RLn 5-26-22

See the Highlights p. 10-11

RLn’s June Primary Endorsements, p. 7 Remember that as much as we are defending democracy abroad, democracy starts at home and must be defended at the ballot box by voters taking the time to cast ballots.

China Shipping Trial Starts June 24

Jan. 6 Accountability–

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

Revised Mitigation Plan Challenged

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

[See Trial, p. 5]

Above right, firemen attempt to put out a fire at Peck Park canyon in San Pedro on May 12. Photo by Chris Villanueva

SP Meals on Wheels Feeds More People with Less Money p. 3

The Women of Machista p. 15

By Chris Villanueva, Photojournalist

My colleague, Raphael Richardson, or Raph, called moments after I saw the alert. The police scanner app on my phone alerted me that fire crews were dispatched to Peck Park. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that a fire was called in at 6:15 p.m., to the canyon west of the park. I went outside my house in search of the telltale smoke cloud that should have been hovering nearby. I didn’t see it, but Raph assured me the fire was real. Only then did I see the smoke.

I grabbed my camera and jacket and caught a ride with a cousin who was already going out. We traveled up Summerland Avenue, then turned on to Elberon. I jumped out and made my way closer before meeting up with Raph. The smoke was so bad we couldn’t even see where we were going or tell where exactly the fire was at that point.

We got there trying to find a place to go shoot some photos. I was kind of lost until I found a spot to capture still photos, but I was just getting bombarded by debris like ash and black charred stuff from the fire. I ran back home to retrieve my fire protection media gear. I have a wildland jacket similar to the ones firefighters wear with a helmet with the word “Media” emblazoned on it and a pair of goggles.

This fire only burned about an acre of grass and brush. By 8 p.m., crews stopped the spread of the 10acre fire, but it posed a threat to neighbors above the canyon.

Most of the fire was situated off of Golden Rose Street. There was another fire about a week or two earlier. By the time I got there, firefighters had already got it knocked down. The earlier fire seemed to have been [See Peck Park, p. 4]

[See Accountability, p. 16]

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Music by the Sea Returns After Three-Year Hiatus p. 9

Catching the Fire Next Time

It’s been said that a coup that goes unpunished is a dress rehearsal, which is why it’s so important for the truth about the Jan. 6 insurrection to come out, and those responsible to be held accountable — including Donald Trump. The pattern across the globe has been clear, but in America it’s been more complicated, with the American Civil War as the prime example.

Then, issues of individual and collective responsibility were not just shuffled aside, but eventually turned on their heads. When Jim Crow segregation reimposed a system of white supremacy run by the same landed aristocracy that controlled the slaveholding South, and took the nation to war.

After the war, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was arrested, but never stood trial. If he had, he most likely would have been prosecuted by Richard Henry Dana Jr. — author of Two Years Before The Mast — who won the most important Supreme Court case of the war, allowing for the blockade of Southern ports, without which the North almost certainly could not have won.

There were two lines of argument against trying Davis. One was that the nation needed to heal, an argument advanced by a trio of prominent unionists who joined in posting bail for Davis in May 1867. Dana made a very different argument, though with the same result. In an August 1868 letter to Attorney General W.M. Evarts, Dana warned of the danger of jury nullification. “We know that it only requires one dissentient juror to defeat the government and give Jefferson Davis and his favorers a triumph,” Dana wrote. “This possible result would be most humiliating to the Government and people of this country, and nonetheless so from the fact that it would be absurd.”

In the end, on Christmas day, 1868,

Real People, Real News, Really Effective

“This case is the latest in a chain of litigation stretching back over two decades.”

So begins the California Attorney General’s opening brief in the China Shipping lawsuit set for trial in San Diego on June 24. At issue is the adequacy — and lawfulness — of the port’s revised environmental mitigation measures approved in 2020 by the Board of Harbor Commissioners.

In the beginning — when the port tried to build the China Shipping terminal without any environmental impact report at all — local homeowners battled alone, but not any more. The Attorney General is arguing on behalf of The People of California, as well as the California Air Resources Board.

“The Port [of Los Angeles] has repeatedly failed to comply with CEQA [the California Environmental Quality Act] in approving projects at the China Ship-

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

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May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

Community Announcements:

Harbor Area Infant Formula Help

The California Department of Health has a resource page with FAQs, updates on the infant formula shortage and recommendations on how to get formula. Access the resource page here, https://tinyurl.com/formula If you’re on WIC you can learn more about accessing formula here, https://tinyurl.com/formula-WIC Not on WIC? WIC is a state program for babies, children under 5-years-old, pregnant women and new mothers. It provides nutritional support and benefits to new mothers to help buy healthy foods. You can find out if you are eligible here: https://tinyurl. com/eligibility

Know Your Watering Days: New rules effective June 1

Over 80% of the LADWP’s water is imported.

In response to diminishing supplies due to environmental issues in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and local droughts, the City of Los Angeles has adopted several water conserving ordinances. Learn how you can make a difference and conserve water.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/watering-rules

Long Beach Community Job Fair

Over 100 direct hire employers are looking to fill multiple job openings. Don’t miss this opportunity to network and connect with the region’s top companies including aerospace, aviation, manufacturing, government/nonprofit, healthcare, transportation, logistics, information technology and hospitality. Bring your résumé and dress professionally.

Time: 1 to 5 p.m., June 7 Details: https://www.pacific-gateway.org/lbc Venue: Long Beach Convention Center, Seaside Ballroom, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach,

Election Workers Needed for the June Primary

How To Vote In the June 7 Election With the June 7 primary election just weeks away, find all the ways that you can vote in Los Angeles County. Here are your options: Vote by Mail. As of this week, all registered voters in LA County have been mailed a vote-by-mail ballot. Just fill it out and return it either in the mail or at one of the hundreds of Ballot Drop Boxes open 24/7 until Election Day across LA County.

Vote In-Person. Starting May 28, many vote centers across LA County will open their doors. The rest will open on June 4. Click here to see vote centers near you.

Details: Drop box locations: www.locator.lavote. gov/locations and vote centers www.locator.lavote. gov/locations/

“If we didn’t feed these people no one would.”

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

Prior to the pandemic, the San Pedro chapter of Meals on Wheels fed about 35 people on average. Now they feed 125 people five days a week, 50 of them for free.

The reason they were able to expand was because of government funding that was available when the pandemic started. Now that money has run out.

“We are desperately trying to raise funds,” said Susan McKenna, president of the board of Meals on Wheels San Pedro. “This tiny organization is feeding 50 people for free every five days a week.”

Meals on Wheels San Pedro only has two paid employees, a chef and an office administrator, and they’re both part-time. Everybody else is a volunteer, and there are between 100 and 120 of them.

“It’s totally a volunteer-driven organization,” McKenna said. “Of course, all the board [members] are volunteers. And at this point, with finances being the way they are, the board members, I can say every single one of them has a task that they do that we couldn’t afford to pay people for.”

This includes a board member who is a graphic designer, who is in the process of designing a new website and a woman who runs a marketing company, who has been helping write grant applications.

“It’s a lot of micro-fundraising, because we’re all very busy,” McKenna said. “We don’t really have staff, or those people you’d find at a

Eleanor DeBellis, who is 100-years-old, receives food from San Pedro Meal on Wheels. Photo by Fabiola Esqueda

lot of nonprofits.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, the San Pedro chapter of Meals on Wheels got funding from Council District 15 and the Los Angeles County Supervisors. But that funding dried up in November 2021. Prior to the pandemic, it relied mainly on private donations.

“When I first joined the board, four or five years ago, Meals on Wheels historically had not actually asked for funding,” McKenna said.

“We’re an extremely frugal organization. So, we had just private donations. And they would occasionally get a little chunk of money, but that

was it. As a board, they had not ever applied for grants or sought out funding sources.”

McKenna said that since December, that has been a big learning curve for the board, seeking out sponsors and other sources of funding. While they have not been wildly successful, they have recently received funding from the three San Pedro neighborhood councils.

McKenna said some of their clients have no support structure.

“They are mostly seniors, and mostly homebound,” McKenna said.

[See Meals, p. 4]

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Long Beach Transit’s Proposed June Service Change Long Beach Transit is proposing the removal of 31 low ridership bus stops in the upcoming June Service Change and is seeking feedback. Removal is scheduled to take place June 26, 2022.

Before these removals take place, fill out Long Beach Transit’s survey and let them know which stop changes will potentially affect you. Feedback on bus stop removals will be accepted until Friday, June 3.

Details: https://ridelbt.com/servicechanges; For questions, contact

Meals on Wheels Feeds More People with Less Money

Real People, Real News, Really Effective

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ County Clerk is actively recruiting and calling on members of the community to serve as election workers for the June primary election. RR/CC is specifically recruiting in the following local communities and areas: Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes and Wilmington. Election workers can earn up to $1,180 by working the full voting period and completing all training requirements. Those who would like to volunteer less time are welcome and will receive $100 for each day served with an additional $80 once training requirements are complete.

Election workers must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen and registered voter or a legal permanent resident, and must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Details: LAVOTE.GOV; 800-815-2666, option 7

Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years

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[Peck Park, from p. 1]

Peck Park Canyon Fires

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

ignited around the same area. From what parkside residents have told me, there’s an encampment area down in the stream bed. But I’ve never been able to get down there because it’s steep and I don’t want to hike down by myself.

Fires seem to happen a lot around this park area. While the May 12 fire was described as a brush fire, the fire the following day in nearly the same area was determined by LAFD to be a rubbish fire with no structures burned. Then there’s the earlier brush fire on April 28. The fire department was unable to determine the cause of ignition. In any case, I always find myself at the same lookout point taking photos of these fires. I had posted some decent pictures of a small fire in the same area about a year ago.

But on May 12, helicopters performed water drops over the canyon into the evening, and crews remained on the scene through the night.

Officials said there were no injuries reported, no structures were threatened, and there were no calls for evacuation. A week after the blaze, RLn learned that the investigation was closed without a determination of whether it was arson or any other cause. But many residents who live adjacent to the park suspect it was caused by the area’s unhoused neighbors encamped in the thickest brush of Peck Park canyon. Could these be some of the people that have been pushed off the sidewalks with the anti-camping ordinance? But the fires that keep happening at the same location are just one layer of the issues at Peck Park.

A few months ago, there was an armed robbery at a Subway in Park Plaza — a robbery that turned into a police chase. The suspect fled to Peck Park, pointing his gun at park goers. The police locked down the park and searched for four hours. Even with the K-9 unit, they were unable to find the gunman. Residents believed the gunman escaped by way of the drainage ditch leading out into the neighborhood.

Back in December 2021, two teenagers were shot near the skate park, but for some reason, we weren’t able to get any information on them.

When I got there, the emergency personnel were taking the victims away. The victims appeared to be teenagers. We didn’t stick around for the investigation because we couldn’t see anything — it was pitch black.

Other shootings in the area seemed to have caused the San Pedro shooting to sort of fly under the radar. No one talked or even mentioned it.

We’ve had a few fires in and around my neighborhood. I’ve called the police numerous times after hearing my unhoused neighbors fighting or screaming for help. When officers arrive to investigate, they come back

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to me saying they didn’t see anything. That’s because the unhoused were hiding under the bridge.

Every time I call the police about the bridge, they have no idea what I’m talking about. This has led to some frustrating conversations.

Before COVID-19, I had an encounter with two homeless people yelling for help for presumably their friend who was experiencing an overdose. The pair went to the gas station and had the workers there call emergency personnel. The police arrived and searched the area for the transient without success. I engaged the officers on the scene and suggested that they search a hidden cove. I don’t think they took me seriously. They called an air unit to aid in the search. The police were eventually successful, finding the body hidden exactly in the area I told them to search. The guy was dead.

