RLn 09-06-12 Edition

Air Quality District Plan Bodes Well for Cleaner Air p. 4 Carson Forms Coyote Abatement Task Force p. 10 Filmmaker David Ross Says, “I Do”

p. 11

Gallery 478 Presents Nuthin’ But the Blues p. 14

GasTax to Fund Paseo Del Mar Repairs Kevin Walker, Community News Reporter

O The 99% Take on the RNC

By Arun Gupta, AlterNet | Report

G

Action Network, a local grassroots organization focused on public policy issues.

Few anarchists were in evidence, apart from a scrum of fidgety black-clad youth who melted into the rally after drawing stares. It felt like an Occupyrelated event with a giant puppet of Romney tagged with a “King of the 1%,” and chants of “We are the 99%.”

Grabbing attention with his preacher’s cadence, Rev. Manuel Sykes, president of the St. Petersburg NAACP, announced, “I’m here to stop the corporate takeover of Under Romney, It Would Be Worse/ to p. 6

September 7 - 20, 2012

iven the spitting rain and gusts, the turnout was better than expected. And given the months of police and press hype that a mob of mayhem-wreaking anarchists would crash the RNC, the protest rally around Mirror Lake seemed more like a festive Sunday in the park.

A couple of hundred people milled about as Dave Rovics belted out crowd pleasers like “I’m a Better Anarchist than You.” A handful of buses pulled up and disgorged more protesters who came from far away as Miami, New York City and Wisconsin. The rally and protest was organized by the Florida Consumer

The Local Publication You Actually Read

Politics is an elaborate chess match. In St. Petersburg one small strike was staged against the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26 that revealed the thrust of President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election strategy.

As panicky Republicans cancelled the first day of the convention on Monday, Aug. 27, because of tropical storm Isaac, the focus on Sunday, Aug. 26, was the “RNC Welcome Event” at Tropicana Field. These days no major convention event is complete without a counter-protest, and in downtown St. Petersburg nearly 500 people gathered Sunday to march to the sports stadium and voice their displeasure at what they derided as “the world’s largest cocktail party.”

ne million dollars allocated for enlarging Paseo Del Mar were recycled back into the City of Los Angeles coffers after a landslide destroyed part of the coastal thoroughfare.

“Before the landslide... there was $1.5 million of the gas tax set aside for a widening project on Paseo Del Mar, just east of the landslide,” said Branimir Kvartuc, a spokesman for 15th District Councilman Joe Buscaino. “After the landslide... obviously that widening project didn’t happen.”

Of the $1.5 million set aside in 2009, $500,000 was used pay for a geotechnical study by the engineering firm Shannon and Wilson Inc., after a 600-foot stretch of road fell into the Pacific Ocean this past November.

The remaining million was returned to the city once it became clear that widening Paseo Del Mar would take a backseat to dealing with the immediate effects of the slide.

Some residents have questioned why gas tax funds weren’t used to strengthen the road following smaller 2009 landslide in the area. Kvartuc said the money in question was specifically designated for the now-cancelled widening project only, not structural augmentation.

“Of that $1.5 million originally, only half a million was used,” Kvartuc said. “The rest... was absorbed back into the city for other projects... It didn’t just sit there.”

More gas tax funds have been requested to finance mitigation efforts such as the dewatering of waterlogged soil and the installation of stabilizing anchors into the hillside.

“For this fiscal year we’re requesting between six and seven million of the gas tax do all of the things that need to be done, including the stabilization, dewatering and all of that,” Kvartuc said.

While the immediate cause of the slide is undetermined, according to a geotechnical report released In August by Shannon & Wilson, erosion, groundwater, and gravity are labeled as the primary reasons for the underlying instability.

“The results of our observations... suggests that precipitation, irrigation, and to a lesser extent, coastal bluff erosion of the White Point Landslide [was responsible]. Residential development in the area may Paseo Del Mar Repairs/ to p. 1 2

HARBOR AREA

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

from p. 1

Paseo Del Mar Repairs

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area

have also contributed... because of its influence on groundwater infiltration,” the report stated.

In order to dry out the waterlogged soil around the slide, the city will begin installing large drains into the slope face this November at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.

The authors warn that unless the collapsed slope is secured, any future construction in the area will have to take place outside of a 170-foot perimeter around the slide.

Construction of an anchoring system tying the slide area to the stable bedrock below will begin next January with a projected cost of $1.8 million. Another $1 million will be used towards an “earthwork mitigation measure” that will smooth out the topography affected by the slide.

Turnarounds will be installed at the new dead ends created by the landslide as part of what the city is referring to as “traffic safety improvements.”

The report also declared that it was “unlikely” that the now defunct Nike Missile Base silos played a role in the slide.

Funds allocated for immediate mitigation of the slide area, however, will not cover the cost of any reconstruction or rebuilding of the collapsed portion of Paseo Del Mar. Kvartuc expects another round of requests for gas tax funds will have to be made in order to pay for any replacement.

2

Paseo Del Mar slide in November 2011 .

Photo: Terelle Jerricks

Residents and city leaders have five options for what the new stretch of Paseo Del Mar would look like, including a bridge spanning the slide area with an estimated price tag of $60 million.

A sixth option of abandoning the roadway also exists and is the favorite of residents looking to curb the flow of traffic through the cliffside neighborhood of White Point.

The Local Publication You Actually Read

September 7 - 20, 2012

3

Community Announcements:

HARBOR AREA Committed to independent journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for more than 30 years

AQMD Plan Holds Promise For Cleaner Air District Plans to Meet Soot Deadline in 2014—No Extension

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area

“[T]he air in Southern California is far from meeting all federal and state air quality standards and, in fact, is among the worst in the nation.” So states the South Coast Air Quality Management District in its recently-released 2012 Air Quality Management Plan, the latest periodic update of the guiding document for regional air quality improvement. The last two Air Quality Plans were prepared in 2003 and 2007.

The honesty of this statement gets even more refreshing by some of the news in this document.

There’s now a real possibility of meeting federal clean air standards in the foreseeable future and have an increasingly clear picture of how to get there. That includes a planned transition to zeroand near-zero emissions freight transportation beginning with moving containers to near-dock railyards and eventually extending all the way to the Inland Empire.

This optimism in meeting clean air standards comes despite the fact that “new federal fine particulate [PM2.5] and 8-hour surface-level ozone standards are more stringent than the previous standards,” updated to reflect the latest research

4

into their health impacts. There is also a commitment to enhancing understanding of near-freeway and ultrafine particle health risks that aren’t yet subject to state or federal regulations. And there’s an increased focus on synergizing clean air pollution control with greenhouse gas reduction.

Perhaps the clearest example of the progress being made is the AQMD’s decision not to request a 5-year extension to meet the 24-hour PM 2.5 (soot) standard, which means the District intends to meet the standard by 2014. That standard is the reason for the AQMP being prepared at this time—although it covers a great deal else as well. As noted in its preface, “Yet to have any reasonable expectation of meeting the 2023 ozone deadline, the scope and pace of continued air quality improvement must greatly intensify.” A completed plan must be submitted to the federal Environmental Protection Agency

by December 14, 2012.

“For me, it’s pretty impressive. If we can do that, its a significant achievement,” said Joe Lyou, president of the Coalition for Clean Air, who also sits on the AQMD board. Lyou told

Random Lengths that the District originally believed an extension would be necessary, but concluded differently after a more detailed analysis.

Staff confirmed this account.

“That’s correct,” De. Elaine Chang, AQMD deputy executive officer said. “When we started out we recognized that we could ask for up to five year extension.”

“When we went through more detailed analysis... we found out that we do have a couple of measures that we can implement in a relatively short time to achieve the standard,” Chang said.

These were both related to wood-burning, something most Southland residents probably don’t think about that much related to air pollution.

But AQMD cannot afford to ignore any pollution source, and, as indicated, significant improvements are available from this source. Two reasons motivated AQMD’s decision, Chang explained.

First, the extension is “not automatic.” The federal Environmental Protection Agency has to approve any extension request, she said. Second, “If we can do it sooner, people will be breathing cleaner air sooner.”

There was some opposition from business groups regarding the 2023 ozone standard. Particularly in light of the lingering impacts of the recession, but AQMD staff pointed out that it would be even harder (and probably more expensive) to meet the 2023 standards if we delay now.

Tables in the plan listing the top ten pollution sources for major categories of pollutants clearly show that efforts to clean up the ports and related freight movement are having a substantial impact—and we couldn’t come close to having clean air without them. But additional progress increasingly calls for more fundamental changes, which is where the push toward zero-emission transportation comes into play.

“We’ve been working with the ports on zero emissions container movement systems. The ports are looking at zero emissions trucks that could operate to the near-dock railyards,” Henry Hogo, AQMD assistant deputy executive officer said.

“One of the measures that we put into the AQMD Plan/ to p. 9

Harbor Area 5th Annual Charity Car, Bike and Food Truck Show

On Sept. 30, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Justice For Murdered Children is hosting the annual Bike and Food Truck Charity. To show off your bike or car, registration fee is $20 plus school supplies for cars and $15 plus school supplies for bikes.

Pay early and get $5 off the registration fee. The first 25 to register will receive a goody bag. The first 50 students will receive free school supplies.

And the first 50 families to arrive will receive free groceries. Live entertainment includes Norman Carter of the legendary R&B group, the DelFonics, Ladee Dred, Xipe-Totec, His Way Ministry featuring Essence Details: (310) 547-5362, carandbike@jfmc.org, www.jfmc.org Location: 21212 S. Avalon, Carson, (off the 405 Freeway & Avalon)

4th Annual Americas Business Forum

Join the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service on Sept. 12 and 13 to learn about business and export opportunities in the Americas, primarily in Latin America. Online registration open until Sept. 10. The event is from 8:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.

Registration is $250 for the two-day forum including one-on-one meetings or $150 for the conference on Sept. 12 only.

Details: (213) 580-7570 to RSVP Venue: Covel Commons, UCLA

Get a Business Loan Workshop

Learn how to get financing for your business at no cost to you. The benefits obtained from borrowing in terms of cash generation and its importance for company growth; how a bank evaluates a loan request, and what needs to be included in the loan application. The workshop is from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 18.

Venue: Wilmington Chamber of Commerce Location: 544 N. Avalon Blvd., Wilmington

Munch & Learn—Marketing Roundtable

In the first in a series of marketing roundtables, on Sept. 19, Council District 15’s communications director, Branimir Kvartuc, will be holding a talk on social media marketing strategies in today’s political environment. BYO or $10 Box Lunch. 11:4 5 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Details: (310) 832-7272 to RSVP Venue: San Pedro Chamber Boardroom Location: 390 W. 7th St., San Pedro

Bernard Osher Foundation Endows $500,000 Scholarship Fund for CSUDH

California State University, Dominguez Hills was recently awarded a $500,000 endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation to establish the Osher Scholarship for students transferring from California community colleges.

Students transferring to CSU Dominguez Hills from one of the 112 campuses in the California continued on following page

from previous page Community College system who meet the eligibility requirements will be able to apply for the scholarship. Ten scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded annually, with the first awards being given in fall 2013.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be an upper division transfer with at least 60 units from a state community college, demonstrate financial need and show academic promise and a commitment to obtaining a bachelor’s degree.

This is the second major endowment to CSU Dominguez Hills from the Bernard Osher Foundation, which seeks to improve quality of life through support of higher education and the arts.

St. Peters Rummage Sale

St. Peter’s is having a Rummage Sale on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Parish Hall. Park in Mason’s parking lot next door. Come, explore and purchase all those treasures you never knew you needed.

Details: (310) 831-2361 Venue: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Location: 1648 W. 9th St., San Pedro, CA. 90732

When you need help, think local. Support the Independents

In Random Lengths News CUSTOM PRINTING

Don’t stress out!

Just Relax!

Grand Openin g Great De als

!

Open: 11-6, Tues.-Sat. 12-5 Sun. Closed Mon.

• Custom Shirts • Custom Embroidery

• Car Decals & Stickers • Signs & Banners • Picture Printing

Great for Gifts & Special Occasions

1909 S. Pacific Ave. San Pedro

310-832-2634

803 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro

(310) 519-1656

GC_Embroidery@yahoo.com

Custom Promotional Items

Let Just Relax Tax Service help you with your personal or business income tax filing. Call for an appointment today.

• TShirts • Mugs • Pens • Mouse Pads CD & DVD Printing & Duplicating

Signs

• Banners • Vehicle Wraps & Window Decals • Car Magnets • Window Graphics • Digital Printing & more

1236 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro 310- 833-5438 artwork@thecyberspot.net

Palma Mattera Mejia, EA 870 W. 9th St., Ste. 100A, San Pedro

310.221.0034

• Insurance • Tax • Notary Service

Income taxes.

L.A. traffic.

1302 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro (310) 519-1442 info@graphictouchdesigns.com

Van Buren & Associates

Computer Repair

• Virus Removal/Protection • System Optimizaton • Data Backup & Recovery

Tax & Accounting Solutions

Networking

George A.Van Buren, EA, MBA gavb@cox.net www.vanburenandassociates.com

• Wireless in home or office • Computer Networks • Connection Solutions & more

1236 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro 310- 833-5438 gleiva@thecyberspot.net

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

1536 W. 25th St., Suite K San Pedro, CA 90732 Phone: 310.519.8600 Fax: 310.519.8008

The Local Publication You Actually Read

DESIGNS • Custom Printing • Union Printing • Graphic & Logo Design • Email Marketing

At least we can make one of these less stressful

Stanley’s Auto Body

Specializing in all makes & models

• 1 Day Service on Paintless Dent Repair • 1 Day Service on Detailing • 15 Years Experience

Call for a free estimate

562-230-8803

Coppa Woodworking, Inc. 310.548.4142 www.coppawoodworking.com

46% of independent shopping dollars goes back into the local economy.

Make the Pledge to support independent retailers & services whenever possible.

September 7 - 20, 2012

75% OFF

5

from p. 1

Syrian Government Captures American Journalist

The Washington Post reported that an American freelance journalist Austin Tice, who has been unaccounted for in Syria for more than two weeks, was confirmed as being captured by the Syrian government and is being held in custody.

Tice, 31, contributed stories to The Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers and other publications this summer after crossing into Syria in May. His reports offered glimpses into conditions on the ground in areas where the fighting was fast intensifying.

In an appearance on a Czech television station, Czech ambassador to Syria Eva Filipi said of Tice that “our sources report that he is alive and that he was detained by government forces on the outskirts of Damascus, where the rebels were fighting government troops.”

The Czech Embassy has been responsible for U.S. interests in Syria since the U.S. Embassy was shuttered in February amid security concerns. Filipi said her staff would continue to seek information about Tice’s whereabouts and welfare in the coming days.

Tice’s family called for him to be released, as did The Post and McClatchy.

SP Chamber Cancels Cheek’s Contract Renewal

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area

On Aug. 29, the full San Pedro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted 11-7, not to renew the contract of the Chamber’s CEO Betsy Cheek, following the unanimous recommendation of the Chamber’s executive committee. Cheek will continue on a monthto-month basis until a replacement is found.

News of the executive committee’s decision broke with a forwarded e-mail sent by Linda Alexander the president of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, which originated from Cheek that was intentionally sent to the staff and a list of others who were blind copied. This was sent after she was instructed that the matter was to be kept confidential before the matter was presented to the full board.

In the email she wrote, “I just want to let you know that the executive council of the Chamber is going to recommend to the full board of directors that my contract, which ends September 30th, not be renewed.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me...”

Several members of the Chamber’s executive committee were disturbed that the board did not just simply terminate Cheek’s contract and move on, given the executive committee’s unanimous decision.

However, according to one anonymous source close to the board, “I just can’t understand the thinking of people who vote one way in the exec committee and change their minds when it comes down to the full board voting.”

One former board member, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the closed-door session, complained that a few of the executive committee members had switched their votes to avoid looking bad to the full board because they were on the committee that hired Cheek a year ago and who could be seen as responsible for her lackluster performance.

One of those members was former board chairman Anthony Pirozzi, the other Eric Eisenberg, who also is president of the San Pedro PBID, the property-based business improvement district that hires the yellow shirted safety team for downtown.

With the current state of turmoil, it remains unclear how the current Board will move the Chamber forward.

6

Eleven Years After 9/11, Rancho LPG Poses Unchecked Risk

Retired oil industry consultant Connie Rutter has written to Lisa Jackson, head of Environmental Protection Agency, protesting the fact that the EPA doesn’t approve or require genuine responses to their Risk Management Plan [RMP] rules—a situation that came to light with respect to the Rancho News Briefs/ to p. 10

With Romney, It Would Be Worse America.” Sykes castigated “our leaders [who] want to privatize Social Security, Healthcare, Education and Prisons.” He blasted Mitt Romney for wanting “to enrich the 1percent.” And he described the November presidential ballot in epic terms: “We’re not just fighting for the 2012 election. We’re fighting for the future of America as we know it.”

On the fringes off the rally, next to a pack of camouflage-clad sheriff’s deputies, a pungent, hippie-looking gentleman with a Ron Paul 2012 sign dangling around his neck and a video camera taped to his helmeted head, taunted the crowd. “Do any of these hippies here supporting Obama know that Obama has dropped two times as many bombs as Bush?”

His words stung one observer who yelled back that “Obama has to do the bidding of Washington.”

The exchange captured the conflicting mindset of the Democratic base. Romney, Ryan and the right are painted, not unfairly, as extremists who will hurtle America back to the dark ages.

But Obama, despite sitting in the Oval Office, is seen as powerless.

The weather and fear mongering no doubt cut down on the turnout, but one community organizer clued me into another factor. The organizer, who wished to remain anonymous, said “A lot of people I work with don’t have hope in national politics. There was an element of fear about the RNC, ‘Can I even go outside with all the street closures and restrictions?’ There is definitely animosity toward Republicans, a lot of ‘Fuck these guys,” but my members also questioned what was going to be accomplished by going out in front of the barricades. I heard a lot of ‘It’s not going to change nothing.’”

The anti-RNC event was labeled a “community vigil,” and it was strikingly diverse. There were anarchists, socialists, libertarians and unaffiliated radicals. Mostly it was white middle-class liberals, working-class African-Americans and a collage of poor people. There were numerous Tshirts and signs indicating support for Obama. What united the crowd was the 99 percent rhetoric.

That was by design. The community organizer said, “The word from on high was, ‘Don’t say working class, don’t say poor. Say middle class or 99 percent.’” Why 99 percent, I asked.

“Because it polls well” the organizer explained.

The Occupy Wall Street movement lives on from student-debt campaigning and labor solidarity to home foreclosure defense and anti-fracking organizing. But as a national force Occupy has been reduced to a bogeyman police and politicians dangle in front of a lapdog media that dutifully report every outlandish allegation as stonecold truth, and it exists as a mobilizing force for the Democratic Party.

You see, Obama is running a re-election campaign using Occupy Wall Street’s language. He won’t say the 99 percent or 1 percent outright.

That would be too divisive, or so the media owned by the 1 percent say. But the attacks on Bain capital outsourcing and Romney’s secret tax returns are tapping into the volcano of anger that Occupy gave life to. Late this past year, an official in the AFL-CIO’s national office told me that Romney was their “dream candidate,” and in April, Justin Ruben, executive director of MoveOn told me

Supporters of candidate Ron Paul were largely shut out of the Republican National Convention, forcing them to occupy the same space of opposition as the Occupy Movement. Wire photo.

that Mitt Romney was “Mr. 1%.” Unions like SEIU and liberal groups such as MoveOn and Rebuild the Dream carry the water in flogging the message that Romney will be the president of the 1 percent who will turn the screws even harder on the rest of us.

That assessment is not untrue. The right would unleash a world of pain on most Americans. But the nature of our endless electoral process, which sucks all the oxygen out of the brain, blinds most Obama supporters to how the Democratic Party is complicit in pushing our politics to the right.

With close to one third of the population in or on the cusp of poverty, 46 million on food stamps, 51 million uninsured, a “real” unemployment rate stuck at 15 percent, millions of families doubled up and millions of homes still entering foreclosure, Obama can’t run on his economic record.

Sure, much of the fault is the guy before him, but that excuse wears thin after four years. Particularly because Obama rode into office with a con-

gressional super majority and a road paved with political capital.

But just as Clinton turned Reagan-era extremism into a bipartisan consensus, Obama doubled-down on the “war on terror,” and endorsed cutting Social Security and Medicare and enacting austerity policies within a year of taking office. Obama thus helped enable the next stage of right-wing extremism that he is now running against.

So it’s not really ironic that Obama has swiped the language of Occupy, even as his FBI and Homeland Security have made Occupy’s anarchists into Public Enemy #1.

That’s how politics work.

Local organizers in Tampa know the deal. When I mentioned that liberal groups have co-opted Occupy by creating the 99% movement and are using the fury against the whole political system for partisan ends, two different activists agreed and went further.

They said there was an astroturf element to the anti-RNC rally in St. Petersburg. One said of liberal groups and unions, “You see a lot of their tactics that amount to astroturfing.

They see the Super PACs employ this strategy and they think they have to do the same thing. That’s what I find most troubling.”

The 99 percent are truly suffering. And it’s a no brainer that they will suffer even more under Romney than under Obama. But under darkened skies sprinkling rain, no one at the rally spoke of brighter days ahead for the 99 percent if Obama does win.

The Problem of Fixing L.A.

Sidewalk repairs are a classic example of our dysfunction as a city

By James Preston Allen, Publisher

This decentralized approach will undoubtedly have its glitches that could probably be solved by allocating another 5 percent of that $10 million to oversight and review by department of Street Services and/or Bureau of Engineering, but still we would have motivated citizens on the ground working with city employees solving a common problem.

I know this sounds way too optimistic to happen in Los Angeles, but stranger things have happened when we get our minds around something that is truly for the common good.

So let’s say that the City Council gets these 93 neighborhood council reports and they are fairly accurate, what does the city do next? It is estimated that the repairs alone on this “deferred maintenance” of sidewalks and curbs is going to cost $1.2 billion.

Yikes! And even scarier is that some at City Hall think that the individual property owners where the repairs are made should pay for it. Ouch!

Let’s get one thing sorted out first. Sidewalks are public right-of-ways just like streets, and the city should no more charge a property owner for repaving the street in front of their property than they should replacing the sidewalks or curbs. This is primarily the city’s responsibility and duty.

Now let’s talk seriously about how the city can afford to pay $1.2 billion in repairs, if that is even an accurate estimate seeing as how no one has done the survey or the math yet.

I would once again like to suggest a novel approach that solves more than one problem. Currently the various city pension funds that hold billions in investments that are not consistently seeing the return on that investment from Wall Street brokers. This means that the city has had to “back fill” its obligation out of the general fund by as much as $200 million a year. In a recent L.A. Times article the cost of pensions was pegged at 4.2 percent of the city’s budget with it ballooning to something like 15.6 percent by 2016. Of course, this is based on the actuarial projections of current revenues and the rising projection of costs for retirements. What if the pension funds had a better rate of return?

Likewise, the city’s bond rating isn’t what it use to be. So if the city issued bonds to cover the cost of the sidewalks, we would have to a pay higher rates. The cure that I propose would be for the various pension funds to jointly invest in their own city. Loan the city the money to repair the sidewalks at a fixed rate for 20 years, at a rate higher than their average return but lower than the rate we’d pay on bonds. To guarantee those loans the city would put up real property as collateral—such as the convention center or Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com

This Labor Day Message

By Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers, President Labor Day means many things to many people—back to school, the end of summer, a needed respite from the daily grind. For working people and union members, Labor Day stands for something special and profound.

It’s a day to honor the deep commitment each of us has to serve the children we teach, the families we heal and the communities we love. It’s a day to reflect on the values we hold dear—that every American should have access to a good job that can support a family, with access to affordable healthcare; that every child should be able to attend a high-quality public school in his or her neighborhood; that college should not be a luxury for the few but should be affordable for all; and that we should be able to retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work, without worrying that we’ll be a burden to our loved ones.

Columnists/Reporters Lyn Jensen Carson B. Noel Barr Music Dude John Farrell Curtain Call Gretchen Williams Entrée Calendar 14days@randomlengthsnews.com

Matt Wuerker Advertising Production Mathew Highland, Suzanne Matsumiya Advertising Representatives Mathew Highland, Chad Whitney reads@randomlengthsnews.com

Photographers Terelle Jerricks, Slobodan Dimitrov, adv@randomlengthsnews.com Editorial Intern Robin Doyno Kevin Walker Contributors Published every two weeks for the Harbor Area communi- Assistant Editor Arun Gupta, Danny Simon, Randi Display advertising ties of San Pedro, RPV, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington, Zamná Ávila (310) 519-1442 Carson and Long Beach. Distributed at over 350 locations reportersdesk@randomlengthsnews.com Weingarten Classifieds Cartoonists throughout the seven cities of the Harbor Area.

(310) 519-1016 Senior Editor Paul Rosenberg Ann Cleaves, Andy Singer,

www.randomlengthsnews.com

Managing Editor Terelle Jerricks editor@randomlengthsnews.com

who knows how much the city could save with this self-funding mechanism if it were put to greater use by building other needed infrastructure or low income housing—just as long we don’t let the big developer types start thinking that they can fund their special projects by doing this. This is public money to be used to directly benefit the public and guarantee safe returns for our retirees, nothing more.

The bottom line of this plan is that the selffunding mechanism keeps the Wall Street banksters out of the public purse when we need to fund a project that is obviously a benefit to the common good for all of Los Angeles.

Working people built this country—we did it together—brick by brick, school by school, town by town. Through these collective efforts, we built the middle class, each generation did a little better than the one before, we advanced the ideals of equality and justice, and we expanded opportunity for all.

The work you do builds upon this foundation. Your work has value. It should be respected and honored, not just on Labor Day but every day.

I know many of us feel that the American dream we built is slipping further and further away—poverty continues to increase, and good jobs continue to be eliminated and replaced by low-wage, no-benefit work. And a labor Day/ to p. 8

www.randomlengthsnews.com

Random Lengths News editorial office is located at 1300 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, (310) 519-1016. Address correspondence regarding news items and news tips only to Random Lengths News, P.O. Box 731, San Pedro, CA 90733-0731, or email to editor @randomlengthsnews.com.

Send Letters to the Editor or requests for subscription information to james @ randomlengthsnews.com. To be considered for publication, all Letters to the Editor should be typewritten, must be signed, with address and phone number included (these will not be published, but for verification only) and be kept to about 250 words. To submit advertising copy email adv@randomelengthsnews.com or reads@ randomlengthsnews.com.

Extra copies and back issues are available by mail for $3 per copy while supplies last.

Subscriptions are available for $35 per year for 27 issues.

Random Lengths News presents issues from an alternative perspective. We welcome articles and opinions from all people in the Harbor Area. While we may not agree with the opinions of contributing writers, we respect and support their 1st Amendment right to express those opinions. Random Lengths News is a member of Standard Rates and Data Reporting Services and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. (ISN #08916627). All contents Copyright 2012 Random Lengths News. All rights reserved.

September 7 - 20, 2012

“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. XXXIII : No. 18

Assoc. Publisher/Production Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya info@graphictouchdesigns.com

perhaps the Greek Theater–depending on the assessed value needed. The city would win in several ways. One of those ways would be that we won’t have to pay broker or placement fees to sell a new issue of bonds and we wouldn’t have to pay the cost of placing it on the ballot. Another way is that it would guarantee a constant rate of return to its pension funds, thus lowering the percentage of its general fund obligation and lastly, the city would get a better rate on this debt than it would get from the market.

The savings to the city just might be enough to pay for itself without having to raise taxes, fees or the price of parking tickets. And, if this closed -loop investing were to work in one area,

The Local Publication You Actually Read

Every time I hear that the Los Angeles City Council is going to hire another consultant to study one of our multiplicity of problems, I just cringe thinking, “another over-priced report telling us what we already know.” So you may have heard that the suggestion coming out of Councilman Joe Buscaino’s subcommittee on Public Safety was to hire a consultant for what staff estimated was up to $10 million to do a survey of our cracked and crumbling sidewalks. Luckily, some of the council members balked at this, but in the big picture of city budgets and city contracts, $10 million isn’t a big number. It does however start to add up, and that seems to be the city’s biggest problem.

The problem of fixing things in Los Angeles is one of perspective. The centralized bureaucracy in Los Angeles wants to control everything from the top down with “big city” efficiency in an effort to prevent, or at least, stem corruption and waste. Our citizens on the other hand want services and solutions delivered on a local, Iwant-to-see-the-face-of-government on a small city basis. In reality, L. A. is not the classic example of “big cityness,” but rather a collection of small communities, some former municipalities, that throughout the past century were annexed into the one big metropolis.

So in the vacuum of city solutions, both big and small, I’d like to proffer one that seems quite simple to see if anyone at the council has the gumption to try it out.

Who knows the city better than the citizens of the neighborhoods who live there? Lets engage them, or perhaps empower them, to solve their own sidewalk problems. There are some 93 chartered neighborhood councils that could be enlisted for this task, if given the proper incentive. Let’s say that the City Council authorizes a budget of $10,000 per neighborhood council to survey their district. Give them city engineering maps and a deadline of say 3 to 6 months to submit the number of feet and addresses of the sidewalks and curbs needing repair, with the caveat that they only get paid upon completion.

As the neighborhood councils cover most of the city, any areas that are not covered could then be surveyed for far less than $10 million, but by engaging the councils the city would do several things: give some real power to the citizens to help fix a chronic public safety problem that is a serious liability risk; give the neighborhood councils back some funding that was lost from the current budget; and save the city some 90 percent of what it would cost to hire a consultant who would take 3 years to learn the neighborhoods.

7

ing nuts to stand up and say... the PLAN AS IT STANDS IS GOING TO GO BROKE... And NO AMOUNT OF TAXATION can save it..

We all want some safety net, and 55 and up can keep the one we have... but as a 48 year old...

I would like SOMETHING rather than NOTHING!!!

Dave Unvert San Pedro

RANDOMLetters Kudos to Nicolas Rojas

Nicolas Rojas, son of Mr. David and Tracey Rojas received a $1,000 scholarship at Richard Dana Middle School in San Pedro.

The award is given to the most creative writer by the Christian Shenilk Environmental Scholarship Award.

Nicolas finished Dana Middle School with a 4.5 grade point average with the class of 2012. He is now attending San Pedro High School and is enrolled in the School for Advanced Studies program for

intellectually gifted students.

David Rojas San Pedro

Paul Ryan— YOU DA MAN!!!!

Finally someone has the fuck-

The truth is always more complicated than lies. Hence, it takes more time to explain. But here are a few basics: Social Security is solvent for decades to come, and even if it runs out of money, benefits will still be

paid from money coming in.

An improved economy would extend the solvency period. Under Clinton, the projected “crises” date moved back 12 years over an 8-year period.

Medicare costs are generally NOT going up any faster than medical costs in general. America’s problem isn’t Medicare, it’s our highly inefficient health care “system” as a whole. So, something more is going to have to be done, regardless of ANYTHING having to do with Medicare itself.

ObamaCare is inferior to Medicare for All, but it DOES have features that would extend the solvency of Medicare for something like another 6-8 years.

Ryan’s Plan would not do anything to fix any of this. It’s all about shifting money from the poor to the rich. Period.

Paul Rosenberg Senior Editor

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area

The Right to Kill Civil Service?

8

The Mayor of Upland gets caught breaking the law; he goes to jail. The Mayor of Bell gets caught in some serious wrong-doing; he gets charged and goes to trial. The Mayor of Cudahy gets caught accepting bribes; he resigns.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Villaraigosa is accused of a different kind of lawlessness; changing civil service provisions of the City Charter that had been approved by the voters and that can be changed legally only by the voters.

For his entire time as Mayor, Villaraigosa has violated Charter Section 541. That section provides for an active Board of Civil Service Commissioners. It vests the board with rulemaking, enforcement and oversight powers and duties.

But Villaraigosa degrades the Board. He uses it mainly as an appeals body. He frees department heads from board oversight and makes them all accountable to him.

That gives him—the City’s top politician—easy access to almost all City jobs!

Obviously, this is not how the City’s civil service system is supposed to operate. Yet, under Mayor Villaraigosa, that’s exactly how it has operated. But why, you may ask, has the public not protested this self-serving power grab?

That’s a good question. The answer lies mainly in the fact that the Mayor (and his predecessors) did their dirty work behind closed doors. There were no votes on or public notice of the decision to replace civil service with the New Paradigm.

Still, an unknown number of City officials did know about the scheme, but did not stop it. Nor did they stop the violation of Section 541. Those officials, some of whom are now campaigning for higher office, must be asked to explain what they knew and what they did to protect the integrity of the City’s civil service system.

For example, Councilman Dennis P. Zine has been on the council for all 7 years of the villaraigosa administration. The assumption is that he knew all about the New Paradigm. The question is, “What did he do to stop the violation of Section 541? What did he do to stop the corruption of civil service in Los Angeles?

Like Councilman Zine, each of the three “insiders” who wants to be the City’s next Mayor (Councilwoman Perry, Councilman Garcetti, and Controller Greuel) owes the people of Los Angeles an explanation.

The assumption is that, because they’ve been office for at least 7 years, they must know all about the Riordan Paradigm. The question is what did they do to challenge that scheme? What did they do to save the civil service system? Angelenos expect leaders to honor the charter the voters approved.

Samuel Sperling Monterey Park

On Grover Norquist

Re: Grover Norquist 8/14-9/6 Random Letters It was not my intent to imply from p. 7

Labor Day

lot of that has to do with the decline of and attacks on unions.

Consider this—between 1973 and 2007, union membership in the private sector dropped from more than 34 percent to eight percent. During that time, wage inequality in the private sector increased by more than 40 percent. Meanwhile, too many politicians and elites demean and disrespect work while budget cuts and calls for austerity make it harder to provide highquality services.

And no wonder. An unholy alliance of corporate interests and politicians—intent on slashing budgets and then blaming working people for the harmful results, while at the same time finding ways to finance tax cuts for wealthy donors—continue to double down on efforts to polarize and divide our nation: parent against teacher, union member against nonunion member, neighbor against neighbor.

This is our new normal.

The American Federation of Teachers is meeting this moment with a new vision of unionism: solution-driven unionism. It’s an approach that is relevant and appropriate to the 21st century. An approach that is creative and visionary.

An approach that advances solutions that unite the people we represent and those we serve— our students, our families and

that Norquist could not marry a Muslim. It is that he is married to a Muslim.

Further, Norquist has gotten so many Congress members to pledge not to raise taxes and his quest makes his goal the same as bin Laden’s, [which was to] bankrupt the U.S., while punishing the ill, women, and the poor because there is no revenue.

When the country cannot repair its roads, dams etc., the commons suffer, business and transportation is slowed.

I believe that Michele Bachmann is on the right track and Norquist should be called out on his affiliation and where his policy leads us. Strange bedfellows indeed!

Bob Nellison Wilmington I’m not sure you clarified your remarks about Norquist marriage to a Muslim woman or explained why it is even relevant to the phenomena of Republicans choosing to handcuff themselves to no-tax pledges.

Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

our communities.

We must bring people together around agendas that serve all kids, all workers and all communities—to restore the middle class, strengthen our public schools, and invest in, not destabilize, communities.

We must counter polarization and anger with ideas and innovation. It’s what AFT members and leaders are focused on across the nation.

It’s why we’re advancing a Quality Education Agenda that offers specific proposals to create a first-class public education system for all children in America. And why we are attacking the fixation on testing in this country with a grassroots campaign to get back to teaching and learning.

It’s why we worked with an innovative corporation to develop a digital filing cabinet of lesson plans and ideas for teachers called Share My Lesson. It’s a commonsense solution to help teachers who are being asked to do so much more with diminishing resources and without the supports they need.

It’s why we are mitigating the impact that poverty and other out-of-school factors have on students in places like Cincinnati, by partnering with the community to offer health and mental health services, meal programs, tutoring, counseling, after-school programs and other wraparound services.

It’s why in one of America’s very poorest regions, we are continued on following page

from p. 4

AQMD Plan

2012 AQMP [known as ONRD05] would call for some enforceable action to bring about zero-emissions container movement between the port and the near-dock rail by 2020.” This measure would require regulatory action by the California Air Resources Board, and would be extended further as that becomes feasible.

“A limited application in the early years will help prove out the technology,” so that it can be expanded throughout the region, Hogo said. There is already an inter-agency working group studying the potential development of zero emission technologies further inland as well.

“It will take a lot of investment in this region, so the challenge is to have all levels of government, private and public will come together, share the same vision put our limited resources together. So we’re all pulling in the same direction,” said AQMD Male Staffer Two. In recent years, community groups and researchers have from previous page

Community Alerts

710 Corridor Project Draft EIR Released for Public Review

Los Angeles—The California Department of Transportation has released the draft environmental impact report/environmental impact statement for the Interstate 710 Corridor Project and extended the public comment period through Sept. 28.

The review involves proposals to improve the Interstate 710 between Ocean Blvd. and State Route 60. Major elements include widening the I-710 freeway up to ten general purpose lanes; modernizing and reconfiguring Interstate 405, State Route 91 and a portion of Interstate 5 interchanges with Interstate 710; modernizing and reconfiguring most local arterial interchanges along the I-710; and looking at a provision of a separate four-lane freight corridor to be used by conventional or zero-emission trucks.

Written comments may be sent to: Ronald Kosinski, Caltrans District 7, Division of Environmental Planning, 100 S. Main St., MS 16A, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Or send an e-mail through the project website at http://www.dot.ca.gov/ dist07/resources/envdocs/ docs/710corridor/

San Pedro Community Plan/DEIR Available for Comments

A Draft of the proposed San Pedro Community Plan is now available for public review, along with a corresponding Draft Environmental Impact Report. The proposed plan and related materials, including a map of the recommendations by sub-area, and the draft environmental impact report can be found on the Planning Department website at: https://sites.google.com/ site/sanpedrocommunityplan A hard copy of the DEIR is also available for review at the San Pedro Branch Library on Gaffey St. and the Harbor CityWilmington Branch on Western Ave. All comments on the DEIR must be received by Sept. 24.

There will be an open house and public hearing scheduled sometime in the fall. To be included on the notification list for this event and other updates, please email Debbie Lawrence at debbie.lawrence@lacity.org or call (213) 978-1163. Comments may also be e-mailed.

September 7 - 20, 2012

is a clear choice between two vastly different visions for America’s future. On one hand, the Obama-Biden ticket wants to strengthen the middle class and restore prosperity for all Americans. On the other, the Romney-Ryan ticket stands for creating more wealth for those who need it least and telling the rest of America, “You’re on your own.”

The choice is between a president who fought to keep 300,000 teachers on the job and a Republican candidate who says he would only keep the Department of Education around to use as a club against unions.

Rather than support workers at home or investments in public schools, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan support the Bush-era tax cuts for the very wealthy. They want to hand over our schools to private corporations.

Romney supports a plan that would turn Medicare into a voucher system and would double out-of-pocket costs for seniors. And he supports efforts to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights and their voice. We simply cannot afford to sit this election out. We cannot afford Romney’s America.

I know that together, we can turn a time of frustration and uncertainty into a time of action and promise. Together, we can turn our values into reality.

lease a related “Socioeconomic Report” examining the economic costs and benefits related to the Plan. Typically, benefits due to reductions in premature deaths are the largest single factor. According to AQMD spokesperson Tina Chery, the Socioeconomic Report should be released the second week in September.

The Local Publication You Actually Read

leading a coalition of businesses, community groups and educators to completely transform the educational and economic opportunities available to children and families in McDowell County, W.Va. Because when we—working people—propose solutions, it’s harder to demonize us, harder to cut vital services, and harder to divide us from the people we serve.

The best solutions come from you. It is your ideas that will strengthen our schools, hospitals and communities.

Just as with the generations before us, it is your work and commitment that will propel economic and educational opportunity and social justice.

Our ability to advance these solutions depends on electing leaders who believe in public education as a pathway to our future; who believe that public employees and healthcare professionals provide essential services and must be treated fairly; and who believe that working people and their families are entitled to a voice in their destiny and a pathway to fairness, dignity and respect.

The November elections will determine the future of our nation; this is a defining moment to stand up for our values and our vision for America.

This presidential election

intensified their focus on ultrafine particles and near-roadway health risks, which are not yet subject to regulation. Meeting required standards takes precedent, but “At the same time we do recognize the interest in the near roadway exposure and the ultrafine particles,” Dr. Chang said.

“We have devoted a separate chapter in the plan to discuss the technical knowledge on these topics, and a summary of what the district is doing to collect information, to support research. [This is] so we can gather enough information and learn more about this and the potential technology, so we are ready when we come to that point that we can more directly address those issues.”

In the meantime, it’s not as if the AQMD is doing nothing about these concerns, Dr. Chang added, since there are existing measures that help reduce these risks, such as particulate traps on cars, and cleaner vehicles on the road.. But those are side-benefits, and are not tied to specific numerical standards, which do not yet exist.

The AQMD is about to re-

9

Four Coyotes Trapped, Abatement Force Created

By Lyn Jensen, Carson Reporter

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area

By unanimous vote the Carson City Council agreed on Aug. 7 to take a three-pronged approach to address ongoing complaints about coyotes within city limits. Over protests from animal rights activists, the council set aside $10,000 to renew a trapping contract without further action, should an education campaign prove insufficient. They also created a community task force and directed staff to look into state and federal funds for coyote abatement.

Council member Elito Santarina, who first proposed the task force, told Random Lengths the council would set aside funding for more trapping only if workshops didn’t work. He also said the task force is currently looking at solutions such as erecting coyote-proof fences along flood control channels and cleaning up local marshland.

Santarina also spoke on the necessity of community programs

10

that educate residents. “What works according to experts, such as not providing food—no temptations for coyotes,” Santarina said. The idea, he explained, was to protect children and pets in Carson’s two mobile home parks, where many of the coyote complaints have originated, as well as the rest of the city.

Paul McKay, Public Safety Services Manager, told Random Lengths that calls for service have gone down since four coyotes were trapped under a previous contract. All were trapped at the Victoria golf course, including one “very large, very aggressive male.” McKay added state law says any coyotes trapped must be euthanized. The trapping company conducts the euthanization and “the animals are treated humanely.”

A participant in the coyote abatement force, McKay further explained that Carson is “still in the middle of a heavy education

campaign.” He said flyers provided by an environmental group, Project Coyote, were distributed to all residents in Carson Harbor Village and Colony Cove, the mobile home parks where most of the complaints about coyotes have originated.

Since its formation, the force has met several times and performed a walking tour of Carson Harbor Village. That park includes a patch of natural marshland roughly the size of a football field where some residents say they have observed coyotes.

