Homeless/RV Encampments Continue to Foul and Endanger the Ballona Wetlands

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Sue

The photo of this great egret was taken by birdwatcher Lynzie Flynn in August at Ballona. Birdwatchers and those who care about the environment are asking the City and State to save the area for birds and other animals.

Millions of birds fly along a 7,500-mile migratory route between northern Alaska and the southern tip of South America. Wetlands, including the freshwater Ballona Ecological Reserve in Playa Vista, provide vital resting points during the journey.

With their unique location between salt and freshwater, wetlands shelter more than one-third of the country’s threatened and endangered species, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This year, migrating birds have encountered a Ballona Wetlands that has become degraded by homeless encampments and people living in RVs along Jefferson Avenue, west of Lincoln Avenue. These “residents” are discarding garbage, rubbish and human waste in this area.

Bird watchers and residents have complained to Councilman Mike Bonin since May, according to emails received by CTN.

On October 4, Bonin finally arranged for a $65,000, six-ton garbage collection from the site.

RVs, illegally parked, and other structures are home to people destroying the Ballona wetlands.

One resident said, “They [RVs] are parked there illegally, why are we paying for cleanup, when they shouldn’t have been allowed to foul the area in the first place?”

A second resident said, “The cleanup didn’t even make a dent in the garbage that’s accumulated there. There is still no plan to move the RVs. This is ridiculous.”

Back on May 19, a Playa resident emailed Jennifer Lucchesi, executive officer of the California State Lands Commission, and detailed the problem.

“Over the past few years, the residents of the Wetlands area have been dealing with an increase in crime and with the help of LAPD and the LA Sheriff’s Department it was determined that many of the suspects perpetrating the crimes were homeless people living in the Wetlands.

“Mr. [Kelly] Connor [California State Public Land Management] was forwarded information, through a newspaper article, which detailed this story. Unfortunately, the situation with the homeless living in the Wetlands has increased over time. We are now dealing with RVs camped along Jefferson Blvd. The encampment is so large that there are over fifteen RVs permanently parked on the street blocking public access to the freshwater Marsh.

“The area is littered with trash which includes sofas, mattresses and chairs. There are even permanent structures built on the sides of the RVS which resemble makeshift huts. Also, not but least the RV occupants use the freshwater March as a TOILET!

“Our local officials are unable to control this dangerous situation and we are extremely frustrated. Local residents and children are unable to access the trails to the freshwater marsh because the RVS are permanently parked there and to be frank the homeless are not to be told to move. They are quite adamant about living right where they are. This situation is a big problem, and we want our beautiful area back before it’s too late. We need your help.”

Lucchesi responded on May 20: “…We share your interest in having a clean and healthy wetland and marsh and are monitoring this situation. We are also coordinating closely with CDFW (California Department of Fish and Wildlife). One suggestion we have received from CDFW staff is that if you notice camping in the vicinity west of the Freshwater Marsh, calling parking enforcement immediately is recommended: 818-374-4823.”

Residents were told by the Friends of the Ballona Wetlands that Bonin’s “office has informed me that all of those people living in the RVs, who are slowly destroying this area, need to be offered permanent housing before they can be asked to leave.” That means illegal parking is not enforced.

Residents reached out to Margaret Cooper, the South Coast Regional Manager for the California State Coastal Conservancy, about the issue and received this response on May 20: “I am sorry to hear about that. The Department of Fish and Wildlife owns and manages the Ballona Ecological Reserve so I will forward your email to the land manager there.”

Residents are trying to save the Ballona Wetlands for birds like the pied-billed Grebe chicks. This photo was taken in August and residents worry that this area will be destroyed by illegally parked RVs.
Photo: Lynzie Flynn

Residents then contacted Lucinda Calvo, attorney for the California State Lands Commission, who responded by email on May 24: “Thank you for sharing your concerns and providing this information on conditions and incidents at the Ballona Wetlands and the Freshwater Marsh. State Lands Commission staff are looking into the situation and how we can best communicate with the City on these issues.”

In August, CTN visited the area with several bird watchers and reported on the situation. (https://www.circlingthenews.com/ballona-ecologic…-and-human-waste/ ‎)

On October 9, a birdwatcher was bitten by a dog that was running off-leash by the marsh. A tetanus shot and antibiotics were required. Although the dog was reported to authorities, it was not removed from the illegally camped owner. Nor was it quarantined.

In the process of discovering whose dog it was, residents learned that a woman who had sold her house in Las Vegas, and was now attending USC, had a five-year-old daughter living with her in a yellow RV/bus along Jefferson.

Early this week, Circling the News contacted State Senator Ben Allen and Assemblymember Autumn Burke and explained, “I’ve written about the complete degradation of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, located in Playa Vista.

“The approximately 600-acre protected area is owned by the State of California and managed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The sewage and trash from illegally parked RV’s is running into this sensitive area.”

CTN asked, “Can you explain why the State is not insisting that the City clean up the hazards that are going into the wetlands. Why is the State not fining the City for destroying an environmentally sensitive area?

“Can you also explain for my story, why the State is not stepping in to clean this up during bird migration?”

Allen responded the next day, on October 19: “I remain concerned by the increase in debris and trash at the Ballona Wetlands. My staff and I have been working extensively with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to ensure they are up to date on areas in need of additional attention.

“We happily welcome the public’s help and input in alerting us to areas of state property needing cleanup so we can notify the proper agencies in Los Angeles. We will continue to work with all relevant jurisdictions in search of long-term solutions that protect the reserve’s ecological treasures.”

The RVs parked along Ballona allow garbage and human waste to go into the environmentally sensitive area.

CTN is still waiting for Assemblymember Burke’s response.

Toilet paper and feces were a short distance from the RVs on the Ballona property.

Posted in Environmental, Homelessness | 4 Comments

Palisadian Co-Authors ‘Redeeming Justice’, a Memoir that Explores the Criminal Justice System

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Sue

Jarrett Adams spent nearly a decade in jail for a crime he did not commit.

By LAUREL BUSBY

Special to Circling the News

A false accusation of rape sent 17-year-old Jarrett Adams to prison for almost a decade.

His odyssey, detailed in his new book, “Redeeming Justice,” covers his trial with an inept defense attorney, his soul-crushing years in prison, his eventual exoneration after years of effort, and his determination after his release to help others in similar circumstances by earning both a bachelor’s and a law school degree in only seven years while working a full-time job.

Alan Eisenstock

The memoir, written with Palisadian Alan Eisenstock, who has co-authored numerous memoirs of people ranging from L.A. Laker Elgin Baylor to comedian George Lopez, is both a moving portrait of one man’s perseverance against horrendous odds and an indictment of a justice system that penalizes those without the money to afford an attorney.

“I think the reader will have a strong visceral, emotional reaction” to Adams’ story, Eisenstock said. “You will also come away with what Jarrett would want you to take away, which is how inadequate the criminal justice system is.”

One fascinating tidbit of Adams’ experience was how his assigned public defender chose a “no-defense strategy” wherein he called no witnesses and made no effort to fight the charges. Unsurprisingly, this technique did not work.

Once convicted, Adams, one of three young men who were falsely accused, fought to learn the law through the prison library while also combing local papers for names of attorneys who might be able to help him. He sent letter after letter requesting legal assistance until his efforts eventually paid off when the Wisconsin Innocence Project took up his cause.

After more than nine years in prison, Adams was finally exonerated. The two other young men accused with him each had different experiences. The family of one had the means to hire a good attorney, and he never spent a day in prison. The third was released three months after Adams, but he was never cleared since his appeal was filed too late. Thus, he is falsely labeled a sex offender and is still fighting to clear his name.

“Redeeming Justice” shares insights on many unfair aspects of not only the judicial system, but the prison system. Adams and his fellow prisoners are at the mercy of guards who can lie and write them up for minor in-prison offenses that subsequently lengthen their prison time. If a prisoner incurs such an infraction, he may be unable to get time off for good behavior. Adams became skilled at helping them fight these accusations and so was twice transferred to solitary confinement for a year at a time in retribution.

“He’s had an extraordinary experience in his life,” Eisenstock said. “I want people to experience that and be as outraged and emotional as I felt.”

Aspects of that experience include the stress of recovering from life in prison, because Adams spent so many years always on alert to make sure he wasn’t a victim of prison violence. When he returned home, sleep was difficult, because it was so difficult to relax and feel safe.

He went to therapy to help him process his experience and also developed a relentless drive to make up for the lost decade of his life. Adams shared all of these details with Eisenstock during almost a year of interviews that required him to dredge up incredibly painful experiences.

“He was absolutely tremendous,” Eisenstock said. “He trusted me, and he allowed himself to really relive all of it.”

Using about 2,000 pages of transcriptions of those interviews, Eisenstock began to craft the book, which was released on September 14 by the Random House imprint Convergent and named a “Best Book of September” by Amazon.

It has also received glowing reviews, including a piece in the October 8 Washington Post, and a lengthy write-up by Gil Garcetti, former LA district attorney, in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Garcetti wrote that Adams’ “story affected me, as has none other, telling the tragedy of a life broken, if not ruined, by a failed criminal justice system imbued with racism.”

Garcetti encourages readers by saying, “I am certain you will be moved, outraged, and even charmed” by the book and later comments that Adams’ story “left me with hope that the injustice he suffered can be leveraged for lasting change and perhaps even systemic transformation.”

 

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Annual YMCA Metropolitan Celebration Held at Simon Meadow

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Sue

 

Cindy Simon addressed the audience during the YMCA Of Metropolitan Los Angeles annual celebration at Simon Meadow.

Annually, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles honors employees and donors with service awards and recognition, usually in a large hotel ballroom downtown.

This year, the luncheon ceremony was held on October 14 under a large tent – with chandeliers – at Simon Meadow in Temescal Canyon.

Long-time YMCA Volunteer Mike Martini attended the annual Y luncheon at Simon Meadow. Cindy Simon is about to join him at the table.

Complete with valet parking, a bar and appetizers, this location leading into the Santa Monica Mountains, with the Pacific Ocean less than a mile away, exceeded expectations with its beauty and ease of service.

With the Y’s Pumpkin Path and Winding Way as a backdrop, Andrew Crowell, chairman of the Metro Y’s board of directors, welcomed everyone and noted, “We haven’t gathered in 21 months. But, we have not just persevered, we have thrived.”

He called the move to hold a large outdoor ceremony in Simon Meadow as “symbolic of how flexible we are as an organization. We pivot and adapt the needs of the community. As circumstances change, so do we.”

During Covid, the YMCA provided assistance to children who did not have WiFi, organized weekly food drives for communities and aided the homeless.

Longtime Palisades resident Cindy Simon was acknowledged as the “Patroness of the Palisades.” She told the almost 500 people gathered under a giant tent that “if you visited here almost 14 years ago, you would have seen dirt, a chain-link fence and a hillside laded with fallen branches.”

She noted that in 2007, when the Palisades Y was able to purchase the 4-acre Temecal property it had been leasing, Executive Director Carol Pfannkuche launched a fundraising drive and the property began undergoing a transformation.

Cindy and her husband Bill, who ran against Gray Davis in the 2002 gubernatorial election, made the major donation towards Simon Meadow.

“American Growers added irrigation and planted sycamore trees,” Simon said, and a permanent fence was built to enclose the property.

“Five years ago, Jim Kirtley [current Y executive director], who is always supportive of my ideas, allowed the creation of Winding Way,” said Simon, who explained how “we fill it with upcycled art.”

Simon said that last Sunday, she enjoyed listening to families who had come to the meadow to buy pumpkins. They all seemed to be delighted with the free and easy spirit of this area — “the four-acre jewel in the YMCA crown known as Simon Meadow.”

Next on the dais was Gigi Bostic, a youth participant in the Pali Y’s “Get Out, Get Moving” program that started during Covid as a way to get kids outdoors and away from screens.

Bostic said her family moved here about a year ago and she didn’t know anyone, so her mom made her come to the program.

“We played games and I had fun and I made friends,” she said. “I had joy that I hadn’t felt in a while. The Y isn’t just a great place, it’s a great world.”

Gigi Bostic told a Y-impact story about how she made friends during a Y program.

The Waller Taylor Awards were handed out by Cristina Rose, a member of the Metro Y Board. “We closed down 26 facilities overnight [because of Covid mandates],” she said, and she noted this particular award is rarely given out, but this year two individuals would be honored: Mario Valenzuela and Lionnel Zaragoza.

Valenzuela, who started with the mid-Valley Y and is now the executive director of the Weingart Y in East L.A., was responsible for starting the Grab n’ Go during Covid that all Y’s have adopted. “Nobody in my community will go hungry,” he said. Valenzuela also served as the Y’s first president of equity.

Zaragoza started with the YMCA in 2000 and worked at the Palisades Y from 2001 to 2015 as the director of membership and healthy lifestyles. He is now the senior branch executive of the Metropolitan Y.

“Lionel was everywhere [during Covid],” Rose said. “He was on the streets talking to the homeless. He was in the offices of officials to clear regulations to reopen children services and the first to reopen Y’s to provide internet to children.”

Zaragoza would ask, “What can I do?” and Rose said that inspired other branches. He worked with a shower program for the homeless and ways to provide baby diapers.

“Your leadership has transcended boundaries,” Rose told the two men. “On behalf of the millions of Angelinos you have served, I add my thanks.”

After the Golden Book Awards, which were presented to various Y volunteers, the attendees recited the Ragger’s Creed: “I would be true/for there are those who trust me; I would be pure/for there are those who care; I would be strong/for there is much to suffer; I would be brave/for there is much to dare; I would be friend to all/the foe, the friendless; I would be giving/and forget the gift; I would be humble/for I know my weakness; I would look up/and laugh and love and lift.”

The “Rag” was written in 1914 by Thomas Caldwell, who wanted to reward positive character traits, such as promptness, cheerfulness, morals, trust and helpfulness.

The day’s program was printed on handmade recycled paper embedded with wildflower seeds and this message: “Plant, water, tend with love, and watch your flowers grow!”

Lionnel Zaragoza (left) is congratulated by Palisades-Malibu YMCA Executive Director Jim Kirtley for receiving the Waller Taylor Award.

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Letter: Marina del Rey Public Boat Launch Is a Disaster Evacuation Site

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Sue

(Editor’s note: L.A. City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo released an August 10 feasibility study stating that several City beaches and parks – including Will Rogers State Beach — were not good locations for proposed homeless villages. But Councilman Mike Bonin’s proposal left under consideration a Marina del Rey site used to launch boats for law enforcement and fire personnel, a the Dockweiler RV lot, Los Angeles World Airport Land and a Culver City parking lot on the table. 

Greg Schem, a Pacific Palisades resident and president of the Marina del Rey Lessees Association, sent the October 17 letter below to the Board of Supervisors.)

The Marina del Rey Public Boat Launch Ramp is one of only a few locations in Los Angeles County designated as a major air disaster evacuation site.

At its meeting of October 13, 2021, the Small Craft Harbor Commission voted unanimously its opposition to the proposed use of the County-owned Public Boat Launch Ramp (Lot 2 at 13477 Fiji Way) in Marina del Rey for homeless housing.

The Commission requested that the City of Los Angeles conduct a community impact study in addition to the site feasibility report that the City prepared.

Of the four remaining sites under consideration, two of the sites, including the launch ramp, are not in Council District 11, while the other two sites are a state-owned beach and property at the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)-owned site that would require approval from the FAA.

Apparently, the CAO believes the burden of providing housing and services for the homeless should fall primarily to areas outside the boundary of Council District 11.

The Harbor Commission requested that a full public hearing be held prior to the consideration of using the launch ramp for tiny homes for the unhoused. During two meetings of the Commission, including one on September 8, not one person spoke in favor of the City’s proposed homeless housing at the launch ramp.

The CAO report claims that the launch ramp (Lot 2 at 13477 Fiji Way) is an underutilized parking lot, thereby either failing to understand or completely ignoring, whether willfully or not, the significance of the site as a major evacuation site and a helicopter landing zone for emergency services.

To date, there is no evidence that the City (or even the County of Los Angeles) has considered that the contemplated “temporary” homeless housing at the Public Boat Launch Ramp would be in conflict with LAWA’s FAA-approved Air/Sea Disaster Plan for LAX. The Air/Sea Disaster Plan identifies the launch ramp as a “major evacuation site.” The obvious concerns of LAWA, FAA, the first responders, such as the Coast Guard and local fire and law enforcement, ought to be uppermost in mind.

The Public Boat Launch Ramp is one of only a few locations in Los Angeles County designated as a major air disaster evacuation site.  Given its close proximity to LAX’s primary airline takeoff pattern over the Pacific Ocean and the Marina’s abundance of first responder personnel and equipment (i.e., Coast Guard, LA County Fire, Sheriff and Lifeguard stations are all located in the Marina and a hospital is located on the Marina’s perimeter), Lot 2 would undoubtedly serve as the primary emergency evacuation site in the event of a major air disaster.

If Lot 2 contained a small village housing the homeless, imagine the unnecessary chaos that would ensue when first responders rush to mobilize at the facility following a catastrophic air disaster.  With these factors in mind, we conclude that LAWA, the FAA, the Coast Guard and LA County’s Sheriff, Fire and Lifeguard management could not have been duly consulted by the City of Los Angeles regarding this ill-advised proposal for the use of the launch ramp.

A community impact study must also include an assessment of the risk to public safety in placing homeless housing on a major public boat launch ramp facility, where trailers, heavy machinery and watercraft vessels are operated and backed into the water.

Aside from its emergency disaster and evacuation uses, the Public Boat Launch Ramp’s unique function of providing low-cost access for recreational boating, amongst the most highly protected user group under the California Coastal Act, has not been given suitable consideration.

It would be misguided to disenfranchise members of the boating public, many of whom use the Marina’s launch ramp as a lower-cost recreational boating facility and have no other reasonable option to gain access to the ocean for the boats.

Locating housing at the Lot 2 public launch ramp would be in conflict with long-standing Coastal Commission policies and practice, including the Marina del Rey Land Use Plan certified by the Coastal Commission on February 8, 2012, and the Marina del Rey Specific Plan adopted on March 20, 2012. Neither the Land Use Plan nor the Specific Plan, which include the Waterfront Overlay Zone, permit a residential use of the property that is reserved primarily for a combination of visitor-serving, boating or marine commercial uses.

As the Board of Supervisors continues its annual adoption of a shelter crisis declaration, the Association requests the consideration of the various reasons that the Lot 2 launch ramp remains an improper and unsupportable location to provide shelter to homeless persons.

Posted in City/Councilman Mike Bonin, Homelessness | Leave a comment

OBITUARY: Stuart Farberow, 58, Beloved Maui Police Officer, Proud Father                                    

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Sue

Longtime Palisadian Stuart Farberow passed away on October 11, 2021, in Anna, Texas, while surrounded by friends and family. He was 58 years old.

 Stuart was born in Harbor City, California on January 10, 1963, to Roberta (Bobbie) Farberow and the late Mort Farberow. His early years were spent in Palos Verdes, until the age of nine, when the family moved to Pacific Palisades in 1972.

During his high school years, Stuart worked with his family at Mort’s Deli in various job capacities, and he was able to make numerous lifelong friendships while working there.

Stuart graduated from Palisades High School in 1981, and then joined the Malibu Sheriff’s Mountain Rescue Team as a volunteer. That job is what prompted his interest in becoming a police officer when he moved to Hawaii.

As a new recruit of the Maui Police Department, he was sent to work on the island of Molokai for a year, where he met his future wife, Christi. They married in 1996, and had a daughter, Kalee. Although the couple eventually divorced, they remained good friends while co-parenting Kalee.

Stuart’s world was immersed in his daughter Kalee, who had made him proud by becoming a third-year veterinary student at Western University in the department of Biological Science and Veterinary Medicine. Kalee had always brought so much joy to her dad.

Stuart was a longtime Lahaina patrol officer, speed team member, and evoc and taser instructor. His last assignment — and probably his favorite job — was as a school resource officer for Lahainaluna High School.

Stuart and Kalee decided to rescue retired horses that had no grazing land on Maui. West Maui Land Company generously allowed them to utilize 16 acres of fenced-in land with water, which became known as Kalee’s Retirement Stables.

While living in Hawaii, Stuart immersed himself in the Maui Island community and was beloved by all for his generous heart and big smile.

He was predeceased by his father, Mort Farberow. He is survived by his daughter, Kalee Farberow (Culver City); his mother, Bobbie Farberow (Pacific Palisades); sister Karen Farberow, and wife Kathi (Long Beach); and Stuart’s former wife, Christi Machler (Fall Creek, Wisconsin).

A memorial service will be held at Kehillath Israel Synagogue, located at 16019 Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Palisades, on Friday, November 5 at 3 p.m. (Masks must be worn.)

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to your favorite charity.

 

Posted in Obituaries | 11 Comments

Undefeated Palisades High Football Wins Showdown with Hamilton, 63-7

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Sue

After catching a pass, Moses Ross sprints to a touchdown.
Photo: Palisades High Football Facebook

It was supposed to be a hard-fought showdown: Hamilton (6-0) versus Palisades (7-0), with the eventual Western League championship on the line. Hamilton even rented floodlights so that the game could be played on a Friday night.

But then the game began, and it was basically over within two minutes as the Palisades Dolphins scored two touchdowns without even running a play from scrimmage and rolled to a 63-7 victory.

Receiving the opening kickoff, senior speedster Moses Ross returned the ball 90 yards for a touchdown.

Then on Hamilton’s third play, junior Amari Yolas intercepted a pass and ran 23 yards for the touchdown. The PAT kick by Giovanni Ferrero was good, and he would finish the night with nine of them.

Hamilton’s fortunes continued to wither as sophomore quarterback Sammy Silvia led the Dolphins downfield, with leading rusher Daniel Anoh breaking loose for a 29-yard run before Silvia scored from the one to make the score 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Quarterback Sammy Silvia hands off to Daniel Anoh.
Photo: Palisades High School Facebook

Hamilton advanced into Pali territory, but senior Liam Herrera recovered a fumble on the 26, and Silvia completed a 23-yard TD pass to junior Kwazi Estes. On Pali’s next possession, Silvia connected with Ross, who broke loose for an 82-yard TD run.

Unable to move the ball, Hamilton attempted to punt, but it was blocked by a Palisades defender Matt Fahn. Starting on the Pali 41, Silvia handed off twice to senior Anoh, who scored from the 30.

Hamilton drove downfield until senior Johnny Babala intercepted a pass and returned it to the Warriors’ 47. Silvia passed to Ross for 16 yards and then again to Ross for 31 yards and a touchdown, right before halftime, making the score 49-0.

In the third quarter, Silvia began handing off to sophomore Josh Russell, who ran for a touchdown and finished the night with 53 yards in just four carries.

Hamilton’s woes continued when senior Angus Gilchriest blocked a punt and junior Savyour Riley returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.

Jack Babala stops the Hamilton quarterback.
Photo: Palisades High School Football Facebook

Once again, the Palisades defense was smothering, led by senior Jack Babala and juniors Riley, Yolas and Toby Manheim.

Ross, who runs track for Pali (100 and 200), said he’s been playing football since he was six, first Pop Warner, then the Snoop Dog Youth Football League. In addition to his speed, he has nice lateral motion and can read the field. He caught two passes for 122 yards against Hamilton.

“We played one of our better games today,” he said, noting that the team was putting in the hard work and it was paying off. He was asked about his mind set on the field. “The TD is home,” he said, noting that once he has the ball, he runs it home.

Anoh, a slippery little runner who is tough to tackle, ran for 146 yards in just nine carries, for a 16.2 average, as he pursues a school record in rushing yardage. He has 1,093 yards and the record is 1,965 with two league games plus the playoffs still to play.

Silvia completed 5 of 9 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns as Palisades once again displayed a balanced offensive attack.

Head Coach Chris Hyduke said, “I’ve coached for 40 plus years, and it’s amazing how ‘loose’ these kids are ‘like a bunch of kittens in a basket,’ but once they’re on the field they’re focused and play really well.

“They dominated tonight and met all expectations.”

Palisades will host Fairfax (2-4 record this season) for its homecoming game this Friday night at 7 p.m. The Dolphins remain third-ranked in the City, behind Banning (Wilmington) and San Pedro.

Head JV Coach Ray Marsden took his team to Hawthorne on Thursday night and won 38-0. Few of the City schools are fielding a JV team, which has forced Marsden to seek out other schools for his team to play.

“My kids will have a year of playing – and the experience – and then move up to varsity,” Marsden said, noting that the lack of JV preparation will hinder City varsity teams next year.

Sophomore Josh Russell scores a touchdown, after getting blocks from seniors Corey Ehrlich and Jonathan Pizante.
Photo: PaliHi Football Facebook

 

Posted in General, Sports | Leave a comment

Wedding: Sarah Levy Marries Graham Outerbridge

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Sue

Sarah Levy and Graham Outerbridge dancing at their wedding.
Photo: Instagram

By BERNICE FOX

Right now there’s probably a glow around Pacific Palisades Honorary Mayor Eugene Levy because of his latest role as real life father of the bride.

On Saturday, his actress daughter, Sarah Levy, married actor Graham Outerbridge.

Sarah’s big brother, Dan, was first to announce the wedding news with a posting Monday on Instagram. The photo on Dan’s page shows him, his newlywed sister and others whooping it up during the reception at the Sunset Tower Hotel on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

Dan writes “Love you, SarahPLevy.”

Sarah responds in uppercase lettering:

BEST NIGHT EVER. Love you!!

And Sarah posted three sweet photo booth-style pictures of her and her new husband that were snapped at the reception.

Sarah is best known for playing Twyla the waitress on “Schitt’s Creek.”

Graham Outerbridge has had roles on TV shows such as “Law and Order,” “Ballers,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and many others.

Together, they’re in the cast of an upcoming comedy-drama called “Distancing Socially,” which Outerbridge is co-producing.

Sarah Levy and Graham Outerbridge pose at their wedding.
Photo: Instagram

Posted in Film/Television | Leave a comment

Art Contest for Youth to Celebrate Town’s 100th

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Sue

The founding of Pacific Palisades took place January 14, 1922.
Photo: Zola Clearwater Collection

In conjunction with the Pacific Palisades Historical Society, the American Legion Auxiliary is helping sponsor a coloring/art contest.

The contest will help Pacific Palisades celebrate its 100th birthday next January 14-15 at several landmark locations in the community, organized by the Historical Society.

The contest is open to all youth who live in Pacific Palisades, or who attend school here, and will close on December 1.

Kindergarten through fifth graders are invited to color a drawing created by town artist Katie O’Neil, who has patterned her drawing after one of the early Zola Clearwater Collection photos.

Copies of the drawing will be taken to all local schools. If more drawings are needed, contact the Auxiliary at (310) 454-0527.

Once the drawing is colored, the contestant should put their name, grade and a parent’s telephone number on the back of the sheet and deliver it to Estate Coffee at 847 Via de la Paz.

Kindergarten and first grade will be judged together; second and third will be judged together and fourth and fifth grade will be judged together. The winner in each category will receive $100.

For students in sixth through eighth grade, an original art project is sought. It can be based upon photos on the Historical Society website (pacificpalisadeshistory.org) or an art project that best celebrates the town’s centennial. The winner will receive $300.

High school students are also invited to enter an original art project based on the town’s history. The winner will receive $300.

Members of the Pacific Palisades Art Association will judge the entries.

Good luck to everyone who participates in this contest.

 

Posted in Arts | 1 Comment

Shared Housing Works, But the City Doesn’t Use It to House the Homeless

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Sue

This man is living in the Westchester Senior Center Parking lot, across from the Library and CD11’s Westchester headquarters. This is not a dignified way to live.

With more than 60,000 homeless people living on the streets and parks of Los Angeles – and residents told that nothing can be done because there’s not enough housing—one option is overlooked: shared housing.

The effectiveness of efficiency of this approach was explained at the October 5 Palisades Optimist Club Zoom meeting.

Brian Ulf of SHARE! and Heidi Roberts of Haaven Shared Housing noted that shared housing costs are far lower than building individual apartments at $700,000 each. Unfortunately, developers, contractors and those in the homeless industrial complex don’t make money with that model.

Why doesn’t LAHSA (L.A. Homeless Services Authority) get behind shared housing? CTN contacted that organization with the question, but no one has returned the call.

Roberts, a Venice resident who founded Haaven with her husband in 2019, said that LAHSA has told her that it is undignified for people to share housing and that because her nonprofit does not allow alcohol and drugs on the premises, she is “impeding people’s civil rights.”

Shared housing means, for example, that eight people might share a house and in some cases, they share a room. Roberts asks, “Is it more undignified to live on the street or share a room?”

Brian Ulf

Ulf said that he is a recovering alcoholic (since 2001), and that his career was in commercial real estate before he turned his attention to housing the homeless. He is president and CEO of StrongHouse Realty Advisors, managing partner of StrongHouse Development Group and president and board chair of SHARE! (the Self-Help and Recovery Exchange).

He told the Optimists that putting a homeless person in a room by themselves in isolation may not be the best way to help people.

“If they have a roommate and the roommate is going to an AA meeting, they might go along,” Ulf said, noting that a young social worker fresh out of college might not have the experience to appreciate the importance of peer advocacy.

Peer advocacy means that someone who has gone through a similar experience, such as homelessness, will understand the situation better and have a unique ability to engage with those who are socially excluded.

On the SHARE! website, reasons and research are listed about why peer outreach is essential. For example, “peers convey a sense of understanding and make a bridge between street life and the world of ‘professionals’ whom homeless individuals don’t initially trust.”

Ulf also said that self-help support groups are essential and are more likely to be used in shared housing, where a community is developed.

Roberts worked for a year as a PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) volunteer after a successful career in advertising. Living in Venice, she and her husband, John Betz, saw increasing problems with the homeless.

Convinced a shared housing model would work, the couple purchased three homes and turned them into housing for the homeless. They have housed more than 170 people since 2018.

They have three rules: 1) No violence in words or actions, 2) No drugs or alcohol—“we don’t ask people to be sober, but we ask them not to use them in the house,” and 3) Be nice.

There is a community kitchen and living room. “Each house develops its own rules,” Roberts said, noting that it could be easy for people who have a single room to isolate, but “we want to encourage people to go downstairs.”

Each person pays $500 in rent, which includes, not just a room but a place that is fully furnished and has cleaning supplies, Wi-Fi and television. Roberts and Betz have also created outside spaces for vegetable and flower gardens.

Heidi Roberts

“Some residents have never seen anything grow and it’s a sense of pride when they had tomatoes,” Roberts said. And then they offer vegetables to their neighbors, which also helps grow a sense of community.

A peer advocate goes to each house and “her primary responsibility is to steer the clients. She helps them work through issues,” Roberts said.

Of the 60,000 homeless living on the street in Los Angeles, Roberts said, “They all have one thing in common: they lack the support they need to address homelessness.”

Remarkably, Haaven has never received any kind of public funding. Initially Roberts felt that if she could show officials the model would work, and it does, they would support shared housing.

“I’ve given up on the government,” she told the Optimists, but acknowledged that if the government could allocate taxpayer money for peer advocates, shared housing would break even.

Voters have approved measures to get the homeless housing, but nothing appears to be getting better.

“I have no hope they’ll adopt this model,” Roberts said. “No one makes any money on this. It is not a profitable solution.”

Ulf and Roberts said “helping” the homeless has become a money-making enterprise in Los Angeles.

“The money question is absolutely tragic,” Ulf said. “All contracts are made on a pay-to-play basis.”

Both believe that if taxpayers are to know where their taxes designated for the homeless are going, it will have to be done through forensic accounting.

“It’s not just a housing issue,” Ulf said about the homeless. “They have to have support.”

Visit: Shareselfhelp.org and Haaven.org

 

Posted in Homelessness | Leave a comment

Praise for the Lutherans’ Inaugural October Charity Run

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Sue

(Circling the News received the following letter on October 17.)

I ran in the inaugural Octoberfest 5K race yesterday in the Palisades. I met Pastor Mike Lee, who was just back from running the Boston Marathon. He’s a lovely guy and he finished this race second.

The crowd was a little smaller than I had hoped but everyone was very friendly, and they did an expert job laying out a course in the El Medio Bluffs. I hope to be able to run many more of these and expect many others in the community will join us in 2022.

Kudos to the Palisades Lutheran Church for doing this lovely activity to raise funds for charities as well as their church. And thanks to everyone who helped out, including the large contingent of young people from Palisades High School’s Ambassadors group, who helped all along the 3.1 mile route. Made me proud to be a Palisadian, even for a newbie like me who’s only lived here 22 years.

John Schwartz

 

This young woman, who attends St. Matthew’s placed first in her age group in the inaugural 5K run on October 16 in a time of 28:46.

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