Assemblymember Fran Pavley announced legislation she is introducing to allow fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid vehicles to use the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on the state’s freeways. If the bill passes, hybrid owners would get a special decal from the DMV to indicate they have permission to use the carpool lanes, even if there is only one person in the car. Pavley, who was named chairwoman of a newly created Select Committee on Hydrogen and Other Alternative Fuels last month, introduced the legislation, Assembly Bill 2628, at a press conference at the Skirball Center last Thursday. Pavley, a second-term Democrat whose focus is on the environment and education, spoke in support of the bill, along with Terry Tamminen, the secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, and Palisadian Laurie David (the wife of comedian/writer Larry David), a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Assembly Transportation Committee held a hearing on the bill on Monday, when it received 11 out of 12 votes. The next step is a hearing in front of the Appropriations Committee. The bill’s supporters, including Governor Schwarzenegger and the State Treasurer, feel it could result in cleaner air and a reduction in energy dependence and greenhouse gases. ‘Diamond lanes for hybrids are a small but sweet reward for an intelligent choice,’ said David, who drives a 2004 Prius hybrid. ‘Diamonds can now be a hybrid’s best friend.’ Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metropolitan Transportation Authority board chair Zev Yaroslavsky also spoke in favor of the bill, explaining that there is capacity available in the diamond lanes. ‘This won’t materially impact the diamond-lane incentive for others,’ he said. Currently, to have access to the diamond lanes, vehicles must be carrying two (or sometimes three) people, be an electric or compressed natural gas vehicle, a two-seater vehicle with two passengers, a transit vehicle or motorcycle. The idea is that the bill would give an added incentive to purchase a hybrid vehicle, and raise awareness of hybrids as other drivers see them in the carpool lanes. ‘We’re celebrating an idea once thought to be crazy,’ said Terry Tamminen of the EPA, ‘a gas engine with an electric motor.’ Currently, the hybrids that have 45-miles-per-gallon gas mileage and meet advanced emission standards include the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. These cars have sticker prices in the $19,000 to $20,000 range. Other vehicles are being developed that would also meet the standards. If enacted, the legislation would be limited to 75,000 electric-gas hybrids. Federal approval would also be needed, beause federal funds are used in the construction of HOV lanes. Currently similar legislation is in effect in Virginia, and two Virginia dealers are reportedly the national leaders in hybrid car sales. ‘This bill can help give auto companies an incentive to accelerate the production of hybrid vehicles,’ said Pavley, who feels it will help make the public more interested in and aware about hybrid vehicles. ‘My neighbors don’t realize you don’t have to plug them in,’ said Pavley, who drives a 2004 Toyota Prius. The cars automatically recharge themselves. A screen on the dashboard continually displays the mileage per gallon, and Tamminen said it inspires him to drive a little slower to keep the numbers up. ‘We Californians use one million gallons of gas a day. In 2030, there will be 20 million more cars on the road,’ says David, a national leader on climate change and clean air issues. ‘Hybrid cars get you there with half the gas and half the pollution.’

A full-size basketball court. Small classrooms that overlook a grassy courtyard. A fireplace in the reading room. Parking for 60 cars. How New West came to lease the former site of the Santa Ynez Inn is through ‘sheer persistence,’ chairman David Eagle told the Palisadian-Post. As he walked the property last week, he commented on the ‘wonderfully overgrown’ foliage, including the magenta bougainvillea growing over the wobbly chain-link fences surrounding the property, the bird-of-paradise that obviously need to be trimmed, and the bright red trumpet vines cascading over the leaky roof of the old inn, which ‘is one of the things that definitely needs to be replaced,’ said Eagle. Located on 1.5 acres of prime Palisades real estate on Sunset across from Los Liones, the school, which has a 10-year lease on the property, plans to completely rehabilitate both the grounds and the now-dilapitated facility. The former Santa Ynez property is estimated to be worth ‘about $10 million,’ said Coldwell Banker commercial broker Gregg Pawlik. ‘And that’s just for the land.’ The inn was built in 1946 as a hotel with 24 guest rooms. It had a swimming pool, a dining room (‘Fireside Grill’), and one of the two liquor licenses in town. It was designed by architect Alfred T. Gilman (‘Hap’), its simple ranch-style design reflected in the beamed ceilings, brick floors and rooms which all open out to a central courtyard. ‘It was the perfect weekend getaway,’ said Stuart Gilman, who visited the inn often with his father. ‘The place was very rustic and comfortable inside’ Local realtor Peter Fleming remembers it as a ‘wonderful roadside inn, a great place to drop by. It was so lovely, in fact, that it looked like something right out of a movie set.’ Palisades historian Randy Young loved the ambiance. ‘It had such warmth and charm. I remember eating steaks in the dining room. It was the place to be.’ Santa Monica Canyon resident, Joan Graves, and her actor-husband, Peter, also have fond memories. ‘As the inn had one of the few really good restaurants in the Palisades at the time, Peter and I went there often, especially for Sunday brunch. I remember one time a movie star magazine did a celebrity photo shoot of us there, romping around in the pool. We were sad when it closed down.’ After 30 years in operation the inn was sold in 1976 to the World Plan Executive Council, better known as TM (Transcendental Meditation), which used the facility for meetings and retreats. In 1989 it was sold to its current owners, the Self Realization Fellowship, which now owns a total of 15 acres on Sunset, including the nearby Lake Shrine. With the inn vacant for over a decade, the church has received many offers to develop the site, mainly for commercial use, such as condos and strip malls, ‘but we always told people we weren’t interested,’ said church spokesman Hank Shaeffer, their real estate attorney. ‘While we have occasionally used the building for gathering purposes, we knew it was underutilized and in need of repair,’ Shaeffer said. ‘We were certainly not interested in selling it, nor were we actively looking for a tenant, but when the opportunity came to lease to New West we felt their use was compatible with ours. They have even agreed to our using their classrooms for our Sunday school, so I think it will work out very well for all. They seem to be as idealistic, and realistic, as we are.’ The church has agreed to lease the property, which is zoned C2, to New West for 10 years, providing the school can raise the $600,000 to 700,000 in private funding to upgrade the facility, which will include bringing the 14,000-ft. structure up to code, removing any asbestos, mold or lead paint, and making it ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant. Architect Jennifer Wen, whose goal is to ‘improve the functionality of the structure as well as the aesthetic,’ told the Post that plans for the school include opening up the common areas and rebuilding the whole facade along Sunset. Walls between some of the hotel rooms will be eliminated to create larger classrooms, the 30-ft-. wide fireplace in the dining room will be restored, and part of the 1,800-sq.-ft. kitchen may be converted to a science laboratory. ‘As a prospective parent I am thrilled that the children will have the opportunity to learn in such a nurturing environment,’ said Wen who, with her husband Jeff Guh, a structural engineer, was involved in the design of New West’s other campus on Pico, where they helped convert a former furniture warehouse into a modern, urban space in a record 3-1/2 months to meet last fall’s opening deadline. Wen and Guh, who live in Mar Vista, first got involved in New West when they attended an informational meeting about the new middle school last spring, even though their oldest child, Kevin, was only in third grade at the time, and daughter Alison was in second grade. Since then, the couple has been happily volunteering their time, as have many of the other parents. ‘I am inspired by the natural light and space here at the inn,’ said Wen, who received her masters in architecture from Cal State Long Beach in 1984 and looks forward to converting the space. ‘There’s going to be a paneled library upstairs. And we’re going to turn the dining room into a reading room. I can already see the children snuggling up by the fire.’ Eagle, who has been working on the New West school project for almost five years, looks around the Santa Ynez property and almost cannot believe his good fortune in acquiring the site. ‘I mean, every time I drove by here, for years, I thought of how great it would be for a school. Now, what we are trying to do with New West, is to create a model of what’s possible in public school education. That is the goal here.’ Eagle, a Highlands resident, hopes to have the Sunset campus, which will accomodate 300 students, ready for the fall. Wen said, ‘knowing David it is possible. With him, it seems the harder he works, the luckier we all are.’ Middle school students for New West are all selected by lottery. Editor’s note: the Palisadian-Post thanks Randy Young for providing photos and research for this report.

LAPD Captain Vance M. Proctor, the new Area Commanding Officer for the West L.A. station, spoke to the Palisades Community Council last week and reassured council members that he is committed to maintaining two patrol cars in the community. The 30-plus year department veteran said, ‘This is my third time in West L.A. What a joy to come back. I understand the nature of the community and the geography and crime statistics. ‘You need two cars. When officers make an arrest they have to then drive to Van Nuys or Central, which can take them away for hours. I’m committed to keeping the second car here.’ Proctor, who lives in Ventura County and served as patrol captain in West L. A. from 1988-90, explained that he also puts a lot of emphasis on traffic enforcement, working with Captain Williams of the West Traffic Division on ‘the primary problem’speed.’ He would like to increase the number of officers who are radar-certified, which involves a one-week training. ‘The more trained officers we have, the more citations we can write’the radar gun is a very useful tool.’ Proctor said that he would like to see West L.A. have its own speed trailer. Councilmember Norm Kulla asked, ‘If we could raise funds, could we buy one?’ The trailers cost about $15,000. ‘There’s no reason why we couldn’t do that,’ said Proctor, who added it could possibly be housed in a city facility, such as a fire station. However, having community volunteers drive it into place is a potential liability issue. ‘We sent the question to the City Attorney, and are waiting for an answer,’ Proctor said. In addition to traffic, Proctor emphasized the importance of Neighborhood Watch. ‘It’s one of the best, cheapest things anyone can do in a community. It helps people know their neighbors’the person across from you, behind you, and to the right and left of you. ‘We urge people to look for activity that doesn’t fit.’ He and Senior Lead Officer Chris Ragsdale suggested taking down the license plates of suspicious cars. ‘This can help solve crimes. If a person is loitering around, and doesn’t seem to know his way around, make an inquiry, and they usually will leave.’ Proctor also took the opportunity to praise Ragsdale. ‘I’m the captain, but he’s the chief of Pacific Palisades.’ Overall, Proctor said the police force should ideally be increased to 15,000 from the current 9,600. He also stated that crime in L.A. decreased rather significantly last year, by 20 percent. ‘We are focusing on gang members and repeat offenders and this has paid off.’ He emphasized that West L.A. in general and the Palisades specifically is a safe community. He also talked about some of the successful police programs’including the volunteer surveillance team, which is starting up again in West L.A. Volunteer recruits help with surveillance in secure locations with police backup. Another program is PACT, a nonprofit organization which raises money for needed police equipment. He also praised Bratton’s program, COMPSTAT’a computer-based technology that gives the LAPD’s management team the ability to identify, track and define issues pertaining to crime in ‘real time.’ This system provides a wealth of data and allows the Department to make the most efficient use of limited personnel resources by rapidly deploying officers to the areas when and where they are most needed. ‘The captain gets questions about what he’s doing about crime. It’s not a very pleasant experience, but it keeps you sharp as a tack,’ Proctor said. When asked about the response time to police calls, Proctor said, ‘Traditionally, West L.A. has one of the worst records [because of the geography of the area]’we average a little over 10 minutes. West L.A. currently has 244 sworn officers, 155 of which are on patrol.’ He also noted that LAPD is under a five-year federal consent decree, which mandates that the department be audited in many areas, requiring additional resources. ‘When it ends in two years, we can take some of those resources, and get them back into the field.’ Council president George Wolfberg asked Proctor about using a webcam to deter crime. Proctor responded that he had used cameras in the Devonshire Division with graffiti problems and they had been effective. Council president emeritus Harry Sondheim asked about 911 calls from cell phones which go to a central CHP location instead of the LAPD dispatch center. Ragsdale suggested that people program the local police department phone number into their cell phone also (West L.A. station is 575-8401) and in addition to 911, call the police station if necessary. ‘Let them know you have an emergency,’ he said. For non-emergency situations, Ragsdale recommended calling the LAPD non-emergency phone number of 877-275-5273. He is available on his cell phone, 622-3980, but encourages people to call the non-emergency line also in case he is off-duty.

New West Charter Middle School has signed a letter of intent to lease the former Santa Ynez Inn on Sunset from the Self-Realization Fellowship and hopes to open a campus on the 1.5-acre site in September. ‘After we sign a lease and receive various government approvals, we’ll work very hard to raise money, mostly through private donations,’ said New West chairman David Eagle, a Highlands resident. ‘Once we know that we can raise $600,000 to $700,000 to pay for the renovations, we’re in. Our rent will be very reasonable and the per-student funds we receive from the state will be enough to sustain everything after classes begin.’ But Eagle added, ‘If everybody yawns when we seek donations, then we’re out. That will be the end of it. We have a little seed money that we can utilize to get started, but we don’t want to commit until we know we can pay for the whole thing.’ Based on his group’s ability to raise a similar amount of money a year ago ($500,000) to renovate a commercial building on Pico Blvd. in West L.A. and open for classes last September, Eagle felt confident that New West will have a second campus this fall. He also emphasized that ‘we’re not going to be draining any resources from the Pico site.’ A public school chartered by the State Board of Education, New West started the school year with 275 students in grades 6-8 and currently has about 260, of which about 20 percent are from the Palisades, according to Eagle. His Palisades-dominated group is studying three scenarios for Santa Ynez, located just below the SRF Lake Shrine and across from Los Liones Drive. ‘One possibility is to have a second middle school with about 100 students in each grade. The second is to have sixth graders at Pico and seventh and eighth graders at Santa Ynez. The third is to have Pico remain our middle school and consider making Santa Ynez our high school of the future,’ though not this year. ‘We’re open to other possibilities,’ Eagle said. Once New West officials are confident about their fundraising campaign, they plan to convert the former restaurant/motel into a school with about 12-13 classrooms, several administrative offices, a library and a science lab, while respecting the original architecture of the building, Eagle said. ‘A portion of the existing parking lot will be turned into a playing field and basketball/volleyball courts and will still leave enough room to park more than 60 cars on the site.’ The total area is about 67,000 square feet. ‘I know some nearby residents might be concerned about additional traffic in the area,’ said Dr. Donald Gill, the school’s executive director, ‘but we think we have a great plan that will result in little or no effect on current traffic. At our Pico site we require our families to carpool and that has resulted in literally no negative effect on traffic in the area. We have taken a 250-car potential down to under 100 cars visiting our campus per day. At the Sunset site, we think we can reduce that number even further because we will not only require carpooling at drop-off and pick-up times, but we also expect to provide bus transportation for some of our students, which will reduce the number of cars into the area.’ When Eagle presented his plans at last Thursday’s Community Council meeting, traffic impacts were indeed the main concern of council members. ‘My immediate concern is people making left turns off Sunset into the school,’ said Norm Kulla. ‘If a traffic light can be installed at Los Liones, people could make a safe left turn into the parking lot,’ said Eagle, who noted that there’s already a median strip to work with in creating a left turn only lane. New West will hold two meetings next week to answer questions from members of the community and to show the property and their plans to those who are interested. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in Mort’s Oak Room. A tour of the Sunset site will take place on Saturday, April 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. Free parking will be available on site. New West officials will be on hand at both gatherings to answer questions, listen to suggestions and concerns and show the plans for the site. Anyone who would like to contact the school or make a 100 percent tax-deductible contribution or offer support to this effort should contact David Eagle at NewWestCharter@aol.com, or at 441-8555.