Larchmont Chronicle
VOL. 60, NO. 5
• DELIVERED TO 76,439 READERS IN HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT •
IN THIS ISSUE
MAY 2022
Rossmore water main replacement underway n Improves water quality
DESIGN FOR LIVING 2-9 to 2-15
CELEBRATING spring at the White House. 3
SHINING A LIGHT far, far away. 2-11
By Wendy Werris In the middle of last month, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) announced and commenced a major construction project to replace the mainline water pipe under Rossmore Avenue between Third Street and Melrose Avenue. The construction will impact street traffic in the area for several months. The goal is to provide a reliable supply of better quality water. The existing pipes were placed in 1921. Project much needed Longtime Rossmore resident John DeSimio says, “I, for one, am overjoyed that this much-needed and delayed project has come to fruition. The technician who services my water filtration system said that the water in this neighborhood is responsible for clogging the filters, requiring replacement at a faster rate See Rossmore, p 8
Giorgio taken for help by County dept. n Larchmont denizen GARDENS will be open on tour. 2-12 For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11 Mailing permit:
By Helene Seifer On the afternoon of April 20, a Deputy Public Conservator of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Mental Health approached Giorgio on Larchmont Boulevard where he stood, as usual on Wednesday afternoons, with his shopping cart. Giorgio was taken by the County for help, and we can only hope that he gets the services he needs. Privacy concerns limit the sharing of specific information concerning his whereabouts and treatment.
GRAD SALUTE! Our annual section honoring local graduates will be in the June issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., May 16. For more information contact Pam Rudy, 323-4622241, ext. 11.
LARCHMONT VILLAGE corner, at First Street, is featured in Jeff Wall photograph, “Parent child.”
Artist Jeff Wall memorializes Boulevard n Large photograph of Larchmont and First to come permanently to LACMA By Helene Seifer Given how often we shop and dine on Larchmont Boulevard, it might be considered the center of our own small universe. Who would have thought that the corner of First and Larchmont, the Bank of America corner, would become “Parent child,” an image captured by Jeff Wall, a widely collected photographer, and shown around the world? Even more newsworthy, the large (7 foot by 9 foot) color photograph from 2018 will one day become part of the perma-
nent collection of our neighboring Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Jeff Wall, the 75-year-old Vancouver artist, lives part time in Los Angeles. As reported in the March 9, 2015 “ArtCenter News,” Wall was drawn to the southland by the film industry’s special effects houses. He describes his photographs as “cinematographic” for the slice of life, or movie frame, aspect of his work. “Parent child,” 2018, was staged, as are all of Wall’s recent works. The photograph
reconstructs an event that a friend of Wall’s experienced on Larchmont Boulevard. In a video interview recorded in 2019 when the work first was exhibited in Gagosian gallery’s New York location, Wall explains, “A friend of mine sent me a photograph of himself and his little daughter taken by someone else and said to me, ‘This looks like one of your pictures.’ And I thought, ‘Yes, it does look like one of my pictures,’ and it looks like a picture I’d like to make, beSee Artist, p 7
Nasa Hataoka wins LPGA tournament n At Wilshire Country Club By Jim Kalin The last time Wilshire Country Club allowed spectators to attend the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament was three years ago, in 2019. The impact of COVID-19 was very much felt: the tournament was cancelled in 2020. In 2021, it returned but was closed to everyone but the press. Not this year. The LPGA’s Dio Implant LA Open returned full-force to Wilshire Country Club April 20-24. It was the event’s fourth year, and it featured 144 of the best professional NASA HATAOKA of Japan displays winner’s trolady golfers, including LPGA-at-Wilshire phy received after her 15-under-par LPGA victory at See LPGA, p 8 Wilshire Country Club on Sunday, April 24.
www.larchmontchronicle.com ~ Entire Issue Online!
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION ONE
Editorial
Calendar
By John Welborne
Local primary election is June 7, but vote now! Yes, the June primary election for our top city officials and local city council members is not until June 7. However — soon after you read this — you will receive your ballot in the mail. The current system, newly-instituted by the incumbent elected people during the COVID-19 era, is to do a mass mailing of ballots to seemingly everybody who ever has registered to vote. It’s just like getting a flyer to buy soap (except that you once registered to vote). So, regardless of whether you actually prefer visiting your local polling place and seeing your neighborhood poll workers and maybe some of your neighbors … or whether you actually have difficulty getting out of your home and therefore have requested an official absentee ballot for years … voting by mail is the current “thing.” The Larchmont Chronicle always urges our readers to exercise their franchise. The act of so doing is important. (Compare and contrast with totalitarian states, such as modern Russia.) Citywide This time, we have a dozen people running to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti. At least half of them are serious candidates who are managing campaigns that are getting press and public attention. We also have familiar people and aspiring new people running for the two other citywide political offices, City Attorney and City Controller. Each of those offices is being vacated by someone who is termed out, but who now is running for yet another office. City Attorney Mike Feuer is running to become mayor. City Controller Ron Galperin is running to become the state controller. Council districts Arguably the greatest potential impact to the neighborhoods of our readers, either positive or negative, will result from the two races to become (or remain) a member of the Los Angeles City Council. There is an open seat being sought by four people in Council District Five, where Paul Koretz now sits at the historic 15-seat horseshoe desk in the John Ferraro City Council Chamber. (Term-limited Koretz is running to replace Ron Galperin as city controller.) The other local City Council seat is currently occupied by Mitch O’Farrell, the 13th District incumbent who is running for his third, and final, allowable term. O’Farrell has four challengers. State and federal Remember that we also are having elections for other local officials in the State Assembly, State Senate and United States Congress. Learn a bit more about those races from the map and chart on Page 8 of Section 2 of this issue. In most of these elections on June 7 (with voting beginning in May!), the top two vote-getters will continue to campaign until the November 8 General Election. Whoever sits in any of these local-representative seats, whether in City Hall, Sacramento or Washington D.C., will have an impact on you and your quality of life. So please be sure to vote!
Celebrate All Moms &
Sun., May 1 – Yom HaShoah commemoration livestreamed at 2 p.m. Visit holocaustmuseumla.org to register. Thurs., May 5 – Cinco de Mayo. Sun., May 8 – Mother’s Day. Wed., May 11 – Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Board of Directors Meeting via Zoom, 6:30 p.m. Check greaterwilshire.org for sign-in information. Mon., May 30 – Memorial Day. Thurs., June 2 – Larchmont Chronicle June issue delivered.
[Your editor] Suzan Filipek wrote, in “GenSpace — a place to engage older adults,” April, 2022, that the new GenSpace building is located at Harvard and Wilshire boulevards in “what has become known as ‘Koreatown.’” I found this phrasing odd because that area has been “known as” Koreatown for nearly 50 years, with the City officially designating it Koreatown in 2010. So, I think you could reference it with a bit more familiarity next time. Jonathan Stulberg Country Club Heights Ed. Note: The commercial area in question actually was long known as “Wilshire Center.” That is the name that goes back more than 50 years. In 1995 (27 years ago), the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District was officially chartered for the area generally bounded by Third Street on the north, Eighth
Larchmont Chronicle Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin .
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Publisher and Editor John H. Welborne
Graduates
Managing Editor Suzan Filipek Contributing Editor Jane Gilman Staff Writers Talia Abrahamson Helene Seifer Advertising Director Pam Rudy
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LARCHMONT VILLAGE
Advertising Sales including Classifieds Caroline Tracy Art Director Tom Hofer
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Accounting Jill Miyamoto 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103
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That’s the question inquiring photographer Caroline Tracy asked locals along Larchmont Boulevard.
Letters to the Editor Koreatown, est. 2010?
Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241 larchmontchronicle.com
‘How will you celebrate your mom on Mother’s Day?’
Street on the south, Hoover Street on the east and Wilton Place on the west. (Indeed, from 1968 to 2001, this newspaper’s publishers even styled the Chronicle as “Wilshire Center’s Larchmont Chronicle.”) In the city’s 2001 Wilshire Community Plan, Wilshire Center had the above boundaries, and “Koreatown” was described as “generally bounded by Eighth Street on the north, Twelfth Street on the south, Western Avenue on the west, and continues east towards Vermont Avenue.” The block with the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and GenSpace is well north of those 2001 “Koreatown” boundaries. Next, the City of Los Angeles, in 2003 (not quite 20 years ago), certified the first neighborhood council for the area north and south of Wilshire Boulevard between approximately Melrose Avenue and Eleventh Street / Olympic Boulevard. The western and eastern boundaries of this 2003 neighborhood council generally are Western and Vermont Avenues with Wilshire-adjacent extensions west to Wilton Place and east to Hoover Street. The council’s name is (Please turn to page 19)
“I’ll make her a card, and we’ll probably do a school craft for Mother’s Day, too.” “I’m going to make her a card and usually we go out for dinner as a family.” Ali and Evy Callahan Plymouth Blvd.
“I’m going to pick my mom some flowers.” “Last year she actually made me scrambled eggs with basil.” Tria Russell with mom, Casey Windsor Village
“I will probably get my mom flowers and chocolates, and also make her pancakes and waffles.” “I’m going to get my mom a coffee gift card because she can’t live without coffee.”
Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.
“Maybe I’ll give my mom the day off. Or not.” Chloe Hawkinson, Larchmont Village, and Noelle and Jude Park Wilshire Park
CORRECTION In last month’s article, “Jane McNealy is back with her songbook, 50 years on,” we incorrectly listed the website. The correct website is loflorecords.com. Also, McNealy worked with Harold Battiste Jr., but did not co-write or co-compose with him, as incorrectly stated in the article. Further, Joyce Dunn was the original vocalist on the 1969 track, which was not an “updated” track as stated in the article.
“We usually make her breakfast but this year she is going out of town to run a half marathon with some other Larchmoms.” Cameron and Tyler Greene Arden Blvd.
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
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Larchmontians getting out and about even more — on both coasts By John Welborne As COVID-19 fades into history (we hope), there is further evidence of local denizens starting to get “out and about.” After a couple of years of lackluster Easter plans, due to the global pandemic, two local families got the chance to attend the White House Easter Egg Roll in Washington, D.C. last month. The Tracy-Paley family of Hancock Park (including this newspaper’s staffer Caroline Tracy) and the Million family of Ridgewood-Wilton hunted, rolled, dyed, and ate eggs alongside the President and First Lady at the largest event the White House has hosted since the pandemic began. The White House Easter Egg Roll has been a tradition dating back to the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. This year’s event, officially titled “The 2022 White House Easter Eggucation Roll,” featured story time with President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, various educa-
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ODE TO MOMS.
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YOUTH SPORTS SCHOOL NEWS ENTERTAINMENT On the Menu Movies Theater
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SECTION TWO VIEW:
Real Estate Design for Living Libraries Home & Garden
J.B. SCHOOL PILE-UP. 17 HOME GROUND 5 REAL ESTATE SALES 8 DESIGN FOR LIVING 9 ON PRESERVATION 15 LIBRARIES 16 POLICE BEAT 18 POKER FOR ALL 19 BEEZWAX 19
CHILDREN, including Hancock Park’s Anna and Miles Paley, participate in the traditional egg roll portion of the day’s event.
tional activities and exhibits, a talent show and the famed rolling and hunting games. The Tracy-Paley family and the Million family were among
an estimated 30,000 guests, including many military families, who came from all over the country to enjoy the return of the storied event.
THE MILLION family of Ridgewood-Wilton at the White House: from left, Mike, Chloe, Nathan, and Laura.
HANCOCK PARK’S Miles Paley converses with President Joe Biden at the White House 2022 Easter Egg Roll.
LaBonge honored Three days before, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s iconic peristyle (“a colonnade or long row of columns that surrounds a building or courtyard”), there was a great celebration. The peristyle at the stadium’s eastern end consists of a large center arch, six flank-
ing arches, and a total of 24 columns. With the awarding of the Games of the Xth Olympiad in 1932, the Olympic Cauldron was added at the top. There also began a tradition of mounting large commemorative plaques that chronicle outstanding people and events, athletic or (Please turn to page 4)
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Larchmont Chronicle
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Out and about (Continued from page 3) otherwise, that have impacted the history, glory and growth of the Memorial Coliseum.
Prior to April 14, 2022, the Memorial Court of Honor located within the peristyle arches was comprised of 61 plaques. But now, there are 62. The 62nd plaque honors
CELEBRANTS honoring the late Tom LaBonge at the Coliseum included, from left, Richard Pink, Brigid LaBonge and former mayor and now Superior Court Judge, Jim Hahn.
Windsor Square ~ Hancock Park Historical Society
presents
A Garden Tour
COLISEUM PERISTYLE is the site of the Court of Honor and a newly mounted wall plaque honoring Tom LaBonge, above and behind his widow, Brigid, and his children Mary Catherine and Charles. Photo by Gary Leonard
former Fourth District Councilman Tom LaBonge, and a flurry of fans, friends and family turned out for the plaque’s unveiling on April 14. Naturally, wife Brigid and children Mary-Cate and Charles were prominent and greeted many
friends, among them Supervisor Janice Hahn and her brother, Superior Court Judge (and former mayor) James Hahn. Said Janice Hahn, “Tom was a cheerleader for Los Angeles. He loved everything about this city. It is fitting that generations to come
will walk around the legends of the Court of Honor, see this plaque, and learn about the one and only Mr. Los Angeles.” Also present was Richard Pink, second-generation proprietor of Pink’s Hot Dogs (where a “Mr. Los Angeles – Tom LaBonge Dog” is on the menu). Pink brought lunch for everyone at the event! All 62 plaques are listed, with an image of each show(Please turn to page 6)
All Gardens Within Windsor Square, Hancock Park and Brookside
Sunday, June 5th 1:00pm to 5:00pm Refreshments Served Enjoy Music, Plant Sale & Raffle Items Members $40 • Non-members $50
For tickets: WSHPHS.com
HISTORICAL SOCIETY president Richard Battaglia interviewed local writer Linda Woolverton at her home. Right: A GARDEN RECEPTION for Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society members and guests concluded the April event at Linda Woolverton’s home.
321 N. Larchmont Blvd. Suite 906 323.464.8046 rebeccafitzgeraldmd.com
AUDIENCE MEMBERS were treated to a lively backand-forth between interviewee Linda Woolverton and interviewer Richard Battaglia, followed by questions and comments from the audience.
CED22-042
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
When we need a hero, we can always rely on you. Your care and dedication are a comfort to our patients and an inspiration to our community. We celebrate you this week, but we appreciate you every day. #HealthcareHeroes
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION ONE
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER Anthony Rendon, left, examines the Riverly Award presented to him by River LA chair Harry Chandler.
