MAY 2022
A LOOK BACK ON HER LIFE, WORK, & LEGACY, INCLUDING TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS, FAMILY, & COLLEAGUES
SEPTEMBER 16, 1978 - APRIL 8, 2022
REMEMBERING
ROMEE
CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SAN PEDRO HISTORIAN, ANGELA ROMERO
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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I never called her Romee. Even though it’s a nickname that many people — friends and strangers alike — called her, I could never bring myself to do it. For whatever reason, it felt silly. To me, she was always Angela. And she was one of my best friends. It’s impossible to express in words how much Angela meant to me, this publication, and her many loyal readers. For nearly 11 years, she chronicled the exciting stories, fascinating characters, and noteworthy events that make up the tapestry of our port town. Her passion and love for San Pedro were unmatched. And now she’s gone. As one might imagine, producing an entire issue to celebrate the life of one of your best friends who died too young isn’t easy. I’ve stopped and started this column multiple times, wiping tears in between. Angela was an extraordinary person to many of us, and the fact that she’s gone — at just 43 — seems so unfair. During our final meeting together, less than a week before she passed, I
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told her that I was dedicating the next issue to her life and legacy. She laughed and called it the “Olguin treatment,” referring to the only other time I dedicated an entire issue to one person, when “Mr. San Pedro,” John Olguin, passed away on New Year’s Day in 2011 (SPT, Feb. 2011). I even asked for her input on this issue. She gave me final approval on the cover photo, taken when she was honored by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce during the Women’s History Month Reception in 2019, and she handpicked all the contributors. Even though this is an issue I never wanted to produce, I want to thank everyone who helped make it happen: our staff, all who contributed, and especially Angela’s sisters, Regina and Emily. I would not have been able to put this issue together so quickly if not for the help of all of you. Angela was an amazing person and a dear friend. San Pedro lost one of the greats. Godspeed, my friend. Until we meet again… spt Joshua Stecker is publisher/editorin-chief of San Pedro Today. Letters to the Editor can be emailed to contact@sanpedrotoday.com.
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MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 5
MAY 2022
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AT-LARGE CONTRIBUTORS
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San Pedro Today publishes the last Thursday of every month and is produced monthly by Empire22 Media LLC. No portion of this publication can be reproduced without written permission by Empire22 Media. 25,000 copies are delivered to San Pedro and portions of Rancho Palos Verdes. San Pedro Today is a product of Empire22 Media LLC. Empire22 Media LLC, their subsidiaries and affiliates are released from all liability that may involve the publication of San Pedro Today. Copyright 20092022, Empire22 Media LLC.
VOLUME 14 | NUMBER 4
ON THE COVER: San Pedro historian and longtime San Pedro Today columnist, Angela "Romee" Romero, photographed February 2019. Romero passed away April 8, 2022, at the age of 43. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
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EVENTS
COVID-19 UPDATE: Due to the rapidly changing nature of public health guidance for in-person events, information may change. Please plan accordingly.
MAY 2022 Every Friday – SAN PEDRO FARMERS MARKET AT LITTLE ITALY (638 S. Beacon St.), 11a-3p. – Pick up essential fruits and vegetables from certified, small family farms. Get a head start on weekend meals with so many delicious and fresh options. Please note social distancing of six feet between groups and people is required. Masks must be worn at all times, and a hand washing station is provided for your convenience. For more info, visit sanpedrochamber.com/san-pedro-farmers-market. Every Tuesday & Every Saturday – BELMONT SHORE RAILROAD CLUB at Angels Gate Park (3600 S. Gaffey St., Building 824), Tuesdays 7-10p & Saturdays 12-4p. – The best kept secret in San Pedro! The Belmont Shore Railroad Club is the oldest and largest N scale club and offers clinics on modeling and an opportunity to explore a new hobby. Admission is FREE and open to the public. For more info, call (310) 831-6262 or visit belmontshorerr.com. 5 (Thurs) – FIRST THURSDAY in Downtown San Pedro, 6p. – The popular First Thursday ArtWalk is back in the historic core of Downtown San Pedro. The redesigned First Thursday will feature guided ArtWalk tours, open galleries, outdoor dining, and live music on the corner of 6th and Mesa streets. 6-7 (Fri-Sat) – HEART PLANTER WORKSHOP at Rustic Charm & Petals (410 W. 7th St.), May 6: 6:30p, May 7: 3p. – Grab your gals and join us for an evening filled with fun at Rustic Charm & Petals! We provide all necessary supplies and materials, including a pre-made heartshaped wooden planter, succulents, and succulent soil. We will also be providing dinner from Raffaello’s Italian Restaurant and some yummy, sweet treats, along with instruction from our owner Sandy. The event will take place inside our new workshop space at the shop. The store will also be open for shopping during the event. We hope to see you there! Price $135. For more info, call (310) 755-4576 or sign up at rusticcharmandpetals.com.
7 (Sat) – MOTHER’S DAY POP-UP at The Corner Store (1118 W. 37th St.), 9a-3p. – Join more than a dozen artists, artisans, and makers outside San Pedro's favorite neighborhood store for a fun day of shopping for Mom! Hosted by Homemade by the Hays and The Corner Store, featuring live music by Dustin Case. The event is sponsored by San Pedro Today. Best parking is along Paseo Del Mar. 7 (Sat) – HONOR MOTHERS SAIL at Los Angeles Maritime Institute (Berth 73, Suite 2), 6-8:30p. – Celebrate Mother’s Day sailing the San Pedro Bay and watching the sunset from the deck of a tall ship. You can sit back and relax or become part of the crew — your choice! Please wear close-toed shoes and bring a coat in case it gets chilly. Our monthly community sails support our educational programs for youth in need. Tickets $60 for adults, $30 for children (12 and under). LAMI members receive 10% OFF all community sails. For more info, call 310-833-6055, email info@ lamitopsail.org, or visit lamitopsail.org. 21 (Sat) – SAN PEDRO RELAY FOR LIFE at Christ Lutheran Church & School (28850 S. Western Ave.), 9a-9p. – All are invited to the San Pedro Relay For Life, an event to offer community support while creating awareness and raising funds for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society supports scientists at pivotal points in their career to ensure a future of groundbreaking research. We work to ensure everyone benefits from advances in research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Please come out and enjoy this FREE family-friendly event which will include a survivors' breakfast, opening ceremony and victory lap followed by team laps around the track, “Fight Back” ceremony, luminaria ceremony, plus entertainment, vendors, and food throughout the day. For more info or to pre-register, visit relayforlife. org/sanpedroca. See story on page 10.
21 (Sat) – SAN PEDRO BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY NAVY TEA at Muller House Museum Patio (1542 S. Beacon St.), 1-4p. – Tea sandwiches, salad, and treats. Honor the long-ago San Pedro Navy wives' tradition of gathering to enjoy tea and conversation. Teacups were often exchanged between women and ended up on another base when the family was reassigned. Teacups available to use or buy, or bring your own and share its story! $25 for SPBHS members, $30 for non-members, $15 for children under 12. For reservations, email sanpedrohistory@gmail.com or visit sanpedrobayhistoricalsociety.com. 27–30 (Fri-Mon) – LA FLEET WEEK at the Battleship Iowa (250 S. Harbor Blvd.), 10a-6p. – LA Fleet Week® is an annual, multi-day celebration of our nation’s Sea Services held on the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles over the extended Memorial Day Weekend. This year's public events include active-duty ship tours, military displays and equipment demonstrations, Wells Fargo Veterans Village, live music and entertainment, aircraft flyovers, Qualcomm STEM Expo, and Galley Wars culinary cook-off competition between Sailor, Marine, and Coast Guard teams. Lots of fun for the entire family. And best of all, the weekend event is FREE to the general public! LA Fleet Week is not only a fun public event, but also facilitates numerous symposiums, exercises, and outreach focused on community resiliency, disaster preparedness, and support for area residents. For more info, visit lafleetweek.com. 27-30 (Fri-Mon) – FESTIVAL OF SAIL at Downtown Harbor at the LA Waterfront (504 S. Harbor Blvd., bottom of 6th Street and the Harbor Cut), 9a-6p. – The annual Festival of Sail includes harbor education sails, cannon battle sails, sunset sails, and FREE deck tours. FREE booth activities include International Guild of Knot Tyers, rope-making machine, Sea Scout Maritime demos, STEAM activities, period reenactors, crafts, unique photo-ops, and nautical woodcraft. For tickets, event prices, schedule, and more info, visit lamitopsail.org/festival.
June 11-12 (Sat-Sun) – 34th ANNUAL PALOS VERDES STREET FAIR & MUSIC FESTIVAL in Rolling Hills Estates (550 Deep Valley Drive, intersection of Norris Center Drive and Deep Valley Drive). – The largest event on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Palos Verdes Street Fair & Music Festival attracts visitors from across the South Bay and provides direct access to the affluent Palos Verdes community. Recognized as a high quality, family-friendly event, the fair features a range of activities designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of visitors. Celebrating its 34th year, the fair is the official kickoff to the summer season on the peninsula. Key features of the event include main stage live performances featuring a range of professional bands as well as community groups, huge carnival with rides and games for all ages, Teen Night for local students, over 150 artisans and vendors, international food court, beer & wine garden, Young Entrepreneurs trade show, and a community resource row, featuring public agencies and resources for residents and businesses. Special attractions, such as blood mobile, petting zoo, art contests, and more. Admission, parking, and entertainment are FREE. Promote your business at the Palos Verdes Street Fair & Music Festival with a variety of sponsorship opportunities. Custom packages also available. For more info or for vendor applications, contact the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce at (310) 377-8111 or connect@palosverdeschamber.com, or visit palosverdeschamber.com.
spt Email events@sanpedrotoday.com to place a listing for a small fee. Deadline for the June 2022 issue is Friday, May 13. Find more events at sanpedrotoday.com.
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UKRAINIAN ART EXHIBITION
Offering a glimpse into the land of rich cultural traditions and people of many talents.
FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK MAY 5, 6-9 PM Artist Tamara Nikolaieva
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Gallery open for you by appointment
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MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 9
WALKING WITH A PURPOSE
RELAY FOR LIFE RETURNS TO SAN PEDRO by Nadia Nizetich
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THE SAN PEDRO RELAY FOR LIFE returns on May 21 at Christ Lutheran Church and School. The event is part of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life series, which has held fundraising walks across the nation for 36 years. Now in its 22nd year, the San Pedro walk offers locals an opportunity to celebrate cancer survivors, honor those they have lost, and contribute to a cure alongside members of their community. To kick off the day, a survivor and caregiver breakfast will be held at 9 a.m. Selected participants will take the stage to share stories about their experiences with cancer. The walk will then commence with the inaugural “Survivor Lap,” during which cancer survivors will complete the first lap of the day as attendees cheer them on from the sidelines. Afterwards, all caregivers — family and friends who cared for someone with cancer — will join survivors for a second lap. Attendees will then be invited to take to the track, walking until the event concludes at 9 p.m. Multiple ceremonies will be held to punctuate the day.
The first, the “Fight Back” service, will occur at 4 p.m. and symbolize the emotional commitment survivors and caregivers make in their fights against cancer. Against a backdrop of thousands of flags — each representing a person in the community who will battle cancer in the upcoming year — attendees will hear motivational speeches by organizers before selecting a flag and pledging to fight back. The walk will then continue until 7 p.m., at which time the Luminaria ceremony will take place. As dusk falls, participants will grieve those they’ve lost and reflect on the battles of themselves or others. The ceremony will begin with a moment of silence followed by a silent lap, and a series of speakers will then assume the stage to share their personal struggles with cancer. The ceremony — and the entirety of Relay For Life — will culminate in the lighting of luminaria bags, paper lanterns that symbolize remembrance for those lost and hope for the future. For more info or to preregister, visit relayforlife.org/ sanpedroca. spt
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MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 11
REMEMBERING
ROMEE SEPTEMBER 16, 1978 - APRIL 8, 2022
CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SAN PEDRO HISTORIAN, ANGELA ROMERO Romero photographed on Sixth Street in Downtown San Pedro, February 2019. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
'I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO CARE' by Joshua Stecker
SAN PEDRO TODAY: What inspired you to pursue such a lofty goal of walking every block in San Pedro? The simple answer is history. I was doing some research on the Warner Grand Theatre and got really interested in the history of San Pedro. I was shocked at how little I knew and figured that I probably wasn’t alone in my ignorance. There really should be a historical museum in San Pedro, a place where people can go to learn about the history of a town our families built. I want to make that dream a reality, but I didn’t feel worthy of the task when there were parts of town I had never seen with my own eyes. I needed street cred, and the only way to get it was to walk for it. – Angela Romero, San Pedro Today, June 2010. The quote above is from a Q&A I did with Angela following the completion of her nine-month San Pedro: Block by Block journey, where she successfully walked every street in San Pedro and chronicled it online at spbxb.wordpress.com. (The site is still up.) It was her first appearance in the magazine; that was her first answer. Even from the beginning, she had her sights set on building a museum for San Pedro. But before she could run with that idea, she had to walk. My journey with Angela began a year before that first interview, in the summer of 2009. She asked me for advice about her Block by Block idea, and I told her to “Just start doing it,” which she did.
12 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2022
To be honest, I was skeptical at first. Who in their right mind would walk every street in San Pedro? Has she seen the hills here? But she did it. Not only did she finish, but through her blog and social media, she developed a devoted audience, many of whom stuck with her through the years. Angela officially joined San Pedro Today as a columnist in June 2011, and from then on, we were a team. She was my “go-to.” Whenever I was stumped on something San Pedro-related, or I needed a story idea, or I needed information on a person, place, or event, she was the first person I’d reach out to. Nine times out of ten, she had the answer. Eventually, she became everyone’s goto, but she always reminded me that her devotion to the magazine came first, for which I will be forever grateful. We had some of the most amazing conversations, not only about the future of San Pedro, but about life and the strange roles we’ve played (her a historian, me a magazine publisher), in the community and in each other’s lives. Even though we were both fourth generation San Pedrans, we always felt like outsiders in our hometown. A feeling that fueled both of our origin stories. Angela was passionate about sharing her work with the public. It wasn’t just about the research, which she loved. She believed her work wasn’t finished until the community was able to hear about it. Angela was a firm believer that history needed
to be constantly shared to keep it alive. She loved to share what she uncovered, whether it be in a column, on a walking tour, or during a presentation. To Angela, her work was all about community. She was an ideas person and was constantly carving out thoughts in her notebook. One of her biggest complaints to me was that she was “full of good ideas,” but she could “never see them through.” It wasn’t uncommon to get texts from her in the middle of the night with some random thought on a column subject or a new San Pedro-related project. The ideas never stopped coming. Even through her cancer treatment, we were making plans to produce a San Pedro history podcast (we were able to record one test show) and work on an illustrated project. Sadly, our combined list of unfinished projects remains long. Angela and I bonded over two things: our love of storytelling and our love for our hometown. For her, that love manifested itself into what has now become her legacy, the San Pedro Heritage Museum. From her very first appearance in these pages, her life’s work was to culminate with the opening of a museum devoted to the history and culture of San Pedro. “A place where people can go to learn about the history of a town our families built.” When the board of directors of the San Pedro Heritage Museum meets soon, we will begin the work of putting her dream into action. She was “a daughter of San Pedro,” a
fact she was quick to remind me of in her final days. As I sat with her alone, less than a week before she passed, I asked what she hoped our community would take away from her life’s work. She paused, thought about it for a few seconds, and said, “I just want people to care [about San Pedro].” For more than a decade, Angela used her wit and wisdom to remind us to care about where we came from and be aware of where we’re headed. Her last column, “Keep San Pedro Cozy” (Jan. 2022), was her way of bridging old and new San Pedro as our community prepares for the redevelopment of downtown and the waterfront. “San Pedro is special because San Pedro is cozy,” she wrote. “It’s comfortable and neighborly. It gets under your skin in both good and frustrating ways, but you’ll never give up on it. San Pedro is a forever home — no matter where you go, you can always come back. This is how we bridge the two San Pedros; we work to keep San Pedro cozy.” spt Joshua Stecker is the publisher and editorin-chief of San Pedro Today. The Romero family has set up a GoFundMe page to assist with memorial costs. Any funds not used will be donated to the San Pedro Heritage Museum. Donate here: https://gofund.me/91570fdb
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MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 13
REMEMBERING
ROMEE
SEPTEMBER 16, 1978 - APRIL 8, 2022
The Romero Family, circa 2014: Angela (center) with (from l to r) her grandmother, Sandra Asoau; sister, Regina Ritter; brother-in-law, Craig Ritter; father, Juventino Romero; sister, Emily Romero; sister-in-law, Miranda Romero; and brother, J.R. Romero. (photo: courtesy the Romero family)
ANGELA'S HEARTBEAT
HER YOUNGER SISTER REFLECTS ON ROMERO'S LOYALTY, DEPENDABILITY, AND FEARLESSNESS by Regina Ritter IT’S 1989. I’m eight years old; Angela is eleven. Our mother has made us wake up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday, yet again. Our father works nights at Todd Shipyard. Our mother works at an employment agency in Torrance. For a family of five, it isn’t enough. To supplement income, our mother delivers newspapers around our neighborhood for the News-Pilot. She’s taken on several routes, probably too many, to help our family afford our Summerland home and the thousands of activities she has us doing at any given moment: piano lessons, accordion lessons, ballet folklorico dancing, tap dancing, soccer, softball, Girl Scouts. To my mother, exposing us to as many hobbies and interests as possible is important. She throws what she can at us to see what sticks. But lots of activities mean lots of money. So, here we are on our umpteenth early Saturday morning when all of our friends are still deep in dreamland. While it’s become routine, we still protest miserably as our mother shakes us awake and directs us to the porch to fold papers. Folding papers is the worst. After folding nearly a hundred, your hands are black with ink, and your cuticles are rubbed raw from wrapping the rubber band around them. My mother has the route mapped and timed to a T. Luckily, Angela and I have done this so much by this point that we can almost do it while sleeping. Our mother drops us off on 2nd Street to walk part of the route by foot while she takes the next street over, tossing papers from her car
14 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2022
with impressive accuracy. Angela takes one side of the street; I take the other. Somewhere in my newspaper delivery oblivion, I fail to notice the two men wearing sunglasses in the early morning who have gotten out of their car and have started to approach me. Angela, in her typical acute awareness of situations, notices immediately. She’s already started yelling and running across the street to me. The two men, somehow startled by this 11-year-old girl charging toward them, quickly make an about-face and are driving off before I snap into awareness again. IT’S 1995. I’m a freshman entering Narbonne High School; Angela is a senior. I’m following in my sister’s footsteps again. I should be going to San Pedro High School with all of my Pedro friends, but I want to go with my sister. Since middle school at Dodson, I’ve watched as my sister has made an amazing group of friends with wild aspirations, all of them involved in school clubs and activities. I saw how she found a place for herself and started to come into her own at Narbonne. Most of her friends live in Lomita or Harbor City, so the natural high school choice was Narbonne. For my sister, she chooses to attend Narbonne in the hopes of finding more open doors than SPHS could offer. As fourth generation San Pedrans, we see the struggle our families go through — experiencing neighborhood violence, no higher education, living near poverty — and we equate it all to living in San Pedro. We see San Pedro as a container with the lid
tightly closed above our heads, not allowing our heads to get too far in the clouds. Going to Narbonne is a way of poking holes into that container to let our dreams spill out. It won’t be until much later that we will realize San Pedro isn’t closed at all; it has an entire coast open to infiniteness. As the first freshman class to enter Narbonne (prior to this, high school began in 10th grade), I nervously approach the campus for my first day of school. Some of those nerves are eased by having my sister, a senior, there. My sister takes it upon herself to meet me before and after each class, during nutrition, and during lunch to show me around. By the end of the first day, I already know where to buy the best chocolate chip cookies, where to avoid going unless I want to be dumped in a trash can, and where my sister hangs out during breaks in case I need her. IT’S 2006. I’m 25 years old; Angela just turned 28 a week ago. We’ve just arrived at our hotel outside of Paris in a seedy town called Saint-Denis. The website where I booked the hotel bragged about its close proximity to vibrant Paris. They failed to mention the litter and graffiti we will need to walk through to catch the C-line train to Paris. I have never been to Europe, but here I am, with as much as I could fit into two suitcases, ready to spend the next year teaching and living in Paris. My sister has already been to Europe a few times, so she feels a little more comfortable navigating unfamiliar towns. She insisted on coming
with me to help me find a place to live and get situated. As much as it would have been easy to use it as an excuse to take a vacation, she takes her job seriously. For the next five days, we take the train to Paris, sit at a café facing the Fontaine St. Michel, sift through housing magazines, and make calls. She accompanies me to every apartment viewing and listens to me as I complain about how expensive it is to live in a shoebox. Because we are near broke from the cost of the café au laits we had to buy to sit at the café, our meals back at the hotel typically consist of fresh baguettes from the closest boulangerie and some jam we have stored in our room’s mini fridge. On the seventh day of apartment hunting, we go to see an apartment directly behind the fountain we’ve been staring at every day. It’s perfect. Angela leaves to go home the next day, and I move into my new apartment the following day. IT’S 2020. I have just given birth to our third child, four months after the country shut down for the pandemic. Two days prior, Angela moved in with us to spend a few weeks helping us adjust to life as a family of five, all three children under three years old. In a pandemic. With everything closed. It’s too risky to potentially bring COVID back home to our immunocompromised father or bring COVID to our home with a newborn. Like the other two, my sister is the first person to welcome us home with a new baby — baby Drew. Her face is full of relief after spending 48 hours watching the older
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Top: Romero with her niece and nephews (l to r) Brooke, Drew, and Coy; bottom: having fun with her late mother, Maria. (photos: courtesy the Romero family) children, Brooke (3) and Coy (1), while we were in the hospital, but mostly her face is full of love — instant love for our newest family member, her newest nephew. She might as well be an emoji with hearts for eyes. After our mother passed away in 2010, I was worried that the children wouldn’t have anyone smothering them with love and kisses as my mother did with us (and with my poor then-boyfriend-now-husband who wasn’t used to quite so much physical touch). Angela loves our children as much as we do. She spends Drew’s first two weeks of life as his personal memory foam mattress. We even start to call her “Memory Foam Nana,” Nana being the name my children call her. In these two weeks, she forms her biggest connection to anything on this planet: Drew. IT’S 2022. The year we thought would finally bring us all closer together. Angela’s cancer diagnosis in 2021 meant more virtual visits and kisses behind masks. We had front yard visits to make it safer for her to visit with the children. She would often bring a San Pedro treat — pizza from Miller Butler, pan dulce from Tropicana Bakery, sandwiches from Busy Bee — since she was insistent that my Orange Country children experience San Pedro in any way possible. We built a bedtime video chat into the children’s bedtime routine to keep their connection with their Nana. Anyone who
was with her around bedtime knew the call was coming. She would stop whatever she was doing to take those video calls, literally pulling over the car at times. The pandemic and a cancer diagnosis could not keep my sister away from her niece and nephews. Her love for them was beyond any earthly measure. Looking back on my time with my sister/ best friend, every story reflects her core qualities — her fierce loyalty, drop-of-adime dependability, her acute observations, and a fearlessness to live life her own way. She was the rock to which I tethered myself, making sure I didn’t drift too far away from myself. She was always the first person I called or texted or saw when anything big happened in my life. Always. I know these stories I share aren’t unique. There are countless stories from countless people whose lives she touched. I’m grateful to have these stories to hold on to and share with my children so that the love she gave while on Earth will continue to beat. I look forward to carrying on her mission to share her love for San Pedro with future generations. I’m excited to take my children to walk the same streets she walked in San Pedro and feel her soul pulsing through the town. spt Regina Ritter is one of Angela Romero's younger sisters.
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REMEMBERING
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Romero introducing the San Pedro Heritage Museum at the old Sirens Java & Tea location, November 2018. (photo: Amanda Silva)
SHARING SAN PEDRO
A LOOK BACK ON ROMERO'S WORK AND LEGACY by Megan Barnes BARISTAS DEVELOP a sort of internal facial recognition software with people and their drink orders. Even though it’s been eight years since I worked at Starbucks, when I’m out shopping and see a familiar face I can’t quite place, it automatically runs through my memory bank, which returns with, “Skinny Vanilla Latte. Extra hot, no foam.” Or, “Grande Mocha. Was super forgiving that time you spilled his drink.” That’s what happened when I opened the June 2010 issue of San Pedro Today to a Q&A with Romee, the mysterious author of one of my favorite blogs, San Pedro: Block by Block. “Wait, I know her….” I thought. “That’s Venti Black Iced Tea!” A freelance reporter at the time, I had been wanting to track Romee down and interview her about her ambitious blogging project, in which she set out to walk every street in San Pedro, documenting everything she learned along the way with five photo-filled posts a day. Little did I know, I had been making her drink for months. I found Block by Block the way I imagine many people did — after Googling something old and neat-looking in town that caught my eye. It took Romee nine months to cover every nook and cranny in the 12 square miles of San Pedro on Block by Block. By the end, she had amassed a dedicated following of readers who shared her curiosity and enthusiasm for the unique culture and history of San Pedro. She even had guest walkers join her, including Joshua Stecker, publisher and editor-in-chief of San Pedro Today, and then-City Councilwoman Janice Hahn. Romee started Block by Block in August 2009 after her corporate finance job fell
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victim to the Great Recession. She would often credit her late mother, Maria, for being the inspiration for the blog when one day, she suggested Romee take a walk to cure her boredom and unemployment blues. But there was something else that motivated her to explore San Pedro. Despite being a fourth-generation San Pedran, growing up, Romee felt disconnected from her hometown, like she was an outsider. It’s why when she graduated from Dodson Middle School, she decided to follow her friends to Narbonne High School’s magnet program and be a Gaucho instead of a San Pedro High School Pirate. Her curiosity about her community was sparked in adulthood when she volunteered with Grand Vision Foundation, which supports Downtown San Pedro’s historic art deco movie palace, the Warner Grand Theatre. She fell in love with the theatre’s history. The more she got to know San Pedro, the more her disillusionment melted and made way for a deepening fascination and appreciation. She became a fixture in the San Pedro Bay Historical Society archives, picking the brain of her mentor and idol, archivist Anne Hansford, and spending many hours devouring microfilm and clippings from the San Pedro News-Pilot. Joshua beat me to interviewing Romee about Block by Block, but I finally got to sit down with her in January 2011. San Pedro icon and longtime Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Director John Olguin had passed away on New Year’s Day. She was organizing a community memorial on Paseo del Mar to honor him. Angela, as I learned was her real name (Romee was a clever early pen name that
stuck), asked me to meet her at the Starbucks on Western Avenue and Westmont Drive. In true Pedro fashion, it just so happened that I would be there anyway to work the closing shift later that day. We hit it off so well during the interview that I spent my lunch break chatting with her. Soon, we started hanging out regularly and became best friends. Later that year, Angela parlayed her newfound street cred into Townee Tours, taking nostalgic San Pedrans, Girl Scout troops, and grade school students alike to the streets to learn about important events and influential figures. In addition to the waterfront, downtown, filming locations, and big names such as John T. Gaffey, George H. Peck, and Rudecinda Sepulveda de Dodson, she came up with the most fascinating subjects. There were entire tours dedicated to pizza spots, specific neighborhoods like Vinegar Hill and Vista Del Oro, haunted houses, and literary figures. Perhaps her biggest hit was a tour of Ports O’ Call Village just before it was demolished in 2018 to make way for the future West Harbor development, a process she closely documented, likening its significance to the razing of Beacon Street in the 1970s. I went on some of the same tours multiple times, not just to support my bestie, but because they were that good. Angela and I both became regular contributors to San Pedro Today. While I covered feature stories, she brought her personal, relatable, and humorous tone to a culture and history column that became a reader favorite. We decided to join forces and create a hyperlocal podcast and blog called That’s So Pedro. The first episode
debuted on March 1, 2013, the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of San Pedro’s brief run as its own city. We had no idea what we were doing but dove in headfirst. With each episode, we dissected the latest community hot topics, interviewed prominent San Pedrans or everyday residents doing something cool and interesting, and explored the sights and sounds of San Pedro. You could find us walking around First Thursday with a microphone asking passersby what was “so Pedro” to them for a compilation of soundbites. Angela started Facebook and Instagram pages for That’s So Pedro, which quickly became popular and remained so for years after we stopped doing the podcast. Her profile rose as a San Pedro historian, expert, and respected voice in the community. She became a regular guest speaker at luncheons, a board member of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society and the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, and a studio artist at Angels Gate Cultural Center (with her medium being words). She branched out to give lectures on an ever-widening range of subjects, took her trivia-filled tours aboard trolleys, acted as a local history consultant, and wrote “house histories” for homeowners who wanted to learn about when their homes were built and the families who lived within their walls before them. Angela accumulated many historical artifacts through generous donors, estate sales, and fate encounters. There were 1960s-era office supplies branded with the logos of long-gone San Pedro businesses, drinking glasses from iconic watering holes, Ports O’ Call Village signs, and even
a large ceremonial key to the San Pedro Courthouse from its opening in 1969. She dreamed of someday displaying them in a brick-and-mortar museum. So in 2018, she founded the San Pedro Heritage Museum, a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the rich history and culture of San Pedro through research, historic preservation, exhibitions, and educational programs. Angela developed local history lessons for schoolchildren and started a crowdsourcing project called San Pedro Built that aimed to create a database of historical photos tracing the town’s development. She gained international media attention in 2019 when she launched a fundraising campaign to erect a statue memorializing the prolific poet, novelist, and San Pedro resident Charles Bukowski. The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce recognized Angela that same year as one of its Women’s History Month honorees. She continued her historical programming during the COVID-19 pandemic with her popular “Heritage at Home” virtual talk series. She went back to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Cal State Long Beach in 2020, with plans to pursue a master’s degree. Angela was a star student and let each of her professors know at the start of the semester that she would find a San Pedro subject for every research paper assignment that she could. Her essay on
Romero speaks during the Charles Bukowski birthday celebration, poetry reading, and statue fundraising launch event at Sacred Grounds coffee shop, August 16, 2019. (photo: courtesy the Romero family)
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Top: Barnes (left) and Romero at the opening of artist Tim Maxeiner's exhibit at Cornelius Projects in 2014; bottom: Romero giving a walking tour through Averill Park in 2017. (photos: Laurie Jacobs, Amanda Silva)
StarKist’s iconic Charlie the Tuna cartoon fish won an award from the Los Angeles City Historical Society. Also, her short play, The Grief Sherpa, was selected to be produced by the CSULB Theatre Department. Angela was invited by the Los Angeles Public Library in 2021 to give a virtual talk on well-known San Pedro-raised civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama. In February 2022, she was asked back to join her good friend Ednita Kelly, children’s librarian at the San Pedro Regional Library, to interview San Pedro icon and ballet superstar Misty Copeland, the first Black female principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre. Toward the end of her life, Angela was knee-deep in research, writing a history of Temple Beth El for its centennial celebration. I could go on and on about Angela’s work, and I’m sure I’ll kick myself later for what l failed to mention here. But know that she did so much more than highlight local history for her community. Through her research and different mediums of creative storytelling, Angela connected San Pedro to all facets of our society and institutions and shared it with the world. She showed us the many ways San Pedro played a role in larger events and themes in U.S. history and world history. She was passionate about making the case that San Pedro history is worthy of scholarly research. I was incredibly lucky to call Angela my pal, and the impact she had on my life
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cannot be overstated. The same is true for San Pedro. Her knowledge and insight were a gift to us all that we must not take for granted. It’s on us now to keep Angela’s vision going, to ensure San Pedro history is kept alive for generations and not left in storage. In her final San Pedro Today column (“Keep San Pedro Cozy,” Jan. 2022), Angela wrote about this interesting time we are in, in between the old and new San Pedro. It’s already playing out in the very place our friendship began. As you may have read, Starbucks has plans to move its Western and Westmont store into a future drivethru in the same shopping center, as nearby Ponte Vista finally rises. But even as things change all around us, as buildings and people leave us, I am hopeful that the thing Angela so brilliantly identified, that cozy vibe and essence that drew my parents and so many others to San Pedro, can and will endure. Let’s make sure of it. spt Megan Barnes is a former reporter for the Daily Breeze, Long Beach Press-Telegram and San Pedro Today. She probably made your latte at Starbucks in the 2010s.
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MY HISTORY BEST FRIEND by Alan Johnson
Romero with the old Hamburger Hut wiener dog sign in front of the Warner Grand. (photo: the Romero family)
ANGELA & THE WARNER GRAND by Liz Schindler Johnson & Taran Schindler IN 2007, GRAND VISION FOUNDATION was focused on the Warner Grand Theatre’s revitalization and had just finished a major campaign to replace its worn-out seats. Then the Great Recession hit, and it became very quiet at the office. Then, we got an interesting phone call from a prestigious ad agency, Saatchi & Saatchi. They told us that they were offering free strategic marketing services to select nonprofits. Grand Vision had been selected. It seemed too good to be true, but we agreed to participate. Their team came to visit, and that’s when we met Angela, who was working in their finance department. Saatchi’s focus was on how to increase interest in the Warner Grand. Even back then, Angela was masterminding ways to bring attention to San Pedro’s history. It wasn’t long before Angela’s team returned and told us the best way to attract people to the theatre was to answer the most common questions: What celebrities had been there? What movies and TV shows were filmed there? And of course: Were there ghosts? Our first reaction was, “You’re kidding!” But Angela was right. She made the Warner Grand’s history fun and accessible, showing us that you can build on those questions once you bring folks inside. At the time, we thought we knew what there was to know about the theatre. Liz had been to the historical society, traced the early years, and collected old photos. Taran, new to town, jumped in and did some research for the theatre’s 75th anniversary.
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But it was when Angela launched Townee Tours that we really saw her passion and talent for communicating history. She created a fascinating and thorough slideshow/tour/talk on the Warner Grand that filled in all the gaps. We welcomed the breadth and depth of her knowledge and are still humbled by it. Angela always shared her research findings generously because she was truly a public historian. We will miss our many conversations about some fascinating tidbit, whether it was about the popular first manager of the theatre (“Doc”) or the day Madonna did a film shoot at the Warner Grand. Even just a few months ago, Angela was uncovering new stories about the merchants of 6th Street. Angela’s authentic, insightful, empathetic, and sometimes quirky voice came through eloquently in her writing. Her work left an indelible imprint on us personally and on Grand Vision Foundation. In her short time on the planet, she was a unique community teacher. We are determined that her efforts continue to be known and built upon. As San Pedro moves into the future, let’s remember that Angela inspired us to look back and understand the town’s formative years and that she asked us to always be curious. spt Liz Schindler Johnson is the executive director of Grand Vision Foundation, and Taran Schindler is its deputy and artistic director. Liz has a background in public service, and Taran has a background in history. They’re sisters.
IT’S HARD TO OVERESTIMATE the significance of the loss of a town’s most active historian. The one who makes its history accessible and interesting to young and old, to both locals and newcomers. The one who has done her research and written the scholarly papers, especially in a town so steeped in history and at a time of so much change. Angela and I made an instant connection over our appreciation for local history. Her hours of research and flair for storytelling added richness and complexity to the subject. We both enjoyed geeking out over the smallest of details. She got a kick out of the fact that a historian and a real estate developer could be such good friends, but with our common interests, it made perfect sense to me. In fact, she referred to me recently as her “history best friend,” which brought me to tears. She grew quite concerned as things in San Pedro began to change in earnest over the last half-decade. We would talk at length about what’s been lost and not replaced. I would argue that the town lacked investment, and she feared what that investment might bring about, a fear we both shared. Her last magazine column, “Keep San Pedro Cozy” (San Pedro Today, Jan. 2022), attempted to recognize that change was inevitable, but losing what makes San Pedro such a unique and wonderful place was not.
One of the last requests she made of me was to entrust West Harbor with the old Ports O’ Call bulletin board, with the explicit understanding that, while it will remain the property of the San Pedro Heritage Museum, it will be incorporated into the new development, paying homage to such an important part of our collective memory. Her legacy will continue, and when the board of the San Pedro Heritage Museum meets again, we will begin the work of making her vision a reality. Angela was both our town’s historian and a brilliant writer. That was never more evident than when she shared some of her work from a creative writing class at CSULB, where she incorporated historical themes into her stories. But what convinced us both of her talent was when she invited my wife and me to the university’s theatre group production of her deeply moving short play, The Grief Sherpa. I was eager to see what extraordinary thing she would do next, but tragically, her life was cut short. Her friendship and what she accomplished was truly a gift to me and — judging by the recent outpouring of love — to the entire community and anyone who had the great fortune to know her. spt Alan Johnson is CEO of Jerico Development.
NO ONE QUITE LIKE HER by L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn ALL OF US LOVE SAN PEDRO, but few of us can say we love it with more fervor than Angela Romero. How many of us would do what she did and attempt to walk every single block of San Pedro? I love my town, but that is even too much for me. Angela made it her life’s work to not only learn everything she could about our beloved San Pedro but also share it with all of us. On her tours, she introduced locals and newcomers alike to our town’s most famous and infamous places. We looked forward to reading her columns and finding out what quirky history she dug up for us that month. Her love of this community brought its history directly to the people —
and we loved her for it. She took her love of San Pedro wherever she went. I remember when she visited me in my office in Congress (presumably to check in on how a San Pedran was faring in Washington, DC) and gave my staff a San Pedro history lesson while I was at votes. There was truly no one quite like Angela, and maybe there never will be again — as so many who knew her will tell you, she was truly one of a kind. We lost Angela too soon. I am sure there was so much more she had to teach us. But now, the baton has been passed to us. It is up to us, her readers and followers, to keep the history of San Pedro alive. May she rest in peace. spt
MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 23
A HERO WITHOUT A CAPE by Amanda Silva
Lamborn and Romero at Point Fermin Park. (photo: Sanam Lamborn)
MY FRIEND, THE HISTORIAN by Sanam Lamborn tion. I loved the pre-presentation chats with the attendants with a cocktail in hand. A few post-presentation hangouts changed the nature of our interactions; we became fast friends. Asking her to collaborate on the sandwiches and parks column (San Pedro Today, June 2021) was the beginning of many fun food dates. In retrospect, it is only fitting that our close friendship would blossom once I started doing something that highlights what Pedro has to offer by creating Eat in San Pedro and writing for San Pedro Today. While I knew Romee was having health issues, I was not prepared for the up-to-then illusive diagnosis: cancer. She equated the treatments that lay ahead to being securely strapped into a rollercoaster. She had full confidence in her team of doctors, and I figuratively climbed on one of the cars behind her, fully believing that she’d be cancer-free by the time we got off. Her steadfast approach set the tone and path. Romee and I scheduled our hangouts around her chemo sessions. I took pride in introducing her to the new foodie happenings in town like Miller Butler’s pizza on the block, the monthly garden swaps, Banana Betty’s Vista Del Oro adjacent grown bananas, my favorite sourdough makers, and pop-ups. When I first met Romee, I assumed she was an introvert. Since I am married to one, I understand boundaries, space, and time. Later, I learned how fiercely private she was. This aspect of her personality was comforting to me because we both understood the importance of loyalty and feeling safe in a friendship. Romee may have been the equivalent of a celebrity, but she offered a friendship that was
emotionally fulfilling for me. She was a captivating storyteller and naturally drew your attention, whether on a tour or individual conversation. She listened attentively, gave honest feedback, and was an endless source of encouragement to pursue anything that brought awareness to the uniqueness of this town. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to wish her a smooth transition and tell her how much I loved her during our last visit, two days before she passed away. I will always cherish the memory of the mention of my birthday coming up. Romee opening her eyes, flashing her megawatt smile, turning to our mutual friend Amanda Silva, and saying, “We need to sing her ‘Happy Birthday,’” and proceeds to do so in an upbeat way with every bit of energy she had. Romee didn’t just tell me she loved me; she showed me she did with her actions. I don’t think a fangirl could ask for
more from someone she admired for years. As I step off the metaphorical rollercoaster, engulfed in grief because Romee is not here to grow old with and collaborate with to keep the essence of this town alive as it goes through its changes, I am left questioning why her time was cut short and regretting the lost years. I take a lot of comfort in knowing her vision to continue her legacy: “Keep San Pedro Cozy.” The optimist in me is grateful for having had the opportunity to forge a close friendship with her during perhaps the most challenging time in her life. I equate it to the proverb, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” spt Sanam Lamborn created the Eat in San Pedro Facebook group and Instagram account in April 2020 to entice people to patronize San Pedro’s eateries.
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I FELL IN LOVE WITH PEDRO, not because of the strong sense of pride that the residents of this town emit, but through osmosis, specifically what Romee taught me to appreciate through its history. I came across Romee’s San Pedro: Block by Block at a time when blogs were still a novelty. I eagerly checked her site every day; finding a fellow blogger in town was exciting. The first time we met in person was on June 6, 2010, the day that she invited her followers to join her to walk the last stretch of town, the pier at Cabrillo Beach. At the time, Romee represented a very different Pedro than I was used to — a perspective mostly shaped by the neighborhood where I lived. Forming friendships in a close-knit town like Pedro can be challenging, particularly when it's established that one is not an alum of either high schools or a native. Meeting Romee was like a breath of fresh air; she was genuinely interested in what brought me here. At the time, I hoped our first meeting would turn into a friendship. We ran into each other at various public events for the next few years and always made a point to say hi and make small talk. Admittedly, seeing her around town for me was like running into a megastar celebrity. Truth be told, although we never went past acquaintances, the fangirl feelings I felt for her never subsided; if anything, they increased with every San Pedro historical activity she offered, so much so that I often scheduled my social activities around her walking tours. During the summer of 2020, Romee held weekly virtual tours. The Wednesday night Zooms became the highlight of my summer because they provided a sense of normalcy by connecting with others in our community, as well as intellectual stimula-
IN OCTOBER 2018, Angela Romero asked I’ve been included in this tribute issue at me to accompany her to what I jokingly her request, and I feel incredibly honored. referred to as the “nerd convention.” Being I created the Hello San Pedro Podcast, a self-proclaimed history nerd, Romee a podcast that would not exist without Rodidn’t mind that I called it that. It was the mee. When I told her that the town needed 13th Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar. her to start her That’s So Pedro podcast As a huge supporter of Romee and her again, she agreed that this town did need latest endeavor, the San a podcast, but instead Pedro Heritage Museum, empowered me to do it. I was more than happy She was my very first and to attend and absorb most frequent guest on anything that could potenthe podcast. I realize now tially help her in this huge that I’m not just a friend project. who loved her like many in Somewhere on the our community did; she’s USC campus in a beautiful been investing in me from and grand library, there day one. She’s planted a we were, surrounded by seed in me, a seed that she people who have actively has consistently watered preserved history in Los and nurtured throughout Angeles. What I saw and our friendship. As plans for Silva and Romero. learned that day amazed the podcast’s relaunch in me. I knew Romee was speJune are underway, I cannot cial, I knew her work was important, but it imagine moving forward without her. But I wasn’t until that event that I realized what do know that by doing so, I will be carryexactly she was doing for our small town. It ing a small torch that will contribute to the was then that I saw her for who she really bright, brilliant, and blazing fire that is her was — a hero without a cape — doing the legacy. work of capturing and preserving the thing If I could leave you with one thing, let me that makes San Pedro so special. encourage you to embrace your love for You might wonder who I am and why my our town, as she encouraged me, and let it friendship and love for Angela are relevant guide you as we enter this next chapter of to the community as you’re reading someSan Pedro’s history. spt thing I wrote in our beloved San Pedro Today magazine. I also wondered the same Amanda Silva is the host of the Hello San thing. It took me a minute, but I know why Pedro podcast.
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MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 25
ROMEE WAS A WRITER
by Lee Williams
by Christian Hanz Lozada
SAN PEDRO SUFFERED A CRUSHING BLOW when we lost our friend, Angela “Romee” Romero. She has always been a part of my perspective and enthusiasm for our town. As young as she was, I looked forward to decades with her and helping her tell the stories of our town as only she could. I met Angela at one of her Townee Tours, her walking tours of San Pedro. Romee was amazing at taking the many stories of San Pedro trapped in dusty books and cramped spaces and bringing them out into the sunlight, making them more accessible to the people who live here. There was always a healthy balance of lifelong San Pedrans and brand-new residents eager to know more about how San Pedro came to be and the effects of culture and industry on how we interact. Romee walked San Pedro, street by street, gaining a perspective you don’t usually see. She would research the historical events and then give an oral history in front of the spots where they happened. Be it ghost stories and haunted houses, tales about the sisters who maintained the lighthouse, original family squabbles and scandals that chopped up the land, or San Pedro’s working-class history with temporary workforce housing, walking and talking about San Pedro comes into better focus on foot. The tours dedicated to bakeries and our family-run pizza shops gave me an appre-
ciation for trying old and new places. We would walk around Warehouse One and then up Cannery Row; we toured Ports O’ Call several times and talked about the tapestry of restaurants, developers, and tenants there. We talked about Todd Shipyards and the naval history of San Pedro. We talked about whaling and fishing. We talked about the wartime needs for labor and housing. San Pedro wasn’t built by people afraid of change, and this isn’t our first renewal. New industries and jobs continue to keep San Pedro relevant. Our future with a growing emphasis on tourism, events, and the Blue Economy is just the latest evolution of San Pedro. She explained that San Pedro was built from the harbor up. Like a pebble causing a ripple in the middle of a pond. We are renewing our town the same way, from the waterfront. We can build the housing we need to provide for our growing population. We can also bring in new industries with jobs and activities on the water while highlighting and honoring the character that makes this town unique. Romee was a bridge between San Pedro’s past and its future. Her work will not end here, and her memory will live on. spt Lee Williams leads the Williams Group at Keller Williams Realty and is a member of the Board of Directors for the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce and the Boys and Girls Club for L.A. Harbor.
SAN PEDRO'S GREAT LISTENER by Lara Hughey ROMEE WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE who always had a smile and an open heart. She was always ready for a story, whether it was one you were telling or one you asked her to tell. I came away from every conversation with her feeling enlightened, inspired, and heard. She made a huge impact on my life, and I am forever grateful. I met Romee seven years ago, and she witnessed the beginning of my endeavor to grow food in San Pedro. She had a podcast called That’s So Pedro at the time, and she invited me to be a guest on the program. Romee was one of the first people to take an interest in my idea of growing food in the community and giving me encouragement in a public space.
After that podcast, we both continued to evolve our paths and also connect with each other. And that one podcast helped bring about the farm that is now an intrinsic part of my mission. Romee got to visit the farm a few months ago and just experience it. She could see the fruition of an idea that she helped to nurture so many years ago. I am sure it is just one of her many legacies in our community. Romee will always be remembered as San Pedro’s storyteller, but she was also its greatest listener. Thank you, Romee, for listening to our stories and sharing them. Your passion, wisdom, and voice are deeply missed. spt Lara Hughey is the founder of Green Girl Farms.
AFTER “SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?’ BY CHARLES BUKOWSKI.
but after you’ve retreated to nurse your wounds, after layoffs and Great Recessions, you strap on your shoes and start Dear Hank, feeling the shape of where you live, block Unless there was a by block by block. By deadline, writing didn’t “you,” I mean that’s what “come bursting out in Romee did to come to the spite of everything,” but same place, this mythical knowledge exploded in her land where writers live that chest, pumping her blood balances the beautiful and like an engine’s pistons to the wretched in the same her brain and feet. breath. Unlike the writer you She wasn’t like you, say to be, she would Hank, writing late into the sometimes think for hours, night with your balcony flipping through this year’s door open, wine mostly bestickered composition drunk, an ashtray full of book for the right angle to butts. I’ve been with her turn her jewel, San Pedro, Romero in 2018. writing in the heat during with its many facets. She the early years of CRAFTED would take her time because she, like at the Port of LA with an A-1 sandwich and anyone reading right now, knew her town in the breeze at Alma Park with a pizza, but shone bright, depending on where you always surrounded by San Pedro. viewed it from, but lost luster from afar. Her way was her way, Charles, and it was The words would come out slowly, Hank, a good one. but the knowledge roared from the page and onto the streets under her feet. You Not Trying, could hear it on her walking tours; you Christian Hanz Lozada spt could live it in any part of this place from Vinegar Hill to Angels Gate. Christian Hanz Lozada is a poet and teachI think a lot of times, life happens to you, es English at Los Angeles Harbor College.
THE TOUR GUIDE by Laurie Jacobs WHEN ROMEE’S MOM Maria passed away, her grief turned into a passion that ignited her historic walking tours. Her mom was always part of this adventure. “My tour phone number is actually my mom’s old cell phone number; I couldn’t bear for anyone in the world to have it, so I made it my business line so my mom could still be a part of my business even though she’s no longer with us,” she once said. Romee customized three tours for my Girl Scouts. The first was at the Warner Grand in 2013. “I am so excited about doing this! San Pedro history is a passion of mine, and I really want to start teaching them young! It should be fun! I’m a total information pusher, so this has been a great exercise for me,” she said. A highlight for my girls was learning the men’s bathroom was used for a Madonna video.
The second tour was of the 2015 San Pedro Municipal Building as part of earning the Inside Government badge. The history of the building was rich, but a highlight for my girls was hanging out in the old courtroom and putting us leaders in the jail. The third tour was the most bittersweet, as this was the 2017 tour of Ports O’ Call shortly before the 2018 demolition. Romee’s stories were fascinating as she described the creation of this kitschy imitation of a New England fishing village, the old Skytower, and the infighting that eventually led to its demise. This sassy, opinionated, well-respected, and loved historian will be sorely missed. She was my friend. spt Laurie Jacobs is a San Pedro community advocate.
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dition
BRIDGING SAN PEDRO’S PAST & FUTURE
MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 27
THE SUNSHINE SOCIETY by Megan Barnes
Interviewing L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. (photo: Branimir Kvartuc)
THE ADVOCATE by Rachel Sindelar such a huge advocate for CRAFTED and a shoulder to cry on when I really needed it. She really appreciated what we did to preserve the buildings, which were close to knockdowns when we leased them. When I was shoring up community support for Brouwerij West, she put the owners on her podcast. When a key staff member left rather suddenly, she came in the office and just started doing her job until I put her on payroll. And on and on… We lost touch a little bit when she went back to school and then started working full-time on her San Pedro Heritage Museum projects, but I loved seeing her shopping at CRAFTED every now and then. We couldn’t have made it what it is today without her. spt Rachel Sindelar is the executive director of CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles.
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MY FRIEND ROMEE AND I got off on an uncharacteristically wrong foot. The first director at CRAFTED was somewhat dismissive of Romee when she met her, and I looked a little bit like her, except that she was much heavier. So for too long, Romee thought I didn’t like her, because she thought I was a different person and had just lost a lot of weight. Once we parsed that out and had a huge laugh (I think at an art gallery, and I think during First Thursday), I asked her if she would help me learn more about the community and run CRAFTED better, and she was so flattered that I would ask. For several years after that, we were at CRAFTED together almost every day. It’s not a big secret that CRAFTED was really struggling for the first few years, and I feel like Romee kept it going out of sheer force of will. She kept me going, anyway. She was
TRYING TO PIN DOWN one special anthemselves, successfully petitioned Los ecdote from my memories of Angela, my Angeles Unified to make the school a realbest friend and one-time podcast co-host, ity. Their first success came a couple years seems impossible. But here’s one I think earlier, when they organized to establish encapsulates who she was both as a histo- a Sunday school and church (later known rian and a friend. as Grandview Methodist). Long before the If you followed Angela’s work, you know church moved to its eventual location, in she was big on giving credit to the many 1922, the Sunshine Society secured donawomen who shaped San Pedro history. tions to purchase a lot of land and bought Angela highlighted how Pedro women are an unused military barrack for $1 to use as natural leaders who get a church and temporary things done, whether they classrooms for the future were prominent figures school. like civil rights activist Angela pointed to the Yuri Kochiyama (known as where the barrack was Mary Nakahara in her San moved to for its new use — Pedro days) or mothers it was where my parents’ who went to work in the house and their neighbor’s tuna canneries. home stand today. She This story involves knew my mom and I would one such group of Pedro be going on the tour and women: the Sunshine saved this discovery to see Society. I had never heard the surprised looks on our of them until I was on one faces. I later visited the Candy Cane Lane, 2017. of Angela’s neighborSan Pedro Bay Historical hood walking tours a few Society archives to make years ago. This time, we hit the sidewalks I copies of photos and articles about the spent my childhood playing on in GrandSunshine Society and how they quite literview. After stopping by the then-budding ally shaped their neighborhood. I put them “Alma Corner” and Alma Park, we stood in in a collage photo frame, which, thanks to front of my alma mater (no pun intended), Angela, now hangs on a wall where the first Leland Street Elementary. As Angela church and school once stood. spt explained, the nearly century-old school only came to be because of the hard work Megan Barnes is a former reporter for the of a group of moms who recognized the Daily Breeze, Long Beach Press-Telegram growing need for one in their neighborand San Pedro Today. She probably made hood. The Sunshine Society, as they called your latte at Starbucks in the 2010s.
MAY 2022 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 29
THE BACK PAGE
REUNITED: Angela embraces her late mother, Maria, on the final day of her San Pedro: Block by Block journey, which ended on the fishing pier at Cabrillo Beach on June 6, 2010. (photo: courtesy the Romero family)
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