Pat Benatar, an icon of the ’80s pop/rock scene, with husband Neil Giraldo, performed at the 8th annual Free Arts for Abused Children Gala luncheon and fashion show on April 25. The gala benefits a program that offers opportunities for children who may not be exposed to arts otherwise.

The event lasted three hours at the Landon Estate in Malibu.

“Neil and I have chosen to be involved with the Free Arts for Abused Children first and foremost because we love kids,” said Benatar. “Since 1980, after writing ‘Hell is For Children,’ we became activists in the fight to protect children at risk.”

It is believed that arts can help children find a special healing place within themselves, especially so when they face difficult circumstances, allowing them to express themselves through the medium in various forms.

The event included a silent auction, a luncheon catered by Monrose Catering, a fashion show by Theodore and special musical performances including Benatar and the children of Cindy Landon and late actor Michael Landon.

Jennifer Landon, 17, and Sean Landon, 15, performed in the company of Prescott Niles (from the new wave band, The Knack) and son Noah, Liam Springthorpe, son of Rick Springfield, and Bruce Gary, also a Knack band member.

“It was the best event ever as far as attendance,” said Lee LaPlante, who is on the luncheon gala committee.

“We’re a community of people that does things for one another,” said Geoff Petch, master of ceremonies, as he spoke to a sold-out crowd of about 400 people.

Jennifer Landon spoke about her personal feelings when she lost her father at an early age. Understanding that each person faces hardships differently, but that arts can help heal deep within, she decided to take part in the event, hoping to help others.

Free Arts was born in Malibu when Elda Unger, founder, had a vision to share arts with children worldwide.

According to the organization, the generosity of people and the active participation of 1,000 volunteers allow Free Arts to touch the lives of 46,000 children in 106 facilities in Los Angeles and Orange County so far.

Music, dance, drama, writing and painting, and other avenues of creativity offer children an emotional channel that enables them to release anger and develop positive methods of communication, say organizers.

“This is a dream that has really come to fruition,” said Judith Stotland, executive director for the organization.

I was prompted to investigate the allegations contained in recent articles and letters appearing in Malibu’s newspapers to the effect that the city is now paying to Christie Hogin’s firm approximately twice the amount of the compensation she was receiving prior to the date she discontinued as city attorney in June, 1999 and that according to an April 14 letter from the Malibu Township Council (“MTC”), the city attorney costs were greater under Hogin than under Steve Amerikaner, her predecessor.

The facts belie the allegations. Under Hogin’s new contract, her fees are approximately the same as the city paid for her department during her prior tenure, and clearly less than Amerikaner’s fees. Further, the city is protected against escalating fees based only on hours worked and hourly rates.

Prior to the cessation of her services, Hogin was an employee of the city and the city not only paid her a salary, but also paid for all of the expenses in her department, including, but not limited to, a paralegal and all the fringe benefits to which employees of the city are entitled. The cost to the city for the legal department (including Hogin’s salary) during her tenure, at or about the time of her termination, averaged approximately $210,000.00 a year, subject to changes in costs for employee benefits, etc., which usually trend upward.

Under the city’s new contract with Hogin’s firm, her services are rendered as an independent contractor at a fixed amount, not as an employee. She is responsible for compensating her own paralegal, as well as all other ordinary expenses and neither she nor any of her employees are entitled to fringe benefits from the city. The city’s cost for general legal services payable to Hogin will be $216,000.00 annually ($18,000.00 a month). Further, the city can terminate her contract at any time without cause on 30 days notice without penalty or termination pay. Hogin informs me that she averages between 120-150 hours a month in connection with her services. That equates to approximately $133.00 an hour, $63.00 an hour less than her predecessor’s hourly rate of $196.00 an hour.

As to the MTC allegation that “the annualized legal cost ($314,504.00)” . . . paid to Amerikaner “was about $233,516.00 less than the lowest fees incurred during the tenure of Christie Hogin” the method adopted by MTC to arrive at this conclusion and consequently the conclusion itself is incorrect. For the designated year, Hogin’s fees were calculated by MTC by adding to the fees paid for her department ($216,710.00), all other fees ($331,310.00) paid by the city to outside litigation counsel. MTC did not include any fees paid by the city to outside litigation counsel during the designated year in the fees attributable to Amerikaner. Consequently, the MTC “comparison” is totally distorted.

Using MTC’s own figures, an accurate comparison of the cost for city attorney’s fees discloses that Amerikaner received $314,500.00 for the designated year and the city paid $216,710.00 for Hogin’s department for the designated year, $97,794.00 less than was paid to Amerikaner. The difference in compensation for the attorneys is consistent with the difference in their hourly rates.

Nothing contained in this letter is intended to nor should it be construed to be in derogation of the former city attorney, Steve Amerikaner, for whom I have the highest personal and professional regard.

A. David Kagon

Once again, I write to you on behalf of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange (MCLE Center), a project that I hold close to my heart. At times like this I wish I had the power of a President Josiah Bartlet of “The West Wing.” As President, I would help the Labor Exchange by whatever means available to that high office. But the reality is that it takes more than the magic of television to sustain a real world project.

For those who don’t know, the Labor Exchange is a hiring site for skilled and unskilled workers. The center serves 60-75 persons per day – over 4,000 registrants of all races and ethnicities, living at or below poverty level. Last year, more than 8,000 day jobs were facilitated at the center and since 1993, scores of very poor and homeless individuals have found regular work that began with a day job from the Labor Exchange.

Malibu volunteers who share the belief that no community, city, or nation can ignore the existence of poverty opened the Labor Exchange in 1993. The City of Malibu provides a $15,000 grant that covers approximately 15 percent of the center’s budget. However, the board must still raise $65,000 annually to keep its doors open. And for the last three years, in spite of being strapped for funds themselves, they continued to support a project that was not their financial responsibility but a moral imperative – that is the Malibu Emergency Cold/Wet Shelter. This season alone, the project provided local homeless with 30 rainy nights of shelter and hot meals donated and cooked by local volunteers. But the cost of the project, primarily insurance, has put the MCLE in a serious financial deficit.

The shoestring staff is made up of one full-time person, my friend, Oscar Mondragon, former board member of the United Farm Workers. Many of the Labor Exchange Board Members, including its executive director, have worked gratis for 10 years. The Labor Exchange has been honored by the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations, the Staples Center, and locally, with a Dolphin Award.

Please make a generous tax-deductible contribution or enter the Rotary sponsored $10,000 Reverse Raffle (see entry form this page). The proceeds will go directly to this fine community-based project, the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, so they can continue to deliver to Malibu’s working poor, the opportunity, respect, and hope that every human being deserves.

Martin Sheen

This letter was sent to Mayor Joan House, City Council and Christi Hogain, interim city manager

The city has now fulfilled its legal responsibilities with respect to Mr. Broking’s request under the California Public Records Act by making available to him, for inspections and copying, all documents in the city’s possession regarding his inquiry.

In addition, the city has gone beyond its legal duties and secured a letter from the attorney who represented the city in the 1995 litigation, Mr. Terry A. Barak, who is presently a Los Angeles Deputy City attorney. Mr. Barak’s letter is enclosed for your information.

Mr. Barak states that the city’s contribution to the settlement of the claim was $7,500, which was entirely paid by the insurance carrier. Moreover, according to Mr. Barak, the carrier hired Mr. Barak’s law firm and thus the city incurred no out of pocket expenses for its legal defense. Typically, a city has no authority to select defense counsel regarding a claim covered by insurance, and has a duty to cooperate with the insurance carrier in the defense and settlement of the claim.

I believe that this information fully responds to the questions posed by Mr. Broking. I have deleted the customary “Privileged and Confidential” notation from this memo so that it may be disseminated to third parties at our discretion.

Steven A. Amerikaner

Malibu City Attorney

A contrast in styles of performance was in full evidence at UCLA’s Royce Hall last week as the young fiery saxophonist David Snchez and his quintet performed a “too short” (in Snchez’s words) wild, improvisational 40-minute jazz set, before legendary trumpet player Arturo Sandoval took the stage with his band on April 22. The brassy, loud, rehearsed, Vegas-style type of performance from Sandoval, and a much too long version of scatting by the Cuban performer, was a disappointment compared with the much more raw Snchez performance.

Sandoval, a protg of the famed jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, and who has had 12 Grammy nominations and awarded three, was the titled main draw of the evening. However, a longer stay by Snchez and his band would have been welcome.

Snchez, 32, said nothing as he and his band mates quietly walked on stage and immediately launched into a stormy set with his tenor sax, with serious alto sax player Miguel Zenn joining in what seemed like a duo that would break off into frantically different directions, but came smoothly back into a, if not carefully orchestrated piece, harmonized one nevertheless.

Snchez, who was born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, is young and infectious in what seems his absolute enjoyment of the music he plays. With a constant smile on his face, he eventually even got Zenon to smile. The bald-headed Zenon stared straight ahead as he played, eventually swerving his body in an S-shape motion as he got more into the music.

Percussionist Antonio Snchez really got the audience roaring with a solo later in the set. The group, which also includes bassist Hans Glawischnig, pianist Edsel Gomez and drummer Pernell Saturnino, looked constantly to Snchez to see where he would take them next.

The sextet played the 40 minutes without a break, and Snchez ended the set thanking the audience from the bottom of his heart for being there and sorry that the evening was too short.

Snchez at the age of 22 was invited by Gillespie to join his Grammy Award-winning United Nation Orchestra in 1991. He also toured the United States and Europe with the trumpet master and Miriam Makeba. His latest recording, “Obsesion,” which he produced with Branford Marsalis, received a Grammy nomination.

After the intermission, when the audience was eagerly seated before there was the dimming of lights, it took technicians about 20 minutes to finally get the piano and attached synthesized piano ready. The crowd started clapping, calling for the performance to begin.

Sandoval, of course, is considered a master, not only of the trumpet, but also the flugelhorn, and is an accomplished pianist and is also considered a renowned classical artist. His talents lie in many directions, he even sang “When I Fall In Love,” prefacing with the comment that “God has not graced me with the greatest voice.”

In contrast to Snchez, Sandoval talked to the audience, joked and introduced the pieces the band performed. His personality and demeanor resembled that of comedian Buddy Hackett, complete with glasses and belly. He played a lovely new piano composition, the best piece of the evening. But when he got to his scatting, which was amusing at times, but old when it went too long, audience members quietly began sneaking out. Perhaps because it was getting past 10 p.m. on a Sunday night, or maybe it just wasn’t their cup of tea.

As opposed to Snchez, Sandoval stayed on what seemed like a rehearsed track, with no room for improvisation–except his scatting of course. The other performers in his band took solos, with percussionist Samuel Torres taking a nice turn on the congas.

The talent is there, the showmanship and the music, but sometimes just the plain raw music is enough.

Entertainment Writer

YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS

It looks as if Malibu is proving to be one heck of a popular spot with no shortage of “friends.”

Following their splashy seaside wedding last year, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have been doing some house hunting in our neck of the woods, hoping to make a move to 90265.

In the meantime, “Friends” co-star Courtney Cox and her hubby David Arquette have picked up a beachfront retreat for a cool $10 million. Their new abode has a mere three bedrooms, but the 4,500 square foot architectural gem is quite the showcase, designed in exposed concrete, natural wood and glass by the late John Lautner.

It seems the peer pressure is on for these pals — so can cast mates Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer be far behind?

TV TIMES

Malibu’s Kelsey Grammer is celebrating a new three-year deal with Paramount Television Group to continue his Emmy Award-winning “Fraiser” into an incredible 11th season. The milestone matches the longtime run of Kelsey’s other mega-hit, “Cheers.”

Martin Sheen, meantime, will be enjoying his presidential popularity for years to come. His critically acclaimed “West Wing” series has been picked up by Bravo, which will begin airing Oval Office episodes in 2003.

CITY OF ANGLES

“Life and Times” host Jess Marlow and his wife, Phyllis, were rewarded for their many years of hard work on behalf of the Hillsides Center for abused and neglected children and presented with this year’s Angel Award at the Keck Center. Also getting their wings are longtime benefactors Judy and Bernard Reiling, who discovered the institution when their daughter volunteered as a tutor while in high school.

The two couples have been a powerful force, helping the 88-year-old center raise more than $1.8 million.

The awards ceremony featured several touching testimonials from Hillsides children who explained how the organization had changed their lives. “Hillsides can keep a teenager from messing up,” said 14-year-old Maria Rivera. “They teach us the consequences. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

WHEELIN’ AND DEALIN’

Anjelica Huston and her sculptor husband Robert Graham will help the California Antique Dealers Association kick off its Sixth Annual Los Angeles Antiques Show at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica this weekend.

From Art Deco to Native American to European Classical, the show draws 68 exhibitors from cities throughout the United States as well as Italy, England and Mexico. Every year, the showcase kicks off with a gala-preview and food feast benefiting the Women’s Guild of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

“As the premiere show on the West Coast, we draw collectors and aficionados from all over the country,” said Women’s Guild President Abby Levy. “Cedars-Sinai supporters will get a first-look at these exceptional offerings.” The show runs through May 6.

This past Saturday morning, the Malibu Township Council held a publicly noticed discussion about the Draft Civic Center Guidelines. Mayor Tom Hasse and Councilmember Jeff Jennings spoke in support of the Guidelines, and Jo Ruggles, resident and former planning commissioner, as well as a member of the General Plan Task Force. Jay Leibig, resident and former developer, and Charlene Kabrin, formerly of the Planning Commission, spoke in opposition to the Guidelines.

Mayor Hasse represented that the term “jurisdictional” carried the weight of law, and assumed that the people did not understand the difference between the term “jurisdictional wetland” and the term “historical wetland,” and indicated that the only jurisdictional wetlands in the Civic Center Area exist in the “Egret Pond.”

In fact, both the General Plan and the Mason & Mason report seem to belie that assumption. The City of Malibu General Plan of 1995 Conservation Policy 1.1.6 states, “The city shall restore Disturbed Sensitive Resource Areas (DSRAs)- (Note: The Malibu Creek Floodplan would be a DSRA if it is mostly a wetland disturbed by fill deposits.)” The term DSRA is, in fact, a term used by the state defining the basis for state “jurisdiction.”

The Mason & Mason report, an organization held in high esteem by Mayor Hasse, also appears to support the fact that the Chili Cook-off is, in fact, jurisdictional “… per a biological review prepared by the City of Malibu, artificial fill has been placed on the sites and the sites may be jurisdictional wetlands.” These sites are defined as potential restoration sites.” The Chili Cook-off area is located in the Malibu Creek Floodplain and therefore, by the Mason & Mason language, must be a DSRA, thereby falling under state jurisdiction. By the terms of the General Plan, the Chili Cook-off is required to be restored!

Steve Uhring, president

Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy