Palisades News April 2023

64-Year-Old Hiker Needed Assistance West of Murphy Ranch Stables

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded with a ground and air rescue mission to aid a 64-year-old male hiker who sustained an ankle injury on the Josepho Spur Trail, west of the Murphy Ranch Stables at 10:21 a.m. on April 22.

According to LAFD officials, the emergency call came in with limited information, prompting the immediate deployment of an LAFD Rescue Helicopter. The helicopter was able to locate the injured hiker and lowered an LAFD Flight Paramedic to begin initial care and injury stabilization.

Outage Was Caused By Equipment Failure

On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 8:24 a.m., a significant power outage occurred in the Pacific Palisades area. The outage affected 561 households and lasted for just under five hours. The power was restored to the area at 1:14 p.m.

According to a spokesperson for the Department of Water and Power (DWP), the cause of the outage was equipment failure. The city has only one power station in the area, which was built in 1935. The population of Pacific Palisades, based on the 2018 census, is 28,811. According to Circling The News, the power station was originally meant to service between 300 to 500 households.

The only power station in Pacific Palisades dates back to 1935 when the population of the area was much smaller. According to Patch. com, this is the second outage in a month.

The outage on Friday, March 24 affected 148 customers.

Due to the remote location, the LAFD Rescue Helicopter remained to hover while the injured hiker was hoisted aboard for continuing care during direct helicopter transport to a nearby hospital.

This swift response by the LAFD is a testament to their ongoing commitment to public safety and their readiness to respond to emergencies. The LAFD is equipped with highly trained personnel and state-ofthe-art technology to ensure the safety of those in need.

The LAFD reminds all hikers to be prepared for outdoor activities and to carry necessary equipment such as a firstaid kit, map, compass, and a charged cell phone in case of emergencies. In the event of an emergency, hikers are encouraged to stay calm, call 9-1-1 and provide as much information as possible to the dispatcher to facilitate a swift and safe rescue mission.

In conclusion, the LAFD’s ground and

air response to the injured hiker was a success, and the hiker was transported to a hospital for further medical care. The LAFD remains committed to ensuring the

safety of all individuals and will continue to provide swift and efficient emergency response services to the residents of Los Angeles.

Injured Hiker Rescued by LAFD Helicopter on Josepho Spur Trail Power Outage Lasting Nearly Five Hours Affects 561 Homes On April 19

Photo: Facebook

Photo: Palisades Historical Society: Zola Clearwater Collection

Multi-Car Crash on Pacific Coast Highway Leaves Two in Critical Condition

Five Cars and Seven People Were Involved

in the Accident

By Staff Writer

A multi-vehicle collision occurred on Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 as reported by the LAFD website. The accident involved a total of five cars, although the exact details of the incident have not been released by authorities.

According to reports, two individuals sustained critical injuries, while two others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Emergency services were quickly called to the scene to assist the injured parties. However, there is currently no information available regarding the ages or genders of those involved in the collision.

The exact cause of the accident remains unknown at this time, and it is unclear whether or not any charges will be filed against any of

the drivers involved.

Accidents like these serve as a stark reminder of the importance of being vigilant while driving, especially on busy roads such as the Pacific Coast Highway. Drivers are urged to exercise caution and obey traffic laws at all times to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Photo: Getty Photos

Palisades Village’s Qué Padre Launches Weekend Breakfast and Mimosa Bar

Executive Chef Isaias Peña Debuts

Delicious New Menu

Palisades Village’s Qué Padre has announced the launch of its Weekend Breakfast and Spicy Mimosa Bar, starting this Saturday, April 22nd, and every Saturday and Sunday thereafter from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.

The new Weekend Breakfast Menu, created

by Executive Chef Isaias Peña, includes delicious items such as Steak & Eggs Tacos, Soyrizo Tacos, Chilaquiles, and Churro French Toast. Each item is paired with either a Complimentary Cafe de Olia or Cold Brew, making it a perfect morning treat.

