Long-Awaited Los Liones Traffic Signal Comes to Life

“This is a very positive and exciting moment for all of us,” Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl said at the start of Thursday’s dedication ceremony for the new traffic signal at Sunset Boulevard and Los Liones Drive. Rosendahl was referring to the group effort among the Westside Waldorf School, members of the Palisades community, the Getty Villa Community Relations Committee and city officials to raise funds and coordinate the signal’s installation.

“It took real leadership from the community and from the [Waldorf] board of trustees to say we’re going to make it happen,” said Rosendahl. “I love the whole concept of this school and where this school is going. But it was when the board of trustees said ‘enough is enough’ we’re going to make this happen, that is why we’re actually here today. I want to thank you on behalf of everyone in this district for really putting your money where your mouth is.”

The push to install the traffic signal has had a long history. Residents living in the Castellammare area have lobbied for a light at Los Liones for more than 20 years. When the  sought permits to use the former Santa Ynez Inn in 2007, it was required to put in the stoplight. However, efforts to complete the project stalled until this year. Jeff Beall, a Waldorf parent who serves on the school’s board of trustees, helped spearhead current fundraising efforts.

“In 2006, the folks running the school didn’t have any idea that they were walking into a neighborhood campaign for a traffic signal that’s been going on for years,” he said. “With open hearts and nothing but a desire to be good neighbors, the school took on the responsibility of installing this signal as a condition to receive its certificate of permanent occupancy."

Beall further revealed that as construction costs escalated year after year, it finally became necessary to hold fundraisers, make painful budget cuts and lay off members of the school’s administration.

“It was plain to see this was a more complex undertaking than anyone knew,” Beall said.  “And it took a lot longer than it should of, but we did it and we’re very happy as we look forward to be members of the Pacific Palisades community for a long, long time to come.”

Gita Labrentz, the school's academic director, provided an eloquent perspective on how the project proceeded.

“I measure a community’s health, progress and compassion by their helping to manifest the dreams and future of children and their own people. So I see this as one of those projects,” she said. “Someone took the word 'team' and made it into an acronym, spelling it out by saying ‘Together Each Accomplishes More’, so I hope this is the beginning of community teamwork for the sake of all children.”

Stephen Clark, a representative from the Getty Villa Community Relations Committee, was recognized for coordinating a pledge from the Getty for $150,000. Clark in turn acknowledged the school’s fiscal contributions.

“I think it’s a remarkable achievement and it’s not a huge institution, this school, and to get this done is a testament to their energy and perseverance,” he said. 

In lieu of a ceremonial ribbon cutting, Rosendahl, Clark and Beall joined together and officially flipped the switch to activate the new traffic signal. The assembled crowd cheered with approval as the light turned green.

“We’ve been looking forward to this traffic signal,” said Brother Satyananda of the Self-Realization Fellowship at the Lake Shrine Temple. “Not only does it make it safer for the children of the school, but it slows down the traffic in the area.”

Shirley Haggstrom, a longtime Castellammare area resident, had been one of the first to raise awareness of the dangerous traffic conditions at Los Liones and Sunset.

“Every time something would happen down here, we’d petition for a light and we’d get turned down," she said. “But we never gave up, so it’s so thrilling and exciting to us today.”

Rosendahl credited the new leadership at the Waldorf school for ending years of bureaucratic red tape. “It’s been a long hard push,” he said. “The real money and the real energy came from the new board of trustees and the school itself saying this has to happen.”

With a new element of safety securely in place for Waldorf children and the community, Beall is pleased to turn his attention back to the school.

“It is far more important to me as a parent and as somebody who believes in this education to wave goodbye to that obligation and look forward to what it is that we do here,” he said. “Now we can do a better job at getting the word out as to why Waldorf education is so special and appropriate to the times and how this school is an outstanding example of what Waldorf education is.”