OCTOBER 2015
SIRENS JAVA & TEA OPENS IN DOWNTOWN | 2015 PREP VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW | OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!
ESPN reporter, Shelley Smith, shares her ordeal battling breast cancer, in her own words
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It felt like a tornado hit San Pedro last month. Not literally, of course, though the mess we're seeing on our streets caused by our current homeless problem may have you think otherwise. What I mean is there are so many pressing issues affecting our town that it can make your head spin. It's getting tougher and tougher to keep up with everything these days. In September alone we had the Homeless Forum, which filled the Warner Grand Theatre to near capacity and brought even more awareness to our homeless situation; Pacific Avenue's "road diet" expansion (also known as "more bike lanes"); the controversy over the tiny houses issue, which now includes Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council board members and leadership coming under fire for allegedly violating their own bylaws by unanimously supporting them and disregarding the overwhelming public and city denunciation of their use; and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's visit to the U.S.S. Iowa, which included a few hundred protestors lining Harbor Boulevard and almost as many cameras focused on our little Port Town. And those were just the highlights. The homeless issue has really galvanized our community, more so than I've seen in at least a decade, not since those ugly public meetings about waterfront development back in 2005. The Homeless Forum was a prime example of how important an issue this has become. World famous entertainment acts can't even fill the Warner Grand sometimes, but get an issue that San Pedrans are passionate about and we come out in droves. There were people who haven't stepped foot in downtown in years at the forum. The theatre was near capacity that evening. It was an incredible sight. If there's one silver lining about the attention our homeless problem has attracted, it's the passion that this one issue has elicited is inspiring more people to get involved with our community issues. I continue to talk to people and see comments on the magazine's Facebook page that ask how people can get more involved. Fortunately, if you can sacrifice very little of your time once a month, it's not that hard. In my opinion, the easiest way to get involved is to attend one (or all) of our neighborhood council meetings. (There are a number of other monthly public meetings on various issues, but this is a good start.) San Pedro is divided into three neighborhood council districts: Central, Northwest and Coastal. Each council, by and large, deals with issues that directly affect their jurisdiction. When a bigger issue, such as waterfront redevelopment or the Paseo del Mar landslide or now the homeless issue, is in play, each council likes to get their two-cents in and express their opinions on what should be done. The councils are strictly an advisory committee, they do not create policy, but City of Los Angeles officials and representatives from other government entities, including the Port of Los Angeles, take those opinions seriously. This system, for the most part, works. Each council has a meeting once a month that's open to the public, which includes time allotted for public comment, where residents can bring up any issue they prefer. I've been at meetings where the public comment portion can become a truly insane (and sometimes hilarious) thing to witness, but most of the time serious issues are brought up that demand attention, and this is one of the many reasons why these councils exist. It's one thing to be a keyboard warrior and vent your frustrations on social media, but if you really want to be heard, it's good to go to a meeting, get in front of council board members to state your issue, and talk with other civic-minded people in the community. The neighborhood council meeting schedule is as follows: • Central (CeSPNC) meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Port of Los Angeles High School (250 W. 5th Street) – www.sanpedrocity.org. • Northwest (NWSPNC) meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Peck Park Community Building (560 N. Western Ave.) – www.nwsanpedro.org. • Coastal (CSPNC) meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at the Cabrillo Marina Community Building (Cabrillo Plaza, Berth 28, via Cabrillo Marina Way) – www.cspnc. org. Visit their websites, mark the important meeting dates on your calendars and try and make a point to come to at least one meeting by the end of the year. The members of each council's board of directors steer opinion and influence policies that directly affect our every day lives. With so much going on, it's important to have a populace educated and informed on the issues we as San Pedrans face on a daily basis. An educated public is the key to a successful community, and we need San Pedrans to rise up and be a part of the solution now more than ever. spt Joshua Stecker is publisher/editor-in-chief of San Pedro Today. He can be reached at contact@sanpedrotoday.com.
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OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 5
386-388 W. 11th St., San Pedro
This San Pedro 1961, LAR2 updated duplex offers two good sized units with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 separate detached garages. The two units are good sized for the price with 1,961 sq. ft. living space and a 5,005 sq. ft. lot. Close proximity to the Ports O’ Call, shopping, schools, Cabrillo Marina, restaurants and hotels. Sellers are motivated. Don’t’ let this opportunity slip by you! Live in Maggie Fierro-De Alba one unit and collect rent from the other! Residential & Commercial Real Estate Asking: $435,000
OCTOBER 2015
DEPARTMENTS LETTER FROM THE EDITOR EVENTS
4 8
VOICES MARCONI PIROZZI BRADY LANSING RALLO COUNCILMAN BUSCAINO HEALTH & WELLNESS HEYDAY FITNESS
10 12 14 16 18 20 36 37
FEATURES EVENT: SAN PEDRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL The 4th annual SPIFF returns to Downtown San Pedro Oct. 9-11
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COVER STORY: LIVING PROOF ESPN reporter, Shelley Smith, shares her ordeal battling breast cancer, in her own words WHERE COFFEE & TEA MEET THE SEA Sirens Java and Tea opens in Downtown San Pedro this month
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WHO HAS THE KIDS? San Pedro couple develops mobile family management app
30
2015 SAN PEDRO PREP VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW San Pedro's duo of Bentovoja & Corallo, Mary Star's Andrie & POLA's Trivison all aim for promising seasons for their schools
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WEDDING: THE LAW OF LOVE David and Taleen Bozanich - September 13, 2014
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6 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2015
ON THE COVER: ESPN's Shelley Smith photographed at San Pedro High School on September 12, 2015 (photo: John Mattera)
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joshua J. Stecker
ADVERTISING: General Inquiries: ads@sanpedrotoday.com
ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION Joseph A. Casta単eda
Patricia Roberts - San Pedro (562) 964-8166 | patricia@sanpedrotoday.com
AT-LARGE CONTRIBUTORS Caroline Brady, Joe Buscaino, Lori Garrett, Brooke Karli, Mike Lansing, Roseanney Liu, Ricky Magana, Steve Marconi, Anthony Pirozzi, Joanne Rallo, Monica Simpson, Jamaal K. Street
Shana Ghekiere - San Pedro (and outer regions) (310) 753-5176 | shana@sanpedrotoday.com
PHOTOGRAPHER John Mattera Photography Nicole Galasso CONTACT INFO: PHONE: (424) 224-9063 EMAIL: contact@sanpedrotoday.com San Pedro Today P.O. Box 1168, San Pedro, CA 90733
VOLUME 7 | NUMBER 9
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 2009-2015, Empire22 Media LLC.
A very special screening of
A Ballerina's Tale Oct 11th, 5 p.m. Warner Grand Theatre Limited seating, only 250 tickets available
www.SPIFFest.org and join our Newsletter
OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2015 www.SPIFFest.org
OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 7
Join our mailing list to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale!
OCTOBER Tour the historic PT. FERMIN LIGHTHOUSE, built in 1874 to light the entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor, located in the Pt. Fermin Park (807 Paseo del Mar). Guided tours offered 1-3p Tues thru Sun. Closed Mon and major holidays. Admission is free; donations accepted.
Pedro. $4 advance tickets available at www.WGT.Tix.com welcome. $15 per family. Reservations required: call 310or $6 (cash only) at the door. 241-0612.
4 (Sun) - ST. PETER’S PET BLESSING at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (1648 W. 9th St.) 4p. We love our pets! Come take this opportunity to thank God for these amazing Every Wed – CHILDREN’S WRITING CLASSES at gifts in our lives and receive a blessing for them and you. All the Corner Store (1118 37th St). Seven Golden Secrets of well-behaved pets welcome. Writing with Diana Chapman, Wed 4:30-5:45p. For info, call (310) 626-7906. Please call ahead to reserve space. 4 (Sun) - GLOBAL GIFTING FAIR at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro (731 S. Averill Ave.) 11a-1p. Free lunch Every Thurs (except holidays) – ADULT WRITING GROUP with activities for children including a FunZone & Petting in Library room of St. Peter's Episcopal Church (1648 W. 9th Zoo. Vendors include the UN Global Gift Store, Third World St.). 1-3p. All welcome! For more info, call (310) 831-2186. Hand Arts, and Bake Sale. Every Thurs - WEIGHT LOSS SUPPORT GROUP (TOPS TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY) at Peck Park Community Center, Classroom A (560 N. Western Ave.) 9:45-11a. Adults only. For more info, call (310) 547-1098. Every Fri – SAN PEDRO FARMERS MARKET (6th St. between Pacific and Mesa Streets) 9a-2p. Every Sat – LAFD HARBOR MUSEUM (639 Harbor Blvd) 10a-3p. Experience San Pedro and Wilmington's Fire Protection and Rescue service history with vintage fire apparatus and various displays. The museum is located in Old Fire Station 36 in the San Pedro City Hall. Admission is free, donations are accepted. Every Sun – Tour the MULLER HOUSE MUSEUM (1542 Beacon St.) 1-4p. Built in 1899, the Muller House is the headquarters of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society. Admission is free, but a donation of $3 is encouraged.
24 (Sat) - SAN PEDRO HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1995 20th REUNION aboard the U.S.S. IOWA (Berth 87). 3p-10p. Every ticket holder will have access to tour the ship, enjoy tasty food and dance all in one location. For ticket pricing and more info, contact John M. Mavar, Class President at (424) 703-5628. 24 (Sat) - AUTHORS DAY AND BOOK FAIR at San Pedro Regional Library (931 S. Gaffey St.) in the community room. 2p. The San Pedro poets and writers are coordinating poetry readings and book presentations by local authors. Don’t miss out! All are welcome to this free event.
10 (Sat) – CORNER STORE FARMERS MARKET at The Corner Store (1118 W. 37th St.) 10a-12p. Open every second 25 (Sun) - HENRY IV PT. 1 at Little Fish Theatre (777 S Saturday of the month. Grab some coffee and homegrown Centre St.) 8p. Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 reflects on the produce and don’t forget to bring your reusable bags! consequences of actions, the role of princes and the realities of possessing power in what is considered one of his most 10 (Sat) - SOUTH SHORES SAN PEDRO COMMUNITY popular history plays. For other show times and tickets, visit YARD SALE will be held above and below 25th Street from www.littlefishtheatre.org. Western Avenue to Rancho Palos Verdes. 8a-12p. Follow the neon green signs for sales and bargains! 29 (Thurs) - 13TH ANNUAL SCARY STORIES at Angels Gate Cultural Center (3601 S. Gaffey St.) 6:30p-8p. This 10 (Sat) - SWING PEEDRO at People’s Palace (365 W. 6th unique event is great theatre for the ears! $5 general St.) Come to People's Palace for a magical night of dancing admission, children 6 and under are free. No reservations fun featuring the swinging tunes of the Fabulous Esquires required. Bring your own seating and dress warmly! Big Band. Advance tickets $15. For more info and tickets, call (310) 547-2348. 30-31 (Fri-Sat) – DESIGNER VENDOR BOUTIQUE at Assistance League of San Pedro (Weymouth Corners). 10 (Sat) - HOLY TRINITY SCHOOL CLASS OF 1966 11a-6p. Vendors will feature artistic clothing, special food BREAKFAST at Pacific Diner (3821 South Pacific.) 10a. items and artwork. Wine tasting Saturday, October 31, 1-4p. RSVP to Sydne Yanko-Jongbloed (310) 493-3380 or Ceclie Donations $20 for wine tasting. All proceeds benefit local Hernandez Valdovino (310) 428-1771. philanthropic programs.
1 (Thurs) – FIRST THURSDAY ARTWALK in Downtown San Pedro. 6-10p 10 (Sat) - SPHS 1970 45TH CLASS REUNION at the Dalmatian-American Club (1639 S. Palos Verdes St.) For 1 (Thurs) - PRIVATE EYES at Little Fish Theatre (777 Centre tickets and ticket info please contact Jessica-Stumbaugh St.) A highly-layered and intriguing play that explores Bolitho at heymrsb2@aol.com or (310) 961-6591. No tickets common and yet seldom-discussed aspects of relationships. will be sold at the door. Private Runs Thursdays at 8p thru October 22. Tickets and other show times are available at www.littlefishtheatre.org 24 (Sat) - SPOOKY NIGHT AT THE LIGHT at the Point Fermin Lighthouse (807 Paseo del Mar) 5p-7p. Come out 2 (Fri) – 'RECLAIMING FRIENDSHIP PARK' WORLD for a family-friendly spooky night! Lighthouse tours will be PREMIERE at the Warner Grand Theatre (478 W. 6th St.) conducted by hauntingly delightful characters, crafts for the 7p. The first film to be written, shot and produced in San kids, refreshments by the fire, and more surprises. Costumes
31 (Sat) - HAPPY HAUNTING AT THE LIGHT at the Point Fermin Lighthouse (807 Paseo del Mar) 1p-4p. Halloween crafts, refreshments, trick or treating through the haunted lighthouse halls. Costumes welcome. FREE admission. For more info, call (310) 241-0684.
Email event info to events@sanpedrotoday. com. Deadline for the November issue is Friday October 16. All locations in San Pedro unless otherwise noted.
8 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2015
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by Roseanney Liu No doubt, being the home of the biggest port on the west coast and the U.S.S. Iowa are among some of the things that have put San Pedro on the map. But it's safe to say Hollywood has done its fair share, as well. With films like The Usual Suspects, Gone in Sixty Seconds and Anchorman using San Pedro as its backdrop, millions of people have viewed our town on the silver screen (even if most of them had no idea it was us). On October 9-11, the San Pedro International Film Festival (SPIFF) returns for its fourth consecutive year, bringing a bit of Hollywood to downtown. The three-day festival weekend will showcase about 50 films and celebrate the “city’s cultural diversity and film production history." Having received 300+ film submissions from all over the world, festival co-directors Ziggy Mrkich and Renee O’Connor and a team of 20 reviewers have spent a vast amount of time handpicking films spanning shorts, documentaries, student films, and features.
Summer Breeze
A Ballerina's Tale
Factors that go into consideration for the festival include: entertainment value, production value, and its impact or teaching effect on the audience. How did such a huge array of international films land in a festival in our little portside town of San Pedro? Australian-born Mrkich explains that a tour of key places in town on her very first First Thursday ten years ago and falling in love with the Croatian community and its films sparked the fire. After talking to the Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles about doing a festival of Croatian films, she realized the festival would need to be broader. “I love the history here and sense of community and all the cultures, artistic and otherwise, that make up this place. I’ve lived in five countries and seven cities. I’ve not seen this love for their town [San Pedro] anywhere else.” Expect to see features such as 2030 directed by Nguyen-Vo Nghiem-Minh, whose
2030
Youth Film Intensive organized by the festival during which they learned about creative collaboration, storytelling, camera/sound work, and post-production. Filmmaker Ante Novakovic shares his appreciation for festivals like SPIFF. “The San Pedro International Film Festival is an amazing community of artists and organizers with an affinity for film that is shared and welcoming. As a filmmaker, it’s incredibly important to have venues and festivals that have a mutual enthusiasm,” he said. “People care what happens here. I can’t quite put it in words, but I feel strangely drawn to San Pedro. I see so much potential here,” said Mrkich. spt SPIFF kicks off Friday, October 9, with red carpet festivities at 6 p.m. and screenings at various venues in San Pedro all weekend. For advanced tickets, info or a festival pass, visit www.SPIFFest.org.
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mixed-genre film touches on mystery, murder, romance and speculation with global warming as a backdrop. Capturing audience’s fascination with miracles, mysticism and religious faith is Ante Novakovic’s Leaves of a Tree. Peter Horgan’s short film, Summer Breeze, gives a glimpse into heroin addicts’ humanizing side based in Cape Cod. San Pedro’s own hometown starlet, Misty Copeland, has her journey chronicled in the documentary A Ballerina’s Tale, which first screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival to great reviews. In recent years since SPIFF’s inception in 2012, Mrkich has heard talk about the festival in New York and other cities to which filmmakers travel, and more mentions of San Pedro in arts-related stories on KCRW. The festival’s positive exposure has boosted awareness and continues to present San Pedro as a major player of L.A. culture that is more than just a filming location. Filmmaker Peter Horgan, whose nine-minute short film will be shown Saturday, October 10, agrees. “I entered SPIFF because even though they are a younger festival, they seemed to already be doing some pretty big things.” Horgan hopes to make contacts at the festival to help turn his short film into a feature and believes the event is a good vehicle to lead up to that goal. Aside from screenings, SPIFF will be facilitating a panel about technology and the future of filmmaking on Saturday, October 10, and may be showing James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D at the Warner Grand Theatre. The festival is also coordinating a Charles Bukowski art block showcasing artwork and photos depicting the famed author who made San Pedro his home, and showing completed high school student-directed non-fiction short films that showcase San Pedro. These students have went through the
VOICES
Here's One Group That Won't Say, 'Goodbye, Columbus' by Steve Marconi
10 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2015
There are a lot of reasons to admire the Knights of Columbus. There is the impressive philanthropic work of the 1.7-million strong Catholic fraternal service organization. There is the group's dedication to church and religious values, which is commendable in today's evermore-secularized world. There is the group's unabashed patriotism and love of country, also an increasingly rare trait. There is the group's community involvement that includes volunteering in a variety of fields to help the less fortunate. And then, of course, is the fact that this organization with the politically incorrect name still celebrates the completely politically incorrect Columbus Day. There was a day when the entire country honored the Italian seafarer who undertook a heroic voyage to discover the New World. The political correctness people have made Columbus and his holiday a primary target in recent years, so I'm glad to see at least one group stand up to them. Our local Knights of Columbus, Angels Gate Council 1740, which encompasses the San Pedro parishes of Mary Star, Holy Trinity and San Pedro, is having its annual Columbus Day Dinner Dance at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Mary Star auditorium. Now you might say I'm
biased because I'm Italian, but I'm only half Italian. And that half isn't even from Ischia or southern Italy (there are a lot of surnames starting with Di or De on the Angels Gate roster). And I haven't been a Catholic since I was a teenager. Of course, you don't have to be Italian to be a member, just Catholic and have a charitable heart. Council 1740 celebrated its 100th anniversary last year; an excellent history, which covers a large chunk of San Pedro's, was written by Leo Kowalski and can be found on the chapter website: www.kofc1740a.org. Tickets to the dinner ($20 adult, $5 children 12-under) can be obtained at any of the three churches or by calling Tony DeGirolamo (310) 519-8885, Mark Rollice (310) 9800765 or Phil Sandoval (310) 833-0644. Buon appetito! Harbor College HOF If you're not planning to celebrate Columbus Day, you might consider attending Harbor College's 9th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner on Oct. 9. Leading the list of eight inductees are two former major leaguers, Bud Smith, who threw a no-hitter for the Cardinals in 2001, and Chad Qualls, a teammate of Smith's on the 1998 Seahawks team and a current member of the Houston Astros bullpen. Smith will be there, but Qualls is involved in a pennant race as of this writing and may not be able to attend. A third member of the 1998 team's pitching staff, Jack Hawley, is being inducted, but, as good a baseball player as he was, he was also a record-breaking quarterback. Playing for two not very successful Harbor teams in 1997-98, he broke most of the school's passing records before heading off to San Diego State. Another pretty good quarterback, former Banning High, Nebraska and Rams star Vince Ferragamo, also will be on hand to see the induction of his older brother, Mike, who was a star two-way lineman for Harbor in the early 1960s. Mike followed in the footsteps of another famous Ferragamo, Chris, the legendary Banning coach who won't be able to attend because he is still coaching (on a volunteer basis) for New Mexico Highlands. Rounding out the new inductees are Rich Olson, who broke Don Horn's school passing record in 1967 before embarking on a 38-year career as Division I and NFL assistant coach and offensive coordinator; Josh Bendik, another in a long line of state MVPs for Harbor baseball (1993-94); record-setting soccer midfielder Sal Diaz (2000-01); and his soccer coach, Bill Barlow, who earned his HOF credentials in volleyball and football (197980). Tickets for the ceremony at Ports O' Call Restaurant (5 p.m.) are limited. They are available by calling (310) 233-4122 or (310) 233-4359 or by visiting the website: www.lahc. edu/foundation/fame2013.html. Tickets are $75 each ($20 for children 12-under), with all proceeds going to the Hall of Fame. If you haven't taken the time to visit the hall in the campus wellness center (what we used to call the gym), stop by and check it out. If you've ever played sports at Harbor, chances are your team picture is on the wall there. If your team picture is missing, maybe you can help the hall track it down. For USS Iowa fans You come upon some interesting items while surfing the Internet, and I hit on one the other day that unknowingly has ties to San Pedro. Called “War Is Boring,” the website has an essay titled “Duel of the Superbattleships: Japan's 'Yamato' versus America's 'Iowa.' Which would win?” Without even mentioning the Iowa is now docked as a museum in Los Angeles Harbor, the author gives a detailed description of the ship's fighting abilities, in this case in a fictional confrontation with the famed Yamato. No spoiler here. You''ll have to see for yourself how it might have gone: www.warisboring.com/articles/duel-ofthe-superbattleships. spt Steve Marconi can be reached at spmarconi@yahoo.com.
Looking for some fun things to do this fall? Sponsored By The San Pedro Historic Waterfront District
DISCOVER DOWNTOWN!
A VARIETY OF EXCITING ENTERTAINMENT AWAITS YOU OCTOBER 1 OCTOBER 9 - 11
1st THURSDAY ARTWALK
DOWNTOWN ARTWALK
WARNER GRAND THEATRE www.grandvision.org
www.1stthursday.com
SAN PEDRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SPIFF)
Experience San Pedro’s tight-knit artists’ community. Food trucks, restaurants, plus live music!
Works that express fresh voices and differing global views. Be enlightened and entertained by new filmmakers, both local and international.
OCTOBER 3 GRAND ANNEX
OCTOBER 15
LEFTOVER CUTIES
www.SanPedroBID.com
3RD THURSDAY ENTERTAINMENT WALK
www.grandvision.org NPR retro-pop favorite touring on recent album “The Spark & The Fire” co-produced by multiGrammy-winner Dave Way (Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow).
3rd THURSDAY ENTERTAINMENT
SATURDAY,
november 1
SEPT 25 - OCT 24 LITTLE FISH THEATRE
www.littlefishtheatre.org
st
HENRY IV, PART I
3:00PM- TO -9:00PM FREE EVENT!
Live music at the corner of 6th St. & Mesa St. 6:00 PM. – 9:00 PM.
Often considered Shakespeare’s most perfectly crafted play, the story follows Prince Hal through his early years as a cut-purse and companion to the drunken Sir John Falstaff, Shakespeare’s greatest comic creation.
festival
Join us in Historic Downtown San Pedro as the streets come alive with art, culture, delicious cuisine and live entertainment. Visitors will enjoy the Sacred Altar Competition & Exhibition, craft vendor booths, a food court, children's stage and activity area and main stage entertainment.
www.sanpedrodayofthedead.com
www.SanPedroBID.com
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Earlier this year, I wrote about three big milestones that would occur for me in 2015: 1.) My oldest son Antonio would graduate from SPHS – check; 2.) I would hit 25 years working for the Boeing Company – check; and 3.) I will turn 50-years-old on October 8. For me, there is nothing magical about turning 50 other than knowing that I have been blessed with a great wife of 22-years of marriage, three healthy boys, family, friends, a great job and of course, my health. I don’t look back and wish that I had done anything different because each step of the way through my life has led me to who I am today. Each experience, challenge, disappointment, success and failure is what makes a full life and I expect nothing less over the upcoming years. As I turn 50, I could reminisce about the past, but I would rather focus on the future and how we can all make a difference determining it. My dad has always said, “Never forget where you come from,” and my mom always taught me to stand up for what I believe in and to never give up. Both guide me each and every day and I try and share my experiences over these 50 years whenever I can. For example, I truly enjoy mentoring young people, whether through coaching kids or by sharing my life's journey and experiences to students hoping to inspire them to never settle for less because others says that they can’t be somebody or accomplish great things. I can’t think of anything more powerful than trying to make a difference in someone’s life. Also, whether serving on such boards as the Board of Harbor Commission or writing this column, I truly believe, in order to make a difference, one must find their passion and dive in. For me, it is about working towards making San Pedro and the Harbor Area a better place to live, work and play. San Pedro has many issues to address, like every other town, but what many towns don’t have is our heart, our history and our heritage. So many of you in San Pedro volunteer in so many ways and lend a hand when someone is in need that we should all be proud, but not content, as our work continues and there is so much left to do. Together, we must do more. For example, the recent homeless forum that filled the Warner Grand Theatre was impressive. The question is, if you were there, are you ready to support next steps and commit personal time to help? Or will you sit back to see what happens until the next forum? If not this issue, what is your passion and are you committed to it or can you do more? Like many of you, I love San Pedro so much that it hurts. What San Pedro needs are more locals to be involved on a consistent basis on the issues so that we solve them once and for all. We must roll up our sleeves and put in the time and effort to resolve the issues that we all discuss in our homes, at The Corner Store, the local coffee shop, or on social media. We must begin to shift our thinking to the bigger picture, increase momentum on short-term progress and be accountable to long-term effects of decisions or indecisions we make today. We must also stand up for what is right even when it makes us uncomfortable, and not just support the majority or status quo because it’s comfortable. That is called leadership. As many of you know from my past seven years of writing this column, turning 50 only inspires me to do more with the time I have left on this earth. It inspires me to continue on the journey with you to motivate our youth, continue to push to get our waterfront developed, improve our quality of life, reduce crime, solve the homelessness issue, eliminate pot shops, work to increase property values, and remain the number one port in America. Together, let’s move San Pedro forward as one community. spt Anthony Pirozzi is a Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner. He can be contacted at apirozzi@yahoo.com.
OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 13
VOICES
Sustainable Seafood Expo Returns by Caroline Brady It might seem a little counterintuitive--Cabrillo Marine Aquarium doling out advice on how to EAT fish? Wait a second! For 80 years now, this trusted resource has been teaching the young (and young at heart) to explore, respect and conserve Southern California marine life. You’re supposed to look at the pretty fish—not eat them, right? Well, not exactly. On Sunday, Oct. 11, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and its nonprofit Friends support group will present the secondannual Sustainable Seafood Expo at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles. Here, you can find out how to choose the right fish for your dish – one that’s not only good for your health, but for the marine environment as well. Experts say that more than 85 percent of fisheries worldwide are in danger of being wiped out if we don’t manage resources wisely. That means eating seafood that’s been caught during the right season using the least harmful methods or farmed responsibly. It means avoiding fish that’s on the no-go list. Sounds kind of heavy, huh? Well, don’t worry. In the spirit of our beloved John Olguin, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium always mixes its lessons with a huge dose of fun. Based on last year’s debut Expo, everyone had a great time while learning about this important topic.
Just wait until you see what we have in store this year – an entire warehouse bay filled with restaurants, seafood purveyors and grocers offering delicious seafood samples. Whole Foods, back as a presenting sponsor, will pit several of its stores against each other in a friendly competition for “best dish.” Also in the mix – nonprofit groups with expertise on seafood sustainability, such as NOAA, the Marine Stewardship Council, AltaSea, and our friends from Aquarium of the Pacific and Monterey Bay Aquarium – will offer helpful information and answer questions. Celebrity Chef Sam Choy is flying in from Hawaii to wow us with his amazing culinary skills. Our favorite Basque chef, Bernard Ibarra from Terranea Resort is also back on the roster. Joining us this year is Christine Brown, who left us begging for more when she closed the perennial favorite, Restaurant Christine. If you can’t make it to the Expo, that’s ok. Please be sure to stop by the Aquarium to ask for your free Seafood Watch card – a guide that can help you select seafood when dining out or cooking at home. Together, we can make a difference in the health of our marine environment and the fish that live there. spt Caroline Brady is the executive director of the Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. gerlach-1007-DB-4c.qxd:gerlach-1007-DB-4c 11/15/07
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VOICES
Opportunity
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by Mike Lansing This past summer, I was invited to attend an Executive Education week at Harvard as one of 160 nonprofit CEOs from around the world. It was a great experience to be able to discuss similar challenges and missions with leaders from so many different organizations and learn about successful nonprofit strategies that hopefully we can replicate. The week’s culmination included this final question: “In one word – explain what your nonprofit brings to the communities you serve.” My answer: OPPORTUNITY. The date was November 14, 1965. Myself and hundreds of others attended the dedication of the new San Pedro Boys Club at 13th and Cabrillo. Through the leadership of executive director Nick Trani and his board of directors, a state-of-the-art facility was built for a then whopping $400,000. The new Club included a beautiful gymnasium, library, a “senior room” for the high school members and a huge games room, which we all enjoyed. Compared to the dilapidated old high school that was the previous Clubhouse on the same site – this truly was an oasis for us boys of the community to call our own. When I think back to those years of the mid-to-late 1960s, I know the Club was our place of opportunity. I learned to interact and get along with boys from all parts of San Pedro – rich, poor, black, brown, white, immigrant, fourth generation, welcoming and sometimes confrontational. I had the opportunity to go to the Club with friends and make new ones (Iacono, Dobra, Martinez, Roak, Nizich) and also had the opportunity to experience great coaches and mentors (Trani, Karmelich, Trainotti, Lorenzi, Martinez). I had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of sports and learned what it takes to be a leader, develop teamwork and to deal with defeat as well as victory. I had the opportunity to interact with a wide range of youth and adults who I otherwise might have never met – building relationships and experiences with some of the then and current leaders of our San Pedro community. The Boys & Girls Club of 2015 is still an oasis of opportunity. But unlike its predecessor 50 years prior, today’s Club needs to provide even more avenues of opportunity for a growing number of at-risk youth. We have maximized our facility space and programming to grow our daily attendance from 150 in my day to now over 500 each day at our San Pedro site. Providing opportunity is why we developed and have grown our College Bound program, which just last year served more than 1,900 members, had a 96% high school graduation rate and sent 438 members off to college this fall. Opportunity is why our Arts Academy program provides beginning through advanced arts instruction and performance opportunities in music, dance, fine arts, video & audio recording, animation, photography, 3-D modeling, game design and more. Opportunity occurs by transporting more than 500 youth daily to our three traditional Club sites and serving more than 600 meals daily at these sites. Opportunity comes by sponsoring our Leaders in Training program and continuing to provide our daily sports and recreational activities so that we can help develop the healthy community leaders of tomorrow. We are calling all alumni and friends of the Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro to join us and celebrate the 50th anniversary of this Clubhouse’s grand opening. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, November 14, at 11 a.m. when we will dedicate our new Sports Arena right across the street at Daniels Field, and then we will walk across the street to re-dedicate our recently upgraded Clubhouse and show off our plans for the future. The festivities will include a BBQ lunch, a Classic Car Show, live music and tours of the “House that Nick Built” will be given by our current member leaders, staff and board. You are all invited and I hope to see all of you on Saturday, November 14. This is an opportunity to celebrate the OPPORTUNITY every child deserves. spt Mike Lansing is Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor.
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VOICES
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by Joanne Rallo Homelessness. It's a problem many of us once turned our heads at, but it's also caused many of us to open our eyes a lot wider these days. Suddenly, homelessness has been the number one topic here in San Pedro. Driving through town, we see it on almost every street – shopping carts full of trash, tents in parks, human feces along sidewalks and used syringes scattered throughout public and private property. As citizens of San Pedro, we are concerned about the current state of our beloved town. According to the Daily Breeze, the homeless population has risen 39% in the past two years in the South Bay, and it seems as though San Pedro has taken the brunt of it. Our neighborhoods have been overrun and it has adversely affected local businesses and tourism. At the Homeless Ad Hoc meeting on August 14, LAPD Sergeant Catherine Plows confirmed that Long Beach Rescue Mission has been bussing their homeless population into San Pedro for a sack lunch, yet many “fail to return back to the bus." To make matters worse, in late July, tiny houses were built by a small group of people as a means to provide temporary “transitional” shelter to those on our streets and were placed along the curb on 8th St. and Beacon. It was a noble idea, but became a big problem. These shelters were nothing more than oversized doghouses on wheels with a mattress inside and a curtain for a front door. They were unsafe, inhumane, and illegal. Adding to the already-heated issue, the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council (CeSPNC) voted unanimously in favor of the building of tiny houses for the homeless. CeSPNC failed to communicate with other neighborhood councils in regards to a topic that has inevitably affected our entire city, not just the Central San Pedro area. (The Central San Pedro jurisdiction lies between Miraflores to 19th Street & Leland to Harbor Blvd.) Their vote in favor of the tiny houses was reckless as they were informed prior the vote that the houses were illegal. Soon after, the Facebook group Saving San Pedro was formed by a few residents who were anti-tiny houses (not anti-homeless) and who wanted to see changes and improvements in our town. This was an avenue for us to get in touch with members of our community, bring awareness to the issues, and come together to help brainstorm the change that is desperately needed. A petition on Change.org was created to demand removal of a few CeSPNC board members for violating several of their own bylaws in regards to the tiny houses issue. Many believe these board members have used their positions on the board to further their own personal agendas to the detriment of the district and city they are supposed to improve. Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, Karen Smith Ceaser is on the CeSPNC Board and not only voted for the approval of the tiny houses, but also helped build them. CeSPNC President James Preston Allen has expressed multiple times at meetings and on Facebook that he wants the community to address his council’s issues by writing a letter to the editor to the local alternative newspaper he owns and publishes. Allen is clearly using this community issue to shamelessly promote himself and his publication. Still, Allen continues to try and find a loophole, as he admitted himself while speaking to City Attorney Mike Feuer at a Labor Day parade. Feuer claimed that his office “does not have a position yet because the city homeless committee is still trying to decide policy." By not having an official stance on the tiny houses issue, Allen still believes the issue is up in the air, refusing to listen to the Councilman's office, experts on homelessness and the community's overall response. With 1,230 online petition signatures (and counting) and 250 San Pedro business owners' signatures collected in a paper petition, San Pedro has overwhelmingly opposed the tiny houses on our streets. Councilman Joe Buscaino, City Attorney Capri Maddox and 18-year veteran of patrolling Skid Row, LAPD Officer Deon Joseph, have all deemed these houses illegal and dangerous. The people who reside and work in this great town are frustrated with the deterioration of San Pedro. We have waited long enough for help and we want it NOW. We demand that immediate action be taken by the CeSPNC to work with city representatives and the community as a whole to resolve the homeless epidemic in San Pedro. If they cannot do so, we are asking for those board members to resign. If you can attend your neighborhood council meetings, you should, especially if you are opposed to what is happening in town. Don't just live in the community, be a part of it! spt Joanne Rallo is a San Pedro resident and co-founder of Saving San Pedro.
OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 19
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VOICES
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You may have seen that headline on a t-shirt or an Internet meme, but there is a lot of truth to it. We Italians are loud and passionate, whether we are angry or not. Passionate Italians, Croatians, Greeks, Mexicans and others have been loud and passionate for generations and that passion has contributed to San Pedro’s history. Today, a lot of this passion is showing up on Facebook as our community does its best to identify and find solutions to common problems. Matty Domancich gets a smooch on the head by This has been most clearly illustrated Councilman Buscaino during the last month as our town debated the subject of homelessness on Facebook, in community meetings and in private conversations. While I believe debate is necessary and healthy in all relationships, between family and community, I believe that making up is equally necessary to move forward. Therefore, I would like to invite everyone to my annual block party and pasta dinner at Weymouth Corners on Oct. 11 from 12-4 p.m. At the Homelessness Forum at the Warner Grand Theatre last month, I talked about our history being written by hard working people who came together as a community to create prosperous, peaceful lives for their families. A measure of that prosperity is evident in the concept of community and how we share our time together. While we spent September arguing with each other, I am making a call for spending October breaking bread together. As we fight to “Save San Pedro,” we must define our community standard as the thing we want to save. Our community standard demands that we know each other, look out for each other, be civil with each other, forgive each other, and break bread with each other. The most important infrastructure that we own in our community is our relationships with each other. Without that, what is San Pedro? We are people who know how to work hard, but we are also people who know how to play hard. So let’s put down our keyboards and instead pick up a plate of food. The end result of our collective passions is to have an ability to enjoy each other, our family, our neighbors, our geography and the good vibe that we create. Let’s focus on why we love San Pedro and the reasons we choose to live here. The street party and pasta dinner is free and everybody is welcome. Come enjoy an authentic Italian feast and come enjoy our community as we share our passion for food, time with family and friends, and San Pedro. In Italian we say: “Tutto finisce a tarallucci e vino," translation: “It all ends with biscuits and wine,” which means, "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." Italians often say this at the resolution of disagreements, whether a minor kerfuffle or heated debate. It stems from an old practice in some regions of Italy where legal disputes were concluded with a handshake and a toast of red wine, along with a plate of ringshaped Tarallucci cookies. spt
ESPN reporter, Shelley Smith, shares her ordeal battling breast cancer, in her own words by Shelley Smith
Smith photographed at San Pedro High School on September 12, 2015 (photo: John Mattera)
six months of breathing room. I would later learn I was facing a lumpectomy rather than losing my entire breast. Once I had a plan, the terror subsided. Once I knew I had a winnable fight, I decided to go public, never in a million years expecting the reaction it would create. What followed was an incredible outpouring of support from people I’ve never met, people going through their own battles, athletes whose lives have been touched by cancer, some people who just wanted to let me know I was in their prayers. During that six months before my surgery, we held a celebration for Rita co-sponsored by Crossfit HeyDay, a wonderful Crossfit gym in San Pedro, owned by her brother, Eddie McKenna and his former classmate (and SPT columnist) Ricky Magana. The celebration raised $2,000 for the National Breast Cancer Association and really cemented the gym, for me, as a refuge from the fear. There, I could just be me, and my friends there became my confidants, soup-bringers and text supporters. A lot of Crossfit gyms have developed special clienteles, but at HeyDay, and especially the HeyDames – the group of us over-50 set (and a few youngsters we let in) have really taken it to a new level. We’ve been through all kinds of things together… births, marriages, breakups, surgeries and injuries, and then it was Rita’s cancer and then it was mine. Finally, in January, the six months were over and it was time for the heavy lifting. A lot of people couldn’t understand why I was “waiting.” I wasn’t. The medicine did its job and I was nearly cancer free when I went under the knife, which became the easiest step in my treatment. But I was told you have to treat the diagnosis because of the microscopic cancer fibers that still might be floating through my body. So I waited and braced for the worst. That first day I walked into the infusion room with a lot of angst, but no fear. My two friends and colleagues, Bryan Burwell (sportswriter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and ESPN’s Stuart Scott had both died in recent months from cancer. I knew they would have loved to be in my shoes – with another chance to fight. So I wasn’t scared, but I also didn’t know anything about how my body would react.
OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 21
I never had a lump. I hadn’t had a mammogram in a while, either. My friend, Rita Rizor had a lump. Had she not found it through self-examination, the then 36-year-old mother of four, would have been dead in three months. So I got a mammogram. For her. I dropped off tacos at her house for her family as part of the meal train that was set up by her friends, headed to the San Pedro breast diagnostic center and then to Oklahoma City for the Western Conference Finals as part of my job as a reporter for ESPN. A few days later, the call that would change everything came from my primary care physician. “We found something,” he said, adding quickly, “But wait, what pick did the Lakers get?” It was draft lottery day. He interrupted my biggest nightmare with that. Welcome to the world of a sports reporter. “Uh, I’m a little preoccupied,” I answered. And then the terror set in. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before in my life. Nothing. He told me he thought it was “small, early” cancer. It wasn’t. Eventually, through seemingly endless biopsies, I’d learn that the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. One surgeon I went to said I had no choice but to have a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Again, the terror. But then he made a call to Dr. David Chan, oncologist gifted to me through extensive research by Rita for her own cancer. He had another idea. Because my cancer was estrogen positive, why not take an anti-estrogen pill for six months to see if we could shrink the tumors to make surgery less invasive? It made immediate sense to me and was calming to know that not everything was cut and dry, literally and figuratively. Breast cancer treatment has evolved dramatically over even the last five years. No longer is it surgery, chemo, radiation… the order doesn’t matter. Rita, for example, was diagnosed with a very aggressive kind of breast cancer, triple negative, and she had 16 rounds of chemo before a double mastectomy, 27 rounds of radiation and re-construction. In my case, the order of pill first made sense, and gave me
22 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2015
Top left: Smith’s bald debut on ESPN’s SportsCenter in April covering the NFL Draft; right: the view from Smith’s chemo chair while watching March Madness; bottom left: Smith and her daughter Dylann on their way to her first chemo treatment (photos: courtesy Shelley Smith)
I was armed with water, Gatorade (both Rita and I hate the stuff now), snacks and a blanket Rita gave me because she said it could get cold. My daughter, Dylann, drove me but was relieved, I think, that they didn’t let visitors in with the patients. She would end up getting some breakfast and sat in the waiting room filled with cancer patients. It couldn’t have been pleasant, but she did say it helped knowing people were getting the treatment they needed and were fighting a good battle. I settled into the lounger next to the window; I could see the ocean and that comforted me quickly. The nurses came by and checked my vitals (I had some!) and then inserted the IV into my hand. Because I would only have four treatments (compared to Rita’s 16), I didn’t need a port in my chest. First came the anti-nausea medicine (I asked for a double) and then the tough stuff. I really didn’t feel much as I watched the bags drip empty. I played music, I read, I ate my turkey sandwich. And four hours later, I was done. I think it was more mentally straining on me than anything, and so I went home and slept and waited to see what effects it would have on me. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. I had to drink a lot of liquids to help flush out the medicine, hence the giant hatred of Gatorade now. Dylann was a monster with the fluids. She made me some pasta with tomatoes and we watched movies and really bad TV. Ah, the life of leisure. I settled in, prepared to respect the process, understanding that I was going to be sick and out of my element for a while. And I downloaded and watched all seven seasons of The West Wing. This was how it would go for the next three months. My great girlfriends from college came out to relieve Dylann and we managed to have a lot of fun on the porch talking and sipping a little wine. The biggest problem I had came when the incision where my lymph nodes were taken out became infected and suddenly I needed an IV every day and dressing changes in Torrance. Once that became stable, I had home nursing care every morning at 7 a.m., and that was a story unto itself, and bears an interruption. My nurse was a colorful and lively woman named LaTonya who lived in Compton and had great passion for her job. She also had long blonde braids, glitter eyeliner and the longest fake fingernails I’d ever seen, complete with acrylic designs. To this day, I don’t
know how she got those gloves on. Every morning she’d check my vitals (still there) ask about my bodily functions (don’t ask) and repack my incision. But every day became an adventure – she’d regale me with stories about margarita night and trips to Morongo Casino with her girlfriends, her kids, her love life. I loved hearing her pull up and climb up my steps in her bright-colored scrubs and matching stethoscope. My hair fell out about the second week after my first chemo. I was worried how I’d react. My hair has always defined me as a TV reporter – it was big hair, curly hair, straight hair, shoulder-length hair, long hair – but never NO hair. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I got a wig, which I hated immediately because it felt fake. I finally went to the barber of the NBA stars, Chuck Taylor, in Inglewood and said, “Take it all off.” And he did. It was liberating. A wonderful lady at my gym, Tara Brophy, had been an oncology nurse. She changed my entire outlook on being bald when she said, “When you lose your hair it means the chemo is working.” And just like that, I embraced that approach – for everything. When I had to get the nasty shot to boost my white blood cell count every day after chemo, and then spend about 10 days with what one of my colleagues who had had the same called “the flu on steroids,” I said, “It means the medicine is working.” I wasn’t always positive. The lowest point of my entire journey was when I walked into Dr. Chan’s office just before my second treatment and sobbed, “I suck.” I had a port in my arm for the infection IV, my hair was gone, I had an armpit full of gauze and I had a temperature of 103 – the flu. He, as many doctors do with me, used a sports metaphor to explain I was okay. “It’s like throwing an interception in the first quarter of the Super Bowl,” he said smiling as I said to myself, “Yeah, better than the last play of the game.” He patched me up, kept me on schedule and sent me home with a new resolve that I could get through anything, even if the Seahawks couldn’t. The day of my last chemo, I was accompanied by my best friend from college and another close friend. They stocked my freezer with food, laughed with me and let me sleep while they walked the dog. I was so relieved to be done with that part of my treatment, I celebrated with them with tears of relief. Once I finished chemo, I was given a month to take a breath before radiation was
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OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 23
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What to do When Someone is Newly Diagnosed by Roseanney Liu Receiving a cancer diagnosis is life-changing. While most breast cancer awareness campaigns focus on prevention, information on what to do after a diagnosis isn’t always readily available. How does one begin to grasp what the diagnosis means and what to do from that point onward? Here are suggestions on how to manage the post-diagnosis journey to recovery*: 1. Manage the emotional stress A wide range of emotions could take place pre-, during and post-treatment, not limited to sadness, “no one understands,” to feeling overwhelmed, and loss of pleasure in simple life activities. Manage the emotions by trying the following: • Talk with your family, friends, doctor, nurse, and/or oncology social worker about what you are feeling. • Talk to other people who have been through your type of treatment. Join a support group at a local or online Cancer Support Community, or in a nearby hospital • Try stress-relieving activities such as meditation, yoga, or Tai Chi. • The National Breast Cancer Foundation provides, among other things, counseling and education (www.nationalbreastcancer.org).
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Smith with daughter Dylann at the Susan G. Komen 2015 Race For The Cure at Dodger Stadium in March (photo: courtesy Shelley Smith)
scheduled. ESPN was so wonderful during the entire process, giving me the time I needed to attack the disease and heal at the same time. They also sent me to Honolulu to be with Oregon QB Marcus Mariota for the draft. I appeared on TV completely bald on April 29. I’m told the entire newsroom back in Bristol, Conn., went silent, and then broke into cheers. It was a monumental moment for me and a first for the network. It never was even questioned whether I’d go bald or not… it was me and they accepted me as me. We need to wipe out the stigma for anyone going through cancer treatment. Nobody should feel shamed into wearing wigs or scarves or hats, unless that’s their personal choice. Dr. Chan told me I could empower a lot of women and that was a statement I wanted to make. And then, in June, it was over. I rang the radiation bell that signifies the end of treatment and took a deep breath. I was done. What I learned through all this was that people really can help people. You hear it all the time and shrug it off. Not anymore. What Rita and her mom did for me was truly inspiring. We laughed, cried, traded stories, gossiped about our doctors, and basically shared one another’s journey. My parents, who live in Denver, called daily and sent massive boxes of food. But it’s what my daughter did for me that was heroic. It’s a lot to handle at any age, but she’s just 29. I know it was tougher on her than it was on me, but she managed my moods (read crankiness) and kept me laughing and engaged and loved. I struggled every day through radiation to get myself to HeyDay to keep moving, to keep laughing, to try to rebuild stamina and strength. I’ve learned how important all that is and I continue my forays into that world of fitness. I’m back working and my hair is growing – albeit a little wildly. It has been a journey I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but one that has taught me about inner strength, about depth of soul and the promise of faith and advancement of science. It has reaffirmed my belief that even though positive people die, too, it sure makes the road a lot better on the way. I am considered now cancer free with “no evidence of disease.” There are no guarantees I will stay that way. But my full attention is now on not missing appointments because some athlete is being traded, injured, gets arrested or makes a ridiculous statement. Because of Rita Rizor, I got a mammogram and my life has changed, it has been saved. I have every reason to believe I will stay healthy, and if it comes back, I will fight again just as hard. I refuse to live in fear. Early on in this process, I worried about the women who didn’t want mammograms because they don’t want to know. Rita, as she does often and eloquently, put that into perspective when she said, “You’re never gonna not know. You’re either going to find out your terminal and there’s no hope, or you find out early and have a chance to beat it.” She’s living proof. So am I. spt
2. Communicate openly with the healthcare team Developing a strong relationship with the physician, oncology nurse, oncology social worker, and other clinic staff will be important to managing one’s cancer recovery journey. Ask questions and thoroughly understand the treatment plan. You could also: • Bring a friend or family member with you to help take notes – or ask a nurse. • If your doctor prescribes new medications or a different treatment plan, write this information down. Once your doctor is done, read your notes back to the doctor or nurse. This will help to catch any information you may have missed or didn’t understand. • If you cannot do what the doctor is asking in the treatment plan, ask for other options. 3. Be fully informed about your treatment plan before making decisions Consider your health care team as consultants who can help you and your family with those decisions. You will feel a greater sense of control over your treatment plan and future as you gain information. The Cancer Support Community (www.cancersupportcommunity.org) has a decision support counseling program called Open to Options that helps you prepare for an appointment in which you will be making a treatment decision. Using this service can help you get the most out of your visit with the oncologist and help you talk more openly with your health care team about the things that really matter to you the most. Remember, you can always bring someone along to your treatment plan discussion appointment. Support groups are also a useful place to gather information and suggestions from others. 4. Manage the cost of cancer care • Understanding what costs to expect is an important first step to gain a sense of control. After completing the majority of fact-finding about potential expenses and resources, you are likely to have a pretty good idea of what to expect related to the cost of care. • The next question about managing the financial aspects of cancer is: “Am I able to pay for my cancer care right now?” If the is answer “No,” perhaps you can ask a friend or family member to do this for you. If this is not possible, ask your doctor to refer you to an oncology social worker or to a nonprofit organization for help managing financial issues. • Communicate with your health insurance company and learn more about what your policy does and does not cover will help you better work with your insurer to make sure you receive all the benefits and coverage to which you are entitled. Find out about your coverage by speaking with: the employee benefits manager or human resources personnel at your place of employment; the insurer’s customer service department; a case manager assigned by your health insurance company; your cancer care team social worker; and/or the hospital financial counselor. • The American Cancer Society provides rides for patients to and from treatment, free housing at Hope Lodges across the country and has a 24-hour hotline for answers and solutions (800) 227-2345 (www.cancer.org). 5. Finding meaning and value in life after a cancer diagnosis A diagnosis of cancer brings many changes that can be physical and emotional, and/or spiritual. Some might question the meaning of their lives and what really matters and doing so is normal. Spending some time thinking about this topic may help you to discover new goals, priorities and possibilities. Some people find new meaning in life by: • Assessing their life • Giving back • Meditating or praying * Source: www.CancerSupportCommunity.org
Ying Lee-Hoffman, L.Ac., O.M.D. 20+ Years Experience ILWU PPO Insurance Plan Accepted
Eliminate Blisters and Nerve Pain for Shingle Patients • Shingle patients can have spreading red blisters and suffer very sharp and deep burning pain due to the infection of nerves. • Even after recovering from the blisters with medicine, some patients suffer nerve ending pain forever. • Normally, with acupuncture treatments and some Chinese Herbal remedies, most discomforts can get a lot of relief within days and also increase the patient’s immunity system.
Feel Better Now! 836 #A W. 9th St., San Pedro | 310-832-5722 ILWU PPO is welcome | Most insurance plans accepted. Ying Lee-Hoffman, L.Ac., O.M.D. www.harboracupuncture.com
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The beautiful Sirens mosaic made by local artist, Julie Bender, that greets customers near the front entrance (photo: John Mattera)
Where Coffee & Tea Meet the Sea Sirens Java & Tea opens this month in Downtown San Pedro by Roseanney Liu
First responders go to work everyday knowing they are putting their lives on the line for the public they’ve sworn to protect. On December 4, 1984, Ben Pinel made the ultimate sacrifice while responding to an arson fire at a restaurant near LAX. To honor her older brother, as well as all others that risk their lives while helping the community, Yolanda Regalado has combined two of her passions – honoring our first responders and her love of coffee – to create Sirens Java & Tea, which will open on 7th Street in downtown San Pedro in early October. “I want to pay tribute to my brother and all those who have answered the call of the sirens. From firefighters, police officers, service men and women, Red Cross and many more,” shares Regalado, “but also it’s a tribute to those who answer the call everyday to help the community and sacrifice so much to make it a better place.” Aside from paying tribute to first responders, Regalado, 52, a retired L.A. County sheriff, whose three brothers Ben, Mike and Mario Pinel have worked for the L.A. Fire Department, has had a lifelong passion for coffee. Three years ago, after receiving a coffee tree as a gift from stepdaughter Stephanie Regalado, executive manager of Sirens, and harvesting its beans, Yolanda Regalado decided to turn her dream into action. “I wanted to provide the community with an experience and awareness in coffee, from its enticing aroma to the first pour… to learn about the different origins and unique flavors,” explains Regalado. She attended a barista school and became fully educated on coffee and tea making and learned how to harvest her own coffee beans. Deciding it was time to start her business, Regalado began looking for a spot in San Pedro where she could share her passion with the community.
*WINNER - 2015 San Pedro Restaurant of the Year* *WINNER - 2015 California Small Business of the Year*
(*Awarded by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce and State Senator Isadore Hall, III)
DID YOU KNOW...?
In over a half century since we started, here’s a short list of the accomplishments we are proud to share with our hometown: •
We are the largest fish market/restaurant in Southern California and of one of the largest in the entire country with seating for nearly 3,000 and more than ONE MILLION served in the last 12 months.
•
We draw seafood lovers from all over the country, from every walk of life and every demographic. We have fans in at least 38 states!
•
We co-host the World’s Largest Lobster Festival drawing tens of thousands of visitors to San Pedro every year since 1999 AND we’ve been awarded four Guinness World Records for our work on the Lobster Festival.
•
We employ over 100 local residents with starting pay well above minimum wage while also offering healthcare, 401k and paid vacations.
•
For hundreds of local kids, San Pedro Fish Market was their first job. Many have come back to thank us for the invaluable lessons of hard work and responsibility that carried them into successful careers as doctors, teachers, nurses, attorneys, accountants, longshoremen, police officers, POLA workers and even as an L.A. City Councilman.
•
We support many local organizations in San Pedro, including the YWCA, Boys and Girls Club, Mary Star, Holy Trinity, San Pedro High School, POLA High School and dozens of other non-profits.
•
We are moving to make San Pedro nationally synonymous with fine seafood by launching our World Famous Shrimp Trays into retail stores. San Pedro Fish can be found in more than 800 grocery stores across six states and we’re growing! These include Safeway, Food4Less, Sam’s Club as well as others.
1190 Nagoya Way, San Pedro, CA 90731 | (310) 832-4251 | www.SanPedroFish.com
WORK IN PROGRESS: At presstime, the interior of Sirens was still being finished, but a new cappuccino machine, beautiful decor, new floors and plenty of space to work and relax are in store for the new cafe on 7th Street in downtown. (photos: John Mattera)
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“I knew I wanted to open a coffee house, but not just any coffee house, a coffee experience,” explains Regalado. “With my husband Ray’s and Stephanie’s support, we embarked on our coffee business venture that started with looking for the perfect spot in downtown San Pedro.” As soon as she walked into the historical News-Pilot building on W. 7th Street when it became available a year ago, she knew that was the spot. Despite the daunting size and remodeling challenges, she knew this was the future home for Sirens Java & Tea. The word “sirens” holds a dual meaning for the coffee shop. In addition to the symbolism of a siren representing first responders, the interior design includes tealcolored images of the mythological creature of the same name painted on walls and décor all around the café. After the dust settles, Sirens will offer visitors a one-of-kind experience: a 65-seat bistro and coffee area where people will find healthy meals in sandwiches, salads, and smoothies supplied by the students of Harbor College’s culinary institute; a kid-friendly lounge area with a small library where children can read and relax along with their parents; an upstairs mezzanine with tables and additional 35 chairs where charging stations will allow those to find inspiration on their laptops beneath the natural light; another mezzanine where one may take a short stroll on what will look like a Parisian street at night next to a wall featuring local artists’ work. Of course, the café will offer free wireless Internet. “Photo inserts of local firefighters, police officers, coast guards, and others will be featured on our walls, and we are working with Abel Reynoso, who specializes in police
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and military art, to have a 10’ x 30’ mural made to commemorate our heroes, the first responders, with the Port of L.A. as a backdrop,” says Regalado, who also commissioned local mosaic artist Julie Bender to design and install an impressive Sirens logo mosaic – a bigger than life mug showing Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night-themed tiles – on a wall in the front dining area. (Incidentally, Bender, who was a firefighter in the 1980s, was involved in the rescue efforts in the 1984 fire in which Regalado’s brother Ben lost his life while on duty.) A passion to provide education in coffee and a cool space for locals that’s been nearly three years in the making, Regalado aims “to provide a family-friendly space where people will feel very comfortable hanging out, but also a place that show’s how interesting coffee is.” Regalado believes San Pedro is about family and community. It’s one of the Port Town’s traits that brought her back to the community, just as the mythological sirens had brought merchants and fisherman to their island, as told to her by her father. With the coffee shop, she intends this to be a place that helps instill that same sense of value. A roasting room and a large back room fit for open mic performances will be ready next year, but in the meantime, Sirens will be a welcome addition to 7th Street and will soon become a hub for the community for years to come. spt Sirens Java & Tea is located at 356 W. 7th Street in Downtown San Pedro. For more info, visit www.sirensjavahouse.com.
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Who Has the Kids? San Pedro couple develops mobile family management app by Monica Simpson
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With summer’s song ending to the tune of school bells ringing, many families are putting away beach toys and pulling out the backpacks. For many dual-income families, “back to school” also means “back to stress.” For those couples parenting multiple children while working a full-time job, life quickly becomes chaotic. Adding extracurricular activities to knowing where and when to be at all times becomes nearly impossible. For a San Pedro couple and parents of four busy children, Shannon and Marvin Bantugan, the key to managing their hectic family life was through their recently launched mobile app, titled Who Has the Kids? Marvin, a long time software consultant, frequently works from their family home in San Pedro while Shannon works as an accountant in Torrance. During office hours, they juggle the responsibilities of parenting while coordinating transportation and childcare between multiple caretakers. Utilizing a giant whiteboard in the communal living room, Shannon and Marvin would scribble down the next day’s events every night. Scrambling around town between soccer, horseback riding, tennis and afterschool programs, they still had to squeeze in professional and personal responsibilities. “We would see conflicts where kids had to be at different places at the same time,” Shannon said. One day while at work, Marvin phoned Shannon to notify her that their eldest daughter, Samantha, no longer needed transportation because she was getting a ride home with friends. Frustrated by the time and energy it took to leave a meeting, step outside, and place a call, Samantha and Marvin had a moment of inspiration. “You know what would be cool, an app on our phone that we could update at any time in real-time so everyone would know where everyone is at,” said Shannon excitedly. After thinking more about the idea, the possibility of an app started to become a reality. They decided to call the app Who Has The Kids? (WHTK) gently teasing like-minded scatter-brained parents. Realizing other busy families would benefit from the app, the Bantugans began to research apps currently available on the market. Surveying other virtual calendars, schedule planners, and family management tools, they discovered that there was no single app to handle large families with multiple caretakers. “One of the biggest deficiencies was that all of these other applications or programs created appointments singularly. It didn’t differentiate between who could pick up or who could drop off, which was one of the logistical challenges that dual-income families face,” said Marvin. Recognizing these big gaps in current solutions, Shannon and Marvin started to draw out plans for the app. With no previous app building experience, Shannon and Marvin believe it actually helped them remain committed to completion. “It’s one of the cases where the ignorance of the process helped us out,” said Shannon while laughing. Initially drafting much of their design for their virtual platform by themselves, they
The Bantugan family (l to r): Simon, Lincoln, Marvin, Shannon, Wesley, and Samantha (photo: John Mattera)
eventually enlisted the help of a mobile app development company called Mobilosophy to find the perfect iterations. A New York-based startup, Mobilosophy is a mobile design and development studio that provides technologically innovative strategies in the digital space. Working with the Bantugans to create a seamless family planning app, they helped created a smooth user interface and sleek visual design. Through extensive testing and trial runs, many of the Bantugan’s lucky friends and family received a sneak peek. During the live testing of the app, the Bantugans were able to debug many glitches stabilizing the app before launching WHTK into the marketplace. Including practical features such as “to-do” lists for chores, “hand-offs” of kids as you make changes on the go, and appointment making, WHTK allows for caretakers to pass off children like batons in the parental relay race. With the option of adding personalizing multiple children’s profiles, you can simply upload a photo and color or picture code events at-a-glance. With both a graph or calendar view, the app is tailored to each individual user or caretaker’s preference. “With live simultaneous updates, you’re really able to streamline your own life and your own needs,” explained Marvin about the different screens. With a dashboard providing a quick overview that will send reminders and alerts, WHTK automatically notifies all relevant caretakers. It also helps improve parent-child communication teaching kids to manage their time responsibly and be accountable for their location, chores, or homework. Helping families restore order and find balance, WHTK also encourages family members to more frequently communicate plans and give updates to changes in plans. With San Pedro High School and Leland Elementary already back in session, Shannon and Marvin are hopeful more San Pedro families will download WHTK to try it out for themselves. Nearing 1,000 downloads, WHTK also has a blog to familiarize users with the various features and provide forums for feedback. Now available for free on both the Android and Apple’s App Store, Marvin and Shannon hope that future applications for WHTK will include child day care, elder care, and assisted living memory care. Until then, the Bantugans really just want to help fellow busy families remain connected, enhance communication opportunities, and, you know, not lose their kids. spt For more info, visit: www.whohasthekids.com.
NWS
DON’T LET THE STATE DECIDE WHO GETS YOUR ASSETS
NATIONAL WATERCOLOR SOCIETY Presents
The 95th International Annual Exhibition October 24 thru December 20, 2015
This year’s exhibition is truly international. All work has never been shown in a national exhibition. SAVE THE DATE: Reception October 24, 2-5 p.m. Awards Ceremony 3 p.m., RSVP (760) 908-3389
The NWS Gallery - 915 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro CA 90731 Regular Gallery Hours: Thurs thru Sund 11am-3pm & First Thursdays 6-9pm
www.nationalwatercolorsociety.org
WILLS ~ ESTATES TRUSTS ~ PROBATE Do you need a Will or Trust? Do you want to find out if your Trust/Estate Plan is current? The Law office of Raymond Green offers a “Free 30 Minute Consultation.” Call (310) 784-8867 for an appointment.
Weymouth Corners 815 S. Averill Ave. San Pedro, CA 90732 • 310.784.8867 www.raymondgreenlawoffice.com
Whatever happened to...
Carly LaMont?
• A Full-Service Retirement Community • Independent Apartments • Assisted Living Services • Delicious Chef-Prepared Meals • Housekeeping & Linen Services • Daily Recreation & Social Programs
License # 198200855
435 W. 8TH ST, SAN PEDRO www.HarborTerraceRetirement.com
(310) 547-0090
OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 31
“I needed more care and it was getting too difficult to live alone. My girls and I decided to look at Harbor Terrace. When I walked up to the front door and saw the twinkly lights and all the plants, I fell in love with the place. I now have something to look forward to every morning at 7:30 when I have coffee with the gals in our coffee shop. My daughters no longer worry about me and they can see that I am much happier. I use to say I am so bored. Well, I don’t have time to be bored, too many fun and interesting programs to attend. Helpful and kind staff along with friendly neighbors is just what I needed.” Carly LaMont Resident of Harbor Terrace
San Pedro Prep Girls Volleyball 2015 Preview
Abrie Trivison (Port of Los Angeles)
Lexi Andrie (Mary Star)
San Pedro's duo of Bentovoja & Corallo, Mary Star's Andrie & POLA's Trivison all aim for promising seasons for their schools.
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story & photos by Jamaal K. Street The San Pedro Prep Girls Volleyball circuit in 2015 will be truly intriguing to watch. San Pedro, Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and Mary Star of the Sea High all had brandnew coaches in 2014, and they all came away with promising seasons. The Pirates may not have ended their five-year drought of claiming a Marine League championship, but they did end a five-year streak of frustration with a resounding sweep of Narbonne of Harbor City. Mary Star and POLA both came away with a league championship, with the Stars ending a five-year drought by capturing a share of the Santa Fe League championship, and the Polar Bears claiming a third straight Crosstown League crown. Four players looking to make their mark in 2015 include Mary Star junior outside hitter Lexi Andrie, POLA senior libero Abrie Trivison, and the San Pedro pass & attack combination of junior outside hitter Katie Bentovoja and senior setter Brianna Corallo. San Pedro went 13-15-2 last season, but placed third in the Marine League with an 8-4 mark as Bentojova and Corallo both split time as the setters based on rotations by coach Chris Ceballos, who’s now in his second year at the helm. Now Bentovoja moves to outside hitter, giving Corallo the starting spot at setter. However, Corallo did get her moment in the sun as an outside hitter in a sweep of University in a non-league match, delivering a kill in the closing moments of the third set. “For being a 5'2" setter, that was pretty amazing,” Corallo recalls. Both Bentovoja, a returning All-Marine League second team selection, and Corallo played pivotal roles in San Pedro’s surprising three-game sweep victory over Narbonne in the second league meeting, riddling the Gauchos with their near identical array of clutch passes and killer serves for crucial aces. “That was an amazing feeling, watching all our hard work pay off in that match was truly the highlight of our season,” says Bentojova. “We played extremely well.” Senior libero Samantha MacEllven, senior outside hitter Jerielle Datingaling, and senior middle blocker Isabella Mejia also return for San Pedro, who will once again challenge the likes of Narbonne and reigning champion Carson for Marine League supremacy. “If we want to take back the Marine League title, we need to start our season strong, as well as finish strong,” Corallo says. Andrie is part of a very talented Mary Star team that returns eight from second-year coach Tyler Jaynes’ first team, which went 14-9 overall, sharing the Santa Fe League title with St. Genevieve with a 9-1 mark and reaching the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs. Only All-Santa Fe League selections Evelyn Pronovost and Hope Markinkovich graduated from that 2014 team, but a junior-laden Stars team that features Andrie, outside hitter Ally Spillane, setter Angela Pisano and middle blockers Kaitlyn Martinez & Gianna Fletcher all return.
Katie Bentovoja (left) and Brianna Corallo (San Pedro)
“I look forward to playing with this team and am beyond confident,” Andrie says. “We are very strong offensively but we also have a dependent defensive side.” The most memorable moment for Andrie last season came in the rematch with St. Genevieve, where the Stars won in four sets. Andrie led the charge with 12 kills and also exposed several cracks in the armor of the Valiants with her killer short jump serve, which led to three service aces. In spite of her individual achievements, Andrie is a team-oriented player who is willing to do whatever it takes to for her team to be successful. “We are not only teammates, we are family,” she says of her collaboration with the rest of the Stars. “I’m looking forward to reaching new goals and getting even better than we were in the past.” Trivison meanwhile wasn’t able to get as many looks into the rotation during 2014 for coach Rowel Ramirez, who also enters his second season after pacing POLA to a 14-9 record, a 11-1 mark in Crosstown League play, and another berth in the CIF-LACS Division IV playoffs. All that will change this season, as Trivison will be counted on alongside setter Jaida Nabayan as the lone two seniors on a very young Polar Bear team if they are to once again defend their league crown. “Being counted on as a starter is a big responsibility,” Trivison says. “But I have faith in my teammates and myself that we will work together to succeed.” In her third season now, Trivison is one of the mainstays at POLA and has been playing volleyball since the fifth grade. Her most memorable moment was watching her teammates sweeping Foshay Learning Center to claim their third straight league title. “I think we have a good chance,” says Trivison of POLA’s dreams of a fourth straight Crosstown League championship. “That and getting back to the playoffs are definite goals of ours.” spt
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ON THE TOWN
Light at the Lighthouse – Light at the Lighthouse Music Festival celebrated its 11th annual free concert at Point Fermin Park on Labor Day Saturday. Touted as the "Best Music Festival in the South Bay" and "Best Family Festival in the South Bay," LATL presented 30 bands on "4 Stages For All Ages," including one of the most popular Reggae bands in the U.S., Christafari. Other activities enjoyed by the 5,000 attendees were the BMX stunt show, climbing wall, puppet stage, Graffiti Art Demo, food trucks, and more. (photos: Nancy Jo Derby and Loki Efaw)
WEDDING
The Law of Love David and Taleen Bozanich September 13, 2014 by Brooke Karli | photo by Nicole Galasso
Karabian, and Aram Tertzakian; and Ring Bearer Evan Pomerleau. The reception followed at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, a meaningful location to Taleen as she loves art and used to have an Armenian art business. “We were surrounded by art and sculptures – it doesn’t get much better than that,” she exclaims. David and Taleen shared their first dance to John Legend’s “All of Me," while Taleen and her father Dr. Garo Tertzakian danced to Elton John’s “Your Song,” and David and his mother Carmella Bozanich danced to Lee Ann Womack’s "I Hope You Dance.” Throughout the reception, the newlyweds and their guests danced to Armenian music and participated in an Amore Toast, a San Pedro tradition. Additionally, Taleen’s friend from Boston surprised the bride and groom by singing Armenian songs that she coordinated with the DJ prior to the reception. Their best man, John Mattera, also presented the couple with Certificates of Recognition and Congratulations from Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino. “Those certificates are so special to us because we both work for the City of Los Angeles and we met at work,” David says. “We just felt honored that our city’s leaders would recognize us on our special day.” Following their wedding day, David and Taleen honeymooned for two-and-a-half weeks in Italy, Croatia, and Armenia. “Our honeymoon was about two cultures coming together,” Taleen says. “We wanted to pay homage to where we came from as a newly married couple.” When they got to Armenia, David and Taleen were greeted by Taleen’s parents, who were in Armenia working on philanthropic endeavors, and threw the couple a wedding party. David and Taleen reside in downtown Long Beach and still currently work for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office as criminal prosecutors. They hope to start a family someday soon. spt
OCTOBER 2015 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 35
David and Taleen (Tertzakian) Bozanich never thought they would each date a coworker. But when Taleen joined the staff at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office as a criminal prosecutor in 2008, they both knew that their professional and personal lives were going to come together as one. By the time David and Taleen hung out for the first time with co-workers at a college football game in November 2008, David had already put in six years as a criminal prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office. A few weeks after the football game, David asked Taleen out on a date, and at the beginning of 2009, the two began a serious relationship. “Because we worked together, we had to make sure our personal lives didn’t affect our professional lives and vice versa,” explains David. “We really had to learn how to balance everything out.” The couple seemed to do just fine, because in December 2013 – in the middle of an outdoor ice rink in San Francisco – David asked Taleen to marry him. “We had traveled to San Francisco for Thanksgiving weekend that year, and on that Sunday night – and 30 minutes after another couple got engaged on the ice – David pulled me to the edge of the rink and proposed,” describes Taleen. “We just love San Francisco and we think it is such a romantic place. So the fact that David proposed there is very special to us.” Nine months later, on September 13, 2014, David and Taleen became husband and wife in front of 220 guests at Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Santa Ana. “Because I’m Armenian and grew up attending an Armenian Orthodox Christian Church, and because David is Italian and Croatian and grew up attending a Roman Catholic Church, we wanted to bring the two churches together for our wedding,” explains Taleen. “It was a very meaningful ceremony for both of our families for many reasons.” Standing next to the bride were Maid of Honor Eleeza Agopian; bridesmaids Amy Katcherian, Tamar Naaman, and Sevahn Simonian; and Flower Girl Grace Pomerleau. Next to the groom were Best Man John Mattera; groomsmen Anthony Galletti, Benjamin
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread by Lori Garrett Oh, how I love autumn! I crave the shift from scorching hot temperatures to cooler weather (relief!), not to mention the lead-in to all the festivities of the holiday season (my favorite time of year). I especially love that it’s the season to enjoy those distinct fall flavors, and what flavor is more distinctly “autumn” than pumpkin? Meanwhile, one of the things I missed most when I had to start eating grain-free was the dessert course. Most baked goods are made with grains (like wheat flour), which are inflammatory, especially for those of us with health issues. Giving up grain-based foods was perhaps the hardest part of changing my diet. Sometimes, I think it’s just me living in this seemingly lonely grain-free world. But over the last year, I’ve had several San Pedro Today readers reach out to me and share that they, too, have removed grains from their diet with the hope of improving their health. So I’m learning that there are increasingly more people out there looking for alternatives to conventional grain-based recipes. Grain-free baking can be tricky (the absence of gluten presents logistical challenges) and normally requires very precise measurements. But quick breads tend to be more forgiving, so for those who are new to grain-free baking, this easy pumpkin bread recipe is a great place to start. While many grain-free recipes call for almond flour, I choose to use coconut flour, when possible. Not only is coconut nutritious, anti-inflammatory, and high in fiber, but it provides a nut-free option for those who have nut allergies. (Note: because of it’s unique tendency to be extremely absorbent, coconut flour requires a lot of liquid and unfortunately, cannot be substituted out at 1:1 ratio with any other flour. If you’d
prefer, there are plenty of delicious almond flour recipes available on the Internet.) As for sugar, we all know that it wreaks havoc on the body, but those of us who have a sweet tooth still like to have the option of indulging once in a while. The key is to avoid refined sugars and consume only occasional, small amounts of natural, unrefined sugar. This recipe calls for raw honey (or maple syrup), and although that means this recipe isn’t sugar-free, it is certainly lower in sugar than most traditional pumpkin bread desserts, as well as free of any refined sugar. Finally, if you’re able to make your own homemade puréed pumpkin, then you are my hero. But if you’re in a state of perpetual hurriedness (like me), the organic, canned puréed pumpkin from the Farmer’s Market brand is the next best thing (the linings of their cans are BPA-free, by the way). I find my Farmer’s Market canned pumpkin at Sprouts on Western Avenue. Feel free to fold in dairy-free/soy-free chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or chopped nuts for additional flavor and texture (all optional)! Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free) • 1/2 cup organic coconut flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand) • 1 tsp baking soda • 1/4 tsp unrefined mineral sea salt • 1 Tbsp organic ground cinnamon • 1 tsp organic ground nutmeg • 1 cup organic puréed pumpkin (I use Farmer’s Market canned pumpkin) • 3 organic pasture-raised eggs (preferably room temperature) • 1/3 cup unrefined virgin coconut oil or grass-fed butter, melted (use coconut oil for dairy-free option; use butter if you prefer less coconut flavor) • 1/3 cup pure or raw honey or real maple syrup 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all wet ingredients together: pumpkin, eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. In a smaller bowl, mix dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, then mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
36 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2015
Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 50-55 minutes until top is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy! (Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.) spt
HEALTH & FITNESS
Waiting for a rainy day?
But I Don’t Want to Get Bulky by Ricky Magana
Before starting an exercise regimen, it's always wise to check with a medical doctor. For some sample workouts to help you get better, email ricky@heydaytraining.com.
Medical A u t o
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“I don’t want to look like a man. I just want to tone” Within about thirty seconds of meeting any woman looking to join the gym, this concern usually comes up. It is a legitimate fear many females have when they first consider the option of resistance training – that the moment you begin to lift weights that feel heavy, your thighs will explode into veiny oak trees and your arms, neck and jawline will expand until your femininity has all but disappeared. I exaggerate but I’m not far off in the pervasive fear that weight lifting has the stigma of being “for men” while cardio machines and pink dumbbells are for women. I completely understand a woman not wanting a neck and traps that rival that of an NFL linebacker, but the fear is overblown. So today, I want to put some of those fears to rest. The Myth of Shaping – When a woman does not want to get bulky she emphasizes that instead she wants to shape and tone her muscles. This, sadly, is a misconception. There are only two things you can do to your muscles, increase or decrease their size. Their shape is already determined by your genetics. You cannot shape a bicep, you can only develop the muscle (increase its size) then decrease the fat around it, which in turn gives the visual effect of “toning." When you want to tone, what you are really looking for is to eliminate the body fat over the muscle to reveal the definition (and shape) that is already there. Food Makes You Bulky, Not Weights – The women you see competing in bodybuilding with the striations, veins, massive muscles and definition, work extremely hard to get that way. I cannot emphasize that enough. It is incredibly difficult to train at that volume, intensity and consume the amount of calories needed to achieve that look. So to think you could get that way by accident is well, silly. That being said, it is possible to gain weight after you’ve started lifting weights for a number of reasons. For one, maybe you needed to gain a little weight. Exposing your body to strength training may result in some weight gain because your body is adding lean mass. More muscle doesn’t mean more manly. It means you’ve now added definition that enhances your feminine physique – not diminished it. As long as your clothes fit better, its par for the course. Another reason is that many people overestimate how many calories they’re burning and underestimate how much they consume. Many times bulk is just a layer of fat over muscle that looks like muscle. But muscle is firm, it does not look soft or bloated. You cannot build bulk from nothing. As long as you’re eating a balanced diet high in vegetables and protein (and low in desserts), you won’t add bulk. Women have Different Genetic Potential Than Men – No matter how hard you tried, it’d be very difficult to look like a man. Why? Because as a female, you are built differently. I’ve trained women for several years who have continually added weight to their training exercises and have reached a point where they are stronger than most men and still, they have yet to be mistaken for men. Quite the contrary, they get compliments on how curvaceous and womanly their figure is. In fact, they get other women asking, “How do I get to look like you?!” Adding muscle only emphasizes the figure that is already there. It does not completely change the physical make-up of who you are to begin with. The feminine ideal has changed to include strong women. Everywhere you see images of women lifting weights, running races, achieving elite levels in all sorts of sports and it’s celebrated. As a female, you have little to lose by becoming as strong as your genetic potential allows you to be. I have never once met a woman who did that and regretted it. Pursue whatever mode of fitness makes you happy but don’t avoid one method because you’re afraid of getting bulky. Strong is sexy. Embrace it. spt
Life
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