RLn 03-30-23

Mayor Karen Bass appoints two Harbor Commissioners p. 2

Family of missing Carson teen pleads for help and FBI involvement p. 4

Argentinian author and artist regales MOLAA audience with latest psychological thriller p. 9

Huge Labor Victory in SEIU/UTLA Strike

By Mark Friedman, Reporter and Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

Trump Threatens Death & Destruction If Arrested

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

Fearing imminent indictment on multiple fronts, Donald Trump did what he does best on March 18: He lied. Spectacularly. In a headline-grabbing way. It was the first volley in a series of social media posts intended to cement his hold on the GOP and radicalize it further against democracy in order to protect himself from standing trial and potentially going to prison.

In the days that followed, GOP leaders echoed his lies and attacks on the criminal legal system, visited and celebrated jailed Jan. 6 insurgents, and telegraphed their intent to pass a law protecting Trump from any criminal prosecution — a law contrary to everything “small government” conservatives claim to stand for — like accountability.

One week later, he held his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas, during the 30th anniversary of the Branch Davidian siege, “a not-so-quiet dog whistle to anti-government conspiracy theorists,” as Natalie Jackson, a locally-raised national pollster described it on Substack. “The conspiracy movements that remain inspired by those events have rallied for Trump on plenty of occasions, and he is not going to stop leveraging their anger in his attempt to regain power.”

Unity and solidarity prevailed. The decision by the UTLA to support striking Local 99 of Service Employees International Union workers throughout Los Angeles Unified School District is inescapable proof that solidarity works. The three-day unity strike was marked by 7-10 a.m. picketing at hundreds of schools, multi-school mobilizations at five LAUSD district offices, and two massive downtown mobilizations. The strike won the following:

• A 30% wage increase for LAUSD staff represented by the union, amounting to an increase of the average annual salary from $25,000 to $33,000

• A minimum wage of $22.52 an hour signing bonuses and retroactive pay

• Health insurance for more members, including family coverage

•

More hours for support staff who serve students with special needs

While teachers, school support staff, and labor enjoy this victory lap, there has been grumbling in certain quarters about the cost to student learning as they try to catch up to pre-pandemic levels academically. SEIU Local 99 communication’s director, Blanca Gallegos noted that nearly half the members of Local 99 are parents of school-aged children and that the Local made the decision to strike with the understanding that short-term sacrifices had to be made.

Gallegos also noted the dire staffing shortage at LAUSD.

“I think that those who work there know more than anyone else and understand what that means, in terms of bathrooms being locked because there are not enough custodians to clean them,” Gallegos said. “Lunch lines are extremely long, causing students to have to rush to their meals because there’s not enough staff. Special education students are not having enough support in the classroom. So, all of these issues, I’m sure were present in workers’ minds as they moved to go on strike. For the union, going on strike was a tool of very last resort.”

San Pedro High School teacher Laura Rodriguez saw the sacrifices as worth it.

“My husband is also a teacher. So we’re both losing three days of pay, that’s six days of no pay. I believe in the cause. We both do. That’s why we’re here.”

The union negotiated for a year with the school district not

United Teachers Los Angeles members and their supporters strike outside Carnegie Middle School in Carson. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala

Area

LA COVID-19 Pandemic Reflections Initiative

The Department of Cultural Affairs or DCA and See Change Institute, the consultant team conducting the research and evaluation phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic Reflections Initiative, are implementing a community engagement plan to determine if the city should create a permanent COVID-19 memorial. Community engagement sessions are being scheduled throughout March and April for each council district in Los Angeles. Details: https://tinyurl.com/pandemic-reflections

Meet Cuban Embassy Representatives

Meet Alejandro Garcia Del Torre, deputy chief of the Cuban mission, Washington D.C. and Javier Levy Hernandez, first secretary of the Cuban Embassy Washington D.C. The event includes a welcome from Kevin Kucera, area director, business rep and international Association of Machinists and messages of solidarity from Mike Vera, ILWUmarine Division-IBU, James Lafferty of National Lawyers Guild-LA and others.

Time: 7 p.m., April 18

Details: la.us.handsoffcuba@gmail.com

Venue: Machinists Union Hall, 1261 Avalon Blvd., Wilmington

Dalmatian American Club Community Fish

Luncheon

Join the 60th anniversary of the Dalmatian American Club or DAC Fish Luncheon, the most “egalitarian” event includes everyone from judges and lawyers, dentists and doctors, union workers, administrators of business and nonprofit organizations, friends and family breaking bread, enjoying camaraderie, no speeches though some announcements. RSVP.

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., March 31

Cost: $30 per person

Details: 310-831-9821. Tickets payable at the door.

Venue: Dalmatian American Club, 1639 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro

[continued on following page]

Port News

Mayor Bass appoints two Harbor Commissioners Action reveals intent to have more progressives in charge

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

The direction with which Mayor Karen Bass wants the Los Angeles Harbor Commission to go may have been revealed when Harbor Commissioner Lucia Moreno-Linares confirmed on Friday, March 24, she had received a “courtesy call” from the mayor’s office indicating she would be replaced by an appointee.

The confirmation came during Moreno-Linares’ remarks when state officials presented a ceremonial check reaffirming a $110 million pledge to help fund the nation’s first training facility specifically devoted to supply chain workers, located within the San Pedro Bay port complex.

In a letter to the Los Angeles City Council, Mayor Bass said she is filling the vacancy created by her removal of Moreno-Linares, effective May 1 with Lucille Roybal-Allard.

Roybal-Allard was the first Latina elected to Congress in 1993. She left office on Jan. 3, 2023. The Democratic stalwart announced in 2021 that she would not seek re-election after the redistricting commission split up her district — a district that had the most Latino voters of any district in the country after the 2010 census. She began her political career in the California State Assembly,

where she served from 1987 to 1992.

Mayor Bass also appointed Michael Munoz to replace Anthony Pirozzi. Munoz’s work history reflects a commitment to social and economic justice.

Munoz had served as research director for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy since 2017.

In his resume, which he submitted to the city council, Munoz said he worked extensively to combat truck driver misclassification, worked on the Clean Truck Program implementation and developed a deep understanding of the relationship between truck driver misclassification, pollution, and the environmental impact of diesel emissions on the communities surrounding the ports and along the supply chain.

He served as campaign researcher for the Warehouse Worker Resource Center/Teamsters before being promoted to research director when he took a position with LAANE.

While at the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, he collaborated with non-union workers and partners to attain better labor benefits, safer working conditions and enhanced workplace

rights. The current Harbor Commission includes three Harbor Area residents, Moreno-Linares (Wilmington), Diane Middleton, and Anthony Pirozzi (San Pedro). While Moreno-Linares expressed hope that a Wilmington seat remains on the commission, Mayor Bass’ choices indicate a more progressive and labor friendly direction.

Indeed, Moreno-Linares has been under fire by labor-aligned groups since the 2019 vote permitting APM to outfit their terminal at Pier 400 to allow for automation. She voted with the majority (3-2) approving the permit. A Change.org petition was set up in which 1,909 people signed, calling for her removal. The protest of that decision was organized by Gary Herrera as an unauthorized action by community members. At the ceremony it was announced that Herrera had just been elected to be president of ILWU Local 13.

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach Goods Movement Training Campus, originally promoted by former harbor commissioner and ILWU leader David Arian, would provide a single and centralized location aimed at attracting, recruiting, and retaining workers in the goods movement sector. The $110 million allocation will be spread across three fiscal years, starting with the 2022 to 2023 state budget with additional amounts in 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. The twin ports of the San Pedro Bay will match this investment with the help of the Pacific Maritime Association and possibly more funding from the Joe Biden administration.

Community Announcements: Harbor Area

[from previous page]

Hinchcliffe, Hunter-Reay Inducted Into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame

Two past Grand Prix of Long Beach winners, James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay, will be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame April 13, ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach taking place April 14 through 16.

Hinchcliffe and Hunter-Reay will be inducted during a free, public ceremony at 11 a.m. in front of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center on South Pine Avenue. During the ceremony, each will unveil a 22-inch bronze medallion featuring renditions of their iconic cars and descriptions of their major achievements, permanently enshrining their contributions to motorsports on the Walk of Fame.

After the ceremony, Hinchcliffe and HunterReay will sign autographs for those in attendance. Details: lbmotorsportswof.com

Fundamentals of Fatherhood Program

Available in Long Beach

The City of Long Beach is helping fathers develop the confidence and skills needed to become better parents. Sign up for the program and connect with a community of fathers.

Details: 562-570-3285; https://tinyurl.com/fatherhood-fundamentals-LB

Get Help With Energy and Water Bills

Through DWP

If you need help paying your energy and water bills, there is up to $5,000 tax free utility bill assistance available through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP and Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program or LIHWAP per eligible households. There is no impact to other benefits and public charge determinations.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/ladwp-financial-assistance

LBUSD Teacher Association Negotiations at Impasse

By Daniel Rivera, Editorial Intern

Long Beach Unified School District announced on March 24 that it is at an impasse after months of negotiations with the Teachers Association of Long Beach and is calling in a state mediator to conduct a fact-finding report to see who has the stronger case. This process will take weeks to finalize, and if there is no compromise, the association can vote on whether to strike.

The district has proposed adding four paid pupil-free days. According to the widely-used School Services of California comparative budget and salary data, the average length of service year for teachers statewide is 185 days, including pupil-free days. The current work year for LBUSD teachers is 182 days. The district is proposing to phase in the paid days in the beginning of the 2024 to 2025 school year to support the adults in helping students to achieve.

According to the district, the added compensation for the fully implemented pupil-free days would be equivalent to a 2.2% increase on the salary schedule. The 2.2% salary schedule increase for the additional days was not a factor in determining the overall compensation offer.

The district recently increased its salary offer from 8% ongoing and 2% one-time raises, to 8% ongoing and 3% one-time raises. The 8% raise would be retroactive to July 1, 2022, and the 3% one-time raise would be based on earnings from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

The teachers’ association particularly balked at the professional days, arguing that they were never asked for their input, contradicting the district’s assertion that to date, more than 13,000 thoughts have been gathered from students, staff,

parents and community partners.

“Teachers were never asked to provide input as to what type of training we would like or need,” Grace Castro, a Robinson Middle School teacher said during a board meeting on March 15.

Many other teachers at TALB share the sentiment, saying that the days are not for students and they won’t be compensated adequately for the extra days. Among many of the various issues cited during the bargaining meeting, the recurring theme amongst the teachers is that they see it as a waste of time, time that they believe would be better spent on student needs.

The district said it was in the process of designing graduate, adult, and “system portraits.”

The system portrait is a critical component that reviews how the system will need to change to help adults to support students. The district said it proposed the additional free days based on thousands of feedback points made by stakeholders, including teachers. According to the district, the pupil-free days would provide staff the opportunity for collaboration, review of student data and/or site-based training. They might be placed near the beginning or the end of the year, where it would be easier for teachers to integrate with the schedules.

TALB and LBUSD negotiations also hit an impasse in October 2021. Both sides agree to have a mediator conduct a fact-finding report regarding wage increases.

Family in Desperate Search for Missing Teen City of Carson to Vote on $100,000 Reward for Info Resulting in Return

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

On March 22, the captain of the Sheriff’s station in the City of Carson, Damon Jones, reported the details of missing teen Alinka Castaneda to the Carson City Council following the March 17 television news reports of her disappearance and the family’s fear that she has been caught up in human trafficking.

The last image of Alinka Angeline Castaneda is a 5 a.m. security video on Jan. 1, showing her standing outside her home, then being taken away in an unknown vehicle.

Retired Los Angeles Police Detective Moses Castillo has been helping the family search for Alinka.

“The family says when she walked off the driveway, she was wearing a hoodie and had nothing in her hands. No wallet, no cellphone, no backpack,” said Castillo.

Two weeks after her disappearance, Alinka’s mother Maricela Rosas said her younger daughter got a panicked phone call from Alinka. Police traced the call to an address in Venice. Then two hours later, she got another call from another burner phone.

Rosas said she heard from her daughter again in late February. Alinka told her she was at Union Station and would be home by 10 p.m., but that never happened.

At the end of his report regarding Carson Sheriff Station’s crime-fighting and community engagement efforts, Capt. Jones spoke at length about Alinka following the television reports the weekend prior.

After providing a brief description

of the teen, Capt. Jones explained what steps the Carson Sheriff’s Station has taken thus far since learning of the teen’s disappearance.

He said his staff responded and followed all proper procedures and protocols and did a great deal of follow-up on.

Dominguez Channel to Receive Federal Monies, Improvements

By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor

At the March 22 city council meeting in Carson, Los Angeles County Public Works director Mark Pestrella gave a report on improvements coming to the Dominguez Channel.

He started his report by noting that following rains up until that date, LA County Flood Control had conserved enough water to supply 2.1 million people for a year. We have a lot of snow lies or major damage to properties throughout LA County, including Carson. There have been 12 storms so far this season, producing more than double the average rainfall for LA County.

ever, designated as a qualifying project inside the bill. Pestrella explained that this meant that the federal government made a commitment to do a watershed-wide assessment of the LA area and other areas that feed water into the Dominguez Channel, and to assess improvements to flood mitigation, stormwater capture and other environmental improvements along the channel.

Pestrella said his staff will be working with the City of Carson to go after money specific to the Dominguez Channel. That includes the County of Los Angeles sponsoring a project with

Including speaking with the family to determine if there were any prior abductions, health concerns, mental illness, or whether Alinka had any physical or developmental disabilities. He said a report was taken as well on whether Castaneda had any history as a victim of dating violence.

He also said the Carson Sheriff’s Station created a flyer, separate from the flyers created by the family.

Subsequently, Capt. Jones said Alinka’s information was entered into the National Crime Center database to show that she was missing.

Capt. Jones noted detectives have gone out to talk to some of Castaneda’s friends, and school officials and have even pinged the phones Alinka used to contact her parents over the past two months.

“Our detectives are diligently ... working this matter and will continue to follow any leads,” he said. Jones noted that his detectives have received a few tips via email and phone calls to the station and are following up on those leads.

Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes ac-

knowledged receiving the family’s emailed message asking for help and reported that the flyer soliciting the public for information on Alinka’s whereabouts would be posted on the city’s marquee and had contacted the city’s digital advertising providers.

Castillo speaking on behalf of the family, called on the city to lend its voice to get the FBI involved in the search, noting:

“I believe it is time to take it up to the next level,” Castillo said. “I appreciate the captain and his detectives. I have nothing bad to say about what they’re doing. But at this point, time has gone by, and I think it’s time to tap into additional resources.”

Mayor Davis-Holmes agendized the $100,000 reward for information leading to finding and returning of Alinka to her family for the next city council meeting as well as forwarding the details of Alinka’s case to the next level of government.

Pestrella also told the city council that Los Angeles County and the City of Carson coordinated with Rep. Nanette Barragán’s office to successfully secure an appropriation item within the 2025 Water Resource Development Act, which was recently signed into law by President Joe Biden. The act allocated $103 million to Los Angeles County for projects like the Dominguez Channel project with the aim of stormwater abatement and improving other water-related infrastructure in the county. Though not all of the $103 million was designated for the Dominguez Channel, it was, how-

the city that would incorporate Carson’s bikeway plans, as well as a Greenway project in and along Dominguez Channel. That study has been already underway and is under analysis by Pestrella’s office which provides analysis of the current conditions of the channel, including the physical conditions, its hydraulic capacity, and the quality of the water in the channel.

Pestrella said his staff would be engaging with Carson’s city staff on outreach and preparing to do community outreach.

While Mayor Lula Davis Holmes and Councilman Jim Dear praised the county’s public works director, Councilman Cedric Hicks suggested that public meetings regarding the Greenway parks be on Saturday evenings to allow for the greatest degree of public input on the project.

“The first thing we want to do is educate the community about this infrastructure. What its function is; and how it operates with [what] current conditions are,” he said. “That work will be done and is already commencing and will be done over the next several months throughout the summer and the beginning of the fall.”

Pestrella said a public outreach campaign surrounding the greenway project will begin in 2024. The Greenway project is expected to be delivered by 2025.

Retired Los Angeles Police Detective Moses Castillo, left, poses with members of Alinka Castaneda’s family. Castaneda has been missing since Jan. 1. Photo by Chris Villanueva

The Dominguez Channel in Carson will undergo infrastructure improvements and stormwater abatement. File photo

Two Boats Wreck Off San Pedro Coast

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

In late February, a sailboat with a diesel engine wrecked and grounded off the coast of San Pedro near White Point. The United States Coast Guard incorrectly reported that the boat was a clean energy boat, said Liz Odendahl, press deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. Local residents said that because of this, the county deprioritized the clean-up of the boat, so it remained on the beach until late March. A second wrecked boat, this one a power

boat, grounded on the beach near Royal Palms on March 15, less than a mile away from the first boat. This boat was cleaned up around the same time as the first boat.

Richard Havenick, board member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, said the sailboat grounded at White Point around Feb. 24, near 1600 W. Paseo Del Mar. He said it was immediately below the landslide, and below the baseball field.

Victory for SEIU/UTLA

budging on any of their priorities, Gallegos explained. She said workers were left with no other choice.

“That this was really what it took for the district to come back to the table and address issues of respect and also issues that were in negotiation,” Gallegos said.

Much had been said about the relative silence of school board members in this labor fight. However, Gallegos expressed appreciation for the social media posts by school board president Kelly Gonez and Rocio Rivas and the outspoken efforts of school board member Jackie Goldberg in the media.

“But outside of that, we didn’t see too much from board members,” Gallegos said.

offices, and downtown rallies. What was evident was the unity and strength of all the workers, parents, and students. In the Los Angeles Harbor, the International Longshore and Warehouseman’s Union (ILWU) members joined the picket line, adding strength to the SEIU labor actions.

One SEIU Local 99 member on the picket line at San Pedro High School, Ms. Perez, was thrilled with the solidarity shown during the strike.

“I think that the teachers are there to back us up. They are a strong union,” Perez said. “They’re all about solidarity. I am retiring soon. So hopefully people in the future will have better wages, better treatment, and I’m just hoping they sign that contract quickly so I can get a piece of

“It took some back and forth with the county to demonstrate to the Coast Guard that there was actually a diesel motor and a diesel fuel tank, and lead keel, and two 12-volt batteries, at the fiberglass sailboat,” Havenick said at the March 20 meeting of his neighborhood council. “That took longer than one would have thought, because the Coast Guard reported to the county, and the county accepted and stood by the Coast Guard report that the sailboat contained no such materials. So that was a hurdle to overcome. It is hard to understand why that hurdle was such a problem.”

Odendahl said that Hahn’s office told the Coast Guard about the mistake, and that local residents, including Havenick, provided photo proof.

“After those residents provided photos, the Coast Guard agreed to change the error in their report,” Odendahl wrote via email.

Havenick said there was a resistance to accepting factual information about the sailboat from residents.

“I shouldn’t have to provide photos [that] document the facts that contradicted the report that I was told by the Coast Guard,” Havenick said.

Havenick said he just wanted the wrecks to be cleaned up, which they were shortly afterwards. Havenick also expressed appreciation for the Coast Guard, and said he wanted to be able to trust their reporting.

“The Coast Guard also informed the owner of the boat that it was their responsibility to clean up the wreck,” Odendahl wrote. “Because the owner did not comply, the County Department of Beaches and Harbors has engaged professional salvage companies who will be contracted to remove the remains of that boat as well as the second boat that came ashore.”

Havenick said that neither boat poses a significant threat, but that the residents could not have

known that at first. The neighborhood council passed a motion requesting that the Coast Guard remove the boats, shortly before their removal.

“I think it’s important that we say there should be an immediate response, that we’re concerned about environmental damage, and that we want it not just removed but cleaned up,” board member Robin Rudisill said.

Odendahl said that the second boat, the one that crashed on March 15, may have been a scuttling attempt. This is based on a report from divers who said the propellers and rudders have been removed, and the cabin gutted.

“They further reported that the vessel had been towed out into the ocean before it appeared,” Odendahl wrote. “Per the Department of Beaches and Harbors, USCG [Coast Guard] performed an assessment and stated that the boat contained mostly water and a sheen that indicated a small amount of fuel.”

Odendahl said that the Coast Guard worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency to find out what actions were needed based on the environmentally sensitive habitat.

“They indicated that none were determined to be in that area and that the sheen would dissipate in a few hours with no marine life being affected,” Odendahl wrote.

Victor Posod, a member of the Facebook group Scenic San Pedro, posted photos of the second boat in the group and described it as an about 40-foot Sportfisher.

“I guess it’s cheaper to abandon it at sea and let the taxpayers pick up the cost,” wrote group member Russell Forsythe in a comment on the post.

The Coast Guard did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Throughout the three-day strike, picketers have called this labor action a fight for respect. Some have described being treated as heroes after continuing to keep schools clean and serve students through the pandemic to being treated as “the help.”

