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Barragán fights for ports while challenging POTUS p. 5 Reverend Tall Tree returns to the Grand Annex p. 11 B.U.L.K. Jerky ― Love, kindness and dried meat p. 12 Musical Theatre West makes Guys and Dolls sing p. 13
For years, media outlets (and small businesses) desperately chased the clicks promised by Facebook; now the social media giant threatens to destroy them By Daniel Walters | Illustrations by Jeff Drew [p.6]
Ports O’ Call Replacement Plans Readied–but has Port Planning Lost Its Way? A Veteran Planner Voices Concerns for the Community By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
On March 20, the Port of Los Angeles will hold a public meeting at the Warner Grand Theater, where it and the developers will unveil plans for redeveloping the Ports O’ Call Village site. Contrary to popular belief, Ports O’ Call restaurant will remain open for the foreseeable future, but no formal agreement has been announced. However, many deep community concerns remain about the plan — a plan which seem starkly at odds with what the community had been led to expect dating back almost two decades. However, sources close to the port indicate that the Ratkovich and Jerico development team are still in negotiations with Ports O’ Call restaurant but the port has not received a Letter of Intent to lease. “This idea of coming in and making a clean sweep — take everything out — this is 1970s urban renewal. It was a total failure,” said Rafique Khan, the Community Redevelopment Agency’s deputy director of planning, who worked on projects in San Pedro and Wilmington from 1997 to 2008. “You’ve got to bring in all the assets, on the waterfront, who have survived all this time — the Ports O’ Call, the restaurants—they need to be nurtured. Coming in and telling them for two years you’re going to get a holiday — you’re going to create a desert there.” That’s precisely what happened to Beacon Street in the 1970s. While Khan professed respect for both the Johnsons’ community investments and Wayne Ratkovich’s development record, he was both puzzled and skeptical of the preliminary plans Random Lengths News obtained through a public records act request from the port. For a successful development, Khan said, “You have to understand what people are looking for, and translate that into a program. After the program is done, then you know what your marketing plan is, who your client is, what your needs are, then you come and do the physical structure around it. Unfortunately, in most cases, it’s the other way around. We come in and do the physical things first, and then we look around for how were going to market it.” So the plans he saw puzzled him.
February 22 - March 7, 2018
[See Port Planning, p. 2]
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[Port Planning, from p. 1]
Port Planning Southern California’s Newest Marina
Guest Slips available for the Harbor Cup 2018 Cal Maritime Invitational Intercollegiate Regatta March 9 to 11
The Shortest Run to Catalina
“I’m not sure these guys really understand the underlying issue: What is the vision of San Pedro of the future 21st century? In my opinion, the core is you have to get new jobs in the area, and you have to understand how do we connect the community to the waterfront. The present plan is in the middle they build a shopping center, and with the promenade it really is further separating the community from the waterfront.” That’s a glaring problem, given that connecting the community with the waterfront — functionally as well as visually — has been a central guiding theme of waterfront development planning since the end of the Richard Riordan mayoral administration. “I’m not sure what the thinking behind these plans is,” Khan said. “To give a very gross example, cities are like human beings. Here you have a human being with broken bones, and has not been nourished for generations. You suddenly put a nice suit on the person, and give them a facial and say then, ‘Here we are. Go.”
he said. “Unless you craft the vision and know where you’re going, you can’t just start walking. You have to know what your destination is.” This is more or less what the community managed to do over the course of a decade of planning, from 1999 to 2009, when the Waterfront Development’s Final environmental impact report was approved in a marathon sevenhour meeting in the wee hours of Sept. 30, with approximately 500 people in attendance overall. Despite recurrent clashes with the port, different community factions came together well enough at that time to get a plan they could live with, even though it fell short of the Community Sustainability Plan, whose supporters were drawn from diverse parts of the community from the Sierra Club to the Chamber of Commerce. But things have deteriorated significantly since then, with vastly diminished public input. “My take on San Pedro is that it really needs a remedy on all three fronts, and that’s physical, economic and vision. Unless these are restored, there’s not going to be much improvement in the community,” Khan explained. The first one would make a physical
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February 22 - March7, 2018
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Providing clean facilities and protecting our waterways from pollution
A San Pedro Market Place rendering. Courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles
Khan had “a classic example” in mind, pointing to “the other side of Harbor Boulevard where the port spent considerable dollars on landscaping the area where cruise ships are berthed,” one of the first waterfront development project, over a decade ago. “There is an elaborate water feature and expensive hardscape. It all looks good, but in terms of the economics of San Pedro, has it made any difference?” he asked. “Unless you have a lot of underpinning, unless people have a desire and reason to go to these places, pretty pictures and pretty buildings don’t matter. People don’t go for buildings,” Khan observed. Rather, “You have to understand what are the underlying issues,” and address them first. Most significantly, “San Pedro is a waterfront community, and it has lost its connection with the waterfront ... losing a connection is difficult. It doesn’t exist anymore,” Khan said. Most of the wide range of jobs residents once had — fishing and processing, shipbuilding and repair — have vanished. “The port is there,” he acknowledged, “But it’s a very big enterprise, and it’s not connected with San Pedro because it’s become too big and the social fabric of the town is torn apart. It was a very small community, a vibrant, small community.” But for a long time now that fabric has frayed into competing interests. “They all seem to be pulling in different directions and San Pedro does not have a vision,”
connection with the old street grid. That needs to be restored. All the north-south and east-west street must physically connect to the waterfront. He qualified slightly, in view of the cliffs south of Seventh Street. “Every street does not have to be motor able,” he said. “Having said that, there are streets in LA with very steep gradient; one in my neighborhood — Silverlake — has a very steep grade. The street has become a tourist attraction.” A lesson worth considering. “The point is to create visual corridors that connect the community with its Waterfront,” he continued. “The street pattern on the two sides of Harbor Boulevard should be of the same character. That is the first step for creating the seamless interface,” another concept that dates back to the Riordan administration. As for economics, “The land uses in that grid must relate to the community, and must have some bearing which will bring jobs to the community which will bring in new economic base to the community,” Khan said. “Unless these things happen, these new buildings are not going to do anything. Because unless you have the economics in the community, it’s not going to go anywhere.” Finally, “The last point is the vision, San Pedro was a thriving mid-20th century small community. That is gone. What is the vision for the 21st century?” Khan asked. “Is it going to be a bedroom community? Is it going to be a [See Planning, p. 4]
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Building Healthy Relationships Youth Conference
Join the Women shelter of Long Beach at the Salvation Army for a conference that will focus on the dynamics of healthy relationships and the influence of social media. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Feb. 24 Details: http://wslb.org/BHR/ Venue: The Salvation Army, 3000 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach
Panel Discussion: Union Organizing
Take part in discussions with labor scholars, activists, and organizers on topics relating to the experience of workers that will enlighten and encourage participants to make connections between history and today. Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Feb. 24 Details: https://tinyurl.com/UnionTalk Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 N. Virginia Road, Long Beach
Family Promise: Help the Homeless
Temple Beth El has committed to helping Family Promise, a community-based approach to addressing homelessness, engaging both the local community and houses of faith in an effort to combat family homelessness. Volunteers are needed to drop off dinner, serve meals, hang out and sleep overnight at the church on Feb. 25 and 26. All volunteers must participate in a one-hour training. Time: Feb. 25 and 26 Details: tbeoffice@bethelsp.org, https://tinyurl. com/FamilyPromise-SP Venue: San Pedro United Methodist Church, 580 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Croatian Consular Day
Get or renew your Croatian passport. If you are seeking Croatian citizenship, the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia will be available. Time: 1:30 p.m. Feb. 28 Venue: Croatian American Club, 631 W. 9th St., San Pedro
The Future of C-17 Manufacturer Site, Public Meeting
Life With the Port
Angels Gate Cultural Center invites you to share your videos and photos of life within and surrounding the Port of Los Angeles. It is welcoming everything from local perspectives to viewpoints from other communities connected to the port. The submission deadline is Feb. 28. Details: info@angelsgate.org
People’s State of the City 2018
The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners conducts its regular biweekly meeting. Time: 8:30 a.m. March 1 Details: www.portoflosangeles.org/commission/ schedule.asp Venue: Harbor Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro [See Announcements, p. 4]
Hundreds of community residents, students and labor activists marked the the third anniversary of the Torrance Refinery explosion by protesting its continued use of modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF) in their refinery process. The Feb. 17 demonstrations followed recent reporting in the Daily Breeze which previously exposed that the Environmental Protection Agency failed to enforce fines and cleanup first against Exxon Mobil and now against the new refinery owners, PBF Energy. Local elected officials, scientists, teachers and residents spoke on the dangers posed by the continued use of MHF at the refinery. Some alluded to the worst chemical plant accident in Bhopal, India in 1984, when more than 500,000 people were injured and 8,000 died within two weeks. The PBF Energy refinery in Torrance and the Valero refinery in Wilmington are notorious for their history of accidents, lack of restorative cleanup and fines mandated by the EPA and continued violations that make them unsafe to refinery workers and the community. Teacher and South Bay resident, Sandra Viera, told the crowd, “The refineries have vast resources to cover up the truth, and push their message out. They pay lobbyists that can influence the EPA to ignore their own reports of toxic waste and safety violations at the refinery; it seems the refineries can even pay people to attend AQMD hearings.” Pedora Keoo, representing the National Nurses United union, said, “Air pollution is a public health crisis in Los Angeles. This is due to the ports, highways and refineries. What frightens me as a nurse is that we have this refinery here that contains hydrofluoric acid on site, a chemical that causes burn[s] and tissue damage on contact. This refinery still has problems: causing shutdowns, flares, and fires in 2015, 2016, and 2017. It is a ticking time bomb. I don’t even know if our surrounding hospitals can accommodate all the injuries if another [explosion] should happen that could be a catastrophe.” Keynote speaker and scientist Sally Hayati led off by emphasizing, “Safe refineries save lives! That’s a great United Steelworkers slogan. An MHF replacement will create jobs, not eliminate them.” “Our refineries claim to have all but eliminated HF dangers by adopting Modified HF, with its vapor suppressant additive,” Hayati explained. “But Torrance Refinery Action Alliance’s investigation after the 2015 explosion revealed that MHF is the refining industry’s equivalent of ‘ultra light’ cigarettes, giving the illusion of safety without delivering it. MHF is just concentrated HF, with so little additive it makes no difference.” Hayati noted that this past August, AQMD Air Quality Management District Rule 1410 staff had concluded that the refinery couldn’t prove MHF safety claims and that an MHF phase out within approximately five years was necessary
Torrance residents, activists and elected officials, such as Rep. Nanette Barragan and Torrance City Councilman Geoff Rizzo marked the third anniversary of the Feb. 18, 2015, explosion with a protest on Feb. 18. Photo by Jessie Drezner.
to prevent health risks to a significant number of persons. “Even modest levels of effort from a large number of people can win this battle,” Hayati said. A significant new addition to the rally were high school and college students from Torrance, Wilmington, San Pedro, Lawndale and Northridge, along with teachers from an even broader list of cities.
By the end of the march and rally, the alliance collected hundreds of signatures of new supporters, organized the distribution of 150 lawn signs and sent hundreds of postcards to the AQMD to continue opposition to MHF from the community. Mark Friedman is a veteran trade unionist. TRAA leaders Sally Hayati, Sandra Viera contributed to this article.
February 22 - March 7, 2018
LA Harbor Commission Meeting
By Mark Friedman, RLn Contributor
The People’s State of the City--Long Beach’s getting-to-be-a-traditional opportunity to compare and contrast the statistical reality of the city’s quality of life with the rose-colored version delivered by Mayor Robert Garcia a few weeks ago — is returning in 2018. The People’s State of the City is one of the largest community organized events in the city and attracts more than 500 people to hear about the challenges facing working people in the city and ways to get involved in positive social change. Time: 5 to 8 p.m. March 1 Details: www.bhclongbeach.org/calendar/ peoples-state-city-2018 Venue: First Congregational Church, 241 Cedar Ave., Long Beach
Hundreds March on Torrance Refinery for Community, Worker Safety and Jobs
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Continue planning the future of the C-17 manufacturer site and the surrounding commercial and industrial buildings in Long Beach. Time: 6 to 8 p.m., Feb. 28 Details: (562) 570-6194 Venue: Hughes Middle School Cafeteria, 3846 California Ave, Long Beach
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years
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Community Announcements:
Harbor Area [Announcements, from p. 3]
Blood Drive Car Show
Bring your pre-1967 Hot Rod / Kustom / Motorcycle or VW for the Blood Drive Car Show. A constant supply of blood is needed to save lives. Time: March 3 Cost: $5 to $15 Details: www.blooddrivecarshow.com Venue: Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
LB City Council Gets LUE Presentation
The Long Beach City Council will be presented with the proposed Land Use Element maps. Time: 5 p.m. March 6 Details: longbeach.legistar.com Venue: Long Beach City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
LA City Attorney Harbor Town Hall
Meet Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer during the Harbor Town Hall meeting. Time: 6 to 7 p.m. March 8 Details: www.lacityattorney.org Venue: Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro
LA Waterfront Town Hall
By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
When encountering a person experiencing a mental health break or some state of insobriety, a typical Los Angeles resident has the option of either calling the emergency line or turning a blind eye. In non-emergency situations, the first option could be about as effective as the second. On Jan. 9, Assemblyman Mike Gipson introduced a bill that would make it easier to choose the first option and see real help arrive. The bill calls on local emergency medical services agencies to submit plans that would allow specially trained paramedics to transport patients who are inebriated or who are experiencing a mental health crisis in non-emergency situations. The bill has received a great deal of support from various corners including powerful cosponsors such as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the California Hospital Association. Other co-sponsors include American Civil Liberties Union of California, California Ambulance Association, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office, Stanislaus County, Emergency Medical Services Administrators Association of California, and the Emergency Medical Directors Association of California. Hospital emergency departments are responsible for providing rapid response care in times of emergency and crisis. These departments, however, are ill-equipped to serve patients that are inebriated or in need of mental health care in non-emergent situations.
