The mighty god of volcanoes has a son named Erichtheus (ir-ek-thee-uhs), but since his name is so hard to pronounce everyone calls him Eric. His dad’s Greek name is Hephaestos (hep-fes-tos), which is also too hard to say, so everyone calls him Vulcan, which is his Roman name and the origin of the word volcano. Eric’s mom is the goddess of the earth. Her name is Gaia and that’s what everyone calls her because it’s so easy to say. In ‘The Boy Who Lived in a Volcano,’ writer Nick French manages to combine Greek and Roman gods with some made-up deities to tell the story of Eric, the super god who wants to use his power for good by saving the world from natural disasters. French, a 1994 graduate of the New York Film Academy, thinks of his spiral notebook stories as visual movie books. ‘To read them is like holding a movie in your hands,’ says French, a Palisades resident who will read from the book on Saturday, March 5 at 3 p. m. on Swarthmore at Village Books. ‘They are colorful and alive with pop.’ French, 35, designs his books like story boards, picking out images in the public domain from the Internet. Often he finds an image that can lead him to a new part of the story. The Volcano book is told in three acts with attention to character development and a big, exciting finish. ‘Kids want a little more edge, action and something much more like a Pixar film,’ says French, who is single. Targeting children from 6 to 12 takes full advantage of the kids’ movie savvy and need to be entertained immediately. French has written three books so far, including the Volcano story. The first book, ‘Jimmy The Wonderdog,’ stars Jimmy, an abandoned puppy who becomes a winner in ability championships, but who faces a number of near-fatal catastrophes that challenge the heart of this champion. His most recent book, ‘A Hamster Named Elvis,’ stars Elvis, who loves to rock out, and his nemesis, the evil 8-year-old who doesn’t treat Elvis well. While French is still looking for a publisher for his stories, he is encouraged by the response to his notebooks, especially from kids. ‘This is really a promotional thing, because I want these books out there.’
How Sweet the Design of Amazing Grace
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
‘We made it snow at the Bel Air Bay Club,’ Debra Parr says in an excited voice injected with all the warmth of a mother recalling memories of her kids growing up. She’s sitting on the tiny turquoise couch in her 20- by 12-ft. office on Entrada, describing another special celebration that she planned with her event design firm, Amazing Grace. The photo album on her lap is filled with colorful images from birthday parties, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, fundraisers and other events Parr has designed. One Chinese-American wedding last October featured an orange-and-white color theme with elements of the bride’s Chinese heritage woven into the decorations and ceremony, including cherry trees brought in for the occasion. However, because they were ‘a hip, metropolitan couple,’ according to Parr, everything had a contemporary, city feel. For example, modernized white lanterns hung from the trees in Maguire Gardens in Downtown Los Angeles, where the wedding was held, and each table at the reception (at Cafe Pinot) was named after a quality such as luck or grace. Even the waiters wore orange ties. ‘I’m really good with space planning and decor,’ says Parr, who earned her bachelor’s degree in art history and architecture from UCLA. She started her own interior design business, Debra Parr and Associates, straight out of college in 1987 and worked from her home in Brentwood. ‘I just hung up my shingle,’ Parr says, recollecting some of her first jobs’covering a couch and designing a nursery. ‘A couple of people gave me a chance.’ Her background in interior design, coupled with her savvy sense of style and love for planning meaningful events, eventually led her to pursue event design. ‘Having grown up outside of Montreal, some of my aesthetic sensibility comes from that European style,’ says Parr, who began modeling in Quebec at the age of 14. She moved to the United States to model in 1979 but ultimately decided to go to college instead. However, Parr says that ‘being part of the fashion world and knowing how to pull things together’ has definitely helped with both her interior and event design businesses. She also had the opportunity to travel with her husband, Rob Parr, a fitness trainer, in the late 1980s, while he trained Madonna on two world tours. ‘I got to be a sponge,’ Parr says about her experience attending and observing grand-scale parties held for the pop star in various countries. She started Amazing Grace in 2000 at Colorado and 26th St., and initially was working mainly for her interior design clients who were hiring her to do parties. After doing some pro bono work for charities, her business grew by word of mouth. When Parr was hired to design a party for Hillary Clinton in a Beverly Hills home, she decided on a Zen/Asian tea instead of the typical British tea. She has also produced events for Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Yet Parr’s passion also seems to come from helping her clients celebrate their special events while forming one-on-one relationships with the people she works with. ‘I feel privileged that families let me into their lives for a time and I want everything to go perfectly,’ she says. ‘You remember these moments in your life, not always at a party but during the day, when you get goose bumps’I’m looking for that feeling whenever possible.’ Parr is especially experienced in the realm of Sweet Sixteens and bar/bat mitzvahs because she has children around these ages’12-year-old twins Hunter and Chandler, and a 16-year-old son, Jordan. In fact, they were the reason she found her current space at Entrada, which used to be a surf shop that her children frequented. Amazing Grace has been there for about a year and a half, and Parr likes the convenience of being so close to her Santa Monica Canyon home. In the tiny office, Parr has a basket of materials and samples for each client she’s working with, and photos of her clients hang on a bulletin board. Most hire her one year in advance, though she says she has pulled events together in six weeks. ‘I try to have only one event on any given weekend,’ says Parr, who works with a two-person staff including assistants Nancy and Claudia, as well as a crew of art students who help with the installation of the event. ‘We love being a boutique business and really want to be available to the client.’ Parr does not charge for the initial ‘meet and greet.’ After the consultation, clients can hire her for a flat fee (which she says about 85 percent opt to do) or by the hour if, for example, they are already far along in the planning process and just need some hourly consulting. ‘The flat fee has nothing to do with the budget,’ Parr explains, adding that she is good at giving her clients an accurate reflection of what they can have within their budget. The definitive issues, she says, are what time frame they have to plan the event, the scope of the event and the budget. Amazing Grace helps with everything from locations and scheduling to recommendations for a photographer, DJ or a cake. Parr is involved in every step, from drawing floor plans for the venue to designing the hostess gift. One of her funky, innovative ideas for a party favor is a customized viewfinder. She’s also done candy bars wrapped in the colors of the party. Once, she rented the Big Blue Bus as transportation for a party and put customized posters on the side. At a Harry Potter-themed bar mitzvah held at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, Amazing Grace set up a ‘potion/lotion station’ where children made bath salts and essential oils. At a 50th wedding anniversary party, each table was decorated with items that referenced a part of the couple’s history together. Parr has also created and produced parties with themes such as 1940/’50s, toga (‘Animal House meets Caesar’s Palace’), ‘enchanted forest’ and, of course, the Academy Awards. In Pacific Palisades, she has designed bat mitzvah parties at Kehillat Israel and decorated people’s homes for Halloween. About 90 percent of her clientele is from the Westside, with the majority from the Palisades, though she has also produced events in Long Beach, New York and Montreal. Parr continues to practice interior design, which makes up about 25 to 30 percent of her business, since she says it ‘keeps me fresh and inspired.’ Parr, who describes her own style as ‘aristocratic bohemian,’ says she came up with the name ‘Amazing Grace’ when she was in a store on the Third Street Promenade listening to the gospel song. ‘I thought, ‘This is how I want to live my life,” she says. ‘It’s what we really aspire to in our business.’ Amazing Grace is located at 140 Entrada. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact: 453-8494.
Stuart Muller Is Citizen of the Year
Stuart Muller, a lifelong resident and an active member of the Community Council for many years, has been named 2004 Citizen of the Year, an award bestowed by the Palisadian-Post since 1947. ‘We have long been impressed by Stuart’s involvement in community issues,’ said Post Publisher Roberta Donohue. ‘Last year, he not only brought about completion of the Clearwater Mural on two walls of the Sav-on building, he doggedly pursued noise abatement at the car wash on the corner of La Cruz and Alma Real. This noise has been a nuisance in that part of our business community for years, but Stuart finally managed to get it reduced below the allowable limit.’ ‘In addition,’ Donohue said, ‘Stuart kept up his multi-year campaign to create a community center in the old gym building at the Palisades Recreation Center.’ Muller will be honored, along with the annual Sparkplug winners, on April 14 at the Riviera Country Club. An area representative on the Community Council, Muller spearheaded the beautification project of the Sav-on loading dock area on Swarthmore, just below the Village Green. This included the creation of the Clearwater Mural by Palisadian artist Terri Bromberg, an idyllic panoramic scene that wraps Sav-on’s north and west sides. Completed in 1999, the mural was named for C.C. Clearwater, the early owner and publisher of The Palisadian, and his wife, Zola, also an important community pioneer. A two-month project to restore the mural and add a new section was finished last fall. Muller wanted the mural to serve as a backdrop to the Village Green. When he was honored with a Sparkplug award in April 1998 for his work, speaker Shirley Haggstrom said that Muller ‘saw an eyesore’the Sav-on loading dock area’and decided to get it cleaned up. Little did he know that this would expand into a project involving not only the dock area, but also a facelift of the entire Sav-on property, including repaving and restriping, relocation of trash dumpsters, installation of an awning over the dock doors, and at least 25 other beautification items.’ Last summer, Muller extended his creative energies to solving some of the noise and visual pollution problems at Palisades Gas and Wash. He formed the Car Wash Noise Committee, which reported back to the Community Council, and pressed operations manager John Zisk to make modifications to lower the sound of his car wash’s dryer. This included replacing the older air compressors with two new high-performance ones and putting an insulated duct on the dryer. After helping to bring the sound level down to legal limits last fall, Muller continued pushing for a facelift of the property. In an e-mail to the Post, he wrote: ‘When I first contacted Zisk, I told him my belief that many of the visual pollution problems we have in the Village could be expeditiously and inexpensively mitigated through the use of basic theatrical/movie set-making techniques: the use of screening, planting, lighting and painting.’ Largely as a result of Muller’s passion and persistence, trees were planted along the corner wall that separates Palisades Gas and Wash from the street. In his 1998 Sparkplug acceptance speech, Muller said that ‘pride in community service is a fundamental and dynamic force in our Palisadian heritage. Let’s work hard to pass this heritage along to our children.’ A licensed marriage, family and child counselor, Muller is the son of Wayne and Mary Muller, who have lived in the Palisades for 64 years. Muller, 60, graduated from the University of Southern California in 1967 with a degree in cinema/television and worked 12 years with Walt Disney Productions in various capacities. Continuing his community involvement, he is a member of the new Potrero Canyon Citizen Advisory Committee.
Eileen Lochart, 84; Former Owner of P&L Escrow
Eileen M. Lochart, 84, passed away on January 12 in Los Angeles. Born on May 19, 1920 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Eileen moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was two years old. She later spent many years in the banking and escrow business in Pacific Palisades, including 23 years at Santa Monica Bank. After her retirement from the bank, Eileen and her partner opened their own escrow business, P&L Escrow on Monument. After selling P&L, she continued in the escrow business as an auditor until 2002. Eileen loved to travel the world and spend time with her family and friends. She has left behind many grieving hearts.
Virginia Boid Nelson, 79
Longtime Palisadian Virginia Boid Nelson passed away peacefully on December 29 in her home in Rocklin, near Sacramento. She was 79. Virginia lived in Pacific Palisades from 1963 until moving to Rancho Bernardo with her husband, Norman, in 1988. She was active in the Palisades Lutheran Church, where she remained close friends with many of its current and past members until her death. Virginia’s greatest joys in life were raising her four boys, who were active in local sports, and watching them grow into adults and raise families of their own. In 1998 Virginia and Norman moved to Rocklin to be near their five grandchildren. Nothing pleased her more than spending time with her grandchildren, and she always felt so blessed to have such a fulfilling life. Virginia was well liked by all who had the privilege to know her, and always made everyone around feel warm and welcome. Friends and family will never forget her smile, generosity and kindness. She made this world a better place, and there will always be a void left by her absence. Besides her loving husband of 54 years, Virginia is survived by her sons Bob (wife Kathy) of Granite Bay, California; Steve of Foster City, Brad (wife Traci) of Agoura Hills, and Rich (wife Vera) of Granite Bay; grandchildren Cari, Amanda, Lindsay, Taylor and Darren; and her sister, Peg Fry (husband Bill and three children) of Billings, Montana. Memorial services were held in Granite Bay on January 7.
Mary Hershberger, 97; An Active Presbyterian
Mary Martin Hershberger, a longtime Palisades resident and a highly respected regional artist, passed away on February 6. She was 97. Born on June 11, 1907 in Elkhart, Indiana, Hershberger was a graduate of Goshen College. She lived in Princeton, New Jersey, before moving to California with her family in 1949. They lived initially in Westwood, but moved to Pacific Palisades in 1964. Her husband, W. Delmar Hershberger, was a professor in the school of engineering at UCLA until his retirement. He died in 1987. Hershberger worked for over 50 years in various media, including sculpture, ceramics, watercolor and oil painting. She also worked for several years as a commercial artist in the aerospace industry. She was a member of the Women Artists of the West and showed her work with the Palisades Art Association, where she won a number of awards. She was a lifelong student of art, constantly challenging herself and a few close friends to learn new techniques. For example, she mastered the art of printmaking and of Japanese brush painting, a minimalist and painstakingly difficult medium. The Hershbergers were very active in the Palisades Presbyterian Church, where Mary served on the board of deacons. Her children, grandchildren and friends recall as well her love for gardening; her skill at handicrafts and baking breads, pies and pizza; her zeal for composting and recycling before it was fashionable; her avid bridge-playing, and her joy in traveling repeatedly on five continents. Hershberger is survived by her children, Betty Zisk of Boston, Edward Hershberger of Portland and Ruth Campbell of Rancho Palos Verdes, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A celebration of her life will be held at the Palisades Presbyterian Church, 15821 Sunset Blvd., on March 12 at 10 a.m.
Ina H. Bitting, Resident Since 1926
Mrs. Ina H. Bitting, a nearly lifelong resident of Pacific Palisades, died on the morning of February 14 after a lengthy illness. She was 86. Born in Hollywood in 1918, Ina moved to Pacific Palisades in 1926 when her parents, Dr. Henry and Edith Andrews, purchased a home on Iliff Street. She had three siblings. When Ina was 16 and a student at University High School in Santa Monica, 18-year-old Robert Bitting arrived in the Palisades. At the time, the Methodist church was the only church in town, and Bob and Ina met during the church’s activities for young people. ‘We got along real well,’ Bob later recalled, and they married on December 18, 1937, with Rev. John Gabrielson presiding. Ina had graduated from business college in Santa Monica before the marriage, but became a full-time homemaker and mother of two children, Barbara and Kenneth. Ina was an active member of the Methodist Church for more than 80 years. At age 16, she joined the church choir, where she sang almost every Sunday for more than 60 years, and after her children had left home for college, she served as the church’s wedding coordinator for more than 25 years. She was also active in many local civic organizations. She was a 50-year member of the Woman’s Club, including a stint as president, and a participant in the Community Council, serving as the organization’s secretary under chairman Bob Abernethy. Most of all, however, Ina was a beloved and faithful daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She was preceded in death by her two brothers, Howard and Jim Andrews, and her sister Winifred Chambers. In addition to her husband of 67 years, she is survived by her daughter, Barbara (husband Willy) of Nevada City, California; her son, Kenneth (wife Virginia) of Mystic, Connecticut; and grandchildren Christopher, Matthew, and Stephanie Kollmeyer and Jennifer and Adrienne Bitting. A memorial service will be held at noon, March 13, at the Community United Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent in Ina’s honor to the Methodist Church in Ina’s honor.
Friends Mourn Passing of Singer John Raitt, 88
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
John Raitt, a longtime Palisadian who enjoyed a 70-year career marked by extraordinary good fortune and theatrical success, died on Sunday, February 20, of complications from pneumonia. He was 88. The musical theater star who made his name on Broadway was equally known and revered in Pacific Palisades, where he generously shared his talent, civic spirit and pride. Raitt was born in Santa Ana in 1917 and began his professional career in the chorus of ‘H. M. S. Pinafore’ for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera in 1940. He last performed with his Grammy-winning daughter Bonnie at a Musical Theatre Alumni Tribute to him at Pepperdine University in December. After a period as an MGM contract player, Raitt auditioned for the plum role of Curly in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1944 tour of ‘Oklahoma!’ and won the part, which helped pay his college bills at the University of Redlands. After playing the lead role in ‘Oklahoma!’ in Chicago for 10 months, he went to New York and within a short time was cast as Billy Bigelow in the Broadway-bound ‘Carousel.’ For his work in ‘Carousel,’ in which he introduced such songs as ‘If I Loved You’ and ‘Soliloquy,’ Raitt received numerous awards and caught the attention of Louis B. Mayer, who, when he came to see the show, sent an aide backstage to ask where they had discovered the talented young man. To Mayer’s surprise, he was informed that Raitt had been plucked from his own back lot. The baritone appeared in three more Broadway musicals”Magdalena’ (1948), ‘Three Wishes for Jamie’ (1952) and ‘Carnival in Flanders’ (1953)’before striking gold in ‘The Pajama Game’ (1954). He performed the latter over 1,000 times, and his spirited and sensitive renditions of ‘There Once Was A Man,’ ‘Small Talk’ and ‘Hey There”his duet with a Dictaphone machine’remain high-water marks in musical theater history. Raitt loved the show, and when he learned that Arnie Wishnick and Andy Frew were going to mount it for Theatre Palisades in 2002 he quickly offered to help. ‘John came to the first meeting and met with the cast, which was a thrill for them’to be with this Broadway legend,’ Wishnick recalls. ‘He then appeared in 19 out of 24 performances, singing his signature song ‘Hey There.’ It was a treat for the audiences to see the great John Raitt.’ Raitt’s success and fame on 44th Street gave him the opportunity to do television shows, including such memorable productions as ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ with Mary Martin in 1957. In fact, two of the songs from that show became duets Raitt later sang in concert and on a CD with Bonnie. In the liner notes for ‘John Raitt: Broadway Legend,’ Bonnie commented, ‘To get to share in the magic of these songs, these beautiful new arrangements and most of all that voice’with all the richness that a lifetime of experience can bring’is a thrill words cannot express.’ That voice was extraordinary, recalls actress and fellow Palisades Honorary Mayor Nanette Fabray, noting Raitt’s ‘Stradivarius vocal cords. He was born with it. I don’t know if he knew how to care for it or not; most athletes have to warm up, but not John. He would just open up his mouth and out would come Stradivarius.’ Over the years, Raitt continued performing at benefit concerts, including an appearance at Carnegie Hall and at the 2002 Tony Awards in a group rendition of ‘Oklahoma!’ He never hesitated to sing in his hometown whenever he could fit the event into his schedule. He retained the title of Palisades Honorary Mayor from 1990 to 1994, happily riding in the Fourth of July Parade even after his term ended, and singing for Chamber of Commerce mixers and other local organizations. ‘I remember one of our mixers fell on Halloween and John was going to sing for us, Wishnick remembers. ‘I asked him if he knew any Halloween songs, and by golly he did. I was really impressed by that. He was always there for us. A couple of years ago, he appeared at AARP and entertained us with stories and songs for 55 minutes. I also saw him perform at his theater in Hollywood and was amazed; he never looked at sheet music. For an hour and a half, he knew every song by heart.’ He loved the Palisades and his involvement, and when his term as mayor finally came to an end, he said, ‘I’ll miss telling everybody all over the country that I’m the Honorary Mayor of Pacific Palisades, and I’ll miss riding in the parade. I’ll also miss singing. As everybody knows, I love to perform.’ Fabray says ‘Raitt was born with so much talent and such a great gift of joy in his performance. When you were his audience, you saw an ebullient, adorable John. ‘But, believe it or not, he had many personalities. When he was with Rosemary, he was a totally different person.’ Rosemary and John had met and fallen in love as students at Redlands, but life’s currents did not bring them back together for 41 years, when they were finally reintroduced by a mutual friend and married in 1981. ‘He was a gentle, caring person around her. He would get up and do anything for her, even when he was in pain. It was an extraordinary love story. Bonnie always said that her mother always said that Rosemary was John’s true love.’ In addition to his wife and daughter, Raitt is survived by his two sons, Steven and David, two stepdaughters, Sally Lokey and Dee Mahieu; and six grandchildren. Funeral services will be private, and plans for a memorial are pending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the John Raitt and Rosemary Raitt Scholarship and Musical Theater at the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA.
Akron Property Sold at Public Auction
Last Sunday, it was standing-room-only at the real estate auction of 16320 Akron St., where a three-bedroom, two-bath house on a coveted double lot (13,250 sq. ft.) was up for grabs. Over 100 people showed up, many of them arriving early to inspect the approximately 1,672 sq. ft. Marquez home, which was built in 1953, and features high ceilings, skylights, and new beige carpet throughout. Some said they planned to renovate the house. Others said they planned to tear it down, to take better advantage of the large, private back yard which terraces down to a stream. By 11 a.m., the seating in the living room and an extra seating area which had been set up under a canopy in the back garden to protect against the rain were full. There were 20 registered bidders, who each plunked down a $50,000 cashier’s check to obtain a bidding number. The opening bid: $1,300,000, which quickly jumped to $1,375,000, then $1,380,000, $1,385,000, $1,425,000, then the highest bid: $1,480,000. By 11:18 a.m. the auction was over. ‘The owner is delighted,’ said auctioneer Mario Piatelli. ‘Not only did she get more than the $1,250,000 million that had been suggested as a suitable listing price for the property by local realtors, but the auction guarantees a quick sale.’ Also delighted is the buyer, Sina Khodadai, 30. Raised in Rustic Canyon, he had been looking for a house for months. His real estate agent, who found out about the Akron auction through the Multiple Listing Service, brought it to his attention last week. On Friday, when Khodadai and his wife Tanaz, 26, saw the property for the first time, he said he was immediately sold after seeing with the trees and foliage in the large back yard. ‘It reminded me of growing up in the canyon,’ said Khodadai, who graduated from Palisades High in 1993. He is not yet sure if he will remodel the house or build a new one. Escrow is scheduled to close within 30 days, or sooner if Khodadai, who helps manage his family’s retail businesses (gas stations and car washes), can get the financing together. Piatelli, as the listing broker, will be paid 2.5 percent commission, as will Shahin Manavi (Coldwell Banker/Beverly Hills), who represented Khodadai. ”Piatelli, whose auction company has over 50 years’ experience selling property, including industrial and commercial, said a successful real estate auction ‘provides a maximum return for the seller and clear title for the buyer.’ He said he was ‘not surprised’ at the large turnout on Sunday, given that we had received ‘over 300 phone calls about the property,’ the auction having been advertised in the Palisadian-Post, the Los Angeles Times, and on his Web site (www.Piatelli.com). However, the property was listed on the MLS only two weeks ago, and only after the MLS relented, allowing Piatelli to list the price as ‘$0.’ ‘Yes, it is unusual to list an auction,’ he said. ‘But brokers and their clients have every right to know about this opportunity. Real estate auctions are a perfectly good way to sell homes.’ Several people left the Akron auction disappointed. A Marquez Knolls resident, who preferred not to identify himself, thought the property would go ‘for around $1 million. The house is not even livable.’ On the other hand, J.C. Champaneri, who owns the Brentwood Inn on Sunset which is currently undergoing renovations, though it would be an ideal starter house for him and his wife. Iraj Safapour, who came from San Francisco for the auction, had hoped to buy the house for his daughter, 32, an attorney, who lives in L.A. ‘It would have been perfect for her,’ he said. ‘There should be more auctions like this.’
Palisades Beautiful To Plant 45 Trees
Palisades Beautiful will soon begin planting 45 trees in two neighborhoods, the Alphabet streets and west of El Medio below Sunset, plus a few other streets. ‘Although water conditions may foil our efforts temporarily, we expect to begin planting trees on Friday (February 25) and continue through Monday,’ said Ann Fogel, the organization’s chairman. The trees will include purple orchid, coral gum, purple plum, tulip, evergreen pear and liquidambar. Each street in the Palisades has a specific tree designation approved by the City of L.A. Some of the streets gaining new trees are Sunset, Fiske, Galloway, Iliff, Kagawa, Drummond, Chautauqua, Albright, Radcliffe, Miami Way, Arbramar, Almar and Bollinger. ‘Under a program of the DWP, Trees for a Green L.A. has donated many of the trees used in this planting, and they are typically very fine specimen trees,’ Fogel said. ‘We feel fortunate indeed to have their help; this allows us to plant more trees over time.’ The road to a Palisades Beautiful parkway tree planting event is long and strewn with obstacles, Fogel explained. It includes obtaining permission slips from homeowners, determining and perhaps striving to change a city tree designation, obtaining final permits, marking exact tree location, obtaining Dig Alert inspection along with city inspection, locating a variety of trees and having city inspection and tagging of trees, obtaining a qualified planter, notifying tree recipients of impending planting and their responsibilities, overseeing of planting by Palisades Beautiful members and finally providing care instructions to homeowners. ‘Thanks to Trees for a Green L.A., we hope to complete another planting in the near future,’ Fogel said. Homeowners can request a free parkway tree or determine the city-designated tree for their block by e-mail (palisadesbeautiful@earthlink.net) or by calling 459-3432 or 459-7145.
