Alessia Piaggi, daughter of Ezio and Candida Piaggi and an almost lifelong resident of Pacific Palisades, married Christopher Milner, son of John and Maureen Milner of Leeds, England, at Hilltop Farm Ranch in Carpinteria, California, on September 18. Alessia attended the local Palisades public schools and went on to graduate from UC San Diego. Chris grew up in England and graduated as valedictorian of his college class at City University in London with a degree in actuarial sciences. The couple met in London where Alessia had gone to work as financial controller for the Strategic Alliance Group of the multi-media company Bertelsmann. Chris is currently a managing director at Goldman Sachs, also in London. The wedding had a definite international flavor, with guests coming from Australia, England, Austria, Greece, Croatia and Italy. The couple are planning a delayed around-the-world honeymoon in December, returning to London which they have made their home.
Palisadian Frank Damon, a Las Angelitas del Pueblo docent, points out details in the mural painted between 1974 and 1978 by artist Leo Politi on the Biscailuz Building off Olvera Street. The “Blessing of the Animals” is a popular annual tradition. Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
For a city bursting at the seams with newcomers, it’s ironic how, in the beginning, it was tough to convince anyone to come live here. The promise of free land, no taxes, and provisions for growing crops finally motivated 44 men and women to migrate from present-day Mexico (then New Spain)’a 1,200-mile journey that took six months’to found a pueblo on soil that today is Los Angeles. ”Under the orders of King Carlos III of Spain, El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles was officially established in 1781 to grow food for the soldiers guarding this far-off territory of Spain. The San Gabriel Mission, established 12 years earlier, was eight miles away. This section of land, now part of downtown Los Angeles near Union Station and Chinatown, extended east towards the L.A. River and was the city center from 1781 to the mid-19th century. ”Today, this oldest section of Los Angeles is the jewel known as El Pueblo Historical Monument, an official state park that boasts 27 historic buildings and five museums clustered around an old Plaza. Olvera Street, the popular, thriving Mexican open market established in 1930, serves as the focal point of the park as well as a living link between present-day L.A. and the city’s Spanish and Mexican roots. ”Given L.A.’s poor record with historic preservation, it’s something of a miracle that the area still exists. It was threatened in the early 1920s when city planners wanted to make way for a larger City Center, and again in the 1950s when it narrowly missed being devoured by the construction of the Hollywood Freeway. Official designation came in 1953.” ”’Most people don’t realize it all began with 44 people,’ says Frank Damon, a longtime Palisadian who is a prominent member of Las Angelitas del Pueblo, the volunteer docent group responsible for conducting tours of the area. ‘And that original group of people was multicultural in the same way the city is today.’ ”Damon, a man on a mission to share and preserve L.A. history, came to the subject relatively late in life. Two years ago, he and some friends made a trek to Olvera Street to practice their Spanish. After taking a tour of the site, he was hooked, signing on to participate in the El Pueblo docent training class, a program he now directs. ”’Growing up in the Valley, downtown seemed like this faraway, mythical place,’ says Damon, 60, who attended UCLA and the University of San Diego, where he took his law degree. A former chief deputy insurance commissioner, he now practices part-time. ‘I go downtown now more than ever.’ He and his wife Linda have lived in the Marquez area since 1975. ”Damon guesses he’s read close to 60 books on Los Angeles history since becoming a docent. ‘I want others to realize what a great city this is, how truly unique it is.’ ”There’s no mistaking Damon’s passion for his subject. His tour, brimming with fun facts and insights, is delivered in a high energy style that incorporates old photographs, maps and other paraphernalia. Commentary swings creatively from conjuring the days of the earliest settlers’ ‘Close your eyes and imagine seeing nothing but beautiful mountains and sunshine”to the colorful period under Pio Pico (1801-1894), the last governor of California under Mexico. In 1869, Pico erected Pico House, the most elegant hotel south of San Francisco and the first three-story masonry building constructed in Los Angeles. Today, the Italianate structure is a major monument anchoring the old Plaza. ”’Pico’s life, spanning most of the 19th century, encompassed California life under three different flags’Spain, Mexico and finally the United States,’ Damon notes. ‘This is probably my favorite period of California history.’ ”Jumping into the 20th century, Damon points to Christine Sterling as one of the great visionaries of preservation. The entire area, especially Olvera Street, had fallen to ruin by the early 1900s, when the professional heart of the city had moved southward as the city’s population grew. Sterling convinced city leaders it was in their best interest to bring the historic section back to life, and forged ahead with the creation of an old-style Mexican marketplace in 1930. She skirted budgetary problems by using prison labor for much of the construction and, according to Damon, jokingly told police ‘to arrest a plumber or electrician’ when the need for more skilled labor came about. ”Olvera Street, celebrating its 75th anniversary next April, teems with visitors to this day and is the site of countless city celebrations and festivals, including the ‘Blessing of the Animals,’ a spring ritual since 1938. Las Posadas, the festival commemorating the journey of Mary and Joseph into Bethlehem, will be depicted each evening beginning tonight through December 24 with singing and a candlelight procession. ”A respite from crowded Olvera Street comes at Avila Adobe, the city’s oldest house, filled with authentic artifacts and restored to appear as it did in the 1840s. The Chinese American Museum, the Firehouse Museum (the city’s first dating from 1884), Sepulveda House, the Mexican Cultural Institute and El Pueblo Art Gallery are among the other major attractions in the park. ”’One can easily spend all day here,’ Damon says, pointing out that Union Station is just across the street and Disney Hall only three blocks away. ‘We wish this area were better publicized,’ Damon adds. ‘It’s not exactly in the top five with Hollywood or Venice Beach.’ ”The majority of those who do come are students, mostly fourth graders studying California history. A core group of 40 active docents leads tours for over 11,000 visitors annually. ”Las Angelitas del Pueblo won the History Channel’s first ever ‘Save Our History Preservation Award’ last year, based on the work Damon and Bob Aguirre, vice president of the docent group, did with a group of seniors at Belmont High School. The students created a 10-minute video, brochure and Web site documenting Pico House. The $10,000 award will go towards another joint effort with Belmont, this time producing a DVD on the emergence of Olvera Street and recording oral histories. ‘Eventually, we’d like to cover the history of the entire Pueblo,’ Damon notes. ”A new docent training session, headed by Damon, takes place on seven Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning February 8 at the Las Angelitas del Pueblo office on the south side of the old Plaza. The class agenda appears online at www.lasangelitas.org. ”One-hour docent-led tours are free and are conducted at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, Tuesday through Saturday. Contact: (213) 473-5206.
As all outdoor activities were being cancelled because of wet miserable weather, Palisades-Malibu YMCA swimmers renewed their efforts in the rain and came up with new records, lowered times, and a fourth-place finish at the Westchester Orcas Meet last Monday and Tuesday at Loyola Marymount University’s outdoor pool. Paly coach Kameron Kennedy continues to work on technique and streamlining, resulting in faster times for his swimmers. In the boys’ 8-and-under category, Alexander Landau broke two Paly records. He swam the 50 Breaststroke in 48.17, finishing third overall and breaking the previous Paly record of 48.19 set by Michael Crosby in October 1988. Landau also smashed the previous Paly record in the 50 Butterfly (43.25 set by Brian Johnson in 1997) with a time of 42.36 to take second in the event. He also swam fourth in the 100 Individual Medley. Nicolas Green won three events: the 25 Breaststroke (23.91), the 50 Freestyle (38.33) and the 25 Backstroke (21.89), and finished second in two others, the 25 Butterfly (20.93) and the 25 Freestyle (16.98). Abe Mac got fifth place in the 25 Butterfly. Derek Chang took third in the 25 Breaststroke and fourth in the 50 Freestyle. The girls’ division saw Ellen Silka place third in the 100 Individual Medley and fifth in the 25 Butterfly. Six-year-old Joe Walker won the 25 Breaststroke (38.79), placed fourth in the 25 Backstroke and 50 Freestyle and was fifth in the 25 Freestyle. Paly’s 9- and 10-year-old girls were led by Catherine Wang who took first in six individual events: the 200 Individual Medley (2:39.69), 100 Freestyle (1:05.60), 200 Freestyle (2:23.26), 100 Breaststroke (1:22.15), 100 Backstroke (1:17.17) and 100 Individual Medley (1:14.93). She also finished second in the 50 Butterfly (33.40) and third in the 50 Breaststroke (38.36). Wang then anchored Paly’s 200 Freestyle Relay ‘A’ team (with Olivia Kirkpatrick, Mara Silka and Pamela Soffer) which placed second. Kirkpatrick placed fifth in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke events. Nicholas Edel took second in the 200 Freestyle (2:45.37) and fifth in the 50 Freestyle. The boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay team of Jordan Wilimovsky, Alistair Whatley, Christopher Soffer and Leland Frankel placed fourth. The boys’ 10 & Under 200 Medley Relay of Nicolas Green, Edel, Landau, and Frankel also took fourth. In the 11-12 age group, Alison Merz won the girls’ 100 Individual Medley in 1:12.12 and placed second in the 50 Freestyle (28.91). Jennifer Tartavull was second in the 200 Individual Medley and third in the 500 Freestyle, 100 Individual Medley and 50 Freestyle. Hayley Lemoine, Shelby Pascoe, Ana Silka and Tartavull won the 200 Freestyle Relay. Nick Karody, Jared Brown, Ben Lewenstein and Andre Santa Clara won the 13-14 boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay while Samantha Brill swam second in the 100 Backstroke and Erica Drennan won the 200 Backstroke in 2:33.43 in the girls’ 15-and-over division.
