than enjoying the creative exercise. He saw the play as well suited to an alternative version of present-day L.A., where rival studios, instead of rival branches of the royal family, drive the plot. He even uses the Bard’s original dialogue and archaisms. ‘Part of Shakespeare’s brilliance is that his characters and dialogue are timeless’endlessly adaptable to each passing century,’ Anderson says. Then the idea occurred to follow the low-budget route and direct and produce the film himself. ‘Why not?’ he remembers thinking. ‘When will I ever have another chance?’ Anderson reached the same conclusion when pondering whom to cast in the lead. ‘Having never directed before, I was unsure I would be able to direct someone to create Richard as I’d envisioned the character,’ he explains about taking on the role of Richard himself. Anderson hired a coach and took private acting lessons for a year. One of the triumphs of the film, made under the SAG Ultra-Low Budget parameters and financed by Anderson and a few associates, was the talent it attracted, including David Carradine, Sally Kirkland and Maria Conchita Alonso. The film was shot in three weeks, the only time Anderson took off as head of the Animal Surgical and Emergency Center, a 24-hour clinic, on Sepulveda Blvd. ‘I don’t think you can really grasp just how much time is involved wearing all those hats until you do it,’ says Anderson about his first foray into the film world. The film, titled ‘Shakespeare’s Richard III,’ is off to a good start, winning top honors as first feature at the Houston International Film Festival in April. Anderson is optimistic about acceptance at other film festivals and finding a distributor. In the meantime, his focus has dramatically shifted to another pursuit: driving his 1909 Model T Ford in the centennial re-run of the Peking to Paris Motor Rally. The competition, first staged in 1907, began in Beijing last Sunday and concludes with a parade and celebration in Paris on June 30. Nearly 140 antique and classic cars will travel a prescribed route through Mongolia, across Siberia, up to Moscow and St. Petersburg, then down through the Baltic States before heading to Paris. ‘The car has been refurbished and repaired and we hope will survive the 8,000 miles,’ said Anderson before departing from Los Angeles with his co-driver, fellow veterinarian Dr. Rob Fisher. ‘Otherwise, we’ll be hitchhiking from Mongolia.’ This isn’t Anderson’s first extreme adventure. In 2003, he slogged on cross-country skis in minus 40-degree temperatures for seven days before reaching the South Pole with a small group of adventurers. In his never-a-dull-moment universe, he’s planning another ski trip, this time to the North Pole in 2008. Anderson’s wife is a kindred spirit when it comes to travel and adventure, and he has little doubt his sons will follow in the same footsteps. ‘My family is wonderfully supportive,’ he says. A native of Virginia and graduate of Virginia Tech, Anderson moved to Los Angeles in 1986. His father worked with the overseas branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so much of his youth was spent in foreign countries, first Liberia and later Ecuador. ‘I think this laid the groundwork,’ he says. ‘It put me in the mind set of experiencing the world and seeing what’s out there.’

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