San Pedro Central

Residents opposed to a public high school at Angels Gate Cultural Center have formed a new organization to wage a grassroots campaign against the school.

By its very name, Neighbors Organized and Involved to Support Education (NOISE) signals the group’s vocal intentions.

Still in its formative stages, NOISE is developing its platform and alternative options to counter the Los Angeles Unified School District’s draft plans for a high school serving as many as 1,200 students on Angels Gate land it now owns.

NOISE is printing lawn signs to illustrate its position on the proposed school.

San Pedro neighborhood councils have approximately $175,000 to spend or lose by the end of the fiscal year, according to an analysis by a member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council.

Writing for the public-interest journal CityWatch, Coastal’s Doug Epperhart found that San Pedro’s three councils have tens of thousands of dollars in the bank.

These funds have been accumulating through the years as the councils haven’t fully spent the $50,000 each receives annually from the City of Los Angeles.

Facing a mounting budget deficit, the city intends to take the councils’ roll-over funds back after June 30.

Epperhart’s message to councils is, “use it or lose it.”

Non-profit, artistic, cultural and community-service groups are among the possible beneficiaries of council support and funding. Groups must present specific and tangible funding requests. The councils are not permitted to make generic donations.

Councils have sponsored Shakespeare by the Sea and have pooled funds to buy all-terrain vehicles for the police, among other projects.

The councils’ April and May meetings are effectively the last opportunities to request funding.

Allocating the funds is a multi-step process that can take up to two months, so the clock is ticking for organizations interested in submitting a request.

As a general rule, proposals are first heard in a council’s budget committee. The committee decides whether to support the proposal and recommend it to the full council board. The request will then appear on the agenda of a council’s regular monthly meeting, at which time the full board will vote it up or down.

More information on the councils’ meeting schedules can be found in this overview of San Pedro councils.

A stretch of Sixth Street in downtown San Pedro has seen a number of comings and goings in recent weeks.

Downtown Subs and More has closed its doors at the northeast corner of Nelson Street, in the 300 block of Sixth Street. The owner is maintaining the family’s next-door shop, Boca Wear.

One door down, Under the Bridge Bookstore and Gallery has just moved up and over to 411 Sixth Street, in the space that Born to Party previously occupied.

Under the Bridge is holding several housewarming events in its new location.

An open mic night is set for 7:30 p.m. on March 29 and the bookstore will be open until 9 p.m. on April 3 for First Thursday. Its month-long sale in April will offer discounts on the entire inventory of new and used books.

Goodfellas Bar, formerly the Porthole, will expand into the space Under the Bridge has vacated.

Neighboring Sixth Street Bistro has gotten a full makeover, with a new look, menu, chef/manager and owners.

The First Thursday monthly artwalk will include a mural unveiling at the Warner Grand Theatre and a Baroque tea party at Behind the Scenes costume shop.

The artwalk takes places from 5 p.m.-?? on April 3 in downtown San Pedro. Visual and performing arts will be featured in the familiar settings plus new venues, combining to bring the downtown vibe alive in the New San Pedro.

View the full schedule of special events and zoom in on your destinations using the new interactive maps of galleries, restaurants and shops.

The bait was hooked, the lines went down and the waiting game began.

Hermosa Beach resident Kathy Cohen caught the first smelt, which five-year-old Efrain Marquez felt compelled to investigate. Cohen and her husband, Paul, spend a lot of leisure time in San Pedro. “We love San Pedro,” said Paul Cohen.

The little ones were fascinated by the first marine visitor.

Emerson Marquez, 2, angles for a better view.

Brother Efrain Marquez displays his catch.

The smelt were promptly thrown back to sea, but students carried the experience and certificates of participation home with them.

Fukahara’s fishing lessons are free of charge and taught periodically. Contact the aquarium for more information.

