Former councilman Don Szerlip, who was arrested last week under suspicion of spousal abuse.

by Mark McDermott

Former Councilman Don Szerlip was arrested last Wednesday night on suspicion of spousal abuse.

According to police reports, officers responded to an undisclosed location at 9:50 p.m. after receiving a phone call regarding a fight between a husband and a wife. They arrived to find Cindy Szerlip injured, and her husband, Don Szerlip, no longer at the location. Cindy Szerlip was transported to a local hospital.

“She desired prosecution,” said Redondo Beach Police Department Sgt. Phil Keenan. “Not that she needed to, because in fact her injuries necessitated prosecution.”

Officers later that night found and arrested Don Szerlip on the 2600 block of 190th St., the location of his marketing business, Adwerx Communications.

“We arrested him without incident,” Keenan said.

Szerlip, 57, spent the night in jail and was released on $50,000 bail the following morning. The case is being handled by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.

The Szerlips have been civically active in Redondo Beach for more than a decade. The couple was instrumental in the establishment of the Redondo Beach Dog Park in the 1990s. Don Szerlip served as the District 3 councilman from 2003 through 2007. Cindy Szerlip, who works as a financial planner, ran unsuccessfully for City Clerk in 2007.

In December of 2003, Szerlip was accused of road rage as a result of an incident during which he flashed his ceremonial badge during a confrontation with a Redondo resident. The DA’s office declined to file charges due to lack of evidence.

“It was an embarrassing incident,” Szerlip said when the incident came to light in April 2004. “I lost my temper.” 

Don Szerlip declined comment. Cindy Szerlip was unavailable for comment.

Keenan declined to speak about the specifics of the alleged abuse in this case, but he stressed that the RBPD has a domestic violence team that is available to anyone in need of help. Assisting victims of domestic violence has long been a priority of the department, he said.

“We have a pretty sophisticated system and quite a few different advocates,” Keenan said. “They are called out 24 hours a day or night. We take it very seriously.”

The RBPD Domestic Violence Team can be reached at 310-379-2477 ext. 2336. ER

Omayra Amaya and her Flamenco Dance Company will be among the performers at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center this weekend during the 1st Annual Los Angeles Flamenco Festival.

by Mark McDermott

It began as a wandering song of sorrow. It became music of shared suffering and defiant survival.

Flamenco may be the world’s most mysterious music. It is not so much a musical genre as a wild river of song, one that traces its origins back to India, perhaps as far back as 1,000 years ago. Historians believe that the Roma people – Gypsies, as we would later know them – found their way to Spain around the turn of the 10th century. Some believe they came from the caste of the “untouchables” in India, and by 1492 they were outcasts once again, on the run with the Moors and the Jews as the Inquisition sought to wipe out the non-Christian peoples of Spain.

The music that began to emerge from the hills of southern Spain around that time had elements of Jewish laments and Moorish singing while some of the accompanying dance movements were reminiscent of Hindi dances of South Asia.

 The river that is Flamenco has been meandering ever since.

And so it should come as little surprise that the 1st Annual Los Angeles Flamenco Festival has come to Redondo Beach by way of a Korean from Hawaii and includes a Japanese guitar virtuoso named Jose, a master player from Israel who studied in the ancient caves of Andalusia, and full-blooded gypsy dancer whose name is Flamenco royalty.

Flamenco, after all, is about movement.

The call  

It was 1996, and Mitch Chang was studying classical guitar at the University of Hawaii when his professor, Lisa Smith, asked him if he’d accompany some Flamenco dancers as they practiced.

“I don’t think I even like it,” he told her.

 She insisted. “Knowing your personality, your style, and your temperament, I think it would fit you,” Smith said.

“Huh,” Chang said.

If Chang didn’t know the power and passion of Flamenco yet, he caught a glimpse when he arrived at the rehearsal and discovered the guitar player who preceded him had run off to Vegas to marry with one of the Flamenco dancers. Later, the guitarist he trained to take his place with the Flamenco troupe would do the same.

“So I was kind of the left-out loser,” Chang said. 

But Flamenco gave him flight in another way, perhaps no less romantic: in it, Chang found a new freedom of expression. When he played Flamenco, everything he felt seemed somehow to pour through the strings of his guitar.

“For me, all my happiness, sadness, my anger, it all combines into one and that is how it makes me feel,” Chang said. “Not to sound corny, but I think it just kind of makes me feel, period.”

Chang became one of the better Flamenco players on the islands, and began promoting shows that brought Flamenco performers in from all over the world. Over the next few years, he produced three concerts, culminating in a big show at the revered 1,400 seat Hawaii Theater. He had a revelation as the sold out crowd lined up outside.

“The highlight for me was walking around outside that theater and seeing old people, young people, all kind of races, surfers…It was amazing,” Chang said. “Flamenco really touches people, you know. I think there is something about the mystery and the power of it. Even if you can’t understand the words, it’s very captivating, very intriguing.”

The call of Flamenco eventually took him to the mainland, to San Francisco, where a rich Flamenco community exists. Later, he moved to Southern California. Over the past two years, he began promoting festivals again – in particular, the successful Hawaiian Slack Key Festival at Redondo Beach. This week, he has put together what he considers an historic gathering of Flamenco artists for a three day festival that features workshops, two shows at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, and a meet and greet with the artists and intimate performances at Sangria in Hermosa Beach.

The gunslinger, the master, and royalty  

It has been said that Jose Tanaka has the fastest right hand in the West. But he came from the Far East.

Jose Tanaka is now considered “the fast right hand in the West.” He grew up in a flamenco family in Kyoto Japan

Tanaka grew up Flamenco in Kyoto, Japan. His parents were both Flamenco artists – the reason why he was perhaps the only native born Japanese kid named Jose when he was growing up. His family ran a guitar shop, which they lived above.

“Every day, going to school, I would go through the store to go outside or to come home, and I was always exposed to not only Flamenco but jazz and blues players, and of course all the guys working for my dad,” he said. “They were all showing me things.”

