Winter 2009-2010 - Mar Vista Neighborhood Association

MAR VISTA
A N E I G H B O R H O O D N E W S L E T T E R
CONTENTS
President’s Message.............................
1
Annual Town Hall Meeting
The Backyard Fence............................ 2
Ask Marv
Community Profile................................ 3
Flavia Morgan:
RECOLLECTING MAR VISTA
Neighborhood Happenings............... 4
Staircase Update
Charnock Wells Update
Do Mar Vistans Vote In
Step With LA?
Historical Perspective: .......................
6
Oil In This Thar Mar Vista
Hill?!
Real Estate MATTERS........................ 8
Closing On A Foreclosure
MVLP: The Ground View.................. 10
Saving Water: MOVE THE FESCUE
TO THE ‘GOLF COURSE IN THE SKY
On The Boulevard.............................. 12
Mitsuwa Marketplace
Le Chic Dentist
Two New Restaurants
Creating Community.........................14
MV Farmers’ Market:
A NICHE FOR QUICHE
Community Groups:
WHERE DO YOU FIT IN?
MV Neighborhood
Association Board
Contemplating MVNA:
WHY WE “DUES” IT
MV Neighborhood Association Membership Form
VIEW
WINTER 2009
ANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETING
Monday, January 26; 7 p.m.
St. Bede’s Church
Hope you all had a terrific holiday season. To kick off
2009 with some community spirit, I invite you to our annual
town hall meeting on Monday, January 26, 7 p.m., at St.
Bede’s Church on the northeast corner of Charnock and
Grand View Avenues. It’s a great chance to catch up on
what’s happening in the neighborhood and ask questions of
people in the know. Councilor Bill Rosendahl will be stopping by to update us on the goings-on at city hall. Local
Community Council (MVCC) Chair, Rob Kadota, will be
on hand as well. To address your questions about various
community issues we have invited: Senior Lead Police Officer, Tom Wicks (crime), MVCC Vice-chair, Albert Olson
(traffic), MVCC Vice-chair, Sharon Commins (Mar Vista
area plan), MVCC Urban Planning & Land Use Vice-chair,
Steve Wallace (Venice Boulevard development), and Mar
Vista Landkeepers’ Preservation CFO, Beth Moreno. If you
need a lift to the gathering or would like to share a ride, please
contact Andie Evenson at 310-999-1748 or
andieevenson@yahoo.com .
In the back of the issue is our annual survey, Creating Community. It presents a chance for you to join one of the growing
list of groups
in our neigh- P RESIDENT ’ S M ESSAGE
borhood -- or
help fire up a new one. This is a really terrific opportunity to
join like-minded neighbors in an activity that you enjoy …and
don’t have to drive to.
Upcoming is our biennial board election. Ballots have
been mailed to the over 300 households that paid dues last
year (thank you all very much for your support). If you
haven’t yet received a ballot, you can still pay dues ($20 annually) and vote at the annual meeting.
I’d like to take this opportunity to
Continued on page 7
Ask Marv
Pssst, Neighbor: ...we want to hear from you! This space is meant to mimic neighborly
discussion “over the backyard-fence”. It is a place dedicated to your questions, thoughts or concerns for the neighborhood. Please address your inquiries and issues to the attention of Marv
{ed note: that’s an acronym for “Mar Vista” and I didn’t get it at first either} c/o the editor@mvna.org .
Dear Marv:
Dear Marv:
Many Mar Vista residents want additional
When I moved into my Butler Avenue
constraints on housing density increases. But the
cul-de-sac more than 30 years ago, there were
City is not likely to pass a law restricting development in our area merely because those who
T HE B ACKYARD F ENCE live in the area want development curtailed.
Even if the other City Councilors supported
open fields on the land now leased from
such legislation, developers would likely be able to
Santa Monica by Windward School. In reget it overturned for several reasons including it
sponse to complaints regarding traffic, parkbeing an unlawful "taking" of property (downing and noise the school has been responsive,
zoning). We need to pursue an action that will
even going so far as to alter construction
bring benefits to the entire city while also inhibitplans and to put on hold -- at least tempoing development in our area. My suggested aprarily -- plans to build a Performing Arts
proach is to seek revisions to the building code so
Center. I am concerned, however, that in
as to require more off-street parking for new
the long run growth of the school will force
apartments, condominiums and "mother-in-law"
parking underground and renew other plans
or guest cottages. It benefits the City as a whole
for expansion. The school's growth inherby inhibiting the further spreading of Manhattanently diminishes our residential quality of
like parking problems, while the associated inlife on Butler Avenue.
creased costs curtail development in and around
- V. S.
Mar Vista.
Your activism in safeguarding the spirit and feel
- M. E.
of your neighborhood is most commendable. As you
Our neighborhood’s increasing population density as
know as well as any, staying vigilant and expressing
well as the cars associated with this population boom are
your concerns are strategies that serve the whole
issues of huge importance to Mar Vistans. All concerned
community well. You do well inviting your neighbors
residents are invited to join the Mar Vista Community
to join the effort. The main phone number for any
Council’s Urban Planning/Land Use subcommittee that
who wish to communicate directly with Windward
meets the third Tuesday of every month. Contact Co-chair
School is 310-391-7127.
Ken Alpern@MarVista.org for more details. Another contact closer to the City Council itself would be Grieg Asher,
Dear Marv:
our City Councilor Bill Rosendahl’s Planning Deputy:
I have a question regarding a parked car
213-473-7011. Thank you for using this forum to put
in front of my house. The owner parks it for
forth ideas for our neighbors as well as the attention of our
three days and then moves it to another
city officials.
neighbor’s for three days and then back to our
house. This has been going on for many
months. It is an eyesore with one flat tire. I know that the police will cite a car that has not moved
in 72 hours. But the car owner will move the car within 3 or 4 days. It is
Continued on page 11
so frustrating because it is always parked in the middle of the space so no
Winter 2009
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 2
Flavia Morgan: R EC OLLECTING M AR V ISTA
Flavia Morgan’s home is perched on the
Ocean View side of Mar Vista Hill, where
the sidewalk is at an upward/downward angle. She is its first and only owner -- she and
her husband, Chuck,
had it built in 1947; she
has lived there since
July 4 of that year.
Flavia was raised in
Fairbanks, Alaska,
where her father owned
(really!) a gold mine.
She met Chuck when
both were students at
UCLA. She was nineteen years old when
they married. Before enlisting in the armed
services, Chuck earned a degree in math at
UCLA. The Second World War separated
them, but when he returned, he continued his
graduate studies at UCLA, earning an advanced degree in meteorology. He then
worked at Los Angeles International Airport
for 35 years, and was part of the phenomenal
growth of LAX.
Chuck was also somewhat of a Renaissance Man; he created wonderful anniversary
cards for Flavia every year until his death, all
of them displayed on the walls of Flavia’s
home. The cards were the subject of a popular KCET television program. One sees
Chuck’s art everywhere, providing the house
with warmth, humor and a feeling of family
history.
Of her early years in Mar Vista, Flavia
writes: “I had seen an ad in the paper by the
Meyer’s Bros. offering GI help in buying a
house. You had to find the lot and they
would put a choice of three plans on it….
When we moved in on July 4, 1947, Ocean
View was somewhat established. I believe the
first plots were made in the ‘20’s with large
Winter 2009
lots and an alley….I am the only original
owner on my street…. When we moved here
this was called Venice (later changed to Los
Angeles)…. There was a Piggly Wiggly grocery store on the corner of Centinela and
Venice. The Red Line
went down the middle
of Venice Boulevard
to Los Angeles. When
it rained the area
(Venice Boulevard)
was completely
flooded and the only
way to get out was to
go up my street and
over to Centinela and continue North.”
Mar Vista Park and Recreation Center
was a big field in 1947, dedicated for recreation but completely bare. Chuck and another
of Mar Vista’s fathers used their automobiles
and leveled the area, creating the first baseball field for Mar Vista Park.
The Morgans raised their two sons, Pat
and Bill, in Mar Vista. One lives nearby, the
other in Northern California. Pat was in the
C OMMUNI T Y P ROFILE
first kindergarten class. Flavia recalls that at
first the school consisted of temporary bungalows, and there were long lines for the first
registration. The parents of the new school
pitched in to raise money, and initiated October Fest, now a yearly tradition. The parents’
group purchased the school’s first piano and
made many contributions through the years.
Flavia was elected President of the PTA, and
Chuck was Scout Master of the boy scout
troop that met there.
Through her PTA
Continued on page 11
leadership experience,
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 3
Staircase Update
The response to the Stairway Beautification project has been awesome. Mar Vista's citizens
and neighborhood organizations have donated close to $15,000 in matching pledges and volunteer time. We have received letters of support from the principal of Mar Vista Elementary
School, from Councilor Bill Rosendahl, from Westdale, Hilltop and MVNA Neighborhood Associations; Mar Vista Community Council's Recreation and Open Space Committee is our
sponsor; and four of the five homeowners who live adjacent to the stairway have given written
support and permission to enter their property. I made a drawing of how the stairway might
look. My friends Sue Hirschkoff and Samira Tamir helped with the budget and paperwork, and
Tom Ponton reviewed the application. With two hours to spare, Sue and I walked our Stairway
Beautification grant application into Councilor Bill Rosendahl's office in West Los Angeles last
October 21, 2008. I've received notification that the application was received, and we will hear whether we will be
N EIGHBORHOOD
awarded $10,000 in matching funds
~ Roseann Herman toward the end of January. Until then,
we wait and hope. Thanks for the support, Mar Vista!
Charnock Wells Update: S ANTA M ONICA ’ S PROPOSAL TO REVIVE ITS
WELL - WATER FACILITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF W INDWARD S CHOOL
At last report, over concern for many objections raised by its Mar Vistan neighbors, Santa
Monica’s City Council (SMCC) commissioned an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the
Charnock Wells project. We had hoped that the EIR would go a long way toward resolving local
objections, but to our disappointment it did not.
Therefore in response, on September 25 the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) sent a
detailed letter to Santa Monica’s engineering department expressing concerns about:
(a) the visual impact of an industrial plant in a residential neighborhood with fifteen
24-feet-high filtration tanks looming over adjacent homes.
(b) unresolved questions about noise levels from pumping machinery and truck traffic.
(c) unanswered questions about potential hazards from transportation of hazardous
waste and possible spills.
(d) mitigating truck traffic in residential neighborhoods by creating an alternative
route off Sawtelle.
(e) the condition of the old pipes that serve the wells.
A main thrust of the letter was that it was the neighboring community of Mar Vista, rather
than the distant political entity of Santa Monica, that should properly select among the various
solutions proposed for dealing with these problems.
The project’s visual effect on the neighborhood was of utmost concern. Several neighbors -supported by your Mar Vista Neighborhood Association (MVNA), MVCC and Los Angeles City
Counselor Rosendahl -- had suggested that the filtration tanks be buried. The EIR found that
burying the tanks would involve greater expense, a longer construction peContinued on page 9
riod and more construction noise, all of which it deemed unfeasible.
W I NTER 2009
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 4
Do Mar Vistans Vote In Step With LA?
Like you, I’m generally weary from the
was about eight percentage points higher
recent election and happy to have my life
than the City as a whole. Our voters defeated
back from the media. Still, in the aftermath I
Proposition 4 (waiting period and parental
wonder how voting results from our neighnotification before termination of minor’s
borhood compare with those from the whole
pregnancy) by a scorching 73.3%, as comof the City of Los Angeles. After all, we have
pared with 60% Citywide. We trashed
special concerns about traffic, transportation,
Proposition 6 (police and law enforcement
policing, education and so forth. It is confunding; criminal penalties and laws) by
ceivable that taking those concerns into the
80.2% as compared with 71.3% for all of LA.
voting booth could produce results that are
While the high-profile Proposition 8 (samedifferent from those
sex marriage) was rejected by a 57.8% vote in
produced
by
voters
in
LA as a whole, our area trounced it by
H APPENINGS
the rest of the City.
74.2%. Our vote against Proposition 9 (victims’ rights) was about ten points higher than
The catchment of our Mar Vista Neighall of LA, and our vote against Proposition 10
borhood Association (MVNA) is roughly the
(bonds for alternative fuel vehicles and reshape of a ‘nibbled rectangle’, delineated by
newable energy) was about eight points
Venice and Palms Boulevards; Centinela and
higher.
the 405-freeway. The northwest corner between Grandview and Palms Boulevards is
It is interesting that the two ‘social tolermissing. Aligning our boundaries with the
ance’ propositions, numbers 4 and 8, were
City’s precincts is a little tricky. The Los Andefeated by a margin approximately halfgeles County Registrar posts a host of inforagain as large (~ 15%) as the margin over the
mation including maps and all current and
rest of Los Angeles by which we defeated the
past election results on their website,
other propositions, numbers 6, 9 and 10
www.lavote.net. MVNA results below are
(~ 9%). Thus while we’re pretty reflective of
approximated from the voting proportions of
the City of Los Angeles as a whole, perhaps a
three precincts; these are wholly or substancase could be made that we vote a little more
tially contained within its boundaries.
‘culturally liberal’? Still, there’s not a lot of
evidence
Our votes seem to track the
Voting Results,
Approximate %
Voting Results,
Contest:
City of Los
increase of MVNA’s
for latent
MVNA
Angeles (COLA)
vote over COLA’s
City’s at large. Our neighborhood
secessionist
has less diversity of opinion than
Presidential
Obama; 84.2% Obama; 76.3%
+ 8%
movements
is found overall among the whole Prop 4 (paren+ 13%
No; 73.3%
No; 60%
here,
of the City. Thus when the City
tal notification)
wouldn’t
voted one way, we voted the same
Prop 6 (crime
+ 9%
No; 80.2%
No; 71.3%
you agree?
direction only more so. There
issues)
was no race where we would have
Prop 8 (same+ 16%
No; 74.2%
No; 57.8%
elected a different candidate or
sex marriage)
~ John
where our majority opinion on a
Prop 9 (victim’s No; 61.0%
+ 10%
No; 51.4%
Houck
proposition differed from that of
rights)
and
the City as a whole (Table 1).
Prop 10 (alter- No; 61.1%
+ 8%
Sara Roos
No; 53.2%
native energy)
Our vote for President-elect
Table 1. Select voting results within MVNA compared with the whole City’s
Obama, 84.2% of those cast,
W I NTER 2009
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 5
Oil In This Thar Mar Vista Hill?
In the early 1920's there were oil wells in
Venice, oil wells in the Baldwin Hills, and oil
wells drilling on May Rindge's Malibu estate.
So why were there no oil rigs on Mar Vista
Hill?
Certainly there was interest in our location. By 1926, seven oil companies had either
purchased or held leases on land in Ocean
Park Heights. Oilman George Getty, father of
dications and has several times been considered for a possible test by large and small
companies.... The Ocean Park Heights district will have a drilling well within the next
two weeks, [according to] officials of the Union Oil Company."
By July of 1925, Union Oil Company's
test well had reached a depth of 6878 feet,
but no signs of oil had been found. However
in their Dominguez Hills wildcat well,
Union Oil Company drilled below 7000
H ISTORICAL P ERSPECTIVE feet before finding oil, establishing a new
depth record for California. The DomJ. Paul Getty, bought a lot on the southwest
inguez Hills well, like the Ocean Park Heights
corner of Grand View and Palms in 1923.
well, had shown no indications of oil to a
This property was held between 1936 and
depth of 7000 feet.
1947 by Ada Oil Company, intriguingly
The company would have continued drillnamed for the town where George and Sarah
ing here, but loss of a string of drill pipe
Getty wooed as students of Ohio Northern
stopped operations. Numerous other meUniversity. Most of the land on Mar Vista
chanical problems resulted in closing the test
Hill between Palms and National Boulevards
well for repairs. By the end of 1925, Union
was purchased by a Union Oil Company diOil had abandoned the test well, and as a rerector in 1926. Standard Oil Company, Susult of this dry hole, Marland Oil Company
perior Oil Company, the Lloyd Corporation
relinquished their claim on Clover Field. In
(owners of the Ventura oil field), and South
1926, using park bonds the City of Santa
Basin Oil Company all owned or leased lots
Monica purchased the 170-acre Clover Field
sized 1-100 acres on the hill. Marland Oil
site. Airport Park included an airfield and an
Company leased the 170-acre Clover [Air]
18 hole golf course. 10 acres of that Santa
Field to its west in 1925.
Monica Municipal Golf Course are today the
The Ocean Park Heights oil district was
site of the Santa Monica College Bundy
considered to be an extension of the Baldwin
Campus, located in Mar Vista.
Hills oil district, and its petroleum possibilities
The abandoning of exploration in this
had been discussed for many years. Accordarea has a more complex context. First, Los
ing to the L.A. Times (Jan. 15, 1925): "The
Angeles was in fact awash with oil, and the
phenomenal success which has attended the
result was a drastic drop in the price per barwildcatting operations of the Union Oil
rel of crude oil during the 1920's. At the
Company for the last several years, resulting
same time, throughout this decade houses
in the discovery of a major field each year for
were being raised in Mar Vista and the inherthree years, is one of the factors which is
ent value of Mar Vista Hill's elevation prestimulating interest in the Ocean Park
sumably contributed to rising property values
Heights project. But independent of this, the
here.
district is said to show favorable structural inW I NTER 2009
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 6
Thus residential needs were becoming important. In 1920, Bob Overbeck built a home
on the northwest corner of Grand View and
Charnock. According to his son, Randy, the
owner of the property across Grand View from
Overbeck's home planned to drill for oil, but
Bob Overbeck didn't want an oil well across the
street from his house. As a forerunner of the
sort of community activism that has come to
characterize our neighborhood [see Charnock
Wells story on page 4], complaints from Overbeck
and his neighbors, coupled with low oil prices,
stopped the drilling. Leavened by economic reality, early activism on Mar Vista Hill prevailed
and there has never been an oil well operated in
the Mar Vista oil field.
Note that these same politics of money and
culture dictated a very different outcome when
it came to St Bede's Episcopal Church. Overbeck didn't want a church across the street from
his house any more than he wanted an oil well.
But without the pressure of market forces, and
in spite of the objection of neighbors, California's Episcopalian Governor Goodwin Knight
was able to obtain approval for building of the
church. [ed. note: Our MVNA annual meeting will be
held at this location in January; see story on front page].
Thus market and social forces (cost of land,
resident's rights) coupled with serendipity (testwell problems) in the 20's may have resulted in
the environment we enjoy today, free of industrial activity. It is amusing to note that if the Union Oil Company's wildcat well had produced
oil, Mar Vistans would not have to deal with the
Santa Monica Airport -- rather there would be
oil derricks on top of Mar Vista hill instead of
our Little League fields and community garden.
It has been claimed that there are several
capped wells on our hill waiting for the price of
oil to go up. However environmental issues and
aesthetics would most likely prevent drilling for
oil on Mar Vista hill, regardless
~ Glen Howell
of the price of a barrel of oil.
W I NTER 2009
Message, Contin- thank the incumbent
ued from page 1 board members for their
considerable service over
the last 2 years: Vice-President, Bryan
Gordon; Treasurer, Susan Black-Feinstein;
Secretary, Roseann Herman; block party
impresario, Renee Marcus; computer whiz,
Cary Gordon; and ad rep, Michael Millman. I’d also like to thank those board
members who’ve decided not to run again:
Victor Paddock, John Houck (who edited
this fine newsletter for the past five years),
Steven Boskin and Rob Kadota, who’ll be
continuing their work on the Mar Vista
Community Council. Their contributions
to the Mar Vista community in time and
effort have been generous indeed. Finally, a
welcome to three new candidates, Andrea
Evenson, Tara Mulski, and Sara Roos, our
current newsletter editor.
If you haven’t already, please sign up to
receive our free monthly e–newsletter on
our website: www.mvna.net .
Be well, MVNA Board President
Dan Jackson
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 7
Closing On A Foreclosure
Many properties on the market today are
“bank-owned”, which typically means that
the banks acquired them through foreclosures
their defaulted mortgage loans by offering the
properties for sale. These listings may present
bargain opportunities to potential buyers but
there are some distinctive features of
R EAL E STATE MATTERS these offerings about which buyers should
be aware. Joe Hernandez of RE/MAX
Westside Properties represents a number
or deeds in lieu of foreclosure. Now the
of bank clients in these transactions:
banks are trying to recoup at least a part of
Renée Marcus: How does the bank set a price on foreclosed properties?
Joe Hernandez: The bank usually sends two agents to do evaluations. They call these Broker Price
Opinions or BPO’s. Some of my clients ask for one BPO and then they also send out their appraiser.
RM: In the current market, might a bank accept less than asking-price simply to get a bad loan
off its books?
JH: Most of my bank clients price their listings below the current market rate. On occasion they will
offer to pay some closing costs for the buyer. Only if the property has been on the market more than
60 days is the bank likely to consider an offer below asking-price. In fact, our listings usually sell
quickly and sometimes have multiple offers.
RM: Does the commission structure in these deals allow a buyer to retain an agent without having to pay the agent’s commission?
JH: Some of my lenders offer a full 3% commission to both sides. On occasion they will offer a 4%
commission to the buyer’s agent or a bonus. Some of my clients pay a straight 5%, or 2½% to each
side, but these lenders also on occasion will offer incentives as well.
RM: Assume that the prospective buyer has decent credit and is willing to pay 20% down, conditioned on the selling bank’s providing a mortgage for the remaining 80%. Would a typical selling
bank go for that offer?
JH: Some of the banks I work with have incentive rates to use their banks for the financing and others
do not offer financing at all.
RM: What useful function can the buyer’s broker perform in these bank-owned transactions?
JH: The buyer’s agent can make sure that the buyer has been pre-approved and can deliver a wellprepared package to the listing agent (pre-approval letter, verification of funds, FICA score, etc.). This
will help the listing agent and the bank’s asset manager in making recommendations and decisions.
The buyer’s agent should also stay on top of the closing because in these transactions the banks usually
assess per-diem penalties if the transaction does not close on schedule due to delays caused by the
buyer.
RM: Some of these houses will be in poor condition. How should buyers protect themselves in
that situation?
JH: Many of our bank-owned listings need repairs; buyers should know that some will not qualify for
financing due to their poor condition. The buyer’s appraiser and lender will have to address this issue.
~ Renée Marcus
W I NTER 2008
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 8
Charnock Wells, Continued from page 4
However in light of
local objections,
Santa Monica reconsidered this position, subsequently proposing to bury some tanks, reduce the aboveground height of some others, place some
vessels on their sides, and redesign and relocate some buildings. The reconfigured design
was described as “of a lower profile and also
more consistent with the visual character of
the area and is in keeping with the desires of
the neighborhood residents…”
This revised proposal was presented in a
public, informational meeting at Windward
School on November 20 attended by among
others, Albert Olson representing MVCC,
Dan Jackson representing MVNA, and John
and Beverly Jones, neighbors living on Purdue Avenue near the project. In addition to
describing design changes, Santa Monica
representatives stated that (a) the existing
pipes should not be a problem because they
have continuously been in use, (b) the noise
mitigation steps proposed in the EIR should
be effective but if not, Santa Monica is open
to further mitigation steps, and (c) an alternative truck route from Sawtelle had been objected to by Windward School officials.
The matter was scheduled for review by
the full SMCC on November 25, and concerned Mar Vistans were mustered through a
flyer distributed by MVNA. At the meeting,
Santa Monica’s effort to revive its long-time
water source was applauded by DWP and the
Metropolitan Water District. Albert Olson
and John Jones also expressed appreciation
for the steps taken so far by Santa Monica to
deal with various neighborhood concerns, but
noted that some concerns yet remain. Their
remarks about the need for noise mitigation
got no response. The SMCC formally approved the EIR, thereby adopting the mitigation steps recommended therein, and approvW I NTER 2008
ing the project’s commencement. Santa
Monica is setting out to get bids from contractors and construction might begin next
summer. It is Santa Monica’s hope that water
will begin to flow again in 2010.
Olson observes that while Santa Monica
has made substantial concessions to neighborhood opinion on aesthetics issues, our
concerns about noise control and hazardous
waste management have not been allayed. At
present the neighborhood’s options seem limited to keeping an eye on the project to determine whether these issues have been dealt
with before the facility commences operation.
If we are not satisfied, the whole community,
including MVCC, your MVNA and all affected residents, will once again have to raise
our voices to be heard all the way over into
Santa Monica.
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net ~ John Houck
p. 9
Saving Water: Move The Fescue To ‘The Golf Course In The Sky’!
Our water supply is dangerously low
due to record dry conditions and other
environmental factors. How can we ‘Go
Green’ and keep our landscapes filled
with flowers and leafy plants?
Many Mar Vistans acknowledge the
dawning of an age of lawn-free life or
little-lawn life. They have replaced their
lawn with low water Mediterranean
plants, bark and hard cape. Examples
layers prevent any light from reaching the
grass, which therefore dies within two
months.
2)Solarizing is a variation of the layer approach but the lawn is covered with a plastic
tarp for six weeks, during which time the
grass dies.
3)Finally, the sure-fire way is to use an herbicide such as Roundup®. Spray it once or
twice and in 7-10 days your “fescue has
moved on to that golf course in
MVLP: T HE G ROUND V IEW the sky”. Roundup® is absorbed by the plant and root
are abundant in the neighborhood; you
system but does not have a soil residual.
can get many ideas by strolling down the
Many dread removing lawn, so consider these
3600 and 3700 blocks of Mountain View
alternative ways of saving water:
and Ocean View or by surfing the internet.
• Water the yard only before 8:00 a.m.; this
can save approximately 25 gallons of water
Removing lawn is not difficult and is
per day.
best undertaken during wintertime; now
• Install a smart sprinkler controller. This
is the perfect time of year. Three reccan save approximately 40 gallons per day.
ommendations for removing your lawn
follow below. Not recommended is to
• Sweep, rather than hose-down driveways
and sidewalks, saving 150 gallons each time.
hire a crew that just skims off the top of
the lawn since this practice leaves the
• Maintain your sprinkler system, repairing
root system intact. The following options
leaks, overspray and broken sprinkler heads:
are better:
save up to 500
gallons a
1)Layering, which avoids chemimonth!
cals but takes time. Cover the turf
with 6 or more layers of cardboard
and add 4-6 inches of mulch. The
‘Going Green’
means saving water and keeping
the flowers, shrubs
and ground covers
as part of the
landscaping.
~ Beth Moreno
W I NTER 2009
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 10
one else can park, plus
it looks so ugly!
Is there another note
that I can leave on the window to ask if he will
move the car? Does the MVNA have any policy to deal with this? Thanks for your help!
-R. S.
Ask Marv, Continued
from page 2
The MVNA has no policy regarding municipal
legalities. As you note, the owner is within his legal
rights moving the car every three days. One neighborhood resident papers such “bad neighbor” vehicles with
polite but persistent requests to move the vehicle elsewhere. This presumes a right to manage the public
space in front of your house for, say, aesthetic reasons.
Alternatively you might consider approaching the car’s
owner and explain that you feel the car is inconsiderately
parked and in need of a little TLC. This sort of confrontation isn’t for everyone, but it would be an honest
approach to a situation that while irritating, you may
not have much right to affect. It’s possible our area’s
Senior Lead Police Officer, Tom Wicks, might be of
assistance as well: 310-622-3973.
W I NTER 2009
Dear Marv:
Just wanted to tout the usefulness of the online
Resources Guide to Mar Vista neighbors. We have
found and used a number of tradespeople from
this site and consider it a helpful guide to local
services. Just go to: www.mvna.net and click on
"Neighborhood Resources" -- you'll find everything
from Handymen to Dog Walkers. It's an easy, atyour-fingertips way to connect with someone your
neighbor may have used, and recommends.
-J. B.
Thanks for this measure of some success! Helping
neighbors reach out to neighbors is really our “raison d’être”.
Flavia was asked to work in
the Protocol Office at L.A.
City Hall, where she met
and entertained many important national and
world leaders. She was also a volunteer for the
World Affairs Council and hosted many foreign
dignitaries for the U.S. State Department; in
1984, she and Chuck hosted one of the International Olympic Committee Directors.
Among other recipients of her hospitality were
Britain’s Prince Charles and Emperor Hirohito
of Japan.
Flavia’s home is filled with mementoes of a
life lived well and happily—she describes her
life as “enjoyable”, and I’d add that it has been
one dedicated to her family and to the community in which she lives. Her enthusiasm and
willingness to serve her community have enhanced her enjoyment and earned the respect
and gratitude of
~ Roseann Herman
others.
Profile, Continued
from page 3
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 11
Restaurant Review: M ITSUWA M ARKETPLACE
Mitsuwa Marketplace (formerly Yaohan), located in the mini-mall north of CVS (formerly
SavOn) on the northeast corner of Centinela and
Venice Boulevards, is a world unto itself. It
houses a Japanese food court, Shisheido cosmetics, Japanese-language videos and books, gizmos,
a beauty shop, a dry cleaning shop, and a market
selling beautiful fresh seafood and meats, vegetables, and foods so Japanese that there’s no English at all on the labels. The market is always
filled with shoppers; if you know Japanese food
and ingredients, this is The Place. It’s an adventure for the rest of us.
Recently, several of us shared lunch at the
Mitsuwa food court. We studied the menus and
3-D food replicas of menu items at each place,
before we ordered our lunches.
China Table’s menu is an Asian hybrid of
Chinese and
Japanese food
which winds
up looking
almost
Continued from page 1
American.
For example,
hamburger is
served, but it
comes as a
curry. Another favorite
is boba, large, chewy tapioca pearls which sink to
the bottom of a drink that you sip through a wide
straw. This poses a challenge, as I slurp up plenty
of air while targeting boba. Result?: Burp. Excuse me. The apricot boba is really good.
Santouka serves ramen bowls. One orders
various toppings and a choice of three sizes and
three kinds of broth: salt, soy, or miso. There are
also combinations, which include some sides of
vegetables and a hard-boiled egg.
Misasa’s food looks most like the Japanese
food one finds in familiar restaurants. There are
various rice bowls, with choices of topping such
as tempura, fish, pork cutlets, egg. And they have
W I NTER 2009
bento box lunches with tempura, teriyaki, miso
soup, curries, fish.
Our group didn’t coordinate well, and we
discovered that two of us ordered the same
dish at Sanuki Sandou—shrimp and vegetable tempura with noodles. Both of us agreed
we might have preferred the larger, rather
than the tiny, shrimp -- or a different topping
altogether for our noodles. One dish had
soba (thin, buckwheat) noodles, the other
udon (thick, chewy), and the broth was different for each type of noodle. Overall, I enjoyed my dish, especially the
broth and the udon, but the
O N T HE
shrimp-y taste took getting
used to. We shared one apricot boba and an order of good pot sticker
dumplings (about $7 for
ten) from China’s Table.
All of the restaurants
have photos and/or plasticized samples of the food.
The samples just fascinate
me. How do they do that?
They look good enough to
eat and provide a visual preview of the choices available.
It makes it easier—but still
not easy—to figure out what
to order. For many of us, the fare is exotic: don’t
expect perfect appreciation the first time around.
This is a place to come back to, and judging by
the crowd, many people do.
If anyone out there is a Japanese food gourmet and can guide me through ordering another
meal, let’s talk. The food court is more than an
adventure; there’s great food waiting to be tasted!
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net Mitsuwa Marketplace
3760 Centinela Avenue
(310) 398-2113
~ Roseann Herman
p. 12
Le Chic Dentist
A brand new dental office, Le Chic Dentist,
has opened just recently in Mar Vista. Located in the space vacated by Gloria’s Cake
Supplies, our neighborhood has the
pleasure of welcoming two young dentists, Doctors Pouria Sadri and
Maryam Hadian. The husband and wife team are both
graduates of USC School of
Dentistry. They provide full dental services
from teeth cleaning,
x-rays and fillings, to
B OULEVARD
every type of cosmetic dentistry. Each of their four dental
chairs has state-of-the-art dental equipment,
including a screen to watch the procedure if
desired. Doctors Sadri and Hadian accept
most dental plans and are very warm and
welcoming; Pouria is a most gentle and caring
dentist. If you stop by and just say “Hello”,
let Pouria know you read about him
in the Mar Vista View. Maryam has
just delivered their first child, a baby
girl, and will not be in the office for a
while. Le Chic Dentist is located at
3755 Sawtelle Boulevard,
just north of Venice Boulevard, 310398-5400.
~ Susan Black-Feinstein
VanRose Collections
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SPECIALIZING IN SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES AND
SWAROVSKY CRYSTAL ON STERLING SILVER
Vanessa Rosemund, designer
310-508-5970
Email inquiries to admin@vanrosecollection.com
Visit me on the web at www.vanrosecollection.com
Two New Restaurants
This holiday season brought the opening of two
eagerly-awaited new dining establishments into our
Ilasender@verizon.net
greater community. The Wood Café is strategically
located at the intersection of Inglewood and Washington Boulevards, two heavily-transited corridors. Catering to a fast food crowd they offer organic coffee and other light-meals including sandwiches, french toast and omelettes. On Venice
Boulevard across from Mountain View Avenue, The Curious Palate provides gourmet sandwiches
and baked entrées for informal lunch and dinner table-service, take-out and catering.
The Wood Café
12000 W. Washington Boulevard
310.915.9663
6 am - 10 pm daily
W I NTER 2009
The Curious Palate
12034 Venice Boulevard
310.437.0144
10 am - 8 pm Tu-Su
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 13
MV Farmers’ Market: A N ICHE F OR Q UICHE
learned to eat well from her farm and cook at
her side. Always it was a dream to run his
own restaurant. Claims that this dreamcome-true resemble the occasional
nightmare instead are belied by twinkling eyes as he recounts
his story. Laurent looks
nothing if not happy
now. At the “ripe” age
of 24 he left a journalism career in France
“for love” in America,
stayed “despite all” and
dedicates all his efforts
to his darling threeyear-old daughter, Celeste.
Laurent makes every effort to use local
and organic produce and eggs supplied by
colleagues at the Farmers’ Market. The
bread he sells there is
baked by a friend; the pastries are his own. Between C REATING
Laurent is a self-described “farm boy”,
his restaurant, Farmer’s
raised by his grandmother in the Normandy
Markets and off-site bakery, Laurent employs
region of France from the age of two, and
at least 15 people. He has come a long way
loving food “from day
one”. He
since those early days of a single table
and cooler! You can enjoy a morning
MAR VISTA COMMUNITY COUNCIL omelette or quiche with salad, or a
Board Meetings
fresh pastry or muffin from his booth
Second Tuesday
on the west side of the Market each
of every month
Sunday. For a more extensive menu,
Mar Vista Rec Center
visit his eponymously named restau11430 Woodbine
rant, Café Laurent on Overland near
Feb. 10 at 7 PM
Veteran’s Park in Culver City.
Mar. 10 at 7 PM
For twelve years Farmer’s Markets have been
a staple of Laurent Triqueneaux’s life. He
started with just a couple coolers and no market
umbrella, cheerfully dispensing savory and sweet
quiche up and down the
coast between Torrance
and Santa Monica. Over
the years he has scaled up both his offerings and
venues. Nowadays in addition to selling at four
Farmer’s Markets per week, he also owns and
manages a sit-down café in Culver City. Soon
he will expand this popular restaurant to include
a branch location in Mar Vista. With so much
on his plate, it is our good fortune that since he
resides in Mar Vista he feels a special commitment to enhance our Farmers’ Market every
Sunday with his flavorful wares. These days he
offers omelettes, fresh pastries and bread -- but
still the same cheery “Helooo” rings out to
passersby, willing and eager to greet you in three
languages. (Says he: “This is Mar Vista, you’ve
got to speak Spanish”).
•••
Visit us weekly at the
Mar Vista
Farmers’ Market
EVERY SUNDAY
9 AM – 2 PM
Corner of Venice
& Grand View
MVNA is represented by MVCC Zone 4 Director Stephen Boskin, boskin@marvista.org.
Sign up to receive email announcements and a monthly community calendar at
WWW.MARVISTA.ORG
W I NTER 2009
Café Laurent
7:30a -2:30p Tu-Su
4243 Overland Ave 5:30p-9p Tu-Th
310.558.8622
5:30p-9:30p Fr-Su
Mar Vista Farmers’ Market;
8:30 am - 2 pm on Grand View
Boulevard south of Venice; free
parking in the post office lot.
www.marvistafarmersmarket.org
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 14
Community Groups: W HERE
DO YOU FIT IN ?
MVNA believes in promoting community by helping to organize neighborhood clubs. We have
organized several groups that are currently up-and-running, while others are seeking members.
The groups offer a great chance to meet neighbors and join in a fun activity, all within walking
distance. If you’re intrigued, please fill out the form below and return it with your dues form on
the reverse side of this page - or contact me: dan@mvna.net.
Gardening Group: Meets monthly to discuss gardening, work on each other’s gardens,
take field trips.
Ethnic Dining: The current group, which meets bimonthly to share a potluck ethnic dinner,
is at capacity. So we’d like to start a second cooking group (not necessarily ethnic).
Walkers: We have two groups that meet regularly for morning/evening walks and would like
to start more. Specify when you’d like to walk:
French Group: Meets once a month for conversational French.
Political Forum: Meets monthly to discuss a hot politic topic.
Mah-Jongg: There are currently two groups and we have a Mah Jongg expert in the
neighborhood who’d be happy to get new groups started.
C OMMUNI T Y
Book Club: Meets monthly.
Bridge Night
Poker Night
Quilting
Sewing Circle
Babysitting Coop/Parents Group Scuba Expeditions Photography Expeditions
Bar Hopping
Restaurant Hopping Article Writing (newsletter or website)
Movie Night
Woodworking
Senior Activities
Wine Tasting
Other ideas: Name: Email: W I NTER 2009
Mar Vista V I E W ; www.mvna.net p. 15
www.mvna.net
editor@mvna.net
P RESIDENT :
VICE-PRESIDENT:
Dan Jackson (391-1426)
Bryan Gordon (390-2064)
TREASURER:
Susan Black-Feinstein (391-5391)
SECRETARY:
Roseann Herman (636-0126)
B OA R D M E M B E R S :
Steve Boskin
John Houck
Cary Gordon
Rob Kadota
Renée Marcus
Michael Millman Victor Paddock
NEWSLETTER:
Sara Roos (390-2529)
Contemplating MVNA: W HY W E “D UES ” I T ?
One of MVNA’s founders, Bryan Gordon, reflects that:
“... Almost 9 years later, I am so proud and amazed at how our association has evolved - not
just as an advocacy group for the community, but also as a vehicle to bring neighbors closer
together for fun, safety and community beautification. Even cooler is how our newsletter
and website have created a feedback mechanism for us to hear from our members and for
us to let neighbors know what's happening in the 'hood, information they would never find
in the LA Times. What's really impressive is that through the collective will and energy of
our board and members of our association, we have one of the largest associations in the
West LA area: 1200+ homes, with over 30% of residences signed up as paying members.
We are a cohesive, stable, energetic, productive and well-respected organization and we've
done so much to make this neck of the woods feel like an idyllic place to live. I feel lucky to
live here and to be a part of this vibrant community.”
In 2009 the MVNA supported these neighborhood events and organizations nominally:
• Association-wide block party (rentals, food, beverages, t-shirts., etc) • Mar Vista Landkeepers’ Preservation • Neighborhood Youth Association • Newsletter (printed for quarterly distribution to 1200 residences and businesses) • Police Unity Tour (honoring our
former Senior Lead Officer Craig White) • St. Bede's Church (community meeting space)
P l e a s e Jo i n U s !
Complete this form and mail it* along
with your annual dues of $20 to:
MVNA Treasurer
11615 Francis Place
Los Angeles, CA 90066
NAME ADDRESS HOME TELEPHONE EMAIL ADDRESS * Or you can paypal us through our website: www.mvna.net