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The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

n May 14, former undersheriff of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Paul Tanaka, was indicted, along with alleged co-conspirator William Thomas Carey, in

what Tanaka called “Operation Pandora’s Box,” an effort to conceal an FBI informant during its

investigation of corruption and excessive-force incidents in the sheriff’s department in 2011.

The recent announcement was somewhat anti-climatic since six deputies directly involved

in the operation were already charged, tried and convicted in 2014. Tanaka and Carey

testified in those cases. The writing has been on the wall

since at least May 2014 when the deputies were officially indicted. At

the time, Tanaka was actively running for election to become the next sheriff by participating in town hall meetings and a couple of debates against rivals. When the announcement was made, Tanaka fell silent, effectively halting his campaign.

When Random Lengths News interviewed Tanaka in February 2014, the blue ribbon commission report on violence in the Men’s Central Jail released in 2012 had taken a toll on both the sheriff’s department and the former undersheriff.

During our interview, Tanaka denied he even had jurisdiction over the Men’s Central Jail during the periods the reports said he did,

n early May, the Harbor Department began notifying tenants of the Municipal Fish Market that the department will enforce permit violations if tenants continued to sell seafood to people for personal

consumption. In doing so, the tenants are violating their lease because,

by definition, selling to the general public makes a sale a retail sale, and therefore, in violation of the tenant’s permit, Port of Los Angeles spokesman Phillip Sanfield said.

The definition of wholesale is connected to who is

buying. It involves large quantities of goods to be resold by others. It is therefore, not connected to the price of goods. Retail is the sale of goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale.

In an email, Sanfield wrote that the port confirmed that tenants were selling retail to the public as a result of a March investigation.

“If tenants engage in retail fish and seafood sales to the general public, then they need to comply with the California Retail Food Code and other relevant health and safety regulations,” Sanfield

wrote. “Currently, tenants do not meet these requirements.” Deputy City Attorney Janet Karkanen, a lawyer for

the Harbor Board of Commissioners, is assisting the Los Angeles Harbor Department in the permit enforcement.

The Municipal Fish Market at the foot of 22nd Street, was built in 1951 as a receiving facility for fish caught off boats based in San Pedro. The fish market helped fishing companies increase their efficiency. It was associated with the expansion of the Main Channel following World War II. The fish market is important to San Pedro’s heritage going back to the first fish canneries established in 1912.

Sanfield said that the Harbor Department is enforcing the wholesale-only requirement because the building is on an industrial site that is not appropriate for access by the general public. And, retail sales of seafood require

The Secret that Never WasPOLA Threatens Saturday Fish MarketBy Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor

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[See Tanaka, page 6]

[See Fish, page 2]

Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka. File photo.

Sardine Fishing Halted Due to Devastating Collapse p. 4

Oil Company Safety Record Under Scrutiny Following Spill p. 5

Mid-City Studio Tour Opens Doors to Affordable Art p. 11

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Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 30 Years

Community Announcements:

Harbor AreaShakespeare’s R&J Auditions

The Long Beach Playhouse is holding an open call for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play is scheduled to run July 25 through Aug. 22. Bring a headshot and resume. Time: 7 to 9 p.m. June 1 and 2Cost: FreeDetails: www.lbplayhouse.orgVenue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 Anaheim St., Long Beach SPHS Project Planning Meeting

The San Pedro High School project planning community meeting will take place at the San Pedro High School auditorium. Discussion is on the next phase of the district-wide facilities bond program, which involves about $1 billion in Comprehensive Modernization Projects. The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education has identified San Pedro High School as one of the initial 11 new Comprehensive Modernization projects.

Community members are encouraged to be part of the planning process for this major investment, and to provide input on its development. District staff will review priority needs for facilities.Time: 6 p.m. June 3Details: (213) 241-6495 Venue: SPHS Auditorium, 1001 W. 15th St., San Pedro

LAHRC Discusses Racial Profiling, Use of Force

The Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission will be hosting the first of two special board meetings regarding the impact of community policing. This first board meeting will explore the issues of racial profiling and use of force.Time: 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. June 3Venue: Constituent Service Center at 8475 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles

Desmond Bridge Closure Set for June 14The Gerald Desmond Bridge will be closed

to traffic in both directions from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 14, to allow workers to repair and replace

safety lights atop the span, which connects the downtown Long Beach area to Terminal Island.

The work, to be performed by the Long Beach Harbor Department, is needed to comply with aviation safety standards. It is not related to the ongoing Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project.

Motorists can use Pacific Coast Highway to travel east and west between Long Beach and the San Pedro area. Pacific Coast Highway can also be used to access the 103 Freeway to reach Terminal Island or Ocean Boulevard west of the bridge. Detour signs will be posted.Details: www.newgdbridge.com.

Riverwalk Draft EIR AvailableThe draft environmental impact report for

the proposed Riverwalk project, on a 10.56-acre parcel at 4747 Daisy Ave., in Long Beach is now available.

The public comment period during which the City of Long Beach will receive written comments on the draft EIR is now open and ends on June 18 at 4:30 p.m.

Comments should be sent to:Craig Chalfant, Long Beach Department of Development Services333 W. Ocean Boulevard, 5th FloorLong Beach, CA 90802Fax: (562) 570-6068Email: craig.chalfant@longbeach.gov Water Conservation Effort Heightened

The Long Beach Water Commission recently declared a Stage 2 water supply shortage. among the restriction, watering has been limited to two days a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays).Details: (562) 570-2455

‘Secret’ Saturday Fish Market Threatenedcompliance with certain health and safety code requirements within that environment.

“There is more to it that they are not telling us,” said John DeLuca, president of J DeLuca Fish Company Inc., one of three companies at the Municipal Fish Market that was given notice of enforcement plans. “They mentioned they are concerned about safety—about people walking up on the dock—but whether you walked on the dock or I did, our safety is equally as important. So, I don’t think safety really is the ultimate decision…”

Sanfield said the port recently noticed an increase in customers at the fish market, which has been going on for years and is commonly known to locals seeking seafood bargains.

That’s not exactly true, DeLuca said. The fish market has had the same volume in customers for several years. But perhaps, because of the turnover in the Harbor Department, new personnel may not be aware of what’s been part of the port community for decades, he said.

“They [the port] don’t like the volume of people who are down here and I don’t think that should be the criteria,” DeLuca said.

While some people have considered the inexpensive prices at the Municipal Fish Market

a local secret, DeLuca believes that secret ship sailed a long time ago, since social media has made the marketplace common knowledge.

“It’s no longer a little secret,” he said. “We

get customers from all over.”Cashier Kathy Edgard is one example. Every

other Saturday, she gets up before dawn and drives 20 minutes from Los Angeles to the San Pedro market, where she can buy seafood at an affordable price. Then, she goes back home and cooks up a storm, making soups and ceviche for her family. But price is not the only reason for her early-morning trek.

“I am reminded of a place in [my] country where they sell seafood this way,” said Edgard, a native of Ecuador.”

But Edgard’s nostalgic pleasure may soon come to a halt if the Port of Los Angeles gets its way.

The Harbor Department’s crackdown on the fish companies can be seen as shortsighted, noted Jean DeFour, DeLuca’s assistant. People from out of the area don’t just come down to buy fish at reasonable prices. They eat breakfast and lunch locally and visit sites such as the USS Iowa or the Korean Bell while they are in town, she said.

“They do all kinds of other things that include

[Fish, from page 1]

[See Market, page 3]

Regulars of the Saturday morning fish sale will miss the low-priced seafood following permit enforcement measures by the Port of Los Angeles. File photo.

Come Celebrate

Our One-Year

AnniversaryJune 7

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The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

The results are in. Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Richard Vladovic held on to his seat, following the District 7 elections May 19.

The low-turnout race yielded Vladovic his largest margin going in to his third term in office. He received 9,282 votes out of 16,600 (55.91 percent), compared to 44.08 percent garnered by his opponent, Lydia Gutierrez.

The election was amidst a federal grand jury investigation into a technology program that took place in 2014, a search for a new superintendent and negotiations with United Teachers Los Angeles.

A retired educator who has worked as a principal, social studies teacher, administrator and superintendent for the West Covina Unified School District, Vladovic drew the support of political action committees from pro-charter advocates and labor groups. However, Vladovic would not say whether he agreed or disagreed with charter schools due to state law, which states that approval of charters must take place if they demonstrate they are fully funded and have a solid education system.

Gutierrez, by contrast, opposes charter schools. She believes a school must first fail in order to transition to a charter.

In February, Vladovic said he supported raising teachers’ salaries more than 4 percent but was not more specific because he was part of the collective bargaining process.

His campaign website describes him as an advocate for smaller schools who fights to take schools off year-round calendars. It also describes

him as a champion for the arts, “building and sustaining mentorship and dropout prevention programs.” One of Vladovic’s top priorities was to convince the California legislature to increase education funding.

On her website, however, Gutierrez wrote that LAUSD “is poorly run in three areas: finances, administration and lack of academic goals…” In fact, she accused the district of misusing funds and lacking oversight of money during a Feb. 6 debate, noting the $139 million in payouts to child abuse scandal victims and the new MiSiS computer system that reportedly cost millions of dollars to fix. She also heavily criticized the district’s billion dollar iPad controversy.

Gutierrez did not have major endorsements or campaign money. The teacher-turned-aerospace-industry administrator was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Republican Party and Election Forum, an evangelical Christian group. She reported $37,844 in campaign contributions and $39,799.19 in expenditures as of May 13.

She finished the 2015 March 3 primary only five percentage points behind Vladovic. Both candidates were challenged by a third candidate, Euna Anderson.

The 2015 election was not Gutierrez’ first run in education politics. In 2014 and 2010, she ran as a candidate for the California Superintendent of Public Instruction seat and lost. In 2008, Gutierrez ran for the California State Senate in District 25 as a Republican. She won in the Republican primary but lost in the general election.

Vladovic Wins, AgainBy Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor

Aquarium of the Pacific’s Jellies Exhibition Opensthe Port of Los Angeles and the [community] of

San Pedro that is important to … [other] business,” DeFour noted. “They are kind of biting their nose off to spite their face because they are trying to stop something that brings in a lot of business for other businesses here in San Pedro.”

Oscar Arangulo, who cleans the fish at DeLuca’s, went a step further.

“In reality, this has been a tradition for years,” Arangulo said, in Spanish. “They come to have fun. They come with their families.”

The public has been able to purchase a whole fish at the market for what they would normally spend on just a few pounds at a supermarket.

While the port alleges that the companies are violating the terms of their lease, DeLuca, president of one of three companies at the Municipal Fish Market that were given notice of enforcement plans, noted that his lease states they are in the business of “wholesale fish and seafood sales.”

“‘Seafood sales’ doesn’t seem to limit who we sell it to—whether a man wants to buy 5 pounds or 5,000 pounds,” he said. “That’s a seafood sale.”

DeLuca said there is a murky distinction between what a seafood sale and a wholesale is, comparing it to Costco sales.

Costco sales essentially are retail sales, Sanfield said. He said that the permits allow the wording of “wholesale fish and seafood sales” in their lease allows tenants to engage in these sales to individuals and entities authorized to buy wholesale.

DeLuca said that a few weeks ago, the port

called the three companies—J DeLuca Fish Company Inc., L.A. Fish & Oyster Co. and J & D Seafoods—into a meeting to discuss, “wharf updates.” However, the real purpose of the meeting was to talk about Saturday sales, he said.

The port followed up with a letter the following week after the meeting. DeLuca said that the letter also mentioned a “Farmer’s Market.” He said that while there are a multitude of vendors that have wandered into the area on their own, tenants have nothing to do with these businesses at the fish market.

Yet, Sanfield maintains that the issue involves any sale of food products to the general public, whether it is fish and seafood sold by the tenants or other products sold by unrelated individuals “who unlawfully set up a ‘farmer’s market.’”

He wrote that the port has offered to allow the tenants to pursue this option if they are interested in doing so with all the necessary permits.

“So far, the tenants have indicated that they are not interested in this option,” Sanfield said.

DeLuca, 62, has been selling fish since he was 15. He started with his family at State Fish Co. when his parents were still alive. Nine years ago he left the family business and opened up shop in the fish market under his own name.

“Therein lays the problem with the Harbor Department: a lot of these people don’t know the history of this,” DeLuca said.

The Future of the Fish MarketDeLuca said that the seafood industry in

the port is in bad condition. There is very little fish coming in locally and the seafood industry

[Market, from page 2]

Saturday Market

The purple striped sea jelly, Chrysaora colorata, left, and the Pacific sea nettle, Chrysaora fuscescens are among the many species on display in the new Jellies exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Photos by Zoe Allen.

[See Market, page 5]

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population peaked in 2007, according to a March 19 report by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sardine stocks reached almost a million tons in 1999, but fell to less than 400,000 in 2003. They rebounded to more than a million tons in 2007, but have been declining relentlessly ever since. They reached a low of just under 97,000 tons in the 2015 projection contained in the report. This is

the lowest level recorded in six decades, since the period following the industry’s momentous collapse in the 1940s. Prior to that, stocks were estimated to be more than 3 million tons—30 times what they are today.

Yet, even as the biomass plunged below 600,000 tons after 2011, the “exploitation rate” (catch divided by the biomass) skyrocketed. From 2005 through 2011, the exploitation rate varied little from year to year, averaging 7.9 percent for American fishermen, 11.6 percent total. But in 2012, the figures jumped dramatically to 20.6 percent for U.S. fisherman and 26.8 percent total. They inched up even higher the next year, before falling to the mid-teens this past year. When the 2015 projection fell below 150,000 (about last year’s level), that triggered the requirement for the season to be canceled.

Oceana’s California campaign director, Geoffrey Shester called the move “a huge step” when it was announced. “The council’s closure of the directed sardine fishery acknowledges the severe crisis in the sardine population,” Shester said. “Yesterday’s vote is a first step toward recovery of this important forage species.”

A press statement from Oceana went on to stress the systemic ecological effects of the sardine collapse. Sardines—like anchovy and herring—are what’s known as a “forage fish.” They swim in huge schools and play major roles in the diets of a wide range of larger fish and other animals.

“We have been seeing the impacts of a collapsing sardine population on sea lions and seabirds for years now,” added Ben Enticknap, Pacific campaign manager and senior scientist with Oceana. “Sardine are also prey for recreationally and commercially important species like Chinook salmon and albacore tuna, so the effects of a lack of sardine could have much wider impacts.”

Sea lion pups have been dying in large numbers for three years now. In April, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported that a record 2,250 starving and stranded sea lions, mostly pups, have washed up on Southern California beaches so far this year. This is a tally 20 times the average over the past decade, and twice the number documented in 2013, the previous worst year. Lack of prey is the primary cause, but the

n April 13, federal regulators meeting in Rohnert Park, just outside Santa Rosa, Calif., cancelled the next sardine fishing

season, starting July 1, due to a devastating collapse in the West Coast sardine population, which is down 91 percent from 2007. Later that same week, they approved an immediate halt to sardine fishing. It was a drastic response to a drastic situation, but only one small harbinger of the massive changes that may come to our oceans as result of global warming in the decades and centuries ahead, making large portions of the ocean inhospitable to most life, a situation similar to what happened to the oceans when the last ice age ended.

The decisions came from the Pacific Fishery Management Council, a 19-member policymaking organization made up of fishery representatives from California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The San Pedro Marine Mammal Care Center has seen a several-fold increase in the number of malnour-

ished sea lion pups washed ashore in recent years. File photo.

Sardine Fishery Collapse is Ominous Warning of Worse to ComeBy Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

“While this is a sad day for all those dependent on a healthy sardine fishery, it is actually a good thing that this council is addressing the problem directly, something you don’t always see across the nation or certainly, internationally,” said Council member Frank Lockhart. He then pointed to previous actions: “This council cutback on salmon with extensive closures a decade or so ago, and the Klamath and Sacramento stocks rebuilt fairly quickly. This council also cut back on lingcod and other groundfish catches in the recent past, and those stocks are also rebuilt. This action today paves the way for the sardine population to rebuild as soon as the ocean cycles permit.”

But conservationists, notably the international conservation group Oceana, have been fighting for almost a decade to implement stricter regulations that would pro-actively protect against such drastic collapse in the first place. The sardine

[See Fishery, to page 19]

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The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

as a whole is hurting. He believes the Harbor Department is doing more damage than good by this action.

“I don’t think it’s their job to hurt our business or put us out of business and if they stay on this road right now, that’s what they are going to accomplish,” he said.

Donavan Kawaa of Valencia has been making the one-hour journey to San Pedro for two years. He goes from one fish business to the next to chose his seafood and to get the best price. He said the drive is worth it and he is disappointed about what the Harbor Department is trying to do.

“All businesses have the right to make a living,” Kawaa said. “I believe in giving everyone an opportunity to buy [seafood].”

The port plans to enforce their measure by forcing tenants to require that buyers provide a copy of a resale certificate, a business license or some equivalent document that shows the buyer is in the business of resale seafood or uses these products for commercial purposes.

“The port has asked us to ask for that [resale certificates], but now we are in the enforcement business. I don’t judge how people do their business. If they have a license or they don’t have a license, that’s not for me to police…I don’t believe I’m in law enforcement…I’m selling fish. That’s my line of work.”

Still, DeLuca is hopeful that something can be worked out.

“I for one would like to sit down and speak to the port one-on-one, as just a business person, and try to find a solution to a problem,” DeLuca said. “I don’t think selling fish is wrong.”

Plains All American, the corporate parent behind the Rancho LPG facility, has gained national attention for its abysmal safety record after a 24-inch pipeline owned by a Plains subsidiary, Plains All American Pipeline, burst near Refugio Beach in Santa Barbara County on May 19.

The burst released up to 105,000 gallons of oil, five times the amount originally reported by the company. An estimated 21,000 gallons reached the sea, producing a nine-mile oil slick, which brought out hundreds of local volunteers to clean up as the oil washed back ashore. The 11-mile-long pipeline, part of a larger multi-county

network, can pump 6.3 million gallons per day.Although Santa Barbara County requires

pipelines in its jurisdiction to be equipped with automatic shut-off valves (so sensitive they can detect a 20-barrel loss over a 20-hour period), the pipeline in question was the only one in the county without such equipment, according to the Santa Barbara Independent. This is a result of Plains’ corporate predecessor successfully fighting regulatory oversight, much as has happened at Rancho. The oil spill is in the same general area as the 1969 off-shore spill that supercharged the environmental movement and inspired the first Earth Day in 1970.

In covering Plains’ involvement, Al Jazeera America has called attention to “a long history of safety and environmental violations by the company in the United States and Canada,” citing news reports and Environmental Protection Agency records, including a 2010 settlement with EPA for $3.2 million in civil penalties covering 10 oil spills. At the time, the EPA said Plains and its subsidiaries, “have agreed to spend approximately $41 million to upgrade 10,420 miles of crude oil pipeline operated in the United States.” Al Jazeera also cited the rupture of a pipeline in Atwater Village almost exactly one year earlier, which released more than 18,000 gallons of crude oil into city streets.

The Los Angeles Times cited federal records saying the company “has accumulated 175

safety and maintenance infractions since 2006,” but that figure only covers Plains Pipeline, the most extensive of three Plains All American subsidiaries identified by Random Lengths News listed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in its online database.

Altogether, Plains subsidiaries had 206 violations over this period (4.5 percent of the total reported), with damages totalling $26.8 million. The most common causes were corrosion, followed by material and/or equipment failure. The average of more than 21 spills per year amounts to almost one every two weeks. Only two other entities had more spills reported over this period: Sunoco Pipeline LP had 232 and Enterprise Products Operating LLC had 208.

—Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

Santa Barbara Oil Spill Highlights Local Concerns

Fish Market[Market, from page 3]

This California brown pelican and other marine life are the victims in the Santa Barbara oil spill. The culprit, Plains All American was ordered to suspend operations and make safety improvements to their pipelines. File photo.

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chalking the criticisms of his leadership up to a few deputies angling to become sheriff.

“I’m implicated [in this study] because people have made it a point to point that out, suggesting that I was involved,” Tanaka said. “When you look at the study, when it all began—the period ‘08, ‘09 and ‘10—I didn’t have responsibility for the jails. I had responsibility for patrol and investigations county-wide. When I was in charge of the jails for the brief period from ‘05 to ‘07, we didn’t have those problems because we had people that were there.”

Tanaka also complained that witnesses interviewed by the blue ribbon panel weren’t under oath or were cross-examined, a situation that allowed witnesses with ulterior motives to speak unchecked.

In the months that followed, four grand juries had indicted up to 18 deputies linked to excessive force incidents and other misconduct. This wasn’t the first report to document problems in the department. But what made this report different is that it also documented how the department failed to implement reforms suggested by previous reports.

Sheriff Lee Baca, the “Teflon Lawman” who had been winning re-elections with little effort for 20 years, saw his chances for reelection in 2014 come into doubt. So much so that opponents both within and outside of the department signed up as candidates for the top job, including Tanaka, the second most-mentioned name in the Men’s Central Jail report.

Baca’s retirement in January 2014 came as a shock. The field of candidates, in a race with a weakened incumbent, now only had each other and their ideas of how to reform the department.

Still, the main question remained: was Tanaka running?

Operation Pandora’s Box

The conspiracy, according to the indictment, began in August 2011, when the sheriff’s department discovered a cell phone wrapped in a glove inside a potato chip bag in the possession of inmate Anthony Brown.

Brown was an informant

Tanaka Indictment Points to Conspiracy

working for the FBI. At the time the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a federal grand jury were investigating abuse and corruption allegations in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. He did so, following a number of internal reports on excessive force and corruption kicked up to the U.S. Attorney’s Office over the years.

U.S. attorneys in the Tanaka indictment cited two special counsel reports sent to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2005 and 2007 that noted, among other things, the Internal Criminal Investigation Bureau was not doing enough to uncover criminal misconduct by LASD employees. Also, too many misconduct allegations made against department employees were not investigated criminally or administratively. And, perhaps more critically, the department was not conducting sting operations to test the integrity of its deputies.

Prosecutors noted that Tanaka was told about problem deputies assigned to the Men’s Central Jail in February 2006.

A special counsel report to the county supervisors noted in 2007 that about half of the Internal Affairs Bureau investigations were not thorough. A separate report released by the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review published a warning to those in authority of the harm of disparaging internal investigations and of outside scrutiny of the sheriff’s department.

This was the backdrop against which Tanaka’s alleged conspiracy to impede the federal investigation in 2011 was set.

The report found that the alleged conspiracy ostensibly failed at keeping Pandora’s Box closed, as prosecutors laid out the lengths to which Tanaka and alleged co-conspirators went to hide Brown.

Alleged co-conspirators, which include

Gerard Smith, Maricela Long, Stephen Leavins, Scott Craig, Mickey Manzo, James Sexton and Greg Thompson, had already been indicted, tried and convicted. Tanaka and Carey, a former captain of the department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, are the higher-ups who the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association president said should have been charged for giving the orders in the first place.

The measures undertaken to hide Brown include:

• Removing Brown’s hard copy file from the records center, so that there was no physical record showing he was ever in the department’s custody

• Making false entries into the computer database so that it appeared as though Brown had been released from custody, when in fact, he hadn’t

• Rebooking Brown under false name and fake booking information without fingerprints

• Moving him from a cell in a high-security

area to a medical floor within Men’s Central Jail, where there were no cameras

To gather information about the investigation, Tanaka allegedly ordered his underlings in the conspiracy to interview Brown, and went so far as to conduct undercover operations by posing as Brown’s cellmate who had been beaten by deputies.

They allegedly even tried to convince Brown that he had been abandoned by his handlers in order to pressure him not to cooperate with the federal investigation.

They reportedly reviewed old complaints by inmates investigated by the department but deemed unfounded and closed. They also reportedly interviewed deputies they believed were connected to the federal investigation, essentially tampering with potential witnesses by attempting to deter them from cooperating with the federal investigation.

Tanaka allegedly directed a co-conspirator to draft a new policy that would require the FBI to get his approval before they could interview any inmate in sheriff department custody. He shortly thereafter approved it. Tanaka allegedly subsequently ordered that his name be removed

[Tanaka, from page 1]

[See Tanaka, page 7]

The 2012 Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence reported former Sheriff Lee Baca was shielded from bad news by his command staff. File photo.

The new Los Angeles County sheriff, Jim McDonnell, is in process of continuing the reforms initiated by interim Sheriff John Scott. File photo.

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The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

On May 19, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move forward in developing a plan to support misclassified port truck workers. The plan focused on five recommended areas of action, presented in a report from the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.

The motion was advanced by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, one-time head of the Los Angeles chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

“The issue of wage theft is one that we should all be concerned about,” Ridley-Thomas said. “Businesses that follow the law should not be undercut by those that lower their labor costs by cheating.”

Another active supporter was Supervisor Hilda Solis, former secretary of labor during President Barack Obama’s first term.

“I wholeheartedly support this,” Solis said.

Specifically, while noting that the county’s authority to act was limited by the powers granted to other jurisdictions, the report noted that action could be undertaken in each of these areas:

• To help prevent wage theft violations by conducting outreach and education workshops for workers and employees

• To provide information and referrals for those seeking to file wage theft claims;

• To “[p]artner with other government al agencies to share information and monitor the constantly evolving situation at the ports”

• To use its contracting power as a market participant by prohibiting county departments from contracting with companies that have wage theft judgments against them

• To support three pieces of state legislation that would encourage resolution of the ongoing industry-wide struggle: Senate Bill 588, which would facilitate collection of judgments by the Labor

Commissioner Assembly Bill 621, which would provide an amnesty program for port trucking companies that enter into a consent decree with the labor commissioner prior to Jan. 1, 2017 to convert all their drivers to employee status; Assembly Bill 970, which would give the labor commissioner increased enforcement authority to issue citations for violations of local wage laws and other worker protections when encountered in the field—a power that already exists in hearing situations

Before voting, the supervisors heard public comments, including the testimony of three port drivers, who vividly illustrated the deceptive and illegal practices they were fighting against.

“Many weeks I make far less than the minimum wage,” said David Linares, a driver with Pac-9 for seven years. “Some weeks I even owe the company to work…In December 2014, the California DLSE [Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office] determined that I was one of four Pac-9 drivers misclassified as independent contractors. Pac-9 was ordered to

Truckers Reclassification Plan AdvancesBy Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

Tanakafrom the draft policy.

U.S. attorneys also reported that Tanaka deployed lies, threats, blackmail and the force of chain of command to keep deputies from speaking to the FBI.

News of high-ranking deputies hiding an FBI informant from a grand jury broke four months after Random Lengths interviewed Tanaka. Our interview produced neither a hint nor a clue of what was to come. But that interview did hold a few takeaway impressions that now seem most prescient.

Tanaka’s cynicism was one. In reply to a question about his position on constitutional and community policing, he recalled his first run for city council in the city of Gardena in 1999, noting that the relationship between residents and its police department was at an all-time low.

about proposed changes to their work schedules in response to rising abuse claims.

Tanaka characterized the change as a National Labor Relations Board case waiting to happen. He subscribed to the notion that the department just had a few bad apples that needed to be removed. The effort to rotate the work schedules was ultimately dropped, due to his applied pressure, as he made clear.

The Butterfly EffectMathematician and pioneer of chaos theory

Edward Lorenz coined the term, “the butterfly effect,” to explain “the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in

one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.”

Put another way, the flap of a butterfly’s wings can influence the formation of a distant hurricane several weeks later.

Tanaka’s failure to keep Pandora’s Box closed has resulted in consequences that reverberate far beyond Southern California. One such consequence is that advocates for police reform and civilian oversight in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department such as the Black Lives Matter movement co-founder Patrisse Cullors, were invited by local activists in Ferguson to teach them effective organizing techniques to address police abuse following the police killing

pay us a total of $254,627 in back wages stolen from our paycheck, and penalties; 43 additional drivers have filed claims valued at more than

of Michael Brown.More police killings of unarmed black people

led to more places for the Black Lives Matter Movement to spread and more people to train in languages and tactics of direct action and civil disobedience. The lid that has kept pent-up frustration about police abuse, killings and institutional racism in the box is now starting to come off.

The allegations in the Department of Justice’s indictment of Tanaka are still to be tried in court and Tanaka continues to deny his culpability in the cover up and corruption of the LASD scandal. This continues to undermine the trust in law enforcement.

“I remember going on a ride and a little kid in a certain part of town where we were driving around gave the officer a one-finger wave,” Tanaka said in February 2014. “And I said, ‘Is this what the community thinks about our cops?’”

Changing this relationship between the community and the Gardena Police Department became his all-consuming mission as a city councilman and later, mayor.

Tanaka’s solution was to replace a white police chief with a black police chief. For Tanaka, this was a no-brainer for a “minority-majority” city like Gardena comprised of 40 percent Hispanics, 30 percent African Americans and 25 percent Asian Americans.

That a citizen’s advisory committee was formed following the elevation of a new police chief was secondary in the improvement in relations between the community and the police.

When Tanaka was asked to respond to the Men’s Central Jail report’s characterization of him as an important element in the department’s culture of abuse and impunity, he rejected the characterization and steadfastly argued that he wasn’t in charge during the periods of time on which the report focuses.

Rather than the abuse statistics the report documented, Tanaka focused on emails he received from deputies and jail personnel complaining

[Tanaka, from page 6]

[Reclassification, to page 10]

Interim Los Angeles County Sheriff, John Scott. File photo.

Port truckers and their supporters picket at the Port of Los Angeles. Photo by Slobodan Dimitrov.

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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-

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Columnists/ReportersLyn Jensen CarsonB. Noel Barr Music DudeLori Lynn Hirsch-Stokoe Food WriterAndrea Serna Arts WriterMelina Paris Culture WriterCalendar 14days@randomlengthsnews.com

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Advertising RepresentativeDavid Johnsonrlnsales@randomlengthsnews.comEditorial Intern Arlo Tinsman-Kongshaug

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—Mark TwainVol. XXXVI : No. 11

Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communities of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at

over 350 locations throughout the Harbor Area.

CartoonistsAnn Cleaves, Andy Singer,

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 $36 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 2015 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.

[See Rancho LPG, page 9]

The recent large oil spill at Refugio Beach in Santa Barbara shines a major spotlight on the deficient safety record of Plains All American Pipeline (the owners and operators of Rancho LPG LLC in Wilmington/San Pedro) and also illuminates the major “void” in regulations and oversight of the energy industry itself. Plains All American Pipeline and its subsidiaries have been responsible for over 200 spills, leaks and violations over the past several years. The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Plains to pay $41 million in remediation costs associated with 10 pipeline spills occurring in Texas, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma between 2004 and 2007 that wound up putting 6,510 barrels of crude—273,420 gallons—into nearby waterways. The culprit was typically corroded pipeline pipes.

This past year, a Plains pipeline ruptured in an industrial neighborhood in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, causing crude to spray 40 feet into the air. People working at a medical store nearby got so sick from the fumes they had themselves hospitalized. In that instance, 450 barrels escaped. The event was reported to the authorities by residents. The facility became aware of it after being notified by the fire department.

Even more incriminating is information provided by Plains All American in its most recent Securities and Exchange Commission

report. That report itemizes $82 million in environmental liabilities. The EPA fined the company $6 million for a 120-barrel spill in Bay Springs, Miss., in February 2013. The Canadian government assessed the company $15 million in cleanup costs for two spills in June 2013. And, this February, the Canadian National Energy Board Audit levied a $76 million penalty on the company for slipshod environmental safety practices. These EPA and Canadian financial penalties represent less than a simple “slap on the wrist” to Plains Corp. According to the SEC, the company’s net revenue this past year was $1.39 billion.

Plains continues to move their business forward as if they are stalwart guardians of public safety and the environment. Harbor Area residents concerned about the high risk being posed to them daily by the Plains-owned Rancho Liquefied Petroleum Gas storage facility being operated in their back yards, have been repeatedly chastised by Rancho LPG’s manager, Ron Conrow, as being “hysterical fanatics.” The mantra by Rancho LPG/Plains is that they are in “full compliance” and therefore, “safe.” However, as all the other previous Plains disasters have proven, “in compliance” is a long way from being “safe.” While the results from an oil spill are horrible, an explosion and resulting inferno

Santa Barbara Spill Illustrates Safety Loopholes at Rancho LPGBy Janet Gunter, Community Activist and Member of the San Pedro Homeowners Association

At a meeting I attended recently with the management of the Port of Los Angeles, a civic leader voiced his enduring optimism for a bright and successful future. I gave the unsolicited reply, “an ounce of skepticism is worth a pound of optimism.”

Others at the meeting said aghast, “Oh, no. How would anything ever get accomplished?”

Skepticism is not the opposite of optimism. That would be “pessimism.” And that, I am not.

To my mind, skepticism as it pertains to government funding of waterfront development is the same as saying, “design for the best; plan for the future and build for the worst-case scenario.”

This is why we have earthquake and fire regulations in our building codes. It’s to remember past mistakes. It’s the remembering of the past that makes me skeptical. Most agencies, politicians and bureaucracies never wish to look back at past mistakes, even when trying to avoid them in the future. This is particularly true here in California.

Dating back to the pre-Gold Rush era, California’s history is littered with examples of optimistic boosters predicting a lasting boom period, only to bust 10 years later like clockwork.

The recent Great Recession is an example of this boom-bust cycle in which hundreds of billions

A year ago we interviewed former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka in our office during his run to become the next sheriff of Los Angeles County. I was amazed. His optimism seemed almost delusional, considering that the FBI was investigating him at the time.

Does the allure of power cloud one’s hold on reality while running for public office? He seemed so assured that he was the one who should lead the sheriff’s department out of its scandal- ridden state—a scandal he had overseen and possibly helped create.

I remained skeptical.The California dream that

we’ve all embraced one way or another is so ingrained in our

culture and consciousness that to even question it publicly is almost an absurdity.

Yet, with the recent report that Los Angeles ranks No.1 with the largest homeless population in the state, coupled with the declining number of affordable housing units in the face of rising gentrification, I do, at times, wonder aloud, “What is the future that we are building, and who does it serve?”

Questioning the dream or challenging it with uncomfortable truths is not very popular, particularly here, where so many still believe that the next gold rush is just over the horizon—be it on the waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles, the rising Playa Vista development up the 405 Freeway, or even the long-contested Ponte Vista project on Western Avenue. (Don’t we love to invent exotic-sounding Spanish names for places while refusing to learn the language?)

“Progress is building,” you can hear it in all the words, the effusive optimism, ebullient and overtly denying any negativity. Yet, as I’ve warned before, there are always the unintended consequences. Even in the best of projects. This is the value of skepticism—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

So my skepticism is not rooted in a defeatism that says that this or that can’t be done. My skepticism is rooted in caution. Let’s not make the same mistakes twice. And, if we are as smart as we think we are, let us design and build something for the future that is worth living in, for all of us.

And yes, that too is a kind of California dream.

of dollars were made and lost based upon some bizarrely crafted mortgage bond swaps that ultimately resulted in the foreclosure on millions of Americans’ homes—some of which are just down the street from where you live.

Californians, however, have never been big on being pessimistic about the future. We’ve always thought something better was just over the horizon. Our politicians are the best at selling this “just over the rainbow” ideal and almost never, ever tell us to look back.

Even during the recent Memorial Day services, while reflecting on the sacrifices of the fallen, they never asked the questions, “What were we fighting for?” Was it really our freedom the soldiers fought for in Iraq or Korea or Vietnam? Any reflection to the contrary is seen as being “un-patriotic.”

I remain skeptical.

California DreamingFrom Booms to Busts, the Optimists are Always Searching for the GoldBy James Preston Allen, Publisher

9

The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

RANDOMLetters

from Rancho’s massive 25 million gallons of butane and propane gases has the potential to kill thousands within a 3- mile radius, and to decimate the entire Harbor Area, including the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

In truth, both the operators and our government alike have long tried to dispel public fears with blue smoke and mirrors employed to provide a false sense of security. Unfortunately, most people have bought the lies. It is much easier than investigating and taking action on a most unpleasant and unnerving truth. Perhaps one of the most disappointing discoveries we’ve made is the reliance of the EPA on the “energy industry” itself for their regulation and oversight. The “Environmental Protection Agency” is in reality taking its cues and direction from the American Petroleum Institute. The API threatens to sue anyone or anything that attempts to restrict or limit its business potential. Obviously, there is only one end goal of the API…and that is the health and well-being of their charter members not the general public. It is the powerful influence of this industry that has encouraged a political blind eye to the

unacceptable hazards that threaten the innocent public.

Just as the Santa Barbara County Fire Marshall was ill-equipped to conduct proper inspections of the Plains pipeline that ruptured, so also is the Los Angeles City Fire Department (under the Certified Unified Program Agency) inexperienced and unqualified to inspect and respond to the overwhelmingly improperly sited and geologically vulnerable conditions at Rancho LPG. While the EPA regulations for this facility have allowed for significant under reporting of blast radius, have accepted the fact that its tanks (while sitting in a documented earthquake rupture zone of magnitude 7.3 potential) are built to a seismic substandard of 5.5 potential; have acknowledged that the soil that the entire facility sits upon is identified by the USGS as “landslide” and “liquefaction” areas; have allowed for the American Petroleum Institute required setbacks of 200 feet to be reduced to far less than that on three sides; and that NO consideration was ever given to the fact that pre-existing homes and schools lie within 1,000 feet of the highly explosive site, God given common sense SCREAMS the outrage of this violation of public safety.

So, as you listen to the

banter of the Plains/Rancho LPG management and of your own government officials as they declare their “righteous” pleas of performance to safety, recall the many recent disasters that we have experienced that prove their words meaningless. Remember the explosions of San Bruno, West, Texas, Tavares, Fla., Lac Megantic, Canada, and even Fukushima. All of these explosions and catastrophes are attributed to situations that were in “compliance.” All were touted as being “safe.” Unlike many of the catastrophes described above, there are several glowing, neon red warning flags being waved at the Rancho LPG site. Paying attention to those flags now, in advance of the looming tragedy, will save many, many lives. But, doing that means that the public needs to step up. Whether it is the expected “big quake,” a terrorism event, infrastructure failure, or human error, the deadly consequences at Rancho LPG are far too great to ignore. The opportunities are many…the disaster deliverable at any time now. We are simply playing a game of “beat the clock.”

Call or write your mayor, city councilman, senator and congressional representative now.

Rancho LPG[Rancho LPG, from page 8]

Community AlertRiverwalk Draft Environmental Impact Report Available

The draft environmental impact report for the proposed Riverwalk project, on a 10.56-acre parcel at 4747 Daisy Ave., in Long Beach is now available for public review online and at the locations listed below during regular business hours:http://www.lbds.info/planning/env i ronmenta l_p lann ing/environmental_reports.asp Long Beach Main Library, 101 Pacific Avenue Long Beach City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd, 5th Floor

The public comment period during which the City of Long Beach will receive written comments on the draft EIR is now open and ends on June 18 at 4:30 p.m.

Send comments to:Craig Chalfant, Long BeachDepartment of Development Services, 333 W. Ocean Boulevard, 5th FloorLong Beach, CA 90802Fax: (562) 570-6068Email: craig.chalfant@longbeach.gov

Honoring HarveyAs an openly gay man who is

running for LA County Supervisor today is a very personal day for me. Today marks Harvey Milk Day. A day dedicated to the remembrance and celebration of Supervisor Harvey Milk’s life as a trailblazer for the LGBT movement both here in California and throughout our Nation. It was those first brave steps Harvey took over 40 years ago in San Francisco, as he ran for and was elected County Supervisor that paved the way for LGBT men and women like me, to answer the call of public service.

Two years ago I was honored to have been recognized by the White House as a Harvey Milk Champion of Change. Today I remain committed to being a champion of change not only for the LGBT community, but for all residents of LA County.

As Harvey once put it, “Whether it’s a veranda in a small town or a concrete stoop in a big city—to talk to our neighbors is infinitely more important than to huddle on the living-room lounger and watch a make-believe world in not-quite living color.” So I urge you. Talk to your neighbors about what you want to see in your next

county supervisor. I can promise that I will be there to listen. For my part, I will wake up every day, as your county supervisor, thinking about how to make our communities and neighborhoods stronger, healthier and more prosperous.

Together, we will move our families and communities forward.

Mike Gin Mike Gin for LA County

Supervisorwww.mikeginforsupervisor.com

A Really Random LetterWhat this country really needs

is a female president with balls. How about a Brucella Jenner, if it isn’t too late?

G. SalvoSan Pedro

$4 per Gallon? Subpoena the CEOs

What a rip-off! Gasoline prices in Southern California just topped $4 per gallon with crude oil prices at historic lows. That’s $1.30 over the national average.

The oil company executives are refusing to answer questions. It’s time for subpoenas to fly!

The latest price spike is driven by another oil refinery going down.

It’s outrageous that every time a refinery goes down, gasoline prices and refiners’ profits go up.

Jamie CourtPresident, Consumer Watchdog

Fuel-Efficient RocketsIf we demand fuel efficiency

from our cars, we should demand it from our rockets. Travel in space should be undertaken in the most efficient way possible and with a clear agenda.

Our nation’s leadership is on track to develop a manned mission to Mars. Currently, the president and Congress, and even NASA administrators, are misdirecting

NASA. Many Mars enthusiasts are pursuing their own agenda to the point of hysteria.

I’m a licensed professional engineer who worked on our Saturn/Apollo and space shuttle programs. Instead of concentrating on vehicles and missions, NASA needs to develop more efficient rocket engines to power those vehicles. The most efficient rocket vehicle ever built used rocket engines operating at 454 seconds specific impulse, but those have been unwisely retired.

All current space vehicles use much less fuel-efficient rockets. These operate at specific impulse

320 seconds and even less. More efficient rocket engines carry more weight into orbit at lesser cost. An engine with 320 seconds impulse uses 148 pounds per second of fuel to provide 425,000 pounds of thrust. An engine with 475 seconds specific impulse uses only 99 pounds per second of fuel to get the same amount of thrust. That’s a 33 percent increase in efficiency.

Efficient rocket engine development has been impeded because of an error made 60 years ago.

The error was that a [See More Letters, page 10]

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$6.25 million. If every driver of the company were to file a claim, the company would face an additional liability of at least $12 million.”

Also testifying was Alfredo Reyes, a driver for XPO Logistics with 20 years of experience in port drayage.

“I first went on strike last November to protest misclassification, and since then, XPO has been retaliating against me, cutting my loads and I’ve been falling further and further into debt,” Reyes testified. “I am one of many drivers who have filed wage claims and lawsuits against the company for misclassification. We have filed lawsuits that amount to potential liabilities of more than $5 million. The California Superior Court has ruled that XPO owes an additional $2.2 million to just seven XPO drivers, making the potential liability in California alone of more than $160 million.”

Yet, Reyes went on to note, XPO clearly has the money.

“While we were on strike a few weeks ago, XPO announced they were spending $3.5 billion to buy a French company,” Reyes said. “Days later, they announced the purchase of another U.S. freight company, Bridge Terminal Transport, for $100 million. We believe that the money they’re spending buying other companies and passing on to shareholders is money they have stolen out of our pockets.”

The companies are lawless, Reyes said.

“These companies are knowingly breaking the law for profit and they are doing it right here in your county,” he concluded.

“Until recently, I drove for port trucking company QTS,” Felix Umana said. “Like Daniel and Alfredo, I was misclassified as an independent contractor, but unlike my brothers, the company I drove for from 2011 to 2015 took the cheating way out. They filed for bankruptcy and reopened under another name rather than pay us what they owed us.”

He went on explain the QTS was just one of several companies owned by Eric Yu.

“The same day QTS filed for bankruptcy, QTS management created a new company CSJJ express to which it then began shifting its work essentially starving QTS of the income needed to pay our claims,” Umana said. “Our attorney in the class action suit has filed in court to connect the assets of QTS with Mr. Yu’s other businesses, but with this you should see the kind of corrupt businesses we are dealing with at the ports.”

Rani Narula Woods, the deputy political director of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, also testified. She took note of the fact that the Los Angeles City Council was in session voting on a historic $15 per hour minimum wage hike.

“Just a few blocks down the way in city hall chambers, the most wide sweeping legislative step towards wage equality and wage theft protection in our nation is taking place,” Woods said. “As you know, Los Angeles is the wage theft capital of the country. In the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, this rings particularly true.”

The sharp contrast between Los Angeles’ historic vote and the plight of port truckers was also underscored by Julie Gutman-Dickinson, local counsel for the Teamsters Port Division, who also represents a number of port drivers.

“Ironically, at the same time that we work to raise the minimum wage to bring hard working members of our community out of poverty, there remain thousands of misclassified drivers working below the current minimum wage and some weeks even receiving negative paychecks,” Gutman-Dickinson said.

“[The companies responsible] have been like robber barons,” she said. “[They have been] getting away with breaking the law for profit, making money on the backs of taxpayers by avoiding high payroll taxes, costly payments for unemployment insurance, disability insurance, workers’ compensation.”

She concluded by saying that they appreciate all the five actions that this board is intending to move forward with. The report back for final action is expected in 60 days.

Reclassification Plan

RANDOMLetters

[Reclassification, from page 7]

thermodynamic problem was incorrectly converted to a chemistry problem which provided an incorrect result. This error has tragically become systemic and is embedded in many computer programs, including Air Force Chemical Equivalence, NASA Chemical Equivalence, and DLR (German NASA) programs, and just recently, an ‘ODE code’ program.

This is a perfect time to correct this error, given that Congress has mandated the Defense Department to develop a new rocket engine to replace the Russian RD-180 rocket used by the Air Force. In addition, the USA should terminate use of the grossly inefficient solid propellant booster rockets (267 seconds specific impulse) being used on the space launch system and replace them with efficient liquid propellant rocket engines.

Please write, call, or email your Congress member to insist taxpayers’ money be used to develop more fuel-efficient rocket engines.

Dale L. JensenLawndale

Stand with CSU Students!You can see California State University

Long Beach’s impact everywhere you look.

Nearly 300,000 alumni are armed with the knowledge they need to grow our economy and give back to our communities.

Philanthropy at The Beach is taking root too. The Los Angeles Times recently reported on how our students are stepping up to aid their classmates in need. Through the DECLARE campaign, students on meal plans have donated 1,300 meals for students who struggle to afford healthy food.

Our students understand why investing in their classmates is a good idea.

Time spent at The Beach is a transformative experience. CSULB ranked among the top universities in the country in helping low-income students move higher on the “Social Mobility Index” developed by Payscale and CollegeNET. For every dollar invested in the CSU, the state gains $5.43 in return on its investment.

Yet, according to CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White, water isn’t the only thing our state is running out of; California is facing a degree drought. By 2025 California could fall 1 million degrees short of what is needed to fuel the state’s economy. More than 59 percent of California jobs now require employees to have some level of postsecondary education, versus 28 percent in the 1970s.

CSULB is doing its part. We are more efficient than ever. We are expanding capacity by helping students graduate more quickly. We committed to the White

House that we would continue to do both of those things even better and that we would add 4,400 more bachelor’s degree holders to the nation by 2025.

Reducing costs through efficiencies barely sustains the status quo. In recent years CSULB has been forced to turn away more than 20,000 eligible students each year because we cannot admit more than we are funded to serve.

The legislature has until June 15 to send the governor a balanced budget. Help the CSU convince lawmakers to add an additional $97 million to the pending budget proposal—permitting the universities to admit 12,000 more students who are seeking a better life.

Terri M. CarbaughLong Beach

Crunch Time on the TPP and Fast Track

Any day now, the greed-headed, Koch-fearing, corporate-backed powers-that-be in Washington, D.C. are going to try to railroad the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) through Congress.

Progressive Democrats of America and our allies are working to derail that locomotive. If you haven’t yet, please contact your senators and representative and tell them to vote no on fast track, and no on the Trans-Pacific Partnership!

Thanks to the leadership of a few

intrepid freedom fighters, led by our great friend Lori Wallach of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, the powers-that-ought-to-be have the chance to defeat the TPP, with grassroots outrage, just as we defeated several of these trade schemes in the past 15 years. And we’re getting stronger every day!

This is not a trade treaty-it’s a corporate empowerment scam. Among many other anti-democratic moves, the TPP would set up so-called tribunals (privatized courts using corporate lawyers for judges), ready to rip us off to benefit the profit margins of some giant multinational corporations and their super-rich investors.

Here’s what our feisty pal Bernie Sanders says about it: “The TPP is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multinational corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment,

and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world.” Well, that about covers it...

PDA is one of the groups that have been out front in this fight, and we need your help now to redouble our effort to sink this phony “Pacific partnership” to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Please send PDA a few of your hard-earned pesos to say “I stand with PDA against the TPP!”

We’re close to winning this one—thanks for anything you can do to help PDA stop this corporate assault on our sovereignty!

Jim HightowerP.S. One more thought. Now that a

principled progressive leader like Bernie Sanders—a real fighter for workers, the young, seniors, the environment—has jumped into the Democratic presidential primary, we have a choice, a proven fighter for working families.

[Letters, from page 9]

May 28 – June 10, 2015

ACE: Arts • Cuisine •

Entertainment

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[See Mid-City, page 18]

By Andrea Serna, Arts and Culture Writer

These, however, are not spontaneous. Rather, they are intentional and carefully directed.

“”

An artist’s studio is a charmed place, filled with creative drive. It is a sheltered haven, where an artist can be alone with the muse.

The upcoming Long Beach Mid-City Studio Tour is a rare opportunity to obtain insight into working artists in their creative environment.

This year’s 7th Biennial Mid-City Studio Tour includes more than 25 carefully selected artists working in the fields of painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography pastel, printmaking, art books, installations and mixed media. The tour takes place at various locations in the Long Beach area.

One of the early founding artists on the tour is legendary Long Beach mixed-media artist Slater Barron.

“Many of us have been close friends before we even started the tour, so we have hung in there with each other,” Barron said. “We have moved a little bit across our traditional strengths. It’s good that we can accommodate work, beyond where we were before. ”

Barron works in many media, including dryer lint formed into astonishingly accurate reproductions of sweet candy treats or delectable sushi, among other subjects. Pieces about current social issues come from her sociology background, and her humor comes out in works of lint, food and assemblage.

Because of the unusual nature of her work, she has appeared many times on television programs including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Visiting with Huell Howser. Her resume lists at least 30 solo shows and more than 100 group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

New to the tour this year is Nate Jones, who grew up in Signal Hill, working in his dad’s tire shop. Surrounded by the durable material of tires his entire life, Jones was challenged in 2004 as he was getting his bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Cal State Long Beach to come up with a new expression for his art, which originated in a painting class. Jones said he uses tire shavings as “paint” to create abstract expressionist pieces that are painterly. These, however, are not spontaneous. Rather, they are intentional and carefully directed.

Above is a piece from artist Nate Jones’ Industrial / Abstract at Mid-City, which previously was shown at TransVagrant Gallery in 2012. Courtesy of Mid-City Studio.

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The PhanTom Carriage Brewery:

iT’s all aBouT The sour Beer and sPooky aTmosPhere

By Mick Haven, Cuisine Columnist

A plastic toy soldier with a handkerchief parachute falls from the sky as a giant rubber buzzard suspended from piano wire swoops in and gobbles up the hapless G.I.

This black-and-white, Ed Wood-esque tableau—or maybe an actual Ed Wood film— plays out in the screening room at the Phantom Carriage Brewery in Carson as the Misfits

blare out of the sound system. But Phantom’s main objective isn’t starting a schlock horror film renaissance, it’s bringing craft sour beer to the South Bay, while invoking a Transylvanian taproom feel.

With ingredients like bacteria and naturally occurring strains of yeast in their brews, you know mad scientists are running the laboratory.

Head brewer and mad scientist Simon Ford brings all the sour beer formulas from his days concocting small batches in his garage for friends.

What’s the origin story with sours? Well, Belgium’s been doing them for more than a minute. But it’s a pretty new deal in the New World. Phantom Carriage Brewery’s at the forefront in the Los Angeles area, along with other local breweries including Beachwood BBQ and Brewing, Craftsman and Monkish Brewing Co.

Ford’s most potent potion, the Lugosi (see their theme? Consistent, huh?), a dark sour,

clocks in at 12.8 percent alcohol by volume.Andrew Fuller, from Venice Beach, tried a

flight that included a couple of blondes and the Lugosi.

“The Lugosi’s my favorite, he said. “It has this winey finish I’m really liking.”

Fuller’s got an astute palate, seeing as how the Lugosi’s got about the same alcohol content as wine.

Ford continues his monstrous in-house experiments, brewing small batches and filling the wooden barrels held together with rusty patinaed hoops. The portly containers were stacked high throughout the industrial building housing Phantom. They have partnered with Smog City, which handles the big batches, keeping the Carriage Brewery floating in suds.

Besides its puckery trademark, Phantom offers a rotating roster of other beers. On tap, options range from the El Segundo Blue House Citra Pale and from El Segundo Brewing, to the farthest flung offering of a toasted porter all the way from Akureyri, Iceland, by the Einstök Beer Co.

And, along with the taps, the oodles of bottled choices are pushing 100.

How to get there to sample some of these sumptuous suds? Well, since secret laboratories are secret, finding the place to get a taste of these nefarious libations ain’t all that easy. A lone, unlit sign hanging from a chain link fence in a long block of industrial buildings makes missing the driveway on the first pass likely. But it’s there on 18525 S. Main in Carson. So, don’t get scared away.

Once you find it, there’s a lot in back or street parking, if that gets crowded. Watch out if it’s dark as, just like the driveway, you might sail right past the front door, and only entrance, on the side of the big block of a building.

Inside, it’s all noir as you pass through a

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foyer and get to the bar. Behind the bar is a lit-up menu of featured beers available. To the left is a sizable tasting room, all dark and appointed with heavy wood tables and tall chairs. To the right is the screening room, playing cheesy horror films that started things off way back in the beginning. Everything is black. The open ceiling with exposed girders goes all the way to the top of the two-story building, with the wooden barrels presumably holding the hootch stacked on racks forming a wall at one end, as well as on top of the kitchen structure.

There’s food, too. The place features a menu

[phantom, from page 12]

that elevates some classics, while staying hearty and basic. How’s that done, you ask? Well, the menu’s got things on it like a turkey sandwich, but it’s smoked turkey with chipotle mayo. Another smoked offering is brisket on a baguette with some au jus to get it wet or a bar staple, the pickled egg, which gets a bunch of pickled vegetable companions reminiscent of Italian giardiniera or sottaceti. Either way, it’s damned tasty if you like sour goodies with your sour beer. Oh, and an ice cream beer float composed of vanilla bean ice cream and a rotating stout sounds wicked also.

The only gripe: the latest the place stays open is 11 p.m. Thursday through Friday. C’mon, everyone knows that the most diabolical plans aren’t hatched till the darkest depths of night.

Jairo Bogarin, the bar manager, went to Cal State Dominguez Hills and revamped the DH Sports Lounge, the campus watering hole, by turning it from a Coors Light swillhouse into an IPA and stout-friendly environment.

“I’m pretty sure we’re zoned for it,” he said. “So, it’s definitely on the table to stay open later as the clientele grows.”Details: (310) 538-5834; www.phantomcarriage.comVenue: The Phantom Carriage Brewery, 18525 S. Main St., Carson 90248

310.548.2493 • 478 W. 6th St.Historic Downtown San Pedro

A nIGHt In neW YOrKSUn JUne 14 | 5pMPV’S Elite dance Studio’s annual spring show featuring students of all levels celebrating the distinctive neighborhoods of the Big Apple. Adults $18 / Children (12 and under) $12 at Tix.com – keyword ‘Elite’. Elitedance-Studio.com

renOIr (2012)SAt JUne 13 | 7:30pMPV Peninsula Land Conservancy’s film series, The Beauty of Nature. Jean Renoir returns home in 1915 from WW I to convalesce with his very famous father and a young woman who rejuvenates and enchants them both. $10 at pvplc.org

ALICe In WOnderLAnd SAt JUne 6 | 2pM San Pedro City Ballet’s annual spring recital - students will interpret Lewis Carroll’s classic story through ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary dance. $15 & $20 at brownpapertickets.com/event/1428890. Sanpedrocityballet.org.

tHe SUrF CItY ALLStArSFrI JULY 3 | 8pMKick off the 4th of July weekend with one of the most acclaimed tribute bands working today! Featuring hits by The Beach Boys, Jan & dean and more. $5 PER TICKET dISCOUNT ONLINE ONLY, NOW UNTIL 6/26 at Tix.com – discount code ImAnAllstar

The Warner Grand Theatre is a facility of the City of Los Angeles, operated by the department of Cultural Affairs. For Information and tickets, please visit GrandVision.org. Events, dates, show times and ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

pLeASe preSent tHIS COUpOn FOr

One Free reGULAr SIze

SOFt drInK Or bOttLed

WAter.Exp. 07/03/15

RL0615

Phantom Brewery’s bar manager, Jairo Bogarin. Photos by Phillip Cooke.

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Advertise Here for As Low As

$35

(310) 519-1442per Month!

Gallery AzulThe TaroT of ray, new works by ray Vasquez Utilizing the Tarot deck Ray embarked on a journey of the self. He projected his inner world onto the outer via artworks. Open June 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. The show runs through June 20. Gallery Azul, 520 W. 8th St., San Pedro.

Studio Gallery 345new works on paper and canVasPat Woolley and Gloria d Lee continue showing new work including abstracts, children’s book and unique jewelry from France as well as other small gifts. Open 6-9 pm on 1st Thursday and by appointment. For more information call Gloria at (310) 545-0832 or Pat at (310) 374-8055, 345 W. 7th Street, San Pedro.

Michael Stearns Studio 347wriTers in search of The sacredA multimedia art exhibit by Cie Gumucio explores the works of American writers: Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, Emily dickinson and John Steinbeck and the common thread expressed in each - a yearning for an experience of the transcendent. Paint, pastel, assemblage, sculpture, photography and video projection. Artist’s reception during First Thursday Art Walk, June 4, 6 to 9 p.m. Michael Stearns Studio 347 is located at 347 W. 7th St., San Pedro. Call (562) 400-0544 for information or appointments.

Advertise Here!for as low as $35Random Lengths News has the longet running promotion for the First Thrusday Artwalk and offers affordable ad space. To reserve your space call (310) 519-1442.

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By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

Brouwerij West Navigates Community Concerns and Permits

What A Deal! Me Familia Double Trouble

$1050 $2450 $2395Pick Up SpecialLarge 1 Topping

Large Pizzawith up to 2 Toppings,

1 Dozen Wings & 2 Liter Soda

2 Large Pizzaswith up to 2 Toppings each

Not valid with any other offer, excludes gourmet toppings & extra cheese. Exp. 06/17/15

Not valid with any other offer, excludes gourmet toppings & extra cheese. Exp. 06/17/15

Not valid with any other offer, excludes gourmet toppings & extra cheese. Exp. 06/17/15

RLn RLn RLn

Brouwerij West may finally get to shed its gypsy brewer status this summer, if it can just get past the objections of its northern neighbors about hours of operation.

Crafted at Port of Los Angeles hosted a community meeting to answer questions and assuage resident concerns May 27.

Residents attending a May 7 zoning hearing opposed Crafted’s master conditional-use permit application, which would have added live entertainment that could go from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. for the entire property. They feared that venue which could stage live entertainment events between the

two warehouses would disturb the t yp i ca l l y qu ie t neighborhood.

R e s i d e n t s on the northern hillside who raised object ion have been quoted as saying they only want to preserve their quality of life.

Rachel Sindelar, director of Crafted reportedly said that the early opening hour listed on the application would

be to accommodate a future coffee bar operation.

The idea is to turn the warehouse into a full-scale production brewery with a bottling line, a full service restaurant and dining area in the courtyard space between their space and Crafted’s. In all, Brouwerij will occupy more than 7,500 of the 60,000 square feet available in Warehouse No. 9. There will be 15,370 square feet of common area seating within the market.

Crafted’s plans calls for Off the Vine, a farmers market and a space for community kitchen classes in the warehouse.

Brouwerij West president Brian Mercer. Photo by Philip Cooke.

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entertainment

[See Calendar, page 18]

By Melina Paris Music Columnist

Jazz aNd OPera:a Match Made at alvas

F rank Unzueta and Aaron Blake demonstrated that when done right, jazz and opera can fit together like a hand in glove. They did this during their May 8 performance in An evening of Jazz and Opera at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro.

Unzueta, a jazz pianist and composer, has superb composition skills. His playing on piano and guitar is richly layered. Blake, an operatic tenor, has precise delivery. He is highly charismatic with a well-versed knowledge of the American songbook.

Classical and jazz musicians have similar methodologies in music composition and arrangements. Logic implies that the genres would culminate at a point. It is not uncommon to listen to classical music and at times experience the thrill of jazz elements within it.

The show is presented at Alvas annually, often at Christmas, to growing positive reception. Unzueta’s jazz trio, which includes Gordon Peeke on drums and Ernie Nunez on standing bass, started the evening performing songs from Unzueta’s CD, Thoughts Revealed. Unzueta’s music unfolds before you. It’s emotive. He simply names the title, the music begins and steadily you are deep into the ambience of the melodies.

The first set presented six beautiful numbers. “Madrid,” dedicated to Unzueta’s grandmother, and “Love Me When Winter Comes” were particularly notable. The former is a playful, sweet song with strong salsa–tinged arpeggios. The latter, which Unzueta calls a “spacey tune,” evokes the desire to just keep listening.

Beginning the second set, an animated Blake came out to perform Rossini’s “The Merry Widow,” accompanied by Unzueta on piano. Crisp and clear, Blake’s vocal elixir makes an instant impact.

Blake grew up locally in Rancho Palos

Verdes. He is also a violinist and an alumnus of Julliard School, where he developed a love for jazz. This was a special night for him. His family and his first voice teacher, now 92 years old, were present. Blake shared with the audience that he just auditioned for the prestigious New York’s Metropolitan Opera with good results. He promised more on that later but never quite got to that story. Instead, he entertained us with comedic stories of high points along the road early in his singing career, which began with opera at 15 years old.

Fast forward to present day, the Los Angeles Times has called him “a vocal powerhouse.” This rising star is strong and soft at once and delivers his absolute best.

Unzueta and Blake continued with two love songs by Sir Paolo Tosti, “Aida Celeste,” by Verdi, which is known as one of the most challenging roles for any tenor, and “Ah Moon of My Delight,” by tenor Richard Crooks. Also performed were “The Prayer” by Charlotte Church, “Non Ti Scordar Di Me” by Italian pop singer Giusy Ferreri, and “Core ’ngrato composed by Salvatore Cardillo.

More jazz and show tunes were interspersed throughout the show, including popular numbers from Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald. They also performed Man of La Mancha’s “The Impossible Dream,” George Gershwin’s, “Foggy Day” and the Yip Harburg-Harold Arlen classic, “Over the Rainbow.”

The finale included an operatic note with Unzueta on guitar and Blake performing a favorite, “O Sole Mio,” to resounding applause.

The pairing of jazz and opera is something for music lovers to experience. Spoil yourself with the indulgence and let the music elevate your spirit next time Unzueta and Blake return to Alvas.

MAY 29the SyncopathsFrom dance floors to concert halls, the Syncopaths spin Scottish, Irish and American folk into a contemporary concert driven by Christa Burch’s warm, vibrant vocals, spirited bodhrán and the fiddling and picking of mandolinist Ashley Broder. The opener is Lyons Academy of Irish dance.time: 8 p.m. May 29Cost: $20 to $30 details: www.grandvision.orgVenue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Missing persons Featuring dale bozzioLos Angeles’ 80s new wave band Missing Persons is coming to Alpine Village. Admission is for people who are 21 or older. time: 8 p.m. May 29Cost: $17 details: http://tinyurl.com/krdsoxuVenue: Alpine Restaurant Bierhall, 833 W. Torrance Blvd., Torrance

don rigsby bluegrassdon Rigsby emerged onto the national scene as a member of The Bluegrass Cardinals. He played with Jd Crowe and The New South, and was a member of the award-winning Lonesome River Band. time: 8 p.m. May 29 Cost: $20details: http://alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

MAY 30Hydrogen Jukebox A massive warehouse at the Port of Los Angeles becomes the departure point for a journey through the American counter-cultural landscape of the 1950s through 1980s, a free-wheeling kaleidoscope of flower power, drugs, rock ’n’ roll, sex, religion and politics. Phillip Glass’ percussive minimalism, combined with Allen Ginsberg’s prophetic text, create an opera that remains startlingly relevant. time: 8 p.m. May 30, and June 6 and 7Cost: $15 to $160details: www.longbeachopera.orgVenue: Crafted at Port of Los Angeles, 112 E. 22nd St., #10, San Pedro

zhena Folk ChorusCome let Zhena Folk Chorus transport you to the villages of Central and Eastern Europe and beyond. The women of Zhena (“woman” or “’wife” in Slavic languages) are dedicated to preserving and presenting the folk songs of Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.time: 8 p.m. May 30 Cost: $20details: http://alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

MAY 31Clay Jenkins ensembleClay, an associate professor of jazz trumpet at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., is also an artist who continues to be very active on the performing and recording scene. He has performed and presented clinics all over the United States, Canada and abroad in Japan, Italy, Korea, Germany, Portugal, Russia and South Africa. time: 8 p.m. May 31 Cost: $20details: http://alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

JUne 5taiko Center of LA Taiko Center of LA explores rhythms of the world with drumming and dance with special guests Village dance Arts. Founded in 1969, Village dance Arts has been offering excellence in dance education for more than 40 years. Rooted in the best of American and European dance traditions, the school is enhanced by the versatility of modern forms, including tap, jazz, and modern. The program develops talent in a manner that will ensure lifetime involvement in,

and enjoyment of, dance.time: 8 p.m. June 5Cost: $20 to 30 details: www.grandvision.orgVenue: 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro,

dead Man’s partydead Man’s Party, the Oingo Boingo tribute band, has been bringing Boingo tunes live for more than 14 years. This eight-piece band has been fashioned after the original Oingo Boingo lineup, featuring a three-piece horn section, guitar, bass, keys, drums and a front-man so convincing that people sometimes believe they are actually watching danny Elfman himself.time: 6 p.m. June 5Cost: $7 to $15details: http://tinyurl.com/kmrtzagVenue: Alpine Restaurant Bierhall, 833 W. Torrance Blvd., Torrance

L.A.vation U2 tribute bandImagine a rock ‘n’ roll tribute show so realistic, it will overwhelm your senses of sight and sound. L.A.vation is that band and U2 its inspiration. time: 8 p.m. June 5Cost: $20details: http://alvasshowroom.comVenue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

MAY 30Long beach Human LibraryParticipants, or “readers,” will be able to “check out” Human Books, people who have volunteered to share and discuss their unique life experiences, for up to 15 minutes. Readers will be able to ask questions and find out what it’s like to be a mortician, poet, retired police officer, public breastfeeding advocate, Holocaust survivor, disability advocate, and more. Human Libraries combats prejudice and stereotypes by giving people a place to discuss their differences. The Human Library Project first began in denmark in 2000 and has spread around the world.time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 30Cost: Freedetails: http://on.fb.me/1PdUVahVenue: Orizaba Park, 1435 Orizaba Ave.,Long Beach

MAY 31Hidden in plain Sight: day of remembrance of Those Lost to TraffickingAs part of a yearlong campaign to draw attention to the costs of human trafficking, Universalist minister Lea Laird is conducting a remembrance ceremony at 5:30 p.m., followed by a picnic dinner and a movie at Angels Gate Cultural Center, featuring the dramatic thriller, Trade. Parents and youth discuss strategies to avoid being abducted into the sex trade.time: 5:30 p.m. May 31 and 7:30 p.m. June 5 Cost: Freedetails: (310) 519-0936; angelsgateart.orgVenue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro

5th Annual Spring Garden tour and Wine tastingThis annual fundraiser offers local residents and gardeners an entertaining opportunity to see how community gardens make the city more beautiful, healthy and green. For more than 20 years, Long Beach Organic Inc. has provided a valuable resource to the residents of Long Beach by transforming vacant city lots into organic community gardens for local and sustainable food production.time: 1 to 6 p.m. May 31Cost: $95details: (562) 438-9000; info@longbeachorganic.orgVenue: Alamitos Bay Parking Lot, near the Crab Pot, 215 N. Marina dr., Long Beach

JUne 4night at the AquariumBe part of the free night at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Come out and spend an evening looking at all the fascinating sea life the aquarium has to offer.

Commuity/Family

Opera singer Aaron Blake and jazz composer Frank Unzueta. File photos.

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[Calendar, from page 15]

theater/Film

Art

[Mid-City, from page 11]

Jones’ connection to his media is deep and visceral, an affinity picked up from working side-by-side with his father as a child. The manipulation of discarded rubber product mimes his paintings, which are also on display in his studio. Initially laying down his ideas with pencil and paper, Jones develops his concepts into large-scale, color-infused sculptures, which are surprising in their wit, insight and intelligence.

Savvy art collectors know about these studio tours. Rare opportunities abound to discover thought-provoking new artists’ work, as well as to purchase art at studio prices, minus the often substantial gallery fee.

Caryn Baumgartner is an example of an artist who had a successful studio tour. Baumgartner’s focus is primarily on figurative painting. She employs a variety of mediums, including oil, wax, charcoal, encaustic, collage and assemblage, as well as photography and digital painting, as a means to articulate the human portrait.

“The first year that I was on the tour was just an amazing experience,” Baumgartner said. “The turnout was amazing. I sold out of most of my big pieces, and I also sold small pieces and sketches. To see that people were investing in art during the depth of the recession was very encouraging to me.”

A studio tour is an opportunity to have an intimate experience with artists and their work at a comfortable pace not always possible in galleries. Collectors have been known to travel from Ventura and San Diego counties to Mid-City galleries for the opportunity to find rare treasures at great prices.

Long Beach City College art professor Carol Roemer draws from her knowledge of art history, finding motivation and meaning in the expressive forms of the past. Her multimedia work intertwines mythology and symbolism of early civilizations with personal introspection, dream imagery and meditation.

Roemer suggests that the best way to begin

the tour is to start at Chez Shaw Gallery. Lynn Shaw is setting up a salon-style gallery in her home that will have small-format pieces from every artist on the tour. Aficionados will be able to purchase these works for only $75.

Since this is a biennial tour, it will be 2017 before these studios are open to the public again. This year’s tour takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 6 and 7. So, clear your calendar now. A map and bios of participating artists are available on the tour’s website: midcitystudiotour.com.

Participating artists in this year’s tour include: Kristine Baker, Caryn Baumgartner, Slater Barron, Sheriann Ki Sun Burnham, Dorte Christjansen, Cynthia Evans, Moira Hahn, Betsy Lohrer Hall, Nate Jones, Kim Hocking, David Hocking, Connie DK Lane, Tini Miura, Kimiko Miyoshi, Pia Pizzo, Bob Potier, Dawn Quinones, Sue Ann Robinson, Carol Roemer, Joan Skogsberg Sanders, Kumi Steffany, Annie Stromquist, Craig Cree Stone, Gail Werner and Jaye Whitworth.Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 6 and 7 Cost: FreeDetails: midcitystudiotour.com

The Decision by Carol Roemer on display at Mid-City Studio.

time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 4Cost: Freedetails: http://tinyurl.com/NightatAquariumVenue: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach

JUne 6Pacific Islander Festival Watch hula performances, listen to Tahitian drumming, try ancient Hawaiian games, enjoy island cuisine, admire artisans creating traditional weavings, and enjoy storytelling and educational programs. The Aquarium of the Pacific’s annual Pacific Islander Festival will feature various cultures, including Hawaiian, Fijian, Marshallese, Chamoru, Tahitian, Samoan, Tokelau and Maori. time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6 and 7Cost: $28.95 adults, $25.95 seniors and $14.95 for children (3 to 11). The event is free for children younger than 3. details: (562) 590-3100; www.aquariumofpacific.orgVenue: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach

Fiesta Corazón del puerto This annual community event features music, dancing, food trucks and community booths. time: 2 to 10 p.m. June 6Cost: Freedetails: (310) 847-7704Venue: Wilmington Waterfront Park, 1004 W. C St., Wilmington

JUne 7 San pedro Shred: Festival of Skate 2015The summer event features a half-pipe, a street course, the Freeride Hill — where skaters descend the back of Gaffey Street toward Point Fermin. All areas are open to the public and admission is free. If an all-day skateboard festival overlooking the harbor isn’t enough, the event comes with live music, food trucks and vendors.time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 7 Cost: Freedetails: San Pedro Shred on FacebookVenue: Gaffey Street Lookout near Gaffey and 36th streets

Summer Concerts by the SeaFree concert series featuring live music, food and more each Sunday afternoon in June at downtown Harbor, next to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro. time: 12 to 5 p.m. Sundays, June 7 through 28Cost: Freedetails: (310) 732-3508; lawaterfront.org Venue: downtown Harbor, 504 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro

JUne 10 28th Annual ILWU/propeller Club Seafood FestEnjoy a seafood feast of legendary proportions. The event will benefit the ILWU/Propeller Club Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established to honor the memory of longshore workers who have lost their lives working on the waterfront. The proceeds assist local high school seniors entering college. No children younger than 16 years old will be admitted to this event. time: 5:30 to 7:30 June 10Cost: $40 details: (818) 951-2842; propellerclub.lalb@verizon.netVenue: San Pedro Fish Market, 1190 Nagoya Way, Berth 78, San Pedro

MAY 28te San pedro rep’s Celebration Series This summer, TE San Pedro Rep is staging re-imagined acclaimed productions from TE’s past seasons with two of their most entertaining and artistically-daring productions, The Underpants and The Vanek Trilogy by Vaclav Havel. time: May 28 to July 19 Cost: $20details: www.sanpedrorep.orgVenue: TE San Pedro Rep, 311 W. 7th St., San Pedro

JUne 10LA Film Fest The Los Angeles Film Festival is Southern California’s largest film event. The festival

showcases the best in new American and international cinema and gives access to some of the most critically acclaimed film talent from around the world. Schedule includes red-carpet premieres, conversations with artists and outdoor screenings. time: June 10 through 18Cost: $12 per persondetails: (866) 345-6337; www.lafilmfest.comVenue: Regal Cinemas L.A.LIVE Stadium 14, 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., Los AngelesJohn Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles

JUne 12pick of the Vine-Season 13: private LivesNoel Coward’s best-known comedy – as effervescent as freshly poured champagne on a hot summer’s night. Follow divorced couple Elyot and Amanda who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Their honeymoon rapture comes to a grinding halt. Noel Coward’s plot-perfect marital farce is sparklingly witty and wickedly vicious.time: 8 p.m. June 28, July 2, 9 and 16, and 2 p.m. July 5 and 12 Cost: $22details: www.littlefishtheatre.orgVenue: Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St.., San Pedro

reel rock Films: Inside Llewyn davis (2013)directed by the Coen brothers, the film follows a week in the life of a young folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the cold New York winter, he struggles to make it against tough obstacles.time: 7 p.m.Cost: $10 to $12 details: (310) 833-4813Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Visualizations in Art and Science Curated by Margaret Lazzari, vice dean of Art at USC’s Roski School of Art and design, this show incorporates the work of artists and scientists to explore the overlap between the two fields. Lazzari borrowed the concept from Martin Kemp, who wrote numerous articles in the journal, Nature, in which he showed that both artists and scientists use visualizations as a way to comprehend concepts beyond their knowledge. Visualizations will have sculpture, painting, digital media and more. The show will include artistic renderings of human organs, seismic readings, and other natural phenomena. The works clarify scientific understanding while imparting a sense of wonder to the viewer. time: 5 to 7 p.m. May 30 for the student exhibition, and 4 to 6 p.m. May 24 for the Art and Science Symposium. Cost: Freedetails: http://conta.cc/1HLOWfWVenue: The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., 3rd Floor, San Pedro

7th biennial Mid-City Studio tourTwenty-five established Long Beach visual artists will open their studios to the public during the 7th Biennial Mid-City Studio Tour on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour is free and made possible through a micro-grant from Arts Council for Long Beach. Artworks include paintings, mixed media constructions, handmade artists’ books, prints, assemblage, silk painting, ceramics, sculpture, and installations.time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 6 and 7Cost: Freedetails: midcitystudiotour.com

Forgetting the Future - entropy In the Reflective AgeCurated by Lisa deSmidt, entropy is the inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society. This exhibition examines new ideas of entropy in a technology-driven age. Exhibition opening reception is from 6 to 9 p.m. June 6.time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Cost: Freedetails: www.torranceartmuseum.comVenue: Torrance Art Museum, 3320 Civic Center dr., Torrance Artwork by Slator Barron on display at Mid-City

Studio.Artwork by Saija Rohkea on display at Mid-City Studio.

19

The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

Nine Pot Dispensaries ShutteredLos Angeles— Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer probably got kudos from throughout the Harbor Area May 22, when he announced that nine area medical marijuana dispensaries have been ordered to close over the past three months, including seven along Avalon Boulevard.

Feuer recently obtained court orders to also close illegal medical marijuana dispensaries on Western Avenue and Gaffey Street.

Voters passed Proposition D in 2013 making all medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles illegal, with the exception of about 100 that had previously registered with the city.

Feuer’s action stems from his success in securing temporary restraining orders halting many of these businesses this past February.

The court orders Feuer obtained in the Harbor Area apply to:

• 420 Collective, 408 N. Avalon Blvd;• Wilmington Organic Wellness, 618 N. Avalon Blvd;• FXS Management Inc. dba Weedland, 646 N. Avalon Blvd.;• Fresh Wilmington Buds, 712 N. Avalon Blvd.;• LA Collective Herbal, 728 N. Avalon Blvd.;• Avalon Center, 814 N. Avalon Blvd.;• Taste Buds aka Avalon Medical Center,

1019 N. Avalon Blvd.;• Harbor Solutions Center, 23700 S. Western Ave.;• Compassionate Caregivers of San Pedro,

410 S. Gaffey St. Since Feuer’s election as city attorney, in

neighborhood council meetings and meetings with Councilman Joe Buscaino, Wilmington residents have been asking for something to be done about the dispensaries.

The Council District 15 representative noted in Westways magazine that Wilmington residents are elated by the closures.

“We need to now make sure others don’t come in and they don’t reopen,” resulting in the “Whack-a-Mole game that we’ve been struggling with in the last year.”

The Harbor area has one dispensary permitted under Proposition D, according to the councilman.

Andrews Announces Write-In Campaign LONG BEACH — On May 22, Long Beach City Councilman Dee Andrews announced he will seek another term as a write-in candidate in April 2016’s municipal primary election.

Under Long Beach’s city charter, council members may run for a third term, but only as write-in candidates in the primary election. Upon advancing to the general election, their names will appear on the ballot.

Andrews was elected to the Long Beach City Council in a special election in 2007. He was re-elected in 2008 and was unopposed in his re-election in 2012. He served as the first black student body president at Poly High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social science and physical education from California State University Long Beach.

For more than 29 years, Andrews taught black history and government at Long Beach Poly and Wilson high schools. He now works as a substitute teacher at Cabrillo High School in the Long Beach Unified School District.

Toyota Lays Off Long Beach WorkersLONG BEACH—On May 22, Toyota announced that it will lay off more than 100 workers from its Toyota Auto Body California plant, which opened in 1972.

Officials said the decision was part of a business model change that will shift the manufacturing focus at the plant. The business model change would end up decreasing the number of full-time workers to about 300 by year’s end.

In 2014, Toyota also announced that it would be moving its headquarters to Plano, Texas by 2017.

ILWU Ratifies New ContractSAN FRANCISCO—On May 22, West Coast longshore workers ratified a tentative contract agreement reached in February with employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association.

crash in sardine populations may be only part of the picture, as the shifting of warmer waters farther north—a result of shifting wind patterns that’s also contributing to California’s drought—is also thought to play a role.

This underscores another increasingly important point: the growing need to understand and anticipate complex systemic interactions. The Fishery Council has begun moving in this direction with its April 2013 adoption of its Fishery Ecosystem Plan. According to its website, “The purpose of the FEP is to enhance the council’s species-specific management programs with more ecosystem science, broader ecosystem considerations and management policies that coordinate council management across its Fishery Management Plans and the California Current Ecosystem.”

This year, in a move applauded by Oceana, the council adopted its first amendment to the FEP, protecting unfished and unmanaged forage fish species. Again, its website explained: “The council’s objective is to prohibit the development of new directed fisheries on forage species that are not currently managed by the council, or the states, until the council has had an adequate opportunity to assess the science relating to any proposed fishery and any potential impacts to our existing fisheries and communities.” This reflects a maturing understanding that ecosystems are complex and that human markets for seafood can easily upset balances we don’t even know exist.

One example of this understanding comes from a just-released study showing that over-fishing intensifies, though it does not prolong, normal boom-and-bust cycles in forage fish populations. It’s known from the geological record that forage fish populations go through boom-and-bust cycles naturally—a point that industry advocates repeatedly harp on to argue against over-fishing limits. The new study, conducted by a team led by Timothy Essington, a marine biologist at the University of Washington Seattle, analyzed time-series data for fish populations amounting to almost two-thirds of the global catch of forage fish.

Essington’s team found that “Forage fish population collapses shared a set of common and unique characteristics: high fishing pressure for several years before collapse, a sharp drop in natural population productivity and a lagged response to reduce fishing pressure.” They also found that lagged response “can sharply amplify the magnitude of naturally occurring population fluctuations,” making crashes much worse than they would otherwise be—exactly what seems to be happening with West Coast sardines. Consequently, they advise, “A risk-based management scheme that reduces fishing when populations become scarce would protect forage fish and their predators from collapse with little effect on long-term average catches.”

Of course, implementing such practices ought to take place within a broader framework that helps secure the long-term viability of small operators, those who have the smallest share of responsibility for over-fishing, but are least able to survive a suspension in fishing operations. As with the struggle to clean up port trucking, to work properly, environmental protection requires a social justice dimension as well.

But this only takes into account existing conditions, and the one thing we know is that conditions are changing. Perhaps the most relevant large-scale threat to consider is the

growth of “oxygen minimum zones” (OMZs), which can profoundly alter ocean environments on a scale spanning thousands of nautical miles. This threat was the subject of a recent article in National Geographic. As that article explained:

These are not coastal dead zones, like the one that sprawls across the Gulf of Mexico, but great swaths of deep water that can reach thousands of miles offshore. Already naturally low in oxygen, these regions keep growing, spreading horizontally and vertically. Included are vast portions of the eastern Pacific, almost all of the Bay of Bengal, and an area of the Atlantic off West Africa as broad as the United States.

Globally, these low-oxygen areas have expanded by more than 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers) in the past 50 years.

It’s a matter of debate how much global warming has contributed to this expansion, and how much is simply due to climate variability—a familiar tale. But it’s much more certain that continued global warming will only make this problem get worse—just as OMZs expanded significantly in the past when natural processes were responsible for heating up the planet. This subject was explored in a paper written by a team headed by Sarah Moffitt, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California Davis, working at the Bodega Marine Laboratory.

OMZs did not exist during the last ice age, around 20,000 years ago, but they appeared as the glaciers melted and the planet warmed. The timing of their expansions was “regionally coherent,” but not simultaneous on a global scale. As the paper explains, “OMZs are tightly coupled to upwelling systems and Eastern Boundary Currents, such as the California Current, the Humboldt Current and the Benguela Current.”

The California Current is the coldwater current running from British Columbia to Baja California, which has a submerged warmwater counterpart, the north/south California undercurrent. A 2008 study headed by Steven Bograd, a NOAA oceanographer, found large declines in dissolved oxygen in the southern California Current System over the period of 1984 to2006, with the OMZ starting as shallow as just 100 meters deep in some places.

A 2010 paper, “Ocean Deoxygenation in a Warming World,” by lead author Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 Program at UC San Diego, looked at future projections from a suit of ocean/climate models. “Ocean models predict

declines of 1 to 7 percent in the global ocean O2 inventory over the next century,” he wrote, “with declines continuing for a thousand years or more into the future.” He noted that “Significant deoxygenation has occurred over the past 50 years in the North Pacific and tropical oceans, suggesting larger changes are looming.”

Two distinct sorts of processes caused by global warming are reflected in the models, Keeling noted—gross heating of ocean water, which reduces the solubility of oxygen, and “changes in ocean circulation and biology.” Elaborating on the later, the paper continued:

The most important cause of these changes is the effect of global warming on upper ocean stratification, particularly at high latitudes, where reductions in surface density result from both warming and freshening due to an enhanced hydrological cycle.

Even now, Keeling noted, “much of the North Pacific…can be considered an OMZ.” Furthermore, “The relative rapidity of O2 decreases in the subarctic Pacific and in coastal upwelling regions off the west coast of North America raises the specter of imminent impacts on marine habitat and fisheries,” meaning even more of what we’ve already seen, with no end in sight.

“Even if the recent O2 variability in the North Pacific has been partly naturally driven, the implications for the future appear ominous,” the paper said. “The declines over the past 50 years demonstrate that O2 levels in the thermocline [range where temperatures drop with depth] of the North Pacific are highly sensitive to climate changes.”

Furthermore, looking at oxygen declines on the North American shelf, from British Columbia to Baja California, the paper attributes them to “a combination of factors acting in concert,” including “declines observed as far away as the subarctic and equatorial Pacific,” along with local factors as well. “It is worrisome that all of these factors may be amplified in the future by continued global warming,” Keeling warns.

The paper’s summary leaves us with a final warning:

The relative rapidity of O2 decreases in the subarctic Pacific and in coastal upwelling regions off the west coast of North America raises the specter of imminent impacts on marine habitat and fisheries.

Which means that the actions taken so far by the Pacific Fishery Management Council are almost certainly only the beginning. A time for new thinking is at hand.

Sardine Fishery Collapse [Fishery, from page 4]

[See News Briefs, to page 22]

The West Coast sardine population is down 91 percent since 2007. File photo.

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Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015089654The following person is doing business as: Top Blue USA, 17899 S. Susana Rd.,Rancho dominguez, CA 90221., Los Angeles County. Registered owners: SPF Terminals, Inc, 1861 N. Gaffey St. STE E, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by a corporationl. The date reg-istrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Peter Balov, CEo. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 3, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of sec-tion 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the state-ment pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new ficti-

tious business name 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 common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).Original filing: 04/16/15, 04/30/14, 05/14/15, 05/28/15

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015097941The following person is doing business as: The Painted Soapery, 1840 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, Ca 90731. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Aixa Renta-deluca, 1840 S. Gaffey St., San Pe-dro, Ca 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Aixa Renta-deluca, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 13, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with

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The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

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subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 04/17/15, 04/30/15, 05/14/15, 05/28/15

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015102358The following person is doing business as: Pacific Yacht Land-ing, Berth 203 #24, Wilmington, CA 90049. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Perel Mari-nas Inc., 1001 Casiano Rd., Los Angeles CA 90049, California. This Business is conducted by a corporation. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above:July 13, 2015. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Robert Perel, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 16, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 04/17/15, 04/30/15, 05/14/15, 05/28/15

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015100668The following person is doing busi-ness as: Blue Engravers, 1375 Caspian Ave.,Long Beach, CA 90813. Los Angeles County. Reg-istered owners: Midonna Inc.,1375 Caspian Ave.,Long Beach, CA 90813, California. This Business is conducted by a corporation. The date registrant started to transact business under the ficti-tious business name or names listed above:1987. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Michael Leonard, Chief Executive Officer. This state-ment was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 15, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with

subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 04/17/15, 04/30/15, 05/14/15, 05/28/15

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015109115The following person is doing business as: San Pedro Health Center, 302 W. 5th Street #101, San Pedro, Ca 90731. Los Angeles County. Registered owners: kro-mas Chiropractic Inc.1723 ortega Place, San Pedro, California. This Business is conducted by a corpo-ration. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above:NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. kim kromas, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 23, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a

fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 04/17/15, 04/30/15, 05/14/15, 05/28/15

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015129210The following person is doing busi-ness as: (1) Advantage Duramed, (2) Park Social Services,302 W. 5th Street., San Pedro, Ca 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Arun Mahtani, 850 E. ocean Blvd., Long Beach, Ca 90802. This Business is con-ducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact busi-ness under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Arun Mahtani, owner. This state-ment was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on May 14, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 05/28/15, 06/11/2015, 06/25/2015, 07/09/2015

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015122352The following person is doing business as: Boyd Inspection Services, 1134 W. 22nd St., #7, San Pedro, Ca 90731., Los Angeles County. Registered own-

from previous page

DBA AnD lEgAl filingsers: Nathan Boyd, 1134 W. 22nd St., #7, San Pedro, Ca 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 05/01/2015. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Arun Mahtani, owner. This state-ment was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on May 07, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 05/28/15, 06/11/2015, 06/25/2015, 07/09/2015

Fictitious Business Name Statement

File No. 2015129212The following person is doing busi-ness as: (1) Hospice Medical, (2) Discount Pharmacy Delivery, 302 W. 5th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731.., Los Angeles County. Reg-istered owners: Rajat Bhattach-anya, 4309 Mesa St., Torrance, Ca 90505. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 05/01/2015. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A

registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/. Rajat Bhattachanya, owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on May 14, 2015. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursu-ant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in viola-tion of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions code).original filing: 05/28/15, 06/11/2015, 06/25/2015, 07/09/2015

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International Longshore and Warehouse Union members voted 82 percent in favor of approving the new five-year agreement that will expire on July 1, 2019. The previous contract was ratified in 2008 with a vote of 75 percent in favor.

“Membership unity and hard work by the negotiating committee made this fair outcome possible,” said ILWU International President Robert McEllrath.

The contract, which covers 20,000 dockworkers at 29 ports, avoids issues related to automation—something that was addressed in the previous contract.

The new contract continues employer-paid medical benefits, including the Cadillac tax in the Affordable Healthcare Act that will take effect in 2018. It preserves ILWU jurisdiction over chassis inspections, maintenance and repair, even though the owners of the equipment are mostly non-PMA members, a potential legal minefield in the future.

“This new pact is terrific for management and labor, and proves that by working together, we can build a partnership that will continue to help to improve this economy and provide jobs all across the United States,” said Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners President Doug Drummond in a statement.

[News Briefs, from page 18]Memorial Day Observance

Rep. Janice Hahn and other local elected officials in the Los Angeles Harbor Area gathered at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes to observe Memorial Day, May 25. Hahn took special note of veterans who served in every since World War II, asking attendees to remember them.

The Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall was on display at the cemetary in tribute to those served in the Vietnam War. Photos by Bobby Fabro.

23

The Local Publication You Actually Read May 28 - June 10, 2015

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28

- Jun

e 10

. 201

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, 201

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f the

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