In a society marked by increasing litigation, Dr. Alexander Lampone believes there should be more legal education and counseling available to the public. For this reason, the Palisadian has developed four interrelated businesses from his careers in medicine and law, which he manages from his Monument office. Lampone began to combine his skills due to some unexpected circumstances in the mid-’90s. As medical director of St. John’s Emergency Room from 1979 to 1994, he established and directed multi-hospital physician groups, allowing doctors to keep their private practices but also work together. His network of more than 2,000 physician practices provided medical care to emergency, acute care, occupational medicine and primary care patients at medical centers throughout Southern California. Yet Lampone could sense the medical profession was changing in the early ’90s, when he attended Loyola Law School while maintaining his full-time position at St. John’s. ‘I could see that being a good doctor wasn’t going to be enough’patient care was moving towards cost-effective care so that doctors were in conflict with their patients. The satisfaction and income had gone from being a doctor; I could see that it wasn’t going to be what it had been for me.’ Lampone’s feeling that medicine was being dehumanized and devalued led him to pursue law in order to ‘be a better physician executive.’ Though he never intended to practice law, he fell into it by default when his medical practice suddenly dissolved in 1994, as a result of the earthquake that destroyed St. John’s ER. ‘The earthquake set in motion a number of events,’ says Lampone, who had earned his medical degree from his hometown school, Medical College of Wisconsin (formerly Marquette). ‘I couldn’t keep doctors together without a place to practice, and I didn’t want to start all over, so I got involved in litigation involuntarily.’ Handling mostly medical malpractice cases, Lampone worked as a courtroom attorney from about 1995 to 1999, realizing after a couple of years that ‘I didn’t like the headaches of litigation.’ What he missed about medicine was ‘collaborating and solving a patient’s problem.’ Since he already knew about 300-plus doctors in Southern California, and felt he was qualified in assessing patients’ needs and organizing teams of physicians to care for patients, he thought he would be good at the medical side of litigation. He would review medical cases and interface between medical experts and lawyers by ‘quarterbacking, triaging and assessing.’ Thus, Lampone’s medical-legal consulting business was born in 1999. ‘My only criteria is that I want to be on the right side of the case,’ says Lampone, who handles medical malpractice, personal injury, disability and medical insurance cases. ‘I use the ‘Oh-My-God’ standard to choose cases that have some merit.’ In selecting clients, he first does a screening, or review of the case. If he decides to take it on, he completes a detailed medical and legal analysis in which he writes comments about what the system at fault failed to do or see, followed by a report, or evaluation, based on his 20 years of medical experience. Then, he puts experts on the case. Lampone’s expertise gives him the ability to anticipate how the other side would react, and he admits that he rejects about 90 percent of cases, which end up settling. ‘I’ve saved thousands of cases from being filed,’ he says. ‘People often equate bad outcomes with malpractice, but they’re not going to find justice and satisfaction in litigation. If we can tell them why someone died or why something went wrong, it puts a period on grief and uncertainty. We’d like to avoid litigation.’ About 30 percent of Lampone’s cases fall in California and 70 percent are out of state. While he consults about half the time for the plaintiff and half for the defense, he says that most of his plaintiff cases are out of state. A case review usually costs about $500-$600/hr. but he will sometimes look at a case pro bono or charge a smaller fee. In the last few years, Lampone has extended his multidisciplinary training to California’s workers’ compensation insurance system, developing a business called Work Comp Solutions (www.workcompsolutions.com), to help bring over-utilization and ineffective care cases to closure, and reduce medical costs. ‘After the Internet crash in 2000 and 9/11, I was contacted by insurance companies getting killed with medical bills,’ Lampone says. ‘Physicians were over-utilizing’performing surgeries for all reasons’and I wanted to go after the accuracy and truth of these medical issues, legally.’ Lampone calls the new workers’ compensation insurance reform ‘a 21st century misnomer,’ since he believes doctors will be receiving the compensation and there will only be short-term relief. ‘It’s a pipe dream to save 17 million people. Instead of cramming in a reform, the system should be redesigned to promote safe workplaces, group health insurance and disability coverage’that way, employers would get hit big if they were really negligent.’ Lampone’s wife, DiAnn (Nycky), is one of the principals of Work Comp Solutions. She was the first nursing professional to receive a master’s degree in occupational health administration from the UCLA School of Nursing, and has more than 20 years of experience as a clinical nurse and legal nurse consultant. She is also the co-founder of Employers’ Medical Coalition, an employer-aligned workers’ compensation consulting company. In addition to his two established medical-legal businesses, Lampone works part-time as a medical consultant for complex medical problems. Meanwhile, he is introducing a fourth, medical-legal advocates business to ‘advise, educate, counsel and facilitate patient care.’ What this new monitoring service does is put the perspective of looking back on medical errors in real time. Clients can contact Lampone’s team of experienced, board-certified doctors and nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For example, if your child goes into the hospital with an injury or illness, Lampone’s consultants will interface and interact with the doctors treating your child. ‘We can negotiate the best kind of care for the child because we are able to talk with doctors in a reasonable fashion about what’s in the patient’s best interest,’ Lampone says. ‘Most hospitals are receptive because medical errors are damaging, costly and tragic.’ For a monthly fee, the medical-legal advocates will advise clients, arrange second opinions and expedite transfer to a center of excellence, such as the Mayo Clinic, if need be. ‘There is an epidemic of medical errors,’ Lampone says. ‘We’d like to prevent medical errors by detecting them and intervening before patients suffer damage or death. By picking up early indicators of medical errors, we can redirect or counsel people in real time. We’re a safety net.’ The Lampones have lived in the Palisades since 1982 with their son, Nicholas, a junior at Loyola High School. Dr. Lampone’s office is located at 948 Monument, Suite 102. Contact: 459-6637 (medical-legal consulting) or 459-8282 (Work Comp Solutions).

For 14 years, Sally Gulick offered her ranch-style home on Sorrento Drive in the Riviera as a polling station. During that time she saw her neighbor Ronald Reagan, who lived three blocks away on San Onofre, elected governor of California twice (1966 and 1970) and, in 1980, to the presidency of the United States. Gulick remembers well the media converging on her property each time, trampling the azaleas and front lawn to capture the Reagans as they exited her front door after casting their ballot. ‘The Reagans were always very gracious,’ recalled Gulick, as she poured through the memorabilia collection in her family room, which is where the voting took place. She talked about always having a supply of jelly beans available on election day (‘black were his favorite’) and shared several photographs autographed by the couple, as well as a picture of the Reagans shaking the hand of her German shepherd, Dammit, who has since passed away. Although the photograph of the Reagans with the dog appeared in newspapers around the world, the dog’s name was censored out because of the language police of the day. ‘The Reagans had a German shepherd as well. In fact, they had two of them,’ said Gulick, who was a member of the Pacific Palisades Republican Women’s Club at the time and a devoted fan of Reagan. She saw allowing her home to be used for voting as a public service. ‘We always had a large turnout here in the Riviera,’ Gulick said. ‘When he first ran for governor, 95 percent of those registered in this precinct voted. I know he had the support of many of the neighbors. I think he was a great governor, a great president and a great man. I felt sad when I heard he had passed away.’ Gulick also remembers registering voters with Nancy Reagan at the Brentwood Country Mart. ‘Every Saturday, I would set up a card table and two chairs. Nancy would often join me, talking to shoppers and making sure they signed up as Republicans.’

By LAUREL BUSBY The Palisadian-Post went Ronald Reagan-crazy when the 25-year Palisades resident was elected the country’s leader in 1980. ‘Everything has changed,’ announced Post editor June Blum on the front page. ‘Nothing will be the same again’ever. And that is great, according to the consensus of Palisades residents.’ Reagan received 66 percent of the Palisades vote, winning each of the community’s 37 precincts as he defeated President Jimmy Carter. The Post’s editorial that week called Reagan’s election ‘a great victory for America’ and lauded Reagan’s promise to reduce income taxes by 10 percent, decrease government bureaucracy and lessen strictures on business and industry. The next month, the paper took on a new heading. For more than a year at the top of each front page, the Post proudly declared itself the ‘Home Town of President Reagan.’ The events leading up to his taking charge of the White House were covered heavily in the Post. An article was written about the Washington press corps that quickly descended on Los Angeles. In January of 1981, two full pages were devoted to Reagan’s trip to the airport as he and soon-to-be First Lady Nancy traveled to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. When the Reagans’ limousine pulled up to the Air Force One jet, members of the Palisades High School band and drill team serenaded them at Los Angeles International Airport. The front page of that January 22, 1981, issue was also devoted to the inauguration. More than 25 Palisadians attended the events, including Mort and Bobbie Farberow of Mort’s Deli. Bobbie was quoted at the time describing a sign some Palisadians held in the stands reading, ‘Welcome to Pacific Palisades, home of our 40th President.’ Bobbie noted that Reagan saw the sign, waved and poked Nancy’s shoulder until she finally turned and saw it. However, the ebullience about Reagan eventually lessened after the couple sold their five-room Palisades home. The San Onofre house, which they moved into just after it was built in 1956, was put on the market for $1.9 million before the Reagans left for D.C. The place, which featured a ‘sweeping view of the Westside and the Pacific,’ took a year to sell. In January 1982, Belle and Morris Halpern and their attorney son Steven bought the house, which was originally built as a General Electric Showcase House with 5,000 sq.ft. and 11 rooms, including three bedrooms, three baths and two servants rooms and a bath. An octagonal swimming pool was in the back. The Post featured a photo and story about the house sale on the front page of its February 4, 1982, edition, but also dropped the heading ‘Home Town of President Reagan.’ (Editor’s note: This article appeared in last year’s 75th Anniversary edition of the Palisdian-Post.)

It’s hard to believe that Emil Wroblicky, who could be called Mr. American Legion for his outstanding commitment to the local Post, joined the organization through sheer expedience. But 25 years ago, he and his wife Alice were simply looking for a hall to hold their son?s wedding reception. “We found out that the hall [on La Cruz] is free for Legionnaires,” recalls the ex-Marine. “All you had to pay was $35 for the clean-up man.” Wroblicky officially joined the group in 1978 but jumped in enthusiastically about eight years ago when his Legion buddy, the late Bill Warwachek, lamented that the group’s dinner-dances at the Legion hall weren’t drawing enough guests. Emil immediately thought: Bring in good music and they will come. “I was always interested in jazz and Dixieland from listening to the radio as a kid and I later used to drive all over to hear those people who played with the best – Count Basie and Duke Ellington,” Emil says. Over time, he got to know a few of them, guys like Abe Most (leading clarinetist for Benny Goodman) and Ernie Bernardi, who besides being a L. A. City Councilman for many years, played alto saxophone for Les Brown. So Emil invited them to play, and charged members $12.50 for the evening, eight years ago. “Where can you get a good dinner and a good band for that?” says Emil, adding that the price has since jumped to $20, but still boasts of terrific food, music and linen table dressings! Wroblicky moved up at the Legion, serving as commander one year and building the membership while continuing to arrange for bigger and better bands.”Most posts have to raise money through fundraisers of one kind or another, but thanks to our revenue from the U.S. Post Office building and the Sav-On building, we can give more money to support the veterans and pay a little more for the bands.” Emil has carried the banner for good music beyond the Legion Hall and onto the streets by wooing top military bands to march in the Palisades Fourth of July parade. Last year, the 1st Marine Division Band from Camp Pendleton lent some real spit and polish to the parade lineup. PAPA, the parade organizing committee, will honor the Wroblickys this July 4 by having the couple ride as parade marshals, right behind reviewing officer General Carl Jensen, commanding officer at Miramar Marine Air Station. His Miramar band will be close behind. Wroblicky says that occasionally he is accused of favoring the Marine Corps, but again, he knows how to get things done. “I am supporting all the veterans regardless what branch,” Emil says, adding “But, once a Marine, always a Marine. It makes it easier.” In 2001, Wroblicky invited Marine Commandant (“That’s like the president of the Marine Corps”) Michael Hagee to be the parade?s reviewing officer. “Here was this 3-star general at the time, riding along the parade route, when all of a sudden he jumped out of the car and posed with our grandchildren,” Emil recalls. “The reviewing officers help put the Palisades parade on the map,” Alice says. “These guys have a good time and they’re well taken care of by the Legion.” Emil and Alice, who have been married for 54 years and have lived in the Palisades since 1957, haven’t missed a parade yet. “The parade used to get started on Earlham, so it would always pass by our house on Swarthmore,” Alice says. Over the years their three sons joined them and then over time, one of more of their nine grandchildren. Both Midwesterners, the Wroblickys met at a church dance in 1947 in Blue Island, south of Chicago. After earning his B.A. degree on the GI Bill at Drake University and a master’s degree at Notre Dame, Emil got a job as head football coach at St. Monica’s. The young couple packed up the car and drove Route 66 out to California so Emil could start his new job after Labor Day 1951. Two years at St. Monica’s and 33 years at Cal State Los Angeles, where he coached and taught physical education, proved to be a satisfying and full career for Emil. Alice involved herself with the children and now grandchildren?s activities, and supported Emil. “I get involved because he?s involved,” she says. “I always end up being secretary and official greeter at the Legion functions.” These days, Emil travels the country to participate in American Legion conventions and meetings. The highlight of his and Alice’s involvement was the five days they spent in Washington, D. C. last week for the World War II Memorial festivities. The day before the official dedication, the Wroblickys were invited to the Marine Barracks (the oldest U.S. Marine Post in the United States) to view the biggest parade of all, viewing the Drum and Bugle Corps, Silent Drill Platoon (that responds without verbal commands) and the President’s own U.S. Marine Band. “A thunderstorm came up while we were waiting,” says Alice. “I asked one of the Marines if he thought the parade would be canceled. He said, “The Marines would never cancel for the rain.”

Ronald and Nancy Reagan resided in the Pacific Palisades for 29 years (1953-1982) before moving to Washington, D.C., after he was elected to the presidency. The Reagans bought their first house in the Riviera on upper Amalfi Drive, shortly after their marriage. In her autobiography Nancy wrote, ‘A lot of our friends felt we were foolish to move so far from the heart of Hollywood, but we wanted to be farther out of town and have never regretted it.’ At the time, Reagan had just completed a 5-year stint as president of the Screen Actors Guild and had appeared in a series of box office flops, including ‘Bedtime For Bonzo’ and ‘Tropic Zone.’ In 1954, Reagan began hosting ‘General Electric Theater,’ and in January 1957, he and Nancy moved to the innovative G.E. showcase house at 1669 San Onofre Dr., designed by architect William R. Stephenson. The nearly 5,000-sq.-ft. ranch-style home featured 3-bedrooms, 3-baths, a film projection room, servants quarters, an octagonal pool and a panoramic view of Santa Monica Bay. The property also featured all-GE electrical installations, inside and out, to control temperature, heat, light and the intercom system. For the Reagans, the Palisades was a retreat where the family could live relatively undisturbed until he was elected California governor in 1966. After that, the family spent most of the next eight years in Sacramento. While trips to the Palisades were rare, the couple caused a stir whenever they showed up to vote at their neighborhood polling station. In early 1981, the Reagans put their home on the market for $1.9 million, and it was finally purchased a year later by Morris and Belle Halpern. They sold to Norman and Irma Switzer in 1988. Before the Reagans left for Washington, there was a farewell party for them at the Riviera Country Club, where they were feted by 500 invited guests from the community. Shortly afterwards, the couple ended their formal association with the Palisades when they chose to locate the Western White House at their Santa Barbara ranch.

More than 20 of the town’s favorite elders’a hearty group of residents who are 90 years and older’had their annual birthday party together last Saturday, courtesy of the Palisades Junior Women’s Club. ”With Joe Napolitano, 104, and Rose Rhodes, 99, holding court as the oldest man and woman in the room, the special guests enjoyed a luncheon served by Junior Women members and a half-dozen of their daughters in the Woman’s Club (which was donated for the occasion). ”Napolitano, who still lives independently at his home in the Alphabet streets, is now enjoying his third century, having been born to Italian parents on a freighter off Gibraltar in 1899. He said he’s looking forward to turning 105 on August 19. ”Rhodes, who lives with her nephew and niece on Lachman Lane, will join the century club on November 1. ”The second oldest partygoer was Emery Stoops, 101, a former college educator who is still an active financial adviser. He said he also enjoys working every day in his vegetable garden and fruit orchard in the Riviera. ”Other attendees included Katherine Abbott, 98; Nancy and Victor Boesen, age 91 and 95 respectively; Wilma and George Tauxe, both 90; Maria Reichenbach, 95; Helen Mariol, 94; Joe Kingsley, 94; Harold Waterhouse, 93; Max Gerchik, 93; Mary Elizabeth Gall, 92; Valera Mueting, 91; Jeri McKee, 91; Dr. Leonard Montage, 91; Bob Willet, 91; Dorothy Miller, 91; Louis Shack, 90; Mary Hanzelin, 90; and Carl Christol, 90, a USC professor emeritus who said he swims at the YMCA pool ‘every day’rain or shine, cold or hot.’ ”Junior Women president Jenifer Byington thanked Helen Levin and Lynn Burlin for organizing the event, and introduced three young girls’Grace Levin and Camille and Madeline Oswald’who sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘The Grand Old Flag.’

The latest Potrero Canyon hearing began with a bombshell last Thursday evening when Jane Adrian told Community Council members that within a month she would no longer be in charge of the massive infill project. In fact, the entire building and construction department within Recreation and Parks’which has been responsible for Potrero since work began in 1986’will be folded into the city’s Bureau of Engineering. ”Given this unexpected leadership void, the Community Council moved forward and unanimously passed a motion reiterating its intention to play a vital and public role in the planning and financing of Phase III in Potrero. This final phase is the currently unfocused and unfunded completion of Potrero Park, from the Palisades Recreation Center down to Pacific Coast Highway. ”The council’s motion, which was unanimously passed and forwarded to City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, reads as follows: ”’Opposes the sale of 33 residential lots as presented in the draft motion received by the Board on May 27, under signature of Councilperson Miscikowski; Supports the sale of a sufficient number, but no more, of the City-owned developed (improved) parcels in Potrero Canyon to fund the completion of Phase II, but not Phase III; Supports the sale of such additional City-owned parcels in Potrero Canyon, incrementally and sequentially (taking into account the environmental impact upon the surrounding neighborhood), as is necessary to fund Phase III only after further input from the community is sought by the City regarding the design and plan of Phase III, the Community Council approves such design and plan, and such design and plan includes, but is not limited to, the following particulars: ”’Entrance(s) to the park, permanent funding for park maintenance, restoration of riparian habitat, parking and bathrooms, recreational pads, construction of a walk bridge from the mouth of Potrero Canyon over PCH to beach parking, environmental clearance of project upon abutting neighborhoods, landscaping and permissible uses. ”’All funds raised by such sales of parcels shall be deposited into the proposed escrow account/trust fund and all such deposits shall be used exclusively for the Potrero Canyon Project until completion of all phases.’

Only 26 of a possible 514 members of the Palisades Drive Recreation Association showed up at Tuesday night’s special meeting to recall the board of directors. Even though there was not a quorum, or enough proxy ballots to hold an official meeting, that did not prevent the mudslinging, which went on for some 40 minutes before it was abruptly brought to a halt by board member Angie Cloke. ”Cloke, an attorney and Highlands resident, suggested ‘a new date be set for the recall with new proxy ballots.’ ”The campaign to oust the 5-member board began in February when a small group of dissidents, unhappy with the management of Highlands Park, a recently completed three-acre site off Palisades Drive, sent a letter to homeowners in the area accusing the board of ‘fiscal irresponsibility, violation of the bylaws, and non-responsiveness to the members, allowing for a small minority to obtain control of the association.’ ”The letter was signed by Mitch Chupack, Peter Culhane, Alan Rubin, Art Zussman and former PDRA president Peter Bos, who started the verbal sniping after his group was chastised by Melanie Bingham, legal counsel to the board. ”Bingham declared that while the proxy ballots sent by the board were proper, those prepared by the dissidents were ‘defective’ since they only offered residents the option of removing the board and not retaining it, as required by Section 7514 of the Civil Code. Also, the ballot only provided for two write-in candidates, instead of up to the allowable five. ”Bos retorted that ‘the intent’ of residents to recall the board ‘was clear’ and sufficient in his view to validate the ballot. Bingham disagreed and, after sparring with Bos over some of the wording, declared: ‘You can never be too clear when it comes to meeting the requirements of the code.’ ”Acknowledging that the proxy ballot needed improvement, Zussman suggested a revised version which he suggested could be used next time, a suggestion that was rejected by some residents. ”’I object to sending out a proxy that is negotiated [with the opposition],’ said former PDRA president Greg Schem. ‘I’m a homeowner. This is our board, which we have elected. Let the board prepare the proxy. And I object to the continued inference by a select few that this volunteer board, which has given so much of its time, is incompetent. It’s not in the spirit of what a neighborhood should be.’ ”Attorney Sheri Price, whose home is adjacent to the park, agreed. ‘Shenanigans is what it is, and it has been going on for years,’ said Price, referring to the recall and the battle over control of the park, which is owned by PDRA. ”’This is why residents don’t want to get involved,’ offered another participant, alluding to the low turnout at the meeting, which was held at the Palisades Hills Club House on Monte Hermoso. ”Bos said that the recall was necessary because of what he viewed as the board’s ‘cumulation of blunders,’ and its ‘one failure after another.’ He pointed to the expenditure of legal fees and recent purchase of playground equipment for the park which he said was done ‘without proper consultation. We all love the park, we love the kids, we love the dogs. That is not the problem. It is this board that is the problem.’ ”At which point new board member Andy Caster asked Bos how he, Caster, could be a problem when he was only elected last month. ”’This is my first board meeting. I just got elected. Angie just got elected. Steve [Abraham] just got reelected. Are you talking about us? And if residents are so concerned, as you suggest, how did we get voted in? ‘ ”Bos suggested it was through ‘chaos’ and a series of ‘errors’ that Caster ‘somehow got on the board,’ which led to more sparring, and to Cloke finally suggesting an end to the meeting. ”New proxy ballots will be prepared by the board and sent to residents and a new recall will be held within 30 days. For information on the recall and how Highlands residents can join PDRA in order to gain access to the gated park contact Helmut Martinek (457-1330). (Editor’s note: In our front page story last week (‘Power Struggle Over Highlands Park’) the reference in the ‘Urgent’Save Your Park’ letter should have read that ‘a small MINORITY of Highlands homeowners strongly oppose the park’, as opposed to: ‘A small majority…’. Also, three Highland residents who do not live in the originally designated areas’which includes Palisades Hills, Vista del Mar, Vista Catalina, and the Summit’have now joined PDRA. Besides Angie Cloke and Tracy Landau, Ann Triplett Chappel is now a member.)