Beach Parking Lot Remains Closed
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In the near-record heat of summer 2006, it’s been a major challenge for Pacific Palisades residents to reach Will Rogers State Beach, which is ironic, since the town practically rests on the ocean. The reason for this inconvenience (and loss of parking revenue) is the fact that parking lot 2, which holds approximately 500 cars and is situated along PCH from Temescal Canyon to Potrero Canyon, has been closed down since January. Originally, the County’s repaving of that lot and construction of a new lifeguard station and bathrooms on that site were scheduled to be completed in June, by the start of summer. A delay occurred because the County received a grant last November that would help implement natural gas for beach vehicles. It did not receive approval from the Board of Supervisors until May 25. After it was approved, the new completion date for Phase Two was set for mid-July. In order to provide natural gas, a pipeline would have to be laid that would extend under the Will Rogers beach parking lots to the maintenance yard at the far end of the west parking lot. Last Friday, Andy Gump fencing was being installed along the bike path/pedestrian walkway. “The fence went up today for safety reasons,” said a worker who did not wish to give his name. Even as the fence was being installed, heavy equipment continued to dig in the parking lot as workers finished laying new storm drains. According to a second worker on site, that portion of the project is supposed to be completed this week. “The existing storm drains were too small and were made of a metal that was corroding,” the worker said. “We ran into moisture when we dug up the pipe.” Water that drains from the Palisades seeps underground until it reaches the ocean. “We had to dig down farther, than back-fill with gravel and compact it,” he explained. In addition, several boulders were found near the Temescal Canyon entrance and had to be dealt with before the new ABS pipes could be laid. Dusty Crane, a public affairs representative for L.A. City Beaches and Harbors, did not have a new timeline for the completion of the natural-gas pipeline or the parking lot, although she did acknowledge that the completion date of the entire five-phase project including the reconfigured Temescal entrance has been pushed back from March 2007 to May 2007. Crane said the lifeguard station’s completion was also delayed. “There was unanticipated deferred maintenance not originally included in the project that needed to be addressed,” she told the Palisadian-Post. She could not provide a new timeline. Meanwhile, some residents cope with the lack of beach parking by parking across PCH from the old lifeguard station at the mouth of Potrero and waiting for a lull in traffic before dashing across the busy road to gain access to the beach. The Junior Lifeguard program, as well as the Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos Beach Volleyball Camp and the Sand and Surf camp, were all relocated this summer. Approximately 150 children from the Will Rogers Lifeguard program had to transfer to a Santa Monica site with drop-off in a small lot north of the Jonathan Club. “The Junior Lifeguard program my son has been in for the last four years was moved from Will Rogers tower 15 to tower 8 in Santa Monica due to construction,” Virginia Plavec wrote in an e-mail on July 12. “Now that the Santa Monica lot is being repaved, is it possible to re-do beach parking over the winter season? This is a hazard to the children, the traffic is horrendous, and someone is going to get hurt.” “How stupid is that?” said parent Denise Marsh. “They’ve had all winter to work on this project and they pick the middle of summer to do it.”
Riordan Continues to Seek Lease Agreement for Mort’s Delicatessen
Longtime Palisadian Robert Klein, a vice president at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, confirmed to the Palisadian-Post on Tuesday that he and a group of investors are no longer interested in buying Mort’s Deli. “While we would like to do the right thing for the Palisades, by keeping Mort’s as it is, we’ve come to the conclusion that it is too big an investment for us at this time,” said Klein, who had been in negotiations for some time with both the landlord, Palisades Partners, and owner Bobbie Farberow. He also said that the plan was to keep the name and enhance the menu. While Klein’s group has bowed out, former Mayor Richard Riordan, who owns The Pantry downtown and has an interest in Gladstone’s restaurant on PCH at Sunset, is continuing his efforts to take over the popular deli on Swarthmore. “I am still trying to put all the pieces together to buy Mort’s,” Riordan said Tuesday. “I’m working with both the landlord and Bobbie.” Riordan lives in Brentwood and has been a regular customer at Mort’s for years. On Tuesday, Farberow said that while she had no comment on lease negotiations’which have been going on for over a year’she said there was no truth to the latest rumor that her employees had been encouraged to find other work as of September. “That is simply not true,” she told the Post. “There have been so many rumors lately. One of them even has me getting married. To whom? A ghost?” Farberow ran the deli with her husband, Mort, from 1974 until his death in 2002. Since then, she has been doing all the ordering for the restaurant, overseeing her 45 employees, and working the cash register several days a week’between trips to Hawaii to visit her son Stuart and his family, including three grandchildren. Is Farberow ready to retire? How soon does she plan to sell? “No comment,” is all she will say. Although Farberow is not prepared to sign the new lease recently offered to her by Palisades Partners, a close friend said she is still trying to negotiate in good faith.
Council Meeting: Asilomar & Bike Path
Community Council chairman Steve Boyers began his first meeting on a high note last Thursday by re-honoring Bobbie Farberow with the Golden Sparkplug award she received in 1981. (See story, page 7.) The evening’s wide-ranging agenda challenged a realigned council, which includes new members Susan Nash as secretary, and Matthew Rodman, who was appointed under former chair Kurt Toppel to fill a vacancy as the Area 5 representative. o o o The council heard from June Payne of the Palisades AARP chapter, who proposed a motion to name the beach bike path after its creator, former City Councilman Marvin Braude. He passed away last December 7. “A group of [my] friends have been riding the bike path for years and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could name this after Marvin Braude?'” Payne said. Andrea Epstein, field deputy to City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, announced that Rosendahl had received that request “a while back” and that “it’s either happened or it’s happening.” Upon further research, the Palisadian-Post learned that State Sen. Sheila Kuehl introduced SB 1583 on February 23. The bill, which was approved unanimously by the City Council, “would name the Los Angeles County beach bicycle path, which runs 22.3 miles from its northern end at Will Rogers State Beach to its southern end in the City of Torrance, ‘Marvin Braude Bikeway’.” A resolution presented by Councilmember Wendy Greuel and signed by Rosendahl stated that “the late Marvin Braude was a visionary member of the Los Angeles City Council for 32 years and led efforts to create the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, protect Griffith Park from development; preserve the Pacific coastline, and improve air quality in Los Angeles.” Braude “was also instrumental in the creation of the city’s bikeway system and has been called the father of the Venice beach bike path, where he was often seen bicycling with his family.” The County will ultimately be in charge of implementing the change because the bike path crosses various city boundaries. o o o An update on the Asilomar Boulevard slippage was almost taken off the Council agenda during the meeting because there was nothing substantial to report, but Asilomar resident Dick Wulliger stood up and asked to give a report on the work being done on the storm-damaged area. “It’s true the city has patched the depression,” Wulliger said, referring to a large depression in the southbound lane of Asilomar. “The big problem is the slide.” The Asilomar landslide, about a quarter of a mile northwest of PCH and Temescal Canyon Road, was first documented in 1957-1958. In 1998, the city repaired the sewer beneath Asilomar because of damage caused by the Northridge earthquake, but in subsequent years city engineers discovered two weakened areas underlying the street. The hillside was further damaged during the heavy rains in January and February of 2005, which caused the federal government to declare disasters in the area. The city applied for funding to the Federal Highway Administration, asking for approval and designation of the road as an Emergency Relief project, but the application was denied in early April. Asilomar Boulevard was originally designated as a federal highway and is still under the jurisdiction of the FHWA, even though it was never made into one. The FHWA did, however, give the city some money to do minor repair work. “The city’s contractor has replaced all three sewer reaches as requested,” said Cora Jackson Fossett, director of public affairs for the Department of Public Works, in an e-mail to the Palisadian-Post on Tuesday. “These three connecting sewer reaches extend from directly in front of 15927 Asilomar Blvd., westerly to the intersection of Asilomar and Almar. In all, 675 ft. of 8-inch vitrified clay pipe (VCP) sewer was replaced with an equivalent size and amount of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe. The segments of new HDPE sewer pipe were connected to each other using electro-fusion couplers, thereby insuring leak-proof joints in the mainline sewer.” Jackson Fossett explained that the sewer was replaced by open-trench excavation in the roadway surface. “Upon replacement of the sewer pipe, the trench was backfilled with a cement slurry mixture, which also insures proper compaction below the roadway surface.” She added that the city’s contractor is currently making final repairs to the roadway surface directly over the new sewer. Public Works expects this sewer replacement project to be fully completed by tomorrow, July 21. Asilomar residents like Wulliger will be watching closely to see if this repair work is successful. “I hope this will help,” Wulliger told the council. “I don’t know.” o o o LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore reported that there was a “slight increase in vehicle-related crime” in June. He referred specifically to break-ins in which laptops and iPods were stolen, and reiterated that people should not leave property in their car, or the door unlocked. The people burglarizing cars, residential and commercial properties are “looking for high-value small electronic items that are easy to sell and in high demand,” Moore said. “They’re also looking for cash and jewelry.” Council members and audience members raised questions and concerns, including how residents can learn why helicopters are circling their neighborhood and if they could be notified as to the danger level of a crime-scene investigation in their area. “The LAPD helicopter can come out for everything from a robbery in progress to a loud party,” Moore said. “It’s really hard to tell [what it is] unless the officer working that [area] takes the time to let me know.” Moore added that if residents call 911 and request police presence in their area to handle a problem, they have to tell the 911 dispatcher whether they expect to meet with the officers. Otherwise, the officers may come and go without making their presence known to the person who made the request.
Calendar for the Week of July 20, 2006
THURSDAY, JULY 20 Scott Frost, author of the Village Books bestseller “Run the Risk,” returns to sign his second Alex Delillo mystery, “Never Fear,” 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Weekly campfire program in Temescal Gateway Park, 8 p.m. at the campfire center next to the dining hall, through August 24. Enjoy a fireside program led by local naturalists and celebrate the campfire tradition with stories, songs and (free) marshmallows. Bring stories to share and a picnic dinner. Parking is $5. Contact: 454-1395, ext. 106. FRIDAY, JULY 21 Palisades Beautiful meeting, 10 a.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Agenda discussions include planting of residential parkway trees in the Palisades this fall and facilitating the removal of dead trees and stumps. The public is invited. SATURDAY, JULY 22 Friends of the Palisades Library will hold a slightly-used book sale, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the library parking lot, 861 Alma Real. All proceeds benefit the branch library. Author Cynthia Spoon will sign her new book, “The Can-Do Stories,” for children of all ages, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. (See story, page 12.) SUNDAY, JULY 23 Weekly Summer Splash program, featuring family games, activities and music, 5 to 7 p.m. at the YMCA pool in Temescal Gateway Park. Free admission. Bring a swimsuit, bring a picnic, bring a friend. MONDAY, JULY 24 Monthly meeting of the Pacific Palisades Civic League, 7:30 p.m. in Gabrielson Hall at the Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz. The Teen Summer Reading Club presents “Animation: The Power of the Pencil,” 4 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Gary Perkovac, who has worked for 20 years as an animator for Disney, Dreamworks and Don Bluth Productions, will discuss the artistry of classical animation. Admission is free. Pajama Story-time for children of all ages, 7 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Parents and teddy bears welcome. TUESDAY, JULY 25 Story-craft time, for children 4 and older, 4 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Listen to stories and build on them. Tuesday Night Hikes, organized by the Temescal Canyon Association, will take the beautiful Los Liones Trail to enjoy the views from the East Topanga Fire Road. Meet at 6 p.m. in the Temescal Gateway parking lot at the corner of Sunset and Temescal Canyon Rd. for carpooling. Public invited. Expect to return between 8 and 9 p.m. THURSDAY, JULY 27 Sandra Beckwith will talk about “The New Agenda for the Aldersgate Retreat Center” at the Palisades Rotary Club breakfast meeting, 7:15 a.m., Gladstone’s on the beach. The public is welcome. Monthly Chamber of Commerce mixer, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Wilshire Fireplace (formerly Palace Fireplace), 15335 Sunset. Public invited. Weekly campfire program in Temescal Gateway Park, 8 p.m. at the campfire center next to the dining hall, through August 24. Enjoy a fireside program led by local naturalists and celebrate the campfire tradition with stories, songs and (free) marshmallows. Bring stories to share and a picnic dinner. Parking is $5. Contact: 454-1395, ext. 106. FRIDAY, JULY 28 Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce quarterly networking breakfast, hosted by The Office Supplier, 8 a.m. at Mogan’s Caf’, 548 Palisades Dr. Members only; RSVP required by calling 459-7963. Cost: $10.
Lizards and Bobcats and Snakes – Oh My!
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Off a humdrum industrial stretch in Culver City lurks a lush indoor jungle filled with exotic animals. Taking a walk on the wild side is made easy at Star Eco Station, an 18,000-sq.-ft.-facility on Jefferson Boulevard, where a faux Mayan temple is home to over 100 threatened and endangered species: wild cats, tropical birds, reptiles and marine animals. Visitors are transported along mossy, dimly lighted paths to meet a lively cast of characters including Jay the bobcat, an 18-ft.-long python named Brutus, and Ozzie, a chatty, sometimes screeching cockatoo. Star Eco Station is less a mini-zoo and more a last-chance sanctuary for the nearly 200 animals who live there. The nonprofit organization works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to rescue illegally imported animals and give them a home. Another big percentage of the center’s inhabitants are pets that people no longer want or can handle. The main mission of Eco Station, an offshoot of the STAR after-school enrichment program, is to teach children about wildlife preservation and the environment in a hands-on museum. Every year, 50,000 kids tour the facility; through a variety of ambitious outreach programs, the staff estimates they reach a total of nearly 2 million students. Camp is now is full swing, with 1st through 6th graders participating in themed weekly sessions such as “Reptiles Rock,” “Creepy Crawling Bugs” and “Animal Parts Up Close and Personal.” “We are so grassroots you can almost taste the manure,” says Erick Bozzi, Jr., vice president and director of wildlife management. “Doing things on a global level is really important, but if you don’t start with the kids,you’re lost.” Eco Station was founded in 1997 by Bozzi, his parents Erick, Sr. (now deceased) and Katya Bozzi, and his sister Katiana, who is director of education and outreach. It is one of the stellar spin-offs of the STAR (Science, Theatre, Art, Recreation) education program, an award-winning series of after-school enrichment classes, administered in public schools throughout California, that Bozzi’s parents created in 1986. The idea for Eco Station grew from the family’s love of animals, both big and small, wild and tame. Part of the Bozzi family lore is how the children were conspicuous in their Westside neighborhood. “While other kids would walk their dogs, my kids would walk their monitor lizard,” Katya Bozzi once told a reporter. At 18, Erick, Jr. took a job with L.A. Animal Care and Control; soon after, the family’s garage became a makeshift rescue center for exotics. Providing safe haven for unusual animals began this way in the early ’90s and has continued ever since. Red-eared sliders, one of the only animals kept at the Station that is native to the U.S., is one of the first attractions in the center. Once upon a time these turtles, easily recognized for the characteristic red stripe behind their eyes, were a staple of pet shops and popular among children. Since 1976, it has been illegal to sell sliders under four inches in diameter. “These turtles are not ideal pets for children,” cautions assistant director Chandra Comstock during a recent tour. “They are hard to care for and need lots of sunlight and vitamins.” However, with the proper care, a four-inch turtle can grow as large as a foot in diameter and live for 45 years. The oldest turtle in this crowd is Fern at 20. “We allow adoption of these turtles only to people with ponds,” notes Comstock. “It’s the most appropriate home.” The Oscars, a freshwater fish native to South America, were all pets until they became too big. Eco Station is a shelter for these castoffs. “It’s one of these fish they sell at the pet store when they are two inches long, but grow to over 75 pounds,” Comstock says. “They’re known as tank busters.” Carlos the alligator is another resident who outgrew his owner’s backyard. In fact, when Animal Control needs to seize illegally kept alligators, they call the Eco Station to tackle the task. “They’re trained to handle dogs, cats and raccoons, not gators,” Comstock says. Preservation extends even to coral, where a tank shows off brilliant samplings stolen from reefs in places like Fiji and the Philippines that have been confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Coral takes a couple hundred years to grow back,” Comstock says of the devastating impact caused by those who break off sections as souvenirs. “They’re really stealing the home for these fish.” By far the most famous tenant of the Eco Station is Jay, a tame bobcat with a playful personality. Jay, kept illegally as a pet in someone’s home, has undergone several operations since his rescue to alleviate pain caused by having been declawed. He is a winning mascot when Eco Station goes on the road to visit classrooms. Another popular character is Ozzie, a Salmon-crested Cockatoo from Indonesia, who is often part of the center’s “road show.” Ozzie will live to about 30, while the life span of macaws is over 100 years. At 15, one of the macaws living at Eco Station had already lived in four different homes. The center will offer birds for adoption when they approve of conditions. “Birds like these are highly social and need at least three to five hours of attention daily,” says Comstock. “They’re pretty much like a human child.” Surprisingly, iguanas are the third most popular pet in the United States, something the Eco Station is reminded of daily by the contrast stream of calls from owners wanting to get rid of their “pet.” In L.A. County alone, 40,000 iguanas are put down every year. “They can be a good pet if you know you’re getting a six-foot-long lizard with claws,” Comstock says. “They need a lot of attention when they’re babies in order to be able to handle them when they get big.” Many of the Eco Station’s iguanas have been transferred to Sacramento, where a new center opened last Saturday. The enormous success of the Culver City facility, which is completely funded by donations, allows the Bozzis to continue to expand. A third Eco Station is scheduled to open in San Francisco in 2008. When 7-year-old Noelle Jimenez is asked about her favorite animal at Eco Station, she leans toward the less exotic. “I like the hamsters,” she says. “They all have different personalities.” STAR Eco Station is located at 10101 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City. The center is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with 1-1/2-hour tours beginning on the half hour. Contact: 842-8060 or go online to www.ecostation.org.
Students Support Great Causes
By CHARLOTTE COHEN Special to the Palisadian-Post The Student Council at Palisades Elementary Charter School has been saving up its money for a good cause. We are very happy to be able to give $400 to each of these great charities: ‘ Heal The Bay–Key to the Sea, a group focused on keeping the beaches clean, educating the community and schools about how they can help, and measuring the ocean water for cleanliness. ‘ Ronald McDonald Charities of Southern California, which provides apartments to entire families who travel away from their home to get their kids into hospitals. These apartments are built near hospitals, and the family can stay there for a very small fee. This housing is given to families whose kids have serious illness like cancer. ‘ Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, a hospital that cares for children who are very sick from here and all over the world, and does a lot of their work for free. We are hoping that our money can help a sick child get well. ‘ UCLA/Orthopedic Hospital Center for Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral palsy is a medical condition that affects control of the muscles. We are hoping that our money will help those with this condition. Pali Elementary’s Student Council hopes it can stay connected to the community by helping them. (Charlotte Cohen was the fourth grade historian at Palisades Elementary School.)
Tuesdays at the Hauns’ and 1000s of Books
By GARRETT WAIT Palisadian-Post Intern The smell of old manuscripts is subtle but strong when one steps through the front door of Jim and Judith Haun’s home in Pacific Palisades. Thousands of books of short stories and essays, their pages yellowed over time, line the staircase up to the second floor. All of them have been read, and all of them have been discussed thoroughly by a group of friends who meet every Tuesday night. That’s not surprising; the reading club has had 42 years to get through them all. That’s exactly what they’ve done, according to Jim, the founder of the Palisades reading club. The group has met regularly for more than four decades, with each weekly meeting’s discussion based on a new short story or essay. They’ve gotten through thousands of well-known stories and plenty that aren’t nearly as well known. Jim has been the leader of the group as long as it has been around. But he doesn’t just see himself in the role of discussion leader. The meetings are part of a larger, continuing sociological experiment in which he sees himself as an outside observer more than an active participant. “I guess what we’re looking for is the overview,” he said. “I describe myself as an anthropologist from outer space.” On any given Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., between 15 and 20 people file into the Hauns’ home. All have been there before; most have long-designated seats ready for them as they enter. These are loyal group members, some of whom travel from as far as Palos Verdes and the San Fernando Valley. The group has spawned lifelong relationships among the members. It is how the Hauns met and eventually married 26 years ago, according to Judith. “We met in an odd way in a restaurant,” she said. “We weren’t together, but we were sitting real close to each other. I knew the woman he was with and we were seated so close to each other that we got to talking. He invited me to come to the group.” The Hauns’ relationship has allowed them to be partners in hosting the meetings. However, Judith defers to Jim once the discussion begins. “Jim is just a fabulous leader,” she said. “He holds the group together, they respect and love and appreciate him. I’m just there to be part of the group, to put out the cake, to be there and to participate and to help out any way I can. I really think people come because of Jim.” For about half an hour, the group mills around the kitchen, eating cake, catching up on the week’s happenings and telling jokes with old friends. These are people who have had decades to get to know each other. After all, the youngest person in the group is in his 50s, with many members in their 80s. They have a good sense of when tea time is over, thanks to years of attendance, but if they’ve forgotten, Jim reminds everybody with a few swift strikes of a gong in the corner of the reading room. The topic of discussion on this night is an essay on feminism by Maureen Dowd. Everybody in the room had read it thoroughly, dissecting parts they agreed or disagreed with. It’s the disagreements, obviously, that spark the most fervent discussion. One bold statement can set off a cacophony of sound. Arguments are deftly prepared and thoroughly discussed. No stone is left unturned. However, political statements aren’t allowed. “Politics get too personal and particular,” Jim said. “We’re looking for a philosophical overview of humanity.” Through it all, Jim works as a vocal traffic cop. He guides the discussion in all the right directions, making sure that anybody who wants to speak gets a chance to say what’s on his or her mind. “I try to make it possible for everyone who wants to speak to get in,” he said. “When the group gets off topic, I try to bring it back. I also try to bring up things in the reading that haven’t been talked about yet.” This has been the tradition since the group’s humble beginnings, when Jim led a discussion of “Contemporary Moral Issues,” a book of essays edited by Harry K. Girvetz. The book was chosen as part of a UCLA outreach program. Participants paid $10 for the 11-week course, and got the book with the payment. One particular group liked the meetings so much that they decided to continue getting together, and they’ve been doing it ever since. In the past few months, the group has gone through stories such as “The Ninth in E Minor” by Frederick Busch, “Chekhov’s Journey” by James McConkey, “A Memorial to the Slain” by William March and “Lappin and Lapinova” by Virginia Woolf. Some authors and stories get special attention, according to Judith. “Sometimes we have repeated stories,” she said. “It’s always interesting because it’s different the second time. “It’s different from any other book group. We’re substantial in some way. These are very bright people, very eclectic people. They all come from different points of view.” The group has changed a little over time, with members moving away or passing on, but the core and the driving force behind the group remains the same. “The meetings will go on as long as the leader survives and as long as the group holds out,” she said. “People keep coming. Just when you think this is the group, other people hear about it or come. The group seems to sustain itself.” The embodiment of the group’s passion for reading is summed up by a Logan Pearsall Smith quote that hangs on the wall in the Hauns’ reading room: “People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.”
Weddings
Anne-Elisa Schaffer Weds Jared Yeager at Marina Anne-Elisa Schaffer and Jared Tyler Yeager were married on May 27 at the Marina del Rey Marriott in a rooftop ceremony that was officiated by longtime friend of the bride and groom, Asa Shumskas-Tait. The bride, 24, is the daughter of Mark and Barbara Schaffer of Pacific Palisades. She attended Palisades High School and the USC School of Cinema-Television, where she received her B.A. in critical studies. She is the story editor at East of Doheny, a film/television/theater production company in West Hollywood. The bridegroom, 26, is the son of Bill and Kathy Yeager of Pasadena. He attended the USC School of Cinema-Television, where he received his B.A. in critical studies. He is an associate producer at Vivendi Games in West Los Angeles and also works as a voice-over artist. The bride’s maid of honor was Normandie Zeidler. Bridesmaids were Elizabeth Megel, Deidre Moore, Alison Veneto, Jenny Krochmal and Maya Kuttan. The best man was Ryan French. The groomsmen included Lawrence Everson, Adam Rauscher, Doug Spice, Zach Turner, Jesse Vigil and David Schaffer, the bride’s brother. The flower girl and ring bearer were Shelly and Alex Schaffer, the bride’s cousins. The bridegroom’s sister, Adrianna Yeager, read a selection from Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet.” Following their honeymoon in Australia and Hawaii, the newlyweds are living in West Los Angeles. Kao and Fritzsche Wed in Taiwan Palisades native Thomas Jones Fritzsche and Faye Kao were married February 24 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the bride’s hometown. Both bride and groom are respiratory therapists at UCLA Medical Center. The couple met at respiratory therapy school in Los Angeles. The bride is the daughter of Julie and Paul Kao of Temple City, California. She is a graduate of East Los Angeles College. The groom is the son of William and Delores Fritzsche of Pacific Palisades. He graduated from Corpus Christi School, Loyola High School and Humboldt State University. The bride was attended by matron of honor Vera Wang Chu. Her daughters Suzie Chu and Tammy Chu were flower girls. Vincent J. Fritzsche was his brother’s best man, and brothers William V. Fritzsche and James H. Fritzsche were groomsmen. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and are at home in Temple City. Dunsmore and Barre Announce Engagement Brenda Dawn Dunsmore and Joshua Lessing Barre, both of Pacific Palisades, have announced their engagement. The future bride is the daughter of Margaret Dunsmore of Victorville and Bill Dunsmore of Oceanside. She is a 1996 graduate of Vista High School in Vista, California, and a 2000 graduate of UCLA, where she received a bachelor’s degree in economics. She is a supervisor at a real estate asset-management firm based in West Los Angeles. The future bridegroom is the son of Laurie Barre of Altadena and Guy Barre of Pacific Palisades. He is a 2002 graduate of American InterContinental University in Los Angeles, where he received a bachelor’s degree in information technology. He is a licensed real estate broker in the states of California, Nevada and Texas and the co-owner of RealPro, a real estate and mortgage brokerage firm headquartered in Pacific Palisades. The wedding is set for August 21 at Shutters on the Beach Hotel in Santa Monica. The couple plan to spend their honeymoon in Tahiti. They will live in Pacific Palisades. Kaszubowski and Cheng Exchange Vows in Miami Martin P. Kaszubowski and Jean Cheng were married on April 29 at Doral Resort and Spa in Miami. The bridegroom is the son of Drs. Krystyna and Pawel Kaszubowski, longtime Palisadians. The bride is the daughter of Mrs. Tina and Mr. Ray Cheng of Coral Springs, Florida. The bride is a very talented musician and plays on various instruments. She graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. degree in music and political science. After graduation, she played violin in the Atlanta Orchestra. The bridegroom, a doctor in the Air Force, graduated from the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences in Washington D.C., in 2004 and currently works as a staff physician at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. He attended Corpus Christi School and Loyola High School and obtained his B.S. degree cum laude from UCLA in 2000. The groomsmen were Michael Kaszubowski, his older brother; Sergio Antoniuk, his best friend (also from Pacific Palisades); and the bride’s younger brother John. After enjoying a honeymoon trip to Hawaii, the young couple reside in their new home in Tucson. Just before the wedding, Martin served his first medical duty in Afghanistan.
Mustang All-Stars Win Section, Advance
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Sure, the Palisades Pony Baseball Association’s Mustang all-star team found comfort at home for the District Playoffs, yet it is also proving capable of winning in unfamiliar territory. Palisades clinched a berth in the Sectionals with a rousing 6-5 victory over Paramount last Wednesday at the Field of Dreams and the team rode that confidence to convincing victories over Norwalk and Lynwood last weekend in Manhattan Beach that earned the squad a spot in the Regional tournament, which begins today at Charter Oak Park in Covina. According to PPBA Commissioner Bob Benton, no local Mustang all-star team has ever advanced this far in the Pony playoffs. Palisades’ Pinto all-stars (ages 7-8) reached the Sectionals last year. “I’m so proud of each and every player’it has truly been a team effort to be Coast Division champs,” head coach Bill Elder said. “Obviously, we want to keep going but I want our team to savor this. To be one of the eight teams left in Southern California says a lot about how hard these kids have worked.” Palisades opened the Sectional tournament by beating Norwalk, 11-5, Saturday at Mira Costa High. Pali scored three runs in the top of the first inning and five more in the second to take a commanding 8-2 lead. Matt McGeagh and Jackson Kogan each went three-for-four at the plate. “It’s all about practice’if you get enough practice in, you are confident enough to throw all of your pitches,” said Pali’s left-handed ace Jackson Bantle, who turns 11 today. “The coaches tell us not to worry about the pressure, which makes it easier to do well.” Bantle was overpowering for the first three innings against Norwalk. Justin Ruder came on in the fourth and used his nasty curveball to keep opposing hitters lunging at air for the rest of the game. In Sunday’s championship game against Lynwood, Palisades starter Brett Elder, who had pitched a complete game in the victory over Paramount, had a rough first two innings before heeding the advice of his coaches to throw more curve balls. “[Assistant coach] Rick McGeagh and I noticed that their batters were sitting on the fast ball, just waiting for Brett to throw it,” Bill Elder said. “We also saw that they couldn’t hit the off-speed stuff, so in the third inning we decided to have our pitchers throw fewer fast balls.” The strategy worked, as Elder shut Lynwood down for the next two innings while Pali’s offense exploded for five runs in the first inning and three in the second. Matt McGeagh, Jackson Kogan and Dawson Rosenberg all had multiple hits and Bantle pitched the last two innings of the 10-5 win. “Our coaches remind us to keep our heads in the game, no matter what the score,” said third baseman Joe Rosenbaum, soon to be a sixth-grader at Paul Revere. “We know we can come back because we’ve done it before.” No game tested Pali’s resolve more than the win over Paramount that allowed the PPBA’s 9- and 10-year-old all-stars to advance to the Sectionals. Elder pitched a nine-hitter with four strikeouts, but the hosts still trailed 4-3 with two turns at bat left. In the top of the fifth, Beetley singled with one out, then scored the tying run on a single by Brett Elder. In the top of the sixth, Kogan singled to right to score Dawson Rosenberg, then Paul Kirkpatrick tripled to center to score Kogan. Matt McGeagh, who singled and hit a sacrifice fly to score Wylie Beetley against Paramount, relies on patience at the plate. “I always look for the high and inside pitch, and I hit it,” he said. Paramount threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, but Elder got a strike out and catcher Jackson Kogan immediately threw a bullet to third base, where Kirkpatrick tagged a runner attempting a steal for the final out. Should Palisades win the Regional tournament, it would advance to the West Zonals in Chino Hills, where it would play for a berth in the World Series, to be held August 2-5 in Irving, Texas.
