Issuu

S A N TA M O N I C A

INSIDE

ENTERPRISE FISH CLOSING

REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY

smmirror.com

PAGE 8

August 14 – August 20, 2020 Volume XLIX, Issue 54

Santa Monica Police Crack Down on Mask Violators Police issue tickets on Montana Avenue By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica police have begun issuing citations to individuals not wearing masks. Last month the City of Santa Monica announced it would fine individuals not wearing face-coverings. On August 6, officers from the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) walked along Montana Avenue and began enforcing this order. The officers began at Montana Avenue and 7th Street and made their way east to 17th Street. According to Constance Farrell, the City’s spokesperson, three citations were issued and there were 20 interactions. For individuals not wearing a mask, t the rules set $100 for a first violation, $250 for a second violation, and $500 for a third violation. The enforcement operations will be conducted weekly in business districts and parks, Farrell said. Face-coverings in Santa Monica must be worn: • When individuals are or can be in contact with or walking near or past others who are non-household members in both public and private spaces, including, but not limited to, walking through common areas such as hallways, stairways, elevators, and parking facilities, meaning that a face covering must be visible and ready to be immediately put on whenever a moving person approaches within 30 feet of a nonhousehold member; • When patronizing a business, including while standing in line to enter any business; • When obtaining services from healthcare operations, unless otherwise directed by the healthcare provider; • When obtaining services from and while inside or at any location or facility engaging in essential government functions; • When waiting for or riding on public transportation or paratransit or while in a

Photo: Sam Catanzaro

Santa Monica police issue a citation for an individual not wearing a mask Thursday.

taxi, private car service, or ride-sharing vehicle; • When driving or operating any public transportation or paratransit vehicle, taxi, or private car service or ride-sharing vehicle when passengers are present; • When participating in an in-person protest; and • When engaged in work, either at a business or off-site (other than at one’s own residence) and (i) interacting inperson with any member of the public; (ii) working in any space visited by members of the public, regardless of whether anyone from the public is present at the time; (iii) working in any space where

food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution to others; (iv) working in or walking through common areas, such as hallways, stairways, elevators, and parking facilities; or (v) in any room or enclosed area where people who are nonhousehold members are present and unable to maintain a minimum six-foot separation from one another. Exceptions under the ordinance or as follows: • Persons younger than two years old; • Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering; • Persons who are hearing impaired, or

communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication; • Persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines; • Persons who are obtaining a service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service; • Persons who are (i) outdoors alone or with household members; (ii) stationary; and

Santa Monica Police, see page 4

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August 14 – August 20, 2020

Former Angels Employee Charged in Tyler Skagg’s Fatal Fentanyl Overdose Former Angels Communications Director Eric Prescott Kay faces up to 20 years in prison By Sam Catanzaro An ex-employee of the Los Angeles Angels has been charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in connection with the 2019 overdose death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, a graduate of Santa Monica High School. On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox announced former Angels Communications Director Eric Prescott Kay, 45, was charged via criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing detectable amounts of fentanyl. He was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton at the Mahon Federal Courthouse Friday morning. “Tyler Skaggs’s overdose – coming, as it did, in the midst of an ascendant baseball career – should be a wakeup call: No one is immune from this deadly drug, whether sold as a powder or hidden inside an innocuous-looking tablet,”Cox said. “Suppressing the spread of fentanyl is a priority for the Department of Justice.” Skaggs was born in Woodland Hills and grew up in Santa Monica where he graduated from Santa Monica High School in 2009 when the Angels drafted him in the first round. Skaggs’ mother Debbie spent more than

