Local activists challenge chemical disaster rules in court p. 5
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Ko-Ryu Ramen opens on Sixth Street, San Pedro p. 10
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Melody Makers docu-film pays tribute to rock ’n’ roll H e al t h & F Bible p. 9 to
Medicare for All:
Change Won’t Be Televised Mass Distraction Will Be Amplified
Health care is among the most important issues for Democratic voters as they are sizing up their candidates running for president in the 2020 election, polls show. And, when it comes to health care, discussion about proposed “Medicare for All” plans have dominated the Democratic debates. These sweeping legislative proposals would provide health insurance to every American. They would fundamentally restructure the health care system to address rising costs and take most commercial interests out of health care. So what would that mean? Here are some answers to questions about the plan: What is “Medicare for All?” The Medicare-for-All plan from Sen. Bernie Sanders, would create a single national health insurance plan for every American, managed and paid for by the federal government. The plan builds on Medicare, the popular national health insurance program for Americans 65 and older and for younger people who are disabled. The existing Medicare program would be shifted into the new system, as would all other health insurance plans. Medicaid, the state and federal health insurance plan for lowincome Americans, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan for low-income children, employer-sponsored health insurance and individual health insurance plans would disappear and be replaced with the new national plan. Everyone would receive a “Universal Medicare” card. There would be no separate health plans, managed by private insurers, such as now exists with Medicare Advantage plans. The new system would not affect the Veterans Affairs or Indian Health Service, but it would eliminate TRICARE, the health care program for the military. “The country would end up with one health system,” says Donald Berwick, president emeritus of the Bostonbased nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement and a supporter of a Medicare for All approach. Sen. Elizabeth Warren supported Sanders’ plan at first, but she has since revised her approach. Instead, she says she would take several years to transition to Medicare for All.
Is Medicare for All the same thing as single-payer or universal coverage? Yes.
January 9 - 22, 2020
[See Change, p. 8]
By Bara Vaida, Columnist for WebMd Newsletter
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to thousands at Venice Beach on Dec. 21, 2019. Photo by Benjamin Garcia
Many who identify as progressive in California are still ticked off that centrist Democrats and mainstream media have sought to make Sen. Bernie Sanders appear like an improbable candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden as the inevitable Democratic nominee. Thousands flocked to Venice Beach this past month to see Sanders but you wouldn’t have known it if you were only paying attention to the Los Angeles Times. A couple of the local news channels took notice and at least one live streamed the event. City Councilman Mike Bonin opened the rally by recalling the crisis in homelessness, unaffordable housing and gentrification, racism, refugees of a rigged economy and a broken justice system and a corrupt political system. Many that followed sounded similar themes highlighting the solutions Sanders has been advocating over the past several years from Medicare for all to the Green New Deal. Los Angeles Councilman Gil Cedillo recounted the lies Donald Trump has told in regards to immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere and lead the crowd in a chant, “if we fight we win.” Representatives of the Center for Popular Democracy Action, 59th Assembly District Rep. Reggie Byron Jones Sawyer, Sr., actor Tim Robbins, public intellectual Cornel West and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the speaker who opened the rally for Sanders, all framed the 2020 election as a revolution, an opportunity to turn upside down the current order of things under Trump. Who would have thought President Donald Trump could upstage the Democratic presidential primaries and his own impeachment. He did it by ordering the assassination of Iran’s top General Qasem Soleimani.
All Facts, No Chaser
What about a public option? Is that the same as Medicare for All? No. A public option is a health insurance plan that is funded [See Medicare, p. 4]
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Welcome
2020
Liberty Hill Plaques Missing, Port Police Investigating
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January 9 - 22, 2020
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Surveillance video on 5th Street near Harbor Boulevard recorded three individuals stealing the commemorative plaques near the Joe Hill Memorial on Dec. 5. Photo by Terelle Jerricks
If a series of monuments are stolen from among a collection of monuments and no one is around to see it, will anyone notice? It turns out someone did—in San Pedro, anyway. Mark Nelson, a longtime Random Lengths News reader, was riding his bike past the south-facing side of the Port of Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club when he noticed the plaques commemorating First Amendment icon Upton Sinclair and the 1923 rally he held in San Pedro at Liberty Hill. The bronze plaques were mounted on the stone monolith in the foreground in the photo above. Also missing is the bronze plaque commemorating the donors who made the Joe Hill monument possible, which was mounted to the right of the Joe Hill plaque. Nelson left a message on Random Lengths News voicemail before
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Hahn Featured at Torrance Dems Meeting
Los Angeles Supervisor Janice Hahn will share her thoughts about Board of Supervisors, District 4 and her vision for Los Angeles County as a whole when she addresses the January meeting of the Torrance Democratic Club. A moderated Q&A session will follow. Time: 6 p.m. Jan. 13 Details: 310-538-0245 Venue: HomeTown Buffet, 3520 W. Carson St., Torrance
Annual State of the City of Long Beach
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia will deliver his annual State of the City to Long Beach residents Free parking and bike valet provided. Translation available upon request. Time: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 Cost: Free Details: www.tinyurl.com/stateofthecityaddress Venue: Terrace Theater Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Parks and Recreation Commission Now Accepting Applications
Lomita is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on its Parks and Recreation Commission. The term ends June 2022. Applicants must be Lomita residents, at least 18 years old and registered to vote. The commission consists of five members appointed by the city council and acts in an advisory capacity to the city council on all matters pertaining to recreation and parks. Meetings are hosted every 4th Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Lomita City Hall. Details: Applications may be found on the city’s
reporting the possible theft to the port police. RLn staff received the message after the holiday break and confirmed that the monuments were indeed missing. On Jan. 3, Media Relations Director Philip Sanfield in response to a query from Random Lengths News said the plaques were not taken down by the port. According to the port police three men were spotted taking down the plaques on neighboring surveillance cameras and the police are seeking to identify the men. A police report was originally filed on or about Dec. 5 and the San Pedro Bay Historical Society who were involved in placing both plaques were later notified. If anyone has any tips on this theft call the Port Police at 310-732-3500
website, www.lomita.com/cityhall/cclerk/Boardsand-commisions-application.pdf
Startup Lomita
The Lomita Chamber of Commerce has unveiled a new program called “Startup Lomita.” The goal is to attract and retain 20 startup and early stage companies into the city. With this new program, the Lomita Chamber of Commerce will provide access to workspace, business mailing addresses, one-onone coaching and mentorship, business advisory, marketing and legal consulting and a one-year membership with the Lomita Chamber of Commerce to the first 20 qualified applicants that commit to a minimum one-year business residency in Lomita. Details: 424-378-7111; www.StartupLomita.com
Ports Host First 2020 CAAP Stakeholder Meeting
SAN PEDRO — The next stakeholder advisory group meeting hosted by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Jan. 15 in San Pedro. The ports will present the progress of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan 2017 Update. This meeting will be dedicated primarily to stakeholder comments and feedback regarding the recently released Draft Economic Rate Study and the potential Clean Truck Rate. The CAAP 2017 Update is a comprehensive strategy for accelerating progress toward a zeroemission future while protecting and strengthening the ports’ competitive position in the global economy. The meeting agenda will be posted on the CAAP website prior to the meeting, which is open to the public and will be webcast live at https://www. portoflosangeles.org/commission/agenda-archiveand-videos Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Jan. 15 Cost: Free Details: cleanairactionplan.org. Venue: Harbor Administration Building, 425 Palos Verdes St., San Pedro [See Announcements, p. 3]
Community Announcements: [Announcements from p. 2]
West Basin Annual Rain Barrel Giveaway to District Residents
Every year thousands of volunteers provide a great service by hitting the streets to count our homeless neighbors throughout Los Angeles County. The results of the annual count provide a critical picture of the trends, progress and scope of community members experiencing homelessness within the Los Angeles Continuum of Care and helps drive decision maker’s opinions about how to address the homeless crisis. The count will take place in: San Pedro Time: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Jan. 22 Details: www.tinyurl.com/Homelesscount2020 Location: 2175 John S. Gibson Blvd. San Pedro Wilmington Time: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Jan. 22 Details: www.tinyurl.com/Homelesscount2020 Location: 470 N. Hawaiian Ave., Wilmington
The Harbor Community Health Centers in San Pedro is moving its pediatric clinic to a new location and expanding their menu to include dental and behavior services, said Salina Chahal, the senior clinic manager. The pediatric e al t h & H facility will hold F to a grand opening sometime in February, but the company has not set an exact date. The new location will still be in San Pedro, at 425 S. Pacific Ave., Chahal said. It is much bigger than the current facility, with about 7,000 square feet and nine examination rooms, up from four. In addition to dental and behavioral services, it will offer OB-GYN services and pediatric primary care. The name of the facilities was changed from the Harbor Community Clinic to the Harbor Community Health Centers to reflect that it offers more than just health services, Chahal said. Both the adult and pediatric sites offer primary care management, case management, behavioral
health and can help patients enroll in healthcare. However, the adult location does not offer dental. This is something new in the pediatric location. This year is the organization’s 50th anniversary of operating in San Pedro [it was formerly known as the Harbor Free Clinic]. The location at the corner of 8th and Beacon streets in the Los Angeles County Health Department
building will be closing soon for the move and the county is looking at several options for this location, including using it as a temporary homeless shelter. The pediatric facility offers care for teenagers and young children, according to their website. They also offer immunizations and vaccinations that schools require.
s
The 2020 Los Angeles Homeless Count
By Hunter Chase, Reporter
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West Basin Municipal Water District will host a series of distribution events to give away free rain barrels to qualified district residents. The 55-gallon eco-friendly rain barrels help residents collect rainwater to use for landscaping and prevent runoff to storm drains. Distribution events will be offered throughout the South Bay through spring 2020. Registration is required. Rain barrels will be distributed on a first come, first served basis and pre-registration does not guarantee a rain barrel. West Basin residents are eligible to attend any event and must install rain barrels within 30 days or they may be charged the cost of the rain barrel. RSVP. Time: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Jan 18 Details: www.westbasin.org/rainbarrels Venue: Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, 1935 Hughs Way, El Segundo
Harbor Community Health Centers Moves Pediatric Branch to a New Location
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Harbor Area
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years
The future site of the pediatric branch of the Harbor Community Health Centers at 425 S. Pacific Ave. It is the former site of the Hometown Paint store. Photo by Hunter Chase
Your journey to motherhood is a precious time. St. Mary Medical Center’s Birth Center offers a host of tools to help you prepare for the big day—from classes and a tour of our facility, to our My Baby pregnancy app that allows you to track your baby’s development, growth and more. Learn more at dignityhealth.org/stmarymedical/baby or call 833.299.4244.
