Retired appeals court judge Michael Luttig, an informal advisor to former vice president Mike Pence, testified before Congress for the Jan. 6 Select Committee hearings calling former president Donald Trump “a clear and present danger.” Photos courtesy of C-SPAN
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
NWSPNC Pushes to Ban Homeless from 11 Sites p. 3 Point Fermin Elementary School to Hold Fundraiser at Park p. 4 Mayoral Primaries End With Bass Leading Race, But Not In CD 15 p. 7
Mac ‘n Cheese Primavera p. 12
key elements of what Trump was actually trying to do — nothing short of using violence to subvert the orderly transition of power. They’ve shown that the timing of actions by indicted members of the Proud Boys and the Oathkeepers revealed that the violence was pre-planned, not the result of an innocent demonstration “getting out of hand.” But what they haven’t done is counter the threat Luttig highlighted. The twin lies were demolished in the very first hearing. Trump insiders provided clear evidence that Trump certainly knew his claims of having won the election were bogus — and thus he had criminal intent in
trying to hold onto power. Former attorney general William Barr called claims of software manipulation “complete nonsense” and “crazy stuff.” “You can’t live in a world where the incumbent administration stays in power based on its view, unsupported by specific evidence, that there was fraud in the election,” Barr said. And Ivanka Trump followed his lead. “I respect Attorney General Barr, so I accepted what he was saying,” she said in a taped deposition.
[See Danger, p. 17]
Angels Gate Cultural Center, 40 Years as Art Aerie Atop San Pedro By Greggory Moore, Curtain Call Columnist
As one of the international cities, you can find just about anything in Los Angeles. But San Pedro ain’t LA, not really: it’s a port town more than 20 miles down the road with only one library and a population that barely cracks California’s top 100. But take a winding drive up Gaffey Street and you come across Angels Gate Cultural Center, a rustic 7-acre campus that features programming to facilitate everything from painting, ceramics and printmaking to welding, ukulele and kyudo. (Yeah, I had to look up that last one, too: it’s the Japanese martial art of archery.) On June 25, Angels Gate celebrated its big four-oh with 40th Anniversary Gathering of Angels, an exhibition featuring work by over 60 current and alumni artists of the Angels Gate Studio Artist program. But if you’ve never heard of Angels Gate, you’re not
alone. “There’s not a lot of press about Angels Gate,” says Amy Eriksen, AGCC’s executive director for the last 11 years. “It has been like this little hidden place. Nobody knows it’s here. […] Until about 15 years ago, this place was run by like two or three staff — and their goal was to have a gallery that was open, have some community classes, and to take care of the studio artists that were here. So I don’t think press was their first priority — or their fifth […] And not every artist comes here for the community. So I think it was never a high priority to tell other people about it.” Nor has keeping a record of Angels Gate’s history been job one. A lot of what Eriksen tells me about Angels Gate’s early days comes to her as “lore.” The story [See AGCC, p. 16]
Amy Eriksen, executive director of Angels Gate Cultural Center. Photo by Raphael Richardson
June 23 - July 6, 2022
Shakespeare by the Sea Founder Retires, But the Show Will Go On p. 11
“Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy,” said retired appeals court judge Michael Luttig — an icon of the conservative legal establishment. “That’s not because of what happened on Jan. 6,” but because they’ve pledged they’d do it again in 2024, he testified in the third hearing of the January 6 Select Committee, on June 16. The January 6 hearings have accomplished two main things so far: First, they’ve demolished former president Donald Trump’s twin big lies about the stolen election and the J6 insurrection he mounted. Second, they’ve begun to expose
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
Jan. 6 Hearings Probe Exposes a Danger to American Democracy
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June 23 - July 6, 2022
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Community Announcements:
Harbor Area AltaSea Presents: Blue + Green 2022
The Blue + Green 2022 webinar series will include four one-hour webinars. The goal of the project is to shine a spotlight on the emerging aquaculture sector in the economy. Aquaculture and the supporting technologies bring together the key ingredients — future growth opportunities that support coastal ecosystems, the economy, jobs and communities. Time: 4 p.m., June 2 to June 23 Details: www.altasea-project-blue.org/bluegreen-2022
Lunch at the Library Program Returns
LA County Library’s annual Lunch at the Library program returns this summer, providing free meals to children and teens 18 and under. Meals are available for pick-up on a first come, first served basis at select libraries from 12 to 1 p.m. either Monday to Friday or Tuesday to Friday, starting June 13 or June 21, depending on location, and running through Aug. 5, with the exceptions of June 20 and July 4. There are no restrictions on family income. Parents and caregivers can pick up on behalf of children. Details: Location information is available at LACountyLibrary.org/SummerLunch.
Youth Development College Corner
June 20 through July 29, college corner is offering a camp for middle and high school students. The summer camp includes hikes, field trips, sports and many more activities. Details: Victor Brizuela, 310-832-1145; vbrizuela@toberman.org Venue: Toberman House, 131 N. Grand Ave., San Pedro
Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years
NWSP Council Pushes to Ban Homeless People from 11 Sites By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter
Councilman Joe Buscaino has already tried to ban homeless people from nearly 200 sites in Council District 15, more than any other district in the city, but Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council wants him to add 11 more to the list. At the June 13 meeting, the neighborhood council voted 10-4 to ask that Buscaino try to ban homeless people from camping at several parks and other educational areas for children, all located in northwest San Pedro. Newly re-elected board president Ray Regalado, as well as board members Craig Goldfarb, Cynthia Gonyea and Aleksander Norman all voted against it. The sites include Gaffey Street Park, Field of Dreams park, San Pedro Community Gardens, Channel Skate Park, San Pedro Math Science Technology Center, Kids Kingdom Nursery, San Pedro Adult Learning Center, Knoll Hill Little League, San Pedro Athletic Complex, and San Pedro Girls Softball Association. Leland Park is on Buscaino’s list, but the neighborhood council’s motion said that an incorrect address was used and provided the correct one. Buscaino has tried to ban camping under the recently amended section 41.18 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. The city council modified
it in July 2021 to allow city council members to ban sitting, lying or storing property on public property. However, first, these locations must be approved by the city council, then outreach must be done offering any people housing. Then a cleanup must be done, where city employees throw most of the homeless people’s stuff away, after which a sign will be posted preventing homeless people from camping within either 500 or 1,000 feet. “We have seen huge increases in homeless traffic numbers in the Northwest boundaries,” states the neighborhood council’s letter requesting the additional sites. However, the letter did not provide a source for this, or any statistics. In addition, the letter states there has been an increase in fires from “unhoused encampments and trouble areas” and lists San Pedro Community Gardens and Channel Skate Park as examples. Melanie Labrecque, chair of the neighborhood council’s public safety committee, said her committee passed this letter because initially Buscaino had covered other parts of San Pedro, excluding northwest. However, Buscaino recently added more sites from northwest San Pedro, but these are areas he did not include.
A sign banning people from sitting, sleeping or lying based on section 41.18 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. Photo by Raphael Richarson
“There were some parts of our area that were left out that needed to be added,” Labrecque said. Labrecque said that northwest San Pedro needs these signs for places where children go. “Children’s safety is the most important, to make sure that our kids are protected and that [See Encampments, p. 6]
Real People, Real News, Really Effective June 23 - July 6, 2022
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Point Fermin Elementary School to Hold Fundraiser at Park By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter
June 23 - July 6, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
Two nonprofits, Hearts Respond and Freedom4u, both of which were founded by Dr. Greg Allen, are holding a fundraiser for Point Fermin Elementary School on July 23. Naturally, they are holding it at Point Fermin Park, and calling it Point Fermin day. “We wanted to kind of adopt a school in a sense,” Allen said. “But after this one, we’d like to do the same thing at different elementary schools in the Harbor Area.” Allen said he spoke to Jennie Wong, the principal of the school, and asked her what the school needs. She decided on upgrading the playground. “We’re trying to create a space for students to really enjoy time on the yard,” Wong said. “Where they have multiple opportunities to work together in cooperative groups and to have a place to play and learn from one another.” Wong said it will probably be simple, and allow students to use paint and stencils on the playground. The school will create places where the students can play particular games, and gain professional development, using space in creative ways as they play together. Wong said she is considering using a program called Peaceful Playgrounds, which works to improve play areas at schools. “Some of the templates that we’re looking at are social emotional learning templates, and sensory spaces for our diverse learners at our school,” Wong said. Point Fermin Elementary School has about 290 students, and was built about 110 years ago. It has concrete over almost all of the outdoor space.
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“We don’t have very much grass,” Wong said. “And we can’t bring in a bulldozer and pull everything out either.” Wong wants to take away the hard look of the playground. Right now, all the children see are yellow and white lines, indicating places for basketball or kickball. “I wanted to give students that community where they get to pick the different types of stencils that we get to paint on the ground, depending on the different activities,” Wong said. Wong recalled seeing chalk lines drawn by children on the sidewalk at the beginning of the pandemic, which would say things like “hop here” or “jump here” next to them. They would make creative games, and that’s the feeling Wong wants to recreate at her school. Wong says that Allen wants to help children reach their potential, which is her own goal. “My core belief is that if you give a child a purpose in life, that they’ll always stretch towards that success,” Wong said. Freedom4u has been around for 20 years and had programs in 17 schools in four school districts before the pandemic. They teach creative art, life skills, leadership and service. “We’ve been doing programs in the Harbor Area for about the last four years,” Allen said. “After school programs in San Pedro, and Wilmington and things all the way into Long Beach.” However, they haven’t been doing their afterschool programs since the start of the pandemic, as most schools don’t allow outside agencies to enter.
Students read outdoors at Point Fermin Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Jennie Wong, the school’s principal
Allen wanted to focus more on the Harbor Area, which is why he founded Hearts Respond. Both nonprofits are intended to help families. Hearts Respond has a studio in downtown San Pedro, and has shows during First Thursday, as
well as offices in downtown San Pedro. In addition, Allen said he has a program that has middle school students mentor elementary school students, and will involve Point Fermin [See Fundraiser, p. 6]
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June 23 - July 6, 2022
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Two Juneteenth Celebrations
From left, State Sen. Steven Bradford, Rev. Hyepin Im, Supervisor Janice Hahn and Juneteenth 400 LLC president and civic leader Joe Gatlin celebrate Juneteenth at a bell-ringing ceremony at the Korean Friendship Bell. Photo by Chris Villanueva
June 23 - July 6, 2022
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Nellie Trice, president of the San Pedro Committee Network, honors Devon Hamilton, owner of Soulful Shears barber shop, who is holding his second-youngest daughter on his shoulders. Hamilton is well-known for working with youth, and owning his own business for 25 years. Photo by Chris Villanueva
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[Encampments, from p. 3]
Push to Ban Homeless Encampments
the homeless are not sleeping where our children play,” Labrecque said. This came only a few weeks after the city council voted 13-2 to have the city attorney draft a motion to ban camping within 500 feet of all schools in the city, which happened on May 31. Then, on June 3, Buscaino introduced a motion to ban camping within 500 feet of all city libraries. Newly re-elected board president Ray Regalado said that if all these sites were approved, it would be a lot of work to enforce all of them. “The thing that concerns me is, do we have adequate shelters, and places for the people who are on the street?” Regalado said. “Because essentially, if you enforce all these and we don’t have the necessary shelter, will we not be just getting people moved to some other location?” Board member Dan Dixon said that the city never enforces anything equally, as it doesn’t have the manpower or the inclination to do so. “But I do think it’s important to get places that we are concerned about their viability, for children and families and commerce, they need to be on a list that can protect them as necessary,” Dixon said. Board member Craig Goldfarb said that homeless people could simply move a few hundred feet away when asked. “We’re not solving the problem,” Goldfarb said. “We’re just moving the problem. And it doesn’t seem to be effective. They closed down the Gulch [Road location], half those people have moved to northwest. They’re not at the skatepark, they’ll be up on the hill on Mira Flores.” Laurie Jacobs, the board’s homelessness liaison and former vice president, said that 41.18 gives police the ability to ask people to move when there is housing available, but the shelters are all full now. She pointed out that when the
police cleared out the homeless encampment on Gulch Road, only four people out of 17 accepted housing, and the rest dispersed. The city doesn’t know where they went. “I also understand the thought process here,” Jacobs said. “That if they’re doing this in central San Pedro and coastal San Pedro, those people are just moving to northwest. So now northwest says ‘well, we’re going to move them somewhere else.’ It’s very frustrating.” Jacobs said that CD15 has designated more areas than any other council district. “Law enforcement, dealing with people who specifically have possible substance abuse and mental health issues, they see somebody with a gun, that’s not going to work,” Jacobs said. “We need mental health units out there in a lot of cases, and that’s more towards the solutions that we need to be looking at.” Board member Gwen Henry pointed out that 41.18 signage will help local police to act on RVs that are left at Field of Dreams for too long, as well as other vehicles or encampments there. She also said that fires in Peck Park have been increasing over the past few weeks. “Because it’s a canyon park, there’s a lot of sheltered areas,” Henry said. “There’s a lot of fuel to ignite. I think that having the signs up allows them to take care of something like a fire hazard, or it really is too close to a school.”
Capt. Brent McGuyre of the Los Angeles Police Department Harbor Division did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
[Fundraiser, from p. 4]
Fundraiser
Elementary School in this program next year. Allen said they are hoping to raise about $15,000 for the fundraiser. Admission to the fundraiser is free of charge, so they are raising money through sponsorships. “I know people care more about their school than another school, but we hope to duplicate this and triplicate it and go from school to school,” Allen said. At the event itself, there will be activities for children, including crafts and face painting. There will be live bands as well, and a variety of music. This includes a band called The Kraze, which plays jazz, rock, hip hop and funk. Three-piece mariachi trio, called Trio Chapala, and a group called The Hearts Respond band, named after one of the nonprofits, will also play at the fundraiser. In addition, there will be performances by solo singers and hula dancers. Allen said that while there will be a variety of musical styles, the theme is lighthouses. “It’s the same thing a principal does, or an educator, and it’s the same thing a parent does with their kids,” Allen said. “It’s what the lighthouse does, that sense of giving direction and guidance, and trying to prevent someone from crashing on the rocks.” Allen said that he hopes to give other people hope. “People ask you, ‘why are you doing this, what’s your agenda?” Allen said. “I just feel like there’s real benefit when you help people, to the giver. The giver receives as much as they give. They really do. And that’s why we take teams to do service and help other people, because it really changes their perception on life.”
Mayoral Primaries End With Bass Leading Tight Race — CD 15, Not So Much Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire developer Rick Caruso may have finished the June 7 primary in a tight race—with Bass ahead 42.9% to 36.3%—as the LA mayoral rivals barrel toward the November general election. But in the 15th council district, Caruso was clearly ahead by far. In all the communities in the 15th city council district, including Watts, Harbor Gateway, Harbor City, Wilmington, and San Pedro, Caruso won 40% of the electorate or more. In the community with the highest voter turnout, Caruso garnered 50% of the electorate. Nearly 18% of the voters in San Pedro turned out to vote. Watts was the only place he didn’t carry, but voter turnout was 6%. Harbor City VOTE TURNOUT
CARUSO
BUSCAINO
BASS
DE LEÓN
13.58%
48.11%
4.70%
23.71%
7.15%
VOTE TURNOUT
CARUSO
BUSCAINO
BASS
DE LEÓN
10.46%
42.56%
3.48%
29.18%
8.34%
VOTE TURNOUT
CARUSO
BUSCAINO
BASS
DE LEÓN
17.92%
50.06%
6.70%
25.93%
5.83%
VOTE TURNOUT
CARUSO
BUSCAINO
BASS
DE LEÓN
5.85%
27.24%
4.67%
36.78%
13.48%
VOTE TURNOUT
CARUSO
BUSCAINO
BASS
DE LEÓN
8.06%
42.89%
7.86%
15.78%
17.01%
Harbor Gateway
San Pedro
Watts
Wilmington
In the sheriff’s race, Sheriff Alex Villanueva garnered the most votes in all five cities of the 15th district, but his totals were far from the 50% mark to prevent a runoff anywhere in the district let alone in the county. Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna came in with the second-highest vote totals. Harbor City STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
15.76%
11.03%
13.98%
19.46%
27.25%
VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
17.93%
9.87%
6.75%
24.51%
33.18%
VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
5.84%
13.98%
16.45%
9.10%
27.89%
VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
8.08%
9.97%
5.40%
20.32%
36.02%
VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
14.16%
8.43%
5.14%
42.31%
22.18%
VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
15.79%
7.33%
6.55%
19.60%
37.00%
San Pedro
Watts
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
VOTER TURNOUT
Wilmington
Long Beach
[See Election, p. 10]
June 23 - July 6, 2022
Lomita
7
The Beginning of the End for the Big Grift “I told the president it was bullshit.”
— Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr
By James Preston Allen, Publisher When was the last time a bad word wasn’t bleeped out on a national broadcast? The shocker came when former attorney General William Barr testified at the Jan. 6 Congressional hearings on the Capitol insurrection. I frankly found the profanity refreshingly blunt, to the point and an unadulterated truth. This is exactly what Barr said: I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullshit. I didn’t want to be a part of it.
June 23 - July 6, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
This he testified was said just before he resigned in December 2020 before the attack on the Capitol. And I think he repeated it a couple more times and then called his former boss delusional and out of touch with reality. Well welcome to the club Mr. Barr. Most of us have been calling BS on Don-the-Con long before he tried to steal the election. But why is it only now that you come off the bench to say this publicly? Oh, yes. Not telling the truth after swearing an oath can result in a felony conviction and a five-year sentence in prison. If every Republican who has testified and will testify were asked, “Why didn’t you say something back when the crime was being committed?” Democrats would likely have veto-proof control of congress. Now with the circle of justice narrowing around the real conspiracy to steal the election, all of the rats are starting to jump ship. The testimony of leading conservative Judge J. Michael Luttig reveals the threat: The war on democracy instigated by the former president and his political party allies on Jan. 6 was the natural and foreseeable culmination of the war for America. It was the final fateful day for the execution of a well-developed plan by the former president to overturn the 2020 presidential election at any cost, so that he could cling to power that the American People had decided to confer upon his successor, the next president of the United States instead. Knowing full well that he had lost the 2020 presidential election, the former president and his allies and supporters falsely claimed and proclaimed
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to the nation that he had won the election, and then he and they set about to overturn the election that he and they knew the former president had lost. The treacherous plan was no less ambitious than to steal America’s democracy.
Again Judge Luttig just didn’t wake up yesterday with this epiphany and say “Ah hah, insurrection!” However, he did come to the late conclusion that the ex-president is a “clear and present danger” to our democracy, something any good lawyer would call prima facie evidence. So now the Mara Largo house of cards is starting to collapse, but the grifter is still doubling down on his failed attempt with his unhinged speech recently at a conservative Christian political conference in Nashville, Tennessee where he repeated his false claims of election fraud which now sound even more bizarre than before. The conclusion becomes increasingly clear as most major media sources (except Fox News) are repeating that, “The former president was directly involved in a scheme to put forward false pro-Trump electors in states won by President Biden,” the Jan. 6 committee revealed. The testimony couldn’t be more clear in this report from the New York Times,” The committee played deposition video from Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, who testified that Mr. Trump had personally called her about helping further the scheme. Mr. Trump put the conservative lawyer John Eastman [the one who got shot down by Judge David O. Carter] on the phone with Ms. McDaniel “to talk about the importance of the RNC helping the campaign gather these contingent electors,” she testified. Still, there will be die-hard Trumpsters who will just never admit, like the Grifter-inChief himself, that he actually lost. This is very reminiscent of both Richard Nixon’s and Ronald Reagan’s legacy and followers who dismiss their crimes of Watergate and Iran Contra scandals and fawn over opening trade with China or 1980s tax cuts with trickle-down voodoo economics. Just look around at what both of these have left us. We can’t let the crimes of Trump go unpunished. It’s time to end this sad saga of betrayal and
just get to the indictments — not just of Trump but of everyone who was in on his game of Three-card Monte. His truest believers will now sign on to attacking any Republican who tells the truth like a circular firing squad — Republicans who told the truth out of conscience or loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and who just couldn’t bring themselves to abridge the law and their oaths of office. The next six months will be some of the
Hate & Fear or Liberty & Prosperity?
The GOP has planted their flag deeply into the soil of fear and hate, right up to and including a call to repeal the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — this year we must vote as if our future depends upon it By Thom Hartmann
The Texas GOP’s state party meeting last week gave America a clear insight into Republican thinking going into this year’s election and the 2024 presidential race. They’ve planted their flag deeply into the soil of violence, fear, white supremacy and hate right up to and including a call to repeal the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Democratic candidates across the nation, on the other hand, show that the party is leaving behind the neoliberalism of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and moving forward with a futuristic “Freedom Agenda.” They should brand it as such, taking a lesson from Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract With America” strategy that put Republicans solidly in charge of the House for the
Columnists/Reporters Publisher/Executive Editor Melina Paris Assistant Editor/Arts James Preston Allen Community News james@randomlengthsnews.com Hunter Chase Reporter Assoc. Publisher/Production Fabiola Esqueda Carson Reporter Coordinator Anealia Kortkamp Reporter Suzanne Matsumiya Vera Magana Dining Reporter
“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.” —Mark Twain Vol. XLIII : No. 13 Random Lengths News is a publication of
Beacon Light Press, LLC
Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach.
Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com Internship Program Director Zamná Àvila
most viscously strained political campaigns since perhaps the ones leading up the American Civil War. And if Trump is not convicted and jailed, he would likely follow the path of Confederate President Jefferson Davis promoting his lost cause for the rest of his life. People, it’s time to call it like it is. The next time somebody starts going on about the stolen election, just end it by saying BS and walk away!
Photographers Arturo Garcia-Ayala, Harry Bugarin, Terelle Jerricks, Raphael Richardson, Chris Villanueva Contributors Mark Friedman, Thom Hartmann, Lyn Jensen, Ari LeVaux, Greggory Moore
first time since the Republican Great Depression. The GOP “Hate and Fear Agenda” is straightforward: Republicans and GOP media like Fox tell their voters to fear: • LGBTQ people, who the Texas Republicans say have “chosen” an “abnormal lifestyle.” • Non-white people. • Immigrants from anywhere except Europe. • Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and non-evangelical Christians. • Women who want to control their own bodies or demand equal rights. • Books that talk about racism, sexism, or the true racial history of America. • Labor leaders and their unions. [See Texas GOP, p. 9]
Cartoonists Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker
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RANDOMLetters Responding to Children in Need
Can we help kids in need? Sometimes when we look at the landscape of children living in the LA Harbor Area, it can seem overwhelming to try to improve the lives of the kids. It may seem like we’re not able to meet their needs. However, this is not true and to quote a common phrase: We can make a difference! Before COVID-19, the statistics of youth dealing with depression and anxiety and struggling to progress was high. Since the season of COVID, our children and youth are even more weighed down by the isolation and lack
of connection they have gone through. Many kids are struggling to connect with other people as well as trying to catch up academically after a lost year or more with no in-person school attendance. The nonprofit youth organizations, Freedom4U and Hearts Respond aim to improve the lives of children and youth in the South Bay and specifically the LA Harbor Area. We do this through programs in creative arts, life skills, leadership and service learning. I’m writing this letter to inform the community about an opportunity to help children at Point Fermin Elementary School, a local marine science magnet school, with 67%
of students who are economically disadvantaged. The plan is to improve the campus environment through educational and artistic activities that are physically applied to the playground areas and overall campus. The benefits of these activities will lead to self-confidence, character development, leadership and teamwork. We are starting with Point Fermin Elementary as an example of the impact we could make at many schools. Thus, we are hosting Point Fermin Day featuring live music, family activities for kids and an opportunity to benefit these children. Again, our goal is to improve the school campus environment and then adopt another elementary school to do the same thing in the LA Harbor Area. We’re hoping businesses, individuals and fami-
[Texas GOP, from p. 8]
Texas GOP
• Taxes above 3% on billionaires. • Free and fair elections where every citizen can participate. • Journalists, teachers and the League of Women Voters. • Laws that might keep assault weapons out of the hands of terrorists. • Public schools and unionized school teachers. • Science, from pandemics to global warming to electric vehicles.
Her foolish fascist father is a
and his violent lunatic goons just can’t go on. They weep all over their evil assault weapons, not for the dead in Uvalde, but for their guns. Kiss those machine guns goodbye, neo-Nazis! The fat lady Trump has sung, the GOP is done! Racist Republicans will choke on all their hate, while we the people all vote on Nov. 8. Jake Pickering Arcata
Read these online exclusives and more at:
RandomLengthsNews.com Amazon vs. Amazon Labor Union
Chris Smalls and Eric Milner Respond to Shipping Giant’s Counter NLRB Suit
Biggest Labor Notes Conference Ever Marks Labor Movement Growth Curtain Call: Missed Opportunities in LB Opera’s Second Take on The Central Park Five
June 23 - July 6, 2022
In Congress and state houses across the nation Republicans push laws to put more guns on the streets, cut workers’ ability to unionize, strip low-income working people of access to Medicaid, protect monopolies, shut down programs supplying food and housing, cut taxes on the morbidly rich, privatize our schools and military, ship our jobs overseas, and lock students into loans they can never legally escape. Republicans promote their fear and hate agenda with daily doses of faux outrage served up to them by a multi-billion-dollar media machine including over 1,500 rightwing radio stations (300 or so in Spanish); three “conservative” TV networks; the nation’s largest network of local TV stations; thousands of websites, many pretending to be local news; and massive efforts
Ivanka Takes Revenge Against Donald
fraudulent liar, or so said Ivanka Trump in her testimony. Donald Trump knew damn well that he lost! Diabolical Donald is a dishonest, total phony. Who in the Hell actually believes Trump won? You’d have to be brain dead to buy that stuff. All the polls all along said it’s President Biden, and Joe Biden won in a landslide sure enough. Trump is a loser! Deranged Don is just a con,
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The Democratic Party’s agenda is equally straightforward: Civil and economic rights lay the foundation for expanded freedom. Which is why Democrats proclaim that liberty requires people have: • Nutritious and affordable food. • Decent housing and a safe place to live. • A living wage that can support a family. • Economic security in retirement and old age. • Healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt you. • Equal rights, both political and economic, regardless of gender, race, or religion. • Debt-free college and trade school. • Quality public schools for all children. • News and information free of bias or manipulation by algorithms. • Universal access to voting for all citizens of voting age. • Family planning healthcare including abortion access. • A planet that’s no longer in danger of climate chaos. • Opportunity to start small businesses without destruction by monopolies. • The freedom to live your life without fear of getting shot.
(often coordinated with Russian troll farms) to manipulate social media. Democrats, on the other hand, have a century of legislative accomplishments and efforts that highlight their commitment to their Freedom Agenda. They include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, free public schools, Pell Grants and other higher education support, food and nutrition programs, housing subsidies, the Wagner Act legalized unions, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, two GI Bills, creating agencies to insure clean air and water, COVID vaccination, and support for democracies around the world. It’s no coincidence that the (red) states with the lowest taxes, most poorly funded schools, lowest pay scales, and who lack access to Medicaid are also those with highest levels of gun deaths, STDs, teenage pregnancies, deadly police encounters, barriers to voting, COVID, divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, drug addiction and political corruption. It’s similarly no coincidence that the (blue) states with higher taxes, better schools, livable wages and widespread access to medical care have the highest per-worker productivity, the most inventions and new business formation, the best economies, the most well-educated workforces, the safest streets and the highest levels of life satisfaction. Today we face a stark choice. Will hate and fear win like they did in Hungary, Russia, and the Philippines? Or will hope and prosperity flower, as will happen if we get two more Democratic senators and can thus pass voting rights and Build Back Better legislation? Are we going to follow the Republican Party’s 40-year trajectory of gutting the middle class and enriching the top 1% until we resemble a banana republic and “freedom” is a luxury only enjoyed by the morbidly rich? Or are we going to join the free world and embrace straightforward quality-of-life solutions pioneered by Europe and Canada like a national healthcare system, quality free public education including college, fair taxation and a unionized workforce? It should be a simple choice to make, but this is a country that’s been under assault by rightwing billionaires and foreign oligarchs ever since the Supreme Court legalized political bribery and kicked off the 40-year torture we call the “Reagan Revolution.” To further complicate things, only about half of Americans typically bother to make that choice in a midterm election. This year we must vote as if our future depends on it. Because it does.
lies would join us as supporters of this exciting day. Please visit our website for details and we hope to see you on July 23 at Point Fermin Day! www. heartsrespond.com and www. freedomcommunity.com Dr. Greg Allen Hearts Respond, SanPedro
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[Election, from p. 7]
Election Results in CD 15
Watts
Torrance VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
20.69%
6.44%
6.35%
23.25%
31.39%
VOTER TURNOUT
STRONG
RHAMBO
LUNA
VILLANUEVA
12.05%
12.19%
12.73%
19.68%
26.85%
Carson
VOTER TURNOUT
SANDOVAL
SANTICH
ODEGA
MCOSKER
5.84%
33.31%
7.56%
17.86%
24.48%
VOTER TURNOUT
SANDOVAL
SANTICH
ODEGA
MCOSKER
8.08%
42.76%
8.69%
12.03%
24.78%
Wilmington
San Pedro Shows Its Pride
The 15th district city council representative ended with AltaSea executive Tim McOsker and businesswoman and budget advocate for the Harbor Area Danielle Sandoval in the runoff. This likely would not have been the scenario if Anthony Santich had not entered the race. Sandoval carried Wilmington by a significant margin as well as Watts and Harbor Gateway. In San Pedro, she trailed Santich. McOsker won Harbor City and San Pedro, but his win in San Pedro, the most populous community in the 15th district with the highest voter turnout was more decisive with 39%. Harbor City VOTER TURNOUT
SANDOVAL
SANTICH
ODEGA
McOSKER
17.19%
26.96%
13.16%
13.11%
30.53%
VOTER TURNOUT
SANDOVAL
SANTICH
ODEGA
McOSKER
10.49%
29.88%
9.14%
15.67%
27.87%
Harbor Gateway
San Pedro SANDOVAL
SANTICH
ODEGA
McOSKER
17.93%
19.49%
22.45%
8.10%
38.53%
June 23 - July 6, 2022
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VOTER TURNOUT
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On June 18, celebrants of San Pedro Pride gathered outside the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, on Harbor Boulevard, to raise the rainbow flag. Participants marched into downtown San Pedro to where the Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles performed, the first such LGBTQ mariachi band, according to organizers. The band also featured the first transgender female, Natalia Melendez, in the history of mariachi music, organizers said. The festival, in its fourth year, was launched by the nonprofit Bridge Cities Alliance with a waterfront event at the USS Iowa. Some 5,000 people attended, many from neighboring Long Beach, a city that has been a pioneer in local Pride events. Photo by Chris Villanueva
On the left, Stephanie Coltrin, one of the new producers of Shakespeare by the Sea. On the right, former producer and founder Lisa Coffi. Photo by Chris Villanueva
By Greggory Moore, Curtain Call Columnist
H
June 23 - July 6, 2022
she says. “But it’ll all come together. It always does. That’s the magic of theatre.” The build-up to her final season, however, has been less than magical. In January her father passed away, and her mother temporarily moved in with Coffi and her husband in the Sacramento house that’s been home since 2003, leaving Coffi to play catch-up as summer approached. Moreover, she’s also been increasingly buried in administrative work over the years (“I’m not going to be sad to leave that behind”), a task made all the more onerous by AB 5, the 2020 law that required theatre troupes to process every single actor — even those coming on board for only one show — as a company employee, which Coffi estimates increased the necessary paperwork ten-fold. Despite her joy at Shakespeare by the Sea’s reaching its silver anniversary, Coffi says that this season “does bring a lot of emotional upheaval, because I am going to miss a lot of people. For me coming out to the shows [in Southern California] is a lot like Thanksgiving. It’s like seeing a huge family once a year at all the tour sites, so it’s heartbreaking [to leave it].” It is estimated that over the course of its 25-year history Shakespeare by the Sea has brought the Bard to over 350,000 people — all for free. Although SbtS hasn’t produced all of Shakespeare’s plays (generally shying away from the histories), they have staged several of his lesser-known works, including King John (2013), Cymbeline (2016), and The Winter’s Tale (2018). And while more often than not SbtS favors a traditionalist bent (at least if you don’t count the music that usually plays during scene changes), they’ve been far from afraid to bend the rules. For example, rather than use Shakespeare’s very weak finale for Cymbeline, they substituted an alternate ending written by George Bernard Shaw (to my mind, a great improvement). Along those lines, while purists might kvetch at how much cutting Coffi and co. sometimes do to get the plays they present down to two hours including intermission (for comparison, Hamlet, which they staged in 2006 and 2014, runs four hours sans cuts), the result has sometimes made Shakespeare’s weaker plays shine a bit brighter. Plus, as Coffi found during SbtS’s sophomore year when they staged an unabridged Taming of the Shrew, the park simply ain’t the place to try people’s attention spans. “That’s when I went, ‘You know what? I don’t want to sit out there ‘til 11:30 [p.m. …] as I watched audience members leave the park because they were cold or it got too late,” she
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alf a lifetime ago, 27-year-old Lisa Coffi needed a meaty thesis project to complete her MFA at Cal State Long Beach. Not sure what she wanted to write about, she decided to stage her own outdoor Shakespeare festival to see what would happen. Today the 52-year-old Coffi is a little hazy on the details of what she wrote — “It was 25 years ago!” — although she knows it had something to do with coming down against the idea that theatre emerges from chaos, finding that the process comes down to a well-defined series of steps. What is sure is that in 1998 over 1,000 came out to Point Fermin Park to see nine performances of The Comedy of Errors spread out over three weekends, the first iteration of Shakespeare by the Sea, an unbroken tradition that is embarking on its 25th season of bringing the Bard to communities all over Southern California at no charge. What’s also sure is this will be Coffi’s last. Her departure has been a long time coming. She started thinking about it in 2017, she says, but did not have a solid succession plan in place to enable Shakespeare by the Sea to press on without her. But now, with Stephanie Coltrin and Suzanne Dean — who have a combined 35 years’ experience as Coffi’s producing partners at both SbtS and Little Fish Theatre (which Coffi retired from in January) — set to take the reins, Coffi is ready to step away, although for now she will remain on the Board of Directors and help with recruitment, fundraising, and advisement. “It is a mixture of sadness and pride to talk about Lisa’s retirement,” says Coltrin. “It is a tribute to Lisa’s tenacity that she has created an organization that will continue past her tenure. It’s vital to keep Shakespeare by the Sea and Little Fish Theatre alive and well. For 13 years I’ve personally witnessed the impact of our work in our artists and our audiences — and in myself. The magic of SbtS bringing the greatest words ever written into communities all over SoCal and seeing people develop or hone a lifetime love of theatre because of their SbtS experience is priceless.” But Coffi will be as active as ever during her final season at the helm. She talks to me for this article at 9:30 p.m. two weeks before the season kickoff at Point Fermin, unable to connect during the afternoon after being called away to deal with staffing issues at the tour’s Santa Ana and Mission Viejo sites; and she’ll be helping paint the Point Fermin set the following day — work that was supposed to be complete by now. “We’re way behind,”
[See Coffi, p. 15]
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I
June 23 - July 6, 2022
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t translates to “spring pasta” from Italian, so forgive me for assuming pasta primavera is a classic springtime Italian dish. But while primavera sounds classy, it turns out pasta primavera was invented in Nova Scotia during the summer of 1975. The bottom line is we can prepare cheesy noodles with vegetables any time of year, with summer and fall probably being the best seasons to do so, because they offer more fresh produce than spring. As pasta primavera is an American dish, we can use American cheeses if we want. Ultimately, we are talking about mac ‘n cheese with extra vegetables, and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Mac ‘n cheese primavera is an effective and delicious way to eat vegetables. And making the entire dish from scratch takes barely any longer than preparing the boxed, veg-less version. A proper mac ‘n cheese primavera has a smooth, non-lumpy cheese sauce and al dente vegetables. I don’t sprinkle it with breadcrumbs and bake it because that makes it difficult to control the cooking, and potential overcooking, of the vegetables. The most common recipes for pasta primavera include tomato, bell pepper and other veggies from deeper into the summer, as well as broccoli and peas, which come earlier. Whichever you use, the essential task of this recipe is to cook the vegetables perfectly. The most reliable way of doing so is to steam the veggies separately, shock them in cold water to stop the cooking and keep them crisp, and add them to the almost finished product. Today’s recipe for an early summer mac ‘n cheese primavera features rounds of green and yellow zucchini and fresh herbs like parsley and/or basil. Because zucchini is the only
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Mac ‘n Cheese Primavera By Ari LeVaux, Flash in the Pan Columnist
Mac ‘n Cheese Primavera alla Zucchine
This dish combines the best elements of two classic pasta dishes: pasta primavera and mac ‘n cheese. It’s extremely flexible, in the type of cheeses you add as well as which vegetables to include. Serves 6 1 pound pasta — preferably short, stubby and hollow, such as penne, which is basically like un-bent elbows and holds sauce similarly 1 pound zucchini, cut into rounds about a half-inch thick 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon black pepper ¼ lemon, juice and zest 1 cup milk ¾ pound of cheese, grated: I like a mix of sharp cheddar, orange cheddar and fontina Salt for the pasta water and for seasoning Fresh parsley and/or basil Mac ‘n cheese primavera. Photo by Ari LeVaux
vegetable I’m cooking, I don’t have to worry about overcooking some and undercooking others, so I’ll skip the steaming and briefly saute the zukes before adding the noodles, fresh from the boiling water and still wet. The water drips
off the noodles and into the pan and steams the zucchini in place, while we build the sauce on top with handfuls of shredded cheese. You can use this recipe to track the harvest by incorporating whatever produce is available. Vegetables like peas and broccoli, which need at most a mere hint of cooking, can be incorporated the same way as the zucchini. Steam heartier veggies like cauliflower or carrot before tossing them into the silky and cheesy finished product.
Bring four quarts of salted (about a tablespoon) water to a boil and cook the pasta. While the pasta is boiling, add the zucchini, butter, oil and garlic to a deep pan or heavy bottom pot and saute for about five minutes on low/medium heat. When the noodles are done, quickly drain and add them to the zucchini, but don’t stir it together. Sprinkle the mustard powder, nutmeg, garlic powder, black pepper, lemon juice and zest on top of the noodles, but still don’t stir it. Add the milk, and about a quarter of your grated cheese, and give it a stir. Add another quarter of the cheese and stir again. Keep adding the cheese and stirring it in until it’s all in, and keep stirring until it turns into a glorious cheese sauce. If it’s too dry or starts to burn, turn down the heat and add more milk or some pasta water to loosen it. Add salt to taste. It will need some, even if the cheese is salty. Top with fresh herbs and serve.
