Could have some validity this time around, especially given the time of year and Donovan's interest in playing at a higher level than MLS. Will we see him wearing Club America's colors at Home Depot Center at InterLiga in January?

Here's the report at Univision.

And who owns Club America and Univision? Yep, same company.

Here's the (rough) Spanish language translation as provided by colleague Gene Maddaus:

According to information from Televisa Deportes, American striker Landon Donovan could be hired by the Aguilas del America for the Clausura 2010, as it is one of the objectives of President Michel Bauer.

He could come for the Interliga.

This was mentioned on the news of Televisa Deportes, but there were no comments from the president of the Aguilas on this subject.

The Aguilas hope to have Landon Donovan for the next Torneo Interliga, which awards two seats for the following Copa Libertadores de America, and also the "azulcremas" hope that he will be their main reinforcement for the Clausura 2010.

It should be remembered that this is not the first time that the name of the striker has made the rounds in connection with Coapa, as last august the brother of the former U.S. national team member Alexi Lalas signaled in a column that Donovan could find himself playing one day with the Aguilas, because the Galaxy striker has all of the requirements to be an "Americanista."

Landon Donovan is now on vacation, having finished his participation with the Galaxy, the squad that lost the MLS final to Real Salt Lake on penalties.

And here's another report out of Mexico.

Again, the rough translation provided by Senor Maddaus:

You only have to say the name Landon Donovan in Mexico to bring us bad memories.

Maybe because a few years ago he urinated on the sacred grass of the Estadio Jalisco; maybe because he is one of the best footballers on the continent; but that because he is an American we don't want to recognize it.

What is clear is that for six months his name has been rumored in Villa Coapa, the home of America.

Today, in the program "Estadio Total" on the "Televisa Deportes Network," Michel Bauer spoke well of the U.S. national team member.

"He is a good player, the sort of character that any team would want to have in its ranks," said the president of the "azulcremas"...

Donovan, who now plays for the Galaxy alongside David Beckham, has finished
his participation in the MLS, and as with the former Real Madrid star, has six months "free", in which he usually searches for an arrangement with a European league.

Certainly Donovan's character, his style of play and his certain "arrogance" would fit in well at America, a team that is the most obliged to win and to crush its rivals.

Who knows, but maybe the winter market can bring Donovan to America, with those who possibly, very possibly, would debut in the Torneo Interliga, which holds two tickets to the Copa Libertadores de America 2010.

No response from the Galaxy, BTW.

However, Arena reportedly said earlier today he expects Donovan back next season.

And Landon?

"We'll know soon," he told MLSnet.com. "From Bruce's standpoint, that's the plan of me being back. We'll know soon. I haven't had a ton of time to think about it, but we'll figure it out shortly."

Available players: Todd Dunivant, Alecko Eskandarian, Alan Gordon, Leonard Griffin, Bryan Jordan, Jovan Kirovski, Chris Klein, Eddie Lewis, Yohance Marshall, Stefani Miglioranzi, Kyle Patterson, Tony Sanneh, Josh Saunders, Julian Valentin.

Here are the 11 players the Galaxy chose to protect then: David Beckham, Gregg Berhalter, Chris Birchall, Edson Buddle, A.J. DeLaGarza, Landon Donovan, Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Dema Kovalenko, Mike Magee, Donovan Ricketts.

As a Generation adidas player, forward Tristan Bowen of Van Nuys is automatically protected.

Here's who Chivas USA protected: Jonny Bornstein, Justin Braun, Yamith Cuesta, Jorge Flores, Maykel Galindo, Sacha Kljestan, Michael Lahoud, Paulo Nagamura, Jesus Padilla, Maicon Santos, Zach Thornton.

So, Chivas USA's available players are: Jon Conway, Jim Curtin, Kevin Harmse, Ante Jazic, Dan Kennedy, Eduardo Lillingston, Jesse Marsch, Ante Razov, Marcelo Saragosa, Bojan Stepanovic, Claudio Suarez, CareyTalley, Shavar Thomas, Mariano Trujillo, Sasha Victorine, Chucky Chukwudi Gerson Mayen, and Lance Parker.

The complete list of available and protected players from around the league.

I'll have more in Tuesday's column.

Home Depot Center will host doubleheaders Jan. 9 between Santos and Atlante, while Club America plays against Tecos and Jan. 10 with Puebla and Tigres facing off before Monterrey and Jaguares do battle.

Carson also hosts the two finals Jan. 13.

Full details here.

CD Guadalajara won last year's tournament.

Also:

* Sunday's college scores.

*Former Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid remained hospitalized Sunday. Updated 9 p.m. from a Sounders press release: Schmid was released from Bellevue 's Overlake Hospital on Monday after being hospitalized for four nights after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

"I'd like to thank all of the friends and fans for their good wishes," said Schmid. "I'm feeling much better and I plan to spend the holiday with family and be back in the office next week."

AP Photos

Game story.

The RSL perspective.

The Galaxy's season in review.

Galaxy lineup: Donovan Ricketts (Josh Saunders 66'), Todd Dunivant, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez (A.J. DeLaGarza 89'), Sean Franklin, Chris Birchall (Chris Klein 79'), Jovan Kirovski, Landon Donovan©, David Beckham, Mike Magee, Edson Buddle.

Subs Not Used: Yohance Marshall, Dema Kovalenko, Eddie Lewis, Alan Gordon.

David Beckham and the Galaxy ran out of gas Sunday.

Three lessons:

*Never discount RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando in a SO. Never.

*Many of the Galaxy players, including Beckham, looked old, tired and slow. Veterans got the Galaxy to MLS Cup; it will take more than experience to win it.

*The quality of soccer on artificial turf - no matter how good the fake surface - will never match that seen on grass.

Update from ESPN PR: ESPN Classic will be airing the 2009 MLS Cup between Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy as an Instant Classic at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

From USA Today's Beau Dure:

Another:

One more:

The Washington Post's Steve Goff just tweeted:

crazy, crazy rumor: jesse marsch retires to become chicago coach if hamlett is let go. no truth to it, i'm told, but fun item nonetheless

Really getting a feel for the atmosphere from Mr. Dure:

Here's this tweet from the LA Riot Squad:

How do get lars love? Lieweke just bought everyone at the bar a round!!!

Updated 4:11 p.m. from Big Soccer:

Updated 4:14 p.m. by MLS Commish Don Garber: thesoccerdon marching to the match. skies have cleared at #ml

Updated at 4:17 p.m. Sunset in Seattle:

First off, there's still time to enter the contest to predict the score of the game and win an MLS Cup DVD. Info here.

While we await the start of the 5:30 p.m. game live on ESPN and Galavision, get caught up with:

* A game preview by Phil Collin.

* Odds and sods.

* Seattle: Soccer city.

* What Drew Carey thinks of the jilted Galaxy now.

* Hear Galaxy midfielder Sean Franklin on the Galaxy's season and reaching MLS Cup.

Want more? Then check out posts from earlier in the week.

* Alan Gordon's fish toss (and more).

* The Galaxy dog and more.

*Meet Landon Donovan: MLS MVP.

*Meet Preki: Toronto coach.

*Galaxy tops Space Needle.

*See the MLS Goal of the Year.

*Finally, read this week's column.

Among the best reasons to attend an MLS Cup if you're a journalist are the rumors, gossip, agents telling lies in hopes of getting clients work and rank and file folks jockeying for jobs.

After all, contracts are expiring and trades brewing (the expansion draft is next week).

So if we believe this former Galaxy Coach Steve Sampson will soon be joining Chivas USA.

Little attribution to the item beyond vague "sources" (perhaps Sampson himself), but it certainly has a kernel of truth as any potentially credible gossip/propaganda always does.

Pros include the fact Sampson lives locally (Calabasas), is probably relatively inexpensive (a Chivas USA hallmark) and speaks Spanish.

Cons include that ghastly 1998 World Cup, a destructive stint with the Galaxy punctuated by a fluky MLS Cup win and a penchant for backroom politics.

By coincidence, I e-mailed Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid this week (before he was hospitalized with pneumonia Thursday night and where he remained through Saturday) about the Chivas USA job.

A press box colleague had wondered recently whether Schmid, who grew up in the South Bay and still has a house (and wife) in Manhattan Beach, would be interested in the Chivas USA job since it's known he would like to work again in Southern California.

It's probably a case of the right job at the wrong time for Schmid who not only has unfinished business in Seattle, but owners and management he will demonstrate loyalty to after they rescued him from the Crew.

He jokingly e-mailed me: "The owners here are great. If Chivas paid me what they paid (former Coach Hans) Westerhof I would consider it."

Of course, Westerhof was on a CD Guadalajara-size salary, not an MLS one.

And what about Chivas USA?

Here's President Shawn Hunter's comment in an e-mail reply to a query about Schmid: "I have always been a Sigi fan."

Massive?

Here's what I've been scanning as I watch EPL games this morning:

* Phil Collin's profile of Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

* Steven Goff's profile of former Maryland duo A.J. DeLaGarza and Omar Gonzalez.

* The Salt Lake City perspective.

Alan Gordon: Poetry in Motion

Also:

College Roundup.

I was sent two review copies (that I haven't looked at) so will give one sealed, never-viewed 91-minute history of the cup (great for re-gifting this holiday season!) to the person who correctly predicts the score of Sunday's game in the comments section of this blog post. Feel free to explain your reasoning, too. If more than one reader chooses the correct score, I'll draw a name at random.

Winners of previous contests on this blog are ineligible this time around, BTW. The deadline is 5 p.m. Sunday. I'll notify the winner via e-mail Monday.

Need help figuring out the score?

Former Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid told me this week via e-mail that "I think this is the Salt Lake Cinderella story. Too much speed up top. (Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan) Ricketts is due to make an error - do not ask me why - just a hunch."

And for what it's worth, the Galaxy will win its third MLS Cup with a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake at Qwest Field in Seattle, WA, if you believe an official EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 10 videogame simulation of the MLS Cup final using the Xbox 360.

The Galaxy's Landon Donovan shreds the RSL defense in this screen shot.

Here's how the simulation went:

The Galaxy led 2-0 early in the second half and then survived a frantic comeback attempt by Real Salt Lake to capture its third MLS title.

Edson Buddle (40th minute) and Landon Donovan (59th minute) gave the Galaxy a 2-0 lead. Late in the first half, Buddle received a smooth pass from Eddie Lewis just left of the penalty mark and fired a rocket with his left foot past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Donovan then made it 2-0 after he pounced on a rebound off a Mike Magee shot, controlled the ball and gently slide it into an empty net while Rimando was still on the ground.

Javier Morales gave Real Salt Lake hope when he fired a shot from 18 yards out past Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. Salt Lake pressed forward for the equalizer over the final 14 minutes but Ricketts turned back the only dangerous shot, a Clint Mathis blast from the right side, four minutes from the end of regulation.

Galaxy outshot Real Salt Lake 16-5. Donovan was named Man of the Match after firing six shots on goal and scoring the game-winner.

First things first: the Galaxy's Alecko Eskandarian is on Drew Carey's "The Price is Right at 10 a.m. on CBS (sorry for the late notice).

In other momentous MLS Cup related news:

*Seattle introduces - the Galaxy dog.

*Former Galaxy midfielder Ned Grabavoy is a hero in Salt Lake City after scoring the PK that put them through to the final - but may not play Sunday against his former team.

*David Beckham hasn't trained fully with the team all week and may take pain killers to get through Sunday's game. (And be sure and check out Beckham's hairstyles through the years at the pic just to the right of the story on that Web page).

*Former Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas (and current ESPN soccer analyst) talks to Daily News sports media columnist Tom Hoffarth here.

*The Seattle Times is going all out with its on-line MLS Cup coverage.

And because we can't have enough pictures of the Galaxy logo atop Seattle's Space Needle: (MLS Photo)

In other soccer news:

*Some residents of a West Torrance neighborhood equate AYSO with prostitution (seriously).

*The CSUDH women's team plays its biggest game of the year tonight without its biggest offensive threat.

Jones, now an assistant coach with the Galaxy after a glittering 12-season career with the MLS club, grew up in Westlake Village.

"Cobi brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion, not only to the game itself, but also how it relates to the Southern California youth players as they develop into future generations of professional players," said Paul Higgins, president of South Coast Soccer City, the first in what's envisioned as a chain of similar state of the art indoor soccer facilities in the region. "His passion for the game is unparalleled and his excitement for our concept was evident the first time we walked him through the building and described our plans. Cobi made it clear from the start that he had no interest in being a passive investor - he wanted to be actively involved in not only this first location, but also the growth of Soccer City in California and beyond.

Jones will host camps and clinics at the facility and help develop the programming and curriculum for youth programs.

