The Canyon Chronicle - October 16, 2020 (Volume 1, No. 9) - www.thecanyonchronicle.com

T o p a n g a’ s I n d e p e n d e n t Vo i c e S i n c e 19 7 6 October 16, 2020 • Vol. 1, No. 9

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Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. Market share based on available claw MLS data and any known off market listings.

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TOPANGA life

An amalgamation of Gypsy and Jetset, Gypset is a style creation that incorporates the nomadic free spirit of the former with the latter’s bon vivant existence. Gypset does not belong to one culture or continent.

GYPSET STYLE

Architecture meets Nature in Topanga. Viewed from the current new perspective this may be the best LA has to offer: brand new construction 6 minutes from PCH and surrounded by epic 360 degree views above the heart of the bustling Village. Total sophistication blends with a higher lifestyle inspired by community, fresh air, nature, and creativity. Think Venice with trees, then ask yourself, isn’t it time to reconsider luxury?

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OVER HALF A BILLION IN TOPANGA SALES Follow us on Instagram: @thetopangalife

Melissa Oliver | 310.403.4455 & Paul Ferra | 310.455.1717 D R E

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© 2020 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All rights reserved. Coldwell Banker®, the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC in the United States and by Coldwell Banker LLC outside the United States. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker are independent contractor sales associates. Statistics by CLAW MLS and company records for the period 1/31/2020 thru 7/15/2020 and include all SFR transaction sides closed or currently in escrow. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. © OliverFerra 2020

Thinking Out Loud Publisher / Editor Flavia Potenza Creative Director Nira Lichten Associate Editor Kait Leonard Senior Reporter Annemarie Donkin Media Director T.E. Zeri Social Media Asstistant Hayley Camplin Creative Consultant Eiffel Nazaryan

Photo by Beth Cronk

Contributors Linda Ballou Joel Bellman Kathie Gibboney Paula LaBrot Amy Weisberg Copy Editor / Distribution Ellie Carroll Contact US editor@thecanyonchronicle.com General inquiries: info@thecanyonchronicle.com Advertising inquiries: ads@thecanyonchronicle.com P.O. Box 1101 Topanga, CA 90290 (310) 460-9786 Follow us on Instagram @thecanyonchronicle, & Facebook and twitter @CanyonChronicle The Canyon Chronicle is an independent community newspaper published bi-weekly by Canyon Media, Inc.©2020. All rights reserved. thecanyonchronicle.com

T o p a n g a’ s I n d e p e n d e n t Vo i c e S i n c e 19 7 6 October 16, 2020 • Vol. 1, No. 9

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This issue’s cover art by local artist Valerie Walsh is her signature paper sculpture, this time of the “Great Pumpkin.” She says it was inspired by Abigail Gidget Zapata, owner of Flower Power, “who is a muse to many.”

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October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

The Flying Pig is Back!

I

n case you didn’t notice—but many people did—Topanga’s iconic flying pig overhanging Topanga Canyon Blvd. in the area of Robinson Road, disappeared, presumed stolen, in late August.

“Where is it? Where is our flying pig?” The question, the alarm, sounded throughout the canyon in emails, text messages, phone calls, and every means of communication possible.

The owners, Lisa and Dan Ward, were bombarded with the question. They wanted to replace it but the artist, Chris Budzin, was out of town. No artist, no pig. A friend wanted to start a GoFundMe campaign, but…no artist, no pig. Finally, Budzin returned and said he would replace it and make it harder to remove.

The weekend of October 3, the new pig arrived at the site and Budzin, with the help of friends, secured the pole, released the pig to fly once again where it placidly surveys Highway 27’s comings and goings from above and brings a smile to all who pass by.

“Our property goes down to the Boulevard,” Lisa said. “We decided to hang it there because the community helped us so much when our son Teddy was injured years ago. It already belonged to the community, not us, and we knew how important it is to the neighborhood. Sharing the pig is part of the pleasure.”

Who’s Your Hero? Another heartfelt story came from our cover artist, Valerie Walsh, who waxed rhapsodic about Abigail “Gidget” Zapata, owner of Flower Power, who Valerie describes as “muse to many.” Through the quarantine, she wrote, “Gidget not only kept her flower business alive, but came up with new ideas and an online shop for vintage clothes with Madeline and so much more. She is one of my local heroes. Where she goes flowers grow…and pumpkins too.” The cover image, she says, “is for all the little kids and big kids of Topanga.”

County Foodbank Boxes. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 27, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., when the county will conduct another Food Box distribution at Pine Tree Circle. Enter on the Bistro side, pop your trunk for volunteers, and then exit at the traffic light. No Limit: if you need more than 1 box, just ask. No Requirements: all are welcome. No Registration: just show up. Boxes have four each of non-perishable items like canned goods, rice, pasta, soup, cereal, protein bars and such. Please wear a mask for everyone’s safety.

Medical Needs. Our neighbor, Jane Terjung, shared this information from her own research to fill her and husband Bill’s medical needs.

Flu Shots at Home and Drive-Thru. Our Calabasas Pharmacy inside Gelson’s will come to your home and give flu shots (regular or the turbo-charged senior version) for $10 per person and bill your Insurance. Calabasas Pharmacy: (818) 223-8656.

This link, lacountylibrary.org/free-flu-shots/, lists locations for free flu shots. The closest location is the Malibu library Malibu in late October.

Blood Draws at Home. With Medicare, you may be able to get blood draws at home through MS Laboratories. Ask your doctor to send your blood test orders to them or call the lab: (626) 357-0090.

News Topanga Live! To Launch in November

T

opanga’s first livestream community billboard, Topanga Live!, will launch in November as a weekly program created and hosted by longtime Topanga residents, Nicki Huggins and Scott Sternberg.

Sternberg is an American television producer and head of Scott Sternberg Productions (ssprods.com). He lives in Topanga with Nicki Huggins, and together, decided they “wanted to give back to Topanga,” where they have lived for 24 years.

Nicki Huggins is a furniture and interior designer who has appeared on HGTV, A&E, Netflix, and syndication in the United States. An

avid historian of vintage American outdoor furniture, Nicki created the company RetroPatio in 1998 to restore mid-century spring chairs and glider sets.

The couple’s new venture, Topanga Live! will feature guest artists, musicians, business owners, realtors, homeowners, first responders, volunteer organizations, teachers, and canyon kids discussing their interests and concerns.

Potential topics are infinite: health and wellbeing, food, gardening, nature, arts, clothing, renovations, traffic, weather, emergency preparedness, celebrations, special announcements, events, technology,

etc. Staff members and contributors from The Canyon Chronicle will present current news and items of interest. Each episode will feature an interactive live chat segment for the community to ask questions, offer opinions, concerns, and share information.

All guests will be live from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Programs will also be archived and can be viewed any time after the livestream.

If you are interested in becoming a guest, recommending someone, or suggesting a topic, contact Topanga Live!: info@topangalive.com; live@ topangalive.com.

Protect Your Home: Fire Safe Council creates Online Video Like so many of us during the pandemic, the North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council (NTCFSC) has adapted its education outreach by offering a 55-minute video presentation, You Can Make Your Home Less Vulnerable to Wildfire, available online (ntcfsc.org). Learn simple steps you can take to reduce your home’s vulnerability to wind-driven wildfire in this Zoom video presentation by NTCFSC Co-Presidents Beth Burnam and Ryan Ulyate, recorded on July 25, 2020, for the Pasadena Glen Homeowners Association. NTCFSC is planning to develop more of these in the near future. Meanwhile, watch the video then return to the home page to learn about homehardening projects, instructions, and links to obtain materials.

Even though we can’t be together, there is so much each of us can do to make a difference. n For information: Beth Burnam, Ryan Ulyate, CoPresidents, NTCFSC firesafe@ntcfsc.com; ntcfsc.org

Safety, Service, and Security CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL West Valley Area During September, the CHP Santa Monica Mountains Street Racing Task Force (SRTF) dealt with brutal heat on the weekend of September 4-6, with temperatures reaching in excess of 120 degrees. Regardless, the officers deployed in response to known street racing meetups, car rallies, and motorcycle rides within the Santa Monica Mountains. CHP officers logged more than 600 canyon miles to help curb reckless motorists over the weekend. A total of 22 enforcement stops were made for high speeds, reckless driving, and modified exhaust.

