A motorcyclist traveling west on Pacific Coast Highway died last Thursday morning when he lost control of his bike and slammed into a hill just west of Temescal Canyon Road. Fire Station 23 responded to the 6:13 a.m. emergency call and pronounced Jesus Cervantes, 30, dead on arrival. ‘He was driving too fast and lost control,’ West Traffic Detective Davis said. The speed limit for that section of PCH is 35 mph and, according to one witness, Cervantes was traveling close to 60 mph when he hit the hill. Cervantes had purchased the 2003 Kawasaki 2X6R motorcycle about three weeks ago, according to Detective Davis, who added: ‘He did not have a motor endorsement [motorcycle license].’ A resident of Eagle Rock, Cervantes was traveling to work at the L.A. County Department of Public Works when the accident happened. He is survived by a wife and children. One lane of PCH, between the entrances to Tahitian Terrace and Palisades Bowl, was closed for several hours while the investigation took place, resulting in stop-and-go traffic between Chautauqua and Sunset Boulevards.

Marine Corps veteran Emil Wroblicky, who worked tirelessly last year on behalf of American Legion Post 283, the Palisades Fourth of July parade committee, and patriotism among young people, has been named Citizen of the Year for 2006. Sponsored by the Palisadian-Post since 1948 (except for a one-year hiatus a year ago), the ‘Citizen’ award honors an individual or individuals who through unselfish efforts have 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 greater interest in civic affairs. This is familiar terrain for Wroblicky, who was named California’s Legionnaire of the Year in 2001 and who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Palisadian-Post in 2002 in honor of his “dedicated passion for bettering the world around him.” ‘Emil is a super patriot and a special citizen of our town,’ said Publisher Roberta Donohue. ‘When he comes into our office I see a gentle man with a great big smile who has a true sense of dedication to his community.’ Monsignor Liam Kidney, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, enumerated Wroblicky’s many ongoing contributions to the Palisades community in his nominating letter. In addition to serving on the PAPA parade committee and arranging for a Marine marching band, a mounted color guard and a reviewing officer last July, Wroblicky was a guest speaker at Corpus Christi School, where he ‘talked to the children about the veterans and their sacrifice for our country,’ Kidney said. ‘He also arranged to have other veterans speak to elementary school children in our community,’ something he does every November. Outside the community, Wroblicky served as state chairman and American Legion representative for the Bob Hope tribute monument, built next to San Diego Harbor and dedicated last October 25. Former Citizen of the Year Kurt Toppel also nominated Wroblicky for this honor, noting that the former football coach (at Saint Monica High and Cal State Los Angeles) ‘has contributed and is still contributing so much to our Palisades community that he would be an excellent choice [for ‘Citizen’] and as a role model for others.’ Wroblicky will be honored at a banquet in the American Legion Hall on Thursday, May 17, along with the Community Council’s Sparkplug Award winners.

50 spots to be decided at Thursday night lottery

Palisades Charter High School informed 155 Paul Revere eighth-graders by letter this week that their admission this fall would hinge on the results of a lottery tonight. PaliHi officials said there are only 50 vacant seats. Enrollment for the remaining students is currently uncertain. The school received 964 applications for 764 seats school-wide, according to its records. At an emotional PaliHi governing board meeting Tuesday night, parents of students who received the letters fought back tears and lambasted the school’s newly formalized admissions policy. That policy, which affects only students who do not live in Pacific Palisades, conflicts with years of established practice’and even the school’s own handbook. The current handbook states that students who do not live in the Palisades may attend PaliHi if they attended ‘the feeder school, Paul Revere Middle School, and applied to Pali’ or they applied through the magnet program. But now more than 100 non-Palisades students, including magnet students, may not be able to attend. ‘We sent my son to Paul Revere from a private school with the very clear understanding that enrollment to PaliHi was guaranteed,’ said John Callas, a Santa Monica resident. ‘Now I’m being asked to rip him out of an environment where he has built years of friendships.’ Callas, like many other parents, learned that his son’s admission to Pali was not certain last November. But a letter sent by Pali administrators in January reassured parents when it said ‘based on our current projections, a lottery would only be necessary for students who are not residents or are not currently attending Revere Middle School.’ The sudden change has left students with an insufficient amount of time to apply to other schools, parents say. ‘I give tours at Revere, and I’ve told hundreds of parents that admission to PaliHi was guaranteed,’ said Gwen Tanguay-Bauer, the mother of an eighth-grade Revere student. ‘I’m going to be tarred and feathered on the 11 o’clock news if this isn’t resolved.’ The timing of the letter added insult to injury, parents say. Revere recently hosted a PaliHi recruitment assembly, where Pali cheerleaders spoke glowingly about the high school and encouraged students to attend. Many board members responded to parents concerns and told them that they would try to solve the problem. ‘I just need you to have a little faith,’ said Mary RedClay, a veteran English teacher and board member. ‘We do have a can-do attitude. And we will do everything we can to get these kids in.’ But previous assurances by board members who have no direct control over enrollment practices angered parents. ‘I was here at the meeting in November, and I left being told to sleep tight after the board assured us, ‘Things would be all right,” said Joan Kincaid, the mother of an eighth-grade Revere student. ‘I’m here now because everything is not all right.’ Some board members said they would like to ask accepted students to confirm their intent to enroll. They think that many local students have applied to the school, but without a serious intention to enroll. But the board gave no direction to school administrators to enact any changed course. Admission to PaliHi from Revere has been assured for students for the past 40 years. But Pali officials say that Revere’s rapid growth this decade and persistent LAUSD overcrowding have pushed the school beyond capacity. Administrators have capped enrollment at 2,780 students’up 16 percent since 2002’and resisted pressure from the Los Angeles Unified School District to expand further. For the past two years, LAUSD rejected PaliHi applications for funds because the school refused to build new seats. Administrators say that they want to use additional resources to lower student-teacher ratios and reduce teacher traveling. They argue that increasing enrollment would only exacerbate those problems. Of the projected 764 seats available school-wide, PaliHi has reserved 130 seats that it might not have to fill, said Margaret Evans, assistant principal in charge of enrollment. But the school encourages all students who received letters this week to apply to other schools. As a condition of its charter, PaliHi has reserved 40 percent of its seats for students from severely overcrowded, low-performing schools. But until the last couple of years not all of those seats were filled. This year, LAUSD requests that Pali reserve 80 seats for students from low-performing schools, up from 20 seats last year, Evans said. But not all those seats will necessarily be filled. High test scores at the school have also drawn local students to the school from private schools, school administrators say. The school received 267 applications from local students and it has reserved 50 seats for local residents who might move here before the beginning of next school year. Revere students who live outside Pacific Palisades and its traditional attendance areas learned last November that they were not guaranteed admission to the high school, after the board decided to formalize its admissions policy. According to the board’s November vote, first priority for filling the 764 empty seats was given to applicants from PaliHi’s historical attendance area, including residents of Pacific Palisades, Topanga and areas of Brentwood. Also included are traveling students from PaliHi’s 13 sending high school areas who currently attend Paul Revere. These 13 areas include Belmont, Crenshaw, Dorsey, Fairfax, Fremont, Hamilton, Hollywood, Jefferson, Los Angeles, Manual Arts, Van Nuys, Washington and Santee. But current Revere students who live outside the Palisades and these 13 sending areas, in places like Venice and Santa Monica, were given second priority in admission. Third priority was given to all other applicants. School officials will draw names in Mercer Hall at 6 p.m. today to fill 50 vacant seats at the high school. ————— Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. To contact, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Rosendahl supports Sunset Widening; Cell Phone Towers Decisions Delayed; and Temescal Updated

Rosendahl Supports Sunset Widening Councilman Bill Rosendahl has thrown his support behind an L.A. Department of Transportation plan to widen a stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood. The plan would add an extra eastbound lane between Gunston Drive and Granville Avenue (past Barrington). ‘This project will help move traffic along Sunset onto the 405 Freeway and take pressure off of residential streets in the community,’ wrote Rosendahl in a January letter to LADOT transportation engineers. The widening is currently in early planning stages. Temescal Park LVNOC Named Councilman Bill Rosendahl named three longtime Palisades Community Council members to the seven-member Local Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committee (LVNOC), which will oversee how $250,000 of Proposition K money is spent in Temescal Canyon Park renovations (from PCH north towards Palisades High). Rosendahl chose Harry Sondheim, Stuart Muller and Ted Mackie. The remaining volunteers are not yet known. Currently, many of the park’s wooden pagodas and picnic tables have fallen into disrepair (‘Temescal Renovations OK’d–And Needed,’ Palisadian-Post, February 8). Lower Temescal was one of the few parks to be allocated Prop. K money last year, but visitors may not actually see changes until July 2008, according to Neil Drucker, who helps manage park funding for the city. Surfview Cell Tower Motion Postponed Meeting last Thursday, the Community Council delayed a vote to oppose a Sprint/PCS plan to install a 25-ft. cellular tower at 468 Surfview Dr., near the Getty Villa. Councilmember Barbara Kohn asked the council to support her motion on behalf of Dr. Walter O’Brien, whose house is adjacent to the proposed tower. But Harry Sondheim’s motion to table the plan until representatives of Sprint could attend a meeting was supported by nearly all voting council members. Approval of the site depends on the city’s Board of Public Works, which oversees the installation of above-ground facilities in the public right of way. No hearing has yet been scheduled with the board because Sprint has not finalized its plans. Highlands T-Mobile Tower Decision Delayed At a public hearing on March 1, Associate Zoning Administrator Larry Friedman postponed making a decision to approve T-Mobile’s proposed 22-ft. monopine on vacant private property at 16699 Via la Costa, behind homes in the Enclave in the Highlands. Nine residents attended the hearing. Many residents said they were not given sufficient notice of the proposal and feared the effects of the tower on their property values and health. Friedman gave residents another 14 days to voice their concerns, but he indicated that he was ‘inclined to approve the project.’ Nissan Open Leaves Locals Fuming Homeowners near the Riviera Country Club are still fuming about last month’s Nissan Open. Record attendance at the yearly PGA tournament meant a traffic headache for residents who live in the Polo Valley neighborhood west of Allenford Avenue and below Sunset. At last week’s Community Council meeting, residents said that they received numerous parking tickets when they parked outside their homes. In order to keep traffic flowing, Parking Enforcement placed ‘No Stopping’ signs in areas where parking is usually permitted. Residents like Reza Akef want parking permits so that they can park outside their homes during next year’s tournament. But city laws do not allow such preferential parking, said Andrea Epstein, a Council District 11 field deputy. The council hopes to involve more Riviera neighbors in next year’s traffic plans. Mansionization Proposal Doesn’t Apply The city’s proposed Neighborhood Character Ordinance, which aims to limit the size of new and remodeled homes to preserve ‘community character,’ will initially not apply to Pacific Palisades, if it is ultimately enacted by the City Council. In an e-mail to the Post, Erick Lopez of the Department of City Planning explained, ‘If adopted, the proposed ordinance would affect all lots zoned single-family residential, which are not located in a Hillside Area or Coastal Zone. ‘ While the Coastal Zone [as defined by the California Coastal Commission] does exempt some of the property in Pacific Palisades from this proposed ordinance, most of the exemptions are due to the Hillside Area designation that Pacific Palisades is in. Most of the Brentwood-Pacific Palisades Community Plan Area is excluded from this current proposal, and the parcels that are subject to the ordinance are in the Brentwood area south of Sunset Boulevard and north of Wilshire.’ That exemption has confused and angered some community members who want the law applied here in the Palisades. ‘Everything south of Bestor [Boulevard] is flat,’ said Jack Allen, a Community Council member, who lives in Alphabet streets. ‘I don’t know why it doesn’t apply here, but I want it to.’ The council plans to invite Lopez to a future meeting to discuss plans the situation. ————— Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. To contact, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

ELECTRONIC WASTE ROUNDUP St. Matthew’s School is holding an electronic waste roundup Friday, March 23 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m. to noon at the church parking lot in front of Sprague Hall. (More details in next week’s paper.) SAVE THE DATES: March 31 and April 29 Plan to participate in Palisades Beautification Day on Sunday, April 29. Details in my next column and on www.palisadescares.org. In addition, watch next week’s paper for a story about Palisades Community Volunteer Day on Saturday, March 31, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church. The goal of the event is to encourage Palisadians to volunteer by introducing them to representatives of at least 20 Westside nonprofits. Details: Marie Steckmest at (310) 459-1614. EASY IDEAS FOR LIVING SUSTAINABLY The recent Palisades Environmental Network meeting featured a presentation by Ferris Kawar, Los Angeles editor of Greenopia, the guide to local green businesses. He reviewed key action steps for living sustainably. He suggested making one change at a time, using Post-it notes around the house to remind you of the new behavior, and giving yourself a pat on the back when it becomes habit! See how many new behaviors you can implement this year. Some easy-to-implement suggestions follow: (1) Replace the flapper in the toilet every two years; (2) turn off water while shaving or brushing teeth; (3) check for leaks by putting instant coffee in the toilet tank to see if it changes the color of water in the toilet bowl; (4) install compact fluorescents (CFLs) which you can get at Home Depot, IKEA and Norris Hardware; (5) vacuum the refrigerator coils behind the plastic grill on front of the refrigerator; (6) unplug appliances such as cell-phone chargers and computers when not in use; (7) bring your own mug, cloth bag and utensils for to-go meals; (8) buy recycled content paper products; (9) dispose of household hazardous waste at round-up events; (10) buy rechargeable batteries; (11) turn off the lights when you leave a room; (12) buy an all-purpose non-toxic cleaner at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods to replace your chemical cleaners. For other ideas, visit www.greenopia.com. For a private home consultation call Ferris Kawar at (310) 917-1100. GREEN CONSTRUCTION If you are building a new home, consider being LEED certified–the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability (visit www.usgbc.org). Trained architects can help you through this process. The certification program deals with sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. If you remodel your home, you can get a tax break by donating your appliances, doors, doorknobs, spas, windows, cabinetry, countertops, staircases and even hardwood floors to the Habitat for Humanity Home Improvement Center. The Reuse People will walk you through the process of appraisal, demolition, and donation. This is a win-win situation. Contact:arthurrenaud@TheReusePeople.org. SCHOOL NEWS If your school or organization is having an auction soon, consider donating a ‘green’ basket consisting of a copy of Greenopia, a reusable grocery bag, a CFL, nontoxic cleaning products, and a Sig water bottle. (You can also put in reprints of this column!) Help your organization raise money and help educate your friends at the same time.

Freshman Elena Loper, an experienced singer and member of Palisades High’s drama department, was voted 2007 Pali Idol at the school’s fifth annual singing contest last Friday night. The event is the longest running of its kind in Los Angeles, and is a local spinoff of Fox TV’s popular ‘American Idol.’ The program featured a group of 11 finalists, who performed and were then narrowed down to the three top singers, via audience vote. Each of these three then performed another song, followed by a final audience vote. Leadership teacher Chris Lee and 2006 winner Ernestine Collins co-hosted the event. In the first round, the judges’ votes and the audience’s votes each were weighted as 50 percent of the final vote, while the final round consisted of all audience voting. The judges included Principal Dr. Gloria Martinez, PaliHi chorus teacher Josh Elson, Pollyanna Jacobs, Bill Clark, and Bill Faggerbakke. Jacobs works with Scott Z. Burns Production, the recent winner of the Academy Award for ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’ Clark, husband of PaliHi science teacher Sarah Crompton, is a guitar/banjo player and vocalist for the band Rose’s Pawn Shop, and director of photography for Al Gore’s cable network, Current TV. Faggerbakke voices the character of Patrick’a pink starfish’on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon ‘Spongebob Squarepants.’ Loper, the second-to-last performer in the first round, sang ‘Lo and Behold,’ by James Taylor, showcasing her smooth, jazzy voice. The audience clapped along, led by Ernestine Collins, who popped out from backstage to make sure they stayed on beat. ‘You have such a mature voice,’ observed Faggerbakke. ‘That gospel feel and exuberance was right on.’ For the second round, Loper chose Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel,’ a powerful song with much less of a jazz feel. ‘I’m somewhat speechless,’ Jacobs said. ‘You have an amazing voice and control and poise.’ Clark agreed, admiring Loper’s ‘soul and power.’ Loper, a resident of Pacific Palisades, said later that she has always loved to sing, and joined the choir at her school and church when she was very young. ‘I saw ‘The Little Mermaid’ when I was two years old and I’ve known I wanted to sing since then,’ she said. She has recently been working on classical pieces, but her varied musical influences include the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Sarah McLachlan, and Simon and Garfunkel. Loper sang with Dana Green at the Adderley School in the Highlands and participated in the annual talent shows at St. Matthew’s School. At PaliHi this year, she has been in the drama department’s ‘Medieval Nights’ show, was a cast member of ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights,’ and is now directing a scene for the spring Shakespeare Festival. ‘I was really honored and surprised when I won,’ said Loper, ‘because the people that I was up against were so talented. The experience has been so great and I’m so thankful to my support group.’ Loper won $300 as Pali Idol, and hopes to donate it to a charity. She is considering sending it to aid the refugees of Darfur or to support stem-cell research. The other two finalists, who each won $50, were seniors Sean Kubota and Jordan Lloyd. Kubota accompanied himself on guitar both times he was on stage. For the first round, he sang the rock song ‘Drive,’ by Incubus, adding his own twist by beatboxing in the beginning. In the final round, he sang a song he had written the day before, even recovering after an initial mishap with the microphone. Faggerbakke observed that it was ‘amazing that you can sing this song so passionately,’ while Elson commented on his nerve, calling the performance ‘wonderful.’ Lloyd’s first choice was Stevie Wonder’s ‘You Will Know,’ which suited her mature, soulful voice. She engaged the audience by raising her arm to snap along to the song, encouraging them to join her. ‘I really felt like I was at a smoky jazz club,’ Lee remarked. Lloyd’s second song was ‘Beautiful,’ by India.Arie, which she sang a cappella. Faggerbakke admired her ‘easy warmth,’ while Elson joked that he ‘taught her everything she knows.’ The other eight contestants were Paul Ahn, Ahlysha Gopaul, Rachel Grim, Talia Hovanesian, Shannon Kinnard, Tasha Solomita, and Lauren Tizabi. They each received $20 gift cards to the Gap. Pali Idol was organized by senior Patrick Kim, who said that it ‘turned out well’I’m proud of it.’ His co-organizer was Gabby Nunez. Lee said during the show that the 2007 program was ‘by far the best year.’ He observed more audience support as well as more types of music, which diversified the show. ‘Everyone did a fantastic job,’ he explained later. ‘They really stepped it up.’

THURSDAY, MARCH 15 Television writer Allen Rucker signs ‘Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life,’ 7:30 p.m., Village Books on Swarthmore. (See story, page 16.) FRIDAY, MARCH 16 Palisades Beautiful meeting, 10 a.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Upcoming neighborhood tree planting will be discussed. Members, friends and the general public are welcome. Contact: www.palisadesbeautiful@earthlink.net. Movies in the Afternoon presents a free screening of ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ starring Ingrid Bergman, Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall and Sean Connery, 2 p.m., Palisades Branch Library community room. Lucy Schwartz, a junior at Palisades High School, will celebrate the release of her new CD of original songs, “Winter in June,” with a concert at 7:30 p.m. in Village Books on Swarthmore. The combined choir and soloists of St. Matthew’s Parish will be joined by the St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra and guest soloists Daniel Plaster and Michael Dean for a performance of J.S. Bach’s ‘The Passion According to St. John,’ 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s, 1031 Bienveneda. Tickets are $25 at the door. SATURDAY, MARCH 17 Traditional pancake breakfast (starting at 7:30 a.m.) and opening-day ceremonies (9 a.m.) for the Palisades Pony Baseball Association, Palisades Recreation Center, 851 Alma Real. (See story, page 7.) TUESDAY, MARCH 20 Gwen Watson, co-owner of White Oak Orchids in Pacifica, will be the guest speaker at the Malibu Orchid Society meeting, 7:30 p.m., Palisades Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. Public invited. (See story, page 12.) ‘The Second Anniversary of the Political Lie,’ a reading in memory of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, 7:30 p.m. at the Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar. Reservations: (310) 573-3603. (See story, page 12.) THURSDAY, MARCH 22 Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod will talk about his life as an entertainer (including starring roles in ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ and ‘The Loveboat’) and his role as honorary mayor, 7:15 a.m., Palisades Rotary Club breakfast meeting. Contact: 482-2006. Bob Laemmle, CEO of the movie theater chain, will be guest speaker for Marketing 101, an ongoing series sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, 6:30 p.m. in Mort’s Oak Room, 1035 Swarthmore. RSVP required: 459-7963. (See story, page 6.) Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m., Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. The public is invited. Dr. Rachel Ballon will conduct a one-hour workshop and sign copies of her most recent book, ‘The Writer’s Portable Therapist: 25 Sessions to a Creativity Cure,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. FRIDAY, MARCH 23 Snap Shots Literary Troup, hosted by Eric Vollmer, presents ‘Declaring Women,’ 7:30 p.m., Village Books on Swarthmore.