Trumpcare:
GOP Plan Hurts Trump Voters Most By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
“When you look at the Republican bill it should not be seen as a healthcare bill, because throwing millions of people off of health care is not health care legislation. What it should be seen as is a huge tax break for the wealthiest people in this country.” — Sen. Bernie Sanders
The House GOP leadership looks on as Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), center front, submitted its health care bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. File photo.
[See Trumpcare, page 7]
CITT Remembers Local Longshoreman, Looks to the Future p. 2 LB Immigrant Rights Coalition Fights the Good Fight p. 5
p The Whale & Ale: One Pub, Hold the Gastro p. 12
By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
Voter turnout was 6 percent citywide and 13 percent countywide during the March 7 primary election. Turnout in Council District 15 was better than the city average at 9 percent, but not by much. Random Lengths analyzed the preliminary numbers and found that measures supported by the establishment won by huge margins. Measure H, a county sales tax for homeless services and prevention, for which Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas and his son Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas heavily stumped in the primary’s final days was one of those races. The City of Los Angeles’ Measure S, also known as the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative that aimed to change the city’s laws governing changes to the general plan, was defeated by the whole of city government in alliance with labor unions and civil rights organizations. In the case of the competing marijuana regulation ballot initiatives,
voters saw the proponents of the grassroots initiative Measure N abandon their effort when the city finally placed its own measure on the ballot. This was following the passage of the state’s Proposition 64 that legalized recreational use of the drug. In the case of the city ballot initiative Measure P, which aimed to amend the city charter to increase the maximum length of Harbor Department leases from 50 years to 66 years, in accordance with changes to state law, there was more at stake for Harbor Area residents. In 2015, then state Sen. Isadore Hall authored and successfully ushered Senate Bill 399, a bill that amended the State Tidelands Trust to allow legacy 50-year leases to be extended by 25 years and allow maximum lease terms of 66 years. At the time, it was believed that the legislation was
March 16 - 29, 2017
Starring Windy Barnes-Farrell
Scourge of Low Voter Turnout
North on South Central Ave. Stops at the Warner Grand p. 11
Primary Election Breakdown:
The Local Publication You Actually Read
“I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid,” Donald Trump tweeted on May 7, 2015. “Huckabee copied me.” For once, Trump was telling the truth — except for lying about Huckabee. He did make that promise. In fact, he made it repeatedly, in various forms. “I am going to take care of everybody,” Trump told 60 Minutes in September 2015. “Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.” Trump also promised lower costs. “We’re going to replace it [Obamacare] with something that’s going to be great, that’s a lot less expensive for you, and a lot less expensive, frankly, for the government,” he told a rally in South Carolina the following month.
[See Breakdown, page 4]
1
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years
CITT Remembers Local Longshoreman, Looks to the Future By Kym Cunningham, Contributing Writer
For more than 50 years, Domenick Miretti worked as a local labor activist with the longshore union in San Pedro. Although he was not a very public person, Miretti worked tirelessly to promote the rights of longshore workers until his death in February of 2016. “He represented the union well,” San Pedro labor historian Art Almeida said. “He was a very likable fellow — not too loud.… He was a good representative.” Among other things, Miretti was the key architect of the Center for International Trade and Transportation, or CITT. On March 30, the CITT will commemorate its 20th anniversary with a State of the Trade and Transportation Industry Town Hall meeting. Paramount to the 20th anniversary ceremony will be the conferment of the first ever Domenick Miretti Award. This celebration is designed to offer insights to industry professionals, addressing potential challenges and opportunities that may arise in the future. Although the town hall was originally created to discuss port and trade issues, Miretti worked to ensure union member attendance. “I met him way back in the ‘60s,” Almeida
said. “I knew him for practically all of my waterfront years.… He reported the good things the unions were doing.” Miretti created the town hall as the first of its kind: Never before had a university program targeted longshore workers. Through the hard work and dedication of Domenick Miretti, the town hall became an industry institution, inclusive of all participants in international trade.
A South Bay Native
Domenick Moretti
Born to a family of farmers-turnedlongshoremen in 1932 in Rancho Palos Verdes, Miretti lived on ranches in Chino and El Segundo before settling in Harbor City, where he resided for the remainder of his life. Eventually, he married his high school sweetheart, Carol Hamilton.
When Miretti was 17, he followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the ILWU as a longshoreman. He became a part of Local 13. Miretti used longshore work to finance his geography studies at Los Angeles Harbor College and later, his master’s degree from Cal State Long Beach and his doctorate in economic geography from UCLA. “He went to school, was educated locally,” Almeida said. “His reputation was good.” Miretti used his studies to prepare for a career in teaching. From 1965 to 1970, Miretti taught geography at San Pedro’s Dodson Junior High School. His most influential teaching period was the time he spent teaching geography and international trade at East Los Angeles College. During his near half-century of professorship, he created and maintained the college’s International Trade Program and acted as director of the college’s International
Commerce and Career Center. Despite his academic success, Miretti never forgot his ILWU roots. A full-fledged ILWU member throughout his adult life, he drove cranes on the docks for 35 years before settling into the position of marine clerk. When he became a professor, Miretti still worked weekends and summers on the docks while teaching full-time during the academic year. He continued longshore work well into his 60s. During this time, he was also the senior liaison to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, becoming involved with the center and founding the METRANS Advisory Board.
Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Labor
Many of Miretti’s associates viewed him as a bridge-builder, forging a merger between the ports and academia while also bringing the ports up-to-speed with emerging technology. Miretti’s lifelong work on the docks lent him credibility among longshoremen, while his education impressed international businessmen and politicians. “Domenick embodied a rare balance of handson practitioner and educator,” said Genevieve Giuliano, executive director of METRANS. “His decades working as both a professor and longshoremen made him uniquely qualified to serve as a liaison between labor, industry and [See Miretti, page 4]
ACT NOW!
CALL 310-326-3066 AND SCHEDULE A Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
FREE
March 16 - 29, 2017
CONSULTATION**
2
We accept most insurance plans, including ILWU 21250 Hawthorne Blvd. Suite 430 Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 326-3062 www.TorranceBariatrics.com
*Results may vary. Based on average weight loss of previous patients with BMI of 40 or higher, one year after surgery. All surgeries carry risks. Risks and benefits will be discussed during initial consultation. **Subject to terms and conditions.
Activists Demand Wells Fargo Divest from Pipeline By Christian L. Guzman, Community Reporter This past December, Random Lengths News reported on a local fundraiser for water protectors at Standing Rock. In the following months, the grassroots movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline has expanded since Donald Trump’s administration granted the final permit for its construction. In several cities across America, and in the Harbor Area, people are lobbying governments and banks to divest from the pipeline. “We put our money in banks and it shouldn’t be used for projects that harm us or the planet,” said Rachel Bruhnke at a protest against a Wells Fargo, March 11, in Wilmington. Wells Fargo is a major funder of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Bruhnke, Communities for a Better Environment, 350.org and the San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice participated in the protest against the bank, on the corner of Anaheim Street and Island Avenue. The coalition of organizations wants either Wells Fargo to divest from the pipeline, or people and local government to divest from Wells Fargo. “People in low-income areas like this are not aware of the connection between corporate banks and the desecration of the environment,” said Alicia Rivera, organizer for Communities for a Better Environment. “Other cities have
Grassroots activists urging Wells Fargo and its patrons to divest from the Dakota Access Pipeline. Photo by Jesse Marquez.
called attention to this problem. Santa Monica and Seattle have divested billions of dollars from Wells Fargo.” The coalition calls their local campaign, Divest CD15. They plan to have a rally at a bank in every neighborhood of Council District 15. The goal is to get Councilman Joe Buscaino and the City of Los Angeles to divest from the pipeline.
• FREE DELIVERY • SAME CO-PAY • PERSONAL SERVICE • NO WAIT •Specialty Medicines • Professional, Familiar Service • Free Delivery Service • ILWU, Medicare Part D and all major insurances accepted
We’re your independent community pharmacy! GIVE US A CALL
310-833-3535
www.PeninsulaRx.com
Fax 310-833-9124
HOURS: Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
A full lane closure of westbound Ocean Boulevard at Golden Shore will take place from 7 p.m. March 17 to 6 a.m. March 20. The detour route is northbound Golden Shore to 9th Street to southbound Pico to the westbound Ocean onramp. During that same period, northbound and southbound Pico Avenue will be closed at Ocean Boulevard. The detour routes are on northbound and southbound Harbor Scenic Drive. The eastbound Ocean Boulevard off-ramp to Pico Avenue will be closed during the same times also. The detour routes to downtown are northbound on the 710 connector to eastbound Anaheim Street, then south on major streets to downtown. The detour to Pico Avenue is on the northbound 710 connector to the Anaheim Street off-ramp and southbound on the 710 on-ramp to southbound Harbor Scenic Drive to Pico Avenue. For the latest on the Gerald Desmond Bridge construction, closures and detours visit www. newgdbridge.com.
LBIRC General Meeting
Join the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition for its March general meeting. The group will discuss detailed updates and how you can get involved. The location will be sent out in the week before the meeting. Time: 2 to 3 p.m. March 22 Cost: Free Details: http://lbirc.org/lbirc-march-month-ofaction/ Venue: To be announced
LBIRC Humane Immigration Reform Rally
Meet the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition at Cesar E Chavez Park for a 9 a.m. rally and march to City Hall. There will be speakers and live music. Time: 9 a.m. to noon March 30 Cost: Free Details: http://lbirc.org/lbirc-march-month-ofaction/ Venue: Cesar E. Chavez Park, 401 Golden Ave., Long Beach
Call for Artwork
The Aquarium of the Pacific will host its annual Urban Ocean Festival on April 29 and 30. In partnership with the Arts Council, the Aquarium also holds an annual juried art contest. Winners are selected in three categories — painting/drawing, photography and sculpture — and receive $500, with one grand prize winner receiving an additional $250. The deadline is March 31. Details: aquariumofpacific.org
Monthly Beach Cleanup
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium invites the public to participate in its monthly beach cleanup. Volunteers learn about coastal habitat, the growing amount of marine debris and the benefits of protecting this ecosystem. Time: 8 to 10 a.m. April 1 Details: (310) 548-7562 www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
AOC7’s 5th Annual Literacy Fair
In preparation for AOC7’s 5th Annual Literacy Fair, the group, whose acronym stands for Anaheim, Orange, Cherry and 7th, is collecting new and gently used children’s books through April 28. Donation locations: Neighborhood Resource Center 100 Broadway, Suite 550 Lincoln Elementary School 1175 E. 11th Street Mark Twain Library 1401 E. Anaheim Street The Center Long Beach 2017 E. 4th Street
POLA Community Investment Grant 2017
Applications for the Port of Los Angeles Community Investment Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2017-18 are now available. Up to $1 million in grants will help support initiatives, programs and events benefiting Los Angeles Harbor communities. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on May 8. Details: http://tinyurl.com/ POLACommunityGrant2017
The Dick Biondi Film
Contribute to a documentary film about the Wild I-tralian himself, Dick Biondi, who was the leading voice of a powerful new Top 40 radio station, WLS, which beamed across the United States and parts of Canada. He went on to be one of the most influential radio personalities of the 20th century. Contribute to the Kickstarter fundraiser at https:// www.kickstarter.com/projects/1594952542/thedick-biondi-film.
Los Angeles Area Chamber Offers Educational Scholarships The Los Angeles Area Chamber and the World Trade Week Education Committee are currently seeking applicants and nominations for a series of scholarships available to high school and college students. Award categories and links for submission: High School: https://lachamber.com/forms/ world-trade-week-2017-high-school-scholarshipapplication University: https://lachamber.com/forms/worldtrade-week-2017-college-university-scholarship-
The Local Publication You Actually Read
Across from Little Company of Mary Hospital
Harbor Area Gerald Desmond Bridge Construction Closures
Better than Chain Store Service
1294 W. 6th St., Ste. 100, San Pedro
Community Announcements:
March 16 - 29, 2017
3
FREE! FREE!
VITA Income Tax Preparation
A program sponsored and funded by the City of Los Angeles Housing Community Investment Department
APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED! For appointments or questions:
(310) 832-1145, ext. 106
You must be a resident in the City of Los Angeles and meet certain income eligibility requirements
¡GRATIS! ¡GRATIS!
Preparación de Impuestos VITA
Un programa patrocianado y financiado por el Departmento de Vivienda y Acción Social de la Ciudad de Los Ángeles
¡SE REQUIERE CITA!
Para hacer cita o una pregunta:
(310) 832-1145, ext. 106
Para ser elegible y recibir servicios hay que vivir en la cuidad de Los Ángeles y cumplir con los requisitos de ingresos Location/Locacion:
TOBERMAN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER 131 N. Grand Avenue San Pedro
[Miretti, from page 2]
Miretti
academia.” However, Miretti remained humble in regards to his work as a liaison, recognizing instead the achievements of the groups he founded and worked with to be the true link between academia and the longshoremen. Alongside his hard work and dedication, Miretti is most remembered for his belief in the importance of community, in the idea that cooperation among industry partners yields better results than confrontation. “The CITT and METRANS partnership has literally brought the university to the docks and the docks to the university.” said Miretti, in his address at the 10th Annual Town Hall meeting. Miretti’s reasoning for his tireless work towards this partnership was simple. “I want the ILWU to be recognized as the best workforce in the world,” said Miretti in a 2001 interview.
Keeping America Safe
Not only was the ILWU the best workforce according to Miretti, he also charged longshoremen with what he referred to as “the enormous endeavor” of guarding American ports. A regularly featured speaker at CITT Town Hall meetings, Miretti delivered a speech in 2007 addressing what he viewed as “the soft underbelly of port security.” Due to the incoming flood in cargo volume, Miretti believed America’s ports to be the “front door” of national security, something he also thought had “become everyone’s responsibility.” Miretti’s belief in the importance of the ports in keeping America safe compelled him to continually argue for larger funds to be allocated to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It also forced him to reconcile longshore laborers
with the emergent technology threatening their position as laborers. Miretti viewed technology as a double-edged sword, one that, if wielded by the correct individuals, could help push the ports into the 21st century. Much of Miretti’s lasting work attempted to merge the seemingly incongruous industries of dock labor and technology.
Miretti’s Legacy
In honor of Domenick Miretti, who died from cancer in February of this past year, the CITT has decided to commemorate the man who worked so tirelessly to merge labor with academia and technology. “Domenick was a visionary and a true gentleman,” said former CITT Director Marianne Venieris Gastelum, after working alongside Miretti for the better part of two decades. “CITT and METRANS owe him a huge debt of gratitude. He will be missed.” This year’s town hall meeting will feature the first ever Domenick Miretti Award, given to an industry individual who has demonstrated similar vision, values and commitment to the organization Miretti held so dear. This award is meant to inspire future industry leaders to continue Miretti’s work, ensuring the perpetuation of his legacy. The town hall is scheduled for March 30 at the Gerald Daniel Recital Hall at CSU Long Beach. It will feature a keynote address from Vice President of Economic Development Research Group Paul Bingham, “an accomplished professional who offers a valuable perspective on developing trends in international trade.” Drawing on three decades of experience, Bingham will assess past estimates, address present insecurities, and advise on future changes affecting the technological and economic aspects of the industry. Individuals who work within the trade and transportation industries are encouraged to attend.
[Breakdown, from page 1]
March 16 - 29, 2017
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
Breakdown
4
directly targeting the LA Waterfront Alliance’s Ports O’ Call lease terms and conditions. The State Lands Commission opposed the bill, stating: Based on our own experience with long-term legacy leases, 75-year leases will not reflect and keep pace with evolving environmental policies and practices, contemporary liability, insurance and indemnification provisions, market rates, modern land and resource management principles and current public trust needs. Additionally, [SLC] believes that allowing 75-year leases prevents the City from fulfilling its duties as trustee of public trust land managed on the State’s behalf, including the duties specified in Public Resources Code Section 6009.1, such as the duty of loyalty, care, and to keep control and to preserve the trust property….[SLC] believes that a maximum lease term of 66 years is sufficient for the City to meet its trustee responsibilities. The March 7 vote makes it easier for more 66- to 75-year leases like the Ports O’ Call Village deal to happen. The Council District 15 race that could have replaced incumbent City Councilman Joe Buscaino was one of the least competitive council races in the city. The race was consequential in that it decided that Councilman Joe Buscaino will remain in office for a term that would last fiveand-a-half years, when the city’s elections come into alignment with the presidential election.
Supervisor Janice Hahn and CD 15 Councilman Joe Buscaino celebrate his victory on election night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Pedro. Photo by Jessie Drezner.
This change is intended to boost voter turnout for local elections. This election cycle demonstrated the importance of linking local races with presidential elections. In elections featuring ballot measures that mostly impact Council District 15, Harbor Area residents could potentially lose out. That was essentially the case, depending on which side you were on with Measure P. Yet, Harbor Area voters comprised 4 percent of the electorate that voted. With such turnout, it makes it harder to blame the councilman in office or the local government in downtown Los Angeles that the Harbor residents aren’t getting their fair share.
The Good Fight:
LBIRC Weathers the Tides of American Democracy By Kym Cunningham, Contributing Writer
The Source
almost impossible for undocumented immigrants to obtain green cards, Chinchilla and her compatriots often merely stalled deportation cases until the individual qualified for green card access or citizenship. At the time, undocumented individuals could receive ‘forgiveness’: if the individual had a good record, had started a business or had a citizen spouse or children, he or she could qualify for asylum even in cases in which the asylum had originally been denied. “We helped the lawyers file lawsuits,” said Chinchilla. “Some of them became landmark cases in immigration. We built some institutions from scratch because the Central Americans didn’t qualify for anything. We built the Oscar Romero clinic (Clinica Monsenor Oscar Romero) from the bottom up, originally just with volunteers.” In the 1990s, both the Salvadoran and Guatemalan governments signed peace accords, effectively ending the civil wars ravaging the two countries. Immigration to the United States diminished. “People went on with their lives,” Chinchilla said. “Over this time period, you’re following these people’s lives. They are friends of yours. Your kids are friends. You see what an impact it can make if you become legal.”
Local Springs
Things really took off for the coalition when more undocumented students began attending Cal State Long Beach after Assembly Bill 540, which allowed qualified California high school graduates to pay resident tuition fees. Essentially, AB 540 makes it so that undocumented students do not have to pay the exorbitant international student tuition rates because, of course, they are not international students. In many ways, these students were the catalyst for the organization’s success. “They were becoming very organized and very conscious and more and more visible,” Chinchilla said. “They wanted to join with us. That’s how we began building what we have today.” Chinchilla stresses the connection between immigrant rights and rights of other groups, such as LGBT and women. Some of the Dreamer leaders — the undocumented youth movement responsible for passing the federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act — recently came out as gay or lesbian, solidifying the intersectionality between undocumented youth rights and the rights of the LGBT community. “They were the ones that were carrying the banner,” Chinchilla said. “They were the ones that were right out in front, taking the risks.” And yet, it took a while for many of these youth to feel comfortable to publicly express their sexuality. Many worried they would be rejected from their communities. “By coming out and by bringing them out in the open, we’ve been able to increase the acceptance and the understanding,” Chinchilla said. “We have a lot of immigrant parents who … understand now that … it would be better to have their son or daughter in the family. And they respect what the kids have done as leaders.” Chinchilla works to pass on the values that she has learned within the organization to these young adults, hoping that they will become its future leaders. “My goal, as I see it, is really to transition this to a well-rooted sustainable organization and pass it on to somebody else who hopefully comes from an immigrant background and has lived the experiences of the community,” said Chinchilla. “What I try to pass on is that our credibility and our reputation are the most valuable resources we have. We got there by trying to work in a way that was very trustworthy and credible. When you’re working with populations that might feel like they need to be invisible, you really have to be credible and you have to be consistent. You have to be there when people need you.” Cooperation is also important in building a network for the organization. “We try to work with a lot of different groups — that’s sort of my philosophy on organizing,” Chinchilla said. “It’s kind of a culture that we try to establish.”
The Tides of American Sentiment
Chinchilla said that she believes the majority of Californians are sympathetic and [See Immigration, page 6]
March 16 - 29, 2017
It was not until 2006 that Chinchilla realized the need for a local organization to promote legalization and to protect the rights of the Long Beach immigrant community. That spring, Chinchilla marched alongside millions of immigrants who converged on downtown Los Angeles to protest anti-immigration legislation. During her Blue Line ride, she realized the lack of local organizations servicing the Long Beach immigrant community. She and a fellow marcher decided to begin their own organization and the LBIRC was born. “We thought it would be really easy,” Chinchilla admitted. “Of course, it didn’t turn out to be easy at all. We thought it would just be a question of finding out what services were available and then linking people to the services.
What we found out was that the services didn’t really exist.” If the services did exist, Chinchilla found that the members running the organizations often did not know if undocumented persons, or even green card holders, could qualify. Chinchilla decided to put her organizing and institution building experience from the 1980s to good use. “I gathered a few other people and we experimented over time,” Chinchilla said. Unfortunately, the same tactics of stalling legal cases no longer worked, as it became more and more difficult to classify undocumented immigrants as refugees. Despite the rise of cartel and gang violence in Mexico, which spills into El Salvador and Guatemala and creates microcosms of civil-war-level homicide rates, the U.S. government remains reluctant to grant current undocumented immigrants refugee status. Even those LGBT immigrants fleeing sexual persecution have a hard time justifying their need for asylum. However, Chinchilla says that domestic violence cases have been a little bit easier to defend, especially for Guatemalan women. In several landmark cases, judges ruled that the Guatemalan government failed to protect these women from abuse. “Even if they [the women] leave a relationship, they are often pursued by their lovers or husbands who want to kill them, to punish them for leaving — for dishonoring them,” Chinchilla said. “And, even if they don’t directly do it, it costs nothing to hire a killer. And of course, they don’t just kill the women; they maim them. It sends a message to all women to not leave relationships.” Chinchilla has acted as an expert witness in many of these cases. Sometimes, her testimony meant the difference between a new life or a death sentence for these women. “In asylum cases, you hear tragic stories of persecution,” Chinchilla said. “Things that keep you awake at night. You know that this person’s life is riding on the outcome of this hearing and this judge, sometimes, couldn’t care less.”
Influence Seeping In
Chinchilla first became involved with immigrant rights in the 1980s. After college, she spent a year in Guatemala and maintained a relationship with people there, eventually marrying one. After the first large influx of Guatemalan and Salvadoran refugees fleeing civil wars arrived in the United States, Chinchilla knew that something had to be done to protect their rights. “We waged a big campaign to keep people from being deported, trying to get them classified as refugees with asylum,” Chinchilla said. “We were able to mount a whole campaign with sanctuary in churches and in temples and … eventually oppose Reagan’s policies.” Before the Illegal Immigration and Immigration Responsibility Act, or IRAIRA, which makes it
Members of the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition work to help protect human rights. Photo by Kym Cunningham.
The Local Publication You Actually Read
For more than 30 years, Norma Chinchilla has been a voice for the immigrant community. As the executive director of the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, also known as LBIRC, Chinchilla helps overwhelmed immigrants cut through the confusion of a strange language and systems, easing their adjustment into American life. “Most of us came from immigrants at one point in time,” Chinchilla said. “By a throw of the dice, I could have been somewhere else and not here.” As a sociology professor at Cal State Long Beach, Chinchilla knows how integral immigrants are to American society. “Immigrants are extremely important to our economy,” said Chinchilla. “They are important to our society. We benefit tremendously from that kind of diversity and those ideas and that entrepreneurship.” However, their ability to act as a mirror to modern political realities is possibly more important than their ability to diversify American society. “The way we treat immigrants is often an indicator of how strong our democracy is, how much we care about human rights generally,” Chinchilla said. “When you start saying that certain people don’t even have basic human rights guaranteed by international law and international agreements, it’s a slippery slope.” Through the coalition, Chinchilla works alongside other city and state groups to reform immigration policy and promote justice through education, service and advocacy. “They’ve overcome so many obstacles and they’ve worked so hard,” Chinchilla said. “And, to say that there’s no path to legal status…. I can’t imagine any good reason that would be the case.” The LBIRC offers legal assistance, free ESL classes and myriad other services to guarantee immigrants “fulfilling and prosperous political, economic and social” lives. The coalition uses every resource at its disposal, often using the ESL classes to discuss issues such as combatting domestic violence, dealing with school administration, and accessing preventative healthcare. In this organization, Chinchilla seems to have found her calling. “I don’t think you always choose your path,” Chinchilla said. “Sometimes you just fall into it.”
5
[Immigration, from page 5]
Immigration
supportive of immigrants. She also believes that the majority of Americans are in support of legalization, although technicalities and qualifications may vary from person to person. “The reality is that most people are very practical,” Chinchilla said. “[Americans] don’t believe in mass deportations; they don’t really believe in deportation … if [someone] has been living here for a long time.” Chinchilla said that the anti-immigrant sentiment that seems to have swelled within the past decade stems from three major factors: the recession, fearmongering used by politicians and confusion or a lack of knowledge on the issue of immigration. She related a story about a misguided, or as Chinchilla puts it, “confused” woman whose grandson had told her that undocumented students
receive free tuition from Cal State Long Beach, while the grandson — a U.S. citizen — had to pay. When Chinchilla gently confronted the woman, explaining to her that she worked at the university and that undocumented students were required to pay tuition the same as everyone else, the woman rebuffed her remarks, saying that this misinformation had been in the newspaper. This exchange happened shortly after Cal State Long Beach opened the DREAM Success Center, an office which offers academic support for undocumented students. “The messages probably got mixed up in people’s heads,” Chinchilla said. As a sociologist, Chinchilla also knows that American sentiment towards immigrants goes through cycles. “I have a whole collection of quotes from different time periods that say exactly the same horrible things about immigrants,” Chinchilla said. She likes to do a workshop in some of her classes: Chinchilla puts some of these quotations up on the
When you need help, think local. Support the Independents. In Random Lengths News
QUICK RESPONSE TIME!
100% Customer Satisfaction
PROFESSIONAL TAX AND ACCOUNTING SERVICES
Worry-Free Tax & Accounting Service
Income Taxes & Dieting.
Save Time. Save Money. Save Stress.
At least we can make one of these easier.
Personalized Service you deserve.
COMPLETE PLUMBING SERVICE RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL
831-3138
(310)
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
Se Habla Español
Lic. #748434
• Waterproofing Services • Decking Services • Exterior Painting Services
Van Buren & Associates
Over 20 years experience
Tax & Accounting Solutions
10-year warranty on materials 5-year warranty on labor
westsidecompany.net
(310) 994-4626 (844) 838-5599
•
Palma Mattera Mejia, EA
•
•
870 W. 9th St., Ste. 100A, San Pedro
310.221.0034
www.justrelaxtax.com
We do it all! • Lockouts • Service, repair & installation of locks, safes and electronic security products
Coppa Woodworking, Inc. 310.548.4142 www.coppawoodworking.com
Residential • Commercial • Autos
464 W. 7th St., San Pedro www.SanPedroLock.com
Aragon Appliance Repairs • Sales • Service
Refrigerators starting at $150
• Custom Printing • Union Printing • Graphic & Logo Design • Email Marketing
1018 S. Pacific Ave.San Pedro
(310) 548-1949
DESIGNS
Refrigerators • Stoves • Washers & Dryers • All Major Appliances
March 16 - 29, 2017
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1536 W. 25th St., Suite K San Pedro, CA 90732 Phone: 310.519.8600 Fax: 310.519.8008
The Frost
All Major Appliance Brands
6
•
George A.Van Buren, EA, MBA gavb@cox.net www.vanburenandassociates.com
board and has the students guess the time period these quotations come from as well as the immigrant community that they address. Despite being right or wrong, Chinchilla believes that the students learn a lot from this exercise. Chinchilla also believes that this cyclicality of American sentiment heads towards progress, although society is in a state of regression. “The march of history is in the direction of large numbers of immigrants being successfully integrated into American society and having roots here,” Chinchilla said. “It’s not on the side of those who want to prevent them.” In many ways, Chinchilla views the immigrant rights movement as a continuation of the work done by activists during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. “It changes your life,” said Chinchilla of her work. “It’s kind of like people who got involved in the Civil Rights Movement. You’re never the same again.... You hear so many stories — sad stories, successful stories — and you can see so clearly how laws can make a difference and how policies can make a difference.” As with many other movements, it is storytelling that convinces people to support the cause. “It’s not an abstract issue with us in California,” said Chinchilla. “Los Angeles is home to a big percentage of immigrants in the country. These are our friends, our neighbors. They’re on soccer teams with your kids. They’re in churches. They’re fully integrated in many ways into our lives in Long Beach. But then in other ways, they’re vulnerable…. I fear the power of the federal government because immigration is something that is very much under the power of the president.”
1302 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro (310) 519-1442 info@graphictouchdesigns.com
46% of independent shopping dollars goes back into the local economy. Make the Pledge to support independent retailers & services whenever possible.
Under the Donald Trump administration, Chinchilla notes a rise in fear amongst the Long Beach immigrant community, especially in regards to the recent raids by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. “Everybody’s afraid,” Chinchilla said. “Some of the fears can be justified and then some of them are just speculation. But once fear starts, it’s very difficult to control.” Chinchilla mentioned one instance when the coalition received a call that ICE agents had arrested workers at a car wash just outside of downtown Long Beach. When members of the coalition went to provide support, they found that the ICE agents had just been getting their vans washed, the same as they did every week. ICE agent sightings at Dunkin Donuts led to a similarly misguided wildfire-level of fear. Yet, Chinchilla maintains that although some individual rumors are untrue, enough confirmed reports exist to give credence to this wave of fear. “There were reports in some areas of ICE going with mobile fingerprint trucks, arriving at a workplace and [See Immigration, page 17]
[Trumpcare, from page 1]
Trumpcare: Tax Cut for Rich
Whatever happens next, it’s bound to be messy. But there is one way to make sense of things: by contrasting what the GOP is doing now with how German conservatives created the first universal healthcare plan in the 1880s. That’s right: the very first “socialist” healthcare system was created by conservatives almost 140 years ago.
Conservative Dysfunction
German conservatives had always been in charge of running things, although a unified Germany was something brand new. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck decided to steal the socialists’ most popular idea — universal health care — and structure it to meet a variety of different conservative goals. For industrial capitalists, it would make German industry more competitive (especially against England) while building worker’s company loyalty; for nationalists, it would stem emigration to America while building a national identity; and for cultural conservatives, it would strengthened paternalistic values and the Protestant work ethic. To accomplish these things, of course, it had to actually work. And it did. American conservatives, in contrast, haven’t held unified national power — the White House and both chambers of Congress — since the Great Depression, except for a few years under George W. Bush. This brief time in power ended so catastrophically that it created a conservative identity crisis that’s still going on today — with Tea Partiers, Wall Street conservatives, white nationalists and others each fighting for the title of “true conservative.” Despite their differences, they share one thing in common: Their principles are overwhelmingly not practical — they are expressive and ideological and thus, very illsuited for shaping comprehensive pragmatic policy on virtually anything. As a result, the plan the party has come up with satisfies different specific conservative factions — just as Bismarck’s plan did — but without any attention to how things actually will function in reality. In January, before the GOP’s plan was unveiled, a study from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University warned that repeal of two key provisions of Obamacare could lead to the loss of 2.6 million jobs in 2019 alone, rising to almost 3 million by 2021. Bismarck would have taken that study seriously. Trump and Ryan have not. Instead, here’s the reality of what they’re proposing to do:
—Tom Price Trump Administration Health and Human Services Secretary
First, the Trump/Ryan plan is a massive tax cut for the rich. An analysis released by the Joint Committee on Taxation projected almost $600 billion in tax cuts through 2026, of which almost half would go to wealthy Americans. Those in the top 0.1 percent would get an annual average tax cut of almost $200,000. Second, it’s a decimating attack on the welfare state and the millions of low- and middle-income Americans it protects and serves. Medicaid cuts through 2026 — $560 billion, according the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities — would almost exactly match the tax cuts. So, the poor lose their health care to line the pockets of the super-rich, with a sprinkling of crumbs for the upper middle class. The Medicaid cuts
Third, this new act will restructure the individual insurance marketplace in a way that increases costs for most consumers, especially those who can least afford it. It also hits Trump voters the hardest. According to a Keyser Family Foundation analysis, subsidies wouldn’t decline for everyone everywhere, but subsidies would decline in 81 percent of counties that voted for [See Trumpcare, page 10]
The Shortest Run to Catalina
br
This new program is generously supported by a grant from
The Local Publication You Actually Read
IBR is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation organization. Our center in is equipped to support 2,500 animals per year and is in the unique position to offer rewarding learning experiences.
• 698 slips from 28’ to 130’ • Guest slips available • 375 dry storage spaces up to 45’ with crane launching • Ample courtesy parking • Water & electricity • Restrooms with showers • Ice machines & laundry • Pumpout—public and slip-in Way M ar illo
a in
For more info or to apply, visit: www.bird-rescue.org or email: internships@bird-rescue.org
“Who knows what that 60-year-old wants? I know that the federal government doesn’t know what that 60-year-old wants.”
SERVICES & AMENITIES
Accepting Interns Now!
Join International Bird Rescue in San Pedro for a once in a lifetime experience with aquatic bird rehabilitation while participating in a research project and animal care training.
Tom Price and Rep. Paul Ryan, right. File photo.
Ca
But now Trump is breaking those promises by embracing the House GOP repeal plan. This could break the GOP as well, unless they’re very, very good at pulling the wool over people’s eyes. So far, however, people just aren’t buying it, with mobs of constituents showing up at town hall meetings and organizational opposition coming from everyone and his dog. This opposition is led by top-name groups, including the American Medical Association, AARP and the American Hospital Association, along with dozens of others representing doctors, nurses, patients and hospitals — even small business owners. The GOP plan — (Paul) Ryancare, Trumpcare, whatever you call it — would take coverage away from tens of millions of people, including as many as 11 million on Medicaid. It would also raise costs and cut benefits for the majority of other Americans. This includes the 44 million Americans on Medicare, who now get free preventative care under Obamacare and an average annual savings of $700. The 38-million-member AARP called the GOP’s bill a “bitter pill for older Americans” and a “giveaway to insurers and drug companies.” In its letter to Congress opposing the bill, AARP wrote: This bill would weaken Medicare’s fiscal sustainability, dramatically increase health care costs for Americans aged 50-64, and put at risk the health care of millions of children and adults with disabilities, and poor seniors who depend on the Medicaid program for long-term services and supports and other benefits.
are twofold: first, the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare is halted, shifting massive amounts of costs onto the states; and second, Medicaid is turned into a per-capita block-grant. It will no longer cover a fixed percentage of the states’ costs, and the block-grant’s future growth won’t keep up as those costs increase. These cuts will force millions of recipients to lose coverage; they will also severely hurt state governments, rather than empowering them, as GOP rhetoric claims to do. Medicare is also targeted, though more diffusely, setting it up for future attacks. In its letter, AARP noted both how Obamacare had strengthened Medicare’s solvency and how the GOP replacement would weaken it: According to the 2016 Medicare Trustees report, the Medicare Part A Trust fund is solvent until 2028 (11 years longer than preAffordable Care Act (ACA)), due in large part to changes made in the ACA. We have serious concerns that the American Health Care Act repeals provisions in current law that have strengthened Medicare’s fiscal outlook, specifically, the repeal of the additional 0.9 percent payroll tax on higherincome workers. Repealing this provision could hasten the insolvency of Medicare by up to 4 years and diminish Medicare’s ability to pay for services in the future.
Providing clean facilities and protecting our waterways from pollution
Marina: (310) 514-4985 • Dry Storage: (310) 521-0200
cabrillowaymarina@westrec.com • www.CabrilloWay-Marina.com 2293 Miner St., San Pedro, CA 90731
March 16 - 29, 2017
Office open 7 days
7
The Challenge for Dems in LA Winning with a historically low turnout By James Preston Allen, Publisher
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
Los Angeles is solidly Democratic and has voted so twice in the five months to prove it. However, it is a sad commentary on both the democratic leadership and our city that an overwhelming majority of voters reelected the mayor and six city councilmen, as well as stopped Measure S in its tracks and they did so with one of the lowest voter turnouts in history. It was a landslide, but from a very small hill. So what can be taken away from this kind of municipal triumph? Clearly the Berniecrats who were inspired to vote for a social democrat last June were not similarly inspired to vote out the Democratic leadership in a sanctuary city opposing #45notmypresident. This is a dilemma for party leadership here in the desertcity-by-the-sea, a city that likes to see its reflection as Hollywood and LA LA Land, but not Watts or Wilmington. The challenge for Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Joe Buscaino, who seem to be connected at the hip, is how to play their roles on the national stage while remaining relevant to the multitude of neighborhoods they represent. After all, Los Angeles is a collection of towns looking to find a city. Every mayor since Tom Bradley has tried creating a Los Angeles epicenter, but this hasn’t made those on the periphery very happy. Just look at the backlash to gentrification in Venice or East Los Angeles or the reactions to continued industrialization at the Port of Los Angeles and the expansion of LAX. There are deep dissatisfaction in the hoods that are distant from city hall and that harbors an even deeper distrust of the “city family” — a distrust that this election has not resolved. However, grassroots democracy is not dead in this city. It’s just waiting for a vacant seat in which to run without the weight of an incumbent blocking the path. Council District 7 is a prime example in which 22 candidates ran for office. All of them learned the hard way about the impediments the city places in the path to running for elected office — not the least of which are the 500 qualified signatures of registered voters needed to get on the ballot. It only takes 50 signatures to qualify for elected offices at the county or state level. But the Los Angeles city clerk’s office can’t even get the petition forms right! With the city bureaucracy protecting the superstructure of incumbency and money-
in-politics, those who vote with campaign donations often don’t actually reside in the city, but lean heavily on those in power. This was the issue proponents of Measure S made in this past election over spot zoning. While losing 66.72 to 31.28 percent in this election, Garcetti had to realize that nearly 250,000 Angelinos were not happy and he immediately issued an executive order banning ex parte meetings with developers by commissioners. Does that also apply to city councilmembers? I seriously doubt that we will ever really eradicate the influence of money in politics, but what we can do is vote for those who are highly resistant to legal bribery. Give us candidates who actually work for the greater good of the city’s citizens, rather than those who aspire to higher office. I sometimes wonder, if Jesus was elected mayor, just how long it would take for the Pharisees of this city to tempt him. All we can hope for is that the people we elect prioritize the greater good over pocketing the money that’s there before them. It’s not inconceivable. It’s just improbable considering that Los Angeles’ current power structure perceives criticism as a threat. Just one week after Measure S went down in defeat, Vincent Bertoni, Garcetti’s latest hero in the Department of City Planning came to San Pedro for an early morning chat with the local Chamber of Commerce. He has a great grasp on the challenges of city planning. He even has some profoundly good ideas on how to fix them. Yet, he said something quite peculiar. He said, “LA is a place.” Now, the only time that I, as a lifetime citizen of Los Angeles, have self-identified as an Angeleno is when I travel to some place abroad. If you go to Paris, France or Mexico City and someone asks, “where are you from”? It’s easier to say LA because everyone knows where that is. But it’s relatively meaningless because LA is not A PLACE—it’s a collection of places each with their own identities, cultural references, landmarks and history. And that is the challenge to citywide planning: one size doesn’t fit all. The problem in city planning is the same problem all the other departments have, which is how to have consistent rules and ordinances across the city when there are some reasons, possibly 35 (read community plans) or more, to have exceptions to these rules. This is the raison d’etre for the 95 neighborhood councils; this is amongst the many reasons for the growing dissatisfaction with city hall—too Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
March 16 - 29, 2017
Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
8
Managing Editor
“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it Terelle Jerricks is, but to make people mad enough to do someeditor@randomlengthsnews.com thing about it.” —Mark Twain Senior Editor Vol. XXXVIII : No. 6 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.
Paul Rosenberg Assistant Editor Zamná Ávila zamna@randomlengthsnews.com
much government and too little democracy. And perhaps this is also the explanation for Donald Trump and the Democrat’s inability to effectively resolve his curious rise to power with their own inadequacies. Los Angeles just may be the testing ground for a new form of democratic politics called
version 20.18. Clearly, this will not happen if only 10 percent of the citizens continue to turn out to vote in city elections. For as is said, all politics are local. If you want city hall to pay attention to your part of this metropolis, you gotta turn up the heat at the ballot box!
With Trump, Survival of the Human Species is Threatened
By Noam Chomsky For the young people among you, a special word: You’ll be facing problems that have never arisen in the 200,000 years of human history —hard, demanding problems. It’s a burden that you can’t ignore. And we’ll all — you, in particular, and all the rest of us — will have to be in there struggling hard to save the human species from a pretty grim fate. Well, my wife and I happened to be in Europe on Nov. 8, that fateful day, in fact, in Barcelona, where we watched the results come in. Now, that had special personal resonance for me. The first article I wrote, or at least that I can remember, was in February 1939 — it was about the fall of Barcelona to Franco’s fascist forces. And the article, which I’m sure was not very memorable, was about the apparently inexorable spread of fascism over Europe and maybe the whole world. I’m old enough to have been able to listen to Hitler’s speeches, the Nuremberg rallies, not understanding the words, but the tone and the reaction of the crowd was enough to leave indelible memories. And watching those results come in did arouse some pretty unpleasant memories, along with what is happening in Europe now, which, in many ways, is pretty
Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Reporter Christian Guzman Reporter Gina Ruccione Restaurant Reviewer Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Culture Writer
Cartoonists Ann Cleaves, Andy Singer, Matt Wuerker Design/Production Suzanne Matsumiya
Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com
Advertising Representative Rich Hoogs rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.com
Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Phillip Cooke, Jessie Drezner
Editorial Intern Arlo Tinsman-Kongshaug
Contributors Richard Foss, Noam Chomsky Kym Cunningham
Display advertising (310) 519-1442 Classifieds (310) 519-1016 www.randomlengthsnews.com
frightening, as well. Well, the reaction to Nov. 8 in Europe was disbelief, shock, horror. It was captured pretty eloquently on the front cover of the major German weekly, Der Spiegel. It depicted a caricature of Donald Trump presented as a meteor hurtling towards Earth, mouth open, ready to swallow it up. And the top headline read “Das Ende Der Welt!” [“The End of the World!”]. Small letters below, “as we have known it.” There might be some truth to that concern, even if not exactly in the manner in which the artist, the authors, the others who echoed that conception, had in mind. It had to do with other events that were taking place right at the same time, Nov. 8, events that I think were a lot more important than the ones that have captured the attention of the world in such an astonishing fashion, events that were taking place in Marrakech, Morocco. There was a conference there of 200 countries, the so-called COP 22. Their goal at this conference was to implement the rather vague promises and commitments of the preceding international conference on global warming, COP 21 in Paris in December 2015, which had in fact been left vague for reasons not [See Survival, p. 9] Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, (310) 519-1016. Address correspondence regarding news items and news tips only to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email to editor @randomlengthsnews.com. Send Letters to the Editor or requests for subscription information to james @ randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor should be typewritten, must be signed, with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words. To submit advertising copy email rlnsales@randomelengthsnews.com or reads@randomlengthsnews.com. Extra copies and back issues are available by mail for $3 per copy while supplies last. Subscriptions are available for $36 per year for 27 issues. Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We welcome articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right to express those opinions. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Reporting Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2017 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
RANDOMLetters Coastal SPNC Violates Religious Freedom
I am quite disturbed by the recent actions of the San Pedro Coastal Neighborhood Council. One of the founding principles of our democracy is a secular government, one that does not support nor prohibit the practice of any religion. Because of this principle, our town has a long history of accepting those of many traditions, from Catholics to Protestants, Jewish to Muslim, to Pagans and Non-believers. I believe our community is best served when our government does not pick and choose, either on purpose or by accident, to give preferential treatment to one religious organization over another. This past Monday, our San Pedro Coastal Neighborhood Council passed a resolution to ask the City Government to give money to a specific religious organization for no other specified purpose than to help them hold an event to proselytize. By this action, our Coastal Neighborhood Council has violated the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment. Now, if they had decreed that ALL religious organizations in San Pedro be given a financial stipend to proselytize, there would be no issue. But since it was exclusive to one, they have overstepped their legal bounds of proper governance. This could have been an oversight of the Council Members
[Survival, from page 8]
Survival
Dear Steve Casares, The CSPNC knew in advance about this violation and yet they voted in favor of supporting this expenditure even against the advice of the Dept. of Neighborhood Empowerment, DONE. If they vote again in support of this religious event, the city will not pay for the expense and the community should take notice of this violation. James Preston Allen, Publisher
Tracy Morgan Got It Wrong and So Do All Blacks
Tracy was a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Tracy walked out on the set and in less than 15
were placed. At the same time, the leader of the free world, the richest, most powerful country in history, was acting in such a way as to doom the hopes to total disaster. It’s an astonishing spectacle. And, it’s no less astounding that it received almost no comment. Something to think about. Noam Chomsky is linguist, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic and political activist. Sometimes described as “the father of modern linguistics,” Chomsky is one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the author of more 100 books.
When did America Become So Fascist?
I am no longer proud to be an American citizen. I obtained my citizenship in 1985 in Salt Lake City, when I graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude and Engineer of the Year (the only female out of 100 candidates) from the University of Utah. America today stinks. The American justice system is broken. Joe Buscaino is a consummate liar! He promised to help me get my California ID. He lied and stood me up!
The hate crimes in this country are rampant! I will gladly hand back my U.S. passport. Send me back to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mary Mackenzie San Pedro
Send Letters to the Editor to: letters @randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor must include your name with address and phone number (these will not be published, but are for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words.
Correction
March 16 - 29, 2017
A caption on page 14 of the March 2 edition of Random Lengths News incorrectly associated an artist with his former band. Guitarist and songwriter Howard Scott is performing, on his own, March 17 at the Carson Community Center in Carson. The March 16 performance at JDC Records in San Pedro has been cancelled. Random Lengths News regrets the error.
The question that was left was whether it would be possible to carry forward this global effort to deal with the highly critical problem of environmental catastrophe, if the leader of the free world, the richest and most powerful country in history, would pull out completely, as appeared to be the case. That’s the stated goal of the presidentelect, who regards climate change as a hoax and whose policy, if he pursues it, is to maximize the use of fossil fuels, end environmental regulations, dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency — established by Richard Nixon, which is a measure of where politics has shifted to the right in the past generation — and, in other ways, accelerate the race to destruction. Well, that was essentially the end of the Marrakech conference. It terminated without any issue. So that might signal the end of the world, even if not quite in the intended sense. And, in fact, what happened in Marrakech was a quite astounding spectacle. The hope of the world for saving us from this impending disaster was China — authoritarian, harsh China. That’s where hopes
who voted for Donald Trump, than believe in evolution. Damian Walters San Pedro Dear Mr. Walters, Criticizing one man’s belief in God or religion versus scientific knowledge only exacerbates longstanding disagreements. It just might be that, in the end, science will explain the existence of God and the necessity for spiritual beliefs. In the meantime, tolerance towards our fellow human beings goes a long way and making blanket judgements about others is never either scientific or right. James Preston Allen, Publisher
The Local Publication You Actually Read
unrelated to what happened on Nov. 8 here. The Paris conference had the goal of establishing verifiable commitments to do something about the worst problem that humans have ever faced — the likely destruction of the possibility for organized human life. They couldn’t do that. They could only reach a nonverifiable commitment — promises, but not fixed by treaty and a real commitment. And the reason was that the Republican Congress in the United States would not accept binding commitments. So they were left with something much weaker and looser. The Morocco conference intended to carry this forward by putting teeth in that loose, vague agreement. The conference opened on Nov. 7, normal way. On Nov. 8, the World Meteorological Organization presented an assessment of the current state of what’s called the Anthropocene, the new geological epoch that is marked by radical human modification, destruction of the environment that sustains life. On Nov. 9, the conference basically ceased.
who voted for the motion (Brian Vassalo, Jeanine Bryant, April Juarez, Robert Campbell, Louis Dominguez, Bob Milling and George Palaziol), and I am assuming it is, as I would not think that a person would be so foolish as to knowingly violate wellestablished law. Whatever the reason, I am disturbed. At the least, I am disturbed by their lack of understanding of how our democracy works. At the worst, I am disturbed by their callous disregard of how our democracy works. Our local elected officials should know better than this. Our local elected officials should perform better than this. Steve Casares San Pedro
seconds claimed that his glorious God gave him a second chance and saved his life. Wrong! God did not save his life! Medical doctors did with their scientific knowledge and technique. That scientific knowledge states that there is no God and the human race evolved from a chimpanzee, migrating out of Africa around 75,000 years ago. That human race was black; all other human races evolved from the black race. Tracy and all blacks do not know that, even though it is taught in every public school in the nation. I bet Tracy is not educated enough to understand a science book or to read a science magazine, which he has never done. Where does Tracy get his information from, thus forming his analytical skills and logic? From a dumb Bible, the book that early priests used to enslave their people. I don’t know which one of the 700 versions of the Bible Tracy reads or has a crack-head minister interpret for him. By the way, where did the black race, from Africa, learn about the white man’s God? From their masters! The slave owners, who beat them, raped them and worked them for 18 hours a day, but on Sunday took them to a white man’s church. One last thing, if blacks praised their God every day and that God let the white man shoot and kill young black men, then blacks should take that God and throw him into a trash can and get another one. But the blacks are not smart enough to do that. They would rather support white Christian racist n----- haters
9
[Trumpcare, from page 7]
SAN PEDRO — On March 9, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the appointment of longtime city employee Doane Liu as executive director of the Department of Convention and Tourism Development. Liu will replace Bud Ovrom, who led tourism development for four years. Since arriving at POLA in 2015, Liu has been deputy executive director and chief of staff, overseeing daily operations and managing the Bureau of External Affairs. Prior joining the port, Liu served as Garcetti’s deputy mayor for City Services, where he was a member of the team that worked on the city’s bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Before that, he worked in local and federal government for 15 years--as deputy mayor under both Mayor Garcetti and Mayor Jim Hahn, as chief of staff to Councilman Joe Buscaino and Councilwoman Janice Hahn, and as an aide to Rep. Jane Harman. He also worked in the financial sector as a government banking and real estate specialist. In his new role, Liu will manage the Department of Convention and Tourism Development, including the Los Angeles Convention Center. Liu will begin his new position effective March 27.
Molina Healthcare to Relocate Unit to San Pedro
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
SAN PEDRO — On March 2, Molina Healthcare it is planning to relocate about 400 employees from Long Beach to San Pedro. The employees are expected to move in September to the Topaz building, a 222 W. 6th St., between the waterfront and the community’s downtown. The move is part of a relocation of one of Molina’s business units. However, this does not mean that Molina will move from its headquarters in downtown Long Beach. While the company’s earnings declined from 2016, its profits still are strong with earnings of about $52 million. In 2016, the company earned $143 million. Molina Medical was started in 1980 with its first clinic in Wilmington. It’s now listed 20th among the largest 125 U.S. health insurers in America, collecting some $744 billion in 2013 premiums. Molina plans to occupy three floors in the building, making it about 75 percent occupied.
Man Killed Possibly Due to Road Rage
LONG BEACH — Officials believe that the killing of a 22-year-old man and the injury of a woman on March 7 may have been caused by road rage. The incident took place at about 4 p.m., near Broadway and Atlantic Avenue. Long Beach resident Trevor McCrainey was determined dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. The woman, who officials have not identified, is in serious but stable condition. Investigators say the victims and the suspect were involved in an argument at a different location. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call (562) 570-7244.
TORRANCE — On March 8, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to support Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi’s refinery bill package, Assembly Bills 1646 to 1649, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District proposed rule 1410 to ban the use of hydrofluoric acid and modified hydrofluoric acid. Community groups in the area, such as the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance, are asking
10
[See News Briefs, p.17]
March 16 - 29, 2017
LA County Supervisors Support Refinery Regulation
Trumpcare
Clinton in 2016 and in 93 percent of counties that voted for Trump. What’s more, those gaining $2,500 or more in subsidies split 47 to 46 for Clinton, while those set to lose $5,000 to $7,500 voted overwhelming — 60 to 35 percent — for Trump.
“Who knows what that 60-year-old wants?” Price said in response, “I know that the federal government doesn’t know what that 60-year-old wants. I know that he or she knows what he or she wants.” Who needs healthcare, when you can have freedom from government providing for the general welfare instead?
The Impact of American Health Care Act
Kaiser Family Foundation has an interactive map illustrating the impacts nationwide on a countylevel basis. For a 60-year old making $75,000 or $100,000 a year, the map is all reddish brown, meaning larger tax cuts from the GOP plan. But for those making $50,000 a year, most of the map is blue, meaning smaller tax cuts. For those making $30,000 a year, only a handful of counties in Texas and Massachusetts, two in Indiana, and much of upstate New York remain reddish brown. For those making $20,000 a year, no counties remain reddish brown. Things are not quite as bleak for 40-year olds or 27-year olds, but that’s just the point: older people average higher health costs and should be better protected because of it. Instead, as AARP told Congress, the GOP plan imposes “an unaffordable age tax.” Fourth, it’s an attack on women’s health and freedom. As summarized by the Associated Press, it includes a one-year freeze (easily extended) on Planned Parenthood funding, depriving 2.5 million current patients of birth control and mammograms; it bars the use of new federal tax credits to purchase plans that cover choice in abortion; and the Medicaid cuts affect mammograms as well as prenatal and newborn care. In many places, Planned Parenthood is the only provider available for low-income women’s healthcare. For all the GOP’s constant talk about “freedom” and providing Americans with “choice,” what they have in mind for women is the exact opposite. Fifth, it’s an indulgence in moral scolding. Despite being so proud of how short their bill was, House Republicans devoted six of its 66 pages — almost one-tenth of the document — to “a new rule allowing states to deny Medicaid coverage to lottery winners,” a miniscule cost problem, which could have been dealt with in a single paragraph, at most. This last point is particularly telling for the light it sheds on the profound difference between American conservatives and conservatives elsewhere, like Bismarck. He would have handled it in single sentence. The GOP’s obsession with abstract values over real consequences was summed up perfectly on Meet The Press on March 12, when Chuck Todd presented the following challenge to Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price: In Fayette County, West Virginia, this is one example, Keyser Family Foundation estimates the following: that the $4,000 tax credit that a 60-year old making $30,000 a Life expectancy
POLA Deputy Director Liu Appointed to LA Tourism Dept.
year will get under the American Health Care Act [Trumpcare] is almost $8,000 less than they would get under Obamacare. This is a county, by the way, that voted overwhelmingly for President Trump. The point is this: You say it’s going to make it more affordable, under this plan, in this county, in this state, less money and more expensive for these folks.
Expenditure on health care
24 Million Will Lose Health Insurance Under GOP Plan On March 13, the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the GOP health care bill, warning that 14 million more people would be uninsured in 2018, a number that would increase to 24 million by 2026. The CBO estimates are routinely recognized as the most authoritative basis for projecting the impact of legislation. The budget office did not address increased mortality, but the best estimates from past studies indicate that more than 1,000 additional deaths will result for every one million people without insurance. “The reductions in insurance coverage between 2018 and 2026 would stem in large part from changes in Medicaid enrollment,” the report said. “In 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law.” CBO also found that $880 billion would be cut from Medicaid by 2026 and 15 percent of Planned Parenthood patients would lose access to care. A 64-year-old making $26,500 would pay
$14,600 for insurance in 2026, compared to $1,700 under Obamacare. “If you’re looking at the CBO for accuracy, you’re looking in the wrong place,” said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, the week before, in a desperate preemptive attack But GOP attacks on the office failed to unify behind Trump once the report was announced. “I’m pretty encouraged,” Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters. “It actually exceeded my expectations.” Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price stood out by continuing the attacks. “We strenuously disagree with the report,” said Price, attacking the 14 million figure as “unbelievable.” When Price was chairman of the House Budget Committee, he was deeply involved in selecting CBO’s director, Keith Hall, in 2015. Presumably, Price believed in Hall’s analytical judgment at the time.
Drive to The Future
By Melina Paris, Contributing Writer
[See North, p.14]
The Local Publication You Actually Read
The long running jazz musical, North On South Central Ave. will feature some of San Pedro’s best when it arrives, March 26, at the Warner Grand Theatre. North on South Central Ave. is told through the flashbacks of an elderly man recalling the golden age of Los Angeles jazz on Central Avenue, while sitting at a bus stop with a teenage boy. The scenes move back and forth between the present day and Central Avenue’s heyday to capture the glamour and the sheer elegance of the legendary Dunbar Hotel and Club Alabam. The Dunbar Hotel and Club Alabam anchored a growing African American community. During the 1940s, Los Angeles filled Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday performed at with a thriving black-owned business community after Club Alabam. File photo African Americans from the South began migrating en masse toward large urban hubs in the north and west. This migration accelerated when manufacturing and steel mills required a larger labor force due to World War II. The Dunbar Hotel was built in 1928. It was known as the Hotel Somerville before it changed hands. Upon its opening, the hotel hosted the NAACP’s first national convention west of the Mississippi. In the early 1930s, Club Alabam opened at the Dunbar. It became the center of the Central Avenue jazz scene for the following 20 years. The Dunbar hosted Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Lena Horne and many other jazz legends. Other noteworthy people who stayed at the Dunbar include W. E. B. Du Bois, Joe Louis, Ray Charles and Thurgood Marshall. Former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson also ran a nightclub at the Dunbar in the 1930s. With the city’s growth in population and stature in the entertainment industry, the Dunbar was an important oasis during the time of Jim Crow.
March 16 - 29, 2017
11
There’s something attractive about a classic English pub even if there isn’t a single British chromosome in your DNA. It’s the polar opposite of an eat-andrun establishment: a place designed to be comfortable, to encourage you to linger over just one more beer, to listen to just one more song and perhaps even sing along. British pubs have only one problem: English food is not particularly fashionable these days. The bland and carelessly made fare in London pubs inspired the gastropub revolution, which modernized bar food across the world. The downside of that revolution is that many people who are happy paying high prices for fancy burgers and other novelties have forgotten the joys of the eclipsed hearty traditional fare. Those old-fashioned specialties are very well presented at The Whale & Ale in San Pedro, which has been run by Andrew Silber since 1995. Silber is from Northern England. He ran a successful restaurant in London before coming to the United States, so he knows English cuisine and is a champion of making it correctly. The Whale & Ale menu is stocked with pub classics like sausage rolls in pastry, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and chicken curry. On any given night, you’re likely to hear the accents of expatriates who have come in for a taste of home.
March 16 - 29, 2017
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
BEACH CITY GRILL
12
Let the culinary adventure begin anew—Beach City Grill has reopened featuring your favorites along with soon-to-be favorite new additions. Now serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch. Famous for Caribbean, Cajun specials, fresh seafood, salads, vegetarian and world cuisine. Be sure to try the awardwinning desserts. Beach City Grill, 376 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (310) 833-6345 • www.beachcitygrill.net
Buono’s Authentic Pizzeria
A San Pedro landmark for over 44 years, famous for exceptional awardwinning pizza baked in brick ovens. Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and handselected ingredients that are prepared fresh. Dinein, take-out and catering. There are two locations in Long Beach. Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. • Buono’s Pizzeria, 1432 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 547-0655 • www. buonospizza.com
Happy DineR AND HAPPY DELI
The Happy Diner isn’t your average diner. It’s the idea of fresh creative dishes in tow San Pedro locations, and now a third—the Happy Deli. The selections range from Italian- and Mexicaninfluenced entrées to American continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner: Happy Diner #1, (310) 241-0917, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro • Happy Diner #2, (310) 935-2933, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro • Open for breakfast and lunch: Happy Deli, (424) 364-0319, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro.
The Whale & Ale:
One Pub, Hold The Gastro By Richard Foss, Cuisine and Restaurant Writer
If you’re wondering about curry being on a list of British specialties, it’s worth noting that curry powder was sold in England at least as early as the 1790s. Those who think that everyone who lives in the British Isles prefer their food bland will have an awakening if they ask for it spicy here; while it doesn’t greatly resemble standard Indian curries, the pub variant can raise a sweat. For that matter, there are more spicy condiments that are traditionally British; the banger sausages served alongside the ploughman’s lunch and other dishes are flavored with gentle herbs, but those who crave a kick can hit them with spicy Coleman’s mustard and enjoy the burn. Freshly baked soda bread and butter is at every table. It is handy if you overdo it with the hot stuff. The most popular item appears to be fish and chips. That’s the meal you’re most like to see on the platters heading for tables. The fish is Atlantic true cod, which is more expensive than many of the common substitutes but delivers thick, flaky filets with mild flavor. The Whale
MARIA’S RESTAURANT
If you are in the mood for authentic Mexican food, at an affordable price, try María’s Mexican Restaurant. The inconspicuous eatery on Pacific Avenue and 22nd Street in San Pedro offers a wide variety of savory, traditional dishes from tortas and burritos to chiles rellenos and camarones a la diabla. The exceptional service matches its wellproportioned meals. On a time crunch for lunch or dinner? Give María’s a call and they’ll have your food warm and ready for you within minutes. Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. María’s Mexican Restaurant, 2215 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro • (310) 833-6666.
PHILIE B’S ON SIXTH
Owner Phil Buscemi welcomes you to Philie B’s on Sixth, where New York–style pizza, Sicilian rice balls and pizza by-the-slice are the specialties. Fresh hot or cold sandwiches, gourmet pizzas and fresh salads are also served. Try the “white pizza” made with smooth ricotta, mozzarella and sharp Pecorino-Romano cheeses topped with torn fresh basil. Extended hours accommodate San Pedran’s unique work schedules. Catering and fast, local delivery ($15 min.). Philie B’s On Sixth, 347 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (310) 514-2500 www.philiebsonsixth.com
PIROZZI’S ITALIAN DELI
Walk into Pirozzi’s Italian Deli at Weymouth Corners and discover an ample selection of fine imported cheeses and salami, as well as a great assortment of imported prosciutto, pastas, sauces, olive oils and vinegars. Best known for homemade Italian sausages in five distinct flavors, Pirozzi’s also carries freshly prepared and frozen entrées and sauces available for take-out. Pirozzi’s Deli offers a full catering menu, made-to-order deli sandwiches, homemade Italian cookies and desserts. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat. 10 am-5 pm; Sun. 10 am-2 pm. Pirozzi’s Italian Deli, 1453 W. 8th St., San Pedro • (310) 548-0000 www.pirozzisdeli.com
& Ale kitchen has decades of practice battering and frying it so that the batter is crisp and not greasy. They deliver every time. The fish and chip plate demonstrates a point about the food here: it’s measured on execution
rather than innovation. This doesn’t mean The Whale & Ale offers no novelties for those who want to try something new; a few items on the menu here are so rarely encountered that most people have never tasted them before. One of these is roast duck in Cumberland sauce, which is red currant berries simmered in port wine with citrus and a hint of ginger. The tart berries and sweet wine cook into a fruity, aromatic sweet and sour sauce, one ideally suited to flavorful duck meat. The flavor balance [See British, p.13]
Musicians James Hendricks and Simon Spalding make The Whale & Ale a regular stop when they’re in town. Photo by Jessie Drezner.
THE SANDWICH SALOON
The Sandwich Saloon serves up fresh made-to-order deli sandwiches, fresh salads and soups featuring a wide variety of fixings and top quality meats prepared fresh and a new burger menu. Generous portions, reasonable prices. Dine-in or take-out. Catering and delivery available. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Sandwich Saloon, 813 S. Gaffey Street, San Pedro • 310.548.5322 • 310.548.3828
San Pedro Brewing Company
A microbrewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted award-winning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, bbq, sandwiches, salads and burgers. A full bar with madefrom-scratch margaritas and a martini menu all add fun to the warm and friendly atmosphere. Live music. Open from 11:30 a.m., daily. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (310) 831-5663 • www. sanpedrobrewing.com
The Whale & Ale English Restaurant & Pub
The Victorian oak panels & elegant brass fittings will make you feel like you crossed the Atlantic. Featuring popular pub fare such as Fish & Chips (a regular “Best in L.A.” winner), Shepherd’s Pie, & entrées of Choice Steaks, Roast Prime Rib, Beef Wellington & Roast Rack of Lamb. Seafood selections include Chilean Sea Bass, Atlantic Salmon, Jumbo Tiger Shrimp & Sand Dabs. Try hard-tofind international draft beers & ales, as well as domestic craft beers on tap. Full bar; free, gated parking lot. Open daily for dinner and lunch Tues.-Sun. 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro • (310) 832-0363 • www.whaleandale.com
Waterfront Dining
Boardwalk Grill
Casual waterfront dining at its finest! Famous for slabs of Chicago-style baby back ribs, fish-n-chips, rich clam chowder, cold beer on tap and wine. Full lunch menu also includes salads, sandwiches and burgers. Indoor and outdoor patio dining available. Proudly pouring Starbucks coffee. Open 7 days a week. Free parking. Boardwalk Grill, 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 519-7551
PORTS O’ CALL RESTAURANT
Since 1961 this landmark restaurant has extended a hearty welcome to visitors from around the globe. Delight in an aweinspiring view of the dynamic LA Harbor while enjoying fresh California cuisine and varietals. Relax in the bar or patio for the best happy hour on the waterfront. With each purchase of the award-winning Sunday Champagne Brunch, receive the first Spirit Cruises harbor cruise of the day free. Open 7 days, lunch and dinner. Free parking. Ports O’Call Waterfront Dining, 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor, Berth 76, San Pedro • (310) 833-3553 www.portsocalldining.com
SPIRIT CRUISES
An instant party— complete with all you need to relax and enjoy while the majesty of the harbor slips by. Dinner cruise features a 3-course meal, full bar, unlimited cocktails and starlight dancing—the ultimate excursion for any occasion. Free parking. Spirit Cruises, 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 548-8080, (562) 495-5884, www.spiritmarine.com
Include Your Restaurant in the Dining Guide In Print & Online • (310) 519-1442
[British, from page 12]
British Done Right
is almost reminiscent of some sauces used in Vietnamese cuisine, but this is no fusion dish — there are recipes for it going back to the early 1800s. Try it here and you will wonder how this could have ever gone out of fashion. Another classic dish is Beef Wellington, a filet mignon coated with a mushroom and seasoning mix, wrapped in puff pastry and baked. One can hazard a guess about why this is no longer on most restaurant menus: it’s timeconsuming and most restaurant cooks can’t do it well to save their lives. The steak has to be seared and partly cooked before wrapping; it finishes cooking in the oven. If any part of it is done wrong, you get soggy pastry or overdone or underdone meat. The Whale & Ale’s kitchen has that timing down and the thick filet came out the medium rare I requested with the pastry crisped to flaky perfection. The portion was almost enough for two, so you might split this and a lighter dish with someone and enjoy an
aristocratic treat. British desserts have a well-deserved reputation for being rich and sweet, so here again you might want to split one with someone and order another if you still have room. I recommend the sticky toffee pudding — a confection of caramel with ground dates in a warm cake topped by vanilla ice cream — or the raisin bread pudding. If those and the other offerings don’t ring your bell, you can always have an after-dinner drink from the full bar. For decades, The Whale & Ale has successfully pleased a clientele that includes both homesick Brits and locals who experienced this food here for the first time. Whether it was a revelation or just a reminder of the joys of a good pub, those satisfied people have made this a mainstay of the local dining scene, a place to come for a pint in friendly surroundings or for something more substantial. The Whale & Ale is at 327 W. 7th St. in San Pedro. Details: (310) 832-0363; www.whaleandale.com
Queen Mary’s Local Band Hangout Makes Waves in LBC The Queen Mary, an attraction in Long Beach since 1967, is making things new again with a breakout live music series, Local Band Hangout. The event happening every third Thursday of the month in the ship’s art deco style Observation Bar has attracted a full house since its start at the beginning of this year. On the second event Feb. 16, just as it was getting dark, the room already had a full crowd. Neo-soul vocalist, Karina Nistal and guitarist, Shingo Yugi began the evening. Nistal’s voice was velvety and Yugi accompanied perfectly while still featuring his skilled playing. These performers engaged the crowd and provided a cool start to the evening. By the time the quartet Hellhounds of London kicked off the second set, the house was full. Three members out of the four-piece band started their set with all guitars, bass
and a cajon. When they began playing it was clear why. They play strong guitar harmonies together, mostly featuring rock-driven, soulful ballads. The last set featured the hip-hop influenced Olivia and Aragon. Olivia has a gift of allowing her voice’s range to unfold in softer but soulful expressions of hip-hop songs. Aragon, agile on guitar, brings a nuance to the hits they perform, which pull mostly from 1990s artists including T.L.C., R. Kelly and Ice Cube. They also tossed in some original songs. Local Band Hangout offers a congenial ambiance along with food and drink and happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. The $10 cover includes access to the Queen Mary restaurants during the concerts. Details: www.queenmary.com —Melina Paris The Local Publication You Actually Read March 16 - 29, 2017
13
[North, from page 11]
North on South Central Ave.
March 16 - 29, 2017
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
Due to the end of de jure segregation and the “Larry brought this idea to the table and natural flows of demographic changes, Central it’s based on his father coming here from Avenue no longers looks like it did then. After Mississippi,” Tu’ Nook said, who noted the title being renovated in the 1990s, the Dunbar is started out as South Central Avenue. now an assisted living facility for seniors. The Executive producer Michael Gean Curtis, African American-owned businesses that once who was born and raised in South Central Los anchored the community are now mostly Latino Angeles, discussed the personal connections to owned businesses featuring huge colorful signs this history. that cover the old art deco architecture. “Having parents who have partied in Club North On South Central Ave. waxes Alabam and the other clubs on South Central nostalgic with the euphoria of some of the Avenue, I find it interesting that it’s being best music ever made in the United States and revisited in the current time,” Curtis said. “It exudes the pain of watching it all disappear as brings it to life. To see it is special. A lot of South Central declined. Storytelling serves as a means to preserve history, much like the old West African griots — traveling poets, musicians and storytellers who retold stories through songs of prominent families and important community events. The griot serves as the community’s collective memory, transmitting this information to younger generations. North On South Central Ave. was written and produced by the Theatre Perception Consortium, which is comprised of writers Larry James Robinson, Carla DuPree Clark and Tu’Nook. Robinson came up with the idea for the musical in the 1980s as a way to pay 1954, the legendary Lionel Hampton was welcomed to Club Alabam homage to his father’s life. In with a motorcade. File photo
14
Club Alabam at 42nd Street and Central Avenue, 1945. File photo
people do not realize what actually happened here at that time.” Curtis described the settlement location of early black Los Angeles. “A lot of people were raised south of all this movement on Central Avenue,” Curtis said. “Back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, the clubs were literally located North on South Central Avenue. The black Hollywood movement was actually in downtown Los Angeles, as far as 1st and 2nd Streets. Then it stretched down to 42nd Street and beyond.” The title is a reference to driving from that area, going north on South Central Avenue. All of the excitement takes place at Club Alabam and the Dunbar Hotel, which are north on South Central Avenue. Dupree has said that community elders are enthusiastic about this production. The youth also are excited.
During the show’s 20-year run, it has won four NAACP Image awards for theater including Best Sound, Best Costumes, Best Ensemble and Best Director. The cast is filled with veteran performers who can sing the lights out anywhere. One of those performing is San Pedro’s Windy Barnes-Farrell, a local vocalist of unmatched talent who regularly tours the world performing. What folks may not know is that she is also an accomplished actor, songwriter, producer and choral director. Barnes-Farrell has toured extensively with Stevie Wonder, Julio Iglesias and Michael Bolton. She has also starred in various productions including Jezebel, The Wiz, Gospelrella and Voices. Veteran actor and playwright Melvin Johnson takes on the musical’s central character Old Willie, who recounts his life in conversation [See Central, p. 16]
Daily Special Combos served 11am-4pm MONDAY
Chicken Sandwich Combo incl. Fries & Lrg. Drink
$ 99 2Taco Combo
WEDNESDAY
EST. 1988
9
TUESDAY
Burger Combo incl. Fries & Lrg. Drink
incl. Lrg. Drink
THURSDAY
Salad Combo incl. Lrg. Drink
376 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (424) 287-0645 • www.BeachCityGrill.net Open: 11 am to 8 pm Tuesday-Saturday • Closed Sunday & Monday
LA International Film Festival:
A Journey through the Armenian Genocide By Melina Paris, Contributing Writer
Mutual Cooperation
ENTERTAINMENT March 17
Broadway in Concert Musical Theatre West presents Susan Egan with special guest Deedee Lyn Mango Hall. Egan’s Tony-nominated Belle takes the stage in a onenight-only concert event The Real Housewife of Broadway. Time: 8 p.m. March 17 Cost: $40 to $60 Details: (562) 856-1999 ext. 4; www.musical.org Venue: The Beverly O’Neill Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach Rob on the Piano Saint Patrick’s Day celebration—enjoy great food, great fun and maybe make a swing past the piano to say hi to Rob. Time: 7 p.m. March 17 Cost: Free Details: (310) 832-0363 Venue: The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro
March 18
Mana Trio Classical Crossroads’ The Interludes concert series present Beverly Hills National Auditions winner, the Mana Trio. The soprano and alto saxophone, with their unmatched communicative sonorities, fall within the central ranges of the violin and cello of the classical piano trio, thus opening its rich repertoire to the compelling ensemble sound. Time: 3 p.m. March 18 Cost: Free Details: (310) 316-5574; www.palosverdes.com/ ClassicalCrossroads/TheInterludes.htm Venue: First Lutheran Church & School, 2900 W. Carson St., Torrance Markus Carlton Carlton is a lifelong musician who has worn out many guitars playing gigs, writing and recording. Carlton will entertain you with new material as well as jazz and blues standards. Time: 6:30 p.m. March 18 Cost: Free Details: (310) 832-0363 Venue: The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro
March 19
Mike Posner Best known for his Grammy-nominated album, At Night, Alone and his top-10 single I Took a Pill in Ibiza, Posner is stopping in to celebrate his new book of poetry, Tear Drops & Balloons. Time: 5 p.m. March 19 Cost: Free Details: (562) 433-4996 Venue: Fingerprints Music, 420 E. 4th St., Long Beach
March 24
Perla Batalla sings Leonard Cohen The Grammy-nominated vocalist wraps her exquisite voice around the Leonard Cohen songbook. Batalla was once a backup singer for k.d. lang, Iggy Pop, The Gipsy Kings and Cohen. Time: 8 p.m. March 25 Cost: $25 to $55 Details: (310) 833-4813; www.grandvision. org Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
THEATER March 17
She Kills Monsters California State University Dominguez Hills Department of Theatre and Dance presents She Kills Monsters, a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games written by Vietnamese American playwright Qui Nguyen. She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. Time: 8 p.m. March 17 and 18, and 2 p.m. March 19 Cost: $10 to $15 Details: (310) 243-3589; http://cah.csudh.edu/theatre Venue: CSUDH University Theatre, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson
March 18
The Perfect American Long Beach Opera will present the U.S. premiere of Philip Glass’ The Perfect American, a fictionalized version of the final days of Walt Disney. The opera will be directed by Kevin Newbury and conducted by Andreas Mitisek. The role of Walt Disney will be sung by baritone Justin Ryan. Time: 8 p.m. March 18 Cost: $49 to $150 Details: www.longbeachopera.org/tickets Venue: Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach Sketchily Ever After Held2gether, Improv for Life is returning for a fourth year as a part of the Collaborative at the Long Beach Playhouse, with its latest set of original sketches, Sketchily Ever After. The Saturday Night Live style event has become an annual favorite and a staple of the theatre’s Studio Collaborative season. Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, through March 18 Cost: $15 Details: (562) 494-1014; lbplayhouse.org. Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
March 24
Carousel Musical Theatre West presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical masterpiece. Carousel explores the timeless message of love, hope, forgiveness, and redemption. Time: 8 p.m. March 24, 25 and 31, and April 1, 6, 7 and 8; 1 p.m. March 26, April 2 and 9; and 2 p.m. April 2 and 8 [See Calendar, page 16]
March 16 - 29, 2017
Funkalicious Get out your grooviest ‘70s gear and get ready to dance. Led by Grammy award-winner Fred Liams, Funkalicious is the new generation of funk music. Time: 8 p.m. March 24 Cost: $16 to $101 Details: http://wgt.tix.com/Event aspx?EventCode=948756 Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
El Segundo 100th Anniversary Concert Two-thousand-seventeen marks the 100th anniversary of the City of El Segundo. To help celebrate this tremendous milestone, the El Segundo Concert Band and the South Bay Music Association present the El Segundo 100th Anniversary Concert. The celebration will focus on music from the era the city was founded. Time: 7 p.m. March 25 Cost: Free Details: www.esconcertband.org Venue: El Segundo High School Auditorium, 640 Main St., El Segundo
Cabaret Flamenco An evening of classical Spanish Flamenco music and dance starring Oscar Vero and Ricardo Chavez with Sarah Parra, Marcelo Montaro, Vico Cortes, Cante -Jose Cortes and José Tanaka. Time: 2 p.m. March 19 Cost: $30 to $180 Details: http://tinyurl.com/ElCabaretFlamenco Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
March 25
The Local Publication You Actually Read
them. Emmy Award-winning director Marta The Young Turks’ solution to the Empire’s Houske’s film, Crows of the Desert — A Hero’s decline was the religious and ethnic cleansing Journey through the Armenian Genocide, of its society. In an ultranationalist agenda, the will be presented by the Los Angeles Harbor government branded the Armenians as Christian International Film Festival on March 19 at the infidels. “Turkey is only for the Turks” was their Warner Grand Theatre. propaganda. Houske has spent almost four years The Turkish government systematically documenting written and photographic accounts planned to use the cover of war to deport and of the atrocity, still denied by the Turkish murder its Armenian, Greek and Assyrian government. Christian minorities. Estimates of people killed The film is based on the memoirs of Levon by the Ottoman Turks range from 1.5 million Yotnakhparian. It chronicles his struggles to Armenians, 300,000 to 1 million Greeks and 3 stay alive during multiple harrowing treks to help save thousands of fellow Armenians from near extinction during one of the 20th century’s first genocides. The story can be hard to understand. But Hauske transports us, presenting a clear timeline of events joined with a beautiful musical score by John Massari. The film offers viewers a grasp of the present crisis in this region and reveals how people of different religions came together to save The heroic struggles of Levon Yotnakhparian, seated center, is the subject of the Armenians. Crows of the Desert, which tells the story of the Armenian genocide. Not long ago in America, if someone said they were Armenian, to 400,000 Assyrians. the common reply was, “What’s an Armenian?” Executive producer of the documentary, Full disclosure: my maternal grandparents were Paul Turpanjian shared how this story relates to survivors of this genocide. the current political climate. For a clearer vision, Houske provided some “The parallels between the crises taking vetted facts by about this genocide and the place today in Syria and Iraq and the events of history behind it. Ground central for this war is a hundred years ago are startling,” Turpanjian now called Israel, Jordan and Syria. said. “Once again, regional and world powers At its peak, the powerful Ottoman Empire are locked in a struggle for control over the very stretched from Vienna to Egypt and east to same land resulting in a distressingly similar Russia. Yet, after 400 years of decline, it had humanitarian crisis. The film’s examination of shrunk to less than half its size while still historical events helps underscore how current maintaining control of the Arabian Peninsula. turmoil in the region is primarily motivated by Around this time, in 1915, Istanbul was full nationalism and imperialist ambition, rather than of successful Armenians. The Ottoman Turks religion. Yet, much like a century ago, religion were threatened by this and their loss of wars is used by both sides to rationalize the conflict and territories. They came in to arrest and kill and justify atrocities.” these intellectuals, marking April 24 as the genocide. Later, more Armenians were turned In large cities like Instanbul, Damascus or out of their homes and sent on death marches Aleppo the Druze, Christians, Muslims and through the desert without food or water. Jews lived together peaceably. Leaders from Able-bodied men throughout the Ottoman these religious groups did not hesitate to use Empire were killed except for the young men who enlisted in the army, so that there could be [See Armenia, p.16] no resistance. The Young Turks, who had earlier overthrown Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid, came into power. They said the old system was corrupt. They talked of bringing equal rights, which persuaded many Armenians to join the army. This is how Levon, the hero, came in. He and other Armenians joined the army believing in The Young Turks and then it all turned against
Arts Cuisine Entertainment MAR 16 - 29 • 2017
15
Arts Cuisine Entertainment MAR 16 - 29 • 2017 [Calendar, from page 15] Cost: $20 Details: (562) 856-1999, ext. 4 www.musical.org, Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach
March 25
Rumors In a large, tastefully appointed townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has shot himself. Though only a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe farce attack. Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sunday, through March 25 Cost: $14 to $20 Details: (562) 494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org Venue: Long Beach Playhouse , 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
ARTS
Continuing Exhibitions
March 16 - 29, 2017
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
Benefit for Water Protectors Cornelius Projects and Danny Lou Partida host an art exhibition and silent auction to benefit the Water Protectors at Standing Rock in North Dakota. Works will be offered in a silent auction continuing through the closing reception on March 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. Time: 6 p.m. March 25 Cost: Free Details: www.corneliusprojects.com Venue: Cornelius Projects, 1417 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
16
Frank Brothers: The Store That Modernized Modern The exhibition relates the story of Southern California’s largest and most prominent mid-century retailer of modern furniture and design. Based in Long Beach from 1938 – 1982, Frank Bros. embodied the optimistic postwar ethos of the American consumer. Date: 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, through April 9 Cost: Free Details: csulb.edu/org/uam Venue: California State University Long Beach, University Art Museum, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach Wearable Expressions Wearable Expressions explores the unbreakable bond between art and fashion. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays, through April 16 Cost: Free Details: wearableexpressions.com Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 W. Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes Anthisisthis Anthisisthis pairs Eric Johnson’s formalist elegance with the inelegant, art informel of Zac Roach. Anthisisthis runs through April 22. Time: Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment. Details: (310) 600-4873 Venue: Los Angeles Harbor College Fine Arts Gallery, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington Ann Weber, Sculpture TransVagrant and Gallery 478 present Ann Weber, Sculpture. Ann Weber’s organic sculpture is abstract, formally elegant and composed of inelegant salvaged cardboard. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, through April 30 Cost: Free Details: (310) 600-4873; www.transvagrant. com Venue: Gallery 478, 478 W. 4th St., San Pedro Dreamland The Museum of Latin American Art presents a retrospective of the work of one of the most iconic LA artists, Frank Romero in the
exhibition entitled Dreamland. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, through May 21 Cost: $7 to $10 Details: (562) 437-1689; molaa.org Venue: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach
COMMUNITY March 18
Some Enchanted Evening The 2017 Gathering for the Grand honors Harbor Area arts patrons, Scott Donnelly and Dr. Wade Nishimoto. The theme is Some Enchanted Evening (from the film South Pacific) and will feature cocktails, appetizers, dinner, a silent and live auction, music and dancing. Time: 5 p.m. March 18 Cost: $175 to $185 Details: www.grandvision.org Venue: CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles, 112 E. 22nd St., San Pedro
March 19
We Can Swing Arts Alive in partnership with People’s Place and Palace, will be hosting the We Can Swing Spring Fundraiser. Celebrate Arts Alive’s 17th birthday. Time: 3 to 7 p.m. March 19 Cost: Free Details: kingsandclowns.com Venue: People’s Place San Pedro, 365 W. 6th St., San Pedro
March 23
Open Conversations: Public Art Join the Arts Council for Long Beach for presentations by three local artists, Susan Logoreci, Craig Stone and Terry Braunstein, followed by a discussion about public art in Long Beach. Time: 5 to 6:30 p.m. March 23 Cost: Free Details: http://tinyurl.com/OpenConversationsPublicArt Venue: The Art Exchange, 356 E. 3rd St., Long Beach
March 25
Rancho Days Be part of Rancho Day on the Rancho San Pedro. Experience life in the 1800s before California became part of the United States. This fun and interactive day will focus on what life was like on the Rancho San Pedro in Alta California. Time: 12 to 4 p.m. March 25 Cost: Free Details: (310) 895-5736; www.dominguezrancho.org Venue: Dominguez Rancho Adobe Musuem, 18127 S. Alameda St., Rancho Dominguez
March 29
Meet the Grunions Grunions are small sardine-size fish of the silversides family, which are one of the few fish species in the world that actually come ashore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches. Cabrillo Beach is one of the better places to observe the fish. Time: 8 p.m. March 29 Cost: $5 Details: (310) 548-7562 www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
March 30
CITT Town Hall Meeting The Center for International Trade and Transportation will commemorate its 20th anniversary with a State of the Trade and Transportation Industry Town Hall meeting. Seating is limited. Time: 6 to 8 p.m. March 30 Cost: Free Details: http://tinyurl.com/CITTTownHall Venue: CSULB, Gerald Daniel Recital Hall, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
[Central, from page 14]
Central Avenue
with a young man named Trayvon (played by Larney Johnson IV), a named character intended to achieve particular resonance in today’s context and remind the audience of the murder of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. “Prostitution and drugs — this is what is pronounced around the world when you talk about South Central LA,” Dupree said. Instead, the creators behind North On South Central Ave. wanted the younger character and, in turn, younger audiences to know about the productivity happening in the businesses and all the entertainment on South Central Avenue. Old Willie engages Trayvon at the bus stop, enlightening the younger man, who in this rendition of the musical, has been rendered physically impaired by a drive-by shooting. It proves to be an invaluable history lesson for Trayvon as his elder recreates the vitality of Los Angeles’ Central Avenue during the 1940s. Trayvon is not a gangster but his character is aware of the negativity around living on Central Avenue today. Johnson, the actor who plays Trayvon, is the author of numerous plays including Nobody Told Us and The Hero Within, which opens next month at the Wallis Annenberg PAC in Beverly Hills. Phillip Bell plays the younger Willie, who is known as “Bilbo” in the musical’s flashbacks. Bell has been with the musical for several years and has performed in his own one-man show. Aliyah Robinson, the actress playing the wife of young Willie, Birdlegs, is Larry James Robinson’s daughter. The younger Robinson
reflected on playing her grandmother. “It’s awesome to be able to play my grandmother and tell the story of my grandmother and grandfather of as they came to California and their journey here, and their life after they came here,” she said. Robinson noted that her love for the 1940s period was due to the stories her grandparents told. Legendary figures of the era such as Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Dorothy Dandridge and Cab Calloway all make appearances in the musical and are channeled through powerhouse performers such as Kerrimah Taitt, Pat Sligh, Larney “Dapper” Johnson III and Wanda Ray Willis-Raynor. Wanda Ray Willis-Raynor is an 18-year veteran performer with North on South Central Ave. and a 2016 nominee for the NAACP Theatre’s Best Solo award. Willis-Raynor also wrote, produced and performed the one-woman musical Walking in Dorothy Dandridge’s Shoes ... Her Final New Beginning with musical director Cal Bezemer. North on South Central Ave. also recalls the dance moves and the dancers that graced the stage at Club Alabam during its heyday, whether it was the Creole Dancing Revue or Club Alabam’s Rocketts. San Pedro’s Jessica Haley Clark Dance Co. along with tap dancers Pysa Noel and Adrienne Diana Curtis will add another layer of cultural history to a talentpacked show. Time: 5 p.m. March 26 Cost: $26 to $41 Details: http://tinyurl.com/North-onSouthCentral Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
[Armenia, from page 15]
Armenia
any resources available to help the Armenians escape. The U.S. ambassador to Istanbul, Henry Morgenthau was one of the first people to inform President Woodrow Wilson of what was happening. Morgenthau also co-founded the Near East Relief, the first international aid effort in which American people raised more than 2 billion in today’s dollars. It saved the lives of more one million Armenian, Greek and Assyrian victims. With Turkish forces hunting and killing Armenians, Levon asked King Hussein bin Ali, head of the ancient Hashemite Arab dynasty, for help. King Hussein had initiated an Arab revolt in 1916 amidst World War I, aligning with the British and French to fight the Ottoman Turks. Hussein agreed to protect the Armenians and issued a decree. The Druze have their own justice oriented religion based in part on protecting those in need. These fierce warriors lived in the Druze Mountains in Syria. Armenians found refuge there because the Ottomans did not want to cross the mountain range. Druze chieftain, Emir Hussein El-Attrache pledged to do everything possible for the safety and freedom of the Armenians. The Jewish people featured in the film, Moshe Smilansky and Sarah Aaronsohn, were
witnesses. Aaronsohn, who later became a British spy, testified to seeing up to 5,000 Armenians massacred. As a writer, Smilansky wrote about the women and children refugees stranded throughout the region. Prince Faisal’s army controlled the Hejaz Railway. Syrian railways were used strictly for military purposes but Faisal who was King Hussein’s son offered the Armenians free transportation to the British refugee camp in Damascus. He also ordered a decree stating that Levon Yotnakhparian was granted permission to transfer all Armenians to Damascus via any train station, free of charge. King Hussein said that it was their duty as Muslims to protect the persecuted and the traveler. There was a massive refugee crisis, poverty and starvation. Parents were killed and women were captured and taken into harems. The thousands of orphans who remained spurred this relief effort. “Collectively as human beings we did the right thing for once,” Hauske said. “People came from their higher side to help each other. It’s important to understand that there are times in recent history when people came together instead of fighting. It speaks to the inclusive versus exclusive nature of humans.” Details: http://crowsofthedesert.com www.laharborfilmfest.com
[Immigration, from page 6]
LB Group Fights for Immigrants’ Rights
Polluted Waters
for removal of both hydrofluoric and modified hydrofluoric acid by Jan. 1, 2020 from refineries in Torrance and Wilmington.
Lieu to Trump: Come Clean on Ties to Russia
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On March 9, reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance) introduced a resolution of inquiry to the Trump administration to publicly disclose information to Congress related to its interactions with Russian operatives. The bill calls for President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to submit to Congress any documents that could connect the Trump campaign with the Russian effort to influence American democracy. The bill states that they must reveal “Any meeting or communication between any formal or informal advisor, affiliate, or employee of Donald Trump, his campaign or transition team, and any individual or entity representing the interests of Russia or individuals with interests involving Russia.” Seventeen different intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered with the 2016 election to help Trump win the presidency. It now appears possible that Sessions, the nation’s top law enforcement officer, may have been involved with this insidious foreign interference campaign. This comes in the aftermath of misleading information put forth by Sessions concerning his interaction with Russian operatives, following a steady stream of troubling revelations related to possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during this past year’s presidential election.
BLS Issues Annual Labor Report
March 16 - 29, 2017
The latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, concerning union membership in the United States showed a drop of 0.4 percent in 2016 as compared to 2015. That adds up to a loss of around 240,000 workers nationwide. As in years past, the BLS determined that unionists were concentrated in the Pacific Coast, the Northeast and the Great Lakes regions with more than half of all union members living in just seven states: California, 15.9 percent; New York, 23.6 percent; Illinois, 12.5 percent; Pennsylvania 12.1 percent; Michigan, 14.4 percent; New Jersey, 16.1 percent and Ohio, 12.4 percent. As usual, union members had huge weekly earnings advantages over non-union workers. The median weekly wage for all unionists was $1,004 compared to $802 for unorganized workers. Union women and minority groups fared particularly well with the male-female wage gap shrinking to nine cents per dollar as union women garnered a median pay of $955. Details: https://www.bls.gov/cex/csxreport. htm.
Thawing the ICE Storm
[News Briefs, from page 7]
The Local Publication You Actually Read
forcing everybody to give their fingerprints,” Chinchilla said. ICE agents then ran the fingerprints through a database to see if the workers had a deportation order. If so, the agents can round up all the undocumented workers, claiming ‘collateral arrest’ if they were in the presence of a known criminal. Although the legality of fingerprint profiling seems suspect to civilians, police and the federal justice system maintain that it is entirely legal. Because civilians leave fingerprints in public places and get fingerprinted to receive a license, judges have ruled that fingerprints are not subject to the same privacy laws and do not require Students at an ESL class offered by the LBIRC. Photo courtesy police to obtain a warrant to of LBIRC. fingerprint an individual or group of individuals. This practice undoubtedly attitude towards immigrants, making leads to racial profiling, essentially assuming it difficult to pin down whether undocumented status for collections of Latino/a certain harassment was departmental individuals. policy or the actions of rogue sheriffs. Chinchilla said that the practice of collateral Chinchilla remembers one sheriff in arrests presents the catch-22 of undocumented particular as extremely abusive of the status: even if undocumented individuals refuse immigrant community. to cooperate by showing identification that Nicknamed “El Perro” (The proves their status, they can be taken in under the Dog) by the women he harassed, this pretext of posing potential problems. Whether an sheriff was tasked with patrolling the individual gets taken in is often up to the whims Blue Line. of the raid’s lead ICE agent. “Instead of doing that, he goes However, even the so-called criminality of to the local neighborhood right next some of those with deportation orders should be to it, where immigrant parents are subject to scrutiny. dropping their kids off at Roosevelt “This is what the public doesn’t understand at Elementary School, and he starts all — it could be 20 years ago: you had one DUI, asking for IDs only of Latina you made one mistake,” Chinchilla said. “If mothers — only the mothers, never you’re a citizen, you have a chance to expunge the fathers,” Chinchilla said. “He it.… You don’t have to carry it around for all of knew that they were vulnerable. He those years. But with immigration, there’s no knew that they wouldn’t be able to forgiveness.” challenge him.” Chinchilla also argues that these ICE raids Eventually, these women got fed The immigrant community pleads with Long Beach leaders to endanger the safety of the entire community, up with his constant harassment, which become a sanctuary city in the wake of Trump’s executive orders. Photo by Kym Cunningham. immigrants and citizens alike. included checking identification, “Even the police are complaining that, all towing cars (all suspiciously ended up at a single Whatever relationship Chinchilla believed of the sudden, people don’t want to cooperate tow yard), ticketing, and searching personal the coalition had created between the law with them when they had a good relationship,” belongings without probable cause. When they enforcement and the immigrant community, it Chinchilla said. “And that’s a problem because verbally confronted him for racially profiling disintegrated after Trump’s directives. the police need the community in solving them, he would make racist threats, saying that “Now, it’s just kind of out of control — so crimes.” he was going to make sure they ‘went back to different,” Chinchilla said. “[ICE agents] lie. Mexico.’ They don’t want you to know when they’re “Sometimes, the kids would be in the car and starting a big raid. They know that we have But ICE is not the first problem the coalition they would see this guy harassing their moms,” groups all across the country.” has faced regarding local law enforcement. Chinchilla said. Chinchilla said that the LBIRC has become “The biggest problem that we’ve had was with El Perro harassed the community for two involved with a network of churches who work the LA County sheriff — that’s where the biggest years until the LBIRC, working in conjunction to provide what they call “street sanctuary.” This abuses have been,” Chinchilla said. “We’re still with the National Lawyers Guild, had enough group recruits and trains volunteers from the working hard to get them to make sure that they formal legal complaints to present to LA County surrounding communities to prepare in the event follow the TRUST Act.... But they’re very hard Sheriff Lee Baca. of a raid. Once group members receive a text to control.” “Baca reassigned the guy right then and message alerting them to a raid, they converge With the sheriff’s office, there is not the same there,” Chinchilla remembered. “The guy was upon the spot to act as witnesses to any arrests. kind of commission to hold officers accountable furious.” “Hopefully, they would get badge numbers for their actions. Often, the immigrant community and observe the process and maybe even stop it,” members are also not sure who they are stopped Chinchilla said. “But most of them don’t happen by, making cataloging complaints increasingly On Jan. 25, Trump issued Executive Order with that kind of lead time.” difficult. 13768, cutting funds for so-called sanctuary In the wake of the Trump administration, Chinchilla also said that the level of abuse cities and giving immigration officers unlimited Chinchilla and the LBIRC have their hands full seemed to depend upon the individual sheriff’s discretion in instituting deportation proceedings. keeping track of community members. If one get
arrested, the LBIRC tries to keep as close tabs on the individual as possible, so as not to lose track of him or her. Chinchilla said that sometimes it takes less than 72 hours for the individual to be deported. In this situation, every second counts. Despite the uphill battle, Chinchilla loves her work. “You live this,” Chinchilla said. “It’s in your flesh and bones.” This month, the LBIRC is hosting its own month of action. Community members are invited to join the organization at its general meeting on March 22 or at the Humane Immigration Reform Rally on March 30 to find out ways to get involved and help immigrant community members.
17
CLASSIFIED ADS
Reach 63,000 Harbor Area Readers
Help WANTED Newspaper Distribution Driver Needed. We prefer candidates with a truck. Must have valid car insurance and drivers license. Pay includes mileage.Call (310) 519-1016 and for Terelle for further information. Multimedia Account Executive Random Lengths News, is seeking an energetic, outgoing individual for Multimedia Advertising Account Executive position. The ideal candidate will be responsible for selling multiplatform advertising solutions including digital advertising, print advertising and event sponsorships to an exciting group of clients. We are looking for connected, social-media savvy, high-energy, hyperproductive individuals. Requirements: • Two-plus years of outside sales experience preferably in an advertising sales and/ or print and online media environment • Experience with Customer Relationship Management tools • Maintain a solid understanding of the online marketing and advertising industry.
• Demonstrates the ability to sell with a consultative approach • Strong skill set with developing and building business relationships • Dependable transportation, valid driver’s license and auto insurance Responsibilities: • Making minimum of 125 outbound sales calls and securing and completing a minimum of 15 outside appointments per week. • Multimedia Account Executives will be responsible for prospecting leads, making calls and going on appointments to bring in new business. RLn offers: • Great work environment where creative thinking is encouraged • Unlimited earning potential • Base pay + commission + bonus Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. Random Lengths News is an equal opportunity employe. Send resumé to james@ randomlengthsnews.com or drop by the office at 1300 S. Pacific Ave. in San Pedro.
Bulletin Board
Career Training Start your humanitarian career! Change the lives of others while creating a sustainable future. 1, 6, 9, 18 month programs available. Apply today! www.OneWorldCenter.org 269-591-0518 info@ oneworldcenter.org AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800725-1563 (AAN CAN) EARN $500 A DAY As Airbrush Makeup Artist for: Ads . TV . Film . Fashion. HD . Digital 35% OFF TUITION One Week Course Taught by top makeup artist & photographer Train & Build Portfolio. Models Provided. Accredited. A+ Rated. AwardMakeupSchool.com (818) 980-2119 (AAN CAN)
FINANCIAL SERVICES Are you in BIG trouble with the IRS? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 844-753-1317 (AAN CAN) $$GET CASH NOW$$ Call 888-822-4594. J.G. Wentworth can give you cash now for your future Structured Settlement and Annuity Payments. (AAN CAN)
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
$$GET CASH NOW$$ Call 888-822-4594. J.G. Wentworth can give you cash now for your future Structured Settlement and Annuity Payments. (AAN CAN)
Please help! The animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter, 957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro. 888-452-7381, x 143 PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.
Worry-Free Tax & Accounting Service • Payroll • Income Tax • Notary Service
March 16 - 29, 2017
Save time. Save money. Save stress.
18
Just Relax Tax Service
870 W. 9th St., Ste. 100A, San Pedro Call for appt. today 310.221.0034 • www.justrelaxtax.com
Don Marshall CPA, Inc. (310) 833-8977
Don Marshall, MBA, CPA Specializing in small businesses CPA quality service at very reasonable rates
www.donmarshallcpa.com
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Architectural drafting, house plans, blueprints. Personal service, quality work, reasonable rates. All work guaranteed. 323-947-9029. English-spanish translation services - legal documents, letters and manuscripts/ for business, academic or personal use. Call Mr. Avila at 310-519-1016
MUSIC LESSONS VIOLIN LESSONS with Jim Sitterly. 310-548-1659. www. JimSitterly.com.
VACATION RENTAL Big Bear cabin, 1 bdr/1 bath, sleeps 2, kitchen, laundry. $500/wk. (310) 534-2278.
Real Estate SERVICES Real Estate Investor seeks to purchase commercial or multi-unit residential properties in San Pedro. No Agents please. 310-241-6827
ROOMMATES ALL AREAS ROOMMATES. COM. Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates. com! (AAN CAN)
DBA FILINGS Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017011699 The following person is doing business as: Red’s Cheesecakes, 25026 Feijoa Ave., Lomita, Ca 90717. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Amanda Marie Zuanich, 25026 Feijoa Ave., Lomita, Ca 90717. Michael J. Zuanich, 25026 Feijoa Ave., Lomita, Ca 90717. This Business is conducted by a general partnership. The registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false
is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/. Amanda Marie Zuanich, partner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Jan.17 , 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. were to expires 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. Effectively January 1, 2014,
“Arise!”— get up to the challenge.
the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. 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). 02/02/2017, Original filing: 02/16/2017, 03/02/2017, 03/16/2017
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017046025 The following person is doing business as: (1) HAVIC IT, (2) H.A.V.I.C. IT, (3) Home Audio Video Integration Consulting, 664 1/2 21st Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. Los Angeles County.
[Continued on page 19]
© 2017 MATT JONES, Jonesin’ Crosswords
VEHICLES A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR FOR BREAST CANCER! Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, & support programs. FAST FREE PICKUP - 24 HR RESPONSE - TAX DEDUCTION 855-403-0215 (AAN CAN)
CASH FOR CARS: Any Car/ Truck 2000-2015, Running or Not! Top Dollar For Used/ Damaged. Free Nationwide Towing! Call Now: 1-888-4203808 (AAN CAN)
HEALTH Adult Diapers—large tape diapers $35/case, Pull-Ups, Under Pads & much more. Buy-sell. AA Discount Medical Supply, 17700 S. Avalon Blvd., #195, Carson, CA 90746. 310719-8884.Adult walker w/ wheels, $39.95 Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 800-978-6674 (AAN CAN)
DATING Livelinks - Chat Lines. Flirt, chat and date! Talk to sexy real singles in your area. Call now! (877) 609-2935 (AAN CAN)
It’s Easy!
DBA Filing & Publishing
$
135
310-519-1442 Remember, you must renew your DBA every 5 years.
Across
1 Body of beliefs 6 Zipped past 11 Heathcliff, for one 14 2016 Disney title character voiced by Auli’i Cravalho 15 Statement of empathy (or sarcasm, depending on tone) 16 He shared a phone booth with Bill and Ted 17 Sides at the monastery diner? 19 Commingle 20 Rotary phone feature 21 “Forbidden dance” popularized in the late 1980s 23 “Daily Show” correspondent ___ Lydic 26 Kombucha brewing need 28 Pitchblende and hornblende, e.g. 29 Is here 31 “Thank you,” in Honolulu 33 “Just don’t look nervous” 35 Pivotal 38 “Read Across America” gp. 39 Smoking alternative, once 40 Hogwarts letter carrier 42 Muhammad of the ring 43 The Jetsons’ youngest 45 Creator of “Community” and co-creator of “Rick and Morty” 48 Quenches 50 Most dangerous, as winter roads
51 ___ en place (professional kitchen setup) 53 “King ___” (Jackson moniker) 55 “Ring Around the Rosie” flower 56 Paper crane art 58 Makes a knot 60 B-movie piece 61 Team of nine that doesn’t draw, dance, or play an instrument? 66 Beehive State college athlete 67 “___ Joy” 68 Home of the Burj Khalifa 69 “WKRP” character Nessman 70 Tissue masses 71 Rating system basis, often Down 1 “Unbelievable” band of 1991 2 Wrestler-turned-B-movie-actor Johnson 3 Yes, in Yokohama 4 How files were often stored, before the cloud 5 Bangalore wrap 6 Part of the NRA 7 Crossword puzzler’s dir. 8 Places where one may tip for getting tips 9 It’s visible on cold days 10 “O.K.” from Tom Sawyer 11 Special appearance by a Chevrolet muscle car? 12 Emulate The Dude 13 State with the most counties 18 Gives confirmation 22 New Mexico’s official neckwear
23 American Revolutionary patriot Silas 24 Shine 25 Places to buy Indian string instruments? 27 “I ___ robot, beep boop beep” (unusually common impersonation of a robot) 30 Tucker who sang “Delta Dawn” 32 Company with a duck mascot 34 Vague 36 At ___ (puzzled) 37 Like a clogged dryer vent 41 “Go forward! Move ahead!” song 44 Couturier Cassini 46 Cleopatra’s undoer 47 Removes, as an opponent’s spine in “Mortal Kombat” 49 ___ dragon (world’s largest lizard) 51 Business bigwig 52 Mad as hell 54 Others, in Spanish 57 Author unknown, for short 59 Comes to a close 62 Got into a stew? 63 “___ Action: It’s FANtastic” (old slogan) 64 Musical ability 65 “___ the season ...” ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
DBA FILINGS [From page 18] Articles of Incorporation or Organization Number: AI# ON: 3927176 Registered owners: Rafael Ruvalcaba, 664 1/2 21st Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by a corporation. The registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 02/2017. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/. Rafael Ruvalcaba, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 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. were to expires 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. Effectively January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. 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: 03/16/2017,
03/30/2017, 04/13/2017, 04/27/2017
San Pedro’s surfing community turned out in support of Huntington Beach High School surfer Katie Berry at the Surf 4 Katie surfing contest, a fundraiser designed to help Berry and her family with medical care and costs as she fights Addison’s disease. The event raised $20,000. Addison’s is a rare disorder in which the adrenal glands don’t produce enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. When the
body is under stress, such as with an injury or infection, the cortisol deficiency can be life-threatening. Treatment involves taking hormones to replace those not produced by the adrenal glands. Berry reportedly suffered a heart attack in January 2016, that left her in a coma, from which it took six months to recover. Supporters from San Pedro such as Phil Albaino raised $500 for the cause. Albaino was diagnosed with Addison’s disease a year and a half ago, but had been showing symptoms for years
prior. Berry’s story inspired him to rally additional San Pedrans. He sponsored three San Pedro surfers Jeremy Nunez, Ian Ryan and Mike Magana for the event. Nunez won first place Ryan took second place. Albaino hopes to raise awareness and get emergency personnel to keep stock emergency injections for patients dealing with an Addison’s health crisis.
San Pedro surfer Phil Albaino with Katie Berry. Photo courtesy of Phil Albaino.
03/30/2017, 04/13/2017, 04/27/2017
It’s Easy!
DBA Filing & Publishing
$
135
310-519-1442
The Local Publication You Actually Read
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2017052148 The following person is doing business as: (1) Tony’s Plumbing, 25039 Vermont Ave., Harbor City, CA 90710. Los Angeles County. Articles of Incorporation or
Organization Number: AI# ON: 3953446 Registered owners:Tony’s Plumbing, Inc., 25039 Vermont Ave., Harbor City, CA 90710. This Business is conducted by a corporation. The registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 10/11/2016. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/. Antonino Sanzone, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on March 2, 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. were to expires 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. Effectively January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. 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). 03/16/2017, Original filing:
Inspired to Surf for Katie
March 16 - 29, 2017
19
Torrance Hernia Institute is the pioneer of robotic hernia surgery in the South Bay community. We are specialists in hernia repair, treatment and post operative hernia care. We ensure our patients the best outcome and quickest recovery without compromising safety. “If you are in search of a robotic surgeon, then Dr. Roohipour is the one surgeon you should go with. He performed my hernia surgery through a small incision via my belly button, which is now totally invisible. I left the hospital two hours after surgery and got back to work in three days. Thank you!”
—Mike D.
MEET THE DOCTOR
SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION* We accept most insurance plans, including ILWU
March 16 - 29, 2017
Serving the Seven Communities of the Harbor Area
21250 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 430 Torrance, CA 90503
20
(310) 326-3062 www.TorranceHerniaCenter.com
Dr. Ramin Roohipour is board-certified in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of American College of Surgeons. Dr. Roohipour has successfully performed the nation’s first robotic single incision inguinal hernia surgery. “My practice philosophy is very simple: My patients are my family. I wholeheartedly believe in ‘one patient at a time’ philosophy and also in the unique needs of each patient.” *Subject to terms and conditions.