Nearly 50 residents from the Via de las Olas bluffs neighborhood crowded into Mort’s Oak Room Monday night to defend their turf and denounce efforts by other Palisades residents to create an off-leash dog park on the infamous Oxy site along PCH. Reiterating the numerous fears and objections that were expressed in a front-page article in last Thursday’s Palisadian-Post, audience members from Friends over to Mt. Holyoke argued that the proposed three-acre dog park near the mouth of Potrero Canyon would bring incalculable damage to their quality of life and could ultimately destroy homes along the bluffs. The two-hour meeting was hosted by PaliDog, the ad hoc Community Council committee that has spent five months researching potential dog-park locations in Pacific Palisades. When their investigation began to focus on the flat, undeveloped piece of land where Occidental once hoped to drill for oil, they were quickly opposed by BRAD (Bluff Residents Against Danger). “Our objective is to enhance the community,” PaliDog chairman Norm Kulla said in his welcoming remarks Monday night. “We all feel proud to live here and we want to make it better”-by having a park where dog owners can gather while their dogs exercise and socialize. “Whatever we do will have to be supported by the community.” Kulla said he had read numerous e-mail alerts from various opponents of the Oxy site and found two main themes in their concerns. “One is unrelated to our proposed park, and that is the history of the city’s failure to address problems on the Via bluff,” Kulla said. As described by BRAD members, these ongoing grievances include concerns about bluff stability, the fact that Via de las Olas has been withdrawn from public use and is no longer maintained by the City of Los Angeles, and there’s little or no patrol and enforcement of the posted signs restricting traffic to the street. (See Letters to the Editor, page 2.) “The second area of concern,” Kulla said, “has to do with the park location itself,” and especially the existence of an overgrown trail that traverses the hillside from Lombard on Via de las Olas down to the Oxy site, near the mouth of Potrero Canyon. PaliDog members felt that this trail would never be an issue, since the 10-minute hike each way would discourage most potential dog-park users. A parking lot would be built at the park itself, with traffic-signal access off PCH. Nevertheless, BRAD members warned that the trail would actually prove popular and would attract unknown hordes of people who would park for free on Via de las Olas and adjoining streets in order to access the dog park. This additional vehicle traffic would “further exacerbate bluff instability,” said Tom Giovine in his two-page complaint, while inviting “wayward and unseemly people to roam the bluff streets.” “You’re putting my home and the neighborhood in jeopardy,” said Regina McConahay, who noted that she lives “at Ground Zero,” across from the Lombard trailhead. “We are big dog lovers and we support an off-leash site-but not on the Oxy site.” Ines Boechat, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, and her husband, Vicente Gilsanz, a professor at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, have lived on Via de las Olas since 1984 and spoke out about “the health hazard raised by the dissemination of bacteria contained in fecal material eliminated by potentially thousands of dogs frequenting the park, that would spread through water and the environment. It would particularly affect young and elderly individuals who live in the proximity of the park.” The threat of litigation also arose when Giovine asked, “Who’s going to compensate the homeowners if the bluffs are destabilized by all the cars and people? Whoever is responsible for building this dog park and approving this dog park, we will hold them responsible. We will absolutely sue.” He did say, however, that “I’m not against a dog park,” and he encouraged PaliDog to take a more serious look at Temescal Gateway Park above Sunset. Attorney George Soneff urged Kulla to pursue Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy which oversees public uses in Temescal. “You should put community pressure on Joe-get him in here to answer questions,” Soneff said. Trying one last time to overcome the polarized atmosphere in the room, Kulla told the audience: “I know that you have overwhelming concerns, and there’s a huge problem in your neighborhood-Via de las Olas. Your perception is that the Oxy dog park would make worse the existing problems. But are you willing to work with me on solutions?” “Absolutely not,” Giovine responded. “Well, if this isn’t going anywhere, I’m not crazy,” Kulla said. “I don’t want to keep banging my head against a wall. The dog park idea will evolve, we’ll find a solution. But since your community is so strong against the Oxy site, we won’t go forward unless you have a change of heart. Any ideas, we invite that. We’ll keep plugging away.”

Imagine a store in the Palisades dedicated to the home chef, a place for children and adults that would offer cooking classes, feature celebrity chefs and sell quality kitchen ware. “I thought the idea was great,” said Palisadian Richard Klein, a CPA consultant who has had many corporate clients. “I was surprised there wasn’t already a store like that in the village. I wondered why.” The concept first came to Klein, himself a home chef, last Memorial Day weekend when he was celebrating his eighth wedding anniversary with his wife Barbara and their two young children, Jacquelyn, 6, and Joseph, 2. Not sure if he had come up with the greatest kitchen idea since sliced bread, he spent a month trying to talk himself out of the possibilities. The demographics of the area, as well as some informal polling he did with his wife, convinced him otherwise. “This area is all about families,” Klein, who lives in the Marquez area, told the Palisadian-Post this week. “I believe the village is ready for this, a place where children can come and learn to cook, along with their parents. This is not a professional trade school. It is designed for the community to enjoy. Just look at the success of cooking shows in the last 10 years. Even my young son knows who Emeril is!” After looking at several possible village locations, including the former Kids’ Universe on Sunset (which ended up being leased to Jiva Yoga Studio) and the former Emerson-LeMay Cleaners site on Swarthmore, Klein settled on a storefront on Via de la Paz. And just last week he received tentative approval of his plans from the Palisades Design Review Board. “It’s been a whirlwind of planning and raising funds,” said Klein, who is not exactly sure when his multi-use kitchen store will open. His priority now is to renovate the former site of Sheila May Permanent Makeup Studio at 872 Via de la Paz. Plans call for a complete overhaul of the 1,650-sq.-ft. space, to be called Chefmakers. Klein is in the process of registering the trademark. “Chefmakers is a new retailing concept offering a wide variety of what I call edu-tainment activities,” Klein explained in his presentation to the DRB. “Products and services are oriented to the home chef, both adults and children, and is designed to meet the family-oriented needs of the Palisades community.” Exterior improvements include installing floor-to-ceiling windows, new front doors and awnings, and re-stuccoing the facade. A parapet wall will be built on the roof to give the signage, which is red, some depth. Although the Chefmakers store represents only two-thirds of the building frontage (the adjacent space, at 874, is occupied by Carpets West), the landlord is allowing an upgrading of the entire building, which will provide a “new unified look.” “I am very pleased with what they have proposed, and particularly with the quality of the project,” said Don Hecker, who owns the building. The DRB felt the same way. “I think it’s a tremendous improvement over what exists now,” said member Murray Levy. “I agree,” said chairman Rick Mills. While no formal vote was taken (as there was not a quorum at the meeting) the DRB gave conditional approval to the project. Plans also call for new signage for Carpets West as well as the Chefmakers logo (a chef’s cap) to be placed on the side of the existing tower so it is visible from Sunset. Colors for the design range from light to dark gray. Awnings will be soft green and act as a sun shield. Exterior concrete planters will be filled with seasonal flowers. “My intention was to simplify the building,” said architect Stanley Felderman, who has been involved in the design of several restaurants (Il Forno, La Vecchia Cucina) as well as the design of the MTV headquarters in Santa Monica. He and Klein met at a Daddy and Me class at the Village Arts and Enrichment Center on Sunset. They became friends, and Felderman is now an investor in the project. “Richard is so compelling, so passionate about this idea that I could not help but become involved,” said Felderman, who lives in the El Medio bluffs area with his wife Nancy Keating and their 3-year-old twin daughters, Kate and Sara. “This project is all about bringing families together, and giving something back to this wonderful community we live in.” Klein, 48, has also leased two smaller storefronts from Hecker to use as office space and storage. Both are located next to Amazing Music, behind the Via de la Paz location. He is pleased that several of the investors in the project, as well as some of his advisors, are Palisadians. “We hope to create a renewed interest in Via de la Paz with this project,” said Klein, who taught himself how to cook when he went off to study business at USC. He wrote about his first disastrous attempt for the student newspaper, the Daily Trojan. “My mother sent me off with a pot and some Hamburger Helper. I soon found out that the pot wasn’t big enough for what I was making!” So what does the home chef cook when he has guests? “Homemade fettuccine with Roquefort cheese sauce, paired with a French Sauterne,” Klein said. Possibility a recipe for a Chefmakers food demonstration? “Maybe.” To follow the progress of Chefmakers, go to: www. chefmakers. com.

Amidst all the noise of national election primaries, three citizens have quietly begun the process of running for Council District 11 in March 2005, when two-term Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski will be termed out. This will be the first election in the district since it became a coastal district exclusively, as a result of last year’s redistricting, and candidates are already staking out their territory on the issues. Flora Gil Krisiloff, a Brentwood resident since 1985, is running on her record as a community advocate. “When I moved to Brentwood from Mar Vista 19 years ago, I immediately got involved in preserving the Brentwood Country Mart on the corner of 26th and San Vicente,” Krisiloff told the Palisadian-Post. “Then Marvin Braude appointed me to the San Vicente Design Review Board, where I continue to serve.” In more recent times, Krisiloff co-founded and remains the only chairman of the Brentwood Community Council, which was established six years ago. She has also served as vice president of the West L.A. Planning Commission for two years and is currently the president. While not obligated to step down from her position on the commission, she will do so voluntarily “in order to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest.” “Because the West L. A. Planning Commission encompasses all of Council District 11, I have become familiar with planning issues throughout the entire district, which runs from the 405 freeway to the east, the ocean to the west, Pacific Palisades to the north and Westchester to the south.” Krisiloff has assembled a campaign team that includes Rich Taylor, who ran both of Cindy Miscikowski’s campaigns, Charley Dobbs to raise money and Mary Ellen Padilla as treasurer. She expects to begin her fundraising after March 8, when matching funds become available. Krisiloff, 52, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from UCLA, where she taught in the nursing school. She also holds an MBA from UCLA. She and her husband, Milton, who is a urologist with a Santa Monica practice, have three sons. Bill Rosendahl, who has 22 years experience in cable television specializing in public affairs programs, most recently on Adelphia, is hoping to build consensus on the City Council. Since 1987, he has produced 3,000 shows on state and local issues. In addition, he has given voice to all candidates, big and small, who have run for local and statewide office and offered a forum to debate state and municipal propositions. “I think of myself as being accessible and open, and believe if we all sit at the table we can come up with solutions,” he said. A Mar Vista resident, Rosendahl plans to use the next six months to raise money and familiarize himself with specific issues. He will hold his first fundraiser on March 8. He has hired a team of consultants including Parke Skelton to run the campaign, Brian and Pat Bradford to raise money and Steve Kauffman to “keep my books straight.” A native of New Jersey, Rosendahl, who is single, has spent his career in and out of politics, working for a number of Democratic candidates, including Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 bid for president, which brought him to Los Angeles for the first time on that fateful evening. Rosendahl, who turns 60 in 2005, thinks of himself as a citizen politician, whose “experience, awareness and maturity” will serve him well. Los Angeles native Sheila Bernard’s foray into politics was prompted by her own personal commitment to affordable housing. A resident of Lincoln Place Apartments since 1988, Bernard, 54, has led the fight to protect and preserve the 800 units of housing in the middle of Venice. She is the single mother of three grown children. “This major activity got me interested in politics as I began to see that the biggest problems in Los Angeles include affordable housing, transportation and, of course water,” Bernard told the Post. A graduate of UCLA, where she studied public service, Bernard has been teaching adults and at-risk youth in the Division of Adult and Career Education of LAUSD since 1981. “During these years I have met several thousand at-risk youth of high school age and helped many of them to prepare for the GED and earn their high school diploma,” she says. “I have concluded that schools need more support and participation from government and from local communities if schools are to play all the roles that are expected of them in the lives of students and their families.” Bernard not only serves as president of the Lincoln Place Tenants Association, but also was co-founder and current president of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council, which was certified two years ago. She says that she expects to run a “nontraditional” campaign. “The neighborhood council and tenants are my work in the community. The campaign has to accommodate my work in the community, not the other way around.”