Mayor Karen Bass received a rock star reception from more than 900 students ages 9 to 14 and staff at Larchmont Charter School’s Selma campus, 6611 Selma Ave., on June 4.
“I’ve never been greeted like this before,” she said with a beaming smile.
She visited the campus to talk about her Inside Safe program and homelessness in Los Angeles. The Inside Safe program cleared an expansive encampment adjoining the school in August 2023. The encampment plagued the school for many years, making the sidewalks impassable and the area unsafe.
Mayor Bass thanked the community for letting her know about the unfortunate situation. “Los Angeles is a
New chapter for local vet Dr. Ciganek
By Suzan Filipek
It’s the end of an era for
Dr. Jan Ciganek, but not necessarily for his practice, the Larchmont Animal Clinic, 316 N. Larchmont Blvd. It’s for sale.
After almost half a century on Larchmont, Ciganek will retire on June 30.
“It’s the end of a chapter,” said Ciganek, 77.
“I have mixed feelings about it. I’m not getting any younger. I’ve done this for so long,” he said last month in the lobby of the clinic. “I’ve enjoyed being in the Larchmont community.”
See Dr. Ciganek, P 15
Women of Larchmont
Our annual section, which has honored local women since 1965, will appear in the August issue of the Larchmont Chronicle . Advertising deadline is Mon., July 8. For more information, contact Pam Rudy, 323462-2241, ext. 11.
LAUSD votes to ban smartphone usage
By Casey Russell
In our June issue, the Larchmont Chronicle ran an article about the positive change that local TK-to-12th grade Pilgrim School saw this year after using Yondr pouches to implement a “no cell phones” policy during the school day.
On June 18, the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted to im-
plement a ban on student use of smartphones during the school day district-wide. The decision makes LAUSD the largest school district in the country to move to such a ban. Resolution No. 035-23/24, which was put forth by board members Nick Melvoin, Tanya Ortiz Franklin and Jackie Goldberg, is titled “Supporting Student Mental Health
Park
Neighborhoods surrounding the Wilshire Country Club should once again be able to witness the bright bursts of color from the annual Independence Day celebration held at the 105-year-old golf club. The display is scheduled to commence at 9 p.m.
By Helene Seifer
“Meet me at Third and Fairfax,” has been the official greeting of The Original Farmers Market (OFM), and in this, its 90th anniversary year, many people are expected to do just that. The celebration kicked off its 90 Days of Summer with a well-attended heritage car show June 8, but the summer will be filled with ways to mark the milestone. OFM spokesperson Ilysha Buss describes a Night Market scheduled for Thurs., July 18. There will be sevento-ten pop-up fashion-related vendors, and DJ Ricky will spin platters from the 90s to accompany the shopping. Other anniversary events include special promotions at Market merchants, such as Bennett’s Ice Cream offering one dollar off any ice cream product on July 21, National Ice Cream Day. Thursday Night Music at the Market, an annual summer event, will end the summer celebration with a soon-to-be-announced lineup in August. Looking ahead to fall and winter, apart from the popular returning entertainments of Metropolitan Fashion Week, Fall Festival and Christmas and Hanukkah events, there will be the debut of VinylFest on Dec. 7, featuring local and national record dealers, a vinyl swap meet, music memorabilia and stereo equipment, DJs and a performance stage.
History
The Original Farmers Market was born when public relations maven Fred Beck, along with partner Roger Dahlhjelm, pitched property owner Earl Bell Gilmore on the idea of a farmers market
Homeless count to be released June 28
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has announced that the results of the Jan. 23-24, 2023 “Unsheltered Count” for Los Angeles County will be released on Fri., June 28. The Larchmont Chronicle will report the local numbers in our August issue that distributes July 25.
LCS STUDENTS SURROUND Mayor Karen Bass after she spoke to them about homelessness. Photo by Dave DuMonde
Editorial
By John Welborne
Enforce the laws
In a recent visit to Larchmont Boulevard, District Attorney candidate Nathan Hochman observed that we seem to be living in a culture of lawlessness instead of a culture of lawfulness.
Many of us see that daily. On this page of the Larchmont Chronicle are readers’ letters with justified complaints about leaf blower ordinances not being enforced and paid-for street light maintenance not being performed. And what more needs to be written about scofflaws parking in Larchmont’s center lane?
But, in our Police Beat column in Section 2, we read that burglaries are down. But down from what number and when?
Residents do not feel safe. A Windsor Village neighbor witnessed and reported a serious private property trespass by a potential burglar who was casing an apartment building while his lookout sat across the street. The neighbor was frustrated with LAPD’s lack of response to his report, but that department’s number of sworn officers is insufficient, we know.
Yet, certain City Council members and one current candidate (for CD 14) appear to welcome the political support of activist groups that are urging government to “defund the police.”
Let’s all work together for a better Los Angeles, one where lawfulness is the watchword.
DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF
Pawn Shop Sports Bar Update
More than 100 people attended the June 6 virtual public hearing to listen and provide comments about the proposed conditions of operation for the Pawn Shop Sports Bar at 5901 Melrose (corner of Melrose and Cahuenga). The owner had been asking for extended operating hours of 6 a.m. until 2 a.m., seven days a week; had not provided a parking plan as requested by the neighbors; and had shared no plans for security and noise management. The Pawn Shop could host 275 patrons to eat, drink, and view broadcasts of international sporting events.
Thank you to everyone who attended the hearing and spoke on behalf of our neighborhood! Huge thanks to all who took the time to submit a letter to the city’s Zoning Administrator in support of the HPHOA’s request that enforceable operating conditions be included in the Conditional Use Beverage (CUB) permit being requested by the owner. Our requests are reasonable and help ensure that our neighborhoods’ safety and quality of life are protected, while having a new business join the community. We expect to hear about the final findings and the CUB permit conditions sometime in July.
Here is a link to the hearing comments made by Jack Chiang, the Zoning Administrator in the Department of City Planning, who heard the case: tinyurl.com/mstndk8h.
As we have written previously, this part of Melrose Avenue has a number of restaurants, all of which close by 11 p.m. Many of them have full bars, but the number of patrons is much lower than would be hosted at the Pawn Shop. Without some reasonable controls and agreements, this quiet part of Melrose, immediately adjacent to residential homes, could change dramatically. The Association and the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council have asked the owner to limit the hours of alcohol service from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., to provide a parking plan, and to set up a security plan. Following the June 6 hearing, the owner has indicated that he will be adjusting his hours and “solidifying valet and security plans, to alleviate any neighborhod concerns.”
We hope the owner’s proposed “adjustments” will be shared with the community, in writing, and soon.
Any permissions for extended alcohol service granted for this bar/restaurant will stay with the property. It would also set a new precedent for business owners on other properties along Melrose to receive the same kind of extended alcohol service hours. This is an important transition time for Melrose and Hancock Park. We ask you to think carefully about what’s important to you about living in our diverse neighborhood — home to many houses, apartments, condominiums, schools and churches.
Calendar
Thurs., July 4 — Independence Day.
Tues., July 9 — Mid City West Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Pan Pacific Park Senior Center, 141 S. Gardner St., midcitywest.org.
Wed., July 10 — Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd., greaterwilshire.org.
Thurs., July 25 — Delivery of the August issue of the Larchmont Chronicle
Letters to the Editor
Noisy leaf blowers
My husband and I live in Windsor Village, and we are sick to death of the blowers these gardeners use each and every day. They are a major source (the #1 source) of noise pollution. Of course, they pollute the air as well. They have been outlawed in Santa Monica and the law is actually enforced there. [They are outlawed in the City of Los Angeles too. – Ed.] It is a quality-of-life issue.
Gardeners use them every day. One day it will be across the street. The next day it will be to my left — then to my right. I live on Plymouth Boulevard. Can you please use your position to do something?
Laurie Metcalf
Windsor Village
[Editor’s Note: Reader Metcalf’s concerns generated a front-page story on leaf blowers in the July 2018 issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. See: tinyurl.com/yw795rkk. Also, the Chronicle published a detailed column about
Larchmont Chronicle
alternatives to gasoline powered leaf blowers on Page 2-6 in July 2014. See: tinyurl.com/muu4fdt8]
Crazy streetlight scene
The article about the streetlight crisis was great [“Streetlight wire theft hits neighborhoods,” June 2024]. I am a resident of Ridgewood Wilton, and the streetlight in front of my house is not working. It is preposterous that residents can’t file a police report after we paid for the very items that are being destroyed. And it is ridiculous that the police have pictures and will not park a “blackand-white,” as they say, on the corner to deter thefts. Maybe they will if we ever get those streetlights fixed.
I don’t understand how this could be a problem with no solution. Can we get a legal opinion from the city attorney about why we can’t file a police report when we paid for these streetlights? And also pay for the maintenance of the streetlights? We continue to be billed for service that we are not receiving! Maybe we should
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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.
CORRECTIONS
‘How did you and your pet meet?’
That’s the question inquiring photographer Casey Russell asked locals.
“He was homeless and very disheveled. He came up to me and wanted to play as I was cleaning camping gear in front of the yard. I called animal control to see if he had a chip, but the policy was that they had to take him. I kept calling, and a week later when he’d been cleared for adoption, I drove to get him. It’s been eight years.”
David Angel and Rocket Larchmont Village
“She was a pandemic puppy and we rescued her from Love at First Mutt. They do the rescue at Tailwaggers a lot, so we still see the people who knew her and they say hi. We are also in a group chat with all of her siblings’ people. We meet up often so that the dogs can play. Actually, her brother lives nearby!”
Darcy Borges and Lena Hancock Park
Circulation
Nona
Accounting
606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103 Los Angeles, CA 90004
323-462-2241
larchmontchronicle.com
In both Police Beat and in an article about personnel changes at Wilshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) — in the June 2024 issue — we incorrectly named interim Senior Lead Officer Philip Choi as Peter Choi. Also, when listing information for Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Daniel Chavez, who is replacing SLO Joe Pelayo, the Chronicle gave a wrong Instagram handle. The approved LAPD Instagram account for SLO Chavez is @olympic_slo1.
“We rescued him from Wags and Walks. Our previous dog had recently passed away — the day after we brought our second child home from the hospital after her birth. We had a huge gaping hole in our hearts and an infant and a toddler at home… We figured, we already had a weird night schedule and were cleaning up poop anyway, so why not get a puppy! My daughter and he are only 1 month apart in age.”
The wildest fundraiser around, the Beastly Ball, took place June 1 at the Los Angeles Zoo. Attendees wandered the zoo after hours dressed in safari chic. The fundraiser has been hosted annually by the zoo and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1971. This year, it raised more than $1.25 million for the zoo’s conservation and education efforts.
Around the Town with Sondi Toll Sepenuk
The zoo-goers walked past the okapis (the closest relative to the giraffe) and wandered by chimpanzees, elephants and orangutans before finally landing at the gorillas, who share 98 percent of the same DNA as
humans. Animal care specialists at each location enabled guests to learn more about the mammals, their idiosyncrasies and their habitats.
While guests strolled through the atmospheric surroundings, they were treated to beverages, passed appetizers and food stations from local restaurants (including Pink’s Hot Dogs and El Cholo).
Silent auction items lined the walkways while live orchestral music filled the air. Acrobats performed flips, contortionists bent themselves into knots, and stilt-walking humans dressed as animals meandered through the crowd.
Guests joined emcee actor Joel McHale for the sit-down portion of the evening adjoining the elephant exhibit. Guests
STILT-WALKING “ANIMALS” stroll through the event.
listened to a representative from the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) explain its conservation work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The zoo helps support GRACE with its work.
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BEASTLY BALL is enjoyed for the first time by
18
20
21
ONLOOKERS watch the chimpanzees eating dinner.
Councilmember Traci Park.
Around the Town
(Continued from Page 3)
There is incredible biodiversity in the Congo, along with some of the rarest and most endangered species in the world. Its tropical forests are considered “the lungs of Africa.” With a paddle raise, additional dollars for this specific cause were donated — and then doubled through a matching gift from an anonymous donor.
• • •
United in Harmony (UNH), a nonprofit that sends children experiencing poverty to camp, hosted its first fundraising gala in early May.
Vincent Meals on Wheels.
The gala attracted more than 200 adults and students to a private home in Beverly Hills. The outdoor affair had
Beautifying Larchmont!
The LBA has replanted 10 of the concrete containers in the village as part of our beautification project.
Support our July beautification projects
We have created new merchandise to help fund these projects, now available at the Sunday Farmers Market. All proceeds will go toward beautifying the Boulevard.
a sushi station, tacos created on the spot by Tacos 1986, sliders and fries, and s’mores by S’moreology — to capture that camp experience.
Local Larchmont Village resident and Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member, Nick Melvoin, along with Adam Slutske, executive camp director, successfully appealed to attendees to donate $25,000 during dinner. Learn more about UNH at unitedinharmony.org.
• • •
The summer gods were smiling on the third annual “Hollywood Under the Stars” St. Vincent Meals on Wheels (SVMOW) fundraiser on the Paramount Studios lot on Sat., June 22. During one of the first warm nights that Los Angeles has seen in many-a-month, guests poured onto the lot in eager anticipation of food, drink, music and merriment. The night’s special honorees and longtime supporters, actor Ian McShane and wife Gwen Humble McShane, said, “We are in awe of the dedicated
staff and selfless volunteers who not only deliver meals and birthday cakes to homebound individuals and seniors, but also conduct daily wellness checks and even provide meals for pets.”
Since its establishment by the Daughters of Charity in 1977, SVMOW has served millions of meals, including nearly one million meals this year alone. Nelly Llanos Kilroy, 94, one of the women who helped Sister Alice Marie Quinn found SVMOW, was in attendance, along with the evening’s Honorary Host, Rick Llanos, her son.
The first indication of something special happening at the sold-out event — that took place under a nearly full moon in front of the historic Bronson Gate — was
when guests were greeted with Veuve Clicquot and an open bar during a VIP hour featuring Chef Bret Thompson and Pez Coastal Kitchen.
Nearly a dozen top chefs from all over the city, including Chef Gino Angelini of nearby Angelini Osteria, were featured. Chef/Owner Nika Shoemaker-Machado of Georgia’s Restaurant, Chef Sam Marvin of Echo & Rig, Chef Gloria Chicas of Room Service Neighborhood, Chef Francesco Zimone of L’antica Pizzeria da Michele, Chef Keith Corbin of Alta Adam, and Chef Mohair Lad of Arth Bar + Kitchen also were on hand to wow the guests with their edible and unforgettable indulgences.
Desserts from Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co., Lark Cake Shop, Malibu Meringue, Uncle Tetsu and Läderach Chocolatier Suisse satisfied every taste. Ten-piece band, de Bois All Stars, was back by popular demand, swinging and swaying and getting the crowd up on its feet. Co-hosts actor E-Kan Soong and newscaster Susan Hirasuna introduced guests and presented an audio compilation of thankful voicemails left by the senior and homebound clients of SVMOW.
And now you’re in the Larchmont know!
SISTERS of the Daughters of Charity gather with St. Vincent Meals on Wheels honorees Gwen Humble McShane and Ian McShane (in center).
PARAMOUNT’S iconic Bronson Gate is the backdrop for the “Hollywood Under the Stars” June 22 fundraiser for St.
GALA for United in Harmony drew Nick Melvoin (left) of Larchmont Village and Adam Slutske.
417 3/4 North Larchmont Blvd. (in Larchmont Village Square)
Call for an appointment 323-378-6550
Barbers: Cesar Perez, Cesar Vasquez
Farmers Market
(Continued from Page 1) on his site. Having been raised on a dairy farm, Gilmore sparked to the idea. There are nearly 90 merchants at The Original Farmers Market today, but it opened on July 14, 1934, with 18 tenants, each paying a daily rent of 50 cents, according to OFM archivist Brett Arena. Twelve stalls were actual farmers, but hamburgers, flowers and sherry were also sold. (The burger joint, Allan’s Farmhouse restaurant, was bought by James Dunn and Edward Parsons in 1938 and became Du-par’s.)
Many oldest in city
Early tenant Magee’s Kitchen joined the lineup mere months after the OFM’s opening. Blanche Sizelove Magee, who ran a fresh-ground horseradish and nut butter stand with her husband, Ray Magee, in Grand Central Market Downtown, drove by the newly opened venue on her way home and was intrigued. The next day she showed up with a picnic basket filled with sandwiches to sell to the farmers. When shoppers asked to buy them, too, she seized the opportunity. According to her grandson, Operations Manager Dwayne Coll, it cost the Magees $100 to set up a permanent stand. Magee’s Kitchen is the oldest surviving market tenant.
Family-run businesses are the backbone of the OFM, including longtime tenant Marconda’s, which set up shop there in 1941. Lou DeRosa, grandson of the original
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owner, Louis DeRosa (along with Louis DeRosa’s nephew Alfred Marconda), started working in the family business in 1979. His son also works there. Considered the oldest meat market in Los Angeles, Marconda’s sells roughly 2,000 pounds per week of their proprietary blend of allbeef hamburger meat. Their butchers are required to work there for a minimum of two years before they are given the secret recipe. In 1990, Marconda’s purchased Puritan Poultry.
Another OFM butcher shop of long standing is Huntington Meats & Sausage. It has been offering roasts, steaks and much more since it opened at the OFM in 1986.
Owner Jim Cascone began slicing meats when he was 8 years old, behind the counter in his grandparents’ meat store in Chicago. Since 2000, Cascone has been at the Farmers Market, where his appreciation for his craft is just as well known as the shop’s Harris Ranch, hormone-free, mostly grass-fed beef. An amazing selection of house made sausages is among the offerings at Huntington Meats. Customers also come back for its organ-
ic, farm-raised chickens, eggs and butter. Exotic and game meats are there as well as ground varieties for pets.
Toys, too
Multiple generations of the same family have been operating Kip’s Toyland since 1945, when Irvin Kipper first opened the store before moving to the Original Farmers Market in 1956. His son, Don Kipper, took over in 2020 and explains that his father began the business a month after being released from a POW Nazi war camp. After that horrific experience, Kipper explains, “He decided he wanted to dedicate his life to doing something fun, so he decided on toys.” Don Kipper’s daughter, Lily, is a buyer for the store, and they hope her daughter will eventually become the fourth generation to spread the joy. It is interesting to note that, because rubber was rationed in WWII, the most popular post-war toy was a balloon! Now children clamor for Legos at this, the oldest toy store in the city. One of the newest concepts to join the OFM is Sam and Jasmine Atoyan’s Mediterranean Market, which opened in October 2023. Jasmine is
(Please turn to Page 7)
FARMERS MARKET FOUNDERS Fred Beck, Roger Dahlhjelm and Earl Gilmore (left to right).
ORIGINAL Farmers Market on its first day — July 14, 1934 — at Third and Fairfax.
Farmers Market
(Continued from Page 6)
the daughter and niece of the owners of Moishe’s Restaurant, and customers who love the Middle Eastern flavors of the Moishe’s kabobs can purchase the appropriate herbs and spices at the new Mediterranean Market.
In another interface, the months-old Balam the Jaguar Coffee Roasters features a strawberry latte made from Magee’s strawberry jam.
Next generation
Looking ahead, popular pickle purveyor Kaylin + Kaylin will soon open a new concept involving pickles and food near their present
Cell phones
(Continued from Page 1) and Learning by Ensuring a Phone-Free School Day.”
The board resolved that LAUSD staff will present a proposed implementing policy within 120 days of the meeting. The goal is to prohibit the use of cell phones and social media platforms district-wide during the school day. The policy would go into effect no later than the second semester of 20242025’s school year.
Speaking at the board meeting, Melvoin said he seeks the new policy because he has noticed a recurring problem of students’ cell phones distracting them from learning, harming their mental health and stifling in-person interaction.
After visiting two schools at which students did not have phones and seeing an overall positive atmosphere where students were alert and engaged, he knew this needed to be the norm and not an outlier situation.
“It is my hope that by creating a truly phone-free school day district-wide, we can help our kids learn, grow and thrive without the harmful distractions of these addicting devices,” Melvoin stated.
What Melvoin and the LAUSD board majority seek for the district is the positive result that has occurred during the first phone-free year at Pilgrim School. In addition to the district ban, the LAUSD board will ad -
Letters
(Continued from Page 2) ask for a legal opinion about that, too.
I am not ready to accept the excuses of the Bureau of Street Lighting about lack of staff to address this problem. I work for the government, and I know that it’s easy to claim overwhelming work as an excuse for lack of oversight and planning.
Kathleen Mulligan Ridgewood Wilton
stall. Opening at the OFM (probably in August) will be Ettore Vino & Cucina, a new
project from Italian food experts at the popular Osteria Mamma on Melrose, between Lucerne and Larchmont boulevards. Figure 8 Tea Project, a boba and tea shop, soon will make its Farmers Market debut as well. In addition, Katy and Stephane Strouk, the husband-and-wife team behind 30-year market mainstay Monsieur Marcel — which boasts the largest footprint at the Original Farmers Market with its café, market, fresh seafood market and seafood counter — is expected to announce another storefront soon.
Businesses and cus-
vocate for legislation, at the state and federal level, limiting the use of smartphones in schools and will advocate for legislation to limit social media platform usage. The June 18 board action even supports po -
tential litigation aimed at social media platforms that hamper learning and play a part in negatively affecting student mental health.
To learn more about the resolution, go to page 8 at tinyurl.com/2vfzh9m4.
tomers alike are loyal to The Original Farmers Market. Magee’s Kitchen’s Dwayne Coll states, “We’ve made it our home for 90 years and hope to make it for 90 more.”
Two Great American Songbook Legends Together In Concert!
Sunday, July 14, 2:00 - 4:00 pm at Tickets on sale now:
JIM CASCONE of Huntington Meats, at the Original Farmers Market since 1986, holds one of his stall’s tomahawk steaks.
Charter
(Continued from Page 1)
big city, and it’s impossible to know what’s happening on every street, so thank you for all of your calls and emails.”
Students were preselected to ask the mayor questions about homelessness. One question focused on how much the city spends on this problem each year. Bass answered, “$180 million, which sounds like a lot, but we need more.”
She continued and told the audience about a new ballot measure [United to House LA] “that I hope your parents will vote for” in November to allot more money for affordable housing production and to help prevent homelessness.
Another student asked if she hopes to have all homeless people housed by 2040. She responded by saying “2040 is too late to house everyone.”
She wants the city clear of tents and homelessness by
325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004 windsorsquare.org
157 N. Larchmont Boulevard
“The summer looks out from her brazen tower, through the flashing bars of July.”
Francis Thompson
As Windsor Square finally escapes the cool and somber May Grays and June Glooms, July and summer have finally arrived! The Windsor Square Association has been busy monitoring various issues and is happy to announce some progress!
Larchmont Median: At long last, the plantings in the Larchmont median, between First and Third streets, are coming back to life. The WSA has contracted with a new garden service company that has begun repairing the watering system and clearing out dead flowers and weeds. We expect the median to be looking its best soon!
6th Street Encampment cleared: After months of neighbors’ and concerned residents’ tireless reporting, monitoring and finally gathering evidence of criminal activity, the long-standing encampment on the south side of 6th Street just east of Van Ness Avenue has been cleared. As a result of nearby neighbors’ work, a coordinated effort was initiated between LAPD, the Sanitation Department and the Mayor’s Inside Safe program to remove the tents, provide temporary shelter to the street-dwellers and clean the sidewalk.
Pawn Shop Bar: The WSA continues to join the Hancock Park Homeowners Association, the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association and the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council in opposition to the proposed establishment at 5901 Melrose Ave. until the developer allays the community’s various concerns.
Other issues: The WSA continues to communicate with our councilmembers, LAPD and the City on an array of issues such as: support of Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky’s proposed amendment to the Mayor’s Executive Directive 1 (ED1) to exclude HPOZs as proposed ED1 housing sites, addressing the street light outages in areas of Windsor Square and other public safety issues and solutions.
WE NEED BLOCK CAPTAINS! Be the leader of your block and point person for all that’s going on in the neighborhood. The WSA has numerous block captain positions open. It’s a great opportunity to engage with neighbors and community leaders. blockcaptains@windsorsquare.org
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.
2028, because the Olympics are coming. She noted that Los Angeles is the second largest city in the country, and she wants it to look good.
Bass was a natural when talking to the students, peppering her answers with examples to which the students could relate. When asked about the programs currently in place, she compared them to a science experiment. The city has never had to deal with such a big crisis, and she’s trying everything she can to make programs work. But, she admitted, sometimes they work, and other times they don’t, just like a science experiment.
She also told the young onlookers about a new program being implemented to locate renters being evicted through the county court system and to help them before they lose their homes. She was positive throughout the session and said, “You are the generation that’s going to lead. You always have to fight for change. Do more than my generation.”
Hochman, vying for District Attorney, visits Larchmont
By Nona Sue Friedman
Nathan Hochman is campaigning to be elected the next District Attorney (DA) of Los Angeles County. In late June, he told a group of locals, “The race is not about politics, but who is going to keep you safe for the next four years.” He emphasized that California law specifies that the position of County DA is nonpartisan, with the DA’s actions to be based upon adopted laws, not personal political beliefs.
Hochman was conversing with about 40 community members at an early morning gathering on the shady back patio of Le Pain Quotidien, 113 N. Larchmont Blvd.
According to Hochman, we are living in a “culture of lawlessness instead of a culture of lawfulness.” A former Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted criminal cases in Los Angeles and an Assistant Attorney General who brought cases throughout the country for two years from Washington, D.C.,
Hochman has spent the past 15 years back in Los Angeles in private practice as a criminal defense and tax lawyer. At the Le Pain Quotidien gathering, Hochman said of the lawlessness, “As a native Angeleno, I refuse to leave Los Angeles” because of safety issues.
He stated that his goals, if elected, include returning to a time when there are “clear lines in society with accountability for your actions.”
Hochman is running against incumbent DA George Gascón in the Tues., Nov. 5, runoff election.
skin deep
by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald
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Schedule your appointment today and get started on acquiring the body you’ve only dreamt of. Adv.
Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald is a Board Certified Dermatologist located in Larchmont Village with a special focus on anti-aging technology. She is a member of the Botox Cosmetic National Education Faculty and is an international Training Physician for Dermik, the makers of the injectable Sculptra. She is also among a select group of physicians chosen from around the world to teach proper injection techniques for Radiesse, the volumizing filler. Dr. Fitzgerald is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. Visit online at www.RebeccaFitzgeraldMD.com or call (323) 464-8046 to schedule an appointment.
COMMUNITY members meet with DA candidate Nathan Hochman (left) at Le Pain Quotidien on Larchmont.
NATHAN HOCHMAN
LARCHMONT CHARTER students on the Selma campus shake hands with Mayor Karen Bass. Photo by Dave DuMonde
Ecclesia Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church
Dr. Stephan Hoeller
Meet elegant Bogart, fun-loving Remy and so many more
By Suzan Filipek
Here they are again! Larchmont’s favorite pets. Many enjoy regular visits to Tailwaggers on Larchmont, as well as other shops, for treats.
Royal Beto, a Cavalier King Charles, lives with Michelle and Jenny Shimizu on North Arden Blvd.
Hawthorne “Bob” Banson, 3, is a husky/terrier mix who loves taking walks (especially to Tailwaggers) and diving for balls at the beach. He is a world cheese connoisseur, Jerica Banson and Riley Berkebile, of Wilton Place, tell us.
Frasier, “the sweetest cat with the most calm and happy disposition, loves people
and his mouse toy!” Jamie Gordon Stenholm and Erik Stenholm, of North Rossmore Avenue, tell us.
Pablo stands tall with Seth Kaplan and Moira Kelly, of North Gower Street.
Tiger Lilly lives on Beachwood Drive with Beth and
Kent Valandra.
Buddy, a sheepadoodle, enjoys the good life with Linda and Ron Marks on South June Street.
“Wonderful” Charlie loves walking down Larchmont every day, grabbing coffee at Go Get ’Em Tiger, stopping
for a treat at Tailwaggers, and enjoying the great outdoors, Morgan and Jeff Kaye of Norton Avenue tell us.
Remy has energy to burn. He lives on Westminster Avenue, where he has fun with Monica Chritton and Kyle Epstein.
Darling Pucci is still spry and super active, Steven Steinman and Doris Berger, of North Las Palmas Avenue, tell us.
Al supervises the other cats and also the humans on North Gower, Joshua Tompkins and (Please turn to Page 11)
BETO
BUDDY
TIGER LILLY
HAWTHORNE
CHARLIE
FRASIER
REMY is on the move.
Photo by Tim Lawson
PABLO
TOP CAT on Gower, AL
PUCCI
Pets
(Continued from Page 10)
Annissa Lui tell us.
Carl enjoys his Miracle Mile neighborhood with Meghan Bernstein, who works at Marlborough School.
Ruddy and Penny get around with Troy Zien and Gabby Lane of North Cherokee Avenue.
Jackie Gonzalez’s “little baguette,” long-haired dachshund Desmond, is a proud resident of South Sycamore Avenue.
Finn and Eloise relax with Liliana Lopez on South Citrus Avenue.
“Murphy is not just a good boy, but a love,” Max Terr tells us. “He is always excited to see the people he cares about.” He was adopted by the Hoyer / Terr family on Ridgewood Wilton last year.
Rescue pup Chief lives on North Beachwood Drive with Kelly Skipper.
Cleo stays with Alex Morrison on North Las Palmas Avenue.
Rob and Carlos are the proud parents of Gordissimo “Gordo” (a.k.a. the Mayor of
Larchmont)! They all live on South Lucerne Boulevard. Bogart adds elegance to
Chris and Cheryl Augustine’s home on Elmwood Avenue.
“Matisse is a full-of-life
10-month-old Havanese. When he isn’t walking the (Please turn to Page 12)
CARL
RUDDY, PENNY
ELOISE
FINN CLEO
MATISSE enjoys Tailwaggers for treats. BOGART
GORDO, aka the Mayor of Larchmont.
Pets
(Continued from Page 11)
neighborhood with his best buddies, he is hanging out on Larchmont,” Adrienne and Stephen Cole, on Beachwood Drive, tell us.
A trio of fun, Franklin, Emmet and Oscar live on South
PICTURE OF NOVA was taken in Lorna Duyn’s N. Bronson Avenue neighborhood. “I couldn’t resist snapping a pic of
Arden Boulevard with Peter Golden and Ty Williams.
Canela, 6, is a malamute/ husky mix who lives with Luis and Sabrina Sakay on Maplewood Avenue.
Elton John (a black labradoodle) and Shepherd Rose (a shepherd mix) enjoy life on North Plymouth Boulevard with David Strah and Brad Brefeld.
“My gorgeous Sophie is nearly 5 and continues to be the center of my world,” Susan Goodman, of Plymouth
Boulevard, tells us.
Fritz is the new pal of Brian and Stephanie Morehouse on South Bronson Avenue.
Daisy stands proud in her Wilton Drive neighborhood with Neil and Beate McDermott. The standard poodle is 3 1/2.
Precious Maltese Melrose, 11, “loves walking around the neighborhood with our family,” Danielle Rago, of North Plymouth Boulevard, tells us, with Darren Hochberg and kids Oliver, 4, and Julian, 1 1/2.
“Nova, 3, is a rescue from the Palmdale shelter. She loves her friend Bucky on North Plymouth, the occasional banana treat and — when I’m careless — my lip balm,” Lorna Duyn says.
Muddy lives on North Rossmore Avenue with Mark Gold. His friend Cassidy, a golden, often visits.
Cody, Methos and Bucky of North Gower Street always celebrate the Pets of Larch-
mont, R. Adrian Alix tells us. An adorable rescue, Rocket, works in the Larchmont Chronicle office building. Her feline brother, Chewy, prefers to lounge at home on Bronson and Clinton, Philip Ramos tells us.
Kokomo’s name is inspired by the Beach Boys song, Eu-
(Please turn to Page 13)
FRANKLIN, EMMET, OSCAR
CANELA
ELTON JOHN and SHEPHERD ROSE
FRITZ
her in front of this sign. LOL!”
GORGEOUS SOPHIE
DAISY
MUDDY with best pal CASSIDY
MELROSE
ROCKET works near the Larchmont Chronicle; “brother” CHEWY (below) lounges at home.
CODY, METHOS and BUCKY
Pets
(Continued from Page 12)
gene Ahtirski tells us of his Boston terrier. They reside on Larchmont Boulevard.
Audrey and Willie reside on La Vista Court in Larchmont.
“Willie and I have made it a tradition to stroll through the
Village daily for the past 12 years,” Michael Soriano tells us. “Our walks have not only kept us healthy, but have also fostered numerous friendships along the way, adding a delightful layer of warmth to our routine.”
Julia Lin and Calvin Larson, of Norton Avenue, also take walks to Larchmont. They bring Minerva “to get
ice cream at Bacio di Latte, coffee at Bricks & Scones and especially a nice visit to Topo Designs!”
Instagram star Miles lives with Lynn Chen and Abe Forman-Greenwald on Bronson Avenue.
Luna, a miniature pinscher, serves as Chief of
Security at the California Center for Psychedelic Therapy on Larchmont Boulevard, Brooke Balliett tells us. “We love spending every day in Larchmont and can be seen often walking up and down the Boulevard or surrounding streets.”
Felines Stanley and Stella enjoy the sunlight on Beachwood Drive with Melanie and Ron Mulligan.
Francis and Kramer are best buddies, Kathleen Losey of Norton Avenue, tells us. You can see Butsi strolling through Larchmont Village throughout the week, Myra Batac tells us of her pug. “Although she might use her
(Please turn to Page 14)
• Preschool program for children 2 to 5½.
• Creative activities to encourage cognitive & social development including art, music, movement & play
• Experienced teachers devoted to fostering self-esteem in a safe nurturing environment
• Over 50 years serving the neighborhood
KOKOMO takes it slow, after the Beach Boys.
AUDREY and WILLIE (right).
MINERVA
MILES
LUNA
BUTSI
COOPER
FRANCIS, KRAMER
STANLEY, STELLA
Pets
(Continued from Page 13)
big buggy eyes to persuade passersby for a sweet treat, her enthusiastic greetings are almost always out of her genuine love for people and making their days.”
Cooper has a ball on North Lucerne Blvd., Sheyna Smith tells us.
Plato and Theo live with the Botnicks on South Windsor Boulevard.
WILLETT, ORBIE
Desmond enjoys life on North Lucerne, Rachel Marmor tells us.
New best friends to their seven-month-old son, Luke, are Willett and Orbie, Gabriela Lopez Stahl and Tyler Stahl of North Arden Blvd. tell us.
Toby and Petunia grace the O’Rourke family home in the Larchmont Village neighborhood.
Phoebe lives with the Smith family on North Beachwood Drive.
Chappy, a sweet goldendoodle, is adored by the Rubinson family in Brookside. And, there you have this year’s Pets of Larchmont. Thanks to everyone for sharing photos of their very best friends!
Local dog trainer brings upgraded level of companionship
By Casey Russell Maximilian Schlossberg
of Windsor Village is a sought-after CCPDT (Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) trainer. Known as The Max Dog Trainer, Max found a special connection with dogs at an early age. Diagnosed with severe scoliosis, Schlossberg wore a full orthopedic body brace starting at age 12 until age 17. During those
years, he was grateful for the company of his mom’s golden retriever and his dad’s German shepherd. “They weren’t mean or judgy, and they didn’t tease me. It was invaluable, to say the least,” he told us.
Having found such a special level of companionship with dogs himself, Schlossberg aims to help his clients form special bonds with their canine family members. Though he’s been
training dogs for almost a decade and is now booked more than a month out, he doesn’t take his success for granted. He started out as a kennel assistant, apprenticing with Jonathon Klein, a master trainer. Schlossberg’s shift started at 5:30 a.m. He would watch Klein train… and cleaned a lot of kennels. The apprentice worked his way up to being an assistant and then a trainer.
