Just in time

Well it looks like I got back to this electronic gristmill 
just in time to get a last minute update for a punk show 
tomorrow night at Harold's Place.  I'm too busy to prettify
the announcement, but the details are below for you folks
with a taste for punk.

friday mar 31
TOYS THAT KILL
MATT & KIM (Brooklyn)
MENEGUAR (Brooklyn)
THE ENGLISH WORK STANDARD
@ Harolds (19th and pacific ave)
9pm sharp

More punk news coming soon!

Momentarily Scuttled - rising from the depths, covered with seaweed

No - us editors are not dead, nor were we shanghied and then subjected to backroom brainwashing by Steve Bisno and the Ponte Vista PR team (must support development at all costs...). I just had to slip out for a bit after the B2B meeting/catharsis-a-thon the other week. Being astoundingly busy planning two back to back festivals for AGCC, wrangling our annual juried exhibition and being newly carless (had to bury my ride) have all conspired to keep me away from the business of updating this blog. Or of course, this being Pedro, I could have been on a drunken bender of Bukowski-esque porportions.

I've been trying to put some "deep thought" into what is happening around town, thinking about the direction of my posts on this blog, thinking about local planning, dialogue and other important whatnot. No matter how much I turn my mental crank on the local issues, I can't seem to come to a position that jives with what I see going on outside my windows. There's a debate a ragin' all over town and I'm not on either side of it, and I don't think either side is anywhere close to being right. I'm still not capable of articulating my position at this point, perhaps my inability to reconsile my perspective with the developments going on is reflective of the total lack of control or planning that I see going on. I'm shaking my head here, but not sure why.

I'd like to thank you guys for the varying perspectives and issue discussed in my last post, it's awesome to see the readers keep the lights on when we're not home here on the Edge.

A little more L.A. Waterfront delay info

Lot's of good Freeman quotes in this morning's Breeze story on the situation. Check it out, and don't forget today's big meeting - 5PM at the Port of Los Angeles.

I just love these crazy boat stories

Poor lost boat immolated at the base of the cliffs in Palos Verdes. I don't know why I find all of these lost, scuttled and now mysteriously abandoned and on fire boat stories so damn compelling, but I do. Don't play with matches kids.

Big Ass B2B related meeting tomorrow night

I know this is late notice, I just found out about this meeting today, and I got the details this afternoon. Tomorrow (Wednesday, the 8th) at 5PM there is going to be a meeting of the Coordinated Waterfront Plan Subcommittee in Conference Room 403 at the Port of Los Angeles headquarters.

At this meeting, Port officials will be giving a status update on current L.A. Waterfront plans, including the interim projects that have been delayed. Many factions and interests are mobilising to be at this meeting, and there will be press present. If you have an opinion or perspective on the delay, this meeting needs your attention - be there if you can to speak for yourself and your interests.

I still don't have any concrete details on the origin of the delay. My current understanding is that the City or Port has been threatened with a lawsuit by a third party, possibly the Sierra Club, although I'm not sure what the threatened lawsuit was about. Maybe this meeting will shed some light on the situation.

An aside. Based upon the ongoing chatter about this project, I've come to the conclusion that L.A. Waterfront has become a polarised battleground for ideologically opposed factions. It's important that new voices be heard, on either side of the debate. More importantly, there is a middle ground on this project that is not recieving enough attention. This project has the potential to provide for the real needs of the communities it serves, not for the self serving dreams of those on the extremes of the debate, and it's important that more rational and moderate voices be heard.

Bridge to Breakwater on Hold until 2007?

I'm about to skip town for the weekend, but this article in today's Breeze was too interesting not to throw up on the wall here. Apparently community concerns regarding the 22nd street parcel have stalled much of the near-term LA Waterfront development, forcing a lengthier review process on all of the upcoming construction, including the 6th Street Plaza and a variety of lighting and pocket park improvements. According to the article the threat of a lawsuit by parties unnamed in the article pushed the Port into a lengthier review process.

There's a ton of community reactions in the article, from business folks, Neighborhood Council folks, activist folks, POLA folks and Councilwoman Janice Hahn, and it's worth reading.

The article is filled with interesting quotes and perspectives but here's the one thing I wanted to note:

Work is still moving ahead, (Stacey) Jones said, to construct a large choreographed fountain at Swinford Street and Harbor Boulevard, a project that already received approval under the first section of the promenade project. It is slated for completion in early 2007.

I guess the fountain is technically part of a different project, and was approved in a seperate process, one that took place earlier before the spotlight was on every detail of B2B. The funny thing about the fountain to me is its placement. I used to live, in poorer days, in San Pedro's own Samoan Seas apartments, directly across from the fountian. If any two elements could more represent the coming clash between the moneyed folks that would like to mold San Pedro into their fantasy of "waterfornt living" and the reality of San Pedro's working class population, it's the fountain and that reality.

DP World = Scab Labor?

While some folks are telling me "what the hell does this have to do with San Pedro?", I still think that having DP World take over any United States port operations is bad for labor at all ports, including ours, in the long run. I still think that port security at any U.S. port is effectively non-exisitant anyways, and will continue to be non-existant into the forseeable future, making the security concerns being focused on a stinky, red herring.

Our longtime commetor, IMBG, pointed out this story about an aborted attempt to set up a program in Dubai to train scab workers to work during an expected labor dispute at the Port of Melbourne by Australian stevedoring company Patrick.

The meat of the article that I think is relevant to the current situation is:

Why Dubai?

Slap bang in the Arabian Gulf, Dubai is a free trade zone and an industrial free-for-all. Foreign workers predominate and trade unions are outlawed. Deportation awaits those who dare to organise one.

Local History Online

Today's Daily Breeze reports that images & other materials from the the Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District's Local History Collection are now making their way online.

Get your fill of online local history here.

1st Thursday tonight!

Yes, it's that time of the month again. This should be an good one, with lots to see. At the last meeting of the Downtown Promotions Committee, we voted to give the street fair on 6th street one more try, and it's supposed to be packed with quality vendors. So check that out, let me know what you think - is it an improvement, or more of the same?

There's lots of good new art out there tonight, and new steet poles (pictured, although they aren't "on" yet) to see. I'm too tied up at work to give you a blow-by-blow art breakdown on my lunchbreak, but I'll wrap it up by diecting you to Walled City for John Michael Gill, the Sandra Low show at the Warschaw (corner 6th & Pacific), Jan Govearts at Goose Drank Wine and Uran Snyder at the Loft (4th & Mesa - performance at 7:30). See you in the streets.

Mary, Christ, Jane Harman

First, the grand lady of the seas (or some such fancy thing) the Queen Mary 2 will be in and out of Port until March 8th. Picture of the dame courtesy of Mike Watt (thanks! - BTW Watt & The Punkinheads are playing at Sacred Grounds Saturday night, FYI). The two Mary's met in Long Beach last Thursday, at what was quite the party for cruise ship lovers, and she'll be back in town on the 8th if you haven't seen the big girl yet.

Although not really the most important story of the year, a man identified as "Jesus Christ" (probably not his real name, but you never know, mysterious ways and all) tried to drive a tanker full of diesel and gasoline out of the Evergreen docks. He was cornered by some ILWU guys and has been held. Breeze carries the story here.

Remember that DP World Port deal, well, Harman's expressed concern that the deal would involve as many as 20 ports. Still no concern from anyone about the idea that a state owned company from a post-feudal collection of kingdoms where the super-rich dance on the backs of postmodern slaves might not be the best manager for facilities where American workers, including union workers are employed. Maybe I've gone off the deep end on this one. Breeze story here.