Photo: Los Angeles County Lifeguards (Twitter)
Derek Traeger passes away BY DOLORES QUINTANA
September 11: Comprised of teachers and staff from McCabe’s Guitar Shop, the McCabe’s Hootenanny Collective invites attendees to bring their instrument of choice and to join a sing-along free-for-all. Next up the bluegrass group AJ Lee and Blue Summit perform a blend of country, soul, swing, rock and jam musical influences.
“It is with great heartache the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division shares the active duty death of Ocean Lifeguard Derek Traeger on Sunday, August 14, 2022. Ocean Lifeguard Traeger faithfully served the County of Los Angeles for 6 years and was last assigned to the Beaches of Santa Monica North,” reads a post from LA County Lifeguards. “Traeger understood better than most what it means to wear the red trunks. His passion for life, art, the ocean, and his lifeguard family was evident in every moment he “Thelived.”LA County Fire Department Peer Support Team has been activated and services are available for family and team members,” the post continues. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, & colleagues of OL Traeger.” A procession was held for Traeger from the county morgue in Boyle Heights to a funeral home in TraegerLomita.wasborn and raised in San Pedro where he learned to swim and surf. He was a LA County Junior life guard for nine years, and Cadet for two years. He swam for San Pedro High School and was captain of the San Pedro High surf team before attending California State University Long Beach.
September 4: Singer-songwriter, poet, author and culture bearer Tina Orduno Calderon, will open the series with a Tongva land acknowledgment and blessing. A performance by nine-time world champion Native hoop dancer Eric Hernandez will kick off the performances, followed by Prince Diabaté and Friends. Considered to be one of the leading kora players of his generation, Prince Diabaté and Friends brings not only total mastery over his ancestral tradition, but a commitment to renew it through fresh ideas and exchanges with musicians from many cultures.
The social media accounts of the Los Angeles County Lifeguards announced the active duty death of one of their own on AugustOcean15.Lifeguard Derek Traeger, a six year veteran of the LA County Lifeguard force, died in a car crash while on duty on August 14. No further details of Treager’s death have been shared as yet, but the social media accounts stated that when more detail become available, they will be shared with the public.
Americana in the Park Concert Series Returns to Santa Monica’s Gandara Park this September McCabe’s Guitar Shop partners with the City for a celebration of Americana music BY SAM CATANZARO McCabe’s Guitar Shop, in partnership with the City of Santa Monica, presents the second annual Americana in the Park concert series in Gandara Park. The concerts will take place every Sunday in September from 4 – 7 p.m. “The free series explores the arc of Americana music from its roots to modern forms, showcasing a diverse group of Southern California artists and styles. Each concert features a family-friendly headliner and opener,” the City said in a press release announcing the event. The concert series lineup includes:
September 18: Folk rockin’ children’s music group Earthworm Ensemble will open for I See Hawks in L.A., a leading Southern California alternative country, Americana and folk rock band.
Local Los Angeles County Lifeguard Dies in Car Crash
smmirror.com August 19 – August 25, 2022 Volume CLIV, Issue 158 REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY INSIDE Goop MonicaKitchenOpeningSuperfinaGhostinSanta PAGE 4
September 25: The soul and jazz-inspired music of Jacob G. and the Score will open for Little Willie G. Nicknamed “The Godfather of Brown-Eyed Soul,” vocalist Little Willie G. gained fame with Thee Midniters in the 1960s and continues to thrill audiences with his local East L.A. brass-infused Chicano soul music. Each concert will feature rotating food trucks and a McCabe’s Guitar Pop-Up Shop. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets.
Photo: Halline Overby Masanaga Marimba Performing at Americana at Gandara Park in 2021.
Lamont E. Horton arrested in connection to August 11 murder
Santa Monica police over the weekend arrested a man for having in his possession jewelry, electronics, credit cards and identification not belonging to him, and detectives believe he is responsible for other thefts in the area and are hoping to connect him to those Accordingincidents.tothe Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on August 13 around 4:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence on the 300 block Euclid to investigate a burglary.
Photo: SMPD Ramiro Martinez.
2 WWW.SMMIRROR.COM August 19 – August 25, 2022
“Horton is believed to be known to the victim,” the SMPD said. Horton was arrested and transported to the SMPD Jail where he was subsequently booked for murder. Anyone with any additional information about this incident is strongly encouraged to contact Detective Burciaga (310) 4588932 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at (310) 458-8426. This is the second murder to occur in Santa Monica this year, following a July 29 murder at the Santa Monica Public Library Main Branch.
