Tuesday, October 7, 2025
spot_img
spot_img
Home Blog Page 28

Groups Sue EPA Over Toxic Refinery Chemical that Threatens Fenceline Communities

Reporters Desk
-
0
Groups Sue EPA Over Toxic Refinery Chemical that Threatens Fenceline Communities

Community and environmental groups July 9 filed suit to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the threat of an unnecessary and dangerous chemical used in dozens of American refineries despite its potential to form toxic acid clouds.

The groups are filing the suit after the EPA rejected the groups’ petition to address the needless risks from use of hydrogen fluoride (HF)—an extremely corrosive chemical that, if released to the air, can form a lethal, ground-hugging plume that can travel for miles, causing severe injury or death to anyone in its path. More than 40 oil refineries across the country — owned by companies including ExxonMobil, Marathon, Valero, and Delta Airlines, among others — use HF.

Several refineries across the country have started to replace HF with safer commercial-scale alternatives. HF can dissolve skin, muscle, and bone, disrupt essential bodily functions, and kill or permanently disable people who inhale or touch it. The chemical is still being used in refineries around the country, including at the Torrance and Wilmington refineries in the Los Angeles area and the Trainer refinery south of Philadelphia, putting millions at risk of exposure. HF endangers not only people near the refineries but also those along train and truck routes used to transport the corrosive chemical.

The groups’ petition to the EPA highlighted the horrific risks associated with a potential release of HF. It also discussed numerous near-miss incidents, some of which narrowly avoided exposing tens of thousands of people to the chemical. The federal government and oil industry have known for decades that a dense, ground-hugging cloud tends to spread from an HF release into the air. This propensity to form clouds makes HF harder to contain, and more dangerous, than alternative chemicals used in other refineries around the United States. Exposure to as little as 1% of one’s skin (about the size of one’s hand) to liquid HF can cause fatal injury because of how easily the chemical penetrates the skin and disrupts vital functions. Inhaling HF vapor or aerosols (small airborne droplets)—the most likely way people would be exposed if there were a major release — can also be deadly.

The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by Clean Air Council or CAC, Communities for a Better Environment or CBE, and NRDC or Natural Resources Defense Council. The groups have developed materials to inform the public if they live near a refinery using HF and have included other information about each facility, such as its parent company, safety measures in place (or missing), and the number of people it puts at risk. If the case prevails, the court will order the EPA to develop a regulation to eliminate unreasonable risks from HF use at refineries.

 

Following are quotes from groups lodging the complaint:

“Needlessly risking release of this extremely hazardous chemical in our densely packed region where so many people could be injured or killed is reckless. All the other refineries in Pennsylvania manage to use safer alternatives,” said Alex Bomstein, Clean Air Council executive director. “The Philly refinery explosion in 2019 was a breath away from being a mass casualty incident due to HF. The EPA needs to confront this risk, and we’re going to court to make sure it does.”

“HF is so dangerous, industrial safety experts have asked why it is still in use. L.A. County found the local refineries using it put millions at risk, so we are going to court to end this unnecessary and unnerving risk to the public,” said Alicia Rivera, Wilmington community organizer with Communities for a Better Environment. “Why should this hazard continue in a densely packed earthquake zone, even though all the other refineries in the state use far safer alternatives? This recklessness has got to stop.”

“Poison acid clouds engulfing refinery communities and transit corridors sounds like a horror movie, but it’s a real possibility as long as EPA refuses to engage,” said Matthew Tejada, senior vice president of environmental health at NRDC. “This is an unnecessary threat to the communities around dozens of refineries. Since the agency won’t fix the situation, we are going to court to address it before people are hurt or killed. At a time when oil companies are making tens of billions of dollars every year in profit, the least they can do is adopt safer alternatives that better protect the communities near their facilities.”

 

“The Buddy Holly Story” is all about the music, which this production gets right

Greggory Moore
-
0
“The Buddy Holly Story” is all about the music, which this production gets right

The Buddy Holly story probably doesn’t get told on either screen or stage were it not for the tragedy that brings it to a halt. There wasn’t much drama in the life of Charles Hardin Holley. He was just a sweet little guy from Lubbock, Texas, whose instincts were perfect for the narrow confines of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, scoring seven Top 40 singles in two years before the snowy December night when an airplane crash killed him — along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (a.k.a. “the Big Bopper”) — at the tender age of 22.

Ah, but the music. Limited in range as it may be (let’s just say that learning how to play “Peggy Sue” means you know like 30% of his entire oeuvre), the tuneful primitivism is infectious even now, let alone how it felt to people in a world where The Beatles had yet to exist. And a select few of his songs truly transcend their place in history.

Despite its corny humor and anemic drama, the jukebox musical that is The Buddy Holly Story works because it’s primarily about that music, finding a small but smart variety of ways to showcase not only the greatest of Holly’s hits, but breathing new life into a few of his best minor compositions. And Musical Theatre West’s production works because they’ve hired the right people for the job.

That starts, of course, with our buddy Buddy. Will Riddle not only looks the part, but has the voice, guitar chops, and stage presence as a musician to be completely believable and a pleasure to see and hear. And although his and the entire cast’s acting is adequate, because playwright Alan Janes’s hasn’t created a work of dramatic substance, acting is not what this show is about. It’s the music, dummy.