McKay said several environmental groups were asked to participate on the force but declined because of their opposition to the trapping option. Participants at the force’s meeting on Aug. 21 said that after the Council voted to allow trapping on August 7, the environmental groups in attendance walked out.

On July 25 the council directed City Attorney, William “Bill”

Wynder to discuss with James Goldstein, the owner of Colony Cove and Carson Harbor Village, under what terms and conditions he might permit trapping in his parks. The park owner has expressed his preference for a nontrapping program.

Goldstein, through his attorney, has reportedly expressed a desire to coordinate with the state Department of Fish and Game to host an educational outreach program, “Coyote Watch,” for his parks’ residents.

McKay pointed out that the city’s response to the situation is limited where private property is concerned. “We can only advocate on behalf of residents.” The city, he said, is facilitating meetings with Goldstein, his attorneys and residents.

Another option on the table, according to a city staff report, is for the city to purchase traps and provide them to residents of the two mobile home parks. But the residents would have to agree to indemnify and defend the city from any claims.

At the Aug. 21 task force meeting, participants inquired about a possible loophole in state law that could provide for coyote relocation (such as to a zoo) with the Department of Fish and Game’s written permission.

People seeking more information about when and where the coyote abatement force meets, or to report a coyote sighting in Carson, may call McKay at 310-830-7600. Carson’s website, http://carson.ca.us also has information on coyote abatement.

from p. 6

San Pedro LPG facility.

In the letter, Rutter wrote, “[W]e received a copy of a previous letter from the EPA to Rancho, which essentially says that ‘the completion check does not assess whether a submitted RMP should have provided additional information or whether the information it provides is accurate or appropriate.”

“However, this ‘acceptance’ letter from the EPA essentially allows the company to state truthfully that the EPA has ‘accepted’ their RMP. The public is thereby given the impression that their facility is safe, which is certainly not true.”

Almost simultaneously, former head of the EPA, Christine Todd Whitman, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, “The Chemical Threat to America”, in which she highlighted continuing risks of terrorist attacks which have not been addressed 11 years after 9/11. “Hundreds of chemical plants and other facilities maintain large stockpiles of dangerous substances and are in or near major American cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago,” Whitman wrote. Although the EPA has authority to enforce stricter safety rules under the Clean Air Act, this has not happened, due to a failed attempt to pass new specifically post-9/11 legislation.

‘Mortgage- Elimination’ Scam Figure Pleads Guilty Mail Fraud

LOS ANGELES—A South El Monte man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal mail fraud charge in a scheme that falsely promised to eliminate mortgage debts for approximately 200 distressed homeowners who each paid a $15,000 fee. Instead of working on behalf of the homeowners, the man simply sent worthless “Sovereign Citizen” paperwork to lenders—paperwork that did nothing to affect the mortgage of a single homeowner.

In a plea agreement filed Aug. 28 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Ernesto Diaz, 57, who formerly worked as a realtor, agreed to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud. As part of the agreement, Diaz has agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation of his company, Crown Point Education Inc., which had offices in Montebello and El Monte.

The charge of mail fraud carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

LAUSD Students Show Steady Gains on State Standards

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Unified touted gains made on a state standardized test measuring progress in several subjects capping a decade of higher gains on the exam in a report released August 31.

The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) scores gauged student performance in math, English, science and history. The latest results showed that students from elementary to high school raised their scores District-wide from a year earlier across in every subject in nearly every level.

District-wide, the report showed that skill levels in English language arts rose four percentage points to 48 percent from 44 percent a year ago. Every grade level increased by at least three percentage points, with grades four, six, seven and eight jumping by 5 percentage points from a year earlier.

by: Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor

T

he 2012 Long Beach QFilm Festival, which takes place Sept. 14 through 16, ends with a celebratory bang — well, at least an I Do. I Do is a tear-jerker that begins and ends with a credo that morphs from wishful thinking to reflection and experience.

I do believe in fate. I do believe in family. I do believe in telling the truth and that your actions have consequences.

I Do Continued on page 14.

Shop Local. Dine Local. Support Your Community.

Shop Local. Dine Local. Support Your Community.

The rest of the film turns out to be about all of the above.

Good news turns into tragedy when Jack Edwards’ brother dies in an accident, leaving his pregnant wife a widow. Seven years later, Jack (screenwriter, producer and actor David W. Ross) is a surrogate father to his niece Tara (Jessica Brown) and a support system to his sister-in-law, Mya (Alicia Witt).

Jack’s life gets complicated when Immigration and Naturalization Services denies his visa extension (Jack was from England), forcing him to marry his best friend, Ali, played by Jamie Lyn Sigler. Further complicating things is a new relationship that Jack forms with Spain-reared U.S. citizen Mano Alfaro, played by Maurice Compte.

Unlike many romantic dramas with similar themes, I Do is unpredictable.

The film is not another remake of The Object of My Affection, where the heterosexual woman falls for the gay character with which she is rearing a child.

Jack, the protagonist, is not the only character on a journey in this story. Each character undergoes a growth process in this film. Mya, perhaps, experiences the most growth in this film. Grief-stricken with the loss of her husband, Mya transforms from cheerful

September 7 – 20, 2012 September 7 – 20, 2012

11 11

Vegan Fusion:

Black eyed peas, roasted corn, avocado and mango salsa Sunday–Thursday 10am-11pm

Friday & Saturday 10am–11:30pm

1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro

Fast Delivery!

310–732–5800 Fax: 310-732-5804

I

by: Christine Rodriguez, Contributing Vegan Columnist

know it sounds like the name of a punk band, but let your taste buds delight you with this confetti of a salsa. This recipe is every bit of fun, easy and nutritious and is sure to win over all of your family members including the kids.

A good trick to get your kids to try eating new things, is by getting them involved in the cooking process. Your children will forever remember these special cooking times shared with family and will hopefully pass them down to the next

generation of “mini chefs.” In my extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins, my grandmother, the head chef, put everyone in the family to work when it came to meal preparation. I remember specifically my very first job at 5 years old. It was sorting and rinsing beans. I remember thinking to myself at all of five years of age, “this is too easy grandma give me a harder job.” By the age of 6, I was assembling salads. And by 7, I was baking (Yes I cracked the eggs all by myself). Just figure

ACE>> Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked blackeyed peas, rinsed and drained 2 whole ears of corn roasted, then kerns removed 1 large mango, diced 2 medium avocados, diced ¼ medium red onion, diced 1 jalapeno, diced ½ red bell pepper diced ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 1 lime, juiced ½ teaspoon of cumin 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper 1 cup water

Directions:

September 7 – 20, 2012

Pretty easy, toss all ingredients together.

Do not over mix or the avocados will turn to mush.

12

out which job is age appropriate for each child and let the fun begin.

Some of the nutritional benefits of this salsa make it an even greater delight in which to indulge.

The black eyed peas gives this salsa the added protein to stave off hunger and keep you feeling more full longer because of the high fiber content.

Avocado is a “superfood” because of all of the nutritional qualities it possesses, one of which you may already know about: the essential omega-3s.

This fatty acid helps to fight high cholesterol, lower blood pressure and can minimize circulatory disorders. Avocados are also a natural source of lecithin, which is brain food and rich in copper.

Copper can aid in red blood cell formation, thus increasing the flow of oxygen to the blood.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the corn. Whole roasted sweet corn. Corn has been getting a bad rap lately, partly due to the culprit ingredient, high fructose corn syrup, which is found in most junk foods and fast foods. “HFCS” is a highly processed component of corn and does not assimilate into the body well, creating blockages in your body and promoting weight gain. Whole corn, which comes from farm to you, has many health benefits as well.

Corn produces high levels of melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is located near the center of the brain. That is said to reduce stress, boost immunity, deepen sleep, and promote longevity (Just about the opposite side effects of HFCS). In addition, whole corn aids the digestive system in elimination. Now that you are all well informed on the nutritional particulars, which you should share with your mini chefs, we can move on to the preparation.

Some easy tips:

Slice avocado in half, lengthwise. Score (with small knife, make columns and then rows of equal size). Use a large spoon to scoop out.

Mangoes can be scored and scooped also, only you slice the mango two times, once on each side of the seed in the middle. Also pick firm mangoes.

If you are cooking the blackeyed peas at home, make sure you salt the beans during the cooking process.

The corn can be roasted right on an open flame on your gas stove. (I always appreciate my gas range stove when it comes to roasting corn and chile peppers.) Let the corn rest, then hold the corn upright and with a knife starting from the top cut kernels downward and away from you.

The jalapeno can be de-seeded if you prefer less spicy.

Breakfast at The Barge Weekends 9am Eggs Benedict Best Chowder in the LA Harbor!

Hours: Mon, Tues 11am - 3pm Wed, Thurs 11am - 8pm Fri, Sat, Sun 9am - 8pm

611 N. Henry Ford, Leeward Bay Marina, Wilmington 310-830-7937 • www.ChowderBarge.com

$12.

50

• Happy Hour •

Offer valid 09/04/12 – 10/04/12

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

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

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

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

Godmother’s Saloon • Live jazz from Mike Guerrero Trio: 7 p.m. every Wed. (310) 8331589, 302 W. 7th St., San Pedro

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

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

Happy Hour Listings Are Paid Advertising

San Pedro’s Best Guide To —Fine Dining—

Monday Night Football • Flat Screens Beer Pong • Drink Specials Seafood Specials • BBQ Fish

Brochure Pick Up Your 2012 Copy Today!

(310) 519-1442

310.832.4251

Ports O’Call Village, 1190 Nagoya Way, San Pedro

310.519.9058

Ports O’Call Village, 1146 Nagoya Way, San Pedro

www.SanPedroFish.com

Banquet Facilities Available for up to 200 People

September 7 – 20, 2012

Also: Look for Advertising Options for Dining Coming Soon for the Holidays…

Call for more Info:

Join us in our beautiful indoor dining room and bar at the San Pedro Fish Market and recieve a pitcher of Margaritas for only $12.50 with the Purchase of any entree. Regularly $22.50. When you present this coupon. Offer valid 09/04/12 – 10/04/12. Limit one coupon per customer. RLn.

Shop Local. Dine Local. Support Your Community.

Margarita Pitchers For only

13

Nuthin’

Entertainment September 7

But the Blues

David Hughes When bassist David Hughes released his debut CD Swoosh, CDbaby.com wrote “jazz fusion has seldom ever been more expressive, more engaging and personable. David Hughes’ album is one to be excited about.” Three albums later, Hughes continues to bring his melodic personality to music that blends jazz and funk and brings the listener an uplifting emotional experience.

The show starts at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro. Ticket price is $20.

Details: (800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

by Andrea Serna, Arts Columnist

T

September 8

Jeff Denson’s Secret World Jeff Denson is a world renowned double bassist and composer who has performed in many of the world’s top jazz festivals such as the Berlin Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival Paris and the Montreal Jazz Festival to name a few. Jeff, a native of the Washington, D.C. Area, has actively performed in a myriad of genres ranging from jazz, classical and contemporary orchestral and chamber music, to R&B and pop. The show starts at 8 p.m. Sept. 8 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro.

Ticket price is $20.

Details: (800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro Barry Big B Brenner Barry Big B Brenner performs, at 7 p.m. Sept.

8, at Details: Venue: Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ Location:

September 9

4 Way Street CSN&Y - Tribute For more than 4 decades, the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young has spoken to generations of audiences worldwide. From the gentle Continued on page 15.

Harrison D. Nelson Jr. also known as Peppermint Harris, died a few years later after Jeff Dunas took this portrait of this blues great.

hey say luck is what happens when fate meets preparation. This was certainly the case for fine art photographer Jeff Dunas when the first House of Blues opened nearby his Hollywood studio in 1993. In his book, “State of the Blues,” Dunas says “I realized I was looking at the opportunity of a lifetime,” he wrote.

“All the greatest living blues artists in America would be performing in this club. All I had to do was find a way of photographing them.”

Dunas showed the owners of the club his considerable portfolio and they agreed to let him hang around and shoot the musicians. Most of the musicians agreed to give him five or 10 minutes before a show.

The striking result of this 3-year project are the faces of the most legendary blues artists of the late 20th century. The images portray a sense of gold slipping through our fingers given the recent loss of artists such as Koko Taylor, Joe Williams, Johnny Otis, and Charles Brown.

All these and more were captured by the photographer’s lens. The intense tightly shot portraits and the rich black and white gelatin silver photographic prints reflect not only the rich history of each artist, but the deep passion of the genre itself.

The Blues to page 16.

478 W. 6th St. • San Pedro 310.548.2493

ACE>> Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment

Tickets & Info: Williams Bookstore, www.WarnerGrand.org & www.WarnerGrandTheater.org

SUSHI BAR

September 7 – 20, 2012

Japanese Restaurant Sushi Bar 380 W. 6th St. • 832-5585

14

Thoroughly Modern Millie • Wed, SepT. 5, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. through Sept 16 - $40-$60 A high-spirited, award-winning musical romp that had all of New York dancing the Charleston! In NYC in 1922, young Millie Dillmount is in search of a new life - at a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. For information, please call 310.372.4477.

Half the Sky: Turning Opression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide • Tues, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.

ITVS, the leader in independent public media, returns with its popular COMMUNITY CINEMA series - presented ADMISSION FREE. “Half the Sky” spotlights inspiring, courageous individuals from Asia and Africa who are developing solutions to oppression of women and girls.

Marymount College presents the ITO-MATSUURA FILM FESTIVAL • Wed, Sept. 19, 7 p.m.

A fresh and thoughtful look at American film, exploring critical issues in American society. Presented ADMISSION FREE by Marymount as a gift to the community. Titles and information at marymountpv.edu.

Golden State Pops Orchestra • Sat, SepT. 22, 8 p.m.

GSPO celebrates its tenth anniversary with the 2012-13 season opening concert.

3rd Annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival • Fri & Sat, SepT. 28, & Sept. 29 - various screenings LA celebration of films and literary works from the mind of the premier master of the macabre featuring films, special guest speakers, a live radio drama recreation and gothic-inspired “vendors of the unusual.”

Street Buzz on

New Music by: B. Noel Barr, The Music Writer Dude

F

ur Dixon and Steve Werner’s latest CD, San Pedro Session, is the best of their previous three collections. This was recorded live at Alvas Showroom in what has become one of the best rooms

much in mainstream music. It is a style of playing for which the founder of Tacoma Records guitarist–producer John Fahey was noted. Engelhardt and Leo Kottke were label mates at Tacoma re-

Art Through September 30 Frida Kahlo Exhibit

Experience the annual Frida Kahlo Exhibit through Sept. 30. Various artists exhibit their work dedicated to the renowned Mexican artist. The closing reception is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 30.

Details: (562) 425-4861; http://picturethisgallery. weebly.com Venue: PICTURE THIS Gallery and Custom Framing Location: 4130 Norse Way, Long Beach

September 8—December 9 Patrick Wilson: Pull

Patrick Wilson will present new and recent geometric abstract paintings, Pull, from Sept. 8 to Dec. 9, at the University Art Museum in Cal State Long Beach. In his meticulous yet sensual, nearly sculptural canvases, Wilson weds color to structured shapes in intricately layered and overlapping transparent rectilinear scrims and narrow lines of acrylic paint. These artworks are meant to be experiential. Duration, the real time of conscious experience, is an essential aspect of his practice. He invokes duration both in his acts of creative “unfolding” as they transpire in the studio and in his expectations about viewers’ subsequent reception and interpretation of his artwork.

Details: h t t p : / / w w w. c s u l b . e d u / o r g / u a m / EXHIBITIONSupcoming.html Venue: University Art Museum Location: 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach

September 15—November 2 ANN MITCHELL--Unmade & Winter’s Light

Toulouse Engelhardt Toulousology Definitive Guitar Soli 1976 -2009, is a collection of very serious fingerstyle steel-string guitar work of Americana music. Engelhardt’s music is of kind you don’t hear

cords for a period of time. His music consists of polyrhythmic syncopation across a musical plane that traverses styles of neo-classical to folk, with stops at surf and rock mixed in for good fun. This is all guitar with practically no other instrumentation or vocals on the track. But what music! It is a damn fine album without a doubt.

The disc starts with a song called “Fire in O’Doolee’s Popcorn Factory,” which is a very high energy piece that demonstrates Engelhardt’s fun and technical mastery. He gives a nod to Jimi Hendrix on this disc with a very unique version of “Third Stone from the Sun.” On “Revelations at Lunada Bay,” I can’t help but reflect on the San Pedro Peninsula coastline. Toulouse Engelhardt “The Segovia of Surf” will be playing at Alva’s Showroom on Sept. 28.

Details: www.toulousemusic.com www.alvasshowroom.com B. Noel Barr, Music Writer Dude is on Lunch at the Barr www.hotmix106.com from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Los Angeles Harbor College Fine Arts Gallery is pleased to present Unmade & Winter’s Light, New Photographs

by Ann Mitchell. The exhibition will open with an artist’s reception on Sept. 15, from 4 to 7p.m. The photographs of Unmade & Winter’s Light are black and white archival pigment prints on handmade Nepalese paper. Unique in both texture and tone, the paper becomes a voice in each image, softening detail and providing a palpable luminance. Curated by Ron Linden, the exhibition runs through Nov. 2. Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment.

Details: (310) 600-4873 Venue: Los Angeles Harbor College, Fine Arts Gallery Location: 1111 Figueroa Pl.,Wilmington

September 14

Marco Mendoza Band Marco is perhaps mostly known for his work with a number of rock bands and artists such as Thin Lizzy, Blue Murder, Whitesnake , Ted Nugent, Neal Schon and Soul SirkUS . Marco has currently been working with Dolores O’Riordan from the Cranberries, the Lynch Mob and touring with his solo project and Thin Lizzy. The show starts at 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro.

Ticket price is $20.

Details: (800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

September 15

2012 Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance The 20th annual Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance will highlight classic French curves. The annual event will feature famed collectors and owners of the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard and best of show winners at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Merle and Peter Mullin as Grand Marshals. In addition to viewing more than 200 exhibited cars, visitors can see craftsmen at work in Restoration Alley, shop for gifts, dine in the elegant Club House, and examine show cars in the display areas. The Concours will be preceded by a Road Rallye on Sept. 15.

Venue: Trump National Golf Club Location: 1 Ocean Trails Dr., Rancho Palos Verdes Jet Jaguwar Jet Jaguwar performs, starting at 7:30 p.m. Sept.

15, at DiPiazzas Restaurant & Lounge in Long Beach.

Details: dipiazzas.com Venue: DiPiazzas Restaurant & Lounge Location: 5205 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach Dick Halligan: Musical Being Dick Halligan, founding member of “Blood, Sweat & Tears” Grammy winner, composer of music for film and television as well as jazz, chamber music and popular idioms, tells his story-a psychological journey through 60 years of an American musical life. The show starts at 8 p.m. Sept. 15 at Alvas Calendar to page 16.

Sept. 28 (4th Friday Monthly) • Free Dance Lesson 7pm • Barry Anthony Live Music 8pm • Free Refreshments • No-host Bar • $15 Advance • $20 Door • Volume Discount $10 Each* (*table of 10 or more)

People’s Palace • 365 W. 6th St., San Pedro • 310–547–BFIT (2348) www.SwingPeedro.com • www.PeoplesPalaceSP.com Proudly Sponsored by:

www.RandomLengthsNews.com Find Random Lengths News On Facebook and look for the R. Pedro Facebook page for local events. 310-519-1442

Enjoy the Dance!

September 7 – 20, 2012

in Los Angeles to perform. In this near perfect space for the performing arts, Fur Dixon and Steve Werner and about 60 guests, friends and fans were engaged around an emotional campfire of song.

There is not much more I can say about the event that I have not already said before. I was honored that the duo found my review good enough to be on the liner notes of the disc. The warmth of these songs sustains the performance even without being there. The honesty of the material and the connection from artist to audience is palatable.

The opener to the CD is the song that started it all: “The Pearl and the Swine.” This song was written by Steve Werner for his singing and writing partner Fur Dixon. This is followed by “The Ventura County Line,” a lover’s song written by Fur Dixon about a desired relationship and traveling beyond for her appointed rendezvous. I think the track called “Scars” was brilliant. This song about hurt that leaves scars that are visible and invisible resonated by utilizing the most direct and beautiful terms as they relate to life and love.

The closing track, “Back Roads and Blue Skies” is one of my favorites on this 17–track CD. I have been using this song as my closer on my Lunch at the Barr show on www. hotmix106.com Details: www.furandsteve.com

September 12

Mike O’Bryan Mike O’Bryan performs at 6 p.m. Sept. 12, at McKenna’s On The Bay in Long Beach.

Details: (562) 342-9411 Venue: McKenna’s On The Bay Location: 190 N. Marina Dr., Long Beach

Shop Local. Dine Local. Support Your Community.

Steve W erner and Fur Dixon celebrated the release of their new CD, San Pedro Session’s, on July 2, at McCabe’s in Santa Monica. Paul Marshall on bass, John McDuffie on pedal steel and Brantley Kearns on fiddle joined them at the show. Photo by Michael Doherty

Calendar from page 14. love songs like “Our House”and “Guinnevere” to the politically charged anthems like “Chicago”, “Long Time Gone,” and “Ohio”, CSN&Y’s powerful messages have never failed to excite and move audiences. Ticket price is $20.

Details: (800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

15

Calendar from page 15.

Showroom in San Pedro. Ticket price is $20.

Details: (800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

September 16

The Brandon Fields Band Brandon’s debut recording The Other Side Of The Story came out in 1986 demonstrating what would become the common thread connecting his original recordings, a multifaceted take on songwriting and a high level of interaction with his talented bandmates. Three additional concept albums followed, including A Coffehouse Christmas, Higher Ground (the music of Stevie Wonder). The show starts at 4 p.m. Sept. 16 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro. Ticket price is $20.

Details: (800) 403-3447 Venue: Alvas Showroom Location: 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

September 20

Deedub Deedub at performs at 9 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach.

Details: (562) 436-3600 Venue: Blue Cafe Location: 210 The Promenade North, Long Beach

Community/Family September 8

ACE>> Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment

Channel Islands Adventure - San Miguel Island Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is offering a Channel Island Adventure to San Miguel Island on Saturday Sept. 8. The group will meet at 7:30 a.m. in Ventura and board a high speed catamaran for an early morning crossing of the Santa Barbara Channel returning in the evening at about 6 p.m. The fee for the trip is $100 ($91 for friends members). Pre-registration is required. On the island, participants will follow along on a naturalist-led hike to learn about past human occupation and observe the diverse coastal habitats, amazing geologic formations and panoramic views that this unique island has to offer. Note: Island activities are very strenuous.

Details: (310) 548-7562, www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org Venue: Cabriillo Marine Aquarium Location: 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro

September 14-15

Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival 2012 The world’s largest lobster festival- with a Guinness World Record to prove it- takes place at Ports O’ Call Village in San Pedro. With fresh Maine lobster meals flown in daily, “Lobsterfest” has been a Harbor tradition since 1999. The event includes live music, games, rides and all kinds of food and fun for the entire family.

Venue: Ports O’ Call Village

Theater/Film September 7

Beyond Therapy - Little Fish Theatre Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang is lauded as his funniest play, Beyond Therapy is an offbeat comedy about people trying to connect through personal ads (in spite of their therapists). Bruce and Prudence meet on a blind date from hell which turns into a crazy, wacky relationship. Runs until Sept. 8. Starts at 8 p.m. General admission is $25, seniors and students $23.

Details: (310) 512-6030, www.littlefishtheatre.org Venue: Little Fish Theatre Location: 777 Centre St. (at 8th St.), San Pedro

September 7 – 20, 2012

September 21

16

8 Civic leaders and a star-studded cast will perform a one-night- only reading of Dustin Black’s 8, The Play,” starting at 8 p.m. Sept. 21, at the Ernest Bogning Theater in Long Beach.

Details: www.PublicTheatreSoCal.com Venue: The Ernest Borgnine Theater Location: 855 Elm Ave., Long Beach.

from page 11.

I Do

to dispirited. By the end, Mya is revealed as strong and resilient.

Perhaps the film’s only weakness is the degree of wisdom assigned to Tara, when she gives Jack permission to move on.

I Do takes a humanistic look at the unfairness of marriage inequality in the United States, and the toll it takes on not just one relationship, but families, friends and society. Set in New York, where marriage for same-sex couples is legal, the film tackles the need for a federal law to do away with the Defense of Marriage Act. As Patricia Belcher, who plays Immigration and Naturalization Service worker Gloria, put it: Your relationship is not the problem here. The problem is you don’t have the same rights as a straight couple. Your marriage may look and feel the same, but it’s not.

Ross, best known for his work in the 2006 film Quinceañera, recently took some time to speak about the film and his journey as both a screenwriter and an actor.

Zamná Ávila: Where did the storyline come from? Did it change?

David W. Ross: I was in a relationship with somebody from the U.K. and they couldn’t get their paperwork, so they had to go back to England. I thought it would be quite funny to kind of update the movie Green Card … I started shooting all of the Prop. 8 rallies… It was during those rallies and meeting people whose lives were complicated because of DOMA, when I realized that I should take the issue more seriously. And,

from page 14.

…The Blues

On Sept. 6, Gallery 478 will be exhibiting the fruits of Dunas’ stroke of luck or encounter with fate with “STATE OF THE BLUES.” The exhibition is a deeply moving photo documentary of late 20th century American blues musicians. The legendary blues great, Rufus Thomas, once said, “The blues belongs to the world. Blues music is part of everyone now.” Now, San Pedro gets a taste of the blues at Gallery 478.

Dunas’ affinity with the blues began with his capricious friendship with Wolfman Jack when he was 16 years old. Dunas hunted down The Wolfman very much the way Richard Dreyfuss did in American Graffiti. The Wolfman wound up teaching Dunas the roots of the U.S. original folk music. At that time, in the early ‘60s, the top 40 radio played the British sounds of the Rolling Stones, Spencer Davis and Eric Clapton. Dunas and most of the rest of us were completely unaware that our favorite music was derivative of the great blues tradition.

For Dunas, the blues, along with photography were the great passion of his life. Following his education at UCLA Dunas quickly began a career in professional photography that included a residency in Paris, and the establishment of Melrose publishing, distributors of fine art photography books.

When the House of Blues opportunity fell into

that is how I started writing it the way it is now.

I developed the script for about seven years or so, and it is a completely different story. I got to the point where I really hated the script because it was too funny; it was too slapstick.

Production took about six weeks of physical production. I raised the money last May on Kickstarter, and then my producing partner, Stephen Israel, found more money. I finished the script a couple of years ago and caught up in the Hollywood system. I really wanted the film to come out in 2012 because I had a feeling that gay marriage was going to be a big issue for the presidential election. It turns out that it is very relevant, which is great.

The budget was less than a million dollars.

We filmed in Los Angeles for the interior but it is a New York film, so all the exterior was shot in New York, basically.

ZÁ: Why did you decide to take the leading role in this movie?

DWR: I just realized after doing Quinceañera … that I wanted to definitely continue doing acting, but I wanted to make sure that the roles that I took were something that I was proud of.

And, I’d already started writing I Do. So, I had a meeting with Stephen, and I said, you know, “I really want to play Jack. I kind of know this character inside out. I think I’ve proven to people in the indie world that I can act.”

ZÁ: What is the overall message that you are trying to convey?

DWR: It is difficult to say one thing. There are so many things that I wanted to say with the character Jack, things that I wanted to say with the character Mya, and Ali. They all have a separate journey… For me the overall trait of the film was

his lap, Dunas decided early on to exclude on-stage and performance portraits, and instead focus on capturing the pure essence of each individual artist. There are no instruments featured in the photos. No pictures of B.B. King with Lucille. Just King’s soulful eyes and the serene smile he wore as he carried on the tradition for a lifetime.

When Dunas ran out of musicians to photograph, he moved to the long-running Long Beach Blues Festival and captured portraits there. In addition, Dunas traveled through the South, documenting the “Blues Highway” from eastern Texas through Louisiana and the deltas of Arkansas and Mississippi, the home of the blues. His objective was to feel the place where the music was born.

The photographer laments the early influential artists he was too late to capture. Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James were already gone when he began his project, but their musical influence remains. Koko Taylor told the photographer, “The blues will live forever… I see the blues going all the way to the sky. If it lands somewhere in the clouds, I’ll be right there singing the blues.”

It seems that fate played a role in bringing this exhibition to San Pedro. Dunas is the organizer of the Palm Springs Photo Festival, as well as a successful publisher and commercial photographer.

His photographs have appeared in more than 60 one-person exhibitions around the globe and in

to kind give you a slice of life of what it is like to be living under this law called DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. It doesn’t just affect the couple it affects everybody around them. I just wanted to show how marriage inequality really affects people. And, it affects people in devastating ways.

A lot of people still don’t realize that the Defense of Marriage Act is stopping people from having full rights.

I thought long and hard about all of the stuff.

A lot of times in the film there are turns that you don’t expect that, for me the writer, were exciting … I think much more interesting is showing how friends — You know, I’m not sure if this has happened to you, but a friend disappears off the face of the earth because they have a new lover … and all of sudden they reappear … Real people do this. They fall in love with somebody … and they have to focus on the new lover and everyone else is kind of left in the dust. So, I thought that was much more real. Obviously, Ali did this amazing thing for Jack. She’s intelligent enough to know what is going on, but I just think she is very scarred because all of a sudden he doesn’t seem to care.

Mya’s story was a lot more difficult. What happens between her and Jack was extremely painful… It’s not a frivolous film about green card living. It’s a film that touches on quite a few different beings. In the end the film is about marriage. And, I believe that marriage is the creation of families and all sorts of privileges that go with it. And, each one of these characters is desperate for family. So, whatever their journey is during the film. It’s their need for family, their need for connection, their need to have a sense of belonging with other people.

nearly every mainstream magazine including GQ, Life, Vibe, Entertainment Weekly, and Esquire.

Over several years he and Gallery 478 owner Ray Carofano have crossed paths. Carofano invited him to exhibit in his gallery but it wasn’t until this year that Dunas was able to bring his collection to San Pedro. He has expressed the desire to support the local gallery scene. The complete exhibition hangs in the “Wall of Fame” in the Foundation Room of the House of Blues.

Curated by Arnée and Ray Carofano, State of the Blues runs through Nov. 29. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 11a.m. to 5p.m., and by appointment.

Details: (310) 732-2150 Venue: Gallery 478 Location: 478 7th St., San Pedro

CLASSIFIED ADS Employment

Sales Random Lengths is looking for an experienced advertising/print salesperson. We are the Los Angeles Harbor Area’s oldest independent newspaper. We are a stable and growing company, open for over 30 years. The candidate should have 2 or more year’s experience in outside sales. Bi-lingual is a plus. Please email resume and cover letter with salary history to james@randomlengths news.com. Monthly base salary and commission. EOE HELP WANTED!! Extra income! Mailing Brochures from home! Free supplies!

Genuine opportunity! No experience required. Start immediately! www.themailingprogram.com (AAN CAN) Actors/Movie Extras needed immediately for upcoming roles $150-$300/ day depending on job requirements.

No experience, all looks.

1-800-560-8672 A-109 for casting times /locations. (AAN CAN)

Movie Extras. People needed now to stand in the background for a major film Earn up to $300 per day. Exp not REQ. CALL NOW AND SPEAK TO A LIVE PERSON 877-824-7260.

$$$HELP WANTED$$$ Extra Income! Assembling CD cases from Home! No Experience Necessary! Call our Live Operators Now! 1-800405-7619 EXT 2450 http:// www.easywork-greatpay.com (AAN CAN)

Business Opp REACH 5 MILLION hip, forward-thinking consumers across the U.S. When you advertise in alternative newspapers, you become part of the local scene and gain access to an audience you won’t reach anywhere else. http://www.altweeklies. com/ads (AAN CAN) A REWARDING CAREER that lets you earn money while helping others! Want to be your own boss, set your own hours? Independent Consultants needed for Restaurant.com. Unlimited Earning Potential. No previous sales experience req’d.

Tools & full training provided.

Learn more at http://sales. restaurant.com/nan.

Career Training EARN $500 A DAY Airbrush & Media Makeup Artists For: Ads - TV - Film - Fashion. Train & Build Portfolio in 1 week. Lower Tuition for 2012. AwardMakeupSchool.com

Education Teach English Abroad! 4-week TEFL course in Prague. Job

assistance worldwide. We have over 1500 graduates teaching in 60+ countries! www.teflworldwideprague. com info@teflworldwideprague.com Educational tutoring by certified & experienced Special Education & Reading teacher.

Patient, well-trained, creative & structured. An expert in positive reinforcement. Reasonable rates negotiated.

310-528-1111.

Academic and occupational consulting and guidance assistance with the college admissions process, admission essays, resume revision and job searches. Call for a free consultation! 424-210-5771.

For more info: http://guidedachievements. info.

Dating SERvices EroticEncounters. com Where Hot Girls Share their private fantasies!

Instant Connections. Fast & Easy. Mutual Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Exchange messages, Talk live 24/7, Private 1-on-1.

G i v e i n t o Te m p t a t i o n , call now 1-888-700-8511 New! Free to Try! 4 Services!

1-877-660-3887 Instant Live Connections! 1-866-8173308. Hundreds of Local Women! You Choose! 1-877747-8644. Connect With Live (18+) Local Ladies! 1-866530-0180 (AAN CAN)

PERSONALS MEET LOCAL SINGLES: Friendship, 1-888-777-2235.

Love, 1-877-333-2863. 18+.

Single Serbian man seeking open minded female friend.

(808) 624-9829.

Psychics PSYCHIC GLORIA Help on all love, money, health problems.

Guaranteed results in 3 days. Reunite lovers.

310-470-9046

GOD GIFTED PSYCHIC Love Specialist, Stops Divorce, Cheating, Reunites Separated Partners, Solves Severe Problems. Never Fails.FREE 15 MINUTE Reading By Phone 254-4206794 (AAN CAN)

Adoption PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families nationwide.

LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions 866-413-6293 (AAN CAN)

Automotive Any Car/Truck. Running or Not! Top Dollar Paid. WeCome To You! Call For Instant Offer: 1-888-420-3808 www. cash4car.com (AAN CAN) CAR OWNERS EARN $600/ MONTH.Safely rent out your car anytime you are not using it. You control the price, times & people for each rental. RelayRides provides insurance,

Bulletin Board

Pets

Adopt a pet from the Harbor Care Center, 957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro. 888452-7381.

Storage Storage Containers for rent in San Pedro, at 15th and Centre Streets. 310 544-7400.

FOR SALE Household Items—Hamilton Beach microwave, 900-watt, black, $75 OBO.Kenmore mini refrigerator, white, frostfree, $100 OBO. Call (310) 293-5423 Spode Christmas pattern dinner ware with lots of extra serving pieces. Call 870273-8841.

lost/found Musical Instruments Found: Anyone missing musical instruments please call 310732-2150 to identify.

REAL ESTATE Room For Rent $140 PER WEEK! SAN PEDRO SRO Hotel has rooms

Apartments For Rent San Pedro. 1 bdrm apts., newly remodeled, gated ga rage parking, laundry, ocean view. $920 & up. Call John, 310-833-9092. www.sbayrent.com.

Large Single newly remodeled unit for $725/mo. 1 bdrm unit $900/mo. Wood & tile flooring, secured property, quiet area, close to bus lines.

Gas included. 2040 S. Pacific Ave., SP. Call Francisco, 310833-5170.

Don Marshall, MBA, CPA

Please help!

8/12

Bread & Hyacinths This is the book that explains why the city of Los

Buy it now at Williams Bookstore, Random Lengths News office and The Tobacco Leaf at Western & 25th

25 indoor & outdoor stalls

• Armed Response Alarm System • Web-based Video

Monitoring • Electronic Access

Control • 24-Hour Availability • Self-Serve Free Hand Wash • WIFI Hotspot • Free Charging Station (310) 707-2207 www.8thstreetgarage.com

PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET! *In any condition. We will wash and mend.

RoOmmates ROOMMATES.COM. Browse hundreds of online listingswith photos and maps. Find your roommate with a click of the mouse! Visit: http://www.

Roommates.com. (AAN CAN)

HOME SERVICES

Commerical Real Estate For Lease

Quality Painting-Interior/Exterior. Lic. #692903-20% Discount. (818) 624-9829.

San Pedro – For Lease S.Pacific Ave. office suites & retail space in the “Arts District”. Several choices available.

*REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! * Get a 4-Room All-Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers, CALL NOW. 1-800925-7945

A-Delta Realty 310/831-6670

BUSINESS FILINGS Fictitious business Name Statement File No. 2012144655 The following person is doing business as: Curiosities,1909 S Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County.

Registered owners: MaryAnne Califano, 1134 W. 21st.,

Golden West Realty Newly remodeled home in Lomita Pines

Some of the many features include a spacious kitchen with new cabinets, custom granite countertops, and new appliances.

Two large bedrooms, two full baths.

New windows, new plumbing throughout, new electrical, extra large lot.

Newly landscaped with automatic sprinklers, covered patio, huge backyard. Offered at $389,000.

Spacious RPV Home

4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2447 sq. ft. home in RPV. New carpet and interior/exterior paint.

Great floor plan with open kitchen, family room and living room with fireplace.

City lights view from upstairs and backyard. Offered at $1,075,000.

For more information call Golden West Realty

310.548.2881

www.goldenwestsanpedro.com 1 5 1 7 S . G a f f e y S t . • San Pedro, CA 90731

San Pedro,CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) MaryAnne Califano, Partner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 18, 2012. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement 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.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: 07/26/12, 08/09/12, 08/23/12, 09/06/12

Statement of Abandonment of Use of Fictitious Business Name Current File No. 20100561077 Date filed: 4/26/10

September 7 - 20, 2012

Angeles is the way it is. Bread and Hyacinths: the Rise and Fall of Utopian Los Angeles is the gripping, little-known saga of the great battle between Job Harriman, the West Coast’s leading socialist, and General Harrison Gray Otis, publisher of the Los Angeles Times—a battle for the future of Los Angeles.

Written by Lionel Rolfe, Nigey Lennon and Paul Greenstein, Bread and Hyacinths was originally published in 1992 by California Classics Books.

It is reprinted by Random Lengths News and available for $15.

Vintage Auto & Motorcycle Storage

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

Real Estate Investor seeks to purchase commercial or multi-unit residential properties in San Pedro. No Agents please.

310-241-6827

The Local Publication You Actually Read

DBA filing and publishing $120 (310) 519-1442

(310) 833-8977

www.donmarshallcpa.com

available. A clean, tranquil setting for the best price. Alex (310) 514-3919.

Serving San Pedro and the entire South Bay since 1980

Don Marshall CPA, Inc. Specializing in small businesses CPA Quality Service at very reasonable rates

driver-screening & support.

Text (415)868-5691 for details+ special offer. Free to join. www.RelayRides.com/ Car (AAN CAN)

Reach 63,000 Harbor Area Readers

continued on following page17

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS FILINGS

from previous page

Craft-Tique & Ect., 1909 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731. Registered Owners(s): Joanne Marie Califano, 314 S. John Way, San Pedro, CA 90732. Business was conducted by an individual. I declare that all information in this statement is rue and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)S/ Joanne M. Califano, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on July 17, 2012.

Original filing: 07/26/12, 08/09/12,

08/23/12, 09/06/12

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 201213388 The following person is doing business as: Trinkets n Treasures, 1909 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: MaryAnn Califano, 1134 W. 21st, San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual.

The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)

MaryAnn Califano, Owner.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 3, 2012. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920.

A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement 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.The filing of this statement does not

18

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: 08/09/12, 08/23/12,

09/06/12, 09/20/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012138545 The following person is doing business as: International Motors, International Motors U.C.S. 1600 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County.

Registered owners: Antonio Marchione, 4609 W. Carson St., Torrance, CA 90503. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 1996. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) Antonio Machione, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 10, 2012. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement 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.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: 08/09/12, 08/23/12, 09/06/12, 09/20/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012153082 The following person is doing business as: Peninsula Mortuary Transport, 1840 Gaffey St. #226, San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County.

Registered owners: Joseph Voss, 1840 Gaffey #381 St. San Pedro, CA 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)

Joseph Voss, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 10, 2012. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920.

A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement 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.

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: 08/09/12, 08/23/12, 09/06/12, 09/20/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012153081 The following person is doing business as: Elite BodyShock Performance, Champion Bodyshock Performance, 2424 S. Carolina St., San Pedro, CA 90731, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Mario Shaw, 2424 S. Carolina St., San Pedro,

CA 90731,. This Business is conducted by an individual.

The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)

Mario Shaw, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 31, 2012. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920.

A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement 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.

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: 08/09/12, 08/23/12, 09/06/12, 09/20/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012157138 The following person is doing business as: Galope Property Services, 905 W. 25th Street, San Pedro, CA, 90731, Los Angeles County.

Registered owners: Anthony Galope, 905 W. 25th Street, San Pedro, CA, 90731. This Business is conducted by an individual. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) Anthony Galope, Partner. This statement was filed with the

County Clerk of Los Angeles on August 6, 2012. Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920.

A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920. were to expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement 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.

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: 08/23/12,09/06/12,0

9/20/12,10/4/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012173918 The following person is doing business as: Elite Dance Studio, 805. Deep Valley Dr., RHE, CA 90274, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Dyan Lopez-Flamengo, 24602 Ravenna Ave., Carson, CA 90745. This Business is conducted by an individual.

The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to

be false is guilty of a crime.)

Dyan Lopez-Flamengo, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on August 29, 2012.

Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 were to expire 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.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the

continued on following page

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS FILINGS from previous page 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:09/06/12,09/20/12,10 /4/12, 10/18/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012176107 The following person is doing business as: Alka Pi Water RPV, 29505 S. Western Ave. Ste#104, Rancho

Palos Verdes,CA 90275, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: Kenneth Roy Brewer, 924 S. Wycliff Ave., San Pedro, CA 90732. This Business is conducted by an individual.

The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)

Kenneth Roy Brewer, Owner.

This statement was filed

with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on August 31, 2012.

Notice--In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920. A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 were to expire 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.

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:09/06/12,09/20/12,10

/4/12, 10/18/12

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2012168860 The following person is doing

business as: Kids Resource, 4401 Palos Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, Los Angeles County. Registered owners: LSKO, 4401 Palos Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275.

This Business is conducted by a corporation. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.

(A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty

of a crime.) Laura Schneider, Secretary/Treasurer. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on August 21, 2012. Notice-In Accordance with subdivision (a) of section 17920.

A fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 17920 were to expire 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. 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:09/06/12,09/20/12,10 /4/12, 10/18/12

The Local Publication You Actually Read September 7 - 20, 2012

19

20

September 7 - 20, 2012

Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area