"Futsal allows young players to learn soccer skills that include finesse, creativity, ball control and so much more - all elements of the game that would greatly impact their success in the outdoor game," Jones said. "I strongly believe that developing a network of facilities that promote small five-a-side soccer will revolutionize the way young soccer players develop in the U.S."

Soccer City expects to open in December.

To learn more, check out previous posts about South Coast Soccer City by clicking here.

In a good omen for next season, however, LMU will return 14 of the 19 players who suited up in the NCAA Tournament game.

Game details here.

From the Sac State press release:

Sacramento State heads into the match with the Bruins, who are 10-3-4 and ranked No. 8 in the latest NSCAA/Adidas coaches poll, riding a 10 match unbeaten streak. Sacramento State is 8-0-2 since a 2-1 loss at San Jose State on October 8. In the last NSCAA Far West region poll, published Nov. 10, UCLA was ranked third, while the Hornets were ranked eighth.

Winners of the Pac-10 title for the second straight year, UCLA is making its 27th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having won the national title four times (1985, 1990, 1997, and 2002). They have advanced to the College Cup 12 times, with their most recent trip coming in 2006. The Bruins were members of the MPSF along with the Hornets from 1992-1999, and posted a perfect 4-0-0 record against Sacramento State. The last meeting between the two clubs came in 1998 at Hornet Soccer Field, a 3-0 victory for UCLA.

Not much of a surprise there. It was just announced on ESPNews.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is this is the first time that Landon Donovan, a five-time Honda Player of the Year and two-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, has won the MLS award.

Said Donovan:

"Well, from a statistical standpoint it wasn't my best year, but what is important to me, and I think the reason we're being recognized, is that our team was very good this year. You see with Bruce winning Coach of the Year and Omar winning Rookie of the Year, and I think Donovan should have won Goalkeeper of the Year, we're being recognized for what we've done this year. I think this is especially nice because it's not only the media or the fans, it's also your peers, and when your peers vote for you that means a little bit extra."

He beat out Dallas' Jeff Cunningham and the Revs' Shalrie Joseph, BTW.

He's the second Galaxy player to win the award; Carlos Ruiz was the first in 2002.

Updated - here's more:

SEATTLE (AP) -- Long considered the best player in the U.S., Landon Donovan is now the best player in Major League Soccer.

The Los Angeles Galaxy forward and six-time national player of the year was named the MLS most valuable player on Thursday for the first time in his career.

Despite all his accolades as the leader of the U.S. national team, Donovan had yet to be
recognized by his own league until this season when he helped the Galaxy race to the MLS Cup final and overcome some of his own off-the-field distractions.

Los Angeles will face Real Salt Lake for the MLS title on Sunday night in Seattle. Donovan beat out FC Dallas' Jeff Cunningham, the league's goal scoring leader with a career-best 17 goals, and New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph for the award.

It's already been the longest and most trying year of Donovan's career.

Donovan, 27, was instrumental in the Americans' successful qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup and its trek to the Confederations Cup championship match, large factors in him winning an unprecedented sixth Honda Player of the Year Award last month.

He scored 12 goals in the regular season and added six assists for the Galaxy, despite missing a month of the season in helping lead the U.S. to the Confederations Cup final. That total followed up on last season when Donovan scored a league-high 20 goals, but missed out on the MVP award as Los Angeles finished last in the Western Conference.

This year, Donovan was the leader. Los Angeles was the best team in the West, overcoming a remarkable 11 ties in its first 13 games to take the top spot and qualify for the playoffs for the first time since its run to the title in 2005 as the No. 8 seed.

"He's grown on the field as a player. He's a more mature consistent player, but his role off the field with this team has been perhaps even better, remarkable," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said recently. "The things he did to help build this team to have the right kind of team chemistry, to be a leader ... Landon was consistently here every day and taking the responsibility of a captain. He's been doing a fantastic job."

And it wasn't just the regular season where Donovan excelled.

Donovan scored in the opener of the Galaxy's first-round series against rival Chivas USA, then added a penalty kick goal versus Chivas to help clinch the playoff victory in the second-leg.

In the conference final last Friday against Houston, Donovan's overtime penalty kick goal cemented the 2-0 victory and a spot in the league championship game. He now has 17 career playoff goals, most in league history.

Donovan's 2009 season grabbed plenty of attention for what happened away from his time on the field with the Galaxy.

He spent three months on loan to German powerhouse Bayern Munich and was not offered a full contract. His marriage, to actress Bianca Kajlich, dissolved. And he was a major figure in Grant Wahl's "The Beckham Experiment," a book chronicling and critical of David Beckham's first two seasons with the Galaxy. Donovan criticized Beckham's leadership and effort in the book, and he apologized to the English star for airing his thoughts in public.

Since Beckham returned to the Galaxy from a loan deal to Italy's AC Milan, he and Donovan developed a strong partnership that has helped fuel their run to the league championship game.

Boeing tanker ally eyes $5 mln per plane Airbus duty

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A Boeing Co (BA.N) ally in Congress urged the Pentagon on Wednesday to add as much as $5 million per plane to a rival trans-Atlantic team's bid to supply new U.S. mid-air refueling aircraft.

Rep. Norm Dicks, a member of the House of Representatives Defense Appropriations subcommittee, floated the figure as part of a renewed push by Boeing's political backers, aimed at factoring a September interim global trade ruling into the tanker contract battle.

Read more on the Air Force Tanker Contract.

Toyota Former Inhouse Lawyer Must Arbitrate Claims

(Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. won a ruling forcing a former inhouse lawyer to arbitrate racketeering and other claims he brought in a lawsuit accusing the carmaker of hiding information in litigation over rollover crashes.

U.S. District Judge George H. King in Los Angeles, in an order today, granted Toyota's request to compel Dimitrios Biller to arbitrate the dispute as was stipulated in his September 2007 severance agreement. Biller's claims against Toyota will be put on hold pending the completion of arbitration, the judge said.

Read more on Toyota's legal battle.

El Segundo is already home to a lot of magazines on such topics as hobbies and vegetarian cooking.

LCROSS was built by Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach.

Here's the wire story:

NASA finds water found on the moon

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A "significant amount" of frozen water has been found on the moon, the US space agency NASA said Friday, boosting hopes of eventually setting up a permanent lunar base.

Preliminary data from a moon probe "indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater," NASA said.

Read more on NASA's find.

A couple of weeks ago, Leo Nordine, a local real estate agent who specializes in selling foreclosed homes, told me half-jokingly that if the government stopped interfering in the real estate market, he would become a very rich man.

Read Muhammed El-Hasan's Business Casual.

(USA Today) Toyota's reign as the world's largest automaker didn't last long.

Only a year after the Japanese automaker wrested the title from General Motors for the first time in 80 years, Toyota has been overtaken by the Germans.

Volkswagen-Porsche now is the the world's largest car manufacturer, reports the Guardian of London.

Read more on Toyota's reported drop to No. 2.

•Request to allow people to change clothes in their cubicles.
•Request to add a tanning bed to the break room.
•Request to put beer in the vending machine.
•Request that jail time be covered under family medical leave.
•Request to institute bikini Fridays.
•Request to only be required to work during daylight hours because employee is scared of the dark.
•Request for a special smoking area for medical marijuana.
•Request that the HR person wear nicer shoes.
•Request for more time off to pursue side business as a clown.
•Request to replace his desk with a futon so employee could lay down and work.
•Request that the lactation room with gliding chair be used for naps, so everyone can use it.
•Request to install a swimming pool for employees to use.
•Request to have the team meeting to be held in Hawaii.

Probe finds jump in runaway Toyota complaints: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Over 1,000 Toyota and Lexus owners have reported sudden, spontaneous acceleration of their vehicles since 2001, including crashes blamed for 19 deaths, far more than earlier disclosed, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously has said it had received reports of 100 such incidents, including 17 crashes and five fatalities.

Read more on the LA Times probe.

Here's a few ideas from Muhammed El-Hasan's Business Casual column.

Also, read the original story of Bikini Espresso's closing.

Toyota Executive Denies "Cover Up" In Probe of Runaway Cars

A senior Toyota executive denied today allegations the company is trying to cover up the cause of an estimated 2,000 reports of so-called runaway cars that experience sudden surges of acceleration.

"It is not part of the Toyota culture and Toyota way to cover up anything," said Yukitoshi Funo, one of Toyota's five executive vice-presidents at its Tokyo headquarters.

Read more on Toyota's acceleration problem.

Toyota Returns to Profit

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor returned to a profit in the latest quarter and halved its annual loss forecast Thursday as aggressive cost cuts, government incentives and signs of a global economic recovery all buoyed its bottom line.

Its Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan both recently reported rosier earnings after a battering in the global economic crisis, which brought sales to a standstill and set off a wave of factory shutdowns and layoffs.

Read more on Toyota's 2Q profit.

Space arms race inevitable says Chinese commander

(Telegraph) China, which hopes to put a man on the moon by 2020, has long stated that it supported the peaceful uses of outer space and opposed the introduction of weapons there.

Read more on arms race.

Car maker develops its own flower species

(Drive.com.au)Toyota has created two flower species that absorb nitrogen oxides and take heat out of the atmosphere.

The flowers, derivatives of the cherry sage plant and the gardenia, were specially developed for the grounds of Toyota's Prius plant in Toyota City, Japan.

Read more on Toyota's new flower species.

"Fashionista" of Rancho Palos Verdes wrote: "I wonder what the point was of so vividly describing her outfit that night.... "

Julie Rosas was dressed up for a night-out-on-the town. What I didn't fit into this story is that, when she left her Norwalk home, she carried with her a grocery bag containing sweats or pajamas to change into after clubbing.

While the defense to the charge has still not been fully revealed, it's possible Manai's attorney may try to suggest to the jury that Rosas went to the Rancho Palos Verdes cliff voluntarily that night, and maybe slipped in a horrible accident.

The point, then, of describing her clothes is that most people would not go, in the dark, to a rocky and precarious cliff-top wearing three-inch heels, a mini-skirt and halter top. Also, that none of her belongings that she left home with, or her car, were found at the scene is, the prosecution believes, circumstantial evidence that Rosas did not go there voluntarily ... or maybe even alive.

• Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger will remain the Director of the Office of Operations, which will consist of the four geographic bureaus.
• Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz will remain the Commanding Officer, Operations - Central Bureau
• Commander Pat Gannon will be promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief and will assume command of Operations - South Bureau
• Commander Debbie McCarthy will be promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief and will assume command of Operations - West Bureau
• Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese will assume command of Operations - Valley Bureau Office of Special Services
• Deputy Chief Michel Moore will be upgraded to Assistant Chief and will become the Director of the Office of Special Services.
• Deputy Chief Mike Downing will remain the Commanding Officer of Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau.
• Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell will become the Chief of Detectives.
• Deputy Chief Rich Roupoli will remain the Commanding Officer of Special Operations Bureau, Office of Administrative Services
• Deputy Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur will be upgraded to Assistant Chief and will become the Director of the Office of Administrative Services.
• Deputy Chief Terry Hara will become the Commanding Officer of Personnel and Training Bureau.
• Police Administrator III Rhonda Sims Lewis will become the Commanding Officer of Support Services Bureau.
• Police Administrator III Maggie Goodrich will become the Commanding Officer of Information and Technology Bureau.
• Chief Information Officer Tim Riley will become the Commanding Officer of Communications and Records Bureau.
• Deputy Chief Mark Perez will remain the Commanding Officer of Professional Standards Bureau.
• Police Administrator III Gerald Chaleff will become a Special Assistant to the Chief of Police.
• Commander Rick Jacobs will become the Chief of Staff.

Manai, accused of killing his wife of 13 days, Julia Rosas, in July 2005, is charged with murder. At his preliminary hearing several years ago, it was revealed that he had confessed to his friend while sitting at a Redondo Beach Pier eatery and pointing to the cliffs to the south.

Opening statements are today, followed by the first witnesses. Check the Daily Breeze and dailybreeze.com later for my coverage.

This is one of those cases that things turned out to not be what they seemed...

Check out my story later at dailybreeze.com for the details.

Previously: Cruise ship sexual assault statements

A "Guns for Gifts" exchange will be held in Compton Dec. 5-6.
A $100 gift card from Best Buy, Ralphs or Target will be given for each gun surrendered, Sgt. Carmichael Octave of the sheriff's Compton Station said.
The biggest challenge to the program is to ensure residents understand "this is a completely anonymous process, where we will ask no questions of the person surrendering the firearm," Octave said.
The gun exchange will be conducted in the Ralphs parking lot at 280 E. Compton Blvd.

Two men were shot to death Wednesday night as they attempted to escape an attack in a narrow Wilmington street, police said.