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Delivering humankindness.
January 9 - 22, 2020
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[Medicare from p. 1]
January 9 - 22, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
SAN PEDRO—This past August, Root Real Estate submitted plans for a mixed-use development on the 2100 block of Pacific Avenue and a few blocks north at the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue. The 1300 block development will replace all the commercial buildings including the La Zona Rosa. Plans call for a four-story building featuring 109 apartments, including 12 very low-income affordable units and an underground parking garage. In exchange for providing those 12 affordable housing units, developers requested density bonus incentives such as an increase in allowable height and floor area. Root Real Estate’s other project — a joint venture with Ketter Development — would replace a mostly vacant lot at 2111-2139 S. Pacific Avenue with 101 apartments and street-level commercial space. Although Root Real Estate’s 2100 block project is filling a mostly vacant lot and will include some commercial for retail, little is being done to ensure that Pacific Avenue corridor developments retain their retail presence or consider the impact of diminishing the corridor’s cultural and historic assets.
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Harbor Commission Names Director of Government Affairs
LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has appointed [See News Briefs, p.8]
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Apartment Complexes to Replace La Zona Rosa
and managed by the federal government, but Does Medicare for All means we would give would compete with private health insurance up private health insurance? plans in the commercial market. Yes, but it is possible that some health Don’t other Democratic presidential services would not be covered under a federal candidates have Medicare for All plans? plan, such as cosmetic surgery, which could Sens. Warren, Kamala Harris, D-CA, be covered by a private health insurer, says and Cory Booker, D-NJ, are coealth & Berwick. H sponsors of Sanders’s MedicareF to for-All legislation, but each What would be the benefits of have different approaches, in Medicare for All plans? terms of transition time and “It would improve the financing. All three would generosity of health coverage,” allow a role for private says Charles Blahous, a senior insurers, before a time when research strategist at the Mercatus they would transition everyone Center at George Mason University to Medicare for All. Warren says and a former economic adviser for she would push for Medicare for All President George W. Bush. before the end of her first term, while Harris and Medicare for All would eliminate many Booker have laid out longer transition times. of the health insurance costs we pay now. Other leading candidates, including former That includes monthly premiums, copayments Vice President Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, you make when you go to the doctor’s office propose adding a public option for health or hospital and deductibles, or the amount insurance. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, you pay before insurance coverage kicks Ind., calls his plan “Medicare for All who want in. All Americans would have coverage for it.” comprehensive health care services, including
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SAN PEDRO—The Marine Mammal Care Center entered the new year with an all-hands-ondeck announcement that it was in dire financial straits. In a released statement, the Marine Mammal Care Center announced it had a new board president in Amber Becerra and that it had slashed its 2020 operating budget to the bare minimum. More importantly, the nonprofit needed to raise $1 million by June 2020 in order to continue operating through next year. According to the released statement, Becerra, who is working in an entirely volunteer capacity along with three other volunteer board members, spent the last month reorganizing MMCC and making sure the vast majority of funds go directly to care for these animals. “We are saving lives here at MMCC and these precious animals need our help. But we can’t do this alone— it’s going to take a village. We need you to come together to save this incredible organization.” The released statement credited an unusual mortality event in the California sea lion population between 2013 and 2017 in which a high number of pups and yearlings were stranded due to malnourishment. This unexpected event took its toll on the staff and volunteers as well as the financial footing of the organization. The Marine Mammal Care Center employs a full-time veterinarian, Dr. Lauren Palmer, and 150 volunteers who each work a shift per week in activities ranging from animal husbandry to educational docents. “Our hospital provides a vital service for animals that have been injured by human actions by giving them the care they need and a safe haven in which they can recover,” Dr. Palmer said. The Marine Mammal Care Center will hold an open house on Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate its 10,000th day of operation. The prior board president, Jeff Cozad, and staff member Allan Colman quietly left the Marine Mammal Care Center in July 2019 or sometime after. There was no press release announcing their exit.
Medicare for All Explained
Guid e
Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles in Dire Need of Funds
hospital stays; emergency room visits; doctor visits; substance use disorder treatment; dental, vision and mental health services; long-term care and reproductive health care. Depending upon income, prescription drug cost sharing would be capped at $200 annually. Medicare for All would be more generous than the existing Medicare program. Medicare requires people to pay a monthly premium for doctor visits, a deductible for hospital stays, a premium for a separate drug coverage plan and costs for skilled nursing, such as physical therapy, after 100 days. It doesn’t pay for long-term care. In 2016, those out-of-pocket costs, for the year, averaged $5,460 for Medicare beneficiaries, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
How much would the Medicare for All plans cost? Estimates range from $20.5 trillion to $39 trillion or more, over 10 years in additional federal spending. The estimates make assumptions about which years the plan would take effect, how efficient it would be and how much costs would be cut by the federal government taking over all health care spending. Federal, state and local governments account for a little less than half of healthcare spending through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and other spending. “The projections vary depending upon assumptions about where health care provider prices would be set, how much administrative savings you could get, how much drug costs come down and how much utilization of the health care system changes,” says Sara Collins, vice president of health care coverage and access for the Commonwealth Fund. Would it raise taxes? Depending on your income level, yes. To fund the plan, Sanders proposes several potential options, including a 4 percent tax on employees, exempting the first $29,000 for a family of four and a 7.5 percent tax on employers, exempting the first $2 million in payroll. He also proposed a tax on “extreme” wealth, increasing estate taxes and increasing the marginal tax rate for those making more than $10 million. Warren and Harris have proposed other ways of paying for it. Warren suggested a newly calculated employer tax, a tax on billionaires and eliminating preferential tax rates on capital gains and dividends. Harris has proposed higher taxes on individuals making $100,000 or more. Booker has not said how he would finance it. Sanders says Americans are already paying out-of-pocket for services. Low- and middleincome Americans would end up with more money in their pockets because they would no longer have to pay for their health care.
Would Medicare for All lower health care costs? The answer depends on who is analyzing the plan. It would lower costs for people who are struggling to pay for their health care premiums and services. In 2019, around a quarter of Americans said they had problems paying their medical bills. One-third of insured adults said it was challenging to pay for their health insurance and about a third said they didn’t take their medicine as prescribed because of the cost, says the Kaiser Family Foundation. For people with employer-sponsored coverage in 2019, employees contributed an average $6,015 toward a premium for family coverage and individuals contributed $1,242 [See Medicare, p.5]
[Medicare, from p. 4]
Medicare FAQs
for their premium, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. The average deductible was $1,655, the survey says. For people who don’t have employersponsored insurance and bought individual plans, the average cost of a premium was $5,280 a year in 2018 (the most recent data available) and for family coverage, it was $14,016, according to ehealthinsurance.com. Deductibles averaged $4,578 for individuals and $8,803 for families in 2018, the publication says. Medicare for All would eliminate these premiums and out-of-pocket costs. It can be “thoughtfully designed to reduce total costs for the vast majority of American families,” Berwick says. “People will get more for their money” in terms of access to more health benefits and better quality of care, he says. But it is unclear whether it would reduce the nation’s overall spending on health care services. Medicare for All would ease the burden of paperwork on health care professionals and reduce spending on drugs and hospital care, says Berwick. But it is hard to know if or how much these things would dampen overall spending. Others say national spending costs will increase because more people will be insured. (In 2018, there were 27.5 million uninsured people in the U.S.) Further, the government would be expanding benefits, such as paying for long-term care and dental, vision and hearing services. “The fact is, the more health services that are covered, the more it costs,” says Blahous.
Would people still have a choice of doctors? Yes, because “you won’t be restricting choice, but rather just how the health system is paid for,” says Collins. There may be a higher demand for health providers, but she thinks the health care system could adapt.
Would it mean long wait times to see doctors? Maybe. It depends on how quickly the system can adapt and how much demand there is. Under the Affordable Care Act, around 20 million newly insured Americans came into the healthcare system, but there were no reports of
long waits for doctors, says Collins.
How do advocates say it would improve health care? It would create more equality in the health care system because it would eliminate the uninsured and get everyone access to health services and the drugs they need, regardless of income, say advocates. People wouldn’t have to worry about going bankrupt to pay for an illness and the profit motive in health care would be curbed, reducing provider and drug costs, they say. “Millions of people will no longer have to choose between healthcare and other necessities like food, heat, and shelter,” Sanders says in a statement outlining his proposal. What problems do critics cite? Fundamentally restructuring the federal government to take on trillions in additional spending would cause unpredictable disruptions to the health care system, opponents say. Shifting financing of all health care services through a new tax on employers, employees and high-income earners may also be a damper on the national economy and still may not be enough to pay for all the new federal spending. “There is no realistic way to finance this,” says Blahous. Under Sanders bill, experts in the federal government would also be making many decisions for patients, such as what experimental treatment options they are eligible to receive — a role the federal government should not be playing, opponents say. Further, hospitals and doctors may decide they no longer want to provide care when the government sets prices of services and drug companies may no longer have the funds to invest in research and development for new treatments, they say. Currently, hospitals and doctors accept Medicare rates but then shift costs to other private payers. They would not be able to do that under this plan. What is certain is that Medicare for All “would be a substantial reorganization of the health system,” says Collins.
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The Wilmington-based Coalition for a Safe Environment is one of two local groups in a national 13-group coalition that filed suit just before Christmas to block the Trump administration’s attempt to roll back the Chemical Disaster Rule. The rule is a set of disaster prevention measures developed by the Environmental Protection Agency under Barack Obama, from 2014 through January 2017, in the aftermath of several deadly highprofile disasters, among them a 2012 refinery fire in Richmond, Calif., which sent more than 15,000 people to seek medical attention, and a 2013 explosion in West, Texas that killed 15 and injured more than 200. Locally, the rollback of this rule by Trump’s EPA will have a serious effect on people living near the Harbor Area refineries and chemical plants. “By killing these critical protections, millions of people living near chemical facilities in the United States are put in harm’s way,” the coalition, represented by Earthjustice, said in a statement announcing the suit. In the original rule-making process, the EPA determined that existing protections had failed to prevent over 2,200 chemical fires, explosions, leaks and other incidents over a 10year period. This included more than 100 per year that caused injuries. The extent of potential exposure is staggering, the statement noted: Nearly 180 million Americans live in the worst-case scenario zones for a chemical
disaster. At least one in three children go to a school near a hazardous chemical facility. About 12,500 industrial facilities nationwide use, store, or manage highly hazardous chemicals that the Chemical Disaster Rule covers.
The communities affected are disproportionately low-income and minority—meaning they’re protected by laws and regulations that EPA ignored in its rollback process. “EPA with its rollback rule has eliminated virtually all the improvements that were made by the Obama Administration,” Earthjustice attorney Gordon Sommers told Random Lengths News. “They haven’t made a serious effort to prevent chemical disasters at all. What they’ve done is make a serious effort to get rid of protections that industry doesn’t want.” Key protections being gutted include root causes analysis (to identify all factors leading to an accident) and third-party investigations (to ensure critical objectivity) when disasters do occur, analyses of near-misses, in which disasters are narrowly averted and making chemical hazard information public. This is the second time they’ve sued over the rule: first to counter the delay of the original rule, and now to counter this rollback. “This is unprecedented,” Coalition for a Safe Environment founder and president Jesse Marquez, told Random Lengths. “We’ve never [See Lawsuit, p. 14]
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Real News, Real People, Really Effective
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Five Years of Inaction Now is the time for solutions By James Preston Allen, Publisher
proposal to open this shelter project. Clearly, in the years between then and now Buscaino’s positions have evolved to the point that he has now proposed opening three Bridge Home shelters in the 15th Council District. The one in Watts actually opened over the holidays. This is a huge change from his original position of enforcement and neglect. Yet, Buscaino’s long promised shelter on north Beacon Street, as well as the one in Wilmington, has been mired in conflicts, red tape and delays for well over a year and Hahn’s proposal to activate an existing unused public building could be opened in a few months at a fraction of the cost. Also during this time, the perspectives of the community have evolved. Fewer voices can be heard demanding that the homeless be simply arrested for violating the vagrancy laws. Even the highest ranking Los Angeles Police Department officers admit, “We can’t arrest our way out of this.” People have come to understand that this is as much a public health crisis as it is a blight on their neighborhoods and it is a complex problem that won’t be fixed by gentrification. There are many factors driving the cause of the crisis among them being untreated mental illness, addiction, domestic violence, medical bankruptcies and rising rental prices that have increased over 40 percent in this past decade countywide. What remains shocking is that we live in the wealthiest state in the union with an economy that ranks fifth in world and as was recently reported Los Angeles County is ranked number one among the 31 highest gross domestic product in the nation. This economic standing ranks Los Angeles County’s GDP to that of Saudi Arabia– think about that for a moment. Our local harbor communities live in the shadow of the $400 billion year commerce of the international trade that transits our San Pedro Bay ports and yet we can’t find the solutions to shelter less than one half of one percent of our most distressed citizens? All of this leads me to believe that we as a people, as a community and as citizens of this state can do much better. After all, we like to think of ourselves as “the innovators.” And it’s time that we “innovated” some real solutions, not more excuses. It is well past time for our leaders to stop the hand wringing exercises and to present or accept the common sense solutions that have come from humanitarian Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
January 9 - 22, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
California Gov. Gavin Newsom just announced a bold initiative to add some $1.4 billion to the budget to address the homeless crisis on the local level. He has called for an allhands-on-deck approach from state agencies. This happened as a report revealed that California has some 148,000 unsheltered citizens—the largest population in the nation‚53,000 of them reside in Los Angeles County, more than 600 of them in San Pedro. So it comes as no surprise that Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has proposed using a vacant county health department building at 122 W. 8th St. in San Pedro as a temporary shelter to address the homeless encampment just outside its doors. Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino isn’t so sure that this is a good idea. However, the backstory to this current initiative by Hahn reveals that she has been overly patient with the city to take immediate action to address the crisis. Back in 2015 (when the Harbor Area was just becoming aware that there was a homeless problem and the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council formed the first homeless committee in the entire city), Buscaino created a separate San Pedro Homeless committee, specifically excluding members of the Central Neighborhood Council. He appointed many of his anti-homeless friends to the committee instead. That group met for some nine months and never issued a report to the public. You see, after advising the 15th Council District councilman for more than 18 months on policies and practices to address the issue, the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council made a statement with the notorious “tiny homes.” That incident was centered right outside of the now proposed shelter on 8th and Beacon Streets. However, since that time both the city and county of Los Angeles have adopted many of the recommendations that came from the original neighborhood council committee (sans tiny homes). Many will recall the social media-fueled Saving San Pedro uprising that viciously attacked the Central Council for months on end and who subsequently captured control of that council. Their reign imploded due to a great deal of infighting amongst the anti-homeless faction and ended with the resignation of their leadership. The Central Neighborhood Council hasn’t quite been the same since, until recently when the reformed Central homeless committee decided to act in support of Hahn’s
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Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.” —Mark Twain Vol. XLI : No. 1
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.
Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com
concerns of the people of this area. Besides the fact that Hahn’s proposal addresses the right now problem where it is occurring—it is also the prudent use of existing facilities at a far less expense than building new housing or even the Bridge Home. This is the solution that I’ve been calling for since 2015, but it is only the beginning as we need to embrace safe parking for people sleeping in cars, more mental health clinics, increased low income
housing as well as a job creation program, not unlike the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. These may seem like idealistic goals, but they would bear much better results than spending billions more on fighting the next war with Iran or whoever pisses off President Donald Trump next week. Urge Buscaino to support this project!
Pharma’s Take On the Pelosi Drug-Pricing Bill:
Fair Warning Or Fear Mongering?
By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health Network and Politifact Healthcheck House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s flagship drug-industry argument, deployed whenever proposal to curb prescription drug prices, the lawmakers propose reining in drug prices: “Lower Drug Costs Now Act”—H.R. 3—could Efforts to limit what drug companies can charge come up for a vote in the chamber this month. means they won’t have the means or incentive to The measure would allow Medicare to negotiate develop life-saving medications. The argument prices for a limited number of drugs, cap what also appears in ads like the one from America’s seniors pay out-of-pocket at $2,000 and force Biopharmaceutical Cos. that highlights patients companies that have raised prices beyond who say they depend on new medications to keep inflation since 2016 to either reverse the price or chronic conditions at bay. But many experts contest the link between rebate the amount of the increase to the federal drug prices and pharmaceutical research and government. And drug manufacturers are in full attack development. So PhRMA’s citation of the Congressional Budget Office—an influential mode. Take a recent Pharmaceutical Research and nonpartisan government agency—caught our Manufacturers of America advertising message attention. We decided to look deeper. embedded in the popular, inside-the-Beltway What The CBO Says Politico Playbook PM newsletter. A PhRMA spokeswoman pointed us to a “Speaker Pelosi’s drug pricing plan would preliminary CBO analysis of H.R. 3. Published siphon $1 trillion or more from biopharmaceutical Oct. 11, the letter doesn’t analyze the Pelosi bill innovators over the next 10 years,” the ad stated. but attempts to explain in broad strokes what “CBO’s preliminary estimate found this bill kind of economic impact it might have. ‘would result in lower spending on research and The “$1 trillion” over 10 years statistic is development and thus reduce the introduction of the CBO’s upper estimate (the range begins at new drugs.’” [See Drug Pricing, p. 16] The trade group’s statement represents a core
Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Reporter Richard Foss Restaurant Reviewer Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Staff Reporter Hunter Chase Staff Reporter Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Steven Guzman, Benjamin Garcia, Raphael Richardson Contributors Mark L. Friedman, Ari LeVaux, Greggory Moore, Shefali Luthra, Norman Solomon, Gretchen Williams
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Address correspondence regarding news items and tips to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email: editor@randomlengthsnews.com. Send Letters to the Editor to james@randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed with address and phone number (for verification purposes) and be about 250 words. For advertising inquiries or to submit advertising copy, email: rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.com. Annual subscription is $40 for 27 issues. Back issues are available for $3/copy while supplies last. Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We welcome articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2020 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
RANDOMLetters Jim Stanbery and the Campaign to Change District 15
I was out of state for the holidays and only just saw the latest edition of Random Lengths the other day. I can’t begin to thank you for the overly generous article marking our linkage. So thorough and accurate—my daughter was so impressed when I showed it to her. If there’s any way I can ever repay it, just say the word. Jim Stanbery San Pedro
Campaign to Change District 15
Mr. Gibson did not win those elections and Mr. Stanbery did not lose those elections because of their respective ideologies. Mr. Gibson’s support was pragmatic, based mainly on his staff’s ability to find grants and other government funding for programs and development in the district. These were visible projects that he could point to as accomplishments,
Community Alert
Information Sessions on Mello Act Updates
2019—A Great Year for Long Beach
Jerry Brown for President
Mr. Bialek, Most Californians might agree, but Jerry had his shot way back when he was sabotaged by the med-fly CIA debacle and if I’m not wrong he’s about as old as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
herself, her family, business and general well being. Despite her challenges, she has courageously decided to share her story with others about her struggle, so they understand that if it happened to her, it can happen to them. Brenda Christensen Los Angeles
Local Equestrian Defamed Online
On the 50th anniversary of the internet, its creator Tim Berners-Lee in October called for an overhaul of the web due to its power being subverted by people spreading hatred, stating that it must be protected as a force for good. And unfortunately, statistics support his comments with 41% of adults having experienced some form of online harassment, as measured in a Pew Research survey. Sadly, in today’s online world, anyone and everyone are vulnerable to potentially defamatory online statements and attacks. Internet defamation can carry grave consequences for affected individuals and businesses. Victims of internet defamation may even suffer depression or other mental and emotional effects. Businesses also face the risk of decreased profits, negative publicity and impairment of reputation. One such victim is Erin Isom — a Palos Verdes native
January 9 - 22, 2020
The entire list of Democratic candidates for president is discouraging if not outright depressing. Joe Biden will always be Mr. Touchy Feely. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren remind me of two ivory tower college professors way overdue for retirement. Pete Buttigieg is actually running for governor of Indiana. Amy Klobuchar needs to stay in the Senate since the legislative branch was her choice for representing Minnesota. As for the rest of the candidates in the private sector they need to run for city council first and then proceed from there. On the other hand California recently lost the best four-term governor and one time Oakland mayor— the best two-term mayor in their entire history. I am referring of course to Jerry Brown. He is a man of utmost integrity with an honest zeal to promote excellent quality of life for all Americans not just those aligned with the Democratic party. And just as with former president Obama he can add a vice-presidential candidate who specialized in foreign affairs. Jerry, it’s time to throw your hat into the ring and declare your candidacy for president of the United States. The world and the country desperately need you to put an end to Trumpism and lead us back to a time of peace and prosperity. Joe Bialek Cleveland, OH
and reputable equestrian and businesswoman of 30 years. Just last month, Erin’s experience being defamed online and via social media by others in her local community in Los Angeles— including the equestrian community, at large, in which she excels—was devastating to
2019 was a great year for Long Beach, with lots of growth and many accomplishments for the city, from more than $3.5 billion in private and public development and hundreds of new residential homes to new playgrounds, park improvements, and beach amenities. We kept our promise to continue the largest investment in our city’s infrastructure in more than 40 years. As 2020 approaches, I’m reflecting on our achievements and challenges and looking forward to the opportunities presented in the decade ahead. This past year, the city once again ends the year with a stellar AA- credit rating, we have balanced our budget responsibly, restored fire engine 17, signed contracts with our police and firefighters, got a huge upgrade to the Blue Line— now the A Line, and built our new sustainable LEED certified civic plaza, including City Hall, the Billie Jean King Main Library and Port Headquarters. We were also named one of the top cities in the nation for LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law and policy for the eighth year in a row, received four regional urban planning awards, and were named one of the nation’s top ten digital cities in America for the ninth year in a row. In 2019, we began building our first municipal year-round homeless shelter, which will open in June 2020, expanded the Mayor’s Fund to End Homelessness, and opened or broke ground on numerous affordable projects. We also celebrated two big anniversaries: 50 years for the El Dorado Nature Center and 20 years for our Multi-Service Center.
2020 promises more progress and growth for Long Beach. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together. Mayor Robert Garcia Long Beach Dear Mayor Garcia, Can you tell us how you’ve reduced the number of homeless people on your streets even with the huge increase in development we’ve all seen in Long Beach? James Preston Allen, Publisher
Donald Trump isn’t a spring chicken either. So the choice that’s beginning to appear is between a couple billionaires, some younger candidates with not that much experience and three front runners who are all over 70. This while the Republicans are attempting to bury the impeachment trial and Trump starts another illegal war to distract the electorate. Nice thought though. James Preston Allen, Publisher
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Los Angeles City Planning is proposing an ordinance to implement the Mello Act, which seeks to preserve and expand the number of affordable dwelling units in coastal zone areas of the state of California. The intent of the Mello Act is accomplished through regulations on the demolition, conversion, change of use, subdivision and new construction activities that involve existing or proposed dwelling units in coastal zone communities. The coastal zone within the City of Los Angeles includes portions of the communities of Pacific Palisades, Venice, Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, San Pedro and Wilmington—in Council Districts 11 and 15. The city’s proposed permanent Mello Act ordinance specifies the process review and approval of proposed projects, the imposed requirements and decision-makers and their responsibilities, to ensure that a proposed project is compliant with state law. A copy of the proposed draft ordinance, map of the affected area, summary and FAQ can be found at the website below. City Planning will be hosting two information sessions regarding the draft ordinance. The information sessions will include a brief presentation by City Planning staff followed by an opportunity for community members to ask questions. Time: 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 23 Details: tinyurl.com/mellowact Venue: Peck Park Community Center Auditorium, 560 S. Western Ave., San Pedro
such as home weatherization and pocket parks. The transformation of Harbor Boulevard had begun in earnest by 1981 and there seemed to be progress on things like the Beacon Street redevelopment project. So there appeared to be progress on a level that appealed to people’s sense of the practical needs. (The fact that Mr. Gibson was able to schedule repaving work in front of Mr. Stanbery’s campaign headquarters in the midst of the election season really had no effect, though.) There is no question Mr. Stanbery should have won in 1981; Mr. Gibson no longer had the physical strength to fully serve. And there were times when his cognitive faculties seemed to suffer. And yet five minutes later, he would jump into the friendly politician role that he knew so well. What the public saw and what was emphasized to them is what got him reelected those final times. And those were elections when voters were probably not thinking about their future and the city and district they would be leaving for their children and grandchildren. Scott Gray San Pedro
Some of the highlights from 2019 are: • 22 miles of sidewalk replaced, 85 miles of streets resurfaced, 35,000 potholes filled • 630 ADA access ramps constructed • 1,716 outreach visits to people experiencing homelessness • 860,000 patrons served in libraries, with 1.1 million items checked out • 59,000 customers served at the Development Services Permit Center • 1.2 million square feet of graffiti removed • 22,055 trees trimmed • Three new playgrounds and more than 15 major parks and recreation improvement projects • 45,000 bicycle trips made through the City’s Bikeshare Program, traveling a total of more than 127,000 miles
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[Change from p. 1] [News Briefs from p. 4]
Eleanor Torres to lead the Government Relations Division at the Port of Long Beach. Torres will serve as the port’s representative to federal, state and local governments. She will also oversee the activities of the port’s legislative advocates in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Torres spent 12 years at the Orange County Water District, where she was the director of public affairs. Torres also worked for the California Legislature for 10 years, including working as district director for then-Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer. The Government Relations Division at the Port of Long Beach is responsible for formulating the port’s legislative agenda and advising the executive director, the Harbor Commission and the various Harbor Department divisions on portrelated legislative issues.
New Deaf-Accessible Evacuation Warning System Coming to Torrance Beach
January 9 - 22, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
TORRANCE—Supervisor Janice Hahn and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have approved a plan to install and pilot a new emergency warning system designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals at Torrance Beach. Supervisor Hahn said this system includes flashing lights to better alert deaf and hard-ofhearing beachgoers. It also includes multi-lingual audible warnings to make evacuation alerts more effective for everyone. The Board of Supervisors approved piloting BEELS at Torrance Beach at a cost of no more than $300,000. The County’s Department of Beaches and Harbors plans to have the system in place before summer. The department knows of no other system like this in the world and it could be replicated at beaches around the globe. Details: www.vimeo.com/alertsystem
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Change Won’t Be Televised The Random Lengths News editorial staff elected to reprint a column by Norman Solomon who writes about the extent mainstream media will go to prevent Sanders’ rise and perhaps even
breathe a sigh of relief as the Tweet-monster in the oval office pushes this country to war in 280 characters or less. —Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
Get Ready for a Stop-Bernie Onslaught By Norman Solomon
A central premise of conventional media wisdom has collapsed. On Dec. 26, both the New York Times and Politico published major articles reporting that Bernie Sanders really could win the Democratic presidential nomination. Such acknowledgments will add to the momentum of the Bernie 2020 campaign as the new year begins — but they foreshadow a massive escalation of anti-Sanders misinformation and invective. Throughout 2019, corporate media routinely asserted that the Sanders campaign had little chance of winning the nomination. As is so often the case, journalists were echoing each other more than paying attention to grassroots realities. But now, polling numbers and other indicators on the ground are finally sparking very different headlines from the media establishment. From the Times: “Why Bernie Sanders Is Tough to Beat.” From Politico: “Democratic Insiders: Bernie Could Win the Nomination.” Those stories and others likely to follow in copycat news outlets will heighten the energies of Sanders supporters and draw in many wavering
voters. But the shift in media narratives about the Bernie campaign’s chances will surely boost the decibels of alarm bells in elite circles where dousing the fires of progressive populism is a top priority. For corporate Democrats and their profuse media allies, the approach of disparaging and minimizing Bernie Sanders in 2019 didn’t work. In 2020, the next step will be to trash him with a vast array of full-bore attacks. Along the way, the corporate media will occasionally give voice to some Sanders defenders and supporters. A few establishment Democrats will decide to make nice with him early in the year. But the overwhelming bulk of Sanders’ media coverage —synced up with the likes of such prominent corporate flunkies as Rahm Emanuel and Neera Tanden as well as Wall Street Democrats accustomed to ruling the roost in the party—will range from condescending to savage. When the Bernie campaign wasn’t being ignored by corporate media during 2019, innuendos and mud often flew in his direction. But we ain’t seen nothing yet. With so much at stake—including the presidency and the top leadership of the
Sen. Bernie Sanders with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Dec. 21 Venice Beach rally. Photo by Benjamin Garcia
Democratic Party—no holds will be barred. For the forces of corporate greed and the militaryindustrial complex, it’ll be an all-out propaganda war on the Bernie campaign. While reasons for pessimism are abundant, so are ample reasons to understand that a Sanders presidency is a real possibility. The last places we should look for political realism are corporate media outlets that distort options and encourage passivity. Bernie is fond of quoting Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it is done.” Norman Solomon is cofounder and national coordinator of RootsAction.org. He was a Bernie Sanders delegate from California and is currently a coordinator of the relaunched independent Bernie Delegates Network. Solomon is the author of a dozen books including War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.
Melody Makers Pays Tribute to the Bible of Rock ’n’ Roll By Melina Paris, Arts and Culture Reporter
January 9 - 22, 2020
[See Melody Makers, p. 10]
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
It was a chance encounter. A young photographer, Barrie Wentzell, tells the story of being at the BBC Studios — it was October 1965 — to shoot some pictures during the taping of the weekly TV show Top of the Pops. He had ventured up to the rooftop bar during a break. “Diana was sitting at a table talking to a reporter from the Melody Maker and I asked her if it was O.K. to take a few pictures of her while she was being interviewed,” Wentzell said. “She smiled and said that it would be fine. After she left, the reporter suggested that I send some pictures to the Melody Maker, which I did, never thinking that they would be used. The following Wednesday, I saw the paper at my local newsstand and there was my photo on the front page along with my name credited. Wow! A few days later, I got a call from Bob Houston, Melody Maker’s assistant editor, offering me a job as chief freelance photographer, which I gladly accepted; thanks to Lady Diana Ross!” This happy accident began Wentzell’s decade-long adventure with the most renowned music publication of the time. Melody Makers, a documentary film directed by Leslie Anne Coles, details how the magazine shifted the focus of its coverage from jazz to rock ’n’ roll and consequently helped define music journalism and rock photography. The multi-award winning film festival darling recently screened in Los Angeles. Founded in 1926, Melody Maker was one of the world’s earliest music weeklies. It began as a musician’s trade paper, listing gigs and services, advertising for the BBC Radio program and writing about the musician’s union with a concentration on jazz. In her film, Coles tells the story of Melody Maker’s steady evolution and growing influence through the lenses of Wentzell’s cameras with the perspective of his experiences as chief contributing photographer from 1965 to 1975. During those years Wentzell photographed The Who, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Jethro Tull, Yes, Elton John, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and other rock gods during the era when they, like Wentzell, were just emerging. Some 50 years after Wentzell’s photos generated the magnetism that drew a following to Melody Maker, the magazine, the main attraction of Melody Makers, the movie, lies in the photos on display along with the tales of the discussions shared between the writers and musicians, who often stopped by the magazines office to do their interviews. The film chronicles the rise and fall of the magazine which ushered in a style of rock ’n’ roll journalism that no longer exists. It was the mid-60s, the music landscape had
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D
January 9 - 22, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
owntown San Pedro is gaining traction as a culinary destination again, every day adding to its reputation for international dining opportunities. The strategic intersection of 6th and Nelson streets is now home to the legendary Conrad’s Mexican Grill, quickly embraced by the community for its sublime mole as well as the exciting veg and vegan menu. Directly across Nelson Street is new Ko-Ryu Ramen, home to an Asian fusion menu of delights. Popular from its first bowl of excellent broth, Ko-Ryu (Red Dragon) Ramen has had a full house from the beginning. The menu is based on that broth, with a vast number of wonderful things to add to the steaming bowl of noodles. Koi ramen
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Ko-Ryu Ramen on Sixth and Nelson, San Pedro By Gretchen Williams, Dining and Cuisine Writer
adds signature like bamboo shoots, pork “tare,” a rich corn, deep fried garlic seasoning paste that and green onion, dry creates extraordinary seaweed, spinach or tofu, sauce for the noodles. kimchi or sake will add Shacho Ramen adds interest and variety. The sesame paste, ground veggie set may also like pork, pork Chashu the edamame beans to (roasted pork), share, or vegetable gyoza beansprouts and (handmade vegetable sake — “rich enough dumplings). Tofu salad to be CEO”— to with sesame dressing is bring noodles to a clever and tasty way to new heights. For serve tofu chilled, with the adventuresome, corn and green onion Ko-Ryu spicy ramen for crunch, dressed offers “great depth with lovely sesame of flavors in a fiery sauce. Corn salad offers soup.” Take heed, as the same great flavors this dish is not for the without tofu. faint of heart -a blend Ko-Ryu Ramen with flavored egg and fried garlic in Food for Share is spicy miso. Photo by Terelle Jerricks of Japanese spicy the social part of the miso, Korean hot pepper paste and American menu — order a few and share! Handmade gyoza habanero peppers that will take the top of your are dumplings with pork or vegetables, steamed head off. and then pan fried for crispy texture. Pork Vegetarians will be pleased with the basic shumai are steamed pork dumplings, served with vegetable ramen, with flavors of the napa and chopped green onions and soy sauce for dipping. green cabbage, carrots, onions and bean sprouts Pork buns are also steamed, stuffed with chashu enhanced by a quick stir-fry before the hot pork and dipped in spicy savory sauce. Chicken broth is poured over the noodles. Additions karaage is fried chicken with garlic sweet and sour sauce. It’s addictive! Takoyaki is octopus balls with special takoyaki sauce and sweet bonito flakes served on a hot cast iron plate. Typical of Japanese street food, takoyaki is meant for latenight snacking with a brew or two. Geso karaage (fried squid legs) are popular bar food in Japan, just as fried calamari is in California. Rice Item may be understated on the menu, but do not miss this category of essentially Japanese comfort food. Chashu don or torikara don is fried pork or chicken over rice, with special sauce and some vegetables. Simple, warm and just the thing for a cold day. Small fry are not forgotten here. The children’s ramen is $6, including Chashu pork, bamboo shoots and green onions. Ko-Ryu is the perfect place to learn to use chopsticks. Ko-Ryu Ramen, 362 W. 6th St., San Pedro Details: 310-935-2886
[Melody Makers from p. 9]
Melody Makers
and so did Melody Maker. Rock and folk music dominated. Excited fans had a desire to know the musicians they loved, like The Beatles, who inspired them. The publication began moving from stock photos to employing photographers who captured musicians in their element. With a fresh new look Melody Maker became the vanguard, approaching music and musicians as subjects for serious study rather than entertainment. More importantly, Wentzell and the Melody Maker journalists nourished their relationships with the young rock stars, developing a trust between them. There were no makeup artists or publicists around. It was only a bunch of friends together when the writers, photographers and musicians hung out. The film tells of the tragic day that the Rolling Stones learned that the band’s founder, Brian Jones, had drowned. The Stones were in a recording studio, and a journalist was, too, gathering information for a story. But instead of reporting the scoop, the writer was cornered by Keith Richards, who made him pledge secrecy until the band had informed Brian’s family. Melody Maker educated its readers, featuring heretofore unknown artists the magazine considered vital rather than covering musicians their audience already knew. This practice helped the magazine break bands and garner credibility and respect throughout the industry. Coles captured this period of rock ’n’ roll history in interviews with journalists, musicians and those who worked behind the scenes. Artists in the film include Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Eric Burdon of The Animals and members of Yes and Nazareth. Melody Maker deputy editor Richard Williams described the magazine as a cause. Music defined who you were in the mid-’60s. Coalescing around the women’s movement, the environmental movement and Vietnam war protests, the youth created the zeitgeist and the belief in the power of music. The publication evolved into a bible for talent scouts and journalists. It became a cause for musicians who knew it was worth reading. [continued on following page]
In fact, writer Mick Watts wrote a profile on David Bowie when the pop star came to the office in a caftan and makeup and announced, “I’m gay and always have been, even when I was David Jones.” The headline read, “Oh You Pretty Thing,” quickly becoming a part of pop mythology which Bowie later attributed his success to. The magazine served as inspiration for a young Jann Wenner’s first issue of the San Francisco–based Rolling Stone—published in November 1967. But ultimately, Wenner lacked the same vision the editorial staff of Melody Maker adhered to in standing by their ideals of discretion. Wenner’s biographer Joe Hagen, a journalist who also worked at Rolling Stone in the ‘90s and the author of Sticky Fingers: The
BIG NICK’S PIZZA
Tradition, variety and fast delivery—you get it all at Big Nick’s Pizza. The best selection of Italian specialties include hearty calzones, an array of pastas and our amazing selection of signature pizzas. We offer a wide selection of appetizers, salads, beer and wine. Call for fast delivery. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Big Nicks’ Pizza, 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro 310-732-5800 • www.bignickspizza.com Family owned and operated since 1965, Buono’s is famous for exceptional award-winning brick oven baked pizza. Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and handselected ingredients that are prepared fresh. Dine-in, take-out and catering. There are two locations in Long Beach. Hours: Sun.Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Buono’s Pizzeria, 222 W. 6th St., San Pedro 310-547-0655 • www.buonospizza.com
CONRAD’S MEXICAN GRILL
COMPAGNON WINE BISTRO
Compagnon Wine Bistro (formerly La Buvette Wine Bistro) offers rustic French cuisine paying tribute to the classic French bistros in various regions of France where good food, good wine and friends come together to create the special joie de vivre. Free, private parking lot in rear Hours: Tues.Wed. dinner 5 to 9 p.m.; Thurs. lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner: 5 to 9 p.m.; Fri. lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner: 5 to 10 p.m. Sat. coffee & croissants 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner 5 to 10 p.m.; Sun. brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner 5 to 9 p.m.; closed Mon. Compagnon Wine Bistro, 335 W. 7th St., San Pedro • 424-342-9840 • www.CompagnonBistro.com
HAPPY DINER #1
HAPPY DINER #2
Built on the success of Happy Diner #1, Happy Diner #2 just expanded its dining room for parties of up to 100
guests and soon to open for dinner service. American favorites like omelets and burgers, fresh salads, plus pasta and Mexican dishes are served. Happy Diner #2 is casual dining, a place to enjoy a relaxing meal with family and friends. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #2, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro 310-935-2933
HAPPY DELI
The Happy Deli is a small place with a big menu. Food is made-to-order using the freshest ingredients. Breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches include a small coffee. For lunch or dinner select from fresh salads, wraps, buffalo wings, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers and dogs. Delivery to your home or office available. Ask about catering your next event. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 am. to 8 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Deli, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • 424-364-0319 • www.happydelisp.com
PINA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Pina’s Mexican Restaurant serves traditonal Mexican food from Michoacan for breakfast through dinner, and is known for specialty enchiladas, burritos, tacos and mariscos served in a comfortable, casual dining atmosphere. Pina’s now has a full bar, so come by for a real margarita! Catering available for any occasion. Hours: Saturday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pina’s Mexican Restaurant, 1430 W. 25th St., San Pedro 310-547-4621 • www.pinasmexicanrestaurant.com
Melody Makers is available on video on demand: IMDb, Tubi and Amazon Prime Video. Details: www.melodymakersmovie.com
SAN PEDRO BREWING COMPANY
A micro brewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted awardwinning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, BBQ, sandwiches, salads and burgers. A full bar with made-from-scratch margaritas and a martini menu all add fun to the warm and friendly atmosphere. Live music. Open daily from 11:30 a.m.. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310-831-5663 • www.sanpedrobrewing.com
TAXCO MEXICAN RESTAURANT
We are proud to serve our community for almost four decades. Generous plates of traditional Mexican fare are the draw at this family-friendly restaurant. Catering for every occasion, beer, wine and margaritas to your taste. Open Sun. and Mon. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Taxco Mexican Restaurant, 28152 S. Western Ave., San Pedro • (310) 547-4554
THE WHALE & ALE ENGLISH RESTAURANT & PUB
The oak panels & elegant brass fittings will make you feel like you’ve crossed the Atlantic. Featuring popular pub fare such as Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, Choice Steaks, Roast Prime Rib, Beef Wellington & Roast Rack of Lamb. Seafood selections include Chilean Sea Bass, Atlantic Salmon, Jumbo Tiger Shrimp & Sand Dabs. International draft beers & ales, and domestic craft beers on tap. Full bar; free, gated parking lot. Happy hour five days a week. Hours: Mon. 5 to 9 p.m., Tues.Thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sat. 1 to 10 p.m., Sun. 1 to 9 p.m. The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro 310-832-0363 • www.whaleandale.com
January 9 - 22, 2020
The Happy Diner #1 in Downtown San Pedro isn’t your average diner. The selections range from Italian- and Mexican-influenced entrées to American Continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Catering for any occasion available for your home or office. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #1, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro • 310-241-0917
into the new scene. A rival publication, New Musical Express, was ahead of the curve on the evolution into punk, covering the Ramones and
Conrad’s menu reflects the cuisine of his native Oaxaca with a fresh focus on local, seasonal ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features classic dishes from Oaxaca and regional Mexico, such as mole sauces, ceviche, empanadas and sopecitos. Sourcing the
freshest ingredients, combining them with traditional flavors and rewriting familiar recipes into exceptional cuisine is Conrad’s mission. Ask about Conrad’s vegan menu. Caterng available. Open Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. noon to 8 p.m. Conrad’s Mexican Grill, 376. W. 6th St., San Pedro • 424-264-5452 www.conradsmexicangrill.com
Melody Maker staffers (circa 1973)
Sex Pistols. Many writers didn’t understand it, nor did they care to. Eventually, a fragmented music market diminished the audience of the once highly demanded magazine. The film is a visual treat with the added pleasure of amazing rock star stories, which you may come away from yearning for more of. Ultimately, it pays tribute to a style of music coverage not often seen, where everyone, artist, journalist and reader, played an equal and satisfying part.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
BUONO’S AUTHENTIC PIZZERIA
Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine wrote, “Wenner’s vision was “begged, borrowed, recycled, and stolen.” From the first issue, the editorial philosophy of an underground newspaper that took rock ’n’ roll seriously, the layout and even its subscriber base—was based on a previous publication, or somebody else’s original idea.” Further, as the news of the time intensified, with the Kent State massacre, riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and escalation of the Vietnam War, rock ’n’ roll and the counterculture had a split and Wenner aligned with rock ’n’ roll. During this time, the same shifts hit the British music culture. In Melody Maker’s case, an older staff — who had flourished at the dawn of rock counterculture — were not as
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A MUSIC Jan. 10
The Winehouse Experience The Winehouse Experience, featuring Mia Karter, pays tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, known for her distinctive warm vocals, soulful songwriting and signature style. Time: 9 p.m. Jan. 10, 11 Cost: $15 Details: www.awin1.com Venue: Harvelle’s Downtown Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach The Beatles Tribute Concert Experience The Beatles tribute band, With The Beatles, is performing at the Alpine Village. Time: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Jan. 10 Cost: $15 to $25 Details: alpinevillagecenter.com Venue: Alpine Village, 833 Torrance Blvd., Torrance
Jan. 11
Art and The Resistance Art and The Resistance came together to play a veterans benefit concert and evolved into an official band whose sound fuses with alternative and heavy-hitting rock with the legendary gritty Bakersfield sound. Time: 9 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: Free Details: facebook.com Venue: Pike Restaurant and Bar, 1836 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Bits N Pieces Band This seven-member band, performs rock ’n’ roll, ballroom and dance music. Time: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $5 Details: alpinevillagecenter. com Venue: Alpine Village, 833 W. Torrance Blvd., Torrance
ARTS CULTURE ENTERTAINMENT Jan. 12 Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay COSB continues its 37th season with outstanding soloists. Time: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 Cost: Free Details: 310-544-0403; palosverdesperformingarts.com Venue: Norris Theatre. 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates Second Sundays At Two Presenting cellist Eric Byers who captivates audiences as a soloist, chamber musician and composer and Fabio Bidini, who is among the world’s leading pianists. Time: 2 p.m. Jan. 12 Cost: Free Details: 310-316-5574 Venue: Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates Hot Fusion Jazz, English Pub Ezzi/Jazz brings their unique brand of entertainment to The Whale & Ale along with a cavalcade of their many friends. Time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 12 Cost: Free Details: www.whaleandale.com Venue: The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro
Jan. 15 Art of Song The first of monthly event will feature the original music of Stan DeWitt and Marc Davidson. Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 15 Cost: $10 Details: 562-519-1614 Venue: Gina M. Woodruff Gallery, 5555 E. Stearns St., Long Beach
Jan. 17
Cubensis Cubensis, the band that plays Dead, had its beginnings in 1987 when a group of Deadhead musicians became frustrated with the Dead’s all-too-infrequent visits to Southern California. Time: 9:30 p.m. Jan. 17 Cost: $15 Details: longbeach.harvelles.com Venue: Harvelle’s Downtown Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach
Garden District Band (New Orleans) The Garden District Band will perform original compositions as well as classic selections from 100 years of jazz. Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Jan. 17 Cost: $15 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1413, E. 8th St., San Pedro The Hot Licks The original members of Dan Hicks’ backing band, performing classics written by Hicks and songs that he loved to cover in his own original style—folk-swing, which is a blend of gypsy, jazz, folk and swing with lots of vocal harmonies. Time: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17, 18 Cost: $33 to $50 Details: 310-781-7171 Venue: The George Nakano Theatre, 330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Jan. 18 Scott Henderson Trio His impressive work over the years as co-leader of the group Tribal Tech, leader of his own groundbreaking trio and sideman to some of the best jazz artists of his generation, has elevated him to the front ranks of both jazz and blues. Time: 8 p.m. Jan. 18 Cost: $30 Details: alvasshowroom.com Venue: Alvas Showroom. 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Jan. 19 Tim Miller with Henrik Linder and Nate Wood Tim Miller will play original music with his trio. Tim Miller will play guitar, Henrik Linder will play bass and Nate Wood will play drums. Time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 19 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Latin Soul Concert Enjoy a night of Latin soul in tribute to the late singer Selena. Time: 7 p.m. Jan. 19 Cost: $20
Details: 562-596-4718 Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
www.lbplayhouse.org Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
Torrance Pop Goes Jazz Tyrell, Grammy award-winning producer, singer and songwriter comes to Torrance. His show will feature selections from his newly expanded Back to Bacharach album. Time: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 Cost: $20 to $35 Details: 310-891-7171 Venue: The James Armstrong Theatre, 330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Mark Cordes is the Spouse Whisperer Take a comic journey from love at first sight till death do us part and all the funny stuff in between. Time: 8 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $25 to $35 Details: www.TorranceArts.org Venue: James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Carl Sonny Leyland Quartet Carl Sonny Leyland is a boogiewoogie, blues and jazz pianist who is joined by three amazing musicians to bring the house down. Time: 5 p.m. Jan. 19 Cost: $92 Details: 310-544-0403; www.PalosVerdesPerformingArts. com. Venue: Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates
Not Running An explosive new political drama exploring personal choices and their public consequences. Time: 2 p.m. Jan. 12 Cost: $17.50 Details: 310-781-7171; www.TorranceArts.org Venue: James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
THEATER Jan. 10
Lemur Mom Lemur Mom (Because We Can’t All Be Tiger Moms) is one woman’s eye-opening journey into life on the spectrum. Megan Dolan has the distinct feeling she’s not the right mom. Time: 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 10, 12, Jan. 17-18 Cost: $13.34 to $20 Details: brownpapertickets.com Venue: CSULB Players Theatre. 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
Jan. 11
The Capitol Steps The Capitol Steps return with fresh political satire, song parodies and sketches that take aim at the outrageous goings-on at the White House, in Congress and on the never-ending campaign trail. Time: 2 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $50 Details: www.carpenterarts.org Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach The Unexpected Guest Lost in the fog, a stranger seeks refuge in a nearby house, only to find a man shot dead and his wife standing over him with a smoking gun. Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday Jan. 11. The show runs through Feb. 8. Cost: $14 to $27 Details: 562-494-1014;
Jan. 12
Dance Jan. 10
Baila Reggaeton y Mas Vesos presents Baila Reggaeton y Mas! This is Long Beach’s newest 21 and under night club. Reservations required. Time: 9:30 p.m. Jan. 10 Cost: Free Details: 213-277-7171 Venue: Baila Reggaeton y Mas, 140 Pine Ave., Long Beach
ARTS
Jan. 10 Simply Splenda Presents: Art & Music A curated art and music show by Eric Huerta from Simply Splenda. It features a group art and photography exhibit and various music acts. The event is 21 and over only. Time: 9 p.m. Jan. 10 Cost: Free Details: 562-756-3428 Venue: CALB Gallery 737 Pine Ave., Suite B, Long Beach
Jan. 11 Contemporary Narrative in Textile Join exhibiting textile artists Christine Forrer, Diedrick Brackens, Ardeshir Tabrizi and Luis Flores for a panel discussion which will delve into the ways in which textiles convey narrative while exploring identity, both in today’s world and throughout the history of the medium. RSVP. Time: 4 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: Free Details: www.lbma.org
Venue: Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Jan. 12 Stein/Estaño: In and Out of Mexico Discover the political and artistic motivations that led American artist Philip Stein to become an apprentice of the Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros and develop his career. Time: 2 to 3:30 p.m., Jan. 12 Cost: Free Details: www.molaa.org Venue: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach Norman S. Chamberlain The Modern Works Downtown Books & Art Gallery is inviting you to the opening of the new exhibition by Norman S. Chamberlain, The Modern Works. Time: 4 to 10 p.m. Jan. 12 Cost: Free Details: 310-720-3407 Venue: Downtown Books & Art Gallery, 414 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Jan. 18 Bridging San Pedro This exhibition that highlights the community’s relationships to the land and sea. Artists and community members come together to honor the past, articulate the complexities of the present and forge a visually communal, participatory language and making that bridges San Pedro. Time: 12 to 4 p.m. Jan. 18 Cost: Free Details: www.angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
Jan. 23 The Art of Movement: What Makes a Story? Spend your evening in the museum galleries with Chief Curator Gabriela Urtiaga and artist Quique Rivera as they discuss his current exhibition, Floating Timeline. Time: 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 23 Cost: Free Details: www.molaa.org Venue: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach
Film
Jan. 9 Cunningham Cunningham traces Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution
January 9 - 22, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers Rod Piazza has set a standard for harmonica virtuosity that has established him as one of the preeminent blues harp players around. Time: 8 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $20 Details:www-stellarshows-net. seatengine.com Venue: PCH Club, 6285 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
JAN 9 - 22 • 2020
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over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers. Time: 7:35 p.m. Jan. 9 Cost: $15.95 Details: cunninghammovie 2DRealID3D Venue: Regal UA Long Beach, 6601 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
Jan. 11 Marriage Story Marriage Story is a new film by Noah Baumbach with Scarlett Johanssen, Adam Driver and Laura Dern. It’s a look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. Time: 7 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $10 Details: www.grandvision.org, https://tinyurl.com/Marriage-StoryWGT Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro LB Suffrage Film Festival The Long Beach Suffrage 100 celebrates the opening of the Suffrage Film Festival with three shorts by Martha Wheelock. The films are about suffrage martyr, Inez Milholland; the federal campaign for the 19th Amendment and the California campaign of 1911. It will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker. Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: Free Details: www.arttheatrelong beach.org Venue: Art Theatre Long Beach, 2025 W. 4th St., Long Beach
Jan. 12 Wild and Scenic Film Festival Palos Verdes Peninsula Land
Conservancy presents the latest nation-wide tour of this film festival, dedicated to raising awareness of preservation issues in nature. Time: 7 p.m. Jan. 12 Cost: $10 Details: www.grandvision.org Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
WELLNESS Jan. 10
Get Uranus Moving Running and Walking Challenge Join the main 2020 challenge and help log enough miles to get to the planet Uranus! Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 10 Cost: $45 to $54 Details: virtualrunevents.com Venue: Los Angeles Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Pl., Wilmington
Jan. 11 Mediumship and Psychic Art Demo You’ve seen them on TV. Don’t miss the chance to experience them in person. Time: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $35 to $45 Details: brownpapertickets.com Venue: Garden of Grace, Intention & Wellness Yoga Center. 24610 Narbonne Ave., Lomita
Jan. 17 Transformation: Healing and Moving Beyond Mental Illness This forum is designed to promote wholeness of mind for those who have struggled with mental illness, or who have loved ones who struggle. Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 17 Cost: $65 to $135 Details: www.eventbrite.com
Venue: Jesus Center, Lomita Blvd., Torrance
3555
COMMUNITY Jan. 11
East Village Walking Tour This docent-led tour will dive into the East Village Arts District’s unique history and architectural styles. Time: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $10 Details: www.lbheritage.org/ event/east-village-walking-tour Venue: Cooper Arms Condominiums, Linden Ave., entrance, 455 E. Ocean Blvd. Long Beach Long Beach Comic Expo Comics, cosplay, anime, manga, video games— whatever fandom you’re currently obsessed with, it’s at the Long Beach Comic Expo. Time: 10 a.m. Jan. 11 Cost: $25 to $55 Details: www.goldstar.com/ events/long-beach-ca/longbeach-comic-expo Venue: Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Jan. 12 South Coast Cactus and Succulent Society Nurseryman and author Jeff Moore explores some of the extraordinary succulents in cultivation: cacti, euphorbias, fouquieres, alluaudias and a host of other dry-climate and often spiny architectural wonders. Time: 1 p.m. Jan 12 Cost: Park entrance fee $10 Details: 310-544-1948 Venue: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula
Jan. 15
Coding Club Become a coding wizard. Students ages 9-11 are invited to try a variety of fun coding projects while learning vital computer science skills. Time: 3:30 p.m. Jan. 15 Cost: Free Details: torranceca.gov Venue: Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Torrance Speaker’s Forum The 2018 National Champion Speech and Debate Team will demonstrate their award-winning events. Time: 7 p.m. Jan. 15 Cost: $15 to $20 Details: elcaminotickets. universitytickets.com Venue: El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
Jan. 18
Dine LBC Fundraiser Wasted: The Story of Food Waste, produced by the late Anthony Bourdain, aims to change the way people buy, cook, recycle and eat food, transforming scraps into incredible dishes that create a more secure food system. Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 18 Cost: $10 Details: www. arttheatrelongbeach.org Venue: Art Theatre Long Beach, 2025 W. 4th St., Long Beach Baby Shower to Benefit Children in Foster Care This is a community baby shower to collect donated items to benefit newborns and toddlers in the foster care system. Time: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 18 Cost: Free Details: southbayevents.com
Venue: Department of Children and Family Services, 2325 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance 32nd Annual MLK, Jr. Day Parade & Celebration Celebrate the life and legacy of a visionary who changed the world by promoting equality, justice, and peace. The parade route runs north on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and ends at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. The celebration continues at the park with food and music. Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan.18 Cost: Free Venue: MLK, Jr. Ave., Long Beach Southeast Stampers Join the South Bay Rubber Stamp Group Plus for an afternoon of stamping. Supplies are provided. Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 18 Cost: Free Details: torranceca.gov Venue: Southeast Branch Library, 23115 Arlington Ave., Torrance
Jan. 20
Slack Key Festival Since 2008, the Southern California Slack Key Festival has been the biggest Hawaiian music concert event in the mainland and features the most respected names in Hawaiian guitar music and hula. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 20 Cost: $20 - $55 Details: 800-595-4849; www.slackkeyfest.com Venue: The Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach
Jan. 21
Tech Tuesday In the future, companies will continue to face growing pressure of being the victims of hackings
and dealing with protecting customer information. Time: 6 p.m. Jan. 21 Cost: Free Details: www.sanpedrochamber. com Venue: Space 455, 455 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Jan. 22
Animal Agriculture Debate El Camino College’s Communication Studies faculty Diana Crossman and Joseph Evans will be debating a current issue in contemporary society in a “students vs. teachers” panel format. Time: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 Cost: $10 to $15 Details: elcaminotickets. universitytickets.com Venue: Marsee Auditorium., El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance So by Peter Gabriel Join in discussing and listening to Peter Gabriel’s So, the fifth studio album. Time: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 Cost: Free Details: www.thepan1.com Venue: The Pan Long Beach, 3550 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach Science at the South Pole The Sierra Club presents Dr. Steven Morris who will share his experiences spending 12 months at the South Pole, Antarctica in 1984-85. He will speak on what it’s like to winter-over and what and how science gets done at this remote and hostile location. Time: 7 p.m. Jan. 22 Cost: Free Details: 310-377-9584 Venue: Palos Verdes Peninsula Public Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates
Real News, Real People, Really Effective January 9 - 22, 2020 [See Calendar, page 16]
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[Lawsuit from p. 5]
Lawsuit Against EPA Rollback
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
done this before, because there’s never been a need for a second lawsuit.” Others, not involved in the lawsuit, were critical as well. “The rollback of EPA rules that were written following the 2013 tragedy in West, Texas, is a setback for chemical safety,” said Dr. Kristen Kulinowski, interim head of the Chemical Safety Board, created by Congress to investigate major accidents and report to the EPA. “It takes us in the opposite direction from where the CSB would like to see the nation going,” Kulinowski stated. “The chemical safety rule gives my community a chance to challenge the explosive hazards, like Jones Chemical, that have been grandfathered in over the years as neighborhoods build up around them,” said Cynthia Babich, founder and director of the Del Amo Action Committee. “It is a tool to allow us to impose common sense rules to sites that most often have chemical information obscured from public view using the cloak of terrorism. Without the chemical safety rule, it is just plain old business as usual.” Oil and chemical industries fought toothand-nail against the original rule as it was being written, getting help from state-level Republicans led by the Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. “As soon as Trump came into office and Scott Pruitt was appointed to head the EPA, immediately they started trying to roll it back,” Sommers said. “There was never a serious effort to tweak it, to try to improve what was done by the prior administration.” Normally, industry at least pretends to care about public health and safety. And the EPA splits the difference between industry concerns and the public interest—leaning more toward industry under Republicans and more toward the public interest under Democrats. But this is no longer the case. Pruitt resigned under a cloud of scandal in 2018, under at least 14 separate federal investigations. But, “That bias still exists,” Sommers said. “We still have industry-affiliated folks at EPA working to get rid of these things.” But industry may be cutting off its nose to save its face, according to Marquez. He cited a 2016 Rand Corporation cost-benefit analysis of proposed regulations. “The average cost of an incident at a refinery costs $220 million,” Marquez noted. “The 2015 incident at Exxon Mobil Corporation’s Torrance Refinery
Founder and president of the Coalition for a Safe Environment, Jesse Marquez. File photo
indicated a cost to California drivers of nearly $2.4 billion, which took the form of a prolonged $0.40 increase in gasoline prices.” “Our organization’s research of the ExxonMobil explosion disclosed that an off-theshelf $2,000 pressure gauge and a VOC (volitile organic compounds) gas leak detector could have prevented the explosion,” Marquez said. “What they could have saved was ridiculous. We have bad management making bad decisions.” In a similar spirit, there are two major points the public should be aware of, according to Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics. “Our entire petrochemical infrastructure is aging. It is essentially a sort of breaking down,” Williams said. “If you look at the reports from the Chemical Safety Board, many of the chemical accidents that are occurring are from the aging of the petrochemical infrastructure, the pipes that are corroding, seals that are corroding, as opposed to accidents.” These are “things that are relatively easy to prevent,” she noted, “So one of the things that we really want EPA to do is focus on what are these preventative measures. [The question is] Do we have a pollution prevention paradigm that we’re trying to prevent these accidents from happening? Or are we going to be in the paradigm that says ‘respond’?” Williams’ second point was that there should be better planning in place. “Despite what you might believe is a lot of planning on the ground, we see catastrophic near misses,” she said, citing the headline-making
Philadelphia refinery fire last June. Although it burned to the ground, it could have been much worse. “A major catastrophic release of hydrogen fluoride was avoided because one smart employee flipped a switch on the way out the door as the refinery burned,” she said. “Absent that action, we would have had one of the worst chemical disasters this country has ever seen.” Rather than depending on individual wits in a panicked situation, there should be detailed plans that everyone knows how to follow. “It cannot be overstated that planning and prevention needs to be the focus to prevent chemical disasters,” Williams stressed. “And, we still don’t have enough of that.” The EPA violated a number of key legal requirements which are bound to figure prominently in future litigation. In August of 2018, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in D.C. ruled that the EPA’s initial delay of the Chemical Disaster Rule was “arbitrary and capricious,” and struck it down. The rule was an outgrowth of
Earthjustice attorney Gordon Sommers. File photo
the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments “to ensure adequate protections against highly dangerous releases of chemicals,” the court wrote, and EPA’s delay “makes a mockery of the statute.” There appears to be little difference heading into round two. In their final comments, before the Rollback Rule was adopted, the coalition
members cited this decision under the heading, “EPA may not lawfully repeal the prevention measures,” where it wrote: EPA has no authority for the proposed Rollback Rule. EPA also violates the Clean Air Act because its proposal fails to meet the statutory test for rules… which require regulations provide, to the greatest extent practicable, for the prevention and mitigation of disasters. As the D.C. Circuit held, the Act “makes clear that Congress is seeking meaningful, prompt action by EPA to promote accident prevention.” Repealing the Barack Obama-era Chemical Disaster Rule would be equally at odds with this ruling that tossed out the delay. Furthermore, that comment continued: It is also unlawful and unconstitutional for EPA to consider costs as a justification to repeal or weaken protections, based on the direction from Executive Orders that “place greater emphasis on reducing regulatory costs and burdens” than § 7412(r)(7) allows.
Elsewhere, those comments also noted that rule “perpetuates environmental injustice and disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities,” which also violates federal law. It also argued the process “has prejudiced community members’ ability to meaningfully participate pursuant to the Clean Air Act.” In the original rulemaking process, the Obama EPA considered over 161,000 public comments. In the rollback process, the Donald Trump EPA did everything possible to prevent such comments, holding only one public comment meeting, on short notice, in Washington, D.C. Finally, the EPA also illegally reversed itself on several key findings: “Changing course without a reasoned and supported explanation —which must be more detailed, where, as here, EPA is rejecting its own prior fact-findings— is the definition of arbitrary and capricious,” meaning it’s flagrantly illegal. Further court filings are expected in the next few months.
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64 ?rekrowoc s’rotcudnoC 67 Precious metal sources 68 “Eat, ___, Love” 69 ___-Whirl (amusement park ride) 70 Second to ___ 71 Wood used to make baseball bats 72 Fabled tale-teller
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January 9 - 22, 2020
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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2019320817 The following person is doing business as:(1) The Spanish Swan Ballet, 679 W Oliver Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Lorraine Maese, 679 W Oliver Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement
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is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Lorraine Maese, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Dec. 23, 2019. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 01/09/20, 01/23/20,
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facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 01/09/20, 01/23/20,
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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2019320817 The following person is doing business as:(1) American Air, Heating & Cooling, 1134 W 21st Street., San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: William Sullivan, 1134 W 21st Street., San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. William Sullivan, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2019. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the
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[Drug Pricing from p. 6]
January 9 - 22, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Drug Pricing Bill
16
$500 billion) of what the industry might lose in revenue if this bill were enacted. But the agency leaves wiggle room, noting that this is a “preliminary” figure and that the agency hasn’t finished analyzing the full bill yet. Once it does, the $1 trillion could change. “They’re trying to provide some sense of the relative impact on drug development, but I don’t think we have enough data to provide this,” said Stacie Dusetzina, an associate professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University. “It’s not a fact. It’s a preliminary estimate that is on very shaky ground.” That leads to the next issue: If pharmaceutical revenues dip, would fewer innovative drugs become available? Technically, kind of. But there’s a lot of important context that PhRMA’s assertion overlooks. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, over the next decade, between eight and 15 fewer drugs would come to market. But the big picture matters: Every year, the Food and Drug Administration approves 30 new drugs, on average. That’s 300 new drugs over 10 years. So if you assume 15 fewer drugs out of 300 projected approvals, that’s a loss of 5 percent. Certainly that is, as PhRMA argued, a reduction. But none of the experts we spoke with saw it as a blow to innovation. “The lower prices envisioned by [Nancy Pelosi’s] bill would barely slow new drug discovery at all,” argued Dr. Peter Bach, who directs the Drug Pricing Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in an op-ed for Bloomberg. It’s not clear from the CBO analysis what kind of clinical value these forgone drugs would have—whether they would represent meaningful breakthroughs or marginal improvements to medications that already exist. We asked PhRMA. The organization’s position is that the lost revenue could discourage drugmakers from researching new treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, lung cancer and sickle cell disease. But the group didn’t offer much evidence explaining how or why this would happen, or acknowledging that it would involve stepping away from potentially lucrative markets. And experts dispute the idea — Dusetzina called the industry line “a scare tactic.” In fact, she said, “there is a good reason to believe that the drugs you would lose are those that have the smallest benefit and highest price tag.” This gets at another point: A substantial portion of drug research and development isn’t actually done by drugmakers. The riskiest portions often are conducted in government-funded labs, noted Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a professor at Harvard Medical School who studies pharmaceutical policy. Drug companies get involved much later, making it even less certain that a loss in pharmaceutical revenue would meaningfully discourage breakthrough drug innovation. And any loss of new drugs would likely be at least somewhat offset by Americans’ increased ability to afford new cheaper drugs. As the CBO report put it: “The overall effect on the health of families in the United States that would stem from increased use of prescription drugs but decreased availability of new drugs is unclear.” So, in short: Nonpartisan analysis suggests that H.R. 3 could result in fewer drugs coming to market. But it’s a very preliminary estimate and even then, it suggests only a small dip. The value of the drugs that don’t emerge is unclear, too. All this context matters a lot. “Hundreds of billions in savings to taxpayers, businesses and patients would mean a real but very small decline in the rate at which new treatments are discovered,” Bach wrote.
Our Ruling
In its advertisement, PhRMA cites a CBO analysis of the Pelosibacked drug-pricing bill, H.R. 3. The ad suggests that the bill would “siphon $1 trillion or more from biopharmaceutical innovators over the next 10 years” and “reduce the introduction of new drugs.” This claim misses lots of important context. The CBO’s analysis is preliminary, and it could change. The $1 trillion in forgone revenue is the upper limit of what that preliminary analysis predicts. And even if you assume drug companies would lose this much in revenue, the number of drugs that wouldn’t make it to market would constitute a small fraction of what pharmaceutical companies typically produce, said experts. It’s further unclear that the forgone drugs would have major clinical value—little evidence suggests they necessarily would. Other analyses PhRMA pointed us to—which might ostensibly support their claim—don’t stand up to scrutiny. This statement has some truth to it but omits crucial context that would give a radically different impression. We rate it Mostly False.