Local 99 has filed nearly a dozen complaints with the Public Employment Relations Board charging the school district with surveilling union members, interfering with members’ ability to participate in union activities, and retaliating against union members, among other charges. And there’s nearly a dozen more that are pending to be filed.

“It has been a year, and throughout the process, we hope that this turned a new page,” Gallegos said, adding that he understands that those frontline workers are part of the school community and that they have a voice. They need to be respected and valued for the contributions they have made to student learning.

This reporter was on the picket lines at San Pedro and Banning HS, Harry Bridges middle school, the mobilizations at the Gardena LAUSD

Gallegos said Local 99 will be putting the contract to vote next week with the results returned by April 8.

This strike represented another advance for organized labor in LA coming out of the 2019 UTLA strike that won significant demands, though not all of them. There are still problems with overcrowded classrooms and a lack of nurses at all schools. And there is the ongoing issue of making school curricula more relevant to the students’ history, especially around the campaign to include the issue of Palestine in ethnic studies.

Tens of thousands of students, led by Students Deserve, are continuing to fight against cops on campus, a positive outcome of the national and local protests against police killings of Black and brown youth especially.

School districts nationally face the same issue of a tremendous disparity between teaching staff and support staff that in LA, for example, is 84% Black and Latinx. This victory should help advance other strikes nationally of these lowest paid, starvation wage slaves, hopefully with the same unity and solidarity demonstrated by UTLA.

United Teachers Los Angeles members strike in the pouring rain outside Dodson Middle School in Rancho Palos Verdes. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala

The Naked Truth

Anti-Wokeness and David’s Penis

By James Preston Allen, Publisher

The recent ousting of a Florida school principal over objections by parents at the Tallahassee Classical Charter School reveals a lot about the idiocy of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-wokeness campaign and many of his followers. The dispute, if you haven’t heard about it, was over an art lesson featuring a photo of Michelangelo’s David — a Renaissance masterpiece. Yes, this idealized depiction of “David”, the same one referenced in the Bible, is a study in human form that’s completely nude in the classical GrecoRoman tradition. It’s been around since the 16th century and millions of people have gazed upon this larger-than-life figure and his penis in full glory. Anyone who is half literate has seen a picture.

Oh, the shock and the horror! A picture of male genitalia in an art appreciation class. What will these commie-liberals do next? Parents complained about sixth-grade students being shown an image of the nude sculpture, with one describing it as “pornographic.” I mean it’s not even erect (the offending portion that is). And let me remind you that by sixth-grade most students have already had sex education classes.

So, for these “shocked” parents I suggest that they just do a quick review of the last 2,500 years of Western art starting with the Greeks and Romans, moving forward to the Italian Renaissance, French Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and Romantic periods. Artists have always been fascinated by the naked human form — it’s nothing new. If you walk around Paris, France, there’s hundreds of naked statues in public places and no one gives it a hoot or second thought — except perhaps some uptight Americans who want to shelter their children ... from what?

I remember being at the Musée d’Orsay looking at the gallery featuring Gustave Courbet’s painting The Origin of the World. It is a provocative icon of modern art. Painted in 1866 by an artist who shocked contemporaries with his tough depictions of real life, it can still shock today. It portrays a woman’s thighs, torso, part of one breast — and, at the center of attention, her genitals. I remember a young father escorting his children through this gallery with the young son looking up and noticing, “Dad that looks like mommy when she gets out of the shower.” The father quickly ushered his child onwards. This painting is more than a prurient exercise. It was a bold early feminist statement.

This reminds me of a few episodes right here in California. Most locals are familiar with the fountain of Neptune out at Malaga Cove Plaza. It’s been there since 1930 and was brought here from Florence, Italy. It is sculpted in that very same classic Renaissance style of white marble with the god of the sea holding a trident on top, surrounded by half naked mermaids spouting water from their breasts. Quite sensual and provocative, it was considered sophisticated in the 1920s. I never gave it much thought before it was renovated some 40 years later after the statue was vandalized. The city of Palos Verdes decided to place a fig leaf over Neptune’s genitalia — however, the squirting female breasts were still ok!

I always thought that decision was backward and a prudish case of false modesty– just around the corner of the Peninsula was the notorious nude beach, which was used for decades. It is now closed to such naturists for some of the very same puritanical reasons. We can’t have naked people swimming next to Terranea resort across from the Glass Church now can we?

And even just below Malaga Cove there used to be the best place for teenagers to go skinny dipping after dark — perhaps it still is?

Then there’s the famous case of the LA artist, Conner Everts, who in 1966 was indicted and prosecuted by the LA District Attorney for “pornography” after hosting an exhibition at a gallery on La Cienega Boulevard featuring a painting of a vagina.

In that case, it was famously recorded that when Everts’ ACLU attorney brought in images of Pablo Picasso’s work to defend his client, the judge opined from the bench, “Picasso! Well we all know his work is pornographic.”

Everts was convicted, of course. But he won on appeal on First Amendment grounds. One might say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that the protection of free expression takes priority over your right to be offended.

And lastly there’s the example of the original San Pedro coffee house called The Golden Ass that was on Sixth Street in Pedro, long before Starbucks discovered coffee. It was part of the Bohemian culture of beat poets, folk music and artists. A legacy that persists to this very day.

Well, at one point, the owner displayed a painting of a naked woman in the window and the matrons of the local morality league freaked out! This was pretty much like what they did to the San Pedro topless bar, Bronco Billy’s 20

Publisher/Executive Editor James Preston Allen james@randomlengthsnews.com

Assoc. Publisher/Production

Coordinator Suzanne Matsumiya

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

—Mark Twain Vol. XLIIII : No. 7

Random Lengths News is a publication of Beacon Light Press, LLC

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

years later and what got that charter school principal ousted in Florida last week.

The thing is, when the religious right don’t have anything better to do, they pick a fight over culture, especially visual art. The Republicans’ culture wars and Fox News’ anti-wokeness are just more distractions because they have nothing better to offer.

I’ll close by adding they have been losing the culture war ever since Elvis Presley started to Shake Rattle and Roll after Chuck Berry and Fats Domino invented rock n’ roll in the 1950s. If the sculpture of David was made out of black marble, it probably would be arrested and shot in Missouri or Texas and outlawed by all red states in the USA.

The naked truth is that anyone who has been conscious for the past 70 years has seen some or all of this before and recognizes it for what it really is, a much ado about nothing — intended to distract us from what’s actually being done.

Second Thoughts

I fully expect that some few readers will find that the use of the words “penis” and “vagina” in this column offensive and will complain that this is obscene. I will remind them that these same words, and many others, are commonly found in Webster’s Dictionary that is readily available in any public school library available to children of all ages. No one has accused Webster’s of being “obscene” yet.

Who Controls How We Remember the Iraq War?

By Jeremy Earp

“All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.”

— Viet Thanh Nguyen

As mainstream U.S. media outlets pause to remember the U.S. invasion of Iraq, it’s clear that there’s a lot they hope we’ll forget — first and foremost, the media’s own active complicity in whipping up public support for the war.

But the more you dig into mainstream news coverage from that period, the harder it is to forget how flagrantly news networks across the broadcast and cable landscape uncritically spread the George Bush administration’s propaganda and actively excluded dissenting voices.

The numbers don’t lie. A 2003 report by the

Columnists/Reporters Melina Paris Assistant Editor/Arts Hunter Chase Community News Reporter

Fabiola Esqueda Visual Journalist/ Social Media Director

media watchdog Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) found that in the two weeks leading up to the invasion, ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, and the PBS Newshour featured a total of 267 American experts, analysts, and commentators on camera to supposedly help make sense of the march to war. Of these 267 guests, an astounding 75% were current or former government or military officials, and a grand total of one expressed any skepticism.

Meanwhile, in the fast-growing world of cable news, Fox News’ tough-talking, pro-war jingoism was setting the standard for ratingswary executives at most of the more “liberal”

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RANDOM Letters

NONE OF THE ABOVE… Sixth Street Sign Project

“Awkward. Cold. Uninspired. Sorry, PBID, you can do better,” wrote group member Judith Blahnik. Her comment is right on the mark, and the result of not having any qualified members on the selection committee.

[Alan] Johnson said that one of the main objectives of the sign was to alert tourists and visitors of the business district’s existence and location. As proposed, the signage would be relatively useless, visible only from the east side of Harbor Boulevard. To be effective, the welcome way-finding signage should be double-sided and positioned on both northbound and southbound Harbor Boulevard.

The rationale for including Ms. Grimes on the selection committee is also seriously flawed. As executive director of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, she should have (at very least) a veritable Rolodex of every

[from previous page]

Iraq War

artist, designer and fabricator in the district to draw from. And the talent pool is deep. It seems we’re on the all too typical road to nowhere.

Ron Linden San Pedro

Digital Signage

Regarding the “proposed,” SAN PEDRO SIGN, here we go again, with another San Pedro “misguided” project! It’s like throwing money away. Why not think out of the box?

For over 20 years, as residents and commercial property owners, we’ve been advocates for Digital Signs at the end of the Harbor Freeway at Gaffey, and at the end of the freeway off-ramp at Harbor Boulevard. It would demonstrate our community is forward thinking!

Digital signs are bright enough to capture the audience’s attention, while stopped at the traffic light. These signs can also be synchronized, so they are not a distraction while traffic is moving. When traffic is moving, the signs

cable networks. MSNBC and CNN, feeling the heat of what industry insiders were calling “the Fox effect,” were desperately trying to outflank their right-wing rival — and one another — by actively eliminating critical voices and seeing who could bang the war drums loudest.

At MSNBC, as the Iraq invasion approached in early 2003, network executives decided to fire Phil Donahue even though his show had the highest ratings on the channel. A leaked internal memo explained that top management saw Donahue as “a tired, left-wing liberal” who would be a “difficult public face for NBC in a time of war.” Noting that Donahue “seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration’s motives,” the memo warned ominously that his show could end up being “a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity.”

Not to be outdone, CNN news chief Eason Jordan would boast on air that he had met with Pentagon officials during the run-up to the invasion to get their approval for the on-camera war “experts” the network would rely on. “I think it’s important to have experts explain the war and to describe the military hardware, describe the tactics, talk about the strategy behind the conflict,” Jordan explained. “I went to the Pentagon myself several times before the war started and met with important people there and said . . . here are the generals we’re thinking of retaining to advise us on the air and off about the war, and we got a big thumbs up on all of them. That was important.”

