More evictions from Ports O’ Call Village p. 3 Carson council touts Measure C to cure money woes p. 5
p
Todd Congelliere keeps Punk in session p. 11 The Chowder Barge serving “see-worthy” meals p. 12
A
[See Junkfood, p. 6]
Illustration by Anson Stevens-Bollen, Santa Fe Reporter
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Board adopted that goal in November 2001. Although it’s taken Los Angeles more than 15 years to catch up with the new recycLA plan, its environmental impacts will be staggering. Once fully operational, the system will divert one million tons of commercial waste from landfills every year and cut emissions by 2.6 million metric tons — equal to removing 517,000 vehicles from the road. For the first time, all Angelenos — condominium and apartment
dwellers, small businesses, everyone —will have the same kind of efficient recycling service that single-family homes now enjoy. But environmental benefits aren’t the whole story. Labor rights and jobs, community health benefits, environmental justice and food recovery all figure intimately in the story of how the plan took shape and how widely its benefits will be shared. The Don’t Waste LAcoalition was founded
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Thanks to almost a decade of organizing by the Don’t Waste LA coalition, the city of Los Angeles is in the midst of rolling out the largest transformation of a recycling system in American history. The goal is to recycle 90 percent of the city’s waste by 2025. The long-term aspiration is a zero-waste system that “strive[s] to reduce, reuse, or recycle all municipal solid waste materials back into nature or the marketplace.” California’s Integrated Waste Management
RecycLA Rolls Out Brand New Future For City
Consolidated Disposal Services (above), one of seven city qualified trash haulers, will cover the Northeast Valley and South Los Angeles. Photo by Terelle Jerricks
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
year ago, Random Lengths News and the rest of America’s alternative press celebrated the 40th anniversary of Project Censored, the ongoing mission of journalists Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth to exposing the most-important news stories that have gone underreported or effectively censored. But in 2017, Project Censored’s 41st, Huff and Roth have reached a milestone — the year in which an episode of The Simpsons was played out in real life. Foreshadowed in a TV cartoon, the black comedy of events that obscured and propelled Donald Trump’s rise to President of the United States is chronicled in the Project Censored chapter devoted to Junk Food News — the so-called “fake news” that squeezed into the places that should have been filled with legitimate information. In 2016, Project Censored’s legions of student interns, writers and editors spent a considerable amount of ink on the emerging youth movement. In addition to producing formidable activists in their own right, it undergirded the passion that spurred Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign during the presidential primaries and made the movement to abolish the use of super delegates in the days after the election about more than just
[See RecycLA, p. 4]
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Community Announcements:
Harbor Area
Call for Artists at Wilmington Waterfront
The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Public Art Division is seeking professional artists interested in creating permanent public art for the new Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, a project of the Port of Los Angeles. Deadline is Oct. 30. The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade will be at the southernmost end of Avalon Boulevard and extend to the north and west of Water Street. The promenade will be a total of 363,000 square feet. Details: http://tinyurl.com/WaterfrontPromenade-Art-Call
Sisterhood Handbags for Hope
The Sisterhood Ministry of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church is launching a collection effort for new or gently used handbags filled with essential toiletry items including: shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, hairbrushes and combs, personal hygiene items, and gift cards. The idea behind the drive is to let women know (especially those fleeing domestic violence and the trauma of being homeless) that the handbags can provide more than just needed hygiene items. They can also provide a glimmer of hope and a sense of pride and comfort knowing there is someone in the community who cares. When the items in the handbag are gone, the handbag will act as a reminder they are not alone. The handbags and other items can be dropped off at the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce 390 W. 7th Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Port of Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club 100 W. 5th Street from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning Nov. 1 through Dec. 8. Details: (310) 986-7718; http://mtsinaisanpedro. org.
Flu Vaccinations Available
AIDS Walk Long Beach
By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
During a private meeting on Oct. 20, port staff told Ports O’ Call merchants and restaurateurs that Ports O’ Call Waterfront dining, Crusty Crab and Acapulco restaurant will be evicted February 2018. When asked for comment, Ports O’ Call owner Jayme Wilson released a statement saying: “Spirit Cruises and the Ports O’ Call Restaurant have not received any eviction notices. We have been, since 2012 and continue to be, in negotiations with the developers and the port.” Community activist Jesse Marquez, who has taken on the cause of the smaller Ports O’ Call merchants who were given eviction notices earlier this month, warns of blowback with this latest eviction. “It is really disheartening to see the dream for the San Pedro waterfront redevelopment fall into disarray due to Port of Los Angeles backroom deals with unqualified developers. If the project had followed standard business practices of first releasing a request for proposals and been an open, legitimate and transparent process in selecting a qualified developer, the project would not be in the mess it is now. “The port is currently evicting all the Ports O’ Call Village shops and now is evicting most of the major restaurants. If the project gets built in three years the port and developer have made enemies of everyone and the project could end up with no tenants.” The port is busy preparing Ports O’ Call Village to be delivered to the LA Waterfront Alliance as per the lease agreement, including: • A pedestrian promenade along the main channel • Realignment of the public right of way and construction of the new 7th Street/Harbor Blvd. and Sampson Way intersection
The venerable landmark Ports O’ Call Restaurant just celebrated its 56th year of operation. File photo
• Town square improvements • Demolition of Ports O’ Call made suitable for construction • And, perhaps most importantly, the property be delivered free and clear of any leases or occupancy rights. It’s unclear if the developer has put together the financing or found another anchor tenant to move quickly forward with the redevelopment. Though the LA Waterfront Alliance was quick to release a statement explaining that the port’s moves were in accordance with the signed lease agreement, it was slow in responding to Random Lengths News request for a statement regarding whether any additional anchor tenants have been found to complement the San Pedro Fish Market. However, at a meeting to discuss relocating tenants and providing job training for displaced
employees, Marquez who was at the meeting reported that Ports O’Call tenants had asked Eric and Alan Johnson of Jerico Development (one-half of the LA Waterfront Alliance) four questions: • Whether any new major anchor tenants have been identified. • Whether any major new tenants have been identified • If the final project drawings can be viewed • And whether any building permits have [See Evictions, p. 4]
The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach is presenting the upcoming AIDS Walk Long Beach. The 2017 walk will kick off at Bixby Park and end at the Long Beach Museum of Arts. All proceeds from AIDS Walk Long Beach benefit Long Beach organizations serving members within our local community. Time: 8 a.m. Nov. 5 Details: www.centerlb.org/aidswalklb Venue: Bixby Park, 130 Cherry Ave., Long Beach
More Evictions from Ports O’ Call Village
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
The Long Beach Health Department will be providing several neighborhood flu clinics throughout the city. The following clinics are free of charge and no appointment is needed: Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 1 Venue: McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Long Beach Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 3 Venue: El Dorado Park Teen Center, 2800 Studebaker Road, Long Beach Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 6 Venue: Bixby Park, 130 Cherry Ave., Long Beach Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 8 Venue: Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave., Long Beach Details: (562) 570-4315; longbeach.gov/health
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years
Section 8 Waiting List Lottery
October 26 - November 8, 2017
For the first time in 13 years, the Section 8 program, which provides rental assistance to eligible individuals and families by paying a portion of rent directly to private landlords, will open its Section 8 waiting list lottery. Applications for the upcoming opening of the online Section 8 waiting list lottery can be submitted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through a smartphone, mobile device or computer with Internet access, starting through 5 p.m. Oct. 29 by going to HACLA.hcvlist.org. Applicants needing assistance in applying due to a disability can call (213) 205-5585 or (888) 816-6955, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
3
[RecycLA, from p. 1]
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Providing clean facilities and protecting our waterways from pollution
by The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, LAANE. It is growing out of conversations with labor and environmental organization partners. “A lot of zero waste work up until this point had been at the level of what can people do individually in their lives to take responsibility for the waste they are generating?” recalled Hillary Gordon. Gordon was chairwoman of the Sierra Club’s Zero Waste Committee when she was asked to join. “What really really impressed me, when I was told about the goal of this coalition, was that this was really addressing it at the systemic level — the huge level of what [do you do] when you have a city as big as Los Angeles, and you got 4 million Angelenos who want to recycle, but have all kinds of impediments in the way of them actually doing so?” Gordon said. But labor issues were just as compelling, according to Rob Nothoff, LAANE’s director of Waste and Recycling Campaigns. “We took a look at what was happening here within the waste industry…. We found that working conditions were awful. It’s constantly in the top five most dangerous professions in the country.” “The No. 1 thing was living wage,” said Maurice Thomas, a waste management worker who’s been deeply involved with the coalition. “No. 2 [was] work environment, (which he called, ‘truly unsatisfactory’). We’re in an industry that makes as much as the NFL. The NFL is a $14 billion a year industry.... So why is it that, those who are not properly represented, why are the wages below living wages? “I’m quite sure that you take your lunch, you wouldn’t want to have to fight off roaches, or rats or mice while you eat…. To be in that kind of work environment, at some time you’re going to get ill and for you to have to have to get a payday loan to go to the doctor,” The solution turned out to be simple: change [Evictions, from p. 3]
POC Evictions
been filed. The response to all four questions was no. The pending demolition of Ports O’ Call Village, with the exception of the San Pedro Fish Market, is reminiscent of when Beacon Street was leveled with the promise that it would be replaced with new commercial and residential developments. The developments envisioned then, never materialized and in at least one case took more than 30 years to be replaced. In the meantime, the small merchants who were first evicted from Ports O’ Call Village are pushing ahead with their $24 million lawsuit. The suit, filed Oct. 2, charges the port with multiple violations, ranging from violation of the California Environmental Quality Act process rules to discrimination against minority-owned businesses. The port’s response, at least unofficially, is that regardless of whatever assurances port staff offered in public or private meetings, if it wasn’t in their lease with small businesses or in the lease the port signed with the LA Waterfront Alliance, it doesn’t exist. The port’s attorneys filed a summary judgement against the Ports O’ Call merchants on Oct. 24. The hearings are set for Nov. 5, 6, 8 and 14. If the judge hearing the case rules in the port’s favor, the evictions will be effective immediately.
Rob Nothoff is the director of LAANE’s Waste and Recycling campaigns. File photo.
the business incentives, by adopting a limited geographic franchise system, with a single waste hauler serving one each of the 11 districts created. It’s similar in logic to the Port of Los Angeles’ original Clean Trucks Program, as well as the majority of already successful recycling systems LAANE found when they surveyed California. “The highest performing cities were exclusive franchise models: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, were all exclusive franchises,” Nothoff explained. “Out of 88 cities in Los Angeles County, at the time, I think it was 67 or 68 were exclusive franchise models. If you want to create a model in which you have a race to the top rather than a race to the bottom, you have to actually create some business certainty in an environment that allows for investment, and super high levels of transparency and accountability.” It also gave the city a tool for beefing up state labor standards, said Kevin Riley, director of Research and Evaluation at UCLA’s Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program, an early Don’t Waste LA partner. “We want to reinforce [labor standards] through the language of this ordinance,” he said. “What the new program is trying to do is essentially level the playing field and take away competition at that level, and say the safety of the workforce is just as important as environmental issues concerns.” Before recycLA, the city had roughly 125 waste haulers competing for a contract, most engaged in a fierce race to the bottom: Investing in worker safety and training — much less a living wage — ran counter to their whole costcutting ethos. The same applied to investing in recycling infrastructure. So they priced recycling prohibitively, leaving millions of Angelinos frustrated. “It was prohibitively expensive for a lot of the apartment complexes and commercial businesses to recycle,” Nothoff said, because the haulers made it so. “The haulers didn’t have any financial incentive to invest in the infrastructure.” Cut-throat competition had other negative impacts as well: First, price-cutting for large businesses was offset by high prices for small businesses. “Small businesses were paying four or five times as much as some of these larger businesses,” Notoff explained. While big businesses dominated business organizations — like the LA Chamber of Commerce — that opposed the franchise plan, there were many losers, he noted. “We started to identify some additional small business partners (who joined the coalition in later stages of struggle),” Notoff said. [See RecycLA, p. 10]
financial steward of taxpayers’ money…. They’ve spent $13 million in legal fees in the past four years.” Klink also questioned the city’s claim the measure would generate $24 million. He said that figure is not taken from actual data, but from an analysis of a hypothetical refinery. Klonk said the money might not be well spent. “The council’s list of all the specific things funded, that’s just empty promises,” Klink added. “It’s a general tax and by law all [such] tax must go into the general fund.” The proposed ordinance is at http://ci.carson. ca.us/Government/Election2017.aspx. The campaign against Measure C is at www. measurechurtsme.com.
Council Proposes Measure C to Stop Fiscal Emergency By Lyn Jensen, Carson Reporter
… but Carson receives only $5 million.” Although Torrance and El Segundo do impose business license taxes on their refineries, neither city’s is based on gross receipts. Carson’s employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, supports the measure, said representative Ana Meni. At a recent community meeting, she argued, if Measure C fails, “What programs do we cut?” City staff said that conducting the special election may cost the city $270,000. Opponents have sent out mailers charging the overall cost is closer to $400,000. The larger amount includes what the city is spending on what it calls “information,” including the mailing of a special edition of the city’s official publication, the Carson Report. Described as an information guide, the mailing only presents the proponents’ side. In response, some opponents, including Jan Schaefer of Carson Alliance 4 Truth, criticized the city’s “information” campaign. “The staff report actually said they couldn’t spend any money to promote it,” Schaefer said. “It seems they are promoting it.” Proponents portray the opponents as representing big oil. Western States Petroleum Association is funding the opposition, including mailings and a website.
On Nov. 7 voters will be asked to vote on Measure C, the Oil Industry Business License Tax. The ballot measure is the result of Carson being in a fiscal emergency for the second time in two years. On Aug. 7, the city council unanimously voted to propose a new tax on the city’s refineries. If passed, Measure C would impose a onequarter-of-one-percent tax on the gross receipts of oil refineries in Carson. The city is presenting the proposed ordinance as necessary to raise an estimated $24 million for the general fund. The measure’s opponents are questioning the council’s motives. Carson currently taxes its refineries based on the number of employees, which brings in about $5 million annually. Names of all five council members appear in support of the measure in the city’s Voter Information Pamphlet. They argue the funds raised will be used to maintain and improve first responder protections, senior, youth and gang diversion programs. “Our streets, sidewalks and parks need repairs. It’s estimated $156 million is needed for improvements throughout the City [Carson] — and cost will multiply if not addressed soon,” the pamphlet reads. “Torrance and El Segundo receive $11 million each [from taxes on refineries]
Oil refinery in Carson. Photo by Gary Braasch, World ViewofGlobalWarming.org
That website lists Local 675 United Steelworkers, which represents local refinery workers, as opposing the measure. David Campbell of Local 675 denied the union or the local had taken a position. Matt Klink, campaign manager for the organized opposition, Carson United to Stop Irresponsible Taxes, said the city council has been unable to balance the budget eight of the past 11 years. “The measure was rushed onto the ballot,” he said. “The council declared a fiscal emergency on Aug. 7 and put it on the November ballot …. The city has a long history of budget deficits. Eight budgets have been unbalanced in the past 11 years…. The city has not been a responsible
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[Junk Food, from p. 1]
POLA Police Pull Man from Water
SAN PEDRO — On Oct. 11, a man-overboard call brought quick response from a pair of Los Angeles Port Police officers, who saved the boater and prevented his vessel from crashing against the breakwater. The incident began when the unidentified victim was thrown off his boat in the waters adjacent to the Angels Gate Lighthouse. Officers Tyler J. Hellinga and Kiyohiko Amano found him and pulled him to safety, then chased down the unmanned sailboat and returned it to dock. The boater was later treated for hypothermia.
POLB Continues to Break Cargo Records
LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach moved more containers during this September than during any of the previous 106 Septembers. Long Beach processed 701,619 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, during September — 28.3 percent more than a year ago. That pushed its third-quarter numbers into record-breaking territory. Cargo movement during July, August and September – a cumulative 2,114,306 TEUs -- amounted to the port’s best quarter. Imports are up by 29.5 percent and exports are up by 4.1 percent. Empty containers that are leaving Long Beach were refilled by 46.4 percent.
Police Seek Help Searching for Teen’s Killer
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
HARBOR CITY — Homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Area request assistance from anyone who can identify whoever is responsible for the Oct. 16 shooting death of 16-year-old Corey Daily. At about 6 p.m., Daily was in the courtyard of an apartment complex on the 1500 block of West Anaheim Street. As he stood with a group of friends, unknown suspect(s) fired multiple rounds. Daily was struck several times, causing him to fall to the ground. The Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took Daily to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. Anyone with additional information is urged to call (310)726-7887 or visit www. lacrimestoppers.org.
6
Pipeline Regulations Strengthened
LOS ANGELES — Regulation of the oil pipelines buried beneath Los Angeles County, undercut for years by legal loopholes and lax oversight, has been strengthened by an Oct. 11 vote of the Board of Supervisors. The board’s action established new standards for the condition of oil pipelines, assigned responsibility for monitoring compliance and determined penalties for failure to do so. It started a one-year countdown for Chevron to inspect each of its Los Angeles County pipelines and prove it is following all pertinent regulations. Supervisor Janice Hahn recommended the changes, but indicated she is looking for more, characterizing these as first steps. “From now on, if pipeline companies want to operate in LA County they will have to prove they are following every rule that has been put in place to keep our communities safe,” said Hahn in a statement.” The failure to inspect every pipeline and follow regulations will result in termination of a company’s franchise agreement.
$1.1 Million in Wage Theft Claims Filed by Truckers Who Haul for Retail Giants Seven port truck drivers have filed claims for $1.1 million in stolen wages — an average of $153,150 per driver – with the Long Beach office of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, according to an
[See News Briefs, p. 7]
Junk Food News sour grapes. The occasion of the 40th anniversary and its emphasis on youth seemed to infuse Huff and Roth with hopefulness in Project Censored and the good hands doing its work. But this past election cycle did something else. Project Censored opened this year’s Junk Food News chapter, co-written by Huff and Nolan Higdon, a professor of English, communications and history in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a report entitled, Post-Truth Dystopia — Fake news Alternative Facts and the Ongoing War on Reality. It begins with a quote from H.L. Mencken, a culture writer, thinker and satirist not known as a defender of democracy and democratic principles, but he offered a particular insight into a particular failing of a civilization without a citizenry that is engaged, informed and armed with the ability to think critically: Civilization, in fact, grows more and more maudlin and hysterical; especially under democracy it tends to degenerate into a mere combat of crazes; the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.
Huff and Higdon continue by referencing Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death to frame Junk Food News. Postman says a particular medium can only sustain a certain level of ideas. Since the advent of television Americans receive a great deal of their information through television news, sitcoms and dramas. But this form can’t articulate complex ideas the way print can. Shortcomings of television dilute politics and religion. And “news of the day” becomes a packaged commodity. Postman argues that television de-emphasizes the quality of information to satisfy the far-reaching needs of entertainment. The result is that quality information becomes secondary to entertainment value. Postman’s analysis originated from a talk he gave in 1985 at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where he participated on a panel focused on George Orwell’s 1984 and the contemporary world. During this talk, Postman said that the contemporary world was better reflected by Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World, whose public was oppressed by their addiction to amusement than by Orwell’s book whose people are oppressed by state control. It is against this backdrop that Project Censored itemizes examples of Junk Food News distracting Americans, ranging from Trump’s refusal to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to the breathless reporting on Trump’s every tweet. Huff and Higdon characterize this coverage as a backlash in response to Trump not allowing corporate media to hobnob with the power elites. Besides, Project Censored described the White House Correspondents’ dinner as a means for the media to ingratiate themselves to power rather than speak truth to power. This unhealthy diet of junk news displaced news about the widespread famine in Yemen, a region raked by a two-yearold war led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States, which left more than 10,000 dead and 40,000 wounded in the region. A United Nations’ report estimated that more than 90 percent of Yemen’s citizens are experiencing famine and malnutrition. Huff and Higdon described the Olympic
Illustration by Khalil Bendib
Summer games of 2016 as a media spectacle, particularly after the corporate media latched onto the story of the four U.S. Olympic swimmers who lied about being robbed at gunpoint after vandalizing a gas station bathroom and being stopped by an armed security guard. Project Censored contrasted the slap on the wrist these swimmers received, who happened to be white, with the treatment of gold medalist Gabby Douglas when it appeared that she didn’t put her hand over her heart during the medal ceremony. This news displaced coverage of “flooding on a historic scale” in Louisiana. Project Censored noted that, “while the damage caused was less than that of Hurricane Katrina, 20,000 residents had to be rescued, 10,000 were placed in shelters, and several people lost their lives.” Huff and Higdon also highlighted the Academy Awards unscandalous scandal in which La La Land was mistakenly announced as Best Picture. It took only two minutes until the film Moonlight was announced as the real winner, but Huff and Higdon noted that this non-scandal scandal obscured major news in that almost 550 community leaders, elected officials, business moguls, health officials and politicians called for doubling the strength of the Regional Greenhouse Gas initiative, a clean air and healthy climate program. Huff and Higdon noted that, “a gathering of this size to enact policies to prevent further climate change is certainly worthy of major attention. But instead, the American public was treated to endless punditry on who was responsible for the year’s best picture blunder.”
News Abuse
Huff and Higdon recounts how Huff and former Project Censored director Peter Phillips
argued in 2010 that the United States was facing a truth emergency. They assert that “in the United States today, the rift between reality and reporting has reached its end. There is no longer a mere credibility gap, but rather a literal truth emergency. This is a culmination of the failures of the Fourth Estate to act as a truly free press.” In 2017, Huff and Higdon conclude that little has changed. In the current edition of Project Censored, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons on his own people is a primary example. This attack was used to justify Trump’s order to fire 59 Tomahawk missiles on a country torn by civil war. Project Censored pushes back against the notion that critiquing the corporate press pushing the Bashar al-Assad chemical weapon attack as tantamount to being pro-al-Assad. Indeed, Project Censored adds nuance that should be applied to the Trump administration and the role of the Russians in the 2016 presidential elections. Huff and Higdon wrote: This is a complicated matter, to be sure, one that even sparks vivid disagreements among the anti-imperialist and the pacifist Left in the U.S. To question official narratives should not mean people are automatically pro-Assad — or pro-Putin, for that matter. More importantly, what does it mean to be pro-truth in a posttruth world, when the truth can be elusive, especially in an environment addled by propaganda coming from many sides? Huff and Higdon note that the corporate press’ engagement in news abuse regarding Syria is an attempt to build public support for U.S. invasion, [See Junk Food, p. 7]
[Junk Food, from p. 6]
Junk Food
announcement from Justice for Port Truck Drivers on, Oct. 20. They are treated as employees but illegally paid as independent contractors by California Multimodal LLC, a division of NFI Industries, which recently purchased the California Cartage family of companies. Together they represent the ports’ largest trucking operation. There are 27 Labor Commissioner claims, all of which appear to be pending, with a total liability of $6,142,304.04. Another 9 have been decided, finding that the drivers were, in fact, employees, and not independent contractors. Cal Cartage appealed them to Superior Court, and has since settled two cases. Liability for the seven remaining drivers is $1,096,480.
Brown Signs Permanent LB College Promise Illustration by Khalil Bendib
education that privileges administrators over faculty (who became low-paid workers while students are seen as customers), has outlawed or marginalized those faculty who do talk about critiquing the system rather than teach students to accept it and work with it.” Giroux concludes that an effective “democracy cannot exist without informed citizens and public spheres and educational apparatuses that uphold standards of truth, honesty, evidence, facts and justice. Under Trump, disinformation masquerading as news ... has become a weapon for legitimating ignorance and civic illiteracy.” To combat this, Giroux is quoted: Artists, educators, young people, journalists and others need to make the virtue of truth-telling visible again. We need to connect democracy with a notion of truth-telling and consciousness that is on the side of economic and political justice, and democracy itself. If we are going to fight for, and with, the most marginalized people, there must be a broader understanding of their needs. We need to create narratives and platforms in which those who have been deemed disposable can identify themselves and the conditions through which power and oppression bear down on their lives.
Huff and Higdon recounted the brief history of the term “fake news,” since Trump was “electored” president. The authors noted that during one week in January 2017, the trend of people researching the term “fake news” on Google jumped 100-fold above pre-election levels. Trump and his supporters denounced any critiques of the new administration, such as CNN [See Junk Food, p. 17]
SACRAMENTO — On Oct. 13, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1533, authored by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell. The bill made the Long Beach College Promise Partnership Act a permanent program. The Promise is a partnership between the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College and Cal State University Long Beach. The program has helped to increase the number of students completing college-level English and math courses and the number of students able to complete 25 transferable units in their first year.
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
much like the second war in Iraq a decade earlier. Project Censored wrote, “This makes accurate reporting and publishing of diverse perspectives all the more crucial.” Huff and Higdon argue that the countermeasure to news abuse and propaganda is an informed citizenry with strong critical thinking skills. Project Censored actually goes a little further than that by saying that the level of critical thinking required now goes beyond simply evaluating information based on conformity with existing knowledge. Huff and Higdon argue that Americans’ thought process must embrace perspectives at odds with “prevailing wisdom or personal views” based on the evaluation of reality. Huff and Higdon identified a few different and daunting cases where this form of education is applicable. One of those examples was the aim of right-wing personality Glenn Beck and pseudo-historian David Barton to offer training camps to teach graduating high school students their revisionist history. They used the words of regular writer of Salon Amanda Marcotte to describe their historical narrative, saying that it is “one that valorizes straight white men as humanity’s natural leaders and grants Christian fundamentalism a centrality to American history that it does not, in reality, have.” Marcotte also noted that, “in Barton’s history, the founding father idea of government was rooted in fundamentalist Christianity, instead of enlightenment philosophy, and the contributions of people of color are minimized in service of centering Christian white men as the righteous shepherds guiding everyone else.” Huff and Higdon also argue that schools should teach media literacy as core curriculum to help fight against news abuse and fake news. Project Censored noted that the U.S. education system has drifted to the same for-profit model of information dissemination as the mass media, yielding many of the same results. Huff and Higdon cite critical theory scholar Henry Giroux, who notes that the for-profit model of education emphasizes individual responsibility for problems created by systemic failures. “The market-driven discourse in higher education, including the corporatization of
[News Briefs, from p. 6]
October 26 - November 8, 2017
7
Supv. Hahn II and the New County Majority
From LA City Council to Congress to the Board of Supervisors By James Preston Allen, Publisher
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn brought together 600 of her 4th District’s elites for what might be considered a bipartisan power luncheon benefiting the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce at the World Port Cruise Center. It has been five or more years since this many of the local movers and shakers gathered in a somewhat awkward kumbaya moment to hear what ostensively was a positive spin on the “State of the County” by the female heir to the legendary Kenny Hahn. His name, she reminded the audience, graces the county hall where she sits behind her father’s same desk. “I cut my political teeth in a non-partisan office and I will admit that I was not wholly prepared for the level of partisanship that had taken over Congress when I arrived in 2011 and it only went downhill from there,” she confessed, which is kind of a strange statement coming from someone of notoriously Democratic Party lineage. But it is true, Janice does bring an odd collection of people together. Even to the extent that none other than former Los Angeles City Councilman Rudy Svorinich greeted me with a friendly, “Can you believe how crazy this town has gotten lately?” He said he was amazed at the reaction of “some people” to the homeless problem here. There was of course Janice’s brother and former mayor, Judge James Hahn, amongst the 64 elected honorables in attendance and his former chief of staff, Tim McCosker, now chairman of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. McCosker appeared to be the prime mover in shaping this event. But the thin veneer of bipartisanship seemed quite incredulous when Hahn hailed the efforts of Councilman Joe Buscaino for “getting 160 new units of housing for those previously homeless built in Harbor Gateway!” This, considering that the councilman (who has been called a Democrat in name only) has not done much more than chase the homeless around his district for the past five years without addressing the core issues of homelessness as a crisis has unfolded. After explaining the $30 billion county budget and her recent actions to vaccinate at-risk populations against Hepatitis A, Hahn noted that, “The biggest obstacle facing us is not a lack of funding, but NIMBYism and a
8
lack of willingness by communities to take on a fair share of the problem.” This is something Buscaino has refused to address since the tiny homes episode two years ago. None of the development projects currently slated for the San Pedro area include any affordable or low-income housing component, something that Hahn has insisted upon for the courthouse development site on 6th and Centre streets. This puts Hahn at odds with Buscaino in an under-the-radar negotiation about the future of downtown San Pedro over this prime central development site just at a time when the online commercial real estate news outlet, Bisnow, is pushing the Los Angeles development community to support AltaSea and the LA Waterfront Alliance’s Ports O’ Call development. Bisnow hosted an $89 per person breakfast at the Topaz building the day after Hahn’s speech in San Pedro. Hahn says, “This [homeless issue] is a shared problem and it demands a shared solution. There are 58,000 people in LA County who need homes. No one community will bear the burden of housing all 58,000, but no community can house zero either.” The challenge is that if we can’t significantly begin to address the homeless crisis with real solutions now we may never be able to overcome the negative designations and self-deprecations broadcast by Bobby Nizich and John Papadakis. They continue calling San Pedro “a slum” or worse. All eyes are now on the AltaSea project as being the focal point of innovation and the spark for waterfront development. Also not addressed by Hahn are the evictions of Ports O’Call tenants, which will kill a couple dozen businesses and send hundreds of workers to the unemployment lines. It comes as San Pedro’s wheel of fortune is spinning slowly toward added development that Buscaino has wanted for years. The only new housing project that is actively being built is one by the Holland Group at Palos Verdes and 5th streets, just across from the Port of Los Angeles offices — constructed with nonunion labor in this very pro-union town. The 2.45-acre property, located at 550 S. Palos Verdes Street, is entitled for a mixed-use development that would feature 404 residential units atop 5,200 square feet of street-fronting commercial space. These are the very same developers who won the request for proposals for Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya Managing Editor
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the San Pedro Courthouse site. Their first project will not address the homeless people camped out just a few blocks away, but the courthouse may. While Hahn now has to address the needs of a district 10 times the size of her former council district, she does have at least that many times the budget to address the big issues of economic development, the LA Metro, pipeline safety issues along with the homeless crisis. The challenge will be how well does this get done? A footnote to San Pedro development aspirations is the conviction of the Nelson One project developer Richard Dean Lamphere this past week related to multiple charges in connection to a real estate fraud case in Solano County, including grand theft by embezzlement.
Lamphere’s proposed 15-story residential high-rise project on one of the narrowest streets in town was heralded at a past Chamber luncheon by none other than Buscaino in a surprise announcement. It now looks doubtful that this project will get built. In the end, Hahn’s state of the county speech put a positive spin on the future of the county that is now dominated by four female Supervisors and four Democrats — not very much bipartisanship needed when you only have to convince two other people to get what you want done in your district. When asked about POC merchant evictions, Buscaino turned away saying, “Email me your questions.”
Sen. John McCain’s Liberty Medal Reception Speech
U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the following remarks after being awarded the National Constitution Center’s annual Liberty Medal. Vice President Joe Biden, chairman of the National Constitution Center’s Board of Trustees, presented the 2017 Liberty Medal to McCain for his lifetime of sacrifice and service to the nation:
Some years ago, I was present at an event where an earlier Liberty Medal recipient spoke about America’s values and the sacrifices made for them. It was 1991, and I was attending the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The World War II veteran, estimable patriot and good man, President George H.W. Bush, gave a moving speech at the USS Arizona memorial. I remember it very well.
