Torrance Finally Responds to TRAA’s FOIA Request – Kind Of
Although refineries are required to conduct a Hierarchy of Hazard Control Analysis or HCA and produce its results, Torrance Refinery Action Alliance has fought for years to acquire a copy. On June 9, TRAA reported in a little-known regulation established in 2017; refineries that use hydrofluoric acid or HF, an exceptionally dangerous chemical that can cause mass casualties in a few minutes, “are required to conduct a Hierarchy of Hazard Control Analysis or HCA of its units on a repeating five-year cycle. A hazard control analysis requires the refinery to enumerate the hazards of each process, and to assess whether higher order safety measures are feasible” [like using a vastly safer chemical], – from a letter sent by Torrance Refinery-PBF to TRAA, 2018.
The first five-year cycle ended October 2022 and somebody has been playing “hide the football” ever since. (See this Article from June 2023 for background).
Then,TRAA received a highly-redacted copy of the HCA report. In fact every word of every answer was redacted. This is the sort of stonewalling the City of Torrance and the refinery have done since the beginning. Absolutely no information was provided.
White House Proposes Shutting Down Chemical Safety Agency
Torrance Refinery Action Alliance June 3 shared a report by The Washington Post. It states that an independent agency that investigates chemical disasters — including fatal fires and explosions at chemical plants and oil refineries nationwide — would shutter by October 2026 under little-noticed language in White House budget documents released Friday.
The proposal to eliminate the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is almost certain to face pushback from lawmakers in both parties. President Donald Trump repeatedly called for zeroing out the agency’s funding during his first term, only for Congress to maintain or increase its budget.
This time, however, Trump is trying to seize greater control of independent agencies, testing the limits of presidential power. The Supreme Court last month refused to immediately reinstate a pair of independent regulators fired by the Trump administration, saying the president may have the authority to oust them.
Nadya Tolokonnikova revisits her imprisonment for protests with Pussy Riot, and finds herself again in a “Police State”
By Evelyn McDonnell
In downtown LA, the artist Nadya Tolokonnikova is currently performing an art piece that is both a time capsule and a prophecy. “Police State” opened June 5 just blocks from the streets that would a day later become a battleground, with government forces intent on ripping workers from their jobs, families, and homes; incarcerating them without due process; and then assaulting the good citizens who attempted to protect their neighbors and exercise their right to assembly and free speech. The clampdown is an experience Tolokonnikova knows intimately. In the heart of the giant WAREHOUSE space at the MOCA Geffen Contemporary stands a metal jail. It is modeled after the cell in which she spent almost two years after her group Pussy Riot protested Vladimir Putin’s theocratic regime.
Tolokonnikova is spending all day in this 10’x16’ room. On the wall of her cage hang artworks from political prisoners in Russia, Belarus, and the US. She live-mixes her voice, her heartbeat, prayers, shouted commands from harsh male voices, and other ominous sounds in volumes that rise and fall. You can watch her through small windows as she mixes, sews, eats, urinates. In the warehouse, banners emblazoned “Punk’s not dead” in Arabic-looking cursive twist and turn in wind created by fans. Pieces from her Icon series hang on the wall, fashioned from bed sheets made by American and Belarusian prisoners. Gumball dispensers are labeled with the names of poisons known to be used against Putin’s enemies.
The durational performance is intense and terrifying, all the more so because it is based in Tolokonnikova’s lived history and references the real incarcerations of so many others. If you have any experience of having your own or a loved one’s liberty constrained – or if you just exercise your human capacity for empathy – “Police State” can be hard to endure. That’s the point.
I would imagine it’s intensely triggering for Nadya. She has said that she is doing it as a form of therapy to confront the continued trauma of her arrest, trial, and imprisonment. But it is also a warning to its viewers.
