Thursday, October 30, 2025
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Can Long Beach Finally Get Out of Its Own Way in Regards to Medpot?

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The medical-marijuana movement is here, and it’s something we have to deal with and accept.
–Long Beach City Council member Robert Garcia, 2009-Aug-04

Despite those seemingly auspicious words, a review of the last four years reveals that Long Beach city government has been anything but accepting of medical marijuana. From extracting a proverbial pound of flesh from dispensaries that wanted to be part of the system to dispatching police with assault rifles against the ones that didn’t, then finally banning dispensaries entirely despite representing a populace that in 2010 voted in favor of the legalization of even recreational marijuana use, medpot patients and providers have been left wondering when Long Beach’s leadership will catch up with its populace.

DOT Gets Interim General Manager

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Los Angeles — Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Oct. 31 that Department of Transportation General Manager Jaime de la Vega will be resigning Dec. 1.

Garcetti also announced that Jon Kirk Mukri, general manager of Recreation and Parks, will serve as interim general manager at DOT until a permanent general manager is appointed.

Michael Shull, assistant general manager of Recreation and Parks, will serve as the interim general manager of that department.

Man in a Wheelchair Struck in Long Beach

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Long Beach — On Oct. 29, a man crossing the street with his wheelchair was stuck while crossing the street near Alamitos and Orange avenues in Long Beach, officials said.

Seventy-two-year old Bong Kim apparently was seated in his wheelchair when suddenly entered the roadway from the east side of Alamitos Avenue. Long Beach Police Department officials believe the pedestrian was attempting to cross westbound on Alamitos Avenue in the northbound lanes when he was struck.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Kim immediately called 9-1-1 and rendered aid until emergency personnel arrived. The Long Beach Fire Department paramedics took him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

No charges are pending against the motorists at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call (562) 570-7355.

Congressional Freight Panel Reports on Infrastructure

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San Pedro — In a report produced Oct. 31, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation found that significant investment is needed in our freight transportation system.

The group of 11 members of Congress signed off on their 100-plus page report, which included a call to dedicate funding for freight infrastructure, designation of a multimodal freight network and the sustained continuation of a freight-focused Projects of National and Regional Significance competitive grant program.

The Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation convened in April 2013 and members served for a period of six months before issuing the recommendations. The panel’s six Republicans and five Democrats were tasked with examining the current state of freight transportation and how improving the system would affect the U.S. economy. The group traveled to several freight hubs across the nation, including the Port of Los Angeles, speaking at length with system users, carriers, and providers. The Panel’s recommendations can be accessedhere.

 

Jesus and Zombies: An Object Lesson in Freedom

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If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. –Jesus Christ (as quoted in John 12:47)

FACT: Jesus created the first zombie!

Okay, it’s not a fact. It’s not even clear to what degree Jesus himself is a fact (it’s not clear to me, anyway—you believe what you want), let alone whether there was a guy named Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead—never mind whether resurrected Lazarus staggered around like an extra from “Thriller”, moaning, “Brains, brainnnnns!”

Education is a Human Right

Our American Declaration of Independence, written mostly by Thomas Jefferson, claims for us “… certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness–That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men…” In other words, not only was the American (and California) Government established to guarantee us the Rights to Life and Liberty, but also the Right to our Pursuit of Happiness.

For great philosophers of democracy such as Aristotle and Jefferson, “Happiness” meant fulfillment; fulfillment of our “Telos” or purpose in life. This means the ability to develop our talents fully, which enables us to reach our full individual human potential. If you have the talents/abilities to become a doctor, engineer, computer scientist, teacher, nurse, sculptor, automotive technician, or aircraft mechanic, governments have been charged with the responsibility of guaranteeing us the Right and Opportunity to do so. Jefferson, in addition to others such as Horace Mann, John Dewey, Susan B. Anthony, and Harriett Tubman, was a strong proponent of American Public Education, including civic education which enables people to become active, critical thinking citizens. In this vein, Thomas Jefferson once said, “I know of no safer repository of power than the people themselves; if, on occasion, the people make the wrong decision, we must not take power away from the people, but we must inform them toward the right decision.”

These great pioneers of public education invented it and gave it to America and the world. Governor Pat Brown and University of California President Clark Kerr established the California Master Plan For Higher Education in 1960 to guarantee tuition free/affordable Higher Education to all California high school graduates. The spirit of the Master Plan flourished from 1960 to the early 1980’s. Former Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzennegger attended UC Berkeley Law School and Santa Monica College, respectively, tuition free and only paid a small fee– at UC and Cal State the fee was less than $100 per semester, and at Santa Monica (community) College the fee was $6 per semester for all 15 units, not $6 per unit. I started teaching at Foothill College and City College of San Francisco in the 1970’s and my students paid $6 fee per semester for a full load of classes!

Long Beach Man Killed on 10 Street

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Long Beach — Juan Estrada was gunned down, at about 11:30 p.m. Oct. 21, on 10th Street in Long Beach, officials said.

Long Beach Police Department officers found the 24-year-old man on the sidewalk with multiple gunshots to his upper torso near the 2500 block of 10th Street. He was pronounced dead at about 12:39 a.m. at a St. Mary’s MedicalCenter in Long Beach.

Witnesses said that a car pulled up near him and asked him where he was from. Estrada was shot before being able to respond.

A motive is unknown but it is being investigated as gang-related.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call (562) 570-7244 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Truckers Shut Down Terminal

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Oakland, Calif. — Truck drivers stopped commerce, Oct. 21, at the SSA Marine Terminal, a big terminal within the Port of Oakland, protesting working conditions and rising hauling costs.

About 100 pickters rallied outside of three entrances to the SSA Marine terminal, shutting down traffic when workers refused to cross protest lines.

The truckers, who own and operate their trucks, assert that they are getting paid the same per load as they were paid 10 years ago, even as they have to pay more for fuel and maintenance.

The protestors are asking for fees to help pay for the stricter air quality regulations and compensation for their wait in long lines outside of terminals, which are particularly long at the SSA Marine terminal. The terminal has recently undergone a merger and as a result has less workers.

This past week, an Alameda County judge filed a temporary order that bars protestors from interfering with cargo traffic. Alameda County Sheriffs forced protestors — some of whom claim were hit with batons — away from the entrance.

The SSA Terminal was the only one shut down but the protests interrupted operations at other terminals.

Garcetti Announces Harbor Commission Appointments

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Los Angeles — Mayor Eric Garcetti, announced Oct. 22, his appointment to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.

The Board of Harbor Commissioners oversee the management and operation of the Port of Los Angeles. The five-member board is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council.

David Arian. Arian is the president of the community organizing nonprofit, Harry Bridges Institute. He began his career as a longshoreman in 1965. He served as an officer of the ILWU Local 13 several times, including three terms as the local president. In 1991, he was elected international president of the ILWU. He retired in 2009. He was originally appointed to the board in 2010 by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Patricia Castellanos. Castellanos is the deputy director of the L.A. Alliance for a New Economy, a policy and advocacy nonprofit organization. There she oversees the organization’s efforts to advance economic development strategies that lead to better jobs and an improved environment. She served as LAANE’s director of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports, served as the Harbor Area director for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and served as director of policy, training, and education for Strategic Concepts in Organization and Policy Education. She also serves on the board of the Los Angeles League of Conservations Voters.

Anthony Pirozzi. Pirozzi is director of Systems Integration, Test & Launch Organization Boeing Satellite Development Center. He also serves on the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, where he served as chairman of the board of directors from 2010 to 2012. He has served as a project manager for the New Fields Project with Eastview Little League and the Port of Los Angeles. He is a columnist for San Pedro Today and a member of the Marymount College Advisory Board.

Vilma Martinez. Martinez served as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina from 2009 until July 2013. She has been a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson since 1982, specializing in federal and state court commercial litigation and advising companies on equal employment opportunity policies. She has also served as president and general counsel of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, chairwoman of the Board of Regents of The University of California from 1984 to 1986, and was a regent from 1976 to 1990. She previously served as a board member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Martinez chaired the Pacific Council’s Study Group on Mexico and served on the advisory boards of Columbia Law School and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California. She was appointed to President Clinton’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy & Negotiations from 1994 to 1996.

Edward Renwick. Renwick is a partner of The Yucaipa Companies, a private equity fund. In 2007, Renwick became the CEO of Yucaipa’s Global Fund, a private equity fund investing primarily in greater China, Korea and India. In addition, he co-founded and serves as CEO of Raineth Holdings, a real estate investment fund. Prior to joining Yucaipa, he was a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, the senior vice president of business development at the Chongqing Wanli Storage Battery Co. in Chongqing, China, and worked as an analyst in the real estate investment banking division of Goldman Sachs. He has served as a director of current TV, Delltrade and EasyBill, a transaction processor in India. He serves as an advisory board member of Children Now.

Long Beach Agrees to Pension Deals with Three Unions

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Long Beach — On Oct. 22, the Long Beach City Council agreed to pension reforms with three unions.

The deals did not include paying more toward retirement costs.

Contract with City Manager Pat West and other city management still are in limbo. The city council voted 5-4, councilmen Robert Garcia, Steven Neal, Dee Andrews and Al Austin opposed, to holdup on those deals for a couple of weeks.

Engineers and lifeguards will get 15 percent compensation increases in the two fiscal years that follow in a 7-2 vote, with councilmen Gary DeLong and James Johnson, opposed. Confidential employees will get 12 percent raises.

The unions agreed to increase their pension contributions to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2 to 8 percent of their salaries. So, the 6 percent of the first year’s raise will be paying for their share of pension costs.

The four unions that that dealt with the council Oct. 22 were working with expired contracts. The raises are retroactive to Oct. 1, when the fiscal year began.

The Oct. 22 negotiations expected to cost the general fund $800,000 in 2014 and $1.8 million in the years that follow.