New Office, New Challenge San Pedro clinic is the first line of defense By Hunter Chase, Reporter
T
[See Community Health Care, p.4] Three employees of the Harbor Community Centers from left, Salina Chahal, senior clinical manager, Jennifer Chen, nurse practitioner and director of clinical operations and Evelyn Morris, medical assistant. Photo by Raphael Richardson
Coronavirus Stimulus Shows Big Government is Back By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Beacon House call for help receives large response p. 2
direction],” Politico’s Michael Grunwald wrote. “But Republicans won some huge concessions from Democrats … And Democrats didn’t get much that Trump didn’t actually want.” Significantly, they didn’t get automatic stabilizers — provisions that go into effect automatically the next time a serious downturn hit — which 74% of the public supports, according to a poll by Data For Progress. In fact, a series of DFP polls showed substantial public support for more robust progressive policies, many of which Democrats didn’t even attempt to push. For example, 51% of voters support a monthly (not one-time) payment of $2,000—enough to really keep families afloat for the duration—while another 36% support $1,000. Voters also favored a $2 trillion
[See Big is Back, p. 8]
April 2 - 15, 2020
Flix and chill while on lockdown p. 9
in effect, the government is paying workers’ salaries to keep them on the job. And there’s also restrictions banning stock buybacks while receiving government assistance and for an added year for those receiving government loans. But there’s also gaping holes, as well as an unprecedented de facto $4.5 trillion corporate bailout fund, using the Federal Reserve to leverage $450 billion from Congress tenfold. “It’s no New Deal,” market analyst Marshall Auerbach wrote in the Naked Capitalism blog. “Rather it’s a massive economic slush fund that does its utmost to preserve the old ways of doing things under the guise of masquerading as a response to a public health emergency.” “Democrats did manage to influence [the bill’s
COVID-19: Fight for safety and protection on the job p. 3
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was proud of how Democrats transformed the $2 trillion stimulus bill Republicans had proposed. “[House and Senate Democrats] were able to flip this over from corporate trickled down Republican version to bubble up worker first families first legislation,” she said at her March 26 press conference. “We did jiu-jitsu on it.” And from a relatively narrow perspective, there’s some truth in that. There’s expanded unemployment insurance — covering more workers more generously and for a longer period of time. There’s a one-time $1,200 check for the majority of adults and $500 for children under age 17. There’s $350 billion in small business loans that may be forgiven if used to keep workers on payroll —
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hese days, when patients walk through the doors of any of the three Harbor Community Health Centers they must undergo a temperature screening and answer several questions about their recent health and travel. They are asked if they have had a fever or cold symptoms, or if they have travelled or been in contact with anyone who was infected. This is a procedure that probably should be in place at any clinic, airport or port of entry. To date there have only been 10 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in San Pedro and just one death. Once known as the Harbor Free Clinic, the HCHC now has three offices, including one that recently opened at 425 S. Pacific Avenue in San Pedro. It has immediately answered the call to screen for COVID-19. “If someone calls in and says I have a cough, I have a fever, what we’re trying to do is meet them in the car,” said Tamra King, CEO of the local community health centers. “That can act as a further barrier.” The staff will do as much as it can outside the building,
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Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years
Call for Help Receives Large Response Beacon House receives $1.156 million gift sparking Bartlett Center remodel By Melina Paris, Reporter
April 2 - 15, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
The Beacon House, which has become a Harbor Area icon during a half-century of treating alcoholic and drug-addicted adult men with a long-term, structured residential program, has just raised $1.156 million in donations and grants for renovation of its Bartlett Center. Beacon House Executive Director Brian Smith explained that the money translates into an investment in the future of the organization’s mission, which began in 1970 in a two-story building with 18 residents and now consists of six residential facilities and room for 115 residents. Renovation of the Bartlett Center will expand Beacon House’s inpatient capacity by 96 men, increase the number of outpatients and broaden career and workforce training. The $1.156 million boost was made possible by several key supporters of Beacon House, among them Athens Services, Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office, SA Recycling, Swette Family Foundation and McMillen Family Foundation. Smith believes that the motivation for many donors was homelessness in the Harbor Area, a problem that Beacon House doesn’t address specifically, but often solves as a by-product of its other services. Just blocks from Beacon House, The Bartlett Center on 11th Street is named after Father Art Bartlett, co-founder of The Beacon House Association. Built in 1930, its two buildings house the Sandy Barnett Kitchen and Dining Facility, administrative offices and many events like the Beacon House dances. Smith explained how the funds will be used to renovate the Bartlett Center to a multi-use event center. But the core of the organization is drug and alcohol treatment. He has a good idea why people have responded in a big way to their call for help now. He cited the desire to contribute to one more solution to homelessness as the reason for the large donation. “There is a big frustration with people not being able to affect the homeless situation and secondly, the drug situation,” Smith said. “People feel when they help us, they can see that they actually affect the situation. They aren’t dependent upon an outside agency to then set up a program.” In Smith’s words, the Beacon House is a direct connection to help solve a big problem. He said donors find it appealing to contribute to a person deeply motivated to turn his life around and become a contributing member of society. It’s a chance to make a difference with a serious problem in Los Angeles and see tangible evidence that it’s working. 2 Smith said the big difference between
Harbor Area Water and Power Services Will Not Cut-off During COVID-19 Response
Following Mayor Eric Garcetti’s announcement March 23, to get Angelenos through financial hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has deferred disconnections for non-payment during the crisis. Customers who receive a disconnect notice should disregard the letter. LADWP also offers payment plans. Any customer experiencing a financial hardship can request a payment plan online at www.ladwp. com. Details: https://corona-virus.la, www.ladwpnews. com
Blood Donations Needed
The American Red Cross faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during this coronavirus outbreak. Healthy individuals are needed to donate now to help patients counting on lifesaving blood. The Red Cross is asking for people to schedule donations, rather than just walking in. Details: www.redcross.org
Continuance of Traffic Infractions, Non-Traffic Infraction Trials, Arraignments
Left is a rendering of the renovation of the Bartlett Center seen from Beacon Street. Above, Beacon House Executive Director Brian Smith said the renovation will expand Beacon House’s mission well into the future. Photo courtesy of Beacon House
what they do and what many other agencies do is there’s a lot less handoff. “If you take a homeless guy and bounce him from program to program, the risk of falling out of one of those programs is greater than if you can shepherd them all the way through,” Smith said. “That’s a lot of work. It’s really a three-year project.” “[The men] don’t have an address or an email address; many don’t have a driver’s license. That takes 4 months. You need that to apply for a job. If they have a DUI they have to clear that. They have to rebuild their lives from scratch.” Beacon House will host mixers and networking events for professionals at the Bartlett Center and create a nexus for their men to tap into for mentoring, internships and jobs. This will expand their involvement in both the Alcoholics Anonymous and the professional community. As Beacon House treats more people and broadens their services in the community, this will stimulate the nonprofit’s workforce development. Beacon House residents will then generate income from those treatment services through logistics, inventory and customer service job tracks along with their culinary program for the men they help. With the renovation of the Bartlett Center, the Beacon House projects significant cost savings of $100,000 per year from their food recovery program. The Beacon House has a large food budget due to the organization’s food services to outside organizations and its own internal operations. In addition to feeding their residents three times a day plus other agency people, they also feed the 40 residents of the new county homeless shelter on 8th Street. Beacon House works with Athens Trash, Food Forward and other partners
to repurpose food that would otherwise be thrown away. They will pick up food donations, document the amount by weight and sort viable food from unviable food and repurpose the viable food into finished products. “So, it may be a case of apples that we turn into applesauce, or it may be that we find another treatment center or sober living that needs the viable food directly and we send it to them,” Smith said. Smith said the act of repurposing food is a big logistic issue too. They have to schedule trucks, date the food and make sure temperatures are right. There’s a lot of regulation involved. Now, there’s a workforce development opportunity because many of their men go to the different port providers to carry out logistics and dispatch. It’s going to become part of their program to train men in these skills. “It’s obviously a huge market for San Pedro with the port,” Smith said. “It’s exciting because we accomplish both workforce and development, we save money on food and help with the problem in LA, which is food waste.” Smith expressed appreciation for the support the nonprofit has received from the offices of Councilman Joe Buscaino and Supervisor Janice Hahn. “The representatives have a framework that they work with and there is only so much they can do,” he said. “They have a bigger, harder picture than Beacon House does. We work with both offices regularly and we feel supported by them.” Smith said they are humbled and grateful that their partners are interested in the work they do. “We are looking forward to being able to grow with the port redevelopment and continue to upgrade our buildings as San Pedro moves
[See Bartlett, p.3]
Effective on March 20 all traffic and nontraffic infraction court hearings, including trials, arraignments and other infraction appearances in Los Angeles County scheduled through April 16 will be continued for at least 30 days under the emergency order issued by Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile. Any traffic matters can be handled without an in-person court appearance by using the court’s website at http://www.lacourt.org/division/ traffic/traffic2.aspx. Details: www.lacourt.org
Phone Messages Provide News, Updates For Seniors
Find out what is happening and listen to valuable news and other updates. If you want updates on safety and health resources or things to do while at home, The Heart of Ida is providing free, bi-weekly phone messages for seniors, their families and caregivers. Details: 562-570-3548; dbheartofida@gmail. com.
LB Job Center Remains Open
The WorkPlace job center at 4811 Airport Plaza Dr., Suite 120, in Long Beach will remain open to assist Long Beach families, workers and small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The WorkPlace job center provides services to workers seeking information about job openings, vocational training and unemployment insurance benefits in Long Beach, Signal Hill and the Los Angeles Harbor communities. Information sessions take place on weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m. In accordance with social distancing protocols associated with COVID-19, orientations will be limited to nine individuals, while one-on-one counseling sessions will take place by phone. Information about small business consulting and other programs can be found at www. longbeach.gov/economicdevelopment/covid-19business-support Details: www.pacific-gateway.org
EPA Funds Solutions for Preventing Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is calling on states, federally recognized tribes, universities, local governments and other groups to apply for funding support through the Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program, which will support innovative solutions for source reduction or pollution prevention through research, education and training. EPA’s Pacific Southwest region anticipates awarding as many as three individual grants of $20,000-$160,000 for a two-year funding period to Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations. Proposals are due by May 15. Details: https://tinyurl.com/pollution-preventiongrant
Labor During COVID-19:
Fight for Safety and Protection On the Job Maintain physical distance, but expand our social and human solidarity By Mark Friedman, Reporter
Workers around the world are demanding safety precautions on the job as they face the spreading coronavirus. In Los Angeles, Newark, La Guardia and JFK in New York and Australia, airport workers have organized public demands for safety measures, explaining that they are vulnerable to the virus that may be carried by plane-loads of passengers and cargo returning from other countries. These workers include baggage handlers, ticket agents, flight attendants, cabin cleaners and wheelchair assistants. Those at the low end earn below $15 an hour with no health coverage. As reported in the March 19 issue of Random Lengths News, the 150,000-member National Union of Nurses has been demonstrating for more effective protective gear, while at the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been trying to get them to accept looser fitting masks. CDC reports show that coronavirus is most commonly transmitted from person to person via coughing and sneezing, which suggests a surgical mask should be sufficient to protect staff. Federal officials and healthcare workers however are still recommending that staff wear the tighter masks during procedures that may induce coughing and make the virus airborne. And in Oakland, dock workers, members of ILWU, threatened to shut down the SSA terminal after risking COVID-19 exposure. They are demanding sanitary conditions while working at ports that serve as major shipping arteries. ILWU Locals 10 and 34 hosted a press conference where leaders and rank-and-file articulated their need for proper health and safety in their port jobs. TraPack was forced to clean the equipment and is
demanding the same action from SSA. They also discussed the issue of the conditions of the Grand Princess Crew docked at Hunters Point. Some of the biggest battles have been in Europe, especially Italy, which has the highest percentage of fatalities to virus infections. Workers ordered to continue in manufacturing plants staged strikes and demonstrations to demand safety equipment. At an Italian Amazon warehouse near Milan, strikers protested the company’s reaction to two of their coworkers [Bartlett, from p. 2]
Bartlett Center
testing positive for coronavirus. Union representatives told La Repubblica that Amazon isn’t implementing proper hygiene and social distancing measures. “For them, business comes ahead of workers’ health,” said Pino De Rosa from local workers’ union UGL Terziario. Workers in the metalworkers’ union in Lombardy and the engineering, chemical, textile, paper, cardboard and printing industries have announced strikes in Lombardy, the region worst hit by the pandemic, which has killed more than 6,800 people in Italy to date.
In Africa, Zimbabwe’s public hospital doctors went on strike over a lack of protective gear as the coronavirus begins to spread in a country whose health system has almost collapsed. It’s the latest blow to a system where some patients’ families are asked to provide such basics as gloves and even clean water. In response to collapsing healthcare systems, and appeals from many nations, including France, Cuba has sent brigades of “white coats” (medical teams of doctors and nurses) to more than 50 countries. They are bringing with them
[See Safety, p. 13]
ILWU Blood Drive On March 26, scores of Local 13 ILWU members turned out to donate blood, beating out last year’s turnout. A total of 57 donors participated in the drive last month, a 139% increase over 2019. Sixty units were collected this year compared to 38 units in 2019. The drive, organized in partnership with the American Red Cross, took place the day before the hospital ship USNS Mercy docked at the Port of Los Angeles on March 27.
through the massive changes that are planned for our community,” Smith said. In the meantime, the Beacon House is on lockdown due to the coronavirus. None of the residents can leave the house and there is uncertainty about how the self-quarantining will impact operations and residents. Further, Beacon House is working on how to continue their food recovery safely. It looks possible but they must first ensure the proper food handling requirements are in place. All projects have been canceled and residents are given very limited access to the outside world. “It’s a big deal,” Smith said. “Drug addicts and homeless people have [greater] exposure to this. Their immune systems are not as robust so it’s easier for them to catch this virus. It’s a big concern and their safety is No. 1.”
Real News, Real People, Really Effective April 2 - 15, 2020
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[Community Health Care, from p.1]
Providing Community Health Care
April 2 - 15, 2020
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but if necessary, patients will be brought into an isolation room with a mask on,” said Jennifer Chen, a nurse practitioner and director of clinical operations at the Harbor Community Health Centers. Anyone who sees the patient will wear full-protective gear, including goggles, a mask, gloves and a gown. The Harbor Community Health Centers are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but so far, they have not treated anyone infected with the virus. The centers initially only had 10 kits for testing for the virus. As of March 26, three people have been tested— all results negative — leaving seven kits in stock. The centers are not administering the tests unless the patient is displaying prominent symptoms. “We’re just trying to be very judicious with who we test,” King said. Because the health centers receive more than 100 patients a day, King said an individual’s symptoms must be acute to be administered one of the seven remaining testing kits. The main reason there are so few testing kits is because so few have been produced. “We’re mostly reserving testing for anyone that has risk factors such as travel or exposure, or if we just have a really strong clinical suspicion based [on] their symptoms that we should test them for it,” Chen said. The centers also reserve the testing kits for patients whose care would be different if they tested positive for COVID-19, under public health guidelines. “If someone has mild symptoms and they test positive for coronavirus, it won’t necessarily change our treatment plan,” Chen said. “Whereas if someone’s, you know, in the hospital with more
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Receptionist Darlene Garcia and medical assistant Evelyn Morris in front of the pediatric branch of the Harbor Community Health Centers. Clinical staff at the centers has been reduced by 20%, but it still sees more than 100 patients a day. Photo by Raphael Richardson
severe symptoms it could potentially change their treatment plan.” Chen said they want to identify which patients can be safely treated at home, as opposed to the patients that need to be sent to the emergency room for intensive monitoring and treatment. Patients that are elderly or have multiple chronic illnesses will need to be monitored closely. The results from the tests for COVID-19 take several days, King said. If a patient were to test positive for the virus, the staff would have him or her stay home and get rest and fluids. If the patient was experiencing trouble breathing, he or she should go to the hospital. The staff is unsure when more testing kits might arrive, Chen said. Quest Diagnostics, a
COVID-19 test kit provider, has not given a time frame for when they will be restocked. Quest Diagnostics performs the results of 25,000 tests per day, according to their website. Chen explained that the tests are administered nasally after checking a patient’s temperature. But most of the patients that come to the centers don’t go because of COVID-19, but because of other maladies such as the common flu. King noted that the centers are running low on other supplies as well, including flu swabs. The symptoms for the flu are very similar to COVID-19.
“If you have the flu then you pretty much don’t have COVID-19, so we can rule that out,” King said. This has been a terrible season for the flu, but they have a vaccine for it. No such treatment exists for COVID-19. The centers are also running out of personal protective equipment (PPE), which is used to prevent staff from catching the virus, King said. Near the end of March, they received more masks from Direct Relief and the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. However, they are running out of hand sanitizer and soap, so they are in the process of acquiring more. The staff has been trying to use their usual channels to get more supplies, as well as any other connection they can. King has driven to different hardware stores in San Pedro and Long Beach to buy things individually, as have other members of the staff. “It’s kind of a shocking situation, the lack of equipment that we have, the lack of testing, the lack of support from the federal government,” King said. “But all of our city, state and county representatives have been amazing.” King also expressed appreciation for the work Rep. Nanette Barragán has done to alleviate the shortage, but acknowledged there was only so much the representative could do. King reported that the San Pedro Health Centers received additional federal funding totaling $50,000 on March 24 to be distributed amongst their three sites including the clinic on 5th Street and Pacific Ave., the Grand and 6th Streets site and the small clinic at the county’s new homeless shelter on 8th and Beacon streets across from the San Pedro post office. The clinic at the homeless shelter is open intermittently based on what the residents need. [See Community, p.5]
Lung Health Tips to Defend Against COVID-19 Originally published in Breathe California of Los Angeles As information about COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, continues to be released, Breathe California of Los Angeles, a non-profit that promotes clean air and healthy lungs through education, research, technology and advocacy, has provided tips to help promote healthy lungs. These tips are useful especially for people with ongoing chronic lung disease such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. The organization recommends that people with asthma or other respiratory diseases make daily checks around their baseline health. People with asthma who use their rescue inhaler more than twice a week may need to re-evaluate how to manage symptoms. If your asthma is particularly unstable, it is best to stay home and self isolate. If symptoms continue to act up, contact your physician immediately. A major difference between the symptoms of asthma and COVID-19 symptoms is in their coughs — COVID-19 coughs are dry, while asthma coughs are wet and filled with mucus. As of now, there are no available vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 infections. COVID-19 is spread through person-to-person contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, so continue to practice social distancing (6-feet apart from others) and wash your hands regularly. Both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not currently recommend those with asthma to wear masks, only those infected with COVID-19. If you do get sick with any COVID-19 symptoms, including a fever over 100 degrees and shortness of breath, call your doctor immediately and if you are asthmatic, make sure to have your Asthma Action Plan at-hand. Here are some additional tips for people living with emphysema and COPD or other chronic lung diseases:
• Stock up on household supplies.
• If you rely on oxygen, contact your oxygen [Community, from p. 4]
Community
• Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks and cell phones, but remember that some sanitizers give off fumes that can be a trigger for asthma attacks and COPD flare-ups.
• Avoid crowds; your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who have been exposed.
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• Take extra measures to put distance between yourself and other people to further reduce your risk of being exposed to this new virus.
• Have a plan if you get sick. Consult with your health care provider for more information about monitoring your health. • Determine who can provide you with care if your caregiver gets sick or is around anyone who gets sick. If your caregiver or family member is exposed to someone with COVID-19, they may not show symptoms for up to 14 days. Make sure the caregiver or family member self-quarantines for that period of time to make sure they are not infected and do not infect you. • Pay attention for potential COVID-19 symptoms including, fever, cough and shortness of breath, as well as any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
• If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, get medical attention immediately. In adults, notable emergency warning signs include: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse and bluish lips or face.
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Janice Hahn. The staff is taking extra precautions recommended by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, including social distancing. Clinical staff at the centers has been reduced by about 20 percent, Chen said. At the site on Grand and 6th Street there are four providers seeing patients, as well as six medical assistants, two licensed vocational nurses and five front office personnel. They also have a behavioral health team, which includes a psychologist and two social workers. For the pediatric branch at 5th Street and Pacific Ave, there is still a pediatrician and one OB-GYN physician, as well as three medical assistants and three front office staff. The staff has been conducting telephone visits with patients to keep them at home as much as possible, Chen said. “Between the telephone visits and having people not physically come into the clinics, it’s about the same workload [as before the outbreak], we just changed the type of work we’re doing,” Chen said.
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They see patients there about one day a week. They’ll do an initial health assessment, including a physical and do bloodwork and figure out what medication they need. The Los Angeles County shelter opened on March 2 and within a month was at capacity with all 40 beds filled. The clinic started operating in the basement shortly afterward, but it flooded during the weekend of March 21 and 22. There have not been any cases of COVID-19 at the shelter. “We’ve been temperature screening and monitoring all of them for any symptoms,” Chen said. “We’ve also advised them to kind of shelter in place and not try to go out for any unnecessary errands.” Chen is the only member of the staff who is still going to the homeless shelter, but other staff at the shelter have not been reduced, said Ivan Sulic, field deputy LA. County Supervisor for
• If you rely on a visiting nurse or aide to help you at home, check with them to make sure they are following recommended protocols for disease prevention.
If you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19 or feel like you are developing symptoms, call your doctor or emergency room instead of visiting. If you do have coronavirus and you visit unannounced, then you could expose others to the disease. The CDC doesn’t currently recommend the use of masks for most people: only people who are sick with COVID-19 and the people who are caring for them should wear face masks. You can also find additional information on COVID-19 and get up-to-date health information from both the World Health Organization at www.who.int and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www. cdc.gov. Details: https://www.breathela.org
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• Make sure you have a 30-day supply of current medications on hand.
supplier to ask what plans they have made to prepare for the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Some symptoms of COVID-19 may be similar to what COPD patients experience with a COPD flare-up (exacerbation). But watch for a high fever. High-grade fevers are a common symptom of COVID-19 but are not a common symptom of COPD flare-ups.
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Why a Hardware Store Isn’t Like a Hospital Laissez-faire capitalism meets the pandemic By James Preston Allen, Publisher
Insurance Act — as it really didn’t deliver on the affordability part, due mostly on the part of Republicans obstructing anything that smelled of national health care. Still, what we have seen over the course of the past 40 years is a drift to the privatization of hospitals with a business model that even some “not for profit” health care networks use that looks more like a for profit business than a charitable institution. This pandemic has exposed the failings of our expensive health care industry – and one can hardly call it a “system” at this point. State governments are scrambling to open and operate closed facilities, create new ones with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers or call on the federal government to supply hospital ships to Los Angeles and New York, clearly the laissez-faire capitalism that conservatives tout as the best economic model doesn’t work when called upon to combat an pandemic. The response that seems to be working are those solutions that progressive Democrats come up with. But why is that? For the past decade, if not before, there has been a series of policies to defund certain government spending, almost all of them on the domestic front but almost all of it justified by conservative fiscal policies to lower taxes, spend less on public schools and cut funding for what we now realize belatedly as critical public health infrastructures. Much of these policies were promoted on the basis of lowering the national deficit and yet, here we are after 10 years of a boom-boom bull economy, passing a $2 trillion legislation to both fight a virus and save that same capitalist economic structure. And what do they use as a cure? A congressional mandate for $1,200 in the pocket of every tax paying citizen who’s not a millionaire, an idea that we all thought former Democratic candidate Andrew Yang was crazy for suggesting and economic support for workers and small business that even Sen. Bernie Sanders voted for. Sanders still has some reservations about $450 billion going to large corporations during an election year. So some have asked, “Why is it that countries like Italy and Spain, who have robust national health care fail, so miserably in the [See At Length, p.7] Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
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Sam at my local hardware store has a supply of N95 masks that he’s not price gouging on but limits the purchase to three per customer. He says it’s been hard to stock enough of them because he has some large customers like police and fire departments that want to buy them by the pallet. He tries to accommodate them but still, there’s a national shortage and a huge demand because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. One would think that with the demand so high for protective medical equipment that the manufacturers would be working day and night to fill the need. Yet, they were caught short as if they weren’t tipped off to the coming demand and the federal government is not telling these manufacturers where to prioritize their shipments. It’s probably one of the few sectors of the economy not laying off workers. Hardware stores like hospitals are part of the “essential” economy along with a list of a few dozen other types of businesses that can remain open during this lockdown. And yet, unlike hospitals, hardware stores operate on a laissezfaire system of supply and demand — like most main street businesses do. If more people are buying sanitation supplies, the hardware store orders more sanitation supplies, not less. Sam’s suppliers seem to have plenty of sanitation supplies until they don’t. I find it curious that retail store chains can’t figure this out with toilet paper. Hospitals, on the other hand, are a service. Why they are run like a business is one of those contentious discussions that has been thrown around like a bowl of hot minestrone soup hoping that it doesn’t spill. One side is committed to maintaining the status quo, which ensures the existence of insurance companies, while those committed to changing the system argue that the business of providing health care should be like a public utility. Long gone is the idea of community-owned hospitals or those that are run strictly as religious charities, most have been absorbed into chains operated on the business model. There are some 40 million Americans who still don’t have health insurance as the Donald Trump administration and Republican controlled states try to roll back the Affordable Care Act — it probably should have been called the Mandatory Health
April 2 - 15, 2020
Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
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“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.” —Mark Twain Vol. XLI : No. 7
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.
Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com
Judicial Inaction By Eric Siddall
The state judiciary’s imperviousness to the COVID-19 crisis is making things worse. The orders from both the California chief justice and the Los Angeles presiding judge lack clarity and action. They disregard all the science behind slowing down and defeating this pandemic. Meanwhile, they are giving the public the misconception that the judicial branch is on top of it-far from it. Los Angeles Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile’s latest act to confront the global health crisis was to issue an order that all non-essential people are not allowed in Los Angeles County courthouses. The order got a great headline in The Los Angeles Times. But the order does nothing that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s March 20, 2020 order did not already accomplish. We already know of two or three attorneys who have contracted the virus, though there are probably many more who have and who will. The known individuals were in the courtrooms and have had contact with juvenile and adult inmates, not to mention clerks and other attorneys. We have been given almost no information from the courts as to who was exposed, so we cannot effectively isolate them. It is well established that self-quarantining is a crucial component of combating the virus. The Los Angeles Superior Courts are now the weakest link in the government’s response to the coronavirus. Los Angeles County can shut down visitation to the juvenile facilities and the
Columnists/Reporters Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Staff Reporter Hunter Chase Staff Reporter Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Raphael Richardson, Chris Villanueva Contributors Mark L. Friedman, Ari LeVaux, Greggory Moore, Gretchen Williams Cartoonists Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker
jails, but if lawyers are inadvertently infecting inmates, a public health crisis will ravage our juvenile detention facilities and jails. At that point, the county will be left to contend with an even more dire situation. To find a model of real leadership, Brazile could look right across the county line. In Orange County, the judges swiftly recognized that the courts were a breeding ground for the virus, so they closed the physical courts and began setting up a system of virtual appearances. Yet, Brazile has refused to even meet with the men and women who come into court every day. After first agreeing to a meeting with the presidents of both the prosecutors and public defenders unions, he reneged and told them to communicate with the court’s clerk, Sherri Carter. Carter has no power to close down or pare down the activities of the court, so there is no point in a meeting. Carter sent a letter detailing the court’s response to this crisis. The response was that the court was doing everything in its power to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Yet,why were 200 people packed into the Criminal Court Building witness waiting room just last Monday? Several of those waiting were first responders sitting inside a potentially contaminated space instead of being out on patrol. Carter claims the courts took measures to [See Judicial, p.7]
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RANDOMLetters Pandemic Coverage
One of the CNN news hosts referred to the ignorance of a looming and predictable pandemic by the US government as constituting “willful blindness”. Certainly, I agree. That same “willful blindness” applies to the City of LA and State of California who are fully aware of the highly explosive risk being presented to an over 3-mile blast radius from the Plains All American Pipeline operated Rancho LPG LLC storage facility in San Pedro. This facility stores over 25 million gallons of highly explosive butane and propane gases. It sits within mere feet of pre-existing homes, schools, shopping centers and on the precipice of the port. The tanks at this site were “exempted” from regulations in 1973, and sit directly within an extremely vulnerable earthquake rupture zone with two converging faults there having a magnitude potential of 7.3 and 7.4. The tanks, built “without” LA building permits, were built to a “purported”
seismic substandard of 5.5 . After years of fully acknowledging and shirking responsibility to take action on the high risk of the site, the city approved over 700 new homes currently being constructed in the shadow of those tanks. The “willful blindness” in this case is NOT against the “invisible enemy” (the virus), but engaged and employed against one that is “highly visible” and every bit as lethal. Janet Gunter San Pedro
Safe at Home
(Editor’s note: This letter was submitted March 20) California and local cities have issued a “safer at home” order which in effect will close down many businesses for a couple of weeks. Time will tell if the state has moved too little, too late. Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti was telling people not to hoard supplies, then he said people should not stockpile supplies; however, the CDC has specifically said that seniors and other persons
[At Length, from p.7]
This all sounds rather familiar to what we’re witnessing here in America, yet we don’t even have a national health care system, except for Medicare for old folks and a patchwork of county and state health departments and a few dozen [Judicial, from p.6]
Eric Siddall is vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, the collective bargaining agent representing nearly 1,000 Deputy District Attorneys who work for the County of Los Angeles.
Long Beach Senior Center Under Threat
This letter pertains to first the threatened closure of, then the threatened movement of our — the seniors’—beloved gift shop at the Long Beach 4th Street Senior Center in order to, according to [See Letters, p.15]
April 2 - 15, 2020
protect those entering the courthouse. She states that the courts placed disincentive wipes in public areas. She claims that security screeners are disinfecting receptacles used by those entering the courthouse. This is not true. Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye issued an order to deal with the coronavirus. Her order contributes to the confusion rather than a clear direction. In the order, she suspended all jury trials for 60 days. This may sound like a bold
move to the general public, but the order is so poorly written that it gives little guidance to trial judges. Does this mean that after 60 days that every jury trial must be conducted? Or is it the functional equivalent of a court holiday and an additional 60 days are added to the current count? In other words, a trial that is 30/60 today, is it a 60/60 when the 60 days expire or is it a 30/60? Who knows?
dentists. So the order, for starters, does not apply to 152,000 people. I wonder if any of those people could carry the virus to their loved ones? Will this affect the middle and lower wage earners more? Stop trying to pull the wool over my eyes! G. Juan Johnson Los Angeles
Judicial Inaction
privatized hospital monopolies whose main job is to lower their expenses. As it becomes clearer that the Trump administration did nothing to prepare for this pandemic, even though they were briefed on it in December of last year, the growing chorus of stunned disbelief at his daily press briefings only adds to the chaos that we’ve grown to accept in his reality TV show mayhem. Recently Trump said, “We would be doing a great job” if the number of deaths resulting from the coronavirus was limited to 100,000. Trump said this not long after he said he wanted everybody to go to church on Easter Sunday. This is perhaps the most bizarre part of his delusional thinking. Perhaps he thinks he could raise the dead like Jesus on Easter? Trump is using the press briefings as a way to spread misinformation, campaign for re-election and bully reporters who challenge him. By contrast, the daily press briefings by California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo show what effective government leadership and what a social democracy that “does for the people that they can’t do for themselves,” looks like. Running a health care system is nothing like running a hardware store and please help us from a man who can do neither and would bankrupt both if allowed. Oddly enough creating a national health care infrastructure is now being done state by state, week by week as COVID-19 spreads. But the nation will not call it socialism, but a necessary cure to stem the tide of this pandemic.
The Order does not apply to the over 36,000 homeless people; the order does not apply to the city of Los Angeles 50,000 government workers; it does not apply to 22,000 county health department workers; it does not apply to city 5,000 primary care physicians and 11,000 medical specialists; it does not apply to 28,000 state wide
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
current pandemic?” The answer is explained by Sebastiaan Faber, a professor of Hispanic Studies at Oberlin College and the author of Memory Battles of the Spanish Civil War. In a Real News Network interview he explains: So in response to the great recession of 2008- 2010, the Spanish government, both the central government and regional governments … cut back on healthcare funding, reducing the number of beds, reducing the number of personnel, surgeons, nurses, at all kinds of levels. So that trend has really hurt the system, and it’s a crisis like this that brings that to the fore. The second big trend that has weakened the public healthcare system in Spain has been the constant steady push toward privatization, especially by conservative governments at the regional level, that have consistently pushed to take public facilities and privatize them, or to allow private forprofit companies to manage or take over public healthcare services.
at risk should stockpile supplies. Over 80,000 people have applied for unemployment in Los Angeles county; Mayor Garcetti said almost nothing about offering financial relief to those not able to pay their bills or those who cannot find a job. Grocery shopping today, I found many shelves half or more than half empty. Garcetti stressed that the order is not a “shelter-in-place” directive and is not a lockdown, those are terms, he said, that should be reserved for incidents like school shootings. That’s funny because “shelter in place” and “lockdown” is exactly what other countries have been doing in response to COVID-19, unless Garcetti does not comprehend this? It is interesting reading to see who the “Safer at Home” applies to and who it does not. If you look at the list of what government services and businesses will remain open, there will still be a good number of people still on the streets. The population of LA County is over 10 million. The population of the City of Los Angeles is about 5 million. I will just pick a few jobs because the list of workers the order does NOT apply to (“exempt”) is humongous.
7
[Big is Back, from p.1]
Big is Back
Green Stimulus plan — similar in scope to the Green New Deal — by a 20% margin. “Pelosi’s right in the sense that they improved the provisions of the bill,” Auerbach told Random Lengths News. “But there’s still a tremendous amount of pork in there... You got a tax break worth $170 billion, for example, for real estate moguls, along with a bunch of other corporate tax breaks that have nothing to do with relief for anybody. “If we had another 2008-style crisis, then we would be in a situation where politically I think it would be impossible to just recycle money back to the oligarchs. I don’t think society would stand for it…. But now, now under the guise of a public health emergency, you got a new opportunity to funnel stuff from the public trust to the corporate pigs again. That’s what I think is going on.” And there’s a great deal more that’s not being done to meet broader social needs.
$2 Trillion Stimulus is No New Deal
April 2 - 15, 2020
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
“If you look at the New Deal [during the Great Depression], you have 60% of the unemployed in public works and conservation projects, they planted about a billion trees, they saved the whooping crane, they modernized rural America — electrified a lot of it — they built the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, the Montana state capitol, much of the Chicago lakefront, New York’s Lincoln Tunnel and Triborough Bridge and the Tennessee Valley Authority,” Auerbach noted in contrast. “In total, they built 2,500 hospitals, 45,000 schools,
8
13,000 parks and playgrounds, 7,800 bridges, 700,000 miles of roads, a thousand airfields, they employed 50,000 teachers, they rebuilt the entire rural school system and hired 3,000 writers, musicians, sculptors and painters, including Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock.” Nothing like that is possible during a pandemic (though planning for it certainly is). That’s when serious direct relief is needed. And, what the Democrats have provided pales compared to other countries, he noted. “In Canada, for example, you’ve got direct aid which is about $1,400 compared to U.S. $1,200, and it is a one-time payment, whereas Canada’s direct pay goes on for four months,” he noted. “And, of course, you got a healthcare system that normally does cover everybody. There’s also ‘a 75% wage subsidy for smalland medium-size businesses retroactive to March 15.’ And, there’s a provision to cover gig workers as well. He ticked through several other countries — Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway — each a bit different, but all of which were similarly robust in providing aid to workers that realistically reflects their looming needs. The Danish government is covering 75% to 90% of all workers’ salaries over the next three months.” In contrast, the American response is potentially ominous. “One of the horrifying consequences of this is that it continues to exacerbate the inequality problem as it devastates more and more of the middle and working class,” Auerbach said. “That’s my real fear…. And, if we don’t solve that, then you’ve got a country where millions of people have guns and that’s not a pleasant thing to contemplate.” There are things to be done, with more legislation and more spending sure to come. Two
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), surrounded by a bipartisan group of House member, signed the $2 trillion CARES Act on March 27. File photo
things Auerbach sees as priorities are eliminating independent contractors, so that all workers get the same kinds of benefits and protections under law. “I would be looking to reestablish domestic supply lines of vital goods, not just food but hospital mask ventilators, respirators,” he said, secondly. This leads into a larger point. “Hopefully we will start to rethink this whole notion that you can just offshore all of your manufacturing and leave it all in the hands of a country which may not have our best interests at heart,” he said. “I hope that people start to think in those terms. At the very least build some redundancy into supply networks so that we have
adequate domestic provisions. “We used to think that industrial policy wasn’t a dirty word…. We actually believed in that until the 1980s. There’s nothing wrong with reorienting the state, so that it has an active role again as it did in the 50s, 60s and 70s (a period when prosperity was much more broadly shared). The idea that the state should be a neutral umpire that just allows the free interplay of forces of the market, that’s just BS, because we’re not doing that here.” Reviving a commitment to industrial policy dovetails perfectly with the idea of a Green Stimulus addressing pressing national needs, as explained by J. Mijin Cha, an Occidental College [See Big is Back, p.12]
Flix and Chill While on Lockdown By Melina Paris, Arts and Culture Writer and Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
Many of us are familiar with the cheap alternative to date night called “Netflix and Chill.” Some of us place more emphasis on the chill than Netflix. But in this period of COVID-19 public gathering restrictions, “Netflix” and “chill” have taken on whole new meanings. While we are all safer at home we have plenty of time to chill, so the Random Lengths News editorial staff pulled together a list of shows, films and documentaries of note to which you should pay attention. This list includes the films and shows that are informative, inspirational and or downright funny. But perhaps more than anything else,
these options can help you spend time to take in a deeper understanding of the world we live in.
Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madame C.J. Walker
Self Made is a fictionalized Netflix series depicting black hair care pioneer and mogul Madam C. J. Walker and how she overcame hostile turn-of-the-century America, epic rivalries, tumultuous marriages and some trifling family to become America’s first black, self-made female millionaire.
Gentefied
A comedy-drama series centered on three cousins who band together to keep their grandfather’s popular Boyle Heights taco shop
in business, Gentefied chronicles the family’s story as the old neighborhood becomes gentrified. In the first season, the cousins confront their differences in their connections to their community, their heritage and their commitment to the family business, all while navigating larger themes of gentrification and the marginalization of Latinx’s in America.
Who Killed Malcolm X
This in-depth docu-series on Netflix revisits questions about the official story of the February 1965 assassination of Malcolm X — positing that his killer freely walked the streets in Newark, New Jersey — an [See Chillin’, p.10]
Real News, Real People, Really Effective April 2 - 15, 2020
9
A
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
bout halfway through our family trip to Andalusia, the United States restricted air travel from Europe and Spain and declared a state of emergency. The geopolitical and pandemic crosscurrents at play were difficult to read, even from the rooftop terrace of our house in Guajar Faraguit, a quiet village in the hill country above the Strait of Gibraltar. We tried to sniff the breeze for guidance, but all we could smell were lemon blossoms. I sipped red wine into mouthfuls of manchego and jamon. My wife took her manchego with vegetables, while the children munched avocado toast and drank home-squeezed orange juice. We were surrounded by clean water, carefully-tended groves of olive, citrus, almond and avocado and not much else. If an algorithm were programmed to find the perfect location in which to weather a pandemic, it would find places like Guajar Faraguit, in the sparsely populated, dead-end valley of the Toba river. Our flight home was scheduled in just over a week and there was a growing possibility of being trapped in Spain for an undetermined amount of time. But the journey home looked like a slow motion nightmare of terminals clogged with long lines of coughing, irate passengers and every other circle of airport hell Dante couldn’t have imagined. After a few days in the mountains, we went shopping in Lanjaron, a village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. As we walked toward the municipal market, the police stopped us and sent my wife and kids back to the car. It was a drag to shop alone, but I was glad to see Spain determined to not become the next Italy. The Lanjaron market is a stage for the finest ingredients Andalusia and Spain have to offer. This includes citrus, peppers, artichokes, a diversity of avocados, two boxes of strawberries, black tomatoes, pomegranates, potatoes and oyster mushrooms from a produce stand, bread and pastries from the bakery, a side of lamb ribs from the butcher, a sack of seafood from the fishmonger: mackerel, red shrimp and flying squid (capable of launching 100 feet through the air). My arms were burning when I made it back to the car, itself on the verge of spontaneous combustion from the friction within. We drove to Jamoneria Santiago and double-parked on the narrow street in front of my favorite jamon store in Spain. Santi had my order prepared, headlined by the jamon serrano, the local ham cured in multi-story structures in the mountain communities of the Sierra Nevada, a region
Not Without My Jamon By Ari LeVaux, Flash in the Pan Columnist
Santiago Pozo prepares an order in his shop, Jamoneria Pozo. Photo by Ari LeVaux
called the Alpujarra. To go with my jamon, there was a final round of Alpujarran sheep milk cheese, some local wine, a jar of olives, two sacks of oranges, freshly picked from Santi’s tree and tins of olive oil from the Lanjaron press. Everything was wrapped and rung up, including my new wine sheep’s bladder wine sack and a locally crafted chess board made of walnut and lemon woods, wrapped carefully for protection and also discretion — the police had zero tolerance for “non-essential” purchases. In front of his shop, Santi and I hastily bowed goodbye. That night we ate grilled mackerel and flying squid on our salads. Flying squid tastes like non-flying squid. We pondered flying. We pondered not flying. The next day we hiked along ancient Moorish roads and irrigation ditches above Guajar Alto at the top of the dead-end Toba valley. I picked handfuls of wild thyme, fennel and rosemary. As the kids played by a creek, I checked the phone, and the world. The death toll in Spain had doubled again, to about 500. Italy was closing its borders and shutting down air travel and the American Airlines representative we reached by phone said our scheduled flight home might be cancelled. “When is the next flight out of Spain?” I asked.
“The next morning, out of Madrid,” she said. Madrid is a six-hour drive from Guajar Faraguit. We made the change and gathered the children. Our plane left in 12 hours. The kids showered, my wife made salads and I rubbed olive oil into those lamb chops, along with sea salt, garlic and freshly gathered wild thyme and rosemary. I got to grilling one last time on that Andalusian rooftop, and we feasted on lamb, salad and leftover soup. Then we cleaned up [Chillin’ from p.9]
Chillin’
assertion first made in Manning Marable’s biography on the black liberation leader. At the center of the series is Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, a Washington, D.C. historian and expert on Malcolm X working with Marable in 2005 on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Malcolm X, A Life of Reinvention. Marable died in 2011. “There were so many stones left unturned,” Muhammad says in the new docu-series, adding that he was never able to look at the original crime scene evidence or files of the district attorney at the time. “And it just kept bugging me and bugging me.”
the kitchen, gave the rest of our food to our neighbors, did the idiot check and bailed. The road to Madrid was fast and, except for trucks, completely empty. The toll booths were empty and open. The rental car company didn’t answer the phone, so we left the car in the Budget lot, six days early and in the wrong city. We had these extra toxic death wipes that sterilize anything and used them to wipe down a corner of the empty Madrid airport for us to doze until morning. I nibbled on leftover lamb ribs, finally able to wash them down with the rest of our wine and pined for a microwave. The plane to Dallas was bright, clean and nearly empty, with a crew of spunky flight attendants in good spirits. I fell into a deep state of chill and awoke remembering Santiago’s jamon. Customs would not allow Spanish pork into the United States, so I had work to do. Noticing my project, my impish flight attendant placed the entire bottle of red wine on my tray table. “Tengo mucho jamon,” I said, gratefully, and a little helplessly. (I have a lot ham.) “I’ll get some bread,” he replied matter-offactly in Spanish, the only language he appeared to speak. The two of us were still in Spain, somewhere above Louisiana. We were high above COVID-19, but not for long, wherever the plane were to have landed. I asked if he wanted any jamon for the road. “I can’t bring it in either,” he said. I had assumed the plane would return to Madrid, but it turns out neither plane nor crew were going back any time soon. AA 37 was the last American Airlines flight out of Spain. The rest were cancelled.
13th
Ava DuVernay’s documentary film, 13th, explores the “intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States. The film is titled after the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States” and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime. The documentary makes the case that slavery has been perpetuated since the end of the American Civil War through criminalizing behavior and enabling police to arrest and force poor freeman to work for the state under convict leasing. Duvernay examines the prisonindustrial complex and the emerging detentionindustrial complex, discussing how much money is being made by corporations from such incarcerations. This film features several activists, academics, political figures from both major U.S. political parties and public figures, including Angela Davis, Bryan Stevenson, Van Jones, Newt Gingrich, Cory Booker, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and others.
April 2 - 15, 2020
When They See Us
10
Another Ava DuVernay film, this one is a drama series on Netflix inspired by the story of the Central Park Five. Based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case, the series explores the lives and families of the five male suspects who were falsely accused then prosecuted on charges related to the rape and assault of a woman in Central Park, New York City.
John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons
In this one-man Broadway show, actor and comedian John Leguizamo finds humor and [See Chillin’, p. 10]
[Chillin’, from, p. 10]
Chillin’
heartbreak as he traces 3,000 years of Latin history in an effort to help his bullied son. Leguizamo debuted Latin History for Morons in 2017 and premiered at the Public Theater before moving to Studio 54. Latin History for Morons was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Play.
Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool
Miles Davis: Horn player, bandleader, innovator. Discover the man behind the legend. With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, rare photos and new interviews.
Trigger Warning with Killer Mike
In this funny and provocative Netflix series, rapper and activist Killer Mike puts his revolutionary ideas about achieving social change into action. In each episode of this sixepisode series, Killer Mike conducts a different social experiment, including only spending money in the black community for three days, helping the Crips (a national federation of street gangs that identify as Crips) cash in on its personal brand by launching a line of soda
BIG NICK’S PIZZA
BUONO’S AUTHENTIC PIZZERIA
Family owned and operated since 1965, Buono’s is famous for exceptional awardwinning brick oven baked pizza. Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and handselected ingredients that are prepared fresh. Takeout and delivery at all three locations. Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Buono’s Pizzeria, 222 W. 6th St., San Pedro 310547-0655, www.buonospizza.com
CONRAD’S MEXICAN GRILL
This 2009 documentary covers the vital relationship that the oceans play in the overall health of the planet. Nature has the power and potential to move us to tears, this film is no different.
Dirty Money
This Netflix original series tells stories of corporate corruption, securities fraud and creative accounting. All six one-hour long episodes began streaming on Netflix on Jan. 26, 2018. The show’s executive producers include Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney. Each episode focuses on one example of corporate corruption and includes interviews with key players in each story. A second season of the show premiered March 11.
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
A behind-the-scenes look at Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance, which was written, directed and executive produced by Beyoncé herself. This is an intimate, in-depth look at the celebrated performance that pays homage to America’s historically black colleges and [See Chillin’, from p.15]
pick up and delivery. Open Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. noon to 8 p.m. Conrad’s Mexican Grill, 376. W. 6th St., San Pedro • 424-264-5452, www.conradsmexicangrill. com
COMPAGNON WINE BISTRO
Compagnon Wine Bistro (formerly La Buvette Wine Bistro) offers rustic French cuisine that pays tribute to classic French bistros in various regions of France. Call in your dinner and family meal orders for curbside pick-up, Wed. - Sun. 4 to 7 p.m. Compagnon Wine Bistro, 335 W. 7th St., San Pedro, 424-342-9840, www.CompagnonBistro.com
p.m. Happy Diner #2, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 310-935-2933, www.happydinersp.com
HAPPY DELI
The Happy Deli is a small place with a big menu. Food is made-to-order using the freshest ingredients. Breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches include a small coffee. For lunch or dinner select from fresh salads, wraps, buffalo wings, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers and dogs. Delivery to your home or office available. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 am. to 8 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Deli, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 424-364-0319, www.happydelisp.com
PAPPY’S SEAFOOD
The Happy Diner #1 in Downtown San Pedro isn’t your average diner. The selections range from Italian- and Mexican-influenced entrées to American Continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Call for takeout breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #1, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro, 310-241-0917, www. happydinersp.com
Pappy’s Seafood is your destination for fresh, sustainably caught seafood, locally sourced farm-to-table produce, craft beer, fine wines and cocktails. Now offering curbside pick-up or delivery via Grubhub and Seamless. Hours: Wed. and Thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Mon. and Tues. Pappy’s Seafood, 301 w. 6th St., San Pedro, 424-224-5444, www.pappysseafood.com
HAPPY DINER #2
SAN PEDRO BREWING COMPANY
HAPPY DINER #1
A micro brewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted awardwinning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, BBQ, sandwiches, salads and burgers.
TAXCO MEXICAN RESTAURANT
We are proud to serve our community for almost four decades with generous plates of traditional Mexican Call in your order for pickup or order online for delivery through Doordash.com Open Sun. and Mon. 12 to 8 p.m.; Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Taxco Mexican Restaurant, 28152 S. Western Ave., San Pedro, (310) 547-4554, www.taxcorestaurantpv.com
THE WHALE & ALE ENGLISH RESTAURANT & PUB
To our loyal customers, our restaurant is undergoing some significant plumbing repairs that should take several weeks to address. We are looking to be back in operation by when it is safe to do so and appreciate your ongoing support and patronage. Please keep an eye on these pages for the announcement of our reopening. And we thank you for your patients and understanding, Andrew Silber proprietor. The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro 310-832-0363, www.whaleandale.com
Support Independent Restaurants • Dining Guide online: www.randomlengthsnews.com/dining-guide [See Calendar, page 16]
April 2 - 15, 2020
Built on the success of Happy Diner #1, Happy Diner #2 offers American favorites like omelets and burgers, fresh salads, plus pasta and Mexican dishes are served. Call in your order for curbside pickup. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4
Order your growlers and house drafts to go! Open daily 12 to 8 p.m. for takeout and delivery through Grubhub, Postmates and Doordash. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310-831-5663, www.sanpedrobrewing.com
Conrad’s menu reflects the cuisine of his native Oaxaca with a fresh focus on local, seasonal ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features classic dishes from Oaxaca and regional Mexico, such as mole sauces, ceviche, empanadas and sopecitos. Conrad’s also features an inventive vegetarian and vegan menu. Order online for curbside
Oceans
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Tradition, variety and fast delivery or takeout—you get it all at Big Nick’s Pizza. The best selection of Italian specialties include hearty calzones, an array of pastas and our amazing selection of signature pizzas. Call for fast delivery. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Big Nicks’ Pizza, 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 310-732-5800, www.bignickspizza. com
and rethinking public school’s approach to education. Killer Mike puts forward powerful, controversial ideas to help reshape perception in America.
11
housing retrofits, rooftop solar installation, electric bus deployment, rural broadband development and other forms of economic diversification — to lift up and collaborate with frontline communities. • Expand public and employee ownership. • Make rapid cuts to carbon pollution.
[Big is Back, from p. 8]
Big is Back
professor of urban and environmental policy and a senior fellow at Data for Progress. “We see the convergence of three different crises — the coming economic crisis from the coronavirus, the record levels of inequality and the climate crisis,” Cha told Random Lengths News. “And these three are inter-linked as we’re seeing now in stark detail. The Green Stimulus is a way to address all of them and also invest in our future.” It’s a bold idea, and deliberately so, she explained. “Too often Democrats try to think about what is politically feasible and then build policies around that, instead of thinking about what is the right thing to do, and then building the political will to pass that,” Cha said. “So, our idea is to plant a flag, with the understanding that there will be compromise, but we don’t want to start from a position of compromise.” Presented broadly as “a $2 trillion, 10 year investment in clean energy and jobs,” it enjoys a 20% margin of support: 49% support versus 29% oppose. But, as is generally the case, when it’s broken down into more specific parts, most are significantly more popular. In fact, Data For Progress noted: [M]ore Republicans support than oppose investments in renewable energy, electric buses, underground high-voltage transmission, electric minivans and pickup trucks for rural and suburban areas, smart grid technology, retrofitting buildings with an emphasis on lowincome housing, and battery technology.
Occidental College professor of urban and environmental policy and a senior fellow at Data for Progress, J. Mijin Cha. File photo
It’s visionary in one sense, but hardly pie-inthe sky. “The proposals we have are mostly things we’re already doing, but at a much bigger scale,” Cha said. “So we were not reinventing any new wheels, we’re just investing in projects we know are good — both good for the climate and create good jobs for people who need work and then will put an investment into our low carbon future. “There’s going to be a stimulus…. It is up to us to make sure that the stimulus is one that helps working people and the climate and not bailout big companies. The Green Stimulus proposal is grounded in four key strategies: • Create millions of new family-sustaining, career-track green jobs. • Deliver strategic investments — like green
There’s also a commitment to a just transition for fossil fuel industry workers and communities. Cha called Trump’s designation of coal miners as “essential workers” a “false promise,” like so many others. Coal jobs have been declining for decades and the recent industry collapse is driven primarily by natural gas. “The outlook of coal is already decided, we need to invest in those communities now,” Cha said. “We’re not going to be able to shut down coal mines, or oil and gas drilling, or fossil fuel power plants tomorrow,” she pointed out. “But we need to start thinking about it now, and investing in ways to diversify those economies and retrain and place those workers in different occupations and industries.” The concern about workers extends to whole
COVID-19 Resources Compiled by Jordan Darling, Editorial Intern
Businesses have had to close due to the novel coronavirus at the same time that rent is coming due — and until recently, renters and folks holding on to home mortgages across Los Angeles were trying to figure out how to move forward. Now they are grasping at the lifelines thrown by city and state governments. On March 27, the L.A. City Council approved a temporary ban on evictions for renters who are unable to pay rent because of coronavirus. In addition, the city council also waived late fees and allowed renters to make up late payments for up to one year after the expiration of the emergency order. However council members rejected a ban on all evictions during the pandemic and all back rent must still be paid.
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Sick or Quarantined Workers
If you’re unable to work due to COVID-19 exposure or diagnosis (certified by a medical professional), you can file a disability insurance claim. Disability insurance provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-workrelated illness, injury, or pregnancy. Benefit amounts are about 60 to 70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50 to $1,300 a week. An executive order by California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom waived the one-week unpaid waiting period, permitting eligible people to collect disability insurance benefits for the first week they are out of work. If eligible, the Employment Development Department processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim. For guidance on the disease, visit the California Department of Public Health website.
April 2 - 15, 2020
Caregiving
12
communities. “What we’re really worried about is communities that are solely reliant on a power plant, or coal mine or some kind of fossil fuel infrastructure,” Cha said. “You can’t just shut down those plants and those mines and expect those communities will be fine. We have a history of unjust transitions in this country, so now is the moment that we need to start investing in those communities to help diversify their economies, to help think about what will happen to those workers when that time comes, so [who] will be able to transition in a way that is a just and equitable solution.” The amount of money needed to do this properly—$2 trillion over 10 years—has just been spent by Congress in a matter of weeks to respond to the coronavirus, with another $4 trillion coming from the Federal Reserve. The idea that we can’t spend that much to respond to climate change as well — and take care of everyone in the process — may have been conventional wisdom as recently as February. But no one can believe it anymore.
If you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a claim for paid family leave. It provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Benefit amounts are
about 60 to 70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50 to $1,300 a week. If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.
School Closures
If your child’s school is closed and you have to miss work to provide care, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. Eligibility requirements consider other care options and the feasibility of working remotely. File a claim and an EDD representative will decide if you are eligible.
Tax Assistance
Employers experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19 may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit state payroll taxes without penalty or interest. A written request for an extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return. For questions, employers may call the EDD Taxpayer Assistance Center. Toll-free from the U.S. or Canada: 1-888745-3886 Hearing-impaired (TTY): 1-800-547-9565 Outside the U.S. or Canada: 1-916-464-3502
File an Unemployment Insurance Claim
Unemployment Insurance is an employerpaid program that provides partial income replacement when you become unemployed or have your hours reduced and meet all eligibility requirements. The following information will help guide you through the claim filing process. Use the UI Benefit Calculator to estimate your weekly benefit amount.
When to File a Claim
File your UI claim in the first week that you lose your job or have your hours reduced. Your claim begins on the Sunday of the week you submitted your application. If you previously filed an unemployment insurance claim within the past 52 weeks and [See Resources, p. 13]
[Safety, from p. 3]
Safety at Work
thousands of doses of Interferon Alpha 2b, which has been shown to be effective in reducing duration, severity and mortality from COVID-19 and has reportedly been responsible for the massive reduction of cases and recoveries in China. Because of the U.S. blockade of Cuba, this medicine is banned from the United States of America. In London, postal workers have mounted a de facto wildcat strike/work to rule over concerns regarding coronavirus safety. They did so in the face of the refusal of the Communication Workers Union to mount any protest against Royal Mail management. Workers have accused Royal Mail of inaction over concerns that they are being exposed to the virus unnecessarily. Pennsylvania sanitation workers refused to show up for work until provided with sufficient gear to protect them from coronavirus. Workers protested at the Pittsburgh Environmental Services building. “We are risking our lives, we could be contaminated as well,” Sheldon White, a city worker, told CBS News. While non-essential businesses are forced to shut down across the nation, essential employees still have to show up for work everyday as the virus continues to spread. “We want better equipment, better protective gear, we have no masks,” White said. “We want hazard pay.” In Portland, Oregon unionists at Burgerville Workers Union organized a one-day strike, demanding protective measures and issuing demands to the company, including a $2 an hour [Resources, from p. 8]
Resources
have not exhausted your benefits, you must reopen your claim to resume benefits. Important: Waiting to file can delay your benefits.
Medical Insurance
Loss of health insurance You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you or anyone in your household lost qualifying health coverage in the past 60 days or expects to lose coverage in the next 60 days. If you qualify to enroll in Marketplace coverage through this Special Enrollment Period, call the Marketplace Call Center to complete your enrollment. You can’t do this online.
This past March, a Portland judge handed down a reduced judgment of $19 million in damages against the ILWU for a slowdown action against terminal operator ICTSI, which began in 2012 in Portland, Oregon. The $19 million in damages, reduced by a judge from the original award of $96 million, is still more than twice the
The Mercy Docks in San Pedro Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn stands in front of the U.S. Naval hospital ship Mercy, which arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on March 27. Hahn requested that President Donald Trump send the ship to Los Angeles since there are less than 200 ICU beds in the county and most are taken up by patients who do not have COVID-19. The ship has 1,000 beds that will be used for patients who do not have COVID-19.
Photo courtesy of Supervisor Janice Hahn.
health plan through COBRA continuation coverage. COBRA is a federal law that may let you pay to stay on your employee health insurance for a limited time after your job ends (usually 18 months). You pay the full premium yourself, plus a small administrative fee. To learn about your COBRA options, contact your employer. If you’ve already signed up for COBRA coverage, find out if you can switch from COBRA to a Marketplace health plan. Details: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/ health-plans/cobra Medicaid Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide free or low-cost health coverage to millions of Americans, including some low-income people, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities. Find out if you qualify for Medicaid based on your income. Enter your household size and state in our savings tool and we’ll tell you if you qualify for Medicaid or savings on a Marketplace plan. Details: https://www.medicaid.gov/
Photo top right and above by Chris Villanueva
April 2 - 15, 2020
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And in other Labor Matters
ILWU’s total assets. However the judge offered this settlement to parties and asked for them to agree upon it otherwise the penalty portion of the trial would have to be heard over again. ICTSI is reported to have chosen to have a new trial and with the courts mostly closed because of the COVID-19 epidemic it may be months before this happens. It serves as a stunning reminder how one of America’s oldest and strongest unions can be threatened by a court action by a company that has an internationally bad reputation when it comes to workers’ rights and labor violations.
Types of Health Insurance You may be able to keep your job-based
Other grocery chains increased hourly wage by $2 per hour for the next four weeks. Every grocery store is recording record sales and profits as shelves are emptied daily. This reporter, visiting several stores noticed a significant markup of prices in the big chains for basic staples. I saw no extra protection offered the grocery workers and checkers other than hand sanitizer. As we all keep our physical distance, we must maintain our social and human solidarity. This means no hoarding … no running to buy ammo and guns and above all supporting every worker’s right to protective gear, free virus testing, expanded paid sick leave, full pay on layoff or to stay home and take care of children. There should be no bailout to the giant businesses making record profits for the past 12 years. Instead there
should be regular full paychecks for workers and aid to small farmers. Can the bosses afford it? Sure they can, they have all been making record profits to our detriment for years.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis and a declining economic market people are faced with the loss of their jobs and livelihoods and for many that can mean the loss of their medical insurance. There are programs that people can apply to that provide emergency enrollment and Medicaid that have open enrollment all year.
raise for hazard pay, two weeks severance in the case of layoffs and an additional two weeks of paid sick time to allow workers to stay at home if they fall ill — the union calls it “2-2-2.” Essential workers, for example, at grocery stores, who are exposed to hundreds of people daily, have focused more on pay increases. The Los Angeles Times reported that at Kroger’s, they were offered bonuses of $150 for part-time workers and $300 for full-time workers, but safety equipment was not discussed. The president of local 1167 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Joe Duffle, responded to the company in a letter that read: “This is obviously an attempt to make as much money as you can during this crisis. This is not the time to worry about your rich investors’ returns, but it is time to take care of the communities that you claim to serve and of the employees you put on the front lines.”
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“I’m No Saint” — shot out of the canon.
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DBA FILINGS Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020049280 The following person is doing business as: (1) Agualuna Studio, 1440 Brett Place #57, San Pedro, CA 90732, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Luna Vasquez, 1440 Brett Place #57, San Pedro, CA 90732. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 12/2014. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Luna Vasquez, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2020. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other
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JOBS
© 2020 MATT JONES, Jonesin’ Crosswords
than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 03/05/20, 03/19/20, 04/02/20, 04/16/20
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020047600 The following person is doing business as: (1) Ulloth Graphics, (2) Greenlight Transit, 24680 Piuma Road, Malibu, CA 90265, Los Angeles County. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7232, Van Nuys, Ca 91409,. Registered owners: John Jay Ulloth, 24680 Piuma Road, Malibu, CA 90265. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 06/2015. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant
ACROSS
1 “You’re the Worst” star Chris 6 Gadot of “Wonder Woman” 9 DJ’s output 14 Pentium company 15 Have regret 16 Positive terminal 17 Liquid extracted from beer brewed by quarterback Elway? 19 Be indecisive 20 Margarine substitute 21 Dodge 23 Quagmire 24 Musical ability 25 Recognize 26 Cookies in sleeves 28 British actor Garfield is angry? 32 Item thrown by Olympic athletes 35 They’re attracted to sugar 36 Compete 37 Work badge, e.g. 38 NBA tiebreakers 39 “That should do it” 41 Abbr. in want ads denoting fair hiring 42 Clothing company founded in Queens 44 Disallowed 45 Sandwich grill belonging to comedian Short? who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. John Jay Ulloth, owner.
This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2020. Notice-In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 03/05/20, 03/19/20, 04/02/20, 04/16/20
48 Movement started on social media in 2006 49 Bale stuff 50 Mini-menace 53 “No Ordinary Love” singer 55 ___-Kettering Institute 57 “Million Dollar ___” (2006 “Simpsons” episode featuring Homer’s dad) 58 Desktop images 60 Result of an arson investigation on Sesame Street? 62 Got up 63 20-20, e.g. 64 Brownish eye color 65 “The Post” star Streep 66 Ken Jennings has four of them 67 Rub out
DOWN
1 Action figure with kung-fu grip 2 “Waterworld” girl with a map on her back 3 It’ll knock you out 4 Slot machine city 5 Chicago transit trains 6 President Cleveland 7 Invisible vibes 8 Disappointments 9 Like some sugar 10 Beguile 11 Gets out of the way Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020047598 The following person is doing business as: (1) DB Holistic, (2) Divine Serenity, 430 W. 8th Street #4, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Mailing Address: 1536 W. 25th Street #424, San Pedro, CA 90732. Registered owners: Myrian Talbott, 430 W. 8th Street #4, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above:N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Myrian Talbott owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2020. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement
12 Time to “beware” 13 Gen ___ (post-boom kids) 18 Mary Louise Parker Showtime series 22 Lead-in to “while” 25 Like some shirts or pajamas 27 Molly’s cousin 28 Healthcare.gov statute, briefly 29 Completely consume 30 “Your Majesty” 31 Everything bagel bit 32 Per ___ 33 Notion 34 Winter house protection 38 Antiquated 40 Day planner divs. 43 Ones, in Juarez 44 “Helps stop gas before it starts” product 46 Microscopic 47 Actor Ving of “Pulp Fiction” 50 Resort island near Majorca 51 Boggy areas 52 “Get Out” director Jordan 53 “Anna and the King of ___” 54 Part of a parcel, perhaps 56 “Chocolat” actress Lena 57 “Bearing gifts, we traverse ___” 59 Poutine seasoning? 61 “___-Hulk” (upcoming Disney+ series)
pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 03/05/20, 03/19/20, 04/02/20, 04/16/20
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020047598 The following person is doing business as:(1) High Performance Addiction, 1022 W. 18th Street #2, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Frank Trutanich, 1022 W. 18th Street #2, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above:N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares
[continued on p. 15]
[Chillin’, from p. 11]
Chillin’
universities. Interspersed with candid footage and interviews detailing the preparation and powerful intent behind her vision, Homecoming reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.
What Happened, Miss Simone
This film examines the career of Nina Simone, the acclaimed singer, songwriter and activist whose tumultuous life influenced her fierce and dynamic artistry — but, at times, proved too intense for Simone herself. Praised for its archival, never-before-seen footage, the film also gives Simone her due as an activist for civil rights.
Get Me Roger Stone
A close-up look at the right-wing tormenter who helped shape the 2016 presidential election.
Before he was indicted in the Mueller probe, Roger Stone had a long career as a right-wing dirty trickster, dating back to his work with Richard Nixon. The film chronicles the transformation of American conservatism throughout the years since the arrival of Stone’s generation.
Period. End of Sentence.
Rousing and brave, in this awardwinning 2018 short film, a group of women in India fight the stigma against menstruation and champion the making of low-cost sanitary pads. For generations, these women had no access to pads, leading to health problems and girls missing school or dropping out entirely. When a sanitary pad machine is installed in the village, the women learn to manufacture and market their own pads, empowering the women of their community.
DBA FILINGS [from p. 14]
04/02/20, 04/16/20
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020046144
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2020065867 The following person is doing business as: (1) Defining Moments Video, (2) Beach Villa Organic Dry Cleaner, Inc., 1110 W 9th Street, San Pedro CA 90731. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Mark J Doddy, 1110 W 9th Street, San Pedro CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all informa-
04/16/2020, 04/30/2020, 05/14/2020
management hierarchy of Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine, put a “technological learning center” in its place. I want to be clear from the start: I and my fellow seniors have no objection to this proposed learning center. What we object to are two specific items: 1. Where do they want to place this center. One hundred and ninetyfive signatures on a petition against the closure of the gift shop and 195 signatures against the moving of it to put in their learning center were collected, which is almost the entire population of the senior center.
2. The manner in which they are attempting to pursue this project. There were two attempts to surreptitiously drive the gift shop out and replace it with their learning center. We, seniors, learned of it by scuttlebutt, without any advance notice whatsoever. Of course, there are employees who oppose the seniors’ resistance. One individual claimed that letters were sent to the consignees. [Items are consigned by the seniors and the proceeds are then divided between them and the center]. In response,
I will state emphatically that I have never received any such letter, and I challenge that person to prove that letters have been sent out. In conclusion, then, this is an extremely brief description of this issue. We, seniors, have been fighting it since Dec. 4, 2018, and it’s still on-going. I have full documentation of everything stated here and if any of your staff wishes to investigate further and write an article about it, I will gladly meet with him or her to discuss it and show that person all of my documentation. Thank you for allowing me to express my views on the matter. Donna Attwood Long Beach
Keep up the good work
James, just a note to let you know how much I enjoy reading your paper and especially your column. As a former resident of San Pedro [43 years] it keeps me in touch with our great neighborhood now that I am a full-time resident of the desert. I still subscribe and look forward to receiving it in the mail each month. Keep up the great work you do with the publication. Al Richter La Quinta
Donate a Meal to Local ER Staff and First Responders
As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, the Turner Family Restaurants are giving back to our local emergency room staff and first responders and invite you to join us. We do this to thank those who continue to work daily to save lives and flatten the curve while putting themselves at risk. Any donation is greatly
April 2 - 15, 2020
The following person is doing business as: (1) Compagnon Wine Bistro, 335 West 7th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Compagnon Wine Bistro LLC/AI#201807210596, 335 West 7th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by a Limited Liability Company. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 03/2018. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Thomas Gregory Compagnon, Managing Member. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on 02/25/20. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire
04/16/20, 04/30/20
tion in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Mark J Doddy, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on March 20, 2018. 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 it to expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 04/02/2020,
[Letters, from p. 7]
appreciated and every $15 received will provide one additional meal to the ER team, Police & Fire Departments. Through this effort, we’ll continue to provide employment for our restaurant staff and share our gratitude in the process. Visit http:// theturnerfamilyrestaurants. square.site/ Much love from your friends at The Local Yolk, Sabra Beirut Mix, Mongol King and Marie Callender’s in Gardena and San Pedro. John Turner Rancho Palos Verdes
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as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Frank Trutanich owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2020. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 03/05/20, 03/19/20,
40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 03/19/20, 04/02/20,
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