Heir Proposes Historic Museum for Peninsula After Sale of Villa Narcissa By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor
[See Vanderbilt, p. 4]
Anti-SLAPP motion prevails: Peninsula Pet Clinic’s $21.5 million lawsuit to be dismissed p. 2 Book Review: Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women by Silvia Federici p. 9
By Mark Friedman, Labor News Columnist
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union 770 said in a statement that the supermarket corporations engaged in illegal and covert tactics to prevent workers from exercising their rights guaranteed to them by labor and federal laws. Supermarket workers in Southern California voted to authorize a strike after unsuccessful negotiations with the corporations that own Ralphs and Vons/Pavilions/Albertsons. The contract that covers more than 60,000 supermarket store employees expired Sunday, March 6. Corporations representing the supermarkets offered a pitiful raise of a few cents while the union presented proposals that would increase wages, as well as improve working conditions in the stores. According to the union, grocery sales increased
More Labor Coverage —
Grocery Corporations Stonewall Union Negotiations See p. 4 exponentially, bringing in record profits for grocery companies, citing Ralphs’ parent company Kroger’s reported profits of up to $4 billion in 2021. In a statement, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770 said that corporations engage in illegal and covert tactics to prevent workers from exercising their rights and protections guaranteed to them by labor and federal laws. Unionized contract workers work at Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, Stater Bros. and Gelson’s supermarkets. “When the pandemic hit, we showed up to work to make sure our community had food. We put our health
and the health of our family at risk – and now corporate executives who hid in their offices and profited from our sacrifice refuse to share in the success and improve safety in our stores,” said Rachel Fournier, an employee for 17 years at Ralphs, in a statement. Employees filed Unfair Labor Practices charges with the federal government’s National Labor Relations Board against Ralphs and Vons/Albertsons/Pavilions for violating labor laws by over-policing, intimidating and interfering with participating workers in union activities, for failing to bargain over bonuses offered to employees and improperly subcontracting work to outside contractors, among other labor law violations. Charges were also filed with the NLRB against Stater Bros. after company managers violated federal labor law by attempting to bargain with individual workers and delaying negotiations. 1
March 17 - 30, 2022
Guinness Stout stew and the Joyce of cooking p. 10
Supermarket Workers Vote to Authorize Strike
Katrina Vanderlip, the granddaughter of Frank Vanderlip, who developed much of Palos Verdes, poses in Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes. Her family donated the land for the chapel. Photo by Arturo GarciaAyala
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The historic Vanderlip mansion, built in 1924, is the centerpiece of an 11.5-acre property hidden in the hill directly above Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It sold for $10.5 million in July 2020. Katrina Vanderlip, whose grandfather, Frank Vanderlip, is known as the “Father of Palos Verdes,” has initiated efforts to create a museum on the historical legacy of the Villa Narcissa, as it is known today. “I always knew it was the exceptionally beautiful historical heart of our family,” Katrina Vanderlip said in her recent newsletter. Katrina said the new owner of the villa, Nina Ritter, is one of a kind. She has devoted her energy and finances to restoring historic buildings and gardens. She told Katrina it’s her family home and as long as there’s a bed in the villa, she is welcome to come stay there. Katrina is taking her up on the offer. She came to California this month to plan the museum. She said she really cares about this project, but she can’t do it all from the east coast. “I don’t live in California any more so it has to be the local people,” Katrina said. “To organize and push their city to find the space and get both public and private funding for it. To collaborate to find a location, raise the money and do it. I can do the furnishing and the recreating and make sure that it’s all authentic and correct inside. There will be educational programming too.” Katrina emphasized that she’s not only encouraging the involvement of peninsula residents, but the people of San Pedro, too. She said the Vanderlips’
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area Port of Los Angeles Seeks Interest in Commercial Development Opportunity on Terminal Island
The Port of Los Angeles is soliciting Requests for Expressions of Interests or RFEOI for a possible lease agreement for the former Star-Kist Processing Plant located at 1050 Ways St. on Terminal Island. The approximate 8.63-acre site contains a large warehouse with a building footprint (ground floor) of approximately 267,720 square feet and a 38,165 square foot parking area. Submissions received from this RFEOI are an important factor in determining next steps for the property. Interested parties can view submission details at https://tinyurl.com/a98bmv2k. The submission deadline is April 7. Details: Felicia Ansley via email at fansley@portla. org.
LA County’s Election Administration Plan Available for Public Comment
LOS ANGELES — The 2022 Election Administration Plan or EAP is available for public review and comment on LAVOTE.GOV. The EAP includes the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s strategy to: • Administer elections under the California Voter’s Choice Act • Communicate the county’s voter education and outreach plan • Identify and operate vote center and ballot drop boxes • Staff vote centers and provide multilingual services • Deploy security and contingency plans The RR/CC will hold two virtual public hearings for the public to provide feedback on the EAP. Time: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 23 and 12 to 1 p.m. March 24 Details: LAVOTE.GOV. Venue: Online
Applications Open for Neighborhood Leadership Program Long Beach
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
The NLP is a five-month program designed to enhance the skills of grassroots neighborhood leaders by focusing on effective communication and team building. The class will meet through Zoom and participants will complete three class projects for the Long Beach community. The application is due at 4:30 p.m. March 30. Time: 6 to 7 p.m. March 23 Details: www.longbeach.gov/lbds/hn/leadership Venue: Join Zoom Meeting: https://bit. ly/3GSbUV6
Support Ukrainian Students in LB
The city of Long Beach has partnered with California State University, Long Beach to support international students from Ukraine and those affected in the region through their Student Emergency Fund for Food and Housing. The Long Beach community has a long history of welcoming and supporting immigrants and refugees and immigrants seeking safety in the United States, and it continues this legacy through these efforts. CSULB’s Student Emergency Fund for Food and Housing helps to support students so that they can continue to safely pursue their studies in the city. Long Beach uses the funds to ensure the international students impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have the assistance and resources they need. Details: www.tinyurl.com/bdzaepth
March 17 - 30, 2022
Free Income Tax Preparation
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Centro Community Hispanic Association, or Centro CHA, will be hosting California State University Long Beach Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, available to qualifying taxpayers with an income level of $58,000 or less. IRScertified volunteers will be providing free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing for federal and state tax returns. They can inform taxpayers about special tax credits they may qualify for. Time: 10 to 3 p.m. March 19 Cost: Free Details: 562-612-4180 Venue: Centro CHA, 1633 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years
CSUDH Students and Reps. Barragán and Schiff Led the Fight Against Food Insecurity By Fabiola Esqueda, Carson Reporter
College students struggle to pick between buying groceries or paying tuition. A junior at the California State University of Dominguez Hills recalls sleeping in her car. A freshman that stepped foot on her university campus for the first time said she has no clue how loans work. A graduate student remembers a decade-long journey of deciding between paying for tuition or dinner. Students at the California State University of Dominguez Hills, or CSUDH, are leading the fight against hunger on their campus. On March 4, CSUDH students welcomed Reps. Nanette Barragán, D-San Pedro and Adam Schiff, D-Burbank for a conversation on food insecurity and the newly introduced Food for Thought Act of 2022. The piece of legislation will invest in free meal programs in minority-serving institutions and community colleges. The bill aims to help eliminate the barriers to hunger by increasing access to nutritious meals. In a round table discussion, students took turns sharing their experiences with hunger. Adam Schiff called it a “systemic failure.” “An 18-year-old shouldn’t be figuring out where to get a loan for basic necessities,” Schiff said. “It shouldn’t be so hard.” As stated by CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham, an estimated 60% of students at California State University, Dominguez Hills face food insecurity. Two-thirds of the student body are employed, but when COVID-19 swept the
California State University of Dominguez Hills spoke with Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-San Pedro) and Adam Schiff (D-Burbank0, about food insecurity at the school. Photo by Fabiola Esqueda
nation, seven-tenths of students lost part if not all of their income. The bill contents it marks a step forward in securing students a college degree without the taxing worry of going hungry. Eighty-seven percent of the student body are people of color, and 66% are first-generation, according to Parham, who said the university is in need of more funding for resources. “The students have talked about resource constraints,” Parham declared. “Admittedly, we are a resource constrained institution, we are constrained on budget, we are constrained on people, and we are constrained on space.” The university pains a historical origin of resistance and uprising. Following the Watts
Rebellion exposing a lack of opportunities for Black youth to gain access to higher education, then Gov. Pat Brown established CSUDH in the soon-to-be city of Carson, a city known for its diversity. But, despite the Cal State University title, students claim the university does not receive the same funds, attention, or care as other universities in the CSU system. “The minority in society is the majority here,” said senior Jonathan Molina Marcio. “So how is it with a campus with such rich culture, we have the less resources out of most of the universities on our system? So it begs the question [See Food, p. 5]
Anti-SLAPP Motion Prevails
Pet Clinic’s $21.5 Million Lawsuit to be Dismissed By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter
The Peninsula Pet Clinic’s $21.5 million lawsuit against its protestors is going to be dismissed, at least against some of the protestors, said Bennet Kelley, the lawyer who represented seven of them. In August 2021, the Peninsula Pet Clinic and its controversial owner Dr. Anyes Van Volkenburgh were met with a series of protests alleging the clinic overcharged for services, mistreated and misdiagnosed animals, and refused to return animals when owners couldn’t pay. Van Volkenburgh and the clinic responded by suing 13 of the protestors, as well as a Facebook group and page, for $21.5 million. Van Volkenburgh filed her lawsuit on Sept. 10. Kelley, who represents seven of the protestors, filed an anti-SLAPP motion later that month. SLAPP stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation, and it is a term for a lawsuit meant to silence critics through legal fees, even though the lawsuit is not likely to be won by the plaintiff. By filing this anti-SLAPP motion, Kelley argued that Van Volkenburgh’s suit was such a case, and that she was targeting the protestors’ right to free speech. On March 10, the protestors represented by Kelley won the anti-SLAPP motion, accord-
ing to court documents. “[The court] granted the motion,” Kelley said. “Now they want it to become a judgment against the plaintiff for having filed this lawsuit.” Kelley now has to draft a judgment and submit it to the court for approval. It will ask not just for the case to be dismissed, but for Van Volkenburgh and the clinic to pay the protestors’ attorney fees. Kelley said those fees will be in excess of $25,000. The protestors that Van Volkenburgh is suing that are not represented by Kelley are not covered by the anti-SLAPP motion. “Although, it should be pretty easy for them to invoke it,” Kelley said. However, Kelley pointed out that his antiSLAPP motion was factually specific to his clients’ actions. Van Volkenburgh’s lawsuit argued that the protestors had committed trespassing, defamation, trade libel, copyright and trademark infringement and conspiracy. Kelley’s anti-SLAPP motion made arguments as to why the actions of his clients were not those things. The other protestors might need to make similar arguments. For example, the court’s decision states that
two of Kelley’s clients “stood on the sidewalk outside of plaintiff’s clinic, but otherwise they did not trespass on plaintiff’s property, block any ingress or egress from plaintiff’s property, cause any nuisance, or receive any notice from plaintiff to not enter the area.” In addition, the decision states that the complaints against the clinic are part of a larger discussion with the public’s interest in mind. “Moving defendants’ conduct is more akin to a campaign to warn other consumers of potentially fraudulent practices in the form of overcharging patients and wrongfully withholding money and pets from owners,” the decision states. Kelley said it is possible that Van Volkenburgh will appeal the judgment, but to do that, she will need to post a bond of 150% of the judgment, which in this case would be the attorney fees. “I took the case because it was clear that this was someone lashing out,” Kelley said. “It was a classic anti-SLAPP.” Kelley said that Van Volkenburgh did not have enough evidence against his clients. “She had the opportunity to present her evi[See Dismissed, p. 8]
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
March 17 - 30, 2022
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Grocery Corporations Stonewall Unions Negotiations By Anealia Kortkamp, RLN Editorial Intern
March 17 - 30, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
In a surprising turn, major Southern California grocery chains and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, or UFCW, have refused to consider a new contract put forward by negotia-
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tors this past January. Instead, Ralphs, Albertsons (which is also the parent company of Vons), Stater Brothers and Gelsons have opted to let the contract expire, leaving 16,000 UFCW workers in the
Los Angeles branch, local 770 in a state of limbo. In addition, the National Labor Relations Board has become involved due to a filing by the union on grounds of unfair labor practices, according to a contract negotiations update on 770’s website. As of March 7, grocers are working without a new contract, with only the provisions of the now expired contract remaining. The negotiations had seemed by both parties to have started off well. While the conditions presented by COVID-19 had ensured that these negotiations sat on a very different precedent than previous ones, early on it all seemed very routine. However after long and intense negotiations, both parties came to a stalemate on wages, scheduling and safety concerns. The demands included wage increases, as well as increases to health benefits, which COVID-19 had shown there was a major gap in. For instance, according to UFCW’s webpage, more than 10,000 of 30,000 UFCW 770’s workers had been struck by the disease.. For their part major grocery chains have refused to release their numbers regarding in store COVID-19 outbreaks. In addition to this, members sought an end to the two-tier pay system. The system rewards seniority of two years with a nearly livable wage of around $22 per hour. However, in an industry with an incredibly high worker turnover rate, very few ever make this rate, with most still at just above California’s bare minimum wage of $14. Given that the grocery corporations do not wish to make these concessions in spite of record profits and some of the largest CEO-to-worker pay disparities of any industry in America, workers in grocery stores have felt increasingly jaded. All this was brought up during the union’s routine public zoom meetings. In spite of corporate and union stonewalling, negotiations seemed poised to continue had it not been for actions taken by the company during the routine actions the union took part in during negotiations. Like a warrior preparing to do battle, UFCW workers would take part in small-scale demonstrations of union strength and
solidarity to show their preparedness for both the bargaining and whatever was to follow. This is standard behavior for unions in negotiations and protected under the still-binding old contract. These involve several stores’ employees holding rallies, shop stewards reaffirming support and minor outreach. According to both contract and legal precedent regarding the matter, corporations were not to hinder these actions, however they did, with a diversity of tactics. UFCW 770 had 12 actions over a five-week period, during which time corporate engaged in surveillance, recording, managerial intimidation, purposefully scheduling workers at times that would leave them either too exhausted to engage in the actions or would have them working during it, according to the unfair labor practice statement on 770’s website. Corporate has even tried bribing members not to participate through a $100 appreciation card given right as negotiations got underway, said John Grant, president of 770. “Negotiations are supposed to be a meeting of two parties on equal ground, informationally speaking,” said Grant. “One side working with far more information creates a power imbalance too irreconcilable for negotiations to occur in good faith.” Yet, also on UFCW’s docket for filing an unfair labor practice is the corporations purposefully withholding information required for free and fair negotiations. Information kept from UFCW members includes injuries data, COVID-19 infections, overtime, scheduling practices, and health and safety records. UFCW has already seen success with unfair labor practice strikes in Oregon, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico and leadership is under the assumption that California will be a repeat of this in spite of a wave of inflation rising food prices since those strikes. UFCW is preparing to take a strike vote, with a meeting scheduled for March 21. No corporation involved could be reached for comment. Across most industries, the rate of resignations is at a historic high, grocery store workers more so than most. The pandemic also has brought out the worst in consumers, according to many within UFCW’s ranks. “I’ve had people shove me, spit at me, throw water at me,” said Louie Leva in a video on UFCW’s YouTube page. Grocery workers coming forward anonymously have reported blatant disregard for COVID-19 policy, shoplifting and customer aggression both from customers and from corporations unwilling to protect those in their employ. Grocery workers are being told by management to deal with things far outside their job description, with no additional compensation. “The impact on workers is increasing apprehension,” Grant said when asked what workers and the communities stand to lose if the behavior of stonewalling and manipulation by corporations continues. “Houselessness, food insecurity, will get worse. Workers will continue to have to string together part-time jobs just to make ends meet.” “The other effect is on the community,” Grant carried on. “The health of the grocery store is a factor in what makes communities healthy and grow. Look at what they (grocery corporations) did in communities of color and working-class communities. They left those areas. You have shit for product stores coming in, if anyone comes in at all. Cheap produce, junky processed food, crap, coming in and it affects the actual physical health of the communities they come into. It creates food deserts.” “In addition, it creates poor jobs where workers don’t have the economic resources to take good food options, or even to sustain their families,” Grant said.
[Food, from p. 2]
Food Insecurity
of equity versus equality. I feel like our campus has so much to offer. But it’s always left in the dust because we’re always kind of forgotten.” The students expressed their gratitude to the university for its efforts to help the student body but said it still isn’t enough. “I don’t have any judgment to cast on my university. If anything, I think our university does the best that they can with what they have,” said Nadia Al-Said, a junior at the university. The Office of Sustainability and Basic Needs Program at the university provides support to students who face homelessness and food insecurity. The Basic Needs Program hosts food distribution events once a month. In mid-November, the program organized a walk to raise awareness for hunger. The campus urban farm associated with the Office of Sustainability harvests produce for monthly distribution to on-campus programs. But the university’s food pantry and emergency housing program is currently unavailable to students, two important resources for students on campus. Many students shared their stories, recalling instances of having to choose between a meal or gas to attend work. Others explained the numerous times they had to drop out because they could not afford to pay for tuition and meals. “Those challenges at the time felt like world benders for me,” said David Saladaña, a graduate student and program and development coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “On a week-to-week basis, struggling to see if I was going to pay for bills or pay for gas to go to work or eat.” After the students finished answering questions about food insecurity on campus, Barragán and Schiff expressed their gratitude to the stu-
dents for sharing their stories. “I couldn’t help but think as I was listening to you, I wish every member of congress was listening to you hear what you had to say because so many of our colleagues have no idea and even those of us who do, need to be reminded,” Schiff expressed. But one student shared the clash between romanticizing and glorifying one’s suffering. And how it shouldn’t take students to share their trauma for people to care. “We have to sit here and share our stories and open our hearts out for people to listen to us and take notice of us, I really appreciate that you think we are resilient and that we have persevered, but it shouldn’t have to be so, it shouldn’t have to be that way,” Al-Said said. “And we shouldn’t have to be praised for our suffering and we shouldn’t glorify our own suffering that we have experienced in life, in situations that we didn’t have control over. All we are trying to do is better our futures and better our life because the reality is without our degree, what are we going to do to make ends meet?” If passed, the Food for Thought Act will unlock assistance for updating or purchasing critical food infrastructure and funding current or new programs fighting hunger. “We need our students to be able to focus on studying and doing well, not worrying about their next meal,” Barragán said. Under the act, grantees will collect data on the severity of food insecurity on campuses to measure the expansion of anti-hunger programs. The students hope the bill will be the extra help they need to combat hunger on campus and other campuses across the state. “It is what it is, but we are actually doing something here at Dominguez,” Saladaña said.
Real People, Real News, Really Effective March 17 - 30, 2022
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Tripping Over the Sidewalks to Discover LA’s Problems By James Preston Allen, Publisher
March 17 - 30, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
At this point, Tim McOsker is the odds-on favorite to replace Joe Buscaino as council person representing the 15th Council District in this year’s election, but he is not the only choice. However, the race is just now beginning with four other contenders for the job: Danielle Sandoval, Anthony Santich, Bryant Odega and perhaps one more. McOsker has amassed a campaign war chest of some $500,000 (most of it from outside the district), which is about twice as much as necessary and has received more endorsements than anyone else running. He’s one of the most connected insiders-of-outsiders to the inside of City Hall that you might ever find. For those who don’t remember, he was Mayor James Hahn’s chief of staff back when the one-term mayor held the city together when secession was on the ballot. Prior to that, McOsker served with Hahn when he was city attorney. Since that time McOsker retreated back to his hometown of San Pedro and has pretty much been the “fixer” for what’s needed fixing here, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Property owners Alliance, AltaSea and Buscaino’s own slow motion housing developments. Over that time, I have come to call him the “plumber,” the guy you call when things are broken. And there’s a lot broken around here. Yet, it was in his latest campaign newsletter that he stumbled across something we all know is broken: Yesterday, while out on the campaign trail, I was a little too hurried, kicked a huge crack in the sidewalk, and went down. Only a little damage was done — just a few scratches, thankfully. But, my accident does highlight the need to do a better job of sidewalk, curb, and street repair. There are too many unsafe conditions for our residents. We need to prioritize resources for good, walkable communities. It gave me a chance to remind everyone to download the MyLA311 app on our phones. When you see a broken curb, illegal dumping, graffiti, or a similar issue, report it! Let’s all take a part in calling for the services that a safe, livable community requires.
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Now this admission is all good and well except that he doesn’t remind everybody that the City of LA has a $1.4 billion settlement to fix the sidewalks already and that the citizenry of this desert-by-the-sea shouldn’t have to call
anyone to point out the liability the city faces because of trip and fall accidents. Of course, right now there seems to be a bidding war going on in the mayor’s race over who would hire the most cops, which is already the largest part of the city budget and often another major liability. Yet, the seven-month audit by LA Controller Ron Galperin, “Repairing L.A.’s Broken Sidewalk Strategy,” concluded the city’s most hazardous sidewalks are not getting repaired fast enough, despite the city spending millions of dollars a year. “We’re spending about $30 million a year on sidewalk repair, but in the last fiscal year we spent $12 million just for settlements” from sidewalk claims and lawsuits. It would take nearly 500 years to fix all of LA’s buckled and cracked sidewalks at the current pace of the city’s repair program, the audit reports. There are also more annual claims for repairs than what can be scheduled. So what’s the point in calling in to MYLA311? However, it’s not just the sidewalks or the police department or the entire labyrinth of bureaucracy of this city that’s problematic. What’s problematic are candidates for office making promises to get elected, then failing to get this monolith of a city moving in the right direction once in office. That takes coordination and cooperation. Something the city seems incapable of doing. So some candidates are more prone to pass ordinances to clear sidewalks of homeless encampments than fixing sidewalks and curbs in order to save, according to Galperin, $12 million a year in settlements. We can, however, spend that much on chasing the homeless off the sidewalks and then suggesting we need more police. Give that $12 million, divided among the neighborhood councils, so that some sidewalks could start getting fixed. It’s just like with the homeless crisis, too much grandstanding and victimshaming and not enough creative solutions to start solving the problem.
The Number One Issue
Having people live on the streets doesn’t make anyone happy — not the homeless, not the homeowners and not the businesses. The LAPD knows they can’t arrest their way out of the mess, but candidates like Joe Buscaino keep inventing ways to criminalize the poor. So what to do? We know there’s a shortage of affordable housing and that we can’t build enough of it fast enough or affordably enough right now.
“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. XLIII : No. 6 Random Lengths News is a publication of
Beacon Light Press, LLC
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach.
We also know that ad hoc street encampments aren’t viable or healthy. What we do know is that providing safe campsites on unused public lands and safe parking all with sanitation and services can be the start to solving the problem right now. Let the unhoused have temporary safe places to live off of the public right of way while the city and county get their act coordinated with temporary and permanent shelter options. In the meantime, we can bring in the professionals to sort out the mentally ill, the addicted, the medically bankrupt and the disillusioned. In other words, start from the bottom of the problem and work towards the top. Not the other way around. This has been self-evident to anyone who has truly taken the time to analyze the issue, but it’s not the commonly held illusion which is
that building more housing alone will solve this crisis. It’s like the refugee crisis in the Ukraine, only without the bombs falling. Deal with the immediate humanitarian problem first! Then you can start building more tiny home villages; initiate more adaptive reuse projects or buy motels. Finally, after we have put a decade into these approaches, we just might figure out permanent supportive housing or building more mental health and addiction clinics. And the police can go back to solving crimes and the extra cops who are no longer chasing the unhoused can go back to community policing — all without having to hire more of them. So, to all the candidates running for office, stop tripping over LA’s broken sidewalks and focus your attention on what’s really wrong with our city.
The Church I Lead was Struggling Then the Pandemic Hit By Lisa Williams During World War II, sailors departing ships for shore would follow a beacon of light emanating from the steeple of San Pedro United Methodist Church. Upon arriving, they could take a shower, eat a meal prepared in our kitchen, maybe write a letter home. History is never far away when the church you lead, and worship in, was built in 1923. It’s a grand three-story structure with beautiful stained-glass windows and a sanctuary with an open-beam vaulted ceiling that can seat 350 people. It’s a big church, and over time we have become a small congregation.
Columnists/Reporters Publisher/Executive Editor Melina Paris Assistant Editor/Arts James Preston Allen Community News james@randomlengthsnews.com Hunter Chase Reporter Assoc. Publisher/Production Fabiola Esqueda Carson Reporter Coordinator Photographers Suzanne Matsumiya Arturo Garcia-Ayala, Harry Bugarin, Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks, Raphael Richardson, Terelle Jerricks Chris Villanueva editor@randomlengthsnews.com Contributors Mark Friedman, Lyn Jensen, Ari Senior Editor LeVaux, Greggory Moore, Lisa WilPaul Rosenberg liams paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com Cartoonists Internship Program Director Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Zamná Àvila Matt Wuerker
Decades ago, when we were the only Protestant church in town, the sanctuary filled up for both weekly services. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we averaged about 52 people on Sunday mornings. Today about 25 parishioners gather in person, and another 100 from around the country join us online. Since the pandemic, it has become vital for us to find ways to reinvent our ministry, to think outside the box. Our decline in church membership mirrors a national trend. For decades, about 70% of the
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[See Church, p. 7] 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 $40 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 2022 Beacon Light Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
Community Alerts Notice of Preparation of Draft EIR for a Low Carbon Cement Processing Facility Project at Berth 191-194
The Harbor Department at the City of Los Angelesor prepared a Notice of Preparation or NOP of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for a Low Carbon Cement Processing Facility project at Berth 191-194 at the Port of Los Angeles. The project is located at 100 Yacht St. Wilmington CA. 90744 and involves construction and operation of a new processing facility that would import raw materials by ship and truck, to produce a low carbon binder (an alternative to Portland cement) and load third-party trucks that would transport the product to local customers. The impact statement/NOP includes a discussion of the project’s potential effects on the environment and identification, and analysis to be expanded in the forthcoming draft environmental impact report to reduce potential impacts required under CEQA. The 30-day review period started March 10 and ends on April 11, 2022. A copy of the document is available for public view on the Port of Los Angeles
website at: https://tinyurl.com/ DEIR-Berth191-194. Due to COVID-19, print documents are available for distribution to interested parties upon request and available for pick up at the Port of Los Angeles Environmental Management Division located at 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro. A virtual scoping meeting will be held at 5 p.m. March 30. Join the Zoom meeting at, https:// tinyurl.com/Berth-191-194-NOP. Passcode: 521522 Written comments should be submitted in writing prior to the end of the 30-day public review period and must be postmarked by April 11, 2022. Submit written comments to: Christopher Cannon, Los Angeles Harbor Department Environmental Management Division, 425 Palos Verdes St., San Pedro CA 90731. Or: ceqacomments@portla. org. Please include the project title in the subject line of the email. Details: 310-732-3615
Class Action Lawsuits for Those Affected by the Dominguez Channel Odor
McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, is bringing a lawsuit over residents’ lingering medical symptoms caused by hydrogen sulfide
[Church, from p. 6]
Church
pollution in the Dominguez Channel in Carson, California. The gas is produced by decaying plants and animals in the Dominguez Channel and potentially the remnants of a chemical fire at Jupiter Warehouse. It has been deemed “highly toxic” by OSHA. Thousands of impacted residents have complained of experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, headaches, coughing, and nausea. Residents and community activists such as Brandi Murdock, who enlisted the help of McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, have accused government agencies of reacting slowly or being ineffective in addressing the fallout of the Dominguez Channel odor. For residents who have suffered health issues and financial hardship from having to escape the odor, you can sign up as a client by calling McCune, Wright, and Arevalo, LLP at 424-3743763. The deadline to sign up for a pre-litigation claim is March 29. Details: www.murdockcommunity.org and www.mccunewright. com for more information.
“There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin,” said Mike Pence, the defeated former vice president and assassination target of the Donald Trump Death Cult on Jan. 6, 2021 Pumpkin-headed former president and Putin puppet-forlife Donald Trump is a political dead man walking in 2024, just like in 2020. Now excuse me if you will for my momentary urge to smash pumpkins with a wooden baseball bat, just like Eli Roth bashed in Nazi noggins as Staff Sergeant Donny Donowitz “The
Bear Jew” in Quentin Tarantino’s World War II era cinematic masterpiece Inglourious Basterds, but traitor Trump and his non-stop neo-Nazi nonsense calls for a response. No matter how late Mike Pence is to the democracy party, I suppose it’s better late than never that deranged Donald’s former lap dog Pence is showing some patriotism these days, as opposed to the pro-Putin propaganda pushed by the GOP during the four years of the failed, far right fascist Trump regime. Just another reason why I (as an unapologetically partisan Democrat and enthusiastic participant in Operation Good Trouble)
Read these online exclusives and more at:
RandomLengthsNews.com
Trump Engaged In Criminal Conspiracy Argues Jan. 6 Committee By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
The Mind as Safe Prison
By Greggory Moore, Columnist
Amazon Workers Labor Fight Continues in NY and Bessemer, AL By Mark Friedman, Labor News Reporter
LB Arts Council Announces Grantees for 2022 By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor
March 17 - 30, 2022
Pastor Lisa Williams has led San Pedro United Methodist for seven years. This piece originally published in the Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2022.
Putin’s Republican Apologists
will be voting for Mike Pence for president in the 2024 California presidential primary. I’ll be voting to re-elect President Joe Biden in the 2024 general election of course. https://afro.com/opinionoperation-good-trouble/ Jake Pickering Arcata, Calif.
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
U.S. population belonged to a religious congregation, but a steady decline began around the beginning of the 21st century. Last year, U.S. membership in houses of worship dropped below 50% for the first time since Gallup began measuring it in 1937. And for the first time in decades, the big red double doors in front of our church would not open for worship. We realized that our church life as we knew it would change. We could stay stagnant, and possibly slowly disappear, or change with the times. While more than 4,000 churches in America shut their doors in 2020, we had to reframe what it means to have “open doors.” We needed to step out of our silos, and partner with other faith-based organizations and interested parties that share the common goal of supporting our community. For inspiration, I looked back to my roots. I thought about growing up in Palmdale, watching my father, a Methodist minister, care for a family in need during the middle of the night. It reminded me of the role faith-based organizations play in society, even all these years later. We looked for another way to be a beacon of light in the community, a solution that would pay the bills and nourish the San Pedro community. As church attendance has waned, so have contributions to churches. Thirty years ago, about 50% of all charitable contributions went to houses of worship. That figure had shrunk to about 30% by the time the pandemic struck. One of the greatest assets many churches have is their buildings and surrounding property. San Pedro UMC is no exception. We have vast space within the church and outside it. More than 20 years ago, an empty lot next to the church was given to us. It sat vacant until we began dreaming about how it could best serve our community today. To utilize the land, we partnered with 1010
Development Corp., a nonprofit that has been a leader in affordable housing development in Los Angeles. Our goal is to build 54 affordable housing units and provide support for those who live there. We expect to break ground by the end of this year. It wasn’t easy during the pandemic to think of how people might use our campus in new ways when everyone needed to stay home. Still, we tried to imagine what it might be like to fill the courtyard with voices and families. Since San Pedro has a large homeless population, we decided to expand our partnership with Family Promise of the South Bay, a nonprofit that provides services to those experiencing homelessness. The organization leased half of our building, space that includes restrooms, showers, a kitchen and gym, and classrooms. They will be used as a respite center to provide resources and support to help families get back on their feet. In February, the first residents moved in, four families that will temporarily stay with us while they work toward obtaining housing. By renovating the same kitchen that produced those hardy meals for sailors during WWII, we will be able to develop programs to help address food insecurity in our community. During the pandemic, many people frequented food banks for the first time. Our teaching kitchen will help families learn to cook healthy meals from staples they receive from a food bank while supplementing them with produce from the farmers market. The kitchen will also be a place where people can learn a vocation. Yes, membership in houses of worship is declining, but people who identify as spiritual — especially millennials — say they still yearn for something more. Congregations have a unique opportunity to step beyond the walls of their buildings and help change the world for the better.
RANDOMLetters
7
[Dismissed, from p. 2]
Suit Dismissed
March 17 - 30, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
dence,” Kelley said. “She failed. But I don’t think she could present evidence. For example, the claims on trademark and copyright, one, never specify what the trademark or copyright were, but I’m assuming it was her picture or some logo or something. That’s all protected by fair use.” Mitzi Morin, one of the protestors represented by Kelley, was relieved to hear of the case’s dismissal. Cynthia Butler, one of the defendants represented by Kelley, said that while there were about 15 defendants in this case (including the Facebook page and group), Van Volkenburgh only successfully served three of them. In addition, the hearing date for the SLAPP motion was pushed back twice, Kelley said. Usually SLAPP hearings are held 30 days after the serving of the SLAPP motion. The first time, the judge extended the deadline on his own, the second time both the plaintiff and defendants agreed to an extension. The protestors agreed to it because five people joined protestors who were already using Kelley as their attorney. However, Kelley said that Van Volkenburgh’s attorney attempted to delay the hearing further. “After they missed the opposition deadline, they asked for a further extension the day before the hearing which was denied,” Kelley said. Butler pointed out that they had months of extra time to prepare. “If you’re going to file a $21.5 million lawsuit, you should have your ducks in a row before you file,” Butler said. Butler said the original lawsuit stated all defendants participated in the protests, but Butler did not. Van Volkenburgh’s original lawsuit states that the clinic “gave each Defendant written notice to not enter the premises and clinic which is on pri-
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vate property.” However, Butler says that neither she nor anyone she knows received such a notice. “They were making very broad claims without any specificity as to who committed them,” Butler said. “It was very clear that she was just trying to prevent the bad Yelp reviews, and to prevent any more protests.” As of the time of publishing, Peninsula Pet Clinic has two stars out of five on Yelp, from 333 reviews. While she wasn’t at any of the protests, Butler did help people on the Facebook group file complaints to the California Veterinary Medical Board and told them what counted as violations. “I was posting screenshots of the regulations for veterinarians and veterinary facilities, and just saying ‘look at these, this doesn’t look like she’s following these laws, these would be things you could file a complaint on,’” Butler said. “And apparently that made her very unhappy.” Butler said that the board can revoke or suspend a veterinarian’s license or have the vet pay a fine. “No matter how many violations — they could have a hundred violations — but if they don’t suspend their license, the maximum fine is limited to $5,000,” Butler said. “So, I think that’s why we see a few bad actors in that field.” At the time of publishing, the clinic’s Yelp page states that the clinic is under new management, and is now owned by a veterinarian only identified as Dr. Daman J. Representatives for Van Volkenburgh could not be reached. Editor’s note: At one point Van Volkenburgh threatened on facebook that she might also sue this newspaper for our reporting and use of her picture that was found on social media. This never came to pass.
E
frequent in areas designated for commercial projects or where land privatizations are underway”), in the book’s final and longest essay she provides a compelling sketch of how … the new witch hunts in Africa are taking place in societies that are undergoing a process of ‘primitive accumulation,’ where farmers are forced off the land, new property relations and new concepts of value creation are coming into place, and communal solidarity is breaking down under the impact of economic strain. […] ‘Some chiefs and headmen profit from selling considerable portions of their domain to international investors, and fomenting social disruption in the village facilitates the transaction. A divided village will not have the power to unite and oppose attempts to having the land they cultivate being taken over by someone else. [… T]he villagers are at times so engaged in accusing each other of practicing witchcraft that they hardly notice that they are being dispossessed and they have turned into squatters on their own ancestral lands. A surprising target of Federici’s criticism is the feminist community at large, which she feels “have not spoken up and mobilized against” today’s African witch hunts, leaving the subject mostly to journalists and academics and thereby allowing it to be depoliticized. “Feminists first contribution,” she says, “[…] should be to engage in a different type of investigation, one analyzing the social conditions that produce witch hunts,” which would go further toward ending them than the more detached analysis of scholarship. “[I]t is important that we recognize that there is much that women and feminists can do to oppose these new witch hunts and that such intervention is urgently needed. [… I]f women do not organize against these witch hunts, no one else will, and the terror campaign will continue under the form of witchhunting and in new forms.” In merely the latest example of how readily men will persecute women as supernatural evildoers, just last month Greg Locke, a Tennessee pastor with 2.2 million Facebook followers, took to his televised pulpit threatening to expose a halfdozen witches in his congregation, holding them responsible for (among other things) causing $30,000 of damage to church equipment. How much more readily men will sell out women as witches where capitalist incentives prevail is playing out in real-time in today’s developing world. Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women helps us stay mindful not only of what is happening, but of whence it comes. And as the author notes, it is only by “striv[ing] to understand the history and logic of witch-hunting and the many ways in which it is perpetuated in our time […] that we can prevent it from being turned against us.”
March 17 - 30, 2022
for survival, enclosures and “the loss of customary rights left them with nothing to live on, especially if they were widows who had no children capable of or willing to help them.” And because it was often older women who “carr[ied] the collective memory of their community […] who remembered the promises made, the faith betrayed, the extent of property (especially inland), the customary agreements, and who was responsible for violating them,” it was often they spoke out against this early capitalist hegemony. “Those who prosecuted [women as witches] charged them with being quarrelsome, with having an evil tongue, with stirring up trouble among their neighbors … But we may wonder if behind the threats and the evil words we should not read a resentment born of anger at the injustice suffered and a rejection of marginalization.” That marginalization, Federici notes, including alienating women from their own bodies, “one frontier capital has yet to conquer.” The ‘witch’ was a woman of ‘ill repute,’ who in her youth engaged in ‘lewd,’ ‘promiscuous’ behavior. [… A]lthough the participation of ecclesiastics in the witch hunt was fundamental to the construction of its ideological scaffolding, by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the witch hunt was most intense in Europe, the majority of witch trials were conducted by lay magistrates and paid for and organized by city governments, Thus, we must ask what female sexuality represented in the eyes of the new capitalist elite in view of their social-reformation project and institution of a stricter discipline of labor. A preliminary answer, drawn from the regulations introduced in most of Western Europe […] with regard to sex, marriage, adultery, and procreation, is that female sexuality was both seen as a political threat and, if properly channeled, a powerful economic force. [… T]he attack on women comes above all from capital’s need to destroy what it cannot control and degrade what it most needs for reproduction. Part Two of Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women, “New Forms of Capital Accumulation and WitchHunting in Our Time,” considers the contemporary upswing of violence against women — including a resurgence of explicit witch hunts — in places like Mexico, India, and particularly Africa, because “‘globalization’ is a process of political recolonization intended to give capital uncontested control over the world’s natural wealth and human labor, and this cannot be achieved without attacking women, who are directly responsible for the reproduction of their communities. […] Brutalizing women is functional to the ‘new enclosures.’ It paves the way for the land grabs, privatizations, and wars that for years have been devastating entire regions.” Although Federici does not always provide sources for her claims (e.g., “it has been noted that [contemporary] witchcraft accusations are more
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
ver since the early 1950s, when Arthur Miller used the 17th-century Salem Witch Trials to dramatize what Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee were doing in the name of ferreting out communists, the term ‘witch hunt’ has come to mean any wanton persecution of innocent people. Actual witch-hunts, however, are generally thought of as pieces of the distant past, to be filed away with geocentrism and the Crusades. This is simply not the case. Today witch-hunting — the literal persecution and murder of women for practicing black arts — is not only alive and well but enjoying a resurgence. And according to Silvia Federici, it has everything to do with capitalism, and always has. In 2004’s Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation, Federici plumbs the depths of witch-hunting as a response to resistance against nascent capitalism. But at barely 100 pages, the six essays comprising Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women offer only an overview of its subject, some of which is a redux of Caliban and the Witch material. But that’s the point. Responding to requests that she “produce[s] a popular booklet revisiting the main themes of Caliban and the Witch that could reach a broader audience,” the six essays that comprise Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women are breezy enough (academically, at least) to fit the bill, while at the same time expanding her scope to indict neoliberalism as a fomenter of modern-day witch hunts. Federici takes sharp aim at the conventional Western wisdom seeing capitalism as a rising tide that lifts all boats. “A study of the witch hunt,” she writes, “makes us reassess the entrenched belief that at some historical point capitalist development was a carrier of social progress […].” And though she “agree[s] with the prevailing view that witch-hunting requires a multicausal explanation […] I trace all of its underlying motivations to the development of capitalist relations.” Federici points to pre-Reformation England and the creation of enclosures, “whereby landlords and wellto-do peasants fenced off the common lands, putting an end to customary rights and evicting the population of farmers and squatters that depended on them for survival,” as an earliest example of these capitalist relations. “[I]n all its forms this was a violent process, causing a profound polarization in what had previously been communities structured by reciprocal bonds.” Although Federici admits to the circumstantiality of evidence supporting land enclosure as a major factor in the production of witch hunts, she makes an interesting case. Start with the fact that witch trials did not begin prior to this point and “were predominantly a rural phenomenon and, as a tendency, they affected regions in which land had been or was being enclosed”; and that poverty was often noted in accusations made against alleged witches. While in earlier times a disproportionate percentage of older women had been able to depend on the commons
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S
t. Patrick’s Day is here, which means that about two weeks ago you probably forgot to corn the beef. But there are other parts of Irish culture we can still celebrate, without as much advanced preparation. Like James Joyce, whose masterpiece Ulysses was first published exactly 100 years ago on Feb. 2, 1922. So in honor of this centennial, and St. Patrick’s Day, I developed this recipe for Guinness stew. Any tough cut of meat will work. A bone attached is preferable, but a pack of stew meat chunks will make a glorious meal simmered in this dark, glistening and slightly sweet stout beer broth. I was able to get some goat shanks, so I made goat osso bucco in honor of St. James Joyce, who I consider the GOAT (greatest of all time). Lamb
Stout Stew:
The Joyce of Cooking By Ari LeVaux, Flash In the Pan Columnist
spun, beard and bicycle, a listening woman by his side. Coming from the vegetarian. Only weggiebobbles and fruit. Don’t eat a beefsteak. If you do the eyes of that cow will pursue you through eternity. They say it’s healthier … Why do they call that thing they gave me nutsteak? Nutarians. Frutarians. To give you an idea you are eating rumpsteak. Absurd. Salty too.
Despite his revulsion to a vegetarian diet, Bloom is thoughtful enough to consider the possibility that he could have it wrong, and even acknowledges that it might make one a better poet. Those literary ethereal people they are all. Dreamy, cloudy, symbolistic. Esthetes they are. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was that kind of food produces the like waves of the brain the poetical. For example one of those policemen sweating Irish stew into their shirts; you couldn’t squeeze a line of poetry out of him. Don’t know what poetry is even.
A few minutes later, Bloom enters a raucous restaurant, anticipating a bite to eat, but quickly finds himself in touch with his inner vegetarian.
Guinness Stout stew, which calls for stew meat, or meat on the bone. Photo by Ari LeVaux
March 17 - 30, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
would be a more Irish type of meat than goat. Any strong-flavored red meat, including wild game, will find a balance in the bitter, sweet and cumin-rich stew. Joyce, a razor sharp observer of the human relationship with food, deftly used their appetites to develop characters like Mr. Leopold Bloom, one of the two heroes of Ulysses. The very first
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words we read about him are, “Mr. Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, livers lices fried with crust crumbs, and fried hencods’ roes.” Lust and food, and lust for food, are never far from Bloom’s consciousness, but in chapter 8, Lestyrgonians, his appetite takes over. The Lestyrgonians were a mythical tribe of cannibals, and by the end of the chapter you can’t help but feel like a cannibal too. Bloom is the type to thoughtfully remind us of all of the gross things in a sausage, and then proceed to eat one in small, dainty bites. Walking down the street, Bloom recognizes a local poet and outspoken vegetarian named A.E., and his disdain for the man and his diet are on full display. His eyes followed the high figure in home-
Stink gripped his trembling breath: pungent meat juice, slush of greens. See the animals feed. Men, men, men. Perched on high stools by the bar, hats shoved back, at the tables calling for more bread no charge, swilling, wolfing gobfuls of sloppy food, their eyes bulging, wiping wetted mustaches.
These observations of Bloom’s continue for long enough to make us all uncomfortable, until he finds himself literally grossed out the door of that establishment. He opts instead for a simple gorgonzola sandwich, which he fastidiously dabs with mustard and sliced into strips before eating. My stout stew — or osso bucco if you’ve got the shin bones for it — is a nod to the organ meats that Bloom loves, prepared in delicate fashion of which he’d hopefully approve. The flavor of lamb is usually too strong for many people, but in this context the beer and spices balance the gamely animal flavors. I’ve even added chunks of elk heart to the stout broth, and the heart’s big, organ-esque flavor was gloriously absorbed. Chased with more stout, it’s a meal that is too satisfying to be true. You’ll swear it’s fiction.
Guinness Stew (Or Osso Bucco, if you got it)
The stout’s bitterness makes a bit of sugar welcome in the stew, and together those flavors create a cola-like broth. The cumin isn’t even close to an Irish spice, but I happen to know that it goes well with beer and meat braises. 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 lbs. stew meat or meat on the bone 1 tablespoon cumin powder 1 can Guinness or similar stout 1 slice of bread, torn to pieces 1 large onion, chopped 1 to 2 tablespoon sugar, to taste 2 large garlic cloves, chopped 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon pepper 2 large carrots, chopped More salt and pepper to taste 2 pieces of celery, chopped Chopped parsley for garnish 2 large potatoes, cubed Turn the broiler to high and brown the meat in the center of the oven. Then cook the meat until soft in water with a half can of stout. I used the Instant Pot, which took about 30 minutes, but you can also do it in the slow cooker or braise it in the oven. In a heavy bottomed soup pan, saute the garlic and onions in butter. When the onions are translucent, add the carrots, celery, potatoes, vinegar, cumin, bread, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook on medium until the bread dissolves and the broth is dark, thick and glistening. Season with extra salt, sugar or even beer, if you think it needs it. Serve dusted with chopped parsley, which looks like shamrocks if you squint your eyes. Wash it down with more stout.
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March 17 - 30, 2022
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MUSIC
March 17
Clown Sounds See some live music at The Sardine in San Pedro. Time: 8 to 10 p.m., March 17 Cost: $5 Details: www.thesardinepedro. com Venue: The Sardine, 1101 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
March 18
John Mueller’s Winter Dance Party This is the official live re-creation of the final tour for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Each live performance includes hit songs of the ’50s era, including: That’ll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Rave On, La Bamba and Chantilly Lace. Time: 8 p.m., March 18 Cost: $40 to $60 Details: https://tickets. cerritoscenter.com/events Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos John Kraus and the Goers In addition to being a multiinstrumentalist and lead guitar player for Rose’s Pawn Shop, John Kraus is a captain on Los Angeles Maritime Institute’s stunning Tall Ships. Over time, he merged them with his love of Celtic musical textures and bluegrass. Join for a St. Patrick’s Day party and sea shanty singalong 7 to 7:45 p.m. and beer tasting at 7:45 p.m. Time: 8:30 p.m., March 18 Cost: $23 and up Details: https://tinyurl.com/Krausparty Venue: The Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
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Lookout 2, Another Night of R&B and Soul Featuring 11 top local and internationally known singers with The Groove Empire Orchestra, including: Shy But Fly, Abby Girl, Alex Vargas, Bebo Garcia, Gizzelle and others. DJ Greg Belson (The Divine Chord Gospel Show), will play soul/funk/gospel and DJ Islander Mod (SoCal Soul Patrol) will play Motown/soul. 21 and over. Time: 8 p.m., March 18 Cost: $23 Details: 310-426-8205; https://tinyurl.com/lookout-2 Venue: Harvelle’s Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach Fartbarf and Moonfuzz These bands will play live music at The Sardine in San Pedro. Time: 8 p.m., March 18 Cost: $15 Details: www. thesardinepedro.com Venue: The Sardine, 1101 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
March 17 - 30, 2022
March 19
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Lisa Loeb Join Grammy® winner singer/ songwriter Lisa Loeb in a show at Torrance Cultural Arts. Loeb has had a career in music, film, television, voice-over work and children’s recordings. Her most recent collection of songs is called A Simple Trick To Happiness. Time: 8 p.m., March 19 Cost: $30 to $40 Details: www.torrancearts. org/show/lisa-loeb Venue: Torrance Cultural Arts, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance A Toast to the Rat Pack & Marilyn In a show honoring the 1960s
heyday of the Rat Pack’s Las Vegas concerts, four acclaimed tribute artists re-create the songs, humor and camaraderie of The Rat Pack. Time: 8 p.m., March 19 Cost: $35 to $70 Details: 562-916-8500; www.cerritoscenter.com Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos Acoustic Graffiti Stripped down to acoustic guitars, Acoustic Graffiti will play Led Zeppelin’s original songs with a unique spin. Time: 8 p.m., March 19 Cost: $20 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com/event/acoustic-graffiti Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Eva Loona Smith and Alyssandra Nighswonger A pair of local artists who wrote new material and released albums during the pandemic present their first live performances of new songs. Eva Loona and Alyssandra will present their material solo and with backing performers. Time: 7:30 p.m., March 19 Cost: $20 live, $12 streaming Details: www.tinyurl.com/ e43pkdak Venue: Collage, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
March 24
Miss Spent Youth’s Academy of Mischief Graduation Show See these burlesque babes for the very first time on stage as they debut their graduation acts. Special guests the Hollywood It Girls and more were curated by Miss Spent Youth. 21 and over. Time: 8:30 p.m., March 24 Cost: $10 to $15 Details: 310-426-8205; https://longbeach.harvelles.com/ shows/tickets Venue: Harvelle’s Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach
March 25
Jordan Ferrin Storyband After traveling the world for years, Los Angeles-based saxophonist Jordan Ferrin is set to debut Tales of Transcendence, the album of music written about the world. Time: 8 p.m., March 25 Cost: $15 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com/jordan-ferrin-storyband Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
March 26
Paul Williams Songbook Celebrate America’s most prolific songwriter and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee with singers Laura Ellis and John Adkison and musicians. Time: 8 p.m.,March 26 Cost: $25 to $35 Details: https://tinyurl.com/ Williams-Torrance Venue: Torrance Cultural Arts, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance
THEATER March 19
Spring Awakening Based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening is a rock musical set in 19th-century Germany that follows repressed and struggling teenagers who are discovering their sexuality in a society that believes ignorance is bliss. This performance features adult content and strong language for a mature audience. Time: 8 p.m., March 19, 25, 26 and 3 p.m., March 20, 27 Cost: $15 to $25 Details: https://elcaminotickets. universitytickets.com/w/default. aspx
noir short stories. Her historical mystery Clark and Division follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. An Eternal Lei, Hirahara’s second Leilani Santiago Hawai‘i mystery, releases in bookstores on March 22. Email JShimonishi@ TorranceCA.Gov by March 22 for the Zoom link. Time: 6 p.m., March 23 Cost: Free Detail: 310-781-7599; www.library.torranceca.gov Venue: Online
COMMUNITY
Venue: El Camino College Center for the Performing Arts, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
March 25
The Revolutionists Four women lose their heads in this irreverent comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Time: March 25 to April 10 Cost: $20 to $30 Details: 310-512-6030; https://tinyurl.com/5cyy5rrt Venue: Little Fish Theater, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro Long Beach Playhouse New Works Festival 2022 The annual festival nurtures emerging and established playwrights to develop new scripts. Reading more than a hundred scripts a year, the New Works Literary Committee chooses two top plays to receive a staged reading with critical feedback from professional theater critics and an audience talk back. RSVP. Time: 7 p.m., March 25, 26 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/newworks-2022 Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
ART
Ongoing
DUST & WISPS Celebrate the release of Michelle Seo’s comic book DUST and Daniel Porras’ show zine, and the continuation of the exhibition, which has been extended through March 26. Time: Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m., or by appointment. Cost: Free Details: 310-266-9216; corneliusprojects@gmail.com Venue: Cornelius Projects, 1417 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro Shifting Ground In Mirabel Wigon’s statement on her paintings she says “Through these paintings I explore my place and space, questioning modernist notions of progress and reflecting on the inherent instability in the built and natural landscape.” Time: Through April 15, during First Thursday Art Walk and by appointment Cost: Free Details: www.michaelstearns studio.com/the-loft-gallery Venue: Michael Stearns Studio@ The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro Marie Thibeault — Drawings TransVagrant and Gallery 478 presents an exhibition of mixed media works on paper by Marie Thibeault, a professor emerita of art at California State University, Long Beach, where she teaches painting and color theory. Time: Through April 15, during First Thursday Art Walk and by appointment Cost: Free Details: 310-732-2150 Venue: TransVagrant at Gallery
478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro
March 31
Armchair ArtWalk Tour The first Armchair ArtWalk Tour of 2022 will discuss Black artists’ works, as a look back at Black History Month. This Armchair ArtWalk will feature multidisciplinary artists Adrienne Wade, Bruce A. Lemon, Floyd Strickland and musician Chad Bishop. Register in advance below, you will receive a confirmation email to join the meeting. Armchair ArtWalk will be live-streamed from Facebook, and will be posted on YouTube at www.youtube.com/channel/ armchair-artwalk. Time: 5:30 p.m., March 3 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl. com/3nkvshna Venue: Zoom
FILM
March 17
BLUE/S Screening Series — Having the Blue/s The BLUE/S Screening Series is a spinoff of the 2021 ESMoA Video Art + Film Festival, where longer than 60-sec films will be virtually screened for a long weekend. Among 120 submissions, 12 were selected to be virtually screened on ESMoA’s website. Time: March 17 to March 20 Cost: Free Details: www.esmoa.org/blue-sscreening-series Venue: Online
March 20
San Pedro International Film Festival Screening of Oscar-nominated documentary and live action short films. Time: 6:30 p.m., March 20 documentary; 7 p.m., March 24 live action. Cost: $15 Details: https://tinyurl.com/ Warner-docs; https://tinyurl.com/ Warner-live Venue: Warner Grand Theater, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
April 2
Tarea Vida Screening followed by a discussion of Helen Yaffe’s documentary examining Cuba’s climate change response, which was presented at the University of Glasgow during COP26. Time: 4:30 to 7 p.m. ,April 2 Cost: Free Details: ushandsoffcuba committee.com Venue: McCarty Memorial Church 4103 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles
LITERATURE March 23
Naomi Hirahara Join a virtual conversation with Naomi Hirahara, an Edgar Award-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and
March 19
International Children’s Festival Celebrating the talents of children from around the world, the Aquarium of the Pacific will host an event celebrating the talents of children March 19 and 20. The festival will feature performances celebrating international cultures, from various dances to martial arts. Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 19 and 20 Cost: $26.95 to $36.95; free for aquarium members and children under age 3 Details: 562-590-3100; aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/ international_childrens_festival/ Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach Let’s Talk About Race This two-hour dialogue with Marymount California University Professor Carlos Royal will continue the conversation from 2021. He will highlight concepts and look at ways we can work together to move forward in reducing prejudice and bias. Participants will have the option to join breakout rooms for small discussions and may opt out if they wish. Pre-readings will be sent to participants for background and discussion. This virtual event requires registration. Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., March 19 Cost: Free Details: www.tinyurl.com/ mw63xc3m Venue: Online Torrance Craftsmen’s Guild 22nd Annual Spring Arts & Craft Faire More than 40 independent artists will be selling handcrafted items including ceramics, jewelry, art glass, knitwear aprons, purses, home goods and toys. Door prize and opportunity drawing benefits a scholarship fund for graduating seniors in the Torrance Unified School District. Free parking. Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., March 19 Cost: Free Details: www.torrancecraftsmens guild.org Venue: Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance Family Art Workshop Angels Gate Family Art Workshop will be in-person March 19. Join artist-teacher Linda Ravenswood for an in-person book-making workshop, supplies will be provided. Time: 1 to 2:30 p.m., March 19 Cost: Free Details: http://ow.ly/8s8c50IewWI Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Nature Walk Leader Training Share the love of nature with others. Learn the fascinating natural history of the area from experts in the field to assist in leading monthly public guided nature walks around the peninsula.
Time: 9 to 12 p.m., March 19 and March 26 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/WalkLeader Venue: PVPLC, 916 Silver Spur Road, #104, Rolling Hills Estates Tidepool Walk at Cabrillo Beach Tides are at their lowest and the beauty of San Pedro’s coastline is on full display. Starting the event is a presentation on the pools at the John M. Olguin Auditorium, followed up with a brief hike through the rocky beaches of Point Fermin to see what one can see. Come prepared with outdoor attire and non-slip shoes. Reservations required for groups. Time: 3 to 4:30 p.m., March 19, 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., March 26 Cost: Free Location: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro Details: https://tinyurl.com/ Tidepool-Walk Los Altos Neighborhood Library Student Career Fair Students ages 13 to 18 have the opportunity to get their foot in the door early with a virtual career fair running on two separate days. Presenters from places such as Sony Pictures and California State University Long Beach will give the lowdown on the journey of their careers and students can ask questions. Pre-registration is required. Time: 12 p.m., 1 p.m. March 19, 12 p.m., March 26 Cost: Free Location: Online Details: https://www.longbeach. gov/library/news/student-careerfair-for-teens/
March 26
Harbor Hop at the USS Lane Victory Come to the SS Lane Victory for an outdoor swing dance event with South Pacific vibes. The Moontones will be performing blues and The Satin Dollz will play their 1940s USO and Tiki show. Enjoy classic cars, vendors and food trucks. Time: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., March 26 Cost: $25 to $35; children under 12 free Details: https://tinyurl. com/5x2ku653 Venue: S.S. Lane Victory, 3011 Miner St., San Pedro
March 27
30th Anniversary of LAMI The Los Angeles Maritime Institute and the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce will dedicate Building G in honor of the institute’s founder, Jim Gladson. This event begins with a ribbon-cutting and building dedication and ends with lunch and a concert with Andy & Renee. Ticket price includes: one beverage, lunch and a shaved ice dessert. Time: 12 to 3 p.m., March 27 Cost: $30 Details: www.eventbrite.com/ e/30th-anniversary-ribbon-cuttinglunch Venue: Building G, West Harbor Berth 73, Port of Los Angeles Heart of the Harbor Pop-Up Sunday Join a family event with food, music, shopping and raffles. Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 27 Cost: Free Details: 424-368-4691; heartoftheharborpopup@gmail. com Venue: John Mendez Baseball Park, 920 N. Banning Blvd., Wilmington
Vanderlip’s Dream
lives were turned towards San Pedro and the whole area, for example, by working both with local resident craftsmen as well as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. At the time of its construction, San Pedro was the only city on the peninsula and the place where the elder Vanderlip maintained a P.O. Box to collect his mail. Katrina expressed some grief about the sale of what she said is the last historic home in the Los Angeles area that still had the total look and historic feel of the early 20th century. But grief turned to promise with the idea of creating a museum. Her plan includes exhibiting some of the home’s artwork and its original furnishings dating back to the Italian renaissance (14th to 17th century). Vanderlip was a banker and journalist. He was president of the National City Bank of New York, now Citibank. Before that, he was assistant secretary of the Treasury under President William McKinley in 1897. Vanderlip is known for his part in founding the Federal Reserve System. During the Teapot Dome Scandal hearings in 1924 (a bribery scandal involving the Warren G. Harding administration), Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and two locations in California to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. Vanderlip testified about what he believed to be a scandal. Vanderlip played a lead role in exposing the Teapot Dome scandal, because he had a strong belief in the public’s right to know. Subsequently, he was forced to resign from the boards of directors of almost 40 companies before he was ultimately vindicated. He retired to California. Katrina highlighted that when her grandfa-
Frank Vanderlip at his estate circa 1930-1937. Courtesy of the Eyre Powell Chamber of Commerce Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
ther, Frank Vanderlip (1864–1937). acquired the entire peninsula he instantly got in touch with the Olmsteds, the famous landscape architectural firm noted for the design of New York’s Central Park and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The 200th anniversary of the firm’s founder’s birth is this year. Frederick Olmsted (1822-1903) codesigned many well-known urban parks with his partner, Calvert Vaux. Central Park was their first project. Katrina is planning to organize a fundraiser later this year themed around Olmsted’s history and design of the peninsula.
Frank Vanderlip worked previously with the Olmsteds on his east coast property. Olmsted’s son and his nephew, who he adopted, took over the firm and they were hired by Vanderlip to do the planning, design and landscaping of the peninsula. Vanderlip hired the famous team to survey the entire peninsula for two years for the geology, hydrology and weather. The team was also able to isolate the perfect location of the estate facing Catalina Island slightly above the fog line near a water source. The design of Malaga Cove Plaza, the Portuguese Bend Club and Miraleste drive were all part of the original Mediterranean design and why those areas still have tiled roofs. The Olmsteds also designed the old downtown part of Torrance with its many trees and the area around the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. Katrina noted the peninsula was the biggest plot of land that the Olmsteds had ever been asked to develop. And things might have turned out differently had not the development been interrupted by the Great Depression. “[My grandfather] made [it] a condition that one of the cousins had to live in Palos Verdes, to make sure that it wasn’t just something they looked at from a distance on the east coast,” she said. “They were important for all of this development. As people drive through Palos Verdes or old Torrance and see the trees, they may not know that it was all very carefully planned and studied as to which trees thrived in this climate and didn’t need much water and are still making it nice nearly 100 years later.” Katrina cited a couple of reasons why her grandfather came out to California. When he retired from the bank he had diabetes and he came for his health. She noted he was one of the first people to have insulin, saying that he supported
and publicized it so that people would be brave enough to take it. He was influential because he was an example. In University of Toronto website papers Vanderlip is quoted saying, “I do not state that it has cured me but it has made me well.” “It’s like being the first person to go get the [COVID-19] vaccine,” Katrina said. “He also needed to develop the peninsula and he needed more room for the family. He built the Villa Narcissa starting in April 1924 and the 7,700-squarefoot Tuscan-style residence was finished by the middle of the summer.”
Italian Renaissance
Vanderlip spent a month in a villa outside of Florence after World War I helping to report on and collaborate with people who were deciding how to rebuild Europe. Afterward, he toured through Italy with his son. Inspired by the furniture, he sent his wife and son back over to buy it. “My grandfather wanted to set up a whole hill of craftsmen,” Katrina said. Katrina spoke about a 1920s San Pedro store where Vanderlip brought the local artisans his original Italian Renaissance furniture to replicate. She said some of those pieces still bearing the old store labels are in the Palos Verdes Library. Indeed, in 1988, Vanderlip’s son John told the Los Angeles Times that his father intended to have a variety of craftsmen to live in and maintain workshops in the Italian-style Villa Nari artisan village that would have been situated at Point Vicente. Katrina and her siblings have planned to set aside some of their original furniture and artwork to recreate the feeling of the villa if they can find a suitable space with a view of the Pacific ocean — one of the villa’s most important charms. “What we could do is reproduce either the [See Vanderlip, p. 15]
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1. Toning result 12. Celebrity gossip website 15. 1993 Mary J. Blige hit that reached #5 on the R&B Singles Chart 16. Elvis’s longtime label 17. Bitter almond, as seen in French desserts 18. Acne wash maker 19. It’s posed for passersby 21. Radcliffe’s group 22. Dear one? 23. Violinist Menuhin 27. Throws out 30. Eldest von Trapp child in “The Sound of Music” 35. Pet Shop Boys’ longtime label 36. Locates 37. Comparable 39. Tomei of Spider-Man movies 40. Where Will Shortz is the “Puzzlemaster” 43. Dish with grapes, walnuts, and mayo 50. Bookstore category that features the town’s authors 53. Squishee purveyor on “The Simpsons” 54. Record the meeting, in a way 55. Blues guitarist Mahal 56. Place where it’s hard to pass 57. “Hold On Tight” group 58. Words before “of smell,” “of self,” and “of right and wrong”
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[Vanderlip, from p. 13]
Vanderlip’s Dream
living room or the dining room,” she said. “We accumulated enough furniture that was donated by the family, like a long table that sat 14 in the dining room, some old chairs, portraits, paintings and Japanese decor. We have enough to recreate the feeling of the mansion. I’m dreaming of putting that together.” Together, there’s probably 30 to 40 items, plus archives and papers. Some have been put in a temporary place and others are in the Palos Verdes Library.
done with older buildings, or the Lighthouse on Point Vincente as a space that has the possibility to replicate the villa’s terrace. Katrina discussed ways in which her grandparents added their personal touch to their land that have had a lasting effect. Vanderlip grew up on a farm and took care of the farm birds like turkeys and chickens. “Everybody wants to know about the peacocks,” she said. “The climate was perfect for the birds and at the time, it was very easy to get the peacocks with so much bare land on the peninsula … many people had them. He had over 100 varieties of birds from cranes to swans to pea-
work of setting up the chapel so the Vanderlip family donated the land. Katrina’s grandfather did the fundraising, found the architect, Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) and supervised the building of the chapel. “My grandmother would eat at a restaurant in the redwoods where she sat under a canopy of redwood trees,” Katrina said. “She said, ‘this is where you get a real religious experience, sitting underneath the trees.’ That’s why it was built with glass so that you felt the trees right over you.” Katrina said a museum of the Vanderlip archives would be a good education for the residents of the peninsula. It would also be a special place because local artists could reproduce the woodwork of the ceiling and replicate the feeling
of the villa. “My grandfather said to his children, the thing he cared most about was that people had imagination, because with imagination you could dream and if you could dream, you could get things done,” Katrina said. What remains of the Vanderlip dream can still be seen today in the Mediterranean roof tiles across much of the peninsula, Neptune’s statue at the center of Malaga Cove and the peacocks that have spread out from Portuguese Bend. Yet halfway up the south side of the hill overlooking the San Pedro Channel with Catalina Island in the distance, Villa Narcissa still stands as a testament to that dream.
Interior of the Villa Narcissa. Photo courtesy of Katrina Vanderlip
cocks and parrots. There were monkeys too and he hired a full time bird doctor,” Katrina said of her grandfather. Letters between Vanderlip and the doctor exist about cages they built for the birds with hot and cold running water, down to every last detail. Katrina’s grandmother, Narcissa, was a member of the Swedenborg religion (one of the many Protestant offshoots) and she loved trees. In fact she smuggled in tree seeds from Europe. The first thing her grandparents did was start a nursery by the stables. This was the basis for her idea for Wayfarers Chapel or “The Glass Church” on the peninsula. Narcissa and another Swedenborg woman thought it would be nice to have a church. Narcissa didn’t want to do the
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
“There’s a fantastic series of books from a full time meteorologist,” who Vanderlip hired, Katrina said. “He followed and measured the different weather patterns in different places all over the peninsula. He had a graph and took early pictures of the bare hills. Those are in unique leather bound volumes. All of this could be put where people could appreciate them. It was the first piece of developed land where anybody hired a meteorologist to decide how you could grow things without water and where to plant and where is the best place to build — above the southern coastal low fog.” Katrina’s idea is to reproduce the feeling of the villa and explain its history and that of the peninsula together in a museum. She has spoken to people who were considering what could be
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