Girl Scout Cookies Available Here, Or for Shipping

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Sue

With the plea from readers who wanted to know how to get their annual “fix” of Girl Scout cookies, the response was immediate.

Lynn Mack-Costello, a former CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and a lifetime member, wrote in a February 4 email: “Thank you so much for highlighting for the community the vital question of how people can get their cookies this year.”

She noted that there will be no cookie booths at stores or door-to-door sales this year because the Council determined the safety of the public and girls during the Covid-19 pandemic is of greater importance.

“However, the 40 Girl Scout troops in the Palisades, Malibu, Brentwood, and Topanga communities can satisfy everyone’s cookie fix!” Mack-Costello said. “We appreciate the public’s support of our girls as they engage in earning money to support their troop activities and service projects, as well as learn important skills in budgeting and entrepreneurship, even virtually as they plan for post-Covid times.”

She said there were two ways (website or app) that people can order cookies — or donate cookies — if they do not know a local Scout. (Visit:https://www.gsglavolunteerapps.org/buygscookieslocally/ or the app: at https://www.girlscoutsla.org/en/cookies/find-cookies.html.)

“These inquiries will be passed on to local Girl Scout Troops who will contact each customer to fill their order,” said Mack-Costello, who added that if a “customer wants to make a donation or order cookies to be shipped directly to them (no in-person delivery), the app will show which local Girl Scout Troops are selling cookies; and one can order directly from them.”

This year, the Girl Scouts are offering eight varieties: Thin Mints (they need no definition!), Samoas (caramel, coconut, & chocolate), Trefoils (shortbread), Tagalongs (chocolate-covered peanut butter), Do-Si-Dos (peanut butter sandwich cookie), Lemon-Ups (crispy naturally flavored lemon cookie), Toffee-Tastics (gluten-free) and S’mores (chocolate, marshmallow, and graham).  The first six varieties are $5; Toffee-Tastic and S’Mores are $6.

Mack-Costello, the Service Unit Manager for the Palisades-Malibu Service Unit of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, said “If your Covid-waistline suggests you not eat any cookies, you can donate to Cookies for the Community and still support our girls while sending cookies to military, veteran organizations, and other local support organizations.”

“For any questions about Girl Scouts and all they are doing or interest in joining, folks can contact me,” she said. “I am the volunteer which works with all of our local troops and helps coordinate their activities.”

OTHER OPTIONS:

Palisadian Deann Wilken reached out to CTN about her granddaughter. “Kendall is selling Girl Scout cookies. She and her mother are happy to deliver to anyone in the Palisades area. There is also an option to have the cookies delivered right to your home.  I know Kendall’s uncle in Northern California has already received the order he placed with Kendall so the shipping seems rather quick.” Wilken sent a link to Kendall’s site:

https://www.gsdigitalcookie.com/cookie/landing/0/4fce93c0-04da-4a3f-9169-60e2d999f382

Palisadian Kambiz Kamdar wrote that her daughter developed a bar code (below). “There is an option to get it shipped or hand delivered. If it is in the Palisades, we can deliver,” Kamdar wrote.

 

Posted in Community | 2 Comments

Annexing the Palisades”—A Radio Play about Rustic Canyon’s Notorious Murphy Ranch

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Sue

 

The entrance gate for Murphy Ranch was designed by African-American architect Paul Williams.

By LAUREL BUSBY

Special to Circling the News

Violent extremism not only burst through on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, it also hid at a beautiful 50-acre estate in Rustic Canyon before World War II.

The Murphy Ranch, which is the subject of the radio play “Annexing the Palisades,” was acquired by Nazi sympathizers from Will Rogers in 1933. Seven years later, on the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, their compound was raided by authorities and dozens of staff were detained.

Alex Goldberg’s play, produced by the Antaeus Theatre Company, explores an imagined incident at the ranch featuring owners, Winona and Norman Stephens, and a fictional craftsman who they wish to hire for a balustrade on their compound, where they planned to build a four-story mansion and had already spent $4-million on an infrastructure featuring a power station, hundreds of stairs, and fruit, nut and olive trees.

Alex Goldberg

“It’s a bizarre, bizarre place,” playwright Goldberg said. In the play, “there are a lot of facts that are taken directly from its history. The Stephens couple did exist.” Frank Lloyd Wright was involved in creating initial blueprints, and well-respected African-American architect Paul R. Williams’ firm did design the front gate and create further blueprints.

The Stephens “may have been Nazis, but they had impeccable taste,” Goldberg added. “They came into L.A. with a ton of money. They attended parties in the Palisades with well-to-do neighbors, obviously not about the Nazi movement,” but they found designers through these events.

His play, which is part of a series of six short radio-style Zip Code Plays, each featuring an L.A. neighborhood, can be found at https://antaeus.org/plays-events/zipcode-plays/. Annexing the Palisades, directed by Ann Noble, features vivid vocal performances by actors Nike Doukas, Harry Groener and Adrian LaTourelle, and has been well-reviewed and popular since its premiere in November.

Within the first month, “it had been listened to more than 20,000 times over five continents,” Goldberg said. “We had a bigger audience than we normally have for an entire season” at the Glendale theater.

The success of the series, which also includes plays set in South Central, Santa Monica, Westwood, Sun Valley and downtown, has meant that a second season has been planned featuring six more L.A. neighborhoods.

The series is an outgrowth of Antaeus’ Playwrights Lab, which had to move online due to the pandemic. Goldberg mentioned that, during the past year, he has missed the in-person labs and the chance to see his plays produced on stage, but on the other hand, the Zip Code Plays would not have existed without Covid.

Writing Annexing the Palisades also gave him a chance to explore the story of Murphy Ranch, which he first learned about before Donald Trump ran for office. A history major in college, Goldberg had found the story of this anecdote intriguing.

“I thought it was such a weird outlier,” said Goldberg, who grew up in Washington, D.C. and spent a decade in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. “Of course, there were anti-Semites and racists since before World War II, but I didn’t know there were so many Nazi sympathizers.”

Goldberg researched not only the property, but also the language of the time by watching classic movies set in 1939.

“I wanted to get the cadence of the dialogue right,” he noted. “They were definitely of a different era.”

His play presents a slice in time, an imagined moment long before the compound was raided. He touches on Winona Stephens’ fascination with the supernatural and the influence of the mysterious Herr Schmidt, a German immigrant who sought to find support for the Nazis and who influenced the couple’s goal of creating an off-the-grid estate.

Goldberg said he was unable to discover what the ultimate goal of the compound was, so he made an educated guess based on the information he was able to uncover. The compound never became operational, and the couple was apparently only detained, but never arrested or charged with a crime.

Throughout the ‘40s, the Stephens continued to live at Murphy Ranch, although public fury over Pearl Harbor meant their “movement vanished overnight.” So instead of the wealthy heights presented in the play, they lived in comparative poverty in the garage, never building their mansion, before selling the property in the 1950s.

Murphy is now a ramshackle, graffiti-adorned space still regularly visited by hikers, although it is cordoned off due to safety issues.

Posted in Arts, Community | 1 Comment

City and State Leaders Address the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Sue

(Editor’s note: the second part of this story will run tomorrow. The entire meeting will be posted on the Democratic Club’s website: Palisadesdemclub.org ) 

Erika Feresten was the outgoing president of the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club

At the Democratic Club’s annual membership meeting, held virtually on January 31, there was a “peaceful” transfer of power from outgoing President Erika Feresten, who had held that position since 2018, to Highlands resident Steve Cron. At least 177 people attended the meeting.

“We can accomplish great things together,” Feresten said. “We’ve done it and we can keep doing it. With our elected officials, we can forge a community of care.”

Cron, an attorney, was sworn in by the “godfather” of the Palisades Democratic Club, president emeritus and long-time resident Joe Halper, who is also an L.A. City Recreation and Park commissioner.

Steve Cron

“I am honored and humbled to take over the reins from Erika,” said Cron, who also serves on the Pacific Palisades Community Council. “Elections are not won in November, they are won months, sometimes years in advance with hard work and dedication to the cause. . . Clubs like ours around the country have registered countless voters, made millions of calls, sent out text and postcards, knocked on doors to get out the vote and dug deep in their pockets to support Democratic candidates. . . I invite you to get involved with the club.”

Mayor Eric Garcetti, U.S. Representative Ted Lieu, L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, California State Senator Ben Allen, California Assemblyman Richard Bloom, Councilman Mike Bonin and LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin each gave brief remarks and then answered questions.

 

MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI:

L.A. City Mayor Eric Garcetti

Garcetti, who said he helped President Joe Biden with his vice-presidential selection and worked as co-chair of Biden’s inauguration, explained why he stayed in Los Angeles and withdrew from consideration for a cabinet position. “So much of what we have yet to do is right here.”

The Mayor addressed the issue of vaccination shortages. “It’s a numbers game right now,” he said and blamed President Trump’s lack of leadership based on science for the delayed rollout of the vaccinations. “We need people who actually respect and reflect facts and then provide leadership — and not throw everything on us at the local level and say, ‘Good luck,’ or on the state level and say ‘Figure it out.’

“Imagine trying to win World War II by dropping weapons in different parts of Europe and telling the soldiers, ‘You figure it out, we supplied the weapons.’”

Q. What is your office doing to address homelessness?

A. “We need to make housing a human right in America,” Garcetti said, noting that he had helped get this into Joe Biden’s platform that Section 8 housing vouchers should be a universal entitlement, like food stamps. For the homeless, “We have increased the city budget by 16-fold,” he said. “You will see 10,000 affordable housing units, including 1,500 this coming year. We have doubled the number of people taken off the streets — we need housing as a national human right.” He added that the Covid infection rate has been lower among the unhoused than the housed.

Q. There are numerous complaints about the high DWP rates. DWP has been unresponsive. There has been no answer how the bills are generated.

A. “Let our office know directly,” the Mayor said, by going to the mayor’s helpline at 213-978-1028 or by email: mayor.garcetti@lacity.org. “We keep our rates lower than our competitors, Edison and other utilities.”

REPRESENTATIVE TED LIEU

U.S. Representative Ted Lieu

Lieu was one of the representatives who drafted the articles of impeachment that were sent to the Senate. He represents Congressional District 33 and was first elected in 2014. “It was a violent attack on our Capitol,” Lieu said as he recounted his experience on January 6. He was evacuated from the building, along with other members of Congress.

“We have to have justice and accountability for what happened,” Lieu said. “If there is a conviction, then Donald Trump will be deprived of certain benefits, like a taxpayer-funded pension and office space and office personnel. We need future presidents to know that this can’t happen again.”

Q. Is there any evidence that members of Congress enabled the events of January 6?

A. “That is a great question. There is a difference between people who voted to object to the certified voting results and those who spoke . . . No one is above the law and I think the FBI should investigate,” Lieu said. “We’ll see what the results of the investigation will be.”

Q. Since Senate Republicans seem committed to not voting for impeachment, would you find censure acceptable?

A. “It [censure] should never happen before the trial,” Lieu said, noting that it was a violent attack with one guard killed and 140 injured. There was destruction to the Capitol. “If people think censure is an appropriate response, I don’t know what they are thinking.”

Lieu has promised to come back and speak to the Club at a future date.

L.A. COUNTY SUPERVISOR SHEILA KUEHL

L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl

Kuehl has announced that she will turn 80 this year and has decided not to run for office in 2022. She said that she still has a “bucket” list that she wants to work on. “This is a difficult time. I miss you; I miss the human contact.”

Recalling how the pandemic brought economic devastation to L.A. County residents and businesses, Kuehl said, “With the first case, we had no idea what this would be, we had no idea how much we would be let down by the national government and left to our own devices early on.”

She noted that the County initially provided $170 million in grants to businesses, set up a helpline for people who needed to find new work and gave direct cash grants of $800 each to dislocated workers.

Regarding vaccine distribution, she said there are 10 million people in L.A. County and 1.5 million are over age 65. “We’re looking to get more vaccinations,” she said. “I think we’ll have more doses. Gavin [Newsom] has asked Blue Shield to run the vaccinations and next week we’ll start with the mobile delivery.”

Q. If you’re over 65 how can you get the shot? Any suggestions?

A. “It’s a matter of timing. It’s kind of like trying to score a ticket to ‘Hamilton,’ said Kuehl, who noted that the County is notified on Wednesday night the number of vaccinations it will receive for the following week. She suggested starting to call on Thursday at 8 a.m. “Health plans are starting to have it,” she said. “I’m sorry it’s so random, but we don’t have enough vaccine.”

Q. What is the funding status for fighting wildfires and for clearing the brush around Pacific Palisades?

A. “This depends on jurisdiction,” said Kuehl. Some of the land is National Park land and the County has no jurisdiction. “In the county we’ll clear it for you and send you a bill.”

Posted in Community, News | 1 Comment

CRIME (Reported from January 15 to 28), Cost of Car Burglary and Updating a Home Invasion Robbery Attempt

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Sue

LAPD Officer James Allen, who is filling in as Pacific Palisades Senior Lead officer after Michael Moore’s retirement, filed the following report from last week.

BURGLARY

January 15, 8:36 p.m., in the 17800 block of Vicino Way. The unknown suspect smashed the front glass door to the location. The suspect selected victim’s property and fled the location with this property.

January 27 to 28, 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., in the 17300 block of Sunset. The unknown suspect smashed the front glass door to the location. The suspect selected victim’s property and fled the location with the property.

January 22 to 25, 3 to 5 p.m., in the 1400 block of West El Bosque. The unknown suspect smashed the rear patio door to the location. The suspect selected victim’s property and fled the location with this property.

BURGLARY/THEFT FROM VEHICLE

January 24 to 25, 5:45 p.m. to 10:15 a.m., in the 510 block of Los Liones Drive. The unknown suspect entered victim’s vehicle and removed property, which included a wallet, a California ID and credit cards.

THEFT

January 27, 2:30 p.m., in the 10400 block of Almayo Avenue. Unknown male and female Hispanics, no further description, removed packages from victim’s porch. Suspects fled the location in an unknown direction in a silver 1998 Buick sedan.

To report a crime in progress, call 9-1-1. To report any non-emergency crime, call (877) 275-5273. A crime that has occurred may be reported in person at the West L.A. police station, 1663 Butler Ave. (Call 310-444-0702, or some crimes may be reported online.) James Allen is currently serving as the Palisades Senior Lead Officer and his email is 39318@lapd.online

COST OF A CAR BREAK-IN:

One person detailed the cost resulting from Burglary/Theft from Vehicle. This is important information for readers.

“This Break-in Will Cost You Way More Than You Think” was the title of the person’s posting on Nextdoor Palisades, which detailed a months-long process.

“Most of us think all that we lost was the obvious stuff in our cars, in my case headphones, replacing the owner’s manual, reusable shopping bags, etc.,” the person wrote.

“What didn’t go into the report is the hidden costs to keep the car or its parts from being stolen again, such as: What did they get when they stole your owner’s manual?”

The owner pointed out that with the manual contained the codes for the wheel lock and the code to get in the car, which means they all had to be replaced. “The overall cost of the little burglary into my car, not including the continued risk of identity theft, is now in excess of $2K, all because of these stolen codes.”

The owner recommended going back to the police to update the report because my “$400 claim is now in excess of the $950 misdemeanor,” which means if the thief is caught, they could be tried for a felony. The person also suggested going back to the insurance company and amending the complaint.

 

HOME INVASION ROBBERY FOLLOW-UP:

On Christmas afternoon, long-time resident Fran Morris Rosman was the victim of a home invasion robbery (as previously reported by Circling the News). She reached out to Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore, who wrote her back on December 30: “Good morning, I am aware of the crime. Detectives are working on the case but things like this take time to solve (if ever). You are not likely to be contacted by detectives unless they have questions.”

Morris Rosman told CTN in a subsequent email that “So far, only the Palisades rep for Mike Bonin’s office has emailed me, and that was after I emailed them four times and left two messages with two different people. She told me she will call me.”

Councilman Mike Bonin’s Field Representative Durrah Wagner had followed up with an email the beginning of January, saying that she had shared the information with the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness, who said they would do some reconnaissance (which they did) and determined it was most likely not homeless who had broken into her house.

CTN reported on the home invasion robbery in a January 6 story titled “Home Invasion on Monument Street.”

Morris Rosman told us at that time “Just after our home invasion robbery, the police were here and needed to write up the report. I figured they would pull out a smartphone or tablet. NO.  The Officer went to the car, got a metal clipboard and a paper form (with carbon) and filled it out in #2 pencil. What year are we in?”

By January 26, Morris Rosman had still not received a follow-up phone call from the Councilman’s office.

Today, Morris Rosman sent a follow-up letter to Durrah Wagner and Mayor Eric Garcetti:

“I cannot find the words to express how angry, upset and hurt (not to mention disappointed) I am in my city’s response to my experience with a home invasion robbery on 12-25-2020. You have all brushed it off like it wasn’t important.

“WHILE I WAS HOME, THREE MEN BROKE INTO MY HOUSE AND STARTED RANSACKING IT. On a bright sunny afternoon. On a quiet cul-de-sac.

“That is a crime and it’s simply wrong. And very, very frightening…. I am a short, older woman.

“I can understand why droves of Angelenos are leaving this city; it obviously doesn’t care about us (except for our ability to pay taxes).

“Sadly,

Fran Morris Rosman

“P.S. Why do Police reports have to be filled in on carbonized paper with a #2 pencil? Last time I checked, it was 2021 and we have wireless devices. Oh yes, I bet the Police Clerical Workers Union has something to do with this antiquated method of communication.”

 

Posted in Crime/Police | 4 Comments

Cub Scouts Earn ‘Arrow of Light’ Honors

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Sue

 

Scout leaders were on hand to congratulate the scouts and a “socially” distanced photo op was provided for each scout and their family. Cub Scouts received a certificate and a symbolic arrow to mark their achievements.

The Scout Oath begins with “On my honor I will do my best.” On January 31, members of Palisades Cub Pack 223 were recognized for doing their best during a challenging year of scouting.

Fifteen Cub Scouts, all fifth graders, earned their Arrow of Light during a drive-through ceremony held on the grounds of St. Matthew’s.

The Arrow of Light is the highest award a youngster can earn in Cub Scouting. The seven rays of the Arrow of Light represent wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope and love. It is the only award that Cub Scouts can wear on their Boy Scout uniform.

In order to earn this award, the Scouts, who started working towards it in first grade, must complete 11 different adventures and earn a badge.

For example, in the “Cast Iron Chef” adventure, the scout explores cooking. He/she is required to plan and cook a meal for their families.

In “First Responder” the scouts learn basic first aid and what to do in various emergencies. For this adventure, they also talk with a first responder.

Other adventure choices include Building A Better World, Duty to God & You, Duty to God in Action, Fix It, Game Design, Into the Woods, Outdoor Adventurer, Project Family, Scouting Adventure, Sports, Stronger Faster Higher and Webelos Walkabout

Many of these scouts will now move into Troop 223 as new Scouts.

This Cub Scout’s family came out to celebrate the youth’s accomplishment.

 

Posted in Community, Schools | Leave a comment

Signups for PPBA Baseball Are Now Open; Board Member Provides Some Helpful Perspective

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Sue

The Pacific Palisades Baseball Association has been providing baseball instruction and playing experience for kids in the Palisades, Brentwood, and Santa Monica since 1954. Boys and girls from 7 to 14 years of age as of August 31, 2021(born on or after 05/01/2006 and on or before 08/31/2014) are invited to participate in one of four divisions (Pinto, Mustang, Bronco, and Pony) for the Spring 2021 season.

Registration is now open and the deadline to sign up is February 15. The league, under the auspices of PONY Baseball, is a volunteer organization with teams coached by parents. Contact: ppba@earthlink.net.

A parent sent the following email to Circling the News: “The registration fee is $450 per player. The fee includes a uniform (jersey and pants), basic photo package, trophy, insurance, field maintenance, umpire costs and team equipment. There is a discount for sibling registrations. The registration fee for a second child is $400, $375 for the third, and $350 for the fourth.

“The registration fee, less a $50 administration fee, will be refunded only if your child is not placed on a team. If your child is placed on a team at the player draft, there will be no refund.  (Unless the child withdraws for a legitimate medical reason.)

“This year, the following language has been added: ‘For 2021 only, the Board has determined that if we are never able to use the fields even for practice, the season will be deemed to no longer occur, and your registration fee will be refunded in full. Once teams are formed and practices commence, your registration fee is non-refundable. We will not start a season until we can expect to finish that season.'”

The reader said that last year, when the season had to be cancelled before league games were played, several people asked for refunds, but no one received them.

In response to this reader’s email, CTN contacted Mike Skinner, a longtime PPBA board member and chairman of the Park Advisory Board at the recreation center.

“This has been such a great program here in the Palisades for over 55 years now,” Skinner said in a February 2 email to CTN. “To my knowledge, last year was the first time in history that we had to cancel a season.

“Unfortunately, the uniforms have to be ordered, produced and paid for months in advance, and they cannot be used in the future since they would all have incorrect sponsor names, teams and such,” Skinner said. He then added an important piece of information for families. “In deference to our long-time umpire relationships and sensitivity to essentially putting them out of work, we made the decision to continue to pay them even though they were not working.”

Asked if people could deduct their registration fees from their taxes, since no services were provided to the players, Skinner said: “Each family would need to ask their tax advisor what they could legally deduct on their tax returns. I don’t know that answer for sure.”

Skinner explained that registration fees cover paid city permits from January to July; paying all umpires for the season; uniforms; field equipment (mowers, sod cutters, tarps, etc.); baseball equipment; pancake breakfast expenses (new park refrigerator) and Bat and Grill perishables (and new refrigerator).

“Our biggest expense is labor (gardeners) for the fields for 12 months,” said Skinner, who noted that if the City issues PPBA credits for permits for 2020, then “we will credit next year’s registration fee.”

 

Youth Baseball Signups Open in Santa Monica

Tyler Heineman was the starting catcher for the San Francisco Giants on opening day against the Dodgers last year.

Another parent suggested the Santa Monica Little League, which is where Palisadians Scott and Tyler Heinman, both of them now Major Leaguers, got their start. “We are simply loving playing with this dedicated group,” the reader said. “They provide youth baseball for girls and boys ages 4-17. It is a skill evaluation but a no-cut program. They evaluate skill only to even out the teams.”

The parent said that Covid safety is a priority and the program is being adjusted as necessary. “They also automatically provided credit for missed play last year.”

The parent also noted that you can make team requests to help with the driving. The fields are at Memorial Park (Olympic and 16th).

The league “leadership has been extremely responsive and even holds open Zoom board meetings to answer parent questions,” the parent commented. (Visit: smll.com)

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Task Force Addresses the Enduring Challenge: Drug Use and the Homeless

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Sue

Marrisa Axelrod, director of Community Nursing for the People Concern in Santa Monica, spoke at the PPTFH meeting.

The Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness tackled drug use among the homeless with the topic “Street Drugs and Homelessness: A Devastating Combination,” at its January 25 community meeting on Zoom.

The PPTFH provides a community service by holding periodic meetings to inform residents about the nonprofit’s efforts to help the homeless who make their way to Pacific Palisades. (The meetings can be heard at pptfh.org.)

Marrisa Axelrod, director of Community Nursing for the People Concern in Santa Monica, spoke first about drug use and the current models available for helping those with addictions.

She said that about 30 percent of homeless deaths are drug overdoses and two thirds of these are from methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system.

“The effects of meth are long-term and the recovery from it is extremely challenging,” Axelrod said.

Meth is regarded as one of the most dangerous drugs in our society. Research shows the average lifespan of a regular meth user is about seven years.

Meth and crystal meth create a false sense of well-being and energy. Meth users report feeling a rush of energy and euphoria and often will act impulsively and dangerously. Meth decreases the feeling of hunger (users often go for days without eating) and sleep patterns are seriously affected, with users sometimes going for days without sleep.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, methamphetamine use has many other negative consequences, including extreme weight loss, addiction, severe dental problems (“meth mouth”), intense itching (leading to skin sores from scratching), anxiety, changes in brain structure and function, confusion, memory loss, violent behavior, paranoia and hallucinations.

After the initial high wears off, meth users experience what’s known as a “crash” and they feel weak, sick, depressed and in pain.

Axelrod said that it may be difficult to tell the difference between someone who is mentally ill and someone who is having a drug episode.

The long-term impact of meth use can cause irreversible damage and “it could take even a year later for the brain to start feeling better,” Axelrod said.

She acknowledged that healthcare providers and law enforcement are seeing a higher rate of overdoses in the homeless right now, not only involving meth, but also heroin, fentanyl, alcohol and marijuana.

According to medical reports, meth users are at a great risk for heart problems. The drug damages vessels in the brain, which can lead to stroke. The liver and kidneys can be severely damaged. After long-term abuse, damage in the brain is similar to complications found with Alzehimer’s, stroke and epilepsy.

Axelrod stressed that it’s important to try and get a client into a [rehab] bed, and that the latest approach dealing with drug users is “harm reduction” — ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.

The National Harm Reduction Coalition (HSRC) is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.

The following are principals that NHRC employ: 1) accepts that licity and illicit drug use is part of our world and chooses to work to minimize its harmful effects rather than simply ignore them or condemn them; 2) understands that drug use is complex, multi-facted phenomenon that encompasses behaviors from abstinence to severe use; 3) establishes a quality of life, not necessarily a cessation of all drug use; 4) ensure that people who use drugs and have a history of drug use, have a voice in the creation of programs; 5) calls for non-judgmental provision of services; 6) recognizes the realities of poverty, class, racism, social isolation, past trauma, sex-based discrimination and other social inequalities affect people’s vulnerability for dealing with drug-related harm; 7) affirms people who use drugs as the primary agents of reducing the harms of their drug use. (https://harmreduction.org/hrc2/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/NHRC-PDF-Principles_Of_Harm_Reduction.pdf)

Veronica de la Cruz, an L.A. neighborhood prosecutor, spoke at the PPTFH meeting.

During the PPTFH meeting, Veronica de la Cruz, an L.A. neighborhood prosecutor, explained that there are difficulties in prosecuting a meth user.

“The laws are changing,” she said, explaining that drug possession, which used to be a felony, is now a misdemeanor and that the new district attorney general, George Gascon, is not prosecuting misdemeanors.

She noted that a “wobbler” crime straddles both a felony and a misdemeanor, and meth used to fall in that category, but “now it’s a misdemeanor.”

De La Cruz argued that Prop. 47, which passed in 2014 and was co-authored by Gascon, undermines drug courts and rehabilitation programs supported by justice system oversight — by making the possession of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin a misdemeanor. (That proposition also reclassified the following crimes from felonies to misdemeanors: grand theft to under $950, shoplifting under $950, receiving stolen property under $950, writing bad checks under $950, and forging checks under $950.)

“When it was a felony, they had a probation officer and were supervised,” De La Cruz said. “There’s little incentive to accept help when there’s no jail time.”

Other legislation which may make it harder to incentivize those on drugs to reach out for services includes AB 1950 (restricts the period of probation for a misdemeanor to no longer than one year). “I could get a three-year probation, now it’s only a hook,” the neighborhood prosecutor said. She noted that AB-3234 is also a new law (authorizing a judge in the superior court in which a misdemeanor is being prosecuted to offer misdemeanor diversion to a defendant over the objection of a prosecuting attorney).

De La Cruz explained that prosecution cases are shifting from punitive to rehabilitative and noted that one reason the PPTFH has been so successful is because there’s an incentive for homeless people to accept help.

De La Cruz wishes that state legislators would talk with law enforcement about how to create more effective legislation, such as making more stringent penalties for those selling, manufacturing or trafficking in drug use.

At the end of the town hall meeting, a viewer asked: “Should we view addiction as a public health or justice issue or both?”

De La Cruz said, “If we could criminalize sales and distributions and the making of drugs more heavily, that would be helpful. Given the way the laws are moving, there is not a lot we can do for possession.”

Sharon Browning, one of the PPTFH co-presidents, said “But we need laws to protect us. What would it take to get that shift?”

De La Cruz replied, “A serious conversation with our lawmakers. Give prosecutors more discretion. We also want to protect the community.”

Packets of meth were being processed near Chautauqua and Pacific Coast Highway.

 

Posted in Homelessness | Leave a comment

Alan Eisenstock’s Playlist: Gotta Love California

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Sue

Editor’s note: When Palisadian Alan Eisenstock is not researching and writing one of his nonfiction books (18 thus far!), he pursues what he calls “a crazy labor of love side project” that he started in mid-March: sending a weekly Covid-themed playlist of songs to his family and friends. These playlists (which can be downloaded on Spotify CLICK HERE. ) span rock ‘n’ roll and pop music from the 1950s to 2020, and Eisenstock adds one or two lines of commentary about each song that is clever, amusing and informative.)

 

Hi, Everyone,

Fun fact. Of all 50 states, when it comes to the rollout and distribution of the Covid vaccine, California ranks dead last. And L.A. County, where I live, wins the title as worst county in the worst state. We might as well call ourselves locked down in L.A. What to do? Idea! Here are 16 “Los Angeles” songs. Listen up!

 

 

  1. “I Love L.A.” Randy Newman. Of course, we start with this, Randy’s informal 1983 Los Angeles anthem. “Century Boulevard… Santa Monica Boulevard…Sixth Street… ” Why pick Sixth Street? Anyway, Randy went for a Beach Boys-ish sound with Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac singing backup. We love it!
  2. “Good Vibrations” The Beach Boys. 1966 Grammy-award winner. Brian Wilson wrote this exquisitely sophisticated song incorporating several different melody changes. “She’s giving me excitations.” Is “she” a woman or Los Angeles itself? Think about it.
  3. “Free Fallin'” Tom Petty. Co-written with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and the opening track from Tom’s 1989 album, Full Moon Fever. Tom said he got the idea for the song while driving through the San Fernando Valley, thus the mentions of “Mulholland,” “Reseda,” “Ventura Boulevard.” My question: why would anyone go to the Valley?
  4. “All I Wanna Do” Sheryl Crow. Rock, soul, folk, jazz… Sheryl can sing it. This is her best-selling single, off her first album, Tuesday Night Music Club, released in 1993. Our second mention of Santa Monica Boulevard, a street I avoid at all costs.
  5. “Desperados Under the Eaves” Warren Zevon. Welcome back to the playlist, Warren. This song describes Warren on one of his typical and terrible benders, wasted on salty margaritas. The man could drink. L.A. street mentioned: Gower Avenue. LOVE this song.
  6. “You’re No Good” Linda Ronstadt. Linda crushes this 1963 R&B classic first performed by Dee Dee Warwick. The lyrics “You’re no good” come up about a million times. This song has nothing at all to do with Los Angeles except for Linda. She is L.A. to me. I had lunch with her at Lucy’s El Adobe.
  7. “It Never Rains in Southern California” Albert Hammond. Albert, a Brit, wrote this with Mike Hazlewood in 1972. The average L.A. rainfall is 14 inches per year. In 1972, L.A. received 26 inches. Clearly, Hammond was in Britain or doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Plus, it’s raining right now.
  8. “Hollywood Nights” Bob Seger. The quintessential Detroit rocker, Seger wrote this in 1978 while driving through the Hollywood Hills. Kind of a boring song, but you gotta have it.
  9. “L.A. Freeway” Steve Earle. GREAT song written in 1970 by the legendary Guy Clark from Earle’s album Guy. L.A. street mention: L.A. Freeway. I notice there are a lot of L.A. songs about driving and going nowhere.
  10. “Tiny Dancer” Elton John. 1971 Elton and Bernie Taupin collaboration. Great song that Bernie admitted was about his wife, the lovely Maxine Feibelman, who was “a seamstress for the band and L.A. lady.” Shortly after Bernie’s declaration of love, Maxine dumped him.
  11. “Los Angeles, I’m Yours” The Decemberists. Indie rock band from Portland, OR, led by lead singer and chief songwriter Colin Meloy. This is a kind of a love song about L.A.’s underbelly. When they played this in person, in L.A., the crowd went crazy. I was there.
  12. “Los Angeles” HAIM L.A. sisters and huge fans of delis, especially Canter’s. They sing this love letter to Los Angeles, from their tremendous 2020 album, Women in Music Pt.III. P.S. There is no Part I or II.
  13. “Hotel California” Eagles. Great song from the 1977 album of the same name, written by the trio of Henley, Frey, and Felder. According to my research, the Eagles have performed this song 1,038 times live–and I was there every time.
  14. “The Neighborhood” Los Lobos. Here’s my favorite L.A. band with the title song from the 1990 The Neighborhood album. Coming from East L.A,. you’ve got five Latinx and a Jew making killer sounds. LOVE them.
  15. “The Pretender” Jackson Browne. Essential L.A. artist although he was born in Germany. Another title song from the album of the same name, this one with David Crosby and Graham Nash singing backup. “I’m going to rent myself a house in the shade of the freeway.”
  16. “Celluloid Heroes” The Kinks. British brothers Ray and Dave Davies lead this influential and popular rock band, this song from 1977. Lot of dead movie stars are mentioned as well as Hollywood Boulevard. This week alone we lost Cicely Tyson, Cloris Leachman, Larry King and eight million dollars in GameStop.

I know. I left out many, many L.A. songs. Please email me your suggestions and the songs you think I snubbed. Have at it!

In the meantime, Don’t Forget to Disinfect and… PLAY IT LOUD!

The link again: CLICK HERE.

 

Fact Check

I did have lunch with Linda Rondstadt at Lucy’s El Adobe. Well, okay, we didn’t have lunch together. We didn’t share a table. We weren’t actually in the same room. I saw her on my way out, sitting with Jerry Brown and the owner. But we were in the same restaurant… at lunchtime.

The Eagles have performed “Hotel California” 1,038 times. I saw none of them. I’ve never seen them live.

LAST WEEK’S POLL QUESTION:

Better Second Spouse: Doug or Mother. Mother won! Kidding.

THIS WEEK’S POLL QUESTION:

Best L.A. band–The Beach Boys or the Eagles? Who you got?

 

Thanks for listening. Or reading. Until next week,

Alan

alaneisenstock.com

 

Posted in Arts | Leave a comment

Garden Club and Palisades Beautiful Host a Joint Meeting Monday Night

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Sue

Tomorrow, February 1, the Pacific Palisades Garden Club and Palisades Beautiful will host a 7 p.m. Zoom meeting title “Regenerative Landscapes and Climate Adaptation” with speakers Shawn Maestretti and Leigh Adams.

The two have shared their message at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, The Huntington Gardens, The Davis Village Homes, Aquarium of the Pacific and TreePeople.

Maestretti is a local landscape architect and Adams is a local landscape educator, who currently collaborate with Pasadena Water and Power in regenerative design and implementation and host community workshops. They will share “what works and why” in local gardens. To attend, send an email to pacpalgardenclub@gmail.com.

 

Posted in Community, Environmental | Leave a comment

Resilient Palisades Meeting Will Urge Doing Away with Gas-Powered Garden Equipment

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Sue

We live next door to one of the oldest trees in the Pacific Palisades. This towering conifer was probably growing in Temescal Canyon before the town was founded and long before the high school was built and the canyon paved.

Whenever there is wind, there is a “snowstorm” of pine needles that fall on our front yard and parkway. If anyone could justify using a gas-powered blower, we certainly could do so.

But, after a quick talk with our gardeners, who happens to be my husband and me, we elected to go a different direction. About 20 years ago, I noticed that rebates were available for electric lawn mowers, so we traded in our gas model.

Ever since, I have elected to get exercise by raking needles and sweeping the sidewalk—and at least once a month my neighbors see me out doing it.

This brings us to Resilient Palisades, a newly organized nonprofit environmental group, which is asking residents to stop using gas-powered blowers.

The group is sponsoring a free meeting on February 2 with Dan Mabe, a landscape expert and American Green Zone Alliance founder, who will explain the latest deals for gardeners, so you can go “green” and help abate the noise and pollution (including harmful chemicals) that gas blowers add to the air.

To register for the meeting, visit: resilientpalisades.org.

Posted in Environmental | 2 Comments