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MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 3
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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If you grew up in San Pedro during the 1960s, ‘70s, or ‘80s, you have a Dalmatian-American Club memory. As I write in this month’s cover story about its 95th anniversary, whether it be a wedding reception, dance, awards ceremony, or fish luncheon, the club has been San Pedro’s unofficial-official gathering spot for generations. That nondescript building on the corner of 17th and South Palos Verdes streets holds a special place in the hearts of many locals, including me. My parents had their wedding reception there, along with several other friends and relatives through the years. As a kid, I watched my dad play drums with the Wingtips numerous times when they performed on the ballroom stage. In my 20s, I’d bartend to help out my aunt and uncle, who were managing the club at the time. I’d end up making incredibly strong (and terrible) drinks for members because most of them would complain my pours were “too weak.” I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only bartender at the club who’s been fed that line before. It’s hard to imagine a San Pedro
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without the Dalmatian-American Club, but that’s what almost happened last year as the pandemic shut down the beloved venue, forcing an unprepared staff to scramble to stay solvent. Undeterred, the club fundraised and launched a weekly dinner to-go program last year that has helped keep the doors open in the short term. The dinner program continues to this day. You can order online for pickup at dalmatianamericanclub.com. We’re fortunate to have local landmarks like the Dalmatian-American Club and the Warner Grand Theatre, both nearing their centennials, still in operation. Maybe it’s the power of nostalgia, but there’s something special about visiting places with so much rich history behind them. Hopefully, as the COVID-19 pandemic becomes manageable in California and our state economy fully reopens up next month, the club and venues all across San Pedro can start booking events and become fully operational again. spt Joshua Stecker is publisher/editorin-chief of San Pedro Today. Letters to the Editor can be emailed to contact@sanpedrotoday.com.
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MAY 2021
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Joshua J. Stecker Lori Garrett
Joseph A. Castañeda
AT-LARGE CONTRIBUTORS
Mike Harper, Peter Hazdovac, Sanam Lamborn, Ricky Magana, Steve Marconi, Jennifer Marquez, Anthony Pirozzi, Jr., Angela Romero, Sophie Schoenfeld, Sophia Ungaro, Lee Williams
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Phone: (424) 224-9063 Email: contact@sanpedrotoday.com San Pedro Today P.O. Box 1168 San Pedro, CA 90733
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EMPIRE22 MEDIA LLC OWNER/PUBLISHER Joshua J. Stecker
San Pedro Today publishes the last Thursday of every month and is produced monthly by Empire22 Media LLC. No portion of this publication can be reproduced without written permission by Empire22 Media. 25,000 copies are delivered to San Pedro and portions of Rancho Palos Verdes. San Pedro Today is a product of Empire22 Media LLC. Empire22 Media LLC, their subsidiaries and affiliates are released from all liability that may involve the publication of San Pedro Today. Copyright 2009-2021, Empire22 Media LLC.
VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 4 ON THE COVER: The Dalmatian-American Club, past and present. (photos: Dalmatian-American Club, Danielle Svorinich, John Mattera Photography)
6 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 7
HEADLINES
NEWS BRIEFS: BUSCAINO RUNS FOR MAYOR; WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT MOVES FORWARD compiled by SPT Staff
Marine Mammal Care Center is now open on weekends with a reservation. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
Buscaino Announces Run for L.A. Mayor Current L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino has announced he’s running for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2022. Buscaino, 46, a former LAPD officer, is the first member of the City Council to join the race, which includes City Attorney Mike Feuer. Buscaino says he’s focused on confronting the city’s massive homeless problem and its rise in crime.
nally installed in 1937 and 1958. Most of Los Angeles count on the pipelines that carry treated wastewater from Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts’ Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson to San Pedro’s Royal Palms Beach. The project is costing $630 million and is set to be finished in 2027. When completed, the aging pipes will be replaced with one pipe that will follow current state earthquake standards.
Candidates announce bids for CD15 seat Buscaino’s announcement to run for mayor leaves his L.A. City Council seat open for next year’s election and a couple of local candidates have already tossed their hat into the ring. Tim McOsker, the CEO of AltaSea and president of Downtown San Pedro’s Business Improvement District (PBID), and San Pedro Democratic Club president and community advocate Shannon Ross have officially announced their candidacies. They join Bryant Odega, an environmental justice advocate, and Christian Guzman, an environmentalist, on the ballot. One name that may join the race soon is Port of Los Angeles Commissioner (and San Pedro Today contributor) Anthony Pirozzi.
L.A. Fleet Week set for September Planning has begun for this year's L.A. Fleet week with cautious optimism. The sponsor of the event, the Port of L.A., is hoping to host a live Fleet Week to salute sailors, but it will depend on the trajectory of the pandemic. With L.A. County currently in the state’s second-least restrictive orange tier, things are looking up. Regardless, the event will offer virtual components.
So Cal Hoedown postpones festival to September due to COVID-19 The So Cal Hoedown will return to San Pedro on September 18, 2021. The lineup includes Reel Big Fish, Horrorpops, Face to Face, and Supersuckers. The event was initially moved from August 2020 to June 2021 but has settled on September 2021 for a final date. The festival will take place at the Port of Los Angeles Berth 46. Port of L.A. in talks to make waterfront more kid-friendly The Port of L.A. and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles are looking to add play activities to a minimally-used stretch of the L.A. Waterfront. The Los Angeles harbor commissioners approved the project. The park development will stretch along Harbor Boulevard from First to Third Street. Carson-to-San Pedro underground tunneling set to start in Summer 2021 After a decade of planning, an underground tunnel from Carson to San Pedro is launching this summer. On April 15, city officials and engineers agreed on the necessity of replacing two wastewater pipes, origi8 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
L.A. Waterfront Town Square construction to finish in July The L.A. Waterfront Town Square, a $36 million project, is set to finish in the latter part of July. City officials told the Daily Breeze they are hoping it will open sooner rather than later. The construction is adjacent to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and began in 2020. City officials are hoping for the fouracre town square to be a gathering and event space for the San Pedro community. Colossus Bread opens second location in Belmont Shore Colossus Bread has expanded into Long Beach. After finding success at their flagship San Pedro store, bakery owners Kristin Colazas Rodriguez and Nicholas Rodriquez have expanded to a much larger location at 4716 Second Street in Belmont Shore. Their opening day saw a line wrapped around the block. Don’t worry; we’ve been told the San Pedro location isn’t going anywhere. Marine Mammal Care Center reopens its doors The Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro has reopened after a year. Reservations are available online for Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tour will be 15 minutes of visiting the hospital and the pinniped patients. The gift shop is also open, and purchases of gear, mugs, and plushies will help support the MMCC.
San Pedro resident pleads not guilty in connection to Kristin Smart case On April 19, Paul Flores, a 44-year-old San Pedro man and his father pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the disappearance and death of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in May 1996. Flores pleaded not guilty to murder in San Luis Obispo County Court. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, of Arroyo Grande, pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact. The elder Flores is accused of helping his son conceal Smart’s body. Paul Flores was the last known person to see Smart alive and was seen walking with her after she had returned to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo following a party on May 25, 1996. They were both college freshmen when she disappeared. Flora and Fauna are thriving in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors According to a new ecological study, marine life in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors is thriving. The study reports flora and fauna are flourishing, water clarity is improving, and special-status species are prospering. The Corner Store sells to new owner The Corner Store owner, Peggy Lindquist, announced on social media that the beloved neighborhood market that she and her husband Bruce purchased in 2006 has sold to an unnamed (as of press time) local business owner. Lindquist says she’s confident the new owner is going to reinvigorate the store, just in time for its 75th anniversary next year. Announcement of the new owner should be made public by the time you read this. People's Yoga, Health & Dance building sells in Downtown San Pedro Jan Kain, owner of People's Yoga, Health & Dance in Downtown San Pedro announced via email the closing of her business and sale of her building, located at 365 W. Sixth Street, which she’s owned for 12 years. While Kain did not release details of the buyer, she expressed gratitude to her students, colleagues, and supporters for sticking with her for more than a decade. “I’m very proud of my work in the community, including the part I played in the revitalization of Downtown San Pedro, as well as the hundreds of hours of space and performances that I donated for various community events,” she wrote. spt
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Joshua, Can you please tell me why Steve Marconi has a full-page column in San Pedro Today? So very negative. Not a good reflection on our town or its people. Or at least I hope not. Thanks, Nancy Utovac Hi, Mr. Stecker, I’m writing to you because of the article in your March paper, written by Sophie Schoenfeld: Divorce: A Marriage to Self. [San Pedro Today, March 2021] I’ve been a resident of San Pedro for over [20] years, and I have to question the article that Ms. Schoenfeld wrote. Knowing the history of San Pedro and the people, I know that family is important to the residents that live here. I think her expertise doesn’t represent what San Pedro and [its] deep-rooted families believe in.
It took me for surprise when this therapist [asked] “why so many people remain married to the other instead of the self.” That doesn’t solve anything. It’s instilling selfishness and self-absorption. I believe that kind of thinking is what’s wrong with this world and why we have such a high divorce rate. It also teaches your children to be selfish and just give up on things when they get tough. Isn’t the reason why people go to a therapist is to help them resolve issues they may have? That’s not resolving anything. I look forward to reading your magazine monthly and hearing about what’s going on in and around San Pedro, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that has written to you about this article. Have a great day, and Happy Easter! Barbara Castiglione
Hi Joshua, We always enjoy your publication about the diversity, talent, and beauty that make San Pedro special. However, we did not appreciate the article written by Sophie Schoenfeld, MFT, whatever these degrees gifted her wisdom. She may certainly have her opinions, [but] my family found them insulting and heathenistic, to put it mildly. If we all went through life doing as she suggested, only thinking of me, pursuing my happiness, my want, my “raw sexual encounters,” and wanting a village to raise my children, what a mess that would be! I feel sorry for her and possibly her bad experiences. Life is about compromises. We don’t always get everything we want in a marriage, nor do the women who divorce stepping out into the world she describes. Our God, in His infinite wisdom and sense of humor, knew men and
women need to be polar opposites. Extremes such as too much freedom [aren’t] good for anyone. It’s very sad that the divorce rate is so high, but what she suggests isn’t the answer. Thank you for allowing my family to vent. My husband and I have been married 52 years. We would both agree, it wasn’t always easy. Trusting God and each other brought us through. No quitting! Mike & Nancy Hazelwood
Letters to the Editor can be emailed to contact@sanpedrotoday.com. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, and clarity. Letters must include your full name in order to be considered for publication.
MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 9
VOICES
FRUIT PICKING TOURS IN SAN PEDRO by Jennifer Marquez On a recent Sunday morning, a group of eight people gather at a San Pedro home for a morning of fruit harvesting and creating seasonal cocktails made from locally grown fruit. There are two types of fruit tours offered — one with a cocktail focus, and the other tour is family-friendly. The creator and hostess of the tours is Army Linderborg, whose philosophy is to swap and share from the abundant fruit trees in San Pedro, so nothing goes to waste. Her tours are also a way to educate people on how unpicked fruit can be donated and traded at no cost. Tours often include various people, including visitors from out of the area or country, couples on a date, people celebrating a special occasion, friend outings, and families. Army quickly makes everybody feel at home in her spacious yard shaded by fruit trees. She encourages guests to sample fruit they have never tasted to connect people closer to the earth. On this tour, guests are immediately
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put to work juicing blood oranges for mimosas. Everybody is getting to know each other while learning how to use the picking tools to harvest kumquats and loquats off the higher branches. The tour includes education about fruit and a quick trip into the neighbor’s yard for more harvesting. Army picks and swaps fruit from her neighbors and friends all year long, so the tours are ever-changing. The mimosas are refreshing, and a nice break before the group heads to a house down the street to pick avocados
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that are challenging to get from the very high branches. Walking down the street, Army greets neighbors by name and gives local tips to her guests like the new Sunday pizza pop-up on 15th and Grand called Miller Butler. Army, a reality television show producer, noticed an abundance of unpicked fruit in San Pedro and wanted to make use of the surplus fruit. She helped create a free garden swap that is held monthly at NUDA Juice and Wellness. Anybody can donate fruit and take what they
need at no cost. Army also assists residents with picking their trees and trading fruit with them or donating that fruit to charities like San Pedro Meals on Wheels. She also puts fruit in corner stands (30th and Alma/8th and Walker) that offer free food. Army often takes tour guests in her big Suburban to yards around San Pedro to pick fruit and see another side of our town, the local fruit trees. It is an intimate and friendly time together for two hours, and guests leave with fruit to take home. Recently, one tour included a stop at local San Pedro Today food writer Sanam Lamborn’s yard. Guests picked citrus and enjoyed a cake baked by Sanam made with an entire orange from her tree. Guests can register for a fruit tour on Airbnb Experiences ($25-$35 and up per person). Each tour is different depending on the fruit season but can include nectarines, peaches, mulberries, guava, persimmons, apricots, and much more. Airbnb provides her insurance to go into yards and drive her guests to local homes. If every block in San Pedro had an Army, no locally grown fruit would go to waste. Her tours are bringing tourism to San Pedro in a healthy and educated way. If you have a fruit tree that you would like Army to pick, contact her via Instagram @armylinderborg, email at army.feth@gmail.com, or phone at (602) 290-8024. Her Airbnb experiences can be booked through airbnb.com (direct link available at sanpedrotoday.com). spt Jennifer Marquez can be reached at jennifertmarquez@yahoo.com and @jenntmqz on Twitter and Instagram.
INVIGORATING YOUR HEALTH
VOICES
COLLATERAL DAMAGE by Anthony Pirozzi, Jr. A year ago, we were bracing for our third month into the coronavirus pandemic when many thought the shutdown would only last a few weeks. Today and each day that passes indicate that we are experiencing the slow steps back to normalcy. With our kids beginning to head back to school on modified schedules, sporting events allowing fans in the stands, restaurants starting limited indoor dining, and youth sports beginning to play, these are all clear indications that we are on the other side of the pandemic. As the case counts and deaths continue to be monitored and trend in the right direction, more openings will continue unless something drastically changes. I look forward to the day I can attend a sold-out concert or sporting event with my family. Until then, I am cautiously optimistic about the future. One thing that is critically important from this experience is gaining knowledge. There has been much to be said about how the pandemic has been handled. Even I have been critical of the closing of small businesses — Costco, Target, Walmart, and many big box stores were allowed to stay open. In contrast, small businesses and restaurants were shut down, determined as gathering spots and considered a potential driver to spread the virus. I guess big box stores were not considered gathering spots and did not have the potential to spread the virus. I still believe that small businesses should have been allowed to stay open with the same socially distant measures like the big box stores. Those measures would have spread everyone out to purchase goods rather than forcing everyone into a few locations. There is an element of “collateral damage” that has taken place in one form or another due to the pandemic. As an example, I remember commuting to and from El Segundo during rush hour. Hardly anyone was on the freeway, and a normally 45-minute commute took only 18 minutes. I documented these commutes on my Facebook page while carpooling with my cousin Pete Costa in what we called “cousins
carpool.” A year later, data has been published that indicates an 8 percent increase in 2020 motor vehicle deaths versus the previous years, primarily due to cars speeding on roads that saw a dramatic reduction in traffic as more and more people worked remotely. Collateral damage has come in many forms, most notably, in the loss of jobs, personal property losses, businesses permanently closing, rise in substance abuse and domestic violence, increased homelessness, hunger, and the loss of learning for our children, to name a few. Another example is the number of people who died because they were afraid to go into the emergency room due to fear of catching COVID while there, or those afraid to be alone in the hospital because of visitor restrictions leaving family members to wait outside the hospital, as opposed to being bedside with a loved one. I recently talked with a heart doctor who said he had patients pass away because they were afraid to go to the hospital due to fear of catching COVID, when they were having symptoms of a heart attack. By the time they came into the hospital, it was too late, and they passed away. The impact of the collective amount of collateral damage from the coronavirus has yet to be fully understood as data continues to be gathered. Now is the time to do the work of pandemic recovery by helping businesses flourish, reducing unemployment, improving education, putting an end to homelessness, and getting our children back into extracurricular activities once again. This pandemic will be studied for decades and must provide the necessary knowledge on how to better prepare us to fight the next pandemic and where we need to invest as humanity to eliminate and/or limit the impacts and collateral damage of a future pandemic. This will take public and private partnerships to rally around the work to make this a reality and eliminate the political rhetoric that came with the coronavirus. Stay safe and diligent. spt Anthony Pirozzi, Jr. is a Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner. He can be reached at apirozzi@yahoo.com.
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VOICES
AT CROSSROADS OF GENDER AND SPORTS IS A Y by Steve Marconi In the world I was born into, where birth certificates said either “baby boy” or “baby girl,” the idea of males playing in female sports would have been considered ludicrous. But in today’s highly charged atmosphere of identity politics, everything is controversial, including what was once unthinkable: allowing biological boys to compete in girls sports. Since this subject mostly affects females, I turned to two of San Pedro’s most famous women athletes who played a generation apart for their opinions on transgender inclusion. Janet Bezmalinovich had Hall of Fame careers at both San Pedro High (1973) and Harbor College playing basketball and volleyball and continued playing both before graduating from Cal State Long Beach. A lifetime competitive tennis player, still on the seniors circuit, she played against a transgender athlete decades ago. “It was ridiculous,” Bezmalinovich said of her women’s doubles match in a 40s tournament. “She was so much stronger. My partner and [I] were hanging in there. It was real close in the third set. Then, out of nowhere, [she] pushed her partner aside and started hitting these overhands like a man. “I can’t pick up the pace when they do, and they do.
“An original man who became a woman, and they let her in my tennis tournament. She beat the crap out of us.” She saw the woman in a seniors tournament a few years ago, and “people were still complaining about it.” “Just put it in perspective — just because you change body parts on the outside, you don’t change hormones on the inside, and body mass. Men can bulk up so much quicker than women.” Looking back at her confrontation with the transgender tennis player, Bezmalinovich said, “I played against her, and it wasn’t fair. I saw her in the finals of mixed doubles, playing man and woman against two [biological] men. The two men slaughtered the man and woman. “If you were a man and changed into a woman and started competing with women and kicking their ass, how can that make you feel good?” Sarah Gascon, a multisport star at Mary Star (2000) and Southwestern Louisiana and member of the U.S. volleyball and baseball teams, had a similar experience and is in the thick of the battle today as captain of the U.S. women’s national handball team. She heard about a team with a former rugby player, 6’4”, 220 pounds, who was transitioning to female but was not yet fully transitioned but identified as a woman. “I’m 5’8”, 150 pounds,” Gascon said. “[She] plays the same position. Who’s going to win that battle? At what point [are] we going to say it’s not okay?”
Gascon has been forced to confront the issue head on in the wake of receiving a petition from female athletes protesting transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. Some of her teammates have called it transphobic. “I’m explaining it to my teammates — it’s not about personal feelings, it’s what’s going to happen next. We need to stay focused on discussion rather than our own emotional perspective. “Some didn’t want to do that. It’s very difficult to argue with people when they have those opinions. It’s not a conversation. I made a presentation on it, based on not making it a personal discussion but making it an open discussion, on me as a female athlete. “As a Ph.D. in this field of kinesiology and medicine, having those perspectives gives me an advantage in the debates. I understand the medical journals, those medical journals with high-impact factors. Those with low impact, it’s hard to take them seriously. They can be very pro trans athletes. But it’s pretty simple. Biology hasn’t changed that much as far as you think, as far as male and female. Trans women have an advantage. The science is out there. No one wants to talk about it. “What about the women, not discriminating toward us, but it is.” Like many, Gascon understands that the inclusion of trans women would eliminate all of the hard-fought-for gains won with 1972’s Title IX, which put women’s sports on an equal footing with men’s sports. What’s the point
of having separate women’s sports if biological men are allowed to win all the titles and hold all the records? “Lots of people don’t agree with transgender athletes, a lot of oldschool athletes who played in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Gascon said. “I would be losing my mind if I was a [young] female athlete now. Where are the Title IX women?” Two who have spoken out against allowing biological males to compete with biological females are Martina Navratilova, a leading voice in the LGBQT+ movement, and Serena Williams, both of whom “understand it,” according to Gascon. Mainstream media attention, however, seems to center mostly on soccer star Megan Rapinoe, a vocal proponent of transgender athletes. But they never ask Rapinoe the key question, one Gascon was not afraid to ask. “One of my teammates, adamant that this petition was transphobic, I said to her, name a man on the men’s national team. If he decides to transition, you okay with that? You’re never making the national team again.” As athletic-oriented girls, Bezmalinovich and Gascon both grew up playing sports with boys, helping them develop into outstanding athletes and teaching them something else very basic but somehow overlooked in the transgender debate: Boys and girls are not the same. spt Steve Marconi can be reached at spmarconi@yahoo.com.
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MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 13
VOICES
A RETURN TO THE FARMERS MARKET by Lee Williams The San Pedro Farmers Market at Little Italy has fast become a weekly stop for many San Pedrans. The market pops up every Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Pepper Tree Plaza at the San Pedro City Hall. You can pick up your essential fruits and veggies from local small family farms, as well as a number of community farms here in San Pedro. This is more than a farmers market. It is quickly becoming a place to educate future generations by connecting kids to where real food comes from. For example, POLA High School has a program that teaches kids to grow food themselves, and the market provides a venue to sell what they grow. Feed and
Be Fed at the Garden Church on 6th Street does the same in terms of educating the community in urban farming and making healthy foods more accessible to all. Most people come by to pick up eggs, fresh greens, and in-season local produce. They are pleasantly surprised to find craft beer, baked goods, hot food, artisanal goods, local artists and crafters, and textiles. With over 20 vendors and growing, it’s nice to go down on my lunch hour to grab pupusas and tamales and then people watch, waiting for old friends to walk by. Trying to recognize folks behind masks is a fun game filled with hits and misses. Either way, it’s great to be out talking to people face to face from a safe distance. Many local businesses get their start at farmers markets because of the low cost of set up and the availability of foot traffic for folks to try new things.
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From craft beer to baked goods and from art pieces to t-shirts, there is always something new to discover at the market. Buying “just because” or “I was thinking of you” gifts for friends and family is a great way to send them a “hug” until we are able to actually hug again. Small local vendors provide those unique items you can’t find on Amazon. Many of these shops develop a following that allows these small family businesses to grow and expand. I see young folks learning about business and commerce at the side of family members. Keep an eye on these kids, because they will be the next shop owners, business leaders, and employers of the future. The market now accepts EBT, which allows folks access to good nutrition that they may not otherwise have. You can also order a “Farm Box” filled with eggs, oranges, strawberries, lettuce, kale, and carrots for $30. The eggs are from free-range chickens, the fruits and veggies are pesticide-free, and they all come from local family farms. You can order these online at venaver.org/farm-box. There are several local charities who distribute canned and non-perishable dry goods to folks in need. The market has created options for these organizations to add fresh food to their outreach by a number of methods. There are gift cards available for purchase that allow folks to shop at any booth in the market, and like I mentioned before, there are ready-made farm boxes. These can be delivered in San Pedro
for distribution with other supplies or as a pre-ordered package for people to come pick up on Fridays. The One San Pedro Collaborative has made urban farming an important component in the redevelopment of Rancho San Pedro. Residents will be able to connect with nature, see the fruits of their labor, and have the potential to participate in commerce at the farmers market. This is one of the best ways the market can fulfill the needs of our community while connecting folks to Mother Earth. There are a couple of groups here in San Pedro that will come pick from your fruit trees or harvest from your gardens. There are opportunities for these groups to participate at the market as well. Connecting local San Pedrans in need with those who have abundance is a fantastic way for us to provide fresh and healthy nutrition. Whether you are looking to support small local businesses, in search of pesticide-free, humanely grown fresh eggs and produce, or you want to take a break with me on a bench on a Friday, waiting for friends to pass by, the San Pedro Farmers Market at Little Italy is how we stay connected with the earth and each other. See you Friday. For more details, visit SanPedroChamber.com. spt Lee Williams is board chair of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce and leads The Williams Group at Keller Williams PV Realty. He can be reached at leewilliams@kw.com.
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MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 15
EAT IN SAN PEDRO
Cinco de Mayo is upon us, and I am looking forward to indulging in some Mexican food and margaritas. We have an abundance of Mexican restaurants in San Pedro to choose from, but not all serve cocktails. If you are looking for a place to grab some food and drinks, here are my suggestions. Piña’s Mexican Restaurant is the first place in town my San Pedro-raised husband took me for food and drinks when we were dating. Their carne asada plate has long been my top choice because their meat is very well seasoned. Another favorite is sopes, a soft and doughy version of tostada topped with a meat of your choice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cream cheese. The taxqueño beef is made with thin slices of meat, potatoes, and onions cooked in a unique spicy-with-a-hint-of-sweetness red sauce. Their jalapeño margarita is refreshing and my favorite for dine-in or takeout. Address: 1430 W. 25th St., open daily 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. At Puesta del Sol, I usually like to start with a guava or mango margarita. Sometimes I even have both! The nachos supreme lives up to its name (meaning they are great). The chips are large, which provide for extra surface for melted cheese, along with a generous amount of the usual toppings, and their unique touch is sliced black olives. The mini bean and cheese burritos with chicharrones are soft with a satisfying crunch from the pork rind. The molcajete is an impressive dish served sizzling hot in a mortar and pestle layered with salsa, grilled queso fresco cheese, fresh slices of tomatoes and avocados, and finished with shrimp. Thin slices of grilled beef, chicken, and nopales adorn the sides of the bowl. It’s currently off
Clockwise l to r: Kalaveras's guacamole with chicharrón, El Chupacabras, and margarita flight (dine-in); Green Onion's taco platter with double Cadillac margarita on the rocks (takeout); Puesta del Sol's molcajete (dine-in); and Piña’s Mexican Restaurant's steak taxqueño with jalapeño margarita (takeout). (photos: Sanam Lamborn)
CELEBRATING CINCO DE MAYO RIGHT by Sanam Lamborn their menu, but if you ask nicely, they’ll make it for you. The carne asada plate, a steak filet grilled to perfection, is by far my favorite in town. The steak is topped with pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole — cleverly arranged in the same sequence as the Mexican flag — a grilled jalapeño, and green onion. Spanish rice, beans, and tortillas are also served with most dishes. Visit puestadelsolsp.com for the latest hours of operation. My first experience at Green Onion was last Cinco de Mayo. The hype about the double Cadillac margaritas is true — they are huge, strong, and taste so good that in no time, you’ll let your hair down and let loose. I’ll be very sad when take-out cocktails come to an end. The fajitadilla is a tasty quesadilla that combines fajitas and perfectly melted cheese. The beef
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and chicken taco platter is great for dine-in or takeout. The platter features quintessential toppings and side dishes: lettuce, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, Spanish rice, and refried beans. Although the chicken is simplistic in taste, the beef is very flavorful. Additionally, their carnitas is a perfect combination of soft and crunchy. The pork in chile verde is subtle in flavor yet good. Please check their website for the latest hours of operation: greenonionmexicanrestaurant.com. Kalaveras is the newest addition to town that offers a different dining experience. I am new to exploring because I waited until dine-in was open again to try them out. Takeout works here, but I am of the opinion that going to the restaurant is a far better experience. The margarita options are innovative and exquisitely
presented. I quickly fell in love with the pepino con chile and piña con chile, chamoyada, and El Chupacabras. The guacamole is served with crispy chicharrones instead of chips. The barbacoa, served in a bright red bowl of broth, is cooked in a combination of earthy and peppery spices. It is served with a side of Spanish rice, beans, and tortillas. The tacos gobernador, stuffed with battered shrimp and topped with thin pickled onions and carrot shavings, are a modern twist that will leave you satisfied. Please check their website for the latest hours of operation: kalaveras.com/san-pedro. spt Sanam Lamborn created the Eat in San Pedro Facebook group and Instagram account in April 2020 to entice people to patronize San Pedro’s eateries.
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MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 17
HUB OF HOMETOWN
HOSPITALITY
The Dalmatian-American Club. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
THE DALMATIAN-AMERICAN CLUB TURNS 95
by Joshua Stecker
Its membership has included two members of Congress, two state assemblymen, two L.A. County supervisors, five L.A. Superior Court judges, an L.A. city attorney, three L.A. City Council members, and numerous South Bay city mayors, not to mention men and women from all walks of life, a variety of professions, and many ethnic backgrounds, not just Croatian. For nearly a century, the DalmatianAmerican Club of San Pedro has served as the town’s unofficial-official gathering spot. From its perch in a nondescript two-story building on a bluff overlooking the L.A. Harbor, the club has played host to everything from weddings and community events to visits from noted politicians and, of course, their legendary fish luncheons. “To many people in the community, when you walk through the doors of the Dalmatian-American Club, you feel like you’re walking into something that belongs to you,” says Rudy Svorinich, Jr., the club’s current president. “You don’t feel like a stranger when you walk into the club. You feel like you’re entering a second home.” Svorinich, Jr., 61, the former L.A. city councilman for CD15 (1993–2001), knows more than most about the club and its importance to San Pedro’s cultural and historical heritage. A member of the club since he was 18 years old, like many in town, he can follow his family’s roots through the club’s doors. 18 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
In 1934, as the United States was coming out of the Great Depression, the club’s members and their families raised $100,000 to purchase the lot and build a permanent clubhouse on the corner of 17th and South Palos Verdes streets. The clubhouse officially opened its doors on August 31, 1935. “Paul A. Marinkovich, a building committee member and a member of the board of directors in 1935, donated STAKING THEIR CLAIM $10,000 to help build the club,” explains “It was them staking their claim on Svorinich, Jr. “That amount would be the American dream, a place where almost $200,000 today. As the story they could proudly raise the flag of goes, Paul came home from a building their heritage and their new home,” says committee meeting in 1934 and told his Angela Romero, local historian and wife, Mary, that he wanted them to doSan Pedro Today contributor, about the nate $10,000 to help build the club. She club’s origins. told him that she thought that money On May 6, 1926, 25 men of Croatian was to buy their own house. He told her heritage, most of whom emigrated to that he would make more money to buy the United States and settled in the port the house, but the $10,000 was needed town due to the town’s bustling fishing for the new club now, ‘for our people.’ industry, formed the Jugoslav Club of She agreed. They donated the money, San Pedro (“Jugoslav with a J because the club was built, and they bought there is no Y in the Croatian language,” their house a few years later.” adds Svorinich, Jr.). The club was inThe president of the club and chaircorporated as a nonprofit social benefit man of the building committee at the corporation in 1927. time was Martin J. Bogdanovich, the “The purpose of the club then, and president of the French Sardine Comwhich continues to this day, was to pany that would later become StarKist. promote American patriotism, brotherly He famously passed away inside the and sisterly love, goodwill towards all club in 1944 from a heart attack suffriendly nations of our country, pride in fered during a special event promoting our ethnic heritage, and a general ‘good war bonds. He’s honored with a large neighbor quality’ towards our commuportrait in the upstairs dining room, nity at large,” says Svorinich, Jr. as well as a bust of his likeness in the “Three relationships in my family met at club events. My grandparents met at an event sponsored by the club, my mom and dad met at a dance at the club, and I met my wife, Deann, at a dance at the club,” he says, laughing. His father, Rudy Sr., served as club president for four years and was on the board of directors for more than five decades, a club record.
main lobby that’s flanked by the United States and the Croatian flags. In 1944, the club changed its name to the Yugoslav-American Club of San Pedro, with Yugoslav now spelled with a Y. “That was done to reflect a growing number of the founders’ descendants being born American citizens, as well as the founders themselves becoming naturalized American citizens,” explains Svorinich, Jr. By the time the 1950s rolled around, the club was operating on all cylinders. San Pedro was growing as a community, and club membership continued to rise. Since the clubhouse was one of the only large banquet halls in town at the time, it was consistently booked every weekend for weddings or other social events. HITTING ITS STRIDE The early 1960s was a time of immense change for the club. First was the launch of the now legendary bimonthly fish luncheon in January 1961, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. “There were 18 guests at the first one,” recalls Svorinich, Jr. “Those 18 guests were asked to come back two months later in March, and each of them was asked to bring a guest. Then those 36 guests were all asked to bring a guest. So, the collection grew and grew to its heyday in the late 1980s where more than 400 guests would attend.”
MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 19
The Dalmatian-American Club today (top to bottom): DAC Leadership: Rudy Svorinich, Jr., president, Emily Manestar, Women's Auxiliary president, Bill Brownell, 1st vice president; Club Facility Manager/Chief Bartender Juan Lumbreras and Banquet Manager/Administrative Assistant Renee Orefice; Chef Jose "Chuy" Navarro, Executive Chef Tony Pielin, and Chef David Pielin; Youth Legacy Club and serving staff: (standing) Xavier Martinez, Tanner Carcamo, Jeremy Gurrola, Noe Lopez (vice president), (seated) Maria Cabanillas, Danielle Svorinich (president), and Rachel Lobo. (photos: Danielle Svorinich, Dalmatian-American Club)
Today, the lunch draws about 150 to 225 guests regularly during a non-pandemic year. The club is looking forward to bringing back the luncheon — which always includes platters of swordfish, mostaccioli, green beans, and potatoes, served family-style — this summer as COVID restrictions are lifted. In 1962, the club’s Women’s Auxiliary was formed, followed by a management and menu upgrade with the hiring of a young Croatian couple from Wisconsin, Ivo and Radmila Lusic. “The club has always been known as San Pedro’s hub of hometown hospitality, but we became famous in regard to our cuisine through Ivo being our club manager and Radmila as our chief cook,” says Svorinich, Jr. “They brought their wonderful cooking and hospitality to greater community awareness, which was followed after their passing by their three sons, Mike, Nick, and George.” Radmila’s Croatian recipes for dishes like mostaccioli, sauerkraut, fried chicken, and roast beef were a hit with both club members and the San Pedro community at large. Under Ivo’s management, the club became one of the South Bay’s most popular social gathering spots and event spaces. By all accounts, the DalmatianAmerican Club’s heyday was in the 1970s and ’80s. Membership was at its peak (reaching more than 800), San Pedro’s teenage clubs were hosting dances nearly every weekend, and the bimonthly fish luncheon was now becoming the must-have ticket in town, as notable politicians, athletes, and celebrities began attending. In the mid-1970s, the club established its Academic Scholarship Awards Program. The program has funded tens of thousands of dollars of scholarships to local students entering college through the years. According to Svorinich, Jr., even last year during the pandemic, club members and community partners donated more than $6,000 in scholarship money to six deserving students. When the elder Lusics decided to retire in the early 1980s, their sons took over the club and kitchen management. “When my mom and dad retired around 1980, me and my brothers, Nick and Mike, took over the club,” says George Lusic, 67, a current longshoreman. “It was a great experience for my family and me. We had good people working for us. The club would be a mess after a wedding or party on a weekend, and by Monday morning, you wouldn’t even know anyone was there.” (Full disclosure: George Lusic is my 20 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
uncle by marriage.) The club has always been a family affair stretching multiple generations. Various relatives of management and membership have worked in the club at one point or another. Many of them share the same horror stories of carrying large platters of mostaccioli up and down flights of banquet stairs. “During the membership dinners, my dad would hire the members’ daughters as servers,” remembers Lusic. In the mid-1980s, the United States and, at the time, the Yugoslav water polo teams visited the club for a memorable dinner prior to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. “The club has always had an affiliation with sports, just like San Pedro,” adds Svorinich, Jr. “Tommy Lasorda was a guest on many occasions.” BECOMING DALMATIAN The boon of the 1980s soon came to a crashing halt when war in the former Yugoslavia broke out in the early 1990s, leading to the breakup of the Yugoslav federation and Croatia declaring its independence. Tensions were running high in San Pedro’s Croatian community during this time, and a number of young Croatians took issue with the club’s name, which was still then officially called the Yugoslav-American Club but was more commonly referred to by locals for decades as “Slav Hall.” Protestors disagreed with the use of the word Yugoslav (and the term “Slav” in general) and demanded a change, which they received in 1992 when the club officially changed its name to the Dalmatian-American Club of San Pedro. “The club changed its name because of changing world circumstances due to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia,” explains Svorinich, Jr. “One of the nuances is the club was never named after the country. It was named after the people. So ‘Yugoslav’ means ‘South Slav.’ We were never the Yugoslavia Club. We were the Yugoslav or South Slav club. So, when the country broke up in the early 1990s, and since the name Croatian American Club had already been taken 30 years prior by our sister club [on 9th Street], our members thought that honoring the place where our founders hailed, which was Dalmatia, was an appropriate name to name the club.” The Lusic family ended their 40-year tenure with the club in the early 2000s, and new leadership eventually took over. A complete remodel of the lobby
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MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 21
Opening Day, August 31, 1935: The first Grand March to open the Grand Ballroom floor. At far left is club President Martin J. Bogdanovich escorting opening day Queen Katie Kordich. (Left) Bust of Martin J. Bogdanovich in the club's lobby, a founding member, chairman of the club's building committee, and president (1934-44). (photos: Dalmatian-American Club)
and a repainting of the exterior soon followed. In September 2010, the club held one of its most important dinners to date when it played host to a visit from Ivo Josipovic, president of the Republic of Croatia. It was the first visit of a Croatian head-of-state to San Pedro. “One thing that was of note that night, President Josipovic took a photograph with everyone who wanted to take a picture with him prior to his departure. Every single person,” recalls Svorinich, Jr. THE COVID CHALLENGE Of all the challenges the club has faced over its nine decades, it was the current COVID-19 pandemic that almost did them in. As a public gathering space and event facility, the club was forced to cancel all future bookings and close down in March 2020 as the pandemic gripped the nation. “We were in danger of closing permanently,” says Svorinich, Jr., who’s in his 16th year as club president (19881991, 2010-present). “By May 2020, we were in rather dire financial circumstances. We had decimated all of our checking and savings accounts, and we only had a few thousand dollars left.” Their board of directors immediately began a fundraising drive for a Wall of 22 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
Honor in the main lobby, soliciting contributions of $250 to $1,500 to purchase commemorative wall plaques. The club raised more than $112,000 in just three months. “In 1935, the members and their families donated $100,000 to build [the club]. Then, 85 years later, the members, their families, and our community friends donated more than $100,000 to save it. Pretty amazing,” says Svorinich, Jr. The club also began selling weekly dinners for pickup. The dinners, which vary week-to-week, are prepared by Chef Jose “Chuy” Navarro, Executive Chef Tony Pielin, and Chef David Pielin, who all joined the club from the San Pedro Elks Lodge in 2014 after an arsonist destroyed the lodge. Customers can place orders online at dalmatianamericanclub.com. “We’ve served more than 6,000 meals, and our dinners to-go average 225 guests per week,” reveals Svorinich, Jr. “Sometimes, like when we have our Traditional Slav Dinner, we get 400 guests.” NEXT GENERATION The future of the Dalmatian-American Club looks much better today than a year ago. Fundraising and to-go meals have kept the club solvent, even though
they recently had to furlough two staff members. With COVID restrictions easing up and indoor gatherings becoming a reality again, the road to hosting large public events, especially their highly anticipated fish luncheons, is becoming shorter as the weeks go by. As San Pedro’s demographics continue to evolve and more young families are leaving town for less expensive communities, there’s a worry clubs like the Dalmatian-American Club may lose their relevance. According to Svorinich, Jr., the club currently has 425 members, down 50 percent from their peak in the ’80s, but still strong. To combat that possibility, a group of a dozen college-aged youth made up of children and grandchildren of members recently formed the club’s first Dalmatian-American Legacy Club for young people ages 21-30. Launched in February, the youth club aims to bring the club back to its peak use in the 1970s and ’80s by raising money to modernize the patio area to make it more attractive to a younger generation of members. “From the 1950s to the ’70s, the club was known for dances that were held almost every weekend by the various clubs in town, and they want to resurrect that legacy,” says Svorinich, Jr., whose daughter, Danielle, is the Legacy Club president. “That goes back to our
heyday of when the club was the social hot spot in town.” There are very few institutions left in San Pedro that connect generations. Where the youth of today can revel in the same spot their grandparents, or even great-grandparents, did decades before. Tradition is important here, and the Dalmatian-American Club carries with it a legacy of memories. “The building is the legacy of the club. They were immigrants with nothing in this land. They edified their culture in that building and became Americans. It is the symbol of their duality,” says Romero. “There are a few institutions like us in town, but they are starting to be few and far between,” says Svorinich, Jr. “I really think San Pedro without the Dalmatian-American Club ever existing would have been less of a community. I think we symbolize what community is all about. We symbolize what family is all about. We symbolize what good friendships are all about. I think I could go as far as to say that we’re part of the glue that holds San Pedro together.” spt For more information on the Dalmatian-American Club, visit dalmatianamericanclub.com.
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HISTORY to the high school teams. Mary was an assistant editor for the school paper, the Fore ‘N’ Aft, but did most of her sports reporting for the News-Pilot. When she felt like the tennis team wasn’t getting enough coverage, she wrote to the sports editor and offered to write a column for free. No matter the distance, armed with a camera and notepad, Mary rode her bike to all of the tennis matches. One famous story included the tennis team spotting Mary riding her bike out to their match in Santa Monica and picking her up (this was before Redress movement. Her work within housing afforded to veterans. Yuri freeways). the revolutionary Black movement called Harlem her “university without Besides publicity, Mary offered the prepared her to take a principal role, bewalls” because living there provided coming both a mentor and a passionate athletes an unlimited supply of supher an invaluable education on racism, especially the oppression and discrimi- speaker. She became someone younger port and school spirit. Her infectious nation faced by African Americans. As activists in the greater Asian American enthusiasm made people pay attention movement could look to for inspiration and earned her the admiration of the Harlem grew into the epicenter of the athletes and coaches and a seat on the radical Black movement, Yuri began to and guidance. President George H.W. bench at every game. Mary would carry Bush signed an official apology to the change right alongside it. Her involveher love for San Pedro athletics with incarcerated Japanese Americans in ment started with civil rights marches 1990, and all living internees were paid her wherever she went. She reported on and protests. Eventually, she put her softball games inside the Santa Anita writing and natural networking skills to $20,000 in reparations for the governprocessing center during the war. She ment’s violation of use until she became kept tabs on local teams from Harlem. their civil rights. an integral part of the Every time she saw Willie Naulls play Although she had movement. for the Knicks, she made sure everyone been part of protests Of all the radical in Madison Square Garden knew he and marches, was movement leaders that was from San Pedro. under surveillance by Yuri met and worked This font of unlimited spirit was the the FBI for her connecwith, Malcolm X had girl that San Pedro adored. She was tion to radical Black the most significant activism, had occupied celebrated nearly every time she came impact on her. She home. Once, an impromptu reunion the Statue of Liberty, admired his service, happened when 200 people bought and had been part of courage, search for tickets to lunch with her on the Princess a successful redress truth, and the direcLouise. In Mary’s case, you could go movement, the name tion he provided for home again; you just had to leave your Yuri Kochiyama only his people. It was Yuri Kochiyama was born Mary controversial politics at the door. For appeared in the San Malcolm’s ideology Yuriko Nakahara in San Pedro. Pedro News-Pilot once, several years, Mary produced a holiday that Yuri would use as This is her San Pedro High School newsletter that told about her life in in her older brother a standard to measure photo from Summer 1939. (photo: New York. As she began to get more Art’s obituary. As against all others and San Pedro High School S’39 yearbook) political, the content was uncomfortable far as San Pedro was ultimately convince concerned, she was still for many of her friends in San Pedro, so her to support Black she ended it. their beloved Mary. nationalism. In 1969, at the age of 48, There isn’t much difference between Mary Nakahara had a very typical Yuri joined the Republic of New Africa San Pedro’s Mary and Harlem’s Yuri. and adopted her Japanese middle name Pedro pedigree. She attended Fifteenth Whatever you called her and however Street School, Dana Junior High, and instead of her American first name, you saw her, she was always motivated San Pedro High with her twin brother Mary. As a revolutionary nationalist, by love and what she felt was the right Yuri opposed imperialism. She believed Peter. Although they were Japanese, thing to do. The stakes were just higher the Nakahara family lived at 11th and that freedom fighters were justified in outside of San Pedro. defending their country from imperial- Meyler streets, outside of the typical To learn more about the life and redlined area that most minorities were ism by any means necessary. This led to her defense of controversial political relegated to in San Pedro. Mary was an politics of Yuri Kochiyama, please join us on May 19 at 7 p.m. for a Heritage extremely popular student at the high prisoners, including Puerto Rican naat Home presentation. To attend, please school, so much so that she became a tionalists who had assaulted Congress email angela@sanpedroheritage.org. legend in her own time. Not only was in 1954, wounding four. In 1977, Yuri spt Mary the first girl in school history to took part in occupying the Statue of be elected student body vice president, Liberty to protest their imprisonment Angela Romero is the president and pressure the government to release but she was also the first girl to ever receive a boys’ varsity letter. The latter of the San Pedro Heritage them. Museum. She can be reached at was due to her fanatical dedication to As one of the tens of thousands of angela@sanpedroheritage.org. high school sports. Japanese Americans incarcerated by Mary was an unabashed sports nut. the U.S. Government during World Los Angeles didn’t have any profession- For more info, visit War II, Yuri became one of the leadsanpedroheritage.org. al sports teams, so she devoted herself ing voices in the Japanese American
HOMETOWN REVOLUTIONARY REMEMBERING HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST, YURI KOCHIYAMA, ON HER CENTENNIAL by Angela Romero
“People like to create their own image of Yuri, one that matches their own politics and comfort zone.” - Diane C. Fujino, author of Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama. This month, we celebrate the centennial of a woman who is remembered in very different ways depending on where you’re standing — in San Pedro, her beloved hometown, or Harlem, her “university without walls.” For this occasion, let’s transcend political comfort and blend the images of San Pedro’s Mary and Harlem’s Yuri to give you a fuller picture of who Yuri Kochiyama was. Yuri Kochiyama was born Mary Yuriko Nakahara in San Pedro on May 19, 1921, a birthday she shares with Malcolm X, the radical civil rights activist who would shape her political ideology in adulthood. At her core, Yuri Kochiyama loved people and believed in justice. She had a sharp mind with a savant-like memory for names and details, her heart was big enough to hold humanity at its center, and her hands were always busy in service to her ideals. An infectious enthusiasm radiated from her, and everyone caught in its path willfully surrendered to its demands. She was popular, inclusive, and hospitable to a fault. For all of this, Yuri Kochiyama was a radical. Yuri’s politics made her a revolutionary. She was one of the only Asians in the radical Black movement in Harlem during the 1960s and ‘70s. She was a Black nationalist who believed in selfdetermination (liberation through Black nationhood) and self-defense (which included gun training). After World War II, Yuri moved to Harlem with her husband Bill Kochiyama to start a family. Racism against Japanese Americans still limited employment opportunities, so the Kochiyamas relied on public 24 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
SPORTS
Clockwise from top: Senior Pierce D’Ambrosi runs the ball; MSHS logo midfield; MS cheerleaders follow COVID safety protocols; the Stars and Wolverines line up; Junior Giovanni Boccanfuso scores Mary Star's only points in the game.
26 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
FOOTBALL RETURNS TO MARY STAR
HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES FIRST ON-CAMPUS VARSITY GAME by Joshua Stecker | photos by John Mattera Photography On Friday, April 16, Mary Star High School played its firstever on-campus varsity football game on its brand-new field. The field, which features an incredible panoramic backdrop that stretches from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the Palos Verdes hill, was ready just in time for the Stars to close out their shortened pandemic-related season against Harvard-Westlake. According to a parent volunteer,
the field was originally laid out during the early phases of the Ponte Vista development but was only being used for soccer. Last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic shifted education off campus, school officials decided to begin work on building the on-campus football field, giving students something to look forward to as the school reopens for in-person learning. With the help of parent volunteers, the school manicured the grass,
installed the uprights and scoreboard, set up the bleachers, and painted the field, which includes a crisp Mary Star High School logo at midfield. The opening of the field is a big win for San Pedro’s preeminent Catholic high school, even though the Stars lost the game 7-35. While the field is currently useable, it’s still vastly unfinished. A fundraising effort will be needed to complete work on the field, which still needs a new light-
ing system, permanent bleachers, bathrooms, and some infrastructure improvements, like walkways. For those interested in donating to Mary Star High School’s football field completion, contact the school at (310) 547-1138 or info@marystarhigh.com. spt
MAY 2021 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 27
FITNESS
I SUCK, THEREFORE I AM by Ricky Magana
The other day, an athlete at our gym got her first strict pull-up. This, in and of itself, was a huge accomplishment. Then, after having never done one in her life, she proceeded to link three in a row. The following week, she did another 20. Then a few days later, she did 39 in one workout. That’s over 60 pullups completed in a little over a week. I’m talking military-grade G.I. Jane pull-ups too. Strict chin-over-bar, full lockout, which she may not realize is an extremely rare ability. Only a tiny percentage of people, let alone females, are ever able to do one. As a mother in her 40s who’s been working out for quite a while, she said she’d always wanted to attain such a feat of strength but was gradually arriving at the fact that it probably wasn’t going to happen. And honestly, she’d have every reason to drop the matter, and no one would blame her. You’re a busy mom with a career. Who has the time? Nobody gets stronger in their 40s than they were in their 20s, right? Nevertheless, she persisted. And after years of effort and lots of “almost-but-not-quite,” she did it. Why? One reason. Because she was willing to be bad at them long enough to get good at them. This got me thinking about what a gift it is to suck at something. To be truly bad at a given task but having the “stick-to-it-iveness” to watch yourself become highly skilled by sheer force of will. A great robbery we have all laid victim to is the idea that if you aren’t immediately good at something, you’re not supposed to do it. That everything must feel “right” or easy in order for you to pursue it. How many times have you said, “Oh, I’m just never going to get/become x because I’m not talented/ not good at it/have bad genetics,” etc. We tell ourselves we’re bad at math, or 28 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2021
we’re not artistic or musical, or have a slow metabolism when, if we’re being honest, we haven’t really tested that assumption. We probably just inherited someone else’s limiting beliefs. But if you’re pursuing worthwhile goals expecting to immediately enter some effortless flow state, you’ve been sold on a lie. The pursuit of growth isn’t like that at all. It is often the exact opposite: hard, awkward, and uncomfortable. It doesn’t feel right. It feels terrible because, in the beginning, you suck. This is a great discovery on the road to fitness. The first workout back after months, years, or decades is the worst. Nothing about it feels right. Your joints creak, your lungs burn, and muscles are awash in lactic acid. The following days, you can hardly walk and can’t believe how little it took to get you that sore. The few that go again find that the second workout sucks only a little less. Your sea legs have adjusted, and it doesn’t feel quite as uncomfortable. This process of sucking continues. Every day, you suck a little less until one day, you realize you know what you’re doing, and the reflection in the mirror shows it. You realize that the initial pain you felt wasn’t from the new path you were taking but from the old inferior parts of you dying off. We are all tempted to avoid discomfort, and nothing causes more discomfort than change, especially the needed changes we try our best to ignore. In the lifting world, you’ll often hear people say, “Embrace the suck,” because you know when it starts to suck, you’re reaching the boundaries of your comfort zone, and just beyond is the man or woman you could be. So if it’s been a while since you’ve allowed yourself to suck at something, maybe it’s time to splash some cold water on your face and get after it. spt Ricky Magana is co-owner of Heyday Elite Fitness. For more info, visit heydaytraining.com.
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MENTAL HEALTH
MOTHERHOOD, THE DIVINE ASCENSION by Sophie Schoenfeld, MFT
When writing this piece, at first, I thought to myself, “Piece of cake! I’m a mother, after all!” Then I sat in front of my laptop and stared at the blank screen. I stared and stared, and nothing came. To my great surprise, I struggled, as a mother, as a psychotherapist, as a woman. What hasn’t been said about motherhood? What could I possibly say that is in any form novel? It’s hard, it’s miraculous, it’s everything. Once again, I got to thinking about the essence of motherhood inside our female frames. How hard it was to remember what I was before I was a mother, how far away that person felt from me, so far that I could hardly relate to her. Did I miss her? I missed her, but only as a mother would miss a child. I felt empathy for my child self because until I became a mother, I was a child, even if I felt big and all grown up. I was a child because all I was, was a child to my mother. Bishop Berkeley argued that unless things were observed by another, they didn’t exist, and since the world was perpetually observed by God, we continued to exist in God’s mind. So was my existence then defined by my mother, like that of a deity? She that brought me here and claimed me as her child, and I would
continue to be her child until I took her place and claimed another as my own? This chain of transition from child to motherhood is literally a chain of human history as we know it. It is motherhood that guarantees our existence. We are the gatekeepers of mankind. Is that grand enough? I think so. Psychologists write about stages of human development lumping both genders into one, yet women, unlike men, go through the most monumental psychological, hormonal, physiological, and neurological transition through motherhood, which men never experience. How is it then conceivable for this development to run parallel to the opposite gender? Object relational psychoanalysts like D. Winnicott wrote about “primary maternal preoccupation” and framed this transition as some sort of a temporary flight into psychosis. He theorized that this temporary transition was a psychological necessity to ensure a mother’s attachment and intuition toward the baby. The truth, however, which Winnicott as a man could not possibly know, is that motherhood doesn’t change us temporarily; it changes us permanently. That motherhood is not simply a process of birthing and raising another, but it is also a process of birthing and raising of the self. Hence, here is my novel, or not-sonovel, idea: Female stages of psychological development are different than
(photo: Flora Westbrook/Pexels.com)
those of men. The transition from non-mother to mother entails such an intrinsic transformation, that essentially, a woman, like a snake, sheds her skin completely and is rebirthed along with her firstborn. Females, prior to motherhood, just like males, are ego-focused. We concentrate on expanding our personal talents and traits. We are engaged in acquiring concrete academic knowledge from the world at large and promoting ourselves and our individual institutions. However, when a woman becomes a mother, from the beginning of her pregnancy until the day she dies, she begins a whole other kind of life journey, which, as Dr. Winnicott so astutely points out, entails a process of relinquishing control. We relinquish control over our bodies, our freedom, our individualistic pursuits. We, as mothers, must give in to the natural process and become one with it. Here begins a new kind of education, that of intuition, gut feeling, sort of a sixth sense type of knowledge. We expand our consciousness beyond a singular institution of self, and our children become an in-
separable part of us. Hence, we ascend from a single ego to a multi ego state of being. Every attuned mother knows the cry of her baby, can tell her child’s disposition instantly without words, and every mother knows that the moment her child exists, her “I” becomes a “we.” It is through the acquisition of such intuitive, natural attunement and love that a woman becomes aware of herself and her world in a new way. Hence, in the biblical metaphor of Adam and Eve, she shares this new knowledge with her partner, thus crowning him as the father and the protector of their children and that of the human realm. In shedding the singular ego, a mother can essentially tap into an infinite source of love within her, thus transcending into the divine power of the creator. In other words, motherhood is the most natural path to potential spiritual transcendence into divinity and, therefore, the most powerful connection of men to nature. spt Sophie Schoenfeld, MFT is a local marriage and family therapist. For more info, visit sophiemft.com.
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HOME RENOVATION COSTS IN 2021 by Mike Harper & Peter Hazdovac It’s no secret that residential home sales skyrocketed just months after COVID-19 hit in March of 2020. The pandemic changed our everyday lifestyles, and with people working mainly from home, it had an interesting impact on consumer purchasing and remodeling patterns. We shared our opinions and observations on how the pandemic impacted our local real estate market in several past columns. In this column, we touch on home improvement and the cost of renovating a home. With continued robust housing demand in 2021, consumer renovation projects remain in high gear. Whether a homeowner is renovating after living in a home for a while, completing cosmetic improvements before selling, or remodeling just after purchasing a new home, it’s clear construction costs and the demand for contractors to get projects completed is on the rise. If you’ve tried to contact a contractor recently and have not received a returned phone call for days or been told they can’t get to your project for a month or two, you’re not alone. We caught up with Anthony Dileva, owner of Dileva Construction, a reputable and knowledgeable contractor in our area. Dileva shared these tips for homeowners considering a remodel. “Homeowners are shocked when they see the cost of the material. I now recommend that clients walk through Home Depot so they can document pricing to see how material costs have escalated over the last six to twelve months. A basic sheet of plywood or 2 x 4 has tripled in price, and that’s only one example. Contractors are busier than ever, so my best advice to homeowners is to have all finishes picked out in advance. Having materials/finishes ordered and delivered in advance will allow crews to work consistently and stay on schedule with completion timelines.” Based on our knowledge, past experiences, and online research, you can expect to pay $100-$400/sf for a full home renovation. Material costs (i.e.,
lumber, copper, etc.) have increased mainly due to decreased production during the pandemic, and labor has gone up significantly due to higher demand. The following is a general guide for cost expectations in our area (Los Angeles County) for remodeling different areas of your home: KITCHEN: A homeowner can expect to pay, on average, approximately $25,000 for a kitchen remodel with a minimum of $10,000 for a simple kitchen facelift and up to $60,000 or more for high-end finishes or larger projects. Cabinetry, appliances, and labor make up a large portion of costs. BATHROOM: On average, the cost of a bathroom remodel will come in at $10,000 with a range from $5,000 to $25,000 or more. Vanity and shower build-out costs can account for a large percentage of costs. LIVING & BEDROOMS: These will run an average of $4,000, with a low end of $2,000 and up to $8,000 or more depending on the improvements. Flooring, paint, closets, and cabinetry make up the majority of costs. HOME EXTERIOR: Painting the exterior of your home can, on average, range from $5,000 to $15,000. Landscaping will cost $2,000 to $6,000 (approximately), and a new roof can cost, on average, $9,000 (basic composition) and up to $30,000 or more for tile. NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION: If you’re building a new home, the cost will vary significantly based on size, location, and materials used. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to pay $200 to $425/sf with an average overall cost of $350,000 to $1.5M or higher. Estimating costs can be difficult, so it’s wise to add 20 percent on top of your overall budget to account for the unforeseen. You may also incur costs for city permits, architectural design, engineering, soil reports, etc. Costs and quality vary from contractor to contractor, so we recommend obtaining two to three like estimates for any project you are considering. spt Mike Harper and Peter Hazdovac are both licensed Realtors® with Keller Williams Realty. For more info, visit harperhazdovac.com.
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THE BACK PAGE
All hands were on deck during World War II. Many local women served as junior hostesses for the USO. This photo, circa 1940s, shows a meeting at the old Army-Navy YMCA building, which was more recently known as the Harbor View House. (photo: San Pedro Bay Historical Society)
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