When Schlossberg was ready to go out on his own, he made sure to honor the non-compete contract he’d signed and ended up finding most of his clients through Craigslist. Frugal living was the name of the game while he was building up his client list, but as word of mouth spread, his schedule became busier, and clients sought him out. He now has a Fave Award on Nextdoor and five-star ratings on bark.com, Facebook and Thumbtack.
Schlossberg told us people seek training for three main reasons: puppies (peeing, destroying, nipping), basic obedience (not coming, jumping, pulling on the leash, counter surfing) and behavior modification (aggression, anxiety and reactivity).
“I have conversations with clients before we even start so that our ideals and values are aligned,” he said.
The trainer believes the point of training is to live a much richer, fuller life with your dog. That translates to a pet that can easily and effortlessly fit into your life. “I’m a lot of people’s third or fourth trainer. But after I work with their dogs, they don’t need more,” he said.
Most of the time, Schlossberg works with his canine clients for an hour, one day a week for two months. He gives people homework to do with their dogs, and they often text back and forth with him. “You can’t shortcut the practice,” he said. The trainer told us that the amount of change that is seen in the first three sessions is nowhere near the changes seen in the
last five sessions. The lessons settle in and are built upon. Schlossberg focuses on ensuring that the maintenance of the training is simple for people to put into their daily lives. “The easier I make the upkeep, the more likely people are to keep doing it. Then the dogs retain the training,” he said.
Past clients send him updates and pictures showing their four-legged family members still doing what they’ve been taught. “It tells me that the dog and the owner got it,” he said.
When asked what he likes best about his job, Schlossberg replied, “I love seeing the positive effect of my work in people’s lives. You really feel like you’re of service. You feel like what you’re doing is making a difference in the world. And I get to see dogs every day!” he said.
Email Schlossberg at themaxdogtrainer@gmail. com or visit the maxdogtrainer.com.
THEO
PHOEBE
CHAPPY
TOBY and PETUNIA
DARIUS the dog gets some love from Max.
Dr. Ciganek
(Continued from Page 1)
He hadn’t found a buyer as of mid-June, but he remains hopeful.
While there was little interest before, once the word got out, “people have been coming out of the woodwork.”
Most veterinarian practices are corporate run, he explained, similar to medical practices. If a large firm stepped in, it would require him to stay on for many years and involve more veterinarians than the few now working part-time at the clinic.
It’s hard to find vets, Ciganek explained. Most gravitate to-
ward specialty practices.
His staff of 15, which includes techs and receptionists, has been trimmed back in recent months to prepare for the closure.
He plans to continue to own the clinic property as well as the Barking Lot pet store a few addresses north, which he opened many years ago.
Besides a bevy of dogs and cats, in his earlier years, he treated birds and a few reptiles.
“I enjoy working with birds; they are magnificent creatures,” he said.
He worked with turkeys and hawks and other raptors in his college years, where he found his calling while working part-time for a vet and
plans to retire.
going on farm calls.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota, he
Lotus Festival at Echo Park Lake returns in July
By Casey Russell
Echo Park Lake will be filled with color and light July 13 and 14 as Lotus Festival returns.
Presented by the City of Los Angeles’ Dept. of Recreation and Parks, the event will be celebrated with multiple paper
Classes for you and your dog; teach ‘sit,’ manners, more
Numerous local and nearby places offer dog training classes.
West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club offers a variety of training classes for people and their dogs. These include obedience, rally, nose work, conformation and agility. Six-week group classes start at $135 and are held at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, on Motor Avenue near Pico Boulevard. Visit wlaotc.com.
Petco offers classes at 8161 Beverly Blvd. and other store locations. Six-week group classes are offered for puppies through adulthood at $149. Visit petco.com.
lantern launches both days.
This year’s version, called the Lights of Dreams Festival, will focus on celebrating the people and culture of the Philippines.
In the Philippines, lanterns symbolizing hope, joy and light triumphing over darkness traditionally decorate streets, homes, malls and buildings during the country’s Giant Lantern Festival. The festival is being adapted for Lotus Festival, and organizers hope the event will bring families and friends together to “celebrate
the meaning of life and spread hope, peace and dreams.”
Tickets range from $25 to $35 and include a paper lantern kit, an LED candle, marking pens and other lantern-decorating items. Tickets are required to participate in the lantern launch, but everyone is welcome to enjoy the boutique and food vendors and walk around the park during the festival, even if tickets are sold out.
To register, visit eventbrite. com and search for the Lights of Dreams Festival. Echo Park Lake is at 751 Echo Park Ave.
Golf tournament tees off July 22
By Casey Russell
The Fairfax High School Alumni Association will hold a golf tournament Mon., July 22, at the Calabasas Country Club to kick off the school’s centennial celebrations.
Registration will begin at 8 a.m., and players will begin teeing off at 10 a.m. An awards buffet will take place when the tournament concludes.
Those who sign up through June 30 will pay $750 for a
Pediatric Dentistry
foursome and $200 for a single player. From July 1 to July 20, a foursome will pay $825, and a single player will pay $220. For more information, visit fairfaxhigh100.org.
came to Los Angeles to visit a friend, and the sunny weather lured him to stay.
As Larchmont Boulevard got busier and parking became scarcer, he purchased a property two lots up the street and opened the Barking Lot.
He’s looking forward to having more time to himself, which includes spending time with his wife, three dogs
and three cats, alternating between their Hancock Park home and a ranch in Redlands. Ciganek also plans to continue to work in the veterinarian field as a volunteer, perhaps, and to work more on his classic cars.
When we met Dr. Ciganek in June 2019 — his 42nd year at the clinic — his services had grown to include X-ray and blood chemistry machines and a dedicated surgery suite.
“Everything’s changed. It’s more sophisticated. The quality of care has gone way up,” he told us at the time.
“When I first got out of school, there weren’t any emergency clinics, so you had emergencies at odd hours and in the middle of the night,” Ciganek recalled.
While emergency hospitals are prevalent today and veterinary care has grown on a par with modern medicine, what hasn’t changed at the local clinic is old-fashioned care.
Family day of service with Assistance League July 27
By Nona Sue Friedman
The Assistance League of Los Angeles (ALLA) has started its annual school supply drive for thousands of low-income, homeless and foster children. The campaign began June 1 and culminates with a family day of service on Sat., July 27, at ALLA headquarters, 6640 Sunset Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ALLA hopes to collect 4,000 new school supplies, which is 800 more than last year. Need-
ed are school basics, such as pens, pencils, rulers and crayons. These will be distributed through ALLA’s school programs, such as Operation School Bell, Preschool Learning Center and Foster Children’s Resource Center. Volunteers are also needed to pack and organize. Visit the event page at campsite.bio/ fds24. There are buttons for an Amazon gift list, monetary donations and to RSVP for the service day.
THE WALTHER PRESCHOOL
Are you looking for a Pre-School that gives great attention to the uniqueness of each and every child?
Do you want a school that you trust to keep your child safe while developing exceptional social grace?
Are you seeking a place where children and adults respect each other?
have found it in the Walther School
We offer tours and look forward to meeting you!
NEARLY 50 YEARS after setting up shop on Larchmont, Dr. Jan Ciganek
Making Caring Common in the Los Angeles Unified School District
By Casey Russell
Making Caring Common (MCC), which was developed through the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is being piloted locally at Third Street Elementary School. The program aims to give K through 12 students tools for building a kind, caring and just community and world.
Jocelyn Minton, mother of a second grade student at Third Street, heard about MCC through a family friend and fell in love with the idea of bringing the Social Emotional Learning program to the Los Angeles Unified
School District (LAUSD). Minton connected LAUSD with Harvard and with Third Street, and the program is now in its second year at the elementary school. Kindness activities
Kindness classes are an integral part of the MCC curriculum, and during the 2022-2023 school year, teachers worked hard to take on the additional instruction at Third Street. But, while there was wide support for the program, it was clear that adding more to teachers’ plates was not the best strategy.
So this year, more than 50 parent volunteers stepped up to teach kindness. Once a month, two parent volunteers visit each of the school’s K-5 classes to teach students about kindness, caring, good character and empathy. “The program is at the heart of what parents want,” said Minton. “Lots of parents have said, ‘It’s a great reminder for me.’”
A student council has also been formed of students elected by their peers. Members wear yellow hats so their peers will know who they are and can always be turned to for help.
A kindness box is located by the lunch tables. School members witnessing a student doing a kind deed can put the deed-doer’s name in the box. Once a week, on “Kindness Monday,” a name gets drawn, and that person receives a free coupon to Levain Bakery on Larchmont Boulevard.
Children’s kind actions are also recognized at the school’s monthly Spirit Day, and those who have done kind acts are given prizes that Minton acquires from local businesses — such as goodies from Jeni’s Ice Cream, Salt & Straw, Levain, Burger Lounge and Bacio di Latte. Teachers are also recognized and can receive drinks from Starbucks and gift certificates to Great White, Healing Hands, Bellacures, Village Pizzeria, Peet’s Coffee, Holey Grail Donuts, Angelini and even some hotel vouchers.
Baking for kindness
Levain recently hosted two cookie baking workshops: one for Third Street teachers and one for students who faculty had noticed being consistently kind.
Local LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin has been a champion of the program. His role, he told us, has been to amplify the work being done and to spread it. “I’ve seen the program. Third Street has such a great community. The spirit of kindness has spread throughout the school,” he said.
a lot of interest from parents who want to ensure LAUSD schools are helping kids graduate with more than just academic acuity. Caregivers are hoping schools will also focus on character.
The Social Emotional Learning program is starting to spread. Fairfax High School’s principal, Leonard Choi, has a child who attends Third Street, so he has seen the program in action. This semester, the high school is implementing MCC. Junior and senior students are being trained to be mentors for freshmen and sophomores.
Melvoin believes the LAUSD board would be receptive to taking the program district-wide. “The board is aligned on wanting to make good people. We teach math, but we can also teach stuff like this — the metacognitions of [students] seeing how their actions affect other people.”
Witnessing how Minton has got the community involved has inspired Melvoin to think about how this could spread to other communities. He sees the possibility of making schools hubs of communities, with community members getting involved.
For now, two local schools are partnering with local businesses and some very committed parents to make caring common and to make the world a little better — one act of kindness at a time.
New Covenant Academy
By Sue Jung Park 12th Grade
Melvoin is working to help make connections to other schools. “This is a great way to accomplish some of our social emotional learning goals,” he said. The board has heard
For New Covenant Academy, June and July are months of laughter and fun with the summer enrichment program! Various courses and electives are offered in this program, including Esports, basketball, and many more!
For high school students, the Summer Strength and Conditioning Training Program was introduced. It allowed the students to enhance their physical fitness and improve their athletic performance in sports. They were also granted the opportunity to take UC courses. These courses are online and UC-approved, allowing students to earn college credit and a boost in their GPAs.
The younger Huskies will make great memories through summer school and field trips! One notable day is the annual NCA Summer Festival. Various games, delicious food, jumpers and a water slide definitely excited the students throughout the day! Through the program, everyone is able to create closer relationships with their peers and gain knowledge and interests in various areas.
BAKING WORKSHOP drew (left to right,) Lana Bazire, Brianna Clery, Jocelyn Minton and Amelie Jeter.
Loyola boys’ volleyball team wins CIF Division I title — again
Loyola High School’s boys varsity volleyball team looks more like a college basketball lineup; five of the six starters are 6 feet, 4 inches or taller, with a pair topping out at 6 feet, 7 inches.
Very few athletes ever get the opportunity to compete for a state title, and of those who do, only half walk away as state champions. The Loyola Cubs swept Mira Costa 25-21, 25-22 and 25-21 at Cerritos College on May 18 to win the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section state title. This was the school’s 13th CIF Southern Section title, which is a CIF record.
Reigning king
To anyone unfamiliar with volleyball, the game might look unorganized; a frantic scramble to clobber the ball over the net so the other six guys can then engage in some mad-dashery themselves.
Actually, it’s extremely or-
ganized, and each player has a specific position and purpose.
Senior Sean Kelly plays outside hitter, which is usually the tallest player on the team (Sean is 6 feet, 7 inches). This is volleyball’s glamorous position and is generally the player who spikes the ball and scores. These are called “kills,” and in Loyola’s state championship game against Mira Costa, Kelly had 15 of them.
The UCLA men’s volleyball team, which defended its NCAA title last month, is certainly lucky. Kelly will be playing for them next year. He was the top high school recruit in the country and recently
Goldie’s wraps up its season carnival-style
By Nona Sue Friedman
Goldie’s Youth
Sports
(GYS) ended its spring basketball season June 9 with final day festivities in a carnival atmosphere that included championship games, a video montage of the season, tacos and an ice cream and donut truck.
The Chronicle caught up with the Division 1 team, comprised of the oldest girls (13 to 16 years old), that won the championship this season. The team has made it to the finals before, but this was their first win. According to a smiling, proud and thrilled Fiona Baron of Larchmont Village, “We had an undefeated season.”
GYS is an all-girl recreational basketball league that provides a safe space for girls ages 6 to 16 to build leadership skills and strengthen their confidence. GYS encourages experienced play-
ers to become counselors in training and then to co-coach younger teams.
The next GYS season takes place in the fall at St. Brendan School, 238 S. Manhattan Pl. Sign-ups start in late August. Visit goldiesyouthsports.com to register.
was named the CIF Player of the Year. This was the second season in a row he’s won the honor. The last Loyola player to be named Player of the Year twice in a row was Parker Blackman in 1985 and ’86.
“Sean will go down as the best volleyball player to ever come out of Loyola,” said Head Coach Michael Boehle.
National champions
This is the last year the California boys’ volleyball state tournament will have a northern and southern champ. Next year, there will be just one tournament to determine a single state champion. But for anyone wondering if Loyola could have defeated the Northern Section champs, consider this: AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) and USA Today recently named Loyola this year’s national champions.
“We’re having that put on our championship rings,” said Boehle.
Another Loyola senior who will be playing in college is outside hitter Emmett Martin. He’s 6 feet, 4 inches and has received a volleyball scholarship from UC Santa Barbara. Parker Schloss was co-MVP of the league with teammate Sean Kelly.
Other Cubs named to the allleague team included Johnny Gosser, Simon Capps, Hugh Vandeweghe, Kai Klein and Emmett Martin.
Defending champions
Coach Boehle has a lot to look forward to next season. Juniors Simon Capps and Kai Klein return, as does Johnny Gosser, a freshman who plays libero, which is a defensive specialist. And for size, outside hitter Blake Fahlbusch, a sophomore, is 6 feet 7 inches.
The Cubs are in good hands with Boehle. On May 5, the
head coach was inducted into the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame. He’s coached at Loyola for 26 years, and he was the 2023 National Coach of the Year. His teams have won seven CIF Division I titles, a record five SoCal regional titles, and four national championships. Boehle also owns Manhattan Beach Surf Volleyball Club in the South Bay, which offers competitive boys’ volleyball teams for ages 12-18 that puts them through high-level coaching and training.
In a 1992 Los Angeles Times article about the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Pro Beach Tour, Boehle, who played on the circuit at the time, was interviewed.
“If volleyball’s not for me, I’ll go back to school, coach, teach,” he said at the time.
It’s a good thing for Loyola that volleyball was not for Boehle.
DIVISION 1 CHAMPS are all smiles after an undefeated season. Left to right: Michael Cassidy, Hancock Park; Eleanor, Erica and co-coach Sam Pitman, Windsor Square; and Avery and Betsy Cavalier of Larchmont Village.
CHAMPION and counselor in training, Fiona Baron of Larchmont Village, is with her father, Ari, at the end-of-season party.
TEAM PHOTO: The 2024 Southern Section boys’ volleyball state champion Loyola High School with its team plaque and individual awards.
Photo: Jason Cruz
SEAN KELLY in his usual spot, getting ready to spike the ball. Photo: Brody Hannon
Youth Sports by Jim Kalin
Replacing ‘no’ with words that invite better communication
By Casey Russell
I was listening to a brilliant explanation by author Joe Dispenza recently, illustrating why 2-year-olds say “No!” so often.
He explained that humans have something called mirror neurons in our brains and
that, without even realizing it, we often take advantage of these with our young children. When we are spoon-feeding babies, we open our own mouths. We are the mirror for what we want our children to do. Dispenza explained that the act of observing the par-
ent primes the circuits in our children’s brains. This is called selection and instruction. We create environments that help our children emulate our behavior.
Oops…
dren become much more mobile. With this new mobility they are able to get into many things as they explore the world with their hands, mouths and bodies. During this early exploration time, as Dispenza says in his explanation, our children often hear us say things like, “No! Don’t put that in your mouth!” or, “No, don’t touch that!” So… when they turn 2 and more of their verbal abilities come online, how do we often hear them respond to us? “No!” We have unwittingly taught them, over the past year of their lives, exactly how to respond. Oops.
Tips on Parenting by
Casey Russell
Now, as many of us know, between ages 1 and 2, childoesn’t it? Let’s go get some after your soccer game on Saturday.” If your child wants to go over to the neighbor’s house to play but hasn’t yet cleaned up her room / finished her homework / whatever… you can say, “Sure! After you finish your homework, you can go play there for a little while.” These simple shifts in phrasing can make a huge difference in how your child hears you and responds.
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Here’s the thing: No is an important word for children to hear while growing up. When a child is in class and asks if she can go to the bathroom for the fourth time in an hour, she needs to listen and sit down when the teacher says, “No.” When our children become teens or adults and a date says, “No,” they need to know absolutely that this is not an invitation to negotiate.
But saying words like “no,” “stop” and “don’t” too often can be detrimental. Sometimes in parent/child relationships, simply saying these words can create a subconscious power struggle. These words can also limit communication, because they are an end to a conversation — an end that not only means we never hear the deeper feeling or need behind our child’s request, but that also means he may not hear the reason behind our denial of his request. Additionally, words that are overused often become ineffective. And words like “no” definitely become ineffective if we do not enforce those words when we do say them.