A few months before the May 12 fire, two women had flagged me down for my attention because their companion, a young woman, was experiencing a heroin overdose. I quickly learned that the two women were the mother and sister of the young woman, who was unconscious and lying face down when I got to her. I turned the young woman over and did my best to keep her alert by shaking her. The sister and mother didn’t want to get the police involved. I argued with the family, that if the police did not come, the young woman would die. They said they were going to take the woman home and put her in a bathtub full of ice. I fended the sister and mother off until help arrived. The mother ultimately ran off.

She didn’t want to deal with the police and fire department.

[Meals, from p. 2]

Meals on Wheels

While Meals on Wheels has always been a paid service, some clients are charged $8.50 per day for their meals, McKenna says the meals are heavily subsidized, as what they charge does not cover all expenses. But about 50 of their clients are sponsored, and do not pay anything.

When the funding ran out, the board considered scaling back its operation.

McKenna and the chapter’s chef, Mike Caccavalla, called everyone who the organization was feeding for free, and warned them the program might change.

“It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do,” McKenna said. “To talk to these people that have just no options. And so, it didn’t take very long for us to start down that list before it became apparent that if we didn’t feed these people no one would.”

Not every client gets food all five days, some

A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter attempts to stop a fire at Peck Park. Photo by CHris Villanueva

The woman stayed alert until the fire department arrived, but her eyes were so glazed over. I told the fire department personnel, “Hey, this is probably gonna be a heroin overdose. I just talked to her sister and they said she does heroin.”

The firefighters took her away in an ambulance. I don’t know what happened to her, but I think about her from time to time, wondering if she lived. She appeared normal. She didn’t look like she used heroin. But seeing something like that and nothing seemingly being done about it...

it kind of pisses me off.

I’ve lived in Pedro in that neighborhood for 30 years. We had big gang problems years ago, but this, what we are experiencing now, feels all new. And considering what is going on with the fires, drugs, homelessness, and the violence... My brother had his car stolen out here. Then my neighbor’s car was broken into, then another neighbor’s car was stolen a month before that. So, there’s just a lot that’s been happening. It just sucks.

Terelle Jerricks contributed to this story.

only need it one day a week, or three days a week.

The volunteers deliver two meals each day, a hot meal, and a cold one. In addition, the chapter recently started a program with the LA Food Bank, which will deliver a box of groceries to houses of Meals on Wheels clients once a month.

“If you are homebound, and you can’t get out to the other food donors, it’s very nice to have a box of groceries in the house,” McKenna said.

McKenna said the chapter is mindful of things like too much sodium and fat, and has been moving away from prepared foods to making food from scratch.

While it can be hard to keep track of so many clients’ likes and dislikes, Caccavalla said he tries to appease them as much as he can.

Caccavalla said he is supposed to work five hours a day, but usually it turns into more than that.

“Certain things that can get done, can only get done in the afternoons,” Caccavalla said.

“Today I’m behind because we had our bakers come in to bake up the fresh … cakes that our clients are going to get this week.”

Caccavalla said that he and others make it a point to try to go out on delivery routes to speak with the clients.

Caccavalla spoke of something that happened a week prior, when he went to drop off a meal to a client after hours, because the client wasn’t there when a driver initially tried to deliver it, and the client did not leave a cooler outside.

“I dropped it off after hours, and spent an hour and a half at his house, just talking to him,” Caccavalla said.

Meals on Wheels San Pedro buys food from big distributors, but also receives donations. It gets produce from Feed and Be Fed, as well as food donations from the YWCA. Restaurants and bakeries in San Pedro support the chapter as well, including The Chori-Man and Babouch [See Meals, p. 5]

[Trial, from p. 1]

Trial Date Set

ping Container Terminal,” the brief goes on to say. “In so doing, the Port has chosen to expose communities of color and low-income communities to excess emissions of criteria and toxic air pollutants harmful to public health, despite the fact that feasible measures to mitigate those emissions were available and required. Not only is that choice unlawful, it is unconscionable as it unjustifiably increases the public health risk for Californians that are already overburdened by some of the highest levels of air pollution.”

The initial lawsuit was settled in 2003, modified in an amended stipulated judgment (ASJ), signed in 2004. But crucial mitigation measures in the EIR completed in 2008 were never implemented. “Although the Port knew, or should have known, about these failures as early as 2009, it did not disclose them to the public until 2015, after a Public Records Act request [from Random Lengths News] revealed the noncompliance,” the brief explains. A supplemental EIR meant to remedy that failure was opposed as illegally inadequate by all the plaintiffs in the current case — which includes the homeowners and their allies (known as “Community Petitioners”), represented by the Natural Resources Defense Council, along with the South Coast Air Quality Management District. This is only the third time ever the AQMD has joined such a lawsuit. The Attorney General’s involvement is even more exceptional.

The three filed separate lawsuits which were joined together, but they continue to make distinctly different — though related — arguments reflecting their different roles, while relying on a common foundation of facts.

The Community Petitioners brief argues that

the SEIR “contravenes two fundamental purposes of CEQA: to inform the public and decision makers about the environmental effects of a proposed project, and to reduce those effects to the extent feasible.”

The Attorney General’s brief argues that the port violated CEQA in five ways: by “failing to enforce the 2008 mitigation measures,” by producing an invalid SEIR that “cannot cure the Port’s failure,” by failing to support changes to the 2008 mitigation measures “with substantial evidence,” by “failing to adopt all feasible mitigation measures,” and by “failing to ensure the SEIR mitigation measures are fully enforceable.”

Finally, AQMD is arguing for “a writ of mandate to protect the local community and the region’s air by compelling the Port’s compliance

with CEQA.” The port’s core line of defense is to normalize everything it has done (all the way back to 2001), claim it did nothing wrong, and shift the burden of proof: “The EIR is presumed adequate and challengers bear the burden to prove otherwise,” it states in its brief. Challengers “must establish, at every stage in the litigation, that ‘the determination or decision is not supported by substantial evidence.’”

To defend its failure to enforce compliance via lease terms, the port tries to shift blame to the plaintiffs and their attorneys: “[B]ecause NRDC did not include China Shipping in the original lawsuit or the ASJ, nor secured an order to set aside Permit 999, China Shipping was allowed to continue to operate the Terminal under

Permit 999,” thus leaving the port powerless to enforce the measures — or so it claims.

However, the Attorney General’s brief notes that “In February 2015, counsel for the Port sent a letter to China Shipping, acknowledging its responsibility to enforce the measures, and warning that “[i]f these measures are not included [in China Shipping’s operating lease, the lease] remains legally insufficient and China Shipping’s operations could be subject to legal action,” which could affect the terminal’s operations.

“The Court should reject the Port’s attempt to blame its legal violations on the ‘complicated’ history of the China Shipping terminal,” NRDC wrote in a reply brief filed on May 24. “The reality is that those complications have been caused by the Port’s repeated refusal to comply with CEQA.”

[Meals, from p. 4]

Meals

Real People, Real News, Really Effective May 26 - June 8, 2022

Moroccan Restaurant.

“When our kitchen had to close for some work, Babouch [Moroccan Restaurant], in COVID let us use their kitchen during the day, and then they cooked during the night, for absolutely no rent,” McKenna said. “The generosity of regular people is what sustains San Pedro Meals on Wheels.”

While the chapter never stopped serving people, it did have to change drastically when the pandemic began. It had to move its volunteers outside, as it could not use as many inside.

Its volunteers include office workers, people who take carts downstairs, and kitchen volunteers. In addition, there are drivers and delivery people, who will take the food to the clients.

“Routes can take from, depending on your familiarity and the distance, one to two hours,” McKenna said. “So, there’s a significant amount of driving. And we’re just immensely grateful to those volunteers who do that.”

Meals on Wheels San Pedro operates out of the First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro. It has been there since its founding 50 years ago. The chapter pays rent for the kitchen, but McKenna said it is not much. She said if they weren’t paying so little for rent, they would not be able to feed as many people.

The chapter mainly delivers to San Pedro, but has clients in Rancho Palos Verdes and Wilmington as well.

McKenna said that some of the volunteers have volunteered to pay for clients.

“Because of a whole lot of generosity, a very practical sort of generosity, small donations, and produce, and goods, we’ve been able to keep it going,” McKenna said.

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Bass and the Billionaire An epic battle for the soul of Los Angeles

By James Preston Allen, Publisher

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

If these were normal times, the regular exercise at the ballot box is simply choosing the lesser of two evils. But these are not normal times. It is a Trumpian worldview that defines the times in which we live. America is divided and being manipulated between factions with campaign lies, propaganda and accusations to persuade you to vote against your self interests based on fear of crime, economic uncertainties and prejudice.

Sure, the billionaire mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is far more savvy than Don-the-Con could ever hope to be, but still his attack campaign against Rep. Karen Bass is as corrupt and misleading as anything that I’ve ever witnessed in my 50 years of voting.

Caruso’s $30 million advertising blitz reveals one very important truth — billionaires are now so emboldened that they actually believe they have the right, if not the privilege, to buy elections.

Clearly, if money is speech, which is supported by the Citizens United vs. the Federal Elections Commission U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2010, then Caruso is shouting louder than anyone else in the election to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Shouting doesn’t make him right.

However, like all propaganda, the more it gets repeated the more people tend to believe it, except when it’s over done. What do they say about a lie that is repeated often enough? Advertising is to propaganda like softcore porn is to the hard core version — tantalizing and provocative but never revealing and neither one delivers any physical satisfaction. Caruso’s ad campaign is thus hard core and not aimed at your reason but punches well below the belt like a porn video. If he were selling any product other than old tropes on crime and homelessness, he’d be making another fortune on political snake oil.

Enough about another fake Democrat trying to buy this election. Karen Bass is the real deal when it comes to being dedicated to fixing the problems of Los Angeles. She was raised here, went to public schools here and worked in the medical field in LA and was a political organizer before ever entering politics.

I’ve said it before, Karen Bass is probably the most qualified woman to ever run for mayor of this city! That she knows how to bring diverse and disparate interests and people to the table to solve problems is a sign of her commitment to inclusion. And that she knows that the City of Los Angeles annually leaves millions of federal dollars unapplied for that are available to address a multitude of problems is only a plus. Hey, she even was

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considered to be on the ticket with President Joe Biden as vice president so she definitely has access to the White House and to Congress. Would Biden or Kamala Harris even return a call to Caruso?

In other parts of this country, the battle lines are clearly delineated between the Big Lie insurrectionists and an array of Democrats who still believe in having a republic. Yet, here in the City of the Angels, this civic divide is more muted, subtle if you will. Caruso, now supported by another fake Democratic Councilman Joe Buscaino, and then LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, are all running far to the right of center on knee-jerk reactionary fear mongering tactics. Fear in politics is the foundation for tyranny in a democracy and reason and truth are the antidotes to it. We know this from 2,500 years of history. In fact the very term democracy comes to us from the Greek word demokratia, as do other terms.

The Greek word dikasteria, or the public courts, according to Aristotle, “contributed most to the strength of democracy.” This is due to the fact that the judges exercised almost unlimited power. Interestingly, there was no police force, and so the common people filed and argued their cases themselves, and the verdicts were given by majority rule. This concept of original democracy starts to sound a bit like “defund the police” as opposed to “let’s hire more cops.”

My point here is that our democracy hangs in the balance between moving to a more fair, equitable and inclusive secular government OR moving towards a repressive tyranny, oligarchy and theocracy. We’ve already seen what five antiabortion Catholic judges on the Supreme Court have brought us. And I’m not about to endorse anyone who comes close to filling those definitions like Caruso does.

So clearly LA doesn’t need a Monopoly billionaire running the city like his own personal fiefdom. What’s needed in the words of Thomas Jefferson: To cure bad government is not more laws but more democracy.

And we might say what we need now is not more police to arrest people but for the justice system to enforce the laws more equitably regardless of financial status. Because of this, I have grave doubts that a billionaire, regardless of his past philanthropy and civic appointments, would be a trustworthy holder of the honor of being mayor for the future of 4 million Angelenos.

I do, however, find it very curious and significantly gratifying that it’s an extremely well qualified Black woman with years of experience that will be the one to defend our democracy.

War and Remembrance:

The Death of Joseph Anzack Jr.

By Doug Shepardson

It was 15 years ago this month that Joseph Anzack Jr., private first class, United States Army, faced impending death on a dark and dusty road during America’s long war in Iraq. You remember the Iraq war, don’t you? In 2002, the U.S. propaganda machine was working overtime to convince us that Saddam Hussein threatened the world with weapons of mass destruction. In March of 2003 American forces invaded Iraq and shortly thereafter President George W. Bush declared ‘Mission Accomplished!’ The allied armies had prevailed and the evil dictator had been removed from power. But four years later the horrific bombings and bloodshed in Baghdad were still going strong.

Joseph Anzack Jr. was just 20 when he died; a kid barely out of his teens. Classmates from Torrance South High remembered him as friendly and easy-going. He played on the football team and dreamed of a career as a military officer. When Joseph died, the local papers ran stories about how he was an authentic war hero. That may be. But the ugly truth is that Joseph also died as a victim in a much larger wartime tragedy.

The official story was that on a hot, May night in 2007 Joseph and his squad were ambushed while on patrol. There was a fierce firefight. Most of the American soldiers were killed and Joseph was taken prisoner. Hundreds of his fellow troopers spent the next several days searching for him and his body was finally found over a week later.

Columnists/Reporters Publisher/Executive Editor Melina Paris Assistant Editor/Arts James Preston Allen Community News james@randomlengthsnews.com Hunter Chase Reporter Assoc. Publisher/Production Fabiola Esqueda Carson Reporter Coordinator Anealia Kortkamp Reporter Suzanne Matsumiya Vera Magana Dining Reporter

“A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to make people mad enough to do something about it.”

—Mark Twain Vol. XLIII : No. 11 Random Lengths News is a publication of

Beacon Light Press, LLC

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

Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg paul.rosenberg@ randomlengthsnews.com Internship Program Director Zamná Àvila

Photographers Arturo Garcia-Ayala, Harry Bugarin, Terelle Jerricks, Raphael Richardson, Chris Villanueva Contributors Mark Friedman, Lyn Jensen, Ari LeVaux, Greggory Moore, Doug Shepardson

But there is more to this story. Here’s what really happened. Joseph and seven comrades were ordered to go out on a nighttime patrol.

Their mission was to park near a certain village and to keep a lookout for possible enemy movements. There they sat, sweating in the dark in their two unarmored Humvee utility trucks. A rag tag group of Arab fighters spotted the vehicles. Allah be praised for providing such an easy target! The enemy crept closer and then let loose with a fusillade of bullets and RPGs. Joseph and his squad fought back and called for help on their radios. Tragically, they didn’t stand a chance. It took a backup platoon almost 40 minutes to get there. When reinforcements finally arrived, they found the two Humvees in flames and the dead bodies of the American soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter. But Joseph Anzack had apparently been taken alive as a prisoner. Eventually his body was discovered in a shallow of the Euphrates River, showing gruesome signs of torture.

To this day, there are still people that believe the Iraq war was justified; that it was not based on the lies of disingenuous leaders; that Americans always fought honorably for causes that were pure and just. And now another terrible war is with the world again. Every night we watch from the comfort of our living rooms on our wide screen televisions the destruction of Ukraine villages and cities by the bloodstained hands of the Russian invaders. How can the Russian soldiers [See Anzack, p. 7]

Cartoonists Andy Singer, Jan Sorensen, Matt Wuerker

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RANDOMLetters Fort Bragg Is a Drag

After the White supremacist terrorist massacre in Buffalo, New York on May 14, isn’t it finally time for the city of Fort Bragg, California to change its name?

No more lame and laughable excuses, Fort Bragg! Allowing this town in Mendocino County to continue to be named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg is evil, not to mention extremely divisive, blatantly racist, and unnecessarily provocative. And… California was never part of the Confederacy!

Fort Bragg’s city council members have the power to ditch the name Fort Bragg by a simple majority vote, but the current council members have inexplicably chosen not to do so. Give them a call at 707-961-2823.

Jake Pickering Arcata, Calif.

Steve Bannon Is Planning a Coup

My Fellow Progressives: The smoking gun of the conspiracy to retain Trump as our ruling Autocrat has been revealed!

What more do we need to wake the

Independents and rational moderates in both major parties to the continuing, existential threat?

If we cannot cut this cancer out of our body politic, we are destined to lose our democratic Republic.

Bill Roberson San Pedro

White Supremacy in America; Mainstream Pathology

White supremacy in America began when 20 Black Africans were unloaded at Virginia’s Jamestown in 1619. They were there as human chattel in perpetuity for the next 240 years.

Government sanctioned slavery ended in 1865 with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to free America’s slaves. But more to a point, did white supremacy end? Well ... just ask Emmett Till’s family or Ahmaud Aubery’s family.

The Civil War and the ratification of the 13th and 14th Amendments should have put an end to white supremacy. But that’s not what happened. Following the Civil War, the push for reconciliation was so strong that the war’s victors willingly lost sight of the

[Anzack, from p. 6]

Joseph Anzack Jr.

RLn’s June Primary Endorsements Many voters wait for the last moment to vote and then we get numerous calls and emails asking who to vote for. This year, unlike any municipal election before, every registered voter has gotten a ballot mailed out to them weeks before election day. You can choose to mail it back, drop it off at certified election boxes or simply turn it in on election day at your local polling place.

Below are our editorial team’s considered endorsements. We have interviewed many of the candidates, some have dropped out belatedly and others are in it to the finish line. We have a number of races not endorsed and my advice, when in doubt, is to vote for the Democrat and not the faux (just changed party) Dems either.

Just remember that as much as we are defending democracy abroad, democracy starts at home and must be defended at the ballot box by voters taking the time to cast ballots. It preferable to settling political issues with bullets, if you get my meaning.

— James Preston Allen, Publisher

[See Letters, p. 8]

think tanks. Eight years of pointless destruction, $400 billion dollars wasted, and thousands upon thousands dead. And on that long scroll of those who died in Iraq, civilian and military, you will find, somewhere in small print, the names of Joseph Anzack Jr., age twenty, and Abeer Hamza, age fourteen. Two kids in the flower of youth, with their own childish dreams of a future they thought that they could reach out and embrace.

This short commemoration was written to be a brief reflection on the tragic death of Torrance’s Joseph Anzack Jr. that occurred fifteen years ago this month. But perhaps it may also serve as a cautionary tale of how a complacent public can be easily manipulated by the highest levels of government power. There was a vigorous propaganda effort by the Bush administration to claim that Saddam Hussein posed a danger to Western nations by his possession of “weapons of mass destruction.” Putin and his cronies claim that Ukraine poses a existential threat because the government in Kiev is filled with “pro-Nazis extremists who want to attack the Russian motherland.” Both of these are and were bold-faced lies.

Let us all hope and pray that someday there truly will be peace on earth. Real peace, where young people like Joseph Anzack Jr. and Abeer Hamza are not forced to fill the tragic and horrific roles of war hero or war victim that have been painfully and tragically foisted upon them.

Real People, Real News, Really Effective

be so cruel? we ask ourselves. How can they rape and kill innocent civilians? American soldiers would never do that!

Actually, during the war in Iraq, they did.

You may recall that Joseph and his fellow soldiers were positioned near the village of Mahmoudiyah. The village where a few months earlier five U.S. Army soldiers gang raped a young Iraqi girl, Abeer Hamza. She was just 14-yearsold. Her name meant ‘fragrance of flowers.’ After the American goons were done with her, they shot her in the head. Then they shot her mother and father and six-year-old sister and set their house on fire. The villagers were completely outraged by the rape of the girl and the murder of her family. There wasn’t much talk about ‘forgiveness’ — they wanted revenge for what the American invaders had done to this beautiful child and her family. An ‘eye for an eye,’ as God himself sternly commands in the Book of Exodus. In the following months there were several attacks on American troops where individual soldiers were taken prisoner and then painfully tortured for several days before they were finally killed. Including Joseph Anzack Jr., the good-natured kid from Torrance.

Abeer and Joseph both perished as lamentable victims of an eight-year undeclared war in Iraq. A war that was orchestrated by shrill lobbyists from the oil industries and the pro-Israeli

reason the war was fought in the first place and refused to punish supporters of the institution of slavery and sedition, and Supreme Court rulings such as Plessy v. Ferguson preserved white supremacy into a generational curse.

This latest mass killing, resulting in ten dead and hundreds more mourning in Buffalo, New York is a case of more Black bodies being sacrificed at the altar of white supremacy. Same story. Different black church. Where’s the outrage? There’s been a few heartfelt prayers sent out to the survivors.

But it feels like this shooting will disappear from the news, as proms and high school graduation photographs fill our social media feeds.

We know Republican politicians won’t speak out against white supremacy, god-be-damned the party of law and order. Where are all the Democrats on this issue? Where is the voice of all those Christian fundamentalists who cherish life so much? What about the news media? All are invited to stop playing mumblety-peg around the radicalization of white youth.

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but unless there is a well-orchestrated protest by all of America’s people against white supremacy, Black bodies will continue to be

Doug Shepardson is a fine artist who once resided in the Harbor Area. He now lives in Sugar Land, Texas.

Read these online exclusives and more at:

RandomLengthsNews.com

https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2022/05/25/fish-day-is-frid…ion-in-san-pedro/39678

Rachel Alejandro Headlines Carson’s Annual Philippine Independence Day Celebration

https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2022/05/25/rachel-alejandro…-daycelebration/39685

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Fish Day is Friday — Crazy Fish Opens Second Location in San Pedro

7

RANDOMLetters [Letters, from p. 7]

sacrificed at the altar of white supremacy.

America ... We are at a crossroads. Will racism and white supremacy continue to be America’s all-consuming and unsolvable problem? Is genocide America’s only way out of its own manufactured peculiar institution.

John Gray San Pedro

Liberate Ukraine

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

It is not the Ukrainian people that are attempting to expand NATO power but rather it is Vladimir Putin who has engaged in intimidation to prevent the will of the people (both Ukrainian and Russian) from being heard.

Why else would he stoop to such underhanded tactics to block various means of communication among the citizens of Ukraine and Russia? Why is Putin forcing Russia to return to the Cold War utilizing political strong-arm tactics such as violence? Vladimir Putin, you have had over twenty years to acknowledge Ukraine and have failed them by your own choosing. The days of your despotic regime are finally coming to an end as it appears the desire for freedom will continue to sweep among the Eastern European nations as well as Russia.

Accordingly, let the call go forth among all citizens of Ukraine that your brothers and sisters of democracy {from all over the world} are with you during every trial and tribulation you may encounter during this crisis. To the people of Ukraine, the trumpet of freedom beckons you to rise in protest and louden your voice to preserve your sacred heritage, promote your children’s future and obtain the blessings of liberty we all cherish. Ukraine, the hour of your redemption is at hand. As you the rightful citizens move forward to reclaim your own country, rise and strike! In the name of those who were murdered fighting for everyone’s rights, rise and strike!

To push back this evil regime, rise and strike! Let no one continue to fear this man. Every Ukrainian must be strong and fight on for their freedom. Rise and strike!

Vladimir Putin, you little weasel...let Ukraine go!

Joe Bialek Cleveland, Ohio

8

Community Alerts

Ports Give Update on Clean Air Action Plan

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will give a progress update on San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) on Wednesday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. The meeting will include a status update of the ports’ technology advancement projects, feasibility assessment studies of cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks, and Clean Truck Fund Rate.

The meeting will be held via Zoom and is open to the public. The ports will take public comments to receive input on CAAP implementation. The Zoom link and further information can be found at cleanairactionplan. org under the “News” item “Ports Give Update on Clean Air Action Plan.” The agenda will be posted on the website prior to the meeting.

Port of LA Reverses Course, Will Do EIR on Phillips 66 Terminal

The Port of LA announced via email that it will conduct a full environmental impact report on the Phillips 66 Marine Oil Terminal and Wharf Improvement Project at Berths 148-151. It had previously attempted to evade its responsibility under the California Environmental Quality Act by conducting a much less rigorous analysis, known as a mitigated negative declaration, but it received withering criticism, particularly since it would nearly double the facility’s crude oil throughput with a 40year time horizon.

A Notice of Preparation/Initial Study (NOPIS) will be prepared and released for public comment, with dates for NOPIS release and associated public meetings will be announced at a later time.

M

Concertgoers at Music by the Sea at Point Fermin Park. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala, graphic by Brenda Lopez

California Harley-Davidson in Lomita on June 18.

In addition, Caccavalla has set up a GoFundMe page, and a Venmo that people can donate to. It’s also had help from unexpected places.

“A private person had a party Saturday night at their house, and 75 people showed up,” Caccavalla said. “They called me, and they said, ‘Hey, can we pass the hat for Music by the Sea?’ And I said sure, and they raised $300.”

Caccavalla sent out a fundraising letter to 560 people, telling them he will raffle off prizes each Sunday, and that he’ll hang up banners for all six Sundays for $300.

The money goes towards paying for security, paying the bands, and the overhead.

“We got to pay the employees that work for the city,” Caccavalla said. “We don’t pay ourselves. We’ve never collected a dime for doing this.”

Caccavalla owns a t-shirt business and makes the shirts for Music by Sea. When he is not able to raise enough funds in time, he takes money out of his company.

Music by the Sea is not a nonprofit itself, but it umbrellas under a nonprofit named Unite to Fight Blood Cancers. Any money raised from the event that is left over after expenses goes to the nonprofit. The last few years they have had about $3,000 left over.

Caccavalla said that the process of acquiring permits hasn’t been that difficult.

“The permits aren’t that hard, because I go through the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks,” Caccavalla said. “They work with me on that.”

However, he has had trouble in the past. A few years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department wanted Caccavalla to hire extra security, and another time the LAPD wanted him to put up fencing in a specific way that forced attendees to walk past the police stationed at the front of Point Fermin.

Caccavalla said he hasn’t heard that many complaints from neighbors, with one exception.

[See Sea, p. 15]

Music by the Sea Bands

By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor

Music by the Sea will be choosing more bands by raffle on June 1. The concert series will run for six Sundays, three bands per day from 12 to 5 p.m.

Listed below, find just a few of the bands on the lineup so far.

Down the Hatch

The classic rock band is comprised of Wayne Moore on guitar and vocals, Alex Martinez, bass and vocals, Paul Carlos on guitar and vocals, and supporting member Kraig Ross on bass. Down The Hatch have been together for 16 years and played all over San Pedro including many past Music By The Sea seasons. The band will play the closing day of Music by the Sea, July 31.

Details: www.facebook.com/downthehatch310

In Contempt

A classic rock ’n’ soul band, known for its soulful lead vocals and a repertoire of great songs from the ’60s to the present that make you want to dance and groove.

Bass player Stephen Ernst is not only a band member but also a man who wears many hats for Music by the Sea. The San Pedro resident and IT consultant said a lot of things have to happen everyday in order to put on these events.

Details: www.facebook.com/InContemptBand, and www.youtube.com/user/InContemptBandMusic

Five Bucks

A Cheap Trick tribute band, Five Bucks formed last October. Five Bucks comprises five Harbor Area natives: Vince Giobbe on guitar, Tom Berg on guitar, Mark Williams on bass, Daren Howe on drums and Erny Galven, vocals.

Five Bucks will play the closing date of Music by the Sea at 12 p.m.

July 31.

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usic by the Sea started 27 years ago, when five people sat in a room at Angel’s Gate Art Center, and decided that the bandshell, the stage at Point Fermin Park, needed to be used more often. Out of that discussion came not just Music by the Sea, but Shakespeare by the Sea as well.

Since then, Music by the Sea has performed at Point Fermin every summer, aside from 2020 and 2021, on account of the pandemic.

“We’re actually telling everybody this is our 25th anniversary,” said Mike Caccavalla, one of the original founders of Music by the Sea. The event will have five performances this year, the first on June 26, then every Sunday through July.

While a select few bands have already been chosen, for the most part, even Caccavalla does not know which bands will be performing.

“We do a lottery,” Caccavalla said. “In the past, I have picked the bands, and it’s just gotten really hard.”

Caccavalla finds the lottery system to be significantly easier. He switched to it five years ago. He tells the bands a month ahead of time where the lottery will be held. This year’s lottery will be at El Principe, a Pacific Avenue nightclub. It starts at 7 p.m. on June 1.

“The bands show up, they put their names in the hopper,” Caccavalla said. “We pick it, and if you get picked, then you’re in the show.”

Anywhere from 30 to 40 bands usually come to the lottery. Three bands perform every Sunday for six weeks. A total of 18 bands will perform, but only 14 slots are available, as some have already gone to bands that have helped with the event.

Caccavalla’s biggest struggle with Music by the Sea is acquiring funding, as it costs about $42,000, and he has raised about $7,000.

“We still got a long way to go,” Caccavalla said.

The event has already held one fundraiser this year, which was held at El Principe, and the next one will be there as well, on June 4. It will also have a fundraiser at

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

May 26 - June 8, 2022

9

San Pedro Welcomes Back LA Fleet Week Event Highlights May 26

Fleet Week Welcome Party Historic Downtown San Pedro will roll out the red carpet for visiting service members, with live music entertainment with the Marine Corps Band, activities and indoor/outdoor dining.

Time: 6 p.m., May 26 Cost: Free Details: LAFleetWeek.com Venue: Downtown San Pedro at 6th and Mesa streets

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

Marine Corps Band Consisting of approximately 50 Marine musicians, the mission of the 1st Marine Division Band is to provide musical support to the 1st Marine Division as well as other tenant commands aboard Camp Pendleton, the surrounding community, and throughout the United States.

Time: 11 a.m. May 27 Cost: Free Details: www.lafleetweek.com Venue: Point Fermin Elementary School, 3333 S. Kerckhoff Ave., San Pedro

10

Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala 95.5 KLOS FM Live Broadcast Featuring Marci Wiser’s Bootcamp from 12 to 1 p.m.: a commercial-free hour of high octane music to get you moving.

Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 27 Cost: Free Details: www.portoflosangeles.org/community/ events Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro [continued on following page]

Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala

May 27

[from previous page] STEM Expo Presented by Snapdragon Displays include: Snapdragon displays and exhibits highlighting technology by Qualcomm and the award-winning Wyland Clean Water Mobile Learning Center, an interactive sensory experience of sign and sound.

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 27 Cost: Free Details: www.lafleetweek.com/venue/main-expofootprint-at-the-battleship-iowa Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro Navy Band at Battleship Iowa and Banning Museum Navy Band Southwest is one of the Navy’s finest and oldest continuing musical organizations. Now with over 80 years of support to the San Diego Community, the band serves as the musical ambassador for the Commander, Navy Region Southwest.

Time: 3 p.m at Battleship Iowa and 5:30 to 8 p.m. and Banning Museum, May 27 Cost: Free Details: www.lafleetweek.com/venue/main-expofootprint-at-the-battleship-iowa Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd, San Pedro and Banning Museum, 401 E. M St., Wilmington

May 28

Live Entertainment: DJ Crooked Styles Austin Redman, aka DJ Crooked Styles, will be spinning rock ‘n’ roll tunes on the main stage all day.

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free

Details: www.portoflosangeles.org/community/events Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro San Pedro City Ballet San Pedro City Ballet stops by to add elegance to LA Fleet Week. Come watch these amazing young dancers perform to classical favorites.

Time: 12 to 12:30 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free Details: www.portoflosangeles.org/community/events Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship IOWA, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro Aerial Demonstrations at the LA Fleet Week Main Expo Featured aircraft in the past include: U.S. Navy F-18s, LA County Sheriff helicopters, County of LA Fire Rescue, City of LA Fire Department and City of LA Police Department. Static exhibits in the past include USMC Cobra and USN H-60.

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free Details: https://lafleetweek.com/events_schedule/ Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro Live Entertainment: DJ Ravidrums Ravidrums will be live on LA Fleet Week’s mainstage for a special DJ drum set with Ty Taylor, Jeremey Finlay and other special guests.There will be live music throughout Fleet Week at this venue.

Time: 4 to 6 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free Details: https://lafleetweek.com/events_schedule/ Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship IOWA,

250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro

May 29

LA Fleet Week’s 2022 ‘Galley Wars’ Culinary Competition The famous LA Fleet Week Galley Wars grilling competition is back in action after a two-year hiatus. The event will pit active-duty culinary specialists from the United States Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army against each other in a 30-minute grilling showdown. Two-member teams from each of the branches will grill their best surf-and-turf masterpiece for the competition, with a side dish for each. The judging panel includes three high-profile celebrity chefs to be announced.

Time: 1 p.m., May 29 Cost: Free Details: LAFleetWeek.com Venue: On the fantail of the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro

Expo to remember LA Fleet Week’s heroes.

Time: 5 to 6 p.m., May 30 Cost: Free Details: https://lafleetweek.com/events_schedule/ Venue: Main Expo Footprint at the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro

May 30

Memorial Day, Marine Corps Band As part of its annual Memorial Day tribute, Green Hills Memorial Park presents the Marine Corps Band.

Time: 10 a.m., May 30 Cost: Free Details: https://lafleetweek.com/events_schedule/ Venue: Green Hills Memorial Park, 27501 S. Western Ave., Rancho Palos Verdes LA Fleet Week Memorial Day Evening Service Join the Memorial Day evening service at the Main

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I

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

first felt the power of lovage in a box of Rapunzel brand vegetable bouillon with herbs. After my first taste, I had to doublecheck the label to make sure that it was, indeed, meat-free. Then I read the fine print to figure out why.

Along with some familiar suspects — garlic, celery, parsley, dill, basil, turmeric, brewer’s yeast, salt, and oil — the bouillon contained this crazy little ingredient called lovage. I figured it was the missing link to complete the flavor of this satisfying elixir. I searched the grocery stores around town and found two more brands of vegetarian stock that also contained lovage. These brands also had rich, deeply satisfying flavors.

At the local herb store, there was a small jar of dried lovage root hiding behind the lungwort in what appeared to be the Harry Potter section.

It had a smoky, musky flavor that was not what I was looking for in food. Probably great for spells and stuff, but not for soup stock.

Levisticum officinale was first brought over

by European settlers, who used every part of the plant as a vegetable, herb, or medicine. Obscure yet ubiquitous, the plant now grows wild from Florida to Saskatchewan. Lovage is a tenacious plant, happy to be ignored, with no immediate relatives. Distantly related to celery, parsley, and dill, it has the flavor of supercharged celery and makes your mouth a little numb, like Sichuan pepper. This tingling action, like a low-level electric current, makes it a great garnish or topping, as a little goes a long way. This flavor also lends itself to drink mixing.

The Missouligan is a lovage-based drink from Missoula, Montana. It’s named after a softball team and is composed of gin, huckleberry shrub, and club soda. You serve it with a lovage straw – aka, the hollow stalk.

“Folks who really love lovage can muddle

12

Celery on Steroids

By Ari LeVaux, Flash in the Pan Columnist

awake, as the early New Englanders did.

I finally scored my lovage at the farmers market, in the form of a potted plant for sale.

I brought it home, where it emerged as the toughest plant in the yard. Like a weed, lovage thrives on being ignored, but it doesn’t spread (maybe it would if I gave it more water.) Every year the lovage grows tall and beautiful, with

more flavor than I could enjoy in ten lifetimes.

Finally, with fresh lovage of my own, I sipped Missouligans and messed around with broth making. First I used the ingredients on the Rapunzel label. It was so good I had to let down my hair. But I actually prefer a simpler version, with just lovage, carrot, onion, and celery. After cooking everything together and straining the chunks I was left with an aromatic broth as hearty as it was thin. I used it to cook a pot of black beans. They turned out savory and meaty — even when I didn’t add pork — thanks to that satisfying whiff of lovage.

Lovage Bean Soup

The beans take on an extra savory tone, thanks to the lovage. And if you’re inclined, add pork.

This recipe leans south-of-the border, deep into bean country. In this context the lovage is a nod to the fragrant epazote. Serves 6

A lovage plant. Photo by Ari LeVaux

a leaf or two at the bottom of the glass,” explained the drink’s co-creator, Marc Moss, who has multiple lovage plants in his yard. It’s a lovely combination, with the bitter, aromatic lovage harmonizing with the juniper berries of the gin, amidst the earthy sweetness of the huckleberries.

If you don’t have lovage plants of your own, good luck finding any fresh lovage straws.

Based on my experience at the herbs store I’d be hesitant to order any lovage products from afar. So this is a gardening column as much as a cooking column. I’d order some seeds right now. If you have any extra after planting, you can chew on them in the church to help stay

1 lb dry black beans, or three 16-ounce cans ½ cup chopped fresh lovage, including leaf, stem and root 8 medium carrots, whole 8 stalks celery, chopped coarsely 3 tablespoons olive oil One large onion, chopped 1 bunch parsley, chopped in half, with one green leafy side and one side of mostly stems.

¼ cup cider vinegar 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon celery salt 1 tablespoon oregano 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon coriander 1 lb pork belly, ham, or bean pork of choice, in large chunks Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the beans until soft. If you have a pressure cooker or instant pot use that. If not, soak the beans overnight and cook them for a few hours until soft.

Add the lovage, carrots and celery to a large pot of water. If you have a pasta basket insert use that for easier removal of chunks when the time comes.

In a pan, fry the onions in the olive oil on medium until the onions turn translucent, about five minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the parsley stems and cook until the onions start to brown but not quite burn, about ten minutes. Add the parsley leaves and stir it around for a moment, and turn off the heat.

Add the fried onion and parsley to the pasta boiler, along with the dry spices and vinegar. Let it continue cooking until the liquid has reduced to just below the basket. Then strain the chunks — or remove the pasta basket with the chunks — ­ and add the cooked beans to the stock. If using canned beans, include the liquid. Add the pork if using. Put the pasta cooker and veggies back in, on top of the beans, and simmer for at least an hour, seasoning with salt and pepper. Simmer it for hours if you can, all the way down to thick beans. Serve with rice and chopped onion or chives. And minced lovage leaf.

Epiphany Framing

by JJ Geary

TransVagrant + GALLERY 478 SOTTO VOCE: LOWERING THE VOLUME

Palos Verdes Art Center FRANK MINUTO: MY TOY ROBOTS

Back when space travel was the dream and robots were made of plastic and tin, toy robots came packed in a box that promised the most amazing adventures for merely a couple of dollars. The box itself was fascinating and much more exciting than the toy inside. Frank Minuto found himself drawing pictures of the robot depicted on the box more often than the toy itself.

“Created by man,” and they were right. Those pieces of tin and chunks of plastic activate the greatest toy of all, your mind.

Length to Cut, acrylic on paper, over panel, Yong Sin 2021, 48x48

Come visit one of our frame shops today to get your project started. Don’t settle for cheap readymade frames, your art deserves the best. 1,000 frame samples to choose from or custom build your own with our help. Come check out some local art and understand the important details behind framing and your investment.

Details: 310-600-8881 Venue: 343 W. 7th St. San Pedro

In their spontaneity and dramatic intensity, many of Minuto’s paintings bear similar hallmarks of Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Jean Basquiat and Claes Oldenburg.

Working primarily from the organizational grid and employing a geometric austerity and deceptive plainness, Yong Sin works in collage, painting and mixed media. The meditative repetitiveness of the grid is often interrupted by quiet noise, but noise nonetheless, as the matrix flickers with near-kinetic energy.

Sin’s handmade patterned artworks recall hundreds of years of tradition in textile design and the therapeutic traditions of repetition, meditation and mantra. The enduring practice of replication has been pursued to aid in the search for enlightenment.

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and by appointment. Through June 27.

Details: 310-732-2150 or 310-600-4873 Venue: TransVagrant + Gallery 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro

Opening reception June 11, 6 to 9 p.m. The show runs through July 9.

Details: 310-541-2479; www.pvartcenter.org Venue: 5504 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes

Rocket Man, paint on canvas, Frank Minuto

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Ko-Ryu Ramen

koryuramen.com Koi Ramen

RANDOMLENGTHSNEWS.COM/ART/FIRST-THURSDAY

May 26 - June 8, 2022

362 W. 6th St. San Pedro 90731 310-935-2886

13

MUSIC

DANCE

Rock For Vets Rock for Vets will perform live, for the first time in over two years, with a couple other local bands.

This is a way of getting people back together, honoring veterans and most of all being in community.

Time: 1 to 4 p.m., May 30 Cost: Free Details: www.artslb.org/event/ rock-for-vets-memorial-dayconcert-2022 Venue: Jimmy E’s Bar & Grill, 2951 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill

Coppelia and Icons and Legends San Pedro Ballet School and the Dance Factory Elite Team present their Spring 2022 recital featuring the classical ballet Coppélia in the first act. The second act will celebrate the music of history’s most memorable artists in Icons and Legends.

Time: 1 and 6 p.m., June 4 Cost: $25 to $35 Details: https://www.sanpedroballetschool.com/upcoming-events/ spring-recital Venue: Warner Grand Theatre 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro

May 30

June 4

Todd Cochran Trio This ensemble of seasoned jazz artists has fused an invigorating and inviting sound that expands the boundaries of the idiom. The Todd Cochran trio have an inventive take on the touchstones of American jazz.

Time: 8 p.m., June 4 Cost: $30 Details: www.alvasshowroom. com/event/todd-cochran-trio-tc3 Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Scheherazade The Israeli born Silver-Garburg piano duo will interpret two concertos for two pianos by Johann Sebastian Bach and Francis Poulenc. The program concludes with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and its violin passages that portray the woman who convinced a Sultan to spare her life by telling him 1,001 stories of Arabian nights.

Time: 8 p.m., June 4 Cost: $32 and up Details: www.longbeachsymphony.org Venue: Long Beach Symphony, 249 E. Ocean Blvd., Suite 200, Long Beach

June 11

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

Aditya Prakash Ensemble and Nick Smith Indian Karnatik music and contemporary jazz meet for an engaging and dynamic dialogue transcending genres and generations.

Time: 6 to 10 p.m., June 11 Cost: Free Details: www.grandperformances.org/events/aditya-prakashensemble Venue: Grand Performances, 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles Barefoot Movement Enjoy a night of live bluegrass music with The Barefoot Movement.

Time: 8 p.m., June 11 Cost: $23 an up Details: www.tinyurl.com/ barefoot Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

THEATER May 28

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Intimate Apparel Lynn Nottage’s play, Intimate Apparel, is based on her greatgrandmother’s experiences as a talented African American seamstress working in New York City in 1905. In this play, Ester has dreams of a future that she plans to create with money she earns making intimate apparel for wealthy matrons and ladies of the night.

Time: 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, through June 18 Cost: $14 to $24 Details: 562-494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., 14 Long Beach

live in these environments. Learn about the threatened and endangered animals in California, their behaviors and biology and how the aquarium cares for them.

Time: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 27 through April 30, 2023 Cost: $26.95 to $36.95 Details: 562-590-3100; www.aquariumofthepacific.org Venue: Aquarium of The Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach

June 4

FILM

May 28

Bridging the Divide Screening of a film by artist Cody Lusby, which aims to capture the spark and beginning of an inspirational project of large scale wire hands interlocking over the top of pedestrian freeway overpasses which connect cities and communities.

Time: 7 to 9 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free Details: RSVP www.artslb.org/ event/bridging-the-divide Venue: Artist Co Op, 1330 Gladys Ave., Long Beach

ARTS

May 28

Dark Totem Dark Totem artwork will flood the Hellada Gallery in Long Beach with paintings, sculptural wallhangings and short films. This exhibition by Opincariu and Kathalynas will penetrate the barriers of standard imagery to ignite unseen themes and dark becomings to move primal emotions.

Time: Closing reception 5 to 9 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free Details: 562-435-5232; www.hellada.us Venue: Hellada Gallery, 117 Linden Ave., Long Beach

June 4

Getty 25 Celebrates Long Beach In celebration of the Getty Center’s 25th Anniversary, J. Paul Getty Trust is partnering up with neighborhoods across Los Angeles. At Houghton Park, experience live music, dance performances, marching bands, interactive workshops, art-making, skateboard demonstrations, food trucks, and an artisan marketplace.

Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 4 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/gettylong-beach Venue: Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave., Long Beach, Here Hear This is a series of sound-sensitive, site-interactive activities that will take place in and around Angels Gate Cultural Center through June 4. Betsy Lohrer Hall and several collaborators will consider the physical experience of sound perception, experiment with sound making, and respond creatively.

This will culminate in a one-night show in the downstairs gallery at Angels Gate as part of soundpedro 2022 on June 4.

Time: 7 to 10 p.m., June 4 Cost: Free Details: angelsgateart.org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro

June 5

Soundpedro Join a season of experimental sound art events, presented annually, that investigates the way people perceive and experience

sound. Many works are multi-sensory, addressing sound and aural perception in combination with other senses. It is produced by the Long Beach artist group FLOOD and hosted by Angels Gate Cultural Center.

Time: 7 to 10 p.m. June 5 Cost: Free Details: https://www.soundpedro. org Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro

Ongoing

DREAM TEAM As a multi-disciplinary creator and as a Central American, Crack Rodriguez is interested in investigating and interpreting the cultural, religious, spiritual, social, economic and political codes that delineate and characterize particular aspects of the system. This is a co-presentation with LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions).

Time: Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., through June 26 Cost: $10 to $15 Details: 562-437-1689; molaa.org Venue: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach The Persistence of the Body This exhibition is based on three guiding matters. The first, is on the rejection of the classical body. The second, is based on the intervention of technology as a tool to interpret or perceive the body’s appearance, originality and virtuality.

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays to Sundays Cost: $10 to $15 Details: 562-437-1689; www.molaa.org/2022-persistence-of-thebody Venue: Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach Blues-Birds at soundpedro2022 This new exhibit at Angels Gate Cultural Center features the work of Steven Speciale and his Loyola High School students. The exhibit consists of fabric birds that pay homage to Black artists while also acknowledging cultural appropriation and Black erasure.

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays to Saturdays Cost: Free Details: https://www.soundpedro. org/gallery-show-2022 Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Sotto Voce: Lowering the Volume Working primarily from the organizational grid and employing a geometric austerity, Yong Sin’s handmade patterned artworks recall hundreds of years of tradition in textile design and the therapeutic traditions of repetition, meditation and mantra.

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and by appointment, through June 27 Cost: Free Details: 310-732-2150 or 310-600-4873 Venue: TransVagrant and Gallery

478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro Know Justice, Know Peace An exhibition of 1960s California counter culture photos taken by Jim Coke. Images include The Doors performing at LA’s first Rock Festival in July 1967. The Jim Morrison photos are among Jim Coke’s most recognized photos. The exhibit will be on view until July 23.

Time: 9 a.m to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday Cost: Free Details: 562-570-3500 Venue: Long Beach Senior Center, 1150 E. 4th St., Long Beach Mural Art in Focus at the Getty Center The J. Paul Getty Museum presents two new exhibitions, The Lost Murals of Renaissance Rome and Judy Baca: Hitting the Wall. The exhibitions highlight the long history of mural art across the globe, from Renaissance Rome to downtown Los Angeles.

Time: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., May 31 to Sept. 4 Cost: Free Details: 310-440-7300; www.getty.edu/visit Venue: The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles

FOOD

May 27

The Boozy Cauldron Take a magical journey where you can imbibe four cocktails (including the tavern’s famous Butternilla Brew) and hear and feel the stories surrounding the famous tavern and the ghosts that still haunt the establishment. The pop-up will be available for a limited time only — 21 and older with valid ID. Safety measures will be in place throughout the experience.

Time: 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

May 27 to 28. 90 minute duration Cost: $55 Details: www.grandvision.org/ event/the-boozy-cauldron Venue: The Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

June 18

2nd Annual Long Beach Taco Festival There’s no better way to kick off summer than a Taco Festival. Local restaurants and taco trucks will provide you with a rich and diverse taco loving experience along with live music and entertainment.

Time: 12 to 6 p.m. June 18 Cost: $15 and up, 12 and under free Details: www.tinyurl.com/taco Venue: Scottish Rite Cathedral, 855 Elm Ave., Long Beach

COMMUNITY May 27

Babies!

Experience the heartwarming joy of baby animals like sea otters, cuttlefish and miniature sea jellies.

Learn how different ocean habitats like coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds serve as nurseries and see baby animals that

LA Fleet Week 2022 Memorial Day Weekend LA Fleet Week is the annual, multi-day celebration of United States’ sea services held on the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles over the extended Memorial Day Weekend. Live entertainment will happen throughout the public days at the expo footprint.

Enjoy the music in a festival-like experience while enjoying the numerous displays and exhibits. See highlights on p. 10 and 11.

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 27 to 30 Cost: Free Details: www.lafleetweek.com Venue: Battleship USS Iowa Museum, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro Rally, Lobby and March for Peace Join a rally and lobby at the local offices of our elected officials — Congress, State Senate and County Supervisor. Our political leaders must stand for politics of peace. Join a lobby for peace for the sake of people and the planet.

Then join a march for peace to the USS Iowa to call to demilitarize the planet and to promote peace not war.

Time: 4 to 7 p.m., May 27 Cost: Free Details: www.facebook.com/ hashtag/demilitarizetheplanet Venue: 302 W. 5th St., (between Mesa and Centre streets.) San Pedro

May 28

Perspectives on Ukraine Forum and Q & A on the historical background of crisis in Ukraine, ways forward for global peace and on-the-ground report backs from Ukraine. Organized by San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice and CODEPINK San Pedro.

Meeting ID: 897 6032 3475, Passcode: 125462 Time: 3 to 5 p.m., May 28 Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/SPneighbors-ukraine Venue: Zoom

May 30

Wilmington Historical Cemetery Memorial Day Event Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Wilmington Historical Cemetery board of trustees and Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 2967 Wilmington invite you to this event on Memorial Day. Time: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., May 30 Cost: Free Details: https://www.wilmingtoncemetery.com/

Venue: Wilmington Historical Cemetery, 605 E. O St., Wilmington

June 2

AltaSea Presents Blue + Green Webinar Series Session 1: Seaweed Startups – Growing a Crop-Based Business.

Listen to these speakers discussing the following subjects: Julia Marsh, sway; Pat Schnettler, 12 tides; Ashlan Cousteau, seaweed naturals and moderator Ann Carpenter, braid theory.

Time: 4 to 5 p.m., June 2 Cost: Free Details: www./tinyurl.com/seaweed-startups Venue: Online

June 4

George F. Canyon Guided Nature Preserve Walk You will be guided by a trained naturalist to discover a unique variety of wildlife in their canyon habitat with amazing views of the LA Basin. Meet outside on the back deck of the George F. Canyon Nature Center. Parking is available in the preserve lot.

Time: 10:30 a.m. June 4.

Cost: Free Details: https://pvplc.org/calendar-guided-nature-walks/ Venue: George F Canyon Nature Center, 27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates

June 5

Little Italy 5K Run The Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles and the Little Italy Association of Los Angeles (LILAA) together with the City Council’s 15th District will have an inaugural Italy Run LA 5k presented by Enel X Way and Festa di Piazza in celebration of Festa della Repubblica, the Italian National Day. The race will be followed by the Festa di Piazza at 10 a.m. There will be a stage with live music, food, vendors, and activities for kids.

Time: 7 a.m. check-in, 8 a.m. race, June 5 Cost: $30 to $35 for runners and free for children under 12.

Details: www.lilaa.app.neoncrm. com/registration Location: 638 Beacon St on corner of Harbor Blvd. & 6th Street

June 8

Long Beach Architecture Week 2022 LBAW 2022 features a collection of new programs centered on the past, present and future of Long Beach’s architectural gems, as well as updated signature events.

Celebrate diverse histories through free and ticketed tours, events and educational opportunities. Enjoy five days of experiential events showcasing Long Beach’s powerful relationship with architecture, art and design.

Time: 8 a.m., June 8 to 5 p.m.

June ⁠12 Cost: $20 to $90 Details: https://tinyurl.com/LBarchitecture-woww Venue: Various locations

June 11

Guided Nature Walk at the Portuguese Bend Reserve Hike the reserve taking Fire Station Trail to the beautiful promontory at Eagle’s Nest. Enjoy ocean views while walking through recently restored wildlife habitat.

Level: strenuous.

Time: 9 a.m., June 11 Cost: Free Details: https://pvplc.org/calendar-guided-nature-walks/ Venue: Portuguese Bend Reserve, Burrell and Crenshaw Lane, Rancho Palos Verdes

June 12

Tom Glavich – Exploring Euphorbia Tom Glavich, a long time grower and propagator of succulent plants, will be talking about the similarities and differences of the Euphorbia species, which grows on every continent except Antarctica. Tom’s presentation will include a look at mutant forms and demonstrate how to cultivate and propagate Euphorbias.

Time: 1 p.m., June 12 Cost: Free with park admission, $5 to $15 Details: southcoastcss.org Venue: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula

The Women of Machista

By Vera Magana, Dining and Cuisine Reporter

[Sea, from p. 9]

By the Sea

Details: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/musicby-the-sea-fundraiser-bbqtickets-343267170347

Music and Food Festivals • Car Shows • Art Fairs / Artwalks Concerts • 4th of July Celebrations • Labor Day Events Summertime Fun Guide and Calendar from June 23 through Labor Day

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(310) 519-1442 RLNSales@RandomLengthsNews.com

May 26 - June 8, 2022

“There is one person that lives on the block, and I’m not sure if they still live there or not, but they complain about everything that goes on in that park,” Caccavalla said. “I actually go to the neighbors and let them know that I’m doing this.”

Steve Ernst, who describes himself as a “stage daddy,” but really helps Caccavalla in any way he can, has helped with the El Principe fundraisers.

“The ones we’ve done have generally like seven bands playing for a day,” Ernst said. “And that’s like herding cats … when you get that many moving parts, and the time frame, and you get people offstage, and the new group onstage, and make sure all festivities are going at the same time, it gets to be a handful.”

Ernst has helped Caccavalla with Music by the Sea since 2012.

He is a musician himself, and his band, In Contempt, sometimes plays during the event.

“If you look, you can see the guy needs a lot of people helping,” Ernst said. “It’s a community event, and it’s a big thing. And it’s a lot for one person to take on.”

Ernst said he is far from the only person to help, there are plenty of others as well.

“It’s a good event,” Ernst said.

“It should draw more attention. I mean, you’ve got one of the great places on the West Coast to hear music on a Sunday afternoon, be in a park, look out at the ocean.”

Music by the Sea is put together totally on donations.

California Harley-Davidson is hosting a BBQ fundraiser and Pop-Up shop to help raise money for the event on June 17 and 18.

Real People, Real News, Really Effective

The Indian room, then Auggie’s Tavern Bar, used to be on the corner of 10th and Pacific Avenue. The pandemic saw to it that a new bar, Machista, reside in the space next. Co-owners Monique Mojarro and Jessica Vazquez, both 30 years old, founded the women-owned bar in April 2021 but didn’t officially open it until April 2022.

Friends since high school, they’ve done everything together, including joining the restaurant and hospitality industry. Jessica owns another bar in Santa Fe Springs called the S&P. The idea for Machista came about a year and a half ago. After looking at numerous locations they came back to the town where their families lived and came across the 952 S. Pacific Avenue location and began renovations during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all odds.

Both had left toxic relationships when they decided to build a bar intended to be a safe space for women, particularly of Hispanic heritage, thus, Machista was born.

Monique explained that “Machista” describes women who are powerful and in control.

Monique’s Monique Mojarro and Jessica Vazquez, owners of the favorite drink is new San Pedro bar, Machista. Photo by Arturo GarciaAyala called “Puta,” a Spanish slang word. It is made of cucumbers. Jessica’s favorite is “La Toxica,” which tastes like a chili mango Mexican candy. Their craft cocktails named after derogatory terms towards women that they were called in their past relationships was a brave move to embrace themselves and the power they have since gained.

Though the bar has feminine sensibilities, Monique, who is also a casual longshore worker, said she wants to welcome everyone.

“I was saving to buy a house but did this instead,” Monique said. “I plan for there to be one-on-one contact and for this to feel like someone’s second home.”

Mondays to Thursdays, they will have daily drink specials and different food vendors every day. Check out their empowering vision and how they were able to turn a bad experience into something positive.

Machista Time: Monday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Details: 424-431-9520 Location: 952 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro

15

[Accountability, from p. 1]

Accountability

President Andrew Johnson pardoned Davis, letting him off the hook. But the biggest failed lesson of the time wasn’t that. It was the birth of the big lie known as the “Lost Cause,” which absolved not just individuals like Davis, but

the entire slave-owning class and the regional culture they dominated. The failure to combat the Lost Cause should be what bothers us most today — pointing to a much bigger task than simply holding Trump accountable.

Trump’s Bigger Big Lie

Trump’s stolen election big lie grew out of the broader lie that his entire presidency was based

Tucker Carlson, a Fox News commentator. File photo

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant

on, the lie that the system is specifically rigged against his base — white, Christian, conservatives — particularly men, who are innocent victims of malevolent outside forces, sinister elites and dangerous minorities. The Lost Cause was likewise designed to cast white Southerners as innocent victims of similar malevolent forces.

While the details may differ, the main thrust was the same: denying reality, reversing the roles of victim and perpetrator, and claiming the moral high ground.

16

The Great Replacement Theory, cited by the Buffalo shooter, and mentioned by Tucker Carlson more than 400 times on his primetime Fox News show, echoes the same basic lie: that the white majority is being attacked by sinister globalist (i.e., Jewish) elites using foreign brown bodies to invade and overwhelm them. Steven Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration policy, is a firm believer in the Great Replacement, as we’ve reported in the past.

Two other Trump-era big lies echo the same story. The QAnon conspiracy claims that Trump is fighting a global Satanic cabal of cannibalistic child sex traffickers, involving leaders of the Democratic Party, Hollywood elites and George Soros. It originally claimed Trump was secretly working with special counsel Robert Mueller to expose the conspiracy when Mueller was publicly investigating Trump. It was supposed to end in the mass arrests of thousands of Trump’s enemies.

The more recent panic over “critical race theory” — which has generated multiple state laws stifling the teaching of history, social studies and literature — arose in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd, and the historic wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations it generated. Floyd’s murder vividly illustrated the [See Jan. 6, p. 17]

[Jan. 6, from p. 16]

Jan. 6 Hearings

absurdity of widely-held claims that white people are now more discriminated against than Black people, and it fueled a long-overdue discussion of systemic racism — institutions, practices and assumptions that have harmful racist impacts quite apart from any individual intent. The CRT panic stands the meaning of systemic racism on its head, falsely claiming it means that all white people are racist. Hence the false claim that CRT itself is racist and anti-American.

Beliefs in all these wild fantasies are interconnected by shared assumptions of who’s good, who’s evil and who’s to be trusted as a source of information.

painful and creating a new politically controllable future. The same efforts that went into trying to steal the last election continue to try to steal the next, fueled by Trump’s stolen election lies. Thus, a recent New York Times story reported that “At least 357 sitting Republican legislators in [nine] closely contested battleground states have used the power of their office to discredit or try to overturn the results of the 2020 [election],” the backward-looking aspect of Trump’s Lost Cause.

At the same time, it reports 52 laws passed that include restrictions on voting — the forwardlooking aspect. Some include putting more power over elections in the hands of state legislatures.

Davis’ fate had little to do with the Lost Cause, as opposed to the field general, Lee. But

Trump’s stolen election big lie puts him squarely in the middle of the new “Lost Cause.” “You’ve got to fight like hell, otherwise you won’t have a country anymore,” Trump said on Jan. 6. And that remains his rallying cry. The party base is with him. Numerous polls have found that about 7 in 10 Republican voters believe that Joe Biden wasn’t legitimately elected. But that’s only about 3 in 10 of all voters — not nearly enough to win competitive elections. So GOP politicians worried about that are trying to create some separation, even as Trump is trying to purge them from the party. But they largely embrace most, if not all of Trump’s broader lie, which severely imperils our democracy.

For example, the Washington Post recently wrote about the Republican Governors

Association’s efforts to counter what one former governor called Trump’s “personal vendetta tour,” with the Georgia governor’s race as the premier battleground, where they spent about $5 million to defend Gov. Brian Kemp from a Trump-backed challenge by former senator David Perdue. Kemp has done a great deal to cripple democracy in Georgia, adding new election restrictions after the 2020 election. And that record has helped him stave off Trump’s attacks. But it strengthens Trump’s broader big lie, even as he holds back on the narrower one.

The Hearings Ahead

The Jan. 6 Committee is about to hold six public hearings, presenting its preliminary findings.

[See Jan. 6, p. 19]

Basics of The Lost Cause

In his book, The Myth of the Lost Cause, Edward Bonekemper identifies seven main tenets, the first four of which are sufficient to consider here. They are best considered in pairs: 1) Slavery was a benevolent, but dying institution by 1861, so there was no need to abolish it suddenly, especially by war.

2) States’ rights, not slavery, was the cause of secession, creation of the Confederacy and thus of the Civil War.

Bonekemper refutes these with mountains of facts, but just one simple fact is enough to demolish them both: The South had always opposed states’ rights when it came to fugitive slaves and when the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened in 1850, he notes, “the fear of being kidnapped and sold into slavery led some fifteen to twenty thousand free Northern blacks to migrate to Canada between 1850 and 1860.”

There’s no way to reconcile this mass migration with slavery being benevolent, or dying, or the South being committed to the principle of states’ rights.

In short, the “Lost Cause” is a farce. But there’s more, as the next pair of tenets fails just as quickly: 3. The Confederacy had no chance of winning, but did the best it could with its limited resources.

Trump’s New Lost Cause

Like the old “Lost Cause,” Trump’s new Lost Cause is both about making a past loss less

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Both claims are easily refuted. As Bonekemper notes, “All the Confederacy needed was a stalemate, which would confirm its existence as a separate country. The burden was on the North to defeat the Confederacy and compel the return of the eleven wayward states to the Union.” This basic reality was widely cited by Confederates as the war began, assuring themselves of ultimate success. Lee’s eagerness to invade the North, abandoning this obvious strategic advantage, is sufficient by itself to destroy his undeserved reputation. Celebrating Lee — and other Confederate generals — created a heroic narrative genre meant to silence all criticism.

The “Lost Cause” narrative was constructed in the 1870s and ’80s not simply to rewrite the South’s past to make it less painful, but to create a “usable past” that could justify and help organize what was going on there at the time — the violent, blood-soaked destruction of a fledgling multi-racial democracy — and guide the creation of a preferred future — the segregated South that perpetuated a social system materially similar to what existed under slavery.

Real People, Real News, Really Effective

4. Indeed, it almost won, led by Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest generals in history.

17

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Fictitious Business Name Statement File No: 2022099827 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: PEERLESS AV, 1580 W. MANHALO PLACE, RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA 90220 County of LOS ANGELES. Mailing Address: 2300 WHITE OAK, CIRCLE, AURORA, IL 60502 Registered owner(s): PEERLESS INDUSTRIES, INC, 2300, WHITE OAK CIRCLE, AURORA, IL 60502; State of Incorporation: DE. This business is conducted by a Corporation. The registrant(s) started doing business on 03/2022.I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

PEERLESS INDUSTRIES, INC S/ DAVID WISNIEWSKI, CFO This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 05/05/2022. NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner.

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Original filing: 05/26/22, 06/10/22, 06/24/22, 07/08/22

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No:2022080201 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1.

VINYASA MOVEMENT 2.

PIINXIT STUDIO, 303 S PACIFIC AVE #101, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731, County of LOS ANGELES Registered owner(s): PILAR

ELIZABETH VALDEZ, 303 S PACIFIC AVE, #101, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731. This business is conducted by: an Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.

(A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/ Pilar Elizabeth Valdez, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 13, 2022. NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which

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All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.

Don Marshall, MBA, CPA

Specializing in small businesses CPA quality service at very reasonable rates www.donmarshallcpa.com

FREEDOM. TO BE YOU. If you think oxygen therapy means slowing down, it’s time for a welcome breath of fresh air.

May 26 - June 8, 2022

1-888-887-3816

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PLEASE HELP!

The animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.* Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter 957 N. Gaffey St.,San Pedro • 888-452-7381, x 143 PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.

MKT-P0253

Classified Line ads $3.50 per line Classified Showcase Ads $25 per inch DBAs — Filing and Publishing $155 Public Notary Service available here

(310) 519-1442

06/24/22, 07/08/22

“Intro To Puzzles” ­— the three digits you’d see in college courses.

Blazing Fast Internet! $

it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner.

A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration.

Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by an Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 1411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions Code).

Original filing: 05/26/22, 06/10/22,

© 2022 MATT JONES, Jonesin’ Crosswords

RLNews is looking for freelance food and music writers who are knowledgeable about San Pedro and Long Beach area restaurants, culture and music scenes. Experienced writers preferred, but will consider aspiring bloggers. We are looking for writers who have a curiosity for a wide range of cuisines or music in the greater LA / Long Beach Harbor Area.

Committment to writing to deadline is a must. Having a strong social media following and bi-lingual skills is a plus.

Submit inquiries and any links to your writing to editor@ randomlengthsnews.com or call 310-519-1442 weekdays.

Water Damage to Your Home? Call for a quote for professional cleanup & maintain the value of your home! Set an appt today!

Call 833-664-1530 (AAN CAN)

For answers go to: www.randomlengthsnews.com

JOB OPPS

ACROSS

1. Equilateral figure 8. Crow’s call 11. “Milk” director Van Sant 14. Amalfi Coast’s gulf 15. “Without any further ___” 16. CN Tower prov.

17. Label for some TV jacks 18. Litigator’s field 19. Barracks VIP 20. Bulbed vegetable 21. Omelet bar option 22. A neighbor of Minn.

23. Carbon-14 or strontium-90, as used in dating 27. Paris 2024 org.

30. Some bridge seats 31. Record-setting Ripken 32. Carson of “The Voice” 34. Word often seen after “shalt” 35. Billiard ball feature, maybe 38. 2004 Hawthorne Heights single considered an “emo anthem” 41. Luck, in LeÛn 42. “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar ___” 43. The “E” in QED 44. Cage of “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, familiarly 45. Actress Arterton 47. Late Pink Floyd member Barrett 48. Hippie-inspired perfume in-

gredient 52. Smashing fellow?

53. Coldplay’s “Death and All ___ Friends” 54. Wishes it weren’t so 57. Actress Nicole ___ Parker 58. “___ in the Kitchen” (2022 TBS cooking show featuring sabotage) 59. Artificial tissue materials for 3-D printing 62. Pump output 63. Notable time period 64. Secret group in “The Da Vinci Code” 65. Suffix after fast or slow 66. “As ___ my last email ...”

67. “You busy?”

DOWN

1. Pretoria’s home (abbr.)

2. Lug along 3. Ye ___ Shoppe 4. Video game designer behind the “Civilization” series 5. NBC Nightly News anchor for over 20 years 6. Prefix with cycle or verse 7. Sean, to Yoko 8. City near one end of the Chunnel 9. Washington’s successor 10. “Amazing!”

11. Venetian boatmen 12. Open, as a toothpaste tube 13. Add fuel to 21. Post-shave amenities

22. What they say to do to a fever, versus a cold (or is it the other way around?)

24. Like coffee cake, often 25. “Time ___ the essence!”

26. Bi x bi x bi 27. Promising exchanges 28. “Hawaii Five-O” setting 29. Salesperson’s leads, generally 33. “Alas, poor ___!” (line from “Hamlet”) 35. Sports replay speed 36. Religious hit for MC Hammer 37. Abbr. before a founding year 39. Bite result, perhaps 40. Actor Malek 45. Fender offering 46. Freshen, as linens 48. Suffix meaning “eater” 49. Charismatic glows 50. Midwest airline hub 51. Opera star Tetrazzini (she of the chicken dish) 55. Comes to a halt 56. ___-ball (arcade rolling game) 58. Salesperson, briefly 59. Peaty place 60. 2008 event for Visa 61. Clarifying word in brackets

LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE INVITING BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Long Beach, California, acting by and through the City’s Board of Harbor Commissioners (“City”) will receive, before the Bid Deadline established below, Bids for the following Work: CRITICAL VALVE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM PHASE 3 at VARIOUS LOCATIONS LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S3003A Bid Deadline:

quests for interpretation or correction, or comments regarding the Contract Documents, must be submitted no later than June 21, 2022, at 5 p.m. Questions received after the pre-Bid question deadline will not be accepted.

Questions must be submitted electronically through the PB System. Emails, phone calls, and faxes will not be accepted. Questions submitted to City staff will not be addressed and Bidder will be directed to the PB System.

NIB -3 Non-Mandatory PreBid Meeting and Site Visit.

The engineering staff of the

Prior to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

Bids shall be submitted electronically via the Port of Long Beach PlanetBids (PB) System prior to 2:00 p.m.

Bid Opening:

Electronic Bid (eBid) results shall be viewable online in the PB System immediately after the Bid Deadline.

Contract Documents Available:

Download Contract Documents from the Port of Long Beach PB System Vendor Portal: www.polb.com/sbe Click on the POLB Vendor Portal 1. Register and Log In 2. Click “Bid Opportunities” 3. Double-click on respective bid Project Title 4. Click on Document/Attachments tab 5. Double-Click on Title of Electronic Attachment 6. Click “Download Now” 7. Repeat for each attachment For assistance in downloading these documents please contact Port of Long Beach Plans and Specs Desk at 562-283-7353.

Date/Time: June 7, 2022 at 10:00 AM Location: Microsoft TEAMS (virtual), Click here to join the meeting Tel: +1 323-451-1087 Phone Conference ID: 644 276 492#

Project Contact Person:

Victor Sagredo, victor.sagredo@polb.com

Please refer to the Port of Long Beach PB System for the most current information.

NIB -1 Contract Documents. Contract Documents may be downloaded, at no cost, from the Port of Long Beach PB System Vendor Portal website. Bidders must first register as a vendor on the Port of Long Beach PB System website in order to view and download the Contract Documents, to be added to the prospective bidders list, and to receive addendum notifications when issued.

For the link to the Port of Long Beach PB System and for information on this Project and other upcoming Port projects, you may view the Port website at www.polb.com/business/ business-opportunities.

NIB -2 Pre-Bid Questions.

All questions, including re-

There will not be a site visit for this project. Site images are provided with the documents for reference. Any site photographs, videos or maps included in the Contract Documents do not constitute a complete visual depiction of the site and should neither be considered nor are warranted as such. The City makes no guarantee that existing construction and site conditions matches construction depicted on record reference documents. It shall be the Bidder’s responsibility to identify existing conditions.

NIB -6 Contractor’s License. The Bidder shall hold a current and valid Class “A”, California Contractor’s License to construct this project. In addition, the Bidder or subcontractor(s) shall hold a current and valid Class “A” or “C-34”, California Contractor’s License to perform installation and replacement of water valve and Fire Hydrant Assembly Installation.

The Bidder or subcontractor performing asbestos pipe removal shall be certified in accordance with Section 02 82 13, “Asbestos Abatement.”

NIB -7 Contractor Performed Work. The Contractor shall perform, with its own employees, Contract Work amounting to at least 30% of the Contract Price, except that any designated “Specialty Items” may be performed by subcontract. The amount of any such “Specialty Items” so performed may be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees. “Specialty Items” will be identified by the City on the Schedule of Bid Items. The bid price of any materials or equipment rental costs from vendors who are solely furnishing materials or rental equipment and are not performing Work as a licensed subcontractor on this project shall also be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees.

NIB -8 Mandatory SBE/ VSBE Participation. This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small

POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/ VSBE participation requirements. Responsiveness of the bid will be conditioned on the Bidder submitting an SBE-2C Commitment Plan demonstrating the Bidder’s intent to meet the combined SBE/VSBE participation requirement. If the Bidder’s Commitment Plan does not demonstrate intent to meet the combined requirements, the Bid will be deemed nonresponsive. The Port’s SBE Program staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact the SBE Office at (562) 283-7598 or sbeprogram@polb.com.

You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at www.polb.com/sbe.

NIB -9 Prevailing Wage Requirements per Department of Industrial Relations. This Project is a public work Contract as defined in Labor Code Section 1720.

The Contractor receiving award of the Contract and Subcontractors of any tier shall pay not less than the prevailing wage rates to all workers employed in execution of the Contract. The Director of Industrial Relations of the State of California has determined the general prevailing rates of wages in the locality in which the Work is to be performed. The rate schedules are available on the internet at http://www. dir.ca.gov/dlsr/DPreWageDetermination.htm and on file at the City, available upon request. Bidders are directed to Article 15 of the General Conditions for requirements concerning payment of prevailing wages, payroll records, hours of work and employment of apprentices.

This Project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations.

No Contractor or Subcontractor may be listed on a bid proposal for a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5 (with limited exceptions from this requirement for bid purposes only under Labor Code Section 1771.1(a)). No Contractor or Subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5.

Contractors and Subcontractors must furnish electronic Certified Payroll Records (CPRs) to the Labor Commissioner’s Office, and in addition, hardcopies or electronic

copies shall be furnished to the Port of Long Beach.

ecutes a Contract, whichever occurs first.

NIB -10 Project Labor Agreement. This project is not covered by a PLA.

NIB -16 Substitution of Securities. Substitution of Securities for retainage is permitted in accordance with Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code.

NIB -11 Tr a d e N a m e s and Substitution of Equals.

With the exception of any sole source determination that may be identified in this paragraph, Bidders wishing to obtain City’s authorization for substitution of equivalent material, product, or equipment, are required to submit a written request for an Or Equal Substitution using the form included in Appendix A together with data substantiating Bidder’s representation that the non-specified item is of equal quality to the item specified, no later than fourteen (14) calendar days after City’s issuance of Notice to Proceed (NTP).

Authorization of a substitution is solely within the discretion of the City.

NIB -12 Prequalification of Contractors. NOT USED NIB -13 B i d S e c u r i t y, Signed Contract, Insurance and Bonds. Each Bid shall be accompanied by a satisfactory Bidder’s Bond or other acceptable Bid Security in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the Base Bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if Conditionally Awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) calendar days after the Contract is conditionally awarded to the Contractor by the City, execute and deliver such Contract to the Chief Harbor Engineer together with all required documents including insurance forms, a Payment Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, and a Performance Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. All Bonds shall be on forms provided by the City.

NIB -14 C o n d i t i o n a l Award of Contract and Reservation of Rights. The Board, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time before the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informality or irregularity.

The Conditional Award of the Contract, if any, will be to the responsible Bidder submitting the lowest responsive and responsible Bid. If the lowest responsive responsible Bidder fails to submit the required documents including insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after Conditional Award of Contract, the Board reserves the right to rescind the Conditional Award and Conditionally Award the Contract to the next lowest responsive and responsible Bidder.

NIB -15 Per iod of Bid Irrevocability. Bids shall remain open and valid and Bidder’s Bonds and other acceptable Bid Security shall be guaranteed and valid for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline or until the Executive Director ex-

NIB -17 Iran Contracting Act of 2010. In accordance with Public Contract Code sections 2200-2208, every person who submits a bid or proposal for entering into or renewing contracts with the City for goods or services estimated at $1,000,000 or

more are required to complete, sign, and submit the “Iran Contracting Act of 2010 Compliance Affidavit.”

Issued at Long Beach, California, this 14th day of March, 2022.

Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California Note: For project updates after Bid Opening, please contact plans.specs@polb. com.

[Jan. 6, from p. 17]

Jan. 6 Hearings

“The hearings will tell a story that will blow the roof off the House,” Rep. Jaime Raskin said in late April. “It is a story of the most heinous and dastardly political offense ever organized by a president, and his followers and his entourage in the history of the United States. No president has ever come close to doing what happened here.”

No president other than Jefferson Davis, that is. A flood of recent stories strongly suggests that a far more detailed, far-reaching effort to overthrow the election will be revealed, with strong connections between two months of political arm-twisting and three-plus hours of physical violence. Repeated comments from Republican Rep. Liz Cheney suggest that specific criminal acts by Donald Trump will be featured as well.

But there’s been little discussion of what accountability would look like. Other democracies have put former leaders on trial without seriously damaging their systems. Following their examples shouldn’t be that hard. But America’s history with the “Lost Cause” suggests otherwise. It’s not Trump alone who belongs on trial, it’s the whole breadth of his New Lost Cause mythology — the stolen election, the Great Replacement Theory, the “Critical Race Theory” panic, the QAnon conspiracy, all of it. And the Jan. 6 committee hearings will only address one facet of that mythology. There are no plans at all to take on the whole of it. But that’s what America desperately needs, if we’re to preserve a functioning democracy — or even just the chance for one.

Republicans have only won the popular vote for president one time since 1988. But they’ve controlled the presidency almost half the time, and appointed six Supreme Court justices to the Democrat’s three. They have little prospect of winning the popular vote anytime soon. But they don’t have to. All they have to do is come close enough to win the Electoral College vote — either at the polls, or by the kind of shenanigans that Trump tried in 2020. Like the old Lost Cause, Trump’s new Lost Cause can be used to justify and help organize the destruction of a fledgling multi-racial democracy. That’s what he tried to do in 2020. And without drastic action now, it’s what Republicans are positioning themselves for in 2024 as well.

On the last day of the Constitutional convention, according to the journal of James McHenry, “A lady asked Dr. [Benjamin] Franklin, Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy – A republic replied the Doctor if you can keep it.”

That is the question.

May 26 - June 8, 2022

Copies of all Port insurance endorsement forms, SBE/ VSBE Program forms, Harbor Development Permit Applications and other Port forms are available at www.polb.com/business/permits.

City’s Harbor Department will conduct a pre-bid meeting at 10:00 AM, on June 7, 2022, via Microsoft TEAMS at the link provided above.

Attendance is optional. The presentation from this nonmandatory meeting will be posted to PlanetBids following the pre-bid meeting: all Bidders are encouraged to attend or review the posted presentation.

NIB -5 Contract Time and Liquidated Damages. The Contractor shall achieve Substantial Completion of Work within 270 calendar days and Affidavit of Final Completion of the Project within 360 calendar days as provided in Paragraph SC - 6.1 of the Special Conditions, from a date specified in a written “Notice to Proceed” issued by the City and subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8.2 of the General Conditions. FAILURE OF THE CONTRACTOR TO COMPLETE THE WORK WITHIN THE CONTRACT TIME AND OTHER MILESTONES SET FORTH IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE ENGINEER’S APPROVAL OF AFFIDAVIT OF FINAL COMPLETION, WILL RESULT IN ASSESSMENT OF LIQUIDATED DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNTS ESTABLISHED IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS.

Business Enterprises (SBE)/ Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program.

The combined SBE/VSBE participation requirement for this Project is twenty-seven percent (27%) of total bid value. The combined SBE/ VSBE participation requirement shall include a minimum five percent (5%) of total bid value as VSBE.

Real People, Real News, Really Effective

NonMandatory Pre-Bid Meeting:

NIB -4 Summary Description of the Work. The Work required by this Contract includes, but is not limited to, the following: Installation and replacement of water valves, installation of fire hydrant assemblies, pavement repair, other appurtenances, trench excavation, restoration and traffic control. See Section 01 11 00, Summary of Work in the Technical Specifications for more information.

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May 26 - June 8, 2022

Real People, Real News, Totally Relevant