The two men were found dead within 200 feet of each other in the 1500 block of E. Lomita Boulevard around 9 p.m., said Los Angeles police Sgt. Danny Contreras, who investigated the incident.

One man was found shot to death in the passenger seat of a crashed sedan, and the other discovered laying dead in the street, he said.

"Basically, that's a storage area for mountains of stacked containers," he said. "It appeared the driver of the victims' vehicle was attempting to escape. We don't know if he was traveling in reverse or what, but somehow he lost control of the vehicle and careened into a chain link fence."

No weapons were found at the scene, and police do not believe the incident was a robbery.

The victims' identities were not yet released, and police have no suspect information or indication that the incident was gang related.

From the NASA press release: A strong sonic boom could be generated along the shuttle's route of descent along Southern California coastal counties, primarily in the Los Angeles - Long Beach area, about five to 10 minutes before landing.

He says Los Angeles Police Department officials evacuated neighbors after finding some kind of explosives in the house, in the 15900 block of South Orchard Avenue in Harbor Gateway.

Police are not yet saying what the cause of the fire is, or if the packrat conditions inside the home and the explosives are related to the cause.

A LAPD bomb squad is en route to the home to investigate the explosives.

Larry says: "Neighbors who were waiting to be able to go home said the approximately 80-year-old man collected junk and they had made repeated calls to code enforcement and other city departments to try to get it cleaned."

Larry is now driving to the Carson shooting scene where a man was killed by Gardena police officers early this morning.

Del Amo Fashion Center
310-542-8525

Santa will be at the mall during business hours through Dec. 24.
Those hours are:
Mon to Fri: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from Noon to 1 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Sat: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Breaks from Noon to 1 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Breaks from 3 to 4 p.m.

Galleria at South Bay
310-371-7546

Santa will be there through Dec. 24.
Nov. 24 and Nov. 25: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Nov. 27 and Nov. 28: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Nov. 29: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Breaks from 2 to 3 p.m.
Nov. 30 to Dec. 4: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 5: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 6 to Dec. 11: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 12: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 13: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 14 to Dec. 20: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 21 to Dec. 23: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:15 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 24: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Breaks from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The Web site also has a detailed list of photo packages and prices.

Manhattan Village Mall
310-546-5555

Santa arrives Nov. 27 and stays until Dec. 24.
Mon to Sat: 11a.m. to 8 p.m., breaks at 1-2 p.m. and 4:15-4:45 p.m.
Sun: Noon to 6 p.m., breaks from 2 to 3 p.m.
The Web site has a list of packages and prices.

Promenade on the Peninsula
310-541-0688

Pictures with Santa, on two Saturdays only: Nov. 28 and Dec. 19, 1-4 p.m. each day.

Plaza El Segundo
310-647-3431

Santa will park his sleigh next to Toy Jungle for one day only.
Nov. 27: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

South Bay Pavilion at Carson
310-366-6636

Santa arrives on Nov. 27 and will hang around until Dec. 24.
Mon to Sat: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sun: Noon to 5 p.m.

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The nonprofit Iemanya Oceanica announced last week that a team including several South Bay residents had successfully tagged three whale sharks, bringing the group's family of trackable sharks to 10.

The new additions -- a type of shark with mouths so big "you could drive a Volkswagen into" them, Iemanya board member Patty Civalleri has said, and that is particularly vulnerable to boat collisions and overfishing -- were found during Iemanya's inaugural tagging expedition, in Bahia de Los Angeles, Mexico.

"We opened up 20 seats on this expedition to the public," said Civalleri, a Manhattan Beach resident, "and because of the assistance from the media, we were able to fill those seats quickly with volunteers who came to us with various levels of water skills and a general knowledge of nature and the ocean. We couldn't have asked for a better group."

That group worked with researchers to attach tags to the sharks' dorsal fins. Through those tags -- and satellite transmission -- Iemanya will learn air and water temperatures, diving patterns, daily and seasonal movement and calving and feeding habits.

And it's sharing it all with you.

"People can now go online and adopt a shark as an educational gift," said Laleh Mohajerani, Iemanya's executive director. "Then every day they can track the movement of their shark," she added.

Get yours. And read Staff Writer Andrea Woodhouse's original Daily Breeze story about the Iemanya tagging expedition.

The online registration will begin at 9 a.m. Monday and end at 9 p.m. Sept. 20.

Only 700 bleacher seats are available for the March 7 event.

In early October, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will notify the winners, who will then be required to submit additional information for security information and final approval.

According to the academy, as many as 20,000 people have applied online in past years for a shot at the coveted seats.

In addition to sitting along the red carpet prior to the Oscars, winners will also be invited to watch the telecast at a nearby private location, according to the academy.

Besides cable, satellite, DVRs, DVDs and now Hulu, there's a different way to watch TV: Take your favorite show and "reverse engineer" it into constituent parts.

TV Tropes is a Wiki that shows how a program is built together out of "atoms" of character, dialogue and plot devices -- some plausible, others mostly serviceable for the sake of getting on with the show.

On the main page, it says "tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations."

For instance, take any episode from the "Law & Order" franchise. Every week, buddy cops go on a reverse whodunit to find the freak of the week based on a true crime story. In the hour, the squad must connect the deaths while being hampered by the suspect's amoral attorney and jurisdiction friction. The shows then end with variants on courtroom antics.

Click on each link to go to TV Tropes and find out what they mean and where and when they are used. Warning: Some entries contain obscenities.

David Anderson has mounted seven cameras and built an underwater viewing pod on his 50-foot high-tech, high-speed catamaran and will take anyone along for a virtual ride.

Anderson, a documentary filmmaker whose "Wild Dolphins and Whales of Southern California" was a winner at the Wildscreen Film Festival, wanted his latest venture to be more than a webcam.

"It's like a reality show. We have mikes on the captain and crew. You will hear things even the passengers don't hear. My crew was not real keen on this and there is a little friction but they understand why we are doing it," he said.

When the boat is out, the cameras are on, the mikes are connected and the action is live.

If you sign up on his Web site in the morning, he will Tweet you when the boat is approaching a group of whales or a pod of dolphins. That lets you log on for the best of each trip. Recaps will also be available on the Web site each night, he said.

It took more than a year to get Coast Guard approval for the viewing pod on Anderson's boat, the Manute'a. The viewing pod, made of 36 square feet of bulletproof glass, holds just a couple of people at a time and they can find themselves very intimate with the dolphins.

The Web site aims to provide the mentors of today's soccer-playing future with tools that assess players' skills as well as technical training videos for players of all skill levels.

"Knowing what to teach and how to teach it has always been a real challenge for youth soccer coaches, many of whom are well-meaning parent volunteers who lack formal training," says iSoccer founder Scott Leber.

If iSoccer is able to produce results similar to what Leber has achieved, the investment may be worth it. He was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year, and played NCAA Division 1 soccer at Stanford, where he studied industrial engineering. Before developing iSoccer, he started an East Coast youth soccer training business.

Leber's program tailors training guides to a player's current abilities. The cost of an individual session ranges from about $7 to $12 (you get a better rate when buying a package of sessions), and a session can include anywhere from nine to 22 exercises.

Covered topics and skills include laces, passing and aerial control, and each installment can be downloaded to an iPod and taken to the field. There, players practicing on their own or with their teams can watch the skill demonstrations and try out what they've learned on the spot.

Some questions and answers about whether it makes financial sense to leave your clunker behind.

Q: What factors should I consider?

A: Although the $3,500 or $4,500 you'll save through the government's cash-for-clunkers program seems very enticing, be sure to look at all the other costs associated with owning a new car.

The most obvious cost is your new car payment. But even if you've already factored this in -- say, if you were already planning to buy a new car before this program came along -- don't forget that a new car will likely also increase your insurance premium and annual licensing fees.

Of course, the new car likely will save you money on gas and maintenance costs.
How will the numbers balance out?

Try this online calculator, which allows you to compare all the costs of your old car with those of a new car to see how your situation adds up.

You might also want to plug a used car you might consider buying into the calculator and compare its cost with that of the new one with the rebate.

And keep in mind another cost associated only with new cars: depreciation.

Q: How can I assess the cost of keeping my older car, to figure out whether it's a good idea to trade it in?

A: The cost of owning a car includes more factors than you might think. Edmunds.com, an auto consumer Web site, has identified eight components: depreciation, interest on financing, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel, maintenance, repairs and any federal tax credit.

A Web calculator on the Edmunds site will help you figure the true cost of owning a car.

Find out which events take place where and when here including the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier swim and the Velzy-Stevens Pier-to-Pier Paddleboard Championship. The site also has photos and results from past events.

There's help. Weplay.com, a Web site that helps parents and coaches organize their kids' sports calendars, has a new video library just in time for the fall youth sports season.

The site offers free training videos from star athletes like Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees; 2006 MLB MVP Ryan Howard; 2008 NFL MVP Peyton Manning; USA Softball superstar and Olympic gold medalist pitcher Jennie Finch; gold medal winning soccer star Brandi Chastain; and dozens of other professional athletes. The videos provide everything from basic skills and drills to unique insights into how the pros prepare for the sports they play.
Here's what it's got:
Baseball Drills
Basketball Drills
Cheerleading Drills
Football Drills
Soccer Drills
Softball Drills

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are providing up-to-the-second news. Though, as Foreign Policy magazine warns, there are fakers and provocateurs out there.

Even Wikipedia had to lock its entry on the June 12 elections, citing vandalism.

Still images are constantly surfacing on Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket of events in Iran and sympathetic protests worldwide.

The international journalists association Reporters Without Borders provides news on press crackdowns and the whereabouts of journalists on its Iran page.

YouTube is teeming with videos, but one in particular may well emerge as the iconic image of the election protests.

In what's tagged the "Neda video," a young woman lays dying after reportedly being gunned down by a government militia member. However, The Associated Press said it could not verify the location, date or the content of the video, which is explicit.

In Barnes & Noble's program, kids in first through sixth grades complete a downloadable journal by reading and writing about eight books. Return the journal to a store and the child can select a free book from a grade-appropriate list.

Borders offers a similar program. Children 12 and under read 8 books, list them on a form, and then return the form to the store where they will get a coupon to buy some selected items for $4.99.

And, if you're not sure what your child should be reading, check out the state of California's reading list for Kindergarten through 12th graders. The list is sorted by reading level as based on the California English-Language Arts Standards Test.

1. www.commonsensewithmoney.com:
Founder: Mercedes Levy, 34, mother of two boys, ages 4, 18 months.
Based: Sheboygan, Wis.
Background: Certified Public Accountant, holds an MBA. Stay-at-home mother. Started blog October 2007.
Focus: Rock-bottom deals.
Philosophy: "I wanted people to see that you can not only make it on one income but you can thrive on one."

2. www.5dollardinners.com
Founder: Erin Chase, 31, mother of two boys, ages 4 and 2.
Based: Dayton, Ohio
Background: Former high school math and science teacher. Started blog summer 2008.
Focus: Cooking and planning nutritious family dinners for less than $5.
Philosophy: "I buy EVERYTHING on sale and most non-produce/meat items with a coupon."

3. www.couponmom.com
Founder: Stephanie Nelson, 45, mother of two boys ages, 13 and 16.
Based: Atlanta
Background: Bachelor's degree in finance, 10 years' experience in sales and marketing with Procter & Gamble Co. and MarriottZZTO International Inc. Left corporate world 1995. Started blog 2001.
Focus: Slashing your grocery bill in half.
Philosophy: "Strategic shopping is not about changing the way you eat; it is about changing the way you buy the food you like."

4. www.moneyssavingmom.com
Founder: Crystal Paine, 27, mother of two girls, ages 4, 23 months and a boy, 3 weeks old.
Based: Kansas
Background: Stay-at-home mom, learned to live on "beans and rice budget" when husband was in law school. Started blog in late 2007.
Focus: Living on less than you make by using coupons and finding other deals.
Philosophy: "After years of scrimping and sacrifice, we're reaping the benefits now of being able to live significantly below our means because we don't have any payments."

5. www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com:
Founder: Heather Hernandez, 33, mother of two boys, ages 4,2.
Based: Houston
Background: Civil engineer. Stay-at-home mom. Started blog October 2007.
Focus: Free samples, freebies on products that families use daily.
Philosophy: "Moms deserve to be spoiled, and I help them by sharing the hottest freebies as a fun way to save money."

-- The Associated Press

Also featured during the event at the corner of Avenue I and Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach will be two electric cars that are part of an experimental Local Use Vehicle demonstration project in Redondo. The vehicles will offer residents alternatives to conventional short-haul car trips.

The Sierra Club contends that inflated permit costs and long wait times, which are the norm in many cities in Southern California, are hindering solar power development. Solar panels can help reduce greenhouse gases and our dependence on pollution-spewing sources of energy.

Here is the full report, where Los Angeles-area residents can look up solar permit costs in their own cities.

The Netbook, developed by a Spanish company, is a solar-powered portable computer weighing 1.5 pounds and costing around $200. The body of the computer is made of bioplastics and biodegradable materials such as starch and cellulose, so it's easily recyclable.

But it's not for gamers or video makers. The Gyy runs on Linux rather than Windows and features only 128 MB of Ram. It does, however, boast 64 GB of storage space, three USB ports, ethernet and WiFi.

It's supposed to be in stores by July.

Those interested in learning about the benefits of installing solar panels on their homes can register for the session online or by calling 866-970-9221.

SCE is now offering rebates to homeowners as part of the California Solar Initiative.

But even so, the American Public Transportation Association reported this week that Americans took 2.6 billion trips on public transit during the first quarter of 2009. That represented only a small 1.2 percent decline over the same period a year earlier.

But the L.A. region fared much better than the nation as a whole in terms of attracting more transit riders. Among its transit systems classified as light rail, L.A. was one of four regions with double-digit increases in ridership during the first quarter compared to the same period in 2008. L.A.'s increase was 18 percent.

As for heavy-rail lines and subways, the L.A. region recorded one of the five highest ridership increases nationwide, at 6.4 percent.

Such statistics are causing transit advocates to call on Congress to put more funds into public transit as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expand transportation options and help revitalize the nation's infrastructure.

Here's a link to a related editorial on Tuesday's Daily Breeze's Editorial page.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include displays on green home improvements, energy-efficient appliances, hybrid cars, electric vehicles, scooters, bicycles, natural landscaping techniques and water conservation.

The federal government is now taking a more intensive look at the problem and how to reduce risks to human health and marine life. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a series of public meetings on the Palos Verdes Shelf, where polluted sediment extends about 9 miles, from Point Fermin in the southeast to Redondo Canyon in the northwest.

The EPA favors an interim remedy that features "institutional controls, monitored natural recovery and a containment cap," an agency press release states. Once approved, the plan will take three years to complete and cost an estimated $36 million.

The EPA is inviting the public to the following public meetings: 2 to 5 p.m. June 23 at the Cabrillo Beach House, 3800 Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro; 6 to 9 p.m. June 24 at Banning's Landing, 100 E. Water St. in Wilmington; and 6 to 9 p.m. June 25 at the Palos Verdes Library, 701 Silver Spur Road in Rolling Hills Estates.

The Pew Charitable Trusts study, which was released Wednesday, says that U.S. renewable energy industries, including solar and wind-power companies, expanded their work force by 9.1 percent from 1998 to 2007. The nation's average job growth for all industries was 3.7 percent for the same time period.

California was tops in the number of green jobs within its borders, coming in at 125,390. Its percentage increase, however, lagged behind the national average, at 7.7 percent.

In its Los Angeles Greenprint Report, the environmental advocacy group hailed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Green L.A. and Solar L.A. initiatives, saying such "smart policy will unleash a green job boom."

The study concluded that 2,200 businesses throughout California are likely to grow as the state transitions to a low-carbon economy.Los Angeles County has the greatest concentration of those green companies, with 400.

The expo, which will feature specialists who provide environmentally friendly products and services, will take place from 11 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. June 12 at the Torrance Marriott South Bay, 3635 Fashion Way in Torrance.

A luncheon presentation is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. It will feature a welcome by Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto and speakers Andre Villasenor of the Environmental Protection Agency; Marilyn Lyon, program manager, South Bay Environmental Services Center; Randal Smith, vice president of marketing, Virco Manufacturing Corp.; and Dan Wieten, a manager for Toyota.

The cost $30 for chamber members and $35 for visitors.

The transit agency projects that discounted fares would lure 3,000 drivers onto public transit on smoggy days, thereby reducing the amount of car emissions that irritate eyes and throats, not to mention how the pollution worsens heart and lung ailments.

The agency is adding another carrot by promising to donate the equivalent of what 5,000 bus riders would save on fares during smog alerts to a Montreal environmental group.

The event takes place on World Environment Day, which was begun by the United Nations in 1972 to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and sustainable development practices. The theme for this year's event is "Your Planet Needs You -- UNite to Combat Climate Change."

When Heal the Bay released its annual report cards on beach pollution in Southern California, readers may have gotten the impression that there was little to celebrate. Indeed, the water quality in Los Angeles County was the worst since 2004-05, and during the rainy season 81 percent of county beaches received "D" or "F" grades.

Even during the summer season, when most South Bay beaches fared well, Dockweiler State Beach at the mouth of Ballona Creek received an "F" as a result of high  bacterial levels. The same grade went to Cabrillo Beach at the restrooms and lifeguard tower. Same story for Avalon Beach on Catalina Island.

But there is some good news. Heal the Bay also included an honor roll of beaches in Los Angeles County that did not exceed state standards for bacteria concentrations during dry weather. The list included several stretches of South Bay beaches: Dockweiler at the North Westchester storm drain and Imperial Highway; Manhattan Beach, at the pier and at 40th Street; Malaga Cove and Palos Verdes Cove in Palos Verdes Estates; and Long Point and Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes.

A new study by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a Chicago-based nonprofit, compares greenhouse gas emissions for households of central cities versus suburban areas. The results for the Los Angeles area are shown in the map above.

The center examined emissions of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, created by household vehicle travel in 55 U.S. metropolitan areas. It found that per household, the transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70 percent less than those living in suburbs.

The map shows that in areas further from job centers in the center of the L.A. basin, such as the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the Inland Empire, the amount of CO2 created per household rises sharply when compared to those who live closer to the center of activity.

Red areas produce 8.6 metric tons or more of CO2 per household annually, while yellowish areas produce 6.5 metric tons or less.

 "Cities are more location-efficient -- meaning key destinations are closer to where people live and work," said Scott Bernstein, the center's president. "They require less time, money, fuel and greenhouse gas emissions for residents to meet their everyday travel needs. People can walk, bike, car-share, take public transit. So residents of cities and compact communities generate less CO2 per household than people who live in more dispersed communities, like many suburbs and outlying areas.

"If you're deciding where to live, consider moving to an urban area. You'll help fight global warming by emitting less CO2. And you're likely to drive less, so you'll spend less on transportation, saving up to $5,000 annually."

The company's trio of Howard Ruby, Ed Broida and Ken Franks enivisioned a facility that would cater to the needs of young single people, with no married couples allowed.

On-site amenities included three tennis courts with a pro shop and a resident coach, a gym, two swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts and heated whirlpools, none of which were commonplace in apartment buildings of the era.

According to a March 19, 1965 article in the Daily Breeze, R&B had hired Lucille Retter as the building's activities director, and her job went beyond the usual duties of the average building superintendent. Organizing and staging late Sunday morning brunches, chartered buses to sporting events, game nights, pool tournaments, dance classes, theater groups - all of this and more was aimed at building a total singles community in the complex.

The concept took off and received national notice. Articles on Torrance's South Bay Club ran in Time, Parade and Cosmopolitan magazines, and a large story about it was published in the Los Angeles Times of April 2, 1967 with the headline, "The Swinging Singles."

The Time magazine story of August 26, 1966 shed more light on the South Bay Club's lifestyle:

 
"Almost from the day it opened, South Bay (Club) has gloried in its swinger reputation, and none of those who have moved in have any intention of letting the club down--least of all to outsiders. "It's exciting for a girl with all those men around," coos Social Worker Mary Lee Coe. "There's some student atmosphere --only much sexier than any college's." A secretary adds saucily: "This is a good place to be bad."

 
By then, the South Bay Club had a long waiting list to get in, despite charging rents of $125-$260 a month that were $50 to $100 more than rents for the same-size apartments in comparable complexes. Time described its residents as "single stewardesses, doctors, teachers, engineers, secretaries and salesmen."

By 1969, R&B had changed its marketing strategy to encompass a broader segment of the rental market, and began to change all of its properties, including the South Bay Club, to the Oakwood Apartments brand name.

By the time the complex was profiled in a November 24, 1985 Daily Breeze article, the swinging singles era had played out, and the building catered mostly to young professionals, both married and single. In addition to health and lifestyle attitude changes, a 1982 Supreme Court ruling barring housing discrimination against children also helped hasten the demise of the singles-only apartment house concept. The party was over.

Today, the former South Bay Club/Oakwood complex has been renamed the Milano Apartments (see November 2009 photo below).

Sources:
"New units geared toward young, modern residents," By Chuck Cole, The Daily Breeze, March 19, 1965, Page 3.

"Housing: Pads for singles," Time magazine, August 26, 1966: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842687,00.html.

"The Swinging Singles," By William Murray, Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1967, Page A22.

"Oakwood Apartments get out of the fast lane - Executives replace swingers," By Gale Holland, The Daily Breeze, November 24, 1985, Page B1.

"The history of Oakwood worldwide," http://w1.oakwood.com/history.htm?elqerr=1.

For 1960s-era photos of the South Bay Club:

http://www.life.com/search/?q0=south+bay+singles+&k64145=California&date=1960-1970

Its futuristic look and space-age design helped give LAX a modern identity at the time of its completion in 1961. It was part of a $50-million overall revamping of the airport known as the "Los Angeles Jet Age Terminal Construction Project" that was begun in April 1960.

James Langenheim's "Theme Building" 1959 site rendering for the Pereira & Luckmann architectural firm, from the USC Regional History Archives.

James Langenheim created the building's original design in 1959 for the firm of Pereira & Luckman. The firm handled the entire project, including the Theme Building, with a team of architects and engineers that included William Pereira, Charles Luckman, Paul Williams and Welton Becket.

Some claim that the building's concept of the future was influenced by the television cartoon series "The Jetsons," but it probably worked the other way around. "The Jetsons" did not premiere on television until the 1962-63 season, a year after the Theme Building was completed.

Some of the buildings shown on the prime-time animated television series  "The Jetsons" bore a striking resemblance to LAX's Theme Building.

Flying saucers may have been a bigger influence. William Pereira's brother Hal Pereira was the art director for the 1954 film version of "War of the Worlds."

900 tons of structural steel was used in the construction of the building, which began in 1960, and was completed in August 1961 at a cost of $2.2 million.

This 1960 photo shows work crews erecting the Theme Building's huge steel arches.

In its original form, the Theme Building restaurant revolved, giving patrons a 360-degree view. The mechanism soon proved to be too costly to maintain, and the restaurant became stationary.

On December 18, 1992, the Los Angeles City Council designated the Theme Building a City Cultural and Historical Monument. In 2012, it will become eligible to become a national historic site.

In 1997, the restaurant underwent major changes. Walt Disney Imagineering was hired to completely redesign its interior look and exterior lighting. It reopened as the Encounter Restaurant in January, 1997.

Its exterior observation deck was closed for security reasons after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and has not been reopened.

Scaffolding currently engulfs the Theme Building, which currently is undergoing a major structural renovation stemming from an incident that occurred on Feb. 24, 2007. A 1,000-lb. stucco slab fell from one of the upper arches and crashed into the structure's main platform, landing just a few feet from the roof of the Encounter Restaurant.

Engineers discovered that rust had spread throughout the building's metal support system, likely caused by water that had leaked through its plaster seams. Their findings led to an ongoing $15.2 million effort to strengthen the building that is scheduled to be completed soon.

He jumped right into the battle, aligning himself with the saloonkeepers in town who were leading The Wets. The Drys, which included ministers and other temperance advocates represented by a group called the Anti-Saloon League, were out to close the bars. The temperance movement during this era used local-option laws, which gave individual communities the power to ban the sale of alcohol if they chose.

The contentious struggle with the Anti-Saloon League finally came to a heated vote on Monday, May 16, 1910. Barkley did not shy away from using the power of the press to support his position. For 2 weeks before the election, the front page of the Breeze, which was then a weekly, sported pro-Wet articles. On May 14, it was noted on the front page that a famous U.S. president of the past supported the Wet viewpoint:

In that same issue, the Breeze also printed very helpful instructions on how to vote "Yes" on the measure:

An ad for a community forum for "the Wets" that also ran on May 14 is shown below. Note that women, while condescended to, were not excluded:

Redondo Beach voters sided with The Breeze and its Wet brethren in the May 1910 election, and the saloons stayed open. The Breeze might possibly be accused of crowing about the final results, declaring the 90-vote margin of victory as "an avalanche" and a "crushing defeat" for the Drys:

Barkley would sell the Breeze in 1913. His Redondo Beach victory would be trumped by the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution imposing nationwide prohibition in 1919. It closed the bars for 14 years until it was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.

KNX's radio towers came first, decades before Columbia Park in Torrance was built.

