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Articles by Michael Dijamco
Finding Peace in the Palisades
Nestled cliffside on Sunset Boulevard, the ornate grounds of the Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine have remained a community refuge since the 1950s, yet—even with its striking Mughal architecture and public gardens—few Palisadians know what actually goes on inside the temple’s gilded walls. “It’s a cult” or “a patchouli den for hippies” are two commonly held misconceptions.
PPBA Pinto All-Stars Reach Section Semifinals
It was an exciting week on the diamond for the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association’s Pinto 8U All-Stars, who showed heart, skill and determination throughout the Pony Section 2 playoffs at Los Amigos Park in Santa Monica. The squad opened the double-elimination tournament last Friday with a 19-5 victory over Cheviot Hills’ B team. In Saturday’s first game, Palisades fell to Norwalk, 11-8.
Fire Safety with LAFD
By ORION SPATAFORA | Special to the Palisadian-Post My name is Orion Spatafora and I have been a Boy Scout with Troop 223 in Pacific Palisades since 2012. We are one of the largest Boy Scout Troops in the United States, led by our scoutmaster, Michael Lanning, with over 150 scouts. Also many of the scout’s fathers volunteer, creating great support and mentoring. My current patrol has worked on and completed the Fire Safety Merit Badge.
Pali High Breaks Ground on Major Field Overhaul
Palisades Charter High School will finally break ground on its massive track and field replacement project this week—and the roughly $1.5 million renovations should just narrowly conclude in time for the school’s first home football game next year. That timeline appeared in doubt over the past two months, as Pali High administrators—who had been planning the project since early in the school year—anxiously awaited LAUSD approval for the overhaul.
Elkins Wins Mixed Doubles at Racquetball Junior Olympics
What a year it has been for Dane Elkins. In March, he became only the second player in 30 years to capture the top singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the USA Racquetball National High School Championships in St. Louis. Later that month, Elkins he took first place in the Boys 18s singles division at the CNRA Southern California Junior State Championships in Fountain Valley.
Post-Race Brunch Beverage
By Jordan Catapano and Jocelyn Dunn Muhlbach | Special to the Palisadian-Post July Fourth is one of our favorite holidays, especially in Pacific Palisades. We enjoy several traditions throughout the day, starting with the race and ending with the fireworks. But my favorite custom is definitely the post-race, potluck brunch. Ever since our kids were infants, we’ve gathered with other local families for the run, and followed it up with delicious food and drinks.
Withstanding the Heat With Gracias Señor
As record-breaking temperatures scorched Los Angeles County for the last two weekends in a row, Rodolfo Barrientos’ Palisadian-favored taco truck, Gracias Señor, was working hard to earn new fans at the DTLA Tacolandia food festival. On Saturday, June 17, the black, Dia de los Muertos-themed truck—often seen serving hungry lunch goers at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Carey Street—was busy preparing for its festival debut among some of LA’s finest taquerias.
Dollies Delivered to Malibu
Dollies Making A Difference, a Pacific Palisades-based nonprofit, has delivered stuffed Dollies and Teddy Bears all around the world, as far as Nepal, Mexico and even North Korea. Their latest stop was a bit more local: Malibu. For two weekends every summer, OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center hosts Camp Erin-Los Angeles for children ages 6 to 17 who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or guardian within the past three years.
The Scoop: How Our Junior Reporter Revealed ‘Caruso’s Greatest Secret’
The Identity of the Palisades Village Ice Cream Shop Gavin Alexander has all the attributes of a great reporter—charm, tenacity, clarity and, perhaps most importantly, the luck of asking the right person the right question at the right time. And, for many, one of the most important questions surrounding Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village project is not the parking or the grocery. It is simple: Who is going to be offering ice cream amid the manicured lawns next summer?
Beyond the Bittersweet Departure of Your College Freshman
By KAREN GOLDBERG | Special to the Palisadian-Post When you send your 18-year-old off to college, take the following steps to make sure you can still continue to help them when needed. Once your child turns 18, they are legally an adult and parents lose their legal authority to make decisions on their behalf. Academic information, medical directives and bank account access require authorization by your student before they leave for school.
Tinfoil Liquor & Grocery
That’s the only phrase you’ll really need to know to access the “secret” deli behind the closed door here at Tinfoil Liquor & Grocery on LA’s Eastside. Unlike West Hollywood’s Laurel Hardware, Tinfoil is not a restaurant assuming its previous incarnation in name only. It is, in fact, a full-service liquor and grocery store on the corner of a popular block of Figueroa in trending Highland Park.
Sean Gerald Daly
Sean Gerald Daly, of Ojai, Calif., passed away at home surrounded by his family on June 23, 2017, his 53rd birthday, after an almost three-year journey with cancer. Sean was born in Santa Monica, Calif., to Gerald and Bridget Daly, and was raised in Pacific Palisades. He attended Corpus Christi Catholic School, Palisades High, and he graduated from UCLA in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.
Dog Park Dream Team Sets to Work
The decades-long Palisadian dog park saga has budged another inch. This month marked the first meeting of the Pacific Palisades Dog Park Working Group, a committee tasked with finally making an off-leash puppy play area reality in a town with high demand. Community outcry for such a space—including a petition that gathered some 4,000 signatures last year—prompted District 11 City Councilmember Mike Bonin to create the Working Group last February.
Palisadian Entrepreneur Enters the Ring for Eviction Threat Customer
Asingle mother facing eviction no longer has to worry about leaving her apartment after Ring CEO and Founder Jamie Siminoff came to her aid. On May 31, Santa Monica resident Jessica Katz was surprised to find an eviction letter waiting in her mailbox after the property manager got wind that she had installed a Ring video doorbell near the peek-hole on her Marguerita Avenue apartment’s front door.
2 Cents - Palisadian Post
Let’s do the math about the ticket cost at the announced theater in the Palisades Village. The Arclight in Santa Monica is four miles away. I drive a Prius, which gets 40 MPG. So, it would cost about 70 cents in gas round trip. If I take my family of five to an evening show, I will also need to pay about $3 for parking. So, if I got to the local luxury theater instead, I will only now be paying $30 more rather than the $33.70.
‘Practice Makes Perfect’
After three days in Potrero Canyon Park, the Santa Monica Fire Department concluded its extensive brush fire training on Wednesday, June 28. Conducted in three-hour increments, the fire crews carried advanced forestry hoses throughout the park’s hilly terrain. SMFD Chief James Altman told the Palisadian-Post that the simulated drills help firefighters gain a genuine experience of what they might encounter during a real wildfire. “With the summer comes a greater risk of brush fire,” Altman said.
This Is Us: A Fourth of July Message From Your Newspaper
Next spring, the Palisadian-Post will turn a spritely 90 and be eligible for cake at the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club’s 90th-Plus Birthday Party. In 1928, the first edition boasted it had been printed at a magical place “where the mountains meet the sea” and revealed that $1 million was being spent to pave the future Chautauqua Boulevard. It was, apparently, in a terrible state. Some things never change.
City Attorney Recruits Palisadian Volunteers for Justice
Newly re-elected LA City Attorney Mike Feuer made a rare appearance at last Thursday’s Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting to discuss social issues, criminal reform and provide answers to the evening’s pressing questions. Standing in front of the council, Feuer opened by emphasizing the importance of his office’s pivot towards neighborhood action and commended those in attendance for their commitment to keeping an active role in their community.
Kid’s Page Special
On Thursday, June 15, I met up with Rick Caruso and got to walk the Palisades Village construction site. I was so mesmerized by the construction site because of how big it was. I was really surprised about how deep the parking garage is—it is three stories deep. After the tour of the site, we sat down in their project offices located in the old P2 skate shop and I asked him several questions. I also found out some exclusive information—read below to find out.
Takin’ It to the Streets
If it’s true that life begins at 40, the Palisades Will Rogers 5 & 10K Run may go on forever. On Tuesday, the local Fourth of July race celebrates its 40th birthday and director Brian Shea is pulling out all the stops to make this a milestone to remember. Shea has invited past champions back to relive their glory days, including hometown favorites David Greifinger, Katie Dunsmuir (now Dunsmuir-Younger), Peter Hogan, Peter Gilmore and Kara Barnard.
Home Spotlight - Palisadian Post
Elements come together throughout this Signature Residence to create an Elegant Harmony of Space and Function for a Property all within its own class. Metro Capital Builders presents their latest Signature Residence – located on the premier street of Amalfi Drive in the Northern Riviera, Pacific Palisades. This New Construction Residence combines the best elements of Architectural and Nantucket designs to give its future owner a perfect harmony in the heart of the Riviera.
Pali High Approves Crucial Transportation Plan
Palisades Charter High School has locked in a new busing plan that, as expected, significantly hikes costs and ends the school’s universal transportation subsidies, but will maintain partial and full-ride busing scholarships for low-income students. Those scholarships are considered vital to serving the school’s economically and racially diverse student body, which draws from 100 different LA zip codes.
Palisades Prepares for Parade Fun
The yearly countdown is winding down as Fourth of July quickly approaches. The Palisades Americanism Parade Association announced that Giada De Laurentiis will lead this year’s parade as Grand Marshal.
REEL PALI: Sofia Coppola’s Southern Gothic Fumes With Feminine Fervor
Opening the summer film season with sizzle is Sofia Coppola’s female-driven retelling of Don Siegel’s 1971 erotic period-thriller “The Beguiled.” Set during the height of the Civil War, the story takes place at Miss Farnsworth’s Seminary for Young Ladies––an all girls’ boarding school in rural Mississippi––where lonely women and girls painstakingly await the war’s end.
Home Spotlight: A Historical Masterpiece
Designed and constructed in 1927 by renowned architect, Nathaniel Coleman, in the Italianate style, “Castillo del Mar” remains an unspoiled historical masterpiece 90 years later. Reminiscent of the Amalfi coast, the estate enjoys unobstructed, awe inspiring 180-degree ocean & coastline views.
DINING REVIEW: Ysabel
When we last we checked in with Dublin’s dynamic duo—Phil Howard and Dean McKillen—we had sampled dinner and cocktails at their flagship restaurant of five years, the incognito Laurel Hardware, and its newly opened subset, Mezcal Bar. Two years ago, the Irishmen launched another West Hollywood restaurant at nearby Fairfax Avenue and Romain Street, right on a corner once inhabited by the seemingly popular lounge Lola’s.
Philip M. Wexler
Philip M. Wexler, age 78 (born Dec. 1, 1938), long-time resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away after a two-year battle with a debilitating illness. Phil had the warmest, most welcoming smile and ready laugh. His smile and laughter brightened the life of everyone he met. Phil and Ona were married for 53 years. Family was most important to him he adored his two sons, Andy (Jen) Wexler and Ross (Jennifer) Wexler. He was an attentive and loving grandfather to his many grandchildren.
Joseph Bischetti
Joseph Louis Bischetti was born July 10, 1928, in Chamonix, France. He was one of five children, the youngest son of immigrants who fled the rise of fascism in Italy. His father, Luigi, was a farmer who struggled to support his family in his new country during a difficult moment in European history. The difficult financial straits of his family, followed by the second World War, left a deep impression on young Joseph.
Barbara Adelson Zelle
Monday, May 1, 2017, Barbara Adelson Zelle passed away at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She was 73. A beloved grandmother, mother, mother-in-law, wife, sister, aunt and cherished friend, she will be missed immensely. Barbara fought bravely and with great dignity for years against cancer, and stayed remarkably positive and joyful. Adored by everyone who knew her, Barbara was a vibrant, active, bright, beautiful and loving woman. Born Barbara Lynn Ford, Aug.
Anne H. Carson - Palisadian Post
Longtime Palisades resident Anne H. Carson passed away peacefully on Jan. 29, 2017, surrounded by family and caregivers after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. A graduate of the University of Akron, Anne, the daughter of Andrew and Anna Maria Holb, was born on Dec. 23, 1924 and raised in Akron, Ohio. She married Robert Van Houter Carson on Dec. 19, 1947. They moved to the home on Greentree Road in 1951 when her husband took a leadership position with Helms Bakeries.
CRIME REPORT - Palisadian Post
600 block of Alma Real, between February 26 at 9:30 p.m. and February 27 at 7 a.m. The suspect took victim’s vehicle from the street. 17400 block of Revello Dr., between March 2 at 6 a.m. and March 5 at 11 a.m. The suspect entered the trunk of victim’s vehicle and took a GPS and jewelry. 17400 block of Tramonto, March 4 between 5 and 5:30 a.m. The suspect (a white male, NFD) entered victim’s vehicle and took a leather pouch.
Candidates Clash Again at Second School Board Forum
Candidates Clash Again at Second School Board Forum
Baseball in the Park
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Seeking ‘Baby Girl’
It’s every cat-lover’s worst nightmare: The majestic orange tabby seen modeling below has been missing from her home in the Palisades Bowl since mid-December.
Winter - Palisadian Post
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Contests, Fun Runs and Charity Events
Contests, Fun Runs and Charity Events
FALL - Palisadian Post
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Karen Lynn Feather Stelea
Karen Lynn Feather Stelea, an award-winning interior designer with HDC Interior Architecture + Design, passed away suddenly at 61 from cardiac arrest on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 20 2016. Karen was born on Aug. 11, 1955 in Santa Monica, Calif. She grew up in Westwood in a busy household of four brothers and one sister. Karen was the second oldest child, and her mother, Diane Feather, relied on her heavily to help with the household duties and child raising.
Daphne Gronich Named Citizen of the Year
Daphne Gronich Named Citizen of the Year
OBITUARY: Bonnie Joyce Miller
Bonnie Joyce Miller was born in Grafton, North Dakota on March 27, 1929. She passed away in her home November 9, 2016 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was a devoted and loving wife, mother and “Grandma.” She will be missed by her loving family and friends. She had an adventurous spirit and was looking for more than she could find in Grafton. She moved to LA with her friend Miriam Miller. They got jobs working for the telephone company. She would later marry Miriam’s brother Wallace.
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