SameSide: New platform links social justice and entrepreneurship p. 3 Grand Vision brings art, music back to school p. 11 San Pedro Fish Market looks to a wider world p. 12
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AltaSea’s Future Defies History Krusoe and the future of fighting global climate change on the LA Waterfront By James Preston Allen, Publisher
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[See Ports O’Call, p. 6]
[See AltaSea, p. 4]
AltaSea executive director, Jenny Krusoe, walks with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at the unveiling of the La Kretz Innovation Campus at Berth 58 on Dec. 11. Photo by Raphael Richardson
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
time:
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
The patio at Ports O’Call Restaurant. File photo.
After 56 years, Ports O’ Call Restaurant may be closing its doors for good — or maybe not. But whatever happens next, the community of businesses it helped anchor will be gone, scattered to the winds. The restaurant may be closed for three years until the Ports O’ Call redevelopment is complete — a hiatus that may be impossible to survive. The uncertainty contrasts with the lovefest at the Warner Grand Theatre on April 2, 2013, when the LA Waterfront Alliance first unveiled its plans for redeveloping the waterfront into the San Pedro Public Market. We reported at the
Requiem For a Dream
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Applause punctuated the presentation portion, underscoring key points of support, while the public comments almost entirely harmonized with the presentation itself. Wayne Ratkovich, whose company partnered with local developers Eric and Alan Johnson to form the LA Waterfront Alliance, kicked things off with a quick, tone-setting review of four major projects typifying his company’s work, starting with the Wiltern Theatre.
n the history of the world, there has never been an industry, a marketplace or an economy that’s been created without a significant investment by the public sector. The international trade that connected the New World with the Old would not have been created without the support furnished by monarchies during the age of exploration. The Industrial Revolution would not have been a revolution if not for government desire for expansion through colonialism and imperialism. Manifest Destiny in United States would not have been manifested if the federal government had not seized and redistributed territory in the march westward. Even the history of our port in the Los Angeles Harbor shows that government investment through the creation of a free port was the dominant ingredient in the robust economy we see today in Southern California; government projects at the port included the federal breakwater and other investments like bridges and dredging. This has been the pattern throughout the development of most of our city. It is in light of this history that the unveiling of the La Kretz Innovation Campus at Berth 58, down the street from the historic Warehouse One, on Dec. 11 was something to behold. In his speech at the unveiling, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti sounded notes of caution and optimism as he communicated his vision of the future, the Port of Los Angeles and AltaSea’s role in shaping that future. This day was a celebration of the La Kretz Blue Economy Incubator, a key component of AltaSea’s ocean innovation campus. “AltaSea literally pulled back the curtains at our facilities in the Port of Los Angeles, revealing our next major step forward as we launch construction of the La Kretz Blue Economy Incubator,” AltaSea Executive Director Jenny Krusoe said. Garcetti communicated that this campus was a catalyst for greater collaboration with the private sector in the investment in new technologies and innovation. The mayor suggested that this new way forward in economic development through blue technology, clean sea technology, would rely heavily on philanthropic investments, as well as, emerging tech start-up companies focused on what is called “blue tech” research and development. This private-public incubator approach is being touted citywide as 1
Harbor Interfaith Holiday Block Party On Dec. 17, Harbor Interfaith Services hosted a holiday block party at which many donors gave gifts to families they “adopted.” The block party followed a Nov. 22 event at which the lead agency for the county’s 8th Service Planning Area distributed 317 Thanksgiving food baskets. Each basket included a frozen turkey, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, boxed mashed potatoes, desserts and other food items. The same number was distributed for Christmas but hams were substituted for turkeys and toys were given to 921 children. Photo by Raphael Richardson.
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Donate Blood
This holiday season, the American Red Cross is asking the public to think outside the gift box. Donations tend to decline during December, especially around the holidays, but the need for blood remains steady. You can help by sharing upcoming blood donation opportunities in the area. To encourage donations, all those who come to give blood or platelets through Jan. 7, 2018, will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Upcoming blood donation opportunities: 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m Dec. 23: American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter, 3150 E. 29th St., Long Beach 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m Dec. 24: American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter, 3150 E. 29th St., Long Beach 12 to 7 p.m. Dec. 26: American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter, 3150 E. 29th St., Long Beach 12 to 7 p.m. Dec. 27: American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter, 3150 E 29th St 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 27: St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 3955 Orange Ave., Long Beach 12 to 6 p.m. Dec. 28: Christ Lutheran Church, 6500 Stearns Ave., Long Beach 12 to 6 p.m. Dec. 28: St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, 672 Temple Ave., Long Beach 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 29: American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter, 3150 E. 29th St., Long Beach 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 31: American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter, 3150 E. 29th St., Long Beach
• Treasure chests • Silverware
• Costumes • Vintage furniture • Classic record players • Recording equipment
• Photographs • One-of-a-kind memorabilia • Collectibles
Long Beach Area Peace Network
Honor Wayne Marchyshyn as Peacemaker of the Year at the Long Beach Area Peace Network meeting. Time: 6 p.m. Dec. 31 Cost: $35 Details: (562) 433–7025; facebook.com/occupylongbeach Venue: Christ Lutheran Church, 6500 Stearns St., Long Beach
Monthly Beach Cleanup
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium invites the public to participate in its monthly Beach Clean-Up. Volunteers learn about coastal habitat, the growing amount of marine debris within it and the benefits of protecting this ecosystem. Time: 8 to 10 a.m. Jan. 6, 2018 Details: (310) 548-7562; www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org Venues: CMA, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Free Shuttle Service Connects LB Airport to Blue Line During Holidays
The Blue Line 2 Airline express bus shuttle is operating daily every half hour from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Jan. 7, 2018. The complimentary shuttle stops at Long Beach Airport on the outer curb in front of the historic terminal and at Metro Blue Line’s Wardlow Station on Pacific Place. Details: www.lgb.org/travelers/blue_line_2_airline.asp
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Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase historic dance and theatrical memorabilia collected and owned by Rosalie & Alva
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 31: First Step Fitness, 1335 Loma Ave., Long Beach Make an appointment to give blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling (800)733-2767.
Coastal SPNC Grants
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
The deadline for submitting Neighborhood Purpose Grant applications is Jan. 10, 2018. At this time there is $2,500 available for this second round of funding. You must have a 501(3) designation in effect to qualify. Details: www.cspnc.org/neighborhood-purposes-grants
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Sale starts Thursday, Dec. 21st - Monday, Jan. 1st (closed Christmas Day)
Noon to 4 pm
10% of proceeds to benefit
1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro (310) 519-1314 Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community
Missing Person
The Long Beach Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing adult. The missing person, 86-year-old Carmelo “Ricky” Beltran, was last seen in the evening of Dec. 14, at his residence in the 800 block of Gardenia Avenue. The victim does not know his name and only speaks Spanish. The man is described as follows: Height: 5’5” Weight: 130 lbs. Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Clothing: brown pants, navy blue shirt, black shoes, gray cap Medical Alert: None
GATOS-SARATOGA SANLOS PEDRO-SOUTH BAY
One free concert ticket to Alvas Showroom with every purchase, while supplies last!
Anyone who sees the man or has information on his whereabouts is asked to call (562) 435-6711.
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years
SameSide Provides a Platform for an Activist Experience By Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor
sympathize and realize that it could have been my family.” Local politician representatives also attended the event. “If it wasn’t for DACA I wouldn’t be here,” said Fernando Navarrete, a field deputy for District 15 Councilman Joe Buscaino and a DACA recipient. “We have people who are supporting but we have to have a Dream Act. We contribute to the economy and [many of us] earn our bachelors with little or no funding.” “As Latinos we have an obligation to our parents,” said Gabriela Medina, District Director for U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan, “We need to be reminded not to be complacent…. Tell your elected officials what you want.”
Dining for DACA
Recently, SameSide promoted Dining for DACA at Santa Luna restaurant in Wilmington. Dining for DACA is an initiative SameSide came up with to support Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has been threatened by the Trump administration, by partnering with restaurants, most of which are sensitive to those issues. For $35, participants were introduced to the business, treated to a three-course meal and called to action. “I am so happy to host … to get involved,” co-owner and Santa Luna Chef Antonio Castañeda said, speaking Spanish. “I didn’t have the opportunity that dreamers have…. For me the dreamers and I are one because Santa Luna
SameSide’s Story comes from a dream. It’s an obligation to have a dream and generate an impact with what you know how to do.” Attendees wrote letters to legislative representatives, phone banked and emboldened others to do the same. They were provided with scripts to call representatives and friends, and template letters to send to their legislators. “Growing up I wasn’t aware of it,” said Angelica Brambilia, one of the attendees. “I
The founders of SameSide are brother and sister David Legacki (above) and Nicole àBeckett. They were born and raised in San Pedro and now reside in Los Angeles. Photos courtesy of Nicole àBeckett
A few years ago, Legacki left the corporate world to serve as a Navy Seal. There he met people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, creeds and political spectrums. What he learned is that regardless of their dissimilarities they all were able to have each other’s back and, at the end of the day, break bread together. “The military is the last melting pot where we are forced to work with people,” Legacki said. He came back from his service yearning for [See SameSide, p. 5]
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
These days, the extent of our outrage at public policy, government misdeeds or private injustice comes in the form of a retweet, a repost or an online rant in all caps in 140 characters or less. Indeed, if there is ever a revolution, it won’t be televised, but it won’t happen in the wake of mass marches either. The elevation of Donald Trump to the presidency is proof that raging against the machine through social media is no substitute for electing preferred candidates or pressuring our elected representatives on issues closest to our hearts. This is the conclusion reached by San Pedronatives, David Legacki and Nicole àBeckett, after the 2016 election. Rather than just throw their hands up in despair, the siblings combined their political ideals with their interest in supporting small businesses. They founded SameSide. Its model is simple. SameSide partners with progressive advocates to create an experience with a venue, whether it’s a comedy show, a popup restaurant with cutting edge chef or brewery tour. These venues serve as a space where participants connect with like-minded people and get invigorated by calling stakeholders and/or writing letters to their representatives. Participants pay for the experience and most of the money then goes to the business owner or host. SameSide takes a small percentage to support its business. “People get involved in the political action through supporting the entrepreneurs or businesses that support the same cause,” explained àBeckett, who now lives in Los Angeles. “The reason we have cost is that our host puts it all together. We want them to be invigorated to keep doing it.”
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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[AltaSea, from p. 1]
AltaSea’s Future SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S NEWEST MARINA
y Season Wishing you a Happy Holida
The Shortest Run to Catalina
• 698 slips from 28’ to 130’ • 375 dry storage spaces up to 45’ with crane launching • Ample courtesy parking • Water & electricity • Restrooms with showers • Ice machines & laundry • Pumpout—public and slip-in
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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SERVICES & AMENITIES
the cure for the loss of industrial manufacturing jobs within the past 30 years in Southern California. It is heavily reliant on the speculative buy-in from developers, academics in the marine sciences, the port and the City of Los Angeles. Of the more than 300 officials and civic leaders who attended the unveiling of the La Kretz Innovation Campus, a reflection of AltaSea’s significant political and business support, conspicuously missing from the gathering was the environmental community that should have naturally been there. Also conspicuous was the silence on just how much the La Kretz Foundation donated and how far along the path AltaSea is in reaching the $549 million goal of Jenny Krusoe and Linda Duttenhaver, the daughter of La Kretz Blue Econbringing AltaSea from omy Incubator founder Morton La Kretz pose for a photo at the incubator concept to reality as this campus unveiling in San Pedro. Photo by Taso Papadakis paper reported in 2014. “What I’m not doing is relying on public doesn’t include the port’s investment. This change suggests there’s been a pivot money to generate phase one,” said AltaSea’s former Chief Executive Officer Rachel from the more grandiose plan rolled out several Etherington back then. “We would be remiss to years ago to a more practical approach that is now not look at that and we would be remiss to not being promoted by Krusoe and the new board. But this pivot doesn’t immediately mesh start these conversations. But my immediate fundraising targets do not include big amounts of with the mayor’s grandiose vision of a campus where scientists, educators, policy makers and public funding.” Since that time, the Port of Los Angeles has entrepreneurs work together to accelerate marine stepped up to offer greater support for this project. research. Indeed, neither the mayor nor councilman for Tim McOsker, the legal counsel for AltaSea, said that with the renegotiation of the lease with District 15, Joe Buscaino, would or could reveal the port, AltaSea’s budget has been drastically any major developers or any of Los Angeles’ readjusted down to some $150 million, which [See AltaSea, p. 5]
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Providing clean facilities to the boating community and protecting our waterways from pollution
Political support for AltaSea ranged from Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner Anthony Pirozzi Jr., Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, Commissioner Lucia Moreno-Linares, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, AltaSea Executive Director Jenny Krusoe and Harbor Commission Vice President David Arian. Photo by Raphael Richardson
[AltaSea, from p. 4]
AltaSea
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
The Thomas Fire became the largest recorded wildfire in California history this week, the first of a far-flung splatter of fires triggered by Santa Ana winds starting on Dec. 4. The Creek, Rye and Little Mountain fires erupted the next day, followed by the Skirball fire on Dec. 6, and Liberty and Lilac fires on Dec. 7. Ten years ago, Random Lengths News wrote about a similar outbreak of Southland fires, framed in terms of global warming, but we’re no longer an isolated voice making the connection. The UCLA Newsroom published a story UCLA experts explain why California is burning in December, almost all of which was global-warming-related in some way. “The temperature extremes — a recordwarm summer and autumn — are exactly what we expect to occur given climate change, and there’s evidence that autumn and spring are likely to become even drier, even if our annual precipitation doesn’t change much,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist quoted [SameSide, from p. 3]
SameSide
that sense of family and accountability. In the 2016, the country came to a standstill when the Electoral College voted in Donald Trump as president of the United States. “I couldn’t sit idly in this day and age,” Legacki said. Thousands took to the streets to protest the inauguration of one of this country’s biggest embarrassments. Women marched in major cities to show their discontent with the new Twitterer-in-chief, his contention against women and the policies that a Republican Congress was supporting. àBeckett was among those women. But she was frustrated, she felt that marching and raising funds were just not enough. There needed to be more palpable ways to take action. The two put their heads together and came up with a concept to bring people together, share experiences and help hearten both participants and hosts to make a difference. “We wanted to find a way to come out, meet face-to-face, create understanding, experiences, fun and energy,” àBeckett
in the story. One big-picture way to grasp what’s happening begins with understanding global warming as doing two things: first, raising temperatures broadly, and second, raising the amount of energy flowing through the global ecosystem, increasing its turbulence and expanding the range of extreme states on multiple scales of time and geography. One time scale is that of multi-decade megadroughts, first discovered by Columbia University climate modeler Richard Seager, who we interviewed in 2007. He identified a 4th century when a series of megadroughts that affected large areas of the West. The transition to this sort of climate was already under way, he told us, well before the past four years of severe drought followed by two years of drenching rains. Medieval megadroughts were occasionally punctuated by years like that, without ending as a result. So we could still be in the midst of the first megadrought of the modern era. In fact, the two-year cycle of floods followed said. “My brother and I are politically involved. We wanted to find a way to get more people involved and move the needle.” They enlisted people they knew — artists, chefs, comedians. They researched best practices. “We didn’t ask them to do anything they didn’t want to do already,” Legacki said. “We quit our jobs to do this. I have a 2-year-old and I couldn’t imagine telling him I just had a day job.” The first experience was a phone banking event supporting Sara Hernandez, a progressive woman for Congress. “At the end of the day, [participants] were joking, competing; they became friends,” Legacki remembered. After the phone banking, the hosts took participants to a brewery tour in the arts district of Los Angeles. “In a nutshell, we are a marketplace for experiencing political engagement, music, arts and culture,” àBeckett said. “This model can be scaled to support any issue.” Details: https://onsameside.com/
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billionaires that they have personally lobbied to support the project, even though they are leading the charge to support it. Since the Oct. 19 Bisnow developer breakfast presentation, which focused primarily on AltaSea over other waterfront opportunities, and then the following week’s tour by the esteemed Brookings Institute in San Pedro, a great expectation has been laid upon the success of this project and Krusoe’s talents in leading it forward. AltaSea is a visionary project that has taken 17 years to emerge through the efforts of many people, including the former director of the POLA Geraldine Knatz, who was absent from this event, and Camilla Townsend, the chairwoman of the AltaSea board. Other developments in the harbor region have also been slow to move forward like the Ports O’ Call waterfront redevelopment, the second phase of Crafted at the POLA or significant housing projects. However, the arrival of SpaceX, a Tesla company, and the announcement of Molina Healthcare moving into the Topaz building on Sixth Street in downtown San Pedro, have all raised the temperature on speculative values. Krusoe and others are expecting this excitement to flow over to the AltaSea project. “AltaSea is excited to be part of the emerging LA Waterfront Innovation District,” she said. It is an entirely new designation for what some at the port see as a spin-off from their zero-emissions plans for clean technologies. Still, the future of such an enterprise remains dependent upon how much of the marine science and environmental communities embrace this concept and whether the universities and colleges associated with Southern California Marine Institute join in to relocate there. The institute has been courted almost from the very start and Krusoe said that they are scheduled in for the next phase of the warehouse development. The institute’s relocation to the AltaSea site will probably be the key element to its future success. At this point, it would be very significant if the State of California or Los Angeles County invested in some portion of the infrastructure for AltaSea. But Krusoe is not there yet. She has focused like her predecessor on the private sector donations that now seem to be flowing in on a significant level. So, our city and county’s political elite will continue to cheer on AltaSea from the sidelines until the county or the state enters and becomes a game changer.
Global Warming’s Role in Wildfires Clearer than Ever
by drought that we’re living through now—at least so far—is another level on which extreme states produced by climate change can be observed. “Last year’s stormy and wet winter, coupled with this year’s record-breaking high temperatures, and our current dry winter conditions, mean that we are extremely susceptible to fires — and this problem is going to continue and get worse,” said paleoclimatologist Aradhna Tripati in the UCLA story, neatly summarizing how this two-year cycle and the underlying warming trend combine to raise the fire threat ever higher. On the other extreme, daily cycles are growing more intense as well—exemplified by extremely low humidity and strengthening Santa Ana winds. There are also cyclic patterns in between. One, first noticed by Swain in 2013, is the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge,” a region of unusually high atmospheric pressure pushing the Pacific jet stream to the north of California, resulting in very dry conditions. The ridge has returned repeatedly since, and is now seen in its larger context, linked with low pressure and outbreaks of very cold, Arctic air across the eastern United States, such as the “Snowmageddon” and “Snowpocalypse” snowstorms. One study showed a sustained upward trend in the number of days typified by this “dipole” condition. Thus, while climate deniers point to snow as disproof of global warming, scientists are gaining a clearer picture of how it’s exactly the opposite — and intimately tied to the very different extreme weather (and consequences) we’re living through in Southern California.
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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[Ports O’Call, from p. 1]
Modica Appointed as Interim Director of Development Services LONG BEACH — On Dec. 14, the Long Beach city manager’s office announced the appointment of Assistant City Manager Tom Modica as interim director of development services. Modica will start the new position Jan. 8, 2018. He will continue as assistant city manager during the search for a permanent director of development services. Modica has worked for the city for 15 years and as assistant city manager since 2014. As interim director, he will be responsible for an annual budget of more than $118 million and oversee 206 full-time employees in the planning, building and safety, housing and neighborhood services, administrative and financial services, and code enforcement bureaus. Modica will not be a candidate for the permanent position. The position became vacant when Amy Bodek announced Nov. 29 that she accepted an offer with Los Angeles County’s Department of Regional Planning, where she will be the director of Regional Planning. Her last day with the city is expected to be Jan. 19, 2018. A new director is expected to be hired by spring 2018.
Goodwill SOLAC Gets New Chairwoman
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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LONG BEACH — On Dec. 18, Goodwill Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County announced the appointment of Anitra Dempsey as its new board chairwoman, effective the first of 2018. She will replace Harry Saltzgaver, editor of the Gazette newspapers in Long Beach. Dempsey’s volunteer work for Goodwill SOLAC spans nearly a decade. Professionally, Dempsey has worked for Long Beach for almost 30 years. She is executive director of the Citizen Police Complaint Commission. Earlier this year, she was appointed as the interim deputy city manager. She has previously served as the city’s Human Dignity officer. Additionally, Tim Skillman, a managing director for Deloitte, is the newest member of the Goodwill board.
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FCC Ends Net Neutrality
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Dec. 14, the Federal Communications Commission, headed by Donald Trump administration appointee Ajit Pai, voted 3-2 — along party lines — to repeal regulations protecting net neutrality. Pai, the face of Trump’s rollback of Barack Obama era policies in the telecommunications industry, is following through with his promise to repeal 2015 net neutrality rules. These rules required internet providers to treat all websites — large and small — equally. The decision also repeals regulations to oversee broadband companies by classifying internet providers as Title II common carriers. Internet providers state that giving some sites the option of faster service could in fact benefit consumers. But the consequence of this vote is that the federal government will no longer regulate high-speed internet delivery as if it were a utility. With this roll back of net neutrality, internet providers will be able to speed up service for websites they favor — and block or slow down others. Consumers could begin to see packages and pricing schemes that would steer them toward some content over others. In essence, it endangers equal access to content on the internet, giving big corporations an unfair advantage over small businesses and negatively impacting lowincome and minority communities, who may not be able to afford higher speeds. Public comments have been the subject of an investigation on whether about a million public comments may have been fraudulently filed.
Ports O’Call Redevelopment “[The projects] had all been literally or virtually abandoned by their former owners,” Ratkovich told the enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people. “We were able to bring them back to life in a successful manner. That is what we proudly do.” But not anymore. As Ratkovich rolled out a preview of the LA Waterfront Alliance plans at the San Pedro Yacht Club on Nov. 29, it seemed that the alliance is proudly putting the past to death. “This is not a remodel or rehab,” Ratkovich told the crowd of several dozen attendees. “Everything will go, and everything will be new.” The LA Waterfront Alliance is in negotiations with the San Pedro Fish Market to serve as one of two anchor attractions. The other will be a nationally known concert promoter, who Ratkovich declined to name. But none of the other long-term tenants of Ports O’Call figured in their initial plans. The port’s deputy executive director of marketing and customer relations, Mike DiBernardo, has a financial interest in the Fish Market, continuing the port’s long history of insider favoritism. “When Ports O’ Call [Restaurant] was raised, as an issue by the audience, Ratkovitch said, ‘Well, that is to be determined.’ That was his terminology,” said June Smith, past president of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council and community co-chairwoman of the Port Community Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2013. “There were quite a few people who spoke up about Ports O’ Call Restaurant. That it’s been a mainstay of the community; that it’s an important meeting place, a place where people can hold large events; it has the ambience of the water, the feel of the old fishing village, the boats and it’s the only place in town like that…. It’s been in business 50 to 60 years; it’s a long, long time and people in the community consider it as an essential meeting and greeting place, and something that’s been highly successful. There was a lot of consternation — it seemed to me — with the people who spoke saying they don’t understand why that restaurant is not also an anchor along with the Fish Market.” John Miller, another former PCAC member, had a similar impression. “As soon as the questioning got a little intense, they said ‘Thank you very much, it’s been wonderful, we can’t take any more questions,’” he recalled. The disconnect was striking, he pointed out. “They had all these public meetings seeking input from the public,” Miller said. “A lot of the input from the public was we wanted to see those businesses stay open. All of them.” In the past, both the port and the developers have repeatedly said as much themselves. After almost a decade of public consultations, the Waterfront Promenade’s final environmental impact report, approved on Sept. 9, 2009, read: “The proposed Project includes … relocation and/or renewal of existing tenant leases.” Even today, one of the eight guiding “development principles” on the project’s website is: “Work with successful existing Ports O’ Call tenants to relocate them into new and enhanced facilities while providing continuity of operations throughout the project’s development.” The website also includes a video of their last public presentation at the Warner Grand Theatre, on March 2, 2016, which has Alan Johnson, speaking for the developers, promising that: “Current tenants who will remain in the project will be able to stay open throughout construction.
Eric Johnson of Jerico Development. Photo by Raphael Richardson
We expect to complete this first phase by mid 2019 …. We are fortunate to have existing successful tenants who we are counting on to be the backbone of our pre-leasing activities.” Yet, two months later, on May 19, 2016 the Harbor Commission approved the lease for the project, with an addendum to the original Waterfront Promenade Final EIR. Unbeknownst to the public at the time, the addendum changed the phasing of the development and removed any protection for existing tenants. It didn’t have to be that way. The port had a wide range of options it neglected to use. “You could write anything you wanted into the lease — community attentiveness, keeping certain tenants, honoring certain promises,
graded from ‘you must do this’ to ‘you need to make every effort,’ or ‘make a good effort to,’ ‘we will subsidize 10 percent,’ or whatever,” said Peter Warren, a longtime activist with Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, specializing in port issues. “None of that went down,” Warren said. “What went down over a course of 5 to 8 years, it was a campaign of deceit…. There would’ve been a fight instead of a lovefest [at the April 2 Warner Grand presentation, if the true plans had been presented].... If they said, ‘We are going to keep the Fish Market, everybody else is going to lose their job and their businesses and that’s just the way it is, people would’ve been upset…. It’s dishonest and sadly, it’s not atypical of what the port does, where they say one thing and down the road [they] make changes, and if you’re not paying attention, totally, you miss it. And, pretty much everybody on their team is on board with the deceit.” On Dec. 14, representatives of local organizations appeared before the Harbor Commission to register the community’s outrage and opposition. San Pedro Democratic Club has already passed a motion of opposition and Coastal and Central San Pedro Neighborhood Councils are preparing their motions for a vote by their boards. The Coastal neighborhood council secretary, Shannon Ross, called Ports O’ Call Restaurant, “an icon,” in her remarks. “It would be a loss, a devastating loss to our community to lose such a great resource,” she said. “I’ll be the first one to say I’m thankful we’re finally moving forward with the rebuild … that’s important to our community. But I’m not in favor of any type of change that does not include [See Ports O’Call, p. 7]
The Vision Thing “I don’t see any central theme; what is going to draw people?” retired community leader June Smith asked Wayne Ratkovitch after his Nov. 29 presentation to the San Pedro Yacht Club about his planned replacement for Ports O’ Call Village. Ratkovitch had described the redevelopment as an example of “festival retail,” that would be “very industrial in its look.” Although he cited various other examples, what Smith and others took away was only a generic impression. “The theme of the project is called the San Pedro Public Market,” Ratkovitch told Random Lengths. “It is a public market. We have likened it, on I don’t know how many occasions, to developments such as the Ferry Building in San Francisco, the Farmers Market in Los Angeles, the Inner Harbor in Baltimore Maryland, Faneuil Hall marketplace in Boston. And so that is the idea. That is about as clear as we can make it.” It’s clear, but not. Each example Ratkovich cites is quite distinctive. What will make the San Pedro Public Market distinctive? The very name encapsulates the problem: “San Pedro” is a good distinctive start. “Public Market,” not so much. “There is this notion of building something that is going to be attractive to people with a lot of disposable income, but why should they come here instead of Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Long Beach, Huntington Beach?” asked Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council President Doug Epperhart, who worked with Long Beach developers in the 1980s. “Go to 3rd Street Promenade and
Wayne Ratkovich of the Ratkovich Company. File photo
draw a circle, and within a five-mile radius of that … the median income is probably somewhere around six figures. Go to Ports O’ Call and draw the circle and it’s not there. The median income is probably not even equal to the LA County average. And you’re not going to draw from Long Beach, why would someone come here, why would they cross the bridge to come to a smaller, less impressive version of the Pike or 2nd Street.” The answer Epperhart suggested was to play the long game. “If it were me, I would forget about that part of economics and I would build a firstclass waterfront park in the promenade and [let] the economic development follow that,” he said. “That’s what I would do…. That’s what Chicago did a hundred and something years ago, and look at how well it’s worked out for them.” — Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
[Ports O’Call, from p. 6]
Ports O’Call
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Ports O’ Call Restaurant.” Carrie Scoville, president of the San Pedro Democratic Club, called the restaurant “our miniconvention center here on the waterfront.” “There’s a very severe shortage of community access places to meet in this area, and the Ports O’ Call Restaurant is an ideal location, because it has rooms of varying sizes and capacities,” Scoville said. Kathleen Woodfield, vice president of San Pedro Peninsula Homeowners Coalition, agreed. “Many political groups, neighborhood groups and local clubs have their annual meetings there, and their monthly meetings there,” Woodfield said. “This facility has also hosted hearings such as State Lands Commission hearings, Coastal Commission hearings. It is the closest thing San Pedro has to a convention center.” Ironically, the port itself has used Ports O’ Call Restaurant for public meetings and it has repeatedly considered a convention hall or minicenter as a possible key element in redeveloping the site. Now, instead, the existing capacity is to be destroyed. Mike Galvin, the port’s director of Waterfront and Commercial Real Estate, pushed back against everything the public representatives said. “Port staff has not … ever made any commitment to maintain existing tenants on the site [since my involvement began in late 2014],” Galvin said. “It’s a developers choice.” He disregarded the port’s ability to include stipulations, as Warren pointed out. “I’ve heard repeatedly that all these promises were made, and you just said that there were no promises,” Commissioner Ed Renwick said. “But why is it that there are people who think promises were made? Do we have any idea, do we have any theory on how that happened?” Renwick did not get an answer to his question, as the ports attorney intervened “to remind everybody that this is all subject to litigation and we will move into closed session,” which only
underscores the perversity of the port’s normal way of operating. Neither Galvin nor Renwick appeared cognizant of the long history of public promises made over the years, a small fraction of which have been cited above. But they are deeply familiar with secret information that the public never gets to see. They can’t for the life of them figure out why anyone is upset. The problem is multidimensional: there is a cult of secrecy and contempt for public process, and confusion involving time frames. The port’s promises — and the public’s even stronger demands — in the waterfront development process date back over a period beginning in the Richard Riordan administration. Galvin’s tenure began in late 2014, Renwick’s in late 2013. The only effective community oversight that’s ever existed is the Port Community Advisory Committee, which was disbanded by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s outgoing Harbor Commission earlier in 2013. PCAC is the only body there has ever been whose perspective is both locally-centered, and intergenerational. Without it, the port has repeatedly gone off the rails. First with its illegal abandonment of 11 China Shipping mitigation measures and now, with its destruction of Ports O’ Call Village. Neighborhood councils can provide some check on the port’s folly, but are not designed or intended for the laser-like focus port oversight requires. Nonetheless, Commissioner Dave Arian pointedly reminded everyone present of the importance of listening to them. “It’s very important for us as commissioners when the Central council or the Coastal council, or any of them come in here, to listen very closely to what they have to say. In my opinion, they’re the elected representatives of this community and is very important for us to listen very closely to what they have to say and to consider their points of view, because they’re telling us something that they believe represents the interests of San Pedro, and they were elected to do this,” Arian said. “And, they’re the only body in San Pedro — the three groups — that are elected to do that.”
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Waging the War of Words
The anti-government echo chamber and the neo-libertarian revolt against the Mueller investigation By James Preston Allen, Publisher
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
I would bet that the vast majority of the readers of this paper, if not the people in the communities we serve, are shaking their heads wondering, “How in the hell did Congress pass such a convoluted tax bill?” Or perhaps even, “How did Roy Moore nearly get elected in the recent Alabama senate race?” The Alabama senate race as well as some of the state legislature and gubernatorial races across the country show how deeply partisan America is just now, entrenched in an ideological battle over cultural values, civil rights, property rights, sexual harassment, the Mueller Russia investigation and yes, President Donald Trump himself. I am also pretty sure that most of my readers here, with the exception of Arthur Schaper, don’t regularly listen to Fox News, or read Breitbart or any number of conservative blogs, newsletters and websites. I’m right there with you. But these days, however, my inbox keeps filling up with stuff I routinely would dump in the trash, but I got curious lately. So I started opening up a few of these emailed newsletters — like Conservative HQ, the Conservative Caucus and a gun rights group — to see what they’re up to. My interest was piqued by the news reports on the growing number of conservative’ attacks on the Robert Mueller investigation into the Trump Campaign’s connection to Russian meddling in the 2016 general election. It just seems awfully suspicious that after successfully getting a string of indictments this past October that Mueller’s FBI team would be accused of extreme partisan bias. One might think the Trump’s defenders protest too much. What mostly goes unnoticed in the “liberal” media (a term I use sparingly given that the mainstream media is mostly owned by corporations that I’d deem less than liberal), is the mounting wave of coordinated “talking points” generated by the radical right to influence public opinion. I’ll give you a little taste of what’s generating the antiMueller Russian investigation smear: The Conservative Caucus newsletter: Robert Mueller has already disqualified himself from any further involvement in this sham investigation. His appointment of cronies and extreme partisans disqualifies him. His association with
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disgraced former FBI Director James Comey disqualifies him and his potential involvement in the Uranium One scandal disqualifies him. Peter J. Thomas, the chairman of the Conservative Caucus, continues with the following inflammatory accusations: The putrid stench of this partisan witchhunt that is specifically designed to overturn the results of the 2016 Presidential Election is so pervasive that it is making patriotic Americans gag from sea to shining sea. The boldfaced copy is his not mine and of course it appears contrary to the reality that Mueller has a higher level of support than Trump. Thomas goes on to tell his followers to send, “emergency contributions of $15, $25 and up to $100 or more to end this highly politicized sham investigation.” This group, like many other “nonprofit” political organizations, just outside of Washington D.C. are nothing more than conservative front groups waging a war of words and ideas to fuel the Republican subset, Freedom Caucus, in the U.S. Congress. These political action groups are derivatives of the radical right’s thinktanks like the Cato Institute, designed to paper our nation’s capital with libertarian anti-government research papers, talking points and agenda settings to influence both the public and the conservatives in Congress. That this wave of anti-Mueller investigation talking points just happens out of nowhere simultaneously is the kind of magical thinking that you’d attribute to the Flat Earth Society. This war-of-words is specifically being used to derail a legitimate investigation into the influence these kinds of tactics had on the 2016 elections and to protect the Trump presidency. It’s obvious to those paying attention that Trump can’t fire Mueller without looking more guilty than President Richard Nixon did when he fired Archibald Cox. With the investigation inching closer to discovering what collusion there actually might have been between the Trump campaign and the Russian social media psyops program, the only defense is to discredit the investigation and obscure the allegations with confusion. So Fox News and Breitbart started picking up the attack on Mueller and he knows that this is the game to throw him off the trail and Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya Managing Editor
“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it Terelle Jerricks is, but to make people mad enough to do someeditor@randomlengthsnews.com thing about it.” —Mark Twain Senior Editor Vol. XXXVIII : No. 27 Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.
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the Trumpster team knows he knows it and they pretend they aren’t doing it. What they are counting on is that the 48 percent of the people in rural Alabama who somehow justified voting for Roy Moore (or the 15 percent in San Pedro who somehow still support Trump) don’t know it’s the game. What they are counting on is you starting an argument with some idiots on Facebook or at the local bar (that refuses to have Fox News on the TV) over the buzzwords and the real fake news that is being pushed on us by these conservative drones trolling the internet. In the end, what we are witnessing is a nation divided by where it gets its information. As a
The Broken Promises of Ports O’Call Village By Janet Gunter, Community Activist
More than 20 years ago, I asked a couple of Port of Los Angeles executives “why” they had let Ports O’Call deteriorate so horribly. The answer I received was that the port’s business was “containerism” not recreational entertainment or its management. Port CEOs stressed that the port’s laser focus was on port industrial growth. They basically mocked any reason why they should care about Ports O’Call. I was just a kid when my older brother went to work as a busboy at the Ports O’Call Restaurant when it first opened. The village was a distinctly “unique” development at that time. It was a very magical place and a hub of tourism. However, just like any other recreational development left
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result, we are seeing arguments exploding over not actual news, but talking points and buzzwords masquerading as news. This is a classic disinformation campaign. The kind you see right out of the playbooks of our own spy agencies use on foreign countries. What is baffling to our American sensibilities is that these same tools of media disruption are now being used against our own unsuspecting republic. This is why getting to the bottom of the Russian psyops influence on the 2016 campaign is so important. It might wake up whole groups of people who have been trolled and influenced all this time since Trump launched his campaign for the presidency.
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to languish without an infusion of consistent proper management and interest in its creative growth, it fell into decline. It is a shame because there is no justifiable reason why Ports O’Call could not have continued on through time to grow and prosper. Here we are now demolishing the vestiges of a once successful creative concept in order to replace it with what appears to be a much “less” creative concept. From what I understand, the only anchor tenant signed for the new development is the only current Ports O’Call tenant allowed to remain, the San Pedro Fish Market. The San Pedro Fish Market is owned in part by one of the [See Promises, 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.
RANDOMLetters Thank You
[Rln, Nov. 30, 2017 edition] On behalf of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, I would like to thank you and your staff for producing the 37th Annual Spirit of San Pedro Holiday Parade Guide. The guide is a wonderful addition to parade day and helps support this popular community tradition. The parade brings families of the Harbor Area together to celebrate and showcase our community and the response we have received from attendees and participants has been very positive. More than 9,000 people lined the streets of downtown San Pedro on Dec. 3. There has been more than 4,000 views of the parade on Facebook. Once again, thank you! Happy holidays to you and the team at Random Lengths News. Elise Swanson President/CEO San Pedro Chamber of Commerce
Looking Back to the Future
[Promises, from p. 8]
Promises
Women throughout the ages have endured discrimination. There are feminists who fight for their rights. Some feminists are politically correct; others aren’t even sure what they’re talking about. A former developer of Battlefield 1 made a claim in an article that the game was sexist because there were no women in the game’s online multiplayer. I disagree. If women were added it would make no sense. Reason being that the game took place in the years 1914 to 1918; women weren’t allowed to fight in any war until 1943, in World War II. So, how would it make any sense to have women on the battlefield in a game that took place in 1914-1918? I am not demeaning women and saying they didn’t do anything during the war, I’m just saying that they didn’t fight on the battlefield, and if people say that why should you care “it’s only a game” then how does it make sense for them to care. A feminist group known as “The Know” commented on the article saying that “Adding women into the battlefield wouldn’t be too far of a stretch, Believe me yes it wouldn’t go with the game’s realism and authenticity. Women were not a common sight on the battlefield. The time they were actually fighting in World War I was when Russia made the “Women’s Battalion of Death,” which had only been created in 1917 but was disbanded before the end of the year, not to mention there were only 2,000 women compared to almost 15 million male soldiers. Also, Russia isn’t even a playable faction in the game. The lack of realism is too high and I disagree with The Know’s argument. Hago Abubaker San Pedro High School San Pedro
the Fish Market and its freshly painted parking lots. But, I’m guessing this will in no way impact the Port of LA. They will simply state, “Things didn’t work out due to economic reasons.” And, if by some miracle the project does move forward, will the port’s regard for recreational management be any different? I believe that the handwriting is on the wall. The port encompasses 7,500 acres of public trust land. Of that land, public recreational uses comprise somewhere in the neighborhood of a measly 640 acres. A pittance. Now, the port has begun to encroach on that 640 acres by amending its port master plan to allow for “industrial uses” within the public recreational zoned areas. What’s next? Maybe you can guess.
good character in man as a defect? Has Tiger taken on the schizophrenic persona of Donald Trump where dignity equals denial? One could ask Tiger Woods, “Where is your sense of honor? Tiger are you so hurt, so wounded, that you would continue to parade in the pseudo-mutualistic droppings of a person who will go along to get along (alas Donald Trump). Tiger, have you no shame? What is your truth? I can now say, ‘Shame, come back. Tiger come back! John Gray San Pedro
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
These losses offered legal mitigation that could have lessened the impacts. However, the losses were never truthfully acknowledged in the port’s mandatory environmental reviews. Since the lawsuit, the port now professes to be environmental “champions” and great stewards of local communities. I continue to believe that the port has no genuine interest in anything outside what serves its industrial business interest. If the San Pedro Public Market project does not find an anchor tenant of significance (which it has not found in a few years now) this anticipated new development will never evolve. The promise of a “world class development” buried. The history of Ports O’Call Village will be completely obliterated in lieu of a new building for
Gaming on Feminism
Sports television station, ESPN announced that Tiger Woods would be playing golf with President Donald Trump. My initial thought was why Woods [would] want to the negative public relations of hanging out with Trump? Why would Tiger associate with a man who has no moral compass? To be with Trump is to jump from the frying pan and into the fire. Tiger Woods knows Trump has admitted to grabbing a woman’s most intimate sexual parts without
permission. Will Tiger realize Trump has no regard for the U.S. Constitution, criminal justice or social justice? Doesn’t Woods understand that Trump resides in the borderline personality planet of narcissism? A place where facts don’t matter. Does Tiger Woods somehow believe that some Nazis are good people? If so, then how? Obviously, no one can know what is for truth in Tiger Woods mind. The question becomes, “Has Woods done what billionaires do? Has he accepted the isolationist bubble which allows those like Trump and maybe him to deflect
Port of LA’s own executives! I find this deeply disturbing and an obvious conflict of interest. The development proposals for the Ports O’Call project came from a number of international and US companies and they varied in their concepts. Some quite exciting. However, the choice was made by the port for a “local” developer instead. Their developer “choice” was apparently willing to allow only one existing tenant to remain, The Fish Market. Interesting. I have been a long time critic of the port. It took a lawsuit by residents to elicit any respect for the negative community impacts stemming from their rampant industrial growth, like toxic air pollution and industrial visual blight.
This letter is in response to the articles covering the sexual harassment allegations made against men in the media and government throughout the United States. To all males living in this country I issue a collective statement: enough already! Who are you to impose your sexual desires on someone because they did not give you their consent? Once again we are witnessing those in authority positions taking advantage of the situation. Resignation is the least you can do. Prosecution is the best we can do...and we will. What did you expect to gain from making sexual advances on a human being? If this isn’t an indication of the failure to grow up I don’t know what is. Those men who have permeated this transgression must seek counseling before they destroy more lives executing their perverted conquest. Otherwise time spent in prison will allow them to dwell on their evil actions while trying to survive an environment which is the closest equivalent to hell on earth. Perhaps I had the advantage of growing up with four sisters in my family which some say predispositions males to be kinder to females throughout all stages of their life. Frankly I remember times when I was embarrassed for making incidental contact with a female followed by an immediate apology. Ladies of America please be assured that the actions of a few do not represent the feelings and beliefs of the many. You are our mothers, sisters, daughters, cousins etc. that compose one equal half of the species we call the human race. For that matter do not despair because the true honest and gentlemen of this country know better than to act inappropriately in your company. We will always cherish your beauty, charm and most importantly your intelligence.
A Tiger Woods Treatise — Where’s Your Shame?
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
[At Length, RLn, Dec. 7, 2017] Thank you for your excellent editorial, “Looking Backwards to the Future.” Well said. I plan to read MacLean’s book, even if only at the rate of one page a week. :-) Have you read Stuart Ewen’s book “Captains of Consciousness?” That’s an old book (1976) but good. Capitalism has been very adept at manipulating culture and political outlook, much more so than early socialists anticipated. Social science to the rescue of capitalism… We don’t “know” each other, but I’ve gotten onto one or two of your email lists, and I’m sure you’ve gotten onto the TRAA list. Nice to “meet” you! Sally Hayati, President, Torrance Refinery Action Alliance
Sexual Harassment
Now help us to drive this dreadful scourge from the planet once and for all. It is up to all of us. Let us begin. Joe Bialek Cleveland, Ohio
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Grand Vision Brings Art, Music Back to School By Andrea Serna, Arts and Culture Writer
[See Music, p. 16]
The Los Angeles-based world music group, Adaawe, perform with local children in San Pedro as part of Meet the Music. Photo by Taso Papadakis
Meet the Music
The original Meet the Music program, founded by Liz Schindler Johnson and Taran Schindler, began with Recorders in Schools, a program that started nine years ago. The lowly little recorder, a flute-like instrument, serves as a gateway tool to empower students to easily play music and even read simple sheet music. Wilkinson, who graduated with honors from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures, joined Grand Vision four years ago. Working in conjunction with classroom teachers, she helped fine tune what was a modest program to meet the needs of the individual schools and students. LAUSD provides limited arts education to elementary schools. However, due to budget restraints, the schools have to choose which grade level receive arts education and
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
With the arts under attack in America, many educators are fighting back to make sure that art, music and dance remain in public schools. Grand Vision Foundation is among those taking the fight for arts education to the forefront of its community. The organization has quietly and persistently delivered a deep and robust arts education program to more than 1,800 fourth- and fifth-grade students. The students come from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Title I elementary schools (schools with high percentages of low-income students). Grand Vision Foundation calls its program Meet the Music. It places art educators in classrooms throughout the Harbor Area. “The Grand Annex presents 40 to 50 concert dates a year, but the reason we do all of this is to build community for the arts,” explained Joselyn Wilkinson, the foundation’s director of education. “This is behind all of our efforts.”
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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T
San Pedro Fish Market Looks to a Wider World By Richard Foss, Cuisine and Culture Writer
come down because they saw us in that show,” he said. “They come up to me and ask, ‘Is this where Tommy or Henry works?’ Apparently they have no idea that I’m in the show too. It has won three international awards and been viewed [more than] 50 million times on our YouTube channel and it has opened up an entirely new opportunity for us to tell our story. In the early days of the redevelopment of the waterfront I realized early on that we weren’t part of that plan. They didn’t know who we were or what our story was. Now, we’re the only ones who are considered as an anchor tenant and that’s because we told our story. The new episodes are going to focus on opening these new locations. We had two episodes come out [the past] Friday and two today. We are going to show the risks and rewards, all the drama behind it and it’s going to send people to all of our places. To view episodes, check the Kings of Fish YouTube channel or kingsoffish.com.
San Pedro Fish Market principals Henry Ungaro, Tommy Amalfitano Jr. and Michael Ungaro show off their fish. The elder Tommy Amalfitano, below, is co-owner of the business. File photos
“We’ve been around so long, doing what we’re doing that I think of us less as a restaurant [and more] as an entertainment destination,” he said. “I looked at where our customers come from and 94 percent travel more than five miles to visit us. That’s the opposite ratio from most restaurants. We have repeat customers from a 100-mile radius, including a lot in Santa Ana and as far away as San Bernardino. We’ll be able to say, ‘If you don’t want to come to San Pedro on weekends and wait in the crowd, you
can get the same great flavors any day closer to home.’” The popularity of the San Pedro Fish Market with outsiders and Ungaro’s inspiration for thinking about the place as an entertainment destination, may spring from the popularity of the Kings Of Fish reality TV series that is filmed there. Ungaro says that the series not only introduced the place to customers, but may be responsible for the restaurant’s survival. “I am amazed at the number of people who
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
he San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant recently announced plans to open three new outlets, a remarkable burst of activity from a place that has been in one location for more than 60 years. Co-owner Mike Ungaro said it’s not unprecedented. “Our only other expansion was acquiring Shamrock Seafood in Wilmington in the 70s,” Ungaro said. “They did processing and distribution and we turned that into a restaurant in the 80s. It’s not that we didn’t want to expand, because Tommy Amalfitano, one of the founders, always wanted to open more fish markets. He didn’t have the help to do that.” Shamrock Seafood has a limited menu and counter service; two of the new operations (in Palos Verdes and Torrance) will follow that style. The third new establishment (in Long Beach) will be a full service restaurant. Ungaro said that he had a revelation after observing the popularity of fast casual seafood chains like Slapfish and California Fish Grill. “We looked at that and thought, ‘We’re already doing a version of what those guys are doing out of our Wilmington location, and we have people coming from Dana Point to Malibu for it. There’s clearly a demand and we’ve figured out how to supply it. We can hybridize what they do with what we do and call it the San Pedro Fish Market Grill,’” Ungaro said. “We let people create their own menu, pick their seafood and we’ll make it a sandwich, a salad, a plate, burrito, tacos… they create their own experience. We’ll also incorporate our world famous shrimp tray, which is our biggest seller.” The Long Beach restaurant in the former Joe’s Crab Shack will resemble the original San Pedro Fish Market. Ungaro’s vision of why that will work is interesting.
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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Would a Refinery, by Any Other Name, Taste as Sweet? By Richard Foss, Cuisine and Culture Writer
When selecting an evocative name for a business, most restaurateurs are inclined to go for something that hints at rural and pastoral. Call a place “The Farm,” “Ed’s Orchard,” or “Sally’s Seafood Dock” and you evoke images we associate with pure and wholesome environments. The owners of a restaurant in Carson apparently have a different philosophy, because
they named their restaurant The Refinery. Maybe it’s just me, but when I see those extravagantly piped towers spouting flaming gas, I don’t get hungry. Nevertheless, when I learned of the restaurant’s existence, I had to go there just to see what they serve. Some of you reading this are probably wondering if this column is a hoax, because you have never heard of this place. I hadn’t either; I
ran across it while looking for something else. It is inside the Doubletree Hotel by the Carson Civic Center. It has no exterior signage, as well as no Facebook presence or Yelp reviews. For a place that has been in business for more than two years, that’s a remarkable level of invisibility. The restaurant is off the lobby next to a lively bar. It has the nice but anonymous look you expect from hotel restaurants. The menu is surprisingly eclectic, offering what is accurately described as “California Asian Latin Fusion.”
You can get Korean style or traditional buffalo wings, housemade guacamole, street tacos, or honey ancho chili glazed salmon, all pretty ambitious given the location. After considerable deliberation my wife and I decided to start with a cup of clam chowder and a boursin quesadilla; the quesadilla paired French cheese and mozzarella with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized sweet onions and tropical salsa. We asked for a dollop of the guacamole on the side because we wanted to
[See The Refinery, p. 14]
A Family Team of Croatian butchers who serve the South Bay with the finest cuts of meat, sausages, fish, and a fullfledged delicatessen
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our wonderful customers! Sretan Božič Zelimo vam svima koliko vas tamo ima! The Refinery Chop at The Refinery in Carson’s DoubleTree hotel. File photo
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An instant party, perfect for holiday gatherings—complete with all you need to relax and enjoy while the majesty of the harbor slips by. Dinner cruise features a 3-course meal, full bar, unlimited cocktails and starlight dancing. Call early to book your holiday party afloat. Free parking.
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[The Refinery, from p. 13]
The Refinery
try it. Our server, Norma, obliged at no extra charge. Our expectations were modest, but both starters greatly exceeded them. The chowder had been described as award-winning. When I questioned this I was told that it did indeed win a local chowder cook-off. It probably deserved to, because the lightly herbed rich broth had a silky rather than floury texture, decent amount
of clams and enough potato to add interest without making you think it was there for filler. I like mine a little more peppery, but that can always be added and I’d have this again. The description of the quesadilla told me it wasn’t going to be traditional, but as it turned out, it was very good. The flavors were fresh, the spinach lightly cooked so it still had an appealing texture. The guacamole was average, but it made a nice dip when a little variety was desired. For mains we selected a plate of granola and chili crusted ahi tuna and an impressively
thick pork chop that had been marinated with hoisin sauce and put over a medium-hot Chinese mustard sauce. The chop was served with mild garlic mashed potatoes and ginger braised red cabbage, and it made a pretty plate as well as a balanced meal. The chop itself was well cooked with a combination of smoky, sweet and spicy flavors. I should note that this entrée ran $21, a modest price for a lot of good food. The tuna didn’t quite hit the same mark, but it was close. Crusting the fish with sweet
Holiday Specials Two Bottles of Wine for $6 Limited to 750 mil size only
Est. 1932
MARABELLA WINES
344 W. 8th Street San Pedro
Wine 4 ltr. bottles $11.95
www.marabellavineyard.com
Fridays 12:30-5pm & Saturdays 9am-5pm With this ad, thru Dec. 23
(310) 833-9783
Details: (310) 830-9200; https://tinyurl.com/ ydgcoo95
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December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Buono’s Authentic Pizzeria
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A San Pedro landmark for over 44 years, famous for exceptional awardwinning pizza baked in brick ovens. Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and handselected ingredients that are prepared fresh. Dine-in, take-out and catering. There are two locations in Long Beach. Hours: Sun.Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Buono’s Pizzeria, 1432 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 547-0655 • www.buonospizza.com
BUNZ GOURMET BURGERS
Bunz Gourmet Burgers is not your average burger joint. Founded in 2014 by two high school friends who came together to serve super fresh, one-of-a-kind, burgers with personality. With eight different buns to choose from and your choice of chicken, beef, turkey or veggie patties, and over 26 “styles” of burger — the possibilties are endless. Try the loaded up fries topped with pastrami, pepperoni or bbq chicken and more. The enormous portions and savory flavor will leave you more than satisfied. Open daily until 9 p.m. 655 W. 7th St. San Pedro • (310) 514-8773
The Chori-Man
Fourth-generation artisanal chorizo and meats. Purchase chorizo by the pound or try our burritos and tacos! Menu specials change weekly. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Catering available, email: info@ thechoriman.com for catering and special orders. The Chori-Man, 2309 S. Alma St., San Pedro • (424) 287-2414
Happy DineR AND HAPPY DELI
The Happy Diner isn’t your average diner. It’s the idea of fresh creative dishes in tow San Pedro locations, and now a third—the Happy Deli. The selections range from Italianand Mexican-influenced entrées to American continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner: Happy Diner #1, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro • (310) 241-0917 • Happy Diner #2, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 935-2933 • Open for breakfast and lunch: Happy Deli, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro (424) 364-0319
MARIA’S RESTAURANT
The Whale & Ale English Restaurant & Pub
The Victorian oak panels & elegant brass fittings will make you feel like you crossed the Atlantic. Featuring popular pub fare such as Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, & entrées of Choice Steaks, Roast Prime Rib, Beef Wellington & Roast Rack of Lamb. Seafood selections include Chilean Sea Bass, Atlantic Salmon, Jumbo Tiger Shrimp & Sand Dabs. International draft beers & ales, as well as domestic craft beers on tap. Full bar; free, gated parking lot. Open daily for dinner and lunch Tues.-Sun. 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro • (310) 832-0363 • www.whaleandale. com
Waterfront Dining
If you are in the mood for authentic Mexican food, at an affordable price, try María’s Mexican Restaurant. The inconspicuous eatery on Pacific Avenue and 22nd Street in San Pedro offers a wide variety of savory, traditional dishes from tortas and burritos to chiles rellenos and camarones a la diabla. On a time crunch for lunch or dinner? Give María’s a call and they’ll have your meal ready for you within minutes. Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. María’s Mexican Restaurant, 2215 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro • (310) 833-6666.
Casual waterfront dining at its finest! Famous for slabs of Chicago-style baby back ribs, fish-n-chips, rich clam chowder, cold beer on tap and wine. Full lunch menu also includes salads, sandwiches and burgers. Indoor and outdoor patio dining available. Proudly pouring Starbucks coffee. Open 7 days a week. Free parking. Boardwalk Grill, 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 519-7551
San Pedro Brewing Company
PORTS O’ CALL RESTAURANT
A microbrewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted awardwinning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, bbq, sandwiches, salads and burgers. A full bar with made-from-scratch margaritas and a martini menu all add fun to the warm and friendly atmosphere. Live music. Open from 11:30 a.m., daily. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (310) 831-5663 • www.sanpedrobrewing.com
granola before searing was a clever idea, but they were a bit timid with the chili so the balance was slightly off. It was a good piece of fish. It was served over a mix of sautéed arugula and spinach along with rice and what was described as a tropical fruit chutney but was really a mango and fruit salsa. The sweetness of the granola and the salsa weren’t exactly the right pairing, I can’t say why. I might have preferred this with the chutney that was actually described on the menu. With our meal we had glasses of wine from the serviceable list. You won’t find any obscure vintages here, but you’d hardly expect to. They offer decent mass market brands at very fair prices and that suits the place. A few desserts were offered, but none struck our fancy and we were full anyway. Dinner for two with starters and three glasses of wine ran $96, of which $60 was food, a remarkable deal for a pleasant experience. I still won’t salivate when passing that refinery I can see from the freeway, but would willingly come back to this one for another bite to eat. The Refinery is inside the Doubletree Hotel at 2 Civic Plaza Drive in Carson. It is open at 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Sundays. There is a parking lot, wheelchair access, full and bar. Corkage is $14.
Boardwalk Grill
Since 1961 this landmark restaurant has extended a hearty welcome to visitors from around the globe. Delight in an awe-inspiring view of the LA Harbor while enjoying fresh California cuisine and varietals. Relax in the bar or patio for the best happy hour on the waterfront. With each purchase of the award-winning Sunday Champagne Brunch, receive the first Spirit Cruises harbor cruise of the day free. Open 7 days, lunch and dinner. Free parking. Ports O’Call Waterfront Dining, 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor, Berth 76, San Pedro • (310) 833-3553 • www.portsocalldining.com
SPIRIT CRUISES
An instant party— complete with all you need to relax and enjoy while the majesty of the harbor slips by. Dinner cruise features a 3-course meal, full bar, unlimited cocktails and starlight dancing—the ultimate excursion for any occasion. Free parking. Spirit Cruises, 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 5488080, (562) 495-5884, www.spiritmarine.com
018 2 • 3 n a J 17 0 2 • 1 2 DEC ENTERTAINMENT Dec. 19
The Egyptian Lover The Egyptian Lover (Greg Brousard) will be returning to JDC Records in downtown San Pedro. One of the pioneers of the West Coast Electro sound from the 80s, his first LP On The Nile, with the hit single Egypt, sold more than one million copies since its release in 1984. Time: 7 p.m. Dec. 19 Cost: Free Details: (424) 264-5335 Venue: JDC Records, 447 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Dec. 22
The Jazz Giants Thin Man Entertainment’s Jazz Salon, will feature Barbara Morrison with Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, drummer Al Williams and special guests. Time: 7 p.m. Dec. 22 Cost: $25 to $300 Details: https:// jazzgiants12222017. brownpapertickets.com Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Dec. 23
Dec. 26
L.A. Blackout Party featuring Marcus Allen and Kurupt You can get in on the biggest Raider party of the year to welcome them back the night before the game. Super Bowl MVP, Marcus Allen, will be
Dec. 25
Jan. 6, 2018
Mick Adams and The Stones Mick Adams and The Stones are an exciting seven-piece Rolling Stones tribute band, featuring full choreographyy and an all new media show. Time: 8 p.m. Jan. 6, 2018 Cost: $25 Details: (310) 833-7538; https:// alvasshowroom.com/event/ mick-adams-and-the-stones Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Jan. 7
Josh Nelson, Lorca Hart Trio The Josh Nelson and Lorca Hart Trio reunite for an evening of of classic jazz standard interpretations and new original music. Time: 4 p.m. Jan. 7 Cost: $20 Details: (310) 833-7538; https:// alvasshowroom.com/event/thejosh-nelsonlorca-hart-trio Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
THEATER
Jan. 5, 2018
January Musical Without a Name This funny and unexpected musical weaves together the stories of four New Yorkers searching for love, purpose, happiness and cabs. This musical is for anyone who’s ever struggled to appreciate simple things in a complex place. Time: 8 p.m. Jan. 5, 6, 12 and 13, and 2 p.m. Jan. 7 and 14 Cost: $15 to $24 Details: www.TaketheStageLB. com Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
Theater Continuing
A Christmas Carol One-hundred-and-seventy years ago Charles Dickens created a story he called A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas. The title has been shortened over time but not its ability to lure us into the story. Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through 23 Cost: $14 to $24 Details: (562) 494-1014; www. lbplayhouse.org Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
Ray Carofano Ray Carofano and Anita Bunn will show photographic series, each artist expressing a complex emotion using simple subject matter. The exhibition opens on Jan. 6 at the South Bay Contemporary SoLA Gallery, www.southbaycontemporary.org. The Nutcracker The Long Beach Ballet continues its annual holiday tradition, for the 35th year. The Nutcracker boasts a full symphony orchestra, a flying sleigh, a real live horse, on-stage pyrotechnics and a cast of more than 200. Time: 2 p.m. 23 and 24, and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22 and 23 Cost: $34 to $115 Details: (562) 426-4622; www. LongBeachNutcracker.com Venue: Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
ARTS
Jan. 6, 2018
LA Photographers Two Los Angeles-based photographers, Ray Carofano and Anita Bunn will show photographic series, each artist expressing a complex emotion using simple subject matter. Bunn’s work is focused on tops of trees and the sky in Los Angeles. Carofano’s focus is on the isolated remains of the Mojave Desert, a documentary of the time ravaged dwellings, skeletal remains of once viable communities. Time: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays Jan. 6 through Feb. 3, 2018 Cost: Free Details: www. southbaycontemporary.org Venue: South Bay Contemporary, SoLA Gallery, 3718 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles Painting with the Masters Enjoy painting with contemporary masters. Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, through Jan. 9 Cost: Free Details: (310) 547-3158; www. parkhurstgalleries.com Venue: Parkhurst Galleries Inc., 439 W. 6th St., San Pedro Flesh and Stone, A Conversation The exhibition features the work of renowned artists Scot
Sothern and Andy Romanoff. The exhibition provokes strong connections in viewers through its pairing of images showing harsh life on the streets next to sacred cultural images. Time: 9 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, through Jan. 10 Cost: Free Details: (310) 243-2127 Venue: Library Cultural Arts Center, Room LIB-1940, at California State University Dominguez Hill, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson Moon Over San Pedro Ann Weber’s large biomorphic sculptures have been described as bizarre characters from a story, hanging on the wall or sitting in the middle of the gallery like strange and evocative outcroppings of nature or outer space. Time: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, through Feb. 4, 2018 Cost: $6 to $7 Details: lbma.org Venue: Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
COMMUNITY Dec. 23
It’s A Wonderful Life Directed by Frank Capra, this classic holiday film. Join in for ginger snaps and other treats and don’t forget to dress up in your best 1940’s threads. Time: 7 p.m. Dec. 23 Cost: $15 Details: http://spiffest.org Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Dec. 23
Salt Marsh Open House Step out into nature and discover the hidden world of the Salinas de San Pedro Salt Marsh. Join Cabrillo Marine Aquarium educators and Coastal Park Naturalists as they help uncover the world of mud and water that is the local wetland.
Christmas Dinner at the Center Join The Center Long Beach for a festive Christmas Day dinner for LGBTQ families and friends. Time: 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 25 Cost: Free Details: (562) 434-4455 Venue: The Center Long Beach, 2017 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Dec. 28
Explore the Shore Spend part of your Thursday exploring the shore at Cabrillo Beach. Join the “Walk Cabrillo” guided tour of the Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park habitats. Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 28 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-7562; www. cabrillomarineaquarium.org. Venue: CMA, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Dec. 29
Tidepool Walk Explore lots of low tides on the rocky shore with Cabrillo Marine Aquarium during your vacation. Bring family and friends to the aquarium’s John M. Olguin Auditorium for an informative slide show, followed by a Cabrillo Marine Aquarium education staff led walk to the nearby Point Fermin Tidepools. Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 29, 12 to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 30, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 31, 2017, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Jan. 2, and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 3 and 4, 2018 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-7562; www. cabrillomarineaquarium.org. Venue: CMA, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Jan. 3, 2018
Join SEA Club Welcome to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s SEA Club (Science Education Afternoons) classes. The club will meet with grades fourth through sixth, on four consecutive Wednesdays. The Aquarium’s marine laboratory classroom will serve as a base station for hands-on ocean exploration. Pre-registration is required; deadline to register is Jan. 3, 2018. Time: 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 10 through 31 Cost: $30 Details: (310) 548-7562; www. cabrillomarineaquarium.org Venue: CMA, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Jan. 11
Needle Artists by the Sea Needle Artists by the Sea is a chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild, whose purpose is to nurture educational and cultural development through participation in the art of needlepoint and other counted techniques. Needle Artists by the Sea will host its monthly meeting. Time: 10 a.m. Jan. 11 Cost: Free Details: (424) 224-9254; needleartistsbythesea.org Venue: Ports O’Call Restaurant, 1200 Nagoya Way, San Pedro
Jan. 7
Mulheres Da Terra A young woman with a dream of becoming a midwife begins a journey in search of traditional midwives. Her journey takes her through northeastern Brazil, indigenous villages, rural communities, quilombo settlements, and fishing villages. Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 7 Cost: $15 Details: http://bit. ly/2AESpln Venue: Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Jan. 6
Chavela Chavela takes viewers on an evocative, thoughtprovoking journey through the iconoclastic life of Chavela Vargas, the gamechanging singer known for her unique interpretations of Mexican rancheras. Time: 11 a.m. Jan. 6 Cost: $11.50 Details: www. arttheatrelongbeach.org Venue: Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Jan. 10
Tom of Finland The proudly erotic drawings of artist Touko Laaksonen, known to the world as Tom of Finland, shaped the fantasies of a generation of gay men. Dome Karukoski’s stirring biopic follows his life from the trenches of WWII and repressive Finnish society of the 1950s through his struggle to get his work published. Time: 7 p.m. Jan. 10, 2018 Cost: $11.50 Details: www. arttheatrelongbeach.org/ our-films/#TomofFinland Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Dec. 30
Time: 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 23 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-7562; www.cabrillomarineaquarium. org. Venue: CMA, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Cowboy Country The venerable and immense Cowboy Country is opening its doors on Tuesday evenings, allowing a new group of bands to take the stage to provide “modern” country music. DJ Gregory Place will be playing all your favorite two-step, couples dances and of course line dances. Time: 6 p.m. Dec. 26 Cost: $5 Details: (562) 630-3007; www.cowboycountry.mu Venue: Cowboy Country, 3321 E. South St., Long Beach
Two LA Photographers
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Scarface Hip-hop legend Scarface is out on a national U.S. tour through the end of the year, along with Gorgeous George and Pimp God. Face will be returning to the stage with his incredible guitar skills, performing alongside a live band. Time: 6 p.m. Dec. 23 Cost: $20 to $35 Details: www. ticketweb.com/events/ org/156482?pl=gaslamp Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
joining LA Raider Nation for an exclusive meet and greet and autograph signing. Also, Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound will be doing a live performance. Time: 5 p.m. Dec. 30 Cost: $30 to $200 Details: (310) 900-9667; picatic.com/lablackout Venue: Holiday Inn Long Beach Airport, 2640 N. Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach
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West Coast Legend Coming to Pedro By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
On Dec. 29, the Egyptian Lover, a West Coast hip-hop legend —whose given name is Greg Broussard — will be coming to JDC Records to perform. This isn’t the first time the Egyptian Lover has come to San Pedro. He performed at JDC records in December 2016 to promote his latest album, 1984. 1984 is said to be named after the year that inspired it, with tracks “recorded the old way with the old equipment” to make an album of “pure old-school electro.” That meant Broussard only used the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer and Jupiter 8, and other old analogue equipment in use during the 1980s. He couldn’t totally avoid using modern technology for the album. He had to record the album to ProTools then mix it down to a 1/4inch tape rather than the 2-inch tape, a dinosaur from the 1980s. Broussard was a rapper, DJ and producer who was hugely influenced by the New York electro scene, as well as by the electro-funk of Zapp. The music of the Los Angeles music scene of the early 1980s was dance music — a scene
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dominated by the Los Angeles music collective known as Uncle Jamm’s Army and Radio Crew. The Egyptian was a part of Uncle Jamm’s Army right after high school, but it was as a solo artist that he made his impact. His song Egypt, Egypt (1984) was a Los Angeles anthem and his album On the Nile was one of the first hip-hop albums released on the “left coast.” Los Angeles was a hotbed of talent at that time, which included the DJ collective known as the Wreckin’ Cru headed by Grand Master Lonzo. Members included future legends such as the co-founder of NWA and Aftermath Records Dr. Dre and Cli-N-Tel, Antoine “Yella” Carraby; LA Dream Team with Snake Puppy and Rudy Pardee; Mixmaster Spade; Toddy Tee. Egyptian Lover’s early works have become staples of electro sets across the world. Time: 7 p.m. Dec. 29 Cost: Free Details: (424) 264-5335 Venue: JDC Records, 447 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Uncle Jamm’s Army circa 1982. Top row: Razor Sharp, Mr. No Good, Lester, Egyptian Lover, Muffla, Troy, Gid Martin. Bottom row: Mr. Prinze (Rodger Clayton), Bobcat, Tomcat. File photo
New Year’s Eve Around Town
NYE 2018 Convergence Cosmic Consciousness and Groove Temple Live are hosting a cosmic New Year’s Eve party with yoga, dancing, a countdown, a sound bath and ceremony. Part of the proceeds will go to benefit Amazon Watch. Provide your own mat and water bottle. No alcohol will served or allowed. Time: 8 p.m. Dec. 31 to 4 a.m. Jan. 1 Cost: $40 to $70 Details: https://tinyurl.com/ convergence-SP Venue: Elysium Conservatory Theatre, 729 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro
Mardi Gras New Year at Jackson’s Place Enjoy live music by Calle 6 and dinner prepared by TV’s Iron Chef veteran Scott Persson. Only 75 seats will be available. Time: Dec. 31 Cost: $75 Details: (424) 477-5220 Venue: Jackson’s Place, 335 W. 7th St., San Pedro Croatian American Hall The Croatian American
Hall of San Pedro is throwing a party and all are invited to ring in the New Year. Live music by Grupa Zrinski and Petra Tulic, plus a midnight champagne toast included with a great menu. Time: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 31 Cost: $40 to $70 Details: (310) 547-9484 Venue: Croatian American Club, 631 W. 9th St., San Pedro Rain NYE Kick off 2018 with a night to remember at Rain NYE at Crafted at the Port of LA with Los Angelesbased DJs spinning Top 40 house and hip-hop mash-ups all night long. Time: 8 p.m. Dec. 31 Cost: $5 Details: craftedpola.com Venue: Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, 112 E. 22nd St., Warehouse No. 10, San Pedro Romance on the Bay NYE 2018 Close out 2017 and ring in the New Year with a bang aboard the Grand Romance Riverboat in Long Beach Harbor. Must be 21 years of age or older. Time: 8 p.m. Dec. 31 to 2 a.m. Jan. 1, 2018 Cost: $ 60
Details: https://tinyurl.com/ Bang-on-the-Bay Venue: 200 Aquarium Way, Suite 4, Long Beach New Year’s Eve at the Waterfront Downtown Long Beach Alliance presents New Year’s Eve at the Waterfront. Join in for an afternoon of a free, family-friendly celebration with live music, DJs, and strolling entertainers. Time: 5 to 10:30 p.m. Dec. 31 Cost: Free Details: www.facebook.com/ events/382385892203737 Venue: Rainbow Harbor, 200 Aquarium Way, Long Beach
Follow Your Heart Follow your heart straight to adventure at Disney on Ice. Just keep swimming with Dory and new pal Hank for Disney and Pixar’s Finding Dory as they set out for find her parents and discover the devotion of family. Time: 11 a.m. Dec. 31 Cost: $23 Details: www.ticketmaster.com Venue: Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach
[Music, from p. 116]
Meet the Music
for how many weeks during the semester. This means that resources are constrained in school. Grand Vision Foundation serves as a community arts partner to expand access to arts education. “We work in partnership with the schools to step in where there is a gap and a need and provide some really rich arts experiences that the schools would not be able to provide,” Wilkinson said.
Roots of Music
Today, Grand Vision has expanded to not only build the students’ musical knowledge but also to enhance multicultural understanding through the Roots of Music module, a program that introduces the ethnic origins of popular music. “Our students are very fortunate to participate in [Root of Music Program],” said Lauren Baczkowski, a teacher at Barton Hill Elementary on Grand Vision’s website. “Several students are showing more confidence.” Roots of Music includes an invaluable partnership with the Los Angeles Opera. Each year the students attend a youth-oriented opera performance at the Warner Grand Theatre. The fifth graders are presented with a rare opportunity to learn about alternative forms of music and culture while their minds are still receptive to what is out there. Teachers have an approved curriculum that introduces students to forms of music that they won’t stumble upon on YouTube. The program is taught by the Los Angeles-based world music group Adaawe. Students learn anchor concepts like rhythm, melody and dynamics by engaging with African rhythm, American spirituals and folk, and Mexican traditional music. Adaawe members are from varied backgrounds. The musicians originate from Kenya, Morocco, Israel, Panama and the United States to the classroom. Students learn the roots of popular American music while studying historical events such as the Atlantic slave trade. The growth of the program has brought more educators and volunteers onboard to teach music, dance and visual arts.
Early Inspiration
Grand Vision was founded by Liz Schindler Johnson, who is now its executive director. She was drawn to community activism following the 1992 Los Angeles riots. She believes that many of her colleagues in community-based arts education developed an awareness during that period of civil unrest. “When we were launching the Recorders in Schools program I met with teachers,” Schindler Johnson recalled. “I assumed that they had identified musically gifted students.” But teachers told her they had no idea who was musically talented because students never participated in music during school hours. That clarified things for Schindler Johnson. She became focused on providing an opportunity for students to discover unrealized musical aptitude. The first instructor with the early recorder class was Andrea Dowdell. Dowdell was teaching the recorder in a small private school in Torrance. She was already an eager volunteer with Grand Vision Foundation. “I was born and raised in Germany and it is a very common thing there to learn the recorder in school,” Dowdell said. Dowdell suggested the curriculum that remains in use for the recorder class. Dowdell also identified gifted students, such as a young man named Anthony, who exhibited
Photo by Taso Papadakis
a prodigious capacity for hearing music and playing back the tune without sheet music. Anthony was easily the star student that year and performed solo at the Grand Vision gala. Meet the Music staff now includes Giselle Ruiz, Andrea Dowdell, Dr. Dawn Norfleet and Sukari Reid-Glenn. Both Norfleet and ReidGleen are flautists and composers.
Model Art Schools
But it takes a village to raise a child. Amy Eriksen, executive director of Angels Gate Cultural Center, has combined the center’s previously existing educational outreach program with Grand Vision to form the Model Art Schools program. “Model Art School is an idea that allows us to think about integrated, sequential art education for students in our local LAUSD elementary schools,” Eriksen said. “We partner with others, like Grand Vision, to bring continued funding from our varied sources to make sure that schools are receiving arts programming at every grade level in a different art form.” Program directors work with the individual principals and teachers to create 10-week programs in their schools. Combining resources has allowed the school district, Grand Vision and Angels Gate to connect with students across the city. “Often the school will have the LAUSD artist come in and do one grade level, and then we have partnered with choreographers such as Pony Box Dance Co. to come in and do the second-grade dance program,” Eriksen said. “Then, we bring in visual arts to the third grade. Grand Vision brings the Roots of Music program to the fourth grade and we bring in creative writing to the fifth grade.” Wilkinson agrees. “We would love to see our elementary schools with their own orchestras and bands, but the least we can do is to have every single fifth grader in our area be able to learn to play music, together with their class,” emphasized Wilkinson. All this requires concentrated fundraising efforts to maintain the program. Generous donations from the Max H. Gluck Foundation, the California Arts Council and a long list of charitable donors make a good portion of this effort possible. Each year Grand Vision hosts a wildly popular Gathering for the Grand Gala. The 2018 gala on March 24 honors Andrew and Adela Sibler with a Beatles themed party titled All You Need is Love. Tickets for the auction, dinner, and dance are available at www.grandvision. org/gala. The foundation has booked Jackson Browne for a fundraising concert on Feb. 9 at the Warner Grand Theatre. Tickets for Browne’s benefit concert at the 1,500-seat Warner Grand Theatre are sold out on the Ticketmaster site. A quick search turned up a few tickets on StubHub. Fans might still be able to get in.
JAN 4 Brought to you by the artists and restaurants of the Downtown San Pedro Waterfront Arts District
PacArts Gallery
Michael Stearns Studio 347
Four Sight
ABOVE, BELOW AND AWAY — SKY PAINTINGS BY JON NG Jon Ng’s work maintains a bridge between classical still-life and figurative painting and contemporary art. One feels the strong presence of a 600-year tradition in the midst of a 21st. century visual experience. Ng paints a certain reality; yet evokes a sense of solitude, displacement and transformation. His work is as simple and beautiful as it is rife with human and earthly complexities. The show opens on Jon Ng, Above, Below and Away, 2017, First Thursday Jan. 4 52.5″ x 42″, acrylic on canvas. at 6 p.m. Reception for the artist Jan. 13, 4 to 7 p.m. Michael Stearns Studio 347, 347 W. 7th St., San Pedro. Details: (562) 400-0544; www.michaelstearsstudio.com
Pac Arts Gallery invites you to celebrate the New Year with a closing reception for Four Sight on F i r s t T h u r s d ay, Jan. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. Four Sight is an eclectic group s h ow fe a t u r i n g four female artists, whose works include woven tapestries, digital photography, a n i m a t i o n renderings and acrylic paintings on canvas. Meet the artists, enjoy refreshments and take a tour of PacArts artists residential colony. PacArts Gallery, 303 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro. Details: (562) 436-0700; www.engagedaging.org.
Studio Gallery 345 ALL ABOUT COLOR
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.
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Shadow Lands
Reflections on some people I’ve known 12 POEMS
By James Preston Allen Publisher of Random Lengths News
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
RLn BRINGS YOU DEDICATED COVERAGE OF THE ARTS IN THE HARBOR AREA. FOR ADVERTISING, CALL 310. 519.1442
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Available now at
Grand Emporium 323 W. 7th St., San Pedro
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CLASSIFIED ADS Help WANTED PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 A Week Mailing Brochures From Home! No Experience Required. Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity. Start Immediately! www.IncomeStation.net (AAN CAN) Multimedia Account Executive Random Lengths News, is seeking an energetic, outgoing individual for Multimedia Advertising Account Executive position. The ideal candidate will be responsible for selling multiplatform advertising solutions including digital advertising, print advertising and event sponsorships to an exciting group of clients. We are looking for connected, social-media savvy, high-energy, hyperproductive individuals. Requirements: • Two-plus years of outside sales experience preferably in an advertising sales and/ or print and online media environment • Experience with Customer Relationship Management tools • Maintain a solid understanding of the online marketing and advertising industry. • Demonstrates the ability
to sell with a consultative approach • Strong skill set with developing and building business relationships • Dependable transportation, valid driver’s license and auto insurance Responsibilities: • Making minimum of 125 outbound sales calls and securing and completing a minimum of 15 outside appointments per week. • Multimedia Account Executives will be responsible for prospecting leads, making calls and going on appointments to bring in new business. RLn offers: • Great work environment where creative thinking is encouraged • Unlimited earning potential • Base pay + commission + bonus Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. Random Lengths News is an equal opportunity employe. Send resumé to james@ randomlengthsnews.com or drop by the office at 1300 S. Pacific Ave. in San Pedro.
Career Training AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job place-
ment assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800725-1563 (AAN CAN) EARN $500 A DAY As Airbrush Makeup Artist for: Ads . TV . Film . Fashion. HD . Digital 35% OFF TUITION One Week Course Taught by top makeup artist & photographer Train & Build Portfolio. Models Provided. Accredited. A+ Rated. AwardMakeupSchool.com (818) 980-2119 (AAN CAN)
Real Estate SERVICES Real Estate Investor seeks to purchase commercial or multi-unit residential properties in San Pedro. No Agents please. 310-241-6827
ROOMMATES
FINANCIAL SERVICES Denied Credit?? Work to Repair Your Credit Report With The Trusted Leader in Credit Repair. Call Lexington Law for a FREE credit report summary & credit repair consultation. 855-620-9426. John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC, dba Lexington Law Firm. (AAN CAN)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES English-spanish translation services - legal documents, letters and manuscripts/ for business, academic or personal use. Call Mr. Avila at 310-519-1016
ALL AREAS ROOMMATES. COM. Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates. com! (AAN CAN)
FOR SALE Poetry Book — Shadow Lands: Reflection on some people I’ve known. 12 original poems by RLn Publisher James Preston Allen. $10+$1.50 s/h Beacon Light Press, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733
Reach 63,000 Harbor Area Readers
HEALTH
MISC
PETS
MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY. Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855-7324139 (AAN CAN)
NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you self-publish your own book. FREE author submission kit! Limited offer! Why wait? Call now: 888-231-5904 (AAN CAN)
Pedro Pet Pals is the only group that raises funds for the City Animal Shelter and more importantly FREE vaccines and spay neuter for our community. (310) 991-0012
Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 800-978-6674 (AAN CAN)
OXYGEN - Anytime. Anywhere. No tanks to refill. No deliveries. The All-New Inogen One G4 is only 2.8 pounds! FAA approved! FREE info kit: 877-673-2864 (AAN CAN)
“Bundle Up”—
VEHICLES CASH FOR CARS: Any Car/ Truck 2000-2015, Running or Not! Top Dollar For Used/ Damaged. Free Nationwide Towing! Call Now: 1-888-4203808 (AAN CAN)
MUSIC LESSONS VIOLIN LESSONS in your home with Jim Sitterly. All levels.310-548-1659. www. JimSitterly.com.
ADOPTION PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877362-2401
by wearing something warm
© 2017 MATT JONES, Jonesin’ Crosswords
Dish Network-Satellite Television Services. Now Over 190 channels for ONLY $49.99/mo! HBO-FREE for one year, FREE Installation, FREE Streaming, FREE HD. Add Internet for $14.95 a month. 1-800-373-6508 (AAN
CAN)
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Bulletin Board
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It’s Easy!
Please help! The animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter, 957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro. 888-452-7381, x 143 PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.
Worry-Free Tax & Accounting Service • Payroll • Income Tax • Notary Service
Save time. Save money. Save stress. Just Relax Tax Service
870 W. 9th St., Ste. 100A, San Pedro Call for appt. today 310.221.0034 • www.justrelaxtax.com
Don Marshall CPA, Inc. (310) 833-8977
Don Marshall, MBA, CPA Specializing in small businesses CPA quality service at very reasonable rates
www.donmarshallcpa.com
DBA Filing & Publishing
$
135
310-519-1442
Across
1 White of “Wheel” fame 6 Knock lightly 9 Prickly plants 14 Orchestra reeds 15 What tree rings indicate 16 Kind of committee 17 Headwear seen at a rodeo 19 Western capital that’s its state’s largest city 20 DuVernay who directed “Selma” 21 About 30.48 centimeters 22 Tenth grader, for short 23 Half of the Brady kids 25 “Home Again” star Witherspoon 27 Margarine containers 30 Laptop connection option 32 “Monsters, ___” (Pixar film) 34 Former UB40 lead singer Campbell 35 1969 Roberta Flack song with the lyric “The President, he’s got his war / Folks don’t know just what it’s for” 40 Cancel out 41 Sparks of “Queer As Folk” 42 Art store purchase 43 Corporate getaway of sorts 46 Suffix for social or graph 47 “___ and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” 48 Solo on screen
49 Office fixture 51 2016 Key and Peele movie 54 Quick drive 58 Play it ___ 60 Rounded roof 62 Nest egg letters 63 Hang in folds 65 Political upheaval 67 Fashion magazine since 1892 68 Java vessel 69 Persona non ___ 70 Food regimens 71 Wanna-___ 72 Art store purchase
Down
1 Word knowledge, briefly 2 From the beginning, in Latin 3 “I don’t buy it” 4 Lincoln’s st. 5 Beginning from 6 Lake between two states 7 Quartz variety 8 Iguana, for some 9 ___ San Lucas 10 Take in or take on 11 Little barker 12 How-___ (instructional publications) 13 Swelling reducer 18 ___ Linda, Calif. (Nixon Library site) 22 E-mailed 24 Recap
26 Move like a crab 28 Fun time 29 “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the ___” 31 Egg-breaking sound 33 Mongoose’s foe 35 $100 bill, slangily 36 Sticking to the party line, like political speeches 37 Take the rap? 38 Corn unit 39 Some birdhouse dwellers 40 Electroplating stuff 44 Apparel giant with a World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. 45 Kick drum sound 50 Demolished 52 Love so much 53 Grammatical things 55 Pockets in the bread aisle 56 Steamed 57 Birth-related 59 Bill listings 61 Just beat out 63 Streaming video predecessor 64 King, in Cannes 65 Little leopard 66 Time period split into periods ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
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December 21, 2017 - January 3, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
WRD wishes you a Wonderful Holiday Season!
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Willard H. Murray Jr.
Robert Katherman
John D.S. Allen
Sergio Calderon
Albert Robles
Division 1
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
Division 5
Robb Whitaker
General Manager