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Welcome to “The Kill Zone”

Reporters Desk
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Welcome to “The Kill Zone”

Life and Death, Courtesy of Jones Chemicals in the Harbor Gateway

By Rick Thomas, Columnist and Harbor Gateway Community Activist

They call themselves “neighbors.”

And wanted us to respond to them using the same title.

“Them” being Jones Chemicals, Inc., that is.

Neighbors?

How about… polluters?

Residents learned at a recent Harbor Gateway South Neighborhood Council meeting, hosted at Councilman Tim McOsker’s new field office at the Enclave, that Jones Chemicals, Inc. wants to introduce itself to the community.

More on the Enclave as you continue reading… but drumroll please… “Let’s bring to the stage… Jones Chemicals, Inc.!”

For those of us who live in Harbor Gateway, Jones Chemicals, Inc. hasn’t brought goodwill or welcome mats.

Jones Chemicals, Inc.?

They’ve brought nothing more than danger. And misery. And chaos.

They are nothing more than environmental polluters.

Not neighbors.

Jones Chemicals’ footprint is just steps from the modular-built Cheryl Green Boys & Girls Club facility, because the soil is too contaminated for permanent foundations. Also, I live in that neighborhood. What the Del Amo Action Committee now calls “The Kill Zone.”

 

It’s called “The Kill Zone” because of that environmental polluter known as Jones Chemicals, Inc. The place where toxins seep into the ground, cloud the air, and kill residents in the Harbor Gateway.

But silence echoes in the chambers of City Hall.

Until now.

Thanks to the Del Amo Action Committee — DAAC for short — residents are finally organizing.

But let me be clear: one mistake from Jones Chemicals, Inc. dumping chemicals here, one lapse in containment or oversight, and the results could be catastrophic.

I want more Christmases. More time to sing along with The Whispers: “And this Christmas will be a very special Christmas… for me.”

But that future isn’t promised — not here.

Not in “The Kill Zone.”

Cancel Christmas, pal.

Politicians are shaking hands with corporations like Jones Chemicals, Inc., while those same corporations are poisoning us as law enforcement institutions cling to the motto “to protect and serve” — but who, exactly, are they protecting and serving?

Apparently not us.

Here in the “The Kill Zone,” families breathe and step onto chemicals they can’t even pronounce. Children walk past fenced-off “cleanup sites” on their way to school or to the Cheryl Green Boys & Girls Club. Asthma, rashes and unexplained illnesses have become a way of life for those of us living here.

All from the likes of Jones Chemical, Inc.

For a time, I tried to play the game. I believed maybe, just maybe I could be transactional — trade a little favor by being quiet for a little safety — a little leverage for a little peace of mind.

I thought I could work with the system.

Maybe work within the system.

But I can’t sell out my community in the Harbor Gateway.

I just can’t.

That ain’t me.

And that community, by the way, is stretching into the Harbor City section of Tim McOkser’s Council District 15.

More to come on that.

I’d rather work for free, for the people who actually live here — the ones who actually breathe the toxic air and walk on the toxic ground, rather than sell out to weak politicians.

Or sell out to those who are supposed to protect and serve.

Because they are killing us, slowly but surely. Murdering the safety of our communities…

And it’s unacceptable.

There’s no negotiating with rot that allows a company like Jones Chemicals, Inc. to operate just feet from children’s playgrounds and homes.

It’s not a negotiation.

It’s a fight.

I won’t tell the whole story, but I will give a hint or two on what may be coming. But until our air is clean, our soil is safe, and our children can play without fear of contamination, the Del Amo Action Committee isn’t backing down.

And neither am I.

Let’s circle back to that neighborhood council meeting at Tim McOsker’s new office, located in the ultra-modern retail/office complex on 190th Street. You’ve probably driven past the Enclave, but if you blink, you’ll miss it. There’s Nook, the popular coffee shop, Trademark Brewery, the Long Beach Fish Grill (still on my to-do list), and one of my favorites — 123 Pho.

This place is cool.

Buzzing.

Optimistic.

But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see what’s festering beneath the surface of this office complex. Because guess who rents office space at the Enclave along with Councilman Tim McOsker?

Jones Chemicals, Inc.

The environmental polluters.

That’s right — Councilmember McOsker’s office is on the first floor, and Jones Chemicals?

Ninth floor.

Same building.

Same air.

I don’t need PhD-level intelligence to do the math here. Truly my minus-7 credits in a baccalaureate degree in political science at Temple University are enough education for me to be able to read between the lines.

Mama didn’t raise no fool!

Brings to mind the phrase, “There are no secrets in life, just hidden truths that lie beneath the surface.”

That quote comes from an appropriate character in the Showtime television series Dexter. The lead character was a serial killer, so he fits right in with what’s going on with the environmental polluters known as Jones Chemicals, Inc.

I liked Dexter when it was on Showtime, but watching it is different than, well, living it.

At the neighborhood council meeting, sitting right in front of me was Tim Ross, vice president of operations for Jones Chemicals, Inc. He looked familiar, and for a moment I couldn’t place him.

But then it clicked — Tim Ross from Jones Chemicals, Inc. manages the trucks I’ve seen rolling through residential streets, transporting hazardous materials.

I’ve met him before.

That was the first time he was rude to me.

So, when it came time for questions, of course I spoke up. With all the sarcasm I could muster, I asked, “Oh, so your trucks are the ones — marked with ‘JCI’ — driving illegally down residential streets, past children and families and cats and dogs and chickens and ducks and veterans and yes, even gangbangers, right?”

Alright, I embellished a bit, but you see my point.

He didn’t like that.

Not one bit.

But guess what, Tim Ross?

I don’t care.

This community has fought hard to stop tractor trailers and other big rigs from using residential streets to get to the freeways to make their deliveries. We understand fully where we live and that it’s not going to get any better. More real estate is now available for other trucking firms to locate in the Harbor Gateway.

It’s a byproduct of where we reside.

But we don’t have to live in “The Kill Zone.”

We’re going to see a lot of trucks in the hood. We worked with the trucking companies on Denker Avenue to stay the hell off residential streets in the Harbor Gateway. The Los Angeles Police Department collaborated with this community to put up signage to prevent that nasty practice from continuing.

So then I learned from Tim Ross that Jones Chemicals, Inc. was given the OK to roll down residential streets. So, I asked the question aloud, “Who gave you, Jones Chemicals, Inc., permission to go down residential streets in our community?”

I didn’t like the answer. But I can be transactional if I get what I need to protect members of my community. So it’s not about me.

For now.

Back to that neighborhood council meeting.

After my question, Tim Ross from Jones Chemicals, Inc. went on a slight tirade.

He was rude to me, again.

“Our trucks don’t come down those streets and if you see any of our trucks going down those streets, I will fire that driver!” he shouted.

“All right, calm down fool,” I said.

OK I said that to myself. I’m a runner not a fighter.

“Um, Tim Ross from Jones Chemicals, Inc.? Would you like to see the photos… of your trucks… going down Del Amo Boulevard?”

Pissed off. I left. I was done.

Everything stinks here as Jones Chemicals, Inc., the polluters in the Harbor Gateway, are the developers of the so-called “The Kill Zone.” Maybe I should have asked, “Why the hell is Jones Chemicals, Inc., the polluters, not our neighbor, introducing themselves to a community of residents that they are killing?”

In a text that night I wrote to Councilman McOsker about what took place in HIS office.

“I am just stunned.”

Environmental polluters… Jones Chemicals, Inc.

Tim McOsker texted back that he would take care of it in the morning. I texted, “If this were San Pedro we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

There were a lot more words in that conversation. But it’s just another example of how the elected leaders and those that are supposed to be looking out for the best interest of the communities they represent, don’t.

They just don’t.

But “We don’t give up until the clock says zero.” Sports verbiage I heard this year from an NBA all star who competed to the point where he will miss a full year of future contests and competition because of a torn achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA championship.

You don’t give up “until the clock says zero.”

“… our office has received numerous concerns from residents regarding truck traffic associated with your facility along Del Amo Boulevard,” Councilman Tim McOsker wrote in a letter to Tim Ross at Jones Chemicals, Inc.

“Our office will be coordinating with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to install the appropriate signage along Del Amo Boulevard to ensure compliance and improve safety and quality of life for nearby residents,” he continued.

I guess sometimes you gotta be a prick, and well, rude, to get shit done.

“Continued violations may result in further enforcement action.”

Well, that could have been a bit stronger, Tim. I might have written something like, “Continued violations WILLresult in further enforcement action.”

Jones Chemicals, Inc. is killing human beings in the Harbor Gateway.

There’s no “may result” rather “will” result.

Jones Chemicals, Inc. went through an Environmental Protection Agency inspection in 2024 and the EPA determined that Jones Chemicals, Inc. had seven… I repeat, seven “areas of concern” that needed to be addressed at their Harbor Gateway facility.

Seven “areas of concern.”

Seven.

Just one area of concern is troubling enough. But seven?

That’s just this location.

Do a search for Jones Chemicals, Inc. and another one of their environmental polluting sites pops up. This is in Caledonia, New York. From the EPA report on issues at that location they wrote, “Spills occurred during the transfer and repackaging of many of these chemicals, contaminating soils and groundwater with hazardous chemicals.”

Jones Chemicals, Inc. are long time, serial, environmental polluters because this report in Caledonia, New York was written by the EPA back in 1986.

Yeah, these are the guys I want to be in bed with so let’s welcome them into the neighborhood, right?

No.

I can easily say no.

In future posts I will focus on the Del Amo Action Committee with respect to Jones Chemicals, Inc. The Del Amo Action Committee wants Jones Chemicals, Inc. shut down.

The community wants them shut down as well.

“As we proceed,” in the words of the philosopher Biggie Smalls, I will share the response to a letter sent to Jeffrey Jones, chairman and CEO of Jones Chemicals, Inc. Said letter was sent by Rep. Nanette Barragán, who represents our community now.

“… the most recent EPA inspection found the company failed to maintain their responsibilities as required by federal law, “ she wrote about their Harbor Gateway location.

Jones Chemicals, Inc. must respond back to her in 60 days from the May 22, 2025 correspondence.

Not “may” respond.

Must.

I’ve met Rep. Nanette Barragán.

Several times.

Um, quick note to Jeffrey Jones, Jones Chemicals, Inc. chairman and CEO…

PSSST!

I would respond back to her sooner rather than later if I were you.

Stay tuned.

This is just the pilot… maybe I should pitch this story to Showtime.

I know.

This is not funny.

In a time where I just want to produce Christian stand up comedy shows and heartwarming content about military wives on military bases saving lost dogs, I gotta deal with the mess about Jones Chemicals, Inc. polluting our community.

OK then, I will.

This is just the first episode of many more episodes to come concerning the drama and the tragedy known as “The Kill Zone,” directed and produced in surround sound, Technicolor and IMAX by the environmental polluters in the Harbor Gateway known as Jones Chemicals, Inc.

Airport Workers Push For Alternative Jet Fuels

Paul Rosenberg
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Airport Workers Push For Alternative Jet Fuels

Unlike the controversies over bio-fuels, there’s virtual unanimity for including jet fuel in the overall phase-out of fossil fuels in California’s transportation sector. The only questions are “Will it begin quickly?” and “Will it be done right?” Dozens of union airport workers, including union officers, showed up at the California Air Resources Board public hearing on the Low Carbon Fuel Standards update on September 28 to demand that it will.

“I developed pneumonia, asthma, and diabetes. I have respiratory problems,” said Oscar Antonio, a 23-year airport worker. “I am exposed to airplane fumes all day long,” said LAX cargo worker David Goddard. “On really bad days, I have trouble catching my breath and it’s difficult to breathe. A lot of my coworkers have developed asthma and breathing problems.”

“In 2019, I was diagnosed with COPD. No, I’m not a smoker, but I guess I breathe jet fuel on a daily,” said Jovan Houston, LAX worker and SEIU-USWW executive board member.

COPD, or Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common lung disease causing restricted airflow and breathing problems.

“I live seven minutes from LAX. So when I lay in my bed at night, I see jet fuel flying, dumping over my house. This is the type of air that I breathe on a daily basis.”

“Even though I work inside the terminal, my job at the airport exposes me to air pollution that impacts my health and the health of my coworkers,” said security officer Davonni Sturdivant. “I have asthma and the pollution and smell of the fumes that I am exposed to on the job definitely makes it worse. The fumes come into the terminal sometimes and I have trouble breathing and I get bad headaches and migraines from it.”

“SEIU members are here in solidarity with other black immigrant communities fighting for environmental justice,” said Armando M. “We support the farm worker communities fighting to end air pollution from methane crediting. We stand in solidarity with the communities living near pollution jet fuel refineries. We are suffering from the same health impacts.”

How quickly and strictly CARB acts in response will become apparent in the months ahead.

Read the main story of this sidebar.

 

LA County Assessor Prang ― What LA County Residents Need to Now About Their Property Taxes

RLn
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LA County Assessor Prang ― What LA County Residents Need to Now About Their Property Taxes

Over the past three years, California has lost nearly a million people to states like Texas due to the housing affordability crisis. It’s bad enough that during a time when folks are concerned about generational wealth and passing on assets to their children without being taxed into oblivion, Californians passed two tax-related amendments over the past three years. It will be three if the repeal of the voter-enacted changes to property tax rules for transfers between family members gains enough signatures in time for the 2024 November ballot.

Last month, Random Lengths News publisher James Allen interviewed Los Angeles County Property Assessor Jeffrey Prang about these stress points and more. The interview can be viewed at www.randonlengthsnews.com.

Prang was first elected to County Assessor’s office in 2014, but before that, he served on West Hollywood’s city council for nearly 18 years.

“I also have been working in the public sector for most of my adult life. I was a city administrator,” Prang said. “I spent a number of years in the City of Los Angeles, working for the city council and then later at the Department of Animal Services.”

Among the topics of conversation between the two was the disparity in the way the state treats wealthy families and corporations in regard to property assessments.

Oftentimes corporations with long-term leases with the Port of Los Angeles would sell or merge with another corporation without necessarily triggering a reassessment in the same way a homeowner would when selling his primary residence. Like when Union Oil sold its refinery to ConocoPhillips.

One would think that the sale of a refinery would trigger that kind of assessment because it’s basically a transfer of property. But it doesn’t. This is true for all of the many different properties that are held by a corporation that buys another corporation. As a result, the people of the county and the state are actually being shortchanged behind these corporate sales.

Prang agreed, noting that under California law, in order for a sale or transfer of property to cause a reassessment, 50% ownership has to change.

“This is actually a loophole that really only benefits corporate entities where they transfer less than 50% of an asset, sometimes over a period of time, and not trigger a reassessment,” Prang said. “So they can keep the property taxes low.”

Prang highlighted Michael Dell’s 2006 purchase of Fairmount Hotel in Santa Monica, the CEO of Dell Technologies. The hotel was assessed somewhere around $80 million, but the new market value of that hotel was closer to a quarter billion dollars.

That would have been almost a three-time increase in property taxes. So instead of purchasing the property to take full ownership, Dell assembled a limited liability company, or LLC, where he and members of his family purchased a minority share, and then that LLC purchased the hotel. Because no one individual or entity got 50% ownership, it was not considered to be a transfer even though 100% control of the hotel changed, the law determined that 50% ownership did not change. Thus, it was not really assessable.

“That’s really inequitable,” Prang said. “It’s the part of the system that really needs to be changed.

Even the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the defenders of Prop. 13, indicated that the law was not intended to create strategies to evade taxation. It was intended to stabilize taxation. Prop. 13 is the 1978 California Constitutional amendment that rolled back most local real estate assessments to 1975 market value levels, limited the property tax rate to 1 percent plus the rate necessary to fund local voter-approved bonded indebtedness, and limited future property tax increases to a maximum of 2% per year.

“This 50% rule is done by statute,” Prang said. “So they can pass a law that says, those properties can be reassessed, but no one has been able to get it done.”

Prang surmises that advocates in favor of reforming Prop. 13 don’t want to do it piecemeal.

“They want the whole thing to go away,” Prang said. “They are afraid that if they just take little pieces of it to try to fix those broken pieces they will lose their momentum toward greater reform.”

Prang said he doesn’t agree with that perspective.

“I’ve been in government now for most of my adult life and I’ve learned sometimes the incremental approach to change, though not very satisfying, is the best way.”

The career administrator noted that Prop. 13 is so polarizing, that it’s almost impossible to have a rational conversation. It’s not as if there isn’t consensus in the state legislature, Prang said.

“There’s this legal corporate loophole, which allows them to transfer property without being reassessed. There are very few people who think that’s a fair and equitable system,” Prang said.

“If we can agree in Sacramento that there is a solution to that and address it, maybe we can look at other elements of the law that might also need to be looked at. We just need to have all sides recognize that no law is perfect.”

Prang argues that this zero-sum state of politics in regard to Prop. 13 is what leads to poorly crafted legislation having unintended consequences. He called the 2020 Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment known as Prop. 19,a dumpster fire.

“It’s an absolute crappy piece of legislation rushed through the legislature in the last week of the legislative session,” Prang said. “They didn’t do their due diligence. They didn’t vet it through expert assessors who are responsible for administering it.”

Prang noted that after Prop. 19’s passage, his office spent the next couple of months trying to dissect it and find out what they could and could not do to implement it.

“The legislature gave us two months to put it into effect,” Prang said. “I can tell you that we could not have done it in less than 12 months. Eighteen to 24 months was much more realistic because it totally changed the way we operate. [The legislature] didn’t give us any resources in terms of personnel or money even though it changed the way that our operation works.

“So let me tell you what Prop. 19 does. It does two things. One is, I think a lot of people would think it’s beneficial … it allows seniors over the age of 55, the disabled, and people who are victims of natural disasters like a flood or earthquake to transfer their property taxes when they sell their home and buy a new one. So if you owned your home since 1990 and have a relatively low tax base, you can buy a new house and take that tax base with you. So you’re not going to pay new taxes in your new more expensive home. It allows you to move anywhere in the state of California to buy a home of any value and to transfer that tax base three times, or if you’re married — six times, so the tax base becomes portable.

“So seniors, especially, want that sort of stability. The challenge with that is you lose revenue by stabilizing those taxes, so local governments were very concerned. So, what the authors did to compensate, and they didn’t talk about this publicly because it’s not very popular, but they eviscerated family inheritance benefits,” Prang said. “Under the old law, if you were a parent and you want to leave your property to your children, you can leave them your home and up to a million dollars and other property, without being assessed. So, your kids will have a tax increase. Prop. 19 rolled a lot of that back. Under Prop. 19, the only property that your children can inherit without reassessment is your primary residence. There are some conditions to that. So for them to adhere to your home and the tax base one, they have to move into that house within 12 months and they have to file the homeowner’s exemption and as long as they want that tax base to continue, they must live there in perpetuity.

Secondly, it puts a cap on how much value of that home can be transferred to the children that would be exempt from taxes or transfer the old tax base. The rule of thumb is that if the house is worth less than a million dollars, you will inherit the home and your taxes will remain the same if it’s over a million dollars. The median sales price of a single-family home in LA County is about $900,000 ― that’s half the properties in the county. The value over 1 million dollars will be assessed at market value. The first million dollars, you’ll inherit your parents’ rate over a million dollars, and you’ll get a market rate. And for those people who inherit their parents’ home and don’t plan to live in it, that home will be reassessed to market rate which may cause them to have to sell the property, Prang explained.

Indeed, the past August, the California Attorney General’s office released the Repeal of Voter-Enacted Changes To Property Tax Rules For Transfers Between Family Members. The initiative has to gain 874,641 valid signatures in order to get on the November 2024 ballot. The deadline is Feb. 20.

October Art Walk ― The Lights, Sights, and Sounds of First Thursday in San Pedro

RLn
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October Art Walk ― The Lights, Sights, and Sounds of First Thursday in San Pedro

By Baraka Noel

A sky tinged with lilac blessed the journey to 6th Street. Cooling air, a welcome respite from the day’s
heat.

Leashed dogs. The trolley. A gentle breeze animating flags around the neighborhood. Curbs lined
with trash bins and dogs barking, distantly. Birds flocking to rooftops. Lights hung festively across
the avenue.

Young folk in black t-shirts, carrying skateboards. Masks on a few faces. Folks talking on the street.
“What’s your dream job?” A lively back and forth. “Dream? That means, like, everything … right?”
The Tuna Fish Painting Co. held a pop-up shop by The Crazy Fish Grill, bookended by Salsas
Chingona and Latina Baker’s spooky desserts in their street vendoring debut.

Fresh copies of Record Collector magazine were delivered outside the Grand Emporium. A sign by Heart’s Respond welcomed visitors to a small gathering, where a fellow in a little chair drew upon an easel while a few musicians tuned their instruments.

One couldn’t help but notice the conviviality of Compagnon Wine Bistro. Thomas Compagnon
shared his strong opinion that First Thursday “takes all the parking away… pushes our regulars
away.” He explained, “Even though we were busy last night, that wasn’t always the case for First
Thursday… to give more incentive they have to come up with new ideas and have more art galleries
open later. The last few months, it’s been pretty low… We’re better off any given Thursday… I
think it’s a great event… It’s been going on for so long … Enough of the food trucks being close to
the restaurants… If people are going to be coming for the food trucks; it shouldn’t be called the art
walk. It should be the food truck festival.”

Thomas went on to talk about his restaurant. A “french bistro in downtown San Pedro … French
food … everything from scratch, including all the stocks and braising… local supplies … We use
Alma Farms, a local farm located behind Target. They are becoming a big part of the community
[with] kids programs … teaching kids to grow and plant.”

Friendly conversation bubbled out from the curated fancy of the Art and Curiosities Shop.
Art appreciators mingled in hushed tones at Menduina Schneider. The gallery’s curators, Alejandra
and Jorge Schneider asked passersby to “immerse [themselves] in the magic of finding works that not
only will marvel … but also transform.”

A band called Douglas was booked to play outside, on the corner of 6th and Mesa. Their Boogie amp
stacked onto a Fender. Their bassist locked in with his drummer, back turned on a public who
filtered the performance through lit phone screens.

The singer warned his audience to “hold on, it’s almost here” as a large brown shaggy dog arrived;
tongue bouncing to the tempo. “Hold on, it’s coming.”

Listeners hovered nearby. One barefoot dancer holding a stuffed monkey. The air of a club, waiting
for the drop. By the food trucks, a crackling loudspeaker blared out: “Nine!”

Curbside, the incongruous offerings of Cousins Maine Lobster. Grilled cheese seafood and their
hypnotic video loop, like something in the realm of Philip K. Dick. Surrounded by smiling families
and wise-eyed adolescents; a screen displayed its narrative concerning cousins, Jimmy and Sabine.
Hobnobbing with the likes of Jon Favreau and Freddie Prinze Jr, thanks to their success on Shark
Tank.

The street vendor block party went on: Inglourious Funnels. Crepes Bonaparte. Deli Doctor. Bison
Burger. Eagle Rock BBQ.

Down the block, a man seemed to prophesize. “They know when a new ice age is coming,”
murmured the solitary elder gentleman. LA Harbor’s Masonic Lodge manned a table outside
Goodfellas sports bar.

Further along, sidewalk capoeiristas chanted melodies against percussive polyrhythms.
Tambourines, maracas and atabaque. Maculeles held upright. Scooters and skaters. Street
musicians, representing Capoeira Batuque South Bay.

Arteluta Capoeira's monthly Roda at the First Thursday Art Walk. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala
Arteluta Capoeira’s monthly Roda at the First Thursday Art Walk. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala

Buono’s offered up free slices on their corner of Centre St. An instant hotspot; teens chasing one
another, sharing tater tots.

Off The Wall Art Designs opened its doors with a candy offering. Saucer eyed owl in the window.
Gregory Koosed welcomed visitors and heralded Halloween. A spunky gallery; its signature texture
and cobbled-together style. The two-wheeled muscle power of a versus bike and splash-toned
Interceptor motorcycle on display by the front entrance. Outside, passersby were greeted with
candy and warnings of thievery.

Nearby, next to Crimsin Cocktails stood a Tim Burtonesque purple-clad scarecrow slash skeleton.
Cake pops, baked with love, hawked on the sidewalk by mobile young vendors. What appeared to be
a child-run mini bodega out front of Badfish Clothing Company. Cinnamon buns served up in the
entrance of Old School Vintage.

The singer from Douglas inquired, “Anybody seen any UFOs lately?” before an ode to hitting ‘Rock
Bottom’. The First Thursday sidewalks were resplendent with Hello Kitty and Pokemon, totes and
mini satchels; laughter and moving shadows. Earrings for sale.

A cheerful Red Cross Club posed for photographs beside Sunken City Books. In an adjacent tent,
visitors were met with offerings of bubble tea. Gostosas catering truck nestled away from the
sparkling lights of town as the Roundtrip Collective displayed their wares.

Jovial friends consoled each other, “It’s not always sunny, but it will be tomorrow.”

Backdoor Studios invited entrance into the workspace of Jules Wolfe and her lushly colored denim
jackets. She shared her process. “Oil on canvas. Everyone thinks they’re acrylics, but they’re not …
Oil is more vibrant, more rich. Acrylics dry, and your brushes get wrecked.”

Out in the hall, hung a stark unframed canvas of wheat-pasted news and magazine clippings. Fresh
rosemary for interested pedestrians.

Meeting goers piled out of the Grand Annex Concert Hall. A man in sunglasses, on a bicycle,
tendered an invitation to The Sardine’s newly opened next-door space. Douglas gained traction with
a mix of locals caught in the groove. Karaoke echoed from Brouwerij West.

The trolley stopped at Mesa and 7th; passing Godmother’s Saloon and approaching the harbor.
Rhythm and blues-laced pop sounds serenaded the smattering of convivial travelers.

Trios of dark-haired teenagers climbed aboard. A night of masks and painted faces. An impromptu
sidewalk capoeira crowd swelled. The trolley’s driver, Tony, stopped at 10th and Mesa.
And night continued, as everybody moved along their path.

 

Port of Long Beach CEO to Chart New Course at Year’s End

Reporters Desk
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Port of Long Beach CEO to Chart New Course at Year’s End

Longtime Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero – who led the port through an era of rapid cargo growth, a global pandemic and major modernization – announced Oct. 2 he will retire at the end of 2025, capping a varied career that included an 8½-year run as Port CEO, seven years on the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington, D.C. and eight years as a member of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.

Known for bold and industry-leading stances promoting environmental sustainability and boosting market competitiveness, as well as his optimistic outlook, Cordero has also become a noted thought leader in international trade in great demand for speaking engagements, media interviews and service on public boards of directors.

As CEO of the Port of Long Beach, reporting to the five-member Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, Cordero leads a staff of about 600 professionals who improve, market and secure one-half of the nation’s largest trade gateway. In addition to his port industry career accomplishments, he is an attorney and educator.

Cordero in May 2017 said he was blessed to have landed a “dream job” when he was selected as the new chief executive of the Port of Long Beach, returning to Long Beach after his stint as an appointee of President Barack Obama to the body that oversees the nation’s maritime policy. His time on the FMC beginning in 2011 included four years as chairman.

He steps down at the end of a yearlong celebration marking two decades of the port’s environmental progress – “20 Years of Leading Green” – achieved in parallel with growth of the port’s economic benefits, such as 2.7 million jobs nationwide today tied to trade moving through Long Beach. The 20 years being commemorated started with the Green Port Policy proposed by then-commissioner Cordero circa 2005.

“I could not be more grateful for what has been the opportunity of a lifetime to lead the Port of Long Beach over these past several years. While I’ll miss being in the center of the action for international trade, I know that I’m leaving the Port in the very capable hands of our Board of Harbor Commissioners and the exemplary staff,” said Cordero. “It’s been a very rewarding experience and I have amassed wonderful memories that I will cherish forever.

He was appointed to the Board of Harbor Commissioners in 2003 by then-Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill and reappointed in 2009 by then-Mayor Bob Foster, serving as both president and vice president of the board during his tenure. It was during his time on the Harbor Commission that he proposed the Green Port Policy, a commitment by the port to environmental sustainability that was ratified in 2005. The action was a turning point for the port, which committed to considering the environment in all of its decisions going forward – leading to dramatically cleaner air, healthier harbors and today’s goal of seeking zero-emissions operations.

Cordero, the Los Angeles-born son of Mexican immigrants, was the first in his family to attend college, and his father urged him to pursue engineering as a career. The young Cordero however came to the realization that he wanted to become a lawyer to make a difference in society, given the call for activism in the early 1970s. He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from California State University, Long Beach, before going on to earn a law degree at the University of Santa Clara.

He practiced law for more than 30 years, and also taught political science part-time for many years at Long Beach City College.

In addition to his port responsibilities, Cordero was appointed by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to serve on the bank’s Los Angeles branch seven-member board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2021.

In 2025, for the seventh consecutive year, he was named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “LA500” list of the city’s most influential civic leaders.

The Board of Harbor Commissioners will determine a process for replacing Cordero in the months ahead.

Transforming Immigrant Affairs: Solis Champions a Creative Vision

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Transforming Immigrant Affairs: Solis Champions a Creative Vision

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Oct. 1 approved a motion authored by Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to embed a creative strategist-artist in residence (creative strategist) in the county’s office of immigrant affairs or OIA.

The creative strategist program, established in 2017, assigns artists and creative professionals to county departments to collaborate on policies and services that are inclusive and informed by community voices. Chair pro tem Solis, who co-authored the cultural equity and inclusion initiative that launched the program, said the new residency will strengthen the county’s efforts to build trust and connect with immigrant communities in more meaningful ways.

“At a time when immigrant families face unprecedented fear and uncertainty, driven by harsh federal enforcement tactics and policies that threaten to tear communities apart, Los Angeles County must step up with bold, compassionate action,” said Chair Pro Tem Solis. “Embedding a Creative Strategist in the Office of Immigrant Affairs will strengthen our ability to better inform immigrant and mixed-status families of their rights through a culturally relevant and creative approach.”

The motion directs the Department of Arts and Culture to collaborate with OIA, housed within the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, to embed a creative strategist for fiscal year 2025-26.

The action builds on a successful 2021-22 residency by artist Phung Huynh, who brought her personal experience as a refugee to the work. During her time with the office, Huynh designed arts-based outreach strategies and visual materials tailored to immigrant communities, created interactive activities for events, and mentored staff to sustain creative engagement practices beyond her residency. Her work strengthened OIA’s outreach efforts and helped foster recognition and trust between the county and the residents it serves.

The motion highlighted increased immigration enforcement and a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding roving patrols as reasons why a creative strategist within OIA is urgently needed. Embedding this role is critical toward a more responsive, inclusive government that centers the lived experiences of immigrants and their families throughout Los Angeles County.

 

California Just Slashed Its Cannabis Tax to Save Its Dying Industry

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California Just Slashed Its Cannabis Tax to Save Its Dying Industry

 

SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Matt Haney’s (D–San Francisco) bill to roll back a devastating 25% tax increase on California’s legal cannabis industry on Oct. 1 became law. AB 564, authored by Haney, received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature and was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week.

California is widely known as the birthplace of cannabis culture in the United States, with an industry boasting hundreds of thousands of employees and generating hundreds of millions in revenue annually. But over the past five years, the licensed cannabis market has been in a sharp decline as evidenced by plummeting sales and tax revenue.

AB 564 reverses a July 2025 cannabis tax hike of nearly 25%, which threatened closure for many small cannabis businesses and a wave of more consumers opting to turn to the illegal market. Taxes as high as 45% in some areas have already weakened California’s licensed industry, allowing states like Michigan and Colorado—with lower taxes—to surpass California in sales. The bill will freeze the state excise tax rate at 15% until 2028.

“California’s cannabis economy can bring enormous benefits to our state, but only if our legal industry is given a fair chance to compete against the untaxed and unregulated illegal market,” said Assemblymember Matt Haney. AB 564 helps level the playing field. It protects California jobs, keeps small businesses open, and ensures that our legal cannabis market can grow and thrive the way voters intended.”

California’s cannabis industry employs hundreds of thousands and generates millions in revenue, but sales and tax receipts have plummeted in recent years. By suspending the tax increase, AB 564 gives the industry a chance to recover and helps keep small businesses afloat.

The bill, backed by major cannabis industry organizations, went into effect Oct. 1.

Arts United San Pedro Awards $45,000 in Community Arts Grants to Fuel Local Creativity

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Arts United San Pedro Awards $45,000 in Community Arts Grants to Fuel Local Creativity

 

SAN PEDRO — Arts United San Pedro last month announced the 2025 recipients of its Community Engagement RFP, awarding a total of $45,000 to nine projects that exemplify the region’s cultural vitality, diversity, and creative excellence.

Selected from a competitive pool of applicants, the funded proposals include visual arts, performances, public installations, and youth engagement, each one reinforcing San Pedro’s standing as an emerging creative hub for artistic innovation and community-driven storytelling.

“These projects represent the spirit of San Pedro that is bold, imaginative, and deeply connected to the community,” said Amy Eriksen, executive director of Arts United San Pedro. “Through these awards, we are investing in artists at the forefront of culture who inspire connection, dialogue, and discovery.”

2025 Grant Awardees:

  • K Knittel / Other Places Art Fair – Expansion of the Workshop Tent at OPaf – $6,000
  • Laurie Sumiye / Space Space – MANDALA: An immersive performance at the Majestic – $6,000
  • Melody Chan & Faith Spawn – Bilingual marine mammal awareness magazine & workshops – $4,000
  • Moral Masuoko – Festival murals as part of Beautify Earth and the Seaweed Festival – $6,000
  • Peter Rothe / Feed and Be Fed – Tree of Life public mural installation – $4,000
  • Peter Scherrer – solo. gallery exhibitions exploring new thematic work – $4,000
  • Rosie Arias with Whimsical Charm & Divine Hug – Launch of a community Fashion

Academy – $3,000

  • Synchrony – Movement-based workshops and culminating performance – $6,000
  • Yozmit – PRNCX: Through the Gate, a community-led exploration of performance, healing, and creation – $6,000

These projects will unfold throughout late 2025 and early 2026, offering residents and visitors alike new opportunities to engage with the coastal town’s vibrant arts scene through hands-on workshops, visual storytelling, public installations, and immersive performances.

Thoughts, Prayers, and the Moral Failure of Those Who Worship Hate

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Thoughts, Prayers, and the Moral Failure of Those Who Worship Hate

 

By Kris Kleindeinst, Guest Columnist

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people who have lost someone to gun violence whom they revered for his ability to weaponize poorly understood passages from scripture, civil rights, human rights, U.S. history–someone who was at best a bully and at worst a gaslighting provocateur—knowing they will not learn anything at all about how the targets of this man’s bigoted views supporting gun violence as the answer to living on a planet where everyone does not look like you, are almost ALWAYS nonwhite, nonstraight, humans, and that was never the problem.

They will not see the light of compassion. But thoughts and prayers that they do.

Thoughts and prayers that these traitors to democracy, the flag, and the true meaning of the Christian faith will see the error of their extremist ways. Did they forget Jesus’s admonition that if you live by the sword you will die by the sword? Not a Christian but even I know that one.

Also, this was a murder, not an assassination. Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated in June, and a state representative, John Hoffman, were injured in an attempted assassination.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was the target of an assassination attempt that seriously injured her husband.

Temples and Mosques have been targets of gun violence and people have died. High schools. Grade Schools. Judges.

None of these events were properly acknowledged by the pretender in chief.

None of these were targeted by the mythical “radical left lunatics”.

The shooter in the Utah incident was raised in an extremely right-wing, radically right Christian, gun-celebrating family. Not a left-wing radical lunatic.

I don’t know why the media persists in calling these people conservative. They are not. They are extremists, traitors, and in some cases, terrorists. They have followed the pretender to the throne and his newly deceased attack dog blindly because he is willing to use racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and misogyny to whip up a frenzied base to do his extremely traitorous bidding. It helps them justify their moral laziness and ignore the true causes of their suffering: their own president and his lapdogs in congress, plus a whole slew of uber wealthy folks who took all their money, health care, jobs.

Killing someone is never the solution to anything.

My thoughts and prayers also go out to the rest of us who will have to continue to live in fear of these self-righteous, terribly deceived individuals, especially now that the pretender in chief is using this as his excuse to escalate his war on his own country.

Still, we rise.

Kris Kleindeinst is a writer, a bookseller, a social justice advocate; owner of Left Bank Books, Lambda-winning editor, community organizer, and memoirist in progress based in St. Louis, Mo.

Port of Los Angeles Issues Request for Proposal for Pre-development of Potential New Terminal

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Port of Los Angeles Issues Request for Proposal for Pre-development of Potential New Terminal

 

LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles is seeking proposals from interested parties to participate in the pre-development of Pier 500, a proposed new stand-alone marine container terminal along the Pier 400 Channel. The selected entity would enter into a public-private pre-development agreement with the port to scope the project’s financial feasibility, procure entitlements and handle other requirements needed before implementation and build-out of the project.

“For the first time in a generation, the Port of Los Angeles plans to build a new container terminal to meet global supply chain demand for decades into the future,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The development of the cleanest terminal possible would enhance our efficiency and sustainability while creating new jobs in our communities.”

As proposed, Pier 500 would be a 200-acre site with two new berths and approximately 3,000 linear feet of new available wharf. Located in natural deep water on the southern tip of Terminal Island, the project site would greatly increase port cargo efficiency, as it would allow for bigger, next generation cargo ships.

The proposed Pier 500 site lies just south of Pier 400, currently the largest container terminal at the port. For decades, the port has explored proposed plans to add cargo capacity because of increased demand. For this reason, the port has identified a submerged site of 124 acres, infrastructure that was added during the construction of the adjacent Pier 400 before it was completed in 2002. The proposed Pier 500 project would allow the port to leverage this existing asset.

The pre-development process will include all necessary environmental assessments as required under the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA and the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA. The entire proposed Pier 500 project—from pre-development, entitlement procurement, and environmental review to full build-out and operation—is expected to take approximately 10 years.

Read the full Request for Proposal here. For questions regarding this RFP and the contracting process, please contact Tanisha Herr at therr@portla.org. Proposals are due to the Port of Los Angeles by 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.

He Tells the Truth When He Lies: A JD Vance Primer on Building Conspiracies

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He Tells the Truth When He Lies: A JD Vance Primer on Building Conspiracies

By Allison Butler

Lately, I’ve had lyrics to ‘I’ve Got No Idols,’ by 1990s indie-darling Juliana Hatfield running through my head, particularly the line, “But I am a liar, that’s the truth, go home and think it through.” Why is this song, especially that particular lyric, taking up so much space in my brain these days?

I think it is because of JD Vance and his gift at being honest about being a liar.

Just about one year ago, during the presidential debate, when then-candidate Trump ranted about Haitian immigrants eating other people’s pets, it sounded like more of his bluster. In a rambling response to a question about immigration—arguably, one of his strongest and most popular campaign topics—Trump pounced on a rumor spread on the internet, “They’re eating the dogs … they’re eating the cats … They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

Then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance swiftly came his future boss’s defense, defending the debunked rumors, stating, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

One year later, cut to the aftermath of the killing of Charlie Kirk and we see that Vance is following through on his promise. Weaving the beginnings of a baseless conspiracy, Vance announced, “We know Joe Biden’s FBI was investigating Charlie Kirk. Maybe they should have been investigating the networks that motivated, inspired, and maybe even funded Charlie Kirk’s murder. If they had, Charlie Kirk might be alive today.” Discussing this comment on his podcast The Bulwark, Tim Miller was shocked that no news organization picked up this thread or remembered Vance’s statement from just one year ago. The ignorance of Vance’s comment about “networks” may be because the legacy press are no longer able to do their jobs as watchdogs of the government when their corporate owners are more interested in protecting their mergers.

As of this writing, all the information the public has about the alleged killer of Kirk is that he acted alone, drove his own car, used his grandfather’s rifle, and was turned in to law enforcement by his family. What network, then, “motivated, inspired” or “funded” the murder? Nearly 10 months into Trump 2.0, it is hard to fathom what threat Joe Biden could still play so that Vance needs to blame him for not protecting Kirk. One year ago, Vance told us clearly and with no equivocation what his role as Vice President would be: Creating stories to advance an agenda. How come we did not believe him?

In response to the baseless—and frankly: racist—rumors about the eating of pets, the legacy press was quick to point out how easy it was for misinformation to spread in the digital environment without taking a frank examination into their own culpability. In response to the baseless—and frankly: cowardly—accusation that there are “networks” that funded an alleged murderer, the legacy press was … nowhere to be found. The words and actions of President Trump, Vice President Vance, and their administration are newsworthy. However, giving their words oxygen without question, without demand for evidence, without any degree of pushback, is the equivalent of giving them free rein to coax whatever falsehoods they desire into the public consciousness. In their desire for profit, the corporate press enable their poor behavior and, in not pushing back, passively allow the false information to become truth.

Let us heed Juliana Hatfield’s advice and “go home and think it through.” As audiences, we have a lot to think about. I, for one, do not yet know how to live within an autocracy. I do know, however, that I cannot wait for corporate news organizations to catch on to the new playbook being used by Trump 2.0 where they are honest about their lies.

Allison Butler is a senior lecturer, associate chair of undergraduate advising, and the director of the Media Literacy Certificate Program in the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, MA. She is the co-author of The Media and Me: A Guide to Critical Media Literacy for Young People.

Long Beach Gears Up for October Arts Month with Open Studio Tours

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Long Beach Gears Up for October Arts Month with Open Studio Tours

 

LB Open Studio Tour 2025, October is Arts Month

In celebration of Long Beach Arts Month as well as the National Arts and Humanities Month, artists will be opening their studios to visitors for the Long Beach Open Studio Tour or LBOST during four weekends in October. Each weekend is a different area of Long Beach.

Visit local artists in their working environments that are not usually open to the public. There may be other arts related venues along the way.

The LBOST is a free, self-guided, at your own pace event. There is no ticket to buy. All you need is the tour map.

The website below includes maps of the studio locations as well as artist information to help you plan your studio visits. The participating studios and neighborhoods are marked with lawn signs bearing the LB Open Studio Tour logo.

Time: Uptown Studios Tour, 1 to 5 p.m., Oct. 4, 5; Downtown Studio Tour, 1 to 5 p.m., Oct. 11, 12; Eastside Studio Tour, 1 to 5 p.m., Oct. 18, 19; Belmont Studio Tour, 1 to 5 p.m., Oct. 25, 26

Cost: Free

Details: https://lbopenstudiotour.com/

Location: Various

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.

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