LC Real Estate 01 2024

BINDERY

MUSEUM

Making books the old-fashioned way on Melrose at Larchmont.

New building is revealed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

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Real Estate Museums

Entertainment

VIEW

AROUND TOWN Horse-drawn carriage carried carolers through streets of Brookside.

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LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

JANUARY 2024

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

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Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

Local bookbinder proves there is poetry beyond the page

By Casey Russell In an unobtrusive shop near the corner of Melrose Avenue and Larchmont Boulevard, Charlene Matthews quietly works her magic.

The local businesswoman took her first bookbinding class in 1985, a year and a half after the birth of her daughter. Matthews had become antsy staying home caring for her child and decided to take a class.

“I do a lot of hands-on things. I was raised as a Mormon, so I learned how to sew and knit early… and I read constantly. So, I saw the bookbinding class and thought, ‘Hmm … I have some books that need to be fixed…’” Matthews quickly found out the UCLA Extension class was much more than one for book repair. It was a book art class.

Since then, she’s taken a lot of classes. Because Matthews needed to be home with her daughter, she was never able to study under anyone long-term. But a passion for binding had been lit within her. She did a lot of weekend classes and, in her words, “read like crazy.”

For more than a decade, Matthews worked out of her home. Then, 24 years ago, she opened Charlene Matthews

BOOKBINDER Charlene Matthews in her shop on Melrose Avenue.

Bindery at 5720 Melrose Ave. As a binder located in Hollywood, Matthews told us that 30 percent of her business is for the film industry. She binds screenplays, does prop work for all eras and is hired to do script presentations.

She has been binding director and screenwriter Zack Snyder’s storyboards for years.

But she loves all aspects of binding. Artists come to her to make books that house their text, art and photographs.

Matthews also does book repair, restoring spines, matching materials and working to make sure beloved tomes are brought back to life.

Corporations hire her to bind presentations, and individuals

come to her to creatively bind their diaries or other personal writings.

The artist often finds herself making special occasion books for people’s birthdays and milestone events, and she loves making museum-quality boxes to house fine objects.

“It’s all handmade,” the artist told us. “There’s only one machine I’ve got that uses electricity.” Matthews works with all sorts of bindings. “The material can be anything.”

The local resident told us she doesn’t read the books she binds. “You can’t read everybody’s books,” she said. “You’d go insane!” When asked how she knows what cover will be right for each book, Matthews

INSIDE Matthews’ shop, a black cutting machine sits near the entryway.

told us she talks to her clients, but said, “I’m just really good at that part.” She has a myriad of papers and cloth and told us, “I buy stuff that I like.

I have in stock what I would make my own books with.”

Having been in the practice of binding books since 1985, the book artist has bound quite a few of her own works.

Some of these are in her shop, but she also has on display a unique piece of art. Over the course of several years, Matthews hand-wrote James Joyce’s “Ulysses” — in its entirety — on 38 seven-foot poles which now hang in her workshop.

Bookbinders, the local artist told us, are a grumpy lot. They

tend to like to work alone.

Matthews enjoys the solitary nature of her work and spends six days a week at the shop.

“It’s a lot of work to make a book,” said Matthews, “Most people have no idea.” One of the things the businesswoman likes is that, as an American bookbinder, there is no right way to make a book. “I can take these different bindings and mix them all up,” she said.

“If I were German or French, I’d have to do it in a certain way. But American bookbinders do it any way we want.”

Her books can be found in libraries, museums and collections around the world.

For more information, email binderess@yahoo.com.

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Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

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What’s next for TV City’s proposed expansion plan?

By Suzan Filipek Public hearings on the proposed expansion of Television City are expected to start early this year. They would be the first community meetings since the release of the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavky said in a community email last month that her office is reviewing the FEIR. “I have ensured that there will be no official public hearings on the project hosted by the City until at least January or February 2024 to ensure time for robust public review and input,” Yaroslavksy added.

The FEIR document also contains corrections and modifications and responses to public comments made to the Planning Department in 2022 in response to the project’s Draft EIR. Developer Hackman Capital Partners posted a statement on its website following the release of the FEIR on Nov. 21: “This is a major step forward in the planning process to ensure that TVC will remain a studio through the modernization and expansion of this iconic but aging production facility. With the

City’s release of the Final EIR, after nearly three years of review and analysis, we are at an important step closer to creating thousands of good-paying entertainment jobs and keeping production and the families that depend on our most identifiable industry here in Los Angeles.”

The group Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development questions the redevelopment plan, which the group says on its website: “poses an unprecedented risk of gaming the system and wiping out the neighborhood.”

“Nothing in the FEIR — or the Specific Plan that actually governs the use of the property — indicates a smaller project,” the group’s co-chair Shelley Wagers told us in an email.

“Even the eye-popping 1.87 million square feet they claim for the project actually understates its actual size, because the FEIR still uses disputed definitions for floor area,” she added. “… In short, after more than 400 largely critical comment letters and a year and a half of public outcry, Hackman is stickin’ to their story,” Wagers said.

RISING ABOVE RAY’S AND STARK BAR is the western end of LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries building.

Progress becomes visible at LACMA

By John Welborne Viewed from the west, from the Zev Yaroslavsky Plaza or the decomposed granite field surrounding Michael Heizer’s giant rock, “Levitated Mass,” the western end of the new David Geffen Galleries building is emerging from its cocoon of steel scaffolding — hovering like a giant wing over the existing Ray’s and Stark Bar. The finished ceiling and floor of this end of the galleries level is visible — looking not unlike a butterfly wing extended from a cocoon. Finishing work on the poured

concrete surfaces, as well as the installation of the tall glass walls that wrap the pe-

rimeter of the entire building, is yet to come. The metamor(Please turn to Page 4)

LACMA west end roof was almost done in this photo, with scaffolding soon to be removed, as partially shown above.

4 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

Ring in the New Year with joy and promise for preservation I am happy to say that 2023 was a good year for preservation with lots of activity and few major losses.

There was an increased focus on the preservation of the eastern portion of our Greater Wilshire community in Larchmont, Oakwood / Maplewood / St. Andrews as well as Ridgewood-Wilton / St. Andrews Square and Western-Wilton. This positive activity included James Dastoli’s five Historic-Cultural Monument nominations and the recent designation of the historic districts of Ridgewood Place and St. Andrews Square. I am looking forward to a new year that holds much promise with new developments locally and citywide.

New LA Conservancy head Los Angeles’s premier preservation organization, the Los Angeles Conservancy, has a new chief executive following the retirement of legendary

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

CEO and preservationist Linda Dishman after 31 years.

Adrian Scott Fine will assume leadership after serving as director of advocacy. He brings with him decades of preservation experience, including with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., Indiana Landmarks, the California Preservation Foundation and USC’s Heritage Conservation Summer Program among other preservation gigs. Congratulation’s Adrian!

Citrus Square organizes for National Register designation I have long advocated for

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

A Happy New Year in Windsor Square

Make your New Year’s resolution to get involved with the Windsor Square Association and serve your community! January offers a number of opportunities to engage and participate in community outreach, emergency preparedness, public safety and social issues.

Block Captains: Be the leader of your block and point person for all that’s going on in the neighborhood. The WSA has numerous block captain positions open. A great opportunity to engage with neighbors and community leaders. Contact: blockcaptains@windsorsquare.org.

Community Preparedness: Join WSA Board Members Gary Gilbert and Steve Kazanjian in the organization and implementation of the city’s RYLAN (Ready Your LA Neighborhood) program in Windsor Square. This will support disaster preparedness for Windsor Square.

group is planning a series of outreach events including a webinar in February. I plan to be writing about this in my next column.

California Preservation Foundation Conference The California Preservation Foundation will be returning

to Los Angeles for its annual conference. Entitled “Building Shelter, Community and Sustainability,” the event will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel May 29-June 1. More than 600 participants from across the state (Please turn to Page 5)

Windsor Village re-elects board at meeting

By Casey Russell Board of Directors elections took place at the Windsor Village Association (WVA) annual meeting on Dec. 3. Board president Barbara Pflaumer, who will serve the second year of her term in 2024, told us that board members Julie Kim, Ginger Tanner, Bruce Beiderwell and Marilyn Bachelor were re-elected.

In addition to board elections, attendees heard a recap of the board’s recent accomplishments. In 2023, the WVA held its annual potluck dinner, screened two movies in Harold Henry Park for residents and hosted two park cleanups.

Also in 2023, the board welcomed Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky to its June meeting, worked on emergency preparedness, continued planning for speed bumps on Lucerne Boulevard and partnered with the community to address the problem of homeless individuals at the Rite-Aid on Crenshaw Boulevard (that subsequently was closed as part of that company’s national bankruptcy proceedings).

LACMA

Public Safety: Learn more about public safety and the happenings in the LAPD Olympic Division by attending the Olympic Division Community Advisory Board Meeting January 7th. Windsor Square also falls into the Wilshire Division, so keep an eye out for its advisory meetings.

SOLD: This home at 962 S. Plymouth Blvd. in Windsor Village sold for $1,495,000 in November.

Real Estate Sales* Single-family homes

354 S. Lucerne Blvd.

428 N. Las Palmas Ave. 330 N. Arden Blvd.

545 N. Poinsettia Pl. 343 N. Citrus Ave. 343 N. Formosa Ave. 526 N. Irving Blvd.

338 S. Sycamore Ave. 344 N. Vista St. 570 S. Van Ness Ave. 658 Lillian Way 4842 Oakwood Ave. 962 S. Plymouth Blvd.

$6,600,000 $4,999,000 $3,610,000 $2,395,000 $2,165,000 $2,000,000 $1,880,000 $1,860,000 $1,801,000 $1,735,000 $1,550,000 $1,500,000 $1,495,000

316 N. Rossmore Ave., #400 737 S. Windsor Blvd., #104 606 Wilcox Ave. 5132 Maplewood Ave., #203 620 S. Gramercy Pl., #441 102 S. Manhattan Pl., #306 444 S. Gramercy Pl., #6 532 N. Rossmore Ave., #109 525 N. Sycamore Ave., #210 525 N. Sycamore Ave., #404

$1,765,000 $1,370,000 $1,260,950 $680,000 $655,000 $616,000 $585,000 $560,000 $490,000 $484,000

Condominiums

*Sale prices for November.

(Continued from Page 3)

Homelessness Issues: The WSA has been working with Council District 13 in addressing the encampments along 6th Street near Van Ness Avenue. We have been learning more about the process and issues surrounding housing — which both Mayor Bass and Councilman Soto-Martinez addressed at our Town Hall in November at The Ebell. You now have an opportunity to do your part by volunteering for the annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count 2024 which will be held on Thursday, January 25th. You can sign up to volunteer here: theycountwillyou.org.

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Join In!: Sign up for neighborhood clubs or volunteer at local charities or for good causes. Working together on shared interests — or just having fun — is a great way to knit our community together in the coming year.

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

the designation of Citrus Square as an historic district since the surprise demolition of 361 S. Citrus Ave. in 2019 by Reuven and Shevy Gradon. Now a group of homeowners, residents and preservationists have begun the designation process, researching and organizing in preparation for the submittal of a National Register Historic District application. The

phosis will continue around the building as the roof of the 347,500-square-foot structure is completed, with construction steadily moving east and across Wilshire Boulevard.

Behind the construction fences at ground level, the portions of the building that will house vertical transportation (stairways and elevators), the new restaurant, educational facilities, the new LACMA Store and more are similarly being freed from the scaffolding utilized for the construction of formwork to hold the poured concrete of which the Peter Zumthor-designed building is composed.

Museum officials say construction still is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Learn more at: lacma.org/support/building-lacma.

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Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

Personal memorabilia is at heart of Village Pizzeria dispute

By Suzan Filipek A dispute between the former and current owners of Larchmont Pizzeria — first reported in the pages of the Larchmont Chronicle — has escalated to social media and beyond.

The Chronicle article was more than a year ago, several months after the July 2022 closing of the sale of the pizzeria to a new ownership group.

Now the story of the acrimonious dispute has landed in the Los Angeles Times (“Who owns the memorabilia on the walls of this iconic L.A.

pizzeria?,” Dec. 14, 2023).

Former owner Steve Cohen, who long has lived with his family in the Larchmont Village Neighborhood, near the pizzeria he founded 27 years ago, filled the restaurant’s walls with his personal mementos.

He wants them back. All of them. There are the neon signs, the clocks, the framed personal photos and more.

As reported most recently in The Times, the new owners refuse. They accuse Cohen of breaching his contract and presenting a rosier-than-true

financial picture of the pizzeria, said their lawyer, John Schlaff.

The seller’s and buyers’ argument also has played out in social media. According to the buyers’ attorney, Cohen was offered a deal at one point to buy back the restaurant at half of the sales price.

Cohen refused. He was then offered a deal where he would turn over access to the restaurant’s Facebook page (that he still controls) in exchange for the new owners returning the memorabilia,

On Preservation

column and in other articles in this paper. These sites are attached to developments that are in various stages of progress.

The Fairfax Theater, 7901 Beverly Blvd, a designated Historic Cultural Monument is now a shell — its theater and interior gone as it awaits its entitled project to begin.

CBS Television City project (TVC 2050), 7800 Beverly Blvd., has just completed a six-week community relations blitz in which 10,000 residents, stakeholders and interested parties weighed in on the design and its potential impacts to the local community. The historic studio designed by William Pereira is

to be preserved but surrounded by new construction.

The Wilshire Professional Building, 3875 Wilshire Blvd., whose owner Jameson Properties was recently chastised for allowing the landmarked treasure to deteriorate, is due to be restored as part of a larger development under construction on St. Andrews Place.

LACMA’s Japanese Pavilion by self-taught avant-garde architect Bruce Goff, celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.

The pavilion, which underwent a two-year restoration and renovation, is set to reopen upon the completion of the new Peter Zumthor designed Geffen Galleries in late 2024 (fingers crossed!).

(Continued from Page 4)

will attend to learn, network, and share successes.

The conference includes in excess of 40 sessions, special events, networking activities, and site tours in and around Los Angeles. It will also be exploring special localities and regionally-focused sites through “Loving Los Angeles,” taking an up-close look at some of the Los Angeles region’s best preservation successes and stories.

Local preservation developments to watch There are a few historic sites to “watch,” sites that have been covered in this

attorney Schlaff said.

That deal is still up in the air.

The pizzeria’s new ownership group appears to include film producers Jeff Bowler and Bret Saxon. The two were the

5

subjects of an investigative report in November, also in The Times. Its authors described lawsuits and allegations of fraud in Bowler’s and Saxon’s film producing business.

6 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

City’s famous and legendary restaurants celebrated in book

By Helene Seifer Those with a love of Los Angeles history, food or architecture — or those who just enjoy eating out — are sure to have an appetite for the compendium of facts, stories, recipes and photographs found in chef, author and food historian George Geary’s newest book, “L.A.’s Landmark Restaurants: Celebrating the Legendary Locations Where Angelenos Have Dined for Generations.”

A follow-up to Geary’s popular “L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants: Celebrating the Famous Places Where Hollywood Ate, Drank, and Played,” which focused on celebrity haunts, the 51 iconic restaurants in his latest work are places with long local histories where regular Los Angelenos returned again and again. Geary covers the length and breadth of Greater Los Angeles, providing detailed accounts about the original owners, clientele, menus, recipes and even architectural styles of restaurants from the Dal Rae in Pico Rivera to Geoffrey’s in Malibu, Joe Jost’s in Long Beach to the Original Pantry Café Downtown and the Googie-style Pann’s near Los Angeles International Airport. Although some of the

COVER of new book.

featured eateries are gone, such as Nickodell (which had locations on Argyle Avenue and on Melrose Avenue, adjacent to Paramount) and the Sportsmen’s Lodge (now a shopping complex), other restaurants, including Cole’s, The Apple Pan and Casita del Campo, are still going strong.

Our neighborhood is well-represented with stalwarts Canter’s Delicatessen, El Cholo, HMS Bounty, Tom Bergin’s and El Coyote, among others.

Historic photos Geary has amassed hundreds of historic photographs and mountains of fascinating information about Southland restaurants. In 1944, he recounts, 20 loyal customers hand-carried Tom Bergin’s horseshoe-shaped oak bar from its original Wilshire

CANTER BROS. DELICATESSEN original location in Boyle Heights.

POSTCARD OF NICKODELL on Melrose Avenue.

Boulevard location to its new home on Fairfax Avenue.

A Barney’s Beanery ad in the 1970s touted its burgers as a “perfect gift for your Valentine” and listed options including the “soaked” wine burger and the “intellectual” mushroom-and-egg burger.

Few know that a pickle room exists in the bowels of Canter’s Deli, where approximately 55 gallons of cucumbers and green tomatoes are brined every day — and yes, their pickle recipe is included in the book.

Scandals “L.A.’s Landmark Restaurants” recounts its share of scandals, disputes and trage-

EL COYOTE’S original location on La Brea Avenue.

dies. Original founders of the Dal Rae, Owen Dalton and Rae Harris, had to sell their place after Dalton’s divorce following his notorious affair with a burlesque dancer. El Coyote

has the ghoulish distinction of being the last place Sharon Tate and friends dined before their murder by the followers of Charles Manson; fans honor (Please turn to Page 14) (Please turn to Page 12)

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Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

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Compassion is on the plate at West African vegan restaurant Located a few steps above street level on busy Melrose Avenue, one walks through a plant-filled dining courtyard into a welcoming dining room. Whirring palm leaf ceiling fans hang from a turquoise tin ceiling above a worn wooden floor.

An eclectic mix of contemporary, bentwood pendants and antique pole lamps lend charm. Patrons sit at art deco-style plush turquoise booths or individual tables surrounded by gold velvet barrel seats. There’s an attractive wood bar, large picture windows, graphic curtains and wall hangings and scattered leafy plants. In spite of the elegant touches,

On the Menu by

Helene Seifer it has a casual, funky vibe.

Servers are informative, patient and friendly. They know the small menu and cocktail list well and can explain the sometimes unfamiliar ingredients. Items are available à la carte, or one can order all nine savory and two sweet dishes as “The Ubuntu Experience” for $75.

Additionally, there are six $17 specialty and four $12

Diamond Bakery says farewell to Fairfax

By Nona Sue Friedman Subsequent to the distribution of the Chronicle’s December issue, Diamond Bakery has closed its retail location on Fairfax Avenue.

It was there for more than 77 years.

When speaking with owner Doug Weinstein, he told us, “It broke my heart.” But keeping the store open became too much of a burden.

“I’ve done what I can to keep the brand alive, ” commented Weinstein. He sold Diamond’s recipes to BreadLA, which owns Brooklyn Bagel. It will

produce the core products, such as rye bread, chocolate chip Danish and babka to start. Weinstein revealed that talks are underway with major high-end retailers to get products into stores. He’s hoping for a special section showcasing Diamond products within markets.

Meanwhile, Weinstein is moving back to Santa Barbara to be the chef for the café and head of event catering at the newly renovated Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara while consulting and selling for the Diamond Bak-

Andre’s Italian to open soon on Wilshire Boulevard

By Suzan Filipek A popular feature of the former Town and Country shopping center is making a comeback.

Andre’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria will soon be dishing up plates of pasta and other Mediterranean specialties at its new sit-down restaurant in the historic Dominguez-Wilshire Building at 5400 Wilshire Blvd.

The restaurant is expected to open by mid-January 2024.

“We’re hoping.

We’re waiting for the final city inspection,” co-owner Stephanie Gagliarducci told us.

Gagliarducci is the grandniece of Dominic Andreone, a native of Italy, who opened the classic, cafeteria-style restaurant in 1963 at 6332 West Third St. in the Town and Country shopping center.

The restaurant closed in July 2022 after new owners of the property announced plans to demolish the site to build an eight-story, mixeduse complex of housing units over retail, now under construction.

The restaurant has since operated as a take-out location on Washington Boulevard.

ery brand.

Currently, those who need a fix can visit a Viktor Benês Bakery inside certain Gelson’s Markets.

DIAMOND BAKERY’S rye bread is available at local retailers.

zero-proof cocktails and an assortment of wine and beer.

My friend and I began with refreshing cocktails: Alewa, made with tequila, orange liqueur, rum and beet juice, and Bless the Rains, which features rum, falernum (Caribbean gingery lime and almond liqueur), grapefruit and creole bitters. Dishes often combine the familiar with the unexpected, such as a riff on the Italian rice ball arancini, here made with flavorful jollof rice (long grain rice made the West African way with tomato, chiles and onions). The three generous, slightly spicy, arancini are delicious dipped in the accompanying North African chermoula sauce (typically made with chopped parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander and lemon juice), $16.

Charred okra salad, $14, was recommended by our server and so we ordered it, in spite of our fear that it would exhibit that vegetable’s characteristic slimy texture. As promised, it didn’t. Smoky from the charring, tossed with pigeon peas and red kidney beans in a passionfruit vinaigrette, this was one of our favorite plates of the night. By turns crunchy and meaty, with rich umami flavor and both sweet and vinegary notes, this is a must order. We also loved the creamy hearts of palm bisque.

Our only experience with hearts of palm previously was cut into rounds straight out of the can and added to salad.

We were pleasantly surprised by the depth of this warming soup. Topped with fried shallots and parsley oil, this $12 bowl is a perfect and healthy cool weather treat.

My biggest complaint is that of the nine savory dishes, three are built around mushrooms.

While I admire that they don’t use cashew cheese and impossible chicken to imitate meat eater’s meals, it would have been nice for the three bigger plates to feature a greater variety of vegetables. Nonetheless, the $18 pie stuffed with lion’s mane mushrooms, habanero and tamarind applesauce was satisfying. Meaty mushrooms were seasoned well and the spicy-sour-sweet flavor combination worked.

We also tried $24 grits, here made with fonio, an ancient grain, and served with sautéed oyster mushrooms with tomatoes and old bay seasoning, $24. The seasoning tasted discordant with the dish, and a balsamic vinegar drizzle was an over-the-top embellishment that distracted from the interesting fonio and mushrooms.

We were too full to try dessert, unfortunately, because the $15 plantain cardamom tart with coconut and berry compote sounds terrific. I’ll definitely return to try it and the other dish that called out to us: the $13 grilled cabbage flavored with Ethiopian berbere spice blend.

Ubuntu, 7469 Melrose Ave., 323-433-4141.

Angelini

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O S T E R I A by Gino Angelini

HappyNewYear!

NEW SIGN is up at the restaurant. Photo courtesy of Andre’s

Andreone died in January 2022 at the age of 99.

Gagliarducci is joined in the new venture by co-owners Peter Andreone (Dominic’s son) and Simon Alvarez, the latter of whom started as a chef at the restaurant in 1981.

The new space will seat 100 people inside and another 25 on the patio; parking will be in back. Hours are to be from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Watch for a joint ribbon cutting ceremony soon with City Council District 5, which is opening its field office in the same building.

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For those whose New Year’s resolutions include eating fewer animal products, a new plant-based restaurant with complex West African flavors might be just the enticement to give vegan food a try. Ubuntu, from James Beard-nominated chef Shenarri Freeman, was just named one of Esquire magazine’s best new restaurants of 2023. The name Ubuntu is from the Bantu group of African languages and means “I am because we are,” which is most often explained as an expression of compassion and humanity. Ubuntu restaurant achieves “ubuntu” with its warm service and atmosphere and animal-free menu.

8 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

’Twas merry and bright and festive with family and friends

TWO WHITE STEEDS pull a carriage full of carolers through Brookside streets.

Around the Town with

Sondi Toll Sepenuk bring an unwrapped toy for the fire station’s gift drive, and from the look and sounds of the festive merriment, it was a successful event for all!

••• The Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA), whose offices are located on the north end of Larchmont Boulevard, almost next door to the Larchmont Chronicle, held its annual Harvest Boutique on Dec. 3, at the Skirball Cultural Center in West Los Angeles. The League’s event is now 24 years young and still going strong, bringing in much needed dollars to help the organization fund its mission. In 1926, local Los Angeles women, Chronicle publisher John Wel-

LOCAL PARENT and children enjoying a Brookside evening of Santa and fire engines are (left to right) Archie Abramson, Helen Howe, Robby Persson and Amir Joseph.

JLLA COMMUNITY Achievement Award recipient Jen Lilley (left) with JLLA president Katherine La Spada.

borne’s mother among them, established the JLLA as an “organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and training.”

Guests at the 2023 Harvest Boutique bid on silent auction items including art, jewelry, apparel, services and travel, then strolled into the Skirball’s Guerin Pavilion to dine and listen to inspiring stories of hope and action. Actress Jen Lilley, an advocate for foster youths (who fostered two boys herself before adopting them), received the Community Achievement Award, and Teresa Grady Weeden was the Spirit of Voluntarism winner.

The event raised approximately $130,000. Local attendees included Windsor Square resident Tessa Madden, member of the JLLA Board of Directors.

••• On Dec. 7, the women of NGA showed up in force to the Hancock Park home of Stephanie Sourapas to assem-

NGA MEMBERS (left to right) Kiel Fitzgerald, Shay Callahan and Beverly Brown take a dinner break while packing gift bags for Good Shepherd.

ble holiday gift bags for Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children.

The dozens upon dozens of gift bags included robes, slippers, socks and toiletries that will surely delight and warm the residents of Good Shepherd during the festive season.

While packing the gift bags, the members learned that NGA recently donated $10,000 to Operation School Bell, which is being used to buy shoes for LAUSD kids in need. Members are also currently seeking contributions for their annual giving campaign to help support their partner agencies over the next year, which include Alexandria House, Assistance League of Los Angeles, Aviva, Imagine LA, Los Angeles House of Ruth, McIntyre House, Pacific Clinics and their newest

partner agency, SunnySide5, which provides transitional housing for young adults aged 18-30 who are experiencing homelessness while enrolled in college or pursuing a trade.

After packing up the bags, the women enjoyed a homemade dinner courtesy of chefs Georgia Bell and Tim Abell of Sweets2Savory that included such Mediterranean delights as vegetable salad, chopped salad, Pasta Bianco with hot, crispy bacon, fresh baked bread, and an array of gourmet sweet treats and cookies.

••• The always resilient and 100-year-old Ebell of Los Angeles wasn’t going to be defeated by COVID-19. After a four-year hiatus, the beloved holiday tradition of Supper with Santa returned with jin(Please turn to Page 9)

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It was a merry and bright evening in Brookside on Dec. 3, when Santa, Mrs. Claus, and two shiny white steeds came trotting down Tremaine Avenue to bring the little ones joy, Christmas spirit and a bit of off-key singing. The horses, of Dream Catchers Carriages, waited patiently while families took turns climbing and disembarking from the wagon as they journeyed around the neighborhood, belting Christmas carols and sipping warm and festive drinks. The adults enjoyed mulled wine and eggnog, while the kiddos drained cup after cup of hot cocoa. The drinks were complemented by cookies, cupcakes, chocolates and peppermint sticks. To everyone’s great “surprise,” Fire Station 61 made a grand entrance, escorting three of its best engines to the event. Kids climbed aboard the trucks while the firefighters socialized with the local parents and organizers. Even Santa got in on the act! Carolers were asked by the Brookside Homeowners Association to

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

SUPPER WITH SANTA attendees at The Ebell included (left to right) Monica Gamboa, Daphne Brogdon Peel, Ebell President Laurie Schechter, Georgette Gamboa, Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, Amara Lowry and John Lowry.

LONGWOOD HIGHLANDS residents David Shadle, Nicki Renna and daughter Stella enjoy the Supper with Santa sundae bar.

Photos of Ebell Supper with Santa by Rex Peel

Around the Town loved gle bells blazing on Dec. 8.

Co-chairs Julie Stromberg and Daphne Brogdon Peel brought back all of the be-

SMILING faces organize sweet treats for the LCS World Fair bake sale.

PARENTS work the Korean food booth at Larchmont Charter School’s World Fair.

BRIGHT colors adorn the LCS Mexican food booth.

served up a delicious buffet of short ribs and gnocchi.

For dessert, everyone made a quick beeline to the sundae bar. Yes, before you ask, there was hot fudge. After dinner, children and their chaperones were treated to one-on-one time with the one-and-only Santa Claus, who listened to every wish and request for Christmas morn.

Of course, Supper with Santa wouldn’t be Supper with Santa without the world-famous Bob Baker Marionettes, and this year was no exception. To capture the memorable evening, there were two photo booths, as well as a professional photographer who snapped pictures of the children with Santa himself. Julie Stromberg was overheard stating what everyone was feeling: “This is the perfect event for children because they can be free and be kids!” For those of you who were unable to attend this year, never fear, the next Supper with Santa is only a short 365-ish days away!

••• The annual Larchmont Charter School World Fair celebrating the many cultures of the school took place on

Dec. 9. Food, fun, family and friends abounded as attendees strolled among the many booths set up at the school’s Fairfax Avenue campus.

••• A memorable holiday dinner took place Dec. 10 for members of the Windsor Square – Hancock Park Historical Society and their guests at the landmark Lawry’s the Prime Rib restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard. The restaurant’s Oval Room was filled to capacity with partygoers including four United States Marines who were present as the Society’s guests and who also collected the toys brought

for the Marines’ Toys for Tots campaign. As the Marines and others enjoyed their dinners, carolers circulated throughout the room, taking requests for Christmas carols. (Sadly, the carolers did not have an arrangement to allow them to sing the popular Irving Berlin song, “Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow,” that originally featured Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen in the 1954 movie, “White Christmas”!)

••• But speaking of snow, it fell on Larchmont (well, outside of DMH Aesthetics at 111 (Please turn to Page 10)

LANDMARK LAWRY’S Restaurant was the setting for 2023 Holiday Party of the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society.

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(Continued from Page 8)

holiday traditions, including craft tables, ornament-making and holiday tiger eyes. Balloon animals were in high demand as Ebell member June Bilgore rallied the volunteer elves to use their creative rubber-bending energies on everything floaty.

Ebell chef Tom Bellissimo

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10 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

SNOW surprises Larchmont Boulevard visitors outside of DMH Aesthetics early in December.

WINDSOR SQUARE residents Danielle and Himesh Pathmanathan with their dog, Chloe, get their photo taken with Santa Paws and Mrs. Claws.

HONEY AND MINNIE of Larchmont Village enjoy the snow at Tailwaggers’ Santa Paws event.

with the club’s “Give a Gift to Santa” program that gathered up toys for the Salvation Army to share with needy children in Southern California communities.

••• A mid-month gathering of friends and neighbors in Hancock Park found people ringing in the holidays with delicious food and drink at a happy conclave peppered with lively conversation. The Dec. 17 party was poolside; it is Los Angeles, after all. Mary and Kevin O’Connell caught up with fellow Hancock Park residents Sally Keller, Susana and Peter Funsten, Carlotta Keely and Judge Skip Byrne, along with Windsor Square denizens Tom and Terry Kneafsey and Judith Miller.

Mary O’Connell’s artist brother, Peter Adams, was there from Pasadena. (Mary’s husband, Kevin, is host Michael O’Connell’s brother. Michael gave all credit for the outstanding party organizing to his bride, Margo.) A seemingly endless array of unusual and

tasty canapés was presented

by Chef Alex Manos of Gourmaze catering. Enjoying those and visiting with many friends in attendance was Marlborough’s former Head of School, Barbara Wagner. The scene

was festive, and several people said they were glad to be sharing family and holiday news in person and not just via Zoom.

••• And now you’re in the Larchmont know!

LADIES IN RED ringing in the holidays are Margo O’Connell, Susana Funsten and Barbara Wagner.

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and Mrs. Claws posed with patrons and their pets while holiday booths distributed complimentary pet treats. The event, featuring real snow and VISITORS and their dogs play benefitting The Tailwaggers as snow fills the Tailwaggers’ Foundation, was well attendparking lot on Dec. 3. ed by pets and people alike.

A week later, there was Around the Town more real snow on which to (Continued from Page 9) play, plus hills of the chilly N. Larchmont Blvd. one eve- stuff down which to slide, ning) and was on the ground in the parking lot of Larchon Dec. 2 in the Tailwaggers mont’s Page Academy. That parking lot, where Santa Paws snow-centric family event was organized on Dec. 10 by Wilshire Rotary as a gift to the community in connection

SANTA greets fourth graders from St. Brendan School while collecting toys for children in Los Angeles during the Rotary event.

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FAMILIES enjoy playing in the snow in Page Academy’s parking lot.

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

SECTION TWO

11

Blame Monopoly game’s Pennybags for theater, arts demise ’Twas the month before Christmas, when all through L.A., there were versions of “Nutcracker” to whisk you away. There were “Christmas Carols” and a musical “Christmas Story” too, but bah, humbug! There were none to review!

This, dear reader, may be my lament for 2024. With constrained budgets, decreasing season subscribers, and donors turning their attention and wallets from the arts to social justice causes and political campaigns, “runs” for most shows in the new year have shrunk from six or eight weeks to three or four — often not long enough to make the deadline for this paper.

I shall get to some of the upcoming productions that I think will be worth seeing (whether I can review them or not) in a moment, but I want to share a recent interview I came across while prepping this column that speaks to the above malaise.

Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, lamenting the decline of donor support for the arts, said in a recent interview [Slipped Disc, Dec. 12, 2023] that, “The triple-digit billionaires are not so much interested in the arts,” as they once were. “They

don’t understand the arts as well as we wish they did.”

First, I’m glad there are triple-digit billionaires who are interested in more than just putting themselves in space, but… Whose fault is this? The list of contributors to art’s demise is nearly endless, from the loss of arts education in schools to our celebrity culture, to entertainment conglomerates that play to the broadest demographic. (I mean, would it kill the Grammys to air two minutes of the winning classical music release on TV?) Mr. Gelb points his indicting finger at himself and his fellow arts administrators: “Everyone was asleep at the wheel for the second half of the 20th century.” “Everyone,” it seems, came under the thrall of his or her own Milburn Pennybags, the Monopoly capitalist. The big donor, whether individual, corporate or foundation, had to be wooed, even to the detriment of the audience, which found itself increasingly priced out of concerts and plays, and worse, left with the feeling that the arts, in this country at least, were a luxury one could do without. When Milburn asked why people weren’t coming to the theater

Theater Review by

Louis Fantasia with his name above the marquee, management shrugged and doors closed. Some permanently.

There is hope, but, as in politics, it has to happen at the grassroots level: Make sure your local schools (public and private) maintain active arts programs; get off the couch, fight the traffic, and GO to a live play or concert; and then, engage with your local venues — large and small — by telling them what you liked or didn’t, and why.

It’s your theater. You don’t need me — just don’t tell my editor!!

What to watch for

MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter’s family drama, “A Permanent Image,” runs at Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice through Jan. 14: 310-822-8392; pacificresidenttheatre.org.

The Pantages hosts “MJ: The Musical,” the Tony Award-winning tale of Jackson’s 1992 “Dangerous World” tour, through Jan. 28. 323-468-1770; hollywoodpantages.com.

The Geffen premieres “POTUS,” Selina Fillinger’s comedy about seven women who clean up the mess of their commander in chief. Jan. 17 - Feb. 18. 310208.2028; geffenplayhouse.org.

The Pasadena Playhouse brings comedian Kate Berlant’s one-woman show about secrets and self-discovery to town. Jan. 17 - Feb. 11. 626-356-7529; pasadenaplayhouse.org.

The Ahmanson presents Matthew Bourne’s intense ballet retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” with music by Prokofiev. Jan. 28 - Feb. 25. 213-628-2772; www.centertheatregroup.org.

The Fountain Theater presents the world premiere of “Fatherland,” written and directed by Stephen Sachs; story compiled from public records and court transcripts about the 19-year-old who turned his father in to the FBI for participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Feb. 22 - March 30. 323-663-1525; fountaintheatre.com.

Legendary jazz musician to play at Wilshire Ebell Jazz musician Bennie Maupin will perform at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Fri., Jan. 9, as part of a monthlong celebration of Black History Month.

The saxophonist and clarinetist and his ensemble will

celebrate the 50th anniversary of Maupin’s album “The Jewel in the Lotus.” The recording was made in collaboration with Herbie Hancock and Buster Williams.

Maupin is also known for his atmospheric bass clarinet,

Local students twirled in ‘Nutcracker’

By Suzan Filipek Local students danced the roles of the Snow Queen and Russian and Chinese dancers, among other favorites, in last month’s 50th anniversary performance of Westside Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.”

The students who twirled on stage were: Jenne Shim, 11th grade, and Elle Shim and Mila Bakhshandehpour, both ninth graders at Marlborough. Dancer Lux

Saevitz is a fifth grader at St. James.

If you missed the sold-out “Nutcracker” at the Eli and Edyth Broad Stage, the Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s Spring Showcase — “Masters of Movement: Ballet through the Centuries” — is from May 17 to 18, 2024. Enrollment is open for all ages and levels at the school.

For more information, visit westsideballet.com.

Sending New Year's Greetings to Our Friends and Neighbors!

Wilshire Rotary sends sincere thanks to the many community friends who supported our Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Lot again this past year!

JOIN US!

Wilshirerotary.org • (213) 220-1837

©LC0124

Keep your 2024 resolution to make a positive difference in this world.

playing in collaborations with Miles Davis as well as with Hancock and other jazz luminaries.

The Wilshire Ebell Theater is at 4401 W. 8th St. Tickets are $40; members pay $30.

Visit ebellofla.org.

Seeking Vacation & Valentine Tales!

DANCERS (left to right) Elle Shim, Mila Bakhshandehpour, Jenne Shim and Lux Saevitz. Photo: Sarah Madison Photography

Two special features — Valentines and Vacation Planning — will be highlighted in our February issue. Write to us about your trips near and far. And, Valentines, tell us how you met. Send 200 words or less for either subject and photos to suzan@ larchmontchronicle.com.

Deadline is Mon., Jan. 8.

12 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

Bumpy ‘Race’; ‘Reacher’ captivates; Dumas’ tale is back At the Movies with

Tony Medley the political obstacles he had to overcome. It’s not the best auto racing movie I’ve seen, but it’s reasonably entertaining. It ends, however, with the graphic that reads, “…the content has been freely reworked by the imagination of the authors, the description of the events and characters involved have been dramatized, and some characters and events contained in the film have been created for narrative needs. The film cannot be considered a faithful description of the facts.”

In other words, it’s mostly

fiction, probably like the scene in which Röhrl stops racing in the middle of an event to buy some honey, which is, to the film’s discredit, not explained.

Reacher (7/10): Eight 49-minute episodes. TV-MA. Amazon Prime. This is the second installment of Lee Child’s “Reacher” series starring Alan Ritchson. This one is based on Child’s novel “Bad Luck and Trouble.” Like the first installment, Ritchson captures Reacher perfectly, and the story is involving, as someone is killing all the members of Reacher’s old army crew, and Reacher and his remaining crew are out to solve the problem, as they are all targets. Unfortunately, the casting of Maria Sten as the female lead greatly diminishes the enjoyment because whenever she mutters a line, it’s akin to running finger-

nails across a blackboard.

Other than that, though, it’s a worthwhile watch.

The Three Musketeers Part 1: D’Artagnan (7/10): 121 minutes. NR. Prime Video. This telling of Alexandre Dumas’ familiar tale is as good as Gene Kelly’s 1948 film, and that’s saying a lot. In French.

Freud’s Last Session (6/10): 109 minutes. PG13. Atheist Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) committed suicide in 1939. Shortly before, he was visited by an unknown Oxford don (Matthew Goode). This totally fictional film presupposes that that don was author and theologian C. S. Lewis. and that they had monumental conversations about their divergent views. Alas, their conversations in this film are far from edifying. Rather, it (Please turn to Page 14)

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Audi’s four-wheel drive with its lighter but less maneuverable rear-wheel drive mid-engine Lancia 037. The driving force behind Lancia’s effort was Cesare Florio (Riccardo Scamarcio). And he placed his bets on his reluctant driver, Walter Röhrl (Volker Bruch), who did not want to participate in every event because he had already won a driver’s championship and wasn’t interested in winning another.

Directed by Stefano Mordini from a screenplay by Mordini, Filippo Bologna and Scamarcio, there are not a lot of racing scenes, but among those that are shown are shots of side-by-side racing, which does not occur in rally events. The film concentrates instead on Florio’s difficult quest to win the rally with a rear-wheel drive car and all

©LC0124

Race for Glory: Audi vs.

Lancia (7/10): 108 minutes.

R. Almost at the outset of this film about the battle between Audi and Lancia in the 1983 World Rally Championship, there is a statement that Americans generally don’t understand the rally competition, and it leaves it there.

That is true. But this film would have been a lot better if it had taken a minute to explain how rallies work. Since the film doesn’t do it, I will.

A “season” consists of 13 events of three- and four-day drives in various locations and in various driving conditions. The cars are timed against the clock and do not race face-to-face, so to speak.

Had this been explained, the movie would be much more comprehensible to American audiences.

In 1983, Lancia challenged

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JANUARY 2024

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13

Games over!

Speaking of the fall soccer season, Kurt Muller, regional commissioner, AYSO Region 78 Hollywood-Wilshire, told us, “We successfully concluded [in mid-December] the championship games at Fairfax High.”

“Our Fall Season is powered by volunteers (mostly parents) and includes kids ages 4-18,” he added.

BOYS 10U: Fantas orange team, with coaches Ian Broucek and Jason George, won the champion game over the Raptors with coach Jonathan Kalinski.

GIRLS 10U: Highlighters green team, with coach Andy Hekimian, won the championship game over the Fireballs orange team, coached by Bradley Zimring and Ben Coyle.

BOYS 12U: Blunicorns blue team, with coaches Ross Klein and Josh Pineda, won the championship game over the Maroon Boys, led by coaches Sung Park and JP Finkelstein.

GIRLS 12U: Blackouts red team, with coaches Michael Wright and Cesar Cervera, won the championship game over the Swifties blue team, with coaches Kent Bailey and Scott Thomas.

Sign up for girls’ softball

Girl Scout cookie sales start online this month

Girl Scout cookie sales start as soon as Tues., Jan. 16 with digital orders. Booth sales begin Fri., Feb. 9. Visit girlscoutsla.org.

Help sort, pack winter clothes with Big Sunday on MLK holiday Volunteers are needed to help sort, pack and give away lots of warm clothing for struggling people on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Big Sunday’s 12th annual MLK Day Clothing Drive and Community Breakfast is on Mon., Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 42nd St. Elementary School in Leimert Park.

Big Sunday is based on Melrose Avenue and headed

by Founder David Levinson, of Hancock Park. In addition to helping pack and sort 2,024 bags of clothing, a photo, mosaic and beautification project at 42nd Street Elementary will take place that day. All ages are welcome.

To volunteer, start a clothing collection, donate or become a sponsor, go to bigsunday.org. Potential

sponsors can also contact berenice@bigsunday. org Additional questions, write to info@bigsunday.org.

Ecclesia Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller

307

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Registration for the spring season of the Wilshire Wildcats girls’ softball league is through Sun., Dec. 31. Late registration is through Mon., Jan. 22. The season runs from Jan. 22. to Sun., May 12. Practice is weekly at Lemon Grove Recreation Center. The program offers three divisions: 8 and under, 10U and 12U/Regular registration fee is $195; late registration cost is $225.

Visit wilshiresoftball.com.

14 SECTION TWO

Landmark

(Continued from Page 6) them yearly on the anniversary at the booth where they sat that fateful night. In a scene worthy of an old-time comedy two-reeler, two men drinking at the bar at George Petrelli’s Steak House in Culver City just weeks before Christmas in 1954 pulled out guns and robbed the restaurant of $3,612, a bottle of scotch and the drinks they were in the process of imbibing, all while one complained that the steaks they had eaten earlier were too expensive, while the

At the Movies

(Continued from Page 12) deals more with Freud’s anger and selfish relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna (Lisa Fries) who became a renowned psychoanalyst.

Creating this film was a dubious idea, poorly executed despite fine acting by Hopkins and Fries.

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

other defended the price, noting that for $15 they had had three steaks and wine.

Author George Geary discovered his culinary passion when he was 12 and helping a political campaign by handwriting address labels for them. He was paid 25 cents and given lunch at Philippe the Original, which impressed him greatly. “This place is magical!” he thought at the time. “There’s sawdust on the floor!”

Recently named Culinary Educator of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Geary

has been a pastry chef for the Walt Disney Company, created all the cheesecakes for “The Golden Girls” series, consulted or judged such television shows as “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Taste” with Anthony Bourdain, taught cooking classes aboard Holland America Lines and has written nine cookbooks.

This delicious history sounds like a sweet deal, but his foray into the world of competitive cooking went sour. When Geary was the culinary coordinator of food contests for the Los Angeles County Fair, he needed a

The Bricklayer (5/10): 100 minutes. R. A 21st-century formulaic thriller that epitomizes the nonsense foisted upon us by today’s moviemakers. It has brutal fights, unrealistic gun battles galore, silly car chases and a story that defies logic and reason.

Here’s a sample of the dialogue: Kate (Nina Dobrev): “I froze

OLYMPIC WILSHIRE … You coulda been killed.”

DIVISION DIVISION Fail (Aaron Eckhart): “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Furnished by Furnished by Hardly “Casablanca.” In Senior Senior accordance with today’s forLead Officer Lead Officer mulae, most of the heroes’ Dave Cordova dialogue is spoken in what Joseph Pelayo appear to be whispers. I’m 213-793-0709 213-793-0650 not sure why this has become 31646@lapd.online 31762@lapd.online the method of choice, but it is Twitter: @lapdwilshire Twitter: @lapdolympic irritating like the rest of the Information for Police Beat was unavailable by presstime. movie.

bodyguard after his life was threatened twice. Once a husband showed up late to the fair with his wife’s entry and harassed Geary when he wouldn’t accept her dish after the judging started.

Police later told him his car might have been tampered with. Another time, the mortician spouse of a contestant menacingly measured Geary “Just in case.”

Ever the fan of culinary and restaurant history, George Geary says, “I write about

them because I love what I do and want other people to love what I love.” Asked which new restaurants will be landmarks tomorrow, he sighed, “They don’t last the way they did in the past. More conglomerates and investment companies are backers. We don’t see families opening a restaurant and multi-generational families running it any more” The 272-page hardcover book is published by Santa Monica Press and sells for $50.

POLICE BEAT

School mock trial team wins first place in county championship

LOCAL Olive Gruber acted as courtroom artist in the mock trial competition.

have practiced since August.

Coaches provided outlines of scripts for students to revise and make their own. But, the competitors did not know what the other team would ask during direct examinations, and they were required to think on their feet and formulate responses.

IMMACULATE HEART middle schoolers celebrate their victory in the 46th annual Los Angeles County Junior Division Mock Trial competition.

Students learn a great deal about the legal system, gain

confidence, practice teamwork and develop critical thinking and public speaking skills while preparing and competing, said faculty moderator Carolyn Polchow.

This is the second year in a row that Immaculate

Heart’s team has reached the finals. Olive Gruber of Sycamore Square, an eighth grader, participated and also received a third-place award for her work as a courtroom artist in the mock trial competition.

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By Casey Russell At the 46th annual Los Angeles County Mock Trial competition on Dec. 4, Immaculate Heart Middle School took first place and was named the Junior Division champion team.

The mock trial program brings together more than 2,500 middle and high school students for an academic competition. With assistance from volunteer attorneys, a hypothetical case is studied and researched by teams. Participants then simulate a trial and act as lawyers, clerks, witnesses, bailiffs, journalists and courtroom artists.

This year’s final mock trials took place at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Gabriella Shapiro was presiding judge.

Immaculate Heart students

Larchmont Chronicle

JANUARY 2024

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Love or hate them, mice and their kin are almost everywhere Fun fact: rodents are everywhere. Love them or hate them, members of the order Rodentia — derived from the Latin rodere, meaning “to gnaw” — make up 40 percent of all mammal species and exist in almost every land mass in the world. Despite some bad press (see The Black Death), we welcome them into our homes as pets and into our collective consciousness through characters in literature and cinema.

From Jerry (“Tom and Jerry,” 1940) and Templeton (“Charlotte’s Web,” 1952) to Remy (“Ratatouille,” 2007) and Skrat (“Ice Age,” 2002), not to mention the most beloved cartoon character of all time, Mickey Mouse, there’s something about these critters we can’t seem to get enough of. (For an insightful read on the prevalence of anthropomorphized rodents in film, see tinyurl. com/4e6c9wj4.)

The order’s largest species is the capybara, a native of South America that can grow in size up to 145 pounds. Capybaras live in densely forested areas and are expert swimmers that can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes at a time. Curiously shaped with beautiful, almost pensive, almond-shaped eyes, the capybara gets its name from a now extinct language spoken by the indigenous Tupi people of Brazil. The Tupi name, ka’apiûara, combines the words kaá, meaning “leaf,” píi, or “slender” and ú, which translates to “eat,” to form the meaning “one who eats slender leaves.” The scientific name for this golden retriever-sized rodent, hydrochaeris, takes a different route, translating to “water pig” in Greek.

The capybara isn’t the only rodent whose name relates to swine. The porcupine is a large rodent with a conspicu-

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ous security system — a coat of sharp quills that wards off predators, making it the rodent with the longest lifespan.

The porcupine’s Old French name, porc-espin, comes from the Latin porcus, meaning “hog,” and spina, or “thorn.”

The name origin of the guinea pig is a subject of debate, but its scientific name, porcellus, translates in Latin to “little pig.” Despite its name, the etymology of “hamster” has no relation to pork, ham or pigs. Instead, its name origins translate literally to “hamster” as far back as linguists have been able to trace.

The beaver is the second largest living rodent and one of nature’s most prolific engineers, known for its sophisticated system of dams and lodges that provide shelter and defend against predators like bears and wolves. It’s the fearsome bear that shares a common name ancestor with the beaver — the Proto-Indo-European root bher, meaning “brown.” The bear was named euphemistically after the color of its fur due to fear of speaking its name aloud (see “Word Café,” August 2023), but beavers, with their razor-sharp incisors, may have also been of concern. Beavers are known to be extremely aggressive when defending their territory, and, in 2013, a fisherman in Belarus was fatally injured by a beaver when he tried to take a photo with the animal.

In the Isle of Man, it’s the rat’s name that is feared most.

The residents of this island territory in the Irish Sea instead opt for “longtail” or “r-a-t” to describe this common rodent. It’s a word taboo originating in the 17th century, when Sir Methadonia Athol was due to be awarded a knighthood. Stepping off the boat in England to receive his honor from Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Methadonia tripped on a rat and broke his nose. Under ancient Manx law, no man with a facial dis-

Word Café by

Mara Fisher figurement was allowed to be a ruling member of the nobility, so he was forced to step down and hand the Dukedom to his eldest son, Tastingio.

Since then, the rat has been symbolic of bad luck, and it’s not uncommon for Manxmen and Manxwomen to knock on wood or whistle after saying its name — if they must.

Closer to home, squirrels are the rodents that reign supreme. Scurrying up trees, darting across lawns and perhaps even decimating

your edible garden, squirrels — and more specifically the Eastern fox squirrel — are for most Angelenos part of the scenery. But, like our city’s postcard-ready palm trees, they were introduced from elsewhere.

The story goes that in the late 19th century, a large population of aging Civil War veterans from the eastern half of the country came to Southern California to settle at the Sawtelle Veterans Home, now the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center. These veterans brought with them their pet fox squirrels, which are native to the southern states. These pets lived off table scraps until 1904, when VA administrators forced the vets to release their trusty companions, citing the reasoning that government

resources shouldn’t be used to feed the animals. By the 1930s, the population had reached the citrus orchards of the Valley, and they’ve since spread well beyond the boundaries of the city.

Based on its name, it would seem the squirrel was designed to withstand the California sun. The word “squirrel” — and the name of the genus it belongs to, Sciurus — traces its roots to the Greek skia, meaning “shadow,” and oura, or “tail,” named for the rodent’s ability to shade itself with its fluffy posterior.

So whether a rodent is friend or foe — or, as is the case for my pet ball python, food — we honor these “gnaw”-ers large and small, destructive and disease-ridden... and cute and cuddly.

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16 SECTION TWO

JANUARY 2024

Larchmont Chronicle