To report unsafe driving behaviors in the Santa Monica Mountains, please call CHP dispatch at (323) 259-3200. n

For the Record

In the October 2 issue. The editor’s nightmare came true.

We were so excited to present Stephen Berger’s photographs for our center, then horrors! We misspelled his name. In the title, no less!

Our sincere apologies to all, but especially to Mr. Berger.

letters An Intergenerational Nod to All This is a card with Jamie Mazur’s handwritten message that was sent or hand-delivered to each of Topanga’s Sages, then posted on Nextdoor to 22 neighborhoods. We, at The Canyon Chronicle, are so proud of our Topanga kids, as well as our elders who have given so much. It’s heartwarming to see the intergenerational connection alive and thriving.

James Mazur

To Our Sages, It’s a strange time to be alive but surely, you’ve seen stranger. It’s a strange time in our country when you are not even allowed to shake a stranger’s hand. Your wisdom in a time like this is not only appreciated, but necessary. Not many can say they’ve lived lives like you have, and not many are as equipped to handle such catastrophic change as this has been.

On the other hand, as a young person writing this, I am perhaps the least prepared for a situation like this. Nothing initiates you into the adult world quite like a global pandemic! This is an unprecedented time to be coming into adulthood, and an unprecedented time…period. Yet your generation has proven to be absolute heroes! I mean it when I say this. Your generation, the one that is most affected by this pandemic might I add, is easily responding to it best.

The seniors I have seen and interacted with (at social distance) since the pandemic [appeared], are riding this thing out like champs. You’ve seen worse. I mean, geez, you guys had to complete school without the internet (ha ha!). Clearly, you’re tough, a lot more tough than the younger generation, that is. Never do I spot a senior without a mask on. Never do I come across a senior that feels that wearing a mask is somehow an infringement of rights. You’ve seen real infringements of rights and this ain’t that. Also, you have common sense. There are so many folks who can’t see the forest for the trees. Not only can you guys see the forest for the trees, you’re the ones that planted them!

Your bravery is palpable and inspiring. You’ve set a good example for the generations coming after you (though it doesn’t seem to be getting through to some people). Keep it up! For all that you’ve been through, that is not to say this isn’t challenging. Of course, it is. But just know you’re not alone. You are so deeply appreciated, especially from youngins like me, who find themselves growing into adulthood in times like these. Keep doing what you’re doing and thank you.

—James Mazur, Topanga Kid, Age 18

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

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Election 2020 Voting Smart with the League of Women Voters

By Annemarie Donkin

L

What could go wrong?

“Issues could arise if poll workers do not show up, which has been a perennial problem over the decades,” Malik wrote. “The biggest problem will be if voters wait until election day to vote.”

What can voters do to ensure their ballot gets counted?

“There are three main things a voter can do to make sure they are ready for this election,” Malik continued. “First, double-check your voter registration information. Make sure your name, mailing address and voting address are all still correct.” To check your registration, go to the Registrar-Recorder, County Clerk’s website at lavote.net.

Second, Malik advised to plan to vote the day you receive your ballot. “There are three ways to vote: use your vote-by-mail ballot and mail it, take your vote-by-mail ballot and drop it in a ballot drop box, or vote in person at a vote center,” she wrote. “Make sure you sign and date the back of your mail-in ballot envelope before you drop it in the mailbox or in a ballot drop box. If you would like to vote in person, early voting is available at some locations 11 days before the election with the remaining locations opening five days before the election.” In Los Angeles County, you can track your ballot using BallotTrax by going to losangeles.ballottrax.net.

Third, go to VotersEdge.org to see an unbiased explanation of ballot measures and really understand what a Yes or No vote means. You can also find a multitude of voting resources there as well.

“Based on conversations with our constituents, they find the spread of inaccurate information from social media and other news outlets during this controversial election, fanned by a historical pandemic, stressful, confusing and exhausting,” Malik responded. “We encourage the public to hold media outlets accountable by demanding accurate information through fact-checking before releasing articles, stories, and reports.”

Where and How to Vote in Topanga There are three Voting Centers in Topanga— the Community Center, Topanga Library, and the Mountain Mermaid. They will be open from

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October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

photo courtesy league of women voters

os Angeles County has the most voters in the nation with more than 5,610,000 registered voters which is 91 percent of eligible voters in the County.

As a result, the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles County (LWV) has been lobbying the Board of Supervisors and the County Registrar’s office to make changes to Vote Center procedures and voting equipment to create a more seamless, effective and accurate voting experience.

To see how we can be a more educated voter, The Canyon Chronicle spoke with Fatima Malik, President of LWV. “Now more than ever, we are excited by the public outreach from long-time voters and firsttime voters who are asking the right questions, going to the right sources, such as the League of Women Voters, for accurate information in a fake news world.,” Malik said. “The League emphasized the importance of training election officials to assure they are well versed in the procedures and the operation of all the voting equipment in the facility.”

Malik said that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are fewer Vote Centers, although some of the locations at Dodger Stadium, Sofi Stadium, Staples Center, the Wiltern Theatre, and Hollywood Palladium can handle numerous voting machines.

League of women voters of the Los Angeles County have been lobbying to change vote center procedures and voting equipment to create an accurate voting exeperience.

Friday, Oct. 30, through Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Vote-by-mail ballots were sent to all registered voters in California the week of October 5. You may drop off your signed ballot at one of the official Voting Centers or one of 123 official drop boxes located at parks and libraries throughout Los Angeles County. n Topanga Community Center, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga CA 90290.

Hours: Friday, Oct. 30—Monday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Additional Info: Outdoor—Parking Lot n Topanga Library, 122 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga CA 90290. Hours: Friday, Oct. 30—Monday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Additional Info: Library Lobby. n The Mountain Mermaid, 20421 Callon Dr., Topanga CA 90290. Hours: Early voting only from Friday, Oct. 30—Monday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Election Day. For a listing of other Vote Centers in L.A. County, go to lavote.net.

Register to Vote by Oct. 19. For Los Angeles County residents, visit LAVOTE.net to register to vote or confirm your registration status at https:// www.lavote.net.

Voters Edge. While online, visit this helpful site (https://votersedge.org/ca), a one-stop shop for election-related information brought to you by the League of Women Voters of California.

Vote Safe with your Vote-by-Mail Ballot: The deadline for requesting a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 19. By mail, remember no postage is necessary. All ballots returned by mail and postmarked on Nov 3, will be counted. Ballots returned at a secure ballot drop box must be deposited by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

If your ballot is postmarked by Election Day and received within 17 days by the County Clerk, they will process, verify, and count that ballot. For those planning to submit a vote-by-mail ballot via USPS, voting early can help ensure your ballot is counted. No postage necessary.

Track your ballot. Sign up to track your ballot at California Ballot Trax https://california. ballottrax.net/voter/. Questions? Go to https:// www.lavote.net.

Forget to sign the envelope for your vote-bymail ballot? If you returned your ballot without signing the return envelope, the County Clerk will mail you a document called the “Unsigned Ballot Statement” asking for your signature. (RegistrarRecorder County Clerk: voterinfo@rrcc.lacounty. gov) Your signature is required to verify your identity and process the ballot. You have up to 28

days after Election Day to return the statement for your ballot to be processed.

Voter Registration: Nov. 3 is the deadline for registering to vote in person. If you register to vote on Election Day at a Voting Center, however, you will have to cast a provisional ballot, which means you’re your signature must be verified before your vote is counted. For more information: https://www.lavote.net/contact-us/contact-us. If you choose to vote in person, bring your mailin ballot envelope with you because it contains a unique bar code for each voter that is scanned into the L.A. County database.

Safe In-Person Voting: All participating Vote Centers will follow State and County public health and safety guidelines, such as voters wearing facial coverings and gloves (coverings and gloves will be made available) and practice social distancing of six feet. Election workers wearing protective gloves and masks will wipe and sanitize all surfaces and Ballot Marking Devices after each voter.

How to Vote in Person: The Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) project was developed by the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to make voting easier and more accessible than ever before vsap.lavote.net.

Ballot Marking. Voting devices feature a touch screen that allows any voter to easily navigate the ballot by advancing through different screens showing lists of candidates and ballot measures. For races with many candidates, touch the MORE button to read the full list.

