LC 02 2024

Larchmont Chronicle

VOL. 62, NO. 2

• DELIVERED TO 76,439 READERS IN HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT •

IN THIS ISSUE

Participate in the Homeless Count Jan. 25 n Count’s final night

VALENTINES 2024 6

SCOUTING adventures.

12

GET ’EM while they last.

2-2

TRAILBLAZERS. 2-13 For information on advertising in the paper, please call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11 Mailing permit:

By Suzan Filipek This year’s homeless count in Greater Wilshire takes place on Thurs., Jan. 25, beginning at 8 p.m., starting at Hope Lutheran Church, 6720 Melrose Ave. In all, 84 volunteers are needed at this site. Previously, the Greater Wilshire count had been planned to start on Larchmont Boulevard.

Mid City counting is also on Jan. 25, the final night of the three-night count, beginning at 8 p.m. at Television City, 7800 Beverly Blvd.

To help make a difference and register as a volunteer for the Homeless Count, visit TheyCountWillYou.org.

Each year, volunteers fan out across Los Angeles County to count the men, women and children who are sleeping without a permanent home to help determine the scope of the homelessness problem and to help deliver services where they are needed most.

You can register up to the time of the count in your chosen area listed on the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) website.

“Volunteers should arrive at their deployment site at 8 p.m. They will need to pick up their walk packets and do onsite training if they did not do their training online,” a LAHSA spokesman told us.

“If the chosen site fills up and people still want to volunteer, we encourage them to volunteer at any of the other deployment sites in the county,” he added.

Generally, volunteers serve for three to four hours including training time.

Projects fast-tracked at area expense?

n 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. and 800 Lorraine Blvd.

By Suzan Filipek and John Welborne Breaking news: At press time for this issue, our editors heard disturbing rumors that the allegedly “100 percent affordable” project proposed to replace a single-story bungalow on “Upper Larchmont” at 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. is not that at all. Not “100 percent affordable.”

More information was due to be revealed at the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC) Land Use Committee meeting scheduled for Jan. 23, when this issue of the paper already was at the printer. The disclosures follow a careful review by neighbors of the plans and drawings that the development company, 507 N. Larchmont LLC, submitted to the City of Los

A SEVEN-STORY “100 percent affordable” residential building proposed for 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. actually may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing that really is designed to include six floors of expensive market-rate units, all with no on-site parking.

Angeles Planning Dept. while seeking the special benefits available from Mayor Karen Bass’ Executive Directive 1 (ED1) plus adopted Assembly

Bill 1763 (AB 1763).

Receipt of those benefits that waive many long-standing local zoning protections See Projects, P 3

Yes, local elections coming up — soon

n U.S. House of Representatives, District Attorney, other races

By John Welborne Local elections are just around the corner, once again. Mail-in ballots will begin appearing in voters’ mailboxes as early as Feb. 5.

Voters have until Tues., Feb. 20, to register. In addition to the critical local races where voting will conclude on Tues., March 5, that date marks the conclusion of the presidential primary in California.

For local readers, the most interesting and contentious races probably are two — the one for the 30th District Con-

Vote on or before Tuesday, March 5 gressional seat long held by Representative Adam Schiff (now running for U.S. Senate) and the Los Angeles County District Attorney race, where 11 candidates are challenging the incumbent, George

Gascón. Some Larchmont Chronicle readers also get to vote for a city councilmember for Council District 10 and/or a Los Angeles County Supervisor for District 2.

U.S. Congress seats Adjoining the highly contested 30th California Congressional District are Districts 34 and 37. Both have incumbents who are likely to be reelected. Jimmy Gomez is running again in his Congressional District 34, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove is running See Election, P 4

Miracle Mile 2024!

Our year-round guide to lifestyle, entertainment, residential and business news, “Miracle Mile 2024,” will be published in the March issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., Feb. 12. For more information, contact Pam Rudy, 323462-2241, ext. 11.

FEBRUARY 2024

MARCH PRIMARY LOCAL CONTESTS abound in our part of town.

www.larchmontchronicle.com ~ Entire Issue Online!

2 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Editorial

Calendar

By John Welborne

Show your love This is our February issue. Because local election ballots begin arriving in our residence mailboxes on Feb. 5, and because the ballots may be voted and returned anytime through the end of Election Day on Tues., March 5, voting is one of two things we urge from our readers this month.

Show your support. Vote for whichever candidates — especially the most local ones, such as Member of Congress and District Attorney — that you would like to see represent you and your neighbors in the coming years.

There is a second way that you can show your support of this neighborhood. Show your love for the Larchmont Chronicle! Support our highly local newspaper in 2024 — our 62nd year of publication.

Enclosed with this February copy of the Chronicle is a reply envelope. To help defray the costs of reporting, printing and distribution, we will be very grateful to receive checks from our readers (who did not already reply to our earlier request at the end of 2023).

Those are two important ways to show your support of community. VOTE … and help underwrite the rising costs of publishing the Larchmont Chronicle. Thank you.

Fri., Feb. 2: Groundhog Day. Sun., Feb. 10: Lunar New Year.

Wed., Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day. Mon., Feb. 19: Presidents’ Day. Thurs., Feb. 29: Leap Day. Delivery of the March issue of the Larchmont Chronicle.

That’s the question inquiring photographer Casey Russell asked locals.

DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF HANCOCK PARK

SO

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A

S

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• Homeowners • C I AT

HANCOCK PARK HOME Est. OWNERS ASSOCIATION 1948

137 N. LARCHMONT BLVD. LOS ANGELES 90004 www.HancockPark.org

Getting City Services Using MyLA311

If you see a tree down or a couch left at the curb or you see graffiti or … and you wonder how to get the situation handled, try the MyLA311App or the website lacity.gov/myla311 to make a report. You’ll open a ticket; someone will be dispatched; and when the situation is cleared up, you’ll get notification.

Some of the additional things MyLA311 can handle are: • Reporting dumping or trash collection issues • Requesting bulky item pick-up appointments • Reporting graffiti • Asking for parking enforcement • Animal services, such as dead animal pickup • Streetlight outage • Reporting gas leaf blower violations

Safe Sidewalks LA

As everyone who walks on a sidewalk in Los Angeles knows, most of our sidewalks are broken and dangerous. Our Hancock Park neighborhood has been requesting help from our Council Office for months, and we have been told there is no funding available for our sidewalk infrastructure. However, we discovered a program called — Safe Sidewalks LA — https:// sidewalks.lacity.org. Its goal is to repair sidewalks so they are accessible to all of us. The Association will be starting an initiative and task force to help Hancock Park residents log problem sidewalks, get involved in the program and keep track of the progress. Stay tuned for more information.

We welcome volunteers to help with our work.

We’re also asking every homeowner to become a dues paying member. See our website for more specific information about how you can participate — hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org

HPOZ

If you’re planning to make any changes to the streetvisible portion of your house, hardscaping and windows, check with our HPOZ Planner Suki Gershenhorn (suki. gershenhorn@lacity.org) before starting. The HPOZ Preservation Plan, which regulates our HPOZ, can be found at: preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park.

There is also an online form available: preservation. lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist.

Adv.

‘What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?’

Feb. 25 CicLAvia —the city’s 50th — on Melrose

By Nona Sue Friedman Four miles of Melrose Avenue will temporarily be off-limits to cars for a CicLAvia event on Sun., Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The car-free route along Melrose Avenue, from Fairfax Avenue to Vermont Avenue, will include three hubs where participants can get a quick bicycle tune-up or fuel themselves with food and drink or learn about local organizations and more.

In its 14th year here in Los Angeles County, CicLAvia is free and encourages all ages

Larchmont Chronicle Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin .

.

Publisher and Editor John H. Welborne Managing Editor Suzan Filipek Assistant Editor Casey Russell Contributing Editor Jane Gilman Staff Writers Talia Abrahamson Helene Seifer Advertising Director Pam Rudy Advertising Sales Caroline Tracy Art Director Tom Hofer Circulation Manager Nona Sue Friedman Accounting Jill Miyamoto 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103

Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241 larchmontchronicle.com

to bike, walk, jog, stroll or skate along its route. Getting out of your car allows you to see and explore sections of the community from a different perspective.

The event will impact northand south-bound traffic in and out of Greater Wilshire and Mid City. Crossing points on Melrose are shown on the accompanying map.

This is the organization’s 50th event since 2010. Organizers were inspired by the weekly ciclovío events in Bogotá, Columbia, where that city has been closing its streets to cars for more than 45 years.

Our local CicLAvia has inspired more than 1.8 million people to explore — slowly — much of Los Angeles.

For more information, visit ciclavia.org.

“I might take the boys out for a date. They love coming to Larchmont. And I might make them special Valentine’s Day dog treats.”

Kirstie Amores with Theo and Charlie Hancock Park

“We are going to make Valentines for all of our friends.”

Keira, Connor and parents Mike and Katie Curley Brookside

Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.

CORRECTION Homeless count

In last month’s January issue, we reported that the meeting point for the annual homeless count in Greater Wilshire was to be on North Larchmont Boulevard. Subsequent to publication, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) changed the Jan. 25 meeting point for Greater Wilshire volunteers to Hope Lutheran Church on Melrose Avenue. (See story on Page 1 of this issue.)

“We typically go to Utah for Valentine’s Day for a snowy, different kind of holiday. I think that’s what we’ll probably do this year. And maybe we’ll take our 2-year-old this year. It will be his first time.”

Adair Curtis with Cruz Ridgewood - Wilton

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Projects

(Continued from Page 1) is predicated upon 100 percent of the constructed residential units in the project (supposedly 52 small studio apartments of about 325 square feet each) being available for rents that meet “affordable” guidelines.

However, it looks like this developer actually may plan to construct 64 (not 52) units, with 12 of the units being much larger than the small “affordable” studios. The bigger units, two per floor on floors 2 through 7, would have balconies fronting on Larchmont Boulevard. The developer could make those units available for rent or sale at whatever market prices customers will pay.

Email alert This newspaper and residents of Larchmont Village and nearby neighbors were alerted to the possibility of there being these “secret” market-rate units through an email message sent on

SECTION ONE

DECADES OF LOVE.

6

VALENTINES 6 SCHOOL NEWS 10 YOUTH SPORTS 11 SCOUTING 12 TIPS ON PARENTING 17

SECTION TWO

VIEW:

Real Estate Entertainment, Museums, Libraries, Home & Garden

BERGIN’S ON TAP.

5

ON PRESERVATION 3 REAL ESTATE SALES 4 ENTERTAINMENT On the Menu 6 Movies 7 Theater 8 AROUND THE TOWN 12 LIBRARIES 14 POLICE BEAT 14 MUSEUMS 15 BEEZWAX 15 WORD CAFÉ 15

January 20 by Larchmont Village resident Sam Uretsky, co-founder of Lucerne Arden United. Uretsky wrote: “In reviewing the plans for 507 N. Larchmont [see plans at tinyurl.com/2p9c3dy9 — 21 pages; takes time to load], there are 13 spaces labeled as Recreation Areas (RA) … They are the choice spaces included in the project plans and represent approximately 25% or less of the project.

“Recreation Areas are ‘non-essential spaces.’ What does that mean for 507? Here’s what you need to know: “Once the overall plan for 507 is approved as an ED1 project, and as early as the next business day: “1. The developers are able to revise plans.

“2. For 100 percent affordable housing plans, as 507 purports to be, the developers can apply under State law to convert up to 25% of the project, comprised of ‘non-essential space,’ to ADUs

SECTION ONE

ONE-STORY BUNGALOW, in center, may be demolished and replaced with a seven-story building next to the circa 1930s three-story apartment building at right.

(Accessory Dwelling Units) and sell them as condominiums (or rent them) at market rates.

“3. Does the project at 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. propose to exploit ED1, Larchmont [Village] and the entire Greater Wilshire community under the false pretense of building 100 percent affordable housing?

We can find no other explanation for the developer’s planned thirteen ‘Recreation Areas.’”

Analysis of units The City Planning Dept. has been fast-tracking the now questionable “100 percent

affordable” seven-story housing development proposed for a narrow lot now the site of a one-story bungalow. The plans show 52 small dwelling units.

What about the two spacious “Recreation Rooms” on each of floors 2 through 7, shown prominently in the building plans, each with plumbing, each on the street end of the building? In all, there are 12 “Recreation Rooms” that actually are the spaces in the building with the most light and the best views. What is really happening with this

3

application under ED1? Is the presentation to the city a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Not the only ED1 project Another project, at 800 Lorraine Blvd. in Windsor Village, is on a similar trajectory for 70 “affordable” units in a six-story building. Those plans don’t appear to show any potential “secret” units, however. At the moment, also at press time, city processing of that Lorraine Blvd. project is on temporary hold because of community outcry.

The projects were both submitted to the City of Los Angeles Planning Dept. in December under Mayor Bass’ ED1. Issued to help deal with the city’s housing crisis, the ED1 directive offers waivers and incentives under state and city density bonus programs to build affordable housing quickly. Besides adding height, these projects include reduced setbacks and no parking.

Under the mayor’s program, (Please turn to Page 5)

4 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Election

(Continued from Page 1) again in her District 37.

City Council The only local Los Angeles City Council contest (even-numbered council districts this time) is for CD 10, along the southern and eastern borders of the Larchmont Chronicle readership area (see accompanying map).

Running as the incumbent in this nonpartisan race is Heather Hutt, the appointed replacement for her convicted predecessor. Also seeking this city council seat are Eddie Anderson, Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Aura Vásquez and Grace Yoo. Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors contest on the ballot locally is for District 2, in the southern part of the Chronicle readership area (see accompanying map).

This also is a nonpartisan

race, and the incumbent running for reelection is Holly J. Mitchell. Challenging her are Katrina Williams, Clint D. Carlton and Daphne D. Bradford.

California Legislature This time around, there also are local elections for the California Legislature. In the State Senate, each incumbent in the local races is expected to be reelected: Senate District 24, Ben Allen; Senate District 26, Maria Elena Durazo; and Senate District 28, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas.

In the State Assembly, two local seats seem secure, with Rick Chavez-Zbur (Assembly District 51) and Isaac Bryan (Assembly District 55) running for reelection.

However, for the 54th Assembly District, which includes a bit of the southeast corner of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council area, there are three candidates running for the

seat currently held by Miguel Santiago, who is running for the more lucrative position of member of the Los Angeles City Council in the Downtown 14th Council District seat now held by Kevin de León, who is running there for re-election. Of the three candidates for Santiago’s Assembly District 54 job, Mark Gonzalez has virtually all of the Democratic establishment endorsements.

U.S. Senate and more Statewide, there are 27 candidates running for the vacant U.S. Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein, and there are two ballot propositions to be voted upon locally (one state and one City of Los Angeles measure).

There also is a gaggle of candidates (23) trying to be selected as nominee for the position of President of the United States.

Most important races for local voters For most local voters in Greater Wilshire and Mid City, it looks like there are two local elections where their votes can make the biggest difference, each election featuring a multitude of candidates: the California 30th District House of Representatives seat long held by, and being vacated by, Adam Schiff, and the District Attorney seat currently held by George Gascón.

Adam Schiff seat Fifteen candidates seek the 30th Congressional District seat held by Adam Schiff since 2000. He is not seeking reelection because he is running for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by the late Dianne Feinstein. Top contenders in the 30th Congressional District race include former city attorney Mike Feuer, state Assemblymember Laura Friedman, Los Angeles Unified School District board

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member Nick Melvoin, state Sen. Anthony Portantino and actor, producer and businessman Ben Savage.

The other 10 candidates in this race are: Josh Bocanegra, entrepreneur / A.I. developer; G “Maebe” Pudlo, Silver Lake neighborhood councilwoman; Francesco Arreaga, legislative advisor; Sal Genovese, community services director; Jirair Ratevosian, public Health advocate; Steve Andraé Dunwoody, government affairs director; Sepi Shyne, councilwoman / small businesswoman; Alex Balekian, intensive care physician; Emilio Martinez, producer / writer / comedian; and Erskine Levi, teacher.

Visit lavote.gov for more information.

Vote on or before Tuesday, March 5 District Attorney seat Eleven candidates are challenging incumbent Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who was elected in 2020. Some of the challengers are from his own office. Like other county and City of Los Angeles races, the D.A.’s election is nonpartisan.

It has been reported that our D.A.’s race is being watched across the country as an indicator of public sentiment about criminal justice system reform during a time when there is a general perception of property crime increases. In fact, the New York Times weighed in with an early January article (“Who Are All the Candidates Running for L.A. County District Attorney?” tinyurl. com/29yprapc) that described the 11 candidates running against Gascón, including some from within Gascón’s own office, as follows: “Eric Siddall, a violent-crimes prosecutor who has received the endorsement of the union that represents assistant district attorneys.

“Jonathan Hatami, a child-abuse prosecutor who frequently criticizes Gascón on the social media platform X and says he is opposed to Gascón’s blanket policy of never seeking the death penalty.

“Maria Ramirez, a veteran prosecutor who has sued Gascón, accusing him of retaliating against her for pushing back on his policies.

“John McKinney, who has been a prosecutor in the Major Crimes Division and led the successful prosecution of the man convicted of murder-

ing the rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019.

“Nathan Hochman, a former U.S. assistant attorney general who was the Republican nominee for California attorney general in 2022, an election he lost.

“Debra Archuleta, a longtime trial lawyer who is now an L.A. County Superior Court judge.

“Jeff Chemerinsky, who headed the violent and organized crime section of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles before leaving that post last year to enter the campaign.

“Lloyd Masson, a prosecutor in neighboring San Bernardino County who specializes in cold cases.

“Craig Mitchell, a former prosecutor turned judge who is known around Los Angeles for the Skid Row Running Club, which he established to help homeless people who were suffering from addiction.

“David S. Milton, a retired judge who has presented himself as a ‘law and order’ candidate and has promised to seek tougher sentences and pursue the death penalty.

“Dan Kapelovitz, a liberal criminal defense lawyer who is running on promises to tackle the root causes of crime, like poverty and addiction.”

Feb. 20 deadline to register To vote in the Tues., March 5, primary election, a resident must register by Tues., Feb. 20. Because California has a “top two” primary, all candidates, regardless of party preference (except for presidential and county central committee candidates) are listed on all ballots. The top two vote-getters in each March 5 primary race — regardless of party preference — move on to the general election to be held on Nov. 5, 2024. (In nonpartisan local races, a winner can be elected by a majority vote in the primary election.)

If you want your ballot to include presidential candidates, you must be registered in the party of your candidate.

(The political party preference you selected when you last registered to vote determines which presidential candidates will be on your ballot.)

If, when registering, you declined to disclose a preference for a qualified political party, you still may request a ballot to vote for a presidential candidate of one of these three parties: the American Independent Party, the Democratic Party or the Libertarian Party. But not the Republican Party; you have to be registered in that party to vote for one of its nine presidential candidates. Learn more from the Secretary of State at: tinyurl.com/4dy62mt2.

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

(Continued from Page 3) after an initial review by the City Planning Dept., a 100-percent affordable housing development can go forward with “ministerial approval” in 60 days with no public hearings, input or review.

“All ED1 cases filed with the Planning Department must receive a Letter of Consistency after being deemed complete.

The department is currently in the process of issuing Letters of Correction / Hold Letters for both projects [on Larchmont and Lorraine], as they are missing information necessary for continued processing.

Once the cases are deemed complete, the Planning Department has 60 days to issue a Letter of Consistency. ED1 projects are ministerial projects, and are not subject to CEQA [the California Environmental Quality Act],” according to a spokesperson at the City Planning Dept.

800 Lorraine In the Windsor Village Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (parts of which, including this parcel, are subject to additional “Q Condition” restrictions, such as relating to building height), the Windsor Village Association has formally registered its objections to the proposal on Lorraine, board President Barbara Pflaumer told us.

The six-story apartment building on Lorraine is proposed for what is currently an empty lot. The project includes 24 studios and 46 one-bedroom units. Most are low-income units; 14 are moderate income; and one is a manager’s unit. There are zero setbacks on the street sides of

SIX STORIES are proposed in the Windsor Village HPOZ at 800 Lorraine Boulevard at Eighth Street.

the corner-lot building.

Larchmont The project on Larchmont also has rallied the community in opposition.

“Thanks to the many, many of you who asked what you can do to help defeat this project! The answer is to organize, speak with one voice and make it known in each and every forum to each and every city official and agency that has allowed this project to be proposed that you will not stand for this project going forward,” Uretsky wrote in a previous email blast.

“507 is the result of a poorly thought out and poorly written Mayoral Executive Directive used by opportunistic developers with the apparent encouragement of a City Planning Department intent on destabilizing stable neighborhoods and remaking them in what I would characterize as a dystopian construct,” Uretsky told us. “What is particularly stupid here is that Larchmont is not just the single-family neighborhood now anathema to this generation of ‘planners’ (emphasis deliberate). Larchmont has a large component of multi-family properties and is, in fact, quite a diverse neighborhood.”

The 507 N. Larchmont proj-

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ect, based on a review by the Windsor Square Association (WSA), actually does not qualify for the requested bonuses, because the property is not located within one half mile of a major transit stop, despite the parcel’s tentative Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) designation by the city.

Even projects that qualify for TOC benefits only are allowed three additional stories on top of the current three-story limit, for a maximum total of six stories. “In short, we don’t understand how these developers can lawfully receive the waivers and incentives they request for this building,” the WSA wrote in an email to its membership.

The proposed 30,330square-foot mixed-use building on Larchmont includes 845 square feet of ground-floor retail. Also featured are a rooftop deck, balconies on the east and west sides, and almost no setbacks to the north and south.

The developers claim no parking is required for this building.

No parking?

“Where will all the residents’ vehicles be parked?”

WSA asked in an email.

“The project’s 100 percent level of affordable housing is excellent and welcome. However, the size and features of the project, at this location next to single-family residential, is unlawful and inappropriate.”

[This WSA email was sent prior to the Jan. 20 Uretsky email about the “secret” mar-

ket-rate units. — Ed.] The WSA email continued: “We strongly support the long-standing need for affordable housing in Los Angeles, which the city has ignored and allowed to fester for decades.

There is ample and available space throughout Los Angeles to build our much-needed affordable housing that does not require the destruction of the integrity of our single- and multi-family Greater Wilshire neighborhoods.”

Charlie D’Atri, president of the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association, told the Chronicle, “We have not taken a position on those two developments as yet. I can say Larchmont Village has always historically been multi-family housing friendly. In recent years, we’ve welcomed hundreds of new housing units as anyone who’s walked or driven through our northeast part of the Greater Wilshire neighborhood can attest.

5

For well over a year we have been a part of a multi-neighborhood, multi-stakeholder effort to create a neighborhood-friendly plan to create many more housing units in buildings which will reflect the live / work historic nature of North Larchmont Boulevard. The particular developer in question for 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. has made no effort to reach out to us prior to filing this plan.”

Uretsky adds: “Here’s another real concern: infrastructure. No improvements or upgrades to existing infrastructure are required. Our neighborhood already suffers from LADWP inadequacies.

We barely have street lighting.

Water mains break regularly.

Stormwater run-off handling is inadequate. Power stability during weather events is already tenuous. Let’s not forget a century-old sewer system. Who’s planning to upgrade these critical resources? Oh, nobody!”

Valentine’s Day and eVery Day,

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Projects

SECTION ONE

6 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

The Griffiths: Nearly seven decades of love on McCadden, June

By Casey Russell After 67 years of marriage, Stephen and Louise Griffith are still going strong. The two met at Stanford University at a party for the new freshman class. It was on the baseball diamond and, all these years later, the two remember it well.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Louise. “I was looking forward to meeting new people and seeing what it was all about.”

“I had been at an all-boys school for eight years, so you can imagine how I was,” said Steve, with a smile in his voice.

He’d been accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford, but Stanford was the only school of the four that was co-ed at the time. “So, that’s where I was going,” he said.

The two were introduced

by Louise’s friend Peggy Miller, and Steve told us his first thought was, “Wow.” As it turns out, Steve and Louise had grown up in the same area (this one), and his sister was in Louise’s class at Marlborough.

Growing up, the two had never met because Steve had been at boarding school back east.

The couple told us that after

THE GRIFFITHS at the beach recently.

STEVE AND LOUISE Griffith on their wedding day, 67 years ago.

they got talking, things “just went from there.” Their first dates were homework dates, and they’d go to the library and study together. Later, though, they told us they spent some fun evenings at a little beer bar near school called Rossotti’s.

After graduating, the Griffiths tied the knot. They stayed in the Stanford area for about a year, Steve finishing up extra credits for a changed major

area. Steve and Louise, a Larchmont Chronicle Woman of Larchmont in 1982, like going to the Larchmont Farmers’ Market together on Sundays.

Louise walks around the neighborhood with a friend several times a week. They go to Rite Aid and to the banks. “It’s very convenient,” said Louise. Steve misses the hardware store.

The two now have eight grandchildren, and the family is spread out between Colorado and the Carolinas, so the couple gets to do quite a bit of traveling. One son was stationed in Japan for many years, so the Griffiths ventured there multiple times. A few years ago, they were traveling with their daughter and renewed their vows in Canaan near Jerusalem.

We asked what has kept this couple committed for 67 years. “She’s patient and loving,” Steve said. “She’s a good, concerned wife who holds up her part of the battle.”

Louise told us she feels very blessed to be Steve’s wife. “He’s so thoughtful and takes such good care of me,” she said.

The two also told us that living through tough times together brought them closer.

An only child, Louise, whose mother had passed away when she was 10, lost her father in 1962. “You grow together when things like that happen,” said Steve.

The Griffiths told us they have always had a very communicative family that is very devoted to one another. They enjoy doing things together. They go to movies, enjoy dinner or bridge at the country club and have a lot of mutual friends.

In fact, they’re still friends with Peggy Miller, that golden friend who brought them together. “I am perpetually thankful to Peggy,” said Steve.

“I am, too,” echoed Louise.

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and Louise getting her master’s. Upon graduation — with Louise six months pregnant with their first child — the two moved back to Los Angeles.

Linda, the couple’s first child, was soon born, and Louise stayed home with her while Steve worked in the family business — the Griffith Company, a general contracting company founded in 1902.

The two had their son Bob two years later, and Benjamin followed four years after that.

Louise and Steve speak of the child-rearing years of their marriage with a lot of love. “It was a very good time of life,” said Louise. “A lot of our weekends were taken up going to games and swimming meets. It was a fun way to meet all the families and the kids’ friends,” she said.

Steve had started working in the stock brokerage business by the time the boys were in middle school, and the couple told us it was a nice change for the family dynamic. Rather than needing to drive up to 300 miles a day getting to work sites, the father of three now had time to coach the kids’ football and soccer teams.

“The whole family is athletic,” Steve, who turns 90 in a few weeks, told us. “We skied and played tennis together,” he said. The family belongs to the Los Angeles Country Club (Louise’s grandfather was one of the founding members, and Steve’s dad was a club president) and the Bel Air Bay Club. They loved the fact that the latter membership gave the kids the opportunity to be near the ocean.

In 1978, when the two older children had gone off to college, the couple decided to move from the house they owned on North McCadden Place to their current house on June Street.

They’ve always loved this

skin

deep

by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald

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Adv.

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION ONE

7

Magic is in the air with Katrina Kroetch and Brendan McGuigan

By Casey Russell Brendan McGuigan doesn’t believe in soulmates, but he told us that he knew very quickly that he’d found his in Katrina Kroetch. McGuigan, a marketing consultant who grew up in Mendocino, California, met Kroetch, a native of Portland, Oregon, two years ago on Tinder.

The dating app was something Kroetch had tried a couple of times but had not had great experiences with.

McGuigan met Kroetch on one of his first Tinder forays. “I think it’s absolutely insane that we met (through the app) and had so much in common,” said Kroetch.

The couple’s first date experience gave them quite a few clues about their compatibility. “I had been wanting to go to Zombie Joe’s Urban Death tour — an immersive spooky theater experience in NoHo — that week,” said Kroetch.

When she suggested the idea to McGuigan, she found that he too liked immersive theater. They agreed to go for their first date.

They had talked briefly about possibly meeting at a tiki bar prior to the show. “We are so alike,” said Kroetch, “that we both took the initiative and made restaurant reservations.” Not only that, they both made reservations for the exact same restaurant and for the exact same time.

The two discovered that they both collect tiki mugs and vinyl records. They’ve now merged the collections in their Windsor Square apartment. That first date lasted

ALL DRESSED UP, Brendan McGuigan and Katrina Kroetch attend Dapper Days at Disneyland.

until four in the morning, and the commonalities kept rolling in. Both love vintage clothing (they wear it a lot!), the television shows “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spinoff, “Angel,” musical theater and art deco architecture, and they have yearly passes to Disneyland and are definitely “yes” people. Needless to say, the two quickly fell for each other.

Kroetch and McGuigan both do a lot of their work from home. Although their jobs couldn’t be more different — Kroetch, also known as Katrina K., is a magician who has performed on Penn & Teller — McGuigan told us their jobs are 80 percent similar. “We are both very organized and are planners,”

he said. The two told us they work at all times and never close their doors on work. But they also both make a priority of taking three-hour breaks to spontaneously go scuba diving or mushroom picking, for example.

Partially as an ode to his magical lady love, McGuigan — who was hired to promote Mendocino County 10 years ago, and continues to do so — changed the county’s tagline

to “Magic is real.”

The couple found their beloved apartment somewhat accidentally. They had been driving around looking at the art deco buildings in the area and saw the Los Altos Apartments. Kroetch, doing a quick search, discovered that it had been a filming location for “Angel.” They decided to take a tour just for fun. Shortly thereafter, they found themselves residents, and they couldn’t be happier.

“It’s like living in an old Hollywood hotel,” said Kroetch.

She added that the neighborhood is “like a Pinterest board of when we’re millionaires.

Everything is old and beautiful and has history.”

In Larchmont, the two love to eat at Great White, and they frequent the sushi restaurants and Chevalier’s Books. Though they travel a lot and can’t have a dog of their own, the couple loves to live vicariously through those who do have pets. Kroetch has learned how to say “Your dog is cute” in multiple languages. When the young couple was in Lima, Peru, McGuigan told us, Kroetch asked their driver to stop multiple times so that she could compliment people’s dogs.

The two are constant-

ly thinking of fun things to do together. Whether it’s dressing up for Dapper Days at Disneyland, hanging out with alpacas or (with nine other couples) buying out a small cruise ship in Egypt and dressing in vintage explorer clothing and immersing themselves in a feeling of the past, the two definitely know how to live life fully, together.

“Our relationship is naturally strong because we communicate well,” said McGuigan. But the two work at it, too. “We see ourselves as solving problems together and always know we’re on the same team,” he continued.

The couple told us they understand that they’re going to rupture things at times but are both aligned in their commitment to the rupture repair cycle.

Kroetch told us the two send each other memes and songs and that often she’ll receive a long, heartfelt email.

“It’s like I get a little gift in my inbox,” she said.

“We’ll get married at some point and buy a 1920s house,” said McGuigan. But for now, the two are enjoying committing 100 percent to all of their random, fun adventures and to laughing a lot.

8 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Lizzie and Steve Blatt: an artful romance that spanned an ocean

AT THEIR WEDDING in 2009, Lizzie and Steve Blatt.

325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004 windsorsquare.org 157 N. Larchmont Boulevard

A Date in February?

February is a month of celebrations with Valentine’s hearts, Lunar New Year dragons, and Mardi Gras feasts!

Windsor Square has its own celebrations and events to keep you busy during the Los Angeles winter!

Waggy Awards, Thursday, February 8th: Larchmont Boulevard’s pet supply emporium Tailwaggers’ affiliated Tailwaggers Foundation raises funds for Animal Welfare causes and celebrates individuals who have made a significant contribution to the protection and well-being of animals. thetailwaggersfoundation.org/waggyawards WSHPHS Behind the Scenes Tour of CBS Television City, Saturday, February 10th: Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society is offering a behind the scenes tour of the storied television studio where such iconic shows as The Price Is Right, The Carol Burnett Show, All in the Family, American Idol and many more were filmed. windsorsquarehancockpark.com CicLAvia Melrose, Sunday, February 25th: CicLAvia, the nonprofit event that has been opening streets throughout Los Angeles County since 2010, is coming close to Windsor Square! Melrose Avenue between Vermont Avenue and Fairfax Avenue will be transformed into a pop-up park for the day — open for walking, jogging, biking, roller skating or simply spectating! ciclavia.org Windsor Square Important Dates: Windsor Square HPOZ Board meets February 7th and 21st at the John C. Fremont Library. Other dates are: Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council General Board Meeting, February 14th; Lunar New Year, February 10th; Mardi Gras, February 13th; and Valentine’s Day, February 14th. Reserve at our nearby Larchmont restaurants!

The Windsor Square Association, an all-volunteer group of residents from 1100 households between Beverly and Wilshire and Van Ness and Arden, works to preserve and enhance our beautiful neighborhood. Join with us! Drop us a line at 325 N. Larchmont Blvd., #158, Los Angeles, CA 90004, or visit our website at windsorsquare.org.

©LC0224

WE NEED BLOCK CAPTAINS! Be the leader of your block and the point person for all that’s going on in your neighborhood. The WSA has numerous Block Captain positions open. It’s a great opportunity to engage with neighbors and community leaders. blockcaptains@ windsorsquare.org

By Helene Seifer Lizzie Pearl Rudoff met Steve Blatt in London in 2007, and they married in Steve’s backyard in Windsor Square two and a half years later. The path that brought together the British mother of two and the divorced Los Angeles business manager was unexpected and marked by tragedy, art and more than a little fairy dust.

In 2006, Lizzie, a teacher of special needs children in London, had been happily married to Stephen Rudoff for 16 years.

One morning she stayed home with their daughters, Sophie, then 13, and Florence, 10, while Stephen went on an errand. He never came home.

“He had had a brain hemorrhage and fell into the path of a double decker bus,” Lizzie explains. “It was devastating.”

Luckily she had some very good friends who supported her while she threw herself into helping her children cope. One of those friends had an idea for Lizzie.

“I got a call five weeks after Stephen died,” Lizzie explains. “My friend Jane said, ‘I’ve got a husband for you.’”

Jane is an art consultant living in London, but she works internationally. The man she thought would be perfect for Lizzie, Steve Blatt, lived in Los Angeles and had hired Jane to help him start his art collection. He had been divorced for two or three years at that point, with two children, Josh and Helen, approximately the same age as Lizzie’s daughters.

“I basically told her where to get off,” laughs Lizzie. “I mean, I had just lost a husband! I had two little girls who needed everything from me. I wasn’t thinking about the future at all.”

Despite protestations, she received an email from Steve two months later, in October 2006. Lizzie thought, “I don’t need this! I’m never going to go to Los Angeles, never going to meet this guy. But I responded, because I’m well brought up.”

Steve needed to come to London in early January with a client, but arranged to arrive two days earlier to have time to meet Lizzie. Steve has a quiet and ironic sense of humor, so when asked if he came looking for a wife, he professes not to remember.

Lizzie offers, “I always say he would have married a lamppost because he so wanted to get married. I was introduced to him and he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take her!’” Steve interjects, “The lamppost was busy.”

Lamppost or not, they went out twice and both dates ended with a handshake. Lizzie thought, “I’m never going to see this guy again!” Besides, his client was arriving the next day, and Jane had arranged a busy schedule for them.

But sometimes fate intervenes. The client lost his passport and couldn’t fly, so Steve had three days’ worth of arranged art and dining activities and no one to share them with.

“I left my kids with some very good friends and met up with him in town,” Lizzie remembers. “We went to the best restaurants.” They also went to the Tate Modern. Expecting Steve to arrive with a famous actor, the museum closed early for their private showing of a Carsten Höller giant metal slide installation, which Lizzie and Steve slid down together.

“I liked Steve! I thought he was lovely,” confesses Lizzie. “His last night we walked through London. It was so romantic, and I thought, ‘Why isn’t he holding my hand?’”

Later, having a drink at his hotel before Lizzie returned to her children, there was finally a kiss and Steve said, “I’ve fallen in love with you.” Lizzie laughs, “Steve said he knew he had fallen in love with me when we went down the slide!”

And thus started a courtship that spanned an ocean.

On his next visit to London, Steve told her about his mother and siblings and about the things that are important to him. “This man means to marry me,” thought Lizzie.

“He’s telling me stuff I need

to know.” She thought, “Yeah, I could marry him.”

For their third weekend visit, Steve came to London, and they flew to Venice together.

Lizzie has a chronic illness and got horribly sick on the way, jumping into an ambulance boat as soon as they landed.

She spent four days in the hospital with tubes everywhere.

“Steve sat there for four days.

He did not leave the hospital.

He just held my hand,” Lizzie recounts. “And I just knew he was the right one for me.”

They spent one weekend every four to five weeks in New York. They began purchasing art together. Their children met each other. But no marriage proposal.

“Well, I was told to propose,” Steve reminds her.

Lizzie explains, “We were in a restaurant and Steve was talking about getting his backyard done and I said, ‘Don’t do that. I want to design the garden when I come and live with you,’ and he said, ‘Oh, are you coming to live with me?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And he asked, ‘When?’ And I said, ‘When you ask me to marry you.’ So he was under orders. But he just didn’t and didn’t.”

When pressed, Steve admitted he was waiting to propose in Italy the next summer, but Lizzie quashed that. “We’re getting married next August,” she proclaimed, “and I need time to plan!” Soon after, he proposed. “I always thought I’d burst into tears, but I just jumped around the room doing bunny hops. I was overjoyed!”

“So we got married,” Liz(Please turn to Page 10)

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Tim and Jane Paulson celebrate golden year in Hancock Park

By Talia Abrahamson On a beautiful fall afternoon in the backyard of their Hancock Park home of 38 years, Tim and Jane Paulson threw a big family party to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Toddlers ran around, food was catered and the weather was golden.

Jane had always wanted a fall wedding. When Tim proposed to her in June of 1973, she immediately said yes.

They were married just a few months later, at ages 23 and 24, in November –– two days after Thanksgiving.

“We were a relationship waiting to be declared,” Jane said.

Tim and Jane met at Georgetown University. He was a junior, she was a sophomore and they ran in the same circle of English majors: writers, poets and people who would go watch Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini movies.

“We met at a party,” Jane said. “It was an eclipse party — a total eclipse was coming the next day. I was sitting on the floor, and Tim came over and said, ‘I heard you like Yeats.’

We started talking about Irish poetry for a few minutes.”

This was in the spring, and they hardly saw each other afterward. Jane did not return to campus for the fall semester.

She went to England and Ireland to study, of course, Yeats.

“We were destined once [she] came back,” Tim said.

“We still all ran with the same crowd.”

But then it was Tim’s turn to move out of the country.

He pursued a master’s in En-

great pride of the reception was their wedding cake, baked by the famous Miss Grimble.

Their honeymoon in Portugal marked the beginning of a long-shared love for travel. Instead of buying their first home, they spent their savings on a year of travel around Europe.

“We’d been married a couple of years when we went, and it turned out to be like super glue,” TIM AND JANE Paulson were married in Jane said.

1973 at Blessed Sacrament Church in New After more York City. than a decade on glish in Toronto, whereas Jane the East Coast, they relocated moved to New York City, where to Los Angeles for Tim’s job she worked for the American in advertising sales for The Dance Festival. Tim would vis- Economist. They had three it her and mutual friends, and young boys in tow: Jay, who they wound up having dinner was 6; Robert, who was 3; and together and talking. She also Christopher, who was only 8 weeks old. visited him in Toronto.

The day they arrived was the “There was a big shift,” Jane said. “Both of us sensed that the opening ceremonies for the relationship either needed to 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. become more or it was too hard They had a first home in Venice and moved two years later to just be friends anymore.”

After earning his master’s degree, Tim moved to New York City and proposed a few weeks later. They decided on a small wedding. Jane wore her mother’s 1940s wedding dress and made her bouquets out of straw flowers. Their wedding reception was at a small restaurant on Columbus Avenue. The

your e s i r Surp ntine!

Vale Gift

Cer t are ificate s ‘Nea t’!

THE PAULSONS celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in November 2023.

to North June Street, where they have lived ever since.

“The minute we found Hancock Park, it was love at first sight,” Tim said. “Jane grew up in Kansas City, and I grew up in Memphis. This old neighborhood with trees that actually lost their leaves in the fall — it looked like midtown Memphis or Kansas City.”

They now have seven grandchildren; six boys and one girl. Following the death of their middle son, Robert, they have been raising their grandson Lion, a junior at Loyola High School.

“It’s been fun to be back raising a child again because, second time around, he keeps us young,” Jane said.

Writing is also what keeps

them young. Tim has written 12 novels, two of which are published. Jane is the author of a “how-to” guidebook for pregnant career women. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America, having worked for the soap opera “Santa Barbara” and for Fox Kids Network and the Discovery Channel.

Jane continues to write screenplays. Tim considers himself a novelist with a day job. He left advertising sales 10 years ago and now works in real estate, currently at Plus One Real Estate.

According to Tim and Jane, there is no trick to reaching 50 years of marriage.

“It helps to be really good friends,” Jane said. “We had that foundation. We were lucky.”

10 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Goldie’s Youth Sports sign-ups start Feb.15

By Nona Sue Friedman Enrollment for Goldie’s Youth Sports (GYS), the allgirl basketball league, will go live online Thurs., Feb. 15.

Karen Goldberg, aka Goldie, started this sports league in 2018. Six years later, Goldie expects more than 300 participants ages 6 to 16 to sign up. She anticipates having 36 teams in three divisions. The

organization became a nonprofit in 2021.

GYS is a sports program with a mission to teach life lessons, build confidence and empower girls through sports. Most practices and games take place at St. Brendan School, 238 S. Manhattan Pl. The community feel of this league is further enhanced by having

parent volunteers coach the teams.

If you would like to sign your daughter up, visit goldiesyouthsports.com.

TAKING A BREAK after a basketball game are (from left) Nara Rosenberg of Hancock Park, Avery Cavalier of Larchmont Village and Cassidy Eichhorn of Hancock Park.

Blatts

(Continued from Page 8)

AT HOME IN WINDSOR SQUARE Steve and Lizzie Blatt in front of “After Flags I (green)” by Hank Willis Thomas.

zie continues. “And that’s the story.”

“And a wonderful story it is,” concludes Steve.

Of course, that was just the beginning of their new life together. Lizzie and her daughters moved into Steve’s Windsor Square home, and he became a stepparent. “He’s the most wonderful stepfather,” Lizzie enthuses. “He’s a great mentor. He treated [my daughters] exactly as he treated his own children.”

Lizzie soon became a part of her new neighborhood.

She joined the Ebell of Los Angeles, serving four years on its Board of Directors as the director of publications.

She belongs to the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society. Steve prefers to keep his involvements private.

Art continues to play an important role in their lives.

With friends, they ran an

Blast Off with Books Feb. 10

Volunteers are needed at Blast Off with Books, a book drive of the Assistance League of Los Angeles on Sat., Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the League’s Chapter House, 6640 Sunset Blvd. The annual event is open to the community to help collect and sort new books for infants to young adults. Volunteers of all ages are welcome, but everyone must register in advance. Visit assistanceleaguela.org to register and for more information.

art program for four years, during which they gave 36 artists from all over the world 90-day residencies. They were given studios, art supplies and room and board.

The Blatts have also built and focused their personal art collection. “We like to support African American artists,” Lizzie explains. They have begun purchasing African artists as well. They have donated pieces to LACMA and the Hammer Museum and loaned other artwork for special exhibits, including to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. “It gives us pleasure,” Lizzie states.

“We like to give back.”

Celebrate trees on Feb. 4 at family festival

All are invited to celebrate the Jewish holiday of the birthday of trees at a family fun day with carnival-style activities, face painting as well as food for purchase and sustainability education. The event is on Sun., Feb. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at J Los Angeles, 5870 W. Olympic Blvd.

For tickets to the Tu B’Shevat Festival, visit westsidejcc.org.

J Los Angeles’ name was recently changed from the Westside Jewish Community Center.

Jackson

11/22/10 – 12/20/23 This December we lost our dear little Jackson. He was everything to us. He was a huge part of our lives for the last 13 years. He was our protector, our friend, our constant companion, our therapist, a loving big brother to Odin, and the best little guy we could ever have imagined. We loved him and he loved us back with unconditional love. He touched so many people’s lives over the years, and brought a smile to the face of everyone who saw him. He was stubborn, and bossy, wanted to sniff each and every blade of grass during our walks, and didn’t like anyone on a bike, scooter, motorcycle or skateboard. But he was also loyal, athletic, confident, super smart, really fast, and had the biggest personality of any dog I’ve ever known. We will miss the joy just watching him walk down the sidewalk brought us. He was our little prince and our hearts are broken that he’s no longer with us. We will love and miss him forever and he will always be in our hearts.

His Dads, Chad & Michael

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FEBRUARY 2024

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Athletics are a tradition in this family of father and two sons John Duerler is the principal sales agent and chief executive officer of Hancock Homes Realty, a boutique real estate agency he started with Jill Duerler. The offices are located on Larchmont Boulevard, and anyone who drives through Hancock Park and Larchmont has passed their company’s signs in the front yards of homes for sale.

The Duerlers’ sons are enrolled in the Larchmont Charter School (LCS) system and, as their father did, they play sports.

Bear hug There’s no other word for when John hugs friends and clients in greeting.

John was born and raised in Southeast Texas. In high school he played defensive tackle on the football team, then switched to the same position, but on offense, at Tyler Junior College.

“I was too slow to play defense in college,” laughed John.

Maybe, but in 1985, the tiny Texas junior college became the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) national champions in football.

The Duerler boys, Liam (12) and Jackson (15), have been involved in athletics most of their lives. Their father lifted weights in high school and college, and so do they.

“The boys weight train together,” said Jill. “Jackson gets up early before school to lift, and it really motivates Liam.”

Big Brother Jackson Athletically, Jackson is a chameleon.

“He can pick up any sport and do it well,” said his mother. “He claims his favorite sport would be tackle football, but I won’t let him play that.”

Jackson is a ninth grader at Larchmont Charter’s Lafayette Park Campus. The high school offers year-round athletics for students, but there’s no tackle football program.

Good thing, for his mom.

Jackson attended the UCLA boys’ basketball camp this summer with his brother and currently plays power forward on the LCS high school JV team.

But he also likes golf, and he’s good at it.

When COVID-19 hit, John began teaching his sons golf.

He’s methodical about most things, and golf was no different. He started them at driving ranges, moved to the Los Feliz three-par golf course, then on to Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course, a nine-hole ex-

Youth Sports by

Jim Kalin ecutive course near the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park.

“I have a scheme,” explained John. “I want to spend time with my sons for the rest of my life, and golf is how I’m going to do it.”

Little Bear When Liam was 6, he played baseball in the Wilshire Warriors league. During one game, he hit the ball so far that the opposing coach came out of the dugout to check the bat. He thought it had to be corked or not conforming to regulations.

Liam is usually the tallest player on the basketball court and the strongest, thanks to the weight training with his older brother.

“We never had to convince him to practice on his own,” said Jill. “He’s very dedicated and intense about it.”

Liam takes private lessons with Mike Wells, the head coach at CMS (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), which

JOHN DUERLER, circa 1985, as an offensive tackle at Tyler Junior College.

Griffith Park family run is Sun., Feb. 4

Bring the family for a run, jog or walk through Griffith Park on Sun., Feb. 4. The starting line is at 4730 Crystal Springs Dr. The half-marathon and 5K Griffith Park Run raises funds for the Los Angeles Parks Foundation. All levels of runners are welcome in this run that includes all the main trails of Griffith Park and takes participants past iconic landmarks, including Travel Town and the MerryGo-Round. To sign up, visit rungpr.com.

Ecclesia Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church Sunday Eucharist Eucharist 11:00am 11am Sunday Eucharist 8:30pm 8 pm Lectures • Fridays • 8• pm Wednesday Eucharist Lectures • Fridays 8pm 307

3363 Glendale Boulevard, Atwater, Los Angeles • 323-467-2685 2560 N. Beachwood Dr., Hollywood • 323-467-2685

©LC0421

Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller

is a joint college basketball team. He plays in the Hollywood YMCA youth league, and he recently made the LCS 7th-8th grade A Team.

“The thing I love most about Liam the basketball player is that he is a great teammate first and puts winning over any individual stats,” said LCS basketball coach Keith Harris. “The thing I love most about Liam as a person is that he’s got the biggest heart and cares for others.”

Heart. That seems to run in the Duerler family.

JACKSON AND LIAM DUERLER at the UCLA boys summer basketball camp.

12 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Scouts are building a better world

PACK 10 SOUP KITCHEN: (Left to right) Ja-Hong Kim, Greyson Dube, Nicholas McCloskey, Glen Lim, Asher Levy, Evan Lim and Colin Lee gather with Diane Gilmore.

Troop 10 combines high adventure with service

By Lion Paulson Troop 10 has been an active part of the Los Angeles community for more than 100 years. In this time, it has provided young men with leadership opportunities and adventure both here in the city and out in the wild.

Last summer, Troop 10 set out on several high adventure trips. After many months of preparation, the Scouts went north to Alaska where they explored the breathtaking landscapes through backpacking and kayaking. During the nine-day adventure, the Scouts honed their survival and leadership skills and developed a deep appreciation for nature, creating memo-

By Diane Gilmore BSA Charter Rep The aims of Scouting are to promote good character, citizenship and fitness. Each year, the program encourages Scouts to interact with their community and to be of service. Scouts learn that good citizenship is not just about rights and duties, it is about caring and service.

Because St. James’ Episcopal Church has both a food pantry and Friday soup kitchen, our youth do not have far to go to see the importance of such facilities to good citizenship.

Pack 10 Webelos Scouts are fifth graders who learn by doing. Once a month, they serve dinner at the St. James’ Community Soup Kitchen. The

Scouts hand out food trays, serve soup and pasta and add friendly smiles to go with the hot meals. After the meal, they collect dishes and clean the tables. Approximately 100 guests show up each week to share this meal.

Annually, Pack 10 also collects shoes, socks and toiletries for our neighbors.

Scouting — game with a purpose

ries that will last a lifetime.

Closer to home, the troop also embarked on a backpacking expedition to Yosemite Na(Please turn to Page 14)

TROOP 10 SCOUTS (left to right) John Black, Eli Frankel, Holden Tsao and Carter Tsao on a conservation work project in Griffith Park, August 2023.

By Eugene Hong Tiger Den leader, parent Pack 10 first graders are called Tiger Cubs. In December, they went for their first camping trip in the San Bernardino Mountains to Camp Hubert Eaton. The weekend games included exploring nature trails, rock climbing and cooking their own meals in the outdoors. By getting away from technology, the Cub Scouts teamed up with each other to learn the buddy system and safety protocols.

They learned how to work as a team and later shared new discoveries with their parents.

Back inside, the Tiger Cubs learned to climb an indoor 30-foot rock wall. This taught them the importance of safety,

Above: PACK 10 TIGERS (left to right) Elijah Benjamin, Sena Lee, Daphne Kim, Stellan Kim, Kyle Han, Autumn LaDuke, Beau O’Neil, Genevieve Lee, Ramsey O’Brien and Adelyn Fung.

hard work and determination.

After dinner, they played charades to help build a strong bond of belonging. Then the real fun began as they unfolded their sleeping bags and told stories in their cabins.

A 30-FOOT ROCK WALL is scaled by first grader Leia Hong.

THESE SUPPORTERS SALUTE MEMBERS OF Scout Troops IN OUR COMMUNITY DR. RICHARD T CHUNG, DDS 321 N. Larchmont Blvd., Ste. 424 323-461-3786

LARCHMONT ANIMAL CLINIC Dr. Jan Ciganek 316 N. Larchmont Blvd.

323-463-4889 www.larchmontanimalclinic.com

GREEK EATS

MICHELLE HANNA Coldwell Banker 251 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Cell 213-923-8086 michelle.hanna@camoves.com

LARCHMONT PEDIATRICS

HIGH SCHOOL & MIDDLE SCHOOL 5515 Franklin Ave. 323-461-3651 www.immaculateheart.com

LARCHMONT VILLAGE WINE & CHEESE

312 N. Larchmont Blvd.

223 N. Larchmont Blvd.

323-856-8699

www.larchmontpediatric.com

www.larchmontvillagewine.com

Suite 1020 323-960-8500

LESTER CARPET

8236 West 3rd Street 323-424-3941

The Lester Family 7815 Beverly Blvd.

323-934-7282

www.greekeatsla.com

lestercarpet@aol.com

Nora & Dimitris Houndalas

IMMACULATE HEART

LIPSON PLUMBING Bob & Zeb Vacca 606 N. Larchmont Blvd.

5312 Valley Blvd.

323-469-2635

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

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13

Thin Mints, Samoas and more for sale in person starting Feb. 9

By Nona Sue Friedman Iconic Girl Scout cookies are coming back to town.

Starting Fri., Feb. 9, you will see Scout troops selling their $6 boxes in front of supermarkets, on sidewalks and in front of homes. This is known

Left: TROOP 4475 MEMBERS (left to right) Maggie Goodney, Ella Wolovitch and Alice Killoran sold Girl Scout cookies in front of Larchmont Charter High School last year.

as “boothing.” However, if you are lucky enough to have a Girl Scout in your life, online ordering began Jan. 16.

Girl Scouts of the USA is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world.

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles serves 35,500 girls.

Last year, they sold 4.9 million boxes of cookies.

Cookie-selling season allows girls to work as a team, practice public speaking, manage money, enhance their people

skills and make decisions. For every box sold, the troop gets a monetary percentage that the girls use for community service projects and educational travel.

So the next time you see troop members hawking their product, remember there’s more to those cookies than just a dessert.

And what’s the most popular flavor? It’s a tie between Thin Mints and Samoas. All flavors are on sale until Sun., March 10.

St. Brendan Pack 16 draws boys and girls

By Carolyn Reyes Cubmaster, Pack 16 The first half of our Cub Scout year has been a huge success, starting with a big

turnout for our on-campus recruitment campout. The event drew more than 100 people and ended with a total roster of 47 Scouts evenly

HIKING IN GRIFFITH PARK with their walking sticks in November 2023 are, left to right, August Klein, Finn Cikanavicious, Brendan Rhie, Connor Kim, Francesca Sy, Charlie Gibson, Charles Cordero, Indiana Jung and Oliver Gibson.

split between boys and girls.

Our young Wolves have started on their woodworking skills early and made walking sticks for their many hiking adventures. While camping out in Ojai this October, our Bear Den members fine-tuned their pocketknife skills, and our Webelos helped make blankets and packed Thanksgiving dinner for delivery to many needy families in Los Angeles.

Our pack, long chartered

by St. Brendan Church and long partnered with Troop 10 at St. James’, kicked off the new year in this same spirit by making cheerful placemats for the elderly recipients of Meals on Wheels. We are look-

“SNOW DAY ON LARCHMONT” Dec. 10: (Top, left to right) William Thorn, Henri Carriere, Belinda Vasquez, Zachary Bitzelberger, Astrid Huybrehs, Olivia Kim, Amalia Vasquez, Santa, Henry Fiedler and Julian Hoffman. Bottom row, left to right: Adriana Kim, Miel Hong, Charlie Cooper and Jeraldine Miron.

ing forward to a very fulfilling and exciting year ahead with a camping trip to Camp Pol-

lack at Lake Arrowhead and an overnight stay on the battleship USS Iowa in April.

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14 SECTION ONE

Troop 10

(Continued from Page 12) tional Park. Surrounded by towering cliffs and majestic waterfalls, the Scouts navigated challenging terrain while fostering teamwork and leadership.

During the past year, the Troop also has gone rock climbing in Joshua Tree, camping and fishing at Mojave Narrows and hiking on Mount Baldy. They also have attended summer camp in Lake Arrowhead.

Community projects In Los Angeles, Troop 10 continues to serve its community through Eagle projects and service projects in tandem with local charities. One noteworthy collaboration has been with the Friends of Griffith Park, where the troop has engaged in many hands-on projects aimed at restoring and preserving the natural beauty of the park. From trail maintenance to tree planting,

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

BACKPACKING in Yosemite National Park, June 2023, are Troop 10 Scouts (L-R) John Black, Marco Black, Andy Fiedler, Joe Fiedler, Manan Gupta, Lion Paulson, Carter Tsao, Jacob Prior, Roman Veverka and Peter Veverka.

Scouts exemplify the values of environmental stewardship.

Troop 10 is especially proud of its 2023 Eagle Scouts.

Each Scout has planned and led a major service project for the community as part of a years-long journey to this prestigious honor.

Quinn Rath built a barn owl habitat at Taking the Reins,

the nonprofit equestrian program for historically underserved Los Angeles girls.

Rath’s creation allows for natural rodent control and a reduction in the use of harmful rodenticides that poison wildlife.

Jacob Milder built heavy-duty pantry carts for the food pantry serving homeless peo-

ple at St. James’ Episcopal Church.

Cooper Chandler built custom food storage and delivery carts for the food pantry at Hotel Dieu, a low-income senior living facility.

Through adventure and community impact, Troop 10 Scouts not only develop crucial life skills through outdoor activities but also gain a sense of responsibility towards the community.

Oldest in country Continuously sponsored by St. James’ Episcopal Church since 1914, Troop 10 is the oldest Boy Scout Troop in the U.S. It brings together boys ages 11 to 17 from all backgrounds and from more than a dozen area schools. For those wishing to build lasting memories and relationships in the outdoors and city, Troop 10 welcomes new members to join its ranks. In addition, starting in September 2024, St. James’ will be sponsoring a new Boy Scouts of America

troop for girls, ages 11 to 17.

Lion Paulson is the senior patrol leader of Troop 10 and a junior at Loyola High School.

Scouting: Area Directory BOY SCOUTS Troop 10 Matt Rauchberg, Scoutmaster matt.rauchberg@gmail.com Troop 777 Joseph Shin, Scoutmaster troop777bsa@hotmail.com CUB SCOUTS Pack 10 Glen Lim, Cubmaster glenlim416@gmail.com Pack 16 Carolyn Reyes, Cubmaster carolyn.reyes@gmail.com GIRL SCOUT TROOP Troop 10-G (girls) Starting in autumn, 2024 Diane Gilmore, Cubmaster dianegilmorela@gmail.com GIRL SCOUTS Troop 7865 Troop 625 Troop 4475 customercare@girlscoutsla. org 213-213-0123 MARLBOROUGH

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By the time this issue goes to print, we will know the theme of Spirit Week and preparations will be underway. Each grade will learn a dance and coordinate what to wear based on the day’s color scheme. The senior class always wears black on dance day, the juniors wear white and the rest of the grades choose their top three colors, which are then randomly selected. When I was in 10th grade, our theme was money, but we got assigned red and put together “red money”. Spirit Week is the most lively part of the school year.

We seniors are looking forward to our senior sleepover on the first day of February. During the sleepover we will spend time together participating in bonding activities and then will find a perfect place to bunk for the night. It is such a wonderful tradition that keeps the class very close.

The Marlborough dance department is hosting Evening of Dance Feb. 8 and 9. Soon after, on the 13th and the 14th, the middle school play auditions for “Twelfth Night” will take place. The middle school’s spring sports season begins on the 20th.

I am so excited to watch their games!

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION ONE

15

16 SECTION ONE

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

IMMACULATE HEART

By Emmelyne Lay 12th Grade Moving into February,Immaculate Heart has already had a very busy new year! Shortly after launching our second semester, a group of 53 IH juniors and seniors flew to Washington, D.C., and joined other students for the Close Up program. Bundled up against the cold, the students explored the country’s government buildings, attended seminars and learned more about how our country is run by

the people who run it. Similarly, a group of IH 8th graders also expanded their educational horizons by traveling with Tzedek America to the South where they learned about the Civil Rights movement by visiting memorials and museums.

Having just celebrated Catholic Schools Week, our school community now looks forward to honoring Black History Month with special activities and an assembly.

Our winter sports teams in basketball and soccer have just wrapped up their successful seasons and celebrated Senior Nights.

Meanwhile, seniors are finishing the college application process and awaiting acceptances. Several

students already have committed to institutions such as New York University, Loyola Marymount University and Northeastern!

OAKWOOD

By Charlotte Zabel 11th Grade The first three weeks of January are quite busy for Oakwood students as they round out the first semester.

So while it’s a new year, our grades from last year are very much still in the balance and we’re all juggling finals after our much-needed Winter Break.

Nevertheless, the end of the semester also brings fun finals for dance classes, theatre classes, art shows and more. These are exciting for everyone! Peers can go watch their classmates’ performances after school or, if they have a free period, during their friends’ classes. It’s quite a highlight in the midst of studying for science and math tests.

Our high school choir, the Choraliers, and our high school orchestra have an upcoming winter concert. Between the end of the first semester and the start of the second semester, our semi-formal will occur. Voting just closed for this year’s theme and the student council is hard at work prepping the venue.

The school musical, “9 to 5” opens in a month and both boys’ and girls’ basketball have started league games. Immersion courses are anticipated to come out soon and we’re all excited to see which immersive experience we’ll be able to participate in this year.

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February is filled with love, happiness and appreciation for our teachers, family, friends and loved ones.

We begin the month with a service day for all of the students to serve the greater community. Right around the corner is the Lunar New Year, which we celebrate every year. Our campus is festive with the colorful lanterns, dragons and fun-filled activities throughout the day.

The girls’ and boy’s junior varsity and varsity basketball and soccer teams are thriving so far this season. Go teams!

Auditions for the spring dance have finished and now the dancers are in rehearsals. One of my favorite shows to attend is the annual Gospel Choir show. The show is fun, alive, energizing and makes you want to get up and dance. It’s a great show!

Our annual Hands 4 Haiti student-led benefit (to help raise money for our sister school in Haiti) will have dance and music performances from our students.

There is exciting news about the Robotics team. One team has qualified for the World Championship held in Dallas, Texas, in April. Congratulations! Stay tuned until next month!

TURNING POINT

By Locklann O’Connell 8th Grade The new year of 2024 has just arrived, and I have been thinking about all the fun upcoming activities I’ll be participating in at Turning Point School. I am extremely excited about Spirit Week in February. During this special week, Turning Point stu-

dents will be preparing for the Hoop-A-Thon, which is an event where we get to show off our basketball and volleyball skills. We end the week with our tradition of having burgers.

In spring, I am looking forward to spending time in Puerto Rico with my 8th grade class.

I will get to experience clear blue waters and will participate in service and learning projects while having fun in the process.

Altogether, I am looking forward to this new year and I’m excited to see what else 2024 has in store for us!

THE WILLOWS

By Birdie Reynolds 8th Grade The Willows is staying busy this month! We not only finish out the playoffs in the first days of February, on Feb. 9, we also have our annual Black History Month celebration. At this assembly, we will have a dance performance and other events highlighting the importance of Black history in our society and the world at large.

The 3rd grade has a big day on Feb. 12. They will visit the Chumash Museum, as they are in the middle of learning about Native American tribes. I can still remember visiting that museum when I was in 3rd grade and being fascinated by the Chumash tribe and how interesting their art and customs were.

Finally, our school-wide Poetry Night is on Feb. 22. The poems we have worked all year to write and revise will be showcased.

All in all, it seems The Willows is, as always, keeping productive and inspired as we progress through the year!

ST. BRENDAN

By Harry Jannone Kim 8th Grade Students came back from winter break ready for school and the 8th graders are ready to take the high school placement and admissions exams.

Catholic Schools’ Week is Jan. 28 to Feb. 2. We start with an open house to welcome family and friends. During the week, people dress up for each day’s theme and there are assemblies every morning.

Teacher Appreciation Day is on Monday, and the students will dress up like teachers. On Tuesday each class dresses up in its own theme. Kinder and TK will wear pajamas. On Wednesday, it will be Student Appreciation Day and all the students will wear pink. School Spirit Day will be Thursday, and on Friday, we will show appreciation for our principal and will have the infamous 8th grade vs. faculty volleyball game, which both sides have been practicing for.

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION ONE

17

Starting kids on the path to becoming financially literate adults

By Casey Russell Having just wrapped up the extra spending that tends to come with end-of-year holidays, perhaps it’s a good time to think about money and how we can teach our children good monetary habits.

Not surprisingly, studies have shown that children who talk with their caregivers about money are better able to understand and use financial skills than those whose families don’t bring them into monetary discussions.

The way in which we speak in front of, or with, our children about money is important.

Young children may not comprehend the verbiage or concepts they hear when money is being discussed, but they definitely pick up on the mood.

So, working to keep tense conversations about money to kid-free times is important.

When children are young, we can subtly help them learn that having and spending money requires people to make choices. If a child asks for a stuffed animal while accompanying us on an errand, we can choose our words thoughtfully. Rather than saying, “We can’t afford that,” we can say, “I’m not choosing to spend our money on that right now. I want to use the money for our groceries.”

When children are of preschool age, we can play store with them and teach the names and values of coins and dollars. Elementary schoolaged children can be given the task of gathering some items at the real grocery store. If cheese is on the list, we can show our children how to compare the price per unit cost, instead of just looking at the main price tag.

Then we can put our child in charge of gathering a few items. In this way, a store visit becomes a fun lesson in getting the best value for our money. It also helps our children feel helpful, capable and confident in their ability to do some grown-up things.

Allowance Of course, it’s important for children to have some of their own money and to decide how it will be spent. As most of us have seen, many children are quite eager to spend other people’s money. But that eagerness

can dwindle when the money being spent is their own.

A lot of parents give their children an allowance. I have done this since my daughter was 4. She has four piggy banks: one for spending money, one for money to donate or use for others, one for saved money and another (that she requested) specifically for saving to buy a horse someday — it’s a long-term goal. She’s 10 now, and every week I give her $1 for each bank and an extra dollar which she can choose where to put.

Tips on Parenting by

Casey Russell

Allowance is tied to chores in many families, and there is value in this. Children are like mini employees who receive their allowance only if they are responsible for the tasks that have been assigned to them. I have chosen not to tie allowance to chores because I see these tasks as responsibilities every household member gets to learn to notice and help take care of, rather than things they get paid to do.

Whatever your family chooses, I believe it’s important to let children make their own mistakes when it comes to their personal spending decisions. Your child may receive his allowance and spend all of it at the first chance he gets. Then, he might see a Lego set he really wants and realize he doesn’t have the money to purchase it. That’s OK! We learn lessons so much better through experience. As parents, we can empathize with the feeling our child is having and, with simple curiosity, ask if there’s anything he would do differently if he could make the decision again.

When our child sees an item and is struggling to decide if she should buy it, we can pull up an eBay page. She’ll learn that it’s possible to save money by purchasing a pre-owned version of the item she wants.

As children get older, perhaps more allowance money

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is offered while also making them responsible for paying for more of their own needs.

Maybe there are increased opportunities to earn money at home. Older children can earn money for taking siblings to their activities, for keeping the family’s cars maintained

or for helping prepare taxes.

Teach through example Children learn a lot from seeing how we deal with money. Let your children watch you pay bills. Talk to them about what you’re saving for and your plans for making the savings happen. From an ear-

ly age, let your child help you at the ATM machine and then talk about where the money actually comes from.

Elementary and middle school children can go with you to open a savings account, while teens earning money at (Please turn to Page 18)

18 SECTION ONE THE CENTER FOR EARLY EDUCATION

By Griffin Miller 5th Grade The last day of school before Winter break was one of the most exciting days of the year.

The Winter Sing is an annual performance at The Center.

It is a community celebration that kicks off the holidays. The entire school, from Kindergarten through 6th grade, performed various songs that we had been working on in music class throughout the fall. There

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

were also performances by the amazing A Capella team, Junior Choir and the Vocal Ensemble.

Our two music teachers, Sonya Nakagawa and Mary Ruth Schuler, designed the entire program.

Mary Ruth Schuler, our Upper Elementary music teacher, is in her first year at The Center.

Of the Winter Sing experience she said, “I had so much fun throughout the entire process: listening to music over the summer and making song choices that I felt like my students would enjoy learning, transcribing and arranging the songs for each grade level, teaching the repertoire over the course of the fall semester, incorporating student

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ideas and seeing the music come alive through their voices! It was such a fun process!” She told us that the students’ enthusiasm and joy for learning made her excited to come to work each day.

Mary Ruth has brought new ideas to the music program while keeping some of the traditions that families look forward to every year. For the first time ever, there was a live band to accompany the songs.

One tradition and highlight of the concert was a song called “The Wish.” All of the students come together to sing the song that ends with the line, “If you believe in love, that will be more than enough, for peace to last throughout the coming year.”

It is a special experience to sing this song with our whole school.

The Winter Sing was a great day for our community.

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It is a brand new year and school is back in session! Our annual chocolate fundraiser began and students received two boxes of chocolates to sell.

The basketball season started and team members are practicing the skills needed for their upcoming games. Members of our Academic Decathlon team are practicing, too. They are studying hard in preparation for

the upcoming competitions.

Catholic Schools Week opened Jan. 28. The week began with a Mass, open house, science fair and book fair.

Throughout the week, we celebrated Student Appreciation Day when faculty members recognized students for their accomplishments throughout the year. Guest speakers came to our school to speak about their careers in celebration of Career Day. Students dressed in attire to represent the profession they hope to have in the future. Parents and Grandparents Appreciation Day was also celebrated. We acknowledged them for everything they have done for us. The week concluded with a celebration for our pastor and principal and with Spirit Day activities for all students.

PAGE ACADEMY

By Isabella Argiropoulos 8th Grade We held our second quarter honor roll assembly on Jan. 12. Congratulations to our honorees!

I can’t believe that more than half of the school year at Page is done!

We celebrated the 100th Day of School on Jan. 22. Our students were looking very wise and distinguished in their “dress like you are a 100 years old” outfits.

Coming soon in celebration of Valentine’s Day, the school will be adorned in red and pink decorations and the sale of Valentine Grams will be underway.

After the great success of our Holiday Toy Drive, Student Council is planning new fundraisers for the spring, and new events for Fun Fridays! For those celebrating the Lunar New Year on Feb. 10, we wish you joy and good fortune in the New Year! In honor of Black History Month, as well as Presidents’ Day, our

Parenting Tips (Continued from Page 17)

summer jobs can be taught about opening Individual Retirement Accounts.

Some families add their teen’s name to a low-limit family credit card for emergency and family purposes. These children can be allowed to use the card for personal purchases as long as they reimburse the money for those charges by the

students will be involved with various fun educational projects focusing on these aspects of American history.

We hope that you and your families, friends and loved ones have a lovely month!

ST. JAMES’

By Kingston Smith and Hailey Lee 6th Grade

In a month packed with wonderful celebrations and noteworthy events, February kicks off with the beginning of Black History Month on Feb. 1. The festivities continue on Friday, Feb. 9, with a vibrant Lunar New Year Celebration. We will celebrate by having drummers and dragon dancers performer. We also get to bow and receive a small amount of money because it is a tradition for Lunar New Year.

The 14th day of the month holds double importance with both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. At the same time, family conferences are scheduled.

Lower grades hold traditional conferences and upper grades give Student-Led Conferences.

That’s where we show our parents what we have been learning through a slideshow presentation. The following day, students will get a day off while conferences continue.

After a long Presidents’ Day weekend, St. James’ will shift back to honoring Black History with a dedicated celebration. We’ll have food and other activities honoring the history and contributions of African Americans.

A special treat is in store for Feb. 22 — an In-N-Out event that promises to add a flavorful ending to the month’s diverse calendar.

end of the month. In this way, teens safely learn to be responsible with credit cards.

Teaching children about money is important. Even when we don’t consciously do so, our children are absorbing lessons through our actions. This new year is a great opportunity for us to think about how we’re helping get our children on the path to becoming financially literate, responsible adults.

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By Allison Pak 10th Grade Happy New Year! School resumed on Jan. 9th for students. On Martin Luther King Day, there was an opportunity for students to fill in their community hours at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The first semester is wrapping up. There was a high school ski trip at the end of January, which has been a tradition at Pilgrim for many years. High schoolers stayed at Big Bear for three days and two nights.

Middle school and high school basketball season is happening, as well as middle school girls’ soccer.

The teams have had a great start for to the winter season.

Parent and Me classes are starting for babies ages 3 to 18 months old in February. Please contact the school to inquire.

THE BUCKLEY SCHOOL

By Max Terr 10th Grade Winter Break is over and The Buckley School is back in full swing. Middle school is starting off the New Year with a creative expression of The Buckley uniform. Under the supervision of the administration, The Buckley School students will dress in styles from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

The Upper school is heading straight into work mode as preparation for exams begin.

Students will also be shaping their framework for college and other future schooling ideas.

Additionally, Upper schoolers will be preparing for their important climate conference in which local schools will meet to discuss climate issues in our world with an open podium for all students.

That’s all from The Buckley School!

NEW COVENANT ACADEMY

By Sue Jung Park 11th Grade At the beginning of each semester, New Covenant Academy hosts an open house event and invites all students and parents. We make great connections as an NCA school community.

Another event coming up in February is the school’s annual winter camp! This year, the camp will be taking place in Twin Peaks, California. Winter camps are always special with the school’s annual talent show and a meaningful time of bonding with friends and teachers!

Math Olympics has started for

FEBRUARY 2024

students in grades 3 to 8. NCA teachers were asked to select our students based on the recent Math Olympics mock exam, exemplary academic student achievement, classroom conduct and personal qualities throughout the school year.

As the boys’ basketball season came to an end, the boys’ volleyball season started strong! Come out and support them as they put in their hard work to play hard! Go Huskies!

THIRD STREET

By Olive Clancy 5th Grade Greetings, readers! I hope you are enjoying 2024. I know I’m enjoying mine, especially because my school year started with a visit to the Griffith Observatory. This semester, the 1st graders are starting the Swimming in Books project.

It consists of 12 fun reading activities. It’s a program to prepare them for Read Around the World, another program that helps kids identify details from a story while learning about other cultures.

For a parent, this must sound outstanding for their kids, but they themselves get to have some fun as well, at a Casino and Cocktails party in March.

This party helps fund Third Street’s awesome activities like P.E., Tech Lab, Science and the Library (my personal favorite).

As this is my last semester of elementary school, I already know I’m going to miss my amazing school, so I am going to make each day count.

HOLLYWOOD SCHOOLHOUSE

By Penny Yoon 6th Grade Things have been coming back into full swing at HSH. First, there’s the school musical.

This year, we’re putting on a show called “Dear Edwina,” a story about 13-year-old Edwina Spoonapple running a musical advice show with an eccentric group of friends. There’s romance, dance numbers and of course, singing.

I got the role of the creepy old vampire uncle, and I’ve been having a great time practicing with my friends.

Along with the play, it’s also basketball season! Whether you’re an aspiring superstar or just someone who joined for fun, there’s a space for everyone.

The 6th grade speaker series is starting in February. Professionals with various careers come and talk about their experiences.

I’m personally really excited to learn from a seasoned professional.

Last but not least, our student council is sponsoring a canned food drive. All the donations will

go directly to Food on Foot.

It’s important to help others, because you never know what might be going on in someone’s life until you reach out.

LARCHMONT CHARTER

By Giuliana Djokaj 6th Grade The 6th grade students at Larchmont Charter are about to

SECTION ONE

attend the Pali Institute, an outdoor education center in San Bernardino County. It will be exciting because we will get to participate in classes that include archery and astronomy.

We’ll get to do a night hike, too!

19

New outdoor skills will be taught that will also benefit us in our everyday lives.

On campus, Larchmont Charter has brought back some new after-school enrichment classes.

One of these is a Korean class that will teach students how to have a simple conversation in Korean and will also go into the culture’s history.

20 SECTION ONE

FEBRUARY 2024

Larchmont Chronicle

PAWN SHOP

Sports bar and pub to be named after a longtime neighborhood pawn shop.

Page 4

Real Estate

Entertainment, Museums, Libraries, Home & Garden

ART SHOW

Deadline to enter “A Woman’s Place” at the Ebell of Los Angeles is Feb. 8.

Page 10

VIEW

LAUGH IT UP

Locals co-host a comedy lineup at historic venue on Wilshire Blvd., Jan. 28.

Page 10

Section 2

LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

FEBRUARY 2024

HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • GREATER WILSHIRE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT

2 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

History abounds at the Monastery of the Angels — part 2 The Chronicle published an article in December on the Monastery of the Angels and the pumpkin bread and other treats it has provided for decades. Many locals have taken interest in the monastery over the years, and 2024 marks its 100th anniversary.

In this issue, we provide additional historical information about this beloved (once) religious establishment.

Note: the pumpkin bread and other treats are for sale through January, the last we heard. Check the website for up-to-date information at monasteryoftheangels.org.

By Helene Seifer The Monastery of the Angels was founded in the former home of mining geologist Horace Winchell near Exposition Park. Soon it was clear that a cloistered order couldn’t adequately cloister in the middle of the city. In 1934, wealthy patrons purchased the current property, the former mansion and landscaped grounds of copper magnate Joseph Louis Giroux.

Prior to Giroux, the estate belonged to Arthur Letts, the founder of the Broadway and Bullocks department stores.

The nuns were initially concerned that they shouldn’t reside amidst the sins of Hol-

ARCHITECT Wallace Neff surveys work on the monastery.

lywood, but supporters at the time convinced them that the area was mainly filled with stately homes, teetotalers and small spiritual communities.

Prominent Los Angeles families of the time, the Dohenys, Dockweilers, Van de Kamps and Hancocks, financially supported the Dominican nuns of the Sacred Order of Preachers who silently prayed for the betterment of the world from their Hollywood enclave.

After 14 years in the mansion, it was decided that the nuns should have something built specifically for their needs. A fundraiser was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1948 with Hollywood luminaries leading the way. Actress

VIEW of nuns against the Hollywood skyline.

SISTERS of the Monastery of the Angels take freshly baked bread from the oven.

THE MONASTERY’S hilltop view takes in the Downtown skyline.

Maureen O’Sullivan chaired the event. Sponsors included Irene Dunne, costumer Edith Head and gossip columnist Louella Parsons.

A Spanish Colonial Revival-style facility was designed by architect Wallace Neff, who had remodeled the Mary Pickford and Douglas

Fairbanks-owned Pickfair.

Considered the father of the California style, some of Neff’s other homes have been owned

by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Diane Keaton, Bob Newhart, Wallis Annenberg and Fredric March, among others.

The arched inner courtyard

of the monastery compound exemplifies Neff’s style. In contrast, the 7-1/2-foot-by10-foot cell-like bedrooms show the nuns’ spartan wants.

Although the sisters were separated from the world, they wanted to feed the souls of Angelenos, and so Neff de(Please turn to Page 3)

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

Citrus Square’s time has come! Community seeks recognition As regular readers of my column can attest, I have covered the history and the travails of Citrus Square many times. For neighborhood preservationists, it is “the one that got away,” despite being a stunning and concentrated example of planned development, significant architecture and shaded allées of mature foliage. Its tightly packed duplexes, jewel box bungalows and cottages are the gateway to our broader residential oasis in the middle of the city.

So it is my fortunate duty to announce that Citrus Square also is soon be a bona fide National Register Historic District!

But why now? “The best time would have been 20 years ago,” said preservationist James Dastoli, referencing the big push of 2005-2011 that saw the creation of five nearby City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs). “People are always ambivalent about potential restrictions until there are consequences.”

The demolition of homes and construction of larger, modern “McMansions,” plus the recent proposal to up-zone portions of Third Street in the recent Housing Element, plus recent illegal construction and changes of use, suddenly made some sort of historic designation all the more urgent.

One of the hurdles in beginning the organization and outreach required for the effort was the lack of homeowner or neighborhood associations found in oth-

Monastery

(Continued from Page 2) signed a two-sided chapel: one for the nuns, reached only from inside the compound; the other side accessed from the parking lot for visitors in search of peace and spiritual solace. People use the chapel regularly, even now. Neff also provided a grate through which those in need could communicate with the nuns.

After the nuns moved into their newly built home in 1949, the original Letts / Giroux mansion was used as a Catholic retreat for women until it was razed in 1973.

The house is gone, but its hilltop view over the monastery’s tower to the Downtown skyline still impresses. Over the years, the sisters’ monastic life was supported by fundraising events organized by the local Catholic community. Bing Crosby regularly performed at the events, as did Don Ameche. Among other regular supporters were Conrad Hilton, Bob and Dolores Hope and Fred MacMurray. Richard Rodgers and

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

er parts of Greater Wilshire.

In Citrus Square (Highland to La Brea; and Third to Beverly), it has been local neighborhood council representatives who have helped in the organizing effort. “Citrus Square can be somewhat of a black hole of engagement,” commented Jeffry Carpenter, Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC) Area 2 representative for Citrus Square. Carpenter and Jesseca Harvey, GWNC Area 8 representative for the Melrose Neighborhood (Highland and Wilcox to La Brea; and Beverly to Willoughby), have joined Dastoli and neighbors Patricia Carroll and Patty Lombard, who have assisted in sponsoring previous historic designations.

Feb. 13 webinar The team plans to hold an online webinar on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. with guest Ken Bernstein of the Los Angeles City Planning Department’s Office of Historic Resources. Bernstein will explain to interested home and property owners, residents and renters, what the National Register process is, what a designation would mean and how this type of historic district differs from an HPOZ. The proposed district lies between Rosewood Avenue to Oscar Hammerstein left them the piano on which “Oklahoma” was composed.

The 65 sisters who lived at the monastery when it was at its peak had varied interests.

There was a sister who grafted roses, one who was an expert seamstress and a nun who swam laps every day in the indoor pool.

Tours were, and are, given of the monastery. In the late 1990s, a young woman on a tour was so taken with the monastery that she became Sister Mary Austin.

While nuns no longer reside at the monastery, baking goes on, and the pumpkin bread and some other goodies will remain available — apparently through the end of January. The Dominican friars are working with real estate agent Dominic Dutra to find a way to maintain the Monastery of the Angels as a sacred Dominican space. However, no decision has yet been made as to what will ultimately happen to the property.

The Monastery of the Angels & Gift Shop is at 1977 Carmen Ave., 323-470-5884.

Visit monasterygoodies.com.

the north and Third Street to the south, with its western and eastern boundaries Sycamore Avenue and Citrus Avenue — an area that encompasses more than 600 buildings.

The webinar is a vital piece of the outreach component

of the effort to designate Citrus Square. But the team will also be required to provide the State Office of Historic Preservation with a list of individual property owner contacts, which the State Office will use to send letters asking for any objections

3

to the designation. This is a challenging task because many properties are owned by trusts and limited liability companies.

The overall process to designate a National Register Historic District is less strin(Please turn to Page 4)

4 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Former pawn shop planned to be revived as a pub, sports bar

By Suzan Filipek New owners of the former home of Brothers Collateral, the longtime pawn shop at Melrose Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard, seeks to give the building new life as a sports-themed restaurant and pub.

The project, at 5901 Melrose Ave., called the Pawn Shop after its previous incarnation, is the vision of building permit applicant Diego Torres-Palma of Ventana Ventures. He applied for a conditional use beverage permit to allow onsite sale and consumption of a full line of alcoholic beverages and a 7,808-square-foot restaurant with 473 seats and

BROTHERS COLLATERAL was a familiar site in the neighborhood for 40 years.

live entertainment from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

According to a spokesperson

for the developer, initial plans for actual operating hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Valet

NewGround to honor Rabbi Cutter Jan. 28

By Suzan Filipek NewGround: a Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change will gather at the Skirball Center on Sun., Jan 28, for a brunch honoring Rabbi William Cutter.

He will be honored with the Suzy and Wally Marks Jr. Trailblazer Forum at 11 a.m. at the Skirball, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.

Sponsors include Lois Sprague, Windsor Square, of the Guibord Center. Cutter, who now lives in the Melrose Neighborhood area, was a longtime resident of Windsor Square and served on the board of directors of the Windsor Square Association.

NewGround was founded to create a national model for healthy relations, productive engagement and social change between American Muslims and Jews. NewGround believes

RABBI WILLIAM CUTTER

that conflict is natural and inevitable. Yet it is not intractable no matter the history.

Being stuck is a choice.

In the week after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on the nearby Israeli kibbutzim and the start of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, NewGround convened 25 Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders to address one another’s fear and pain.

NewGround’s high school

program and professional fellowship both are training more facilitators as its expertise is called on by schools, civic organizations, nonprofits and private companies across the country.

NewGround’s ability to meet this moment is a testament to the foundation laid by many involved with NewGround, including Rabbi Cutter, who acted as a key mentor when NewGround established itself as an independent organization in 2006.

For tickets and more information visit tinyurl. com/5yp687xy.

parking on-site provides 25 to 30 spaces, and the developer is seeking additional off-site parking nearby.

The remodeling design by architecture firm Omgivning will maintain the size of the existing building and restore its architectural details, according to city documents.

“There are no hearings scheduled yet for this case, as this case is currently on hold, pending submission of missing / updated materials,” a spokesperson from the Planning Dept. told us in early January. “The case has not been deemed complete,

and we cannot proceed with processing until we receive the information we requested from the applicant.”

The Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association unanimously opposed the development as currently proposed at its semi-annual meeting Dec. 12.

“No one would be against a restaurant of proper scale operating with neighborhood-conforming hours of operation,” Larchmont Village resident Sam Uretsky wrote us in an email.

Uretsky, who is cofounder of Lucerne Arden United, said that concerns about the project include operating hours of 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, lack of a parking plan, excessive capacity and safety aspects (with only one exit).

The two-story canary yellow Brothers Collateral was run by Rudy Gintel, of Hancock Park, and Ernest Gintel for more than 40 years before they closed up shop in 2020.

(Their mom, Shirley, was the bookkeeper until a few years earlier.)

Built in 1934, the building began life as a Cut Rate Drugs store.

On Preservation (Continued from Page 3)

gent than the HPOZ approval process, however. An HPOZ requires majority buy-in from property owners, and there needs to be drafted a comprehensive preservation plan and an implementing ordinance.

By contrast, objections to a National Register Historic District designation are dealt with by the California State Historic Resources Commission. Dastoli says that some of the strongest supporters of this and other efforts with which he has been engaged are renter residents, particularly those in rent-stabilized units. These supporters are also strongly encouraged to join the Zoom webinar and to write or call into the subsequent commission hearing.

If all goes well, and if James Dastoli’s track record is any guide, nomination will sail through its designation process with flying colors, and Citrus Square will take its rightful place alongside its neighboring HPOZs and historic districts.

Tune in to the Zoom on Feb. 13 and show your support.

To learn more and to participate in the webinar, go to: nationalregisterla.wordpress. com.

Citrus Square’s time has come!

SOLD: This home at 211 S. Citrus Ave. in Citrus Square sold for $2,580,000 in December.

Real Estate Sales* Single-family homes

846 S. Longwood Ave. 126 N. Rossmore Ave. 985 Third Ave. 101 S. Alta Vista Blvd.

527 N. Cherokee Ave. 836 Muirfield Rd. 180 S. Gardner St. 600 N. Citrus Ave. 157 S. Citrus Ave. 211 S. Citrus Ave. 654 Lillian Way 147 N. Fuller Ave. 7416 Rosewood Ave. 937 S. Curson Ave. 749 S. Citrus Ave. 411 S. Orange Dr. 564 N. Lucerne Blvd.

655 S. Sycamore Ave.

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651 Wilcox Ave., #3C 750 S. Spaulding Ave., #321 620 S. Gramercy Pl., #304 532 N. Rossmore Ave., #402 *Sale prices for December.

$4,973,000 $3,900,000 $3,844,000 $3,810,000 $3,550,000 $3,200,000 $3,155,000 $2,895,000 $2,600,000 $2,580,000 $2,180,000 $1,955,000 $1,725,000 $1,700,000 $1,500,000 $1,432,500 $1,275,000 $1,070,000 $1,060,000 $959,000 $599,000 $484,000

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

209 NEW APARTMENTS shown in rendering looking southeast from Eighth Street and Fairfax Avenue.

SECTION TWO

5

RENDERING of new development and adjacent Tom Bergin’s Irish pub looking east from Fairfax Avenue.

Renderings courtesy of Reed Architectural Group

Multi-family project at 800 S. Fairfax moves forward; appeal denied

By Suzan Filipek Los Angeles Planning Commissioners denied an appeal of a multi-family residential development to be built next door to longtime neighborhood pub Tom Bergin’s on Fairfax Avenue in Miracle Mile.

The Commission’s decision Dec. 14 was the final planning department action for the mixed-use project at 800 S. Fairfax Ave. The approved project features an eight-story, 190,000-square-foot building with 209 apartments.

The Irish pub’s parking lot and two adjoining apartment buildings with 40

rent-controlled units will be demolished under the design by Reed Architectural Group design.

A new courtyard will separate the pub — which dates back to the 1930s and is a city Historic-Cultural Monument — from the new construction. The apartment building’s garage will include parking spaces for customers of Bergin’s.

The Commission denied the appeal by tenants of the existing buildings, filed in the name of the Fairfax Gardens Tenants Association.

A city staff report found that the project had met its legal obligations and recom-

mended denial of the appeal.

Christopher Clifford, executive of the Las Vegas-based developer Colliers International, sought approvals using Transit Oriented Communities housing incentives to reduce open space and setback requirements. In exchange, 28 of the apartments will be slated for extremely low-income affordable units.

The new development will consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments above 2,653 square feet of ground-floor retail space and parking for 239 vehicles.

The Los Angeles City Council adopted the findings of an environmental study

conducted for the project on Dec. 9. The council adopted the project’s Sustainable Communities Environmental

Assessment in May 2023.

The developer did not return the Chronicle’s calls seeking further comment.

TOM BERGIN’S currently is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m.

6 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Lobster shack in former gas station; cocktail-forward menu gland girl at heart and find lobster rolls irresistible. I love the ones at Connie and Ted’s, $36 for each of two kinds: warm with butter or cold with mayo. I’m partial to the mini lobster rolls at Son of a Gun, (lobster stuffed in a two-bite bun, with a potato chip crown, $13, or $39 for the regular size). Royal Lobster’s rolls are plainer rivals to those. They taste fresh and are boiled to tender perfection. The cut lobster pieces are piled into toasted brioche buns that are swept with butter. They are served with small sides of potato chips, homemade cole slaw and a dab of aioli to smear on the buttery buns, which definitely jazzes them up.

We visited Royal Lobster on a chilly, drizzly afternoon and, therefore, the outside tables were undesirable. Instead, we sat in the converted car repair

On the Menu by

Helene Seifer garage with one small space heater struggling to overcome the damp. Owner Justin Sok, who brought his concept from Hawaii and personally served us, admitted he hadn’t realized how cold it could get in Los Angeles! He also revealed that he had perfected a lobster bisque recipe that might be added to the limited menu in the future.

Royal Lobster, 4450 Beverly Blvd., 808-900-2983.

The Short Stories Hotel and its original Peruvian-tinged restaurant from chef Ricardo Zarate opened in May 2022 after a major renovation of

the tired Farmer’s Daughter Motel. This past summer, the hotel’s Short Stories Restaurant closed, replaced temporarily by Netflix Bites, a pop-up serving dishes by a handful of famous chefs who have appeared on the Netflix series “Iron Chef,” such as Curtis Stone and Andrew Zimmern. Then, as 2023 ground to a close, the hotel revamped its dining by introducing The Bar at Short Stories Hotel, a cocktail-forward restaurant with an eclectic menu.

Although the food and beverage service has changed, the bar itself is still in a terra-cotta-painted freestanding room with bar seating and wooden tables off a beautiful, treelined black-and-white tiled dining courtyard with patio tables. More casual couch groupings have been added for an outdoor lounge vibe.

Given its new thrust, we expected great drinks and decent bar bites, but everything was elevated. Speciality cocktails are $16 and feature such ingredients as banana, lychee, yuzu, pine and white rice. My husband enjoyed the “Rocking Horse Winner,” a spicy take on a sour with tequila, prickly pear, mango nigori (cloudy sake), aperol, tortilla salt and habanero. My “Slow Days, Fast Company” riffed on a Negroni and featured mezcal mixed with apricot, amaro and white vermouth. Smoky with balanced sweet and bitter notes, it is a great sipping drink.

The menu is large enough for practically anyone to find things to nibble with a drink or build into a full meal, ranging from shishito peppers with miso and wasabi, $7, to $27 salmon with butter beans

and asparagus. We started with fried calamari, $12, and $10 bisque of the day, which was tomato. The large bowl of bisque was thick with intense tomato flavor and drizzled with fragrant basil oil, accompanied by a hardy slice of grilled garlicky, parmesan-dusted bread. Tomato soup is often disappointing, but this one was remarkable. Large calamari rings and tentacle pieces were fried in a well-seasoned, crunchy breading and served with a flavorful piquillo pepper marinara dipping sauce. Excellent!

Next we tried three items: their burger, their roast chicken and their fettuccine, $19 each. The fettuccine was served in a wild mushroom, truffle and cashew crema sauce. We didn’t miss the dairy, but the pasta sauce could have used a bit more of the cooking water mixed in to loosen it up and maybe a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor. The burger was fully stacked, with a thick, tasty patty, fried onion pieces, white cheddar, tomato jam, arugula and romesco sauce on a soft bun. It was terrific with harmonious flavors and textures. Also very good was the baked chicken with cipollini onions in a concentrated lemon sauce that packed a powerful zing.

As with our lobster adventure, it was too cold to sit outside, even with heaters.

I enjoyed the lovely patio during the restaurant’s first iteration and look forward to a warm night to sit under the trees and enjoy this new version.

The Bar at Short Stories Hotel, 115 S. Fairfax Ave., 323-937-3930.

Art from around the globe, and Los Angeles, at Frieze Frieze Los Angeles returns to the Santa Monica Airport with a lineup of local and international art galleries from Thurs., Feb. 29, through Sun., March 3.

More than 95 exhibitors from 21 countries will converge in this fifth edition of the art show. This year features new public spaces and a bespoke struc-

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In celebration of Frieze Week, LACMA, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and other museums will host a series of related events.

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Housed in a repurposed art deco gas station on Beverly Boulevard just east of Western Avenue, Royal Lobster, a famed lobster shack from Honolulu, has settled into Koreatown with only two options: a lobster roll or a green salad with lobster pieces and cherry tomatoes in a sweet balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkled with parmesan.

The two dishes are listed “at market price,” each $29.99 as of this writing. Extra lobster meat is available for $12.

Flown in daily from Maine (the lobster capital of the world), the chopped meaty crustaceans are served simply, without being drowned in butter or mayonnaise or mixed with celery. Drinks are limited to sodas, Perrier and a very good lemonade.

The crunchy green lobster salad is refreshing, light and delicious, but I’m a New En-

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

7

Film aboard crowded space station is terrific; ‘Mean Girls,’ not I.S.S. (8/10): 88 Minutes.

R. The tension never lets up in the International Space Station between a six-person crew of three Russians and three Americans when war breaks out on Earth between the two countries, and each is privately instructed to take control of the I.S.S. The special effects are amazing as the performers float through the I.S.S. throughout the film. Here’s how it was done per director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (with a script by Nick Shafir): We put the actors in harnesses and used tethers to float them. Early on, we tried a system of seesaws that was much more comfortable for the cast, but when I saw the tests, it didn’t appear real enough. The harnesses and tethers looked great, though.

Unfortunately, they were extremely uncomfortable to wear. It was hard on their bodies, they would sometimes go numb in their legs, and every time someone had to go to the bathroom, it took about 45 minutes to get them out of the harness and back into it again.

And of course, it took us a year or more to digitally remove every tether from every single frame of every scene in post.

Looking back on it now, I see why people don’t do zero-gravity in movies very often!

This is a throwback to the days when a movie presents a possible scenario, telling the story with no wasted motion in a crisp 88 minutes without superheroes or car crashes.

What violence occurs is necessary to the plot and believable.

It also exhibits the claustrophobia of being confined in such a small space. And the shots of Earth — in what seems to be total conflagration — that appear outside their windows exacerbate the feeling of being trapped. Their habitat is totally realistic, not some futuristic scenario like the spaceships in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) and the more

LA Opera’s maestro to discuss ‘Dwarf,’ Feb. 12 at HMLA

Windsor Square resident and international opera conductor James Conlon (Music Director at Los Angeles Opera since 2006) will discuss Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky and his opera “The Dwarf” on Mon., Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Museum LA, 100 The Grove Dr. The work was inspired by the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez and author Oscar Wilde. The event will feature a performance by the Colburn School quartet. To RSVP, visit holocaustmuseumla.org.

recent “Passengers” (2016), a movie I really liked, that created very comfortable abodes for space travel. Rather, this shows the space station to be crowded with tight spaces in which to maneuver.

This is, simply, a terrific movie with a good script, fine acting and a believable concept.

The Engineer (5/10): 92 minutes. R. In the ’90s Yahya Ayyash (Adam Haloon) was a “mastermind bombmaker” who was blowing up innocent Israelis. This purports to tell the tale of what is claimed to be “the biggest manhunt in the history of Israel” to find him and send him to his reward. Maybe it’s based on facts, but there are too many serendipitous occurrences for it to establish credibility and, try as they might have, very little tension. Another Hollywood opportunity lost.

Mean Girls (2/10): 107 minutes. R. With a few excep-

At the Movies with

Tony Medley tions, there have been very few remakes that were better, or even as good, as the original.

All of the “A Star is Born” films have been exceptionally good, telling the same story. “High Society” (1956) was better than its excellent predecessor, “The Philadelphia Story” (1940). Like “High Society,” the “Mean Girls” remake is a musical, based on the 2004 original movie and the musical adaptation that played on Broadway 2018-20.

However, unlike “Society,” the music is not by a supreme talent like Cole Porter, and it shows. It is emblematic of what has happened to music in

recent generations. As I have said before, lacking are melody and memorable lyrics. And what is music without them?

This is exactly the same story as 2004, although apparently intended to be updated to reflect the eidos of 2024. Unlike the original, Tina Fey wrote this one by herself. Either she has lost it, or she misses co-writer Rosalind Wiseman, because this script is unfunny and fatuous. The movie is so off-the-wall, it is an insult to the original. These raucous students make the students Glenn Ford had to face in “Blackboard Jungle” (1955) seem like gentlemen.

Even though it is apparently intended as a satire, there is a fine line between satire and ridiculous nonsense. The original did not cross that line. This one goes way over it. It is filled with woke casting and represents an extremely low moral tone. I would give this a zero,

but my assistant, who also detested the film, prevailed upon me that it should be worth a 2. I agreed because the color is excellent, and Reneé Rapp gives a good performance as the arrogant trendsetter.

American Star (1/10): 110 minutes. R. Yet another film about an assassin with a heart.

This is the slowest, most boring one ever filmed. It was as though they had a bunch of feet of film and filled it with nonsense until the violent ending. The first 95 minutes consist of basically nothing but Ian McShane hanging out, talking with people to no avail.

Then the violence, then “The End.” Shakespeare might call it “Little ado about nothing.”

Recommended reading: “The Paris Agent” by Kelly Rimmer, a brilliant, harrowing novel based on facts about the women in Britain’s Special Operations Executive, who were spies in France during WWII.

8 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Fatal attraction, magic and a king speak of (unreciprocated) love

As this is the Valentine’s column, “the time,” as Carson McCullers wrote in her 1951 Southern Gothic novella “The Ballad of the Sad Cafe,” “has come to speak about love.”

McCullers describes love as “a joint experience between two people… the lover and the beloved.” But it is not always an equal affair between the two, and the tension of unrequited, or unreciprocated, love leads to trouble, which energizes comedy (doors slamming and lovers diving under beds in farce) and propels tragedy (spurned Medea murders her sons to revenge her ex).

Ever since Ibsen, that tension has been internalized on stage (Nora slams the dollhouse door and gets on with her life), or it has been indulged, if not revelled in (think Sondheim musical).

It’s no wonder that Edward Albee, the author of the most internalized love / hate relationship in American drama (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”) was drawn to McCullers’ book and adapted it for the stage in 1963.

Two plays now running “speak about” this love dissonance in very different ways.

The first is Steve Yockey’s

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Theater Review by

Louis Fantasia surreal Mercury at the Road Theatre in NoHo through Sun., Feb. 18 (roadtheatre.org; 818-761-8838). The second is Matthew Leavitt’s touching Sukkot at the Skylight Theatre in Los Feliz through Sun., Feb. 4 (the6thact.ludus.com).

“Mercury” starts out realistically enough: Pamela and Heather are having a neighborly spat, which we learn revolves around their secretive lesbian affair. Don’t tell the husbands! In shades of Fatal Attraction’s boil-thebunny, the spurned Pamela kills Heather’s dog, cuts it up and buries it in the garden.

Heather gets her own revenge by purchasing a magic book from an olde curiosity shoppe and gives it to Pam, who disintegrates when she opens the book! Meanwhile, couple Nick and Brian have moved into Nick’s mom’s apartment to be closer to her in her terminal illness, but their neighbor, Olive, doesn’t like the fact that Brian is cheating on Nick with other men, so she also visits said shoppe, where the ditzy manager sells her the same magic book, which she gives to Brian, who also disintegrates!

With me? Pam and Brian

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Dance seems to be in the air and on the boards this month: Matthew Bourne’s ballet version of “Romeo and Juliet,” with a score by Sergei Prokofiev, is at the Ahmanson, Jan. 28 through Feb. 25. 213-972-4400; Odyssey Theatre Ensemble celebrates the art of contemporary dance with its seventh annual festival through Feb. 18. Local and international solo and group performances, including several world premieres, are featured.

OdysseyTheatre.com or 310-477-2055 ext. 2. arrive in a “Saw”-inspired hell on — where else? — Mercury, where there is room for only one of them, so Pam suffers the same fate as the dog and Brian gets sent back to Nick via the guts of a dead bear. (Don’t ask!)

It’s all good fun, including the blood-soaked revenge, which has an Elizabethan quality to it. The acting and directing are tight (artistically and physically on a cramped but impressive turntable set). However, I kept looking for a point to it all, but couldn’t find one. Perhaps less blood and more heart would have been in order.

Matthew Leavitt’s “Sukkot,” on the other hand, has perhaps too much heart. The three adult children of a Jewish-Catholic family have come home for their late (Jewish) mother’s memorial. Catholic Dad (the magnificent and magisterial Andy Robinson) has decided that he will divest his yearlong

grief and unify his family by celebrating the seven-day Jewish feast of Sukkot, where God commanded the wandering Israelites to find time to rejoice, even in their exile and misery.

His religion-free offspring then humor him and, in the course of their reunion, the requisite family secrets are revealed, recriminations made and reconciliations achieved.

The laughter (it is a very funny script) covers echoes of “King Lear,” Ibsen’s “Ghosts” and a lot of Neil Simon for most of the play, but the revelations border on the trite, weakening an otherwise well-made play.

Joel Zwick directs with aplomb, and the four-person cast is pretty much pitch-perfect in negotiating the play’s shifting tones and family dynamics.

But it is Robinson who, every inch the king in his own castle, makes the show worth seeing.

Happy Valentine’s… I hope!

Magic Strings puppet show revival through April 7

By Nona Sue Friedman “Magic Strings,” the newest production of Bob Baker Marionette Theater (BBMT), is not just puppets but a multimedia, multi-screen, immersive extravaganza featuring archival footage of theater founder Bob Baker and the history of puppetry in the U.S. Audience members will see interviews of Baker over the years as well as demonstrations of his puppetry magic.

This show was first performed at BBMT in 1970 and originally was inspired by Baker’s first professional puppet gig in the 1930s.

Many of the puppets and sets in the performance have been meticulously restored, as they have not been used in decades.

“Magic Strings” plays Fri-

days to Sundays, with two shows on each Saturday and Sunday. The production runs through Sun., April 7. Tickets are $25, and are available at bobbakermarionettetheater.com.

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Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

9

10 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

‘A Woman’s Place’ art show at Ebell; deadline to enter is Feb. 8

By Suzan Filipek The Ebell of Los Angeles invites artists to submit their artwork for its juried exhibition, “A Woman’s Place,” in celebration of National Women’s History Month. All accepted artworks will be included in a show at The Ebell from Thurs., March 21, through Tues., April 30. One winning artist will be selected to receive a one-year membership to The Ebell of Los Angeles.

An opening reception will take place on March 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. Thereafter, viewing will be available by appointment only, or during other public Ebell events.

Three professionals from the Los Angeles arts scene will serve as jurors: Shana

Nys Dambrot, arts editor for L.A. Weekly; Taylor Bythewood-Porter, independent curator and former assistant curator at the California African American Museum (CAAM); and Amy Scott, executive vice president of research and interpretation and Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross Curator of Visual Arts at The Autry Museum.

“The Ebell of Los Angeles was one of the first locations in Los Angeles to exhibit artwork by women. Our focus on art and women’s stories stems from deep within the fabric of our organization,” said

Laurie Schecter, president of the board of directors of The Ebell.

“This year’s art exhibit will focus on the journeys, hopes and dreams of women throughout the ages and will be judged by an exceptional group of professional women who have, and continue to make, invaluable contributions to visual art in Los Angeles.”

The planning committee selected “A Woman’s Place” to inspire artists to share their own stories, reflections, hopes and dreams for women and the place they take in society.

The exhibit will be one part of an array of activities celebrating National Women’s History Month at The Ebell throughout the month of March.

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Miracle Mile residents to meet in-person Jan 27

By Suzan Filipek Los Angeles Police Dept.

Capt. Sonia Monico will be among guests at the 2024 annual meeting of the Miracle Mile Residential Association (MMRA). Monico is the commanding officer of the LAPD’s Wilshire Division.

The MMRA meeting is on Sat., Jan. 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Blvd.

“It will be our first in-person get-together since 2019.

We might be live streaming, or at least providing a video post-meeting for those who prefer to view from home, but

we hope everybody will show up in person!” Kari Garcia, MMRA’s vice president and neighborhood watch chair, told us. “Our focus will be on community development and engagement. We look forward to our speakers responding to questions from our neighbors (use the link on our webpage to submit questions in advance) and issues specific to our neighborhood.”

Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky, of CD5, and Heather Hutt, of CD10, are also on the agenda.

Neighborhood updates will be discussed at the meeting.

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By Suzan Filipek Laugh it up and enjoy the art deco surroundings at the local monthly comedy show by Whippet Comedy at the Deco Building on Wilshire Boulevard on Sun., Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m.

The 90-minute comedy lineup is at 5209 Wilshire Blvd.

Doors open at 7 p.m The comedians, with late night show and other credits, include Aparna Nancherla, Chris Grace, Lizzy Cooperman, Brian Gallivan and Kari Assad. Diana Hong and Mary Huth of Hancock Park are hosts. Tickets are $12 on eventbrite.com.

The Deco Building is one of the city’s last remaining blackand-gold, terra-cotta tile, art deco buildings, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. Built in the 1920s by prominent architecture firm Morgan, Walls and Clements, the two-story

building features zigzag moderne ornamentation. It was originally a neighborhood branch bank and has been rehabilitated into office space and special event use.

Curated Indonesian imports will be for sale by HEXI at the building.

Want more comedy? A second installment with a different lineup is set for Sun., Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m., also in the Deco Building.

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Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

11

Golden Bridge and acclaimed conductor return to Los Angeles

By Casey Russell The Golden Bridge, an annual concert aimed at connecting the Golden Age of English Renaissance music with the Golden Age of California’s choral music, will take place Sat., Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. in Beverly Hills.

Established in 2014 by internationally acclaimed conductor Suzi Digby, the concert brings professional singers — many from Los Angeles’ Master Chorale — together to perform new works commissioned by Digby as well as works by Renaissance composers.

When we spoke with Digby, she said, “I created The Golden Bridge because I wanted to leave a legacy for my time here.” Her goal was to create a choral bridge that would link choral music across time and space, she told us.

Digby has always been interested in music. “From the age of 3, I was singing,” she said. The resident of England, who was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2007, discovered very early that she wanted to be a catalyst for changing people’s lives through music.

She conducts full-time in London, and in 2011, she joined the USC faculty, where she is

GOLDEN BRIDGE singers at All Saints Beverly Hills in 2017.

a visiting instructor with the Thornton School of Music.

Each year, she and her husband, Lord John Eatwell, who teaches economics at USC (he was president of Queens’ College Cambridge for two decades), come to Los Angeles for six to seven weeks to teach, with her activities including the preparation of each year’s Golden Bridge concert.

This 10th annual concert will feature three world premieres by composers from our state. A revival of a piece that was commissioned and performed in a past year will also be included.

“I chose the revival because it’s a wonderful piece and because it has a beautiful cello part,” said Digby. When asked how she knows what works the au-

diences will most respond to, she told us, “When I feel something is happening, usually the audience is, too. You know you’re in that special place.”

There will be two featured instrumentalists this year. One is cellist Benett Tsai, who is, in Digby’s words, a rising superstar from the Colburn School.

“He is absolutely outstanding — the dazzling new California talent,” she said. The leading lute player in California, Jason Yoshida, also will perform.

Traditional music by Taverner, Byrd, Weelkes, Purcell, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Reena Esmail and Morten Lauridsen will be included in the program.

Dana Gioia, 2015’s Poet Laureate of California, will be the concert’s master of ceremonies.

Digby told us that, because the choral tradition is so strong and established in the United Kingdom, she generally needs three times the amount of rehearsal hours for productions when she works with people in the U.S. But, she went on to say, the sight-reading skills in Los Angeles are extremely good. She attributes that to the fact that many professional singers here do session work for film and television.

Before rehearsals even begin, sheet music and sound files are provided to singers. The goal is to be able to “spend the rehearsal shaping the music, building confidence and bringing the music to life in a way that will really impact the audience,” said the conductor, who is now the foremost commissioner of new choral music in the world. The Golden Bridge alone has commissioned 40 works in the past 12 years.

Because she regularly commissions work for her various organizations, Digby told us that fundraising is a big part of her life. “I have an amazing team of people who help me,” she said. Digby said that, very often, an individual will want to commission a work because his or her name then will be included on the score.

A contemporary composer commissioned to provide music for The Golden Bridge is asked to choose a piece of English Renaissance music and reflect it in his or her own work, so that it is embedded in the new music, Digby told us.

SUZI DIGBY conducts.

Photo by Andreas Grieger

We asked the conductor if Lord Eatwell comes to The Golden Bridge concerts. “Oh yes!” she said. “He’s key! He comes to all the shows. Who would carry my music stand if he didn’t come?”

For tickets to the concert, which will take place at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 504 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, visit goldenbridge2024. eventbrite.com. For more on Suzi Digby, visit suzidigby.com.

12 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Living room gatherings end and begin the years 2023 and 2024

LANDAY HOME in Windsor Square was still decked out for post-Christmas gathering.

SUZ AND PETER LANDAY welcomed holiday revelers at the end of December.

Around the Town with

Sondi Toll Sepenuk on Irving, to kick off 2024 entertaining on Jan. 10, Amy Forbes and Andy Murr opened their house in a reception they co-sponsored with other Irving neighbors from a block north, Dena Bloom and Robert Klyman, to introduce their neighbors to their longtime friend (and Larchmont Village neighborhood

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••• In the middle of last month, neighbors and family members (at least 200 in total) filled up all the space at Tom Bergin’s on Jan. 13. They were there to celebrate the 50th birthday of Brendan Malloy. The lifetime Larchmont local, well-known for his coaching and leadership of Saint Brendan Basketball Association (SBBA), his co-ownership of the popular Goleta-based M Special Brewing Company (featured at

the Larchmont Family Fair) and his commercial, film and television producing and directing talents with brother Emmett Malloy, let loose with friends who noshed on

OPEN SPACE behind the bar is a refuge for guest of honor Brendan Malloy, whose friends celebrating his 50th birthday filled up the rest of Tom Bergin’s.

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WINDSOR SQUARE neighbors gathered to hear House of Representatives candidate Nick Melvoin in early January.

INSURED

By Casey Russell After just a year on the Boulevard, the apparel and homegoods store Midland, at 138 N. Larchmont Blvd., has closed. According to a post

on Midland’s Instagram site, owners closed the Larchmont location due to “high rent and low shopping.” Fans of the store can still visit Midland’s flagship shop in Culver City. Topo Designs, an outdoor clothing and accessories store, is slated to take over Midland’s spot in the Larchmont Mercantile Building.

Also, as has been widely reported, Sweet Lady Jane, the high-end bakery that had been gearing up to open a new location at 203 N. Larchmont Blvd. will, as of now, be closing all of its stores.

Representatives of Larchmont Jewelers, the upscale jewelry store which was the subject of an extensive Chronicle article last June, tell us that the store is now expected to open (at 119 N. Larchmont Blvd.) in mid-March.

mac n’ cheese, pretzel balls and cupcakes and danced late to a loud and lively DJ (while draining the open bar). Too bad age 50 comes only once every five decades!

••• A week later, the venerable Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society (WSHPHS) held its Afternoon Tea in Hollywood on Jan. 21. The venue was the historic Woman’s Club of Hollywood, founded in 1905.

The property is the site of the former Hollywood School for Girls (1908-1932), which Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, and many other Hollywood stars attended.

At the WSHPHS high tea, members and guests heard from Patrick Quinn, author of “Bar Keeps,” a tour of cocktail culture in the Golden State, from roadside diners and chic hotels to tiki bars and exotic dancer nightclubs.

Up next for members of the WSHPHS is a behind-thescenes walking tour of CBS Television City on Sat., Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon.

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VOLUNTEER GREETERS (from left) Judy Zeller, Diane Sherwood, Damona Hoffman and Marlene Zweig welcome attendees to the Historical Society Afternoon Tea.

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The traditional worlds of neighborliness are coming back in focus, post-COVID-19, as neighbors once again are gathering in the living rooms of the community — two of which are on Irving Boulevard in Windsor Square. A last celebration of the holiday season took place at the home of Suz and Peter Landay on Dec. 28.

They gathered a big group of friends who enjoyed the many decorated rooms of the Landay residence across the street from the mayor’s Getty House.

Suz told the Chronicle that she loves decorating for Christmas and that she still had eight or so boxes of decorations that she had not used this year.

That was hard to believe given the gorgeous finery in every corner of the house! The Landays once again saluted good friend Alyce Morris Winston, who founded the Jeffrey Foundation years ago. Instead of bringing hostess gifts, attendees were encouraged to bring donations of any size to help the nonprofit facility that Winston started 51 years ago for children with special needs and their families.

••• Four blocks up the street

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

13

Mile Chamber and Wilshire Rotary confer honors

RETIRED SGT. AJ KIRBY (right) is awarded Trailblazer award from the Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce. With him are Wilshire Rotary president Janice Prior and Chamber representative Chris Devlin.

By Nona Sue Friedman It was a two-for-one luncheon on Jan. 10 — with the Wilshire Rotary Club honoring first responders and the Greater Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce presenting its annual Trailblazer Award.

The Trailblazer Award is given to a person who unselfishly serves the Greater Miracle Mile community.

Retired Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Sgt. AJ Kirby was this year’s recipient. He was honored for his 18 years of service and leadership at the Wilshire Community Police Station. Kirby held

numerous positions during his tenure at Wilshire, most recently being in charge of community relations. Kirby told the Larchmont Chronicle that he was honored to get the award especially since “I’m off the books and gone.”

His former boss, Capt. Sonia Monico, said of Wilshire Division, “Captains come and go, but Kirby has stayed.” She went on to comment that Kirby is “the guy who gets it done, cares for the community and the people he works with and never says ‘no.’” Jane Gilman, co-founder of the Chronicle in 1963, also spoke on Kirby’s

behalf, saying, “I would call him ‘Mr. Everywhere’ because he helped out in so many different areas of the community.”

Now that Kirby is retired after 34 years of service to LAPD, he is golfing, biking and traveling a bit. He likes that he “can take his time” when visiting his family “and doesn’t have to worry about getting back to work.”

Rotary honors Within the same luncheon program, Wilshire Rotary honored two first responders for their service to the com(Please turn to Page 15)

SENIOR LEAD OFFICER Ian O’Brien stands next to his commanding officer Capt.

Sonia Monico after receiving his Public Service Award from Wilshire Rotary. Margie Christofferson is at rear with flowers.

Photos by Nona Sue Friedman

Ninety years of helping Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

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ed commitment to the Las Madrinas Diagnostic Innovation Endowment. Mrs. Garland then recognized ball chair Emily Williamson Hancock and debutante chair Hilary O’Rourke Wynperle for their dedicated efforts in making the evening “a smashing success.”

Member husband John Ledlie Rouse announced each debutante as she descended from the stage to the ballroom dance floor. The Wayne Foster Orchestra accompa-

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nied the presentation of each debutante and then played the traditional waltz that transitioned the party from presentation to celebration.

Las Madrinas was established in 1933 as the first Affiliate Group of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and has been supporting pediatric care and research for nine decades. Since 1939, Las Madrinas has honored families who have demonstrated a commitment to the civic, cultural and philanthropic life of

Southern California by presenting their daughters at the Las Madrinas Ball. Donations made in honor of the young women, together with the annual support of Las Madrinas members and friends, have enabled Las Madrinas to complete 10 major projects at the hospital since 1988.

Among those endeavors are 11 research endowments totaling more than $32.5 million, a capital project on the cardiovascular floor, and the current $5 million pledge for the Las Madrinas Diagnostic Innovation Endowment.

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By Suzan Filipek Las Madrinas honored 29 young women and their families for their service to the Southern California community and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) during the Las Madrinas Ball at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Dec. 21. Guests from across Los Angeles and around the country gathered with the young women, their families and the members of Las Madrinas in celebration. Everyone was seated for the white tie dinner dance in the hotel’s International Ballroom, and attendees reported that the ball was a joyous and festive evening as has been the case with the annual holiday event for 86 years.

Kathryne Halverson Garland, president of Las Madrinas, formally welcomed the families and guests and thanked everyone for joining in support of research programs at CHLA. She spoke of Las Madrinas’ impact on Children’s Hospital Los Angles for the past 90 years, specifically highlighting the organization’s complet-

14 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

Captain, multiple senior lead officers retiring at Wilshire LAPD Monico. Her replacement was not announced by press time.

Once in retirement, she plans on spending time with her daughter, son-in-law and soon-to-be-born grandchild in Tuscany, Italy.

Also retiring from Wilshire is Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Dave Cordova, who served portions of Larchmont Village, Windsor Square and

Hancock Park for many years.

He has been on medical leave for the last few months and is officially leaving the force on Jan. 31. SLO Hebel Rodriguez is covering the area until a replacement is found.

Another SLO, Anna Schube, also is retiring on Feb. 29.

She is in charge of the Miracle Mile area. SLOs Timothy Estevez and Ian O’Brien will

cover her area until a fulltime replacement is found.

Also filling in for her is reserve officer Perry Jones, who previously served the area and is well known in the community. He can be reached at robert6668@lapd.online.

According to Sarno, there also are some crucial senior

Dressler star in the 1928 film “The Patsy,” screening at the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, on Sun. Jan 28 at 5 p.m.

Live original music will ac-

by King Vidor and presented by Retroformat Silent Films. Lara Gabrielle, author of “Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies” will sign copies of her book at the event. For tickets visit lumierecinemala.com.

WILSHIRE DIVISION Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Dave Cordova is retiring on Wed., Jan. 31. His interim replacement is SLO Hebel Rodriguez at 213-793-0715, 35738@lapd.online.

THEFT: A visitor to the John C. Fremont Library at 6121 Melrose Ave. stole a laptop computer from a library patron. While the victim was using the restroom, the suspect took the victim’s laptop computer and fled on Jan. 6 at 12:30 p.m.

BURGLARY THEFT FROM VEHICLE: A tablet computer, cell phone accessories and credit cards were stolen from a grey BMW on the 400 block of South Sycamore Avenue. The suspect entered the vehicle through the sunroof between Dec. 31 at 9:15 p.m. and Jan. 1 at 11:15 a.m.

BURGLARIES: Suspects smashed the window of the rear door of a granny flat on the 100 block of North Arden Boulevard, entered the residence and stole money and jewelry on Jan. 3 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Two male burglars entered a home on the 400 block of South Highland Avenue through a side window. They snatched jewelry and then left the home through a front window on Jan. 6 at 6:50 p.m.

GRAND THEFT AUTO: A 2015 silver Ford F150 pickup truck was stolen from the street on the 300 block of South Sycamore Avenue between Jan. 2 at 10 p.m. and Jan. 3 at 6:30 a.m.

officers — who do much of the administration and keep the place running smoothly — who are retiring over the next couple of months. Sarno said the station is going through a transition and is being staffed by much younger employees.

But, he commented, “The big blue machine keeps rolling.”

POLICE BEAT Silent film ‘The Patsy’ screens Library patron’s laptop is January 28 with live music stolen, Cordova retires Marion Davies and Marie company the comedy directed

OLYMPIC DIVISION GRAND THEFT AUTO: A 2018 grey Lexus NX300 was parked on the street and stolen from North Manhattan

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By Nona Sue Friedman The Wilshire Community Police Station is seeing some staffing changes with the start of 2024.

Capt. Sonia Monico, the Wilshire Division Commanding Officer, announced to her team that she will retire Thurs., Feb. 29, but she left day-to-day duties on Jan. 18. With regard to Monico’s announcement, Senior Lead Coordinator Wesley Sarno told us, at the Coffee with a Cop on Jan. 10, that “It was news to the division.”

Monico has been with the force for 31 years and at Wilshire for the past two and a half years. “I am so appreciative of the support, officers and community at Wilshire. I’ve enjoyed every minute,” says

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

15

Show your love with meaningful blooms, but skip the orchids A passage in a 1939 magazine celebrating the Pasadena Tournament of Roses’ Golden Jubilee reads: “A Tournament of Roses parade is a spectacle which is difficult to describe. It is as if all the flowers of California gathered themselves together in Pasadena on New Year’s morning in arrangements of such color and beauty as to beggar description.”

Eighty-five years later, I have to agree. A visit to the parked Rose Parade floats on the first day of January this year was so visually abundant that capturing it in words feels as daunting as trying to sing a sculpture.

Close inspection of the individual floats turned up plenty of floral familiars. A particularly awe-inducing entry from Cal Poly Universities — whose floats over the past 75 years have always been student-built — was an undersea landscape teeming with manta rays, electric eels and a piano keyboard with

A+D Museum inaugural show is on La Brea

The A+D (Architecture + Design) Museum’s inaugural exhibition marking its new home at 170 S. La Brea Ave. opened Jan. 19 and will continue through April 7.

The exhibit, “We Are Here: Imagining Space in the 21st Century,” features works by contemporary artists, designers, architects and data analysts.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

The museum opened in 2001 in the Bradbury Building in Downtown Los Angeles.

In 2015, it moved to the Arts District. In 2020, it transitioned to a hybrid physical and digital platform and now has a new home in the Greater Wilshire community. Visit aplusd.org.

animated keys that moved in time with music. Present among a throng of floral varieties decorating the float’s simulated ocean floor were spiky bromeliads, their pink blooms contrasting against dark green leaves.

The bromeliad was designated in the 18th century by the father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, in honor of Swedish botanist Olaus Bromel. Linnaeus was known for canonizing those he admired — and detested — in his work naming the species that make up the natural world. When Prussian botanist Johann Siegesbeck wrote that Linnaeus’ most famous work, the Systema Naturae, was “lewd’’ for classifying plants using a “sexual system” based on the number and arrangement of stamens and pistils in their flowers, Linnaeus retaliated using a means befitting the offense. Doubling down on his association between the sexual organs of plants and humans, he titled a small, tiny-flowered weed Sigesbeckia orientalis after the botanist.

(Perhaps Linnaeus’ writings would have been well-received by ancient Greek naturalists, whose floral appellation “orchid” derives from the Greek word for “testicle.”)

The plant kingdom’s more resplendent blooms were reserved for Linnaeus’ cronies. Alexander Garden was a Scottish-born naturalist who lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and collected local flora and fauna to send to Linnaeus for classification.

For his services, Linnaeus chose a waxy, fragrant flower to commend him — the gardenia. The brightly colored radial blooms of the zinnia honor another contemporary of Linnaeus, German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. The camellia, a winter-blooming floral that appears in shades of red, pink and white, is yet another taxonomical shout-out.

Native to East Asia, the plant

Word Café by

Mara Fisher was named for Georg Joseph Kamel, a Jesuit missionary and naturalist who studied the plants and animals of the Philippines.

Outside of Linnaeus’ realm, flower names come from various reaches. Some monikers are so given for the effect they have on those that encounter them. The pansy, its charming blossoms historically regarded as a symbol of remembrance, descends from the French word pensée, meaning “thought.” The tiny, fuzzy orbs that make up the mimosa receive their title from its cousin of the same genus, the Mimosa pudica, which folds its leaves when touched. The plant’s label originates from the Latin mi-

mus, meaning “mime,” as it appears to mimic conscious life with its kinetic response.

Even though the nasturtium is an edible flora — its blooms have a slightly peppery taste and its unripe seed pods are pickled to make a garnish similar to capers — its name originates in repulsion to the perennial. Appointed because of its similarity to cress, which was thought to have an acrid odor, “nasturtium” combines the Latin words nasus and torquere, translating to “nose-twist.”

Then there are the flora that borrow from fauna. The ranunculus, whose blooms appear as dense globes of concentric petals, is the diminutive form of the Latin rana, or “frog,” so named for its tendency to grow near water. The dandelion’s petals radiate from its center much like a lion’s mane, but it’s the cat’s tooth that’s relevant here — the flower’s designation comes from the French dent de lion.

Drawing from other natural phenomena is the anemone, from the Greek anemos, meaning “wind.” The bowlshaped flower is specified as such because it was thought to open only when the wind blows. Aster (from the Greek word for “star”) and heliotrope (originating from the Greek h­elios, meaning “sun”) nod to celestial bodies, while flowering azalea derives from the Proto-Indo-European stem as-, meaning “to burn or glow.” Rounding out this elemental bouquet are the large, showy blooms of the hydrangea. Under the plant’s conical flowerheads are cupshaped seed pods, which earn the species its label, from the Greek hydor, or “water,” and angeion, meaning “vessel.”

As January’s Rose Parade flowers wilt and give way to February’s tokens of love and affection, take note of the meanings contained in each offering. A ranunculus — very cute. Anemones, lovely.

Orchids? Perhaps not.

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munity, one from LAPD and one from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

Jess Gonzales, firefighter with LAFD Station 61 on Third Street west of La Brea Avenue, was recognized for his “values, dedication, personal sacrifices and consistent performance at work,” according to station Capt. Douglas Noonan.

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Ian O’Brien, stationed at Wilshire Division, was selected

by Capt. Monico for “his happy-go-lucky attitude, being a breath of fresh air and having a wealth of knowledge.”

Four decades serving Mid-Wilshire Los Angeles

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• Response • Patrol • Alarm • Monitoring For more details, contact Mike Ball 818-435-3179

Please call now for a special offer for new customers who sign up for patrol or response services.

Lic. # PPO 120288

16 SECTION TWO

FEBRUARY 2024

Larchmont Chronicle