INSIDE Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy Continues Decades-Long Legacy smmirror.com
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August 2 - August 8, 2024 Volume CXXIII Issue 214
Summer at Annenberg: Swim Daily and Watch the Sunset By Susan Payne A unique, inclusive community destination along the Pacific Coast Highway of Santa Monica is inviting you to join the fun this summer. Hosting beautiful sunset and beach views on five acres of land, the Annenberg Community Beach House combines a historic legacy with contemporary amenities including a splash pad, open seating, free wi-fi, beach courts and fields, cultural and community events and a café. Operated by the City of Santa Monica, the beach house offers daily pool access, site tours, classes, volleyball and soccer courts for reservation, tours of the historic property, and group accommodations as intimate as 10 to celebrations for 280. “We love welcoming people to the beach house for the first time and we love welcoming return guests. The beach house is a very loved part of the community. People really make their own experiences here, you can participate in the activities that we
have, or you can completely make your own itinerary,” said Nan Friedman, Annenberg Community Beach House manager. The Annenberg Community Beach House property sits on what was originally developed during the Gold Coast Era of the 1920s by William Randolph Hearst for silent film actress Marion Davies. In 1947, the main mansion was converted into Oceanhouse, “America’s Most Beautiful Hotel,” along with the Sand & Sea Club, a limited-membership beach club. By 1956, the main mansion had been demolished and the Sand & Sea Club remained. In 1959, the property was sold to the state of California. An earthquake in 1994 damaged all structures on site and the city struggled to secure funding for the rebuild, until the Annenberg Foundation provided a $27.5 million grant that paved the way for the site’s rehabilitation. Today, the site has been reopened as the Annenberg Community Beach House since 2009. “Santa Monica Conservancy offers
tours of the Marion Davies Guest House where you can really get a feel for the legacy of the historic site,” Friedman said. “There’s beautiful history to be told here, you can learn about the three remarkable individuals that shaped the historic legacy of this site; Marion Davies, William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan.” Admission and events on the horizon: For daily swimmers, the beach house pool is open every day until Labor Day on September 2. Monday through Thursday, the pool is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, the pool is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Daily admission for youth, ages 1-17, is $4; adults, ages 18-59, are $10; and seniors, ages 60 and over, are $5. The next two Sunset Picnics, a beloved and popular event at the beach house, are Thursday, July 18, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pack your favorite picnic dinner, fancy or casual, games and activities and watch the sunset amid other beach house guests and live music. S’mores for dessert!
On the Fridays, July 12 and 26, and August 9 and 23, the beach house hosts sunset swims — from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. “It’s a great way to end the week because it’s adults only, the pool is gorgeous, and it’s relaxing.” Friedman said. To learn more about Annenberg Beach House, visit https://www.santamonica. gov/places/cultural-venue/annenbergcommunity-beach-house or visit https:// www.annenbergbeachhouse.com. Annenberg Beach House is located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica.
LACDMH Offers Spectrum of Services for LGBTQIA2-S+ “Am I ready to serve everyone as I think I am?”
Providers of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) ask themselves this question, determined to address their own implicit bias when caring for the LGBTQIA2-S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirit) community. A spectrum of mental health services supporting the mental health, well-being and affirming care are offered, while the department pays keen attention to the constantly changing dynamic of healthcare related to that community’s needs. To better support the LGBTQIA2-S+ community, the LACDMH has implemented trainings and networks within the facilities that support
employee growth. The first is the LGBTQIA2-S+ Champion Network — a network of clinical and nonclinical staff at all levels and backgrounds that participate in ongoing training and education — identified by a rainbow lanyard as a safe person. “Study areas of gender and sexuality are dynamic and constantly changing, and keeping up is the key to serving the population,” said riKu Matsuda, Senior Human Relations Consultant for LACDMH. The second are employee resource groups, workforce employment training and anti-racism, diversity and inclusion training, offered to all staff, clinical and nonclinical providers, of gender affirming care. “Historically, our communities have not had safe access to traditional institutions. In order to combat that stigma, we want to inform communities that we are here and becoming safer and safer,” Matsuda said. Discrimination, prejudice, rejection
and violence, in addition to family rejection, hopelessness, minority stress, trauma and other experiences are only some of the factors that impact people’s ability to access mental healthcare. “If your daily experience is rejection, then the idea that you have a safe place to go, how would you know? How do you know there are providers that are there for you if you’ve only experienced rejection?” Matsuda said. “Folks have been told it’s not okay to be who they are. They’ve been told who they are is wrong and they should change. We’re here to provide care and support for those individuals. We have trained clinicians with expertise in all levels of trauma, violence and affirming care,” Matsuda continued. A recent TransPop study found that adults who are transgender are seven times more likely to contemplate suicide, four times more likely to attempt suicide and eight times more likely to engage in non-suicidal self-injury. Something as simple as using someone’s affirmed name or pronouns
can make a difference, Matsuda said. “People will say, I don’t know what the big deal with pronouns, or I forget their new name. Using someone’s affirmed name and pronouns are small steps to potentially save someone’s life, or at minimum, make someone’s day,” Matsuda said. For a detailed list of resources available to the LGBTQIA2-S+ community, visit https://dmh.lacounty. gov/resources/lgbtq-resources. If you are a victim, or witness of, a hate incident or hate crime, you can report the incident/crime by calling 211. To connect with the LACDMH Mental Health Help Line, call 1-800-854-7771. Dial 988 for suicide and crisis lifeline support.