Sunrise Assisted Living celebrated its third anniversary in Pacific Palisades with an open house, musical entertainment, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a free dinner Saturday night. Longtime Palisades resident and Broadway legend John Raitt (‘Carousel,’ ‘The Pajama Game’), sang some of his favorite songs and talked about his long and colorful career. Guests also toured the three-story facility and met with the new executive director, Judy Uy-Villaruz. Uy-Villaruz was introduced into the Sunrise community June 21. She previously served as executive director at Gardena Retirement, a 108-bed assisted living facility in Gardena, for 1-1/2 years. However, her assisted living experience began in 1991, when she was 24, and her parents asked her to start a new family business’a six-bed assisted living facility. ‘I did all the startup for them’recruiting, licensing and training,’ says Uy-Villaruz, who earned her degree in accounting from Cal State Dominguez Hills around the same time. The facility she helped establish, called Menlo House, is now one of three her family has founded. ‘My dad’s side of the family is all CPAs or self-employed, and my mom’s side is nurses and doctors,’ says Uy-Villaruz, who emigrated with her parents from the Phillipines to the United States when she was 4 years old. She currently resides in Carson with her husband and two small children (ages 2 and 6 months), and is planning to pursue a master’s degree in heath administration in spring 2005. Uy-Villaruz told the Post that there are currently three rooms available on the second assisted living floor. Sunrise is located at 15441 Sunset. Contact: 573-9545.

‘E.T.’ will be the feature this Saturday night, July 24, when the Movies in the Park series debuts on the Field of Dreams at the Palisades Recreation Center, 861 Alma Real. The free series, presented by the Palisades Chamber of Commerce, will continue with ‘Grease’ on July 31, ‘Indiana Jones’ on August 7 and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on August 14. Movies on the 15-by-20 foot screen will start at dusk, with seating on the grass beginning at 7 p.m. Bring your own picnic and blankets, but please no chairs with stick legs. And, no alcohol. Snacks and drinks will be sold by the Boy Scouts. A 4-speaker sound system will allow the sound to be evenly distributed. ‘By conducting several preliminary sound tests we are trying to be very sensitive to the desire of neighbors that they not be disturbed,’ says David Williams, Chamber president. The major sponsor is Wachovia Securities. Other sponsors are Friends of Film, American Legion Post 283 and the Palisades Junior Women’s Club. Helping to make the evening safe will be Palisades Patrol. Keeping the park clean will be Chrysalis. Movies in the Park committee members include David Williams, Sandy Derby, Roberta Donohue, Sandy Eddy, Andy Frew, Brad Lusk, Roy Robbins, Bob Sharka, John Wirth and Bob and Marika Tur. Visit www.palisadeschamber.com or conatc 459-7963 for more information.

Karen Weber, who lives next to the Palisades Recreation Center, walks her 11-month-old daughter, Tamar, in the park every day. A week ago she was surprised to find the following sign posted by the picnic tables: ‘Disease Warning: West Nile Virus Has Been Confirmed In or Near This Area.’ Monday evening, Palisadians Pepper Edmiston and Megan Williams were walking along the bluffs on Via de las Olas. Shortly after seeing the identical sign posted there, Williams was bitten on her finger by a mosquito. Naturally, she worried she might have become infected with the disease. ‘Probably not,’ Robert Savikas, executive director of Los Angeles County West Vector Control District, told the Palisadian-Post. ‘While the disease has been found within five miles of your area, which is why we posted the signs, we estimate it will be another few weeks before a case is found there. We do know it’s moving westward at a pretty steady rate.’ As of yesterday there were 28 known human cases of West Nile virus in California, seven of those in L.A. County. No deaths have been reported. The disease is transmitted to humans and animals by mosquitoes that have become infected when they feed on infected birds. West Nile has been identified in more than 100 species of birds found dead in the United States. There is no evidence that a person can get the virus from handling live or dead infected birds, or from another person. ‘Even in areas where the disease is circulating, very few mosquitoes are infected with the virus,’ said Savikas, who told the Post that cases have been found in nearby Inglewood and Playa del Rey. ‘The chances of becoming severely ill from any one mosquito bite is extremely small.’ He recommends that if you or your family members develop symptoms such as high fever, confusion, muscle weakness and severe headaches, you should see your doctor immediately. While there is no specific treatment for West Nile, in more severe cases intensive care is needed and can involve hospitalization, intravenous fluids and respiratory support (ventilator) to prevent secondary infections, including pneumonia. Common in Asia and Africa, the first case of West Nile in the United States was found in New York in the fall of 1999, and the disease has since spread to 46 states. Control measures nationwide have been able to slow but not stop the spread of the virus, which is expected to reach all of the continental U.S. by year’s end. The L.A. County West Vector Control District is working to decrease the mosquito population and is monitoring all bird, chicken and horse populations. Approximately 85 percent of the people who are infected with West Nile will not show symptoms of the disease. Up to 15 percent who become infected will display mild symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, headache and body aches. Symptoms typically last a few days. Less than one percent will develop severe illness, marked by bad headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis, coma and, only rarely, death (mostly among the elderly). In 2003, there were 264 total deaths from the West Nile virus in the United States. By comparison, there are 20,000 to 36,000 deaths annually in the U.S. from the common influenza virus. While no vaccine is yet available against West Nile, there are ways to reduce your risk of becoming infected in areas where there are mosquitoes. It is recommended that you take precautions outdoors ‘at dawn and dusk,’ said Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for the L.A. County Department of Health Services. ‘You should wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and make sure there are no sources of standing water,’ such as exist in the saucers of potted plants, bird baths and hot tubs. The county’s West Vector Control District also recommends spraying clothing with repellents containing permethrin or DEET, since mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, and applying insect repellent sparingly to exposed skin. An effective repellent will contain 35 percent DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). DEET in high concentrations (greater than 35 percent) provides no additional protection. Repellents, which some people consider too risky to use, may irritate the eyes and mouth, so avoid applying repellent to the hands of children. Whenever you use an insecticide or insect repellent, be sure to read and follow the manufacturer’s directions for use, as printed on the product. Install or repair window and door screens so that mosquitoes cannot get indoors. Vitamin B and ‘ultrasonic’ devices are not effective in preventing mosquito bites. (Editor’s note: For continuous updates on West Nile virus go to: www.lawestvector.org. If you have a mosquito problem, call 915-7370. A technician will arrange a visit to investigate the mosquito breeding source. If you find a dead bird, particularly a crow or other corvid (e.g., jay, magpie, raven, etc.), call 877-WNV-BIRD. The bird must be dead no more than 24 hours to enable testing for West Nile virus. Do not touch the bird. Department of Health Services will arrange for pickup and laboratory testing for the disease. While most horses infected with West Nile virus recover, the disease has caused 11 deaths in the Inland Empire. A vaccine for horses was recently approved, but its effectiveness is unknown.)

Following last week’s announcement of Gloria Martinez as new principal at Palisades High School, the board of governors finalized the school’s leadership team this week, hiring two educators with longstanding connections to the Palisades. Jack Sutton, who has been acting as executive director pro bono, had been hired for the post, taking on the policy and legal roles the independent charter school has assumed since separating from LAUSD a year ago. Merle Price, former PaliHi principal and head of the charter office for LAUSD, will assist the school in its charter renewal next spring and advise Martinez, who came from the Santa Monica/Malibu district, on the workings of LAUSD. Both men are Palisades residents and will work on a part-time basis, according to board chairman Jonathan Fielding, who confirmed the positions. ‘Jack will be expected to be the single point of accountability to the board,’ Fielding said. ‘He will make sure that the policies are implemented, the education reforms are proceeding at an accelerated rate, and he will be the key person in interactions with LAUSD.’ The district still owns the buildings and property and will play a role in the school’s obligation in determining the balance between the traveling students and local kids. Since PaliHi became an independent charter school, the nonprofit governing board has inherited a number of business decisions that used to be handled by the district. ‘Somehow this nonprofit has to handle the major parts of the job,’ said Sutton, who will split his time between PaliHi and his work as interim executive director of Computer-Using Educators, Inc., in Alameda, California. Both Sutton and Price are career educators, an asset in the eyes of the board. ‘The board didn’t want to bring in a business person who didn’t know education,’ Sutton said. Having recently resigned as executive officer for UCLA education outreach’a program instituted after the Regents eliminated affirmative action as a means for admission’Sutton’s career has really centered on instruction in elementary, middle and high schools. Price, who recently retired from LAUSD as deputy superintendent, served as principal at PaliHi from 1992 to 1999. With 32 years working in the schools or at the local district, Price understands how teachers and administrators can become frustrated with central officials and will act as a consultant to both Sutton and Martinez. ‘We will be a presence on campus without getting in the way of Gloria,’ Sutton said. ‘We are trying to maintain separation between the school and the nonprofit that has replaced the district.’ In a marathon meeting that lasted until midnight Monday night, the board also decided to invest in new programs in both math and English. A new position will be added in 7th period to teach math to low performing students.The school will also set up English classes throughout the regular schedule to help those students who are two grade levels below. Responding to requests from these two departments, the board is focusing on fulfilling its mission to reduce the achievement gap. ‘We will continue working with the faculty to empower them’ Fielding said.’A number of these investments are going to help, including reducing class sizes.’ The board also agreed to send a letter to parents that will explain the expectation that parents be involved. ‘We want to clarify expectations and to reach parent groups throughout the area, particularly those of traveling students,’ Fielding said. ‘We also made the decision to move ahead with our information technology. In the fall, attendance and grades will be processed electronically, and there will be e-mail communication between parents and teachers.’ With all these plans going forward and with an expected record number of students matriculating for the fall, Fielding praised the work of the board of governors, the majority of whom are non-financially interested individuals, including parents, community members and a student member. Martinez will have a non-voting seat on the board. ‘I’ve been impressed with the unstinting time our board has given to work on these issues’their level of enthusiasm, thoughtfulness of debate and resolve in terms of making progress,’ Fielding said.