San Pedro Central

Portside, there’s talk of replacing the Gerald Desmond Bridge and a twist in the proposal to build a new shipyard on Terminal Island.

And more maneuvering in the quest to bring the USS Iowa to San Pedro.

This news is – bad pun alert – rooted in controversy: “Six downtown San Pedro trees must be removed to keep funding.”

Peruse a range of community, business and arts news in the latest San Pedro Business Journal.

In school news, “[s]ome sixth-graders would stay at elementary schools under LAUSD plan.”

From last Sunday, a recap of residents’ struggles to recover from the rain damage. (Over in the opinion section, Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s office took exception to the story.) Now that it’s raining again, sandbags, anyone?

On a decidedly lighter note, the San Pedro Target will soon carry more grocery foods.

Waterfront Development Meeting Thursday: Time for Implementation
Now that the plans have been approved, port officials will give a briefing on the implementation stage. The meeting takes place on Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza hotel, 601 S. Palos Verdes St. The implementation guidelines, schedule and other background information can be found in this LA Waterfront newsletter.

Neighborhood Council Meetings Next Week
The Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council meets Monday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Peck Park, 560 N. Western Ave. Visit www.nwsanpedro.org or call (310) 732-4522 for more information.

The Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council meets Tuesday, Feb. 9 at the Croatian Cultural Center, 510 W. Seventh St. Refreshments are served at 6 p.m. and the meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.sanpedrocity.org or call (310) 918-8650 for more information.

The world premier of “Avatar” music will be staged today (Saturday) as part of the Golden State Pops Orchestra’s “Great Composers Tribute.” Taking place on Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Warner Grand Theatre, the show features music from “Avatar,” the TV show “Lost” and other popular productions. John Ottman, the composer behind tunes from “The Usual Suspects,” “X2: X-Men United,” “Superman Returns” and “Valkyrie,” will be interviewed on stage at 7:30 p.m.

The monthly First Thursday artwalk is Feb. 4 in downtown San Pedro. Highlights include:

• An exhibit at the Croatian Cultural Center, 510 W. 7th St., by a 12-year-old photographer.

• The unveiling of a labor mural by Slobodan Dimitrov at La Salle Lofts, 200 block of West Seventh Street, at 4:30 p.m.

• A free guided tour of select galleries, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Off the Vine Wines, 491 W. Sixth St. Participants are invited to join in a $5 wine tasting before the hour-long tour.

Under a grant from the LA Community Redevelopment Agency, fINdings Art Center is now coordinating First Thursday. For more information, call Annette Ciketic at (310) 489-1362.

Today’s Daily Breeze reports at length on the San Pedro High School reform meeting Thursday, attended by an estimated 1,300 people.

The February issue of San Pedro Today has a cover story on The Corner Store, plus commentaries by eight community leaders.

On the heels of the movement to bring the USS Iowa to San Pedro comes the idea to do likewise for the newly decommissioned nuclear submarine USS Los Angeles.

LA school board member Dick Vladovic penned a letter to the editor sharply critical of the cell phone towers near Taper Avenue Elementary School.

This news was kept on the down-low until it was too late: Canetti’s Seafood Grotto has closed.

On a related note, the Los Angeles Times published a Papadakis retrospective as the restaurant serves its final dinner on Jan. 31.

By Doug Epperhart

The city’s chief administrative officer has issued a report recommending that neighborhood councils not be funded for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Instead of the $45,000 allocated to each council in 2009, they’d get zero. And any money left over from this fiscal year would also be taken.

What would that mean for San Pedro?

• No more money for beautification along North Gaffey.
• No more money for trees in Central San Pedro.

• No more money for programs and projects at Point Fermin, 15th Street, Taper Avenue, San Pedro High, and other schools.

• No more money for Shakespeare by the Sea, Little Fish Theatre, Warner Grand movies, Music by the Sea, or any other community events and groups.

• No more Coastal Currents or Northwest Advocate newsletters.

But, it also means those of us who have given years of volunteer time to neighborhood councils will not just fade from the scene or go away. We will still be here, fighting for our families and our neighbors and our community.

It’s true the city of Los Angeles is on the verge of bankruptcy. Revenues continue to decline faster than the city can cut its expenses. This is why the mayor proposes selling off parking meters and structures to a private operator, something many of us neighborhood council activists oppose. One likened the short-term gain to selling off grandma’s good silver to buy a bottle of scotch.

If you want to get a handle on what will happen at City Hall next week, go to www.budgetla.org, a website created by L.A.’s neighborhood councils.

Meanwhile, call Councilwoman Janice Hahn, (310) 732-4515, and Mayor Villaraigosa’s Harbor Area representative, Ricardo Hong, (310) 732-4632, and let them know how you feel about this attempt to kill neighborhood councils. Or email councilwoman.hahn@lacity.org and Ricardo.hong@lacity.org.

By the way, the report doesn’t recommend touching the councilmembers’ $179,000 salaries or their office budgets or slush funds. You might want to offer an opinion about that, too.
_________________________________
Doug Epperhart is a San Pedro business owner, community leader and member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck outlined his priorities before an audience of civic leaders at a San Pedro luncheon Thursday.

Beck identified Constitutional policing – that is, following the law to enforce the law – plus crime reduction and terrorism prevention as some of his goals for the department. He also expressed deep concern for the wellbeing of officers, a number of whom are facing a “perfect storm” of reduced overtime pay and difficulties paying their mortgages and keeping their homes.

Beck said he comes to San Pedro at least once a week to visit his parents, George and Elma, longtime San Pedro residents.

Sponsored by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, the luncheon recognized nine volunteer organizations supporting the LAPD Harbor Division. The Harbor Area Boosters Assn., Harbor Area Cadets, Harbor LITES, the Harbor Area Community Police Advisory Board, the Teen Community Police Advisory Board, the Harbor Area Volunteer Corps, the Harbor Area Reserve Corps, the Weed and Seed Project, and the Harbor Area Crisis Response Team received certificates of appreciation for their service.

Today, the USS Los Angeles is being decommissioned in a private ceremony in San Pedro. The Navy vessel, nuclear warheads and all, patrolled during the Cold War and is now destined to become scrap metal in Washington state. View the photo gallery here.

Last Sunday’s Daily Breeze reported on the twists and turns in efforts to bring the USS Iowa to San Pedro.

It’s a matter of fact: according to the data, the South Bay was hardest hit by this week’s rain storms. Storm drains were overwhelmed, homes were flooded and reporters and photographers documented the story over three days.

Wednesday headlines: “Storms wreak havoc in South Bay”

Thursday headlines: “Second storm pelts South Bay”

Friday headlines: “San Pedro residents now coping with flood aftermath” and “Sandbags, sand were scarce commodities in San Pedro during storm”

Plus, “San Pedro beach parking area remains closed due to mudslides”

Sea creatures also soaked: “Dozens of disoriented pelicans recovering from storm’s effects” and “Dolphin is latest marine mammal to wash up on Cabrillo Beach”

Photo gallery

Video of damage at Ninth Street and Pacific Avenue

Getting help: phone list of government agencies, fire stations and other resources from Councilwoman Janice Hahn. (San Pedro Today provides a printer-friendly version here.)

All stories from the Daily Breeze unless otherwise attributed.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck is coming to San Pedro to keynote a Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday.

The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council meets Monday, Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cabrillo Marina Community Building, Cabrillo Plaza, Berth 28. For more information, view the agenda or call (310) 290-0049.

“Port of LA High School looking to buy its building from port,” says today’s Daily Breeze.

A new issue of Random Lengths News has been published, with a cover story on the 22nd Street Park. (Extra credit if the name Bea Atwood Hunt means anything to you).