DRB Holds Final Hearing for Exterior Look of the Historic Business Block Building

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Sue

The color on the far left, percale, will be the new color of the building and the accent color is crisp muslin. The awning color is the far right.

 

Surprisingly, there was no public comment as the Palisades Design Review Board held a final review regarding the town’s historic Business Block Building on December 9.

The Zoom meeting was held to discuss the proposed new awnings, lighting and exterior paint color for the building, located on Sunset and Antioch at Swarthmore.

(Circling the News did not publicize the meeting because the meeting notice was sent on November 24 (before Thanksgiving) and went to spam, not to discovered until December 10.)

If residents were counting on reading a posted agenda for the meeting on the building site, this was not done, either. The last DRB posting regarding the building was July 22.

Circling the News contacted City Planner Nick Vasuthasawat on December 10 and asked, “Now that everything is virtual, what are the posting regulations that meet the Brown Act?”

He responded, “Good question. The notice and posting regulations have not changed. Notice is provided 72 hours prior to the meeting on the website and physically posted at the project site.

“Virtual meetings have replaced physical meetings, given the governor’s executive orders, which is also stated at the beginning of each meeting. In addition to the Brown Act, we use LAMC noticing requirements for properties located within a 100-foot radius of the project site.”

This posting was not done on the building – the “project site.” CTN took photos on December 10 and sent them to City Planning, showing that the last posting was for the July meeting. Additionally, a new structure seemed to be going up at Casa Nostra on Sunset and CTN asked if it had been approved by the DRB.

Several members of the Palisades DRB confirmed to CTN that they had not spoken about the new awning that is now up with lights in front of Casa Nostra.

We confirmed that colors have been approved for the Business Block Building. (Visit https://tinyurl.com/y2d9w82m).

A second item on the agenda was a final review for 107-111 W. Channel Rd. in Santa Monica Canyon, regarding changing the use of two existing guest rooms to two units and exterior remodel of two buildings consisting of new siding, roof, windows, balconies, courtyard, planter, fence and paint. (Applicant and Property Owner: Pacific Partners Group, LLC, and Representative Henry Ramirez). CTN learned that this project was discussed and would come again before the DRB.

If you failed to get a notice of the posting, please notify Vasuthasawat at nick.vasuthasawat@lacity.org and cc Circling the News at editor@circlingthenews.com.

Vasuthasawat said the notices are also posted on the Department of City Planning website: planning.lacity.org.

This is the proposal for the corner of Chautauqua, PCH and West Channel Road.

Posted in businesses/stores, City/Councilman Mike Bonin | 2 Comments

Designer Stacy Johnson Produces Her First Children’s Book, ‘Mabel the Fashion Muse”

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Sue

Designer Stacy Johnson has written and illustrated her first children’s book.

Although Stacy Johnson started her fashion career as a teen model for Seventeen magazine, she knew early on it was designing that interested her most. She grew a successful company, Stacia, that started in Brooklyn in 1998, and now she’s turned her talent to a children’s book, “Mabel the Fashion Muse.”

In the book’s dedication, the Highlands resident writes: “The book is dedicated to my daughter, Kaiulani. I hope this book reminds you to follow your dreams and never give up what you love.”

Johnson, who has lived here since 2010, not only wrote the book, she did the illustrations.

She told Circling the News, “The story is very personal to me. It was inspired by my own experiences as a fashion designer in NYC and starting my own fashion business.”

The story is about Mabel, a chatty dress form that belongs to a budding fashion designer, and her furry companion, a little Yorkie named Brooklyn. The book goes from the sample room to runway – and details their adventures.

“I wanted to create this book to inspire future designers and give girls the tools and power to be their own fashion entrepreneur someday,” said Johnson, who has three children, 16, 14 and 11. “Most books or story lines about fashion depicted petty social drama or were an unrealistic view on how the fashion industry actually worked. I think a whimsical dress form, like Mabel, is the perfect relatable character to tell my entrepreneurial story.”

Johnson is originally from the East Coast but grew up in Hawaii and Alaska. She moved to New York City to attend college at the Parsons School of Design.

“I knew I wanted to go there because that’s where Donna Karan went, and she was my inspiration as an aspiring designer,” said Johnson, who received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts in fashion design. “So drawing, painting and art were a big part of my training.”

While at Parsons, Johnson enjoyed internships with her idol, Karan, and with designer Micheal Kors. After graduation, she worked five years in the garment district, first with Calvin Klein and then Cynthia Rowley.

In 1998, “I chose the unconventional route of opening up a boutique and atelier in Brooklyn, where I could design in the back and sell in the front, directly to the customer,” Johnson said. Her first store was on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. “As my business expanded, I opened a small factory  where everything was manufactured. Both are prominent settings in the book.”

Johnson relocated to California in 2004 because she felt it would provide a better place to raise her kids. “I shifted my business to wholesale and designed and manufactured an eco-friendly knitwear line for 10 years.” Then in 2011, she opened a second store on Montana Avenue. She closed that location about five years ago after a fire in the building.

She has since scaled back her wholesale business and is focusing more on her e-commerce website, shopstacia.com, producing small batch designs with a California beach lifestyle in mind.

This change gave Johnson time to write and illustrate her book. “I’ve had the idea for this book since 1999 when I first started using Mabel the dress form on my first e-commerce website,” Johnson said. “But with running a business nonstop for 20 years, I never had the time till now to execute it.”

In writing it, “I scoured through old photos of my Brooklyn shop and atelier, and my memories of the New York fashion industry to create my illustration plates,” Johnson said. “Some of the plot lines were inspired by my own experiences working for other designers. The book is also sort of a love story to NYC, the center of the fashion industry.”

Johnson has started an online fashion portal for kids (mabelthefashionmuse.com), where there are design activities, resources, tutorials and templates.

She was asked if her daughter is interested in design. “My daughter does have an interest in fashion. She has her own Depop business and loves to thrift and style looks,” Johnson said. “During the early days of the pandemic when LA was on lock down, we did a few fun DIY videos together for the Mabel the Fashion Muse YouTube channel (tie dyeing, mask making and sewing a faux fur bag).”

To learn more about Stacia, visit: shopstacia.com.

The 40-page book, published by Austin Macauley, can be found at Diesel Bookstore in the Brentwood Country Mart.

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Palisades Service Clubs Aid Others

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Sue

Two of the nationally recognized service clubs in Pacific Palisades–Rotary and the Optimists–continue to help others. The Rotarians have held a toy drive and the Optimists raised money for the Salvation Army.

Historically, most national service clubs are community-based and share the same goals and membership requirements. They meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly on an established, recurring day. These local clubs always welcome new members.

ROTARY TOY DRIVE

Palisades Rotary Club members Nancy Cleveland and Marka Midwin (right) box toys that were collected for the Rotary toy drive.

Organized by Palisades Rotary Club member Marka Midwin, five large bins of toys were collected for the children of Westwood Transitional Housing. The drive was opened up to everyone in the Palisades and Midwin even offered to pick up and deliver the donations for the 79 children, ages newborn to 17. To learn more about Pacific Palisades Rotary, which continues to meet weekly via Zoom, visit: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2531 or email Club President Trish Bowe trishbowe9@gmail.com.

Every meeting concludes with members reciting Rotary’s Four-Way Test: “Of the things we think, say or do: 1) Is it the truth? 2) Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? and 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned.”

OPTIMISTS SUPPORT KETTLE DAY

Last year Palisades Optimist Club member David Dealey rang the bell for the Salvation Army, an annual tradition for the Optimists. This year the event was done virtually.

Optimist Club member Dave Dealy, who once again organized the Kettle Day fundraiser, said Tuesday: “I am happy to report that, thanks to the generosity of 19 Palisades Optimist Club members, I hand-delivered checks totaling $1,335 to the SALVATION ARMY yesterday. They were very pleased with our virtual KETTLE DAY efforts!!”

Annually, members of the club ring the bell for the Salvation Army at several locations in the Palisades. This year because of Covid-19, members sought online donations.

For more than 40 years, the local Optimists have participated in Kettle Day, a major fundraiser for the Salvation Army.

The Red Kettle dates back to 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee wanted to find a way to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute. In his sailor days in Liverpool, he remembered a large iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which passersby tossed in coins to help the poor.

So, the next day, McFee placed a similar pot at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco with a sign, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had money to feed the needy at Christmas. The idea spread across the nation and today the Salvation Army assists more than 4.5 million people between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Salvation Army also helps pay utilities for low-income households, shelters families who have lost their homes and feeds the hungry. To participate in an online kettle, visit: onlineredkettle.com.

To learn more about the Palisades Optimist Club, visit: palisadesoptimistclub.com or email Club President Rick DeWeese toggerrick@aol.com

 

Posted in Community | Leave a comment

Circling the News Readers React AND Inform: Library, Composting and Jack-in-the-Development

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Sue

Even though the branch library is closed, the book drop has been open.

LIBRARY BOOK DROP:

Palisades Branch Librarian Gail Kim notified Circling the News that the book drop at this location will be locked starting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23 and will not reopen until 10 a.m. on Monday, January 4.

CTN asked if a book was due during that time period, would a patron be fined. She replied, “The library went fine-free on late items on April 1, 2020. However, materials now ‘go lost’ at 30 days after the due date, so plan accordingly and responsibly if you do not want a blocked library card.”

COMPOSTING SURVEY: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Resilient Palisades, a nonprofit of Pacific Palisades neighbors committed to local, national and global action to address the climate and ecological crisis, wants to know what you think.

According to the EPA’s 2018 Wasted Food Report (published just last month), 60 percent of food waste goes to landfill. As a result, greenhouse gases are produced, get trapped in the air, and are contributing to the climate crisis.

Now LA’s Green New Deal proposes to eliminate organic waste ending up in landfill by 2028.

In the Palisades, we can collectively contribute to this goal and reduce organic waste, such as food scraps, ending up in landfills by composting.

To begin such an effort, Resilient Palisades and its Zero Waste Team requests feedback from Palisadians about food-scrap collection and composting with the following brief survey:

https://s4.intellisurvey.com/pub/compost/

 

 

JACK-IN-THE-BOX REPURPOSING COMMENTS:

Not one community organization supported this project because it was called “bad development” but the L.A. City Planning and Land Use Committee approved it. 
Photo: L.A. City Planning

One reader wrote about the December 10 CTN story: Good article about the PLUM “Hearing” regarding the Jack-in-the-Box project. It is amazing that the developers’ attorney admits everyone in the community is against the project and admits that it violates a law prohibiting residential construction on commercially zoned land within a quarter mile of the beach, and the local Councilmember won’t take a PUBLIC stand on it one way or another. What does that tell you? Yet the PLUM approves the project by a 5-0 vote, and later the City Council will approve it by a “however many members present” to 0 vote.  Just land-use planning in L.A.!

A second reader wrote: “The way the Planning Commission handled their review and discussion was blasphemy. Totally unprofessional.

When it comes to City Council approval …. that will be railroaded too.

Everything is a knee-jerk decision. No overall planning, no master plan, no Coastal Plan …. it is unconscionable!!

Drove up to Santa Barbara last week….. that community is so well planned. The sense of architectural integrity is inspiring.

L.A. is out of control with no vision. That attitude spills over into the Palisades, which is being decimated by the lack of coherent planning.

When will we outgrow the “Wild West” enigma?

 

Another reader sent a December 10 story from City Watch (“Raymond Chan, Former L.A. Building & Safety Head, Charged in Indictment”), which reads: “When a unanimous LA City Council in July 2013 approved skyscrapers atop the 7.0-magnitude Hollywood Earthquake Fault, one might have assumed it was a Hollywood movie plot about corrupt politicians running wild. Who could imagine that our elected officials would openly break the law and endanger thousands of lives in the process?  Sadly, though, fact was stranger than fiction.

“A weary public expects Mayor Garcetti and the City Council to embrace every law-breaking abomination that developers propose. But their approval of the Millennium Hollywood project just north of Hollywood & Vine, since rebranded the Hollywood Center project, was truly one for the record books. Not only were the objections of my client, StopTheMillenniumHollywood.com, and dozens of other community groups and associations ignored, but Garcetti and the City Council refused to heed the objections of two state agencies. The California Geological Survey and Caltrans warned that approving the Millennium project was not only illegal, but reckless.”

The story was written by Pasadena-based attorney Robert P. Silverstein, who sued the City over the project.