It took 158 minutes for the Palisades High boys’ varsity soccer team to score its first goal this season. But it was well worth the wait. Trailing 1-0 to Reseda with two minutes left on a rain-soaked field at Stadium by the Sea last Tuesday, the Dolphins lined up for a direct free kick 20 yards from the Regents’ goal and the resulting play produced what Palisades head coach Dave Williams later called ‘one of the best goals he’s ever seen his team score.’ Sophomore forward Osbaldo Garcia hooked a shot above Reseda’s five-man wall and into the left corner of the net to tie the score, 1-1, and the referee whistled the game over moments after the ensuing kickoff. Palisades, which played to a scoreless tie with Cleveland in its first game, hopes it will carry momentum from the goal through winter break because the Dolphins don’t play again until their Western League opener on January 12. ‘We ran two fakes by Michael [Larin] and Franchesco [Coco], then I followed them,’ Garcia said, describing his goal. ‘We’ve practiced that play over and over but I wasn’t sure it would work because their wall started moving towards me even before I kicked the ball. I was just trying to get it over them.’ Girls Soccer It didn’t take Pali’s women’s soccer team nearly as long to score its first goal. Senior captain Alex Michael tallied the Dolphins’ initial score 35 minutes into their season opener against Southern Section powerhouse Marymount High on December 2. Michael intercepted a passjust outside the penalty area and lofted a shot over the goalie’s head into the net for Pali’s only goal in a 4-1 loss. The Dolphins rebounded the following day, beating the host school, 2-0, in the first round of the El Segundo Tournament on first-half goals by Lucy Miller and Michael. Pali followed its first win with a 1-0 victory over Immaculate Heart. Miller re-directed a centering pass from teammate Sara Newman into the net for the only goal. Last Tuesday, the Dolphins took on Chatsworth’the team that eliminated Pali from the City playoffs last season’and lost 1-0 despite dominating play for most of the game. Last weekend, Palisades returned to the El Segundo Tournament and lost to Beverly Hills, 1-0, on a goal in the last two minutes, then lost by the same score to Chadwick in the third-place game. Despite three consecutive shutout losses, players remained confident in their ability to score. ‘All the games we lost we could just as easily have won,’ Michael said. ‘It’s not like any of those teams are better than us. We weren’t outplayed, we just couldn’t finish.’ Palisades (2-4) hosted Banning on Wednesday in its final tuneup before opening Western League play January 12 at Westchester. Girls Tennis Krista Slocum, the No. 1 player on Palisades High’s girls varsity tennis team, elected to play doubles at the All-City Individuals Tournament despite losing only one singles match all season. Partnered with Dolphin teammate Lauren Pugatch, Slocum proved she is just as good when she has a few more feet of real estate to work with. Pali’s top duo beat Kiri Inouye and Jenna Yoshikawa of Venice, 6-0, 6-3, on Monday in Encino to finish third out of 32 teams. Seeded No. 2, Slocum and Pugatch fell just short of reaching the championship match, losing 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to third-seeded Maria Cardenas and Julie D’Yachenko of Granada Hills in the semifinals. Boys Basketball Still playing without Georgia-Tech bound senior D’Andre Bell, the Dolphins (2-3) were undermanned and overmatched in last Wednesday’s 71-37 loss at Washington. Palisades faces Verbum Dei in the first round of the Top of the World Tournament at Cerritos College Friday at 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Palisades improved to 3-2 with a 45-40 victory over visiting Washington last Tuesday. The Dolphins travel to Chandler, Arizona, to play in the Tournament of Champions from Sunday to next Thursday.
Race car driver Cory Witherill was the guest speaker at the Palisades Optimist Club’s morning meeting last Tuesday in the Oak Room at Mort’s Deli. Witherill, a 1990 graduate of Palisades High, talked about what it’s like to drive over 200 miles per hour and what it meant to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 2001. Witherill, a Navajo, became the first full-blooded Native American to qualify for and complete racing’s most prestigious and grueling event, finished 19th out of 33 drivers three years ago. ‘I think I shocked a lot of people by making it,’ recalled Witherill, who bumped Shigecki Itori out of the race and qualified two spots ahead of Al Unser. ‘It was my dream ever since I was a youngster at Canyon Elementary and Paul Revere [Middle School]. Only 600 people have ever had a chance to experience the Indy 500 so it was a big accomplishment.’ Witherill confessed a childhood injury altered his career path. ‘I started racing dirt bikes when I was at PaliHi. I traveled all over California in a motor home to different tracks. But then I broke my arm doing that and my mom wanted me to stop. So I switched to racing cars instead.’ The Rustic Canyon resident described his Indy 500 experience as both ‘exhilarating’ and ‘exhausting.’ ‘I was running 10th to 12th most of the way but I ran over some debris and spinning out in Turn 4. I literally closed my eyes and said ‘This is going to hurt!’ I thought I was going to crash into the wall, but instead I was able to ride out the spin and get back into the pit lane. I got back into the race 10 laps down, in 26th position, but I made up seven places by the checkered flag. Normally, I don’t get tired during a race but Indy was harder than I expected.’ Witherill’s crew consisted of 24 people’from engineers to mechanics to computer data personnel and the pit crew. The Indy 500 is run on a two-and-a-half mile long oval and through the course of the race a typical car needs nine sets of tires and burns 250 gallons of fuel. The difference between winning and losing is sometimes only hundredths of seconds. ‘In a race like that it’s important to get everything you can out of your car,’ Witherill said. ‘During qualifying, we adjusted a tire four thousandths of an inch and over the course of the race that added one mile per hour to my speed, which is huge.’ Now 32 years old and a newlywed (Witherill married Motor Week TV co-host Jennifer Khasnabis last September), Witherill’s next goal is to become the first Native American to qualify for and race the Daytona 500’the crowning jewel of the NASCAR circuit. ‘They allow 43 cars at Daytona and the qualifying system is a little different,’ Witherill said. ‘But I’m hoping to run that race in 2007. I think that’s a realistic timetable.’
A Golden Girl boots the ball towards the Blue Dolphins’ net. The Golden Girls, coached by David Markman, took first place in their pool. Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
It seemed only fitting that a picture perfect Palisades day greeted all who participated in last Saturday’s second annual Debbie Held Under-8 Invitational Soccer Tournament, held in honor of the acting AYSO Region 69 Commissioner. Each team played three 28 minute games with the first ones starting at 8:30 a.m. and the final games ending at 12:30 p.m. The all-star style tournament was played on seven different fields. Between games, the teams picnicked, played tag and handed out trophies. Eight girls teams were divided into two pools. In the ‘U’ pool, the Golden Girls, coached by David Markman, managed to edge out the Red Hots Chicks, the Blue Blizzard, and the Blue Dolphins to capture first place. The ‘T’ pool saw both the Turquoise Diamonds (coached by Tim Rand-Lewis) and the Green Dragons (coached by Paul Skikne) post identical 2-0-2 records, but the Turquoise Diamonds were first because they scored more goals in their first game. The Royal Blue Birds and Black Diamond Dragons were third and fourth, respectively. Dennis McCarthy, who coached his daughter’s all-star team three years ago, was the tournament director and Held later praised him for his hard work both before and after the event. Although he no longer has kids in the AYSO program, McCarthy still referees in Region 69. ‘It’s either this or golf, and I’m a better referee than I am a golfer,’ he joked. ‘Refereeing is cheaper than golf and I still have a good excuse to wear funny clothes.’ McCarthy, along with fellow tournament organizers Mary Lynn Richmond, Duncan Thomas, Amy Wittbrodt and Craig Hunegs, are examples of the volunteer spirit that permeates throughout AYSO. McCarthy split 20 boys teams into five pools. Taking first place it all in the ‘V’ Pool with 13 points was the Blue Dragons, coached by Roland Wieshofer and Vivek Allada. Peter Gardiner’s Green Falcons won the ‘W’ pool by outscoring the second-place Green Jaguars. The Falcons had exactly eight players, meaning no substitutes were available. The ‘X’ pool produced fierce competition between the Blue Tigers (coached by Mitchell Pindus) and Steven Glick’s Daredevils, with the Blue Tigers finally take first place. In the ‘Y’ pool, the Orange Fireballs (coached by George Plavec) and the Tidal Waves (coached by Brian Shirken) each won their first two games by one point. They met head-to-head in the decisive game with the Tidal Waves winning, 3-2, to win their pool. The Z pool also had a dramatic finish as Peter Tilton’s Green Lightning Bobs won their first two games and the Fireballs (coached by Lars Ekstrom) won their first and tied their second. The Bobs needed only to tie or not lose by more than one goal to take championship, but the Fireballs stole first place with a hardfought 2-0 victory. In other Region 69 action, the Red Fireballs beat the Big Bad Sweet N’ Low, 5-2, to win the girls’ Under-12 championship Sunday afternoon at Paul Revere Middle School. The Fireballs (12-1-0) avenged their only loss with four goals by Claire Dorfman and one by Hailey Rosenthal. Izzy DeSantis scored both goals for Sweet ‘N Low (9-3-1), which was coached by Jeanne Goldsmith. Sweet ‘N Low reached the finals by outlasting the Power Packs, 2-1, in double overtime Saturday morning and beating Jet Blue in overtime in the semifinals Sunday morning. The Red Fireballs rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to oust the Blue Tsunamis, 5-2, in their semifinal game on goals by Jenna Erickson, Rosenthal, Dorfman (twice) and Jenna Davis. U-10 Girls The Red Hot Chili Peppers posted four shutouts in the playoffs to win their age division. The Peppers toppled the Crushers, 2-0, on a pair of goals by Emma Sanderson, then beat the Eagles in triple overtime, 1-0, on Kennedy Corrin’s game-winner. A 1-0 victory over the Nightmares was next, followed by a 2-0 triumph over the Green Panthers in the championship game Sunday at the Veterans Administration field in Brentwood. Julie Levitan scored the Peppers’ clinching goal. U-12 Boys Two primary colors clashed in the Boys’ Under-12 championship game of the American Youth Soccer Organization’s Region 69 playoffs last Sunday. And by the time the final whistle blew, everyone was seeing red. The Crimson United defeated B.L.U.E., 2-1, and advanced to the Area P Tournament in January. Manny Ghaffari’s United squad (12-2-1) took an early lead when Oliver de Brevannes scored off of a centering pass from Judd Liebman. Early in the second half, Liebman scored off of an assist by Turner Hanley. With the help of defenders Shervin Ghaffari, Kevin Walker, Stephen Callas and Barton Richman, United goalie Casey Jordan made the 2-0 lead stand until late in the fourth quarter. With five minutes left in the game, B.L.U.E. forward Andy Pace scored off of an assist by Charlie Porter to narrow United’s lead to 2-1. In their semifinal game on Sunday morning, Crimson United defeated the Banana Splits, 2-1, as forward Daniel Davis and defender Cole Kahrilas tallied the United goals, assisted by Orly Davis and Parker Hiatt. United beat the Serpents, 4-1, in the quarterfinals on goals by Jordan, Hanley, Liebman and de Brevannes. U-10 Boys Striker Dylan Coleman scored the game-winning goal with four minutes remaining to lift the Blue Waves to a 2-1 upset victory over the Tigers in the championship game Sunday at Veterans Administration field in Brentwood. The Tigers had beaten the Blue Waves, 4-1, in the regular season and it appeared they were on their way to victory again when Jack Jordan scored on a direct free kick from 20 yards out to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first quarter. Coleman countered for the Waves just before halftime when he re-directed a pass from Oliver Levitt into the net. Waves goalie Kenny Arimura kept his team in the game in the second half with numerous saves. Defenders Christian Dooley. Galen Lansbury, Alex Ball, Kavon Spire and Peter St. John played boldly in front of Arimura. Forwards Grant Sholem, Matthew Mazzarella and Brennan Honaker provided the offense for the Waves (10-4), who were coached by Bob Levitt and Chris Ball. The Blue Waves advance to the Area P Tournament in January. Coach Michael Jordan’s Tigers finished 10-2-2. In the quarterfinals Saturday morning at Barrington Park, the fourth-seeded Tigers downed the Blue Blazers, 5-1, with co-captain Eric Alperin netting two goals and John Iacopino, Hagen Smith and Jacob Shmuely each adding one. Jordan, Alex Mack, Tommy Collins and co-captain Nick Ravich each tallied assists for the Tigers and Brad Graboff was a stalwart in goal. Striker Jordan Fehr scored the Blazers’ only goal. The Tigers beat the Cabbage Heads, 5-0, in the semifinals Saturday afternoon on a pair of goals by Alperin and single goals by Jordan, Smith and Shmuely. Chad Kanoff and Sam Clement were standouts for the eighth-seeded Cabbage Heads, who had upset the previously-undefeated Revolution on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.
