40th Annual Labor Day Parade and Rally Line Up p. 19
Local 13 VP Gary Herrera on American labor p. 3
originator and organizing sponsor, was brought together by one struggle in 1979, involving the Inland Boatman’s Union fending off an attempt to impose an inferior Florida-based contract onto the Los Angeles Harbor Area workers. It was consolidated the next year in support of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers in the midst of a bitter strike. IBU coordinator, O’Day, and treasurer Robert Forrester were able to organize 10 unions in support of their dispute, including Arian who had just joined the ILWU Local 13’s executive board. What makes this parade unusual is that during the period of the late 1970s, Labor Day parades were gradually being replaced with picnics throughout the country. Detroit, long the site of some of the biggest Labor Day parades, ended the tradition by the 1980s. The Harbor Labor Coalition, not to be dissuaded, would be the vehicle by which a Labor Day parade, once held long ago in San Pedro, [See Coalition, p. 12]
Historic Workers’ Rights Bill AB 5 Nears Final Vote By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
A revolution in workers’ rights protection is close to becoming reality, in the form of AB 5, which would put an end to widespread worker misclassification that strips millions of workers of their rights as employees. It has national implications and has been endorsed by presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, with a final vote expected by Sept. 13. AB 5, which passed the State Assembly overwhelmingly in late May, codifies the California State Supreme Court’s Dynamex decision that established a simple, straightforward “ABC” test of whether a worker qualifies as an employee, along the same lines that port truckers have been arguing and winning protections for most of the past decade. “There’s still work to do,” AB 5’s author, Assemblywoman
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Thousands of union members and supporters from throughout the Los Angeles Harbor Area and the rest of Los Angeles County will gather for the annual Harbor Labor Day Parade Sept. 2. The event celebrates 40 years since 14 unions and their supporters gathered on Broad and E streets on September 1979 and began their march to Banning Park. Dave Arian, David O’Day, Diane Middleton and Luisa Gratz started organizing the Harbor Labor Coalition the prior year. Then, as now, they will meet up with old friends, swap war stories and listen to speakers, extolling the virtues of the labor movement and the struggles of the men and women who toil in the harbor communities and beyond — much in the same way as their forebears did two centuries ago in the major port towns of the East Coast. On this day, politicians are welcome to show up. But they are not allowed to make political speeches or pass out campaign literature. This is the one day of the year when only labor issues are addressed. The Harbor Labor Coalition, the parade’s
After automation of Pier 400: Studies on the future of work p. 4 Dino Mendoza: This is US in the gig economy p. 6 KPFK: 60 years of indy radio p. 15
By Slobodan Dimitrov, Contributor
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
An enthusiastic crowd of union members and supporters at the 2009 Labor Day parade in Wilmington. Photo by Slobodan Dimitrov.
[See Rights, p. 6]
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Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Wilmington Waterfront Survey
The Port of Los Angeles is accepting surveys for the Wilmington Waterfront. The next and final community meeting to provide feedback will happen Sept. 12. Community members are invited to provide feedback by way of the LA Waterfront Community Meeting Wilmington Waterfront questionnaire. Completed questionnaires can be emailed to community@portla.com Time: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 Details: lawaterfront@portla.org. Venue: Banning’s Landing Community Center, 100 E Water St., Wilmington
Join Port of LB for Rail Project Update
Learn about progress on the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Program during a community meeting, Sept. 4. The Pier B on-dock rail support facility is the centerpiece of the Port of Long Beach’s $1 billion rail program. It will significantly reduce trips by trucks throughout the region. View the project fact sheet and more information at www.polb.com/PierB Time: 11 a.m. Sept. 4 Details: http://polb.com/economics/pier_b_ meeting_rsvp.asp Venue: Long Beach Multi-Service Center, 1301 W. 12th St., Long Beach
44th Congressional District Jobs Fair
Meet dozens of prospective employers from across the district at Rep. Nannette Barragan’s 2nd Annual Jobs Fair and hone your skills in workshops with hiring experts. Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 6 Cost: Free Details: 310-831-1799; rsvp.barragan@mail. house.gov. Venue: Lynwood High School Gym, 4050 E. Imperial Highway, Lynwood
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for 40 Years
American Labor, the Global Fight Against Corporate Greed By Gary Herrera, ILWU Local 13 Vice President I am a laborer for a great union that stands for social and economic justice for American workers. The ILWU believes that a union must fight in every possible way to advance the principle of labor unity. Labor Day recognizes and gives tribute to the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Labor Day represents the strength of the trade and labor organizations. It is a day we recognize that working conditions have become fair, equitable and safe because labor has organized to fight for the American worker. It pays tribute to both the contributions and achievements of the everyday worker. It is a day to celebrate the quality of life. On Labor Day, it is important that we honor the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker. Labor Day in 2019 has so much significance with what is happening in the world today. Currently, labor is losing the battle to automation and artificial intelligence. Our society is being controlled by corporate greed and they are doing it by getting rid of the human element in labor. It is important to know that today labor must
ILWU Local 13 vice president, Gary Herrera, rallying longshore workers and their supporters outside the Port of Los Angeles administration building this past April. File photo
stand and fight together for the well-being of our future and our communities. Global corporate greed is destroying labor by replacing humans with robots. Robots do not pay taxes, buy homes, vote, purchase goods or contribute to society. Jobs give a man or woman a sense of being. It
also gives them the ability to be a part of society, the ability to support their communities (giving back to little league, cheerleading, nonprofit organizations for youth and adults). Labor unity is the key for successful economic advancement
[See Labor, p. 4]
Real News, Real People, Really Effective August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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Future of Work and Automation American Labor The By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
[Labor from p. 3]
Local 13 of the ILWU was not able to stop Maersk Terminal from fully automating Pier 400 this past July. In fact, the shipping giant was fully prepared to automate no matter the outcome of its fight with the City of Los Angeles or the longshore union. The shipping terminal belongs to a parent company that has been in existence for more than a century. But the ramifications of the decision are only beginning to be felt. On Aug. 20, the Long Beach City Council voted 8-0 to order a study on automation and legislation proposals. Long Beach Councilman Rex Richardson noted that the Port of Long Beach is an economic driver for the region and that the transition to automation at the port “has a lot of people on edge.” The massive Long Beach Container Terminal in the port’s middle harbor is one of the most automated in the United States and was frequently held up as an example of what the Port of Los Angeles could be doing in regards to automation. It was reported in April that it was acquired by a consortium led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners after the federal government required the sale of the terminal as a condition of COSCO Ship Holding’s purchase of Orient Overseas Container Line and its parent company. Mayor Robert Garcia said there was no industry more important to Long Beach than the port and that the discussion about port automation “is really about a broader discussion of what the future of work in this country and in this world actually looks like.” Garcia went on to say that as a nation that we’re in grave danger of getting so far ahead with technology and automation. We could hit a major crisis in people’s ability to find work and put food on the table for their families. “The City Council has considered the matter and directed staff to develop a report on the issue,” said
Mario Cordero, the executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “We stand ready to assist and facilitate that process in any way that we can. In the meantime, we remain focused on day-today operational excellence, as we are committed to making the port an even stronger economic engine for the city, state and the U.S.” But the Pacific Maritime Association and its members have been engaged in a gambit to present a Faustian choice to communities clamoring for a carbon free, clean air future — that future can’t be had without complete automation. Chad Lindsay, vice president of labor relations at the Pacific Maritime Association, reportedly argued that the study should consider issues such as the impact of automation on the competitive standing of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, particularly for “discretionary cargo” that can move through more than one port to its eventual destination. He said a PMA study showed the jobs of 68,000 workers rely directly on discretionary cargo. Economist Jock O’Connell was quoted in the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association’s monthly newsletter, West Coast Trade Report, saying that the share of containerized imports from East Asia moving through West Coast ports has diminished over the past 15 years even as cargo volumes have increased. Citing U.S. Department of Commerce figures, O’Connell said that 57.4 percent of U.S. imports from East Asia by weight and 63.2 percent by value moved through the combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2003,
A driverless top handler, pictured above, was delivered shortly after the Harbor Commission approved APM Terminals’ permit to automate Pier 400. File photo
but last year that share declined to 45.4 percent as measured by weight and 53.5 percent by value. The decline is also reflected in the two ports’ collective share of containerized imports at mainland U.S. ports from all trading partners, worldwide: 32.2 percent by weight and 44.1 percent by value in 2013 and 29.5 percent by weight and 37.4 percent by value in 2018. Lindsay also urged the port to study automation’s role in helping the ports of [See Automation p. 18]
Jim Dear
Carson City Council
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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in dealing with the challenges of homelessness and the high rate of losing jobs to automation. One might say we may become a welfare state. Today, Labor Day means laborers should unite more than ever, stand together and form a movement. A movement that stands and fights for humans. Technology is great as long as it enhances the working conditions for humans and not eliminate the human aspect of labor. We are facing a changing economy. Recently, laborers and community members have made extraordinary progress to bring light to the importance of human labor. We need to continue to educate ourselves and come together. When it’s not just one voice, but many, we are impossible to ignore. Human labor is what makes and will continue to make for a prosperous country. People deserve the ability to earn a good living in order to provide for themselves and their families. A community that supports labor will be successful and thrive. A prosperous work force equals a prosperous community. Believe in humans, believe in labor and believe in each other. Don’t give up the fight. Our future children, grandchildren and community depend on it. In Wilmington on Sept. 2, the ILWU will join other unions throughout our state and march down the streets in unity, flying our banner with pride and solidarity.
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Honest, Progressive Representation for the Harbor Area Supporting Local Unions in their struggle for fair representation at the bargaining table I applaud the dedication of the Harbor Area Unions that fight for working families, for decent wages and benefits for all men and women, and for their diligent efforts in demonstrating their commitment through the Labor Union’s many worthy undertakings.
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August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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[Rights from p. 1]
Workers’ Rights
Lorena Gonzalez told Random Lengths News. “But we are confident that over the next month we will get AB 5 to the governor’s desk. We have an opportunity to lead the way in protecting the future of workers, and the country is watching.” “AB 5 is effective because it is straightforward and simple: It makes full ‘employee’ status the default under state law, which will automatically protect millions of workers,” Warren wrote in Aug. 14 endorsement op-ed in the Sacramento Bee. “The Dynamex ruling was a moral proclamation by the state’s highest court with a message that rang loud and clear: enough is enough,” Gonzalez told the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement prior to its 4-1 vote of approval on July 10. “We cannot sit by while companies pass off their own costs of doing business onto California’s taxpayers and responsible businesses, while depriving millions of workers of the labor law protections that they are rightfully entitled to.” After passing the Assembly, it faced fierce and deeply deceptive opposition from gig companies—most notably Uber and Lyft—but has survived with only modest modifications,
which were entirely expected in advance, due to complexities and contradictions in labor law, particularly in specific niches such as emergency room doctors. A final Senate Appropriations Committee vote is expected on Aug. 30, with a floor due by Sept. 13. “We never expected that what went into print originally was going to be the bill we ended up with,” Steve Smith, communications director for the California Labor Federation told Random Lengths. “We’re engaged in a process all along to talk different industries, different businesses, to try to figure out if there are any unintended consequences to the Dynamex decision that we should be concerned about.” He noted, for example, realtors and insurance agents, as well as emergency room doctors. “So we’ve continued to have those discussions along with the author, the Chamber of Commerce, with businesses, with others, but we’re at the point right now where I don’t think there’s going to be many exemptions made,” Smith said. “There might be a few more amendments made prior to the Senate vote, but I think we’re getting toward the end of that process.” Under the ABC test, a worker is an independent contractor only if (A) “the worker is free from the control and direction of the hirer,” [See Protections, p. 7]
This is US: the Gig Economy
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
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Many drivers aren’t sure what would happen if California lawmakers pass Assembly Bill 5, a bill that would codify into law the existing landmark legal ruling, Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles, which would make it harder for companies to classify a worker as a contractor rather than an employee. It’s been reported that some drivers are worried that they would be forced to choose to work for only one app, either Uber or Lyft. Others feared that they would be forced to work a minimum number of hours, thereby taking away the work flexibility that had lured them to Uber or Lyft in the first place. “I don’t know how I feel about Lyft stealing my time, because at the end of the day, it’s up to me,” Dino Mendoza said. As a 34-year-old Lyft driver, Mendoza also has mixed feelings about the legislation intended to help gig economy workers. He’s seen the same emails and in-app messages as his colleagues of Lyft exhorting them to write their legislators to protect their work flexibility. Mendoza says the emails are buried somewhere deep in his inbox. “My thing is [if AB 5 passes] how much is [Lyft] going to pay,” Mendoza asked. “If it’s going to be $15 an hour, that’s not going to be enough for drivers like me.” He said working for Lyft is bittersweet. “The bitter part is that I feel like Lyft is stealing my time from my son,” Mendoza said. “He’s 8-years-old. These are considered his wonder years.” Mendoza is a divorced father. He rents a room in San Pedro for $1,000 a month and pays $500 a month in daycare expenses for his young son, Mason. He’s been looking for an affordable place to live in the Los Angeles Harbor Area for the past several months with no luck. “The cost of living is so high that
Lyft driver Dino Mendoza and his son, Mason. Photo by Terelle Jerricks
Lyft makes it possible to work when I can, but it takes a lot of time away from my son. Unfortunately, it has to be done to survive,” he said. A typical workday for Mendoza looks like the following: • Mendoza’s day starts at 5 a.m. • He takes his son to day care by 5:30 a.m. • He gets to his day job as a contractor for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power by 6 a.m. • He gets off by 2:30 p.m. From 3 to 8 p.m., Mendoza picks up his son, helps him with his homework, prepares dinner, then tucks in his son to bed before a sitter [See This is US, p. 20]
[Protections from p. 6]
AB 5 Protections
“We don’t want to do anything that threatens the integrity of the Dynamex decision itself or the protections it provides to those workers who so desperately need them,” Smith stressed. “That’s been our North Star all along pursuing this.” “This is a crucial moment in the fight for workers in this country,” Sen. Warren wrote in her op-ed. “It’s a time for us to show whose side we’re on. All Democrats need to stand up and say, without hedging, that we support AB 5 and back full employee status for gig workers.”
Los Angeles Port Pilots Association, ILWU Local 68
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(B) “the worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business,” and (C) “the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business” of the kind they’re hired to perform. While the trend of treating workers as independent contractors has been ongoing for decades, gig companies have made it foundational to their business models. As reported in June, their role was described in recent report from the National Employment Law Project, “Rights at Risk: Gig Companies’ Campaign to Upend Employment as We Know It.” The report described “a far-reaching, multi-million dollar influence campaign to rewrite worker classification standards for their own benefit— and to workers’ detriment.” Their goal is the exact opposite of AB 5: specifically exempting companies from labor law jurisdiction—known as “carve-outs”—starting with ride-sharing companies, and expanding the scope of carveouts to eventually encompass most or all of the service sector and more—such as construction. “Gig companies are simply using newfangled methods of labor mediation to extract rents from workers and shift risks and costs onto workers, consumers, and the general public,” the report explained. “This recognition helps to debunk a narrative put forward by gig companies that their ‘innovation economy’ represents an inevitable future of work that must be protected and nurtured exactly as is, at all costs, lest we foil our economic destiny.” This narrative was central to how Uber and Lyft sought to gain exemptions from AB 5, deceptively arguing that it would mean the end of flexibility for its workers, and using that threat to rally their support. It was part of what Smith called “an all-out disinformation campaign to defend their illegal business models and kill legislation that would protect workers” in a July blog post. “Uber’s argument on flexibility is clearly a red herring,” Smith told Random Lengths. “Flexibility is entirely up to the employer, it has absolutely nothing to do with employee classification,” he explained. “So they’re using this argument of flexibility to scare drivers.” In late June, Recode reported some drivers
had signed messages from Lyft and Uber asking politicians to support their “job flexibility,” not realizing they were campaigning against being classified as employees. “One of the reasons drivers say they’ve been misled is because the messages Lyft and Uber have sent don’t mention AB 5 at all,” Recode reported, “and they also don’t mention the potential for drivers to become real employees.” They only focused on the false flexibility claims. “You always have to be careful when an employer goes to an employee and asks them to sign something. The disparity of power in that situation means often the employee just signs it,” Gonzalez told Recode. In fact, some Uber drivers told Recode “they thought it was mandatory to sign a petition or send an email to legislators,” since it “resembled other important notifications, such as terms of service updates, that drivers have to accept in order to continue driving.” “There’s nothing about AB 5 or the Dynamex decision that undergirds it that would mean that drivers will lose their flexibility,” Smith said. “We find this to be really, really an underhanded tactic that Uber is using to try to gin up support for its position that in no way is reflective of the bill or the law.” “Cake decorators, home researchers, nurses, couriers and restaurant workers have all been found to be employees, despite the fact that they could choose their own schedules,” wrote Nayantara Mehta, in a June report from the National Employment Law Project. “Laws don’t force workers into choosing between having basic workplace protections and having flexibility; companies do.” On the other hand, there have been some exemptions that make sense and have accepted, such as freelance writers, graphic designers, fine artists, grant writers and marketing consultants,” Smith said. “With each one of these exemptions, there are some parameters, right?”Smith asked rhetorically. “We want to make sure that we’re not giving company a free pass. For example, the Los Angeles Times decides to make everybody an independent contractor someday. We want to make sure that there are very clear parameters in the bill that ensures that there can’t be any abuses of the law or abuses created by these exemptions.” This mostly concerns workers who are generally less vulnerable to exploitation.
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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A Primer on American Labor History By Melina Paris, Editorial Assistant
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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On Aug. 6, New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse released Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor, an in-depth look at working people in America and the challenges they face and how they can be re-empowered. America has seen a decades-long decline in worker power. In a time of soaring corporate profits, anemic wages and blighted blue collar communities, the deterioration of workers power is barely discussed. Arguably, one to two generations have not fully seen the collective power that unions bring to people and don’t realize the influence they possess as workers. But some do realize it. From striking teachers to fast food employees fighting for $15 per hour pay, many workers recognize the need to take that power back. Beaten Down, Worked Up tells the history of labor unions and worker power in America by focusing on pivotal moments that built the
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labor movement that gave workers a true voice and power, which lifted wages and benefits for millions of Americans. Beaten Up shouldn’t be taken as a comprehensive history. But it is certainly an excellent primer. Greenhouse dedicated a chapter to the work of Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, or LAANE, a nationally recognized advocacy organization. The chapter is titled How Los Angeles Became Pro-Labor. It’s a deep look into how now-Sen. Maria Elena Durazo and her deceased husband Miguel Contreras, along with Madeline Janice, activist and director of the Central American Refugee Center started LAANE soon after the 1992 Los Angeles rebellion. From its start LAANE provided a model for other cities with far-reaching worker empowering initiatives, helping more than 120,000 workers. LAANE has achieved some 50 major initiatives for the community and for the empowerment of Los Angeles workers in the past 25 years. Two of LAANE’s successes include the enactment of living wage laws in the fight for the $15 per hour minimum wage in 2015
and the founding of the pioneering laborenvironmental coalition that cut truck pollution by 90 percent at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The following is an excerpt from the latter half of How Los Angeles Became Pro-Labor. In it, Greenhouse describes LAANE’s transformation from a labor-adjunct organization to one that works closely with community and environmental groups:
Of all the worker advocacy groups in the nation, LAANE has been the most effective in allying itself with green groups to help both workers and the environment. For example, in 2005, trucks rumbled each day into the neighboring Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — together the nation’s largest seaport — often waiting hours to pick up goods, spewing diesel particulates and befouling neighboring communities. Angry residents and environmentalists demanded that the ports require a new generation of cleaner trucks that would cut pollution by 90 percent. All these new trucks would cost nearly $2 billion, and it was unclear who would pay for them. LAANE joined with environmental groups to analyze the situation. Most port truck drivers couldn’t afford the more than $100,000 to buy new-generation trucks. Eighty-eight percent of the drivers were independent contractors, and although they grossed $75,000 a year on average, they netted just $29,000 after factoring in fuel, insurance, and other costs. Their pay
Divorce $159-$289 + Filing Fee Bankruptcy $695 + Filing Fee Living Trust $375 Will $175 • Probate $299 Basic Prices for Simple Cases
averaged just $12 an hour. LAANE, with strong support with L.A.’s then-mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, teamed up with environmental groups to develop a clean air plan that the two ports adopted in 2008. The ports required that within five years only new-generation trucks could be used. The ports levied a supplemental $35 fee on each shipping container to create a fund that provided loans and subsidies that helped companies and drivers buy new trucks. In addition, the Port of Los Angeles required trucking companies to treat their drivers as employees, not independent contractors. This meant that the trucking companies would have to pay for overtime and cover many of the truckers’ costs, including fuel and insurance. It also enabled the truckers to unionize. By 2013, truck pollution at the ports had dropped by 90 percent. But a federal appeals court ruled that the Port of Los Angeles couldn’t require trucking companies to treat their drivers as employees — a huge blow to many drivers, who once again found themselves as low-paid independent contractors. As employees, many were earning enough to pay down the debt on their new trucks, but as contractors many were soon in default. LAANE and several lawyers gathered and presented evidence that convinced California Labor Commissioner Julie Su to rule that trucking companies had been illegally misclassifying more than 1,500 drivers as independent contractors. Those rulings increased those drivers’ pay and bargaining power (although the labor commissioner’s ruling didn’t cover all trucking companies and drivers). As innovative as this port trucking effort was, LAANE’s campaign to improve L.A.’s waste-hauling industry was arguably more imaginative. In 2011, city officials were alarmed that the main garbage landfill in L.A. was fast approaching capacity. They were also upset that the private-sector waste [continued on following page]
haulers, who collected 77 percent of the city’s refuse from businesses and multifamily buildings, recycled merely one-fifth of what they collected. … At the time, the city’s 125 trash haulers won contracts by submitting the lowest bid (and often paying dismal wages). After nearly two years of studying the chaotic industry, LAANE and its environmental allies put forward a farreaching plan to bring order. Their plan called for dividing L.A. into 11 zones, with an exclusive waste-hauling franchise awarded for each zone through competitive bidding. To win a ten-year franchise, companies would have to pledge to use clean trucks, recycle a high percentage of trash, pay a living wage, assure safe working conditions, and promise not to oppose unionization. The plan was called Don’t Waste L.A. Before going public with the plan, LAANE published a 26-page research report that examined the waste industry’s problems. “You can’t come into city hall with a half-baked idea and hope to succeed,” [Greg] Good said. For months, he and Adrian Martinez, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council, attended meetings in dozens of California communities to learn how their trash collection systems worked. “If you want to get something done, LAANE is the go-to group,” Martinez said. “They’re successful because they find areas where environmental and community groups can really align with them on environmental matters and on unjust practices that harm workers.”
