Palisades News 2.24.23

Paul Revere Robotics Club Qualifies for State Championships

State tournament set for March 10

By Keemia Zhang

The Paul Revere Middle School Robotics club is heading to the 2023 State Championships following a parent-led effort to raise funds for the group’s formation.

Sarah Wood, the parent chair of the team, sought to form an after-school robotics club through Revere’s Personal Enrichment Program’s program in both 2021 and 2022 but was informed there was a lack of teacher participation and financial resources to support the group.

Last August, Wood, who researched grants to fund the team, recruited coaches from the parent body instead – Danny Moghnie, who offers “engineering feedback and coding support” and “paces the kids projects”, as well as Joe McKelheer, who provides “educational resources, and rallies them to work towards

team goals.” Wood also shares responsibilities of supervising and motivating the kids, in addition to organizing team logistics and is frequently in touch with the competition officials and parents.

Wood decided to apply for grants in September to fund the club and won the Nelson Grant, which exchanged robotics kits for participation in one of their robotics tournaments. The club is substantiated primarily through these grants – including donations from the Palisades Rotary club –as well as additional fees paid for by parents. Revere’s PRIDE Booster Club assisted with the entry fees for the State Championship, an “unexpected” expense.

The three rookie teams of the club participated in the LAUSD West VEX IQ League, meeting for three of the four competitions from October to January after their kits were back ordered for the first round.

“We went to the second one, failed miserably, and learned a lot. We went to the third one and to the finals and improved significantly. Our teams came in second place and tied for third,

and won the Design Award, Excellence Award, and Teamwork Award.”

Wood expressed pride in her students, who started their building for the competition with a singular kit at the end of October, finally receiving the back-ordered kits the first week of November, while many teams “got a much earlier start.”

Wood also organized participation in the Slapshot Tournament, a robotics competition in the Valley, where the team competed “with a lot of private schools and private club teams, as well as public schools teams with extensive experience and resources.” With difficulties in finance, resources, and a lack of experience, Wood and her colleagues have felt the weight of the challenge they will face at the State Championship. “We are scrambling trying to do as much as we can.”

The parent-led effort has faced multiple challenges, with Wood anticipating having to increase the joining fees next semester to pay the entry fees for competitions. But Wood is adamant about the group’s importance for children as they develop.

“There are a lot of great after-school activities at Revere such as sports, debate, mock trial, and drama – involving athletic, verbal, or performance-related skill sets, but nothing STEM related until now. STEM is really important for the future, considering our world’s direction.”

Wood, who previously worked at Google as a test engineer and linguist, also points out that kids can learn teamwork and problem-solving.

“It’s nice to find other kids that have similar passions to you and to bond with them.”

Pacific Palisades American Legion Post 283 Renamed and Rededicated in Honor of Ronald Reagan

the future.

Dolores Quintana: I understand that one of the former commanders, Eric Measles, was instrumental in renaming The Pacific Palisades Post 283. I was just wondering how exactly the decision was made and how it came to pass.

By Dolores Quintana

The Pacific Palisades American Legion Post 283 has been rededicated and renamed in honor of the late President Ronald. The idea for the rededication came from former Commander Eric Measles and actor Joe Matenga was the emcee of the event and CD11 councilmember Traci Park and The USC Marching Band were featured guests at the ceremony. The post will now be known as The American Legion Ronald Reagan Palisades Post 283.

We spoke with American Legion Ronald Reagan Post 283 Commander Jim Cragg about the renaming of the post, the new Post 283 community initiatives, and his plans for

Jim Cragg: President Reagan lived in the Palisades, and was a member of our post. We took great pride in pointing out to our younger members the example set by a man who went from Captain Ronald Reagan, Governor Ronald Reagan, to the President of the United States. Whatever people’s politics are, we focused on him as Comrade Reagan and the fact that he was a great inspiration to veterans that the sky’s the limit.

DMQ: I noticed that you refer to him as Comrade Reagan. Is that a nomenclature that your organization uses among the members of the post?

JC: Within the American Legion, we have no rank. Everyone is referred to as comrades and the camaraderie among veterans is the mission.

DMQ: Most people think of the word comrade as being related to Communism, but even in communism that’s the meaning of the

word. You’re my comrade. We’re all comrades together. We’re all equals.

JC: Severe irony considering the one thing people attributed to Reagan was that he was at the helm when Communism fell apart.

Eric Measles took it upon himself to contact the Reagan family and descendants to ask

permission. It was very nice that the Reagan foundation sent a representative out from the Reagan Museum in Simi Valley. They presented us with a very nice photograph of Ronald Reagan saluting.

Post Commander Jim Cragg speaks about the renaming of the post, the new Post 283 community initiatives, and his plans for the future.

Photo by Michael Hjelmstad/American Legion

A portrait of the Post 283 namesake is presented by John Lehne (left) of the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute and Post 283 Commander Jim Cragg to hang among the curated artifacts that now adorn the building. Ronald Reagan, see page 5

American Youth Symphony Returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall This Weekend

Nearly 400 of the finest young orchestral and choral musicians from AYS and National Children’s Chorus will perform Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem on Saturday

By Susan Payne

In its 58th season, the American Youth Symphony (AYS) is returning to Walt Disney Concert Hall this week for LA Phil’s “Sounds About Town” series.

Nearly 400 of the finest young orchestral and choral musicians from AYS and National Children’s Chorus will perform Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m., a deeply moving performance depicting the haunting atrocities of warfare in the hopes of signifying the importance of global unity.

“Maestro Carlos Izcaray has been our music director since 2016 and he continues to inspire the aspiring musicians of AYS with a socially

conscious approach to music and advocate for showcasing and supporting today’s living composers and underrepresented voices,” said Isabel Thiroux, interim executive director at AYS.

With its year coming to a close in April, AYS is planning two community events with partners A Place Called Home and Inner-City Arts, in addition to its 58th Annual Gala at Royce Hall with works by Samuel Barber, EsePekka Salonen, Gabriela Ortiz and Richard Strauss. After the gala, a private post-concert wine reception will be held for donors and AYS members.

“AYS has been providing landmark fellowships and training to virtuosic young musicians for the past 58 years through incredible performance opportunities and meaningful community partnerships. We train musicians, build audiences and provide community education,” Thiroux said.

AYS orchestra fellows are ages 15 and up and most concerts are free to the public. In addition to the orchestra, AYS offers the following programs:

• Fellowship program — four fellowships that provide professional development training above and beyond the rigorous performance opportunities available to all orchestra members. In recognition of the broad range of skills needed to succeed as professionals, each

program provides career-specific elements of education, responsibility and leadership experience in a paid, season-long fellowship.

• Share-A-Stand (SAS) — musicians visit partner schools as instrument-specific “String Coaches” leading sectionals, rehearsing sideby-side with students and mentoring students in creative and personal growth. SAS is currently partnered with Markham Middle School in Watts, Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School in East Los Angeles and Robert Frost Middle School in Granada Hills. Transportation and tickets are provided to all three partner schools to the annual Hollywood Project concert at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

“We will always have different segments of our audience in mind when planning and programming, including families, fans of live-to-film performances, and we also have presented world premieres of new music every season,” said Thiroux.

Thiroux has been a part of AYS for over half of her life, starting her journey with the organization as a member of the viola section from 2001 to 2007.

“My last concert with AYS was playing Mahler’s Fifth Symphony at Walt Disney Concert Hall. I thought that was a good way to end my tenure at AYS, but little did I know, that was just the beginning,” she said.

In 2007, Thiroux joined the organization as a

part-time administrative assistant, then became the orchestra manager in 2010. In 2015, she moved her way up and became the director of orchestra operations.

Currently, Thiroux still holds that role but is the interim executive director while AYS searches for the next executive director.

“I look forward to enthusiastically supporting the new executive director with all of my organizational knowledge and institutional history,” she said.

For its 59th season that will be announced later this year, AYS is including performances at its home venues, Royce Hall and Wal Disney Concert Hall, and in the local community.

To learn more about AYS, or to attend a local or community performance, visit www. aysymphony.org.

Tickets for the upcoming Sounds About Town concert range from $16 to $50 and can be purchased here.

Dr. Lisa Damour, Clinical Psychologist, the New York Times bestselling author of Untangled and Under Pressure, New York Times Monthly Columnist & CBS News Contributor talks about her new book The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents.

Pacific Palisades Brush Fire Quickly Extinguished by LAFD

February 10 brush fire put out in 50 minutes by LAFD crews

By Sam Catanzaro

It took firefighters under an hour to put out a brush fire that broke out in the bluffs above Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades February 15.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the incident occurred on February 15 a little after 5 p.m. at 14830 Pacific Coast Highway, north of West Channel Road.

Responding LAFD crews arrived to find an approximately one-quarter acre of brush burning uphill, with light wind. LAFD and Santa Monica firefighters mounted an attack by ground and air on the burning brush in steep terrain. It took 49 firefighters 50 minutes to snuff out the flames, holding the burn to approximately 1.5 acres.

There were no reported injuries. No structures were damaged and non were in

LAPD Releases Sketch of Suspect in Attempted Sexual Assault at Will Rogers State Beach

Man sought in connection to February 3 incident next to Tower 15

By Sam Catanzaro

The LAPD has released a sketch of a man wanted for the attempted sexual assault of a woman on Will Rogers State Beach.

The incident took place on Saturday, February 3 around 6:20 p.m. next to Tower 15 at Will Rogers State Beach.

by using the pepper spray.

immediate danger. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, when the first firefighters got on the scene, they did not observe any signs of an encampment, no tent or bulky items. The area behind the wall was clear as of Thursday evening by the LAPD Beach Detail.

A young woman was at the beach, to mourn and reflect on the 7th anniversary of her mother passing away from cancer. A man approached her and pulled out a box cutter before beginning to forcefully drag her towards the water. He then held her close, wrapping his arms around her neck and shoulders whilst placing his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. As he dragged her away from the parking lot/bike path area and towards the shoreline, he made threatening remarks that he intended to rape her. The woman was able to get her to pepper spray out and escape unhurt,

The LAPD describes the suspect as a Hispanic male, with black hair and brown eyes, standing around 5′ 7 and weighing around 150-160 pounds. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a navy or black zipup, dark pants and tan “army”-style cap.

Police are still searching for the man, and urge anyone with information to come forward.

Please contact the LAPD’s Special Assault Detectives at (213) 473-0447 if you have information on the identity of the individual in this picture. If you see the suspect the LAPD says to call 911.

Photo: Citizen App

Ronald Reagan, from page

1

DMQ: This is obviously this is done with the approval from the family.

JC: Correct.

DMQ: How did you decide on the ceremony and dedication?

JC: When I came into my commandership, I decided to make some major changes. Our post was previously known for having a lot of funding but a lackluster image. I decided to reinvest our funds into a 2.5 -million dollar renovation of our building as part of a first step of rebuilding our post’s image and standing within the Palisades. We executed the renovation, culminating in the grand opening as a festive occasion, inviting members from all around the community, which is symbolic of our desire to reach out into the Palisades and show support to the community. As such, we shut down the street in front of our new building and we had city councilwoman Tracy Park, actor Joe Mantegna there and the USC Marching Band came to play. We really wanted to let the community know that there’s a new American Legion there that’s really reaching out and doing great things. The programs we’re instituting are real outreach. We’re teaching First Aid and CPR not just to members but also to the community. This weekend, we’re going to have an active shooter response medical aid class at the post which is open to the public. We’re also having LAPD and Santa Monica PD officers as students in the class. Next month, we have a drone familiarization and FAA licensing class and we have a ham radio training and licensing class. For kids who are interested in cell phones and communications, A great place to start is to learn about ham radio. For people interested in medicine, we are happy to have them come in and take a whole slew of medical classes. For people who are interested in aviation, Space Force, Air Force, and general aviation, the drone classes are something that’s fun and engaging for young people who like those things.

DMQ: Is there anything else?