Helen Leontine Hinchey, a former 49-year resident of Pacific Palisades, died on September 30 in Sequim, Washington. She was 87. ”Born January 10, 1917 in rural Indiana to Hazel and Lawrence Stephenson, Helen spent many days enjoying her grandparents’ farm and the rural lifestyle during the Depression, and later in life loved to recount tales of ‘making do’ through tough times. Her family later moved to Elkhart, Indiana, where she grew up, went through school and developed many lifelong friendships. ”She fell in love with Robert Dotson and and married him on February 1, 1936. They established their home in what was then rural Pacific Palisades, where Bob began his career in the aerospace industry. They had four children together and enjoyed being ‘pioneers’ in an emerging community. Helen was a full-time mother and established many enduring friendships. She devoted herself to service to humanity, a life of personal integrity, unfailing loyalty to family and friends, and quiet generosity. ”In 1990 she moved to Sequim, Washington to be closer to her children, and resumed her commitment to community involvement and making innumerable friendships. She always enjoyed talking of her years in the Palisades, and particularly relished encountering old friends from the community. ”An avid volunteer, walker, pinochle player and homemaker, Helen was unusually open to rethinking her attitudes towards cultural and humanitarian issues. Her family and dear friends meant the most to her, and she was at her best when she could see a way to help those who needed it. She poured tremendous energy and resources into everything she did, and truly lived the life she wanted. ”Survivors include her son Ronald Olsen (wife Carolyn) of Port Townsend, Washington, and daughters Marilynn Dotson of Kirkland, Washington, and Carolynn Olsen of Westport, Connecticut. Her grandchildren include Lisa Olsen of Port Townsend, Warren Olsen (wife Cindy) of Valencia, and Whitney and Taylor Gagliardi of Westport. She took great pleasure in great-granddaughter Sara Fullerton of Port Townsend, and at the time of her passing she was anticipating the birth of a second great-granddaughter, Zoe. ”She was predeceased by her son, Dennis Olsen, along with her husbands Robert Dotson, Russell Olsen and Frank Hinchey. ”Family and friends attended a celebration of Helen’s life on October 10 at her home in Sequim.
Trevor Henney, 10, drives to the basket against his brother D.B., 13, as they once again enjoy playing hoops in their Highlands driveway. Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Fighting a war over a 7-ft.-high portable basketball hoop has taken a costly toll in the Palisades Highlands. After 3-1/2 years of wrangling and litigation with the Summit Homeowners Association, Dave and Lynne Henney won a summary judgment in Superior Court on July 28 that allows their two boys to once again shoot baskets in the driveway of their home on upper Chastain Parkway. Moreover, at a hearing in Santa Monica on November 30, Superior Court Judge James A. Bascue ruled that the Summit Homeowners Association must reimburse $61,000 in legal fees to the Henneys. ‘I feel like having a Welcome Back! party for our hoop,’ Lynne Henney told the Palisadian-Post, which began covering the CC&R dispute when it still was just a skirmish in March 2002. ‘This has been a nightmarish case but we’re ecstatic that we ultimately won. We fought for the right of all children in our association to play basketball in the family driveway, and I’m thrilled our own children can play once again.’ Despite the victory, outdoor basketball hoops are still not allowed elsewhere in the Summit. The Henneys are now planning to resume their petition campaign to have the Summit board of directors change the CC&R’s regarding outdoor hoops. In the meantime, the Summit board has notified homeowner members that the monthly maintenance assessment will rise 9% on January l to $250. ‘The increase in the monthly fee is primarily the result of the litigation expenses incurred by the Association to date concerning a dispute with a homeowner over a CC&R violation,’ said Debbie Langford of DRL Management in a statement. Back in mid-2001, D.B. Henney, then 10, and his brother Trevor, 8, were playing in the basketball league at the Palisades Recreation Center and enjoyed shooting baskets at home with friends. Unfortunately, a next-door neighbor objected to the noise and complained to the Summit board. On June 13 that year, the board warned the Henneys that their basket was a violation of the association’s CC&R’s, specifically that ‘No basketball backboard or other sports apparatus shall be constructed nor maintained in the Properties…’ The letter added, ‘Please be advised that the basketball hoop must be removed immediately to avoid possible loss of privileges and/or fines.’ The Henneys responded in a letter that ‘although we are guilty of violating this ridiculous, un-American CC&R,’ it did not specifically prohibit portable basketball hoops, and they had found dozens of other homes within the Association with similar hoops. They requested that they be allowed to keep their hoop (a request the board denied), and they launched a petition campaign to overturn the CC&R, gathering approval from more than the required two-thirds of the 312 households. Eventually, the board sued the Henneys ‘to get an injunction preventing them from placing the hoop in a place not approved by the Board,’ said a recent statement from the board’s lawyer, Stanley Feldsott. The board also filed a Lis Pendens against the Henney home. ‘Before the lawsuit was filed, the Henneys offered in writing to submit the matter to binding arbitration,’ said their lawyer, Tim Norton. ‘Three times the Board and their attorneys rejected these offers, and in effect turned down an opportunity to save every homeowner the costs of the entire lawsuit. While the lawsuit was pending, the Henneys made multiple offers to pay money to the Summit to settle the case. The Board and its attorneys refused these offers.’ Meanwhile, ‘during numerous case management conferences with Judge James Bascue, the judge repeatedly warned the Summit lawyers about their case,’ Norton said. ‘He was deeply concerned over the fact that there were 35 other hoops used by other homeowners in the Summit who were not sued.’ Anxious to avoid a costly and lengthy trial, the Henneys filed a motion for summary judgment, and prevailed. On November 12, attorney Feldsott explained Judge Bascue’s decision in a letter to Summit homeowners. In part, he noted that Lynne Henney had ‘sent a letter directed to the Architectural Review Committee of the Association requesting written approval to retain the basketball hoop’ in their front driveway. ‘Within 45 days, the Henneys were advised in writing by the Board that their request for approval was denied.’ However, the Association’s CC&R’s provide that if the Architectural Review Committee does not respond to an application for architectural approval within 45 days, the request is deemed approved’and that’s what proved decisive. ‘The Board, in the absence of an Architectural Committee, denied the Henneys’ request for a hoop,’ Feldsott wrote, but Judge Bascue ruled ‘that the CC&Rs require the Architectural Review Committee to respond to the Henneys’ request and that the denial by the Board was not the equivalent of a denial by the Architectural Review Committee.’ Thus, the basketball hoop was deemed approved.
‘I don’t belong to any organized political party … I’m a Democrat”Will Rogers By PEPPER EDMISTON Special to the Palisadian-Post Last Saturday, I lay on my couch feeling sorry for myself. No goals. No employment. Is ‘housewife’ a job when someone else cleans, the kids market and the husband cooks? Menopausal for life, with empty-nest syndrome looming large. So, sloth-like, yet anxiety-ridden, I lay. Around noon, the phone rang. ‘Hi. Joe Halper here from the Palisades Democratic Club. We have Michael Moore tomorrow from 4 to 6. Can he come to your house?’ ‘Sure.’ ‘Great. Sending out 600 e-mails. No idea about the size of the crowd. I have an event before and theater after. But you can handle it, right?’ ‘Sure.’ ‘Bye, now.’ Something to live for, at least through the weekend. E-mails mentioning free ‘vittles,’ a book-signing and a Democratic loyalty oath went out to family and friends. The house was cleaned, furniture was moved. I spent most of my energy re-arranging cookie jars. Should Santa Claus or Uncle Sam decorate the table where Michael would autograph his stuff? Hubby Joe and the younger boys came home from the USC football game. ‘Michael Moore’s coming tomorrow!’ I enthused. ‘Did we know about this before?’ asked Joe. ‘Not before lunch,’ I said. Sunday it stormed. Would rain keep away the faithful? Maybe, but 300 people showed up anyway. Michael Moore appeared in all his over-sized glory. Big man, big smile, big intellect. He stood in our entry hall and spoke for an hour. The house was stuffed with Democrats, on the floor, up the staircase, in every room and out in the rain. Folks laughed, clapped and booed. Michael is a showman and we loved his show. Moore reminded us that 57 million people voted for Kerry. We can win next time, if we run a rock star, like Clinton, or a real one, like Tom Hanks. Karl Rove says the public hates Hollywood and the Dems should keep their distance. Baloney, says Moore. First, why would Rove give us good advice? Second, everyone loves Hollywood! From Reagan to ‘Love Boat”s Gopher to our own Arnold the Barbarian, actors win. Even Bush’s Crawford ranch is a movie set, built a year before the 2000 election to cast Dubya as an ‘aw shucks’ cowboy. Moore suggested new rules for the D.N.C. Number 1: Eight strikes and you’re out. If you’ve tanked eight campaigns, like strategist Bob Shrum, you gotta hit the road. Number 2: The 70 million citizens eligible to vote who sat out 2004 are not all Evangelicals. We should woo them, not by becoming like the other party, but by being who we are. We’re for universal health care, a clean environment, better schools. Number 3: If folks want something else, they know where they can go. After an energetic Q and A, Michael moved to the dining room table to begin signing…oh, did I mention there were no books? This was due to the Costco Fiasco. Dear Katie, of Village Books, had less notice than we did. Late Saturday she learned Costco had 250 copies of ‘Will They Ever Trust Us Again?’ Michael’s compilation of soldiers’ letters from Iraq. On Sunday, Katie went to pick them up. Oops, the books were on a tippy-top rack that required a crane, which couldn’t be operated during business hours. Sorry. Still, the line snaked around the table and up the staircase. Michael stayed two more hours, posing for photos, being adorable and signing book plates which will be fastened on the books really soon. As a reward for our hospitality, Joe and I were invited to dinner at the Palm later that night. Bill Maher would be hosting the event honoring Michael. We’d love to come. Could my parents come, too? Sure. Could my kids? How many? Seven. Dead silence. How about one or two who really, really care? ‘Who could come’ translated into ‘Whom do you love the most, Mom?’ We worked it out (three came) and, of course, I love each and every child exactly the same. All in all, it was a great 24 hours. We rose to the occasion for a day, but Michael Moore has been at it for decades. The man is fearless. He hunts down the truth for all of our sakes. He is democracy’s greatest defender. Do you want to know what a real American hero looks like? Baggy pants, a double chin and a baseball cap. And, he was right there, in our entry hall, Sunday afternoon.
With a strong customer base already established from the old Bay Pharmacy, Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy introduced its first store in Southern California last week with 300 visitors attending the grand opening. Pharmaca hopes to build on this customer base in developing an alternative and natural remedies clientele. Continuing to provide prescription services, Pharmaca also offers a variety of supplements and natural care items, as well as regular over-the-counter medicines. The chain, launched in 2000 in Boulder, Colorado, has focused its strategy on taking over independent pharmacies in locations with highly educated populations, but where wellness practices are accepted, such as in Boulder, Mill Valley and Santa Fe. To date, the company has 11 pharmacies in Colorado, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. In trying to establish a new niche, Pharmaca’s challenge will be to encourage pharmacy customers with an illness mindset to learn about complementary and integrative medicine with a wellness mindset. Company founder and CEO Barry Perzow, who was on hand at last week’s grand opening, described the ideal customer. ‘My hope is that when you come in here and speak to one of our practitioners, you would learn something you didn’t know about how to take care of yourself, something that would influence your lifestyle.’ Along with medications, Pharmaca staff also dispense plenty of information to customers. For example, when a customer buys a regular prescription drug, he or she will also learn about natural products that counteract the medicine’s side effects. In addition, over-the-counter products are displayed alongside their homeopathic counterparts. For example, in the eye care section, the Bausch & Lomb eye care products are displayed with the all-natural Optique. On the cold remedy shelf, throat lozenges are displayed with the echinacea throat spray. Pharmaca does not advocate one approach over another but offers consumers appropriate professional advice employing pharmacists, herbalists, a homeopath, naturopath and esthetician. ‘Part of what we do is offer free consulting on topics such as diet, nutrition, herbal remedies, drug interaction and nutrient depletion,’ Perzow said. Pharmaca has created a space for health screenings and a Practitioner’s Kiosk equipped with computers and reference materials. Nina Yannoukos is the Palisades store’s homeopath. With a four-year degree and three years of pre-med training in her native South Africa, she will be available four days a week to consult with customers. ‘As a homeopathic doctor, I will try to delve deeper into a patient’s history,’ she said. ‘I will make a good evaluation of all their symptoms, including physical, environmental and spiritual to try to find one cause.’ In addition to Yannoukos, naturopathic doctor Lisa Fillis will be in the store four days a week. A naturopathic doctor is a certified primary care physician in California, who looks at a broad spectrum of therapies, including medical prescriptions, supplements, herbs, vitamins and homeopathy. An acupuncturist is also on staff, and store manager Mindy Taylor is an herbalist. Breaking away from Pharmaca’s model of a small (3,500-4,000 sq. ft.) store, emphasizing an intimate, personalized philosophy, the Palisades store is 9,600 sq. ft., which presented a challenge to founding partner Russell Precious, the store’s design consultant. Precious said that several things made the remodel tricky, including keeping the store open throughout the three-month construction. ‘The other challenge was the fact that the store has two entrances, which presented a sort of feng shui confusion.’ Customers who enter from the back, near Palisades Car Wash, will encounter Palisades Flowers, which is moving from its current location on Sunset. Customers entering from Sunset are greeted with a newspaper rack and magazine display, which includes a number of foreign magazines. The overall space is bright and open. Halogen track lights are positioned above the aisles and alcoves to keep merchandise displays well lighted. ‘We light the product, not the people,’ Precious said. The design team also created alcoves to define product categories, such as supplements, natural skin care, candles and aromatherapy. Consistent with the store’s philosophy of using natural and eco-friendly products, the store’s low-pile carpet is made from recycled materials, the special water-based latex paint is low in volatile organic compounds. Light-colored paint and shelving contribute to the sense of openness. Renovations also added a 1,000- sq.- ft. event and community room, along with a cosmetic and beauty boutique. Jo Ann Issenman, Pharmaca partner and category manager, edited down the bodycare lines to eight’all biodynamic and organic’in various price points. The facial treatment room will feature the Australia-based skin care product line from Jurlique. Right now, Pharmaca is the first and only place holder in this new healthcare niche in Los Angeles. The store is betting on aging baby boomers to provide a substantial customer base and is planning another store soon in Brentwood.
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