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U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh Visits Port of Los Angeles

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U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh Visits Port of Los Angeles

SAN PEDRO — U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh spent Nov. 30 at the Port of Los Angeles meeting with stakeholders, touring the Port’s marine terminals and highlighting efforts to invest in U.S. ports and relieve congestion issues.

Secretary Walsh met with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero and a variety of stakeholders on his day-long visit. Secretary Walsh was joined by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su.

“In the face of a global pandemic, the Biden-Harris administration continues to confront our nation’s supply chain disruptions head-on and, as a result, idle containers at ports are down more than 30 percent and shipping prices are down 25 percent,” said Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “As we continue to recover, the administration remains committed to working with local governments and labor and business leaders while implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help further ease bottlenecks and support a stronger economy.”

Former South Bay Exec. Sentenced to Prison for Insider Trading and Securities Fraud

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Former South Bay Exec. Sentenced to Prison for Insider Trading and Securities Fraud

LOS ANGELES – A former executive at a Hawthorne-based company was sentenced Nov. 29, to 35 months in federal prison for trading in options contracts using inside company information and illegally purchasing shares of a company his employer had targeted for acquisition.

Mark A. Loman, 60, of Hermosa Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer. Judge Fisher also ordered Loman to pay a $600,000 fine. At the conclusion of a 10-day trial, a jury on Sept. 2 found Loman guilty of four counts of securities fraud and four counts of insider trading.

Loman was a vice president of finance and the corporate controller for OSI Systems Inc., a publicly traded security, health care and electronics manufacturing company, from 2006 until 2018. In these roles, Loman had advance knowledge of OSI’s revenue and earnings and, as corporate controller, was responsible for compiling and internally reporting the company’s confidential financial results.

In December 2015, Loman received confidential information that OSI was financially underperforming and would fall far short of their earnings and revenue forecast for its second quarter of its fiscal year 2016. In December 2015, Loman purchased a series of options contracts with the intent of profiting when OSI’s stock price fell.

On Jan. 27, 2016, OSI announced its disappointing second-quarter earnings, and lowered its sales and earnings guidance for the remainder of its fiscal year. On the day of this announcement, OSI shares plunged approximately 30% in value from their previous closing day price. As a result, Loman gained about $355,000 in illegal profits from this scheme.

In March 2016, Loman misused nonpublic information by purchasing stock of American Science & Engineering Inc., a manufacturer of security screening equipment that OSI had targeted for acquisition. Once OSI publicly announced in June 2016 its agreement to acquire AS&E, Loman immediately sold his shares in AS&E and made approximately $120,000 in illegal gains. In September 2016, OSI formally acquired AS&E for approximately $270 million.

Loman made a total of approximately $475,000 in illicit gains through this scheme. In July 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Loman, charging him with insider trading. Trial is scheduled for that lawsuit in April 2022.

 

 

Ports Briefs: Commission Approves Largest Sponsorship Award and POLB Issues Zero Emissions RFP

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Ports Briefs: Commission Approves Largest Sponsorship Award and POLB Issues Zero Emissions RFP

Commission OKs Largest Sponsorship Award to Date

LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in November approved 138 community sponsorships totaling $500,675, the highest amount awarded in a single sponsorship call.

The Port of Long Beach has awarded $10.5 million to the community through its sponsorship program since 2007. Events and programs represent a wide cross-section of the city and causes such as the arts, environment, social justice and historic preservation.

The Harbor Commission approved a $1 million community sponsorship budget for the 2022 fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2021. Requests for funding are open twice a year, in March and September.

Among the many events and programs sponsored in the latest call for applications are the Friends of Belmont Shore’s Summer Community Concert, the WomenShelter of Long Beach’s 5th Annual Youth Conference and the Orange Coast College Waterfront Campus’ Professional Mariner Training Center open house event series.

Recipients are required to spread awareness of the port’s programs and projects. Port staff members also attend some of the sponsored events to help provide information about the port.

Details: www.polb.us6.list-manage.com/track/port-sponsorships

POLA Issues Zero-Emissions Truck Request for Proposals

SAN PEDRO — The Port of Los Angeles has issued a Request For Proposals or RFP seeking one or more teams of trucking companies and truck manufacturers to demonstrate zero-emissions short-haul drayage trucks. The port is offering up to $300,000 per truck toward the cost of ten zero-emissions trucks and related infrastructure, with $3 million total in grant funding available.

Proposals will be accepted through 3 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2022.

The RFP directly supports the advancement of zero-emissions trucks to achieve the San Pedro Bay ports’ climate goals set forth in the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan or CAAP Update. CAAP goals include transitioning the full drayage fleet serving the port complex to zero-emissions trucks by 2035.

Teams submitting proposals must consist of at least one licensed motor carrier or LMC and one heavy-duty truck original equipment manufacturer or OEM. The pilot project will test the capabilities of current model zero-emissions drayage trucks in port operations within a radius of approximately 25 miles or less.

More than one proposal may be awarded a grant. The project and incentives are subject to approval by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.

Details: www.kentico.portoflosangeles.org/getmedia/rfp

CA Coastal Caucus Co-Chairs Raise Alarm Over Potential DDT in CA Seafood Supply

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CA Coastal Caucus Co-Chairs Raise Alarm Over Potential DDT in CA Seafood Supply

WASHINGTON — California Coastal Caucus co-chairs Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) Nov. 29, led a letter urging Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and EPA Administrator Michael Regan to look into whether dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or DDT, a pollutant that may be causing a spike in cancer in sea lions, is also causing a spike in cancer in humans. The letter follows a visit Lieu took to The Marine Mammal Center, where he learned of a startling increase in cancer among sea lions. Researchers believe the increase could be attributed to the presence of DDT in the fish that sea lions consume, which can also be consumed by human beings.

In highlights from the letter, members wrote:

“Recent research from the Marine Mammal Center shows a startling increase in cancer in sea lions along the California coast. Researchers believe this increase may be attributable to the presence of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) leaking into the ocean, which affects the food supply that sea lions consume. The Southern California coast was previously used as a DDT dumping ground. Humans can also eat the same seafood that sea lions do, and the obvious question is if DDT is indeed causing a spike in cancer in sea lions, is this DDT also causing a spike in cancer in humans? We ask your agencies to take the actions necessary to answer that critical health question.

“The Marine Mammal Center headquartered in Sausalito, California, is the largest marine mammal hospital in the world and is a global leader in marine mammal health and disease investigation. Scientists at the Center have found alarming increases of urogenital carcinoma in sea lions. There are several factors that may lead to the development of cancer in sea lions. One factor, however, deserves heightened attention. Persistent organic pollutants — and DDT in particular — have been heavily linked to urogenital cancer. In humans, for example, reproductive tract cancer is associated with higher exposure to pollutants, and exposure to DDT increases the risk for cancer later in life.”

Members requested that in the short term, both agencies take action to answer this critical question as soon as possible. For the long term, members urged more investment into research and studies that will aid in understanding of risks and disease manifestations from pollutants in our oceans.

Amazon Van Carjacking, Package Looting In San Pedro

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Amazon Van Carjacking, Package Looting In San Pedro
LAPD officers investigate an abandoned Amazon delivery van after it was stolen at gunpoint from a delivery driver.

Story and photo by Raphael Richardson

SAN PEDRO – An Amazon van was carjacked by an armed suspect and looted of all its packages in San Pedro, November 29.

An Amazon delivery driver was delivering packages near the end of his shift, when he was robbed at gunpoint by two suspects in an alleyway on the 800 block of West 12th St at around 5:30 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officer Chavez said. One of the suspects got into the delivery van and fled the scene, leaving the driver. He was not injured during the robbery.

The van was found abandoned in an alley on the 1100 block of West 14th St around an hour later. Police searched the van and found that the remaining three packages were stolen and have not been recovered.

“We’re committed to the safety of drivers who deliver our packages,” Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll said in a statement regarding the robbery. “We’re looking into the incident and supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”

Officer Chavez said that the suspect is reported to be a male Black, black hair and dreadlocks, in his 20s and wearing a red shirt and black pants, and was possibly armed with a gun. No suspects have been arrested.

Op/Ed Reflection’s On This Year’s Palestine Day – By A Former Israeli Refusenik

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Op/Ed Reflection’s On This Year’s Palestine Day – By A Former Israeli Refusenik

34 years ago, I was part of a group of young Israelis who refused to enforce the Occupation in Palestine while in uniform. What brought me to that point? A reflection for this year’s UN-mandated International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

https://progressivehub.net/reflections-on-this-years-palestine-day-by-a-former-israeli-refusenik/

By Charles Lenchner for Progressive Hub

About 34 years ago I willingly walked into the processing center for draftees in Israel. This was after an intense 18-month period of organizing, wherein I helped create a group of Israeli Jews willing to publicly commit to refusing to support the Occupation.

As it happened, I was the first one to be called up from those that signed our official letter. It had 16 names. This was before the first Intifada, a time when Israelis thought the Occupation was cost free and would last forever.

At the age of 16, I was one of a very small number of Israeli Jewish young people with Palestinian friends. That year I visited Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza with a group of Palestinian citizens of Israel. It’s hard to describe how aberrant that was, or how angry my mom would have been had she known what I was up to that day. Jabalia is where the first Intifada, or uprising, would begin while I was serving in the Israeli army.

At the time, I was active in two youth movements that brought Jews and Palestinians together on a regular basis. One of them was about half and half Jewish and Arab. The other one was almost entire Arab, though some Jewish chapters existed where I lived. Through those movements I met adults who had been refuseniks in the past.

After hearing about my experience of refusing, people ask me how I could have grown up in Israel and still make that decision? What could have brought someone to that point of commitment?

Maybe it was what happened to me at the start of 10th grade. My school chose me to attend a Jewish-Arab encounter weekend at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. That Friday night we all had some free time, and self-organized in different ways. Some kids went to the Latroun monastery to score some wine. Another activity was a “kumzitz” or bonfire with songs, organized by some of the Arab participants. About 20 showed up for that. I was the only Jew. I had never been the only Jew surrounded by Arabs my age. They mostly talked in Arabic, so from time to time someone would translate for me. [In those days, in Israel, everyone was a “Jew” or an “Arab” in everyday speech. Today’s preferred term is “Palestinian citizen of Israel.”]

I kept quiet as they started to sing, with darbuka drums and maybe a recorder. It was my first time listening to Palestinian folk songs. The lyrics had the same themes as Hebrew folk songs that you’d sing at a bonfire: How beautiful the land. How noble its people. The longing to be free and independent. The pride of resistance. Young romantic love. My heart was beating so fast.

How did I fit in with what I was seeing? Who was I, an Israeli Jew, in this little bubble? I was nobody. Or maybe the enemy. The usurper. The oppressor. Little me. And then something broke, and a wave of realization filled me. This was the unspoken truth of my own society.

Imagine looking at the moon, without realizing you only ever see half of it. Then one day you learn, it rotates in such a way as to keep the dark side hidden from human eyes, for eternity. Such was the logic of Israeli education, at least for Jews. Suddenly I got to see the other side.

This kind of experience was, and is, extremely rare. It motivated me to a lifetime of learning about my cousins, the Palestinians. My siblings in struggle. To see liberation as a shared project. After all, an occupying nation is never free. Not really.

Do Palestinians have to be good people? Must they have good strategy? What silly conditions people have, especially defenders of Israel’s rule over Palestinians. They are already all they need to be: a people. They already deserve what they need: your solidarity. And they know that someday, they will be free. Most Israelis know this too, deep down inside.

But they hide it so well, playing for time, spending our moral birthright down, little by little. Day after day. And that my friends, is the criminal enterprise that will haunt us for centuries to come – if not millennia.

Learn more about the history of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This article came out of a twitter thread. The author lives in the United States today and works for RootsAction, which hosts this site.

Charles Lenchner is on staff at Progressive Hub. He has previously appeared in New Labor Forum, Democratic Left, The Indypendent, and The Real News. Lenchner is a founder of The People for Bernie Sanders and the labor training hub Organizing 2.0.

 

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Three Newsom Judicial Appointments To Serve LA Area

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Three Newsom Judicial Appointments To Serve LA Area

Donald A. Buddle Jr., 42, of Santa Clarita, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Buddle has served as a Deputy Public Defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office since 2007. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Whittier Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Michael A. Tynan. Buddle is a Democrat.

Edwin P. Chau, 64, of Arcadia, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Chau has served as a State Assemblymember representing the 49th Assembly District since his election in 2012. He was a sole practitioner from 1994 to 2012 and served as a Montebello Unified School District Board Member from 2000 to 2012. Chau earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Southwestern University School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert J. Perry. Chau is a Democrat.

Patricia A. Young, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Young has been a Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California since 2014, where she has served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender since 2009. Young was an Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP from 2005 to 2009. She served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Keith P. Ellison at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas from 2004 to 2005. Young earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ramona G. See. Young is a Democrat.

Container Dwell Fee’ Remains on Hold Until Dec. 6

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Container Dwell Fee’ Remains on Hold Until Dec. 6

SAN PEDRO — The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach announced Nov. 29, a further postponement of the “Container Dwell Fee.” After meetings today with U.S. Port Envoy John Porcari, ocean liner companies and marine terminal operators, the two ports said the fee will not be considered prior to Dec. 6.

Since the fee was announced on Oct. 25, the twin ports have seen a combined decline of 37% in aging cargo on the docks. The executive directors of both ports will reassess fee implementation after another week of monitoring data.

Sparrow Hospital Union Members Vote Almost Unanimously to Authorize a Strike

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Sparrow Hospital Union Members Vote Almost Unanimously to Authorize a Strike

Union president: ‘Sparrow executives don’t seem to take us seriously.’

MONDAY, Nov. 22 — An overwhelming majority of nurses and other healthcare professionals at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing are prepared to strike “at any time” — particularly if a collective bargaining stalemate between union officials and administrators continues much longer.

The Professional Employee Council of Sparrow — which represents about 2,200 employees — announced today that 96% of the staff who participated in a recent unionwide vote over the last week have authorized its negotiating team to call a strike “if necessary,” according to a release.

The vote does not mean there will necessarily be a strike, although one can be called “at any time,” officials said. A 10-day notice would also be provided to administrators and hospital staff.

“We have been clear from the start about what nurses and healthcare professionals need, but Sparrow executives don’t seem to take us seriously,” said union president Katie Pontifex. “After almost two years of pouring our hearts and souls into working during this pandemic, we can’t stand by and watch as the staffing crisis gets worse and compromises care for more patients.”

The 2,200 caregivers represented by the Professional Employee Council have been working without a union contract since Sunday, Oct. 31. Contract proposals from Sparrow’s executive team, so far, have reportedly only fallen short on wage increases and health benefit costs.

Union officials, in a press release today, also said that Sparrow’s counter-proposals have included “punishments” for nurses who call in sick, noting they also “fail to provide a guarantee of an N-95 mask or better for those working with known or suspected COVID-19 patients.”

“Our members are committed to fighting for what’s right for patients and our community,” remarked Kevin Glaza, a pharmacist and the union’s vice president. “We all understand that authorizing a strike is a serious matter, and it’s the last thing we want. The status quo continuing to deteriorate for the next three years is the worst-case scenario for our community. We are willing to sacrifice our paychecks and walk the picket line in order to protect our patients.”

Last month,Pontifex said she had never seen morale so low among nursesat Sparrow Hospital. The union also organized a 700-person “informational picket” this month. The union’s stated goal: a “fair” contract that provides more consistent wage increases for employees, adequate and affordable healthcare coverage — which can also help bolster a skeleton staff.

Reports in the Detroit Free Press noted that every room in Sparrow’s emergency department was full in October, leaving some patients lining the hallways to await treatment. Some sick patients have also reportedly waited hours, even days, for a bed to open inside the hospital.

Random Letters: 11-24-21

RLn
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Random Letters: 11-24-21

Save Walker’s Café

Several weeks ago, Walker’s Café in San Pedro suddenly closed its doors. Concerned about the future of this longtime San Pedro stronghold, I began investigating its history and whether there was any way to ensure its survival. While there is a way for the City Council to save it, without the support of the community and those who have enjoyed the café over the years, I suspect that Walker’s as we know it could be lost.

When I first heard the news, I was heartbroken. It didn’t take me long after first moving to San Pedro to recognize how special Walker’s is. It is a genuine, unpretentious, homey space where people from all walks of life—longshoremen and fishermen, hikers, bikers, e-cyclists, firemen, even soldiers stationed at Fort MacArthur—can come together. Walker’s is truly a place where strangers can talk as friends and neighbors—a rare thing these days.

I was amazed to find that Walker’s has been playing this role in the community for generations, with origins going back to the 1930s, making Walker’s Café one of the oldest restaurants in San Pedro. As I’ve come to learn, people of all ages remember going there as children and its founder, Bessie Mae Petersen, is a beloved figure. People have told me how she never let anyone go hungry and how that loving spirit lives on in the café. It’s in the murals inside, which were done by a homeless merchant marine who Bessie allowed to stay there for months so he could get back on his feet; it’s in the sense of community anyone can find there, and it’s in the warmth that has been kept alive by those who have served beers and ‘Bessie Burgers’ to customers throughout the many decades since it opened. Losing Walker’s now seems unimaginable to me.

The best way to protect the history, culture and spirit of Walker’s is for it to receive landmark status. This would pave the way for the business to continue to operate as it has been, serving the community and visitors for generations to come. For this to happen, Walker’s will need the support of the community and City Council. Councilman Buscaino has supported landmark status for other locations in the area, and I’ve reached out to his office to see if he can do so again.

For those in the community who want to help save Walker’s, please go to https://www.change.org/p/save-walker-s-cafe and sign the petition or contact Joe Buscaino at councilmember.buscaino@lacity.org. Finally, for anyone willing to share their precious memories or photos of Walker’s, please email: savewalkerscafe@gmail.com

Emma Rault , San Pedro

Not a Crime

(Re: At Length Editorial, RLN Nov. 11-24, 2021)

It’s a waste of money for the signs, because they won’t enforce it anyway. Two million is a lot of money that could lease portable toilets on city owned/ port owned, county and state vacant land and lots. Instead of tiny homes, they could supply an army’s worth of big tents with bed cots in each tent that could legally meet a bed count in Judge Carter’s eyes for the homeless people who choose not to go into temporary housing.

James Campeau, San Pedro

Jobs Act Victory

The new Infrastructure and Jobs Act is a victory for the people of California’s 44th Congressional District because it devotes significant resources to our community, cleaning up Superfund sites, replacing lead pipes, improving mass transit, and expanding broadband access to close the digital divide in low-income and communities of color. It includes money to improve our ports by addressing supply chain issues that are causing backlogs of ships and trucks that add to the pollution plaguing our port communities. These long overdue investments will have a positive impact on the lives of people in my district and throughout Los Angeles County.

We have much more to do to fully meet our promise to the American people. Congress still must vote to pass President Biden’s Build Back Better Act, which makes generational investments in fighting the climate crisis, building affordable housing, expanding home care, and more. We cannot leave workers, seniors, women, communities of color, or the health of our planet behind.

Today we celebrate the historic investments that were signed into law by the President – the largest investments in our nation’s infrastructure since the 1950’s. This is a big deal. Tomorrow, we get right back to work on delivering for the people. I look forward to delivering on President Biden’s entire agenda and voting for the Build Back Better Act when it comes to the floor.

Rep. Nanette Barragán , 44th District, San Pedro

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