RLn 04-27-23

Carson Happenings p. 5

Curtain Call: Everything Comes Together in Brilliant An American in Paris p. 9

The Way of the OG-san Activist

Warren Furutani is concerned about the current political moment and what it portends for the future. He released a memoir entitled, ac•tiv•ist, noun: a person who works to bring about political or social change. The former California assemblyman, Los Angeles Unified School District and community college board member sat for an interview with Random Lengths News recently and aired out his concerns, particularly given the divisiveness of this particular cultural moment — a moment in which women’s bodies, identities and public education are contested spaces. Furutani noted that throughout his entire career in public services and his years as an activist, he had been an advocate for diversity and one who acknowledged the differences and the importance of different people and groups.

On the topic of cultural identity politics, Furutani’s observation is quite informed.

“I think maybe it’s time to stop and put it on hold and let’s re-examine what we have in common. Let’s talk about what our common ground is, not how we are all so different. When we do that, we might come back together,” Furutani said.

The several-term school board member noted that in this current moment in culture, there’s so much infighting and not just between left and right, but within the left itself.

By James Preston Allen, Publisher and Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

“People are finding themselves and they’re all the same ilk. We’re on the same path going in the same direction. But we’re fighting each other on it because there are these purity tests and other things going on ... when in fact the fundamental way to cause change is to unite the many against the few that are causing the problem,” Furutani said.

Furutani served in the State Assembly from 2008 to 2012. Prior to his ascension to the State Assembly, he served on the Los Angeles Unified School Board and then the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. The first Asian Pacific American ever elected to the school board in 1987, he became the board’s president in 1991. A fourth-generation Japanese American, Furutani was born in San Pedro but grew up in Gardena. He graduated from Gardena High School in 1965 and went to several community colleges

[See activist, p. 8]

– Again!

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

LA did it again. We’re number one. But, “Being number one is not always a good thing. For the 23rd time in 24 years, the Los Angeles and Long Beach metro area had the worst smog in the country, ” said Joe Lyou, president and CEO of Coalition for Clean Air. “In their latest ‘State of the Air’ report, the American Lung Association found that this area had high ground-level ozone — known more commonly as smog — for 177.3 days on average from 2019 to 2021. The next worst was Visalia, which had 92.2 days. The more smog you breathe, the more likely you are to suffer from lung damage, asthma attacks, missed work days, missed school days, and a long list of other ailments. We have to do better.”

“Being number one for dirty ozone days is not a badge of honor,” said Earthjustice attorney Adrian Martinez.“We hope this year will finally break through to our air agencies that they need to move much faster in adopting regu-

lations to advance zero-emission ports, railyards, warehousers, and factories as these agencies have affirmed that we must get to zero-emissions to breathe air that meets state and federal standards.”

The news was better regarding particle pollution, though not by much. LA/LongBeach ranked fourth worst for annual particle pollution and ninth worst for 24-hour particle pollution — F grades all around. California cities dominated all three measures: four of the top five, and six of the top 10 for both ozone and annual particle pollution, three out of the top five, and eight of the top 10 for 24-hour particle pollution. Only three lightly-populated California counties — Humboldt, Lake and Yolo — did not receive at least one F.

California isn’t alone. A “key finding” was that air quality is worsening in western vs. eastern states, especially for particulates. When they were first added to the

report in 2004, only 44 of 106 counties with 24-hour Fs were in western states, compared to 103 out of 111 this year. Similarly, for annual particle pollution, the report notes, “In 2004, 20 of the 22 states with counties that got a failing grade were east of the Rockies. In 2023, all of the 17 failing counties were in 6 western states.”

Two other “key findings” are:

• One in three Americans live in a place with unhealthy air pollution.

• People of color are 3.7 times more likely than white people to live in a county with failing grades.

A day earlier, on April 19, a new report from the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College

[See Smog, p.

Warren Furutani reflects on a life of activism and service, and how we might come back together

Navy Still Won’t Say What it’s Doing with San Pedro Fuel Depot p. 2

The Passing of a Titan, The Passing of the Torch — Arthur Almeida p. 15

Community Announcements: Harbor Area

Grants for Commercial Façade Improvements Are Now Available

The City of Long Beach is now accepting applications of the Commercial Corridor Façade Improvement Program. Eligible commercial property owners can receive up to $25,000 per storefront and $175,000 per parcel for façade improvements including painting, awnings and signage.

To be eligible for the grant, commercial storefront properties must be located along business corridors in select areas of the city that are designated as high-need neighborhoods and poverty zones.

Details: longbeach.gov/ccfip

Budgeting and Goal Development Workshop

Join a budgeting and goal development workshop hosted by Carolyne Cervantes: VP Financial Manager of First Citizens bank. This workshop will cover the following: financial independence and literacy, investing, job searching, LinkedIn, and goal setting. Refreshments will be served, and attendees will receive 25% off in the Julia’s Closet thrift store.

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., April 29

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/budget-and-goalsworkshop

Venue: YWCA of the Harbor Area & South Bay, 437 W. 9th St., San Pedro

Serve Day in Wilmington

Show some love to the city of Wilmington at the Saturday pop-up. Breakfast will be served, get fit with shoes, assistance in picking out gently used clothing and much more.

If you plan to serve with Restoration Project, sign up in advance. Doing this will help ensure there are enough people working each station.

Prepping starts at 8 a.m.

Time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., April 29

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/serve-day

Venue: Meet at the corner of E. Street and 507 Broad Ave., Wilmington

One Alley at a Time

Help Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council members and the community clean up the alleys. Also let CESPNC know if you are interested in adding murals or native plants. Free snacks will be available while supplies last.

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 29

Cost: Free

Details: 310-918-8650; info@centralsanpedro.org

Venue: 15th St. Elementary School at corner of 15th and Mesa, 1527 S. Mesa St., San Pedro

Household and Hazardous and Electronic Waste Drive-Thru Collection Event

Safely secure items in your trunk/pick-up bed. Hazardous waste items must be in your truck/pick-up bed with no other items.

Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m,. April 29

Cost: Free

Details: 800-238-0173; info@lacsd.org

Venue: Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., RPV

Community Clean Up

Join a community clean up in Harbor Gateway South. Gloves, tools and refreshments will be provided.

Time: 8 to 10 a.m. April 29

Cost: Free

Venue: 20500 Denker Ave., Torrance

DLBA Grants: Community Events Microgrant Program

In an effort to attract and support the creation of more live events in downtown Long Beach, DLBA has implemented an easier and more transparent application process for its Community Event Microgrants. The application process has opened for events taking place between June 6 and Sept. 30. The deadline to submit is May 14.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/communityevents-microgrant

Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years

Navy Still Won’t Say What it’s Doing with San Pedro Fuel Depot

Negotiations with potential renters are still in early stages

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

In 2018, the U.S. Navy announced plans to re-open its fuel depot in San Pedro and on Terminal Island. By 2019, this had caused a huge backlash from nearby residents. But nearly five years later, there has still been no clarification as to what the property will be used for.

There are two terminals that are part of the property, one on North Gaffey St. in San Pedro and another in Terminal Island in Long Beach. Gregg Smith, public affairs officer for the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, said that the Navy is in negotiations with a potential renter for each property. However, the negotiations for the San Pedro terminal are in the very early stages, and Smith could not say when it would be near com pletion. In contrast, the negotiations for the Long Beach terminal are going faster.

“They’re looking at potentially wrapping that up by some time, likely this summer,” Smith said. “And once that happens, we’ll be able put out a lot more information about what that lease entails.”

The Navy had used the fuel depot in World War II, and it was no longer in active use by 1980. By 2014, all fuel tanks were in non-active, temporary closure status, according to the Navy’s website. By 2017, all tanks had been permanently closed, cleaned out and filled in. It was a big shock to nearby residents when the Navy reversed its plans.

Jesse Marquez, executive director of Coalition for a Safer Environment, said that the normal process in the petroleum industry is to remove tanks when they are no longer in use. Instead, the Navy left them underground and filled them with cement. Marquez pointed out that a lot of water is needed to make cement, and that if any toxic material is still inside the tanks, it won’t be trapped in the cement forever.

“Cement, even when it’s solid, hard, it is still pervious to water,” Marquez said. “And cement does deteriorate over time. Even if it’s just a cement slab, sitting there in your backyard for 120 years. It will still deteriorate and pulverize over time.”

Marquez said the Navy probably wanted to entomb leftover chemicals in the cement, but they will go into the ground eventually. He said it will eventually permeate into the ground and potentially go into the water supply, because the metal tanks will rust and deteriorate as well.

Smith claimed that rust was not an issue for the tanks because they are stainless steel. He said that the Navy filled the tanks with cement instead of removing them because it was more cost-effective.

“There have been some toxic residue from some petroleum products that leaked out of some of the tanks,” Smith said. “Those are currently being remediated by the Defense Logistics Agency.”

In 2019, the Navy’s plan was to lease both terminals, and have them be required to refuel the Navy’s ships whenever the Navy required it. However, in 2021, the Navy sent out a request for

proposal with separate leases for both properties, no longer requiring either to be used to refuel the Navy’s ships.

Smith said that while the Navy is still negotiating the leases with potential renters, Department of Defense ethics regulations prohibit the release of most information about how the renters will use the property.

“Because if, for whatever reason, those negotiations fall through, and we would have to renegotiate, or put out a new request for proposals for the use of those properties, that might give somebody the upper hand in a future RFP [request for proposal],” Smith said.

In February 2022, the Navy released a Final Environmental Assessment for renewed fueling operations at the depot. It states a finding of no significant impact, even though it was based on the original plan to use both terminals for refueling.

“[C]ancelation of the Navy fueling requirement at Defense Fuel Support Point San Pedro could allow for a wider range of uses to occur at the Main [San Pedro] Terminal under a potential lease, which would require further environmental analysis,” a document on the Navy’s website states.

