Inside Look at the Olympics
by Jim McFarland
Meeting was called to order. Gordon Cook led us in the flag salute and gave us our thought of the day by Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change, that lives within the means available and works co-operatively against common threats.”
Guests: Patricia Blakemore and Karin Miller with John Acker, Ryan Nowicki with Bryon Bos, Caroline Le and Jacquie Nguyen with Robert Guilford.
Upcoming events and service opportunities: District Picnic at Seaside Lagoon, Redondo, August 29, 5 -9 PM. Humanitarian trip to Chile sponsored by Rotary Districts 5280 (ours) and District 4340, March 29-April 4, 2027. Concerts in the Park, August 16, Gypsy Dreams, Fleetwood Mac tribute band. Pretty in Pink! August 29, Party Bus, Brunch, Duffy boat ride at Nigels. Behind the Scenes Travels with Charlie, September 3, 10 am, UCLA Mathias Botanical Gardens. Club Wine Around at John Acker’s, September 4, details to follow. No Cheap Wines!!!
President Richard called Jan Rhees to the podium to honor the passing of 26-year member Larry Wolf with a moment of silence. Info regarding services forthcoming.
Dr. Mike Tarnay finally receives his Blue Badge!!
Featured speaker was Joe Avila, director of city operations for LA 28 Olympics and Paralympics. This is Joe’s second year with LA 28.
Joe spent 30 years in energy …water, power, and gas. Now, the job of the LA 28 team is to create an unparalleled Olympic and Paralympic experience for the athletes, fans, partners and communities. Functional areas the LA organizers are focusing on -- athletes and the telecom (television/streaming) aspects of the Olympics. The Games will start July 14, 2028 and continue to August 27. They will be using a lot of existing venues, i.e., LA Coliseum, Rose Bowl, Crypto and SoFi, Santa Anita. Games will also be played in Oklahoma City (whitewater rafting and women’s softball.) Soccer will be played at other venues around the country in addition to LA.
Joe will be merging security and transportation. He showed us maps of venues and the different security perimeters. HOV lanes will be closed to the public to facilitate the transportation of athletes to venues. Athletes will be “sealed” into their vehicles and unsealed inside the venue. There will be 49 athletic venues and over 50 “experience/corporate venues.” Joe is in charge with getting the permits for all these venues -- 10,000 in all! Oklahoma City has been the best to work with so far, Joe says. The look and smell of LA will be a lot different. They are gearing up graffiti removal and relocation of the unhoused.
There were questions from the floor. Mostly dealing with unhoused and graffiti removal.
Happy Dollars. Norm Levin had dollars for his birthday and for the memory of Larry Wolf. Wade Austin celebrated 49 years of marriage to his wife Wanda. Congrats!!!
Mark Maruyama and Ted Iantuono were named Rotarians of the Month!
Drawing for the wine was won by Larry Johnson.
For more meeting photos go to SmugMug.
Social Directors Lisa Hemmat-Lupercio and Nina Patel have been busy planning a fun array of activities for members, their family and friends. All are welcome! Sign up under Club Activities - Save the Date or look for email from Lisa and Nina for more information. Here's their flyer below.
SCHEDULE CHECK (click *here* to go to the club calendar)
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Today's Program
August 10 - Craft Talks from Gordon Cook and Chris Barra
Upcoming Programs
August 17 - Shannon Ryan, author of "Your Money Has Feelings"
August 24 - Jaime Maggio, CBS sports announcer
August 31 - Craft Talks from Laura Brunnel and Kacey Montoya
Club Activities - Save the Date
August 16 - Concerts in the Park, Gypsy Dreams, Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Polliwog Park, 5-7 pm, Look for message the day of the event re the location, contact Lisa Hemmat-Lupercio or Nina Patel if you can help. Potluck style and byob.
August 17 - Book Club will meet to discuss The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, 6:30-8 pm
August 26 - Rotary Adventure Club BBQ and Night Shooting, 6 pm, Moore and Moore Shooting Center, 12651 Little Tujunga Canyon Rd, Sylmar, $50 or $70, contact Vinny Fazzino for more information, sign up here
August 29 - Nigel’s in Long Beach, Pretty in Pink, party bus, brunch, Duffy ride.
September 3 - Travels with Charlie, UCLA Mathias Botanical Gardens, tour starts at 10 am. Rsvp to Charlie Steinmetz, charlie.steinmetz@gmail.com.
September 4 - Wine Around hosted by John Acker, 6 pm, bring $40 wine and appetizer to share, sign ups to come.
September 14 - Board meeting, 6:30-8:15 pm, Lido restaurant
September 18 - 20 - Fall Mexico orphanage trip, see Vinny Fazzino for more information.
September 19 - PS I Love You Day at the Beach, serving up a day of love and sunshine for under-served youth. Three ways to volunteer: Sept. 18 Set up for Rotary Sand Art Booth, 3:30-5:30 pm, heavy lifting involved. Sept. 19 Be a Mentor 8:30 am - 3 pm. Volunteer at Rotary Sand Art Booth 9 am - 3 pm shifts. Sign up here (https://givebutter.com/PSILoveYou-DayAtTheBeach2026) and choose Rotary Club MB from "Are you affiliated with" drop down box. See email from Debbie Goldberg for more information.
October 10 - Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation "The Jimmy" Surf Contest volunteers. Sign-ups not available yet.
November 17 - VetFest. Bring your family and friends to honor veterans and first responders. (They get in free.) $60 tickets include beer and wine, bbq, and music from Pine Mountain Logs and Joe's Band, plus Kid Zone. For more information, go to www.rotaryvestfest.com (https://www.rotaryvetfest.com/)
December 12 - Mychal's Learning Place Santa Stroll. Sign-ups not available yet.
May 16, 2027 - Tour de Pier. Sign-ups not available yet.