The book can be purchased at: https://tinyurl. com/Beaten-Up-Worked-Up. Read the rest of this article at: http://www.randomlengthsnews. com/2019/08/28/24069/
Real News, Real People, Really Effective August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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Bukowski Bronze and Brass
Don’t sanitize Bukowski or San Pedro for tourist consumption By James Preston Allen, Publisher
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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At one point in the early 1990s, this newspaper hosted the famous Nation magazine columnist Alex Cockburn to speak at Los Angeles Harbor College. I took him for a tour of San Pedro and drove him over the Vincent Thomas Bridge. His reaction to seeing the industrial expanse of the two harbors loaded with containers and imported cars was, “So here’s the national trade deficit!” Later on that evening, I brought him to dinner at Senfuku, the local sushi bar and there, perched at the end of the bar, was none other than the noted poet, Charles Bukowski, drinking a tall Sapporo beer and eating sushi. I thought to myself, “Isn’t this just too serendipitous to have two great minds in the same place?” So I invited Buk to come and join us, and after some stalling, he brought his beer over and sat down. I was very curious about what these men would talk about, so I simply introduced them and waited. They didn’t end up talking about writing, books and authors or even politics, but cats! “Cats?” I thought. “How weird is this?” It shouldn’t have surprised me really as most writers have cats for some reason, Hemmingway was notorious for his cats in Cuba and e.e. cummings went so far as to write about them extensively, but I’m a bit off topic. A week ago Friday some well-meaning folks were celebrating Bukowski’s 99th birthday at Sacred Grounds and latching on to an idea that’s been floating around to create a bronze statue of the late poet who adopted San Pedro and fled Los Angeles. Now, it’s a great idea to honor and recognize our best artists, writers and musicians and we should have a place for this in our arts district, but this poet shouldn’t be sanitized for tourist consumption. You gotta keep it real! If you don’t know anything about Charles Bukowski and have never read anything by him, why would you want to place a bronze statue to him in the San Pedro Town Square? I challenge all of these local boosters down at City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce to actually read some of his books first and then put him into the cultural context of this town before you place him on a pedestal. And, while the rest of you are scratching your chins on this topic, consider this list of other notable writers and musicians connected to San Pedro before you start searching to draw in those elusive tourist dollars from Germany.
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• Louis Adamic (1899–1951): SlovenianAmerican novelist who frequently wrote about Los Angeles; settled in San Pedro after serving in World War I and worked as a watchman in the office of the Harbor Pilot during the 1920s. • Richard Armour: poet and author who wrote more than 60 books; born in San Pedro. • Richard Henry Dana Jr.: author of the memoir Two Years Before the Mast. He wasn’t a resident, but a visitor to San Pedro who wrote about the experience. San Pedro’s first middle school is named after him. • Jeane Wakatsuki Houston: author of Farewell to Manzanar, her memoir of her and her family’s internment alongside other Japanese Americans during World War II. She lived in East San Pedro, what is now called Terminal Island. And then, there are the musicians such as Art Pepper, Mike Watt, the band Ambrosia, songwriter for Michael Jackson and Madonna, John Bettis; local rapper, Blu; rapper and metal vocalist for 3rd Strike, Jim Korthe; R&B singer Miguel; classical pianist and conductor, Stephen Kovacivich; bass player for Nirvana, Kris Noveselic; and of course Brenton Wood of Oogum Boogum fame. I would bet that the majority of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce has never heard of half of these artists nor read or listened to their work. And, this doesn’t take into account the many visual artists dead or living, actors and screenwriters or filmmakers that came from or lived here. Nor does this list document writers, musicians and others who are still at work in the cultural salt mines in this unrecognized colony of the Los Angeles empire. For most of its history, this harbor has been more recognized for smuggling than regular business. What do you suppose Richard Henry Dana Jr.’s ship was doing trading cow hides off the coast of California or why a certain part of town is still called Whiskey Flats, except for the prevalence of smuggling during the Prohibition era? Probably not something the civic leaders want to promote at this point as a significant amount of this illicit activity still goes on under the radar at the port. However, for more public consumption what about one grand mural on a prominent wall greeting the public from afar that has all of the above artists and many of the others (like author Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
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Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com
James Krusoe and dancer Misty Copeland, who haven’t made it on to Wikipedia’s Who’s-Who of San Pedro) that I apologize for having left off here? Now that would make a much bigger statement than all the brass on the USS Iowa and would give this town something more to reflect upon other than our dependence upon and the dominance of the U.S. trade deficit, the loss of the U.S. Navy after World War II and the decline of the once prosperous fishing industry. A bronze statue of Bukowski is fine, just don’t sanitize him for tourist consumption. And,
know something about him before you put him on your tourist brochure. But don’t stop there. This place has so much more cultural legacy than civic leaders understand, or that the people who grew up or end up here recognize. This needs to be brought down from the attics, celebrated, taught in our schools and put into context before it is erased by waterfront gentrification and the never-ending boosterism that is making this town look like every place else. Just keep it real and authentic.
Labor’s 2019 Balance Sheet By Mark Friedman, Contributor
Labor Day is a fitting time to assess the state of the labor movement, and 2019 has clearly been an interesting, if not contradictory, year for labor in the United States. Strikes and job actions throughout Los Angeles and the nation represent an uptick in labor’s actions to regain concessions that have reduced workers’ buying power, benefits, safety on the job, pensions and the decreasing percentage of U.S. workers organized into unions. The most important labor mobilization was the strike of tens of thousands of United Teachers Los Angeles organized teachers and supporters from local and national unions. Working people responded positively, recognizing the decades of attacks on teachers’ salaries and benefits, and above all, the deterioration of conditions in the schools and increasingly unjustifiable and unconscionable student class size. This first
Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Reporter Richard Foss Restaurant Reviewer Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Staff Reporter Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Steven Guzman, Benjamin Garcia, Raphael Richardson Contributors Leslie Belt, Hunter Chase, Slobodan Dimitrov, Dennis J. Freeman, Mark L. Friedman, Katrina Guevara, Gary Herrera, Greggory Moore
UTLA strike in 30 years demonstrated broad community support for teachers’ demands in spite of efforts by school Superintendent Austin Buetner, L.A. school board and politicians of the Democratic and Republican parties to denounce teachers “as hurting students.” The tens of thousands of teachers picketing daily at all schools (with virtually no scabs!) and mass citywide rallies, scared L.A. rulers and pointed the way forward for future labor victories. Teachers won important demands, but their successes were limited by the pressure from anti-union members of the Democratic Party, Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Garcetti and the refusal of the UTLA leadership to hold out “one day longer” to win considerable reduction in class-size. The ranks were solid to stay out, but the leadership capitulated.
Cartoonists Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker Design/Production Suzanne Matsumiya, Brenda Lopez Editorial Interns David Bellhouse, Pratyush Shukla
[See Balance Sheet, p. 11] Address correspondence regarding news items and tips to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email: editor@randomlengthsnews.com. Send Letters to the Editor to james@randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed with address and phone number (for verification purposes) and be about 250 words. For advertising inquiries or to submit advertising copy, email: rlnsales@randomlengthsnews.com. Annual subscription is $36 for 27 issues. Back issues are available for $3/copy while supplies last.
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RANDOMLetters Open Letter to Electeds on Homelessness
Dear Elected Official, I recently witnessed a presentation on the 2019 Homelessness Count by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority. The audience and I were thankful to hear that a little more than 20,000 human beings were housed during the time between the 2018 and 2019 counts. Without Measure H, these people probably would have had to live on the streets. I am also looking forward to the thousands of housing units being built due to Proposition HHH. Overall though, I am disappointed in the increase in the number of people living on the streets due to economic hardship. Of our neighbors counted in 2019, high rents and low wages caused 53 percent of them to be on the
streets for the first time. A report by the California Housing Partnership concluded that Los Angeles County needs 514,946 affordable units available to low income earners to keep them from being unsheltered. In addition, I was disheartened to learn that the number of families, seniors and youth that are unhoused have all increased. I am joining all those I have heard before in saying that this is unacceptable. Our housing system has negatively affected people close to me; I have family that live together in houses designed for half the number of actual occupants. I have friends that were forced out of their homes due to increases in rent; they rely on the kindness of others to shelter them and keep them off of the streets. I understand that the California state budget includes $1 billion to mitigate the homeless crisis; Los
[Balance Sheet from p. 10]
Balance Sheet
more taxes that are used to keep everyone housed. There are more actions that can be taken which are recommended by the Los Angeles Homeless Authority, the Everyone In Campaign and the California Housing Partnership. I want to and I will do my
are on the chopping block? Our standard of living and job safety are attacked, our wages don’t keep up with inflation, medical co-pays increase, Social Security is rarely increased, voting rights are gutted, abortion rights are assaulted and they use anti-immigrant racist and sexist sloganeering and scapegoating to divide us. Further, they take us to war around the world to defend the interests of the oil companies and other corporations. They blockade Cuba that has chosen a socialist
part to get people housed; I know many others that want to help as well. But we need to demand more from individuals and corporations that make considerable profits from leasing housing units. Christian Guzman Wilmington
economy, or Venezuela that won’t submit. Imagine how much more powerful and successful labor would be if we had our own party, a Labor Party, based on the trade unions that would elect workers to public office putting the weight of millions of unionized and nonunion workers, Blacks, Latinx, immigrants and youth into the political arena for our benefit — our party, not theirs.
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
week with no cut in pay to spread around the available work. The ongoing fight by immigrant workers, for amnesty, to organize into unions, has been an inspiration like the recent protests in more than 700 U.S. cities. There is less anti-immigrant sentiment, less racism and less sexism now despite the pronunciations from Trump in Washington giving voice to a small minority. In times of economic crisis politicians always scapegoat some of us blame us for their problems. Coal miners are once again showing the way in blocking coal trains to demand back pay, protests against the loss of black lung benefits. Unionized miners are now the smallest percentage in coal country in 75 years. Washington is taking advantage of this to try and eliminate federal black lung benefits… And the United Mine Workers of America, UMWA, has the potential of organizing the scores of nonunion mines nationwide. Even Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik comments Aug. 8, in Labor Has Its Work Cut Out For It that organized labor in the U. S. is sounding a terminal death rattle or showing signs of a resurgence.” Hiltzik points to the huge tax cut for the rich, but no increase in the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour). “Opinion polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans favor a higher minimum wage, paid sick days and paid family leave, but they’re not happening at the federal level because organized labor’s voice is drowned out by the money and political clout of corporations,” Hiltzik adds. Hiltzik also noted that Donald Trump’s promises to help workers (millions of whom voted for him on that promise and to “drain the swamp”), have only proved to be empty rhetoric. While this is true, we can NEVER compete with corporations financially in lobbying/buying politicians; it has been labor’s subservience to the boss-controlled Democratic Party especially, to provide the foot soldiers and money for their big business backers (not that the Republican Party isn’t also) that has tied our hands as a class. For the next year labor officials will demand we support the candidate of the Democratic Party, that we contribute tens of millions of union dues hoping to elect “labor friendly” politicians. But doesn’t history show us that regardless of which capitalist party is in power, workers heads
week just to live in a housing unit with one bedroom. This is also unacceptable. I recommend that the state, county and city governments engage their constituents and implement policies to improve our housing system to decrease homelessness: • A state of emergency should be called by the Governor • More private affordable housing should be encouraged by continuing to streamline zoning • Rental increases should be limited • More public housing should be built • Public housing should be improved with better management and maintenance • Unjust tenant evictions should be prevented • Residential real estate investors should pay more taxes that are used to keep everyone housed • People who make up the top ten percent of net worth relative to the total population should pay
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Following the strike, UTLA teachers and parents at the Catskill Elementary School in Carson took the unions’ opposition to co-location of private charters on Los Angeles Unified School District campuses and fought against Ganas Charter. Their unity and determination forced Ganas to retreat in spite of minimal support from top UTLA officials. Actions by fast food, city and service workers in many cities won a minimum wage of $15 an hour, even as their buying power continues to decline over their multi-year wage progression. But no union has taken the lead in attempting to organize them, which is critical to guarantee a higher standard of living. Initiatives in some cities by Walmart, Amazon, Uber and Lyft workers are the hint of future rank-and-file organizing efforts. Some of the 46,000 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union are fighting against the major grocery chains that offer a laughable 1 percent wage increase, higher medical co-pays and benefit cuts, job classification changes with pay reductions. Similarly, 80,000 Kaiser Permanente workers voted to strike in October for higher wages, better care for patients and against major cuts on new employee wages and benefits. Let’s mobilize for them as we did for the teachers! Let there be a clarion call for the entire labor movement to mobilize in action, in deeds, in mobilizations and not just words, which has been the norm emanating from the Central Labor Council, to back these workers. Their fight is ours too. Paper resolutions of support, no matter how many unions sign-on, mean nothing unless backed up in action, in marching bodies and on the picket line. This is the overall lesson of the labor movement. We win or lose on the picket line and in the streets and not in the courtrooms or in backroom negotiations making deals with the bosses. The ILWU, often demonstrating labor solidarity, is facing loss of jobs with port automation, as are other unions elsewhere. We cannot win by opposing automation, but only by guaranteeing workers’ pay, job retraining and most importantly fighting for a shorter work-
Angeles County will get more than $200 million for this. Money does indeed have a substantial role in housing and homelessness. But money from the state government alone will not solve these problems. Every community, and truly every individual, needs to consider changes to policies and actions to get people housed. I agree with the intent of Measure H and Proposition HHH. But they are both ultimately regressive. The majority of voters and taxpayers are paying to decrease homelessness; yet the cause of homelessness is overwhelmingly due to the lack of affordable housing, and low wages. In our current housing system, private housing owners and managers are able to set rents that just cannot be paid by certain low wage earners. A report by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation concluded that an individual earning $13.25 per hour would have to work a 79 hour
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[Coalition from p. 1]
A 40-Year Harbor Area Coalition
would be brought back to life in Wilmington, California. Though a conservative act, it was wholly in keeping with that go-their-way-attitude of so many of the unions in the harbors, whether from the ports of Los Angeles or Long Beach. The Carter administration was intransigent in its approach to squelching problems within the economy of the late 1970s. President Jimmy Carter did this through a price-wage combination, which focused primarily on forcing down wages. This infuriated the AFL-CIO’s president George Meany, and sparked a war of words through the media and a standoff at the bargaining table. The test came with OCAW’s new contract negotiations and later with the Teamsters’ contract under its then-president, Frank Fitzsimmons. The Carter administration was able to claim victory in its confrontation with big labor during the Teamster contract negotiations. As a sidenote, the labor movement actually gained more concessions under the Nixon administration than under any administration since. This was due to Meany’s special relationship with President Richard Nixon as a trade off for his support of the Vietnam War. In the 1992 election, Meany blocked AFL-CIO endorsement of McGovern, who had excellent pro-labor credentials. This was a huge political favor to Nixon, who just like Donald Trump, treated politics almost exclusively as a series of what’s-in-it-for-me deals.
Resistance From the Top
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
It was during the Carter administration that the labor movement’s troubles began as it mangled arduously developed relationships that were earlier
12
The LA-LB Harbor Labor Coalition marches in the Labor Day parade in the early ‘90s. File photo
established and peaked during the Nixon years. The administration’s efforts proved to be a boilerplate by which the Reagan administration in the 1980s would pursue its own r agenda against the union movement. The air-traffic controllers organization walked off the job, in August 1981 setting off a chain of events that would redefine labor relations in America. In response to the walkout, President Ronald Reagan issued one of the defining statements of his presidency. He said the striking air-traffic controllers were in violation of the law; if they did not report to work within 48 hours, their jobs
would be terminated. Reagan carried out his threat and the battle over union jobs has been fought ever since. The atmosphere under the Carter administration was so charged during this period that Time magazine ran an article on Jan. 1, 1979, titled “Labor: A Year of Showdowns.” That tension quickly became apparent during a jurisdictional dispute over the importation of a contact from the wage-depressed Southern state of Florida into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. O’Day, in a full-page letter in the Harbor Labor
Coalition’s dinner awards program in May 1991, commented that the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition was originally started to address the IBU’s jurisdictional dispute with the Seafarers International Union and Crowley Maritime Corp. in 1979. Crowley Jim Smith, News- ran a tugboat operation paper Guild Local 69, was a founding in Florida under an member of the La- inferior contract to the bor Coalition. File one used on the West photo Coast. There has been some confusion as to what drove the formation of the Los Angeles/ Long Beach Harbor Coalition. Many people remember the 1980 OCAW strike and consider that as the driving force in starting the coalition. However, according to the records of the coalition itself, it was the IBU and SIU conflict that initially drove the formation of the Harbor Labor Coalition. This was an effort to address concerns locally, by which, through unity, the various disparate locals could channel their resources and fend off attempts to bring down wages, benefits and other attacks on the harbor unions. The impact of that fight is still felt today in the harbors, through the increased resolve created to fight the “good fight” by workers who would not be denied their livelihoods. In a 2009 interview with Jim Smith, [See Parade, p. 19]
Curtain Call
Beast on the Moon
Doesn’t Quite Earn Its Desired Emotional Impact By Greggory Moore, Curtain Call Columnist
C
tender age, he cannot wait to start their procreation, a neurotic attempt to fill the genocide-induced gaps in the foliage of his family tree. Were he brutal and hard-hearted, Aram might come off as something of a villain (although mores regarding sexual relations were quite different a century ago and all of us are shaped by culture). He listens to Seta when she speaks of a Turkish soldier who raped her sister in her place; how her mother was crucified (literally); and how she saw the decapitated heads of her family members hanging on a clothesline. It’s the performances of Leland and Weck that keep us interested. In Leland’s hands Aram’s single-minded stolidity never feels heartless — it’s a defense mechanism of a man in pain — while Weck effectively portrays Seta’s transformation from a quiet, scared, traumatized adolescent to a capable young woman of quiet confidence, we fully believe their relationship, which by the end of the play has grown into a genuine partnership. The problem is, there isn’t much to that journey. By intermission all that’s transpired since Seta’s arrival is the couple’s failure to [See Curtain Call, p. 14]
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
an we ever fill the holes in our souls made by the murders of loved ones? That is the question at the center of Beast on the Moon, the story of two orphans of the Armenian genocide (yes, genocide — never mind our government’s continued failure to recognize it as such) trying to make new lives in the Land of the Free. Unfortunately, playwright Richard Kalinoski doesn’t manage to make much of a story out of their struggle, and the emotional resonance he seeks is never really earned. Nonetheless, a couple of nice performances make this uneventful International City Theatre production watchable. Since arriving in the United States, young Aram Tomasian (Travis Leland) has made a go of it as a photographer. What he needs now is family — his parents and siblings were slaughtered by the Turks while he cowered in a crawlspace under the floorboards — so he has sent away for a “picture bride,” a girl selected from an orphanage on the basis of a photograph. She is Seta (Rachel Weck), all of 14 when she joins him in Milwaukee as his lawfully wedded wife. Despite her
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Seta (Rachel Weck) and Aram (Travis Leland) come to terms with each other and their past as refugees from the Armenian genocide in International City Theater’s Beast on the Moon.
13
A
s the first of its kind restaurant, Haewah Dal will open its doors to the Belmont Shore community in the fall. The Chung family hopes to widen its patrons’ palettes by serving Korean food other than the infamous kbbq. The Chung family brought on Chef Jake Jung to elevate Korean cuisine with staple ingredients that include soybean paste, hot pepper and soy sauce. Jung has experimented with Haewah Dal’s tasting menu to include everything from lobster to osetra caviar to vegetarian options. Working previously in the kitchens of Daniel Boulud and Gordon Ramsay, he has adopted styles of his own. Jung has incorporated techniques from Southern French cuisine, like wrapping sea bass or any type of fish in julienned potatoes. “Originally [the French dishes are] comfort food, but I made it my own as a Korean luxury dish to be paired with wine,” said Jung.