A document on the Navy’s website states that none of the entities that could potentially lease the property are interested in using the pipelines in the facility, so four of the pipelines leading away from the site were again classified as abandoned in place as of Feb. 25, 2021.

Smith said that the environmental documentation and negotiations would need to be completed before a deal is made between the Navy and the contractor. He said that the public would also have input at some point. However, he did not say for certain that the public would know what the property would be used for even in the next environmental review process.

“I think it depends on exactly what they’re talking about doing with the property … and

how far along in the negotiation process they are,” Smith said. “I don’t have an answer for that question at this time, but obviously in order to do a proper environmental analysis you’ve got to have some kind of idea of what the property is going to be used for.”

Gwen Henry, chair of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council’s Environment and Sustainability Committee, theorized that Donald Trump taking office was the reason why the Navy initially announced it would use the property for refueling its ships.

“This is my opinion, not as a neighborhood council person, but I believe that the idea and interest in reopening the site might have been through an administration change, and different ideas of what the site should be utilized for,” Henry said. “Because most of the supply depots, all through California, had already been shut down. I believe that San Pedro was one of the last ones.”

Henry said that many were used for parklands.

“They believed, this is what was in the Naval information, that the future of the Navy was going to go away from certain types of strategies of how to fuel,” Henry said. “There are vulnerabilities for example for having fuel sites in different destination areas.”

Henry said the Navy does not give away land or close supply points lightly, it often takes decades. She pointed out that normally there’s a process of environmental review where the public can give feedback. However, when she and others have reached out to the Navy for information on the project, they are often refused, with the excuse being that it’s a matter of national security.

Henry said that she and others have wondered for years what the property would be used for.

“We were hoping that this would move glacially, and it seems that it did,” Henry said.

The Navy’s fuel depot on Terminal Island in Long Beach. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

McOsker Asks for a Program to Hire More City Employees

On April 14, Council District 15 Councilman Tim McOsker introduced a motion to create an incentive program to hire more city employees. A press release from McOsker’s office states that 21% of city jobs are vacant across the City of Los Angeles.

His motion does not include specifics on his proposed plan, but gives examples based on what city departments have done to attract and keep employees. The Los Angeles Police Department created an incentive program which pays new hires $5,000 to enter the police academy, complete training and work for three years, according to the press release. McOsker’s motion also suggests using public service loan forgiveness and subsidizing housing costs for new hires.

The motion has yet to be approved by the city council. First, it went to the Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee, which McOsker chairs. It met on April 18. The motion asks for the city’s personnel department to report back on vacancies citywide within 30 days. It also asks that the personnel department and the city administrative officer provide recommendations on how to hire more employees, prioritizing city departments with the highest vacancy rates. In addition, it asks the city administrative officer to come up with a way to fund this program.

Barragán and Joyce

Reintroduce the Access to Innovative Treatments Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 7, Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), with Rep. John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) reintroduced Access to Innovative Treatments Act, legislation that would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to consider covering new, innovative treatments when enough data is collected on a drug’s effectiveness. The legislation will ensure that as new treatments become available CMS considers each drug individually to determine whether it should be covered by Medicare.

Last April, CMS finalized a National Coverage Determination that monoclonal antibodies directed against amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease be covered for Medicare beneficiaries only under CMS’ Coverage with Evidence Development pathway. This decision restricts coverage for these products to randomized controlled trials approved by the CMS and severely limits access to this entire class of drugs. As a result, less than 1% of Medicare beneficiaries can access currently available treatments.

At the start of the new year, the FDA granted the accelerated approval of Lecanemab, the second of a new category of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) therapy for the treatment of earlystage Alzheimer’s disease. Following this, the Veterans Health Administration announced they will provide coverage of Lecanemab.

Under the act, CMS must open reconsideration of applications within 30 days of notification that a drug under CMS’ coverage with evidence development program is effective and complete reconsideration with 90 days of this notification.

Lee Williams Pointed to Harbor Commission

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

On April 24, Mayor Karen Bass submitted San Pedro realtor Ishmun “Lee” Williams’ name to the city council for consideration for the Los Angeles Harbor Commission, in an attempt to address a couple of long standing issues: ensuring there’s Harbor Area representation on the Harbor Commission and appointing the first African American to the commission.

Mayor Bass in her appointment letter to the city council said that in her opinion, “Mr. Williams is specially qualified by reason of training and experience for the work which shall devolve upon him.”

Williams has been an active member of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce for the past several years and has led a real estate team on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

He has worked as a financial services

consultant with several companies, including IBM, Wells Fargo and Seibel Systems. Lee has a background in small business and mortgage lending as well as formerly being a licensed investment representative for Chase Bank early in his career. Lee earned his degree in business from the University of

Washington. He has raised $300,000 in research funds for cancer treatment.

Williams will fill the vacancy created by the departure of Jaime Lee, whose seat will be vacant on June 5, 2023, or at

the time Ms. Lee’s successor is confirmed by the city council, whichever is first.

Suicide Found at 22nd Street Park

On April 24 at 6:40 a.m., a passerby at the 22nd Street Park saw a school-age male hanging from a tree near the park’s restrooms. The body was later determined to belong to an 18 year-old Port of Los Angeles High School student.

The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department were the first to arrive on the scene, followed by the Los Angeles Port Police. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office arrived at noon to retrieve the body. The authorities on the scene determined that the hanging was a suicide.

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health provides a free 24/7 suicide prevention line for individuals in crisis. Callers can talk confidentially with a caring and trained counselor.

Stop LAPD Spying Coalition Alleges that the City is Destroying LAPD Public Records

On April 18, the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition held a press conference about the City of Los Angeles’ alleged destruction of police records. According to an email from the coalition, Los Angeles Police Department has quietly deleted rosters of LAPD officers from official LAPD websites.The coalition says that some of these records were available for three or four years before the LAPD deleted them.

Allegedly, the city began destroying these records two days after filing a lawsuit against the coalition for the publication of police records that were already made public by the city. The coalition alleges that the city is destroying records that the LAPD does not want to be public any longer, even if the LAPD previously released them.

Bill to Prevent Drink-Spiking Makes Progress

Assembly bill 1013, a bill meant to prevent the spiking of drinks at bars and nightclubs, passed the Assembly Government Organization Committee with a vote of 18-0 on April 13. If passed, the bill will require businesses that primarily sell alcohol to also sell drug testing devices to see if drinks have been drugged. People who spike these drinks use the drugs so that they can sexually assault victims.

AB 1013 will now move on the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Department of Labor Announces $5 Million for Women’s Apprenticeships

The U.S. Department of Labor announced on April 14 that it would be providing $5 million in funding to attract and keep women in Registered Apprenticeships. The money will fund up to 14 grants, and is meant to attract women to fields where they are underrepresented, including construction, manufacturing, cybersecurity, infrastructure and healthcare. Women account for only 14% of Registered Apprenticeships even though they are almost half of the workforce. Registered Apprenticeships are career pathways where workers can earn work experience while being paid, as well as classroom instruction.

Health Impacts of Climate Change on Children in the United States

WASHINGTON — The signs of climate change are all around us, and children are uniquely vulnerable to its impacts. Climate change-related impacts in childhood can have lifelong consequences due to effects on learning, physical health and housing security. A new national-scale, multi-sector EPA report showcases some of the ways children are especially vulnerable to a variety of health effects from climate change due to physical, cognitive, behavioral and social factors.

Smog Report

London, reviewing tens of thousands of studies, documented profound air pollution health impacts throughout the lifecycle, from delays in fetal growth to dementia and early death. “There is increasing evidence that impacts of air pollution are hiding in plain sight in the burden of chronic illness,” the report’s lead author, Dr. Gary Fuller, said. “These air pollution impacts affect our quality of life and have a large cost to society through additional health and social care costs, as well our ability to learn, work and contribute to society.”

Ed Avol, USC professor emeritus of public health, agreed.

“Decades of health effects research have repeatedly demonstrated the assorted linkages between air quality and human health. … Our air quality provides a toxic atmosphere to breathe at levels that researchers have reported are associated with a broad array of negative health consequences,” Avol said. “In addition to respiratory impacts, a growing body of research has begun to link air pollution exposures with a range of cognitive effects, from the ability of schoolchildren to focus on assigned tasks and learn, to acceleration of dementia and Alzheimer’s related challenges among older adults. Other chronic diseases such as diabetes and reproductive health issues such as sperm fertility, premature birth, birth complications, and low birth-weights have also all been associated with chronic air pollution exposure, so the region’s air quality most definitely impacts health across the lifestage!”

San Pedro Bay Ports

Things are even worse in the Harbor Area — though the report doesn’t break things down to that level. “On average, living and working in the Harbor Area in the midst of ongoing exposures associated with port operations increases individual exposures compared to others living in the metropolitan area,” Avol said. “The several MATES reports from the regional air agency has documented the increased carcinogenic risk associated with living in the port area — primarily due to diesel PM emission exposures — compared to the rest of the region.” Those living along highway corridors are also at higher risk.

“This report is just a reminder for all of us working towards cleaner air and climate justice that we need to do more,” said Sierra Club organizer Yassi Kavezade. “We can no longer afford the health costs of facing pollution.”

More is on the table — though not enough. The state air board has scheduled two major pollution-cutting measures for votes April 27 and 28: the Advanced Fleets Regulation, accelerating zero-emission truck markets, and the InUse Locomotive Regulation, a multifaceted rule that phases out older locomotives, limits idling and includes a 2030s transition to zero-emission

Carson Teen Found, Investigation Continues

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

Missing Carson teen Alinka Castenada has been found and returned to her family. At an April 19 press conference, family advocate Mo ses Castillo described the events leading to the teen’s return.

Monday morning, I received a phone

about where she was. A psychologist told them not to pressure Alinka until she was ready to talk.

Castillo believes his appearance on News Nation on April 16 is what led to the communications that resulted in the teen’s return home.