ALICE WATERS was recognized at the event that took place at Lulu, her new restaurant at the Hammer Museum. Photos by Oscar A. Zagal
Out and about (Continued from page 4) ing the full inscription, at: lacoliseum.com/memorialcourt-of-honor The Tom LaBonge plaque concludes with: “No one loved Los Angeles more than Tom LaBonge, truly an angel in the City of Angels.” New judge And speaking of judges, last month saw the swearing-in of new Superior Court Judge Nicholas F. Daum. Judge Daum, the son of Mary Nichols and the late John Daum, grew up in Windsor Square. At an April 22 reception given by his wife, Kathy, and his mother at The California Club, seen in the crowd of well wishers were Windsor Square’s Bert Deixler, Betsy Anderson of Larchmont Village and Brookside’s Lynne and Michael Russell. Ahmanson on-stage Later in the month, local arts supporters were out and about in Downtown Los Angeles, this time actually on the stage of the Ahmanson Theatre. At the on-
stage dinner and performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Center Theatre Group (CTG) education and community partnerships program, guests were treated to a performance by Jennifer Holliday — as well as a backstage experience designed to show what it’s like to be an actor on that stage. Among the many local supporters in attendance were Windsor Square’s Amy Forbes and Andy Murr. She is CTG president. Among others spotted dining and/or climbing around the stage house innards, from Windsor Square, were Diana Buckhantz (also a CTG board member), Dan Levin and Michelle Vosko Levin and Sarah Clossey, a new CTG board member. Author talk Back in the neighborhood, on a Saturday at the beginning of last month, a “bookish” event took place in an historic home and its lovely garden. Windsor Square resident and American screenwriter, playwright and novelist Linda Woolverton welcomed members and guests of
the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society to her home. A quick tour of the interior of the beautiful circa-1915 abode was followed by an interview with Woolverton by WSHPHS president Richard Battaglia. A slide show of drawings and photos from some of the filmed and live productions Woolverton has authored accompanied the interview. Her works include Disney films such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Mulan,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Maleficent,” as well as liveaction theatrical productions of some of those same titles. Afterward, the gracious hostess visited with guests over Prosecco and pastries in her lovely garden. In addition to Battaglia, WSHPHS organizers included Barbara Coad, Jolin Crofts, Alex Elliott, Juanita Kempe and Judy and Richard Zeller. Given the role of film in our community, the gathering featured a bit of a sequel — that is, the return to the neighbor-
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STEVE ENGLISH, center, who received the Riverly Award in recognition of his decade of service to River LA, sits between former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and Mayor Garcetti, another Riverly Award recipient.
hood, for the event, of Mollie Qvale Clark and daughter Signe, prominent residents of Fremont Place in previous years. The two were among the several dozen attendees received by Woolverton and captivated by the tales of her writing career, much of which has emphasized strong roles for girls and women. Riverly Awards A week later, there was further evidence of people getting “out and about” — this time to Westwood to celebrate River LA and some of that nonprofit’s best supporters. Attending from Windsor Square (and being honored) was Mayor Eric Garcetti. Locals ventured west to salute him and the three other honorees, Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon, author and founder of Chez Panisse and the
Edible Schoolyard Alice Waters, and philanthropist lawyer and longtime River LA board member Steve English. Applauding those four while enjoying dinner from the kitchen of Lulu, the new restaurant from Waters and chef David Tanis at the Hammer Museum, were Mary and Kevin O’Connell, Jennifer and Bill Fain, former Marlborough head of school Barbara Wagner and husband Judge Charles Palmer and Martha Welborne and this writer. Chair of River LA is artist Harry Chandler, who used to live in Hancock Park. He not only presented the Riverly Awards; he also designed and produced them. Among the tasty dinner items enjoyed in the new Alice Waters (Please turn to page 7)
325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004 www.windsorsquare.org 157 N. Larchmont Boulevard
Windsor Square Board Openings
As we discuss each November at our annual Town Hall meeting, there are periodic openings on the board of the Windsor Square Association. Today, there are two openings, including one as a result of the passing of lifelong Windsor Square volunteer Mike Genewick, who also served as our Treasurer. Are you a resident of Windsor Square? Are you willing to play a leadership role in our neighborhood? Attend monthly board meetings and do committee work in between? Might you bring a skill that would be useful? Would you contribute to the geographic and ethnic diversity of the board? If you would like to suggest yourself or another Windsor Square resident for board membership, please send an e-mail to wsinfo@windsorsquare.org. Your suggestions will ensure that Windsor Square continues to be ready to meet the needs of every neighbor. Our Nominating Committee will be delighted to review all suggestions received by May 15th of this year.
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The Windsor Square Association, an all-volunteer group of residents from 1100 households between Beverly and Wilshire and Van Ness and Arden, works to preserve and enhance our beautiful neighborhood. Join with us! Drop us a line at 325 N. Larchmont Blvd., #158, Los Angeles, CA 90004, or visit our website at windsorsquare.org.
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Larchmont Chronicle
Artist Jeff Wall (Continued from page 1) cause the child — his child — was not having a temper tantrum or an argument with her father. She just decided to take
skin
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MAY 2022
a pause, lie down on probably a quite warm sidewalk in a shadow … and the father was doing, as you see here, just pausing and contemplating the decision of his own child. And that gap between the consciousness between the two just seemed to me, ‘Yes, that’s the kind of subject I find interesting.’ I reconstructed the picture, which is something I do frequently.” Wall’s “Parent child” photograph was on view recently at Gagosian in Beverly Hills as part of a 10-photograph exhibit marking Wall’s first Los Angeles show in almost 20 years. Previously, the work had been shown in New York City and London. Permanent collection Now, after achieving widespread fame, our Larchmont corner likeness will be coming to rest in the permanent collection at LACMA, says Michael Govan, the CEO and Wallis Annenberg director. Writing to us about the Larchmont Boulevard piece, Govan said: “Jeff Wall is an artist whose important work is in museums all over the world. We’re thrilled that our trustee Ashley Merrill, and her husband Marc, are offering this gift to LACMA, the first by Jeff Wall in our collection — especially because Wall made the image nearby the museum. Wall’s photographic images have a size and presence that speak to centuries of large-scale paintings that tell stories. “But Wall’s images are more enigmatic; like this one, they can be imposing and monumental, but their subject is the complex psychology of everyday life. A neighborhood street corner we might pass daily becomes, for this artist, a site for contemplation and composition.” Discussing her family’s gift to LACMA, trustee Ashley Merrill told the Chronicle, “I came across this image years ago online, and it really resonated with me as a parent who has had many of those trying yet comical parenting moments like the one in this photograph. “When I saw it full-size at Gagosian Beverly Hills with Mi-
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Out and about (Continued from page 6)
WALL ON THE WALL: “Parent child” at Gagosian Beverly Hills, March 2022.
chael [Govan], that feeling was only amplified. Marc and I are thrilled it will end up at LACMA for future generations of parents and children to connect with.” New LACMA building The exact exhibition debut date at the museum is not set, but it most certainly will not be until the new LACMA building stretching above Wilshire Boulevard opens in or after 2024.
dining space at the Hammer were “Devil-ish eggs,” spinach feta pies and Tunisian meatballs in spiced tomato sauce. The restaurant was given a brief review in the February issue of the Chronicle. See: tinyurl.com/57ekwdhv. Announced at the event was the upcoming Los Angeles County LA River Open House on Tues., May 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Westfield Topanga community center at 21710 Vanowen Street in Canoga Park. River LA CEO Kate Moulene wrote of the upcoming event: “This is the last public / community meeting before the vote on the Master Plan. Teams from Gehry, Olin, GeoSyntec, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s
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office and Public Works will all be together to talk about the planned Headwaters Pavilion.” She adds that this “will be one of the first projects along the river connecting the community to the river,” summing up: “It’s a very exciting time as we move from years of planning to action and execution.” Learn more about the May 3 open house at: tinyurl.com/2p96dpn7. Cookbook And a final bit of local news: There soon will be a new occupant for the former Chan Dara building just north of Beverly Boulevard on Larchmont. Work has been underway during recent weeks on what will become the third outpost of Cookbook (cookbookla.com). Hancock Park residents Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, plus their sommelier partner Helen (Please turn to page 8)
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
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Out and about
LPGA
(Continued from page 7)
(Continued from page 1)
Johannesen (Jon & Vinny’s and Helen’s on Fairfax Avenue) took over Cookbook Market, long in Echo Park and Highland Park, in 2020. Under the new owners’ tutelage, Cookbook has become even more widely known for its collection of upscale produce, small-producer dry goods and grocery staples like deli meats, wine and sauces. Larchmont Village is a logical extension for this boutique neighborhood green grocer. Just what the Larchmont 2021 survey respondents and so many others want to see. “Thank you,” team Jon, Vinny and Helen!
defending champ Brooke Henderson, Jin Young Ko (ranked No. 1) and 2019 champion Minjee Lee. The golfers played 72 holes while competing for $1.5 million in prize money. The winner’s purse was $225,000. Henderson did not make the cut for the final rounds. Ko finished in a tie for 21st place, and Lee was in a tie for 3rd place with Madelene Sagstrom and Inbee Park, all behind 2nd place finsiher Hannah Green and winner Hataoka, who was 15 under on the par-71 course. Preparation for the event began months before, although the final week saw a whirlwind acceleration in activity. Club members’ final day to play was Easter Sunday, four days before the tournament’s first round. Camera-tower scaffolding and bleachers for spectators were erected, courtesy tents were placed along putting greens, and last-minute landscaping was completed. “We recruit volunteers and members to help get the course ready,” said club general manager Daniel Enzler. The course’s transformation from members-only to world-class event venue was truly fantastic. The experi-
Karen Bass at Ebell May 17 Mayoral candidate Congresswoman Karen Bass will participate in a live interview on Tues., May 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ebell Theater in the Mayoral Series co-hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall. Dan Schnur, professor of politics at USC, U.C. Berkeley and Pepperdine, is moderator. To register for the free event visit tinyurl.com/2p86jm5f.
ence was worth the one-day ticket price of $28.13 (a fourday pass was $45, and the Macbeth Pass, which included Terrace Viewing and 18th Green Lounge access, was $1,687.50.) The tournament ran from Thursday to Sunday, but the golf began on Wednesday with the Pro-Am. LPGA competition golfers teed off Thursday morning promptly at 7 a.m. The front nine is on the south side of Beverly Boulevard, which bisects the course. The first hole is a 390-yard par 4. Access to the first tee is via a tunnel that runs beneath Beverly Boulevard that’s just wide enough to accommodate a golf cart. In the Dio Implant Open’s four-year history, Canadian Brooke Henderson holds the 72-hole record at 268 (-16.) That was her tournamentwinning score last year. For spectators, the festivities began immediately upon entrance at the Rosewood Avenue gate. Sponsor booths offered giveaways, sign-ups and product demonstrations. Parked along the course were food trucks with accompanying outside dining areas. There also were concessions adjacent to the clubhouse, which flanks the 18th hole. This was the hub of the festivities.
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(Continued from page 1) than other areas.” The age of the pipes alone, DeSimio says, has been the source of other problems. “There have been several failures just on the block between Clinton and Rosewood in the past few years, which completely paralyzes the traffic and imposes a health and hygiene risk to the residents.” Sylvia Beltran works in the DWP’s Community Affairs department. She says that “Residents will have access to their driveways and homes 24/7 during construction, and the streets will be open every evening at 6:30 p.m. We’ve created a website for the Rossmore project, which will be updated and provide current information for the residents. We hope this will help make the transition to the new mainline easier.” The website is: tinyurl.com/jy9ppxs7. Although there have been some complaints about the last-minute nature of the announcement, Beltran assures the Chronicle that press releases went out in advance to the Los Angeles City Council, as well as several neighborhood organizations including the Hancock Park Home Owners Association, whose residents will be most affected by the construction work. No left turns “Occasionally there will be no-left-turn signs prohibiting turns south from Melrose onto Rossmore, and from Third Street for turns north along Rossmore,” Beltran adds. “It’s a small price to pay when you consider that failure ratings are on a scale of ‘A’ to ‘F,’ and Rossmore is rated a ‘D.’ This construction, and the upgrade of the mainline pipes, really couldn’t be put off any longer.”
Daniel Enzler, general manager of the Wilshire Country Club on Rossmore at Beverly, says, “It will have a major impact on traffic here because there will only be one lane for traffic, and our members enter the parking lot from Rossmore.” Still, Enzler will solve that problem by creating another entrance to the club from Rosewood, which is normally used for exiting the parking lot. “I fully agree that the mainline water pipe project is a good idea.” Metro bus service Metro Route 210 bus service on Rossmore, which runs from Beverly Boulevard to Melrose and on up Vine Street, will be re-routed along the way, depending upon the progress of the construction. “We’ll be putting up signs in the area on bus stops to explain the detours,” says Patrick Chandler of the DWP, “which will be in English and Spanish.” The project will be completed in October, if not sooner, according to the DWP.
Yom HaShoah ceremony May 1 Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, will be commemorated by the Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles on Sun., May 1 at 2 p.m. The entire event will be streamed live. Keynote speaker is local resident Zev Yaroslavsky. The museum is partnering with the Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles to remember those who perished in the Holocaust, honor survivors and reflect on the devastating war in Ukraine. The program will include a live performance by Ukranian composer Joachim Stutschewsky. Consul Generals of Israel and Poland will be in attendance. To register, visit holocaustmuseumla.org.
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Women find solace sharing memories of mothers they miss By Helene Seifer “Milestone events are hard,” admits Breanne Metcalf, founder of The Betsey Network, a new peer-to-peer conversation group that helps women grieving their mothers find solace among other women in similar situations. Milestones such as: “When I met my husband, Patrick; our marriage; having our baby.” Metcalf continues, “But it’s the little moments I miss the most: When I have a bad day at work; when I see something I like and want to call my mother.” Inspiration for The Betsey Network After Metcalf’s parents divorced, her mother, Betsey Boyd, raised Metcalf and her two older brothers. “Every day after school, she was always there to discuss my day, my friends,” Metcalf remembers.
“I was lucky.” Boyd died of a brain aneurysm when Metcalf was in her senior year of high school. In a coma for four months before she succumbed, Boyd woke up only once, when Metcalf went to see her, dressed for her high school graduation. When Metcalf had an ultrasound during the pregnancy with her now 1-year-old daughter, she acutely felt the loss of her mother. “I wished I could share it with my mom.” That feeling only grew more pronounced when Maeve was born. “I felt what my mom must have felt when she had me.” Metcalf decided to honor her mother by establishing a means to connect with other women who mourned the loss of their own mothers because of death, incarceration, abandonment or illness. The Rossmore Avenue resident spent her last few weeks
THE BETSEY founder Breanne daughter Maeve tograph of her Betsey Boyd.
NETWORK Metcalf with and a pholate mother,
of maternity leave forming goals and guidelines. The Betsey Network was born. Healing through sharing Metcalf, who works at Hulu in human resources, decided
Neville Anderson, MD, FAAP Amaka Priest, MD Courtney Mannino, MD, FAAP
to start small. She didn’t advertise; told a few friends and listed it on LinkedIn. Eight women signed on to the first Zoom meeting of The Betsey Network in December. Some lost their moms in childhood; one as recently as last summer. Metcalf notes that five months later, 30 women “from across the United States, of differing backgrounds, life stages and types of loss” have joined the group. In Metcalf’s experience, women feel it burdens others if they talk about missing their mothers, but that takes a huge emotional toll because, “Even seeing a grandmother at the park with her grandchildren can trigger your grief.” In the virtual meetings, she always asks women to share stories about their moms. “It is cathartic to talk,” Metcalf explains. “It is a relief. People cry.” The loneliness of loss The Betsey Network participant Jacquelyn Arenas from Austin, Texas, reflects that her 4-year-old daughter remembers Arenas’ mother, but her 2-year-old son does not. “When I look at my children and know of the amazing, fun, kind grandmother they won’t get to remember, the heartache is almost too much to comprehend.”
Molly Ernestes of Cincinnati, Ohio, reveals, “My mom was my best friend, and losing her when I was just 9 years old was one of the most difficult things I had ever gone through. I will always miss my mom. It’s difficult to grow up because the older I get, the more my mom fades away.” Kristen Stebbins of Jersey City, New Jersey, offers, “There are lessons to be learned from how others deal with their losses.” Challenge of Mother’s Day For the motherless, there may be no more emotionally difficult time than Mother’s Day, when seemingly everyone is fêting moms. “The Betsey Network has brought together a community of women who lift each other up through shared empathy, which is especially important around challenging days like Mother’s Day,” states Metcalf. “Each one of us carries our loss and holds our mothers close, and the ability to immediately understand one another has brought so much relief and connection.” The Betsey Network meets the first Wednesday of every month. A special virtual gathering in honor of Mother’s Day is planned for May. All sessions are free. For more information, go to TheBetseyNetwork.org.
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in Larchmont Village
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SBBA concludes season, names HERO Award recipients The SBBA (Saint Brendan Basketball Association) 2022 season concluded April 2 with the division playoff semifinals and title games. That was nine games in one day! It doesn’t get any better for youth basketball fans. Champions crowned The tournament had originally been scheduled for two weeks earlier, but several occurrences caused the cancellation of games and practices. The first was a contained COVID case. The second incident was a medical emergency. Longtime official Greg “Blue” Blueford collapsed on the basketball court during a Saturday game in March and was rushed to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition for several weeks. The remaining games that day, and Sunday, were cancelled. The rescheduled playoffs
Youth Sports y
Jim Kalin unfortunately moved Championship Saturday back to the first weekend of Spring Break. Most teams were short players due to families traveling. Championship Saturday began early with the first of two Bobcat Division (ages 8-9) semifinal games. The eventual champions were The Pongs, coached by Adam Cole-Kelly. Their leading scorer for the season was Charlie Cole-Kelly. He ended with 107 points. The Cobra Division (ages 10-11) title game followed next. The champions here were The Firemen, coached by Bryce Hubbard. The team’s leading
THE ACES’ Nicholas Yu, coach Nick Padua and Coltrane Ragsdale.
scorer was Rex First, who ended his season with 133 points. What a workhorse! The Aces, coached by Nick Padua, won the D-League (ages 12, 13, 14) title. Padua and The Firemen’s coach Bryce Hubbard were the only head coaches this season who were not parents of players. Padua, a St. Brendan School graduate, is currently a student at Pasadena City Col-
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GUS DEPPE HERO AWARD presentation, from left to right, Paul Deppe, Cecelia Uribe, Charles Gargantiel, league director Abel Luna, ’ iamond Blueford and yd alin.
lege. The Aces’ leading scorer for the season was Coltrane Ragsdale, who ended with 110 points. Quite a stat, considering the D-League champs played two fewer games than the other division winners. And how about this; Coltrane is 12 and can play for two more years. HERO Award The SBBA doesn’t name division MVPs, but it does present something just as prestigious. August “Gus” Deppe played in the SBBA league. His final season, for basketball and with us, was in 2012. He was 10 years old at the time. Gus was diagnosed with a stage IV neuroblastoma when he was 2. Stem cell transplants coupled with chemo and radiation treatments settled him into remission for the next eight years. Unfortunately, the cancer returned, and he was unable to beat it the second time around. The Gus Deppe HERO Award is given to one player per division every year at the season’s conclusion. HERO is an acronym for Heart Effort Relentlessness Optimism, and the league identifies those players
who embody these traits best. “The award is a recognition and celebration of the recipient’s own spirit,” said Cecelia Uribe, Gus’ mother. The trophy, which is in its ninth year, is an actual cup that goes home with the recipient. That player’s name is engraved on the trophy, and it returns to the league 12 months later to be presented to the next recipient. It’s similar to the NHL Stanley Cup. This year’s HERO Award recipients are G’Diamond Blueford (Alligator Division), Duke Hannah (Bobcat Division), Charles Gargantiel (Cobra Division) and Kyd Kalin (D-League.) Blue recovering Beloved SBBA referee Greg Blueford suffered a heart attack at that March game while officiating. He remained in the intensive care unit for two weeks. After six weeks, Blue was dismissed from the hospital and is now at home. If you would like to support his family’s GoFundMe page to help with Blue’s hospital bills, the link is listed below. https://gofund.me/6b33af8f
MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL By Avery Gough 10th Grade
tions.) Seniors head off to Hawaii for a week prior to graduation, while the rest of the grades finish their final exams. We will miss the the Class of 2022, and hope they have an amazing time in college. On May 24, the rising sophomores will have their Pin Ceremony. This annual tradition is their official welcome into the upper school. During the ceremony, the class president and head of school will give speeches in front of the students and their friends and families. Finally, our Head of School, Dr. Priscilla Sands, will be retiring this month after seven years at Marlbrough. Dr. Sands has led the school with integrity and grace through a tumultuous time in our history. We are grateful for her service and wish her well in her retirement. There will be a celebration with Marlborough families to show our appreciation for Dr. Sands on April 24.
Students will be very busy until summer break begins on May 25th. From May 2 to May 13, students will take advanced placement tests. Subjects include english, U.S. history, biology, chemistry to name a few. In addition to AP tests, Seniors will also be taking their final exams. Their last official day of school is May 12 and they graduate on May 26. It is a school tradition that seniors sleep over at Marlborough on the night of May 11. They usually sleep in the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation or the gymnasium. (The class of 2021 had to sleep on the field because of COVID restric-
Larchmont Chronicle CENTER FOR EARLY EDUCATION By Ren Lisenbery 5th Grade At the Center for Early Education, service-learning is an important component of the curriculum. Recently, we had a whole school day of service that entailed helping our school community and our neighborhood community. Some students went around the community near the school and picked up trash
OAKWOOD SCHOOL By Scarlett Saldaña 11th Grade This month, Oakwood students look forward to this year’s high school musical, “Into the Woods,” as well as the exciting Spring Concert. Staging rehearsals for the musical first began in March, and after returning to school from Spring Break, the cast and crew has continued blocking scenes, practicing songs, and learning choreography. Our production is a more unique staging of the musical, in which we are set in an attic where one of the lead characters, The Baker, finds a storybook, and imagines the characters and
CATHEDRAL CHAPEL SCHOOL By Kennedy del Pozo 5th Grade We have been involved in a number of activities during March and April at CCS. In March, we had a very successful Jogathon which enabled us to purchase iPads for our students in K – 8. We continue to help those who are less fortunate by collecting canned food items for Hope Net and we also participated in
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and collected more than ten full trash bags! Each grade also worked on different projects. For example, the 5th graders helped paint a mural for an elder care center in the hopes of creating an inspiring, colorful place for them to enjoy. In previous years, we had a long tradition of making sandwiches their connections on stage. Most actors in the cast are also playing two to three characters, meaning there will be quick costume changes, making for a hectic, but entertaining show! The week after the musical, Oakwood’s high school vocal ensemble, Choraliers, Middle School (MS) Glee, and MS Music Theater Workshop, will perform in this Spring’s all-vocal concert. They plan to sing “Parade in Town” and “Sunday,” both by Stephen Sondheim, a few songs from the musical “Rent,” and various more. Lastly, Seniors will finish their last classes at the end of this month, but will return to campus to present their Senior projects, as well as attend several beloved student-life events in their upcoming last months at Oakwood.
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for the hungry. However, because of Covid, we were not able to do that. Instead, some of the younger students made hygiene care packages for people who might need supplies. In addition to our day of service, we work to help our community throughout the year. We have charity drives such as donating books and stuffed animals. This year, the school worked with Quarter for Caring, where students had to earn quarters by doing chores at home and donate that money to the children of Ukraine. Coming together and being able to help out the community is one of the most special parts of being at The Center.
HOLLYWOOD SCHOOLHOUSE By Sienna Light 6th Grade There are many things in store for this last trimester of the school year. Hollywood Schoolhouse just held our own musical, “A Million Dreams,” right here on the HSH campus, and everyone went into spring break feeling ready to relax after working hard on sets, dances, and songs. Now that we are back at school, the 6th grade class is
getting ready for graduation and summer, but before that, we get to go to AstroCamp! AstroCamp is an outdoor recreation and science camp trip that the 6th grade gets to take at the end of the year. We will stay for three days and two nights, and in my opinion, I am very excited to go on an overnight trip before we graduate. Other than trips, HSH will not let the war in Ukraine go unnoticed. So, to support refugees, students and teachers have donated clothing, cleanliness products, and various other items that were sent over during spring break. I am very proud of what we have contributed to this cause.
Feet the Homeless, a collection of gently used shoes which are distributed to a variety of homeless shelters in L.A. Student Council sponsored a free dress fundraiser on St. Patrick’s Day for Ukraine. We distributed the funds ($1,100) to Global Giving and UNICEF to aid the children who are suffering in Ukraine. In addition to this very successful fundraiser, the students also contributed over $1,500 to the Missionary Childhood Association for the refugees in Ukraine. You are invited to visit us during our Open House and annual Science Fair on Wednesday, April 27 from 5 to 7 p.m.
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IMMACULATE HEART By Kellyn Lanza 11th Grade Happy Spring from Immaculate Heart! The busy month of April opened with a welcome breakfast for our incoming Class of 2026 and their families. We are so excited to have these new Pandas join us again on cam-
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pus in August! Meanwhile, current IH students recently enjoyed two weeks off for our Easter Break and are now back for the final weeks of the school year. After returning from break, students and faculty continued pre-
paring for our biggest celebration of the year, the tradition of Mary’s Day, which took place on April 29. This year’s Mary’s Day was a great success with amazing decorations and activities coordinated by the entire high school community. For this year’s theme, “Rooted in the Heart of Mary,” students created 3D roots, vegetables, and other plants to deco-
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rate the auditorium. A Mary’s Day garden outside featured words of inspiration from our students and faculty, and our decorated quad is where the crowning of Mary’s statue took place. Following our liturgy, there was more celebration on the quad, including the Great Lawn Dance and a potluck lunch. Now our spring
sports teams are hosting their senior nights to honor their beloved teammates and graduating Panda sisters. Our marine biology classes also took a trip to El Capitan and engaged in fun activities to learn about coastal ecology. May promises to be another busy month, but summer is around the corner!
THIRD STREET
was quite crowded all over the campus. Students were able to visit classrooms that they may be in next year, there were two food trucks, and it was nice to see all the masked faces in person. We have gotten back from spring break and are going to end this year very soon, in June. But before the school year ends, we do have some events around school that will be fun. Walkathon is a fundraiser where we all go out to the yard and are active. Events from prior walkathons included a race to get to the finish line without spilling water from a cup you were given and measuring two classes’ amounts to see who won as well as freeze dance, cup stacking, dodgeball, and more. Don’t forget Mother’s Day (do something nice!), and Memorial Day! That’s all I have for this month. Have a nice day, and goodbye!
By Coco Min 5th Grade
Hello again everyone, this “May” or “May” not be the last time I write to you. I am going to be leaving Third Street and going into middle school next year. Also, we just finished our school Open House. This was an opportunity for parents to see what their students have been doing all year. My classroom was filled with really interesting science projects. My topic was “Which of these four Trident flavors lasts the longest?” One of my classmate’s topics was “What is the most heat resistant gummy?” Welch’s. Another one was “Does being blindfolded affect your opinion on water?” Yes. It
CAMPBELL HALL SCHOOL By Claire Lesher 9th Grade
ST BRENDAN
After two wondrous weeks of spring break, Prom approaches with the theme Prom Possible. It begins with Spirit Week with students dressed in clothes that are fitting for the day’s theme. It ends with the 11th and 12th graders attending Prom. In late April, the Executive Council Elections for next year will be held for High School. The month ends with Middle and High School students signing up for their classes for next year. The middle school will also perform the musical Xanadu. Additionally, Hands 4 Haiti fundraiser will be hosted for our sister schools in Haiti on April 27th. Our Performing Arts department will perform at the event, which includes World Drumming, Jazz Band, Choir, Elementary Dancers, and local and Haitian artists. The GSA/Spectrum Affinity group hosted a bake sale for Rainbow Railroad. On May 14th, for the first time since the pandemic, our entire community will join together at the 66th Annual Bagpiper’s Ball.
Hello Larchmont, I hope you had a great spring break. St. Brendan has been busy, and I can’t wait to share these activities with you! Thrive in Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation visited our school, and we celebrated Nick’s Favorite Lunch as a community to support their goal to help underserved children in the Dominican Republic. Nick’s story helps us build confidence and strength at St. Brendan. To honor his legacy as a Saint Brendan student, we have a day called Crazy Day, where we can wear any crazy, fun accessory to show school spirit! Next we had a beach cleanup day where students, faculty and parents cleaned up trash from the beach. We are also excited to announce that our 8th graders will be attending these schools; Loyola, Harvard Westlake, Immaculate Heart, Marymount, Providence, and Saint Francis. Thanks for tuning into the St. Brendan section of the Larchmont Chronicle!
By Noah Borges 8th Grade
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Larchmont Chronicle NEW COVENANT ACADEMY By Dale Lee 11th Grade Happy Easter! Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus three days after his death on the cross and NCA is remembering his sacrifice
EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF LOS ANGELES By Hank Bauer 12th Grade Right before the end of every lunch at ESLA, students and faculty stand before the outdoor cafeteria and make lunch announcements to the entire school. One such announcement gave the nineteen seniors much excitement: “The college process has been long and arduous, but now we’re in the final stretch,” said Ms. McCarron, the school’s director of theater. “To celebrate, we have a surprise for you at the end of the day. Puppies are involved.” We were excited for
MELROSE ELEMENTARY By Bella Cho 5th Grade At Melrose Math/Science/ Te c h n o l o g y Magnet, we had an event called Spirit Week from April 4th to 8th. It was a week when the entire school dressed up to show their spirit. First, we had Pajama Day on Monday, when the students were allowed to wear their pajamas to school. Then on Tuesday we had Twin Day when people could dress up with their friends and wear the same clothing and be twins. There was also Sports Day on Wednesday when we dressed up as our favorite sports team. On Decade Day on Thursday we dressed
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with a day full of events including an Easter service, recitals, and performances. Afterward, hopefully, our students can also have a long week of rest during our Spring Break! That’s not the only thing to celebrate. Our 4th-8th grade stua petting zoo, but we got something very different than expected when we walked into that room. Many expressions crossed our faces in that moment: shock, confusion, disappointment, and, on some, amusement. The “puppies” in the petting zoo were actually the seniors from the Advanced Playwriting class dressed in costumes! We had been pranked by our own peers, all in the name of understanding what makes something a play! As I ate the apology donuts which the class’s teacher had bought for all of the victims, I reflected on how fortunate I am to be part of a community where teachers are so cool that they’ll help students prank each other and learning is so hands-on that even tomfoolery can be educational. like we were from a different decade. And finally, we had Character Day on Friday when we dressed up as our favorite characters, similar to what we do in Halloween. Also on Character Day, the 5th graders got to watch the movie, Encanto and everyone enjoyed. We had one week off for Spring Break to relax and take a break from our busy school work. In May, the 5th graders had two weeks of SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) testing on math, English, and science, etc. We had been practicing and getting ready every morning as soon as we came to school. We had a couple of questions on different subjects each morning to solve. With the SBAC testing finished, the graduation ceremony is approaching quickly on June 10.
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dents competed in ACSI’s Math Olympics with many passing the first stage and moving on to the regional level. These brilliant minds came back with multiple awards and honors after their memorable competition. It
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was a busy month for our young students as soon afterward, they showcased their masterful learning with our annual Science Fair. All projects were great but our judges chose the top three from each class to move on to the ACSI regional competition and a grand prize winner from all grades! The K-3 graders should make sure to pack their sunscreen as
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they’ll be going on a Universal Studios trip at the end of April. We’ll be sure to hear a lot of screaming from roller coasters and other fun rides! Our Boys Volleyball team has also come to a close after an exciting season. Led by Coach Wade, the team had many eventful and edge-of-the-seat games. We hope the best for our players and another great season next year!
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A new star debuts at Disney Hall: asterid restaurant By Helene Seifer Long-loved Patina, Joachim Splichal’s flagship restaurant in Walt Disney Concert Hall, closed in 2020 during the pandemic. At the end of March, as the performance and entertainment worlds stumbled toward normalcy, Disney Hall opened a new restaurant to excite its concert-goers and other downtown denizens in search of a beautiful room, excellent cocktails and wine list and the intricate flavor combinations for which Chef Ray Garcia is known. asterid (the restaurant spells its name with a lower case “a”) has a haute modern look. The
new look is very different from Patina, although architect Hagy Belzberg is responsible for both of the stunning designs. New black walls and ceiling are cool but comforting. A wood inset in the ceiling brightens the space. There are bare pale wood tables and a dramatic L-shaped bar. The floor is carpeted, presumably to soften the murmur of diners chatting and silverware clanking. However, it didn’t work, since the room was very noisy. Floor-to-ceiling windows separate the interior from the new patio along busy Grand Avenue. We ate inside, but the patio was well-appointed. Framed
BUCKLEY SCHOOL By Jasper Gough 12th Grade
night summer camp. The camp programs activities that encourage bonding and are geared towards creative programming. Also, May 17 will be our Seniors last day on campus before we graduate on the 28th. The 18th will be the last day of classes for all the Upper and Middle School students. The Senior Prom will be held on the 21st at the Avalon in Hollywood. This is my last column before I head off to college and I have really enjoyed my years of writing about Curtis Elementary School and The Buckley School. Have a good summer!
From May 2 to May 6, Buckley’s 3rd through 5th grade students will take the ERBs. Older students will take AP tests through the week of the 13th. On May 7, Upper School students will also have the opportunity to take the SATs. Later, from May 16 to 18, our 5th graders will take an in-person trip to Pali Adventures over-
On the Menu by
Helene Seifer by low hedges, the exterior is divided into a lounge on one side of the restaurant’s entrance and dining on the other. At night the combination of the softly lit stainless steel and pre-cast concrete walls of Disney Hall along with views of the dimpled exterior of the Broad Museum across Second Street feels urban and artsy. ST JAMES’ By Aki Kapur 5th Grade Happy Lunar New Year from St. James’ Episcopal School! For New Year’s, we participated in a Bowing Ceremony, or Sebae, where we wished good fortune to one another. I think it is very important to learn about Lunar New Year and other traditions, especially since a large part of the world is Asian! We are also learning about Black
Equally intriguing are the façades of the new hotel, shops and restaurants soon to open across the street at The Grand. Chef Ray Garcia is celebrated for the innovative Mexican food he featured at his previous downtown restaurants, Broken Spanish and B.S. Taqueria, and the recent pop-up at NeueHouse which further pushed the boundaries of Latin flavors. At asterid, named for a class of flowering plants which includes daisies, sunflowers and coffee, Garcia strays from his Latin roots. Flavors are still complex, but his inspiration is global. We started with drinks, of course. Their wine list is exHistory Month and Civil Rights activists from the past and present. My favorite has been learning about traditional West African dance and African instruments in music class. I think it’s fascinating how connected this music is to jazz, hip hop, and R&B. Other exciting things happening at St. James’ include our Beyond School programs. We are taking accelerated language arts and math, which will help us in middle school. We are also having sports classes like golf and archery; my favorite is basketball and I think I’m getting better at it!
tensive and their cocktail list is intriguing, ranging from $18 vodka with carrot, green apple, orange, ginger and chile to a $13 spritz with Italian bitters, sparkling hops, grapefruit and mint. I enjoyed a $17 slightly sweet, smoky and citrusy mezcal, toasted rice, kumquat vermouth and cacao on the rocks. We began with three appetizers. Cashew muhammara with ancho chile, pomegranate and feta, $16, was a successful twist on the Middle Eastern dip usually made with ground walnuts and without chiles. Dunking flatbread into the sweet-earthy dip was a perfect way to begin the meal. A bowl of chicken liver mousse was an excellent, silky-smooth puree covered with a colorful array of sliced mandarin oranges, pickled pearl onions and nasturtiums. The beautiful $18 dish was served with sourdough slices. Our favorite appetizer was the $15 sunchoke rösti. Hunks of sunchoke were fried in a crunchy batter and served with sunflower crème fraîche and strawberry pepper jam. The combination of savory and sweet with a hint of heat was magnificent. Next we shared $18 cauliflower with Romanesco (Span(Please turn to page 18)
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION ONE
17
English ‘Anatomy’ and ‘Scandal;’ slam-bang bank heist Anatomy of a Scandal (10/10): Six one-hour episodes. TV-MA. I prefer to read a good book before I see a good film. Alas, I did not read this book (by Sarah Vaughn), but this is a series I could not turn off. Sienna Miller gives a boffo performance as the wife of a British MP, Rupert Friend. Rupert is accused of rape and put on trial, prosecuted by Michelle Dockery. Friend and Dockery also give fine performances in this brilliantly written series, as this trial winds through their lifetimes, shown in flashbacks, threatening them all, and the British government itself. Six hours and not one slow minute. Netflix. A Very English Scandal (9/10): Three one-hour episodes. TV-14. Unlike “Anatomy…,” supra, this is a true story. Hugh Grant plays notorious Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the British Liberal Party from 1967-76, who was undone by a homosexual scandal. This is told in a comedic fashion and is a treat to watch. Grant gives his usual charming performance, but the rest of the cast is outstanding, especially Ben Whishaw, playing his gay lover / nemesis, Norman Scott. Prime. Ambulance (8/10): 136 minutes. R. One thing about director Michael Bay — he knows action, even if one must suspend disbelief. This is a slam-bang, nonstop bank heist film with bullets flying everywhere and ridiculous car chases that doesn’t let up until the last five minutes. There’s a saying on Broadway that you should never end a musical with a ballad. You want your audience to exit the theater on a lively, uplifting song that makes them happy and feel good. Bay should have followed this advice because he ends this snappy, involving film with five (approximately; I didn’t actually time it, but it seemed like an eternity) of the slowest minutes one will ever experience in a theater. Up until then, though, it’s silly Hollywood fun. Father Stu (8/10): 125 minutes. R. While this is “based on
a true story,” it gets enough of it right to be a remarkable tale of surprising faith — an uncouth amateur boxer who gets a remarkable vocation (akin to St. Paul on the road to Damascus), only Father Stu was pursuing an enchanting woman (Teresa Ruiz) when the lightning struck. In a normal time, Mark Wahlberg would be an odds-on favorite for an Oscar for his performance, but this is not a normal time, and the movie is a sympathetic tale about a Catholic priest. If you can be that un-woke, this is a surprising tale of a remarkable man, aided by fine supporting performances by Mel Gibson, Jackie Weaver and Malcolm McDowell. The film closes with pictures of the real Father Stu. Aline (7/10): 128 minutes. PG-13. Claiming to be “freely inspired” by the life of Celine Dion, this is a nonetheless en-
At the Movies with
Tony Medley joyable tale of a young woman, the last child of fourteen, born into genteel and happy poverty in Quebec of a musicallyinclined family. Aline Dieu (two-time César Award winner Valérie Lemercier, who also directed and wrote) exhibits unusual ability at an early age. The film tracks her from extreme youth (5 years old), through her meeting with manager GuyClaude Kamar (Sylvain Marcel), to stardom. Along the way Aline falls in love with Kamar, even though he is several decades older. Her mother is in stern opposition, due to the age differential, but Aline knows what
she wants. There isn’t a lot of music. What there is — parts of songs like “My Heart Will Go On,” “River Deep, Mountain High” and “What a Wonderful World,” voiced by award-winning French singer Victoria Sio (not Lemercier, but she does as good a job of lip syncing as Larry Parks did in 1946’s “The Jolson Story”) — is enjoyable. Although the film shows some lows, this is basically a happy, feel-good tale. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (6/10): 105 minutes. R. Sometimes you wonder how some people come to be an actor. Epitomizing that is Nicholas Cage. He is not movie-star handsome; as Dorothy Parker was alleged to have said about Katharine Hepburn, his expression of emotions runs the gamut from A to B. (Parker said it was a joke and that she
admired Hepburn’s acting; further, some allege that the aphorism could be attributed to critic William Winter in the 19th century or to Jonathan Swift in the 18th century.) But I digress. Cage plays himself and also his alter ego in this parody of his career. One has to be a Cage connoisseur to get some of the in-jokes. Fortunately (well, not really, because they were sitting right behind me and that is enormously annoying) my screening was also a sneak preview and had laugh shills who laughed on cue when there were some personal references which most normal people would not get. Still, this is light-hearted nonsense involving the mob that some might find enjoyable. The cinematography of Dubrovnik is gorgeous. Kudos to Cage for being able to poke fun at himself.
In a world ravaged by global warming, pandemics, and natural disaster, King Lear is a man who has brought his country through turmoil, but at what cost?
THE WALLIS PRODUCTION OF
JOE MORTON AS
Family Fun Fest is June 4 at Van Ness The organization Parents at Van Ness Elementary is hosting Family Fun Fest! on Sat., June 4 from noon to 4 p.m. at Van Ness Elementary, 501 N. Van Ness Ave. All the money raised will support the school and its students. The festive afternoon will include games for kids, food, music and karaoke. Food and activities require tickets which can be purchased at the event.
written by
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE directed by
JOHN GOULD RUBIN
MAY 10–JUNE 5
TheWallis.org/Lear This production was made possible by generous support from Michael and Meeghan Nemeroff / Vedder Price.
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4/18/22 11:48 AM
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION ONE
Cancel the Russians, or not? Here’s ‘what to watch for’ (W2W4) “Woke” and “cancel culture” are not terms usually found in theater reviews, but these are interesting times. One of the arguments raging now is whether to “cancel” Russian art and artists as a result of Putin’s war on Ukraine. International stars such as soprano Anna Netrebko and conductor Valery Gergiev have been dismissed from prestigious posts because of their ties to Putin (Netrebko was also, ironically, displaced from a Russian opera house for belatedly lamenting the invasion; Gergiev was rewarded by being named director of both the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters). Prima ballerina Olga Smirnova left the Bolshoi Ballet “ashamed of Russia” as she put it (CNN, 3/16/22). Arguments go back and forth as to whether Tchaikovsky and Chekov should be banned. The Met’s Peter Gelb noted that the opera house was still going on with its production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” even as it removed Netrebko and others.
RESTAURANT & COCKTAILS
The Pacific Opera Project (POP) in Los Angeles had its own Russian issues last month when it produced the local premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, an operatic fairy tale about a blind Russian princess (ably sung by soprano Cristina Jones, who herself is blind). Tchaikovsky worked on the opera while he was writing “The Nutcracker” and fully expected the opera to be the more successful of the two. Wrong! However, the opera was never out of favor in Soviet days, and the young Netrebko made it her calling card. The work’s final chorus, a hymn to love and truth, would not be out of place over the final credits of “War and Peace” (see: tinyurl.com/u8wrym54). The POP production featured strong young singers in addition to Ms. Jones, especially tenor Ben Werley as Iolanta’s swain and bass Andrew Potter as the king. The small orchestra and chorus were well-led by Isaac Selya. The downsides were the Hobby Lobby-level sets and costumes,
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which undercut the company’s aspirations. POP’s upcoming premiere of Brandon J. Gibson and Leslie Burrs’ I Can’t Breathe, (which tells the stories of six Black Americans whose lives were changed by interactions with police), should have better. At the El Portal, May 13, 14 and 15. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, elportaltheatre.com. Walt Disney, safe to say, would never consider himself a champion of “the woke,” even as his company now finds itself wrestling with Florida’s legislation that is, depending on who is speaking, either pro-parent or anti LGBTQ+. Lucas Hnath’s A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, recently presented at the Odyssey Theater, presents Uncle Walt as a bully and schemer (as well as a believer in the life-ever-after possibilities of cryogenics). For me, Mr. Hnath’s writing is, at best, clever and superficial, but I am in the minority. His “A Doll’s House, Part 2” opens at the Donmar in London (it was recently at International
City Theater in Long Beach). Last fall, his “Dana H.,” detailing his mother’s kidnapping, extended its run on Broadway. Plays such as “The Christians” (mega-churches), “Death Tax” (health care), “Hillary and Clinton” (Bill and spouse) and “Isaac’s Eye” (Newton and celebrity), are regional theater staples that claim a theatrical edginess that I’m afraid eludes me. The
Odyssey production was clean and efficient, but I left asking myself what was the point. “W2W4”: Given Larchmont Chronicle deadlines, many plays (like the Hnath “Disney” above) do not run long enough to timely review. I am starting a “W2W4” box (“what to watch for”) to give a heads-up on what might be of interest, even if it doesn’t get covered.
W2W4 May/June:
(1) Francesca Zambello’s production of Verdi’s Aida is at LA Opera, May 21 - June 12. (2) A Noise Within presents a rare revival of Mary Zimmerman’s take on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, May 14 - June 5. (3) Two of Shakespeare’s tragedies grace the boards: King Lear starring Joe Morton at the Wallis, May 10 - June 5; and Hamlet, with Ramón de Ocampo as Hamlet, at Anteus, May 15 - June 20. (4) Two Broadway musicals are also here: Tootsie at the Dolby, to May 15; and Hadestown at the Ahmanson through May 29. (5) Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is at the Geffen through May 22, featuring Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto. Finally, you can make your own judgments on Russian culture when the Pasadena Playhouse presents Chekov’s Uncle Vanya (which featured prominently in “Drive My Car”), June 1-26. Ticket details are on the theaters’ websites.
On the Menu (Continued from page 16) ish red pepper, ground almond and vinegar sauce), vadouvan (a milder French version of Indian curry spice mix), sultanas (a type of dried white grape) and morita chiles (Mexican smoked and dried red jalapeños). Highly seasoned cauliflower is the new Brussels sprouts on menus and this version was very satisfying with complex layers of flavor that reminded me of the exciting seasoning combinations found on Garcia’s menus in the past. Maitake mushrooms were served fried in a tempura-
style batter with turmeric aioli for $21 and were good, if a little bland. Creamy $25 risotto with beets, crème fraîche and dill had a delicious flavor, but the rice was completely overpowered by the beets. It might as well have been a bowl of borscht. There are four protein-rich plates on the menu, including $37 striped bass, $34 half chicken and $67 lamb shank. We chose the $49 short rib with beans, bacon, cactus and chipotle. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, but I wish the other ingredients added more zing. asterid. 141 S. Grand Ave. 213-972-3535.
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
19
SECTION ONE
George Epstein, 95; he was a winner at poker, and at life By Suzan Filipek I met George Epstein in 2013 when he was teaching his favorite game to a crowded room of poker players at the Claude Pepper Senior Center. He also taught engineering courses at UCLA and for NASA, and he developed military defense systems for the Air Force, Navy and Army. But on this day his poker skills were in play. His gig at the center started after he was invited to give a talk on the merits of the game at the center on La Cienega Boulevard in 2005. “I had no idea it was going to work out like this. It’s just incredible,” the then 86-yearold area resident said of his classes, which had grown to 250 members. “He’s the pioneer behind all of this,” center recreation facility director Gregory Glenn said at the time. Epstein died March 29 after battling a heart condition at the age of 95. In his final years, George “The Engineer” Epstein’s Poker for All column was a regular feature on the back page of the Larchmont Chronicle. And, at City Hall on April 5,
Approximately 100 people attended his funeral April 1 at Hillside Memorial Park, according to his daughter, Sue Epstein. Her father was a caring family man, a pioneer in the aerospace industry and an enthusiastic poker player, but most of all, she stressed, he was a humanitarian GEORGE EPSTEIN, left, in 2013 at the and a “thinker. He Claude Pepper Senior Center, with assiswas always thinking of tants Pat Box and Shirley Tye. ways to help people, to the Los Angeles City Council make the world betadjourned in his honor. ter,” she said. “In the city of Angels, Studies have shown activGeorge certainly earned his ity keeps you young, he told wings, here on Earth and be- me back in 2013. It keeps the yond,” said Councilman Paul brain’s synapses firing. He reKoretz, Fifth District. frained from playing with his “George was a loving, kind poker students, instead traveland absolutely brilliant man ling to area casinos where, he who cared so much about his told me, he tested his luck at family and the city that he Texas hold’em until 2 a.m. lived in. George read a stack “I couldn’t leave. I was winof newspapers every morning ning,” he smiled. and regularly submitted letHe started playing cards as a ters to the editor to local pub- child when he helped his dad lications …” deliver laundry in a Boston The Chronicle was among suburb. He attended Boston those that received his regular Latin School (established in letters, whose subjects ranged 1635, making it the oldest exfrom potholes on local streets isting school in the country), to city politics. the University of Massachu-
Letters
the only reference to possible paid employment would be as founder of the Midtown LA Homeless Coalition, which, according to the IRS and State of California Attorney General websites, is not listed as a nonprofit on either. I, for one, will welcome additional information and transparency related to Mr. Epstein. Toby Horn Miracle Mile North [The CD5 candidate statements were from material provided to the Chronicle by the candidates or their campaigns. –Ed.]
(Continued from page 2) “Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council.” Finally, as letter writer Stulberg correctly notes, the City of Los Angeles named the area bounded roughly by Olympic Boulevard, Vermont Avenue, Third Street, and Western Avenue (with a jut-out north on both sides of Western Avenue from Third Street to Rosewood Avenue) “Koreatown” in 2010, which was 12 years ago, not 50.
Transparency wanted
Forgive me if I missed information about Scott Epstein after reading the article [“Meet the CD 5 candidates,” April 2022] three times. There is no information about Scott’s education or paid professional background. Also,
Did not oppose SB 9
According to the State Legislative Information website, Sen. Hertzberg did NOT oppose SB 9 in the recent legislative session, and in fact voted to support it. (Reference: tinyurl.com/ms6zfd3e).
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The State website shows that he voted YES on SB 9 on three occasions: on 4/27/21 in the Senate Government and Finance Committee, on 5/26/21 on the Senate floor, and then in the 8/30/21 final Senate vote on the measure. While he did vocally oppose SB 50 in an earlier session, he was notably absent from taking a stand to oppose SB 9. (He did oppose SB 10.) The article [“Election 2022 race is on for Board of Supervisors, Third District,” March 2022] should be corrected and either an editorial correction published, or a contact with the candidate made to seek his clarification given the published record. Barbara Broide Coalition for a Scenic Los Angeles
setts at Amherst and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During World War II, stationed in Virginia on a destroyer, he played cards to pass the time. As head of radar, he became a hero on the ship after he found the cause of recurrent failures. His expertise would follow him throughout his career as an aerospace engineer. He specialized in adhesives and composites — materials and structures used in rockets and spacecraft. He worked for North American Aviation, Aero-Jet General, Ford Aerospace and the Aerospace Corporation, from which he retired in 1991; he remained active as a consultant in the industry. He also worked closely with the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering North America. In a statement, SAMPE North America CEO Zane Clark called Epstein “a giant in the composites industry.” “The story of SAMPE would not have been written without
Mr. Epstein and cannot be told without sharing his legacy.” After retirement, his second career flourished. He wrote his first book, “Poker for Winners,” and, following some wrangling at the city, started teaching. Some people think it’s gambling, he explained. He left little to chance, taking notes and sizing up his opponents’ body language. “It gives you an edge,” he explained. He won 70 percent of the time. Starting cards are key, as is the game’s algorithm; he even wrote a book about it. His third book was on the art of the bluff. After the death of his wife of 45 years, Irene, in 1996, SAMPE started a scholarship program in her honor at Fairfax High School. The scholarships were expanded to include the Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA) on the Los Angeles High School campus. Poker players still play at the Claude Pepper Senior Center on Fridays at 1 p.m., and until recently, Epstein was a regular.
Evelyn Wadsworth Hoffman (1930 - 2022) Evelyn W. Hoffman, formerly of Hancock Park, died peacefully on March 27, 2022. Born in Oakland, CA on October 10, 1930 to Ralph and Grace Wadsworth, she graduated from Stanford University in 1952 with a degree in International Relations. There she met her husband, Richard, whom she wed in 1952 before moving to Los Angeles. In 1977 she became the founding development director of the Aman Folk Ensemble, and in 1984, the director of corporate giving at the Music Center of Los Angeles County. In 1992 she served as the first executive director of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles until retiring in 2007. She is survived by her four children: Jennifer Essen, Craig Hoffman, Thomas Hoffman, Martha Kauffman; 7 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to your favorite charity in Evelyn’s name. Adv.
Michael Bosko (1966-2022)
ichael Girard Bosko, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Bosko of Lucerne Blvd., recently passed away of a massive heart attack. A native Angeleno, he was born at UCLA Hospital on August 19, 1966, grew up in Windsor Square, and then called Balboa Island, Newport Beach home. He attended Third Street School, Harvard-Westlake Lower School, and Loyola High School. He graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Following law school, Mike practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers in their Newport Beach and San Francisco offices. He taught at Whittier School of Law and
practiced independently in Newport Beach for the past 20 years, serving as special counsel for several law firms in Orange County, including Green, LLP and Smith Ellison. Mike leaves behind his parents, Carmela and David Bosko; sister Gia Bosko, brother-in-law Dan Harsell, and nephew Connor B. Harsell, of Menlo Park, CA; uncle John Sansone; aunts Maribeth Kay Bosko and Dale Bosko Blunden; and cousin Eden Manseau. Mike’s brilliant intellect, wry wit, calm compassion, and caring will be deeply missed by many friends and family. A celebration of his life will take place in late summer 2022.
Adv.
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SECTION ONE
MAY 2022
Larchmont Chronicle
HOME GROUND
DESIGN MAGIC
Revisiting the 1949 bible of poetry, conservation and land ethics.
Alakazam! With a wave of a wand, your couch looks like new again. Design for Living
Page 5
BOULEVARD SURVEY Results revealed of Larchmont 2021 (online) Survey about Larchmont Boulevard.
Page 16
Page 13
REAL ESTATE DESIGN FOR LIVING HOME & GARDEN
VIEW
Section 2
LARCHMONT CHRONICLE
MAY 2022
HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • GREATER WILSHIRE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT
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First time on the Market—Ever. Built by the family’s great grandparents. 5 beds, 5 baths, pool.
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149 S. Hudson Pl. | Hancock Park | $4,599,000 IN ESCROW. Beautiful 1940’s traditional on the best block in Hancock Park. 5 beds, 4.5 baths and large lot.
552 Wilcox Ave. | Hancock Park | $3,899,000 IN ESCROW. Gorgeous newly remodeled 2 story Spanish. 4 bedrooms 4.5 bas plus beautiful pool area.
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
4957 Melrose Hill | Hollywood | $2,895,000
351 N Poinsettia Pl.| Miracle Mile| $2,250,000
639 N. McCadden Pl. | Hancock Park | $2,149,000
6330 Pimrose Ave. | Hollywood Hills | $1,699,000
Historic Melrose Hill family compound w/ 4 bed, 3 baths, studio & 2 bed guest house. Large lot.
SOLD OVER ASKING. Grand 3/2 Charac. Spanish in prime area. X-lrge frml D.R, Grnte kitc. Fpl, hdwd flrs. Cecille Cohen 213.810.9949 CalRE #00884530
NEW LISTING. 2-story Spanish home. 2,008 sf, hardwood floors, massive backyard. ADU potential.
SOLD. Newer Construction 3 bed, 3 bath modern home w/beautiful kitchen & bas. Yard w/office & spa.
Erik Flexner 310-941-FLEX (3539) CalRE #01352476
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
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Kathy Gless 323.460.7622 CalRE #00626174
645 Wilcox Ave. #3B | Hancock Park | $899,000
651 Wilcox Ave. #2B | Hancock Park | $795,000
6151 Orange St. #121 | Hancock Park | $499,000
145 S. Hudson | Hancock Park | $25,000/MO
Gorgeous golf course view from the top floor. Large 1 bed + 2 bath. Pool, spa & 24-hr security. Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, 0888374
Beautifully renovated, this large and spacious (1,395 sf) 1 bed & 1.5 bas which overlooks a glistening pool. Bob Day 323.821.4820 CalRE #00851770
SOLD. Beautiful 1/1 condo. Frplce, balcony. Pool. Gated garage. Close to LACMA, Grove, Transportation. Cecille Cohen 213.810.9949 CalRE #00884530
FOR LEASE. Stately English on one of the finest blocks in Hancock Park. 6 bedrooms + 5.5 baths, pool w/ spa. Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
160 N. McCadden Pl. | Hancock Park | $20,000/MO
251 S. Citrus Ave. | Hancock Park | $8,500/MO
Furnished Lease, short or long term. 4 beds, 4.5 baths w/ a pool and guest house. Great location.
LEASED. Charming Spanish in 3rd St School District. 3 beds , 2.5 bas, family rm, great kitchen & guest house.
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101
COLDWELLBANKERHOMES.COM Hancock Park 323.464.9272 | 251 N Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90004 ©2022 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. CalRE #00616212
2
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
Meet the five candidates for City Council District 13 Portions of our Greater Wilshire community that recently were part of CD4 (some for 70-plus years) now are the southern tip of the new CD13, most of which is in Hollywood. The new part includes the Larchmont shopping district and the residential neighborhoods between Western Avenue and Arden Boulevard, north of Wilshire Boulevard. Meet the five candidates — one incumbent and four challengers — who are on the June 7 primary election ballot for CD13, in their own words. Albert Corado Albert Corado did not respond to several requests to submit a biography and to list his top priorities. The following was garnered from his website: “My experience as a wageworker in the service industry means that I understand, firsthand, what it’s like to survive off an often-invisible and underpaid job. I believe housing is a human right … I believe immigrants like my parents deserve rights, respect and protection. I believe we need a Green New Deal. … “I quit my barista job last year and have been community organizing full-time, working first on homelessness outreach with SELAH and then with NO-
lympics and Street Watch …” [He quit his job after his sister was accidentally shot and killed in 2018 at the Trader Joe’s where she worked. She was shot by an LAPD officer in pursuit of a shooting suspect, who was later caught and is awaiting trial in Corado’s sister’s death.] Steve Johnson I am a former Air Force captain, educator and currently a sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. My husband, Brian, and I (and our rescue dog, Quin) are proud to call ourselves Angelenos. We must face the reality our streets are not safer. Our homeless problem has gone beyond a crisis. My parents raised me with commitment to stand up for what is right. Lessons I have taken with me throughout my entire life. I have fought to keep our communities safe. I have fought to improve the quality of life for everyone, not just a select few. I am the right candidate. I’ll do what I’ve been doing my entire life: fighting to improve the quality of life for everyone that I serve. I will champion efforts to maximize resources such that we have a deployment of officers commensurate with
In Escrow 1819 S. Ridgeley| $1,050,000 2 Bed+1 Bath| Mid City
the city’s needs. I will lead the way as a councilmember by providing permanent supportive housing for our 2,400 severely impacted unhoused neighbors in my district by 2024. I will be a visible partner with county, state, and federal agencies to ensure our city receives the aid it needs to deal with the insidious nature of the existing pandemic. Mitch O’Farrell I’m committed to serving Council District 13, and I have the experience needed to deliver the results that we deserve. From enacting the nation’s strongest COVID-19 eviction moratorium, enacting Hero Pay to support workers and their families, addressing homelessness with bold and compassionate action, creating 2,000+ units of affordable housing, and leading the “LA100” plan to achieve 100 percent carbonfree energy in Los Angeles by 2035, we’ve made progress but more must be done to meet the needs of our neighborhoods. As a citizen of the Wyandotte Nation, I’m honored to be the first Native American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, and I’m a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. I was raised in a working class household, faced housing in-
security and lacked access to quality healthcare, and it’s these experiences that motivate me to improve the lives of all Angelenos. I’ll continue to be a strong advocate to address homelessness through a comprehensive and effective approach that focuses on services for mental health and drug counseling and increases access to housing and shelter, fight the climate crisis, and make our communities more livable. I’m the only candidate endorsed by Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Action Fund. Kate Pynoos Throughout my career, I’ve worked to advance progressive policies that put families and neighbors first. As a third-generation Angeleno, my vision for a more equitable city is inspired by my family, one that made public service a major part of my life. After college, I worked on immigration policy and as an attorney focused on immigration. In both capacities, I soon realized that to advance progressive policies, I needed to shift focus. That’s why, two years ago, I started working for one of the
most progressive city councilmembers, Mike Bonin, where I helped develop a full ban on evictions during the pandemic, a ban on campaign contributions from developers with business before the city, moving the Dept. of Water and Power to 100 percent renewable energy and instituting innovative housing solutions. As the only candidate in this race with progressive values and the City Hall experience needed to get things done, my priorities include homelessness, creating affordable and livable communities and climate change. I’m an active member of our community, serving on the Hollywood Neighborhood Council, volunteering weekly with the Hollywood Food Coalition and doing outreach to unhoused neighbors through SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and the NOHO Home Alliance. Hugo Soto-Martinez I’m the son of street vendors from Mexico, and was born and raised in Los Angeles. When I was 15 my dad became disabled so I got a job at a nonunion hotel to help my family. Right before graduating with honors in criminology at UC (Please turn to page 3)
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203 N. Benton | $2,530,000 6 Units | 12+12 | Sunset Junction Pete Buonocore
pete@coregroupla.com
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323.762.2561
DRE #01870534
DRE #01279107
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
Albert Corado
Steve Johnson
CD13 candidates
Ending our failed homelessness policy of shuffling encampments from block to block, instead of focusing on permanent housing with mental health and addiction services; Converting underused / vacant retail, hotel, and other properties into housing; Drawing on the insights gained from my criminology degree to redirect money toward services and unarmed trained professionals to actually prevent crime at the root cause; and going 100 percent clean energy by 2030 by creating jobs programs to implement robust transit and efficiency improvements.
(Continued from page 2) Irvine, I led my first union organizing drive. I’ve spent the last 15 years in the district with UNITE HERE! Local 11, organizing massive coalitions of mutual-interest across all demographics — from budding actors waiting tables to immigrant housekeepers — to win family healthcare, higher wages and respect on the job. I helped pass the $15 minimum wage, oust crooked Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and win for Senate Democrats in Georgia. My top priorities include:
Mitch O’Farrell
SECTION TWO
Kate Pynoos
3
Hugo Soto-Martinez
USC’s Mike Murphy interviews all five CD 13 hopefuls at forum
By John Welborne An online Council District 13 Candidate Forum was held on the evening of April 4, 2022. The full program was recorded and is available online: tinyurl.com/y3n2t69a Moderated by interviewer and Windsor Square resident Mike Murphy — Co-Director of the Center for the Political Future at USC — the event was jointly sponsored by the Larch-
mont Boulevard Association, the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association and the Windsor Square Association. For the primary election to be held June 7, there are four challengers running to unseat incumbent councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, who is seeking election to a third and final allowable term of office. All five candidates participated in (Please turn to page 7)
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4
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
Meet the 12 candidates for Los Angeles Mayor By Suzan Filipek Twelve candidates have thrown their hats into a crowded ring to lead the City of the Angels at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century (and the city’s 241st year). They range from a billionaire businessman and a noted congresswoman — who are head-tohead in the polls — to others, who have made their marks at City Hall and in civic and social activism. Here they are, in reverse alphabetical order. Mel Wilson, Realtor / community activist Mel Wilson has served twice on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board. Mel4mayor.com
Alex Gruenenfelder Smith, Social justice advocate Alex Smith is a member of the Echo Park Neighborhood Council. He graduated from UC San Diego and has been a political activist since age 19. Mayoralex.com
Gina Viola, Community activist A business owner, Gina Viola has organized around LGBTQ rights and racial and social justice work. She supports the Green New Deal and defunding the police. Ginaforla.com
Craig Greiwe, Business executive Craig Greiwe graduated from USC and Columbia Law School in New York. He is chief strategy officer with P.R. firm Rogers & Cowan/PMK. If elected, he would be the first openly gay mayor in the city’s history. Craigformayor.com
Ramit Varma, Education technology founder Entrepreneur Ramit Varma received his MBA from UCLA, and he is co-founder of Revolution Prep, an online tuturing platform. Votevarma.com
Andrew Kim, Lawyer / Citizen advocate After diligent research, neither a website nor social media accounts could be found for this candidate. John “Jsamuel” Jackson, business owner After diligent research, neither a website nor social media accounts could be found for this candidate.
Mike Feuer, Los Angeles City Attorney City Attorney for the past eight years, Mike Feuer was a member of the Los Angeles City
Council from 1994 to 2001, and he served in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012. Mikeforla.com Kevin De León, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin De León is a council member for the 14th District. He attended U.C. Santa Barbara and graduated from Pitzer College with honors. After four years in the State Assembly, he was elected to the State Senate; he served as Senate President pro Tempore in 2014. Kevindeleon.com Rick Caruso, Businessman / nonprofit leader Rick Caruso, developer of The Grove and other real estate ventures, served on the Dept. of Water and Power Commission from 1985 to 1993, and again in this capacity from 1997 to 2000. He was appointed to the Police Commission for a five-year term in 2001, serving as president. A graduate of USC, his law degree is from Pepperdine, and he was on the USC Board of Trustees, serving as chair from 2018 until 2022. Carusocan.com Joe Buscaino, Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino is the president (Please turn to page 6)
Karen Bass
Joe Buscaino
Rick Caruso
Kevin De León
Mike Feuer
Craig Greiwe
photo unavailable
photo unavailable
John Jackson
Andrew Kim
Alex G. Smith
Ramit Varma
Gina Viola
Mel Wilson
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
It’s a honking by way of a muffled trombone. Those of us here in the Rio Grande Valley of Albuquerque know, without looking up, the sound we hear is not made by flocks of geese from the river, but by visiting Sandhill cranes. They come from Alaska and Canada to winter in our valley around the first of November and stay until after the vernal equinox. They tuck themselves in to sleep within our riverine forest, the Bosque; they wake to fly to breakfast in the wheatstubble of the agricultural North Valley and stay for lunch and for an early supper. Then we see and hear them come in for the night. Here is Aldo Leopold (18871948) on the subject of Sandhill cranes awakening in a Wisconsin bog: “High horns, low horns, silence, and finally a pandemonium of trumpets, rattles, croaks, and cries that almost shakes the bog with its nearness, but without yet disclosing whence it comes. At last a glint of sun reveals the approach of a great echelon of birds. On motionless wing they emerge from the lifting mists, sweep a final arc of sky, and settle
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in clangorous descending spirals to their feeding grounds. A new day has begun on the crane marsh.” This is Leopold’s writing in what has become a bible of poetry, conservation and land ethics, “A Sand County Almanac” (1949). No one can come away from his book unchanged. I hear the high and low horns now as I write these words. Aldo Leopold was a trailblazing forester, conservationist, educator, land ethicist and writer. He is considered by many to be the father of the wilderness system in this country. He was hired by the then brand-new U.S. Forest Service in 1909 to work in the soon-to-be states of New Mexico and Arizona. In 1923, he proposed the first wilderness area in the country — the Gila in southwestern New Mexico. Leopold and his wife Estella (Please turn to page 6)
5
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Naomi Hartman Leah Brenner
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nhartman@coldwellbanker.com lbrenner@coldwellbanker.com CalRE #: 00769979 | 00917665
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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.
Aldo Leopold, Part I: Land ethics and Sandhill cranes
SECTION TWO
6
Home Ground (Continued from page 5) moved to Albuquerque in 1914. In 1918, the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce hired him away from the Forest Service. He was a skilled organizer and communicator, and his thinking was for the long-term and for the benefit of people in
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
the growing city. He became what would be known now as Albuquerque’s first environmental planner. Among the long-term plans he advocated was one that would provide for the gradual acquisition of a system of open space and parks along the Rio Grande. The idea was the backbone of his belief in wildlife con-
servation, the health of the land, and economic justice. He envisioned it as a place in reach of everyone on foot. Now Rio Grande Valley State Park is a linear park spanning 20 miles of the river as it passes through the city. It is one of the best-preserved riparian habitats in the western U.S. A century later, many people
MONTELONGO AND PARSONS LA’s Architectural Real Estate Group
in the city have to drive to the park — known locally as the Bosque — but I don’t. I can walk there in 10 minutes; I can also walk to see the exterior of the house where the Leopolds lived until 1924. I had no idea that Leopold’s thinking was the author of my experience of life here near the river. I walk and walk in the Bosque — by its ponds, by the river, through its willows and cottonwoods. I await the spring return of turtles and mulberries; with my neighbors, I watch waterfowl from duck blinds. “Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins,
as in art, with the pretty,” writes Leopold. “It expands through the successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language. The quality of cranes lies, I think, in this higher gamut, as yet beyond the reach of words.”
Mayoral candidates (Continued from page 4) pro tempore of the Los Angeles City Council and represents the 15th District. Before being elected to the City Council, he served for 15 years as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Dept. joebuscaino.com Karen Bass, Member of Congress As congresswoman for the 37th District, Karen Bass Designed by architect Tracy Price, this Japanese-inspired Mid-century in Bel-Air emphasizes clean lines and indoor-outdoor living with walls of glass and a variety of outdoor spaces. Photo by Marco Franchina.
AARON MONTELONGO Executive Director, Luxury Division 310.600.0288 aaronmontelongo@gmail.com DRE 01298036
BRET PARSONS Founder & Executive Director, Architectural Division 310.497.5832 bret@bretparsons.com DRE 01418010
Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. DRE 01866771. 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.
Clint Lohr
Realtor®, GRI, CNE, SRES 818-730-8635 rholcwl@pacbell.net clintlohr.kw.com
KELLER WILLIAMS® LARCHMONT 118 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90004 Each office is independently owned and operated
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has represented Los Angeles in Washington, D.C. for 14 years. A graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills and USC, she worked as a nurse and clinical instructor at USC. She previously served in Sacramento as congresswoman in the 33rd District for two years and as a State Assemblywoman for five years, including as Speaker of the Assembly from 2008 to 2010. karenbass.com
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
7
Appeals of Town & Country Center denied, crosswalks added
CONSTRUCTION is expected to begin this summer for the Town & Country Shopping Center.
CD13 hopefuls (Continued from page 3)
the hour-and-a-half program. O’Farrell’s challengers are: community organizer Albert Corado; deputy sheriff / educator Steve Johnson; homelessness policy advisor Kate
Pynoos; and labor / community organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez. More about Murphy is available from his USC biography (bit.ly/3JhO2vo). Murphy and fellow campaign veteran David Axelrod discuss American politics twice a week at hacksontap.com.
By Suzan Filipek The Central Area Planning Commission has denied two appeals challenging the proposed mixed-use development at Third and Fairfax. The commission action after a public hearing April 12 moves the project — Town & Country Shopping Center — forward. The project is a new
mer break for Hancock Park Elementary School. The school is directly south of the project. At the hearing, the applicant volunteered to install two new pedestrian crosswalks: Third Street at Gilmore Lane and Fairfax at Blackburn Avenue. Construction is expected to take three years with a 2025 opening tentatively scheduled.
eight-story complex of up to 331 housing units over retail space and includes pedestrian walkways and bike paths. The applicant, Tom Warren, executive managing director for developer Holland Partner Group, told us he hopes to begin demolition of buildings that are east of the Whole Foods market during the sum-
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IN ESCROW
COUNCIL DISTRICT 13 forum participants are introduced by Windsor Square Association president Larry Guzin, top center, and include: moderator / interviewer Mike Murphy, upper right, and candidates, from left, middle row: Kate Pynoos, Mitch O’Farrell and Hugo Soto-Martinez; and, bottom row: Steve Johnson and Albert Corado.
Jill Galloway
Manuel Pablo Arnao
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323.842.1980 | jill@jillgalloway.com jillgalloway.com | DRE 01357870
310.547.7454 | DRE 02147960 manuel.pablo.arnao@compass.com
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 footage are approximate. If your property is currently listed for sale this is not a solicitation.
Featured Listings for the Month of May by
June Ahn
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4460 Wilshire Blvd. #206 | Offered at $1,300,000 3 bedroom, 2 baths. No unit below you. 24 hour security guard. Common area with swimming pool and spa. Hardwood floors throughout, nicely renovated. Living room facing Wilshire Blvd. Double pane glass windows. Many guest parking and it comes with 2 parking spaces. Many upgrades are: Kitchen, hardwood floors, new door on den. One of the luxurious condominium in Hancock Park adjacent. 2,250 sq.ft. as per tax record.
New Listing
510 S Hewitt St #102 | Offered at $1,349,000 SALE SUBJECT TO BANKRUPTCY COURT APPROVAL & OVERBID. SOLD "AS IS". Located on Art District in L.A. Downtown. With an undeniable urban soul and artist energy , the Barker Block is the hub of the Los Angeles "scene". Museums, restaurants and boutiques are out your front door. The resort style building has so m any amenities including roof top pool, gym cabana, views and lounge areas through the complex. The unit is one of the largest in the complex with step down living room, hardwood floors, high ceilings and a massive brick wall which adds to the aesthetic. 2 parking spaces. 24 hour security guarded building. 2,660 sq.ft. Co-Listed.
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837 S. Windsor #9 - Sold Represented Seller - $845,500 4460 Wilshire Blvd. #703 - Sold Represented Buyer - $1,615,000 Hancock Park 251 N. Larchmont Blvd. 4460 Wilshire Blvd. #606 - Sold Represented Buyer & Seller $1,700,000 Los Angeles, CA 90004
©2022 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. CalRE #00616212
8
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
State and Congressional Representative Candidates in 2022 U.S. Representative— District 30
30
Sal Genovese Patrick Lee Gipson Ronda Kennedy
William “Gunner” Meurer Johnny J. Nalbandian G “Maebe A. Girl” Pudlo
Tony Rodriguez Adam B. Schiff Paloma Zuniga
U.S. Representative — District 34 Jimmy Gomez
David Kim
Clifton Rio Torrado VonBuck
State Assembly Member — District 51
36
Louis Abramson
Rick Chavez Zbur
State Assembly Member — District 54
34
Miguel Santiago
State Senate — District 26 Maria Elena Durazo
37
SOLD: The home at 512 N. Gower St. in the Larchmont Village neighborhood was sold for $1,825,000 in March 2022.
52 51
Real Estate Sales* Single family homes
54 55
24 26
28
STATE MAPS as adopted December 20, 2021. Shaded area is the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. The star roughly indicates the location of Larchmont Village.
5220 W. 2nd St. 145 N. Rossmore Ave. 274 Muirfield Rd. 600 Muirfield Rd. 6446 W. 5th St. 531 N. Martel Ave. 423 S. Mansfield Ave. 507 N. Gardner St. 217 N. Windsor Blvd. 871 S. Tremaine Ave. 414 N. Vista St. 521 N. Formosa Ave. 412 N. Highland Ave. 180 S. Vista St. 516 N. Citrus Ave. 524 N. Mansfield Ave. 950 S. Highland Ave. 118 S. Wilton Pl. 322 S. Mansfield Ave. 512 N. Gower St. 4717 Wilshire Blvd. 401 S. Van Ness Ave. 948 Keniston Ave. 5002 Maplewood Ave.
$13,495,000 $10,639,500 $6,325,000 $6,300,000 $4,100,000 $3,860,000 $3,725,000 $3,700,000 $3,618,888 $3,600,000 $3,050,000 $2,912,000 $2,810,000 $2,600,000 $2,450,000 $2,265,000 $1,900,000 $1,885,000 $1,850,000 $1,825,000 $1,750,000 $1,690,000 $1,595,000 $1,212,500
Condominiums 853 S. Lucerne Blvd., #304 585 N. Rossmore Ave., #309 853 S. Lucerne Blvd., #105 4477 Wilshire Blvd., #301 610 S. Wilton Pl., #101 4823 Elmwood Ave., #D 861 S. Windsor Blvd., #103 443 S. Gramercy Pl., #E 651 Wilcox Ave., #2C 949 S. Manhattan Pl., #302 4830 Elmwood Ave., #104 525 N. Sycamore Ave., #212 620 S. Gramercy Pl., #141 641 Wilcox Ave., #3D 533 S. St. Andrews Pl., #319 532 N. Rossmore Ave., #102 *Sale prices for March.
$1,100,000 $902,000 $885,000 $850,000 $815,000 $810,000 $750,000 $735,000 $730,000 $730,000 $685,000 $655,000 $649,000 $575,000 $560,000 $460,000
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
Design for Living Landworth / DeBolske have a building partnership with a view By Suzan Filipek Architects Philip DeBolske and Lisa Landworth have transformed homes in Miracle Mile, Hancock Park and throughout the city and beyond. They’ve also created new homes from the ground up, often for repeat clients. “For a lot of clients, we’ve become the family architect,” notes Landworth. ADUs (accessory dwelling units) have become increasingly popular since zoning laws were eased in recent years. These light-filled and spacious little houses are not your parent’s granny flat. “They’re fun. New construction is fun,” Landworth says of the cottagestyle guesthouses and add-ons. “They give the homeowner a lot of flexibility for rental and multi-generational living … but still have privacy.” Similarly seeking aging-in-place flexibility, about a dozen longtime clients have asked to add elevators to their homes to avoid the climb to the bedroom.
MONTECITO is the locale for this two-bedroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a large irregular, slo ing, tree lled lot NOT YOUR GRANNY’S ADU. This guest house in Carthay Circle was converted from a 1922 garage, also adding square footage for a bedroom.
“That’s the trick,” she responds when asked how to integrate the lift into an existing home. “I always want to make it seamless.”
In the family Choosing a major when she was a student was never a problem for Lisa Landworth. Her father was an architect, and her mother was an interior designer and a member of a support group for wives of architects, back when women didn’t become architects. “I couldn’t escape it. My parents
lived and breathed architecture and design,” Landworth said of her career path. (Only 10 percent of her architecture school graduating class was women, compared to more than 50 percent today, she notes.) After graduating from USC, she teamed up with classmate Philip De(Please turn to page 10)
9
10
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
DESIGN FOR LIVING Landworth
(Continued from page 9)
HOME designed by the DeBolske team.
“the most important thing is problem solving — to take all the information you have and come up with the best solution.” All while working within a budget, notes Landworth. Good buildings Her work takes her to locales throughout the city, where she
Photo by Tracey Landworth
is often pleasantly surprised to find period-revival architecture. “The houses are really what’s so wonderful about Los Angeles,” she says. She is on the board of the Miracle Mile Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, the project of an ordinance she worked
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with her neighbors to obtain to protect the area. When growing up, her parents would often drive to Beverly Hills and other wellheeled areas to peruse the architecture and gardens, and they visited art galleries. Landworth and DeBolske started their architecture firm on Fairfax Avenue, and they later moved to Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. Metro helped them relocate 11 blocks east to their current spot at 5150 Wilshire six years ago. The duo hasn’t minded the ongoing Metro construction that has followed them down Wilshire, nor the construction of new apartments rising in the neighborhood. “It’s fun for us. We’re architects. We like to watch construction,” said Landworth. What she doesn’t like is the large, boxy homes designed by developers or otherwise untrained types. “I think it’s like a disease in our neighborhood. I think neighborhoods can have a mix of different styles, but it needs to be sensitive, and scale is the important thing.” She is also not a fan of
floor-to-ceiling windows on the façade of a home, which she calls, “exhibition living. People’s homes should be retreats,” she says. Landworth / DeBolske’s fifth-floor office faces the quiet south side made up of residential streets, and it offers a “terrific view. It almost feels like a neighborhood from the 1930s,” says Landworth. She’s a longtime visitor to LACMA, where she’s taken watercolor classes for years, and she thinks the entire area of Museum Row — “with all the eclectic architecture” and two Metro stops (coming in 2024) — will be the Times Square of Los Angeles. It’s only fitting she calls her workspace an “office / gallery.” Art hangs on walls throughout the bright, airy space, including one large faded print of a port scene. It was from the haberdashery department of the turquoisetiled Art Deco Eastern Columbia Building on Broadway and Ninth streets, a now “historic” building that a family member of hers built in the 1930s. As she said, architecture runs deep in the family.
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Bolske, and the pair has worked side by side ever since. “I call him my daytime husband,” Landworth said. (She and her real husband, Toshio Welchel, have one adult son.) Both DeBolske and Landworth work and live in Miracle Mile; Landworth is a fan of period-revival homes, such as her Spanish-style one, and DeBolske loves his tower apartment at Park La Brea. “It reminds me of a New York apartment,” says DeBolske. He is busy with projects in Montecito and residential addons around the country, while Landworth is reviewing schematics for homes in West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. After talking to clients to find out their needs and what they want in a house, and considering the site itself,
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
DESIGN FOR LIVING
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Notarile’s commute takes him to galaxies far, far away By Ron Mulligan Talk about a commute: For the last five years, cinematographer Crescenzo Notarile of Windsor Square has been working in the 32nd century. Or perhaps the 25th century. It all depends on which iteration of the Paramount+ Star Trek television series he happens to be shooting. How does Notarile, a 34-year resident of Beachwood Drive, feel about shining a light on arguably the most famous franchise in all science fiction? Since the future always begins with a past, his story starts in Sicily, where he was born, and Brooklyn, New York, where he was raised. As the child of a noted advertising art director whose work can be found in the New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection, Notarile has happy memories of hanging out in an art studio at a very young age with the likes of legendary photographer Richard Avedon: “I was seeing flash umbrellas, strobe lights, beautiful girls… It was exciting. I knew I wanted to be a photographer since I was five.”
CINEMATOGRAPHER Crescenzo Notarile lines up a shot on the set of “Star Trek: Picard.” Photo by Dennys Ilic
By that time, he was developing his own photographs taken on a little plastic Brownie camera given to him by his father. His obsession only deepened, and after high school, on the strength of his photography, he won a scholarship to NYU – a university famous for its film school. One of his professors urged him to turn one of his
photo essays into a short film, which was so well-received by the rest of the class that Notarile was hooked, deciding “I wanted to be involved in that world.” As it turns out, over the years he has been involved in many worlds – from the antiseptic crime labs and Vegas glitter of CSI on CBS to the shadowy noir streets of FOX’s Gotham.
Along the way, he took home an Emmy for his work, and got to discuss film craft with his idol, the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. But nothing quite prepared him for the challenges of lighting outer space. “Usually, when you’re reading a script, the first thing you see is whether a scene is taking place in day or night
conditions,” he explains, “but with sci-fi, there’s no day or night. It’s all night. But space is not just black. You got planets out there, you got stars, moons, suns. All this affects interior scenes also.” Realizing the enormity of the job, Notarile chuckles, “I started to hyperventilate a little. I’d never worked in science fiction prior to that. So, I had to catch-up, very fast.” On Star Trek: Picard, it took eight months to design and build the main set, the starship USS Stargazer, with over 10,000 lights embedded in its ceilings, walls, corridors, machinery and passageways…all programmed into a giant dimmer board. And the cinematographer was involved every step of the way: “Pre-production is probably the most important stage of what we do, because when you look over your shoulder and you got 200 people asking, ‘What are we doing?’ – you gotta have a plan.” So, what are Notarile’s own plans for the future? “I’ve never done a western,” he confesses. “I’d love to do one. But I also love doing sci-fi. I’m (Please turn to page 12)
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
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DESIGN FOR LIVING
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Explore historic and scenic area gardens on tour June 5 Explore five gardens in historic neighborhoods on Sun., June 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour is sponsored by the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society. After going dark during the pandemic, the garden tour is back, with gardens in bloom in Windsor Square, Hancock Park and Brookside. Docents will be at each site to describe the gardens, which include drought-tolerant plantings and an over-the-bridge backyard. Tour chairman is Jolin Crofts. The tour also will feature refreshments, a plant sale and a raffle. Proceeds go to community beautification projects.
GARDENS on the tour include the “Bridge House” in Brookside (above) and other nearby sites featuring water elements, peaceful retreats and walkways (left).
Cost is $40 for Historical Society members and $50 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the
event at Second Street and Plymouth Boulevard. For advance tickets, visit wshphs.com.
Notarile
(Continued from page 11)
Family-Run
hoping to continue with the Star Trek legacy. But as a freelancer, you go where the wind blows.” For now, he enjoys rediscovering his own little world on Beachwood Drive, working on a book of poetry, and spending quality time with fiancée Cary Trampf and a dog named (naturally) Kodak. But for him, the call of the camera lens will always be there: “There is something magical about how light refracts through the glass.” It can even illuminate the stars.
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CINEMATOGRAPHER Crescenzo Notarile on the set of “Star Trek: Picard.” Photo by Dennys Ilic
Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
DESIGN FOR LIVING
avor te p e es fi By Suzan Filipek Rosie Fortunat has had her share of challenges. First there was the dot-com crash in the 2000s, and then, more recently, the pandemic struck. But luckily for us, both times she rose from the ashes at her Alakazam Upholstery & Drapery. As head of the firm, she carries bundles of fabric and textile samples to her clients’ homes and, two weeks later — Alakazam! — their furniture returns like new, in creamy shades of white and bolder hues, dressed in modern fabrics and plush velvet. One of her grandchildren came up with the name when she started her business nine years ago. It was a good fit, she said, since she takes the forlorn and neglected, and makes it look rich and elegant, like in a fairy tale. The transformation, however, is a bit more involved than just waving a magic wand. Fabric choices First, her customers survey a lot of fabrics, which they can purchase from her, or they can choose to buy material elsewhere. The samples Fortunat brings are mostly to inspire. “Many times they don’t have any idea what they want,” she explains. An able-bodied crew then picks up the sofa sectionals, chairs and/or other pieces to take to a downtown workroom that includes a separate area for window treatments, including sewing new curtains and roman shades and fabricating shutters and blinds. Happy customers Designer Liz Wilson of Poinsettia Place-based MC1R Studio has hired Alakazam to upholster pieces for a number of her clients. “Rosie has been our go-to for reupholstery and window treatments for seven years,” said Wilson. Another satisfied customer, Patricia Leonard, has had work done for furniture in her homes in Beverly Hills and Carmel and a flat in NYC. She had gingham chairs stuffed with down and covered with French linen for a guest suite. A slip-covered red couch and white loveseat “are easy to machine wash, and with children, ideal!” She had a nonpareilpatterned settee covered in cotton silk for her office. “She is such a delight to work with. She delivers quality service 100!” raves Leonard. Career path Business has picked up steadily after a slump during the pandemic, said Fortunat, who was a bookkeeper in the entertainment industry before the dot-com bubble burst.
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She switched careers after being trained by the best in the business: her sister in New York City. “We both like colors and design,” Fortunat said. And so, they thought she might make a go of it. Upon her return, she placed a small ad in the local paper, offering reasonable prices and the highest quality workmanship, and then she waited for the phone to ring. “And sure enough, people began calling … my clean, noble little business.” Her adult sons help out on larger deliveries, and she has expanded the business to include commercial clients, including Jon & Vinny’s restaurants. She travels to give free esti(Please turn to page 14)
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LIVING ROOM sofa and pillows for MC1R Studio are by Alakazam Upholstery & Drapery. Photo by Annie Meisel
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DESIGN FOR LIVING
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Showcase House is open through May 22 Pasadena Showcase House opened its doors last month — after going dark the past few years because of the pandemic — with great fanfair. The 57th annual showcase features a 1905 stately English Tudor house. Called Oaklawn Manor, it anchors an historic neighborhood of century-old homes planned by architects Greene & Greene. The house features baronialsized rooms with wood interiors, ornate beamed ceilings GENTLEMAN’S RETREAT by Interiors by Ranalli. Photos by Chris Considine
and floor-to-ceiling travertine fireplaces. The home was built for Harry Hawgood, an English civil engineer who designed railways and waterways. After four months of renovation, guests can now tour more than 20 interior and landscape design spaces through May 22. For hours and tickets, visit pasadenashowcase.org. Proceeds pay for nonprofit music and arts programs.
THIS NONPAREIL-PATTERNED SETTEE enlivens customer Patricia eonard’s of ce
Alakazam (Continued from page 13) mates to most of the Westside, Beverly Hills, Hancock Park, Larchmont, Miracle Mile and adjacent areas.
Her website has mysteriously disappeared with all of the upheaval the pandemic has wrought, but Rosie’s grandson will recreate one soon. In the meantime, you can reach her at 310-491-8409.
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Preservation on the move: Windsor Square and Kress Co. I recently was showing a visitor around my home, which originally had been commissioned by Henry O’Melveny, the founder of the law firm O’Melveny and Myers. One of the facts that always interests visitors is that the house had been moved from its original site, 3250 Wilshire Blvd., at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue, to its current site on Plymouth Boulevard. The story goes that the house was jacked up from its foundation, cut into three pieces, hoisted onto trucks and slowly driven two miles down Wilshire to Windsor Square. I usually follow up with the claim that another five houses in the neighborhood were also moved to Windsor Square from their former locations. However, the last time I told this story, I decided to find out just where these houses were in the neighborhood, and I discovered a much bigger story. Moving West Henry and his wife Nettie O’Melveny were not the first migrants to Windsor Square from the Wilshire District. In fact, they were late to the party, having had four of their neighbors relocate with their houses in the decade prior to the O’Melvenys’ arrival in 1930. The Wilshire District, later Wilshire Center and now Koreatown, was originally developed by Gaylord Wilshire as a fashionable counterweight to high
On Preservation by
Brian Curran
society West Adams. By the 1920s, the Wilshire area was rapidly becoming more urban and commercial, leading to an exodus of residents westward, taking their homes with them. Perhaps the most famous of these relocations was the 1923 move of 637 S. Lucerne Blvd., then home to Howard Verbeck. In Great Gatsby style, Verbeck hosted a swinging party in a section of his house as it was moved down Wilshire. House mover Kress The man responsible for this move, and later the O’Melvenys, was George R. Kress Jr. of the Kress House Moving Company. Few men would have such an impact on the landscape of Los Angeles and the face of Windsor Square as Kress. A self-taught engineer, Kress moved to Los Angeles in 1913, purchasing an established house-moving company and quickly learning the ropes. Kress soon made a name for himself for not only moving houses but for devising novel solutions to moving buildings, including removing an 8.6’ slice out of the Commercial Exchange Building on Olive Street and stitching the build-
ing back together, which made national press. In his company brochure, Kress explained: “The advantage in using this method of altering buildings for the widening of streets are many … the alteration is made in about half the time required to tear down and rebuild the wall; the architecture of the building is preserved; and considerable saving of money is possible to the owner.” By the time he started moving houses to Windsor Square in the early 1920s, Kress had become the leader of his industry, having moved nearly 350 buildings and assembling a Who’s Who of government, society, architectural and entertainment figures as clients. His work in Windsor Square culminated in the relocation of nearly 20 houses and more, if you include Fremont Place and Hancock Park. This sets up a rather confusing paradox when examining Windsor Square’s history in that most of the “oldest houses” in the neighborhood actually arrived later than their neighbors. What I found most significant about the story of George R. Kress and his eponymous company is that, by today’s standards, Kress should be counted among the earliest members of our city’s preservation community. His extraordinary engineering skill, coupled with an economy
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
Larchmont 2001 Survey results presented in Zoom forum April 14 By Steven Herrera The Larchmont 2021 group presented its survey results and facilitated a community conversation during a Zoom meeting on April 14. The group is chaired by Patricia Lombard. The other three members are John Kaliski, Gary Gilbert and Heather Boylston. Their April 14 event ran for an hour and a half. The survey had been conducted online between early December 2021 and January 13, 2022. Presenter Kaliski said the survey communicated four areas for possible improvement of the Boulevard: (1) street beautification, including “parklettes” (dining areas on the street), trees, sidewalks and trash; (2) the Qualified, or “Q,” Zoning Conditions for restaurants and retail businesses; (3) alcoholic beverage policies; and (4) street programming that would encourage gatherings. Among the 1,024 responses, 52 percent stated that they visited Larchmont two to six times per week. Most of the respondents were 45 or older. There was no participation from people under 18. Fifty-five percent say they drive to Larchmont, while 42 percent walk.
THE LARCHMONT SURVEY ZOOM event was organized by Patricia Lombard, John Kaliski, Gary Gilbert and Heather Boylston.
The most popular reasons to visit Larchmont included “shopping daily needs” (33 percent), “take out and coffee” (26 percent), and “sit-down dining” (17 percent). On the subject of street beautification, 41 percent supported the current number of parklettes, and 33 percent wanted more of them. Thirty-four percent indicated that sidewalks and trees were in need of attention. But trash was a minor issue. In regard to sit-down restaurants, 41 percent of re-
spondents were in favor of relaxing the zoning restrictions (Q Conditions) to attract more eateries. But when asked about the quantity of takeout restaurants, 53 percent indicated there was already the right number. Presenter Kaliski pointed out, “The trend toward stability on this one contrasts a little bit with the trend toward relaxation.” The Q Conditions, adopted in 1992, are city rules to protect the Boulevard as a neighborhood-serving retail district. There was a lot of discus-
sion about a possible grocery store, but not necessarily a modern supermarket. “I think people were talking about a small, gourmet-type market,” said landlord representative Heather Boylston. People who posted comments during the Zoom meeting expressed the need for a “bodega,” which refers to a small market. Sixty-six percent of respondents were in favor of serving beer, wine and mixed drinks, while 30 percent wanted to al-
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low beer and wine only. Jennifer DeVore mentioned a recent visit to Great White café, which does not serve cocktails. “I would personally be thrilled if they could serve cocktails,” she said. The Larchmont 2021 group previously had stated in an early March presentation — to resident and merchant organizations immediately adjacent to the Boulevard — that the group was going to conclude its involvement and pass its research and conclusions to a broader-based set of neighborhood stakeholders, according to Windsor Square Association board member Jane Usher, who had attended the Larchmont 2021 group’s earlier presentation. However, at the April 14 meeting, the Larchmont 2021 group said it intends to craft recommendations based on what it learned from the survey. Early takeaways include the need for a grocery store or stores, street beautification, more trees and pedestrian amenities. Readers may visit larchmont2021.com for more information, and to view the recording of the full meeting.
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MAY 2022
er ls of stu e t rop o s a By Steven Rosenthal If you live on McCadden Place near John Burroughs Middle School, or if you are routed by your car navigation to drive by the school to reach your pre-determined destination, you’re headed to the unsafe possibilities that can occur every weekday from wrong-way drivers, students crossing in front of wrong-way traffic or family members talking to students on their cell phones while standing in the middle of the street. Some parents and friends also get out of their cars to talk with friends. The routes available for families and friends driving students to school in Los Angeles can lead motorists onto side streets and along treacherous stretches. Drivers may find residential streets leading to schools are blocked by big school buses plus rushing cars darting in and out of winding car lines. In most cases, the routes for public transportation do not get students to school. Therefore, getting students to and from Burroughs every day means loading them into the car in the morning for drop-off and fighting for a space in the school car line and / or battling the afternoon rush to pick up the students to
SECTION TWO
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UNSAFE POSSIBILITIES on the streets outside Burroughs range from wrong way traf c to distracted students on their cell hones
return home again. One of the neighbors who lives near the school (and who asked to not be identified) has documented wrongway buses, delivery vehicles and family vehicles blocking parking lanes and driving lanes, obstructing driveways, and creating dangerous traffic situations forcing traffic to a standstill at times while students arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon.
The neighbor describes school buses heading in the wrong lane to drive around double-parked cars, residential cars and delivery vehicles forced to drive in the wrongway lane just to pass the parked cars, and double-parked cars in front of the school waiting for students to get dropped off or picked up. Driveways are blocked, traffic lanes are undriveable and, as a result, residents must schedule their
17
ups at urrou hs movements around the school’s car line perils. You can find parents arriving 30 minutes to an hour early just to get the precious first-inline spots. Are buses an alternative? There are parents who avoid Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) buses for their children because of reports of bullying and other fears for student safety. Burroughs is expanding its campus to accommodate over 1,700 PERILOUS Mc adden Place students. That is more than twice the school popu- in place for those who do not lation the school and sur- follow the rules. It seems the rounding areas were built for. school takes no responsibility The expansion is planned for for the traffic congestion, accompletion in 2026 and will cidents, blocked driveways and include bus pick-up and drop- unsafe practices that seem to off accommodations from a be ongoing, reported the comWilshire Boulevard entrance. plaining neighbor. When I contacted princiI personally had to drive into pal Dr. Steven Martinez, he the wrong lane just to turn the responded quickly to say he corner from Wilshire onto Mcwas unfamiliar with the situa- Cadden Place to drive north. It tion and would look into it. He is scary, to say the least. Apsaid that he referred the ques- parently, traffic disruptions tion about the dangerous car caused by parents picking up lines to his media department, or dropping off students is not which has not contacted me. just a problem at John BurIt seems the school has guide- roughs Middle School; it is a lines for student pick-up and national problem with serious drop-off with no consequences consequences.
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POLICE BEAT
Ski-masked robber with handgun enters local home WILSHIRE DIVISION ROBBERIES: A masked male robber entered a home on the 6000 block of Willoughby Avenue on April 2 at 10:30 p.m. The masked man threatened the victim with a handgun and then left the home with luggage, a purse, wallet and passport. A suspect broke in through the front door of a home on the 300 block of N. Arden Boulevard on April 5 at 1:30 p.m. A 49-year-old woman was in the kitchen at the time. The robber stole a watch, jewelry and purse. THEFT: A man forced open a camera and accessories display case at Target at 415 S. La Brea Ave. on April 8 at 8 a.m. The male suspect took its contents, then boldly walked through manned registers impersonating a customer and exited the store without paying for the merchandise.
BURGLARY THEFTS FROM VEHICLE: Three catalytic converter thefts have taken place over the past month. One converter was taken from the 800 block of N. Citrus Avenue, and another was stolen from the 400 block of N. Sycamore Avenue. Both of those thefts occurred between April 8 and 9. The last converter was stolen from Beverly Hills BMW on Wilshire on April 6 at 1:30 p.m. A woman’s car window was smashed while parked on the 700 block of S. La Brea Avenue on April 7 between 9:30 and 10:35 a.m. The suspect took a computer, bag and cell phone accessories. OLYMPIC DIVISION TIPS FROM SLO PELAYO: Residents should lock their homes when they leave for the day. If you have a camera, make sure it works and is aimed to capture license plate
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at 10:30 p.m. They ransacked the property for almost an hour while the victim’s grandmother was in the home. GRAND THEFTS AUTO: A Hyundai Sonata was stolen from the 300 block of N. Van Ness Avenue between 4 p.m. on April 15 and 11:30 a.m. on April 16. The 4800 block of Oakwood Avenue was the spot where another Hyundai was stolen between April 10 and April 11 from 10:30 p.m. to 11 a.m.
LAPD says crime is on the upswing; stay vigilant By Suzan Filipek On a recent Sunday afternoon, two men were walking on Larchmont Boulevard when an SUV pulled up and two suspects got out and pulled a gun. The victims were held up at gunpoint, and then the suspects drove off in the dark-colored vehicle, according to Det. M. Flores of the LAPD Wilshire Division. The victims were walking south on the Boulevard on April 3 at about 5:15 p.m. The suspects fled east on Beverly Boulevard. Unfortunately incidents like this on otherwise quiet afternoons have become all-too familiar. Robberies — with a gun — are up 44 percent this year, Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission last month. Moore is urging residents
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to keep alert and be aware of their surroundings. Wearing expensive jewelry in public draws unwanted attention from criminals, whether potential victims are shopping in mini-markets, filling up at gas stations or simply walking along a street. Gangs Street gangs are targeting well-to-do neighborhoods, sending “crews” in multiple cars to search for people driving expensive cars and/or wearing expensive jewelry, police said. Police have identified 17 Los Angeles-area gangs, and LAPD have listed 165 such robberies in 2021 and 56 so far this year, according to Capt. Jonathan Tippet in an April 15 frontpage report in the “Los Angeles Times.” The Wilshire Division had 46 of those robberies during that 2021 to April 22 period. Avoid danger Be aware of your surroundings. No matter how safe you think a neighborhood or shopping district is (Rodeo Drive included), it’s not a good idea to leave the front door open, your valuables in the car or
your purse on top of an entry table, and don’t flaunt your pearls and diamonds and high-end watches. Other tips include: Act confident and focused. Criminals look for people who are meek, mild and distracted React quickly to danger. Use the same element of surprise as the criminal. Run towards lights or people, make noise. And, above all, stay safe.
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Larchmont Chronicle
MAY 2022
SECTION TWO
19
Caution: Beware hi-lo poker hands, and be patient
Last Remaining (Continued from page 18)
Theatre (formerly Fox Village Theatre) in Westwood. On Sun., June 12 beginning at 1 p.m. at the lavish Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, Charlie Chaplin stars in “The Immigrant,” a short from 1917, followed by his classic portrayal of “the little tramp” in “The Kid.” They will be accompanied by live organ music. The 40th anniversary of scifi classic “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” (1982) starring Harrison Ford, screens Sun., June 12 at 7 p.m., also at the Orpheum. Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer headline “The Women” (1939) at the bedazzling French Baroque-style Los Angeles Theatre on Sat., June 18 at 2 p.m. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman sizzle in Hitchcock’s stylish thriller “Notorious” (1946)
Poker for All by
George Epstein A multi-way pot is necessary in case you get really lucky and flop a big hand.) To better understand our rationale Suppose you start with K-6 suited in a late position (that gives a point score of 22, barely meeting the Hold’em Algorithm minimum point-score criteria). The odds are that you will pair up one of your hole cards about one out of three flops. Suppose it’s the 6. Now you have a pair of 6s with a good
kicker (the King). Problem: With eight or nine opponents at the table, chances are one of them will either have a bigger pair in the hole or flop one. What if you are lucky to flop a pair of Queens? Now your kicker is a lowly 6. There is a reasonable chance that one of your opponents also has a Queen in the hole; and, most likely, he holds a bigger kicker than your 6. Your hand is dominated — and it can be very costly. So it all boils down to avoiding Hi-Lo hands. Why invest your precious chips in a starting hand that is almost certain to be a loser? The next hand will be dealt in a few minutes. Just be patient. Avoid being a loser A competent poker player will generally play fewer than 25 percent of the hole cards
dealt to him. Losing players are inclined to pay to see the flop with considerably more starting hands. Another way to identify a loser — a Poker Pigeon — is if he shows down a Hi-Lo hand, and how often it happens. That’s as good a tell as you could hope for. Keep it in mind the next hand he plays against you. Our best advice: Avoid Hi-Lo starting hands; it is horrible to find your hand has been dominated since the flop, and you called his bets all the way. Don’t let it put you on tilt. Just learn your lesson. Life / poker quote of the month “Life is like a poker game. It takes skill to succeed. A little luck along the way also helps. In both cases, the winner walks away with the rewards.”
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The most important decision a poker player must make is the starting-hand selection. You have been dealt two hole cards. Taking a peek at them so as to be sure no one else sees them, you must quickly decide whether this is a good starting hand — one that has a decent chance to improve to the winning hand before the showdown. Quite often you will be dealt a Hi-Lo hand. That’s one high card (Ace down to 10) and one low card (7 down to 2). For
example, I would never invest my chips to play K-3, even if suited and in a late position. Exceptions: You are the Big Blind and there has not been a raise, so you get to see the flop for free; and possibly if you are the Small Blind so it costs you just one-half a small bet. (You never know what surprise might greet you.) For one thing, if you use the Hold’em Algorithm for starting-hand selection, there would be very few Hi-Lo hands that barely meet the pointscore criteria — marginal (or “borderline”) hands at best. Those are hands that are very unlikely to improve on the flop. But, if you do want to take a shot at it, be sure the Hold’em Caveat is satisfied: three or more opponents staying to see the flop, and no raises. (Note:
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George “the Engineer” Epstein died March 29 at the age of 95. (See the story on Page 19, Section 1.) Always prompt, George already had submitted his May Chronicle poker column prior to his death. Here it is, published posthumously.
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