Qué Padre’s Spicy Mimosa Bar is also available on weekends from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and features traditional flavors such as Orange, Watermelon, Mango, and Guava with a spicy Tajin and Chamoy rim.

According to Chef Peña, they aimed to create a breakfast experience that is both

tasty and fun, with a blend of modern Mexican breakfast dishes and their new Spicy Mimosa Bar. Guests can make reservations by calling 310.461.8226 or visiting www. QuePadreTacos.com, but walk-ins are also

welcome.

Qué Padre, a restaurant that serves modern Mexican cuisine with fresh and locally sourced ingredients, has become a popular destination among locals and visitors alike.

Photo: Tonelson

FILM REVIEW: MAFIA

BEHIND THE SCREEN

By Kathryn Whitney Boole

MAFIA MAMMA Fun

Film With Great Setup And Lead Actresses

The memoir Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert was published in 2006, remained on the NY Times Best Seller list for 187 weeks, and was made into a film with Julia Roberts in 2010. It’s the story of the author’s quest to find herself by traveling to Italy, India, and Indonesia to find a balance in her life. A common criticism of the book is that “Gilbert’s journey is too neat” and that her experiences leave out the messy, awkward, unresolved details of her real life.” If you have read that novel, or even if you’ve heard people discussing it ad infinitum, you may understand what inspired Toni Colette, producer and star of Mafia Mamma to make her new movie. Gilbert’s book is referenced more than once in Mafia Mamma. So, I believe that Colette and her team set out to put the mess back in the memoir.

The plot of Mafia Mamma is a great setup: devoted American Mom is notified that her

grandfather in Italy, whom she’s never met, has passed away and, in his will, he designates her as the new boss of the Italian mob he runs. It’s a combination of a fish-out-of-water comedy, an essay on the male/female dynamic, and a video game-style use of bloody detached body parts at every opportunity. It’s a spoof on every overdone romance novel where an American divorcee goes abroad to find herself.

Toni Colette Is that rare actor who could believably play anything or anyone, from a toddler in diapers to a wizened centenarian, from a librarian to a serial killer. She is an ageless chameleon, and always fascinating. She consistently plays characters outside of her own age. Her turn as “Kristin” in this movie is perfectly over-the-top yet believable.

Starring with Colette is the incomparable Monica Bellucci as “Bianca.” Bellucci is Colette’s Italian counterpart as an ageless phenomenon. In watching them interact, you will find that age has no bearing on their characters. Bellucci started modeling in 1977 to pay her way through college in Italy and soon booked commercials, then made her film debut in 1992 in Bram Stoker’s Dracula as “Dracula’s Bride.” She is fluent in five languages and is the oldest actress to ever play a “Bond Girl” (in Spectre.) In Mafia Mamma she steals every scene she’s in.

Colette and Bellucci are the only actors who are familiar to US audiences. The rest of the cast

are Italian actors or unknowns. This ensemble is excellent, however. They are all colorful characters, especially Eduardo Scarpetta as “Fabrizio,” Dora Romano as “Aunt Esmeralda” and Francesco Mastroianni as “Aldo.” The screenplay could have been tighter, with better setups for the comedy and action. The story loses its flow here and there, partly because the cast and crew are having so much fun. I would like to have seen more of Kristin’s background as an overprotective “Mom/ Housewife,” to make the personality transition more remarkable once she gets to Italy. The establishing shots of Rome and the Italian

countryside give you a bonus travelogue. There is a lot of graphic action as this is also a parody of violent blockbuster thrillers. Although Mafia Mamma is certainly not an awards-contender film, you can sit back and have a good time watching these unique characters bumble through a cross between The Three Stooges and The Godfather.

Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com

Photo: IMDB

Police Investigate Assault at Santa Monica Restaurant, Suspect Still at Large

Tired OF Declinists? Some Enduring New California Positives

By Thomas D. Elias

California has taken a beating lately, with (mostly Republican) governors of other states blasting many aspects of life here, not to mention the state’s biggest-name politicians.