A different way of speaking
So how can we change the way we speak and still guide our children’s behavior? In succinct sentences, we can begin by acknowledging the feeling or want the child has. Often we can also let her know that, although the want can’t be met at the moment, it will come to fruition sometime soon. For example, if your child asks if you two can stop and get ice cream after school, you can say, “Ooh! Ice cream sounds so delicious,
Behavioral redirection
With behavioral redirection, it’s great to practice replacing “Don’t” with “Please.” Let’s say you want your child to stop yelling and you say, “Don’t yell!” First of all, parents often raise their voices while saying these words — which means we are doing exactly what we are telling our children not to do. Secondly, specific demands also leave a lot of wiggle room. Can the child still scream, groan or throw something? Instead of leaving options open to them, we can calmly direct our children toward a different choice: “Please speak more quietly so we can really understand each other.” If your child is kicking the soccer ball indoors, try saying, “Please take the ball outside to play with it.” When your child is taking her sweet time ending an activity although you’ve asked her to get ready for bed, “Stop stalling,” can be rephrased as, “Please put your Legos away so we’ll have time for books before sleep.” When she wants you Sometimes we find ourselves saying “No” or “I can’t” or “I’m busy!” when our children want us to spend time with them. Although it can be frustrating to be interrupted with “Can you play with me?,” we can find a way to continue with what we need to do while preserving the feeling of connection our child desires. Rather than responding with “Not right now,” or “You
Chevalier’s Books seeks to become a community hub
By Nona Sue Friedman Chevalier’s Books,
at 133 N. Larchmont Blvd., wants to make its shop a hub for the community, according to the store’s new general manager, Mackenzie “Mack” Van Engelenhoven. “We want people [of all ages] to gather, learn and socialize at the store.” In March, she became the manager of the oldest independent bookstore in Los Angeles. It opened in 1940.
Van Engelenhoven got her master’s degree in children and young adult literature from Simmons College in Boston. While in graduate school, she started selling books to help pay her tuition. She thought she’d eventually move to New York City and get a flashy job in publishing. However, she fell in love with selling books and hasn’t stopped.
For the past 10 years, she’s worked at various independent bookstores across the country. She moved to Los Angeles after the pandemic, and she writes novels as Mackenzie Lee. In October 2022, she wandered into Chevalier’s looking for seasonal work, and she never left.
“I’m very passionate about small businesses. I love Larchmont and feel so lucky to have stumbled upon the area when I moved to Los Angeles. I’m extremely happy to be here,” Van Engelenhoven says. She also thinks the staff at Chevalier’s is terrific.
She and her assistant manager, Nat Eastman, have plenty of events lined up at the store to entice customers to stay awhile and meet each other. For children, there is story time on Saturdays and Sundays at 11
Parenting Tips
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can see I’m working!” Say, “I’d love to! I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done with my Zoom call.”
It takes practice to shift to speaking in new ways. But, by becoming aware of the language we’re using, we can make subtle changes. We just may find that boundaries become clearer, power struggles lessen and our relationships with our children are strengthened.
Women of Larchmont
Our annual section, which has honored local women since 1965, will appear in the August issue of the Larchmont Chronicle tising deadline is Mon., July 8. For more informa tion, contact Pam Rudy, 323-4622241, ext. 11.
a.m. and a summer reading club where they receive a free book after reading 10 books.
Thursday afternoons at 2 p.m., kids make craft proj-
ects. For teens, there is a zine (short for fanzine, as in “fan magazine”) section in-store to browse, and adults have a monthly book club.
In addition to the store’s robust roster of events with in-store appearances by authors, Van Engelenhoven is planning a trivia night and partnering with Typewriter Connection, a local resource, for an evening of progressive story-writing created the
old-fashioned way — on a typewriter.
To keep track of all the ongoing events, Van Engelenhoven recommends signing up for the store’s newsletter at chevaliersbooks.com. You can also spot her on the Boulevard with her St. Bernard, Queenie.
Providing Advanced
NEW MANAGER at Chevalier’s Books, Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven, stands surrounded by bookshelves in the store.
DOGS OF CHEVALIER’S adorn the wall of the local bookstore after posing for their Polaroid moments.
A lotta flavor at Little Fatty Taiwanese restaurant, bar, market
Although I’ve traversed Venice Boulevard many times, I’ve never focused on the part that bisects the Mar Vista neighborhood. Formerly a sleepy area, the boom in development in Silicon Beach, Los Angeles’ version of Silicon Valley (which includes Mar Vista), has brought an infusion of tech industry professionals, other young people and upscale eateries and cafés. The trifecta of Little Fatty restaurant, Accomplice Bar and Fatty Mart, ensconced at the corner of Venice and Grand View boulevards, is among the best.
Chef David Kuo attended the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena and worked under Wolfgang Puck and Jean-Georges Vongerichten before opening his first Mar Vista restaurant, Status Kuo, in 2014, which morphed into Little Fatty two years later.
Accomplice Bar, an attached room with a separate entrance
but the same menu, was added in 2016. In May 2023 Kuo opened Fatty Mart around the corner, a market with aisles of colorfully packaged Asian foods and a café offering such items as a $6 mapo tofu pizza slice, $10 fried chicken sandwiches, $14 Taiwanese breakfast rolls and full brunch options on weekends. Chef Kuo chose the name “Little Fatty” because it is the translation of his childhood nickname, Xiao Pang. Apparently he always loved food!
My husband and I ate at Little Fatty, the restaurant side of the double concept, then walked around the wood bar dividing the space into the Accomplice Bar side for an after-dinner drink. Both are unfussy, casual and appealing. They each have black walls and wood tables, but the restaurant side uses acoustic bricks as design elements, affixed perpendicularly to the
On the Menu by
Helene Seifer
ceiling, for a modern aesthetic. The bar room has one wall of booths and a touch of fun with a turquoise, orange and white stylized mural depicting people in a restaurant. There are a few tables along the sidewalk in front.
The cocktail list is extensive, with 31 listed, nearly all with unusual and intriguing ingredients. The $16 Magician includes vermouth, St. Germain, lemongrass, mastiha (liqueur seasoned with resin from a Mediterranean evergreen tree) and ashwaganda (an anti-inflammatory shrub found in India, Africa and the Middle East). The Creator, also
$16 (cocktails run from $14 to $20), includes gin, rhubarb cordial, avocado leaf, Mt. Rigi (a Swiss floral aperitif), damiana (Mexican herbal liqueur) and hoja santa oil (extract from the Mexican pepperleaf plant). They also offer four mocktails, beer, wine and flights of whiskey. We arrived during happy hour, so we tried two $10 drinks: the lemon drop with vodka, blueberry, lemon and genepy (mountain sage Alpine liqueur) and a midori sour, with white rum, shochu, cucumber and lemon. We selected off-menu espresso martinis (instead of the menu-listed nitro espresso with Scotch, the Italian amaro Montenegro, Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout and apricot) for our postprandial treat. At Little Fatty, for dinner, we ordered the happy hour egg rolls ($5) to munch while we perused the regular menu. The crunchy rolls were very
good. The cabbage and mixed vegetable filling is crisper and fresher tasting than most, and the dipping sauce, although it had sweetness, was not the cloying duck sauce offered at so many other Asian restaurants. There are many appealing dishes and we ordered more than we needed for the two of us. We passed on the scallion pancakes and squid ink xiao long bao (soup dumplings) but ordered $18 shrimp-and-pork wontons in a delicious chili vinaigrette. The wontons were al dente, the filling flavorful, and the vinaigrette lent the perfect pucker and heat. Also very satisfying was the beef roll ($22). Thin sliced cooked beef was wrapped in a crispy scallion pancake, cut into four large portions and served with a comforting hot pot broth for dipping.
The menu includes many familiar dishes, from Kung Pao Chicken and Shaking Beef to Dan Dan Mian and garlic noodles. We ordered $21 XO Fatty noodles, which combined rolled rice noodles with bean sprouts, garlic chives and XO sauce (spicy seafood-flavored sauce). We were happy we had some left over to enjoy the next day at home. A restrained version of walnut shrimp was wonderful. Instead of being overrun with goopy mayonnaise, the meaty shrimp were sparingly dunked in the condiment before being rolled in sesame seeds for frying. The sweet and savory crunchy crustaceans were complemented by earthy candied walnuts and the bright vegetable crunch of sliced watermelon radish. The $23 dish was served with orange wedges over a mound of shredded raw red cabbage.
After our espresso martinis, we walked around the corner to the bright orange-fronted Fatty Mart. At a few outside tables sat chatty friends who were digging into pizzas, sandwiches and Taiwanese specialties. Inside, aisles were filled with brightly colored packages of assorted flavors of Kit Kats and other candies and Lay’s potato chips in flavors not carried at one’s local Pavilions: Kobe beef, roasted pig and seaweed. There are all manner of noodles, instant ramen and kimchi. In addition to the ready-to-eat prepared dishes, there are meals such as bao buns and dumplings to cook at home. We bought some seaweed snacks and a bag of cappuccino-and-cream mochi chews.
Flavorful dinner, innovative drinks and exotic shopping. My idea of a perfect evening! Little Fatty and Accomplice Bar, 3809-3813 Grand View Blvd., 310-574-7610. Fatty Mart, 12210 Venice Blvd., 310-881-9577.
‘Les Mis’ is still storming the barricades in these repressive times
For the 40th anniversary of “Les Miserables,” Cameron Mackintosh has given permission to produce the mega-hit to 11 amateur theater companies in the U.K. A similar, limited release was made to U.S. amateurs in 2012. Since 2001, high schools have been allowed to present a reduced version of the work.
According to Music Theater International there have been more than 3,000 productions worldwide with over 150,000 students storming their Parisian barricades.
High school musicals are a staple of American communities — including the recent well-received local production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Hamilton High. The once-standard fare of Rodgers and Hammerstein, etc., has gradually given way to Sondheim and more adventurous programming, such as “Urinetown” or “Book of Mormon,” but not everywhere.
Over the past decade (and with increasing frequency), school boards have censored or canceled musicals ranging from “Legally Blonde” to “Spamalot.” (Shakespeare, August Wilson, Arthur Miller and The Laramie Project, among others, have been banned on the non-musical side.) Protesting parents and administrators state concerns over language, sexual themes, religion and race (often framed as “The community is not ready for this”) as the main reasons the show won’t go on. Kids who saw an opportunity for self-expression have had their hopes dashed. Teachers, who some would argue should know better, have been ostracized or fired. Fully 85 percent of drama teachers, according to the Educational Theater Association, have expressed concern about rising censorship in their districts.
All of which brings me to Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop, the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical about a Black, queer struggling author who works as an usher on Broadway, “writing a musical about a black, queer man who’s writing a musical about a black, queer man who’s writing a musical about a black, queer man, etc.” Ahmanson Theater through Sun., June 30; 213-628-2772; centertheatregroup.org.
This is not a play for all tastes. Most of the dialogue and lyrics could not be published in this paper. The frank presentation of gay and Black themes is both funny and shocking. Stinging critiques take aim at both Black and white pop culture icons. The hall-of-mirrors, self-aware analysis of the main character is, indeed, endless. Is this a production that should be
Theater
Review by Louis Fantasia
attended or avoided?
I found the cast and staging terrific, the lyrics brilliant, the music derivative and the book 20 minutes too long. The struggle for identity, creativity and love is universal — and clichéd. There are only so many times that the clichés can be used cleverly and ironically before becoming, well, clichés. I was more worn out than anything else by the end of the evening.
Would I defend a high school’s choice to present it?
It won the Pulitzer in 2020, after all. I don’t know.
Interestingly, six of the last
eight Pulitzers for drama have been plays about Black male identity, race or white privilege. Do these plays represent those local “communities” that may or may not “be ready for this,” whatever the “this” is? Is it art’s responsibility — let alone the responsibility of drama teachers and their students — to challenge those communities? Maybe the New York press and theater scene is simply feeding on its own endless loop?
In 1917, Jesse Lynch Williams won the very first Pulitzer Prize for Drama with “Why Marry?,” a Shavian parlor piece that the New York Times (12/26/1917) called “the most intelligent and searching satire on social institutions ever written by an American.” The following year, Eugene O’Neill won for “Beyond the Horizon.” Some plays are only of their
What to watch for
Two timely productions tackle the rise of fascism in pre-war Germany: “The Bauhaus Project,” by Tom Jacobson, July 12 through Aug. 18 at Atwater Village Theatre. (323) 882-6912; openfist.org.
Son of Semele and Victory Theatre co-premiere Jacobson’s “Crevasse,” July 26 through Aug. 18 at the Victory Theatre. (818) 841-5421; thevictorytheatrecenter.org.
The magical “Hope Theory” extends its run at Geffen’s Skirball Theater through July 14, while the West Coast premiere of “tiny father,” about friends with benefits, plays through July 14 on the Geffen’s main stage. (310) 208-2028; boxoffice@geffenplayhouse.org.
Mashing up ’50s psychodramas and ’60s surfer flicks, Charles Busch’s comedy “Psycho Beach Party” rocks at the Matrix through July 7. (323) 496-3390; horsechart. ludus.com.
moments, which is not a bad thing. Others last decades, or even centuries, which is even better.
Forty years from now would a drama teacher choose “Les Mis” over “A Strange Loop”?
Probably. Would the community guardians realize that the singers storming the barricades were young liberals protesting a repressive regime?
Probably not.
Presumed Innocent (9/10): Eight-part miniseries on Apple TV+. Based on Scott Turow’s novel, this is a remake of the 1990 blockbuster hit that grossed $221 million. Forget that movie; this is a compelling tale well-directed by Greg Yaitanes (five episodes) and Anne Sewitsky (three episodes). Jake Gyllenhaal plays Chicago prosecutor Rusty Sabich, who finds himself accused of the brutal rape and murder of fellow prosecutor Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve).
He is defended by former District Attorney Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp). But out to get him is the new DA, Nico Della Guardia (O-T Fagbenle), who assigns Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard) to prosecute.
The acting is top-notch. Sarsgaard gives an award-quality performance as the dogged
“bad guy” prosecutor, but so does Gyllenhaal as the inscrutable protagonist. That’s not to downplay the performances of the others, who are excellent, including Camp and Ruth Negga, who plays Rusty’s wife, Barbara, who is as much a victim here as Rusty. While I didn’t watch the entire series in one sitting, I did watch it in a short period of time because it grabbed me from the outset. However, Apple did not provide the final episode to the press, so I don’t know how it ends.
Hit Man (8/10): 115 minutes. R. Director Richard Linklater has been a mixed bag with me. I thought his three romances set in Paris — “Before Sunrise” (1995), “Before Sunset” (2004), and “Before Midnight” (2013) — were well-conceived but disappointing. However, his
“Me and Orson Welles” (2008) is one of the best films I’ve seen in the 21st century.
This is one of his better efforts. He takes the true story of a mild-mannered professor (Glen Powell) who somehow finds himself a faux hit man for his local police department that uses him to entrap people into hiring him to kill other people, and then charging and convicting them. That’s the true part.
The Hollywood part is that he gets romantically involved with one of his “clients” (Adria Arjona), and therein the story
Jazz vocalist, sax legend at Ebell July 14
By John Welborne
Do you remember the voice of Ella Fitzgerald? Nancy Wilson? Dinah Washington?
If you miss the thrill of those voices, Mary Stallings is coming to The Ebell on Sun., July 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. You may not know Stallings’ name, even though she has sung with Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Wes Montgomery, Ben Webster and Cab Calloway, simply because she interrupted her career, at age 33, to raise a family. When she returned to singing, at age 60,
the New York Times writer led his review with: “Perhaps the best jazz singer singing today is a woman almost everybody seems to have missed.”
Turning 85 in August, Stallings’ singing is still gold, and this may be your last opportunity to enjoy again the classic style of Ella, Nancy and Dinah.
Saxophone legend Houston Person, now 89, will be flying in from NYC to accompany Stallings (coming here from San Francisco), so your ears will be treated to two legends in one concert!
All of this is the product of the efforts of Los Angeles native and entrepreneur / financial advisor David Ross, who launched The Jazz Salon, a series of concerts at Los Angeles venues, in 2014. The series showcases both renowned and up-and-coming local jazz artists. It long has been housed at Downtown’s Los Angeles Athletic Club, but Ross now is experimenting with bringing the series to another historic venue in the center of town — The Ebell. Learn about tickets and more at: JazzSalon.org.
Flag Berry Pie
becomes Hollywood fiction. That’s OK, because Powell gives a sterling comedic performance masquerading as a killer, and Arjona is convincing enough as the gal who catches his heart. In theaters and on Netflix.
Firebrand (5/10): 120 minutes. R. Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII (Jude Law), is little known nor long remembered (Henry’s six: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived!). Director Karim Aïnouz tells the story of what must have been a remarkable woman.
Unfortunately, Hollywood raises its ugly head, and the story Aïnouz tells, while presenting some truth, adds a lot of unnecessary Hollywood embellishment. While it might make a reasonable fictional tale, the true story would be a lot better.
Law presents Henry as truly despicable, which might be true. While Vikander and Law give good performances, perhaps the best performance in the film is by Simon Russell Beale, who plays Stephen Gardiner, an obsequious toady who did his best to bring Katherine down.
The way Aïnouz tells it, the marriage was awful, and the way he depicts their “love-
making,” cringeworthy. The film is far too long and ends with an outlandish assertion, not supported by any facts of which I am aware.
The Nature of Love (3/10) July 12, Laemmle Royal. 112 minutes. NR. In French. This is apparently intended to be a rom-com, but director / scriptwriter Monia Chokri has a much different definition of both comedy and romance than me. Sophia (Magalie Lépine Blondeau) is in an apparently happy 10-year marriage to Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume) when she meets a sexy contractor, Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), and falls for him. Chokri tries to say she falls in love, but it looks more like falling in sex. With no seeming guilt, she pursues a relationship with him. Chokri apparently has no empathy with the cuckolded Xavier, who is almost immediately discarded from the story. There is little mention of how he reacts to his wife running off with another man. Chokri’s ignoring this part of the story shows a low appreciation of the effects of betrayal and unfaithfulness.
As to “comedy,” I didn’t see anything in the film that was remotely humorous. So it’s not romantic, and it’s not funny. What’s the point?
