Class of ’63 Asks, “What Are We, Chopped Liver?”

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

In Stewart Slavin’s piece “”Public Invitation to Meet the Class of ’64: Now and Then” https://www.circlingthenews.com/public-invitation-to-meet-the-class-of-64-now-and-then/, reader Sara Jane (Ziering) Boyers took exception to some of his reporting.

“While I love most of what Stewart Slavin tells us about the Palisades, and especially the years when I too was growing up here, I have to take exception to Stuart’s announcement of the 1964 class reunion events and in which he claimed that all the early ideas were created by the Class of ’64.

“I am from the Class of 1963 and while it is true we spent our first year at UniHigh, we, the Summer and Winter Classes of 1963, were certainly among the lead, along with our younger fellow students from ’64, in creating the honored names, symbols and culture of the school – PaliHi, the Dolphins, et al -objects that still ID Palisades High School today,” Boyers said.

“We were there for Pali’s beginning and as the FIRST classes to graduate from Pali, we, the Summer and Winter Classes of 1963, were certainly more than involved with the various “1sts” that Stewart relates. Of course, we were happy this new class joined us but let’s share more than a little credit here :)”

One of the class of ’63, included Richard Hertzberg, who wrote in the introduction of his book Fists & Flowers: Leaflets from the Sixties, about the Palisades.

“Referred to by residents as ‘the Palisades,’ Pacific Palisades was, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a sedate, isolated, white, mostly middle-class enclave at the far western area of Los Angeles. We moved to the Palisades from the New York City area when I was in the fifth grade. I attended the newly constructed Palisades High School, and spent summers at Will Rogers State Beach, known simply as State Beach, bodysurfing and trying to figure out how to approach girls. Over the decades and for many generations, State Beach has been a sacred adolescent gathering place.

“My graduating class, in June, 1963, was the second one at Palisades High School. At eighteen years old, I was heading to the University of California in Berkeley to begin my freshman year . . . ..

“While in high school, our black-and-white television brought images of early civile rights demonstrations in the South to my sheltered, privileged world. Even though anti-discrimination protests were met with increasingly violent reactions from both police and enraged white people, it all seemed quite far away. The Palisades was a remarkably placid, bucolic place.”

(Hertzberg’s book, available in hardcover and paperback, was published August 22, 2023, by the Publishing Circle.

Slavin also has a book Memory-Go-Round, which was published independently in May 2024, and he says, ” I write about the beach scene, the movie stars we grew up with, my old haunts, music, travel and family — always trying to keep a humorous edge. A constant theme of my stories is my old high school and classmates at Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California. We had a corny nickname, the Dolphins. And in 2024 we are celebrating our 60th Reunion.”

Maybe it is time to hold a reunion for the first four classes that graduated Pali and they can argue it out about who made the decisions.)

Posted in Schools | 2 Comments

Trial Underway for the Murderer of BrianNa Kupfer

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Brianna Kupfer

Before the Brianna Kupfer murder trial testimony started today, Judge Mildred Escobedo, warned those in the courtroom that “there will be graphic material presented that may cause reactions. Make an effort to not make gasps or sounds to whatever maybe shown in court.”

District Attorney Habib Balian told jurors “You’re going to meet Brianna Kupfer. You’re going to hear about Brianna in life; that she was kind, smart, reliable and creative. She was 24 years old and a graduate student at UCLA in architectural design.

“She supported herself and had a job at the Croft House, to pay for her school and for rent,” Balian said.

“She had her whole life ahead of her,” he said and described Briana’s job at the Croft House, which included not only helping customers, but arranging furniture vignettes of different rooms.

On the morning of January 13, 2021, she opened the store at 10 a.m. She was supposed to be working with another person, but she ended up covering that person’s shift, too.

“She had no way of knowing the danger she’d face that day,” Balian said in his opening statement.

The defendant, Shawn Laval Smith, had made a recording 18 days prior to the stabbing, talking “about his most vile and disturbing thoughts about women,” Balian said.

Smith had recorded, “I do not like the bitches.”

How did the police get the recording? Smith left it on the counter of the Croft House. He had left his tape recorder running during his interaction with Kupfer and it was on during the murder.

Smith had started his search for a victim earlier at an art house on Wilshire and 20^th. He went into the store and asked about a piece of art. Once he sees that there are two employees, he leaves. (Police have video surveillance and a timeline from the stores Smith goes into.)

He goes to another art store on Beverly Boulevard, and when he sees a second worker he leaves. Next, he walks down La Brea Avenue and enters the Friedman Law Center, going to the second floor and sees a receptionist, but when he hears a man’s voice in the background, he leaves.

Smith next tries Landon Cole Furniture store, but when he enters, the owner, a male is there with two dogs, one growls at him, and he leaves.

The next stop is at the Chiropractic Center of L.A. He is buzzed in by the receptionist. “He asked if we did orthopedics,” the receptionist said in testimony today. She described Smith as tall, black, dressed in a black sweatshirt, with a black backpack.

She was shown surveillance footage from other the stores and said that the man in the video appeared to be the same man that had come into her store and then left when he heard other voices in the background. Smith is 6’2”, 190-pound male.

Smith’s next stop was the Croft House. He goes to Briana who is behind the desk and tells her he’s looking for a sofa for him and his girlfriend.

The Croft House

Smith’s audio captures what happened in the last seven minutes of Kupfer’s life. Beyond pleasant, she is helpful and tells him “Walk around and look,” she said.

At the same time, she was talking to him, she texted the store manager Kari Steib at 1:37 and wrote, “Can you call me? There’s someone here and I’m getting a weird vibe.”

Steib doesn’t get the message until 1:44 and immediately starts calling Briana and the store. By that time Brianna had been murdered.

Steib at the trial described Brianna as “She was very smart. She was easy to talk to and easy to interact with. She was good at getting tasks done, she did not require a lot of oversight.”

Then Steib started crying on the stand. “Customers trusted her, she was informative and friendly. She was very sweet.”

The 911 call made by Kelly Jeng was played.

Jeng and her boyfriend were looking for a sofa. They walked into the Croft House. “I saw a woman lying on the floor. It was terrible and gruesome,” Jeng said, in testimony and started crying. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“She was on her back, there was a phone on the ground by the body,” Jeng said. They immediately left the store and called 911.

The operator asked if the woman was still alive and asked Jeng to go back inside to determine that, but Jeng said, “I’m sorry. I’m scared I don’t want to go in there.”

Brianna’s body was to the left of the store entrance in front of a couch, it appeared as if she was trying to escape. There was a footprint on the white sofa, as if someone had leaped on it to cut her off from getting out the front door.

The tape of the last minutes of Brianna’s life was played in court. The family left the courtroom, so they didn’t have to hear it.

Smith: “Can I get your Facebook information?”

Kupfer: “No.”

Smith “You paying attention to Biden?”

Kupfer: No.

Smith: “I think I’ll stop by a little later.”

Kupfer: “Cool.”

Smith: “I was told I was supposed to get information.”

Kupfer: “You can have one of the cards.” (There were employee business cards on the counter of the Croft House.)

Smith: “I think this government is crazy.” He notices that Kupfer has a phone. “Put down the phone.”

Kupfer: “I already called the cops.”

Then there’s a scramble and you can hear Kupfer say “Get off me.”

Smith: “it’s over. It’s over, it’s over. Bitch it’s over. It’s over bitch, it’s over.”

He walks out the back door, leaving the knife, the knife sheath and the recorder behind.

Kupfer suffered 46-sharp force wounds. There were 26 stab wounds and 11 of the wounds were to the chest, which punctured both lungs. According to the autopsy, she died from exsanguination – the loss of blood.

The knife that was found near her body, had a bent blade.

At the trial, the DA is painstakingly establishing the police’s knowledge and expertise and showing the chain of command.

Defense Attorney Robert Haberer reserved his opening statement until the beginning of the defense’s portion of the case. He has had limited questions for those testifying.

Detective Tyler Adams, who has been with LAPD for 19 years and worked on homicide for more than 8 years, detailed his expertise and the method in collecting DNA.

He explained how he swabbed the recorder and specifically the microphone screen because it was more likely to contain DNA. He also swabbed the ridge of the phone. The defense attorney faulted him for not getting DNA from the back of the device.

Adams said, “I know from experience that some areas will be better for DNA.”

It is hoped that Smith will testify, so that his prior crimes can be put on record.

The trial will continue at 9 a.m. downtown in Department 126 on the 15^th floor of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, 210 West Temple Street, L.A. Ca. 90012.

Shawn Laval Smith at the downtown courtroom for his trial of the murder of Brianna Kupfer. His defense attorney is Robert Haberer.

SMITH’S RAP SHEET

Smith’s lengthy rap sheet, with 15 arrests, shows he’s familiar with the court system. He has at least 11 arrests in Charleston, S.C., dating back to 2010, when he would have been in high school.

There is still a pending November 2019 South Carolina case against Smith for allegedly discharging a firearm into a stranger’s vehicle while a toddler was in the back seat. Records show he was released 10 days later after posting $50,000 bond. He was told not to leave the state.

He had been arrested three times in California, the first appears to be 2017 in San Diego, when he was arrested for carrying a concealed dagger and using a knife in a threatening manner.

Los Angeles

Jan. 18, 2022 – LAPD identify Smith in connection to the Jan. 13 murder of Briana Kupfer inside a furniture store on North La Brea Avenue.

San Mateo

In January 2021, Smith vandalized a car in Daly City, Calif., and when officers arrested him, he resisted and bit one of them, according to court records. He was charged with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.

Dist. Atty. Steve Wagstaffe said that Smith’s defense attorney claimed he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. But the suspect was examined by two doctors and, based on their findings last May, a judge determined he was competent to be tried. He served 133 days of an eight-month sentence and was released, but failed to report to his probation officer and his probation was revoked in November.

A bench warrant was issued for Smith’s arrest, but he vanished from the scene, Wagstaffe said. South Carolina authorities never contacted his office, he said, despite Smith being held in San Mateo County jail for eight months.

Covina, Calif.

Oct. 27, 2020 – Smith was arrested in Covina, Calif. in 2020 for misdemeanor possession of stolen property after allegedly shoplifting at a Home Depot but L.A. County prosecutors didn’t press charges, the Covina Police Department said. He was released on $1,000 bail.