They cite everything from weak public schools to the upcoming ban on gasolinepowered cars and high state income taxes as reasons to desert this state.

Unknown Assailant

Smashed Table With Chairs At Popular Restaurant

The Santa Monica Police Department has announced via press release that two diners at a popular restaurant in Santa Monica were assaulted last week. According to the victim and several witnesses, the attack happened a few minutes before the officers arrived on April 20, 2023, at approximately 7:43 PM.

The Santa Monica Police Department received a 911 call of an assault at the California Pizza Kitchen located at 210 Wilshire Boulevard.

A male suspect, who was unknown to the victim, approached the victim and his dining partner unprovoked while they were seated at

their table. The suspect picked up two chairs and slammed them down on the table. During the altercation, the victim fell to the ground and cut his hand on broken dishware lying on the floor. The victim was later taken to the hospital to receive treatment for his lacerations.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing between 180-200 pounds, with a full beard. He was wearing a green or brown jacket, an orange sweater, a white undershirt, blue jeans, and blue-framed glasses. It is believed that the suspect may be homeless.

The SMPD is urging anyone with information regarding this incident or the suspect to contact Sergeant Goodwin during business hours at 310-458-8451 or chad. goodwin@santamonica.gov. The Watch Commander can also be reached 24/7 at 310-458-8427.

And yet, no state has recovered faster from the COVID-19 pandemic and its blows to employment, California unemployment has dropped in each of the last 11 months. Firefighters got the upper hand on the previous year’s ration of wildfires quicker than ever, too. And for the 12th straight year, California teams were in the Major League Baseball playoffs. Two teams, to be sure. Not to mention the fact that a California school, USC, seems to have adjusted faster and better than almost anyone else to the new financial scene in college football.

Now come two new realities that make this state look even better, despite having one less member of Congress and one less electoral college vote than it did for the last 20 years.

One is verifiable economic information. While some forecasters see troubled financial times ahead, and possibly a recession, the latest figures seem to belie that pessimism.

This state saw huge gains in leisure and hospitality revenue in 2021, whose figures have only lately been reported, along with growth in industries like health care, social services, technology, construction, and defense spending. This does not even mention agriculture, where California remains America’s No. 1 foodproducing state.

Despite headwinds caused by lingering aspects of the pandemic that hurt tourism, California posted America’s second-highest growth in gross domestic state product (GDP – the total of all goods and services produced in the state) in the last quarter of 2021. Its 6.3 percent growth between pre-pandemic 2019 and the first quarter of 2022 was beaten only by Washington State’s 6.9 percent.

By contrast, Florida and Texas, whose governors often joust verbally with California’s Gavin Newsom, all with an eye toward future White House possibilities, checked in with GDP growth of 5.3 percent and 3.9 percent respectively.

For California to better its prime challengers so soundly represented an unexpected achievement, especially coming while it lost a small percentage of its populace to each of those other two states.

California’s natural advantages are one reason it does so well. No place enjoys a better climate, with the ability to pursue a huge variety of activities close to one another all year-’round. This makes for solid tourism. The latest ranking from the home maintenance website lawnstarter.com places California first among the states in the number of scenic drives, from Highway 1 through Big Sur to State Highway 120 over Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park from the east to Redwood Highway 101 in the state’s northwestern corner and the Monterey Peninsula’s 17-mile drive.

Then there’s another big surprise in the lawnstarter.com rankings, supervised by faculty at two major Eastern universities: California now ranks just 45th in wildfire risk, and not because everything has already burned, but because places like Idaho and Texas, and Alabama are not as well prepared to handle fires when they start.

It’s not perfection, but it does put the lie to declinists who have said for many years that California is headed downward in almost all regards. In fact, in most ways the very opposite is true.

Photo: Facebook

Photo: Getty Photos

MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES Barry Snell, Chair; Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez, Vice Chair; Dr. Susan Aminoff; Dr. Nancy Greenstein; Dr. Tom Peters; Rob Rader; Dr. Sion Roy; Catalina Fuentes Aguirre, Student Trustee; Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D.,