On my way home from witnessing “Police State,” I drove through LA’s garment district, thinking about all the people who work there, their industry and their struggles. Little did I know that the next day, ICE would swoop in with their military gear and steal away 45 human beings, including David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union, California. Angelenos took to the streets, attempting to stop the detentions and drive the national good squad away. In the ensuing mayhem, now on day four, ICE officers, the Los Angeles Police Department, and finally the National Guard fired tear gas and “less-lethal” ammunition at people exercising their rights to free speech and assembly, including foreign journalists.
Talk about a Police State.
Ironically, the MOCA Geffen itself had to close its doors due to the police violence outside. Tolokonnikova is still enclosing herself in her cell, continuing her performance, now “blasting the live audio of the protests at the empty museum,” she posted on her Instagram account. “Police State,” the installation, continues until Sunday, when a conversation with Nadya Tolokonnikova and others is scheduled, followed by a concert with Pussy Riot Siberia. That is, the talk and show will happen if the real Police State happening outside her cell and the museum allows.
County Votes to Take Action in Response to Immigration Raids
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors June 10 approved a motion by Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn in response to a series of federal immigration enforcement actions that began June 6, and have continued into the new week.
The enforcement actions have resulted in the detention of several individuals at multiple locations across the County. Federal agents have conducted operations at various Home Depot stores and at Ambiance Apparel, a clothing wholesaler, where flash-bang grenades and pepper spray were reportedly used against protesters. David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union–United Service Workers West, was among those taken into custody. Protests and demonstrations have continued in response.
Despite vocal opposition from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, President Donald Trump federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops to support ongoing enforcement efforts. This unlawful act has unnecessarily escalated tensions between protestors and law enforcement. In response, Gov. Newsom filed a lawsuit on June 10 in opposition to the federal administration’s encroachment. The federal administration has stated its intent to continue mass deportation operations nationwide.
The motion directs the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs or OIA to immediately consult with community-based organizations, faith groups and directly impacted individuals to assess gaps in the county’s rapid response network and recommend solutions. It also calls for OIA to work with county departments to connect affected residents with critical services, including mental health care, public benefits and workforce support.
The motion further directs the development of multilingual resource guides to be made available online and at County facilities, exploration of text-based outreach to immigrant communities, and a review of publicly accessible County-owned properties to help prevent their use by immigration enforcement agencies. Lastly, the motion authorizes County Counsel to support the State of California’s case opposing the federalization of the California National Guard.
A report back on these directives is expected within 30 days.
Residents who have been impacted by the enforcement actions are encouraged to contact the office of immigrant affairs through the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs for support and assistance.
Supervisors Orders New CCTV Monitoring Policy for Probation Youth Facilities
LOS ANGELES —The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors June 10 directed the Probation Department to report back to the board with a comprehensive Closed-Circuit Television or CCTV monitoring policy to increase accountability and protect young people in juvenile detention facilities.
The action comes shortly after the board approved a $2.7 million settlement for a youth who was repeatedly assaulted while incarcerated at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall while. This egregious act of abuse was caught on CCTV camera, but because no one was monitoring the footage at the time, it took weeks before the footage was discovered. The CCTV footage has led to the indictment of multiple probation officers by the California Attorney General.
The motion, authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, instructs the chief probation officer to report back to the board in writing within 30 days with a CCTV review protocol which the department will submit to the California Department of Justice or DOJ. The plan must:
Establish a protocol for 24/7 CCTV monitoring
Incorporate best practices from other jurisdictions related to CCTV use in juvenile facilities
Include a system of internal random audits of footage to ensure accurate documentation of incidents, such as use-of-force events
Require review of footage after any injury sustained by youth, staff, or service providers, to ensure procedures were properly followed and documented
Provide a timeline and implementation plan, including employee training once the protocol is approved by the DOJ
LOS ANGELES — Following President Trump’s doubling down on the militarization of the Los Angeles area through the takeover of 4,000 more California National Guard soldiers and the unlawful deployment of the U.S. Marines, Gov. Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are filing an emergency request for the court to block President Trump and the Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of federalized Cal Guard personnel and Marines. This mission orders soldiers to engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region, beyond just guarding federal buildings.