BY SAM CATANZARO
From Collecting to DeclutteringWorkshop
“A citizen witnessed a suspicious person enter a property after grabbing and manipulating several other residential gates,” the SMPD. SMPD officers arrive minutes later and set up a perimeter around the residence, according to police. “Officers conducted a walkthrough of the property when they saw a male exit the second floor of a rear house (ADU). A foot pursuit ensued, and the suspect was taken into custody a short distance away,” the SMPD said. The suspect was identified as Ramiro Martinez, a 38-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga. Officers located several pieces of jewelry, electronics, credit cards and identification not belonging to Martinez, in his possession. Martinez also had a small amount of a crystalized substance believed to be methamphetamine, according to the SMPD. Martinez was transported to the SMPD Jail and booked for burglary and possession of stolenSMPDproperty.detectives believe Martinez is responsible for other thefts in the area and are hoping to connect him to those incidents. Anyone with any additional information pertaining to this incident, items recovered, or the suspect is encouraged to contact Detective H. Tavera at 310-458-8946 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8426.
Man Arrested for Santa Monica’s Second Homicide of the Year Burglary Suspect Arrested in Santa Monica With Stolen
SMPD detectives believe suspect is responsible for other thefts in the area BY SAM CATANZARO
A man was arrested by Santa Monica police last week for the city’s second homicide of the year. According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on August 11 around 10:47 a.m., officers were dispatched to a call of unknown trouble at a residence of a multi-family apartment complex in the 1400 block of Lincoln Boulevard.
“Several witnesses reported hearing a female screaming for help from one of the units,” the SMPD said.
Property in Possession
SMPD officers arrived at the complex three minutes later, according to the SMPD. Officers entered the unit and discovered a deceased female who appeared to be a victim of a Witnesseshomicide.toldofficers a male left the unit and provided the officers with the suspect’s description. A responding motor officer spotted a suspect and followed him until he was safely detained at the Jack in the Box at 802 Santa Monica Boulevard. The male subject, later identified as 47-year-old Lamont E. Horton, was positively identified by witnesses as the male who came out of the apartment.
A 15-week program to help you gain control of your stuff.
FREE Orientation (required), Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 1:30 to 3 p.m. 15 week workshops, Wednesdays, September 7 December 15, 2022 Orientation and workshop sessions are from 1:30-3:00 p.m. 1527 4th Street, 1st Floor, Santa Monica Space is limited. A modest fee of $100 for the 15-week series For more information, call (310) 394-9871, ext. 254
3WWW.SMMIRROR.COMAugust 19 – August 25, 2022 FARM FRESH PRODUCE LOW PRICES FOR YOUR EVERYDAY NEEDSSERVICE DELIFEATURED THIS WEEK! NATURALHOTSPECIALTYORGANICFOODSBAKERY JARLSBERG CHEESE Sliced to Order BUFFALO CHICKEN BREAST Sliced to Order FULL SERVICE MEATS TATE’S BAKE SHOP ExcludesSelectCookies7oz.VarietiesVegan QUAKER Life Assorted18Cerealoz.Varieties CRYSTAL GEYSER 1Watergallon 1650 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica 90405 Corner of 17th St. & Ocean Park Blvd. • www.bobsmkt.com $12.99$6.99 PICK OF THE WEEK WINE & BEER Domaine Vetriccie 2021 CORSICAN ROSE 750ml. Save $3 $8.99 FIRESTONE WALKER 805 BEER 6 / 12 . oz. Bottles $11.99 COFFEE MATE AssortedCreamer32oz.Varieties Delivery Hours: 7am - 3pm Call or Email before 3pm for same day delivery! Not Available Sundays Curbside pick-up available 9am-5pm Daily (310) 452-2493 Hot and Ready to Serve! Hot and Ready to Serve! USDA Prime BONE-IN RIB EYE STEAK $29.99 $16.99 ROASTED HALF CHICKEN CHEF’S CHOICE MARINADE PORK BABY BACK RIBS Store Hours: 7am-9pm Daily Prices valid while supplies last. Prices Valid August 18thAugust 24th, 2022 $16.99 lb. $10.99 lb. SPECIAL VALUE Paper Towels 3 Pack $2.19 lb. lb. +Tax +CRV $4.99 $5.99 $4.99$9.99 Farm RaisedTaste the Difference! Lean & Meaty All Natural PORK BABY BACK RIBS lb. FLORIDA’SORANGENATURALJUICE +Tax ProductCELERYofUSA lb. ProductAPPLESFUJIofUSA $1.99 $4.49 PEPPERSPASILLA Product of Mexico $2.49 $1.99 WHITE ONIONS Product of USA RED PLUMS Product of USA 52 . oz. Assorted Varieties 99¢lb. lb.lb. +Tax Each SALMON FILET +Tax DELIVERED FRESH! 2 for $ 4.00 lb. +Tax 2 For $3.00 +CRV
Gwyneth Paltrow coming to Santa Monica August 31
WWW.SMMIRROR.COM4 August 19 – August 25, 2022
Photo: Loopnet Santa Monica, CA 90405 across from URTH cafe bikeshopsantamonica.comsales@bikeshopsantamonica.com310.581.8014
Chef Kim Floresca, formerly of renowned El Bulli in Spain, Per Se, and the Restaurant at Meadowood, and VP, Culinary at Goop, is the chef who is creating the dishes at Goop Superfina, which are described as good, clean food for everyone on the restaurant’s website. The pizza is of the square, thin crust variety, 12x12 inches. Each of the pizza selections have cute names like Pepperoni Potts, named after Paltrow’s character Pepper Potts in the Iron Man films, California Love, a kale centric take on pizza and Living On The Veg, the vegetarian pie selection among others. The pepperoni used on the pizza is Zoe’s Pepperoni, which is uncured and nitrate free.
THE AREAS MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE PROFESSIONALS
THE
By Dolores Quintana
Goop Founder Gwyneth Paltrow has added another arm to her growing business in Los Angeles with the addition of Goop Superfina, a ghost kitchen run restaurant, that specializes in pizza and pasta dishes, gluten free of course, as reported by Eater Los Angeles. The Goop Superfina ghost kitchen is currently open in Studio City and will come to Santa Monica staring on August 31.
There are three pasta options: GP’s Turkey Bolognese, made with free range, nitrate free turkey, Classic spaghetti with tomato and basil and pesto pasta, made with Roasted sunflower seeds, basil, lemon, marinated-and-blistered tomatoes and Penne, No Vodka, which is described as their alcohol free take on penne alla vodka with Calabrian chili and parmesan. You can also find sides, turkey meatballs, roasted mushrooms and broccolini as well as a large selection of salads, naturally. All of the salad dressings that are “made in-house marked GCC are goop Certified Clean (no processed sugars, processed foods, gluten, dairy, peanuts, or preservatives).” The salad menu includes the not so simple salad, the little gem caesar salad, arugula salad, Mama Lil’s caesar, which is differentiated from the little gem caesar with the addition of watermelon radish.Dessert choices are almond flour coco chocolate chip cookies and (ooey, gooey) dark chocolate brownies.
Goop Superfina Opening Ghost Kitchen in Santa Monica
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5WWW.SMMIRROR.COMAugust 19 – August 25, 2022 Not eligible for all property types. Eligible for fixed rate, jumbo loans on primary or second homes only. Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will be approved for financing. Receipt of application does not represent an approval for financing or interest rate guarantee. Restrictions may apply, contact Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC for current rates and for more information. Find your forever home faster. Call today to learn more about your options. Ryan Woodward O: (310) grarate.com/ryanwoodward791-6077 Ryan.Woodward@grarate.com 130 North Brand Blvd, Suite 207 Glendale, CA 91203 Vice President, Mortgage Lending NMLS ID: 700492, LO#: CA CA - CA-DFPI700492 Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a registered trademark of Guaranteed Rate, Inc., used under license. Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a subsidiary of Guaranteed Rate, Inc.; NMLS #1598647; For licensing information visit nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Conditions may apply Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a registered trademark of Guaranteed Rate, Inc., used under license. Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC is a subsidiary of Guaranteed Rate, Inc. CA: Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act
By Tom Elias, Columnist There is no doubt California has a housing shortage. That’s fact even in the wake of the state auditor’s springtime report showing this state’s Department of Housing and Community Development figures are unreliable, making it hard to know the actual extent of the shortfall. But we definitely know some of the causes and at long last, a few cities are beginning to figure out ways to at least reduce whatever shortfall exists. The most commonly proposed tactic is to force vacant homes onto the market via a tax or a fine on places that go unused for longHowperiods.extensive is the vacancy problem?
Column: Time to Crack Down on Vacant Homes’ Owners
The citizen group United Neighbors claims institutional buyers, including pension funds and Wall Street investment banks, spent a record $77 billion on single-family homes in the last six months of 2021. Many of these stay off the market while land values rise, in the hopes that increasing housing demand will spur future sales to apartment and condominium builders, now authorized by new state laws to build high rises in areas formerly reserved for single family homes. One thing for sure: even if there are enough vacant units now held off the market to solve most of a housing shortage estimated at 1.8 million units by Gov. Gavin Newsom, they won’t resolve the need for more affordable housing. For the owners of units now off the market are after more than just a small profit; they want big-money returns on their investments and those will not be forthcoming from renters except in a very few places. So far, the capital needed to create affordable housing in large quantities has not appeared. Which leaves the state and its cities in a bind that can be eased only if owners of most currently unused units can be incentivized to rent or sell. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, “The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It” is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www. californiafocus.net
Rendering: Livia Cavallo/KFA Architecture
Construction Begins on Michigan Avenue Affordable Housing Development
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
The new development will replace the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall
By Dolores Quintana
WWW.SMMIRROR.COM6 August 19 – August 25, 2022
A new affordable housing project has begun construction in Santa Monica as reported by Urbanize Los Angeles. The new development will replace the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall at 1413 Michigan Avenue near Woodlawn Cemetery in the PicoThisNeighborhood.projectisbeing developed by EAH Housing, “a non-profit corporation founded with the belief that attractive affordable rental housing is the cornerstone to sustainable, living communities.” The lot will keep the former structure’s community center and the new development, dubbed The Laurel, will be built and is meant to house low-income families and the formerly homeless. The new structure will have 58 units of affordable housing.
One estimate from the California Association of Realtors suggests as many as 1.2 million units, apartments and single-family homes, now sit vacant around California. Most are in cities, where in some cases, entire apartment buildings are empty. San Francisco, where a severe housing shortage caused rents to shoot up sharply just before the coronavirus pandemic, is considering – but has not yet imposed – fines ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 for holding livable quarters off the market. That proposal moved to the back burner last winter, when it became clear that pandemic-inspired changes in white collar working conditions allowed thousands of city residents to move to more rural digs and work from home, emptying large numbers of San Francisco units. But the opposite is true across San Francisco Bay in the college town of Berkeley, where city officials are considering a plan to tax vacancies. Much smaller than San Francisco, Berkeley recently reported 141 vacant multi-unit residential buildings, at a time when students are scrounging for housing and controversy surrounds plans for new University of California-owned student quarters.Citycouncilwoman Kate Harrison has claimed 68 of those buildings had been empty for more than 120 days as of late July, a month before most UC Berkeley students were to return to town. So Berkeley altered its definition of “blight” to include residential buildings that stand empty more than four months. This will see landlords who hold buildings empty and also allow them to become eyesores in other ways – falling apart, infested by weeds and rodents or in drastic need of new paint – pay fines ranging from $100 to $500 per violation. Similar ordinances already exist in a very few other cities. Even Harrison, who badly wants the empty units fixed up and opened to student renters in order to help resolve her city’s obvious shortage, admits fines of that level likely won’t cause investor owners to do much. But if fines don’t bring movement, the city will likely ask voters to OK a far higher tax on long-term vacancies, the amount not yet determined.Meanwhile, investor owners are increasingly common all over California, where widespread advertising tempts homeowners to sell while prices are high. “We’ll buy your house as is,” declare some of the television commercials. “No need to spend money fixing it up.”
Those dollars are now going for that versus helping out a family that is in need,” Not only did the parties responsible for the dumping leave their mulch on YMCA land, they also dumped more of the mulch on land that belongs to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, in Temescal Canyon Park, as well. According to Kirtley, it will cost around $1,500 to remove the mulch from the land.
Three bags of mulch dumped on environmentally sensitive land By Dolores Quintana An incident of illegal dumping on the Palisades-Malibu YMCA land will cost the organization around $1,500 to remove three piles of mulch.
$1,500
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Illegal Dumping at Palisades-Malibu YMCA Will Cost Organization
“It’s a fire hazard to all those homes above that area,” Kirtley said in a phone interview. “So now, whatever, person or company did this, [has] now put the disposal responsibilities onto the YMCA. Now we’re gonna have to use dollars that we could potentially have used in the community to clean up somebody’s mess.
“It’s about $500 for load, I believe, to dispose of, so with three loads it is potentially $1,500, that they got away with not having to pay for themselves. I’m going to have to have a crew come in and do that. We’ll see if we can work together [with the Santa Monica Conservancy] to maybe do it on a cheaper bid because they had a load or two dumped on their property as well,” Kirtley said. In addition to the money that the YMCA will have to spend on cleanup, it’s possible that they may have to spend more to install security cameras as well. “We may have to install an expensive camera system because of this which would be additional dollars that the YMCA is going to have to spend that normally would be giving to families or going towards programs to get things to families in need. I think it’s important that people know that there’s a ripple effect and how it affects the community, along with the fire hazard issue,” Kirtley said. If anyone has any information about the illegal dumping or who may be responsible, you can email YMCA Executive Director Jim Kirtley at jimkirtley@ymcala.org.
The Palisades-Malibu YMCA is located at 821 Vía De La Paz in Pacific Palisades but has land at Temescala Canyon Park. Nearly all of the land north of the Malibu city strip–in the Santa Monica Mountains Coastal Zone–is considered Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (EHSA) by the California Coastal Commission and this includes the YMCA land that abuts the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s Temescal Canyon Park. The area is also at high-risk for fires.
On Wednesday, August 10, PalisadesMalibu YMCA Executive Director Jim Kirtley was notified by a volunteer that an unknown party had dumped three piles of mulch on YMCA land that is classified as environmentally sensitive. According to Kirtley, when he went to check how the unknown parties gained access to the land, he found that they had cut the pole that the chain was normally attached to that blocked off the area, rather than just cutting the chain itself.
Climate scientists from UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have released a paper at Science Advances that studied how climate change could affect California in a way that most people would not expect. While California is known for its Mediterranean climate and frequent droughts, even megadrought conditions, what the public doesn’t remember is the potential for severe flooding within the state. Daniel Swain, UCLA climate scientist and climate scientist Xingying Huang, formerly of UCLA and now with NCAR, studied a potential Arkstorm Scenario 2.0, modeled after the original Arkstorm Scenario 1 that was created in 2010 led by the U.S. Geological Survey and an interdisciplinary team of researchers. This Arkstorm Scenario was modeled after the megaflood of 1862, seeking to account for the effects of climate change and how it would make such megastorms and megafloods potentially worse and the potential for other types of normally unheard of weather events in the area.
Disaster that would likely cost $1 trillion, study finds By Dolores Quintana
Other observations about the megaflood of 1862 are disturbing, “This event, which was characterized by weeks-long sequences of winter storms, produced widespread catastrophic flooding across virtually all of California’s lowlands—transforming the interior Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys into a temporary but vast inland sea nearly 300 miles in length and inundating much of the now densely populated coastal plain in present-day Los Angeles and Orange counties.” This would be a disaster that would likely cost $1 trillion, larger than any other in our history and would mean that parts of the state, including parts of large metro areas like Los Angeles, would be partially underwater. Because a megaflood has only occurred once in 1862, the estimate is that it is an occurrence that happens only once every 100 to 200 years, however, as the climate warms, the more likely it is that megastorms that would cause megafloods. Among climate scientists, the possibility of climate change contributing to megastorms and megafloods in California is referred to as “The Other Big One.” This type of
Scientists From UCLA Find Catastrophic Megastorm Now Twice as Likely to Happen in California
The paper states, “Observed extreme precipitation and severe subregional flood events during the 20th century—including those in 1969, 1986, and 1997—hint at this latent potential, but despite their substantial societal impacts, none have rivaled (from a geophysical perspective) the benchmark “Great Flood of 1861–1862”
Swain says, as quoted by the article at the UCLA Newsroom by reporter David Colgan, “Every major population center in California would get hit at once — probably parts of Nevada and other adjacent states, too. The effects on infrastructure would complicate relief efforts, with major interstate freeways such as the I-5 and I-80 likely shut down for weeks or months, Swain said. Economic and supply chain effects would be felt globally.”
WWW.SMMIRROR.COM8 August 19 – August 25, 2022
Karla Nemeth, director of the Califiornia Department of Water Resources, which provided funding for the study said, as quoted by the UCLA Newsroom, “Modeling extreme weather behavior is crucial to helping all communities understand flood risk even during periods of drought like the one we’re experiencing right now. The department will use this report to identify the risks, seek resources, support the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, and help educate all Californians so we can understand the risk of flooding in our communities and be prepared.”
While it is tempting to think of these potential events as being far off in the future, at the moment, there are monsoonal rain and thunderstorms that are causing flooding throughout the Southwest which have already caused dangerous flash flooding in Death Valley and caused two deaths in Las Vegas, as reported by Fox Weather.com.
Photo: William Croyle/California Department of Water Resources
Flood waters surging over the Oroville Dam spillway in California and damaging the surrounding channel on Feb. 11, 2017.
extreme weather, brought on by climate change could include cyclones, landslides, on land denuded of vegetation by wildfires or saturated by rain, and debris flows. The paper observes that “This is especially true in the vicinity of large or high-intensity wildfire burn areas, which are themselves increasing due to climate change.” What the modeling points to is that climate warming would contribute to larger amounts of runoff during much larger storms because the change in climate would mean that the snow pack of the local mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, would be much higher as the climate gets hotter. This means that the percentage of precipitation that falls as rain rather than the more beneficial snowpack would increase exponentially. The paper warns that the climate warming could significantly alter the Sierra Nevada’s watershed structure and says, “This points to the potential for historically unprecedented surface runoff regimes during future extreme storms in a strong warming scenario—especially in the watersheds draining the western slopes of the central and southern SN [Sierra Nevada], with major implications for operation of critical water infrastructure in these regions.” and continues to state “that runoff in the future extreme storm scenario is 200 to 400% greater than historical values in the Sierra Nevada because of increased precipitation rates and decreased snow fraction.”
Parents File Lawsuit in Death of Daughter Riding a Power Bike in Pacific Palisades
By Dolores Quintana
The lawsuit includes five claims for relief alleging product negligence, wrongful death, strict product liability, and breach of express and implied warranty and asks for damages and court costs.
Princess Cruises $2,950 value per couple is based on category ID interior stateroom on December 18, 2022 Caribbean Princess® 10-day Panama Canal sailing and comprises the total value of the following offers that may be found on a 10-day cruise: Princess Premier offer (valued at $2,701.50 per couple), AAA Vacations® Amenities of $175 onboard credit per stateroom, specialty dining (valued at $50 per stateroom), and two complimentary photos (valued at $25.98 per stateroom). Princess Premier offer (valued at $165 per person, per day) includes Premier Beverage Package with service charge, unlimited Wi-Fi, crew appreciation (gratuities), two specialty dinners for 2, and a premier photo package. Offer value amounts may vary by length of sailing and sail date. Ask your AAA Travel Advisor for complete details of each offer.
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Photo: Facebook (Team Molly) A mural honoring Molly Steinsapir in Pacific Palisades.
The parents of a 12-year-old girl who died riding an e-bike in Pacific Palisades last year have filed a lawsuit against the company that made the Jonathane-bike.and Kaye Steinsapir have filed a personal injury lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes, Giro Sport Design, Inc., Bell Sports, Inc. and Vista Outdoor, Inc. in the Los Angeles Superior Court in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Santa Monica. The lawsuit alleges that their daughter Molly Steinsapir’s death was caused by the Rad Power bike she was riding with a friend and the Giro helmet she was wearing on January 21 of 2021 on a large hill on the street Enchanted Way in the Pacific Palisades. The lawsuit states “Rad Power Bikes bears responsibility for the death of Molly Steinsapir due to their intentional and knowingly inappropriate marketing of e-bikes to children, failing to adequately warn about the dangers of children operating e-bikes, and due to the design defects in the RadRunner power bike, each of which was a substantial factor in causing the accident and Molly Steinsapir’s death. Further, Rad Bikes’ conduct was malicious, fraudulent, and oppressive.”
Rad Power Bikes issued a statement via email when queried about the lawsuit, “The entire Rad Power Bikes team extends its deepest condolences to the Steinsapir family on the tragic loss of Molly Steinsapir. We are aware of the lawsuit that the family has filed. Rad Power Bikes does not comment on pending litigation, including this case, and therefore has no comment on the allegations in their complaint or the underlying accident.”
The lawsuit further alleges that the “other Defendants, in this case, manufactured, marketed and sold a bicycle helmet that was also defective. The purpose of a bicycle helmet is to absorb the impact of a crash, and the Giro brand helmet Molly was wearing cracked but did not protect her from the brain injury that ultimately killed her. These Defendants’ actions were also a substantial factor in causing Molly Steinsapir’s death.”
Jonathan and Kaye Steinsapir have filed a personal injury lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes
©2022 Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. Ships of Bermudan and British registry. Offer valid on new retail bookings only made July 22 – August 22, 2022 for travel August 1 – April 30, 2023 Offer code ACESUMMER22 must be used at time of booking for savings. USA, Canada and Central America departures are land only savings of $100 per person, extension savings of $50 per person, purchase two tours back to back with savings of $100 per person and air savings of $50 per person with the purchase of Economy and $100 per person with the purchase of Business Class. Exotics, Europe and Australia & New Zealand departures are land only savings of $200 per person, extension savings of $100 per person, purchase two tours back to back with savings of $100 per person and air savings of $100 per person with the purchase of Economy, $150 per person with the purchase of Premium Economy and $250 per person with the purchase of Business Class. Back to back tour offers valid for back to back departures only. Offers can expire earlier due to space or inventory availability. Space is limited and savings are only available on select departures. Space is on a first come, first served basis. Offers are not valid on group or existing bookings. Offers are combinable with member benefits only. Offer is not combinable with Seasonal Offers, Hot Deals or Flash Sales. Promotional fares may remain in effect after the expiration date. Offer amounts vary by tour and departure date. Other restrictions may apply. 3Offer valid on new retail bookings only made July 22, 2022 August 6, 2022 for travel August 1, 2022 April 30, 2023. Offer code ACESUMMER22 must be used at time of booking for savings. USA, Canada and Central America departures are land only savings of $100 per person, extension savings of $50 per person, purchase two tours back to back with savings of $100 per person and air savings of $50 per person with the purchase of Economy and $100 per person with the purchase of Business Class. Exotics, Europe and Australia & New Zealand departures are land only savings of $200 per person, extension savings of $100 per person, purchase two tours back to back with savings of $100 per person and air savings of $100 per person with the purchase of Economy, $150 per person with the purchase of Premium Economy and $250 per person with the purchase of Business Class. Back to back tour offers valid for back to back departures only. Offers can expire earlier due to space or inventory availability. Space is limited and savings are only available on select departures. Space is on a first come, first served basis. Offers are not valid on group or existing bookings. Offers are combinable with member benefits only. Offer is not combinable with Seasonal Offers, Hot Deals or Flash Sales. Promotional fares may remain in effect after the expiration date. Offer amounts vary by tour and departure date. Other restrictions may apply. AAA Travel Sale Gift Card offer (“Offer”) only valid on bookings made through Automobile Club of Southern California. Minimum purchase required to qualify for Gift Card offer. Maximum one (1) Gift Card offer per household. Offer is combinable with AAA Travel Sale offers only. Offer valid only on new bookings made on or after July 22, 2022 which are under full deposit no later than August 6, 2022, for travel commencing no later than December 31, 2022. Gift Card will be provided to lead client/trip payee following trip final payment. Bookings of $5,000 – $9,999 qualify to receive a $50 Gift Card; bookings of $10,000+ qualify to receive a $100 Gift Card. Valid only on cruise or tour bookings provided through one of AAA’s preferred travel providers; not valid on Fly/Drive packages. The program’s gift card merchants are subject to change at any time and are not endorsed by or affiliated with AAA, nor are such merchants considered sponsors or co-sponsors of this program, and AAA disclaims responsibility for any products or services purchased using a gift card provided under the program. Gift cards/ certificates are subject to the issuing merchant’s terms and conditions. A U.S. address is required for delivery. AAA Travel Alert: Many travel destinations have implemented COVID-19–related restrictions. Before making travel plans, check to see if hotels, attractions, cruise lines, tour operators, restaurants and local authorities have issued health and safety-related restrictions or entry requirements. The State Department is a good resource for updated information. Offers subject to change without notice. Restrictions apply. Offers may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Travel Sale will take place July 22, 2022 – August 6, 2022, during normal business hours. Certain restrictions may apply. AAA members must make advance reservations through AAA Travel to obtain Member Benefits and savings. Member Benefits may vary based on departure date. Rates are accurate at time of printing and are subject to availability and change. Not responsible for errors or omissions. The Automobile Club of Southern California acts as an agent for the various providers featured at the sale. CST 1016202-80. To learn how we collect and use your information, visit the privacy link at AAA.com.
9WWW.SMMIRROR.COMAugust 19 – August 25, 2022
That is the Diane Keaton I was looking forward to seeing in her latest film, “Mack & Rita” but alas could only find glimpses of her, thanks to a poorly written script by Madeline Walter and Paul Welsh and equally poor direction by Katie Aselton. It was doomed from the beginning. Here’s the story line for what it’s worth: Mack, played reasonably well by Elizabeth Lail, is a 30-something frustrated writer who has published short stories about her late grammie Martin, nicely done by Catherine Carlen. Although Mack is the same age as her friends, she forces herself to fit in but feels that she’s a 70-something trapped in her body and is more in tune with her grandmother’s spirit than that of her contemporaries. She goes along to get along and participates in the Palm Springs bachelorette weekend for her bestie, Carla, nicely done by Taylour Paige, who delivers one of the genuine performance vs. the rest of the friends, who are generally just cardboard cutouts. It is during that weekend, nicely captured by cinematographer Sean McElwee, that Mack stumbles upon a “new age” tent and complains to Luka the guru (Simon Rex) that she’s in an age warp. He offers her a past life experience and encourages her
“Mack & Rita” Should Have Stayed on the Cutting Room Floor
Elizabeth Lail as Mack in “MACK & RITA” produced by Diane Keaton and directed by Katie Aselton. At the movies, see page 11
Diane Keaton’s
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Diane Keaton is one of Hollywood’s long-standing treasures. This awardwinning actor has given dozens of brilliant, memorable performances. A few that come to mind include her seminal role as Kate in “The Godfather,” (I, II, and III) “Annie Hall,” “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” “Sleeper,” “Manhattan,” “Reds,” “The First Wives Club,” “The Family Stone” “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” and “Something’s Gotta Give”. I will never forget the scene following her breakup with the Jack Nicholson character where she’s writing the last chapter of her book – wailing, crying, and using mounds of tissues to wipe off the tears running down her face. Her stage work is equally impressive scoring her first major role in “Hair,” and eventually was cast in Woody Allen’s Broadway play, “Play It Again Sam.” Her nuanced characterizations, along with her signature fashion look of hats, scarves, and high-neck blouses, coupled with her “Keatonesque” mannerisms and megawatt winning smile, has made her one of the most loved and respected performers.
Photo: courtesy of Rhea Films (II)
Elizabeth Lail as Mack in “MACK & RITA” produced by Diane Keaton and directed by Katie Aselton. Diane Keaton as Rita, (formerly the younger Mack) in MACK & RITA, now in general release. to climb into his “regression pod,” which is actually just a decorated tanning bed. The top closes and suddenly lights spin and flash, lighting cracks, and wind fills the tent. At the end of that silliness, Mack emerges and presto she is her older self and thus we are introduced to Keaton’s Aunt Rita. It should be noted that one of the many failures of this script is that Rita actually bears no personality resemblance to her younger self and is clearly just Diane Keaton, which almost 100% of the time would be enough. Rita now makes her way back to the house where her friends are all staying and has to convince Carla that she is really Mack. They concoct a story that this is Mack’s aunt from Arizona where her “niece” is currently working. In short order, Rita becomes a role model for older women. She joins a women’s wine club, which meets nightly. (Lois Smith, Aimee Carrero, and Wendie Malick.) By and by Rita, spurred on by Patti Harrison as her caustic agent, becomes an Instagram sensation and a spokesperson for empowering older women. With a good part of the film being cringe-worthy, there are two particularly terrible scenes: One takes place on the beach where Nicole Byer is leading a breathing workshop culminating from Rita’s awkward movements to her long, gray wig being set afire (not funny).
Diane Keaton (center) as Rita (formerly Mack) becomes a spokesperson for older women in MACK & RITA, directed by Katie Aselton.
The other embarrassment is in a Pilates class where she struggles with using the chords on the reformer. It wasn’t amusing and if one of the points of the film was to empower older women, this was actually a put-down. Mack has sort of a would-be love interest in her neighbor Jack, who acts as her dog sitter when she’s on the road. Honestly played by Dustin Milligan, you might surmise that attraction spills over to Rita and is interestingly handled. Perhaps with a better script and a more talented director, this could have actually empowered older women but alas, it just makes us look like a bunch of incompetent fools.Iunderstand producing a film to create an acting vehicle and if it works, it’s perfectly acceptable. Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood are consummate examples of wearing two hats and just about never fail both as producers and characters in their films. Wearing two hats necessitates moving from the objective (producer) to the subjective (character) and both of these icons produced, directed, and starred in an impressive body of films. In the case of our dear Ms. Keaton, perhaps that money should have been used for a vehicle more in tune with her extraordinary talent which director Aselton sorely misused.
11WWW.SMMIRROR.COMAugust 19 – August 25, 2022
InRating:RunningGenre:Language:Music:Editor:Cinematographer:JinaPanebiancoSeanMcElweeMichaelA.WebberLeoBirenbergEnglishDramedyTime:95minutesPG-13GeneralRelease
At the movies, from page 10
Diane Keaton as Rita in MACK & RITA, a story about a young woman who wants to be older.
Director: Katie Aselton Writers: Madeline Walter, Paul Welsh Production Company: Rhea Films (II) Producers: Alex Saks, Diane Keaton, Stephanie Heaton-Harris, Dori Rath &
MACK & RITA
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