Central SP Council Meeting

Pedro Residents Grapple with Changes, the Good and the Bad, for Better or For Worse

By Baraka Noel, Reporter

A town is its people. In Central San Pedro, some seek counsel at Anderson Memorial Senior Citizen Center, the meeting place of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council. On Sep. 19, people gathered to listen — and be heard — after 6 p.m. on Mesa and Eighth Street. The Memorial Center became a catered community space, thanks to the ever-reliable Happy Diner.

Concerns and invitations raised by citizens of this harbor town were amplified and received by welcoming ears. Council president, Dillon Clark, chaired the meeting at a brisk pace, keeping everyone on schedule as the board presided over a heated contest for the vacant council seat. 

LeHoa Gacki, a realtor with the firm Douglas Elliman — who recently moved to San Pedro from Brentwood —  stepped forward in a bid for the seat. William S. Cordray, a sustainability consultant, countered her candidacy with an appeal to preserve the “blue-collar heart” of our maritime town.

In response to a Sierra Club report on Pier 400 pointing out APM Terminals’ failure to comply with the zero-emission plan, Councilman Matthew Garland spoke of this harbor’s longshoremen, and the many Angelenos laboring to make their living from the Port of LA.

The gathering ran the gamut of topical issues; from reclaiming alleys and abandoned buildings to sustainable care for our vulnerable un-housed neighbors. Glenn Acosta, head of public affairs at the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, updated the community on the progress of the Clearwater Project.

The CEO of San Pedro’s Chamber of Commerce, Elise Swanson, presented an opportunity that could be used to beautify Pacific Avenue’s business corridor through a city program called the Jobs and Economic Development Initiative or JEDI, which establishes a five-year plan and offers up to $75,000 per business for facade improvements along with other funds.

Chris Rinaldi, proprietor of R S Marine Engine Service — located at the port side of 22nd Street — pleaded with the council for assistance in preserving (or relocating) his business. His shop has operated through two generations of property owners. The communications director for the Port of Los Angeles, Phillip Sanfield, confirmed that the port has plans to vacate the property for future street improvements and parking lot development. Sanfield clarified his statement, explaining that, “those plans are conceptual and have not been approved by [the] Harbor Commission.”

Certain members of the board echoed this cry to maintain the soul and beauty of our port. Attendees stepped up imploring us all — to walk alongside one another, uphold the vision of our artist community, and hold each of us accountable for bettering our collective home.

LA City Councilman Tim McOsker made a personal appearance, providing an update on the Inside Safe Program. He spoke passionately about the “billion dollars” allocated toward solutions to the problem of homelessness: the need for community-oriented resolutions we won’t be ashamed to explain to our children.

He also provided a bevy of answers to questions from the board, including inquiries on the status of two workers injured in a crane accident while removing the billboard beside the Harbor Freeway’s town entrance.

LADOT South Bureau Parking Enforcement Captain Kenneth Hill articulated the breadth and limitation of resources available to the current Department of Transportation. Community members have reached out regarding the abandoned vehicles along many streets and alleys. 

Community engagement rep for the Los Angeles mayor’s office, Jocelyn Dominguez,  reported on Mayor Karen Bass’ efforts to make resources available for folks transitioning from interim housing to permanent homes.

In one breath, Senior Lead Officer Richard Lee shared mostly, falling crime statistics and the recent tale of a loaded handgun brought to school inside the backpack of a Port of Los Angeles high school student. This, in the wake of multiple gang altercations over the past weeks — resulting in two homicides in Harbor City and a shooting in Wilmington. In a follow-up conversation, Lee continued, “All the issues possibly could be connected … the gangs have been warring … Harbor City and Wilmington gangs … [which was] the reason [the student] brought the gun.” A 1-year-old child, thankfully, survived the Harbor City double homicide which took the lives of the parents on Sep. 5.

Harbor Police statistics report a gentle downward slope in many areas of local crime since last month —- with notable exceptions with regard to homicide and certain types of assault.

Officer Stacey Creech invited the public to have coffee with a cop on Oct. 4 at Sirens on 7th and S. Mesa from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The board discussed the Vincent Thomas Bridge’s impending nightly closure, beginning Oct. 2, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Gates will be placed blocking suspension cables from civilian access. Full-time, long-term closure of the bridge for deck replacement has been scheduled for fall of next year. Residents are encouraged to seek alternative traffic routes for one to three years while CalTrans enacts the repairs.

Other subjects intoned: the Brown Act, unequal power wielded by politicians in underrepresented districts and attempts to stifle community involvement through bureaucratic skullduggery.

It may enthuse local entrepreneurs to learn that area city bench advertisements go for $240 per pair.