Thursday, October 16, 2025
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Charge Your Car, Not Your Wallet, Carson Launches EV Charging Wallet Pilot Program

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Charge Your Car, Not Your Wallet, Carson Launches EV Charging Wallet Pilot Program

 

CARSON — The City of Carson announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind EV charging wallet pilot program, beginning Oct. 1, which will offer approved applicants up to $250 in charging incentives at city-approved EV charging stations. This initiative is offered in partnership with the Clean Power Alliance’s Innovation Fund program and is designed to support Carson residents who may lack easy access to EV charging at home.

On Sept. 30, the City of Carson officially proclaimed September 12 to October 12 as National Drive Electric Month, a campaign to encourage clean transportation. This declaration, along with the city’s installation of new EV charging stations and the expansion of its electric vehicle fleet provides greater accessibility to electric vehicle charging for Carson residents.

To participate, applicants must provide proof of residency and enrollment in Clean Power Alliance service, and proof of a 100% battery-electric vehicle registered in Carson. Grant funding is limited, and submitting an application does not guarantee an incentive. Reimbursements will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted.

Details: 310-847-3566; www.carsonca.gov/evprogram.php, or email energy@carsonca.gov

Washington’s Complex Agenda in the Middle East

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Washington’s Complex Agenda in the Middle East

The US ruling class is working overtime to maintain and expand
economic, political, and military power.

Freedom Socialist newspaper, Vol. 46, No. 5, October-November 2025
socialism.com
By Steve Strauss

The world is waking up to the cold, calculated realities behind global suffering.

Israel’s land-grabbing genocide in Palestine has shaken people everywhere. And the U.S. has been exposed in tandem. By providing weapons of mass destruction to Israel and neighboring states, Washington enables the region’s endless wars and humanitarian emergencies. The biggest powers in the European Union are also complicit.

As crises spiral, working people increasingly realize that behind each specific instance of ruin is an international system: imperialism, the competition for profit among enormous corporations and their state benefactors.

The United States occupies first place among rivals. In the Middle East, its agenda is far larger than just holding Zionist Israel together. It has put together a web of interlocking regional allies which Trump is expanding and tightening. Understanding its goals and relationships is key to building a strong and effective movement to challenge its predations.

Oil is the tip of the geyser

The central prize of the Middle East, obviously, is the great planetary polluter — oil.

As the globe’s indispensable fuel, the present international economic system cannot survive without it. The world runs on oil. And most countries import it from the Middle East.

Five of the world’s top 10 exporters are Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia alone generates nearly 15% of global output. And U.S.-based multinationals like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips are major players as importers, investors and partners in joint ventures.

As significant as oil remains, U.S. economic interests in the Gulf go far beyond it.

Google and Amazon, for example, have each invested $5 billion to build AI and data centers in Saudi Arabia. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Boeing, IBM, Microsoft, and Google have major stakes in aerospace, technology, and manufacturing. In 2024, U.S. corporate investment there was $34.4 billion.

In May, Trump took time off from destroying democratic rights at home to forge stronger military and financial alliances with the monarchies of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The White House claims to have made deals worth over $2 trillion. UAE pledged to sink $1.4 trillion into the U.S. AI sector over the coming decade. Sales of weapons and Boeing airplanes amounted to hundreds of billions of dollars.

It’s well known that the U.S. provides billions of dollars each year in military assistance to Israel, its power base in the region. But, through sales and aid, the U.S. also heavily arms Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, and Iraq. And it maintains 19 military bases in the Middle East with 40,000 personnel.

Washington hopes with all this firepower to maintain control over oil resources and stave off popular rebellions. The U.S. understands that, ultimately, the main threat to all imperialist control is the revolutionary potential of the masses of working people. In any case, the weaponization of the region contributes to the uninterrupted military spending at home that keeps the U.S. economy afloat.

Key threats: China and Iran

Threats to Washington’s hegemony in the Middle East are several and serious.

China is a key obstacle to U.S. economic leadership. It has replaced the European Union as the leading trade partner for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. It has billions of dollars invested in digital technology and infrastructure. Trump’s deal-making trip in May was largely motivated by China’s encroachment. However, it comes on top of longtime U.S. support for various oppressive and undemocratic dynasties in the Middle East.

China also props up Iran’s economy, which is collapsing in the face of Washington’s bipartisan sanctions, by buying up 90% of Iran’s exported oil. It helps Russia in this way as well. By forging deeper ties with Iran and Russia, China is fortifying its own position relative to the U.S.

So, in June, when the U.S. backed and joined into Israel’s attacks on Iran, Washington’s deadly aggression was about more than nuclear sites or oil fields. It was part of a high-stakes competition over who holds sway in the Middle East.

Change begins with demands at home

To alter the deadly course of things in the Middle East, it’s necessary to build the worldwide movement against the imperialist appetite for environmentally devastating energy sources. The U.S. military is the world’s largest fossil fuel polluter. The logic of the climate change movement is to challenge Western power.

Also key to change is active solidarity with the Gulf’s abused and exploited women, national minorities, immigrants, and workers.

At the same time, it’s crucial to organize to demand that the U.S. and other Israel supporters stop providing military and any other kind of assistance to the genocidal regime — immediately.

These struggles, already underway, are more urgent than ever.

California Expands Workforce Support and Protects Homeland Security Funding

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California Expands Workforce Support and Protects Homeland Security Funding

Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Expanding Workers’ Rights

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Sept. 30 signed Assembly Bill 288 authored by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), which defends California workers’ rights, including their right to organize — allowing them to petition the Public Employee Relations Board when the federal National Labor Relations Board does not fulfill its duties.

“The current President is attempting to take a wrecking ball to public and private sector employees’ fundamental right to join a union and collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits and safe working conditions. This is unacceptable and frankly, un-American. California will not sit idly as its workers are systematically denied the right to organize due to employer intransigence or federal inaction,” Assemblymember McKinnor (D – Inglewood). “The right to join a union and bargain collectively is essential to the state’s economic security and the human dignity of all California workers. AB 288 ensures that California workers can continue to exercise this right – even in the face of one of the most anti-worker Administrations in our nation’s history. Governor Newsom is on the right side of history by signing AB 288 into law and I am thankful for his continued leadership to protect workers across the Golden State.”

Expanded protection: The bill defends workers’ rights, ensuring that if the National Labor Relations Board doesn’t address an unfair employment issue, PERB can stand in its place.

Stronger support: The bill would create the PERB Enforcement Fund sustained by civil penalties from employers found in violation of labor laws.

Shields workers from federal inaction or negligence: As the federal government continues to dismantle worker protections and resources, this new measure will help ensure workers continue to have a voice and strong accountability.

 

AG Secures Final Judgment Protecting Homeland Security Funding

Alongside a coalition of attorneys general, California Attorney General Rob Bonta secured a permanent injunction last week from the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island blocking the illegal conditioning of homeland security grant funding. California receives funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks and other catastrophes. This includes counterterrorism grants, grants that allow states to prepare for terrorism in high-concentration urban areas, emergency preparedness grants, cybersecurity grants, and many others that are similarly not connected to civil immigration enforcement. In issuing a permanent injunction, the court found that the Trump Administration’s attempt to impose this new set of conditions across a range of grant programs was arbitrary and capricious, exceeded its legal authority, and violated the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Bonta-Final-Ruling

Gaza Aid Flotillas Defy Israeli Blockade to Bring Medicine and Food to Palestinians

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Gaza Aid Flotillas Defy Israeli Blockade to Bring Medicine and Food to Palestinians
Freedom Socialist newspaper, Vol. 46, No. 5, October-November 2025
socialism.com
By Lauren Shiel

International activists, trumpeting calls for Gaza solidarity, are journeying with
humanitarian aid for Palestinians in flotillas of small boats. Armed Israeli soldiers
have been waylaying them, but this has not stopped these courageous maritime
missions.
The need for aid is because Israel has illegally blockaded Gaza’s air and water
space since 2007. The largest-ever flotilla, the Global Sumud, headed out this
August carrying a ton of supplies. It consists of fifty ships with protesters from 44
nations, including Swedish climate justice campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Earlier this July, U.S. labor organizer Chris Smalls of the Amazon Workers Union
joined the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on the 37th attempt to break the blockade.
Smalls, the only Black Palestinian supporter aboard the Handala, suffered racist
violence by Israeli soldiers who raided the ship. He was calling for Amazon to
stop contracting with Israeli weapon manufacturers and for U.S. unions to halt
arms shipments to Israel.
Denying Gazans humanitarian aid, impeding ships in international waters and
arresting at gunpoint those onboard are illegal acts by the Netanyahu
regime. But brave protesters persist in defying a country carrying out genocide.
Their global intervention in defense of Palestinians is heard around the world.

Gov. Newsom Issues Executive Order to Address Economic and Insurance Fallout from Climate Crisis

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Gov. Newsom Issues Executive Order to Address Economic and Insurance Fallout from Climate Crisis

 

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Sept 30 launched the next phase of California’s “all-in” response to the ongoing economic impacts of the climate crisis, including the insurance crisis felt across the U.S. and globally as climate change creates new risks to property owners and insurers as well as the destabilization of the energy utility sector that directly impacts ratepayers and wildfire survivors.

The Governor signed an executive order that calls for multiple state agencies and departments to collaborate on research and recommendations to develop long-term durable tools to mitigate and fairly allocate the costs of recovering from natural catastrophes, further stabilize the insurance market and utility sector, make insurance more affordable and accessible, protect ratepayers, ensure compensation for wildfire survivors, and more. Text of the executive order is available here.

The executive order comes after the Governor signed SB 254 (Becker) to create the next generation of the state’s wildfire fund to support wildfire survivors and protect ratepayers from excessive utility liability costs. One major component of SB 254 directs the state’s wildfire fund administrator to prepare a report by April 2026 analyzing new approaches to responding to catastrophes, including wildfires. This executive order expedites the state’s work to undertake that analysis.

The California Earthquake Authority or CEA, as the wildfire fund administrator, will evaluate and prepare a report on reforms to California’s energy utility and insurance markets in the face of California’s growing exposure to natural catastrophes. CEA will collaborate with several state agencies on the study and has issued a call for stakeholder contributions to the study. Those with an interest in California’s natural catastrophe resiliency are encouraged to participate and share their expertise.

Gov. Newsom also announced that his former cabinet secretary, Ann Patterson, who will be joining the Woods Institute for Environment and Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability as a Policy Scholar, has agreed to participate in this process in her personal capacity.

Shutdown 2025: What to Expect

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Shutdown 2025: What to Expect

This announcement from Rep. Nannette Barragán’s office was sent with the following disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: The following information is based off of how federal agencies have handled shutdowns in the past. The Trump administration may not follow the same protocols. We will do our best to keep you updated with the most current information.

At 12.01 a.m. Oct. 1, the end of the government’s fiscal year, the federal government was shut down. Democrats are committed to lowering costs, protecting Americans’ healthcare, and keeping the government open. Unfortunately, President Trump and Republican leadership have refused to negotiate in good faith with Democratic leaders on a path forward that protects American’s health care.

Many of the services provided by the federal government that communities rely on will be closed or continue with limited capacity or hours of service. At this time, its unclear how long this shutdown could last.

Below you’ll find frequently asked questions about a federal government shutdown and the impact on the federal government’s current operating procedures during the shutdown.

To view the most updated information on the shutdown impacts, click HERE.

Rep. Nannette Barragán’s office will remain open to assist you.

  • D.C. Office: 9 a.m.-5.30 p.m. ET, Mon-Fri, 202-225-8220
  • Long Beach Office: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PT, Mon-Fri, 310-831-1799

Information on Federal Agencies and Services

  • Social Security

Recipients will continue to receive their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) checks. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will continue to issue original and replacement Social Security cards and process applications for benefits and appeals.

Field offices will remain open, and the national 1-800 number will be running.

Some Social Security services may be affected, such as benefit verifications and overpayment processing.

  • Medicare and Medicaid

Medicaid and Medicaid benefits will not be disrupted.

The shutdown will not affect Medicare’s open enrollment period beginning October 15, 2025.

  • Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace/Covered California

The shutdown will not affect the open enrollment period beginning November 1, 2025 for the state’s ACA marketplace, Covered California.

  • Veteran Services

Veterans’ health care will not be affected by the shutdown.

Benefits will continue to be processed and delivered (compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits).

Some Veterans’ Affairs (VA) services will be restricted (i.e. outreach, career concealing, transition assistance, and more)

Regional VA offices will close.

  • Food Assistance Programs and TANF

Participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will see an immediate reduction in benefits.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will continue to receive assistance as normal through October 2025.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is funded by the federal government but distributed by state agencies, so this will depend on whether the state uses emergency funds to continue the program for a limited time, or until the shutdown ends.

  • Public Spaces, Utilities, and Federal Court

Mail will still arrive, and Postal Service employees are exempt from “furlough”.

Public elementary, middle, and high schools will be open.

Some preschool and school readiness centers will close, leading some children to lose their Head Start benefits.

Most safety inspections for drinking water, food, worksites, and hazardous sites will be suspended.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections of domestic food will be suspended.

A majority of national parks and museums operated by the federal government will close.

Federal courts will remain open.

  • Student Loans

If the shutdown is prolonged, key activities at Federal Student Aid could be impacted and disrupt the agency’s ability to assist borrowers.

The FAFSA and financial aid process could be delayed for students applying.

  • IRS and Taxes

If you are filing taxes with a valid extension, you are still required to file by October 16, 2025.

The IRS is expected to use leftover funds to operate normally for 5 business days. After that, tax refunds may see significant delays due to staffing shortages caused by the shutdown.

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA should still respond to emergencies.

Long-term projects will be delayed due to lack of funding for the Disaster Relief Fund.

  • Small Business Administration (SBA)

SBA will not provide new loans.

SBA loan repayments will still be due — contact your lending institution and ask how a government shutdown affects your loan.

SBA is likely to continue to issue disaster loans, the process of getting approved for a new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) will take longer.

  • Housing

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will have limited staff. Processing or closing of FHA-insured loans may be delayed. Contact your lender for the exact status of your loan.

Households receiving Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will continue through the end of the year.

  • Domestic and International Travel

Travelers could face longer wait times for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security lines at airports across the country.

During the 2018-2019 partial shutdown, TSA PreCheck applications were accepted, Global Entry enrollment appointments were canceled.

The U.S. Passport Agency will remain open and continue to issue passports.

During the 2018-2019 partial shutdown, United States embassies will remain open, but U.S. citizens living abroad should be prepared for delays.

  • Federal Employees

A majority of federal employees will not report to work during the shutdown and will not be paid until the shutdown ends. Furloughed workers will receive backpay at the conclusion of the shutdown.

Federal workers who are deemed essential will continue to report to work but will not receive pay until the government opens.

Federal workers and contractors who are furloughed or terminated contractors may apply for unemployment in their state.

  • Visiting Washington, D.C.

U.S. Capitol tours will not be offered.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Yes on 50

Greggory Moore
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Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Yes on 50

Gerrymandering is the bane — well, one of the banes — of our so-called democracy. Both Democrats and Republicans have used it to their advantage, and rarely has either party prioritized reforming the practice.

But even if it had not been the case before the Donald Trump era, there is obviously nothing close to moral equivalency between the Elephant and the Donkey these days. Donald Trump’s own vice president, J.D. Vance, once mused that Trump might be “America’s Hitler,” and Herr Trump has done just about everything he can to prove Vance right. Undermining public confidence in our electoral system. Condoning the storming of the Capitol. Ordering the Justice Department to target political opponents. Attacking the free press. Putting the squeeze on free speech. Defying court orders. Breaking down the wall between Church and State. Criminalizing reproductive choice. Demonizing immigrants. Historical revisionism. Book-banning. Choking off funding for scientific research. Compromising public health by implementing policies counter to recommendations of the medical community. Supporting genocide. Rolling out the red carpet for dictators waging wars of aggression. Actively combatting efforts to minimize the climate disaster that is underway. Eroding consumer protections. Using the presidency to enrich himself and his cronies. It seems there is no line he will not cross. And today’s Republicans love it, catering to his every wicked whim.

Apropos of “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” in August the Republican-controlled Texas legislature took the almost unprecedented step (it’s happened only twice since 1970 — both times by Republicans) of re-gerrymandering the state not in response to census data, but with the sole purpose of disenfranchising minority voters so as to make a likely midterm election gain of five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

California’s Proposition 50 is a direct response to that move. If passed by voters, Proposition 50 will allow the state government to effect its own non-census-related gerrymander in an effort to nullify any ill-gotten gain by Texas Republicans.

Many of us situated on the left side of the political spectrum have been screaming at Democrats to do more to turn back the MAGA tide. Well, this is what it looks like. It ain’t pretty, but it’s taking a stand.

I hate being put in the position where I have to make this choice. In 2008 I was an enthusiastic supporter of the VOTERS FIRST Act, which created the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. I want congressional districts drawn with no other aim than to fairly represent the communities they serve.

But Proposition 50 is called “the Election Rigging Response Act” because that’s exactly what it is: a response to the Republican Party’s attempt to rig the 2026 midterm elections, nullifying their non-census-year gerrymander in the only way we can. And unlike the change in Texas, ours would not be permanent, reverting back to our current model in 2030 — i.e., after the next census, when hopefully Trump will be dead and if we’re lucky cooler, braver, and less totalitarian heads will prevail on the right.

I don’t know whether all politics is local (a sentiment commonly attributed to former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill), but the recent Texas gerrymander certainly fits the bill, because from ICE raids and National Guard incursions to overturning our environmental regulations and implementing tariffs that have already cost California over $11 billion, what the Republicans are doing with their control of Congress is obviously having deleterious effects here at home..

Proposition 50 is a desperate move, but these are desperate times. Our republic has always been terribly flawed, but right now almost all of the good is being eaten away from the inside, while the bad is becoming that much worse and new evils are birthed seemingly every day. We have waded into fascist, authoritarian waters. If the MAGA movement continues on its present course, we will quickly be in over our head.

You are free to do nothing, to offer no resistance, to make excuses for your apathy and idly watch what happens; or you can fight. Proposition 50 is a way of fighting, a weapon to defend yourself, your children and loved ones, your neighbors and the most vulnerable in your community. It is hateful to be attacked and to have to choose between passive victimhood and self-defense. But that is the choice that has been forced upon us. I say we fight, by any means necessary. Yes on 50.

If you want to do even more, a quick web search yields numerous options. Here are a few direct links to sign up for phone-banking (which you can generally do from the comfort of your own home):

 

Padilla, Democrats Call on State Department to Restore Gaza Humanitarian and Medical Visas

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Padilla, Democrats Call on State Department to Restore Gaza Humanitarian and Medical Visas

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) Sept. 29 joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 39 other Democrats in demanding Secretary of State Marco Rubio reverse the State Department’s blanket decision last month to suspend the issuance of temporary medical and humanitarian visas for civilians in Gaza in need of urgent medical care, including children with life-threatening injuries or conditions. The Senators also requested information on the Department’s recent decision to restrict nonimmigrant visas for people who hold Palestinian passports.

“We write with grave concern regarding the State Department’s recent suspension of all visitor visas for eligible, vetted individuals from Gaza, including those in need of urgent medical care. We are also concerned by the unprecedented decision to abruptly refuse nonimmigrant visas to people with Palestinian passports. It is critical that the Department immediately reinstate temporary medical and humanitarian visas for Palestinian civilians in Gaza in order to save lives, resume nonimmigrant visas for eligible Palestinian passport holders, and double down on the work needed to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region,” wrote the Senators.

“During the Biden and current Trump administrations, individuals from Gaza who met specific criteria set by the State Department have been granted temporary medical and humanitarian visas, allowing them to access life-saving medical treatment in the United States. These civilians include severely wounded children who are especially vulnerable and, through no fault of their own, have been caught in the crossfire and forced to endure horrible impacts from the war in Gaza. These children and their accompanying caretakers leaving Gaza to receive medical treatment are subject to strong vetting processes, including by the Israeli government, which look specifically at any potential security threats and known associations,” continued the Senators.

Medical facilities in Gaza are growing increasingly limited amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, and the region is facing acute shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and medical professionals, particularly those with expertise in complex specialties. (A UN World Health Organization or WHO spokesperson stated on Sept. 26 that four more hospitals in northern Gaza had been shut down, bringing the total number of remaining operational facilities to just 14, for approximatelyly 2.1 million Palestinians). Care has been delayed as a result, exacerbating the suffering of those in need.

The Senators requested a full explanation of the circumstances leading to this abrupt decision to suspend medical and humanitarian visas as well as specific issues, instances, or concerns identified, and a list of any cases of medical treatments that have been delayed as a result. Further, they requested information on what specific processes and procedures are being reviewed, the criteria being used to review them, when the State Department expects the reviews to be completed, and how the Department plans to ensure that access to emergency medical care for those eligible is not disrupted going forward.

“As Secretary of State, we urge you to immediately reinstate the issuance of temporary medical and humanitarian visas in order to provide urgently needed life-saving civilian relief, resume issuing nonimmigrant visas for eligible individuals with Palestinian passports, and refocus U.S. efforts on achieving a lasting end to the conflict in Gaza that ensures security, peace, and prosperity for all in the region,” concluded the Senators.

In addition to Padilla, Booker, and Schumer, the letter was also signed by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

In July, Senator Padilla joined his colleagues led by Senators Schiff, Schatz, Schumer, and Rosen to express unified alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, call for the large-scale expansion of humanitarian aid, and urge the Trump Administration to resume diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement and end the war.

Details: Full text of the letter is available here.

San Pedro City Ballet, Arts United Invite Community to Mural Unveiling Oct. 5

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San Pedro City Ballet, Arts United Invite Community to Mural Unveiling Oct. 5

 

SAN PEDRO — San Pedro City Ballet and Arts United San Pedro announce the unveiling of a brand-new mural and an official building renaming at 13th and Pacific Avenue.

A ribbon cutting ceremony officiated by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce will happen October 5, to commemorate the official renaming of the San Pedro City Ballet building in honor of Legacy Donor Dr. Joseph A. Adan.

This event will be followed by the unveiling of a mural featuring the image of American Ballet Superstar Misty Copeland. Mural artist EL MAC (https://eimac.net/) will be in attendance, and the ceremony will conclude with champagne sabering. The mural was made possible by Arts United San Pedro (https://www.artsunitedsp.org/).

Misty Copeland said of the mural: “I’m incredibly honored to be featured in this stunning mural by El Mac at San Pedro City Ballet, my very first ballet studio and a place that will always feel like home. What he’s captured through my image is so much bigger than me, it represents every young person from this community and beyond who deserves access to the arts. This is such a beautiful tribute to where it all began for me.”

San Pedro City Ballet Artistic Director Cindy Bradley is quoted saying: “When we received a grant from Arts United San Pedro for the Misty Copeland mural on the side of our studio building, I became aware that world renowned and ultra talented artist El Mac had moved to San Pedro. He mentioned to me his desire to make a major contribution to the local community. We were very lucky to have him come on to the Misty mural project. El Mac’s version of Misty’s beauty will surely become an iconic local art installation”

Mural Artist El Mac said: “After moving to San Pedro roughly nine years ago, I was excited to finally have an opportunity to create a public mural here. One of the things I love most about this humble seaside corner of Los Angeles is its blend of maritime, immigrant, and working class culture, organized labor history, beautiful ocean surroundings, and the way this has all combined to create a home for assorted creative luminaries like Bukowski, Brenton Wood, the Minutemen, and one of the most famous ballerinas in the world, Misty Copeland. I was honored to be able to paint a mural honoring this beloved hometown hero on the side of a classic 1930s art deco building that now houses an awesome ballet school. I was also fortunate to receive lots of positive feedback and encouragement from the community while I worked on it a little bit here and there over the last few months. I’m hopeful that this mural and the love put into it, and the subject it highlights, might provide continued inspiration for other creative folks in years to come.”

A ticketed event will be held inside the studio as a fundraiser for San Pedro City Ballet. Attendees will enjoy:

Signing and meet and greet with EL MAC

A performance by San Pedro City Ballet principal dancers.

Hours D’oeuvres and beverages

Vinyl Dj (King Steady Beat) and Dancing

Time: 4 p.m., Oct. 5

Cost: $80

Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1571714312819?aff=oddtdtcreator

Venue: San Pedro City Ballet, 1231 South Pacific Ave. San Pedro

Port of Long Beach Names Chief Harbor Engineer

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Port of Long Beach Names Chief Harbor Engineer

LONG BEACH—The Port of Long Beach has named Monique Lebrun as senior director of the engineering services bureau, a position that also carries the title of chief Harbor engineer.

The chief Harbor engineer is in charge of managing and executing the port’s portfolio of complex engineering projects, including oversight of the $3.2 billion, 10-year capital improvement program, which drives infrastructure development, modernization and sustainability initiatives.

The engineering services bureau Lebrun will lead comprises about 300 staff members across six divisions – construction management, engineering design, maintenance, program management, project controls and survey. The bureau is responsible for the development and maintenance of the port’s infrastructure through the extensive capital program. Key projects include the $1.8 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, the centerpiece of a strategy to make cargo movement cleaner and more efficient by shifting more containers directly from ships at marine terminals to trains.

Lebrun joined the Port of Long Beach in 2008 in the engineering design division before moving to the program management division. She advanced to senior program manager, leading delivery of the port’s middle harbor container terminal, before being named assistant director, director and now senior director/chief Harbor engineer. A licensed civil engineer and board-certified port engineer by the Academy of Coastal, Ocean, Port & Navigation Engineers, Lebrun also holds the Envision Sustainability Professional credential, reflecting a commitment to building infrastructure that is resilient, innovative, equitable, and sustainable.

Lebrun earned bachelor degrees in both civil engineering and architectural engineering from the University of Miami, and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

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