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Michael Avenatti Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud and Tax Charges

Reporters Desk
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Michael Avenatti Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud and Tax Charges

Michael Avenatti pleaded guilty June 16, to five felony offenses and admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud four of his legal clients.

Avenatti, who has been suspended by the State Bar of California, specifically pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud – each related to one of four matters in which he embezzled money that should have been paid to clients – and one count of endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue Code.

United States District Judge James V. Selna scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 19. As a result of today’s guilty pleas, Avenatti faces a statutory maximum sentence of 83 years in federal prison.

Avenatti admitted guilt in each of the four legal matters discussed in a federal grand jury indictment that charged him with embezzling money from clients. Avenatti admitted that he engaged in the conduct charged in the four counts of the indictment, which includes receiving money on behalf of clients into client trust accounts, misappropriating the money, and lying to the clients about receiving the money or, in one case, claiming that the money had already been sent to the client.

The charge of endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue Code is one of 19 tax-related offenses in the indictment. In relation to the tax count he pleaded guilty to today, Avenatti admitted that he corruptly obstructed and impeded the IRS’s efforts to collect unpaid payroll taxes, which the government estimates amount to approximately $5 million and include payroll taxes that he been withheld from the paychecks of employees of the Avenatti-owned company that operated Tully’s Coffee.

After pleading guilty today, Avenatti still faces a total of 31 counts – six wire fraud charges, 18 tax-related charges, two counts of bank fraud related to alleged false statements he made in an attempt to obtain loans from a federally insured financial institution, one count of aggravated identity theft for misusing the name of a tax preparer in relation to the bank fraud scheme, and four counts of bankruptcy fraud related to alleged false statements he made after his law firm was forced into bankruptcy.

The government is reviewing the case to determine how it will move forward after today’s guilty pleas. In the event that the government elects to proceed on the remaining counts, Judge Selna will vacate the Sept. 19 sentencing date.

Amid Historic Drought, Feuer Warns About Dangers of Fireworks

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Amid Historic Drought, Feuer Warns About Dangers of Fireworks

LOS ANGELES —Amid historically dry conditions brought on by California’s severe drought, City Attorney Mike Feuer June 16, urged Angelenos to leave fireworks to the pros and reminded them that all fireworks are illegal in the City of Los Angeles.

Leading up to the July 4th weekend, Feuer also detailed the numerous ways his Office is cracking down on illegal fireworks in Los Angeles.

“The risk of devastating, quickly spreading fires sparked by fireworks is severe this year, not to mention the ever present threat of serious, life-altering injuries. That’s why we’re starting early this year, cracking down and urging Angelenos to leave fireworks to the pros,” said Feuer. “Besides everything else, fireworks are especially trauma-inducing for people we love, like kids with autism spectrum disorders and combat Veterans suffering from PTSD. And they terrify our pets, too.”

As part of Feuer’s multi-layered clampdown, his consumer protection unit has again issued cease and desist letters to popular social marketplaces – Meta (Facebook), OfferUp, craigslist and 5miles – demanding that they remove posts offering fireworks for sale in the City of Los Angeles, a violation of both municipal and state law. Anecdotally, investigators with Feuer’s Office note a marked decrease in the number of ads for fireworks since the office started taking these actions in 2020.

Meta has partnered with the City Attorney’s Office to help prevent the sale of fireworks on its platforms. Meta has been responsive to Feuer’s requests and has immediately taken down a number of violating posts both independently and upon being reported by Feuer’s Office. OfferUp, craigslist and 5miles have also indicated that they are complying and have removed the ads identified by Feuer’s Office.

In addition, the consumer protection unit has already criminally charged one person recently with three counts related to the alleged selling of fireworks on craigslist to an undercover officer. The defendant was placed on 12 months judicial diversion, ordered to forfeit all fireworks seized and perform 50 hours of community service.

Staff from Feuer’s neighborhood prosecutor program are also in the process of leading outreach efforts within their respective communities to emphasize that the private use of fireworks is illegal in the city. This year, they have sent over 4,400 letters to residents in problem locations – identified by LAPD by complaints and calls for service – reminding them of the law. Ahead of July 4th weekend, they will be conducting fireworks reduction roll call trainings on many LAPD watches and specialized units. Neighborhood Prosecutors’ staff is coordinating its public awareness efforts with Council Districts, LAPD, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and MYSafe: LA, which is part of the Safe Community Project charity that supports LAFD with disaster training, awareness and public safety education.

For the second year, Feuer’s staff is also supporting the fireworks buyback program in the Valley, sponsored by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. Similar to gun buybacks, residents may turn in fireworks with no penalties in exchange for valuable gift cards. Last year, more than a quarter ton of fireworks were turned in. This year’s buyback is taking place July 2nd at Brand Park in Mission Hills. LAPD will also accept fireworks without penalty.

However, those who choose to ignore the law (and/or the buyback option), and who are found guilty of the misdemeanor crime of using, selling, possessing or discharging any fireworks within the City of Los Angeles could face up to a year in jail and/or a fine of $1000.

Feuer reminds Angelenos that, from a good citizen perspective, fireworks set off at unplanned hours can be harrowing for our neighbors with Post-traumatic stress disorder, including combat Veterans, first responders and survivors of gun violence. Fireworks can also be distressing for children with special needs, such as autism spectrum disorders or other sensory issues who may not be able to tolerate the noise. Additionally, fireworks can be terrifying to pets. According to Los Angeles Animal Services, the loud noises can cause dogs and cats to escape their homes and yards attempting to look for safety. More pets go missing around July 4th than any other time of the year.

Here is a list of local professional fireworks shows. And a video message about fireworks in English and Spanish.

Unless residents are facing an emergency, instead of calling 911, they can report fireworks at LAPD’s non-emergency number: 877-275 -5273.

Biden Refuses to Mention the Worsening Dangers of Nuclear War. Media and Congress Enable His Silence.

Norman Solomon
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Biden Refuses to Mention the Worsening Dangers of Nuclear War. Media and Congress Enable His Silence.

I’ve just finished going through the more than 60 presidential statements, documents and communiques about the war in Ukraine that the White House has released and posted on its website since Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in early March. They all share with that speech one stunning characteristic — the complete absence of any mention of nuclear weapons or nuclear war dangers. Yet we’re now living in a time when those dangers are the worst they’ve been since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

You might think that the risks of global nuclear annihilation would merit at least a few of the more than 25,000 words officially released on Biden’s behalf during the 100 days since his dramatic speech to a joint session of Congress. But an evasive pattern began from the outset. While devoting much of that speech to the Ukraine conflict, Biden said nothing at all about the heightened risks that it might trigger the use of nuclear weapons.

A leader interested in informing the American people rather than infantilizing them would have something to say about the need to prevent nuclear war at a time of escalating tensions between the world’s two nuclear superpowers. A CBS News poll this spring found that the war in Ukraine had caused 70% of adults in the U.S. to be worried that it could lead to nuclear warfare.

But rather than publicly address such fears, Biden has dodged the public — unwilling to combine his justifiable denunciations of Russia’s horrific war on Ukraine with even the slightest cautionary mention about the upward spike in nuclear-war risks.

Biden has used silence to gaslight the body politic with major help from mass media and top Democrats. While occasional mainstream news pieces have noted the increase in nuclear-war worries and dangers, Biden has not been called to account for refusing to address them. As for Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, party loyalties have taken precedence over ethical responsibilities. What’s overdue is a willingness to insist that Biden forthrightly speak about a subject that involves the entire future of humanity.

Giving the president and congressional leaders the benefit of doubts has been a chronic and tragic problem throughout the nuclear age. Even some organizations that should know better have often succumbed to the temptation to serve as enablers.

In her roles as House minority leader and speaker, Nancy Pelosi has championed one bloated Pentagon budget increase after another, including huge outlays for new nuclear weapons systems. Yet she continues to enjoy warm and sometimes even fawning treatment from well-heeled groups with arms-control and disarmament orientations.

And so it was, days ago, when the Ploughshares Fund sent supporters a promotional email about its annual “Chain Reaction” event — trumpeting that “Speaker Pelosi will join our illustrious list of previously announced speakers to explore current opportunities to build a movement to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all.”

The claim that Pelosi would be an apt person to guide listeners on how to “build a movement” with such goals was nothing short of absurd. For good measure, the announcement made the same claim for another speaker, Fiona Hill, a hawkish former senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council.

Bizarre as it is, the notion that Pelosi and Hill are fit to explain how to “build a movement to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons” is in sync with a submissive assumption — that there’s no need to challenge Biden’s refusal to address nuclear-war dangers.

The president has a responsibility to engage with journalists and the public about nuclear weapons and the threat they pose to human survival on this planet. Urgently, Biden should be pushed toward genuine diplomacy including arms-control negotiations with Russia. Members of Congress, organizations and constituents should be demanding that he acknowledge the growing dangers of nuclear war and specify what he intends to do to diminish instead of fuel those dangers.

Such demands can gain momentum and have political impact as a result of grassroots activism rather than beneficent elitism. That’s why (on June 12,) nearly 100 organizations co-sponsor(ed) a “Defuse Nuclear War” live stream — marking the 40th anniversary of the day when 1 million people gathered in New York’s Central Park, on June 12, 1982, to call for an end to the nuclear arms race.

That massive protest was in the spirit of what Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964: “I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction.”

In 2022, the real possibility of such a hell for the entire world has become unmentionable for the president and his enablers. But refusing to talk about the dangers of thermonuclear destruction makes it more likely.

Norman Solomon is the national director of RootsAction.org and the author of a dozen books including Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State, published this year in a new edition as a free e-book. His other books include War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. He was a Bernie Sanders delegate from California to the 2016 and 2020 Democratic National Conventions. Solomon is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.

Will the Jan. 6 Hearings Change Anyone’s Mind?

Reporters Desk
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Will the Jan. 6 Hearings Change Anyone’s Mind?

The 1973 Watergate hearings changed popular opinion after Richard Nixon’s landslide win. Here’s what is — and isn’t — different today.

https://www.propublica.org/article/january-6-hearings-public-opinion?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter&utm_content=feature

By Stephen Engelberg for ProPublica

In July of 1973, a young, preppy-looking lawyer named Gordon Strachan appeared before the Senate Watergate Committee and acknowledged his role in the cover-up of America’s most consequential burglary.

When he finished, a senator asked 29-year-old Strachan if he had any advice for young people interested in public service. “Stay away,” he said. “It may not be the type of advice you could look back and want to give, but my advice would be to stay away.”

I was among the millions of Americans glued to the television that summer, a gangly teenager with dreams of working some day in politics. The Watergate hearings changed the nation’s perception of President Richard Nixon, laying the groundwork for his impeachment.

The hearings, and the role played by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in exposing the Nixon administration’s corruption, inspired a generation of young people to become investigative journalists. I was one of them.

In a cosmic twist, this month’s House hearings on the Jan. 6 attack coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in. (For history buffs, the precise date the hapless team was caught trying to break into the Democratic Party’s headquarters was June 17.)

Many commentators have argued that given the current fractured political and media culture, Nixon would not have left office had the crimes of 1972 and 1973 taken place today; he could have been confident that 34 senators of his own party would stand by him, regardless of the evidence.

I’m not so sure. It’s certainly true that the major television networks broadcast gavel-to-gavel coverage on what amounted to nearly all channels available in that pre-cable period of our nation’s history. It would be decades before the creation of a network that would deliver an alternate reality in which an event like the Jan. 6 hearings could go mostly uncovered.

But the view that the America of 2022 is divided as never before ignores the staggering level of popular support Nixon enjoyed. His reelection in 1972 was one of the biggest landslides in American history, nothing like the knife-edge presidential races we’ve experienced over the past two decades. George McGovern, the Democratic candidate, ended up 18 million votes behind Nixon and carried only one state — implacably liberal Massachusetts — and the District of Columbia. The map on election night was a coast-to-coast sea of red.

As the facts about Watergate came to light after the election, minds changed. Strachan, the witness whose testimony made such an impression on me, testified that he was the courier who delivered cash from a White House safe to a Nixon campaign official. Strachan acknowledged that he “became more than a little suspicious” when the official put on gloves before accepting the package.

Nixon had his defenders in Congress, some of whom stayed with him to the bitter end. I still remember my anger in watching Rep. Charles Sandman, a New Jersey Republican, aggressively deny that Nixon had played any role in the crimes traced to every one of his closest aides.

The evidence ultimately prevailed. Sandman and the other Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee abandoned the president after the release of the “smoking gun” tapes in which Nixon directed the CIA to block an FBI investigation of Watergate on national security grounds. By then, Nixon’s approval rating had fallen to 24%.

The question that hangs over the Jan. 6 hearings is whether the emergence of similarly damning facts or documents would move either the Republican base or its leaders in Congress. The prevailing wisdom says no, and there are plenty of reasons to argue that a strikingly large portion of former President Donald Trump’s base will dismiss any disclosures by the media or members of Congress as “fake news.”

After initially condemning the attacks on the Capitol, a range of prominent Republicans took roughly that tack. Some likened the mobs to tourists on a rowdy visit. The Republican National Committee declared that the attacks were “legitimate political discourse.” Those assertions stood in stark contrast to the videos we assembled from the Parler app, which showed the violence of Jan. 6 from the perspective of those who filmed and posted it. Similar video evidence played an important role in the first night of the Jan. 6 hearings.

In its hearing Monday, the committee focused on a line of inquiry that our reporters explored this year: the willingness of “Stop the Steal” advocates to push theories they knew were disproven or dubious. That story took readers inside the small group that honed such arguments as the bogus ability of Dominion Voting Systems machines to “flip” votes from one candidate to another.

On Monday, the committee released testimony from Trump aides who said the president had embraced claims about stolen votes without any regard as to whether they were accurate or even plausible. William P. Barr, the former attorney general, said in taped remarks that he feared the president had become “detached from reality if he really believes this stuff.”

“When I went into this and would tell him how crazy some of these allegations were, there was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were,” Barr said.

Over the years, the effects of congressional inquiries have been decidedly uneven. The investigation into illicit support of the anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua by the administration of President Ronald Reagan turned the White House ringleader of the operation, Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, into a right-wing celebrity. I covered those hearings as a young reporter, and their main value, from my perspective, was the Republicans’ dissenting report that asserted presidents have every right to defy Congress on foreign policy issues. That document, written under the direction of then-Rep. Dick Cheney, turned out to be a valuable blueprint for how Cheney, as vice president, and the administration of President George W. Bush would deal with Congress in the post-9/11 era.

On the other hand, the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings ended the demagogic power of Sen. Joe McCarthy, a Wisconsin Republican who used congressional investigations as a weapon against left-leaning government officials. In a fascinating link in the chain of history, those hearings focused on the conduct of Roy Cohn, McCarthy’s chief counsel and a lawyer who would come to school a young Trump in the scorched-earth approach to political and legal opponents. As president, Trump famously asked, “Where’s my Roy Cohn?” when he felt White House lawyers weren’t sufficiently aggressive in defending his interests.

All of this is to say one should be cautious in predicting the effect congressional investigations will have on public opinion. Learning that Trump’s advisers were divided between Team Crazy and Team Normal, and that Team Crazy clearly had the upper hand, might disturb a fair number of voters. I’ve seen congressional hearings change minds, including my own.

Port Briefs: Sister Ports Host Sustainability Conference; POLA’s May Cargo; POLB’s Cordero Appointment

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Port Briefs: Sister Ports Host Sustainability Conference; POLA’s May Cargo; POLB’s Cordero Appointment

Los Angeles, Nagoya Sister Ports Host Second Annual Sustainability Conference

SAN PEDRO — Officials from the Port of Los Angeles and Port Authority of Nagoya, Japan, convened a virtual conference the week of June 13 to discuss collaboration on environmental and digital project priorities in line with a cooperative agreement the two ports forged in March 2020. The focus points of that agreement are collaboration and information sharing on initiatives related to environmental sustainability and operational efficiencies.

The Second Anniversary Virtual Environmental and Operational Efficiency Conference kicked off with remarks from Mr. Seroka, Mr. Kamata, Mr. Akira Muto, consul general of Japan Consulate General in Los Angeles, and Mr. Matthew Cenzer, principal officer, consulate of the U.S. in Nagoya.

The L.A.-Nagoya 2020 Agreement established more formal cooperation and exchange of information between the two ports on topics, including port community systems and end-to-end supply chain information sharing platforms; development and deployment of zero-emission vehicles and equipment; and other activities connecting science, industry and start-ups that could contribute to both ports’ efficiency and environmental priorities.

The Los Angeles and Nagoya Sister City Affiliation began as a part of President Eisenhower’s Citizens’ International Exchange Program in 1959, with its primary goal to foster mutual understanding between the people of Los Angeles and Nagoya through cultural, educational and people-to-people exchange activities.

Details: www.portoflosangeles.org/nagoya_agreement

Port of Los Angeles May Cargo Third Best Month on Record

SAN PEDRO — The Port of Los Angeles processed 967,900 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in May, the third best overall month in its 115-year history. Five months into 2022, the port has processed more than 4.5 million TEUs, equal to last year’s record-setting pace.

May’s 967,900 TEUs rank only behind May 2021 and October 2020 at the Port of Los Angeles.

May 2022 loaded imports reached 499,960 TEUs compared to the previous year, a decrease of 6.8% but 21% higher than the previous five-year May average.

Loaded exports came in at 125,656 TEUs, a 14.4% increase compared to the same period last year. May marked the highest level of exports processed at the Port of Los Angeles since November 2020.

Empty containers reached 342,285 TEUs, down 6.6% compared to last year.

Details: www.youtube.com/watch?cargo-news-briefing

Cordero Appointed to Federal Transportation Advisory Panel

LONG BEACH — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has appointed Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero to the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee, which advises the secretary on strategies to improve the readiness and resiliency of the U.S. supply chain.

The committee is made up of leaders from commercial transportation firms, trade associations, state and local public entities, labor organizations, academia and environmental groups.

Cordero, who has led the Port of Long Beach since 2017, will continue in his role at the port.

Trump Says Jan. 6 Was The ‘Greatest Movement In The History Of Our Country’ — Hours Before House Hearings Begin

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Trump Says Jan. 6 Was The ‘Greatest Movement In The History Of Our Country’ — Hours Before House Hearings Begin

Hours before the House select committee investigation hearing on the Jan. 6 insurrection, which saw hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol, the former president raged on Truth Social that the day of the riot “represented the greatest movement in the history of our Country.”

With the first of six nationally televised hearings that promise new videos and bombshell testimony set to begin, the former president took to one of the only social media platform where he is still welcome to snarl at the bipartisan committee and complain that the real crime was having the elections “stolen” from him despite all evidence to the contrary.

Trump began by writing, “The Unselect Committee didn’t spend one minute studying the reason that people went to Washington, D.C., in massive numbers, far greater than the Fake News Media is willing to report, or that the Unselects are willing to even mention, because January 6th was not simply a protest, it represented the greatest movement in the history of our Country to Make America Great Again. It was about an Election that was Rigged and Stolen, and a Country that was about to go to HELL..& look at our Country now!”

Read more at: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-capitol-riot-2657483351/?utm_source=123456&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10626&recip_id=778673&list_id=1

Senator Umberg Legislation Regarding Anaheim Stadium Sale Headed to Assembly Committees

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Senator Umberg Legislation Regarding Anaheim Stadium Sale Headed to Assembly Committees

SACRAMENTO — Senate Bill 361 and Senate Bill 34, authored by Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), are aimed at addressing the recent Anaheim Stadium deal and preventing future related controversies. Both headed for legislative hearings June 15, and later this month.

Senate Bill 361, introduced by Senator Umberg on June 6, will prohibit an agency from disposing of a parcel of land if it is not in compliance with California’s Surplus Lands Act or SLA. If there is a violation, under SB 361, the California Department of Housing and Community Development will now have authority to require the local entity to rebid the sale. The measure will also require that the agency provide at least 14 days’ notice prior to the convening of a public session for the purpose of ratifying the proposed deal.

Senate Bill SB 34, introduced by the Senator earlier this week, declares that certain contracts would be considered void if they were negotiated in connection to a bribe of a public official.

California’s SLA is a state law that directs local agencies, such as cities, counties and districts, to prioritize the development of low-income housing when selling or leasing their surplus land. Existing law makes local agencies that dispose of land in violation of these provisions, liable for a penalty of 30% of the final sale price of the land sold for a first violation; 50% for any subsequent violation(s).

Recent events in Anaheim have shed light on unforeseen consequences within the SLA. In April of 2021, the California Department of Housing and Community Development sent the City of Anaheim a letter, warning that it could be in violation of the SLA. Despite this notification and the possibility of receiving a $96 million fine, the City of Anaheim continued to push the deal through. To accommodate the fine, city officials planned to simply transfer the $96 million from the $123 million for affordable housing that was already included within the stadium land deal – thereby negating the intended effects of the SLA’s fine enforcement mechanism.

To further complicate this deal, in May of 2022, the mayor of Anaheim, Harry Sidhu, announced he would be stepping down from public office, having been accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigations of solicitation, bribery and obstruction of justice. The majority of the accusations have been centered on the city’s plan to sell public land to the Anaheim Angels. Investigators have alleged that the Mayor of Anaheim hoped to solicit $1 million or more in campaign contributions from the team in exchange for assistance in the deal.

“Media and local officials have consistently glossed over the fact that this stadium deal has, from the very beginning, attempted to skirt state law, keep officials and the public in the dark, and shortchange the residents of Anaheim by not reaping the full potential value of this property,” said Senator Umberg. “It is painful to watch the trust of the public be so egregiously eroded,” continued the Senator. “SB 361 and SB 34 are just the beginning steps needed to restore the trust of the residents of Anaheim and Orange County.”

SB 361 was heard June 15 at 1:30pm in the Assembly Committee on Local Government and SB 34 will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review in the coming weeks.

Details: https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/447-video/video

Juneteenth – From Somber Remembrance to Jubilant Celebration

Terelle Jerricks
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Juneteenth – From Somber Remembrance to Jubilant Celebration

It feels fitting that this year’s Juneteenth celebration in San Pedro is marked with particular significance. I learned from a brief phone conversation of the collaboration with Joe Gatlin, the founder, and chief executive of the Juneteenth 400 nonprofit, that the Korean Friendship Bell Preservation Committee would be partnering on this year’s Juneteenth celebration.

Gatlin, who is the vice president of the local chapter of the San Pedro/Wilmington chapter of the NAACP, didn’t need to impress on me the importance of this collaboration. Partly due to the fact that this past April, Angelenos had marked the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots following the acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers charged in the arrest and beating of motorist Rodney King.

On the flip side, the Korean American community remembers Saigu, which is Korean for April 29, 1992, a date comparable to the suffering caused by tragedies, such as the Japanese occupation of Korea, the division of the country into north and south, and the murderous shooting spree by Robert Aaron Long across three spas and massage parlors in metropolitan Atlanta.

Gatlin gave me the contact information for Ernie Lee, the executive director of the Korean Friendship Bell Preservation Committee, to get from him the importance of this event at the Korean Bell. What I ended up getting was so much more.

The Korean Friendship Bell Preservation Committee will be collaborating with San Pedro’s own Windy Barnes Farrell of Windy City Entertainment and John Malveaux, president of MusicUNTOLD, a Long Beach nonprofit dedicated to presenting concerts that promote diversity and human dignity, to put on a concert after the bell-ringing ceremony.

AltaSea CEO and city council candidate for District 15, Tim McOsker, connected Gatlin and Lee. The long-time executive director of the Korean Friendship Bell Committee explained the committee’s aims are all about the circle of friends.

“The Korean Friendship Bell is as benevolent in structure as its intent to bring about peace and harmony to all who hear the bell ring in all directions,” Lee said. “I hope we can actually not only commemorate and honor the dead but also bring about healing to all who survived great ordeals.”

“We felt it appropriate that we hold it at the Korean Friendship Bell and inaugurate it as part of the official ringing schedule that we have throughout the year,” he said.

Barnes-Farrell will kick off the Korean Friendship Bell ceremony with a rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing, a song often referred to as the Black National Anthem. Malveaux of MusicUntold will recount the story of how Juneteenth came about, while a string of civic and elected leaders will say a few words, including Rev. Hyepin Im, Supervisor Janice Hahn, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, Rep. Nanette Barragan and Assemblyman Mike Gipson.

Lee noted that Juneteenth was designated as a national holiday last year, but because of COVID-19, the committee didn’t really have much time to prepare. So they had a group of student volunteers come and ring the bell to commemorate the legislative action.

“This is the first time we will actually celebrate it as a community celebration,” Lee said excitedly.

Lee explained that the committee has always been eager to incorporate into its programming the message of inclusion and diversity. This being the 30th anniversary of the civil unrest in LA adds a lot of weight to it.

“This is something we have always mentioned during our Korean American Day celebration, which is so close to Dr. King’s birthday on Jan. 13,” Lee said.

“It’s very key to our mission to make sure that the spirit of cooperation, inclusion and diversity— and definitely very kindly now because of the recent surge in Asian American Pacific Islander hate incidents — that we take a very bold and strong stand against any type of racism (that) is attached to our legacy,” Lee explained.

Lee is thinking along the lines of solemn remembrance and celebration. It is both a day of jubilation as well as a remembrance of the past. He said he thinks that’s appropriate given that the Korean Friendship Bell is not only a symbol of friendship but is a memorial to the veterans of the Korean War. Lee noted that the first time many Koreans saw black people were as American soldiers coming to their aid.

“In that sense, I think they deserve recognition as much as any other American soldier that gave their lives and their service in defense of others,” Lee said.

“Somebody has to tell that story. Somebody has to look at it and I mean, just to be recognized. Oh, yeah, I think that’s a lot sometimes. Just to say, hey, we know this, we know you were there and we appreciate that. So it seems an appropriate venue for us to celebrate together,” Lee said

Lee described friendship as a process of getting along and helping each other and depending on each other. He noted that when the Republic of Korea gave the Friendship Bell to the United States, they viewed the United States as quite literally the shining city on the hill. It was an aspirational idea of the frontier spirit. It was the freedom and can-do attitude that anything was possible here in America. Lee said many Korean Americans learned the hard way during the LA civil unrest that their version of the American Dream could easily be wiped out overnight.

“[The riots] really brought about an awareness in many Korean Americans who ended up in politics,” Lee said. “It would be a disservice to our neighbors and I think for all Americans if we were not always illuminating the past, however painful it may be.”

June 18

Juneteenth Picnic at Peck Park

There will be games, a talent show, a barbecue, and fun.

Time: 10 am to 6 pm.
Location: 560 N Western Ave, San Pedro

June 19

The Ringing of the Bell Ceremony for Juneteenth

The Korean Friendship Bell Preservation Committee will be collaborating with San Pedro’s own Windy Barnes Farrell of Windy City Entertainment and John Malveaux, president of MusicUNTOLD, a Long Beach nonprofit dedicated to presenting concerts that promote diversity and human dignity, to put on a concert after the bell-ringing ceremony.
Location: 3601 S Gaffey St, San Pedro

POLB Briefs: Gerald Desmond Bridge Demo; Second Busiest Month; Joins Green Shipping Corridor

RLn
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POLB Briefs: Gerald Desmond Bridge Demo; Second Busiest Month; Joins Green Shipping Corridor

Gerald Desmond Bridge Demolition to Begin in July

LONG BEACH — Demolition of the Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach is scheduled to start in July with the removal of the section of the span suspended over the Back Channel, requiring a 48-hour closure of the channel to all watercraft traffic.

The Back Channel will be closed to vessels from 6 a.m. Saturday, July 9, to 6 a.m., Monday, July 11, as the bridge’s 410-foot-long suspended span is dismantled and lowered onto a barge. The Gerald Desmond Bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since early October 2020 when its replacement opened. Vehicle traffic on the replacement bridge will not be affected by the demolition of the old span.

Removal of the suspended span is one of the first steps in demolishing the Desmond Bridge. Following the first weekend, further significant waterway impacts are not anticipated. Full demolition is expected to be concluded by the end of 2023.

Removal of the Desmond Bridge, rising 155 feet above the water, will allow large cargo vessels to more easily access the port’s inner harbor. The new bridge has a 205-foot clearance over the channel.

Metal, concrete and other materials from the old bridge will be recycled whenever possible.

Port of Long Beach Has Second-Busiest Month on Record

LONG BEACH — May was the second-busiest month on record for the Port of Long Beach, and its strongest month so far in 2022.

Dockworkers and terminal operators processed 890,989 twenty-foot equivalent units in May, a 1.8% decline from May 2021, which remains the port’s busiest month in its 111-year history.

Imports decreased 1.7% to 436,977 TEUs and exports were down 12.6% to 118,234 TEUs. Empty containers moved through the port increased 2.6% to 335,778 TEUs.

The port has withheld the start of a “Container Dwell Fee” that would charge ocean carriers for containers that remain too long on the docks. The San Pedro Bay ports – Long Beach and Los Angeles – have seen a 40% decline in aging cargo on the docks since the program was announced on Oct. 25.

The port has moved 4,172,366 TEUs during the first five months of 2022, a 3.5% increase from the same period in 2021.

Port of Long Beach Joins the Green Shipping Corridor

LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach has signed on to the Shanghai-Los Angeles Green Shipping Corridor, a partnership of C40 Cities, ports, shipping companies and cargo owners convened to create a zero-emissions trans-Pacific trade route.

First announced in January by C40 Cities, the ports of Shanghai and Los Angeles, and key maritime stakeholders, this Green Shipping Corridor will be a big step toward decarbonizing shipping between the busiest ports in China and the United States. C40 Cities is a network of the world’s leading cities that are working to deliver the urgent action needed to confront the climate crisis.

The partnership intends to achieve these goals by developing a “Green Shipping Corridor Implementation Plan” by the end of 2022.

Key decarbonization goals for the Green Shipping Corridor partnership include:

  • The phasing in of low, ultra-low, and zero-carbon fueled ships through the 2020s with the world’s first zero-carbon trans-Pacific container ships introduced by 2030 by qualified and willing shipping lines.
  • The development of best management practices to help reduce emissions and improve efficiency for all ships using this international trade corridor.
  • Reducing supply chain emissions from port operations, and improving air quality in the ports of Shanghai, Los Angeles and Long Beach, and adjacent communities.

Details: www.polb.com/environment.

Board of Supervisors Appoint New Department of Children and Family Services Director

Terelle Jerricks
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Board of Supervisors Appoint New Department of Children and Family Services Director

LOS ANGELES – Following a six-month nationwide search process, Brandon T. Nichols has been selected to serve as the new director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services or DCFS.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Mr. Nichols to the role of director during the June 14 Board meeting, with a start date of July 1. Director Nichols will lead a workforce of nearly 9,000 staff members in 20 regional offices who provide family-centered and child-focused protective services to more than 29,000 children.

Director Nichols, who had been serving in the role of interim director since April, indicated that his primary areas of focus beginning his tenure will be ensuring child safety, advancing race equity efforts and providing accessible, quality support to families.

A Los Angeles County employee for more than 25 years, director Nichols has worked for several departments, including DCFS where he previously served as chief deputy director for three years. During that time, he led the county’s implementation of Continuum of Care Reform, a multi-year, state-wide change designed to reduce the use of congregate care and ensure children live in family-like settings when they are unable to safely remain with their parents. Additionally, director Nichols advocated on behalf of children at legislative hearings with local, state, and federal agencies and worked closely with a diverse network of community partners.

Director Nichols began his county career with the office of the counsel, where he represented the county in cases involving child abuse and neglect in the juvenile courts. He also has worked for the probation department and, most recently, the chief executive office.

In his last position, as the executive director of the county’s jail closure implementation team, he played a significant role in efforts to develop mental health services and other supports for people incarcerated in county jails as part of Los Angeles County’s commitment to decarcerating and closing the Men’s Central Jail.
Director Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree in Law and Society from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor Degree from the California Western School of Law in San Diego.

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