He notes that in April this year, L.A. City Hall issued a new EIR that denied any earthquake fault concerns, but then in May, “the United States Geological Survey issued a bombshell study showing evidence of multiple active fault lines crossing the Millennium property. This was followed on July 16, 2020 by a powerful new report from the California Geological Survey debunking the EIR’s conclusions and exposing gross errors and omissions in Millennium’s studies.” The author asks if Chan’s indictment will implicate the current Millennium project proposal.

Chan worked for the city for 33 years, serving as the top executive in the Department of Building and Safety from 2013 to 2016. He was promoted to Deputy Mayor for Economic Development by Garcetti and worked in that role from 2016-17. The entire article can be read here: https://citywatchla.com/index.php/cw/los-angeles/20896-raymond-chan-former-la-building-safety-head-charged-in-indictment.

On November 30, the L.A. Times ran a story (“Ramond Chan, Former L.A. Deputy Mayor, Charged in Federal City Hall Corruption Case”) and quoted a spokesperson for Garcetti: “The behavior outlined in this indictment is reprehensible, and Mayor Garcetti is disgusted to learn that Mr. Chan and the others charged were allegedly involved in this effort to defraud the people of our city. Abhorrent conduct like this severely damages the public’s trust in government, and there can be absolutely no place for it.”

The Times wrote, “So far, the corruption case has resulted in guilty pleas from former City Councilman Mitchell Englander, former Huizar aide George Esparza, one longtime City Hall lobbyist and a pair of real estate consultants. Huizar, who was stripped of his pay and his duties earlier this year, has pleaded not guilty to an array of charges, including racketeering, bribery and money laundering.”

This led the Circling the News reader to wonder, “What other illegal project waits to be discovered?”

(Editor’s note: There’s an interesting November 2018 Preserve LA story, “Special Report: FBI Investigation and Pay-to-Play at Los Angeles City Hall,” which summarizes: “This special timeline of official city information reveals how L.A. City Hall works behind closed doors, on behalf of developers and usually without knowledge of the public, to get around an area’s zoning rules and local plans. Most large developers donate to L.A. elected leaders throughout the backroom process. The 12 developers involved, we show, showered the Los Angeles City Councilmembers, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and even candidates hoping to become councilmembers, with $11.1 million in lobbying wining and dining, campaign contributions, and large cash gifts fed into funds controlled by L.A. City Hall politicians.” 

Two developments might be of particular interest to Palisades residents: Caruso’s 333 La Cienega project and Councilman Mike Bonin’s involvement with Martin Expo Town Center (with Martin Automotive listed as the developer). https://www.2preservela.org/los-angeles-developers-investigation-fbi-city-hall-pay-to-play-jose-huizar/)

The Martin Expo is slated for the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Bundy in West Los Angeles. It is about a block from a Metro rail station, which means that people are not expected to have cars, because they will commute to work on the train.

Posted in Books, City/Councilman Mike Bonin, Environmental, General | Leave a comment

Brian Midwin Addresses Possible 2021 Tax Changes

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Sue

Brian Midwin, shown here with his family, spoke to the Rotary about possible tax changes.

Brian Midwin, a managing partner with the CPA firm Midwin Vogel & Nathanson, spoke to the Palisades Rotary Club about possible changes in next year’s tax laws.

He said he’s still recovering from the “stampede” in April when the government created the Paycheck Protection Program. “The government said we have money to loan you and if you follow the rules, the loan will be forgiven.”

In order to qualify, a business needed a payroll and needed to spend the money on the payroll. “This money is taxable,” Midwin said, noting that the business/owner pays the tax, not the employees. “Even if the loan is forgiven, you still have to pay the tax. If it is not forgiven, you have to pay back the loan.”

He said that many businesses, such as the Lakers, had applied for the loan money, but then “gave it back.” There’s the possibility of a second round for the PPP, but “it would be targeted to businesses down in revenue by at least 50 percent.”

Midwin explained that the PPP rollout was poorly done and that after it was “completed,” there was still $100 billion left over that remains unspent despite the country’s economic pain.

Through the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), small businesses and nonprofits could apply for a 30-year fixed loan at 3.75 percent, but there would be no forgiveness. “They capped the loan at $150,000, and some businesses are in danger of defaulting,” Midwin said.

Another result of Covid was that under the CARES Act, those who were older than 70 and 1/2 years old did not have to take their required minimum distributions (RMD) from IRA accounts this year. “Individuals could thus avoid payment of the income tax on the distribution if they do not need the cash flow,” Midwin said. On the other hand, he told the Rotarians, “If you will have income over $400,000 next year, you may want to take the RMD in 2020, when you are subject to lower income tax rates.”

It appears that under President Biden, tax rates may go up. The figures below are what Biden proposed during his campaign.

The top marginal rate on ordinary income is 37 percent until 2026, but Biden’s proposal is to restore the top marginal rate to 39.6 percent for taxpayers with more than $400,000 taxable income.

Currently, the tax-rate on long-term capital gains is 0 percent if income is below $78,750, 15 percent between $78,751 and $488,850, and 20 percent if income is above $488,850. Biden’s proposal would tax capital gains and dividends at 39.6 percent for taxpayers with over $1 million taxable income.

The tax rate on carried interest, if held for at least three years, is taxed at long-term capital gain rates. Under Biden, it would be taxed as ordinary income.

Estate taxes may also be reexamined. Currently the basic exclusion is $11.58 million and there is a 40- percent estate, gift and generation-skipping tax.  (The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) had expanded the amount of assets an individual could pass to their heirs tax free.

Biden is suggesting that the TCJA be repealed. That would lower the estate tax exclusion to $5.49 million (adjusted for inflation) per individual. Also, the estate tax rate could be increased to 45%. This change could be retroactive to January 1, 2021.

He pointed out, “A person has paid taxes their whole life and now the government wants you to pay additional taxes on that person’s death.”

One additional Biden proposal would eliminate the step up in basis on assets when a person dies.  “This is a big deal for Americans whose primary asset is their house,” Midwin said. “Their heirs, when they sell the house, could face a big taxable gain.”

Midwin, who urged people who have individual questions to see out their CPA, summed up his presentation: “Tax rates are going up.”

Visit: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2531. To contact Midwin, email mvncpa.com or call (310) 454-7667.

 

Posted in News | Leave a comment

40 Families Receive YMCA Christmas Trees

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Sue

Christmas trees were loaded at the Pacific Palisades YMCA tree lot for delivery to those who had recently been housed.

Forty families that recently gained housing through Project Homekey received Christmas trees from the Palisades-Malibu YMCA lot in Temescal Canyon.

Y Executive Director Jim Kirtley and Lionnel Zaragoza (Mid Valley Y senior branch executive) thought of different ways they could help families in need this year and providing Christmas trees was one of the ideas.

Zaragoza reached out to Nury Martinez, president of the Los Angeles City Council, and they loved the idea. The housing, Parenthia Place, is located in Council District 6, represented by Martinez.

In a December 4 email, shared with Circling the News, Zaragoza writes: “We will be providing 40 Christmas Trees for families of the first Project Homekey site that opened in Los Angeles. LA Family Housing is working on moving the families into the new site [and] Jim has ordered the trees.

“Marcos, our District Director for CD6, will be connecting me with his LAFH contact to coordinate and I will keep you all posted.”

On December 9, Zaragoza wrote again: “The Palisades team will deliver the trees to Mid Valley on Friday, and I will be working with the city to get them to the Project Homekey location.

“Jim, I know you can’t be there, but I want to thank you for embracing this opportunity and for partnering with me on this unique opportunity. This is just another opportunity for us to share with other organizations and our local elected officials how we continue to show how diverse we are in servicing the community and it’s the reason why we are showing that we are the best investment in Los Angeles.

A tree being delivered to a family.

“LA Family Housing has shared that families are still moving in but have been asking if they can get a Christmas tree. Home Depot will be donating decorations for the families,” Zaragoza said.

On its Instagram, Mid Valley Y noted that the families received a week’s worth of food from Jewish Family Services, LA; a free lunch from Los Tres Hermanos via Doordash; trees through the Palisades YMCA; holiday lights from Home Depot; and gifts for the children from L.A. Family Housing.

Kirtley reached out to the people in Pacific Palisades who have supported the tree lot, which made this donation possible.

“Thank you all for being a part of spreading good things,” Kirtley said. “Hope to see you all Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 at the Ho!Ho!Ho! event held in partnership with and benefiting the Y.”

Posted in Community, Holidays | Leave a comment

Dr. O’Day Informs Optimists about Next Steps for Combating Covid-19

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Sue

Dr. Steven O’Day spoke at an Optimist Club meeting.

Dr. Steven J. O’Day, executive director of the John Wayne Cancer Institute and Cancer Clinic, and Director of Providence Los Angeles Regional Research, spoke at the Optimist Club’s Zoom meeting on December 1.

Recognized as one of the preeminent melanoma specialists in the world, O’Day focused on Covid-19, before the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the FDA.

“We as a country should take amazing bows for the steps that were taken towards [fighting] this virus since January,” he said. “We know much about the virus now, about how it enters cells and maneuvers. The fatality rate is dropping dramatically. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

O’Day, who was trained at Johns Hopkins and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, came to Los Angeles in 1994 and founded the Medical Oncology Division of the John Wayne Cancer Institute.

In his Optimist talk, he went through a brief history of Covid-19 in the U.S., saying the virus was sequenced in February, March and April.

“We were unaware then if it was more like a measles virus,” he said, noting that the Covid-19 virus has proven to be highly contagious. To catch it, you only need to be in the same room with someone who has it.

Scientists also didn’t know if Covid-19 was like an influenza virus, which is airborne and can also be contacted from surfaces.

“Covid is an intermediate airborne,” he said. It’s not as contagious as measles, but the likely spread is closer than six feet. “It is important to understand your risk.”

Things to consider are the extent of the exposure of the viral load, the duration, one’s age and comorbidities. “It’s masks and social distance, together, that protects,” O’Day said.

Currently the experts know that about 20 to 40 percent of persons who are exposed will not get sick and one is most contagious a day or two before one is symptomatic.

As far as rapid testing, O’Day says it gives a false negative 15 to 20 percent of the time. “When a community spread is less than one percent, then you can do contact tracing,” he said. The reason for testing would be that if less than one percent of the population is positive, the virus could be traced.

Yet it has been said that as high as 40 percent of the population might have the virus. “Just assume everyone has it,” the doctor said. “Treatment has been the biggest success.”

O’Day described the symptoms as like having “the worse flu” and said that older individuals have much worse symptoms. “The fatality rate used to be 10 percent for those hospitalized,” he said. “Now it is less than one percent.”

The initial treatment for the disease involved putting patients on ventilators. “We learned [this could] damage lungs even more,” O’Day said. “Now high-flow oxygen given through the nose works better. Doctors also learned that patients placed on their stomachs tended to do better.”

Additionally, an antiviral called remdesivir, used to fight Ebola, is now being used successfully for coronavirus, and it can lessen hospital stays.

O’Day also said that a steroid (anti-inflammatory) dexamethasone has also been successful.

He explained how the virus works. “It kills in two ways: it transmits itself in the host and it manipulates the immune system to overreact. This virus is tricky because it turns the immune system into attacking its own immune system.”

O’Day said that research into the causes of cancer has taught doctors better how to deal with Covid.

“We’ve learned so much,” he said, noting that people who recover from the virus develop antibodies.

“Eli Lilly and Regeneron have genetically engineered antibodies,” O’Day said. If these are used earlier when someone is diagnosed with Covid, they have a better outcome. Both drugs have been approved by the FDA.

The next step in dealing with the pandemic is the vaccines and “they are thought to be highly effective,” O’Day said. “The short-term safety looks quite good. And 70 million people could be vaccinated in December and January.”

He was hopeful that, through vaccinations, we can have herd immunity by summer.

One Optimist said that he had heard that about 40 to 50 percent of the people in Wisconsin are asymptomatic and wondered what it could be in L.A.

“The Midwest could be anywhere from 20 to 50 asymptomatic. Florida is approaching that,” said O’Day, who speculated that L.A. County could be from six to eight percent. “What’s more important is the hospitalization rate.”

“We should be able to reduce mortality because we know what to do,” O’Day said, but he warned the problem could be keeping hospitals staffed.

One Optimist asked about President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 treatment.

“He got the best treatment possible” [using antibodies and steroids], said O’Day, “and it turned around completely.” He also noted that if Trump had contacted this at the beginning of Covid-19, he might have had a different outcome.

Asked about Governor Gavin Newsom’s statement that California would have to evaluate the vaccination for safety before it was given here, O’Day said, “That seems unnecessarily political. Get the vaccination — it has exceeded expectations by far.”

He was asked about future viruses. “We’re always at risk for a new virus. We will have pandemics in the future. We need to look at how best to work civilly as a population.”

The December 15 video topic is speaker Sir Ken Robinson, who will address “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”

Pacific Palisades Optimist Club is meeting virtually. New members are welcome.

Posted in Health | Leave a comment

CRIME: Reported in Pacific Palisades through December 11

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Sue

CRIME: The following crimes were reported in Pacific Palisades through December 10. Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore sends this report every week. These are the reported crimes and residents are reminded to file police reports.

Regarding thefts of delivered boxes from homes, LAPD Chief of Police Michel Moore wrote on Twitter: “Too many of these Grinches are roaming around LA, trying to steal Christmas. Here are some tips to protect your packages from porch pirates: Don’t leave packages unattended; get them delivered to a business address; or pick them up at a drop-off facility.”

BURGLARY:

December 1, 8:45 p.m., in the 100 block of Adelaide Drive. A 40-year-old male was arrested for burglary after a witness identified him from committing the burglary earlier that day.

December 5, 7:20 p.m., in the 1100 block of Napoli Drive. The male suspect attempted to enter victim’s home through a second-floor window but fled in a white vehicle when discovered by victim.

December 7, 2:20 to 3:49 p.m. in the 1400 block of Brinkley. The two male Hispanic suspects, 30 to 40 years of age, pried open a door to enter victim’s home and took jewelry, an iPad and a watch. The suspects fled in a black four-door Lexus.

December 10 to 11, 4:40 p.m. to 7 a.m., in the 200 block of Entrada. The suspect pried open a door to enter victim’s office and took tools.

December 1, 12:41 p.m., in the 16900 block of Bollinger. The two suspects (a male Hispanic, 40, brown hair, 6’, 190 lbs. and a female Hispanic, 35 to 40 years old, with black hair, 5’4” and 150 lbs.) pried open a door to enter victim’s home and took clothing. The suspects fled in a red Chevy pickup truck.

BURGLARY/THEFT FROM VEHICLE:

November 30 to December 1, 9 p.m. to 2:10 a.m. in the 800 block of Hartzell. The suspect smashed a window to enter victim’s vehicle and took sunglasses.

December 1 to 3, 10 p.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the 14600 Bestor. The suspect took both license plates from victim’s vehicle.

December 5, 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the 500 block of Los Liones. The suspect entered victim’s vehicle and took a wallet and money.

December 7, noon to 1:30 p.m., in the 800 block of Temescal Canyon Road. The suspect smashed a window to enter victim’s vehicle and took money and a purse.

DUI:

December 11, 6:21 p.m., at Sunset Boulevard and Bienveneda. A 50-year-old female was arrested for DUI after being involved in a traffic collision.

THEFT:

November 27, 3 p.m., at 15000 Sunset. The suspect told victim that she would get $300 if she gave the suspect her account number. The suspect then took $1,000 from victim’s account.

December 8, 6:30 to 6:40 a.m., in the 1300 block of Lachman Lane. The male suspects (the first described as Hispanic, 30, bald, 5’10” 150 lbs. and the second, no further description) took a package from victim’s front porch.

December 10, 6:30 p.m., in the 1000 block of Swarthmore. The male suspect (Asian, 60, black/grey hair, 5’2” and 140 lbs.) entered victim’s business, took clothing and exited without paying. The suspect fled in a dark gray Land Rover SUV.

December 10, 10:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m., in the 1200 block of Monument. The suspect, pretending to be victim’s boss, tricked victim into buying gift cards and sending the suspect the card pins.

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.) Senior Lead Officer is Michael Moore and his email is 27995@lapd.online.

 

Posted in Crime/Police | 1 Comment

Ho!Ho!Ho! Activities Will Begin This Week 

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Sue

Until 2018, the community Ho!Ho!Ho! festivities were sponsored by the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, but then the Grinch decided this celebration was no longer needed because of activities at Caruso’s mall. The free event was slated to go the way of wayward reindeer – somewhere north of the pole and never to return.

Fortunately, many residents loved the Ho!Ho!Ho! tradition and banded together as volunteers to keep it alive. In 2018, they put together an incredible event at the Recreation Center and the following year the event included singers, dancers, a bake sale and nearly a thousand participants at Simon Meadow.

This year, prizes have been donated from shopkeepers such as Vivian’s Boutique, Antique Collections, Katie O’Neill painting, Cinque Terre West, PaliSkates and Palisades Garden Café. More merchants and volunteers are sought, please contact Lou Kamer mrlou@me.com.

Visit: palitown.com or go to Facebook and Instagram: @palihohoho.

Last year, Mr. and Mrs. Claus visited Simon Meadow. This year you will be able to see them via a car parade in Temescal Canyon Park or via Zoom.                                                                                                      Photo: Rosalie Huntington

KIDS CAN VISIT WITH SANTA ON FRIDAY:

The 69th annual Ho!Ho!Ho! tradition will begin on Friday, December 18, when Santa, an essential worker, comes to town. Parents (or grandparents) will be able to drive a loop through Temescal Canyon Park, located at the corner of Sunset and Temescal Canyon Road, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. next Friday and children can wave at Mr. and Mrs. Claus. (While in the area, pick up a Christmas tree or wreath at the Palisades-Malibu YMCA tree lot).

LETTERS TO SANTA:

At the YMCA lot, there’s a box specifically for kids to deposit a letter to Santa – and it doesn’t need to be placed in an envelope; heck, you don’t even have to fold it. Just have the child write it and drop it in the box. Or if you would rather email the letter (have mom or dad scan it) and send it to PaliHoHoHo@gmail.com. You can also try to call Santa at 424-523-1999.

KIDS CAN ZOOM VISIT WITH SANTA:

This year, children will also have an opportunity to visit one-on-one with Santa via Zoom. He will be available on Saturday and Sunday, December 19-20. from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sign up on palitown.com. (A $20 donation is asked and will provide Covid-related support for the YMCA. If it’s been a tough year, no worries — no child will be turned away because of money.)

HO!HO!HO! PET CONTEST

Via Nextdoor, you can enter your pet in a holiday photo contest. Simply post a photo on the site until December 23. The top three winners (those with the most “likes” on the photo), will receive prizes donated by local merchants.

YOUTUBE MESSAGES:

Look for YouTube messages from Santa, Mrs. Santa and their favorite elf, starting this week (https://bit.ly/34aCdoV).

Posted in Holidays | 1 Comment

Local Troupe Will Perform ‘A Christmas Carol’ on Zoom on December 16

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Sue

Last year, actors from Theatre Palisades Actors’ Troupe presented a radio play. This year the annual performance will be done via Zoom.

One of the loveliest holiday traditions in our town the past seven years has been the annual radio play performed by the Theatre Palisades Acting Troupe.

The actors have performed “It’s A Wonderful Life” several times, as well as “A Christmas Carol,” complete with sound effects. Performed strictly as a radio drama, the dialogue, music and sound effects were a throwback to the 1940s.

A radio play is fascinating as Foley artists produce the sounds of footsteps, coal being shoveled in a stove, coins falling and eerie wind sounds. It takes the audience back to a different era, before television.

This year the troupe will perform “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, with sound production by Martha Hunter and directed by Sherman Wayne.

The event is free, and residents are asked to register for the live stream by visiting theatrepalisades.org. Online donations are accepted, or a resident can mail a check: P.O. Box 881 Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

In pre-Covid years, when the play was performed in a cozy theater, I enjoyed the cookies and mulled wine while sitting and listening to the talented actors.

When I registered my disappointment with Hunter that we won’t be able to enjoy her concoction this year, she was happy to share the recipe.

“I combine red wine (usually a cabernet), brandy, honey, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves stuck in cut oranges and star anise,” she said. “Too many cloves can make it bitter so careful with those. The ratio for the wine and brandy is 2 to 1. Sometimes, if it tastes too strong, I add some apple cider. Cook it on low heat for at least an hour. I use my crockpot.

“There are lots of recipes for mulled wine with many variations online, but I like this one the most,” Hunter said and then shared one that she also found online. https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/mulled-wine-recipe/

Hunter added, “And, as Tiny Tim says, ‘God bless us, everyone!’”

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