Assemblymember Mike Gipson of the 64th Assembly District. Courtesy of Assemblymember Mike Gipson’s office
[Port Planning, from p.2 ]
Waterfront Planning repository for social service users? Or is it going to be a community that relates to all these people and creates community in which there’s a place for all people?” The last option is clearly preferable, but as Khan observed that, “We’re so truncated and so bifurcated in our thinking that the interest groups only look at their interests ... they don’t look at other interests. I spent 10 years in the community. [It is] my sense is there are certain things that could be done which will really make it into the vibrant, best in all of Southern California.” The keys are a combination of existing, under-utilized strengths. “Say we’re going to have an art and culture, historic community that will encompass a commercial area, a residential area and the waterfront,” Khan said. “It’s not going to be a typical historical district of LA, but a new district…. We’re not going to just simply live in history, but these are the roots and on the basis of these roots we’re going to plant some new trees, and the new trees could be some new uses, new housing, new commercial activity, which will bring economic activity into the area.”
The existing restaurant scene could be raised to whole new level with a marketing plan including a unified system of free valet parking, for example. A number of older ideas could be synergized — brining in a law college, creating a Wi-Fi district and expanding the arts district — and combined with an idea he’s had since leaving the area — a land swap between the city and the port that would involve giving the parkland around the Korean Bell to the port to establish a university based on maritime uses and security against terrorism, and give San Pedro’s waterfront property to the city for parkland, possibly an arboretum. It could also accommodate museum concepts, which Random Lengths has suggested in the past—a labor museum, a museum of maritime cultures, joint satellites from Los Angeles’s major museums. Sure, it might seem wildly outlandish. But today’s port is wildly outlandish by 1920s standards. The waterfront planning process was always recognized as a multi-decade affair. Perhaps in our hurry to finish things, we’ve lost sight of where we want to go.
February 22 - March7, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Join the town hall to learn about redevelopment along the LA Waterfront. The San Pedro Public Market, AltaSea and Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, will be discussed. Time: 6 p.m. March 20 Details: www.portoflosangeles.org, www. lawaterfront.org Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Gipson’s AB 1795 Garners Powerful Support
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office noted the homeless crisis in Los Angeles County continues unabated and that a significant number who experience homelessness also suffer from mental illness and chronic alcoholism. Homeless patients who are inebriated or who are experiencing a mental health crisis can be treated more appropriately at a sobering center or a mental health urgent care center where they can receive specialized care and linkage to supportive services. With the current influenza epidemic and other emergencies that daily overcrowd hospital emergency departments, it is critical that we direct this targeted population to alternative destinations so they can receive timely access to care and be referred to appropriate supportive services. The bill was referred to the legislature’s committee on health Jan. 22 and has been there ever since. Gipson’s office and other supporters are looking to build a groundswell of grassroot support, as evidenced by a fill-in-the-blank letter Hahn’s office generated for constituents to power this bill through the legislature and onto the governor’s desk for his signature.
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Artist rendering of the proposed San Pedro Promenade, southern end.
Barragán Advocates for Ports, the Harbor Area While Challenging POTUS’ Agenda By Sara Corcoran, RLn Washington Correspondent Editor’s Note: RLn’s Washington correspondent, Sara Corcoran, interviewed Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA 44) on Feb. 15 in her Washington, D.C. office. Barragán discussed issues impacting San Pedro and the rest of her district include homelessness, port security, Trump’s border wall, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, perhaps better known as DACA.
How does the president’s infrastructure plan impact the ports?
The president’s infrastructure plan does not make a significant financial investment in any part of our infrastructure, the ports included. The proposed $200 billion in this plan is woefully insufficient to help rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. The American Association of Port Authorities has identified $66 billion in infrastructure needs at our ports alone. This bill is an unserious attempt to deal with the challenges we face.
How do you feel the ports interact with their communities?
The ports are essential parts of our communities. San Pedro and Wilmington in particular grew hand-in-hand with the port. I grew up in this district, and I have family who work in the port to this day. The port continues to be a major economic engine for our economy and for the region. I was glad to see that last year the port shattered its record for annual container volume shipped. Part of my mission in Washington is to ensure that the port will continue to provide good-paying jobs for our communities and fuel the national economy. The growth and prosperity of our communities is deeply connected to the future of the port.
There are an estimated 8,000 DACA recipients. We have been pretty vocal on this issue. Everything from signing on to bills, speaking on the house floor... I’d like to force a vote on the Dream Act. We have met several times with John Kelly on this issue, originally when he was
I sit on the Homeland Security Committee, and the experts on the wall tell us it is more a speedbump. It is not going to solve the problem. Unfortunately, it has turned a into a political campaign promise by this president. It has turned a committee that has generally been very bipartisan to being more partisan. I’m for putting more customs and border protection at the ports of entry. Look, I represent the Port of Los Angeles. They have a staffing shortage. More officers will improve security and efficiency in the movement of cargo. It’s going to help the economy and it’s going to help create jobs. So there are much smarter ways for us to use that money. Do I think we are going to have to shell out money for the border wall? I don’t know. Everything is so up in the air. The president one day says he’s willing to do something without a wall. The next day he say he wants money for a wall. I think at the end of the day ... we are going to see where the politicians fall — where my colleagues will fall on what they are willing to
On the Housing Crisis
So the president’s budget is cutting a whole bunch of things from Medicaid to health care funding. In the prior budget they were trying to cut “home funds.” They have tried to cut that in the past. Those are funds that go to organizations that help put up affordable housing … people like Habitat for Community. They (Habitat for Humanity) came in here and said, “Look this is crazy. If they cut funding we are not going to be able to provide as much affordable housing.” Which is an issue in Los Angeles, where we face skyrocketing rents. The past budget also had some cuts to homeless programs. I haven’t seen the new budget to see if that is proposed again, but there is no doubt this president doesn’t have homelessness as one of his priority issues. It’s more of him trying to make up where he is going to find the money to pay for the big cut he gave to the top one percent. So the homeless
Join us for our monthly meeting on Mon., Feb. 26, 7 p.m. • LB City Council Seat 7 Endorsements • Guest Speakers: U.S. Senate candidate Pat Harris and BOE candidate Cheryl Turner • Also a report from the CADEM Convention At Ports O’Call Restaurant 1200 Nagoya Way, Berth 77, San Pedro For details: (310) 367-7186 or (916) 837-0920
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February 22 - March 7, 2018
DACA people in the district
On the Border Wall
ask for in return for DACA protections. What’s really sad is that [DACA is] such a bipartisan issue across the country [but] they are using these kids as hostages. I think you may see a proposal for a border wall have some funding. It’s not as quick as you think it is. It takes a while. So there is some political reality that they could get some wall funding.
As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I take cybersecurity concerns very seriously. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team has released 13 new indictments against Russians who meddled in the 2016 election. It is clear their goals were to undermine faith in our democratic institutions, erode support for Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and prop up the campaign of Donald Trump. Playing defense in cybersecurity is very difficult and it is going to take a government-wide commitment to prevent further election meddling in 2018. I am committed to support every effort to protect our election systems and integrity from future interference. Locally, the Port of Los Angeles experiences almost 20 million cyberattacks a month. I am focused on ensuring the federal government does its part by providing essential funding and resources for ports to harden cyber defenses. The Ports Security Grant Program is one of the vital tools the ports rely on, and I’ve been working to get the program more funding.
Secretary of Homeland Security and now that he is the president’s chief of staff. He’s moved on this issue quite a bit, unfortunately, Secretary Kelly now chief of staff Kelly on this issue has moved on this issue quite a bit — unfortunately, and not in a positive direction. Frankly, I have had meetings with the Senate Democratic leadership, conveying that our communities feel the Senate’s Democratic leadership has turned their backs. I have been calling for the Clean Dream Act for a long time. When other bills started coming forward, like the Aguilar-Hurd bill [Reps. Peter Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas)] which is a combination of DACA protection and border security. We spoke in favor of it as a way start having a conversation about what we can do to get the protections if there is going to be a compromise [on the president’s wall]. It’s something we have been pushing a lot. It’s been in the media that I have been We the person who has been willing to stand up and be vocal against my own Democratic leadership. We are going to continue to do that. I think it was a mistake...we didn’t use the last spending bill as leverage. We saw that there was real leverage there because the Republicans only had about 168 votes and they needed so many Democratic votes. We had 73 support that bill. I thought that was unfortunate.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
What plans does Congress have for cybersecurity?
Rep. Nanette Barragán. File photo.
problem is a huge issue. Its exploding. I live in San Pedro myself. I’ve seen it explode. We have tried several things. Under a program called HUD VASH [Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing] bill, across the country the federal government gives out housing vouchers. Some areas don’t use them. But Los Angeles, being such a high level of homelessness, uses theirs. My goal is to reallocate some of those HUD VASH vouchers to cities in need of them. It would make priority of veterans. You would think something like that would be easy, but it’s not bipartisan. It becomes an issue of, “Well, I don’t know what that is going to do with my area. I don’t even know if I can get a vote on it because leadership won’t put it up. A bill this week would add to the income tax box at the very end [of the form]that says, “Do you want to donate to this cause or that cause?” There will be a new box if somebody wanted to contribute to a homeless fund so that we can invest more affordable housing and more services for homeless. There are a lot of things we can do. We need to focus on homelessness, affordable housing, making sure people have access to mental health services and taking care of our veterans.
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Barragán Introduces Legislation to Address Homelessness
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Feb. 15, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, a San Pedro Democrat, introduced the Services, Tools and Opportunities to Prevent Homelessness Act in response to the homelessness crisis confronting Los Angeles and the nation. The legislation would establish a trust fund to help pay for housing and support services through a voluntary “check-off-box” on the annual federal tax return. Every dollar donated would be matched 1:1 by the federal government. “There are more than 4,000 people struggling with homelessness in the 44th Congressional District,” Barragán said.
POLA Moves 808,728 TEUs
SAN PEDRO — The Port of Los Angeles handled 808,728 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in January. While it is a slight decrease compared to January 2017’s record of 826,640 TEUs it is significantly higher than the port’s most recent 5-year January average of 683,033 TEUs. January 2018 imports increased 1.8 percent to 422,831 TEUs compared to the previous year. Exports decreased 7.6 percent to 150,035 TEUs while empty containers decreased 5.2 percent to 235,861 TEUs. Combined, January overall volumes were 808,728 TEUs, a 2.2 percent decrease compared to last year. January volumes are due, in part, to retail stores replenishing inventory after the holidays and cargo ships calling ahead of the Lunar New Year, when goods from Asia slow down considerably. Details: www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/ stats.asp
POLB Cargo Grows by Almost 13 Percent
February 22 - March7, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
LONG BEACH — On Feb. 9, the Port of Long Beach announced that it moved 657,830 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, through the harbor in January, 12.9 percent more than the same month the prior year. The total marks the first time Long Beach has surpassed 600,000 containers in the month of January. Imports hit a record 324,656 TEUs in January, 8.6 percent higher than last year. Exports rose 1.9 percent, to 120,503 TEUs. Because imports outnumber exports, empty containers sent overseas (to be refilled with goods for import) spiked 28.5 percent, to 212,671 TEUs. In 2017, container traffic increased almost 9 percent compared to January 2016, a month when cargo swelled 25 percent from January 2015.
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LA City Administrative Officer Appointed
LOS ANGELES — On Jan. 31, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the appointment of Rich Llewellyn as city administrative officer, a post responsible for managing the city’s budget and finances. Llewellyn’s appointment is subject to Los Angeles City Council confirmation. The city administrative officer reports to both the mayor and the city council, and plays a leading role in building and managing the city budget, and negotiating labor contracts. In the coming years, the city administrative officer will play a vital role in ensuring that the city is in position to realize the promise of Prop. HHH and Measures M and H; and that there is a financial foundation in place to put on successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
LA Secures $35 Million for Watts Community Revitalization
LOS ANGELES — On Jan. 29, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that Los Angeles has been awarded $35 million in state Cap-andTrade funding for affordable housing and [See News Briefs, p. 10]
a
s with any toxic relationship, the possibility that the news media’s love affair with Facebook may be headed for a breakup is sparking feelings of terror — and maybe a little relief. This past month, the social media behemoth announced it would once again alter its News Feed algorithm, showing users even more posts from their friends and family, and a lot fewer from media outlets. The move isn’t all that surprising. Since the 2016 election, Facebook’s been under siege for creating a habitat where fake news stories flourished. Company executives were dragged before Congress this past year to testify about how they sold ads to Russians who wanted to influence the U.S. election. In some ways, it’s simply easier for Facebook to get out of the news business altogether. But many news outlets that have come to rely on the readers that Facebook has been funneling to their sites. To them, the impact of a separation sounds catastrophic. “The End of the Social News Era?” asked a recent headline in the New York Times. “Facebook is breaking up with news,” proclaimed an ad for the new BuzzFeed app.. When a giant like Facebook takes a step — until recently, the social media site had been sending more traffic to news outlets than Google — the resulting quake can cause an entire industry to crumble. Serious consumers, meanwhile, have grimaced as their favorite media outlets have stooped to sensational headlines to lure Facebook’s web traffic. They’ve become disillusioned by the site’s flood of hoaxes and conspiracy theories. A Knight Foundation-Gallup poll released this past month revealed that only one third of Americans had a positive view of the media.
Illustrations by Jeff Drew
About 57 percent said that websites or apps using algorithms to determine which news stories readers see was a major problem for democracy. Two-thirds believed the media being “dramatic or too sensational in order to attract more readers or viewers” was a major problem. Now, sites that rely on Facebook’s algorithm have watched the floor drop from under them when the algorithm is changed — all while Facebook has gobbled up chunks of print advertising revenue. It’s all landed media outlets in a hell of a quandary: It sure seems like Facebook is killing journalism. “Traffic is such a drug right now,” said Sean Robinson, a 53-year-old investigative reporter at the Tacoma News Tribune. “The industry is hurting so bad that it’s really hard to detox.”
you won’t believe what happens next
It’s perhaps the perfect summation of the internet age: a website that started because a college kid wanted to rank which co-eds were hotter became a global goliath powerful enough to influence the fate of the news industry itself. When Facebook first launched its News Feed in 2006, it ironically didn’t have anything to do with news. At least, not how we think of it. This was the website that still posted a little brokenheart icon when you changed your status from “In a Relationship” to “Single.” The News Feed was intended to be a list of personalized updates from your friends. When Facebook was talking about “news stories,” it meant, in the words of Facebook’s announcement, like “when Mark adds Britney Spears to his Favorites or when your crush is single again.” But in 2009, Facebook introduced its iconic “like” button. Soon, instead of showing posts
in chronological order, the News Feed began showing you the popular posts first. And that made all the difference. Facebook didn’t invent going viral — grandmas with America Online accounts were forwarding funny emails and chain letters when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was still in grade school — but its algorithm amplified it. Well-liked posts soared. Unpopular posts simply went unseen. Google had an algorithm too. So did YouTube. Journalists were given a new directive: If you wanted readers to see your stories, you had to play by the algorithm’s rules. Faceless, mystery formulas had replaced the stodgy newspaper editor as the gatekeeper of information. So when the McClatchy Co. — a chain that owns 31 daily papers including the Tacoma News Tribune and the Bellingham Herald — launched its reinvention strategy last year, knowing how to get Facebook traffic was central. “Facebook has allowed us to get our journalism out to hundreds of millions more people than it would have otherwise,” said McClatchy’s vice president of news Tim Grieve, a fast-talking former Politico editor. “It has forced us, and all publishers, to sharpen our game to make sure we’re writing stories that connect with people.” With digital ad rates tied to web traffic, the incentives in the modern media landscape could be especially perverse: Write short, write lots. Pluck heartstrings or stoke fury. In short, be more like Upworthy. A site filled with multi-sentence emotion-baiting headlines, Upworthy begged you to click by promising that you would be shocked, outraged or inspired — but not telling you why. (One example: “His first 4 sentences are interesting. The 5th blew my mind and made me a little sick.”) By November of 2013, Upworthy was pulling in 88 million unique visitors a month. With Facebook’s help, the formula spread. Even magazines like Time and Newsweek — storied publications that sent photojournalists to war zones — began pumping out articles like, Does Reese Witherspoon Have 3 Legs on Vanity Fair’s Cover? and Trump’s Hair Loss Drug Causes Erectile Dysfunction. Newsweek’s publisher went beyond clickbait; the magazine was actually buying traffic through pirated video sites, allegedly engaging in ad fraud. Newsweek senior writer Matthew Cooper eventually resigned in disgust after several Newsweek editors and reporters who’d written about the publisher’s series of scandals were fired. He heaped contempt on an organization that had installed editors who “recklessly sought clicks at the expense of accuracy, retweets over fairness” and left him “despondent not only for Newsweek but for the other publications that don’t heed the lessons of this publication’s fall.” Mathew Ingram, who covers digital media for Columbia Journalism Review, said such tactics might increase traffic for a while. But readers hate it. Sleazy tabloid shortcuts gives you a sleazy tabloid reputation. “Short-term you can make a certain amount of money,” Ingram said. “Long-term you’re basically setting fire to your brand.”
clickbait-and-switch
Plenty of media outlets have tried to build their business on the foundation of the News Feed algorithm. But they quickly got a nasty surprise: That foundation can collapse in an instant. As Facebook’s News Feed became choked [See Facebook, p. 7]
[Facebook, from p. 6]
[See Frenzy, p. 10]
February 22 - March 7, 2018
Not long ago Facebook was positively smug about its impact on the world. During the Arab Spring its platform fanned the flames of popular uprisings in places like Tunisia, Iran and Egypt. “By giving people the power to share, we are starting to see people make their voices heard on a different scale from what has historically been possible,” Zuckerberg bragged in a 2012 letter to
It’s why like groups like Media Literacy Now have successfully pushed legislatures in states like Washington to put media literacy programs in schools. That includes teaching students how information was being manipulated behind the scenes, said the organization’s president, Erin McNeill. “With Facebook, for example, why am I seeing this story on the top of the page?” she
faking it
made it harder to stay well-informed. And those who grew up soaking in the brine of social media aren’t necessarily better at sorting truth from fiction. Far from it. “Overall, young people’s ability to reason about the information on the internet can be summed up in one word: bleak,” concluded Stanford researchers in a 2016 study of more than 7,800 students. More than 80 percent of middle schoolers surveyed didn’t know the difference between sponsored content and a news article.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
with links to Upworthy and its horde of imitators, the social network declared war on clickbait. It tweaked its algorithms, which proved catastrophic for Upworthy. “It keeps changing,” Ingram said, “Even if the algorithm was bad in some way, at least if it’s predictable, you could adapt.” A 2014 Time magazine story estimated that two to three global algorithm tweaks on Facebook were happening every week. Much of the time, Facebook and Google don’t announce their shifts up front. Media outlets often have had to reverseengineer the changes, before issuing new commands to their troops in the field. A pattern emerged: Step 1: Media outlets reinvent themselves for Facebook Step 2: Facebook makes that reinvention obsolete Big publishers leaped at the chance to publish “Instant Articles” directly on Facebook, only to find that the algorithm soon charged, rewarding videos more than posts and rendering Instant Articles largely obsolete. So publishers like Mic.com, Mashable and Vice News “pivoted to video,” laying off dozens of journalists in the process. “Then Facebook said they weren’t as interested in video anymore,” Ingram said. “Classic bait and switch.” Which brings us to the latest string of announcements: The News Feed, Zuckerberg announced last month, had skewed too far in the direction of social video posts from national media pages and too far away from personal posts from friends and family. They were getting back to their roots. It might be easy to mock those who chased the algorithm from one trend to another with little to show for it. But the reality is that many of them didn’t really have a choice, Ingram said. “You pretty much have to do something with Facebook,” Ingram said. “You have to. It’s like gravity. You can’t avoid it.” Zuckerberg’s comments that stories that sparked “meaningful social interactions” would do the best on Facebook caused some to scoff. “For Facebook, it’s bad if you read or watch content without reacting to it on Facebook,” wrote tech journalist Joshua Topolsky at The Outline. “Let that sink in for a moment. This notion is so corrupt it’s almost comical.” “It just, more and more, seems like Facebook and news are not super compatible,” said Shan Wang, staff writer at Harvard University’s Nieman Journalism Laboratory. At least not for real news. For fake news, Facebook’s been a perfect match.
investors under the header, We hope to change how people relate to their governments and social institutions. And Facebook certainly has — though not the way it intended. A BuzzFeed investigation before the 2016 presidential election found that “fake news” stories on Facebook, hoaxes or hyperpartisan falsehoods actually performed better on Facebook than stories from major trusted outlets like the New York Times. That, experts speculated, is another reason why Facebook, despite its massive profits, might be pulling back from its focus on news. “As unprecedented numbers of people channel their political energy through this medium, it’s being used in unforeseen ways with societal repercussions that were never anticipated,” wrote Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebook’s product manager for civic engagement, in a recent blog post. The exposure was widespread. A Dartmouth study found about a fourth of Americans visited at least one fakenews website — and Facebook was the primary vector of misinformation. While researchers didn’t find fake news swung the election — though about 80,000 votes in three states is a pretty small margin to swing — the effect has endured. Donald Trump has played a role. He snatched away the term used to describe hoax websites and wielded it as a blunderbuss against the press, blasting away at any negative reporting as “fake news.” By last May, a Harvard-Harris poll found that almost two-thirds of voters believed that mainstream news outlets were full of fake news stories. The danger of fake news, after all, wasn’t just that we’d be tricked with bogus claims. It was that we’d be pummeled with so many different contradictory stories, with so many different angles, the task of trying to sort truth from fiction just becomes exhausting. So, you choose your own truth or, Facebook’s algorithm chooses it for you. Every time you like a comment, chat, or click on Facebook, the site uses that to figure out what you actually want to see: It inflates your own bubble, protecting you from facts or opinions you might disagree with. And when it does expose you to views from the other side, it’s most likely going to be the worst examples, the trolls eager to make people mad online, or the infuriating op-ed that all your friends are sharing. That’s partly why many of the 3,000 Facebook ads that Russian trolls bought to influence the election weren’t aimed at promoting Trump directly. They were aimed at inflaming division in American life by focusing on such issues as race and religion. Facebook has tried to address the fake news problem — hiring fact checkers to examine stories, slapping “disputed” tags on suspect claims, putting counterpoints in related article boxes — but with mixed results. The recent Knight Foundation-Gallup poll, meanwhile, found that those surveyed believed that the broader array of news sources actually
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7
Information Warfare
Thirteen Russians indicted, but is Social Media also implicated? Opening the Pandora’s Digital Box of unintended consequences James Preston Allen, Publisher
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Austin Beutner, the one-time candidate for Los Angeles mayor and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times, recalled a funny story during a talk he gave at a breakfast meeting hosted by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce at Ports O’ Call Restaurant. It was about the time Beutner was delivering a speech on how to make a profit in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Beutner was there as part of a Clinton administration team led by Secretary of State Warren Christopher to help Russia transition from communism to a free-market economy. But suddenly, Beutner realized he’d lost his audience. Bewildered, he turned to his interpreter and asked, “What is it that they don’t understand?” The translator turned to him and said, “the term ‘making a profit’ literally translates in Russian to ‘illegal taking,’ and here you are speaking about doing something illegal as a way of doing business.” Beutner majored in economics at Dartmouth College and went on to become the youngest partner of Blackstone private equity firm before he moved to Los Angeles. He knew a lot about making a profit, but not much about communism. In the decades since, the Russians have learned a great deal about taking a profit and minted a whole new class of billionaires known as “oligarchs.” One of the 13 named in special counsel Robert Mueller’s recent indictments, Yevgeny Prigozhin, dubbed by the Russian press as President Vladimir Putin’s “chef” is one of these oligarchs. The indictment alleges that Prigozhin controlled Concord Catering, a company that funded the Internet Research Agency. The monthly budget for the Internet Research Agency, which included funding for interference in the US elections, exceeded 73 million Russian rubles, or more than $1.25 million. Isn’t capitalism great when it comes back to bite us? It is quite curious how the promise of digital communications created in this country to bring people together all over the world has now been weaponized to do great harm to our own democracy. This growing investigation won’t stop here. In fact, the NSA and Congress have previously implicated that social media
Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
February 22 - March7, 2018
8
networks that were used to spawn the Arab Spring uprisings. Now it appears the Kremlin, via its surrogates, has been using these very same social media networks to disrupt our elections by using the same techniques and “algorithms” that savvy marketing and advertising firms use to spread commercial advertising. Contrary to what Trump calls a “witch hunt,” we are now confronted with a Frankenstein monster of our own making. This has been coming for a very long time, ever since some politicians and others have started using social media as a platform to disseminate sanitized, self-promotional eNews to control their public image. Think Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino’s weekly emailed newsletter or a plethora of other chamber of commerce promotions that, while informative, only provide one-sided members-only promotions — and nothing controversial. Have you ever wondered, while reading Buscaino’s selfie-laced eNews, what actually took place at the City Council that week that affects your neighborhood or how he voted on the latest homeless issue? Or what’s coming up at next week’s council meeting that you might need to know about before the vote is taken? The same could be said of the Port of Los Angeles’ incessantly positive news releases. One might call them positive propaganda since there is hardly ever any skepticism or bad news. There are no doubts or even much worry that anything has gone wrong. Even when something does get revealed, there’s always the “positive spin” intended to cover their collective departmental ass. Unfortunately, we have all become accustomed to this tidal wave of self promotional propaganda, and when a publication like this one dares to challenge the “positive spin,” we are accused of “being too negative” or worse, peddling in fake news — a falsehood the port, the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce president and a minority of local Trump supporters have slandered me with recently. Perpetually producing self-promotional propaganda is a step short of intentionally creating disinformation, creating confusion and disruption in an open society to throw electons. But these producers of positive propaganda and the social media networks who carry them must bear some responsibility like a real publisher
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. XXXIX : No. 4 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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does. Considerable care should be given to reporting the good with the bad. Opinion articles are labeled as such because they are opinions and not broadcast as news. And paid-for content needs to labeled as such. It was reported in the New York Times this past January that an obscure American company named Devumi collected millions of dollars by selling Twitter followers and retweets for anyone who wants to “appear” more popular than they actually are. The New York Times found that this one company drew upon an estimated stock of 3.5 million “automated accounts” and provided customers with more than 200 million Twitter followers. So, the phony news is spun by commercial propagandists, but the analytic reports generated to prove audience followers can also be false. Going back to the Mueller indictments, what we now see is how vulnerable we as a nation are to foreign hackers who are not afraid to launch attacks in cyberspace — attacks they would never dare risk in a real theater of war. The Rand Corporation concluded in a recent blog posting that the U.S. already has an extensive set of tools and capabilities for deterrence in cyberspace. “However, these tools are shrouded in a fog of confusion and doubt that prevents the U.S. from using them to the greatest possible effect.” Our very own smart social media has been used against us and used as a tool to spread conflict and discord to make us dumber. It may have ultimately thrown the election to the man who lost the popular vote. It is my speculation that Putin knows he can control Trump through the Russian money laundering and that Hillary Clinton was seen as a real threat. But only time will tell if the Mueller investigation opens another one of Pandora’s Boxes to expose all of our very own demons.
