Speaking Truth to Power

It rarely earns one the approval of the powerful, but it can get you respect

I have come to realize that, after 46 years of publishing and writing, many readers and many more newly arrived residents have either just forgotten or never knew about some of the most significant victories this paper has accomplished over these decades. The stories we broke on the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the fish, the dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) dumping off the coast, the pollution of the GATX terminal, and the saving of White Point Nature Preserve, as well as Angels Gate Cultural Center, are just a few. After more than four decades, some of these stories have returned as news because of some recent discoveries, explaining that the past isn’t over; in fact, the past isn’t even the past.

Each of these stories is consistent with the Mark Twain quote we have used for years, that “Newspapers should not just report the news but make people mad enough to do something about it.” Sometimes we pissed off the right people, and of course, that doesn’t make us or me popular with the people who get exposed.

One of my favorite stories was about the saving of White Point from an Air Force housing development. In the early 1980’s a park ranger, Ken Malloy, told us that the U.S. Air Force base in San Pedro was planning to build a large housing project on the last acres of open coastal property. Malloy’s vision was that it really should be preserved as a nature park to save the native flora and fauna. This property, as you may recall, was used as part of the coastal defenses with concrete gun emplacements in World War II and later during the Cold War as a Nike base. The land was once owned by Roman Sepulveda.

Well, by the mid-’80s, both of these defense systems were outdated, and the Air Command wanted to build housing there. The then Gen. Forrest McCartney took it upon himself to design the housing and proudly presented his plans to the Economic Development Committee of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. At that time, the chamber held almost exclusive sway over the city council office, acting more like the shadow government of Pedro, something it still tries to do today.

The general arrived with his entourage of colonels and adjutants, all dressed in military brass buttons, starched shirts and battle ribbons. When it came time for his presentation, the general showed off his designs with a plot map in colorful poster-size images. He proceeded to explain that he was going to maximize the footprint of this project, but out of consideration for the community, he was going to give an 18-foot green space surrounding the 100-plus acres!

There was a kind of stunned silence as I looked around the long boardroom table, as no one was willing to say what they really thought, and out of extreme deference to the general and his staff, they stayed silent. For it might be seen as unpatriotic or something else if the plan were criticized. So, I waited, and nobody raised their hand to speak, but then I did.

“General,” I started, “you have come here with a business deal, to a room full of businessmen and women who all know what a good business deal is. A good deal is where everyone comes away from the table thinking that it was a fair deal.”  What came next is what speaking truth to power gets you. “And general…” I continued, “This is not a fair or good deal for the people of San Pedro!” There was again a great silence and the chamber director scowled at me, as the general’s face began to turn red, the veins in his neck, tied so tight with his white starched shirt and tie, began to bulge. And what came next was a complete surprise to everyone in the room, his staff, the chamber director and everyone else. He screamed, “You lying son of a bitch!” And with that, he stormed out of the room with his entourage trailing behind him. Everyone turned and looked at me. I guessed that he had never had anyone talk back to him?

The chamber failed to endorse the plan, and with growing pressure from the community at large then LA City Council representative Joan Milke-Flores started to negotiate with the military. And in the end, she not only saved White Point but also all of the upper reservation, now known as Angels Gate Park. And it was deeded to the City of Los Angeles in perpetuity, not ever to be reclaimed by the Defense Department. This is why, in part, her name is on the dog park, and this deal was probably her greatest legacy to San Pedro.

One of the more interesting parts of the transfer was in the deed that at Angels Gate, there has to be a cultural arts center. It’s in the deed, and many years later, when the Department of Recreation and Parks tried to close down AGCC, it was once again that RLN came to the rescue, found the exact language in the deed, and wrote about it. This, of course, did not sit well with the Rec and Parks management nor the city attorneys, but alas, they could do nothing about it… It was in the deed!

Gen. McCartney got promoted, and a new general arrived at Fort Mac. I once again was at a chamber event, this time a holiday mixer. There must have been a hundred or more people in a large banquet room when I noticed the new general arrive with his female adjutant. She was here to introduce him to the locals. I was off at the far end drinking a margarita when he arrived, and at one point the adjutant leaned over and whispered something in the general’s ear; she was looking directly at me.

Clearly, she had mentioned the White Point incident.

The general was slowly but deliberately introduced around the room, heading in my direction. I stood my ground, and when he got to me, he stuck out his hand and said, “I’m General Don Katina, and my adjutant tells me you’re the one person in the room I should avoid.” I just smiled and told him that I understood.

There was something about this new general that wasn’t as wound up tight as his predecessor, so we talked, and we talked some more, and I eventually invited (or perhaps challenged) him to come to our Christmas party the following week, but only if he came in civilian clothes. And to my joy and amazement, he came, we drank, and became friends. I did have to tell him my side of the Gen. McCartney story, and he smiled knowingly.

Later, the next year, he even invited me to the general’s quarters on the base, and we got very drunk together, drinking brandy and Benedictine. While there, I asked him about all the secret communication equipment that he must have, “Do you have a red phone to the White House?” I asked. He sure did, down in the basement, and as we were going down the steps, his wife called down, “Don, do you suppose this is wise?”

“Don’t worry, dear”, was his response, “this is James, and I trust him.”

Sometimes, when you speak truth to power, you end up not only getting respect but earning trust. And to this day, White Point Park remains a nature preserve fulfilling Ken Malloy’s vision, and Angels Gate still has a cultural arts center, thanks to a lot of people who came behind to see the vision.