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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

xecutive Director Tahia Hayslet expressed confidence that San Pedro’s Harbor Interfaith Services will this latest budgetary storm, known as the sequester, thanks to its efforts in diversifying their funding sources over the last several years.

Nevertheless, Hayslet said she was expecting a 5 to 10 percent cut in Housing and Urban Development grants that are scheduled for release April 1. But Harbor Interfaith isn’t alone.

The sequester—deep, indiscriminate across-the-board cuts to discretionary federal spending on domestic programs and defense—was intended as a sword of Damocles, a threat so dire it would ensure a negotiated budget compromise to avert it.

“It was written in a way to make it terrible,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney reminded reporters on March 14. “That was the purpose.”

Under federal law, sequestration requires agencies to cut spending by a fixed percentage on each of their programs and activities, so that everyone gets hurt. But now Republicans seem to think it makes a swell meat-ax instead—especially if they can convince the public that it’s all President Barack Obama’s fault.

But it’s not. And, the public knows it.A recent Washington Post poll found that Americans hold Congressional Republicans responsible for the

sequester cuts by a 47 to 33 margin, while 72 percent disapprove of Congressional Republicans overall. What’s more, Americans disapprove of the sequester cuts by 53 to 39 percent; 64 percent say they’ll hurt the economy; 60 percent say they’ll hurt the government’s ability to provide basic services; and 69 percent say they’ll hurt the military. Even Congressional Republicans hate the sequester cuts—when they hit too close to home, as Talking Points Memo reported (“Sequestration NIMBYism Grips GOP,” March 15), citing complaints from South Dakota Sen. John Thune, New York Rep. Richard Hanna and Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold as examples.

What’s even more amazing about public hostility to the GOP’s position is that the public remains wildly misinformed about the most basic budget fact of all: rather than facing an avalanche of “out-of-control spending,”

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

E

Seqeuster: What’s on the Chopping Block?/ to p. 6Graphic: Mathew Highland

Rancho LPG Receives Smack Down Notice from EPA p. 3Pfc. Bradley Manning Speaks in Court for First Time p. 10

The Legend of Camelia la Tejana, Comes Alive in Opera p. 11

Morrison Channels Icon Dinah Washington

p. 14

Photo courtesy of Harbor Interfaith Center

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Committed to independent journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Areafor more than 30 years

HARBOR AREACommunity Announcements:

Harbor AreaHomeownership Empowerment Expo

There will be a Home Preservation & Foreclosure Alternatives and Homebuyer Workshop, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 23 at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center in Carson. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

The workshop will cover: Loan modifications, short-sale information and deed in lieu of foreclosures, among other bits of great information. Housing and Urban Development certified counselors will be on hand to answer any questions. RSVP is required.Details: (310) 831-1799 Venue: Cong. Juanita Millender-McDonald Community CenterLocation: 901 E. Carson St. Carson

Tribute Performance at the Warner Grand Theatre Postponed

The performance “Dancin’ in the Streets: A Musical Tribute to David Bowie and the Rolling Stones” has been cancelled due to minor health concerns. It is expected to be rescheduled for October.

New Respiratory Clinic OpensThe Wilmington Health Center is opening a

new respiratory clinic to help fight asthma March 27. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and health fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Details: (310) 997-7116; www.hcbf.orgVenue: Wilmington Health CenterLocation: 1325 Broad Ave. Wilmington

San Pedro Democratic MeetingThe San Pedro Democratic Club will meet

at 7 p.m. March 25 at Calle Ocho Mexican Restaurant in San Pedro.The program will feature a presentation by longtime San Pedro community leader Doug Epperhart, who serves on the Los Angeles Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. There will also be a short presentation regarding the LAX modernization plan.Details: (310) 367-7186Venue: Calle Ocho Mexican RestaurantLocation: 800 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro

Munch and Learn Marketing Workshop with Scott Pansky

There will be a marketing workshop with lunch, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 27, at the Omelette and Waffle Shop featuring guest speakers: Scott Pansky, co-founder and senior partner, Allison and Partners (www.allisonpr.com). The workshop is entitled Cause Related Marketing—Negotiating Win-Win Partnerships.

RSVP to Erika Velazquez, at (310) 832-7272 or evelazquez@sanpedrochamber.com by March 25.

Students, San Pedro Chamber of Commerce members and one guest are free. Non-members pay $10. Details: (310) 832-7272 Venue: Omelette & Waffle ShopLocation: 1103 S. Gaffey Street, San Pedro

Averill Park Make-OverThe Recreation and Parks Department

plans to make repairs to the asphalt walkways at Averill Park.

The repair work will take place primarily on the walkways located on the perimeter of the stream, the upper waterfall area and near the field restroom building. The park will remain open but the affected walkways will be caution-taped and barricaded while they are being repaired.

A certified arborist has been assigned to this project due to the fact that they expect to do some tree root pruning and or grinding. They do not anticipate removing any trees.

The repair work is expected to start as early as April 2, and be completed by April 16. Details: juan.benitez@lacity.org.

Rosa Parks Reception at the Warner Grand Theatre

There will be a reception honoring Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks, as well as the

On March 7, at the end of a marathon day-long public meeting, the Port of Los Angeles Board unanimously approved the controversial BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) off-dock rail project: the Southern California International Gateway or SCIG.

The vote came despite strong adverse testimony on several fronts, starting with Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, the first of roughly 190 people who testified.

“Together, the cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and the two Harbor Departments have made much progress over the past five years,” Foster said, ticking off various examples. “Regrettably the SCIG project is something very different....We’re willing to be good regional partners.

“We’re willing to try to absorb some impacts in return for regional benefit. This is beyond the pale....We wouldn’t be good partners, we’d be fools.”

The imbalance between regional and local impacts, which Foster highlighted, has been a dominant recurring theme among SCIG critics, which has been supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District as a matter of both science and law.

Long Beach Unified School Board member

Felton Williams also expressed frustration with earlier concerns being ignored.

“The district strives to provide a safe learning environment for its students and we cannot support a project that would pose any health risks to our students, their families and our staff,” Williams said. He also pointed out that the four nearby schools had all been built between

1935 and 1951, well before the port-related industrialization of the area.

Long Beach City Councilman James Johnson amplified one of Foster’s points, contrasting BNSF’s railyard project with TraPac’s terminal expansion.

“There, the Port of LA built a $55 million

Harbor Commission Approves Controversial BNSF RailyardLong Beach, NRDC Appeal DecisionBy Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

Harbor Commission Approves Railyard/ to p. 22

Community Announcements/ to p. 5

Rendering of the Southern California International Gateway. Courtesy of BNSF Railway

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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

On March 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a “Notification of Potential Enforcement Action” to Rancho LPG, for multiple, diverse violations of the Clean Air Act, including fundamental inadequacies with its risk management planning.

According to the EPA, Rancho “failed to develop and implement an emergency response program for the purpose of protecting public health

behind closed doors to correct almost all of the violations.

“Nevertheless, the companies are still responsible for any violations found during inspections that resulted in all six allegations,” EPA spokesperson Nahal Mogharabi explained.

Yet, the EPA stood by silently for years, while Rancho blatantly misrepresented itself as fully in compliance with all applicable rules and

and the environment, including at a minimum, procedures for informing the public and emergency response agencies in the event of a release.”

Responses from community activists ranged from elation to skepticism, while local Congress members expressed guarded optimism.

“EPA has made serious allegations,” Rep. Henry Waxman said.

Rep. Janice Hahn saluted, “EPA’s readiness to take strong action” while reiterating her position that “these tanks must be relocated.”

“I’m delighted,” said a former oil industry consultant Connie Rutter.

But Jeanne Lacombe, president of the Rancho Riviera Homeowners’ Association, was more skeptical, saying, “I don’t really know whether it’s going to have any teeth to it.”

Then, late on March 18, after the initial version of this story was turned in, the EPA belatedly answered questions put to them over the weekend. The responses cast the story in a somewhat different light—that of a prolonged and troubling investigation, shielded from public scrutiny while the EPA worked with Rancho

regulations.Rancho’s failure to plan for protecting the

public goes right to the heart of long-standing activist concerns that Rancho has never seriously prioritized public safety. Earlier indications of this lack of concern for the public include broken promises to hold safety drills that would involve the public, and broken promises to provide insurance information demonstrating that Rancho could cover the cost to nearby residents and businesses of a potential disaster.

The EPA’s investigation of Rancho has taken almost three years. On-site inspections on April

Rancho LPG Busted by EPAMultiple Violations of Clean Air Act CitedBy Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

EPA Busts Rancho LPG/ to p. 21

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that they busted Rancho LPG for multiple Clean Air Act violations after 3-year probe on March 14. File photo

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Although marred by smears and rumors, Carson’s March 3 election ushered in a new city council and promises a new era in the city’s often divisive politics.

Jim Dear easily won his third term as mayor, while his fellow council member, Mike Gipson, who often votes in opposition to Dear, also won his third term.

Voters were not as benevolent to a third incumbent, Julie Ruiz-Raber. She, too, was seeking her third term on the council. She was voted off the council once before, eight years ago, as a Dear ally. This time she appears to be leaving as an ally of Dear’s opposition.

Council members Ruiz-Raber, Gipson, and Lula Davis-Holmes (who unsuccessfully challenged Dear for mayor) all supported Measure M, which would have eliminated direct election of the mayor. It was soundly defeated, with only 16.8 percent of voters supporting it. Dear opposed it, as did Albert Robles, who’s expected to take office March 27 in Ruiz-Raber’s place.

Election night results showed Ruiz-Raber, with 21.5 percent of the vote, a distant third behind Gipson (who received 29.2) and Robles (who received 23.8 percent). In contrast 59.8 percent of voters chose to return Dear as mayor.

Several sources were reluctant to assume an outcome before all absentee and provisional votes were counted and the election certified. However, the mayor’s brother and campaign treasurer, Don Dear, told Random Lengths the remaining ballots could be expected to follow the

same pattern as voting at the polls. He said the Los Angeles County Registrar was in charge of checking uncounted ballots against voter rolls.

Via e-mail Carson’s City Clerk Donesia L. Gause, explained how about 1,672 ballots remained to be counted with the final total available on March 18. She explained further that election results will be certified on March 27 by the outgoing city council, just before the new council is sworn in and seated.

Election results show that precincts that voted heavily for Davis-Holmes voted heavily against Measure M.

“I don’t know what the proponents were thinking,” Don Dear commented, “They were foolish to even put it on the ballot.”

“We wanted voters to have a choice,” responded Ruiz-Raber on her support for Measure M. She added that voters should have the opportunity to make such a choice “every 20 years or so.”

“The City of Carson won this election, not me,” Jim Dear commented on his victory.

Currently president of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, Robles represents Division 5 including Carson. He has been on the board since 1992 and also once ran for Los Angeles County District Attorney. During his council campaign, he was endorsed by a cross-section of Carson’s divisive political factions—Jim Dear, Vera Robles DeWitt and Mike Mitoma.

Robles did not always campaign on unity, however. He smeared Ruiz-Raber with a mailer that repeated a false allegation against her from her 2003 campaign. The mailer accused her of “an attempt to illegally influence voting,” in a case often referred to as “cookiegate.” Actually she was cleared of all charges.

“Albert ran a successful campaign against an incumbent,” Don Dear argued. “He had to attack the incumbent.”

Ruiz-Raber responded she wanted to thank voters “for sending me off on a second honeymoon” with her husband, Brian. She then, however, questioned Robles’ residency.

When Random Lengths asked Robles to respond, he cited his representation of Carson for the Water Replenishment District.

Dear, too, saw old smears against him revived on a mailer supporting Davis-Holmes. The literature accused him of being a “carpetbagger” who rents an apartment in Carson but has a home outside the city. Dear has long insisted his Carson apartment on Figueroa St. is his official residence.

Some of Dear’s campaign literature attacked Gipson, Ruiz-Raber and Davis-Holmes for their vote to name the council chambers after former City Clerk Helen Kawagoe, but only posthumously.

Dear said he intends to make naming the council chambers an item at the inaugural council meeting on March 27. Ruiz-Raber questioned that, pointing out Dear was not on the prevailing side of the original vote. She admitted, however, the city attorney would have to make the final decision. Dear denied it was an issue of parliamentary procedure.

Neither the city attorney, Bill Wynder, nor the city manager, David Biggs, were available for comment at press time.

New Council Members, Same Old Smears By Lyn Jensen, Carson Reporter

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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

achievement of local sculptor Eugene Daub, whose bronze statue of Parks was recently installed in Statuary Hall in Washington D.C. The event is at 5:30 p.m., April 4, at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro.

Daub and Rob Firmin, who conducted the research necessary to accomplish the work will give a presentation on the work and research they did on the project followed by comments from city and congressional dignitaries. The event is free.Venue: Warner Grand TheatreLocation: 478 6th St., San Pedro

Leadership Luncheon with Rep. Hahn Attend a Leadership Luncheon with Rep.

Janice Hahn, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ports O’Call Restaurant in San Pedro. Find out the latest information from Washington. Entry fee for San Pedro Chamber of Commerce members is $35 and for non-members is $40. Details: (310) 832-7272Venue: Ports O’Call RestaurantLocation: Berth 76 Ports O’Call

Port’s Draft Port Master Plan Released The Port of Los Angeles has released a Draft

Port Master Plan for public review and input through April 8.Details: http://nwsanpedro.org/2013/02/ports-draft-port-master-plan-released

State of the CityAngelinos are invited to join Mayor Antonio R.

Villaraigosa for his final State of the City Address, at 3:30 p.m. April 9, at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

RSVP by April 5 at stateofthecity@lacity.org or at (213) 922-9752. Please include your full name, organization (if applicable), and contact number with your RSVP. This invitation admits one person and is not transferable. Parking will be available on the UCLA campus in Parking Structure 4. Details: (213) 922-9752Venue: UCLA’s Royce HallLocation: 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles

Home Repairs for America’s Veterans, Military Families

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles is looking to offer critical home repairs to local qualified veteran and military families in greater Los Angeles.

To qualify you must meet the following requirements:

• Be a homeowner or household member earning less than 80% of LA County’s area median income

• Repairs needed must meet program guidelines

• This program is offered to qualified veterans and military families on a first come, first served basis.

Visit www.habitatla.org and click on Housing Initiatives/Habitat for Heroes to submit an application. Details: (310) 323-4663, ext. 176; www.habitatla.org

Community Announcements:

Harbor Areafrom p. 2

On March 14, Sen. Ricardo Lara, right, was sworn in by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. They were joined by local leaders from throughout the 33rd District that included Long Beach City Mayor Bob Foster, City of Paramount Pastor Brian Warth, City of Long Beach Sergeant First Class Rudy Rios and ABC 7’s Alysha Del Valle as Emcee. Photo by Diana Lejins

State Sen. Lara Sworn In

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as the GOP mantra has it, the budget deficit is actually plummeting at a record pace, not seen since the end of World War II. Having peaked at $1.4 trillion the year Obama took office—based primarily on George W. Bush’s last budget, the 2013 deficit is projected to be just $845 billion—a 40 percent drop from 2009—even without the sequester.

Yet, a late February Bloomberg News poll found that only 6 percent of all Americans are aware that the deficit is shrinking, compared to 28 percent who think it’s holding steady and a

whopping 62 percent who think it’s growing.In short, the entire budget-slashing hysteria

that’s gripped Washington D.C. is premised on mass deception on a scale that’s comparable to weapons of mass destructions in Iraq. This time, though, the media’s failure to communicate the truth can’t be blamed on the White House. The budget figures are completely public and have been written about on sites like Investors Business Daily, which are hardly known as bastions of liberal political spin. Yet, such basic facts are routinely ignored, as if they represented fringe opinions.

Which is why people served by non-profit organizations like Harbor Interfaith suffer needlessly—and why many more will almost certainly follow.

Here in California, sequester cuts this year alone include:

• $87.6 million in cuts for primary and secondary education. 1,210 jobs could be lost.

• $62.9 million in cuts for educating children with disabilities, about 760 jobs are at risk.

• $12.4 million in cuts to environmental funding to protect clean air and water.

• $399.4 million in cuts to civilian Defense Department employees, resulting in about 64,000 people furloughed.

• $1.6 million in cuts for Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, crime prevention, drug treatment, etc.

• $1.1 million in cuts to childhood immunization for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B, about 15,810 fewer

children will be vaccinated.• $12.4 million in cuts to substance abuse

programs, resulting in around 9,400 fewer admissions.

• $2 million in cuts to HIV testing, resulting in around 49,300 fewer HIV tests.

• Up to $795,000 in cuts to services to survivors of domestic violence, meaning up to 3,000 fewer survivors will be served.

• $5.4 million in cuts to meals for seniors.Bad as these cuts are—and these are just figures

for one state for one year—the “solution” could be even worse. The sequester is just the latest in a series of ongoing crises which Republicans have forced since taking over control of the House in the 2010 midterms. Republicans show no signs of stopping, regardless of how unpopular they may become. Indeed, the sequester was originally created to temporarily resolve an earlier such crisis—the debt ceiling crisis of the summer of 2011. The reason for this endless series of crises is two-fold: the extremism of Republican ideology and their electoral insulation in deep red districts.

“We now have two parties that are further apart ideologically than at any point in American history except for the decade of the 1790s and the decade before the Civil War,” New York Rep. Gerald Nadler (D-NY), told MSNBC’s UP! on March 17.

“You have a Republican Party that wants to repeal everything we’ve done in the last 75 years, destroy Medicare, destroy Medicaid, etc., and any grand bargain with them, for them to go along with it, is going to have to go a long way toward doing that.”

Of course, these programs are incredibly popular. Since the early 1970s, according to the General Social Survey, less than 2 percent of all Americans think we’re spending too much on both of them. In 2010, the height of Tea Party hysteria, that jumped—to 3.2 percent. So

naturally, Republicans do everything possible to hide what they are up to, claiming that they want to “save” the programs they are out to destroy and insisting that Democrats take the lead in proposing specific cuts, which they can then attack Democrats for making.

The second factor, the GOP’s electoral insulation, is rooted in the extreme gerrymandering put in place after the most recent Census, which makes most GOP seats non-competitive in general elections. The GOP’s 2010 gains in state legislatures—winning more seats than Republicans have held at any time since 1928—allowed them to gerrymander Congressional districts so severely that it’s estimated Democrats would have to win 56 percent of the vote or more just to win a bare House majority, which means that crises like this one could continue virtually without end at least until 2022, when the next redistricting takes place.

Compounding this problem, a recent study of almost 2,000 state legislators shows that elected officials routinely overestimate how conservative their constituents are—by a whopping 20 percentage points among conservative office holders, compared to about five percentage points among liberal officials. Legislators were asked about constituents’ views on universal health care, gay marriage and abolishing all welfare programs, with similar results on all questions.

“This difference is so large that nearly half of conservative politicians appear to believe that they represent a district that is more conservative on these issues than is the most conservative district in the entire country,” the researchers reported.

With that level of misperception about their constituents, there’s little wonder why conservatives show no interest in compromising with Democrats. Combine that with the fact that only 6 percent of the public knows that deficits are shrinking and the disconnect with reality becomes complete.

But what is rEality?To answer that, we need to turn

to the House Progressive Caucus. In contrast to the Ryan Budget, supported by House Republicans, based on the discredited theory of “trickle-down economics,” and the Senate Democrats budget, based on trying to compromise with Republicans—a fantasy since Republicans don’t believe in

from p. 1

sEquEstEr: what’s on thE Chopping BloCk?

continued on following page

Children enjoy reading time at Harbor Interfaith’s Mary L. Gimenez-Caulder Child Care Center. The White House released a fact sheet of the impact of the sequester cuts on California. Impacts include those to Head Start and Early Head Start services which would eliminate access to early education to 8,200 California children. Photo courtesy of Harbor Interfaith Center.

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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

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Planning Commission Approves San Pedro Community Plan Despite Flawed Process

On March 14, the City Planning Commission met in San Pedro at the Boys and Girls Club, and voted to approve the updated community plan, subject to staff implementation of various adjustments discussed at the meeting. The plan has generally met with approval from community members involved in the planning process. However, the most recent stages have proceeded so quickly that there hasn’t been time for the neighborhood councils to weigh in officially. Sue Castillo, Chairperson of the Land Use Committee for Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council registered her opposition in a prepared statement. The reason: “because it has not been reviewed by the community.”

“Less than two weeks following this plan’s

compromise—the House Progressive Caucus has produced a “Back to Work Budget” based on sound economic principles and policy priorities with broad public support. It would create 7 million new jobs in one year, while reducing the deficit $4.4 trillion within the next decade. It invests money rapidly in the short run—in infrastructure, education, aid to states and other measures—to accelerate a return to a full-employment economy. It also reduces the deficit long term by instituting a set of fair, progressive tax policies, which discourage outsourcing, financial speculation and continued dependence on fossil fuels. An online summary from the House Progressive Caucus describes its high-points as follows:

Job Creation• Infrastructure–substantially increases

infrastructure investment to the level the American Society of Civil Engineers says is necessary to close our infrastructure needs gap

• Education–funds school modernizations and rehiring laid-off teachers

• Aid to States–closes the recession-caused gap in state budgets for two years, allowing the rehiring of cops, firefighters, and other public employees

• Making Work Pay—boosts consumer demand by reinstating an expanded tax credit for three years

• Emergency Unemployment Compensation–allows beneficiaries to claim up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits in high-unemployment states for two years

• Public Works Job Programs and Aid to Distressed Communities—includes job programs such as a Park Improvement Corps, Student Jobs Corps and Child Care Corps

Fair Individual Tax• Immediately allows Bush tax cuts to expire

for families earning more than $250,000• Higher tax rates for millionaires and

billionaires (from 45 to 49 percent)• Taxes income from investments the same as

income from wagesFair Corporate Tax• Ends corporate tax bias toward moving jobs

and profits overseas• Enacts a financial transactions tax• Reduces deductions for corporate jets,

meals, and entertainmentDefense• Returns Pentagon spending to 2006 levels,

focusing on modern security needsHealth Care• No benefit cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or

Social Security• Reduces health care costs by adopting

a public option, negotiating drug prices, and reducing fraud

Environment• Prices carbon pollution with a rebate to hold

low-income households harmless• Eliminates corporate tax subsidies for oil,

gas, and coal companies If all this sounds like an impossible dream,

just consider: Even the top rate on billionaires is 20 percent lower than it was in the 1970s. And, no other budget completely protects Social Security and Medicare, leaving both of them untouched by cuts. The more people know about the Back To Work Budget, the more they support it, because it’s built on already popular ideas. Just not popular with the 1 percent. Is it any wonder they don’t want you to know about it?

release, you are being asked to provide your final approval for it, because obviously, the neighborhood council has not reviewed this community plan update,” she pointed out. Castillo was not able to comment on the plan in an official capacity due to the speediness of the approval process.

“There is a 45-day minimum timetable for neighborhood council review, due to public notice requirements and stakeholder meeting schedules,” Castillo noted. “After three years of input, what possible state of emergency justifies the adoption of a document defining a community before reasonable community review takes place?” she asked.

The plan was approved despite these objections, and is now headed to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, before going to the full City Council. “It’s not a bad plan. It does a lot of great things. It doesn’t do all that it could have done,” Castillo said. But the flawed process requires a response above and beyond that, she feels. Discussions about how to respond are under way.

Chinese Purchase San Pedro DoubleTree HotelLOS ANGELES— Sky Harbor LLC announced March 16 that it purchased the 226-room DoubleTree by Hilton San Pedro-Port of Los Angeles.

It is the first time AVIC International USA, a major Sky Harbor shareholder, takes on a hotel project.

The hotel will now be managed by RIM Hospitality, which also manages the DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles-Downtown.

“With a comprehensive business plan, we anticipate a seamless transition and a quick addition of value to the bottom line,” said Xu Ming (Sherman) Zhang, president of AVIC in a released statement.

“We see great growth potential and upside investment opportunities in the U.S. commercial real estate sector, particularly in the hotel field….Besides aviation, our business covers new energy, real estate, hotels, high-end retail, international trade, logistics, electronics and more.

This hotel fits perfectly into our global business strategy and extends our China hotel portfolio.”

LB Celebrates Lara’s ElectionLONG BEACH — More than 200 community members joined Sen. Ricardo Lara, a Long Beach Democrat, on March 14, to celebrate his election to the 33rd Senate District.

The celebration took place at the Long Beach Museum of Latin American Art.

Lara was sworn in by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and was joined by local leaders from throughout the district that included Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, City of Paramount Pastor Brian Warth, City of Long Beach Sergeant First Class Rudy Rios and ABC 7’s Alysha Del Valle as emcee.

Wright Honors “Women of Distinction”TORRANCE—Sen. Roderick D. Wright, a Democrat who represents the 35th Senate District in South Los Angeles, honored some shining stars of the community March 15, at the Annual “Women of Distinction” Recognition Luncheon.

This year’s 25 honorees included educators and Parent Teacher Association leaders, several women who have raised thousands for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and others who have offered steadfast support to our veterans, in addition to those who have fought to create safer neighborhoods and a stronger local economy.

Among the honorees: Mary Gant, nominated by the City of Los Angeles, Shirley Graves by the City of Carson, Mary Gutierrez by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Dee Hardison by the City of Torrance, Dr. Kimberly C. Johnson by the Long Beach Unified School District, Dr. Laurie Love by the City of Torrance.

Obama Nominates Labor SecretaryWASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama announced, March 18, the nomination of Thomas Perez to become secretary of labor.

Perez is an assistant attorney general heading the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. If confirmed by the Senate, Perez would replace Hilda Solis, who stepped down in January after 4 years of service in the Labor Department.

Perez testified before the U.S. Senate in 2009 in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would protect employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, he challenged state voter suppression efforts and pursued a record number of discrimination or brutality claims against local law enforcement agencies, including the very visible Trayvon Martin racial profiling case.

“Tom’s knowledge and experience will make him an outstanding Secretary of Labor. And there’s plenty of work to do,” said Obama during his announcement. “We’ve got to make sure that our veterans who are returning home

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nEEdlEss Cuts

News Briefs/ to p. 21

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“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do some-

thing about it.”

Columnists/ReportersLyn Jensen CarsonB. Noel Barr Music DudeJohn Farrell Curtain CallGretchen Williams EntréeAndrea Serna Arts WriterMalina Paris Culture WriterKevin Walker Community NewsCalendar

Publisher/Executive EditorJames Preston Allenjames@randomlengthsnews.comAssoc. Publisher/Production CoordinatorSuzanne Matsumiyainfo@graphictouchdesigns.com

Managing EditorTerelle Jerrickseditor@randomlengthsnews.comAssistant EditorZamná Ávilareportersdesk@randomlengthsnews.com

Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg

14days@randomlengthsnews.com

PhotographersTerelle Jerricks, Diana Lejins, Betty Guevarra

CartoonistsAnn Cleaves, Andy Singer, Matt Wuerker

Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, (310) 519-1016. Address correspondence regarding news items and news tips only to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email to editor @randomlengthsnews.com.Send Letters to the Editor or requests for subscription information to james @randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor should be typewritten, must be signed, with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words. To submit advertising copy email adv@randomelengthsnews.com or reads@randomlengthsnews.com.Extra copies and back issues are available by mail for $3 per copy while supplies last. Subscriptions are available for $35 per year for 27 issues.Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We wel-come articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right to express those opinions. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Reporting Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #0891-6627). All contents Copyright 2013 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.

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—Mark TwainVol. XXXIV : No. 6

Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communi-ties of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations throughout the seven cities of the Harbor Area.www.randomlengthsnews.com

Contributors Danny Simon, Connie Rutter, Lori Lynn Hirsch Stokoe

On the 10th anniversary of the United States invasion of Iraq, Reuters news agency cited a study by the Costs of War Project of the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. The study noted that, “The U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans—expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest.”

That war, which has now, “officially ended,” still drains the budget some $9 billion per month. The cost of both Afghanistan and Iraq wars now totals more than $2 trillion. This does not even take into consideration the human suffering and lives lost on all sides. As we now know, the Iraq War was based upon a presidential deception not unlike the Bay of Tonkin incident that promulgated the Vietnam War.

The ongoing costs of these wars of empire are enough to stem the tide of austerity cuts that our nation, states and even our school districts face. Yet, if another war were to be declared tomorrow, the Republicans and some hawkish Democrats would patriotically vote to flush another trillion dollars down the toilet. For well over 100 years, big business and Wall Street bankers have known that “war is good business.” But it is hell for those who have to fight them. The real truth of this relationship is best explained by Maj. Gen.Smedly Butler (USMC 1881-1940):

to go to war is to “defend our homes or to protect the Bill of Rights.”

Deception does seem to be a public policy strategy that recurs like a B movie on late night television in our national subconsciousness. The recently declassified tapes held at the Presidential Library of Lyndon Johnson reveal that prior to

the 1968 election—the election in which Hubert Humphrey lost to Richard Nixon—the FBI taped the phone conversations between the South Vietnamese counsel and Nixon before he defeated Hubert Humphrey for the presidency that “they’d get a much better deal” with him if they delay the Paris Peace talks.

In President Johnson’s view, this act of deception was not only treasonous, but it prolonged the

immensely unpopular war by another six years at the cost of many billions of dollars and 22,000 more American lives. Nixon never got what he deserved even with the subsequent Watergate scandal and his ignominious resignation from office. He deserved to be jailed for being the crook that he so vehemently denied.

Along this same line of treasonous deception is the well-documented intrusion by the Reagan campaign in 1980 during the Iranian hostage crisis. Using the same sort of back-channel pre-election negotiations as Nixon, Reagan’s operatives circumvented President Jimmy Carter’s initiatives to release the hostages, telling the Iranians once again, “that they’d get a much better deal with Reagan than Carter!”

This deception was only later outed when the Iran-Contra scandal was exposed and Oliver North took the fall for the Gipper. Few were prosecuted, most were pardoned and none served time in jail as I recall for participating in felonies against our republic. These seem to be recurring strategies in the playbook for getting elected president and racking up the deficit of “gangster capitalism.”

Fast-forward a few more years to the end of Bill Clinton’s second term, when he was pushing a legacy initiative to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Once again, the GOP campaign intercedes telling Israel’s leaders, you guessed it, “you’ll get a better deal from Bush than Clinton.” And there’s still no end to this seminal conflict to this very day.

One day our nation will have to atone for these lies—lies that have lead us into the wars-

The Cost of War and EmpireA decade of wars has only brought the U.S. misery and deficitsBy James Preston Allen, Publisher

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent 33 years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

So, now when you ask yourself why it is the stock market is soaring with record profits while your local school district is on the verge of financial failure, just remember the words of General Butler: War is a racket. It always has been. According to him, the only reason

for-profit while bankrupting our future, and undermined the very foundation of our democracy and liberty as a people. In short, what is needed is a Commission of Truth and Reconciliation. A commission that former Rep. Dennis Kucinich

recently called for “to lead us out of the moral cul-de-sac in which reside the monstrous crimes of mass murder, torture, kidnapping and rendition.” And, I might add, the prosecution of the gangsters of capitalism.

Your Government Failed You is the title of a book by Richard Clark about the failure to prevent the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, in spite of multiple warnings. For more than a year now, I’ve been worried that a similar book could be written about Rancho LPG someday. Our government not only often fails to prevent harm to its citizens and their property, it often fails after the fact to compensate its citizens after the damage is done. I’m thinking of the fines and compensation from the British Petroleum explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. People are still suing for compensation due to the Exxon Valdez crude spill.

Why is that? Partially because the purpose of laws is garbled in the process as they attempt to satisfy all interests; the lopsided influence of corporate lobbyists--and the lawmakers general lack of understanding of the issues.

This process has had a direct impact on the health and safety of local San Pedro residents. Here’s how: The 1986 Emergency Procedures

and Community Right-to-Know Act and the 1990 Clean Air Act--federal laws written to protect citizens from industrial releases in their communities, whether accidental or routine--were compromised by the lobbying efforts of American Petroleum Institute and a lawsuit in support of Liquefied Petroleum Gas. The result of these efforts was that LPG facilities were allowed to report a much lower “worst case” result than previously set forth in the regulations. It’s bad enough that 770 people and property within three-quarters of square mile of Rancho LPG would be affected by a dangerous release, according to their own reporting in their Risk Management Plan.

But both laws stop short of providing a way to remove a dangerous facility. The laws appear to rely on an informed public to put pressure on local governments to find a way to do this. This lack of real teeth in the laws was pointed out in an editorial in the New York Times by

Rancho and EPA’s Threat of Enforcement Action

By Connie Rutter

continued on following page

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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

RANDOMLetters

Christi Todd Whitman, former chair of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Bush Administration.

Rancho LPG Holdings LLC (“limited liability corporation”) is a special case, because butane and propane are dangerous in themselves. Look it up! And yet, the regulations treat butane and propane as if they were no more dangerous than gasoline, which can be contained in a dike or get exhausted as a fuel source from a fire--neither of which is true of butane and propane.

That an EPA employee, Mary Wesling, was able to find that Rancho failed to implement some of the recommended safeguard for a small level of security was surprising. The most egregious omission is the failure of Rancho to interact with the fire department and the police department in planning and executing a realistic drill which would allow the people and schools in the area to think through what they would do in the event of a release and the resultant explosions. These

public agencies, paid for by your property tax, are the emergency responders that Rancho lists in their Risk Management Plan. But they haven’t yet been engaged by the company to let them know what they’ll be up against! How irresponsible is that?

We have been fortunate so far, but it’s just dumb to count on luck as our emergency response plan. Sooner or later, we citizens should demand that Rancho be relocated to a place far from people and public property like the Port of Los Angeles. In the meantime, please ask Councilman Joe Buscaino to allow a citizen/expert committee to interact with Rancho, fire and police departments as well as the POLA and schools on North Gaffey to plan the scenario and execute the drill outlined in the legislative analyst’s report.

Rutter is a retired chemist, who spent more than three decades working in the oil industry as a chemist and environmental manager and director. She has been a consultant for companies like ARCO, Shell, Valero and smaller refineries, and pipeline and storage companies.

from previous page

Rancho LPG

Open Letter To Councilman Joe BuscainoRe: Rancho LPG Facility Legislative Analyst’s report

Dear Councilman,First, congratulations on

winning re-election. Let’s hope your term is effective in dealing with real problems in the District.

The two recommendations in the Legislative Analyst’s report could be satisfied with one requirement of Rancho – that is, require that they include a small, informed citizens’ group in the planning and execution of the drill, which is the recommendation of the report. That would also satisfy the second recommendation, that they involve the citizens in their outreach efforts.

I could put together 2 to 4 other persons who have training and education in safety issues, as they relate to the oil business. I myself have run two drills at the oil refineries where I was an employee. Douglas Oil is in Paramount and Fletcher Oil is in Carson. Fletcher is now closed and undergoing remediation and Douglas has passed through several changes in ownership.

In both cases there were schools nearby and I thought it prudent to include the schools, as well as the Fire and Police Departments in the drills. We made the drills as realistic as possible, with assumed accidental releases,

and pretended injured employees. We also had people assigned to act as press, since we knew that would be one of the results. We also had ‘ghosts’ or observers who were to circulate among the activity, so that they could observe where there were glitches. The next day the management met together to brainstorm about where there were weaknesses that we could address.

To run a drill was not a requirement, but it made more sense than inches worth of planning books—that level of detail often slows down an effective response, rather than helping it.

Your part would be first to require that Rancho/Plains allow the help of this committee. I would get the citizen-expert team together and submit their resumes to an agency/company planning committee for acceptance. The citizen/expert team would then be an active part of the planning committee to select a scenario, which would involve a release large enough to trigger involving the Fire and Police departments. This would be kept secret from all others involved since, of course, part of the benefit of a drill is to test how well individuals and a team can function when dealing with the unexpected. Another benefit of a drill is that all involved (particularly the public agencies) have an opportunity to think through and respond to a release scenario, which could help when there is a real release. The employees and agencies would

know that there would be a drill and when, but that’s all.

This is a test of your own sincerity and leadership in dealing with the threat of a large LPG facility near homes and nestled against the port. Let the industry experts help with the drill.

Connie RutterSan Pedro

Cut to a SolutionRe: Inglewood Unified begins

making deep cuts amid howls of protest in Daily Breeze

Perhaps you should call them and educate them on your theory that they can solve this problem if they would only continue spending money.

They could probably use a good laugh about now.

Pete LacombeRancho Palos Verdes

Dear Pete Lacombe, I presume that you are jesting,

but I’m not surprised that the Daily Breeze headline is screaming, “the sky is falling.”

The thing is you can’t cut your way to solvency. Every economist who knows their history will tell you this, left, right or center, the deal is that we can’t cut enough out of budgets and still have a school district, a city or a federal government.

Certainly there are savings to be had in any system either public or private, but these cuts shouldn’t affect classroom size, nor can cuts, by themselves accomplish, balance without sacrificing the mission of education. However, in the City of Los Angeles the deficit amounts to some 3 percent of the overall budget and some people are crying “bankruptcy.” Let’s be serious. If you were overdrawn on your personal finances at this percentage, you’d put it on your credit card. So should the city!

In all of this talk of “austerity” there is something more fundamental at stake, like saving our public institutions. What goes unmentioned is the huge impact our post 9-11 wars have had on our national and local economies. The price of empire is the decline of democracy. And, when you can no longer pay for public education, the later is threatened.

James Preston Allen,Publisher

Ports O’Call LiesAttention to Paul Rosenberg

also. Again, such lies you print.

When will you tell the truth, Jimmy!!!!

The Alliance group was picked because of the approval of your elected officials. Why—because they have contributed to their fundraisers! [The] same goes for the Chamber (who never took a vote from all the members) yet they said they approved the group. One sided!

No proposal was given and Ratkovitch said they did not have a plan. WOW. What qualifications do they have in comparison to the McArthur Glen Group. Joe Rich

on the committee, gee, he is such a good friend of the Jerico group. Another farce.

I could go on and on but you will see nothing of significance built by this group—except another plan on a shelf!

San Pedro will never wake up and they deserve this nothing project. I know you will not print any of this because it is the truth.

Joyce HallSan Pedro

Dear Joyce, I don’t appreciate being

scolded and talked to as “Jimmy.” You’re not my mother, nor my first-grade schoolteacher. And as for bias, you and your husband Vern, a

former port employee are obviously not without yours. You may have overlooked that RL News has not taken a formal position on this development.

I have, however, opined publicly that the selection process was flawed but that the port in its “infinite wisdom” may have made the right choice. Only time will tell.

At this point, trying to second guess the “what and why” of the closed door selection committee decision on this is fruitless, unless you are prepared to pursue some legal action calling the selection corrupt. I seriously doubt that with everyone watching the outcome of

this decision that any duplicity took place, which is not to say that the San Pedro Chamber isn’t open to being influenced in their endorsements, but rather that the chamber’s position was in my estimation inconsequential to the outcome.

And for the record, we attempt to print all letters to the editor, even yours.

James Preston AllenPublisher

SPHS Baseball Shutout of Own Field

Hello, I am writing this letter on behalf of the San Pedro baseball

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While the U.S. government considers Army intelligence specialist Bradley Manning a villain, the rest of the world considers him a hero.

In 2010, Manning leaked more than 750,000 documents pertaining to the recent wars in the Persian Gulf. In a pretrial hearing, on Feb. 28, Manning said that he released those documents to “expose the American military’s disregard for human life.”

Among the documents Manning released was the video of a helicopter gunship attack on two Reuters journalists in 2007. Manning learned that Reuters was seeking a copy of the video under the Freedom of Information Act before his document release, but were being stonewalled by the federal government. Manning likened the development captured by the video “to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass.”

“I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information contained within the [Iraq and Afghan war logs] this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as well as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Manning, in a 35-page statement that he read during the pretrial hearing.

Manning had unsuccessfully offered the files to the New York Times and the Washington Post before anonymously uploading the war logs to whistleblowing website Wikileaks from a Barnes & Noble in Maryland on Feb. 3, 2010.

“I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan were targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather people who were struggling to live in the pressure cooker environment of what we call asymmetric warfare,” he read.

On the day Manning delivered his statement, he pled guilty to 10 of the 22 counts he was charged with in February 2013 in military tribunal. One of the capital offenses for which he was charged—aiding the enemy—carried a potential life sentence. He pled not guilty on this count.

Manning’s attorney, Chase Madar, told Al Jazeera that this charge is “the most ridiculous” of all.

“It’s as if we are prosecuting Nike shoes for aiding the enemy if it turned out that some al-Qaeda operative favoured vintage Air Jordans,” Madar continued. “If it [the charge] does stick it will be a dangerous erosion of press freedom in the United States.”

The government’s main evidence was Osama bin Laden’s computer, which was recovered during the 2011 raid on his compound. The computer allegedly contained Manning’s leaked documents. Oddly enough, this charge was issued months before the raid took place.

Manning was arrested on May 26, 2010. He spent more than 10 months in solitary confinement where he was

kept naked in a cell that was lit 24 hours a day to deprive him of sleep. The Geneva Convention, which establishes the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of war, categorizes this type of treatment as torture. Legal scholars found his treatment so appalling that 295 of them in the United States sent an open letter to the Justice Department in April 2011 in protest of Manning’s treatment.

Former Pentagon military analyst Daniel Ellsberg had a similar experience to Manning. Ellsberg, who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times, was never convicted for his actions. The Pentagon Papers documented the United States’ political-military involvement in Vietnam and exposed that the Lyndon Baines Johnson Administration had not only lied about the national interest to the public but also Congress. Ellsberg says that he released the papers to end what he perceived as “a wrongful war.” He calls Manning “heroic.”

“If Bradley Manning did what he’s accused of, then he’s a hero of mine,” Ellsberg said on the show, The Colbert Report. “I wish I could say that our government has improved its treatment of whistleblowers in the 40 years since the Pentagon Papers. Instead, we’re seeing an unprecedented campaign to crack down on public servants who reveal information that Congress and American citizens have a need to know.”

As a candidate, Barack Obama expressed his support for whistleblowers because he believed it was courageous and inline with the best traditions of American patriotism. But as president, his actions contradicted his rhetoric.

Obama has revived and prosecuted more people under the Espionage Act than every other president combined since 1917 when the law was enacted. One of those prosecuted was John Kiriakou, a former CIA agent who exposed the prior administration’s use of waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation” techniques.

Manning’s future is still unknown. Military prosecutors have made it clear they are out for blood. They plan to call 141 witness, including 15 who will say that Manning has harmed national security. For now, Judge Denise Lind closed the court hearing to the press and public until Manning’s next hearing, from April 10 through 12.

Pfc. Manning’s First Statement:

War and WikileaksBy Cory Hooker, Editorial Internteam (On My Own). The problem is that

our baseball team is no longer able to play their games at home, due to the narrow minded individuals that filed a suit against the [LAUSD school] district causing the shutdown of the field. I hope they are happy to cause this mess, even as far as to stop at the beginning of the season. I understand all the problems at hand, but you’re cheating kids, close the street during games, get nets, but stop hurting kids. All I’m saying is, we need community support to help out our kids.

Andrew LinaresSan Pedro

No Back Door to Iran WarPresident Obama has said that the tide

of war is receding. But some people in Washington don’t want the tide of war to recede.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has introduced a bill that would try to “pre-approve” U.S. military support for an Israeli military attack on Iran. If Senator Graham’s bill is passed, the Senate will be on record saying that if Israel attacks Iran, the U.S. should join in. The decision

to go to war is very grave. It should be carefully made by the U.S. government. Not outsourced to a foreign government.

Please urge your Senators to oppose Senator Graham’s bill.

Robert NaimanPolicy Director, Just Foreign Policy

Reaction to News of Averill Park Walkway Work

Preface: Recreation and Parks Department is scheduled to make repairs to the asphalt walkways at Averill Park. Work crews will peel away the asphalt from the affected walkways and then grade and re asphalt the walkways. A certified arborist has been assigned to this project due to the likely need to for tree root pruning and/or grinding—specifically for the walkways located under the Morton Bay fig trees. Below is Lauren Vivian’s open letter to Recreation and Parks to find a way to make repairs without affecting the trees at Averill Park.

I am thankful for being informed this time, unlike the surprise Saturday hacking of the Jacarandas, but I am upset that we are not being asked for our input. There needs to be a discussion on options to disturbing these regal tree and their roots for paths that can be re-routed.

This is a surprise. Again, we are told what is happening rather that being asked. Those ancient trees have roots like sculpture to hold their mighty limbs. They should not be cut. Rather, than contorting the trees to fit our will the trails should be re-routed. Those trails were placed when the trees were young. Now we have majestic giants and they need to be respected for all they give us. They have outgrown the trails we placed and we should gently place the trails around them.

The inversion of priorities and the resulting damage to the beautiful trees is not the right approach here. The asphalt paths should be re-worked around the trees and not the other way around. Please consider a different approach to this unique and beautiful landscape.

I have conferred with a friend who is an arborist and an landscape architect. She shares my opinion. I will be contacting others to gather their opinion. Please, re-consider the approach to this special park’s needs. It should, and I hope soon will be, a landmark park and anything done there should be presented to the NWSPNC for discussion before a plan is implemented. A discussion

RANDOMLettersfrom p. 9

More Letters/ to p. 20

Army Intelligence officer Bradley Manning

March 22 – April 4, 2013

ACE: Arts • Culture •

Entertainment

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by: John Farrell, Theater Columnist

From Corrido to Opera

Is Camelia la Tejana-Only the Truth an opera?Well, technically, yes. It has an innovative score by Gabriela Ortiz, which was

scripted by her brother, Rubén Ortiz Torres. So, of course it is an opera. The Long Beach Opera is

presenting the United States premier of Camelia la Tejana at the Terrace Theatre of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.

But it is also much more than an opera. Ortiz Torres is famous for his work in video, in photography and in installations, and he sees it as much more than just an opera.

“The work is an interdisciplinary art piece and the video aspect of it is an integral part of the opera’s concept” he was quoted in a released statement.

Camelia la Tejana-Only the Truth is a work torn from the headlines that everyone who lives within a few hundred miles of the United States-Mexican border sees daily. The drug war in Mexico has cost that country more than 60,000 lives; more than Vietnam cost the United States, more than Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. And, it’s still not over. Camelia makes no excuses for that war. It’s not about the international ramifications of that conflict. Instead it tells a simple story of love and betrayal and revenge; something that is very operatic indeed.

The story was developed by Ortiz and her brother from one of the many ballads, called corridos, that have been a mainstay of Mexican music for more than 150 years. These are stories about heroes and villains, like Mexican revolutionary leader, Emiliano Zapata (you decide what category he belongs in) and lovers and liars. This particular corrido is titled “Contrabando y Traicion” and was a huge international hit for Los Tigres del Norte when it was first released in 1974. The title in English is “Smuggling and Betrayal.” The song has inspired literature, film, folklore and now an opera.

The song tells about a woman who smuggles marijuana into the United States with her lover. But when her man decides to leave her, she kills him and disappears with the money. The story becomes more involved when a man commits suicide on the train tracks in Ciudad Juarez and the newspaper El Alarma, whose motto is “Only the Truth,” reports that Camelia is involved in that man’s death. The opera is dedicated in part to finding out the truth.

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PassoverWhy is This Night Different

Entertainment

This year, early in the morning of March 25, my cousins and I will be rolling scores of matzoh balls in preparation for the several-course meal at nightfall — the start of the eight day celebration of Passover. The Passover dinner is prepared according to Jewish dietary laws, where chicken soup with matzoh balls is often a favorite course. These cherished “dumplings” are made from ground matzoh, eggs and oil.

My brother will lead the Passover service, called a Seder. Among many of the Seder rituals, out of innocence the youngest child present will ask “The Four Questions.” The first question his 8 year-old son will pose is, “Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat leavened bread or matzoh but tonight we eat only matzoh. Why?”

During the Seder, his son will learn the answer to the question. Our ancestors were slaves when God chose Moses to lead their liberation. Moses demanded that the Egyptian pharaoh release our people from bondage. But pharaoh refused, thus one-by-one, God sent 10 plagues down upon the Egyptians. Finally, pharaoh relented and agreed to free the Israelites.

There had to be sustenance for the journey out of Egypt, but there was no time to wait for bread dough to rise! In the hurry to escape before pharaoh would change his mind, our ancestors baked unleavened cakes of dough. This bread is called matzoh. When yeast is introduced into a mixture of flour and water then left to ferment,

over time it will result in leavened dough. Without this leavening, the bread is flat like a cracker. Like matzoh.

To my nephew and all the children at Seders around the world, the first question is answered, “This night is different because we eat the unleavened bread called matzoh in remembrance of our ancestors’ haste to leave Egypt.”

Our family’s matzoh balls are flavored with saffron, that orange-hued spice having a bright metallic flavor. Beyond the intense color, these matzoh balls taste exotic and mysterious. Saffron’s sweet power is unique, conjuring up memories of far away places, perhaps the places of our ancestors?

Saffron Matzoh Ball RecipeThe Spanish Saffron from Trader Joe’s is

fairly priced at $5.99 for 0.02 ounces. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It adds an especially festive note to the holiday meal. The exquisite result worth every cent.

INgReDIeNTS:• 0.02 ounces saffron threads• 2 large eggs• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil• 1 packet matzoh ball mix (2-and-a-half).

Available at most large grocery stores in the ethnic section.

MeThoD:1. Grind saffron threads using a mortar and pestle.

2. In a small bowl, whisk eggs with olive oil. Stir in ground saffron.

3. Let saffron infuse the egg and oil mixture for about 10 minutes. Stir again.

4. Add one packet matzoh ball mix. Mix well with a fork.

5. Place matzoh ball mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

6. In the meantime bring a large pot of water to a boil.

7. Wet hands and roll chilled matzoh ball mixture into eight balls.

8. Drop balls into boiling water. Cover. Lower the heat to medium-low (not simmer). Cook for 30 minutes, do not lift lid while cooking (no peeking)!

9. Remove balls from water with a slotted spoon.

10. Serve cooked saffron matzoh balls in your favorite chicken soup.

Everything you always wanted to know

about making the tastiest chicken soup and the fluffiest matzoh balls can be found on http://www.tastewiththeeyes.com.

March 22People’s Palace Presents Swing Peedro Featuring the Fabulous Esquires Big Band, People’s Palos Palace is the place to swing. Get free dance lessons at 7 p.m. and then start swing-ing for real at 8 p.m., when the live music starts. Advance tickets are $15; at the door $25.Details: (310) 547-2348, www.swingpeedro.comVenue: People’s PalaceLocation: 365 W. 6th St., San Pedro CA

D.on Darox & The Melody Joy BakersWas it Louis Armstrong who said the blues weren’t necessarily intended to be an expression of sad-ness, but rather a cure for it? In that spirit, Agonizing Sad Beauties is the perfect soundtrack for the new depression — the fiddle parts alone could replace a week’s worth of Prozac. Ticket Price: $10 to $50. Doors open at 8 p.m. starts at 9:30 p.m.Details: (562) 239-3700Venue: Harvelles in Long BeachLocation: 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach

Kilr at SP BrewCoLocal Rock band Kilr will be at the Brewing Com-pany at 10 p.m.Cover is $3.Details: (310) 831-5663Venue: San Pedro Brewing CompanyLocation: 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro

March 23Apostolis Anthimos TrioApostolis Anthimos is most significantly known as guitarist of the Polish rock supergroup SBB. He has also been involved in cooperation with Czeslaw Niemen, Tomasz Stanko, George Dalaras, Vangelis Katsoulis, and also a number of bands, including Krzak and Dzem. Anthimos is a musician of exquisite subtlety, playing both the guitar and percussion instruments. Cover is $30.Details: (800) 403-3447; www.alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

Sunken City at SP Brew Co.Reggae and rock band, Sunken City will be San Pedro Brewing at 10 p.m. Cover is $3.Details: (310) 831-5663Venue: San Pedro Brewing CompanyLocation: 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro

March 24Tall & Small - 11 pc. BandElecting to follow in his father’s footsteps as a studio musician, Pete has played in the wind sec-tion on the Star Trek shows, and has had featured solos on CDs like Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable.” Most recently Pete can be heard on the TV show Family Guy and with the Ron Jones Orchestra. Cover is $20.Details: (800) 403-3447; www.alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

March 26James Clay Garrison James Clay Garrison: Greatly influenced by the rhythms and musical styles experienced during his years as a child in Spain, James Clay Gar-rison became a virtuoso guitarist and vocalist at a very early age, recording his first LP at only 15. Ticket Price: $5. Doors open at 8 p.m. starts at 9:30 p.m.Details: (562) 239-3700Venue: Harvelles in Long BeachLocation: 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach

March 27Whiteboy James and the Blues Express:Having just completed their second album, White-boy James and the Blues Express is a detonative force not to be reckoned with. Since reforming in 2006 after a five year absence, the band has re-established themselves as the legendary band that they once were during the Southern California blues explosion of the 80s and 90s. Ticket Price: $5. Doors open at 8 p.m. starts at 9:30 p.m.Details: (562) 239-3700Venue: Harvelles in Long BeachLocation: 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach

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• Happy Hour •Baramee Thai Restaurant • $2 beers, $4 appetizers and wine & sake specials. (310) 521-9400, 354 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Blu Bar at Crowne Plaza • $4 Drinks and half off appetizers. (310) 519-8200, 601 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro

The Chowder Barge • Try the 34oz. captain’s mug! (310) 830-7937, 611 N. Henry Ford, Leeward Bay Marina, Wilmington

Godmother’s Saloon • (310) 833-1589, 302 W. 7th St., San Pedro

Iron City Tavern • Happy Hour 1/2-price appetizers & drink specials: 4 to 6 p.m. Mon. to Fri. 589 W. 9th St., San Pedro; (310) 547-4766

Ports o’ Call • Happy Hour: Mon. to Fri., 3 to 8 p.m. Taco Tuesdays. Oyster shooter & bloody mary Wednesdays. Live jazz from Mike Guerrero Trio every Wed. (310) 833-3553, Berth 76 Ports O’ Call Village, San Pedro

San Pedro Brewing Co. • Happy Hour: 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., Mon. to Fri. (310) 831-5663, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Trusela’s • Happy Hour: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tues. to Sat. (310) 547-0993, 28158 S. Western Ave., San Pedro

Whale & Ale • Happy Hour: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Mon to Fri., 4 to 7 p.m. on Wed. Late Night Happy Hour: 10 p.m. to Midnight, Fri. Only. (310) 832-0363, 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro

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March 29Friday Night Blues: Dave Widow and The LineupDave just returned from The International blues competition where he was in the top of best Blues CD’s Of 2012. He has been a sideman for many acts. His band the line-up are from the top ranks of L.A. session players. Opening will be Delta blues slide man Sean Lane in a solo performance. (Lane who also performs as lead guitarist with his electric band, The Hellhounds) is known for his burning acoustic style. Get ready for some serious blues from the Delta to Chi Town. Tickets are $20 pre-sale. Begins at 7:30 p.m.Details: (800) 403-3447; www.alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

Sureshot RockersReggae band Sureshot Rockers will be at San Pedro Brewing at 10 p.m.Cover is $3.Details: (310) 831-5663Venue: San Pedro Brewing CompanyLocation: 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro

March 23Live at CRAFTEDCRAFTED at Port of Los Angeles will be hosting the The Grilled Cheese Truck and a beer tasting with the San Pedro Brew Co. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with DJ Frank FoReal spinning the hottest tracks. Details: http://craftedportla.comVenue: CRAFTED at Port of L.A.Location: 110 & 112 E. 22nd St.,San Pedro

March 24Live at CRAFTEDCRAFTED at Port of Los Angeles will be hosting the Food Trucks from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tainamite and The Dovelles will be performing.Details: http://craftedportla.comVenue: CRAFTED at Port of L.A.Location: 110 & 112 E. 22nd St.,San Pedro

March 30San Pedro Shred Come to the open downhill free ride of the Festival of Skate, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 30, near the Korean Bell in San Pedro. The event will include tons of free stuff. Pre-register at Urban Feet and Skate in San Pedro. Details: (310) 832-9364Location: Gaffey Street near Korean Bell

April 4Book Signing Williams’ BookstoreJeff Bollinger will discuss and sign his new book Drum Farm Stories: Letting Skeletons Out of the Barn, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 4, at Wil-liams’ Bookstore in San Pedro. About the book: At the age of twelve, through happenstance and circumstances out of his control, Jeff left the comfort of his mother for the Andrew Drumm Institute, home and work farm for wayward and

For fans of the Great American Songbook, the window to see I Wanna Be Loved at Leimert Park is fast closing.

I managed to catch a show in the middle of its 6-week run at the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, where the music venue’s namesake performs the role of the legendary blues queen, Dinah Washington.

Backed by an 18-piece Jazz Big Band under the musical direction of John Stephens, it was encouraging to see this talented band consisted almost evenly of older and younger musicians alike.

Formerly known by the name, Ruth Jones, it was with the hit, “What a Difference a Day Makes,” that Washington’s career took off. She performed 91 one-night gigs in a row and had 24 records on the charts at one time. Morrison, channeling Washington, noted, “That’s why they call me queen.”

As Dinah Washington, Morrison donned black sequins, crystal drop earrings and a silver crown atop her distinctive white hair. Speaking in the first person she opened with the line:

“Welcome to heaven, I was called Queen on earth and now they call me angel in heaven,” reflecting Washington’s audaciousness on the stage and the studio booth.

Washington said this during a show at the London Palladium on her tour of Britain, with Queen Elizabeth sitting in a box seat. She reportedly said to the audience, “There is but one heaven, one earth and one queen and your Elizabeth is an imposter.”

Morrison, through song and rhythmic phrasing, recounted Washington’s private struggles and professional triumphs in first person. One of the stories includes Washington’s fractured relationship with her mother after choosing to pursue a career in secular music.

Washington’s mother Alice, was a seriously religious woman who sang the spirituals and wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps. She had no idea her daughter wanted to be a showgirl or that she snuck out to see Billie Holiday perform. Washington even got her initiation, as she put it, singing at the end of Holiday’s sets.

Stories of Dinah Washington, Queen of the Blues

by: Melina Paris, Music Columnist

Continued on page 17.

Community/Family

Calendar to page 17.

March 22 – April 4, 2013

ACE: Arts • Culture •

Entertainment

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The Loft GalleryReuben Acosta: Solo Exhibition. Open Studios: Candice Gawne, Carol Hungerford, Sam Arno, Daniel Porras, Murial Olguin, Jan Govaerts, Anne Marie Rawlinson, & Nancy Towne Schultz.401 S. Mesa St. • 310.831.5757 • Open 6–9pm & by appt.

Random Lengths News presents

A Community Celebration in Recognition of Eugene L. Daub

Celebrate with the community as it recognizes Eugene Daub, sculptor of the Rosa Parks Statue commissioned by the U.S. Congress with Congresswoman Janice Hahn, 44th Congressional District and Councilman Joe Buscaino, 15th Council District, City of Los Angeles. Also appearing Carmen Trutanich, L.A. City Attorney, Don Knabe, County Supervisor and Councilman Robert Farrell (ret.) Kick-off the 1st Thursday Artwalk at the Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro. Free public reception 5 to 6:30 p.m. VIP Reception 4 to 5 p.m. $50 per couple, RSVP/tickets: events@sanpedrochamber.com or by calling (310) 832-7272. San Pedro resident and sculptor, Eugene L. Daub, of Daub & Firmin Studio created the Rosa Parks Statue that was installed in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol this past February. The sculpture is the first of an African-American woman to be placed in the Capitol and the first statue commissioned by Congress since 1873. In cooperation with: James Preston Allen, publisher of Random Lengths News, San Pedro Chamber of Commerce,

Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, San Pedro ACE District, Grand Vision Foundation, Ports O’Call Restaurant, Trusela’s Restaurant, The Whale & Ale, Councilman Robert Farrell (ret.)

Lazy Dog Studiopresents Cindy Rutherford DMN“Those Were The Days”Reception : March 7th, 2012 • 6:000 PM to 9:00 PM361 West 7th St. • San Pedro CA 310-293-1332. See more at Facebook.com/lazydogstudio

Gallery 345People Places and ThingsPat Woolley and Gloria D Lee present “People Places and Things” a collection of paintings on canvas and paper. Books, small paintings, and cards are also available.April 4, 2013; hours 6-9pm. Open by appointment 310 545 0832 and 310 374 8055. artsail@roadrunner.com; www.gloriadlee.com; woolleybear@verizon.net; www.teddytraveler.com • 345 W. 7th Street, San Pedro, CA

Transvagrant and Warschaw GalleryFlowmaster III: Recent Works by Merwin Belin, Troy Cherney, and Dave SmithWorking in an offbeat, politically and socially charged manner, and exhibiting as an ensemble for the third time, each approaches their subjects with an inherent irony. Organized by Ron Linden, Flowmaster III runs through April 27. Gallery hours are Mon. – Sat., 11a.m. – 6 p.m., and by appointment. (310) 600-4873 • 600 S. Pacific Ave. San Pedro

San Pedro’S original artWalk— Fine dining • live MuSic SPecial PerForManceS • Food truckS!

Richard Lopez StudioCurrently showing Spring-inspired Florals as well as Cosmic Abstracts, using sanding, glazing and dynamic color imagery. Presenting a new study of local dock workers developing from sketches into candid portraits of paint on canvas. Three existing openings of art classes for intermediate and advanced students. • Richardlopezart@gmail.com 372 7th St. • 562.370.7883 • Ralopezart.com

Michael Stearns StudioShowing in Michael Stearns gallery Studio 347 are paintings and sculpture by Michael Stearns using acrylic and mixed media. Showing to May1st. Open on1st Thursday, by appointment or by chance. For additional information, please call 562-400-0544. 347 W. 7th St. • Michaelstearnsstudio.com

Gallery 478WILLIAM CRUTCHFIELDGallery 478 is pleased to present William Crutchfield, Selected Works: Painting, Drawings, Prints and Sculpture. The exhibition opened on First Thursday, March 7th and will run through May 29, 2013. William and Barbara Crutchfield have dedicated this exhibition to John and Maureen Retsek. For further info call the gallery at 310-732-2150478 W. 7th St., San Pedro

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BIG NICK’S PIzzATradition, variety

and fast delivery; you get it all at Big Nick’s Pizza. The best selection of Italian specialties include hear ty calzones, an array of pastas and of course, our amazing selection of signature pizzas, each piled high with

the freshest toppings. Like wings or greens? We also offer an excellent selection of appetizers, salads, beer and wine. Call for fast delivery. Hours: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 732-5800

BoARDWALK GRILLC a s u a l

w a t e r f r o n t dining at i ts finest! Famous for s labs o f Chicago-style baby back ribs, f i sh -n -ch ips ,

rich clam chowder, cold beer on tap and wine. Full lunch menu also includes salads, sandwiches and burgers. Indoor and outdoor patio dining available. Proudly pouring Starbucks coffee. Open 7 days a week. Free Parking. 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 519-7551

BuoNo’S AuThENTIC PIzzERIAA San Pedro

landmark for over 40 years, famous for exceptional award-winning pizza baked in b r i c k o v e n s . B u o n o ’ s a l s o o f fe rs c lass ic

Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-and-true family recipes and hand-selected ingredients that are prepared fresh. You can dine-in or take-out. Delivery and catering are also provided. Additionally, there are two locations in Long Beach. Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. 1432 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro • (310) 547-0655 www.buonospizza.com

CATALINA BISTRo & ExPRESS GRILLW i t h t h e soaring span of the Vincent T h o m a s Bridge above and bustling vessel traffic on the Main

C h a n n e l alongside, the Catalina Bistro and Express Grill in the new Catalina Express terminal is the most exciting place to dine in the Harbor. The Grill is a wonderful surprise for a quick bite or coffee for locals and travelers. The Bistro and adjacent bar make the new Catalina Terminal the place to go for casual dining and drinks on the heated patio. From 1/3lb angus burgers, homemade soups and clam chowder on Fridays you can’t go wrong. Join us for breakfast and lunch daily and dinners on Friday & Saturday nights. Catalina Sea & Air Terminal, Berth 95, San Pedro 310-707-2440

IRoN CITy TAVERNIron City features a newly renovat-ed dining room and wonderfully restored bar in a modern set-ting. The most c o m f o r t a b l e

gastropub in San Pedro, Iron City offers casual dining for lunch and dinner with food service at the bar. Catch all sporting events on seven 50” screens in surround sound and listen to your favorite tunes on our internet jukebox. (Iron City is a supporter of the Black & Gold.) Iron City fea-tures authentic Philly cheese steaks, various hot sandwiches and burgers, calamari steaks and a variety of Italian pasta dishes. Hours:10:30 a.m.-2a.m. 7 days a week. Happy hour from 4-6 p.m. featuring 1/2 priced appetizers and drink specials. Free parking in rear. 589 W. 9th St., San Pedro • (310) 547-4766

LIGhThouSE CAFEThe favor i te

local cafe for the point Fermin area of San Pedro great breakfasts, lunches and even dinner. Serving traditional

offering for breakfast along with specialty omelets, espresso and cappuccino. Lunches include a delicious selection of soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches with hearty portions as well as Chef’s Creations. Dinners feature Top Sirloin Steak or Prime Rib as well as a kids menu. Beer and wine are served. Free Wifi and is pet friendly on the patio. Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. close to Cabrillo Beach and the Korean Bell, Point Fermin area- 508 West 39th St., San Pedro. 310- 548- 3354

MIShI’S STRuDEL BAKERy Mishi’s is a fragrant landmark on 7th Street, where it is possible to find Nirvana by following your nose. The enticing aroma of baking strudel is impossible to resist, and the café is warm and welcoming like your favorite auntie’s house. Aniko and

Mishi have expanded the menu to include homemade goulash, soups and a variety of sweet and savory Hungarian strudels, crépes and pastas. Take a frozen strudel home to bake in your own kitchen and create that heavenly aroma at your house. Mishi’s Strudel Bakery and Café, 309 W.7th St., St., San Pedro • (310) 832-6474 www.mishisstrudel.com

NAzELIE’S LEBANESE CAFéN a z e l i e ’ s

Lebanese Café is a favorite of the neighborhood for the terrific kabobs, beef or chicken shawarma, lamb dishes and falafel. Nazelie’s chicken

and rice soup with lemon is like a warm embrace—it takes chicken soup to a whole new level. Nazelie uses a recipe handed down in her family for generations, starting with homemade chicken broth, and adding a refreshing touch of lemon for taste and nutrients. Nazelie’s Lebanese Café, 1919 S.Pacific Avenue, San Pedro. (310) 519-1919.

PoRTS o’CALL WATERFRoNT DININGSince 1961

we’ve extended a hearty welcome to visitors from eve r y c o r n e r of the g lobe. Delight in an awe-inspiring view of the dynamic LA Harbor wh i le

enjoying exquisite Coastal California Cuisine and Varietals. Relax in the Plank Bar or Outdoor Patio for the best Happy Hour on the Waterfront. With the Award-Winning Sunday Champagne Brunch, receive the first SPIRIT CRUISES Harbor Cruise of the day FREE. Open 7 days, lunch and dinner. Free Parking. 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 76, San Pedro • (310) 833-3553 www.Portsocalldining.com

SAN PEDRo BREWING CoMPANy

A microbrewery and American grill, SPBC features hand-crafted award-winning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, bbq, sandwiches, salads and burgers. A full bar with made-from-scratch margaritas and a martini menu all

add fun to the warm and friendly atmosphere. WIFI bar connected for Web surfing and e-mail—bring your laptop. Live music on Saturdays. Hours: From 11:30 a.m., daily. 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro • (310) 831-5663 • www.sanpedrobrewing.com

SPIRIT CRuISESA n i n s t a n t

party! Complete with all you need t o r e l a x a n d enjoy while the majesty of the harbor slips by.

Our three yachts and seasoned staff provide for an exquisite excursion every time, and “all-inclusive” pricing makes party planning easy! Dinner Cruise features a 3-course meal, full bar, unlimited cocktails and starlight dancing. Offering the ultimate excursion for any occasion. Free Parking. 1199 Nagoya Way, LA Harbor - Berth 77, San Pedro • (310) 548-8080, (562) 495-5884 • www.spiritmarine.com

ThINK CAFéThink Café is

g iv ing downtown San Pedro a taste of sophist ication for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Located i n t h e h e a r t o f downtown on 5th Street, Think Café is a magnet for locals and business types alike. Enjoy patio

dining for a latté in the morning, soup and salad at midday, or a wonderful rendezvous in the evening, perfect for enjoying a selection from the wine list. The Café also boasts a selection of imported beers. Breakfast at the Café offers everthing from bacon and eggs to eggs Benedict, with a wide variety of dishes to awaken your taste buds. 302 W. 5th St. Suite 105, San Pedro • (310) 519-3662

To Advertise in Random Lengths News’ Restaurant Guide for the Harbor Area, Call (310) 519–1442.

TRuSELA’SSouthern Italian & California Cui-sine • Bob and Josephine Tru-sela have been a w a r d e d t h e “Most Promising New Restaurant 2010” award and three stars 2011 and 2012, by the

Southern California Restaurant Writers Associa-tion. Catering available for all ocassions. Hours: Sun. 5 p.m.–Close, Lunch: Tues–Fri 11:30–2:30, Dinner: Tues–Sat 5 p.m.–Closing. 28158 S. Western Ave., San Pedro • (310) 547–0993 www.truselas.com

ThE WhALE & ALESan Pedro’s

British Gastro P u b o f f e r s c o m f o r t a b l e dining in oak paneled setting, featuring English

fish & chips, roast prime rib, sea bass, rack of lamb, beef Wellington, meat pies, salmon, swordfish & vegetarian dishes. Open for lunch & dinner, 7days/wk; great selection of wines; 14 British tap ales, & full bar. Frequent live music. First Thursday live band & special fixed price menu. Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri. 11:30 a.m.-midnight Sat. & Sun. 1-10 p.m. Bar open late. 327 W. 7th St., San Pedro • (310) 832-0363 • www.whaleandale.com

San Pedro’s Best Guide To—Fine Dining—

Brochure

2013 EditionComing Soon!

March 22 – April 4, 2013

ACE: Arts • Culture •

Entertainment

17

Continued from page 11.

Continued from page 14.

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CamelIa

Dinah WaShington

Theater/Film

50% 15%Off Any 8th Entire PurchaseLimit 1 Per Patient.Must Present RLn Coupon and valid ID.

for College Students, union Members, Veterans, and SSI Patients. Must Present RLn Coupon and valid ID.

“A long time ago, I received a commission from the Organization of American States to write a chamber opera,” Ortiz said in a written statement provided by her publicist. “When I discussed this with my brother Ruben, he suggested that we look at El Alarma as a point of departure for ideas about popular stories in the news media that had a particular social impact.

“We found a piece of news with shocking visual images about a man who committed suicide because of a woman, Camelia la Tejana. From that story, we started to conceive the entire opera. Fact and fiction get mixed up and fuel popular retelling and mythology. The opera weaves together these truths and legends, their facts and fictions, ever seeking and transforming the truth.”

That image, found in El Alarma, was of a headless corpse on a railroad track, the man was reported by the newspaper as a victim of Camelia la Tejana, even though the death was years after the song was written.

Eleazar Pacheco Moreno was that man, and his death was credited to Camelia, who has also over the years been discovered as an evangelist preacher amongst other incarnations. Using

techniques similar to those of Berthold Brecht, the opera explores the creation of popular myth through media and is also a painful narrative of the drug trafficking culture. Ortiz is one of the foremost composers in today’s Mexico and uses an expressive combination of Mexican folk music, jazz and the avant-garde to create her works.

Ruben Ortiz Torres has developed a large reputation in photography, video works and installations and he used these talents for the first production of Camelia in Mexico City in 2010. Under his direction, films were made of Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana. The production team he worked with, Mario Espinosa as stage director, Angel Ancona as lighting director and Gloria Carrasco as set and costume designer are performing the same work in Long Beach.

“The U.S.-Mexico border is a place where everything is a matter of life and death. This reality is shaping our future and generates the passions and myths operas are made of,” said LBO’s Artistic and General Director Andreas Mitisek recently.

Mitisek will conduct both performances “Opera has a unique way of magnifying life, of giving us an enhanced perspective of reality. If Verdi or Bizet were alive today, these are the themes they would be writing about. Camelia is happening in the present. It’s about today. It has the dramatic urgency of the now.”

Tickets are $29 to $160. Performances are at 1 p.m. March 24 and at 7 p.m. March 30. Cheech Marin will participate in a pre-performance conversation March 30. Details: (562) 432-5934; www.longbeachopera.orgVenue: Terrace Theatre of the Long Beach Convention CenterLocation: 300 E. Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach

homeless boys. This book contains his stories of five-and-a-half years at the Institute. Life there was bizarre at times, but also tragic, heartfelt, comical, insightful and true.Details: (310) 832-3631 Venue: Williams’ Book StoreLocation: 443 W. 6th St., San Pedro

March 22See Rock City at Little Fish TheatreIn the sequel to Last Train to Nibroc, we are reintro-duced to life with May and Raleigh one year after they met. This tender portrayal of married life, set against the backdrop of World War II, shows the best of the human spirit and its ability to overcome any and all obstacles. Runs through March 28. Join the creative team for a 10 to 15 minute post-show discussion. General admission is $27, seniors (60+) $24 and students with school ID $20. Details: (310) 512-6030; www.littlefishtheatre.org Venue: Little Fish TheatreLocation: 777 Centre St., San Pedro

March 28Lunch Lady Courage California spends seven times more on prison inmates that K-12 students, and childhood obesity is skyrocket-ing - so what’s a lunch lady to do? Inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children and the people working and learning in Los Angeles schools, Lunch Lady Courage explores what happens when one cafeteria worker battles for the health of her children, and the hundreds she serves each day. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, March 28 through April 13, at the Los Angeles High School of the Arts’ Coconut Grove TheaterDetails: cornerstonetheater.orgVenue: Los Angeles High School of the Arts Location: 701 S. Catalina St., Los Angeles

April 1I Can We CanLead artist Neda Moridpour, in col-laboration with A Window Between Worlds, has designed an ongoing participatory art project in conjunc-tion with more than 400 partici-pants throughout Los Angeles. The goal of this project is to activate the community through art to end do-mestic violence and sexual assault. An opening reception takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. April 4, during the San Pedro Artwalk. Runs through

May 5. All events are free.Details: (213) 973-8223Venue: Gallery NeuartigLocation: 366 W. 7th St. San Pedro

William Crutchfield: Selected WorksWilliam Crutchfield is an internationally known artist in a variety of mediums - equally at ease, and in rare form, whether painting, drawing, printmaking or creating sculpture. Based in San Pedro, California, he produces works equally re-nowned for their freewheeling style, irrepressible wit, and formal elegance. Obsessed with things mechanical, particularly trains, planes and ships – vessels of transport for his imagination, Crutch-field shares a Dadaist suspicion of reason and logic, prizing instead nonsense, irrationality and intuition. Organized by Ron Linden and presented by Arnée and Ray Carofano, the exhibition runs through May 29. Details: 310-732-2150Venue: Gallery 478Location: 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro

Searchin’: Los Angeles and the Quest for the Sublime Thomas Altheimer, Kevin Cooley, Zoe Crosher, Aaron Giesel, Mara de Luca, Cody Trepte, Erika Yoemans. Searchin’ is an exhibition that consid-ers contemporary, critical engagements with the theoretical sublime. Inspired by 70s Californian conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader’s project, In Search of the Miraculous, the contemporary artists whose work makes up this exhibition re-examine his quest for the sublime. Through April 19.Details: www.angelsgateart.orgVenue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, main galleryLocation: 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro

Betsy Lohrer hall: Quiet Places, New Paintings on PaperGoache on paper. The artist explores imperma-nence and the simultaneous desire to prevent and accept it. Curated by Michael Daniels. Runs through April 13.Details: (562) 436.1600Venue: Stone Rose GalleryLocation: 342 E. 4th St. Long Beach, 90802

Alice’s disapproval of the “devil music” her daughter sang proved to be a lifelong problem causing Washington a deep pain she never got over.

Morrison chronicled Washington’s seven marriages, her time with the first record label that hired her, and even the time she met “the imposter Queen on the other side of the pond.”

“Come Rain or Come Shine,” was Morrison’s first number. Dinah Washington performed it on her live album Dinah Jams from 1954. She cultivated a distinct vocal style and was known to be at ease with R&B, blues, jazz and pop. Her diction was impeccable.

Morrison has a gift in the way she expresses a song that is not unlike Washington. She has a two-and-a-half octave range and her graceful vocalizing style is seamlessly seasoned with high spirited versions of jazz and blues classics that are as polished as Washington’s.

Morrison told the stories of how Washington’s mother would never come hear her sing, how she helped out other singers like Ernestine Andrews and Gloria Lee and even of her affair with Quincy Jones.

“I started him drinking,” Morrison, channeling the Washington, said. “We were tight.”

She explained how Jones was the first black artists and repertoire man in this country. Morrison, still channeling Washington, recalled that she wouldn’t work for a studio if it didn’t

have black employees in the booth. Washington, remarking on life under

Jim Crow laws, said she signed up to the cause with Dr. Martin Luther King before singing “Too Tired Blues,” an anthem for that deep seated frustration.

Barbara Morrison can clearly hold down a show. She sang wonderful popular jazz and blues standards. With “You Go To My Head,” her smooth harmonies and vocal acrobatics demonstrated her range. Performing “Unforgettable” in reference to Washington’s two sons, her skill in vocalizing the last echo of a note so softly gives you the soothing feeling of landing on a velvet pillow.

Other numbers included “Make Me a Present of You,” “Blue Gardenia,” “I Wanna Be Loved,” “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” and “I Could Write a Book.” There were at least 18 more.

Throughout the show the audience learned and laughed about the many colorful stories of Dinah Washington’s short but eventful life. Ms. Morrison’s tribute to her counterpart was nothing less than the fullest celebration of her friend.

Speaking briefly with Ms. Morrison after the show I learned of some deeper similarities between these two entertainers as well as the depth of Morrison’s commitment to the music she loves.Details: (323) 296-2272Venue: Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center Location: 4305 Degnan Blvd. #101 Los Angeles

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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

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Fictitious Business name Statement

File no. 2013034874The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: unique designs and promotional products, 4309 Everett Ct, Vernon CA 90058. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): David E. Soto Jr., 435 W. 1st Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to trans-act business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 02/1/2013. I declare that

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS FILINGStion. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Fed-eral, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Busi-ness and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13, 04/18/13

Fictitious Business name Statement

File no. 2013038133The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Absolute Supervision, 1714 W. 238th St. Los Angeles, CA 90501. County of Los Angeles. Regis-tered owner(s): Robert Anthony Torres 1714 W. 238th St., Los Angeles, CA 90501. Mailing Ad-dress: P.O. Box 50839, Los An-geles, CA 90050. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 01/1/2008. I declare that all information in this statement is true and cor-rect. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime.). S/ Robert Anthony Torres. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Sub-division (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of

Section 17920, where it expires 40days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business State-ment must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or com-mon law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13, 04/18/13

Fictitious Business name Statement

File no. 2013038134The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: good look Feel good, 565 W. 15th St. #F, San Pedro, CA 90731. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Carlos Hernandez, 565 W. 15th St. #F, San Pedro, CA 90731. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 07/04/2011. I declare that all information in this statement is true and cor-rect. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime.). S/ Carlos Hernandez. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Sub-division (a) of Section 17920, a

Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business State-ment must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or com-mon law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13, 04/18/13

Fictitious Business name Statement

File no. 2013040861The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: miss Astrid, 1575 Spinnaker Dr., 105B, Ventura CA, 93001. County of Los Angeles. Registered owner(s): Richard Lynn Parks, 1575 Spinnaker Dr., 105B, Ven-tura CA, 93001. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 01/15/2013. I declare that all information in this statement is true and cor-rect. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty

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of a crime.). S/ Richard Lynn Parks. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Sub-division (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business State-ment must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or com-mon law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13, 04/18/13

Fictitious Business name Statement

File no. 2013024628The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Zaremba and Associates, 75 Malaga Cove Plaza, Suite Eight, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274. County of Los Angeles. Reg-istered owner(s): Marc B. Za-remba, 471 Peninsula Center, Apt. #372, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to

transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above 02/14/2013. I declare that all information in this statement is true and cor-rect. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime.) San Pedro Healing Arts Inc. S/ Marc B. Zaremba. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Sub-division (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business State-ment must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or com-mon law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 02/21/13, 03/07/13, 03/21/13, 04/04/13

Fictitious Business name Statement

File no. 2013020256The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. el Se-gundo Janitor, 1629 Dalmatia

Dr., San Pedro, CA 90732. County of Los Angeles. Mail-ing Address: P.O. Box 646, El Segundo CA 90245. Registered owner(s): Edward McGrath, 1629 Dalmatia Dr., San Pedro, CA 90732. This business is conducted by an individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fic-titious business name or names listed above Jan 2, 1990. I declare that all information in this statement is true and cor-rect. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime.) S/ Edward McGrath. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Sub-division (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business State-ment must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or com-mon law (See Section 14411 et. Seq., Business and Professions Code). Amended (New Filing): 02/07/13, 02/21/13, 03/07/13, 03/21/13

all information in this state-ment is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information, which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime.). S/ David E. Soto Jr. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 2013. Notice- In accordance with Subdivi-sion (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Business State-ment generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Statement must be filed before the expira-

should be had by all before plans are drawn up to change, modify or do anything to our public spaces.

These trees have matured for close to a century. The beauty of asphalt paths is that they can bend and twist as we see fit around the beautiful trunks, limbs and roots of these great living friends.

Laureen VivianSan Pedro

Open Letter from Sen. Diane Feinstein

On Dec. 14, 2012, a deranged killer wielding an assault weapon with high-capacity ammunition magazines shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

That horrific event shocked our nation, and the pictures of the victims brought tears to the eyes of millions of Americans.

The massacre in Newtown was, sadly, not an anomaly. From Aurora, Colorado, to Tucson, Arizona, to Blacksburg, Virginia, these mass shootings all too clearly

demonstrate the need to regulate deadly assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Help me regulate these dangerous weapons. Sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the new Assault Weapons Ban of 2013.

Earlier this year, I introduced the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 because I firmly believe that weapons designed for war have no place on our streets.

Debate on this critical bill started last Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and we passed it on to the full Senate this morning.

Since Newtown, there have been more incidents of assault weapon violence. We cannot wait idly by as this continues all over our country.

My bill will stop the sale, transfer, importation, and manufacture of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices, while protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans to own weapons for sporting and safety purposes.

But as debate will begin soon in the full Senate, I need your support to show my colleagues that Americans stand behind stronger, commonsense gun regulation.

Take action now, and sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the commonsense measures in this legislation that will reduce gun violence in our country.

The debate has already started, and that’s a testament to the power our voices can have. But your support is crucial right now. Together, we can stop these senseless acts of violence.

Thank you for your support,Dianne Feinstein

The case of the missing word “missing”

Regarding your article in the Feb. 22 issue about Dr. David Harlan Smith, what happened to the rest of it? It trails from page 3 to nowhere!

I think that Mr. James Allen should “proofread” his newspaper more carefully before releasing it to the public.

Most respectfully yours, Lindell Tollstrup

San Pedro

Dear Lindell Tollstrup,You weren’t the only one who

brought this error to our attention. It was not so much a proof reading error as a technical one that dropped the last word in the last sentence of our Feb. 22 story on Dr. David Harlan Smith. The missing word that left you all hanging was ironically the word “missing.” Sorry for the frustrations and the suspense.

The Editors

’Twas The Eve of Saint Patrick’s ’Twas the Eve of Saint Patrick’s And all through Kildare Not a living Leprechaun Could be seen anywhere

There was a strong rumorOf a “Patty’s Day Dance”And those cute little people Were taking no chance

They gathered down in Hennessey HollowSprucing & primping & shining their shoes They were grooming beards and mending coat-sleevesAnd telling each other about the

good news

The very next morning they gathered at Murphy’s A Tavern of distinctive notoriety Mrs. Murphy herself would serve them breakfastOf fresh fried praties and piping green tea

Timothy Finn, the Leprechaun leaderDanced a jig that could win a prizeHe sang the Gallic in lyric tenorAs the spontaneous elves harmonized

But ’twas time to go, in last preparationThey scurried about to forget not a thing

They closed their ranks and stood so proudly Then, 400 strong, marched as they sang

O’er hill and dell by bogs past meadowsThey sang their hearts out along the wayThe fine little folk were prime and ready To celebrate Saint Patricks Day.

Jerry Brady San Pedro

Dear Jerry,I wonder if these were the ones

the LAPD was looking out for on Sixth Street last weekend?

James Preston Allen, Publisher

RANDOMLettersfrom p. 10

21

The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

With his family at his side, Jim passed away at his home in San Pedro on March 10, 2013 at the age of 89.

Jim was born on Jan. 5, 1924 to Filippo and Anna Palumbo Trani. Jim, along with his seven siblings, was raised in San Pedro where he attended school and graduated from San Pedro High. Upon graduation in 1942, Jim enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served all 4 years in the Pacific during World War II, primarily in the Philippines, where he attained the rank of Sergeant.

In 1946 he returned to his hometown of San Pedro where he rejoined the family business, Trani’s Majestic, which had begun as a pool hall, bar, and restaurant, having been founded by his father Filippo, in 1925. Together with his siblings, Jim had worked as a child, with the business growing to what became a very well known, successful restaurant and bar, frequented by locals, as well as many notable celebrities in the sports world.

business until its closure in 1989. In 1990, Jim, together with his sons Jim and John, opened J. Trani’s Ristorante in San Pedro, another successful restaurant.

Over the years, Jim was involved in and supported many local organizations. He was a founding member and former president of the San Pedro DB Club, a Lifetime Member of the San Pedro Elks Club, a founding member of the Majestic Golf Club and, together with his brothers, he was instrumental in the creation of the San Pedro Sportswalk.

His parents, his siblings, Lou, Lena, Louise, Clare Ann, and Jack, and his beloved wife of 63 years, Josephine predeceased Jim. He is survived by his children, Elizabeth, Sharon Trani Alexander (Dave), Jim (Viki), and John; as well as three grandchildren, Jimmy, Dustin and Jessica; and two step-grandchildren; Donna and Nancy Alexander; and brothers John and Phil.

It was also upon his hometown return that he became highly involved in sports; first through playing football with the San Pedro Athletic Club, and later coaching Pony Baseball at Bloch Field.

Jim married Josephine Donatoni in 1948 and together they raised four children. He continued to work in the family

14, 2010 and Jan. 11, 2011 were specifically cited in the letter, along with “subsequent information requests.”

“Based upon the information obtained during our investigation, EPA is prepared to initiate a civil administration action against the Companies to ensure compliance with federal law and assess a penalty,” the letter read. “EPA anticipates filing a Complaint in this matter on or about May 15, 2013, unless the Companies first advise EPA, with supporting information, of substantial reasons not to proceed as planned.”

“EPA has made serious allegations in this matter and if they are true, then San Pedro Terminal is failing to comply with the law,” Waxman said. “The terminal must be brought into compliance with the law immediately and held accountable for any lapses.”

EPA’s letter cited possible fines of $37,500 a day.

“I am encouraged to see the EPA signal its seriousness on an issue that is so important to the community I serve,” Hahn said. “The families who live and send their children to school near these tanks deserve to know that we will not tolerate anything less than total compliance with the federal law.

“While I continue to believe that these tanks must be relocated, the EPA’s readiness to take strong action to hold Rancho LPG to federal safety standards is an important step in the right direction.”

Two other problems identified with emergency response planning were:

(1) “the Facility’s emergency response plan...was not coordinated with the community emergency response plan” and

(2) “The Facility failed to clearly indicate to their own employees whether they would be emergency responders or would evacuate.”

Rutter had long been critical of Rancho’s risk management plan, arguing that it didn’t make sense in terms of the facility, and even suggesting that it had been cobbled together based on a plan developed for a dissimilar Texas facility.

EPA’s letter also cited five other problem areas where violations had occurred.

These include:“The Companies failed to identify and assess

its rail storage area as a process for inclusion in its Risk Management Plan...

“The Companies failed to adequately evaluate potential seismic stresses on the support structure for the emergency flare in accordance with design codes.”

“The Companies did not appropriately address the consequences of a loss of the city water system for fire suppression in the event of an earthquake.”

“The Companies failed to inspect Tank 1 according to a timetable set forth in API [American Petroleum Institute] Standard 653.”

“The Companies failed to ensure that the drain pipe located in the base of the containment basin and the valve located near Gaffey Street were included in the mechanical integrity program.”

“I’m overjoyed,” Rutter said. “I would dance.... This is the most positive thing we have had happen so far.”

But Lacombe was more focused on the limited nature of the violations EPA cited. The drain pipe violation paled in comparison to the larger issue that the impound basin can’t contain the butane, which readily turns into a gas, she noted. She also called the potential loss of city water in an earthquake “kind of pointless,” saying, “Any amount of water that they could

pump over the fire would be pointless, because butane won’t burn out. It keeps burning, because it’s such a high temperature.”

Indeed, Rutter has repeatedly argued that the mandated safety procedures are all wrong for the properties of the gases involved. But she saw the EPA’s enforcement glass as half-full, rather than half-empty.

“I really have to credit [EPA enforcement officer] Mary Wesling, because the regulations and the laws are in such a mess,” Rutter said. “All the other politicians we’ve talked to, and regulators, they keep saying there’s nothing we can do, there’s nothing we can do, and she has found a way to do something, which I think is tremendous.”

The regulations may not have enough teeth

in them, as Lacombe rightly worries. But EPA’s enforcement action has changed the policy and political environment, undermining Rancho’s long-standing efforts to portray its record as spotless and its critics as ill-informed know-nothings.

“They’ve actually said that we’re basically crazy,” Lacombe said of Rancho. “Really, they said, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just lying. You’re making up stories.’ They’re trying to portray us as a bunch of crazy environmental wackos.... But that never works. It’s easy to look up on Wikipedia the properties of butane. It’s easy to see that the public isn’t safe.”

And now the EPA has officially validated what community activists have been saying for years—or in some cases, decades. The facility clearly has not been perfectly safe and well-run as its operators have claimed.

from Iraq and Afghanistan have a chance to put their incredible skills and leadership to work at home. We need to build an immigration system that works for every employee and every family and every business. I’m confident that Tom is going to be able to work to promote economic growth, but also make sure that that growth is broad-based.” EPA Begins Groundwater Construction in TorranceLOS ANGELES—The EPA announced, March 18, the start of construction of a groundwater treatment system that will clean up groundwater contamination from past operations at the Montrose and Del Amo Superfund sites in Torrance.

The treatment system planned for completion in 18 months at an estimated cost of $15 million. It will be used to remove chlorobenzene, benzene and other industrial chemicals used to manufacture DDT and synthetic rubber from the groundwater.

Construction will take place on both public and private property. Windscreens and noise blankets will be used to control dust and noise generated during construction work.

The Del Amo Superfund site, located adjacent to the Montrose site, was formerly a synthetic rubber manufacturing facility that used benzene, naphthalene and ethyl benzene. Groundwater contamination from both sites has comingled and will be cleaned up by this single treatment system.

LBJ Tapes: Richard Nixon’s ‘Treason’WASHINGTON D.C.—Recently declassified

tapes of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s telephone calls revealed that he planned a dramatic entry into the 1968 Democratic Convention to re-join the presidential race. It also revealed that he caught Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon sabotaging the Vietnam peace talks but said nothing of the matter.

The final batch of tapes released by the LBJ library covers 1968, and allows us to hear Johnson’s private conversations as his Democratic Party tore itself apart over the question of Vietnam. Johnson was at his ranch in Texas, having announced five months earlier that he wouldn’t seek a second term. Johnson picked up the phone and congratulated Mayor Daley for his handling of the protest.

Johnson wanted to know from Daley how many delegates would support his candidacy. LBJ only wanted to get back into the race if Daley could guarantee the party would fall in line behind him.

Hundreds Protest Courthouse ClosuresLOS ANGELES—Hundreds rallied outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles March 14, to protest upcoming closures of several courthouses throughout the county.

Critics argue the court closures will force citizens into longer commute times, increased transportation cost and potentially less access to justice.

“People are going to show up at court buildings that have been in their neighborhood for years and find it closed,” Bob Schoonover, president of SEIU Local 721, said during the rally. “I’ve seen it, and there’s a look of bewilderment on their face as they ask ‘What do I do? Where do I go?’ but this is going to be happening all over the county.”

The Los Angeles Superior Court’s plan to close the courthouses is a direct response to Los Angeles’ $56 to $86 million budget shortfall expected at the beginning of the fiscal year July 1.

The march was planned by The Save Our Courts Coalition, a collection of different groups including the SEIU Local 721, ACLU Southern California, and many others.Video link: http://bcove.me/ddvpblr1

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EPA Busts Rancho LPG

Vincent “Jim” TraniJan. 25, 1924 - March 10, 2013

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30-acre park to protect residents and set aside $12 million in community mitigation funds,” Johnson said. “Here, the proposal is simple: zero acres and zero dollars for a buffer park and zero dollars in community mitigation funds.”

So, it was no surprise that the following March 12 , the Long Beach City Council voted to appeal the decision to the Los Angeles City Council, the elected body that hears appeals of decisions made by the appointed POLA Board.

It should be noted, this was the exact same process that it took to get the community benefits associated with the TraPac expansion. The threat

of a lawsuit also played a role with TraPac. That threat remains in play here as well, as

was reflected in the language of Long Beach’s letter of appeal, which states, “The grounds for this appeal are that the Board of Harbor Commissioners did not proceed in the manner required by law, abused its discretion, and violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by failing to comply with CEQA’s requirements. More specifically, the board certified an EIR (environmental impact report) insufficient in scope and not based on substantial evidence.”

Tom Modica, Long Beach director of government affairs and strategic initiatives, confirmed that “the appeals process does preserve the city’s legal rights to take other actions.” But that’s not the city’s immediate focus, he stressed.

Indeed, the letter itself stated, “The City of Long Beach remains committed to a cooperative resolution,” and there was even a cordial exchange between Foster and Harbor Commission Vice

President David Arian following Foster’s testimony.

“I know you’re committed to trying to solve these problems and I state that publicly, I want to thank you for doing that,” Foster said to Arian.

The Natural Resources Defense Council also notified the Los Angeles City Council of its intention to appeal as well.

“We filed a notice of appeal and we’re going to do everything we can to get this project moved on-dock,” said NRDC senior attorney David Petit.

In addition, the AQMD also might testify before the city council, according to spokesman Sam Atwood.

“I can’t predict whether we would address LA City Council, but I’d say chances are very good that we would if the matter is taken up by them,” Atwood told Random Lengths.

While the comment meeting unfolded with scores of people testifying on both sides, the AQMD played a unique role as experts in air quality, clean technology and the law.

On the one hand, Sandi Bradley, co-executive director of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce typified many who favored the proposal, offering the Chamber’s strong support, and calling the SCIG “an ideal example of green growth.”

But actual environmentalists strongly disagreed.

“Eight years ago, Dave Freeman [past president of the Harbor Commission], at the scoping meeting said there will not be any diesel trucks going to this facility,” David Petit recalled in his testimony. “Your staff has had 8 years to make that a reality and they’ve failed to do that.”

AQMD’s Peter Greenwald began his testimony by saying, “AQMD staff’s evaluation is that the EIR must be revised because of deficiencies in mitigation and analysis.”

He went on to reinforce Foster’s concern for local residents, saying, “Because of its location,

“Because of its location, this project is unlike recent port projects. SCIG would substantially increase truck and train activities generally upwind of a large community. With pollution, the closer one is to the source, the worse the impact. ... The impacted area includes homes, schools, elder care, homeless facilities and daycare.”

—Peter Greenwald, AQMD

Harbor Commission Approves Railyardfrom p. 2

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DESIGNS

Yellow area shows the location of the proposed railyard

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The Local Publication You Actually Read March 22 - April 4, 2013

this project is unlike recent port projects. SCIG would substantially increase truck and train activities generally upwind of a large community. With pollution, the closer one is to the source, the worse the impact.”

“The EIR concludes that SCIG will cause nitrogen dioxide levels to exceed the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standard,” Greenwald said. “The impacted area includes homes, schools, elder care, homeless facilities and daycare.”

Impacts include “airway inflammation in healthy people,” with even greater impacts on people with asthma, increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions.

In written comments, AQMD had already said that the “project can and must mitigate impacts

by requiring transition by 2020 to 95 percent use of tier 4 locomotives and full use of zero-emission trucks,” Greenwald explained, adding, “These are goals which are the same as those in the port’s Clean Air and Strategic Plans.”

Yet, astonishingly, Greenwald recounted, “Port staff responded saying that these measures are not feasible.”

Tier 4 locomotives will be required by law as of 2015, Greenwald pointed out. “Similarly, zero-emission trucks can be deployed by 2020—if you require them, which the proposal does not,” he added. “Truck manufacturers need assurance of a market to justify their development efforts. SCIG’s lack of a commitment to zero-emission trucks has real potential to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“You’ve been leaders in pushing for zero emission technology,” added Matt Miyasato, AQMD’s assistant deputy executive officer for

science and technology advancement, citing a number of examples. “It’s baffling to us that you have not required zero emission trucks in the EIR.”

Arian responded by saying, “I do believe in our final agreement with BNSF. It is going to be the requirement.”

The response is an encouraging promise, but not an explanation for the inadequacies of the EIR as presented.

Similarly, in later remarks, supporting Board President Cindy Miscikowski, Arian indicated the strong likelihood of a community benefits mitigation fund.

“I’m totally supportive of that,” he said, “But Long Beach has to have some skin in the game.”

Arian, a past president of the ILWU International, as well as Local 13, whose father died from asbestos exposure, also praised activists on both sides, those testifying for jobs as well as

for health and environmental protections.“I think the environmentalists who came

here today did an outstanding job of organizing yourself, being able to turn out community people and what you did is outstanding,” Arian said. “You gotta keep doing it, because you’re the pressure point that really makes things change, even though you might not get your way all the time, or any of the time. I’ve been in that position most of my life.”

“Secondly, I thank the labor movement for showing up,” Arian continued. “There’s not a big difference between the labor movement and environmentalists, we’re all basically workers. We’re all basically community members. We’re all basically people who want the same thing. The problem is, there is a basic disagreement here about how to make it happen.”

Next stop for that basic disagreement is Los Angeles City Council.

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SCIG Approved

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