HONOR FOR THOSE MURDERED IN SAN PEDRO; THE SAN PEDRO SAFETY COLLABORATIVE ASKS INTERESTED FAMILIES OF MURDER VICTIMS TO HELP TELL THEIR STORY AND PROVIDE PHOTOS FOR THE MAY 15 PEACE VIGIL; VOLUNTEERS ARE ALSO NEEDED: THIS WEEK, ANOTHER CHILD FALLS VICTIM TO VIOLENCE

By Diana L. Chapman

Officials of a three-year-old collaborative working to prevent violence in San Pedro are asking families of scores of murder victims to step forward and share their stories and photos to honor the victims at a May 15 peace vigil. Another child was killed in the seaside community this week in a possible gang-related incident.

The Peace and Unity rally will be held at San Pedro High School's Pirate Stadium at 6 p.m. as a way to allow victim's families and the community at large to mourn and come together against violence on San Pedro's streets -- a move that is rare in this community. The planning was underway long before violence took a teenage boy was shot Wednesday about 5 p.m.

Miguel Osuna, 15, reportedly was shot as he stood on the porch of 600 block of Sixth Street about. Police told the Daily Breeze that the teenager was possibly killed from shots fired from a rifle at a car wash across the street. He died later at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

His death boosts the number of killings in San Pedro to 189 over the past two decades. Not only is he the 189 victim to die from violence, he becomes one of 24 children killed during that time period. This averages out to a rate of more than nine murders each year in this coastal community.

Many of those killing remain unsolved and were victims of gang violence.

"This is a long overdue memorial for those who have been killed in San Pedro," said Senior Lead Police Officer Joe Buscaino, a Los Angeles police officer born and raised here. "This is an opportunity for us to remember those who fell victim to violent crime. This a chance for the community to show that violence is not acceptable in this town."

Families who want their loved one honored at the rally can call officials to provide information and photos and are asked to attend the rally -- which was sparked by the unsolved October shooting death of the San Pedro High football and basketball player LaTerian Tasby.

Students across San Pedro High School believed a vigil was going to be held in LaTerian's honor text messaged each other furiously to go, according to one report, but officials -- out of respect from a family request -- agreed to wait and honor all victims of homicides in the community.

The football player -- who had moved to San Pedro to get away from violence in his former Los Angeles-area neighborhood -- became a popular figure at both the high school and the Boys and Girls Club with his turn around in grades, his talents at sports and his "if-I-can-do-it-you-can-do-it-too attitude."

He also spent time tending to younger youth's issues by listening to them. LaTerian was shot and killed on an October weekend last year after alleged gang members crashed a party filled with promising high school athletes, yelled out racial slurs -- according to some youths -- and started a ruckus which wound up in several other students being stabbed. Those youths survived.

Due to the enormity of LaTerian's death -- and the fact that the murder remains unsolved as do many other homicides in San Pedro -- the San Pedro Safety Collaborative agreed to hold a rally in hopes of bringing the community together against violence.

The collaborative includes police, school officials, non-profit organizations dealing with youths such as the YWCA, Toberman and the Boys and Girls Club, and business leaders.

Families that desire their loved ones to be honored and included in the rally should call Gabriela Medina at the YWCA at (310) 547-0831. Volunteers will be needed to help set up and break down the event. Please call Alice Castellanos, also of the YWCA at the same number.

All I ask -- please come. Show the kids we care. Show families who've lost loved ones that they are not alone in their grief.

Angels Gate Cultural Center and San Pedro City Ballet
present newly commissioned work

Angels Gate Cultural Center and San Pedro City Ballet will collaborate on a program of all original modern dance works, including a new, site-specific work commissioned especially for the ballet’s male youth group, to be performed in the Center’s Gallery A. Performances occur on April 11, 12 & 13, 2008 at Angels Gate Cultural Center in Angels Gate Park.
It’s unusual to have a group of artistic young men, especially in the heavily industrial neighborhoods of the L.A. Harbor area, focused on doing exciting things with dance. All the dancers for the new work are under 21; most are currently students in San Pedro. “This commission is a great opportunity to support and encourage a talented and hard working group of young artists, and, at the same time, support the fabulous San Pedro City Ballet, which is an enormous San Pedro resource that everyone needs to be more aware of”, said Nathan Birnbaum, Executive Director of Angels Gate Cultural Center
“The project was very appealing, as it has been six years since the company has done a program like this. It is an intriguing challenge to do an entire evening of site-specific works”, said Patrick David Bradley, choreographer of the commissioned work and SPCB Co-Artistic Director.
The performers of the new work are San Pedro City Ballet’s male youth group – Wolf Bradley, Julian de Santiago, Andrew Macatrao, Gabriel Macatrao and Juan Wing – and one female dancer from the troupe, Caroline Cypres.
The commission is supported with a Cultural Center grant from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and a SPCB grant from the L.A. County Arts Commission. “It was perfect timing to combine forces and a grant from the County Arts Commission, and just create on these wonderful young dancers,” says Co-Artistic Director Cindy Bradley.

Program: World Premiere of “Door #2; “Date”; “The Art of the Shoe” (danced to poetry by local poet Regina O'Melvany); “Covenant.”
Choreography: Patrick David Bradley and Cindy Bradley.
Dancers: Caroline Cypres, Wolf Bradley, Julian de Santiago, Andrew Macatrao, Gabriel Macatrao, and Juan Wing. PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES: Friday, April 11th, 8 pm; Saturday April 12th, 8 pm; Sunday April 13th, 7 pm.
LOCATION: Angels Gate Cultural Center, Gallery A
3601 South Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA
ADMISSION: $25 general, $20 Angels Gate Cultural Center members
(Limited seating)
For ticket reservations: (310) 519-0936
About San Pedro City Ballet: San Pedro City Ballet (SPCB) was established in 1994 by nationally recognized dancers and teachers, Cynthia and Patrick David Bradley, as a not-for-profit dance company serving greater Los Angeles. The company performs "The Nutcracker” annually at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, produces original modern works for a variety of venues throughout Southern California, and holds performance workshops throughout the city of Los Angeles. SPCB’s mission is to identify, train and promote a world-class pre-professional dance company from the diverse population of the Los Angeles Harbor area that is founded in classical works and traditions, and goes beyond to explore new contemporary and original modern works, and to provide training to schools throughout Los Angeles for arts education and after-school programs.

About Angels Gate Cultural Center: For 25 years Angels Gate has been recognized for its high quality, innovative arts programming in the areas of public exhibitions and performances, education programs for the school-age kids of the Harbor area, international residencies in the visual arts, and much needed services to professional artists. In 2003, Angels Gate Cultural Center began a growing into a mid-sized institution, obtaining a 30-year lease from the City of L.A. and launching plans for the development of the coastal 64-acre Angels Gate Park. Dance commissions and special site specific events are part of the continued expansion of the Center’s performing arts programs, along with the New Play Reading series and the Art on the Waterfront festival, a partnership with the Port of Los Angeles. The Cultural Center is an independent nonprofit in partnership with the City of L.A. Dept. of Recreation and Parks. More information about Angels Gate Cultural Center is available at www.angelsgateart.org

Dozens of signs dot the neighborhood around 20th Street and Walker Avenue, including ...

“This is a great example of a neighborhood that came together to save its quality of life as it pertains to the character of the neighborhood,” said Hahn.

“I’m proud of how the community organized so quickly,” said Hahn. “It made a difference. The signs, buttons, calls and emails were very impressive and people’s voices were heard.”

The property is owned by Michael Rosenthal, who did not attend the hearing or send a representative. In an interview with San Pedro News, Rosenthal said he filed an objection with the city planning commission, challenging the Q condition.

Rosenthal’s objection is on file, but the planning commission is proceeding with its recommendation. The city council will ultimately rule on the zoning and, in the process, will consider any appeals filed by Rosenthal.

The city council vote is expected within six weeks.

“They’re putting a Q condition on something they don’t know yet because I haven’t proposed anything,” said Rosenthal, who is no longer intending to construct an 18-unit complex.

“I heard the community and people don’t want condos,” said Rosenthal. “I want to make peace with the neighborhood and Councilwoman Hahn’s office.”

Rosenthal said he is now planning to build two detached, single-family homes on each of the three lots. Each home would have a two-car garage.

Rosenthal argues that the current zoning allows such construction to proceed, but city officials contend that public hearings are required.

When Rosenthal first discussed his two-home-per-lot plan, VDONAC leaders and Hahn aides asked to see drawings, which Rosenthal has yet to release.

Meanwhile, opponents are continuing to rally around the Q condition.

It may boil down to a bureaucratic race, in which the developer chases building permits and Q advocates make a run for city council approval.

“SRHS #15” is bureaucratic shorthand for South Region High School #15, otherwise known as “the Angels Gate high school.”

Responding to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s proposal to build the 800-seat campus off Alma Street below 30th Street, about 120 area residents enlivened an otherwise routine neighborhood council committee meeting on March 19.

The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council’s planning and transportation committee was the setting for an educational workshop on grassroots politics. Chair Linda Marinkovich oversaw the meeting, held to teach concerned residents how to effectively voice their opinions about the school.

A show of hands indicated that the residents were unanimously opposed to the school.

Some specific objections raised at the meeting included traffic on the narrow and winding Alma Street, LAUSD’s failure to provide parking for students, noise generated by outdoor activities at the school and the potential for increases in crimes such as break-ins and vandalism.

Sierra Club leader Tom Politeo explained the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process and how to influence the outcome.

Coastal councilmember Doug Epperhart discussed the politics of the situation and ways to apply pressure.

Mark Wells, RNeighborhoodsAre1 activist and blogger, detailed key points in the bureaucratic documentation and discussed technical aspects of the project.

Neighbors in the area have formed Neighbors Opposed and Incorporated to Stop Encroachment (NOISE) to fight the Angels Gate school plan.

The Coastal council will likely consider a resolution at its April 21 meeting to offer comments on the proposed campus.

San Pedro’s picturesque vistas and low-key lifestyle have held magnetic appeal for artists. Combine the social and geographic traits with affordable rent and the result is apparent.

Through the decades, an active artist community has taken root and established a visible studio presence, concentrated in downtown San Pedro. Countless more San Pedro-based artists operate behind the scenes, maintaining private studios and/or commuting to work in other cities.

As San Pedro evolves and construction cranes fill the downtown skyline, rents are rising and artists are sounding the alarm.

A year-old committee of arts organizations, business owners and working artists has been grappling with this question and others as it develops a plan for the San Pedro Arts, Culture and Entertainment District (SPACE).

The committee was formed under the auspices of the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. Its mission is to “create a downtown arts district that will sustain and promote the cultural and economic vitality of the community.”

The SPACE committee held a public meeting on March 15 to release its draft plan, a five-year blueprint to boost the arts with $500,000 in city funds.

The committee is co-chaired by civic leader Noramae Munster and newspaper publisher James P. Allen.

In an interview with San Pedro News, artist and committee member Ray Carofano summarized the key issue. “It’s called the arts, culture and entertainment district. We have to keep the artists in town or where’s the art going to come from?”

Artist and committee member Lauren Kilgore has worked out of a Seventh Street studio for more than 20 years. She has witnessed a changing landscape that’s now being built into contemporary condominiums for urban professionals.

“Calling condos ‘lofts’ is a co-opting of the artistic culture everyone in San Pedro recognizes as a positive,” said Kilgore.

“If we price out the creative artists as a result [of new developments with higher rents], San Pedro will change from a vibrant, actively artistic community into a merely ‘arty’ one,” said Kilgore. “The ACE committee is working hard to avert that fate and we’re hoping for everyone’s support.”

Artist live/work housing is a main area the committee is studying.

Artist and committee member Ron Linden also emphasized the need for a gallery and performance space that artists could share, creating a central point that could be known and identified as the artists’ hub.

Visit www.spacedistrict.org for more information about the project and notification of upcoming public meetings

At its March 17 meeting, the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council took action on a number of measures. The council voted to:

• Propose that a “Q” condition similar to the McCowan’s development be implemented at projects planned for 33rd Street and Peck Avenue and in the 2300 block of Gaffey Street;
• Recommend that the city’s Board of Public Works deny permits legalizing structures built by the school district at Point Fermin Elementary School;
• Urge the city council to outlaw plastic bags used by retail outlets such as grocery stores;
• Sponsor the 2008 season of Shakespeare by the Sea for $2,500;
• Spend $3,000 to sponsor this year’s Fourth of July fireworks show at Cabrillo Beach;
• Ask the Board of Harbor Commissioners to move forward on proposed improvements at Ports O’ Call Village;
• Request that the city’s Department of Transportation study the possibility of restriping Paseo del Mar between Gaffey and Roxbury Streets to improve pedestrian safety and provide additional parking;
• Seek Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s help to get other cities in our area to make it tougher for vandals to purchase spray paint.
• Submit the nominations of Linda Marinkovich and Robert Farrell for appointment to the Pacific Corridor Community Advisory Committee of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

The council also considered amendments to its bylaws to align them with election regulations required by the city.

The council meets on the third Monday of the month. For more information, visit www.coastalsanpedro.org.

By Doug Epperhart

Confronted by the reality that their lives will be changed by politicians’ actions, most people merely shrug and say, “There’s nothing we can do about it.” Or, even worse, they buy the lies dropped in mailboxes by campaign consultants at election time and vote against their own interests.

These are the times I want to scream, “What’s wrong with you people?”

Lately, though, things have changed. It’s as if the civic Rip van Winkles awakened from their 20-year naps and realized the world is a different place.

Everywhere in Los Angeles, residents are seeing the heavy hand of developers pulling the strings in a city administration bent on “Manhattanizing” L.A.

A backlash is rising from the neighborhoods.

In San Pedro, our wakeup call was a developer’s desire to build 2,300 condos on Western Avenue.

Despite Ponte Vista’s ongoing campaign to divide and conquer our town, thousands have endorsed the RNeighborhoodsAre1 effort to prevent overdevelopment. Petitions, letters, calls, emails, yard signs and bumper stickers persuaded Councilwoman Janice Hahn to get on board and support her town’s call to keep the single-family zoning.

Faced with the prospect of condos at 20th Street and Walker Avenue, where McCowan’s once stood, neighbors rallied to tell Hahn that such a multi-unit building was out of character for the neighborhood. The councilwoman got the message and immediately set in motion the machinery to allow only single-family homes to be built.

What is happening in San Pedro echoes what is happening elsewhere. Sunland-Tujunga activists fought Home Depot and won before the city council.

(This one is a twisted political soap opera in which City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has pulled the rug out from under the community by cooking up a deal to placate Home Depot, which had sued in an attempt to get its way.)

Just this week, the city council voted 10-5 to stop construction of 5,500 homes along the 5 Freeway near Santa Clarita. The developer was demanding annexation to the city of Los Angeles and, of course, will likely sue the city.

On the west side, tempers are flaring and lawsuits are being filed over the city’s plan to ban parking and alter traffic patterns on Pico and Olympic Boulevards. Community groups are going to court to stop the city from implementing this plan.

If you think people are mad as hell and they’re not going to take this anymore, you’re right.

They’re mad because government pushes people out of the process and leaves them no choice but to oppose everything.

The latest example: LAUSD wants to build a high school at Angels Gate. The district does what is minimally necessary to comply with environmental law. Bureaucrats hold hearings to tell us what they intend to do. They take public comment and ignore it.

Meanwhile, a plan for Angels Gate Park has been developed with constant and extensive community input.

Upgrading the park would obviously affect the adjacent school district property. Accordingly, LAUSD was invited to be part of the process. They never showed up.

Maybe it’s because a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be negotiated between the Department of Recreation and Parks and LAUSD. The MOU will determine things like whether the district can have access to Gaffey Street and the public can use facilities at the school.

I’m urging that the community be part of the MOU negotiation process, but I bet it’s not going to happen. I’m guessing we’ll be left with government’s standard “take it or leave it” offer.

There’s a small window of opportunity for LAUSD to talk to the community about the high school, seriously. If district officials do the right thing, the neighbors will do the smart thing.

***
Doug Epperhart is a member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council governing board. He can be reached at dougepperhart@cox.net.

Weighing In On Angel’s Gate as A High School; The Question We Should Really Be Asking Ourselves is Not Why…We Should Be Asking Why Not? A Prominent Educational Facility Could Be Built Here; It Just Needs Wings To Fly & the Residents to Tell the School District How to Do It
By Diana L. Chapman
I watched four high school students bravely get up and talk about the torturous learning environment they are currently living in at San Pedro High School.
Despite the hoards of resident’s complaints against the proposed building of a new high school at Angel’s Gate, the students stepped forward asking desperately for the 800 to 1,200 seat high school to proceed on the 28 acre site.
“Yes, we need to save the foxes and work on the noise pollution,” one 12th grade girl told the crowd in regards to their complaints. “But we really need more room. It’s like we are playing football everyday. It’s so crowded, it’s hard to get to class on time.”
Classes are so overbooked at their current school, the students said, some kids stand during the entire class or are crammed right up to the teacher’s desk. Going into the hallways is like heading onto the freeway at 3 o’clock in the afternoon to face a gushing onslaught of traffic. And education is spiraling downward because the teachers can’t teach in classrooms that are jammed like sardine cans with students.
This explains right away to me why we have a 50 percent dropout rate in Los Angeles Unified. The kids begged for help, but some of the residents failed to use their ears. One man told the students to climb aboard and join the real world. Los Angeles, he said, is overcrowded “so get use to it.” Residents clapped at that. It seems nowhere in San Pedro will our community accept the building of a desperately needed new high school. That must speak loudly to our kids about how our community feels toward them. The students who spoke at the Los Angeles Unified School meeting held at Dana Middle School March 13 won’t stand to gain anything; the school won’t be built until 2012. They are thinking about the future.
Perhaps we should too.
I would ask you now to take the time to pause, step out of your box and imagine the tremendous educational opportunities that could be at Angel’s Gate. For just a moment, stop worrying about the traffic, the den of foxes, the concern a high school would mar the tranquility of the site -- a location which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is constantly beaten by pulsating winds. Think instead for a moment at what a emarkable educational facility Angels’ Gate could become – which will only happen if residents force the issue.
Currently, Angel’s Gate hosts a plethora of underused possibilities – all of which should absolutely be integrated into the proposed high school’s regime. If a high school becomes the inner-hub of the area, think of the potential. Students could study marine biology at the Mammal Marine Care Center and help feed fish to the rescued sea lions. They can learn firsthand about World War II and what it meant to California at the Fort MacArthur Museum and visit the underground bunkers that still exist there today. They can learn from a slew of amazing artists at the Cultural Arts Center. Students can learn how to save birds and study the impact oil has when its washed into the sea at the International Bird Rescue Center.
Everyone of these facilities is located at the site.
In short, this could be one of the best, hands-on academic facilities in all of Los Angeles. An educator told me once that it was a shame we tried to do everything in a classroom; the real learning, he said, happens out in the field. Here is a place where all kinds of study and research could be adopted. Students also could volunteer at many of these remarkable resources and keep them alive and running for generations to come.
We can complain about the den of foxes at Angel’s Gate being in danger because of the construction and the marine mammals ears popping due to jackhammers and the traffic that could pour into the campus. These are critical issues that need to be addressed.
Yes, the district needs to protect the foxes and might have to build a preserve for them on the site, which would provide students with yet another educational opportunity.
The residents’ contend that vehicles should not be allowed to access the school using Alma Street -- an argument that should be adhered to due to the already existing number of accidents on the narrow residential street. The residents know them all. They've been counting.
Community members want more than the proposed 113 parking spaces. That too makes sense, because the neighbors don’t want – and should not have to deal with -- an overflow of cars parking on their streets.
Another man feared juvenile destruction that can sometimes accompany neighborhoods set near schools. The district needs to find away to provide the security the neighbors seek.
LAUSD School Board Member Richard Vladovic told the crowd that he would pull together a team of educators to design this school. I propose that he not just use educators, but include residents and community leaders who understand what Angel’s Gate can provide for students, but also buff down the severe impact a high school could have if its not built keeping the neighborhood in mind.
All I am asking right now is that residents think about it. Think about the potential and the much greater chance we – as a community will have – to churn out kids who will care about their environment, protect and rescue wildlife, understand the atrocities of World War II and the way it played out here in California and explore the arts with true artists working right next door.
Here, we will be molding well-rounded, future citizens. If we do not do this, as Richard Vladovic has indicated, our high school – San Pedro High – will go year round.
Then think about this; This means 1,000 kids will be streaming through our streets – without adult guidance because many parents will be working -- all day long. They will receive a lesser education, according to the school board member, because studies have shown year round schooling is not nearly as successful as traditional year round.
And then think about this: What will all that mean for the future of all of San Pedro? Rather than send the kids packing with shoes to the streets, I'd much rather give the kids wings they need to learn to soar the sky at Angel's Gate. Then perhaps, we will truly be making good citizens.

Please join members of the Los Angeles Fire Department and their families for a three-day Pancake Breakfast fundraiser to support the family of LAFD Engineer Alfred Camacho. Alfred's lovely wife Danielle 38, is terminally ill with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Undeniable Heartbreak... Diagnosed three years ago and given a prognosis of living 3 to 5 years, Danielle and her family have relied on relatives and one another in coping. It has now become essential for Alfred to remain home alongside his wife and daughters Jessica 11 and Brittany 14, to offer physical and emotional support, address everyday needs and provide a comforting transition. Doing What We Can... Being with his family in their time of greatest need has brought financial hardship to the Camacho household, adding to the staggering burden already faced by the devoted husband, father and firefighter. Members of the LAFD are lending strong support, but there is only so much that we can do alone in meeting the immediate needs of the Camacho family. You Can Help... A trio of Pancake Breakfasts are being held this week at Fire Stations in Los Angeles, Hollywood and San Pedro neighborhoods that Alfred has proudly protected:

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM Fire Station 29 4029 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90010 Wednesday, March 19, 2008 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM Fire Station 27 1237 North Cole Avenue Hollywood, CA 90028 Thursday, March 20, 2008 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM Fire Station 112 444 South Harbor Boulevard San Pedro, CA 90731

All are warmly welcome at these upbeat and enjoyable public events, which give both Firefighters and those they serve a chance to better know one another while uniting behind the Camacho's. Each Small Amount Helps... There is no fixed price for these hearty breakfasts, you are welcome to donate what you please. The most important thing is for you to be in attendance! But of Course, There is More... Thanks to the generosity of business and community leaders, there will be a raffle with proceeds to benefit the Camacho's. Prizes include televisions, a laptop computer, passes to see top entertainers in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, hosted dinners and much, much more. For us though, the real prize is your solidarity.

If you can't make these events, and still wish to help the Camacho Family, please consider a donation to: Fire Family Foundation Camacho Family Fund 815 West Colorado Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90041 For information about the fund, visit: firefamilyfoundation.org or call (800) 231-1626 ext. 2234.

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman Los Angeles Fire Department

The proposal to build a public high school at Angel’s Gate Cultural Center was the topic of two heated community meetings this week.

Opponents voiced concerns at a public meeting Thursday at Dana Middle School. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the forum was an opportunity for public input on the issues that should be considered in the draft environmental impact report.

Harbor Area board member Richard Vladovic was among the school district officials and bureaucrats who attended the meeting. Vladovic has not taken a position on the school proposal.

Most community residents strongly criticized the plan, citing traffic and parking problems foreseen if a school of 800-1200 students is built.

Several San Pedro High School students spoke about overcrowding and the need for more classrooms.

Responding to residents’ concerns over an April 7 deadline to submit public comment, officials agreed to extend the comment period another 30 days, to May 7.

Earlier in the week, dozens of community members packed a meeting of the Palisades Residents Association. Spilling out into the hallway, Palisades residents expressed opposition in a long and spirited meeting.

Palisades Residents Assn. President Terry Miller, standing at right, leads an impassioned discussion of the proposed high school.

Related documents:

• LAUSD Notice of Preparation and Initial Study: describes the proposed campus and contains information on how to submit public comment.


• For more information about the LAUSD process, call Roberta Jones-Booker, LAUSD Community Outreach, (213) 893-6802 or (800) 704-1267.