Curiously, there were no representatives from the Carson Sheriff’s station (despite the news conference being held in front of the Carson Sheriff’s Station) and no representative from the Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division, which ultimately found Castaneda in Venice.

The Carson Sheriff’s media relations department confirmed that the investigation is ongoing but said the case is being treated as either a runaway or a runaway who after was held against her will.

“I can tell you what happened on Sunday night, Sunday night, I appeared on a nationwide news channel, and I had a direct message to the individual holding Alinka. After that direct message, Monday comes and here we are,” Castillo said.

“I said to that adult male, ‘We know who you are but we’re not going to release your name just yet. Allow her to go to a local hospital.’” Castillo recounted.

were restricted in what they could say about the case given that the investigation is still ongoing.

Castillo said on Monday morning, a phone call was made to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division. Uniformed patrol officers responded to a location somewhere in the Venice Beach area.

Alinka’s mother, Maricela Avila, explained, with Castillo translating on her behalf:

was already with the police. Avila had called Castillo on the way to getting to her daughter. When she arrived, she saw Alinka sitting on a bench talking to the police.

She cries a lot. She’s very emotional. She has a lot of anxiety. She’s very scared and frightened. Last night, we actually slept together holding each other. And as far as what she told me, you know, I didn’t want to know

That Alinka was found in the very area the family concentrated their search efforts was no surprise to Castillo.

“It seemed as if the other places mentioned by the person holding Alinka captive were just plugs to throw investigators off,” Castillo said.

Representatives from the Carson Sheriff’s Department said the April 19 press conference was premature.

Graphic of Joe Lyou, president and CEO of Coalition for Clean Air by Terelle Jerricks.

Moses Castillo with Maricela Avila surrounded by the rest of Alinka Castenada’s family at the Carson Sheriff’s station on April 19. Photo by Terelle Jerricks

[See Number One, p. 13]

Carson Students Show Civic Pride in Essay Contest

On April 20, the City of Carson celebrated the winners of the “Why I Like Carson” essay writing contest. The 24 third through eighth graders celebrated with 170 attendees including city staff, the Public Relations Commission, contest judges, school principals, coordinators, teachers, families and friends.

The essay-writing contest was started in 1996 by the late Councilwoman Mary Anne O’Neal to foster community pride among the youth. It is the original and first civic contest of its kind in Carson.

Each winner received a certificate, medal, and gift card. The honorable mention awardees received $100; the third place winners received $150; the second place winners received $175; and the first place winners received $200. Photo courtesy of the City of Carson

Murdoch’s Threat to Democracy

Tucker Carlson is booted from News Corp

By James Preston Allen, Publisher

I’m neither shocked nor sorry to see Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson get unceremoniously kicked off Fox News, as he, along with his predecessors Bill O’Reilly, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham have been some of worst political blabber-mouths on any major network. These far-right commentators have been promoted to dispense and propagate the worst America has to offer.

It would appear that the only one who was shocked may have been Carlson himself, as he “found out about his firing 10 minutes before it was announced, according to the Wall Street Journal,” a publication owned by Rupert Murdoch.

His departure from the faux news network while being outed for lying in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit would seem to be just desserts for this blowhard. What doesn’t seem to get addressed by other media critics is that he was fired for doing the very thing he was hired to do at Fox News. The true scandal here is not that he’s a racist, nor that he intentionally lied to viewers repeatedly about the 2020 election, but that he did it with the full knowledge and approval of his management — specifically Rupert Murdoch the chair of Fox Corporation and executive chairman of News Corp. If anyone should be fired, banned from media ownership and sued repeatedly it’s Murdoch himself.

For the last 40 years he has built a media empire on the values espoused by Carlson and others that has inspired the worst instincts of many Americans, mostly in rural red states, that rely heavily on cable news, often as their sole news source.

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

Is it any wonder that in some parts of this

nation, people have been fed this propaganda for decades, continue to swallow this crapnews-opinion menu and then rise up in insurrection to defend a grifter like No. 45?

What is curious is how so many people in Southern California, who have other options, have imbibed in this gutter of misinformation.

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good debate of opposing factions as much as anyone else, but that is not what’s on Fox News. In fact, over the last 50 years the media consolidation in this country has eliminated the majority of independent sources, and independent voices, so much so that vast portions of this nation have become “news deserts” and independent media like RLNews

have become increasingly rare. What’s even worse than the corporate control over the news is the consolidation of radio, live entertainment bookings, book publishing, and almost every form of cultural expression under one or two corporations. This has been the counter revolution to what came out of the 1960s. We may have changed the music, but we didn’t change who controls the means of producing it. Thus, people like Rupert Murdoch. If there is a culture war in America, it is between those who create it and those who control its consumption. And beyond the worst is that corporate media is monetized by ratings and money chasing. Not reporting the truth or adhering to fact-based journalism or even promoting quality over pop-culture at the box office. Note how they rate blockbuster movies by how much the movies rake in on a weekly basis rather than how good they are. The chasing of “celebrity status” has just become such a farce that all one needs to do is become a TikTok influencer or a billionaire who buys Twitter and blows up rockets in Texas. But I digress…

Rupert Murdoch and the other billionaires behind the largest media conglomerates are the poster children of capitalism-run amuck and are the very threat to our republic that the founding fathers warned us about. Thomas Jefferson feared that great wealth inequality would threaten to destroy the nation, creating class differences that would overwhelm the shared commitment to the rights, responsibilities, and benefits at the core of the American republic’s design. And the continued consolidation of media and culture has done as much to divide America as Carlson’s racism and fact-free lies.

Carlson’s ouster doesn’t change the fact that Fox News is rotten to the core. For over six years, he has provided a platform for hate, lies, and racism. It is a far right-wing propaganda machine that will do anything to advance its ratings and agenda, while raking in millions and millions of dollars in profits. The entire Fox News network should be held accountable (Murdoch in particular) and for the sake of the nation, it should be dismantled.

In just a couple of weeks, these corporate advertisers will likely be striking new deals with Fox News for the next year. AT&T, General Motors, and Subway have the choice to stop future advertising deals with Fox News or to continue funding the hate and lies that undermine our democracy.

Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com

Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya

The Lifeblood of Democracy

Journalists are on the front lines of battles to defend the right to freedom of expression

By Andy Lee Roth

Two cornerstones of democracy — freedom of expression and freedom of information — are under concerted attack, in the United States and around the world.

In the U.S., for example, reactionary elected officials seek to ban books in schools, often in the name of protecting children; and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, seek to curb online speech that they deem dangerous.

Here and globally, tech companies and social media platforms engage in algorithmic gatekeeping, throttling online traffic to progressive news outlets and vital LGBTQ+ content, while embattled leaders in nations such as Benin and Malaysia use “fake news” laws — enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, ostensibly to restrict misinformation about it — to harass, jail, or silence journalists whose reporting challenges those regimes. Anonymous individuals serve the fossil fuel industry by filing bogus copyright complaints to stifle investigative journalists and news outlets whose work is critical of the industry.

Threats to freedom of expression and freedom of information, such as these, undermine the possibility of a well-informed public, which, in turn, erode the effectiveness of democratic institutions. Freedom of expression and access to information are foundational rights, meaning they are essential to the protection and exercise of other basic rights: They insure, for example, that each person, community, and society can

express their fundamental needs — for clean water, healthy food, adequate shelter, and fresh air, not to mention healthcare, education, and fair wages. One international human rights organization, Article 19, describes freedom of expression as the “lifeblood of democracy.”

This is one fundamental reason that numerous organizations—including Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, and Article 19— promote press freedom and defend the rights of journalists. Journalists serving the public interest protects fundamental human rights. They are “on the front line,” defending and promoting all people’s rights to freedom of expression and information.

Those rights were formally articulated in Paris, 75 years ago, when the General Assembly Of the United Nations affirmed freedom of information and expression as inalienable human rights. Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) declared that “everyone” has the right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Of course, just because an organization such as the United Nations asserts that freedom of expression and information are universal and inalienable does not mean this is automatically true for everyone everywhere. Far from it. The broad and widening gap between the ideals expressed in Article 19 and the reality of the

April 27May 10, 2023

“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. XLIIII : No. 9

Random Lengths News is a publication of Beacon Light Press, LLC

Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach.

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Annual

RANDOM Letters

Thank You’s from Readers and More THANK YOU!!!

ALINKA CASTANEDA HAS BEEN FOUND!!

God bless ALINKA and her family and friends and neighbors and PI Moises and her City of Carson all who worked to find her and kept her story alive in the

media and all who held her in their prayers.It’s an EASTER MIRACLE.

Blessings to all and to ALINKA.

https://abc7.com/carson-girlfound-missing-alinka-angelinecastaneda/13145488/

Rose Roeder Carson

Please accept my congratulations on the outstanding April 1326, 2023, edition of RLN. From the climate crisis to the shock of GOP members of Congress wearing AR15 lapel pints, the coverage in this period’s paper is most impressive. Of special note is the labor news this month. Terelle Jerricks’s feature-length coverage of the ILWU’s “Walk the Coast” program to raise funds for child cancer research certainly caught one’s attention. As Jerricks notes toward his conclusion, the story is “about believing in the best of humanity,” which certainly characterizes the ILWU and its efforts here and elsewhere. Last, James Allen Preston’s editorial piece, “Media Gets Labor Wrong Again,” which sets the record straight about the problems with mainstream reporting on the ILWU and the PMA, pairs with Jerricks’s story in memorable and sobering fashion.

Harvey Schwartz El Cerrito

I just thought I would let you know that your article is getting a lot of good feedback. One of my friends in Michigan found it and sent it to me. MICHIGAN. You are world famous. My sister found it and cried because you mentioned our mother. I sent it to every do-

nor from here to Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. This is doing a lot of good for the kids.

Dan Imbagliazzo San Pedro

Thank you and Melina for the supportive and positive article about fINdings Art Center. We really appreciate your efforts to assist in keeping us going. Best wishes for a good week.

Annette Ciketic San Pedro

Deregulation on the Way

Looks like a scary oil/Republican plan to destroy EPA and HF conversion will pass!

You may remember that a

couple of months ago the oil industry through the Republican Party introduced a package of bills to destroy regulation of the oil industry and in particular exclude HF refineries even examining safer alternatives.

Rep. Nannette Barragán led the effort against this in the House and all House Dems (locals like

Waters, Lieu, etc and 20 representatives and 15 senators) have been against this— Here is an article from the oil industry point of view and it looks like they may have the votes in the Senate!

Steven Goldsmith President, Torrance Refinery Action Alliance

Daniel

[from previous page]

Lifeblood

world in which we live inspires my work with Project Censored, a news watch organization that champions independent journalism and critical media literacy education.

Since 1976, Project Censored has vetted and highlighted independent news reporting on important social issues that corporate news outlets have failed to cover. Often those failures are due to the corporate media’s narrow definitions of who and what count as “newsworthy.”

By privileging official, elite perspectives and interests, corporate news subtly but significantly undermines the ideals of free expression declared in Article 19. This systemic bias in corporate media treats most of the world’s population as passive bystanders, whose rights to expression are irrelevant or undesirable. As Arundhati Roy wrote in An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire (2006), “There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless.’ There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.”

Critical media literacy, the second component of Project Censored’s mission, provides people with practical tools to engage media proactively. Critical media literacy education raises questions about power, focusing especially on connections between concentrated ownership of media and the production, distribution, and interpretation of media messages. The ability to determine the trustworthiness of specific news reports, for example, hinges on understanding how news “frames” our view of the world — including how that framing often reflects (and reinforces) deep-rooted power dynamics and enduring social inequalities.

Many people in the U.S. might scoff at the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights as either an anachronism from a bygone era in international politics or, in U.S. context, a redundancy, given this nation’s Bill of Rights. But not even journalists working in the United States — ostensibly protected under the First Amendment — can take for granted the right to freedom of

expression articulated in Article 19 of the UDHR.

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker carefully documents press freedom violations in the United States, including arrests, equipment seizures, assaults and interrogations, which occur on a shockingly regular basis. In the most extreme cases, journalists face grave threats for doing their jobs. In February 2023, Dylan Lyons, a reporter for Spectrum News 13 was killed while working at the scene of a homicide in Pine Hills, Florida; his colleague, photojournalist Jesse Walden, was critically wounded. And, in September 2022, Jeff German, an investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was stabbed to death outside his home. The suspect charged with premeditated murder is a former county official who was the subject of past and pending reporting by German.

Seventy-five years since ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the chasm between these grim realities and Article 19’s lofty ideals might be interpreted as cause for pessimism. But we cannot fall into despair; the stakes are too high. Instead, I interpret the UDHR’s bold affirmation of freedom of expression as a compass arrow that can reliably orient us, especially when our target destination is not directly visible. If Article 19 points us in the desired direction, then critical media literacy education and independent journalism provides guidance along the way. They signal where pitfalls threaten to ensnare us, and they alert us to how the power of media can be harnessed to remake our world in closer alignment with the values articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Andy Lee Roth is the associate director of Project Censored. His research and writing have been published in a variety of outlets, including Index on Censorship, In These Times, YES! Magazine, Media, Culture & Society, and the International Journal of Press/Politics. He earned a PhD in sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BA in sociology and anthropology at Haverford College.

—

https://tinyurl.com/ellsberg-doomsday-machine

Try, Try Again U.S. Senators Plan to Introduce Bill to Legalize Marijuana Banking

https://tinyurl.com/try-again-mj-banking

activist: Warren Furutani

and earned a bachelor of arts degree at Antioch University.

The former legislator who retained much of the fire that made him a firebrand in his youth dedicated his book to his immediate family: his parents and three brothers, their families, and hundreds of friends and comrades with whom he shared experiences he enumerates in his book. He says that to this day, the movement still provides him with a sense of purpose.

Furutani noted that he purposely spelled “activist” with a lowercase “a.”

“Activism for me is a common element of people,” he said. “And for me, activism grew out of life.”

Furutani graduated high school in 1965, an era when a lot of things were fermenting in life; in society; and the community. It was one of those seminal moments where people alive during that moment knew where they were the moment they got the news that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

The septuagenarian noted that awareness of himself, the world, and his place in it did not just immediately happen, but rather he underwent a gradual awakening caused by a number of factors, the primary ones were due to his family, which he discusses in his book.

Furutani recounted his father telling him and his three brothers, “Don’t be afraid to be different.”

“And of course, as boys ... as youngsters, we didn’t want to be different,” Furutani noted. “We wanted to be like everybody else. We wanted the same bicycles; imagined ourselves in the same TV shows that everybody else watched, but we were different just by virtue of the fact we were Japanese.”

Furutani noted his family was different from a lot of Japanese Americans who grew up around him, noting that his were three or four generations deep in the United States, while the parents of his classmates were second generation.

The former assemblyman described first and second generation Japanese Americans as really conservative, noting they had suffered the brunt of

being put in camp and then relocated back to where they came from.

“For the most part, they had to start over from scratch. So they were very conservative,” Furutani said.

Furutani said that although his dad was of that age group, he was a sansei (third generation) because his family was from Hawaii.

“So he was different. He wasn’t conservative,” Furutani explained. “My friends told my brothers and me, ‘You have the cool dad.’ My dad would talk to my friends, my dad would give them rides on his motorcycle. Back then he had hot rods, and he played jazz music but he was Japanese-American. So it was really different.”

Furutani went on to explain how the WWII internment camps became a touchstone in the Japanese American experience.

“I was born right after the camp experience in 1947. It was talked about at family gatherings, it’s referenced here and there, but always in hushed tones. ‘What camp were you in all? Did you know so-and-so who lived in block so-and-so.’ It becomes a reference point,” Furutani explained. “Whenever someone outside the experience would ask, ‘Well what are these camps?’ Everybody would hush up. Camp was the YMCA summer camp. Camp was someplace where you learned how to make a lanyard if you were lucky to go to camp. So an incongruity existed.” It was through his activ-

ism that these camps became accurately called “concentration camps,” which is the designation on the Manzanar historic plaque where many of LA’s Japanese community ended up, except Furutani’s parents from Terminal Island were held in Arkansas during the war.

Fast forward to the 1960s, Furutani discusses the camp experience from the perspective of a third-generation Japanese American. Furutani graduated from high school in 1965, back when a lottery was instituted for draft-age students.

“Everybody wanted to stay out of the draft because we could see the war on television,” Furutani explained. “For the first time, you could see war on television and it just didn’t look good. No matter who was being killed. You would look at the people that were being killed and he said, wait a minute. That looks like obaasan that looks like my grandmother.”

Between World War II and the war in Vietnam, there had been a smattering of incidents

in which Asian American soldiers got shot because they looked like the enemy.

Furutani said he knew of Asian American Vietnam War veterans who were able to recount stories of being brought up in front of the whole troop during training camp and the sergeant would say, “This is what the enemy looks like.”

The conscientious objector recounted a story related to him by Judge Vincent Okamoto, who received the second-highest award for bravery in the Vietnam War.

“He told me a story of being on a helicopter being evacuated out of a firefight, and one of the American soldiers was getting ready to be thrown out the door because that’s what they did with the Vietnamese prisoners when they were trying to get out of a really crazy situation. They were going to throw him out because they thought he was a Vietnamese soldier until he started telling them that he was American and referencing baseball and start-

ed proving his American pedigree. Otherwise, he’d have been thrown out the door. So, if you look at that from WWII to the Korean War to the Vietnam War, all of this is an Asia war with Asian people. And when you live in a country where people basically can’t tell the difference, it doesn’t matter if you’re Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese … it’s all the same.”

Furutani’s political maturation is strikingly similar to International Longshore and Warehouse Union icon Dave Arian, who in high school attended an NAACP protest in Torrance and in 1965 was arrested (the first of many times) at the Wilshire Federal Building during a demonstration in solidarity with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights workers in Selma, Alabama.

Like Arian, Furutani was also an outspoken advocate for civil rights and an early, militant opponent of the war in Vietnam. He organized and attended demonstrations throughout the state, forming coalitions with members of the burgeoning stu-

dent, Black Power, and Chicano movements.

Furutani was allied in political positions and organizationally with groups involved in ethnic power politics, he always viewed education as the linchpin that connected his activism and politics. In fact, he believes education is still key.

“Looking at how to educate people for me became a way of looking at systems and we did alternate education, experimental education, and community schools,” Furutani explained. “[I] kept coming back to a fundamental democratic institution, and I’ve always believed in democracy, [and that] a fundamental institution is public education.”

But also like Arian in his later years, Furutani has taken a more pragmatic approach to the world. In the last chapter of ac•tiv•ist, entitled OG-san (where American slang meets Japanese, oji-san for older man or uncle), Furutani reflects on the past three years covering the pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, anti-immigrant policies, Asian hate, and homelessness. In his estimation, these are not new issues. But as he reveals, his BS meter is too sensitive to sit by and listen to young activists and potential candidates drone on about what they won’t do because they are too woke and progressive.

“Tell me what you’re gonna do and how you’re going to do it is my constant query,” Furutani said in the first few graphs of his book’s last chapter. In fact, he lists 10 ideas for readers to think about, but primarily among his concerns is how to bridge the divide in this country.

“I’ve been an advocate for diversity and acknowledging differences in the importance of different people in different groups. But I think maybe it’s time to stop and put it on hold,” Furutani said. “And let’s talk about what our common ground is ... when we do that, we might come back together.”

On Thursday, April 27, Warren Furutani will be doing book signings at Page Against the Machine in Long Beach at 7 p.m. and another one on Sunday, June 4 at Sacred Grounds at 2 p.m. Visit his website, www.ac-tiv-ist.com.

Warren Furutani attends demonstrations against the Vietnam war with members of Black Power and Chicano movements. File photos

From the pre-show chatter around me, it was clear I was far from the only audience member not to be familiar with Vincent Minelli’s An American in Paris, the 1951 Best Picture winner that obviously bore some relation to what we were about to see. Beyond being able to identify the opening strains of George Gershwin’s orchestral piece (also of the same name), I was completely in the dark. Did Gershwin write it for the musical? Did the film come later? No idea.

If you are equally ignorant of the subject at hand, I recommend you stop reading this immediately and buy a ticket to this show (right now — go!), because there is no bliss quite like being taken completely unawares by great art — which is what Musical Theatre West is bringing us here on absolutely every level.

But if you insist on more info…

I hardly know where to begin, because part of the brilliance of An American in Paris (this production, at least, since I’ve got no other reference point) is that literally every element — plot and acting, music and dance, lighting, costumes, sets — perfectly complements all the others, generating a unified whole that’s greater than the sum of its excellent parts.

But okay, start with the story. Paris, 1945. World War II is over, and not all American GIs are in a rush to go home. Jerry (Luke Hawkins) is finding so much inspiration for his sketches in the City of Lights — especially when he encounters Lise (Sareen Tchekmedyian), on the cusp of becoming a prima ballerina — that he tears up his ticket home and wanders into a café where aspiring composer Adam (Louis Pardo) has landed a modest gig. Adam is helping Henri (Michael Bullard) with his dreams of becoming a song-anddance man, and the trio become bestest buds. But when they all end up falling for the same gal — whose heart and sense of duty are pulling her in opposite directions — how’re we gonna get our happy ending?

doesn’t ring true emotionally.

The superior acting of the cast brings every bit of that home. We absolutely get why everyone loves Lise. We absolutely feel Adam’s awkwardness and wit. We bask in the genuine warmth of Henri’s father (Martin Kildare). And as Henri’s mother, Leslie Stevens makes the most of her limited time at center stage, extracting all the humor and brittle humanity that Lucas has compressed into her character arc.

And they can sing, too. Although the solos range from solid to great, it’s the combos that really soar. Two voices, four, the entire company — “wow” moments every time. And even though I saw a preview (press typically comes opening night), Julie Ferrin’s sound design was completely dialed in, perfectly balancing all voices with each other and with the orchestra (absolutely fabulous under David Lamoureux’s direction).

Musically, An American in Paris is like a volume of Gershwin’s Greatest Hits: The Man I Love, ’S Wonderful, But Not for Me, They Can’t Take That Away from Me, For You, For Me, For Evermore . . . Yet they’re all used so thoughtfully it feels like every one was written for the purpose they serve here. I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise, for example, is sublimated to the whole by eschewing most of the lyrics because Henri is distracted by unexpected guests at his song-and-dance debut.

ByGreggoryMoore,

The storytelling that brings us there is economical and far cleverer than you’ll generally find in the world of jukebox musicals. The plot is substantive enough to sustain interest all on its own, partly because somehow every character is not only supposed to be likeable but actually earns it. Then there are a few dashes of meta, as music happening in their world organically morphs into full-blown numbers in ours. Plus, the comedy works, all the better for its judiciousness. There’s no wasted motion in Craig Lucas’s book, and nothing that

Columnist

But for my taste, half of what the Gershwins do (especially George’s instrumental pieces) comes fully to life only when complemented by movement — and fully exploiting these possibilities is the genius of An American in Paris. In a musical like this (to whatever degree there are other musicals “like this”), with so much dancing tied to specific ideas (for example, there’s a 15-minute ballet-within-a-ballet starring Lise, who’s inspired by imaging Jerry as her partner as the real Jerry watches her dance), I don’t understand exactly how it works. What’s explicit in the script? They checked out the film, right? (Gene Kelly might have had an idea or two worth keeping, what?) Did they crib that bit on the park bench from La La Land? Did La La Land get it from Kelly?

[See Paris, p.10]

Rebecca Johnson and Luke Hawkins, above, in Musical Theatre West’s live stage production of An American in Paris at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Photos by Caught In The Moment Photography

ur story ends in front of a pile of Ukrainian crepes. Some are flavored with savory herbs and cottage cheese, and others are filled with strawberries, vanilla and sweet cheese. These crepes, called nalysnyky (gnaw-lees-nike), make the perfect Mother’s Day meal. But first, some thoughts on the true meaning of Mother’s Day.

We have this little black hen who recently became obsessed with sitting on eggs. Any time she or another hen laid an egg she would roll it into the pile she had going, and gently settle herself on top. All day long, sitting in the nesting box atop her pile. When I collected the eggs she’d peck at my hand.

We don’t have a rooster in the flock, so the eggs our hens lay aren’t fertilized and won’t hatch. So I called a farmer friend with roosters, and she brought me a dozen freshly laid eggs to market. We put them in the layer box, marked with Sharpie, and little Blackie sat down and got to work. Twenty-two days later six of them hatched, and our little heroine realized that the work had only begun.

Mother’s Day as we know it began as a memorial to the peace activist Ann Jarvis. During the Civil War, Ann Jarvis had run “Mother’s Work Camps” in West Virginia, where she and other women worked to improve sanitary conditions for children. They declared these camps neutral and treated both Union and Confederate soldiers. When the war ended, Jarvis organized a reconciliation event with soldiers from both sides. At that time, she and fellow activist mother Julia Ward Howe had proposed a “Mothers’ Peace Day” to empower a mother’s sacred right to protect the lives of her boys, aka the soldiers.

The first Mother’s Day celebration came two years after Jarvis’ death, on the second Sunday of May 1905. It was organized by her daughter Anna, who made sure it was a celebration for all mothers, not just hers. The younger Jarvis filled a church with white carnations and led a day of mother appreciation, the likes of which nobody had ever seen. The event was such a hit that it kept going, and growing, year after year until President Woodrow Wilson declared it a

national holiday in 1914.

Nobody understands the cost of war like a mother, and no conflict is more gutting than a Civil War. The Ukraine War feels like a Civil War, given the close historical ties between the two nations, with years of intermarriage and interactions between the people of both nations. If mothers were in charge of Mother Russia—perhaps the most ironic nickname ever—this war would simply not be happening. Mothers want calm, stability, safety. They have wisdom

Better Call Mom

By Ari LeVaux, Flash In the Pan Columnist

Nalysnyky Recipe

when I entered the yard, presumably to protect the baby chicks. Another took a stab at sitting on eggs. The mothering impulse is contagious.

My mom’s parents came over from Ukraine, where the baked Ukrainian crepes called nalysnyky are a comfort food. They are traditionally filled with cottage cheese and dill, which happens to be my mom’s favorite herb, so to her these

If mom isn’t a dill lover with a Ukrainian mother, I’ve come up with a sweet nalysnyky that’s more in line with what we’ve come to expect from Mother’s Day. It’s filled with a blend of mascarpone and ricotta cheeses, mixed with chopped strawberries, flavored with vanilla and drizzled in chocolate sauce.

Whichever filling you use, the rest of the technique won’t change. My son likes chopped ham in his dill nalysnyky, and his brother prefers them filled with imitation crab, asparagus and brie. Just be careful of watery ingredients, as they will make for a soupy filling. Serves 2

Crepe Ingredients:

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

¼ cup heavy cream

½ stick butter

Savory Filling:

and perspective. They want peace.

After little Blackie the hen hatched her eggs, she fussed over them tirelessly, following and herding the little puffballs around the chicken yard, teaching them how to scratch and peck. Or she would sit in a sunny spot and let the chicks burrow into her feathers, from where they’d continue cheep-cheeping, invisibly. The other hens were inspired. One ran at me

An American in Paris

Whatever. It’s not so much that the dancing in director/choreographer Jeffry Denman’s An American in Paris is vigorous, elegant, clever, and fun — though it’s all that, too; it’s about how purposeful it is. Even to untrained eyes, most of the ballet directly relates to the music, and the tap is a tasteful layer of percussion (rhythms, syncopations, flourishes) rather than clicketyclack for its own sake. Clear symbiosis of music and movement. Even the show’s flattest songs (e.g., I’ve Got Beginner’s Luck) are redeemed by interesting choreographic turns.

As for the execution of all those snazzy steps, to these untrained eyes An American in Paris seems to score a high degree of difficulty across the board. Tchekmedyian and Hawkins do the heaviest lifting, and they’re often spectacular. One of the biggest treats is Liza, a back-and-forth where they joyously dabble in each other’s specialty.

But in every sense, this show is about the gestalt. Fidgety Feet is such a smart stretch of

dilly crepes deliver a delicious dose of nostalgia. But she is cool with strawberries and chocolate, too. I’ve made them with ham and cheese, which my kids like, and even tried a version filled with fake crab and asparagus. It’s a very forgiving dish.

If only life were so forgiving, and peace as easy to make as crepes.

overall choreography, melding the ever-swelling dance routine in our world with the stolid ballet being performed in theirs, that by the end you almost forget the first half, when Hawkins was so effortlessly commanding tapping atop the piano you were like: Fuck you, dude. After about 75% of the numbers I wanted to hit rewind and watch them again. Because Denman has meticulously choreographed every second of this show, half the time you don’t know where to look. The ensemble plays an outsized role for both their dancing and their part in bringing this Paris to life.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that everything is visually sumptuous. From the opening tableau of a piano at center stage with a gallimaufry of color coming off the 88 keys, Jean-Yves Tessier’s lighting bathes and plays off every surface so vibrantly that the production photos are downright drab by comparison. Same goes for the set design. Whether we’re moving through the city or inside a salon or concert hall, David Arsenault’s considered mix of broad strokes (the inside of a large café window) and minute details (the rainbow of bottles at the bar) would be gorgeous even without being part

1 cup full fat cottage cheese, preferably large curd

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons dill, chopped (or more, if you’re cooking for my mom)

½ teaspoon salt

If your filling contains cottage cheese the first step will be to place the cheese in a colander and let any water drain. Then proceed to making crepes.

[continued on following page]

of the overall dance: rotating on a turntable, presenting a variety of backgrounds (static and kinetic) on a half-dozen moveable vertical screens that perfectly tailor performance space to the choreography — and whose movement is part of the choreography.

Bradley Allen Lock’s costumery deserves special mention, if for no other reason than almost any one of Lise’s many outfits would stand out enough to serve as her official “uniform” in your average musical. That, combined with a great wig (kudos, Therese Levasseur), makes Sareen Tchekmedyian every bit as striking as Lise needs to be from the moment we meet her.

For all the specifics I left out, this review could easily be twice as long. But you get the idea, right? This is musical theatre firing on all cylinders. Go!

An American in Paris at Musical Theatre West Times: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday through April 30 Cost: $20 to $125; student rush tix: $15

Details: 562-856-1999, musical.org

Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 W. Atherton, Long Beach

History Today

Step into history and see how Merchant Mariners lived and worked through artifact, videos and historic anecdotes. Learn what they faced on the open seas during wartime, determined to supply U.S. and allied troops in active war zones.

A Ukrainian crepe called a nalysnyky can be savory or sweet. Perfect for Mother’s Day. Photo by Ari LeVaux

[Paris, from p. 9]

[from previous page]

Add the eggs, salt and milk to a mixing bowl. Mix furiously, with a whisk or electric mixer until the eggs are thoroughly beaten. Add the flour, ¼ cup at a time, mixing as you add it to avoid lumps, which a real crepe maker would never tolerate.

When the batter is completely smooth and homogenized, heat an omelet pan on medium. Add about a teaspoon of butter and tilt the pan around to spread it evenly. Add ¼ cup of batter to the buttered

pan, quickly making a spiral from the center. Immediately tilt the pan around to fill the gaps and completely cover the bottom of the pan. The window for doing this is very short as the crepes will quickly cook. It is an art to fill the pan bottom with a perfect circle. Imperfect circles are fine too, because when they are filled and rolled nobody will notice.

Shake the pan to keep the crepe from sticking—if you’ve used enough batter and it’s a decent pan it won’t. After about two minutes the crepe will shrink a little, and moisture will start to bubble from the

top. It’s about done at that point. Do not flip it. Slide it off the pan and onto a plate. Repeat until the batter is gone and you have 10 crepes. Mix together the ingredients to your filling of choice. Place a tablespoon of filling near the edge of a crepe. Roll that edge over the filling. Fold and tuck the two ends as you roll the crepe across the plate.

Stack the rolled crepes in a lightly buttered pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let them cool to a safe temperature and serve warm.

FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK

ART GALLERIES OPEN STUDIOS LATE DINING LIVE MUSIC

Frames by JJ

Come visit our frame shop and get your project started. Your art deserves the best. 1,000 frame samples to choose from or custom build your own. Check out some local art and understand the important details behind framing and your investment.

Details: 310-600-8881

Venue: Epiphany Framing, 343 W. 7th St. San Pedro

Palos Verdes Art Center

MICHAEL DAVIS: PERCEPTION

“While navigating Landsat records of Earth’s land surfaces from space I discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. These were immense open pit mines at numerous locations world wide, many of which were Rare Earth mines or REEs. The mining and processing to separate the rare earth elements is an environmental conundrum,” Michael Davis said. Each Rare Earth artwork combines appropriated materials with archival digital and 3D imagery. The works depict a rich, elegant and yet profane account of history and current events in sublime juxtapositions.

Perception is on view May 5 through July 8. An artist reception will be held June 10, 6 to 9 p.m.

Details: 310-541-2479; www.pvartcenter.org

Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center / Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education, 5504 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes

Michael Stearns Studio CEREMONY

OR SACRED

Michael Stearns’ sculptures incorporate natural materials along with found urban components to create communication out of discord.

Michael Stearns Studio @The Loft is open on San Pedro’s First Thursday ArtWalk from 6 to 9 p.m.

Details: 562-400-0544; www.michaelstearnsstudio.com

Time: 1 to 5 p.m., Saturdays or by appointment

Venue: Michael Stearns Studio@ The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro.

Michael Stearns, Sky Ladder, stone, wood. leather and fiber

The Loft Studios and Gallery

This group exhibition showcases a selection of works by Syracuse University School of Art MFA students Jaleel Blanchard, Markus Denil and Joseph H. Troxler. The artworks were completed this spring during Syracuse University’s L.A. Turner Semester Residency Program. The works are guideposts, illuminating the trail on which we travel. As moments reverberate, our relation to the world we inhabit changes. We’ve been here before, but maybe we’re different now.

Reception for the artists May 4, 5 to 9 p.m. The show closes May 6.

Details: jaleel1blanchard@gmail.com, markusdenil@gmail.com or joseph.trox@gmail.com

Time: 5 to 6 p.m., May 4

Venue: The Loft Studios and Gallery, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro.

Palabora Mine, South Africa 2022, paint, fabric, wall paper, archival digital print, paint on aluminum panel. 42” H x23” W x 7/8” D

MUSIC

April 28

Sweet Seasons

Few singer-songwriters have been as prolific and impactful as Carole King. Driven by love and admiration for Carole’s music, tribute artist Carla Buffa felt compelled to assemble a group of musicians to pay homage to King’s legend.

Time: 8 p.m., April 28

Cost: $20

Details: https://tinyurl.com/sweetseasons-Carole-King

Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

April 29

Perla Batalla and Quetzal

Two essential musical voices of Los Angeles, singer-songwriter

Perla Batalla and East LA Chicano rock group Quetzal, share the stage in a rare collaboration celebrating multi-ethnic LatinX culture.

Time: 8 p.m., April 29

Cost: $39 to $49

Details: cap.ucla.edu

Venue: Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Court, Los Angeles

April 30

The Chevalier de Saint-Georges Festival

This festival celebrates the work of Chevalier de Saint-Georges ne Joseph Bologne, also known as the Black Mozart, and leading violinist and composer in the French court of Marie Antoinette.

Time: 5 to 6:30 p.m., April 30

Cost: $25 to $60

Details: https://tinyurl.com/CHEVALIER-Saint-Georges

Venue: First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles

May 13

Camerata Singers Evening of Song

This event features the talents of individual singers in the group, as they perform solos, duets, and small ensemble numbers.

Time: 4:30 p.m., May 13

Cost: $40 to $65

Details: https://tinyurl.com/LBcamerata

Venue: Wilson High School Audi-

torium, 4400 E 10th St, Long Beach

ENTERTAINMENT

April

KHMERASPORA

Dymally-Jazz-Festival

Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park, 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson

May 7

When Disco Was King

Join The Kings of Disco – all former members of the world-famous group Village People – as they take you back to the disco culture, the people, the vibe and the music.

Time: 7 p.m., May 7

Cost: $50 to $70

Details: 562-916-8500; cerritoscenter.com

Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

THEATER

April 27

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This is a version of William Shakespeare’s immersive, theatrical experience.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 7

Cost: $15 to $50

Details: https://houseofbards.org

Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

May 5

The Addams Family

The Act Out Theatre Company presents The Addams Family, a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family.

Time: Friday, Saturday, 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., May 5, 6, 7 and May 13 and 14

Cost: $14

Details: https://www.actoutlb. com/tickets

Venue: Hughes Auditorium, 3846 California Ave., Long Beach

DANCE

May 5

Spring Advanced Dance Concert

This concert features choreography from El Camino College faculty and students. Many genres of dance are featured, including ballet, hip hop, jazz, world dance and modern.

Time: 8 p.m., May 5 and May 6; 7 p.m., May 8

Cost: $10 to $15

Details: tinyurl.com/danceconcertelco

29

Long Beach Symphony presents the world premiere of praCh’s KHMERASPORA as part of its Musical Bridges free concert series. A community gathering will take place on the theater plaza, with a night market, featuring foods for purchase, entertainment, curated art installations and a celebration of the Khmer community.

Time: 4 to 9 p.m., concert at 5 p.m., April 29

Cost: Free

Details: www.LongBeachSymphony.org

Venue: Long Beach Terrace Theater Plaza, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

4th Annual Dymally International Jazz & Arts Festival

Enjoy top international acts on two stages; including Marcus Miller, Lalah Hathaway, Down to the Bone, The Family Stone and more. No ticket fees if you go to the Box Office at 18400 Avalon Blvd., Wednesday through Friday,10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Time: 2 p.m., April 29

Cost: $50 to $75

Details: https://tinyurl.com/

reunion, ESMoA will be hosting a panel discussion with the artists to talk about the works they are showcasing, their artistic process and how they came to know each other.

Time: 6 to 7:30 p.m., April 28

Cost: Free

Details: esmoa@artlab21.org

Venue: ESMoA, 208 Main St., El Segundo

April 29

Jana Opincariu 3.5

Join a public reception for the exhibition Jana Opincariu 3.5., which includes both an artist talk and a live performance by The Jazz Giants Quartet.

Time: 5 to 9 p.m., closing reception, live music at 7:30 p.m., April 29

Cost: Free. $25 on April 29 for concert

Details: https://tinyurl.com/JanaOpincariu-3-5 and https://tinyurl. com/jazz-giants-at-Collage

Venue: Collage, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro

May 4

A Path Back To Here

This is a group exhibition showcasing a selection of work by Syracuse University School of Art MFA students Jaleel Blanchard, Markus Denil, and Joseph H. Troxler.

Time: Artists’ reception, 5 to 9 p.m., May 4

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Loftstudios-and-gallery

Venue: Loft Art Studios and Gallery, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro

May 5

Venue: El Camino College, Warsaw Auditorium, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance

ART

April 27

Washed Ashore – Art to Save the Sea

The exhibit features 16 beautiful large-scale sculptures made from beach waste. Washed Ashore –Art to Save the Sea is a nonprofit organization committed to combating plastic pollution through art and education. The sculptures were built by the organization and its volunteers to inspire changes in consumer habits and provide education behind what’s possible to limit waste.

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 13.

Ongoing

Cost: Free with garden admission of $0 to $15, or adventure package for $29

Details: 424-452-0920; https://tinyurl.com/washed-ashore

Venue: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula

April 28

BELONGING

The artists of BELONGING have traveled from all around the world to join for the opening week of their new show. To celebrate their

Details: https://www.csulb.edu/ school-of-art/news

Venue: CSULB, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach

FOOD

May 13

The Art of Origami and Sushi Making Rancho Los Alamitos has a rich history of Japanese lease farmers and their families. Experience the art of origami with an expert from the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden and roll your own sushi with fresh ingredients provided by guest instructor Andrew Anderson. Anderson will also be giving a sake tasting. All materials will be included.

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., May 13

Cost: $65 to $85

Details: https://www.rancholosalamitos.com/events.html

Venue: Rancho Los Alamitos, 6400 E. Bixby Hill Road, Long Beach

FILM

April 27

The Eye Is The First Circle

See a new documentary film on the 9th Street Women featuring details on the work and life of Lee Krasner and other artists. Enjoy this fascinating opportunity to meet the filmmakers and participate in interdisciplinary discussion on challenges facing women in the arts then and now. This program is in association with the exhibition, Lee Krasner: A Through Line, which closes May 19.

Time: 6 to 8:30 p.m., April 27

Cost: Free

Lia Block, novelist and screenwriter.

Time: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 29; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., April 30

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/literary-weekend

Venue: Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Rd., Rolling Hills Estates

May 5

Grito de los Dos De Los

MultiMedia Militia announces the release of a split poetry vinyl album by Los Angeles Chicano heavy weights, cultural icon Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara and revolutionary poet Matt Sedillo with a reading, live and on YouTube.

Time: 7:30 p.m., May 5

Cost: Free

Details: 310-822-3006

Venue: Beyond Baroque, 681 N. Venice Blvd., Venice

COMMUNITY

April 28

City Nature Challenge

Join a three-day citizen science event dedicated to documentation of local urban wildlife. Participants will document wildlife on their tours around the Rancho and share their findings on the app, iNaturalist. Cities will compete for who can document the most observations, find the most species, and get the most participants involved.

Times: 1 to 5 p.m., April 28; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 30; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., April 30; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 1

Cost: Free

Details: 562-206-2040; ancholoscerritos.org

Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos; 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach

April 30

Research Program Icebreaker

The Young Scientists Program offers ocean-loving junior and senior high student a free opportunity to explore their passion for science. Aquarium staff mentor students through scientific investigations on local marine topics with a focus on conservation and aquarium science.

Time: 10 a.m., April 30

Cost: Free

Details: www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org/research

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., May 6

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/recyclebike

Venue: GoActiveLB Hub, 223 E. 1st St., Long Beach

George F. Canyon Guided Family Nature Preserve Walk

You will be guided by a trained naturalist to discover a unique variety of wildlife in their canyon habitat with amazing views of the LA Basin. Meet outside on the back deck of the George F. Canyon Nature Center.

Time: 10:30 a.m., May 6

Cost: Free

Details: https://pvplc.org

Venue: George F Canyon Nature Center, 27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates

2nd Annual Health For All Ages

The Lomita Chamber of Commerce will host the Health For All Ages health and wellness fair. Stop by for special give-aways, health and wellness information, health screenings, scheduled onstage fitness demonstrations and youth dance performances.

Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 7

Cost: Free

Details: https://www.lomitachamber.org/health-wellness-fair

Venue: Lomita City Hall Front Lawn, 24300 Narbonne Ave., Lomita

May 13

Mother’s Day Sail

Sail the San Pedro Bay and watch the sunset from the deck of a Brigantine. You can sit back and relax or become part of the crew.

Time: 5:30 to 8 p.m., May 13

Cost: $30 to $60

Details: https://tinyurl.com/mothers-day-sail

Location: Los Angeles Maritime Institute Berth 78, 1142 Nagoya Way, San Pedro

Outdoor Volunteer Day at Alta Vicente Reserve

Come help restore habitat on the 22-acre restoration site to create a home for rare cactus wrens and gnatcatchers with beautiful views of Catalina Island.

Time: 9 a.m., to 12 p.m., May 13

Cost: Free

Details: https://pvplc.volunteerhub.com/

Michael Davis: Perception

While navigating Landsat records of Earth’s land surfaces, artist Michael Davis discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. These were immense open pit mines at numerous locations world wide, many of which were rare earth mines or REEs. Each rare earth artwork combines appropriated materials with archival digital and 3D imagery.

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 5 through July 8

Cost: Free

Details: www.pvartcenter.org

Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center / Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education, 5504 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes

May 11

CSULB Open Studios

The California State University Long Beach School of Art graduate students will open their studios May 11, across the Fine Arts Buildings 1-4, and the bottom floor of the Shakarian Family Student Success Center. The evening will feature student work from a wide range of media, including animation, ceramics, fiber, illustration, painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking and metals. Find a map of the campus here: https://tinyurl.com/4z9e68tf

Time: 6 to 8 p.m., May 11

Cost: Free

Details: www.csulb.edu/carolyncampagna-kleefeld-contemporary-art-museum/programs-0

Venue: CSULB, Horn Center Lecture Hall 120, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach

LITERATURE

April 27

ac-ti-vist

Warren Furutani will read and sign his book, ac•tiv•ist, a memoir that covers 50 years of his involvement in social justice movements, from being a community and political activist who helped organized the AAPI movement to his career in state and local electoral politics and the lessons learned.

Time: 7 p.m., April 27

Cost: Free

Details: 562-588-7075; www.patmbooks.com

Venue: Page Against the Machine 2714 E. 4th St., Long Beach

April 29

Palos Verdes Peninsula Library

Author Talks

The authors include Jennie C. Linthorst, founder of LifeSPEAKS Poetry Therapy; Mathieu Cailler, author, poet and teacher; Geanna Culbertson, award-winning author of YA, teen, and middle grade fiction; Deborah Paul, who writes children’s books; and Francesca

Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro

May 1

Ken Burns

Ken Burns, one of the most recognizable and popular documentary filmmakers of our time is coming to Long Beach as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series.

Time: 8 p.m., May 1

Cost: $50

Details: ticketmaster.com

Venue: Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

May 3

LANI Community Forum 2023

The forum, in its 21st year, is presented by the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative includes workshops, networking and a keynote breakfast for dialogue, information sharing and inspiration.

Time: 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 3

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/LANIcommunity-forum

Venue: The California Endowment, 1000 Alameda St., Los Angeles

May 6

Recycle Your Bicycle

Drop off your used bike at one of three locations. The bikes will be refurbished and donated to nonprofit organizations.

Venue: Alta Vicente Reserve, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes

ONGOING

Open Garden at Feed and Be Fed San Pedro’s own urban farm opens its downtown garden every Tuesday and Friday morning and on First Thursday evenings. Organic produce is for sale at farmers market, corner of 6th and Mesa, Fridays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get your hands in the dirt as a volunteer, get expert advice, or just relax.

Time: Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and First Thursday evenings

Cost: Free

Details: feedandbefed.org

Venue: Feed and Be Fed Farm, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Volunteer with PVPLC Rapid Response Team

Work alongside the field staff around the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve to help protect important wildlife habitat. Help with trail maintenance, fence building, installing signage and more. No experience is needed. You must be 15 or older.

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays

Cost: Free

Details: https://pvplc.volunteerhub.com/

Venue: Various locations

Number One, Again

trains. Health benefits of the latter are projected to be $32 billion compared to industry costs of $16 billion.

The regional air board has two “indirect source rules” pending — one for railyards and one for ports — both of which may be finalized by the end of 2023. “These rules are the first of their kind to regulate these emissions in the South Coast region. So we’ve been working tirelessly on ensuring actual solutions that get to the root of pollution,” Kavezade explained. But a previous ISR dealing with warehouses is being challenged in federal court, and litigation could delay these rules as well.

And then there’s port truck pollution

“We have a low clean truck fund rate, right now it’s $10 per TEU,” Kavezade said. “That’s ridiculous! $10 is what you can barely buy a Starbucks drink nowadays, with some breakfast that goes with it. We need to be charging at least $50 for those container funds to support the zero emission project at the ports.” The benefits are huge: “Some trucks are as polluting as [much as] 200 individual cars.”

The inadequate funding is reflected in limited progress, with only a handful of zero-emission trucks in service so far.

“The port takes great pride in the percentage decrease in port operation emissions … compared to 2005 or 2006, at the time of the initiation of the first Clean Air Action Plan,” Avol noted. But “percentage decreases have dramatically declined since the first few years, and year-to-year emissions reductions for the past decade have been minimal.”

This is one of two examples he cites of the ports being “somewhat cavalier regarding trans parency and acceptance of responsibility.” The other is POLA’s erratic record with its air moni toring network.

“The Port of LA environmental management team seems to have a cavalier approach to keep ing its air monitors functioning properly,” says Andrea Hricko, professor emerita at USC Keck School of Medicine. “On April 20, 2023, four monitors at POLA were not functioning or await ing repair/replacement,” she noted, adding, “The monitor that supposedly measures number of ul trafine particles [UFPs] at POLA is clearly also dysfunctional, but that has not ‘been caught or corrected’ by the port’s monitoring consultant.”

Typically the number of UFPs during the early morning at the POLA would be in the thousands, she noted, but “some measurements in January 2023 show numbers in the double digits … but the port’s consultant never seemed to notice, let alone flag the figures as faulty.”

Saving lives, improving public health takes new thinking.

“We need to think about air quality in a more urban land-use policy-based domain. Moving to a cleaner future more quickly is in our best health interests, but to accomplish that objective, we need to think more broadly,” Avol said. This includes using the cleanest fuels we can today and accelerating zero-emission conversion, but in addition, “We need to revise and revamp our communities to make it easier for people to get from home to shopping to recreation and around town without having to drive a emission-emitting

vehicle,” he said. “We need to improve sustainability and resiliency in our communities with thoughtful construction containing increased insulation to reduce heating needs and tree-lined streets and shaded areas to reduce air conditioning needs. We need to provide workforce development for local residents to become proficient in the technologies and employment positions needed so that long commutes for basic service jobs with low pay can decline in employment significance.” And finally, “We need to make it safe for residents to walk around town through improved street safety practices such as improvements in neighborhood access and egress, denial of commercial trucks cutting through smaller streets and neighborhoods, and protected bike lanes to encourage safe bicycle use. All of these

aspects and more need to be seriously discussed, filtered, optimized, prioritized, and enacted.”

Kavezade put it more bluntly.

“If we build green spaces, if we’re telling people to go outside and play, but the air is toxic, I don’t think we’re doing a benefit to our public health, we’re committing a harm,” she said. “Are we going to continue idling diesel engines and natural gas engines? Are we going to continue refining fuel at high concentrations that are spewing toxics while we’re telling kids to go play outside and build green spaces? That’s counterintuitive. So we need to do more in relating public health with how we are interacting with our environment, for sure — and how it relates to climate change as a whole.”

Soccer practice at the Wilmington Waterfront Park, in the shadow of the Phillips 66 Los Angeles refinery. File photo

JOB OPPS

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023047376

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: S.B.A.C.M. SAVE BUYING

@ C - MART, 420 S PACIFIC AVE UNIT, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 - 2626 County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): RONALD JOE BENNETT, 420 S PACIFIC AVE, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731-2626; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) started doing business on 08/2015.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

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PLEASE HELP!

Animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter

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PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET!

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This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/03/2023. 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 expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common

law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023053778

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Engineer Makers Project, 830 W 29th St APT D, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731, County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): Shurhonda Bradley, 830 W 29th St APT D, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) started doing business on 01/2021.

registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ Shuronda Bradley, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/03/2023.

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 expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner.

must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023057413

A new Fictitious Business

Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: PAW CHAKRA, 437 W. 6th St SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 County of LOS ANGELES. Mailing Address: 255 W 5TH ST 1106, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731. Registered owner(s): PAW CHAKRA LLC, 255 W 5th St UNIT1106, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted

[continued on following page]

S/ RONALD J BENNETT, OWNER

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ACROSS

1. Job safety gp.

5. Open a smidge

9. Tiny flying pests

14. “Modern Family” dad

15. In ___ parentis

16. “Grey’s Anatomy” extra

17. Bridge charge

18. Shrinking of a bookstore section?

20. Crash sites

22. Body of belief

23. Uffizi display

24. Dividing word

26. Award-winning 2015 movie whose title means “hitman”

28. Breakfast sandwich layer, usually

30. Sch. that both Dido and Shakira attended (even for a little bit)

33. Former presidential candidate ___ Perot

34. How electricity is conducted through a baguette?

38. Scorch

39. Friends in France

40. “That ain’t good”

44. Extra-strength bones, like the ones used to play a skeleton like a xylophone?

47. Jeremy of “Entourage”

50. Bengaluru attire

51. Martini base

52. Stuffs with food

55. MacFarlane or Green of “Family

Guy”

57. Designer monogram that’s surprisingly late in the alphabet (as monograms go)

58. On guard

61. Town known for its mustard

64. Instruction after a power outage?

67. Remote button

68. “Taskmaster” assistant Alex

69. It may follow someone or something

70. Some lifesavers, for short

71. Spirited horse

72. Film spool

73. Place to park DOWN

1. Chooses

2. “Be off with you!”

3. Designer Tommy

4. Poe’s middle name

5. ‘80s TV alien

6. ___ de vivre

7. Bank offering, for short

8. Some IRAs

9. Potato dumplings

10. Sister in an order

11. Hall of Fame jockey Eddie

12. Trouble, in Yiddish slang

13. Ruckuses

19. “Creed ___” (2023 boxing movie sequel)

21. Tuxedo shirt button

25. Creator of a philosophical “razor”

27. Pianist Rubenstein

28. Retreating tide

29. “Despicable Me” supervillain

31. Like cooked spaghetti

32. April sign

35. Built up the pot

36. Michael of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

37. People logged in

41. Track and field event

42. Sendai sash

43. Competitor of QVC

45. Planning to marry

46. “Divorced, beheaded, ___”

(refrain in the musical “Six”)

47. Gives a pep talk, with “up”

48. Summertime complaint

49. Song with Italian lyrics that won the first Grammy for Song of the Year (1958)

53. Woolly parent

54. Further from harm

56. Multiplying word

59. One in a board game sheet

60. Nero’s “to be”

62. ___ Octavius (“Spider-Man” villain)

63. Hatchling’s refuge

65. 180 degrees from SSW

66. Unagi, at a sushi bar

LEGAL NOTICES & DBAs

[from previous page]

by a limited liability company. The registrant(s) started doing business on N/A.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

PAW CHAKRA LLC S/ KAYLEIGH GEOGHEGAN, CEO

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/15/2023.

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 expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner.

A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law

(See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23, 05/11/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023083245

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 94ANDMORE, 3333 PACIFIC PLACE APT # 623, LONG BEACH, CA 90806

County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): MARVIN CUMMINGS, 3333 PACIFIC PLACE, APT # 623, LONG BEACH, CA 90806

This business is conducted by an Individual. The registrant(s)

The Passing of a Titan, The Passing of the Torch

started doing business on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ MARVIN CUMMINGS, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 04/14/2023.

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 expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 4/27, 5/11, 5/28, 6/6/23

Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles

Petition of: Jeannette Elizabeth Pelayo for Change of Name

TO ALL INTERESTED PER-

SONS:

Petitioner Jeanette Elizabeth Pelayo filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

Jeanette Elizabeth Pelayo to Kawailani Jamet Pelayo

The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at

the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing:

Date: 4/27/23, Time: 8:30 am, Dept.: 26, Room: The address of the court is 275 Magnolia, Long Beach, CA 90802

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court’s website. To find your court’s website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/findmy-court.htm.)

A copy of this Order to Show Cause must be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The Daily Journal

Date: March 16, 2023 Michael

P. Vicencia Judge of the Superior Court 4/6, 4/13, 4/20/23

Arthur Anthony Almeida, Dec. 28, 1928 to April 12, 2023

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

Arthur Anthony Almeida had been San Pedro’s sage and its conscience for much of his adult life. He was an intellectual titan known for his encyclopedic mind when it came to history and was a leader amongst leaders. He was as forthright about protecting the environment as he was about protecting labor rights.

Art was an avid athlete at San Pedro High School, playing basketball, and football, and set records in track and field (records apparently broken only a few years after he graduated). As a varsity member in his senior year, he averaged 16 points in all games he started in basketball and was noteworthy in football and track and field. He was a member of the 1946 SPHS track team that won top honors. To the average reader of the News Pilot in the 1940s, he was a young man to watch.

After graduating from high school, he served as an instructor for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He had joined the International Longshore and Warehouse Union by 1950. He married his childhood sweetheart, Irene Horta, in April 1952 after a two-year engagement period. They would have been married 71 years on April 27.

Almeida had an overarching concern for youth, moving him to be involved in their development, whether as chairman of the Boy Scout Troop 794 in the 1960s, to his work as part of the Barton Hill Elementary Advisory Council, and the Toberman Neighborhood Center’s board of directors.

He was a member of the Mexican American Education Commission (LAUSD) for the Harbor Area. In this capacity as well as being a widely read union member, given to research anything that tickled his fancy, he committed his mental faculties to clarify truth and reality when it came to race and human relations. In 1971, he noted that Black and Latinos weren’t the only ones performing poorly, but that all students were performing poorly and that everyone should be concerned about the performance of students and local schools.

He has a long list of accomplishments: Local 13 Business Agent, director of the speaker’s bureau of the 1969 strike to inform the public and was a highly sought-after speaker on labor and Mexican American

issues.

He was also a member of the San Pedro Community Advisory Committee which called out the CRA Beacon Street Redevelopment committee for choosing to hire low-wage labor from outside the community.

He ran for the 15th District City Council seat in an attempt to unseat the longtime councilman John S. Gibson in 1972.

In 1973, he was the chair of the Teacher Corps at Cal State Dominguez Hills, later becoming the coordinator for the school’s experiential education department.

He spoke on issues facing Latinos in San Pedro during the Redevelopment of Beacon Street and as a member of the San Pedro Environmental Action Committee, Almeida supported the building of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.

During the early years of the Beacon Street redevelopment, he called for recreational space between 6th and 22nd Street below Pacific. Calls for more open space eventually resulted in the building of the 22nd Street Park.

In 1975, Almeida became one of the founding members of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society and chaired its Labor History Committee. He would go on to lead the organization as president for 10 years.

In 1976, he was elected president of Local 13 of the ILWU.

He was one of the first to conceptualize the Liberty Hill Monument on 5th Street near Harbor Boulevard with his long-time friend James Preston Allen, publisher of Random Lengths News, which Almeida helped name in 1979. These two also conceived of the Joe Hill monument at the same location.

Almeida was preceded in death by his son, Arthur A.J. Almeida. He is survived by his wife Irene, his daughters Majella Almeida Maas (Bill), Lourette

Almeida Manghera (Peter), grandchildren Kristopher Manghera (Monica), Lixandrina Corrales, Brenna Maas Liana (Chris), Shannen Maas Clarke (Robert), and 12 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be on May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m., with Rosary at 7 p.m. at McNerney’s Mortuary. Funeral Mass will be on May 2, at 11 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church.