Zine Collection and Club Offered through the Library

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Kelli Callis was interviewed about her zines.

Pronounced like magazine—without the mag—zines are self-published, independently made, usually photocopied, and have a small print run.

Several Zines are now available at the Los Angeles Public Library. There is also a Zine Club, run through the library, that meets online every other Monday at 4 p.m. and will resume on January 9.

Members chat and share inspiration for projects. They discuss zines they’re working on, and zines they like. Zine content can be personal, political, niche, artistic, visual—there are no rules.

Zines rose to prominence in the 70s, but one could argue that they have been around since the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press in 1439. Go to lapl.org/palisades to register for the Zoom link.

Kelli Callis, who can be found on Facebook and Instagram as ThatGirlZine, was interviewed for the Library about Zines.

She said that when she was in college, she met some girls who were musicians but who also made their own stickers and published their own zines.

“I didn’t know what a zine was, but these girls wrote about their personal lives and their opinions and then copied them on copy machines and gave them to their friends,” Callis said. “I really wanted to learn how to play drums but making a zine was much easier and more immediate. I had already written short stories when I was younger, so writing came easily to me. I started my zine then in 1993, my freshman year of college.”

Zines are now in the library collection for patrons to borrow and Callis said, “I think that’s really exciting because that means my work can reach a wider audience and be read by people who are outside the normal realm of zine readers. I feel like only selling zines on Etsy has limited my audience considerably. It’s also kinda trippy since when you sell zines, you get the reader’s address, mostly, and usually, they aren’t local, so it’s weird to think some dude in Chatsworth can just check out the zine and read all about my life, and I have no idea he’s doing it.”

Callis said that she thinks zines are important because they allow anyone to publish their thoughts to the world without intermediaries such as editors or publishers. “It’s exciting that anyone with the gumption can just make a piece of literature with a glue stick or printer.”

 

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Need-to-Know News: Cannabis Under-Regulated; Water Pooling on PCH

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

CANNABIS REGULATION:

Shortly before L.A. Controller Ron Galperin left office, he released a report “Improving Cannabis Regulation in L.A.”(Visit: https://lacontroller.org/audits-and-reports/review-of-the-citys-cannabis-regulation-efforts/)

He explained that following the passage of Prop 64, Los Angeles residents voted in 2017 to approve Measure M to allow and tax commercial cannabis activity.

The City created the Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) that same year to license and regulate commercial cannabis activities. In 2019, the Mayor’s  Office formed the Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce to coordinate multi-departmental enforcement efforts to shut down unlicensed cannabis businesses.

Galperin found that the Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) has not monitored licensees.

Since 2018, DCR has received more than 7,300 cannabis-related complaints, with more than 5,000 complaints remaining unprocessed with no record of a review or investigation.

These complaints include allegations such as sales to minors, onsite cannabis consumption by employees, and unlicensed retail cannabis sales by a business licensed by DCR for non-retail activities.

DCR has also failed to conduct periodic inspections at licensed cannabis businesses to monitor regulatory compliance. Galperin said the controller’s office had visited six cannabis retail stores licensed by DCR and found a range of minor, moderate, and major violations at each of the storefronts.

LARGE POOL OF WATER ON PCH:

Several residents have written about the large pool of water that accumulates near the mouth of Potrero Canyon on Pacific Coast Highway near lifeguard headquarters. The pool, which seems to collect after rains, effectively shuts down two lanes of north (west) bound traffic.

Many may remember that in August the Los Angeles County Waterworks was placing a new 30-inch water main between Temescal and Potrero Canyons.

At that site LA’s Potrero Canyon Storm Drain is also located. On January 2, CTN contacted CalTrans, which has the right of way on PCH, and also the City of Los Angeles to see if someone could figure out why water was collecting.

 

 

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Mayor Bass Accompanies Councilwoman Park to Venice

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Councilmember Traci Park and Mayor Karen Bass (right) visit Venice encampments.

Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Traci Park were in Venice to visit the encampments that surround the A Bridge Home (ABH) site, at Sunset and Pacific Avenue.

ABH was designed to give the homeless a safe place to sleep, while waiting for permanent housing. When the ABH was implemented in February 2020, Venice residents were told it would be temporary, that no additional tents would be allowed on the streets between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. and the area would be a Special Enforcement and Cleaning Zone.

Instead, Councilman Mike Bonin’s and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s promises were not kept, and the area became known as “Methlehem” because of the crime and rampant drug use. Encampments sprang up around the ABH and extended several blocks.

“There is no law and order, and no one will help us,” one resident told CTN.

Today was more hopeful.

Park said, “During my campaign, I pledged to pursue a comprehensive approach to working with service providers and city leaders to compassionately get encampments like those surrounding the bridge home the support they need.

“Putting people in rooms without the care they need doesn’t work,” Park said. “We need to ensure that they have adequate access to services including mental health, trauma and substance-use services.”

“I’m proud to be locking arms with Councilwoman Park to change the way we approach homelessness in Los Angeles to bring people inside,” Bass said. “Councilwoman Park and I spent yesterday morning conducting outreach with encampment residents and meeting with service providers and local residents. It’s important that the policy solutions developed are informed by the people most directly affected.”

Community members say that Bass and Park are taking the first steps towards keeping promises that were made when the Venice Bridge Home opened.

The Mayor’s new program, Inside Safe, is a housing based program that will assess street homelessness across Los Angeles and proactively engage with people living in tents and encampments based on which locations are most chronic.

The strategy is to bring people inside from tents and encampments for good, and to prevent encampments from returning. While Park and Bass were in Venice, there were commitments from people to come off the street.

Now, “to know that something is finally happening is pretty amazing,” said Chef Jason Neroni, owner of Rose Venice on Hampton Avenue.

“It may be impossible to fully understand the depths of despair and trauma associated with long-term encampments unless you’re living in them as an unhoused person or living beside them as a housed neighbor,” said Venice resident Connie Brooks. “Watching fellow humans disintegrating before your eyes nearly every single day for years– while rarely being able to get them help– is indelibly scarring to everyone involved.”

INSIDE SAFE HAS FIVE GOALS:

  • Reduce the loss of life on our streets
  • Increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for those living in encampments
  • Eliminate street encampments
  • Promote long-term housing stability for people experiencing homelessness
  • Enhance the safety and hygiene of neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors

Read the Inside Safe Executive Directive here.

Posted in Homelessness, News | 4 Comments

“The Pale Blue Eye” Provides Thoughtful Evening

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

Offering an intriguing story, Scott Cooper’s The Pale Blue Eye, staring Christian Bale, opened with a limited theatrical release on December 23, including at the Bay Theater in Pacific Palisades. It will start streaming on Netflix on January 6.

Unlike Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which can best be described as “fast food,” okay  if you’re hungry, but nothing you’ll remember after a few hours, The Pale Blue Eye, like an interesting dish, provides images and ideas that continue to resurface days later.

Based on Louis Bayard’s 2006 mystery novel about a young Edgar Allen Poe at West Point Academy in 1830, the dark, snowy forests in upstate New York, overlooking the Hudson River set the tone for a somber story.

Oscar winner Christian Bale, as Augustus Landor, is a reclusive investigator who lives near the Academy.

West Point authorities call on the loner – no wife, his daughter gone – for help in solving the gruesome murder of a cadet.

The young man was found dead and after the body arrives at the morgue, it is discovered that the young man’s heart has been removed.

Landor seeks Poe’s help in the investigation. (The author Poe actually attended West Point for a brief time.)

Played by Harry Melling, he is bright, but irritating. But that is probably by design because it gives credence when Poe points out he is considered an outsider and has been bullied by other cadets.

The movie’s pace is leisurely, and the costuming and scenery effortlessly place viewers in the time period.

