He Wanted Room for 21 of His Porsches. So He Built a Second House Across the Street.
But there was more real estate to come. In 2016 a 1- acre lot directly across the street from their Rancho Mirage house came up for sale. They purchased it for $800,000, with no plan, Harris says, other than, 'to prevent someone else from building something hideous.'
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Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
An iconic beachside restaurant reopens on PCH after Palisades fire
Perched along the Pacific Coast Highway with an oceanfront view, Gladstones Malibu has long served as a pit stop for residents and road trippers looking to refuel over mai tais and clam chowder. Now, following nearly six months of closure due to damage sustained in the Palisades fire, the iconic restaurant will reopen its outdoor deck for dining on July 4. 'We just wanted to have something where the community could gather and have a place to visit while they're visiting their place of residence ... and feel a bit of normalcy after such a devastating event,' said Jim Harris, the restaurant manager and chief executive of Gladstones Legacy Group. The Palisades fire led to at least 12 deaths and the loss of more than 5,400 homes. At least six Gladstones staff members lost their homes in the fire, according to associate general manager Alex Peniston. Gladstones itself was saved in large part due to the heroic efforts of Engine 238, said Harris — though the back of the main building was burned, leaving toxic smoke damage throughout the main dining room and 'soccer ball-sized ashes' that damaged furniture on the deck. A staple on PCH since 1981, community members mourned the temporary closing of the restaurant on social media and raised nearly $30,000 on GoFundMe to support staff in the aftermath of the blaze. 'Gladstones is as iconic as any restaurant in Los Angeles and definitely a place where people can relive the good old days,' said Peniston, who said regulars constantly texted him wondering when the business was going to reopen. 'Luckily, Gladstones has been through a lot of openings or proposed closings and reopenings, so we've got some practice doing it.' Gladstones received the green light from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to open its auxiliary kitchen and outdoor public deck in early June, said Harris. Since then, it's been a sprint to reopen the public deck for the summer season, with construction ongoing right up until the launch. Harris hopes the main dining building — which has to undergo more extensive repairs — can reopen by next spring. Harris confirmed the restaurant's famous deck will offer a truncated menu — and no brunch service — but that visitors can still expect classics like calamari, burgers and Bloody Marys. For the month of July, the restaurant is offering 50% off food and drinks to Malibu and Palisades residents as well as first responders. Harris and partners also said the reopening represents the resilient spirit of the Pacific Palisades. 'The idea was that we wanted to become a community center for people who lost their homes,' said architect Stephen Francis Jones, who is leading the redesign of the deck and surrounding outdoor areas, which seat 250 people, as well as the auxiliary kitchen and the main dining building. The new deck design will have a 'warm feeling with accents of white,' said Jones, who swapped the old graying deck for new wood flooring and teak furniture. A raised platform will offer a more elevated experience with lights strung between lofty palm trees. But the highlight of the new design is what Jones calls the 'community circle,' a sectioned-off area near the patio's entrance where people can lounge with drinks from the walk-up bar if they don't care to dine in. The alcove features a fire pit surrounded by four eight-foot-tall walls, which local artist Jonas Never brought to life with murals depicting the neighborhoods that intersect at Gladstones — Malibu, the Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica. 'We always envisioned that that might be the place where people that haven't seen each other in a long time want to catch up with what's going on,' Jones said. The northern wall depicts a 1953 Corvette coming down PCH from Malibu — the driver and passenger 'obscured by the glare of the sunset in order to make the view anyone's California dream,' said Never. The southern wall, to be completed later this summer, will depict the Santa Monica Pier at sunset. The eastern wall spells out 'Gladstones,' the block letters filled in with depictions of beach life. And the final wall depicts local places and businesses lost in the fire, including Reel Inn, Malibu Feed Bin, the Business Block Building, Wylie's Bait and Tackle, Moonshadows, Rosenthal Wine Bar, Topanga Ranch Motel, Cholada Thai Cuisine and Tahitian Terrace. 'I drove past almost all of them for so much of my life that I feel some sort of connection to each one of them,' said Never, who described the mural as a 'memorial wall' that can offer residents a place to grieve and keep memories alive. 'They were landmarks ... and it makes the survival of Gladstones that much more special,' he said. 'It's the perfect place to honor the memories of the places lost in the fire.' When the main building reopens next year, Harris said the vision is to transform the dining room's open floor plan into a space with distinct pockets that speak to different eras of the restaurant's history. A mural originally commissioned by its most recent owner and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will still display in the restaurant's overflow room. The back room, which was once original owner Bob Morris' office, will be transformed into a speakeasy. A room upstairs will become a bridal suite and green room for private events. The distant future remains unclear, as a forthcoming restaurant from celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and famed architect Frank Gehry was meant to take over the location following Riordan's death in April 2023 — though development has stalled. Gladstones Legacy Group, formed by longtime staff, was brought on by L.A. County as the restaurant's operator to ensure the location did not fall into disrepair in the interim. The group is currently working towards extending its concession agreement with the county until the current Coastal Development Permit expires in 2029, according to a county representative. 'Gladstones is expected to continue operating until the developer of the replacement facility is ready to begin construction,' said chief deputy director Amy Caves of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. 'Unfortunately, when that will happen is hard to predict, but the development process is ongoing, and the California Coastal Commission is tentatively scheduled to hold a hearing on the project later this year.' Puck's business partner, developer Tom Tellefsen, told The Times that his team is 'anticipating commencing construction in early to mid 2026.' In the meantime, Harris said his team is 'planning on being here as long as the county needs us to hold the place.' 'We're looking forward to just having a great summer and again, being a place for people to gather,' he said.
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Inside CBS News: Fear, anger and a silver lining after Paramount-Trump settlement
For months, CBS News has been roiled with trepidation that parent company Paramount Global would write a big check to make President Trump's $20 billion lawsuit go away. On Tuesday night, those fears came true. Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million to settle Trump's legal salvo against '60 Minutes' over the editing of an interview with his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Within the news organization, there was anger over what is widely seen as a capitulation to Trump in order to clear a path for Paramount's $8-billion merger with David Ellison's Skydance Media. The case was labeled as frivolous by 1st Amendment experts. But among some CBS News veterans, tempers were calmed by a sobering reality: that the outcome could have been worse. The biggest concern inside the news division since Trump's complaint was that the media company would be strong-armed into making an apology or statement of regret over a case that they believed had no merit. Amid the internal anger over the settlement, there is relief that that did not happen. 'Everybody knew that was a line in the sand,' said a relieved CBS News veteran not authorized to comment publicly on the matter. Another journalist at the network, speaking on the same condition, said the thinking among many was that any financial payment of less than $20 million without an apology would count as a partial win. As the negotiations to end the suit lingered, it became more apparent that corporate interests overrode any concerns about the appearance of caving to Trump's demands. Trump filed suit in October, claiming '60 Minutes' edited an interview with Harris to make her look smarter and bolster her chances in the election, which Trump won decisively. CBS denied the claims, saying the edits were routine. 'If there wasn't a merger pending and they took this to court they would have won,' the journalist said of Trump's case. 'I think they understood that if they made an apology they would have an internal rebellion and they would have because there was nothing to apologize for.' Some say that the departures of former '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens and CBS News and stations head Wendy McMahon were enough to satisfy the Trump camp's desire for an apology. Both executives were adamant that CBS News did nothing improper in the handling of the Harris of interview. Trump's legal team claimed victory. 'President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit,' a spokesman said in a statement. But while '60 Minutes' avoided the humiliation that would have come with a statement of contrition, the program that is the foundation of the news division now has to move forward in an era of media mistrust on the political right and disappointment on the left by those who believe courage is in short supply. According to several CBS News insiders who spoke to The Times, no one is expected to depart '60 Minutes' in protest of the settlement decision. Andrew Heyward, a former CBS News president who is now a consultant, said it will be up to the new owners of CBS to maintain the program's journalistic independence. 'If that's jeopardized in the future, that would be unfortunate for CBS News and the country,' he said. Though there is anger, many feared a bleak future for the news organization and the rest of the network if Paramount Global couldn't close the Skydance deal. The lawsuit was seen as an obstacle to the deal, which needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission, run by Trump appointee Brendan Carr. 'We can get outraged all we want, but the fact is we were in a really precarious situation,' said one of the journalists not authorized to speak publicly. 'If that merger went dead, I don't know if anyone would have come along and bought the whole company.' While ownership change usually generates fear and uncertainty through media organizations, insiders at CBS News say they will be happy to see Paramount Global's controlling shareholder Shari Redstone in their rearview mirror once the Skydance deal is done. The feelings inside the news division regarding Skydance range from hope for new investment from deep-pocketed Ellison to resignation that 'it can't get any worse.' As for any damage to its reputation, CBS News is taking some comfort in the fact that ABC News hasn't noticeably suffered from its own $16 million settlement over anchor George Stephanopoulos mistakenly saying Trump was convicted of rape rather than sexual abuse in the civil suit brought by E. Jean Carroll. Stephanopoulos signed a new contract at the network amid the controversy and his program 'Good Morning America' hasn't suffered a ratings loss since. Viewers have high expectations for '60 Minutes,' which after 57 seasons still ranks as the most-watched news program on television (it's also the most profitable show on CBS). If the program is allowed to maintain the same standard of deep reporting it's known for, the audience will get past a bad corporate decision, according to Heyward. 'People on the right will say it's another example of mainstream media getting what it deserves,' Heyward said. 'People on the left will say it's another example of a corporation caving to President Trump for its own selfish interests. And most people will go back to watching '60 Minutes' and expect strong independent reporting without fear or favor — that's what really matters.'
Forbes
6 hours ago
- Forbes
From America's Shopping Mall King, A $10 Million California Vineyard Estate
Nature provides wonders on California's Palos Verdes peninsula. Villa Oneira has been here since 1969, now fully refurbished and extended to five acres with a curtilage planted for privacy. Strand Hill Properties It almost never happens. A property comes to market textured with two of the great intertwining themes of the American story. The first narrative starts in the 1960s, with the son of a German immigrant standing on a patch of scrub near the ocean in south-west Los Angeles. This is the house that Ernst built. All undeveloped land translates as opportunity, and one man who was building a business out of that proposition in 1967 was Ernest (Ernst) W. Hahn, a developer who'd just opened his first shopping mall in Santa Barbara. It was a mall that would come to change the way Americans went shopping. At La Cumbre Plaza, Hahn merged retail space with opportunities for fun and community activity—skating rinks, bowling alleys, day-care. He spread that vision into 29 brand-new shopping centers, making him the biggest mall developer in the western United States. He sold the company for $270 million—in 1980. American story number 1: entrepreneurial endeavor geared with new ideas. The house that Ernst Hahn built for his family in 1968 on that patch of scrub was also forward-thinking. Forget traditional design, Hahn chose to ride the waves of mid-century modern style. The plot on Rolling Hills on the Palos Verdes peninsula was ideal for the architectural movement's articulated statement of indoor-outdoor living, with the bonus of sunsets over the Pacific, and the Hollywood sign behind. Natural wood and stone, plus floor-to-ceiling glass, were central to the language of mid-century modern design. The current owners' sympathetic renovation in 2017 maintains authenticity, while upgrading facilities throughout for current times. Strand Hill Properties The property is for sale today, listed at a smidge under $10 million by Lily Liang of Strand Hill Properties. It's grown with the times—but not at the expense of its original design. And herein American story number 2: regard for valued history combined with the will to improve. Since purchasing the home in 2000, the current owners have added features inside and out that maintain the mid-century modern charm while increasing livability for our present age. Primary here was their decision to purchase adjacent land that increased the holding to a substantial five acres. Meticulous landscaping includes a clipped, box-planted garden, vibrant orchards of citrus, and a deep olive grove. The latter provides a year-round supply of your own olive oil. But the standout that surprises, impresses and delivers in equal measure is a fully operational vineyard of 2,500 productive French Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines on the estate's south-west facing slopes. Establishing a vineyard in your own garden would be a Herculean task. Inheriting one in full swing is a miraculous gift, especially when it comes with a solid customer list for the finished product. Wine aficionados will respect the provenance of the 1,250 Chardonnay vines, planted in 2006 from French clones. The 1,250 Pinot Noir vines planted two years later are producing exceptional bottles too. With a yearly yield of 275 cases, the customer list for the Villa Oneira label includes local restaurants and hotels. Strand Hill Properties Placid views of the sweeping coastline make the lawn-front terrace perfect for entertaining alfresco. Strand Hill Properties So here in this corner of California, with the citrus scents of the Mediterranean wafting through the terraces and open windows, is an opportunity beyond rare. And the distinctly European feel is no accident either, because the owners are Greek. More on that later... Villa Oneira, meaning House of Dreams in Greek, exudes the scale of an estate larger than its five acres. The sloping levels of landscaping create expansive vistas, and walking up the curving gated driveway you come across hidden additions. A stable block here, a tennis court there, separate guest/staff accommodation. In 2017, a refurbishment across the 6,200-square-foot interior of this five-bed, five-bath home brought everything up to speed. Mid-century modern kitchens were born functional. Here Wolf, Sub-Zero and Miele mark the quality of improvements. If the pool, spa, wine cellar, outdoor kitchen and firepit are expected delights, how about (continuing the Greek connection) a chapel in the grounds, one modeled on a small church in Athens from 1600? As night falls, the pool ushers in a calm, relaxing end to the day at Villa Oneira. Strand Hill Properties The man who revolutionized American shopping laid the first stone of this spectacular property. But it's the current owners who have transformed it, over the past 25 years, into one of the most desirable homes in one of the most prestigious gated communities in Los Angeles. It's time for their story to begin a new chapter elsewhere—and for the next custodians of Villa Oneira to begin their own. Lily Liang holds the listing for Villa Oneira, priced at $9,968,000. Strand Hill Properties is a member of Forbes Global Properties, the invitation-only network of top-tier brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real estate partner of Forbes.
