The last remaining hurdles to start beautification at the corner at Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon have been cleared, and the project is scheduled to begin by summertime. On Monday, the Palisadian-Post received a call from Barry Berggren, the division manager for wastewater collection for the Bureau of Sanitation, confirming that the project is a go. ‘The Bureau of Sanitation has agreed to provide the electrical service if it is needed for the sprinklers and to provide the water,’ Berggren said. ‘The Department of Rec and Parks will do the upkeep. We look forward to getting it done.’ Plans for the area of land around the pump station extending north to the Temescal Park sign include planting native and drought-resistant vegetation. Trees and shrubs will be trimmed or removed in order to open up the space, making it less dense and less inviting to the homeless. Once an irrigation system is in place, perennial flowers and other greenery will be planted in the summer. As part of the landscape plan, several large rocks have been brought to the area as part of the hardscaping plan. While waiting to hear if the city would help with irrigation and maintenance, David Card, a landscape architect who created the beautification plan, noticed that during the Will Rogers Beach parking lot project, Gonzalez Construction was digging up large rocks. Card asked for the large stones and the company carted them from the parking lot to the corner for free. ‘We were lucky to get them,’ Card said. ‘The stones are big enough to see, but small enough so three to four men can move them,’ Card said, ‘and Gonzalez put them where I wanted them.’ The PCH/Temescal project started in late 2006, when Pacific Palisades residents and Rotarians John Gundershaug and Perry Akins decided that the corner was an eyesore and something had to be done. Not only was the area unslightly with overgrown brush and accumulated trash, but the low-flow diversion pump station was filled with litter. In front of the chain-link fence there were dead plants and a dumpster. So Gundershaug and Akins approached fellow Rotary club member Card, who agreed to help because ‘All of us sitting there waiting for the signal to change had nothing to look at but that ugly pump station.’ The first obstacle the trio encountered was identifying the city agency responsible for the small chunk of no-man’s land. With help from Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s field deputy Andrea Epstein they learned the land actually belongs to two departments, Recreation and Parks and Sanitation. The next issue was to get one of the departments to take responsibility for watering and maintenance of the plants. Even though Card had chosen plants that require little water, they still need initial moisture until they become established. ‘We have plants, we have a design, we have a budget,’ Card told the Palisadian-Post in early April. ‘We’re just hoping and expecting the city will let us hook up water to establish the plants and agree to do maintenance.’ The Post called Card Wednesday morning to give him Berggren’s news. ‘Good to hear,’ Card said, adding he was glad that the city departments were able to work it out. ‘It’s going to be a nice improvement for the community,’ Berggren said. ‘We’re proud to be part of it.’ Currently Card has budgeted $8,300 for plants and a sprinkler system, but that doesn’t include installation. ‘I would like to hire a landscape contractor to do the irrigation installation,’ he said. Community members wanting to contribute to pump station beautification, may leave donations at the Chamber of Commerce (15330 Antioch).

This will be a busy spring Sunday in Pacific Palisades, between the 32nd annual CROP Hunger Walk, the 113th annual Fiesta at Canyon Charter School, and the traditional Garden Tour, hosted by the Palisades Garden Club (see story below). Community members of all ages are invited to participate in the Hunger Walk, beginning at 1 p.m. in front of the Palisades Branch Library on Alma Real. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will go to the Westside Food Bank and the rest will benefit CROP (Communities Reaching Out to People), which partners with agencies around the world to help provide food, shelter and water-resource development. During registration, which starts at noon, the Ideas Studio will provide interactive children’s entertainment, and students from Fancy Feet and Jerry Blanck Karate School will perform. The Sultans of Swing will provide music. Gelson’s and Western Bagel will donate food and drinks, and Domino’s and Piccomolo will sell food, donating a portion of the proceeds to the Hunger Walk. Palisades artist John Robertson has once again designed the event’s banner and art for the T-shirts, which will be on sale. Sponsorship forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office, 15330 Antioch St. Contact: Don Mink at (310) 477-3633.

Neighbors Find No Common Ground in Las Pulgas Canyon Residents who oppose lighting Las Pulgas Canyon with 13 city street lights found no resolution with that canyon’s owner, Barry Maiten, during an April 12 meeting at City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl’s office. A nighttime tour of the lights is planned for neighbors, but no date has been set. As reported in the Palisadian-Post (‘Residents Fight Street Lights in Las Pulgas’, March 29), Maiten, who owns the 26-acre canyon, wants to use the 20-ft.-high lights for safety. He says that they will prevent tagging and homeless encampments on his property. However, neighbors living on the canyon’s rim say that many of the lights disturb their sleep and their views. They also dispute safety threats to the canyon. In place of lights, representatives of dozens of neighbors whose property borders Las Pulgas Canyon offered their suggestions to reduce threats to the canyon, including a willingness to participate in a Neighborhood Watch program that would monitor trespassing. But Maiten is intent on using the lights. The Department of Public Works installed the lights at Maiten’s request beginning in 2005. But the lights have been turned off since mid-2006, pending Coastal Commission approval. The commission has asked Rosendahl to weigh in. His office says that it will approve the lights only if there is a ‘consensus’ among the canyon’s neighbors. Sprint Relocates Site; Council Takes No Stand After complaints by neighbors, Sprint Nextel Corp. has relocated its proposed cell-phone tower across the street from the Sunset Mesa home of Dr. Walter and Andrea O’Brien. But the O’Briens and their neighbors, who fear effects to their health and property values, want the company to move the 30-ft. tower out of their neighborhood. The company needs the approval of the board of the Department of Public Works to acquire a variance for this tower, which would be disguised as a concrete pole. As reported in the Post (‘Two Proposed Cell Towers Draw Ire,’ March 1), Sprint Nextel originally planned to install the tower in the public right-of-way immediately outside the O’Briens’ home on Surfview Drive in Pacific View Estates. That proposal meant the tower would be within 25 feet of their children’s playground and 50 feet of their bedroom. The O’Briens had hoped the Palisades Community Council would support their opposition to the current proposal at last Thursday’s meeting. But the Council did not vote to oppose the project. Members said that they needed more information from Sprint representative Courtney Schmidt and the O’Briens to make ‘an informed decision.’ They might take a stand on the project at a future meeting. Rustic Canyon Renovation ‘On Hold’ The most recent city estimates far exceed the bond money designated for renovations at Rustic Canyon Park, said Neil Drucker, an L.A. Bureau of Engineering program manager who oversees park renovation throughout the city. ‘To be honest, the estimates were laughable,’ he told the Palisadian-Post this week. As reported in the Post (‘Upgrades in Rustic Park Await ‘Reasonable’ Bid,’ March 1), the completion of the park’s renovation depended on lower estimates from the General Services Department, which was awarded the contract. GSD spent more than $300,00 to modify a bathroom and build a handicap-accessible ramp between 2004 and 2005, leaving all of the community’s priorities for renovation unmet. Among their goals, community members want to resurface basketball courts, replace aging tiles and repair the park’s entry courtyard. Drucker said that if GSD and their subcontractors cannot commit to a bid that is within the approximately $430,000 remaining budget for the project, he will urge the city to look to outside bidders. ‘It will probably be a month to two months before we have a handle on which way we’re going,’ he said. ————- To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Stakeholders of Palisades Charter High School hoping for closure on a controversial calendar change or a nail-biting admissions policy probably left the school’s Tuesday board meeting disappointed. Although the board voted on the issue in November, parents still aren’t sure when school will begin next year’and even whether their children will be admitted. The most recent news on the school’s calendar change and admissions policy are detailed below: In Third Vote, Teachers Oppose Calendar Change In a third vote of faculty, the overwhelming majority of teachers at PaliHi voted to maintain the current academic calendar in place of a controversial and increasingly unpopular calendar that might take effect next year. According to the vote held by teacher’s union UTLA, 74 teachers voted to keep the current calendar and 45 voted to adopt the new calendar. One teacher chose not to vote. Speaking to the board, PaliHi teacher Pam Harbour said, ‘I urge the board to take a re-vote based on the stakeholders you represent, not your own personal interests.’ But the board has been unwilling to re-vote on the change, which is now part of negotiations between UTLA and school administrators. UTLA representative and PaliHi teacher Joi Tanita said that this most recent vote will shape the union’s position at the bargaining table. If the change is approved, classes in the 2007-2008 school year will begin on August 20 and end June 6, rather than beginning after Labor Day and ending in late June. Also, the first semester would end before winter break, rather than ending weeks after winter break. Last November, the school’s board voted against parent and student majorities and adopted the new calendar. At that time, teachers were narrowly supportive of the change. The board expects that an earlier first semester final and an extra three weeks of instruction time before Advanced Placement tests will benefit students academically. Majorities of students, parents, and now teachers oppose the change. They say that Pali’s proposed schedule will conflict with the calendar of all other local public schools, affecting some school sports teams and winter and summer vacation plans. They also say that the school’s administrators overestimated academic benefits and underestimated the calendar’s financial costs, when they were originally polled in September. The possible costs of the change, which could be as high as $80,000, were not included on the original ballot. ‘Families are rightfully upset that they have not been kept apprised of the status of this issue since a letter went out in November about the board vote,’ wrote Amy Held, executive director. ‘Notification of all school community members will go out as soon as negotiations on the matter are completed (projected to be by May 10).’ 95 Revere Students Remain Wait-Listed PaliHi seats remain elusive for 95 students from Paul Revere Charter Middle School. As reported in the Palisadian-Post (‘Sixty Win Pali Seats; Error Means Fewer Transfers, March 22), applications to the high-performing school have far exceeded the 700 available ninth-grade seats, jeopardizing enrollment for dozens of students who attend the longtime ‘feeder’ school but live outside the Palisades. Pali administrators required that all accepted students send the school a confirmation of their intent to attend next fall. Those letters had to be postmarked by April 10, but the school has not yet counted those confirmations. The school predicts that by next week it will be able to begin taking students off the waitlist. At Tuesday night’s board meeting, Assistant Principal Margaret Evans said that based on current projections not all wait-listed students will be accepted. According to PaliHi records, the school has accepted 589 students for ninth grade and expects that 115 students will enroll in the Magnet program. The school has reserved 20 seats for Palisades residents who might enroll. In order to comply with new federal education law No Child Left Behind, it has also been forced to reserve 76 seats for students from overcrowded, low-performing schools throughout Los Angeles. Not all those seats are expected to be filled. As previously reported, school clerical errors have reduced the amount of spots available for grades 10 and 11. Those errors have also confused and angered parents. Board member Eileen Savage assailed the administration’s admissions practices Tuesday night. She was also angered by the lack of more current enrollment data. ‘At this point we don’t have trust from the community,’ Savage said. ‘I just don’t think we’ve done a good job. Our communication has been as clear as mud. And now we have to rebuild that trust.’ ———– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19 Screening of ‘Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness’ about a Japanese diplomat who rescued Jewish refugees under Hitler’s regime, 6:45 p.m. at Kehillat Israel, 16019 Sunset. The film’s running time is 82 minutes. A short discussion will follow. Free admission. Please park in the KI lot. ‘Deliver Me: True Confessions of Motherhood,’ a collection of personal essays, stories and poems by 20 writers, edited by Pacific Palisades resident Laura Diamond, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Welcoming reception for the three spring fellows at the Villa Aurora on Paseo Miramar, 7:30 p.m. Free admission. Please RSVP to 573-3603. Shuttle service starts at 7 p.m. on Los Liones Drive, just above Sunset. FRIDAY, APRIL 20 ‘Movies in the Afternoon’ at the Palisades Branch Library features a 2 p.m. screening of ‘Top Hat,’ starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The film is free and open to the public. A naturalist offer a deeper look into astronomy and discuss the overlooked in the night sky, 7 p.m., Temescal Gateway Park, 15601 Sunset. Meet in the front parking lot. The program is free, but parking is $5. Contact: 454-1395, ext.106 or visit www.LAMountains.com Elizabeth Davidson discusses and signs ‘Funky to Fabulous: Surefire Success Strategies for the Savvy, Sassy and Swamped,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Davidson is a nationally recognized expert on empowerment, and gives strategies to overcome fear, perfectionism and various kinds of ‘funk.’ The Stern Lecture series, featuring Rev. Martin L. Smith, an Episcopal theologian in residence at Saint Columba’s Church in Washington, D.C., today at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., St. Matthew’s Church on Bienveneda. Reservations: 454-1358. SATURDAY, APRIL 21 Volunteers are needed for a monthly work party on the Village Green from 9 to 11 a.m. Newcomers are especially welcomed; just bring shears and gloves. Contact: Marge Gold at 459-5167. Dr. Felice Miller will present ‘The Big Squeeze: Aging Parents/Adult Children Developing a Guilt-free Relationship,’ 10:30 a.m. at the Palisades Branch Library. Palisades High students Sarah Tehrani and Alexa Cline sponsor ‘Buzzing for Change,’ a haircutting session, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the campus. Ken Corre discusses and signs his novel, ‘The Victim Donor,’ 4 to 6 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. SUNDAY, APRIL 22 Canyon Charter School’s 113th Annual Fiesta and silent auction, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the campus at 421 Entrada Dr. Annual CROP Hunger Walk in Pacific Palisades, noon for registration and warm-up festivities, 1 p.m. for the 5K walk, starting in front of the Palisades Branch Library on Alma Real. The Pacific Palisades Garden Club’s annual garden tour, 1 to 5 p.m., rain or shine. The plant sale, from noon to 4 p.m., is at 1416 Amalfi. Advance tickets ($20) are encouraged. Contact: (310) 454-7826. MONDAY, APRIL 23 Monthly meeting of the Pacific Palisades Civic League, 7:30 p.m. in Gabrielson Hall at the United Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz. Public invited. The agenda includes two homes continued from the last meeting: 1144 Chautauqua (second-story addition) and 1150 Fiske (new two-story residence). TUESDAY, APRIL 24 The Palisades Branch Library, in conjunction with the Coop Theatre Company, presents a salute to William Shakespeare, 6:45 p.m. in the community room, 861 Alma Real. Festivities will include a program of staged readings. Contact: 459-2574. The Palisades Art Association hosts a panel discussion on digital photography, 7 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. (See story, page 13.) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25 Novelist Amy Ephron, author of ‘One Sunday Morning’ and ‘Cup of Tea,’ will speak at the Woman’s Club annual author’s tea, 1 p.m. at the clubhouse, 901 Haverford. (See story, page 13.) Chamber of Commerce mixer, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by WineStyles at 970 Monument (Suite 116). Public invited. THURSDAY, APRIL 26 Palisades resident Perry Akins will talk about ‘Snow Skiing in Dubai’ and his recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, 7:15 a.m., Palisades Rotary Club meeting, Gladstone’s restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway. Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m., Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Public invited. Author Matthew Jaffe and photographer Tom Gamache discuss and sign their book, ‘The Santa Monica Mountains: Range on the Edge,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore.