Pacific Palisades, California $1.50
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Palisadian-Post Serving the Community Since 1928 22 Pages Thursday, August 10, 2017 ◆ Pacific Palisades, California $1.50 in the future. Neighbors remain uncon- Shaggy Dog Story Grows Toxic vinced. The conflict has been brought to the attention of the Pacific Pal- How “Improvement Fatigue” and Bad isades Community Council as another example of a perceived Manners Have Inflamed a Neighborhood rise in “bad manners” and short cuts being taken by contractors By JOHN HARLOW and Last summer he discovered elderly neighbor, Mary Hagerth, in a hurry across the town. GABRIELLA BOCK that removing canine hair from much to her distress. This includes public urina- air ducts in between tenants was Vallin’s surveyor ruled it was tion, abandoned trash and work- hen Alexander Vallin de- escalating into a major rebuild- on his property. That has been ing beyond permitted hours. cided to clean the air con- ing project. challenged. Maryam Zar, PPCC chair, Wditioning ducts at his rental home A year later, delayed by bad The hedge was replaced with said she is considering establish- last summer, he little realized weather and over-runs, Vallin plywood spray-painted with the ing an ad hoc committee to deal it would lead to an 18-month claims he is facing mob anger. words “cameras in use, bitches.” The reporter and the contractor Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer with issues that the city fails to nightmare that has set neighbor “The neighbors ambush me, Vallin confirmed he now has address through its 311 reporting against neighbor and resulted in they want to cut my head off, CCTV trained on the property overflowed with raw sewage. well.” app. dawn police calls, vulgarity and they call the police all the time, line in case, he said, of trespass. When a reporter from the Vallin insisted that Barash- Neighbors are encouraged to broken friendships. this is madness,” he told the Pal- A jackhammer has been used Post approached the contractor kov has always operated with- collect evidence, such as video And the possible establish- isadian-Post on Monday, Aug. 7. to remove concrete up to the le- on site, he swore at her and spat in the law and had 30 permits of active code violations. ment of a new community coun- Some of the clashes are fa- gally permitted limit of 9 p.m., at her feet. She beat a hasty re- to prove it, but admitted that They have raised the issues cil committee to calm neighbor- miliar tales of Angeleno rede- and, according to neighbors, lat- treat. he could have negotiated with with CD11 Councilmember hoods when constant building velopment: blurred property er than that. The Polish-born Vallin apol- neighbors in a more diplomatic Mike Bonin. His area represen- leads to “improvement fatigue,” lines, industrial noise and frayed Vallin has been cited for a ogized but defended his contrac- style. tative, Lisa Cahill, said it was le- when not even the prospect of nerves. This is the new normal. dumpster in the street. tor, saying that he was “good Now, with six months of gally tricky if the contractor was higher home prices feels worth But on Las Lomas, civili- He has declined requests man but very Russian. He does work to go, Vallin promised that following city permits. the problem of living with con- ty became an early casualty of to erect a noise-buffering, not know how to deal with peo- the heavy work is over, and he “Unfortunately,” she added, struction. conflict between neighbors and dust-shielding fence around the ple being hostile to him very hopes to rebuild old relationships “we can’t regulate kindness.” There are also demands for Vallin’s contractor, Russian-born house: It’s not legally required. a tougher “builder’s code” to en- Vladimir Barashkov. A break- It was not always thus. Thir- sure they follow the rules. down that had not happened ty years ago, Vallin recalled, This reflects the negative during six recent redevelopments he gave sanctuary to Hagerth’s The Palisades’ Forgotten ‘Torso Murder’ feeling on Las Lomas where on the street, neighbors said. mother as her home was fumigat- And the Remarkable Young Woman Whose Killer Remains Unknown Vallin has owned a single-family It escalated last month when ed. Hagerth said more recently residence on the 600 block for 33 Barashkov cut down a venerable she allowed his renters to shower By MATTHEW MEYER years. Eugenia hedge shared with an at her home when his sub-pump Reporter Research by ALEKSANDAR PAVLOVIĆ Ruthless Ryderz Return Special to the Palisadian-Post t was a sense of adventure—or at least a disinterest in attending Iclass that day—that landed three Palisadian teenagers on PCH on Nov. 2, 1973. The ditching teens had skirted Palisades High School to check out what was left of a raging Malibu brush fire just down the road. Juniors Gale Cruse and Eliz- The site of the haunting discovery. Photo courtesy of Aleksandar Pavlović abeth “Liz” Taylor hopped into James Levesque’s Jeep. One year “[It was] frightening,” he lat- port their haunting discovery, but older than the girls, Levesque was er recalled. “How evil, and how feared that calling the police might the admitted “lead troublemaker” of ugly and how sad … Who the heck reveal their truancy. They settled on the gang. would do something like this?” an anonymous telephone hotline at When his car blew a tire just The teens knew they had to re- the local radio station, KHJ. past the Chart House restaurant on By the time they returned to the PCH, he set to work on the Jeep beach from a pay phone down the while the girls gazed out over the road, police had descended on the ocean. area. That’s when they spotted some- Cruse called that day her “big thing bobbing in the water near secret”—a vivid memory that re- shore. played constantly in her head, but At first Cruse thought it might one that she hardly spoke to anyone be a doll. But as she and Taylor about, aside from passed notes to scrambled closer along the rocks, Taylor in class. they realized with horror that it was She scanned what limited ac- Photo courtesy of Drew Jackson a woman’s torso—separated from cess she had to news reports, but At 11 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, around 40 members of the Ruthless Ryderz motorcycle club congre- head and limbs. never discovered much more about gated at the intersection of Sunset and Chautauqua boulevards to leave tributes for David “Babyface” “It was surreal,” Cruse told the what was later called the “tor- Babalyan of Reseda. He died in a collision with a teenage driver at the intersection on Sunday, April 2, Palisadian-Post last month. “We so murder” at Will Rogers State since when, LAPD officers say, the numbers of Ryderz driving at high speed through the Village on Sun- were freaked out.” Beach. day and Wednesday nights has fallen. Levesque scrambled down Toni Goman Coverage of the incident was alongside the girls to get a better look. Photo courtesy of the Amos family (Continued on Page 3) As the powers that be quarrel endlessly amongst themselves, a vast and sprawling continent sits in disarray. In light VOICES FROM THE STREET of these troublesome times, the Palisadian-Post asked locals the one question left on everybody’s mind: Who will win the “Game of Thrones?” By GABRIELLA BOCK Reporter Photos by Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer Purcy Glove Ned Hardy Mike Minky Emily Rishwain Julie Stumpus You know, I think Sansa’s go- I’m going to have to go with Okay, I’ve never actually Daenerys and Jon are going to I want it to be Jon Snow, but ing to take Westeros. People un- the dragons. Just the dragons. watched “Game of Thrones.” I team up and take it all. that seems a little too obvious. I derestimate how smart she is. wish I had more time, but now I’m think it might be Littlefinger— too far behind to start. mostly because he’s a cockroach and I think George R.R. Martin may just be that cruel. Page 2 Palisadian-Post August 10, 2017 WEB TALK This week’s hottest topics on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram Palisadian-Post Torino Johnson has resigned as head coach of the Pali- OUT OF THE PAST sades High girls basketball program and will be join- January 30, 1969 2 ing the women’s basketball 2¢¢ staff at Cal State LA as an Volunteers load sandbags onto California National Guard trucks to prevent further damage Your Two Cents’ Worth assistant under head coach to homes and public streets in Mandeville Canyon after torrential rains dropped 7.29 inches Got something to say? Call Cheryl Miller. Johnson won onto already-saturated earth. (310) 454-1321 or email 2cents@ 203 games in 10 seasons at palipost.com and get those kudos Palisades, where he led the or concerns off your chest. Names Dolphins to four City Section will not be used. championships and earned four City Coach of the Year awards. #palisades #palipost Parking I will never understand why ARWEN HERNANDEZ that guy insists on using a dis- Congratulations, Torino! Cal State LA is lucky to have you! abled parking spot at the Pali STEVEN BURR park every time he parks for Congratulations Torino!!! Will miss seeing you around Pali! You’ve his tennis game. Seems like built an amazing program here and I know you will have continued just another self-entitled jerk success. MTFBWY, A! in PP.