In September 1938, 17 years after Los Angeles radio station KNX-AM took out its first broadcast license, the station began transmitting from its new 500-foot tower built on a 12-acre plot of land near the corner of 190th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance.

The 50,000-watt non-directional tower gave the station a powerful signal. A circular ground building with an entrance off Hawthorne Boulevard served as the control center for the operation (see photo below). When the land became more valuable, the original building was torn down to make way for development and a smaller transmitting center was built near the base of the tower.

Original KNX transmitter control building on the northeast corner of 190th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. An auto dealership now occupies the site.

This original tower no longer exists. On the night of September 15, 1965, two persons were seen leaving the site shortly after the tower toppled to the ground at 10:45 p.m., during veteran talk-show host Michael Jackson's show. Investigating officers discovered that the vandals had sawed through the top turnbuckle of one of the tower's guy wires, which caused the entire tower to come loose and tumble to the ground (see Daily Breeze clippings, below).

The vandals were never caught.

KNX-AM was off the air for a day. With help from Southern California Edison, a temporary 10,000-watt transmitter was set up on the site so the station could continue broadcasting.

Later, an extra tower that was not in use was located at station KFAC-AM and brought to Torrance. The 365-foot tower was used while a new 494-foot tower was being built. When the new tower went into operation in July 1966, the older one was kept as a backup. These two towers still stand on the site today.

In 1968, the City of Torrance began to take steps to build a park on the land surrounding the towers. Originally planned for 7.5 acres, the Columbia Park project ended up becoming the city's largest park at 52 acres upon its completion in 1983.

Occasionally the towers have made news over the years. In January 1985, a man wearing a jumpsuit and a parachute climbed to the top of the tower, apparently intending to parachute to the ground. An employee at the nearby car dealership spotted him and called police, who ordered the man to the ground and arrested him for trespassing.

For years, residents nearby complained that they were receiving KNX's broadcast on their telephones, especially after less expensive phones began to become commonplace after the deregulation of the telecommunications industry. Purchasing an additional filter for $15 apparently solved the problem, according to a February 1993 Daily Breeze news story.

KNX has upgraded its equipment at the site over the years, and the towers continue to serve both as a local landmark and a functioning telecommunications center.

Sources:

"KNX Station History," at the EarthSignals Web site, http://www.earthsignals.com/KNXSITEhistory.html.

Daily Breeze news articles.

One of the many projects he fought for over the course of his long career was the construction of a bridge connecting San Pedro and Terminal Island, which at the time was connected by the Terminal Island Ferry (below).

Thomas anticipated that the growth of the Port of Los Angeles would necessitate a bridge to be built to facilitate the movement of goods from the Port. Those who called his pet project "a bridge to nowhere" weren't so sure, but when the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach began to boom in the 1970s, Thomas was proven right.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge under construction in 1962.

When Caltrans completed design of the bridge in 1960, it was going to be called the "San Pedro-Terminal Island Bridge." In 1961, the California Legislature officially named the bridge after Thomas. It was an unusual step for someone who was still alive at the time, but Thomas earned the honor for his tireless efforts on behalf of the project.

 
The bridge was dedicated on Saturday, September 28, 1963. Doing the honors in 100-degree heat were L.A. Mayor Sam Yorty, State Controller Alan Cranston, L.A. Supervisor Burton Chace, L.A. City Councilman John S. Gibson, Sen. Thomas Kuchel and former governor Goodwin J. Knight. Organizers had hoped to get Governor Pat Brown and President John F. Kennedy to attend, but they were up in Northern California dedicating the Whiskeytown Dam and Reservoir and couldn't make it.

The bridge officially opened to traffic on Friday, November 15, 1963 at 12:01 a.m. Not coincidentally, the final run of Terminal Island ferryboat the "Islander" was at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, 1963.

Thomas paid the first toll, which at that time was 25 cents. It would rise to 50 cents in 1983. In 2000, the toll (and the toll booths) were eliminated.

Cal Trans crews work to tear down the toll booths on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in January 2000.

Here are some facts and figures about the bridge:
- It cost $21 million to build.
- Its main span is 1500 feet, making it the third largest suspension bridge in California (behind the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay bridges), and the 76th longest in the world.
- It is 6,050 feet (1.1 miles) in length.
- Its roadway is 52 feet wide between the curbs and stands 185 feet above the harbor. Its towers are 335 feet tall.
- It was designed to withstand 90 mph winds.

After a 17-year struggle to get them installed, 160 blue LED lights were switched on to illuminate the bridge at night  on January 30, 2005.

Blue LED lights specially designed not to distrub wildlife sparkle on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in this 2006 file photo. 

Pedestrians usually are not allowed on the bridge. But on September 7, 2009, 1,500 runners participated in the five-mile Conquer the Bridge race, the first time such a race had been run since 1994.

Runners atop the span of the Vincent Thomas Bridge halfway through the Couquer the Bridge Labor Day run on Sept. 7, 2009.

The view from atop one of the bridge's towers in 2007.

It was one of the deadliest explosions in the history of the Port of Los Angeles, yet actually it could have been much worse. As the photo below taken the following day shows, the explosion and fire occurred within 1,000 feet of tanks that held hundreds of thousands of barrels of various flammable fuels, but thanks to firefighters, favorable winds and just plain luck, they did not ignite.

The Markay explosion also destroyed 8000 feet of adjacent dock. Several berths were destroyed: the two Shell Oil berths where the ship was docked, and three American Lines berths across the channel, the latter destroyed by flaming gasoline spreading across the water from the explosion. (See photo below.)

A cargo ship had been docked at the American Lines berths, but had sailed from the port shortly before the explosion. Had it remained, it probably also would have been destroyed. Fireboats and navy vessels were credited with saving the Maunalei, a nearby freighter from the Matson line, and other ships quickly were removed from the danger area.

The Keystone Tankship Corporation owned the Markay, which was built in 1942 for slightly more than $3 million. It had arrived at the port on Saturday, June 21, 1947 and was taking on fuel at the time of the explosion. The official report on the blast, filed by Los Angeles Fire Dept. Assistant Chief H.R. Boone, estimated that 60 percent of the tanker's 150,200-barrel capacity had been filled at the time of the blast.

The cause of the blaze was never determined: "The cause of the explosion ... was the ignition of an accumulation of vapors from the cargo tank on the deck of the vessel which became ingnited from some unknown cause," according to Boone's report.

According to a Daily Breeze story from Monday, July 23, 1947, a 50-by-20-foot section of steel decking was blown onto the dock by the explosion, narrowly missing one of the nearby fuel tanks onshore by about 50 yards.

The subsequent blaze was visible for miles. LAFD firefighters arrived on the scene at 2:09 a.m., and battled the fire throughout the following day. There were at least two additional explosions, one less than 20 minutes after the initial blast, and at least one more at around 5:00 a.m.

The Markay, shown below after the fire was extinguished, was a total loss.

Fire Boat No. 2, the Ralph J. Scott, maneuvering along side of Berth 154, the American President Lines pier and warehouse, where it succeeded in stopping the fire at this point.  The fire in the background is the burning S.S. Markay.

Special thanks to Captain Larry Schneider of Fire Station 50 of the Los Angeles Fire Department for allowing the use of photos from the department's Historical Archive for this post.

Sources:
"An Oil Tanker Explodes," by Harold M. Inlow, published in The Fireman's Grape Vine, July 1947 issue.
"Report of the Tankship Markay," by Assistant Chief H.R. Boone, Fire Prevention Engineer, published in The Fireman's Grape Vine, October 1947 issue.
Daily Breeze editions of Monday, June 23, 1947 and Tuesday, July 24, 1947.

First things first: Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., shown at left, did not design Central Park in New York City.

Born in 1870, he actually was the son of the Central Park architect Frederick Law Olmsted. He took over the firm together with his stepbrother, John Charles Olmsted, when his father died in 1895, renaming it Olmsted Brothers.

He continues to be confused with his father to this day, but his accomplishments while running Olmsted Brothers from 1895 until his retirement in 1950 are  impressive enough to stand on their own.

Olmsted has two major South Bay links. The first came when real estate developer Jared Sydney Torrance hired him to design his new South Bay community in 1911, and Olmsted responded with a creative plan.

As an architect, Olmsted was known for his practice of integrating structures with landscape, a concept which can be visualized by anyone who stands at the main Torrance High School building and looks north along the park-like El Prado in Old Torrance.

El Prado Avenue's broad median strip adds greenery and open space to the urban landscape.

The tree-lined El Prado was laid out at an angle, so that it would lead the eye toward the towering mountains in the distance (on a clear day). Its open green expanse reflects Olmsted's deliberate attempt to work green space and natural beauty into his urban designs.

Olmsted's overall Torrance plan also was innovative for its time. It divided the original town into three districts: the business district at the city's core, which we know now as Old Torrance, the industrial district to the north and east of the city core, and the residential district to the west.

Olmsted left his mark on the South Bay a second time in the 1920s when he was called in to design parts of the Palos Verdes Peninsula settlements, most notably the northern entry to the Hill at Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes Estates.

Part of his approach was to plant thousands of colorful plants in the plaza and on the surrounding hillsides. He also encouraged residents to do their own planting by arranging for them to be able to buy plants at the local nursery at cost.

The resulting Malaga Cove Plaza and surrounding area, above, remains one of the most beautiful urban locations in the South Bay to this day. In 2000, a small parcel of parkland was created in Olmsted's honor in the Plaza and named Olmsted Place, below.
  His South Bay projects really were just part of Olmsted's total legacy. In addition to Torrance and Palos Verdes, he created master plans for the Baltimore suburb of Roland Park, Forest Hills Gardens, a community just outside New York City, and the Mountain Lake Club in Lake Wales, Florida.

Olmsted built his public reputation in the early 1900s with designs for prominent Washington, D.C. landmarks such as the White House grounds, the Federal Triangle, the Jefferson Memorial, Roosevelt Island, Rock Creek Parkway and the grounds of the National Cathedral.

He was also heavily involved early on - from 1910 - with projects involved with the national parks. He played a key role in the development of plans for Acadia, the Everglades, and especially Yosemite National Park. His involvement with attempting to save California's redwoods resulted in the naming of a stand of redwoods in the Redwood National Park as the "Olmsted Grove" in 1953.

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. died at 87, his reputation secure as one of the premier landscape architects of the 20th century.

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. is shown outside of his Rosita Place house in what now is Palos Verdes Estates, where he lived for a time in the 1920s. 

Sources:

Images of America: Old Torrance Olmstead Districts, by Bonnie Mae Barnard and Save Historic Old Torrance, Arcadia Publishing Co., 2005.

Palos Verdes Peninsula: Time and the Terraced Land, by Augusta Fink, Western Tanager Press, 1987.

The Palos Verdes Story, by Delane Morgan, 1982.

Web site: "Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., Cornelius Amory Pugsley Gold Medal Award, 1953," http://www.rpts.tamu.edu/Pugsley/Olmstead.htm.

This aerial view of the pier from the late 1920s shows the Roundhouse and the 200-foot extension completed in 1928.

Unfortunately, the wooden structure was weakened by storms in 1937 and 1938. 90 feet of the extension, shown below at right, was destroyed in a 1940 storm, and the rest was washed away in 1941. The city never rebuilt it.
The pier and Roundhouse fell into fairly serious disrepair in the 1950s, when much civic concern was expressed over unsafe and unsanitary conditions above and below the pier, and its increasing use as a teenage hangout.
A youth canteen that operated out of the Roundhouse in the 1950s seemed to catch a lot of the blame. A Sept. 17, 1957 Daily Breeze story reported that the city's Recreation Board had sent a letter to the city manager asking him to close the canteen, calling it "filthy" and "a disgrace to the city."
Issues stemming from the pier's use as a teen hangout would continue throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969, the cafe proprietor was evicted, and only bait and coffee could be sold at the Roundhouse.

Cafes and restaurants of various types operated in the Roundhouse up until its transformation into a research center in 1979.

Vehicles were banned from the pier in 1973. Police from three cities had to be called to the pier in 1976 to control a large crowd of teens, some of whom insisted on jumping from the pier into the ocean. A 16-year-old from Cudahy died when he was swept out to sea after such a jump on June 23, 1976.
Everything changed in 1979. The idea of having a cafe and bait shop at the Roundhouse was discarded, and the decision was made to transform the structure into an oceanographic research center.
The nonprofit firm Oceanographic Testing Stations Inc. (OTS) was contracted to run the research facility.

Hey, what happened? Something went missing from the pier during the remodeling of 1991-1992.

In 1991, a major remodeling of the pier was completed. The plan included completely rebuilding the Roundhouse to include an aquarium to go along with the marine research facility. The Roundhouse was leveled, rebuilt and reopened in 1992 with several fish tanks and other amenities added.

The new Roundhouse building in July 1992, shortly before a suspect crashed into it at the sudden end of a police chase.

 

One month after the new facility opened, a suspect crashed his car into the brand new structure after racing his car down the pier at the end of a brief police chase. He narrowly missed the fish tanks, but did cause $18,000 in damage, which was soon repaired.
Today, the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium is open free of charge to the public. OTS states its mission as being "to foster and promote the public study of, and interest in, the oceans, tidelands and beaches of Southern California, the marine life therein, and the impact of human population on that environment."
The group's 30th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Roundouse on the pier. Check its Web site for further information.

 

Sources:

A Walk Beside the Sea: A History of Manhattan Beach, by Jan Dennis, Janstan Studio, 1987.
Images of America: Manhattan Beach Pier, By Jan Dennis, Arcadia Publishing, 2005.
Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium Web site, http://www.roundhouseaquarium.org/.

 

 

 

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The Point Fermin lighthouse is surrounded by a lovely park with its famous cliffs, while the lighthouse at Point Vicente, long-rumored to be haunted, is situated on one of the most scenic stretches of coastline on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

By contrast, the Angels Gate Lighthouse, also known in as Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouse and the Los Angeles Main Entrance Channel Light, sits at the end of the 9,250-foot-long San Pedro Breakwater. It is neither as accessible or as picturesque as the other two.

The original plans for the structure, which was built in 1913 at a cost of $36,000, called for it to be smaller and constructed out of wood. Wisely, those plans were overruled in favor of a larger and sturdier steel-framed building whose Romanesque design remains unlike any other lighthouse on the California coast.

Built on a 40-foot-square concrete platform, the building has withstood much buffeting over the  decades. It has weathered storms and earthquakes without alterations, though a 1939 storm's assault apparently left the structure leaning slightly shoreward.

A paddleboarder passes in front of the Angels Gate Lighthouse in this August 2007 file photo.

At 73 feet high, the five-story lighthouse is bigger than it appears from the shore.
For its first 59 years, the lighthouse was manned by a four-man crew of U.S. Coast Guard personnel, who lived in its lower octagonal base.

The original foghorn had a low, two-toned sound that led locals to nickname it "Moaning Maggie." It was replaced in 1959 by a higher-pitched horn, which was dubbed "Blatting Betty."

In 1973, the lighthouse's functions were automated, and it no longer became necessary for it to be staffed, but its familar green light still welcomes incoming ships into Los Angeles Harbor. The green color distinguishes the light from all the other white light ships see from shore as they move into the harbor.

The lighthouse's original Fresnel lens was replaced in 1989, and is on permanent display at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro.

In the years since it has been unmanned, the lighthouse has fallen into disrepair. A drive to raise funds for its restoration is now being spearheaded by Gary Dwight and Allen Johnson of the Cabrillo Beach Boosters. 

Sources:

"Automation Hits Lighthouse," By John Hart, Copley News Service, Daily Breeze, September 12, 1972.

Lighthouse Friends.com: http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=99

Los Angeles Metblogs: http://la.metblogs.com/2006/01/22/angels-gate-lighthouse/

Wikimapia: http://wikimapia.org/553950/Angel-s-Gate-Lighthouse

  A new high-tech Los Angeles Fire Department fire boat passes the Angels Gate Lighthouse as it enters Los Angeles Harbor in July 2007. 

"Nothing is permanent but change," said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, sounding like he would have felt right at home on the South Bay landscape.

Another philosopher named Joni Mitchell once sang, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." That's certainly happened in the South Bay, too, though maybe not as often as one would think.

Arguments can be made over whether transformations over the years have always have been for the better.

The Point Vicente Interpetive Center, above, the whale-watching site in Rancho Palos Verdes, would seem to beat the heck out of the former firing range/Nike missile site that once stood there, at least in terms of aesthetics.

Theme park buffs might bemoan the loss of Marineland, shown above in 1981, but developers have crafted a sumptuous luxury hotel and resort, Terranea, shown below, on the same coastal land where trained whale shows once delighted onlookers.

The Metlox potter plant in Manhattan Beach went from a thriving industrial site to a hole in the ground, above photo, lower left. After toxic chemicals were cleaned from the site, it was transformed into an outdoor shopping center, below.

But the show biz audience at the high society gathering loved him and insisted that he run through his whole musical repertoire. Here's the Daily Breeze clipping from Friday, April 26, 1957:

And, although he had already made many singing appearances around Los Angeles and the South Bay, the talented Hermosa Beach resident also didn't know that he would go on to become one of the Walker Brothers, who had huge hits in the mid-1960s with "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore," "Make It Easy on Yourself." "My Ship Has Come In" and "Love Her."  (By the way, none of them were brothers, and none were born Walker. Maus' band mates Scott and Gary originally were named Scott Engel and Gary Leeds before becoming "Walkers.")

A mid-1960s publicity photo of the Walker Brothers, (l to r) Gary, Scott and John. 

Though the first two were big hits in the U.S., the Walker Brothers actually were much more popular in Europe than they were at home. The group eventually sold 23 million records worldwide.

This European reissue of Walker Brothers hits was released in 2008. John Walker is shown at far right.

Maus continues to tour Great Britain and release albums under his professional name, John Walker (see photo, below left). Earlier this year, he played 55 dates on "The Solid Silver 60s Show," an English revival tour featuring The Searchers, Wayne Fontana, The Merseybeats and The Dakotas. His typical live set consists of the biggest Walker Brothers hits together with selections from his solo albums.

Walker and his "brother" Gary Leeds have just written the definitive history of the group, The Walker Brothers: No Regrets, Our Story, which will be published in the UK this month.

The Lady Alexandra floating restaurant at its Redondo Beach mooring in the late 1970s, before disaster struck.

The Lady Alexandra's saga begins in Vancouver, Canada and ends at the bottom of the sea 50 miles off of Redondo Beach.

The vessel was built by Scottish craftsmen in 1923 and was designed specifically for short excursions in the area between Vancouver, Bowen Island and Howe Sound. During the 28 years it was in service in Canada, the ship carried an estimated 16 million passengers  for picnic journeys, moonlight cruises and other tourist adventures.

Demand for the 225-foot ship's services declined after World War II, and it was retired from service in 1952.

A biplane shadows the Lady Alexandra as she enters the Vancouver harbor on June 25, 1924.
Photo by W.J. Moore, courtesy of the City of Vancouver Archives.

The Lady Alexandra first became a floating restaurant in Coal Harbour in Vancouver in 1959.

A dozen years later, investors purchased the Lady and brought her to Redondo Beach, where she was re-dubbed the Princess Louise II. The original Princess Louise at the Port of Los Angeles was a highly successful floating restaurant at the time, and the PLII was envisioned as her Redondo Beach sister ship. (Read a South Bay Yesterday history of the original Princess Louise here.

Heavy tides  scotched the first attempt to moor the Princess Louise II in King Harbor on November 6, 1972. The ship broke loose from its moorings and was damaged. It had to be returned to San Pedro for repairs.

On January 23, 1973, she returned to King Harbor, where a permanent berth was established successfully and the ship/restaurant opened for business.

Though business was brisk, it was not enough to keep the restaurant afloat, and its owners filed for bankruptcy in 1975.

Into the breach stepped former "Our Gang" comedies star Chuck Johnston, pictured at left in the 1980s. (He played the character of "Stinky Davis.") In addition to being the master lessee of the Redondo Beach Marina, he owned a variety of businesses in King Harbor, including the Blue Moon Saloon.

In the late 1970s, he reopened the restaurant under the ship's original name, the Lady Alexandra. A disco/nightclub, Dirty Sally's, was added. The ship also became the home of the Palos Verdes Yacht Club.

But the ill-fated vessel would soon meet its match. A record high tide, combined with wind-whipped waves, battered the Lady Alexandra in mid-January 1980, suffering enough damage to close down the businesses for a few days.

The Lady Alexandra lies toppled on its side following the high tides and stormy seas of February 1980.

It would reopen, but the death blow came a month later on February 19, 1980, when more high tides and even more violent storm-driven seas toppled the ship. The same storm also tossed rocks around seaside parking lots, inundated the Blue Moon Saloon and threatened the Portofino Inn.

It took salvage crews operating cranes, left, until March 19, 1980 to right the ship, which was fully insured. Marine surveyors went aboard to see if the ship could be rehabilitated and moved to another location, as the King Harbor mooring was destroyed in the storm. Crews can be seen pumping water out of the newly righted ship in the photo below right.

Unfortunately, the Lady Alexandra was declared a total loss. On March 23, 1980, she was towed out of King Harbor and taken 50 miles offshore. According to a March 24, 1980 Daily Breeze news story, "There, her sea valves were opened and she gently sank to the bottom for an ignominious ending as a fishing reef."

The sea life that now calls the sunken ship home might quibble with "ignominious." The Lady brought a lot of people happiness in a lot of different ways while afloat. Looking at it that way, her final resting place seems fitting.

Spectators on the Redondo Beach pier watch as the Lady Alexandra is towed out to sea toward her final resting place on March 23, 1980.

A sign at the left of James Collins' original Hamburger Handout stand advertises 10-cent hamburgers in celebration of its sixth anniversary in this 1958 photo.

Sometimes pop-culture phenomena only capture the public's imagination for a short time. Sometimes they catch on, and eventually turn into worldwide mega-corporations.
Hamburger Handout is a good example.

The 19-cent burger chain that eventually grew to four outlets began in 1952. Founder James Collins had studied the new hamburger operation that New Hamsphire brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald had begun in San Bernardino on December 12, 1948.

He decided to use their concept for his own version, Hamburger Handout, which opened at the corner of Sepulveda and Centinela boulevards near the Culver City/Westchester border in October 1952.

The Handout's 19-cent hamburger soon became a fixture in the area, so much so that alumni Web sites from four different nearby high schools - Culver City, Hawthorne, El Segundo and Westchester - have postings from 1950s grads who fondly remember it.

1950s students at Dorsey High in Los Angeles also have made note of the Hamburger Handout location at Slauson and Buckler as being a favorite hangout.

Collins opened the additional restaurants in the Hamburger Handout chain in 1957, 1958 and 1960. These included the branch on Slauson and one in Orange County, with the location of the fourth branch still a mystery unless someone can enlighten us.

In any case, by the early 1960s, Collins had begun to abandon the concept after meeting up with Col. Harlan Sanders over this new fried chicken concept and closed the Hamburger Handouts down. As a result of the Sanders discussions, in 1962 Collins became the exclusive agent for Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in Southern California. By the mid-1960s his group owned more than 200 KFC outlets in the West.

In June 1967, Collins, shown at left in a photo from the mid-1980s, bought out Del and Helen Johnson, the originators of the Sizzler steak restaurant chains. His company, Collins Foods International Corp. built the chain into an international success.

Collins retired in 1991, but is still active in community affairs. The Boys and Girls Club of Venice operates out of the James A. Collins Youth Center there, and in 1999 Cal Poly Pomona renamed its hotel and restaurant management school as the Collins College of Hospitality Management after him.

Not bad for a guy who began his career selling 19-cent burgers. Which reminds me, whatever happened to those McDonald guys?

The honor goes to the Dominguez Rancho Adobe in the Rancho Dominguez area near Carson, which was built by Manuel Dominguez in 1826. He built it on 75,000 acres of land that his uncle, Juan Jose Dominguez, had been given in 1784 by the King of Spain in return for his military service in what was the first private land grant in Southern California.

The Rancho San Pedro encompassed most of what we know now as the South Bay, from the Los Angeles River on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west. The Dominguez Rancho Adobe was built atop a hill in the middle of the Rancho.

Manuel Dominguez (left) lived in the six-room structure he built with his wife, Maria Engracia Cota. Between her and her six daughters, who married, among others, lawyer and land owner James A. Watson (Watson Land Co.), George Henry Carson (for whom the city of Carson was named) and Gregorio Del Amo y Gonzalez (for whom all things Del Amo in the South Bay are named), the family pretty much had an early monopoly on South Bay street and place names.

Even today, the streets of Rancho Dominguez near the Adobe are named after Dominguez's daughters: Ana, Maria, Reyes, Susana, Victoria, Dolores and even Las Hermanas ('the sisters").

Manuel Dominguez's hacienda would go on to play a role in a skirmish during the Mexican-American War known as "The Battle of Rancho Dominguez." By using hit-and-run fighting tactics and judiciously employing a single cannon, a vastly outnumbered group of Spanish Californians forced a larger American force to retreat from the Dominguez Rancho back to San Pedro. Five Americans were killed in the battle and were buried on a small island in the harbor that became known as Dead Man's Island as a result. (The island was dredged away, and ceased to exist in 1929.)

  Portraits of Manuel Dominguez and Maria Engracia Cota adorn the interior of the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum.

The massive Rancho San Pedro's tracts gradually were sold off over the years. The Ocean Tract was sold in 1887 for $12,000; its 433 acres would become incorporated Redondo Beach on April 29, 1892. Also in 1892, the family sold Terminal Island (then known as Rattlesnake Island) to the Los Angeles and Terminal Island Railroad Company, which built its southern rail terminus there.

On May 31, 1911, the Dominguez Estate Company sold 2,791 acres to one Jared Sydney Torrance of Pasadena, who also acquired 730 additional acres from Susana Dominguez Del Amo. From these lands, the city of Torrance was carved out in 1912.

The last Dominguez relative to live at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe, Dolores Dominguez de Watson, died in 1924. Two years earlier, the Adobe was deeded to the Claretian Missionaries, a Catholic order. They formed a seminary there, and converted some of its rooms to classrooms.

The Dominguez Rancho Adobe became a State Historic Landmark in 1945. Since then, it has been lovingly restored several times, most recently re-opening in 2004 after a five-year renovation. 

The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum currently is open to the public. It is located at 18127 Alameda Street, in Rancho Dominguez. Tours of the home are given on the hour on Wednesday and Sunday at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Group tours are welcomed and must be booked ahead. For more information, phone (310) 603-0088.

Sources:

"The Historic Dominguez Rancho Adobe," City of Carson Web site, http://ci.carson.ca.us/content/department/about_carson/RanchoDominguez.asp.

"Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County - Dominguez Ranch Adobe," By John R. Kielbasa, http://www.laokay.com/halac/DominguezRanchAdobe.htm.

 Rancho Dominguez Adobe Museum Web site: http://dominguezrancho.org.

Rodeo in Torrance? A cowboy displays his lassoing skills at the 1969 Torrance Mounted Police Rodeo, held that year at the Torrance High football field.

A full-blown rodeo. A 3 1/2-hour procession described as "the biggest parade in southwest Los Angeles County history." Game booths, rides, a midway, an aquacade and an annual beauty contest.

All these and more were part of Torrance's Ranchero Days, a civic celebration that began with a five-day extravaganza sponsored by the Torrance Chamber of Commerce from July 24 through July 28, 1957.

The rodeo event, sponsored by the Torrance Mounted Police Association, predates Ranchero Days by three years, having begun in 1954, the year after the police horsemen's group was founded.

Proceeds from the annual event originally were used to fund the city's annual float entry in the annual Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

Organizers decreed in 1960 that the Armed Forces Day parade would take precedence, and dropped the Ranchero Days parade.

But in 1961, it was back. The Torrance Mounted Police Association held a rodeo parade in August of that year attended by an estimated 8,000 spectators. The Daily Breeze report on July 27, 1962 that a million dollars worth of silver would be on display in that year's  parade in the form of "lavishly ornamented saddles and bridles."

Longtime local newscaster and equestrian enthusiast George Putnam served as grand marshal of the 1965 event. In that year's rodeo, spectators donated money for medical treatment of cowboy Jim Matthews of Idaho who suffered an unusual injury in the event. (See clipping, right. Click to enlarge.)

By 1966, Ranchero Days had become a two-week event. The Torrance Junior Chamber of Commerce sponsored a week-long carnival. The second half of included the rodeo, co-sponsored by the Torrance Chamber, the Torrance Elks Club and the Torrance Mounted Police Association.

In addition, a beard-growing contest was held that year among male city employees. (See clip, left. Click to enlarge.)

The rodeo, parade and beauty contest were scrubbed for the 1967 event, which consisted only of the carnival.

But those events would return the following year.
According to Daily Breeze files, 1974 is the last year in which the Ranchero Days are mentioned in conjunction with the rodeo.

The rodeo event continued at least until 1980, when the 26th annual event was held under the sponsorship of the Torrance Mounted Police Association. Finally, the rodeo ceased altogether in the early 1980s.

A rodeo cowboy hits the dirt after being thrown during the bronc riding event at the 1962 Ranchero Days rodeo.

Some drifters like radio controlled car designer Akihito Watamase don't have to get on a full-size track and compete head-to-head with the likes of Formula Drift driver Samuel Hubinette to show their skills.

Watamase, a designer with Hpi-Racing and a 26-year veteran in the radio controlled or RC industry, steered his Cup Racer car (modeled like a Datsun 510) and gracefully drifted around a small track in front of about a dozen onlookers at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Lifestyle Expo Sunday.

HPI-Racing graphic artist Andrew Hilman said it's the first time they've made an appearance at the Long Beach Grand Prix and that passersby are generally astonished by what they see.

The RC drift cars from HPI-Racing are modified to make the turns just like the real cars and are even licensed to look like popular drift makes and models such as the Nissan Silvia S15.

Sticklers for authenticity can even have tires designed to duplicate some of the ones made by major tire companies like Hankook.

Hilman said the Hpi-Racing RC drift car kits start at about $170 and can go to $200 or more for larger, more upgrade-ready models. 

"Adults and kids just couldn't believe it," Hilman said. "Most of the kits are actually ready to run. Out of the box ready to run. It comes with a controller, you buy double A's and there you go."

www.hpiracing.com

Every mile sends another mosquito net to a family in Africa, protecting them from the bite of a malaria mosquito. 

Race fans can visit www.milestoendmalaria.org and donate as little as a penny per mile to the cause.

"The more we learned about malaria, the more we wanted to help", said Patrón Highcroft Racing team owner, Duncan Dayton. "Another child dies in Africa every 30 seconds from malaria--so during the Twelve Hours of Sebring, that's nearly 1,500 children.  "We hope by launching Miles to End Malaria and displaying the Malaria No More logo on our car, we can not only raise important funds for this cause, but also educate fans about the disease."

With the initial pledges from Patrón Highcroft Racing and Tequila Patrón, every mile sends another mosquito net to a family in Africa. This partnership is a vital component of Malaria No More's efforts to provide every person in Africa at risk of malaria with a mosquito net by the end of 2010.

"Malaria No More is racing to end malaria deaths and every second counts," said Malaria No More CEO Scott Case. "That's why we're proud to partner with the Patrón Highcroft Racing team to launch 'Miles to End Malaria'- inviting the sportscar community to count every mile as another victory against malaria."

The American Le Mans Series is a major international sportscar series styled after the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Patrón Highcroft Racing's drivers for the 2009 season are David Brabham and Scott Sharp.

"The attendance is noticibly higher," she said.

Despite the economy, vendors say sales have also been up this weekend. Liz Holmes, owner of the Long Beach-based Fast Kitty, which specializes in clothing for female race fans, has so far seen a slight boost compared to last year.

"The new series has definitely brought out some fresh people," she said.

- Kelly Puente

"I can't wait to see Danica Patrick," she said, as she put on a newly purchased blue, Danica t-shirt. "Girls rule."

Her mother, Dorie Schneider, a long-time race fan, has been coming to Grand Prix for 20 years, including one year when she was about 4 months pregnant with Randi. The mother daughter duo said they're glad to finally see some female drivers.

"I remeber when we were here about 6 or 7 years ago, when Danica was just starting out, and my son was getting autographs from all the racers," Dorie Schneider said. "He asked Danica to sign the back of the poster becasue she's girl. Well, look where she is now!"

- Kelly Puente 

"I started dead last in the back of the row," she said. "There's no male and female thing. You just have to be agressive and go for it."

Standing in front of a crowd of Grand Prix spectators, Little showed little sympathy for pro skater Danny Way, who lost the Celebrity Race to "Martix" star Keanu Reeves after crashing on the last lap.

"There's no excuses, he lost the race and that's how it is," she said.

- Kelly Puente

The "That's So Raven" star and the pro-skaterboarder predicted to win just crashed their Toyota tC Scions at the 33rd annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, allowing "Speed" star Keanu Reeves, the second favorite to win, and racing legend Al Unser Jr. to take this year's charity race.

Raven-Symone couldn't quite maneuver a turn near Shoreline Drive, hitting her already taped-up No. 17 Scion into a wall. But she's all right. She got of the car, clapped, shrugged and smiled before being taken away in a tow  

Then Danny Way skated his No. 9 Scion into a stack of tires before another car rear-ended him. Way, whom some predicted to win, looked at his car and shook his head in disbelief.

The 33rd annual charity race, which takes place during the 35th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach all weekend, has raised more than $100,000 for Racing for Kids, which benefits Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach and Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Toyota will donate $5,000 in the name of each celebrity racer to that cause and give another $5,000 to the winning racer's charity of choice.

In addition, a $15,000 donation will be made by People magazine to the celebrity pole winner's charity of choice in conjunction with the ninth annual "People Pole Award" on April 17.

Past pro/celebrity participants have included George Lucas, Ashley Judd, Clint Eastwood, Cameron Diaz, Gene Hackman, John Elway and pro drivers Parnelli Jones and Danica Patrick, who will race in the Grand Prix for the first time this year.

Newcomer Jonathan Hickman has been making quite the splash over at Marvel Comics. He is scripting Secret Warriors, which follows the adventures of Nick Fury and his new group of soldiers following Secret Invasion, and took over the reins of the Fantastic Four comic from Mark Millar based on the strength of his run on the Dark Reign: Fantastic Four mini-series. The new FF arc features Reed Richards being recruited into a multi-dimensional think-tank/support group/task force comprised of alternate versions of himself from every conceivable reality, including a couple where he ended up in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet. The story arc takes the concept of Grant Morrison's Superman Squad (featured in JLA 1,000,000 & All-Star Superman) to the next level, and is turning out to be a fascinating read thus far. But in my opinion, it is the work he did before he got snatched up by Marvel that is truly innovative and brilliant.

Hickman has written four separate mini-series under the Image imprint, three of which have been collected in graphic-novel form. It is those three books that I want to call attention to, as they push the boundaries of how a comic book story can be told and are among the finest books I've had the pleasure to read in quite some time. They are all incisive looks at human society both ancient and modern. More to the point, they point out some major problems with human society from many different angles.

The Nightly News

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Jonathan Hickman

This story was Hickman's breakout hit over at Image. The main character, John Guyton, is a recruiter for a cult whose members have had their lives wrecked by irresponsible and inaccurate journalism. Their main goal? Kill as many journalists as possible. The cult receives its marching orders from a person they know only as "The Voice", who sends them their directives through an audio tape sent via Fed-Ex. The cult's war against journalistic excess takes place on many fronts, both overt (sniper attacks & suicide bombings) and subtle (taking faces of female news reporters, splicing them onto the bodies of porn stars and placing them on the internet). The story takes quite a few twists & turns, but the revelation of the person behind "The Voice" at the end of it all is the real jaw-dropper. Let's just say that bedfellows make for strange politics.

Visually, this book is less of a pure comic book and more of a hybrid of a comic and an art magazine. The artwork is primarily sepia-tone, which is almost ironic since the story deals with many shades of grey. All of the little factoids and statistic graphs that Hickman intersperses throughout the story (some of which he admits are completely fabricated) drive home the notion that the relationship between the political & corporate masters of America and the general public has become extremely dysfunctional. These are rendered in extremely small print, so be sure to have a magnifying glass handy as they add some real depth to what is going on in the story.

Pax Romana

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Jonathan Hickman

This is easily one of the most ambitious stories I have ever read, and I've read a lot of books. In the year 2054, the Catholic Church is on its last legs, having been rendered irrelevant by almost every other religion under the sun. Looking for ways to regain its former prominence, it has been covertly funding scientific research into time travel. When their science team actually finds a way to accomplish it, the Pope and his inner circle decide to recruit the finest military warriors and strategists of their time to travel back to 312 A.D. to aid the Catholic Church of its time in dealing with threats to their superiority, such as the advent of Islam and the barbarian hordes that destroyed the civilization of Rome.

That premise would have been interesting enough on its own, but the story really takes off once the commander of their army, Brigadier General Nicholas Chase, executes the Catholic Cardinal in charge of the mission and decides to do something a little more ambitious: change the very course of human history itself. Chase and his army form an alliance with Constantine and help him ascend the Roman throne a full 12 years earlier than he would have on his own. Chase then uses their knowledge of the future to quell the threats to Roman civilization, whether they be obvious (the aforementioned barbarian hordes) or hidden (like abuse of religious power). But as they successfully execute their plan they encounter unforeseen obstacles, including disagreement on how to deal with Constantine's headstrong son Crispus, and political infighting between Chase and his inner circle that leads to open conflict.

There is really only one thing that could be perceived as a weakness with this book: The sepia-toned artistic style of Pax Romana is strikingly similar to that of The Nightly News, with alternate historical timelines and chat transcripts taking the place of the factoids & statistic charts. To more nitpicky readers, this might almost seem like a creative crutch. Personally, I quite enjoy the way Hickman employs this unique style of storytelling, and I wouldn't mind seeing a lot more of it. If only the text weren't so small...

