March Westchester/PdR HomeTown News

WESTCHESTER • PLAYA DEL REY • MARINA DEL REY • PLAYA VISTA

N E W Syour community newspaper • your community • • your community newspaper • your community

Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista

March

Neighborhood Council update, more info page 24 FREE

At left: Friends of Playa Vista Elementary Vice President Lynn Kataoka and President Julie Hoang pose in front of the school, which is currently under construction.

A look inside your

HomeTown 4 LMU posts record year for freshman applications 6 Non-Profit Spotlight: AMCS

HOMETOWN

Construction is currently under way for the community’s newest elementary school. The K-5 school, which is referred to as CRES #22 until the requested name of Playa Vista Elementary School is approved by LAUSD, is set to open this August.

The Friends of Playa Vista School are hard at work making sure that when the school opens for the fall semester the school and its students are positioned for success. The process to get the school approved to be built and its forthcoming opening has been a labor of love for Friends of Playa Vista School President Julie Hoang. Hoang, who has been a Playa Vista resident for nine years and founded the Playa Vista Mom’s Group, has spent countless hours planning, preparing, fundraising and advocating for a school within the 90094 zip code.

In 2008, a group of passionate parents and Playa Vista community members, along with Playa Capital Company, petitioned LAUSD to put a school within the border of Playa Vista, and by a 4-3 vote by the LAUSD Board of Directors, it was approved. Playa Capital donated the land to LAUSD for

the school to be built. The dream was for the school to be a true community asset, where parents could walk their children to school in the morning and work together to make it a success.

Recalls Hoang, “We were on Public School Choice [3.0 List], which for all new schools, charters have the option of putting in an application or proposal to operate them. The community really wanted to retain this as a neighborhood school; we didn’t want to lose it to a charter. We actively petitioned to support it being removed from school choice.”

Hoang also states that at the time LAUSD was concerned that there weren’t enough children in Playa Vista to fill an entirely new elementary school, a claim that Hoang refutes.

Said Hoang, ”People don’t believe that there are children here! We tried to tell LAUSD that you don’t know because you’re not in our community, but if you come on a Saturday morning when there is a Farmers’ Market there are strollers everywhere...There are children everywhere and they usuallyhave siblings. It’s [Playa Vista]

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“Playa Vista” ElementarySchool set to open this fall

Fourth of July Parade looking for community supportCalling all volunteers, sponsors and

parade participants! Planning for the thirteenth annual Fourth of July Parade is underway and the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce is asking for the community’s help in putting on one of Westchester’s largest events.

Said chamber president/CEO Christina Davis, “We are reaching out to the community and potential participants earlier this year, so people can have the opportunity to start planning their floats and make arrangements for participating in

this Wednesday, July 4 parade. This community tradition depends on the help of its sponsors, participants and local residents.”

Parade committee members are hard at work looking for new entries and finalizing this year’s theme. They would like as many local organizations and schools to participate as possible.

The committee plans on holding auditions in the coming months to find a local student or resident to sing the National Anthem at the event.

“In a time of extreme budget cuts,

events that pull our community together are more important than ever,” said Davis. “We will work hard to keep it that way for years to come.”

If you are interested in participating in the parade, volunteering or sponsoring this year’s event, please contact the chamber office at (310) 645-5151.

Uncle Sam and guest at last year’s event. PHOTO BY GLENN MARZANO.

March 2012 Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey• Playa Vista HomeTown News

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The HomeTown News, Your Friendly Local Newspaper

The HomeTown News is a monthly newspaper, dedicated to providing information about the people, events, and happenings of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey and Playa Vista. Look for the HomeTown News the first Thursday of the month at your home or at one of our drop-off locations.

If you are interested in submitting an article or information for review, please email us at [email protected]. Please submit the information as a Microsoft Word attachment.

Mailing Address: 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 110 #745 Westchester, CA 90045 (310) 641-1016 • [email protected] • www.thehtn.com

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Nominees being sought forFriend of Education Award

Every May, the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce honors local educators at the Teacher Eddy Awards. This year, the 29th annual event will be held May 15 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel. In addition to honoring local teachers and one “Outstanding Teacher of the Year,” at this event, a “Friends of Education” award will be presented. This award is intended to honor a person, company or organization that has made a significant contribution to the areas of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista and Marina del Rey in the education community through their time, talents and/or treasures.

The community is invited to nominate someone for this award. The nomination form can be found on the HomeTown News’ website at www.thehtn.com. Nominations are due by April 30th.

This year, the Teacher Eddy

Committee is reaching out to its community members and stakeholders to request contributions towards sponsorships of both teachers and principals to attend and be recognized at the 2012 Teacher Eddy Awards.

Outstanding Teacher Sponsorships are available for $120 and Principal Sponsorships are available for $60. These generous donations help to subsidize all honoree and principal meals, awards and accompanying event collateral.

If you are interested in sponsoring a principal or teacher, please contact the Rachel-Ann Levy at (310) 645-5151.

Former awardees include Donna Lasman, Judith and Tony Ciancimino, Gail Gaddi, Gail Levy, Lance Lipscomb, Ron Mito and the Westchester/Playa Education Foundation.

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Playa Vista Elementary School (continued)(continued from page 1)

attracting more families; they have toured the community and they are like ‘wow.’”

The issue of just how many students will fill the school, however, is still an issue with LAUSD. Concerned that all 575 seats of the school’s capacity will not be filled, the district has made a preliminary offer to Westchester’s WISH Charter School for space under Prop 39. Prop 39, which took effect in March 2008, requires school districts to provide local charter schools with facilities that are sufficient and reasonably equivalent to other buildings, classrooms, or facilities in the district.

According to WISH Charter Principal Shawna Draxton, the school is looking at the possibility of moving its campus in the future to anticipate the number of students the school plans on housing. Currently, the school is K-4 and has 204 students. Draxton states that they have to hold a lottery every year for the available spaces on their campus.

Although Draxton would not specifically comment on moving WISH to the Playa Vista School campus, she did say the school would respond to the district’s preliminary offer on March 1 and the process would go back and forth between the district and WISH and would take a few months for anything definitive to be decided.

Said Draxton, “If WISH has the opportunity to co-locate with a traditional elementary school campus,

we look forward to working with the community...and making sure our students needs are met.”

Hoang admits the school will most likely be “front-loaded” with a bulk of its students comprising Kindergarten through third grade. The Friends of Playa Vista School are currently putting their outreach efforts on full blast to make sure every child in Playa Vista who wants to attend the school has a spot. On February 22, they held a community outreach meeting at LMU’s Hannon Library and were surprised by the number of people who turned out for the first real community meeting on the subject. Hoang and Friends of Playa Vista School Vice President Lynn Kataoka, who have made it their priority to do outreach at neighborhood events, at the Farmers’ Market and throughout the community, thought they knew most of the families in Playa Vista but were surprised by the number of people that showed up that they hadn’t met before.

The group used the meeting as an opportunity to not only inform the residents about plans for the school, but also to collect “real data” on the number of students planning on attending in the fall. The group is currently collecting pre-enrollment forms to then give to LAUSD so it can more accurately project enrollment. The deadline to collect the pre-enrollment forms is March 16 at 5 p.m. at the Playa Vista CenterPointe Club front desk. Registration for the 2012-

2013 school year will begin in June. Said Hoang, “What the community

feels is that the projections that LAUSD have given us are too low. We want to make sure that ‘No, we really have this amount of people that want to enroll’ so that we have the correct budget.”

Hoang also states that there is no way to quantify the number of families that could be moving into the community over the summer or the families who will simply wait until the last minute to enroll. Real estate agents in the area have also told her that they have seen an uptick in leases and home sales recently.

Said Hoang, “The school is really drawing families here. They are realizing, because LAUSD is so strict on the boundary, that [living here] really is the only way to guarantee a spot at the school.”

Currently only students who reside in Playa Vista, One West Bluff and children of LMU employees are eligible to enroll.

According to Hoang, LAUSD is currently not offering open enrollment or permits at this time.

Said Hoang, “It’s an LAUSD decision. They have been very firm on the boundary and to date they haven’t released permits. But that could change, I just always tell what the current status is because you never know.”

The school will have an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math and will work closely with LMU.

“It’s a very close, collaborative relationship with the LMU School of Education. They are providing a lot of resources, professional development and support in the first and second year through their Center for Math and Science Teaching Program to really nourish innovative teaching,” said Hoang. “What’s really unique is tailoring curriculum and tying them to themes that are utilizing the resources of Playa Vista. It’s tying common themes driven by student interests to LAUSD core standards.”

Construction on the “green” school, which is on its way to be LEED certified, is expected to be completed on May 31. The Friends of Playa Vista School are in the midst of a massive fundraising effort to ensure the school and its students have funds for enrichment like art and music, teaching assistants, computer support and up-to-date computer software.

Hoang is very optimistic that the school will be a place of innovation and something that the community and its students can be proud of.

Said Hoang, “I think it will be the gem of both [LAUSD and LMU], that is just my vision. The goal is for this to really be a model elementary school.”

For more info, please visit www.playavistaschool.org or email [email protected].

LMU posts record year for freshman applications

For the seventh year in a row, a record number of students have applied for admission to Loyola Marymount University’s upcoming freshman class. Applications are up 6 percent over last year, to 11,824 students, showing that interest in attending LMU continues to grow.

LMU’s reputation has been on the rise in recent years. The university has climbed through Forbes magazine’s rankings, where it is now placed among the top five percent of four-year colleges nationwide. In U.S. News and World Report, LMU is ranked fourth in its category, “Best Regional Universities (West).”

Matthew X. Fissinger, director of admission, cited numerous factors for the increase, from changing demographics to crowding and tuition increases at University of California and Cal State campuses.

Said Fissinger, “Of course, LMU’s growing reputation for excellence is the one factor that looms over all the rest.”

That reputation has national implications. Applications to LMU from out-of-state students increased 13.8 percent over last year’s total, while applications from California students were mostly steady, growing just 2.5 percent. Californians still make up about two-thirds of the applicant pool.

One statistic that was largely unchanged is the ratio of female applicants to males: 60 percent women, 40 percent men. The university plans to enroll a class of 1,250 freshmen in the fall.

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Murder Mystery Dinnerto help raise funds for Home Makeover Projects

The Rotary Club of Westchester will be holding the club’s major fundraising event of the year on Friday, March 16. This year’s event will be a Murder Mystery Dinner with all proceeds going to help support community projects and the Rotary Home Makeover. The event will take place at the LAX Crowne Plaza Hotel, located at 5985 W. Century Blvd. in Westchester with cocktails beginning at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.

The Westchester Rotary Club helps fund numerous community service projects throughout the year including scholarships to local students, teacher mini-grants and by sponsoring community events.

The last Rotary Home Makeover Project took place in January of last year, and occurs every two years. During the last makeover project the club, with the help of dozens of community members and local businesses, made over the home of Westchester resident Gloria Dresser.Dresser, who is a longtime

Westchester resident, suffers from cerebral palsy and has battled cancer, which had left her with limited funds to care for her home. Over 100 volunteers spent nine days transforming the home with paint, new furniture and landscaping.

At the event, in addition to entertainment, there will also be live and silent auctions and a $10,000 reverse auction prize. Tickets to this event are $75. Only 250 reverse drawing tickets will be sold for $100 and the winning ticket will be pulled at the event.

For more information about the event or to purchase a ticket, please call Rich Musella at (310) 649-0374. The Rotary Club of Westchester meets every Wednesday at 12 noon for lunch at the Crowne Plaza LAX Hotel, 5985 W. Century Blvd. in Westchester. The cost of lunch is $20 and validated self parking is free.

For more info about the club, visit www.rotary-westchester.org.

The Dresser home was completely transformed by the Rotary Club of Westchester and volunteers. The money raised at the Murder Mystery Dinner will go towards the next Home Makeover Project.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WESTCHESTER ROTARY CLUB.

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The HomeTown News’ area is full of great people doing extraordinary things and who dedicate their lives to local organizations and non-profits that make up our community.

This month, we are spotlighting Westchester’s Airport Marina Counseling Service (AMCS) a non-profit dedicated to providing counseling and therapy to people in need. AMCS is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary and it is inviting the community to celebrate with them at its annual gala taking place later this month. Below is an interview with AMCS Executive Director, Kathleen O’Leary Lefferman.

HTN: Can you tell Hometown News readers a little bit about your organization? How did it get started?

AMCS: Airport Marina Counseling has a long and respected history locally. In the mid-1950s there were no mental health services available in the Westchester area. This lack concerned community leaders who were members of the “Westchester Coordinating Council” (WCC), consisting of police and fire department representatives, school officials, business leaders and residents, who met monthly to review and seek solutions to community

problems. They realized that we needed comprehensive health care, including mental health services. This occurred at a time when mental health issues and emotional problems were even more stigmatized than today – in fact, there was a widespread fear of psychiatry and a fear that the mental health system would invite communists to take over the country! In 1961, the original founders of Airport Marina Counseling Service appealed to the Los Angeles City Council for permission to house the clinic for a few hours a day in an unoccupied health center in Westchester. A local member of the John Birch Society and other like-minded community members lobbied aggressively against the clinic and, at the time, the City Council voted 11 to 1 to reject the request for space. However, they did not win the day as the equally vocal band of advocates opened the clinic anyway and 50 years later we can report 50 years of uninterrupted service for people who need “a safe place to come for help and healing.” We have come a long way - and AMCS and other community mental health clinics are well patronized and doing great work!

During the first few years, the clinic was open three days a week, six hours each day, and it initially served

26 clients. The staff consisted of a part time social worker as director, a psychiatrist on call, volunteer licensed clinicians, a few interns, and a telephone hotline, which was organized and monitored by volunteers. In 1974, the clinic was awarded a grant from United Way, on the conditions that the clinic would be open full time, and that it would hire an Executive Director to oversee operations.

For me personally, being Executive Director of AMCS is wonderful because I get to work in my own community; I have lived in Westchester since 1989 and my family participates in local events and activities. My son attended our local schools and graduated from Westchester High School in 2008, so I am very familiar with our schools and

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• your community newspaper • your community •Non-prof i t Spot l ightAirport Marina Counseling Service: Hurting? They can help

AMCS staff members pose in front of the clinic located on La Tijera Blvd. in Westchester.

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Page 7


Arrow of Light recipients. Westchester’s Cub Scout Pack 824 presented Arrow of Light awards to twelve boys on Saturday, February 11 at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Troop 927’s Order of the Arrow led a special ceremony to honor these boys during the pack’s annual Blue and Gold Banquet.

The Arrow of Light is the highest award available in Cub Scouting, and is the only Cub Scout award worn on the Boy Scout uniform. Boys typically earn it in their last year of Cub Scouting, when in fifth

grade. Thirteen boys from Pack 824 have earned this award in 2012, with others still working to achieve the distinction.

The Blue and Gold Banquet celebrates the birthday of scouting. Pack 824 holds their banquet every February. It features a dinner, father-son cake bake dessert, silent auction, entertainment and the Arrow of Light presentation.

Pictured above: Pack 824’s 2012 February Arrow of Light recipients.

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Westside Neighborhood School (WNS) recently announced the appointments of Dr. Les W. Frost and Elizabeth Zamora to the WNS board of trustees.

Frost brings nearly forty years of experience as an educator in public and private schools in Los Angeles and as a leader within the community of California Association of Independent Schools. He has been a teacher and educator since 1970. Frost was a middle school science teacher and later the Assistant Head of School at the Westlake School for Girls for twelve years and in 1984, was appointed Head of School for St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades. In 1994, Frost was honored by the Department of Education as a National Distinguished Principal, the only independent school head recognized that year. In the past he has served as a trustee at St. Timothy’s Episcopal School in Compton, the Brentwood School, The Center for Early Education, as well as for the California Association of Independent Schools.

Zamora is a very active community leader with great expertise in institutional fundraising. She is currently the Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the UCLA School of Nursing. Prior to joining UCLA, Zamora was the statewide Director of Institutional Funding for the American Cancer Society California Division. She was on the Founding Advisory Board for the Da Vinci Schools and was the Chair of the Advancement Committee

for Bright Star Schools. Zamora is currently the elected Vice-President of the Del Rey Neighborhood Council and is chair of the Planning and Land Use Committee. She grew up in Del Rey, is a graduate of Middlebury College and went on to earn her Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

WNS feels both Frost and Zamora will bring invaluable perspective and expertise to the board of trustees, particularly in the areas of educational innovation, long-range strategic planning and school endowments.

Elizabeth Zamora and Dr. Les Frost.

WNS welcomes new board of trustees members

(continued from page 6)institutions. Jake is now a senior at Berkeley and he owes much of his success to his local education, and to the opportunities that Westchester and all its fine organizations have presented to our youth, including opportunities for community service through its Rotaries!

AMCS has a two-fold mission: to provide affordable community-based mental health services and to train pre-licensed therapists. We emphasize affordable because we believe that counseling should not just be the right of the well-to-do or the well insured, but rather accessible and affordable for all. Part of our mission is creating opportunities equally, as it is important for everyone to be able to get the help that can make a difference.

AMCS is a Comprehensive Mental Health Clinic and offers a broad array of services, which help our clients become more successful in the areas that define us all: relationships, daily living, the ability to hold and keep a job, or the opportunity to remain in school.

HTN: How important is your organization to the people you serve? How many people do you currently serve?

AMCS: We make an enormous difference in the lives of the clients we serve. We know this because they tell us and because we document

their progress over time and we often see significant change for the better. We also hear from people who know someone that has benefitted from our services, as AMCS is familiar to people throughout Los Angeles, either as a Treatment or Training site.

Our client stories say it all in terms of the difference we make: one adolescent girl indicated that “while you did not take away my anger away, the group helped me learn how to deal with it” and she was able to go from a school-dropout to a college placement; a 35 year old man was “unemployable until AMCS tested me and recommended that, based on my skills, I seek certain areas of employment...I am now employed full-time and able to support my family;” a middle-aged woman told us that “if it were not for AMCS, I would be sitting in the corner crying, but that with AMCS’ help I have started my own business.”

We have many stories and many reports that confirm change and progress and doors opening to better, happier lives.

We serve almost 400 people of all ages each week at the clinic and in our community schools and clubs like Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnet High School, Orville Wright Middle School and the Boys and Girls Club of Venice. We are much sought after and work hard to quickly serve clients on our waiting list. These clients come to AMCS often as a last resort. We are one of the few agencies that serve indigent

children, youth and families without government support. Thus we have become, for many clients, the safety net during a time when there are few, if any, alternatives.

HTN: What would most people be surprised to learn about mental illness?

AMCS: Perhaps people would be surprised to learn that (1) mental illness affects many people who are close to us, even ourselves and (2) that counseling really helps. Some form of mental illness, from severe and potentially disabling problems, such as Schizophrenia, or less severe but challenging issues, such as anxiety or emotional problems, visits all of us in some way – either directly, or with family members or with friends or neighbors. Struggling with life issues is common to a greater or lesser extent with all of us. It also might surprise people to learn that counseling and like services help. People can and do change; their struggles can be eased–opportunities and solutions can present themselves and we can help an individual put him or herself on a path to a better future.

HTN: What is one thing people should know about AMCS?

AMCS: At Airport Marina Counseling Service, no one is turned away for economic reasons alone. This is a long tradition with the agency. We

subsidize services through grants and community donorship. For example, the Cassman Care Program, initiated by founding members Alan and Mary Ellen Cassman, is dedicated to subsidizing an initial consultation for any client who cannot afford it and to ensure that subsequent fees will be based on a sliding scale that guarantees service for those who are indigent or are unable to afford weekly therapy.

The vast majority of our clients are economically disadvantaged and many of them would otherwise fall through the cracks since they are not served by other agencies or by the County. We pride ourselves on not only being affordable, but also truly accessible and, thus, we are open seven days and four evenings a week. Each day we have a Supervisor and Therapist on call to respond to emergencies directing clients to help and/or making appointments at the clinic.

The clinical staff includes Clinical Director, Diana Hoffman, Ph.D.; Medical Director, Ronald A. Markman, M.D.; Elena Bell, LCSW; Martha O’Donnell, MFT; Eleanor Curry, M.D.; Harry Drasin, Psy.D., M.D.; Claire Hyman, MFT; Nancy Iben, MFT; Lila Ryan, Ph.D.; Karen Schlaff, Ph.D.; Bella Schimmel, M.D.; Adam Sheck, Psy.D.; Todd Irvin, MFT; Tejal Yarmand, MFT; and Taka Kurokawa, Ph.D.

(continued on next page 11)

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Non-profit Spotlight: Airport Marina Counseling Service

Real Estate View By Richard L. Otterstrom & Richard C. Otterstrom

Short SalesThe Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 was

passed to allow home owners to, under certain circumstances, waive the income tax detriments of the forgiven debt during the shortsale process. This legislation covered a span of 6 years from 2007-2012. At the beginning of 2013, if this legislation is not reinstated, then any short sales closing will suffer the tax ramifi cations of forgiven debt.

As to the option of beginning the short sale process now, many home owners are unaware that you do not need to be behind on your mortgage to do a short sale. In fact, doing a short sale has many benefi ts if you are not behind on any of your debts. One key benefi t is you may be eligible to get a new FHA loan after your sale is completed, although there are rules and stipulations regarding doing this. Another key point to beginning the short sale process now is that if this legislation is left unchanged and a shortsale does seem necessary, then waiting may only leave you with unwanted tax ramifi cations that may have been avoidable.

The short sale process can be a long and diffi cult one. but it may be a better choice than a foreclosure or fi lling bankruptcy. Always

seek professional counsel when considering these options in order to make the best choice. An important side note is, if you feel this Relief Act should be extended, then write your local political representatives and let them know how you feel. Always know that the information on all of this is freely available on the web.

Down Payment AssistanceMany of my clients, friends and readers have

been asking me the same question: is there any 100% fi nancing left or are there any programs for down payment assistance? Today, I am happy to share a few answers with you. For all you veterans out there, I want you to know that 100% fi nancing is a very real option up to the $729,000 loan limits. For my buyers in need of down payment assistance, there are programs like CALHFA which provide down payment assistance of up to $30,000.

I recently met with a very informative Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Consultant, Mr. Joseph Guzman, whom updated me on many of the new programs and rules needed to qualify a buyer for these programs. Now most of these programs are geared toward helping low to moderate income level families, except the veterans loans. Another important factor to these programs is that you are required to be purchasing in certain areas or cities.

The fi rst weekend in February, there is an all day seminar being hosted by Wells Fargo that will help prospective homeowners fi nd out their eligibility to these programs as well as their current loan approval possibilities.

Much of the information on these programs can also be pulled of the internet with a simple search of city, state, or area of interest and “down payment assistance.” It is best to seek professional counsel, however, to fi nd the most desirable option for yourself.

As always, if you have any questions, we are happy to help in any and all ways possible. Thank you for reading.

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Page 9


• your community newspaper • your community newspaper • your communityL o o k i n g B a c k . . .By David J. “Duke” Dukesherer, Sr.

How did Westchesterget its name?

(This column is filed from Long Island, New York)

Although much is known about the origins or our town, one thing that we do not know for sure, is how the town of Westchester got its name.

Tradition tells us that an early developer of the town named it for Westchester County, New York, or the Village of Westchester, Illinois. Or maybe it was one of the Westchester’s in Indiana or Florida, or even Chester, England. Of course, if you live on the westside of Chester, England, then you live in West Chester. And yep, you guessed it, there are South Chester’s and North Chester’s and East Chester’s, all over the planet.

By the way, Chester is an old Roman word (castra), meaning “camp of soldiers” or simply, a military camp or fortress.

But the naming of our town begins far from a battlefield or any of those other places. In fact, the origin of our town begins in Inglewood, formerly known as Rancho Sausal Redondo. However, it just might be connected to another old British town, Plymouth, England, an ancient trading post of the Roman Empire.

Daniel Freeman, Father of Inglewood, owned a great deal of land, including a large section near its northwestern border. Today, his original home, La Casa de la Centinela, is a part of a small park located at 7634 Midfield Avenue.

He and his family at one time occupied the Mexican adobe, but later he built a huge mansion on Prairie Avenue and let out the area’s first home. He began selling town lots after 1900, and continued until 1912, when the Los Angeles Extension Company purchased the last 4,000 acres surrounding the old Centinela Adobe. The company proceeded to subdivide the land into small farms available for lease. Eventually this area evolved into the community of Westchester (named

so, many years later) and was annexed to the city of Los Angeles on June 16, 1917. During this period the Centinela Adobe was transformed from a home into an exclusive riding academy.

In 1923, Martha Crawford, the wife of a Los Angeles Extension Company executive, Charles Crawford, moved into the adobe with their two children. For 25 years, Mrs. Crawford resided there and maintained the aged structure. The east side of the house was used as the main entrance.

It was Charles Crawford who named the town of Westchester and brokered the deal with Fritz Burns and Co., selling the land for $1,100 an acre! The center of the town’s first development was at the intersection of Sepulveda and Manchester Boulevards.

During her occupation of the adobe, Mrs. Crawford operated a nursery school there and opened the house to the public periodically, hosting several small social events. In 1937, she had the Centinela Adobe placed in the

National Register of Historic Places and recorded in the Library of Congress.

Well, it turns out Charlie Crawford needed a good reliable automobile to traverse the then, mostly road-less farming community, and legend tells us, his car of choice was a new 1936 Plymouth station wagon: the Westchester.

It’s full name was the Plymouth Westchester Semi-Sedan Suburban. These were 7-8 passenger “woodies,” and would later become the car of choice with local surfers. All three seats were upholstered in Spanish grain leather. The rear seats were removable for greater cargo carrying capacity. Glass was used in the front doors but the rest of the openings were covered with storm curtains, although rear glass was an option. The wood bodies on the Plymouth Suburban were made by the U.S. Hame Co., later called the U.S. Body and Forging Co., and constructed of cottonwood panels, red gum, oak and ash.

Incidentally, a “hame” is one of the two curved wooden or metal pieces of a harness that fits around the neck of a horse or other draft animal to which the traces of the reins are attached. The U.S. Hame Co. and its antecedents manufactured hundreds of thousands of them in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before moving on to wood panels for automobiles.

A very large section of the Rancho Sausal Redondo, the Bennett Brothers’ Rancho, had also been acquired by the Los Angeles Extension Co. The 2,000 acre sheep ranch, lima bean and barley farm, is known today as another part of Westchester: the Los Angeles International Airport.

Andrew Bennett’s home sat very close to the intersection of Lincoln and Sepulveda Boulevards and near the current site of the In-N-Out Burger. Back in the day, all of the airport land was located south of Century Boulevard. The balance of the land, where the airport is situated today, had been owned by Daniel Freeman’s daughter, Grace Howland Freeman.

Comments: [email protected]

1936 Plymouth Westchester with a factory price of $746. I was once told that Charlie Crawford had named the town after a car that he particularly liked, but I have never been able to 100% verify this.

COURTESY “WESTCHESTER, CALIFORNIA,” BY DAVID J. DUKESHERER.

Come Join Your Friends At

Worship Service 10:30 am Canines@Covenant 5:00 pm Sunday

Covenant on the Corner80th and Sepulveda Blvd.

Church School for Young People during Service

Pastor: Rev. Cathy Chisholm

COVENANTPRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

We have an Orchestra and Adult, Youth and Children’s ChoirsE-mail: cpoffi [email protected]

Childcare is provided- For more information, Call (310) 670-5750

FOOD PANTRY, LAXEmergency Food Distribution to those in needSponsored by Westchester Clergy Association

Open Tuesday and Friday • 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.355 Beach Street, Inglewood

For further information, please call (310) 677-5597 Ad donated by Covenant Presbyterian Church

If you have Food to donate, take to Covenant Presbyterian Church or bring to location from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Volunteers and

money donations also welcomed and encouraged.

Open Tuesday and Friday • 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon)

Page 10


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A Tradition of Supporting Community Organizations and Events!

LAX hosts local students at job shadow eventLos Angeles International Airport

hosted its annual Job Shadow Day on Thursday, February 23, a day dedicated to giving young people real-life “job shadowing” experiences in aviation at a major airport.

Job shadowing provides students the opportunity to “work” side-by-side with a workplace mentor as they go through a normal day on the job. It provides an up-close look at how the skills learned in school are put into action in the workplace.

Students from Orville Wright Aerospace Magnet Middle School and the Albert Monroe Middle School Honor Society attended with students from Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets (WESM) High School. Orville Wright and WESM offer aviation and aerospace magnet curriculums and are part of the airport’s “Adopt A School

Program.”This year, students participated

in job shadow experiences in the fields of Airfield Operations, Aviation Services, Cargo Aviation, Aviation Law Enforcement, Accounting and Business Administration, Engineering, Environmental Management and Information Technology.

In addition, students also experienced flight simulator training; demonstrations and Q&A sessions with Airport Operations personnel, Firefighters, Police K-9 patrols, motorcycle officers and Information Technology professionals.

In addition to Los Angeles World Airports, United Airlines, Landmark Aviation, AeroUnion Cargo and the Los Angeles Fire Department participated in the event. Peggy Nguyen, of the LAWA Environmental Services Division shows two Job Shadow students how she spends

part of her work day. PHOTO BY JAY BERKOWITZ.

Next session of CERT classes begin March 5Do you know what to do in case of

an emergency? Are you interested in learning how to protect yourself, your family and your neighborhood in case of a disaster? If you are, CERT classes will give you the necessary training.

The next round of CERT classes will begin on Monday, March 5 and will run through April 16. Classes will

last six weeks and occur on Mondays form 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The classes will take place at the Fire Station #5 Community Room, located at 8900 S. Emerson St. in Westchester.

Topics will include personal and family preparedness; earthquake preparation; disaster preparedness; team organization; disaster psychology;

medical operations; medical triage; damage assessment; fire suppression; fire chemistry; hazardous materials; utility control; light search and rescue; and full disaster stimulation. The class is also open to those who have taken the class before and want a refresher.

To sign-up for classes, please visit cert-la.com/classmaps.

Those interested can also download a free Emergency preparedness booklet at cert-la.com/emergprepbooklet.pdf. A flyer for the class can be downloaded at www.cert-la.com/CERT-Fire-Station5.pdf.

For more information, please call Firefighter Willis at (818) 756-9674.

Page 11


Non-profit spotlight: Airport Marina Counseling(continued from page 8)

HTN: What does your organization have planned for 2012?

AMCS: Our goal is always to fully implement our mission of providing affordable mental health care and training therapists and each year we do better at this. Long-term goals for AMCS might include a campaign to expand it – to offer more services and to train more therapists. We strive to always be community-responsive and to be a great place to work or be trained. We care about our staff and employees and know that creating a therapeutic environment for them ensures a positive, therapeutic environment for our clients.

We are already launched on the many events we plan for 2012, the 50th Anniversary of Airport Marina Counseling Service! We will celebrate this milestone with a Golden Gala on March 10 at Loyola Marymount University and it will be an evening of education and entertainment. Dr. Elyn Saks, our Keynote Speaker, will talk about her best-selling book, The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, and share the story of her life-long struggle with schizophrenia, as well as her success as a professor of law and an author. Dr. Sak’s talk will be followed with entertainment by comedian Don McMillan whose view

of the world is at once hilarious and speaks to us! For more information or to purchase tickets to our event, please call (310) 670-1410 and ask for Jill.

The Westchester Mental Health Guild will hold its Annual Meeting on May 2 and will host Fr. Gregory Boyle, known far and wide for his great work with gang-affiliated youth and for founding Homeboy Industries, where these youth get a second chance for jobs and futures. The summer will usher in the 28th running of the AMCS Jet to Jetty sponsored by the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation. We know that HTN readers are major supporters of these events and are very grateful!

HTN: If someone wants help from your organization, what steps do they need to take?

AMCS: As we say in our brochure, our full service agency is “only a phone call away for anyone who needs a safe place to come for help and healing.“ When you call the clinic, one of our caring receptionists will ask the nature and urgency of the problem as well as certain identifying information. Unless it is a crisis, we will schedule a meeting within a few days and, based on that meeting, we will assign a therapist to call and set up your first weekly appointment. If you are in a crisis situation that does not

require hospitalization, we will quickly schedule a visit through the Hannon Immediate Intervention Program and you will be seen ASAP by a therapist or a psychiatrist. Our phone number is (310) 670-1410.

HTN: How can the community get involved with your organization?

AMCS: We invite the community to get involved with Airport Marina! Opportunities include: serving on our Board of Directors or Board Committees; becoming a member of our major support agency the Westchester Mental Health Guild; or attending or volunteering at our many fundraising events. Airport Marina has a dynamic Board of Directors with members who represent the fields of finance, business, psychology, education and marketing; several are retired professionals who are community leaders. AMCS Board Members volunteer hundreds of hours annually in areas such as strategic planning, fundraising, public relations and marketing. These relationships allow us to do more with less. The Westchester Mental Health Guild, our sister agency, has worked tirelessly on our behalf for almost 50 years by sponsoring events and other opportunities for donorship and by operating the Guilded Cage a

wonderful local gift shop that is a very early example of entrepreneurship in the nonprofit community. We are grateful everyday to these dedicated women and know that without their help it would be difficult to keep AMCS alive and well, so please join them as a volunteer or by shopping at the Cage! Like other non-profits, we also benefit from and appreciate donations at any level from $10 to our Holiday Appeal, to sponsorship of a therapy room or a program at the agency.

We also benefit from private funding through individual donors and foundations and corporations, such as the William H. Hannon Foundation, the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, the Weingart Foundation and the S. Mark Taper Foundation, and locally through Gateway to LA, Playa Vista, LMU, LAWA, our Rotaries and Chambers, and through our active and talented Board of Directors.

For more information about Airport Marina Counseling Service, visit airportmarina.org. The clinic is located at 7891 La Tijera Blvd. in Westchester. They can be reached via phone at (310) 670-1410.

Page 12


L o o k i n g B a c k i n P i c t u r e s . . . • your community newspaper • your community

Needless to say, the community has changed a lot over the years and we have come a long way since the days of bean fields. Our community is also rich in history, and the stories and pictures of the past are a true community resource.

Groups like the Westchester Historical Society and the Marina del Rey Historical Society and local historians like our own Dukesherer, do a great job in keeping the present connected with the past.

A lot of the time, however, these pictures and stories of days gone by are forgotten or tucked away somewhere just waiting to be uncovered. So it is with these photos, which have been kept for years in a box in the storage room

at the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce’s Westchester office.

Since the chamber has been around since 1953, they have acquired a wealth of photos that help tell the story of the area.

With the new year here, and the HomeTown News celebrating its ten-year anniversary, we thought it would be a good idea to publish a few of these pictures to share with our neighbors.

If you have any stories or memories regarding any of these photos or those published in the months ahead, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

All pictures appear courtesy of the LAX Coastal Area Chamber.

Needless to say, the community at the LAX Coastal Area Chamber

Looking Back. . .


Page 13

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YMCA’s Orcas hold Swim-A-Thon fundraiser

The Westchester Family YMCA Orcas’ swim team has just successfully completed their short-course swim season with the Southern California YMCA League Championship at the El Monte Aquatics Center. They are now gearing up to host a Swim-a-Thon YMCA fundraiser and are looking forward to learning cutting-edge techniques from a former Olympic swimmer.

As part of their commitment to the YMCA, the team will be swimming 64 miles, which is the distance to Catalina Island and back, with the contributions going directly to the YMCA annual fund.

The Swim-a-Thon will take place on Friday, March 23 at 4:45 p.m. at the Westchester YMCA, located at 8015 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Westchester.

The community is invited to join in on the fun by attending the Swim-A-Thon. Freshly-made tacos and music will help liven up the atmosphere and swimmers are encouraging cheering from onlookers. Organizers are also looking for people interested in swimming who will add a few laps to the 64-mile goal, or who are interested in supporting the YMCA by sponsoring individual swimmers or the entire team.

Pledge forms are available at the

YMCA front desk. In addition to their commitment

to the YMCA, the Orcas are getting ready for their long-course season by showing their commitment to self-improvement and mastery of skills. Coaches West Carter and Robert Higgins in collaboration with the Westchester YMCA and the swim team Parents’ Board have organized a series of five two-hour clinics. The clinics will feature Kevin Clements, a five-time USA Swimming National Team member, who as an assistant swimming coach at the University of Southern California and Trojan Swim Club, has coached over 50 NCAA All-American champions and an NCAA Champion during his tenure at USC. The clinics will be held on weekends in March and April, where the older swim team members will focus on breaking down each stroke (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle), will practice the proper technique behind explosive power and speed in their dives and turns and will learn various drill techniques that current Olympic swimmers are using in their own practices.

Please contact Gerry Salcedo, YMCA aquatics’ director at (310) 670-4316 for more information on the Swim-A-Thon.

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Page 16


• your community newspaper •R a n d o m N o t e s / O p i n i o n

By Nora Lee Owens

I often forget to be thankful for the little things in life, and I’ll bet everyone does. On a recent Friday lunchtime, after enjoying a Whopper and Fries (my only concession to popular “junk” food), and completing a few pages of a wonderful book, I found myself leaving the restaurant saying how glad I was for certain things. I don’t know where all the joy came from, but it started by being glad I hadn’t heard from my nephew that my brother had taken a turn for the worse in the hospital, and it went on from there to be glad that I had worked out that morning, glad that the sun was out and there was a slight breeze to remind me that I was alive, and glad that certain friends were in my life and that I am able to drive an adorable little car that gives me pleasure to own, particularly when I make it go fast and pass a fancier car that is in my way.

Usually I find myself grousing about things – well, you know that. I

complain that things aren’t completed at my house when I am the only one to blame. I get angry with people who say stupid things or believe differently than I do about politics or sometimes religion. I was angry at my most precious friend, Archie the Beagle, last night when I was greeted at home to separation anxiety that had caused him to forget that he isn’t a puppy any more and to tear up a sofa pillow. Angst. I’m often full of it.

I’ve never been able to meditate, because I find it impossible to quiet my mind. I’m convinced, however, that a few minutes a day of shutting out the noise of the world is probably a good thing. People who do meditate say that it puts them in touch with their inner self or with God or with the universe. I would like to do all of those things, but when I try to shut out the world I am only reminded of a sick friend or a chore I must do as soon as I’m finished or a recipe I want to try. I know you are supposed to think about your breathing, but that just puts me to sleep and

sleeping isn’t the same as meditating. So I relished my moments that

lunchtime when I was thankful for little things in my life that I enjoy. Coffee is a daily treat for me, as is reading the newspaper and losing myself in a couple of books. ’m really, really glad that those things are in my life. After a severe injury to my right index finger, I realize how much I have taken for granted all my life that there is a piano in my home and that, thanks to my piano-teaching mother, I can play it. That isn’t so easy any more and I wonder when it will be. But I’m still glad that there is music in my life and that I have nine other fingers with which to tinker out melodies.

I guess the bottom line is that in a world where there is very little order and peace is elusive, whether it be with your neighbors or within yourself, it’s good to look around and see why today you’re glad.

No complaints herePick up the HTN at any of the following locations:Drollinger Building Lobby (8929

and 8939 Sepulveda building)Westchester Family YMCACovenant Presbyterian ChurchThe Guilded CageAirport Office CenterMedical Office BuildingChase BankThe Coffee Co.Paradise BuildingLucky CleanerAyara Thai CuisineTed’s Hair DesignTruxton’s American BistroSoundsationsNeedlepoints WestWestchester Watch WorksBill Rosendahl’s OfficeLoyola Village Library Senior CenterLoyola Village LibraryElks LodgeRalph’sWestchester Watch WorksKentwood PlayhouseThe Real Estate Consultants OfficeDario’s CarpetTower PizzaChase BankParadise BuildingLAX Coastal Area Chamber of

CommerceWells Fargo WestchesterCenterPointe ClubPlaya Vista LibraryDinah’s RestaurantLucky CleanersFamily FirstPlaya Vista Urgent CareCoffee BeanCantalini’sEmerson PharmacyHowe LiquorDel Rey LiquorAce CleanersCoin LaundryFelicia’s Coffee GardenOutlawsThe ShackPrince of WalesTanner’s CoffeeHoly NativityWestchester United MethodistWestchester Christian ChurchZacha HomesAirport Marina Counseling ServiceLloyd Taber Library*partial list of drop-offs

To make your business a drop-off location,

please emailwestchesterhometown

@ yahoo.com

By Mishele Vieira, Certified Professional Organizer®

Although one of the most used rooms in the home, the bathroom often gets organizationally overlooked. Here are a few tips for giving your bathroom some TLC.

Think about what’s relevant to your life right now. It’s easy to hang on to that old stuff, that you might need some day, but the truth is some of it you probably are not going to need. And, if you keep it all, you may soon find your bathroom overflowing with things that you no longer use. If your children are older, perhaps you don’t need the bath toys. If you now wear your hair short, perhaps you can let go of all the barrettes, pony tail holders and curling iron.

Under the sink. Pull out everything and purge those old cleaners that you have now replaced with the “green” stuff and the collection of old sponges. When was the last time you used the vaporizer? Wipe out the cupboard and resolve to put back only what you still use. The rest goes in the “let go” bag. Most non-green cleaners are considered

household hazardous waste and should be properly disposed at the Hyperion S.A.F.E. center on the weekends, or another community household hazardous waste collection.

In the cupboards. Notice the things that have been stashed there and left a long time and are taking up valuable room. Instead, use this room for frequently used items like toilet paper. Remove some of those travel sized shampoos and mini soaps from your summer vacation. They will be appreciated by a non-profit providing services for people who are homeless. Last, but not least, it’s a good time to check your first aid kit for anything that should be replenished.

Bathroom drawers. Remove old toothbrushes and almost empty tubes that are no longer readable. Remember that makeup has an average shelf life of one and a half years. When in doubt, throw it out; it’s not worth infection. Test the batteries in the flashlight you keep in the bathroom drawer for emergencies.

The medicine cabinet. Check the

expiration dates and let go of expired medications, eye drops, chest rub, etc. Also, let go of partially used antibiotics and that old hydrocodone from when someone’s wisdom teeth were pulled. These are dangerous to have around. Medications are also considered household hazardous waste and should be properly disposed.

Don’t overlook the shower. You may find old shampoos and body scrubs you no longer use. Remove the broken old soap. Corral the remaining items in a nice caddy that fits over the nozzle, in the corner or over the door.

Mishele Vieira, CPO®, owner of Away With Chaos helps overwhelmed, overscheduled and under-organized people make room for what matters most in their home, work and life. Contact her at [email protected].

Have a question about organizing or want tips on how to get your garage in order? Send your questions or requests to [email protected].

Containing the cupboards

Have a point of view you’d like to share with the community?

The HTN is looking for a new columnist! Have an interesting take on the area? Passionate about Playa del Rey? Email us your proposal at [email protected].

Page 17


By Fay Craton, MA, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

In a Beetle Bailey comic, the character Sarge has fallen over a cliff and is dangling from a tree. Above him, Beetle Bailey holds a rescue rope, but before using it, he is attempting to get Sarge to first promise not to hit him, yell at him or put him onto latrine duty. Of course, in the world of this comic strip, Sarge’s whole reason for life is to rage at Beetle for not doing what Sarge wants. To make this agreement to not bully would end his whole function in the cartoon.

For more than half a century, this comic strip originated by Mort Walker has told us about the struggles of misunderstandings and different intentions between cartoon characters. Conflicting understandings and intentions happen in both comic strips and in real life. When Greg Walker (Mort’s son) drew the cartoon, he had Sarge speculating as to whether or not he could survive the fall instead of agreeing to Beetle’s demands. Life can be that way sometimes. We are presented with what may appear to be choices that could only end in one way – an end to what we perceive to be our role or function in life. Unlike the cartoon, in reality you will not be written out of life if you make a choice that changes how you behave.

Sometimes as real life unfolds, we are confronted with people who may seem a lot like Beetle Bailey – someone who

never seems to understand and follow the instructions given to him. You may become unhappy and mistrustful. If you are afraid about what is happening you may project the lack of trust onto someone else. In the projection, some people make the mistake of attempting to force someone else into behaving a certain way. Long-term positive outcomes do not happen for anyone when a person is threatened into

submission.In the comical spoof, there are

constant misunderstandings. The characters all seem to have different intentions behind their actions. Sometimes Sarge will give a specific order to Beetle Bailey who does sometimes attempt to follow the instructions. However, events unfold with the end-result of something different from what Sarge was attempting to achieve. Once again, Sarge is disappointed and angry. We can learn by looking at the actions

and exchanges between the cartoon characters.

Reflecting on the well-known Sarge character, there have been many times when he has attempted to seize control to get others to do his bidding. For decades, Sarge continues to threaten others. The way Sarge behaves does not work. This dysfunction makes a successful comic strip, but would not make a successful life.

Often people are trying to gain some power over their lives. In life, the only real control anyone has is over his or her own behaviors, words and actions. Each person behaves according to his or her own perceptions about any given situation. Arguments and disagreements come when people have different perceptions about needs or about what is unfolding. The behaviors and words of any person are about the person doing the behaviors, or saying the words. It is not about any other person.

When painful conflicts happen, take a deep breath and just listen. During conflict, separating facts from emotions can be difficult. You can respond at a later time when your emotions are not in control of your thinking.

When we believe events are not as they should be, we may find benefit in discovering where there might be misunderstandings or different intentions. Talk directly (when emotions are not running hot) to the involved people to find out what each of you understands. Care about what

each person has to say. Do not make assumptions. Ask all involved people what is intended? Do you have the same intentions? Are you expecting the same outcomes? If you desire different outcomes, do you have any expectations in common? If you wish to have a similar outcome, is there something someone needs in order to make what is desired happen? Through communication seek out common goals and connection. Trust is built though caring and understanding. To sort out your thoughts it may require reaching out for help to a therapist.

In the comic strip, when Sarge was dangling from a tree, Beetle Bailey held in his hands the rescue rope. Rescue takes place when behavior is changed and connection happens. We can each be much more than what others have written into the script for us to be. My wish for you is that you know your own worth in this world and for each of you to have successful relationships with people in your life.

Fay Craton, M.A. is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (mfc40011), which is the psychology license specializing in relationships (with ourselves or with others) and she has an office in Westchester.

If you have any questions, please visit Fay’s website at: www.communicationtriangle.com or contact her at (310) 645-6762.

Moving through conflict to successful relationships

‘In life, the only real control

anyone has is over his or her own

behaviors, words and actions.’

Copyright ©2012 PuzzleJunction.com

Hometown News 3/12 Crossword PuzzleJunction.com

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39 Legume 45 Compass pt. 46 Famed 48 "That is ___

nonsense!" 49 Gold Coast

Across

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city 36 The ultimate

quick start 40 Worthless 41 Some 42 Mineral 43 Macaws 44 Natural abilities 47 Crude 50 Scatter seeds 51 Selves 54 Definite article 55 Gr. letters 57 Singer intro

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10 Not any 11 Wool weight units 13 Stair part 14 Oriental sash 18 Tomorrow (Sp.) 20 Fatima’s husband 25 Viking king 26 Terra ___

G a m e s • your community newspaper • your community • your community newspaper • your community


Hometown News 3/12 Crossword PuzzleJunction.com

Solution on next page

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nonsense!" 49 Gold Coast 51 J.F.K. postings 52 Jamboree 53 Hunky-dory 55 So long 56 Aria 58 Gremlin 59 Electric currents

(Abbr.) 61 Insect egg

Across

1 Photo, for short 4 Cravat 9 Explosive (Abbr.) 12 Bellow 14 Musical interval 15 Court 16 Pocketbook 17 Remember 19 S.A. palm 21 Longing 22 Epochs 23 Moray 24 Music hall 26 Reindeer 29 Den 32 ___ Angeles 33 Food grain 34 French Riviera

city 36 The ultimate

quick start 40 Worthless 41 Some 42 Mineral 43 Macaws 44 Natural abilities 47 Crude 50 Scatter seeds 51 Selves 54 Definite article 55 Gr. letters 57 Singer intro

words 60 Brit. school 62 Before carte or

mode 63 Threat 64 Food shop 65 Articulate 66 Communes,

religiously

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turmoil 4 Tennis or golf shot 5 Keep your

distance 6 Felt for 7 Pertaining to

sheep 8 Olympian's goal 9 Branchlet

10 Not any 11 Wool weight units 13 Stair part 14 Oriental sash 18 Tomorrow (Sp.) 20 Fatima’s husband 25 Viking king 26 Terra ___ 27 Portend 28 Paddle 30 Called up on the

carpet 31 Brings up 32 Tai language 34 Hood 35 Fr. saint (Abbr.) 37 Husky voiced


Hometown News 3/12 Sudoku PuzzleJunction.com

3/12 Sudoku Solution

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

9 4 21 75 6

5 2 8 1 39 2 4

1 87 3

8 53 7 2

8 6 9 5 4 2 1 3 71 3 4 8 7 6 9 2 55 2 7 1 3 9 6 4 84 5 2 6 9 8 7 1 39 7 8 3 2 1 5 6 43 1 6 4 5 7 2 8 92 9 1 7 8 4 3 5 67 8 5 2 6 3 4 9 16 4 3 9 1 5 8 7 2


Turn to page 22for answers

Volunteers NeededThe Disabled American Veterans

(DAV) is a non-profit organization serving California Veterans.

They are currently looking for dedicated volunteer drivers to transport veterans to the West Los Angeles V.A. Hospital. Vehicle and gas are provided

For more information please contact Blas Barragan at (310) 478-3711 Ext. 49062 or at (310) 268-3344.

Rotary Club of Westchester The Rotary Club of Westchester meets every Wednesday at 12 noon for lunch at the Crowne Plaza LAX Hotel, 5985 W. Century Blvd. in Westchester. The cost of lunch is $20 and validated self parking is free. Guests are most welcome!

Reservations are not required. For information regarding the upcoming luncheon programs, visit www.rotary-westchester.org/ or become our friend (Westchester Rotary) on Facebook.

Playa Vista Farmers’ MarketCome out to the Playa Vista Farmers’

Market. Open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and showcasing the freshest fruits, vegetables and flowers direct from the best local farmers’ California has to offer as well as other traditional market fare. This is a Certified Farmers’ Market sponsored by Sprouts of Promise Foundation, a 501(c) 3 non-profit focused on the education of healthy eating habits.

Visit www.playavistaFM.com for more information. Enjoy this great weekend option destination, good for the whole family and conveniently located on the corner of Lincoln and Jefferson (look for the signs directing you into the Playa Vista community). Lots of parking too!

Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary ClubJoin the Rotary club of Playa Venice

Sunrise Rotary Club at its Wednesday morning meeting at 7:15 a.m. at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, located at 13480 Maxella Avenue in Marina del Rey. The cost of the meeting is $25, which includes breakfast and a guest speaker. Guests are welcome and reservations are not required.

For more information, www.playasunrise.org or call (310) 429-3808.

Metro Community WorkshopMetro is examining ways to connect

the growing Metro Rail system to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). They are hosting a community workshop to update stakeholders on the alternatives under consideration. Join them to share your thoughts for improving transit service to LAX.

The Metro will hold a community meeting on Thursday, March 1 at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Flight Path Learning Center, located at 6661 West Imperial Highway in Los Angeles.

Westchester First FridaysHead on down to the 6200 Block of

87th Street for Westchester First Fridays on March 2 from 4 to 9 p.m.

Every first Friday of the month, the best gourmet food trucks from around Los Angeles line the streets of 87th Street. Businesses along the street also stay open late, encouraging the community to check out their wares.

The March lineup includes Sugar Babies, No Tomatoes!, Tornado Potato, Fishlips, Me So Hungry, Global Soul, Grilled Cheese Truck and Tropical Shave Ice.

Soup and Spirituality Series atHoly Nativity

Holy Nativity’s Lenten series, “Soup and Spirituality” will run through March. After a light dinner of soup, salad and bread, attendees will delve into a topic of interest to those of all faiths. This year the series will discuss “What’s next? Where do we go from here?”

A discussion of the afterlife will be explored with speakers from various faith traditions.

On March 7 hear about Islam from Dr. Amir Hussain, LMU; on March 14 learn about Judaism from Rabbi Jason van Leeuwen; on March 21 learn about Buddhism from Sensei Kipp Hawley and on March 28 learn about Hinduism from Swami Om Karananda.

Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and the discussion begins at 7:15 p.m. Child care will be provided.

Holy Nativity Episcopal Church is a welcoming community to people of all faiths – and those of no faith. In addition, as is the custom at Holy Nativity, they ask that you bring a can, bag, box of food to support Food Pantry LAX and those struggling in these tough economic times.

Holy Nativity is located at 6700 W. 87th Street in Westchester. For more information, visit the website at holynativityparish.org.

Pacific Art Guild MeetingThe Pacific Art Guild will meet

Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at the Community Room, Westchester Civic Center, located at 7166 W. Manchester Ave. in Westchester.

The guest demonstrator for March will be Rafael Maniago. Renowned painter and poet Rafael Maniago was born in the Philippines, and attended the University of the East in Manila, where he studied Fine Arts and Commercial Advertisement. For 20 years he operated his own gallery in the Philippines, and in 1989 moved to the United States. There is a feeling of passion and intense dedication, in the vivid colors of his paintings. Rafael is a member of: Portrait Society of America, American Society of Portrait Artists, California Art Club, and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Rafael will demonstrate a still life in oils.

For more info, please call Vickie Myers at (310)322-5059.

Toastmaster’s group Speakers by the Sea

You can help improve your public speaking skills by attending “Speakers by the Sea” every Wednesday. Visitors are always welcome and no advance notice is needed.

The group meets Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at the Pregerson Technical Facility, located at 12000 Vista Del Mar, 2nd Floor Conf. Rm. 230A in Playa del Rey.

The topics for March are:• March 7– In like a Lion• March 14– Ides of March, New

member introduction • March 21– March Madness• March 28– Out like a Lamb

AMCS 50th Anniversary GalaAirport Marina Counseling Services

(AMCS) will celebrate 50th anniversary with a Golden Gala on March 10 at Loyola Marymount University.

The evening’s program will feature Dr. Elyn Saks, noted author of The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, who will share the compelling story of her life-long struggle with schizophrenia.

Don McMillan, noted local-area comedian, will be on hand to share his unique and hilarious observations of life in the age of technology. The evening begins at 6 p.m. and promises to be inspirational and entertaining.

Please visit the event website, AirportMarinaCounselingSpringEvent.com, or call Jill Marcellus at (310) 670-1410 x103, to learn more.

Elks Lodge Food Truck NightThe Westchester Elks Lodge will

be having “Food Truck Sundays” every second Sunday of the month. The trucks will be parked in the back parking lot on Sunday, March 11 from 4 to 7 p.m.

This event is open to the public and all ages are welcome to attend. The Elks lodge is located at 8025 W. Manchester Avenue in Playa del Rey.

For more information, call (310) 821-3005.

Messiah Spring Music SeriesThe opening program of the 2012

Messiah Spring Music Series will be presented by the Messiah Community Children’s Chorus on Sunday, March 18, at 4 p.m. in Arlington Hall. It will feature songs and skits from the humor of Charlie Brown and Friends under the direction of Yolanda Tolentino. A $15 donation will benefit the music programs of the church. There is no charge for those under 15. Other programs will be a concert by Susan Thampi entitled “Chanson Boheme” on April 22 and a presentation by Mary Au, piano and Tony Grosso, double bass, on June 3.

The Church of the Messiah is located at 7300 West Manchester, Westchester, one block west of Lincoln.

For further information, please call (310) 670-2242.

Luck O’ The Irish BingoFestThe Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club

will hold a Luck O’ The Irish BingoFest on Saturday, March 17, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Venice, located at 2232 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice. The cost to attend is $40 per person before March 10 and $50 per person after March 10.

The event will take place on St. Patrick’s Day and the group plans to have some good old Irish fun with an Irish Band, great food from Cantalini’s and will top off the evening with some lucky Bingo winners. There will be 10 games of Bingo with 9 winners of $100 and the final blackout card will be worth $500.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the charitable programs of the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club.

To purchase tickets, please call (310) 306-8525 or visit playasunrise.com.

Emerson Ave. Community GardenThe new community garden at

Emerson Avenue and 80th Place, on the grounds of Orville Wright Middle School, is looking for volunteers to help build this community space. The next volunteer day is Saturday, March 3 from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will continue construction on the circular seating area, do some additional work in the native garden walking spiral and will build out some of the community areas. Share the day with an exceptional group of people from the greater Westchester community. Morning treats will be donated by Panera Bread.

On Saturday, March 31, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. join garden volunteers for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Good Food Day of Service. Volunteers from many service organizations, schools, and the greater HomeTown News’ area will be on hand to further the build of this exciting community space designated for growing food.

For additional information or to make a donation, please call (310) 337-0827 or email [email protected].

Page 18


To Do • your community newspaper • your community newspaper • your community newspaper •

How to submit a listing for the To Do/Calendar section

1. Write-up your event in paragraph format (no

abbreviations please!)2. Submissions must be received

by the 22nd of the month to be considered

3. Please include contact information and the cost for

your event, if there is one4. Email us the event* Due to the volume of submissions

received, we can not include all events or respond to requests of event inclusion. Events must be $25 or under to be considered for inclusion.

Page 19


Sunday Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

SaturdaySunday

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Saturday

1 1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

March

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Westchester Farmers’ Market @

Westchester Park

Speakers by the Sea @ Playa del Rey

Soup and Spirituality @Holy Nativity


Westchester Park

Gateway to Go @Crowne Plaza LAX

Gateway to Go @ Crowne Plaza LAX



First Friday @87th Street & Truxton

Ave.

NCWP Meeting @Westchester

Municipal Building

Playa Vista Farmers’ Market @ Playa

Vista

Community ServiceDay @ Orville

Wright’s Emerson Ave. Garden

Food Truck Sundays @ Elks Lodge


Westchester ParkPlaya Venice

Rotary BingoFest @Boys and Girls Club

Playa Vista Farmers’ Market @

Playa Vista

“Oliver!” @Kentwood Playhouse

Playa Vista Farmers’ Market @ Playa

Vista






Playa Vista Farmers’ Market @

Playa Vista

AMCS Gala @LMU

St. Patrick’s Day


Westchester Park


Greyhound Show andTell @ Petco

Spring Music Series @Church of the Messiah


MetroWorkshop @Flight Path

Cert Training @Fire Station #5


Mayor’s Day ofService--Emerson Ave.

Garden @ OrvilleWright

Murder MysteryDinner @ Crowne

Plaza Hotel

Opening night of“Oliver!” @

Kentwood Playhouse



Page 20


Consider yourself invited to the Kentwood Players production of “Oliver!” from March 16 to April 21, with performances on Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester. With music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, and based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, this much-loved British musical won several Tony Awards on Broadway. The production is directed by Harold Dershimer, with musical direction by Catherine Rahm, choreography by Anna Rubin and produced by Rocky and Victoria Miller by special arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.

“Oliver!” vividly brings to life Dickens’ timeless characters with its ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more. After running away from the orphanage run by the heartless Mr. Bumble, Oliver meets the Artful Dodger and is recruited to pick pockets for Fagin. There, Oliver finds a friend in Nancy, but neither she nor the boy is fit for a life of crime. The sensational score is full of Lionel Bart’s irresistible songs including “Food Glorious Food,” “Consider Yourself,” “You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two,” “I’d Do Anything,” “Oom Pah Pah,” “As Long As He Needs Me” and many more.

Featured in the “Oliver!” cast are

Melanie Ball, Elizabeth Bouton, Erika Brauer, Patricia Butler, Candice Courtney, Martin Feldman, Jackie Fiske, Drew Fitzsimmons, Logan Gould, Logan Hannig, Lawrence Hatcher, Dillon Hensel, Osric Holt, Kathleen Jequinto, George Kondreck, Ben Lupejkis, Victoria Miller, Lawrence A. Moreno, Kolaiah Newkirk, Joseph Olivas, Jaren Rhodes, Jennifer Richardson, Judy Rosenfeld, Ethan Schyman, Isaiah Suber, Miller Vaughn, Joseph West, Jack Winnick and Marcus Alan Wynn.

Tickets are $23.00 with a $2.00 discount for seniors, students and servicemen.

To purchase tickets, please call (310) 645-5156 during box office hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted, with a $1.50 convenience fee added per ticket charged to a credit card. You may also purchase tickets online at www.kentwoodplayers.org. For group ticket sales, please call the box office.

For more information about Kentwood Players including its current production, upcoming auditions,

and its Kentwood Kids Children’s Theatre Classes, please visit the Kentwood Players website at www.kentwoodplayers.org.

To meet the “Oliver!” production team and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is

invited to attend its general membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 8 p.m. at the Westchester Playhouse.

Kentwood Players present “Oliver!” beginning March 16

Nancy and Dodger entertain Fagin and his boys, while Bill Sykes looks on with villainous envy. Pictured from left: Miller Vaughn, Joseph West, Kolaiah Newkirk, Dillon Hensel, Ben Lupejkis, Logan Hannig, Ethan

Schyman, Elizabeth Bouton, Drew Fitzsimmons, Logan Gould, Jaren Rhodes, Joseph Olivas, Ozric Holt and Isaiah Suber.PHOTO BY LIZ REINHARDT.

August 19th & September 16th, 2011 5:00pm – 10:00pm VISITATION SCHOOL GROUNDS 8740 So. Emerson Ave., L.A. (Westchester), CA 90045

• 14+ Gourmet Food Trucks • Aug. 19th Music by Good Cop Bad Cop (gcbcband.com) • O’Malley’s Pub (beer, wine, margaritas) • Dessert Stop Café (bakery & ice cream treats) • Movies for the Kids (see below)

FREE ADMISSION FREE MOVIES (Aug. 19th, 6:15pm Aladdin G, 8:05pm Back to the Future PG) FREE ENTERTAINMENT FREE (AMPLE) PARKING

FOOD TRUCK Info/Menus/Updates Online at www.visitationschool.org

Questions? Contact Terry for more information: [email protected] / 310.994.9904

Save the Friday Dates… Summer Fun

FFFooooooddd TTTrrruuuccckkk NNNiiiggghhhtttsss

August Invited Trucks Include..

The Little

Frenchie

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Visitation School’sVisitation School’sFood Trucks Friday NightsFood Trucks Friday Nights

Resume in April, 2012and will continue through September, 2012

The Grilled Cheese Truckand many other new and popular Gourmet Food

Trucks are booked for the following Friday Nights in 2012:

April 13th

May 25th

July 20th

August 17th

September 21st

Special Thanks To...Westchester/Playa del Rey, and surrounding

communities, for joining us for dinner, socializing and fun over the past Spring and Summer months. We have enjoyed your company, and we appreciate We have enjoyed your company, and we appreciate

your support. The entire Visitation Catholic Community looks forward to welcoming you back

on April 13th

VISITATION ROCKS!

FFFooooooddd TTTrrruuuccckkk NNNiiigggFriday Dates…

Summer Fun FFFooooooddd TTTrrruuuccckkk NNNiiiggghhhtttFood Truck Friday Nights

FREE Admission, Movies, Parking, & Entertainment

• O’Malley’s Pub (beer, wine, margaritas) • Appreciation Events (discounts on entertainment & travel) • Face Painting by Ella • Dessert Stop Café (bakery and ice cream treats) • Movies for the Kids (6:15pm Lady and the Tramp-PG, 7:45pm Kung Fu Panda 2-PG) FOOD TRUCK Menus/Updates online at www.visitationschool.org Contact Terry for more information [email protected] / 310.994.9904

•15+ Gourmet Food Trucks • Music by South Bay’s #1 Rock Band The Couchois Brothers www.myspace.com/couchoisband

Invited Trucks

Friday, April 13th, 2012 5:00pm – 10:00pm VISITATION SCHOOL GROUNDS 8740 S. Emerson Ave., L.A. (Westchester), 90045

Page 21


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community newspaper. Should have sales experience and be an outgoing,

self-assured individual who is self-motivated and can work independently.

Email resume and inquiries [email protected]

• Over 30 Years experience• Very Reasonable

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Lawrence M. Gendell, CPA(310)302-8998

[email protected]

Tax Returns Prepared by a CPA

Also, Corporate, sub-chapter S and non-

profi ts

We want to hear from you!Like us on Facebook: search Westchester/Playa del Rey Hometown News

Email us at: [email protected] us at: thehtn.com

Call us at: (310) 641-1016 N E W SWestchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista

HOMETOWN

Page 22


Have a photo you’d like to share with the community? We want to see you in “Pictures!”

Email us at [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is the 22nd of the month.

• your community news • P i c t u r e s • your community newspaper • your community newspaper • your community newspaper •

Keep Westchester in CD11. Hundreds of community members flooded the Westchester Recreation Center gym for the February 2 Redistricting Commission hearing. CD11 Councilman Bill Rosendahl vowed to fight to keep Westchester in

one district when he addressed both the crowd and the commissioners. Numerous community members spoke regarding their dissatisfaction with the proposed redistricting map, which had split Westchester into two different council districts.

Redistricting hearing draws residents to a packed Westchester Park Gym

Westchester Eagle Scouts. Two Westchester teenagers recently received the rank of Eagle Scout. Curtis Scott Corbett and Kevin Gunnell are Eagle Scouts with Troop 2 based in Santa Monica.

Corbett and Gunnell each created an innovative project aimed at enhancing their community. Corbett, a senior at Santa Monica High School, designed, built and installed a portable stage for the Children’s Ministry at

University Christian Church. Gunnell, a senior at Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnet, painted and provided needed improvements to the outdoor basketball courts at Lincoln Middle School. Dozens of Troop 2 Scouts joined in each of the projects.

Troop 2 is one of the oldest and largest Boy Scout troops in the Western United States.

COLOR

• your community newsA n s w e r s

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Hometown News 3/12 Sudoku PuzzleJunction.com

3/12 Sudoku Solution

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

9 4 21 75 6

5 2 8 1 39 2 4

1 87 3

8 53 7 2

8 6 9 5 4 2 1 3 71 3 4 8 7 6 9 2 55 2 7 1 3 9 6 4 84 5 2 6 9 8 7 1 39 7 8 3 2 1 5 6 43 1 6 4 5 7 2 8 92 9 1 7 8 4 3 5 67 8 5 2 6 3 4 9 16 4 3 9 1 5 8 7 2

Hometown News 3/12 Crossword Solution PuzzleJunction.com

P I C A S C O T T N TR O A R O C T A V E W O OE T U I B E A R I N M I N D

A S S A I Y E N A G E SE E L O D E O N

C A R I B O U L A I RL O S O A T C A N N E SA T T H E D R O P O F A H A TO T I O S E F E W O R E

A R A S T A L E N T SR O U G H S O W

E G O S T H E B E T A ST A K E I T A W A Y E T O NA L A M E N A C E D E L IS A Y P R A Y S R O T

Page 23


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www.ncwpdr.org

��Playa del Rey community members are invited to attend an upcoming meeting to discuss the new Community Design Overlay for Culver Boulevard in downtown Playa del Rey.

What is a Community Design Overlay (CDO)?What is a Community Design Overlay (CDO)? A CDO is a set of design goals, guidelines and standards that can serve to guide and/or regulate new development within a specifican serve to guide and/or regulate new development within a specifi c area. The Downtown Playa del Rey CDO will regulate new private development along Culver Boulevard between Nicolson regulate new private development along Culver Boulevard between Nicolson Avenue and the beach. This document will be a supplement to the Westchester/Playa del Rey Community Master Plan.will be a supplement to the Westchester/Playa del Rey Community Master Plan.

What does the CDO regulate? A CDO controls design features of new buildings and streetscape. Design guidelines A CDO controls design features of new buildings and streetscape. Design guidelines can be broad or specifi c. The Downtown Playa del Rey CDO will be regulating building and open space orientation, can be broad or specifi c. The Downtown Playa del Rey CDO will be regulating building and open space orientation, architectural massing and detailing, landscaping, lighting, signage, and parking and accessway design. architectural massing and detailing, landscaping, lighting, signage, and parking and accessway design.

What is the process for creating a CDO? The CDO is a community-driven document. Playa del Rey stakeholders The CDO is a community-driven document. Playa del Rey stakeholders have been meeting to discuss this CDO. Meetings are facilitated by Council District 11 staff. There will be two 1 staff. There will be two more stakeholder meetings in March and April 2012, as well as a public comment period from March to April where more stakeholder meetings in March and April 2012, as well as a public comment period from March to April where community members who cannot attend the meetings will be able to comment on the document through a link on the community members who cannot attend the meetings will be able to comment on the document through a link on the Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council website. In May 2012, Council District 11 will submit a draft CDO to Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council website. In May 2012, Council District 11 will submit a draft CDO to the Planning Department. The Planning Department will hold an additional public meeting and fi nalize the document.the Planning Department. The Planning Department will hold an additional public meeting and fi nalize the document.

How can I get involved? The next meeting will be held in March, date to be determined shortly.

March (12-16: date to be determined), 6-8 p.m.Westchester Municipal BuildingCommunity Room7166 W Manchester AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90045

If you would like to receive information about the upcoming March meeting, including the fi nalized date of the meeting, please send an email to Daisy Allen, the UCLA graduate student who is facilitating these meetings: [email protected]

��The Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa has eight standing committees that discuss various topics of interest to our community. To learn about these issues in more depth, please take the time to attend our committee meetings, and let your voice be heard.

Airport Relations Third Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.Del Rey Church, 8505 Saran Drive in Playa del Rey

Budget and Finance First Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.7166 W Manchester Ave., Community Room

Education Fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Please check website for time and location

Government Affairs/City ServicesMeets as neededPlease check website for time and location

Homelessness & Vehicular LivingMeets as neededPlease check website for time and location

OutreachMeets as neededPlease check website for time and location

Planning & Land UseThird or Fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Westchester Loyola Village LibraryPlease check website to confi rm dates

Public SafetyMeets as neededPlease check website for time and location

BOARD MEETINGFirst Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. 7166 W Manchester Ave., Community Room

The City of Los Angeles Controller’s Offi ce is seeking feedback from all who live, work, and play in Los Angeles on how the City can improve through the Los Angeles Business and City Improvement Survey. The survey responses collected will not only help to make Los Angeles more business-friendly, but will also help assess and improve City services.

This survey is an opportunity for all to have their voices heard. The Controller’s offi ce will be collecting survey data over the next several months and will use it to compile ideas and recommendations that will help make Los Angeles more effi cient.

We want to hear from you! Please take the survey using the following link:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/lacontrollersurvey

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LAX Community Relations Division is offering monthly bus tours for local community organizations to get an airfi eld perspective and update on the progress of the various projects at LAX. Tours take place from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the fi rst Thursday of the month. Seating is limited to 30 per tour and RSVP is required. For more information, please call (424) 646-7450 or via email at [email protected].

Documents

March Westchester/PdR HomeTown News