This proposed model for the Gladstone’s site is what participants looked at during the June 18 presentation.
Question: What is happening with Gladstone’s?
Former Mayor Richard Riordan, who has been running the operation at Gladstone’s, chose not to bid on the concession that is operated by L.A. County.
Bids were submitted between April and September 2017. The facility was expected to fit in the same footprint as the current restaurant.
The bid went to PCH Beach Associates and an informational meeting was held on June 18 to present Frank Gehry and Wolfgang Puck’s vision for redevelopment of the property, which will include building a new restaurant. Construction could start in two years.
The invite included the statement, “This project brings together their talents to deliver an approachable, high-quality California cuisine in a distinct architectural setting.”
The second-ranked bidder was Sunset and Ocean Partners, which includes Palisadian Mark Verge, whose company owns four Santa Monica restaurants and four hotels.
Answer: At the Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting on February 13, there will be a briefing and update by PCH Beach Associates and County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s office.
The mountain lion which was found in the trees behind Tahitian Terrace. It was tranquilized and is being tagged.
Question: How endangered are the mountain lions living close to Pacific Palisades?
The latest mountain lion sightings started on Thursday night (June 20) on Bowdoin, when a dog walker saw what appeared to be a cat lying in wait on the Methodist church stairs (Haverford and Bowdoin). Neighbors who lived along Temescal Canyon reported that coyotes were howling for hours.
Friday morning, more sightings were reported on the social media forum, Nextdoor Palisades. “My nanny just ran home after seeing a mountain lion in front of the Pali [Palisades High School] parking lot. The mountain lion saw her and ran up a tree. I’d avoid the area for a bit.”
An article in Outdoor Magazine in May 2013 (“How Safe Are Humans When Lions Are Close By?”) stated, “Mountain lions occur most anywhere you can find their primary prey, which is deer.” Temescal Canyon is home to deer.
Answer: Some people in Pacific Palisades poison rats with rodenticide, which can be fatal to larger animals, such as mountain lions, who feed on smaller mammals.
Lions P-30 and P-53 were found dead in September and August. Both had rat poisons in their system. According to the L.A. Times, “P-30 is the fifth mountain lion in the National Park Service’s study of the big cats since 2002 to die as a direct result of rat poison, officials said. A 3-year-old mountain lion known as P-47 died in March after being infected with rat poison, parks officials said. And in 2015, the photogenic P-34 died of exposure to rodenticides, a necropsy showed.”
The Bronco Orioles captured the PPBA World Series title.
Question: Who won last year’s PPBA World Series titles?
Answer: The Bronco Orioles, coached by Matt Dorband; the Mustang Red Sox, coached by Jason Wolsefer and the Pinto Red Sox, coached by David Ludwig, were the 2019 winning teams.
Question: What was the Palisades High School Gateway Project?
The Pali Gateway Project committee was formed in 2014 to assist internationally-recognized architect Doug Suisman in redoing the northwest corner of Bowdoin and Temescal Canyon Road. The group included two 1979 PaliHi grads, Cheryl (Kelton) Clark and Sheri (Redke) Sharp, plus Rachel Galper (whose husband Steve is a ‘79 grad), Ivy Greene, Pam Mann and Susie Newman.
The City bus shelter, the bench and advertising were removed for the Gateway Project.
The project stalled when David Riccardi, the Palisades High director of operations, left the school. But five years later, the digital sign is gone, the handball courts have been removed and the area widened. Over the past two weeks, the soil was prepped, and plants were installed. A decomposed granite walkway was installed and will allow kids to cut the corner, meaning they will no longer spill out in the street before and after school.
The bus shelter, bench and advertising were also removed.
Answer: The corner of Temescal Canyon Road and Bowdoin Street, which marks the entrance to Palisades High School, was redone for a cost of about $125,000 over a five-year period.