Bale is measured and feels like a man who has seen too much and could be hiding secrets. A lovely performance.

Robert Duvall, as Jean-Pepe, effortlessly steals the scenes as a scholar of the supernatural arts.

“I have an old friend who might be of use,” Landor tells Poe before they venture to Jean Pepe’s home for a consultation. Just before they enter, however, Landon adds: “‘He might be the most peculiar man I have ever come across.’

“Seated in his book-lined inner sanctum, the aged scholar does indeed seem like an odd and enigmatic fellow — but he is more than willing to share his theories about strange symbols Landor has happened upon during his inquiry. Specifically, Jean Pepe notes the connection to the fabled book of a notorious witchfinder. ‘Rumor has it,’ he says, ‘there are instructions for immortality.’”

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film 66 percent, with an audience score of 74 percent.

This editor prefers stories and characters over special effects and The Pale Blue Eye satisfies on both counts.

The film’s director, Scott Cooper, after reading the book, thought, “My god, how clever is this, [to take] the man who bequeathed to us detective fiction and horror fiction and place him at the center of a detective story?” CTN agrees

A pale blue eye, from which the film takes its title, is featured in Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart as “the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it.” Does this mean characters have issues with their inner vision about how they view something? Or does it mean that an eye can see hidden or secret things?

Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Need-to-Know News: Prop. 13, ULA and Ignoring State Constitution

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

HOWARD JARVIS TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION:

Susan Shelley from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association spoke to the Palisades Optimist Club in December. To see how much you’d be paying in property taxes if Prop. 13 had never passed, visit the Guessing Game tax calculator at www.GuessingGame.org.

One Optimist asked who funded the HJTA, and Shelley said the organization is 100 percent funded by California homeowners, who make a $15 dues donation (hjta.org).

ULA:

Many residents were not aware of the implications of Los Angeles Proposition ULA, which taxes any real estate transaction of more than $5 million with an 8-10% total transaction fee on the sale of their property in addition to other relevant taxes…whether a loss or a gain. Anyone buying a property for $11 million, and selling it for $10 million in a year, will be required to pay a $550,000 tax on a $1 million loss.” People may have helped pass it because they failed to read between the lines and the measure was sold as a way to help the homeless.

Lawmakers Try to Skirt State Constitution:

A group of businesses “Save Local Restaurants” sued to block the state from implementing a new law on January 1 that would create a state council to dictate wages, working conditions and benefits for fast-food workers.

No matter how you feel about fast-food workers and wages, here’s the more important issue – legislators failing to follow the state constitution.

The group “Save Local Restaurants” filed a referendum petition with more than 1 million signatures (only 623,212 were required) to place it on the November 2024 ballot. Under the state constitution, which voters amended in 1911, if there is a valid referendum, a law is required to be put on hold.

But state officials say the law will take place January 1 – until signatures are verified. In the state’s history no law has been allowed to “temporarily” take place once a referendum petition has been filed.

Even if you don’t have a feeling about this particular issue, it could set a bad precedent for something in the future that does matter to you.

A state judge issued a prohibition December 30 prohibiting enforcement until a hearing is held the second week in January.

 

 

Posted in News | 3 Comments

Library Offers Storytime, Intro to VR and Adult Painting

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

The Palisades Library at 861 Alma Real has resumed full-time programming and there are opportunities on January 4, 7, 10 and 14, for toddlers, teens and adults. (310) 459-2754.

BABY AND TODDLER STORYTIME, JANUARY 4

The next Baby and Toddler Storytime is 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, January 4. Lap-sit (or not!) story time is for babies and toddlers, ages 36 months and younger and a grown-up (one child, one lap). Due to the structure of this program, participants are asked to be on time.

INTRODUCTION TO VR, JANUARY 7

This exciting introduction to virtual reality (VR) technology for teens will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 7. This program will allow youth to experiment with VR cameras to find unique ways to tell stories and share their reality.

Teens will learn how to create virtual reality experiences with a 360 camera and will be instructed on the resources they can use to do simple edits and share their work on social media platforms.

SPECIAL STORYTELLER, JANUARY 10

Ina Buckner-Barnette will be featured at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10 with Sunshine Storytime. The program is for children of all ages, and all are invited to listen to Buckner-Barnette as she puts rhythm and movement with her songs and stories.

ADULT PAINTING CLASS, JANUARY 14

Award-winning artist Martha Meade will teach a painting class.

Well-known and well-respected Palisades artist Martha Meade will hold a painting class for adults at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14.

Attendees will be painting with acrylics on canvas and producing a “masterpiece” that each person will be able to take home and hang on a wall.

Meade, who has done numerous murals, is a painter who works primarily in oils on canvas. She graduated from Wesleyan University with high honors and has continued her art education at Otis. She is a long-time resident of Pacific Palisades and a member of the Pacific Palisades Art Association. To see more of Meade’s work, visit: marthameade.com or her Facebook page: Martha Meade Art.

Space is limited for the January 14 class and participants must RSVP to [email protected] or stop by the Reference Desk to reserve a sport.

Posted in Books, Community | Leave a comment

True Drought or Bad Water Management?

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

CTN has been keeping track of Pacific Palisades’ rain fall (with help from the late Ted Mackie) since 1942. Over the years rainfall has been relatively constant. The average rainfall in Pacific Palisades is 13.78 inches of rain, which has been measured from July 1 to June 30.

Mackie reported that the driest cycle was the five years between 1987 and 1991, when Pacific Palisades received less than 10 inches of rain each year.

The five wettest years were 1978, 1983, 1995, 1998 and 2006. The most rain recorded here was 42.60 inches in 1997-1998.

The five driest years on record were 1976, 1990, 2007, 2012 and 2014.

Since 1942, the driest season in the Palisades was 4.11 inches in 2006-2007.

Fast forward to 2022 into 2023, on December 27 and 28 there was .5 inches of rain and at the end of December into New Year’s Eve there was 1.3 inches of rain. Another .1 inch of rain was added January 2 to 1 p.m. on January 3, which brings the total for the season to 6.6 inches of rain.

Heavy rainfall is predicted to start in the a.m. on Wednesday, January 4 and last through Thursday, January 5.

Residents might ask, given the statistics, why is drought and the subsequent higher water prices in the news?

Not only are consumers paying more for water, which is now on a tier system, but many residents have replaced lawns with drought tolerant, native plants to save water.

According to the latest Census data, California has also lost 343,230 people, which should mean less water is needed.

Tom Coleman (former general manager of the Rowland Water District) and Federico Barajas (executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority) wrote in a January 11 Daily News piece (“Water Conservation Is Not Enough”) that agriculture has become part of California’s $3.4 trillion economy.

Water is going to support agriculture, but existing infrastructure that has been damaged such as the San Luis Canal, the California Aquaduct and the Delta-Mendota canal have not been repaired.

There has been no movement to increase water storage systems such as the Sites Reservoir and expand existing reservoirs such as the San Luis Reservoir or the Los Vaqueros Reservoir. “These improvements which have all been decades in development, will capture enough water from extreme rainy seasons to supply over 3.8 million households a year,” Coleman and Barajas write.

They also point out that legislation is needed to streamline permitting for ocean desalination, brackish groundwater treatment and stormwater capture.

“Conservation is not enough to solve this problem,” they say, and add “Now is the time for the state to eliminate environmental logjams and bureaucratic red tape to start building these projects and solve its water supply crisis.”

In the meantime – stay dry this week.

Posted in Environmental | Leave a comment

Local Suicide, Death: Grief Is for the Living

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Sue Pascoe

A person took their life near this lifeguard tower.

A man was found dead along the beach by Lifeguard Tower 12, yesterday, January 2. According to Palisades Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin, it “was an apparent suicide. An older male committed suicide using a firearm.”  The family was being notified.

To those who loved this person, and those who came into contact with him regularly, he will be missed.

Last night, in the first quarter of the Bills, Bengals football game, Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, made a tackle, got up and then just collapsed on the field. Medical experts said, he suffered cardiac arrest. He was given CPR on the field before being resuscitated and taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Bengels owner Mike Brown released this statement: “Last night was supposed to be a great night for the NFL and a great showcase for our hometown. Instead, the human side of our sport became paramount . . .and in the moment, humanity and love rose to the forefront.

As medical personnel undertook extraordinary measures, both teams demonstrated respect and compassion while fans in the stadium and people around the country bolstered the support for Damar and love for each other.

The Bengals are thankful for the love and compassion shown by all. Praying for Damar.”

As a coincidence, the Palisades Optimist Club held its first meeting of the year the next morning on January 3 and the topic was dealing with grief, via thoughts from  griefHaven.

The nonprofit (griefhaven.org) was started by Susan Whitmore who, after losing her only child, Erika, 32, to a stage 4 aggressive cancer in 2002, found the support she desperately needed did not exist.

The following reminders about grief were discussed:

Don’t place time limits on grief: it will take as long as it takes.

My grief is my own: it will take shape in its own unique way.

Do not be pressured by well-meaning people to do “shoulds:” this is my grief and I have to handle it in my own way.

Accept that others may not understand my pain: and it is not realistic to expect that of them.

Express my feelings without guilt: and not apologize for tears.

Be grateful for concerned others who just listen: I don’t always need comments or advice, sometimes I just need someone to listen.

Respect that grief has a life of its own: not fight it when it comes – even if it comes back years later.

Recognize that asking for help allows others the opportunity to give: people often don’t know what to do but want to do something. It gives them a chance to deal with their own sadness while also feeling good about helping me.

Forgive those who say or do things which feel hurtful: people want to be helpful and don’t always know what to say. Recognize that unkindness is hardly ever intended.

Posted in Health | 1 Comment

Forget 2022. CTN Looks to 2023.

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Wave goodbye to 2022 and look forward to 2023.

A journalist friend suggested that instead of looking back at 2022, CTN look to the future.

This editor thought it was a brilliant suggestion and dragged out her crystal ball, dusted it off, put on her blue-light blocking glasses and peered into 2023 for resolutions.

First, it must be acknowledged that Pacific Palisades is filled with critics, complainers and curmudgeons. Some of the people in town are also nasty gossips who are more than happy to spread rumors without checking to see if there’s some truth to what they are saying.

This editor suspects that this may be typical human behavior of people who don’t understand the joy that living can bring – or the peace one can find in simply doing a good job.

Unfortunately, the Internet, which I love by the way, has allowed everyone to be an expert and share hearsay with everyone. I am appalled by the lack of information that is constantly promulgated on social media websites.

For instance, the 881 Alma Real Building has been completed resurfaced and painted white. In the original plan, an outdoor space for coffee was proposed. How does CTN know? Did this editor read tea leaves, check a horoscope or consult tarot cards?

No. The project went before the Pacific Palisades Design Review board and was thoroughly vetted.

For everyone that expressed a negative opinion this past week about the renovation, why not become more involved in the community so you know what is going on? Design Review Board meetings are public and under the Brown Act, as is the Palisades Park Advisory Board, which brings us to the new Wolfberg Park.

Some people were extremely negative about the opening of the George Wolfberg Park at Potrero because “no one asked me.”  This editor’s first story about the park was probably in 2005, when I was assigned to cover the Potrero committee, which was also open to the public. Over the next few years, I wrote about the conflicts, the decisions and also the final document that went to the City.

Then, since 2011, this editor covered the numerous stories, including dedications, grading, dirt dumping, the cost overruns and the Friends Street gate conflict.

I won’t call those whiners “Johnny-come-lately” because it means that they became involved in an activity after it was already started, instead they should be called “Johnny missed-the-boat” because they weren’t paying attention when the project was being discussed.

The renovation of 881 was fully vetted during Design Review Board hearings.

RESOLUTION 1:

Less gossip, less time on the internet and more time interacting face to face.

In addition to volunteering in local schools, which is where many parents focus their time, Pacific Palisades has a Community Council that meets twice a month and generally addresses topics that affects residents.

The Pacific Palisades Design Review Board meets regularly. Meeting quarterly are the Business Improvement District (BID) and two Park Advisory Boards (PAB), one at the Palisades Rec Center and one at the Rustic Canyon Rec Center – all are volunteers.

The Palisades Optimist Club and Rotary Club meet and have speakers and donate time and money to local causes.

The American Legion, Auxiliary and SALS meet monthly and support local nonprofits. There are active Democratic and Republican Clubs here.

The town has a Woman’s Club, an Historical Society, a Garden Club, Theatre Palisades (community theater), an Art Association, a Newcomers Club, P.R.I.D.E. and three environmental groups: Resilient Palisades, Temescal Canyon Association and the Palisades Forestry Committee. The Pacific Palisades Residents Association is also active and seeks participation, as does Friends of the Library.

The 4th of July parade organizers PAPA (Palisadian Americanism Parade Association) are always in need of volunteers.

For a New Year’s resolution, instead of vowing to eat less sugar and go to the gym, which is generally good for the first two weeks of January (at least in this editor’s case), join a club and volunteer in 2023.

This cream cheese cake with a rocky road crust, a loaf cake covered with ganache does not help New Year’s resolutions to eat less sugar – volunteer instead.

RESOLUTION 2:

Stop pretending this town has an active Chamber of Commerce.

Why do we care? CTN does not want to lose the tradition of the Honorary Mayor, which was first established by the Chamber in 1951. We love actor/comedian/and just great guy, Eugene Levy who has served two terms. This editor’s fear is he will now have to step in and become king, because it appears there is no one to appoint a new ruler.

This editor understands this can happen, because in her early 20s she won the title of Miss Todd County and went to the Miss South Dakota pageant. Unfortunately, a subsequent contest was never held, so it appears the editor is still the reigning Miss.

Levy has a career that he probably wants to pursue when he’s not riding in parades.

CTN suggests the one Palisades group that could accomplish selecting and putting a new mayor in power, is one that is made up of people who live here and really care about the neighborhood.

These people are goal oriented and able to accomplish a community event that brings together a diverse group of people. They understand social media, they understand reaching out to local businesses. Yes, we’re talking the HO!HO!HO! committee. This is the group that should be tasked with finding a new mayor. When the Palisades Chamber of Commerce dropped the event in 2018, these volunteers stepped in and kept it going.

Palisadians who should be approached about becoming honorary mayor include Tom Hanks, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Sandler and Jamie Lee Curtis. Or how about another co-mayor team of Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. It is really too bad that Jennifer Garner moved to Brentwood, she would have also been incredible choice.

The HO!HO!HO! committee organized talent, donations and a visit from Santa Clause to keep a a long-time Pacific Palisades tradition alive, after the Chamber of Commerce dropped the event.                                       Photo: Rosalie Huntington 

RESOLUTION 3:

It’s time to fill the Business Block Building. There are all sorts of rumors about a certain businessman owning it, but there have been no documents to substantiate the gossip. It’s time for the owner, Duesenberg Investment Company (TOPA Palisades) to not only add shops, but to also start attending Palisades BID meetings because the building is a historic focal point in the village.

RESOLUTION 4:

Install ADA-handicapped bathrooms and a playground at the Palisades Recreation Center. If your nanny goes to the Rec Center, be aware they can’t take the stroller into the bathroom because there isn’t room. That means if your child is on the playground or in a stroller and the nanny has to use the facilities, your child is left alone or with other nannies.

Furthermore, the playground sand is beyond gross.

Resident Dick Littlestone suggested that parking revenue money be used to fix this curb, making it ADA accessible. It has never been fixed, although it has been reported.

It is also time to honor Dick Littlestone, and get an ADA sidewalk/curb next to Café Vida, on Antioch, installed.

RESOLUTION 5:

Send your resolutions to [email protected] and CTN will run a story on January 3.

Posted in Holidays | 5 Comments

Soderbergh’s Parking Plan Was Adopted by City

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

It is a joy to walk through the George Wolfberg Park at Potrero. Ever since it opened on December 10, it has rapidly become a place to meet other residents for a gentle passage in the Canyon – an area that had been closed to the general public for decades.

Gustaf Soderbergh

Resident Gustaf Soderbergh, played a vital role in this park’s opening. Without his help, this park might not have met the parking requirements set forth by the Coastal Commission – and still be closed.

As 2022 draws to a close, CTN would like to acknowledge this Palisadian, who has yet to be recognized for his valuable contribution.

Soderberg’s work stems back to January 2008. That year the Potrero Canyon Citizens Committee presented a plan to the City that endorsed a passive-recreation park that stretched from Frontera to Pacific Coast Highway.

After numerous community meetings and feedback from residents, the committee nixed any additional parking at the bottom of Potrero, which meant that more parking had to be added at the Palisades Recreation Center.

The Coastal Commission asked for an additional 10 to 30 spaces as a condition for constructing the park.

A member of the Park Advisory Board, Soderbergh, the founding principal of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, an architecture, planning and urban design company, presented a plan to add 30 parking spaces to satisfy requirements for Potrero.

At a July 2014 Park Advisory Board adopted Soderbergh’s plan that would allow for the increased spaces to be constructed without sacrificing any trees or play areas.

That plan included 17 new spaces configured at the center island in front of the Rec Center building and the remaining spaces to be added by relocating the sidewalk from the library to the playground further west.

Then, Norman Kulla, senior counsel to Councilman Mike Bonin, explained that as part of the Coastal Commission’s Potrero Park conditions, 10 to 30 parking spaces needed to be added in proximity to the park. Kulla felt that the Soderbergh Plan satisfied those that requirement, which means construction money for the parking lot would come from Potrero Park funds.

Initially, some parking spaces were going to be cut into the round island in front of the gym, while allowing the five existing pine trees to stay in place.

Then the prolonged drought and lack of watering resulted in the stone pine trees dying in front of the Rec Center and the trees were cut down in 2016.

This enabled Soderbergh to rethink the island, turning it from more of a circle into a triangle. His updated plan provided additional parking spaces, a sidewalk (with crosswalks), a place for two mature trees, and benches that will offer a safe place for kids to wait for rides, while maintaining a way to “circle” in front of the Rec Center to pick up kids.

The plan added 28 net spaces to the parking lot and Soderbergh worked with L.A. City’s Pedro Garcia, who was overseeing Potrero Canyon construction. Ultimately, it was Soderbergh’s plan that was adopted by the City.

Soderberg found out that Potrero Canyon Park funds would only pay for part of the resurfacing of the parking lot and the addition of the spaces (in his plan) and alerted the PAB Board. In January 2022, the Board said they would send a letter to the City asking for the entire lot to be repaved. That lot has not been paved, yet.

Ultimately, it was Soderbergh’s clever use of space and his plan that allowed the needed parking for the George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon.

It was Gustaf Soderbergh’s design that added the needed parking, required by the Coastal Commission for the George Wolfberg Park, at the Rec Center parking lot.

(Editor’s note: CTN nominated Soderberg for a Pacific Palisades Community Council Sparkplug. He was a volunteer, who spent years on the Park Advisory Board, and stepped up to construct a parking plan. He then met with city officials to see that it was adopted. One of the qualifications of a sparkplug is having an idea and an effort that results in an original contribution to Pacific Palisades that benefits the community.)

Posted in Community, Parks | 5 Comments