Language Preference. Voters who prefer to read the ballot in a different language—Spanish, Chinese, Korean or any one of the 12 languages supported by the county—can choose their preference on the same machine.

People with disabilities. For those with vision impairment or reading disabilities, an audio controller assists voters through their options with a simple push of a few buttons.

Once voters have tapped in their selections, they will receive a printed paper ballot that goes into an integrated ballot box (the use of a traceable paper ballot is still mandated by law).

According to a spokesman at the RegistrarRecorder’s office, election workers will now go through an expanded training module; all volunteers will go through additional training and field technicians will be on hand if technical issues arise.

A message from the Registrar-Recorder County Clerk: “If you have questions or need assistance in voting early please call (800) 8152666 or email voterinfo@rrcc.lacounty.gov.”

Let your voice be heard on November 3. n

Halloween

Bonnell Drive Cancels Halloween Festivities

By Flavia Potenza

R

esidents of Bonnell Drive and the Bonnell Park Homeowners Association have cancelled the popular Halloween party this year because of the risk of spreading COVID-19. Everyone hopes for better news next year, but request that trick or treaters celebrate at home or elsewhere—safely—until the coronavirus is under control.

The home of Bonnell residents Matt and Kelly Welch and their daughter, Hayley, is the first party

18162 Kingsport

stop among the other welcoming homes around Bonnell Park.

“Decorating for Halloween is one of my favorite things,” Matt said.

“I’ll miss it.”

Halloween always attracts hundreds of costumed revelers and last year, the Chronicle staff took photos that we share here to remind you of the great joys of holiday gatherings, and to stay safe and healthy, wear masks, wash hands, and, above all, cherish the memories we’ve made and will make again in 2021. n

$2,375,000

Jon & Lisa Saver CalBre Lic.#00764901 & #01203202

Beautifully Remodeled 3 bedroom, 2 bath Ocean view home in the Sunset Mesa neighborhood of the Pacific Palisades.Just minutes to Santa Monica, the Palisades Village, and Malibu’s beaches.

207 Muerdago Rd.

$1,875,000

Post Office Tract Craftsman home on approx 1 acre. This estate has multiple structures and is fully fenced. Main house features 3 beds, 2 baths, gourmet kitchen/ family room with fireplace. Artists retreat featuring art studios. Gazebo, swimming pavillion with a large stationary swim spa.

Walking distance to State Park trails, shops, and Topanga Elementary.

310.455.2540 310.989.0839 TopangaHomesOnline.com

Sotheby’s International Realt y and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. If your property is listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully.

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

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Politics

courtesy of Henry stern office

Sen, Henry Stern: Protecting Our Voting Rights and More

By Amy Weisberg, M.Ed.

“Every citizen has a role and we need an army of citizens. Hopefully this is a tool to help.”

—Senator Henry Stern

O

ur mailboxes, real and virtual, are filling up with election information coming from both sides of the issues and we try to make sense of the abundance of literature, the internet filled with sponsored ads, recommendations, and shared information, in hopes of finding information that aligns with our values.

The dilemma comes when we don’t really know what is factual and what is propaganda, what is truthful and what is intentionally misleading information. It is so easy to go on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, read shared information and, without critically assessing it, share it.

How can we tell if what we are reading is true? Fact checking on Snopes.com is timeconsuming. We can hope the sites themselves monitor content. Unfortunately, we’ve learned that a lot slips through the cracks.

To discourage the deliberate spreading of misinformation, especially in a critical election year, State Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) has successfully authored Senate Bill 739.

Millions are already voting thanks to early voting and voting by mail. With co-authors Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez , Speaker

Pro Tempore Kevin Mullin, Assemblymember Robert Rivas, and Senator Tom Umberg, SB 739 has put an end to misinformation and enabled prosecution of people who intentionally attempt to use social media and/or traditional media to suppress the rights of voters who vote by mail.

The bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom as an urgent measure in order to ensure voters are not misled about their voting rights before the November 3 statewide general election and a proper administration of that election.

SB 739 is supported by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the California Clean Money Campaign, the California League of Conservation Voters, and the California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials.

Building on a California law that makes it a misdemeanor for a person to distribute information attempting to deceive voters about polling places, ballots, and qualifications to register to vote, this bill also includes internet social media that targets voting by mail.

According to Sen. Stern’s press release, “If you’re putting out tweets, Facebook posts, or using social and other types of media to intentionally mislead voters about their rights and ability to vote by mail, that is now a crime and it’s my hope local district attorneys and the

GETTING TO KNOW SENATOR HENRY STERN Upon interviewing Sen. Stern, who has completed his first term as our California Senator and is up for reelection, I was impressed with his dedication to his constituents and the area he serves. I was curious about other legislation he has written and the ideas he supports.

He is a sixth-generation Californian and grew up in the Los Angeles area, and represents nearly one million residents in the 27th Senate District. He has chaired the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee since 2018, working to bolster the state’s wildfire preparedness, pushed to have the state address climate change; improve our democracy and fight for California’s most vulnerable members. He also sits on the Senate’s Budget, Judiciary, Environmental Quality, Elections & Constitutional Amendments, and Energy, Utilities & Communications committees.

Henry Stern is most passionate about our democracy and protecting constituents’ rights.

Two important Senate Bills were signed into law prior to and relevant to SB 739.

Other legislation that he has supported, won and lost, include:

Nov. 3, 2020 election endorsements Biden/Harris of course! — but also other candidates including judges • Props • Measures

with tons of helpful info on where and how to vote WWW.PALIDEMS.ORG info@palisadesdemclub.org 310-230-2084 facebook/twitter/instagram: PaliDems

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October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

state Attorney General will go after violators the moment they see them. In the midst of this worldwide pandemic, it is imperative that voters, especially those who are getting a vote-by-mail ballot for the first time, know their rights and are getting accurate, reliable information.”

The urgency for the bill became evident as a record number of voters in California and across the nation prepared to use vote-by-mail ballots.

Stern acted to inhibit social media from being misused and that is the goal of SB 739, according to the official press release on Stern’s website (d27.senate.ca.gov/news/20200921-crackingdown-vote-mail-misinformation).

“Democracy is too fragile to allow reckless disinformation campaigns to compromise the right of anyone to cast his or her ballot.”

To report violations: Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office is responsible for tracking violations, receiving tips and leads via the Fraud Hotline: English: (800) 345-VOTE (8683); Spanish: (800) 232-8682. Persons convicted of this misdemeanor will face fines and, in extreme cases of intent, possible jail time (up to six months) at the discretion of the state Attorney General and/or city District Attorneys. n

Climate Change. He is committed to attacking climate change and increasing the use of renewable energy as evidenced by the legislation he has written and supported: Emergency Preparedness. While three of the bills he wrote in 2020 died in the Assembly, he persists in his commitment to Wildfire Preparedness and the area he has called home Assisting Vulnerable Populations. During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 budget cycles, Stern championed funding for programs to help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). For the 2019-20 budget, he successfully pushed for $250 million in additional IDD funding. The following year, he sought to increase the IDD budget by another $400 million, but due to COVID-19 related budget cutbacks, the funding was not approved.

Upon examining legislation that he supports and reading through SB 739, there is more to his story than the new legislation protecting our voting rights. We are fortunate to have Senator Stern supporting the values and concerns many of us have and preserving the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains we call home. n

opinion A ‘Rude Interruptions’ Trump Index

by Joel Bellman Women Who Have Accused Trump of Sexual Misconduct: 26 Coronavirus-Infected People in Trump White House Inner Circle: 34 Americans Who Have Perished in the Coronavirus Pandemic: 220,000 Cost of Trump’s Three-day Coronavirus Treatment: $100,000 Earnings at Trump Properties from 60 Special Pleaders Seeking Favors: $12 million Americans who Lost EmployerSponsored Health Coverage in Pandemic: 14.6 million Net Loss from Trump Commercial Properties, 2000-2018: $174.5 million Trump Earnings from “The Apprentice”: $427 million Outstanding Trump Personal Loans and Debt Coming Due Within Four Years: $421 million Federal Income Tax Refund Trump Received in 2010: $72.9 million Trump Charitable Giving, Excluding Conservation Easements, 1999-2020: $10.7 million Federal Income Tax Trump Paid in 2016-17: $1,500 Total Tweets from Trump on Twitter: 51,282 (as of 5/8/20, and counting) Documented Trump Lies as President: 20,000 (as of 7/13/20, and counting) Total People Following Trump on Twitter: 80 million

worst anti-democratic tendencies emerge in all their depraved ferocity. He warns apocalyptically of a socialist takeover unless he’s re-elected. He refuses to accept as legitimate any election result other than his own victory and will not commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he be defeated.

He has explicitly and repeatedly told his crowds that their Second Amendment rights will be taken away by his opponents, a clear and unmistakable invitation to followers to take up arms on his behalf.

Every failed effort to hold him in check has only emboldened him.

When he loses a vote in Congress, as he did with funding his border wall, he attempts to rule instead

by Executive Order. When the Mueller investigation failed to identify a prosecutable crime of conspiracy in the extensive Russian efforts to boost his candidacy in 2016, he immediately called the president of Ukraine to extort more foreign assistance for his 2020 reelection. After he was impeached but acquitted by the Republican Senate for that improper action, he almost immediately publicly called for China’s political intervention on his behalf. And we still don’t know the ongoing extent of foreign intervention by Russia or other bad actors to influence and undermine our elections.

The principal threat to our democracy comes not from abroad, but from here at home.

Earlier this year, Trump exploited public anger, after a Minnesota police officer casually murdered George Floyd on camera, to blame Democratic mayors and governors for the civil unrest, deliberately escalating the situation with armed federal troops, and threatening to withhold financial assistance unless local officials bent to his will. As Trump’s poll numbers have been falling, his determination to subvert our free elections has become ever more intense.

He has attempted to hamper and defund operations at the U.S. Postal Service, on which millions of American must depend to cast their ballots while the coronavirus pandemic rages, and voting in person for many is just too risky.

He has repeatedly leveled groundless accusations of voter fraud to tar his political opponents and undermine public confidence in the election process, hoping to suppress the vote and discourage participation by those who oppose him.

He continues to incite potential violence and disruption at polling stations by encouraging mobs of armed “poll-watchers” to show up, in an unmistakable echo of longstanding voting suppression tactics employed against Black voters in the Deep South.

Most recently, as I write this, after the FBI foiled a violent kidnapping plot by an armed Michigan militia against that state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen

Whitmer, instead of expressing concern, he complained that she had failed to “thank” him for the FBI’s investigative work. We must remember that a militia enraged

by Whitmer’s policies to protect Michigan from the coronavirus pandemic, were policies Trump himself had attacked in an inciteful April tweet shouting, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” Now, only weeks away from the election, Trump and the Republican Senate are poised to slam through a Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—in direct contradiction to the Republican argument for blocking President Obama’s 2016 nominee to replace Antonin Scalia— securing conservative domination of the Supreme Court for as much as a generation or more.

For these and countless other well-documented reasons, it’s absolutely imperative that we defeat Donald Trump on November 3—and not by a narrow margin, but by a landslide, one that leaves no doubt that Americans repudiate his racism, misogyny, xenophobia, corruption, and authoritarianism.

President Obama confidently declares that, “This is not who we are,” but when we cast our ballots this election, Americans will have only one final chance to prove him right. After everything we now know and have seen from President Donald Trump, the alternative is too awful to contemplate. n

W

ith apologies to the Harper’s Index, these statistics offer a snapshot of Donald Trump, the man, and Donald Trump, the president, a man who is deeply reckless, lacking any sense of empathy or responsibility, who has caused and continues to cause enormous harm to others.

A wealthy man with no qualms about taking full advantage of public largesse for his own personal benefit, while leaving millions of other Americans to fend for themselves.

A huckster who markets himself as a successful businessman, whose financial losses dwarf those of almost any other taxpayer, who squandered his enormous entertainment earnings on a string of apparently money-losing investments, who gives a mere pittance to charity and has paid no significant federal income taxes for more than 20 years.

A pathological liar who nevertheless commands enormous influence among his huge social media following.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen Trump’s October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

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The Topanga Historic

‘1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic

The Topanga Historical Society (THS) will presentation, “Pandemic in Alaska, 1918-1 A link to the program will be provided on t Program hosts are THS Emeritus member, Karen L. Wood Moran, with Michael Heumann and Mark Hein, who will trace the ancestral path of Topanga pioneers, Cy and Vera Wood, and, Cyril “CP” and Edith Wood, also two remarkable pioneers whose lives were forever changed by the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic. It’s a story about a quest that began in the Yukon Gold Rush of 1899 and ended up in Topanga 50 years later.

1918: A DREAM MEETS A PANDEMIC

A 20-year Grand Adventure in Alaska comes to an end.

O

Edith Florence Chamberlain Wood, Seattle c.1909

n the 100th anniversary of my father’s birth in a remote Alaskan trading post, I set out to find the place. I hoped this would help me understand his decision, as an adult, to move our family into a roofless stone cabin in Old Topanga Canyon. What I discovered instead was gold—the story of my grandparents’ 20-year odyssey in the vast wilderness of Alaska during its Gold Rush era. Once I understood their long journey in search of a dream, abruptly ended by the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19, I understood my father, and the life he provided for us.

—Karen L. Wood Moran MOTHER OF ALL PLAGUES he global influenza pandemic of 1918-19 is known among scientists as “the mother of all plagues” for two reasons.

First, the “Spanish Flu” infected one-third of Earth’s humans and killed 50 million of them. It was the worst pandemic since the Black Plague in the 1350s, which killed one-third of the human race.

Second, the 1918-19 flu virus was the fastest-moving, most biologically destructive one ever seen; all flu epidemics since, including COVID-19, have been caused by its direct descendants.

The Spanish Flu hit North America in three swift waves through spring, fall, and winter. Appearing in Kansas in March, it swept the Midwest and East, and went off to World War I in Europe with U.S. troops. It took doctors time to recognize this as a new flu, not the pneumonia outbreak they had already been fighting. It also took time for cities and states to beef up medical and public-health systems (Washington did nothing).

By June, the curve was flattening. Then, in August, with refugees and returning troops, the second wave hit. It spread like wildfire across the continent and into Canada and Alaska, many times worse than the first wave.

Finally, by October, strict measures were taming it.

In November, World War I finally ended. People broke quarantine and spent weeks partying with returning soldiers and sailors. The third wave was upon the land and the pandemic didn’t end until early 1919. The virus, however, kept erupting for decades. Its last reported outbreak came in 1948, just before the Wood Family moved to Topanga.

—Mark Hein

T

PANDEMIC IN ALASKA 1918

A Topanga family’s fate is forever changed.

T Cyril Percy Wood, Iditarod, c.1912

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October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

his is the story of two remarkable pioneers, Cyril (“CP”) and Edith Wood, whose lives were forever changed by the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic that swept the world.

In early 1918, the couple had spent a decade living and working at remote sub-Arctic trading posts, when they were offered a post and home on temperate Kodiak Island, in the Gulf of Alaska. For CP, this culminated 20 years of strenuous effort, beginning with the Klondike Gold Rush.

For Edith, it meant building a home of their own and sending their four children to a real school.

cal Society Presents

c: An Historical Perspective’

present its annual picnic as a virtual Zoom 1919,” on Sunday, October 25, at 3 p.m. the Website: topangahistoricalsociety.org.

KODIAK AND INFLUENZA n 1917, San Francisco financier, W.J. Erskine, had purchased the Kodiak operations of the Alaska Commercial Company, the successor to Alexander Baranof ’s famed Russian-American Company, founded 125 years earlier as Russia’s entry into the lucrative Alaskan fur trade. Its headquarters was on Kodiak Island, home to the world’s largest brown bears.

In February 1918, to lure CP away from Northern Commercial Company, one of the successors of the Alaska Commercial Company, a firm he’d spent 16 years helping to build—Erskine offered him the W. J. Erskine Company’s managing partnership and a 25% share. Late that summer, the Wood family eagerly made the grueling 1,200-mile journey by river, land, and sea, from Iditarod to Kodiak.

That November, the deadliest pandemic in modern history also arrived.

Carried by Navy and merchant sailors, it began like a winter flu but quickly became a life-threatening pneumonia. The Wood children became ill, as did most of the town’s 600 people. Kodiak had no doctor, so CP and a friend borrowed a small boat and sailed 650 miles across the Gulf, through winter storms, to Sitka. There they found a doctor and sailed back to the stricken island. All four Wood children survived, though eight percent of the island’s people did not. Shaken by this terrifying encounter, Edith insisted the family return south. CP agreed, and in early 1919, just months after they’d arrived, they gave up the partnership and their dream home. The Wood family’s grand Alaskan adventure was abruptly ended.

I

YEARS OF GOLD RUSH PIONEERING wenty years earlier, at 16, CP had traveled north by steamship from San Francisco with his father, William Augustus Wood, to join the Yukon Gold Rush, leaving his mother and siblings at home. When the two reached Skagway, the railway was closed by severe winter weather (-60 degrees and snow slides). Their only option was to set out on foot. With a friend named Blatt and a pack mule, they hiked over White Pass to the Yukon’s River’s headwaters, then downriver to Dawson City.

They sought out roadhouses each evening after bone-chilling hours tramping the rugged terrain. Slowed by the mule and the onset of frostbite, the weary trio were constantly fooled by mirages, making them think they were much farther along than they were. The most arduous part of the journey, they agreed, was the 35-mile trek across frozen Lake LaBerge.

When they finally reached Dawson City, after more than 500 miles, it was an inspiring sight. The air was filled with the sights and sounds of 35,000 frontiersmen frequenting dance halls, banks, casinos, and outfitters. But the Gold Rush was already slowing. Mines with enough gold to work were all staked and claimed. However, CP noticed, support services were flourishing.

So, while Augustus trekked 600 miles downriver to look for gold in Koyukuk, young CP opened his first business, a shoeshine stand. Soon he was taking odd jobs for local businesses while running his own. Gregarious and enterprising, CP became known as honest and reliable. Within three years, he was secretary to the Vice President of the Northern Commercial Company.

The Company (through its predecessor) had begun operating stores in Alaskan villages in 1868 and boomed during the Klondike Gold Rush (189799). Its store would often be the village courthouse and the post office as well. Few miners or Native people had cash, so the stores took gold, fish, and furs in exchange for merchandise (hence the name “trading post”). By 1900, Northern was one of the largest trading companies in the Northwest.

CP, as a trusted “company man,” traveled far and wide on inspection tours of the wilderness posts. In 1906, at age 23, he was one of the youngest agents ever to establish a Northern Commercial trading post. It was in Caro, above the Arctic Circle, near the Chandalar River. However, the region’s gold veins did not pan out. Scattered trappers and frontiersmen could not support the post’s operation. Within two years, CP was told to close up shop, collect the debts, and report to the office in St. Michael, 650 miles west.

CP first went to the Chandalar diggings, to collect debts. He and an old timer named Charles Youngberg poled their boat and gear 65 miles to Coldfoot, then portaged for two days to Big Creek. Over the next two days, CP collected 40 pounds of gold dust, strapped it on his back, and headed back alone, without a guard.

As he set out, a man shouted, “Watch out for my dog Shep! He’s been missing several days. If you find him, hand him over to a Japanese fisherman named Wada once you reach the river.”

Edith Florence Chamberlain Wood, Cyril C. Wood (Cy), Susitna, c.1911

T

Cyril Percy Wood, Cyril C. Wood (Cy), Susitna, c.1911

Charles, Mary, Cyril (Cy), Patricia, Seattle, c.1919

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

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CP hiked along the trail carrying gold dust, food, and a blanket. His vision obscured by a ground mist, he suddenly slipped into a large hole in the middle of the trail. Instinctively, he grabbed a tree root and caught himself. Then he heard a feeble whine. Peering closely, he saw a bone thin Shep, trapped eight feet down in the miner’s pit, too weak to climb out. CP notched a tree limb into a ladder and climbed down. The dog’s joy at being set free was unbounded. CP and his newfound companion set out for Caro, where he could feed Shep and rest. But the fog grew thicker, obliterating the trail and landmarks. They were lost.

CP made a fire and boiled tea, cooked rice and bacon for Shep, and waited for the fog to lift. When it did, he looked around and saw that he had been traveling in the wrong direction. As he backtracked, he told Shep, “This mistake nearly killed me, but it saved your life!”

Once in Caro, CP left Shep with Wada. Setting off down the river in a stout Peterborough canoe, he was surprised to see Shep jump in the river, swim out, and try to climb in. Wada had to pull the dog back to the shore, and CP was overcome by tears.

With a last look at the now-closed trading post where he had spent two years, he went on to a Native village. There he hired an Athabaskan friend, Gilbert, to guide him across the lakes and waterways to Fort Yukon. Then he proceeded alone to St. Michael. There the company asked CP to set up and run a trading post at Susitna Station, about 40 miles north of Cook Inlet. He jumped at the chance, but, first, he had a more personal mission.

Eager to meet a young woman his sister Helen had been writing about, CP hopped a steamship to Seattle. There he met Edith Florence Chamberlain, youngest child of a notable family. Well-educated, she was trained as a concert pianist, and proud of her Mayflower ancestors and her father’s Civil War service. But Edith was painfully shy. Helen believed Edith would make a good wife for her older brother, and she was right. In three weeks, on November 6, 1909, CP and Edith wed at Seattle’s Trinity Parish.

Now a married man, CP returned to Susitna to create a trading post and a home. Edith stayed in Seattle with her brother, Charles, and his wife, Alicia.

Charles had established a merchant store, C.W. Chamberlain & Co, on the Seattle waterfront and was familiar with Alaska. He, too, had headed to the gold fields at the turn of the century and, like CP, seized the opportunity to provide supplies to the booming territory.

On Christmas Eve, CP’s mother died unexpectedly. Upon hearing the news, his father, Augustus, gave up searching for gold and left Alaska for Australia, where he would remain for the next 30 years. Edith brought her husband’s younger siblings into Charles and Alicia’s home.

In May, Edith joined her husband in Susitna, in a log cabin on the river.

Soon they were hosting anyone in need of food and shelter. Edith would sometimes cook and feed up to 24 frontiersmen a day, while working alongside her husband at the trading post. The Wood’s first child, Cyril Chamberlain (“Cy”) was born March 1, 1911, the first non-Native child recorded among the Athabaskan peoples of the Susitna Region.

When young Cy was three months old, the Company reassigned CP to be the manager in Iditarod, a much larger, more established trading post in the southwest interior. The family set out in June for the arduous journey and

lived in the Iditarod Trading Post’s upstairs flat for the next seven years. One of their long-term guests was Sydney Laurence, who later became known as Alaska’s Premier Painter. Mary Wood was born in 1915, Charles in 1916 (in Seattle, while Edith visited family), and Alfred in 1917.

EPILOGUE: A NEW LIFE IN THE LOWER 48 riven from Kodiak Island by the Influenza Pandemic, CP and Edith and their four children arrived in Seattle in early 1919. They stayed briefly with cousins, then set up home in a tent cabin on the beach at Puget Sound.

Ever the pioneers! Two years later, they relocated to the Peninsula, south of San Francisco, where CP bought Edith their very first home.

Twenty years later, during World War II, their oldest son, Cy, met Vera Marguerite Titmus, a beauty from England, while folk dancing in San Francisco. Cy and Vera married in 1942, moved to Santa Monica, and had three children. In 1949, they moved into an old, roofless stone cabin in Old Topanga Canyon to raise their family. Seven years later a fourth daughter was born. Cy and Vera were artists and jewelers, marketing their jewelry throughout the United States and Europe under the name “Cyvra” (for Cy and Vera). One of Cy’s special talents was casting gold – a link to his father’s adventurous years in Alaska’s gold rush trading posts. n —Karen L. Wood Moran & Michael Heumann

D

Cyril C. Wood Cy), Edith Chamberlain Wood, Iditarod, c.1915

Cyril (Cy), Charles, Mary, Cyril (CP), Edith, Patricia, Alfred, Richard, SF Peninsula, c.1928

Cyril C. Wood, Vera Titmus Wood. Folk Dancing in San Francisco, c.1940

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October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

Arts Topanga Actors Company Is Blooming T

now TAC draws a dedicated group from many communities. Early on in the pandemic they were pioneers to present their productions on Zoom and have drawn audiences as far away as London. The company is growing and welcomes newcomers.

They will be back at the Library as soon as possible.

Past productions have included “Picasso at Lapin Agile,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” “The Cake,” “The Nether”—author in attendance, “A Doll’s House Part 2,” “The Clean House,” “A Christmas Memory,” and Hendra’s brilliant 10-Minute Play Festival which had 600 submissions from all over the world from which TAC produced 15 short plays with more than 40 actors and directors.

Coming up on Zoom: October 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. PST, “Uncle Vanya” will be performed in a contemporary translation.

Contact TA C at topangaactorscompany@ theatercompany.org; and Facebook/ Topanga Actors Company. Feel free to reach out with questions; they love to hear from you.

Remember… “The Play’s the Thing!” n

credit

Top: God of Carnage, (l to r.)

Jeanette Vigne, Kurt Fuller, Jessica Hendra, Patrick Skelton Above: Cake with Micah Dyer, Jeannette Vigne, Samantha Johnson, Ella Boyajian Left: A Christmas Carol, (adapted

by Neil Bartlett), featuring Karl Gombos, Stephen Hoye

Jennifer deSpain, CPA, CFP®

Business/Personal Tax & Financial Services Tel. 818.883.4800

Photo by Miriam Geer.

opanga Actors Company is the Canyon’s very own repertory Reader’s Theater group. Founded in the Fall of 2015 by Judith Hendra and Paula LaBrot, they have consistently produced high quality productions for the pleasure of the community. Their mission is to bring contemporary theater to the Canyon and nurture a fellowship of actors and directors that can work with and learn from each other while sharpening their skills.

TAC strives to increase contemporary theater literacy in their audiences right here at home.

It’s productions are not the usual Reader’s Theater format. Actors have full freedom of movement, scenes are blocked, actors are costumed, there are music and sound effects. TAC has found that, due to the attention span of the modern audience, there needs to be a more dynamic presentation of a play than people just standing and reading. “We are constantly amazed at how the actors manage to hold the script and perform full stop!”

There have been about sixty actors involved in the company, ages 12-80. Most are professionals, but talented amateurs also participate. Audiences were mostly from Topanga in the beginning, but

CanyonOakFinancial .com October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

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October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

Technology

Photo by MICHAL CZERWONKA/REDUX, COURTESY OF WIRED

Photo: YouTube

Elon Musk. Inset: Dorothy, one of the pigs being in used in Neuralink’s research.

Man, Machine and Musk If you think implants are just about teeth, ask Elon Musk about curing neurological disorders from memory and hearing loss to paralysis and brain damage.

By Paula LaBrot

T

ranshumanism is a futurist philosophy.

Calvin Mercer and Tracey Trothen, editors of the book, “Religion and Transhumanism,” define it as “the transformation of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies to greatly enhance human intellect and physiology.”

In that vein, Elon Musk—cofounder of the electronic payment firm PayPal; founder, CEO, CTO, and chief designer of SpaceX; CEO of the electric car, Tesla—and now, founder of Neuralink, a new technology that he has just debuted, the purpose of which is “to solve important brain and spine problems with a seamlessly implanted device.” There’s much more about Elon Musk, but this is the latest.

Several weeks ago, he introduced the world to Gertrude, a lovely, healthy, friendly pig who has a Neuralink device implanted in her brain. The Neuralink wirelessly transmitted her neurologic activity, which was shown on a screen. Scientists were able to accurately read movement activity from different muscle groups around her body.

Using Two Photon Microscopy, they were able to analyze the stimulation of neurons and to see, in real time, how neurons were firing.

According to Wikipedia, “A neuron or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. It is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa.”

Musk describes them as “wiring.” He postulates that “you need an electronic thing to solve an electronic problem.”

Musk said the chips “hold promise for the restoration of sensory and motor function and the treatment of neurological disorders.” Over time, he says, everyone will develop neurologic problems:

memory loss, hearing loss, blindness, paralysis, depression, insomnia, extreme pain, seizures, anxiety, addiction, strokes, brain damage, etc. If there is an electric problem, Musk wants to be able to fix it.

He believes an implantable device can help solve these problems. The first applications will be medical, especially regarding paralysis. “If you can sense what people want to do with their limbs, you can do a second implant where the spinal injury occurred and create a neural shunt,” Musk said. “I’m confident that in the long term it will be possible to restore somebody’s full body motion.”

Wouldn’t that be a blessing! There are many applications beyond medical problems.

THE MECHANICS The Neuralink is about the size of a large coin.

There is a special V2 robot that installs the device.

The V2 has been described as a combination of a sewing machine and a microscope. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis. General anesthesia is not necessary. There are no pain fibers in the brain. A small piece of skull is laser cut away and the link is inserted.

Thin cellophane-like filaments, one-sixth the width of a human hair, are implanted in the brain.

Human hands could not handle the delicate filaments so the brain surgeon “bot” must do the work. There is no bleeding and the filaments are flexible, so they can move with the brain without causing damage.

The procedure takes an hour, the patient goes home the same day, the device may be removed at any time, leaving no damage behind. A lively pig named Dorothy was living proof of this. Her device had been removed, and she had no ill effects.

IT’S ON! The FDA has just given the Neuralink a “Breakthrough Device Designation.” This paves the way for the first human implantations. Approval demands no harm to the brain over time. Also, the filaments, the electrodes, must be able to withstand the highly salty, corrosive nature of brain fluid. So far, so good. The fact that the device is so easily implanted and removed is astounding, and this is just the beginning of this adventure.

Already, the military is eyeing the possibility

of soldiers communicating silently across battlefields. After all, the signals being received by the electrodes can be wirelessly transmitted to electronic devices, and the link itself is an electronic device. Transferring the messages from one linked device to another would be akin to airdropping images between iPhones. At this point in time, Neuralink’s technology probably won’t be able to create full sentences from the little firings in your neurons, but it can be trained to translate certain firing patterns into, maybe, images, or single words, and this type of feature can be improved over time.

CAUTIONS Yes, there are dangers and ethics questions, “Brain hacks. Governments, marketers, insurance companies, bad actors tapping into the biological core of our cognition,” says Christopher Markou for the Daily Mail. Thought piracy, Markou says, “If we’ve learned one thing from this era of ‘smart’ everything, it’s that ‘smart’ means exploitable.”

That’s for the younger generations to sort out.

Pandora has already left the box.

ELON, YOU ROCK! Musk is a visionary, an idealist, a genius. We all know about AI, artificial intelligence. It takes over our lives every day as power is concentrated into the hands of the tech lords filtering our news, targeting our tastes, and being used to influence our thoughts and choices. It’s important to understand that Musk’s invention is meant to empower the individual. His Brain Machine Interface (BMI) is Enhanced Human Intelligence, a merging of human and machine.

Musk has been very public about his worries.

“The danger of AI is much greater than the danger of nuclear warheads. Even under a benign AI, we will be left behind. With a high-bandwidth brainmachine interface,” he says, “we will have the option to go along for the ride,” and he wants that option for ordinary people around the world, so the human conscience will be an empowered part of the future.

As controversial and eccentric as he may be, that makes him one fine Transhuman!

Vamos a ver!

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

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lifestyle Covid-19 Diary

By Jean Colonomos Dear Reader, Let’s talk about the children, their summer, their entry back to school. Moments when “normal life” miraculously appears. New words now normalized—coronavirus, selfisolating, masks, antibodies, hospitals, and funerals. This column is for families and how history forever imprints itself on what we are living through.

July 10 Eight-year-old Nathanial’s composition: “Nothing Can Take Happiness Away.” Sung to a sweet tune, the lyrics are: “Happiness is a wonderful feeling/Nothing can take happiness away./It’s a wonderful feeling/ Everything is great when you’re happy/ Happiness is a wonderful thing.” He sings with such sadness it could break your heart.

August 14 Marsha de la O: “The Child Who Escaped into a Tree.” I still visit that tree sometimes, now that you’re in your thirties,/ the crook of the trunk higher these days than any/ foolish mother could reach. But back/ then I lifted you into the dusk and bright/of leaves, fresh dappled air silkening /one branch up. Was she more sure/ of herself than I thought, or was it/ontological—what new-sprung world/ is this canopy-one, to grass to grow,/ to go home to? I tried to change her/mind, cajoled and commanded, but/ green’s not silent, it speaks its praise/of light and shadow even in a slight/ breeze, and a young primate harkens./Up she scrabbled into small rooms/ of luster, lit leaves, green fire, plush/shadow; she climbed into velvet./ She got away from me—this/soul, this agile monkey-creature, my only one,

Saban, Alabama’s football coach who, with his Tuscaloosa team and others, march for an end to social injustice.

September 6 More than 20 NYU students suspended for breaking coronavirus rules. Northeastern dismisses 11 students for gathering in a hotel room. North Carolina State University is closing student housing amid covid-19 outbreak on campus.

September 10 Cathy reports about the birth of Wes Blumenthal. Just core family members attended the bris and the rest of the invites watched on Zoom. Circumcision brought to you by Zoom.

From my grandson William who’s eight: “What if people could buy Pokemon cards on their computers that I could trade

July 14 My daughter, Sarah, and her daughter, Maddie who’s four, are going to the park to play with a little girl who’ll be at school in Madeleine’s pre-K class. Sweet older brother, William, gives her his backpack he’s stuffed with her treasures, especially Maddies’s red velvet purse.

July 29 My engaged grandniece plans a wedding for Spring, 2022. The family’s hoping all the backlogged 2020 weddings will have mostly cleared. “Save the Date” will be mailed in October 2020 for two-and-a-half years out.

My granddaughter, Izzy, who’s eleven calls twice today, sensing how much she lifts my spirits. My eyes well with tears.

August 8 From my daughter: “The five of us are watching a movie and I tear up. Maddie pipes up, ‘Mommy, are you crying?’ She stops me from wiping my tears, says, ‘That’s a kid job. I’ll go get the toilet paper.’ She runs to the bathroom, comes back with the teeniest piece, clears my eyes, then puts it under my nose. ‘Blow,’ she says. ‘You’ll need a bigger tissue,’ so Maddie runs to get it. Each time we watch a movie, my little one checks to see if I’m crying.” It’s moments like these that can save us.

The Washington Post: In a two-week span, 100,000 children have tested positive for corona virus.

French cousin Yves: “About France’s inheritance laws, you cannot disinherit your children. If you remarry and have more kids, they’re also in the will.”

Topanga Christian Fellowship

“The Little Church That Could”

photo by: KARINA ANASTASIA ROCHE

Topanga Homegrown keeps us in fashionable Topanga styles at affordable prices.

held in the green body/of the world by a greensound song.”

Ziv in Palo Alto is surrounded by three fires. “Sunday there were 367 lightning strikes with hail and rain. The redwoods are now on fire. Last night the pollution measured 414 so I took the kids to our friends twenty minutes north. Thanks to the crazy microclimates, the air’s clear here. They say the Bay area has the worst air on the planet.”

August 29 Andy says at the end of his two-hour undergraduate class in Art, Design and Visual Culture, 58 students turn on their mics and thank him for the class. “That’s never happened before,” he says.

September 1 Clare in Alabama, tells me about Nick

t Really Magi o N It’s Barbara Allen E.A. c!

310-455-2375

310-455-1048

topangachristianfellowship.org 269 Old Topanga Canyon

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Topanga, CA 90290

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

with them?”

Salute to Topanga Homegrown and owners, Leslie Carlson and Jane Hoover who opened the women’s, men’s, and babies’ clothing store in September 2000. They’ve since added toys for toddlers. Homegrown keeps us in fashionable Topanga styles at affordable prices. It’s a friendly place to shop where merchandise is artistically arranged. Even the window displays catch my eyes. Leslie retired two years ago but Jane continues making available things like fun kitchen towels, cards for occasions, and a tempting array of one-of-a-kind items. She mentions a line of stuffed animals, or “stuffies,” from England where Jane is from, called “Jelly Cats” that fly off the shelf. A feeling of wellbeing permeates me and others when we cross the threshold. May Jane and Tarra, her helpful employee, survive during these difficult times. n

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LIfestyle

By Ricky Kupferer I’ve lived in Topanga for 33 years but I’ve only recently (in the days of COVID-19) started to walk twice a day. This has enabled me to meet a lot of my neighbors and their dogs.

Topanga is known for having interesting, artistic, musical, and literary residents, so it was no surprise to me that we also have several “literary dogs.”

The first literary dog I met was Holden, Nora’s amiable, sweet-natured Labradoodle who has none of the discontent or cynicism of his literary namesake (Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye”). Holden has a large, beautiful white brush of a tail and loves everyone, especially little children.

The next literary dog I met, Atticus, was named for a lawyer, one of America’s favorite characters in “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch. He’s an adorable (and crazy) Weimariner pup with huge feet, the spooky-pale eyes of his breed and a totally irrepressible nature. Every time I see him, I pet him which always engenders kisses and chaos.

Dodger lives right next door to me with his human companion, Tieg, who named him after the Artful Dodger (from Dickens’ “Oliver Twist”). He’s a straightforward kind of dog, a

German shepherd mix, who loves to explore, ride in the truck and be with Tieg.

Another literary canine wishes to remain anonymous because of privacy issues. Who knew dogs have privacy issues? He’s friendly and distinctively marked and nothing like the character he was named for.

Nala (The Lion King), another Labradoodle, a feminine version of Holden, represents the Hollywood glitterati, who wears dainty little booties for her walks.

I thought actress, poet, and author (“Dogs in Topanga” and many more), Jane Marla Robbin’s adorable fluff ball, Dancer, would surely have a literary name based on his elaborate bathroom moves but she said those moves made her think of ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Charley, a four-month-old terrier-lab mix with four white paws is an incorrigible whirling dervish of puppy mischief and energy. She and her humans, Haley and Matt, are new to Topanga. While she may not have been intentionally given a literary moniker, she could have been named for a beloved best seller of 1962, John Steinbeck,’s “Travels with Charley.”

Like Charley, not all Topanga dogs are literary dogs. Two little cuties, Shylo and Spartan, live down the road from Charley. At first, I thought

their names were historical ones, not literary, but their human, Nancy, said they’re neither, just names that had come to her.

At the other end of the street, Oscar and Barbara live with their deceptively cute little dog, Snoopy. He looks very cute but watch out!

He might bite if you touch him.

Hilary, a historian from Louisiana, has two dogs, a sweet older one named Polkin, and Bingo, a little French bulldog /chihuahua mix shaped like a spark plug. Polkin was named for a character in Lord of the Rings, and Bango for a New Orleans Blues singer.

David and Natasha live nearby with Lady and Vishnu, their two big Labrador pups. They are friendly and always wet because they love to play in the fountain and mud. Lady was recently seen playing with some bobcat kittens.

Other memorable dogs are Bailey, Heidi’s graceful Doberman who prances like a ballerina (without booties); Tilly, a tiny 14-year-old poodle/pug mix with a fashionable, silky haircut I wish I could replicate; and Cherry Pie, an older lab mix who is as sweet as her name.

Recently, on my morning walk, I met two Australian Shepherds, Ernie, who has striking coloration on his face and a soulful expression, and his older, less sociable brother, Milo.

Long live Topanga dogs! n

Snoopy Shylo & Spartan

Vishnu

Milo & Emilio Nala

Holden

Bailey

Five very little dogs belonging to Jim & Lori

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

17

Photo Courtesy Dan Duran

CULTURE

Native to northern Italy, Parmigiano Reggiano dates back to the middle ages when monks made hard cheese as a way of preserving milk. Above, from the film Sikh Farmaggio, that explored todays’ bridging of two cultures.

Indian Sikhs Save Italy’s Parmesan Cheese Industry

By Nikhil Bhambri

Why Parmigiano Reggiano still lands on your dinner plate.

F

rom pasta to pizza, from fine cuisine to comfort food, the mention of Italian food sparks the imagination and excites the palate with combinations of fresh ingredients, seasonings unique to the country and artisanal cheeses. Three of the top ten best restaurants in Los Angeles rated

by OpenTable.com, serve Italian cuisine.

Barely thirty years ago, the future of the parmesan cheese industry in Italy looked grim, as the younger generation left the family farms that make up the Italian cheese-making landscape.

Without them, Los Angeles’ Italian restaurants and grocery stores would have lost one of the key ingredients that provide the authentic savory flavors to Italian cuisine.

An unlikely, fortuitous turn of events forever transformed and ensured the future of Italian Parmesan cheese, when a group of brown-skinned, turbaned Sikhs from India’s Punjab province appeared in Northern Italy’s green valleys seeking work. They brought with them a love of farming and the innate skills that were in short supply in Italy and became the key to the renaissance of Italy’s Parmesan cheese.

Parmigiano Reggiano (what is commonly called Parmesan in the U.S.), is a hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk. It has a sharp, nutty taste, and is regarded by connoisseurs as the “king of cheeses.” Native to Northern Italy, its origins date back to the Middle Ages when monks began making hard cheese as a way of preserving milk.

By the Renaissance, it had become a staple meal that was used in snacks, soups, pasta, and main dishes. Cows are typically milked early in the morning and the milk is mixed with naturally skimmed milk, which is made by storing milk from the prior evening’s milking in large tanks to allow the cream to separate. This is just the beginning of a long and careful process in which milk is slowly heated in copper vats, curdled, separated, and aged for 12-36 months. More than 120 gallons of milk go into the production of a one-hundred-pound wheel that is only released for the market after inspection by an official governing body.

How Sikhs came to be involved in this ancient Italian tradition was revealed in a 2011 article in the Hindustan Times of New Delhi, titled “Sikh

18

October 16 • Vol. 1 No. 9

Stamp on Italian Cheese,” by the internationally renowned author Khushwant Singh after he visited several Sikh families in the Cremona region of Italy. He wrote, “It is the only patch of land where Italian is spoken in a Punjabi accent and cows understand only Punjabi.”

The Punjab, “Land of Five Rivers,” is a large region spanning Northwest India and Northeast Pakistan. Regarded as the “breadbasket of India,” it is a largely agricultural state, and acres of lush farmland dot the countryside. The history of the Sikh community is intimately connected with the blessings of their fertile homeland. Extremely hardworking and entrepreneurial, they are the driving force in Punjab’s agricultural industry and are well respected for their tenacity and perseverance.

Inveterate explorers and adventurers, they have become pioneers in farming in many parts of the world, including California’s Yuba City and Central Valley, where one of them, Didar Singh Bains, is regarded as “California’s Peach King” and in Indio, where Harbhajan Singh Samra is known as the “Okra King.”

Italy is among the more recent nations to reap the economic benefits of the Sikh community. In a relatively short period, it has become home to Europe’s second largest Sikh population, after the United Kingdom. Estimates show that between 60,000 and 150,000 Sikhs live in Italy. Beginning in the 1980s, with a larger influx in the 1990s, many Sikhs immigrated to Italy with the hope of better employment prospects and found the Po Valley of Northern Italy to be similar to Punjab with its warm climate, lack of mountains, and abundant agricultural opportunities.

Adapting to the Po Valley was neither a large culture shock nor a lifestyle adjustment for the newly arrived Sikh immigrants. They had worked in farming back home, and they did not need to speak Italian in order to do the agricultural work. Most Sikhs became involved in working directly with the cows, while others became cheese-makers. Their contributions were featured in 2011 in the New York Times, “In Italian Heartland, Indians Keep the Cheese Coming,” where Jaswinder Dubra, a Sikh who had risen over a period of 25 years from working as a dairy hand to working for one of Italy’s best known cheese manufacturers said, “This is dairy land and many of us have cows in Punjab. We are used to the work that we do here.”

Dalido Malaggi, Mayor of Cremona,

commented in a documentary, Sikh Formaggio, that “Production of cheese in the region would have had many problems, since our youth population was not willing to work in farming. The presence of the Sikhs has allowed Italians to fill the work force gap and save parmesan cheese. While the dairy industry is mostly mechanized today, human labor is still necessary 365 days a year.” A Sikh farmer in the documentary commented, “The first shift usually begins at 4 a.m. and ends at 8 a.m., while the second shift is from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.”

The Italian people’s gratitude for the Sikhs’ hard work and their attempts to help them integrate has been pivotal to the continued success of Italy’s export of Parmesan cheese. Alfredo Villa, a dairy farm owner mentions in “Sikh Stamp on Italian Cheese,” “I do not know what Sikhs tell my cows, but they behave very well. Sikhs are one of the most honest and hardworking people I have met in my life.”

In 2000, the Novellara municipality was the first in Italy to grant permission to build a Gurudwara, or Sikh temple, which over time, has become Europe’s second largest Gurudwara. Today, there are twenty-two Gurudwaras throughout Italy.

Furthermore, Sikh families have embraced Italian culture, while also retaining their Punjabi heritage.

In Sikh Formaggio, Jaspinder Saini states, “We eat Italian and Indian Punjabi food. You will see our pizza mixed up with onion and peppers. We mix everything.” Another resident, Bobby Harvinder said in a YouTube video, “Our whole life is here, including our children’s schooling and hopefully their future careers. We are aware of our Sikh origins but we want our children to experience Indian and Italian culture as equally important.”

Sikh immigrants have a history of bringing their work ethic, instilled from centuries of working the land in Punjab, to remote corners of the globe. Their extroverted personality and willingness to shoulder hard physical labor with humor and without complaint have contributed to the growth of the Italian economy, while allowing Los Angeles’ foodies to continue enjoying quality Italian cheese. The Government of Italy has ensured the continued bonanza of Parmesan by encouraging Punjabi cultural presence in local towns. Sikhs are now proud to call Italy their home. As a result, Angelinos will never have a shortage of authentic Italian Parmigiano Reggiano on our pasta and pizza. n

Pritchett-Rapf Realtors TOPANGA

Offices in Malibu & Topanga (310) 455-4363

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3 Bed | 2 Bath Listed at $1,400,000

Medley Lane

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(310) 663-3696

Welcome to an inspiring home. Think architectural meets New York loft. Extraordinary views sweeping through walls of glass in front, back and interior. Industrial modern flair creates an exciting living space, that accommodates many furniture styles. The innovative, flexible, open floor plan and abundant sunlight make this home a joy to be in. 2370 SF, 3 bed, 2 full bath plus a 615 SF loft room over garage next to living room.

You can create a fourth bedroom, media room or office. Combination of wood, glass, concrete and metal. Floating metal staircase accesses the master suite. Bathroom includes a claw tub and beautiful raindrop shower head, open to the mountain views. 2 car garage plus an office.

Adjacent additional space is perfect for your wine cellar. Landscaped for drought tolerance. Furniture in photo is no longer there.

Hillside Drive 3 Bed | 2 Bath Chryssa Lightheart - (310) 663-3696

$1,199,000

A magical Topanga setting with stunning views on 1.3 acres. A private knoll top is perfect for picnics or meditations. Large flat garden area, 10 fruit bearing trees, Oaks and others. A 500sf brick patio, perfect for entertaining. Enough flat land for potential addition.

Old Topanga Canyon Rd 1 Bed | 2 Bath Chryssa Lightheart - (310) 663-3696

$995,000

Lovely vintage home with big views. Filled with light from skylights and French doors, cozy and comfortable. Open floor plan that will lead you from the bright living room to a large deck, indoor/outdoor living with ease. Fenced for privacy with gated entrance. A lovely place to be.

Vacant Land

PRIVATE CANYON & MOUNTAIN VIEW LOT Topanga Canyon Blvd $1,299,000 13.21 acres William Preston Bowling

GATED HORSE PROPERTY WITH PANORAMIC VIEWS Corsham Road $999,000 9.94 acres William Preston Bowling

2-LOT OPPORTUNITY WITH BEAUTIFUL VIEWS Vesey Road $85,000 0.49 acre Christine Kapetan

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PRICE IMPROVEMENT TimelessTopanga.com Completely renovated with impeccable taste, a meticulous eye for detail and an award-winning sense of style and beauty. $2,775,000

IN ESCROW WoodGlassViews.com The heart wants what it wants. Stunning wood & glass home takes your breath away.

3BD/3BA $1,799,000

SOLD

1759Arteique.com Stunning cross canyon views stretched out over rustic mountains. 2154 sq ft, 2 bonus rooms, 2 car garage and wine room. $1,395,000 3BD/3BA

SOLD

LoveTopanga.com Your vison and inspiration will find a place here in this lovely, slight fixer-upper. Guest area, 3 car garge.

2BD/1BA $800,000

LoveTopanga.com Topanga’s original gorgeous tree house. 2045 sq ft with a living ancient oak tree growing through it.

3BD/2BA $5,800 Per Month

836Fernwood.com Quintessential Topanga home, rich with history & charm. 1175 sq ft.

2BD/3BA $1,050,000

SOLD 2224 Vesey Rd. Buyer Representation Sold at: $2,950,000

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