Eye on Brentwood

Sam Cohen, inventor of the deadly neutron bomb, died of stomach cancer in early December. Cohen’s controversial neutron bomb killed the enemy but destroyed less of the physical infrastructure. His neutron bomb was ten times less destructive than a typical nuclear bomb. Cohen lived just blocks away from the former Rockingham estate of murderer O.J.Simpson.
While the political career of Brentwood’s Arnold Schwarzenegger had its share of ups and downs, his wife, Maria Shriver, maintained her popularity throughout his reign. Barbara Davis and Tom Hanks presented her recently with the Brass Ring Trophy at the 32nd Carousel of Hope, which raised $2.5 million for children’s diabetes.
Actress Roberta E. Bassin spoke for the late aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart last month at the Brentwood Kaufman Library’s presentation of “Amelia Earhart in Her Own Words†. The heroic flyer, who often visited Cloverfield Airport in Santa Monica, disappeared in the Pacific in 1937 during her attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world.
Marion True, the curator of antiquities for Brentwood’s Getty Museum, got legal support and not much more from her employer as she endured a decade of harassment from the Italian government. The case was really directed at the Getty and other U.S. museums which have been accused of acquiring unauthorized museum pieces. The Getty returned almost forty such antiquities as the case muddled along until it was dismissed by the statute of limitations.
The often criticized portrait of Governor Jerry Brown has been hanging in the hallowed halls of the Sacramento Capitol building since he was elected the first time two decades ago. Now that he is back in the Governor’s chair, there are powerful forces interested in replacing the “cartoonish†portrait done by famous Santa Monica artist, Don Bachardy.