Tradition and Modernity:
Haewah Dal Brings Family and Food Together By Katrina Guevara, Contributor
Just like the Haewah Dal story of the sun and moon’s relationship, the Chung family’s relationship with the community is likened to that of a supporting role. After leaving their parents nest in Cerritos for New York City, both the Chung children have been travelling back and forth in the last months to help construct Haewah Dal. Architect Davis Owen worked with the given inspiration of traditional painting irworobongdo to represent the sun, moon and five mountain peaks at the restaurant. The curvature of the ceiling, soft tones and microforest of greenery of the interior reflect a moment Chef Jake S. Chung, who worked with Daniel Boulud and Gordon Ramsay, will head the Belmont Shore eatery, Haewah Dal. of respite amongst a sea of midcentury style furniture. The dish “Haemul Tang” features monkfish, the freezer to be dry aged for weeks. Haewah Dal will open at 5020 E. 2nd St., sea bass, red snapper, clam, mussel, gochujang Carrying his notebook close at hand, the Long Beach and fish broth. The “Black Cod” menu item Paris and New York-trained chef constantly includes crispy potato, baek kimchi and takes notes whether he is brainstorming with his Details: www.haewahdal.com. doenjang guk. crew or picking celery at the farmers market. Jung has done extensive research on [Curtain Call from p. 13] restaurants around Los Angeles and prepped By chance, I ran into a friend at this show. ingredients weeks in advance for the 5, 6 or Having never seen him at a play, I asked 10-course tasting menu items. Black garlic generate offspring (despite more effort than whether he is a regular theatregoer. “No,” he cloves are arranged in a giant bowl outside of Seta would like) and we’re wondering whether said, “[but] I’m Armenian.” He was greatly the kitchen to age, while racks of meat are in something will finally happen in Act 2. But moved. not much does. Yes, Seta comes to the aid of a Perhaps that’s what this play needs: an street urchin (Nico Ridino), which ultimately audience that can project its personal experience catalyzes the couple’s growth, but this feels like onto the stage. But for me Beast on the Moon a plot device of a writer who knows he wants to falls into the crowded category of works which tell a post-Armenian genocide story through a rely on our identification with real-life tragedy couple of clearly drawn characters but doesn’t rather than earning empathy solely through really know what to do with them. what’s on the page and stage. Director caryn desai does a solid job with the material she’s chosen (even if Ridino plays Times: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 his character with an execrable Italian accent p.m. Sunday. The show runs through Sept. 8. and all the subtlety of Edward G. Robinson), Cost: $47 to $49 pacing the action perfectly; it’s just that there’s Details: 562-436-4610; ICTlongbeach.org not much you can do with this material. Venue: Beverly O’Neill Theatre, 300 E. Ocean But resonance is in the heart of the beholder. Blvd., Long Beach
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Curtain Call
14
International City Theater’s Beast of the Moon.
KPFK-90.7 FM at 60:
Milestones on the Path of Progressive Radio July 24: The first broadcast of Peter Bergman’s Radio Free Oz.
speech aired during Black History month, by filing an FCC complaint.
Comedian George Carlin in his 1972 monologue first listed the “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” The words are: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and tits. KPFK’s broadcasting these words led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation that helped define the extent to which the federal government could regulate speech on broadcast television and radio in the United States.
structure and as Pacifica and Democracy Now! settled outstanding disputes from previous years, Democracy Now! spun off with substantial funding from Pacifica to become an independent production.
1966
Nov. 17: The first appearance of The Firesign Theatre on Radio Free Oz.
1972
KPFK founder Lewis Hill. File Photo
While studying at Stanford in 1937, his interest in Quakerism led him to a belief in pacifism. As a conscientious objector, Hill served in Civilian Public Service during World War II. In 1945, Hill resigned from his job as a Washington, D.C. correspondent and moved to Berkeley, Calif. Lewis Hill established KPFA. To support the station financially, he founded the Pacifica Foundation. He served as Pacifica’s head until his suicide (during a period of failing health from spinal arthritis) in 1957.
1949
The Pacifica Foundation begins its second station — KPFK. Terry Drinkwater becomes its first general manager.
1959
The Symbionese Liberation Army delivers the Patty Hearst tapes to KPFA and KPFK. The KPFK manager was jailed for refusing to turn the tapes over to the FBI.
1974
Aug. 31: Jerker, a Robert Chesley play, which dramatizes the reflections of a man dying of AIDS, airs on Pacifica station KPFK. Because it included graphic sexual language, the FCC ruled that it violated an indecency policy.
1986
1987 on KPFK.
1992
American
Ladysmith Black Mambazo makes their first on-air U.S. radio broadcast
CPB Board member Victor Gold targets KPFK for strident African programming and controversial
Pacifica implemented its new 2002 As listener-sponsor-accountability
Pacifica added two new national programs: From the Vault from the Pacifica Radio Archives, a weekly program that thematically repackages archival material, making it relevant to contemporary listeners; and Informativo Pacifica, based at KPFK in Los Angeles.
2006
September: Pacifica expanded its offerings in multiple media platforms, using “Web 2.0” technology.
2007
14 to March 16: Pacifica 2008 March suspended regular programming for
three days in order to air a live broadcast of the Iraq War Winter Soldier event in Silver Spring, Maryland.
—Compiled by James Preston Allen, Publisher
To see the schedule of regular programming and special events broadcasted on KPFK-90.7 FM, visit www.kpfk.org.
1961
KPFK wins Pacifica’s second George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
The FCC withholds the license renewals of KPFA, KPFB, and KPFK pending its investigation into “communist affiliations.” Pacifica was never cited.
1962
1963
KPFK runs the very first Renaissance Faire as a fundraiser.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, which serves all of Southern California, and also streams 24 hours a day via the internet. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listenersponsored Pacifica Foundation network. KPFK 90.7 FM began broadcasting in April 1959, 12 years after the Pacifica Foundation was created by pacifist Lewis Hill (May 1, 1919 – August 1, 1957), and 10 years after the network’s flagship station, KPFA, was founded in Berkeley. KPFK also broadcasts on booster KPFK-FM1 along the Malibu coast, K258BS (99.5 MHz) in China Lake, K254AH (98.7 MHz) in Isla Vista and K229BO 93.7 MHz in Rancho Bernardo, in the San Diego area. With its 110,000-watt main transmitter atop Mount Wilson, KPFK is one of the most powerful FM stations in the western United States. The station can be heard from the California/Mexico border to Santa Barbara to Ridgecrest/China Lake. A second 10-watt translator is licensed in Isla Vista, a census-designated place outside Santa Barbara. The transmitter for that station is located atop Gibraltar Peak, allowing its broadcast to be heard over a large portion of southern Santa Barbara County. Lewis Hill was a co-founder of KPFA, the first listener-supported radio station in the United States, and the Pacifica Radio network. Hill was born in Kansas City, Kan. on May 1, 1919. His father was an attorney who made his fortune by brokering a deal to sell an oil company to J.P. Morgan. His mother’s brother was Frank Phillips, builder of Phillips Petroleum. Hill was sent to Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri because he was too bright for the public school. According to his widow, he “despised” his time at military school, but he completed his first two years of college there and also was the Missouri State doubles tennis champion. He then transferred to Stanford University.
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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MUSIC Aug. 31
Dead Man’s Party Come see the Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman tribute band, Dead Man’s Party. Time: 9 p.m. Aug. 31 Cost: $20 Details: www.tinyurl.com/ oingoboingo-elfmantribute Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Incendio The acclaimed Los-Angelesbased group Incendio performs original “world guitar” compositions, featuring incredible guitarplaying across a variety of genres: Latin, Middle Eastern, and Celtic grooves. Time: 8 p.m. Aug. 31 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshow room.tix.com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
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The Killer Queens The Killer Queens is the World’s only all-female tribute to Queen. They will be opening the show for Dead Man’s Party (Oingo Boingo). Time: 9 p.m. Aug. 31 Cost: $20 Details: 562-596-4718 Venue: Gaslamp Long Beach, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
Sept. 1 Oskar Cartaya & The Ricannection Join the return of Latin Grammy-nominated, Oskar Cartaya. His latest project, The Ricannection, bridges his Puerto Rican heritage with musical influences from around the world. Time: 4 p.m. Sept. 1 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshow room.tix.com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Sept. 5 First Thursday Open Mic First Thursday Open Mic at Grand Annex is dedicated to showcasing, connecting, and providing a creative outlet for artists. Time: 7 p.m. Sept 6 Cost: $5 Details: 310-833-4813 Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro Rupert Wates Join an evening of live original music by Rupert Wates, an eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art and folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 5 Cost: Free Details: www.tamizastreats. com/ Venue: Tamizas Treats, 3525 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite Q, Torrance
Sept. 6
La Bella Vita Trio Top Scandinavian string players Danish violinist Aleksander Koelbel and Finnish cellist Lauri Rantamoijanen join awardwinning Santa Barbara-based Italian pianist Jacopo Giacopuzzi in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s great chamber music masterpiece, Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50. Time: 12:15 Sept. 6 Cost: Free Details: 310-316-5574; www.palosverdes.com/ ClassicalCrossroads/FirstFridays. htm; Venue: First Lutheran Church & School, 2900 W. Carson St., Torrance Daniella Morrow In this intimate evening filled with song Daniella Morrow will take you on a magical journey from her early childhood to the present. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 6 Cost: $18.50 to $37 Details: https://daniella morrowevent.bpt.me/ Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro Dave Widow Dave Widow, an established guitarist, singer and songwriter, will bring a rich soulful sound to the battery with his unique finger-picking style and strong impassioned vocals. Time: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 and 7 Cost: $30 Details: http://fortnightconcerts. com Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
Sept. 7
Journey Tribute DSB See and experience the band, Next Best Thing To Journey. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: $20 Details: www.tinyurl.com/ journeytributegaslamp Venue: Gaslamp, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach The Eric Johnson Trio A mixture of swing, blues, pop and soul music featuring the Legendary Jerry Jemmott. Very melodic and easy to enjoy, patterned after the groups of George Benson, Grant Green, and Kenny Burrell. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshowroom.tix. com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Toni Braxton The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts kicks off an exciting season with iconic R&Bpop pioneer and seven-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton, who delivers her greatest hits on stage. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: $105 to $145 Details: 562-916-8500; www.cerritoscenter.com Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos
AUG 29 - SEPT 11 • 2019
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Sept. 8
Second Sundays At Two Robert Thies is an artist renowned for his consummate musicianship and poetic temperament. He first captured worldwide attention in 1995 when he won the gold medal at the Second International Prokofiev Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. Time: 2 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: Free Details: 310-316-5574 Venue: Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling Hills Estate Friendly Viking The Friendly Viking is a native Southern California band, mixing bluegrass and finger picking, within upbeat, rock ‘n’ roll roots. Lee Simpson, the band’s lead songwriter, is also the founder of King Harvest, a community that has developed a long history of healing, friendships and a musical following. Time: 4 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshowroom.tix. com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Hot Fusion Jazz Ezzi/Jazz brings their unique brand of entertainment to The Whale & Ale along with a cavalcade of their many friends. Time: 4 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: Free Details: 310-832-0363; www.whaleandale.com Venue: The Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro Japanese Folk Song and Dance Enjoy an afternoon of Japanese folk music and dancing. Time: 1 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: $10 Details: 310-781-7171. Venue: James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Sept. 12
Listen Up! New Artist Night Introducing the Grand Annex’s showcase of musicians on the rise, featuring Abby & the Myth, Phygg, and Mari Dennis. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 12 Cost: $15 Details: www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Sept. 14
Popfuji No Duh, tribute to No Doubt and Gwen Stefani performs. Special guest DJ Paul E Wog. Time: 5 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: www.brouwerjiwest.com Venue: Brouwerij West, 110 E. 22nd St., Warehouse No. 9, San Pedro Kátia Moraes & Brazilian Hearts Kátia Moraes & Brazilian Hearts is a band playing classic samba and
choro music from 1917 to 1970. The songs are in Portuguese and Kátia invites the audience to gaze into snippets of life in Brazil. Art exhibit by Chicana-CubanaAmerican artist, Barbara Rivera Time: 7:30 to 10 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: $20 Details: www.tinyurl.com/ KatiaMoraes-BrazilianHearts Venue: Casa Arjona, 4515 E. Harvey Way Long Beach
THEATER Aug. 30
The Lonesome West Journey to the west of Ireland where Martin McDonagh’s vision of small-town despair, restlessness and boredom inspire behavior of the homicidal sort. Directed by Stephnie Coltrin. Time: 8 p.m. Saturdays and Fridays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 15 Cost: $28 Details: www.littlefishtheatre.org/ pond/lonesome/ Venue: Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro
Aug. 31
Othello Shakespeare’s tragic play of love, jealousy, lies, manipulation and murder where a powerful Moorish general elopes with the Venetian lady Desdemona. Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday , 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31 to Sept. 28 Cost: $14 to $24 Details: 562-494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
ART
Sept. 1 MoLAA Blue Star Museum Collaboration This summer, the Museum of Latin American Art again participates in the Blue Star Museum Program, offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve. Time: 5 p.m. Sept. 1 Cost: Free Details: www.molaa.org Venue: MoLAA, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach
Sept. 4 Johns Canyon Underlying the rich surfaces in the Johns Canyon works and through inscribing horizontal and vertical lines into the surface of each piece, boundaries are established that act as signifiers of classical human anatomy, embodying a state of order. The exhibition runs through Sept.19. Time: 5 to 8 p.m., Sept. 4 Cost: Free Details: 310-660-3010 Venue: El Camino College Art Gallery, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
Sept. 5 Places Without Walls Terry Braunstein and Dinah Berland take turns with image and text, Braunstein making a photomontage, Berland writing a poem, Braunstein responds with another image, and so on. Artist talk and poetry reading, Sept. 15, 3 p.m. with reception 2 to 6 p.m. Closing reception, Oct. 26, 2 to 6 p.m. The exhibit runs from Sept. 5 through Oct. 26 Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 5 Cost: Free Details: 562-400-0544; www.michaelstearnsstudio.com Venue: Michael Stearns Studio @The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro At Full Volume Joyce Weiss has been painting at Angels Gate Cultural Center’s campus since its inception. Her work is imaginative and expertly created, with bright colors used “at full volume.” Time: 6 p.m. Sept. 5 Cost: Free Details: 310-519-0936 Venue: San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, 390 W. 7th St., San Pedro Schism Richard Stevens splits his studio in two. Wilfred Sarr and Patti Grau at The Loft. The studio will be open September through October, each Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with a closing reception 6 p.m., October 26. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 5 Cost: Free Details: 310-831-5757 Venue: Cannery Row Studio, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro
Sept. 7
She Who Paints with Scissors TransVagrant and Gallery 478 presents Yong Sin, She Who Paints with Scissors. Working primarily from the organizational grid, Sin works in collage, painting and mixed media. The meditative repetitiveness of the grid is often interrupted by quiet noise, but noise nonetheless, as gridded squares flicker with near-kinetic energy. The exhibition runs through Oct. 26. Time: 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: Free Details: 310-600-4873 Venue: TransVagrant at 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro On the Surface Organized by PVAC and Boston artist and collector, Scott Dahill, this survey of applied architectural surface design — wallpaper — presents historic samples from European, English, and American wallpaper designers and manufacturers, as well as reissues of classic patterns and explorations in contemporary design. The exhibit runs through Oct. 26. Time: 6 to 9 p.m.. Sept. 7 Cost: Free Details: www.palosverdesart center.org
Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 Crestridge Rd., Rancho Palos Verdes
Sept. 8
B.A.T. State III Co-curators, Anita Bunn and Francesco X present a diverse body of prints by women artists from the archives of El Nopal Press in Los Angeles. The exhibit runs through Nov. 14. Time: 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/ BAT-StateIII Venue: Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
Sept. 14
Angel’s Gate Walkthrough Curator Jared Baxter will take visitors through the group exhibition, Todo En Ti Fue Naufragio for a more in-depth conversation about the art and the narrative that runs through his curated show. Time: 1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: 310-519-0936 Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro The Lump Show The Lump Show is a realization of the nature of matter. The exhibit runs through Nov. 16, with an opening reception Sept. 14. Gallery hours are Saturday, Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. Time: 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: www.cornelius projects.com Venue: Cornelius Projects, 1417 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro Long Beach Artwalk Walk East Village and Downtown Long Beach on the LB Artwalk, where artists and art enthusiasts alike can walk the route of their choice which expands seven city blocks with six galleries, 21 murals and 30 businesses. Time: 6 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: www.artslb.org/lbartwalk Venue: East Village Arts District, Long Beach LBMA Downtown Grand Opening Join the grand opening of the Long Beach Museum of Art’s downtown galleries and artist studios during DTLB’s Second Saturday Art Walk. LBMA Downtown presents its inaugural exhibition, Collecting Long Beach, Seven Decades from the Permanent Collection, featuring 35 Long Beach artists from the museum’s permanent collection. Time: 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: www.lbma.org Venue: 356 E. 3rd St., Long Beach
FILM
Aug. 31 Deconstructing The Beatles Abbey Road Scott Freiman as he takes the audience on a journey track-by-track when Abbey Road screens at Art Theatre Long Beach. Time: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 Cost: $10 Details: www.arttheatrelong beach.org Venue: Art Theatre Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach Rescue In The Philippines Refuge from the Holocaust, a one-hour documentary of the untold story not Manuel L. Quezon, the charismatic president of the Philippine Commonwealth (1935-1944) who helped 1200 Jews escape the Nazis. Time: 6 p.m. Aug. 31 Cost: Free Details: 310-514-9139; www.philippinebookshop.com Venue: Philippine Expressions Bookshop, 479 W. 6th St., Suite 105, San Pedro
Sept. 5
Long Beach QFilm Festival The 2019 Long Beach QFilm Festival, Long Beach’s longestrunning film festival, celebrates its 26th year. Time: Sept. 5 to 8 Cost: $50 for five film pass Details: www.qfilmslongbeach. com Venue: Art Theatre Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Sept. 20
DANCE Aug. 29
El Cabaret Flamenco Join a passionate evening of Flamenco dancing in the intimate setting of the Grand Annex Theater in an exciting evening of high energy and passion of Sarah Parra and Company. Time: 8 to 10 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: $25 to $45 Details: 310-833-4813; www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Book Talks Join for a summer afternoon of literary talks. Three different authors with diverse backgrounds but all rooted in their Philippine heritage share their stories. Time: 3 p.m. Aug. 31 Cost: Free Details: 310-514-9139; www.philippinebookshop.com Venue: Philippine Expressions Bookshop, 479 W. 6h St., Suite 105, San Pedro Kevin Ridgeway Long Beach’s Kevin Ridgeway will read selections from his debut full length collection of poetry, Too Young to Know. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, his work has appeared or is forthcoming in Slipstream, Chiron Review, San Pedro River Review and So it Goes: The Literary Journal of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. Time: 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 31 Cost: Free Details: 562-208-5862; www.gatsbybooks.com Venue: Gatsby Books, 5535 E. Spring St., Long Beach
FOOD Sept. 7
A Bountiful Fall Certified master gardener and founder of Green Girl Farms, Lara Hughey, will talk about autumn’s edible garden basics from the ground up. Discover how you can harvest your own produce all the way to spring. Time: 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: Free Details: www.natfab.org Venue: Pacific Food and Beverage Museum, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
COMMUNITY Aug. 29
Night Dive 18+ Night Dive is an adults-only event with local bands rockin’ out right next to the fish, DJs spinning in the Aquarium’s galleries, inspiring works of art, cocktails and drinks, and tasty bites from food trucks. Time: 7:30 to 11 p.m. Aug. 29 Cost: $19.95 Details: wwwticketsaquarium ofpacific.com Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach Music Center Grand Re-opening The Music Center will celebrate the grand re-opening of The Music Center Plaza with free public festivities throughout Labor Day weekend. Join a colorful community procession, dancing the cumbia and sing-along. Time: 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 29 through Sept. 1 Cost: Free Details: www.musiccenter.org/ visit/plaza Venue: The Music Center Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles
Sept. 1 Martini Madness Fundraiser Enjoy community with martini choices and other beverages and endless hot and cold hors d’oeuvres appealing to every palate — with decadent and delicious desserts. Reservations can be made Sundays in the parish hall or by email. Time: 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 1 Cost: $40 to $100 Details: 562-494-2784; bobbiecusato@verizon.net Venue: Bartlett’s Patio Bar, 1934 Marina Drive, San Pedro
Sept. 2 Labor Day Parade 40th Anniversary Jubilee Los Angeles Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition celebrate their 40th anniversary with a March starting at 10 a.m. at Broad and E Street in Wilmington. An assembly begins at 8 a.m., and a rally will begin at Banning Park at 12 p.m. including speakers, music, food and shuttle buses. Time: 8 a.m. Sept. 2 Cost: Free Details: 562-481-7275; www.lalblaborcoalition.com Venue: Banning Park, 401 E. M St., Wilmington
Sept. 6 The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival returns for a jam-packed day of live entertainment, fun activities and, of course, delicious lobster. Time: 5 to 10 p.m. Sept. 6 and 12 to 10 p.m. Sept. 7 and 8 Cost: $5 to $13 Details: www.tinyurl.com/ originallblobsterfest Venue: Rainbow Lagoon Park, 400 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach 62nd Annual Portuguese Bend National Horse Show The weekend’s activities will include a hometown atmosphere created through an array of food booths, boutiques and fun for children, which include puppet shows, pony rides, and face painting. all proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles,. Time: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 6, 7 and 8 Cost: $5, children under 12 free Details: http://www.pcch.net Venue: Ernie Howlett Park, 25851 Hawthorne Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates
Cheap Trick performs on the Iowa on Aug. 30
Family/ Community Aug. 30
Festival of Sail This celebration of sail is held every Labor Day during LA Fleet Week in San Pedro. A “Tallship Village”is set up for the duration of Fleet Week complete with activities, demonstrations, ship tours, and general fun for all ages. All ships will be available for dockside tours. In the afternoon we set sail for Angels Gate for Cannon Battle Sails. Harbor Cruises are also available for those that like more quiet in their cruises. Dockside Tours Daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Harbor Cruises Daily 3 to 5p.m. Cannon Battles Daily 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Battleship Blast Back for its second year, Battleship Blast will dazzle LA Fleet Week attendees with battling robots built by high
Sept. 7
Make Something From Nothing In the downstairs gallery, On the Brink will present this familyfriendly workshop. Using basic art supplies and everyday repurposed goods curator Marcia Moore and artist Angel Kingwill teach visitors fun new ways to create art. Space is limited. Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: Free Details: 310-519-0936; sara@angelsgaateart.org Venue: Angel’s Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Old Fire Station Museum #38 Open House Vintage fire fighting equipment on display at the Old Fire Station in the San Pedro City Municipal Building. Volunteers are happy to answer all your questions. There’s a lot of exhibits packed into a small space. Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 7 Cost: Free Venue: Harbor Fire Station Museum, 639 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro
Sept. 8 Tom Glavich Tom Glavich will talk about his trip to the high Drakensberg’s, a mountain chain in the east central region of South Africa, which was centered on the high-altitude country of Lesotho a kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa. Showing will be photos of the unique flora including many succulents and geophytes and the
school students over the Labor Day weekend. There will be three one-day competitions with the theme, Destination: Deep Space. The competition is a part of the STEM Expo hosted by the Boeing Company.
Sept. 1
Galley Wars Service members will be vying for top-chef bragging rights at the competitive gastronomic event. Each team will be tasked with making their best version of a “surf & turf” entrée, two sides and a dessert using ingredients that are “standard issue” in military kitchens. Time: 1:30 p.m., Sept. 1, Venue: Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro
Sept. 2
11th Annual Conquer the Bridge Cheer on the runners in the 5.3mile walk/run over the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Time: 7 a.m. Sept. 2 Details: www.conquer thebridge.com Location: Vincent Thomas fantastic mountain views. Time: 1 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: $10 park entry fee Details: www.southcoastcss.org. Venue:South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula Your Stories of Life, Lament and Lost Loved Ones An open-mic and storytelling event hosted by Mike Caseres Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: Free Details: rudy@rudycaseres.com Venue: The Garden Church, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro Long Beach Zine Fest 2019 The 5th Annual Long Beach Zine Fest #LBZF19 is an event promoting zines, independent publishing, and DIY culture, featuring a diverse zinester marketplace, plus live music, panels, and workshops. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 8 Cost: Free Details: www.lbzinefest.com Venue: EXPO Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach
Sept. 12 Great Unions Make Great Families The Harry Bridges Institute invites the community to alive screening of their second video, The Ybarra/ Cornejo family of the ILWU. Time: 5:45 p.m. Sept. 12 Cost: Free Details: 310-548-7562 Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro
Bridge at Harbor Boulevard, San Pedro
Live Music
Aug. 30 to Sept. 2
Cheap Trick on the Main Stage The Wing Tips of San Pedro will kick off Friday night with hits from the 1950s and ‘60s hits before Cheap Trick takes the stage at 8 p.m. Cheap Trick, the worldrenowned band is instantly identifiable, influential brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Fast Times, will rock the stage Aug. 31 performing high energy rock dance music from the 80s. Sunday evening brings popular LA-based DJ, MissNinja spinning Top 40, hip-hop, disco and classic rock. All entertainment throughout the four-day LA Fleet Week is free to the public. Details: www.LAFleet Week.com
Sept 14 The Summer Music Series Featuring Madlyn Hall Join a live music festival from local musicians including food and drink samples and outdoor games. The first 50 guests will receive a Signature Tote with retailer goodies. Don’t miss your chance to win our raffle prize. Time: 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: www.tinyurl.com/ delamo summermusic Venue: Del Amo Fashion Center, 3525 W. Carson St., Torrance Walk Cabrillo Pack a snack and join a walk guided by CMA’s Education staff. Starting at the Aquarium courtyard, you’ll visit the native garden, salt marsh, beaches and tidepools. Explore each habitat and discover signs of the season along the shore. Examine fossils, native plants and beach wrack. Registration required. Time: 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 Cost: Free Details: 310-548-7562; www.cabrillomarine aquarium.org; Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Sept. 7
Aug. 31
Long Beach Comic Con 2019 This annual celebration of comic books and pop culture showcases the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators of all types of pop culture. Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 31, Sept. 1 Cost: $0 to $399 Details: www.eventbrite.com Venue: Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
2019 Fleet Week Activities and Events
Excel Dance Open House Meet performing arts teacher, Shanta’ Robinson, a professional dancer with over 15 years experience teaching, directing and staging musical theater. The open house includes free dance classes, family fun, games and prizes. Classes start Sept. 5. Time: 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 29 Cost: Free Details: 310-519-0936; www.angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center Building H, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
LITERATURE
Long Beach Greek Festival This event will include authentic Greek food, cooking demonstrations, live music, dancing, and much more. Enjoy one of the largest and most popular Greek celebrations throughout Southern California. Time: Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 Cost: $5 Details: http://www.lbgreekfest. org Venue: Greek Orthodox Church, 5761 E. Colorado St., Long Beach
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Big Little Farm Join the Feed and be Fed Summer film series screening of Big Little Farm. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 20 Cost: Free Details: www.feedandbefed. org Venue: Feed and Be Fed Urban Farm, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Sept. 13
Nuestras Raíces A music and dance concert presented by Compañía Nuestras Raíces and the El Camino College Center for the Arts, in collaboration with Conjunto Hueyapan, Conjunto Chicontepec and Mariachi Los Reyes offers a celebration of Mexican music and dance.. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 13 Cost: $15 to $30 Details: 310-329-5345; artstickets@elcamino.edu Venue: El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
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[Automation from p. 4]
Automation Los Angeles and Long Beach comply with environmental goals. Rich Dines, an ILWU marine clerk and former member of the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission, said claims that automation is necessary to meet the goals of the two ports’ Clean Air Action Plan were false and that renewable natural gas could be used to power port equipment instead of electricity and meet zeroemission standards adopted by the California Air Resources Board. He and other speakers at the city council meeting contended that automated terminals are not more productive than those that use ILWU members to operate equipment. Some speakers pointed to a 2018 McKinsey survey that the management consultants said “indicates that operating expenses at automated ports do indeed fall, but only by 15 to 35 percent. Worse, productivity actually falls, by 7 to 15 percent.” John McLaurin, president of the PMSA, noted there are several other studies about port automation in the works: • Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Joe Buscaino announced plans this past July to create a commission to study “the future of work at the Port of Los Angeles as part of an agreement between the ILWU, PMA and APM Terminals to establish a workforce training program for port workers.”
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
• The Los Angeles County Board of County Supervisors this past July approved a proposal by one of its members, Janice Hahn, to have the county study the potential economic impact of automation at the Port of Los Angeles. Hahn
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is a former U.S. congresswoman who led the creation of the Ports Opportunity, Renewal, Trade and Security Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2011.
• California Assembly Bill 639, introduced by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, would create a Task Force on Addressing Workforce Impacts of Transitioning Seaports to a Lower Carbon Economy in order to “advise state agencies on the most effective ways to expend clean energy and greenhouse gas moneys and to implement policies and programs to mitigate the impacts of transitioning seaport operations to low- and zero-emission operations on incumbent workers.”
• Another bill in the California legislature, AB 1321, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gipson, would require California’s State Lands Commission in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to host a series of meetings at or near California ports that operate on granted public trust lands to consider the impacts of automated technology at California’s ports and prepare two reports, one in 2021 and one in 2023. An earlier version of the bill included a provision, now removed, that would have required the State Lands Commission to approve on a case-by-case basis the use of automation at coastal ports within the commission’s jurisdiction. • On May 1, California Gov. Gavin Newsome also created a Future of Work Commission that will broadly look at employment issues in California, and, among other things, “identify and assess the new and emerging technologies that have the potential to significantly affect employment, wages, skill requirements and organization of work in the near and medium future.”
[Parade from p. 19]
Labor Day Parade
formerly with the Newspaper Guild Local 69— a founding local of the Harbor Labor Coalition — the involvement of the Harbor Labor Coalition with the OCAW came on the heels of the IBU struggle. The OCAW was having a tough time negotiating a new contract and was by then on strike. The OCAW, being a local Harbor presence, went to the Coalition to seek support in its contract fight. The Coalition came forward as a show of unity to promote OCAW interests. Eventually, the Harbor Labor Coalition hosted a parade on Avalon Boulevard in Wilmington in March 1980 in support of OCAW contract negotiations during the 1980 strike.
David Sickler: The Early Years
Before the coalition was founded, David Sickler, former regional director of the State Building & Construction Trades Council’s Southern California, called the locals in the Los Angeles Harbor a “clannish group.” In the late 1970s, the harbor unions wanted to form their own central council, along with their own charter. This was strongly opposed by the AFL-
IBU coordinator and founding coaltion member, David O’Day, left, with Constantine “Tino” Castro of the Ship Scalers Union. File photo
CIO International. The ILWU, being one of the largest Harbor unions, did not itself become re-affiliated with the Los Angeles County Labor Federation until 1988. Historically, this is a pattern that has been repeated many times by other unions. In 1981, the Los Angeles Labor Coalition’s Labor Day parade was used to address labor’s displeasure with Reagan’s firing of air-traffic controllers. By 1982, the coalition itself was re-energized through an increased number of
participant unions. One would be remiss in not mentioning another event that has had an influence on Labor Day activities in the port area. That would be the role of the labor breakfast held in downtown Los Angeles. The Catholic Labor Institute, headed by Patrick Henning, hosted the labor breakfast. Five to six hundred people attended those early labor breakfasts. Cardinal Roger Mahoney’s opposition to an effort by gravediggers in Catholic cemeteries to join a union in the late 1980s strained his relationship with the labor community. While many have related the cemetery workers failed organizing to the cessation of the Catholic Labor Institute Breakfast, in actuality, the breakfast had started to fizzle out by the mid 1980s. By the time the cemetery workers’ organizing drive was squashed by Mahoney, who by the late 1980s was an archbishop, the Catholic Labor Institute’s breakfast had already faded into history. Within a few years, the Labor Day breakfast was given a new venue at Los Angeles Trade Tech when John McDowell was chairman of the Labor Studies Department there. While politicking was not allowed at the Harbor Coalition’s post-parade rally, it was the very substance of the labor breakfast at Trade
Tech. Under Miguel Contreras (former head of the County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) the labor breakfast was moved to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angel. For this to happen, Cardinal Roger Mahoney had reached out to Contreras in an act of reconciliation — wiping the slate clean from the bitter fallout over the cemetery workers’ strike, according to Sickler. It was a move strongly supported by Miguel Contreras. At 10 a.m. after breakfast, the Cardinal held a mass on behalf of the workers. Needless to say, this conflicted with the parade’s schedule, creating a pell-mell dash from Cathedral to the port, so as to at least not miss the rally.
40th Annual Labor Day Parade and Rally Line Up
Curiously enough, over the course of the last 40 years as the unions have declined nationally, with manufacturing jobs exported and anti-union administrations intent on promoting “free trade” Los Angeles County, a once famously anti-union place, has seen a rise in union participation with teachers, construction, government and harbor workers making up the backbone of this resurgence. This year’s Labor Day Parade promises to be one of the largest in the nation.
Entertainment bands: Brian Young Blues Station, The Topics Band Guest speakers: Rusty Hicks, L.A. County Federation Of Labor; Ron Miller Secretary Treasurer, L.A./O.C. Building and Construction Trades; Luisa Gratz, ILWU Local 26; Ray Familathe, President ILWU Local 13; Ray Cordova, Chairman South County Labor; Vivian Price, Professor of Labor Studies CSDH; and Tonia McMillian, SEIU 99.
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Participating Unions: International Longshore and Warehouse Union Locals 13, 63, 94, 26 United Association of Fitters Locals 250, 345 Sailors Union of The Pacific Marine Firemen’s Union United Steel Workers Local 675 Machinist Union Local 1484 Southwest Regional Council Of Carpenters Plumbers Local Union 78 &761 Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 11, 18 Operating Engineers Locals 12, 501 Los Angeles Port Pilots Association So. Calif. Pipe Trades Council #16 Teamsters Locals 396, 848, 952, 572 The Los Angeles County Federation Of Labor Laborers International Union of North America Locals 1309, 300 International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 18 United Teachers of Los Angeles United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770 Heat & Frost Insulators Workers Union Local 5 Ironworkers Local 433 United Firefighters of Los Angeles Local 112 The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Master Mates and Pilots
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School marching bands: Venice High School, San Pedro High School, Verdugo High School, Banning High School, Harry Bridges Middle School, Port of Los Angeles High School, Garfield High School, Carson High School
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[This is US from p. 6]
This is US
arrives to allow him to drive for Lyft until about 11 p.m.
Longshore Workers: Know Your Rights Unfortunately, many workers do not know the requirements under the law or their rights under the Longshore Act. For this reason, many do not seek the advice of an attorney until the employer or its insurance company refuses to provide medical benefits or compensation. This is why it is important to consult with an attorney shortly after your accident so that you do not miss any important deadlines or otherwise prejudice your rights. If you are hurt on the job on the waterfront, you should: 1. Notify your employer immediately and ask for a Form LS-1 (doctor’s slip), which authorizes treatment by a doctor of your choice. 2. Select your own doctor for treatment as soon as possible. Remember, you are allowed only one free choice doctor under the Longshore Act, so it is important to obtain a doctor that you know and trust or on the recommendation of someone who knows or trusts the doctor. Obviously, if the “company” doctor later sides with the company and states that you are not disabled or do not need further medical treatment, this will prejudice your rights.
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
3. Give written notice of your injury within 30 days to your employer on a form LS-201. Any reputable attorney who specializes in practice under the Longshore Act should be knowledgeable of these type of Forms.
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4. File a written claim for compensation within one year after injury if full compensation and medical care have not been provided. You should not wait until the last minute to consult an attorney to file your claim or lawsuit. As stated above, important rights may be lost if you do not file within the applicable deadline or time limitations.
P I E R R Y & M cA D A M S ,
LLP
302 W. 5th Street, Suite 304 • San Pedro • (310) 834-2691 Email: tpierry@pierrymcadams.com • www.pierrymcadams.com
Mendoza says he tries to be in bed by midnight so that he can wake up fresh at 5 a.m. to do it all over again. On weekends, his son is with his ex-wife, which allows him to work more hours. “You just need to know when to drive [in order to get what you want out Lyft].” Mendoza said, reporting that the least he has earned driving for Lyft was $60 for four hours of work, or $15 an hour. But he regularly earns $25 or more an hour. Before Lyft and Uber (Mendoza once worked for Uber) started pulling back on compensation to drivers, Mendoza said he could easily earn $1,800 in a week — not so any more. Mendoza admits that the cost-benefit analysis gets more complicated when he considers the out-of-pocket costs of working for Lyft — tax write-offs or not. In an average week in which he earns $1,200 he estimates that he keeps $500. “It’s stressful working for Lyft,” he said. “People treat your personal vehicle like a taxi or public transportation.” Mendoza said that if he didn’t clear out the empty liquor bottles, drugs and drug paraphernalia from his back seat, he could wind up in the cross hairs of law enforcement or worse, his son could be harmed by the materials. AB-5 does not directly address work flexibility or working for more than one app company at a time. Technically, companies could provide as much or as little flexibility in scheduling employees’ working hours as they want. However, ride-sharing companies have argued that when companies are obligated to provide the financial overhead that comes with employment, they are motivated to exert more control over their workforce. “Virtually all employers require their workers to have scheduled shifts, and there is not a single example of a company that offers employees the level of flexibility that Lyft drivers enjoy,” a spokesperson for Lyft said in a released statement to the technology news website, Recode. Some labor experts have dismissed the companies’ reasoning, saying there’s no reason why employees couldn’t be granted the same flexibility they have today as contractors. The garment industry is but one example. But classifying workers as employees would, by ride-share executives’ own admission, pose a risk to their business. According to a recent Barclays estimate, reclassifying employees would cost Uber and Lyft about $3,625 a driver, which could amount to several hundreds of millions in annual operating losses per year. That’s a substantial loss for two companies that are still struggling to turn a profit.
In Solidarity with Maritime Unions on Labor Day Los Angeles Port Police Association, Inc. ILWU Local 65
SWORN TO PROTECT, DEDICATED TO SERVE. Maintaining the safety and security of all passengers, cargo and vessel operations at the Port of Los Angeles
Port Policing is generally community policing in the 21st century. Our men and women are on the front line daily with dock workers, helping to ensure the work environment is a safe and healthy one. Our officers conduct numerous dangerous cargo inspections daily inside the terminals. Our officers work with both labor and terminal management to ensure this environment. Anyone worth their weight in salt realizes it’s not all labor and it’s not all management. Compromises are built into the solution.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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LEGAL FILINGS
CLASSIFIED ADS JOBS RLN SEEKING SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR Responsibilities include: • Advertising sales— print and digital • Selling event sponsorships • Developing and maintaining social media Requirements: • 2-plus years of advertising or marketing experience • Online marketing experience • Reliable transportation RLn offers: • Unlimited earning potential • Great work environment • Creative thinking Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. Random Lengths News is an equal opportunity employer. Send resumé to james@ randomlengthsnews.com or drop by the office at 1300 S. Pacific Ave. in San Pedro.
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Single man, actor, needs room to rent on long-term basis for intermittant workrelated stays. Non-smoker, no drugs, no pets. Call Peter, 707-815-3640.
FOR RENT Furnished Room for Rent, separate entrance, bath, kitchenette near beach in San Pedro. No pets, no smoking or overnight guests. 310-514-2986.
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August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of the registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 08/22/19, 08/29/19,
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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2019222007 The following person is doing business as: (1) Unique Design and Promotional Unlimited, 435 W. 1st Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: David L. Soto, 435 W. 1st Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. David L. Soto, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on August 15, 2019. Notice--In accordance with
(310) 781-2823
The animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter 957 N. Gaffey St.,San Pedro • 888-452-7381, x 143 PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.
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ACROSS
1 Door piece 5 “Good Eats” host Brown 10 Geometric art style 14 Miscellany 15 Jordan heard in “Toy Story 4” 16 Island WNW of Molokai 17 Speedometer locations 19 Sandpaper grade 20 Song starter 21 Oktoberfest snack 23 Language suffix 24 2006 Nintendo debut 26 High-priced Japanese beef 29 Part of the French Revolution noted for guillotines 34 Brad’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” costar 35 New Zealander, informally 36 Workout unit 37 Corner office occupant 40 Pageant wear 42 Kiddo 43 Waze, for one 44 ___ Bizkit 45 Intelligence-gathering org. 47 Cheerleader’s equivalent to “jazz hands” 51 Willamette University locale 52 Positive vote 53 “Barry” network
56 Canadian beer orders 60 Word after trade or credit 62 Pro sports org. with teams whose names begin the four theme entries 64 Annual June celebration 66 Leave suddenly 67 Like almost all music 68 ___ noire (fearsome thing) 69 Overly ornate 70 “Thong Song” performer 71 Georgia used to be part of it
DOWN
1 “Hotel Artemis” star Foster 2 Alda and Arkin, for two 3 Title that’s usually abbreviated 4 1922 physics Nobelist Niels 5 GI’s address 6 “___ lizards!” (comment from Annie) 7 Oreg., formerly 8 “Ye” follower, sometimes 9 Fit like Russian dolls 10 Folded-over page corner 11 Tea flavored with bergamot 12 Life force 13 On loan 18 Ziggy Stardust’s alter ego 22 Two, to Tom Tykwer 25 Outfielder’s yell
27 Part of NYSE 28 Instinctive impulse 30 Golfer Ernie 31 Giraffe-like creature 32 Christmas tree type 33 Like some country songs 37 Les Claypool’s instrument 38 “___ Gangnam style ...” 39 Tells a secret 41 Global currency org. 42 Steamrolled stuff 44 Life partner? 46 No-___ (gnat) 48 “Are you kidding me?” 49 Where Microsoft trades 50 Polishes 54 Bertie ___ Every Flavour Beans (“Harry Potter” candy) 55 “___ Majesty’s Secret Service” 57 Units with nos. 58 “Star Trek” counselor Deanna 59 Sardine containers 61 Celebrity chef Matsuhisa, or his restaurant 62 Pelicans’ gp. 63 Kids’ card game for two 65 “Xanadu” group, initially
For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
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August 29, 2019 • Labor Day Special Edition
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant