Baykeeper
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An unassuming office sits perched above the green-and-black awnings of the 26 Beach Caf’ on Washington Boulevard in Marina del Rey. Though only several rooms large, the office houses one of Southern California’s most prominent environmental advocacy groups: the Santa Monica Baykeeper. ‘We’re a very lean organization with a very small staff, our budget is not huge, and yet we’ve taken on some pretty big characters and prevailed,’ says Tracy Egoscue, Baykeeper executive director, referring to the group’s legal efforts. ‘We have a really great impact for the amount of resources that it’s taken us to do it.’ Indeed, the group has won a number of large and significant settlements, including a $2-billion ruling against the City of Los Angeles in 2004 for illegal sewage spills. As part of the settlement, the City has started a 10-year program that seeks to repair the dilapidated sewer system. While a settlement of such magnitude may seem grand for an organization with only seven full-time employees, court battles are not Baykeeper’s only business. In addition to legal wrangling, there is also the flagship Kelp Restoration Project, a hands-on program to regrow kelp forests off the Southern California coast, and the storm-drain pollution-monitoring program, Beachkeeper. Founded in 1993, the Santa Monica Baykeeper is one of more than 120 members of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a coalition of local Waterkeeper and Baykeeper programs throughout the world. Each Waterkeeper organization champions local water-quality issues within the framework of the Clean Water Act of 1977, as well as local environmental legislation. Egoscue ‘ known informally as the ‘Baykeeper’ ‘ is a San Diego native and former Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice. Though she is a natural choice to lead an advocacy organization such as Baykeeper, the group has surprisingly eclectic roots. Started by Terry Tamminen, author of ‘The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual,’ and a former aspiring Shakespearean actor, sheep rancher and now Special Advisor to the Governor for Energy and Environmental Policy, Baykeeper began as a one-man operation with Tamminen patrolling the Santa Monica harbor on his boat. ‘Terry literally used to write tickets to polluters,’ Egoscue says. ‘Not a legal thing, but he would have a date and would write the violation, and he’d hand it to the violator from his boat when he saw someone dumping sewage or trash. ‘He did a lot of outreach and trying to educate the public by himself,’ she added. I boarded Baykeeper’s boat this past Tuesday with Tom Ford, director of the Kelp Restoration Project. As we rode the waves from the Baykeeper’s home base in the Marina del Rey harbor up the coast to Pacific Palisades, Ford spoke about his own interest in marine biology. ‘Growing up in Pennsylvania I was hundreds of miles from the ocean, but I was always fascinated with Jacques Cousteau on TV,’ he says. ‘I always loved the water, I was always swimming. Once I saw the ocean in high school, I was hooked.’ Passing through the Marina’s entrance channel, Ford motions to a group of men fishing off the rocks lining the Ballona Creek. ‘These guys here, hanging out and fishing in the Marina is part of their culture: go down there, catch some fish, bring some home, feed the family. But man, what kind of toxic burden do those guys have? Swimmable, fishable waters ‘ that’s what the Clean Water Act directs us to.’ Enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act is central to the group’s mission. While Congress originally passed the statute as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 1972, it became known as the Clean Water Act as amended in 1977 and sets numerous standards for regulating the discharge of pollutants.. Back at the office, staff attorney Dana Palmer, who along with Egoscue constitutes Baykeeper’s legal wing, spoke to me about issues facing the group in its legal endeavors. ‘Water-quality legislation is particularly confusing. In California, the clean-water laws predate the federal laws, and a lot of what we’ve seen in our lifetime is trying to make sense of both state and federal clean-water law. Whenever there’s a legal conflict, one side can take advantage of that to create confusion.’ Despite these conflicts, the group has been generally successful in court and, in fact, their legal muscle is a point of pride. ‘A lot of environmental groups are soft and cuddly like the animals on their Web sites,’ Ford says. ‘The Baykeeper, though, is not afraid to say, ‘We asked nicely several times and we’re not asking nicely anymore. Straighten out or we’ll bring a lawsuit against you.” As we rode up the coast, Ford also explained the Kelp project itself: among other things, how the Santa Monica Bay has lost between 70 and 80 percent of its kelp beds due to pollution and overfishing. Sea urchins are central to the problem. Allowed to procreate unchecked due to overhunting of their natural predators, the urchins consume kelp forest at an alarming rate. ‘We’ve lost the California sea otter, which used to live all the way down through Baja and ate sea urchin by the bushel,’ Ford says. ‘Those guys were hunted out in the 1850s. Lobster is another sea urchin predator, but they are now both recreationally and commercially sought after, and their numbers and sizes are dramatically limited due to those fishing pressures.’ ‘We’re trying to reset the ecological balance by thinning the density of urchins. What has been 13 to 15 [urchins] per square meter is now down to one or two per square meter, which is the index of how many would normally be there.’ Ford added that the group has thus far relocated between 70 and 80 thousand urchins over the rocky coastline of the Santa Monica Bay. While Ford says moving them to a location where they could not eat kelp at all would be ideal, the Department of Fish and Game, ‘mandates that we distribute them that way in the interest of the sea urchin harvesters.’ Though the project is almost overwhelming in scale, Ford speaks optimistically about progress. ‘We’ve had a kelp canopy form from just an inch tall all the way to 40 feet within about eight months,’ he says. ‘The kelp beds are a biogenic media, a living structure that provides lots of nooks and crannies to live in, and we see the fish respond very rapidly.’ In the water, much as in the courtroom, Baykeeper is a force to be reckoned with. ‘All of our divers are volunteers. We spend about 350 hours underwater every year ‘ two or three dive trips per week when conditions allow. A lot of environmental issues seem very imposing, but then we get people out there and they realize they can make a difference.’ This same mentality of volunteerism and public involvement also appears in Baykeeper’s other major program, Beachkeeper. Headed by Carlos Carreon, a three-year Baykeeper employee, Beachkeeper was started in 1995. ‘Our main program is monitoring the storm drains that empty into Santa Monica Bay,’ Carreon explains. ‘At the foundation of this program are our volunteers. We’ve sectioned Santa Monica Bay ‘ 44 miles of coastline ‘ into partitions, which our volunteers then walk once a month to observe water flow and collect samples, which they then send to us. ‘We try to limit pollution that deters kelp from regrowing,’ he added. When asked about the relationship among the Baykeeper’s three-pronged operations ‘ legal efforts, monitoring, and restoration ‘ Palmer characterized the organization ‘more as a circle: it’s a continuum.’ ‘The Kelp project, that’s restoring the environment. And here, what we’re doing is helping clean the water [through legal efforts]. Then Carlos’ program, the Beachkeeper, is this intermediate step, a watchdog check on the government and the legislation.’ Ford, for one, seemed pleased with the uniqueness of his job. ‘Most of the time, we’re out there and there’s nobody else. In the midst of Los Angeles and all of these socio-issues, I get to go out there and be like, wow, there are seven million people right over there and here I am in my little space.’
Charles E. Lynch, 64; Baseball Aficionado
Charles Edward Lynch, just known as Lynch to his friends, passed away early Friday morning, July 21, after a four-year battle with cancer. He had celebrated his 64th birthday two days earlier. His wife Nancy has worked in Pacific Palisades for more than 25 years in the title business with Land America and Southland Title. She and Lynch moved to the Palisades permanently several years ago from the Westlake area to be closer to St. John’s Hospital, where Lynch was receiving treatments. During his time in the Palisades, Lynch became a fixture at Palisades Elementary doing volunteer work where his granddaughter attended school. Lynch was born July 18, 1942 at the Marine Corps base at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was the son of Charles and Margaret Lynch. His childhood was spent in Columbia, Pennsylvania, and he later graduated from Penn State University in mechanical engineering. Hired by Rocketdyne, Lynch helped build the test sites that were an integral part of its operations in those days. He then went into the early development of computer technology and from there into the telecommunications field at Micom and Nortel Communications. Lynch, an avid Dodgers fan, was an umpire for Conejo Valley Parks and Recreation for 23 years. He is survived by the love of his life for 19 years, Nancy; his daughters Cari and Amy; his sons Doug, Chris and Jeff; four grandchildren, Kayli, Sara, Taylor and Trevor; and his brother John. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 30, at 2 p.m. at the Palisades home of Mike and Carey Skinner.
Patricia E. Bishop; Thrived in Palisades
With a life well-lived and a heart full of love, Patricia E. Bishop took her last breath on Sunday, July 9, at the age of 80. Wife of the late Ronald Arthur Bishop and daughter of the late Lewis Yarde Mattes and Lillian M. Quill, Pat died peacefully in her own bed with her three daughters, her brother and her dear friend and caregiver Amy at her side. Her death matched her life; filled with love, peace, the blessings of her family, and a rich sense of humor which will be dearly missed. Pat thrived in the outdoors and loved living by the beach in Pacific Palisades, welcoming her beloved family and friends into her home. She is survived by her daughters, Wendy Bishop, Susan Bishop Chukerman and Roni Geurs, and her brother Harry Mattes. In lieu of flowers, Pat’s family has requested donations to the Pat Bishop Memorial Fund be made to the following organizations: Self-Realization Fellowship, Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 (attention: Babette); National Brain Tumor Foundation, 22 Battery St., Suite 612, San Francisco, CA 94111; and the Surfrider Foundation, P.O. Box 6010, San Clemente, CA 92674.
Palisadians Aid Myriad Causes Through Spring Fundraisers
ARCS The Los Angeles ARCS held its 48th annual dinner dance in late April at the Paramount Studios. The foundation is a national organization dedicated to helping meet the country’s need for scientists and engineers by providing scholarships for academically outstanding students who are in need of financial aid. This year ARCS provided scholarships to 59 students at seven universities in Southern California. Library Foundation of Los Angeles The Library Foundation of Los Angeles honored writer Norman Mailer, Library Foundation Executive Director Evelyn Hoffman and Wells Fargo Bank at the 11th annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards dinner in May. The evening raised $680,000 for the Library Foundation, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to securing private contributions to support the Los Angeles Public Library. KCET Palisadians Bill (Trust Company of the West) and Karen Sonnenborn (KCET Board of Directors) with son Andrew hosted the First Annual Party for members of the KCET Council for Children and Families. The event was held at their home in Pacific Palisades and attended by members who provide financial support for KCET to continue to develop and broadcast more than 65 hours of quality programming for children and caregivers each week. Westside Children’s Center Longtime Palisades resident Jamie Lee Curtis and Los Angeles first lady Corinna Villaraigosa were honored by the Westside Children’s Center for their work on behalf of children. Curtis, who has written popular children’s books and is active in aiding children in need, was presented with the Big Heart Award, while Mrs. Villaraigosa was named Mother of the Year at the event, chaired by Ava Fries in honor of her late daughter, Camela Markham, also of the Palisades. In accepting her award, Curtis presented each of the 400 luncheon attendants with specially designed gifts of a heart-shaped soap exactly the weight of an average human heart, from Olive, Inc. of Pacific Palisades. The Wellness Community The Wellness Community ‘ West Los Angeles held its eighth annual ‘Tribute to the Human Spirit’ Awards Dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This year’s honorees included Laura Owens and her husband Jack Bender, an executive producer of ‘Lost’; ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ co-star Katherine Heigl; and longtime Wellness Community supporters Ruth and Donald Salk. The Wellness Community is the largest organization in the world devoted solely to providing psychological and emotional support to cancer patients and their families free of charge.
Edward N. Jordan, 98; Began Business Here
Edward N. Jordan, who founded Jordan Appliances in Pacific Palisades in 1947, passed away on July 8 at his home in Lacey, Washington, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 98. Edward was born in March of 1908 in Bickleton, Washington to Henry W. Jordan and Elizabeth (White) Jordan. He married Alice Bassett in June of 1941 in Pullman, Washington. They shared a lifelong love of golf. Their first child, Janet, was born in 1943, followed by sons Ross in 1945 and Richard in 1949. After living in the Palisades for many years, Edward and Alice returned to Washington in 1986. Their son Ross continues to operate Jordan Appliances, now the fourth oldest surviving business in town. Edward Jordan enjoyed fishing, panning for gold, picking huckleberries and blackberries, and taking long walks. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, three children, and three grandchildren. There will be no funeral or memorial service, but donations may be made in his memory to Providence Sound-HomeCare and Hospice.
Dorothea Casady, 96; Rustic Resident, Artist
Artist, teacher and longtime Rustic Canyon resident Dorothea Casady died on May 25, bringing to an end a long and, literally, illustrative career. She was 96. Dorothea was born in Texas and raised an only child in Oklahoma by a single mother and a ‘strong Danish grandmother.’ Introduced to art early by her talented young mom, also an artist and teacher, she became renowned as a local painter in her teens and was teaching art at Classen High School by the time she was 22. Later she established and headed the first art department at the University of Oklahoma. Dorothea and her mother made annual trips to Europe on steamer ships to study art during summer break. Later, they traveled to Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they painted the scenery and mixed with local artists such as Ila McAffe, Oscar Jacobson and A.C. Blue Eagle. She was accepted as an art fellow at the prestigious MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire in 1942. She met fellow Oklahoman, puppeteer and marionette-maker Richard Casady in 1940 and three years later they moved to Los Angeles, where they were wed by Richard’s father, Episcopal bishop Thomas Casady. Richard studied medicine at USC and eventually specialized in psychiatry with a private practice in Westwood. During World War II, Dorothea taught camouflage painting techniques for the Army while Dick interned at Fort Sill Army hospital in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The Casadys lived in Brentwood before settling in Pacific Palisades in 1959, when they built their modern glass and beam home in Rustic Canyon on one of the last available lots. In 1965, while exhibiting her sculpture at Ankrum Gallery on La Cienega, Dorothea met an entrepreneur who recruited her to design sculptures for reproduction. This relationship with Artisan House lasted for the next 41 years; she was still getting assignments from them in February of this year. She also taught a weekly art class at her home studio until early this year. Dorothea lost her husband in 1974. She raised two artistic sons who have been creative in animation, jewelry, photography, illustration and computers. Robin (of Carmel) has published software for Macintosh and Chris (of Silverlake) has worked in special effects on many Hollywood movies. Dorothea was a founding member and first president of the Los Angeles Bead Society. She was also an active member of the Craft and Folk Art Museum, which will host a memorial service to celebrate her life on Saturday, August 5 at 2 p.m. in her garden at 734 Brooktree Rd. Please R.S.V.P. to 454-5218.
Calendar for the Week of July 27, 2006
THURSDAY, JULY 27
The monthly Chamber of Commerce mixer, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Wilshire Fireplace (formerly Palace Fireplace), has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Theatre Palisades Kids present ’42nd Street,’ a 1930’s musical set behind-the-scenes in a Broadway production, opening night at Pierson Playhouse on Haverford. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on July 27 through July 30 and 2 p.m. on July 29. Ticket: $12. Call 454-1970 for reservations. (See story, page 12.) Weekly campfire program in Temescal Gateway Park, 8 p.m. at the campfire center next to the dining hall, through August 24. Enjoy a fireside program led by local naturalists and celebrate the campfire tradition with stories, songs and (free) marshmallows. Bring stories to share and a picnic dinner. Parking is $5. Contact: 454-1395, ext. 106.FRIDAY, JULY 28
Harpist Michael Rado, with pianist Paul Baker, will perform works by Debussy, Ravel and others, 7:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. Susan Allen’s Summer Harp Course concerts will also feature harpist Stella Castellucci on July 31 and students performing a range of harp repertoire on August 4. Admission is free. (See story, page 13.)SUNDAY, JULY 30
Weekly Summer Splash program, featuring family aquatic games, activities and music, 5 to 7 p.m. at the YMCA pool in Temescal Gateway Park. Free admission and the public is invited. By popular demand, barbeque dinners are back, featuring hot dogs and turkey burgers for sale, as well as healthy snacks.MONDAY, JULY 31
Pajama Story-time for children of all ages, 7 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real. Parents and teddy bears welcome.TUESDAY, AUGUST 1
Tuesday Night Hikes, organized by the Temescal Canyon Association, will seek out the secret stairways of Pacific Palisades. Meet at 6 p.m. in the Temescal Gateway parking lot at the corner of Sunset and Temescal Canyon Rd. for carpooling. Public invited. Expect to return between 8 and 9 p.m. The Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association board will meet at 7 p.m. in Rustic Canyon Park. Public invited.THURSDAY, AUGUST 3
Longtime Palisadian Karen Stigler will speak at the Palisades Rotary Club meeting on ‘Mediation: Enlarge the Pie, Then Slice It,’ 7:15 a.m., Gladstone’s restaurant, PCH at Sunset. Stigler is an attorney with the Century City Mediation Group, which helps families and businesses build agreements. Public invited. Weekly campfire program in Temescal Gateway Park, 8 p.m. at the campfire center next to the dining hall, through August 24. Enjoy a fireside program led by local naturalists and celebrate the campfire tradition with stories, songs and (free) marshmallows. Bring stories to share and a picnic dinner. Parking is $5. Contact: 454-1395, ext. 106.How to Be Savvy, Like Madame Wu
‘Don’t ever take a partner.’ That seemed to be the paramount advice at Madame Wu’s talk last Thursday night at Mort’s Oak Room. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the speech drew about 50 people and included hors d’oeuvres and dessert courtesy of Mort’s. A longtime Palisades resident, Sylvia Wu owned and operated Madame Wu’s Garden, a Santa Monica restaurant popular with celebrities and renowned for its world-class food and service, for 37 years. Now 91 and still active as ever, she began by recalling the early years of her business and the way in which it grew. ‘I was lucky. In the beginning, I didn’t know much about publicity,’ Wu said. ‘I hired a PR man for $500 a month, but he couldn’t get the Los Angeles Times into my restaurant. I was embarrassed. ‘One day I came out of church and an old lady was walking behind me. She said, ‘Are you that little girl who opened that Chinese restaurant?’ I said, ‘Yes, who are you?” The woman turned out to be the mother of Joan Winchell, the Times’ restaurant editor. Wu explained her situation, and the woman said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’ ‘And she did!’ Wu recalled. ‘Her daughter gave me her last column. She wrote a beautiful piece and from then on we were busy, busy, busy.’ Throughout the speech, audience members were encouraged to ask Wu questions about her business. Mort’s owner Bobbie Farberow took the lead, questioning Wu about the source of funding for beginning her restaurant. ‘When I wanted to open my first restaurant, my husband, King, insisted that I take a partner,’ Wu said. King, an engineer at Hughes Aircraft, suggested a Chinese cook in the company’s cafeteria. ‘But I didn’t want a partner,’ Wu said firmly. ‘One day my husband and I were at a friend’s house for dinner and I told them the situation. They convinced him that I shouldn’t take a partner, and so I gave the cook his money back. I think he was so relieved’he didn’t know if I could make it or not.’ Wu continued, ‘If I had a partner, I wouldn’t have what I have today. My advice to all young people is don’t take a partner. If you’re busy fighting with a partner, you can’t work.’ One young woman in the audience asked Wu what she was most proud of in her life. ‘I’ve never thought about that,’ she said, hesitating. ‘Family, children. I have very good children. ‘I was a wife, a grandmother, a housekeeper’everything. At the same time I ran a business, I took care of my children. At my 90th-birthday party, my two grandchildren told everybody that grandma picked them up from school every day.’ She and King have been married 61 years. Wu also spoke about the internal operations of her restaurant. ‘I told my waiters, ‘You don’t have to kowtow to customers, but if you don’t give them good service, then you will be fired.’ When people came to my restaurant, I made sure they were taken care of; that’s how I started the business.’ After Madame Wu finished her speech, Community Council member Kurt Toppel shared a personal experience at the restaurant. He said that after he was voted in as chairman of the Santa Monica Red Cross in 1970, ‘We wanted to have the installation of our officers and wondered where we should go. Somebody said, ‘Why don’t you ask Madame Wu’s?’ I said, ‘Are you out of your mind? We can’t afford something like that!’ He said, ‘Just ask her!’ So I did. And you said, ‘Oh, it’s no problem. You are so welcome.’ ‘So the entire leadership of the Santa Monica Red Cross came to your restaurant,’ Toppel remembered. ‘The food was great, and it wasn’t expensive. We enjoyed it immensely and you were there to encourage us, and I thank you for that.’ Asked if she had any advice for young businesspeople, Wu responded: ‘First, take care of yourself. Be very careful, and don’t trust too many people. When you go into business, you have to only think of business’you have to concentrate. ‘And don’t take a partner.’
Experts Focus on Alternative Fuels
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‘California should be leading the way in reducing the nation’s addiction to oil,’ Assemblywoman Fran Pavley said last Friday at Santa Monica College. ‘With the technological advances we have, this state could become an economic example in alternative energy sources to the rest of the world.’ Pavley, who has gained international stature for her progressive stance on environmental issues while representing the 41st District since 2000, joined with State Senator Sheila Kuehl to hold a 2-hour conference on sources of alternative energy for vehicles. Several hundred journalists, various officials and curious citizens crowded into SMC’s Concert Hall, with many people having to stand or sit in the aisles. Outside, a number of alternative-fuel cars, including George Clooney’s infamous electric Tango Spied, a 39-inch-wide one-seater which carries a half-ton of batteries, were on display. Inside, experts in various fields of alternative energy each gave a short speech and presentation on their technology and its benefits as a viable vehicle energy source. Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles These vehicles can be charged at home from a standard outlet and contain both a traditional internal combustion engine and an electric motor. They differ from traditional hybrid vehicles in that the latter cannot be charged, and thus rely more on gasoline. Charging allows these hybrids to achieve approximately twice the gas mileage of normal hybrids, which can in some cases top 100 mpg highway. ‘The [power] grid is an energy asset waiting to be used by transportation,’ said Edward Kjaer of Southern California Edison. ‘We expect to see plug-in hybrids by the ’09 or ’10 model year.’ Ethanol Fuels This high-octane fuel is produced from renewable, biological sources such as corn as opposed to fossil fuels. While pure ethanol is not used as a vehicle fuel, it can be mixed with gasoline to create a cheaper, cleaner-burning power source. High concentrations of ethanol, such as E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline), can be used in flexible-fuel vehicles, while lower concentrations, such as E10 or E6, can be used with any vehicle currently sold in the U.S. ‘Flexible-fuel vehicles are coming into the market’we just need the infrastructure [fueling stations, etc.],’ said Robert Babik, whose company General Motors currently has over two million Flexfuel vehicles on the road. Biodiesel ‘Biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegrable, renewable fuel,’ said Lisa Mortenson of Community Fuels. ‘The material’s safety data sheet says that if you drink it you should chase it with two glasses of water, which is the same thing you do with bourbon.’ Much like ethanol, biodiesel is used as an additive to standard fuel’in this case, diesel. The major problem currently facing biodiesel, as with ethanol, is a lack of fueling infrastructure. Hydrogen fuel cells Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as the only by-products. Offering zero tailpipe emissions and high efficiency and reliability, the two major barriers to hydrogen vehicles are high cost and lack of fueling infrastructure. While hydrogen cars are not yet on the market, the city of Santa Monica maintains a small fleet of hydrogen vehicles. ‘Hydrogen also provides an opportunity for fast refueling,’ one area where other electric vehicles are lacking, according to Catherine Dunwoody of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. Natural gas Honda Motor Company manager Steve Ellis spoke about the benefits of natural-gas vehicles. His talk touched on the ‘phill’ device, a home-fueling station sold with all new Honda natural-gas vehicles. ‘Phill’ would eliminate many of the fueling infrastructure problems found with biodiesel, ethanol, and hydrogen fuel cells. Natural gas has significantly lower emissions than gasoline, reducing carbon monoxide emissions by 70 percent and carbon dioxide by 20 percent. ‘The door is also open for natural-gas vehicles to be hybridized,’ said Ellis, hinting at even lower emissions from a natural-gas electric hybrid car in the future.
