I would like to express my disappointment over the reselection of the AYSO Boys Under-12 All-Star soccer team.

When I was chosen to coach the team, the division director, myself and the rest of the coaches nominated 21 players for consideration — 15 to be on the team, plus 3 alternates. This was done on Tuesday, Nov 23. The following Saturday the division director gave me the OK to call the boys that were selected. I did and everyone called accepted.

The following Tuesday at the Bluffs Park the AYSO commissioner said to me he was unsure about two of the players chosen. However, (and these were the commissioner’s words), “If you don’t hear from me or anyone else by tonight, consider the team to be final.” I waited until Thursday. Nobody called me with any changes, so everyone chosen for All-Stars was contacted again, to set up a practice.

Due to the sudden illness of my daughter, Michelle, I decided to relinquish my head coaching duties. The position should have been turned over to our Assistant Coach, James Whalen, with the team left intact.

However, a new coach was brought in, and five players were replaced on the team, some of whom were never even given the courtesy of a phone call, to inform them they had been replaced. After six years of coaching boy’s soccer here in Malibu, I believe I have a good understanding of how a team should be chosen. It should not be based upon how much influence can be exerted on behalf of players who were not chosen, by parents who now wish to restructure the team.

Certainly a wrong message is being sent, both to those being summarily dismissed, and to those newly acquiring a position on the team in such a strange manner, that it is all right to treat players and parents in this way.

As in any selection process, some people will be disappointed. The team was chosen based on positions, ability and chemistry. Age and size were not a consideration.

Mike Doyle

“Les Miserables” — the Boublil/Schonberg/Kretzmer version — is an opera. We know this because all parts are sung. Opera requires impeccable voices. The “Miz” currently playing at the Ahmanson Theatre misses in this regard.

If one’s first reaction is to think this production’s music is “canned,” perhaps it is because the orchestra is overamplified.

And if the orchestra is overamplified, it may be to cover up the inadequacy of many of the voices.

Do you hear the people sing? Some. One can understand every word of the young performers, Maggie Martinsen and Alison Fidel, who alternate roles as young Cosette and young Eponine, and Cameron Teitelman as Gavroche.

Among the adults, some can’t hit the high notes, one can’t voice the lows.

Still, the Victor Hugo story remains majestic and personal, timeless and timely. It poses questions of conscience, self-awareness, unselfish love and, of course, revolution.

And revolve the production does. Yes, it is the original Trevor Nunn/John Caird production, with its huge revolving stage that lets scene changes be visual magic and the massive barricades of the young French revolutionaries whirl back and forth.

The acting is fine, skilled and sincere.

As Valjean, Ivan Rutherford is compelling, huge in physical presence and impressive in vocal range. Stephen Bishop offers a subtly evil Javert, but he unfortunately doesn’t age as well as Rutherford’s Valjean.

Kevin Earler is an inspired leader as Enjolras, Tim Howar a sweet romantic as Marius. Regan Thiel provides a gentle Cosette, Sutton Foster a gamine Eponine who sings a genuine, show-stopping “On My Own.”

J.P. Dougherty and Aymee Garcia play the scene-stealing Thnardiers with contagious energy.

For those who like their productions “big,” this is it. Lighting (David Hersey), sets (John Napier) and sound (David Andrews Rodgers, musical director, and Andrew Bruce/Autograph, sound) are as huge as “opera” gets — so far.

“Les Miserables” plays through Feb. 12 at the Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center. Tel. 213.628.2772 or online at www.TaperAhmanson.com.

The Lord spoke to Noah and said, “Noah, in six months I am going to make it rain until the whole world is covered with water and all the evil things are destroyed. But, I want to save a few good people and two of every living thing on the planet. I am ordering you to build an ark.” And, in a flash of lightning, he delivered the specifications for the ark.

“OK,” Noah said, trembling with fear and fumbling with the blueprints, “I’m your man.”

“Six months and it starts to rain,” thundered the Lord. “You better have my ark completed or learn to swim for a long, long time!”

Six months passed, the sky began to cloud up, and the rain began to fall in torrents. The Lord looked down and saw Noah sitting in his yard, weeping, and there was no ark.

“Noah!” shouted the Lord, “where is my ark?” A lightning bolt crashed into the ground right beside Noah.

“Lord, please forgive me!” begged Noah. “I did my best, but there were some big problems. First, I had to get a building permit for the ark’s construction, but your plans did not meet their code. So, I had to hire an engineer to redo the plans, only to get into a long argument with him about whether to include a fire-sprinkler system.

“My neighbors objected, claiming that I was violating zoning ordinances by building the ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning board.

“Then, I had a big problem getting enough wood for the ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that I needed the wood to save the owls, but they wouldn’t let me catch them, so no owls.

“Next, I started gathering up the animals, but got sued by an animal rights groups that objected to me taking along only two of each kind.

“Just when the suit got dismissed, the EPA notified me that I couldn’t complete the ark without filing a environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn’t take kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.”

“Then, the Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the proposed flood plan. I sent them a globe!

“Right now, I’m still trying to resolve a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission over how many minorities I’m supposed to hire.

“The IRS has seized all my assets claiming that I am trying to leave the country, and I just got a notice from the state that I owe some kind of use tax. Really, I don’t think I can finish the ark in less than five years.”

With that, they sky cleared, the sun began to shine. and a rainbow arched across the sky.

Noah looked up and smiled. “You mean you are not going to destroy the world?” he asked hopefully.

“No,” said the Lord, “the government already has.”

Author unknown

We got back late Sunday night in one of those whirlwind airport marathon days where you start out in Barcelona at 8 in the morning and then to Paris to change planes and on to New York where you change planes again and then a final leg to Los Angeles. With the nine-hour time difference, you arrive home exhausted and punchy and god awful tired of airplane food. I now consider myself an expert on the nuanced differences in the airline cuisine, which goes from blah to very blah. Even flying part of the way on Air France didn’t seem to make much difference. Whatever the legend of French cuisine, it certainly doesn’t extend to airplane food.

But Spain was a totally different experience and a sheer delight. Karen and I took one of those Renaissance cruises, which starts in Lisbon and ends in Barcelona with stops at Cadiz, and Malaga and Palma de Mallor and some interim stops at Tunis and Casablanca and then Gibraltar. Normally we don’t do cruises, but this time we wanted everything taken care of, sort of your baggage stays with you and your hotel moves, which is exactly what it turned out to be.

Spain has changed, but it’s also the same. I remember it in 1968 when Franco was still in power, and the Guardia Civil wore those tri-cornered hats, and all carried submachine guns and look eager to use them. You could smell the lingering, sour aroma of fascism wherever they stood. They’re still there but now they’re all older men and pot-bellied, and their uniforms don’t fit quite as nicely, and that lean and hungry look is gone, and no one seems to pay them much attention, and Spain seems happier and more prosperous.

Karen and I walked everywhere the ship stopped. What I began to notice is that there doesn’t seem to be the poverty we see in our country. I’m not sure why, but there just isn’t.

The Spanish live life with style, and it’s absolutely contagious. They do everything wrong, and yet it works for them.

At 2 p.m., the country closes down and everyone goes to lunch, which is usually a two- to three-hour affair. We walked into restaurants at 2 and no one was there, other than a few other Americans, and then by 2:30 it was packed.

They claim lunch is their big meal, but I never noticed them eating any less at dinner, yet they don’t seem to be as fat as most Americans. It’s unusual to see a really obese Spaniard, and we simply couldn’t figure it out.

They eat dinner at 10, which every weight watcher knows is absolutely wrong. They never seem to deny themselves dessert, they drink wine with their dinner, and they eat their share of fatty foods. Then they drink very strong caffeinated coffee and still don’t seem to have any trouble sleeping. It makes you wonder how much of what we believe about all those things is just hype.

The Spanish appear to enjoy life. They don’t appear as harried as Americans. Even in a large city like Barcelona, where the pace is noticeably faster, it’s still not L.A. or New York, and yet business goes on, and they appear to get everything done.

They do something we could copy, and they do it everywhere. They have public spaces, with small gardens, benches and outdoor cafs, and there is a very long tradition of having the cities, even the small cities, very people oriented. It’s not just a recent development. You see it in the fortress built by the Moors a thousand years ago, which have been restored and have terraced gardens and benches and small water fountains. The original Moors had it, and the country has kept the tradition, which may tell us something about the quality of their life.

The people were very polite and helpful and generally treated each other graciously. I saw one guy take another’s parking spot, and, except for a few words and a fleeting gesture, it ended quickly. In L.A., they’d still be cursing at each other. In New York, one would have shot the other dead.

But the most amazing thing was when we went to visit the Gaudi cathedral and buildings in Barcelona, built in the early part of this century. There they are, curvy and whimsical, and world famous and filled with tourists from all over taking snapshots. And, I must admit, all I could think of was, “How in heavens could he have ever gotten those plans through the Barcelona planning commission?”

It really is a good idea to get away from Malibu from time to time.

The recent report of the Sierra Club lawsuit against the expansion of Pepperdine University in Malibu is worthy of some comment, clarification and questions. To begin with, Pepperdine is a class act in every respect, although some Malibu folk, especially city officials think it is an eyesore and is not welcome in this city. Well, it ain’t in this city. Pepperdine was successful in being excluded from the city limits upon incorporation. Good move. But a lot of us see Pepperdine as a thing of beauty on the hill, and an institution we can brag about as belonging to us.

So my question is, what is the lawsuit really about? And what triggered it? Did someone at Sierra just happen to drive by and decide that something had to be done? I think not. And I think that if the Pepperdine matter is coupled with another similar matter, one can only assume that Sierra is in the business of litigating local issues, for a price.

The other matter is based on the fact that the board of my homeowners association, acting first through a member,0 asked for contributions to Sierra in order to prevent the area known out here in the boonies as Trancas Fields or something like that from being developed by anyone. Later, we the members were told that we needed to raise $50,000 for which Sierra would file a lawsuit based on some esoteric (my opinion) environmental considerations.

I do not know how much money was raised from members. Homeowner association boards are not known for keeping members informed. However, in actively opposing some new CC&Rs, I learned from association records that our association had given Sierra a total of $20,000 in 1998-1999. This contribution apparently did not require approval of members, and the board did not tell us about it. So much for family laundry.

Malibu has a well earned reputation for questionable ethics as practiced by all segments of the city. But I am deeply concerned that Sierra seems to be willing to rent its name and reputation to anyone who has an imagined cause, and a few bucks to pay the lawyers.

I think that this could be a fertile field for plowing by a top-notch investigative reporter. I will keep my eyes open.

Bill Liverman

I am writing in response to [the Dec. 9 article, “Kissel says no contest”]. You chose to quote Mr. Goldingay and Ms. Kraft quite liberally and, although no one asked, in the interests of objective reporting felt you should be aware of the position of The Kissel Company, Inc. (“Kissel”).

To begin with, I would like to correct and clarify some of the statements offered in your article. There were actually 46 counts with total maximum fines of $301,050. There were no overflows into the children’s playground. Children were not required to go through sewage to get to the playground.

It is inconceivable that people would pay between $100,000 and $625,000 for mobilehomes in a park which resembles “Third World conditions.” Keep in mind this price is paid for the right to rent land from Kissel on a month to month rental agreement.

The preventative maintenance program to be implemented is essentially that which has been in effect for many years. The effectiveness of this program is evidenced by the fact that although there are 32 separate septic systems ranging in age from 28 to 40 years old within the mobilehome park, there has been only one overflow in the last six months. This was the result of a jammed toilet which has repeatedly caused overflows over the last several years and which the resident refuses to repair.

Prior to Kissel even beginning its defense case Judge Mira acquitted it of eight charges. Judge Mira also dismissed an additional 24 counts. This reduced the potential maximum fine to $37,800. Given the inordinate cost of putting on a defense where the process and expense truly are the punishment, it was far more sensible to accept settlement of the remaining charges. Kissel could have chosen to simply plead No Contest, pay a fine and walk away. This, however, would not have solved the septic problem at Paradise Cove. Judge Mira, having labored so diligently to promote a settlement before trial, was pleased that a settlement was still reached for it was a permanent solution which he was seeking. He specifically stated: “I’m interested in solving this problem if it can be done.”

Consequently, Judge Mira offered an alternative to paying a fine to the County of Los Angeles which would benefit no one at Paradise Cove. In lieu of this Kissel was offered the alternative of accepting 36 months probation and a stay or suspension of any fine. During this time Kissel is required to take appropriate steps to prevent accidental overflows and to retain a consultant or outside expert to report to the court the steps being taken to prevent future overflows.

In addition, Kissel is to explore the installation of a new septic system for the mobilehome park. The responsibility of payment for this new system remains with the residents as required by The City of Malibu Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Kissel is not required to pay for the installation of this system which is clearly a Capital Improvement. In this regard, before commencement of the trial a meeting was held with the tenants and featured representatives of the manufacturer for a state of the art septic system. Pursuant to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance a ballot was then mailed to each resident to vote on whether or not to proceed with the installation of the new system at a monthly cost not to exceed $70.00 per space for fifteen years.

Unfortunately for the minority of residents who chose to vote there were some 170 spaces out of 257 which chose not to respond. Of those who responded, a clear majority were either in favor of the pass through or very interested but desirous of more information. The ordinance requires that 50 percent plus one of all spaces vote in favor of the project. One would expect that if the conditions in the park were as Mr. Goldingay portrays, there would be a significantly larger response.

In addition to avoiding the additional expense of attorney’s fees or fines, the settlement entered into eliminates the risk of any guilty findings. This is significant in light of the pending failure to maintain the case which was filed on behalf of approximately 50 spaces, or approximately 20 percent of the park. The goal of these few residents is to use the legal system to extract as much money as possible from Kissel. A guilty conviction would have aided them tremendously in their quest.

In summary, as part of settlement during a lengthy trial, Kissel plead No Contest because it was the most prudent business decision given the financial ramifications and other relevant considerations before it, and not as an admission of any perceived guilt on its part.

The Kissel Company, Inc.

Steven F. Dahlberg

chief financial officer

Ed. note: The Kissel Co. did not return telephone calls from The Malibu Times prior to the article’s publication deadline.