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His voice was thick with emotion as he neared the end of his address. I imagine he was thinking not only of the brave Americans who lost their lives on Dec. 7, 1941, but of the friends he had served with and lost in the Pacific where he had been the Navy’s youngest aviator. ‘Look at the water here, clear and quiet ...’ he directed, ‘One day, in what now seems another lifetime, it wrapped its arms around the finest sons any nation could ever have, and it carried them to a better world.’ He could barely get out the last line, ‘May God bless them, and may God bless America, the most wondrous land on earth.’ The most wondrous land on earth, indeed. I’ve had the good fortune to spend 60 years in service to this wondrous land. It has not been perfect [See McCain, p. 9]
Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, (310) 519-1016. Address correspondence regarding news items and news tips only to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email to editor @randomlengthsnews.com. Send Letters to the Editor or requests for subscription information to james @ randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor should be typewritten, must be signed, with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words. To submit advertising copy email rlnsales@randomelengthsnews.com or reads@randomlengthsnews.com. Extra copies and back issues are available by mail for $3 per copy while supplies last. Subscriptions are available for $36 per year for 27 issues. 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 to express those opinions. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Reporting Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2017 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
[McCain, from p. 8]
McCain
An Open Letter to the President
I am merely an obscure novelist who exited a major political party, after 25 years servicing as a press secretary, district director, or personal deputy to five state lawmakers in California, and to candidates in three election cycles, and organized labor. The personal letter went in today’s mail, and since all correspondence to the White House is appropriately sifted through by layers of staff, I know that the loss of life in Las Vegas may be but a sorrowful slice across the human heart of our nation. And since the friends of the President act vigorously to shut down debate on social media, I could not convey these words to the President, in the groups that love him, and others who hate
him. Facebook is simply at the epicenter of the political battle that this President seems devoted to jam down every throat, so it’s not a surprise that the 500K people on the groups I’ve belonged to most of this year will not be able to see this open letter for weeks. Because a commentary in the NY Times dealing with the President’s harsh march to reelection, I send this to both the Las Vegas paper and the NY Times. I know that my list is based on outreach I’ve made in contexts other than raw politics, so once again I ask for the graciousness of
transmitting it to the appropriate person. Bill Orton Long Beach
Gun Control
The second amendment of the United States Constitution states: “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Obviously the need for a state militia has been replaced by the National Guard and Coast Guard whereby trained military personnel are entrusted with the defense of this country against domestic enemies. Their weapons are tightly
controlled and safeguarded. The only two reasons for a citizen to own a firearm are for hunting or defense of the household from intruders. In either case, ownership of a handgun, shotgun or rifle is more than adequate to satisfy these purposes. There is absolutely no need for any U.S. civilian to own any weapon more powerful or sophisticated than these. Accordingly, all handguns, shotguns and rifles must be licensed and registered to the degree necessary to match weapon to owner at the click of a computer key. Furthermore, we must guarantee that the mentally ill do not gain access to them under any [See Letters, p. 19]
Community Alerts
Special Joint Meeting— Ports Consider Clean Air Action Plan The governing boards of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach convene a joint public meeting to consider the proposed 2017 update to their Clean Air Action Plan. The CAAP functions as an environmental rudder, steering the two largest ports in the United States along a course intended to achieve balance between profitability and sustainability. It was adopted in 2006 with a provision for periodic updates, and one was incorporated in 2010. According to a port announcement, “The final CAAP document will be available at least one week before the joint board meeting, on both port websites and cleanairactionplan.org. Time: 8:30 a.m. Nov. 2 Venue: Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel, 601 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro
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The Los Angeles Police Department’s proposed guidelines for the use of small Unmanned Aerial Systems, also known as drones, are now posted and available for public viewing and comment. These guidelines are intended to provide strict parameters for the use of such systems. Study them: http://tinyurl.com/ LAPDDroneGuidelines Provide your input or comments to: suas@lapd. If you would like to send a letter with your input or comments, the address is: Los Angeles Police Dept. Office of Special Operations sUAS Pilot Project P.O. Box 30158 Los Angeles, CA 90030
Correction
In the story “Ban the Weed or Take the Money: Proposition 64” in the the Oct. 12-25 edition of Random Lengths, Carson community activist Dianne Thomas’ opposed the sale and distribution of medical marijuana in Carson. We regret the confusion the error our story caused.
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service, to be sure, and there were probably times when the country might have benefited from a little less of my help. But I’ve tried to deserve the privilege as best I can, and I’ve been repaid a thousand times over with adventures, with good company, and with the satisfaction of serving something more important than myself, of being a bit player in the extraordinary story of America. And I am so very grateful. What a privilege it is to serve this big, boisterous, brawling, intemperate, striving, daring, beautiful, bountiful, brave, magnificent country. With all our flaws, all our mistakes, with all the frailties of human nature as much on display as our virtues, with all the rancor and anger of our politics, we are blessed. We are living in the land of the free, the land where anything is possible, the land of the immigrant’s dream, the land with the storied past forgotten in the rush to the imagined future, the land that repairs and reinvents itself, the land where a person can escape the consequences of a self-centered youth and know the satisfaction of sacrificing for an ideal, the land where you can go from aimless rebellion to a noble cause, and from the bottom of your class to your party’s nomination for president. We are blessed, and we have been a blessing to humanity in turn. The international order we helped build from the ashes of world war, and that we defend to this day, has liberated more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. This wondrous land has shared its treasures and ideals and shed the blood of its finest patriots to help make another, better world. And as we did so, we made our own civilization more just, freer, more accomplished and prosperous than the America that existed when I watched my father go off to war on Dec. 7, 1941. To fear the world we have organized and led for threequarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain ‘the last best hope of earth’ for the sake of some halfbaked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned
to the ash heap of history. We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home, and their champion abroad. We have done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did. We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don’t. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn’t deserve to. I am the luckiest guy on earth. I have served America’s cause — the cause of our security and the security of our friends, the cause of freedom and equal justice — all my adult life. I haven’t always served it well. I haven’t even always appreciated what I was serving. But among the few compensations of old age is the acuity of hindsight. I see now that I was part of something important that drew me along in its wake even when I was diverted by other interests. I was, knowingly or not, along for the ride as America made the future better than the past. And I have enjoyed it, every single day of it, the good ones and the not so good ones. I’ve been inspired by the service of better patriots than me. I’ve seen Americans make sacrifices for our country and her causes and for people who were strangers to them but for our common humanity, sacrifices that were much harder than the service asked of me. And I’ve seen the good they have done, the lives they freed from tyranny and injustice, the hope they encouraged, the dreams they made achievable. May God bless them. May God bless America, and give us the strength and wisdom, the generosity and compassion to do our duty for this wondrous land and for the world that counts on us. With all its suffering and dangers, the world still looks to the example and leadership of America to become, another, better place. What greater cause could anyone ever serve. Thank you again for this honor. I’ll treasure it.
9
[RecycLA, from p. 4]
RecycLA
Unlimited competition also flooded neighborhoods with repetitive truck trips. “Different council members were moved by different aspects of the policy,” Nothoff recalled. “We showed Joe Buscaino a map of Gaffey Street, with 10 different haulers on it and that was a real, ‘aha!’ moment for him. It’s patently absurd in 2017 to have 10 different trucks servicing a block that can be just as easily serviced by one truck.” Repetitive truck trips meant wasted fuel, excess pollution, and increased street maintenance costs, with more than 9,000 times the impact of an SUV. “The structure of the system was designed to allow these waste companies to direct their dirty trucks to LA, instead of sending their cleaner trucks,” Earthjustice attorney Adrian Martinez said. Only cities with a franchise system were
covered by an Air Quality Management District rule requiring the cleaner trucks. The sheer accumulation of so many different impacts proved overwhelming in the end. But there were positive new promises as well, especially in the areas of recycling food, both composting and food recovery, as described by Claire Fox, executive director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. “A third of municipal waste stream is comprised of organic waste, and a lot of that, the majority of that is food,” Fox said. Since organic landfill waste produces methane gas, which is roughly 30 times worse than carbon dioxide for global warming, the cost of neglecting it is enormous. But the recycling benefits are huge. “Food that is post-consumption is really not trash, it’s a resource,” Fox said. “And it needs to be looked at differently…. There’s a very long tradition in the food movement of recovering food that is still edible.”
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members who live here, but they come with other things — the diesel trucks that are traveling to the neighborhood,” Lopez said. “There’s also a lot of community members who work at the site and they weren’t necessarily at some point the safest places to work.” In short, Pacoima is a low-consumption community bearing the burden of a highconsumption society around it. “We’ve been conserving, because that’s what we have to do,” Lopez said. “Our incomes are lower, we may not have houses so we are living in smaller spaces that don’t require so much, so much water so much energy or that produce so much waste…. When it comes to waste, we see it come down our street every single day and then you smell it and it’s impacting our lives and impacting our health.”
Look Close to RecycLA Price Increase
Los Angeles is rolling out important changes in commercial trash pickup that promises to be cleaner, more efficient, and labor and environmentally friendly — values Angelenos hold dear. But what’s not touted is the cost of the commercial trash pick-up. LA Sanitation Director Enrique Zaldivar in his editorial makes the case for why trash rates needed to go up. To better understand the price structure, we compared the rates to what Random Lengths is currently paying. Random Lengths is currently paying $83.13 for weekly pickup of a 1.5 yard bin that’s half the size of 3 yard bin commonly found one in any commercial business or apartment building. Under the new pricing guidelines, Random Lengths will pay $193.05, more than twice our current rate. In his op-ed, which can be viewed at www.Randomlengthsnews.com, Zaldivar argues that, “Customers throughout the city were paying different rates and there were no standards or protections in place to protect the environment or service provider employees…. Because companies were not required to pay certain fees or minimum wage to their employees, or invest in the safety or cleanliness of their equipment and facilities, they were able to charge artificially low rates.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, private sector trash haulers earn about $43,000, a figure well above minimum wage. He went on to note that under these previous rates, service providers would not be able to provide the current services, benefits and customer support expectations now set by California and Los Angeles. Some of those benefits include new waste hauler requirements such as: Clean fuel low-emission vehicles; Enhanced recycling opportunities; Improved accountability and customer service; Transparent and predictable rates; Reporting requirements; And that recycLA customers will enjoy: Universal access to recycling services Availability of organics collection and recycling services Compliance with environmental mandates Accountability and high quality of service Annual bin cleaning Graffiti removal for containers The benefits provided by recycLA are considerable and significant. The city is gambling that residents won’t mind the price to paid to get them. — Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
Hahn Delivers State of the County
October 26 - November 8, 2017
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There also is traditional recycling and new businesses based on using food waste. “We met a guy who grows crickets on clean food waste streams and he processes the crickets into protein; they create … protein bars and protein cookies, all kinds of weird stuff,” Fox said. It’s not for everyone, but it doesn’t have to be. But the more options there are, and the more care is built into the system from the beginning, the more will be used for its highest value. No place in Los Angeles shows the potential impact of recycLA better than Pacoima, home to 14 landfills in the northern San Fernando Valley. Pacoima Beautiful is a 21-year-old environmental justice organization that was an early partner in Don’t Waste LA. Yvette Lopez is its deputy director, “The presence of landfills alone is enough to cause health impacts on the community
10
On Oct. 18, Supervisor Janice Hahn delivered her first State of the County address at a lunch hosted by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce at the Port of Los Angeles Cruise Terminal. The event brought together the district’s upper echelon of political elites, including current and former city council members, mayors and representatives in the state legislature. Photo by Casey Warren
Punk is Never Out of Session
By Christian Simac, Contributing Writer
Recess Records is the household name within the microcosm of San Pedro punk. First we were given the legendary Minutemen, who put San Pedro on the punk music map, and brought along neighboring acts like Saccharine Trust, Black Flag and the Descendents. All of them contributed to the foundation of early American hardcore and local punk. The first punk bands that spewed from the South Bay and Los Angeles comprised an eclectic selection. As they flourished, faded or broke up over time, their influence was evident in the cyclical waves of new bands that emerged to replace them, outfits formed by youth who grew up listening to them. Recess Records, spearheaded by a young Torrance skater named Todd Congelliere, sprouted in the South Bay a decade after the foundation of Pedro and South Bay punk. Congelliere, who eventually developed into a cover-boy quality professional skater for Liberty Skateboards, discovered punk music through the sport and both became his consuming interests. Congelliere founded Recess Records in the late 1980s after putting out a few tapes of his band, F.Y.P. (Five Year Plan). The group’s original 7-inch vinyl debut, entitled Extra Credit, is the record that made the label official. Recess Records soon solidified its place in the Pedro and South Bay punk scene, putting out countless records, setting up events around San Pedro, and truly representing the state of San Pedro punk. Congelliere eventually left Torrance for San Pedro. He continues to enhance local life with gestures of admiration and hospitality — shows for children, [See Punk, p. 14]
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Todd Congelliere performed with his band, Toys That Kill at this year’s Shred Fest in San Pedro. Photo by Robert Ibarra
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‘I
The Chowder Barge is a See-Worthy Meal Afloat By Richard Foss, Cuisine and Culture Writer
a scruffy marina. Matinee idols of that era weren’t noted as gourmets, so I can’t say for sure whether the food was more sophisticated then or now. The Chowder Barge’s menu is pretty basic: burgers, seafood platters and, of course, its namesake, chowder. There is one novel item, the “Double Chowder Burger,” which consists of a cheeseburger topped with clam chowder, topped with fried clam strips. You might want to read that last sentence again, because it actually does say what you thought it said. With the possible exception of the Seattle-area barbecue joint that offered “weasel on a stick,” it’s easily the weirdest house special I have ever seen. (And before you ask, of course I ordered the weasel on a stick, but they were out that day. They’re out every day, because it’s a joke.) I seriously considered whether to order that house special for about 30 seconds. I have had a lot of strange and scary items in my travels
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better: thick, a bit peppery and heavily scented with thyme. It’s not the best chowder I have ever had, but it went down just fine and would be great on a cool, damp day. The sandwiches and onion rings arrived after a few minutes and all were good examples of traditional diner cooking. I’d have preferred the flavor of freshly breaded onion rings, but it was all decent and wholesome and I’d have them again. What I wouldn’t do again is repeat the experiment of dipping my burger in the clam chowder, topping it with fried clams, and having a bite, all in order to replicate the Chowder Burger. It wasn’t completely revolting, but I think that if I just pulled random items from my refrigerator and layered them, most combinations would have been better. No matter how much you like them individually, these things really don’t go well together. When I asked a server who had come up with this combination, they shrugged and replied, “Someone who smokes a lot of pot.” That had
As LA’s only floating restaurant — the locale and overall feel of The Chowder Barge is reason enough to visit. Photos by Richard Foss.
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
’m not sure you’re going to love the food, but I know you’re going to love the place,” said my friend Annette when I picked her up to visit The Chowder Barge in east Wilmington. She is a professional chef and the places she recommends are usually heavy on style, but she let me know that this was not a day to dress up. Sure enough, the Wilmington marina where The Chowder Barge is docked is not the kind of place where one is expected to come in a jacket and tie. A T-shirt, jeans and sneakers are formal enough, no one will fault you for not wearing socks. The Chowder Barge looks like the building where just about everybody had their first apartment, but with water under it. The sides are unevenly stuccoed, there’s only a faint memory of paint on some of the trim and once you get aboard you may notice that the whole thing is listing slightly. Inside there’s a nautical clutter that is oddly multicultural. Yes, that’s a carving of an Indonesian mermaid next to the tacky New England fisherman statue and there are antique fish gaffs alongside the incongruous Mayan heads hanging near the fireplace. All sorts of pirate-themed toys, mugs and other memorabilia festoon the place, adding to a collection reminiscent of an eccentric uncle’s study. There is an unmistakable patina of age, which is appropriate since this barge was built in 1934 as a support vessel for the movie Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Clark Gable and other actors that nobody but serious film buffs remember. Some genuine matinee idols dined here and you can too, if you’re willing to go well off the beaten track to
any order Weekdays between
3 and 6 pm Closed Tuesdays. Expires 12-1-17, with coupon.
— Bulgarian kidney stew, Taiwanese stinky tofu, haggis, Greek sheep eyeballs, natto, Korean pig intestine stew, Marc MacYoung’s homemade chili and fugu, to name just a few. It was a surprise to be offered something that ranked in that league aboard a barge in Wilmington. I didn’t actually order the burger, but did the next best thing: I ordered a starter of fried clams, a cup of chowder and a burger so I could try them all separately and then together. Annette called me a chicken, then ordered a salad and a grilled ham and cheese on sourdough with onion rings. The clams and salad arrived first and they were about what I expected. All of the seafood here is frozen. Fried frozen clam strips are the kind of thing that is hard to screw up. Annette’s salad was a bit better than expected, with some beets and cheese topping the standard lettuce and cucumber. The chowder was somewhat
File photo
actually been my guess. I don’t think there’s enough pot in the world to give me the munchies for a double chowder burger, but I’m highly likely to return to The Chowder Barge again and bring friends, just so they can savor the character of the place. I’ll want to see their faces when they step into that environment and experience the delight I did in finding a quirky hangout like this in such an unlikely setting. The Chowder Barge is at 611 Henry Ford Ave. in Wilmington, down the road in the Leeward Bay Marina. It is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays through Saturdays. Beer and wine is served. There is a parking lot. Details: (310) 830-7937; chowderbarge.com.
A R T G A L L E R IE S | O PEN S T U D I O S | L A T E D ININ G & S H O PPIN G | L I V E M U S I C O N T H E S T R EE T S
Michael Stearns Studio 347
Diasporagasm: Curated by Beyoncenista (aka April Bey) South Bay Contemporary Gallery in conjunction with Michael Stearns Studio 347 presents a co-located multi-media exhibition Diasporagasm, which brings together artists working in Los Angeles, Haiti, Ghana, the Caribbean and West Africa. Diasporagasm opens on First Thursday, Nov. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Gallery 347. Save the date: June Edmonds, Cole James and Duane Paul will discuss their work during an artist panel. Saturday, Nov. 18, 5 to 8 p.m. The show is sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Duane Paul, Monica, mixed media, Cultural Affairs. 2013-14. Michael Stearns Studio 347, 347 W. 7th St., San Pedro. For more details call (310) 429-0973 or (562) 400-0544.
Studio Gallery 345
FirstThursday Artwalk 20th Anniversary
ALL ABOUT COLOR
Events throughout Downtown San pedro celebrate this milestone anniversary Video projections of local artworks on the walls of the Garden Church, plus live music throughout the evening. 424 W. 6th Street HuZ Gallery will host a champagne toast at 6 p.m. 341 W. 7th Street
Pat Woolley
Studio 345 presents work by artists Pat Woolley and Gloria D Lee. All About Color, watercolors, acrylics and mixed media. Open 5 to 9 p.m. on First Thursday or by appointment. Studio 345, 345 W. 7th St., San Pedro. For information, call (310) 545-0832 or (310) 374-8055; artsail@roadrunner.com or www.patwoolleyart.com.
Free guided one hour Artwalk tour will gather at the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce Boardroom Gallery. 390 West 7th Street. Free trolley rides will take you throughout the downtown Arts District all evening.
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Shadow Lands
Reflections on some people I’ve known 12 POEMS
By James Preston Allen
Available now at Grand Emporium 323 W. 7th St., San Pedro or by mail order: Send check for $10 plus $1.50 s/h payable to Beacon Light Press, P.O. Box 731 San Pedro, CA 90733
LIVE JAZZ SUNDAYS, 3 to 6 p.m. 1st Thursday After Party 9 p.m. to midnight
Wine Wednesdays
1/2 off bottles after 6 p.m.
Daily Happy Hour 3 to 6 p.m.
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Publisher of Random Lengths News
13
[Punk, from p. 11]
LOU MANNICK
SAW & SOUL
Punk’s In Session
art exhibitions, social events, reissues of the essential records of South Bay punk history — all bearing the wit and fun of his unmistakable personal style. Recess has more than 200 official releases on its resume, from vinyl records to cassette tapes, featuring bands from San Pedro and throughout the country. That number of releases on a DIY label can be quite a tedious milestone to achieve but Todd made it happen, all while playing in five bands and now being a family man. Occasionally, he still gives a boost to smaller bands by releasing their work on Recess to help get their name out. Apart from running Recess Records, Congelliere’s many bands are mainstays in Pedro punk. His first band with his close friend Sean Cole, F.Y.P. (Five Year Plan), started it all. The band lasted more than a decade and took
Featuring
Windy Barnes Otis Mannick David Witham Oliver C. Brown with Guest Performer
Mike McCollum Tickets: $20
Sunday, Oct. 29 • 4 p.m.
Alvas Showroom 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro For tickets: www.alvasshowroom.com
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
(310) 833-7538
14
Todd Congelliere. File photo
Congelliere and the band across the United States and touring through other continents. Next came Toys That Kill, which had the same lineup of musicians as F.Y.P., and remains one of Congelliere’s main focuses to this day. Toys That Kill are a pure representation of what San Pedro punk represents: DIY, humility, and absolute fun. Toys That Kill shows are abundant in Pedro and Long Beach and are a guaranteed good time. What’s most interesting about Toys That Kill is the band’s fans. Since Pedro is such a small town and its punk scene is so communal and niche, shows often bring out three generations of fans. Older fans from F.Y.P. days will be present and hanging out with Congelliere and other venerable bands, who have been around from the early days of Pedro punk and are still going to shows and supporting the scene decades later. Next you will have those in their mid-20s, who grew up listening to Toys That Kill as teens or may be playing in bands involved in the current scene in Pedro or Long Beach. Finally, you will have the youngest generation of millennial teens, whether still in high school or just graduated. They bring energy to the shows and are the future of punk. Seeing a variety of fans having a blast together adds a warming and welcoming element to the shows. Congelliere plays in such other notable bands as Underground Railroad, Candyland, Stoned at Heart and Clown Sounds, all appreciated by dedicated fans, all holding significant positions on the Recess Records discography. Congelliere also manages to record records. Each band is its own animal, with its own unique sound and aesthetic, never bleeding into any blatant similarities with one another, which is quite the accomplishment for Congelliere and his bandmates. As for the current state of Recess Records and Congelliere’s sonic endeavors, Toys That Kill has just completed a summer tour and has been playing some shows around Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pomona and San Pedro. Congelliere has been making an effort to get more shows for all-ages in San Pedro, preferable to trying to catch them sneaking into the decorated Harold’s Bar. He has a popup distribution outlet in Pedro, which sells all records in the Recess catalog, band merch and other Recess knick-knacks. Recess has put out countless bands and organized countless shows to help support the punk community. Congelliere recently spoke about the start of the label, his personal life, and what he has planned for Recess Records. Random Lengths News: How did you get into punk and DIY?
Todd Congelliere: Pretty much through skateboarding. I had a ramp in my yard and the locals would bring over Black Flag, Minor Threat, 7 Seconds tapes to listen to while we skated. At first, I thought it was just good to skate too — aggressive. I didn’t realize that it was just knocking on the door to a whole, wide world. RLn: When and why did you start Recess Records?
TC: 1990 was the first vinyl release. I did tapes starting in ’87 or ’88. I had some extra money for turning skate tricks and bought a Tascam 4-track recorder. First tape I made was [See Congelliere, p. 19]
E
ach year provides more choices for enthusiasts of the holiday rooted in pagan practices. Bonfires and scary stories, haunted ships and, of course, a cemetery tour should always be on your list of things to do. We may not often recall the history, but the festival marked the end of harvest for the Celtics and the beginning of the ‘darker half’ of the year. When Christianity came to Ireland an uneasy truce was created to meld the holiday with All Saints Day. Here are a few ideas to raise the spirits for your Halloween celebration.
22nd Annual Long Beach Historical Cemetery Tour
Every Halloween season since 1995 the Historical Society of Long Beach has conducted living history tours at the city’s two oldest cemeteries: the Long Beach Municipal Cemetery and Sunnyside Cemetery. These are adjacent to one another on Willow Street. Combined, the two final resting places are
copies of his latest novel, Persistence of Vision. Deeble conducted hours of research for the book that’s similar to what the Historical Society does for the Cemetery Tour. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Oct. 28 Cost: $20 Details: hslb.org/historical-cemetery-tour Venue: Sunnyside Cemetery, 1095 E. Willow St., Long Beach
15th Annual Scary Stories at Angels Gate Cultural Center
There is nothing scarier than what you imagine, especially when you hear things in the
dark. Who hasn’t lain awake in bed, listening to the night and “seeing” monsters in every gloomy corner? A creaking floorboard, a distant howl, a tree branch scratching on your windowpane — these are the building blocks of terror. Sound effects are an important part of Scary Stories, the annual Halloween event at Angels Gate Cultural Center. This year, you’ll hear a head chopped off, a body thrown down a well, mysterious rustlings, creaking hinges, spiders, rats and a host of other evocative sounds that are sure to tingle your spine. Gaze into the big bonfire and see everything in terrifying detail as only you can see it. Cower in your beach chair and cover yourself with a blanket — but there’s no escaping the power of your own imagination. Time: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 Cost: $5 Details: http://angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
authentically terrifying haunt, returns to the Queen Mary on select nights through Nov. 1. This year there are more monsters, more nights and more mazes. Dark Harbor’s newest resident spirit, Chef, will make its horrific debuts along with the return of the infamous spirits of Iron Master, Captain, Samuel the Savage, Graceful Gale, Half-Hatch Henry, Scary Mary, Voodoo Priestess, Ringmaster and hundreds of their blood-curdling henchmen. Time: 6 p.m. through Nov. 1 Cost: $24 Details: www.queenmary.com/events/darkharbor Venue: Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach GRAND
VISION
Saturday, Oct. 28
7:30 pm Door • 8 pm Concert Regional all-star, all-female band pays tribute to the Queen of Cuban salsa, Celia Cruz
Show Ponies Friday, Nov. 3
7:30 pm Door • 8 pm Concert
L.A.-based indie-folk band with old school country influences Tickets & Info:
310.833.4813 | GrandVision.org The Grand Annex | 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
by Jim Sitterly
Within the past 60 years, the ship named after British Royalty has been the site of at least 49 reported deaths. That’s not counting the terrors of her tours of duty in World War II. So, it comes as no surprise that spectral spirits of its vivid past continue to walk within its rooms and hallways. As many as 150 known spirits lurk aboard the Queen Mary, one of the most haunted places in the world. Dark Harbor, Southern California’s most
with Peter Xifo, narrator SUN., OCT.29
MON., OCT. 30
The Corner Store
LA Harbor College
7:00 p.m. — Free 1118 W. 37th St. San Pedro
7:00 p.m. — Free
Miller Recital Hall 1111 Figueroa Pl. Wilmington
Fridays
Jazz Band, 7 pm
Saturdays
Jazz Guitar, 6:30 pm
a full-service beauty and tanning salon
Begin a new you for FREE. Come in for a free hair consultation and take the first step toward a new look. 2205 E. Broadway, Long Beach (562) 433-6731 • www.jwgoodsons.com
October 26 - November 8, 2017
(310) 548-1659 • LittleEmo.com Enjoy Live Music No Cover Stay for Dinner
Four-piece Jazz Band The Swinging Whalers
P R E S EN T S
Las Chikas
Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor
1st Thursday Artwalk Nov. 2nd
The Mexican holiday is not Halloween, but for many reasons, including the proximity of the dates, it has fused with Halloween in the country. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. Again, the Catholic church saw the opportunity to incorporate an ancient holiday, practiced by indigenous people prior to the conquest of the new world, and merged it with All Saints Day. This year San Pedro will celebrate its 6th annual Día de los Muertos and this year they are expecting 10,000 people. Expect some great music for dancing, a beer garden and food trucks. Parking is available for $7 at Centre Street between 5th and 6th streets. Time: 3 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29. Details: sanpedrodayofthedead.com Venue: 398 W. 6th St., San Pedro
“home” to more than 20,000 past residents of the area. This year the tour includes the story of the Deeble Family, told from the perspective of Fannie Mae Deeble by Linda Midgett, an actor with the Long Beach Playhouse. Dressed in the regalia of Deeble’s time and standing beside her grave, Midgett will reveal the details of Mae Deeble’s life, who encountered prosperity, an untimely and somewhat mysterious death, and rubbed elbows with politicians. Additionally, author Steven Deeble (name sound familiar?) will be in attendance to sign
By Andrea Serna, Arts and Culture Writer
Downtown San Pedro Día de los Muertos Celebration
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
An actor performed as one of the dead in the Long Beach cemetery in a past tour. Above, a cemetery angel at Sunnyside Cemetery. File photos.
Many Choices for Your Halloween Harbor Celebration
15
17 OCT 26 - nov 8 • 20 ENTERTAINMENT Oct. 28
Heartbeat City Heartbeat City faithfully recreates the look and sound of 1980s band The Cars. Seeing Heartbeat City is as close as you can come to seeing an genuine Cars concert. Time: 8 p.m. Oct. 28 Cost: $20 Details: https:// alvasshowroom.com/event/ heartbeat-city Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Oct. 29
Lou Mannick Jazz ballads with musical saw and piano, jazz, blues jumps with vocals by Windy Barnes, harmonica and percussion. Time: 4 p.m. Oct. 29 Cost: $20 Details: https:// alvasshowroom.com/event/ lou-mannick-saw-soul Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Motel Hell Violinist Jim Sittery performs his composition with narration by Peter Xifo. Time: 7 p.m. Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-1659 Venue: The Corner Store, 1118 W. 37th St., San Pedro; LA Harbor College Miller Recital Hall, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Oct. 30
16
San Pedro Jam Sessions Every Monday night instrumentalists and vocalists are welcome to sit-in and play jazz standards with the Hugh von Kleist Quartet. All levels and experience welcome. Time: 9 p.m. Oct. 30 Cost: Free Details: (424) 570-0514 www.facebook.com/crimsinsp Venue: Crimsin Lounge, 345 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Oct. 31
Halloween Dance of the Dead Party Dress up in your creepiest costume and come on out and dance the night away to a full 80s, all vinyl set list with DJs Polywog, Judith Christ and Verdilak. Time: 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 31 Cost: Free Details: www.4thstreetvine. com Venue: 4th Street Vine, 2142 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Nov. 1 For Peach Band Enjoy SoCal Reggae. Time: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 Cost: $10 to $35 Details: www.solvenue.com Venue: SOL Venue, 313 E. Carson St., Carson
Nov. 3
Hausmann Quartet Now in its 11th season, the Hausmann Quartet has
Details: (310) 600-4873 (310) 732-2150 Venue: TransVagrant Projects and Gallery 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro
established itself an integral part of the cultural life of Southern California. Time: 12 p.m. Nov. 3 Cost: Free Details: (310) 316-5574; www.palosverdes.com/ ClassicalCrossroads/FirstFridays. htm Venue: First Lutheran Church and School, 2900 W. Carson St., Torrance
Nov. 4
Bruce Baker Jazz pianist, composer, arranger and orchestrator, Bruce Baker will be focusing on jazz trio piano originals. With special guest performers Jun Iida on trumpet and Angela Vicente on vocals. Time: 8 p.m. Nov. 4 Cost: $20 Details: https://alvasshowroom. com/event/bb-the-alteredpresence-jazz-band Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Exene & John Doe The original icons of Los Angeles punk, John Doe and Exene Cervenka of X, continue their 40th anniversary celebration by playing an acoustic set atop a bill that includes Mike Watt and the Secondmen. The concert benefits the Palos Verdes Art Center. Time: 6 p.m. Nov. 4 Cost: $15 to $75 Details: 310-833-9330, brouwerijwest.com. Venue: Brouwerij West 110 E. 22nd St., Warehouse 9, San Pedro La Santa Cecilia Grammy-winning La Santa Cecilia will headline Día de los Muertos in Long Beach. La Santa Cecilia combines traditional Mexican music with a modern twist. Time: 5 to 11 p.m. Nov. 4 Cost: Free Details: www.facebook.com/ LenaGonzalezLB Venue: Downtown Long Beach, Pine Avenue, between 4th and 6th streets, Long Beach
THEATER Nov. 4
Arsenic and Old Lace When these two sweet old sisters feel the need to release a worthy roomer of his lonely suffering, just a sip of their homemade Elderberry wine will do the trick. Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays Nov. 4 through Dec. 2 Cost: $10 to $27 Details: www.lbplayhouse.org/ show/arsenic-and-old-lace Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
Nov. 10 The Night Before the Night Before Christmas Escaping New Jersey, the freezing cold, his nutty family and most of all the holidays, is exactly what Lou plans to do. Will a couple of unlikely characters help restore Lou and Carol’s Christmas Spirit in the St. Nick of time? Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 10 through Dec. 16 Cost: $27
Celebrate el Día de los Muertos in downtown San Pedro on Oct. 29 with altars to the dead, face painting, live music, food court and more. Details: www.littlefishtheatre.org/ wp/the-night-before-the-nightbefore-christmas Venue: Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro
Ongoing
In the Heights Before there was Hamilton, there was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cutting edge musical masterpiece In the Heights. The story unfolds across three days in the vibrant New York community of Washington Heights. Time: 8 p.m. Oct. 27, 28, Nov. 3 and 4, 1 p.m. Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 2 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, and 6 p.m. Oct. 29. Cost: $20 Details: (562) 856-1999 www.musical.org Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton, Long Beach Home The action begins on the small farm in North Carolina that Cephus Miles, an orphan, has inherited from his family. Not believing in the Vietnam War, Cephus is imprisoned as a draft evader for refusing to serve. Time: 8 p.m. Thrusdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 5 Cost: $47 to $49 Details: http://ictlongbeach.org/ Venue: International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach Cabaret From the enigmatic Emcee, to the wounded Sally Bowles, these familiar characters will reignite the sense of despair and danger so commonly found in fascist regimes. Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 18 Cost: $20 to $24 Details: www.lbplayhouse.org Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
ARTS Nov. 3
Exene Cervenka in Collage Acclaimed poet, author, punk vocalist and erstwhile advice columnist will attend the Palos Verdes Art Center’s Nov. 3 reception for an exhibit of her collages entitled, Exene Cervenka: Lipstick Sunset. The pieces on display combine handwork and appropriated images, written words and found text that present
a perplexing and highly personal world. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 26 Cost: Free Details: (310) 541-2479; www. pvartcenter.org Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 Crestridge Road. Rancho Palos Verdes
Nov. 4
Celebrate Art Association’s Grand Re-Opening The San Pedro Art Association invites the public to celebrate its grand re-opening at its newly expand location.There will be refreshments, music, and beautiful art and craft items. Time: 11 a.m., 6 p.m. Nov. 4 Cost: Free Details: (310) 400-9659 Venue: Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro Art Association, 112 E. 22nd St, # 10, San Pedro
Ongoing
17th Annual Frida Kahlo Artist Exhibit Enjoy another awe-inspiring exhibit featuring several artists at Picture This Gallery. Time: 12 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, through Oct. 31 Cost: Free Details: (562) 233-3726 Venue: Picture This Gallery, 4130 Norse Way, Long Beach Diasporagasm South Bay Contemporary Gallery in conjunction with Michael Stearns Studio 347 presents a co-located multimedia exhibition Diasporagasm. This exhibit is curated by artist, Beyoncenista and brings together artists working in Los Angeles, Haiti, Ghana, the Caribbean and West Africa. Time: Through Nov. 18 Cost: Free Details: (562) 400-0544 Venue: Gallery 347, 347 W. 7th St., San Pedro blink•point TransVagrant Projects and Gallery 478 are pleased to present blink•point, recent work by Ellwood T. Risk, a self-taught artist. Risk appropriates, alters, re-contextualizes, shoots and re-presents the ordinary in unanticipated iterations. Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, through Nov. 25 Cost: Free
rebidishu III Los Angeles Harbor College Fine Arts Gallery is pleased to present rebidishu III, Recent Paintings by Katy Crowe. Abstract art is often seen as carrying a moral dimension, in that it can be interpreted to stand for virtues ranging from order and purity, to simplicity and spirituality. In the case of Crowe, virtue is obtained by process and intuition. Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, through Nov. 30 Cost: Free Details: (310) 233-4411 Venue: Los Angeles Harbor College Fine Arts Gallery, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington Rino Gonzalez Much of the joy of Gonzalez’s painting comes purely from studying technical achievement in the reproduction of such aspects as fine lacework, polished and textured surfaces, worn books and tattered pages, fruit and roses. Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m Tuesday through Saturday, through Dec. 2 Cost: Free Details: (310) 547-3158; parkhurstgalleries.com Venue: Parkhurst Galleries, 439 W 6th St, San Pedro
COMMUNITY Oct. 27
Hocus Pocus and Halloween Under the Guns First, go trick or treating on the historic battleship Iowa. Next, watch 25-years-younger versions of Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler in the 1993 feature, Hocus Pocus. Only nonviolent and inoffensive costumes; no weapons (actual or replicas); concessions available. Time: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 27 Cost: Free Details: pacificbattleship.com Venue: Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro
Oct. 28
Happy Harbor Halloween Kick off the day with a Halloweenthemed pet parade and enjoy Happy Harbor Halloween, a free, family-friendly event that features a costume parade, music, reptiles, arts and crafts, face painting, games, and fun for children. Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 28 Cost: Free Details: lawaterfront.org Venues: Wilmington Waterfront Park, W. C St., Wilmington Ports O’ Call Goodbye Tour San Pedro Bay Historical Society will lead a trivia-packed walking tour of Ports O’ Call. Time: 10 a.m. Oct. 28 Cost: $15 Details: (310) 548-3208 Venue: Utro’s Cafe, Berth 73, San Pedro Scary Stories 15 Snuggle up around the bonfire for an all-new program of scary stories with sound effects. It’s suitable for all ages. Picnics are welcome; bring your own seating and dress warmly. Time: 6:30 p.m to 8 p.m. Oct 28 Cost: $5
Details: (310) 519-0936 Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Sea Scare 2017 Experience Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in a different light as it is transformed into an underwater world of chills, thrills and gills. Sea Scare is sure to be a frightfully good time for the whole family. Come in costume. Time: 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 28 Cost: $10 adults/ $5 children Details: www. cabrillomarineaquarium.org Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro
Oct. 29
Spooky Pedro Walking Tour Join San Pedro historian Angela “Romee” Romero and psychic medium Mary O’Maley for a stroll through haunted and historic downtown San Pedro. We’ll rattle some chains and see what bumps back. Time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 Cost: $20 Details: (310) 808-7800 Venue: Downtown San Pedro San Pedro Día De Los Muertos Festival 2017 The streets will come alive with art, culture, delicious cuisine and live entertainment. You can enjoy the sacred altar competition and exhibition, craft vendor booths, on-site face painters, a food court, children’s stage and play area and main stage entertainment. Time: 3 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29 Cost: Free Details: http:// sanpedrodayofthedead.com Venue: Downtown San Pedro A Dream Within a Dream Enjoy a community altar making for the day of the Dead. Time: 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 29 Cost: Free Details: (562) 435-2787 www.artslb.org Venue: Made by Millworks, 240 Pine Ave., Long Beach
Nov. 4
Beach Cleanup On the first Saturday of each month, join CMA Educators and volunteers in a beach cleanup, clearing the shore of marine debris. Meet at the steps in front of the auditorium. Time: 8 to 10 a.m. Nov. 4 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-7562 www.cabrillomarineaquarium. org Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro 4th Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser. Sip and savor wines of the Mediterranean while enjoying live music with Dave Williams and MBT. Enjoy food, friends, holiday boutique and a silent auction Time: 6 to 10 p.m. Nov. 4 Cost: $50 Details: (562) 570-3548 www.heartofida.org Venue: International City Masonic Lodge, 5155 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
[Junk Food News, from p. 7]
Junk Food News
for questioning the validity of his statements as fake news. But Project Censored noted that Trump and his underlings were not alone in labeling inconvenient truths fake news. The Democratic National Committee was also guilty, as it sought to explain how Hillary Clinton lost to a Cheeto. Project Censored noted that the partisan practice of labeling inconvenient truths as fake news undermined credible journalism while distracting the public from the barrage of actual fake news flooding our global society. This was reminiscent of a Ron Suskind story in the New York Times Magazine more than a decade ago in which the phrase “reality-based community” was used by an aide in the George W. Bush administration. The term was a phrase used to denigrate a critic of the administration’s policies who are basing the judgments on facts. In it, Suskind wrote: The aide said that guys like me were ‘in what we call the reality-based community, which he defined as people who believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.’[...] “that’s not the way the world really works anymore’ he continued. ‘We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”
The source was later revealed to be political operative and Bush administration advisor, Karl Rove, but he has denied it. Huff and Higdon noted that the internet’s promise of delivering endless information to circumvent a post-truth world has not succeeded in producing a well-informed populace. Instead, the inflation of spurious information coupled with an education system that does not teach critical media literacy to students and does not show them how to navigate and participate in the digital world has resulted in a dystopia of falsehoods that are now referred to as “alternative facts.” This post-truth environment, they argue, gave rise to a term defined as an outright lie that is introduced and then used as evidence to support a desired conclusion. Among the examples Project Censored used: • Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s claiming three times that a terror attack occurred in Atlanta, Ga. • U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson claiming that African American slaves were immigrants who worked hard and found success in America, without socio-economic relevancy or historical context. • The Trump administration claim that the resistance to their repeal and replace Obamacare were paid protesters. Huff and Higdon argue that the ability to embrace dissonant facts is a skill set needed now more than ever, when inconvenient truths are labeled fake news. They argue that this state of affairs has resulted in a post-truth world. After laying this groundwork, Project Censored, shifts to the Democratic National
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Taibibi, and by extension, Project Censored is correct. For Huff and Higdon, the question was whether Russian interference had a direct, demonstrable impact on Clinton losing the election. The answer has been a resounding ‘no,’ regardless of the steady drip of leaks regarding the alleged collusion of Trump’s campaign with the Russian government. The fact remains, Clinton with help from the Democratic National Committee, lost to a Cheeto who should not have had any chance of winning. Huff’s and Higdon’s choice to frame this chapter with the words of H.L. Mencken, Neil Postman and Morris Berman signals a dark place we’re entering. Though they offer prescriptions to heal American democracy and strengthen its citizenry, there’s an underlying pessimism in this chapter. At the conclusion of the Junk Food News [See Junk Food, p. 19]
Buscaino’s Festa Italia Block Party a Hit
Councilman Joe Buscaino, left, hosted his annual Festa Italia Oct. 22 at Weymouth Corners in San Pedro. This year’s festivities included an Italian car and classic scooter show and live entertainment provided by Maria Elena Infantino, The Ric Mandell Trio and San Pedro City Ballet. There was plenty of spaghetti and meatballs for all courtesy of Pirozzi’s Italian Deli. Photos by Raphael Richardson.
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Convention and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. From the start, Project Censored makes the argument that the Russian hacking narrative, propagated by the corporate media invested in Clinton’s bid for the White House, is an example of an alternative fact designed to deflect attention away from Clinton’s deficiencies as a candidate. Huff and Higdon cite the Washington Post and the website ProporNot that were purported to have uncovered the media outlets that served as dupes of Russian hackers with a series of algorithms designed to analyze the web content of media outlets. The Post reprinted a list created by ProporNot. Project Censored noted that under threat of lawsuits, they published a partial retraction. Project Censored, using a quote by Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibibi, argues that the Russian story was a distraction from the preexisting problems within the Democratic Party.
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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017265888 The following person is doing business as Radisic Plumbing, 26340 Western Ave.,Lomita, Ca 90717. Los Angeles County. Mailing Address: P.O. box 347 Harbor City, CA 90710. Registered owners: Jennifer Maire Radisic, 1817 256th St., Lomita Ca 90717. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: Sept. 2017. 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.) Jennifer Maire Radisic, owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los
Angeles on Sep. 18, 2017. 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).
09/28/2017, Original filing: 10/12/2017, 10/26/2017, 11/09/2017
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017291039 The following person is doing business as A&E Ship Repair & Welding, 1531 S. Leland St., San Pedro, CA 90732. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: James B. Austin III, 1531 S. Leland St., San Pedro, CA 90732. 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.) James B.
[continued on p. 19]
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1 Maker of the CR-V 6 Fork’s place 10 Summer in Saint-Tropez 13 Woodwind section members 14 Studio 54, for one 15 “On the Road” narrator ___ Paradise 16 Kept track of time in boredom 19 Downbeat music genre 20 Discourage from acting 21 Inflatable co-pilot in “Airplane!” 22 Mac Web browser named for an expedition 25 Grab ___ (eat on the run) 27 Mixed-breed pups 30 Openings 33 Comment of sudden confusion 37 Bitter bar brew, for short 38 Number before zwei 39 IM giggle 40 Cake decorator 41 Dolphins’ org. 42 Return message? 46 Chewy chocolate candy brand from Germany 48 Roguish guy 49 Ward (off) 51 “___ Weapon” (Mel Gibson film) 55 Pot payment 57 Put in a seat?
60 Peyton’s brother 61 Heated drink that traditionally helps you fall asleep 65 MPG rating group 66 Dick who coached the Washington Bullets to a 1978 NBA Championship win 67 Comedian Izzard 68 Director Guillermo ___ Toro 69 Caricatured 70 Like some cavefish Down 1 Gordie and Elias, for two 2 Time’s Person of the Year for 2008 and 2012 3 “___ This Earth” (1957 sci-fi film) 4 12th of 12, briefly 5 Briquette remnant 6 “Stanley & Iris” director Martin 7 “Straight Outta Compton” star ___ Jackson, Jr. 8 Bitterly harsh 9 Grumpy companion? 10 Really specialized knowledge 11 Diplomatic quality 12 Nevada city on the Humboldt River 14 Ike’s monogram 17 Archie Bunker’s wife 18 Former Senate Majority Leader Trent 23 Qts. and gals., e.g. 24 Monotonous routine 26 Publicity, slangily (and
presumably before computers) 28 Fail to keep a secret 29 Big surprise 31 Oil cartel since 1960 32 Cutty ___ (Scotch brand) 33 Day-to-day deterioration 34 “New Adventures in ___” (1996 R.E.M. album) 35 Like a family tree’s roots? 36 Tesla founder Musk 40 “Likely story!” 42 “Isn’t it rich / Are ___ pair” (“Send in the Clowns” lyric) 43 Wrap completely around 44 ___-Meal (longtime hot cereal brand) 45 December 24th or 31st, e.g. 47 Mushroom stalk 50 Bring joy to 52 “America’s Got Talent” judge Klum 53 Maximum poker bet 54 Gave props on Facebook 55 Blown away 56 Scruff of the neck 58 Abbr. before a cornerstone date 59 Jefferson Davis’s gp. 62 Daytime ABC show, for short 63 It’s a few pages after 4-Down 64 1550, on some hypothetical cornerstone ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
RANDOMLetters [Letters, from p. 9]
circumstances. Finally, if we had prohibited the purchase of more sophisticated weapons several innocent victims would not have died or been harmed at shopping malls, college campuses, Congressional meetings, churches and now concerts. We as a country must deal with this issue immediately lest our society fall back to the days when everyone carried a holster. Joe Bialek Cleveland, OH
Illegal Business in San Pedro
I hope that someone who reads this can help me spread the word about this place. A few months ago I needed some merchandise shipped to Central America and I found this business at 1104 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, called Daniela’s Variedades. I spoke to the gentleman who claimed he was the owner and would ship my products thru boat (he rents containers and fills them out with customers like me sending
items to Central America) and promised me my goods would arrive in a month— this was a year ago. Months passed and I got worried because I had no news of my product and my business in Guatemala was needing the merchandise. I went in person, spoke to the guy but he always had an excuse and tried to charge me $100 extra to speed up the process because [my merchadise] was held in customs. Then offered me to purchase the hair salon that is next to his business. He told me he owned that place and [would] sell it to me for $10,000. I called the business next door and asked the lady who owned it and she said that this guy was lying. That’s when I felt something was wrong … my merchandise sent thru him was $5,000 worth of cosmetics for a store I was hoping to open in Guatemala. I took this matter to small claims court and he did not show up, the judge said “good luck collecting your money from this guy.”
I went [back to see him] and took my 3 year old toddler who was screaming and running around his store. I was trying to control her as I was speaking to him and he said “I am going to kidnap your little girl and sell her.” The business next to his knows this man for years and say he’s undocumented so I reported him to ICE. I have a list about 8 people with the same problem, mainly Spanish speaking who are asking me for help. I am terrified of this man after he said he would kidnap my daughter and sell her. Also very angry that no one is doing anything to stop this evil undocumented man running a business in San Pedro. Someone needs to spread the word and warn residents not to do business there. I have asked for help. I called LAPD and they can’t do anything, I have gone to court and this man did not show, but he happens to be at this business daily or opens randomly now because he’s too afraid of all these angry customers coming to ask for their money back. PLEASE HELP. SPREAD THE NEWS, WARN OTHER
DBA FILINGS [from p. 18]
[Congelliere, from p. 14]
Congelliere
songs specifically for one of my teachers, who was really fucking with me. I would record the songs one night and put the tapes on his desk, when he wasn’t looking, the next morning. I called it 5-Year Plan (F.Y.P), due to him trying to fail me and take another year. I never understood it. If he didn’t like me then why was he trying to get me to stay another year? Anyways, some of those songs spilled into the first 7-inch (F.Y.P-Extra Credit 7-inch — Recess Records No. 1). So, short answer: I started my record label out of spite. [Junk Food News, from p. 17]
Junk Food News
business name or names listed above: 2012/1987. 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/: Patti Kraakevik, CEO. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Oct. 11, 2017. 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: 10/26/2017,
11/09/2017, 11/23/2017, 11/30/2017
chapter, Huff and Higdon ask, “Who will check the fact checker and what criteria will be used?” Huff and Higdon note that fact-checking would not be enough to counter fake news. But fake news is not the only threat. Blacklists like the one used by sites like PropOrNot that include legitimate journalistic outlets as fake news, or the passage of legislation that literally bans the media from lying. Huff and Higdon notes that the corporate press has assisted in creating some of these new threats such as the weaponizing of fake news. The pair acknowledge the daunting task of making these times and nation more hospitable to a more free and democratic place, they write: ...the failures of the corporate media and education system have already contributed to the current post-truth environment by creating nothing short of an epistemological crisis. This has proven to be detrimental to our democratic process and an affront to the First Amendment rights of the American people. Creating the better world we envision will not depend on rewriting recent history to suit our purposes or flatter our illusions, but rather will depend on creating an ever more democratic, diverse, and critical free press. We have three years and two months with Trump at the helm, barring impeachment or another catastrophe befalling this country. Without progress on building critical media literacy and if there’s a hell below, like Curtis Mayfield said, “We all going to go.”
cities in a “hollow earth” and maybe that is where they go. That might be what Jesus meant when he said that the poor will inherit the earth. But the rich people who can afford to die, die and go somewhere else. I have heard that they go to Planet Midas. On Planet Midas, since everybody has already touched almost everything, there is very little to eat. That is why they are so fashionably thin. But they get all the gold they want. Lorin Jenis San Pedro Send Letters to the Editor to: letters @randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor must include your name with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but are for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words.
RLn: What’s it like balancing between stoned at heart, Toys that Kill and Underground Railroad to Candyland?
TC: Right now I’m only doing Toys That Kill and Clown Sounds. There was a point where we were all doing 5 bands and it is super fun but it complicates things sometimes.
RLn: What do you think about the status of the punk scene in Pedro right now or South Bay-Long Beach?
TC: Well I’m glad I live in Pedro and so close to Long Beach. Southern California is littered with donkey basketball scenes. There are so many pockets in So Cal that focus on everything but the music. Jim’s Spot in Long Beach and any show in Pedro have a music only vibe. LA proper is where everyone is going to supermake-it and they don’t listen when you talk to them, they just wait to talk. RLn: I understand you have a child. Has your child shown any interest in punk?
TC: Olive’s three-and-a-half right now. I played her Ramones’ Rocket to Russia before she was 1 and she smiled and bopped her head. She cracks up when I lip sync to the Cows’ Hitting The Wall. She also puts on only blue jeans and dances around like Iggy Pop. I think she finds it interesting. RLn: What keeps you motivated to continue playing music and running your label?
TC: I feel like I’ll never run out of supply when it comes to music. Having an outlet like this is so valuable. I always thought it was just us being dumb and pissing people we didn’t like off. Which, yeah, it might still be some of that. But it’s much more that I can’t even grasp. There are some tangibles though. It’s one of my favorite feelings to come up with a new song. It’s really not good if you hit a dry spell. I always try to learn a new instrument or dig up something you never heard. It really is ‘The Gift that Keeps on Giving.’ That sticker was right! And, you think about all in the past that made this road. You think of Buddy Guy and Joe Strummer at the same time. It’s pretty nuts. Not to get all dramarama but I truly believe I’d be dead without this. In my opinion, it’s the only absolutely true and proven religion we’ve ever had. Toys That Kill are going strong and are constantly playing in Pedro or surroundings areas. Follow Recess Records on Facebook and Instagram and check out Congelliere’s latest projects.
October 26 - November 8, 2017
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017293351 The following person is doing business as (1.) A-Delta International, (2.) L.A. Express Appraisals, 15915 Ventura Blvd., #303, Encino, Ca 91436. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Kraakevik Corporation, 15915 Ventura Blvd., #303, Encino, Ca 91436. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious
The cost of an average funeral with burial services today is $7,000 to $10,000. Even the least expensive casket costs almost $2,000. Naturally, I wondered what would happen if someone didn’t have the money. If a person is too poor to die, what then…. I will tell you a true story. My deceased grandfather knocked at my door one day. “Grandpa, you’re still alive!” “Honey, I couldn’t afford to die. You know we never had much money. I’m living in that ol’ shack up on the ridge.” “Well, why didn’t you tell me?” “They make you sign a paper sayin’ you won’t tell
Since God loves the poor, that must be the new life that Jesus talks about. A group of the same gentlemen who talked to my grandfather in the hospital visited my neighbor in her home one day. “Mrs. Cluney, you just can’t afford to die. You have to say alive until you can pay for one of our burial services. But we do have a lay-away plan. Pay just $50 a month and when your account has accumulated sufficient funds we will let you die.” “No thank you, I would just as soon stay alive, if you please.” Now you can see what a worthy cause an Impoverished Persons Burial Fund would be. So many good people are willing to die. We ought to help them out. All of those poor people must be living somewhere. There are supposed to be
10/26/2017, 11/09/2017, 11/23/2017
It Costs Money to Die
anyone. Then they let you walk out of the hospital.” It seems that when my grandfather was about to die some gentleman came into his hospital room. “Mr. Madison, we have reviewed your financial status and we see that you are unable to affor any of our burial plans. Are you sure that your family can’t help you?” “No sir, my granddaughter ain’t got no money either.” “Mr. Madison, would you please sign this paper?” They helped my grandfather sign the paper. He was very weak, lying in bed, so they had to hold it in front of him on a clipboard. They placed a pen in his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Madison. You are free to go.” So, he got up and walked out the door.
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Austin III, owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Oct. 6, 2017. 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: 10/12/2017,
SAN PEDRO RESIDENTS. Flor Magana- Butler San Pedro
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October 26 - November 8, 2017
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