JC: In April, we’re renting out the Boy Scout camp out on Catalina Island called Emerald Bay and we’re having a veteran bonding event with children. Where we have skill sets set up, like land navigation and map reading. We have wilderness first aid, we’re doing some drone work. We’re doing radio work, where the kids get to learn radio communications. We have a group of Special Forces Green Beret instructors teaching a bunch of these classes. But what’s neat is the parent or the grandparent gets to go through these tasks with their kids, and the kids get to experience the fun parts of those training with the parents and hopefully gain respect for some of the cool stuff their parents or grandparents learned in their youth. Things [meant] to improve the veteran’s standing in our society.

DMQ: It really seems like you’re taking more of an active role in the community, as a community force. You’re really reaching out to people and giving them, whoever would like to participate in these opportunities. I don’t want to say better themselves, but to give them opportunities to learn and grow.

JC: There are the good things or bad things that we experienced in the military. We’d like to share some of the good things. Not just

with our kids, but with the community. So another thing that we’ve done is that we put on informational presentations for the community, where we invited LAPD West LA division to give a presentation of the community on how they police the neighborhood, how squad cars are sent out, how they react and the time responses, things like that. We had LA Sheriff’s Department bring out their homeless Task Force leader and gave a brilliant presentation on what the county was doing to engage the homeless population, which was an amazing presentation. It was a tearjerker, but amazing. The community just really did come out. We also did a presentation with the West LA VA to try and correct some of the information, the misinformation that was going on about what the VA was doing to help the unhoused. So we see part of this is our duty to help communicate to our neighbors some of the knowledge that we’ve gained having been in uniform, and having an understanding of things like public service, and help build that bridge.

DMQ: You mentioned that the actor Joe Mantegna, was there for the ceremony, I was just wondering where his connection was to the ceremony.

JC: Joe Mantegna is a huge supporter of veteran groups and he’s spoken at a number of events and we’re kind of a very small event [for him] and I was surprised that he was kind enough to come out and be the emcee for us. He works with Gary Sinise Foundation. There’s a memorial Memorial Day TV special that he’s been the host of for the last 15 years. So it’s very touching. One thing that’s important to us is that we’re located in what we consider the media capital of the world and my job was in intelligence in the military. I grew to understand the importance of interaction with demographics in the country you’re working with and to realize that our neighbors are the creators of our content that is not just beamed throughout the United States, but internationally. It’s up to us to present the proper image of the veterans or to present the correct image of what we experienced when we went overseas so that people can understand what veterans go through, the struggles with suicide. But also, to try to cast a positive light that not all veterans are suffering from issues like PTSD, 95% of veterans are our highly functioning, highly desired team members in any corporate environment with leadership skills that are in high demand. We need to promote that so that corporations and businesses will reach out and grab those veterans and say, hey, this person should be a manager, this person should be a CEO, this person should be a congressperson because they’ve experienced something else in life that gave them that unique experience that a leader often needs.

DMQ: There are obviously veterans who do have issues and not taking anything away from that. It’s important to like kind of state that veterans aren’t a monolith, they’re not all the same. It’s only fair to be able to present the other side of it, that people may not be in popular culture as much as you know the veterans who come back with PTSD.

JC: The standard drama point for a script writer would be to portray a veteran as a troubled person, and we understand that, but it also is up to us to promote the positive

Eugene Levy to be Featured in Pacific Palisades Library Association’s

Writers, Artists and Musicians Series

The Writers, Artists and Musicians Series Continues with Eugene Levy: In Conversation at the Palisades Library on March 9

Emmy- and Grammy-winning actor, producer, and writer Eugene Levy will be the latest artist to be featured in the new Writers, Artists, and Musicians Series presented by the Pacific Palisades Library Association. The event will take place on Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at the Palisades Library Community Room and is open to the public.

“We’re fortunate to have a wonderful public library in Pacific Palisades and I am pleased to support Friends of the Library as they work to provide a vibrant hub of community activity,” said Levy.

Levy is most well-known as the star and co-creator of the hit comedy series “Schitt’s Creek,” which won nine Emmy Awards for its sixth and final season in 2020. He also serves as host and executive producer of “The Reluctant Traveler,” a non-scripted Apple TV+ series set to premiere globally on February 24th. He is also known for his collaborations with Christopher Guest on films such as “Best In Show,” “Waiting For Guffman,” “For Your Consideration” and “A Mighty Wind.” A native of Canada, he was awarded the Order of Canada in 2011 and is also known for his role as a dad in the “American Pie” franchise.

“We are truly excited to continue our WAM Series with one of the most iconic artists in Hollywood,” said Laura Schneider, president of the Pacific Palisades Library Association. “We have enjoyed the comedy and creativity of Eugene Levy from his earliest days with ‘SCTV’ and are especially proud of him for his civic mindedness in his current role as the honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades.”

The Palisades Library program on March 9th will offer preferential seating for current members of Friends of the Palisades Library. To join or renew, individuals can contribute $20 or more when requesting tickets on the event registration page.

For those unable to attend in person, the program will be streamed live beginning at 7 p.m., with streaming links available through the Live-Stream Registration option on the event registration page.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Enter Escrow on $34.5 Million

Pacific Palisades Estate

15,000-square-foot, sevenbedroom house was designed by local firm Ken Ungar Architect

By Dolores Quintana

Actors and newlyweds Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have finally found the perfect home for their blended family after a twoyear search as reported by The Dirt.com and TMZ. The couple is currently in the process of escrow for a brand-new Pacific Palisades estate that has a total of seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The style of the estate is considered Hamptons traditional and was designed by Ken Ungar Architects. The price is listed at $34.5 million but it is not yet known how much Lopez and Affleck are paying for it. Unlike most homes in the area, the estate sits on a full acre of land and comes with 15,000 square feet of living space.

Part of the choice may be related to privacy as the home has high walls and hedges to hide the residents from prying eyes. The property has a climate-controlled six-car garage and a pea gravel motor court.

The interior decor is very much in the popular style that has natural and neutral tones predominant. Hardwood flooring and natural light permeate the interior and the home comes with fireplaces in the living and dining areas with a library that leads out to a covered patio that could be used for outdoor dining. The backyard also has a dark bottom pool. The mansion also has amenities such as a gym, health spa, movie theater and wine cellar. You will also find four kitchens on the estate, a main gourmet kitchen and a service kitchen inside the home, a kitchen in the outdoor area and the fourth kitchen in the guesthouse. Six of the bedrooms are in the main house and the guest house has its own bedroom, living and dining rooms. The master suite has a balcony, dual bathrooms and closets and its own sitting room.

$24 Million Mansion With 5 Bedrooms and 9 Bathrooms Completed in Huntington Palisades

The estate has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms and a 520-square-foot home theater

A brand-new mansion has just been completed in the Huntington Palisades and listed at $24 million.

As reported by Mansion Global.com, noted architect Alden John Cusick designed the home along with three other homes nearby according to his son Alden Cusick. The lot is 0.37 acres and on a corner and the interior space measures 11,750 square feet. Alden Cusick is one of the listing agents along with Ryan Jancula and Trevor Montano of Compass. Cusick’s family purchased the lot back in 2018 and during the last four years created the new home with an emphasis on the details.

Cusick said, as quoted by Mansion Global.com, “My dad actually comes from Connecticut, he loves going to The Hamptons and driving through New York and the countryside of Connecticut looking at architecture, that’s where a lot of the inspiration of the house’s traditional shingle style exterior came from.” The younger Cusick played a

large role in the development and design of the interior of the home and reportedly took inspiration from many of the most luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Malibu that he has seen in his time in the city.

The estate has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms and a 520-square-foot home theater with a 200-inch screen and state-of-the-art soundproofing according to Cusick. Among the amenities in the home are “an elevator, a gym and a kitchen with an entire wall of marble. Outdoors, there is a pool, a kitchen with a fireplace, and a garage.” and a walkable neighborhood in Huntington that is nearby an impressive bluff, the beaches of the Palisades and the shopping area of Caruso’s Palisades Village, according to Ryan Jancula who said, as quoted by Mansion Global.com, “It will be ideal for someone who’s looking for either a secondary home in Los Angeles or who wants to be close to the beach and all the modern amenities.”

Cusick stated while talking about the high quality of the home and its modern and zen style, minimalist aesthetic, “The entire house has hand-troweled plaster walls accented by hand-stained white oak, which was actually very hard to get done during the Covid.” as quoted by Mansion Global.com

Convert Your Analog Memories Into Digital With Westside Video Services

Convert Your Analog Memories Into Digital With Westside Video Services

By Susan Payne

The boxes of 8mm and 16mm film, comprised of childhood memories, moments with your siblings and friends captured before the digital era, are likely in your closet or tucked away for another time.

But, when will that time be? When will you take the boxes out, and convert the footage to an easily accessible and safe format, free from possible damage beyond repair?

The time is now, said Westside Video Services owner Sam Najah.

“Your memories are priceless and irreplaceable. Fire or flooding, there are all kinds of ways you can lose those photos or videos, lose the memories of your childhood forever. I always encourage people not to put it off,” he said.

Najah, who has nearly 30 years of production experience, local to Topanga and West Los Angeles, provides a service that makes the digital conversion and organization of those files seamless for the customer,

helping preserve, restore and showcase your cherished memories.

“Sometimes people get overwhelmed with the technology and put it off, but I really say, leave it up to us,” Najah said. “There’s not much you have to do besides pulling it out of the closet.”

Najah, equipped with a state-of-the-art system that transfers film to high definition, has been in business for three years, bringing those memories back to life.

“My customers well up in tears after they’ve rewatched the footage they haven’t seen in years,” Najah said.

In addition to converting analog film and photos to digital, Westside Video Service offers the following services:

DIGITAL TRANSFER

For memories stuck in an analog format, Westside Video Services transfers them into a DVD or a digital file. Photos slides and negatives are scanned at an archival quality, and 8mm film reels are converted to a highdefinition format that can be easily viewed, shared and enjoyed on any modern device.

Westside Video also offers free pick-up and delivery to ensure memories remain safe from potential shipping issues.

VIDEO SLIDESHOW

Remembering special events such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, memorials and more is easy with Westside Video Service’s customized projects which combine your photos, video clips, music and special effects for your keepsake.

COMPLETE HOME ARCHIVAL SOLUTION

Westside Video has four steps in creating a home archival solution for your cherished memories. Step one is to digitize and take inventory of the photos, slides, negatives, videos, audio and more. In step two, Westside Video will organize and create folders and subfolders by date, events and holidays. After the organization step is complete, Westside Video will manually restore each image that can benefit from restoration by removing stains and blemishes and restoring the faded colors. Finally, step four, showcases the best photos, slides, video and film clips into a montage of your life set to music.

“We digitize and organize everything. We go through footage and slides and restore it to optimal colors and tones, then I showcase pieces highlighting the memories into one with music. You can narrow it down to an hour it tells their life story completely,” said Najah.

LEGACY VIDEO

Westside’s Legacy Video service connects family members across generations with a unique and tangible legacy, capturing the stories you and your family has to share. Westside will film an interview with the family member and support the stories they share with photos and videos from the past.

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Westside Video Services also provides costeffective production and specializes in online ads, web videos, commercial or corporate videos.

For more information on these services, or if you’d like to speak with Najah about the process of converting your analog inventory, go to www.westsidevideoservice.com.

“All my prices are listed on my website, but we do quantity discounts for people who have multiple tapes and albums, so it helps,” Najah said. “You do this once, you’re not going to have to do it again.”

Photo: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Think Pink: A Special Event for Women’s Wellness and Education at the Upper Bel Air Bay Club

PPCC Discusses Issues Related to George Wolfberg Park and Public Safety Matters

“Think Pink for Women’s Wellness” is an Irene Dunne Guild annual event that focuses on health education and awareness for women and their families. The Irene Dunne Guild, a support group of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, created Think Pink over 18 years ago as a gathering meant to educate women on important health issues.

This year’s event is Wednesday, May 10th, 2023, 8:30am-3:00 pm at the Upper Bel Air Bay Club.

Featuring break through lectures with notable physicians and speakers. Over the years, topics have included healthy brain aging, addiction, urology, dermatology, and breast health. The event culminates with a wonderful

luncheon held in the beautiful dining room of the Upper Bel Air Bay Club overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Boutique shopping is available throughout the event with net proceeds benefiting programs, equipment and services at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.

Tickets are $175.00 per person. Think Pink Co-Chairs are Lorena Craven and Susie DeWeese. For more information, contact Saint John’s Foundation at 310.829.8424. We would be thrilled to welcome you to Think Pink 2023.

The Irene Dunne Guild is celebrating its thirty-sixth year as a major support group of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation in Santa Monica, California. The guild is comprised of over 100 members committed to putting their hearts forward to find innovative ways to fundraise, comfort patients, educate their community and nurture the mission of providing compassionate care. www. irenedunneguild.org

Looking back at the January Pacific Palisades Community Council meetings

At the recently held Palisades Park Community Council (PPCC) meetings on January 12 and 26, the board discussed issues related to the maintenance of George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon (GWPPC) and various public safety matters.

The PPCC unanimously voted to request support from Park Rangers to enforce posted signs, operating hours of sunrise to sunset, and Municipal Code sections at GWPPC. Additionally, they asked their State representatives to help foster an agreement between Caltrans and the City regarding access to Caltrans property for the Lateral Trail. This is a requirement as part of the Coastal Commission permit for which Congressman Ted Lieu secured $1.15 million

in Congressional Omnibus Bill funding in December 2022.

In addition, a Potrero Park Oversight Committee was formed with PPCC Board members, Recreation and Parks members and community constituents to handle monitoring and oversight of progress and resolution of issues at GWPPC such as signage and soil slippage safety. They will report any recommendations or discussion items to the PPCC who will assess if action needs to be taken or acknowledged formally by city/state governments or allies at the Council Office. Community members may make comments concerning this matter before February 8th via the City comment portal 23-4118-S1

PPCC’s next meeting will be on February 9th, where it will have a chance to meet the Palisades’ new Congressman, Brad Sherman. The PPCC will also hear from Donna Arrechea, Director of 311 at the City of Los Angeles, who will give a presentation of the City’s 311 call center and app, and take questions.

St. Matthew’s Parish to Host James K. A. Smith for Stern Lecture in 2023

for the 2023 Stern Lecture, taking place on Friday evening, March 3 and Saturday morning, March 4. Smith will also be the guest preacher at both 8:00 am and 10:00 am services on Sunday, March 5.

Smith’s Stern Lecture will explore the ways in which Augustine of Hippo is surprisingly relevant to our current challenges and opportunities. Trained as a philosopher with a focus on contemporary French thought, Smith is an award-winning author and travels extensively as a lecturer, acting as a bridge between society and the church.

sessions at 9:00 am – “The Art of Testimony: Augustine the Storyteller” – and 10:30 am – “Ambition, Anxiety, and Friendship: Augustine Our Contemporary.” Between each conversation, there will be a short break with a light lunch provided midday on Saturday for registered participants.

The Parish of Saint Matthew in Pacific Palisades is thrilled to announce the professor of philosophy at Calvin University and editor-in-chief of “Image” Journal, James K. A. Smith, as its featured speaker

The event kicks off with Smith presenting the first session at 7:30 pm on Friday entitled “A Spirituality for Wanderers and Wayfarers; Augustine & Monica on Route 66.” It continues into Saturday morning with two

The Stern Lecture is free of charge however advance registration is required and can be done online through their website www.stmatthews.com or by contacting them directly via email at connect@stmatthews or call 310-454-1358. The lecture was established by Dr. W Eugene Stern in memory of his wife Libby Naffziger Stern in 1986 with the aim to bring international scholars to The Parish of St Matthews for lectures and preaching opportunities alike.

This year’s event will take place on May 10 at the Upper Bel Air Bay Club.

Smith’s Stern Lecture will explore the ways in which Augustine of Hippo is surprisingly relevant to our current challenges and opportunities

Photo: Courtesy James K. A. Smith.

YOU BELONG AT SMC

Classes start March 6 On-campus and online smc.edu/spring