As Norman Solomon observes in Media Education Foundation’s film War Made Easy, which was based on his book of the same name, the bedrock democratic principle of an independent, adversarial press was simply tossed out the window. “Often journalists blame the government for the failure of the journalists themselves to do independent reporting,” Solomon says. “But nobody forced the major networks like CNN to do so much commentary from retired generals and admirals and all the rest of it . . . It wasn’t even

might say WELCOME TO SAN PEDRO!

These signs can promote upcoming events and attractions. It’s always surprising to us, that a great number of San Pedro residents, and/or, visitors passing through, don’t have a clue about what’s going on in town, or future happenings. The vinyl signs hanging on the fence along Harbor Boulevard, are ineffective, and there’s nothing promoting activity in town, on Gaffey.

We also find that many events are not well attended, because the word does not get out, and a lot of us become aware after the event was over.

Digital signs can also be money makers, benefitting community projects, the arts, music, etc., by advertising local events, and/or businesses.

We urge you to take another look at this digital sign possibility.

George Woytovich and Patti Kraakevik San Pedro

In Response to “Cultural erasure of Oz

I have to admit that I’m a bit

something to hide, ultimately. It was something to say to the American people, ‘See, we’re team players. We may be the news media, but we’re on the same side and the same page as the Pentagon.’ . . . And that really runs directly counter to the idea of an independent press.”

The result was a barely debated, deceit-driven, headlong rush into a war of choice that would go on to destabilize the region, accelerate global terrorism, bleed trillions of dollars from the U.S. treasury, and kill thousands of U.S. servicemembers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, most of them innocent civilians. Yet two decades later, as we hurtle ever closer to potentially catastrophic new wars, there’s been virtually no accountability or sustained reporting in mainstream news media to remind us of their own decisive role in selling the Iraq war.

It’s an act of forgetting we can ill afford, especially as many of the same media patterns from 20 years ago now repeat themselves on overdrive — from the full-scale reboot and rehabilitation of leading Iraq war architects and cheerleaders to the news media’s continuing over-reliance on “experts” drawn from the revolving-door world of the Pentagon and the arms industry (often without disclosure).

“Memory is a strategic resource in any country, especially the memory of wars,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen has written. “By controlling the narrative of the wars we fought, we justify the wars we are going to fight in the present.”

As we mark the 20th anniversary of the murderous U.S. invasion of Iraq, it’s imperative to reclaim the memory of this war not only from the Bush administration officials who waged it, but also from the corporate media system that helped sell it and has tried to control the narrative ever since.

Jeremy Earp is the production director of the Media Education Foundation (MEF) and the co-director, with Loretta Alper, of the MEF documentary War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, featuring author Norman Solomon. Stream War Made Easy here: https://tinyurl.com/ WarMadeEasyVimeo

excited about the harbor being renovated into a place that we can once again frequent and stroll and create new memories in. There are three factors, however, that I’m not too thrilled about. These are: the lack of blueprints for how they plan to handle traffic, where many visitors will find parking, and the name of the project.

The day Channel Street Skatepark had its grand opening, Gaffey Street was a mess. I drove in bumper to bumper traffic just to get home. I can’t imagine how busy this street and Harbor Boulevard will be when the proposed amphitheater hosts 6,000 plus guests. I’d like to see reports for better planning of new traffic lanes and additional parking spaces. Perhaps a ferry taxi from one side of the wharf to the other. Our quiet town is soon going to turn into a busy, no parking, crowded city. As you mentioned, many tourists “may walk away mistaking this place for Redondo Beach.” I’ll take it a step further and add Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica, as well.

Thank you for saying that

West Harbor will always be Ports O’ Call. My maternal grandfather, uncles and father all worked at Ports O’ Call Restaurant for many years when they made San Pedro their home after coming here from Mexico. I walked its cobblestone streets as a kid with my parents and cousins. When I was a senior at San Pedro High School, we also hosted several events there. These are fond and always present memories. I think that many residents will continue to call this space Ports O’ Call even after its renovation. This leads me to my next point.

Even though I’m enthusiastic about the new plans for this space, I’m still not convinced about the name that’s been chosen for it. Why is it called West Harbor, and who decided this name for it anyway? Is there a way to protest this as a community? Can we gather signatures to ask for a name change? Why not call it San Pedro Harbor? I’ll even settle for Los Angeles Harbor. The developers are completely disregarding the ground’s history, its peoples and culture. Let’s not forget about the

local businesses, which we don’t see on the roster of proposed shops for the project. It’s disrespectful and barbaric. It’s very reminiscent of settlers in the past. Yes, that’s what these developers are, modern day conquistadores. They come with financial power thinking that they can rename a spot because they “found” it. In this case, they purchased it.

But, isn’t this what has always happened? Should we expect anything different today? History repeats itself, right? I’d like to think that we have evolved as a species… that we have learned from previous mistakes… that we can and must do better. Yes, life is a cycle, but we don’t have to stay on the karma wheel going around and around like a hamster because we refuse to learn from our negative experiences. We must stop, get off and take new roads toward improvements. That is, steps that lead to soul searching, community unity and emotional intelligence. Who’s with me?

Lu Castan San Pedro

The Year I Went Away (El año que me fui)

Local artist and author receives large turnout for book reading at MOLAA

By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor

Last month, Jorge Schneider, Argentinian author and artist based out of Los Angeles, took listeners on an adventure during a book reading of his most recent novel El año que me fui, at the Museum of Latin American Art or MOLAA. A psychological thriller, El año que me fui is the story of protagonist Julio Von Artens who gets lost in Buenos Aires and discovers the true inhabitants of the city — and the reality he knows begins to dissolve.

With his wife, Alejandra, Jorge owns and operates the Menduina/Schneider Gallery in San Pedro, which specializes in Latin American art.

For this event, the book was read both in English and Spanish by the book publisher Stephen Bramble and the author respectively, with a Q&A hosted by Martin Lucas. Sonidos Nómadas provided entertainment after the book reading with a performance of Tzompantli, its debut album of hard-hitting Mexican psychedelia.

Several months before his book release, I spoke to Jorge about his previous novels and about the stories he writes. He has also authored La sombra de la langosta (2004) and La grieta (2011) or The Fracture on a very good imprint (brand or trade name of a press that is owned by a larger publisher) in Argentina and throughout the Spanish speaking world. His prior novel, La sombra de la langosta, resides in a library in Germany and Lucas: An Adventure of the Spirit (2000) is his first book in English.

For a while he didn’t publish because he didn’t find a publishing house that he liked — or they wanted to change the manuscript too much. But ZQ-287 Press, a small label publishing house in Oakland and Long Beach, gave him the freedom to do as he feels. Started by Stephen Bramble, who is an author himself, Jorge said Bramble is trying to keep the literary world alive in Long Beach and Southern California.

Jorge has written 13 books, all literary fiction on the human condition. For El año que me fui, Jorge said he immersed himself in the human condition and tried to find how every character impacts the life of his main character, Julio.

The book reading gathered a large crowd. Argentinian writer and journalist, Martin Lucas, who interviewed Jorge, was also the director of the Argentinian Public Broadcasting System. He now lives and works in Long Beach. Lucas called El año que me fui a great story of a middle-aged man struggling with his own ghosts and demons.

During their discussion, Jorge said it was never a conscious decision for him to become a writer.

“No one wants to be a writer, “ Jorge said. “You have to sit down

and get inside your brain and you might not like the things you find. I had to write … to understand myself, even though I don’t understand myself. That’s the fun part.”

“When you read, the meaning is universal,” Jorge said. “If you understand that, that’s when you go beyond the book and you understand the author. It could be a songwriter too, or a painter.”

El año que me fui contains similar psychological topics. Lucas asked him if these topics are common in Jorge’s writing.

“Yes, it’s the endless question,” he said. “It doesn’t have an answer so, you formulate the same questions five years down the road and you get another story, another book … because you live longer, the answer changes.”

He compared it to moving through a maze but without impeding whatever labyrinth you’re getting into. But there’s no way out.

“If I find a way out, I wouldn’t understand anything because I would think that I hold the tools. And that’s impossible.”

Jorge’s writing has to do more with the feeling of his character. He’s not concerned about the answer to the story but about the road it takes. That’s what the person feels. He said it’s not about whatever the holy grail might be but what is taking you there that remains seductive; or that you can never find. That’s what shapes a person.

Lucas noted one of the most interesting aspects he found about Jorge’s book is how he describes the city of Buenos Aires. He asked him to tell the audience more about this city.

“Argentine people stay in Buenos Aires,” he said. “For me a city is not a city. I am the city. I’m part of the city. When I left Buenos Aires, a piece of Buenos Aires left the city — that was me. In the book, the city is a metaphor for what’s going on within the person who lives there. All that the city has is a reflection of the inhabitants of the city and not the other way around. You’re never a reflection of where you live. Where you live is a reflection of who you are. Because the citizens make the character of the city. The city is within me in my own conception.”

While reading the book, Lucas said many images came to his mind like he was watching a movie.

“To me everything is an image,” Jorge said. “ Whatever comes into my mind comes through my eyes … I see the world the way little kids see it. Like the word table, I see the table first, not the word first. So … for good or for bad that’s what makes this story spring off the page and come alive.”

Lucas proposed a challenge for the author. He asked him to describe this story. Don’t tell me the story, he said. But tell me anything else about the story.

“A snowball of feelings,” Jorge

[See Writer, p. 11]

Alejandra Menduina and Jorge Schneider celebrate at Jorge’s book reading at MOLAA. Photo by Fabiola Esqueda. On the stage at the MOLAA reading is one of Jorge’s paintings, Rhythm IV. Photo by Melina Paris.

igas is a crumby dish. Literally. The word means “crumbs” in Spanish. It’s also an Iberian recipe that was once popular with hunters and mountain people in the south Spain and Portugal, from where it made its way to Mexico and Texas, made differently wherever it took hold. Migas is a method as much as a recipe, a way to use stale bread, and later, old tortillas.

In the original European version of migas, breadcrumbs were fried in olive oil with garlic and parsley, peppers, tomatoes and chorizo, and served with eggs on top. In Mesoamerica, stale tortillas made of corn and flour replaced bread, but the idea remained the same.

When I first tried corn chip migas, I realized that I would never have to worry about the dregs of a bag of corn chips again. What a relief!

And you don’t have to wait until the bag is nearly gone to make migas. There’s no law against whole chip migas. When made with unbroken corn triangles, the dish is can be almost nacho-esque.

There are as many ways to cook migas as

Corn Chip Migas

By Ari LeVaux, Flash In the Pan Columnist

BIG NICK’S PIZZA

Tradition, variety and fast delivery or takeout—you get it all at Big Nick’s Pizza. The best selection of Italian specialties include hearty calzones, an array of pastas and our amazing selection of signature pizzas. We are taking all safety precautions to protect our diners and staff. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on new developments. Call for fast delivery or to place a pick up order. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Big Nicks’ Pizza, 1110 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 310-732-5800, www.bignickspizza.com

1111 BISTRO AT LA HARBOR COLLEGE

Come experience the French flair at 1111 Bistro at Los Angeles Harbor College.

Open Tuesday and Thursday for lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting Feb. 23 through March 2. The Bistro is run by students serving à la cart and 3-course meals.

1111 Bistro on the LA Harbor College campus, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, culinaryreservations@ lahc.edu

BUONO’S AUTHENTIC PIZZERIA

Family owned and operated since 1965, Buono’s is famous for award-winning brick oven baked pizza.

there are people who want to eat them, and no real wrong way to make them. Some like the chips dry and crunchy, while others like them soft, so they blend seamlessly with the eggs. Some like meat and veggies with their migas, while others like them simple.

But few would dispute that migas goes extraordinarily well with salsa. And, for those who indulge, a cup of coffee on the side.

My version of migas

Buono’s also offers classic Italian dishes and sauces based on tried-andtrue family recipes and hand-selected fresh ingredients. All you can eat Trip to Italy Lunch Buffet is back. Dine-in and patio service, takeout and delivery.

Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Buono’s Pizzeria, corner of 6th and Centre sts., Little Italy San Pedro, 310-547-0655, www.buonospizza.com

HAPPY DINER #1

The Happy Diner #1 in Downtown San Pedro isn’t your average diner. The selections range from Italian- and Mexican-influenced entrées to American Continental. Happy Diner chefs are always creating something new—take your pick of grilled salmon over pasta or tilapia and vegetables prepared any way you like. Dine in or al fresco or call for takeout.

Hours: Mon.-Wed. 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #1, 617 S. Centre St., San Pedro, 310-241-0917, www.happydinersp.com

HAPPY DINER #2

Built on the success of Happy Diner #1, Happy Diner #2 offers American favorites like omelets and burgers, fresh salads, plus pasta and Mexican dishes

are served. Order online for delivery or call for pickup.

Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Diner #2, 1931 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 310-935-2933, www.happydinersp.com

HAPPY DELI

The Happy Deli is a small place with a big menu. Food is made-to-order using the freshest ingredients. Breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches include a small coffee. For lunch or dinner select from fresh salads, wraps, buffalo wings, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers and dogs. Order online or call for takeout or delivery. Hours: Mon. - Sat. 6 am. to 8 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy Deli, 530 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 424-364-0319, www. happydelisp.com

KO-RYU RAMEN SAN PEDRO

Serving Japanese dishes and signature ramen bowls. Or order your ramen to fit your taste buds perfectly by customizing your own bowl. Order as many toppings as you want and add just the level of heat to suit your taste. Now serving sake and Sopporo beer. Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun. 12 to 9 p.m. Ko-Ryu Ramen, 362 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310-935-2886, www.koryuramen.com

includes bacon, garlic and cheese. Sometimes I add potatoes, either cooked or in potato chip form. I have also added Terra brand baked vegetable chips, which is quite the colorful mix, alongside my yellow, white or blue corn chips, all crusted with egg that’s puffy and browned.

If you want your migas crunchy, your best course of action is to first fry the tortilla crumbs on medium heat on a dry pan until they are crunchy again. Then add the oil and eggs to the hot pan and quickly scramble it all.

I like my chips soft, so I add them early, letting them sit in the egg mixture before I even cook the bacon. After the bacon is crispy I pull the chips from the bowl of egg mix, like making French toast, and add them to the baconed, buttered or oiled pan. And then I “fream” them.

To fream is fry and steam at the same time, with the lid on and moisture in the pan. This creates heat and pressure, which cooks food more quickly and all over, rather than from below. So you don’t burn the bottom while you try to cook the top. Heavy lids are best for

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PINA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Pina’s Mexican Restaurant serves traditonal Mexican food from Michoacan for breakfast through dinner, and is known for specialty enchiladas, burritos, tacos and mariscos served in a comfortable, casual dining atmosphere. Pina’s now has a full bar and outside dining, so come on by for a real margarita! Party trays for any occasion. Hours: Sun. - Wed. 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Thurs. - Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pina’s Mexican Restaurant, 1430 W. 25th St., San Pedro, 310-547-4621, www.pinasmexicanrestaurant.com

SAN PEDRO BREWING COMPANY

A micro brewery and American grill, SPBC features handcrafted award-winning ales and lagers served with creative pastas, BBQ, sandwiches, salads and burgers. Order your growlers, house drafts and cocktails to go (with food purchase)! Open daily 12 to 8 p.m. for indoor or al fresco dining, takeout and delivery.. San Pedro Brewing Company, 331 W. 6th St., San Pedro, 310-831-5663, www.sanpedrobrewing.com

Corn chip migas, made with bacon, garlic and cheese Photo by Ari LeVaux

freaming, as they create the most pressure by trapping the steam. Glass is nice, because you can monitor moisture levels without letting the steam escape.

But that’s just me. At the end of the day — or more likely the beginning – we are making scrambled eggs with corn chips. Whether freamed or fried, it’s just not that complicated. The details are negotiable.

Corn Chip Migas

In this one-pan breakfast comfort food, egg and tortilla chips combine for a savory casserole. I’ll explain how to make both crispy migas and soft migas. Whichever you prefer, you will never look at a near-empty bag of chips the same way. Makes 1 serving

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons milk salt and pepper

2 tablespoons oil or a strip of bacon

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup parsley, chopped

Corn chips

Other chips, such as potato chips or vegetable chips

Salsa or hot sauce

Beat the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk, shakes of salt and pepper, and beat again. For soft migas, add your chips to the beaten egg right now and stir them around to make sure all the chips get coated.

If using bacon, chop a slice crosswise into little rectangles a ½ inch by a bacon width.

Heat the oil or bacon on medium in a heavybottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid, preferably a heavy glass lid with no vent hole on top like some lids have. Add the bacon. Let it start to cook. When

APR

it’s almost done, add the parsley and garlic. Stir frequently to avoid burning. For crispy migas, add the chips to the oil now and cook an additional five minutes on medium, stirring to prevent burning.

Add the eggs — along with any chips that might be soaking — to the hot pan, tilting the pan to spread it around evenly. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Put the lid on the pan, and fream. You shouldn’t have to add any water, as the milk adds plenty. Peak if you need to; it should be steamy under the lid. When you smell it start to brown, you know it’s almost done. Take a peak to confirm it’s cooked on top, and then turn off the heat.

How much to cook eggs is a personal thing. If you want the eggs extra dry, give them a stir, put the lid back on, and let it sit for five minutes. For moist eggs, serve immediately.

Serve the migas with salsa and hot coffee.

5 - 9 PM

Writer

said. “Like every thought you have makes the snowball bigger and bigger and you can’t get yourself out of the way. Basically the moral of the story is you have to live with it.”

Coming up, Jorge is writing another book, which he described as another psychological thriller.

However, in a few months, El año que me fui will be published in English. Stay tuned for more news when that happens.

Read the full story at: https://tinyurl.com/ the-year-i-went-away Details: www.instagram.com/ jorgeschneiderwriter and www.msartgallery. com

FIRST THURSDAY ART WALK

Frames by JJ

Come visit our frame shop and get your project started. Your art deserves the best. 1,000 frame samples to choose from or custom build your own. Check out some local art and understand the important details behind framing and your investment.

Details: 310-600-8881

Venue: Epiphany Framing, 343 W. 7th St. San Pedro

Palos Verdes Art Center CONNECTIVE THREADS

Emanating from artists’ studios in Southern California, Connective Threads offers unique perspectives on the complicated identities of fiber art as a genre. The works on view by 25 artists encompass a rich diversity of influences and inspirations, independent from conventional expectations. Collectively they offer a penetrating examination of fiber’s possibilities. The exhibition is curated by Carrie Burckle and Jo Lauria. The exhibition runs through April 15.

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 CEREMONY OR SACRED

Michael Stearns’ sculptures incorporate natural materials along with found urban components to create communication out of discord. Michael Stearns Studio @The Loft is open on San Pedro’s First Thursday ArtWalk from 6 to 9 p.m.

Details: 562-400-0544; www.michaelstearnsstudio.com

Time: 1 to 5 p.m., Saturdays or by appointment

Venue: Michael Stearns Studio@The Loft, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro.

Michael Stearns, Sky Ladder, stone, wood. leather and fiber

MUSIC

April 1

Journey Down the British Isles

The El Segundo Concert Band presents music inspired by and from this region of the world. Maestro Steven Allen Fox, and assistant conductor Matthew Visk, will lead the audience through a variety of pieces that help create the audible landscape of this enchanting region.

Time: 4 p.m., April 1

Cost: Free

Details: www.sbmusic.org

Venue: El Segundo Performing Arts Center, 640 S. Main St., El Segundo

April 7

Pianist Julieta Iglesias

Julieta will present her piano arrangements of some of the most popular tangos composed by bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, exploring and combining different musical styles like tango, fusion, jazz and classical music.

Time: 7:30 p.m., April 7

Cost: $10 to $20

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Pianist-Julieta-Iglesias

Venue: Collage, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro

April 8

Don Randi & Quest

Don Randi, member of the Wrecking Crew and a pianist, composer and arranger, has played on thousands of records. He’s been a first call session musician since the ’60s and has worked with Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, The Righteous Brothers, Elvis Presley and Sonny & Cher.

Time: 8 p.m., April 8

Cost: $25

Details: https://tinyurl.com/donrandi-plus-Quest

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

April 15

Bunny Brunel CAB

Bunny Brunel is a two-time Grammy-nominated bassist who’s toured, performed, music directed and recorded with some of the most iconic recording artists/musicians in the world, in-

cluding Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jack DeJohnette, Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder, Ziggy Marley, Gloria Estefan and Natalie Cole.

Time: 8 p.m., April 15

Cost: $35

Details: www.alvasshowroom.com/event/bunny-brunel-cab-2-2

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

Rockin’ at the Beach

This show stars Frankie Avalon with special guests Jan & Dean’s Beach Party featuring Dean Torrence & The Surf City All Stars.

Time: 8 p.m., April 15

Cost: $65 to $95

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

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

April 18

William Kanengiser, The Diaspora Project

Grammy-winning classical guitarist William Kanengiser will present a recital of recently commissioned works, focusing on issues of scattered cultures and global migration. Pieces inspired by African, Persian, Tibetan, Irish, Japanese and other refugee experiences explores themes of lost homelands and cultural

assimilation.

Time: 7 p.m., April 18

Cost: $10 to $24

Details: https://elcaminotickets. universitytickets.com/w

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

THEATER

March 30

Venus in Fur

A simple audition turns into something much, much more as the lines between fantasy and reality blur. Nothing is what it seems, yet everything we crave. Through the lens of power dynamics and gender roles the play explores who we really are beneath our skin.

Time: 8 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through April 15

Cost: $18 to $30

Details: www.thegaragetheatre. org

Venue: The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach

April 8

The Diary of Anne Frank

In July 1942, when Anne was 13 years old, the Frank family went into hiding as Nazis swept through the Netherlands. For nearly two years, Anne, her father, mother, and sister, and the Van Daan family hid in a secret space above her father’s former office in Amsterdam. Anne chronicled their lives in her diary. In 1947, three years after her death, her father was able to get her memoir published.

Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8 to May

6

Cost: $20 to $25

Details: 562-494-1014; www.lbplayhouse.org, Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

April 16

Cornerstone Theater Company Pedro Play Reading

What will San Pedro look like in the next 20 years? What is happening with the Rancho San Pedro redevelopment? How are our neighbors coping with these massive changes? The San Pedro Waterfront Arts District will stage its third Culture TALKS, in collaboration with Cornerstone Theater Company, Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the Port of Los Angeles High School photography students and One San Pedro.

Time: 2 p.m., April 16

Cost: Free

Details: 310 732 0010; 55lindagrimes@gmail.com

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

April 21

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This is a version of William Shakespeare’s immersive, theatrical experience.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, April 21 to May 7

Cost: $15 to $50

Details: https://houseofbards.org

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

March 30

Connective Threads Fiber Art from Southern California

Connective Threads is a survey of contemporary fiber art in Southern California that provides a window into what is currently engaging fiber artists, even as this discipline continues to evolve and change.

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through April 15

Cost: Free

Details: https://pvartcenter.org/ connective-threads

Venue: PVPAC, 5504 Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes

Lee Krasner: A Through Line

Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum presents Lee Krasner: A Through Line. The exhibition provides a context to explore important abstract paintings and collages from the 1940s to the early 1960s.

Time: 12 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, through May 19

Cost: Free

Details: www.csulb.edu/carolyncampagna-kleefeld-contemporary-art-museum

Venue: Carolyn Campagna

Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach

There’s No Place Like Home: California Native Plants

The El Camino College Art Gallery presents a month-long exhibition and events in honor of California native landscapes and plants as well as offering beach clean up and conservation efforts in honor of Earth Day celebrations.

Time: 1 to 4 p.m., April. 4, student reception and 2 to 5 p.m., April 15, 16 public reception and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 16, Theodore Payne Foundation Garden Tour

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/CAnative-plants

Venue: El Camino College Art Gallery, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance

Yolanda Gonzalez

The Museum of Latin American Art will be hosting an in-depth exhibition of the Chicana artist Yolanda Gonzalez, whose works date back to the 1980s, including a variety of sculptures, paintings and prints.

Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Feb. 19 to July 30

Cost: Free on Sunday, $15 general admission, $10 for students and seniors

Details: https://molaa.org/2023yolanda-gonzalez

Venue: The Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach

CO/LAB 5 — Los Angeles and The World Angels Gate Cultural Center studio artist Ann Weber participates in CO/LAB 5 – Los Angeles and The World in the main gallery at the Torrance Art Museum. Four artist-run galleries from around the world have been invited to partner with four SoCal artist-run galleries to present four collaborative exhibitions.

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday through May 6

Cost: Free

Details: https://www.torranceartmuseum.com/upcoming-exhibitions

Venue: Torrance Art Museum, 3320 Civic Center Drive, Torrance April 1

Jana Opincariu 3.5

This is an event by Jana Opincariu, Thin Man and Silvia Aske-

nazi Tango. Join for any of the public receptions for the opening of Jana Opincariu 3.5. The closing reception on April 29 includes a live performance by The Jazz Giants Quartet.

Time: 5 to 9 p.m., April 1, First Thursday April 6 and closing reception April 29

Cost: Free, $25 on April 29 for concert

Details: https://tinyurl.com/JanaOpincariu-3-5

Venue: Collage, 731 S. Pacific Ave., San Pedro

Washed Ashore — Art to Save the Sea

This new exhibit features 16 largescale sculptures made from beach waste. Washed Ashore – Art to Save the Sea is a nonprofit organization committed to combating plastic pollution through art and education. The sculptures were built by the organization and its volunteers to inspire and spark changes in consumer habits.

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 1.

Ongoing

Cost: Free with garden admission

Details: 424-452-0920; https://tinyurl.com/washed-ashore

Venue: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula

April 6

First Thursday ArtWalk

Join the fourth First Thursday ArtWalk for April. Visit dozens of galleries, highlighting local and international artists, dine in the Waterfront Arts District’s many restaurants with patio seating and enjoy live music on the corner of 6th and Mesa by Harbor Jazz Ensemble.

Time: 5:30 to 9 p.m., April 6

Cost: Free Details: https://tinyurl.com/guided-artwalk-tour-tickets

Venue: Downtown San Pedro, 4th to 8th streets and Harbor Boulevard to Pacific Avenue

April 7

Skirting Issues: Hula Moves Stateside

Catalina Museum for Art & History presents this exhibition through original artifacts, music and related ephemera, including historical photographs exploring the Hawaiian craze of the late 1890s to the present. The museum will host an exhibition opening event during First Fridays April 7. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Monday.

Time: April 7

Cost: $12 to $18

Details: CatalinaMuseum.org/ Upcoming-Exhibits

Venue: Catalina Museum for Art & History, 217 Metropol Ave., Avalon, Catalina

April 14

The Artists’ Studio

Join an opening reception April 14 at Malaga Cove Library Gallery. The exhibit features the works of 20 local artists whose unique pieces are well-known on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and will

be available for sale during the six-week show. The exhibit runs to May 13.

Time: 4 to 6 p.m., April 14 through May 13

Cost: Free

Details: https://www.pvld.org

Venue: Malaga Cove Library, 2400 Via Campesins, Palos Verdes Estates

April 15

Spring Open Studios Day

More than 50 local artists will open their doors to the public for a peek into their art practice. The event will include a free mural painting workshop, artist demonstrations, and a ceramics sale. In the gallery, two exhibitions will be opening — Notions of Place and Direct from the Classroom.

Time: 12 to 4 p.m., April 15

Cost: Free

Details: https://angelsgateart.org/ agcc-events/open-studios-day

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

FOOD

April 5

Food Summit Events Guide

Food Summit is filling your plate this year with visits to the farmers markets and local gardens. Plus, there will be public talks about contemporary local food system issues and a food expo and competitions to get acquainted with the local good stuff. The events take place April 5 to April 9.

Time: 6:30 p.m., April 5, ART x TECH x Food: Foodways Summit Kick-off at Space Time Collaborative and various times and venues through April 9

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/foodsummit-events

Venue: Various

FILM

April 4

Spring Shorts D.I.Y. Film Fest

2023

In the heart of Retro Row at The Long Beach Art Theatre, the D.I.Y. Film Fest is devoted to sharing film expression built to liberate hearts and minds. The event raises awareness plus funds for emotional liberation through independent film and music.

Time: 6 to 10:30 p.m., April 4

Cost: $18 to $23

Details: https://tinyurl.com/diyfilm-fest

Venue: Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach

April 10

Return to Sweden

Dale Johnson journeyed to Sweden hoping to see the land of his ancestors. Unexpectedly, he found much more. Thousands of Americans of European descent will connect in a personal way to the quest in this journey of discovery.

Time: 7:30 p.m., April 10

Cost: $14 to $16

Details: https://tinyurl.com/returnto-sweeden

Venue: El Camino College, Marsee Auditorium, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance

COMMUNITY

April 1

Reflections on a Warming

Planet

Join a multimedia event bringing together filmmakers, scientists and artists to explore environmental issues. The afternoon will feature a screening of three short films, a book reading and a panel discussion.

Time: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., April 1

Cost: Free

Details: https://culturela.org/ event/reflections-on-a-warmingplanet

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

Long Beach Sankranta 2023

Join a celebration that honors the diverse cultures that celebrate Sankranta, the new year recognized by many Asian communities including the people of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and regions of India.

Time: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., April 1

Cost: Free

Details: https://tinyurl.com/LongBeach-Sankranta

Venue: Long Beach City College, 1305 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach

Banning Rec Programs

From after-school tutoring club to fitness classes, youth can sign up for a class, a sports league, or an after-school program at Banning Recreation Center’s website.

Time: Various

Cost: $20 to $60

Details: https://www.laparks.org/ reccenter/banning

Venue: Banning Recreation Center, 1331 Eubank Ave., Wilmington

George F. Canyon Guided Nature Preserve Walk

Participants will be guided by a trained naturalist to discover a unique variety of wildlife in their canyon habitat with amazing views of the LA Basin. Meet outside on the back deck of the George F. Canyon Nature Center. Parking in Preserve lot. No RSVP required. Rain cancels.

Time: 10:30 a.m., April 1

Cost: Free

Details: https://pvplc.org

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

April 2

The 15th Annual Cambodia Town Parade Parade commences at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Anaheim Street, and marches west towards MacArthur Park. There, the festival is held from 1 to 5 p.m., with a bevy of traditional Cambodian performers and performances scheduled.

Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 2

Cost: Free

Details: http://www.cambodiatown.org/

Venue: Cherry Avenue and Anaheim Street, 1321 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach

SouthBay Pavilion Spring Art Class

Join a fun spring art workshop led by Know Me Network April 2. Choose your class time. Children ages 6-12 are welcome. Classes are designed to support children with Autism and other disabilities. Seating is limited, RSVP for each child separately to reserve a space.

Time: 1, 2, 3 or 4 p.m., April 2

Cost: Free

Details: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/southbay-pavilion-springart-class-tickets-596014785267

Venue: South Bay Pavilion, 20700 S. Avalon Blvd., Carson

April 3

Earth Day Online Auction for White Point

As part of the Earth Day activities, the White Point community group is holding an online auction to raise funds for restoration and educational activities at the preserve. Auction items include fabulous vacation homes in Maine and on Santa Catalina Island, plein air and other paintings, restaurant gift certificates, jewelry and much more.

Time: 8 a.m., April 3 to 8 a.m., April 24

Cost: Free

JOB OPPS

RLNews is looking for freelance food and music writers who are knowledgeable about Harbor Area restaurants, culture and music scenes. Committment to writing to deadline is a must. Having a strong social media following and bi-lingual skills is a plus. Submit inquiries and any links to your writing to editor@randomlengthsnews. com or call 310-519-1442 weekdays.

CLASSIFIED ADS & DBAs

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023-033144

MISC.

Moving Out of State? Licensed and insured, fullservice, nationwide movers. Call now to get a free, instant price quote on your next move. 1-866-590-6549

Men’s Sport Watches Wanted. Advertiser is looking to buy men’s sport watches.

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Integrity Professionals Moving & Art Installations, 25410 Narbonne Ave., Lomita, CA 90717, County of Los Angeles

Registered owner(s): James Eagle Manos, 25410 Narbonne Ave., Lomita, CA 90717; California. This business is conducted by: an individual

JOB TRAINING

Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Here, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. The Advertiser pays cash for qualified watches. Call 888-320-1052.

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING

PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk

Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 888-281-1442 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

Attention Active Duty & Military Veterans & Family! Begin a new career and earn your Degree at CTI! Online Computer & Medical training available for Veterans & Families! To learn more, call 866243-5931. (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required

HOME & GARDEN

BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME with energy efficient new windows! They will increase your home’s value & decrease your energy bills. Replace all or a few! Call now to get your free, no-obligation quote. 844-335-2217.

Gutter Guards and Replacement Gutters Inbound. Never clean your gutters again! Affordable, professionally

For a FREE Quote call: 844499-0277.

National Pest Control. Are you a homeowner in need of a pest control service for your home? Call 866-616-0233.

DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER? You may qualify for a substantial cash award - even with smoking history. NO obligation! We’ve recovered millions. Let us help!! Call 24/7, 1-888-376-0595

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 01/2010 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/ James Eagle Manos, Individual

geles on February 13, 2023 NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by 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). 3/02/23, 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT File No. 2023-043914

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Cheap Alternatives, 25410 Narbonne Ave., Lomita, CA 90717, County of Los Angeles, 2.) Cheap Vintage, 3.)Cheap Thrift, 4.) Cheap Furniture, 5.) La Ronde Coop 6.) Greenwood Co 7.) J.R.J. Greenwood

Registered owner(s):The Greenverd Company, 25410 Narbonne Ave., Lomita, CA 90717; California. This business is conducted by: a Corporation

is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars

($1,000)). S/ Russell Anthony Greenwood, President

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on February 13, 2023

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). 3/02/23, 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023-031715

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 specialize in grab bars, non-slip surfaces and shower seats. All updates are completed in one day. Call 866-5312432

DirecTV Satellite TV Service Starting at $74.99/month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV!

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LONG DISTANCE MOVING: Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los An-

Let us take the stress out of moving! Call now to speak to one of our Quality Relocation Specialists: Call 855-7874471

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Switch To DIRECTV & Save + get a $100 visa gift card! Get More Channels For Less Money. Restrictions apply. Call Now! 877-693-0625

PETS

PEDRO PET PALS is the only group that raises funds for the City Animal Shelter and FREE vaccines and spay or neuter for our community. 310-991-0012.

AUTOS

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE to fund the SEARCH FOR MISSING CHILDREN. FAST FREE PICKUP. 24 hour response. Running or not. Maximum Tax Deduction and No Emission Test Required! Call 855-504-1540

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 01/2010 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 installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever!

and

ACROSS

1. Optimal

6. Common undergrad degrees

9. Mandlikova of ‘80s tennis

13. Actress Thomas involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

14. “Glass Onion: A Knives ___ Mystery”

15. Palindromic Quebec university

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

A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Cryptospace, 1379 Park Western Dr., San Pedro, CA 90732, County of Los Angeles, 2.) Cryptospace Registered owner(s):Huerta Consulting Services LLC, 1379 Park Western Dr., San Pedro, CA 90732; California. This business is conducted by: a Limited Liability Company The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on

[continued on page 15]

Bulletin Board

Don Marshall CPA, Inc.

(310) 833-8977

Don Marshall, MBA, CPA Specializing in small businesses

CPA quality service at very reasonable rates www.donmarshallcpa.com

PLEASE HELP!

Animals at the Harbor Animal Shelter have ongoing need for used blankets, comforters, pet beds.*

Drop off at Harbor Animal Shelter 957 N. Gaffey St.,San Pedro • 888-452-7381, x 143

PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET!

*In any condition. We will wash and mend.

16. Currently playing

17. Minecraft substance

18. Striped giraffe relative

19. “No, start with the second Japanese ‘thank you’”?

22. Barcelona aunt

23. Xmas quaff

24. Comedian Wong

25. Inordinately long time

28. “Little ___ of Horrors”

31. Game that gets its name from “four”

33. Sharing battle between “Quantum Leap” star Scott and family?

36. Fiery gemstone

37. Rodrigo y Gabriela, e.g.

38. Grief-stricken cry

42. Eighteen-wheeler obstructing freeway traffic, say?

47. Leisurely walk

50. “Bearing gifts we traverse ___”

51. Late NHL star LaFleur

52. Abu Dhabi’s gp.

53. Wagner opera “___ Rheingold”

55. Part of UNLV

57. Run-down version of a basic two-dish pasta meal?

63. Album’s first half

64. Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy category

65. Prom conveyances

67. Record in a log

68. Notable time

69. Shorten by a letter or two

70. Pop star Celine

71. Get married to

72. Kidney-related

DOWN

1. “As I see it,” for short

2. “Consarn it!”

3. Cube designer Rubik

4. Floating

5. With little at stake

6. Dynamite sound

7. Paranormal field

8. Rear admiral’s rear

9. Ceremonial Maori dance

10. Film with an upcoming “The Way of Water” sequel

11. City in southern Italia

12. Cover stories

15. Subject of the History Channel’s “Ax Men,” e.g.

20. “Hawaii Five-O” setting

21. Letter after theta

25. “Foucault’s Pendulum” author

Umberto

26. Alley ___ (comic strip which, thanks to the recent Charles Schulz tributes, I learned still exists)

27. Its finals are usually in June

29. Former automaker, briefly

30. “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” singer Cole

32. Ruler before 1917

34. Saxophone range

35. Canine comment

39. Haul

40. Prefix for puncture

41. Astronomer points at ___ (overused subject of science stock photos)

43. Seasoning associated with Maryland

44. Regenerist skin care brand

45. “American Ninja Warrior” obstacle

46. Movie preview

47. Figured (out)

48. Sesame seed paste

49. Entertain, as kids at bedtime

54. Hardware fastener

56. 2022 psychological horror movie

58. “Feel the ___” (2016 campaign slogan)

59. Tortoise’s opponent

60. 2010 Apple debut

61. Despot Idi

62. Winner of the 2022 Best Picture Oscar

66. Salt, in France

NOTICE INVITING BIDS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Long Beach, California, acting by and through the City’s Board of Harbor Commissioners (“City”) will receive, before the Bid Deadline established below, Bids for the following Work: PIER E SEWER LIFT STATIONS 110 AND 112 MODIFICATIONS at LONG BEACH, AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S3114

LEGAL NOTICES

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

NIB -2 Pre-Bid Questions. All questions, including requests for interpretation or correction, or comments regarding the Contract Documents, must be submitted no later than May 9, 2023, at 5 p.m. Questions received after the pre-Bid question deadline will not be accepted.

Bid Deadline: Prior to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

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

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

Contract Documents Available:

Download Contract Documents from the Port of Long Beach PB System Vendor Portal: www.polb.com/sbe Click on the POLB Vendor Portal

1. Register and Log In

2. Click “Bid Opportunities”

3. Click on respective bid Project Title

4. Click on Documents tab

5. For each attachment, click “Download”

For assistance in downloading these documents please contact Port of Long Beach Plans and Specs Desk at 562-283-7353.

visual depiction of the site and should neither be considered nor are warranted as such.

The City makes no guarantee that existing construction and site conditions matches construction depicted on record reference documents. It shall be the Bidder’s responsibility to identify existing conditions.

Note that downloading the photo images document(s) can be used to satisfy a portion of a Bidder’s good faith efforts to meet the SBE/ VSBE participation goals listed below.

NIB -4 Summary Description of the Work. The Work required by this Contract includes, but is not limited to, the following: retrofitting construction of two existing sewer lift stations including modifying well floor slab; installing submersible pumps, valve vaults, and associate piping; providing electrical modifications and PLC instrumentations for SCADA connection; constructing manhole; and implementing temporary sewer bypass measures for the retrofitting construction. See Section 01 11 00, Summary of Work in the Technical Specifications.

NIB -5 Contract Time and Liquidated Damages. The Contractor shall achieve Substantial Completion of Work within 570 calendar days and Affidavit of Final Completion of the Project within 660 calendar days as provided in Paragraph SC -

licensed subcontractor on this project shall also be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees.

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

The combined SBE/VSBE participation goal for this Project is thirty percent (30%) of total bid value. The combined SBE/VSBE participation goal shall include a minimum five percent (5%) of total bid value as VSBE.

public work on a public works project unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5.

In addition to providing Certified Payroll Records (CPRs) and labor compliance documentation 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.

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

Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting:

Date/Time: April 13, 2023 at 9:30 AM Location: Microsoft TEAMS (virtual)

Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 292 646 168 443 Passcode: BbSsBw

Or call in (audio only) +1 323-451-1087,,964971666# United States, Los Angeles Phone Conference ID: 964 971 666#

Project Contact Person: Julia Wu Stephan, julia. wustephan@polb.com

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

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

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

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

NIB -3 Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit. The engineering staff of the City’s Harbor Department will conduct a virtual pre-bid meeting at 9:30 AM, on April 13, 2023, via Microsoft TEAMS at the link provided above. Attendance is optional.

Site images are provided with the documents for reference. Any site photographs, videos or maps included in the Contract Documents do not constitute a complete

6.1 of the Special Conditions, from a date specified in a written “Notice to Proceed” (NTP1) issued by the City and subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8.2 of the General Conditions. FAILURE OF THE CONTRACTOR TO COMPLETE THE WORK WITHIN THE CONTRACT TIME AND OTHER MILESTONES SET FORTH IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE ENGINEER’S APPROVAL OF AFFIDAVIT OF FINAL COMPLETION, WILL RESULT IN ASSESSMENT OF LIQUIDATED DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNTS ESTABLISHED IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS.

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

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

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 Commitment 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 assistance. Please contact the SBE Office at (562) 283-7598 or sbeprogram@polb.com. You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at www.polb.com/sbe.

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

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

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

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 Conditional Award and no later than fourteen (14) calendar days after City’s issuance of Notice to Proceed (NTP1).

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

The Board of Harbor Commissioners made a finding on March 27, 2023, that the following items be sole sourced in compliance with Public Contract Code Section 3400, to match existing systems:

(1) Technical Specification

Section 22 13 29 “Sanitary Sewerage Pumps” for Non-Clog Centrifugal Submersible Pump and Motor

(2) Technical Specification

Section 26 44 00 “Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)”

NIB -12 Not Used.

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

NIB -14 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

NIB -15 Period of Bid Irrevocability. Bids shall remain open and valid and Bidder’s Bonds and other acceptable Bid Security shall be guaranteed and valid for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline or until the Executive Director 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 complete, sign, and submit the “Iran Contracting Act of 2010 Compliance Affidavit.”

Issued at Long Beach, California, this 27th day of March, 2023.

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

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

CITY OF LOS ANGELES ENVIRONMENTAL NOTICES

Notice is hereby given to the general public of the availability for public review and comment on the following

Environmental document:

Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report to the Hugo Neu-Proler Lease

Renewal for the SA Recycling Amendment to Permit No. 750. This publication is intended to serve as the first step in the Subsequent Environmental Impact Re -

port (SEIR) process. The proposed Project is located at Berths 210 and 211 on Terminal Island. The primary objective of the SA Recycling Amendment to Permit No. 750 Project is to amend the existing Permit No. 750 to allow for an additional ten years of continued operations. The proposed lease renewal does not include any changes in the use or scope of SA Recycling’s current operation. Current and future operations include the transportation of scrap metal to the Project site where it is sorted, shredded or sheared, then stockpiled and loaded for transport to domestic and overseas markets. The Project includes the continued implementation of all previously adopted, and remaining applicable, mitigation measures governing the site’s operations. Mitigation measures that remain applicable to the proposed Project will be modified as part of an updated mitigation monitoring program (MMRP), as necessary, contained within the SEIR. The NOP includes a discussion of the Proposed Project’s potential effects on the existing environment, and identification of analysis to be expanded in the forthcoming Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (DSEIR) to reduce potential impacts as required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Documents are available for review on the Port of Los Angeles’ website at: https://www. portoflosangeles.org/ceqa beginning March 30, 2023. A copy of the document is also available for public review at the Harbor Department Environmental Management Division (EMD) located at 425 S. Palos Verdes Street, San Pedro. Please send your request to ceqacommments@ portla.org to schedule an appointment to pick up a copy. Comments on the NOP/IS should be submitted in writing prior to the end of the 30-day public review period and must be postmarked by April 28, 2023. Please submit written comments to: Christopher Cannon, Director City of Los Angeles Harbor Department Environmental Management Division 425 S. Palos Verdes Street San Pedro, CA 90731. Written comments may also be sent via email to ceqacomments@ portla.org. Comments sent via email should include the project title in the subject line. REVIEW/COMMENT period begins 3/30/2023 & ends on 4/28/2023.

CN995053 Mar 30, 2023

WARNING:

Free newspapers provide a key source of information to the public, in many cases providing an important alternative to the news and ideas expressed in other local media sources. The Legislature further finds that the unauthorized taking of multiple copies of free newspapers, whether done to sell them to recycling centers, to injure a business competitor, to deprive others of the opportunity to read them, or for any other reason, injures the rights of readers, writers, publishers, and advertisers, and impoverishes the marketplace of ideas in California.

Ref. Universal Citation: CA Penal Code § 490.7 (2021)

Trump’s Threat

At the rally, Trump claimed the so-called “weaponization of our justice system ... is the central issue of our time,” positioning himself as the ultimate victim. He also claimed, “I’ve got bad publicity and my poll numbers are going through the roof.” But as he spoke, his favorability sat at 41.7% in 538’s average (down from an early March high of 43.3%) compared to 53.5% unfavorable. He was the only U.S. president in history never to reach 50% favorability.

Only about a third of Republican primary voters are hard-core Trump supporters, according to Jackson and other pollsters’ recent analyses, but there’s no other clear center of gravity in the party, and Trump clearly intends to keep it that way by framing the entire political landscape around his self-proclaimed innocent victimhood, symbolically fused with his supporters — classic elements of fascist propaganda.

In his initial lie-packed social media post — a racist, antisemitic incitement to violence,

DBAs

[from p. 13]

01/2010 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/Princess Nava, Manager

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on February 10, 2023

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by 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). 3/02/23, 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023047376

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:

S.B.A.C.M. SAVE BUYING @ CMART, 420 S PACIFIC AVE UNIT, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 - 2626

County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): RONALD JOE BENNETT, 420 S PACIFIC AVE, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731-2626; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) started doing business on 08/2015.

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/ RONALD J BENNETT, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/03/2023.

overflowing with conspiratorial insinuations — Trump claimed he was about to be arrested on the following Tuesday based on non-existent leaks from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and called on his supporters to “Protest, take

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by 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). 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2023053778

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Engineer Makers Project, 830 W 29th St APT D, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731, County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): Shurhonda Bradley, 830 W 29th St APT D, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) started doing business on 01/2021.

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/ Shuronda Bradley, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/03/2023.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must

our nation back!”

But there was no leak. There was no arrest. And there were no protests. There was only an intensified escalation of Trump’s hateful, mendacious attacks, faithfully echoed by GOP politicians, culminating in threats of mass violence, that “potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country.”

and saying, “we expect that you will testify about what plainly appears to be a politically motivated prosecutorial decision.”

On March 23, Bragg’s office calmly, but firmly responded that the letter was “an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution” whose “requests are an unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty,” going on to say,” [I]t is clear that Congress cannot have any legitimate legislative task relating to the oversight of local prosecutors enforcing state law,” but requesting to “meet and confer” in order to discover if there was any legitimate purpose that they could accommodate.

On March 25, the Republican chairs responded, claiming that protecting Trump from prosecution was a legitimate legislative task. After falsely claiming Bragg’s prosecution was improper, they wrote that they “must now consider whether to draft legislation that would, if enacted, insulate current and former presidents from such improper state and local prosecutions.”

“Setting aside that Congress has no constitutional authority to do this,” author James Surowiecki tweeted, “seems weird to allow former presidents to rob and murder with no fear of prosecution.”

be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied 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). 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023057413

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: PAW CHAKRA, 437 W. 6th St SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 County of LOS ANGELES. Mailing Address: 255 W 5TH ST 1106, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731. Registered owner(s): PAW CHAKRA LLC, 255 W 5th St UNIT1106, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by a limited liability company. 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)).

PAW CHAKRA LLC S/ KAYLEIGH GEOGHEGAN, CEO

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/15/2023.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by 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). 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23, 05/11/23

This, combined with further menacing posts targeting New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg (one with Trump holding a baseball bat right next to Bragg’s head) could result in further criminal charges, experts warned. “There could be charges brought because he is threatening a public official,” former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said on MSNBC. “This is very similar to the language he used in that we know incited violence, he knows incited violence, he knows precisely what he’s doing.”

But as they unfolded, Trump’s attacks had other targets as well: the rule of law, conservative/ antisemitic boogeyman George Soros (falsely accused of funding Bragg and supposedly pulling his strings), his main GOP primary opponent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and the collective sanity of the American public, as Trump’s barrage of fantastical lies was clearly intended to gaslight the public into a helpless state of radical uncertainty about even the most basic facts.

Radicalizing The GOP & Consolidating 2024 Support

Roughly half of Republicans who think Trump did a good job think it’s time for someone new, according to polls, and DeSantis has targeted them with a Trumpian culture-war agenda, trumpeting his political success as Florida’s governor while refusing to name anything he disagrees with Trump on. Essentially, he’s been counting on the criminal justice system to get rid of Trump for him — just as Mitch McConnell and most Senate Republicans did when they acquitted Trump in his impeachment trial. But Trump’s attack on the justice system, rallying GOP support, left DeSantis flat-footed as a chorus of prominent Republicans began echoing Trump’s false claims, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leading the way, and opening the door for intensified attacks on the criminal justice system.

“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” McCarthy tweeted, shortly after Trump’s initial attack. “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

Two days later, three House Committee chairs wrote to Bragg, accusing him of “an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority”

No such law will pass, of course. Senate Democrats wouldn’t pass it, nor would President Joe Biden sign it. But House Republicans are increasingly unmoored from traditional small-government ideology that might have constrained them.

“It’s bad enough to be silent about Trump’s abusive rants, but to make a chamber of Congress part of Trump’s defense team reveals the depth of the rot,” columnist E.J. Dionne wrote. He went on to say, “the incentives and current architecture of politics make it unlikely that any of this will change,” citing two recent studies highlighting the importance of non-college white voters for the GOP. The first found that 142 of the House’s 222 current GOP districts have low levels of racial diversity and are dominated by non-college white voters. The second found that “Racial and cultural issues, rather than economic ones, have fueled Republican gains with the noncollege white electorate” over the past 40 years. Commenting on the first study, the Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein wrote, “the energy in the party over recent years has shifted from the small-government arguments that drove the GOP in the Reagan era toward the unremitting culture-war focus pursued by Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.”

There’s certainly some truth in this. But it leaves a lot out. Mitt Romney was the GOP’s presidential candidate in 2012, and his campaign was much closer to Ronald Reagan’s two campaigns than it was to Donald Trump’s.

A 2020 briefing paper from the V-Dem Institute “New Global Data on Political Parties’’ found that “the Republican party in the US has retreated from upholding democratic norms in recent years. Its rhetoric is closer to authoritarian parties, such as AKP in Turkey and Fidesz in Hungary,” while “the Democratic party has retained a commitment to long standing democratic standards.” Neither party had shifted noticeably on the economic left/right scale since 2000, but two-thirds of the GOP’s dramatic shift on the “illiberalism” scale occurred just between 2014 and 2016, with no further shift in 2018. Only onefourth of the shift happened up until Romney’s campaign. Trump’s 2016 campaign was clearly the most consequential. There was a trend before he ran, but he dramatically accelerated it. Which strongly suggests two things: There is no easy going back to the pre-Trump GOP, and Trump is uniquely attuned to where it now is.

Graphic by Terelle Jerricks

Carson Mayor for a Day

Honor Walker, center, who served as mayor for a day on March 22, is flanked on her left by Mayor Lula Davis Holmes, Councilmember Arleen Bocatija Rojas and City Clerk Khaleah K. Bradshaw; on Walker’s right, City Treasurer Monica Cooper, Council member Cedric L. Hicks Sr. and Councilmember Jim Dear. Walker was one of the winners of the essay contest featured at the "Dr. King’s Impact on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” ceremony this past January.

Photo by Chris Villanueva