three decades coaching the softball team at SAMOHI to a string of league titles and a pair of Southern California championships. According to the criminal complaint, filed on July 30 and unsealed Friday, the investigation began on July 1, 2019, when the Southlake Police Department received a 911 call stating that Mr. Skaggs, then just 27 years old, had been found dead in his hotel room at the Southlake Town Square Hilton. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office later determined that Mr. Skaggs had a mixture of ethanol, fentanyl, and oxycodone in his system at the time of his death; it was later ascertained that but for the fentanyl, Mr. Skaggs would not have died. Inside Mr. Skaggs’s hotel room, investigators discovered a number of pills, including a single blue pill with the markings M/30. An analysis of the pill – which closely resembled a 30-milligram oxycodone tablet – revealed it had been laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate. In an initial interview with law enforcement, Mr. Kay allegedly denied knowing whether Mr. Skaggs was a drug user. He claimed the last time he’d seen Mr. Skaggs was at hotel check-in on June 30. However, a search of Mr. Skaggs’s phone revealed text messages from June 30 suggesting that he had asked Mr. Kay to stop by his room with pills late that evening. Hotel key card records indicated that Mr. Kay’s room, no. 367, was opened at 11:29 p.m., and Mr. Skaggs’s room, no. 469, was opened nine minutes later, at 11:38 p.m., according to prosecutors. Investigators later learned that, contrary to what he’d told law enforcement the day Mr. Skaggs’s body was discovered, Mr. Kay had allegedly admitted to a colleague that he had, in fact, visited Mr. Skaggs’s room the night of

Tyler Skaggs pitching for the Santa Monica High School Vikings in 2009.

his death. “What happened to Tyler Skaggs is a tragedy; addiction is a debilitating and destructive disease. Today, Eric Kay, traveled to Texas to surrender himself. Now he will patiently wait for his opportunity to make his story known,” said Michael Molfetta, Kay’s attorney. In the course of their investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration determined that Mr. Kay allegedly regularly dealt the blue M/30 pills – dubbed “blue boys” – to Mr.

Photo: Morgan Genser

Skaggs and to others, dolling out the pills at the stadium where they worked. “Fentanyl does not discriminate in its potential deadly consequences,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez. “With the prevalence of fentanyl in many of the counterfeit prescription drugs sold on the streets, every pill taken could be your last.” If convicted, Kay faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

No UCLA Sports This Fall Pac-12 postpones fall sports By Sam Catanzaro There will be no sports at UCLA this fall as the Pac-12 has postponed its athletic season. On Tuesday, the Pac-12 Conference made the decision to postpone all fall intercollegiate athletics competitions among its member institutions, which include UCLA, and to examine the possibility of a return to play in the new year. The decision was made after consultation with athletics directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee who expressed concern with moving forward with contact practice. The Conference also announced that when conditions improve, it would consider a return to competition for impacted sports after January 1, 2021. Student-athletes impacted by the postponement will continue to have their scholarships guaranteed, according to the Pac-12. Additionally, the Pac-12 Conference said it strongly encourages that the

NCAA grant students who opt out of competition this academic year an additional year of eligibility. As part of their guaranteed scholarships, they will continue to have university support, including academic advising and tutoring, among other support services, according to the Pac-12. “All of the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors understand the importance of this decision, and the disappointment it will create for our student-athletes, the coaches, support staff and all of our fans,” said Michael H. Schill, president of the University of Oregon. “Ultimately, our decision was guided by science and a deep commitment to the health and welfare of student-athletes. We certainly hope that the Pac-12 will be able to return to competition in the New Year.” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said the decision is a disappointment to Bruins, but still expressed support “This was a decision that I have discussed at length with our athletic director Martin Jarmond and our health and safety experts, and it is one I fully support. Amid the continuing hazards posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to protect the health and welfare of our student-athletes must remain paramount,” Block said. “While the postponement

UCLA Pauley Pavilion.

of fall competition may not come as a surprise, it is nonetheless a disappointment to Bruins near and far. I am saddened for our student-athletes, many of whom have been training throughout the summer while diligently following safety protocols, yet who will not be able to showcase their talents and compete in the sports they love. Our coaches and

Photo: Facebook

staff have similarly invested a great deal of time and energy building modified training programs and flexible competition schedules. And, of course, there are tens of thousands of UCLA students, alumni and fans across the globe who will not be able to come together to cheer for our student-athletes and support our institution in one of the ways we cherish.”