As a teenager, he was drawn to the electric guitar, and after high school he moved to Los Angeles to study at the Musicians Institute and pursue a rock n roll dream. But after a few years, he was drawn back to the music that he’d grown up with. He saw the legendary Paco de Lucia perform and had an epiphany. Flamenco, he realized, was the music that was deep inside him.

“I thought, I should do something with the music that only I can do,” Tanaka recalled.

He rededicated himself to Flamenco, and as he began immersing itself back in its rhythms, he made a decision. 

“I felt like I was home,” Tanaka said. “That is it. And after that, I quit my teaching job and everything, and I went to Spain.”

In Spain, he took formal lessons, but most crucially, he sought out one some consider the deepest home of Flamenco – the intimate backroom gatherings called “juergas.”

“It wasn’t an easy thing to get into those juergas,” he recalled. “Sometimes it’s something they want to among themselves, so it’s kind of hidden…So you have to make friends and you have to be respectful in the way you do things in order just to be there.”

He watched, and listened, and learned. He returned to the United States as a Flamenco artist. Tanaka has since toured the world as both a soloist and an accompanist and released a critically acclaimed recording called “Gypsy’s Dream.” He is known for his fast, percussive style of playing, and for a somewhat subtle American influence he has brought to the music.

“In my case, I took American music into Flamenco,” he said.

Adam Del Monte is a virtuoso guitarist who has recently recorded a groundbreaking album called Asi Lo Siento Yo that features some of the most illustrious gypsy players in Spain.

Adam Del Monte was born in Israel but spent two years as very young child in Spain where he heard the music that would become his life. He knew it from the beginning.

“It was incredible,” Del Monte said. “For that very reason, my cultural identity is Flamenco…I completely identify myself through Flamenco – that is my true voice of expression.”

Del Monte returned to Spain as a young man and studied in the famed Sacromonte caves of Granada – a Gypsy district where the old traditions are passed on. Among his teachers was the legendary Pepe Habichuela. He also studied more formally at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. The combination of both his training has enabled him to stride through two worlds that are rarely bridged – he is an accomplished classical guitarist as well as a Flamenco artist.

Omayra Amaya’s name alone sends shivers down the spines of those who live in the Flamenco world.

She is the grandniece of a woman many consider the greatest Flamenco dancer who ever lived, Carmen Amaya. She was an artist who both revolutionized the dance form itself and brought it to the largest audiences it has ever known, starring in Hollywood movies and on Broadway in the 1940s and performing for the likes of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.

Carmen Amaya died young in 1963, but her family carried on her tradition. Omayra Amaya was born on the road with her parents, both Flamenco artists, and the first time she was on stage she was literally crawling, interrupting her parent’s performances as a very young child who wanted to join in the movement. 

She doesn’t crawl anymore. Omayra’s dance company is at the forefront of the Flamenco world, and has further broadened it, bringing together strands of jazz and even modern dance while remaining true to the deep Gypsy traditions.

The Boston Globe has called her performances mesmerizing. “I dare anyone to take his or her eyes of Omayra when she is performing the Flamenco she was born to dance,” the Globe wrote. 

Amaya remains deferential to the memory of Carmen Amaya, however, stopping short of indentifying herself as carrying on such a vaunted tradition.

“I am definitely carrying on a tradition, but I wouldn’t dare to put myself in her company,” Amaya said. “She was really a genius, and she really reached a higher level than we can imagine….but I definitely feel a connection to her, because Flamenco is my way of life.” ER

For more information or for tickets, see www.laflamencofestival.com. The festival begins Friday at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center

by Keith Robinson

Hermosa isn’t Leisure World
Dear ER:
It’s a hoot to hear how folks like Howard Longacre bemoan restaurants and bars for the liquor they serve, as if having a beer with a burrito is a precursor to social decline (“Freeze bars, not police,” ER Letters Mar. 3, 2010). Perhaps Longacre should inquire about where his meager Prop 13 limited property tax ranks in filling the coffers of the City’s revenue? While the prohibitionists seek to limit alcohol these folks provide no acknowledgment about how little long time residents contribute to floating Hermosa’s financial boat. As a result, Hermosa like all other California Cities rely on business related tax revenue to provide the majority of their funding. The last census indicated that the average age of a Hermosa Beach resident is 36 years. People 36 and younger do what people 36 and younger do – they party and booze it up, which explains why there are more bars in Hermosa Beach than Leisure World. If folks like Longacre would like to ban alcohol sales then perhaps they can come up with a plan to make up for the lost revenue.
Robert Benz
Hermosa Beach

What would Ralph think?
Dear ER:
When I was a kid in the ‘60s, I loved to slide on waxed cardboard down Manhattan Beach’s Sand Dune, near my house. My mom, who also grew up in Manhattan Beach, ran free on the dunes in the ‘30s. I’m saddened to hear now the Dune may be closed to keep people away.
My Grandpa, Ralph Dorsey, Los Angeles’s First Chief Traffic Engineer, worked tirelessly on the Manhattan Beach City Council to expand recreational opportunities. Manhattan Beach recognized his efforts by naming Dorsey Baseball Field in his honor. He’d be dismayed to see Sand Dune Park closed to kids and adults — that’s not how Manhattan Beach used to work.
Our family has a house near the top of the Dune, and we sympathize with neighbors who are concerned about overuse. Luckily, there’s a sensible middle ground, a compromise, allowing the Dune to be shared, with some well thought out regulations.
Let’s hope Manhattan Beach realizes how blessed we are to live in this golden slice of California Coast. Let’s keep recreation open to all.
Kathryn Gray
Manhattan Beach

Light on the harbor
Dear ER:
Ramsey-Duke’s letter accuses Building a Better Redondo of saying “no” to all development, that we don’t review zoning changes proposed by the City, and that we have no vision for the harbor (Where’s Better Redondo’s better idea?” ER Letters, Mar. 4, 2010).
She is wrong on all accusations. BBR understands the zoning better than most councilmen; and BBR has repeatedly corrected City misinformation. BBR’s traffic assessments have been proven accurate. The City’s have proven to drastically understate impacts. BBR exposed Decron’s seaside mall conceptual plan and how they co-opted City staff to cut into the Seaside Lagoon for their two-story parking structure. BBR refutes the 1.6 million-square-foot scare tactic blatantly used by our Council to shamelessly mislead residents. They know Redondo could never approve this level of harbor development — it would violate the Coastal Act and the Coastal Commission would reject it.
BBR has a vision for our harbor. Some of that vision was put to a public vote (Heart Park versus Village Plan) years ago. That vision won the election. We publish our ideas and those of residents on our website (www.buildingabetterredondo.org). BBR has committed to support a harbor zoning committee, but the Mayor recently pulled that idea.
BBR isn’t against all development. For instance, we have publicly supported the Shade project. BBR does not, however, believe that ever-spiraling density is the answer to Redondo’s prosperity. Why does Dana Point’s harbor need less than one quarter the development of our much smaller harbor? We believe quality reuse of current density is the right answer for Redondo – better development, not just more development.
Jim Light
President
Building a Better Redondo”

Mustang music
Dear Editor,
If one were to audition the promises of tomorrow, we would be listening to the likes of the Mira Costa High School “Ten Seniors in Recital” on March 14. The students are rapidly passing from the intensified “learning from others” into maturity. This doesn’t happen without skills and talents that are uniquely personal and individual. These 10 are certainly excellent and laudable representatives of the Mira Costa Music program.
What can never be left out of this complex system of personal success is the wonderful, committed, admirable and praise worthy family structure. Never forget your friends and family. These young men and women are nothing short of exceptionally positioned on their way to being everything that fate had intended for them
Choir instructor Michael Hayden and music theory instructor Mark McCormick are a wonderful part of that miracle at MCHS called the music program. Most of the recitals, plays and band programs are renditions of superb, harmonious compositions, mostly of the masters, or dramatic performances of popular musicals and occasionally a snap shot of individual skills and talents. Their effect on this generation is sacred, inspiring, prolific and influential.
Donald A Sellek
Manhattan Beach

Sand dune is special
Dear ER:
Sand Dune Park provides an exercise experience like no other. That is why it’s so popular. Anybody who has climbed to the top of the hill and felt the ocean breeze on her or her face knows what we’re talking about. There may be issues of over use. There are many ways to fix this rather than giving up before we even try.
One of the goals of any public park is to become inviting enough to attract the public to enjoy the facilities. Everybody can agree that Sand Dune Park has been a big success. How can we even contemplate rewarding a vibrant and successful park by shutting it down? The city council should change whatever needs to be changed to deal with the issues to keep this vital park open to all users.
Closing down the hill for exercise is not like closing a quarter mile dirt track that can be built anywhere. This place is one of a kind and should be treated accordingly.
Mickey Fine
Manhattan Beach

Forward Dustin Brown of Team USA eludes Drew Doughty, his road roommate on the Los Angeles Kings, as he prepares to shoot on Canada goaltender Roberto Luongo in the men's gold medal match during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Photo by Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images

by Randy Angel

Certain labels given to elite athletes last a lifetime and beyond. Hall of Famer, Most Valuable Player and Olympic medalist are among the descriptions that will forever accompany the names of those deserving such honors.

Just don’t use the latter for Los Angeles Kings players Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick – at least for the time being.

The three Manhattan Beach residents were members of the silver-medal winning USA men’s Olympic hockey team that fell to Canada 3-2 in overtime of the gold-medal game after dramatically tying the score with 24.4 seconds left in regulation. The disappointment of not watching Old Glory rise to the top during the medal ceremony continues to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the Americans.

“Being regarding as an Olympic medalist is not one of those things many people can say,” Brown said. “Right now, the silver medal is a consolation prize. But a few years from now, or even maybe this summer, reflecting on it I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more.”

Young and inexperienced, the United States team was not expected to be medal contenders at the Vancouver Olympic Games, but got off to a great start that included a 5-3 upset of the Canadians in pool play. The win by the Americans created added pressure for the Canadian squad that not only was expected to excel on its home ice, but show the world its supremacy in what is arguably Canada’s best known export – hockey.

Seven days later, just hours before the commencement of the closing ceremony, the United States earned a rematch with its neighbor to the north in what was the most-watched television broadcast in Canadian history with 80 percent (25.5 million) of the country’s population viewing some part of the game.

The epic battle drew 27.6 million viewers in the United States, making it the most watched hockey game in the country since 32.8 million fans watched the American team defeat Finland to win the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics, one game after the team upset the U.S.S.R. in the “Miracle on Ice” game at Lake Placid.

A native of Canada, Jim Fox is a 24-year Redondo Beach resident who spent his entire 10-year career in the NHL playing for the Kings and remains eight on the club’s all-time scoring list. Making a successful transition from the ice to the booth, Fox is celebrating his 20^th season as the Kings color commentator and feels it’s up to the leaders of the sport at every level to benefit from the television exposure provided at Vancouver.

“It is up to all hockey organizations to make sure we can capitalize on the Olympic success…the NHL as well as local youth hockey groups,” Fox said. “It certainly caught the attention of most Americans, but in many areas, hockey is not part of the culture so we all have to be proactive in trying to grow our sport.”

Fox also believes the America can remain among the world’s elite teams for many years to come.

“With USA’s success this year with a very young team, they should be considered one of the teams in the running for a gold medal in the next Olympics. This year they were an underdog… next time they should have a higher expectations and ranking going in.”

Ironically, this year’s gold-medal game came 50 years to the day when the U.S. team shocked the hockey world by winning gold at Squaw Valley. Although Brown, Johnson and Quick are disappointed they could not repeat history, they still feel they had the best team on the ice in Vancouver and were thankful to have parents, family members and friends in attendance.

But those thoughts were quickly pushed aside when two days after the Olympic flame was extinguished, the Kings resumed National Hockey League play and their run toward the playoffs. The Kings were well represented in Vancouver, with five players on the team’s 25-man roster competing in the Olympic Games. Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, who also lives n Manhattan Beach with his wife Wandamae, served on the Advisory Board for the selection of Team USA.

King center Michal Handzus played for Slovakia and, at the age of 20, King defenseman Drew Doughty was the youngest player on the gold-medal winning Canadian team. Doughty rooms with Brown when the Kings are on the road and had the opportunity to rub the gold-medal victory in his Los Angeles teammate’s face, but was fairly congenial about the situation.

“He’s pretty low key,” Brown said. “We talked a lot about it before we went (to Vancouver). Once you’re on the ice, friendships are put aside. We beat them once but they beat us in the more important game.”

A Team Leader

On October 8, 2008 at the age of 23, Brown was named the 15^th captain of the Kings, becoming the youngest and only American-born captain in franchise history. The 6-foot, 208-pound forward was selected to play on the US Olympic team, but was asked to switch from the right side of the ice to the left.

“The offensive side of the game pretty much the same,” Brown said after a Sunday morning practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. “The biggest change was tracking back into the zone. I found myself drifting over to the right side out of habit. Coming out of the zone, it’s different getting the puck and having to rotate your body. It’s more difficult to make plays on your off side.”

Brown handled the transition well and credits team chemistry for much of the team’s success.

“A lot of the players had played together before,” Brown said. “I think I had played with everyone expect maybe four players on the team. Being able to walk into a room and say ‘Hey, how ya’ doin’?’ and not have to introduce yourself made it a lot easier.”

Competing in a short, pressure-filled tournament like the Olympics is something Brown feels will help him as the Kings make go into the NHL playoffs.

“I’ve never been in a playoff game in the NHL but I would think it’s pretty similar,” Brown said. “It comes down to the little things, ultimately. Like the gold medal game – it was an even game and one breakdown was the difference. So it’s a matter of keying in on all those little things and I think we’re learning that here (in LA). It’s going to be magnified come playoff time.

“Consistency with our game will be a key. There are nights when we come out and feel we can beat anyone in the league, and then there are nights when we don’t play as well. We have to find that even keel.”

Brown admits that he hasn’t had time to reflect on the whole Olympic experience. He was glad he was able to attend the women’s hockey gold medal game, where the American team also faced Canada for the top prize. He hopes the excitement generated from his team will help increase the growth of hockey throughout the country.

“I think the interest in the gold medal game is a huge opportunity for hockey in the States to grow,” Brown said. “I think the last time the country was that excited was in 1980. It’s definitely not the same scenario they were under but it sounds like a lot of people were excited and following this team.”

Brown was born in Ithaca, New York. Now he and his wife Nicole and their two sons Jake, 2, and Mason, 1, call Manhattan Beach home.

“You can’t beat the weather here and the great restaurants like Rock-N-Fish and Houston’s and I love Pinkberry,” said Brown. He is an avid supporter of KaBoom!, an organization whose goal is to provide a place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

Brown said his one-of-a-kind Olympic silver medal will soon be put in a safe deposit box. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, which manufactured the medals for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, unique designs were used so no two medals are alike. Weighing between 500 and 576 grams each, the medals are the heaviest in Olympic history.

Silver medals were made of sterling silver (92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper). Gold medals were also sterling silver plated with six grams (1/5 oz.) of pure gold. Bronze medals were made of 99 percent copper to produce a more reddish hue to differentiate the color between the bronze and gold medals.

Taking it all in

Even though he is looking forward to competing in the 2014 Olympics, forward Jack Johnson made the most of his Olympic opportunity. He was the only member of the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to march in the opening ceremony.

With permission from the Kings, who were still playing games before the NHL went on hiatus for the Olympic tournament, Johnson chartered a plane to Bellingham, Washington where a car service drove him to Vancouver.

He became the first NHL player from the United States to participate in any Olympic opening ceremony and took advantage of the opportunity to meet Vice-President Joe Biden, along with some of the world’s top athletes including snowboarder Shaun White. Even though the festivities ran late into the night, Johnson was back on the ice the following day for the King’s morning skate in El Segundo.

“It was so cool,” Johnson said of the experience. “It’s not every day you get to meet people like that. Meeting other Olympians you hear about before going there and being able to march alongside of them was very special.”

Johnson was also among a handful of American hockey players who remained for the closing ceremonies. He was glad his parents, brother, uncle, close friends and their families were able to see him compete on a world-wide stage.

“We went to the women’s hockey game, but I didn’t get to see as many other events as I’d have liked because we were practicing on our days off,” Johnson reflected. “But I still had a great time. The whole thing was an awesome experience. I hope it’s not my last Olympics. As an athlete, I think it (being an Olympic medalist) is the highest honor you can achieve. I think the guys I played with, well, we’ll have a special relationship forever.”

Like Brown, Johnson desires that the success USA enjoyed in Vancouver will inspire the youth of America to continue the development of hockey.

“I hope it has a positive impact,” Brown exclaimed. “Even though we didn’t win the whole thing, we gave it our best shot. I hope that all young American hockey players out there will have a little more sense of pride being American hockey players and that they continue to carry the torch like we did for the older guys we watched.”

Facing what were basically all-star teams in the Olympics, Johnson said the high level of competition will prepare him as the Kings advance to the NHL playoffs, something the team has not accomplished since the 01-02 season.

“Everyone talks about the playoffs being intense, pressure-packed games,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think I’ll never play in more of a pressure game than the gold medal game with 50 million Americans and another 27 million or so Canadians watching. I know I won’t feel anything as hostile as that environment and I feel very confident going in the Stanley Cup playoffs.”

Only 23-years-old, Johnson appears to have an excellent chance of competing in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The Kings signed Johnson after he completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan and he still calls Ann Arbor home. Johnson said his Olympic silver medal will be going back to Michigan when the King’s season is over.

Johnson is close to his dad Jack, who spends a lot of time with his son on the west coast. The younger Johnson wears jersey No. 3 in honor of his father who won the 1973 NCAA title with the University of Wisconsin.

A Year to Remember

In only his second season in the NHL, Jonathan Quick is enjoying a year he will never forget. Two days after having an Olympic silver medal draped around his neck, the 6-foot-1, 223-pound goaltender returned to the professional game and set a new Kings record for most wins in a season. But when the 24-year-old looks back at 2010, he’ll initially recall the birth of his first child, daughter Madison Mychal Quick, who entered the world at 4:15 a.m. Friday.

Jonathan grabbed the earliest flight back to L.A. from Dallas Thursday when informed his wife Jaclyn had gone into labor. Fortunately for the Quick’s – well, at least the father – the labor was a long one provided time for the two new parents to be together.

The King’s goalie was back in the nets Sunday when the team hosted Nashville on Sunday.

Although Quick didn’t see any Olympic playing time in Vancouver – he served as a backup to starting goaltender Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres who was stellar between the pipes and named MVP of the Olympic tournament — Quick said he will have fond memories of the experience.

“My wife, parents, younger brother and sister attended the games,” Quick said. “The team chemistry was great. (General Manager) Brian Burke did a great job of putting everything together, from picking Ron Wilson as head coach to the selection of the players. I’ll always remember the team. I met some good guys out there and it was great to be a part of that team and play for our country.”

Understandably, the King’s goaltender quickly shifted his thoughts from the Olympics to more important things: The birth of his daughter and winning the Stanley Cup

“My wife was cleaning up the other day and I don’t know where she put the medal,” Quick said. “Winning an Olympic medal is something great and you’re playing for your country, but it’s only a two week thing. The Stanley Cup is a nine-month process and a long grind. A lot more goes into that and building strong relationships with your teammates.”

Quick admits that after not seeing game action for two weeks, it took awhile to shake off the rust when the Kings and the NHL resumed play after the Olympic break.

“It took a little while to readjust,” Quick said. “The first two games back I made some mistakes I wish I hadn’t, but that’s no excuse. I have to hold myself accountable and be better next time around.”

While the modest Quick is first to point out any errors in his game, his return to NHL action only two days after the Olympics was monumental. He recorded 31 saves to beat the Dallas Stars 5-1, setting a King’s record 36th win of the season. The victory broke Mario Lessard’s single-season win record set in 1980-81.

“That record you can’t look on as a personal record, that’s a team record,” Quick acknowledged. “Not one of those games would I have won without those guys battling in front of me. I’m sure Mario would say the same thing, that they’re all team efforts.”

Last season, Quick recorded 21 wins, the third most ever by a Kings rookie goaltender (Mario Lessard had 23 in 1978-79 and Bob Janecyk had 22 in 1984-85). He continues to look forward while preparing for post-season play and the goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

“We’re definitely capable,” Quick said. “We just need to get everyone in the locker room believe in themselves.”

With 40 wins, 85 points and 14 games — including eight homes games — remaining in the regular season, the Kings have the opportunity to surpass the record of the Smythe Division-winning team of 1990-91 that achieved 46 wins and 102 points.

The Kings host the Central Division-leading Chicago Blackhawks tonight at 7:30 p.m. The team’s final home game is Saturday, April 10 versus the Edmonton Oilers. Visit lakings.com for schedule and ticket information. ER

It’s been two years since Mikah Maly-Karros and Megan Richardson led the Mira Costa girls basketball team to the CIF State Championship finals, but at the conclusion of this year’s collegiate regular season, the sophomores ended up on the same team.

Continuing to show the dominance exhibited during their prep careers, Maly-Karros and Richardson led their respective college teams in scoring during the 2009-10 campaign with both being elected to the first team All-Big West Conference list.

After her freshman year, Maly-Karros transferred from Loyola to UC Irvine where the 6-foot-1 forward became only the sixth player from Irvine to make the first team. She led the conference with 13 double-double games while averaging 19.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
Competing for CSU Fullerton, Richardson scored a team-high 15.4 points per game and 40 3-pointers. The 5-foot-10 guard was selected to the All-Big West Freshman team last year.

After splitting their contests during the regular season, 6th-seeded Fullerton and 7th-seeded Irvine faced each other in the opening round of the Big West Conference tournament. Maly-Karros tied a school record scoring 41 points — 18 in the first half and 23 in the second — while grabbing nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the Anteaters of Irvine who lost to Fullerton 89-76. Richardson scored 17 points for the victorious Titans.

In the quarterfinals, Richardson scored 10 points against UC Riverside in a 73-54 loss to the Highlanders. ER

They spent two days battling elite teams from California and Hawaii but the boys volleyball teams from Mira Costa and Redondo can’t seem to get enough. Both schools will take on top-ten ranked teams this week as they prepare for the opening of Bay League action in two weeks. 

Evan Hein and the Mira Costa Mustangs retained their No. 2 ranking in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll after a third-place finish in the Best of the West tournament in Poway. Photo by Ray Vidal

In a battle of the top teams in CIF Division 1, No. 2 Mira Costa takes on rival and top-ranked Loyola tomorrow before traveling to No. 7 Orange Lutheran for a 6 p.m. match Tuesday.

Redondo hosts Bishop Montgomery (No. 2 in Division 4) tomorrow at 6:15 p.m. and Thousand Oaks (No. 4 in Division 2) Monday in a 5:45 p.m. match.

Mira Costa and Redondo competed in the Best of the West tournament in Poway last weekend and emerged with a better idea of where each team stands in the hunt for a CIF title.

The Mustangs entered the tournament as defending champions but fell to Punahou, a perennial power from Hawaii, 24-26, 26-24, 17-15. Mira Costa finished tied for 3^rd with Santa Margarita (No. 5, Div. 1) while Punahou defeated Loyola 19-25, 26-24, 15-12 for the Gold Division crown. Palos Verdes placed 15^th in the Gold Division

Eric Mochalski and Jace Olson represented Mira Costa on the all-tournament team. The Mustangs swept through pool play with wins over Mission Viejo, Cathedral Catholic and Bellarmine. They advanced to beat St. John Bosco 25-18, 25-20 and host Poway 25-20, 26-24 before facing Punahou.

Redondo finished 2^nd in the Bronze Division, rebounding from two losses in pool play. After losing to Poway in the tournament opener, the Sea Hawks beat St. Francis, and then fell to Chico.

Once in the Bronze Division, Redondo defeated Deer Valley, 25-22, 25-19 and Valencia 25-22, 25-22 before losing to Harvard-Westlake 12-25, 25-22, 15-13 in the championship match. ER

Mira Costa and Redondo concluded the El Segundo baseball tournament Saturday with victories in consolation games in the Gold and Blue Division, respectively. Torrance, ranked No. 7 and last year’s runner in CIF Division 4, pounded Narbonne 15-0 in five innings in the Gold Division championship game. Josh Mingura tossed a no-hitter for the Tartars, who had previously defeated Mira Costa by one run in pool play.

Mira Costa hurler Drew Van Orden fought hard against El Segundo Tournament champion Torrance. Photo by Ray Vidal

Loyola beat Palos Verdes 9-4 to capture the Blue Division title. Despite the victory, Loyola is ranked No. 6 and Palos Verdes No. 4. in CIF Division 2. El Segundo holds the No. 4 spot in the Division 4 poll.

Mira Costa (2-3) scored a 6-4 victory over South East in a Gold Division consolation game behind a strong pitching performance by Robert Parucha who had six strikeouts in six innings. Kyle Demarco went 2-for-3 with a homerun and two RBIs and Chris Kayson added a double and triple for the offense.

Mira Costa opened the tournament with a 7-3 loss at San Pedro before losing at home to Long Beach Poly 9-3. Eventual champion Torrance pitchers limited the potent Mira Costa offense to two hits and made a wind-aided, first inning three-run home run hold up for a 3-2 victory in the third and final game of pool play.

The Mustangs took out their early-season frustrations on Mary Star, giving Cassidy Olson his first win as Mira Costa’s head coach with a 24-4 five-inning road victory in the first Gold Division consolation game. Dalton Barge and Lucas Whitehill each had three RBIs while going 4-for-4 and Jackson Morrow slugged a three-run homer for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs travel to Long Beach Poly tomorrow for a 3:15 p.m. game before beginning the Redondo Tournament Saturday against Loyola.

Redondo (3-2) jumped over the .500 mark with a 6-3 victory over Bishop Montgomery in the final consolation game in the Blue Division. Daniel Marquez went 2-for-3 and knocked in two runs to lead the Sea Hawk offense.
Redondo evened its record after quashing a Hawthorne comeback attempt, beating the Cougars 6-5 in the first consolation game. Chris Jump went 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI for the Sea Hawks.

First-year head coach Bradey Thurman picked up his first win the previous day with a 9-2 victory over Oak Park. Pitcher Alex Mistuloff went five innings, giving up two hits while striking out 11 and Jake Jimenez led the offense with two hits and an RBI and Drew Kozain hit a triple for the Sea Hawks.

Redondo lost to Narbonne 12-1 in its second game after falling to South 5-4 in eight innings in the season opener for both teams.

The Sea Hawks play a double header today at El Segundo starting at 4:30 p.m. Redondo hosts its own tournament beginning Saturday with a game against San Pedro. The Sea Hawks host North in a non-league game Tuesday at 7 p.m. ER

 A property deal that would have involved a land swap between the city and the school district has fallen apart.

As a result, the district may lose out on lease revenue equal to the salaries of 12  teachers and the city must seek a new location for the police station it hopes to build.

Both sides attribute the collapse, in part, to the district’s properties being substantially devalued because of Measure DD’s passage two years ago, an argument dismissed by the slow growth initiative’s leader.

Redondo Beach Unified School District officials said this week that negotiations – which have taken place over the course of several years – have now ended.

District officials believed the outlines of a deal were in place that would have given RBUSD control of the Franklin Community Center and increased the city’s rent at 200 N. Pacific Coast Highway from $48,000 to $300,000 annually.

The city issued a formal offer last month, however, that included the land swap but only increased rent at 200 N. PCH to $90,000.

The school board in closed session last week rejected that offer.

Board president Todd Loewenstein expressed disappointment at the city’s counteroffer.

“Frustrated would be an understatement,” he said. “I really did think we were very close, in terms of negotiations. In my view, if nothing changes, it’s done.”

“Essentially, what it amounts to is we are finished negotiating,” said board member Carl Clark.

Assistant city manager David Biggs said the city is still hopeful a deal can be worked out.   

“The city is still willing to do a transaction, based on fair market value of our respective holdings,” Biggs said. “We believe our offer reflected that.”

The two properties in question are part of an array of properties whose use by the city and school district were contingent on the two parties coming to an agreement. The city leases two former school sites that the district has declared surplus – 200 N. PCH and 320 Knob Hill. The former houses the police detective bureau (in addition to the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, which pays $8,000 in rent annually). The latter houses the Knob Hill Community Center and the city’s Recreation and Community Services department. The 200 N. PCH expires in June of this year and the Knob Hill lease is month-to-month.  

The city also has a 99-year lease on the former Franklin school site, which currently houses a community center, a preschool, and the Redondo Beach Playhouse. Under the proposed land swap, Franklin would have reverted to the district, which planned to move the South Bay Adult School there. The Adult School’s current location at the former Edison School on Inglewood Avenue, would have been leased commercially.

The district has endured millions of dollars in state educational funding cuts and hopes to increase lease revenue as a means to offset those loses. RBUSD just this week issued layoff notices to 16 teachers. The district hoped to generate an additional $550,000 to $600,000 in new lease revenue through its proposed deal with the city.

“That is 10 to 12 teachers right there,” Loewenstein said. “Looking at it from the city’s perspective, giving up Franklin – that property isn’t a great thing for them, and paying $300,000 for 200 N. PCH, a great piece of property kitty-corner  from City Hall, which gives them flexibility for the future, for 99 years…That is a terrific deal for them.”

Loewenstein said the district would have had to spend at least a million dollars in upgrades at Franklin and Edison in order to do so, but he said that the proposed deal would have represented a “win-win” for the city and the school district. He said accepting the city’s offer would have been financially irresponsible.

“We are not willing for a couple years of very small increased revenue to make a bad decision for the long term health of the district,” he said. “It would be ruinous. Accepting a deal where we are making $30,000 extra a year, juggling around a lot of things and spending $1 million…It just doesn’t make sense.”

The city, meanwhile, hoped to retain use of 200 N. PCH both for its current use and possibly for future use as a new police station. The building’s location, near the main police station and City Hall, make it a natural fit, particularly if the city eventually pursues the building of large new public safety facility. Both its police and fire stations are nearly 50 years old and considered badly outdated.

Biggs acknowledged that “small group” negotiations had discussed a deal that would have paid the district $300,000 per year for the PCH property. But he said the City Council never approved such a deal, and that ultimately the city believed its offer would have enabled the district to maximize lease revenue through private development of Franklin or Edison.

“We are both working to serve the same group of citizens,” Biggs said. “So to me, as one public agency to another, our thought has always been they should look to maximize income from a third party user, rather than another public agency, because that is just  a zero sum game….Especially during this time when we are both having to cut positions and our employees are taking wage and benefit cuts. And the reason we want 200 N. PCH is to increase public safety to the entire community.”

The crux of the disagreement was over just how much the property is worth. When negations began in 2005, the district, based on real estate appraisals, sought $796,800 in annual revenue from the PCH property. A more recent appraisal has downgraded the value of the property 40 percent. The drop resulted largely from the passage in 2008 of Measure DD, a “slow growth” initiative that requires a citywide vote on significant zoning changes in Redondo. According to the district’s appraisal – which also factors in the general downturn in the real estate market – 200 N. PCH’s current market value as a rental is $510,000 annually, including its adjacent 148-spot parking lot, or $320,000 without it.

Clark said that the district had historically rented to the city below market value but could no longer afford to do so.

“We have engaged, over the years, in sweetheart deals with the city, and that has been fine and dandy,” Clark said. “But we are at a point now where we need more than sweetheart deals. We need cash. And 50 cents on the dollar or less just doesn’t work anymore.”

The district’s appraisal, conducted by Parkcenter Realty Advisers, values Franklin at $4.3 million and 200 N. PCH at $6.3 million including the parking lot or $4 million without it.

Biggs said the city’s own valuation placed the two properties much closer in value and that the city’s offer represented fair market value. He also noted that the district’s continued use of the parking lot factored into the  valuation.  “Their assessment of what the parking would cost was, I think, underestimated,” Biggs said.

A draft agreement prepared by the district earlier this year would have ceded use of the parking lot upon the city’s construction of a new facility at 200 N. PCH, but would have allowed continued shared use of the lot until that point. The district also sought the right to build a new parking structure on part of current parking lot.

Councilman Steve Aspel said that 200 N. PCH’s property value has been damaged by Measure DD more than the appraisal shows. The appraisal shows DD’s impact as reducing the property’s value by $5.1 million.

“We didn’t support DD, but that devalued the property,” Aspel said. “I am sympathetic with the schools because I don’t want them to go broke and I still have a kid there, but just because somebody feels a property is worth a certain amount doesn’t mean it is worth that…If we paid them more than what we think the property is worth, then we are giving away public money, and you can’t do that. I truly wish it was worth what they think it is worth.”

Jim Light, the head of “slow growth” group Building a Better Redondo and a chief proponent of Measure DD, dismissed the notion that DD devalued the property.

“Any valuation that included high density residential uses was risky speculation at best and ignored the political climate,” Light said.

The unraveling of the potential 200 N. PCH deal could have many repercussions. Loewenstein said the district will consider refurbishing 200 N. PCH for classroom use. The city, meanwhile, had hoped to extend its lease at Knob Hill for at least a few more years as part of the deal, and now must consider finding new homes for both its detective bureau and its Recreation and Community Services department.

Biggs said the city had several “fallback” options, including moving the recreation department to Aviation Park, developing new facilities at the Franklin site, and possibly housing police detectives in trailers on the City Hall campus while working towards long-term plans of building a new police facility.

“It’s not the most desirable outcome,” Biggs said. “But we do have alternatives…We were trying to craft a win-win scenario that worked beyond the economics of revenue generation for the district. I think that is the hallmark of any successful negotiation – being able to have something that works for both sides – and we just have not been able to find that right formula yet.”

Loewenstein agreed with the goal but expressed little hope a successful formula could be found.

“We really wanted to be able to find a point where both parties would win – where they would have property to build a new police station and we would be able to bring in revenues to the district to help offset cutbacks we’ve had from the state,” Loewenstein said. “We’ve spent years on this now. It’s incredibly frustrating. I have personally spent a lot of time dealing with this. I kind of wash my hands of it.” ER

Fifth-grade teacher Chris Miko of Meadow Elementary was laid off last week after earning a prestigious NASA fellowship earlier this year. Photo by Andrea Ruse

by Andrea Ruse

Meadows Elementary fifth-grade teacher Chris Miko is one of 40 educators, chosen from among 2,000 applicants nationwide, to receive a National Aeronautics and Space Administration fellowship this year.

He is also one of 19 teachers in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District who was pink-slipped last Wednesday.

The termination notices were due to budget cuts and, as required by the California Education Code, based on seniority.

“I didn’t know for sure where I was on the list,” Miko said. “I was just crossing my fingers hoping to be high enough up, but alas.”

During his three years at Meadows, Miko, 32, has started a science club, fostered new technologies into classrooms and started a habitat restoration program run by pre-teens.

“He is a phenomenal teacher and motivates his students in all subjects, not just science,” said Connie Harrington, principal of Meadows Elementary School. “Part of his attraction is that he’s so into it. He throws off a certain energy and the students sense it.”

“He’s totally into the science factor,” said Katherine Pasterczyk, one of Miko’s fifth-graders. “Because he’s really into it, it makes me want to be into it too.”

Miko’s students can tell you dozens of facts about both science and their teacher, including how to build a robot or a rocket, that the Ballona Wetlands in Playa del Rey are home to a number of endangered species and that Mr. Miko’s three heroes are Albert Einstein, Walt Disney and Jim Hensen. They know that one day Mr. Miko hopes to host a TV show from the moon, wants to be the first person on Mars and that his favorite band is “They Might Be Giants.” He’s also into bobbleheads, the Lakers and telling paranormal stories.

His students will tell you that they don’t want their futures to be decided by politicians.

They also know that Mr. Miko won’t be returning to Meadows next year.

“The kids were really bummed out,” Miko said. “Of course, they were upset, but I told them things will all work out and everything will be okay.”

Growing up, Miko dreamt about becoming an astronaut. His curious mind led him to disassemble then reassemble the first computer his parents ever brought home, along with TVs, stereos, an electric drum kit and any other electronic device he could get his hands on.

“When I was bored, I’d just get Dad’s screwdriver out, open something up and check it out so I could see what was inside and how it worked,” Miko said.

He had dreams of launching into outer space, but Miko also felt a passion for teaching.

In 2006, he received his B.A. in Liberal Arts and teaching credential from California State University Northridge and took a job with the nonprofit organization, STAR Education. The following year, he was hired at Meadows as a full-time teacher with a science specialty. He began making additions to the school’s program right away.

“There were so many students interested in science and we were so limited on time to cover all the standards,” Miko said. “So I started the after-school science club.”

There were 25 students in the GoEcoKids Club at first. Now there are about 50, including Miko’s former students who have moved onto sixth and seventh grade. Students in the science club volunteer on a year-round restoration project at the Ballona Wetlands, where they are in charge of running monthly waste clean-ups and educating volunteers.

Last summer, Miko started a science camp where students learned about chemistry, robotics and environmental science.

Miko inspires his students as much inside the classroom as outside, using a combination of hands-on projects, songs, story-telling and YouTube to get kids fired up about learning.

“Before Mr. Miko, I thought science was boring,” science club member Kevin Glasser said.

“It just sounds more fun when Mr. Miko teaches it,” fifth grader Noelle Davidson said. “He knows the answers to everything. And he never gets tired of you asking him lots of questions.”

The numbers appear to agree.

“We’ve had studies focused on scientific education for a number of years, especially in elementary science,” said Carolyn Seaton, MBUSD’s Executive Director of Educational Services. “While there are a lot of variables, it’s pretty evident what Chris’s teaching, combined with the addition of a science specialist, has done for students at Meadows. Science scores went up a good amount last year.”

However, last March Miko was one of 84 teachers who received a layoff notice when cuts in state funding forced the school district to shave $4 million from its $50 million budget. In June, emergency contributions from the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and the city allowed Miko to stay employed at Meadows this year.

“Teachers with less seniority are the ones that are affected,” Seaton said. “Newer ones like Chris are among the first ones to be laid off during budget cuts. Fortunately, he was able to be brought back last year.”

Last summer, Miko was one of 300 teachers worldwide to attend a week-long seminar at NASA’s space camp in Alabama, where he participated in professional development workshops in math and science and, like real astronauts, trained for zero gravity conditions.

“That was a blast,” Miko said. “We were put in teams to fly the space shuttle simulator. It was like a dream come true.”

In November, Miko travelled to Africa with Grove of Hope — an organization set up by NASA-affiliated scientists — to provide Moroccan schools with science and technology programs. Over six days, Miko taught astronomy workshops to 1,000 Moroccan children per day in three cities.

The following month, Miko learned about the prestigious NASA fellowship from a former student who encouraged him to apply.

“They looked at what teachers do and how they do it in the classroom,” Miko said. “They wanted teachers who go above and beyond for their students. Some of the people selected have been teachers for more than 20 years.”

In January, he began the year-long program, intended to develop highly qualified educators in STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — subjects. He will also earn credit towards a master’s degree in STEM from Columbia University in New York.

“He definitely deserves it,” fifth grader Elizabeth Luck said. “He’s always talking about going to space.”

Although Miko won’t actually be blasting off, he will participate in an online cohort of 40 teachers integrating NASA research with education.

“He’ll gain quite a bit of individual knowledge,” Seaton said. “The whole idea is then to share that information about the latest scientific technologies with colleagues.”

Miko said that Superintendent Bev Rohrer expressed deep regret as she personally handed him a layoff notice last week.

Unless the district finds a way to meet next year’s $1.5 million shortfall, Miko will not be bringing the knowledge he gains from NASA back to Meadows.

While a $4.1 million donation from the MBEF saved roughly 35 teaching jobs last week, president Erika White said the organization will not be running an additional fundraising campaign this year to save more jobs. City officials likewise said they are not able to make a cash contribution to the district this year.

“This year, it doesn’t seem like there’s enough support for another last minute save,” Miko said. “People are tapped out financially and have done all they can do. At this point, it seems more final than it did last year.”

Miko plans to apply at Manhattan Beach Middle and Mira Costa High schools for a position with the district next year. He also has hopes of one day opening a science charter school.

“It’s been my dream for many years,” Miko said. “Especially since I don’t know how long my time is here.”

He still plans to hold his second science camp this summer where camp-goers will learn to build computers from old parts.

No matter where Miko ends up next year, he will leave behind a class full of future veterinarians, dancers, teachers, singers, zoologists, Disney imagineers, inventors, engineers, and authors who all think science is cool.

Just how cool?

One day after the bell rang and Miko’s students scattered to go home, a boy ran back in the classroom with an intent look on his face.

“Wait,” the boy called to his friends. “Mr. Miko, do we have science club today?” ER