The Canyon Chronicle-OCTOBER 28, 2022 (Volume 3, No. 21) -www.thecanyonchronicle.com

Artfully

Mountain

OAK DR, TOPANGA

Bring your sophisticated sensibility to the clean mountain air of peaceful Topanga Canyon. This audacious, loft-style, cedar-clad home nestled into the mountain, up a long private drive, with panoramic sunset views, is the getaway you’ve dreamt of. Your inspiring home, with walls of glass, looks out to chaparral clad canyons, and green treetops. Step past a burbling corten fountain, and into the spacious great room, with 20 foot high ceilings, designer cement floors, walls of glass on the views, and an artisan, statement, staircase and catwalk, to the upper floor. Step down into the living room with Malm fireplace, built in sunken seating, Noguchi style hanging lights, and bravura windows looking out at the views. Up the breathtaking staircase, sits a main suite, with high ceilings, walls of glass, and a zen-like main bath. Cross the catwalk to a bright, second suite. Downstairs, an office sits wrapped in bay windows. Outside, decks for lounging, dancing, feasting, wrap around your hideaway. Splash into the cool, new, plunge pool overlooking the wide decks. Up a path, a veritable soccer field of flat yard is your place to play. A Vintage Steel Mobile home hosts guests. Nearby, stunning trails entice. Meander down to shops and cafes in the Topanga Village, or to the nearby beach, but be home for sunset. You won’t want to miss it.

REACH.

Thinking Out Loud

Publisher / Editor

Flavia Potenza

Creative Director

Nira Lichten

Senior Reporter

Annemarie Donkin

Advertising Manager

Jenise Blanc-Chance

Creative Consultant

Eiffel Nazaryan

Contributors

Linda Ballou

Joel Bellman

Pablo Capra

Kathie Gibboney

Paula LaBrot

Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 6, 2022

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months (the second Sunday of March) and back again in the fall (the first Sunday in November) to make better use of natural daylight. When local daylight time is about to reach Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2:00 a.m., clocks are turned backward one hour to Sunday, November 6, 2022, 1:00 a.m., local standard time. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier on Nov 6, 2022 than the day before, and there will be more light in the morning.

On March 15, 2022, the U.S. Senate surprisingly and unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act. The announcement came only two days after most of the U.S. set their clocks forward one hour for DST and the bill is still waiting for approval from the House of Representatives. If the bill passes, states that use DST, will not fall back to standard time but remain on permanent DST starting November 5, 2023. This move might have happened in November this year, but the date was set to 2023 to give sectors with strict timetables, like airlines and travel industries, time to prepare. ( timeanddate.com )

Hope Is Real

I n this time, when the nation’s mental health is often in the news, The Canyon Chronicle’s lineup includes another mental health feature, “Finding ‘Health’ in Mental Health,” by Matthew Ferraro. (pages 8-9). In it, he follows the journey of Adrian Lacey as he struggled to manage his mental health challenges. A year later, Ferraro produced Lacey’s story as an award-winning documentary short film, “The Runner.” Here, Lacey shares his message of hope:

About three years ago I heard a quote on the radio which stopped me in my tracks. It came from J.G. Ballard talking about his semi-autobiographical book entitled Empire of the Sun that became a Steven Spielberg movie of the same name. Writing about his traumatic wartime experience in Shanghai, Ballard said it took him “20 years to forget and then 20 years to remember.” The very year I first heard that quote was 40 years after the 15 year-old boy that I was then returned home from school and mounted the stairs to find my mother’s lifeless body next to a bottle of pills. Looking back now I’m inclined to lift a line from war leader Winston Churchill: that was “the end of the beginning,” the day my innocence died.

Those 40 years for me didn’t neatly divide into two in the way Ballard described for himself. When composer and director Matthew Ferraro first approached me with an idea, I happened to be making some progress on a semi-autobiographical novel dealing in part with teen trauma. I was finally mentally predisposed to talking openly about things I’d barely discussed with friends I’d known for decades. So Matthew came along at the right time with an eye toward helping others—he was pushing at an open door.

There also were some complete strangers I entrusted with great detail about my family trauma and the depression I was wrestling with—therapists. Guided conversations with them over the years, together with regular exercise, has been my route forward. Throw in some long-standing loyal friends, work in broadcasting and my love for music, and I’ve been very lucky to be able to build a life I could inhabit in a much more constructive way than ever seemed possible at my lowest points as a teenager. There often seems to be an epidemic of depression and anxiety in society and that raises bigger questions than any of us can address quickly. Although the principles of looking after ourselves and feeding a support network around us are relatively simple, working them out in practice and sticking with them can take decades!

I wish you well if you’re embarking on such a journey. The most important take-away from my story is there is always hope. Hope is real. I’m a living example of that!

Kait Leonard Amy Weisberg Kim Zanti

Copy Editor / Distribution Ellie Carroll

Proofreader

Jamie Clark-Mazur

Contact US editor@thecanyonchronicle.com

General inquiries: info@thecanyonchronicle.com Advertising inquiries: ads@thecanyonchronicle.com P.O. Box 1101

Topanga, CA 90290 (310) 460-9786

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The Canyon Chronicle is an independent community newspaper published bi-weekly by Canyon Media, Inc.©2020. All rights reserved. thecanyonchronicle.com

CHP West Valley Area Report for Sept. 2022

For Topanga Canyon Blvd. from the two-mile bridge to L.A. city limits (Cezanne Avenue), the CHP responded to three traffic collisions, one was an injury collision and two were propertydamage only. Primary collision factors were unsafe turning movement and unsafe speed. There were three traffic collisions for the same reporting period in 2021.

For Topanga Canyon Blvd. from the twomile bridge to PCH, the CHP responded to four traffic collisions, one was an injury collision and three were property damage-only. Primary collision factors were unsafe turning movement and unsafe speed. There were two traffic collisions for the same reporting period in 2021.

To report unsafe driving behaviors in Topanga and the Santa Monica Mountains, please call CHP dispatch at (323) 259-3200.

Sheriff’s

Noteworthy Incidents for Topanga included:

A theft of electrical equipment was reported in the 19900 block of Sischo Drive. The equipment was stolen from a cabinet and there were no signs of forced entry.

A vehicle burglary occurred in the 300 block of South Topanga Canyon Blvd. The driver’s side window was smashed on the victim’s work truck to gain entry. Tools were stolen. Video surveillance footage showed an unknown subject park a white van near the victim’s work truck,

Thursday, November 10, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Are you on Medicare, want to be, or know someone who needs help with their Medicare choices?

The Canyon Sages, Topanga’s only organization dedicated to older adults, is sponsoring a program on Zoom that will explain what Medicare covers, when one is eligible, how to apply, and more. Bruce Johnston, a licensed broker with decades of experience in Medicare, will present a primer of all things Medicare and answer your questions.

This is also an opportunity to meet Sages president, James Grasso, who will host the event. Join the Zoom meeting at: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/8548109733 ; Meeting ID: 854 810 9733, PASSCODE: TOPANGA

To learn more about the different types of Medicare plans, use the Medicare Plan Finder ( medicare.gov/plan-compare ) or contact Bruce Johnston, (310) 564-7656, westlamedicare@ gmail.com.

Join the Canyon Sages (free) at canyonsages.com for updates on all their activities, including the free First Friday of the month dinner at the Topanga Community Center on Nov. 4, 3:30-5 p.m.

A Little bit of Sugar Goes a Long Way

Dear Editor, I just read our paper... what a great issue! Kathy [Gibboney], your article resonated deeply. I was autumn-born on Oct. 3, and grew up in Evanston, Ill. I knew in my bones, in my very cells what you were writing about. I, too, have to have fall. The acorns this year have been epic in number—that is my signal, not the passion flowers blooming or the third crop of apples that have just flowered. I detest fake flowers, but I admit to garlands of flame/orange/yellow fall leaves. I have raised “freeway sunflowers” for a long time. They are all from one plant I pulled off the side of the freeway years ago. There, they grow into scraggly, low plants. Here, with a tiny bit of water, they become giant stalks of profuse blossoms that appear in June and last until now. The cutting of the dried-out stalks is my fall ritual. Great, evocative article, Kathy!

smash the victim’s vehicle window and steal property.

A Los Angeles resident was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence in the 21100 block of Bellini Drive. The suspect assaulted her boyfriend during an argument.

The figures below are for serious crimes in the Topanga area for Sept. 2022.

Linda [Ballou], when I was a kid in the fifties, my mother won a trip to Colorado from Illinois. We went to the YMCA of the Rockies. Even then, they had the library, my favorite place at the camp. We took our own children every summer, and a LaBrot has hiked every one of those Rocky Mountain National Park trails, reveled in the hay ride with the big Belgians pulling the wagons, created most loved treasures in the arts/crafts rooms and spent lots of time reading books from the library. George and I were there last year at this time, our first trip after COVID. First thing I did was head to the library to find “my books.” It’s a wonderful journey you have chronicled and shared with us. Many thanks.

It’s such an honor to write among you all.

Editor’s Note: These three women are valued contributors to The Canyon Chronicle. Kathie Gibboney has been writing her column, “My Corner of the Canyon,” starting with the Topanga Messenger; Travel writer and author Linda Ballou generously graces our newspaper with her tales of faraway places when she’s not writing or traveling; and Paula LaBrot keeps us informed about the many worlds of technology in her column, “All Things Connected.”

Election Deception: Call it Out for What It Is

Dear Editor, I met Lindsey Horvath last Sunday, who is running for Supervisor of the 3rd District of LA County. I was impressed with her positions (and endorsements) on issues I care about. I was outraged when I received a deceptive flier in the mail spreading lies about her record, sponsored by the building industry who support her opponent. Just to set the record straight, she is endorsed by the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, and other women’s organizations, as well as the LA Times. Unlike her opponent, she takes no money from the building industry. She would be a real friend to us in maintaining the sustainablity of Topanga.

The State and County Ballot Propositions

California’s general election ballot is one of the shortest in recent history, and that’s a relief. In 1914, only three years after voters approved a package of progressive reforms including the initiative, referendum and recall, voters had a staggering 48 ballot measures to consider; more recently, the 1990 elections threw 45 propositions at them to decide.

By the 1970s, interest groups and their consultants began to figure out how to game the system, touching off an initiative frenzy to hustle the voters with expensive and deceptive advertising campaigns.

Things have calmed down a lot since then. But in 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill offering a subtle but important fix that made our ballot process even easier to deal with. Until 1958, initiatives—the measures placed on the ballot by signature petitions, not by the Legislature— were restricted to November general elections. In 1960, a new law took effect to allow initiatives to appear on primary and special election ballots, which historically had lower turnout and thus fewer voters making major policy decisions. Initiatives proliferated. But since 2012, the law reverted to scheduling ballot initiatives exclusively in November general elections, when the greatest number of voters participate.

And so, we have only seven

statewide ballot measures to decide in the upcoming November 8 election, and two Countywide measures of potential interest and relevance to Topangans.

Here are my recommendations:

STATE

1 YES. A legislative constitutional amendment, supported by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature, which requires a public vote to enshrine broad abortion rights in our state constitution. It’s a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, an action that stripped away nearly 50 years of U.S. constitutional rights for women.

