Rosa Parks Sculpture Unveiled: Local Sculptor Leaves Permanent Mark on the Capitol p. 6 Classical Underground: A Cultural Harbinger of Things to Come p. 11 Garcetti and Greuel in Mayoral Runoff and Carson Mayor Jim Dear Re-elected p. 22
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Conservatives Take Aim at Voting Rights Act/ to p. 7
March 8 - 21, 2013
President Johnson’s adoption of the Civil Rights Movements’ signature slogan, essentially making it
n March 7, 1965, a young John Lewis, head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, co-lead 600 people in a voting rights march intended to go from Selma, Alabama to the state capitol in Montgomery. They only got as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge where they were brutally beaten by a mob of state troopers, county sheriffs and deputies, in what came to be known as “Bloody Sunday.” Eight days later, before the third attempted march finally succeeded, President Lyndon Johnson stood before Congress and introduced legislation that became the Voting Rights Act, which Congress passed six months later. In his introductory speech, Johnson said: Even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and state of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause, too, because it is not just Negroes but really it is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.
The Local Publication You Actually Read
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Graphic: Mathew Highland
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HARBOR AREA
Committed to independent journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for more than 30 years
Port Approves Developer for Ports O’Call By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
On Feb. 21, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission unanimously agreed to move forward with plans to redevelop Ports O’ Call Village with the LA Waterfront Alliance. Commissioners approved an “exclusive negotiation agreement” for a period of 240 days, with the option of extending it another 120 days, should that prove necessary. The Alliance—a partnership between LA developer Wayne Ratkovitch and San Pedrobased Jerico Development—was one of seven competing developers who were reviewed in a request for qualifications process over the last half of 2012. The proposal received strong support from most of the public commentators, as well as the highest ratings—by a significant margin— from all five participants in the evaluation panel. Along with support from elected officials, construction unions and the Chamber of Commerce, the broad majority of local residents were enthusiastic as well. The Whale & Ale proprietor Andrew Silber, who wears a number of hats in community organizations, said, “I think it’s an extremely wise way to go.” Documentary film-maker Jack Baric and lighting designer Fred Allen, Jr. both cited Ratkovitch’s work recreating the Wiltern Theater as a prime concert venue, combining respect for history with economic and cultural revitalization. “I lived in the neighborhood of the Wiltern center that he developed, and I first-hand saw how that development transformed the neighborhood,” said Baric, who also formerly headed the Chamber of Commerce’s marketing committee. Allen, who is also president of the board of the Grand Vision Foundation, added, “When I heard that Wayne Ratkovitch was involved in this process, I knew it was in the right hands.” But there were some objections as well. Fortunately, Port staff finally explained its
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rationale clearly enough for rational debate to replace mere speculation. “Based on the experience of the development team, those participating on the team, that was identified in the proposal, we thought that the LA Waterfront was the preferred developer for Ports O’ Call,” Port Director of Planning and Economic Development, Dave Mathewson told the commissioners in his introductory presentation. “We, the team, believed that the vision was implementable, we thought that it reflected certain recommendations of the ULI [Urban Land
Institute] study, which was they were sensitive to the fact that they addressed the linkages to downtown, they embraced the need to ensure that the development reflects the working nature of the waterfront, and they also were open to maintaining successful existing tenants at Ports O’ Call,” he added. Mathewson later explained that the Port had chosen a “request for qualifications” process, rather than a “request for proposal” one “because we thought that that would stimulate the most interest from the developer community”, as it would require less time and resources. The Port
recently failed to get any responses to its Request for Proposals for Cabrillo Marina. “This was somewhat a hybrid RFQ,” Mathewson acknowledged, “We certainly looked at the qualifications of the developer. but we also asked for the developers to respond with a vision for the site.” Ratkovitch apparently understood the process perfectly, but other developers did not. “I ask that you remember that we responded to request for qualifications, not a request for proposals,” he said in his remarks to the Board. Development/ to p. 23
City Breaks Ground on New Skatepark By Joseph Baroud, Editorial Intern
Community leaders and skateboarders, in a rare display of unity, joined together at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new skatepark at Peck Park on Feb. 23. More than 50 people attended the ceremony. While many community members were treated to complimentary pastries and a presentation board mapping out the exterior design of the skate park, skateboarders were treated to a temporary space with a half-pipe to get them acquainted with the park. Community leaders focused on the importance of getting skateboarders off the streets and into designated skateboard areas after suffering tragedies in the past two years, including the skateboarding-related death of 14year-old Michael Borojevich in 2011, who was fatally injured in a skateboarding accident near Western Avenue and 25th Street. The most recent accident occurred in January 2012, when 15-year-old Caleb Daniel Simpson died after colliding with another skater while traveling 40 mph near the south border of Averill Park.
Councilman Joe Buscaino introduced a measure at the city council to ban “bombing,” the skateboarding practice of speeding down steep
hills at high speeds. Buscaino sought to reassure local skaters that his actions weren’t intended to Skatepark/to p. 4
Pictured above is the March 2 groundbreaking ceremony for the skatepark at Peck Park. LA City Councilman Joe Buscaino who outlawed the practice of “bombing” is fourth from right. Photo by Joseph Baroud.
When it Comes to Tennis, It’s What’s on the Inside that Counts By Joseph Baroud, Editorial Intern
If you’re undersized—whether by weight or height—and you don’t think you can attain a very high level in athletics, think again. Bill Lurie did, and his achievements and contributions to tennis can’t be measured in words. “I was 118 pounds playing in the national championships.” Bill Lurie said. Bill Lurie is a retired American tennis player that has competed in professional and amateur tournaments all over the world. Besides being a tennis player, Lurie prides himself deeply in being a professional engineer. Lurie put the significant size difference between him and his opponents on the backburner on his way to numerous victories, including taking home three first place trophies at Park National Tournaments, which were domestic, amateur tennis tournaments played at different parks or country clubs. But, what is most impressive about Lurie is his genuine, almost profound, need to compete. “Once my boss didn’t give me time off for the National Championship,” Lurie said. “I actually got sick. I threw up because of the aggravation of him not letting me play in that tournament.” One thing to keep in mind, is that Lurie is 100-years-old and has been playing tennis for 82 years. Bill attributes reaching this milestone age to this sport. “I got my good health from tennis.” Bill said. “Two college professors conducted a bone density test on myself and told me I had the bone structure of a man who is 45 years old. And, I was 70!” Not to undermine his competitive tennis career, but Lurie has helped bring together many youngsters and seniors, who also take the game of tennis with as much seriousness as he does. Lurie and Pat Yoemans, a female International Tennis Association Hall of Fame inductee, cofounded the annual Youth Versus Experience tournament, which brought to competition elders
Bill Lurie pictured above. Photo courtesy of the Lurie family.
of the game and matched them up with high potential youths. Tennis greats such as, Venus and Serena Williams and Bob and Mike Bryan, all competed in the Youth Versus Experience tournament and who’s to say they didn’t learn a few moves from their experiences. With the youth having a physical and cardiovascular health advantage, they learned a great amount about the mental aspect of the game by being matched up with and observing their elders. Lurie organized and financed the annual Lurie Cup, which gathers senior tennis players from around the world who are 90 or older to compete in a tournament. He cared about giving seniors the opportunity to compete as if they were 20 years old again, to the extent that he funded it until he couldn’t anymore. Lurie has retired from the game of tennis. The Southern California Tennis Association Lurie/ to p. 4
The Local Publication You Actually Read March 8 - 21, 2013
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from p. 3
Lurie
March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
recognized him and his achievements by inducting him into the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. Bill is the ultimate example of the analogy, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” By staying active in the game of tennis for
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many years, Lurie has been able to enjoy the game and competition he has loved for years. Lurie has stayed active mentally, as well. Lurie stays involved with current events, offering his opinions on issues such as global warming. Bill has sent letters to executives all over, on ways of combating the severe climate change. “I’m really mad that they didn’t take my advice and stop using gasoline and changing automobiles into electric cars.” A lifetime of tennis, but if you ask Lurie, he’ll never forget to mention the fact he is an engineer. “I’m a professional
engineer and I’m proud of it,” Bill said. He worked on the U.S. Boeing B-29 Superfortress aircraft in World War II. He recalled supervising the other engineers doing repairs and finding the most time and money efficient ways of completing the task. While Lurie is extremely competitive on the court, he is also a loving and generous man off it. Lurie is an example of how when it comes to sports and life, the intangibles are the ones that truly matter. The size of your heart and not your physique is what’s most important.
from p. 2
Skatepark obstruct their lifestyles, but to promote safety. “Today, skateboarding is not a crime, [but] rather one of the most popular sports on the planet,” said Councilman Buscaino. “I’m happy to be breaking ground on the new skatepark that will serve our skater athletes.“ News of the new skatepark came on the heels of news that the Channel Street skatepark was going to be closed as a result of the freeway expansion project of the 110 Freeway. “When we heard the Port and Caltrans were going to be closing the park due to freeway expansion, [it] got worrisome,” Harris said. Though there have been discussions of building a skatepark at Peck Park before, plans didn’t seem imminent until the city announced the closure of the skatepark on Channel Street. Calls to create the Peck Park skatepark dominated public comments in August 2011, when the 110 Freeway connector project that closed the Channel Street skatepark was presented to the public. (See “Skatepark Concerns Dominate Comments on 110 Freeway. Project”, RLN, August 8-25, 2011, p. 4) “I remember coming up to Peck Park back in 1998 to first start talking about building a skatepark,” Harris said. He said lack of community support doomed the project from being authorized at the time. Upon being alerted of the imminent closure of the Channel Street Skatepark, the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council pulled together the Council office, Rec and Parks Department and the San Pedro Skatepark Association to work out a solution. “It was such a relief when we got to that first public meeting and we had someone from the city who understood the culture of skateboarding,” said Diana Nave. “The attention to detail and knowledge of the community, just really was crucial in getting this done.” The city gave the green light for the project after reviewing skate park designs submitted by the San Pedro Skatepark Association, which had teamed up with skatepark builder California Skateparks and the Tony Hawk Foundation. “It’s a dream to walk into a community that cares about skateboarding and gives me the opportunity to provide an amazing skatepark.” California skateparks owner Joe Ciaglia said. The skatepark is scheduled for completion in three to six months. The Channel Street skatepark was long the symbolic spot for local skateboarders. Community leaders hope Peck’s Skatepark can continue on where the Channel Street Skatepark left off. “Instead of building this thing and making it look like a skatepark,” Harris said. “We’re going to build a world class skatepark.”
Community Announcements:
Harbor Area In Honor of Women Military History Week
The South Bay Veterans Employment Committee (SBVEC), Employment Development Department (EDD) LA/West South Bay Workforce Services – Region B in partnership with City of Carson Veterans Commission announces a Women Veterans Symposium featuring keynote speaker: BG (Ret) Ruth Wong, Director of L.A. County Military and Veterans Affairs, motivational speaker: CH Brenda J. Threatt 1Lt, CSMR, Office of the Mayor City of Los Angeles. Discussion panel with representatives from the following agencies: West LA/Long Beach VA Mental Health & VA Women’s Clinic, EDD, DOR, US VETS. Thursday, March 21, 2013. 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Details: Julie De La Mora @ Julie.DeLaMora@ edd.ca.gov (310) 680-3814 Venue: Carson Community Center Location: 801 E. Carson St., Carson
Port of Los Angeles Master Plan Update
The public is invited to attend a public hearing to provide comments on the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report for the Port of Los Angeles Master Plan update. March 13, 2013, 6pm. Details: ceqacomments@portla.org Venue: Bannings Landing Community Center Location: 100 E. Water St., Wilmington
San Pedro Recycling
Girl
Scouts
E-Waste
Get rid of the clutter in your garage or workplace and help the environment at the same time. The e-waste event takes place on March 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you’re ready to dispose of your items before this date, an earlier drop-off or pick-up can be arranged by emailing sandywearsmanyhats@yahoo.com. Recyclable electronic items include: Computers, monitors, laptops, television sets, printers, cell phones, stereos, VCRs, cameras, keyboards, scanners and DVD players. Appliances or batteries are not allowed. Recycling raw materials from endof-life electronics is the most effective solution to the growing e-waste problem. Most electronic devices contain a variety of materials, including metals that can be recovered for future uses. By dismantling and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by hazardous disposal is avoided. Venue: Albertsons Supermarket Location: 28090 S. Western Ave., San Pedro
LA Maritime Museum Celebrates African American Maritime History
The L.A. Maritime Museum Library presents an exhibit of African-American Maritime History located in the Navy Hall. Showcasing the statesmen, shipwrights, captains, sailors and explorers important to Maritime history. This exhibit will be ongoing through March 2013. Details: (310) 548-7618 Venue: Los Angeles Maritime Museum, Navy Hall Location: 6th and Harbor, San Pedro
Pancake Extravaganza and Bake Sale
On March 9 the Croatian Cultural Center will host the Pancake Extravaganza. All you can eat pancakes, sausage, bacon and fruit for $6. All proceeds benefit Kiwanis’ program for children. Hosted by celebrity chef Andrew Silber owner and operator of The Whale & Ale. Details: (310) 729-9828 Venue: Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles Location: 510 W. 7th Street, San Pedro
Little Girls to Magnificent Women:
Coordinating Council for Child Guidance By Lyn Jensen, Carson Reporter
For Carole Keen, the issue of guns in schoolchildren’s hands is a familiar one. She remembers when nearly fifty years ago the principal at Carson Street Elementary School told her a boy’s mother found a gun in his underwear drawer. The mother was, Keen recalls, “Petrified…she didn’t know
Vacuum at Rancho LPG Leadership Forum
what to do.” “There were absolutely no human services here in the ‘60s, somebody who could work with children’s mental health at the school,” she explains now. As a founder of the Carson Coordinating Council, Keen found there were no funds for “any kind of mental health worker” in the Los Angeles Unified School District. However, her friend and fellow founder, Gil Smith, was mayor of the then-new city
of Carson, which was in the process of becoming a block grant city. Keen was also a member of the committee working through the block grant process. Through the efforts of Keen and Smith, the coordinating council contracted with the LAUSD for a part-time social worker. So began the Carson Child Guidance Program, the first of its kind in the district. Originally a $30,000 Community Development Block Grant helped fund the program. “The schools collectively wept [with Carson City Limits/ to p. 6
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
HCBF
The Local Publication You Actually Read March 8 - 21, 2013
It was telling sign that most of the leaders invited to attend the Feb. 23 leadership forum on the threat posed by Rancho LPG Storage Facilities did not attend—though some did send staff—while those who did show up were the ones with the least overt power to do anything. Los Angeles Unified School Board member Richard Vladovic kicked things off, speaking as a passionate and worried voice of concern. “I represent 100,000 students all the way from central city south,” Vladovic said. “But more importantly, I’ve lived here for 66 years, and during that time, there’s been four major explosions there,” he said. “Accidents happen” was a frequent refrain as he spoke, just as it had been last June when Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino convened a meeting of representatives from city departments and regulatory agencies. “When I sat here at the last meeting,” Vladovic recalled, “and every expert in the world was here, and I heard each one of them say, ‘that’s not my job, that’s not my job,’ and no one wanted to own up, what I said to them, ‘folks, accidents happen, and then we’re all going to make excuses.’” Anchoring the event, Dr. Carl Southwell, president of the Risk and Policy Institute, gave a presentation on the potential risks of terrorist attack on Rancho LPG, which he explained was the largest such above-ground storage tank for liquid petroleum gas. Typically, he explained, liquid propane gas is “stored in underground salt mines” where the lack of access to oxygen makes it much safer. But that’s “not practical in California,” he explained. He described a two-stage event, with the explosion of the first tank setting off the second one—a highly plausible sequence that’s not considered by the Environmental Protection Agency or any other oversight agency. “A facility like this shouldn’t be built near population centers,” Southwell said. “The best response to a disaster is to try to prevent one.” Three councilmembers from Rancho Palos Verdes attended. Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Duhovic said it was a matter the city of Rancho Palos Verdes takes “very, very seriously,” although they lack significant legal jurisdiction. He echoed Vladovic’s recollection of the meeting last June calling it “shocking how many people were pointing fingers at one another.” “The jurisdiction of your safety is within our city,” said Council member Jim Knight. “We will do what we can.” Duhovic and Knight both discussed Rancho’s obfuscation of its apparent lack of insurance to cover any off-site damage. “We’re going to work to get answers,” Duhovic said. “I’m in complete agreement,” Councilmember Brian Campbell said. “We’ve got the moral and ethical jurisdiction.” Numerous homeowner and neighborhood council leaders were in attendance as well. All are awaiting a hearing before the Public Safety Committee of the Los Angeles City Council expected later this month.
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Rosa Parks Statue Unveiled in Capitol
President Barack Obama applauds the unveiling of the Rosa Parks statue created by San Pedro resident and sculptor Eugene Daub.
March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
from p. 5
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joy],” Keen says of their reaction. According to Healthy Start Coordinator, Cyndy Lum, at least 606 children and families (counted as a single unit) and 17 schools received assistance from the program in the 2011-2012 school year. Services include counseling, parenting classes, classroom presentations, and assistance to needy families. In 1993 the coordinating council added the Carson Family Resource Center to further the goals of a coordinated system of care for children and families. Block grant funding has fluctuated widely over the years—from as much as $135,000 to as little as $10,000—but continues. Other funds come from donations and an annual charity golf tournament, which is happening on May 9 this year. The Carson Coordinating Council’s mission, according to its website, is to promote academic and social success by building resiliency in children, youth, and families through effective intervention and collaboration with community resources. “It started with just five people,” remembers Keen. When the Carson Coordinating Council started, according to Keen, there were about 35 other cities in Los Angeles County with coordinating councils, which essentially serve as volunteer organizations
Rosa Parks, the seamstress whose refusal to give up her seat on the bus sparked the civil rights movement, was enshrined in the US Capitol building Feb. 27. The 9-foot tall statue depicts the civil rights icon in her most famous posture, sitting. San Pedro sculptor Eugene L. Daub, who along with his partner Rob Firmin, created the statue said, “Parks raised sitting to a new level; it’s not just sitting, it’s heroic sitting, sitting that changed history.” President Barack Obama, left, spoke at the unveiling “This morning, we celebrate a seamstress slight in stature but mighty in courage,” the President said. “In a single moment, with the simplest of gestures, she helped change America and change the world.” Rosa Parks is the first African American woman to be honored with a statue in the Capitol. The Statuary Hall collection includes 100 statues in five locations in the Capitol. Among the others in Statuary Hall itself are William Jennings Bryan and Daniel Webster, as well as Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy. Parks was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1999.
for community organizations. Glendora’s coordinating council serves as another example. Smith describes the council as a conduit for volunteerism. “Why would we do that? It’s a way in which we can give some focus,” he says. Then he adds, “Meeting the needs of the community.” “Major corporations in the area were besieged by requests for donations and they wanted to make sure before they committed,” Smith explains further. “This is what the coordinating council does.” It filled and continues to fill, “what was really a big vacuum,” he concludes. Smith and Keen still serve on the coordinating council and are currently preparing a fiftieth anniversary celebration for next year. He is the current president and a staffer. The original group of five is now a group of around 29. Meetings are held at lunchtime in the Shell Pipeline Company office, the second Thursday of every month. Keen is currently organizing what’s now a biennial event, “Six Magnificent Women,” for April. For the sixteenth time she and the council will honor six women for community service. She’s motivated to volunteer and honor others who do she hesitantly admits, because, “I start my day every morning praying, please, God, just for today, let no little girl grow up to be me.” Her service on the coordinating council is how that little girl found a way to be herself. For more info: www.carsoncoordinatingcouncil. org
*1 Child with each paid adult on weekends
Through March - With this coupon
(310)548-8080
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Conservatives Take Aim at Voting Rights Act from p. 1
America’s slogan as well, sent chills through the millions of Americans involved in the struggle. But it was the Voting Rights Act itself—and the ongoing struggles it supported—which actually changed America. Which is why, conservatives argued before the Supreme Court last week, the act was no longer needed, and should be struck down as unconstitutional. Blacks don’t need it anymore. Racism is dead. We have a black President. The court’s conservative majority seems inclined to agree—with the possible exception of Anthony Kennedy. But Justice Antonin Scalia even went so far as to call the Voting Rights Act a form of “racial entitlement.” John Lewis, now a senior member of Congress, vehemently disagrees. “It was unreal, unbelievable, almost shocking, for a member of the court to use certain language,” Lewis said, in widely-reported remarks. “It is an affront to all of what the civil rights movement stood for, what people died for, what people bled for, and those of us who marched across that bridge 48 years ago, we didn’t march for some racial entitlement. We wanted to open
NEW YORK—An Occupy Wall Street activist, Michael Premo, was acquitted of assaulting a police officer and all other charges on Feb. 28, after jurors were presented with video evidence that directly contradicted the prosecution’s story, including the sworn testimony of police officers. The case stems from a Dec. 17, 2011 Occupy Wall Street demonstration in Lower Manhattan. For over a year, prosecutors have claimed that Premo tackled an NYPD officer, inflicting enough damage to break a bone. However, during court proceedings this past week, Premo’s attorney presented a video that showed officers charging into the defendant unprovoked. Premo turned down a deal that would have let him off the hook by pleading guilty to lesser charges. According to an account by Nick Pinto of the Village Voice, Premo’s attorneys undertook a lengthy search for the video that would support Premo’s account and found one in the hands of Democracy Now. “Far from showing Premo tackling a police officer,” writes Pinto, that video “shows cops tackling him as he attempted to get back on his feet.” The footage obtained from Democracy Now! also showed that an NYPD officer was filming the arrest as well, but prosecutors told Premo’s attorney that no such footage existed.
Environmentalists Vow to Approving Tar Sands Pipeline
Above: The brutal beating of civil rights activists on “Bloody Sunday” produced a seismic shift in attitudes which paved the way for the Voting Rights Act, introduced to Congress just eight days later. Left: John Lewis (right) was the youngest national civil rights leader in the early 60s, on the national forefront with Dr. Martin Luther King (center-left).
WASHINGTON, D.C—On March 1, the Obama Administration released a draft EIR claiming that the proposed Keystone pipeline, which would transport Canadian tar sands oil through the U.S. for export, would have only minimal environmental impacts, despite the fact that tar sands oil is widely recognized as the most polluting form of oil there is. The finding was immediately attacked as unrealistic by a broad range of environmental groups. On NRDC’s Switchboard blog, Danielle Droitsch, director of their Canada Project wrote that the DEIR, issued by the State Department, “ignored evidence that the pipeline would lead to a significant increase in carbon pollution that would be equivalent to adding 6 million new cars on the road. And that doesn’t even account for additional carbon emissions that weren’t accounted for by the State Department from petroleum coke which would increase the climate impacts from Keystone XL by another 13 percent.” Equally important is the long-term impact of boosting tar sands production, Droitsch explained, “Keystone XL would help to expand the dirtiest fuel on the planet because it is a fundamental element in the oil industry’s plan to triple production of tar sands oil from 2 to 6 million barrels per day by 2030, and in the longer term to hike production to more than 9 million bpd. Keystone XL would enable a significant amount of tar sands expansion that otherwise would not occur.” The leading climate-change action group 350.org denounced the DEIR’s finding as “nonsense,” in an email from 350.org founder Bill McKibben, saying, “Some of our most important climate scientists in the U.S. have written the State Department to explain exactly how dangerous Keystone is,” and vowing to bring unprecedented public pressure to bear to prevent this disastrous decision from moving forward. “I’m reminded that the last time the State Department issued an environmental impact statement about the pipeline, we were just beginning this fight.” McKibben wrote. “That day in 2011, 50 people were arrested at the White House during the very first wave of protests against the pipeline. This time around we’re tens of thousands of people stronger, and once again, I think we are just 7 beginning to fight.”
March 8 - 21, 2013
Voting Rights Act Under Fire/ to p. 20
EIR
Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes,” as Scalia said during oral arguments. But while Scalia’s remarks shocked and angered many—MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow described him as a troll, intentionally seeking to do just that—no one seems to know what he’s actually talking about. Even the conservative Heritage Foundation, which Random Lengths contacted for assistance, could not provide a single example of the writing about “racial entitlement” that Scalia claimed to exist. The most powerful part of the Voting Rights Act, Section 5, requires “covered jurisdictions” (states, counties, cities, etc.) with a history of discrimination to get any voting law changes approved in advance by the Department of Justice. The reason is bitter experience: for decades before the Voting Rights Act, new discriminatory practices were quickly concocted whenever old ones were struck down. In their 2006 review, Congress documented
the continuing importance of Section 5: 750 objections blocked approximately 2400 discriminatory voting changes since the last previous reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 1982. There had been 650 successful voting rights lawsuits brought in jurisdictions covered by Section Five. All that evidence Scalia simply ignored, explaining it away with his reference to imaginary literature on “racial entitlements” which no one but he appears to have ever seen. There are problems outside covered jurisdictions as well, but the concentration of problems is much higher within them, which is why they remain covered. In fact, any jurisdiction that goes 10 years without any problems is eligible to “bail-out” of Section 5 pre-clearance—as close to 200 jurisdictions have so far. The bailout provision makes it quite clear that good behavior gets its reward, so that no one is “punished” solely for long-ago sins of the past, contrary to what enemies of the act routinely claim. This point was brought sharply into focus when Justice Sotomayor questioned the lawyer for Shelby County. “Assuming I accept your premise, and there’s some question about that, that some portions of the South have changed, your county pretty much hasn’t,” she said. “In the period we’re talking about, it has many more discriminating—240 discriminatory voting laws that were blocked by Section 5 objections. There were numerous remedied by Section 2 litigation. You may be the wrong party bringing this.” The numbers Sotomayor cited appear to apply to Alabama as a whole, but Shelby county has had dozens of its own laws blocked. Indeed, the Shelby County town of Calera is a textbook example of why Section 5 is still needed. In 2004, Ernest Montgomery became the only black
Fight
The Local Publication You Actually Read
up the political process, and let all of the people come in, and it didn’t matter whether they were black or white, Latino, Asian-American or Native American.” The actual record of the Voting Rights Act completely undermines conservatives’ claims that it’s outmoded, no longer necessary. Four times since 1965, the Voting Rights Act has come up for reauthorization, and each time progress has been marked, along with continued resistance. During the last reauthorization, in 2006, Congress held 21 hearings, with over 90 witnesses, and compiled a 15,000-page legislative record over a ten-month period, establishing the continued need for the act. In the end, it was passed 98-0 in the Senate and 390-33 in the House. In Scalia’s twisted logic, this overwhelming vote said nothing at all about the strength of the evidence amassed—it was simply an example of “a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been written about.
NYPD Perjury Fails To Frame Occupy Activist
Austerity and the False Promise of Balanced Budgets Sacrificing Democracy for the Bottom Line James Preston Allen, Publisher
March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
Pundits on the right and left chant “balance budget” like some religious mantra. In the recent Los Angeles primary elections, Republican candidate Kevin James accused the three leading mayoral Democratic candidates of leading the city into bankruptcy because of a $200 million deficit. And the current mayor and city council have responded to the doomsday forecasts of Chief Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, by asking voters to approve a regressive half-cent sales tax. This, from the man who couldn’t even provide an answer when asked point-blank how much property the City of Los Angeles owned, or how much revenue the land generated! The city, the school district and the state, as well as the nation, are being driven by the false narrative that “austerity,” or cutting budgets to the bone, will cure our economic woes. And liberals, as well as conservatives are arguing about just what to cut most! It only makes sense doesn’t it? You can’t spend more than you take in, just like running a small business, right? The mistake is that government is not like balancing your personal checkbook or running a small business. Nor should we concede that government on any scale should be run like a heartless corporation. Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and economist Paul Krugman recently wrote about this saying, “The point is that the whole focus of budget discussion is based on a combination of bad economics and bad (and fundamentally dishonest) politics. We’re looking not so much at a Grand Bargain as at a Great Scam.” In the city of Los Angeles’ case, we are looking at a $200 million deficit in a budget of $6 billion, which is about 3 percent. Even the most risk-adverse corporation could figure out how to leverage its existing assets to cover such a small percentage. Even a momand-pop business would use its overdraft or line of credit to cover this. But no, we either cut programs and jobs or we raise taxes. Both are wrong at this time. From City Hall to the State House our various governments own hundreds of billions of assets that are either undervalued, not used or even leased. Just take into consideration
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amount of land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for instance. Even more significant than the real estate is the amount of money held in the various pension funds at all levels—the CALPERs pension fund is one of the largest investment pools in the world at $249.9 billion. The Los Angeles LACERS pension fund, one of several for city employees, has some $9.4 billion in investments. I wouldn’t recommend that these be used to pay for deficits, but I do suggest we reinvest these monies in needed critical infrastructure that the city needs now. The State of California could do the same, as could the Los Angeles Unified School District, instead of paying to place a bond, borrow the money and pay it back at a guaranteed rate. This form of “closed-circuit” investing recycles pension investments back into the city or district from which they are derived, thereby creating a direct benefit of economic expansion, job creation, and reinvestment in our own economy rather than Wall Street. This form of government investing alleviates the pressure to raise taxes for special projects or to cut services because of the drain on the general fund to back fill the budget. If the city could get its hands around what it owns and manage its properties more productively and get its mind around what it’s doing with its financial investments, the city would probably generate a surplus in a few short years. Frankly, I don’t think we have the people in government with the brains to figure this out, which may be the best example of the failure of our education system to teach people to deconstruct problems or to remember their history. Clearly there are plenty of historical examples that would lead us to see that the only way out of a deep recession is to spend our way out not to cut our way with blade of austerity that will only cripple our courts, our schools and our democracy. Balancing budgets with the current formulas will only extend the recession that plagues our governments but which seems to have eluded Wall Street only after they were saved by government investments. Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com
“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. XXXIV : No. 5
Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya info@graphictouchdesigns.com Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communi- Assistant Editor Zamná Ávila ties of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, reportersdesk@randomlengthsnews.com Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg throughout the seven cities of the Harbor Area.
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Create Jobs, Save Education with Oil Severance Tax By Peter Mathews, Co-founder Rescue Education California California’s oil, the Black Gold that belongs to all of us, is a limited natural resource that will run out eventually. A small portion of it, in the form of a 15 percent oil severance tax, must be used to rebuild our education and economy, and make California the Golden State once again. California is the only major oil producing state with no oil severance tax! Other major oil producers, Alaska and Louisiana, have taxes of 25 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively. It is past time that we impose a 15 percent severance tax on crude oil that is extracted from California. This will generate approximately $3 billion annually to be invested in California public education and job creation. Louisiana’s oil severance tax helps fund its schools. Texas generates about $2 billion annually for its universities from its oil severance tax. Public university tuition in Texas is significantly lower than tuition at California public universities. Part of the $3 billion generated by California’s oil severance tax must be used to rehire thousands of K-12 teachers, counselors, librarians, reduce overcrowding in classes, keep and expand science and computer lab programs, and bring back arts, theatre, and music classes. We must keep schools open for after school programs, including tutoring, homework clubs, sports, and arts. This will keep young people motivated and excited about achievement in education and life.
Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Carson B. Noel Barr Music Dude John Farrell Curtain Call Gretchen Williams Entrée Andrea Serna Arts Writer Malina Paris Culture Writer Kevin Walker Community News Calendar 14days@randomlengthsnews.com
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Another portion of the $3 billion should be used at the community college and university levels to restore cut classes and sections, lower tuition fees, and rehire professors. We must meet increased student demand by expanding enrollment, including in programs such as nursing, engineering, math and sciences, social sciences, the arts, the humanities, and technical fields such as informational technologies, transportation technologies, and alternative energy and other green technologies. We also need to make investments in apprenticeship programs, and trade and technical schools. The final portion of the $3 billion must be invested in California’s infrastructure, public sector, and to generate small business growth. Learning from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, we must establish a California Works Progress Administration (CWPA), and fund it to rebuild our roads, bridges, sewer systems, public transit, and levees; for example, the levee system near Sacramento, which is in dire need of strengthening. It has been estimated that if these levees break, tremendous flooding will destroy property in the area, cause destruction of crops in the Central Valley, and cause severe water shortages in Southern California. We can add community based police, rehire laid-off firefighters, public librarians, and others. continued on following page
Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, (310) 519-1016. Address correspondence regarding news items and news tips only to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email to editor @randomlengthsnews.com. Send Letters to the Editor or requests for subscription information to james @ randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor should be typewritten, must be signed, with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words. To submit advertising copy email adv@randomelengthsnews.com or reads@ randomlengthsnews.com. Extra copies and back issues are available by mail for $3 per copy while supplies last. Subscriptions are available for $35 per year for 27 issues. 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 to express those opinions. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Reporting Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2013 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.
RANDOMLetters Re: Embargoed—Rosa Parks, Feb. 21, 2013
from previou page
Oil Tax
I’m retired and on a fixed income, and I was hoping/planning on earning a few bucks by starting a savings account with Citi. Putting your money into a Citi savings account—WHAT A JOKE!? What benefit is it to deposit my money in this bank? Page 2 are my latest examples of the meager interest paid on my savings with Citi. Of course, the JOKE is on me!! I’d sure would like to help the economy—I was told not to spend all my money in one place, so do you have any suggestions where i should spend my pennies?! Allen Ray Duray Harbor City
their families will participate in the 68th liberation ceremony. If you please. The best news story of 2012 was “Time, age no hurdle: Pursuit of Nazi war criminals will still go on”, PT, Sept. 25. Germany has launched a war crime investigation against 87 year old Johann “Hans” Breya of Philadelphia, accused that he was More Letters/ to p. 19
Community Announcement
San Pedro Community Plan Hearing
The LA City Planning Commission will meet to consider the San Pedro Community Plan on March 14, 2013 after 8:30 AM at the Boys and Girls Club. The plan has been modified to remove the upzoning of “Subarea 260” centered at 25th and Western, by far the most controversial aspect of the plan when it was presented to local residents late last year. The plan and related documents can be found online at https://sites.google.com/site/
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Excellent coverage in the Long Beach P-T, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, (“Victims mourned at Auschwitz and beyond,” Jan. 28). Remembrance
Correction
The case of the missing word that went missing
In our last issue of Feb. 22, the article on Dr. David Harlan Smith ended abruptly without the last word in the final paragraph as many of you have commented. The entire sentence should have read: The L.A. Sheriffs closed eviction on Dr. Smith’s practice and the patient files have now been secured, but the doctor still seems to be missing. How’s that for irony? —the Editors
Peter Mathews is a professor of political science at Cypress College and a radio and TV political analyst. Mathews cofounded Rescue Education California. Contact Peter Mathews at (562) 234-3319 or visit him at www.epetermathews.com.
March 8 - 21, 2013
high paying jobs based on new sustainable technologies, Without these jobs in our economy, we will not have the tax base to fund a strong public education system, from prekindergarten through trade and technical school, community college, and university. Jobs and education are the twin engines that will boost us to the next higher standard of living, and we must fully fund them once again.
We should create a California Small Business Administration (CSBA) that will provide direct, low interest rate loans to grow small businesses. It can be modeled after President Obama’s Direct Student Loan Program which lowered the interest rate from approximately 8 percent to 3 percent, saving the students money, and expanding the program. Education and jobs allow us to pursue Life, Liberty, and Happiness in our lives. Without access to high quality, critical thinking, and technical education, we will not have
CitiBank is a Joke
Days are also held at other camps on the date of their liberation. Peter Funt writes that he would focus on the “glorious months ahead in this handy precap of 2013”, (‘… the year in preview,” Jan. 2) LBPT that on May 5 “Congressional Republicans (would) introduce legislation to make Cinco de Mayo an official US holiday.” Hey, good choice. On the Cinco de Mayo, US forces liberated the last Nazi death camp. The last camp liberated by US forces—Mauthausen in Austria. Hours earlier they liberated Gusen, a sub camp. Within one week 59 others. This May 5, survivors and
The Local Publication You Actually Read
Publisher James Preston Allen reported on Washington, D.C.’s “embargoed” commemorative statue of Rosa Parks, the “civil rights leader” who refused to give up her front seat on the bus. “She was tired,” as old “Eddie” shared in the movie “Barbershop.” She was tired all right: tired of being treated with disrespect; tired of unequal treatment under the law; and tired of being told where to sit, what she could and could not do, and how much she could make. How would Rosa Parks respond to the record of the first “black” President and his party? Parks would be appalled at the terrible conditions, which African-Americans endure. Because of President Obama’s ruinous “progressive” policies, African-Americans suffer under unemployment twice the national average. Black youth face 50 percent unemployment. Blacks are not doing or making much under this President. Republican Ron Paul denounced the discrimination in the criminal justice system on because of the failed War on Drugs. Obama has done nothing to amend the unfair sentencing guidelines, which put poor crack users in jail longer than “refined” powder cocaine users. Blacks still suffer unequal treatment under the law. Parks would be disgusted by the welfare state and Democratic resistance to school choice. Progressive President Lyndon Baines Johnson expanded welfare for this reason: “We’ll have those n_ggers voting for us for the next two hundred years.” President Obama refuses to allow black families to choose their children’s schools, yet Obama enrolls his children in elite private schools with elite security. Johnson’s invidious comment and Obama’s callous indifference validate the argument of black intellects Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams: Because Democrats enable dependence and resist school choice and vouchers, they basically tell blacks where to sit. Parks would be dismayed that the Democratic Party has taken the black vote for granted. While Republican Mitt Romney attended the NAACP Conference in 2012, Obama skipped it. Talk about disrespect. Democrats and Progressives, from Woodrow Wilson to today, send blacks “to the back of the bus.” Republicans offer them the front seat (Condoleeza Rice, Clarence Thomas and Edward Brooke), or let them own the bus if they want (Herman Cain). To paraphrase “crappy rapper” Kanye West: “President Obama does not care about black people.” Ms. Parks would shout: “President Obama, stop putting my people in the back of the bus!” To Mr. Allen, she would write: “Stop covering up the dangers of “Progressive” policies to minorities!” Arthur Christopher Schaper Torrance
Well Mr. Schaper, We feel so very assured that an old libertarian white guy from Torrance can accurately channel the spirit of Rosa Parks so as to speak for her from beyond the grave. Honestly, we just don’t know how you are able to do it. We’re sure our readers are just as amazed. Did Rosa come to you in a vision to explain just how disappointed she was in the first black president? I’m glad you agree the drug sentencing guidelines were inherently racist. For that, you deserve a few cool points. Unfortunately your information is dated. President Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act that Congress passed in 2010 that reduced the disparity between the amount of crack cocaine and powder cocaine needed to trigger certain federal criminal penalties from a 100:1 weight ratio to an 18:1 weight ratio. The law also eliminated the five-year mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack cocaine, among other provisions. The courts had also acted to reduce the sentencing disparity prior to the bill’s passage. So I guess the few cool points you earned has been forfeited. It’s amusing that you take your social political cues from family friendly African American films as evident by your use decontextualized quotes from rapper Ice Cube’s film Barbershop—you know, that family-friendly actor that was once considered the N-word that America loves to hate. I’m going to use the words of historian Jeanne Theoharis, author of the book, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks to deal with your characterization of Rosa Parks: Often described as a tired seamstress, no troublemaker, Parks was in fact a dedicated civil rights activist involved with the movement long before and after her historic action on the Montgomery bus. “Here we have, in many ways, one of the most famous Americans of the 20th century,
and yet treated just like a sort of children’s book hero,” Theoharis says. “We diminish her legacy by making it about a single day, a single act, as opposed to the rich and lifelong history of resistance that was actually who Rosa Parks was.” Check the video:http:// www.democracynow.org/2013/2/4/ on_rosa_parks_100th_birthday_ recalling Editorial Staff
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125th Anniversary
San Pedro’s Living Treasures Honored By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
Celebrating a town’s anniversary through the lives of those with the longest connection to it has the added benefit of reinforcing local lore, repeating dominant narratives, and reemphasizing contributions. That seemed especially true at the March 1 Living Treasures dinner where community members paid tribute to ten San Pedrans whose lives helped form the tapestry that is San Pedro. This event organized by the San Pedro Property Owners Business Improvement District is but the first of several events celebrating this town’s 125th anniversary of its founding. Among the honorees was 85-year-old Jean Lorraine Acalin Wilder born of mixed national heritage to Italian and Dalmatian parents. Wilder provided perhaps the only connection to any of the town’s founding fathers. In her case, it was land developer George H. Peck, whose name and children’s names inform the identities of various streets and parks in San Pedro. Peck was her grandfather-in-law by way of his nephew, Charles Thorton Wilder Sr., who then passed the property down to Wilder’s late husband Charles Thorton Wilder Jr. Peck deeded over two lots in the Rena Park subdivision of Point Fermin. Anne Gusha, the proprietor of San Pedro’s Williams Bookstore has a different connection to San Pedro’s early days. At the age of 104, Williams Books holds the title as San Pedro’s oldest continuous running business. Upon college graduation in 1941, Gusha began working for the last remaining heir of the bookstore, Ethel Williams. Upon Williams retirement in 1980, Gusha and her son took the store over as their own. Muriel Olguin was another honoree whose ties weaves together tightly the tapestry we know as San Pedro. More than simply John Olguin’s long-sacrificing sidekick, Muriel, at 89 years of age, is arguably the matriarch of the artist colony in San Pedro. As a founding member of the San Pedro Angel’s Gate Cultural Center, the Rembrandt Crew (the art colony that founded the Palos Verdes Art Center), Muriel represented another dimension of San Pedro’s depth and diversity. What’s best about these kinds of celebrations is that they present opportunities to recalibrate what a town believes about itself, and retrieve knowledge that otherwise would be lost. One honoree who couldn’t make the event due to her poor health was Thelma Gatlin who moved to San Pedro 70 years ago.
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Thelma was a part of the second great migration to Los Angeles in the 1940s. In a 2005 story, she told Random Lengths News that her sister had returned home from Los Angeles with stories of plentiful well paid jobs and less racial strife than their native Shreveport, Louisiana. “My sister gave me $40 and my mother gave me $15,” Thelma explained. “That’s what I came out here with. I worked for two weeks before I could get any more money.” Thelma worked as a rigger assistant at the San Pedro Naval Shipyard. Thelma said she felt lucky, considering that she was able to learn a skilled trade rather than just “sweeping up floors as the other women were.” Three months after she arrived, Thelma met her future husband, John Gatlin, a longshoreman. Thelma and John planted roots in San Pedro and contributed to this community even when the going got rough—particularly after John filed and won a lawsuit that banned the practice of sponsorship in hiring on the docks. Thelma, for her part, raised three children and served on numerous boards in the community, including the executive board of Toberman Neighborhood Center. She also served as board president of the San Pedro YWCA, and the Women Church United, and an officer on many
other boards. Celebrating a town’s history through the lives that transformed it is a means of preserving the town’s history and culture. The danger of such events is that it preserves only a part of that town’s history and culture, while reinforcing a shallow
sense of what it means to be a San Pedran. Little of San Pedro’s labor history or ethnic diversity were represented at the March 1 Living Treasures dinner, but 2013 is still young with plenty of time to get it right.
The Living Treasure Honorees Joe Marino
At age 13, Joe Marino moved to San Pedro with his family from Rockford, Illinois. Living in town for over 72 years, Joe is “in love with the town of San Pedro and the community at large.” Joe spent his career as an educator. He worked as a local elementary school teacher for 48 years, at elementary schools such as Leland, White Point, and Crestwood. Upon retirement from LAUSD in 1987, Joe joined Cal State Dominguez Hills for 13 years, where he mentored college students studying to become schoolteachers. He also served as the Honorary Mayor of San Pedro from 1988-1989.
Harry Hall
Violinist Harry Hall will celebrate his 100th birthday in June, 2013. Approached by a violin salesman when he was nine, it was agreed that if Harry took lessons for an entire year, the violin that was loaned to him would become his. After one year of lessons, Harry became a proud violin owner. He continued to study music and spent his entire adult career as a professional violinist and teacher. Harry graduated from San Pedro High School in 1931. In 1948, Harry was privileged to be one of the conductors of a 2,000-violin orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl.
“Matty” Domancich
Poor health kept Honoree Thelma Gatlin from attending the event on March 1.
Living Treasures honorees Harry Hall (left), Muriel Olguin (center) and Anne Gusha (right) at the dinner held in their honor at the Crown Plaza Hotel in San Pedro. The celebration kicked off the year-long commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of San Pedro. Photos: Terelle Jerricks.
The charismatic Kuzma Domancich, best known as “Matty,” was born of Croatian parents, and raised in San Pedro for the past 90 years. Matty was the founder and first President of San Pedro High School’s Pirate Booster Club. Founded in 1958, the organization was an allvolunteer, fundraising organization established to provide moral and monetary support to some of the high school’s athletes.
Today, it has expanded its support to include all San Pedro High’s sports, academic clubs, theater arts and many other campus-sponsored activities. It is also believed to be the Los Angeles Unified’s oldest booster club. Matty also served as a past Honorary Mayor of San Pedro from 1989-1991 and is a past “Exalted Ruler” of the San Pedro Elks Lodge. He also went on to open the well-known, Bike Palace. Matty is probably best known for his selfeffacing sense of humor and propensity of delivering one zinger after the next. Matty pokes fun at himself in retelling how his wife, Mary ribbed him for the fact that he worked harder in his golden years than he did before he retired. When he spoke of his retirement, she says, “Matty, you’re retarded, not retired!”
Goldeen Grgich Kaloper
Born and reared in Zlarin, Croatia, Goldeen
and her husband immigrated to the United States in 1941 to start a new life. She worked at the canneries in San Pedro for 24 years. She especially loved working with so many people from different countries. “We looked out for each other, and when someone was new or didn’t speak the language, we showed them what to do,” Goldeen said.
Nicoletta Andritsas Troy
Eighty-nine year old Nicoletta Troy began working at the age of 12 at her father’s restaurant on Beacon Street, known as the “City Hall Café.” Reaching just 4 feet 10 inches tall, she distinctly remembers standing on a box in the kitchen to cook hamburgers and hot dogs for the customers. She worked side-by-side with her father until she graduated high school. She continued working as a waitress throughout her adult years, at restaurants such as “The Fireside,” a carhop located on the corner of 6th and Gaffey San Pedro’s Living Treasures/ to p. 21
A
Moving Experience at the
Classical Underground by: Melina Paris, Music Columnist
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Classical Underground founder, Alexey Steele. File Photo.
ACE: Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment Support Your Community. Shop Local.
few hours spent at the Classical Underground concert on a recent Monday evening was an experience in live art for all the senses and the soul. To experience it, I advise getting on their email list. Many people had already arrived a half-hour before the show was to begin. A potluck buffet full of mostly homemade fare greeted attendees at the entrance. Many bottles of wine, at least 30, sat at the end of the table waiting to be emptied. The invitation requested that attendees bring enough good food, the kind that you would want to eat, and booze for everyone. They did just that. The scene was a genuine expression of gratitude by a community that has been cultivated through these monthly concerts. The invites are extended to a certain amount of people via email to these exclusive performances. Classical Underground performances take place in a warehouse that is also the studio of Alexey Steele, the artist who puts on these events with his partner Olga Vlasova. His many works of art cover the warmly hued steel blue and deep red walls in this great room. Paintings are propped on the floor and perched on furniture. The cavernous studio space quickly filled with people. The crowd--eagerly awaiting the concert to begin--anticipated a musical treat. Attendees knew they would be gratified. The dynamic internationally recognized composer Juan Jose Colomer was in attendance as violinist Ambroise Aubrun and pianist Anna Sarkisovapro prepared to perform Colomer’s composition, “Downtown Bagatelle,” Alexey is a social magnet with an easy manner. Barely three steps out; people swarmed Alexey with questions and casual conversation. Olga had to draw his attention to the fact that Colomer had arrived. Colomer, born in Valencia, Spain, has lived in the states for 20 years. He has been a student of classical music since the age of eight when he learned the trumpet. He progressed from playing instruments to writing suites and always played in orchestras. A tragedy is what redirected him to music composition. A car accident left him in a wheelchair, robbed of the ability to play the trumpet. “I’ve been lucky enough to keep busy and am getting busier,” Colomer said. Colomer met the cultural power couple during a series of concerts he staged at his downtown Los Angeles loft some years ago. Alexey and Olga heard about the concerts on the grapevine and attended. They soon learned they had three friends in common. Classical Underground continued on page 17.
March 8 – 21, 2013 March 8 – 21, 2013
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Entertainment March 8
The Amalgamated The Amalgamated will perform reggae music at the San Pedro Brewing Company Mar. 8, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be a $3 cover charge. Details: (310) 831-5663; www.sanpedrobrewing. com Venue: San Pedro Brewing Company Location: 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Veteran Artists Gather For Exhibition at Transvagrant Gallery
Curator Ron Linden hosted an Artist’s Reception Saturday night at TransVagrant and Warschaw Gallery. The exhibition, ironically titled “Flowmaster lll,” exhibits the work of veteran artists Merwin Belin, Troy Cherney, and Dave Smith. The group is exhibiting as an ensemble for the third time. Belin, working in collage and assemblage, creates biting commentary focusing on the music industry and American politics. Smith’s paintings also reflect a strong commentary on the history of the government led conquest of Native American peoples. Sardonic images culled from 19th century photography, overlaid with current images of American materialism, reflect the contamination of native culture. Costa Mesa photographer Troy Cherney rounds out the show with images at once gruesome and humorous. Organized by Ron Linden, Flowmaster III runs through April 27 and will be open during the First Thursday Artwalk, March 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For information please call (310) 600-4873. Gallery hours are Mon – Sat, 11a.m.– 6p.m., and by appointment. Pictured Merwin Belin.
by: Andrea Serna, Arts and Culture Columnist
March 9
DJ Frank FoReal Crafted, at the Port of Los Angeles presents DJ Frank FoReal, March 9, from 2:30p.m. to 5 p.m. Details: (310) 732-1270; info@craftedportla.com Venue: Port of Los Angeles Location: 110 E. 22nd St., San Pedro Porterhouse Bob Alvas Showroom presents, March 9 at 7:30 p.m., two 50-minute sets by the outrageous New Orleans jazz and funk band Porterhouse Bob and Down to the Bone. Porterhouse Bob is a blues based pianist, vocalist, writer and interpreter of New Orleans influenced music featuring woodwind and brass backed by an exhilarating and funky street-cadence. The 7-piece band features players from renowned jazz, blues and pop bands. Tickets are $20. Details: 1(800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th Street, San Pedro
SUSHI BAR
Japanese Restaurant Sushi Bar 380 W. 6th St. • 832-5585
#
March 8 – 21, 2013
Support Your Community. Shop Local!
Calendar to page 14.
FREE!!!
Please present this coupon at concessions for ONE free regular size soft drink or bottled water. Exp. 04/04/13RLn
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THE WIZARD OF OZ
March 8 | 7pm March 9 | 2pm & 7pm Rolling Hills Prep School presents the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1987 musical version of L. Frank Baum’s classic. Tickets: $17 in advance at 310.791.1101 or $20 cash at the door.
PSALMFEST XV: AN INTERFAITH CELEBRATION IN SONG
March 10 | 7pm Temple Beth El presents an interdenominational choral festival featuring Harbor area choirs in a concert of sacred music. Tickets $10 at 310.833.2467 www.bethelsp.org.
GLOBAL PEACE JAZZ CONCERT
March 30 | 7pm Tanzanian Fundi Non-Profit, dedicated to improving the lives and futures of Tanzanian youth, present a jazz concert to raise awareness and muchneeded funds for their work in Africa. Tickets $50 & $25 Tanzanian.Fundi@gmail.com
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT: “The Wedding Date” (2011)
March 15 | 7pm DEBRA MESSING and DERMOT MULRONEY star in this hilarious romantic comedy about a surprising road to true love. Tiramisu and a glass of wine for series subscribers! Tickets $8 • subscription $49 GrlsNtOut.brownpapertickets.com
DANCIN’ IN THE STREETS: A TRIBUTE TO DAVID BOWIE AND THE ROLLING STONES
March 23 | 8pm How fantastic would a concert by Bowie and the Stones be? Find out at this one-of-a-kind event featuring two of the Rock tribute world’s premier acts: David Brighton and Space Oddity and Mick Adams and The Ultimate Stones. Tickets $36 & $26. BowieStones.brownpapertickets.com
478 W. 6th St.
Historic Downtown San Pedro
310.548.2493
The Warner Grand Theatre is a facility of the City of Los Angeles, operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs. For Information and Tickets, Please Visit WarnerGrand.org, GrandVision.org or ExperienceSP.com
ACE: Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment
March 8 – 21, 2013
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Calendar from page 12. Fishtank Ensemble The Fishtank Ensemble will perform at the Grand Annex Theatre, March 9, at 8 p.m. Fishtank’s music ranges anywhere from French Jazz to Gypsy anthems. Tickets will range between $20 and $35. Details: (310) 833-4813; www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex Theatre Location: 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro Guitar Shorty Guitar Shorty will perform at Harvelle’s March 9, at 9:30 p.m. Shorty has played with many greats including Ray Charles and is currently signed to Alligator Records. Tickets will range between $12 and $50. There is a 2-drink minimum purchase, so you must be at least 21 years old to attend. Details: (562) 239-3700; www.longbeach.harvelles. com Venue: Harvelle’s Long Beach Location: 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach Pinheads The Pinheads will be performing at the San Pedro Brewing Company Mar. 9, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be a $3 cover charge. Details: (310) 831-5663; www.sanpedrobrewing. com Venue: San Pedro Brewing Company Location: 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro
March 13
Jazz Jam Godmother’s Saloon hosts Jazz Jam with the Mike Guerrero Trio, Mar. 13, from 7 to 11 p.m. Mike Guerrero and his trio will perform the first set and other musicians can sign up to play the subsequent ones. Details: (310) 833-1589; www.godmotherssaloon. com Venue: Godmother’s Saloon Location: 302 W. 7th St., San Pedro
Support Your Community. Shop Local!
March 15
Roots and Boots The La Mirada Theatre presents Roots and Boots, Mar. 15, at 8 p.m. Three country music legends, Aaron Tippin, Joe Diffie and Sammy Kershaw, share the stage in a one night only concert to perform acoustic versions of more than 40 Top Ten hits. Tickets will range from $25 to $75. Details: (562) 944-9801, (714) 994-6310; www. LaMiradaTheatre.com Venue: La Mirada Theatre Location: 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada What A Pair The Croatian Cultural Center and the Soroptimist International of the Los Angeles Harbor presents What A Pair, Mar. 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This event will have tapas, wine, live music and auctions. All proceeds will go to the Little Company of Mary Medical Center Mammography Unit and other causes that will improve the status of women and girls. Tickets are $65 per person and $120 if you buy a pair of them. Details: ( 310 ) 8 3 2 - 5 4 8 2 ; m a r t a @ whatapairsanpedro.com Venue: Croatian Cultural Center Location: 510 W. 7th St., San Pedro
March 16
Fontain’s Muse Crafted Presents Fontain’s Muse, a dynamic duo Fontain and Flash provide ambient world grooves, international instrumentation: sitar, guitar and vocals in six different languages.March 16, 2 to 5:30 p.m. Details: (310) 732-1270; info@craftedportla.com Venue: Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles Locations: 110 & 112 E. 22nd St, San Pedro
Community/Family March 8 – 21, 2013
March 7
14
Stories in Art Children ages 7 to 11 are invited Stories in Art, Mar. 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. Children will experience storytelling, museum visits and art workshops. Adults are required to attend with the child and registration beforehand is required. Details: (310) 618-6388; www.torranceca.gov Venue: Torrance Arts Museum Location: 3320 Civic Center Dr., Torrance Calendar to page 15.
A woodworker and a musician, Harold Greene poses with his handcrafted lapstick--a short scale electric guitar that allows the use of headphones for silent practice time or record musical ideas as Greene does. Photo by Terelle Jerricks.
Creativity BY THE Ton by: Andrea Serna, Contributing Arts Writer
H
ave you ever counted the rings on a giant redwood to estimate its age? Woodworker Harold Greene is intimately familiar with the slow pace of time that it takes to create his show stopping hardwood creations. On a recent visit to his studio, Greene was found working on a massive wavy grained top for a coffee table. The table top occupies the middle of his amazingly efficient small San Pedro studio. The process of obtaining material to fill each inch of his workspace is an art of its own. The artist revealed he occasionally obtains wood cut from the Los Angeles City Tree Department. However, the removal must be done on the same day the tree is cut, and to keep it interesting, the only notice for the public is posted on each random tree marked for clearing. This particular 1,000 pound slab of local carob wood was cleared six years ago, stored for drying and finally brought to the studio to craft into a stunning conversation piece for one lucky client of this talented artist. Written upon every piece of wood is the story of a tree’s life. This particular tree had a long healthy life, maybe 50-60 years, interrupted by a few gnarls. It grew to approximately 20 feet in circumference. Carob trees, native to the Middle East, were imported and now thrive in the Mediterranean climate of coastal Southern California. The Los Angeles tree department posts notice on the tree that it’s going to be cut down. If you are lucky enough to be there then you can get pieces of that tree. “I have some contacts that have heavy equipment. While they are cutting we are thinking of how the pieces can be made into something usable,” Greene said. Ten to fifteen percent of his work is done with local wood. The remainder is purchased from lumber yards that are Forest Stewardship Council certified to ensure that timber is harvested in an environmentally sustainable way, or from yards that sell wood from managed forests.
Greene’s connection to foresting is a long one. “My family owns a forest in Arkansas. Every ten years, they mark trees and cut a number of trees they have marked. Then they share the profit from the lumber with the family.” With such a connection with wood, it’s reasonable to believe Greene came from a long line of woodworkers. Instead, the last woodworking member of the family was Greene’s great grandfather, a former slave who acquired the land his family still owns. He purchased the original plot of 100 acres in Arkansas. He could make pretty much anything out of wood. He was also a veterinarian. He was a slave until 1864, and he acquired a plot of land [after being freed] that is currently owned by the family. Greene sees himself as a woodworker, as opposed to a carpenter or cabinetmaker. “I consider myself a woodworker, but also a furniture designer. As a furniture designer you have to be versatile. I can design in traditional Japanese, designs from traditional Early American, to Craftsman Style. Lately I have done very contemporary pieces, more streamlined.” Greene has also ventured into the area of public art. In December 2013 the City of Los Angeles installed two of his benches near the fisherman’s slip in San Pedro as part of the “Ghost Fish” installation (see Random Lengths News, Dec. 2012). The approval process for the project was as long as the process to cure wood. “I applied through an RFQ (Request for Qualification). Artists Carl Chang and Michael Davis were also accepted for the project. That project started six years ago and was just completed a few months ago.” Greene is also contributing work for the Port of Los Angeles project. He is creating furniture for the new plaza outside the Ralph J. Scott Fireboat Museum. “More and more my work is getting into the public realm.” Greene has some major projects that are housed in private collections that the public has never seen. Greene said it’s difficult for him to even get photographs of the work because of the client’s desire for privacy. But that doesn’t stop him getting his work shown to the public. Last year he helped organize a group show with other woodworkers at Gallery Neuartig. His next one-man show will be on March 10 at Ma Griffe Galerie on Gaffey St. in San Pedro. “I will be showing some of my most recent client work, as well as small pieces in an affordable price range,” he said. The exhibition titled, “ART ON PURPOSE” will run from March 5 through May 12, 2013. The opening reception is scheduled at the galleries Tea Time Dais Sunday, March 10, from Noon to 3 p.m. Green will lead a hot topic discussion at this teatime salon called, “Form and Function.” There is no cost to attend, however, gratuities are welcomed and appreciated for the afternoon tea fare, which includes sandwiches, scones, quiche, fruit salad, pastries, orange juice, and an assortment of a variety of teas. Details: (310) 547-2154, www.magriffegalerie. com Venue: Ma Griffe Gallerie Location: 3624 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
Calendar from page 14.
• Happy Hour •
Baramee Thai Restaurant • $2 beers, $4 appetizers and wine & sake specials. (310) 521-9400, 354 W. 6th St., San Pedro Blu Bar at Crowne Plaza • $4 Drinks and half off appetizers. (310) 519-8200, 601 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro
March 9
Godmother’s Saloon • Live jazz from Mike Guerrero Trio: 7 p.m. every Wed. (310) 833-1589, 302 W. 7th St., San Pedro
San Pedro Brewing Co. • Happy Hour: 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., Mon. to Fri. (310) 831-5663, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Iron City Tavern • Happy Hour 1/2-price appetizers & drink specials: 4 to 6 p.m. Mon. to Fri. 589 W. 9th St., San Pedro; (310) 547-4766
Trusela’s • Happy Hour: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tues. to Sat. (310) 547-0993, 28158 S. Western Ave., San Pedro
Ports o’ Call • Happy Hour: Mon. to Fri., 3 to 8 p.m. Taco Tuesdays. Oyster shooter & bloody mary Wednesdays. Jazz it Up Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (310) 833-3553, Berth 76 Ports O’ Call Village, San Pedro
Whale & Ale • Happy Hour: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Mon to Fri., 4 to 7 p.m. on Wed. Late Night Happy Hour: 10 p.m. to Midnight, Fri. Only. (310) 832-0363, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro Happy Hour Listings Are Paid Advertising
Drink/Food Specials Starting at 10 a.m.
Corn Beef Cabbage • Fish & Chips Guiness • Tulamoredew • Irish Coffee Jameson Whiskey • Irish Car Bombs Belfast Bombers • Dublin Iced Tea
Neighborhood Street Cleanup Do your part to help keep the ocean clean by joining the Aquarium of the Pacific at our tenth annual Neighborhood Street Cleanup at Cesar Chavez Park in Long Beach from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pitch in by picking up trash and helping to prevent pollution from entering the ocean, affecting marine life and our beaches. Each participant will receive a special Aquarium discount. Be sure to bring a water bottle. Details: (562) 951-1663 Location: Cesar Chavez Park; 401 Golden Ave., at the corner of 3rd and Golden Ave.
March 10
Women’s Day at Crafted Celebrate Women’s History Month at Crafted when Author Gloria Lockhart will read and sign her new book Unmasking: A Woman’s Journey. Spoken word poet, Hustle Diva will also perform. Performance schedule: 1-1:45 p.m. Book signing and reading with Gloria Lockhart 2-2:20 p.m. Spoken word poet, Hustle Diva 2:45-3:30 p.m. Book signing and reading with Gloria Lockhart 3:45-4:05 p.m. Spoken word poet, Hustle Diva 4:30-4:50 p.m. Spoken word poet, Hustle Diva. Details: 310-732-1270; info@craftedportla.com Venue: Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles Locations: 110 & 112 E. 22nd St, San Pedro Reading is Our Thing Celebrate Dr. Seuss in the month of March at the San Pedro Public Library at 10 a.m. by joining “Reading is Our Thing!” a free reading club for kids. Sign up at the Reference Desk to receive your free bag and reading log. Keep track of the books you read and earn prizes each week by checking in at the Reference Desk. Runs through the end of March. Details: (310) 548-7779 Venue: San Pedro Public Library Locations: 931 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
March 15
March 19
St. Patrick’s Day Crafted is hosting a shamrock craft event in their creation station Mar. 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kids are invited to create shamrock crafts for the St. Patrick’s holiday. Details: (310) 732-1270; www.craftedportla.com Venue: Port of Los Angeles Location: 110 E. 22nd St., San Pedro
ACE: Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment
Wonder Woman The San Pedro Library and Grand Vision Foundation present Wonder Woman, Mar. 15, at 7 p.m. This story goes behind the scenes with comic writers and artists, to trace the evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. This is a free event. Details: (310) 833-4813; www.grandvision.org Venue: Grand Annex Theatre Location: 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
Theater/Film March 8
Wizard of Oz Musical Rolling Hills Prep School presents the Wizard of Oz Calendar to page 16.
March 8 – 21, 2013
15
Calendar continued from page 15. Musical Mar. 8 This play will also be shown Mar. 9, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door. Drink Coupon: page 12. Details: (310) 833-4813; www.rollinghillsprep.org Venue: Warner Grand Theatre Location: 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro Perla Batalla Perla Batalla will be performing at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center Mar. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27 and $30. Details: (310) 781-7171; www.torrancearts.org Venue: George Nakano Theatre Location: 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance
March 13
See Rock City The Little Fish Theatre presents See Rock City, Mar. 13 at 8 p.m. This show is a sequel to the Last Train to Nibroc. We are reintroduced to those characters a year later and portray the married life around the time of World War II. Tickets will range between $20 and $52. This show will also run on Mar. 14, at the same time. Details: (310) 512-6030; www.littlefishtheatre.org Venue: Little Fish Theatre Location: 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro
Art March 7
March 8 – 21, 2013
Support Your Community. Shop Local!
Bonnie J. Smith Fiber artist Bonnie J. Smith will highlight her abstracts along with parts of her Family series. Her art works cover the topics of how she views the world, which she conveys through color and stitching. Bonnie’s fiber artwork has been juried into the prestigious Quilt National 2011 and she has exhibited at Pfizer International Headquarters, New York, N.Y.; United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland and was named a finalist for the 2013 NICHE Award in the Fiber Art Quilts category which she won in 2009. Artist’s reception, Thursday, March 7, 2013 6-9 p.m. All other times of viewing upon appointment, please contact the artist to arrange a viewing at bjs8934@aol.com . Details: (310) 831-5757 Venue: The Loft Gallery Location: 401 S. Mesa, 3rd Floor, San Pedro
The Carrillo brothers at Happy Diner. Jose (left), Omar (center), and Roman (right). Lower right: Stripped steak dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy and grilled vegetables. Photos by Terelle Jerricks.
The Happy Diner:
Not Your Average Diner by: Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
T
Flowmaster III Recent Works by Merwin Belin, Troy Cherney, and Dave Smith TransVagrant and Warschaw Gallery are pleased to present Flowmaster III, recent works by Merwin Belin, Troy Cherney, and Dave Smith. Working in an offbeat, politically and socially charged manner, and exhibiting as an ensemble for the third time, each approaches their subjects with an inherent irony. Organized by Ron Linden, Flowmaster III runs through April 27. This exhibition is made possible in part through generous support from the San Pedro Art, Culture and Entertainment District and the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. Details: (310) 600-4873 Venue: Transvagrant and Warschaw Gallery Location: 600 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro Searchin’:LosAngelesandtheQuestfortheSublime Thomas Altheimer, Kevin Cooley, Zoe Crosher, Aaron Giesel, Mara de Luca, Cody Trepte, Erika Yoemans. Searchin’ is an exhibition that considers contemporary, critical engagements with the theoretical sublime. Inspired by 70s Californian conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader’s project, In Search of the Miraculous, the contemporary artists whose work makes up this exhibition re-examine his quest for the sublime and through it, launch their own journeys into the wilderness. Through April 19. Details: www.angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, main gallery Location: 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
William Crutchfield: Selected Works William Crutchfield is an internationally known artist in a variety of mediums - equally at ease, 16 Calendar to page 17.
he Happy Diner isn’t your average diner. Unlike Burger King, when they say, “have it your way,” they really mean it. And if enough people like a particular dish, “your way,” then that dish will be named after you. That’s why there’s a chicken and vegetable soup named for Congresswoman Janice Hahn when she’s home from Washington D.C. That is also why there’s Port Police Burger, which is a double paddy, fresh
jalapeño burger with a habeñero pepper sauce infused mayonnaise. “Everything is made with a sense of making it right and serving it with love and passion in what you do. That is probably the difference between Happy Diner and the average diner,” Roman Carrillo, co-owner of Happy Diner said. If you pay attention to their special me menu on their blackboards (yeah plural, they have about three through the length of the diner), it’s almost a certainty you’re going to find something new from week to week. On the week of Feb. 19, they rolled out their Pastrami burger that came on a medium sized hamburger patty with grilled onions and Thousand Island dressing. The cuisine runs the gamut of Italian and Mexican cuisine to American continental. The Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new, but rarely do they advertise the fact that they have it. They believe that if an item is good, its reputation will get around by
word of mouth. You can even find items normally found at curbside lonchera trucks. You can take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables, prepared anyway you like. Another item that’s emerged from their flair for the creative is their chicken enchiladas soup made from scratch, a soup Roman describes as very thin and flavorful. The primary chefs are brothers José and Omar Carrillo. A third, younger brother Roman Carrillo is co-owner along with José, and is the guy who manages it all. All of them have paid their dues in restaurants throughout the Harbor Area. Among the dozens of places at which Omar cut his chops include the Hobby Nobby Coffee shop located next door to today’s San Pedro’s Cafe on Pacific Avenue, the Golden Goose and the Omelette & Waffle Shop. Omar made the most of his time at the Omelette & Waffle shop, learning and improving upon their omelette recipes, which at last count was up to about 110 varieties, but its very possible they could have added a few more. Omar doesn’t follow many celebrity chefs but he has learned from some of the best that’s passed through the Harbor Area such as the old Copper Room’s Chef Lawrence who consistently whipped up incredible fusion cuisine combining Asian and Croatian influences. Roman is only 30 years of age. The restaurant experience of the three brothers combined totals 56 years. The Happy Diner is a family affair with most members of Roman’s immediate family involved, as well as, parents, nephews and cousins. When a customer comes in he wants them to feel like they’re a part of the family too. “I don’t want there to be a wall between you and I, if you feel uncomfortable I want you to tell me about what’s bothering you,” Roman said. It’s not surprising that Roman feels that way. On the left facing wall upon enter the diner are the house rules: Hug often; Be nice & play fair; Help each other; Use your manners; Do your best; Forgive quickly; Use kind words; Try new things; Laugh every day; Respect others; Be yourself; and Never give up. It’s looks like the house rules are a good description of a happy diner.
Composer Juan Colomer and pianist Sara Annisarkova grace the studio stage of Classical Underground in recent months. File photos continued from page 11
Classical Underground the equivalent of the meaning of our final human reincarnation – perfection. After intermission, Steele shared that they were fortunate enough to acquire a Steinway piano for the evening. When the piano was put in place, Steele explained that he just soaked in the sight of this instrument and said to himself, “Damn, this is something humans do right! This is what art gives us.” Pianist Anna Sarkisova performed Isaac Albeniz’s “Evocation” accompanied by a cello. It’s an elegant piece that slowly insinuates itself into your mind. It’s a little melancholy and lets your thoughts be taken away. Contentedly I was doing absolutely nothing but listening. The next two pieces were for the cello and a guest speaker described them as invasive and intrusive. He went on to say about the pieces that this is not Alexey Steele, this is Dr. Spock; intellectual and complicated. Apparently at the first rehearsal he says he could not even tell if the musicians were playing the right notes. He further described the pieces as objects in space and cosmic time. Right he was. Both pieces were very cerebral. They expanded in my mind’s eye new patterns of sound. Through the cello, I simultaneously experienced an emotional connection to this earthly plane while my imagination traveled the cosmos. It was getting late and I had to go home but for Classical Underground the night was still young. The last number that I saw was for the clarinet and guitar. It was Spanish music that sounded
like the beautiful melodies of Gypsies—sweet and joyous integrating a Mediterranean sound. The moods this number conveyed went from serene to celebratory. I was transported back in time to a Sultan’s castle dancing with impunity amongst belly dancers, incense and hookah pipes. My spirit wanted nothing more than to move with the music. I am hooked on Classical Underground. I have always appreciated classical music but I have now encountered the depth, complexities, joy and immensity of it. In Classical Undergrounds words, “In Art We Trust!” Details: http://classicalunderground. blogspot.com
Harold Greene “ART ON PURPOSE” Runs from March 5 through May 12, 2013. The Opening Reception is scheduled at the galleries Tea Time Dais Sunday, March 10, from Noon to 3 p.m. Green will lead a hot topic discussion at this tea time salon called, “Form and Function.” There is no cost to attend, however, gratuities are appreciated for the afternoon tea fare. Details: (310) 547-2154, www.magriffegalerie. com Venue: Ma Griffe Galerie Location: 3624 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
ACE: Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment
w/ Sean Lane (Acoustic)
3/29 • 8pm
$20 Advance • $25 Door
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/342083 Event info line is 1-866-479-5644 Webpage /www.facebook.com/events/466685443398704
March 8 – 21, 2013
Colomer got a Latin Grammy for best classical album in 2008 for the CD Passion Espanola with Placido Domingo. Colomer describes his latest compositional work, “Downtown Bagatelle” as an unpretentious piece of work. He said that bagatelle means “something of little value or importance, a trifle.” “Downtown Bagatelle” has a tranquil start before quietly expanding with moving nuances. The lower piano chords in the middle of the piece played so softly surprisingly offer a different experience for the senses. I was able to take in the quiet vibration rather than the dramatic sound that these chords can sometimes convey. The intensity slowly builds and then as the music softens again I was left to feel an elevated sense of peace and serenity by the close of the number. Culturally speaking, Alexey says on his website that today’s Los Angeles is reminiscent of Paris 100 years ago in that there was much artistic churning under the radar of the mainstream gaze. “I think Los Angeles is ‘the Paris of the 21st Century’, and that the brooding under the radar of mainstream dramatic artistic changes in the creative combustive City of Angels closely repeats what was happening exactly 100 years ago in the City of Lights.” “The messiness of making music is in LA right now, not in New York anymore, musicians compose in a different way here. We are defining new things, new ways... how do we function in the new times?” On this night, he made a similar parallel between Spain and Los Angeles when he invited Colomer to the stage, underscoring Los Angeles’ importance as a hotbed of globally significant art. The next number, Igor Stravinsky’s “Trois mouvements de Petrouchka” a piano arrangement renowned for its technical and musical difficulties, was performed by Anton Smirnov. With its wild and rapid jumps that span over two octaves, complex polyrhythms, extremely fast scales, multiple glissandos and tremolos, it’s no wonder that the piece achieved the notoriety that it did. Tremelos, an act of sliding a finger up or down a keyboard from one note to another and glissandos, the rapid repetition of a tone or the rapid alternation between two tones in singing or playing a musical instrument to produce a quavering effect are incorporated with superlative effect here. Smirnov’s performance of the music was nothing less than amazing. This is the majesty of music. Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka” is musically
Calendar from page 16. and in rare form, whether painting, drawing, printmaking or creating sculpture. Based in San Pedro, California, he produces works equally renowned for their freewheeling style, irrepressible wit, and formal elegance. Obsessed with things mechanical, particularly trains, planes and ships – vessels of transport for his imagination, Crutchfield shares a Dadaist suspicion of reason and logic, prizing instead nonsense, irrationality and intuition. The exhibition will open on First Thursday, March 7, and an Artist’s Reception Saturday, March 9, from 4 – 7 p.m. Organized by Ron Linden and presented by Arnée and Ray Carofano, the exhibition runs through May 29. This exhibition is made possible in part by generous support from San Pedro Arts, Culture, and Entertainment District, and San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. Details: (310) 732-2150 Venue: Gallery 478 Location: 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro
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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS FILINGS Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013034874 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Unique Designs and Promotional Products, 4309 Everett Ct, Vernon CA 90058. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): David E. Soto Jr., 435 W. 1st Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 02/1/2013. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime.). S/ David E. Soto Jr. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13, 04/18/13
04/04/13, 04/18/13
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013038134 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Good Look Feel Good, 565 W. 15th St. #F, San Pedro, CA 90731. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Carlos Hernandez, 565 W. 15th St. #F, San Pedro, CA 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 07/04/2011. 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/ Carlos Hernandez. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13, 04/18/13
04/04/13, 04/18/13
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013024628 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Zaremba and Associates, 75 Malaga Cove Plaza, Suite Eight, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Marc B. Zaremba, 471 Peninsula Center, Apt. #372, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 02/14/2013. 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.) San Pedro Healing Arts Inc. S/ Marc B. Zaremba. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 02/21/13, 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012257444 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. G Floorz, 603 5th Street, Apt. 3, San Pedro CA, 90731. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Jesus Gonzales, 603 5th Street, Apt. 3, San Pedro, CA 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 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/ Jesus Gonzales. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2012. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 01/24/13, 02/7/13, 02/21/13, 03/07/13
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013010411 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. Second Chance Repair, 2637 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro CA, 90731. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): David Perez, 2637 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jan. 4, 2013. 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/ Da-
01/24/13, 02/7/13, 02/21/13, 03/07/13
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013020256 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. El Segundo Janitor, 1629 Dalmatia Dr., San Pedro, CA 90732. County of Los Angeles. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 646, El Segundo CA 90245. Registered owner(s): Edward McGrath, 1629 Dalmatia Dr., San Pedro, CA 90732. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above Jan 2, 1990. 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/ Edward McGrath. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 02/07/13, 02/21/13, 03/07/13, 03/21/13
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involved in “Nazi sponsored acts of persecution while serving as an SS guard at Buchenwald and Auschwitz during World War II. Val Rodriguez Signal Hill
Budget Games at City Hall
This column begins by reporting a contradiction in staffing statistics. On pg. 44 of the City Budget, Exhibit C indicates that all the city’s budgetary departments together are authorized to hire a total of 31,798 employees. But on pg. 47, a footnote on Exhibit F indicates that the budget also provides authority to hire an additional 1409 temporary employees under “resolution authority”. That footnote got my attention. I re-read Charter Section 1001(d), POSITIONS APPROVED BY COUNCIL, and submitted a Public Information Act request for details about those 1409 position authorities. What I received was a 52 page list of positions the Mayor had included in his proposed 2112-2013 budget. All those positions were approved by Council resolution, and the cost of filling them (estimated to be $163.4 million) was absorbed in the City’s $7.2 billion budget. Resolution Authority (RA) employees are now working with regular civil service employees in many departments. For example, the Department of Building and Safety has Exhibit C authority to hire 717 employees; it also has authority to hire 85 RA employees. Similarly, the Fire Department is authorized under Exhibit C to hire 3,537 employees, and it could hire as many as 143 additional RA employees. But wait! If Building and Safety needed 85 more employees, why wasn’t its Exhibit C authority increased from 717 to 802? Wouldn’t that have been an easier way to give Building and Safety the employees it need? And why couldn’t the Fire Department’s
Exhibit C authority simply have been increased from 3,537 to 3,680? Could there be more to this matter than meets the eye? Consider. Resolution Authority positions are for temporary appointments; they give employees a job for one year, or less. Thurs, if any of those 1409 positions are to be used after 06-3013, position authority would have to be continued by the City Council. As a matter of fact, a number of the RA positions on the Mayors list were continued from FY 2011-12. And some of them were originally authorized way back in 2005-06. Presumably, they’d already been continued 6 or 7 times! Samuel Sperling Monterey Park
False Patriots
I enjoy James Preston Allen’s column every two weeks. I’ve been reading it for over two years, and I must say I can’t remember one time I had a difference of opinion. Unlike right-wing extremists, Mr. Allen and I see through the misguided “posing” of false patriots like John Boehner, who put off funding for Super Storm Sandy victims (who were already homeless and freezing) because he couldn’t find the money. I’ll tell you where the money is: Republicanbacked Wall Street! That’s the whole problem—Wall Street is running this country and it’s not about to care if a disaster hits. It’s like the old saying: “I got mine, F#@*k you! And you got a wallet, I want that too!” They probably say; “We’ll just keep f#@*ing the disabled, elderly and mentally ill, and that way we’ll keep our costs down.” (Probably Capitol Hill’s Republican mantra nowadays.) “We screw our constituents, but they pay for the act!” Ralph R. Rankin ll San Pedro
March 8 - 21, 2013
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from p. 9
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013002493 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. Hawaiian Total Fitness MMA, 615 S. Mesa Street, San Pedro CA, 90731. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Gretchen Alexis Kennedy, 615 S., Mesa Street, San Pedro CA, 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced 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/ Gretchen Kennedy. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Jan. 07, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in
02/7/13, 02/21/13, 03/07/13
vid Perez. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing):
The Local Publication You Actually Read
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013040861 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Miss Astrid, 1575 Spinnaker Dr., 105B, Ventura CA, 93001. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Richard Lynn Parks, 1575 Spinnaker Dr., 105B, Ventura CA, 93001. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 01/15/2013. 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/ Richard Lynn Parks. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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
14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13,
DESIGNS
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2013038133 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Absolute Supervision, 1714 W. 238th St. Los Angeles, CA 90501. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Robert Anthony Torres 1714 W. 238th St., Los Angeles, CA 90501. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 50839, Los Angeles, CA 90050. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 01/1/2008. 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/ Robert Anthony Torres. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days 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 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 14411 et. Seq., Business and
Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13,
this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 01/24/13,
RANDOMLetters
19
from p. 7
Voting Rights Under Fire member of the five-person Calera City Council, winning in a district that was almost 71 percent black. Two years later, the city redrew its district lines, leaving Montgomery in a district that was only 23 percent black (even though the city’s total percentage of black voters had increased at the time). He narrowly lost re-election in 2008 to a white newcomer who’d only lived in Calera three years. But the Justice Department invalidated the election under Section 5, because the city had failed to get approval in advance. The city ultimately adopted citywide elections, and Montgomery was elected with more votes than any
President Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act in 1965. It has been renewed and extended by Congress four times including a 25-year extension signed by President George W. Bush in 2006. File photo.
other candidate. The candidate who beat him in 2008 came in next-to-last. This is a classic example of why Section 5 exists: blacks gain more of a voice, so the white power structure changes the rules to take that voice away. The details of how this is done
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Rep. John Lewis, who was on the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma said, “…we didn’t march for some racial entitlement. We wanted to open up the political process and let all of the people come in.…”
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March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
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can take a seemingly endless variety of forms, but the end result is persistent racial polarization, with blacks and other minorities on the short end of the stick. That’s why election changes need to be checked out in advance. If Shelby County may be the wrong party, as Sotomayor pointed out, the law firm representing them—Wiley Rein— is questionable as well. Last year, it represented both Florida and Ohio in federal court, unsuccessfully defending their attempts to restrict early voting. And behind both the firm and the client is the man who recruited both of them, Ed Blum, director of the Project on Fair Representation, a conservative outfit devoted to fighting minority rights protections in public policy. In 1992, Blum lost a congressional race to Houston congressional race to Craig Washington, one of the first black legislators in Texas. Blum was outraged that blacks should have any district at all which gave them a chance to elect one of their own, and thus began his decades-long crusade against the voting rights act in particular, and minority-protection laws in general, which has been backed by $1.2 million from anonymous conservative donors since 2006, according to reporting by Ari Berman in the Nation magazine. It was Blum who convinced Shelby County to challenge the Voting Rights Act after Calera was forced to undo its dirty work from 2006. Kevin Myles, southeast regional director for the NAACP, told Berman that the lawsuit was like “a fox filing a lawsuit saying the chicken coop is too secure.” It seems the foxes want their country back.
from p. 10
San Pedro’s Living Treasures sts., Cigo’s Restaurant on 9th and Pacific, and the all-famous “Ante’s” from which she retired at age 75.
Fistonich and the wife of the company’s second leader, Neno DiMaggio. Founded in 1921, the business started in a shack and grew so large that they became wholesale suppliers to grocery stores and Vegas casinos. After Fistonich died, Neno assumed leadership of the company. With her husband at the helm, Helen worked behind the scenes for 39 years. Helen has been active
in many community groups including San Pedro Peninsula Cancer Guild, Little Sisters of the Poor Auxiliary, the Assistance League of San Pedro, Mary Star of the Sea Church and Holy Trinity Church. She is past president of Rotary Ann’s.
Florence Collins
At 98 years of age, Florence Collins was born and raised in San Pedro to Italian/Ischian parents. She’s an alumnus of San Pedro’s first grade school, Fifth Street Elementary, located where the San Pedro Courthouse sits today. Collins was
also a part of the first graduating class of Dana Middle School. A young wife and mother during the Depression, she and her husband, Bill Collins lived on 9th St., which at the time was referred to by the derogatory ethnic slur for recent Italian immigrants at the time, “Dago Flats.” Florence has been a lifelong member of Mary Star of the Sea Church, and has several dozen grandchildren, great-grandchildren and greatgreat-grandchildren, almost all of whom still reside in San Pedro.
Helen DiMaggio
The 94-year-old Helen DiMaggio was the daughter of Star Fisheries Inc founder Andrew
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, dead at 58
benefit the citizens of Venezuela. Because of the economic growth from its own oil supply, the tax revenue became equivalent to the oil revenue, further progressing the country economically. Chavez emphasized education, equality and health care. Poverty rates diminished. Malnourishment rates decreased from 30 percent before he was elected, to only five percent today. The number of clinics and doctors per patient, rose by over 100 percent. Chavez has provided tuitionfree schools, ranging from daycare to university. Critics of Chavez, claim he has kept the country divided by aiming to serve only his poor constituents. They also accused Chavez of suppressing democratic and media freedoms throughout Venezuela. Vice president Nicolas Maduro will take over presidency until another election is held within 30 days. Maduro’s opponent is likely to be Henrique Capriles, who opposed Chavez in the most recent election.
The Local Publication You Actually Read
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez died Mar. 5, after a long battle with cancer. Chavez underwent four different surgeries in Cuba, in attempts to remove the cancer found in his pelvic area. After initial surgeries and chemotherapy in 2011, Chavez and his treating physician declared him cancer-free. Four months later, a lesion was discovered in the same area. Chavez returned to Cuba to receive surgery and radiation treatment subsequently. Chavez was up for re-election and was victorious by a landslide. In Dec. of 2012, Chavez underwent surgery exceeding six hours. At the end of February, Chavez returned to his hometown of Caracas and stayed at a military hospital. His respiratory system and breathing begun worsening drastically and he suffered an infection. Chavez passed away Mar. 5, due to respiratory complications stemming from an infection. Chavez brought Venezuela from the dumps and into economic prosperity by nationalizing the world’s wealthiest oil supply and using it to
March 8 - 21, 2013
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Night of Close Races in Low Turnout Election Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
March 8 - 21, 2013
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
Councilman Joe Buscaino won his first full term in office March 5 in a 60-plus point landslide against James T. Law, a candidate that also ran in the race to replace Janice Hahn who vacated the council office after winning Cong. Jane Harman’s seat. During his victory speech, the councilman reminded voters of his administration’s accomplishments in the short time he’s been in office, from Watts to San Pedro. Among the accomplishments was the groundbreaking of Watts first movie theater since the 1968 Rebellion, the building of a pocket park to break up the large concentration of sex offenders in Harbor Gateway, the building of sports fields in Wilmington to replace the dust bowls kids on sports teams had to practice in, the fixing of the Paseo del Mar slide area, and the progress being made in the development of the Waterfront. Though Councilman Eric Garcetti got the edge against Counc2ilwoman Wendy Greuel by finishing the primary with 32 percent to Greuel’s 29 percent, the two will meet again in the May 21 election to decide who will become mayor of Los Angeles. Councilwoman Jan Perry on the other hand was edged out of contention by radio personality Kevin James, the race’s lone Republican candidate, by less than a percentage point. Neither candidate posed a serious threat to the top two vote-getters. Councilman Mike Feur will be heading into the runoff against City Attorney Carmen Trutanich on May 21, even though he beat the once popular San Pedro local by more than 10 points. For Controller, Ron Galperin and Councilman Dennis Zine finished nearly tied at 37 percent with the two separated by a couple hundred votes. Galperin got the edge but the two will meet again to decide who’ll become the City Controller for the next four years. Los Angeles residents voted down Proposition A by a 10-point margin. The measure would have increased the transactions and use tax by one-half percent in order to
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fund a variety of City services, including police and fire emergency services, senior services, gang and drug-prevention programs, pothole and sidewalk repair and others. Expenditures would have been reviewed by a citizen’s oversight and accountability committee, and subjected to independent audit. Charter Amendment B, a proposal that would allow public safety officers under the Department of General Services to switch their retirement plans governed by the more generous Fire and Police Pension Plan if they transferred to the LAPD or the Los Angeles Fire Department, passed by a wide margin. Los Angeles City Mayor JAN PERRY ERIC GARCETTI WENDY J. GREUEL KEVIN JAMES
Votess 45,480 93,978 83,308 46,684
Percentage 15.93% 32.93% 29.19% 16.36%
Los City Attorney CARMEN TRUTANICH NOEL WEISS MIKE FEUER GREG SMITH
80,587 23,045 116,883 46,578
30.17% 8.62% 43.76% 17.43%
Council District 15 JAMES T. LAW 2,255 JOE BUSCAINO 11,273
16.66% 83.33%
PROPOSITION A - NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SAFETY AND VITAL CITY SERVICES FUNDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE. YES 117,820 44.82% NO 145,049 55.17% FIRE AND POLICE PENSION PLANS; COST NEUTRAL PURCHASES OF RETIREMENT CREDIT BY CERTAIN MEMBERS. YES 145,721 58.03% NO 105,386 41.96%
Mayor Jim Dear Re-elected, Councilwoman Julie Raber Out
The measure that gave Carson residents a choice to decide if they want to return to rotating mayorship or not failed by 80 point margin March 5. Proponents argued the measure would bring balance back to the city council alter the council dynamics from they saw as a “dictatorship” under Mayor Jim Dear. If the measure had passed, the mayorship would have
continued on previous page
Left, Controller Wendy Greuel blew in and out of San Pedro the day before the election, traveling to more than 20 locations that day. Above, she’s pictured with San Pedro residents at the Omelette & Waffle Shop after having breakfast with local community leaders. Councilman Joe Buscaino, above, recognizes his staff after election results shows a landslide win. Photos: Terelle Jerricks.
from p. 2
Development
“Proposals included in our response should be viewed more as examples of the work of those we assembled in preparing the response, and not as a plan we are advocating,” Ratkovitch said. Indeed, he explained that the real planning process lay ahead. “A strategy for the site has yet to be formed, but we have some ideas,” he said. “Our first task is to listen and to learn. We hope to listen to all interested parties, to learn from what we hear and what we see. We will share our development principles as they unfold, and we will present a wide variety of ideas.” This appears to allow for a maximum of community input, which had been a widelyvoiced concern among community activists. Ratkovitch also mentioned his long-standing association with the Urban Land Institute, whose earlier recommendations have been specifically advanced by Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council and others. Other developers, however, seemed to have been responding as if to a mini-RFP, and regarded the emphasis on non-project qualifications as a ‘lack of transparency’. Michael Tumanjan, of Majestic Realty, said that the 10-week response
window was “not nearly enough time to establish a complete concept and final drawing,” and complained that the approved “plan concept is outside the guidelines,” which Ratkovitch both freely admitted and explained. Mr. Peter Nash of McArther Glen asked the commissioners to “Take a step back and insist on more transparency.” Among the public, John Papadakis, who played a key role as chief promoter of the waterfront promenade concept prior to 2002, took the later complaint even farther, sending each of the commissioners what he described as “a list of apparent conflicts that point to a faulty selection process.” But several items involved misunderstandings or misrepresentations of the process as Mathewson explained it, while another tried to construe Ratkovitch’s association with ULI as a business conflict of interest, when ULI is not a business, and was not involved in the selection process. However, one point Papadakis raised did strike a wider chord. “It is not a transformation and it’s not an attraction,” he said, reflecting his long-standing position that the Waterfront needed to have some sort of spectacular impact. Homeowner activist Kathleen Woodfield phrased it a bit differently. “I think there’s general consensus that Ports O’Call needs to be a destination point, and a
world class project if it’s to generate activity necessary to help in reviving the port area and the downtown San Pedro area,” Woodfield said. “The port has chosen a developer team that has never built a destination project, and rejected developers who have built destination projects around the world.” But when Random Lengths reached out afterwards for further comment, Richard Havenick, who’s been involved in the process for over a decade, reached back to the lessons learned from the worldwide waterfront development community, when local activists and Port officials attended international development conferences. “A key lesson from the Urban Waterfront Planning conferences was, attract the local population and the others will follow,” he said. On the other hand, Peter Warren, whose involvement began a few years after Havenick’s, was considerably less optimistic about the Port’s stewardship over all its non-core functions. “We all know from recent history that the Port isn’t very good at listening,” he said. “Recall these three very prominent mistakes when the Port staff and commissioners bet on controversial non-container projects: the supertanker terminal, the expansion of cruise industry and the outer-harbor terminal, the LAXT coke export terminal. All were ballyhooed as vibrant can’t-miss projects. All are dead in the
water now.” But, in the comment meeting, former Port Attorney Pat Nave, active with the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, represented the opposite perspective, stressing the importance of sticking with the chosen process so as not to undermine institutional credibility. He put the choice simply: “Is this to be another day of more delay or another day of we’re on our way?”
from previous page
L.A. and Carson Election Results rotated every few years amongst the elected council persons. Corresponding to the ballot measure, Mayor Jim Dear defeated Councilwoman Lula Davis Holmes in a 20 point landslide. Possibly helping Dear in the coming four years was the elevation of Water Board President Albert Robles to the City Council. He edged out Councilwoman Julie Ruiz Raber, leaving him and Councilman Mike Gipson as the two top vote-getters. Though the mayor backed Robles’ campaign, Robles has long standing relationship with Gipson going back 20 years, it is unclear how reliable a Dear
vote he will be. However, there is one thing that is certain, the block of three that has frustrated Dear over the past year has ended for the time being.
Measure M YES NO
Votes 1,628 8,042
Percentage 16.84% 83.16%
For Mayor: Term Ending March 2017 LULA DAVIS HOLMES 4,306 40.15% JIM DEAR 6,419 59.85%
For Member of the City Council: Term Ending March 2017 Votes Percentage STEPHEN C. ANYAKA 330 1.74% TIMOTHY R MUCKEY 265 1.40% JOSEPH GORDON 521 2.75% MIKE A. GIPSON 5,536 29.22% JULIE RUIZ-RABER 4,091 21.59% ALBERT ROBLES 4,512 23.81% CHARLOTTE BRIMMER 1,908 10.07% RITA R. BOGGS 1,786 9.43% All reported data was retrieved from the Carson and Los Angeles City Clerk’s offices. The Local Publication You Actually Read March 8 - 21, 2013
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March 8 - 21, 2013
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