August 14 – August 20, 2020

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August 14 – August 20, 2020

Affordable Housing Coming to Historic Japanese American Building? Developer wants to add 50 units of housing to Nikkei Hall By Sam Catanzaro

A historic building in Santa Monica with ties to the city’s Japanese community may soon include over 50 affordable housing units. Nikkei Hall, located at 1413 Michigan Avenue, was built in 1957 following the return of Japanese Americans to Southern California after World War II. The name of the hall takes it name from the term Nikkei which means people of Japanese ancestry. “During the resettlement period following the conclusion of Word War II, people of Japanese ancestry (Nikkei) worked to meet their basic needs for housing, employment, and more generally, to rebuild their lives and reestablish their place in society. They had previously lost everything due to the forcible removal from their homes and incarceration into internment camps,” reads a report from the Santa Monica Landmark’s Commission. To aid in the rebuilding effort after the war, in 1951, Santa Monica Nikkei Kai purchased

Photo: City of Santa Monica

Nikkei Hall in Santa Monica.

Mary FealkoFF 310.488.6502 fealkoff.com

Photo: EAH Housing

A rendering of the development.

the property on Michigan Avenue and later constructed the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall

community center in 1957. The location was selected because Santa Monica’s Nikkei

Santa Monica Police, from page 1

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population had primarily settled in the area surrounding the property. “There were no other such buildings in Santa Monica at the time of its purchase which also preceded the widespread creation of a network of Japanese American Community Centers around Los Angeles in the 1960s,” the Landmarks Commission wrote in their 2018 designation of the property as a Landmark. “Santa Monica Nikkei Hall is significant for its association with the City’s Japanese American community for approximately 60 years.” The center closed in the early 2000s and now 20 years later developer EAH Housing has its eyes on the property. According to plans recently submitted to the Landmark’s Commission, the development– known as The Laurel–would entail the construction of a four-story building on the property with 58 apartments (including 57 permanent supportive housing units), 12 parking spaces and ground-floor amenities.

next closest person’s area; • Persons who are actively engaged in a water-based activity, including, but not limited to, swimming and surfing. • Persons compliant with the County Department of Health’s Protocol for Restaurants Opening for On-Site Dining under which customers who are seated at a restaurant or other establishment that offers food or beverage service are not required to wear face coverings while they are eating or drinking; • Persons wearing personal protective equipment (“PPE”), such as medicalgrade N95 respirator or a similar mask that is more protective than a face covering; • Persons compliant with any other reopening protocol issued by the County Department of Health authorizing persons to remove their face coverings.

August 14 – August 20, 2020

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Santa Monica-Based Group Wins Historic Wastewater Recycling Suit

Hyperion Water Treatment Plant.

Court tells the state to analyze practice of dumping billions of gallons of wastewater into sea By Sam Catanzaro Every day Hyperion Water Treatment Plant discharges enough treated wastewater into the ocean to fill the Rose Bowl 2.5 times over. Now a court has instructed state water officials to analyze whether it is “wasteful” and “unreasonable” to dump billions of gallons of wastewater into the sea. According to Santa Monica-based advocacy group Los Angeles Waterkeeper, water treatment plants Hyperion, Tillman, Burbank and Los Angeles-Glendale dump an average of nearly 270 million gallons of treated water into the Los Angeles River and Pacific Ocean every day. Hyperion alone discharges enough treated wastewater into the ocean to fill the Rose Bowl 2.5 times over every day. During most days, treated discharge from sewage plants makes up the majority of flow in the LA River, Los Angeles Waterkeeper, according to Los Angeles Waterkeeper. On August 4, the Los Angeles Superior Court filed a decision, in favor of Los Angeles Waterkeeper that compels the State’s Water Resources Control Board (California’s lead water quality agency) to analyze whether it is “wasteful” and “unreasonable” to dump billions of gallons of wastewater into the sea, when it could instead be used productively to ensure the sustainability of California’s water resources. In their decision, the court questioned whether money spent on water conservation efforts would have been better spent on recycling wastewater discharge.

Photo: Doc Searls (Flickr)

“For decades, Californians have been warned of drought or the threat of drought. They have been asked to reduce water usage and many have taken that to heart by, for example, shortening their shower time, using low flow toilets, and reducing lawn sprinkler time…Not long ago, the court had a case in which Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power spent $500 million in rebates for homeowners to plant desert planting in lieu of grass in their lards. The benefits of this expenditure were dubious,” the court wrote in the decision. “Could these monies have been better spent recycling the POTWs’ [publicly owned treatment works] wastewater discharge? We cannot know until the State Board conducts an evaluation of the reasonableness/waste of the discharges.” According to the ruling, the court will not dictate the precise nature of this evaluation, except that the State Board must consider all relevant factors, develop a factual record and “explain how its discretion was exercised by demonstrating a rational connection between the factors considered” and choices made. “Whatever the conclusion, the State Board must evaluate the reasonableness of four POTWs discharge of 400 mgd [millions of gallons per day],” the court said. When reached for comment, the Board said that “We typically don’t comment on pending litigation. Once the trial court judge takes final action, the Board will consider whether to appeal.” Hyperion Water Treatment Plant could not be reached for comment. In July, however, Los Angeles Sanitation began working on a new Membrane Bioreactor Project at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant. LA city leaders have expressed a goal of recycling 100 percent of wastewater by 2035. Los Angeles Waterkeeper for their part celebrated the decision, claiming that the

Lawsuit, see page 8

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August 14 – August 20, 2020

OPINION

Where Oh Where Is Our City Council? – part 2

SMa.r.t. Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

In last week’s article we touched on the nine bills currently before our state legislature which assigns and orders, under economic penalty, that Santa Monica builds 8,874 units in the next 8 years. 1,100 units a year in a city that currently builds 200 a year. These bills, if executed, would add a 20-25% increase in Santa Monica’s population requiring a 25% increase in infrastructure – water & power, fire & police, schools & parks, all paid for by the residents! These bills void all land use constraints – allow increased heights, remove parking requirements, end single family zoning and prohibit environmental and public review of proposed projects. A developer’s dream. Development density madness – 8,874 new units Based on Santa Monica’s success in providing housing relative to other cities SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) has determined that “Santa Monica is unique and shovel ready” – shovel ready to bury our city with 8,874 housing units. But in a post-COVID world, we should disperse development, not densify it. It’s a developer’s dream and a resident’s nightmare. A fool’s errand. How to counter a fool’s errand How do we grow within reason without destroying our community? Although our code currently provides for 9,000 new units without resorting to 6-8 story buildings, let’s stabilize our population by shifting jobs to where the people commuting already live! We can solve an increase in housing and commercial needs using incentives among other means to manage reasonable growth without sacrificing our single-family housing or losing our beachfront environment, or needing to increase our density by 20-25%. Alternatives to this craziness The pandemic is redefining the country for a generation or more – remaking the retail and office landscape. A fair amount of retail space, both large and small, is vacant, including big-box department stores and even entire malls as the public is not eager to return to enclosed spaces and crowds of people. Add to this is a sudden surplus of office space with more working from home and with this sizeable increase in vacancies, there will be downward pressure on rents. This will provide the opportunity to repurpose the vacant spaces for housing and we can also retrofit the significant majority of one-story commercial buildings on our boulevards by adding 2nd and 3rd story residential at considerably less cost than tearing down and re-starting from the ground up noting that adaptive re-use takes substantially less time and cost than building new. Without destroying our single-family neighborhoods, we can also use tax and permit incentives to encourage developing Accessory Dwelling Units on single-family properties, and there is a considerable number of Airbnb rentals in Santa Monica which, under the present circumstances, will return to the long-

term rental marketplace. Additionally, there is a substantial amount of city owned property – both large and small – BBB Yards, Bergamot, the municipal yards, and miscellaneous vacant lots where two and three-story affordable courtyard housing can be distributed on portions of these city owned properties with no land costs, and built at 2/3rds the cost of six and eight-story buildings with multi-level subterranean garages. Every community should have a minimum one year period to work on a housing plan, or in Santa Monica’s case, preferably a master plan rather than this “one size fits all” mentality! A plan that can easily provide incentives to direct multi-family development away from R1 areas and transition creatively onto the boulevards. Where is our City Council?? While Sacramento is considering • allowing heights for new construction based on buildings ½ a mile away! • allowing 10 unit, four-story apartment buildings in single-family neighborhoods without parking • silencing residents on the review of housing projects in their neighborhoods • and each bill ignoring water and other infrastructure demands It is truly unbelievable that we have a City Council that is so dependent on developer money, that they will allow us to be led down a path of no return, lined with six and 8-story buildings instead of trees and sunlight. This is not just a political difference between a pro-development City Council and a resident population who increasingly lives with higher taxes, and more and more traffic. This is a very serious problem we’re facing – adding 25% more housing, 25% more population,

25% more infrastructure, 25% more traffic, and, seems likely, 25% more taxes. This will literally ruin Santa Monica, and yet we don’t hear a peep out of our City Council!!! A City Council that spent $40-50 million more than necessary on a city hall annex vanity project, $40 million judgement on a staff lawsuit that could have been nipped in the bud years earlier, or $20 million plus fighting districtwide voting which would likely have removed them from office. And there’s the $800 million budgeted over 10 years for meeting sustainable solar energy and water goals. But you can’t build solar energy efficient buildings higher than three stories! These goals are just another fantasy, or as my colleague Bob Taylor says – “a philosophy looking for a solution.” Like our White House, the Council is just throwing everything at a wall and hoping something will stick, but these bills will set Santa Monica’s sustainability goals back to the 1950’s! And meanwhile, the city has just increased your water bill 100% over the next five years! Imagine what increases are coming with the added infrastructure this amount of development requires!! Wake up Council and stop this trainwreck Why hasn’t our City Council appealed this draconian fool’s errand when other cities have appealed and successfully reduced their housing obligation. Why – because they are wedded hand in glove with developers. With this growth, Santa Monica’s future as a desirable, liveable city is truly at stake and they’re doing absolutely nothing, NADA!! We need government to act responsibly and creatively –we need a new City Council – one that will expand renter’s rights to include residents’ rights. A City Council that doesn’t

hide deliberation and expenditures in closed door meetings, listening to a deeply entrenched city staff – in number and in salary – organized with their own agenda, planning for their future, not the residents, and apparently not for the preservation of our beachfront town. Goodbye City Council Our future is at stake – we need leaders whose loyalty is to the residents. This period of time presents us with an incredible opportunity to learn and take stock of where we’re headed and where we prefer to go. We see streets with wide landscaped sidewalks, not tall buildings creating narrow canyons. We see adaptive re-use of one and two-story buildings interspersed with three and four-story buildings. In place of alleys, we see a downtown with arcades for local merchants, to offset the coldness of chain stores. We see “beachfront,” not “urban.” Our philosophy of governance has to change, it’s not protecting our community but conversely is directing our demise. This is all to say our City Council is fundamentally incompetent to run our city. Wake up City Council – better yet, come November, goodbye City Council! By Ron Goldman for SMart (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) Thane Roberts, Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Ron Goldman FAIA, Architect, Dan Jansenson, Architect, Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission, Samuel Tolkin Architect, Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA, Planning Commissioner, Phil Brock, Santa Monica Arts Commission. For previous articles see www.santamonicaarch.wordpress.com/ writing.

August 14 – August 20, 2020

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S ANT A MONI CA COL L EG E

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August 14 – August 20, 2020

Enterprise Fish Co. Vacating Santa Monica Space

Longtime Santa Monica seafood restaurant vacating Kinney Street space By Sam Catanzaro Enterprise Fish Co., a Santa Monica institution since 1979, is vacating its restaurant space. As reported by What Now Los Angeles, Enterprise Fish Co. is vacating its space on

Lawsuit, from page 5 ruling has the potential to benefit 10 million residents by increasing local water supplies, reducing the carbon footprint associated with

Kinney Street in Santa Monica. This move comes on the heels of the restaurant closing their Santa Barbara location due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Santa Monica Mirror has reached out to the seafood restaurant for comment and asking if there are plans to relocate but it could not immediately be reached. “When we first opened Enterprise in 1979, we renovated this historic 1917 brick building to resemble any wharfside eatery one would find in any coastal town up and down the Pacific coast. Our more recent extensive renovations left the original hardwood floors, wood trussed white ceilings and brick facade intact, but upgraded the decor and comfort

level significantly,” reads the restaurant’s Facebook bio. “Fresh fish and other seafood is cooked over charcoal giving the dining room an excitement not found in many restaurants.” The 16,168-square-foot building that contained Enterprise Fish Co. since 1979 has since been put on the market for $14,000,000, 31.88 percent below sales comps averages for the area, according to a real estate listing for the property. This price is down from the $22,750,000 the property listed for earlier this year. “This property consists of a beautiful bow truss brick building with high ceilings and great patio that has been home to Enterprise Fish Co., a Santa Monica institution, since

1979 and a Spanish style 2 story retail and office building,” reads the listing for the site. The property also includes Allen Pacheco Salon, a high-end hair salon which has been a tenant since 1995 and Ocean Park Mail and Business Center which has been a tenant since 1992. “This investment offering presents a unique opportunity to an owner user or an investor to purchase an asset with very high barriers to entry in the heart of Silicon Beach. An owner user can immediately occupy the office spaces, or an investor can sign long term leases at market rates,” reads the listing.

pumping nearly two-thirds of water from Northern California and lowering rates for utility customers. “This is a landmark win for more sustainable water management throughout California. The days are numbered for the environmentally

disastrous and economically costly practice of pumping water great distances over mountain ranges, using it once, and then basically throwing it away,” said Bruce Reznik, Los Angeles Waterkeeper’s Executive Director. According to the organization, in the next

two decades, agencies could be compelled to recycle and reuse nearly 500 million gallons of wastewater currently discharged daily into rivers and coastal waters, enough water to meet the needs of approximately 1.5 million families in greater LA each day.

August 14 – August 20, 2020

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FILM REVIEW: “RADIOACTIVE”

BEHIND THE SCREEN By Kathryn Whitney Boole Radioactive is an excellent film, the product of a collaboration of four brilliant women. The first, the subject of this movie, Marie Curie, and her husband Pierre worked tirelessly to enlighten our understanding of radioactivity. Marie discovered two new elements, polonium and radium, developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, coined the term “radioactivity,” conducted the first studies leading to radiation treatment of cancerous tumors, and founded the Curie institutes in Paris and Warsaw which are today still major centers of medical research. Author Lauren Redniss, recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant, published a striking graphic novel called Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout in 2010. Celebrated Iranian director Marjane Satrapi, herself a creator and illustrator of graphic novels, was inspired by Redniss’ work to direct the film Radioactive, based on a period of Curie’s life. Satrapi hired the extraordinary actress Rosamund Pike to portray Curie and the film was shot in 2018 in Hungary. The movie is not a straightforward

biography of Curie. It is a poetic “symphony” about her hardships and the tremendous impact of her discoveries on the world during her lifetime and into the future. The film has an artistic and dreamlike style. The cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire) is remarkable as are the meticulously detailed sets by Michael Carlin. The theme is Curie’s personality, her perseverance, sharp intelligence, and the fact that she devoted her life to expand our understanding of radioactivity and its impact. The amazing work of Pike brings Curie to life. Some background on Curie would enhance your experience of this film. Curie’s stubbornness became her most vital trait. She knew that though it wasn’t acceptable for a woman of her time to become highly educated in science and make groundbreaking discoveries, there was no valid reason for her to give up her goals. “First principle: never to let one’s self be beaten down by persons or by events.” – Marie Curie. Curie was born in Poland in 1867 to parents who were teachers. The family lost their land and fortune due to involvement in Polish uprisings of the 1860’s. She and her siblings did not have an easy life growing up, and as a girl, she was prevented from enrolling in an institution of higher learning. She and her sister secretly enrolled in a clandestine

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Rosamund Pike and Sam Riley in Radioactive (2019).

university that admitted women. She also read voraciously. At the age of 24, she left Poland for France and was able to continue her studies at the University of Paris. She focused so hard sometimes that she forgot to eat. During the winter she had to wear every piece of clothing at once, because she had

Photos: IMDB

no heat. Curie became the first woman to achieve a PhD from a French university. It was at this time that she met Pierre Curie and here is where this movie starts.

Kathryn Film, see page 11

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August 14 – August 20, 2020

Film Review: Paula van der Oest’s “The Bay of Silence” – An Intriguing Mystery Thriller CENTER STAGE

With Beverly Cohn, Editor-At-Large

The very talented Danish actor Claes Bang may not exactly be a household name. However, as a reminder, he starred in The Square, and more recently, in The Burnt Orange Heresy, which costarred Donald Sutherland and Mick Jagger. He is the kind of actor who compels your eye to stay riveted to the screen and his highly textured performance as Will in The Bay of Silence continues in that tradition. Paula van der Oest directed Caroline Goodall’s screenplay, based on Lisa St. Aubin de Teran’s novel of the same name. The film begins with a series of rapidly changing scenes starting with a haunting scream of a little girl that immediately gets your attention. Following that opening, quick cuts to a confessional, a bicycle, and finally we see Will, a civil engineer, and his beautiful artist girlfriend Rosalind, wonderfully played by Olga Kurylenko, who delivers a highly nuanced performance. They are playful young lovers and are splashing around in the lake in Liguria, Italy where he feigns drowning. Seeing how terrified Rosalind became, he immediately apologizes and proposes marriage. Eight months later she is pregnant. They are having a housewarming reception in the backyard of their London home. She is about to take a photo of the kids playing below, when the railing breaks and she falls to the ground, but is not injured. Rosalind has twin girls from a previous marriage who Will embraces as his own. Eventually, she has a baby boy but, beginning her downward mental spiral, insists that she had twins and that they were hiding the other baby. Will tries to reassure her that she only gave birth to their son named Amadeo and slowly, ever so slowly we begin to see her unravel. She has nightmares and walks in her sleep which her loving husband tries to understand. He is very playful with her twin girls and one evening they ask him to tickle them, which he does. Rosalind gets upset at his touching her children and snaps, “They need to sleep.” It is about here that we begin to get a glimmer of what might have taken place in her childhood, and perhaps there is a deeprooted secret, but we still don’t have the facts. Her mother, Vivian, (Alice Krige) is married to Milton, well played by the always spot-on Brian Cox, who exhibits love and caring for Rosalind and is quite protective of her. After she gives birth, he visits his stepdaughter, bringing her a beautiful piece of gold piece jewelry and champagne. Will’s latest project puts him in charge of constructing a bridge in Newcastle. One night, he returns home from work and finds everything in total disarray, the word liar scrawled in giant letters on a wall, and his wife and kids are gone. Milton shows up

informing him that Rosalind called to say that she was leaving her marriage but even though he knows where she went, he won’t help. He has good reasons to resist guiding his son-in-law in his search for his family. Will is desperate to locate his family and while searching the attic for clues of where she might be, he sees an old suitcase, which he breaks open. He finds a parcel had arrived from Normandy the day she disappeared which contained a camera case with strips of negatives hidden inside the lining. Also concealed were a bunch of photographs of his wife as a young girl. On the back of one of the photos are the words “I forgive you.” Will deduces what is pictured is a small coastal village in northern France and decides that’s probably where she went. Armed with the photographs, he heads to what he believes is the village shown in the photos and goes in and out of local stores asking if anyone saw her or the children. Someone had indeed seen her and directs him to this old run-down house that appears to be boarded up, but on arrival he sees the twin girls fighting on the beach below with a baby carriage nearby. He goes down to where they are and finds the interior of the carriage covered with twigs and leaves. He slowly removes the debris and discovers Amadeo’s lifeless body. Rosalind is in the house sitting in a dark corner and her decent into total madness is clear. Now, during Will’s quest to find his family, one young man in town seemed to be popping up consistently. At first, Will is suspicious of Pierre Laurent, nicely played by Assaad Bouab, but eventually they become allies as he unveils the unthinkable truth about the wife’s past and the secret that has been causing her mental decline. Eventually, through perseverance, he unearths a hornet’s nest of family falsehoods and deceptions. Aiding and abetting the intriguing story telling is Guido van Gennep haunting cinematography, John Swihart’s music, and perfect editing by Sander Vos and Paul Tothill, all of whom contributed immensely to creating this mysterious mosaic of intersecting lives and the duplicitous nature of some of the people inhabiting this tale. Like any Hitchcockian thriller, just when you think you’ve figured everything out, along comes another shocking twist so like Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over,” but in this case, you’re not actually sure it’s over and what you’re seeing might not be the truth of what you’re seeing. If that’s vague, well it’s meant to be. The Bay of Silence* Director: Paula van der Oest Screenplay: Caroline Goodall Distributor: A Vertical Entertainment Release Cinematographer: Guido van Gennep Editors: Sander Vos, & Paul Tothill Music: John Swihart Language: English

Photos: Peter Jarowey - Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Claes Bang as Will and Olga Kurylenko as Rosalind in Paula van der Oest’s mystery thriller “The Bay of Silence,” scheduled to screen through Virtual Cinemas and on digital and VOD platforms beginning Friday, August 14.

Will (Claes Bang) is trying to cope with his wife’s (Olga Kurylenko) deteriorating mental state.

.L-R: Claes Bang as Will with his father-in-law Milton, played by Brian Cox.

Running Time: 95 Minutes Cast: Claes Bang, Olga Kurylenko, Alice Krige, Brian Cox The film will screen through Virtual Cinemas and on digital and VOD platforms beginning Friday, August 14.

*The beautiful Bay of Silence in Liguria

is a small picturesque bay located on the Italian Riviera and is

frequented by locals during the summer

months.

August 14 – August 20, 2020

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Meditation Changed my Brain

I know the title sounds like something from the National Enquirer. But it’s true. When Covid was first announced and soon after we all were compelled to put ourselves into quarantine, I immediately went deep into my “bubble” and stayed there for several months. I didn’t even know I was doing it. The key areas of my PR business are focused on healthcare, non-profit organizations, as well as County and City public education. When the pandemic hit its stride, no one wanted to talk about the RFPs that we had submitted. Hell, no one was in the office to even answer the phone. One of my associates could not hold out any longer and had to take a mundane, full time job doing collections remotely. The other one was so busy with his kids – 3 of them all out of school. What makes matters worse, he just got a job in New Mexico and is moving his family there. They already

Kathryn Film, from page 9 Marie Curie never took “no” for an answer. She never let outside pressures sway her principles. At the turn of the last century she

bought a house. This news brought me down even more. I slept a lot. I never reached out to any of my relatives, friends, associates. I did not have the energy. I know this next thing sounds really shallow, but I missed hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, massages, lash extensions (my real ones are growing in – yey!) for 4 months. I remained in denial of the real world. Soon after I talked to a friend, who suggested a 2-hour meditation class, held by Naam Yoga via Zoom for free. For two hours straight, I sat with my legs folded, eyes mostly closed and chanted in a language that I have never spoken until that day, with no less than 75 others, also connected by Zoom. I though two hours was going to be insane. Guess what? It wasn’t. It went by so fast. The next day I woke up rested and energetic. It felt like my brain has been turned on! Instead of sleeping (or eating) I had the interest and energy to educate myself about new things. I hired a professional coach to reframe my resume. I started looking into ways to make money other than PR. It seems like when you direct energy to something specific, the specific something

starts to appear. Just this week, I got a new account. I’m excited about the project. I also got an RFP (request for proposal) from the City. I have a new, deeper understanding about “living in the present.” For any of those out there like

me, check out meditation classes. There are many on line, and most are free. It will help you to change your brain, and to release the anxiety created from all the crazy news we hear every day. Please stay safe and healthy. Love you all.

set a courageous example for all to focus and go forward on our own terms even in the face of great fear and loss. Today we still fight these battles against blind prejudice towards women, against racial bias. Curie was aware that her discoveries could lead to

evil or good depending the ability of world’s leaders to evolve to a high level of concern for the planet and its peoples. In her words, “I am one of those who think, like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries.”

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

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