L.A. personal injury attorney and liberal Democrat Brian Kabateck has long been at political odds with his younger brother John, a Republican who heads the California chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.

Until recently, the two siblings, who grew up in the Glendale-Pasadena area, were able to keep their differences at arms’ length. Brian had his law office and his business venture with fellow lawyer Mark Geragos (the two own the famed Engine Co. No. 28 restaurant) in downtown Los Angeles. John Kabateck has spent his time lobbying lawmakers in Sacramento on behalf of small-business owners.

But that all changed when Brian Kabateck, 51, entered his brother’s turf last fall as the new president of Consumer Attorneys of California. Now, the brothers are lobbying politicians in Sacramento, often on opposite sides of issues.

“When I introduce myself, every time the person asks, ‘Say, aren’t you John Kabateck’s brother?’ And when I say, ‘Yes,’ the responses end up being so much fun,” Brian Kabateck said. “Their eyes grow big and they say, ‘Wow! How did that happen?’”

Even Gov. Jerry Brown has gotten in on the act. Just before November’s election, Brown entered an L.A. gym where Brian Kabateck was working out. He sidled up and said, “What’s wrong with your brother?”

John Kabateck, 45, last week summed up the two brothers’ different views.

“We both believe deeply in fighting for the little guy. It’s just different little guys,” he said.

High on Adventure

Aaron Ahlburn, director of research at Jones Lang LaSalle, seems to have a thing for hiking in the world’s highest mountain range.

A few years back, he flew into Bhutan to trek through the Himalayas. And recently he decided to give it another go. This time to the base camp of Mount Everest.

After a few days of acclimatizing to the altitude in Katmandu, Ahlburn and his group of explorers – plus several Nepali guides and some yaks – embarked.

It took a week for the expedition to reach its end, with the craggy peak appearing in sharp relief.

“Everyone that was there was really excited about making it that far,” Ahlburn recounted.

And though Ahlburn has no dreams of topping Everest’s summit, the fire of high-flying adventure still burns.

“I’ve been talking about Kilimanjaro,” he said.

Staff reporters Howard Fine and Tom Dotan contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].