26 NO. One of two special-interest initiative constitutional amendment and statute combos aimed at expanding current gambling activities and creating a sportsbetting industry in California by allowing in-person betting at tribal casinos and four horse-racing tracks. Some Native American tribes with casinos, and the gambling industry, are dumping millions into passing it, while existing card clubs are spending millions to defeat it because it potentially threatens their business. Unclear how much additional revenue it will generate, or what additional costs it may impose.

27 NO. Another special interest

initiative constitutional amendment and statute combo that would legalize online and mobile sports betting operated by federally recognized Native American and open to California residents outside tribal lands. Cynically, the measure is being advertised as a homelessness prevention initiative because it dedicates much of the tax and licensing revenue to homelessness programs. But in addition, it cheats K-12 public education out of their share by exempting these sportsbetting revenues from counting against the state spending limit that guarantees schools 40% of the annual budget. The reason may be that if the schools got their fair share, there wouldn’t be enough left over to plausibly market this gambling license as a “homelessness” program.

28 NO. An initiative to earmark an additional 1% annually of the state’s constitutionally mandated K-12 school budget for arts and music education. This sounds like such a mom-and-apple pie issue that literally nobody submitted a ballot argument against it. Who’s against arts and music, right? Well, here’s the problem: the more ballot-box budgeting encumbers legislative decisionmaking, the harder it is for elected officials to balance and prioritize competing interests. But that’s exactly what we elect them to do, not make those consequential spending decisions ourselves based on the latest shiny ad campaigns. This relatively benign measure would establish a very bad precedent encouraging other interest groups in the future to chip away at the state budget for their own narrow purposes.

29 NO This is the third go-around, after similar initiatives failed in 2018 and 2020, for a union-backed effort (Service Employees International Union-Healthcare West) to organize big kidney-dialysis providers by imposing expensive and onerous regulatory requirements on the industry to pressure them. I’m not at all anti-union—I’ve belonged to two and served as a shop steward—but the negative effects would clearly fall most heavily on the dialysis patients, their health insurers, and state and local governments. Some clinics could be forced to curtail services or close altogether. Even worse, the union sponsors are hiding behind dialysis patients to sign their ballot arguments.

30 NO This initiative would impose an income-tax surcharge on individual and married taxpayers earning more than $2 million annually to promote zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and wildfire prevention programs. What’s not to like about that, right? EXCEPT THAT this is a cynical gimmick heavily bankrolled by the rideshare industry, especially major donor Lyft, to offload the expense of converting their drivers’ vehicles away from the industry,

and on to state taxpayers. If the state enacts its own ZEV requirements, this measure wouldn’t increase the number of ZEVs at all. And its fiscal effects could be complicated: in addition to increasing income tax revenue, it could also leak revenue as high-income taxpayers adopt taxavoidance strategies; it would reduce gasoline tax revenues that pay for public transit and road projects; and it could cut into other programs if these new encumbered income-tax revenues hit the state’s constitutional spending limit and force reductions elsewhere in the budget.

31 YES. No sooner had the governor signed a bill in 2020 banning most flavored tobacco products designed to hook kids, than the tobacco industry rushed to qualify a referendum to overturn the measure; as a result, that law has yet to take effect until a referendum vote to retain it. Tobacco companies, under the banner “Californians Against Prohibition,” are out-raising supporters like the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and former NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg by more than 4:1.

COUNTY: A NO. Sheriff Alex Villanueva is a disaster and deserves to be defeated by Robert Luna in the November election. He has defied the Board of Supervisors, the County’s Civilian Oversight Commission, and even his own inspector general, acting accountable to no one. But it would be a mistake to adopt this measure of dubious legality to subordinate an elected sheriff to removal from office for any reason by a body of other politicians. The proper way is electoral defeat or voter recall during a regularly scheduled election.

C YES. The only thing worse than a lightly regulated cannabis industry in unincorporated County areas would be an untaxed cannabis industry in those areas. While I’m no fan of proliferating dispensaries, if we’re going to allow them then they need to be taxed more heavily.

For additional resources, I recommend: lavote.gov for County elections; sos.ca.gov/elections for statewide ballot information; and https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/ for statewide campaign finance reports.

Early voting runs from Saturday, October 29 through Election Day, November 8.

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reminds us, “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”

Are We Prepared for the Mega-Drought?

Southern California is an idyllic place to live with perfect weather, beautiful scenery, rich cultural history, and a growing population of over 23 million. However, Southern California is also lacking the very thing required to sustain any population: water! With well-manicured golf courses, sprawling communities of lush green lawns, and the Pacific Ocean next door, this may be hard to believe. However, if Southern California were to sustain itself without importing any water, the population would have to be less than 500,000.

How can Southern California sustain a population of 23 million (and growing) with enough water for only 500,000? The answer is a vast system of aqueducts that deliver billions of gallons of water annually from hundreds of miles away. These aqueducts rely on snow pack in the Sierra and Colorado mountain ranges as their primary water source. Snow pack levels in the Sierras have been falling for years, coinciding with ongoing drought conditions around the state. We were always able to depend on the reliability of the Colorado River Aqueduct to make up the difference. But as we look to the future, even this historically reliable water supply is being threatened.

With each of our major water sources under duress, Southern California is heading for a mega-drought that may take decades to recover from if not longer. These challenging times will require deft leadership from elected officials who understand these complex water issues. We need to elect passionate, water-focused leaders who are committed to overcoming the status quo with innovative and forward-thinking solutions. Two

of the principal government agencies responsible for delivering and managing our imported water are Metropolitan Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District.

West Basin has five board members, each elected from a specific geographic region within its service area. During these troubling times for the water industry, West Basin’s elected leaders have shown equally troubling judgement: The District spent over $65 million dollars evaluating a largescale desalination project, ultimately deciding not to proceed. That is $65,000,000 of our money wasted!

The Board also hired a General Manager who was lacking the usual credentials for such a prestigious and highly compensated position. The nationally esteemed recruiting firm they hired to assist with the hiring process did not even select this individual for an interview. While this individual is no longer employed by the District, he created such a toxic work environment during his tenure that 30% of the most qualified staff left. As we enter an unprecedented mega-drought, the last thing we need is for our most experienced water professionals to be leaving West Basin.

My name is Sanjay Gaur and I can do better. Since 1994, my life’s passion has been the management of water resources for both human use and the environment. I have two Master’s degrees in Applied Resource Economics from UC Santa Cruz and Master of Public Administration from Harvard. I have been a financial and rate consultant for over 100 water agencies around California. As a professional rate consultant, I work daily to come up with solutions to challenging water problems that are fiscally responsible, socially acceptable, and environmentally conscious.

I hope you will consider me on November 8th for the West Basin Municipal Water District Board of Directors, Division 4. If you would like to learn more about my plan to navigate these uncharted times, please visit my website GaurforWaterBoard2022.com and follow me on social media. It would be my honor to serve you in these uncharted times.

Editor’s Note: West Basin Municipal Water District serves Topanga. This is a courtesy to Mr. Gupta but not an endorsement by The Canyon Chronicle, whose policy is not to endorse candidates, but will provide a platform for them to state their position.

Faculty Spotlight

Eleanor Schrader

Community Education Professor, Architectural Styles of LA and Southern California; Women Architects and Designers who Defined 20th Century Design

Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author who presents talks worldwide on the history of architecture, interiors, and decorative arts. She is co-author (with architect Marc Appleton and author Bret Parsons) of Master Architects of Southern California, 1920-1940: Wallace Neff, and leads art and architecture tours in the U.S. and abroad. Schrader has been named a Distinguished Instructor of design history at UCLA Extension, is Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at Santa Monica College, and has served as Design Review Commissioner for

City of

Finding ‘Health’ in

Last year during Covid, a project came across my desk that I decided to take on because the issue touched my life personally, and I am pretty well convinced it may touch your life at some time, in some way, too.

I was asked to create a new piece using a technique I developed called “Orchestral Journalism” to help some people suffering with mental illness. Orchestral journalism was considered a new art form by The California Arts Council years ago when I developed a multi-media work called “The Tension of Opposites.” Simply put, orchestral journalism is the use of pre-recorded testimonies and sounds from individuals and their surroundings, woven together with instruments to form a fabric of music that focuses on a specific issue.

The question is, can we still use truth in storytelling to help people understand the world we live in? I call this new project that was put in front of me, “The Runner.”

During the COVID pandemic, my old friend Joe fell into career problems, then money problems, marital problems, then despair. Ultimately, he thought he would find the answer in a bottle of pills and some Jack Daniels. His son found him on the living room couch the next morning with an empty pill canister and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels strewn on the floor. The situation was upsetting for the son, but especially disturbing for the spouse as her first husband committed suicide and she ultimately filed for divorce. No one knows the long term ramifications the boy will suffer from witnessing his father’s suicide attempt. Ironically, the father, Joe, witnessed his own mother’s suicide at around the same age his son witnessed his attempt.

I tried very much to be empathetic toward my friend but in fact, I was actually upset with him. What was he thinking? Did he think about the mental and emotional damage he could cause his son? Did Joe realize he was continuing a very dark and disturbing generational cycle of dysfunction?

I am not a doctor, a therapist, or a psychiatrist. I am not qualified to offer any advice on the subject of mental health. Although, I do have a fair amount of direct experience living with people who suffer from mental health issues within my own family. In telling this story, it is my hope that maybe people will learn to have more empathy toward mental health issues, and perhaps those who are in crisis might reach out for help, especially men, who seem to struggle to seek help or discuss their mental health issues more so than women. Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, PTSD and substance abuse are just as common among men as women; the thing is, men don’t talk about it.

I come from a large family with a history of mental illness and suicide. My uncle killed himself after fighting in Iwo Jima during WWII. My mother was an alcoholic. I have one older sister with bipolar disorder, a younger sister who has dual diagnosis depression and addiction, and one autistic brother, another brother and myself, living in a family full of untreated mental health issues. My family story is filled with crazy stories of family members acting out mental health issues and creating environments where “toxic stress” was the norm. There is a staggering statistic I always remember that I picked up

in Mental Illness

while helping my sibling through rehab at Scripps Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center in California, and then while working with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health: “An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older, about 1 in 4 adults, suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time.”

Suicide ought to be the most avoidable cause of death, and yet the statistics are shocking. According to the World Heath Organization’s latest estimates, it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Every year, more people die as a result of suicide than HIV, malaria or breast cancer, or war or homicide. One in 100 deaths is caused by suicide.

Orchestral Journalism starts with interviews. While my friend Joe could not cope with being interviewed because he was still in the middle of the storm, through him, I met another person who suffered through a similar experience to his. This person learned to cope with his mental illness over years in the most interesting ways.

Meet “The Runner”, Adrian Lacey, a BBC journalist/presenter, male, late 50s, and a running enthusiast. Coincidentally, like my friend Joe, Adrian lost his mother to suicide at the age of 15. When I interviewed him, he spoke movingly about that seminal event in his life, including how he found his mother’s body after returning from school one day. He also opened up about his related bipolar disorder (then called manic depression) diagnosed in his teens, following an apparent overdose he suffered while home from college.

At the time, because his mania was so severe, filled at its worst with paranoia and delusion, hallucinations and hysteria, Adrian was institutionalized for close to a year. He described his mind “...being so mangled that time felt like it was literally going backwards. Leading up to the suicide attempt, I would swing from one despair to being high as a kite. Deep melancholy and isolation, the most nasty, insidious part of depression. I became more sensitive to stress. I lost my marriage. During my attempt, the self-loathing was so high that I have no memory of thinking about anyone else.”

“No memory of thinking about anyone else.” Those words struck me and are worth repeating because I think they offered a possible answer to my question about my friend Joe not thinking about the consequences his suicide attempt would have on his son. Adrian, literally, had no memory of thinking about how his actions could affect others around him. The reality is losing complete perspective on a grand scale, a common characteristic of depression and suicide.

Adrian continued: “The logic or illogic of depression is to isolate you. It isolates you from all family and friends. Depression is you in your own head.” It reminds me of when the South African theologian Desmond Tutu spoke about Heaven and Hell existing inside a person’s mind.

In the institution, Adrian was put on the same medication his mother used to kill herself. What I tell you is taken from Adrian’s direct testimony. In many cases, medication is certainly an appropriate step to take when battling mental Illness. Filled with a sense of dread, Adrian made the conscious decision to

come off medication under the close advice of his physician. Over time, they worked together to taper his medication down to nothing. Ultimately, Adrian “grew out” of the bipolar disorder.

“Luckily, my friends didn’t give up on me,” he said and stressed the importance of social engagement. Like the Beatles song, “I get by with a little help from….” The main takeaway here is people need each other. Ssometimes it is good to be reminded that human beings are social creatures.

Adrian credits his progress largely due to his conscious two-pronged attack on his long-term depression and anxiety: physical exercise, including running, and therapy. He acknowledges that, for him, depression is a lifelong condition he needs to manage: “I am not healed, but there is healing,” he says.

Surprisingly, he tells us, “I didn’t realize how much difference exercise could affect my mood. To then bring to that the framework of the various therapies I have been given over the years—that has been my salvation and my way forward. I’m a runner. I run.”

Running and swimming routines became a regular part of his life, as well as leading a very fulfilling and productive life working in broadcast and podcast production. In addition, Adrian tells us about another healer in his bag of remedies: music. “I love music. It’s a great reason to be alive. It lifts the soul. It lifts my spirit, whatever that is. It’s been very healing to be involved in a local choir because there are the twin wonders of music itself which is uplifting. I consider it one of my antidepressants, seeing and hearing music. And then being involved with people and having a laugh, and indeed going to the pub after a rehearsal. For me, laughter is therapy. There is no better feeling than a big belly laugh that goes right through me, almost like the healing rivers of warmth.”

Adrian’s story is incredibly inspiring. Here is a man who suffered major trauma as a boy with the suicide of his mother, then overcame bipolarity and manic depression, and eventually came off medication to lead a happy and fulfilling life. He tamed his demons using tools like therapy, exercise and the arts to bring balance to his chaotic world.

When I ask myself why I took this project on, I now know it’s because I like to be inspired by people who overcome adversity.

THE RUNNER — After being chosen to appear at over a dozen film festivals and as a finalist for Best Documentary Short at various film festivals, and winning multiple awards for Best Music, The Runner has been officially picked up for distribution. It is now airing on the Roku channel’s Film Star Max in the Documentary category. “I have also been getting online messages from people who have watched the film and then picked up the phone to get some help with either their own depression and suicidal thoughts or to help a friend, so we really could not ask for more,” says Ferraro.

New Program Rewards Topanga Students

The first winners of a new program to encourage good citizenship and respectful behavior have been celebrated at Topanga Elementary Charter School (TECS).

Ten students were invited to a special pizza lunch with principal Kevin Kassebaum and fellow staff member Julie Tobisman, who was behind launching the initiative at TECS, as a reward for their respectful attitude on campus.

The program is part of a school-wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports program that is supported by LAUSD. The first group of students who enjoyed the pizza party as recognition for their positive behavior were Nico Aguilar-Oliveras, Rylie Applegate, Elia Castanon Cipriano, Aspen Childers, Vianna Crabtree, Hannah Gutin, Cian Kim, Piper O’Connor, Winslow Ramos, and Theo Dorfman.

“We want to recognize and publicly celebrate the many students following the rules and demonstrating good citizenship,” Mr. Kassebaum said. “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is a universal, school-wide program that aims to establish a social culture within schools in which students expect and support appropriate behavior from one another, thereby creating school environments that are consistent, safe, and positive.”

The first monthly behavioral focus was “showing respect,” with tic kets handed out to students displaying this quality during the school day. Each Friday the teachers hold a draw and prizes are awarded to those picked out. Then a monthly draw of all those who have earned the tickets determines the ten students invited to the pizza party.

Franshesca Oliveras, mom of TK student Nico who was among the first monthly winners, said: “For our family, the core values of respect, manners, and love are extremely important. To see that Nico

was recognized for being respectful filled our hearts, and it was especially rewarding for Nico because she was able to see the positive outcome from her actions at a very early age. We couldn’t be prouder.”

This program is the latest new initiative which aligns with the school’s mission statement of encouraging children to respect their community and the environment, and has been praised by parents for offering rewards beyond academic achievements.

Surprise Guest Swoops in for Coyote Run

The new school mascot, a red-tailed hawk, made its debut at the annual Coyote Run fundraiser in October. The hawk surprised the students on the morning of the sponsored fun run, and there was a second sighting at Friday assembly the following week.

“The kids love this bird,” Mr. Kassembaum said. We don’t know where the hawk came from, but we were glad they decided to stay.”

The new mascot really lifted the spirits of students at the school, and made the Coyote Run — always one of the fundraising highlights of the TECS calendar—extra special this year.

Thanks to our students and their generous friends

and families, the Coyote Run was another hugely successful fundraiser. The event was organized by Topanga Enrichment Programs (TEP), the school booster club that funds resources that LAUSD does not pay for. Money raised by TEP funds instructional aides in the classrooms, the specialist science and art teacher, the physical education and technology enrichment program, and more. None of these valuable resources would be available for students if it wasn’t for these fundraising efforts and the generosity of our school community.

’Tis the Season for Fun and Fundraising

As we approach the holiday season there are lots of ways to support and engage with our special school.

November is Giving Month, where families are asked to make their contribution to the TEP Giving Fund if they have not already done so. A donation of $1,200 per student is the recommended contribution to help pay for the enrichment activities and resources that benefit every child in the school, although this is just a guideline, and families are encouraged to donate whatever is a feasible and meaningful amount for them.

The annual TECS book fair, which takes place the week of November 7, is a school favorite. The auditorium is filled with books for all ages, and students and their families can shop together after school.

And this year, we are having our first Movie and Merry Market night at the school campus on December 9, where kids can enjoy a festive movie in the auditorium while their parents shop for gifts at stalls that will be set up on the playground outside.

If you have crafts or other goods you would like to sell at the market, please contact the TEP board at tepboard@topangaelementary.com. Those wanting to donate to TEP can do so at topangaelementary.org/donate

Topanga Elementary’s Halloween Play: ‘SAW 3: Sawsical the Musical’

The Canyon Chronicle and Topanga Elementary would like to invite you to come spend a spooky evening, enjoying Topanga Elementary’s new play, SAW 3, Sawsical the Musical.

Topanga Elementary invited me to review their play on behalf of The Canyon Chronicle ahead of it’s official opening this week. As it’s a school production, the actors are all members of the school’s student body. Due to the plays’ adult themes and graphic violence, participation has been limited to third grade and up.

Involvement in the play wasn’t just limited to the children, however, Parents and community members were invited to lend a hand to build sets and help finish painting the spinning Iron Maiden, as well as build hydraulics for the shotgun carousel.

The plays director caught up with me after the show to discuss the process of putting this massive production together.

“The script went through a lot of revisions” he said. “The children are all such huge fans of the franchise that they wanted to make sure they got all the lore and nuanced character relationships right”

The highlight of the play was the song “Rip and Tear” sung to the melody of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, with original lyrics written collaboratively by the kids...at least I think that’s what it was. I couldn’t really hear the song because all the children backstage where wearing hot mics.

I’m pretty sure I heard one of the children accidentally confess to a murder after he left his mic on and began talking to himself while going to the bathroom, like Robert Durst.

Half of the children sang the chorus while the fourth-year students walked across the stage, proudly parading the miniature crucifixes they made out of sugar cubes.

EVENTS

I was joined at this advance screening by representatives of other local papers, as well as members of both the LAUSD School Board and the Child Well Being and Safety Committee, who, upon sitting in the front row, were asked to place their phones into Ziplock bags (as to not test their devices’ waterpoofing against the real pig blood squibs).

The play received a standing ovation by members of the school board, including superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, who later tried to take a selfie with all the children, but couldn’t figure out how to work the front facing camera on his phone.

Long Distance Listening Party, Vol. 18

This playlist is available on Spotify, search my username, Mileserickson-354, New songs will be added.

• F**k Forever, Babyshambles

• The Rat, The Walkmen

n October 28-November 20, “Color by Numbers.”Topanga Canyon Gallery. A solo exhibition by gallery member and Malibu artist Mark Estes, an engineer, turned artist, who taught himself electronics, micro-controllers, and fabrication, resulting in his unique creative expression through code. Beginning his artistic process with single LEDs, then strips of LEDs, grids of LEDs, and ultimately larger matrix panels. His matrixes are the canvas and software his brushstrokes. His early work with LEDs included development of a word clock and continues to evolve the clock designs with new sizes, materials, colors and styles. His work has expanded to include LED matrix compositions with a focus on color and motion that harken back

inspired me to make my “All Bangers, All the Time” playlist, inspired by Kendall from Succession.

The Rat, The Walkmen. Speaking of tension and release, this song is too much of the former, not enough of the latter. The rhythm guitar is relentless and definitely overstays its welcome. The song doesn’t take nearly enough time to chill out and let the piece breathe. You can definitely he ar the Killers and Foo Fighters inspiration. This song would be perfectly at home on either of those bands’ earlier albums.

• (For A While) I Couldn’t Play My Guitar Like a Man, FREEMAN

• Shut Up Kiss Me, Angel Olsen

• Waves of Fear, Lou Reed

F**k Forever, Babyshambles. I really like this song. It masterfully executes a buildup of tension followed by a satisfying release. Even so, being a punk/garage rock song it sounds weirdly overproduced; all the instrument tracks are super clean with very little distortion. The vocalist gets sloppy and screamey with his singing only briefly before reverting back to using proper pronunciation. If you want a good example of how to execute a good banger garage rock song I’d recommend FIDLAR’s self-titled debut album. If I was producing the track I’d probably also cut about 20 seconds off the opener as the song takes a while to actually get into its rhythm. Don’t get me wrong though, I love this song so much, it was what

(For A While) I Couldn’t Play My Guitar Like a Man, FREEMAN. Okay. Recently I’ve had a rule for this playlist called “No more Ween, No more David Bowie,” a rule that I constantly break. This is sort of a violation, because it was recorded by Aaron Freeman after Ween split due to Freeman’s abuse issues, which much of this album alludes to. The guitar solo at the end of this song is one of the best Freeman’s ever done, and is what made me choose this song over “Covert Discretion” (from the same album) Also, I don’t have a Bowie song this week, but have you seen Moonage Daydream? Because it’s fantastic.

Waves of Fear, Lou Reed. I was debating whether to talk about this song or the John Cameron Mitchell cover. The Mitchell version is less of an acquired taste; you’ve got to be really into Lou Reed to be listening to any album he released after Transformer. Covering Reed is difficult, as he may be the most jaded man who ever lived. And that’s a hard thing to replicate.

Miles Erickson is a recent graduate of CalArts, a published author, and currently enrolled in a prestigious, four-year student loan repayment program. Long Distance Listening Party’s vague intention is to discuss topics framed in the context of what I’m currently listening to.

to a cultural memory of 1980’s arcade design. Opening reception Saturday October 29, 4-7pm. Gallery winter hours starting October 28 are Fridays, 1-7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 12-6 p.m., 137 S Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga, CA 90290.

n Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m. MDT, “IndigiBration,” Free Virtual Concert for Native American Heritage month. Celebrate with nationally acclaimed Native American performers as we launch our new campaign, #IndigenousEveryDay. Learn more about how, together, we can amplify Indigenous voices, culture, and history today and every day. Indigi-Bration is the American Indian College Fund’s exclusive virtual concert to celebrate Indigenous Peoples with music, stories from College Fund scholarship recipients, and celebrities. In the meantime, register and gear up for this year’s concert by watching last year’s outstanding performances at: https://standwith. collegefund.org/concert. All tickets are free and a unique link will be sent to you in the days before the concert.

Day of the Undead

Do you remember in the movie

“The Adams Family” when Fester takes the children outside to play “Raise the Dead?” Well, have I got a Halloween story for you!

So, imagine Dr. Frankenstein working in his lab trying to create life out of old, dead body parts, a mixture of strange chemicals and a good old dose of electrocution. Now, fast forward to Yale University in 2018. Events occurred there that have blurred the definitions of what we mean by “alive” and “dead.” A new and very non-fictional scientist and his team have been opening portals to Death Reversal.

Since 2018, Nenad Sestan, a Yale Professor of Neuroscience and member of the Kavali Institute for Neuroscience, has been astounding the scientific community with his research results. Two of his projects, BrainX and OrganX, are rocking our world.

BrainX

According to the Brain Research Foundation, “Nenad Sestan’s research has been concerned with molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of neural circuits in the cerebral cortex, a part of the

brain that is critical for cognition, perception and behavior. His laboratory has also studied how these developmental mechanisms have evolved and become compromised in human disorders.” As a result, Fiona MacDonald reported for sciencealert.com, “Scientists from Yale University say they’ve successfully kept dismembered pig brains alive without their bodies for as long as 36 hours—an experiment that could redefine death as we know it.”

Sestan’s team used a system of artificial blood, heaters, and pumps

to restore circulation to the brains of pigs that had been decapitated around four hours earlier. The technique kept the reanimated organs alive for as long as 36 hours. Though there was no evidence the brains were conscious, Seston’s team found billions of healthy brain cells in good working order. The brains had no thought, feeling, or awareness, but the brain tissue was alive and functioning. No global electrical activity emerged in these studies, and researchers were ready with temperature reduction technologies and anesthetics to stop any such occurrence, because there are a lot of ethical considerations to process before anything like that can be allowed to happen. My kids won’t be communicating with my brain in a jar on their mantle any time soon, but no one knows where or how far this research will lead us. Then Sestan figured, if it works on the brain, how about the rest of the body’s organs.

OrganX

This last August, Yale research scientists announced they found a way to restore organ and cellular function in pigs an hour after death. The pigs had been lying dead in the lab for an hour — no blood circulating, their hearts still, their brain waves

flat. When researchers injected a solution called OrganEx into their bodies, their hearts beat and organ cells started to function again. Tristan Manalac, writing for Biospace, reports, “Shortly after death, the heart stops beating and blood flow is cut off. Deprived of oxygen and other crucial nutrients, cells and tissues in the body undergo a complex chain of biochemical reactions, causing organs to malfunction, and ultimately resulting in their slow deterioration. However, using a novel (and proprietary) perfusion device to deliver an experimental but cell-protective fluid, Yale scientists have been able to restore important cellular functions to many different pig organs...”

The data showed that after six hours of treatment, cellular activity returned to the liver, heart and kidneys. According to Manalac, the heart, in particular, displayed signs of electrical activity and was able to contract, effectively restoring blood circulation. “Under the microscope, it was difficult to tell the difference between a healthy organ and one which had been treated with OrganEx technology after death,” according to Zvonimir Vrselja, a researcher involved in the study. The researchers also observed twitching in the head and neck area, which they saw as a sign of possible motor function activity. (This is sounding more and more like a scene in a horror movie where the corpse suddenly sits up in the morgue.)

Ramifications

On the good side, it would be great to sustain viability in organs longer than we are able to now for organ transplants. Lots of people are on a lot of lists waiting for their chance at life, and, presently, the window of time for harvesting an organ is very short. We lose a lot of these precious life savers before they can be delivered to waiting patients. Also, by keeping brains and organs alive after death, researchers would be able to study them and their cellular functions to unravel the mysteries of cellular injury and disease.

On the other hand, this development demands attention to the way death is defined by the medical field: The point at which the brain, heart and lungs cease to function. But Sestan’s cocktail seems to be able to restore cellular function. So, when is it really time to pull the plug on a loved one? What are the ethical considerations of experimenting on humans? There is a lot for medical ethicists to unpack.

Death Reversal has been a Holy Grail kind of search among humans forever. Are we getting close? It’s spooky. Right? Maybe Fester Adams should be working at Yale, too!

Happy Halloween!

Vamos a ver!

The Moon and Mars Flex Muscles in

November competes with October for the spookiest month award.

Mars retrograde fans the flames of conflict all month. The Total Lunar Eclipse on the 8th gives everyone a nudge to make necessary changes. Toward the end of the month, Jupiter comes to the rescue by turning direct. Let’s hope the luckiest planet arrives before Mars gets us into too much trouble!

On October 30th Mars, the god of war, reverses course in Gemini. By November 1st, his retrograde motion has begun to build some steam. This backtracking will see us through the entire holiday season, culminating on January 12th, when Mars prepares to move forward once again. The signs that will take the strongest hits of this energy are Gemini, where the retrograde is occurring, as well as Aries and Scorpio, which are both ruled by Mars. For people with Aries or Scorpio rising, get ready! Your chart’s ruler is feeling testy.

Mars at his best gives us the energy and courage to initiate projects. But during his retrograde phase, he is certainly not bringing his A-game. During this entire period, it’s better not to initiate any new plans. If you do, expect conflicts, problems, delays, and even unimaginable disasters. Think of this energy as kind of like a Mercury retrograde but with Mercury holding a sword. If you have plans or projects that fizzled or got put on hold before the retrograde, this is a good time to go back to them. Mars retrograde energy allows for re-energizing, re-doing, and re-launching.

Mars can be challenging, even when moving direct. He rules over battles, conflict, and separation. Retrograde motion takes these already difficult aspects of Mars and makes them less predictable. Be ready for a general mood

of irritability and pettiness. Relationships may threaten to break-up. Friends may need some distance. The good news is that when Mars turns direct and goes back over the area covered during the retrograde, most of the damage will be

time are sure to be misunderstood (at best) and possibly lead to conflict.

As if bracing for a month of Mars energy weren’t enough, there’s that Total Lunar Eclipse on November 8th. This will occur in earthy Taurus, so the house owned by the bull will feel it most deeply. But Lunar Eclipses occur when the Sun stands in direct opposition to the Moon. The Sun will be in Scorpio, so that house will be energized as well. Eclipses require us to release that which no longer supports us moving toward our goals. Look to the houses ruled by Taurus and Scorpio in order to identify what areas of life need adjusting. This shouldn’t take a whole lot of intense scrutiny. This is a total eclipse, so it will probably feel more like a swift kick than a subtle nudge.

The Moon will be reborn in Sagittarius on November 23rd. This is a time for setting intentions. But remember the Mars retrograde. The best intentions during this period will have to do with reviving something that’s been left behind. Think of it like shopping in a second-hand store. Find those discarded items and upcycle them.

reconsidered and repaired. But it might be a good idea to retreat into a bunker and binge-watch your favorite sitcoms from the 19th through the 22nd, as Mars will be making a difficult aspect to Neptune, the planet of illusion, delusion, and downright dishonesty. Words spoken during this

Finally on November 23rd, Jupiter turns direct. The planet of luck, abundance, and expansion has been retrograding since July 27th. This most auspicious planet never actually brings negative energy, but when Jupiter retrogrades, it can be a lot more difficult to get the full pay-off from our efforts. That should all start to change on the 23th and from there momentum will build. The planet of good fortune won’t erase the Mars energy, but it should soften it a bit. There’s hope for the holidays yet!

Here’s to an intense November. You might consider putting some extra thought into your Thanksgiving meal seating chart. Then again, a good food fight could make for some lively social media content.

Barbara Lee Campbell, born August 13th, 1936, passed away on October 3rd, 2022, at home with her family surrounding her in all their love. Barbara moved from Michigan and made Topanga Canyon her forever home in 1973. A mother of six children, she is survived by her son’s Michael J. Campbell, Brian J., Campbell and Daniel F. Campbell, and daughter Catherine A. Campbell; grandchildren Amelia M. Campbell, Andy E. Campbell, Annika J. Campbell, Mia J. Campbell, Amanda J. Campbell, Nicole R. Campbell, Leena R. Themistocleous, and great grandchildren Vida A. Themistocleous and Mateo A. Themistocleous, as well as countless other people who came to call her family.

She was predeceased by two sons: Shawn P. Campbell and Patrick D. Campbell. A devout Catholic, she walked through her life with strong morals of kindness, respect, integrity, and most of all, love. She approached each challenge in life with iron-willed determination; no goal was out of reach, no hope too far away. She embodied bravery and kindness in everything she did. In her 50s, to dispel a lifelong fear of horses, she faced her challenge head-on and bought two of them that soon became treasured companions. She approached each area of her life with the same bravado; from learning to ride roller skates in her 60s, to building a name for herself in Topanga real estate. She knew the terrain of Topanga well and it knew

her—walking miles most days across the Canyon, volunteering in the community fire watch, or riding her horses on the trails.

She not only will be remembered by the mountains that she cared for, but by the people that they house. Her door was always open for anyone who needed a home-cooked meal or a place to stay. Often her home was filled not only with her children and grandchildren, but with people in need who soon became family. Some would stay for a night, a month, even years. Every week, you could find her in the grocery store pushing two carts full of food to feed whoever was lucky enough to come through her doors.

Thanksgiving was a community affair for anyone astray without a place to go, went to Barbara Campbell’s home to enjoy her handmade pies and share in the laughter and warmth that radiated throughout. She redefined what the word ‘mother’ means, turned it into a word without limits, without the need for blood relation, and so many have been left feeling more whole for meeting her. To say she will be missed is far beyond an understatement. Her absence is felt in our hearts not as a hole without a missing piece, but as a glowing light, aching with loss, yes, but we, like the mountains, are left better than she found us.

Funeral Services were held on Saturday, Oct. 15, at St. Mel’s Church in Woodland Hills, followed by a memorial gathering at the Topanga Community Center, where family and friends remembered her and celebrated her life that gave so much to others.

—Catherine Campbell (daughter)

in the Mountains of Topanga Canyon

This new construction, semi industrial, architectural build awaits with stunning canyon views as far as the eye can see. Designed by renowned architect Bruce Bolander, AIA, this 3 story home features 3 bedrooms, 2 of which include en suite baths, and 3 bathrooms, 12' ceilings with 9' doors throughout create voluminous space inside the home, rivaling the mountains that surround it! Additionally, in an ode to simpler times, this extraordinary home features numerous exterior "sleeping" porches to capture the essence of life up in the mountains of Topanga Canyon