“The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens. Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy. Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a President. We ask the court to immediately block these unlawful actions,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The lawsuit was filed as President Trump declared the federalization of 2,000 Cal Guard servicemembers after community members began protesting violent and widespread Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE operations in the Los Angeles region, which began on June 6. ICE began these operations without providing notification to law enforcement and engineered them to provoke community backlash
During the course of these operations, ICE officers took actions that inflamed tensions — including the arrest and detainment of children, community advocates, and people without criminal history — and conducted military-style operations that sparked panic in the community. In response, community members began protesting to express opposition to these violent tactics, arrests of innocent people, and the President’s heavy-handed immigration agenda. Protests continued for two more days, and although some violent and illegal incidents were reported — leading to justified arrests by state and local authorities — these protests were largely nonviolent and involved citizens exercising their First Amendment right to protest. The protests did not necessitate federal intervention, and local and state law enforcement have been able to control the situation, as in other recent instances of unrest. Local law enforcement, despite no communication or advanced notice from the federal government, responded quickly and did not request federal assistance.
Illegal militarization
On June 7, one day after the protests began, President Trump issued a memorandum purporting to authorize the DOD to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a “form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States” and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias.
The action puts state sovereignty in danger, as his order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia.
The U.S. Constitution and the Title 10 authority the President invoked in the memo require that the Governor consent to federalization of the National Guard, which Gov. Newsom was not given the opportunity to do prior to their deployment and which he confirmed he had not given shortly after their deployment. The President’s unlawful order infringes on Gov. Newsom’s role as Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and violates the state’s sovereign right to control and have available its National Guard in the absence of a lawful invocation of federal power
Additionally, DOD has expanded Cal Guard’s duties, ordering them to assist ICE agents in civilian law enforcement activities — including arresting and detaining immigrants and others who may be suspected or accused of interfering with ICE — a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution and the rights of American citizens.
Cleaning up Trump’s mess
On Saturday, there were 250+ protesters pre-National Guard deployment. On Sunday, the protesters grew to 3,000+ post-deployment of the National Guard by the federal government. Their presence is inviting and incentivizing demonstrations.
Since President Trump’s impulsive memo and actions to send the military to the Los Angeles region, the state continued to work with local partners to surge 800+ additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump’s mess. Local and state law enforcement has had to intervene to protect public safety. The National Guard is currently standing sentry outside federal buildings, with local and state law enforcement doing all of the work.
The President’s actions have not only caused widespread panic and chaos, but have unnecessarily created an additional diversion of resources as the state tries to calm a community terrorized by this reckless federal action.
City Opens Applications for the Long Beach Public Service Corps Program
The City of Long Beach Economic Development Department or department is now accepting applications for the third cohort of the Long Beach Public Service Corps Program or LBPSC. The program offers paid internships that provide young people with practical work experience in various roles across city departments. Applications are available online through June 30, 2025.
Facilitated by the Department’s Long Beach Workforce Innovation Network (LBWIN) Youth Career Services Center, formerly known as Future LB, the LBPSC provides local college students and recent graduates ages 18 to 30 with hands-on experience working in city government and exploring careers in public service. The program is intended to foster economic inclusion and expand opportunities for residents, including young people, to develop successful career paths. Participants will engage in a series of professional development workshops designed to highlight important topics in public service, such as budgeting, community engagement, crisis management, sustainability, ethics and policy. Participants will be compensated $22 hourly for a maximum of 800 hours during the 2025 – 2026 academic year.
The program is a collaborative effort between the Department’s Workforce Development Bureau, the Long Beach Human Resources Department, and the city’s legislative offices. Department staff will oversee case management and payroll coordination for participants, as well as supportive wraparound services, including transportation assistance, clothing vouchers, rental assistance and utility payment assistance to ensure participants have the foundation and tools to complete the program successfully. Participants will also receive job counseling, employment placement and access to industry-recognized training to support their long-term career goals.
For additional information visit:longbeach.gov/psc or contact the LBWIN Youth Career Services Center at 562.570.4700.
Long Beach Parks to Offer Free Summer Food Service Program for Children and Youth June 16 through Aug. 22
For the 46th year in a row, the City of Long Beach, Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine will offer the free United States Department of Agriculture or USDA summer food service program to provide free, nutritious meals to Long Beach children and youth over the summer months.
Beginning June 16 through Aug. 22, 2025, PRM will provide free meals in parks for children and youth Mondays through Fridays, with operating times varying at each site between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (excluding holidays on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, July 4, 2025). Additionally, meals will be served at Bret Harte and Brewitt Neighborhood Libraries Tuesdays through Fridays beginning June 17 through Aug. 8. Meals will be available to all attending children and youth between 1 and 18 years old. Infant meals will not be provided. Lunches must be eaten in the designated eating area. Meals will consist of well-balanced, nutritious options and will include cold components such as milk, juice, fruits and vegetables. To participate, eligible youth can simply arrive at a participating location during the designated times, no registration required.
This year, the summer food service program will operate at 24 locations throughout Long Beach and Signal Hill.
Details: To view the complete list of times and locations where meals will be provided and for more information, visit: https://tinyurl.com/Summer-food-program or call, 562-570-3524.
The Port of Long Beach has promoted Suzanne Plezia, P.E., to managing director of engineering services to succeed Sean Gamette, P.E., who earlier this spring announced his retirement. Plezia has been the port’s senior director of the engineering services bureau and chief harbor engineer since April 2017.
Plezia will lead the port’s engineering bureau, which comprises more than 300 employees across six divisions – program management, construction management, project controls, survey, engineering design and maintenance. In her new role, Plezia will oversee a 10-year $3.2 billion capital improvement program to enhance the port’s capacity, competitiveness and sustainability.
“We’re building the Port of the future in Long Beach, and we are going to rely on experts and leaders like Suzanne,” said Port Chief Executive Officer Mario Cordero. “We will miss Sean Gamette and we bid him a fond farewell, and we know that Suzanne will fill his shoes.”
The port has $3.2 billion in planned modernization projects over the next 10 years, which includes the completion of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility and the infrastructure needed to support the transition to zero-emissions operations. The port has also proposed to develop “Pier Wind,” which would be the largest port-based offshore wind turbine assembly site in the U.S.
Port executives consider Plezia a trailblazer. She joined the port in 1996 as an intern, just after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from University of California, Irvine. She eventually rose to deputy chief harbor engineer before being named director of construction management and had also worked in the program management and design divisions. She became senior director/chief harbor engineer in April 2017.
Plezia has led many of the port’s strategic projects including Pier Wind, the redevelopment of the Pier G container terminal, and the construction of the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge.
Plezia will replace Gamette shortly after his last day on June 11 and will report to chief pperating officer Dr. Noel Hacegaba.
Gov. Newsom Suing President Trump and Department of Defense for Illegal Takeover of CalGuard Unit
LOS ANGELES – Following President Trump’s call to arrest Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Governor and Attorney General Rob Bonta June 9 have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to end the illegal and unnecessary takeover of a CalGuard unit, which has needlessly escalated chaos and violence in the Los Angeles region.
The lawsuit, which names president Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Department of Defense, outlines why the takeover violates the U.S. Constitution and exceeds the President’s Title 10 authority, not only because the takeover occurred without the consent or input of the Governor, as federal law requires, but also because it was unwarranted.
“Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority. This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic. Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach. This is beyond incompetence — this is him intentionally causing chaos, terrorizing communities, and endangering the principles of our great democracy. It is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. We will not let this stand,” said Gov. Newsom.
Under the California Constitution, Gov. Newsom is the Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard. In the lawsuit, Gov.Newsom and Attorney General Bonta explain that the federal government has overstepped its legal authority and bypassed the Governor’s approval to take over a unit of CalGuard, in a situation where federal government intervention was not needed and did not meet the necessary criteria for federalization. The unrest in Los Angeles was nowhere close to rising to the level of a “rebellion” beyond the capacity of local and state authorities to control, nor is it different in kind from other similar situations in recent years that were brought under control by local authorities with no need for military intervention. The Department of Defense’s mobilization order also failed to comply with President Trump’s own direction to coordinate with the Governor and the National Guard.
Trump’s illegal takeover
On Friday, June 6, 2025, the federal government, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began conducting widespread operations throughout Los Angeles without providing notification to local law enforcement. During the course of these operations, ICE officers took actions that inflamed tensions, including the arrest and detainment of children, and military-style operations that sparked panic in the community. The Department of Homeland Security reported that its enforcement activities on June 6 resulted in the arrest of 44 individuals, two of whom appear to have been minors. Only five of those arrested reportedly had any criminal history.
In response, community members began protesting to express opposition to these violent tactics, the President’s heavy-handed, violent immigration agenda, and the arrest of innocent people, and to express solidarity with and concern for the individuals and families most directly impacted by the enforcement actions taking place in their community. Protests continued for two more days, and although some violent and illegal incidents were reported — leading to justified arrests by state and local authorities — these protests were largely nonviolent and involved citizens exercising their First Amendment right to protest. At no point did these protests necessitate federal intervention, and local and state law enforcement remained in control of the situation. Local law enforcement, despite no communication or advanced notice from the federal government, responded quickly and did not request federal assistance.
No basis for takeover
Soon after protests began, on June 7, President Trump issued a memorandum entitled “Department of Defense Security for the Protection of Department of Homeland Security Functions,” purporting to authorize the Department of Defense to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a “rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States” and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias. This order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia.
President Trump then began posting to social media that the protests in California were out of control and that the federal government had taken over the California National Guard — further inflaming fear in the community, inciting fear and violence, and endangering state sovereignty. Notably, by the time the National Guard arrived on Sunday morning, the protests had dissipated thanks to local law enforcement, and the streets were quiet. The President’s Actions and the military presence inflamed the very protest and violence it was supposedly meant to suppress.
President Trump’s unprecedented order attempts to usurp state authority and resources via 10 U.S.C. § 12406, a statute that has been invoked on its own only once before in modern history and for highly unusual circumstances — when President Richard Nixon called upon the National Guard to deliver the mail during the 1970 Postal Service Strike. This is also the first time since 1965 — when President Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights demonstrators — that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without a request from the state’s governor.
Ending Trump’s abuse of power
On June 9, Gov. Newsom and Attorney General Bonta stood up for all states’ authority through this lawsuit. The lawsuit asks the court to end the federal government’s gross overstep of authority and require President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to follow the appropriate legal steps to take over any state militia, including an order issued through the Governor.
The lawsuit also explains that:
The federalization of the California National Guard deprives California of resources to protect itself and its citizens, including those working on drug interdiction at the border, and of critical responders in the event of a state of emergency — such as the January 2025 firestorm in Los Angeles, which CalGuard responded to.
10 U.S.C. § 12406 requires that the Governor consent to federalization of the National Guard, which Gov. Newsom was not given the opportunity to do prior to their deployment.
The President’s unlawful order infringes on Gov. Newsom’s role as Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and violates the state’s sovereign right to control and have available its National Guard in the absence of a lawful invocation of federal power.
The situation in Los Angeles didn’t meet the criteria for federalization, which includes invasion by a foreign country, rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States, and being unable to execute federal laws. At no point was this the case in the Los Angeles area, where local and state law enforcement remained in control.
What they WERE saying
Donald Trump: In a Townhall with ABC in 2020, Trump said he couldn’t move the National Guard into Democratic-run cities without the Governor’s approval. See here and here for the full transcript.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, you promised four years ago at the Republican Convention, I’m going to restore law and order.
TRUMP: And I have, except in Democrat run cities. Look, we have laws. We have to go by the laws. We can’t move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there’s no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case. We can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a governor. If a governor or a mayor is a Democrat and they — like in Portland, we call them constantly. I just spoke to the governor yesterday because we’re giving them relief on the fires. We’re giving them a — an emergency declaration
Gov. Newsom Statement on Court Ruling Restoring AmeriCorps Funding
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the following statement June 5 after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must restore funding to AmeriCorps in California. This comes after Gov. Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of states sued the Trump administration over DOGE efforts to dismantle AmeriCorps – the federal agency vital to supporting volunteer and service efforts in California and across the country.
“Common sense has prevailed over cruelty. The court is rightly siding with volunteers and service workers. Today, we’re doing right by John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver and all those who put others before themselves,” said Gov.Gavin Newsom.
In 2024, at least 6,150 California members served at more than 1,200 locations, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans’ facilities and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations. When the devastating fires struck Los Angeles earlier this year, AmeriCorps members were on the ground, distributing supplies and supporting families. The agency’s shutdown ends these efforts.
California Service Corps is the largest service force in the nation, consisting of four paid service programs:
Now is the time to speak louder than ever. We cannot be silenced, and in that vein, we announce an open call for Artists to “CALL FREEDOM!”
LOS ANGELES — On June 9, Angel City Culture Quest or ACCQ announced an open call for the new exhibition, Call Freedom: Artists Speak, in collaboration with Range Projects. The exhibit is set to run from Sept. 6 to 27. Send your visual and literary art, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, photography, graphic design, or text (poetry, book readings, songs).
The exhibition will be juried by podcast producer/host and journalist, Melina Paris.
Paris, producer of ACCQ, is a journalist and podcast host. ACCQ is a labor of love with a deep focus on her guests and their works. The show does not do any advertising and would be deeply grateful for your support and participation in this fundraiser. A silent auction featuring selectartworks will run throughout the exhibition, concluding at approximately 5:30 p.m with proceeds benefiting ACCQ, supporting its role in the community.
About the Exhibition
Art has always been a voice during turmoil, and Angel City Culture Quest presents this exhibition as a fundraiser and to engage and activate ideas around the theme, “Freedom!”
“For everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom.” – Albert Einstein.
We have been told so often that we are free by those in power; do we blindly accept it without understanding the true meaning of Freedom anymore?
In our home, America, and around the world, people’s rights are being dismantled more every day.
Oligarchy reigns.
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded bythe oppressed.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
It’s time to remind ourselves and our nation how to CALL FREEDOM!
Now is the time to show up and speak to what freedom really means in the “home of the free.”
Show us what your heart knows of freedom. Bring us what, in the depths of your imagination, defines freedom. Tell us what Freedom of Speech is in all its glory and pain. What is – or what is not freedom of religion?
“Freedom is privilege extended unless enjoyed by one and all” from the lyrics of a new version of the Internationale, byBilly Bragg
Create a work on what the freedom to assemble means. Recite a poem, do a reading, or sing a song about our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Write about or show us how vital the Freedom of the Press is.
“A work of art is a declaration of freedom. There has never been anything so difficult for mankind to bear as freedom.” Oskar Schlemmer, German painter and designer.
Be the clarion call and bring us your best work for Freedom. Before it is gone.
The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people’s hands, that is, to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and in the courts of justice.” -John Adams
About your Juror and Angel City Culture Quest
Melina Paris is an accomplished arts journalist, podcast producer, and cultural advocate. She has dedicated over a decade to illuminating the artistic landscape of Los Angeles, particularly focusing on the Harbor area. Through in-depth interviews and compelling narratives with artists of many media, she delves into their creative processes, often examining themes of social justice and environmental consciousness.
Her work reflects the power of journalism in bridging communities. Her podcast showcases the richness of Los Angeles’ artistic heritage and fosters deeper connections between creators and audiences. Melina’s commitment to the arts extends beyond media, as she engages in advocacy and community-building activities that reinforce the importance of cultural expression in societal development.
By bringing attention to the often-overlooked dimensions of the artistic experience, Melina continues to inspire and inform, reinforcing the transformative power of the arts in society.
Exhibition dates:
Time: 3 to 6 p.m. opening reception, Sept. 6. The show runs through to Sept. 27
Fundraising for the arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and even smaller, local Arts organizations are being slashed. This exhibition is intended to promote the LA arts community. Angel City Culture Quest’s philosophy is: let’s support each other, however that may look; via art, podcasting, highlighting artists and their works, arts journalism, or sharing information. We’re in this with you, the artist.
As of June 6 the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating one case of measles in a Los Angeles County resident who recently travelled internationally.
Public Health is investigating multiple exposure sites related to this case. Individuals who were at the following public locations during the dates and times below may be at risk of developing measles due to potential exposure to this case. The risk is particularly high for any exposed individuals who are not immunized against measles.
May 28, 2025: Costco, 18659 Via Princessa, Santa Clarita, CA 91387 from 10:00AM – 12 p.m.
May 28, 2025: Trader Joes, 19037 Golden Valley Rd., Santa Clarita, CA 91387 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
May 28, 2025: Walmart, 25450 The Old Rd., Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m.
Persons who were at these locations during the date and times listed above may be at risk of developing measles from 7 to 21 days after being exposed. These individuals should confirm if they have been vaccinated against measles. If they have not had measles in the past and have not yet obtained the measles vaccine, they may not be immune and protected against measles. Unimmunized persons or those with unknown immunization status should monitor for symptoms. Individuals who have been free of symptoms for more than 21 days after being exposed (after June 18, 2025) are no longer at risk
In Homer’s Epic Tradition A Critique of the American Dream
When the lights come up, we see a Filipina woman named Costanza appearing stressed, and talking to herself. It’s not immediately clear that she is conjuring her friend, Billy. It’s her ritual to bring someone back from a journey she had.
Pacing the stage, she is telling herself a story, making up a name, a city of origin and her circumstances. It’s not coming together. She’s in trouble, running now.
She begins again. She runs for her life.
“Blood races,” she says. “Blood races faster when you’re running. You’re the one who’s on the run. Run, damnit, run.
“We run in our sleep, we sleep as we run. After today, no more stories, just freedom.”
Los Angeles’ Skylight Theatre Company features independent theatrical productions by emerging playwrights. This season’s lineup brings thought-provoking original works and classical theater, providing innovative narratives. For its latest offering,Skylightpresents the premiere of Hide & Hide, written by Roger Q. Mason and directed by Jessica Hanna. This productionis the second in Mason’s Califas Trilogy: three genre-busting plays about land, power and dreams in California. The play runs through June 29.
Costanza De La Fe (Amielynn Abellera) and Billy “Sweet Boy” Adams (Ben Larson) Photo by Jason Williams., courtesy of Skylight Theater
Hide & Hide is a nonstop, gripping narrative told through a combination of intense physical performances and dialogue. The production uses only some block benches for its minimal set. There’s no intermission, costume, or scene changes. The fate of two compelling characters is told through Costanza De La Fe (Amielynn Abellera, The Pitt) a Filipina immigrant with a soon-to-expire visa, and Billy “Sweet Boy” Adams (Ben Larson), a queer rent-boy from Texas fleeing a Christian sex conversion camp. After many personal battles, Billy and Constanza form a sham marriage to pursue their version of that dream in seedy 1980 Los Angeles during the disco heyday, “a place where dreams come true if they lie well enough.”
Though unknown at first, this story plays with time with a little reinvention sprinkled in, making for a magical realism experience, juxtaposed with the gripping reality of hard truths.
When Costanza encounters Billy they are both escaping; for Costanza, “to a place where she doesn’t have to get married to be called a woman.” Billy is escaping “from the scene of the boys’ camp at Lewisville Lake made in God’s name where …”
“Be careful,” Costanza warns.
Together, they board a Greyhound bus to start over again. Back in time.
Upon her arrival in America, Costanza is introduced to a harsh reality by her aunt Conejo, who immediately demands from her niece: $500 for rent, to get a boyfriend, and informs her, in six months, by December, “you’re a stray dog because your Visa expires.” Conejo denies Costanza’s shock at her aunt’s callousness by rationalizing, “I am very charming. Americans like charm.”
Meanwhile, Billy, in need of money, finds himself a place where he can get some … money and sex. An unhoused man who offers Billy the blanket off his back tells him, “You look like you’re made of money. [They’ll] pay you big for your looks.”
Billy Adams (Ben Larson) Photo by Jason Williams, courtesy of Skylight Theater
While Hide & Hide introduces new characters, this is only a two-person play. Abellera and Adams portray multiple roles of those whom they encounter, for better and worse — usually both, on their journey. These personas are comedic (like Costanza as her Aunt Coneja), sinister, and sometimes helpful, often simultaneously in their disastrous attempts to “help” and prey on Billy and Costanza. But it’s all accepted because these two individuals exist outside of the hetero-normative, white hegemony of American “culture,” where the powerful do not want them to succeed. As these characters subject Costanza and Billy to realities of the unforgiving city; legal advice, shelter, pimping, employment, quid pro quo and drugs, the two strive with everything they possess and all manner of creativity to reach their American Dream.
Costanza finds a “good job” with Ricky, a Filipino attorney, who she discovers sells the dream to people from across the seas — “matchmaking free for the American Dream … to whoever is willing to pay for it.”
Midway through the story, Billy and Costanza find each other again, in a nightclub.
“I heard there’s a Strip called Sunset,” Billy says. “Where people forget their worries for a few hours of liquor and friction and good times.”
They set eyes on each other, both taken by immense attraction.
“I see the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen,” Costanza coos. “A mix of Ricardo Montalban, Bruce Lee and Rudolph Valentino!” They dance the night away, making plans for a sham marriage, leaving together, revivified.
Soon, at her job, Costanza notices many women come to talk to Ricky, “in whispers.” Billy also knows this lawyer intimately, whom he calls a fraud, but it turns out he will also need his aid.
Billed as aHomeric critique of the American Dream, Hide & Hide succeeds. The poetry of Billy’s beautiful southern drawl phrases as he describes ugly deeds and Abellera’s mastery of Philippine English (rhotic) dialect and comedic timing leave you hanging on every word, wanting more. Filled with grand dreams and devastating disappointments, this work provides a journey through the realities of the survival of immigrants and of what lies under the surface of prejudice of the “other” in America. In a most exhilarating and entertaining way, Mason lays bare the innumerable struggles of those on the margins of society, of which many have no knowledge, and how those struggles affect their daily lives as well as the overarching life-changing events that many endure.
‘Costanza and Billy’ Photo by Jason Williams., courtesy of Skylight Theater
“Hide & Hide excavates the myth of the American Dream, how it motivates, corrodes, and ignites people to do the unspeakable in the name of freedom,” says the playwright and creator, Roger Q. Mason. “The piece is based in 1980, the year my mother immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. In times like these, she — and our family at large — wonder, ‘Was the plane ride even worth the journey?’ I think so, but we have to fight for the freedom promised in the dream.”
Hide and Hide is the recipient of the LA New Play Project from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, & Television.
Time: 8 p.m., June 12, 8:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 3 p.m., Sunday June 13 to 29