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Exposing Our “Populist” President as a Naked Plutocrat By Jim Hightower, RLn Guest Columnist
Have you noticed that Donald Trump constantly prefaces his outlandish lies with such phrases as: “To be honest with you,” “To tell the truth,” and “Believe me”? Why? Because like a snake-oil salesman, he constantly needs to convince himself that he’s speaking the truth in order to perform his next lie convincingly. The show must go on … and on. In fact, he already ranks as the lyingest president in US history. And that includes Nixon! Trump’s biggest whopper is that he’s an honest-to-God “populist,” standing up for America’s hard-hit middle class against Wall Street, corporate lobbyists, and moneyed elites. This prevarication has duped many working stiffs into thinking he’s their champion. The huckster doubled-down on this lie in his inaugural address last year, pompously declaring, “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.” That’s why a new, straight-talking pamphlet by the watchdog group, Public Citizen, is so important. It exposes the “people’s champion” as a rank fraud who has pushed [See Plutocrat, p. 9] Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731. Address correspondence regarding news items and tips to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email: editor@randomlengthsnews. com. Send Letters to the Editor to james@randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed with address and phone number (for verification purposes) and be about 250 words. For advertising inquiries or to submit advertising copy, email: rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.com. Annual subscription is $36 for 27 issues. Back issues are available for $3/copy while supplies last. Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We welcome articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2018 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
RANDOMLetters Historical Society Says Save Ports O’ Call
The San Pedro Bay Historical Society has long advocated for preserving buildings that help tell the story of our town’s history. This history, made up of events and experiences spanning generations, endows a building with meaning beyond its mere functionality. One place rich in such history is the Ports O’ Call Restaurant, now threatened by the latest redevelopment plans for the waterfront. No, the restaurant is not yet one hundred years old, but it has been here throughout the lifetimes of many San Pedro residents, serving as the venue where family and civic milestones are celebrated. The Ports O’ Call Restaurant deserves a place in the waterfront plans. If a warehouse aesthetic is sought, in keeping with other parts of the redevelopment site, strip away the tropical foliage and it comes with much of that look already in place. Both locals and tourists crave the experience of something authentic, but authenticity cannot be recreated. Let us hang on to what is real and meaningful — a restaurant that embraces the waterfront and has served San Pedro so well for decades. Let us also ask that our port leaders and developers respect the community voice and commit to a candid dialog on waterfront plans. Mona Dallas Reddick, PhD President, San Pedro Bay Historical Society
Today’s Homeless Olympic Moment
[Plutocrat, from p. 8]
Plutocrat
As I said in my speech in response to Trump’s first State of the Union address, we all have that nagging, sinking feeling — no matter your political affiliation — that what is happening in our country is not right. We see an economy that makes corporate profits climb but fails to give workers their fair share and a government that struggles to keep itself open, Russia is knee-deep in our democracy, an all-out war on environmental protection and complete denial of climate change, the Justice Department rolling back more civil and voting rights by the day, hatred and supremacy proudly marching in our streets, bullets tearing through our classrooms, concerts, and congregations, a government hell-bent on making American life a zero-sum game, where for one of us to succeed,
National radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and New York Times best-selling author, Jim Hightower has spent four decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be – consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
Trump Proposes to Eliminate NEA Again
The White House released its proposed 2019 budget to Congress, again calling for termination of the nation’s cultural agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We’re calling on our members to help us once again #SavetheNEA. This is the second time in a row that President Trump has [See Letters, p. 19]
Community Alerts
State Lands Commission Meeting
The State Lands Commission will consider adopting a Negative Declaration for an artificial reef off the coast of Palos Verdes Peninsula, located at the old Montrose DDT superfund site. The project’s aim is to restore the reef and biodiversity of waters there, but opponents fear that work would just stir up the buried DDT deposits there. Proponents and opponents of the project will have an opportunity to speak out on the project on Feb. 27. Also on this date, the State Lands Commission will likely be voting in closed session on whether to make public an opinion from Attorney General Xavier Becerra about jurisdiction over the rail line serving the Rancho LPG facility--which could result in added safety measures or even closure. Local activists are requesting members of the public to testify in favor of releasing the opinion at the meetings satellite video conference location in Rancho Palos Verdes. Time: 2 p.m. Feb. 27 Venue: Point Vicente Interpretive Center, 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes
February 22 - March 7, 2018
Forgetting the Forgotten: 101 Ways Donald Trump Has Betrayed the Middle Class and it drives the stake of truth through the heart of his populist pretensions. Don’t just read it – use it like a Thomas Paine pamphlet to spread the truth. To download a free copy, go to CorporatePresidency.org/ forgotten.
and in the years to come is fight for everyone — because America is not a zero-sum game that picks winners and losers. We will choose to build a better country that is fairer, more equitable, where everyone in our nation has a chance to succeed because their government fights for them. Our nation is strong and resilient, and in November, we’re going to score a resounding victory for justice, equality, and a system of government that works for all of us. Rep. Joe Kennedy III Massachusetts District 4
from day one to further enrich and empower the corporate elites he had denounced as a candidate. Public Citizen’s report documents with concise, easy-to-grasp specifics on how Trump-the-faux-populist has systematically sold out the working families whose votes he cynically swiped, handing our government to a kakistocracy of corporate plutocrats. It’s not merely that he’s an irredeemable liar, but that Trump himself is a lie. The Public Citizen exposé is titled
A Government HellBent on Making American Life a ZeroSum Game
cities · The coast or the heartland [It is] as if the mechanic in Pittsburgh and the teacher in Tulsa and the daycare worker in Birmingham are somehow bitter rivals, rather than mutual casualties of a system forcefully rigged for those at the top. As if the parent who lies awake terrified that their transgender son will be beaten and bullied at school is any more or less legitimate than the parent whose heart is shattered by a daughter in the grips of the opioid addiction. What we must do in this year
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Good Morning and welcome to today’s Olympic Moment. It promises to be one to remember, pitting City of Los Angeles departments against our own Urban Campers. The event is called Sidewalk Clean Up. It starts 48 hours earlier with the proverbial Posting of Notice. The posting usually requires three city employees dashing from pole to pole taping a piece of paper. The
city waits 48 hours and then the process begins, not at 8 am as stated but when reps from various city departments finally arrive. The Urban Campers are busy at work packing their belongings into stolen shopping carts or cars with outdated registration and moving to areas usually just outside the posted notice. The preparation and training is over and this is when the event actually starts. The city comes in and throws away everything remaining and gives the Urban Campers a clean sidewalk. The Urban Campers patiently wait until the last City employee leaves and then dash back to 8th street. Who will be the first to return and get the Gold Medal? This process, unlike the Olympics, occurs every month and has for the past three years. Come today and witness the event yourself .… No need to be here at 8 am since nothing has started yet. Come at 10; you’ll see everything you need to. Bob Nizich San Pedro
another [person] must lose. But we know the truth: that the strongest, richest nation on Earth should leave no one behind. If we want to undo the damage Trump is doing to our country, then we must end Republican control of Congress in November. So I am asking you today to do something very important: register to vote, get involved and then vote. It would be easy to dismiss the past year as chaos, partisanship, or politics. But it’s bigger than that. This administration isn’t just targeting the laws that protect us— they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection. For them, dignity isn’t something you’re born with, but something you measure by your net worth, your celebrity, your headlines [and/or] your crowd size — not to mention the gender of your spouse, the country of your birth, the color of your skin [and] the God of your prayers. Their record is a rebuke of our highest American ideal: the belief that we are all worthy, we are all equal, and we all count — in the eyes of our law and our leaders, our God, and our government. Instead, this administration is callously appraising our worthiness and determining who makes the cut and who can safely be bargained away without political consequences. So often in the past year, we’ve been told it’s us against them: · Coal miners versus single moms · Rural communities or inner
9
facebook frenzy [Facebook Frenzy, from p. 7]
asked. “Is it because it’s the most important story, or is it because of another reason?” But Facebook’s new algorithm threatens to make existing fake news problems even worse, Ingram said. By focusing on friends and family, it could strengthen the filter bubble even further. Rewarding “engagement” can just as easily incentivize the worst aspects of the internet. Hoaxes, conspiracy theories, idiots who start fights in comments sections are really good at getting engagement. Nuance doesn’t get engagement. Outrage does.
feast and famine
February 22 - March7, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
It’s not fair, exactly, to say that Facebook killed the alt-weekly in Knoxville, Tenn. But it probably landed the final blow. The internet, obviously, has been killing newspapers for a very long time. Why, say, would you pay a monthly subscription to the Daily Cow, when you can get the milk online for free? It killed other revenue sources as well. Craigslist cut out classified sections. Online dating killed personal ads. Amazon put many local mom-and-pop advertisers out of business. Yet the Metro Pulse, Knoxville’s longtime altweekly, was still turning a slight profit in 2014 when the E.W. Scripps Co. shut it down. So editor Coury Turczyn and a few other staffers set out to start their own paper. But in the six months it took to get the Knoxville Mercury off the ground, the market had changed. “We lost a lot more small-business advertisers than we expected,” Turczyn said. Facebook had captured them. At one time, alt-weeklies could rake in advertising money by selling cheaper rates and guaranteeing advertisers to hit a younger, hipper, edgier audience. But then, Facebook came along. The site let businesses micro-target their advertisements at incredibly specific audiences. Like Google, Facebook tracks you across the web, digging deep into your private messages to figure out whether to sell you wedding dresses, running shoes or baby formula. “You go to Facebook, you can try to pick your audience based on their geographic location, their interests,” Turczyn said. It’s cheaper; it’s easier; and it comes with a report chock-full of stats on who the ad reached. “Even if it doesn’t result in any sales and foot traffic, it at least has this report,” Turczyn said. Mercury advertising representatives would cite examples of businesses who advertised in print and saw their foot traffic double the next day — but the small businesses wouldn’t bite. Attempts to rally reader donations weren’t enough. The Mercury shut down in July. “It’s just more of the same sad story,” Turczyn said. “It’s a slaughter, there’s no doubt about it.” Turczyn said two decades of journalism experience hasn’t helped much with the job search. Journalists aren’t what outlets are looking for. “The single biggest job opening I see consistently is social media manager or ‘digital brand manager,’” Turczyn said. “Those are the jobs on the marketplace right now.’ It’s not that nobody’s making massive amounts of money on advertising online. It’s just that only two are: Facebook and Google — and they’re both destroying print advertising. The decline in print advertising has ravaged 10
the world of alt-weeklies, killing icons like the Boston Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the Philadelphia City Paper and the Baltimore City Paper. Dailies keep suffering, too, no matter how prestigious or internet-savvy. The West Virginia Gazette-Mail won a Pulitzer Prize last year for reporting on the opioid crisis. It filed for bankruptcy last month. Eleven staffers were cut from the Oregonian on Jan. 31, the same day Silicon Valley’s San Jose Mercury News slashed s t a ff . M c C l a t c h y ’s made a lot of cuts in the past year, too, though Grieve declined to say exactly how many positions have been eliminated. He, for one, doesn’t blame Facebook. “Our newsrooms are smaller than they once were, but because we’re so focused on serving the needs of our communities, we’re actually reaching more readers than we ever have before,” Grieve wrote in an email. Yet, the convergence of layoffs with the
pressure to get web traffic has influenced coverage, Robinson said. Stories about schools don’t get many clicks. Weird crime stories do. But as a long-time reporter, Robinson knows that bombshell scoops can sometimes begin with mundane reporting. “The media companies want the traffic, the traffic, the traffic,” Robinson said. “The stuff [readers] need to know — but don’t know they need to know — disappears.” If you’re not a behemoth like BuzzFeed your best bet is to be small enough to be supported by die-hard readers, Ingram, at the Columbia Journalism Review, said. “If you’re really, really hyper-focused — geographically or on a topic — then you have a chance,” Ingram said. “ Yo u r readership will be passionate enough to support you in some way.” That’s one reason some actually welcome the prospect of less Facebook traffic. Maybe, the thinking goes, without a reliance on Facebook clicks, newspapers would once again be able to build trust with their readers. Maybe, the hope goes, readers would start seeking out newspapers directly again. But even if Facebook suddenly ceased to exist,
The Gravely Experience
On Feb. 15, San Pedro’s own Major General Peter Gravett of the US Army (retired) was honored with the Vice ADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Leadership & Service Award. The honor annually recognizes African-American leaders in Southern California who exemplify the trailblazing service of the late U.S. Navy Vice Admiral. Gravely was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander and the first to become a flag officer. Gravely’s military Major General Peter Gravett, U.S. Army (ret.) was honored with the decorations include the World Gravely leadership and service award. Photo by Phillip Cooke. War II Victory Medal, the Korean Service commemorative plaque. Jasmine Mendoza and Medal with two service stars, the United Leyna Dang, tied for runner up and received $100 Nations Korea Medal, and the Republic of and commemorative plaques. Korea Presidential Unit Citation. The Spirit Award winners include Anne Tsai, The event also honored the winners of Jayda Mamison and Elijah Chandler, who was the VADM Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Essay not present due to his participation in a basketball Competition, a competition that explored playoff game. VADM Gravely’s motto: success = education All award recipients are invited to bring their + motivation + perseverance. U.S. History teachers to lunch with Ms. Tanya The essay category included a Bravo Acker, co-star of the CBS syndicated show “Hot Zulu essay winner and three Spirit Essays Bench.” winners. They are students from the Harbor Teacher This year, Bravo Zulu essay winner Prep Academy in Wilmington. Stephanie Castaneda was awarded $250 and
there are other sites with other algorithms that can drive traffic and shape coverage. As traffic referred by Facebook falls, the focus at McClatchy is already shifting. You can optimize your news coverage to appear high in the Facebook News Feed — but you can also optimize it to appear higher in the Google search results. “We’re all about Google, again,” Robinson said. “Google, Google, Google!” A reporter for Inlander.com, Daniel Walters reports on a wide swath of topics, including business, education, real estate development, land use, and other stories throughout North Idaho and Spokane County. Walters also occasionally dabbles in TV criticism, where his writing has been linked by TV showrunners and national pop culture sites.
[News Briefs, from p. 6]
environmental initiatives in Watts. The grant comes from California’s Transformative Climate Communities program — which is overseen by the California Strategic Growth Council, a committee formed by the state legislature to advance local community revitalization efforts. The grant will help fund redevelopment of the Jordan Downs public housing development, which includes rebuilding distressed units, creating new recreational centers and programs, opening nine acres of green space and about 165,000 square feet for retail. It will also fund several urban greening projects across Watts, including energy efficient retrofits, solar installations and a food waste prevention program, along with ten new electric buses and an electric vehicle car sharing and shuttle program for local residents. The new programs will be supported by a workforce development plan, to connect Watts residents with new jobs created by Transformative Climate Communities projects; and a displacement avoidance plan, which includes resources to educate residents about their housing rights. Los Angeles was able to secure the $35 million grant largely through the efforts of the Watts Rising Collaborative, which consists of the Watts Community Leadership Council, an advisory body convened by the Los Angeles Housing Authority and the City of Los Angeles. Since 2015, the city has received nearly $150 million in cap-and-trade funding, which supports projects ranging from housing and transportation to programs that help curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Houston Man Indicted on Charges of Hacking into the Superior Court Email System
LOS ANGELES — On Feb. 16, a federal grand jury indicted a Houston Texas man on multiple counts relating to aggravated identity theft for a multi-stage phishing attack. According to the indictment, Aloba allegedly accessed 18 different LA Superior Court employee emails, sent out about 2 million phishing emails, and sent emails to himself to test the access of the account. These emails included an additional one claiming to be a communicator from American Express that led to a webpage that asked for personal identification information regarding login credentials and credit card information. The webpage used a source code that linked Aloba’s email address to the information that was inputted. Aloba is facing a maximum of 17 years in prison if convicted, 10 years of unauthorized transmission, five years for unauthorized accessing a protected computer and two years for identity theft.
Growing into the
Reverend Tall Tree
The dynamic artist and the Blackstrap Brothers to perform at the Grand Annex By Melina Paris, Music Columnist
Reverend Tall Tree, third from left, and his band are coming to San Pedro March 3. Courtesy of Reverend Tall Tree
grew up listening to his parents’ record collection comprised of soul music and rhythm and blues hits. Pierce’s inspirations are drawn from the likes of Solomon Burke, Bill Withers, Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone. With roots in soul and his expertise in jazz and blues, one could say Pierce has made a religion of musical expression. With his eclectic approach to music he has enjoyed a full roster of worldwide tours as a solo artist and as an opener for many great artists including, B.B. King, Seal, Aaron Neville, Al Green, Toots & the Maytals and Robert Cray. “It’s been a journey of basically opening myself up to different [See Tall Tree, p. 16]
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here may never be another Soul Brother Number One, Mr. Dynamite,The King of Soul or a Godfather of Soul. Mr. James Brown took all of those forever more. But what about “Hardest Working Man in Show Business?” RLn spoke to Reverend Tall Tree ahead of his March 3 performance at the Grand Annex and realized just how hard this man and his band have been working. Going back to his younger days he said that music chose him. Reverend Tall Tree, whose given name is Chris Pierce, is actually an ordained minister. He was ordained 15 years ago and studied several spiritual paths and religions. Reverend Tall Tree has received international acclaim for his singing, songwriting and harmonica and guitar playing. More importantly, he knows how to stir his audience. He’s a charismatic and emotive singer who
Beef • Pork • Lamb • Chicken
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February 22 - March 7, 2018
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I
f you have driven past an unassuming office park on the north end of Gaffey Street you might have wondered about the sign for a company called B.U.L.K. Beef Jerky. Some people who drive by assume they sell only dried beef with various seasonings — probably wholesale since they have the word bulk in their name. That’s logical but wrong, as founder Pete Garbowski is happy to explain. Look carefully at the sign and you’ll notice the dots after each letter that indicate that we’re dealing with an acronym here. Before you read on to the next paragraph where Pete explains it, see if you can guess what those letters stand for. Give up? Take it away, Pete. “The name stands for Building Up Lives with Kindness… It was an acronym that came from a guy I used to work with, and it stuck. It does spell bulk, but we actually haven’t had a problem with people thinking they can only buy large amounts. We do offer large sized packages for those who want them, though.” The company started almost as an accident in 2004, when Pete had a great idea about the
Love, Kindness and Dried Meat By Richard Foss, Food & Cuisine Writer
BULK Jerky proprietor, Pete Garbowski. BULK Jerky sells python snake jerky for the gastronomically adventurous. Photos by Richard Foss
Two Great Choices for Dining featuring
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& Early Bird Specials 1420 W. 25th St. (25th & Western) San Pedro • (310) 548-4797
Lunch & Dinner—Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sat. & Sun. from 4 p.m.
February 22 - March7, 2018
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then-emerging world of e-commerce. “We started out with a business plan for selling beef jerky online that I pitched to an established company. They said no, and I just decided that somebody was going to make this happen, so it might as well be me. I went to some guys I knew and said, hey, let’s build it. The first year we sold $6,000 of beef jerky online, and I was excited. It got bigger and bigger, and now that has grown by 2000 percent. We’ve gone from a one man operation
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Banquet Room up to 50 guests Heated Patio Dining Follow us at Think Cafe San Pedro and Sonny’s Bistro San Pedro @thinkcafesonny @sonnys_bistro
302 W. 5th St., San Pedro (310) 519-3662
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to four people full time, plus all the contractors that we work with.” When you stop in at that storefront on Gaffey to grab a bag, you might want to allow some time to decide what you want. They sell more than 50 kinds of jerky from minimally flavored cuts of brisket to teriyaki, honey glazed, barbecue and Habanero chili spiced versions. They also offer jerky made from elk, venison, shark, and more exotic critters like ostrich, kangaroo, snapping turtle, and python. So, where does one get the meat for these weird varieties? In the case of pythons, it comes not from Southeast Asia where these reptiles originated, but from Alabama. People who had them as pets turned them loose and the snakes found that it was just like home, but without all the predators that eat pythons. They are now pests that grow up to twenty feet long, and the market for their meat is probably what helps to keep their numbers under control. Pete’s company isn’t driving them extinct since he only sells about a thousand pounds a year, but he’s doing his part. Some of the other varieties like tuna, salmon, and shark might sound odd to most Americans, but they have a long history in Asia. In Tokyo’s izakaya taverns, the Japanese traditionally start a session of beer tastings with a plate of sweet and
salty squid jerky, and the Chinese have a long tradition of drying and salting shellfish, crab, and other seafood. Pete doesn’t sell those at this time, but he has his eye on the market. “In China and Japan they make a lot of seafood-based jerky, and as more people move to a pescetarian diet we have been getting requests for it. We have been talking with some fishermen in Hawaii who have a superior product, and that may be in our future. It all comes down to what the market says…” Another demographic that Pete has been eyeing are the vegetarians, but so far there has been an insurmountable problem. “We’ve been sampling vegan jerky, which does exist, but we haven’t found anything that we really like. We’re open to trying it out, but we’d have to find a recipe that is really satisfying.” BULK’s business is booming, a fact Pete credits to being in touch with both traditional and non-traditional customers. “Campers and outdoors people love our stuff. It’s light, high in protein and stores for a long time. The other favorite hiking food is chocolate, but that will melt and jerky won’t. We also have an increasing number of people who try it because they’re looking for a healthy snack. When you’re at the market do you buy the bag of chips, the starbursts, or the beef jerky? The jerky wins hands down from a health standpoint. It fits in with the paleo diet, and we’ve had customers write in and say they went from a size 16 to a size 12 by changing their snacking habits. It’s carb free, all natural, free of sugar, and many of our products are gluten free.” Though internet sales still make up the majority of their business, the storefront in San Pedro has benefits. “It’s a tasting room, the place we interact with our customers. We build contacts and learn what works. We also treat our customers like family. We know that at ten bucks a bag this isn’t the cheapest product, and if people try a variety and don’t like it we’re ready to deal with them. We’ll take care of you. Everybody that walks out of here has a smile, and we want to keep them as customers for life.” A commitment to customer satisfaction is a sentiment that every business claims, but Pete seems to have an unusual commitment to actually following through. The jerky company that enshrined kindness in its name also has a sense of determination that is embodied in their logo – the L in B.U.L.K. is a human arm in the shape of a flexing bodybuilder. This isn’t just a ploy to attract fitness enthusiasts, but another symbol of the company’s intent. “It’s the universal symbol of strength. Our brand started when someone said no to my idea, and I decided, I’ll be strong and do it myself. Those are the values we want to portray to our customers. You can do anything, but you have to be good, be kind, and be strong.” B.U.L.K. Beef Jerky Details: (424) 536-3050 www.bulkbeefjerky.com. Location: 1931 N. Gaffey St., Suite E, San Pedro.
Conversation with a Curator:
Ron Linden Discusses 7 Painters By Andrea Serna, Arts & Culture Writer
A
rtist and curator Ron Linden believes in challenging an audience. In his current exhibition, 7 Painters, on display at Gallery 478, he challenges the intellect while stimulating the visual senses. 7 Painters features works by Katy Crowe, Ron Linden, William Mahan, Jay McCafferty, Marie Thibeault, Ted Twine, and HK Zamani. “As a curator, and as a teacher, I will never play down to an audience, because that’s not what you’re there for,” said Linden. “Give them something to chew on, both perceptually and
Neolithic, we pile stones on top of each other.” So the idea of this show is smearing around that greasy substance that Caro talks about with Paleolithic man. I thought that this is the perfect time to show off this medium for its variety. So, you have everything from the casual, almost de-skilled look of HK Zamani to Bill Mahan, whose work is traditionally crafted and the physicality is undeniable. Bill’s work references the whole history of painting as far as I am concerned. At the same time, Jay McCafferty’s delicate solar burn is completely different from
engine that drives it. Often I am more inspired by what I read than what I see. I try to avoid styles or trends. Gallery 478 is open every month during the San Pedro First Thursday Art Walk. 7 Painters runs through March 31
Venue: Gallery 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro Hours: 11a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment Cost: Free Details: (310) 732-2150 or (310) 600-4873
Curtain Call:
Musical Theatre West Makes “Guys and Dolls” Sing
Review by Greggory Moore The sum total of my childhood exposure longtime proprietor of “the oldest established to traditional Broadway musicals was the film floating crap game in New York.” Nathan’s got Grease and my mom’s incessant playing of the a problem of his own: crime boss Big Jule (Phil original cast recording of A Chorus Line. So, Nieto) is in town from Chicago expressly to when I get out to Musical Theatre West, I’m “shoot crap,” and the only venue Nathan can usually in the strange position of reviewing a lock down requires a $1,000 deposit that Nathan show I’ve barely heard of, but that is likely to just don’t have. Lucky for him high-roller be well familiar to the vast majority of people Sky Masterson (Jeremiah James) is passing reading my words. through, and Sky likes the action so much that Guys and Dolls fits the bill in spades. It surely Nathan can sucker him into a bet that won the 1951 Tony and Pulitzer Prize, it was will produce the dough. But the show’s called a major motion picture in 1955 and this is the “Guys and Dolls,” so it’s romance—the longsecond time Musical Theatre West has done term engagement between Nathan and Adelaide it this millennium. Nonetheless, unless you (Bree Murphy) and the unexpected thunderbolt count the Frank Sinatra big band version of striking Sky and Sarah—that creates the twists Luck Be a Lady Tonight, it’s all new to me. and turns leading to exactly the place you knew For anyone who might be in my boat, you were going all along. “Call it sad, call it a quick synopsis. In the heart of New York funny, but it’s better than even money,” goes City, “the devil’s own city on the devil’s the title song (chock full of droll gambling own street,” sin (more venial than venal) is references), “that the guy’s only doing it for everywhere, but the Save-A-Soul Mission some doll.” outpost led by Sarah Brown (Madison Claire From the opening scene-setting pantomime, Parks) does not seem to be snatching anyone Musical Theatre West produces Guys and out of the jaws of perdition. That certainly Dolls with more than enough hustle and bustle. includes Nathan Detroit (Matthew Henerson), [See Curtain Call, p. 13]
Curator Ron Linden at Gallery 478. Photo by Ray Carofano.
February 22 - March 7, 2018
RLn: Through your many years of curating in the Harbor Area, do you find it difficult to draw an audience to this part of Los Angeles? RL: People come from Venice, Santa Monica, downtown LA, Pasadena, etc. Ray Carofano has been running this gallery for 30 years and I have been curating here for more than 20 years. The opening of this exhibit was the most highly attended reception we have had. It is a wrong perception that people won’t come to San Pedro. We have been attracting people from outside of town for a long time. Many of the artists in this exhibit have shown across the United States, Europe and Asia. These are all recognized artists, and I think you have to have a quality offering if you expect to become a cultural destination. RLn: A few of your own minimalist pieces are included in this show. Can you explain your minimalist style for visitors to this exhibit? RL: Some people paint with emotions and feelings. My painting stems more from thoughts than emotions. I try to manifest that in a way that you can get a sense of my intentions. The paintings are not unfeeling, but that is not the
RLn: Does painting remain relevant in today’s world of abstraction and conceptual installations? Ron Linden: Painting has never really gone away. In the ‘70s, Les Levine, a conceptual artist declared painting dead, but it wasn’t so. Painting reinvents itself continuously. The British sculptor Anthony Caro once said, “We’re all Paleolithic, we all smear stuff, or we’re
Ted Twine, whose work is completely different than Bill’s. That was the idea. Any place you look in this gallery there’s something different going on, but it’s all going on with paint.
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intellectually. That’s what I try to do.” As inspiration, Linden points to an essay by art historian, Benjamin H.D. Buchloh, in which he discusses the relevance of painting with the German visual artist Gerhard Richter. The conversation brings an intellectual and a world-renowned artist to a discussion on the contradictions in art. “It’s the contradiction of knowing full well that the means you are using won’t achieve what you aim for, and at the same time not being prepared to change those means,” Buchloh explained. “That’s not a contradiction, it’s a perfectly normal state of affairs, the normal mess if you like,” replied Richter. Richter concludes that all means are adequate, “The question is, what are my means? And what can I achieve with them?” Linden’s goal is to illustrate the means: painting.
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MAR 1 5-9 Brought to you by the artists and restaurants of the Downtown San Pedro Waterfront Arts District
Dekor Gallery
MYTHIC/ PACIFIC ETERNAL, EPHEMERAL MOJAVE
Dekor Gallery presents Mythic/Pacific, recent photographs of San Pedro, Palos Verdes, South Bay and L.A. Harbor by Tim Truby and Eternal Ephemeral Mojave, photographs by J. Marie Huston. Each photographer examines the transformative experience of landscape. Turby’s work delves beneath the kitschy beach culture and focuses on mythic ocean landscapes. For Huston, the Mojave National Preserve is a landscape of extremes — land forms that have been evolving for billions of years, wildflowers that wait 100 years to bloom and live mere days. Both shows open on March 1, 5 to 9 p.m. A friends and family reception will be held on March 3, 3 to 7 pm. Dekor Gallery, 445 W. 6th St., San Pedro. Details: (310) 831-1800; www.dekorgallery.com
Michael Stearns Studio @ The Loft
Cornelius Projects
BULKY ITEM/CURB ALERT
Michael Stearns Studio 347 is now Michael Stearns Studio @The Loft. After five years in our 7th St. studio, we are moving - just three blocks -— to The Loft Art Studios and Galleries. The Loft is located at 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro. Please drop by and visit us. Our first exhibit will open during the April 1 Art Walk. Details: (562) 400-0544; www.michaelstearsstudio.com
Studio Gallery 345
Studio 345 presents Pat Woolley’s original illustrations from The Thif t Store Bears series and paintings by Gloria D Lee. Want to illustrate your own book ? Look for a class at Crafted that will be offered this spring. Open 5 to 9 p.m. on First Thursday or by appointment. Studio 345, 345 W. 7th St., San Pedro. Pat Woolley from The Thrift Store Bears For information, call (310) 545-0832 or (310) 374-8055; artsail@roadrunner.com or www.patwoolleyart.com.
Cornelius Projects presents Bulky Item/Curb Alert, a location specific study and installation accessing the photographs and collected objects of Sheridan Lowrey. Lowrey’s photographs of San Pedro’s castoffs allow views into the otherwise shuttered interiors and thus the private lives of city residents by way of objects’ psychological associations, utility and juxtapositions. Included in the survey are collected “curbed” mechanisms of transportation that too are left for “export” amongst the roadside offerings. It is important to note that Lowrey photographs these offerings while en route to shop for herself, as this too is her neighborhood. The exhibition opens on Feb. 24, 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through March 31. Hours are Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. A red flag flies outside the door when the gallery is open. Cornelius Projects, 1417 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro. Details: (310) 266-9216.
February 22 - March7, 2018
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ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAT WOOLLEY
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RLn BRINGS YOU DEDICATED COVERAGE OF THE ARTS IN THE HARBOR AREA. FOR ADVERTISING, CALL 310. 519.1442
FEB 22 - MAR 7 • 2018
Memory and Nature at PVAC
ENTERTAINMENT Feb. 23
Casey Hensley Blues singer-songwriter Casey Hensley is being called the next Janis Joplin. Time: 9 p.m. Feb. 23 Cost: Free Details: www. caseyhensleymusic.com Venue: Godmothers Saloon, 302 W. 7th St., San Pedro Hugh von Kleist Duo Enjoy live, traditional hardswingin’ jazz styled after Zoot Sims and Lester Young. Time: 6 p.m. Feb. 23 Cost: Free Details: www.blowingold.com Venue: 28th St Bar & Grill Lounge Doubletree by Hilton, 2800 Via Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro The Paul Gormley 3 Top flight musicians specializing in traditional jazz repertoire perform two sets of lively entertainment while you dine every Friday. Time: 7 p.m. Feb. 23 Cost: Free Details: (310) 832-0363; www.whaleandale.com Venue: The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro
Feb. 24
Restaurant Week 2.0, Long Beach Chef’s Cooking + Tasting Series is kicking off Dine Out, Long Beach with a city wide event of 50-plus restaurants participating in a social and educational dining experience. Time: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: Free Details: (562) 856-9292; www.dineoutlongbeach.com Venue: Friedman’s Home Experience
Feb. 25
Candi Sosa, Christina Rebull Cristina Rebull channels Edith Piaf in vocal range and versatility. Candi Sosa can go from a Celia Cruz style rumba to a Shirley Bassey big ballad. Time: 8 p.m. March 3 Cost: $30 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1418 W. 8th St., San Pedro Reverend Tall Tree Internationally acclaimed singersongwriter Chris Pierce and his band deliver original blues and American roots music in the tradition of Little Walter. Time: 8 to 11 p.m. March 3 Cost: $20 to $30 Details: www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
THEATER Feb. 23
Before It Hits Home Set in Midwestern America in 1991, Before It Hits Home is a complex and powerful drama that explores the effect of AIDS on charismatic jazz musician Wendal Bailey, his lovers, parents, and even his 14-year-old son. Time: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 23 through March 11 Cost: $10 to $15 Details: (310) 243-3589; www. csudh.edu/theatre/tickets. Venue: Edison Studio Theatre, Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson
March 3
Let Them Eat Books Poems and stories from Lewis Carroll, James Thurber, and e. e. cummings are performed with energy, humor, and lots of audience participation. Time: 11 a.m. March 3 Cost: Free Details: (562) 495-4595; www.ictlongbeach.org Venue: International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach
March 17
The Invention of Morel Based on influential Argentinian author Adolfo Bioy Casares’ 1940 novel La invención de Morel, Copeland and Moore’s opera examines the triumph of timebending love over convention in a story of adoration and desire. Time: 7:30 p.m. March 17 and 24, and 2:30 p.m. March 25 Cost: $49 to $150 Details: longbeachopera.org
Guys and Dolls Rolling the dice is the vice of choice for Nathan Detroit (Matthew Henerson). He has big spenders ready to join his latest illegal crap game, but he needs some serious dough to keep the game afloat. Time: 8 p.m. Feb. 23, 24 and March 1, 2 and 3, 1 p.m. Feb. 25 and March 4, 2 p.m. Feb. 24 and March 2, and 6 p.m. Feb. 25. Cost: $20 Details: (562) 856-1999 www.musical.org. Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach Dreamers: Aquí Y Allá California Repertory Company, part of the Cal State Long Beach’s Theatre Arts Department, begins its spring season with Dreamers: Aquí y Allá, co-directed by Andrea Caban and Julie GranataHunicutt. The people at the heart of this play are Americans who have suddenly found themselves vulnerable to expulsion, job loss and deportation. Time: 8 p.m. Feb. 23 through 25, and 2 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: $12.50 to $20 Details: (562) 985-4500 http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/ cota/theatre/on-stage-now/index. html Venue: CSULB Studio Theater, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
ARTS
Feb. 24
You be Bulky Item; I’ll be Curb Alert Sheridan Lowrey’s photographs of San Pedro’s castoffs allow views into the otherwise shuttered interiors and thus the private lives of city residents by way of objects’ psychological associations, utility and juxtapositions. The exhibition runs from Feb. 24 to March 31. The opening reception is Feb. 24. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24 Details: (310) 266-9216 corneliusprojects.com Venue: Cornelius Projects, 1417 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
March 3
Wilmington Art Walk Retro-Con The Wilmington Art Walk is back. This free for all ages event features artists, craft vendors and food trucks. Time: 1 to 6 p.m. March 3 Cost: Free Venue: Longshoremen Hall, 231 W. C St., Wilmington
Ongoing
Minoru Ohira: Memory & Nature Palos Verdes Art Center presents Memory & Nature, recent sculpture by Minoru Ohira. Composed of wood, granite, graphite, and resin, his forms are abstracted from the human body as well as vegetal shapes, filtered by the traces of memory in a process of meditative carving. Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturdays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays, through March 4 Cost: Free Details: pvartcenter.org; memoryandnature.com Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 W. Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes 7 Painters TransVagrant + Gallery 478 are pleased to present 7 Painters including the works by Katy Crowe, Ron Linden, William Mahan, Jay McCafferty, Marie Thibeault, Ted Twine and HK Zamani. Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, through March 11 Details: (310) 732-2150 Venue: Gallery 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro The Rebel Body Angels Gate Cultural Center is pleased to present The Rebel Body, a solo show by Johanna Breiding. Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Mondays through Fridays, and 12 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through March 17 Cost: Free Details: angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Making Social Making Social is an exhibition based on a pedagogic approach to social experience and art. The show is based on a course taught by Matt Rich over the past decade about social experience as a medium in art. Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 12 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through March 17 Cost: Free Details: http://angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Robert Irwin: Site Determined This exhibition traces Robert Irwin’s process development as he embraced the ambient environment itself as his medium in his outdoor site-responsive projects. Time: 12 to 5 p.m. Sundays through Thursday, and 12 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, through April 15 Cost: Free Details: www.csulb.edu/universityart-museum Venue: University Art Museum,
CSULB, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
FILM
Feb. 23
SPIFF Oscar Nominated Short Films San Pedro International Film Festival will present Oscarnominated documentaries. Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and 24, and March 3 Cost: $10 to $14 Details: (310) 548-7672 spiffest.org Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
COMMUNITY Feb. 24
Aquarium of the Pacific African American Festival Join Forgotten Images at the Aquarium of the Pacific as they celebrate the rich diversity of African-American and African cultures. The weekend will feature live entertainment and arts and crafts. Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 24 and 25 Cost: $18 to $50 Details: www.aquariumofpacific. org Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach The Great Los Angeles Air Raid Celebrate and recreate one of the most controversial events in Los Angeles history— the night when thousands of people were convinced the city was under attack from the air during World War II in 1942. Time: 3 to 8 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: $20 to $30 Details: www.FtMac.org Venue: Fort MacArthur Museum, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Carson 50th Anniversary Celebrate the City of Carson’s 50th anniversary with a gala ball. Time: 6 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: $50 to $400 Details: (310) 835-0212 Venue: Carson Community Center, 801 E. Carson St., Carson Battleship Iowa Museum Come celebrate the anniversary of USS Iowa Bell Home with music, dancing and food. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: $8 to $11 Details: www.pacificbattleship.
Building Healthy Relationships Youth Conference The Women’s Shelter of Long Beach will host a conference for youth and caregivers to discuss the importance of healthy relationships and the influence of social media. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 2.45 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: Free for youth ages 11-18 Details: (562)437-7233 www.wslb.org/bhr Venue: Salvation Army of Long Beach, 3092 Long Beach Blvd.
Feb. 25
Carnaval Experience the exuberant celebration of carnaval at a family festival. Enjoy live music, free face painting, craft vendors and participate in mask-making workshops and gallery tours. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 25 Cost: Free Details: (562) 437-1689 www.molaa.org Venue: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach
Feb. 28
Tenant Rights Workshop Join then Long Beach Resource Center in learning about fair housing rights and responsibilities as a tenant. Time: 2 to 4 p.m. Cost: Free Details: (800) 446-FAIR www.FHFCA.org Venue: Neighborhood Resource Center, 100 W. Broadway, suite 500, Long Beach
March 3
Brouwerij West 2nd Anniversary Brouwerij West is celebrating two years of brewery production at Warehouse 9 in San Pedro/Port of L.A. with iconic punk bands X, Mike Watt + The Missingmen and L.A. Witch. Time: 6 p.m. March 3 Cost: $20 to $75 Detais: www.brouwerijwest. com Venue: Brouwerij West, 110 E. 22nd St., San Pedro
February 22 - March 7, 2018
Hugh von Kleist Trio Hugh’s threesome doesn’t just play music, they create it on the spot. Time: 9 p.m. Feb 25 Cost: Free Details: (310) 832-5503 Venue: 1908 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
March 3
Recent sculpture by Minoru Ohira, composed of wood, granite, graphite and resin are abstracted from the human body as well as vegetal shapes, filtered by the traces of memory in a process of meditative carving. At Palos Verdes Art Center through March 4.
Ongoing
Dictionary Days at the Library The Michelle Obama library will host an “Enchanted Garden” day for kids to enjoy magic, games, treats and more. Time: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: Free Details: (562) 570-1047 Venue: Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach
Rebecca Lynn Project at Jackson’s Place Take a trip to Jackson’s Place in San Pedro where the fare is Cajun, the bar is full and the music is by Rebecca Lynn’s band. Time: 3 to 6 p.m. Feb.25 Cost: Free Details: (424) 477-5220 Venue: Jackson’s Place, 335 W. 7th St, San Pedro
Strunz & Farah Yeah, you’ve heard of ‘em. Maybe at the Grammys, where they were nominated long ago. The guitar duo have been performing their original rhythmic flamenco-style world fusion since 1979. But which one’s Strunz? Time: 8 p.m. March 2· Cost: $25 Details: www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Venue: The Beverly O’Neill Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Markus Carlton Lifelong musician Markus Carlton will entertain you by performing new material, as well as jazz and blues standards. Time: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 Cost: Free Details: (310) 832-0363; www.whaleandale.com Venue: The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro
March 2
com or call (310)-971-4462 Venue: Pacific Battleship Center, 250 South Harbor Blvd. Berth 87, Los Angeles
15
[Tall Tree, from p. 11]
Reverend Tall Tree
February 22 - March7, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
experiences, going for things and keeping the love of music in the forefront,” Pierce said. Pierce wasn’t just offering up a cliche when he said he opened himself up to different experiences. He recounted how he got to open for the multi-Grammy winning international star, Seal, while he was on tour in 2005. The opportunity was the result of a wild chance meeting. A friend suggested he bring his acoustic guitar along to a house party. Pierce did so and in walks Seal. If that isn’t crazy enough, the two chatted during which Seal told him he was going on a scaled down acoustic tour. “I kind of jokingly said, ‘Hey, if you ever need an opener, here’s my card,’” Pierce said. “And two weeks later, I was in Germany in front of 10,000 people. With my acoustic guitar, opening for Seal.” Pierce said all of these tours kind of “happened that way.” Pierce noted that he got on the tours of B.B. King and Erin Neville by writing letters to their managers. With Al Green, Pierce’s manager at the time reached out to the artist. “I just made sure that these folks knew about my love for soul music and R&B music and that was something that I had been a lover of and maker of for many years,” Pierce said. “There’s a lot of power in that. I think a personal touch is always the way to go. Let them know who you are and why you should be there.” In addition to his solo records, which include the critically acclaimed albums Chris Pierce Live at the Hotel Café (2009) and When the Hustle Comes to a Stop (2012), Pierce has contributed to full length recordings (in addition to ongoing performances and tours) as a member of War & Pierce (with singer/ songwriter Sunny War). He also performs as a featured guest with several orchestras around the United States and abroad. Pierce and War, who have recently completed a tour, met through a mutual friend, Jared Faber. The two met in Prague when Pierce was on that serendipitous tour with Seal. “We linked up and fast forward 10 years later he called me and said he just saw this amazing woman play in Venice, ‘her name is Sunny War,’” Pierce said. “The first time
16
Chris Pierce, aka Reverend Tall Tree.
we got together we wrote a song and recorded it in one sitting, in two hours. We looked at each other and said let’s just do some more.” The duo released an EP (extended play) of six songs and are slowly working on more to release a full LP. Pierce’s talents for songwriting and singing have touched mainstream media audiences. Siddhartha Khosla, composer for the NBC family drama This is Us, asked the singer/ songwriter to collaborate on a song for a poignant episode called Memphis. The number, We Can Always Come Back To This, was the emotional center of the episode and became a hit single. It charted at number one on the Billboard Blues Chart and in the Top 20 on the rock and R&B charts. They used three different versions of the song. One was a version that Pierce played in the television scene. He was nominated as a co-writer of the song for “Best Song/Recording Created for Television” by The Guild of Music Supervisors. For the past four years Pierce has been working on a blues opera and is finally starting to share it in different clubs and theaters. As an added surprise for the Grand Annex performance, he and The Blackstrap Brothers will play a few selections from the opera. He stars in it, acts in it and co-wrote it. Together with television writer Mark Malone they wrote Reverend Tall Tree as a fictional character, a street preacher in the south in the 1930s and ‘40s. The tension in the piece is as simple and universal as the human condition itself. Reverend Tall Tree is a man who searches for and yearns for love and a kind of blessedness (a connection with the infinite and the divine) but who is subject to human frailty and human passion (for both good and ill). The opera is a continuation of the stories told in traditional blues. GRAND
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Reverend Tall Tree Saturday, March 3
7:30 pm Doors / 8 pm Concert
Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Chris Pierce and his band deliver original blues & American Roots music in the tradition of Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf and Bo Diddley. Tickets & Info:
310.833.4813 | GrandVision.org
The Grand Annex | 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
“We’re going to have a good time, encourage people to sing along, shout, dance have a good time.” Pierce said. Going back to his childhood and previous work in music, when he still only went by his given name, Pierce said he was feeling the
music even at a young age. “In kindergarten we had choir in our school and I immediately gravitated towards that. I was the kid in the back of the choir rocking out.” Those emotions are what inspires Pierce on his musical journey for his entire life. As he grew older he listened to the artists who he called, “folk’s I could relate to, (who) were doing stuff a little different,” such as Prince and Terence Trent D’Arby. His favorite jazz artists are Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Art Tatum. “As far as singers go, the late John Hendrick’s who just passed last year is, I think, my favorite all-time favorite jazz vocalists, next to Billie [Holiday], of course, and Ella [Fitzgerald],” he said. “I loved John because he did all the vocalese stuff and basically transcribed horn solos and different solos and put works to them. I thought that was always a unique way to present jazz.” For Pierce, the most fulfilling part of performing is the energy of connection. “The synergy,” he said. “It’s a way of plugging in to me, as far as life goes. Being able to put things out there and exchange energy with people on a regular basis and share a perspective in hopes that it can move through some of the static and isolated feelings of everyday life with people. I just hope to make a difference through art.”
[Curtain Call, from p. 13]
Guys & Dolls
There’s nothing bad about this production, but nothing better than Mark Martino’s direction and Daniel Smith’s choreography. During the songs there doesn’t seem to be a step or a gesture not tuned to the musical moment, and blocking during dialog is no less fine. A highlight among highlights comes during Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat, where Martino and Smith are able to massage a static set-up of four rows of seated cast members behind soloist Nicely-Nicely Johnson (robustly played by Andrew Metzger) until it bursts with energy. Because the show’s movement element is so strong—and because this isn’t the kind of music I’m listening to at home—perhaps my favorite bits were not the songs but instrumental portions featuring the entire ensemble gallivanting all over the stage, such as when Sky and Sarah get to Havana. For me, this is the unique magic of musical theatre, and Musical Theatre West has the mojo. But to be sure, they also have the singers they need. Parks’ operatic soprano rings out like the bell Sarah sings about being, Murphy perfectly blends her vocal ability with the cutesy caricature that is Adelaide, and James is so strong that it’s startling to hear his singing voice emerge for the first time from on the heels of Sky’s smoothly charismatic palaver. The production’s mise en scène is no less strong. Tamara Becker’s dazzling costumery doesn’t miss a stitch, Paul Black’s lighting captures colors and casts shadows just where it needs to and Musical Theatre West’s simple yet sweeping backgrounds bring the audience inside this cartoonish universe. A perfect conflation of these elements comes when Nathan’s crap game floats from the streets down into the sewers, where in little more than an eyeblink the neon lights of Broadway give way to a subterranean cavern. If the production has a weakness, it’s that occasionally the ensemble vocals don’t fit together perfectly. I don’t know whether that’s the singing itself (there are a helluva
Jeremiah James as “Sky Masterson” and the cast of Musical Theatre West’s live stage production of Guys and Dolls. Photo by Caught in the Moment Photography
lot of harmonies in there) or a technical issue (that’s a helluva lot of lavalier microphones to coordinate), but tweaking the overall equalization (a tad less treble, a bit more midrange) might help mesh the vocals with the music (flawlessly rendered by an orchestra under the direction of Benet Braun). That’s about as negative as I can get. Guys and Dolls isn’t the kind of show that’s going to change your life, but if you’re in the mood for the glitzy bubblegum fun that this kind of musical can offer, you can’t do much better than this. Time:Thursday and Friday 8 p.m. Sat 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. (and 6 p.m. 2/25) Cost: $20–$92 Through March 4 Details: 562.856-1999 ext. 4, www.musical.org Venue: Musical Theater West at The Carpenter performing Arts Center
Why racism thrives in America: Unfair Housing LOS ANGELES — The question is: in America in the year 2018, why would two white judges not want a black man to have “full and equal housing services and privileges?” The judges were told the city of los Angeles had granted tandem parking stalls and working intercoms to over 15 tenants who are white; that the City authorized the infamous Tenant Habitability Program, which entitles the blacks to a working intercom [at some time in the unknown future]; that the City of Los Angeles had ordered the intercom repair or replacement in units where tenants are white; that the city had authorized the capital improvements for intercom system and charged the black tenants a rent increase even though the intercom for blacks was never repaired or replaced; that the owner told the Department Fair Employment and Housing he was installing brand new intercoms in units. So if not for racism and corruption, why did Federal Judges Julie L. Staton and Andrew J. Wistrich seemingly ignore their own city government agency orders, just to deprive a black man of rights? In 2015, an administrative appeal had been filed to the City of Los Angeles regarding approved application for tenant habitability program. The Sept. 26, 2015, attachment to the appeal mentions the word “intercom” 47 times. “FIRST AMENDED CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT PURSUANT TO 42 U.S.C. § 1983 [“The Ku Klux Klan Act”] AND REQUEST FOR DECLARATIVE AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF” Defendants: CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, [et al.] and DOES 1-10 inclusive. Case : 2:16-CV-03236-JLS-AJW, Central District Los Angeles, filed May 11, 2016. Lawsuit claims included: [Seven Federal law claims plus] [State law claims] Health and Safety Code 17920-17928; California Government Code sections 12955-12956.2 Housing Discrimination;CC 51,52 Unruh Act and Unlawful Retaliation; CC 51,52 Conspiracy to Interfere with Civil Rights; GC 12940(h) Retaliation; CC 1942.3 Breach of Implied Warranty of Habitability; BC 17200-17210 False and Deceptive Business Practices;
Accounting/Co-Mingling of Funds; Consumer Fraud; Fraudulent Omission; CC section 1940.4 Tenant Posting of Signs; CC section 1714(a) Negligence; CC section 1740 Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress;; LAMC sections 151-155 Los Angeles Rent Control Ordinance; Breach of Contract Rental Agreement; CC 41.33 Implied Covenant Quiet Enjoyment; Breach of the Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; Violation of Mandatory Duties Under GC 815.6. “Unlawful discrimination can be circumstantial, arbitrary, disparate treatment, disparate impact, indirect, direct, or consequential. Yes, discrimination against individual rights may be actionable.” “Based on information and belief, Plaintiff states that thousands of tenants are at risk of the threat of injury due to the racist practices of the city and county government entities named, that such actions are pattern and practice of the city and county governments.” “42 USC 1981- Equal rights under the law (b) ‘Make and enforce contracts” defined For purposes of this section, the term “make
and enforce contracts” includes the making, performance, modification, and termination of contracts, and the enjoyment of all benefits, privileges, terms, and conditions of the contractual relationship.’ Thus the city government et al is has participated in a denial to tenants #9 of the benefits, privileges, terms, and conditions of the contractual relationship as prohibited under 42 USC section 1981.” COURT RULING BETWEEN SEPTEMBER AND NOVEMBER 22, 2017. DOCKET ENTRY 117 [redacted from 19 page ruling]: “It is hereby adjudged that plaintiff’s… state law claims are dismissed without prejudice, and the action is dismissed without prejudice as to defendants….” Note: The information above has been redacted from publicly accessible documents. It is intended to be illustrative but not all inclusive. The original court filed amended complaint is 335 pages including exhibits. The case can be viewed for free at the courthouse, or for cost downloaded online at pacer.gov.
Commentary by G. Juan Johnson
“The Housing Department has determined this building to be substandard per section 24436.5 of the State Revenue and Taxation Code. Any and all units are subject to re- inspection and require the same uniform compliance throughout the premises.” Los Angeles City Code Enforcement I believe that the property management company wrote to government officials and said that the government had spent thousands of dollars to deny fair housing to Blacks . Notes and laws: “42 USC 1981- Equal rights under the law (b) ‘Make and enforce contracts”
defined. 28 U.S. Code § 453 – Oaths of justices and judges; “A legal threat is a statement by a party that it intends to take legal action on another party, generally accompanied by a demand that the other party take an action demanded by the first party or refrain from taking or continuing actions objected to by the demanding party.” https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Legal_threat; LAMC 41.33 “Peaceful Enjoyment”. LANDLORDS – DISTURBING TENANTS; TENANT RIGHT TO POST ELECTION NEWS California code section 1940.4 (a) and (b); CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 1 DECLARATION OF RIGHTS SEC. 7. (a) ; CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE ; SECTION 484-502.9; California Civil Code 1942.5 Retaliation for Exercising Rights ; Failure to Act in a Reasonable Manner; Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_in_the_Schoolhouse_Door I believe this country’s government has a master plan to exterminate all Blacks in the next 20 years. Black birthrates are down. Asians and Latino numbers are way up. Where will YOU be when America becomes China? Did you know the term “Justice” originated from the term “Just-Us”? Nothing in this ad is intended to constitute legal advice. Reference public documents: State of California Department Fair Employment and Housing Intake 201712-00534122 City Los Angeles RSD CE229942; Los Angeles Code enforcement complaints 646723 thru 660904; and other communications to government officials. Your landlord is not a licensed utility company.
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None of the defendants filed an “answer” with the court denying the allegations against them. The court denied parties discovery procedures and would not allow the case to go to trial. At one point, defendants property owner and their management company mounted a motion to declare the tenant Plaintiff Blackman “vexatious.” The defendants asked for $25,000 in advance fees and costs. The Plaintiff opposed the motion and asked for $2 million dollars against each defendant and each attorney for the defendants’ filing of a “frivolous” motion. The court denied the defendants’ motion and denied the requested $25,000. Attorneys and defendants linked the Ashcroft v. Iqbal terrorism case to this case address. The terrorism case is used in court documents by defendants, Hi Point Apts, LLC, the State of California and the City of Los Angeles government and employees, as stated in court document 103, filed 11-7-2016, page ID 2610, paragraph 25. Lawyers for same defendants included Martin Ageson, Robert P. Moore, Mike Feuer, Jared A. Barry.
Stand Up Against Racism As seen on Youtube at: http://bit.ly/2EfI1lz Please visit and share two great blogs: LA Rent Control and Permits: https://lahousingpermitsandrentadjustmentcommission.wordpress.com/
• Communications with city employees • Dec. 18, 2017 letter to Sen. Holly Mitchell • Nov. 20, 2017 letter to FTC
February 22 - March 7, 2018
Los Angeles Affordable Housing and Rent Control: http://www.lahousingrentcontrol.com/ The author is available for speaking engagements.
Which 2018 California candidates will support dismantling the Department of Fair Employment and Housing illegal pre-complaint inquiry that is used to unjustly stop residents from filing complaints? Will the California candidates for Governor seek an investigation into the discriminatory and corrupt practices of the Los Angeles Rent Control THP program? This ad was written and paid for by G. Juan Johnson (Ham-Jew-DNA-Kushite/Black)
17
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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
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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017360044 The following person is doing business as: W.C. Cleaners, 2138 S. Pacific Avenue, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Willie Cameron, 658 W. 22nd Street, #1, San Pedro, Ca 90731. Luz Cameron, 658 W. 22nd Street, #1, San Pedro, Ca 90731. This Business is conducted by a married
[continued on p. 19]
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of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). O r i g i n a l f i l i n g : 0 1 / 11 / 2 0 1 8 ,
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of a crime.) S/.Philip Lamond Collins, CEO. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2017. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state
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ACROSS
1 Bread that may or may not have seeds 4 Unit of heat energy 9 Copier problems 13 Mall entrance features 15 Cartoon dad who’s had over 100 jobs 16 Musk of SpaceX 17 Poet who excels at short comedy scenes? 19 Queen abandoned by Aeneas, in myth 20 “Wabbit” hunter Fudd 21 Red or Yalu, e.g. 22 “Ad astra per ___” (Kansas’s motto) 25 Furor 27 Crisis responder, for short 28 Radar reading 29 1950s nostalgia group with a TV show in the 1970s 33 “That’s right!” 34 Just briefly reads the rules to a classic arcade game? 38 Early photo color 40 Reed or Rawls 41 Slovenia neighbor 42 Someone who’s an expert at sliding out? 45 $, for short (well, not really, being three characters) 46 Disregards 47 “There Will Be Blood” actor Paul 48 Many corp. logos 51 A, in Berlin
52 Hockey players, slangily 54 Trail follower 56 Not significant 58 Julia of “Addams Family Values” 59 Request to a supervisor to avoid something? 64 Prefix for present or potent 65 “___ Burr, Sir” (song from “Hamilton”) 66 Days of long ago 67 Ten-speed, e.g. 68 Air freshener brand 69 Predicament
DOWN
1 Apt. ad count 2 Hairy Himalayan beast 3 Prefix for dermis 4 Jim Carrey movie with the catchphrase “Smokin’!” 5 Dig this! 6 Ruler in Abu Dhabi 7 “Can’t Fight This Feeling” band ___ Speedwagon 8 “The A-Team” regular 9 “Star Wars: The Last ___” 10 Still in the game 11 Wi-fi device 12 Derisive sound 14 High-priced 18 35mm camera option 21 Repair, as a loose board 22 Bottomless depth 23 Streamlined 24 Longstocking of kiddie lit 25 Provide coverage for
26 Grammy category division 30 Hotelier Conrad, or his greatgranddaughter Paris 31 Love, in Le Havre 32 Take the stage 34 Reproductive rights pioneer Margaret 35 Palindromic formality 36 On one’s own 37 Stocking stuff 39 Ugandan dictator Amin 43 Indie rocker DiFranco 44 Foolhardy 47 Word after roller or Kentucky 48 Pulsate 49 Home of the Heat 50 Mammal with a defensive spray 53 Hotel room extra 55 Peace Nobelist Wiesel 56 Actress Sorvino in 2016’s “Exposed” 57 Device with the Nano discontinued in 2017 59 Hang down 60 Actor Penn 61 “That’s gotta hurt” 62 ___ Lanka 63 Masters and Johnson research subject
©2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
RANDOMLetters [Letters, from p. 9]
called on Congress to terminate the budgets of these agencies. Ignoring the fact that Congress soundly rejected this same attempt last year, the Administration has once again proposed on $28.9 million for the orderly close out of the NEA. Despite the President’s State of the Union speech last month proclaiming ‘Americans fill the world with art and music,’ there seems to be a disconnect on the need to invest in our nation’s future support of the arts and arts education. The federal investment in the arts helps power the creative economy in America. Eliminating the NEA would be a devastating blow to the arts in America. For more than 50 years, the NEA has expanded access to the arts for all Americans, awarding grants in every Congressional district throughout all 50 states and U.S. Territories, as well as placing arts therapists in 12 military hospitals to help returning soldiers heal from traumatic brain injuries. The NEA is also an economic powerhouse, generating more than $600 million annually in additional matching funds and helping to shape a $730 billion arts and culture industry that represents 4.2% of the nation’s GDP and supports 4.8 million jobs. 1. The most important thing
you can do is to take two minutes to send a customizable message to your elected representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose any attempt to eliminate or cut funding to the NEA. 2. Post on Facebook and Twitter to help rally national support to save the NEA. There is strength in numbers and your social media friends can help. Nina Ozlu Tunceli Executive Director Arts Action Fund New York, NY
A Gut Punch from the Koch Brothers
The Koch brothers’ infusion of $400 million to help votesuppressing Republicans is a onetwo punch to voting rights. Here’s why I’m worried about November, James: 1. Koch brothers flood elections with millions of dollars to hand the seat to the highest bidder. Elections should be decided by voters, not billionaires. 2. Those millions of dollars are used to elect Republicans who will push laws that make it harder for everyday Americans to vote. Selling elections to the highest bidder and then suppressing voters is how democracies die. We had major wins in
DBA FILINGS [from p. 18]
02/08/2018, 02/22/2018
Send Letters to the Editor to: letters @randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor must include your name with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but are for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words.
Barton Hill Elementary School to Receive Peace/Buddy Bench
The Rotary Clubs of Southern California District 5280 will install Peace/Buddy Benches in designated LA County Schools and Parks. Here the First Bench made by students from the Benjamin Banneker Career and Transition Center will go to Barton Hill Elementary School in San Pedro, during the week of Feb. 26. Photo courtesy of the Rotary Club of San Pedro.
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couple. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 1996. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/.Willie Cameron, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Dec. 29, 2017. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk,
except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing:01/11/2018, 01/25/2018,
November 2017— and the Koch brothers saw that. Now they’re doing what they do best: donating millions in dark money to Republicans. If voters across the country turn out like they did in Virginia, Republicans and the Kochs are in big trouble. Our team is getting ready to launch field offices in FIVE states to make sure this onslaught of Koch cash doesn’t swing elections and prop-up vote-suppressing politicians. There’s nothing like grassroots power, Abe Rakov Executive Director, Let America Vote Washington, D.C.
February 22 - March 7, 2018
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February 22 - March7, 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant