The refurbishment of the L.A. County Lifeguard’s Headquarters and the adjacent public bathroom at Will Rogers State Beach was not completed by the end of January, as previously scheduled. Earlier last month, County officials pushed back the deadline for the beach’s eastern parking lot from the end of January until the end of February. After conferring with County contractor Gonzales Construction, Inc. in a weekly meeting Tuesday, officials said that the headquarters and bathroom would be completed by February 7. Crews must still paint the exterior of the headquarters and tile the roof of the bathroom, said Mike Patel, one of the County’s project managers overseeing construction. The County awarded Gonzales an $8.3 million contract in 2005 to repave the beach’s parking lots, rebuild a concession stand and public bathrooms and refurbish the headquarters. But a County planning error, which overlooked a city-owned sewer main, stopped construction for four months this summer and has slowed progress ever since. Most affected by that planning error has been the beach’s eastern parking lot. Construction crews are using light equipment in place of heavy equipment for fear of damaging the sewer. Most of the sewer lines in Pacific Palisades are more than 50 years old and easily susceptible to collapse. In fact, two area sewer lines recently broke and spilled 75,000 gallons of raw sewage. County health officials closed the beach for three days after 10,000 gallons entered Santa Monica Bay on January 19. Although rainfall this year is down more than 60 percent from last year, Gonzales has blamed much of the slow construction on the season’s rain. A county-owned parking lot west of Gladstone’s restaurant at Sunset Blvd and Pacific Coast Highway is still slated for completion by the end of February. Higher-than-expected ground water levels have stopped construction there since mid-December. Construction began there in December 2005 and is scheduled for completion by the end of this May. But the four-month delay and the contractor’s failure to meet its pre-set timelines have worried community members, who fear the project might not be finished before the start of the busy summer beach season. ‘I am pessimistic about this being done under the best of circumstances,’ said Stuart Muller, a Palisades Community Council Member, who toured the project with County officials in early January. ‘I was fairly let down by the quality and I’m feeling very nervous about it.’ County supervisors approved more than $12 million for the project. The total cost of the project has not exceeded that amount, officials said. The high cost of construction will leave the beach with some aesthetic inconsistency. Every structure at Will Rogers will be redesigned in a Spanish-Mission style, except for a decades-old concession stand in the beach’s western parking lot. Officials said the estimate for redesigning the stand was too high. The adjacent public restroom was recently demolished and will be rebuilt. —————– Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. To contact, e-mail: reporter@palipost.com.

‘We’ve got to end this war, we’ve got to get our troops home, and we have to try to restore our reputation as a country that wants peace,’ Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman told a standing-room-only audience in the Palisades Woman’s Club Sunday afternoon. Just two days before his powerful Oversight and Government Reform Committee began holding various hearings on actions by the Bush Administration, Waxman outlined his legislative agenda and his priorities as committee chairman. He has ambitious goals, from ‘getting legislation passed to help stop global warming’ to having the Food and Drug Administration take over tobacco regulation, ‘because cigarettes are a delivery system for the drug nicotine.’ But as he glumly admitted, ‘The great issue of the moment is the great tragedy in Iraq. The tragedy is enormous and it’s getting worse as President Bush proposes not getting out, but in escalating the fight with a surge of troops. Some people argue that a surge three or four years ago could have provided some security, but we came in as occupiers and we came in with incompetent management, with an administration that didn’t even think through what would happen after the military victory. They made the worst-case projections as to how dangerous Sadam Hussein had become and the reasons for going to war, and the best-case projections for after we won the war’we would be greeted as liberators, they would be allies of the United States, and all the other Middle East countries would fall in line’the dominoes of democracy.’ Waxman said that when he’s challenged to suggest an alternative plan to what the president is promoting, he begins by reminding Republican critics that ‘This administration has left us with no good options. If we withdraw immediately, Iraq goes into a civil war with a tremendous amount of fatalities, while drawing in other countries from the Middle East. If we stay there and try to stabilize the situation, we continue the bloodletting of Iraqis and Americans.’ The congressman said he already supports upcoming House and Senate resolutions that will oppose increasing the number of troops going to Iraq. ‘But people who know how this sort of thing works know that this isn’t going to stop President Bush. He’s already increasing the number of troops in Bagdad. So we’re going to have to vote on whether or not we’re going to fund this effort.’ Several audience members interrupted Waxman and urged him to publicly support cutting off funding for the new troops, but he refused to commit himself. ‘I want to see what we’re going to vote on,’ he said. ‘I know that the person who’s in charge of the resolution that will be presented on the House floor is Congressman Jack Murtha, and he has called very publicly for a redeployment out of Iraq. So I want to see what his position is. I know a lot of you say, ‘Commit to vote against any money.’ I may end up there, but I don’t want to make any promise until I see what the proposal will be.’ Waxman continued, ‘Ultimately, it’s a civil war in Iraq, and whose side are we on in a civil war? Are we out there to defend the Shiite government that kills Sunnis? If that’s what we’re doing, let’s leave right away. I’m convinced more and more that’s what the Al-Maliki government thinks we’re there to do. And we cannot put ourselves in that position. It’s a whole nasty business we’ve unleashed, and we’ve done so without ever realizing that this was a possibility by those who made the decision to take us to war.’ During the question-and-answer period, Waxman was asked how he would work to forestall a U.S. bombing or invasion of Iran. ‘If you want to lose sleep, think about a nuclear-armed Iran. It is a very frightening prospect,’ Waxman said. ‘But what can we do about it? It seems to me the rational thing to do is not to act unilaterally and not to act militarily, but to do other things first, within the international community,’ such as through sanctions imposed by the United Nations. ‘They are weak sanctions but sanctions do often work, [as we saw] in South Africa. I’ve read in the newspaper that the sanctions are having an impact on Iran because the economy is in deep trouble and the majority of the population is under 18 years old. These young people are angry; they don’t want the mullahs to tell them what to do with their lives, they don’t want to be unemployed. They want what everybody wants’a good life for their families. And if they get angry enough, they can do something right there, we hope, to stop Iran’s moving inexorably in the direction of nuclear weapons. So let’s keep the squeeze on and maybe we can solve the problem diplomatically. Maybe the leaders of Iran will decide that it’s more important to have some contact with the international community, some trade, some better life for their people. We’ve got to convince them of that fact”without taking military action, Waxman emphasized. Focusing on another imperiled region of the world, two teenagers from the local Human Rights Watch Student Task Force, Nina Serbedzija of Wildwood School and Chelsea Scharf of Palisades High, thanked Waxman for his ‘past votes to protect civilians and save lives in Darfur, but the crimes against humanity continue and are spreading into Chad, and we need stronger leadership to end the atrocities in Darfur. Our Student Task Force has been working to protect the people of Darfur for two years but conditions just get worse. There seems to be more talk than action. Please, what more can you do to help protect the people of Darfur? And how can we help you?’ Waxman answered, ‘I’m so heartened when I see high school students care about issues like this,’ adding that the U.S. ‘needs to provide more funds for the African troops who are trying to keep the peace in Darfur.’ He even advocated ‘going in there [with military assistance]’not to occupy or kill people, but to save lives. We showed leadership by going into Bosnia and we’ve got to show leadership again.’ He told the students, ‘Keep writing letters and getting those petitions to President Bush, [urging him] not just to ‘talk a good talk,’ but to actually get us to take action. Congress is ready to do whatever he needs. The president has the power to act and I want him to act now.’

County Report Points to Public Health Threat

Two sewer lines, both more than a half century old, broke in unrelated incidents on January 19 in Pacific Palisades, spilling an estimated 75,000 gallons of raw sewage. The L.A. County Department of Health Services closed the beach several hours after the spill began, as reported in last week’s Palisadian-Post. The city’s Bureau of Sanitation responded to a report of a sewage spill at the Riviera Country Club at 6:35 a.m. Sewage spilled into a small canyon off the club’s golf course, and sanitation crews worked to replace 20 feet of the 55-year-old pipe that had collapsed. It is believed that tree roots contributed to the pipe’s rupture. By the time the flow stopped by 10:23 a.m., 10,000 gallons of sewage had spilled, according to a study by the Bureau of Sanitation. That sewage flowed into Santa Monica Bay through a storm drain at Santa Monica Canyon, raising the concentration of bacteria to hazardous levels within a half-mile of the storm drain. Although city crews knew of the leak early Friday morning, they did not notify the county’s Department of Health Services until 1:30 p.m., which closed the beach soon afterward. That delay was a sign of deliberation, not negligence, according to Laura Skinner, a public information officer for the city’s Department of Public Works. ‘Crews needed to find out what they were reporting before they reported it,’ Skinner said. ‘The county wants to know that information.’ At noon Friday, sanitation crews responded to a larger spill at the intersection of Friends Street and Via de Las Olas, an area that rests on a geologically unstable bluff above Pacific Coast Highway. Engineers with the city attributed the pipe’s break to ‘land movement’ that pulled the 70-year-old pipe apart, Skinner said. After speaking to a homeless resident of the bluff, crews estimated that the spill began two days earlier, meaning that 65,000 gallons of sewage spilled. A catch basin near Potrero Canyon absorbed that flow before it could enter Santa Monica Bay. The city’s engineering department plans to relocate the sewer at Friends Street and Via de las Olas to a more stable location by the end of 2008. Bacteria returned to healthy levels in Santa Monica Bay by Saturday, but beaches were kept closed until the afternoon of Monday, January 22. The two spills were not related. These two spills have come at a time of increased scrutiny of the city’s and county’s response to and preparation for local sewage spills. A county investigation released last Wednesday found that poor intergovernmental communication and inadequate maintenance of local sewer systems accounted for 11.6 million gallons of raw sewage spilling into the Santa Monica Bay watershed since 2002. According to the county’s detailed investigation, only 10 percent of the 202 sewage spills since 2002 were properly recorded. No records were found that the county’s Public Health Department was ever notified by local wastewater agencies of spills after they occurred. Cities like Los Angeles and Beverly Hills control their sewer systems, but the county maintains area beaches. In other words, when cities do not notify the county of potentially hazardous sewage spills, L.A. beaches remain open. A recent UCLA-Stanford study estimated that 804,000 people contract gastrointestinal illness from Santa Monica Bay beaches every summer after contact with high levels of fecal bacteria. More than 80 percent of the unreported sewage spills occurred in wastewater systems controlled by the City L.A. The audit attributed these spills to the city’s poor maintenance and management of its infrastructure. For example, during a powerful rainstorm on February 14, 2005, nearly five million gallons of raw sewage spilled from the city’s sewers into the Santa Monica Bay watershed. No records exist to show whether actions were taken to clean up this spill. City sanitation crews responding to sewage spills either were not focused on reporting the spills or were not aware of county laws requiring immediate notification to public health authorities, county auditors wrote. The investigation recommended better maintenance standards for sewage operators. There is currently no independent verification that owners or operators of area sewer systems maintain their equipment properly. The city’s aging sewer lines are blamed for frequent spills, but the high cost of new sewer lines has slowed their replacement. ‘The city has reduced sewage spillage by 70 percent since 2001,’ said Shahram Kharaghani, who oversees the storm-water program for the city’s Bureau of Sanitation. Kharaghani attributes much of the spillage to the city’s aging sewer lines. County auditors also demanded a shorter, clearly defined timeframe to report sewage spills. The Public Health Department currently expects notification from sewer operators within two hours of a spill, but auditors suggest a 15-minute period. “I am very aware of the need for better and more expedient notification to all agencies, and especially the public, regarding sewage spills,’ said Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes Pacific Palisades and much of West L.A. that borders Santa Monica Bay. ‘It is of great concern to me that there seems to be a delay in the notification system and it is clear that all involved parties need to work in better coordination to clarify reporting requirements and follow-up actions.’ County supervisors met Tuesday to discuss the findings of the investigation. ————— Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. To contact, e-mail: reporter@palipost.com.

Clouds of dense gray smoke billowing up Temescal Canyon Road last Friday morning had residents worried it was another brush fire, but instead it was a flaming 1979 Ford Econoline van. At 9:30 a.m., on his way from Pacific Palisades to his office in Santa Monica, clinical psychologist Edward Dreyfus approached the notoriously long signal at Temescal and PCH. His first-person account follows: ‘While waiting in the left-turn lane, I noticed a police vehicle near a truck on the left side of the road. The hood of the truck was opened and there were sparks coming from under the hood. While paused at that long traffic light I watched as the first flames began to emerge. Within a minute or so, they engulfed the truck. I was only about 15-20 feet away. I hoped the light would change soon, as I feared the truck could explode once the flames hit the gas tank. I could feel the heat. I took two photos with my Samsung Blackjack phone. I could have taken more, but became more concerned with getting away from there. The light changed and off I went; I don’t know whether the vehicle did explode.’ Fire Station 23 received the call at 9:32 and responded within minutes. Captain Dan Thompson said his men pumped water for about 30 minutes and stomped ashes in the adjacent hillside area, which is covered with brush. The vehicle never exploded, but was destroyed by the fire, which reportedly started in the engine compartment.

As shoppers hurry along Swarthmore near Mort’s Deli, they pass an empty storefront, located between Solis Salon and Paliskates. The sign in the window promises that Picnic, a gourmet food shop, will open soon, but the sign has been there for a year. One of the owners, Lisa Fielding, said in an interview last week that the travails of attempting to open Picnic has given her new perspective on her job as a film producer. ‘I like my job more,’ said Fielding, a Palisades Highlands resident. ‘The store was supposed to be fun and exciting, but what a nightmare!’ The struggle to open this store reads like a dramatic film script and includes a broken friendship, the draining of a bank account, a lawsuit and a long-distance call from Croatia ending a partnership. The story begins with two friends, Fielding and fellow resident Nancy Sanders, who research and find that there is a demand in Pacific Palisades for a gourmet food shop that could carry items like wine, cheese, prepared foods, fresh pasta and sauces, European-style pastries and gourmet items such as crackers, jams and mustards. In order to rent the space, the three initial partners–Fielding, Sanders and Daniel Nolinger–presented a plan to the landlord, the Boewinkel Trust, and were chosen over two other applicants vying for the space. This was in November 2005. Fielding hired an expeditor to help them acquire all the required city permits, but that process came to halt when Fielding and Sanders had a falling out. After the two dissolved their partnership, Fielding elected to pursue the store and sought another partner, in addition to Nolinger. ‘I had been approached by people in town about investing,’ Fielding said. ‘Enter my next nightmare.’ Of the dozen people who were interested, Fielding chose a couple that initially were excited about the store. They had two conditions: that they be general partners and that the store open before Christmas 2006. The store’s interior was torn up to the tune of $50,000, which seemed manageable with Fielding’s new partners, and a beer and wine alcohol license was finally approved by the city (but not until December). Everything seemed a go until Fielding received a call from Croatia, where the couple were vacationing, and was told ‘This deal is too rich for our blood.’ Once again Fielding needed a partner. By this time, she had sunk a $170,000 into the store, and opening day was still a distant dream ‘I was wondering that maybe this wasn’t the right idea,’ she said about opening Picnic, but then the same tenacity as that needed to get a film produced kicked in, and Fielding decided to reach out for yet another partner. This time she targeted owners of similar stores to see if they had an interest. Enter Chris Pollen, who owns Silver Lake Cheese, a store similar to the Picnic that Fielding envisioned. ‘At the end of the night, I’ve found the best partner,’ Fielding said, ‘someone who has a track record in a successful store.’ The trio–Fielding, Nolinger and Pollen’hope to open Picnic in March. Fielding is clear about the feel of the store. ‘Warm and inviting,’ she said. ‘I want to be like someone’s really well-stocked kitchen, where you can walk in and pull up a chair.’ Fielding is fortunate that she has found a person to help run the store, because one of her projects, a film based on the book ‘The Villa Golitsyn’ by Piers Paul Read, is finally going to be made, starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons. According to Fielding, this movie has been one of the longest films ever in development: 22 years. ‘I don’t know whether it is bull-headed determination or stupidity or a combination of both,’ she said. ‘What it really comes down to is blind faith.’ Meanwhile, Fielding continues to plug away at Picnic. ‘I can’t bear it when I know it’s a good idea and someone says that it’s just not going to happen,’ she said.