Is it West Carson? Near Torrance? Way South Burbank? Please pick a name
The city manager of Carson sent us an angry letter explaining that the helicopter shooting incident this morning did not happen in Carson. Those of us at the Daily Breeze know that and never said it did, but other folks in the TV media apparently never open a Thomas Guide.
We understand why the good folks of Carson don't want to be tied to the problems that occur outside its boundaries. The fact that deputies at the Carson station patrol the unincorporated area doesn't help.
The problem is the area between Harbor Gateway and Carson has no name. Thus, we say things happen "near Carson" or "near Harbor Gateway."
We don't have much of a choice. I've actually looked at a big map on the wall here and measured where a crime has occurred to determine whether to say "near Carson" or "near Harbor Gateway."
So, it was "unincorporated area west of Carson" in today's story. It's the nearest named city. We could have said "west of Paris," but that's a good distance away.
Then we got this email from a reader:
"do you have a problem calling it torrance
pubic records states the city is torrance- there is no such city called near carson , west carson, west of carson, by carson or harbor gateway.
If you need help using a map let me know."
Hmmmm. First of all, it's "public."
As you can imagine, residents within the Torrance city boundaries don't like to be connected to that unincorporated area either when crimes occur. (Or the Harbor Gateway, which also has Torrance addresses.)
We just can't win.
So, here's the challenge for the residents of this area, as well as Carson, Harbor Gateway and Torrance:
FIND A NAME FOR THIS STRETCH OF LAND.
The folks in Del Aire did. And El Camino Village. And Lennox. A good portion of Marina del Rey is unincorporated. There's an unincorporated area on the hill referred to as "Palos Verdes Peninsula."
I call upon the residents of this area -- and those surrounding it -- to come up with a name for their community. Call Supervisor Burke's office and start a campaign for a real identity.
I'd recommend not picking "West Carson" or "East Torrance." The folks in those towns will get upset. And don't tie yourself to the local gang's name that some people use to describe the neighborhood.
Pick something more pleasant that will improve your property values. How about "Green Pastures" or "God's Country" or "Bountiful" or "Handsome." Name it after someone famous like Torrance did. How about "Britney."
It doesn't need to even fit the landscape. I mean, we have Lawndale and Gardena. And last I checked, Manhattan Beach looks nothing like Manhattan. (Please send your complaints on this sentence to my e-mail address. The truth is my best defense.)
We will be glad to call that area whatever you want. It just needs to be official.
Please make suggestions here. Or send me an e-mail.
Thanks.
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
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Marina Del Puke
"The city manager of Carson sent us an angry letter explaining that the helicopter shooting incident this morning did not happen in Carson. Those of us at the Daily Breeze know that and never said it did, but other folks in the TV media apparently never open a Thomas Guide."
Larry, the first DB headline stated that the helicopter was shot at in CARSON. So don't say that you didn't state that because you did. So since you say the area is Harbor Gateway then why not just call it that? Besides that area is as near as Torrance as it is near Carson so since the po is Torrance...if you're gonna associate it with a city it should be Torrance and not Carson. So it should be either Harbor Gateway or an "unincorporated are near Torrance".
You are probably correct on the first headline. The article came from City News Service and was posted. We should have checked. We fixed it as the morning progressed.
Ok, here are mine (I have the last one copyrighted so I will be seeking royalties in the event that it is chosen).
Crimea
Ghettopolis
East Manhattan Beach
La Tierra del Diablo
I-Can't-Believe-Its-Not-Carson
99-Cents-Only
Torrance Wastewater Runoff Zone
Mordor
Corrance
Montezuma's Revenge
Blingington
Torson
Liquorstoria
Altmanistan
In seriousness, an appropriate name would be "Harbor Ridge".
Hey Wombat, pretty funny stuff! And, actually Harbor Ridge isn't that bad either. Here are my suggestions:
Vermont Park
Harbor Heights
Sepulveda
Carrillo
El Manuel
Portola
Anyways, it's an interesting topic. I hope DB readers come up with some good suggestions.
Evan, nice suggestions - especially Harbor Heights and Vermont Park...
Larry,
Why did you put back the headline "7 suspects detained after bullets strike sheriff's helicopter flying over Carson?" on the DB online home page? In addition the article says "Sheriff's deputies used a battering ram to break into a Carson garage, which officers thought might contain weapons." You agreed that this occured in Harbor Gateway so why your insistance to smear Carson. I will call a boycott of the DB from all Carson residents for your incompetence and biased reporting.
Your journalistic skills are mediocre at best!