Pot Dispensary to Open on San Vicente near Revere Middle School

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Interior of the the Cookies shop on Melrose.

Cookies, a marijuana pot dispensary, is slated to open in Brentwood on Saturday, September 10, at 13030 San Vicente (at 26th and San Vicente). Store hours are listed as from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Paul Revere Middle School, with about 2,000 students is about 1,000 yards away from the shop. Some students walk to the Brentwood Mart, which is adjacent to the store, after the school day.

L.A. City law says a pot shop has to be 800 yards away from a school.  So, it appears this shop makes it by 200 yards.

A polo field resident wrote CTN “Cookies opened a location just outside of West Hollywood and neighbors were very unhappy.” The resident also pointed out that this is the first dispensary in the immediate area “with more to come in Santa Monica and even the Palisades.”

Allison Holdorff Polhill, who is the District Director for LAUSD School Board Member Nick Melvoin, was contacted by CTN about the closeness of the location of Cookies to the school and replied “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Several folks have reached out.”

CTN contacted Revere Principal Tom Iannuci. He had not responded by post time.

CTN contacted Captain Jonathon Tom, who replied in a September 8 email, “LAPD WLA Narcotics notified the California Department of Cannabis Control of the proximity to Paul Revere Middle School. Our Narcotics unit along with Senior Lead Officer Matt Kirk are reviewing the permits and licenses for the dispensaries.”

The Pacific Palisades Community Council President Maryam Zar was contacted by CTN and said that the shop came up at the Community-Police Advisory Board meeting on September 7.

“The Senior Lead Officer for Brentwood reported that this dispensary would open on the corner of 26 and San Vicente. It is ‘by right’ because it is a legitimate business which is legal, so it needed no variance.

“We were told by the Brentwood SLO that the business is eager to comply with all regulations and be a good neighbor to both residents and businesses,” Zar said, and noted that “He said he would be monitoring them and visiting them often.”

On the store’s website “Situated next to the iconic Brentwood Country Mart, TRP was able to open the very first dispensary located in the Westside neighborhood, standing beside other high-profile retailers including James Perse, goop, and Christian Louboutin, beloved by the community for decades.”

TRP (Tradition. Responsibility.Progress.), founded in 2019, is a retail, cultivation, and distribution platform, purpose for regulated cannabis.

Cookies was founded in 2010 by Billboard-charting rapper and entrepreneur Berner and Bay Area breeder and cultivator Jai. The company offers a collection of over 70 proprietary cannabis cultivars and more than 2,000 products.

Headquartered in San Francisco, the company opened its first retail store in 2018 on Melrose. The store drew complaints from West Hollywood residents about illegal parking, noise, trash, urination and vomiting in the streets near the store.

Both the LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department and L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz’s office and West Hollywood City Councilmember Lauren Meister responded to the complaints. Cookies changed its operating hours, which originally were from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The company wrote about its newest location, Brentwood, “Regarded as one of the cannabis capitals of the world where hype and premium genetics reign supreme, it makes sense that TRP is best suited to take on the challenging task of spearheading the newest Los Angeles store opening for Cookies Brentwood.”

CTN emailed TRP and asked why they wanted to open close to a middle school, but did not hear back by post time.

 

Posted in businesses/stores, Health | 6 Comments

Cold Ice, Warm Heart: Animal Activist Working Overtime to Keep Shelter Dogs Cool During Heatwave

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

By JAMIE PAIGE

Westside Current

September 8, 2022

With record-breaking temperatures gripping the Southland and most of California, one area woman is doing what she can to help homeless dogs beat the heat. “It’s miserable for the animals right now,” says Debbie Bloom Feldstein.

With temperatures soaring as high as 110 degrees, Bloom drives to animal shelters every day hoping her ice blocks offer some relief. “Most of the time the dogs lick the ice, and then when it’s smaller, they kick it around like a ball. Then, as its melts, it cools off the air around it.”

Ice blocks can last for hours but need to be replenished daily. “One every day. It’s not a solution; it’s a temporary fix.”

The heat is a double whammy for many shelters that are overcrowded and forced to euthanize dogs to make more room for incoming animals. “You can’t paint a pretty picture right now. Since the pandemic ended, shelters are overcrowded. Most volunteer programs are understaffed. It’s not good.”

One of the places where temperatures have reached 110 degrees is at Devore Animal Shelter in San Bernardino County. Last week, a volunteer documented the death of a rabbit that was apparently due to the extreme heat. The woman, who wished to remain unnamed, says conditions there are horrific.

When we reached out to Devore for comment, they stated: “On September 2, 2022, we tragically lost one rabbit after all efforts to protect it from overheating. We don’t know for sure if the rabbit’s death was heat-related since rabbits are highly susceptible to various stressors. The animal care professionals will continue to monitor and assess the welfare of the animals at the shelter.”

Before the rabbit’s passing, the shelter turned away donations. But that all changed this week when Bloom was able to deliver ice.

“Victory!” her Instagram page read. “This happened today—ice at Devore. We never thought it would happen. Thanks to a huge team effort, we were able to do an ice drop at a shelter that has never allowed us to deliver before.”

How it All Began

Bloom became involved in animal rescue 12 years ago after a career working at an auction house. “When I left the auction world, I needed something to do,” she explains.

She began working with a small rescue organization. Her soft spot was senior dogs. “I love the three-legged dogs—those with special needs, those with one eye—who often get overlooked.”

That’s how Bloom says she got involved in learning what the needs of dogs were in shelters. “Over the years of going to the shelters, especially in rural and underserved communities, I learned a lot.” Bloom saw that outdoor elements such as extreme heat have a significant impact on the animals.

“I loved my work with the rescues, but I couldn’t help but think of the dogs I left behind. So, I began to reach out to the shelters and asked what they needed. We started to build a supply list of things like enrichment toys, beds, blankets. Maybe a blind dog needed a halo [a harness around the head to prevent injury]. Anything that made them happier and in return more adaptable.”

Dogs in no-kill shelters can often wait up to two years for a foster home, and Bloom says they especially touch her. “They live through extreme outdoor elements.”

Within the first week of launching her operation, people were asking to help Bloom with her efforts. “Everyone wants to help; it shows there are so many kind people. If you show them how to help and give them a way, people step up.”

Bloom says that within the first week, they raised so much money that they were able to buy not only ice but an ice delivery truck.

“We had the ice truck delivering to shelters all over. It was fantastic.”

When summer is over and cold weather starts to kick in, she notes, “We change our focus to blankets. Why should a dog have to lie on a cold wet bed? A cozy dog is a happier dog.”

“We want to help the animals any way we can. They deserve to be comfortable while they are in shelters waiting to be adopted.”

You can follow Bloom’s efforts on Instagram @devfeldbloom.

Posted in Animals/Pets | Leave a comment

Billy Crystal’s Broadway Musical Wraps Up

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Billy Crystal spoke to his Broadway audience on the closing of his show on Sunday.

By BERNICE FOX

After about four-and-a-half months reliving his Mr. Saturday Night character before appreciative audiences on Broadway, Billy Crystal is understandably emotional. And funny.

Crystal wistfully told Sunday’s closing night audience – actually the final performance was a matinee – that “opening nights are hard” as if he were about to start the show’s run all over again, which he’s not. At least not that he’s told us. That comment at the final curtain call got laughs.

Mr. Saturday Night came out of Crystal’s 1992 movie about a comedian who could have made it closer to the top if he had only gotten out of his own way. With the addition of music, this play was Crystal’s first musical comedy on Broadway.  Starting at the end of April, Mr. Saturday Night eventually played 28 previews and 116 performances.

Within a few weeks of opening, the show picked up five Tony nominations, including best musical and Crystal was nominated for best actor in a musical. There were no wins, but five nominations had to be satisfying.

Now the former honorary co-mayor of Pacific Palisades is moving on to another project. He’ll executive produce and star in a limited series on AppleTV called Before. He’ll play a recently widowed psychiatrist.

During a break in the continual applause following the last performance of Mr. Saturday Night on Sunday, Crystal said doing this musical comedy on Broadway has been “the greatest experience of my life” and the “greatest test.”  He called it a test because “we had to bring it every night,” unlike movies where an actor can just do another take if it wasn’t perfect the first time.

During this final curtain call, Crystal used the “royal we” to say “we had the greatest time performing with these magnificent people.” He’s talking about the rest of the cast. All took this final curtain call with him.

Fans have been posting comments on Crystal’s Twitter page.

  • “It was a joy to see you perform. Thank you for making us laugh.”
  • “Thank you for a great show. And even better, thank you for all the years of entertainment.”
  • “Thank you for making us smile!

And there was this fan request: “Bring it to LA please? You could sleep in your own bed.”

Crystal posted his own comment on the Twitter page: “Our last show… I have loved every moment.”

Posted in Arts, Reviews | Leave a comment

SPORTS–Tennis, Quick Takes

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Flushing, NY, USA; Frances Tiafoe of the USA hits to Andrey Rublev on day ten of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.                                                        Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

 

U.S. OPEN

Frances Tiafoe, 24, on Wednesday became the first American male to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since John Isner at Wimbledon in 2018, and the first American in Queens since 2006.

Tiafoe next plays tomorrow, September 9. If he wins his semifinal match against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, he will be the first American to play a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 2009.

He is the son of immigrants from Sierra Leone and  picked up the sport because his father worked in maintenance at the Junior Tennis Championship Center in College Park, Maryland.

In an interview with CCN, they reported Tiafoe’s father, Constant Tiafoe, started working at the Center in 1999. He eventually moved into one of its vacant storage rooms while working around the clock.

His twin boys (Franklin and Frances) would sometimes stay with him, sleeping on a massage table, while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse.

 

PALISADES GIRLS SEASON UNDERWAY:

Many of the PaliHi players who helped win the City Championship last year have returned.

Palisades High School Tennis Coach Bud Kling girls’ team is starting strong.

PaliHi upset Marlborough 4-3 in the Dolphins Home Opener on August 30. Five days earlier the Dolphins had defeated West Ranch 15-3.

Kling reported on September 7, that his team had defeated Marymount 17-1. “We have a solid new 9th grade group,” he said, and added we have “seven returning starters.”

Senior Jade Finestone is the number one singles player and with help from fellow senior Anaya Ayanbadejo and juniors Sofie Szeder and Yulia Klokova the team hopes to repeat as City Champions this year. Freshman Anais Israels and Nicole Nguyen are also vying for a singles spot.

Last year the Dolphins won their 28th City Title in October by defeating Granada Hills 5-2. They have won eight of the last nine City Section upper division crowns.

Kling, who was named California Boys Tennis Coach of the year in 2018-2019, was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on June 26.

The Palisades resident, who leads all coaches in the City Section with 50 team titles (including boys and girls teams), was inducted into the Los Angeles City Section Hall of Fame in 2017.

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Tara Amiel Opens RustiCoffee in the Canyon

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Tara Amiel by her newly opened business RustiCoffee.

 

One of the greatest assets when Estate Coffee opened Via de la Paz was Tara Amiel. The food she brought to the newly-opened coffee shop was absolutely incredible – and then she was gone much to the dismay of her regular customers.

Now she’s opened a new coffee shop/eatery in Rustic Canyon.

Via’s loss is Rustic’s gain.

Opened only a month ago, word of mouth about the quality of food and general friendliness of the shop, is already making this area tucked away off West Channel Road a destination for neighbors. A customer on the way out told Amiel, “I had the caprese, OMG, it was so good!”

“The response from the community has been uniformly fabulous,” Amiel said. “It’s been great to hear how much people are now enjoying the patio space, the new menu additions and the speedier service that we’ve been able to provide since I hired more staff.”

There were nine smoothies to choose from and this editor was really happy with the “Boardwalk” – banana, double espresso, coffee ice cubes, almond butter, vegan vanilla protein powder and maca root. Next time, CTN’s editor plans to try the “Golden Hour” with mango, pineapple, banana almond butter, blue spirulina and coconut milk.

Food included keto salad bowl, avocado toast, egg salad and a banana nut butter toast. New items on the menu include a breakfast croissant sandwich, roasted chicken caprese on ciabatta and an apple-smoked ham and Brie panini.  “We plan to continue adding new items every week,” said Amiel, who has lived in Rustic Canyon for 30 years. Her boys attended Canyon Charter, Revere and graduated from Palisades High School. “Having lived here so long, I have a really strong connection to the place and the people in it.”

Amiel grew up in Urbanna, Virginia, which is small town on the East Coast, where her mother had a restaurant. She bought her first restaurant in Virginia when she was 21.

“Later I moved to London and studied at Le Cordon Bleu,” Amiel said.

She moved to LA and ran various restaurants for Hans Rockenwagner and the Marmalade Group.

In 2014, Amiel opened Uplifters Kitchen and Catering in Santa Monica which rapidly became a local favorite. “It helped me learn the pleasures of providing a gathering place for a local community,” she said.

She came to Estate in 2017, and it was named Best New Business of the Year by the Palisades Chamber of Commerce. She also took the time to get her realtor’s license and worked with Rodeo Realty.

Amiel was looking for another opportunity, and when the owner of the coffee shop in Canyon Square closed because the owner moved north, it seemed destined.

The name was important. “I wanted a name that gave customers a sense of where they were, so the name had to have Canyon or Rustic in it,” she said. “There had been a beloved coffee cart called Rustic Coffee open in the area years ago and I always loved the name. When we decided to do this, we reached out to the original owner, and she was so happy for us to continue on the name and the tradition.”

The day that CTN visited the coffee shop (and the egg salad was delicious, too, by the way), customers were helping Amiel choose an awning color for the air stream. “The color of the awning is important to me because it’s part of the identity of RustiCoffee and Canyon Square,” she said. “I can’t say there was any overwhelming consensus (we’re now down to a shortlist of 10 colors!) but it was fun to talk to people about it …..  and everyone loved being involved.”

People order coffee and food at the Airstream in Rustic Canyon, Tara Amiel is the owner.

She hopes to find staff, who love the place as much as she does. Amiel also credits Frank Langen, whose vision created Canyon Square, as a place where the community could gather and includes not only the coffee shop, but a cheese shop, Gallery 169 (art), Replenish (shopping and retail), blueview ATELIER (jewelry, clothing and homeware), DDP and In the Canyon Real Estate.

“This is a long-held dream for me,” Amiel said. “It’s great. The best office I’ve ever had – it’s on the beach.”

RustiCoffee is located at 169 Channel Road.

Posted in businesses/stores, Restaurants | Leave a comment

Community United Methodist Church Celebrates Its 100th Birthday on Saturday

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

This cross, on Peace Hill, is now atop the United Methodist Church.

BY PATRICK HEALY

By now you’ve no doubt heard Pacific Palisades is marking its 100th birthday, having been founded in 1922 by a group of forward-thinking Methodists.

You may have visited the great celebration organized by the Historical Society last May in Temescal Canyon, chronicling the community’s first century in all its facets. The speakers included Pastor Wayne, and it was a lot of fun.

But we also wanted a day to highlight and celebrate the contributions of the Methodist Church in Pacific Palisades, then and now. The day will be September 10, and all residents are welcome.

It’s no stretch to call this saga “The Town a Church Started.” In fact, that’s the title chosen by a pastor emeritus for his book on the early history of both the town and Methodism in Pacific Palisades.

The founding of our local congregation also dates to 1922 – which means this is a simultaneous centennial for both the community and the congregation, sharing their roots in a commitment to fellowship, personal improvement, and appreciation of this special place where the mountains meet the sea (to borrow another apt phrase).

Of course, it needs to be recognized that Native Americans first discovered this idyllic area. Later, in the 1800’s, the Marquez family put down roots, and later came various commercial and recreational pursuits. But apart from those endeavors and some scattered agriculture, well into the 1900’s this area was still largely undeveloped—until it caught the eye of a Methodist minister, Reverend Charles Scott.

He’d been assigned by the Southern California Methodist Conference to find a suitable site for a uniquely American type of campground gathering, combining spirituality with recreation, education, and a festival of the arts.

It was called a Chautauqua (yep, just like that boulevard), widely popular way back when, offering the kind of vacation that those with the Protestant work ethic could take without feeling guilty.

The very first Palisades Chautauqua was held in the summer of 1922. It lasted two full weeks, with many of the attendees camping out in tents.

Chautauqua is the theme of our family-friendly September 10 celebration, with games and prizes, food and singing, fun and nostalgia—a Mini-Chautauqua if you will. (No tents or camping this time, and we do plan to have everyone home for dinner!)

Holding a Chautauqua was only one aspect of the Methodist vision for this area. It also included starting a neighboring, year-round community, the enduring core of the town we enjoy today.

Then, the newly established Pacific Palisades Association bought more than a thousand acres of open land, designating a large portion for new residential neighborhoods.

On Founders Day—January 14, 1922—those interested in getting property gathered under oak trees to choose available homesites. The Association would not sell you land outright but offered 99-year leases.

When some sites were chosen by more than one founder, the names went into a hat, with Reverend Scott’s young daughter Martha pulling out the winners. That happened at the site that is preserved as the Founders Oak Island in the middle of Haverford Avenue, just a few blocks from the Methodist Church.

Another milestone event in 1922 was the first Easter Sunrise Service on Peace Hill. Hundreds gathered beyond the end of yet-to-be-paved Via de la Paz, the hilltop bare but for lilies and a large cross.

So busy were the early Methodists that they did not get around to formally establishing the local church congregation until later in the year. It was set in motion at a prayer meeting in the Chautauqua cafeteria on September 13, 1922, and became official on Christmas Eve.

The Pacific Palisades Association would add more tracts in the Palisades, but its heyday lasted only a few years before crushing financial pressures made worse by the Great Depression and land holdings were sold.

The 1930’s saw the end of both the Palisades Chautauqua and the Easter Sunrise Service. The Association went under, but community and church survived.

The ground breaking for the sanctuary was held in 1949.

The first phase of church construction and the historic tower did get finished early in 1930, but for two decades, services were held in the multi-purpose room/auditorium now called Tauxe Hall, until the sanctuary was built. The midcentury modern front was added in the late 1960’s.

 

The onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020 setback in person involvement, but the church maintains a commitment to engaging with the community and serving needs. In that spirit, we hope you enjoy a taste of the Chautauqua that so epitomized the founders’ era a century ago, and appreciate the history that led to the wonderful community we enjoy today.

And when you step outside, take a look at the simple cross atop the church tower, and see if you can picture it amid Easter Lilies on Peace Hill a hundred years ago.

The full moon is framed by a palm tree and the Methodist Church tower cross.

(Editor’s note: the cross that originally stood on Peace Hill now graces the church, and overlooks the town as it rotates. It is lit at night.)

 

Posted in Community | 1 Comment

Letter: Student Loan Forgiveness: Check Your Privilege

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Typical housing on the Rosebud Reservation is a two-bedroom, one bathroom home.

Editor’s note: CTN received the following letter in response to this editor’s tongue-in-cheek remark that if President Joe Biden were forgiving student loans, that this editor would like a $5,000 refund for the loan she paid off.)

The reader wrote: I can’t believe what I am reading – when people who live in the Palisades (or anywhere on the Westside) are complaining, “Where’s MY student loan forgiveness for a loan I took out 20+ years ago.”

I wonder if they even have a clue about what working class people must go through to rise out of poverty. Students at public four-year institutions paid an average of $3,190 in tuition for the 1987-1988 school year, with prices adjusted to reflect 2017 dollars.

Thirty years later, that average has risen to $9,970 for the 2017-2018 school year. That’s a 213 percent increase.(from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/how-much-college-tuition-has-increased-from-1988-to-2018.html) and those are the prices from 5 years ago!

Stop complaining and saying “Where’s my piece of the pie?”  and instead be grateful that you went to school at a time when college was actually affordable. Allow some young person a chance to succeed too instead of just grousing about how you worked SO hard to pay off your loans.

I went to school in the 1980s and I paid off my loan and I’m happy for others to get the break that I had back when school was something that a middle-class family could pay for. Check your privilege. Instead of complaining about student loan forgiveness, why not direct that ire at corporate bailouts for millionaires. THAT is something I could get behind.

A READER

 

CTN’s Response – Checking My Privilege:

It would have been lovely growing up in a middle-class family, but I didn’t. I grew up on a Reservation in South Dakota–we didn’t have running water until I was three. We didn’t have shoes in the summer because barefoot was good enough (and shoes, too expensive.).

I started working when I was 12 by babysitting and carhopping for a local drive-in. I saved my money. I paid for college with scholarships, grants and work study. My family was unable to pay for my education.

I was fine growing up in poverty because it now has given me a different perspective, especially since I now live in Pacific Palisades, where there are “trust fund” babies.

But what I find insufferable are people such as yourself, who make the assumption that just because some people who live on the Westside have managed to make our way out of poverty without government assistance – using grit, determination, hard work and in my case a bit of luck, that we’re privileged.

Join a service organization on the Westside, such as the Rotary or Optimist Club, which are now made up predominately of seniors. Most have worked hard to be able to have a house in Pacific Palisades — these are not privileged people – but they do believe in hard work and paying off debts.

I’m sorry that college has become so expensive – and rather than paying loans, maybe the government needs to look into college costs instead of taxing seniors – or other “rich” people.

My challenge to you–go live and work on a reservation for a year – and then report back on the success of government programs.

The Editor

Posted in Letters | 8 Comments

Do Not Leave Condoms or Broken Glass on the Village Green

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Village Green, which is the private park in the heart of the town, was vandalized.

Circling the News was at the Village Green Friday morning and found the nonprofit’s President, Marge Gold, picking up trash.

A resident had emailed Gold that there was broken glass, foam on the Arnie Wishnick Bench and on some of the lawn, and condoms.

As she used an extended reach grabber tool to pick up a condom, CTN wants all residents to ask themselves, “Should a grandmother be picking up used rubbers?”

Gold is a resident, who is trying to keep the Green in useable condition for everyone.

Later Green would write Village Green board members, “This morning (Friday) right before noon I stopped at the Village Green to find it had been vandalized last night.

“I found white stuff sprayed around, particular on Arnie’s bench, at least four condoms, and broken glass by the bricks where the fountain.  I picked up and cleaned it up as best I could.  At this point, I really have no words.  I believe it was kids.”

The Village Green is not a city park, it is a private park, run by a nonprofit for the community’s use.

Initially, there was a gas station in the space.

In 1972, Standard Oil decided not to renew its lease. The newly organized Pacific Palisades Community Council established a five-member Village Green Committee and signed a lease giving the committee an option to buy the land — if it could raise the necessary funds.

Starting in October that year, nearly $70,000 was raised. About $46,000 was used to purchase the land and the rest of the money went to park development.

The Palisades Village Green was certified as a California nonprofit and formally dedicated on August 17, 1973.

All residents are invited to join the board, which annually must raise nearly $30,000 to pay DWP, the gardeners, fountain upkeep, rodent removal, landscaping (and tree trimming) and trash pickup. (Visit: palisadesvillagegreen.org)

 

Posted in Parks | 2 Comments

VICKREY – Celebrating 50 Years in the Business of Words

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

After beginning my working life as a journalist, I took a mere four-decade detour in the book publishing business and have now come full circle in my meandering career by becoming a columnist for several Southwestern newspapers.

When my college journalism professor spotted one of my earliest columns in the Houston Chronicle, he wrote me a message that simply read: “What took you so long?”

My life in the writing business began in the fall of 1972, when I walked through the doors of the Boston publishing house, Houghton Mifflin. I had arrived there to begin my career as a publisher’s representative in the Southwest.

Houghton Mifflin was founded in 1832, and the venerable old firm was so steeped in the roots of American literary history, it had ties to authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau, J.R.R. Tolkien and Rachael Carson. The photos of famous authors adorning the hallway walls in the creaky headquarters at 2 Park Street offered my first glimpse into the glorious history of the company I had joined.

I would later write stories in my retirement about those years spent in the publishing and bookselling world.

As field representatives, we often played the role of “literary valet,” as we escorted our authors on their whirlwind promotional book tours. I later wrote stories about my time spent with best-selling author Pat Conroy during his tours for several of his early novels, “The Great Santini” and “The Prince of Tides.” I wrote about acclaimed children’s book authors like Lois Lowry, Chris Van Allsburg, David Macaulay and Bill Peet, as well as culinary stars Helen Corbitt, Jacques Pepin, Ruth Reichl and Wolfgang Puck.

Although I worked with many talented writers during the years with Houghton Mifflin, it was Pat Conroy who forever endeared himself to all of us with his passion for books and his love of the written word. A strong bond was formed in our first meeting 50 years ago and continued long after he left Houghton in 1988 to join his editor at Doubleday. Pat’s generosity of spirit was legendary. His successes became our successes. He made us feel like we were the reason his books had become bestsellers. Our special bond with Pat was memorialized after his untimely death in 2016, with a commemorative plaque that honors our abiding friendship, and is now on display at the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina.

I attempted in these essays to stir some publishing memories of days past, and to relate stories of the people who had been instrumental in providing such a rich and rewarding life in books. I profiled some early influences in my career like David McHam, my college journalism professor at Baylor University, who continues to send me those encouraging notes all these years later. I’ve written about Larry McMurtry, an author who provided inspiration in my early growth as a reader and lover of books.

I worked with authors and booksellers throughout the Southwest and witnessed firsthand the dramatic changes in the bookselling landscape. Those stories of the sometimes-painful evolution in the world of bookselling included the heartbreaking closing of two of our favorite local bookstores, Dutton’s Brentwood Books and Village Books, across the street from where I live.

I’ve attempted to capture a publishing era graced by a certain manner of old-fashioned courtliness, which may have now been lost forever. This was an era defined by the closely interconnected relationships between authors, editors and staff members who collectively delivered the finished book to the marketplace.

I was incredibly fortunate to have been involved in a golden era of publishing and having the opportunity to experience a charmed literary life inside the hallowed halls of a house with such historic beginnings.

I was born and raised in Texas, but once I got a whiff of that cool Pacific breeze many years ago, I knew that I had safely arrived “home” in Southern California. However, I am also quite conscious of my Texas roots and have written about some of that history in recent years. It seems there is a desire for every generation to find reconciliation with its past, and by reexamining those formative years, it can help bring a clearer understanding of who we have become.

I’ve written for the Houston Chronicle, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Waco Tribune-Herald, where I first worked during my years as a Baylor journalism student. I have also contributed to our local weekly papers, The Palisadian Post and the Palisades News, as well as for noted Los Angeles writer Lionel Rolfe, and his literary website, Boryana Books.

Ben Masselink

I offered tributes to two local writers with whom I built strong friendships and who influenced my life in dramatic fashion. My late pal Ben Masselink, whom I shared an office complex with in my hometown of Pacific Palisades, became a dear and trusted friend.

Josh Greenfeld

 

 

 

 

Another talented local writer, Josh Greenfeld, became an advisor and mentor to me, although he was probably unaware that he ever played that role. Ben died in 2000, and Josh in 2018, and I still miss both of these fine men.

And finally, I must salute the person who has made the writing life so enjoyable for me—my editor, neighbor and friend, Bill Bruns. He was a respected newspaper editor and magazine writer during his long journalism career, and also authored 14 books. His “edits” always make us writers look better than we really are. He’s got a sharp mind and keen eye for detail that improves our stories immeasurably.

In retirement, I’ve had the good fortune to reclaim my writing life which has made this journey even sweeter, as it has allowed me to connect with my community, and reconnect with many former classmates, fellow writers and publishing friends across the country.

All in all, the columns I’ve written are not uniquely a cohesive group of stories, but hopefully, there are a few common threads that run throughout each of them, as I’ve tried to weave a connection to time and place, our culture, our various influences, and perhaps foremost—the legacy of genuine friendship.


Bob Vickrey is a writer whose columns have appeared in several Southwestern newspapers, and was cited by the California Newspaper Publishing Association for column writing awards in 2016 and 2017.  He lives in Pacific Palisades, California.

Posted in Viewpoint | 6 Comments

Santa Monica Pier Was Originally a Sewage Conduit

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

“The soul of the pier is founded upon memories. . . the memories of those who enjoyed it before us, and the memories that are still being created today,” Jim Harris quoted the words from a painting of a sunset at the Santa Monica Pier, at his talk to the Palisades Rotary Club at Modo Mio last month.

Harris is the executive director of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, a position he stepped into in 2021. He has been on the pier in some capacity ever since the Colorado resident had dinner with an old family friend 1989 – and ended up staying.

He has worked as a bartender (Boat House), a restaurant manager, street performer monitor, events manager and now administrator.

Jim Harris

In a June 2021 SMDP story (“’New’ Pier executive Director Has Been on the Job for 32 Years”) Harris said, “It’s confusing because the city has their responsibilities here on the Pier, the Pier Corporation has a role and the tenants have certainly had a lot of concerns and want a bigger voice, and understandably so.”

Although Santa Monica City owns the pier, the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, a 501(c)3,  founded in 1983  is supposed to assist the City in rehabilitation, reservation development, operation, and management of the Pier, which includes the leases.

Harris said he could imagine the Pier governance transitioning to something like a Business Improvement District that had a strong central figure with authority to oversee the differing aspects of Pier culture. In 2021, the Pier had its budget slashed by more than two-thirds and all Pier-sponsored programs were eliminated.

Perhaps nothing defines Santa Monica City as much as its pier and amusement park. In 1989, there were about two million visitors a year, and that number has now grown to about 14 million a year. There was a lull during the Covid pandemic, but numbers have gradually been increasing again, reaching pre-pandemic levels.

Harris’ enthusiasm for the pier and his job was obvious as he discussed the history.

The original 1,600-foot-long concrete pier was built in 1909 as “a way to move sewage out to sea,” Harris said, noting it was the first concrete pier on the U.S. West Coast. (The practice of dumping sewage was discontinued in the 1920s.)

At one time, the pier was known as the best fishing spot in the Santa Monica Bay, and the giant Black Sea Bass was fished to near extinction.

“Do we want to be known as a sewage pier?” Harris said was the question that people in SM were asking in the early 1900s. When they looked south, they could see the “grand” Venice boardwalk and amusement park.

With help from Charles Looff, a famous carousel carver, who had built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876, a new wider pier was constructed on the south side of the municipal pier to allow an amusement park.

In 1916, the doors of the Hippodrome opened, and people could ride the carousel—the first amusement ride on the Looff Pleasure Pier. More attractions were added including the Blue Streak Racer roller coaster, a bowling and billiards building and a fun house.

The Hippodrome is a National Historic  Landmark.
Photo: Richard Wang, who has released it under the GDFL.

In 1919, the concrete pier dropped two feet because of rust. Over the next two years, the City replaced the concrete piles with creosote-treated wooden piles.

Charles Looff died in 1918 and his son Arthur sold the SM Amusement company in 1924.

About that time, the new La Monica Ballroom “a castle floating over the ocean” was constructed. At its opening in July 1924, more than 50,000 people attended.

When the country fell into a depression in the 1930s, the dances ended and the building became first a convention center, then lifeguard headquarters and for a short period, the city jail.

By the end of World War II the ballroom was revitalized and musical acts such as Desi Arnaz and Spade Cooley played the venue. On August 5, 1948, the television station KTLA broadcast its first live variety show from that location.

The carousel was replaced in 1943, when Venice banker Walter Newcomb purchased the SM Amusement Company’s lease. When the Venice Pier closed, he moved his carousel into the Looff Hippodrome.  He died a year later, but his wife Enid ran it for the 26 years.

In the late 1960s, the pier was showing its age and “getting rundown,” Harris said, and “In 1972, City Manager Perry Scott went to the City Council with a plan to replace the Pier with a bridge to a proposed manmade resort island.” That plan was defeated.

But “the City Council voted to get rid of the Pier,” Harris said. “The community fought it and tried to get the City Council to change its vote.

“Three city council members were up for re-election that spring,” Harris said, noting that residents vowed they would not be reelected. Even though the City Council rescinded their decision, those three were voted out.

“Not a single person who voted to get rid of the Pier ever got reelected,” Harris said, noting that in 1975 voters passed Proposition 1, an initiative which preserves the Pier forever.

In 1987, the Hippodrome was named a National Historic Landmark. Two years later the building was restored and the Carousel was rebuilt inside it. In 1996, Pacific Park opened as a full-scale family amusement park.

Harris has also written “Santa Monica Pier: A Century on the Last Great Pleasure Pier,” “An Illegal Start” the first-ever theater in the merry-go-round, a stage play “Save the Pier!” which will be produced October 20-23 and a children’s book “Stella Rose and the Sea Dragon” with his daughter

The pier is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the historic merry-go-round open Monday and Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fishing is allowed on the Santa Monica Pier. The Heal the Bay Aquarium is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The 2nd Annual Santa Monica Classic Car Show on the Santa Monica Pier will be held on September 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and will features more than 200 classic cars, some dating back to the 1930’s.

Posted in Parks | 1 Comment