RLn 10-27-22

Slanguage Art Studio celebrates its 20th anniversary

By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor

The Unfinished Hearings

Jan. 6 Committee leaves ongoing coup unexamined

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

The House Jan. 6 hearing on Oct. 13 not only summa rized an ironclad case that Donald J. Trump was responsible for the deadly insurrection that day, it added significant new information that further implicated Trump as well as others.

“The vast weight of evidence presented so far has shown us that the central cause of Jan. 6 was one man, Donald Trump, who many others followed,” Republican commit tee co-chair Rep. Liz Cheney said in her opening remarks. “None of this would have happened without him. He was personally and substantially involved in all of it.”

Having made its case, the committee then issued a sub poena for Trump to testify, having made perfectly clear precisely what he has to answer for. By normal standards, the hearings have been a remarkable success, establishing a public factual record that Trump and his backers have done everything imaginable to try to obscure — if not to stand on its head.

But in a larger sense, the hearings have clearly failed, because they have not even tried to do what is necessary: to defeat the ongoing GOP attempt to effectively destroy American democracy.

On the first track, the hearings were a success because of the large number of Republican witnesses who came forward and told the truth, putting their allegiance to democracy over their allegiance to the party. But on the second track, it’s clear that such individuals are an endangered species.

“Our institutions only hold when men and women of good faith make them hold regardless of the political cost,” Cheney said. “We have no guarantee that these men and women will be in place next time. Any future president in clined to attempt what Donald Trump did in 2020 has now learned not to install people who could stand in the way.”

If the Republican Party as it now exists were to regain any power, there would be no such people to stand in the way for longer than it takes to say, “You’re fired!”

In her remarks, Cheney directed attention to three points:

Pepper Tree Plaza renamed Piazza Miramare, but will history be lost even as monuments stay? p.2

McOsker’s supporters slander Sandoval backers; his supporters threaten small business with violence p. 2

New Rosa Parks documentary celebrates a rebellious, overlooked life beyond the bus p. 9

It was a great family reunion at Angels Gate Cultural Center on Oct. 22. Self-described de facto art school and artist-run space Slanguage Studio, founded by Karla Diaz and Mario Ybarra Jr., celebrated its 20th anniversary among a robust gathering of alumni, friends, family and art lovers.

The Angels Gate campus, buzzing with people and conversations, transformed into a chill Saturday afternoon block party, with tacos, spirits and beverages, a folklórico dancer, a DJ and many warm embraces. Ybarra even agreed, hesitatingly, to bring his “Slanguage table,” to the event, a beloved, round, wooden gathering spot where the Slanguage crew shares discourse. The table was covered with memorable photos of the Slanguage community.

Co-curated by Gloria Gem Sanchez and Jynx Prado, who are proteges of Slanguage, this group exhibition pays homage to the de facto art school and artist-run space. The curators described the exhibition as a visual overview of Slanguage pedagogy, each artist shares their unique approach to creating through intent, content, context, production, distribution and documentation. Works in We Run Things, Things Don’t Run We convey an astute grasp of social issues, a sense of humor and spark curiosity.

First, as you will see, President Trump had a premeditated plan to declare that the election was fraudulent and stolen before Election Day, before he knew the election results….

Second, please recognize that President Donald Trump was in a unique position, better informed about the absence of widespread election fraud than almost any other American….

Third, please consider today who had a hand in defeating President Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, Vice President Pence, Bill Barr, Jeff Rosen, and others at the Department of Justice, State Re publican officials, White House staff who blocked proposals to mobilize the military to seize voting machines and run new elections, our Capitol Police, aided by the Metropolitan Police, other federal law enforcement, and our National Guard, who arrived later in the afternoon.

All of these people had a hand in stopping Don ald Trump. This leads us to a key question. Why would Americans assume that our Constitution and our institutions and our republic are invulnerable to another attack? Why would we assume that those institutions will not falter next time?

This last question points to what’s missing: there should

Karla Diaz and Mario Ybarra Jr., founders of Slanguage studio at the Angels Gate Cultural Center gallery. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala

Harbor Area

Cannabis in Your Community: Partnering on Progressive Enforcement Virtual Town Hall

The City of Los Angeles Department of Canna bis Regulation or DCR invites you to participate in a virtual town hall Oct. 27. The aim of the event is to engage with community members about ille gal cannabis activity and receive input as the city considers new strategies for progressive enforce ment. Community involvement is an important component to identify problems and ways to ad dress them.

There will be three town hall events in total, each focusing on a different region of the city. Re gions are determined by Los Angeles City Council Districts.

Find your council district here: https://neigh borhoodinfo.lacity.org

Town Hall #2

South Los Angeles (Council Districts 8, 9, 10 and 15)

Time: 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 27

Details: Zoom Link - https://tinyurl.com/y2u97kuz

More Than $3 Million Awarded for Health Equity Programs Addressing Impacts of CO VID-19

The Long Beach Health Department has selected and awarded a total of $3,027,921 in funding to support community organizations im plementing health equity-centered programs that address the impacts of COVID-19 in the most atrisk, historically underserved and under-resourced communities in Long Beach.

These health equity community projects will begin implementing programs this fall through ear ly 2023. Organizations with contracts to engage in technical assistance will begin intake assess ments during the fall.

A complete list of grant recipients is available on the Health Equity Projects Awardee List.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/8vaehpjw

Apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief

President Joe Biden’s one-time student loan debt forgiveness program application is now on line. Individuals who make less than $125,000 a year (or $250,000 per household) are eligible for up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness, while Pell Grant recipients, typically awarded to low-income students, are eligible for up to $20,000 in for giveness. Most of the borrowers eligible to ap ply will receive relief within six weeks. Borrow ers must apply no later than Dec. 31, 2023.

Details: To apply, https://tinyurl.com/studentload-forgiveness

LA County Library Hosts Clinics to Pro vide Free Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines, Updated Bivalent Boosters

LA County Library is partnering with LA County Department of Public Health to pro vide free flu vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines, and updated bivalent boosters (which protects against both the original coronavirus strain and the newer Omicron strains) to people 6 months of age and older, no health insurance required.

Vaccine clinics will take place at 20 select LA County Library locations through Nov. 22. To avoid long wait times, it is recommended that you make an appointment at your pre ferred location online at myturn.ca.gov and search by address or zip code. Clinics are open for walk-ins. Vaccines are available while supplies last.

Details: LACountyLibrary.org/VaccineClinics

CASH for College

UNITE-LA is having a college and career fair. Receive help applying for financial aid, meet college admissions representatives, learn more about scholarships and even find out if you qualify for free community college.

Students will also have a chance to win a $1,500 scholarship. Learn more at: https:// www.lacashforcollege.org/

Time: 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: Free

Details: Register here: https://lacashforcol lege.splashthat.com

Venue: L.A. Trade Tech College, 400 W. Wash ington Blvd., Los Angeles

Committed to Independent Journalism in the

Pepper Tree Plaza Renamed Piazza Miramare

But will history be lost even as monuments stay?

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

On Oct. 20, Councilman Joe Buscaino and the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association hosted a ground-breaking for the Piazza Miramare, at the former Pepper Tree Plaza. In 1980, the city held a groundbreaking for Pepper Tree Plaza, in a celebration of San Pedro’s heritage and history, instead of one specific ethnic group.

The plaza was named after the Pepper Tree Saloon, which is where the city charter for San Pedro was signed in 1888, said Mona Dallas Reddick, president of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society. San Pedro became consolidated with the City of Los Angeles in 1909.

The saloon was closed in the 1920s, with the pepper tree near it dying in 1928, according to a 1980 article from the News Pilot. Another pepper tree was planted there in 1976, a few years prior to the plaza’s groundbreaking.

Three civic organizations were involved with Pepper Tree Plaza’s groundbreaking, including the 30-Year Club of San Pedro, the Harbor Area Bicentennial Committee and the San Pedro Bay Historical Society. For the groundbreaking of the piazza, Buscaino did not even consult San Pedro Bay Historical Society about what to do with the historical monuments at the plaza, with one exception. Reddick said that one of Buscaino’s staff members casually asked if the society would like to put the urn in the Muller House Museum. The urn is too big.

The monuments include a big urn from the

old Matson terminal, two Bloody Thursday commemorative plaques, an antique cast-iron drinking fountain which was originally on Beacon Street, a time capsule and a granite city hall sign.

Buscaino said that the urn — which resembles a giant fountain in the shape of a goblet — will be taken to the new Wilmington waterfront, which is currently under construction. It will be placed next to its sister monument. He said

the other monuments will be integrated into the finished piazza.

Reddick said that it is good that the urn is going to Wilmington, and that it belongs there.

Reddick said the historical society advocates for historical information and monuments to be maintained, while still allowing progress. The problem with changing the name of the plaza is that the connection to its history will fade,

Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

On the week of Oct. 17, an attack mailer paid for by the Committee on Ethics and Transpar ency, in support of Tim McOsker’s campaign was delivered to San Pedro households with the headline “You Can Tell a Lot About a Person by Their Friends.” It goes on to attack former city council candidate Anthony Santich, former Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief David Gascon and former City Attorney Carmen Truta nich, raising a few eyebrows in the process.

The nastiness to which the campaign to get McOsker into office, whether by hook or by crook, has descended to new lows, causing the vice presi dent of the San Pedro chapter of the NAACP, Joe Gatlin, to rescind his endorsement of McOsker and endorse Danielle Sandoval instead.

In a released statement, Gatlin said, “Three men I respect, David Gascon, Carmen Trutanich, and Anthony Santich who have been pillars of the Harbor Area community were the subject of a campaign attack ad with numerous false accu sations by McOsker supporters following their endorsement of Danielle Sandoval.”

Random Lengths News has been receiving reports that supporters of the Tim McOsker cam paign have been calling businesses in the San Pedro area to intimidate and discourage support for Sandoval.

Random Lengths has been receiving reports

that supporters of the Tim McOsker campaign have been calling businesses in the San Pedro area to intimidate and discourage support for Sandoval. It’s been reported that Sushi 21, Cocina Paquito, Deluca Farms on Western Avenue and at least one other restaurant allegedly received phone calls threatening boycotts by the ILWU and the San Pe dro Chamber of Commerce, both of which have denied their involvement. There was even an al legation of a community member threatening to burn down a Sandoval sign on a trailer in the Co cina Paquito if it weren’t removed.

Gatlin, in his released statement, seems to ref erence these allegations of bullying and intimida tion and said he “cannot sit back and condone this ugly and potentially criminal behavior.

“This is not what I am about, nor do I want to be associated with this type of nonsense,” Gatlin said. “This is not what our district needs. I call on Tim to show leadership and tell his surrogates that are trying to divide our community to STOP immediately.”

Gatlin went on to say that the fact that McO sker has remained silent while these acts contin ue is deeply concerning.

“We need a healer, not a divider. We need a leader with a plan, not a plan of attack,” he said.

On the other side of the attack mailer, the Committee on Ethics and Transparency throws

the equivalent of everything including the kitch en sink referencing the wage theft allegations exposed by the Los Angeles Times earlier this month and a couple of charges of driving without a license more than 20 years ago at Sandoval.

The more interesting aspect of the allegations is the load of gaslighting it dispenses when it ref erences an August 2021 Long Beach Post story detailing a lawsuit filed by a creditor of environ mental-cleanup technology innovator Ruben Gar cia. The mailer cites two lawsuits naming Garcia and Santich. But it neglects to mention that these lawsuits are connected to allegations of technol ogy theft and port permissiveness in allowing for mer harbor director Nick Tonsich to profit from the alleged theft.

Though the attack mailer says it was not au thorized by or coordinated with a McOsker or committee controlled by McOsker’s campaign, very little can be found about the committee itself. Its address corresponds to Reed and Davidson LLP, a firm that specializes in political, nonprofit organization and election law. Their client list is a who’s who in corporations, trade associations, labor unions, ballot measure committees, inde pendent expenditure committees, candidates and officeholders.

James Preston Allen, the publisher of Random Lengths News, contributed to this article.

McOsker’s Supporters Slander Sandoval Backers His supporters threaten small business owners with violence

A rendering of what the Piazza Miramare will look like after construction is completed. Rendering courtesy of the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association

Piazza to Honor Italian Heritage in SP

Reddick said.

Reddick said it is a nice idea to have a piazza, but based on the conceptual renderings, it looks like there will be a lot of concrete without much green, in an area that is already hot and noisy. She said the area does need more community gathering places, but there is already one across the street, in front of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.

Buscaino gave a speech at the groundbreaking, describing what the piazza is supposed to imitate.

“This existing public area … starting today, we will recreate it into a space that functions like a traditional Italian piazza,” Buscaino said.

Buscaino said that in Europe, piazzas are squares that are the center point of an area. Buscaino complained about the City of Los Angeles changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which happened in 2017, without mentioning either by name. This was around the same time that Little Italy Association of Los Angeles was founded, in which Buscaino was instrumental.

“The city can take away our holiday, but not our spirit,” Buscaino said.

According to History.com, Columbus enslaved and killed many Indigenous people when he came to the Americas. He sent thousands of the Taino people, from the island of Hispaniola, to be sold in Spain. Many of them died on the way.

“Within 60 years after Columbus landed, only a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island,” according to History.com.

Buscaino claimed that Pepper Tree Plaza isn’t used very often.

“We have found that this space has been used only for holiday events,” Buscaino said.

“The tree lighting, bringing the snow. We have found that this space here before you has been underutilized piece of public land that will soon be thriving with activity.”

However, the plaza used to hold the San Pedro farmers market once a week, for nearly two years. It was held there from September 2020 until it moved to 6th and Mesa in July 2022.

Buscaino said the piazza will hold events, celebrations, outdoor films and many cultural

events. It will also have a fountain, with surnames attached to it.

“I know we’re getting Facebook comments, ‘What about the homeless? What about the homeless? The homeless, la la la,’” Buscaino said. “Listen, if you look up and down the street here, we no longer have encampments. We no longer have people lying in our streets. And it’s because of this community, and I see Elise [Swanson] and others, who said ‘yes’ to solutions. And this is why we have been a model for other parts of

the city, we do not see encampments because we saved lives.”

While it is true that there were no homeless people in sight at the event, homeless people certainly still exist in Buscaino’s district. As of the 2022 homeless count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, there are 2,373 homeless people in Council District 15. Of that number, 457 are in shelters, while 1,916 are not. Buscaino has successfully sheltered 19% of the homeless population in his district. He has succeeded in convincing the city council to ban homeless people from 500 feet of any schools in the city, as well as certain other places in his district.

“This is going to be a piazza for everyone to enjoy,” Buscaino said. “But we will have personal accountability for those who want to come in and ruin our public spaces.”

Mario Amalfitano, president of the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association, said he has been working on this project for five years, around the time of the association’s founding. It was done in collaboration with the CD15 office.

“We always knew that this would be the location of the piazza,” Amalfitano said. “Because it’s one of the most underutilized pieces of property in San Pedro.”

Amalfitano said that once construction is finished, the association will likely have programming at the piazza once a month, if not more.

The current construction estimates are for 18 months. All the concrete in the plaza will be torn up and replaced.

Amalfitano said he was surprised that the project hasn’t received a lot of pushback from the surrounding neighborhood. And yet the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council was never asked for support nor given a full presentation of the plan prior to it moving forward. Nor did Buscaino explain how this project was funded.

“The local community has been very supportive of us, and what we’re trying to do here,” Amalfitano said.

A giant urn from the Matson terminal, which currently resides at Pepper Tree Plaza, is in the process of being moved to Wilmington. Photo by Terelle Jerricks

How the Fire Dept. Will Deal with Hazardous Chemical Plume in San Pedro

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

Los Angeles Fire Department battalion Chief Monica Hall spoke about what her department will do in case of a toxic chemical released in San Pedro at the Oct. 17 meeting of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council.

“This morning we responded to a hazardous materials incident on Western and Sepulveda,” Hall said. “One of our concerns when we ever have an incident like that, is of course, a plume, or a toxic cloud that takes with the wind, and goes in a direction.”

Hall said the fire department would be the primary responders for any hazardous materi als incident. The fire department has task forces for hazardous materials in strategic locations throughout the city. Hall said the closest one is in Los Angeles Fire Dept. Station 48, which is on 16th and Grand.

“Today’s incident was a suspected rail car on the train tracks there, right by Western and Sepul veda, that was thought to have had an explosion, and then it was off-gassing,” Hall said.

However, it was just an over-pressurized pe troleum pipe. It was not hazardous, it was just releasing inert nitrogen vapor.

“In the event that we had something like that and a vapor cloud enveloping, the first thing we’re going to do is attach a hazardous materials response, which would bring all the necessary re sources from the fire department,” Hall said.

Hall said that the station would start contact

ing all its partner agencies to ask for help. This includes other local fire departments, and petro leum tank farms.

“All of those companies have onsite resourc es that we can use in the event of a large-scale emergency,” Hall said. “So, by making that con tact, we would have access to lots of foam, lots of big apparatus that we could use in addition to what the LAFD can bring.”

Hall said that as the department is making its initial assessment, it will put a perimeter around the cloud or plume, in an attempt to contain it.

“Of course, a vapor cloud is hard to contain,” Hall said. “So, what we do is we map it. So, we look at the release, we see how much is coming out and how fast it’s expanding, how fast the wind is going and in what direction. And we de velop a computer-based plume, which we do in the hazardous materials squad.”

Based on that model, the department predicts where the plume will go. From there, they will decide whether that area should be evacuated, or shelter in place. The department will develop a plan based on information it is receiving, such as what the chemical is, how hazardous it is and how flammable it is.

“We have something called the WEA, which is the wireless emergency alert,” Hall said. “The wireless emergency alert is kind of like that back ward telephone book that sometimes police use. And what it is is, I make contact to my dispatch,

and they take the parameters or the streets that I give them as coordinates, and they will put out an electronic notification to everyone in that area to follow the direction that I’m giving them.”

Coastal SPNC Opposes Proposition to Fund Parks

On Oct. 17, the Coastal San Pedro Neigh borhood Council passed a motion 12-0 with one abstention opposing Proposition SP, a city bal lot measure that would tax properties to fund LA city parks. Board member Chelsea Oruche was the sole abstention.

The proposition, if passed, would assign a property tax of $0.084 per square foot on im proved properties to fund parks and recreational facilities for the next 30 years.

“For a 4,000 square foot improvement, the $0.084, that’s $336 of taxes per year,” said Robin Rudisill, chair of the council’s Planning, Land Use, and Transportation Committee. “The main concern is it’s sort of a blank check to city hall, without very much community input.”

Opponents of the proposition say that the money will be used to fund the Olympics. When Councilman Joe Buscaino introduced the motion for the proposition in 2022, the motion said it will upgrade and repair parks in preparation for the Olympics.

Board member Noel Gould said there was ac tually no community input.

“We currently have a parks bond that is fund

ing our parks that doesn’t expire until 2026-27 fiscal year, and this would overlap that,” Gould said. “It was thrown together at the last minute and put on the ballot by the city council. And there’s no controls, there’s no specificity in the bill about exactly how the money would be spent.”

San Pedro’s Streets will be Improved

At the Oct. 18 meeting of Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, Katie Harrel, special op erations manager at CWE, an engineering firm, spoke of a project the City of Los Angeles has planned to improve the streets of San Pedro. It’s called Connecting San Pedro: pedestrian im provement and multimodal access project. It’s being led by the streets division of the City of LA Bureau of Engineering.

“The project is intended to improve traffic flow, also improve safety and pedestrian accessi bility, and encourage multiple modes of transpor tation,” Harrel said. “The program of improve ments includes sidewalk improvements, ADA curve ramps, repair and extension of sidewalks.”

In addition, new crosswalks and a new traffic signal will be added. Most of the improvements will be at intersections, including the intersec tions of Grand, Mesa, Grand, Centre and Palos Verdes with 2nd Street and 7th Street, as well as 2nd and Beacon, and 10th and Gaffey.

Six of the intersections will have curb exten sions, the rest mostly will have curb ramps and sidewalk extensions, Harrel said.

The project is still in its design phase, which is scheduled to finish at the end of the year. Har rel said her company has submitted plans to the city, which are under review. Construction is scheduled to begin spring 2023 and end in fall 2024.

Crisis in ToonTown

Political slander reaches a new low

James Preston Allen, Publisher

While the rest of America is going crazy over Joe Biden election deniers taking over Congress here in the City of the Angels we have our own curious crisis boiling up and it really has nothing to do with what Nury Martinez said about Mike Bonin’s son. But it does have everything to do with whether establishment-cityhall insiders will prevail against some upstart progressives.

Across the nation there is a real threat to our democracy and whether Trump-backed Biden election de niers can take control of the House and Senate. This is what both real conservatives and liberals call an existential threat to our democracy. What couldn’t be accomplished by violent insurrection on Jan. 6 is being attempted at the ballot box and with voter suppression.

Conversely, in LA, we have the grass root progressives attempting to overthrow the estab lishment Democrats. It’s happening on the West side for Bonin’s seat and it’s happening here in CD15 in what should normally be a safe seat for the typical Democrat endorsed by unions and cor porations alike, but this is not the case.

This district is the farthest one from city hall and it often stays out of the drama 24 miles up the 110 Fwy. Not this year. The Tim McOsker campaign has seriously been challenged by a La tina, Danielle Sandoval, who has risen up from a Harbor City neighborhood council to pose a threat to the power brokers of San Pedro. This kind of insurgent campaign has not happened in CD 15 since Jim Stanberry, the political science profes sor at LA Harbor College challenged John Gibson who served on the Los Angeles City Council from

1951 to 1981 and his two lengthy stints as council president.

This time, it is a race for a seat being va cated by Councilman Joe Buscaino, who is be ing forced out by term limits, despite his mis taken run for mayor. Clearly, either candidate would be an improvement over Buscaino, who after dropping out of the mayor’s race endorsed former Republican Rick Caruso. I still distrust his party switching the same way I distrust Trump’s Republican bona fides.

Down here in the lower 15th District, we kind of think that we are an island amidst Los Angeles’ turmoil, but this race has risen to a new level of angst. It has pitted long-standing allies against one another and divided San Pe dro’s civil society into factions. Most clearly, the San Pedro Chamber backed McOsker, a former board chairman against Sandoval, a one-time neighborhood council president.

A recently released political attack mailer even uses the Chamber’s 390 West 7th street address for a PAC called Local Businesses, Working Families and Public Safety Professionals Opposing Danielle Sandoval for LA City Council 2022. It doesn’t take a genius to decipher who is behind this as several of their board of directors have been most vocal in slandering me and oth ers for endorsing someone other than the anointed Tim.

However, the ethics filing form doesn’t list anybody who actu ally lives in San Pedro and includes the LA Police Protective League ($25,000), Building Owners and Managers Association GLA PAC of Los Angeles ($15,000), Douglas Em mett Properties LP ($50,000) of Santa Monica, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce ($40,000), Kilroy Realty LP, Los Angeles ($50,000) and the Watson Land Company of Carson ($10,000) for a grand total of some $190,000 of outside indepen dent expenditures, which challenges their label of being “Local Businesses and Working Fami lies.” Clearly, they are not, and are just a front for McOsker’s campaign.

I, like many others, take exception to not only their crazed rhetoric but their slanderous tactics and remind them that after this election they are going to have to live with their words and actions here in ToonTown. And that if this election veers off course like it appears to be doing and the La tina insurgent actually wins, they are all going to be hard-pressed to make amends.

The personal attacks against not only this news paper, the candidate, and some of her prominent supporters, as Anthony Santich explains in the ac companying op-ed, have devolved into Nixonian dirty tricks territory. These are the people tasked with the mission of making San Pedro a better place to live, work and visit, but perhaps not run for office. That the leadership of a business orga nization allows its address to be used as a front for some fictitious attack group on a legitimate candi date goes way beyond its mission and shows how paranoid they are about losing this race.

However, this is the state of LA political strug gles where the conservative candidate is the lib eral and the progressive candidate is the insurgent. It is a curious twist from what is happening almost everywhere else and I have been waiting a very long time to actually have this kind of progressive choice. And just to be clear, we are standing by our endorsement of Sandoval, because I actually believe that in a true democracy, there needs to be a competition of ideas and not just an anointing of an heir apparent.

Danielle Sandoval — A Chance for Change

Elections are supposed to be about ideas, about improving the lives of the folks you repre sent, about having a plan and about who can of fer a better future. To tell the truth, both candidates to whom I lost in the primary, Tim McOsker and Daniel Sandoval, are too far left politically for me but I’m supporting Sandoval because she repre sents a chance for change and has demonstrated a willingness to listen and come a little closer to the center on important issues like crime prevention, homelessness and Port of LA and city hall corrup tion. And after this past week I am more commit ted to my belief that Danielle Sandoval is the best choice of the two.

The McOsker campaign and some of its radical messengers have become unhinged at the prospect of losing this election to a single, underfunded, working-class, Latina mother with one-tenth the campaign money and ten times the vision.

I know Sandoval took a lot of deserved heat for an eight-year-old wage dispute that has now been settled. I endorsed Sandoval because she sim ply has a better plan, a plan that is aligned with much of my message when I decided to run for city council. Her plan will challenge the status quo and politically corrupt. Her plan will change the way the Port of LA treats the community. Sandoval’s plan promises to address homelessness, support safer neighborhoods and raise millions of dollars through port leases and fees for the people. LA

City Hall, the port and the donor class establish ment does not support Sandoval because she repre sents the one thing they fear most: CHANGE.

Maybe I wasn’t cut out for politics, I consid ered both Joe Buscaino and Tim McOsker friends before this election, Joe wrote just last year, “An thony’s work at the Port of Los Angeles and in the communities it neighbors are nothing less than remarkable.” Now, that I endorsed Sandoval he is writing I’m “a joke.”

Tim asked for my endorsement three times after the primary. He obviously thought I was a pretty standup guy at that time but it all changed when I endorsed Danielle Sandoval. Now, accord ing to the attack mailer, I’m a phony, a scam art ist, a fake cop, being sued for millions and even part of a Ponzi scheme. What? All of this is false. But no doubt, if I would have endorsed McOsker I would be authentic, a good businessman, praised for my work helping arrest pedophiles as a sworn officer with Internet Crimes Against Children and for being an honest whistleblower fighting a base less lawsuit. The Ponzi scheme lie is so ridiculous I don’t even know how to begin to comment.

The attack mailer also targeted Police Chief David Gascon and my uncle, former City Attor ney Carmen ‘Nuch” Trutanich, two of the highest ranking LA City officials to ever come out of San Pedro. Both endorsed Danielle Sandoval in the

By Anthony Santich [continued on following page]

90733-0731,

be

Send

Annual

Random

Leaked City Council

Recordings

I knew you would have a good article / op-ed about that LAC ity Council BS, and that rather than mansplaining or whitesplaining the situation, you would be careful to find a writer who would express the outrage felt by many people, and who is “a proud member of The Blacks.”

Good stuff.

This ugly, painful moment will not be in vain. The beloved commu nity we seek is possible. I have faith in Los Angeles. I have faith in us.

Mike Bonin Venice

From the Supervisor

and was a member of my chamber until they tired of my asking hard questions about their war on labor.

Since that time, and despite that chamber’s most diligent efforts, the minimum wage in my former city (West Hollywood) became the sixth highest in California.

Paul Burton Managing Editor San Mateo Labor

LA City Council Recordings

On behalf of my entire family, I want to say thank you. Despite all the pain we have felt this past week, you have shown us tremendous love. We are grateful and inspired.

Ever since news broke of re cordings of hateful remarks aimed at our family, and especially at our son, we have been showered with love and support – from dear friends in Los Angeles to strangers on for eign continents. We have received so much love from the Black communi ty, which has embraced our son with a warm and affirming hug. We have found incredible support and solidar ity from other LGBTQ families.

There is so much ugliness on those recordings. Virulent antiBlack racism. Disgusting remarks about the Oaxacan and indigenous communities. Anti-Semitic com ments. A coordinated effort to weaken Black representation, di minish progressive power, and dis enfranchise renters. The people who spoke those words may have been elected officials, but they are not the true voice of Los Angeles.

The true voice of Los Angeles is the multiracial chorus expressing anger and outrage, and demanding resignations, refusing to relent until they come. The true voice of Los Angeles is demanding a better city, a better government, and a better ap proach to politics. It is demanding we do the hard, unrelenting work of dismantling racism and building a real community, where no child hears ugly racial slurs, where no one is disenfranchised or left behind, and where no one is forced to lose so someone else can gain.

Sandoval

It has been a dark week for Los Angeles and for the city council that I served on for over a decade, in the wake of the racism, colorism, bigotry, and cruelty revealed in the leaked audio.

I know this scandal has left so many people feeling hurt. It is a re minder of the ugly intolerance that lives behind closed doors. Each of us has an obligation to speak up when we are confronted with rac ism — whether it is a colleague, a friend, or even a family member. I know it goes against human nature. I know it’s easier to let it pass and it takes a little courage to confront someone — especially someone in a position of power or someone you care about.

Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the world, made up of four million residents who are Latino, Black, Asian, Jewish, white, Pacific Islander, Indigenous — in cluding hundreds of thousands of Zapotec people from Oaxaca — and so much more.

It is what I have always thought made us great and gave us strength. But we will not live up to that greatness if we don’t learn to treat one another with the respect and compassion we all deserve. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” Mat thew 7:12.

There is a pathway out of this darkness. Each of us must look in our own hearts to find a pathway forward.

Janice Hahn LA County Supervisor, 4th District

Response to Elise Swanson’s letter

It was with great interest that I read your letter taking a shot at one and supporting another candidate for city council in Random Lengths News [Oct. 13, 2022]

Most voters, sorry for you, don’t own businesses. I did, once,

Throwing shade at a business owner who went through a troubled period and throwing your full sup port behind a job-killing port auto mation lobbyist only shows how power works. For money, and not the hoi polloi.

It’s a happy thing that you now (and suddenly) stand so fiercely for workers’ rights. And still so fiercely support a port job killer.

Ryan Gierach San Pedro

Smear in the proMcOsker mailing

Aren’t politics grand? Here we are in a constitutional republic where our first amendment guarantees the freedom of speech and association and suddenly three forever “Real San Pedrans” find themselves under attack by a slick, well-financed cam paign, not because we are candidates for office, but rather because we choose to speak our minds in a local election. It seems Carmen“Nuch” Trutanich, Anthony Santich and I, all favor Danielle Sandoval, a commit ted community activist, for the LA City 15 th Council District seat being vacated by Joe Buscaino.

For the record, I proudly pro claim Trutanich and Santich, his nephew, as good friends. An attack on us is totally uncalled for, and likely unprecedented here in our community. Since when would we accept that it’s OK to attack people who are born and raised here, went to high school here, just because of who they took a picture with during a political campaign. San Pedro is about families and friends who have loved this community their whole lives. We should be talking about initiatives and ideas for improving our community and instead we have one campaign waging a scorchedEarth attack in a mad attempt to crush an opponent.

Let’s address the smear in the pro-McOsker mailing. First, that I was a high-ranking LAPD official during the Rampart scandal. Yes, I was. I was, in fact, the LAPD Chief of Staff to Chief Bernard Parks. Most people have no knowledge of

A man that cared about our community would do that; I hope Tim McOsker is that kind of man.

this and I don’t brag about it, but I was the person who the suspicious activity regarding the package of narcotics was brought to when an evidence tracking system alerted to a concern. I immediately ordered a double-barreled investigation into the matter by sending a team of In ternal Affairs Investigators and In spection and Control Auditors into Property Division to turn the place upside down looking for the missing three kilos of cocaine. I acted im mediately and independently, even before I had a chance to speak with Chief Parks.

Shortly thereafter, I met with Parks and explained what had transpired, my suspicions, and my actions. We subsequently brought in Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy and formulated our plan going for ward. Within a brief period of time, I proposed a rather unique Board of Inquiry to allow the LAPD to ex amine all supervisory and manage ment issues that may have allowed for corruption to penetrate the de partment. That Board allowed us to self-exam and address a myriad is sues in a manner previously unseen in any major police department in America, in dealing with the af termath of a significant scandal. I am proud of my actions, as well as those of Parks and Pomeroy, in han dling the Rampart scandal.

As for why I would support someone who would “defund the police?” The answer is simple; Danielle Sandoval does not want to defund the police. All you have to do is talk with her and listen to what she has to say and you realize she is a big-time supporter of law enforce

ment and is committed to fighting for our share of LAPD resources here in the Harbor Area.

The “Defund the Police” attack on Sandoval is a lie. Sandoval has lived through many personal trag edies and has personally needed the police. She knows and understands the importance of the LAPD and how critical the mission is to the health and welfare of all of us in the 15 th Council District. She believes the police department is not a prop to be used and exploited for per sonal political reasons. She is well aware of the nonsense that went on when her opponent was in the City Attorney’s Office and in the Mayor’s Office. She knows of the previous collusion with the police union and will never allow that kind of malfeasance on her watch.

This community needs to be cared for by someone altruistic and visionary. It is time for new people and new ideas in the 15 th District. In fact, we are overdue!

Dave Gascon Former LAPD Deputy Chief

On Campaign Bullying

I called Sushi 21, Cocina Pa quito, the Pumpkin Patch and one other Mexican restaurant that said they didn’t want to be involved. The people that called these places said ILWU would boycott, the Cham ber would boycott, that Danielle would destroy our community and she wants to defund the police and promote homeless encampments. That’s Ridiculous.

Not to mention Chris Balonek telling Paquito he would burn down the Sandoval sign if they didn’t re

move it. I can’t blame the business, These are all small businesses most ly minority owned that are afraid for their livelihood.

McOsker folks are also knock ing on doors asking homeowners with Sandoval signs to take their signs down. Joe asked people on Nextdoor to take down their Sando val signs. He said Dave [Gascon], Nuch [Trutanich] and I supporting Danielle was a joke. What is so sad is McOsker could stop all the nasti est by asking his people to stop it but he feels it helps his campaign so he allows it to happen and probably is helping to coordinate it.

Anthony Santich, San Pedro

Cartoon Insights

Kudos to Matt Wuerker for his cartoon in the last RLN! I especially liked seeing Newt Gingrich among the trio, the guy who campaigned as a Puritan yet presented his wife with divorce papers while she was in the hospital recovering from an illness.

Re: Herschel Walker, progres sives should not underestimate how some people revere athletes, especially in the South. Walker won a Heisman Trophy and led the University of Georgia to a National Championship. This is more than enoiugh to make some overlook murder, never mind his weaknesses as a candidate and breathtaking hy pocrisy. And it doesn’t matter that he did this in the Eighties. Joe Namath was Super Bowl MVP in 1969. That’s not stopping him from pitch ing Medicare (Dis)Advantage.

Steve Varalyay Torrance

runoff. And both had an opportunity to work with McOsker professionally for many years.

No supporters of Sandoval seem to be off lim its to a small group of avid McOsker cohorts. A McOsker campaign extremist called a local minor ity-owned restaurant and threatened to burn down its Sandoval posters. Tim’s surrogates knocked on the doors of my 80-year-old parents’ neighbors and asked them to tell my mom and dad to take down their Sandoval signs. When did harassing small businesses and intimidating the elderly become a campaign strategy?

I’m calling on Tim to demonstrate some integ rity and love of community and issue an apology to my parents, my uncle, Chief Gascon, the restaurant owner and all businesses and residents that have been subject to threats, lies and bullying of his fa natic cronies and to denounce this type of behavior.

I encourage my friends and Harbor Area neighbors to VOTE FOR SANDOVAL, especially if you’re a San Pedro High or Mary Star Alum, a member of the ILWU family if you think the port should be held accountable. You will vote for San doval if you want to see homelessness and crime decrease. You will vote for Sandoval if you ever supported Santich or Trutanich, or if you are just tired of liars, two- faced politicians and lobbyists running our district and our city.

In closing, I would like to thank local NAACP Vice President Joe Gatlin for withdrawing his en dorsement of Tim McOsker in protest after learn ing about the attacks and threats on local business owners and residents after reading the half-truths, embellishments and outright lies attacking Nuch, David, and me.

Anthony Santich is a former candidate for CD15

Unexamined Ongoing Coup

have been at least one full hearing devoted with ex perts on the dangers of failed coups as trial runs for successful ones, how historical examples can and should guide us in taking action to protect democ racy, what the specific dangers are (election denial ism, voter suppression, excusing violence, etc) and how they can be countered.

This need is particularly urgent as nearly 300 election denialists are running for state and fed eral offices this year, and their actions, if elected, could allow Trump (or another Republican) to grab power in 2024 despite losing the election. So, if the purpose of the J6 Committee, similar to the 9/11 Commission, was to learn from an attack on our democracy to defend against future ones, this kind of broader perspective seems vitally necessary.

To some extent, the committee was aware of this, according to one such expert, Frederico Finchelstein, author most recently of A Brief History of Fascist Lies, and six other books on fascists and populists. “I was in fact interviewed by investiga tive counsels with the Jan. 6 Select Committee that were part of a team that examined root causes and long-term implications of the attack,” Finchelstein told Random Lengths. “Their questions were excel lent,” he said, and they interviewed other experts as well, such as philosopher Jason Stanley, author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, who collaborated with Finchelstein on a joint state ment, which he released publicly after we asked to see it.

“As experts on fascism we recognize Trump’s rhetoric to be profoundly anti-democratic,” their statement began. “Specifically, it exemplifies im portant fascist dimensions, vividly exemplified by its capacity to justify violence against democratic

institutions.”

They explain that, “for an extremist party to become viable in a democracy, it must present a face it can defend as moderate, and cultivate an ambiguous relationship to the extreme views and statements of its most fanatic members. …

In the case of the takeover of the mainstream rightwing party by a fascist leaning populist an ti-democratic movement, the pretense must be stronger and so are the dangers to democracy.”

They go on to note that, “Extremist move ments, including fascist and neo-fascist ones, face pressure both to mask their connection to and to cultivate violent racist supporters, as well as its inherently anti-democratic agenda. But at some point the tension becomes too strong and the party needs to decide whether to follow de mocracy and the constitution or to gain or re main in power via extraconstitutional means. This was the choice of Donald Trump and his supporters.”

While the GOP as a whole recoiled from the coup attempt immediately afterwards, a major ity still voted not to accept the election results in Pennsylvania and Arizona — including an over whelming 70% of House Republicans. Dozens of GOP senators condemned Trump’s actions while simultaneously refusing to impeach him.

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy first de nounced the coup attempt, but within weeks went to Mar A Lago to mend fences with Trump.

Ever since, GOP leaders have continued the pre-coup pretense — putting a moderate face on an extremist agenda — in a slightly different key. A wave of election deniers are running for governor or secretary of state — the top election

official in most states. There’ve been hundreds, if not thousands of election workers hounded out of their jobs with threats of violence, 42 laws in 21 states have been enacted making voting more dif ficult, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, and Florida has been terrorizing potential voters with targetted arrests, touted by Gov. Ron DeSan tis seeking to raise his profile for a potential presi dential bid.

Given how close Trump came to succeeding — as Cheney pointed out — it’s chilling to see how much has changed on the ground. “Of the 27 secretary of state primaries, more than 80% (22) featured an Election Denier,” the States United Democracy Center reported. “Election Deniers running on a major party ticket have won half (50% or 11/22) of their primary races for secretary of state.”

In Nevada a majority of county election super visors (10 of 17) “have already quit, been forced out or announced their departures,” according to a report in the Washington Post, with some be ing replaced by election deniers, including one of Nevada’s 2020 fake electors. Lower level workers have also been driven out. The GOP candidate for secretary of state, Jim Marchant, has an ad ludi crously claiming “it’s not” possible that Demo cratic politicians like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer win elections legitimately, falsely insinuating that George Soros and ballot shenanigans are to blame.

In Arizona, camo-clad “poll-watchers,” some armed, have intimidated early voters using dropboxes, resulting in referrals to the Department of Justice. This is a sampling of the diverse forms of democratic erosion that Trump Republicans have engaged in since Jan. 6 — a wide range of efforts intended to disrupt and defeat the will of the voters at every level in our democracy.

A truly vigorous investigation of Jan. 6, seek ing to prevent a repeat, would seem to require a hearing devoted to exploring and exposing all of this — what is being done, whose rights are being violated, what lies are being told, how it compares with other historical examples, and what the likely outcome will be if nothing is done to stop it.

“I think you’re right in that such hearings are useful not just for educating publics but also to mobilize them, especially regarding possible solu tions,” said political scientist Rob Mickey, author of the historical study, Paths Out of Dixie. “So lutions are harder regarding violence. I think on things like voter suppression, it’s not rocket sci ence; we know what to do, as we’ve done it in the

past (Reconstruction, the 1960s-70s, etc.). We’ve just decided not to.”

As an afterthought, he noted, “That ‘we’ is too glib; most forces supportive of free and fair elections have been blocked by Republi cans.”

But historian Seth Cotlar, who’s working on a history of illiberal conservatism in the U.S., was not so sure. “I’m pretty doubtful that such hearings would have made much of a dent,” Cotlar told Random Lengths. “It ap pears that large swathes of white voters des perately just want to believe that everything is fine and normal, and there’s not much a bunch of professors or experts can do to convince them otherwise.”

But Mickey is probably right about the target audience. Trump’s base and those will ing to go along with it aren’t the ones who need to be reached directly — even in the short run.

In terms of meeting undecided voters where they are, Anand Giridharadas, author of The Persuaders, advised on Twitter, “Don’t talk about the democracy issue as ‘the democ racy issue.’ So much data shows it doesn’t work,” he said. “What works is framing de mocracy as a tool of empowerment that lets people better their lives, fight inflation, get the healthcare they want.”

But those who already get the connection need all the help they can get in organizing to defend democracy.

“Jan. 6 represents a warning sign for the entire world,” Finchelstein and Stanley wrote in their conclusion. “Jan. 6 was a beginning, not an end. Failure to provide accountability for those who initiated it is tantamount to le gitimizing it, as well as the slow motion coup to which it has given birth.

“Protecting democracy requires the dedi cation of journalists to record and investigate abuses of power, and courage of street protes tors to channel this knowledge into action. It requires politicians on the right, center, and left who can clearly and visibly place their al legiance to multi-party democracy over seiz ing the reins of power in a one party state. It requires law enforcement and the armed forc es to take the side of the constitution. When fascism won in the past, it was when none of these things happened.”

It’s a warning we cannot afford to ignore.

Former President Donald Trump on the big screen, giving the speech at The Elipse on Jan. 6, 2021, that led to the insurrectionists marching to the Capitol. File photo.

New Rosa Parks Documentary Celebrates a Rebellious, Overlooked Life Beyond the Bus

By Greggory Moore, Columnist

I never did, in all my interviews, tell anybody that my feet were tired.

— Rosa Parks

There’s a pesky myth that Rosa Parks simply stumbled into heroism when she violated Chp. 6., Sec. 11 of the Montgomery (Alabama) City Code by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person.

With The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, directors Yoruba Richen and Johanna Hamilton aim to kill off this false narrative by highlighting the diminutive civil-rights icon’s lifelong activist leanings and a strategic worldview that was as close to Malcom X’s as to Martin Luther King Jr.’s. Needless to say, the filmmakers spend plenty of time on the act of civil disobedience that put Parks in the history books, but the picture they paint includes the act’s calculated nature.

By the time of her December 1955 arrest, for 12 years Parks had served as secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP and was well aware of the organization’s intent to le gally challenge Montgomery’s racist bus law as soon as they could find the right plaintiff. As expected, the case was lost, but a boycott fol lowed, and the rest is….

History was Parks’s favorite subject in school, but her consciousness of White op pression and violence against Black people — along with a we’re-not-gonna-take-it world view — came earlier, “passed down almost in our genes” from her maternal grandfather. “By the time I was 6, I was old enough to realize we were actually not free,” we hear her say via actress LisaGay Hamilton. “The Ku Klux Klan was riding through the Black community burn ing churches, killing people […] At one point the violence was so bad that my grandfather kept his gun close by at all times. My grandfa ther was going to defend his home, whatever happened. I wanted to see him shoot that gun.”

Over the course of the next 90 minutes the filmmakers pinball back and forth in time to touch on Parks’ formative and activist experi ences. From meeting future husband Raymond Parks, through whom she was introduced to the NAACP, we jump to 1971 (all chronologi cal stops are announced by giant title cards) and her involvement in The Republic of New Africa, a Black nationalist organization advo cating armed self-defense. Then it’s straight back to the early ‘30s, where Rosa becomes Mrs. Parks.

Although opting to hop around in time is not inherently better or worse than offering a chronological narrative, too often Richen & Hamilton’s moves feel random. For all the instances that display a thematic logic, almost as many do not, such as the inscrutable leap from a one-minute 1977 segment covering the deaths of Parks’ husband and brother to the Dearborn boycott of 1985. What’s the connec tion? Search me. These dubious jumps, along

with a quiet, generic musical score — mostly beats — constantly shifting beneath the archival footage and talking heads, are the weakest elements in what is an otherwise competent — though not artful — documen tary. This is one that you watch for the infor mation, not the delivery.

But the information is worthwhile. That boycott of businesses in Dearborn, Michigan, exemplifies one of the film’s major themes: how Parks is generally overlooked for every thing she did outside of that famous Decem ber day in 1955. As related by Joe Madison (at the time national director for NAACP voter education), in response to the passage of a city ordinance preventing nonresidents of mostly-white Dearborn from using public

parks — this after a resident white family confronted a Black family for doing just that — it was Parks, a Detroit resident since 1957, who came up with the idea for the boy cott. And although her involvement received some press coverage at the time, today we are hard-pressed to find reference to it. (Her Wiki pedia page, for example, omits it entirely.)

Even within the civil rights

movement and the NAACP itself, the film makers tell us, Parks was too often taken for granted, valued mostly as a figurehead and sort of one-hit wonder. After losing her job in the wake of her 1955 arrest, the NAACP did not offer her employment or financial support, leading Mr. and Mrs. Parks to move north in hopes of better prospects. But in 1959 the couple’s combined annual income was just $661. It was not until 1965, when John Conyers won a seat in the House of Representatives and offered her a job after she’d volunteered on his campaign, that 53-year-old Parks was getting paid for her political/activist efforts. And 20 years later, shortly following the success of the Dear born boycott, she lost in her bid to become

vice-president of the Detroit Branch NAACP.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is meant to foster a wider ap preciation for all its heroine did — only some of which has been touched upon here — but also to inspire future rebels. Closing on the ironic note that on the 2013 day a statue of Parks was unveiled in the Capitol rotunda, the Supreme Court was hearing oral argu ments in Shelby County v. Holder, which shortly they would reverse, thus striking down voting-rights protec tions (codified in the Voting Rights Act of 1965) that Parks had worked to obtain.

“And so a statue was the way we were going to remember the civilrights movement,” comments author/ historian Jeanne Theoharis, “and so she gets trapped in this image of this long-ago problem that we had in this country. And in many ways the statue reduce[s] and trap[s] what her legacy actually asks of us.”

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks can be streamed exclusively via Peacock

Right: The iconic photograph of Rosa Parks, civil rights activist, sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.

Left: Rosa Parks’ mugshot after she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat. File photos

Slanguage at Twenty

In particular, Notice To Appear: Defendants Copy by Amoldo Vargas, contains silver gelatin photographic prints of youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Next to each child are copies of citations they received — to appear in court no less — for trivial infractions like a broken headlight on a bicycle, truant in public with no adult present during school hours, fighting on school grounds, tobacco possession and running in front of a vehicle — unnecessarily stopping traffic. It lays bare how these communities are hyper-policed and their youthful residents are manipulated into the court system.

bass guitar hardware, wood, leather, nylon thread, plastic, acrylic paint and cotton, at first looks like a dystopic headpiece. Examining further, its hardware of strings, clamps and hoses and its human/animal appearance, with a leather mask and horns on its head built from the bass’ lacquered wood, playfully conveys a utilitarian tool of gadgets with multiple uses for its wearer to employ in such a world, even ours.

In talking about this piece, Ybarra explains that Garzon participates in “Wasteland Weekend” with a group that travels to the desert and plays a Mad Max role-playing game.

“But if [Garzon] hears me say role-playing, he might get mad because he says, ‘It’s not a costume. It’s our culture,’” said Ybarra of his closest friend.

Other works represent artists’ surroundings such as Amitis Motevalli’s Wilmington Dreaming, watercolor on paper. The painting is part of the Bikini Manifesto series that was shown at Slanguage Studio in 2006, at the original location on Avalon. Two pink platforms and fishnets-clad female figures wear g-string bikinis; each one stands next to a pole, with billowing smoke clouds rising from them. The minimal painting speaks directly to perceptions of the severe limitations on how one can survive and make a living in a community run by fossil fuel corporations.

Motevalli visited Dreams strip club, located in Wilmington, close to the port. The club caters to longshore dockworkers and refinery workers. She witnessed many layers of labor and exploitation as well as camaraderie. She said the women offset the excessive labor inequities for men. This left Montevalli wondering, who offsets the inequities for the women - and if that

offset is necessary.

Considering all that Slanguage Studio has meant to its students and community alike, the event could not have been anything less than a familial celebration. Just as parents raise their children, and come to proudly witness their arrival to adulthood, Diaz and Ybarra continue to experience this same threshold with their apprentices, many of whom carry on the legacy of Slanguage.

Legacy and its Inheritors

Slanguage rose up in a time when there was no art scene to speak of in Wilmington. Ybarra noted all he saw growing up were Chicano murals, graffiti, and things you would go see in alleys, like punk rock bands in San Pedro and hip-hop artists in Wilmington. There were no cultural centers. Ybarra recalls being a recent high school graduate and junior high kids would go to his house to find him. They would copy into their sketchbooks graffiti he threw on a wall somewhere and then show him because there was nowhere else to discuss or show art in their neighborhood.

Throughout the last 20 years in Wilmington, Ybarra noted, union jobs from the port have offered financial stability in the community. It allowed the children of those workers to think about attending college or even about going into art as a career. This is where a parallel between the art studio and the community happened.

At this time, Slanguage was organically growing, not only by becoming a de facto school, but also a cherished resource for the community. Slanguage connected to its first generation of students through facilitating workshops for teenagers. The second generation of students was more college bound.

Many alumni have given back to the art

[See Slanguage, p. 13]

Alonso Garzon’s Bass Face Natal: Yamaha

Venue:

Palos Verdes Art Center

GIFTED:

GARDENA

OF CALIFORNIA

1919-1956

Maurice Braun, California Hills, 1924, oil on canvas. Gift from the Class of Summer 1929

The exhibition of 50 paintings chronicle the history of Gardena High School’s ambitious endeavor — one driven by educational

than economic values. From 1919 to 1956, students in the senior class selected, purchased and donated some 72 works of art to the high school as class gifts.

Since the mid-1950s, the collection has been in storage and unavailable for viewing by the public. This presentation of GIFTED: Collecting the Art of California at Gardena High School, 19191956 is the first for Los Angeles County, where Gardena High School is located. The exhibition runs through Nov. 12.

Details: 310-541-2479; www.pvartcenter.org

Venue: Palos Verdes Art Center / Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education, 5504 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes

Michael Stearns Studio

Michael

Details: www.michaelstearnsstudio.com

Venue:

Epiphany

Gallery 478 PHOTOS BY ARNÉE AND RAY CAROFANO

Details: www.carofano.com

Gallery 478, 478 W. 7th St., San Pedro.

Ray Carofano, Mono Lake, California, 2022, archival pigment print

THE

MICHAEL

Totem Forest by Michael Stearns

Halloween Happenings and Día de los Muertos Celebrations

Oct. 28

Sea Scare

Enjoy Sea Scare thrills, chills and gills for two nights. Trick-or-treat, create creepy crafts, enjoy appa ritional activities, join the costume contest and bring your own trickor-treat bag to enter a free draw ing.

Time: 7 to 9 p.m., Oct. 28, 29

Cost: Pre-sale tickets: $8 to $12, on-site tickets: $12 to $16

Details: https://tinyurl.com/seascare

Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Dr., San Pedro

Halloween Dance Party

Enjoy the Young Guns ’80s Hal loween Party featuring the best of the 1980s sounds, epic dance moves and guitar riffs plus a good sense of humor. It’s an ’80s expe rience. Dress up for Halloween. There will be a costume contest and a prize for the best costume.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 28

Cost: $20 and up

Details: https://grandvision.org/ event/young-guns

Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Oct. 29

Historical Cemetery Tour

Join this all-ages event featuring eight graveside presentations by community theater actors portray ing the life of the person lying at rest. Each year, the event features new stories about people who shaped the city’s history.

Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: $8 to $25, ages 4 and un der are free

Details: 562.424.2220; www.hslb.org

Venue: Long Beach Municipal & Sunnyside Cemeteries, 1095 & 1151 E. Willow St., Long Beach

Scary Stories

The 20th annual Scary Stories

is back with two unique pro grams; one live on Oct. 29 and the other online for the month of October though Nov. 6. Gather around the virtual fire at home and listen to spellbinding storytelling with fabulous sound effects. A live-performance will happen in the amphitheater around a bonfire. Bring your own chairs. Distanced seating and masks are required. Children 6 and under are free. Dona tions are encouraged.

Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: $5 in person, cash only

Details: www.MelanieJon esStoryteller.com

Venue: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro

Shoreline Village Zombie Walk Halloween Party

Join fellow flesheaters for an all-day, family-friendly festival of live music, contests, make up/FX artists, trick-or-treating and of course, an undead march down Rainbow Harbor.

RSVP.

Time: 4 to 10 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/ zombie-walk

Venue: Shoreline Village, 401- 435 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach

Scarium of the Pacific

The aquarium will celebrate its 23rd annual Scarium of the Pacific, a Halloween event for the whole family featuring

costume and coloring contests, a vampire magician, underwater pumpkin carving and creepy crit ters.

Time: 9 a.m.to 5 p.m., Oct. 29, 30

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/scari um-pacific

Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach

Spooktacular Halloween Celebration

Join a family-friendly Halloween celebration with music, holiday crafts, games, vendors, food and dessert. Plus, there will be a Hal loween costume contest at 12:30 p.m.

Time: 12 to 3 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: Free

Details: www.lomita.com

Venue: Lomita Park, 24428 Es helman Ave., Lomita

Halloween Stemebration

Join the Battleship Iowa for Hal loween fun Oct. 29. Enjoy six candy stations, game stations, STEM/craft stations and a spooky reading corner. Plus watch Hotel Transylvania 2 on the Fantail at 8 p.m. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.

Time: 6 to 10 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: Free

Details: www.pacificbattleship. com/event/halloween-stemebra tion

Venue: Battleship Iowa Museum, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro

Oct. 30

MOLAA Day of the Dead Celebration

The Museum of Latin American Art or MOLAA will celebrate the Day of the Dead with a full day of fun, food, dancing, and ample activi ties including stage performances by three dance companies, facepainting, sugar skull-painting and tattoo artists. Parking at MOLAA will be $15.00 per car on this day.

Time: 11 a.m. to 8:15 p.m., Oct. 30

Cost: Free

Details: Event program: https:// molaa.org/2022_dod

Venue: Museum of Latin Ameri can Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach

Nov. 5

Pumpkin Smashing Smash pumpkins together to be composted in the Feed and Be Fed garden. Bring your own re tired pumpkins or convert Feed and Be Fed’s pumpkins to com post.

Time: 4 to 6 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: Free

Details: For more information email Peter at sierradesign@hot mail.com or call 310 408 3888

Venue: Feed and Be Fed, 429 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Día de los Muertos Festival

Join the Día de Los Muertos cel ebration at Rainbow Lagoon. The event will transform into a street extravaganza with arts and crafts, dance, world-class music and en tertainment, and food and bever age offerings.

Time: 12 to 10 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: Free

Details: longbeach.gov/diadelos muertos

Venue: Rainbow Lagoon, 400 E. Shoreline Dr., Long Beach

Día de Los Muertos Chalk Festival

Turn the sidewalk into works of art honoring the dead. Events will include live cultural performances and community altars and local vendors and agencies will provide community-related booths and ex hibits.

Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/ Deane-Dana-chalk-fest

Venue: Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center, 1805 W. 9th St., San Pedro

Ofrenda: A Día de Los Muertos Celebration

Celebrate Día de Los Muertos with the Mexican folk dance company, Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles, and the musicians of Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar, led by three-time Grammy award-winner

Jimmy Cuéllar.

Time: 8 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: $45

Details: https://www.carpenter arts.org/event/ballet-folklorico-delos-angeles

Venue: Carpenter Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach

MUSIC

Oct. 28

Eric Ramsey and Cej

A pair of songwriters who draw from Americana, blues, and their diverse experiences present a night of music and the stories be hind the song.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28

Cost: $10 to $20 Live or live streamed Details: https://tinyurl. com/53cvbdce

Venue: Collage: A Place for Art and Culture, 731 S. Pacific Ave.,San Pedro

Squiggle Tooth

The band will perform a special selection of music from its My Magical Wonderland album and the upcoming EP release.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 28

Cost: $20

Details: https://tinyurl.com/squig gle-tooth

Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

Jessica Fichot Quartet

Chanteuse, songwriter and accor dionist Jessica Fichot draws from her multi-ethnic upbringing, fusing music styles and languages. She takes the listener on a twisting journey out of the French chanson tradition, into the lands of gypsy jazz, 1940s Chinese swing, inter national folk, and into the wilder ness of her imagination.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 28

Cost: $10 to $26

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Fichot

Venue: El Camino College, Cam pus Theatre, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance

Oct. 29

Remember When Rock Was Young Show your pride with the Long Beach Symphony as it presents Remember When Rock Was Young: The Elton John Tribute. This full evening of Sir Elton John’s most beloved hits comes to life singing and dancing to the tunes of this Grammy, Tony, and Academy award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: $30 to $135

Details: https://longbeachsym phony.org; 562-436-3203

Venue: Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

‘Blues For All’ Free Community Concert

Join a community concert featur ing the best local blues talent. It’s held every last Saturday of the month. This month features Dave Widow & the Lineup, The Bill Grisolia Band and Sean Lane.

Time: 2 to 5 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/bluesfor-all

Venue: Cesar Chavez Park, 401 Golden Ave., Long Beach

Nov. 4

Ali Coyle with D. C. R. Pollock and Rudy Rios

This Santa Ana, California-based singer-songwriter combines folk, indie, pop and rock creating songs that have been described as “cin ematic poems.” Her recent EP release, Songs for My Therapist includes six self-reflective songs that have a universal message of discovery.

Time: 8 p.m., Nov. 4

Cost: $20 and up Details: https://grandvision.org/ event/ali-coyle

Venue: Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Nov. 5

José Antonio Rodríguez

Enjoy a solo performance with José Antonio Rodríguez, one of Spain’s leading guitarists-com posers of this generation. A re markable guitarist acclaimed for his powerful and evocative rendi tions of contemporary flamenco.

Time: 8 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: $30

Details: https://tinyurl.com/yz 7sts5c

Venue: Alvas Showroom, 1417 W. 8th St., San Pedro

Nov. 6

The Sardine Bands performing include Swami John Reis / Meatwave (Chicago) / Clown Sounds and Sunday Mati nee.

Time: 4 p.m., Nov. 6

Cost: $10

Details: https://www.thesar dinepedro.com

Venue: The Sardine, 1101 S. Pa cific Ave., San Pedro

Whisper of Trees

Young composer CHOU Hsuanhung and young film director WEI Zhao-yi’s cross-collaboration, cocreation project focuses on trees and consists of the conducting of recording, filming, soundscaping and music writing in Kaohsiung.

Time: 2:30 p.m., Nov. 6

Cost: $25 to $35

Details: https://torrancearts.org/ show/whispers-of-trees/ Venue: Torrance Cultural Arts, 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance

Nov. 13

Considering Matthew Shepard Extending the important conver sation started in its Peace Proj ect performance, Long Beach

Camerata Singers will perform a fully-staged version of this con temporary oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson in its entirety. This per formance will also introduce Cam erata’s new professional chamber ensemble, The Catalyst Ensem ble, to the community.

Time: 4:30 p.m., Nov. 13

Cost: $40 to $65

Details: 562-900-2863

Venue: Beverly O’Neill Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

THEATER

Oct. 27

Urinetown

A musical satire of drought, capi talism, bureaucracy and politics, Urinetown imagines a 20-yeardrought and the stress it puts on a large city. With water a scarce commodity, private toilets are out lawed. A hero decides he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom.

Time: 8 p.m. Friday, and Satur day and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27 to Nov. 19

Cost: $14 to $18

Details: 562-494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org

Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

Oct. 28

Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor

On a very important night for the Cleveland Grand Opera Compa ny, Tito Mirelli, the world-famous Italian tenor, is set to perform the starring role. He arrives late and, through a set of crazy circum stances, passes out after mix ing wine with a double dose of tranquilizers. Believing that their star is dead, the excitable opera manager taps an aspiring singer named Max to suit up and replace Mirelli.

Time: 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 28 to Nov. 6

Cost: $37 to $55

Details: https://tinyurl.com/yxsh wzh7

Venue: International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach

Clue

This hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery begins at a remote man sion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Oct. 29 and 2 p.m., Oct. 30

Cost: $60

Details: https://tinyurl.com/ClueEncore

Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro

Oct. 29

Character Plots with Rick Carter

Meet two-time Oscar-winner Rick Carter. Known for his production design of blockbuster films like Avatar, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future II and III, as well as dramas like Forrest Gump, Lincoln, and War Horse, Rick Carter has been a trailblazer in movie history. Each month Carter will explore differ ent aspects of filmmaking, from worldbuilding to character devel opment, at ESMoA. No materials necessary.

Time: 1 to 3 p.m., Oct. 29

Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/rickcarter

Venue: ESMoA, 208 Main St., El Segundo

Oct. 30

The Commodores Don’t miss The Commodores, one of the greatest Motown/R&B/funk groups of all-time.

Time: 7 p.m., Oct. 30

Cost: $55 to $95

Details: 562-916-8500; www.cerritoscenter.com

Venue: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Pla za Drive, Cerritos

Nov. 5

Relatively Speaking

Greg and Ginny have been seeing one another for about a month. Despite the short courtship, Greg is planning to propose to Ginny. But when he finds a pair of shoes beneath her bed that aren’t his, he becomes suspicious.

Time: 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 5 to Dec.

3

Cost: $14 to $24

Details: 562-494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org

Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

Nov. 6

Culture Talks

This presentation features a live performance by the Orchid Quar tet and flutist Sara Andon. It is produced in collaboration with Steven Allen Fox, artistic director and conductor of the Golden State Pops Orchestra. Fox will be lead ing the conversation with Austin Wintory, video game composer.

Time: 2 p.m., Nov. 6

Cost: $12 to $16

Details: https://tinyurl.com/videogame-master-class

Venue: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro

LITERATURE

Oct. 30

Celebration of the Fall 2022

Issue of Santa Monica Review

The Santa Monica Review is a national literary arts journal spon sored by Santa Monica College.

Join an in-person real-life celebra tion of the fall 2022 issue featuring readings by recent contributors to the magazine and friends of the journal, with a welcome by writer, reviewer, and publisher Leland Cheuk.

Time: 5 to 7 p.m., Oct. 30

Cost: $10

Details: Brownpapertickets.com

Venue: Edye Second Space, Broad Theater-SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica

Nov. 5

Joshua Frank

Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state is the most toxic place you’ve never heard of, investigative journalist and au thor Joshua Frank discusses and signs his book that examines this unfolding environmental disaster.

Time: 6 p.m., Nov. 5

Cost: Free

Details: www.patmbooks.com

Venue: Page Against the Ma chine, 2714 W. 4th St., Long Beach

COMMUNITY Oct. 28

Nature & Me Storytime

Join the Palos Verdes Library Dis trict for stories, songs, and rhymes at George F Canyon Nature Cen ter. Recommended for ages 2 to 5. No reservations are required.

Time: 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Oct. 28

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl. com/3j7wdvpx

Venue: George F Canyon Nature Center, 27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates

Slanguage at 20

space and neighborhood. Slanguage artists have gone on to become involved in several different initiatives in Wilmington, like the Avalon Arts Council, which runs an art walk in the city. In fact, several Slanguage artists who grew up in the studio came back to Wilmington as part of the Getty 25 Celebrates Wilmington this past July.

Ybarra noted that at the time of the 2008 financial crisis, college graduates were returning to Wilmington unable to find employment. Slanguage was able to “incubate them.” During that time a big shift occurred in the people that they were working with. It became urgent to work with different demographics in terms of age groups and people.

Ybarra and Diaz said that one of the studio’s biggest challenges was when large well-funded organizations would come to town, see what Slanguage was doing, then steal their youth audience and even their ideas. Slanguage was always open to exchanging ideas with outside institutions and artists. But in this new era, the founders learned they had to step back and be less willing to share.

As Slanguage grew through Ybarra’s and Diaz’s work and personal incomes, they watched the city come in, with organizations from elsewhere, claiming they were there to help the community. Slanguage is not a nonprofit, so when these organizations arrived, and more of the community was educated, Ybarra had to tell them that they did not need missionaries. They could do their own work, and facilitate their own growth and their own projects. Younger people were coming home with degrees and they wanted to give back to

the community.

Diaz noted they were not shutting these organizations down but were choosing to act with reciprocity. The work that Slanguage was doing in Wilmington was an act of sharing and exchanging rather than taking, she explained.

“[They] don’t realize … that there is so much abundance of creativity in what [the community] has to share,” said Diaz. “They don’t come to ask the community questions about what they think and what [they] have to share, [but rather] apply a preset notion of what they think the community needs or what they are.”

Another challenge for the couple has been reframing the language of the content they were producing.

“The world sees our kids as underserved and as gangsters, while we see our kids as artists, talented collectors, and arts advocates,” Diaz

explained. “But you have to be an observer [to do that] and be in touch with what they see so that you can facilitate language.”

“We don’t use the same language and that is the reason why we decided to not be a nonprofit,” Ybarra said. “We don’t want to keep reiterating this language that is the framework for how you work in communities and who the people are that you work with in these communities. But then that means that we don’t apply for funding resources. We navigate that by keeping our overhead low. We don’t have fancy printing presses or big kilns. We keep it simple. It’s been really fun for us.”

Passing the Baton Ybarra and Diaz are gratified in seeing that spirit expressed in the up-and-coming generations of Slanguage artists and watching

the professionalism and their individual and collective funkiness grow.

For the celebration, the founders let the curators do their thing, only gently guiding them when necessary. Ybarra said confidence has been built, and the baton has been passed.

“We were able to do our jobs in terms of raising artists who are fully capable of taking up the challenges of being artists, working within the arts and they have each other as well, a support network. I got to see that in action. That was the best part of it.

“When I think about what kind of change or impact I want to make as an artist, that’s the biggest thing, to allow them to learn and make an impact in the arts now that they can take that on,” Diaz said. “When you talk about social change and impacting the community, what better way to do that … in their own way, make an impact on the community.”

In addition to the exhibition, Slanguageled programming will create additional opportunities for nuanced public engagement in the following free public events at Angels Gate Cultural Center and online:

Nov. 5, 1:30 to 3 p.m. — Spoken word workshop and open mic with Aquí Collective Nov. 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., online —Bodies as Primary Sites of Learning workshop with Sarita Dougherty

Nov. 1, 3 to 4:30 p.m.—Slanguage Across Generations panel talk at open studios day

We Run Things, Things Don’t Run We will be on view at AGCC, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, through Dec. 10. Gallery hours Thursdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To read the complete version of this article go to: https://tinyurl.com/slanguage-we-run-things

Mario Ybarra Jr., one of the founders of Slanguage studio at the “Slanguage table.” Photo by Arturo GarciaAyala

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STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME File No. 2021076736

DATE FILED: March 31, 2021

Name of Business(es): A-1 Imported Groceries Street Address, City, State, Zip Code: 348 W. 8TH ST SAN PEDRO CA 90731

Registered owner(s): EMID DIO UNGARO 1508 w AVERILL PARK DRIVE, SAN PEDRO CA 90732, LISA UNGARO 1508 w AVERILL PARK DRIVE, SAN PEDRO CA 90732

State of Incorporation: CA

This business is conducted by a married couple. The registrant(s) started doing business on 1/1947.

1,

SAN PEDRO CA 90731

County of LOS ANGELES Mailing Address: 6220 VIA CANADA RANCHO PALOS VERDES CA 90275

Fictitious

be accompanied by the

of Identity form. The

of this statement does

of itself authorize the use

this state of a Fictitious

violation

rights of another under

State, or common law

Section 14411 et seq., Business and Profes sions Code). 10/27, 11/10, 11/23, 12/1/2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

Registered owner(s): KATICA BLASKOVICH 6220 VIA CANADA RANCHO PALOS VERDES CA 90275

State of Incorporation: CA This business is conduct ed by an Individual. The registrant(s) started doing business on N/A.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los An geles County on 09/15/2022.

taurants,

MISC.

BathWraps is looking for calls from homeowners with older home who are looking for a quick safety update. They do not remodel entire bathrooms but update bathtubs with new liners for safe bathing and showering. They special ize in grab bars, non-slip surfaces and shower seats. All updates are completed in one day. Call 866-5312432

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ LISA UNGARO, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 10/21/2022.

10/27, 11/10, 11/23, 12/1/2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2022230238

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The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: A-1 IMPORTED GROCERIES. 2485 W. 8TH ST SAN PE DRO CA 90731 County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): LISA UNGARO 1508 w AVERILL PARK DRIVE, SAN PEDRO CA 90732

State of Incorporation: CA

This business is conduct ed by an Individual. The registrant(s) started doing business on N/A.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ LISA UNGARO, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 10/21/2022.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change

File No. 2022223858

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: SUTHERLAND CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 972 W 20TH STREET, SAN PEDRO CA 90731 County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): ED WARD HUGHES AMOND SEN, 1508 w AVERILL PARK DRIVE, SAN PEDRO CA 90731

State of Incorporation: CA

This business is conduct ed by an Individual. The registrant(s) started doing business on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ EDWARD HUGHES AMONDSEN, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 10/14/2022.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ KATICA BLASKOVICH OWNER

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 Sec tion 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a regis tered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the ex piration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be ac companied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this

statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10/22

the facts

forth in the state

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 Sec tion 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a regis tered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the ex piration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be ac companied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 10/27, 11/10, 11/23, 12/1/2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2022202657

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: VISTA DEL MAR APART MENTS, 535 W. 37TH ST

Code Section 1725.5.

NOTICE INVITING BIDS

NOTICE IS HEREBY

of

Portal website. Bidders must first register as a vendor on the Port of Long Beach PB System website in order to view and download the Con tract Documents, to be added to the prospective bidders list, and to receive addendum notifications when issued.

NIB -2 Pre-Bid Questions. All questions, including re quests for interpretation

LISHED IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS.

PORT-WIDE

BEACH, CALIFORNIA

DESCRIBED

HD-S3159

For the link to the Port of Long Beach PB System and for in formation on this Project and other upcoming Port projects, you may view the Port web site at www.polb.com/busi ness/business-opportunities

Copies of all Port insurance endorsement forms, SBE/ VSBE Program forms, Har

correction, or comments re garding the Contract Docu ments, must be submitted no later than November 22, 2022 at 5 p.m. Questions received after the pre-Bid question deadline will not be accepted.

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

NIB -6 Contractor’s Li cense. The Bidder shall hold a current and valid Class “A” California Contractor’s License to construct this project.

Bid

bor Development Permit Applications and other Port forms are available at www. polb.com/business/permits.

NIB -3 Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit. There will not be a pre-bid meeting or site visit for this project. The City makes no guarantee that existing construction and site conditions matches construc tion depicted on record refer ence documents. It shall be the Bidder’s responsibility to identify existing conditions.

NIB -4 Summary Descrip tion of the Work. The Work required by this Contract includes, but is not limited to, the following: on an oncall basis, repair of concrete deficiencies on above- and below-water wharfs, piles, cutoff walls, bulkheads and mooring/berthing dolphins.

NIB -5 Contract Time and Liquidated Damages. The Contractor shall achieve Af fidavit of Final Completion of the Project within two (2) years as provided in Para graph SC - 6.1 of the Special Conditions, from a date speci fied in a written “Notice to Proceed” issued by the City and subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8.2 of the General Conditions. FAIL URE OF THE CONTRAC TOR TO COMPLETE THE WORK WITHIN THE CON TRACT TIME AND OTHER MILESTONES SET FORTH IN THE SPECIAL CONDI TIONS, INCLUDING THE ENGINEER’S APPROVAL OF AFFIDAVIT OF FINAL COMPLETION, WILL RE SULT IN ASSESSMENT OF LIQUIDATED DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNTS ESTAB

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

NIB -8 SBE/VSBE. This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small Business Enterprises (SBE)/ Very Small Business Enter prises (VSBE) Program.

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

POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal. Award of the Contract will be conditioned on the Bidder submitting an SBE-2C Com mitment Plan demonstrating the Bidder’s intent to meet the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal. If the Bidder’s Commitment Plan does not demonstrate intent

to meet the combined goal, the Bidder shall demonstrate that it made an adequate good faith effort to do so, as specified in the Instructions to Bidders. The Port’s SBE Program staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification as sistance. Please contact the SBE Office at (562) 283-7598 or sbeprogram@polb.com. You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at www.polb.com/sbe.

NIB -9 Prevailing Wage Requirements per Depart ment of Industrial Rela tions. This Project is a public work Contract as defined in Labor Code Section 1720. The Contractor receiving award of the Contract and Subcontractors of any tier shall pay not less than the prevailing wage rates to all workers employed in execu tion of the Contract. The Di rector of Industrial Relations of the State of California has determined the general prevailing rates of wages in the locality in which the Work is to be performed. The rate schedules are available on the internet at http://www. dir.ca.gov/dlsr/DPreWage Determination.htm and on file at the City, available upon request. Bidders are directed to Article 15 of the Gen eral Conditions for require ments concerning payment of prevailing wages, payroll records, hours of work and employment of apprentices.

This Project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Depart ment of Industrial Relations. No Contractor or Subcon tractor may be listed on a bid proposal for a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5 (with limited exceptions from this requirement for bid purposes only under Labor Code Sec tion 1771.1(a)). No Contrac tor or Subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor

In addition to providing Certi fied Payroll Records (CPRs) and labor compliance doc umentation to the Port of Long Beach, Contractors and Subcontractors must furnish electronic CPRs to the Labor Commissioner’s Office.

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

NIB -11 Trade Names and Substitution of Equals. With the exception of any sole source determination that may be identified in this paragraph, a written request for an Or Equal Substitution using the form included in Appendix A together with data substantiating that the non-specified item is of equal quality to the item specified, may be submitted after Con ditional Award and no later than fourteen (14) calendar days after City’s issuance of Notice to Proceed (NTP).

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

NIB -12 Prequalification of Contractors. Not Used.

NIB -13 Bid Security, Signed Contract, Insur ance and Bonds. Each Bid shall be accompanied by a satisfactory Bidder’s Bond or other acceptable Bid Security in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the Base Bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if Conditionally Awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) cal endar days after the Contract is conditionally awarded to the Contractor by the City, execute and deliver such Contract to the Chief Harbor Engineer together with all required documents including insurance forms, a Payment Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, and a Performance Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. All Bonds shall be on forms provided by the City.

NIB -14 Conditional Award of Contract and Reservation of Rights. The

Board, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time before the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informality or irregularity. The Conditional Award of the Contract, if any, will be to the responsible Bidder submitting the lowest responsive and responsible Bid. If the low est responsive responsible Bidder fails to submit the required documents includ ing insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after Conditional Award of Contract, the Board reserves the right to rescind the Con ditional Award and Condition ally Award the Contract to the next lowest responsive and responsible Bidder.

NIB -15 Period of Bid Irre vocability. Bids shall remain open and valid and Bidder’s Bonds and other acceptable Bid Security shall be guar anteed and valid for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first.

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

NIB -17 Iran Contracting Act of 2010. In accordance with Public Contract Code sections 2200-2208, every person who submits a bid or proposal for entering into or renewing contracts with the City for goods or services estimated at $1,000,000 or more are required to com plete, sign, and submit the “Iran Contracting Act of 2010 Compliance Affidavit.”

Issued at Long Beach, California, this 22nd day of August 2022.

Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California

Note: For project updates after Bid Opening, please con tact plans.specs@polb. com