Corporate coziness is key concern in Congressional District 44 race pg. 6
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Van Jones talks Prince, activism and green jobs at LB City College pg. 13 Local galleries mark significant milestones pg. 15
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
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Bernie Sanders Comes to San Pedro May 27, see pg. 9
Tesoro Refinery Integration Project:
A Test of Wills By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
May 26 - June 8, 2016
the latter. This was not a surprise, considering that about three-quarters of the more of the more than 500 attendees were refinery integration supporters—a good number of them clad in blue Tesoro t-shirts. Those who spoke represented youth programs, valedictorians, nonprofit organizations, labor unions and chambers of commerce. Without fail, each repeated the talking points Tesoro has been pushing since its workshops this past April, including: • Substantially reducing the refinery
emissions such as nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter—the equivalent of which would be like removing 13,500 passenger vehicles from local roads each year. • Create 4,000 jobs and serve as a boost to the local economy Bruce Heyman, executive director of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, was one of the first to speak on behalf of the refinery company. “Tesoro is often there investing in the community and investing in us—whether it’s hosting a table at community events so we can participate or underwriting a training session,” Heyman said. “One of the most impactful
Steve Salas, with his daughter, spoke against the Tesoro refinery integration plan on May 17. Photo by Anabell Romero-Chavez, Wilmington Wire.
The May 17 South Coast Air Quality Management District’s public hearing on Tesoro’s Carson refinery integration project was expected to consider extending the public comment period on the company’s environmental impact report and Title V permits. Instead, it was a competition between two visions of the refinery giant: Tesoro the trusted community partner and jobs generator; and Tesoro the bad air polluting neighbor. Those extolling Tesoro as the former easily out-distanced those denigrating the company as
Inset photo by Kelvin Brown, Sr.
The Local Publication You Actually Read
n May 17, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke to campaign rally at California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson at what he called “the beginning of the final push to win California.” He promised that “we are in till the last ballot is cast.” California rarely has an opportunity to have its voice heard in selecting a presidential candidate, and now is no different, as the level of last-minute distractions mounts to a fever pitch. Accusations of violence by Sanders supporters at the recent Nevada state convention are a case in point, The accusations, reported as fact, included claims of chairs being thrown— a charge that Snopes.com labeled “false.” And so, it seems fitting that we Californians should do our best to set aside the flurry of distractions and focus as deeply as possible on what’s really at stake. A year ago, the political world was expecting an election contest between dynasties—Bush versus Clinton. But now, the entire foundation of existing elite governance is being called into question. On the Republican side, George W. Bush’s record remains an unmitigated disaster. On the Democratic side, Barack Obama’s 2008 promise of “hope and change” has only marginally been fulfilled. And, the dark side of Bill Clinton’s presidency—NAFTA, mass incarceration and ‘welfare reform’—looms much larger than ever before. So, unlike eight years ago, Hillary Clinton rarely refers back to that era. Instead, she prefers to blur the considerable differences that separate her from Sanders. [See Win, page 10]
[See Tesoro, page 5]
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