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‘Water for Life’: It Takes a Village

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As part of the construction of an Agua Para La Vida drinking water system, Nicaraguan villagers dig a trench from the spring to their community. The pipe that runs in the trench needs to be buried to protect it from breakage and degradation from the sun. Photo by Jeanne Panek
As part of the construction of an Agua Para La Vida drinking water system, Nicaraguan villagers dig a trench from the spring to their community. The pipe that runs in the trench needs to be buried to protect it from breakage and degradation from the sun. Photo by Jeanne Panek

Spring, the season of growth and renewal, brings with it two major global, environmental events: World Water Day, which was March 22, and Earth Day, last Saturday. Both celebrations promote the conservation and development of our most precious natural resources. Yet the events also draw attention to serious health issues affecting the international community, such as unsafe and inadequate water supplies’a problem most common among poor populations in developing countries. More than a billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion lack access to basic sanitation, according to the second United Nations World Water Development Report (March 2006). ‘Water is now on the front burner,’ says Deborah Parducci, a Pacific Palisades resident. She serves on the board of Agua Para La Vida, a nongovernmental organization that has been helping small rural communities in Nicaragua construct their own drinking water systems since 1987. Nicaragua is the second-poorest nation in the Americas, after Haiti, because of natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and frequent hurricanes) and man-made troubles, such as the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s, during which most of the country’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed. The Nicaraguan government, now a young democracy led by President Enrique Bola’os Geyer, lacks the resources to provide an effective drinking water program for rural communities. Yet access to potable water is a top priority, especially following the damage caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The majority of infant disease and death is due to water-related diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. Agua Para La Vida, which means ‘Water for Life’ in Spanish, not only helps communities build their drinking water systems but also educates local people about health and hygiene and trains a team of community members on how to maintain their system. ‘One of the things you learn is that poverty is not the issue; it’s quality of life,’ says Parducci, a retired nurse and mother of five. ‘People in the villages did not understand that it was the clear running water that was making them sick.’ Parducci got involved with APLV in the mid-1990s because she believed the organization was effective and she knew one of the founding members, Gilles Corcos, a professor emeritus in the mechanical engineering department at UC Berkeley. He started APLV with one of his student advisees, Charlie Huizenga, now a researcher and lecturer in the architecture department at Berkeley. Their first project in Nicaragua was for a farming cooperative with a population of 280 people. Corcos says they learned ‘quite a bit about how these people lived”dispersed even within the village and in isolated rural areas with no electricity and poor quality dirt roads. Because Corcos and Huizenga started the organization during the country’s civil war, they also experienced 17-year-old village boys being sent off to fight against the Contras, the right-wing guerilla group that attacked mostly civilian targets such as coffee plantations and farming cooperatives. ‘We both felt good about doing something positive for a country that was under the onslaught of the American government through its support of the Contras,’ Huizenga says. Originally a California-based group, APLV is now recognized as a Nicaraguan NGO and also has a French branch that was created in 2002. Thus far, the organization has spearheaded the construction of 41 village water systems, serving more than 13,000 people. APLV operates out of the Rio Blanco region, near the geometric center of Nicaragua, and helps rural communities in a surrounding area of about 1,550 square miles. The systems that APLV builds are supplied by springs located higher than the villages and are entirely gravity-driven. Water flows in an underground pipe from the spring to a concrete tank built close to the community. The tank water then flows through a distribution system to faucets in the village. With gravity systems, ‘people use more water since it is usually brought closer to each house,’ Huizenga says. ‘More water means better health.’ The Nicaraguan people use about 40 liters (less than 10 gallons) of water daily per person, which is about one-tenth of what we use in the United States. The water is tested for fecal coliform bacteria at the beginning of an APLV project as well as on a regular basis once the project is complete. ‘The first step is for each family to build latrines with materials and instruction that we provide,’ Huizenga says. ‘The water system itself can take six weeks for a small project and up to six months for a big project. During that process, we are doing community health education and water system maintenance training.’ Mothers are given a simple, ‘ingenious’ scale with which they can weigh their children every month and record the weight without knowing how to read and write. They are also taught about the proper growth rate of healthy infants. In addition to providing clean water technology and education, APLV has social consequences as well. The village women are usually the first to grasp the connection between diseases and polluted water because they and their children are traditionally the water gatherers. As in many developing countries, Nicaraguan women and girls walk long distances to collect water, often from polluted sources. APLV believes that women should be involved in the process of building and maintaining the drinking water systems because the impact is usually greatest on them. In fact, women are often project managers while men perform the more labor-intensive work. This is a new but generally positive experience for Nicaraguans who are accustomed to a male-dominated culture, according to Corcos and Huizenga. In many cases, constructing a water system with APLV is the people’s first experience in communal working, Corcos says. Each family in the village must commit to about 30 days of work and ongoing requirements of project maintenance. ‘It’s backbreaking work and it’s a big commitment,’ Huizenga says. The spring might be five miles from a village, which means the villagers would have to dig a trench across that distance. ‘One thing you learn is that in a developing country like Nicaragua, setbacks are the norm’the truck breaks down all the time, materials are delayed, you get a bad batch of pipe,’ Huizenga continues. ‘The thing that’s amazing is that the people there are so resilient to this stuff.’ The organization also works with communities to acquire, restore and protect forests around the spring from deforestation, a result of logging and clearing land for agriculture, which is common in Nicaragua. The villagers sow native species seeds in community nurseries and transplant those seedlings to the watershed, to help retain soil during the rainy season. The community also builds a fence around the spring to keep the cattle out. Part of the significance of APLV’s effect on the villages is to keep those communities self-sufficient. In 1996, the organization started a technical school, Escuela Tecnica de Agua Potable (ETAP) which trains farmers, or ‘campesinos,’ to be water technicians. Most of the students have not had a full secondary education, and the two- to three-year curriculum teaches them engineering, project management, accounting and surveying, as well as computer skills. To date, three classes of six students have graduated from the school. Two full-time social workers from APLV remain in the village long after the completion of a project, to give the community support. But Parducci says that by teaching the villagers how to construct, manage and maintain their own drinking water systems, the organization has already given them the lasting skills they need. ‘It’s doable by local people,’ she says. ‘For every village that gets water, several villages hear about it.’ APLV’s drinking water systems are designed to last more than 25 years and require minimal maintenance. A typical project, involving 25 to 30 families, costs about $12,000. Funding goes to water system materials, latrines, community health education, watershed conservation and the technical training school. Donors can also choose to fund an individual project. For more information, visit www.aplv.org or contact Agua Para La Vida at (510) 643-8003 or aplv@aplv.org.

Local Cyclist Tom Hill up to Mulholland Challenge

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Palisadian Tom Hill finished 21st overall and ninth in the over-45 age division in last Saturday’s annual Mulholland Challenge, a grueling 112-mile bike race organized by Planet Ultra. and climbed 12,205 feet. Top notch riders from all over California arrived to pedal the challenging course, which required participants to climb 12,205 feet by race’s end. Of the 345 registered riders, only 247 completed The Challenge. The winner set a new course record of 6 hours and 58 minutes. The course began in Calabasas, stretched over Malibu Canyon to Pacific Coast Highway, wound south on PCH up Topanga Canyon, Old Topanga and then north on Mulholland Drive. Other climbs included Little Sycamore, Decker Canyon, Stunt Road and Cold Canyon, before reaching the finish line back in Calabasas. Hill rode the course in seven hours and 44 minutes. “I was pleased with my time considering that I had a mechanical problem which cost me 15 minutes,” said Hill, who had to backtrack a few miles to Topanga Hardware store to purchase a tool he needed to repair loose cranks on his Scott CR-1 carbon fiber road bike, which weighs only 14 1/2 pounds. “My goal is to ride 3,000 miles in preparation for the L’Etape de Tour.” The L’Etape, an event run each July by organizers of the Tour de France, takes place on one of the rest days for the professionals during the 23-day event. Hill was one of 7,785 cyclists to ride the 16th stage of last year’s Tour de France, a 112-mile stretch through the Pyrenees from the town of Mourenx to the city of Pau in Southeastern France. This year’s L’Etape will be in the French Alps, a 117-mile stretch over three major mountain passes with a climb of 11,000 feet. “I’m aiming to do it in seven and a half hours,” said Hill, who was one of the top cyclists in the United States in the 1970s. “I’m just glad this was on a Saturday and the store was open because had it not been I might not have finished.” The Mulholland Challenge was the first of three Century events called ‘The King of the Mountains.’ The next race, called Breathless Agony, will be May 6 in Redlands. It is 114 miles long and includes over 12,000 feet of climbing. Riders will climb to Onyx summit (8,443 foot in elevation). The final event, on May 27, is Heart Break 100, which will begin in Lebec (a town north of Castaic) and include over 8,000 feet of climbing in 102 miles. Finishers of all three events get the honor of wearing the King of the Mountains (KOM) jersey. Hill has entered all three events as a way of preparing for L’Etape, the most difficult stage of the Tour de France, which is reserved for the top 8,500 amateur cyclists in the World. Hill said the Mulholland Challenge was one of the hardest races he has ever competed in. “There were some tough stretches,” he recalled. “I hit Decker Canyon at the 70-mile mark and was pedaling into really strong headwinds blowing in off of Mulholland. That’s where it’s mind over matter and you just have to push through it.”

Brown Wins Bruin Triathlon

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Jared Brown took first place in the Under-19 age group at the second annual UCLA Iron Bruin Triathlon April 9. Brown’s combined time of one hour, 19 minutes and 12 seconds was two seconds faster than his closest age-group rival and placed the 14-year-old Palisadian 49th overall in a field of 210 competitors. By comparison, the 24-year-old male winner finished in one hour and 42 seconds. ‘ The competition, presented by the UCLA Triathlon Team and Cadence Performance Cycling Centers, was a reverse triathlon starting with a four-mile run at Drake Stadium, followed by 10-mile bike ride through campus, and ending with a 400-meter swim at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.’ ‘ According to his mother, Renee, herself a triathlete, Brown’s interest in triathlons began a little over a year ago. Now a ninth-grader at Wildwood Academy, Brown played in the Palisades Recreation Center’s youth roller hockey league five years ago and swam for the Palisades-Malibu YMCA team for four years, becoming an accomplished breaststroker even though it was his least favorite stroke. “He was going to quit the swim team because he was bored with the repetition,” said Renee, who around that same time was trying to figure out how to spice up her own workout regime and decided to try a triathlon. “So I asked him ‘Why don’t you start training with me?'” Mother and son trained together and entered their first race last April–the first UCLA Iron Bruin Triathlon. Jared won his age group in one hour, 34 minutes and 23 seconds. “What I enjoy about triathlons is that you get to do more than just run,” he said. “I actually liked the biking part best.” Brown competed in four more triathlons in 2005 and ended the season by winning his age group at a competition on Catalina Island. He joined the Southern California Junior Elite Team and Acme Coaching and works with coach Ian Murray. The team is sponsored by Cliff bars and Zoot Suit. “Jared thinks it’s so great because he gets Cliff bars whenever he wants,” Renee said. The competition season started in March and Brown will compete in about eight races this summer, including the USAT Nationals in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in August. “Being part of the team has been a great experience for me because I’m able to work out and be coached by one of the most accomplished triathletes,” Brown said. “I’ve also met a great group of kids who all have similar interests.” Mom is still trains too and also ran in the UCLA triathlon, placing fifth in her age group. “My real happiness comes from seeing what the sport has done for Jared,” she said. ‘It is so exciting to see your son become passionate and focused about something–especially something that you both can share.”

Greenberg Vaults to Victory

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Junior Bryan Greenberg outperformed 28 other athletes to win the pole vault at the Birmingham Invitational track and field meet last Saturday in Lake Balboa. Greenberg cleared a personal-best 13 feet on the first of his three attempts, six inches higher than the silver medalist. “I didn’t know much about the competition so I didn’t really expect to win,” Greenberg admitted. “I don’t feel any fear when I’m in the air. It feels great. It feels weird when I’m on the ground.” Greenberg’s best height last year was 10-6 and he started this season by improving on four straight vaults at the Cerritos Meet in April. Saturday’s victory makes Greenberg the clear-cut favorite to repeat as Western League champion and a legitimate contender at the City Section finals May 25. Fellow 11th-grader Kristabel Doebel-Hickok ran to an easy victory in the 1,600 meters in last Friday’s dual meet against Fairfax and continued her winning ways on Saturday at Birmingham by running a personal-best 11:19.78 to place first in the 3,200 meters. Jan Stavro ran 2:06 in his heat of the 800 meters–a personal best by three seconds, while Jason Kil finished third in his heat in a personal-best 2:07.4. Pali had a makeup meet at Venice Monday and travels to Westchester on Friday for its final dual meet. Baseball Cole Cook pitched his second no-hitter of the season on Monday, striking out eight batters as the Dolphins (13-9, 7-1) beat host University 8-0 to remain atop the Western League standings. The Uni win followed a pair of victories over Westchester last week. Andy Megee had three hits and three RBIs in Pali’s 14-3 six-inning victory over the Comets last Tuesday, with Cook allowing six hits and striking out seven. Pali then won 10-1 at Westchester to take over sole possession of first place before losing to Narbonne, 4-2, in a round robin game of the Chatsworth Tournament on Saturday. Lacrosse Palisades’ girls team lost its first game ever, 7-1, at the hands of host Pasadena Westridge last Wednesday. Goalie Liz Lima-Reyes had 14 saves and Kristina Villamil scored the Dolphins’ only goal. On Friday, Pali lost to Santa Ana Foothill, 11-1, with Sierra Centowski scoring an unassisted goal. The Dolphins’ boys varsity team improved to 6-3 overall with impressive wins last week over Gardena Serra (12-10) and Huntington beach (13-9). Swimming All four Dolphin teams dominated Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in Monday’s final Western League dual meet at Temescal pool. The varsity girls swam to a 134-22 victory while the varsity boys outscored LACES 138-19. Pali’s frosh/soph girls won 102-27 and the frosh/soph boys won 94-40. Newcomers Alyssa Machida, Nicole Washington and Cheyenne Kampe and divers Ashley Baele and Cayley Cline paced the girls squad. Pali participated in the League Finals Meet at Venice on Wednesday (result unavailable at press time). Boys Tennis The Dolphins clinched their 19th consecutive league title with wins over Venice, Hamilton and Fairfax last week and a 7-0 shutout of University on Monday. Against the Wildcats, senior Ben Tom won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 singles, Chase Pekar won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2 singles, Ariel Oleynik won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 and Mason Hays won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4. In doubles, Seth Mandelkern and Stephen Surjue won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1, Michael Light and Sepehr Safii won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 and Daniel Burge and Jeremy Shore won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3. Palisades travels north for the Ojai Tournament this weekend. Boys Volleyball Coming off victories over Hamilton and Westchester last week, the Dolphins needed a win at first-place Venice on Wednesday (result unavailable at press time) to gain a share of the Western League title. The Dolphins played in the Sylmar tournament last Saturday, losing to eventual-champion Saugus, 25-20, 25-16, in pool play.

Noel Pitches Palisades Past Hami

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Freshman Emily Noel threw 12 strikeouts in Palisades' 6-3 Western League victory over Hamilton on Monday at Stadium by the Sea.
Freshman Emily Noel threw 12 strikeouts in Palisades’ 6-3 Western League victory over Hamilton on Monday at Stadium by the Sea.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

She may only be a ninth-grader, but Emily Noel displays the poise of a senior whenever she steps into the circle. Her repertoire consists of five pitches: All nasty, all effective, and all arriving at home plate in the precise location she wants. The reason for Noel’s success is two-fold. Half of it can be attributed to God-given talent. The other half, however, is the product of hard work and hours upon hours of practice. Noel lives in Mar Vista and geographically should be going to Venice, but players and coaches on the Palisades High girls’ varsity softball team are glad she chose to be a Dolphin instead. “We are so fortunate to have her,” Pali’s third-year coach Calvin Parker says. “She adds so much to our team and she is very dedicated to her craft.” Noel is not only Pali’s ace pitcher, she is also one of its best hitters. All of her multi-faceted game was on display Monday at Stadium by the Sea, where the Dolphins beat L.A. Hamilton 6-3, upping their record to 6-7 overall, 3-3 in the Western League. Noel pitched all seven innings, striking out 12 batters and allowing just five hits. She also did damage in the batter’s box, tripling to deep left in the first inning, singled in the third and hit an inside-the-park home run in the fifth. “I’m lucky to be on such a good team with such great teammates,” said Noel, who showed no signs of being bothered by a slightly strained wrist. “I definitely think we are getting better and I hope we can make the playoffs.” Asked to name her favorite pitch, Noel was reluctant, saying “I don’t want anyone to know.” Noel, who played for the Panthers’ Gold club team in Oxnard prior to enrolling at PaliHi, averages 10 strikeouts a game and leads the staff in wins. Against the Yankees (3-9, 0-6), she struck out the side in the first and second innings and allowed only one hit over the first five innings, during which Pali built a 5-0 lead. Noel, however, is not the only weapon in the Dolphins’ arsenal. Their other starting pitcher, senior Krystal Mitchell, has thrown three complete games and bats in the leadoff spot. She also leads the squad with 11 stolen bases. Dominique Neal scored Pali’s first run Monday after a throwing error in the first inning. Stephanie Torres then scored when Noel tripled to left and Noel scored on a sacrifice fly by Caroline Palo. Adria Bonilla was awarded home on an overthrow for the Dolphins’ fourth run of the frame. “We’re making progress but we still have room for improvement in all areas, primarily in fielding and hitting” Parker said. “We just need to be more consistent. We’ll have a big inning where we’ll score a lot of runs but then we don’t score again for four or five innings.” Jasmine Einolhori singled in the fourth inning and scored Pali’s fifth run on a groundout by Jenni Pineda. Noel’s home run to left improved her batting average to .469 and her slugging percentage to .864. Palisades hosts L.A. University today at 3 p.m. and wraps up league play next Tuesday at Venice.

CLASSIFIED ADS FROM THE APRIL 20, 2006 ISSUE OF THE PALISADIAN-POST

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HOMES WANTED 1b

WE BUY HOUSES, APTS & LAND! ALL CASH, AS-IS, FAST CLOSE. David, (310) 308-7887

HOME EXCHANGE 1c

CHARMING GARDEN APT. IN HAMPSTEAD, LONDON. Offer to swap for August to visit our Palisades based family. Would consider also offering one week in our large villa with pool in Italy. London apt. is big enough for family of 4 or 5. 1 master bdrm, kids room w/ bunk bed and one more small single bdrm. 2 ba and lg fenced garden. Contact by email: kwolman@blueyonder.co.uk

FURNISHED HOMES 2

FURNISHED CHARMING HOUSE near bluffs. 2+ den. Fireplace, garden, hardwood floors. Available short term. $5,000/mo.+security. Call (310) 459-0765 FURNISHED CHARMING COTTAGE close to village and bluffs. 1+1, fplc, garden, quiet. Available short term. $2,700/mo.+security. (310) 459-0765

UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a

2 BDRM, 1 3/4 BA, CLEAN, CUTE, village close. 1054 Hartzell. $3,300/mo. Available April 15th. Call (310) 454-5519 SUMMER RENTAL HOME: Quiet neighborhood on private road to the beach. Ideal for couple or single person. Children o.k. 3 bdrms, den living room/great room, 2 car garage. Available early May, 2006. $4,000/mo. Call (818) 595-7706 (daytime) or (310) 454-3562

FURNISHED APARTMENTS 2b

BRENTWOOD GUEST QUARTERS. Private entrance, 3 rooms plus bath. N/S weekly cleaning, utilities included. No pets. $1,680/mo. Call 8 a.m.-9 a.m. or after 5:30 p.m. (310) 472-3079

UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c

PRIVATE OCEAN VIEW GUESTHOUSE, partially furnished; small, but cool gated, tropical gardens, patio, near old Getty Villa. No pets, no smoking. Ready now. $1,250/mo. (310) 459-1983 2 BDRM, 1 BA UPPER. Hdwd floors, wood beamed ceilings, tile in kitchen, bath. Light and bright. Laundry in building. Pets ok. $1,695/mo. 1 yr lease. (702) 262-9226 EDGEWATER TOWERS 1 BDRM, large patio, ocean view. Pools, gated security, covered parking, tennis gym and more. Available May. Telephone and fax: (310) 454-5652

ROOMS FOR RENT 3

FOR RENT, room and bath with private entrance. $600/mo. Includes cable TV and phone jack. Close to bus and village in Palisades. Call (310) 459-4084

WANTED TO RENT 3b

SEEKING A LONG TERM housesitting arrangement. 53-yr-old widow. SMC RN student without children/ pets. Desires a quiet environment. N/S. Call anytime. C.R., (310) 548-0626, (310) 621-7781 RECENT LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE looking in Palisades area for an apartment or guest house to rent. Clean, responsible, friendly with excellent employment. Non-smoker. Loves pets, children, life. Handy with tools. Able to house/pet/babysit. Call Michael, (312) 375-5622 LOOKING FOR A GUESTHOUSE in the Palisades or Santa Monica Canyon. I am a waiter at Caff’ Delfini for 6 years. Very clean, reliable, discreet. Call Marco, (310) 435-3242 FIREFIGHTER IN PALISADES area looking for a guesthouse/private rm to rent. Excellent credit, clean, non-smoking, handy w/ tools, loves dogs, able to housesit or maintain large property. Mike, (805) 907-0579 PALISADES FAMILY with 2 young children seek affordable 3 bdrm house. Excellent credit references for long term lease. (310) 454-7020

OFFICE/STORE RENTALS 3c

LARGE CORNER OFFICE 320 sq. ft. in Palisades village. 15135 Sunset. Second floor, $1,300/mo. (310) 454-0840 or (310) 600-3603 OFFICE FOR RENT: Share a two-room furnished suite in the heart of the village. $500/mo. (310) 459-2757

RENTAL SPACE. STORAGE 3d

ENCLOSED STORAGE GARAGE on Via de la Paz alley. Available 1 July. $375/mo. $750 Security deposit. (310) 454-4668

VACATION RENTALS 3e

PRIVATE FURN APARTMENT IN PARIS. Services available. 24-hour hotline. Starting at $75 a night for 2 persons (studios to 4 bedrooms). Privacy, economy, convenience as you live like a Parisian. 5 day minimum. Established in 1985. PSR 90, Ave Champs-Elysees. PSR, Inc. (312) 587-7707. Fax (800) 582-7274. Web address: www.psrparis.com. Email: Reservations@psrparis.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5

MAKE MONEY TRAVELING. $100-$100,000 per month. For more information call (310) 651-0135. This call can make you a millionaire.

COMPUTER SERVICES 7c

PUT YOUR COMPUTER TO WORK – HOME & BUSINESS SURVEILLANCE-Featuring: PC Based Solutions to View your Property Remotely – Live Viewing from Internet & Wireless Handhelds! – FRANKEL CONSULTING – (310) 454-3886 MARIE’S MAC & PC OUTCALL. I CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WITH: Consultation on best hard/software for your needs – Setting up & configuring your system & applications – Teaching you how to use your Mac or PC – Upgrades: Mac OS & Windows – Internet: DSL, Wireless, E-mail, Remote Access – Key Applications: MS Office, Filemaker, Quicken – Contact Managers, Networking, File Sharing, Data backup – Palm, Visor, Digital Camera, Scanner, CD Burning – FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL – BEST RATES – (310) 262-5652 YOUR OWN TECH GURU – Set-up, Tutoring, Repair, Internet. End Run-around. Pop-up Expert! Satisfying Clients since 1992. If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! Alan Perla, (310) 455-2000 COMPUTER CONSULTANT, MAC SPECIALIST. Very Patient, Friendly and Affordable. Tutoring Beginners to Advanced Users. Wireless DSL internet. MAC/PC SET UP – Repair – Upgrade – OS X. Senior discounts! Home/Office. William Moorefield, (310) 838-2254. macitwork.com

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 7f

PLANNING A GARAGE SALE? a moving sale? a yard sale? a rummage sale? an estate sale? Call it what you like. But call us to do it for you. We do the work. Start to finish. – BARBARA DAWSON – Garage Sale Specialist – (310) 454-0359 – bmdawson@verizon.net – Furniture – Antiques – Collectibles – Junque – Reliable professionals Local References

ORGANIZING SERVICES 7h

PUTTING IT TOGETHER 25+ years organizing. Organize: home office, file system setup, finances, kitchen, bedroom, closet, garage, etc. Clear the path to enjoy life. (323) 580-4556 PERSONAL ASSISTANCE, ORGANIZATION & BOOKKEEPING. Superior services provided with discretion and understanding. Local references. Call Sarah, (310) 573-9263

NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a

HOME HELP! I would love to help you organize kids, errands, pets, cook, office help. 20 years experience. Excellent local references. Call Ruth, (310) 429-2459 NANNY/HOUSEKEEPER EXPERIENCED, good references, speaks English available 5 days and weekends. Please call cell, (323) 490-5750, or home anytime, (323) 750-3874 HOUSEKEEPER/NANNY, experienced with children, good references, looking for three times/week position 8 a.m.-5 p.m. No driver license. Fluent Spanish, understand English. Mimi, (323) 877-7470 MS. VEE BABYSITTING, TUTORING, Dog walking, care and services. Young college student, energetic. Ages 3-10 years, after school, weekends available in your home. No driving. (310) 586-0162 GREAT PRE-SCREENED Nannies available. Let us help you with your nanny search. We are a dedicated, professional agency and we will find the right match for you. Whether you are looking for full time or p/time, L/I or L/O help, we can help you. Call Sunshine Nannies at (310) 614-5065 or (310) 801-8309

HOUSEKEEPERS 9a

“PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.” We make your home our business. Star sparkling cleaning services. In the community over 15 years. The best in housekeeping for the best price. Good references. Call Bertha, (323) 754-6873 & cell (213) 393-1419 HOUSEKEEPER OR BABYSITTER available now Monday-Friday. Experienced. Local references. Own car. Please call Imelda or Carolina, (323) 752-5244 HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Excellent references. Has car, English, U.S. citizen. Call Silvia, (323) 422-9017 HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Local references, own transportation. Available Thursday & Saturday. Call Marty, (213) 365-6609, or leave message, PLEASE. HOUSEKEEPER LOOKING FOR WORK. 25 years experience. Excellent references. Available Monday-Saturday. Can do babysitting at night and on weekends. Call Julia, (310) 828-8842 HOUSEKEEPING EXPERIENCED, good references. Available Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Will babysit. Call (323) 571-8299 anytime. Leave message. THE HOME ORGANIZER! Are you too busy to organize your home? Personal service and a magic wand will come to your rescue. Closets, kitchens, bathrooms, garages. Packing/moving. Will stage homes for sale and much more. Call (310) 735-3377 HOUSEKEEPER/NANNY available Mon.-Fri., 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Excellent English and references. Own transportation, CDL, legal. Please call Julie, cell, (213) 300-8805 or (213) 977-4943

ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a

CAREGIVERS/COMPANIONS Live in/out. Minimum 2 years experience. 3 work related references required. CNA’S/CHH’S welcomed. Bondable. Call (323) 692-3692 EXPERIENCED COMPANION/CAREGIVER. Live in 24/7, $9/hr., one-on-one. Capable of light housework, meal preparation and drive. References available. Call Precious @ (323) 404-5043, email preciosazgarcia@yahoo.com CAREGIVER FOR YOUR ADULT at home. Daily and will provide driving to their appointments. Call Sheila, (310) 270-6761 PRIVATE CAREGIVER/COMPANION available with car. Reliable with good references. Exchange considered. (310) 383-6593

GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11

PALISADES GARDENING – Full Gardening Service – Sprinkler Install – Tree Trim – Sodding/Seeding – Sprays, non-toxic – FREE 10″ Flats, Pansies, Snap, Impatiens. (310) 568-0989 TREE AND LANDSCAPE EXPERT. Horticulturist, arborist, landscape manager/designer. Tree diagnosis, trimming, removal, appraisal/donation for tax deduction. Lawn diagnosis, repair. Sprinklers, drip systems. Expert maintenance. Greenhouse/veggie/herb gardens Comprehensive plant & landscape consulting. Darren Butler, (818) 271-0963 POND CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN: Water gardening. Japanese Koi fish. Filtration pond service, repair & maintence. Free estimates. Cell, (310) 498-5380, (310) 390-1276. Visit us at www.TheKingKoi.com

MOVING & HAULING 11b

HONEST MAN SERVICES. 14″ van & dollies. Small jobs to 2 bedrooms. Hauls it all. California/Nevada. Over 12 years. Westside experience. (310) 285-8688

HEALING ARTS 12

HEAL YOUR LIFE at the DNA Cellular Level. Transform yourself with caring, compassionate spiritual counseling. Gain clarity about root causes of your painful issues, with help from an experienced intuitive who knows how to walk you through the shadows and into the Light. Begin changing your life NOW. Contact: Selacia, (310) 915-2884, Selacia@Selacia.com, www.Selacia.com

MISCELLANEOUS 12e

DO YOU HAVE MEDICARE? I can find the best and least expensive Medicare Part D prescription plan for you. Private and confidential. (Save $$-join by 5/15). Paula, (310) 454-8694

WINDOW WASHING 13h

NO STREAK WINDOW cleaning service. Fast & friendly. Quality service you can count on. Free estimates. Lic. # 122194-49. Pressure washing available. Please call (323) 632-7207 EXPERT WINDOW CLEANER 20 years Westside. Clean and detailed. Free estimates, sills and screens included. Up to two stories only. Brian, (310) 289-5279

MISCELLANEOUS 13i

PRESSURE WASHING. Superior cleaning, driveways, walkways, patios. Craig, (310) 459-9000

PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g

BE HAPPY TO COME HOME! Trusted house/pet care in & around Palisades since 1986. Educated, responsible. (310) 454-8081 PET HEAVEN – TOTAL PET CARE – Training. Walking. Play groups. Does your dog need manners? Call (310) 454-0058 for a happy dog.

SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTION 15d

PIANO INSTRUCTION. Give the life-long gift of music! Very patient, creative teacher. Music degree, USC. Qualified, experienced, local. Lisa Lukas, (310) 454-0859. www.pianoteachers.com/ldlukas STUDY SAX, CLARINET OR FLUTE WITH A PRO, your home or my studio. All levels, 9 yrs old and up. 12 years on the Westside. Jim Thompson, (310) 581-1916 WOULD YOU LOVE TO LEARN to play piano? Skilled piano teacher specializing with beginners/intermediate children, adults. Karen Barton, B.S. USC trained. (310) 486-1995

TUTORS 15e

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. EXPERIENCED TUTOR 20+ YEARS. Children & adults, 20+ yrs teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly special ed teacher. Call (310) 313-2530. SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR, All levels (elementary to college). Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614 MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145 EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR. All grade levels, conversational & all ages. Local refs, flexible hours. Please call Noelle at (310) 273-3593 READING SPECIALIST – Master of Education-Reading and Learning Disabilities – Special Education Teaching Certificate: K-12 – Regular Education Teaching Certificate: K-9 – Elementary Education Teaching experience: 12 yrs – Services provided for special & regular education students of all levels – Academic areas taught include reading (phonics and reading comprehension) writing and spelling – Private tutoring includes accessing the student’s needs, developing an individualized education program and implementation of that program. Palisades resident. Call Brandi, (310) 230-9890 PROFESSIONAL TUTOR. Stanford graduate (BA and MA, Class of 2000). Available for all subjects and test prep (SAT & AP). In-home tutoring at great rates. Call Jonathan, (310) 560-9134 SPANISH TUTOR, CERTIFIED TEACHER for all levels. Has finest education, qualifications and experience. Palisades resident. Many good references. Amazing system. Affordable rates. Marietta, (310) 459-8180 PIANO TEACHER IN PACIFIC PALISADES! 20 years experience. I teach in your home. Great with children and adults returning to the piano. Call Karen Rae, (310) 383-0200 MATH & SCIENCE TUTOR Middle school-college level. BS LAUSD credentialed high school teacher. Test Prep. Flexible hours. AVAILABLE to help NOW! Seth Freedman, (310) 909-3049 CLEARLY MATH TUTORING. Specializing in math! Elementary thru college level. Test prep, algebra, trig, geom, calculus. Fun, caring, creative, indivdualized tutoring. Math anxiety. Call Jamie, (310) 459-4722

CABINET MAKING 16

CUSTOM CARPENTRY – Entertainment Units – Cabinets – Libraries – Bars – Wall Units – Custom Kitchens – Remodeling – Designed to your Specifications – Free Estimates – CA Lic. #564263 – (310) 823-8523 CUSTOM WOODWORK AND CABINETS. Craftsmanship quality, 20 years experience, local resident. Local references available. General Contractor Calif. License #402923. Ron Dillaway, (310) 455-4462. rondillaway@yahoo.com

CARPENTRY 16a

QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP! Doors, windows, skylights, decks, drywall, kitchen, baths, etc. Non-lic. (310) 428-3822

CONCRETE, MASONRY 16c

MASONRY & CONCRETE CONTRACTOR. 36 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. Custom masonry & concrete, stamped, driveways, pool, decks, patios, foundations, fireplace, drainage control, custom stone, block & brick, tile. Excellent local references. Lic. #309844. Bonded/insured/ workmen’s comp. Family owned & operated. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 – www.horusicky.com

CONSTRUCTION 16d

CASTLE CONSTRUCTION. New homes, remodeling, additions, fine finish carpentry. Serving the Westside for 20 yrs. Lic. #649995. Call James, (310) 450-6237

ELECTRICAL 16h

PALISADES ELECTRIC, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437. Insured. Professional Service ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local Service Only (Not lic.). Please Call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286

FENCES 16j

THE FENCE MAN. 14 years quality workmanship. Wood fences – Decks – Gates – Chainlink & overhang. Lic. #663238, bonded. (818) 706-1996

FLOOR CARE 16l

GREG GARBER’S HARDWOOD FLOORS SINCE 1979. Install, refinish. Fully insured. Local references. (310) 230-4597. Lic. #455608 CENTURY HARDWOOD FLOOR. Refinishing, Installation, Repairs. Lic. #813778. www.centurycustomhardwoodfloorinc.com. centuryfloor@sbcglobal.net – (800) 608-6007 – (310) 276-6407 HART HARDWOOD FLOORING. Best pricing. Senior discounts, quality workmanship. Bamboo, maple, oak and laminate. Installation & refinishing. Call for free quote. Lic. #763767. Ron, (310) 308-4988 GOLDEN HARDWOOD FLOORS. Professional installation & refinishing. National Wood Flooring Association member. Lic. #732286 Plenty of local references. (877) 622-2200. www.goldenhardwoodfloors.com

HANDYMAN 16n

HANDYMAN, Since 1975. Call for your free est. Local ref. Lic. #560299. Member, Chamber of Commerce. HOOSHMAN (310) 459-8009, 24 Hr. LABOR OF LOVE carpentry, plumbing, tile, plaster, doors, windows, fencing & those special challenges. Work guaranteed. License #B767950. Ken at (310) 455-0803 LOCAL RESIDENT, LOCAL CLIENTELE. Make a list, call me. I specialize in repairing, replacing all those little nuisances. Not licensed; fully insured; always on time. 1 Call, 1 Guy Marty, (310) 459-2692 THE HANDY GUY. Any job, big or small. Over 16 years experience. Lic #B-858574. We’re proud to donate our services to Habitat for Humanity. (310) 216-9034 HANDYMAN SERVICES. No job too small. 10 years experience in the Palisades. Please call (310) 454-3838 for prompt, friendly service. Not licensed. PETERPAN – Quality home repair. Serving entire Westside. (Not lic.) Ask for Peter, (310) 663-3633 AVALON ESTATE MAINTENANCE. Specializing in all aspects of home repair. Reasonable rates. Refs available. Prompt service. Non-lic. Call Dustin, (310) 924-2711

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16o

SANTA MONICA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING. INSTALLATION: New and old service and repairs. Lic. #324942 (310) 393-5686

PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16q

PAUL HORST – Interior & Exterior – PAINTING – 52 YEARS OF SERVICE – Our reputation is your safeguard. License No. 186825 – (310) 454-4630 – Bonded & Insured TILO MARTIN PAINTING. For A Professional Job Call (310) 230-0202. Ref’s. Lic. #715099 SQUIRE PAINTING CO. Interior and Exterior. License #405049. 25 years. Local Service. (310) 454-8266. www.squirepainting.com SPIROS PAINTING, INTERIOR/EXTERIOR. Painting on the Westside since 1980. Lic. #821009. Fax and phone: (310) 826-6097. NO JOB is too small or too big for Spiro the Greek ZARKO PRTINA PAINTING. Interior/Exterior. 35 years in service. License #637882. Call (310) 454-6604

PLUMBING 16s

BOTHAM PLUMBING AND HEATING. Lic. #839118. (310) 827-4040 JLK PLUMBING. Re-pipe and sewer specialist & all plumbing repairs. Mention this ad & receive 10% off. Lic. #722414. Call (310) 678-6634

REMODELING 16u

KANAN CONSTRUCTION – References. BONDED – INSURED – St. Lic. #554451 – DANIEL J. KANAN, CONTRACTOR, (310) 451-3540 / (800) 585-4-DAN LABOR OF LOVE HOME REPAIR & REMODEL. Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tile, doors, windows, decks, etc. Work guar. Ken Bass, General Contractor. Lic. #B767950. (310) 455-0803 BASIX DESIGNS & REMODELING, INC. WE DO IT ALL – Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling Specialist – Room Additions – Interior/Exterior Paint – Windows/Doors – Custom Carpentry – Plumbing – Electrical – Call For Free Estimate – Toll Free: (877) 422-2749 – Lic. #769443

HELP WANTED 17

DRIVERS: RUN WESTERN STATES. Also seeking seasonal and inexperienced drivers. Start! Earn! WERNER ENTERPRISES, (800) 346-2818 x123 AAA HOME INCOME. 23 people needed NOW. Apply online to get started: www.wahusa.com. Enter Ad Code: 235 SUBTLETONES LOOKING FOR PART TIME and FULL TIME employees in all of our locations, Santa Monica, Palm Desert, Newport Beach. Please contact Janna at Santa Monica store, (310) 576-0504, or email janna@subtletones.com DRIVERS: $1,000 BONUS! Just for hauling your FIRST flatbed load. Call WERNER ENTERPRISES for this and more! (800) 346-2818 ext. 136 AFTER SCHOOL HELP WANTED. Two days/week, pick-up children from school, help with homework and dinner, approx 12 hrs/wk. Great driving record required. Ruthanne, (310) 230-4035 PALISADES PROFESSIONAL FIRM seeks Director of First Impressions/receptionist. Detail oriented; prior accounts receivable detail experience helpful; some seasonal overtime. Good salary plus health insurance; 401k; flex-time. Please fax your resume to (310) 313-0242 DRIVER BABYSITTER needed for 3 kids. Monday-Thursday, 2:30-7 p.m. Own car, references. Santa Monica area. C.Raiss@Verizon.net or (310) 617-1170 AFTER SCHOOL CARE NEEDED for 2nd grade girl living in Palisades Highlands. 2 days/week, 2-3 hours a day. Call (310) 592-9638 TEMP POSITION AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY: Art school seeks friendly receptionist to assist w/ admin, tasks & classroom set-up. 25-40 hrs/wk. Could lead to a perm position for the right person. Email resume to info@brentwoodart.com. No phone calls, please. AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY: Art school with 2 positions: Office Mgr & Admin Assist. Must be attentive to detail, friendly & outgoing, have a fantastic work ethic & good phone personality. FT (36-40 hrs), incl some Saturdays. Salary based on exp. Resumes to: info@brentwoodart.com. No phone calls please. SEEKING A NANNY for a 3-year-old girl. Experienced, energetic, activities-oriented. Must drive and have car. Some housekeeping 12 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Mon-Fri. Live-out or live-in. (310) 454-1329 ROBEK’S JUICE, CORNER OF ANTIOCH & Swarthmore, is hiring F/T, P/T. Good pay, no prior experience needed. Call (213) 952-5211 or fax resume to (310) 230-3971

AUTOS 18b

CASH FOR CARS $$ Foreign or domestic. Running or not. Friendly professional buyer. We come to you & handle all paperwork. Local references. Please call (310) 995-5898 1994 FORD EXPLORER SPORT 4×4, 2 door hunter green. Alloy wheels w/ BFGAT’s. Brand new master cylinder and brakes. 125,000 miles good condition. $3,200 obo. GREAT CAR! (310) 576-0622 1999 FORD EXPLORER XLT, Black, leather seats, new tires, 4 wheel drive, excellent condition, 47,800 miles. Call Rhonda, (310) 573-9169 1995 BMW 525i, white, 54,000 miles, good condition. $7,500 obo. Call (310) 454-7349 if interested.

FURNITURE 18c

2 TWIN BDS, SLEIGH style w/ wood & iron, mattresses incl, good cond, med brown, $795. 2 matching bedside tables, grt cond, $175/pair. Matching bunk beds, desk w/ hutch, 2 side tables, light wood, grt cond, mattresses incl, $1,275. Pine hutch, grt cond, $575. (310) 230-9947 COUCH FOR SALE! 3 piece banana shape, approx 13 ft, light beige brush suede, excellent condition. 2 years old. $750 obo. (310) 633-3895

GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d

GARAGE SALE FRI, April 21st, 8 a.m.-10 a.m. Saturday, April 22nd, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Collectibles 45 records, Madame Alexander dolls, antique chairs, new Bo-Ho skirts, purses, jean purses. Gently used rattan sofa, love seat coffee table, computer table, printer, fax machine, kids items more. 1036 El Medio Ave. Pacific Palisades. HUGE SALE SATURDAY ONLY, April 22nd, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Kitchen, clothes, books, frames, records, black glass, VHS movies, knick-knacks, all houseware etc. 947 Galloway. BRENTWOOD! Antiques/furn/fridge/washer-dryer/Hi-end clothes/ jewelry/knick-knacks/kitch items/linens/bed/books/ recrds/CDs/DVDs/TV/hsehold goods/lots more! 2668 Cordelia (Mandeville/top of Westridge). FRI.-SAT., April 21-22: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

PETS, LIVESTOCK 18e

LOOKING FOR A LOVING home for 2 year old cats. Litter trained, fixed, short hair, beautiful grey. WOW! GREAT CATS! Call (310) 456-9810

MISCELLANEOUS 18g

SINGER SEWING MACHINE & other items. Hardly used. Like new. $295. (310) 454-4887

WANTED TO BUY 19

WANTED: Old tube guitar amplifiers, ’50s, ’60s, etc. Tommy, (310) 306-7746 – profeti2001@yahoo.com SEEKING OLDER MODEL STATION wagon for 16-year-old daughter. All makes desirable. $4,000 tops. Please call (310) 454-5147

“Mommy, We Have to Get Our Dogs Back!”

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By LOUISE WELLS Special to the Palisadian-Post Eleven years ago an acquaintance asked if I knew anyone who wanted a dog. Soon Drake, a young pit bull/Lab mix, was my companion. A few years later, my future husband moved in with us. My canine buddy was not pleased to have another male taking up my attention, so Greg and I adopted a year-old female black Lab. Soon Drake and Stella were like husband and wife, with Stella clearly the boss. It was Drake?s idea to play tug of war, but it was Stella who dragged him across the room with the rope in her mouth. Greg and I are married now, with two sons, 6 and 3. We moved to Pacific Palisades five years ago. Our kids never knew life without our dogs. In the morning, they would help feed them and throw the ball. They turned “silly doggies” into “siggy dollies,” and we made up songs about our “siggy dollies.” I’m a songwriter and musician. Greg is a songwriter and record producer. When we were both working, we hired a dog walker to make sure our dogs got enough exercise. One afternoon in early February, our nanny was getting our boys ready for karate and saw the dog walker leave the house with Stella while workmen were putting in our new deck. An older dog, Drake can’t always keep up, so the dog walker left him home that afternoon. Four hours later, Greg came home just as the boys were about to feed the dogs. When they went outside, the gates were open and Drake and Stella were gone. We never did find out what happened. The deck contractor denied that his workmen opened the gates. Our dog walker couldn?t remember if Drake was there when she dropped Stella off. Because our dogs were wearing ID tags, we expected to receive a neighborly phone call: “I found your dogs wandering down Friends Street.” No call; no dogs. That night, Greg drove around our De Pauw/Via bluffs neighborhood calling them. No dogs. The next day we put up 100 flyers and checked the dog pounds. Many dogs; none ours. I paid an out-of-state pet detective, Sherlock Bones, $150 for unlimited consultation time. He couldn?t find our pets but suggested I put posters at every major intersection within a three-mile radius. He charged an additional $45 to design the poster for me, and what mother of two young children wouldn?t pay to save time and have a poster designed by an experienced professional? It took several of us several days to put up 400 flyers. Two days later, all but a few had been torn down. No reliable responses; no dogs. A week later, I put up flyers again. I received a lot of calls from people, mostly supportive. A few angry residents called and demanded I take down my posters. “Sorry about your dogs, but can you please remove the signs?” I want to know: How can two dogs wearing collars and ID tags, who probably left separately and are likely in two different locations, both be gone so long? Animal rescuers answer: If a dog is lost for more than a few days, he looks worse for wear and tear. Some people think the owner of a dog in that condition doesn’t deserve to get their pet back and they keep it. Some people who find lost dogs don’t even bother to try to find the owner. Dogs often aren?t turned in to shelters (where they have a chance of being reunited with their owners) because people are afraid that the shelters will kill the dogs. (Most shelters keep dogs a long time before choosing this unhappy option as the very last resort.) Sometimes homeless people adopt dogs for companionship and warmth. Panhandlers often get more sympathy when they have a pet. On the darker side, a black market exists where stolen or missing pets are sold. Although I still believe in my heart that my dogs are alive and with good people, I did due diligence and called the sanitation department one day to see if any dead animals had been picked up in the area. I was told that no reports are kept of dead animal pickups! Those dog tags the City of Los Angeles makes us pay for? They don’t keep the tags or even call the number on them when they’re attached to a dead animal. A few mornings ago, I sat with my six-year-old. “Honey,” I said, “I don’t know what else we can do to find our dogs. We might have to choose a day to do something special to say goodbye to them. How long do you think we should we give it?” “Three more years,” he replied. “We can?t give up, Mom.” My three-year-old and I recently rode our bikes side-by-side for the first time to the Sunday outdoor market on Swarthmore, with the goal of handing out what is now our fifth round of flyers. He got off his bike and spoke easily to strangers (which I told him was okay that time because I was right there). “Excuse me,” he said, holding out a flyer in his chubby little hands. “Can you help us find our lost dogs?” We’re offering a substantial reward for information leading to the return of Drake or Stella, and we welcome any help making and putting up signs in neighborhoods farther away as well as close by. If you know the whereabouts of Drake or Stella, please call (310) 740-5849 or e-mail rodeo33rpm@mac.com

Six Local Teachers Receive Lori Petrick Educator Awards

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Four individual teachers and a teaching team were selected to receive a $2,000 Lori Petrick Educator Award from the Palisades Charter Schools Foundation this month. The award was established in 2003 to honor the late, much-beloved teacher at Palisades Charter Elementary. This year’s winners are Jeff Lantos (Marquez Elementary), Marlene Morris (Canyon School), Charlena TerVeer and Kathie Yonemura (team teachers at Canyon), Shari Laham (Kenter Elementary) and Larry Newman (music teacher at Kenter, Marquez, Palisades Elementary and Topanga Elementary). The awards ($10,000 total) are underwritten by the Boone Foundation, and will be presented at a gala event in Pacific Palisades on May 20. The Palisadian-Post featured fifth grade teacher Jeff Lantos in the April 6 issue. This week we highlight more of the winners. LARRY NEWMAN If your child has studied an instrument at one of the local schools, you probably know Larry Newman, the founder and director of Children’s Music Workshops. He earned his bachelor of music education from Temple University College of Music and a California teaching credential and master of arts in music performance from Eastern Illinois University. Although he started his elementary teaching career in the Philadelphia School district, Newman came to the L.A. School District in 1986. He became frustrated with a system that would allow schools to have an orchestra program for five years but would then stop it for two years, so they could reassign the teachers into schools that currently were on hiatus from orchestra. The Palisades schools, where he was teaching at the time, were about to lose orchestra, so Newman resigned and went to the Malibu schools. Eventually, the booster clubs at Palisades Complex charter schools paid to bring Newman to their schools in order to maintain their quality instrument programs. Six local students from his program recently won music scholarships at the Los Angeles City Elementary School Music Association Scholarship Competition. Newman’s Music Workshops are currently offered at Marquez, Topanga, Palisades Elementary and Kenter. A former trumpet teacher at Glendale College and an instructor in jazz studies at Eastern Illinois, Newman works as a professional trumpet player and has toured the U.S., Canada and Japan. He has worked as an orchestra member on several cruise ships, and was the trumpet instructor on “Ray,” the Ray Charles movies starring Jamie Foxx. Currently, in addition to teaching elementary students Newman leads the Pacific Palisades Brass Quintet. He lives in the Palisades with his wife Susie and two sons: Brandon, who attends Saint Matthew’s, and Tyler, a student at Marquez. Although he has taught all levels of music instruction, Newman likes elementary students. “You see such progress with them. They start without even knowing the name of an instrument and in a year or two they’re sitting in an orchestra,” Newman says. “Elementary music is the most fun and most rewarding.” The Petrick Award judges gave Newman all 10’s in the evaluation criteria, and commented: “The Children’s Music Workshop, under the direction of Larry Newman, appears to provide and invaluable service to the students and school community.” SHARI LAHAM Now a kindergarten teacher at Kenter Canyon since 2000, Shari Laham graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology, an interdisciplinary study that included urban and environmental planning. Upon graduation she worked in city planning for Torrance and then Santa Monica. Since she was a supervisor, she had to attend a lot of night meetings, which took her away from the home and her two young children. When her oldest daughter started kindergarten, Laham started volunteering in the classroom and got interested in education. She really enjoyed it, and applied for and was accepted into the LAUSD intern teaching program. Laham has been teaching for nine years. Her two oldest children, Marissa, a junior, and Skyler, a freshman, attend Palisades High; her third child, Blake, is a sixth grader at Paul Revere. “I really enjoy teaching kindergarten,” Laham says. “It’s the miraculous time when they learn to read. When it starts happening, it’s like a bud opening into a flower. She adds, “Kindergarten is important because it’s when we’re laying the foundation for their education.” The judges noted, “Laham’s classroom is warm and nurturing. Shari is an exceptional teacher. Her strategies are unique from other methods because she utilizes verbal and physical cues to entice learning. She engages her students with multi-modalities, like hands, voice, and eyes to further learning and educational engagement.”

Residents Insistent on Asilomar Repair Work

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The City of Los Angeles filled a large sinkhole on Asilomar Boulevard with concrete last Wednesday and blocked off the area, adding to the train of saw horses that now run along the storm-damaged street. A dog had already left its mark in the wet concrete by that afternoon.
The City of Los Angeles filled a large sinkhole on Asilomar Boulevard with concrete last Wednesday and blocked off the area, adding to the train of saw horses that now run along the storm-damaged street. A dog had already left its mark in the wet concrete by that afternoon.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Driving west on Almar in Pacific Palisades, it’s hard not to catch your breath as the blue sparkle of the Pacific Ocean comes into view. As you curve around the bend that turns into Asilomar Boulevard, the sweeping seascape is enough to make anyone’local or not’gaze over the bluffs at the horizon. But you’d better not. And if you ARE local, you know better than to make that mistake. A large depression in the southbound lane of Asilomar has turned a segment of this two-lane asphalt concrete street (above PCH and west of Temescal Canyon Road) into one precarious lane. The area, which has been blocked off with saw horses, was damaged during the heavy rains in January and February of 2005. “It’s a totally blind corner,” said Janice Olds, an Asilomar resident who lives a few houses south of the depression. “Cars were hitting that depression and then they would have to get into the other [northbound] lane.” She added that the city put up the cones and construction horses only two weeks ago. According to the city’s preliminary geotechnical report on the street’s storm damage (dated January 18, 2006), the depression has grown progressively worse since the rains, settling “approximately 12 inches, which has created a noticeable drop in the surface of the street and has become a hazard to vehicular traffic.” Olds and her neighbors have been urging the city to repair the storm-damaged area, which they believe goes much deeper than the surface. “The problem, theoretically, is from the sewer system rupturing in the 1994 [Northridge] earthquake,” said Olds, who has lived on Asilomar for 27 years. She wonders whether the quake might have also activated an ancient slide which has been causing the land to move. In 1998, the city repaired the sewer beneath Asilomar, but in subsequent years city engineers discovered two weakened planes underlying the street’one at approximately 35 ft. below the ground surface (bgs) and the other at 85 ft. bgs. Since then, Olds said, residents in the Asilomar bluffs area have continued to experience drainage problems. Because Asilomar is a designated federal highway, the city submitted a request for funding in late January to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), asking for approval and designation of the road as an Emergency Relief project. The city’s plan focuses on repairing the street but not the troublesome 200-ft. slope directly below Asilomar, which has contributed to the destabilization of the street, because the majority of the slope is under the control of private owners. Puerto del Mar, a privately owned street, traverses the slope approximately 30 ft. below Asilomar. A paved portion of the roadway has become impassable to vehicular traffic because of tension cracks and settlement in the street. Two mobile home parks, Palisades Bowl and Tahitian Terrace, lie at the bottom of the hillside. These parks are regulated by the state. In January 2005, residents at Palisades Bowl were evacuated from 12 units at the bottom of the slope when persistent rains caused the hillside to move and the streets within the park to buckle. According to Andrea Epstein, deputy to City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, the city is planning to start temporary repairs on Asilomar Boulevard in early May. “The work will include replacing the curb and gutter and repaving the roadway at the depression area,” Epstein told the Palisadian-Post on April 10. She added that Rosendahl has requested that the Bureau of Street Services “fill certain cracks and voids in the parkway area” with slurry. Olds does not believe that filling a hole or two will help. “I want it dewatered; the drainage has to improve,” she said. “We just don’t need cosmetic things. It’s like sticking your finger in a dike ready to burst.” About three months ago, a sinkhole appeared just south of the depression, on the dirt area along the top of the slope. Last Wednesday, the city filled the large, pond-shaped sinkhole with concrete and blocked it off with saw horses. “I think the way the city responds is, the disaster happens and then they respond,” said Olds, who, along with seven other families, hired a lawyer and a geologist to evaluate the damage. They have not filed a lawsuit against the city, but Olds said they are discussing the possibility. “Collectively, my neighbors say that it’s a lawsuit,” Olds said. “If we don’t get action, then a lawsuit would be the way we would go.” She added that “the city is going to be sued one way or another, if [the hillside] falls. Should it fall, it could be a killer slide.” The Palisades Community Council will discuss the Asilomar issue at its next meeting on April 27. Robert Hancock and Craig Kunesh, geotechnical specialists from the L.A. City Bureau of Engineering, are scheduled to provide an update on the street’s condition.

Peter Gilmore Is Seventh in 110th Boston Marathon

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Peter Gilmore, who grew up in Pacific Palisades and graduated from PaliHi, ran impressively in the Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing seventh overall behind Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 45 seconds. The winner set a course record of 2:07:14 in the 110th running of this legendary event. With the Beijing Olympics just two years away, Gilmore hopes to become one of three marathon qualifiers on the U.S. team. He finished behind three Americans in Boston, and was three places ahead of a fourth American contender. A year ago Gilmore finished tenth overall. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Gilmore runs with the Nike Team in Menlo Park and over the years has had five of the six fastest times ever in the July 4 Palisades-Will Rogers 5-K race. He also holds the course record of 14:10.

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