One of the delights of The Buddy Holly Story is that all the music (well, almost all) is performed live on stage by the cast. As perfect as Riddle is, bad support from any of the musicians that join him — first Omar D. Brancato (bass) and Laura Leo Kelly (drums) as his fellow Crickets, then several others as Holly’s short career progresses — would degrade the overall effect. But that never happens.

Some of the highlights are unexpected. Rendered here solo by Holly/Riddle on acoustic guitar, “Words of Love” has a luminous yearning that the original recording lacks. For the classic “Maybe Baby”, music director Ryan O’Connell gives Riddle’s Stratocaster a subtly modern treatment coming out of the amp, foreshadowing the sounds that subsequent generations of musicians were going to create by building on Holly’s rudiments. Most notably, with his arrangement of “True Love Ways”, a late Holly recording that strays further from his bread-and-butter 1-4-3 than anything else he tried, O’Connell unearths such beautifully dark atmospherics that even an out-of-tune guitar on opening night could not ruin. (Having never heard this song, at home after the show I listened to Holly’s original recording: nice, but nowhere near as good as this.)

Then there are the ones we know by heart, which you damn well better do right. “Peggy Sue”, “That’ll Be the Day”, “Peggy Sue Got Married” — all fab. But the highlight of highlights is “Everyday”. Janes’s conceit of creating the song in a single take at the end of one marathon recording session (a subtle metafictional touch, considering that all performances in a musical on a given night are single takes) is a great one, because the audience knows exactly how this quietly remarkable piece of music (the celeste!) is supposed to sound, and so we hold our breath as the band starts in. And like magic, right in front of our eyes, voilà.

The invisible challenge in staging a show where all the music is produced onstage is how to handle the spread of the physical locations of the sound sources. On this front, Musical Theatre West nets mixed results. It’s not that the sound is ever bad, but by funneling everything through the house PA, we are somewhat disabused of the illusion of seeing early rock ‘n’ roll, where a guitar at stage left came at you from the amp on that side, the bass at stage right from there, the piano from the piano, the drums from the drums (here the only instrument that we get to enjoy coming from its locus). During one number, for example, two pianos are offset a stage left and stage right — but rather than get the sonic benefit of the spatial arrangement, both come at us from the center, partly defeating the purpose of having two pianos at all. I have to imagine that the Carpenter Center PA has stereo capabilities — it’s as upscale a performance venue as we’ve got in this town — but if so, MTW has not availed themselves of this possibility.

Although mostly spot-on, O’Connell and director Keith Andrews have made a few minor miscalculations. Although Laura Leo Kelly’s drumming brings the primitivistic excitement while keeping a lid on the volume, the snare is too quiet on several songs, particularly “Not Fade Away”. And while the band’s frenetic antics on Act 1 closer “Oh, Boy!” are a treat, some of Omar D. Brancato’s acrobatics render him unable to execute his bass part in a given moment, which hurts the song’s momentum several times.

Also, enjoyable as Marlena Madison (vocals) and Tyrone Jones (trumpet) are when they perform The Isley Brothers’ “Shout”, Andrews’s choice to hide the t band behind a giant red curtain (which increasingly highlights how little is happening onstage as the seconds turn into minutes) ultimately handicaps Madison & Jones’s efforts, because a song with such a big sound just ain’t the same when we don’t get to see its main source. I’m sure this was done because the musicians behind the curtain are ones we see in other roles — perhaps even including Riddle, who for obvious reasons we can’t see as part of the backing band at the Apollo Theatre — but this is not a good solution.

But O’Connell and Andrews have created some wonderful work choreographing “the Jingle Singers” (not identified in the program, alas), as well as a lovely sequence that expertly shifts our attention back and forth across the stage as Holly’s star rises.

The star of the mise en scène is Paul Black, whose lighting design is quietly bold and sharply pristine, the kind of thing that many people won’t notice and yet will register in their overall experience. The goat is whoever forgot to kill a radio-station “ON AIR” sign during a joke that hinges upon the DJ talking off-air, then making a quick 180 when he rejoins his listeners.

If you’re wondering how Holly’s death is handled — and really, that’s about the only mystery when you take your seat before curtain-up — while you won’t get any spoilers here, suffice it to say that it’s the single best thing about Janes’s script, surprising, tasteful, and poignant.

But the show doesn’t end there, because the music lives on. That’s the Buddy Holly story in a nutshell, and it’s unlikely anyone buying a ticket to The Buddy Holly Story will come away disappointed.

The Buddy Holly Story at Musical Theatre West
Times: Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 1pm; plus Thurs July 17 8pm and Sun July 20 6pm
The show runs through July 27.
Cost: starting at $20
Details: (562) 856-1999, musical.org
Venue: Carpenter Performing Arts Center (6200 W. Atherton, Long Beach)

Enjoyable ensemble performance makes “Witch” wholly worthwhile

Greggory Moore
-
0
Enjoyable ensemble performance makes “Witch” wholly worthwhile

Have you been feeling like all is lost? Think our capitalistic reality is so far gone that maybe the only way out is to burn it all to the ground and start again?

If so, the Garage Theatre has a play for you. Starting off as a tale of how life in a rural olde towne is disrupted when the devil comes ‘round looking to buy some souls, ultimately Jen Silverman’s Witch is a meditation on how reducing life to the transactional has sent our world to hell in a handbasket.

But as timely as the theme may be, the reason to come is the cast, who make absolutely every scene watchable even when the script comes up a bit short.

Like every Christopher Nolan screenplay this side of Dunkirk, Silverman’s Witch is best enjoyed without analyzing it too deeply. For some reason Scratch, our demon-about-town (Rory Cowan), doesn’t seem to know whether he’s the devil or simply a “junior colleague.” And despite the play’s title, Elizabeth’s (Colette Rutherford) being thought of as a witch by the gossipy townsfolk is barely a plot point. And ultimately the main action, which concerns whether wealthy Sir Arthur (a properly orotund Paul Knox) will choose his effeminate son Cuddy (Bobby Zelsdorf, who earned the biggest laughs) or the manlier foster Frank (Rob Young, getting some big laughs of his own) as heir, is largely irrelevant to Silverman’s fuzzy mediation on whether there’s any hope of extricating ourselves from the growth spiral of a capitalism that is choking the life from us.

But even if the script can’t quite win on points, Silverman does provide enough intelligence, pathos, and humor (chock full of intentional anachronisms so there’s no mistaking that this is a play about today despite being set in colonial times) to give the cast a fighting chance — and they win by a knockout. Co-directors Alexandria McGinness and Eric Hamme couldn’t have cast the show any better, with every actor holding his/her own when they’re doing little and finding the most of their big moments — including several that come from the Garage rather than Silverman. It’s not the writing that holds your interest from start to finish, but the presentation.

A few minor shortcomings keep that presentation from verging on a perfect score. Technically, opening night was rough, with maybe half the lighting cues fractionally off and a few sound cues coming as much as 10 seconds too late, forcing the actors to talk over music that simply would not yield. But while we can expect that aspect to improve as the run wears on, McGinness & Hamme come up with effective scene changes. Yeah, we can suspend our disbelief, but some do hurt the momentum — especially since otherwise the pacing is perfect.

The worst thing about this show, though, is the seating. A great charm of seeing plays at the Garage is the creativity they display time and again in reconfiguring — sometimes totally — their black-box space so as to maximize the viewing experience to serve the needs of whatever particular work they’re staging. But for once this talent has failed them, as a dearth of risers means that unless you’re well over six feet tall, choose the wrong seat and your view will be obscured by the heads in front of you.

So if you’re going to this one, show up early and plant yourself in the front row. Then you’ll be in the best position to appreciate a set of truly enjoyable performances.

Witch at the Garage Theatre
Times: Thursday–Saturday 8:00 p.m.
The show runs through August 9.
Cost: $23–$28 (Thursdays 2-for-1); closing night w/afterparty: $40
Details: thegaragetheatre.org
Venue: The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach

 

KHERSON: Human Safari — Ukraine, Our Amnesia And a Dance Among the Ruins

Reporters Desk
-
0
KHERSON: Human Safari — Ukraine, Our Amnesia And a Dance Among the Ruins

“While the world is asleep, we are dying here.”

by Anna Solcaniova King for the Palast Investigative Fund July 11

Kherson: Human Safari is both a frontline documentary and a work of resistance art — a powerful and poetic film created inside the war-torn city of Kherson, located by the Black Sea on the Dnieper River. The city that does not fear.

Written and directed by Zarina Zabrisky, an award-winning American author and journalist based in Ukraine, the film exposes one of the most horrifying aspects of Russia’s invasion: systematic drone attacks on civilians — what witnesses describe as a “human safari.” These targeted strikes — captured in intercepted footage — form the heart of a war crime still unfolding in plain sight and escalating.

But Kherson: Human Safari is not just evidence of atrocity. It is also a portrait of resilience, memory, and artistic defiance. The people who made it are the same people living through invasion, occupation, resistance, and war.

As Zabrisky explained to me via email, ”The structure may feel unexpected. The dancer’s role is a mystery at first — she is ethereal, the soul of Kherson, moving through destruction and survival. Later, she speaks. She is real. She is from Kherson and her journey comes alive through her movement.”

This self-reflexive storytelling is woven into every part of the film. The composer who scored the soundtrack was a partisan fighter during the Russian occupation. The director of photography lost his home and entire archive to Russian forces. The editor cut scenes to the sound of incoming Iranian Shahid drones.

“This is not just a film — it is testimony in motion,” says Zabrisky. “Kherson itself, as the film shows, remains artistically alive despite the horror. Theater premieres happen in bomb shelters. Embroidery classes take place in basements. Songs are sung over air raid sirens. The dance sequences were filmed under shelling. Some of the buildings seen in the film no longer exist — destroyed in airstrikes after filming. These moments now serve as a requiem. The dance becomes a funerary rite.”

The film includes intimate interviews with Kherson citizens — people proud of their culture, their local food, and their homeland. Many have chosen to stay despite having relatives who fled to other countries to save their lives. It’s a conscious choice to remain, to protect whatever little is left, and to bear witness to their city’s struggle and spirit.

“This is a film about Kherson, told by Khersonians. They don’t just live in the city — they become it.”

These are not just stories of war — they are voices of defiance, pain, and hope from those who refuse to be erased.

Describing the dehumanizing logic behind the drone strikes on civilians, a woman who lost her husband says, “They see old or young on the street, civilians — but they don’t consider us human.” Her daily routine continues amid the violence, but her words lay bare the emotional toll.

And yet, the spirit of Kherson endures.

“We will have Victory,” declares a man distributing humanitarian aid. He has not seen his own family in three years. His simple affirmation carries the weight of sacrifice, purpose, and unwavering belief in Ukraine’s future.

But the reality on the ground remains brutal — and the voices carry a clear cry for help.

Family members recounting the forcible abductions of children during the occupation of Kherson tell us, “They drove around here in armored personnel carriers and walked around here. They could take a child by force and take him away ‘for health improvement’ — and then you cannot get the child back.”

A local priest reflects on the scale of death and the absence of accountability saying, ”A lot of people died. I think thousands. And no one counted them.” He speaks calmly, but with deep sorrow about the unrecorded human cost of the war.

A local woman, voice trembling, delivers a searing indictment of global inaction. “Drones are hunting people these days. While the world is asleep, we are dying here.”

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has documented and analyzed these attacks, concluding that targeting by drone operators has violated fundamental principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including distinction and precaution. Majority of incidents may amount to intentionally directing attacks against civilians — a war crime.

Even in the face of such horror, Kherson: Human Safari shows that resistance is not only visible or armed — it is also underground and deeply alive. It is filled with art, dance, poetry, and theater. Here, art is not just a tool for expression — it is a way to endure, to remember, and to begin healing.

The world must not look away. These war crimes demand justice. This film is not only a witness — it is a call to act. The UN Human Rights Office is calling for robust measures to protect civilians in frontline areas. Deliberate targeting of civilians by short-range drones must cease. Violations of International Humanitarian Law should be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible held to account.

To learn more, and to watch the full movie, visit: khersonhumansafari.com

 

Anna Solcaniova King is a human rights and environmental justice advocate, artist, and research associate with the Palast Investigative Fund. Solcaniova was born in former Czechoslovakia during the Soviet occupation.

Immigration Front: Mayor responds to Guard Retreat from LA While One Journalist Remains Jailed in U.S.

Reporters Desk
-
0
Immigration Front: Mayor responds to Guard Retreat from LA While One Journalist Remains Jailed in U.S.

 

Mayor Bass Issues Statement on the Retreat of 2,000 National Guard Troops from Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Bass issued the following statement after the Trump administration released approximately 2,000 National Guard deployed to Los Angeles:

“This happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong. We organized peaceful protests, we came together at rallies, we took the Trump administration to court — all of this led to today’s retreat.

“My message today to Angelenos is clear — I will never stop fighting for this city. We will not stop making our voices heard until this ends, not just here in LA, but throughout our country.”

 

The Only Journalist Behind Bars in the United States

Atlanta-based journalist Mario Guevara is arrested on June 14, 2025. (Screenshot: Fox 5 Atlanta/YouTube)

Committee to Protect Journalists or CPJ calls on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE authorities to respect an immigration court ruling and release on bail journalist Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador who has been legally in the U.S. for the past 20 years.

CPJ reported July 7, that ICE denied Atlanta-based journalist Mario Guevara’s bail and listed him as “not releasable,” though a judge ruled July 1 that Guevara could be released on a $7,500 bond, according to a copy of the denial reviewed by CPJ.

“We are dismayed that immigration officials have decided to ignore a federal immigration court order last week granting bail to journalist Mario Guevara,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “Guevara is currently the only jailed journalist in the United States who was arrested in relation to his work. Immigration authorities must respect the law and release him on bail instead of bouncing him from one jurisdiction to another.”

The journalist was initially arrested while covering a June 14 “No Kings” protest in the Atlanta metro area and charged with three misdemeanors, which local officials declined to prosecute due to insufficient evidence. A local judge ordered Guevara to be released on bond, but he remained in custody after ICE opened a detainer against him.

County Moves to Streamline Film Permits and Explore $100M Innovation Fund for Entertainment Industry

Reporters Desk
-
0
County Moves to Streamline Film Permits and Explore $100M Innovation Fund for Entertainment Industry

 

LOS ANGELES — In a move to revitalize Los Angeles County’s film and television industry, the Board of Supervisors July 15 approved a motion aimed at cutting red tape, modernizing permitting processes, and exploring new investments to secure the region’s creative future.

The motion directs the Department of Economic Opportunity’s LA County Film Office to work collaboratively with county departments—including the Department of Regional Planning, Fire Department, Public Works, Beaches and Harbors, Parks and Recreation, and the Sheriff’s Department. Together, these departments will examine permitting policies and procedures with the goal of making filming in Los Angeles County more efficient, more affordable, and more competitive when compared to other leading production hubs such as Georgia, New York, and Texas.

The motion also calls for an exploration of a public-private evergreen fund, a proposed $80 to $100 million investment strategy designed to support emerging technology start-ups in the film and television sector. County officials will work with the Center for Strategic Partnerships and the Department of Arts and Culture to assess the structure of the fund, identify potential funding sources, evaluate workforce impacts, and ensure long-term sustainability. The goal of this initiative is to fuel innovation, create high quality local jobs, and keep production spending rooted in Los Angeles County.

“This motion models how local government can do its part to support the film industry,” stated Paul Audley, President of FilmLA, the County’s official film office. “Today’s vote was a vote to support an industry that needs every bit of help it can get and reaffirms its vital role in the economy.”

With the entertainment industry still recovering from the pandemic and the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023, today’s action comes at a critical moment. The Board’s approval sets in motion a series of reports and feasibility studies over the next 120 days, all designed to accelerate solutions that streamline processes, reduce costs, and foster innovation while balancing the needs of local communities.

County News: Solis Defends Immigrants, Hahn Seeks Ban on Police Anonymity

Reporters Desk
-
0
County News: Solis Defends Immigrants, Hahn Seeks Ban on Police Anonymity

Solis Leads Efforts to Sustain Immigrant Communities Following Relentless Raids

Board of Supervisors approve four motions to provide cash aid, pet relief, worker-equipment return program for those detained, and more.

These motions will:
  • Work to establish a work equipment return program for those detained
  • Expand the County’s pet foster program and resources for pet families; make room for rising pets left behind from immigration enforcement
  • Provide cash aid for impacted workers and their families
  • Expand the small business interruption fund, which is set to launch in August
  • Expand the county’s restaurant meals program for increased meal access for CalFresh recipients
  • Authorize county counsel to pursue legal action against federal restrictions limiting undocumented immigrants’ access to Head Start and other federal programs

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today advanced four motions introduced by Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. The actions aim to protect immigrant communities, expand access to food programs, and prepare for the widespread impacts of recent federal legislation that slashes critical services.

“Families are being torn apart by immigration raids, and our safety net is being dismantled by harmful federal policies,” said Chair Pro Tem Solis. “These motions are about protecting our most vulnerable residents and pushing back against unjust decisions that threaten the well-being of Angelenos. We are sending a clear message: Los Angeles County stands with our immigrant communities, and we will continue to fight to ensure that every resident, regardless of immigration status, has the dignity and support they need to survive and thrive.”

The first motion requests a report with recommendations and an assessment of the feasibility of creating a program to retrieve, safeguard, and return equipment or belongings such as food trucks and vending carts left behind in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County by individuals detained due to immigration enforcement actions. Moreover, the motion responds to a rise in animal surrenders due to deportations and expands the county’s pet foster care program and promotes resources for families unable to care for their pets due to immigration enforcement. It also calls for the development and launch of an outreach campaign to educate impacted communities about their rights, the process for recovering withheld or unpaid wages, and how to navigate financial recovery after deportation. The motion seeks a report on modifying an existing county hotline to accept international collect calls from deported individuals needing help to retrieve earned income. Additionally, it directs county departments to establish a cash aid fund within 30 days to support workers and families affected by recent immigration raids, and calls for the expansion of the small business interruption fund, which is set to launch in August.

For more information on the cash aid fund, residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts from the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at: dcba.lacounty.gov.

The second motion, co-authored by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, reviews the impacts of the recently signed federal “Big Bill,” which includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts benefiting the wealthy while reducing funding for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, and other essential services. These cuts could lead to the closure of hospitals and community clinics, harming county residents, reducing departmental funding, shrinking the workforce, and hindering economic development. The bill also includes stricter work requirements and significant increases in funding for immigration enforcement. The motion directs county departments to report back in 30 days on how the legislation will affect local hospitals, public services, and the broader economy.

The third motion, also co-authored by Supervisor Horvath, responds to a recent policy change by the Trump administration that limits undocumented immigrants’ access to key federal programs, including Head Start, community health centers, behavioral health services, and many more. The motion directs county counsel to file public comment in opposition and join legal action pushing back where appropriate. It also instructs county departments to report back within 15 days on expected impacts to service access in Los Angeles County.

“As the social safety net of the County, we have a responsibility to protect every resident who calls Los Angeles home, including the immigrant families who enhance our communities and contribute billions of dollars in taxes,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “These families deserve access to health care, education, and the programs that ensure their well-being – not barriers that put their lives at risk. This motion is about keeping real services in place for real people — because when parents can take their children to the doctor and workers can get the help they need, our communities don’t just survive; they move forward.”

The fourth motion, co-authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn, seeks to expand participation in the county’s restaurant meals program, which allows eligible CalFresh recipients, including older adults, people with disabilities, and unhoused residents, to purchase hot meals from participating restaurants. While there are more than 26,000 restaurants across Los Angeles County, only about 2,300 are currently enrolled in the program. The motion calls for a coordinated outreach strategy to increase participation and ensure food access is equitable across communities, especially those affected by wildfires and immigration enforcement.

“The Restaurant Meals Program really is a win-win. It helps people who are struggling — whether they’re unhoused, older, or living with a disability — get a hot, healthy meal. And at the same time, it gives our local restaurants a much-needed boost while many are trying to recover from the wildfires or are seeing the impact of the ongoing ICE raids,” said Supervisor Hahn. “Our communities are being hit hard and this is just one of the ways we can help folks get through these tough times.”

Since warrantless raids began in Los Angeles County on June 6, the Board of Supervisors has passed 11 motions introduced by chair pro tem Solis, including one authorizing legal action against the federal government’s unlawful enforcement tactics. That lawsuit resulted in a temporary restraining order forcing a halt to these illegal raids in Los Angeles county and six other counties.

 

Amid ICE Raids, Hahn Moves to Prohibit Law Enforcement from Concealing Identities

LOS ANGELES — In response to growing public concern over masked ICE agents, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn introduced a motion today to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty in unincorporated areas of the county.

“Across the county, people are being pulled out of their cars, beaten, and ripped from their families by men in tactical gear with balaclavas, no badges, and no names,” said Supervisor Hahn. “That’s not how law enforcement in a democracy should operate. Residents have a right to know who is stopping them, questioning them, and detaining them.”

Since the ICE raids began in early June, residents across LA County have reported disturbing encounters with plainclothes or masked agents — many refusing to identify themselves or display any form of official credentials. These incidents have sparked fear and confusion over potential impersonation and abuse.

Supervisor Hahn’s motion calls for the creation of a county ordinance that would:

  1. Prohibit law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks or personal disguises while interacting with the public in the course of their duties in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County — with limited exceptions such as for medical protection, fire/smoke safety, or undercover operations.
  2. Require all law enforcement officers, including federal agents, to visibly display identification and agency affiliation while performing their duties in public spaces within the unincorporated county.

The Board of Supervisors will consider the motion at their next board meeting on July 29, and if passed, county counsel will be directed to return within 60 days with draft ordinance language.

Read Hahn’s proposed motion here.

Senate Majority Leader & Others Endorse Muratsuchi for State Superintendent

Reporters Desk
-
0
Senate Majority Leader & Others Endorse Muratsuchi for State Superintendent

LOS ANGELES — With momentum growing behind his campaign for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, on July 16, California Assembly education committee Chair Al Muratsuchi continued to consolidate endorsements as Lena Gonzalez, California Senate majority leader and chair of the California Latino legislative caucus declared her support.

Sen. Gonzalez joined an array of labor unions and state legislators from across California who have announced their early endorsements of Muratsuchi, underscoring his leadership and reputation as an advocate for students and educators.

Senate majority leader Lena Gonzalez announced her endorsement of Assemblymember Muratsuchi with the following statement of support:

“A son of immigrants and first generation college graduate, Al Muratsuchi knows firsthand that public education is the key to the American Dream. As Senate Majority Leader and Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, I appreciate the strong leadership Al has demonstrated in joining me to fight to keep ICE out of our schools and support our immigrant students and English learners. I’m proud to endorse his campaign for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.”

Recently, Assemblymember Muratsuchi released the following statement in launching his campaign for State Superintendent:

“I am running for State Superintendent to fight for public education and to fight for our students, educators, and schools. As an educator, former local school board president, and now state lawmaker and education policy chair, I have been fighting for decades for public education in California. Now, as our students face ongoing challenges, especially from a Trump Administration that is attacking public education and our most vulnerable students, we need to fight to defend our students and our schools.

“That’s why I’m running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction – to dedicate not only my decades of leadership experience, but also my life experience as a son of immigrants, the product of public schools, a first-generation college graduate, and a public school parent.

“Throughout my public service, I have worked hard to transform California public schools to promote the success and well-being of every student, regardless of who they are and where they live. I have delivered increased education funding, authored a $10 billion statewide school bond, championed universal preschool and afterschool programs, fought to raise teachers’ salaries, supported community schools, mental health services, and free meals for low-income students, and delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in career technical education to teach real-world job skills.

“But California clearly needs to do more to ensure every student has the opportunity to attend a good public school and to receive the support they need. I look forward to traveling throughout the state in the months ahead to listen and learn more about the challenges facing our students, teachers, and schools and delivering real solutions to the challenges we face.”

To date, Muratsuchi has announced the following early list of endorsements:

  • International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36
  • Marine Clerks Associates ILWU Local 63
  • U.S. Congressmember Ted Lieu
  • California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas
  • California Treasurer Fiona Ma
  • Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell
  • Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn
  • California Senate Majority Leader and California Latino Legislative Caucus Chair Lena Gonzalez
  • State Senator Bob Archuleta
  • State Senator Maria Elena Durazo
  • Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Buffy Wicks
  • Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Rick Chavez Zbur
  • Assembly Local Government Committee Chair and Latino Caucus Vice Chair Juan Carrillo
  • Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee Chair Mike Gipson
  • Assembly Rules Committee Chair Blanca Pacheco
  • Assembly Majority Whip Mark Gonzalez
  • Assembly Budget Subcommittee Chair Gregg Hart
  • Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Chair Pilar Schiavo
  • Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula
  • Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Chair Damon Connolly
  • Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Robert Garcia
  • Assembly Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee Chair José Luis Solache
  • Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Esmeralda Soria
  • Former Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting

Al Muratsuchi is an educator, former local school board president, and State Assemblymember who is a longtime champion for California’s students, educators, and schools. Throughout his service, Muratsuchi has fought to transform public schools to promote student success and the well-being of every child, regardless of who they are and where they live.

As chair of the assembly education committee, Muratsuchi makes education policy impacting California’s nearly six million public school students. In the Legislature, Muratsuchi has led the fight for billions in increased funding for our schools, universal preschool and afterschool programs, closing the digital divide, mental health services, and free school meals for low-income students. He has authored groundbreaking legislation that delivers for all California students, including a $10 billion statewide school bond, raising teachers’ salaries, fighting book bans, and teaching real-world skills for future jobs.

The Authoritarian Test: From Rosie to Retes, Who’s Next?

Thom Hartmann
-
0
The Authoritarian Test: From Rosie to Retes, Who’s Next?

Each escalation — from ICE kidnappings to threats against critics — is a measure of how much authoritarianism we’ll tolerate before we push back.

Trump’s threat to strip Rosie O’Donnell of her citizenship is a “test.”

Kids do it all the time. Throw a tantrum in the store demanding cookies and if the parents don’t remove them from the store right away, every visit will see the tantrums escalate. Testing the boundaries. When the test succeeds, the boundaries get moved and a new boundary gets tested, on and on until finally the child’s behavior is so egregious he’s stopped. Or he always gets away with everything and grows up to be Donald Trump.

We learn this early.

We’ve seen a series of these tests coming from the Trump administration, following the very specific and consistently repeated pattern that history tells us played out in the regimes of Mussolini, Hitler, Pinochet, Putin, Orbán, Erdoğon, el Sisi, and pretty much every other person who took over a democracy and then, step-by-step turned it into a dictatorship.

Trump started testing racism as a political weapon when he came down the elevator at Trump Tower and spoke about “Mexican murderers and rapists” in front of what media reports said was a crowd he’d hired for $50/person from a company that provides extras to movie and TV production companies.

While his initial goal was reportedly to get NBC to renew Apprentice and pay him more than Gwen Stefani, his racism test work out shockingly well; suddenly he was a serious contender for the party that had inherited the KKK vote when Democrats abandoned the South with the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts in the 1960s.

Another test was whether the exaggerations, distortions, and outright lies that he and his family had used to hustle real estate could work in politics.

He quickly discovered that GOP base voters — after decades of having uncritically (slavishly, even) swallowed lies about trickle-down economics, “evil union bosses,” and the “importance of small government” — were more than happy to embrace or ignore, as the occasion demanded, his prevarications.

From there, Trump tested exactly how gullible his most fervent supporters — and the media that fed them a daily diet of very profitable outrage and hate — would buy into a lie so audacious, so in defiance of both the law and common sense, so outside the bounds of normal patriotism, that they could be whipped into a murderous frenzy and kill three police officers while trying to overthrow the government of the United States of America.

The nation and our press reacted as if he’d failed that test, but when he was able to cow enough senators to avoid being convicted in his impeachment trial, he knew he’d won.

Now he’s again testing how far he can go.

George Retes is a 25-year-old Hispanic natural-born American citizen and disabled Army veteran working as a security guard at a legal marijuana operation in California. When it was raided by ICE, he got in his car and tried to drive away to avoid getting in the middle of what he saw as trouble.

Masked agents chased him down, smashed the window of his car and pepper-sprayed him in the face, dragged him out of his car, and disappeared him.

Testing.

Will Democrats make a stink? Will the media make it more than a one-day story? Will any Republicans break rank and stand against his excesses? Was it even mentioned on any of the Sunday shows? How far can he go next time?

So far, Trump thinks he’s winning these tests. The outrages are coming so fast and furious that it’s becoming impossible to keep track of them, just like in Germany in 1933 and Chile in 1973.

Retes wasn’t the only US citizen who’s been arrested or detained by ICE; they’ve gone after a mayor, a member of Congress, and even assaulted a United States senator.

A 71-year-old grandmother was assaulted and handcuffed by masked agents. Axios documents others; as the CNN headline on the story about other US citizens being snatched notes: “‘We are not safe in America today:’ These American citizens say they were detained by ICE.”

Testing.

After years of hysteria on the billionaire-owned sewer of Fox “News” about our nation’s first Black president deploying “FEMA Camps” to detain white conservatives, Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others in Las Vegas, ranting that FEMA Camps set up after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were “a dry run for law enforcement and military to start kickin’ down doors and…confiscating guns.”

He murdered those innocent concert-goers, he said, to “wake up the American public and get them to arm themselves,” saying, “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

Now those detention facilities conservatives feared has come into being, as Republicans in Congress just funded concentration camps like “Alligator Auschwitz” in multiple states across America.

Visiting congress members claim inmates are packed over 30 to a cage, with Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz reporting her horror when she was shown that, “They get their drinking water, and they brush their teeth, where they poop, in the same unit.”

Testing.

We recently learned via CBS News from a whistleblower and now-released texts that Trump’s former lawyer and now-nominee for a lifetime federal judgeship, Emil Bove, then working in the Justice Department, advised the administration officials to tell federal courts “fuck you” when they ordered the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from an El Salvadoran hellhole concentration camp.

For months, the administration appears to have followed his obviously unconstitutional and illegal advice. Republicans want him on the federal bench anyway.

Testing.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who Trump official Erez Reuveni said had been deported “in error” — described how he was treated in that El Salvadoran concentration camp, telling his attorneys and the court that he’d been repeatedly beaten, then forced to kneel from 9 pm to 6 am “with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion.”

He had committed no crime and was deported in open violation of a federal judge who demanded the plane either not take off or return before landing in El Salvador. The Trump administration simply and contemptibly ignored the court’s order.

Testing.

In a White House visit, Trump told the El Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele (who refers to himself as “the world’s coolest dictator”), that he wants to send American citizens to that country’s torture centers.

“The homegrowns are next, the homegrowns,” Trump said as the two men laughed. “You’ve got to build about five more places.”

Testing.

Meanwhile, ICE detention facilities are also holding US citizens like Andrea Velez, 32, who was snatched by masked agents during a raid in Los Angeles. As LA’s ABC News affiliate Channel 7 reported:

“Velez, a marketing designer and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, was arrested Tuesday morning after her family dropped her off at work. According to her attorneys, Velez’s sister and mother saw her being approached and grabbed by masked men with guns, so they called the Los Angeles Police Department to report a kidnapping.

“Police responded to the scene near Ninth and Spring streets and realized the kidnapping call was actually a federal immigration-enforcement operation.”

She’s out of the detention facility now, but on $5000 bond; ICE apparently has plans for her future.

Testing.

And now Trump is telling us he wants to strip a natural-born US citizen comedienne — who’s made jokes about him that pissed him off — of her US citizenship, “Because,” he says, “of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”

If he can do it to Rosie — if there isn’t furious pushback (and so far, there isn’t) against this latest test — he can do it to me or you.

Hitler gained the chancellorship of Germany in January 1933; by July of that same year, a mere six months later, he’d revoked the citizenship of thousands for the crimes of being “socialists,” “communists,” Jews, or journalists and commentators who’d written or spoken ill of him. Trump appears to be just a bit behind him on that timeline.

Testing.

Trump wants NPR and PBS defunded as soon as possible, having issued an Executive Order to that effect, and has ordered his FCC to launch investigations that could strip major TV networks of their broadcast licenses if they continue to report on him and his activities in ways that offend him. He shut down the Voice Of America, ending America’s promotion of democracy across the world. He kicked the Associated Press out of the White House press pool.

Testing.

Trump has declared large strips of land along the southern border to be federalized territory and put the American military in charge of policing the area, in clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. That law prohibits the military from performing any sort of police function against civilians.

Testing.

When students spoke out on campus against Trump ally and longtime Kushner family friend Bibi Netanyahu’s murderous assault of Gaza and support for settlers stealing West Bank land from Palestinians, armed and masked federal agents began arresting those students, imprisoning them for their First Amendment-protected speech.

Then Trump went after their universities, bringing several to heel just as Orbán has in Hungary and Putin has in Russia.

Testing.

Yesterday, six Republicans on the Supreme Court said that Trump could wholesale mass-fire employees of the Department of Education, essentially shutting down an agency created and funded by Congress in defiance of the constitutional requirement that the president “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Justice Sotomayor wrote the dissent, flaming in extreme alarm at her colleagues:

“[This decision] hands the Executive the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out. … The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive, but either way the threat to our Constitution’s separation of powers is grave.”

Or maybe the six Republican justices on the Court are just scared? After all, judges across the country are being threatened, having pizzas delivered to their homes in the middle of the night by way of saying, “We know where you live.” This after U.S. District Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl, was fatally shot at their New Jersey home by a gunman disguised as a pizza delivery driver. Her husband was also shot, but survived.

A few months ago, after one of Trump’s rants against judges who rule against him, Judge Salas told the press:

“Hundreds of pizzas have been delivered to judges all over this country in the last few months. And in the last few weeks — judges’ children. And now Daniel’s name was being weaponized to bring fear to judges and their children. You’re saying to those judges — ‘You want to end up like Judge Salas? You want to end up like Judge Salas’ son?’”

Testing.

What’s next? Will we see Americans who’ve spoken poorly of Trump on social media arrested like both Orbán and Putin do?

Will more students end up on the ground or in jail?

Will more judges be charged with the crime of running their own courtrooms in ways Trump and ICE dislike?

More mayors arrested?

More Democratic Senators taken to the ground and handcuffed?

Will Americans start being disappeared in numbers that can’t be ignored? Deported to El Salvador and South Sudan?

Will journalists be destroyed by massive libel suits or imprisoned for what they write?

Will more judges bend to Trump’s will because they’re either terrified or, like Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito, have apparently become radicalized by Fox “News” or other rightwing propaganda outlets?

The way we all react to these tests will determine Trump’s and the GOP’s next steps. So, what do we do?

President Obama says Democrats need to “toughen up.” While true, it would have been nice to hear “tough” words of outrage, warning, and leadership from him and Kamala Harris over the past six months. And Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

But now — as it was in South Korea when their president tried to end democracy there last year and people poured into the streets and forced the government to act — it’s apparently going to be pretty much exclusively up to us.

See you on June 17th — this Thursday — for some “good trouble.”

San Pedro Bay Ports to Give Clean Air Action Plan Update

Reporters Desk
-
0
San Pedro Bay Ports to Give Clean Air Action Plan Update

 

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will give a progress update on the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan or CAAP, Aug. 5. The meeting will include the status of oceangoing vessel initiatives, the clean truck program and technology feasibility assessments.

The meeting proceedings will be livestreamed – participation is in-person only. Prior meeting presentations and minutes can be found here, https://tinyurl.com/CAAP-about-the-plan

Updated in 2017, the CAAP is a comprehensive strategy for accelerating progress toward a zero-emissions future while protecting and strengthening the ports’ competitive position in the global economy.

View the latest emissions inventories for the POLB at, https://polb.com/environment/air/#emissions-inventory and the POLA at, https://tinyurl.com/POLB-air-emissions-inventory

The ports will take public comments at the advisory meeting to receive input on CAAP implementation. The agenda will be posted on the CAAP website prior to the meeting. For more information, visit cleanairactionplan.org.

Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Aug. 5

Details: Join the meeting link here:https://tinyurl.com/CAAP-Update-Aug-5; or call, 408-418-9388 and enter access code 249 149 10883

Venue: Long Beach City Hall, Bob Foster Civic Chambers, 411 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

1...272829...938Page 28 of 938

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

Real people. Real news. Random Lengths is the Los Angeles harbor area's remaining independently owned progressive news magazine. We cover news in Carson, Wilmington, Long Beach, Lomita, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro.

Contact us: letters@randomlengthsnews.com

FOLLOW US

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv