Author: Igor Nastaskin

Join the Torrance community on May 9 for "Curechella," the 24th annual Relay For Life. Experience a music festival atmosphere in Downtown Torrance featuring a Survivor Breakfast, Bark For Life, and the Luminaria ceremony to support the American Cancer Society.

Four Newspapers and a Passion for Public Service For most Riviera residents, mornings begin with coffee and maybe one newspaper. Jean Adelsman starts her day with four. The Daily Breeze, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and The Washington Post all get a careful read — because once a newspaper person, always a newspaper person. Jean Adelsman may be retired from the newsroom, but she is anything but retired from public life. A Riviera resident since 1987, Jean Adelsman spent decades shaping journalism at some of the country’s most respected news organizations. Her career includes reporting at The Detroit Free Press, assistant managing editor at The Chicago Sun-Times, and managing editor of the Daily Breeze for more than 17 years. What was supposed to be a two-year California stopover when she took the Daily Breeze job turned into a 40-year love affair with the South Bay. Along the way, Jean Adelsman helped train the next generation of journalists, teaching editing at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism (where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees) and newswriting, reporting, and editing at the USC Annenberg School of Communication.  She also served as board president of the California Society of Newspaper Editors and the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. But if you ask Jean Adelsman what keeps her busiest today, the answer isn’t journalism – it’s civic service and nonprofits. Jean Adelsman is currently a Torrance Civil Service Commissioner, a role she has held for six years and one she enthusiastically encourages others to consider. “Serving on a city commission is one of the best ways to learn how city government works,” Jean says. “You see the process up close, including how decisions are made, how policies are applied, and how important it is to have thoughtful, engaged residents at the table.” For nearly four decades, she has volunteered with the Volunteer Center of the South Bay/Harbor/Long Beach, where she sits on the board and played a role in a $1.2 million capital campaign to refurbish its headquarters. She also chairs the college scholarship program.  She has spent more than 25 years with the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, where she sits on the board and helped transform its annual fundraiser from a formal gala into the free, widely loved TOCApalooza, the South Bay Festival of the Arts. And she serves on the board of Temple Menorah in Redondo Beach. Jean Adelsman also writes a bi-weekly civic newsletter, Take Back Torrance, designed to help residents understand what’s happening at City Hall (www.TakeBackTorrance.com), and ran for Torrance City Council in 2022. Her commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2022, Torrance City Council honored Jean Adelsman for outstanding community service — part of a tradition recognizing seniors who quietly power the city forward year after year. Somewhere between board meetings and commission hearings, Jean Adelsman still finds time for a book club that’s been meeting monthly since 1985, and for her favorite form of relaxation: rubber-stamping handmade greeting cards. “It’s an excuse to watch TV,” she says, sounding every bit like someone who has earned the downtime. Born and raised in Indiana, Jean came west expecting to leave. Instead, she stayed, put down roots in the Riviera, and never stopped giving back. Though she has left the newsroom, Jean Adelsman remains deeply engaged in the civic life of Torrance, bringing a journalist’s rigor and a volunteer’s heart to everything she does.

In a world where travel has become both easier and more overwhelming, Hollywood Riviera resident Lisa Verbeck proves that nothing beats the human touch. As the founder of Verbeck Travel Consulting, Lisa draws on over 20 years of global experience — from Tourism Australia to Fiji and beyond — to craft bespoke journeys that blend luxury, adventure, and authenticity. Whether it’s a safari birthday in Africa or a boutique California road trip, her clients enjoy worry-free, personalized experiences and insider perks that no algorithm can match.

Fighting Cancer, One Step at a Time For many people, fighting back against cancer is personal.  More than 2 million new cases of cancer were estimated to be diagnosed in the US last year. For those spared the disease, chances are they have a family member, friend or other loved one who has been afflicted with cancer.  For me, that someone was my mother, Bella Nastaskin.   When I was 19 years old, just four years after immigrating to the US from Kiev, Ukraine with my mother, she developed abdominal pains.  What initially appeared to be gallstones was eventually revealed to be pancreatic cancer, and just six months after her diagnosis, she passed at the age of 57.  She was so young, with so much life ahead of her. Up until that point, I didn’t know anyone with cancer.  I dropped out of college to be my mother’s full-time caregiver, administering morphine injections in our tiny apartment as her pain grew.  We were extremely close, having fled the hardships of the Soviet Union together in 1973, and this was a devastating experience for me. Suddenly, my world turned upside down. I was on my own, no longer able to afford tuition at the University of Chicago, and having to face all of life’s ups and downs without my rock, my mother. Had there been a cure for cancer, maybe my mom would have seen me graduate from Loyola University of Chicago, where I eventually transferred, and start a career.  Maybe she would have met my wife of nearly 36 years, Suzy, and played with her grandchildren, Isabelle, Aaron and Jacob.  Who knows, maybe she would have met her great-grandchildren. There are a lot of maybes and what-ifs when we lose someone we love.  And too many of us have lost someone to this horrible disease, or have been diagnosed ourselves. My personal heartache motivated me to get involved with Relay for Life 20 years ago when I became the captain of the Hollywood Riviera Sportsman’s Club team.  To date, we have raised approximately $200,000 to support the American Cancer Society. The signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life is the world’s largest peer-to-peer fundraising event dedicated to saving lives from cancer. During Relay For Life, teams have at least one member walking on a track at all times.  Funds raised go toward research, 24/7 support for cancer patients, access to lifesaving screenings and much more. Supporting Relay for Life is easy.  You can walk the track, or simply make a donation. This year’s event will take place May 4 from 12:30 – 8:30 pm in downtown Torrance on Sartori Avenue and will include live entertainment, food trucks and a kid’s corner. To sign up for the Hollywood Riviera Sportsman’s Club team (men and women are welcome), or donate funds to the American Cancer Society, please contact me at 310-892-6016 or inastaskin02@gmail.com. Your gift is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution to the fullest extent allowed by law.   Let’s all fight back against cancer to give those we love more tomorrows.  For more information about the American Cancer Society’s support for survivors and patients, please call them 24/7 at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

Frida in Flowers, a stunning mural by artist Elle Starlight in the Hollywood Riviera, where Frida Kahlo gazes out amidst blue butterflies and vibrant hues. A longtime Riviera resident, Elle’s love for color and nature shines through her work, from large-scale murals to whimsical nursery scenes and custom-painted surfboards.

South Bay locals reading through the new contemporary novel, My Year of Casual Acquaintances, will feel right at home.  Hermosa Beach, the Esplanade, Coast Highway and King Harbor are just some of the nearby references made in the book. In fact, for author and Hollywood Riviera resident Ruth Stevens, The Bay Club in Redondo Beach (called Seaside Fitness in the book) was an inspiration for the story. “I’m a regular at The Bay Club and became fascinated with gym relationships because I’ve met many members at health clubs over the years and some are now close friends,” said Ruth. “With more people working from home, relationships made at places like gyms have an important role in our lives because they provide community, and that’s something we all need.” My Year of Casual Acquaintances follows the story of a middle-aged woman, Mar Meyer, who tries to rebuild her life after her husband divorces her for another woman. Over the course of a year, she meets an assortment of characters who impact her life in different ways, including a fellow gym member down on her luck and a flirty hip-hop instructor.  A major arc in the story comes when she meets a handsome novelist from the gym who wants more from Mar than she’s able to give.  “This unique story opens with one cliffhanger and closes with another, yet manages to satisfy thoroughly,” says a 5-star review by Indies Today.  “Lighthearted fun with an upbeat atmosphere, My Year of Casual Acquaintances is an optimistic novel about looking for the best in everyone, including ourselves.” My Year of Casual Acquaintances, which was released in September, is Ruth’s second published book.  Her debut novel, Stage Seven, was published in 2021 and centers around two mature adults who fall in love while helping a parent and a spouse through Alzheimer’s.  She has also written two theatrical works.  The second book in her South Bay Series, The Unexpected Guest, will be released this month. Ruth was recently honored with the 2024 Excellence in Arts Awards for Literary Arts by the City of Torrance Cultural Arts Commission. She and her husband, David Olson, have lived in the Riviera since 1989, and are the parents of one son and grandparents of two grandsons. Ruth will be the featured speaker at the Redondo Beach Library’s Author Program on April 5, 2025, and also speaks at private book events around the South Bay. To invite Ruth to speak at your book club, please contact her on her website at ruthfstevens.com.