Arabian Winners

The Encino Chamber of Commerce will hold the annual Justice Armand Arabian Leaders in Public Service Awards Luncheon on Oct. 25 at the Hilton in Woodland Hills. The ceremony recognizes civic leaders in the Los Angeles area. This year’s award recipients include former Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck, Grossman Burn Center Chief Executive Dr. Peter Grossman, women’s issues activist Judith Hirshberg, realtor Mel Wilson, Loyola Law School Professor Laurie Levenson, Valley News Group Publisher Kathleen Sterling and former Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter. “The recipients all signify the true meaning of leadership and dedication to public service,” said Encino Chamber Chief Executive Diana Dueñas. Justice Arabian, for whom the event is named, served on the California Supreme Court and is remembered as an advocate for rape victims. This will be the first ceremony since he passed way in May, and the chamber plans to honor his legacy. “We’ve tried to incorporate things that would have meant something to him and will mean something to his family,” Dueñas said. “This is our last way of honoring him.” Arabian’s son and daughter will be presenting the Armand Arabian Award scholarship. The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Woodland Hills at 6360 Canoga Ave. Charlie Beck Beck served for almost nine years as the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department until his retirement on June 27. The LAPD is the nation’s third largest police department with 9,500 sworn officers and 3,000 civilian employees. Beck joined the LAPD as an officer in 1977 and worked his way up the ranks until being promoted to chief in 2009. He is credited with enacting department reforms and introducing community policing methods. Two of Beck’s children are LAPD officers and one works with the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department. Peter Grossman Grossman is a plastic surgeon specializing in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery for burn patients. In 1995, he founded the Grossman Medical Group and Grossman Plastic Surgery at the West Hills Hospital and Medical Center. Recognizing the need for burn treat around the world, Grossman and his wife founded the Grossman Burn Foundation, which has provided burn treatment to patients as far as Kabul, Afghanistan and Halmahera, Indonesia. Grossman has established a reputation as a leader in burn care and treatment. He lectures throughout the U.S. and has appeared on TV programs including ABC’s Prime Time Live, Learning Channel and Discovery HealthChannel. Judith Hirshberg Hirshberg founded the San Fernando Valley Caucus of the National Women’s Political Caucus, where she served as president and remains a board member. She also helped found the Friends of the L.A. City Commission on the Status of Women. Before becoming an active advocate for women’s issues, Hirshberg worked on the staff of L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley. She ran for L.A. City Council in 2001 and was narrowly defeated. Hirshberg was recently awarded “Democrat of the Year” for the 68th Assembly District by the L.A. County Democratic Party. Mel Wilson Wilson is a Los Angeles-area realtor as well as housing advocate, transportation expert and community leader. He has served on state and local commissions, chambers of commerce boards and is a founding member of the Valley Economic Alliance. Wilson is a 40-year veteran of the real estate industry. Prior, he played in the NFL and was a Kodak All-American Football player at California State University – Northridge. Wilson earned a business degree from CSUN and was honored as a “Fabulous 50 Top Business Alumni” by the university’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics. He has served on the San Fernando Valley Boys & Girls Club resource board. Laurie Levenson Levenson is a professor at Loyola Law School, where she leads programs including the Capital Habeas Litigation Clinic, Fidler Institute annual symposium and the Project for the Innocent. She joined Loyola in 1989 after working as an adjunct professor for seven years at Southwestern University Law School. Previously, she was a law clerk for U.S. appeals court judge James Hunter III and a U.S. criminal attorney in Los Angeles, where she worked for eight years. Levenson has written numerous books and articles, and lectures throughout the country and internationally. Kathleen Sterling Sterling is the publisher of three weekly papers in the San Fernando Valley region, including the Warner Center News, Valley Vantage and Las Virgenes Enterprise. She founded the Warner Center News in 1982 at the age of 22. She has served on the boards of the Valley Cultural Center, Valley Women’s Center and the American Heart Association. In 2004, she founded the “Pass the Turkey” charity that collected turkeys for an annual Thanksgiving dinner for seniors. Sterling is a four-time Fernando Award nominee and received many honors, including the national C. Everett Koop Media Award for Best Health Series in a community newspaper. Ross Porter Porter joined the Dodgers broadcast team in 1977 and called games on TV and radio for 28 seasons. He is a two-time Emmy winner and in 2005, he was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcaster Hall of Fame with his longtime partner Vince Scully. Porter is an active volunteer at Motion Picture Television Fund, Operation Gratitude, Calvary Community Church and the Special Olympics.