Harbor Community Fights for Housing Now By Benjamin Garcia, Contributor
[See Housing, p. 2]
Plans for Carson golf course revealed p. 5 Guilty verdict highlights Rancho LPG’s reckless corporate owner p. 7
Silence Lingers on Curbing Oil Production in the Face of Florence By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Human Influence on Hurricane Florence, which was posted on the university’s website Sept. 12. “The storm is approximately 80 km [50 miles] in diameter larger at landfall because of the human interference in the climate system.” The storm’s wind-speed dropped sharply before and after landfall, but rainfall was record-breaking, as predicted. “South Carolina joins North Carolina in setting a state rainfall record for a tropical storm or hurricane from #Florence,” the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang tweeted on Sept. 17. “They are the 3rd & 4th state in just over a year to set a new tropical storm rainfall record, joining Hawaii (Lane) and Texas (Harvey).” Scattered rainfall was still expected for another two days. “The idea we can’t attribute individual events to climate change is out of
September 20 - October 3, 2018
Hurricane Florence slammed into the North Carolina coast near Wrightsville Beach, N.C. at 7:15 a.m. eastern time, on Sept. 14, the last day of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. Florence was projected to break the 7-day rainfall record in Wilmington, N.C. by 50 percent, and it was all because of global warming. Yet, the gap between what politicians were promising at the summit and what protesters outside were demanding remained equally large. Two days before Florence’s landfall, a team of scientists produced the firstever advance forecast attribution of the climate change impact on a tropical cyclone. “We find that rainfall will be significantly increased by over 50 percent in the heaviest precipitating parts of the storm,” wrote Stony Brook University’s climate modeler Kevin Reed and colleagues in a preliminary report entitled, The
SCR’s Sense and Sensibility not all a Jane Austen adaptation can be p. 15
Supporters of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Bridge Home shelters held a candlelight vigil and demonstration on Gaffey and 5th streets in San Pedro on Sept. 10 in response to a Sept. 8 demonstration against the shelters. Photo by Raphael Richardson.
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More than 110 people from San Pedro and neighboring communities impacted by chronic homelessness showed up, Sept. 10, at Gaffey Street Rite Aid in San Pedro to be a voice for unhoused people struggling with poverty. The demonstration was a response to a prior protest against the proposed new bridge home shelter at 515 N. Beacon St. The initial protest, which took place Sept. 8, was organized by Saving San Pedro, a group displeased with the prospect of “vagrants” in San Pedro. “#SavingSanPedro is saying the homeless should be on Terminal Island,” said #SheDoes Movement’s Mel Tillekerapne, who organized the Sept. 10 demonstration. “It’s desolate. It’s two and a half to three miles away from where most homeless people in San Pedro are.”
[See Florence, p. 6]
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[Housing from p. 1]
Divided Over Housing At the Sept. 10 demonstration, Councilman Buscaino’s Director of Communications Branimir Kvartuc said that the mandate for the bridge home came from the mayor’s office, which requested that the facility be placed where there is highest concentration of homeless people. “In San Pedro, there are about 497 [homeless people]; in Wilmington 540,” Kvartuc said. There are not enough beds in the city to accommodate these numbers and, as such, the city cannot enforce ordinances that would disallow people from sleeping on the streets. Eleven years ago, city officials agreed to stop arresting homeless people for sleeping on the
onsite counseling. Ginsberg said that she believes that the Bridge Home opponents minds and hearts would be changed if the group were to tour the permanent supportive housing development in Watts in order to better understand how these facilities fulfill their purpose and what exactly makes programs like these important. Christine Mendez told community members who toured the facility housing the program on Sept. 6, that the most important feature of the Permanent Supportive Housing Program is that she got to keep her children. Mendez was on the waiting list for six months before getting an
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
The local anti-homeless group, Saving San Pedro, organized the Sept. 8 demonstration voicing opposition to the placement of Bridge Home Shelter in San Pedro. Photo by Raphael Richardson.
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streets; in June of this year, Mayor Eric Garcetti stated that he believes that enough housing has been built to allow the city to not resume arrests, but ticket offenders. Tillekerapne said that the bridge homes are only the first step: getting people off the streets. Kvartuc added that the bridge homes would offer a variety of services similar to that in permanent supportive housing programs, including being connected to mental healthcare and substance abuse recovery. It’s called “housing first” and according to Endhomelessness.org it’s the recovery-oriented approach to ending homelessness; it suggests that independent and permanent housing should be given to people regardless of addictions, mental health issues and most sorts of criminal records. “For a person [who] is homeless, the solutions is homes,” Tillekerapne said. However, he remarked that in Los Angeles, housing comes too little, too late. Leader of the bridge home work group Amber Ginsberg said the solution is to open more housing such as the Dolores McCoy Villa on South Firth Boulevard in Watts. “The bridge home would include wraparound services we see in permanent supportive housing like McCoy,” Ginsberg said. She said that the bridge home programs will mirror permanent housing programs. Shannon Murray, program director of homeless and housing services for Watts Labor Community Action Committee, said the McCoy Villa offers services such as case management, service coordination, referrals to services such legal, mental and/or child care services, and
apartment at the McCoy Villa. She said the initial process was discouraging. “I felt like it wasn’t going to happen for us,” Mendez said. She said that she often couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel due to family struggles, under-employment and non-sobriety issues. Mendez said she was doing illegal things in order to pay more than $1,300 for rent prior to being given a lease at The McCoy Villa. Mendez finally had the resources and the motivation to be sober and become more stable. Ginsberg said Mendez’s story is not an anomaly by any stretch of the imagination. “Once people are stabilized, they can work on all the other things that were previously holding them back in other ways,” Ginsberg said. Ginsberg also said that she believes that for many homeless people, stability means reunifying ones family. “It’s simple,” Tillekerapne said, “When you put people in homes and give them safety and security, people stop doing drugs.” He contextualized his statement by adding that homeless people may drink and do drugs because they worry. They don’t know when their next meal is coming. Women don’t know who will try to rape them. Men don’t know who will come and stab them at night. “We understand that housing first is the solution, but in LA County, we are looking at 53,000 homeless people,” Tillekerapne said. “It’s going to take a long time for permanent supportive housing to be built. Until then, we need these bridge housing facilities.”
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Centro Cha Citizenship Fair
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and Community Hispanic Association invite the community to a citizenship fair. Assistance is offered with citizen application N-400 and immigration attorneys will be on site. Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 21 Cost: Free Details: (562) 612-4180 Venue: Jenny Oropeza Community Center, 401 Golden Ave., Long Beach
Women’s March LA Pledge to Vote Rally
The Women’s March LA and the National Women’s Political Caucus South Bay begin the transformation process by bringing together all people in its Pledge To Vote Rally. Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder, Dean Logan and his office team will be on site registering eligible voters. Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 22 Details: womensmarchla.org Venue: Columbia Park, 4045 190th St., Torrance
National Public Lands Day
Help steward this community jewel in one of the largest events of the year. Palos Verdes Land Conservancy will host volunteer projects, a guided ranger walk, dryad flute experience, art at your fingertips and a native plant sale. Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: Free Details: www.pvplc.volunteerhub.com Venue: White Point Nature Preserve, 1600 Paseo del Mar, San Pedro
Creating a Rain Garden
The Metropolitan Water District will host a workshop this fall about creating and maintaining rain gardens with five panelists. We get precious little rainfall here in Southern California, and [See Announcements, p. 4]
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years
Wilmington Community Forum on Jobs and Safety at Refineries By Mark Friedman, RLn Contributor
Unionists, high school students, community residents and environmentalists attended a Sept. 8 public forum at the Wilmington Branch Library on how to become an effective grassroots advocate for Proposed Rule 1410. The proposed rule is a South Coast Air Quality Management District measure that would ban the use of modified hydrofluoric acid in refineries. The forum was intended to inform the community residents and stakeholders about the proposed rule, while rebutting industry claims that it would cost jobs. These refineries have been at the center of controversy due to use of modified hydrofluoric acid, commonly known as MHF, an extremely toxic additive used in the refining of petroleum products with links to serious public health issues due to exposure. A Torrance refinery explosion in 2015, which could have killed and injured thousands in the South Bay, brought the issue to the fore. “Fear and panic was widespread when the 2015 accident at the Torrance refinery happened,” said Julie Stoll, a teacher representing the Torrance Teachers Association. “It could have been much worse.”
Community activist, Jesse Marques, speaking on behalf of Community for a Safe Environment at the public forum on South Coast AQMD Proposed Rule 1410 on Sept. 8. Photo by Benjamin Garcia.
Stoll blasted the refinery industry’s safety protocol, “shelter in place,” as a sham that is impossible to implement. “Students are walking to school or home, at lunch or P.E. outside,” Stoll said. “We are given rolls of duct tape and told by the refineries we’ll
have a 3-minute warning before the school is hit. We are expected to get all children inside, seal all doors and windows and AC/heater vents in the ceiling. It’s an impossible task. It is ludicrous.” The executive director of the Wilmingtonbased Coalition for a Safe Environment, Jesse Marquez, recalled the 1969 Fletcher Oil Refinery explosion. The former Carson refinery was at 24501 S. Figueroa, the site where the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant sits today. More than 150 people died from the explosion. Marquez was 16 at the time. “Two hundred people were burned and injured,” Marquez recalled. “This happened to my family, in our house…. Cars were crashing trying to escape, so we ran and then there was another explosion. I heard a voice call out for help. It was a mother and a burned baby and the mother was yelling, ‘Save my baby!’ Marquez noted that when you have a disaster everything happens in minutes. “There are no police or fire personnel to count on,” he said. Torrance Refinery Action Alliance president, Dr. Sally Hayati, told the audience that this is [See Safety, p. 4]
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Community Announcements:
Refinery Safety Forum not merely an environmental concern, but also a public safety hazard. “MHF is a chemical that is never meant to be released,” Hayati said. Hayati noted a 2012 incident in South Korea in which a minor refinery leak killed five workers and injured 18 others. In all, more than 12,000 people were treated, while thousands more were displaced from their homes for months in a rural area. Hayati argued that if a similar gas leak were to occur in the South Bay, the damage could be far worse, given the region’s dense population. Hayati said the 1984 Bhopal disaster could be made for what could happen in the South Bay.
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In the Bhopal disaster, Union Carbide used a chemical that was similarly volatile as MHF. The Bhopal leak resulted in 25,000 dead and 500,000 more suffering permanent disabilities. Hayati argued that MHF is so bad that the United Steelworkers, which organizes refinery workers nationwide (including Torrance, PBF and Valero, Wilmington), emphasized in its 2013 report that “No industrial process risks more lives from a single accident. This is truly a risk too great.” “The result of exposure is deep tissue destruction, possible death because the chemical passes through the skin,” Hayati explained. “The industry attempted to create a safer form with
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[Announcements from p. 3] rain gardens allow precipitation to return to the ground, replenishing the water table. Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: $8 Details: www.rancholoscerritos.org Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach
Globemaster Corridor Specific Plan
Executive director of the Wilmington-based Emerge, Magali Sanchez-Hall, spoke on the challenges of protecting community residents. Photo by Benjamin Garcia.
an additive, calling it MHF, but this failed. This was a [public relations] move to try to placate the population. Think of this as ultralight cigarettes and the tobacco industry’s attempts to deny responsibility for hundreds of thousands dying of lung cancer and emphysema.” Hayati called for an outright ban on MHF, citing the Torrance refineries history of accidents and near misses as reason enough. “With potential failures of safety measures, it is impossible to evacuate 615,000 from the South Bay,” Hayati explained. The refineries claim they can’t afford the cost of replacing MHF, but if you look at the oil profits and new tax credits we know they can. Hayati argued that contrary to industry assertions, jobs would in fact be created, not eliminated through bolstering safety measures and switching to a safer chemical used in most of the refineries. The refineries can build a new unit while still operating existing units with a minimum of 6-month downtime. Magali Sanchez-Hall, the executive director of the Wilmington-based Emerge, an environmental and safety group, spoke on the challenges of protecting community residents. “We are not aware of what is happening in our backyards,” Sanchez-Hall said. “We have challenges to explain to the Spanish-speaking community the scientific language, which is often hard to understand…. The environmental impact reports by AQMD say nothing about protection and safety of the public. While refineries have their own fire department and response teams the community does not. How do we educate our community? We need to organize to fight.” The vice president of San Pedro/Wilmington chapter of the NAACP, Joe Gatlin, spoke on the impacts pollution has had on his 300-member family in San Pedro. “Our community is the worst off with environmental issues, you might be making good money but the children are dying of cancer and getting asthma,” Gatlin said. The South Coast Air Quality Management District Refinery Committee is hosting a community meeting to discuss Proposed Rule 1410 — Hydrogen Fluoride Storage and Use at Petroleum Refineries and other refinery-related topics on Sept. 22. Time: 9 p.m. Sept. 22 Details: TRAASouthBay.com Venue: Wilmington Middle School, 1700 Gulf Ave., Wilmington
Long Beach is preparing the Globemaster Corridor Specific Plan. Join the third workshop to continue planning the future of the Globemaster Corridor, including the C-17 manufacturing site and the surrounding commercial and industrial areas. Review the draft Globemaster Corridor Specific Plan and participate in scoping the plan’s environmental impact report. Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 26 Details: (562) 570-6194; http://bit.ly/GMCSPWS3 Venue: Hughes Middle School Cafeteria, 3846 California Ave., Long Beach
Substance Abuse and Community Workshop
the
LGBTQ
Join the Center’s Mental Health Program as it presents the Fall/Winter 2018 Workshop Series. This session will be presented by Heidi Wells of the Lotus Place Recovery. All workshops take place at the center. Space is limited and on a firstcome-first-served basis. Time: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sept 26. Cost: $30 Details: centerlb.org/training Venue: The Center Long Beach, 2017 E. 4th St., Long Beach
House Docent Training Begins
This eight-week training covers California and Rancho history through the 1940s, as well as adobe architecture, decorative arts, textiles, and interpretation techniques. Learn about the people who lived and worked at the Rancho and how they contributed to the growth of Southern California, so you can lead public tours of the house. Time: 9:30 to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: Free Details: (562) 206-2040; www.rancholoscerritos. org/upcoming-event/house-docent-training Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach
Enjoy the Excitement of Whale Watching as a Volunteer
The Cabrillo Whale Watch program is seeking enthusiastic volunteers, who must be collegeaged or older, to act as naturalists on whale watching trips and provide lectures at schools. Upon completion of training, volunteers will be officially certified to share information about migrating gray whales and other marine life. Time: 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 2 through March 2019 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-7562 x 215. Venue: John M. Olguin Auditorium at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
L.A. Student Nature Photo Contest
In celebration of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, the museum is calling on Los Angeles County K-12 students to snap and submit images of wildlife and nature — in Los Angeles and all over the world. Submissions are accepted from now through Sept. 30. Details: www.NHM.ORG/photocontest
LA County Launches LA Found Initiative
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Sheriff Jim McDonnell and Director of the LA County Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services Department Cynthia Banks joined to launch “LA Found.” The countywide initiative aims to quickly locate individuals with autism, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease when they wander and go missing. It features a system of trackable bracelets that can be located using receivers carried in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopters and designated ground units. Details: (833) 569-7651; www.LAFound.com
Scoping Meetings Present Plans on Golf Course By Lyn Jensen, Carson Reporter
Two recent public scoping meetings on Aug. 14 and Sept. 13, at Victoria County Regional Park in Carson, discussed proposals for the property that houses the park’s golf course. Eighty-seven acres at the corner of Avalon Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Street (formerly a stretch of University Drive) are designated for the Carol Kimmelman Sports and Academic Campus. Plans call for a multi-use recreational and commercial project, the Creek at Dominguez Hills, for a neighboring 87 acres, covering the remainder of the course. Any development must take into consideration that the golf course is built on a former landfill. The Department of Toxic Substances Control has monitored the site for several years, with the goal of ensuring any chemicals present are sufficiently contained and the landfill cover is not compromised. The department developed a Remedial Action Plan in February 2016. The plan determined there was no “current” risk from
toxic landfill gases, chemicals or to drinking water. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has led efforts to consider alternative uses for the golf course, according to an e-mailed statement from his office, which added that the remainder of the park will remain intact for the present. In November 2017, the county board of supervisors passed a motion to “repurpose” the golf course into a “multi-purpose community recreation center.” The motion, by Ridley-Thomas, complained that the course underperformed compared to the county’s other courses and called for exploring alternative recreational uses. By allowing the county to explore more “diverse” and “accessible” recreational facilities, the motion stated: “Collectively, these features would support high-quality sports training, instruction, and competition activities, as well as health and youth
education, while simultaneously creating a destination for community gatherings and entertainment. Such state-of-theart facilities could attract a larger population of diverse users for a variety of forms of recreation, compared to its current access which is limited to green fee-paying golfers…. This updated vision for the site could potentially include tennis, soccer, and golf facilities as well as facilities dedicated to after-school youth development programming.” Around the same time, the county approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Kimmelman Foundation to develop the Carol Kimmelman Sports and Academic Campus, to include a tennis center, a soccer center and a learning center for underserved youth. The Creek at Dominguez Hills is a project combining about 532,500 square feet of buildings with 2765 parking spaces and about eight acres of open space. A notice for the Sept. 13 meeting describes a multi-use sports complex, a sports park with a 170,000
square-foot multi-use indoor sports complex designed for maximum interior adjustability to accommodate basketball and volleyball practice and team competitions, as well as indoor soccer, softball and baseball training areas. The remainder of the designated acreage would be given over to a driving range, putting green, jogging path, and playground, along with shopping, dining, indoor skydiving, and other commercial uses. Details: thecreekatdominguezhills.com, kimmelmancenter.org
City Can’t Gag Paper’s Publishing of Attorney Memos By Terry Francke, General Counsel
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prevent publication], attorneyclient privilege is certainly not an issue that overrides the First Amendment,” Aviles said. “This case is about public officials, their decision-making process and possibly creating liability [for the city]. The First Amendment exists to prevent exactly what’s happening here.” Matcham agreed. “The issue is whether attorneyclient privilege, which I do think city council had, whether the release of that information is compelling enough to override free speech,” Matcham said. “Release of attorneyclient privileged [documents] is very harmful to the holders of that privilege, but the case law is clear that rights much stronger than attorney-client privilege have been found to not be sufficiently compelling. There really isn’t a lot of question.”
DESIGNS
GREENFIELD, CALIF. — On Sept. 7, a Monterey Superior Court judge ruled that a city cannot legally stop a newspaper from publishing the leaked communications between a city attorney and a city council. Judge Susan J. Matcham affirmed the Monterey County Weekly’s right to publish such sensitive documents at a pre-litigation claim connected to the City of Greenfield’s former city manager who alleged wrongful termination. “In terms of an injunction, you would have to reach a very high standard,” Monterey County Weekly’s attorney, Kelly Aviles said. “You are seeking to enjoin speech. They have not met that standard.” Aviles is also the vice president for Open Government Compliance with Californians Aware. The Californians Aware attorney rattled off a list of examples in case law where the First Amendment has been determined to override other legal issues, such as privacy or an offensive anti-Semitic screed and news outlets have been permitted by the courts to publish — even if many outlets would choose not to, for ethical and journalistic reasons. “The publication of classified material; the identity of rape victims; doctor-patient privilege … if all of those are insufficient [to
5
In the Face of Hurricane Florence
[Florence from p. 1]
POLA Moved 826,638 TEUs in August
LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles processed 826,638 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in August, a 2.5 percent dip compared to August 2017, which was the port’s busiest August to date. August 2018 imports decreased 2.8 percent to 420,573 TEUs compared to the previous year. Exports increased 2 percent to 162,466 TEUs, while empty containers fell 4.9 percent to 243,600 TEUs. Combined, August overall volumes were 826,638 TEUs.
POLB Sees Cargo Dip
LONG BEACH — Container volumes at the Port of Long Beach were 1.9 percent lower in August compared to the same month in 2017. A total of 679,543 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, were moved through the port. Imports declined 3.6 percent to 343,029 TEUs. Exports increased, inching up 1.9 percent to 119,546 TEUs. Empty containers sent overseas dipped 1.1 percent to 216,968 TEUs. August 2017 was one of the busiest month in POLB history. At the time, it was the thirdbusiest month ever and the mark has been exceeded three times since. Long Beach’s volumes through the first eight months of the year stand at 5,320,930 TEUs. The figure is 9.4 percent above the pace of 2017, the port’s best year ever. Details: www.polb.com/stats.
McDonnell Announces Priority Jail for Gun Violence Convictions
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
LOS ANGELES — On Sept 13, Sheriff Jim McDonnell exercised his authority to prioritize inmates convicted of crimes involving gun violence. The sheriff added more than 50 additional charges to the list of major crime offenses. His decision was prompted by new information from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Criminal Intelligence Bureau, and federal, state and local law enforcement partners about the rise in gun violence and gun-related threats against schools nationwide. People convicted of these gun-related charges will serve 100 percent of their statutory jail sentence. The new list of both felony and misdemeanor levels includes charges such as carjacking, crimes against children, domestic violence, kidnapping, rape and violent assault. The Criminal Intelligence Bureau received and reviewed 129 tips and leads related to school threats between Jan. 1, and Aug. 31. Guns were the weapon of choice in 64 percent of these leads and, in more than 80 percent of the cases, were the original source of the threat.
6
LA County Increases Partnerships to Fight Homelessness
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, on Sept. 4, approved $9 million in Measure H funding to bolster the work of cities in implementing city-specific plans to combat and prevent homelessness. The step strengthens the collaboration between the county and cities in the region. The board also approved a request for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to use $3 million of State Homeless Emergency Aid Program funds to support the implementation of cities’ homelessness plans. This new funding allocation aligns with the county’s partnership with cities to develop solutions to homelessness at the local level. In November 2017, cities were awarded planning grants to develop city-
[See Briefs, p. 10]
date, it’s just no longer true,” said team co-leader Michael Wehner, staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “We’ve reached the point where we can say this confidently.” Previous attribution studies have been done after storms have occurred. Five such studies were done after Hurricane Harvey, one of which found that it delivered one in 25,000-year rainfall to a widespread area over a 5-day period, and one in 500,000-year rains in isolated locations. “Dangerous climate change is here; it’s not a problem for future generations,” Wehner said. “These risks have been permanently increased and we have to accept that fact.” But the Donald Trump administration is holding fast to its denial. On Sept. 10, the New York Times revealed plans for its third major step this year to roll back climate change regulation — this one a Barack Obama-era regulation requiring companies to monitor and repair methane leaks from oil and gas wells. Methane has 25 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide. In July, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed weakening tailpipe emission rules for carbon dioxide and in August it proposed a drastically water-down regulation of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants.
Sub-National Actors Step Up — Sort Of
The Global Climate Action Summit was convened by California Gov. Jerry Brown and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as a means of maximizing and coordinating efforts of other actors to work around and against the Trump administration’s disasterproducing policies. It was the latest outgrowth of their initiative, “known as America’s Pledge, to analyze, catalyze, and showcase climate action leadership by U.S. governors, mayors, business leaders, and others,” as described in a new report, Fulfilling America’s Pledge. The potential is huge — but still largely untapped, according a new a United Nations report, Bridging the emissions gap: The role of non-state and subnational actors. “The number of actors participating is rising fast: more than 7,000 cities from 133 countries and 245 regions from 42 countries, along with more than 6,000 companies with at least … $36 trillion [U.S. dollars] in revenue have pledged mitigation action,” the report stated. “[However,] not even 20 percent of the world population is represented in current international initiatives, and most companies around the world still can and need to act…. Emission reduction potential from non-state and subnational action could ultimately be vast, but the current impact is still low and hard to track.” “We were actually shocked to find that the numbers were so low,” the report’s lead author Angel Hsu told a local NBC reporter. Still, there’s clearly a surge in momentum, with increasingly wide participation. For example, overlapping with the start of the main conference, the California Department of Food and Agriculture staged a two-day event in nearby Sonoma and Marin counties, “Scaling-Up Climate Smart Agriculture.” In addition, due to dramatic cost reductions, renewable energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels. A new report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate argues that concerted climate action could bring $26 trillion into the global economy by 2030, accounting for 65 million new low-carbon jobs, while
On Sept. 8, thousands of people converged in San Francisco for the Rise for Climate, Jobs and Justice march, demanding a phase-out of fossil fuel extraction and a transition to a 100 percent renewable energy economy. Photo by Brooke Anderson, Survival Media Agency.
preventing more than 700,000 premature deaths and generating an estimated $2.8 trillion in new government revenue via subsidy reform and carbon pricing. That was just one of several new reports fueling a sense of optimism.
Worldwide Protests Demand Sweeping Change
Despite an impressive array of participants and reports showing remarkable progress, the summit was met with record protests, led by indigenous activists with the It Takes Roots coalition and representatives of front-line communities sharply critical of the dominant corporate-friendly approach with its lack of social justice concerns. The protestors also criticized Brown’s refusal to match emission reduction strategies with rules and regulations to reduce fossil fuel production as well. On Sept. 8, about to 30,000 people took part in the Rise for Climate, Jobs and Justice march in San Francisco, which was echoed by more than 250,000 people at 900 protest events around the world in 90 countries. “In northern India about 10,000 students and teachers tied red ribbons to trees in an action to end deforestation,” Democracy Now! reported. “We are here ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit to call on Gov. Jerry Brown and elected officials at all levels to step up on climate action, phase out fossil fuels and push for a just transition for 100 percent renewables,” Thanu Yakupitiyag, of 350.org told Democracy Now! On Sept. 10, Brown signed Senate Bill 100, legislation drafted by former state senate leader Kevin de León, that would transition California to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045. But he continued to resist activists’ call for policies to curb fossil fuel production in the state. When Brown and Bloomberg hosted a press conference on Sept. 13, with throngs of protesters massed outside, a reporter asked about their calls to curb drilling. “Look, as Mayor Bloomberg says, this is a 10-point, 10 dimensions where we’re looking,” Brown responded. “There’s no one-off here where you just do one thing. There’s no one thing. There’s many, many things.” But none of the 10 “Climate Action
Strategies” in the America’s Pledge report issued before the summit had anything to do with fossil fuel production. On May 18, Oil Change International released a report, Sky’s the Limit California, which focused on two key elements that were missing from Brown and Bloomberg’s agenda: a managed reduction in fossil fuel production, and planning and funding for a just transition that takes care of impacted workers and communities. The report’s conclusions were reinforced in late July, when six Nobel Peace Prize laureates sent Brown a letter urging him to develop a plan to transition California “away from oil and gas production” and “to become the first major fossil fuel producer to begin a managed and just transition off oil and gas production.”
“Cutting with Both Arms of the Scissors”
“It’s a basic economic principle that supply and demand are linked, and working to reduce both at once is the most effective approach to reducing emissions,” the report’s lead author, Kelly Trout, told Random Lengths News. That approach is known as “cutting with both arms of the scissors.” “The America’s Pledge report lays out some important actions such as retiring coal power once and for all, but it has a huge, gaping hole when it comes to tackling fossil fuel supply,” Oil Change International spokesman David Turnbull told Random Lengths News. “The simple fact is that we already have more carbon underneath the existing fossil fuel projects around the world than we can afford to burn, so it’s essential that we work to phase out our fossil fuel production and embark on a managed and just decline of that production. Trying to tackle the climate crisis without limiting fossil fuel supply is like crawling out of a hole with one arm tied behind your back. It just can’t be done.” As Sky’s the Limit California explained: [M]eeting the state’s goals to reduce oil consumption in transportation would cause some decrease in global oil prices, in turn encouraging greater consumption in other states or countries. However, simultaneously [See Climate Action, p. 7]
[Climate from p. 6]
Climate Action
reducing California’s production of oil would have the opposite price effect and encourage less consumption, thus reinforcing the benefits of demand-side measures.
Climate Justice Calls Link Harbor Area To Worldwide Struggles
state replacing fossil fuel-generated electricity with renewables. Meanwhile, a study of 200 of the world’s largest industrial companies showed that 90 percent still have ties to industry associations
Guilty Verdict Highlights Rancho LPG’s Reckless Corporate Owner But oil money politics preserves status quo By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
In 2015 Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County was the site of a crudeoil spill from a pipeline owned by Plains All American. Photo from the Santa Barbara Independent.
David Wright was Plains vice president at the time, Gunter recalls. “Dave told us in no uncertain terms that he advised against the purchase of AmeriGas [Rancho’s previous owner], because he well understood the controversy, the risk, etc., etc. They did not listen to him,” she said. “So, against the advice one of their own vice presidents, they bought that thing understanding how antiquated it was, the vulnerability, they knew all about the earthquake situation, they knew about all the homes, they knew about all of the standards, they understood everything. And most of all, they understood the risk.” The Santa Barbara verdict could really shake things up. “The bottom line here is these guys did this on the gamble. The company is going to pay out gazillions of dollars in lawsuits, everybody’s going start coming forward now with lawsuits, because now they have the conviction, so … this whole thing is crazy,” Gunter said. “Meanwhile you’ve got Valero and Tesoro — we contacted them and sent them letters, saying why don’t you store it on your own property, you know what’s going on here. They have changed their story.” Apparently, because storing LPG themselves would necessitate meeting existing safety codes — codes that Rancho has never come close to complying with.
About two years ago, Gunter questioned Valero representative Steve Faichney on this point. “If Valero there were just storing the butane there, and Rancho is self-insured, and a disaster happens, and they have no coverage, doesn’t Valero and Tesoro have some liability?” she recalls asking. This caused a flurry of confusion, eventually resulting in the current state of denial by both companies. However, neither has put their
denials in writing. “So, it is pretty obvious that this is a flagrant method to spin the issue of ownership of the explosive commodity in order to circumvent liability,” Chuck Hart, president of San Pedro Peninsula Homeowners United wrote in a letter to Valero on Aug. 15. Years of intensified activism since the San Bruno pipeline explosion have prompted local politicians to a good deal of public hand-wringing, but precious little action, as activists see things. Most recently is Rep. Nanette Barragán’s bill that would provide up to $500 million for relocation of LPG facilities. The idea of getting 217 other representatives to vote for that seems farfetched at best. What’s needed, instead, is rigorous enforcement of existing laws and regulations. And what stands in the way, Gunter and other activists believe, is the considerable political clout of Rancho’s business allies, Tesoro and Valero. “Plains isn’t the kind of player that Valero and Tesoro as far, as far as campaigns,” Gunter said. It just might take getting oil money out of political campaigns to get Rancho LPG out of San Pedro. 7
September 20 - October 3, 2018
On Sept. 7, a Santa Barbara jury returned guilty verdicts on multiple counts against Plains All American Pipeline for its May 19, 2015 crude-oil spill near Refugio State Beach on the Gaviota Coast. It’s the same company that owns the Rancho LPG facility in San Pedro, which nearby residents have been trying to shut down for decades, due to safety concerns. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 13. Plains was found guilty of a felony for “failing to properly maintain its dangerous, highly-pressurized pipeline, which led to the discharge of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean,” according to a press release from Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley. It was also found guilty of eight misdemeanors: one count of failing to timely notify emergency response agencies; six counts of killing marine mammals, protected sea birds and other marine life; and one count of violating a county ordinance prohibiting oil spills. “Engaging in this kind of reckless conduct is not just irresponsible — it’s criminal,” Becerra said. “Today’s verdict should send a message: If you endanger our environment and wildlife, we will hold you accountable. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue prosecuting corporate negligence and willful ignorance to the fullest extent of the law.” The verdict was not a surprise to homeowner activist Janet Gunter, given the company’s record. “Plains went on a rampage during the 1990s and in the 2000’s, purchasing a huge number of antiquated pipelines and facilities across the US and Canada. So, what they did was vastly increase their inventory,” Gunter told Random Lengths News. “They did this on a gamble. Their gamble was, in our case, with our lives.” The oil spill, as tragic as it was, did not result in any loss of human life. But it did show how risky Plains’ aging second-hand infrastructure is, as well as how inadequate its safety procedures are. It also showed how years of excuse-making melted under the grueling scrutiny of a criminal trial.
Bloomberg’s response was even more contemptuous when greeted by protesters at the opening of the plenary meeting a few minutes late. “Only in America could you have environmentalists protesting an environmental conference,” he said. In a Democracy Now! interview, Eriel Deranger, founder and executive director of the group Indigenous Climate Action, immediately took issue with him. “First off, Bloomberg, that’s a misrepresentation,” she said. “At almost every single COP or UNFCCC international gathering, there have been protests outside those gatherings, from the very same people that were outside of the Global Climate Action Summit. So it’s not only in America. This is a global issue.” Deranger, a member of the Athabaskan Chippewa First Nation, was quite clear about the issues Bloomberg was trying to avoid. “Front-line communities want to see effective change that doesn’t just reduce emissions but effectively addresses their human rights, the rights of their communities and their ability to have sovereignty and autonomy over their lands, territories and lives,” she said.
While the summit reflected heavy involvement of business, two surveys underscored the problem with expecting them to lead. A poll of registered voters found that about 80 percent favored their
that are “actively opposing” leadership on climate action. “There are divergences within the movement, from the climate justice folks, from the people that are on the front lines of the extractive industries and from the proposed false solutions around ways to move forward effectively,” said Deranger, in contrast to the climate summit’s business embrace. These viewpoint differences are deeply rooted, she noted. “Front-line communities want to see effective change that doesn’t just reduce emissions but effectively addresses their human rights, the rights of their communities and their ability to have sovereignty and autonomy over their lands, territories and lives,” she said. Locally, residents living in the Wilmington Oil Field, or in the shadows of local refineries, have very similar concerns. As Jerry Brown is about to leave office, he leaves most of their concerns unmet.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
The first stage in suggested cuts would come from shutting down drilling within a 2,500-foot “health buffer zone” around homes, schools and hospitals — dramatically reducing drilling throughout Los Angeles County, specifically in the Wilmington Oil Field. The report noted that Brown’s goal to reduce oil use in vehicles by 50 percent by 2030 would save about 430 million barrels of oil over the next 12 years, far less than the 660 million barrels California will produce if the reduction plans aren’t adopted. “If California does not limit production, it could add a greater amount of new oil supply to the market, undermining the effectiveness of demand-side measures,” the report concluded. “I believe California has the most far reaching plan to deal with any emissions as well as oil consumption and production,” Brown said at the press conference. “Our goal is a 45 percent reduction in oil production, as well as consumption.” However, he did not say a word about how that reduction would magically occur. “Gov. Brown has resisted demands to actually take on oil and gas production in California,” Turnbull told Random Lengths News. “He has failed to stand up to the oil industry in our state, and meanwhile communities with drill rigs in their backyards continue to bear the brunt of health impacts from oil extraction practices and our state burns from global warming supercharged wildfires. “His comments are an attempt to skirt the issue, which is that oil and gas production in our state remains unchecked…. The governor still has an opportunity in his waning days to show transformational leadership by putting our state on a just and managed phase out of oil and gas production in California. He just needs to grow the courage to do so.”
Gov. Jerry Brown kicks off the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco with a press conference at the Moscone Center. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq/KQED.
Homelessness
Two reports, more shouting and three truths By James Preston Allen, Publisher
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Nothing gets done these days unless you have a study or a report. But if studies or reports and investigations alone could solve the homeless crisis, then this crisis would have been cured long ago. The only thing we gain from these studies is an understanding of the complexity of homelessness while the problem grows. Every year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority conducts a homeless count for the entire county over three nights with the help of thousands of volunteers. This past January, the homeless services authority counted 52,765 homeless people. The Economic Roundtable criticized the methodology of that count after months of analysis came up with a “statistical approach” that yielded a number nearly twice as large — 102,278. This interesting statistical approach, for all intents, could actually be more accurate, but it still doesn’t do the one thing that even the LASHA report hasn’t done — actually house anyone. The second report comes from the UC Berkeley Law School and the Policy Advocacy Clinic that documents the rise of Business Improvement Districts and then comes to conclusion that these 200 BIDs in California “are a concerted and growing effort to erase from cities any sign of the vast inequality while at the same time perpetuating it,” Executive Director Paul Boden said. Both of these studies are important to those who are actually studying the how and the why the fifth largest economy in the world, with one of the highest standards of living and the most millionaires can also have the largest homeless population in the nation. You don’t have to have a doctorate in economics to see that the income disparity and its threat to working class families is a part of the larger cause of this crisis. The existential fear of the middle class expressed in protests and social media shouting is what is stopping politicians from moving more swiftly to the obvious solutions. Just the other day as the Bridge Home proposal was being brought forth in the 15th Council District, more than 100 protesters organized by Saving San Pedro, a anti-homeless group came out to Gaffey Street with signs and bull horns. Most of these protesters are afraid of drug addicts, sex offenders and psycho’s invading their
8
neighborhoods — as if that makes up the totality of the homeless population. The chanting lasted for some two hours on our most congested street — a street Mayor Eric Garcetti’s listed as part of his “Great Street” initiative. Gaffey is lined with mostly fast food joints, struggling retail establishments and two big box drug stores Rite Aid and CVS. There’s not much that makes this street great except for the 63,000 car trips that it handles everyday leading to the mouth of the 110 Freeway. The City of Los Angeles has spent a small fortune beautifying the first five blocks south of the freeway but spent the past five years chasing the homeless from one encampment to another. All of this to give the “appearance of prosperity” without actually doing much but give lip service to the fact that there is a small fraction of our population living in dire poverty. The curious thing is that the Saving San Pedro contingent has now turned against Councilman Joe Buscaino since he adopted the mayor’s Bridge Home plan. Some at the demonstration even held up a sign that I inspired “Joe Must Go!” from the last city council race. I heard one woman chant on the bullhorn, “divided we stand.” A truer statement could not have been yelled more inaccurately. For on the following Monday night a counter vigil took place with a similar number of people who support housing the homeless. Buscaino didn’t show up, but three of his aides did, making this the first visible sign the tide is turning at the council office. Homelessness affects us all and if we leave this problem unsolved it will have far reaching ramifications in parts of our communities that we haven’t even yet imagined. And, our inability to solve this most basic human condition in a sane and humane way says more about our city and our civilization than all the hi-rise buildings and football stadiums being built. There are, at the core of this problem, three basic truths: 1. Shelter, in whatever form it comes, cures the condition but not the cause of homelessness. 2. The police cannot arrest their way out of this problem by chasing and incarcerating the homeless for warrants and petty misdemeanors. There aren’t enough police and not enough jails. 3. Violating other people’s rights to obtain our own security or property does not make Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya
“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.” —Mark Twain Vol. XXXIX : No. 19 Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.
Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg
My mother used to have a sign on her refrigerator that read, “The law in all its magnificence has made it illegal for both the rich and poor to sleep under bridges.” This statement is still apt for how divided we stand while nothing gets done.
any of us more secure. Neither the U.S. Constitution nor the California Constitution supports the 193 or more “vagrancy” ordinances in this state that target the homeless.
OPINION
Kavanaugh’s Party Times Come to Roost By Sara Corcoran, RLn Washington Correspondent This past Sunday on Sept. 16, Christine Blasey Ford came forward as the woman who accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault more than 30 years ago. And, I believe her allegations to be true. Though several years ahead of my class, Ford went to my high school, Holton Arms. Located a few miles outside Washington, D.C., Holton-Arms is an all-girls school that encouraged excellence in intellect and Advanced Placement courses were the rule rather than the exception. Our motto was “find a way or make one,” and holding true to our school motto, Ford seems to have found a way to make her voice heard. I am not surprised by what she had to say. Despite the strict focus on academics, Holton girls still found ways to have a good time — this writer included. We attended wild house parties in Kalorama, chugged Milwaukee’s Best in Battery Kemble Park, temporarily borrowed my best friend’s mum’s car without proper license, hurled eggs at moving vehicles and decorated
Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Reporter Richard Foss Restaurant Reviewer Andrea Serna Arts Writer Melina Paris Culture Writer Send Calendar Items to: 14days@randomlengthsnews.com Photographers Slobodan Dimitrov, Terelle Jerricks, Raphael Richardson, Casey Warren Contributors Zamná Àvila, Sara Corcoran, Terry Francke, Dennis Freeman, Mark Friedman, Benjamin Garcia,
Cartoonists Ann Cleaves, Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker Design/Production Suzanne Matsumiya, Brenda Lopez Advertising Representative Justin Shahian Sales1@randomlengthsnews.com Display advertising (310) 519-1442 Classifieds (310) 519-1016 Fax: (310) 832-1000 www.randomlengthsnews.com
houses with squeezable Charmin tissue. We were wild at heart and so were the boys we kept company with. I lived in Washington, D.C. while I was in high school. And at that time, my motley crew and I rarely spent time with the boys of Georgetown Preparatory School. It was St. Albans Episcopal High School and occasionally Landon (where George Huguely Jr. went to school), but of course I knew boys from Kavanaugh’s alma mater. Though I was never the victim of sexual assault in high school or university, I have befriended several women who were. In those days, boys from elite schools engaged in a strange pattern of attacking and then maligning the victims they assaulted. I am still perplexed by this manifestation of guilt, disguised as violence and believe every single story I was told over the years. Most girls rarely confront their attackers. They choose instead to sharing their traumas [See Kavanaugh, p. 20]
Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731. 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. Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We welcome articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2018 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
RANDOMLetters Angelinos Reject LA City Council Criminalization of Free Speech and Political Dissent
to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition their government for redress of grievances,” said Stephen Rhode, a civil liberties lawyer and author of American Words of Freedom and Freedom of Assembly. “The proposed ordinance clearly runs afoul of one of the oldest forms of government censorship - the prohibition of speech before it is even uttered,” Rhode said. Angelenos reject the denial of their constitutional right to political expression, free speech, and right to dissent. Los Angeles should be a leader in protecting free speech and not criminalizing it. Hamid Khan Los Angeles
RE: All Out for the Midterms
I agree with Peter Olney and Rand Wilson on voting for Democrats in Congress regardless if they’re not as progressive as you’d prefer. The state legislature, on the other hand, is a horse of whole different color. Democrats already have huge majorities in both houses yet can’t pass anything substantial. If there’s a Green or independent candidate who supports SB 562, vote for him/her.The ultimate goal is to get progressive legislation passed. Steve Varalyay Torrance
Overwhelming Support for MHF to be eliminated
The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance is dismayed to see [See Letters, p. 20]
Take Back the House Town Hall
Rep. Alan Lowenthal is hosting a Sept. 21 town hall on the work that remains to be done wrest Crongress from Republican control. In a released statement, Lowenthal noted that, “many of us feel deeply troubled by the direction of the Trump administration and Republicans have taken our country, But now we have a chance to make a real difference.” There are four vulnerable Republican districts that Democrats are looking to turn. This town hall will be an opportunity to hear from the Democratic candidates running for those seats, including: Gil Cisneros for 39th District, Katie Porter for the 45th District, Harley Rouda for the 48th District and Mike Levin for the 49th District. Time: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/ lowenthal-town-hall
Informational Picket and Protest at Sept. 22 SCAQMD Refinery Committee Meeting
The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance, or TRAA, is dismayed to see the South Coast Air Quality Management District, SCAQMD, leaning towards modified hydrofluoric acid mitigation only, despite acknowledging that, “a large release of MHF from acid settlers could be potentially catastrophic.”
At the end of the Sept. 6 SCAQMD briefing, staff suggested consideration of phasing out MHF by 2031. This would allow the use of deadly MHF alkylation to continue for another 13 years, putting the lives of hundreds of thousands at risk of serious injury, including death, upon accidental release. The communities surrounding the Torrance and Valero, Wilmington Refinery have spoken loud and clear, the risks that MHF poses are not acceptable and must be eliminated. United Steelworkers report (2013) “Modification of HF [hydrofluoric acid] does not keep it from vaporizing and creating a traveling plume nor does it reduce the toxicity of HF.” In addition to scores of letters from unions, elected officials and organizations demanding a ban on MHF, more than 12,000 people have signed a petition to eliminate MHF in the South
Bay and hundreds of concerned residents have written to the SCAQMD asking that MHF be eliminated within 4 years. Time: 9 p.m. Sept. 22 Details: TRAASouthBay.com Venue: Wilmington Middle School, 1700 Gulf Ave., Wilmington
implementation issues. Time: 9 a.m. Sept. 26 Details: www.cleanairaction plan.org. Venue: Port of Long Beach Interim Administrative Offices, 1st Floor Training Room, 4801 Airport Plaza Drive, Long Beach
Clean Air Action Plan Meeting Rescheduled
Long Beach Pros and Cons Ballot Informational
The third 2018 advisory meeting to offer information on progress of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan 2017 Update has been rescheduled for Sept. 26, in Long Beach. Staff from the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach will discuss the ports’ 2017 annual air emissions inventories, updates on the new Clean Truck Program, technology feasibility assessments and technology demonstrations, and information on regulatory developments. Public comment will be taken for input on CAAP
The League of Women Voters of the Long Beach Area is hosting a Pros and Cons November Ballot Briefing. The informational meeting aims to help Long Beach by providing voters a nonpartisan analysis of November 6 ballot measures. The informational will includes reasons why to vote yes or no and who supports what. Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Oct. 6 Details: (562) 481-4649 Venue: Los Altos Neighborhood Library, 5614 E. Briton Dr., Long Beach
Join us on for our monthly meeting on
Monday, September 24 at 7 p.m. Endorsements for Los Angeles County Assessor, Carson City Council, West Basin Water Board and Prop. B
At Think Café
302 W. 5th St., San Pedro • Details: (916) 837-0920
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
On Tuesday, September 18th, the Los Angeles City Council will be voting on a motion to adopt changes to the procedural rules of council meetings as it pertains to public comments. Disguised as “Rules on disruption” the city council will place a gag order and punish Angelenos by banning them from attending city council and/or committee meetings for one, three, or six business days — effectively banning them in advance of any potential public comment regardless of behavior. “It is ironic that while people across the United States observe the 231st anniversary of ‘Constitution Day,’ the adoption of US constitution on September 17, 1787, the fifteen-member Los Angeles City Council, representing over four million residents, is in the process of rulemaking that would strip people of their basic constitutional rights,” says Hamid Khan. The City of Los Angeles has a long history of silencing those who speak out against city hall corruption and its failure to meaningfully address grievances. In this latest assault on civic engagement, the city is preemptively denying Angelenos their constitutional rights. “Without a trial or any judicial review, regardless of any past violations, it would impose an unlawful gag order denying in advance their constitutional rights
Community Alerts
September 20 - October 3, 2018
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[Briefs from p. 6]
specific plans to prevent and combat homelessness. Forty cities have submitted plans. Details: https://bit.ly/2PCBPG3.
County to Bring Restorative Care Villages to Medical Centers
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move forward with plans to bring “restorative care villages” to county facilities as part of its wide-ranging initiative to fight homelessness. Some of the facilities that will receive these villages will include LAC+USC Medical Center, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. The county hopes that these villages will reduce and prevent homelessness and also provide urgently-needed interim housing for patients who would otherwise return to the streets after discharge. The restorative village projects will being together housing and a wide range of treatments and services, and they will undergo environmental review before project budgets and designs are finalized.
Brown Signs Anti-Offshore Drilling Bills
SACRAMENTO — On Sept. 8, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi’s Assembly Bill 1775 and state Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson’s Senate Bill 834. The bills prohibit any new pipelines or other infrastructure in state waters that would support new offshore oil drilling and development off California’s coast. The bills will protect California’s coast by prohibiting the State Lands Commission from approving new leases for pipelines or other infrastructure needed to support new federal oil and gas development in the 3-mile area off the coast — controlled by the state.
The bills require the commission, upon receipt of any applications to host a public hearing considering said applications impacts and necessity. In January 2018, the Donald Trump administration announced its plan to lift the moratorium put in place by President Barack Obama, opening 90 percent of federal waters to new drilling leases. AB 1775 will take effect in January 2019.
Brown Welcomes Chinese Delegation to Global Climate Action Summit
During the Global Climate Action Summit, Gov. Jerry Brown Jr,. on Sept 13, welcomed China’s 120-plus attendees and led the California delegation at the Under2 Coalition General Assembly. He also welcomed new signatories to the California-led coalition, which now represents 17 percent of the global population and 43 percent of the global economy. The China delegation’s leading role at the summit builds on California’s long-standing climate and clean energy ties with China, including the California-China Climate Mission this past year. Cities, states and countries are joining the global pact pledge to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius and make a number of key commitments, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Brown later joined fellow summit cochairs to take stock of the collective efforts to reduce carbon pollution in line with the Paris Agreement and support efforts to accelerate those reductions.
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On Sept. 11, California’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom’s “Blue California” bus tour stopped by a rally for Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi in Torrance before heading to Seal Beach for an event with State Senate candidate Tom Umberg and Assembly candidate Josh Lowenthal. State assemblyman Al Muratsuchi officially kicked off his reelection campaign Sept. 16 at his Torrance campaign headquarters. Photos courtesy of Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi’s campaign
Flemons Brings Broad History of the American West Forward By Melina Paris, Music Columnist
ongster and multi-instrumentalist, Dom Flemons started his path busking on the streets while attending Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff. The often well versed musicians “busk” in public places for sometimes handsome gratuities, while sharing their eclectic repertoire. During this time, a young Flemons connected with veteran percussionist, banjo player and folklorist Sule Greg Wilson, who worked with everyone from Nigerian percussionists to Piedmont blues performers. Wilson became a coach to Flemons and helped him develop his playing and historic knowledge of blues and folk music. Flemons developed a passion for learning songs and teaching history. Now, as an ethnomusicologist, Flemons digs into the African American roots of American folk music, jazz and blues, presenting music and stories of the American West. On Sept. 22, Flemons will perform numbers from his solo album, Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys at San Pedro’s Grand Annex. Noting its historical context, the album was released in March on the Grammy winning record label Smithsonian Folkways. The recording has the distinguished stature of being part of the African American Legacy Recordings series. Further, it was co-produced with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The album also comes with a 40-page liner note booklet. It is a reminder that the old West was a much more diverse environment than Western films would have us believe.
S
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
[See American West, p. 14]
September 20 - October 3, 2018
Dom Flemons is touring from Southern California up to the Pacific Northwest until the end of October. File photo
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W
ant a strawberry in February, beets in July, or winter squash on Memorial Day? Thanks to cheap shipping from places with different climates, you can get them all. In the 20th century we almost abolished seasonality and in the 21st, we’ve just about finished it off. Still, there are still a few things that are only available for a brief period every year. One of them is a large green chilé grown in the Hatch Valley in New Mexico. Something about the environment there creates a unique flavor that is enhanced by roasting. And, when Hatch chilés ripen at the end of summer, it is the occasion for day-long celebrations. These used to be confined to New Mexico, but chefs elsewhere have recently joined the fun. One is Arthur Gonzalez, a Los Angeles-area native who moved to Santa Fe for a job at the famous Geronimo restaurant. Gonzalez talks about his first encounter with Hatch chilés in the tones most people use for religious awakenings. “On my first weekend I went to the farmer’s market and smelled this amazing aroma,” he
The Fleeting Glory of the Hatch Chilé By Richard Foss, Cuisine Writer
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Chef Arthur Gonzalez. Photo by Richard Foss.
said. “I followed my nose to a place where a guy was roasting Hatch chilés, chopping them up, and serving them on a fresh tortilla. I had tried all sorts of chilé preparations and sauces, but that was different from anything else I had experienced. It was magical, smoky and a little sweet, a little earthy. My eyes lit up and I just said, ‘Whoah, that’s good stuff!’ I’d had pasillas, jalapeños, serranos, lots of other chilés, but this had its own unique flavor.” He was so curious about this ingredient that he drove 250 miles to the valley, where they came from and there, learned more about them. “The Hatch Valley was like the Napa of chilés, all green with the vines filled with fruit,” he said. “Most farmers believe that the minerals in the Rio Grande water make the difference. It could be that, or something about the microclimate there, or the expertise of growers who have been raising it for generations, but there’s something special about those chilés.”
As Gonzalez studied them, he found that there is considerable variation even within the valley where Hatch chilés grow. “There’s a place called Horseman’s Haven that is famous for really spicy green chili and they get their chilés from the same field every year because no others are hot enough,” he said. “Hatches range from mild to very hot, and you get the ones you like. As they ripen and get a tinge of red they become sweeter. When it’s half red and half green they call them pintos, like the spotted horse. I prefer them that way, with just a touch of red on them, because you get a deeper flavor.” Whether mild or hot, they’re probably the only chilé that is never used raw. “Roasting sweetens it and gives it just a touch of smokiness and in New Mexico whole families have roast parties,” he said. “They set up big tables and grandma makes a lot of food while the family roasts, skins and bags chilés to be frozen so they can use them throughout the year. At roast party dinners they just chop up the fresh chilés and put them in a bowl on the table, and you just add them to whatever you’re eating … they also make a runny enchilada-type sauce
that they use in all sorts of ways.” One of the few places to try freshly roasted Hatches is Panxa Cocina in Long Beach, where Gonzalez is chef-partner. There he draws on his Oaxacan mother’s heritage and his interest in South American flavors, and during the month of September the theme is Hatch chilés. “At Panxa I base dishes on my heritage, on other Latin cuisines that intrigue me, and flavors from New Mexico, which I love,” he said. “In New Mexico the food is simple, with very intense flavors. This month I’ve included Hatch chilés in our cornbread, we’re offering a Hatch enchilada sauce, and I’m stuffing the chilés like a relleno. One item you won’t see anywhere else is the blue corn quesadilla with squash blossoms and Hatch chilé jam. The quesadilla is Oaxacan style, so it looks like an empanada, which is how my grandmother used to make them. We made a beautiful queso fresco using buttermilk, and it goes great in there. I’m working on an aguachilé, and I think the Hatch flavor will go very well in that.” Other featured items include a chicken fried steak with Hatch sauce, a surprisingly delicate Hatch relleno stuffed with prawns, walnuts, and corn, and even a desert of a chilé-stuffed sopapilla pastry with smoky vanilla ice cream. You can finish with a cocktail made with Hatch infused vodka with lime and hibiscus. It’s daring to theme a monthly menu around an item that most Californians don’t know, but Gonzalez obviously is an evangelist for this ingredient. You might think that Gonzalez wishes he could experiment with Hatch chilés all year, but he doesn’t. He enjoys the anticipation as he gets phone calls from farmers telling him how close they are to ripening and he cherishes working with one of the few truly seasonal ingredients. Perhaps remembering how he learned about them himself, he is even duplicating the New Mexico chilé parties. This past weekend on Sept. 15 and 16, Panxa Cocina hosted a public chilé roast so that customers can experience the process for the first time. “When I roasted chilés last year behind my other restaurant Roe, all the cooks came out asking, ‘What’s that smell? It’s intoxicating!’” he said. “It’s something you get on every corner in New Mexico at this time of year, and for just a little while, in a few places, you get it in California.” Hopefully this chilé roast becomes a recurring event. Panxa Cocina is at 3937 E. Broadway in Long Beach. Details: (562) 433-7999
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
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OCT 4 Brought to you by the artists and restaurants of the Downtown San Pedro Waterfront Arts District
Studio Gallery 345
DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS
Michael Stearns Studio@The Loft PULLING IN/LETTING GO: NEW WORKS BY CARYN BAUMGARTNER
PacArts Gallery OMNISTIC ART
Pat Woolley, Ports O’Call, watercolor
Studio 345 presents drawings by Pat Woolley and mixed media work and paintings by Gloria D Lee. Open 5 to 9 p.m. on First Thursday and by appointment. Studio 345, 345 W. 7th St., San Pedro. Details: (310) 545-0832 or (310) 374-8055; artsail@roadrunner.com or www.patwoolleyart.com.
Caryn Baumgartner
Baumgartner is a Long Beach-based abstract artist. Her subject matter draws upon imagination, dreams and the natural world. She employs a variety of mediums, including oil, wax and charcoal in her work. Pulling In/Letting Go will be open during the First Thursday Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. Michael Stearns Studio @ The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro. Details: (562) 400-0544.
David Dory
Omnistic Art, presented by EngAGE Inc. opens at Pac Arts on First Thursday, Oct. 4 with an artist’s reception at 6pm. Meet and greet the artist, David Dory, who is a resident at Pac Arts. The event is free and open to the public and visitors will get a free poster print. Pac Arts Gallery, 303. S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro. Details: (562) 436-0700, www.engagedaging.org. Real News, Real People, Really Effective September 20 - October 3, 2018
RLn BRINGS YOU DEDICATED COVERAGE OF THE ARTS IN THE HARBOR AREA. FOR ADVERTISING, CALL 310. 519.1442
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[American West from p. 11]
even people of African descent that are from Mexico, which is a different culture too.”
Flemons’ audience comprises a wide swath of listeners. “Some people are into folk music generally; some are into the academic aspect; some like to link through rock music,” Flemons said. “Record collectors like to hear that old style music the way I play it. Particularly since social media has grown, [it has] lead younger people on a path to get into this music easier than they could have in years past.” On Black Cowboy, Flemons covered four narratives which he explained bridge presentday hip-hop and the historic African American music he has studied. The main historical bridge is the idea of vernacular language and culture being translated into popular music. Over time popular music sources were forgotten. In his research Flemons reconnected those dots to take different schools of thought and let the listener piece them together, creating a bigger picture and idea. “African American culture being a migrant culture all the way from emancipation pretty much to the modern era, [moved] with the work, the social situations and the cultural development in the United States,” Flemons said. “There’s a lot of movement and culture that represents especially, the African American culture of the West Coast. It’s not just black culture. Black culture can also mean [different] economic classes … black Native Americans,
In his first narrative, Flemons placed together iconic songs with stories in his liner notes associated with black cowboys. They include Home On the Range and Goodbye Old Paint, a traditional western song created by black cowboy, Charley Willis. For narrative No. 2, Flemons brought the African American songster tradition. Songsters were musicians and songwriters from the early days of recorded technology who played a variety of songs. Songsters who recorded numbers associated with the black cowboys linked to southern vernacular music as descendants of these cowboys. Flemons decided to pick three songsters that have cowboy songs within their repertoires, Leadbelly, Henry Ragtime Texas Thomas and Lightnin Hopkins. “[With this historical backdrop] you find a lot of information and a lot of culture, especially in the African American community,” he said. Flemons noted that this migrant culture also includes the way that African Americans interacted with the different parts of white culture. In the West, white culture turns into all sorts of different ethnic groups like Italian, German Scottish and Irish. That’s what the songsters were bringing to the forum. In the third narrative Flemons brought in classic cowboy songs like, Little Joe the Ranger and Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail, which referenced his own background from Arizona. These well-known cowboy songs tell you all
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
American West
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Chronicles
Dom Flemons, center, is touring the West Coast through October. He’ll be stopping the the Grand Annex on Sept. 22 for a workshop and concert.
about the profession of ranching and being a cowhand on the range. Flemons then created soundscapes, pieces that evoke sounds of black cowboys in the fourth narrative. That included southern tradition songs like Knox County Stomp and a well-known cowboy song, Red River Valley, which he turned into a Mississippi fife and drum number and called it The March of Red River Valley. Finally, he did a song to reference vaqueros negros, one of the names that the early black cowboys took. He took a popular African American folk song, John Henry and turned it into an instrumental called John Henry y Los Vaqueros. Flemons saw there wasn’t an album that represented this big idea anywhere. Putting this history into a comprehensive overview was something that he felt needed to be done. He identifies the time as a peculiar part of our history. It was during reconstruction when, on the East Coast, the social change that reconstruction promised, “Didn’t pan out the way that folks had hoped.” “So, they just say that reconstruction failed,” Flemons said. “But in western culture because of the tough times people [persisted] to have on the East Coast, people continued to move out west. Many people came up with different ways to create a life for themselves.” Now more than ever, these are the times we need to tell people that there were people who made it and were able to create something despite the obstacles, rather than being beaten down by the obstacles themselves, Flemons noted, “That is a very poignant statement to make without trying to tear down another narrative,” Flemons said. What brought this project together, in part, was that many of the black cowboys became Pullman porters, who were a liaison between the black sections of town during segregation. Within this historical lens, this became a far deeper story than just talking about cowboys. Flemons posits that during this time because these people were following the work, they created progress just by being present as a part of bigger society. That turned into a social cachet. From that, we saw people like Martin Luther King Jr. rise. Before King there was A.
Philip Randolph who was pushing and creating a forum in which King could work. In 1925, Randolph organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He was also a leader in the civil rights and American labor movements and socialist political party. Flemons is so steeped in this history that he followed the westward path taken by Lewis and Clark and their slave, York. One of his biggest insights from this journey is that all of the land still exists today as it did when Lewis and Clark travelled following the Louisiana Purchase. “The significance of the landscape is something,” Flemons said. “The land is … the most American out of anything else. That is both something that we take pride in but also it has led to countless debates and controversies through the land and specifically who owns the land and who lives on [it] and why it is so important.” The American identity is “in flux in a huge way recently.” Flemons said what can help is for people to educate themselves through the entire history and try to remove themselves from the emotions they might feel and try to look at history on a broad scale. Flemons also hosts a podcast, American Songster Radio, which is about to launch its second season in October. The season will be dedicated completely to the black cowboys. “The United States is definitely not a perfect narrative, never has been,” Flemons said. “But, if you think of the broad sense of history [leading] to the modern day, we’ll find that there have been achievements that have been progressive. Not to negate any of the negative but progress has been made over several [centuries]. Many people could benefit for adding those things into the narratives that they are wanting to discuss.” The songster will perform in concert after teaching a hands-on traditional rhythm bones workshop. Time: 5 p.m. workshop and 8 p.m. concert Sept. 22 Cost: $20 to $35 Details: (310) 833-4813; www.theamericansongster.com Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
A
s clever as Jane Austen’s work can be, its depth is more or less limited to one subject: the hearts of women beating within and against the horribly sexist corset of 18th-century English society. That said, she wrote the shit out of that subject, embedding it within engaging and romantic plots sprinkled with generous dollops of drollery. Not surprisingly, her half-dozen novels have provided source material for so many adaptations that when you come across a new take, it’s nigh on impossible not to compare it with one you’ve seen before. But I’m going to try my best to resist. Besides, maybe this is all new to you—in which case, a spot of plot is in order: The Dashwood women have just lost their patriarch, whose sole male heir decides to kick them out of their lifelong home. That’s 18th-century patriarchy for ya. With few rights and little money, the women are lucky that a kindly distant relative provides them with a modest country cottage. But the move proves pivotal to their future in ways they cannot foresee, as the two elder daughters — Elinor (Hilary Ward) and Marianne (Rebecca Mozo), the binary star of the Sense and Sensibility solar system — meet men who will change their lives for better or worse. Ultimately better, because Jane Austen doesn’t do tragedy. In fact, Austen is quite predictable once you have a sense of what she’s up to. This is romantic comedy in the classical sense, and you get what you pay for.
Curtain Call:
Not All a Jane Austen Adaptation Can Be By Greggory Moore, Curtain Call Columnist
Desireé Mee Jung, Rebecca Mozo and Preston Butler III in South Coast Repertory’s 2018 production of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, adapted by Jessica Swale. Photo by Jordan Kubat/SCR.
South Coast Repertory’s staging is completely in keeping with that predictability. There’s nothing here that’s going to surprise
you. Rather than reach for something new, in the hands of director Casey Stangl, Jessica Swale’s adaptation grasps for the tried and true, giving
SP Arts Festival Goes to the USS Iowa
Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers Wonder Woman performance. Photo courtesy of Louise Reichlin
Time: 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Sept. 22 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 23 Cost: Free Details: www.triartsp.com Venue: USS Iowa, 250 Harbor Blvd., San Pedro — Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
Times: 7:30 p.m. Sun. and Tues. through Thurs; 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; 2:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun. Through Sept. 29 Cost: $23 to $86 Details: (714)708-5555; www.scr.org Venue: South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
September 20 - October 3, 2018
Renewal Project, will be performing. This Los Angeles-based band features a big band horn section, a singer and a rapper who perform upbeat originals and fresh interpretations of everything from jazz standards to recent hits. They’ve toured nationally from New York’s Rockwood Music Hall to the San Jose Jazz Summerfest, and their recordings have received airplay on tastemaking radio stations across the country, including KCRW–Santa Monica and WDCB–Chicago.
and 23 are: Sept. 22: San Pedro City Ballet, ShowtimeKatusha, Degas Dance, Re:borN Dance Interactive, Authentic: Grooves, Kairos Dance Company, Bradford Chin & Dancers, Fuse Dance Company, Peoples’ Place Pacers, Grupo Folklorico Tzintzuni Sept. 23: Tango San Pedro, Jrick & the Hot Flashers, Santa Barbara City College Dance Company, Moving Chanel Dance Company, VIDA Vannia Ibarguen Dance Arts, Firusi Dance Company, Megill & Company, Louise Reichlin & Dancers/Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers, White Crane Dance Theatre, The PGK Project This year a single band, called, The Urban
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
The San Pedro Festival of the Arts is back but for the first time in its six-year incarnation, it won’t be at Ports O’ Call Village since it’s closed for redevelopment. This year, the festival will be hosted in the parking lot of the USS Iowa and the line up is exciting as ever. Known primarily for the dance performances, the SP Arts Festival will kickoff on Sept. 22 featuring 17 dance crews. The most striking aspect of this year’s festival are the large number of San Pedro-based dance groups relative to past years, or at least it seems to be. Local dance troupes include Peoples’ Place Pacers, Tango San Pedro, Jrick & the Hot Flashers and San Pedro City Ballet. Tango San Pedro was founded by Tango instructor Silvia Askenazi. Born in Buenos Aires, Askenazi migrated to Los Angeles in 2004. When she arrived, she began learning from the many local and visiting milongueros – milongueros are persons who spends time dancing social tango. JRick and the HotFlashers is a dance crew formed in 2013 of people older than 50 years old who perform old school hip hop and Michael Jackson dance routines. Jan Kain’s People’s Place Pacers is a fixture at the SP Arts Festival. People’s Place Pacers specialize in line dancing even while Kain’s Peoples’ Palace Dance studio practice a variety of dance traditions including swing in the name of physical fitness. Then there’s San Pedro’s City Ballet, the school from which one of American Ballet Theatre’s principal dancers Misty Copeland emerged. San Pedro Ballet teaches their students ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary and hiphop dance. These dance companies are not the only exciting troupes to perform at this years festival. The schedule of performances on Sept. 22
us the same straightforward rendering of Austen that’s made for a number of fine films and PBS miniseries. That works well enough throughout Act One, where not only does the plot move along trippingly, but Stangl and company do an excellent job mining the humor out of the era’s stiltedness and ceremony. The highlight is the introduction of Willoughby (Preston Butler III), Marianne’s rakish young suitor. Period manners and melodramatic conventions are amped up to absurd levels, making for true hilarity. Unfortunately, the play never again hits such heights. With little to laugh at in Act Two and a change of pace that becomes a panicky hurry by the last half-hour, audiences are likely to come away feeling not quite satisfied, especially if they’ve seen Ang Lee’s film version. Yes, I know I said I’d try not to compare this Sense and Sensibility with any other, but there’s simply no way not to. South Coast Repertory is putting on a play that seems to want to be a film, including an original score (by Martín Carrillo, which works well enough, save for one motif that is awfully reminiscent of the As the World Turns theme) and scenes cut together in a fairly cinematic fashion. (You might say, then, that the end of Act Two is poorly edited.) The comparison—unfair as it may be—may shed some light on why Swale’s adaptation feels a little wanting. To her credit, she has made her own choices on what to include and what to omit from Austen’s highly detailed plot and voluminous dialogue, but some of those choices are questionable. A prime example comes near the end of the play. In the novel, as Marianne reflects on her relations with and feelings for Willoughby, she laments that her conduct has not been like Elinor’s, a signal of the sense she has gained from her experience. Swale has inexplicably left this out, excising an important part of Marianne’s character arc in the process. The acting is solid, if not inspired. Willoughby’s entrance scene is so good that it’s clear the cast is capable of more dynamic work, but Stangl keeps them a bit too reined in for most of the show. There are a few big emotional moments—for example, Ward does fine work with Elinor’s catharsis near play’s end—but this is not a production where the actors leave it all on the field. All South Coast Repertory’s productions are sleek and this one is no exception. The mise en scène here is what you expect from such a professional theater company — although, again, there’s nothing much to inspire. Anne E. McMills does some nice lighting work, particularly with a bit of morning sunlight angling indoors. Can’t say I’ve ever quite seen that onstage. Ultimately, this Sense and Sensibility doesn’t quite deliver on the promise that its source material provides. Would I feel differently had I never seen Lee’s film? Perhaps, although I doubt the verdict would have been drastically different. But I have seen it. That’s the risk you take when you choose to produce yet another adaptation of one of the most adapted—well adapted— authors in films of the past quarter-century.
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30•182018 8T• 2 SEaPpTr2il05- -O1C ENTERTAINMENT Sept 21
Fortnight Concert Series, Chuck Alvarez Acoustic Trio This is a series of four concerts for 40 guests a fortnight apart, taking place midway through a 100-year old access tunnel leading to the Leary gun battery. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 21 and Oct. 5, 19 Cost: $30 or $100 for full series Details: (310) 518-0936; www.angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro SPIFFest Benefit Concert Join the San Pedro Film Festival fundraiser featuring Andy and Renee, and Patti Orbeck and Debra Bain for the 7th Annual San Pedro Film Festival. Time: 8 p.m. Sept 21 Cost: $30 to $50 Details: www.spiffest.org Venue: The Palace by KIS, 619 S. Mesa St., San Pedro
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
Sept 22
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Ukulele Festival The Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival celebrates the little fourstringed wonder. With many opportunities to jump in, you can enjoy performances by today’s hottest ukulele talent and participate in as many workshops as you like. Time: 8:30 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: $45 Details: (562) 556-4824; www.KalaKoa.com Venue: Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Sept 23
JMNS Goes Pop This is a concert of favorite selections from musical theater, Motown, rhythm and blues, rock and popular music. Diversity and talent will govern this show with solos, duets trios and ensemble singing. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 23 Cost: $15 to $25 Details: (310) 781-7171; www.jmnsingers.com Venue: James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Sept 28
Willie Watson For almost two decades, Willie Watson, formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show, has made modern folk music rooted in older traditions.
Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 28 Cost: $25 to $35 Details: www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Sept 29
Honjoh Hidetaro and Ensemble The program will include performances and demonstrations, along with narratives and on stage interviews with musicians. Time: 2 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $25 to $40 Details: (310) 781-7171; www.honjoh.co.jp Venue: James Armstrong Theater, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance ABBA Tribute The set list is jam packed with hit songs, the costumes are spectacular and the excitement and energy and showmanship brought by the fantastic cast, keeps people coming back time after time. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $20 Details: (562) 596-4718; https://tinyurl.com/ABBA-LBGaslamp Venue: Gaslamp Long Beach, 6251 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach Long Beach Music Tastes Good Festival Music Tastes Good is comin’ back to Marina Green Park for another two days of more than 40 amazing music performances and a curated culinary adventure. Time: 11 a.m. Sept. 29 and 30 Cost: $85 to $300 Details: www.music-tastesgood-vol-3-tickets Venue: Marina Green Park, 386 E. Shoreline Drive, Long Beach Steve Fister Band Guitarist, singer, songwriter Steve Fister combines a roots infused blend of blues, folk, rock and storytelling for an evening of guitar driven music with a textured twist that marks his signature style. Time: 8 p.m. Sept 29 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshowroom tix.com Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Gladys Knight Motown powerhouse Gladys Knight shattered music charts with the Grammy-winning tunes Love Overboard, Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) and Midnight Train to Georgia. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $80 to $135 Details: (562) 916-8500; www.cerritoscenter.com Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos
Long Beach Symphony: American Fusion Enjoy and evening of symphony classics at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $28 to $58 Details: www.longbeachcc.com Venue: Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
Sept 30
Little Brazil Trio The trio with its unique voice revisits the defining moments of Brazilian music from a contemporary perspective. The trio fills the repertoire with pieces from the best composers and also original songs. Time: 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 30 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com/event/little-brazil-trio/ Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Oct 4
The Lady with All the Answers Madeleine Drake stars in this delightful, one-woman comedy about the mistress of manners herself, Eppie Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers. Based on her life and letters, and filled with secrets, regrets, and triumphs, this play focuses on her two closest relationships — her husband and her twin sister, better known as Dear Abby. Performances on Sept. 29 and 30 at Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro. Details: shakespearebythesea.org
Eden Iris Eden Iris is a musician from Auckland, New Zealand, described as “a writer working in a new space.” Time: 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 4 Cost: Free Details: www.feedandbefed.org Venue: Feed and Be Fed, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro
famous detective found himself in a plot inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson?” Time: Friday, Saturday 8 p.m. Sundays 2 p.m. Sept. 22 through Oct. 20 Cost: $14 to $24 Details: (562) 494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org Venue: The Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
Sept 21
Sept 29
THEATER
On Clover Road At an abandoned motel on a desolate American road, a mother meets with a cult deprogrammer, believing she will be reunited with her runaway daughter. What happens instead is something that will shock her to her core. Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sunday Oct. 14, Sept. 21 through Oct. 20 Cost: $27 Details: www.shakespeareby thesea.secure.force.com Venue: Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro
Sept 22
The Dinner Detective America’s largest interactive comedy murder mystery dinner show, now aboard the Jewel of Long Beach, the Historic Queen Mary. Solve a hilarious crime while you feast on a fantastic dinner. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: $80 Details: www.thedinner detective.com Venue: The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club The play explores the question: “What if Arthur Conan Doyle’s
The Lady with All the Answers Madeleine Drake stars in this one-woman comedy about the mistress of manners herself, Eppie Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers. Based on her life and letters, and filled with secrets, regrets and triumphs, this play focuses on her two closest relationships — her husband and her twin sister, better known as Dear Abby. Time: 2 p.m. Sept. 29 and 7 p.m. Sept. 30 Cost: $25 to $27 Details: shakespearebythesea. org Venue: Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro
Sept 30 The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time Fifteen-year-old Christopher stands beside Mrs. Shears’ dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. He tries to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington as he records facts in a book he writes. Time: 2 p.m. Sept. 30 Cost: $17.50 Details: (310) 781-7171; www.torranceart.org Venue: James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
Folsom at 50 Marking the 50th anniversary of Johnny Cash’s famous concert for the inmates of Folsom prison, Garner and band recreate Cash’s biggest hits and weave historical accounts and personal tales of the beloved singer and storyteller. Time: 2 p.m. Sept. 30 Cost: $35 to $40 Details: (562) 985-7000; www.CarpenterArts.org Venue: Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach
Details: (562) 438-5435; www.arttheatrelongbeach.org Venue: Art Theatre Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Ongoing
Star Wars the Last Jedi The movie is outdoors on the ship’s fantail. Limited seating is available. Time: 8 p.m. Sept. 21 Cost: Free Details: www.pacificbattleship. com Venue: Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., Berth 87, San Pedro
The Tempest Trickery, romance, and revenge set the stage for one of Shakespeare’s late masterpieces, in which sprites, goddesses, monsters, and fools hold court. In this fanciful classic that is often described as the darker twin to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Time: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Sept. 29 Cost: $10 to $27 Details: www.lbplayhouse.org/ show/the-tempest Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5201 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
FILM
Sept. 20
Emphasize: Displacement Join this public talk and free screening of Priced Out: Gentrification in Portland, Oregon. The film’s director, Cornelius Swart, will be joined by a panel of experts for a healthy, balanced discussion of the issues surrounding displacement. Time: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sept 20 Cost: Free
Summer Film Series Watch four short films: Urban Fruit, Food for Thought Food for Life, The Compost Story and The Soil Story. Time: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 21 Cost: Free Details: www.feedandbefed. org Venue: Feed and Be Fed, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Sept 26 Love Possibly — Catalina Film Festival Screening Opening Night screening of Love Possibly at the Catalina Film Festival. Filmmakers in attendance with Q&A afterwards Time: 8 to 10 p.m. Sept 26 Cost: $25 to $500 Details: www.squadup.com Venue: Art Theatre Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Oct 7 San Pedro International Film Festival Join the 55th anniversary screening of It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Time: 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7
through 15 Cost: $10 Details: www.spiffest.org Venue: San Pedro International Film Festival, 464 W. 6th St., San Pedro
DANCE Sept 22
San Pedro Festival of the Arts A free family event featuring 20 dance companies with performances from 1 to 4:15 p.m. and different artists each day and live music from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 23. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 22, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 23 Cost: Free Details: www.triartsp.com Venue: USS Iowa, Berths 88 and 89, Port of Los Angeles, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro South Bay’s Got Talent V Come see some of the best talent the South Bay has to offer in the fifth annual regional talent competition. Open to all ages and genres of performance. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: $45 Details: (562) 556-4824 Venue: James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
ARTS
Sept 22
Sept 28
A Wake at the Gate The biennial fundraiser’s theme, Cabinets of Curiosities, will be on in the Angels Gate Cultural Center Galleries. Artists are installing unique “rooms” of curiosities to provide an eye-catching, fascinating and fun-inspired
Ongoing
2018 Art and Design Faculty Exhibition Investigating a range of subject matters and approaches to artmaking, the exhibition demonstrates the span of the media and materials used by these teaching artists in their personal practices. The exhibition features work by 12 members of the California State University Dominguez Hills Art and Design Department. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Monday through Thursday, through Oct. 10 Cost: Free Details: (310) 243-2001; www.csudh.edu. Venue: CSUDH University Art Gallery, Room A-107, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson. Pop-up Exhibit: Reading and Writing Essentials of the 19th Century Take a look at the writing life in a time well before computers or ebooks. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a variety of objects were used to complement the activities of reading and writing. Time: 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, through Nov. 1. Cost: Free Details: (562) 206-2040; www.rancholoscerritos.org Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach American Monument Attend the reception for a new artwork by lauren woods, American Monument. woods is actively transforming the University Art Museum into a monument that prompts consideration of the cultural circumstances under which African-Americans have lost their lives to police brutality. Time: 12 to 5 p.m. Sundays and 12 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, through Dec. 9. Cost: Free Details: (562) 985-5761; www.csulb.edu/university-artmuseum Venue: University Art Museum, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
COMMUNITY Sept 20
Peace in the South Bay As part of an International Peace Day Interfaith Celebration Dr. Reinhard Krauss will moderate a panel discussion on: “Is Religion a Pathway or an Obstacle to Peace?” Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 20 Cost: $12 to $35 Details: (310) 210-8577 Venue: Hermosa Beach Community Theater, 715 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach LA Harbor Boat Show LA Harbor Boat Show is an opportunity to climb aboard a variety of trawlers, cruisers, sport fishers, sailboats, catamarans and motor yachts. Time: 12 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 and 21, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept 22 and 23 Cost: $10 to $15 Details: www.laharborboat show.com Venue: Cabrillo Way Marina, 2845 Miner St., Berth 43, San Pedro
Sept 21
It’s Comedy Tonight in Old San Pedro Join for an evening of adult humor and the return of comedienne, Amy Ashton. The comedy night also will feature Mark Selzer and Jennifer Gable and Emcee’d by Mike Muratore. Time: 7 p.m. Sept. 21 Cost: $5 to $10 Details: (310)831-2928; www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/3596073; Venue: Machine Art Studio, 446 W. 6th St., San Pedro 12th Annual Fall into Fiction Join in for two days of back-toback literary salons featuring 16 acclaimed authors. There will be book giveaways, raffles, live jazz and live cooking demonstration by Chef Das. Time:12 p.m. Sept. 21 to 10 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: $200 to $275 Details: www.ucaabookclubs. com Venue: Long Beach Marriott, 2700 Airport Plaza, Long Beach
Sept 22
Festival in the Park Join the Long Beach 7th District annual Festival in the Park featuring entertainment and performances by DJ Demo od KDAY, Susie Hansen Latin Band, CSULB Grupo Folklorico Mexica, Mariachi Alma y
I Love Wilmington Family Fiesta Activities, refreshments, raffles and entertainment will fill the day at this annual family event. Time: 11 am to 3 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: Free Details: (310) 414-2090 Venue: Banning Park, 404 M St., Wilmington Terminal Island, Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor Geraldine Knatz, co-author of this historical book and former executive director of the Port of Los Angeles will present the story of Terminal Island, with emphasis on the resort and artist communities that once thrived in the middle of the Los Angeles Harbor. A Q-and-A session will follow the discussion. Time: 11 a.m. Sept. 22 Cost: $5 Details: (310) 548-2005; www.thebanningmuseum.org Venue: The Banning Museum, 401 E. M St., Wilmington
Sept 23
9th Annual Urban Farm Dinner Taste appetizers and an amazing multi-course dinner created from fresh, local ingredients by local chefs. This is a fundraiser for the Growing Experience Urban Farm and all chefs are donating their time and staff for this event. Time: 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 23 Cost: $150 Details: https:// urbanfarmdinner.bpt.me Venue: Growing Experience Urban Farm, 750 E. Via Carmelitos, Long Beach
Sept 26
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Sea Club Join SEA Club, or Science Education Afternoons. This will be a personalized marine biology experience for students to learn and have fun exploring the local marine environment. The deadline to register is Sept. 26. Time: 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 through 24 Cost: $30 Details: (310) 548-7562; www.cabrillomarineaquarium. org Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Sept 27
Maritime Industry Salute Dinner The International Seafarers Center will host its annual Maritime Industry Salute Dinner 2018 aboard the Queen Mary. The event will feature a boat parade and pay tribute to the San Pedro Bay Port Pilots. Time: 5 p.m. Sept. 27 Cost: $150 Details: (562) 432-7560;
www.iscpolb-la.org/currentevents Venue: Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor 2018 Southern California’s most authentically terrifying haunt will once again rise from the depths. This year, you’ll find yourself disoriented with a new park footprint along with new maze designs, interactive alternate paths, and live entertainment. The event runs through Nov. 2. Time: 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sept 27 Cost: $20 and up Details: www.queenmary.com/ calendar-of-events/dark-harbor/ calendar Venue: The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
Sept. 28
Native Plant Sale Thousands of California native plants will be available, especially the ones that do well in the south coast area. Experts will be on hand to answer questions. Time: 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: Free Details: www.sccnps.org Venue: Madrona Marsh Nature Center, 3201 Plaza Del Amo, Torrance The Family Table Bistro September is about family for Beacon House, thus the Family Table Bistro featuring Chef Christine Brown, owner and founder of the former Christine’s in Palos Verdes. Meet the men who have graduated from the program and who are now reunited with their families. Time: 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 Cost: $35 Details: www.thebeaconhouse. org Venue: Bartlett Center at the Beacon House, 101 W. 11th St., San Pedro
Sept 29
Sowing the Seeds of Summer 2019 Partners of Parks invites you to an evening of thanks and celebration in support of the community organizations and neighborhood groups who bring programming to city parks every summer. Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $75 Details: (562) 570-1745; www.interland3-donorperfectnet Venue: El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 E. Spring St., Long Beach Havana Nights Join the Toberman Neighborhood Center’s fall fundraising event for a good cause. Time: 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $75 Details: (310) 832-1149; www.tobermanejoinme.org/ havananights Venue: Toberman Neighborhood Center, 131 N. Grand Ave., San Pedro Salt Marsh Open House Join Aquarium educators and Coastal Park Naturalists as they
uncover the world of mud and water that is our local wetland. Bring binoculars, camera, sketch pad, journal or just your curiosity. Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: Free Details: (310) 548-7562; www.cabrillomarine aquarium.org Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro Phil Gaimon Takes the PV As part of his YouTube series, Worst Retirement Ever, Gaimon will be having a go at the most coveted segment in the South Bay — the switch backs in Palos Verdes. Time: 8 a.m. Sept. 29 Cost: Free Details: (310) 832-1966; tony@thebikepalace.com Venue: The Bike Palace, 1600 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro Baja Splash Cultural Festival The Aquarium of the Pacific will host its 16th annual Baja Splash Cultural Festival featuring live entertainment, crafts, educational programs, and special activities. Time: 9 a.m. Sept. 29 to 5 p.m. Sept. 30 Cost: $17.95 to $29.95 Details: tickets. aquariumofpacific.org Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach
Oct 6
Battle of Dominguez Hill Join in commemorating the 172nd anniversary of the Battle of Dominguez Hill. Visitors will have an opportunity to experience living history military encampments, live period music, and educational activities for the whole family. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7 Cost: Free Details: (310) 603-0088 Venue: Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, 18127 S. Alameda St., Rancho Dominguez Sustainable Seafood Expo Kicking off the festivities on Oct. 6 is a Chef’s Table dinner prepared by Chicken of the Sea Executive Chef, John DeLoia. Diners will enjoy exquisitely prepared sustainable seafood dishes as the sun sets over Cabrillo Beach. On day two, Oct. 7, the Expo joins forces with the Autumn Sea Fair. The event will feature a dozen oceanrelated nonprofit groups, seafood sampling, seafoodrelated talks and music. Time: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6 Cost: $175 Details: www.chefstable dinner.eventbrite.com Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro
September 20 - October 3, 2018
Sept 29
Works inspired by Edgar Allan Poe For the month of October Gallery Azul will have a show of works inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe gained worldwide fame for his dark, macabre tales of horror, practically inventing the genre of Gothic literature. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and 2 to 6 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 4 through 20 Cost: Free Details: www.galleryazul.com Venue: Gallery Azul, 520 W. 8th St., San Pedro
Corazon, Sitara Son and Son Cache. Time: 12 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: Free Venue: Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St., Long Beach
Tibahangna to Today: Stories of the Tongva People Join the Rancho to celebrate the opening of Tibahangna to Today: Stories of the Tongva People, an exhibition of artifacts, photographs, and historical documents highlighting the history and culture of the TongvaGabrielino people. Time: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/ tibahangna-today Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach
Oct 4
Contemporary Filipino and Filipino American Textiles The exhibit features works by Filipino American contemporary artists, all of whom are conceptually, spiritually or formally inspired to use textiles. As part of the exhibit, co-curator Christine Morla will give a talk during the Third Saturday Art Walk on Oct. 20 at 3 pm. Time: 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, or by appointment Cost: Free Details: 310-514-9139; www.pintadosgallery.com Venue: Pinta*Dos Philippine Art Gallery, 479 W. 6th St., Suite 107, San Pedro.
Real News, Real People, Really Effective
Cloud Nine Danial Nord’s solo project is a media-driven installation of life-sized, translucent humanoid figures, suspended in the dark, activated by their flickering smartphones. The exhibition runs Sept. 22 to Nov. 10. Museum hours: Tues through Sat., 11a.m. to 5 p.m. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 22 Cost: Free Details: (310) 618-6388; www.torranceartmuseum. com; Venue: Torrance Art Museum, 3320 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
environment. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 29 Cost: $100 Details: (310) 519-0936; www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/3521221 Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
17
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Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant September 20 - October 3 , 2018
PERSONALS
(a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 08/09/18, 08/23/18, 09/06/18, 09/20/2018
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2018190097 The following person is doing business as: HR General Welding Repairs, 644 W. 27th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1951, San Pedro, Ca 90733. Registered owners: Hector Rivera, 644 W. 27th 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/. Hector Rivera, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Ange-
[continued on p. 19]
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REAL ESTATE INVESTOR seeks to purchase commercial or multi-unit residential properties in San Pedro. No Agents please. 310-241-6827
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2018187887 The following person is doing business as: Tinkerbell Cleaners, 1808 E Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Mark J. Doddy, 1110 W. 9th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all 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/. Mark J. Doddy, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 31, 2018. Notice--In accordance with subdivision
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PLEASE HELP! The animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter 957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro 888-452-7381, x 143 PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.
ACROSS
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1 Worker’s compensation 5 “M*A*S*H” actress Loretta 9 Wilson of “The Office” 14 Have ___ in the oven (be preggers) 15 “What ___ God wrought” (first official Morse code message) 16 Muppet wearing a horizontally striped shirt 17 2000 movie with the quote “What we do in life echoes in eternity” 19 Box lunch? 20 Relative that might be “once removed” 22 Wood for baseball bats 23 Removed 27 Mustard sometimes mixed with mayo 31 “Out of the Cellar” glam rockers 33 ___-de-France (Paris’ region) 34 1998 skating gold medalist Kulik 35 In-between feeding time invented for a Taco Bell ad campaign 38 Olympus ___ (Martian volcano) 39 Come together 40 90 degrees from norte 41 Intuitive power 43 “Don’t change” 44 Suffix similar to -let 45 Painters’ mediums
46 Lunar cycle segment 47 Present-day 49 Act like an old-timey suitor 51 Honorific for landmarks like the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, or Empire State Building 58 Cable movie channel owned by Lionsgate since 2016 61 Lou Gehrig’s nickname, with “The” 62 TV input or output component 63 Appellation 64 Johnny of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” 65 Color for rolls of dimes 66 Actress Natalia of “Stranger Things” 67 “Undertale” character named for a derided font
DOWN
1 Tail movements 2 Skilled 3 Burrito bar side, for short 4 Prefix with plasm 5 Sardine cousins 6 Look after 7 “Was ___ harsh?” 8 “No ___ Traffic” 9 Renaissance 10 Bowl game venue, maybe 11 Roadside rest stop 12 Insect egg 13 Keanu, in the “Matrix” series 18 “___ ever-changing world ...” 21 Living room piece 24 Short nap
25 Makes happy 26 Leave out 27 Chinese restaurant style 28 Repetitive-sounding province of the Philippines 29 Brought bad luck to 30 Brewer’s dryer 31 Archaeological site 32 The “A” that turns STEM into STEAM 35 Joining with heat 36 Harvard-set Turow book 37 Fit together 42 Range of perception 46 “Christopher Robin” character 48 Like feelings from ASMR videos, for some 49 Mock-innocent reply 50 Team VIP 52 Golden ___ (Sir Francis Drake’s flagship) 53 Airplane seat attachment 54 Head bobs 55 De Matteo of “The Sopranos” 56 Channel with a “Deportes” version 57 Sales force members 58 Succumb to gravity 59 NBC News correspondent Katy 60 Ending for Power or Gator ©2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com
DBA & LEGAL FILINGS [from p. 18]
les on Aug. 1, 2018. Notice--In accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 where it expire 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code). Original filing: 08/09/18, 08/23/18, 09/06/18, 09/20/2018
INITIAL STUDY/NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR THE BERTH 206-209 MATSON BUILDINGS DEMOLITION, PORT OF LOS ANGELES The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department (Harbor Department) has prepared an Initial Study/Negative Declaration (IS/ND) to address the environmental effects of the Berth 206-209 Matson Buildings Demolition Project. This project includes demolition of four former Matson buildings. The IS/ND is being circulated for a period of 30 days for public review and comment. The public has an opportunity to provide written comments on the information contained within the IS/ND.
Comments on the IS/ND should be submitted in writing prior to the end of the 30-day public review period and must be postmarked by October 26, 2018. Please submit written comments to: Christopher Cannon, Director City of Los Angeles Harbor Department Environmental Management Division 425 S. Palos Verdes Street San Pedro, CA 90731 Written comments may also be sent via email to ceqacomments@ portla.org. Comments sent via email should include the project title in the subject line.
Availability: The Recirculated Draft SEIR is being released for a period of 45 days for public review and comment starting on September 28, 2018, and ending on November 13, 2018. Reviewers are advised that new comments must be submitted on the Recirculated Draft SEIR, and although part of the administrative record, comments received on the prior 2017 Draft SEIR may no longer be considered pertinent and as such, would not require a written
Public Meeting: A public meeting will be held on October 25, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Harbor Department Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. The meeting will be conducted in English with Spanish translation services available. Comments: Comments on the Recirculated Draft SEIR should be submitted in writing prior to the end of the 45-day public review period and must be postmarked by November 13, 2018. Please submit written comments to: City of Los Angeles Harbor Department, Christopher Cannon, Director Envi-ronmental Management Divi-sion, P.O. Box 151, San Pedro, CA 90731. Comments may also be sent via email to ceqacomments@portla.org. Please remember to send your comments in letter format as an attachment to the e-mail; provide an optional valid mailing address; and use the project title in the e-mail subject line.
did was OK. Thanks, Mike, I’ll miss that. Mike always stuck to his guns and was very comfortable with who he was. A little more than a year ago Mike told me gleefully about an elaborate practical joke he was playing on one of his relatives that involved covering the relative’s lawn with political signs endorsing a candidate his relation detested. I asked him why he would go to such trouble just to do something that was sure to anger a relative he actually liked. He laughed and said enthusiastically, “Because I still have a juvenile sense of humor!” Mike was The Best. — Robert Aguayo
For additional information, please contact Lisa Ochsner, Harbor Department Project Manager at (310) 732-3412. CN953353 201931268 Sep 27, 2018
September 20 - October 3, 2018
For additional information, please contact Erin Sheehy with the Harbor Department’s Environmental Management Division at (310) 732-7693. CN953283 BERTH 206-209 Sep 27, 2018
The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department (Harbor Department) has prepared a Recirculated Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Draft SEIR) for the Berths 97-109 [China Shipping] Container Terminal Project. This Recirculated Draft SEIR is a complete recirculation of the Draft SEIR released on June 16, 2017, due to significant new information added. The significant new information in the Recirculated Draft SEIR centers around the evaluation of the operation of the terminal from 2008 to 2014 under the set of mitigation measures approved in the certified 2008 Final EIR, to the extent those were implemented, and its continued operation in the future under new and/or modified mitigation measures, along with an incrementally higher cargo throughput level compared to that assumed in the 2008 Final EIR. The analysis examines whether potentially new significant environmental impacts or substantially more severe impacts would occur in the areas of Air Quality, Green-house Gases, and Ground Transportation.
response by the Harbor Department in the Final SEIR. The Recirculated Draft SEIR is available for review at: Harbor Department Environmental Management Division, 222 W. 6th Street, Suite 900, San Pedro, CA 90731; Los Angeles City Library, Central Branch, 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles CA 90071; Los Angeles City Library, San Pedro Branch, 931 S. Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731; and Los Angeles City Library, Wilmington Branch, 1300 N. Avalon, Wilmington, CA 90744. The entire Recirculated Draft SEIR is also available on the Port of Los Angeles web site: http://www. portoflosangeles.org under the Environmental tab.
Mike was one of my best friends ever for as long as anybody. I met him in high school in an English class where we shared being inappropriately mouthy kids in an effort to get laughs from our classmates and avoid boredom. I remember one time when I was just figuring out who he was. I was out at night walking the streets of San Pedro after having some tense discussion with my father over how random my being a Catholic was and how your geography and philosophy largely determined your relation to God and Church. As I’m walking, Mike drove by in his little VW Bug and offered me a ride. We rode and talked for a while and at some point he said he’d drive me home. When we got near my street I told him could just let me off on the corner. He insisted on driving me right to the door and as I exited the car he loudly yelled “Atheist bastard!” as he sped off in the night. I started hanging out at his house where his parents and brother were always welcoming, which was fortunate for me as my house was never a hang. Post high school we shared apartments and plotted a trip to Europe. We went and had a fine time, and while I wanted to get back to California Mike fell in love with Denmark and kept returning until he moved there. That’s where he spent most of his life but always making regular trips back to the U.S. so that we could always feel friendships endured and we were connected. I know people are often evaluated as to what they achieved in their careers, whether they were a good partner, parent, friend, what they gave back to the world, etc. And Mike did well in all these regards, but there are a couple of things that I think made Mike really special. One was that he was always creative. He was a great cartoonist even back when we were in school. Throughout his life he did cartooning, painting, writing stories, at least two novels, wrote songs, performed stand up comedy and probably a bunch of things I don’t even know about. He always had lots of creative ideas and enthusiasm and didn’t outgrow being an artist the way some do. The other thing was that he was always supportive of his family and friends and whatever they were doing. Mike stayed in touch with many people around the world that he knew his whole life as well as always visiting his relatives wherever they were. I personally know he was always encouraging to me and he made me feel like anything I
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The 30-day public review period starts on September 27, 2018, and ends on October 26, 2018. A copy of the document is available for public review on the Port of Los Angeles website at: http:// www.portoflosangeles.org; the Harbor Department Environmental Management Division located at 222 West 6th Street, 9th Floor, San Pedro; the Los Angeles City Library San Pedro Branch at 931 S. Gaffey Street; and at the Los Angeles City Library Wilmington Branch at 1300 North Avalon, Wilmington.
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF A RECIRCULATED DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE BERTHS 97-109 [CHINA SHIPPING] CONTAINER TERMINAL PROJECT (SCH #2003061153)
Michael Begovich
19
[Kavanaugh from p. 8]
Kavanaugh’s Party Time
with friends or counsellors along the way to selfrecovery. When women are credible and authentic, it comes across very naturally as it has in the case of Christine Blasey Ford. Having hosted a few house soirees in my vibrant past, as an adult, I cringe at the thought of bearing any responsibility, emotionally or legally for any reprehensible conduct taking place under my roof. Conduct as reported by Blasey Ford could
RANDOMLetters [Letters from p. 9]
September 20 - October 3 , 2018
Real News, Real People, Totally Relevant
the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) leaning towards HF mitigation only, despite acknowledging, “A large release of MHF from acid settlers could be potentially catastrophic.” At the end of the AQMD Sept. 6 briefing, staff suggests that a “potential long-term phase out” by 2031 might be considered. This would allow the use of deadly MHF alkylation to continue for another 13 years, putting the lives of hundreds of thousands at risk of serious injury, including death, upon accidental release. The communities surrounding the Torrance and Valero, Wilmington Refinery have spoken loud and clear, the risks that MHF pose are not acceptable and must be eliminated. Additionally, over 12,000 people have signed a petition to eliminate MHF in the South Bay and hundreds of concerned residents have written to the SCAQMD asking that MHF be eliminated within four years. Partial list of MHF elimination supporters: County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, City of Carson, City of Redondo Beach, City of Hermosa Beach, City of Manhattan Beach, City of Torrance Council members Tim Goodrich and Kurt Weideman, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, State of California Department of Justice, Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi, Assembly Member Richard Bloom, Assembly Member Mark Stone, Assembly Member Anthony Rendon, Assembly Member David Hadley, Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Nanette Barragan, Rep. Maxine Waters, State Senator Kevin de León, Senator Scott Wiener, Torrance Teachers Association, Harbor City Neighborhood Council, Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council, Wilmington Neighborhood Council, San Pedro Democratic Club, Teamsters Local Union No.986, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Sierra Club , Communities for a Better Environment, Coalition for a Safe Environment, California Kids IQA, Wilmington Community Dreams, Wilmington, San Pedro & Peninsula Homeowners Coalition, Wilmington Improvement Network Dr. Sally Hayati Los Angeles Send Letters to the Editor to: letters @randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor must include your name with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but are for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words.
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easily have happened and other partygoers could have been blissfully ignorant as to what was occurring in some dark room by a group of drunken young men. Sorry, but glowing letters of support by 65 young women who did not share Blasey Ford’s experience won’t cut it. Not one letter writer was a witness to the alleged assault—although I am sure that Kavanaugh is in the market for persons who can speak to the episode in question—and having Condoleezza Rice in the background of his hearing (as impressive as she is), isn’t going to halt the scrutiny. So, it is entirely possible that Kavanaugh may have evolved from his blue-
blooded sense of entitlement. He may now be a family man, whose current life is defined by his faith and very impressive career as a judge. However, this wouldn’t excuse his behavior from so many years ago, even if he were a minor. See, I believe Kavanaugh, the prudent jurist would never assault a women at this point in his life. As he continued on his legal education and career, I am sure he would have wanted to put as much distance as possible between his prior and current self. Being the father of two daughters, he would also have become more motivated to protect and nurture those closest to him. However, as a jurist, he also knows the importance of embracing the truth of his past, no matter how painful or consequential it may be. So judge, your confirmation is guaranteed absent an acknowledgement of attempted rape.
There are many women who extolled the virtues of your character in those carefully crafted letters of support. I believe it possible to believe them while believing the story of Christine Blasey Ford. Deflecting and attacking the victim is not advised as it will remind many women of how other women were singled out and treated after being victims of sexual assault. According to a friend, Kavanaugh is going to “shit her out, leave her to be the turd she is,” but discrediting the victim may not work in this case, following a vigorous denial, Kavanaugh’s credibility and integrity is at stake. Blasey Ford is a woman with a credible claim and a Senate confirmation hearing is not for the weak of character. Her allegations must be fully and fairly assessed. She passed a lie detector test. Let’s see if Kavanaugh can do the same.