Statue created by Alison Saar, Invites People to Sit Awhile and Think A statue of Lorraine Hansberry was unveiled June 10, in Times Square, as part of the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative, which aims to honor the great American playwright and civil rights leader’s legacy while investing in those following in her footsteps. The statue, created by the renowned sculptor Alison Saar, is entitled To Sit Awhile, and features the figure of Hansberry surrounded by five bronze chairs, each representing a different aspect of her
life and work. The life-size chairs are an invitation to the public to do just that: sit with her and think. The unveiling ceremony featured a performance from Tony Award-winner LaChanze, and remarks from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Lynn Nottage, Hansberry’s great niece, Taye Hansberry, and the Lillys executive director, Julia Jordan. During the ceremony there was also a special photo moment to honor several of the
BIPOC, female, and LGBTQ+ writers, composers, and lyricists whose work is gracing Broadway stages this historic season; including Ruben SantiagoHudson (Lackawanna Blues), Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change and Kimberly Akimbo), Masi Asare (Paradise Square), and Lucy Moss (Six). Artist Alison Saar’s sculpture, To Sit Awhile, depicts the figure of civil rights leader and playwright Lorraine Hansberry. It is currently in New York’s Times Square and will travel to various cities throughout the country. File photo
Michael Stearns Studio
THE COLORS OF LIFE — MICHAEL STEARNS
Palos Verdes Art Center FRANK MINUTO: MY TOY ROBOTS
Ko-Ryu Ramen 362 W. 6th St. San Pedro 90731 310-935-2886
koryuramen.com Koi Ramen
Universal Genome, mixed media sculpture on aluminum base
Opening reception July 9, 2 to 5 p.m. Colors of Life runs through Aug. 27. Details: www.michaelstearnsstudio.com Venue: Michael Stearns Studio@The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro.
Skatebot 2, paint on canvas, Frank Minuto
Back when space travel was the dream and robots were made of plastic and tin, toy robots came packed in a box that promised the most amazing adventures for merely a couple of dollars. The box itself was fascinating and much more exciting than the toy inside. Frank Minuto found himself drawing pictures of the robot depicted on the box more often than the toy itself. “Created by man,” and they were right. Those pieces of tin and chunks of plastic activate the greatest toy of all, your mind. In their spontaneity and dramatic intensity, many of Minuto’s paintings bear similar hallmarks of Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Jean Basquiat and Claes Oldenburg.
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Michael Stearns is a colorist. He loves the emotion that color evokes. To Stearns, Color is like music, it connects with us in ways we do not even realize. Stearn’s work connects viscerally as well as intellectually with viewers. As an example Stearns uses chromosome mapping to raise the questions regarding science and ethics, yet approach the work through the primal side with color and shapes.
The show runs through July 9. Details: 310-541-2479; www.pvartcenter.org Venue: 5504 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes
June 23 - July 6, 2022
RANDOMLENGTHSNEWS.COM/ART/FIRST-THURSDAY
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Details: Call or text the artist to view his studio at 707-530-2481 during open studio hours. Venue: AltaSea studio, 2451 Signal St., Berth 59, San Pedro
June 25
MUSIC June 24
Acoustic Americana 4 The fourth in Collage’s series of acoustic guitar summits will showcase both new and established talents in Los Angeles. Mark Goldenberg’s solo work blends elements of Latin jazz and Americana. Bluegrass-influenced, rising star Cameron Knowler’s appearance follows a two-month tour in Europe. Newcomer Barry Johnson has released a critically acclaimed album with original songs and instrumentals. Time: 7:30 p.m., June 24 Cost: $12 to $20 Details: www.eventbrite.com/e/acousticamericana-4-tickets/collage Venue: Collage, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
June 25
Lee Boek’s Variety & Traveling Medicine Show Enjoy an evening of storytelling, poetry, music and art, led by Lee Boek, artistic director of the Public Works Improvisational Theatre. Boek will be joined by Mike Sonksen, aka Mike The Poet, and multiinstrumentalist Eve Elliot with singer Camille Jacobs. The theme of the evening: life in Los Angeles in all its endless variety. Time: 7:30 p.m., June 25 Cost: $12 to $20 Details: www.eventbrite.com/e/leeboeks-variety-traveling-medicine-showCollage Venue: Collage, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro
June 23 - July 6, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
July 9
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Shine On Shine On is a So Cal eleven-piece ensemble modeled after Pink Floyd’s last two touring bands. The band captures the near orchestral soundscape that is the Pink Floyd live experience. Time: 8 p.m., July 9 Cost: $25 Details: www.alvasshowroom.com/ event/shine-on Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
July 19
John Daversa and Tal Cohen Duo Multi-Grammy award winning trumpeter John Daversa has teamed up with pianist Tal Cohen, creating an open vessel of imagination, heart and creativity within a jazz duo setting. Daversa and Cohen share a musical chemistry of spontaneity and improvisation, bringing fresh possibilities and magic with each performance. Time: 8 p.m., July 19 Cost: $25 Details: www.alvasshowroom.com/ event/john-daversa-and-tal-cohenduo Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro
July 31
San Pedro Music Festival In tribute to the music of Stevie Wonder, this free concert features Windy Barnes,Sunny Daye, Heru Yahli, The Habits, AnDre Washington, the Res-
surection Band and The Wylde Bunch along with celebrity host Roz Ryan. Time: 4 to 9 p.m., July 31 Cost: Free Details: www.sanpedromusicfestival.com Venue: The Warner Grand Theater, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro
THEATER June 23
Much Ado About Nothing Love sizzles between Beatrice and Benedick — two opposites that undoubtedly attract. William Shakespeare’s romcom plays out with witty barbs, hysterical bantering, and sigh-worthy proclamations of love. All seating is on a first-come-firstserved basis. Time: 8 p.m., June 23 to June 25 Cost: Free Details: www.shakespearebythesea.org Venue: Point Fermin Park, 807 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro
June 24
Mercury Fur Mercury Fur is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where gang violence and drugs — in the form of hallucinogenic butterflies — terrorize the community. The protagonists are a gang of youths surviving by their wits. Their main source of income, however, is holding parties for wealthy clients in which their wildest, most amoral fantasies are brought to life. Time: 8 p.m., Thursday, Friday, Saturday, June 24 to July 23 Cost: $18 to $30 Details: www.thegaragetheatre.org Venue: The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach
June 30
Romeo & Juliet Love will definitely be in the air as this classic play tells a tale of romance. Time: 8 p.m., June 30, July 1, 2, 8, and Aug. 5 Cost: Free Details: www.shakespearebythesea.org Venue: Point Fermin Park, 807 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro
ART
June 23
Sotto Voce: Lowering the Volume Young Sin’s handmade patterned artworks recall hundreds of years of tradition in textile design and the therapeutic traditions of repetition, meditation and mantra. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and by appointment, through June 27 Cost: Free Details: 310-732-2150 or 310-600-4873 Venue: TransVagrant + Gallery 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro Open Studio at AltaSea Thursdays at AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles, artist Taylor Griffith will be opening his doors to the public to interact with his practice and art. The artist works with reclaimed ocean debris, photography, sculpture and cyanotypes. Time: 3 to 7 p.m., Thursdays Cost: Free
Awake in Color, Angels Gate 40th Anniversary Join a party by artists for artists and their friends. A fantastic night with cars from Legends Car Club, featuring colorful food, drinks, entertainment, color numerology, Aerial Butterflies performance, art installations, exhibition and auction. Time: 6 to 9 p.m., June 25 Cost: $100 Details: 310-519-0936; https://one.bidpal.net/agccawake Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
June 30
Gathering of Angels The 40th anniversary exhibition recognizes the invaluable contributions artists at the center have made to the San Pedro community. Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, June 30 to July 30 Cost: Free Details: www.angelsgateart.org/gallery/ gathering-of-angels-2022 Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
July 7
First Thursday ArtWalk Tour Join the First Thursday Guided ArtWalk Tour, gathering at Sirens Java and Tea. The tour features the artists of the 4th Street Lofts and a couple surprises along the way. Time: 5:30 p.m., July 7 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/3nzbbapn Venue: Sirens Java and Tea, 402 W. 7th St., San Pedro
LITERATURE June 23
Reading and Book Signing by Mary Ann Cherry LA-based author Mary Ann Cherry and invited special guests will be reading from her biography of gay rights trailblazer Morris Kight. The book includes the full story of how against all odds and much resistance, a permit was granted to have a legal parade down Hollywood Boulevard on June 28, 1970 and became an annual event known worldwide as Gay Pride. Time: 6 to 8 p.m., June 23 Cost: Free Details: 310-399-2360; https://maryanncherrywriter.com Venue: Small World Books, 1407 Ocean Front Walk, Venice
June 25
Young Writers Workshop Go on Girl! book club hosts its annual awards weekend in Long Beach which will include the Young Writers Workshop for writers 11 to 17. This year Edwina Martin Arnold will facilitate the workshop. Lunch will be provided for all participants. The workshop is for writers of all abilities and circumstances. Time: 12 to 2 p.m., June 25 Cost: Free Details: 562-491-1234; www.goongirl.org/awards-weekend/ young-writers-workshop Venue: Hyatt Regency, 200 S. Pine St., Long Beach Pre-Order Kick-off and Storytime of Holding On A moving and warm story of a young girl in the Philippines who uses music to connect with her grandmother as her memory fades due to Alzheimer’s disease. This is an in-person event with music and other enjoyable activities for children.
Time: 3 to 6 p.m., June 25 Cost: Free but registration is required Details: www.philippinebookshop.com Venue: Philippine Bookshop, 479 W. 6th St., Suite 105, San Pedro
DANCE June 25
Ebb And Flow Join the Heidi Duckler Dance company for a beautiful walk around the historic park. The festival will feature dance, visual arts, music and technology through the form of interdisciplinary art pieces stationed throughout the park. Audience members will have the opportunity to stroll through the park and observe each piece. Time: 3 to 5 p.m., June 25 and 26 Cost: Free Details: www.heididuckler.org/event/ebbflow-chinatown-3 Venue: Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles
June 26
XI Festival Cunbre Flamenca 2022 Enjoy a flamenco show direct from Spain with dancers Antonio Molina El Choro and Sonia Olla presented by Vida Flamenca. Time: 6:30 p.m., June 26 Cost: $48 and up Details: www.itsmyseat.com/events/elchoro Venue: The Broad Stage, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center Music Building, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica
COMEDY June 25
April’s Fools Comedy Improv Troupe Enjoy comedy, improv, lunch, wine, silent auction and a raffle to benefit Pedro Pet Pals. Time: 2 to 6 p.m., June 25 Cost: $60 Details: 310-426-8274; https://pedropetpals.com/donate-to-pedro-pet-pals/ Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro
COMMUNITY June 23
Free Movies in the Park In addition to the Be S.A.F.E. movie showings, Parks, Recreation and Marine will offer the popular Movies in the Park. Movies begin at dusk. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair, picnic style dinner, and family and friends. Time: June 23 through Aug. 21 Cost: Free Details: 562-570-3100; www.longbeach. gov/park/recreation-programs/movies-inthe-park/ Venue: Various locations Mobile Recess Program Comes to LB Streets The free Mobile Recess Program brings trucks loaded with supplies and equipment to neighborhood streets to provide free physical fitness and arts and crafts activities for children ages 5 through 14 through Aug. 26. Streets are blocked off for safety. Details: www.longbeach.gov/park/recreation-programs/fmobile-recess/ Summer Fun Days Parks, Recreation and Marine will offer free ‘Summer Fun Days’ to engage children ages 5 to 12 in supervised fun including sports, games, arts and crafts and special events. This is a free dropin program with no custodial childcare. Pre-registration is required. Participants should visit the park of their choice beginning June 13 at 3 p.m. to register. Time: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Aug. 26 Cost: Free Details: 562-570-3150; https://www.longbeach.gov/park/recreation-programs/fun-
days/ Venue: Various locations
June 25
South Bay Festival of the Arts Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation announces the return of its annual South Bay Festival of the Arts, featuring musical entertainment, local artists, eateries, craft breweries and tons of family fun. Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 25 Cost: Free Details: www.eventbrite.com/e/southbayfestival-of-the-arts Venue: Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance Long Beach Family Arts Festival The Long Beach Youth Chorus presents its inaugural Long Beach Family Arts Festival. Performing alongside the LBYC will be the Jazz Angels, Kick it Up Dance Studios, Musique sur la Mer Youth Orchestra and The Kids Theater Company. Time: 11 a.m to 1 p.m., June 25 Cost: Free Details: www.artslb.org/event/family-artsfestival Venue: St. Matthews Church, 672 Temple Ave., Long Beach Outdoor Volunteer Day at Abalone Cove Reserve Join the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy to volunteer at the newest restoration site on a breathtaking coastal reserve helping eradicate invasive weeds to protect native species. Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., June 25 Cost: Free Details: https://pvplc.volunteerhub.com/ Venue: Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, 5970 Palos Verdes Dr. South, Rancho Palos Verdes
June 28
Long Beach Municipal Band Summer Concert Series Long Beach Municipal Band will be back for its 113th summer concert in the park season. The longest-running municipal band in the country and concerts in the park have brought Long Beach neighbors together to enjoy free music as one community throughout its history. All concerts are free to attend and begin at 6:30 p.m. Details: www.longbeach.gov/long-beachmunicipal-band-2022-summer-concertseason
June 29
Silicone Tools for Acrylic Paint Workshop Learn how to turn kitchen tools into studio tools with this virtual demo by Angels Gate Cultural Center studio artist Leah Shane Dixon, who will discuss the different types of tools and some ways they use them in the studio. Attendees will be able to ask questions and get immediate feedback. Time: 7 to 8:30 p.m., June 29 Cost: Free Details: www.eventbrite.com/e/siliconetools-for-acrylic-paint-zoom-demo Venue: Zoom
July 1
Cars & Stripes Forever!® The family-friendly event is open to all ages. More than 100 pre-1975 classic cars and motorcycles will be on display, surrounded by live bands performing on stage. An assortment of food trucks will serve up local cuisine, with an adjacent beer garden. A fireworks presentation begins at 9:15 p.m. A free shuttle to and from downtown San Pedro will be available. Time: 5 to 10 p.m., July 1 Cost: Free Details: https://www.portoflosangeles. org/community/events/cars-and-stripesforever Location: Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street just below the Vincent Thomas Bridge
July 9
July 2
George F Canyon Guided Nature Preserve You will be guided by a trained naturalist to discover a unique variety of wildlife in their canyon habitat with amazing views of the LA Basin. Meet outside on the back deck of the George F Canyon Nature Center. Parking in the preserve lot is available, no RSVP required. Time: 10:30 a.m., July 2 Cost: Free Details: 310-541-7613 Venue: George F Canyon Nature Center, 27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates
July 4
72nd Annual John Olguin Fourth of July Celebration Enjoy fireworks safely on Independence Day, 2022. Time: 9 p.m., July 4 Cost: Free Location: Best place to view: Cabrillo Beach, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
July 5
Trash-Maggedon Beach Cleanup Join CMA educators and volunteers and help pick up trash after the July 4th holiday. There is always a ton of trash on the beach and help is needed to pick it up and making sure it doesn’t end up in the ocean. Time: 9 to 11 a.m., July 5 Cost: Free Location: Cabrillo Beach, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Guided Nature Walk at the Vicente Bluffs Reserve Follow the bluff top from Point Vicente to Oceanfront Estates during El Segundo blue butterfly flight season in an area containing restored coastal sage scrub habitat. Time: 9 a.m., July 9 Cost: Free Details: https://pvplc.org/calendar-guided-nature-walks/ Venue: Vicente Bluffs Reserve, 31501 Palos Verdes Dr. West, Rancho Palos Verdes
July 16
Become a PVPLC Docent Via a virtual orientation, discover the many ways you can enjoy sharing your love of nature with students and preserve visitors. Community outreach orientation is done by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. Time: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., July 16 Cost: Free Details: https://pvplc.volunteerhub.com Venue: Online Docent Guided Nature Walk Enjoy this easy walk along the McBride Trail, featuring panoramic views of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Catalina Island. Learn about the native coastal sage scrub habitat along with a lesson on the 19th and 20th centuries history of the Palos Verdes area. For those seeking a challenge, there is also a strenuous docent-led hike on the Three Sisters Trail starting at the same location. Meet at the end of Ocean Terrace Drive. Drive south on Highridge Road, cross Crest Road, then turn right on Ocean Terrace Drive and park at the end of the street. Time: 9 a.m., July 16 Cost: Free Details: 310-544-5260; www.losserenos.org/ Venue: McBride Trail, Rancho Palos Verdes
[Coffi, from p. 11]
Lisa Coffi
recalls. “I don’t think the attention span of today’s audience in our environment, out in a park, is going to sit that long. […] Shakespeare by the Sea is for [the] everyman.” Coffi’s also learned that people turn up for what they know. “When you pick shows where people are familiar with the titles, people will come and watch it,” she says. “So, like, Cymbeline was not particularly well attended because people didn’t know the title. But you pick Romeo and Juliet (which opens June 30), and we’re going to have a huge year this year.” One plus from the COVID-19 pandemic, when SbtS stayed active by producing straight-to-streaming shows staged on Little Fish’s outdoor backlot (“There was a temptation to stop producing the festival, but as always with SbtS it seemed right to push through the dark times and back into the light”), was the opportunity to do the early, obscure Titus Andronicus, a show Coffi says they never would have mounted in the park due to its overthe-top grotesqueness, including rape, mutilation and feeding a mother a pie made of her sons’ ground-up bodies. “We would never have been able to take a play like that out to the parks,” she laughs. “It’s just evil. […] ‘Free! Family-friendly!’” Without getting into detail, Coffi notes that there have been
ups and down in SbtS’s relationship with San Pedro and Los Angeles. She’s learned the value of diligently keeping a paper trail (electronic or otherwise), because on more than one occasion the city has repeatedly asked for a form she’s already submitted. “I think we’ve had a few little hiccups, but we’ve been able to make Shakespeare by the Sea actors rehearse a scene at Point our way through,” Fermin Park. Photo by Chris Villanueva she says. “[…] It depends on who the [Department of things I wish I had done differently,” Parks and Recreation] person is. So she says. “Maybe I was too snarky to let’s just say some years have been someone or fired someone and then more difficult than others. Some years two years later wished I had talked it it feels like you’re banging your head out with them. As you get older, you’re against a brick wall, other years it’s not as hot under the collar as you just easy peasy. […] We haven’t really were at the beginning. I’m not sure had any issues with the park for quite a whether it’s maturity or your passion is few years.” lessening. […] There are some things I Although Coffi admits to regrets, regret, but there are a lot of shows that her recollections of the last quarterI can hold up and say, ‘Here we are. century are dominated by pride: This is what we did.’ And it’s really patrons who donate year after year, nice to know that this will continue castmembers who have become beyond me, which is something I lifelong friends, letters from people always wanted to have happen.” who may not have seen Shakespeare Shakespeare by the Sea kicks off or any theatre without an admissionits 25th season with Much Ado About free festival in their neighborhood, Nothing at Point Fermin Park (807 W. mothers who brought their children Paseo Del Mar) on June 23 to 25. For who now bring their children. a complete list of dates and locations “I’ve definitely had nights where visit ShakespeareByTheSea.org. I go to sleep remembering […] some
Real People, Real News, Really Effective June 23 - July 6, 2022
15
[AGCC, from p. 1]
AGCC Celebrates Forty Years
June 23 - July 6, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant
goes something like this: in 1977, the City of Los Angeles acquired the former army outpost atop the rise across from Point Fermin Park, planning to make it into some sort of cultural center. But with the space sitting idle for years and John Olguin having access to the grounds (Eriksen has it that he was a ranger or some such), his wife Muriel started using one of the buildings as an art studio. Her artist friends thought this was a swell idea, and soon they had a sort of squatter art colony. “I think of it like an arts [version of the] Occupy Movement,” says Eriksen. “[…] One of the women [who was there at the beginning] told me, ‘We just did whatever we wanted here ‘cause nobody was looking.’” Not surprisingly, before long the city got wise to the goings-on and mandated that the squatters either formalize their operation or vacate, and so in 1982 Angels Gate Cultural Center became an official nonprofit with a three-year lease and a mission “to provide space for artists to work and to engage community through arts education, exhibitions of contemporary art and cultural events.” Problem was, short leases are not conducive to getting big grants, as grantors factor in an operation’s sustainability when deciding whether to invest big bucks. And that problem persisted for the next two decades, when the city wouldn’t commit to longer than five years at a clip. This limited AGCC’s offerings and staff. It wasn’t until 2003 that AGCC got some temporal security, obtaining a 30-year lease with the help of thenCouncilwoman Janice Hahn. Suddenly more attractive to grantors, AGCC began to grow, employing a staff of five plus a half-dozen artist-
16
teachers when Eriksen took the reins in 2011. Today those numbers have swelled to 11 and 15, respectively, with AGCC hosting 54 on-site artists and a handful of periodic events, not to mention bringing arts education to 4,000 students at 20 area schools. But because this growth has occurred at a sustainable pace, AGCC has been able to stave off potential existential crises — the most obvious of which has been the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve had a very clear vision of alternating [periods of] growth and sustain — and 2020 was going to be a big sustain year, [in that] we’d built a lot of really great programs and were just going to do them again,” Eriksen relates. “That didn’t happen, but I think the negative impacts turned into positive things. [Where feasible], we had to change every program to an online program. […] All of our artist-teachers went online and [were able to] service almost the same number of classrooms. […] We didn’t have to lay off anyone except the artist-teachers for the first few months of the pandemic so they could get employment, but by September 2020 we had hired everyone back. […] I don’t think we were as impacted [as many arts organizations] because almost everything we offer here is free.” But Eriksen certainly isn’t cheered by the looming economic recession and how it may compel AGCC’s major funders to limit their support in the foreseeable future. Her hope is that AGCC can pivot more toward individual donors: “Turning the pretty large amount that we do receive from foundations into funding from local individuals is really a priority for us right now, because we want to keep sustaining even
Angels Gate Cultural Center volunteers put up an installation celebrating the center’s 40th anniversary. Photo by Raphael Richarson
if there is a change in the way foundations give grants out.” With this in mind, the opening of the 40th Anniversary Gathering of Angels art exhibition coincides with the return of Awake In Color, Angels Gate’s biennial fundraiser, featuring “a live art auction, entertainment, food, drink, and colorthemed activities in this ‘party by artists, for artists and our friends,’” which will be emceed by Long Beach drag entertainer Jewels. But Eriksen says that as much as anything, Angels Gate, an org that’s had a marketing director for only the last five years (“and she’s also in charge of four other things”), needs good oldfashioned word-of-mouth. “I’ll be honest: I know press is important, but it’s not my first priority, because there are just so many things going on here,” she says. “[… But] the more people who know about us, the more work we can do. If every month we were maxing out on our art workshops, I would do more of them — and so we would hire more artistteachers.” Raising awareness of AGCC entails getting people up the hill to experience its out-of-theway location, which itself is both a barrier and benefit. “I think we have a location problem, [but the location is also] a huge benefit,” she says. “We are not accessible by bus” — she tells the story of a mother and son who recently had to schlep seven blocks from the nearest bus stop — “and you can’t just pop by on foot. You have to really make a trek to come up here. That is hard but it’s also awesome, because you are transported when you get here.” Eriksen saw a glimmer of hope recently when Supervisor Janice Hahn — the same public servant who helped land AGCC’s current land lease — chartered a bus “to bring 26 people to do art for two hours. […] That’s what we should be doing every day — literally every day. Even if it’s only 20 people, I’m totally happy. […] We’re working to make that a monthly thing.” It’s an example of the initiative that led to the founding of Angels Gate, a scenic sanctuary with so much to offer for those who find their way to the San Pedro heights. “It’s kind of amazing to have the opportunity a sound-art event [i.e., soundpedro] two weeks after a family art workshop with an artist who
makes cyanotypes [Author’s note: Yeah, I had to look that up, too] a week after we’re in 175 classrooms doing not only visual arts but creative writing and dance and partnering to do music in the schools with organizations like Grand Vision [Foundation],” Eriksen says. “That diversity is something that’s very important to us here. The growth of bringing such a variety of arts and artists into a space where they feel comfortable can be of use to them is really important. That’s the through-line from 1982 to now: we have always been trying to think of ways to do art that is not your usual way […] to do experimental, interesting things within the confines of being a great partner to the city.” Although Eriksen says the quality of that partnership has ebbed and flowed (“It changes as people change [within the City]. The Department of Recreation and Parks is a big bureaucracy within a huge bureaucracy [that is] the city of Los Angeles”), she reports that the city “has an amazing regional supervisor right now in Deanne Dedmon, and she’s working with us to be able to say we have sustainability here to our grantors, but also to find the right time to ask for [a new lease]. I don’t think right now is the right time [being that] we’re in the middle of a political season — and with political seasons come changes of [people in] authority. […] If [L.A. Rec & Parks General Manager] Michael Shull were to leave, we would have a new group of leaders [to whom] we would have to show who we are and the value of what we’re doing. But I feel confident that within the next five years we’ll [secure a lease] for another 30 years.” That continuity is key, because AGCC is more than the sum of its programming. As Eriksen says, “Angels Gate Cultural Center as we know it now could not be the same in any other space.” Awake In Color takes place at Angels Gate Cultural Center June 25 at 6 to 9 p.m. and coincides with the opening of 40th Anniversary Gathering of Angels. Time: Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 30 to July 30 Cost: Awake in Color $100; The 40th Anniversary Gathering of Angels exhibit: Free Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Details: angelsgateart.org.
[Danger, from p. 1]
Danger
Former Trump campaign lawyer Alex Cannon and others confirmed the picture.
Trump Lost. They All Knew
A key component in driving the narrative was Trump’s exploitation of the “red mirage,” a decades-old phenomenon due to Democrats voting more by mail than Republicans do. As a result,
“You see the Republicans shoot ahead” on election day, former Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt explained, “But it’s not really a lead.” Stirewalt’s team at Fox tried to counter Trump by educating viewers, “because the Trump campaign and the president had made it clear that they were going to try to exploit this anomaly,” he said. Trump actively discouraged Republicans from voting by mail to expand the mirage, ignoring Sepian’s entreaties to the contrary. For Trump, it was less important to actually win the election than to appear to win it on election night, so that he could cry “fraud” when the Democratic votes came in. This was but one example of a broader pattern that the committee has yet to highlight as such: the role of deception as a key element of Trump’s plan — especially deceiving his own base. They have highlighted examples of it — such as the outlandish conspiracy theories without evidence, or the $250 million raised from small donors for the Official Election Defense Fund, which the committee discovered did not exist, leading committee member Zoe Lofgren to remark, “The big lie was also the big grift.”
Blocking Certification
But deception was also the key subject of the third hearing, the attempt to block certification of the election on Jan. 6, relying on a legal theory its leading proponent didn’t actually believe. John Eastman, who once clerked for Michael Luttig, advanced the theory that Mike Pence, as president of the Senate, was free to reject electoral votes from states Biden won that Trump had contested. But Luttig told Pence it was nonsense and tweeted a warning against it on Jan. 5: “The only responsibility and power of the Vice President under the Constitution is to faithfully count the electoral college votes as they have been cast.” In the hearing, he reiterated, “There was no basis in the Constitution or laws of the United States at all for the theory espoused by Mr. Eastman at all. None.” What’s more, “No vice president in 230 years of history had ever claimed to have that kind of authority,” said Greg Jacob, Pence’s lead counsel, who studied the matter in depth for Pence. He recalled arguing with Eastman, citing the example of Al Gore in 2000 and the prospect of Kamala Harris having such power in 2024, and he recalled Eastman’s response, “Al Gore did not have a basis to do it in 2000, Kamala Harris shouldn’t be able to do it in 2024, but I think you
should do it today.” So he knew his own theory was bunk. A pretext, nothing more. Eastman also admitted to Jacob that “we would lose nine nothing” if his theory went to the Supreme Court, but he also believed the Court would decline to hear it as a “political question.” Jacob also witnessed Eastman admit to Trump that his theory violated the 1887 Electoral Count Act. Thus, both men knew that Trump’s plan was illegal and that Pence had no choice. Yet Trump still used it to incite the crowd against Pence — even tweeting another attack as they were chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!” But if Pence had gone along, Eastman was
prepared for much wider violence. Eric Herschmann, a top White House lawyer, recalled telling him what would happen if 78-plus million people had their votes invalidated by one man. “I said, ‘They’re not going to tolerate that. You’re going to cause riots in the streets.’ And he said words to the effect of there has been violence in the history of our country, Eric, to protect the democracy or protect the republic.” In short, there was no legal or factual foundation for Trump’s attempt to hold onto power, there were only lies and violence — and the threat of it.
[See Hearings, p. 19]
June 23 - July 6, 2022
The Red Mirage and the Big Grift
The televised hearings of the January 6 Select Committee. Photo courtesy of C-SPAN
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
Further details were fleshed out in the second hearing. A key trigger to how things unfolded was Fox News calling Arizona for Joe Biden on election night. A multi-witness tape covering the election night response set up the main distinction of that hearing: the virtually unanimous majority of Trump insiders who took evidence seriously versus a mere two who did not: Donald Trump and an inebriated Rudy Giuliani. “There was surprise at the call,” Trump’s campaign manager Bill Sepian said. And the atmosphere shifted “Completely,” according to Trump senior advisor Jason Miller. Somewhat later, “There are suggestions by, I believe it was Mayor Giuliani, to go and declare victory and say that we won it outright,” he recalled, but “It was far too early to be making any calls like that,” Sepian said. “It was becoming clear that the race would not be called on election night,” said Ivanka Trump. Just two people disagreed. “Mayor Giuliani was saying we won it. They’re stealing it from us,” Miller recalled. “Anyone who didn’t agree with that position was being weak.” Only Trump felt the same. “This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election,” he said early the next morning. That pattern, set on election night, persisted for the next two months, as the utter lack of evidence of any election fraud gave rise to ever crazier theories. “There was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were,” Barr said. A detailed look at Georgia, with testimony from Trump’s U.S. Attorney there, B.J. Pak, was illustrative. Giuliani had shown a Georgia State Senate subcommittee a clip from a security tape at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta which he claimed was a ‘smoking gun’ proving voting fraud. But “Mr. Giuliani only played a clip” from a surveillance tape. “Nothing irregular happened in the counting and the allegations made by Mr. Giuliani were false,” Pak said. Another Giuliani fantasy was that 8,000 dead people voted in Pennsylvania — specifically Philadelphia — a claim refuted by Al Schmidt, the only Republican member of Philadelphia’s three-member city commission. “Not only was there not evidence of 8,000 dead voters voting in Pennsylvania, there wasn’t evidence of eight,” Schmidt told the committee. He’d received generalized threats before Trump tweeted about him by name, calling him a RINO (Republican in name only) “being used big time by the fake news media.” But, “After the president tweeted at me by name, calling me out the way that he did, the threats became much more specific, much more graphic, and included not just me by name but included members of my family by name, their ages, our address, pictures of our home. Just every bit of detail that you could imagine,” Schmidt said. “That was what changed with that tweet.”
17
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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No: 2022099827 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: PEERLESS AV, 1580 W. MANHALO PLACE, RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA 90220 County of LOS ANGELES. Mailing Address: 2300 WHITE OAK, CIRCLE, AURORA, IL 60502 Registered owner(s): PEERLESS INDUSTRIES, INC, 2300, WHITE OAK CIRCLE, AURORA, IL 60502; State of Incorporation: DE. This business is conducted by a Corporation. The registrant(s) started doing business on 03/2022.I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). PEERLESS INDUSTRIES, INC S/ DAVID WISNIEWSKI, CFO This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 05/05/2022. NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business
name statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by an Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions Code). Original filing: 05/26/22, 06/10/22, 06/24/22, 07/08/22
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[continued on p. 15]
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(a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by an Affidavit of Identity form. 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
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JOB OPPS
ACROSS
1. “People Puzzler” airer 4. Adult Swim’s “Joe ___ Talks With You” 8. English university city 13. Tab, for example 14. “I’m rippin’ up ___ doll ...” (Aerosmith lyric) 15. “Ad ___ per aspera” 16. ___ of the hat 17. Really close group of friends? 19. Equilateral unit of steam? 21. Palindromic dental deg. 22. How cuneiform characters were often preserved 23. Dollar bill depiction, familiarly 25. Yell after finishing a ride, maybe 26. Reddit Q&A forum 29. To be, to Nero 30. They’re on all four Monopoly board edges, for short 31. Territorial land grabber 35. Response to “Are my shoes really that waterlogged?” 39. Fashionable quality 40. NFL Pro Bowl safety Chancellor 42. Albanian’s neighbor 45. OutKast’s city, for short 46. “Fine, what’s the answer?”
48. “Be right there” 51. Snowball thrower 52. Bathrooms in Bath 53. Sound from an ocean predator imitating a mouse? 57. High-pitched cries of joy during summer? 59. London’s national art gallery 60. “Arrivederci” relative 61. They’re all mined 62. Actor Sitka (one of two actors who appeared with all six different Stooges on film) 63. ___ Haute, Indiana 64. Nair rival, once 65. Punk record label, or a retired ultra-fast aircraft
DOWN
1. Showed one’s ire 2. Antique book protector 3. Seaport southeast of Roma 4. “Crazy” singer Cline 5. La Salle who returned to “Coming 2 America” 6. Jar sold near the farfalle 7. Ottoman Empire official 8. Uses high-tech beams 9. “Roman J. Israel, ___” (2017 movie) 10. Musical practice pieces 11. Stage offerings 12. Bike seat 13. Expensive eggs
18. ___TV (“Adam Ruins Everything” network) 20. Cattle farm 24. “The X-Files” program, for short 26. Former Bowl of Hawaii 27. Everest, for one 28. “Tokyo Vice” star Elgort 32. Sounds of dismay 33. Mensa still tests them 34. 1968 CCR hit preceded by the lyric “Baby I love you” 36. Alerts from HQ 37. Winter Olympics groups 38. Exchange blows 41. She was followed by Scholz 42. Carefree reply 43. Turn LEAD into GOLF, maybe? 44. Tend to your Crockpot stew a few hours later 47. Squat muscles 49. Suffix similar to -ish 50. “Crazy Rich Asians” director 51. “Hey! Over here!” 54. Many millennia 55. Like some collectibles 56. Cubism-influenced Swiss artist 58. To be, in Tijuana
[Hearings, from p. 17]
LEGALS & DBAs [from p. 14] of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions Code). Original filing: 05/26/22, 06/10/22, 06/24/22, 07/08/22
07/21/22, 08/04/22
Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No.: 22LBCP00199 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles Petition of: Jeremy Matthew Fiamengo for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Jeremy Matthew Fiamengo to Jeremy Matthew Estrada The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: 7/5/2022, Time: 8:30 am, Dept.: S26, Room: 3500
6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28/22 DJ-3593581#
Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No.: 22LBCP00178 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles Petition of: John Manuel Nunez for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: John Manuel Nunez to Juan Manuel Nunez The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: 7/8/2022, Time: 8:30 am, Dept.: S27, Room: 3500 The address of the court is 275 Magnolia Ave, Long Beach, CA 90601 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Daily Journal Random Lengths News Date: May 16, 2022 Mark C. Kim Judge of the Superior Court 5/27, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28/22 DJ-3593581#
Fulton County, Georgia election worker, Shaye Moss testified before the January 6 Committee telling her story of how she was personally targeted by former president Trump and threatened and harrassed by his supporters after the November 2020 election. Photo courtesy of CSPAN
randum underscores how serious Trump was, and how much worse the violence could have been.
Lies and Violence in the States
The fourth hearing focused on how Trump used false claims of fraud to pressure state and local officials, laying the groundwork for his pressure campaign against Pence. In the process, he endangered their lives and their families. In a Dec. 1 press conference, Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling dramatically pushed back. “It has to stop it,” Sterling said in a replayed clip. “Mister president, you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions,” he said. “It has to stop. This is elections, this is the backbone of democracy and all of you who have not said a word are complicit in this.”
The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target one. But he targeted me, Lady Ruby, the small business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen, who stood up to help Fulton County run an election in the middle of the pandemic.” There’s a word for what Trump has done to Ruby Freeman: terrorism. But she’s not the only one. Shaye Moss has quit her job as an election worker after 10 years. What’s more, she said, “There is no permanent election worker or supervisor in that video that is still there.” The January 6th Committee hearings continue on June 23. Random Lengths News will report further in our next issue.
June 23 - July 6, 2022
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2022124645 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: BACK TO ORIGINAL RESTORATION, 1603 Sunnyside Terrace, San Pedro, CA 90732, County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Paul Creig Michaelis, 1603 Sunnyside Terrace, 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 on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/ Paul Creig Michaelis, Owner This statement was filed with the
07/21/22, 08/04/22
The address of the court is 275 Magnolia Ave, Long Beach, CA 90601 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Daily Journal Random Lengths News Date: May 31, 2022 Michael P. Vicencia Judge of the Superior Court
It could have been much worse, author/journalist David Neiwert noted on Twitter, providing some insight into why Eastman was so untroubled. “The non-appearance of antifascists on the scene Jan. 6, played a critical role in the failure of Trump’s coup attempt,” Neiwert, an expert on extremism, violence and propaganda, wrote. “Trump had been building the ‘Antifa/BLM/ Violent Left’ narrative all year, but he focused on Antifa particularly after he lost the election, and stepped up the vitriol.” On Jan. 5 he issued a memorandum declaring Antifa a “terrorist organization.” The Oathkeepers, Proud Boys and QAnon activists were preparing for a battle that never came, because “Antifascists were able to see Trump’s scheme from miles away, and encouraged all their colleagues to avoid the capital city on January 6,” Neiwert wrote. Pence refusing to accept Biden electors was just the first step, which fell apart, he explained. “Then, Trump’s plans to use intended violence between his army of ‘Patriots’ and Antifa as the pretext for invoking the Insurrection Act vanished back into the mists of their imaginations.” It doesn’t seem likely that the committee will pursue this aspect, but the Jan. 5 Antifa memo-
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2022129592 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: JOHNNY ON THE SPOT CARPET CLEANING, 1821 W. Santa Cruz St., San Pedro, CA 90732, County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): John Sheridan, 1821 W. Santa Cruz Street, 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 on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/ John Sheridan, Owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on June 15, 2022 NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by an Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions Code). Original filing: 06/23/22, 07/07/22,
County Clerk of Los Angeles on June 08, 2022 NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by an Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions Code). Original filing: 06/23/22, 07/07/22,
Jan. 6 Hearings
Rusty Bowers, GOP Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives described a extensive effort to get him to overthrow the election. Giuliani had claimed 200,000 illegal immigrants had voted, along with thousands of dead people. He asked for names, and Trump told Giuliani, “Give the man what he needs, Rudy.” Bowers testified. But did he get anything? “Never,” Bowers said. It was all hot air. Besides, the legislature, having established popular election for presidential electors, “it becomes a fundamental right of the people,” that the legislature can’t simply revoke, he explained. “It is a tenant of my faith that the constitution is divinely inspired — of my most basic foundational beliefs. So for me to do that because someone just asked me to? It’s foreign to my very being,” Bowers said. But the most terrorized individuals were Fulton County election worker Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who assisted her as a volunteer. They were both on the misleading tape Giuliani played, after which Trump doubled, attacking Freeman 18 times by name. Moss testified in person, but her mother’s taped testimony cut the deepest. She’s virtually withdrawn from public life out of fear. “There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere,” Freeman said. “Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States targeting you?
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June 23 - July 6, 2022
Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant