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Assessor Prang Projects Growth in 2025 Assessment Roll

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Assessor Prang Projects Growth in 2025 Assessment Roll

 

LOS ANGELES — Despite a devastating wildfire season that destroyed thousands of homes and scorched wide swaths of Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu, Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang released the May 15 forecast for the 2025 assessment roll, projecting a 3.25% increase in taxable property values over 2024. This marks the 15th consecutive year of growth for the county’s assessment roll.

The May forecast is an estimate of the assessment roll and may change between now and when it closes in early July. The forecast serves as a planning tool for local governments as they prepare their budgets based on projected property tax revenues. The assessment roll reflects the value of all taxable property in the county and offers a snapshot of the broader real estate market and economic trends.

“The 2025 wildfires impacted more than 23,000 parcels, including the total loss of over 10,000 homes,” said Assessor Prang. “Our office is committed to ensuring property owners receive timely assessment relief. Meanwhile, challenges continue in the downtown office market, which is expected to lower the 2025 Roll by approximately $24 billion.”

This year, the consumer price index or CPI adjustment required by Proposition 13 is expected to add the maximum 2% allowed under the law – equivalent to a $41 billion increase to the 2025 Roll.

While the housing market has shown signs of slowing, median home sales prices remained robust, reaching $950,000 in August 2024. With that being said, property transfers are expected to serve as the single most significant factor contributing to this year’s roll growth – adding $50 billion in additional value.

Although wildfire response efforts diverted resources away from new construction, the Assessor’s Office implemented new strategies to maintain productivity and prioritize high-value projects. As a result, new construction is projected to contribute an additional $6 billion to the 2025 roll.

With the total estimated net value of taxable property exceeding $2 trillion, the resulting property tax revenues — approximately $20 billion — will help fund critical public services, including public education, emergency responders, healthcare services, and other essential county programs. All assessments are based on property values as of Jan. 1, 2025.

Details: View the complete 2025 Forecast at: https://assessor.lacounty.gov/news-information/assessmentroll

City of Carson Designates June as Fire Prevention Month, Reinforcing Safety Commitment

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City of Carson Designates June as Fire Prevention Month, Reinforcing Safety Commitment

 

CARSON — Carson City Council this month voted to designate June as Fire Prevention Month. This decision aligns with the National Safety Council’s or NSC observance of National Safety Month, established in 1996 to raise safety awareness and reduce preventable injuries and deaths.

The Carson city council’s focus on fire prevention in June complements the long-standing recognition of National Fire Prevention Week in October. National Fire Prevention Week was first established by the National Fire Protection Association or NFPA in 1922 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

While October remains a crucial time for nationwide fire safety efforts, the Carson City Council sought to establish prevention efforts earlier in the year, specifically before Fourth of July celebrations, increased outdoor activities, and other summer festivities. Summer inherently brings heightened fire dangers due to factors such as negligence while grilling, overloaded electrical circuits, dry weather conditions, and the improper use of fireworks.

“The truth is, prevention must be a year-round priority,” stated Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. “Recognizing June as Fire Prevention Month provides us with an early opportunity to educate, prepare, and protect our residents.”

This designation empowers the Carson Fire Department to expand its community outreach, public education campaigns, and preventative actions during both June and October. As the Fourth of July approaches, a time that often brings an increased risk of fires and related injuries, this is important.

Carson’s Fire Prevention Month also underscores the city council’s commitment to public safety through its Ordinance No. 25-027, which bans all fireworks within city limits. The city recognizes that fireworks are often part of celebrations but urges residents to remain vigilant in keeping neighborhoods safe and peaceful for all — including veterans, individuals sensitive to loud noises, and pets — by refraining from using fireworks. Violations of the ordinance will result in fines or other enforcement actions.

Details: For more detailed information, refer to City Ordinance No. 25-027 or contact public safety at 310-952-1786. To report the illegal use of fireworks, call 310-830-1123.

POLA Sees Robust Volume in April Ahead of Tariffs Drop and POLB Has Strongest April on Record

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POLA Sees Robust Volume in April Ahead of Tariffs Drop and POLB Has Strongest April on Record

 

LOS ANGELES / LONG BEACH — The Port of Los Angeles handled 842,806 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in April, 9.4% more than last year. After four months, the Port of Los Angeles has processed 3,346,853 TEUs, 6.2% more than the same period in 2024.

“We’ve had nearly two years of robust volume, including 10 straight months of year-over-year growth,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told more than 90 journalists at a media briefing. “A strong economy and high consumer confidence propelled that growth early on, while more recently it’s been the push by importers to bring cargo in ahead of today’s tariffs.

“Moving forward – at least for the short term – we will see a softening of global trade during this period of elevated tariffs and uncertainty,” Seroka added. “As cargo eases, the Port of Los Angeles will use its strong financial base to invest in infrastructure, technology and workforce development. We’re focused on $230 million in capital projects in the upcoming fiscal year so that we’re ready to go when volume comes back strong.”

WATCH BRIEFING HERE

April 2025 loaded imports came in at 439,230 TEUs, 5% higher compared to the previous year. Loaded exports landed at 128,394 TEUs, a 3% drop from 2024. The port processed 275,183 empty container units, 25% more than last year.

Further, following its strongest April on record and 11 consecutive months of cargo increases, the Port of Long Beach is preparing for a double-digit decline for shipments in May due to tariffs – and retaliatory tariffs – that were paused earlier this month.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 867,493 twenty-foot equivalent units in April, up 15.6% from the same month last year and surpassing the previous record set in April 2022 by 5.7%. Imports rose 15.1% to 419,828 TEUs and exports decreased 4.5% to 93,842 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the port jumped 23% to 353,824 TEUs.

“After moving the most containerized cargo of any American port in the first quarter of 2025, we are now anticipating a more than 10% drop-off in imports in May – and the effects will be felt beyond the docks,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Soon, consumers could find fewer choices and higher prices on store shelves and the job market could see impacts, given the continuing uncertainty.”

The port has moved 3,403,069 TEUs during the first four months of 2025, a 23.6% increase from the same period in 2024.

Gutting the Weather Watchers: When Tyrants Rewrite the Forecast

Thom Hartmann
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Gutting the Weather Watchers: When Tyrants Rewrite the Forecast

 

This is no accident. It’s a coordinated attack on science, safety, and the truth — just in time for hurricane season…

This disaster has me so angry I can barely type straight. Elon Musk and his phony “Department of Government Efficiency” — which isn’t even a real government department, by the way — are systematically destroying the agencies that keep Americans alive when Mother Nature comes calling. And for what? Some twisted ideological experiment that’s going to cost lives.

The National Weather Service is falling apart right before hurricane season. They have 155 empty positions that should be filled with forecasters working around the clock to track storms and save lives.

Tom Fahy from the National Weather Service Employees Organization nailed it when he told The Washington Post:

“For most of the last half century, NWS has been a 24/7 operation. Not anymore, thanks to Elon Musk.”

Picture this: a Category 4 hurricane spinning up in the Gulf, and the people who should be tracking its every move and warning coastal communities just aren’t there anymore. That’s not some dystopian nightmare: that’s what Trump and Musk have done to us.

Want to know how insane this gets? NOAA started the year with over 600 vacant positions. Instead of filling those jobs, Trump’s crew — with Musk’s DOGE cheerleading the destruction — illegally fired or pushed out another 10% of the remaining staff. They’re literally making the problem worse.

The consequences hit immediately. Last month, the National Weather Service had to stop launching weather balloons at several sites and gut their data collection operations because they don’t have enough people. Those balloons aren’t just pretty toys; they’re how we know if that storm brewing in the Atlantic is going to slam into Miami, New Orleans, Houston, or fizzle out at sea.

Here’s another insane part of this: NOAA’s weather data generates $9 in economic value every year for every $1 of expense, and benefits the US to the tune of over $5 billion a year. That’s the kind of return on investment that would make venture capitalists weep with joy. But Musk and Trump are torching it anyway, because their real goal isn’t efficiency, it’s blinding Americans to the climate crisis.

This attack on NOAA fits perfectly with their broader war on climate science. We can’t have people understanding the true cost of extreme weather if they and their fossil fuel funders want to keep pumping carbon into the atmosphere, right? Better to leave everyone stumbling around in the dark while the planet burns.

And don’t even get me started on what they’re doing to FEMA. They’re gutting the agency that coordinates disaster relief that, ironically, benefits Red states that get pummeled by hurricanes and tornadoes every year the most. Remember Hurricane Helene tearing through North Carolina last fall? Instead of supporting relief efforts, lunatics like Marjorie Taylor Greene spent their time attacking FEMA and spreading conspiracy theories.

Greene actually tweeted: “Yes, they can control the weather.” If that were true, maybe she could ask Trump and Musk to turn on those magical Jewish space lasers and give us all a break.

But this isn’t really about controlling weather, it’s about controlling information. It’s about making sure Americans don’t have the tools to prepare for disasters or understand why they’re getting worse. It’s about putting ideology ahead of human lives, and we should all be sick of it.

Was it Putin or the fossil fuel billionaires who told Trump and Musk to do this? Because I can’t think of any other reason why they’d be working so hard to bring death and destruction to millions of Americans.

People are going to die because of these cuts. Not might die, not could die: will die. Families will lose everything. Communities will be wiped off the map. All because two billionaires decided their war on our “socialist” government and the tax dollars that support it was more important than keeping ordinary Americans safe.

The National Weather Service, NOAA, and FEMA aren’t bloated bureaucracies wasting taxpayer money. They’re the thin line between advance warning and mass casualties. They’re the difference between evacuation and devastation.

We can’t let them finish this demolition job directed against our nation. Call your representatives. Raise hell. Make noise. And, if we can’t stop them, let’s make sure that when the next big storm hits and the warnings don’t come in time, we’ll all know exactly who’s responsible for the bodies.

Rep. Barragán Raises Alarm Over GOP Plan to Cut Health Care for Millions

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Rep. Barragán Raises Alarm Over GOP Plan to Cut Health Care for Millions

 

Washington, D.C. – After a 26-hour markup last week, House Republicans on the energy and commerce committee May 17 advanced their piece of Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation plan — with no Democratic votes. The bill slashes $715 billion from Medicaid and other critical health care programs — combined with the provisions passed by the Ways & Means Committee this week and a proposed regulation from the Trump Administration, 13.7 million Americans now stand to lose their health care.

“This bill is nothing short of an assault on the health care of working families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities,” said Rep. Barragán. “The Republican reconciliation bill, along with the actions of the Trump Administration and Republicans’ failure to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, will cause almost 14 million people to lose their health care. Republicans forced us to debate this bill in the dead of night, when they knew most Americans would not see their attempt to take health care away from millions of people. House Democrats will continue to fight this bill and make sure all Americans know that these painful cuts to essential services and programs are so that Republicans can give even larger tax breaks to their billionaire donors.”

Throughout the marathon markup, Rep. Barragán and Democratic committee members introduced amendments to reverse, blunt, or improve upon the harms of the bill, which Republicans, as a whole, rejected. This bill will now be combined with the Republican reconciliation bills that have passed out of other House committees for full House consideration.

The approved bill text includes harmful provisions that will:

Make it harder for people to enroll and keep their health coverage:

Burdensome new paperwork for Medicaid enrollees, designed to reduce access — not improve care.

Barriers to enrolling and renewing coverage for people on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Shortened enrollment period for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage, reducing time to sign up.

Make it more expensive to access care:

New copays for Medicaid recipients.

New fees and documentation requirements for people seeking ACA subsidies.

Barriers to programs that help low-income seniors on both Medicare and Medicaid afford health care.

Decrease access to high-quality, affordable care for hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes, and at-home services:

Delays implementation of nursing home minimum staffing standards, putting elderly residents at risk.

Restricts states’ use of provider taxes, which support payments to health care providers and expansion of covered services.

Cuts federal Medicaid support for states that use their own funds to cover undocumented immigrants.

Beyond health care, the bill also includes sweeping attacks on environmental protections, clean energy investments, and telecommunications infrastructure:

Guts clean energy and environmental investments — including pollution reduction programs in schools and low-income communities.

Lets fossil fuel companies pay to bypass safeguards, including a $1 million fee to fast-track LNG exports and $10 million to expedite pipeline permitting.

Raises $88 billion through a spectrum auction and diverts those funds to tax cuts for billionaires, rather than investments in internet affordability and NextGen 911.

The legislation now moves to the House floor, where it will be considered as part of the broader Republican budget reconciliation package.

Annual Grant Opportunities Now Open at Arts Council for Long Beach

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Annual Grant Opportunities Now Open at Arts Council for Long Beach

The Arts Council for Long Beach or ArtsLB announces this year’s annual grant opportunities. These grants are designed to support artists, arts organizations, and cultural projects that enhance the vibrancy of the community. Whether you’re an individual artist, a local arts organization, or an emerging creative leader, there’s a funding opportunity for you.

Three Grant Programs Available:

1. Community Project Grants

Supports exemplary artistic, cultural and arts educational projects in Long Beach. This grant aims to encourage innovative and diverse programming, support arts and cultural projects that address community needs, and assist local organizations with a track record of effective arts programming. Funding: $1,000 – $5,000 (based on available funds and merit of proposals)

2. Operating Grants I & II

Provides unrestricted funding for arts and cultural organizations with an annual budget of $250,000 or more. Organizations must focus on presenting, collecting, or commissioning exemplary works of art, performances, or exhibitions for public benefit. Note: Measure B Grantees are no longer eligible for this program. New applicants must schedule a consultation with the grants department between now and June 6. Contact grants@artslb.org to book an appointment.

3. Professional Artist Fellowship

This grant honors living Long Beach-based artists who have demonstrated excellence and impact in their field(s). Eligible disciplines include: Visual, Performing; Audio, Literary; Media; and Culinary Arts; Folk; Traditional; Multidisciplinary; and Interdisciplinary Arts. Awards are based on artistic merit and professional achievement.

Grant Assistance Workshops Join the free virtual workshop to help you navigate the application process: May 20 (Zoom Workshops) – covering community project and professional artist grants. Operating grants require one-on-one consultations instead of a workshop. RSVP: https://artslb.org/programs/grants/grant-assistance/Apply now. Applications close June 13 at 5 p.m.

Details: Applications are open now – visit https://artslb.org/programs/grants/ to learn more and submit your application.

134,000 LA County Residents to Get Medical Debt Relief Notices This Week

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134,000 LA County Residents to Get Medical Debt Relief Notices This Week

More than 134,000 Los Angeles County residents will begin receiving notices this week as a part of the first wave of medical debt relief, marking a significant step in addressing the financial strain caused by medical costs. The notices, sent by LA County and national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt inform the resident that their medical debt has been permanently retired and offer helpful information for individuals who need help with additional medical bills or are seeking financial assistance.

The amount of debt being relieved through this first round of notices is $183,580,711.32.

Launched in December 2024, the Los Angeles County Medical Debt Relief Program provides immediate financial relief by purchasing and eliminating medical debt for qualifying residents. Through an initial $5 million investment approved by the LA County Board of Supervisors, the program aims to retire $500 million in medical debt for low-income residents, with plans to eliminate up to $2 billion by seeking additional contributions from philanthropic partners, hospitals, and health plans. Through this program, Undue Medical Debt acquires qualifying debts in bulk for a fraction of their face value from provider partners like hospitals and health systems along with collection agencies, meaning on average one dollar donated can erase $100 or more of medical debt.

Eligible residents will receive an Undue Medical Debt and Los Angeles County branded envelope in the mail without any need to apply. The program also includes preventive measures to reduce future medical debt through improved eligibility tools for financial assistance programs and increased access to resources.

This medical debt relief is source-based, meaning only qualifying debts held by participating providers or collectors can be canceled. Relief cannot be requested. To qualify for relief, current LA County residents must be either four times (400%) or below the federal poverty level or have medical debt that totals 5% or more of their annual income.

A key component of existing efforts to reduce medical debt accumulation rests in ensuring that hospitals and health care providers have robust systems in place to help those with few resources manage a chronic illness and/or medical emergency. To assist with these efforts, the LA County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance on September 10, 2024 requiring hospitals in unincorporated Los Angeles to report on debt and financial assistance activities. On April 29, 2025, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously advanced a motion, led by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, to extend medical debt data collection to 34 additional hospitals within the city limits. This expansion builds upon efforts to improve the quality of financial assistance programs and debt collection practices in order to reduce medical debt by the LA County Board of Supervisors in September 2024 which apply to hospitals in unincorporated areas.

Details:http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/hccp/medicalDebt/prevent.htm

LA County Expands Support for Transition Age Youth and Tackles Jail Deaths

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LA County Expands Support for Transition Age Youth and Tackles Jail Deaths

 

Supervisors Advance CalAIM Benefits for Transition Age Youth

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors May 13 approved a motion authored by chair pro tem and Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and Supervisor Janice Hahn to establish a framework to ensure every Transition Age Youth or TAY aging out of the county’s system has information and enrollment support regarding available healthcare options and benefits, including those through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal or CalAIM.

CalAIM, which provides beneficiaries with holistic care extending beyond the doctor’s office or hospital, includes statewide benefits such as Enhanced Care Management or ECM and Community Support or CS, and have helped address historic challenges faced by youth in foster care and TAY, such as care coordination. In June of 2024, the board passed a motion authored by chair pro tem Solis to ensure generational and life-long success for TAY, establishing a roadmap and a TAY Roundtable to address youth ages 16 to 24 who are not in school, training, working, or seeking employment. As a part of this approach, the county recognized these disconnected youth as more likely to be part of a generational poverty cycle, be unemployed or underemployed, experience housing insecurity and homelessness, and poor health.

The TAY roundtable had its kick-off meeting last month to begin collaboration to address the holistic needs of transition age youth. This roundtable is bringing together stakeholders across multiple county departments and community partners to coordinate to meet the needs of TAY, as well as make recommendations to better serve these youth. One of their key recommendations is connecting TAY to health care plans, to help preserve access to care and resources even beyond the County network.

The approved motion directs several county departments and offices, including the Departments of Public Health Services, Youth Development, Public Health, and even the County’s Youth Commission and LGBTQ+ Commission to include a presentation of considerations for TAY enrolling in a managed care plan in addition to the recommended framework.

Details: here.

 

Board of Supervisors Passes Hahn Motion in Response to Rising Deaths in LA County Jails

LOS ANGELES — In response to a disturbing rise in in-custody deaths within the Los Angeles County jail system, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors May 13 passed a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn to initiate a multi-departmental comprehensive plan to address the crisis.

The county has seen one of the deadliest starts to a year in its jail system’s recent history. In the first 20 weeks of 2025 alone, 20 incarcerated individuals have died—more than double the number of deaths during the same period last year—including three in a single day.

“Our jails are in crisis,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We have seen an alarming increase in deaths of people who are in our custody and in our care. We need to take urgent, decisive action to save lives. The aim of this motion is to make sure we understand what is driving this increase and that we address it at a systemic level.”

Deaths have continued to increase despite recent efforts to improve conditions—such as increased medical staffing, greater access to Narcan within jails, and a declining jail population.

The motion directs the Department of Health Services’ Correctional Health Services or CHS and requests the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or LASD to deliver a comprehensive report within 90 days that includes:

An implementation plan with clear performance metrics to significantly reduce in-custody deaths;

An in-depth analysis of the causes and contributing factors behind the increase in deaths, along with recommendations to prevent future loss of life;

An assessment of how policy or budgetary decisions—such as Proposition 36 or federal cuts to health services—may affect inmate health outcomes.

Additionally, the motion directs the auditor-controller and CEO risk management, with support from CHS, LASD, and the medical examiner, to audit corrective action plans related to in-custody deaths from 2020 to the present and recommend further improvements.

Details: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/202910.pdf

 

Letters to the Editor: Memories, Machines and Messages of Peace from Pedro to California

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Letters to the Editor: Memories, Machines and Messages of Peace from Pedro to California

Remembering Eleanor Montano

I’m a family friend of Eleanor Montano. I’m speaking on behalf of the Montano family to let you know of her passing on April 29th.

Eleanor served her community of Wilmington, LAPD Harbor Division, City of LA on various Boards and Commissions throughout Los Angeles for over 50 yrs.

Eleanor has received numerous awards through the years for her work and has been a friend and mentor to many throughout the community. On a personal note, she was a mentor to me when I first came on board with the LAPD, volunteering with the Crisis Response Team back in 1996.

I thought it would be so very nice to acknowledge her dedication to her many years of service.

Thank you so much,

Gary Horton

 

Industrial Robots

U.S. factories now run about 382 ,000 industrial robots—up 12 % in a single year—and 2023 saw a new unit bolted to the floor roughly once every 14 minutes. ¹ These machines make everyday goods cheaper, but each one also reshapes or erases a human role. IFR International Federation of Robotics

AI is no longer just on the shop floor: algorithms design circuit boards, route freight, and even auto‑generate maintenance schedules. Yet the speed of this rollout has left unions and local officials scrambling to react in real time, not years in advance.

So why aren’t workers given a transparent timeline—and the resources—to adapt? Large‑scale studies show that only about one in eight displaced workers (≈ 10–15 %) ever enroll in any formal retraining, despite clear evidence that targeted coursework can restore lost earnings. ² Meanwhile, many Americans still cling to the comforting hope that the economy will simply “snap back” to its pre‑automation state. That ship has sailed; entire warehouses and ports already run lights‑out. Money Smart Week

If we’re serious about preserving middle‑class dignity, three steps can’t wait:

Transparency. A federal Automation Forecast forcing large employers to publish five‑year robot/AI deployment plans.

Transition funding. A National Reskilling Trust that grants every displaced worker a fully paid year in an accredited program—no tuition, no lost health coverage.

Portable benefits. Health care and retirement accounts that follow the worker, not the job, so people can move from legacy roles into new ones without risking bankruptcy.

Give citizens the facts, the time, and the tools, and they’ll meet the future head‑on. Keep them in the dark, and the true price of “cheap” goods will be paid in livelihoods, not dollars.

Carlos Saldana

Long Beach

 

California Love

If your online algorithms have ever led you into the far-right internet, you know it is a fact-free environment filled with conspiracy theories and disinformation.

That’s true when it comes to California as well.

During the LA fires they were out there saying we didn’t rake the forest enough, firefighters were using purses to put out fires, and that the fires were set deliberately to create a UN model city. Wild stuff…

But it happens every day.

They say people are fleeing California. False. Our population grew again last year.

They say our state has made a mess of the economy. False. California is now the fourth largest economy in the world. The right likes to talk up Texas as some beacon of what America’s economy should be. Ridiculous. California is the largest manufacturing (and agricultural) state in the country. The next largest state is Texas, and we’re 41% bigger than Texas. Plus, California is a donor state. Texas? A welfare state.

We have more jobs in forestry, agriculture, and fishing. In so many ways, California is a microcosm of the United States. America… but more.

Thanks for reading — and stay vigilant against the lies and falsehoods out there.

Gavin Newsom, Governor California

 

Peace In Pedro

I’d like to announce 2 local Peace events this month:

1) Thursday May 15th 4-5pm in front of RLN, we will be rallying for our 1st Amendment Freedom of the Press, and to commemorate Nakba Day and denounce the murder by Israel of over 200 Palestinian journalists in Israel’s US-backed war of erasure in Gaza.

2) Our 10th Annual L.A. Harbor Peace Week Not Fleet Week, a series of Peace activities at the San Pedro Waterfront resisting the normalization and promotion of war during the U.S. military’s annual “fleet week” here. For 10 years during “fleet week”, YOUR L.A. Harbor has become a military fairground at the base of the USS Iowa on the L.A. Waterfront. Weapons of all types, and “careers” in WAR are promoted ad nauseum to tens of thousands of people, and especially target youth to recruit them to war jobs after high school.

We Americans pay $1.5 Trillion every year to the Pentagon to fight, prepare for, and recover from, America’s highly questionable wars and over 750 military bases in other people’s countries. Cutting just the nonsense programs like the F-35, long range missile “defense”, the Sentinel ICBM program, and the continued procurement of aircraft carriers could save $100 billion a year. This money could go to nurses, affordable housing, teachers, clean energy, pre-school programs, and healthcare, including VA benefits.

If you are sick and tired of constant WARS, and the promotion of them, join us for Peace Week Not Fleet Week!

A full list can be found @pedro4peace and @codepinksanpedro and on Facebook.

Thursday May 22 we’ll be flyering 4 peace at the downtown welcome “party”. Party4Peace. We’ll meet at 6pm in front of the garden at 429 6th St.

Friday May 23 is our Weekly “Rally for Palestine” @1221 S Gaffey St VONS 5-6pm, followed by a Car Caravan to Wilmington to vigil and FLYER in Banning Park at “fleet week’s” Wilmington Welcome ‘Party’.

Saturday May 24 11am-2pm to FLYER! @ the USS Iowa. and 5pm-7pm FLYER! for Peace at West Harbor

Sunday May 25 1-4pm @ USS Iowa

-Interfaith Peace Promotion and FLYERING!

“Stop Glorifying Guns”

“Pray for Peace, Not for War”

Monday Memorial Day May 26 2-5pm @ USS Iowa FLYERING!

“Gaza is Starving”

“War is Making you Poor”

Rachel Bruhnke Codepink

San Pedro

MAGA Warriors: The Bill is Due

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MAGA Warriors: The Bill is Due

 

By John R. Gray

Well, MAGA conservatives, you got what you wanted: Donald Trump was elected president. And lately, he seems to be following what you all wanted: immigration crackdowns are rampant (constitutional or not), DEI initiatives have either been shut down or are on the run, and liberals everywhere are being “owned” through all of Trump’s initiatives in just the first few months of his term.

Whiteness has been restored as the power structure in America. I know, I know, race somehow isn’t an issue in who you voted for as president, but this is just fantasy. Kamala Harris was clearly a more qualified presidential candidate, yet you all still voted for a white man who is a total egomaniac. Nevertheless, one has to wonder, are all of you in MAGA truly content with your vote? Is everything Trump and his “esteemed” cabinet are doing truly helpful for you, or are you starting to have a bit of buyer’s remorse?

Let’s take a closer look at some of the things Trump and his cabinet have done in the past few months. Let’s start off with the tariffs Trump has imposed on many countries all over the world. It was argued that the tariffs implemented would lure manufacturing back to the U.S., forcing other countries to strike new deals with the U.S. and eliminating our trade deficits. All of these actions went against many economists’ advice, but the opinions of experts have never really mattered to Trump, have they? All of his policy decisions seem to be made on a whim, with no real reasoning behind any of them. The man conducts himself as a harbinger of chaos, like Frankenstein on roller skates, causing havoc throughout the government.

Speaking of havoc, let’s talk about the actions of Trump and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who was seen operating bumper cars at the carnival recently. A TV personality like Trump, Hegseth fired Joint Chiefs Chair General Charles Q. Brown, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, as well as the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Such actions appear to be nothing more than a purge aimed at getting rid of military officials that Hegseth was known to criticize as “DEI hires.” These firings beg the question of who Trump and Hegseth have in mind for these positions and what connections they may have to the two men. Hegseth has already commissioned his personal lawyer to be a Navy commander in the Judge Advocate General’s corps, which is obviously a conflict of interest and furthers fears that Trump and Hegseth will bring people into the Judge Advocate General that will allow them to get away with whatever they want. Would you want your children to serve under a man like this? Imagine them fighting and dying on the orders of such an inexperienced commander. Was this what you really wanted?

Now let’s get into the absolute catastrophe that is the Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE. Run by South African billionaire Elon Musk, this department, which is supposed to cut down on excess government spending, has only hurt government organizations that are meant to help people, such as the Social Security Administration, which was already operating at a restricted level from previous cuts. What are government employees to do, go on welfare? What does this mean for all of the senior citizens who need Social Security to survive in their old age, and what does it mean for those senior citizens who voted for Trump? I suppose they have to go on welfare as well. I guarantee that under Kamala Harris, we would not have had to worry about either of these questions. Seems to be a situation where people shot themselves in the foot, but this is what MAGA followers voted for, many of whom are on Social Security. Was this what you wanted?

Lastly, let’s talk about Trump’s dismantling of the Department of Education, all in the name of attacking “woke” ideologies and DEI programs. It’s no secret that the Department of Education was in charge of enforcing anti-discrimination laws and focused on helping underrepresented schools, things that are apparently anathema to Trump and his entire administration. His belief that states and local districts should deal with education by themselves begs the question as to how equitable treatment for all students can exist when each state can deal with education as it pleases. One must remember that at one point before the existence of the Department of Education, many southern states held two different and unequal standards of education for black and white students, thanks to segregation. Maga followers in Mississippi have been found to allocate unequal funds between black majority and white majority schools. Without a Department of Education, we could very well be headed back to unequal standards of education based on how states choose to implement their educational system.

My fellow Americans, I have to ask again: Is this what all of you in the MAGA movement really wanted? Are you really prepared to ride the unpredictable waves of pure dictatorship? When Trump deports legal immigrants such as Kilmer Abrego Garcia to El Salvador prisons and defies a Supreme Court Order to have him returned, is that really a part of what you want for this nation? How much further are you willing to let this man go with his fascism in the name of attacking “woke” ideologies? Will you continue to approve of this mess until this country resembles a Vladimir Putin-style oligarchy? If you do, I can guarantee that not even you will be safe when the trucks arrive to take you to who knows where. Keep waving your MAGA flags and kissing Trump’s ass though, after all, he’s what you wanted, a white narcissist as your ideal president.

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