Charleston, S.C.

Nov. 13, 2019 – Smith is arrested and charged with discharge of a firearm into a vehicle while occupied. He posts $50,000 bond and is released on Nov. 23, 2019. He is told not to leave the state.

June 8, 2019 – Smith is arrested on a bench warrant and charged with entering premises, after receiving a warning. No bond is set, and he is released the following day.

March 13, 2019 – Smith is arrested and charged with entering premises after a warning. He is released the same day after posting $470 bond.

Nov. 5, 2018 – Smith is arrested on a bench warrant and charged with general sessions and probate contempt of court. He is held until his release on Dec. 14, 2018.

San Diego, Ca.

2017, Smith was charged with two counts of carrying a concealed dagger and using a knife in a threatening manner. He pleaded guilty and received six months in jail and three years of probation and was ordered to pay a $400 fine.

Charlotte, N.C.

June 27, 2016 – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announce that Smith has 14 active warrants for his arrest in connection to a rash of bicycle thefts in the Charlotte area. The outcome of this case was not immediately clear.

Charleston, S.C.

March 5, 2016 – Smith is arrested on charges of trespassing after a notice and resisting arrest. His bond is set at $10,470 bond. He posts bond and is released on April 7, 2016. The outcome of this case was not immediately clear.

March 1, 2016 – Smith is arrested on a charge of trespassing after notice. He posts $470 bond and is released the same day.

July 11, 2015 – Smith is arrested on a bench warrant on charges of careless driving, no driver’s license, and expired registration. He is released on Aug. 15, 2015.

Sept. 11, 2013 – Smith is arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing. He is released on Sept. 13, 2013, after posting $732 bond.

July 22, 2013 – Smith is arrested on a bench warrant and charged with littering on highways. He is released on Aug. 7, 2013.

June 12, 2013 – Smith is arrested and charged with simple possession of marijuana. He is released on June 28, 2013.

April 16, 2010 – Smith is arrested and charged with breach of trust. He is released on May 6, 2010.

Posted in Crime/Police | 2 Comments

Trial for Brianna Kupfer’s Murderer Will Start Tomorrow, August 29

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Brianna Kupfer was killed while at work.

The Judge has ordered that the trial for the murder of Brianna Kupfer start tomorrow, Thursday, August 29.

The trial was originally scheduled to start August 26. Briana’s mother Lori said the jury selection had been completed the week before. Then, the trial was delayed because District Attorney Habib Balian, who was trying the case, had come down with Covid.

If Balian still tests positive at the trial’s start, then Major Crimes’ Craig Hum, will try the case.

The trial will be held downtown in Department 126 on the 15^th floor of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, 210 West Temple Street, L.A. Ca. 90012.

If you are not working this week or next, plan to try and support the family by attending at least one day.

As a reminder, Brianna, Todd and Lori Kupfer’s 24-year-old daughter was stabbed on January 13, 2022, when she was working alone at Croft House, a Hancock Park boutique furniture store. She was found on the floor by a customer.

On “Fox and Friends,” Todd had said “”She was a kind soul and always was trying to make herself better and everything around her better. She cared about people.”

Shawn Laval Smith is on trial on a murder charge. He also faces two special circumstances allegations: lying in wait and use of a knife. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Posted in Community, Crime/Police | 1 Comment

Palisades Task Volunteers Clean Up Homeless Site

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

A firepit, filled in with ashes and dirt was found by the campsite.

An abandoned homeless campsite located off Pacific Coast Highway between Potrero Canyon and Temescal Canyon was cleaned up on August 27. The campsite, which had a firepit, firewood and cigarette butts scattered in the area was located in the Very High Fire Severity Zone, which means camping is prohibited.

The site was first located by a community member’s drone shot and posted on social media. A volunteer with the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTFH), sent the shot to former PPTFH President Sharon Kilbride, who works with the police.

The Beach Detail, which have been on break, normally patrol not only beach areas, but also hillside areas, such as this one. Before this area was patrolled and signs went up there were three fires and about 60 abandoned campsites and trash had to be cleared off “meth mountain.”

Kilbride contacted LAPD and asked them to send someone to determine if the site was abandoned. Of late, people camping can be violent and volunteers don’t go into a site, until they get the go ahead from police.

The site was checked out on August 26 and determined abandoned, so Kilbride, PPTFH’s Bruce Schwartz and Carlos Rodriquez, accompanied by LAPD’s Officer Suleiman, cleaned the area and filled a pickup truck with bags of trash, and other discarded materials. But first the trip line had to be dismantled from the entrance to the camp.

Additionally, there was a big dump spot of “urine and feces” from an RV. All that bacterial matter will find its way into the ocean, which is on the other side of PCH.

An RV dumped the waste from its black water tank on land across from the Pacific Ocean.

That area is under CalTrans jurisdiction. There is a broken gate, which means RVs can simply pull in and dump. It also means it provides easy access for transients.
There has been an influx of new homeless into Pacific Palisades, and the PPTFH volunteers have been monitoring and making contact with those new to this area.

People are asked if they want services. Most have refused. Additionally, social workers, which the community has hired, also contact the homeless. If a homeless person is presenting violent behaviors, a resident needs to notify LAPD.

Since it was formed in 2014, PPTFH might be the only nonprofit, which actually has statistics about people they have helped off the streets click here.

A PPTFH volunteer said that it appears because of the Grants Pass Ruling there are more homeless coming to the Palisades. Today there were 11 new people in a one-mile stretch on the beach. Only one said they would go to a meet up with social workers. It appears none of the people want services.

The bed of the truck was filled with garbage from the abandoned camp.

Posted in Homelessness | 3 Comments

Nova Exhibit Is Grim Reminder of Unprovoked Violence

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Story and Photos by CHAZ PLAGER

The world saw the photos of the aftermath an October 7 attack by a Palestinian terror group Hamas at outdoor Music Festival, near kibbutz Re’im in Israel.

It was an unprovoked surprise attack. About 405 innocent victims were killed, 3,400 were injured and currently 190 people are still being held hostage. Footage of the attack, posted on Telegram channel, showed graphic depictions of murder and hostage-taking. This assault marked the beginning of a conflict that continues today.

But not many fully understand the ramifications of that attack. To raise awareness, Israeli activists have created the Nova Memorial Exhibit in Culver City, a pop-up exhibit intended to walk guests through the events that happened that day. Located at 8631 Hayden Places, it is open to the public through October 8, click here.

At the exhibit, the Black-Jewish Alliance held a speaking event on August 22, featuring Israeli-American actress and writer Noa Tishby and New York Congressman Ritchie Torres. Security was tight, as would be expected of an event with a sensitive nature and high-profile special guests.

Upon entry, guests were shown a short film about Nova— the kinds of people who attended, the music, the performers, and of course the tragedy that befell them that day. It is a film meant to celebrate the lives of those lost, with light and color befitting a music festival.

The next room of the exhibit is outfitted to look like the scenery the festival goers saw that day, complete with smoke machines, sounds of people yelling, sirens, the rumble of bombs landing, and gunshots.

In every corner, there is a video playing of something that happened during the attack. On the right, a bulldozer breaks down a fence as Hamas men cheer. On the left, terrorists on motorcycles hold tourists at gunpoint. Overhead, bombs fly.

Items strewn around the exhibit are genuine articles recovered from the attack; visitors are encouraged to pick them up and touch them. There are shirts riddled with bullet holes. There are torn caps. There are cell phones displaying cell phone footage taken of the attack. There is a credit card encrusted with blood.

The final and largest room is a miniature version of the Nova festival itself: everything as it was, recovered from the site and displayed here. Clothes in relatively good shape are placed in the “Lost and Found” in hopes that survivors will come and retrieve them.

This is the “Lost and Found,” founded with hopes survivors will claim belongings.

This exhibit is manned by Limor Barak, volunteer for Unit Lahav 433 of the Israeli Police. She is from Israel and is staying in L.A. for three weeks. “You have to understand that everything here is real. We received the items from the Israeli government on October 7.”

Barak picks up a shoe and hands it to me. “You have to understand that this was a real person’s belongings, someone who is now possibly dead.”

As we are speaking, a man walked up to the exhibit and froze. “This is my hat!” he exclaims. “I wore this to the festival!” Overjoyed, he hugs Limor. “Thank you, thank you.”

Directly across from the Lost and Found is a wall of pictures, names, and faces. They are those killed in the attack, numbering over 400. Visitors are encouraged to leave messages for relatives of the dead and for the hostages still in Hamas’ hands.

This writer had a chance to speak with one attendee, the sister of Kim Damti, who died in the attack.

“It does not get better,” she lamented. “I feel that… I would like everyone to know that Kim was a gentle, kind, and loving person… and I want everyone to remember her.” On a picture of Kim, someone has written “May God avenge you.”

People are asked to leave messages for the relatives of the dead and for those still held hostage.

Passing through to the next room, there is a new, design for the next Nova festival, aptly titled “Nova Healing.” The room is filled with sculptures and other art pieces from activists, along with tables and chairs to take a break.

“The fact that you can touch things like you’re really there on the ground is incredible,” said Black-Jewish Alliance member Calvin Coolidge. “It’s powerful. It’s… raw.”

Just past that room, the Black-Jewish Alliance panel was to be held. Before the panel started, Noa Tishby was doing signings for her latest book, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew. The book was written with Emmanuel Acho, author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.

“I actually got halfway through the book before October 7 happened, and me and Emmanuel had a fight and almost scrapped the thing,” Tishby said. “But we got back together, finished it, and I think we have a real winner here.”

Torres and Tishby connected over their fights to stop hate: Torres against Black and LGBT hate, and Tishby against anti-Semitism.

The intention of this talk was “raising awareness about rising anti-semitism in the entertainment industry and galvanizing Black people and Jews in the industry against a possible boycott.”

Tishby is a New York Times best-selling author, a producer, and Israel’s former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization. She has acted in several award-winning Israeli and American series such as In Treatment. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her son.

Torres is New York’s first LGBT congressman and an outspoken Zionist. He is here, rather than at the Democratic National Convention, for one reason and one reason alone: fears for his safety.

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres and Israeli-American actress and writer Noa Tishby spoke at the Nova Memorial exhibit in Culver City.

“I am a Zionist. Not the Zionist caricature everyone thinks about when they hear the word, but a real Zionist,” Torres said. “I came here to speak my truth to people who will appreciate what I have to say, rather than send me death threats.

“I feel there’s been no greater advocate against antisemitism than Noa Tishby,” Torres continued. “I feel blessed to fight alongside her. Forget California, I’d fight alongside her in every corner of the earth to stop hate.”

Throughout the exhibit and the panel, a phrase was constantly repeated: “We will dance again.” Nova, meaning “new”, is now a symbol of both tragedy and hope; the tragedy that began the war on October 7, at and the hope that Israel will continue, that Jews will survive.

Torres and Tishby spoke on politics, TV, discrimination, writing, Twitter and more. A question-and-answer session followed the talk.

A full video of the August discussion will be posted in the future on YouTube.

(Editor’s note: After reading Chaz Plager’s story and seeing the photo of the shoes, I was reminded of the exhibit “Not Long Ago, Not Far Away” that was at the Ronald Reagan Library from March 2023 to January 2024.)

Shoes that belonged to people deported to Auschwitz for extermination

Posted in History | 1 Comment

Viewpoint: Hypocrisy of Local Leaders Becomes Apparent

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

L.A. County Supervisor Lyndsey Horvath has not asked the County Sheriff’s to enforce the “No Parking” signs along PCH by the beach. RV’s park there for weeks on end with no repercussions.

By TIM CAMPBELL

There have been some interesting stories in the news about questionable actions by local officials. One of D.A. George Gascon’s top deputies, Diana Teran, was indicted on several felony counts of stealing the files on police officers’ disciplinary records.

Mike Bonin

Former Council member Mike Bonin faced community backlash after he criticized Governor Newsom’s recent executive order on cleaning up homeless encampments. Critics mentioned his habit, while on the Council, of approving transitional and affordable housing projects with little or no public input.

Earlier this year, when LAHSA released a report critical of the City’s anti-camping ordinance, LAMC 41.18, some progressive members of the Council and Board of Supervisors, including Hugo Soto-Martinez, Katy Yaroslavsky, and Lyndsey Horvath were quick to condemn the ordinance as ineffective and cruel.

Then, on May 31, the City’s Chief Legislative Analyst released a review of LAHSA’s report, revealing serious procedural and methodological errors that made the report virtually useless. None of the elected officials have walked back their comments. Yaroslavsky has been roundly criticized for approving an interim housing facility and ignoring her constituents’ concerns about crime and trash near homes and small businesses.

What all these stories have in common is a serious case of moral relativism on the part of local officials.

Diana Teran

For example, Ms. Teran, who was once in charge of police misconduct prosecution, apparently thought it was okay to commit a crime to prove certain officers are criminals.

Likewise. Mr. Bonin and Ms. Yaroslavsky feel they are justified circumventing the Brown Act for the higher purpose of building shelters and housing. Mayor Bass and others have chosen to ignore the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision for their morally superior Housing First approach, even though LA’s programs are cruelly ineffective at getting people off the street.

My term for this attitude is the ethics of convenience. I define it as a willingness to impose a strictly defined moral code on others while giving yourself the right to ignore the same moral norms. It is a classic case of the ends justifying the means.

If I’m convinced most cops are little more than sadistic thugs, then pilfering a few confidential files is justifiable. If I’m convinced dropping a transitional housing facility in the middle of a mixed residential/small business area is morally right, then public notice requirements are little more than a minor inconvenience. If I can claim the moral high ground, anyone with disagrees with me is inherently immoral; they hate the homeless or want to criminalize poverty, or condone police brutality.

This is, of course, nonsense. When the policies you support leave thousands on the streets while you lecture constituents about social justice, then your policy is immoral. When you insist Housing First’s failed model is the one and only cure for homelessness, your views are as puritanical as any zealot’s, and you’ll have no problem creating meaningless numbers that make it look successful. Seeing crime as an inevitable result of social injustice denies the role of personal responsibility and dehumanizes its victims.

The primary fuel of the ethics of convenience is arrogance. By convincing yourself your beliefs are morally and intellectually superior to others, you not only have the right, but the duty, to impose them on an ignorant and benighted public.

That’s why you often see comments like “when will you get it through your head…” or “if you weren’t so closed-minded/old/privileged/prejudiced, you’d see how wrong you are.” The arguments are long on insults but short on objective truths.

For example, let’s look at advocates’ insistence that most homeless people come from the communities they live in, and are victims of economic injustice. They argue that people coming from other areas is a myth, and substance abuse or mental illness are the results of, rather than the cause, of homelessness.

However, a recent Westside Current article exposed the Weingart Center’s practice moving people from other states to taxpayer-subsidized housing, even though there are higher-needs people in LA.

Photo: John Alle Santa Monica Coalition.

A March 2024 L.A. Times article reported nearly half of San Francisco’s drug users came from somewhere else. Likewise, several surveys, including the UCSF/Benioff study, have consistently reported anywhere between half and 65 percent of homeless people had mental health or substance abuse problems before they became homeless.

