Celebrate L.A.’s diverse culture at Tarfest at Pan Pacific Park, 7600 Beverly Blvd., on Sat., June 14, from 2 to 8 p.m.
The 22nd annual event is sponsored by Launch LA and free to all. Live music and DJ sets, art installations and gourmet food trucks are among the day’s many offerings.
Performers include Alberto Lopez, Azul Amaral, Red Light Vinyl, Chromequeen, Garth Trinidad, Dayren Santamaria, DJ Superstar and others.
Catering to all ages, art-making and cultural activities will take place throughout the day in coopSee Tarfest, P 10
Third time is a charm for L.A. Olympics
n World-class venues to host the 2028 games
By Nona Sue Friedman
In the summer of 2028, Los Angeles will become the third city in the world to host the Olympics three times. The Games were played here in 1932 and 1984. Perhaps even more impressive, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl Stadium will be the first venues in history to host three Olympic Games. Although it is the third time for the Olympics, it is the first time for the Paralympics.
Pets of Larchmont
Our annual Pets of Larchmont section will be featured in the July issue of the Larchmont Chronicle
Send us a photo of your furry or feathered friends to suzan@larchmontchronicle.com.
Summer Fun
We also welcome vacation photos. Send to the email above!
Phil Rosenthal, Nancy Silverton confab about Larchmont diner
By H. Hutcheson
Osteria Mozza—with its prestigious Michelin Star and Michelin Green Star—sits on the corner of Highland and Melrose avenues, next door to its cousin, the equally famous Pizzeria Mozza—restaurants every neighborhood wants. It’s there that we had the good fortune to speak with Nancy Silverton and Phil Rosenthal. For those people who live
under a rock, Nancy is the world-famous chef behind the aforementioned Mozza restaurants and previously La Brea Bakery and Campanile. Phil Rosenthal is the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and who also stars in Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil,” a show about food and families. Silverton and Rosenthal have teamed up to create some-
n Community to discuss proposals on June 5
By Chronicle Staff
Metro is set for its next milestone in an ambitious plan to build housing at Wilshire and Crenshaw boulevards. It is expected to choose from among eight developers’ proposals by this month.
Once chosen, the developer will engage with the community and Metro to refine the scope and design of the project.
Metro seeks a joint development partner for the vacant property that, for years, has been a staging area for “D-Line” subway station construction at Western and at La Brea avenues. The vacant lot will be available for a new use in 2026.
The 1.82-acre site is one of 20, Metro-owned properties where it aims to build 10,000 “high-quality housing, especially income-restricted affordable units” by 2031, according to its Outreach Report, December 2024.
Community feedback, gathered by Metro in the fall of 2024, found respondents wanted public outdoor space, street-level businesses such as
Meterologist explains June gloom
n The science behind our weather, explained
H. Hutcheson
Robertson
Last month we checked in with our favorite local meteorologist, Autumn Robertson, to learn about “June Gloom” and how it affects our town. She took time out of her busy schedule to explain the science of our June weather.
Ms. Robertson, what is June gloom?
“June Gloom” or “May Gray” is a colloquial term used to reference our SoCal-specif-
ic spring weather pattern. During this time of year, a ridge of high pressure along the West Coast tends to be the dominant weather feature. Air under this high pressure sinks, compresses and quickly heats, leading to our hot afternoons. The shelf waters of the Pacific Ocean, however, do not warm as quickly as land and remain cool into the summer months.
As this warmer air aloft sits above the cooler, moist air of the Pacific, an inversion layer forms trapping that cooler air at the surface. This interaction between the two air
Phil and Nancy, P
n Diner in homage to Phil Rosenthal’s parents
RESTAURANT PARTNERS Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton at Osteria Mozza
JUNE GLOOM hovers over the Pacific Ocean looking out west from the Griffith Observatory in the Hollywood Hills.
Editorial
By Chronicle Editorial Board
Crime is down?
If you have been following the headlines coming from the City Council chambers or the mayor’s office, you have more than likely heard “crime is down.” That refrain has been emphatically emanating from City Hall for decades: Eric Garcetti said it, Villaraigosa said it before him and we continue to hear it on local news. I am sure it has left many of us scratching our heads—the nuances in the announcements begin to sound Orwellian: “violent” crime is down, property crimes are an “aberration” and not reflected in the overall numbers. The issue has become one of semantics and a hot potato, with a coalition of social justice organizations saying the police want us to feel like there is more crime so police can “get raises.” In the past, the Los Angeles Police Department has said they are understaffed, and waves of crime don’t necessarily mean more sustained crime numbers.
On a personal note, my family was a victim of an auto theft right in front our home, and the theft was not reflected in the crime reports given to the Chronicle. Our street has also become one of the many that sit in darkness because copper wire was stolen from the streetlights. Hancock Park has had over a dozen home break-ins over the last two months. Simply stating “crime is down” does not make it true. We have to believe it, we have to feel it and we have to see it.
325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004 windsorsquare.org
157 N. Larchmont Boulevard
“And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days.”
— John Keats
New Windsor Square CD13 Field Deputy: Mark Fuentes has been named the new Field Deputy for Windsor Square from Council District 13. If you have an issue, question or comment please feel free to contact him at (213)913-2991 or mark.fuentes@lacity.org.
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Norton Triangle Replanted: The Norton Triangle off of 6th Street and Norton Ave has had new irrigation installed and new spring plantings by Noah’s Ark Landscaping. Described as a “pollinator’s paradise” complete with California native plants and low impact drip irrigation it is already attracting bees and butterflies!
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Next Stop, Larchmont Median: Noah’s Ark Landscaping will begin their restoration of the Larchmont median this following the pruning of the Jacarandas in May. We are looking forward to the transformation in time for summer.
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“ARE YOU PREPARED?” The WSA’s one-page sheet on preparing yourself, family and A Guide to Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness is now available online. Download your copy at https://windsorsquare.org/safety-security/ emergency-preparedness/
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“Nothing Replaces a Watchful Neighbor:” Wise words by Chief McDonnell at last month’s WSA Public Safety Town Hall. Be vigilant following recent home burglaries. If you see suspicious activity, such as unfamiliar parked cars or persons appearing to be surveilling properties, call the LAPD and report it.
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WE NEED BLOCK CAPTAINS! Be the leader of your block and the point person for all that’s going on in the neighborhood. The WSA has numerous block captain positions open. It’s a great opportunity to engage with neighbors and community leaders. Send an e-mail to: blockcaptains@windsorsquare.org.
JUNE Holidays! LA Pride, June 8; Father’s Day, June 17; Juneteenth, June 19
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.
325 N. Larchmont Blvd., #158, Los Angeles, CA 90004, or windsorsquare.org.
Calendar
Tues., June 10—Mid City West Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Pan Pacific Park, 7600 Beverly Blvd., midcitywest.org.
Wed., June 11— Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting, via Zoom at 6:30 p.m., greaterwilshire.org.
Sat., June 14—Flag Day. Sun., June 15— Father’s Day.
Thurs., June 19— Juneteenth.
Fri., June 20—First day of summer.
Thurs., June 26—Delivery of the July issue of the Larchmont Chronicle
Are you in a book club? Share your club’s favorite reads with the Chronicle. Email hedy@larchmontchronicle. com with “books” in the subject line.
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Do you have a recipe for the Chronicle? Send to hedy@ larchmontchronicle.com with “recipe” in the subject line.
Larchmont Chronicle
Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin
Hutcheson
Filipek
Letters to the Editor
Praise for walkable city
Really liked your article on building a walkable city [“Local Group works to build and grow L.A.,” May 2025]. Had not heard about the LCI [Liveable Communities Inititative] group before.
Bonnie Goler Windsor Square
Chronicle continues
Thank you for maintaining the legacy of the Larchmont Chronicle. We look forward to supporting its and your continued success.
Cahill-Gurr Family Windsor Square
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.
‘What are your graduation plans or memories?’
That’s the question our inquiring photographer asked locals.
“When I graduated sixth last year, we put on our own musical at The Center [for Early Education]. So fun! We even wrote it!”
Dylan Jones On the Boulevard
“We did a musical for sixth grade graduation, too! I graduated from Village School though, in Pacific Palisades.” Bella Johnson On the Boulevard
“I’m just excited to be done with school [at Cal State University Fullerton] and that focus on my career [in the sciences].”
Pravin Ko On the Boulevard
“When I graduated from AMDA [The American Musical and Dramatic Academy] in acting, [actor] Anthony Ramos spoke and told us, ‘Most of you guys won’t make it, but it’s about perseverance and determination.’ I really appreciated that he was real with us.”
Kiahnoa Saucedo Persevering on the Boulevard
Medians on North Larchmont are spruced up, finally
By Suzan Filipek
The North Larchmont medians have been a sight for sore eyes. Neglected with weeds, broken sprinklers and lack of funds, the three boulevard-dividing strips between Melrose and Beverly boulevards were in sad disrepair.
Getting them cleaned up, watered and refreshed to their former glory as Larchmont’s proud gateway was a massive project, Charles D’Atri, president of the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association (LVNA), tells us.
The LVNA paid $11,000 to get the project back on track, at least initially, and D’Atri is in talks with Council District 13 to maintain the medians going forward.
The medians’ leafy jacaranda trees and Mexican grass have been tended by the landscape crew from the Korean Cultural Community Cen-
ter, Los Angeles—which had maintained the medians until city funds dried up.
When the three medians were first approved by the late Councilmember Tom LaBonge about 15 years ago, the agreement was for the city to finance their upkeep.
But that plan didn’t pan out.
D’Atri remarks, “Several balls got dropped” as a result of five different council offices over the years, plus a census-required council redistricting, which further complicated things.
D’Atri, who lives on Van Ness, got involved after he received calls from residents about the “ratty-looking” medians. He put on his detective hat to get to the bottom of the fiasco.
“We were in a crisis,” says D’Atri. “We [the LVNA] finally stepped in at the end of last year… so we could triage this thing.”
He calls the scenario “a classic L.A. story,” where the beginning is always easy. It’s the ongoing maintenance where the problems come in. They problems escalated
when a truck drove over one of the medians and broke its water supply. (The City Dept. of Water and Power has had an outstanding repair order ever since.)
Until it’s sprinklers are repaired, that median needs to be hand-watered. All three need to be weeded and cleaned on an ongoing basis, which has yet to be worked out.
But, says D’Atri, “We can see the light. We’re getting near the end of the tunnel.”
D’Atri announced substantial progress on the restoration and continued maintenance for the North Larchmont medians at the LVNA’s semiannual meeting on May 13.
Also at the meeting, LAPD senior lead officers Harry Cho of the Olympic Division and Tyler Shuck of the Wilshire Division reviewed local crime
stats, and they gave an update on progress from the anti-prostitution task force focused on Western Avenue and the easternmost part Larchmont Village, as well as adjoining neighborhoods.
Officer Shuck announced LAPD’s formation of a new burglary task force. The officers continued to emphasize the importance of good lighting, hardening of vulnerable targets and steady reporting of suspicious activity and crimes via the appropriate emergency and non-emergency channels.
They encouraged residents to participate in the LAPD’s Community-Police Advisory Board meetings, which take place monthly at the respective division stations.
New Council District 13 Senior Field Deputy Mark Fuentes reported on his
(Please turn to Page 9)
LVNA PRESIDENT Charlie D’Atri at the northernmost median on Larchmont.
Larchmont Jewelers building receives Landmark Award
By Helene Seifer
The Albert B. Stephens Building, at 119 N. Larchmont Blvd., was given the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society’s 2024 Landmark Award #128 for adaptive reuse of the original 1923 edifice. David Lee, the owner of both the building and the business it contains, Larchmont Jewelers, and Joseph Guidera, president of WSHPHS, unveiled the plaque on May 1 in front of appreciative WSHPHS members.
Lee explains how he came to the neighborhood. “I was originally commissioned by Rolex to find a store in Koreatown. I spent a year looking and didn’t find anything.” Frustrated, he scoured a map and saw Larchmont. “I came the next morning and rode down the street.” Realizing that he had found a perfect spot for his fine watch and jewelry store, he soon made an offer on the building.
Guidera states, “We are just so happy that somebody who bought the building was open to preserving the façade from the street, but still created a beautiful modern inside. He recognized it would make the neighborhood happy.”
The building was designed by Hugh Barton Saunders in 1923 for owner Albert B. Stephens. Saunders was born in Kentucky and had moved to Los Angeles to become a draftsman. Later, as an architect, he designed the Larchmont Village building, which had a brick façade and featured commercial space on the ground floor and five apartments on top. It also originally housed three garages.
“This is a client experience store,” says Lee. “It’s not a typical jewelry store. We treat the client like a guest in my home. I wanted it to look like
my living room.”
Clients are invited upstairs, where there is a bar; a sitting room filled with Lee’s guitar collection; a Ferrari room with mementos from Lee’s days as a racecar driver, including his uniforms; and a rooftop lounge with a view of
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DAVID LEE’S Ferrari helmet and plaque.
ROOFTOP LOUNGE at Larchmont Jewelers. PLAQUE unveiled by WSHPHS President Joseph Guidera and store owner David Lee.
WSHPHS MEMBERS in front of award-winning façade.
Assault with gardening shears; burglaries with witnesses POLICE BEAT
WILSHIRE DIVISION
SLO Tyler Shuck said in an email that Citrus Square and the La Brea / Hancock Park area have been hit heavily with burglaries recently. Shuck, along with detectives, have put together three burglary task forces and two neighborhood walks in addition to one field roll call, where officers from their division meet in a location away from the station to get their assignments. All of these efforts increase police presence in the area. Shuck says there hasn’t been a burglary in the area since May 11.
BURGLARIES: One to three suspects entered the backyard of a home on the 600 block of South Sycamore Avenue while a father and his two children were sleeping up-
stairs. The suspects smashed the rear glass door on May 1 at 10 p.m. A man in the home yelled that the police were called and on their way. The suspects fled through the broken glass door.
Four suspects parked in front of a home on the 400 block of South Orange Drive on May 2 at 6 a.m. One to three suspects exited the car, turned off power to the home, shattered the rear glass door, entered the home, pulled the alarm panel off the wall, took property and fled in the car waiting with a fourth suspect. Police believe a Wi-Fi jammer could have been used.
One or two suspects pried open the side door of a single-family home, entered and took property. They fled
WILSHIRE
DIVISION
Furnished by Senior Lead Officer
Tyler Shuck
213-712-3715
40740@lapd.online
Twitter: @lapdwilshire
through the front door on the 400 block of South Citrus Avenue on May 3 at 10:30 p.m.
A suspect pried open a window, entered a home, took property and fled through the rear door on the 300 block of South Highland Avenue on May 4 at 2 p.m.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS:
A female Uber driver was traveling north on La Brea Avenue toward First Street. A black pick-up truck pulled up next to her, rolled down a tinted window and pointed a black gun at her. He threatened to shoot her. She drove west on Beverly Boulevard in fear while the suspect drove east on Beverly.
A man stopped his vehicle near the intersection of Third Street and Larchmont Boulevard. A female suspect walked up to the victim’s vehicle and hit it with an unknown object. The victim exited the car and the woman started punching him. The victim drove to a house to avoid the suspect. The suspect followed the victim there, armed herself with a brick and threw it at the first victim and subsequently a second victim at the house. The second victim was hit with part of the brick on his right ankle. The suspect then armed herself with gardening shears and threatened to kill victim one while making cutting motions with the shears. The police arrived and placed
OLYMPIC DIVISION
Furnished by Senior Lead Officer
Daniel Chavez
213-793-0709
36304@lapd.online
Instagram: @olympic_slo1
the woman under arrest on May 8 at 12:30 p.m.
ATTEMPTED BURGLAR-
IES: Suspects parked in front of a victim’s home on the 300 block of South Mansfield Avenue on May 5 at 4 p.m. One to three people exited the car wearing dark clothing, masks, gloves and backpacks. They climbed the home’s fence. A witness yelled at the suspects who returned to the car and sped away, southbound. The witness obtained the license plate number of the car.
A suspect shattered the rear door panes to the main residence and garage of a home on May 6 around 12:30 p.m. on the 200 block of South Arden Boulevard. Nothing was taken.
A rear window of a home on the 400 block of South Orange Drive was shattered by a potential burglar. The victim yelled and the suspect fled on May 11 at 3 p.m. A Wi-Fi jammer, a device that makes Wi-Fi inoperable, was used.
A witness saw a white sedan that may have been part of the caper.
OLYMPIC DIVISION
SLO Chavez wants to stress the importance of protecting your property, especially as summer approaches. Chavez said in an email that lighting and signage around a residence could help deter criminal activity. He advises speaking to your neighbors when leaving on vacation. If you want additional patrol while you are away, please email him.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT:
While walking down First Street from the Larchmont Village Farmers’ Market on May 18, a man was attacked by a homeless person wielding a broken glass bottle near Van Ness Avenue. He received a total of 15 stitches. This information was reported by neighbors.
BURGLARY: A window was smashed at a home under construction. A suspect took power tools from the home, on the 100 block of South Windsor Boulevard on May 2 at 4:30 p.m.
BURGLARY THEFTS
FROM A VEHICLE: A license plate was stolen from a car on the 5000 block of Maplewood Avenue on May 2 at 7 p.m.
An unknown suspect smashed the window of a car
and took a bag from inside at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue on May 3 at 8:30 p.m.
GRAND THEFTS AUTO: A car was stolen from the 3700 block of Ninth Street on May 10 at 6 p.m.
A motorcycle was stolen and later recovered from the 700 block of Gramercy Drive on May 11 just after midnight.
THEFTS: A repeat shoplifter was arrested after trying to take merchandise without paying from the Mobil Gas station on the 3300 block of Olympic Boulevard on May 10 at 8 a.m.
A suspect removed from a home a television, washer and dryer, placed it in a moving truck and left, on the 200 block of South Gramercy Place on May 10 at 2 p.m.
skin deep
by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald
Tie, mug, or his hair back? I think we can all agree on the Father’s Day gift the dads in our lives prefer. Let’s treat the fellas to both a therapeutic and indulgent present this year.
KeraFactor is a breakthrough serum containing proteins and growth factors wrapped in nano-liposomes to maximize absorption by the scalp. In other words, nutrients are packed in an ideal delivery system to stimulate hair follicles. We’ve dreamteamed KeraFactor with our Clear+Brilliant laser to penetrate the serum to the ideal depth for regrowth. After the gentle laser is applied to the scalp, KeraFactor is immediately massaged into the skin followed by a relaxing 10 minutes under red light. After his appointment, Dad simply applies the serum every other day at home. Additional appointments are recommended to maximize results. And those results are good, as in “wow” before and after photos good.
Contact our office to purchase a gift package of four sessions for $2,400. This includes Clear+Brilliant laser treatment, KeraFactor scalp massage and red light as well as the take home serum. Happy Father’s Day, dads! Adv.
Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald is a Board Certified Dermatologist located in Larchmont Village with a special focus on anti-aging technology. She is a member of the Botox Cosmetic National Education Faculty and is an international Training Physician for Dermik, the makers of the injectable Sculptra. She is also among a select group of physicians chosen from around the world to teach proper injection techniques for Radiesse, the volumizing filler. Dr. Fitzgerald is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. Visit online at www. RebeccaFitzgeraldMD.com or call (323) 464-8046 to schedule an appointment.
Keeping on the sunny side with your health over the summer
Summer is just around the corner, which means higher temperatures and increased time spent under the sun. As an ode of gratitude, I’ll be turning my attention in this article to the heliacal energy source that signals the end of darkness and brightens our days. Here, you will find a historical account of wellness practices that have involved the sun and an exploration of current, controversial exercises as well. Besides the obvious health benefits like increased vitamin D (good for building healthy bones and supporting the immune system), the sun has been valued for a myriad of beneficial functions over time.
We’ll start our journey in ancient Egypt, where the virtue of wellness was both understood and regulated through a religious cosmology. Although this relationship
Health & Wellness
By Priscilla Duggan
had a more explicit manifestation in ancient Egypt, it’s not so far off from today’s milieu, which, although largely understood as secular, also conjures a notion of illness as somehow “going astray” from the virtuous path of good health.
Heliotherapy refers to the use of sunlight to heal ailments. In ancient Egypt, sunlight was believed to have powers that could stimulate and harness the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Ra, the god of the sun, was one of the most revered figures in ancient Egyptian religion and was believed to rule the earth, the sky and the underworld. Some sources note the presence of colored gems within healing temples built
in ancient Egypt. The stones were placed in conspicuous locations that would allow for sunlight to shine through them onto those convalescing as a sort of diagnostic tool. This was referred to as color diagnosis.
Heliotherapy was also present in ancient Greece. Herodotus, known as the father of history, emphasized the importance of sun exposure for the renewal and revitalization of health. Additionally, Heliopolis, a Greek city, was characterized by the presence of healing temples and light rooms, which, like ancient Egypt, employed the use of different colored light, this time through using colored cloths over the windows.
And the list continues. In China, qigong and tai chi have been practiced for millennia, facing the rising sun to absorb yang energy (associated with
heat and movement). All you Larchmontians frequenting the Center for Yoga are likely familiar with sun salutation—a central sequence in yoga meant to honor and respect the sun while welcoming its energy. Some Indigenous North Americans also practice The Sun Dance, a sacred ceremony which involves honoring the sun, seeking/being sought by visions and welcoming healing. In the 19th century, sunlight was also used in sanatoriums to increase the immune function of those convalescing from tuberculosis and rickets.
My favorite heliotherapy practices I’ve learned about are sun-gazing and perineum sunning (also known as butthole sunbathing). To sungaze, individuals look directly at the rising or setting sun for extended periods to absorb its energy through the eyes.
More disasters: The fires invite greed and scammers
By A.R. Johnstone
As the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena attempt to rise from the ashes of the January wildfires, there have been many calls to fast-track aid and assistance to the victims. Unfortunately, the lure of taxpayer dollars is too much for some greedy individuals and companies.
On May 5, three individuals were charged with fraud for claiming to have owned or rented in Pacific Palisades and for receiving FEMA assistance funds. These charges promise to be some of many that will persist throughout the rebuilding process as the affected areas struggle to pull things together.
It started with looting and has quickly morphed into the larger cash payouts and contracts for work to be done. Unfortunately, we all pay the price in fraud cases. One doesn’t have to look too far in the past to have evidence of massive fraud; the Federal Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP forgivable loans, are a barometer of what to expect. In the U.S., the taxpayer provided $792 billion in PPP loans. Los Angeles County had $30 billion in PPP loans. A conservative estimate by the Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates that 70,000 of those loans were fraudulent. In Los Angeles County, 2.75 of every 10 loans were flagged as being possible frauds. In New York, it was 3.3 of every 10; in Dallas, 3.72, and in Palm Beach, 3.52. In the months after a hotline
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For perineum sunning, the perineum (area between the anus and genitals) is exposed to direct sunlight for short periods under the impression that this practice will boost libido, energy, sleep, creativity and circadian rhythm regulation. For obvious reasons, both of these practices are controversial and have not been approved by the FDA. The dangers of staring at the sun (potential irreversible damage of vision) merit a clear warning here.
Whether you’re building a temple in your back yard designed to refract light through rubies or exposing your bum to the sun each morning, chat about it first with a health professional!
As always, I welcome you to reach out to me with any thoughts or questions at pcd1130@gmail.com.
Drawing by Priscilla Duggan
Larchmont Animal Clinic is Reopening!
Now Under the Leadership of Dr. Doron Vardi, DVM
Larchmont Animal Hospital
We’re thrilled to announce the reopening of Larchmont Animal Clinic, your trusted neighborhood veterinary practice—now with a fresh start and familiar heart.
Led by experienced and compassionate veterinarian Dr. Doron Vardi, we’re here to provide top-quality care for your beloved pets.
Our services include:
URGENT CARE
• Advanced diagnostics and internal medicine
• State of the art in-house lab testing
• Specialty quality abdominal ultrasounds and echocardiograms
• Surgical Procedures (routine & advanced); Minimally invasive spays and neuters; Orthopedic surgery
PREVENTIVE WELLNESS EXAMS & VACCINATIONS
• Grooming
• CT scans
• Cutting edge anesthesia and pain management focused on safety and comfort
Official Opening – Monday, June 16
Call or go online to schedule your appointment. 316 N. Larchmont Blvd. (323) 463- 4889 larchmontanimalclinic.com • info@larchmontvet.com
LeBron James’ tenure with Lakers equates to how much?
Do you have that friend that’s just lucky? They always win the raffle. Maybe met the love of their life in line at the grocery store. Bought a stock on a whim that blew up.
To me, that’s the Lakers. I’m not knocking them—they are one of the premier franchises in all of sports but they have a history of incredible opportunities falling into their laps.
He first graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior, anointed “The Chosen One.” It wasn’t hyperbole.
After watching him win three titles at UCLA, the Lakers acquired Lew Alcindor in a lopsided trade six years into his career.
They secured the rights to draft Magic Johnson via trade. The Lakers effectively traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal—technically it was for the
Chasing Sports by Chase Campen
just-drafted Kobe, but jettisoning Divac’s salary enabled the Lakers to lure O’Neal as a free agent.
Pau Gasol arrived after another lopsided trade that helped the team win back-toback titles.
So it was little surprise in 2018 when LeBron James decided to sign as a free agent with the Lakers.
Seven years into his Laker tenure, just how well has it gone? A few weeks ago his team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, despite being the higher seed. Recently, that has been the Lakers most frequent playoff result.
To zoom out and take a step back, LeBron wasn’t just any free agent acquisition. He first graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior, anointed “The Chosen
Richard T. Chung, DDS
Cosmetic, Implant & General Dentistry
Member of the American & California Dental Associations. USC Graduate. Most insurances accepted. Appointments recommended. New patients and emergencies welcome!
321 N. Larchmont Blvd. #424, Los Angeles 90004 323.461.3786
One.” It wasn’t hyperbole. Spending his entire adult life under a microscope, all he has done is shatter every expectation. He won titles in Miami and Cleveland (Cleveland!). In his private life, by any account he appears to be a loving father and family man. He and his wife have three kids, the oldest of whom was famously drafted by the Lakers last summer. He’s a billionaire with budding interests in numerous businesses, includ ing entertainment and media.
improbable. They were the seventh seed only by virtue of winning a play-in game.
And then there was 2020.
Oh, and he’s pretty good on the court too. In 2023 he passed former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport. It’s an ongoing debate whether he or Michael Jordan is the sport’s greatest player. Yeah, Sports Illustrated got it right. But what about his legacy as a Laker? His first year they finished below 500. Through his seven Lakers seasons, they’ve only made it out of the first round of the playoffs twice.
In 2023 they were swept in the Western Conference finals by the eventual champion, the Denver Nuggets; that the Lakers even advanced that far was
We generally try to forget that time, when COVID-19 struck and shut down the world; for the Lakers, it’s arguably their only good memory during LeBron’s tenure. They stood atop the West standings when play was shut down by the league on March 11. Five months later a few games were played to determine playoff seedings, and all playoff games were played in “the bubble,” an empty arena in Orlando.
The players were isolated in a hotel for two months without their families; some handled it well, others didn’t.
The Lakers emerged from the quagmire to defeat an unlikely and upstart Miami Heat team to claim the title.
Other than a pandemic title, there hasn’t been much win-
ning during LeBron’s Lakers tenure. Where does the blame lie for the relative lack of success? Remember, despite now being 40, LeBron has performed at an elite level the entire time he’s been here. So what’s the problem? Think back to what you remember about the franchise. A singular, strong owner. Great personnel management. Legendary, world-class coaches (think Pat Riley, Phil Jackson). And shrewd roster construction. Does any of that resemble the current era of the franchise, with a revolving door installed in the head coach’s office and a scattershot approach to drafting and player acquisition?
LeBron wasn’t just Sports Illustrated’s chosen one, he was the Lakers’ savior. Surely he’d pick up where Kobe left off, one of the greatest winners the sport ever saw. But that’s just not how it’s gone. In his seven Lakers seasons they’ve only won 50 games in a season twice. And yes, there was that title. If a lone title was claimed in an arena where no one was there to see it (or hear it) did it really happen?,
Larchmont Animal Clinic to reopen June 16
Dr. Doron Vardi is reopening the Larchmont Animal Clinic, 316 N. Larchmont Blvd., on Mon., June 16, bringing his 12 years of experience in veterinary medicine.
He has advanced training in ECG and abdominal ultrasounds, allowing him to keep many procedures in-house and operate at a high level, his office manager told us.
Dr. Vardi most recently worked at Harbor Animal
Hospital in Torrance. Born in Boston, Vardi lived in Nairobi, Kenya, during much of his childhood, and he served in the Israel Defense Forces.
He received his veterinary degree from the University of Perugia, in Italy, in 2014.
Formerly of the Larchmont Animal Clinic, Dr. Jan Ciganek retired last year, after nearly 50 years on the Boulevard.
After-hours eats and the soul of late-night food in Koreatown
There’s something low-key great about Koreatown after midnight. The traffic eases, the crowds either “call it” or head into karaoke rooms and everything just…settles. If you’ve been around long enough, you know—that’s when Ktown feels the most itself. No scene, no noise. Just the neighborhood, stripped down.
And if you’re hungry? Perfect. Ktown doesn’t really do early nights. Some of the best
Scammers
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was established by the SBA to report questionable loans, the tips increased by 19,500%.
The SBA estimates that the caseload could easily consume the next decade of their enforcement division’s time.
The problem was so pervasive that the Biden Administration changed the statute of limitations from five to 10 years. It is estimated by the Project of Government Oversight that 75% of all PPP funds went to the richest 20% of households by income and the jobs that were “saved” cost taxpayers between $169,000-
Medians
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recent walk with LVNA officers, where he got a primer on Larchmont Village issues, including development, street and sidewalk maintenance, quality of life issues and urban forestry. He emphasized reporting local issues via the city’s MyLA311 app and encouraged neighbors to use it regularly.
Retiring LVNA Vice President, past president and founding member Vince Cox was recognized for his nearly four decades of service to his community. “Vince will be
Ktown Chronicles by JaeBap
meals happen when everything else is closed.
I’ve had my share of late nights in Ktown—post-shift meals, spontaneous meetups, those “we’re not done yet” kind of nights. These two spots always come through.
Hae Jang Chon, 3821 W.
$258,000 per job year saved.
The issue is not the programs themselves, but their administration and governance. We cannot simply allow little to no oversight on the funds and services being distributed, and that will require strict diligence, documentation and follow-up. Pacific Palisades and Altadena will be navigating the aftermath of the fires for many years to come, and with the support of neighbors and elected officials, the rebuild will be accomplished. However, the true test is not the speed with which they rebound, but the orderly and organized fashion in which the rebirth occurs.
truly missed,” says D’Atri. LVNA Secretary and Land Use Chair Karen Gilman gave a development update, including the latest on North Larchmont properties with anticipated development plans. Gilman and D’Atri gave an update on LVNA’s filed opposition to Senate Bill 79— aimed to rezone single-family neighborhoods—and encouraged neighbors to file their own letters and email. A new board was elected: Liz Ryan, Adam Ruberstein, Charles D’Atri, Karen Gilman, Sandy Fleck and Mike Gilman. Officers will be elected at the June meeting.
6th St., 213-389-8777, open until 2 a.m. Hae Jang Chon is where you mistake meat sweats for inner peace. It’s chaotic in the best way, with loud tables, sizzling pork belly, smoke curling into your hoodie and enough soju on the table to forget why you came in the first place.
It’s AYCE (all you can eat), so you know how that goes—you start slow, get overconfident by round three, then hit a wall and somehow keep going. But there’s something beautiful about sitting around a hot grill with people you love (or just met), flipping meat and telling stories. It’s messy. It’s unfiltered. And it’s Ktown at its most alive. (Pro tip: Don’t wear anything you like. You will smell like a campfire after.)
Sun Nong Dan, 3470 W. 6th St., #7, 213-365-0303, open until 3 a.m. You’ve
had a few drinks. It’s late. You’re not ready to call it. This is where you go. Yeah, the flaming galbi jjim gets all the attention—looks great on Instagram, sure—but if you’ve been here more than once, you know the move is seolleongtang.
It’s a steaming bowl of beef bone soup that shows up still bubbling. No bells, no gimmicks—just broth, brisket, rice and some noodles if you want ‘em. You season it yourself: a little salt, a handful of scallions, maybe a hit of kimchi on the side. It’s clean, it’s
hot and it soaks up everything you need soaked up.
This isn’t flashy hangover food. It’s hangover prevention. It’s stomach armor. And when it’s 3 a.m. and you’re half-hungry, half-spun— there’s nothing better.
Koreatown doesn’t sleep— and honestly, that’s part of the charm. Whether you’re chasing the high of a great night or trying to settle your stomach after a questionable one, there’s always a table waiting somewhere. A grill still hot. A soup still boiling. That’s the thing about latenight food in Ktown—it’s not just about eating. It’s about winding down without ending the night. It’s about finding something warm, a little salty, maybe a little greasy, that reminds you you’re still here, still moving, still hungry for something.
See you out there
Linda Bachmann Adams
November 22, 1942 - April 18, 2025
Linda Bachmann Adams (born November 22, 1942) passed away on April 18, 2025. Her friends and family will remember her as a loving and caring individual who often put the needs of others before her own. Her creative skills were on display as centerpieces for charity events reflecting her artistic passion including
interior decorating and painting. One of her favorite paintings includes an image of her son Christopher in front of the historic Kipling’s flower store on Larchmont, contemplating if his one dollar is sufficient to purchase the red fire truck in the window.
A true artist at heart, Linda was known for her extraordinary talents in painting, interior design, and handcrafted jewelry. Her creativity was not only a personal passion but a gift she generously shared. Whether helping friends with home design or making a piece of custom jewelry to brighten someone’s day, her kindness and artistic spirit were constants in her life.
Born and raised in Holmby Hills, grew up with a love of ice skating and did so at a high level. She brought warmth, elegance, and thoughtfulness to everything she touched—from the family home to the many lives she helped shape. She was a true friend
and loved cute little dogs.
Family was her greatest satisfaction. She adored her six children and nurtured a meaningful bond with each of them. Her devotion as a mother was matched only by the joy she found in her thirteen grandchildren, who brought endless light into her life.
Throughout her life, Linda was a tireless advocate for children’s health and well-being. Deeply involved with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, she served faithfully in the non-profits such Children’s Chain. Her dedication to such organizations reflected her boundless compassion and lifelong commitment to helping others.
A familiar and friendly face in her children’s schools over the years, Linda was always the first to volunteer, contribute, and serve. Her six children attended schools such as Harvard Westlake, St. James, Marlborough,
Marymount, and Loyola.
Linda lived her life guided by love, service, creativity, and the quiet power of kindness. Her legacy lives on in her children, grandchildren, the Hancock Park community, and in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know her.
She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, David; her six children — David Jr., Christopher, Allison, Michael, Casey, Taylor; and her 13 grandchildren, who knew her as Grandma Honey. She will be dearly missed.
Matthew Loh MD, FAAP
Neville Anderson MD, FAAP
Keith Shopa MD, FAAP
SUN NONG DAN the morning after a beautiful Ktown night.
Photo Rhett Hutcheson
June Events Calendar
5
American Contemporary Ballet premieres
“The Euterpides” by ACB Director Lincoln Jones and composing prodigy Alma Deutscher, who travels from Vienna for the first two performances. Also on the bill is George Balanchine’s “Serenade.” Both will be performed to a full string orchestra on a soundstage. Performances are Thurs., June 5 to Sun., June 8, at Television City, 7800 Beverly Blvd. Tickets start at $65. Visit abcdances.com.
Bullocks Wilshire, an Art Deco landmark, is on a tour hosted by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art – Southern California, from 2 to 3 p.m. Built in 1929, the tour of the former highend department store, now Southwestern Law School, includes the marble-walled
perfume hall, luxurious Fine Apparel French Rooms and the chinoiserie Coco Chanel Room. Non-member tickets are $60. Bullocks Wilshire, 3050 Wilshire Blvd. Visit classicist-socal.org.
American Indian Arts Festival celebrates its 34th annual fest Sat., June 7 and Sun., June 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, at the Autry Museum of the American West. Shop for contemporary and traditional Native artwork, including jewelry, pottery and beadwork and see dance showcases and performances and exhibits, including “Star Wars meets Indigenous Design.” Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park, 4700 Western Heritage Way. Visit theatury.org.
Fremont Place — A Walk Behind the Gates, a two-hour view into the swanky world behind the gates at Rossmore Avenue and Wilshire Boulevrd, is on Sat., June 7, at 10 a.m. Learn about the area’s history, past and present residents and more. Visit sidewalking.org to book your spot.
Gilmore Heritage Auto Show is at the Original Farmers Market Sat., June 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nearly 80 American classics will be on display. See hot rods, truck and more at “LA Strong: A Tribute to American Muscle Cars.” At 6333 W. Third St. Free.
Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Veloce. Celebrate Italian culture with Italian cars, food and music, Sun., June 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. Tickets start at $25; visit petersen.org. Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd.
8 6 7 14
Grand Performances kicks off its 39th Saturday Concerts series with Ozomatli’s 30th Anniversary Celebration. DJ Anthony Valadez is at 6 p.m. Healing Gems are at 7 p.m., and Ozomatli capture the spirit of the city when they take the stage at 8 p.m., bringing an electrifying fusion of Latin, hip-hop, funk reggae and global rhythms. Free with RSVP on Eventbrite; visit grandperformances.org. The Anniversary Celebration takes place at 350 S. Grand Ave.
21
Summer Riding Camps Summer
For over 25 years we have offered a safe, fun-filled program
June 16 - Sept. 8 (weekly)
9 am to 3:30 pm
• Beginner to Intermediate
• Ages 6 and up
• Patient instructors, gentle school horses
• Limited group size
• Health precautions observed
• Arts & Crafts
Gene Gilbert, USPC Professional Member located at the Paddock Riding Club
3919 Rigali Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90039 Tel: 323-665-8977
gggilbertent@aol.com www.EnterpriseFarms.com
This new exhibit sits at the intersection of automobiles and popular culture from an era when computer-aided design became essential and video games inspired electronic dashboards. At the Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd.
Petersen X Macchinissia Presents: Dolce E
Hollywood Under the Stars, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels gala fundraiser is at Paramount Studios, Sat., June 21. at 6:30 p.m. A dozen chefs and patissiers will serve their specialties and a live band will perform. Hancock Park resident Rick Llanos returns to serve as honorary host. Windsor Square resident Veronica Dover is executive director of the program that prepares and delivers food daily to those in need. Tickets are $175. Visit svmow.org/jollywood.
Tarfest
(Continued from Page 1) eration with UCLA Health throughout the day and other partners, including the Korean Cultural Center, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Petersen Automotive and Gloria Molina Grand Park.
Kids’ activities will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. An artisan marketplace offering handcrafted jewelry and wares curated by Runway Boutique is from 2 to 8 p.m. Crafts, artisan booths and intergenerational hip-hop dance and breakdancing workshops are also featured at the event.
Waymo will provide insight into state-of-the-art
ride-sharing vehicles, and Metro will give updates on local transporation solutions.
Free parking is at Pan Pacific Park, with overflow parking available at The Grove (enter on Grove Drive).
“Tarfest has been part of the L.A. community for over 20 years, remaining an annual free event through massive changes that have transformed the city and our neighborhood,” Launch LA and Tarfest founder James Panozzo said in a press release.
“This festival is about holding a mirror to our large, diverse community by honoring what’s best about our city in the creative core of Los Angeles.”
1967 IMPALA is among muscle cars at the Gilmore Heritage Auto Show Sat., June 7.
MUSIC AND ARTS festival Tarfest will take place in Pan Pacific Park June 14.
Olympics
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LA28 is the organization that’s preparing for the influx of 15,000 Olympic athletes, who will participate in approximately 36 sports. Recently, LA28 announced the venues for these competitions. As Janet Evans, chief athlete officer for LA28 and a three-time Olympian participant with gold and silver medals, stated, “Our Games Plan is anchored in radical reuse of existing venues and not building any new permanent infrastructure.” LA28 is the first Games since London 1948 to not build any new and permanent structures for the event. The locations are all over the city and county, as well as the Inland Empire and Orange County, but “the venues are in clusters,” according to Evans. In a recent interview with local radio station KCRW, Evans, said, “We have world class venues throughout the city and the county.” LA28 plans on using them.
“Our team saw an incredible opportunity to showcase squash for its Olympic debut at the most L.A. venue ever— a literal movie set!”
— Janet Evans, Chief Athlete Officer for LA28
About 15 events will take place in Downtown, including rhythmic gymnastics, badminton and boxing. The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area will be active summer 2028. For the first time, this facility will host three-onthree basketball, BMX racing, skateboarding and a modern pantheon, which includes five different disciplines: swimming, fencing, horse riding
/ show jumping, pistol shooting and running.
Squash is coming to the Olympics for the first time. Evans said, “Squash is unique because its field of play is essentially a glass box that can be set up outside of the traditional arena … Our team saw an incredible opportunity to showcase squash for its Olympic debut at the most L.A. venue ever—a literal movie set!” That’s right, while taking the iconic tram ride through the Universal Studios Lot, you could eye the squash competitions.
Venice Beach will be home to the triathlon and the official starting location for the marathon and cycling road courses. And Dodgers Stadium will be the place to watch baseball.
Equestrian sports will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. And cricket is returning to the Olympics for the first time in over a century. Head to the fairgrounds in Pomona to view the cricket competitions.
The City of Long Beach is hosting beach volleyball, coastal rowing, target shooting and sport climbing.
In keeping with the regulation of not building any new, permanent structures, the farthest venue is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This city has world-class facilities for hosting canoe slalom and softball. According to Evans it offers “both athletes and spectators an incredible experience while expanding the Games’ excitement beyond Southern California.”
For the first time, the Olympic and Paralympic Opening Ceremonies will be shared between two venues, the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium.
Differences between 1932 and now
While combing through the vast file system at the Larch-
mont Chronicle , we came across an article that was published in the Los Angeles Times about a year before the 1984 Games took place. It’s an interview with Gwynn Wilson, 86, director of the 1932 Olympic Games.
The article brings to point some of the differences between the 1932 Games and the upcoming 2028 Games.
In 1932, they didn’t have any security whatsoever. “We didn’t spend 10 cents on security,” Wilson noted. During the 1932 Games, a ticket to the Opening Ceremony was $3. Not sure what it will be this year, but in Paris 2024 they ranged from about $100 to $2,700 each. Lastly, the cost of caring for the atheletes—food, lodging, transportation—cost $2 a day. In 1984 they were trying to keep it at $35 to $45 per day. Any thoughts for 2028?
When the 1932 Olympics were played, it was the Prohibition era in the U.S. According to Wilson, “How could the French and Italians have their wine?” They worked it out.
Lastly, the idea of an Olympic Village was conceived and built for the first time for the 1932 Games. The Baldwin heirs allowed organizers to build in Baldwin Hills as
long as they returned the property to its original state. The Olympic Village concept has continued through the years. This time around, the athletes will be housed at UCLA. Evans said that they don’t have details on the food options yet, but “I can tell you that UCLA has consistently been rated as having the best on-campus dining halls in America.”
Dentistry for Children and Young Adults
E. Niederkohr, D.D.S.
OLYMPICS 2028 will use world-famous venues throughout the Southland. Image courtesy of LA28
Two new murder mysteries penned by home-grown authors
Hancock Park inspired a new book on murder and parenting
By Suzan Filipek
Jordan Roter’s new novel, “Moms Like Us,” begins with a murder, an unusual start for a book about being a parent in Los Angeles.
More specifically it is about parents in Hancock Park and inspired by Roter’s experiences as a mom and her encounters with the world of private schools.
“I hope the takeaway is not about the murder but the expectations put on women and mothers in particular … and exploring that community and to be honest and have a good sense of humor about it,” Roter told us during a phone interview last month.
She knows a thing or two about comedy. This is her third book—the first two were for young adults—and she has a 15-year career in TV and film writing.
Her new book has risen to the #1 bestseller slot in the
women’s fiction category on Amazon.
In the book, published May 6 by Little A, things turn out terribly wrong on an annual glamping trip to Santa Barbara, where Roter has gone on actual outings with her family. While nothing nefarious happened in the real-life version, she found the closeness with parents and their kids on the trip was more stressful than when she went backpacking for weeks in the wilderness, Roter notes.
Roter’s friend and colleague, comedic actress Amy Poehler, calls the book “a fun and juicy page-turner.”
Roter is also proud of another quote, “‘Moms Like Us’ does for Hancock Park what ‘Big Little Lies’ did for Monterey.”
In truth, “I don’t go west of Fairfax or east of Vermont. I stay in my little lane,” she says. “I love our neighborhood.”
Roter lives in Hancock Park with her husband and two children.
Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller
After many rom-com novels, local author pens a mystery
By Nona Sue Friedman
“Writing is what I always did, even as a kid,” says local author Abbi Waxman. For the last 18 years, she’s lived in Windsor Square where she raised her three kids. She didn’t start writing novels until she became a mother. Her seventh and most recent book, “One Death at a Time,” came out in April.
It’s her first mystery and the first in a series. The second installment is already written and will be released in April 2026. The story follows a woman who is a soon-tobecome detective searching for justice. She starts in Los Angeles and meanders through the Southland.
Mysteries are a stray from her previous six books, which are considered rom-coms.
Waxman wanted to write a mystery for quite some time, but her publisher was successful with the rom-coms and didn’t want to rock the boat. But with mysteries becoming more popular in print and on television recently, they let her try a new genre.
The rom-coms are all about the neighborhood, which is her favorite one in all of Los Angeles. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. It’s a
Off the Chart to reward nurses with financial gift
The “Off the Chart: Rewarding Nursing Greatness” campaign will hold its third annual Magical Celebration of Nursing Greatness on Wed., May 28 at the Museum of Tolerance.
Some 40 deserving nurses from Cedars-Sinai, City of Hope, Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health will be awarded $10,000 each at the event hosted by the Simms/ Mann Family Foundation.
Recipients from the programs prior years, who also received the no-strings-at-
tached monetary gift, are expected to attend. Among them is Jai Chung, a St. Andrews Square resident and 2024 recipient, Foundation Executive Director Rachel Barchie, of Ridgewood-Wilton, told us.
Larchmont commercial property owner Ronald Simms is the founding donor and vice president of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation. Victoria Mann Simms is co-founder and president of the Simms/Mann Institute & Foundation.
village in a big city,” says Waxman. Many of those pages were written in the back room of Le Pain Quotidien. In fact, one of her books, “The Bookish Life of Nina Hill,” takes place in a fictional version of Chevalier’s Books. Want to read some of her novels? Stop by the real Chevalier’s— it has a nice assortment of her work.
Charm School for Cats to hold a ‘Purrr-rom’
Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats celebrates its 15th anniversary with a Purrr-rom extravaganza and fundraiser on Sat., June 7, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Immaculate Heart High School, 5515 Franklin Ave. Travel back to the ‘80s with cover band The Spazmatics cover band who will play tunes and lead a dance party. Artist Gary Baseman’s immersive black cat installation will also be on view.
Suggested dress is prom attire.
Sunday Eucharist 11:00am
Sunday Eucharist 11am
Wednesday Eucharist 8pm Lectures • Fridays • 8pm 2560 N. Beachwood Dr., Hollywood • 323-467-2685
Wednesday Eucharist 8:30pm Lectures • Fridays • 8pm 3363 Glendale Boulevard, Atwater, Los Angeles • 323-467-2685
Holocaust Museum LA and Barnes & Noble at The Grove have partnered for Bookfair, a series of author events, which will include talks at The Grove through 2026. Holocaust Museum LA will receive a percentage of sales of any books sold to customers who use a promotional code for their in-store purchases until June 1, 2026, at The Grove or any other Barnes & Noble location.
Upcoming events include author Rebecca Brenner Graham, who will discuss her new book, “Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’ Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany,” on Sun., June 8, at 11 a.m.
In honor of Pride Month, on Sun., June 22, at 11 a.m., Dr.
Jake Newsome will talk about his book, “Pink Triangle Legacies.”
Holocaust survivor Thomas Jacobson will talk about his memoir, “Underdog: Against All Odds, The Fight for Justice,” on Sun., June 29.
To use the promo code, shop in-store at any Barnes & Noble and use Book Fair ID: 12859773.
A silent auction, student art show and sale, refreshments, a raffle, crafts, school photos, tarot readings, claw machines and, of course, adoptable kittens will be featured.
Proceeds provide food, medicine and trap-neuter-release (TNR) services to L.A.’s most vulnerable felines. In the first three months of 2025, Kitty Bungalow performed over 300 TNRs, employed 42 working (mice-catching) cats and helped nearly 75 cats find their “fur-ever” homes. Tickets start at $100. For more information, visit kittybungalow.org.
ABBI WAXMAN has written many books that take place in the Larchmont area.
AUTHOR Jordan Roter
Photo: Katie Jones
Ecclesia Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church
Flavor and charm are in the house at Rasarumah restaurant
Although it only opened in November 2024, Rasarumah has already become a Michelin Guide restaurant, in line to possibly receive a Bib Gourmand or star designation. The Chinese Malaysian restaurant, from Chef Johnny Lee, formerly of Pearl River Deli and Last Word Hospitality (of Found Oyster fame), is a surprisingly charming eatery in Historic Filipinotown. Surprising because the block it is on is distinguished mainly by a lack of any distinguishing characteristics whatsoever. Then, suddenly, a beautiful façade with a decorative arched doorway appears, leading to an atmospheric room rimmed with banquette seating, a gorgeous wooden slat ceiling, nostalgic linoleum tile floors, a minijungle by the window, an assortment of hanging lamps, a welcoming bar and a marquee sign wishing one of the patrons a happy birthday. Their playlist is varied and youthful, but not annoying. The decibel level of the crowd, though, is less than ideal. It’s worth putting up with a slight bout of deafness, however, because the food, ambiance and staff are so good.
Rasarumah means “House of Flavor” in Malay, and, indeed, the dishes here are flavored with the likes of chili sauce, tamarind, ginger, dried shrimp, a multitude of herbs and fish paste. Every table gets a trio of sambals (spicy sauces for dipping or adding to any dish). Choose red
On the Menu
by Helene Seifer
pepper, tamarind and shallot;green tomatoes, jalapeño and fish paste (our favorite); or the spiciest of the three, dried shrimp and chili.
We began by perusing the drink menu of beer, wine, sake and shochu, ordering a Skyduster IPA and a Tempranillo to go with a char siu pork jowl skewer. Six rich and deeply seasoned barbecued pork pieces are served with Chinese hot mustard. A skewer of three tiny turnips, roasted in chili and miso honey butter, nicely complement the funkier pork.
We followed with char kway teow, stir-fried rice noodles with Chinese sausage, shrimp and bean sprouts. The springy noodles were a perfect vehicle for the sweet sausage, slightly briny shrimp and crunchy sprouts, enhanced by garlic, soy sauce and the sambals we dribbled on top. Sedat! (“Delicious” in Malay). Alongside we ordered rojak, a fruit salad with mango, pineapple, jicama, cucumber, herbs, tamarind and crispy shallots, all bursting with flavor, which lent a refreshing tang to the eating experience.
Our least favorite dish was the most expensive one on the menu, Wagyu beef cheek rendang, a type of curry. The slow-braised beef is beyond fork-tender. One could practically scoop it up with a knife and spread it on the fantastic
Sixty neighbors attend LUNA’s first community meeting
Larchmont United Neighborhood Association (LUNA), the newest association in the area, hosted its first community meeting on May 22. Over 60 people attended the Zoom gathering.
“It was a vibrant and engaging meeting,” said Annie O’Rourke, board member and membership chair of LUNA. In attendance, was new Coun-
accompanying roti (chewy flat bread). The meat comes with pickled vegetables, coconut cream, fresh basil, mint and cilantro, along with a fresh lime wedge to customize the taste experience. Altogether it was very satisfying, but the roti wrapped around all the other elements without the Wagyu would probably be nearly as good.
We ended with the only dessert on offer, a cendol sundae. Much like Filipino halo halo, this is a sweet, layered ice cream concoction. Rasarumah’s is made with coconut pandan ice cream, pandan jelly noodles, red beans, gula melaka syrup (a caramelly sweetener made from coconut palm tree sap) and sprinkled with toasted buckwheat for texture. Shall we say, menarik? (“Interesting” in Malay).
Rasarumah, 3107 Beverly Blvd., rasarumah.com.
cil District 13 field deputy, Mark Fuentes. Senior Lead Officers from both Wilshire and Olympic Divisions shared crime statistics and safety suggestions for the neighbors.
LUNA’s next event is a happy hour at Tacos Tu Madre, 660 N. Larchmont Blvd., on Wed., June 4. Find more information at larchmontunited.org.
Help women in India with yoga on Larchmont
Yoga Gives Back (YGB) is hosting an afternoon of yoga with well-known yoga instructors, refreshments, a silent auction and music to raise money for women and children in India. The event takes place Sat., June 14, from 2 to 5 p.m., at Center for Yoga, 230 S. Larchmont Blvd. The minimum donation is $35.
The organization provides microloans to mothers, helps children complete primary education and offers college
scholarships to disadvantaged youths.
The organization was created in 2007 by Park La Brea resident Kayoko Mitsumatsu, who was getting so much out of her own yoga practice, she wanted to give back to the originators of yoga. Her motto is simple, “You can change a person’s life for the price of a yoga class.”
YGB is now a global organization in over 30 countries.
To attend the event, visit yogagivesback.org.
STIR-FRIED RICE NOODLES (foreground) and fruit salad.
RASARUMAH interior includes a minijungle.
Slytherins and Warthogs, puppets, Lorca and Wilde on stage
Boyle Heights’ Casa 0101 Theater continued to prove itself an emerging theatrical powerhouse with its heartfelt production of “Tuesdays with Morrie,” based on the life-lesson book. Vance Valencia (Morrie) is one of L.A.’s underappreciated theatrical treasures, and anything he is in should be seen.
“Morrie” was, of course,
first a book, then a film, then a play, which was the development track for both “Life of Pi,” and, less directly, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Even if you don’t know a Slytherin from a Warthog, the evening is a lot of fun, thanks to the nifty stage magic. The plot revolves around going back in time to save Harry (now an adult) as a baby, which
Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association
Serving the Larchmont community between Beverly and Melrose, Arden to Wilton Place
“The objective and purpose of the LVNA has, since 1987, been the preservation and enhancement of our neighborhood.”
Spring has sprung and hints of summer have started here in our much loved neighborhood.
First we’d like to publicly acknowledge retiring Vice President and founding member Vincent Cox. Vince’s tireless 40 year advocacy for our neighborhood and endless hours devoted to helping our neighbors set an example for all of us. He will be deeply missed.
We’re all very proud of the progress being made on the North Larchmont medians where the native plants are thriving, weeds are being plucked, and trash is being removed regularly. The middle median is being hand watered during landscaping as an errant truck broke the water supply line some time ago, which requires LADWP staff to rebuild. We are assured we are “on the list” for permanent repair. The LVNA will continue to advocate for the work to occur sooner rather than later. Repairs have been made to the other two medians so the sprinklers are working again.
LAPD Wilshire is coordinating a burglary task force to address recent incidents. Please feel free to reach out to SLO Tyler Shuck/ Wilshire Division at 40740@lapd.online on this or any other issue if you live west of Gower Street and SLO Daniel Gonzalez/Olympic Division (36304@lapd.lacity.org) if you live east of Gower. LAPD Olympic are proud to report they have made substantial progress dealing with the recent vice problems spilling over from Western Avenue and they continue to commit resources to discourage such activity.
We are in discussion with the Larchmont Business Association about their beautification program and how North Larchmont Boulevard fits. One idea is the potential placement of new benches on North Larchmont and we’d like to hear your thoughts. The benches can have backs or be backless and they’re a striking blue color so hard to miss. Please reach out to us at the contact info below.
Welcome to new CD 13 Field Deputy Mark Fuentes! He’s a city government veteran at a young age and will be an invaluable resource in dealing with almost any problem which comes up in the neighborhood.
Thanks to everyone for attending our spring semi-annual public meeting. We’re all looking forward to our fall meeting which will be live and in-person.
Coordinating thousands of residents, workers, and shoppers in a historic neighborhood requires cooperation, coordination and acknowledging our shared interests. It often requires compromise to accommodate differing points of view.
All these things, many of which fall under the title “Quality of Life Issues,” are the core of what we do at the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association.
Finally, in the wake of the City Council entertaining a motion to make pro-walkable community revisions to Los Angeles’ zoning, Livable Communities have partnered with a consortium of affordable housing development advocates to launch a design contest focused on a key element – mixed use buildings with a single staircase. Check it out at www.singlestair.com/.
You can write to the LVNA at: Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association 325 North Larchmont Blvd., #294 Los Angeles, CA 90004
You can email the general LVNA box at lvna90004@gmail.com or President Charles D’Atri directly at lvgwnc@gmail.com.
lvna.info • lvna90004@gmail.com
involves allowing Voldemort to murder his parents, and so on. But the story’s heart is the evolving father-son relationships between Harry and his boy Albus and Draco Malfoy and his son, Scorpius.
The play could be called “The Curse of the Famous Father,” as the boys struggle to come into their own, which includes their more-than-platonic feelings for one another. While half the audience comes dressed for a Harry Potter sleepover, the rest of us sit back and enjoy the ride. At the Pantages until June 22. Visit hollywoodpantages.com.
Life of Pi, at the Ahmanson until June 1, is more problematic. The story of the boy in the boat with a Bengal tiger had both novel readers and film viewers talking about God and the mysteriousness of life. I mean, the cargo ship that sinks and sets the adventure in motion is called the “Tsimtsum,” a Kabbalah term implying God’s simultaneous expansiveness and restraint. Taha Mandviwala as Pi is more athletic than introspective, and the evening is often too frantic in its staging. The puppetry is impressive, but the constant blasting of tiger’s roar and pounding waves left
Larchmont Jewelers
(Continued from Page 4) the Hollywood Sign. Development of the Windsor Square neighborhood began around 1907 as an “exclusive, wealthy subdivision of large houses on large lots,” according to the L.A. Dept. of City Planning. The streetcar rail line, which started in 1915, ran down the middle of Larchmont. Soon after, from 1920 to 1928, the commercial village of Larchmont sprung up, with the vast majority of buildings developed by Julius La Bonte. He had the vision to see that commercial development along the streetcar route to the then popular hot springs spot on Melrose was a prosperous idea. Later, the businesses on Larchmont were also connected to Downtown L.A. by another streetcar called the “R” Line. The stores on the Boulevard also serviced Windsor Heights and the residents of Marlborough Square. The building was deemed historically significant due to it being “a rare intact example of early commercial development located along a former streetcar line in the Wilshire area,” says the L.A. Dept. of City Planning report. It continues, “The building was constructed while the streetcar was at the height of its popularity...within a dense fabric of attached retail buildings.”
Theater Review
by Louis Fantasia
me numb. “Pi” won Tony and Olivier awards, but I found this iteration underwhelming. Visit www.centertheatregroup.org.
One would not normally compare a production at the 3000-seat Chandler Pavilion to a 50-seat waiver one, but
Both L.A. Opera’s premiere of Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Wang’s Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears and Tom Jacobson’s Tasty Little Rabbit, at Moving Arts until June 6, deal with fascism’s relationship to art and morality.
“Ainadamar” recounts the life of playwright Federico Gracia Lorca through the reminiscences of his muse, actress Margarita Xirgu. Lorca refused to flee Franco’s Spain with her and was executed for being gay and a socialist.
“Rabbit” time-travels between Oscar Wilde’s 1890s post-sodomy trial visit to Sicily (where he spent time with German photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden) and 1930s Italy, when the Fascists want to destroy von Gloeden’s erotic photos of Sicilian boys, one
of whom, now grown up, defends them as art.
Given the harsh, sun-baked landscapes and pulsing sexual violence in Lorca’s plays, the operatic take comes across a bit soft, musically and politically. Given the sepia tones of Gloeden’s photos, Jacobson’s script, in this tight, skillful production, sharply exposes the fascist will to eradicate expression, be it personal or political; sexual or artistic. Visit laopera.org or movingarts.org.
Finally, a.k. payne’s “Furlough’s Paradise,” which closed May 18 at the Geffen Playhouse, takes us back, oddly enough, to “Morrie”: a two-hander about empathy and healing. Two Black cousins “furloughed” for the weekend, one from prison, the other from her job in big tech, reunite at a family funeral. The women connect, grow and move on. The play could be called “The Cousins Size,” as it is too influenced by payne’s mentor, Geffen artistic director Tarell Alvin McCraney. But payne’s is a voice in the tradition of Wilde and Lorca: one that demands the marginal among us be respected, heard and, yes, celebrated.
GUITAR ROOM, upstairs at Larchmont Jewelers.
LARCHMONT JEWELERS owner David Lee.
Nathan Fielder makes you cringe, Seth Rogen makes you laugh
Four Seasons: Based on the 1981 film by Alan Alda, the ensemble cast is led by Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, Will Forte, Erika Henningsen, Marco Calvani and many more. The story follows three couples who have been lifelong friends over four seasons. With both comedy and
The biggest sporting event in the world is coming. Is Los Angeles ready?
By A.R. Johnstone
The biggest sporting event in the world is coming in exactly one year, and it’s not the Olympics. It is the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This iteration of the World Cup will be held jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada—the first time that three nations will jointly host. Football (soccer in North America) is the most played and watched sport in the world, and this year a record 48 countries will be participating. Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium will be the site for eight of the 104 matches, including a quarterfinal match. It is a great honor and a financial boon for any city chosen to host games. Are we ready? Will the construction at the airport be completed? Will people displaced by fires still be living in hotels?
What about the traffic getting into and out of SoFi? We don’t have answers to all of those questions yet. In fact, for most of the questions, we might not know the answer until June 2026. One thing is for certain—the World Cup has the uncanny knack for bringing diverse groups together—with a lot of revelry. In 2018, when Russia hosted the World Cup, there were mariachi bands playing in Red Square, and the French National Anthem was sung loudly through the cobblestone streets of Moscow as France won the title. The event was likely the last event of its kind that we will see in Russia for who knows how long. Los Angeles will be on show prior to the 2028 Olympics. The qualifiers are already happening and the field will be determined soon. The city will have to be ready, because the games are going to begin.
heartbreak, the story and acting draw us into complex feelings worth visiting. You can binge all eight episodes on Netflix.
The Studio: Seth Rogen and his partner, Evan Goldberg, have hit comedy pay dirt again, skewering the entertainment industry and the myriad of jobs and exec-
What We’re Watching
by A.R. Johnstone
utives that fail their way upward. Ike Barinholtz is fantastic as the consummate hanger-on and yes-man who really knows how to play the butt-kissing game at its best.
Each 30-minute episode can be watched as a vignette on Apple TV. Even if you’re not in the industry, you will find it intriguing, as the show pulls back the curtain on what happens behind the scenes within those giant lots—or when you see all those trucks parked in the neighborhood.
The Rehearsal: If you haven’t watched Nathan Fielder in the past, you are in for a shock. He has mastered the art of making everyone feel uncomfortable and like they want to cover their eyes. Not because it’s scary or gory, but because it is so embarrassing. You have two seasons on MAX to wrap your head around the process that Fielder uses, but suffice it to say, his premise of people rehearsing difficult conversations or scenarios before they actually have to do them,leads to remarkable outcomes.
Landman: Another show in the Taylor Sheridan universe, this one takes place in Midland, Texas. Billy Bob Thornton stars as a landman/ fixer for Jon Hamm’s oil drilling company in the fields of West Texas. Ali Larter plays Thornton’s ex-wife who we are introduced to quite early in the season. She and his wild-child daughter provide comic relief. There is no time for sentiment out on the patch, and you have to keep your head on a swivel or it might get cut in half. Thornton’s son, played by Jacob Lofland, seems to have the moral compass, with a penchant for finding himself in dangerous predicaments. Paramount+ has hit another grand slam with this show, and once you have watched the 10 episodes, you will be Googling how long until Season Two comes out.
A YEAR FROM NOW, the World Cup—and the world—is coming.
Photo by Omar Ramadan
Metro
(Continued from Page 1)
restaurants and home affordability in the future development.
Respondents also expressed support for the community’s Park Mile Specific Plan, a city zoning ordinance that regulates a host of conditions including density and retail frontage.
Community meeting June 5
Community groups claim because Metro (the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) has released only partial information about the eight different development proposals for its property in the Park Mile and Windsor Village, they seek more details in time for a community meeting Thurs., June 5 at 7 p.m. at The Ebell at 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. The community forum is sponsored by the Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance (WHA).
Following its May 7 meet-
ing, the WHA Executive Committee wrote to Metro, saying that a: “very cursory review [of what Metro posted] shows that half or more [of the eight proposals] do not respect the rules of the adopted Park Mile Specific Plan (PMSP). Our residents and their associations need time to comment on the propos-
als.”
According to John Gresham, Wilshire Park resident and secretary of the WHA, the June 5 community forum will allow residents to review a more thorough community analysis of the proposals and, especially, to report to Metro which of the proposals do not respect the applicable PMSP guidelines.
The proposals have wide variation in height and mass.
One shows a hulking building eight stories tall that goes to the edges of the lot. It provides 259 new affordable housing units. Another shows a proposal that has 256 units but that is a maximum of six stories tall and steps down to three stories adjacent to the existing apartments on Crenshaw and the single-family homes on Lorraine Boulevard.
Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance
Founded in 1978, the WHA is the long-standing community-based organization that worked closely with the Dept. of City Planning and with elected officials to create the community vision expressed in the Park Mile Specific Plan.
This zoning plan covers the portion of Wilshire between Highland Avenue and Wilton Place, for all the properties between Sixth and Eighth streets.
John H. Welborne, vice president for Planning and Land Use of the Windsor Square Association, was actively involved in the drafting of the PMSP, and he has worked with other associations and the Park Mile Design Review Board to ensure the Plan’s enforcement during the past 45 years. (Welborne also was publisher of the Larchmont Chronicle from 2015 until earlier this year.)
In response to our queries about Metro’s property, Welborne recounted to us: “In the late 1970s, following nearly two years of a community engagement process involving the 12 surrounding neighborhood associations that make up the WHA, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously adopted the PMSP. At the time of the plan’s adoption, there were approximately 35 vacant lots along this portion of Wilshire Boulevard—including Metro’s—surrounded by historic residential neighborhoods to the south and north.
In the ensuing years, almost all of the formerly vacant lots have been developed in strict compliance with the rules and restrictions of the PMSP. There have been no variances or exceptions. Every property owner has been treated the same by the City Planning Department. It should be no different for Metro and its property at Wilshire and Crenshaw.”
Welborne added that he thought the Metro Request for Proposals process initiated in January had elicited responses from qualified housing developers. “However, a look at the information made available by Metro, so far, indicates that a number of these proposals are not respectful of the rules of the Park Mile,” he told us.
“It should be possible to erect an attractive, new multifamily building while still keeping to the restraints of the height limits, maximum lot coverage and open space and other restrictions that all other developers have followed for their Park Mile properties for the past four decades,” he said. He added that it appears that some of the eight proposals do that while still providing significant numbers of new, affordable housing units. “But some do not,” he said.
“The one feature of the PMSP that is not relevant for this corner is the restriction on the number of units that can be built. The Windsor Square Association Board (which represents the 1,100 residential properties just to the north of the Metro project, right across Wilshire) believe we need to support affordable housing in our community. This is an excellent site, and the longtime government ownership makes affordable housing feasible on this site.
“That is one of the reasons we support the increased density on Metro’s lot. Instead of approximately 80 large multifamily units of an average (Please turn to Page 17)
EIGHT-STORY proposal from BRIDGE Housing fills the property and has tall wall of windows adjoining single-family homes on Lorraine Boulevard. Image courtesy of Metro and Steinberg Hart
STAGING SITE on Wilshire Boulevard between Lorraine and Crenshaw boulevards is being offered by Metro for affordable housing development in 2026 or later.
Phil Rosenthal, Nancy Silverton confab about Larchmont diner
Phil and Nancy
(Continued from Page 1) thing for our families—a diner on Larchmont Boulevard called Max and Helen’s, where everyone will be welcome. While we wait for Nancy to finish a strawberry sauce in the kitchen, Phil arrives to discuss the duo’s latest venture.
H. Hutcheson (H.H.): You’re from New York, right? How did you get into the food world Phil?
Phil Rosenthal: I grew up in Queens, the Bronx and then Rockland County. My parents both worked, and we didn’t have a lot of money or a lot of great food at all—they weren’t talented in that way, let’s say. They were great in every other way, but food just wasn’t it. Until I left that house, I didn’t have food with what we called “flavor,” but when I left…it was like, you know in the “Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy opens the door and now the movie’s in color? That’s what life became! Like when music hits us at that coming-of-age point in life— it becomes our music. This was my music.
When I was 23 I got a courier flight to Europe and the top of my head came off! I went to Paris and Florence and I came back changed. The
Metro
(Continued from Page 16) size of 2,500 square feet, why not have more, smaller units between 600 and 800 square feet? Housing advocates tell me there is a demand for such smaller, less-expensive units.
“Furthermore, this corner has stops for two Rapid Bus lines as well as three local bus lines. That is an argument for reducing vehicle parking. However, the better projects among the eight proposals do have sufficient parking, even though Sacramento dictated, beginning in 2023, that offstreet parking no longer can be required by local government.”
Welborne concluded, “several of the proposals could be appropriate for the Park Mile. Others would look grossly out of place. Windsor Square Association members and other local residents hope to learn more at the June 5 community forum.”
Windsor Village
The residential area immediately adjoining the Metro property is Windsor Village, a community consisting of tracts subdivided in the first two decades of the 20th century and governed by Windsor Village Association (WVA). Today’s Windsor Village area extends
“I feel like the diner can be the center of a community, and maybe the disappearing diner means the disappearance of community, which means even the disappearance of democracy. You know how they say, ‘Think globally, act locally’? So, this is our way of acting locally, and selfishly!”
experience [with food] was like a gateway.
H.H.: Some people who don’t grow up with exotic foods or flavors keep simpler palates, like a bit of fear [I gesture at my husband, Andrew, and laugh about how being from Scotland he doesn’t eat a lot of exotic things—think only eating meat and potatoes].
A. Hutcheson (A.H.) grimacing: I don’t eat sushi. Phil: But will you try?
A.H.: Usually not.
Phil: I found that I like most things, so I wasn’t afraid of trying. Now I’m not Andrew Zimmern, where the point of his show is said in the title [Bizarre Foods], and yet the more I do my show, the broader my horizons get. I tried an ant in Tokyo—it came on a salad. The salad had what looked like great, big carpenter ants on it. The first thing I thought was, we should call the exterminators—this restaurant has a problem. The person I was sitting at the counter with said, “These are great!” And
from Wilshire to Olympic Boulevard, with Fremont Place on the west and Crenshaw Boulevard on the east. See windsorvillageassn.com.
Windsor Village was designated an official Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) in 2010. The Ebell of Los Angeles is a prominent icon of Windsor Village.
WVA President Barbara Pflaumer opined about the Metro proposals in May, writing in a letter to Metro: “A substantial portion of our neighborhood is strongly opposed to any deviations from the PMSP.”
She added, “We advocate for any new developments, particularly those aimed at providing much-needed affordable housing, to align with the established standards concerning height, setbacks, landscaping, parking and open space.”
Ros Strotz, another Windsor Village resident (who is also affiliated with the advocacy group Windsor Village Concerned Citizens), told us: “A large segment of my neighborhood is against any deviation from the PMSP. Enforcement must be ‘to the letter.’”
Wilshire Park
The residential neighborhood across Crenshaw,
— Phil Rosenthal
I’m like, you gotta be kidding! The chef leaned over the counter and said, “They taste like lemon,” and I said, “Oh really? If it’s lemon flavor we’re going after, could I have some lemon?” He said, “You should try them.” We’re filming—I feel like if I talk the talk, I have to walk the walk. I have to do this. I didn’t want to do it. I picked up this ant, and with all the courage I could muster, I put it in my mouth and I crunched down. And it crunched. And I thought I was gonna pass out. But, it was like somebody put a lemon drop on my tongue. I couldn’t believe it. So now all the questions! Do you baste these in lemon? Is that why they taste like this? No! These ants—these particular ants from this particular forest in Japan—these taste like lemon. Who found this out?
A.H.: Somebody had to eat it. Phil: Somebody had to eat a lot of ants to find the lemon ant!
H.H.: Are you fearless in gen-
to the east of Metro’s proposed housing development, also came into being in the 1910-1920 period, and it also became an HPOZ (in 2010). Extending from Crenshaw to Wilton Place and north from Olympic Boulevard almost to Wilshire, the neighborhood association is the Wilshire Park Association (wilshirepark.org). The organization’s president is Lorna Hennington, and she also has expressed concerns about the Metro project, writing that: “[W]e support rigorous enforcement of the community vision long defined through the rules of the Park Mile Specific Plan that governs properties in Wilshire Park and properties like Metro’s, right across the street in Windsor Village.”
Regarding the need for a meeting like the community forum coming up on June 5, Hennington added: “[W]e join the WHA in requesting that Metro not pick one from among the eight proposals until you hear more from WHA—our community-based organization that has understood and monitored Park Mile projects for decades.“
Readers can learn more about the project and make comments at the Metro Wilshire/Crenshaw hub site: tinyurl.com/38ay99nu.
eral, Phil?
Phil: I’m just telling you, I was scared to death to do it.
H.H .: Yes, but you did it. Would you jump off a cliff into the water?
Phil: My brother pushes me out of my comfort zone [Rich Rosenthal, executive producer on “Somebody Feed Phil”]. It’s a good thing, because there’s things I don’t wanna do. In fact, every single thing he suggests, I don’t wanna do. First of all, I’m old. Second of all, I didn’t grow up an adventurer. In fact, the whole show came from me watching Anthony Bourdain. I sold the show with one line, “I’m exactly like Anthony Bourdain if he was afraid of everything.” Ted Sarandos [co-CEO of Netflix] will tell you that sold the show. Because you get it from that one line.
A.H.: You seem happier than Anthony Bourdain.
Phil : I’m joyful mainly because I get to live this life. Listen, we’ve all come from somewhere. I didn’t wake up that way—I wasn’t born that way, but things seemed to have worked out so far…I’m the luckiest guy you’re ever going to meet. That’s really how I feel, and I wake up in the morning with 100% gratitude, and if you start there, everything else is gravy. I was so lucky I found success in a sitcom and a lot of people think that is why I got “Somebody Feed Phil.” But it took 10 years in between [“Everybody Loves Raymond”] and this show. In Hollywood, they’re not crazy about you switching lanes so…I really worked hard at this. It just proves that if you’re single minded, if something is a priority in your life, you simply won’t stop until you make it happen. And the day that you stop going for it, I guess it means it’s not the priority. But if you don’t care about the suffering of waiting and
trying and trying and trying, you’re going to make it happen. It’s a fact of life.
H.H. : Do you live in the neighborhood by the way? Phil : Of course! I live in Fremont Place. I lived in Silverlake when I first moved here in ‘89, then Beachwood Canyon, then Los Feliz, then our next house when we had kids was on Hudson Place and Second Street. I was gonna live there the rest of my life— unless something opened in Fremont Place, because that seemed to be the ideal spot in all of L.A. I thought if we lived there, my kids could have the same childhood I had, outside playing with their friends. It took two years to find and two years to renovate. We made it the dream house for us. We moved in. The kids never went outside once. Instead they play video games on those things. But they could if they wanted!
We talk about the great history of Windsor Square and Fremont Place—Phil mentions Muhammad Ali’s house and its Tiffany awning over the front door and glass foyer. Phil: I walk to Larchmont every day with my dog. It’s 1.3 miles each way—I get my exercise, the dog gets his exercise. I go to Go Get Em Tiger, have a cup of coffee—I’ve made friends there.
H.H.: Like a small town. Phil: Like a small town. And it’s the whole reason I want to put this diner on the street.
As if on cue, as the subject of their next business venture together comes up, Nancy Silverton walks in.
A.H., to Nancy: I actually saw you this morning when I was walking my dog in the neighborhood. Nancy Silverton (Nancy): What house is yours? Let’s look at a picture of it [on
THE FAMILY arrives for a menu tasting. (From left) Nancy Silverton, Elizabeth Hong, Jeremy Shartar, Phil Rosenthal, Lily Rosenthal, Mason Royal, Ben Rosenthal and DeLaney Harter.
Phil and Nancy
(Continued from Page 17) Maps] so then I know—I know not to TP it.
We exchange familiarities of the similar things we’ve all lived through in the neighborhood for 20 to 30 years; kids’ schools, chickens in our yards, even the schools Nancy and I went.
Nancy: By the way, I pay my yearly dues to the Larchmont Chronicle. I love it!
Phil: It’s the town crier.
Nancy tells us her partner, Michael Krikorian, is a journalist. However, today he was sent on an errand to bring back bananas “that are not green.” She eagerly awaits them…
Nancy: He bought—and don’t hold it against him—green bananas. I wanted to use finger bananas—you know, the small ones—for the banana split. So I sent him back out—he should be coming soon. [On another subject] He wrote about the speed bumps on Van Ness!
Yes, those speed bumps, with the impossibly sharp edge to them. Of course the speed bumps, or lack there of (on other blocks), becomes a giant conversation because, as anyone who lives in the neighborhood knows, these are the things we all love to talk about and debate. Neighborhoods can feel like family, and being with Nancy and Phil feels energetic and fun like that.
Nancy : One thing is true about small neighborhoods, Larchmont being one of them. Every day Phil wanders in to Go Get Em Tiger. There’s the group of people that are there…I call them the club, but they have the same club at Pete’s and the same club all around…I think that’s wonderful about the neighborhood.
A.H.: Each coffee place has its own gang.
Phil: And wars. [laughs] And it’s based upon if you like that coffee or not—the people come second.
Nancy: Yeah, but I think you wouldn’t have joined that club if you didn’t like the
of what steps she took to get to where she is now. Some of those steps can be surprising.
H.H.: Nancy, when you were starting out, why did you pick a cooking school in England?
people you talk to right?
Phil: The first thing is, you’re attracted to the place, and then you like the community. Now we’re getting to the point of the diner! So we both live in the neighborhood, like you, and you know there used to be diners on that street; there used to be a couple.
A.H.: Café Du Village.
Phil: And Café Chapeau.
Nancy : The only reason I know Chapeau is because I was living above La Brea Bakery [at the time] and it was one of our first customers…I used to have to write on the [bread] bags “For Chapeau.”
Phil: Diners are disappearing from the world. I feel like the diner can be the center of a community, and maybe the disappearing diner means the disappearance of community, which means even the disappearance of democracy. You know how they say, “Think globally, act locally”? So, this is our way of acting locally, and selfishly! I think we both want this in the neighborhood as a place we want to go, with food we want to eat. Like every day.
H.H .: Andrew’s from Scotland, sounds kind of like having the pub in Scotland… there’s a mailbox there, food, friends, gossip and a pint.
Phil: And you get the full Scottish breakfast in the pub!
Nancy: Yes, like the espresso bar in Italy—Mauro Vincenti used to say L.A. doesn’t have an espresso bar. [Vincenti is recognized in the restaurant community as a hero of sorts, having introduced L.A. to contemporary Italian food. He owned many restaurants, like Rex il Restorante and Alto Palato. He passed in 1996.] If you think of the coffee places, they’re relatively new…I don’t even know if there was a Starbucks here when he was around.
Phil: Our coffee is going to be red pot and blue pot— decaf and regular. I think it will be the cheapest coffee on the street.
Nancy: And bottomless!
H.H.: Oh! A whole new gang! If you look up the name Nancy Silverton, it’s truly staggering what she has done in the world of food. Like anyone who is great at what they do, it begs the question
Nancy: When I dropped out of school as a senior, my father [who was a lawyer and could’ve disowned me] could’ve said, “You have to finish the year and then we’ll talk”—that kind of thing. Without missing a beat, he said, “OK,” because he understood people’s passion. But he said, “Do me a favor: would you please go to the Cordon Bleu?” I didn’t even know what it was. There were two campuses—Paris and London. I didn’t speak French, so that’s why I picked London.
A.H.: The reason Hedy specifically asks about the school in London is because the food in London, at that time, was so bad [1977].
Nancy: It was! And now it’s fantastic.
It seems the food gods were guiding her (for us).
A.H.: So how did you two decide to do this together?
Nancy (pointing to Phil): He decided to do it.
Phil: We met years ago. Nancy was one night a week going to Jar [on Beverly Boulevard], which was the first restaurant I was involved with. Monday nights, Nancy was coming in and she was pulling fresh mozzarella at the bar. Now, she was already famous because of La Brea Bakery and Campanile [Silverton worked at the time with her then husband the late Mark Peel], but I didn’t know her. Just sitting at the bar we got to know each other, and everything she was giving me was phenomenal! I learned that she was rehearsing for her own mozzarella bar…she was going to do it in conjunction with Mario Batali from New York. So forget everything else you know about him [Batali was accused of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement], at the time, he was the great Italian superstar in America… and the two of them teaming up?! I say this all the time: I held her leg and wouldn’t let go, and she let me invest in this place!
Nancy: As Phil likes to say, his wife [Monica Horan] is the philanthropist, and you, [points to Phil] the restaurant backer.
Phil: There is the connection! We support the arts!
Nancy: Yes, exactly.
Phil: [Waves his arms about] This is my favorite art!
Phil recounts that when they opened Osteria Mozza, he decided to put the bar—and Nancy—dead center, because she is the star!
Phil : We [at the bar] had
this wonderful experience of just tasting the pizza that came out. She worked on the dough for a year. The first day she said, “Do you want to try it?” Yeah I wanna try it! My daughter [Lily] was 8 years old then…I gave her a piece and she said, “No offense to Italy, but this is a little better.” It was the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life. The first day I had it, it was absolutely perfect, and it’s the pizza you have today.
H.H .: Speaking of dough, you know how people always talk about the water in New York…how it makes the pizza and the bagels?
Phil : It’s all bullshit. It’s true—she’ll tell you why.
Nancy: That’s what Parisians used to say about a baguette. Anywhere else but France [you can’t get a proper baguette] because you don’t have the right flour. Then I went and did a small baking class in France for five days before I opened La Brea Bakery. The French import so many types of flour themselves. I think it’s a way of discouraging people from competition. It’s just in their heads…you need to manipulate anything for the better [no matter the local ingredients].
H.H.: Do you use L.A. tap water?
Nancy: Yes, but our water is filtered.
Phil: But she will tell you, a baker makes adjustments for everything, including the humidity in the air. It’s all science.
Nancy: You know, Phil and I, both of us…our favorite baker in Los Angeles is Courage Bagels. Have you ever had them?
H.H.: No. Where are they?
Nancy: On Virgil.
Phil: It has reinvented the bagel.
Nancy: I just call it a good bagel…everybody wants to know what style is it. They say it’s Montreal—I’ve never been to Montreal.
Phil: No, it’s not. It’s its own thing. Most bagels, when they do bagels, they’re imitating a bagel. They’re starting from, “We know what’s in a bagel to.” They [at Courage Bagels] started from a baguette. So
the exterior is crispy but a light crisp and the inside is soft and fluffy, not dense and chewy.
Nancy: And it has flavor.
Phil: We got them to give us one for the diner They can’t do more because they’re busy, so they’re giving us the sesame bagel.
Nancy: You know what you have to have! What I always say about having a successful restaurant is you have to figure out the things to get people in the seats. So you have to create whatever that comeback dish is. In the Osteria here—I know from working at the mozzarella bar and hearing people talking—it’s the orecchiette. People would sit down and go, “I woke up this morning and all I could think about was your orecchiette.” That’s what you have to have. Not everything is going to be that. I don’t know what ours is going to be, but hopefully we create one that brings people back.
Phil: She’s being modest. I’ve been tasting her food, and the problem is it’s going to be everything.
Nancy: You know, anything you can do to bring somebody in. It’s like, “Where do I want to go? Do I want to go to Great White? Or do I want to go to Max and Helen’s? Let’s go to Max and Helen’s!”
Phil stops and thinks a moment, looks at Nancy.
Phil: After 30 years now, we are a family. I couldn’t think of anyone else I would want to work more with. And she’s my favorite chef.
Nancy, pleased, smiling: You also have to understand when something is right. We are both in search of the perfect “right.” And you need someone like that. It can’t be, “Oh, it’s fine,” or, “Good enough.”
Phil: For me, coming from my background, it is like putting on a show—”Everybody Loves Raymond” was about a family, for families, and eventually it was made by a family. I feel like we’re starting with the family, and it’s going to be about families. It’s even called my parents’ names.
ROSENTHAL doing what he does best.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
“SOMEBODY FEED PHIL” story moment with Phil Rosenthal (right) and chicken man. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Phil and Nancy
(Continued from Page 18)
A surprise to us, the Larchmont diner will be named after Phil Rosenthal’s parents, Max and Helen Rosenthal. Nancy: Oh, did you not know that yet?
A.H.: No.
Phil : Yes, it’s called Max and Helen’s. They were on “Somebody Feed Phil” for the first five seasons while they were alive. I would Skype call them from wherever I was, talk to them—they were easily the best part of the show. I have this idea that we should have a bulletin board—there will be my folks’ pictures on there, but there should be your folks’ pictures on there [to Nancy], and everyone who works in the kitchens parents should be on there, and then the town’s! Anyone who wants to come in and give us a photo to put on the wall! What a tribute! And it goes to the heart of what it is, which is about community. You know when you honor your parents, you’re honoring the past as well, and the diner, the proverbial diner, is connected to the past.
H.H.: Oh, I love that!
Phil: I feel like it’ll just be a place of love in a world where there’s not much. And so if we can restore and maintain our community and protect it from the gentrification that is soulless and businesslike and have a place where you want to come with your family and you want to come with your friends and be proud of your town—it’s the exact same thing you’re going to do with the paper! Let’s be proud of where we live! Let’s fix where we live! And in that way, we are thinking globally and acting locally.
Nancy is smiling. They both have a job with this diner, and are meant to do this together.
Phil: What we love about the
June gloom
(Continued from Page 1) masses is what we refer to as the marine layer.
The warm air aloft eventually cools and condenses once it reaches the saturation point, leading to the formation of flat stratiform clouds, or the “gloom” that we see in the morning and afternoons.
You may also hear the term “Catalina Eddy” used in forecasting from time to time. This is an offshore circulation that forms when a thermal low develops in conjunction with high pressure aloft in the Pacific. The pressure gradient that forms helps drive the cooler air inland, and you can usually see the swirl of the eddy on satellite during the
“What I always say about having a successful restaurant is you have to figure out the things to get people in the seats. So you have to create whatever that comeback dish is.”
— Nancy Silverton
diner is it’s the most democratic of restaurants—with a small ‘d.’ We all want that comfort food—we want breakfast all day! We want a hot, open, turkey meatloaf. Wait till you taste the meatloaf!
Nancy: Oh, we’re doing soups today. Do you like soups?
Phil: I love soups!
I would want to feed Phil too with how excited he is about soups—and everything frankly.
Nancy: I never made soup before.
Phil: It’s a very small kitchen [at the new Larchmont location]. There will be an omelette of the day, a soup of the day… pie, cake of the day…
Nancy: But pie might be a fruit…a custard style, I don’t know…
Phil : We’ve got to have a chocolate cake. That has to be a staple. [He whispers],. When Nancy Silverton makes chocolate cake, it’s the best chocolate cake in the world.
Nancy smiles.
Phil : We’re going to have those tall parfait glasses for sundaes. You know like at Peter Luger‘s [Steak House in Brooklyn]?
Nancy: Oh yeah, Kate [Operations director] ran out to get a glass, Phil, but we don’t have the right glasses yet, so you’re going to just try flavors today. [The glass] it isn’t tall enough yet.
Phil appears to daydream a bit.
early hours of the morning off the Southern California coast.
Do we experience the gloom in a different way being that we are inland (Larchmont Boulevard/Hancock Park) as compared to people who live closer to the ocean?
The lowcloud deck will travel as far east as the Antelope Valley when the onshore flow is strong enough and high pressure aloft is weaker, limiting the warmth and sunshine we would usually feel during the day. This rising cloud deck is what we refer to as a deep marine layer, leading to slow daytime clearing across the Greater Los Angeles area. Sometimes mist and drizzle can form within the deeper marine layer, leading
Phil: Oh my god! With the long spoon! Fudge coating the glass, the ice cream…and the top third is schlag.
Nancy : My favorite sundae was always Wil Wright’s [ice cream parlors in Southern California famous for serving early Hollywood stars]. You don’t know because you’re from New York. There was one in Beverly Hills.
Phil to Nancy: Did you like C.C. Brown’s [1929-1996 on Hollywood Boulevard]?
Nancy: Yeah, but they used C.C. Brown’s hot fudge. I love it but, it’s C.C. Brown’s hot fudge.
Phil, eye’s light up: Are you making hot fudge?
Nancy: Yeah, I have it. But I don’t know, it might be too bitter, because that’s my hot fudge.
Nancy , points to someone who works with her: She keeps trying to tell me I have to go to McDonald’s and try theirs.
Phil: God knows what’s in it. You know, I saw a thing about Oreos, and I love Oreos, but they hit it with a blow torch and it won’t burn. That’s how artificial it is.
Nancy, smiles and recalls: We went on a milkshake and malt run to Pasadena, and our favorite one was Fair Oaks Pharmacy…
I pause here to point out that I feel this is probably how they banter all the time. It really is like seeing the world through different eyes—the world experienced through food. And can you imagine how fun it’d be to go on a milkshake/malt run with these two?
Michael Krikorian, Nancy’s partner, arrives with finger bananas that aren’t green. Now it really feels like a party, talking about everything in the neighborhood, and the world—food and nonfood. Phil and Andrew talk about the great pleasures of food and the beauty of meals together with friends and
to a damp morning commute.
These clouds usually clear east to west, but on some days, “reverse clearing” occurs, and the beach communities will see the sunshine first. Under particularly strong ridges of high pressure, we tend to get a more “shallow” marine layer. The strong downward forcing of air squishes that marine layer to the surface, and any fog will stay confined to the coastline. This is why, on some unseasonably hot days in the spring, the beaches will stay much cooler and “socked in” compared to neighboring communities just a few miles inland.
Do you think the June gloom will last longer this summer, or shorter than other summers due to our current
family. Back to the diner…
Phil: I featured Palace Diner from Maine on the show [“Somebody Feed Phil”]. It inspired me to open a diner. The chefs from the Gramercy Tavern took over an old railcar for a space and left the menu exactly as it was 100 years ago. They just elevated it through being great chefs.
Nancy: Better sourcing, better ingredients.
Nancy explains she’s planning on a similar approach at the diner using a chef’s technique to up the game.
Nancy: Did you ever eat at Ship’s [Coffee Shop that use to be in L.A.]? I loved Ship’s coffee. But growing up on the West Coast, we don’t know diners. We had coffee shops— not today’s coffee shops like Go Get Em Tiger, but coffee shops like Du-pars [an L.A. classic coffee shop since 1938] and Norms [another L.A. classic since 1949].
Phil: In New York, I think it’s three names for the same thing: diner, coffee shop and luncheonette. When our designer asked me what I was looking for, I said, I wanted it to look like we found a
weather?
We tend to stay locked into this pattern for several days in spring and early summer, and it can be tough to forecast how many gray days we will see this far out. However, a persistent trough of low pressure offshore could significantly affect our weather pattern in the long term. The onshore flow increases, deepening that marine layer and leading to slow afternoon clearing and cooler-than-average temperatures. An active northwestern storm pattern this June could ultimately determine how many gray days we’ll see in the near future.
Anything else you would like to say about it?
This weather pattern is not limited to the spring months.
100-year-old diner. A place that’s always been there.
The fun, festive party atmosphere keeps growing as a group of jovial young adults walk in.
Phil: Oh, here’s my daughter Lily!
Lily and Ben Rosenthal (chidren of Phil), Mason Royal, Jeremy Shartar, DeLaney Harter—all family and friends—arrive. Elizabeth Hong (culinary director of the Mozza Restaurant Group and developer of the menu— with Nancy—of the diner) greets all the kids excited to come in and eat whatever it is that they’re all there to eat—menu testers.
As we leave, we feel lucky to have been part of the fun and family for an hour. I’m pretty sure Max and Helen’s will feel like this. There’s a new gang for more than coffee coming to Larchmont. I think I’ll be drinking from the blue pot and if I have to, I would try a citrus ant. Just kidding, Phil, I think I’ll have the meatloaf and the ice cream sundae; thank you Nancy.
It can (and often does) occur year-round! It all depends on how the weather systems move around us.
And how do you enjoy your June, (gloom or not)?
Knowing that the aggressive summertime heat is soon to come, I love to take advantage of the cooler weather and the monotony of the daily clouds! On some trails, you can hike above the marine layer and take in the heaven-like views. It’s also slightly warmer higher up due to the temperature inversion. It’s really fascinating to see and experience. We can get so spoiled with the SoCal sunshine, and gray days may seem like a drag, but I love finding the beauty in everything Mother Nature brings us.
MAX AND HELEN — Phil’s parents, and the namesakes of the new diner.
VILLAGE PARTY
Larchmont Spring Block Party drew its biggest crowd yet and raised money Page 2 BREAKING
Page 3
Exploring galleries on L.A.’s newest arts corridor—Western Avenue. Page 8
Larchmont Block party is a huge success
By Nona Sue Friedman
Born out of a desire to develop a sense of community coming out of COVID-19, Larchmont Village families created what has become a lasting neighborhood event.
The third annual Larchmont Spring Block Party took place May 4 on the 500 block of North Bronson Avenue. Well over 1,000 attended, making this year’s event is the biggest one yet.
Annie O’Rourke of North Irving Boulevard, who is part of the team that organized the event, says, “We’ve created a really nice team dynamic and a vibrant community for our kids.” In addition to bringing neighbors togeth-
er and having a plethora of local vendors, activities and food items, the event raised about $5,000. The funds were divided between TortoiseLand, Alexandria House and the Larchmont United Neighborhood Association.
Got Game facilitated the much anticipated balloon toss and a giant gaga game, while
the Anderson Munger YMCA debuted a street hockey setup, art projects and cardboard crafts. Musical performances filled the afternoon. Small, local businesses that do not yet have brick-and-mortar shops displayed their wares for attendees to peruse.
Barnsdall wine series fundraiser returns June 6
Nothing says summer better than lounging on the grass with friends, sipping wine and listening to music.
Barnsdall Art Park’s Friday Wine Tastings is just the place to do that, starting June 6. With the success of last year’s season, this 16th one is set to extend through Sept. 26. All proceeds support programming within the park.
The community event takes place on Olive Hill and the West Lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, the sole UNESCO World Heritage Site in L.A., Fridays from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Indulge in exquisite wines from long-standing partner Silverlake Wine, rel-
ish selections from a variety of food trucks and enjoy DJ performances. Attendees are advised to bring blankets for optimal comfort. Olive Hill takes you away from the urbanism of Los Angeles.
While on site, visit the exhibitions in the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the Barnsdall Junior Arts Center Gallery.
Tickets for the event, at 4800 Hollywood Blvd., start at $45 with other ticket options that include a tour of the Hollyhock House for $80. Rideshare and public transportation are highly encouraged. More information is at barnsdall.org.
HOLLYWOOD Highsteppers feature Larchmont neighbor Joseph Baun, pictured playing the washboard.
Photo by Keith Johnson
KIDS PLAY street hockey, the gear for which was provided by the Anderson Munger YMCA.
IN FRONT OF the bandstand are (left to right) Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez; Block Party committee members Claire Kosloff, Kelly McAdams and Annie O’Rourke; Joshua Marin-Mora, a Field Representative from Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur’s office; and Block Party committee member Maggie Peña.
ATTENDEES WAIT to pet a rescued tortoise held by TortoiseLand founder Kevin Proulx of Windsor Village.
SUMMER FRIDAYS will be celebrated at Barnsdall Park.
Budget cuts threaten Hollyhock House’s World Heritage status
Editor’s note: As we went to press, the Chronicle learned Council District 13 found alternative funding to keep Hollyhock House and Barnsdall Art Park off the chopping block for the new city budget.
The following was written prior to the Council action.
The release of the mayor’s draft budget last month was a citywide gut punch. The proposed cuts were in some sense justifiably draconian, reflective of the financial state in which Los Angeles finds itself. Few areas of civic life escaped the mayor’s budget cutting, including preservation. I despaired at the proposed cuts to the Office of Historic Resources, which will further erode the governance of Historic Preservation Overlay Zones and cause the cessation of updating SurveyLA, our main online preservation information resource. What really stopped the clock, however was the proposed cutting of all staff but one at Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park, effectively closing it to the public and threatening its UNESCO World Heritage status.
Hollyhock House and its ancillary buildings were the brainchild of Pennsylvania oil heiress and arts patron Aline
Barnsdall, who in 1916 commissioned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design an arts and theater complex for her. Named for the hollyhock flower-inspired motifs Wright spread throughout the property, it was designed in a hybrid style he called “California Romanza.” Largely complete by 1922, Barnsdall donated the house to the city four years later, in 1926. It has remained a center for the arts ever since. While at first considered an anomaly among Wright’s works, it has since been recognized for being a turning point in California architecture. Renowned architects Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra and Wright’s son Lloyd Wright all worked intimately on the complex, and other influential California architects such as John Lautner and Gregory Ain were inspired by it.
When Wright’s iconic Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park was inscribed on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List on July 7, 2019,
Los Angeles had its first bona fide internationally-recognized monument. This award was significant because, while L.A. has world-famous landmarks and places such as the Hollywood Sign, none of these had been chosen by an international body as a property “having outstanding universal value,” i.e. benefit to all mankind. It is essentially Los Angeles’ most significant architectural treasure.
It beggars belief then that the caretakers of this World Heritage Site at the Department of Cultural Affairs would countenance such a proposal after cutting staff previously, especially after a
grand reopening to the public in 2022, following a multimillion-dollar restoration. Such a move would threaten Hollyhock House’s World Heritage status, as it must retain at least four paid employees to remain on the list. The loss of this designation would be a cultural low point for Los Angeles which is expecting millions of tourists in coming years to attend high profile international events including the Olympics. Justifiably alarmed, The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation released a statement declaring, “The eyes of the world are on the City of Los Angeles. We hope they will choose to properly
steward this incredible piece of our global cultural heritage.”
Thankfully the threat of the loss of world heritage status has galvanized opposition to the cuts and garnered numerous press articles
Even Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez of Council District 13 weighed in, telling the L.A. Times, “We’re exploring all options through the budget process to save our dedicated Hollyhock House staff and preserve its protected status.”
You can still send your comments to councilmember.soto-martinez@lacity.org or call 213-473-7013.
HOLLYHOCK HOUSE in Barnsdall Art Park in 2022
Photo by Joshua White/JWPictures
On Preservation by Brian Curran
Fashion, Derby and Wild West galas; Egg and Eye turns 60
May was a busy month around Los Angeles, so let’s not waste any time! Here we go!
The Assistance League of Los Angeles took over The Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank May 1 to celebrate their annual “A Chic Affaire” fundraising celebration.
Guests were treated to a
ASSISTANCE LEAGUE
CEO Greg Kovacs, College
Alumnae Auxiliary Chair June Bilgore and honorees Dia and Ray Schuldenfrei.
Around the Town with Sondi Toll Sepenuk
luncheon, a fashion show featuring locals aplenty and boutique shopping galore. The League, which has been around for 106 years, supports five local auxiliaries, including Anne Banning (Operation School Bell), Assisteens, College Alumnae, Hilltoppers, Mannequins, Nine O’Clock Players and the Preschool Auxiliary. In 2024 alone, these auxiliaries provided clothing for over 10,000 needy kids, performed live theater productions for over 7,000 children, sent low-income children to preschool and helped many young adults see their dream of going to col-
lege become a reality. Catwalk fashion models, who wore clothes from Michael Kors spring/summer 2025 collection, included Jan Daley, Donna Econn, Alice Chan and Rebecca Trail. Guests enjoyed champagne and charcuterie, gorgonzola mixed green salad with tomatoes and candied pecan and grilled chicken breast with butternut squash and asparagus. Honorees were community members Dia and Ray Schuldenfrei, who have dedicated decades of time and resources to helping the children of Los Angeles. Reflecting upon their years of support for the organization, Ray Schuldenfrei told the guests, “I had hoped that with the effort that you, I and everyone else has put in for
more than the last 50 years, the problem would get a heck of a lot better. But sadly, it hasn’t. As you see here, the need is greater today than it ever was even 50 years ago… If you’re not taking any active role in improving your community, especially starting with kids, do it now. Do it with the envelope, join the organization. Continue to give your support, as you are today, and tomorrow will be better for everyone.”
• • •
The annual Big Sunday fundraiser event, held on April 27, looked a little different this year—for good reason. Instead of the usual restaurant venue, this year’s celebration was held at thdd organization’s new permanent home in Hollywood (just a stone’s throw from Musso & Frank!), with the event serving double duty as an
energetic housewarming party and the 10th annual gala celebration. The garden party featured art, music, good food and great people. Eating stations included an interactive pasta station with cacio e pepe and strozzapreti pasta; a barbecue station filled with charred green bean salad, house-smoked beef brisket,
(Please turn to Page 5)
ALICE CHAN models.
MODEL DONNA ECONN wearing one of the Michael Kors dresses.
ATTENDEES (left to right) Isabel Mayfield, Susan Kneafsey, Erin Garvan, Danielle Reyes, Shelagh Callahan, Kiel Fitzgerald, Marion Plato, Margaret Cherene, Jan Daley and Donna Econn.
JAN DALEY struts her stuff on the Chic Affaire runway.
Around the Town
(Continued from Page 4)
thick-cut seasoned wedge fries; and an imported and domestic cheese station loaded with marinated Spanish olives, candied nuts, dried fruits and handmade lavash. A Big Vodka Cranberry and Tequila Sunday cocktail bar kept everyone in good spirits as singers and musicians took to the outdoor stage, welcoming all volun-
teers and attendees to join them onstage for a rousing rendition of “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” The mission of the Big Sunday organization is to connect people through helping, offering an enormous variety of opportunities and projects that unite people to improve lives, build community and give everyone a sense of belonging. Locals spotted in the crowd included Zoe and Danny Corwin, Dr. Howard Mandel, Allan Marks and Bill Devlin. Founder and Executive Director David Levinson thanked guests with a heartfelt recap of everything that the organization has done since 1999 and everything it continues to do as it grows and moves forward. “From Studio City and Santa Ana to London to Shanghai, I like to
COMING DRESSED to the nines for the Kentucky
think that everyone that came through that door has felt seen and heard and respected and been appreciated and known.”
• •
•
Couldn’t make it to the Kentucky Derby? For many locals who found themselves in that completely unfortunate predicament, the next best thing was the backyard lawn party in Lafayette Square of interior designer Jenna Flexner and realtor Erik Flexner of The Flexner Group. Residents came from surrounding neighborhoods, including Brookside, Hancock Park, Larchmont and Lafayette/Wellington Square. I mean, if you weren’t wearing hats, seersucker suits and bright floral dresses, why
were you even there? In other words, everyone understood the assignment and came dressed to impress. The fun didn’t stop there, though. While waiting for the big race, guests quenched their thirst
with Derby Day cocktails including the mint julep, Kentucky mule, and bourbon and
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WEARING THEIR HATS are Jenna Flexner, Jacquie Menville, Ina Bryant and Sondi Sepenuk, bottom, wearing a hat which was her Granny’s, who passed away two weeks before, at the age of 104.
COLORFUL GROUP: Steve and Susan Matloff, Fawn and Jeremy Fletcher. DRESSED FOR THE EVENT: Janell Fonsworth English, Traci Bates, Lauran Jackson, Shawn Holley, Ina Bryant and Donna Robertson.
LOCAL SUPPORTERS, left to right, Pete Sepenuk of Brookside and Zoe and Danny Corwin of Windsor Square.
LOCAL ATTENDEES to Big Sunday included Allan Marks (left) with Dr. Howard Mandel.
BIG SUNDAY EVENT.
Derby party was this dapper couple.
BACKYARD KENTUCKY Derby party hosts Jenna and Erik Flexner are ready for the races!
Around the Town
(Continued from Page 5)
Coke. Hand-served appetizers found their way onto every guest’s plate; fruits, cheeses, mini sliders and so much more made sure the guests were ready for the big race. After hours of anticipation, it was time for the big event and a hush came upon the crowd. Within minutes, Sovereignty, listed at 9-1 odds, crossed the finish line first to enthusiastic hoots and hollers. Guests including Stephen and Susan Matloff and Saladin Patterson celebrated by begging the Flexners to make the party an annual tradition. Until we once again hear “And they’re off!”
• •
• Wilshire Boulevard’s Craft Contemporary Museum was jumping on May 10
MUSEUM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
with its Benefit & Auction to celebrate 60 years of creativity, craft and community.
The event included a sold-out dinner and auction, which was then followed by an enthusiastic after-party in the museum’s outdoor courtyard.
During the dinner, the mu-
seum paid tribute to Edith R. Wyle, the visionary founder of The Egg and The Eye, and her profound legacy. The museum also honored Bari Ziperstein, a Los Angeles-based artist specializing in ceramics and mixed media, both functional and sculp-
tural. Silent auction items included a glass candelabra by Katherine Gray, a ceramic bird by Patti Warashina, and a textile laundry bag by Gere Kavanaugh. Afterparty guests were treated to Descanso bites that included birria empanadas, taquitos de camaron and tres leches de coco. Alex Evans and The Bob Baker Marionettes entertained the excited crowd with some golden marionette classics, while drag queen performer Chantal brought down the house with showstopping numbers by
Cher. Executive Director Rody N. Lopez was thrilled with the turnout, commenting, “I’m deeply grateful to everyone who came out to support our mission. It’s a privilege to follow in the footsteps of so many who have contributed to our legacy—especially our visionary founder, Edith R. Wyle. As we honor the past, celebrate the present with trailblazing artists like Bari Ziperstein and look ahead, we joyfully
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Rody N. Lopez (left) with actor (and Edith Wyle’s grandson) Noah Wyle and his wife, Sara.
ALEX EVANS of The Bob Baker Marionettes entertains the captive onlookers at the Craft Museum after-party. DRAG PERFORMANCE by Chantal as Cher brought down the house.
BULL RIDER Roger Morrison with his wife, Lisa.
NGA GALA PARTYGOERS Tommy and Lacy Drissi with Oona and Donald Kanner.
An explosion of art along L.A.’s newest arts corridor—Western
By Helene Seifer
As recently as 2019, the intersection of Melrose and Western avenues was a sleepy blend of discount furniture stores and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, sprinkled with too many vacancies.
Cut to 2025 and the area around the once moribund intersection has exploded, filled with people enjoying the varied eateries, new retail and commercial businesses and possibly the largest concentration of galleries in Los Angeles, many with stunning wood bow-truss ceilings.
From those with an international presence to homegrown galleries, it’s time to take a walk along L.A.’s newest arts corridor.
Fernberger, 747 N. Western Ave.: Gallerist Emma Fernberger, who established her gallery in January 2024, has found her represented artists in unusual ways. She explains that she signed an artist after she “saw a painting in the background of a Zoom call.” The gallery focuses on intergenerational and overlooked artists, particularly women artists. Showing now through June is “3 a.m.,” Greta Waller’s sensitive paintings of ephemeral subjects, which include melting ice cubes.
Southern Guild, 747 N. Western Ave., which is based in Capetown, South Africa and Los Angeles, presents contemporary art and collectible design from Africa and its diaspora. For Pride Month in June, they have two exhibits: “Faces and Phases 19”—photographer Zanele Muholi’s 19-year journey to document those in the Black LGBTQAI+ commu-
nity; and “In Us is Heaven,” a group show of 17 artists. Hannah Hoffman, 725 N. Western Ave., Suite 105, (in addition to a larger space in MacArthur Park), is tucked into a gated courtyard, along with high-end furniture and clothing stores. Those who buzz to enter will find a tiny gallery whose purpose is to concentrate the viewer’s attention on just a few works of art. The gallery rep-
resents over 25 artists, with an emphasis on the estates of women artists who hadn’t earned the acclaim they deserved.
Rele, 711 N. Western Ave., also has galleries in London, England and Lagos, Nigeria. In Los Angeles, the current exhibits address memory and the emotional connection to home.
James Fuentes, 5015 Melrose Ave., one block west of Western, also has a 17-year-old gallery in New York. Representing 21 artists, the gallery specializes in rediscovering major artists and in diverse, out-of-the-mainstream art. Hannah Lee’s hyperrealist paintings of intimate and dreamlike interior scenes will go on view Sat., June 7.
Moran Moran, 641 N. Western Ave., specializes in emerging and mid-career artists and encourages artists to collaborate on creating work together. Through Sat., July 5, the exhibit “Play” showcases the work of 24 artists.
Wilding Cran Gallery, 607 Western Ave., is the newest art space on the street, having opened March 1. Gallerist Naomi deLuce Wilding chose to locate the gallery on Western because, “It’s great to be on a vibrant street.” She adds, “We’re most interested in L.A.based emerging artists.” Filling the gallery May 31-July 5 will be “Night Lights,” long-exposure photographic images by Austin Irving, which deLuce Wilding explains, “transforms ceilings and walls into luminous records of insomnia, jet lag and circadian disruption.”
David Zwirner, 606 N. Western Ave., is the largest and most well-established of the galleries in the neighborhood, with a 30-year history; galleries here and in New York, Paris, London and Hong Kong; and a roster of over 80 artists including art world heavy-hitters Yayoi Kusama, Ruth Asawa, Richard Serra and Gerhard Richter. On view in the three adjacent gallery buildings through Sat., June 14 is “Sidewalk Chalk,” by Katherine Bernhardt, large canvases depicting
a fun-house version of her childhood toys and obsessions. Through Sat., June 21, is “Cat-
Single-family homes
aclysm: The 1972 Diane Arbus Retrospective Revisited.” The
DINERS, 2023-2025, by Hannah Lee. Courtesy of the artist and James Fuentes LLC
OMBRE ICE by Greta Waller. Courtesy of the artist and Fernberger
TIARA KELLY, Los Angeles, 2024 by Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of the artist and Southern Guild
SOLD: This home at 108 N. Norton Ave. in Windsor Square
Historic Fremont Place
6 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2 half baths
Approximate sizes:
Main House 4,599 sq. ft.
Guest House 1,000 sq. ft.
24-hour in-person security guard
$5,450,000
appraised for $5,700,000 will pay 3% buyer’s agent commission call or text for an appointment: 310 . 956 . 6519
760 . 518 . 9655
PARTY GALS AND NGA MEMBERS Jules Berg, Kiel Fitzgerald and Beverly Brown.
Around the Town
(Continued from Page 6) imagine the next 60 years of creativity, community and the transformative power of craft.”
• • • Did you hear the country western music blaring through the streets of Windsor Square on May 17? Maybe you didn’t hear it, but your eyes surely didn’t lie seeing the stream of revelers, dressed in their Wild
MCS OLIVIA AND STEVE KAZANJIAN invite guests to dip deep into pockets to support local charities.
West best, two-steppin’ down the street to June Bilgore’s home. Behind the ivy-covered walls, her backyard oasis was transformed into an authentic-feeling country Western ranch for the National Giving Alliance (NGA) annual fundraiser, a Western-themed Giddy-Up Gala, which drew 100 NGA members, plus their spouses and friends. Barbecue, dancing and fundraising were top of mind. Cowpokes chowed down on brisket, chicken thighs, pulled pork, street corn, baked beans, coleslaw and of course an open bar, boasting beer out of a glass boot. If you
NGA PRESIDENT DANIELLE REYES (far right) with Chris Drynan and Jason and Beverly Brown.
were in a barn dance frame of mind, you jumped on the dance floor to shuffle your way through a line dance taught by a professional instructor. Not a dancer? No problem. A silent auction, raffle and live auction were there for the bidding and to entertain. Live auction items included a Torrey Pines getaway, a Mammoth vacation package and VIP tickets to a USC Trojans football game (Fight on!). Raffle items included a pair of black pearl earrings, a private horseback riding lesson and an antique jewelry combo. Steve and Olivia Kazanjian emceed the live auction, asking the attendees to open their wallets and open their hearts.
NGA President Danielle Reyes told attendees, “Over the last five years, NGA has donated over 100,000 items to local groups, including bedding, clothing, socks… which transfers to about $250,000 worth of goods…and it’s really needed at this time in our
MEMBER Susan
community, as you know.” Local organizations supported by NGA include Alexandria House, Assistance League of Los Angeles, Aviva, Good
Shepherd, Imagine LA, Los Angeles House of Ruth and Sunnyside 5.
And now you’re in the Larchmont know!
L’Ermitage Hotel partnered with Arhaus at Poza
By H. Hutcheson
The upstairs bar/restaurant at L’Ermitage Hotel, Poza has been redesigned using the outdoor furniture collection from Arhaus. On the eastern edge of Beverly Hills, Poza has a 360-degree view of the Hollywood Hills, Pacific Ocean and Downtown L.A. After accidentally descending to the private entrance of the hotel (elevator door opening on surprised guests and bodyguard), we were brought to the openair roof to enjoy cocktails and small bites amidst intimate seating areas, bars and plenty of Angelenos. I can’t imagine a more quintessential L.A. scene. On a side note, actor James Woods and his wife, photographer Sara Miller, warmly welcomed us as they are residing at the hotel while their Palisades Fire-damaged
house is repaired. Woods, also a songwriter, shared that he is headed back to the nearby Sunset Sound Recording Studio to record music with Shooter Jennings.
WITH HER SON, Evangeline and EJ Alejo.
NGA
Kneafsey (center), with Jamor Townsend (left) and Traek Adra.
BRAVE NGA SPOUSES who give all year.
JAMES WOODS AND SARA MILLER, residents of L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills, enjoy the Arhaus redo of rooftop bar Poza.
NGA LADIES dressed supporting the western theme.
ARHAUS FURNISHINGS revamp Poza at L’Ermitage Hotel.
Enthusiastic crowd attends Petals & Pathways Garden Tour
By Helene Seifer
It was a chilly, drizzly day, but that didn’t stop over 200 garden enthusiasts from visiting the five spectacular home gardens on the 2025 Petals & Pathways Garden Tour May 3, presented by the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society (WSHPHS) and the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art.
The homeowners whose gardens were on tour were Sarah Shun-lien and Leigh Dana Jackson, Alysoun and Al Higgins, Heather and John Fogarty, Leah and Sam Fischer and Jay Griffith, who generously invited the tour participants to explore the interior of his golf course-adjacent estate.
Joseph Guidera, president of WSHPHS, notes that many factors contributed to
the Garden Tour’s success: devoted Society volunteers, gracious residents who open up their gardens “and our generous friends and neigh-
bors who show up every year to buy tickets and support our organization. It really is what the Windsor Square-Hancock Park community is all about.”
FRONT WALKWAY to landscaper Jay Griffith’s golf course estate. Photos by Alex Elliot for WSHPHS
LUSH LANDSCAPING on Leah and Sam Fischer’s double-lot Colonial Revival home.
HEATHER AND JOHN FOGARTY replaced their driveway with a welcoming garden path.
CHARMING PLANT BEDS grace the backyard of Alysoun and Al Higgins’ Craftsman home.
LANDSCAPER Jay Griffith (second from right) with WSHPHS members (left to right) Jane Gilman, Richard Battaglia and WSHPHS President Joseph Guidera.
DROUGHT-TOLERANT LANDSCAPING greets visitors to Sarah Shun-lien Bynum and Leigh Dana Jackson’s late Mission Style home.
Cherry blossoms bloomed briefly and spectacularly in Japan
By Suzan Filipek
We booked our recent trip to Japan a year in advance to see the cherry blossoms, which only bloom briefly in the spring. Bamboo forests, geishas and fresh seafood are among the country’s many other charms.
We arrived in Tokyo on a cold and rainy night. The next morning, undaunted, with umbrellas in hand, we toured the city—a crowded mix of towering skyscrapers, historic shrines and Ginza, a well-heeled shopping district.
We traveled with an American tour led by a Tokyoite, Yukiko. She carried a sparkly telescopic flagpole to make her easy to spot among the crowds as we followed her to the Imperial Palace East Gardens, now part of the Royal Palace and home to Japan’s Royal family.
We breathed in incense at the spectacular red-and-gold Senso-ji Buddhist temple and enjoyed a delicious lunch of noodles with scallops and shrimp seared on a grill right at our table.
On our third day we had our
TOUR GUIDE Yukiko takes us to Shirakawa-go, a traditional village that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
first peek of cherry blossoms across from Tokyo National Museum. The tree branches, dark and heavy from the rain, showered a pedestrian walkway in the city’s popular Ueno Park with brilliant blooms. And, hooray! The sun was coming out. The flowers’ falling pink petals would soon carpet much of the
journey ahead.
Leaving Tokyo by motor coach, we had a brief stop to view Mount Fuji (hidden behind a cloud) and spent the night at a mineral hot springs spa and traditional inn decorated with tatami (straw) mats and sliding doors made of paper.
Rested and refreshed the next day we boarded a bullet train and sped toward Takayama, a picturesque town that once provided a safe haven for the shogun, who held its dynasty in this mountain retreat for centuries. Its historic district is lined with wooden merchant houses that date back to the 1600s, preserved teahouses and sake breweries.
More history of the shogun rulers, romanticized as of late in movies and TV, was at our next stop, Kanazawa, where much of the world’s gold leaf is still manufactured.
Next was Kyoto, which lived up to its 1,000-year-old history as the Imperial City (before the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1869).
We walked around a lake at the sparkly Golden Pavilion
and visited Kenrokuen Garden, which dates to 1676; its ponds, waterfalls and flowers sprawl 25 acres.
Geishas are few in number these days but can still be seen in colorful kimono in Kyoto’s Gion District as they make their way in the early evening through a maze of streets and alleyways to waiting customers. Back at our hotel, the modern world came back into view when a robot (that looked very much like R2-D2) rode the elevator and rolled along the floors to make room-service calls.
Back on the train to Hiroshima, we disembarked from a city bus at the “Atomic Bomb” stop, in front of the skeletal Genbaku Dome, a multistory shell of a building and the only structure to survive the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city Aug. 6, 1945.
We visited the nearby Peace Memorial Park and Museum, where photos of bomb victims hang in the galleries and history is told of what led up to the bomb and its aftermath. It was possibly the most crowded, and certainly the most sobering venue on our trip.
A ferry ride to nearby Miyajima Island provided welcome relief, with sea breezes and vistas of the magnificent or-
ange Great Tori Gate and the Itsukushima Shrine. First built in the 12th century, the temple is dedicated to goddesses of seas and storms. Wild deer roam the grounds, and large oysters are the local specialty.
Steeped in tradition, spiritual practices and nature, Japan is a wonderful mix of the old and the new, the sensual and high tech, with a mixture of romance and adventure making for an exotic trip of a lifetime. Especially when the cherry blossoms are in season.
GEISHAS can be seen in the Gion District in Kyoto.
CHERRY BLOSSOMS bloom briefly each spring. Above: the grounds of Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
The Ebell honors Kentucky Derby with mint juleps and ‘Sassy’ stories
Book serves 52 mid-week low-alcohol drinks. Cheers!
By Nona Sue Friedman
A new book came out just in time for summer — “Wednesday Night Wine-Down,” by Jennifer Newens. It offers one seasonal recipe per week for cocktails that feature wine, Port, sherry and vermouth. The hardcover book is compact and easy to read, and each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful color photograph. Try the recipe below for starters.
Champagne Bowler
This classic cocktail dates back to the 1930s and ‘40s. Makes 1 cocktail
3 fresh strawberries
3/4 ounces cognac
1/2 ounces simple syrup
1/2 ounces dry white wine
4 ounces chilled dry white sparkling wine
Strawberry for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberries. Add the cognac, simple syrup and white wine. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with sparkling wine. Stir gently. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
CHAMPAGNE BOWLER garnished with a strawberry is refreshing and light.
By Helene Seifer
The Ebell of Los Angeles went full Southern on May 6 in honor of the Kentucky Derby. The Guesthouse Band provided the bluegrass backdrop for a parade of fancy-hatted women quaffing the honorary drink of the Derby, the mint julep. Feather-festooned fascinators and wide-brimmed sun hats topped many heads at the “Sassy Southern Stories” evening of cocktails and storytelling.
Produced by two Ebell members, Wendy Hammers of Tasty Words Salon and Suzanne Weerts of Jam Creative, the social hour was followed by six storytellers, who regaled the sold-out crowd with hilarious personal stories reflecting their sassy Southern pasts. Hammers introduced the evening. Coming of age in
the South, killing a snake in New Orleans and a disastrous crossbow bonding experience with Dad are some of the subjects that filled the tales told by the accomplished storytellers, which included Emmy award-winning actress Sharon Lawrence, Courtney Crane, filmmaker Heather Le Roy,
Jenn Brown, Suzanne Weerts and actress and voiceover artist Janora McDuffie.
Sharing women’s stories is a key part of the mission of the Ebell of Los Angeles, which was founded by women, for women in 1894. For more information, go to tastywords.com and jamcreativestories.com.
Photo by Alyson Brown Studio
SASSY WOMEN, left to right: Sharon Lawrence, Wendy Hammers, Courtney Crane, Heather Le Roy, Jenn Brown, Suzanne Weerts and Janora McDuffie.
AN ENTHUSIASTIC hatted, mint julep-swigging attendee.
CO-PRODUCER of the Sassy evening, Wendy Hammers.
Pawn Shop sports bar to bury time capsule
Something special is happening on the corner of Melrose and Cahuenga at The Pawn Shop, 5901 Melrose Ave., Thurs., June 5, at 9:30 a.m. It’s a Time Capsule Ceremony where The Pawn Shop will bury a box marking the transformation of their building which served our community for over 40 years.
Once home to Brothers Collateral, owned by the Gintel family, this space is being
Galleries
(Continued from Page 8) exhibition recreates the singular artist’s 1972 posthumous photographic retrospective.
Chateau Shatto, 540 N. Western Ave. represents 14 idiosyncratic artists, one
reimagined as a next-generation sports bar. Heather Duffy Boylston, investor and community relations manager for the project, said this space is “one rooted in legacy, built for connection and designed with heart” by Diego Torres-Palma, a Larchmont resident and founder of Ventana Ventures. Doors are set to open spring of 2026.
The team will fill the container with community
memories, meaningful artifacts and a few words for the future, including this issue of the Chronicle Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez and other local leaders are expected to attend in celebration of the project. Boylston says, “What began as a casual idea between friends who were frustrated by the lack of meaningful places to watch a game, quickly turned into something bigger.”
PINK PANTHER in “Butter Butter Butter Butter Butter” (2024) by Katherine Bernhardt. Courtesy the artist, David Zwirner and Canada
of whom, Alan Lynch, has the solo show “Surface of this Teardrop World” in
June. Lynch withdrew from the art world in the 1950s. Although he continued to paint in private, he studied Buddhism and became an ordained monk. Gallery cofounder Olivia Barrett is happy to rediscover and present the artist’s oil paintings and watercolors.
C L E A R I N G, 530 N. Western Ave., also has a New York gallery. The Los Angeles gallery is showing “Rome is no longer in rome,” an exhibition of jewel-toned energetic figurative paintings by Henry Curchod, a young California-born artist of Iranian descent.
ACROSS
3. K-1st grade grad requirement
5. “Mrs. _____, you’re trying to seduce me.”
6. Garment expressing affiliations of grad 10. Latin “to say farewell”
12. Marlborough senior tradition
14. Speech by notable student 16. Take _____ school due to an F
17. Formal dance, promenade 19. Formal document of completion
DOWN
1. Loyola H.S. Grad tradition
2. Advisor for the next stage
4. Mobile celebration
7. School for focused programs
8. List for GPA 3.5-3.9
9. Flew the coop
11. Frenchy chose this path
13. Grad cap
15. Latin “with distinction”
17. Graduation song,”_____ and Circumstance”
18. Trains college students for military
ANSWERS: Please turn to page 15. Answers will also be on our online edition in early June.
GATHERING AT THE PAWN SHOP: Rudy Gintel (left) and Ernest Gintel (right) with Diego Torres-Palma (center) holding gift depicting legendary Dodger Sandy Koufax.
EARL’S COURT by Alan Lynch. Courtesy of the artist’s estate and Chateau Shatto
Roll of dice or roelete: Games of chance predate recorded history
When letting the fates decide, some reach for a die—a small plastic cube with six sides, each marked with a successive number of dots (called “pips”) counting from one to six. Tally up the two faces opposite one another (one and six, two and five, and three and four), and you’ll wind up with a total of seven each time.
A simple object, the die’s antecedents are some of the earliest gaming implements used by humans, predating recorded history. Ancient dice have been excavated from southeastern Iran (estimated to date back to between
2800 and 2500 B.C.), Scotland (3100-2400 B.C.) and Mohenjo-Daro in modern-day Pakistan (2500-1900 B.C.).
In ancient Greece, before cubic dice, one’s future was foretold by the throw of the cleaned, dried knucklebones of sheep and goats, their craggy, molar-like forms etched with numbers on each side. Though gambling was considered immoral in ancient Rome, the emperors Augustus, Caligula and Commodus were all enthusiastic about risking their riches. The emperor Claudius wrote the now lost “De arte ale-
Cleaning up Wilshire in Mile’s Operation Sparkle
The Miracle Mile Residential Association spent a very rainy morning cleaning up Wilshire Boulevard for the fourth annual Operation Sparkle event. Over 70 neighborhood volunteers were part of the cleanup on April 26. The community members were joined by Los Angeles Police Department officers as well local Field Deputy, Shannan Callan from Council District 5.
Senior Lead Officer Andrew Jones spoke to the volunteers
about the importance of events like Operation Sparkle. Attendees were treated to tacos and empanadas from El Cartel and donuts from SK Donuts.
ae,” or “On the Art of Dice.” In his dialogue “Phaedrus” (circa 370 B.C.), Plato even proclaimed that dice—like geometry and astronomy— were invented by God.
As times changed, so too did the playing pieces by which fortunes were won or lost. Rectangular tiles numbered with pips first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, having been used in China since the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.). Called “gwāt pái” ( ) in Cantonese (translating to “bone tiles”), the European version was named for the black-and-white colorings’ resemblance to the black, hooded cloaks worn by priests in cold weather. It was from these clerics, called “domini” (Latin for “masters”), that the tokens came to be termed “dominos.”
the Old French “roelete,” meaning “little wheel,” itself derived from the Latin word for wheel, “rota” (also the origin of “rotary” and “rotate”).
And who spins this wheel of fortune? A flick of the “croupier’s” wrist puts things in motion. The title traces back to the French “croupe,” meaning “rump of a horse.” Never intended to offend, the naming is due to the original sense of “croupier”—an associate of the gambler who carried extra
reserves of cash. The croupier stood behind the player at the gambling table, as one might do if sitting behind the rider on the back of a horse.
Lacking any gaming prowess, I myself try my luck at the slots, where bright, animated screens and the jubilant “cha-ching” of even the most paltry wins tickle my pleasure receptors. The primeval knucklebone dice of yore fade from memory; a relic of past destinies now decimated to dust.
Here in the U.S., during the late 18th century, poker was a newly popular game of strategy that used numbered playing cards, yet another derivative of dice. The match began with five cards to each player—adapted from the Persian game of As-Nas—though its name arrived from the French pastime “poque.” Other card games thought to have been forerunners of poker are the German “pochspiel,” arriving from “pochen,” meaning “to brag as a bluff,” and a British card game simply known as “brag.”
If card games aren’t your cuppa, make your way over to the roulette table, where black and red numbered pockets decide your fate. A wheel spins one way, a ball is spun in the opposite direction, and where it falls is anyone’s guess. The name of the game— first played in France in the 18th century—arrives from
POLICE OFFICERS and Miracle Mile Residential Association officers (left to right), Officer Sam Colwart; Kari Garcia, vice president of MMRA; SLO Tyler Shuck; CD5 Field Deputy Officer Shannon Calland; SLO Andrew Jones; and Samantha Friedland, MMRA vice president and chair of Operation Sparkle.
Word Café by Mara Fisher
Larchmont Chronicle
JUNE 2025
GRADUATES OF 2025
Seniors don caps and gowns and say farewell to high school
By Nona Sue Friedman
Around this time, thousands of high school seniors in the area are finishing their journey of secondary education before moving on to college, tech school, a gap year, a job or whatever else might inspire them.
But, before moving into the next phase of their life, parents, students and caregivers get to celebrate them with graduation from high school—a rite of passage after years of hard work.
Following is what is happening at schools throughout Los Angeles. A big congratulations to all the seniors!
Oakwood School is graduating 90 students on Thurs., June 5. At this school, the
graduation ceremony is completely student-led. This includes speeches and per-
formances by the graduates. Students voted for the four faculty speakers and the processional and recessional songs were decided by a stu-
dent committee.
The dean of
(Please turn to Page 3)
Loyola Marymount School of Education, Estela Zarate, will speak to
OAKWOOD SENIORS enjoy class kinship.
SHOWING PRIDE for their future school are the young women of Marymount High School.
AT A SPECIAL SENIOR picnic, Larchmont Charter seniors relax.
LOOKING PROUD in their caps and gowns are the seniors from Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Seniors
CHRIST THE KING SCHOOL
Gisele Alino
Savanna Alora
Tomasz Bajon
Gavin Barros
Esther Cho
Alvin Choi
Ashley Cruz
Ruby Escobedo
Karlie Francis
Lilianna Gaitan
Zoe Griswold
Anjella Guiza
Briella Guiza
Alex Ko
Isaac Kwon
Valeria Lira
Gryphon Lozano
Emalee Magno
Ethan Nogoy
Stella Orta
Isabella Pokos
Janeth Quintanilla
Kaylee Raiz
Bonaventure Slamet
Rex Tobar
Olivia Torres Lucas Williams
Our Graduates will be attending the following schools
SIGNING DAY for the boys at Loyola High School.
(Continued from Page 2)
139 seniors at Larchmont Charter
LaFayette Park’s graduation ceremony on Wed., June 18. The event is taking place at the Gothic Reviv -
AN INTIMATE CLASS at Pilgrim School poses in front of their school’s historic bronze doors.
turn to Page 4)
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Seniors
(Continued from Page 3)
al-style, 92-year-old First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.
Thirty-one students will graduate from Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles on Fri., June 13, at 10 a.m. at the Théatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd.
On Sat., May 31, Notre Dame High School will see 317 seniors cross the stage in the school’s football stadium. This marks the school’s 75th commencement ceremony.
The CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, Theresa Edy Kienne, spoke at Marymount High School ’s graduation ceremony on May 23. Sixty girls moved their tassels from right to left.
The Hollywood Bowl is where 95 girls will ceremoniously complete their tenure at Immaculate Heart on Tues., June 2, at 8 p.m.
The speaker, Brigid LaBonge, an artist and community advocate and also the wife of the late Council memeber Tom LaBonge as well as the keynote speaker.
Senior boys of Loyola High School will walk across the platform placed on campus in Hayden Circle on Sat., June 7, for the school’s 156th graduation ceremony. Board Chairman Robert Foster will address all 290 students.
This is the 100-year anniversary of Fairfax High School. On Tues., June 10, at 6:30 p.m., 363 students will proudly cross the stage to receive their diplomas.
Thirty-four seniors will graduate from Pilgrim School
on Thurs., June 12. They will hear from Pilgrim faculty at the ceremony which takes place on campus.
ALL 363 students pose in the gymnasium at Fairfax High School.
NOTRE DAME High School, known as the Knights, will graduate 317 students.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Graduates talk about hopes, desires as they head off to college
By Nona Sue Friedman
Josie Barker of Ridgewood Place was very excited to finish Marlborough School on May 15. She started there in ninth grade and it was not an easy transition.
At Marlborough, she liked the facilities, teachers and classes best. But her first year was quite difficult and a big adjustment. Barker said she had a test or a quiz every week, advance placement classes were expected—“just part of the culture”—and the entire experience was “very intense.”
Barker persevered and was accepted to University of Colorado at Boulder, where she is committed to going, at least for now. She is waitlisted at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo (SLO), which was her first choice, until she toured Boulder. Then, the pendulum swung toward the campus near the Rocky Mountains. If she gets off the waitlist at SLO, she’s not sure she’ll change her commitment.
At either school, she plans on majoring in environ-
mental science. She’s really looking forward to “choosing classes curated to what I want to learn” and especially likes that this major doesn’t have a math requirement. She says, “It’s an interdisciplinary study that is humanities based.” A few friends from her former school, Wildwood, are planning on going to Boulder as well.
She’s looking forward to exploring the area, hiking and snowboarding. But she’s most excited about having freedom and learning.
This year is ending just as intense as her tenure at Marlborough began. Barker hada
psychology test on the last day of school. A few days later, the entire senior class went to Hawaii for five days. Nothing like completely relaxing by the beach knowing you have finished high school and have somewhere to go in the fall.
When the girls return from their trip, they will don their white dresses, a Marlborough tradition, and graduate.
By Suzan Filipek
Matthew Hoegee plans to study business at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Loyola senior had considered majoring in psychology after taking advancement placement classes in the field, but an internship helped change his mind.
He had worked for a neighbor in his Hancock Park neighborhood who is a political consultant. “She helps people run for local government,” he told us last month.
It was handling the political donations that sparked his interest in business. That and also, “You can get into a lot of things from business,” real estate and finance among
them, he said. says Hoegee. Before he heads to Boulder, he will travel to Hawaii this summer with friends and family and play golf in Oregon. It’s a sport he enjoys for fun, and he has also swung a club or two at the Wilshire Country Club (before it closed for remodeling).
Hoegee is a longtime member of the Loyola Cubs baseball team but plans to spiff up his skiing skills in Colorado. When he heard good things about the Boulder school from family who attend there, it helped him make the decision to move to the Rocky Mountain state.
Art, sports and Cape Cod are on her calendar
By Suzan Filipek
Riley Houlihan is excited about her major—graphic design—and her choice of college.
“I’m really fascinated with logos of companies and album covers. You can learn a lot in graphic design,” the Immaculate Heart senior and Brookside native told us.
She chose the major so that she can pursue a career in art. She loves to draw and sketch and has taken art classes since her sophomore year. Her latest endeavor is learning screen printing.
After graduation on June 2, Houlihan will attend Endicott College in Massachusetts beginning in late August.
When she toured the school it quickly soared to the top of her list of choices for its location and proximity to family on the East Coast.
“I have a lot of family there,” she told us.
She follows in the footsteps of her older sister Zoey, who is attending the same East Coast college. The surrounding Boston area is a place the
(Please turn to Page 7)
Josie Barker
Matthew Hoegee
Boulder, Colorado, could be this senior’s new home
Loyola senior heads to Boulder in the fall
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Graduates
(Continued from Page 6)
sisters are familiar with, having spent several summer family reunions on Cape Cod.
Riley is looking forward to another get-together this summer with her extended family, enjoying clambakes and other beach activities. A cousin’s wedding in Ohio is also on her calendar.
Besides art, Riley is athletic and hopes to continue playing soccer in college.
She has played the sport throughout high school and most recently served as co-captain of IH Varsity Soccer.
She started playing the game as young as 3, encour-
aged by her dad, who was also her coach.
“I fell in love with the sport. I’m going to try out for the school team [at Endicott],” she tells us.
In case she doesn’t make the grade [for soccer], she plans to start a club team or has other ideas.
We’re pretty sure she’ll make the team.
By Nona Sue Friedman
Carroll Jenkins was playing volleyball at a tournament in Las Vegas when he was spotted on the court by the coach for Vassar College. They chatted there. The coach wanted him for his team, and vice versa. Although it’s no guarantee of entrance with a college coach gunning for you, it does help, according to Jenkins. He feels “I could have gotten in on my own merits, but it certainly was helpful having the coach on my side.”
Jenkins is thrilled to be heading East and to be a teammate for his favorite sport. He started playing the game as a freshman at Larchmont Charter High School (LCS) and fell in love with it. After his sophomore year, he
joined a club team. Between the two, that’s a lot of games per week.
Jenkins likes solving problems and creating things. He is interested in studying engineering mechanics and Vassar doesn’t offer those, so his plan is to study applied math and physics. Before his junior year, he’ll apply for a special program between Dartmouth University and Vassar, where he could earn an engineering degree. Otherwise, he’ll continue with math and physics, get his degree and apply to a graduate program for engineering. He’s got it all figured out.
Jenkins in a native of Los Angeles and has lived near Brookside his whole life. He is
a “lifer” at Larchmont Charter, starting in kindergarten. He says, “Connections and friends are what I’ll look on back fondly. I have a small pool of friends that I hang with and want to stay friends with long after high school.”
He commented, “The first part of senior year with applications and SAT testing was hellish.” Now, he has time to kick back and play his favorite video game, Apex Legends.
Pilgrim
By H. Hutcheson
Lucas Garcia is a graduating senior headed to California Institute of Technology in Pasadena to study genetic engineering.
He has attended Pilgrim School since kindergarten-a lifer. One of the oldest schools in Los Angeles, est. 1958, the senior class is matriculating a mere 34 students. Garcia says, “The small size was good for me because I could really develop a relationship with my teachers, and I could continue deep into an interest or topic over the years.”
He was able to do research while in high school at his future college, Caltech, using enzymes to breakdown PFAS-
which are forever chemicals.
Students are required to enter the university undeclared for a major, but he has a plan to, “… go the biochemistry route, more biosynthetic tech, genetic engineering in multicellular organisms.” judging by my silence, he clarifies, “animal genetics.” Garcia’s graduation is this month, and he will celebrate with family, grandparents visiting from Virginia and, “of course, friends!”
When asked about any fun summer plans, he responded “My friends and I are planning a road trip.” It sounds like Garcia will be traveling down many interesting and exciting roads!
Riley Houlihan
Carroll Jenkins
Lucas Garcia
Vassar and volleyball are this senior’s dream ticket
senior headed to Pasadena Caltech
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Club volleyball is a necessity for players with college aspirations
I was astonished this past January when I attended my first club volleyball event, the SoCal Cup in Downtown’s Los Angeles Convention Center. The Cup, a three-day annual volleyball tournament for boys 11-18, draws hundreds of club teams from all over the country and occupies the two largest halls at the convention center. Each of these cavernous hangars houses over 50 individual volleyball courts.
Upon entering, the first thing one notices are volleyballs arcing up and down throughout the immense hall as they are spiked, drilled, volleyed, set, tipped and walloped. The place is like a giant bingo hopper. Then the echoing sound of competition takes over as players, coaches and parents cheer, officials blow their whistles and hundreds of hands make contact with volleyballs.
Overwhelming? You bet. But also exhilarating.
SG Elite
SG (San Gabriel) Elite Volleyball Club is one of L.A.’s premier youth volleyball training facilities, and their teams
Youth Sports
by Jim Kalin
compete at the SoCal Cup as well as other tournaments locally and throughout the U.S.
The club’s initial home and workout location was the San Gabriel High School gymnasium, but when Kenji Mukai took over as director in 2007, he acquired a new space near Atwater Village in the Glendale Commerce Center and added the word “Elite.”
SG Elite’s present facility is state-of-the-art and spacious. It features seven courts, each secluded from the others with floor-to-ceiling netting. There’s also an independent weighttraining center, Vertimax/plyometric systems, a film room and a wall of flat screen HD TVs so parents can watch close-up as their young athletes train and practice.
“We provide a family atmosphere,” says Shari Iwatani, SG Elite boys’ teams director and coach. “It’s not just a business.”
During the COVID-19 shutdown, SG Elite delivered volleyballs and backyard net systems to anyone who re-
quested them.
“We also did a lot of fundraising and helped families who were affected by the recent fires.”
Since joining the SG Elite coaching staff, every one of Iwatani’s teams has surpassed their preliminary rankings at the season’s start. Her 2023 Boys 15 Elite team won a gold medal at the Junior National Championships.
Homegrown
SG Elite began as a girls’ volleyball club, and the ladies still outnumber the boys. Presently, there are 17 boys’ teams and 61 girls’ teams at SG Elite.
“We didn’t begin a boys program until 2012,” says Iwatani. “Originally, we were viewed as a good starter club for boys, then they would leave. That’s not the case anymore.”
Ray Barsemian has been the Boys 18 Elite team coach and the club’s head trainer for two years. He’s also the associate head volleyball coach at Fullerton College. Barsemian was a two-time college All-American for Concordia University Irvine and a member of SG Elite’s inaugural boys’ team. He was the club’s first male player to
commit to an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division-1 college. One of his current 18 Elite players, Carroll Jenkins, is a senior at Larchmont Charter High School and will play volleyball for Vassar College next year.
Popularity
“Men’s volleyball is growing,” says Iwatani. “It’s becoming more popular and competitive.”
That may be, but it still has a long way to go before it reaches the same level that women’s volleyball is at. There are
SG ELITE’S state-of-the-art facility has seven individual courts.
SG ELITE’S BOYS 18 team celebrate after a game-winning point at the SoCal Cup.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
In praise of honoring our fathers and embracing the day!
By Helene Seifer
Father’s Day, celebrated on the third Sunday in June, falls on June 15 this year. Have you bought your tie yet?
Gifts were not always a part of the day dedicated to honoring dads. The first Father’s Day took place in 1910 and was primarily a religious holiday. It became a national holiday in 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed legislation making it official, but unlike the enthusiastic adoption of Mother’s Day, men initially eschewed the honor, thinking that being pampered made them appear weak. These days most fathers embrace the day.
Three Larchmont Chronicle readers shared stories with us in praise of their fathers. Always shows up
“I think what makes my dad special is his unique ability to meet you where you are,” says Jake Harris of his father, Jim Harris, a recently retired lawyer and Hancock Park resident. “My dad is an intellectual at heart and loves to read and learn and understand. He and I discover information differently, but he figured out how I under-
stand and process things. He would support the decision I was making even if it wasn’t the choice he would want for me. He allowed me to follow my passions.”
The firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Dept. shares that his father always attended his Little League games, cheering him on through high school sports and even traveling to catch Jake’s college baseball games. “He’s silly and goofy and he’s fun,” Jake states, “But he’s serious when he needs to be, and he always shows up.”
“I have a really great relationship with my dad and I’m really grateful for how present he is.”
Dedicated to family
“My father’s name was
Howard Kimbley Payne,” says Yvonne Adams. “He was born in 1899 in Kentucky.” She adds, “My father was a real serious dresser. He looked good. He had a straw hat in the summer, a wool hat in the winter.”
The Fairfax District resident’s father worked for the post office and bought some property after he moved to Monrovia. “My father was a very nice man. He was very dedicated to his family. He really took care of us and made sure we had the things we needed.” And the things they craved. “We would drive to
Pasadena to go to See’s Candy, 50 cents a pound. We all had a sweet tooth except Daddy. If he wanted a snack at night, he made oatmeal. I hate oatmeal.”
When the retired special education teacher was accepted to university, she says, “My father was very proud of my going to UCLA and made sure that I got anything within reason to stay in school.” Since Black people were not allowed to live on campus in the 1950s, Adams explains, “I stayed at the ‘Y’ across the street. He always paid for me, everything in full.”
“I learned from my father to have a work ethic and to be a nice person.”
Kind, warm and loving
“My father was one of the kindest, warmest, most loving fathers and human beings that I have ever met,” states Laurie Schechter. “He was very affectionate, physically affectionate, always hugging. He would say ‘I love you’ all the time, so he was verbally affectionate. And he also expressed it in always wanting to help.”
Joseph Schechter, a psychiatric social worker, died
in 2018, just shy of his 91st birthday. Laurie remembers that he always helped people by fixing things. When they rented a house in the Berkshires for the summer, her father would fix whatever was broken in the home, even though it belonged to someone else. The Mid-Wilshire resident adds, “When I moved into New York City I had a very tiny room. I needed a bed, so he made me a bed that was elevated and underneath I could put a desk.”
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him,” she says. “His love, warmth and kindness forever fill my heart.”
BONDING OVER BASEBALL: Jake Harris (left) with his father, Jim Harris.
YVONNE ADAMS with her dad, Howard Kimbley Payne, in their Monrovia home, circa the mid-1940s.
BIRTHDAY DINNER at Yamashiro for Joseph Schechter’s 90th birthday: (L-R) Laurie Schechter; her father, Joseph, her mom, Carolyn; and sister Nancy.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Stellar Fairfax and GALA students received scholarships
Eleven seniors received awards from the George and Irene Epstein Memorial Scholarship Program last month.
Six of the students are from Fairfax High and five hail from the Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA). The recipients were chosen by the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the International Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE).
Howard Katzman, senior scientist at The Aerospace Corporation, and education chairman of the Los Angeles Chapter of SAMPE, announced the names, and the presentation was held at Fortune House restaurant on San Vicente Boulevard.
Scholarship recipients receive $3,000 each and book awardees $1,000.
The program was initiated in 1996, shortly after the death of longtime area resident Irene Epstein, her daughter Sue Epstein told us. Fairfax was chosen because that was where the Epstein children attended. GALA was later added because it is a STEM school, and the
scholarships are for students studying science, medicine, engineering or mathematics.
George Epstein, who died in 2023, penned a poker column for the Larchmont Chronicle
He was an engineer who worked for the U.S. Air Force Space Systems, among other notable endeavors.
Awardees
Fairfax High scholarship awardees are Hillary Tong and Mukhammadjon Mukhitdinov
Tong plans to attend Harvard College where she will major in computer science, aspiring to become a software engineer and conduct computational psychiatry research.
She hopes to develop artificial intelligence and machine learning tools that collaborate with psychiatrists and medical professionals to reduce misdiagnosis of psychiatric disorders. Tong started the Girls Who Code Club at Fairfax and also incorporated a UCLA mentorship program.
She also served as president of the Society of Women in Engineering Club and MESA (mathematics, science engineering achievement) Club.
She is the founder and cap-
tain of Fairfax’s Academic Decathlon Team and captain of the Robotics Team.
Mukhitdinov will attend UCLA, where he will major in biochemistry in hopes of becoming a dentist. Mukhammadjon is captain and manager of the boys’ varsity tennis team and helps coach the girls’ tennis team. He is vice president of the Bible Reading Club, participates in the Korean Language and Culture Club and the Korean Drumming Group and has participated in the Early Academic Outreach Program.
GALA scholarship awardees are Chloe Watkins and Johana Miel
Watkins ranks first in her class and will attend UCLA as a computer science major. She will go into the field of robotics, hoping to develop medical robots and prosthetics. Passionate about coding and robotics, she has worked with one of the head programmers and the designated debugger of GALA’s robotics team. She mentors middle school teams with programming and assists other teams in debugging. Watkins is treasurer of the Chemistry Club
and is actively involved with the Young Voters Club and Rhizome, a grassroots organization the helps teenagers make changes in their community.
Miel will attend either UC Irvine, Cal State Long Beach, or UC Santa Barbara where she will pursue a pre-med track. She plans to become a pediatrician. She is president of the Kababayan Club (the Filipino Club), works as a UCLA healthcare volunteer, and is a GALA student ambassador.
The following Fairfax students will receive book awards: Mohammad Erfan Firooz Bakhsh will attend UC Santa Barbara, majoring in pre-biology on the path to becoming a medical doctor.
Jocelyn Puerto will attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College to pursue an Associate of Science degree in automotive and related technology before transferring to a four-year university.
Ronisa Zalzar will attend Santa Monica College where she will major in general science with the goal of becoming a medical doctor.
Yulitzen Juarez will attend Cal State Northridge with a major in radiology.
The following GALA students will receive book awards: Emma Kenney will attend Carnegie Mellon where she will major in psychology.
Wendolyn Stanfill will at-
(Please turn to Page 15)
AWARDEES: Chloe Watkins, Johana Miel, Hillary Tong and Mukhammadjon Mukhitdinov.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
GirlsBuild National summit: a step toward a brighter future
By Ella Wolovitch
“Pay it forward. It never hurts to go back and make sure that those behind you can stand next to you one day,” declared Aiyana Sha’neil, a GirlsBuild alum. Her inspiring words of self-love and confidence reverberated through the 2025 GirlsBuild Summit on April 23.
GirlsBuild is a nonprofit organization that empowers and inspires girls of all backgrounds. The mission is to instill confidence into young women and equip them with the leadership skills needed to make change in their community.
GirlsBuild partnered with the LA Promise Fund, a local nonprofit, to host the 10th National GirlsBuild Summit, which took place at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, bringing over 5,000 local students together for a day filled with community building and empowering speakers.
When my chapter of GirlsBuild at Larchmont Charter High School offered me the opportunity to attend, I enthusiastically jumped at the chance.
The day began with the
HelloFuture College & Career Fair, which had a wide variety of booths with information about various colleges and career options. It was intended to inspire girls to work and study in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields where women are often underrepresented.
My school’s chapter hosted a booth that distributed zines, or homemade publications, made by my fellow club members. Attendees strolled and explored the opportunities for learning while excitement buzzed through the air. The anticipation of the remainder of the day was evident through the students’ scattered chatter.
Once in the theater, stu-
dents heard from an array of powerful guest speakers. Among my favorites were women like Candace Nelson, an accomplished CEO and the founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes; Cameron Brink, a WNBA player on the L.A. Sparks ; and Aiyana Sha’neil, a poet and writer who performed a beautiful poem, touching many. These women, and the many other speakers, exuded confidence and inspired the audience with their many accomplishments and devotion to their careers and their leadership roles were memorable.
The energy throughout the event was uplifting and created a truly passionate environment, which is how
GirlsBuild creates change in the community.
There were many elements of audience participation, engaging the listeners and calling them to action. Students from different schools were able to come up and propose their ideas for passion projects to Candace Nelson, who listened and gave advice on creating an impactful and successful business.
As the event came to an end, I looked around and felt a sense of oneness with everyone who attended. It
felt special to be somewhere where everyone felt so connected by shared ideas. Attendees were there to uplift women to accomplish great things, and we were intertwined by the wonderful message that GirlsBuild and the women who spoke at the summit perpetuate. Being surrounded by strong women filled me with a sense of fulfillment and hope for a bright future. It felt powerful to be at this event, like a step in the right direction toward gender equality.
GIRLS READ THE ZINES that were written and designed by the Larchmont Charter chapter.
LARCHMONT CHARTER’S GirlsBuild club in front of YouTube Theater.
Photo by Stacey Mahoney
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Lucky 21 Gala for Larchmont Charter
NEIGHBORHOOD PALS
Nona Friedman of Ridgewood
Caroline
Student stories, ‘Impact’ told at Marlborough
Marlborough School hosted the nonprofit Plus Me IMPACT May 17. Five Los Angeles County School District students selected from over 238 applicants shared how their personal stories matter in shaping their communities.
The scholarship recipients
Youth Sports
(Continued from Page 8) presently 26 D1men’s college teams. Women’s volleyball has 334 D1 teams. This makes the competition for boys who want to participate in college a challenge. For those
are Jesus Ayala James from Monroe High School, Jimena Castaneda from Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, Mazel Ceniza from John F. Kennedy High School, Hanna Corona from Woodrow Wilson Senior High School and Lorenzo Flores from Alliance Morgan
athletes, off-season club volleyball is a necessity.
“And there’s always more interest immediately after the Olympic Games.”
If that’s true, SG Elite better get ready, especially with the 2028 Summer Olympics heading to Los Angeles.
About 350 teachers, staff and parents from all four campuses convened at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood for Larchmont Charter School’s Lucky 21 Gala on May 9. Attendees bid on more than 300 auction items, took a turn in the photo booth, spun the lucky wheel for a prize and enjoyed the open bar while mingling with friends. Guests were treated to a delicious Mediterranean dinner followed by dancing.
The TK-to-12th-grade school was the brainchild of moms from Windsor Square and Larchmont Village, who started talking about it while their kids played in the park. It became a reality that has lasted for the past 21 years.
DINNER AND GAMES were enjoyed by attendees inside the ballroom.
WINDSOR SQUARE resident and Larchmont Charter staff member Alissa Chariton (left) checks people in with co-worker Esmeralda Sandoval.
ENJOYING DINNER are (left to right) Andrew Chi and Mike Armbruster of Ridgewood Wilton and Susan and Stephen Matloff of Windsor Square.
ENJOYING THE OPEN bar are AJ and Julie Johnson of Windsor Square.
Wilton (left) and
Tracy of Hancock Park take a quick selfie before dinner.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
Benefit was California Dreamin’
About 100 parents and faculty attended Tree Academy’s annual fundraiser at the home of Margaret and Chris Jacquemin on May 15.
A California Dreamin’ theme provided the backdrop for the event, which raised funds to sustain the sixth- to 12th-grade school’s resources and provide assistance to help maintain a diverse student population.
Food and drink were provided by Tamar Chafets, Mark Gold, Mr. Leaf Wines and Rosa Vodka.
Silent and live auctions were held and an online auction continues through Thurs., June 5, on Charity-
Founded in 2016 by Paul Cummins (of Crossroads and New Roads schools), the school offers college-prep classes and a wide range of electives.
Scholarships
(Continued from Page 11)
tend UC Santa Cruz majoring in environmental studies / biology with plans to become an environmental engineer. Trinity De Leon-Chavarria will attend UC Riverside majoring in biology.
AT THE BENEFIT are (left to right) Sarah Moore, director of Operations and Admissions; parent and host Margaret Jacquemin; Head of School Phú Trầnchí, and actor, musician and parent Jack Black.
WE SALUTE THE GRADUATES OF 2025
A spring gala of students and superstars not to be missed
Westside Ballet will be holding its spring showcase, “Masters of Movement,” alongside a gala at the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage Sat., May 31, and Sun., June 1. The performance will include three of our Hancock Park dancers: Lux Saevitz, Romy Tomich and Elle Shim.
At the showcase, the pre-professional dancers will perform excerpts from “Coppelia,” a contemporary work of Mark Tomasic, and Bob Fosse’s “Cabaret.”
The Saturday evening galafeatures performances by Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia of the New York City Ballet. Peck is a Westside alumna who was also featured in Prime Video’s ballet dramedy “Etoile.” The ballet to be performed is an evocative duet of Jerome Robbins’ “Other Dances,” a waltz and four mazurkas (a Polish folk dance style) originally set for Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
The gala audience will be pleased to also see students in George Balanchine’s “Circus Polka,” Justin Peck’s “Bloom”—including Los Angeles Ballet’s Kate Inoue and Marcos Ramirez—and
“Le Conservatoire,” including Danish star Nilas Martins and Adrian Mitchell of the Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. And if that is not reason enough to attend, a portion of the proceeds will go toward the school’s Fire Scholarship Fund to support over 40 families who lost homes in L.A.’s January fires by helping with
dance school costs. Additionally, both fire and police first responders will be honored.
The gala takes place Sat., May 31, at 7 p.m. Spring showcases will be both May 31 and Sun., June 1, at 1 p.m. All events will be at the Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. Tickets can be purchased at westsideballet.com/ springtix.
USC 2025 School of Cinematic Arts Graduate magna cum laude!
WESTSIDE BALLET LOCAL STUDENTS, left to right, Lux Saevitz, Romy Tomich and Elle Shim will perform alongside superstars from the ballet world. Photo by Sarah Madison
TILER PECK AND ROMAN MEJIA featured in “Etoile.” Peck is also a former Westside dancer. Photo by Erin Baiao
GRADUATES OF 2025
NEW COVENANT ACADEMY
Kailey Kim 10th Grade
Seniors made lasting memories during their final school events, including the senior chapel, a breakfast ceremony, a sunset evening at the beach, and a thrilling trip to Universal Studios for the Grad Bash. As they prepare for their next chapter, they’ve left behind wisdom and encouragement for the underclassmen who will follow in their footsteps.
NCA also hosted a special banquet to honor the girls’ basketball and
CAMPBELL HALL
Claire “Cal” Lesher 12th Grade
boys’ volleyball and basketball teams. Players came together for a night of great food, recognition, and awards, celebrating their hard work and dedication throughout the season.
And, of course, the Class of 2025 marked their graduation with a special commencement ceremony, celebrating their achievements, college acceptances, and scholarships. NCA couldn’t be prouder of its graduates, and we wish them success in all that lies ahead!
With the school year now behind us, it’s time for everyone to rest, recharge, and enjoy the break. Congratulations on all your hard work, NCA students—you made this year unforgettable!
After the 2025 prom “Spring Fling,” was a smashing success. Students began to prepare for final exams while seniors prepared to embark on graduation and their new journey into university life. School will wrap up fast for another remarkable year. Before the school year ends, we are jam packed with ample amount of fun events. These include the Dance Departments presents “Alice in Wonderland,” the Spring Sing Choral Concert, The
Drama Lab Experiment, and lastly, our Film and TV Screening Festival. Plus, our annual Bagpipers Ball where all proceeds benefit Campbell Hall’s Financial Aid Programs.
Personal note, this is my final column for the Larchmont Chronicle. I am extremely grateful to the Chronicle team for allowing me to write about my schools since fourth grade. I have loved writing for the Chronicle each month and will always cherish it. Next year, I will attend Northeastern University in Boston to pursue a degree in engineering.
Congratulations to the class of 2025! This is Cal Lesher signing off for the last time. Best of luck to everyone in all your adventures!
GRADUATES OF 2025
LARCHMONT CHARTER WILSHIRE
Emory Tom Kirkwood & Xavier Mason 3rd Grade
It’s June! Which means summer is nearly here! Before we set off for camps and travels and endless days of playing under the sun, we have our musicals! This year we’re having a “Sponge Bob” production. It will be on May 29 to 30 at 5 p.m. You can buy tickets at the Larchmont Charter store.
Another thing that’s great about June is our abc countdown to the end of the school year. This is a favorite school tradition! Over the last 26 days, we’ll participate in many ways to show our school spirit! Highlights from past years are P for Popsicle and C for Character dress up.
This June, we’ll also be celebrating Pride Month with an assembly, fun crafts, and special books in the library.
More traditions? We have a competition for best yearbook cover. Last year’s winner? Rory K.
One more thing before break: Thanks teachers for supporting us through the year. We appreciate you.
Enjoy your summer!
(p.s. It’s been fun writing for the Chronicle! What a great year at LCS!)
THIRD STREET
Maya Johnson 5th
Grade
Greetings from Third Street Elementary School! We are wrapping up Teacher Appreciation week. We had fun spoiling our teachers and letting them know how much we care about them.
The countdown has begun for the last few weeks of school!
On June 6 the 5th graders will participate in the 5th grade luncheon and school spirit day. Later that night, the school will have its annual 3rd Street’s Got Talent event! Parents are invited to watch students play instruments, dance, do skits, etc.; it’s sure to be a fun night! June 7 is the 5th grade dance, kids are invited to dress up and dance to their favorite songs!
On Tues., June 10, we have the last day of school and the 5th grade Culmination. Lastly,
on Wed., June 11, there is a staff appreciation luncheon. For parents interested in Summer School for their children, Third Street Elementary will be hosting summer school and many of our teachers will be teaching. There will also be Creative Brain Camp and Got Game Camp. I am sad to say goodbye to Third Street Elementary but excited because this school and teachers prepared me for my next adventure - middle school! :)
THE WILLOWS Wren Meltzer 7th Grade
students sing songs to the grades taking their place that have to do with the year’s curriculum. StepUp is always bittersweet because we know we will miss school even though we are excited for summer. Finally, the end of school also brings the end of my Larchmont Chronicle column for this year. I have loved writing it, thank you for reading it.
ST. BRENDAN Alyssa Lee 8th Grade
ers, little buddies, and the warm school community. I know I speak for our class when I say being part of St. Brendan has changed us for good. Congratulations to all the graduates!
LARCHMONT CHARTER
SELMA
Elsie Mohr 5th Grade
For my last entry of the year, I am choosing to write about my favorite week of the entire school year, Spirit Week! Every year on the last week of school, without fail, Spirit Week commences, and students (especially me) take it upon themselves to go all out. Each day of Spirit Week has a different theme; pajama day, crazy hair day, and dress-like-a-teacher day. On the final day of the week there is an event we call Step-Up. Step-Up is a Willows tradition when each grade “steps up” into the next grade. Elementary and upper elementary school
With the school year coming to an end, we look back fondly and cherish the memories we’ve made at St. Brendan. May went by quickly with our talent show, book fair, mini carnival, fun run and musical. The last couple of weeks will go by even faster with the 8th graders graduating on June 6, kindergarten graduates June 9, field day on June 12, and end of school picnic June 13. As part of the 8th grade graduating class, it is a bittersweet moment as we bid farewell and say thank you to all our friends, teachers, and the school that will always be a second home to us. We will miss the sports events, musicals, field trips, fundrais-
Happy almost summer! Kids at Larchmont Charter are itching with excitement as the school year comes to a close. But summer’s not the only thing to look forward to. Eighth grade is having their grad night at Universal Studios, and speaking of graduates, fourth-grade students will be celebrated during our annual bridging ceremony. They will receive personalized sashes and step over a bridge, symbolizing their “bridging” to fifth grade at the Larchmont Selma campus. Seniors are getting ready for prom, and middle school students can’t wait to hang out and sign yearbooks during the Yearbook Live event. There are so many fun celebrations. These last few weeks are going to fly by. Happy end-of-school year and have a great summer!
GRADUATES OF 2025
LARCHMONT CHARTER
LAFAYETTE PARK
Ella Wolovitch 9th Grade
Recent weeks at LFP have been full of hard work and excite ment. Student government elections took place on May 1 and 2, and campaigning happened during the week before. President is Soobin Park, vice president Jincheng Wan, treasurer Aiden Smith and secretary Devon Jasiukonis have been elected for next year.
Additionally, AP tests are taking place and care packages were distributed for students taking the tests since they have been hard at work studying for these important exams.
Also, our weekly school news station, “Chanel Moon,” has been live broadcasting many engaging segments with games, interviews and school updates. As the school year is coming to an end, it can be hard to stay focused, but students are working hard to end the year strong.
MARLBOROUGH
Madison McClure 9th Grade
achievement. Our commencement speaker is Brigid LaBonge, a member of Immaculate Heart’s Board of Trustees, the wife of the late City Councilman Tom LaBonge, and the mother of IH graduate Mary-Cate LaBonge, Class of 2012.
The end of the school year was quite eventful for our students. Our school recognized our spring sports teams at our Spring Sports Banquet on May 14. This banquet celebrated the season and accomplishments of our athletes. Our Juniors and Seniors celebrated their prom on May 16th at the Skirball Center. The theme for the night was “The Garden of Hesperides.” Following prom was our cumulative assessment period, in which all of our students took
their final exams of the year! Finally, we ended the year with Class Day, where our students come together to reminisce on the year, sign yearbooks, and give a farewell to our graduating seniors. We hope all of our seniors have a great time in college next year, and we will miss them! Have a great summer!
PAGE ACADEMY
Amanda Arigiropoulos 8th Grade
Hello, my Larchmont friends! After 10 wonderful years at Page Academy, I will be graduating on June 11, and am heading to high school (Ar-
cher ’29!). This year was marked by me repeatedly saying, “This will be my last (fill in the blank) at Page.” And although they were my last, Page Academy’s Teacher Appreciation Week, its annual Spring Show and Mother’s Day barbecue, Spirit Week and Spelling Bee will be back next May and for many years to come. The community at Page Academy is one any child, student and parent could ever hope for. It has been my second home for all of these years and will continue so in my heart. I have been very privileged to have had the love and support of the teachers and staff here and I will miss them all deeply.
In June we are wrapping up the school year. The JK and kindergarten graduation and
awards ceremony will be held on June 10 and the 1st to 8th Grade Graduation and Awards Ceremony will be held on June 11. I want to congratulate all of my graduating classmates - our time at Page has been full of terrific achievements, amazing adventures and lasting friendships. All my best wishes to my friends who are lucky enough to still have some time at Page ahead of them, including Page Summer Camp, which will start on June 16. I have enjoyed my time reporting on all of the amazing things that go on at Page Academy! I leave you with this last thought - “You’re off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way.” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
Marlborough middle school’s play “Clue” just opened! It was comical, murder mystery based on the 1943 board game. All of the middle schoolers were amazing and the costumes were absolutely beautiful. Marlborough’s performance of Alice by Heart was nominated for numerous Jerry Herman awards, which are basically the Tonys but for high school students. They were nominated for Best Musical Staging and Choreography as well as Best Costume Design. As for sports, our varsity lacrosse team just won its quarter finals against Santa Margaritas and has its semifinals for Division 1 against Mira Costa this Friday, May 9. Our Track and Field team is the Angelus League Champion!
IMMACULATE HEART
Rosie Lay 11th Grade Summer’s finally here! This year, 95 IH seniors will cross the stage at the Hollywood Bowl and receive their diplomas on Mon., June 2. Family and friends will be there to cheer the Class of 2025 on this