Because these facts do not fit advocates’ narrative, they are dismissed as a consequence rather than a cause of homelessness. Arrogance prevents advocates from dealing with the reality of homelessness in Los Angeles.

One of the most tragic signs of this purposeful blindness is when advocates ask their favorite question, “Where will they go?” Clear an encampment that blocks a sidewalk and forces pedestrians into the street? “But where will the campers go?” Tow derelict RV’s dumping raw sewage into storm drains? “Where can they go?”

Advocates use this question as a weapon to make those who ask it look like heartless NIMBY’s who just want the homeless out of sight. They never think to ask themselves that perhaps there are so few places for the unhoused to go because of the failed policies of the advocates themselves; an obsession with expensive and time-consuming housing construction instead of transitional housing, and woefully inadequate treatment programs that have stranded thousands on the streets.

“Where will they go” should be a question advocates should have been asking local officials five or ten years ago, when it would have been easier and more economical to implement a variety of solutions for the unhoused.

Instead, the fixation on housing construction has created the need for the moral gymnastics we see from our Council and BOS members, as they try to justify expensive and ineffective solutions to a problem that just gets worse.

(Tim Campbell is a resident of Westchester who spent a career in the public service and managed a municipal performance audit program. He focuses on outcomes instead of process.)

Posted in Viewpoint | 5 Comments

Lee Calvert Celebrates Her 100th Birthday with Pushups

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Lee Calvert had two birthday parties to celebrate her 100th.

By ALISON BURMEISTER

There are an estimated 101,000 Americans who are 100 or older in a country of 245 million people (78 percent are women). Joining that elite group is Lee Calvert, who celebrated her 100^th birthday on August 15.

Lee’s family, neighbors, and friends from all over the United States gathered two weekends in a row (August 18 and 25) at Tahitian Terrace where Calvert has been a resident for the past 60 years to honor her with speeches and stories.

Lee Calvert with her great-granddaughters at the family birthday party at Tahitian Terrace August 18.

Appropriately the entire clubhouse was decorated in royal blue, Lee’s favorite color, where she held court like a queen.

“My mother loves to dance and have fun,” said daughter Nancy. Some, reading this may remember dancing alongside Lee in the popular Zumba class, taught by Carlos at the YMCA on Via De La Paz.

If you have had the joy of spending time with Lee Calvert, you’d agree her energy is infectious.

The story of Lee’s life is worthy of the very television scripts she used to work on.

She grew up poor during the depression in Santa Monica. Lee was a divorced mom with two kids before she established a Hollywood business.

A legend in Pacific Palisades, Lee was the recipient of the “Arnie Wishnick” award for volunteerism. She is a member of Palisades Americanism Parade Association (PAPA) and the Optimist Club.

Lee dancing with her son-in-law John.

She is also an inductee into the badminton Hall of Fame.

“My mother was always busy. She was always coming up with challenging but fun activities that made us laugh,” Nancy said.

Lee moved to Pacific Palisades in 1961 just so her daughter could attend Palisades High School. Her son Jeff, also attended PaliHi.

Once her children were out of high school, Lee started her own business as a Hollywood continuity script transcriber. She began her work with The Lucy Show for Desilu Productions in 1964. Calvert enjoyed her work for Lucille Ball who owned the production company Desilu with her then husband Desi Arnaz.

Despite loving her job, “I hated how everyone smoked!” said Lee, which is the reason she relocated her offices from Hollywood to her new home in Tahitian Terrace, where she moved after her kids left for college.

“I traded smoke in the office to work from home with an ocean view.” Lee said. Literally a trailblazer, she was one of the first residents to live in Tahitian Terrace before Temescal Canyon Road existed.

In a day and age when very few women ran their own businesses and technology was constantly changing, Lee attended college to learn computers. She finally retired at age 80 after a long successful career.

When asked if she ever remembered her mother being stressed, Nancy replied, “My mother had more than her share of stress. Her outlet was sports. They kept her spirits high.”

“I loved to play, but I was terrible in sports early on.” Lee said. “When I went to the gym to play on teams, I was the last one picked.”

It wasn’t until she discovered badminton that Lee found her sport.

She said that just before the end of World War II, at the end of the Santa Monica Pier there were badminton courts. But she didn’t play competitively, until later in life.

“I started playing badminton locally at Santa Monica College when I was 40,” she said. Lee’s second husband Larry Calvert also played badminton.

Lee was inducted in the Badminton Hall of Fame after winning three gold medals at the Huntsman World Senior Games. As she grew older Lee put down her badminton racket and took up table tennis which she continues to play today.

Cynthia Cuza, one of Lee’s table tennis partners who played many tournaments nationwide
and friend Janet Lever. Lee retired from table tennis when she was 92.

This past weekend when friends and neighbors gathered for the second party, there was a line of guests, many dressed in Lee’s favorite color blue, waiting to honor her. Several mentioned Lee’s dedication to physical fitness and her commitment to doing 15 push-ups every night before bed.

“It’s important to do push-ups and sit-ups because we have to keep the core strong,” Lee said and explains she discovered the importance of this when she almost fell on the stairs of CVS, the local drugstore in the Palisades.

“If I hadn’t landed on my hands and caught myself from falling, it would have been much worse,” she said.

The night of her party, Lee was reminded of the pledge she made to do 15 push-ups on her 100th birthday. Her son Jeff, who knows his mom’s boundless determination and admitted competitiveness, suggested she do wall push-ups instead –to not mess up the pretty blue skirt suit she wore.

Lee of course stood up, found an open wall and did more than 15 pushups as all her friends and neighbors cheered her on.

Lee Calvert performing more than 15 wall-pushups for her 100th birthday party.

“She is feeling so high from all of the celebrating,” Nancy said. “The day after her last party she was up at 6 am to see my brother Jeff off…we should all have this kind of pep!”

Which begs the question, at 100 years old, why does Lee Calvert have so much pep? And how can I get some?

Lee will tell you her secret is “to keep moving”. Like many other centenarians studies have shown, physical activity is very important for living a long life.

Also important, according to the study of Blue Zones, regions in the world where people are claimed to have exceptionally long lives beyond the age of 80; a lifestyle combining physical activity, living with a sense of purpose, low stress, a local whole-foods diet and a strong sense of family and community will extend one’s life.

And while ironically, it’s not mentioned in any of these Blue Zone studies, I’m going to add in there, to wear the color, blue. It seems to have worked for Lee Calvert, and that is all the evidence one really needs!

Lee with son Jeff after the party.

Lee Calvert and her family celebrating Lee’s 100th birthday.

Posted in Community, General, Seniors, Sports | 4 Comments

Friends of Library Book Sale Set for September 7

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Members of Friends of the LIbrary who volunteered at the last book sale.

“It’s time for another Friends of Palisades Library book sale!” wrote Friends of the Library’s Seem Wolsefer. The Friends of the Palisades Library will hold a book sale in the library parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 7, at 851 Alma Real.

This is an excellent chance to find a variety of books in pristine condition, priced to sell. At the last book sale, because the prices were so good, this editor came away, not only with books for herself but numerous children’s books for my friend’s grandchild.

“There will be a very large section for families with children and young adults,” Wolsefer said. “Bring your young readers! Stock up on all your books for the new school year.”

There will be contemporary fiction, mysteries, nonfiction, art books, cookbooks, special interest, children’s and young adult books. Cash and credit cards will be accepted.

Wolsefer explained that books have been generously donated by our community and have been received and sorted by volunteers.

“Books received that can’t be sold are donated to various worthy organizations including senior centers, prisons, active military personnel and other libraries,” she said, noting that proceeds from the sale help the Friends supplement library materials, host a variety of programs and classes, and provide special initiatives for youth creative writing and art.

If a resident joins the Friends of the Palisades Library at the September sale, he/she will receive a free Caffe Luxxe drink card and a voucher for a free book at the Friend’s patio bookstore.

The Friends is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, membership dues are tax-deductible. Members receive advance email notifications of parking lot book sales, special events and other important library news. Become a Friend and help spread the word about our beloved community library. Visit us at www.friendsofpalilibrary.org for more information.

Please note: Friends will stop taking donations after August 31, but will resume taking books in October.

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Public Invitation to Meet the Class of ’64: Now and Then

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Palisades High School Class of 1964. There were 480 students graduating on the PaliHi football field.

By STEWART SLAVIN

Perhaps you’ve read or heard of the book, What Really Happened to the Class of ’65?

Well, move over Corinthians because it was the Spartans of Palisades High School’s Class of ’64 that were at “Ground Zero” for Palihi’s coming out party and the tumultuous changes that were about to take over our lives later in the decade.

We were there first.

We’re so proud to have made it this far — our 60th Reunion with most of us turned 78 this year — that we want to invite the public — that’s everyone — to our picnic from 1 to 4 p.m. on September 21 on the PaliHi Quad, to tell stories of how we got here, beginning with our parents of the Greatest Generation whose sacrifices and hard work gave us safe places to live and childhoods full of wonder.

And we want to get you involved in our discussions.

The Spartans were the first class to go all the way through Palisades High after it opened September 11, 1961. The 480-strong class began its educational journey a decade earlier, with members attending Palisades, Marquez, Canyon, Kenter Canyon, Brentwood, or UCLA (UES) elementary schools.

During the sixth grade, our late class leader, Bonnie Graveline Worley, remembers a story in the “Weekly Reader” (a newspaper the schools received each week), that the Russians had launched Sputnik – the first satellite ever. “We were all afraid of the Russians and people were building bomb shelters. There was a bomb shelter around the corner from my house on Chapala.”

We lived among celebrities and their children: Groucho Marx, James Arness, Betty Hutton, Jerry Lewis, James Whitmore, Lee Marvin, Vivian Vance (Ethel on I Love Lucy lived on Ocampo), and Grace Kelly was renting a home on Alma Real. We had our own celebrity with classmate Rusty Hamer who was on The Danny Thomas Show.

When we entered Paul Revere Junior High on Allenford we met new classmates from the surrounding elementary schools. In the eighth grade, there was a memorable morning when John Glenn became the first American launched into orbit.

Our ninth-grade class at Revere chose the name for the new high school to open in the fall – Palisades High – along with its colors – Columbia blue and white – and Dolphins for its mascot. I think I voted for the Sharks.

When Pali opened in the fall, there were only 10th and 11th graders. The girls’ gym wasn’t yet completed nor were the boys’ showers. For one semester, the girls all had P.E. in the multipurpose room (now Mercer Hall) where gym teachers turned up the hi-fi and the girls learned new dances like “The Twist.” Without showers, the football players who didn’t win a game that first season had to endure their sweat following practice or head to the beach.

But we still cheered for our team until we were hoarse – and relished our new modern school that was fresh and clean – and earthquake proof. The parking lot would be full of shiny new cars, as well as classics, and our nutrition teacher Mrs. Herbst would turn heads in her pink Mustang. There were no hard drugs, and marijuana was barely known then.

But there was also tragedy. Only a scant two months after the school opened, the disastrous Bel-Air Fire struck, and many classmates lost their homes. Some were left only with the clothes on their back.

Everyone remembers where they were on November 22, 1963, when an announcement came over the P.A. system that President Kennedy had been shot.

Our class produced many doctors, lawyers, artists, and other professionals. Among them are Dr. Barry Sears, creator and author of “The Zone Diet,” psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison, author or “An Unquiet Mind,” Joseph Gold, a world-famous violinist taught by Jascha Heifetz, and beach volleyball Hall of Famer and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Clem.

Meanwhile, the music scene exploded with the Beatles, Rolling Stones and later the Byrds, Doors and Bob Dylan.

The Vietnam War broke out and we mourned the loss of classmate Todd Swanson. The Class of ’63 lost Tom Henshaw, and the pair were the only Palihi graduates who were killed in the war.

Later in the ‘60s, the Watts riots engulfed L.A. in flames, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, and Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down as he was celebrating his presidential primary victory at the Ambassador Hotel. Campus strife was sweeping the nation in protest of the Vietnam War. The sexual revolution, flower power and psychedelic drugs were also upon us.

But somehow, we endured it all, learned from it, and came out the other side all grown up.

We can’t wait to see you at our reunion. We’re making plans for a panel discussion involving key members of our class and members of the community on the “NOW AND THEN.”

Our class invites you to make suggestions about what you would like to see at our reunion and possible topics of discussion. Our picnic committee members are Carter Harrington, Rich Wilken, Greg Bloomfield and me, Stewart Slavin. For more information contact Harrington (206) 947-0735 or email [email protected].

Members of the Class of 1964 (left to right) include
Gretchen Olson, Sharon Bauer, Joan Goldsmith, Ellen Shavelson and Lynn Power. The photo was taken in 2019 at the 55th class reunion.

Posted in Schools | 5 Comments

Marquez Knolls Block Party Will Be September 13

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Sue Pascoe

Station 23 Firefighters chatted with residents at the Marquez Knolls block party last year.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT

After a long summer, it is time to reconnect with neighbors and friends. There’s no better place to do that than at the Marquez Knolls Block Party (MKPOA) which will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 14.

This annual event also allows local businesses a chance to showcase their wares. There is still time to sponsor this well-attended event by contacting MKPOA President Haldis Toppel at [email protected]. “We have expanded the merchant participation to include Palisades merchants outside of Marquez Knolls as long as it is not a competing business with Marquez,” Toppel said.

This year live performances are planned by Alper’s Young Musician, Gerry Blanks Martial Arts Studio, Palisades Dance Studio and New Vibes Gymnastics.

There will be a dedicated kids’ zone, featuring a bounce house, balloon artist, a face painter and a magician.

A local business, the Oasis Spa, will be giving free-mini massages. Rony’s will provide free coffee. Flu shots will be available at Marquez Pharmacy, and best of all, parking is free all day.

LAPD police cars and LAFD fire trucks will allow old and young to climb on and take selfies.

All store owners will participate in exciting raffle prize giveaways. Last year, CTN reported “one of the favorite prizes selected was 10 Domino’s Pizzas, followed by assorted gift baskets. A determined 10-year-old winner chose the grand prize, a security system from ACS, valued at $1,000. ‘It’s for my family,’ the boy said.”

“The Chamber is proud to support the Marquez Knolls Block Party,” said Holly Moss-Naim for the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a fantastic way to showcase community spirit of the Palisades in this ever-changing business landscape”

Join the list pf businesses supporting this year’s block party, which include: ACS Security, Alper Music School, TLC Hair and Skin Care, TLC Beauty Salon, Prana by Lana, Palisades Plumbing, Palisades Screen and Glass, Knolls Pharmacy, Max Impact Boxing Gym, Palisades Animal Clinic, Paws N Claws, Malibu Coast Pet Retreat, Ronny’s Market and Liquor Store, Vittorio’s Ristorante, Ronny’s Parlane Cleaners, Oasis Palisades Spa, Pacific Design Group, Palisades Heating and Air, Blanck’s Martial Arts Studio, Domino’s Pizza, Gray Dragon Children & Toy Store, Alicia’s Place, Edlen Reality, Gordon Gibson Construction, Paws n’ Claws, Marie’s Mac and PC Outcall, Prudential CA Realty, Horusicky Construction, Holly Davis Coldwell Bankers, and Rassekhi Realty.

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