Transhuman

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: J.M. Ringuet

Welcome to the future, where the post-human body of your dreams is available...for a modest price. This story chronicles the rise of two rival companies, Humonics Inc. and Chimeracorp, who are competing to deliver the next wave of human evolution to the public, each with a different focus. The initial product that Humonics initially offers is based in technology (a prosthetic hand attachment with basic household attachments that has room for better upgrades), while Chimeracorp tinkers with a pharmaceutical concoction that gives its recipient a biological enhancement.

The whole story plays out like a combination of a Michael Moore documentary and a VH1 "Behind The Music" episode. While the main focus of the story is on who comes out on top of the branding battle, the real fun comes from seeing the results of Chimeracorp's experiments. Their first batch of test subjects, a group of chimpanzees, end up with superpowers like telepathy, retractable claws and optic blasts (the X-Chimps!), and end up escaping from their cages. When their human test subjects (the ones that ended up with useful enhancements, anyway) get into superhero costumes and get sent out to recapture the chimp test subjects, it turns out about as well as the canoe trip in the movie "Deliverance".

Of the three graphic novels by Hickman, Transhuman is the one that has the most traditional comic book-style art and layout. Ringuet's artwork is just as gritty as Hickman's in The Nightly News and Pax Romana, but with a little more of a cartoonish bent. The story is a little more tongue-in-cheek than Hickman's other works, but the ending is probably the most subversive and unsettling (yet hilarious) out of all of his books. Be sure to look for the single-panel shout-out to Grant Morrison's WE3 when they show the test subjects from Humonics.

"But this was no ordinary man.
He stood about six or seven feet--
--Now, that the creep I'd been seein' in my sleep."

Carson 7-2, 4-0

San Pedro 7-2, 3-1

Narbonne 5-4, 3-1

Banning 3-6, 2-2

Gardena 4-5, 0-4

Washington 1-8, 0-4

Bay League

Mira Costa 7-2, 4-0

Redondo 5-4, 3-1

Leuzinger 6-3, 2-2

West Torrance 6-3, 2-2

Palos Verdes 5-4, 1-3

Peninsula 0-9, 0-4

Pioneer League

Centennial 6-3, 4-0

El Segundo 6-3, 3-1

Lawndale 5-4, 3-1

North Torrance 4-5, 1-3

South Torrance 3-6, 1-3

Torrance 2-7, 0-4

Ocean League

Culver City 8-1, 4-0

Inglewood 6-3, 3-1

Santa Monica 3-6, 2-2

Beverly Hills 4-5, 2-2

Morningside 2-7, 1-3

Hawthorne 0-9, 0-4

Del Rey League

Serra 9-0, 3-0 (plays nonleague game Saturday!)

Cathedral 9-0, 3-0

Harvard-Westlake N/A N/A

St. Bernard 2-7, 1-3

Bishop Montgomery 1-8, 0-3

Marine League

Carson 6-2, 3-0

Narbonne 5-3, 3-0

San Pedro 6-2, 2-1

Banning 2-6, 1-2

Gardena 4-4, 0-3

Washington 1-7, 0-3

Bay League

Mira Costa 6-2, 3-0

Redondo 5-3, 3-0

Leuzinger 6-2, 2-1

West Torrance 5-3, 1-2

Palos Verdes 4-4, 0-3

Peninsula 0-8, 0-3

Pioneer League

Centennial 5-3, 3-0

Lawndale 5-3, 3-0

El Segundo 5-3, 2-1

South Torrance 3-5, 1-2

North Torrance 3-5, 0-3

Torrance 2-6, 0-3

Ocean League

Culver City 7-1, 3-0

Inglewood 5-3, 2-1

Santa Monica 3-5, 2-1

Beverly Hills 3-5, 1-2

Morningside 2-6, 1-2

Hawthorne 0-8, 0-3

Del Rey League

Serra 8-0, 3-0

Cathedral 8-0, 3-0

Harvard-Westlake N/A, N/A

Bosco Tech N/A, N/A

Bishop Montgomery 1-7, 0-2

St. Bernard 1-7, 0-3

Twin Pines (0-5, 0-2) vs. Animo (3-3, 2-0) at Harbor College, 5 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 1

Intersectional

Leuzinger 31, Westchester 24

Friday, Oct. 2

Intersectional

Redondo 21, at Banning 17

at San Pedro 27, Inglewood 20

Narbonne 37, Orange Lutheran 31 (2 OTs)

Crenshaw 48, at Culver City 7

L.A. City Section

Nonleague

at Carson 55, West Adams Prep 0

at Gardena 41, L.A. University 10

CIF Southern Section

Nonleague

Vista Murrieta 43, at Peninsula 21

at South Torrance 21, West Torrance 14

at North Torrance 51, Bishop Montgomery 7

Torrance 28, at Morningside 0

at El Segundo 34, St. Bernard 21

at Centennial 55, Hawthorne 0 

at Aquinas 13, Mary Star 10

San Joaquin League

Animo 14, at Saddleback Valley Christian 12

Saturday, Oct. 3

CIF Southern Section

Nonleague

Riverside Christian at Chadwick, 2 p.m.

Lawndale vs. Verbum Dei, at Centennial High, 7 p.m.

Harbor League (8-man)

Hope Centre at Rolling Hills Prep, 1 p.m.

Nonleague (8-man)

Pacific Lutheran at Marina/Central Coast, 1 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 25

Intersectional

at Mira Costa 31, Narbonne 26 (came down to the last play)

Inglewood 48, at Los Angeles 0

at Osceola (Fla.) 32, Carson 13

L.A. City Section, nonleague

San Pedro 36, at Locke 20

Banning 31, at San Fernando 14

Gardena 42, at South East 0

at Westchester 32, Washington 12

CIF Southern Section, nonleague

at Palos Verdes 48, South Torrance 14

at Redondo 27, North Torrance 14

at Serra 48, Peninsula 0

at Torrance 49, Hawthorne 21

West Torrance 44, at Bishop Montgomery 6

at El Segundo 38, Mary Star 7

Panorama 42, Morningside 27

at Culver City 41, Centennial 23

Chadwick 38, Pasadena Marshall 13

St. Bernard 49, at Brentwood 30

Animo 13, Lucerne Valley 7 (at Locke High)

CIF Southern Section, 8-man, Harbor League

Hope Centre 32, Rolling Hills Prep 0

Thursday, Sept. 24

CIF Southern Section

Lawndale 44, at Firebaugh 0

Pacific Lutheran 44, Noli Indian 14

Friday, Sept. 18

Intersectional

Serra 27, at Carson 17

at LB Poly 28, Narbonne 14

Palos Verdes 20, at San Pedro 14

Leuzinger 19, at Banning 13 (2 OTs)

at Roosevelt/Corona 42, Westchester 13

L.A. City Section, nonleague

Gardena 34, at Marshall 6

CIF Southern Section, nonleague

North Torrance 65, at Hawthorne 13

Culver City 42, at Peninsula 24

Millikan 26, at Redondo 21

Morningside 15, at Lawndale 14

Kilpatrick (forfeit loss) at Inglewood

at Cathedral 55, El Segundo 28

Valley Christian/Cerritos 41, at St. Bernard 17

Chadwick 50, at Montclair Prep 18

CIF Southern Section, 8-man, nonleague

Rolling Hills Prep 32, at First Lutheran 6

at Maricopa 30, Pacific Lutheran 6

Saturday, Sept. 19

Animo (1-1) vs. St. Monica (0-1) at St. Bernard, 7 p.m.

Final scores:

West Torrance 17, Torrance 6

Esperanza 21, Mira Costa 20

Burroughs/Burbank 34, South Torrance 12

Santa Ana Valley 40, Bishop Montgomery 3

Halftime scores:

West Torrance 7, Torrance 6

Mira Costa 17, Esperanza 7

Burroughs/Burbank 20, South Torrance 6

Santa Ana Valley 22, Bishop Montgomery 3

We've seen the enormous class sizes, we've seen the dramatic reduction in teachers, and we've seen the number of programs that are being funded gradually less and less. However, what most people don't see going on at our schools are the minuscule things that happen behind the scenes. The things that most people look past because they are a part of every day life. Sure, the budget cuts have affected our classes and programs, but I don't think many people realize that the work that goes into making our school cleaner is also slowly being cut.

After two months of laborious work to try and publish our newspaper with limited funds, I was relieved when we finally were able to put the North Wind into students' and teachers' hands. Like with every issue I have been a part of as a staff member, I was twitching at the sight of the errors we had made, but I also felt like I had a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders. As I was listening to all the comments and criticisms my peers had for the paper, there was one comment that really caught my attention. One of the North High custodians, Chris Johnson, approached me and complemented me on a budget cuts story that I had written for the opinion section of our paper. But then he asked me, "Do you know about all the other cuts that are happening around campus?" Puzzled by what he meant, I curiously sat and listened to his side of the story.

I learned that in the midst of all the teachers and programs being cut, custodial staff and supplies are also on the line of getting the ax. Not only are the custodians in danger of losing their jobs, but necessities such as toilet paper may be supplied less and less. Toilet Paper! At first I was skeptical. How could the district want to cut something like toilet paper? According to Johnson, it costs about $12,000 for toilet paper for the whole year. That is an enormous number that I don't think most people are aware of. In addition, North High's custodial staff is dwindling. This year, we only have two custodians; half the number we had last year. Also, because of all the cuts, Johnson even used his campus Ecology Club's funds to buy wood for desks that needed to be fixed. The solution to this seems simple: take care of our school supplies and resources. However, hundreds of dollars and hours of time are wasted because students just do not know how to respect their school anymore.

It was then that I realized how much our schools were being impacted by the budget cuts. The need for money is so crucial in schools - not only just in the Torrance Unified School District, but in districts all over California. It's one thing to have luxuries and excess programs cut from the schools, but when it starts infringing on basic, personal necessities, it shows that there truly is a problem.

Unfortunately, not many students realize how much our schools are affected by all of these cuts. If only they would realize the impact the budget cuts have on even the simplest of necessities, some of these issues can be dealt with. As a student journalist, it is my job to get this information out to my peers and make them aware of the fact that if our economy does not turn around, our future is at stake. It is our future that can make a difference and change our society for the better. We as students just need to take the steps to learn to work around the budget. But more and more, with all the deficits and apathy among my peers, that future now seems so far away.

Aileen Yoon is a senior at North High School in Torrance and the editor-in-chief of the school's student-run newspaper, the North Wind.

LOS ANGELES - In the face of a multimillion-dollar
budget deficit, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent
Ramon Cortines ordered an immediate hiring freeze today and cut other
expenses, including travel, conferences and food at district
meetings.

The only exceptions to the hiring freeze will be for classroom
teachers, principals, assistant principals and some other school-based
personnel, according to the district. Cortines said the district is
facing an estimated $50 million to $60 million deficit this year and a
possible $480 million deficit for the 2010-11 school year.

The Los Angeles Times has more on the "Educate to Innovate" program, which will utilize up to $260 million in private donations.

UC police have arrested 14 people associated with the on-campus protest.

If approved, undergradute fees would soar above $10,000.

UCLA's student-run newspaper, the Daily Bruin, has live streaming video of the UC Board of Regents meeting.

From the Los Angeles Times:

The budget plan requests $305 million to restore one-time cuts imposed in 2009-10; $283 million to restore money for collective bargaining agreements not funded in 2008-09 and 2009-10; and $296 million for mandatory cost and compensation increases and improvements in student services and instruction.

UC officials are seeking a $913 million increase in state funding.

The fee increases will impose strains on California families at a time when many are struggling in the recession, according to an editorial appearing in Wednesday's San Francisco Chroncile.

The committee is meeting at UCLA, and large protests are underway there and at other UC campuses

*Update: Fee increases have been approved, 14 protestors arrested.

LONG BEACH - Despite the state's continuing budget difficulties, a California State University Board of Trustees committee approved a budget proposal today that requests nearly $900 million in additional state funding for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

"This is a very ambitious budget in these very challenging times," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "We are asking the state to not only restore funding of one-time cuts that were imposed for this year, but to also provide the needed revenue for mandatory costs, compensation increases, as well as fund our collective bargaining agreements for the past two years.

"This budget reflects the true fiscal needs of the CSU," Reed said.

The budget approved by the trustees' Finance Committee -- and expected to be discussed by the full board Wednesday -- asks for $3.2 billion in state funding, up from the current year funding of $2.3 billion.

In the face of cuts in state funding, the CSU system has implemented employee furloughs and other budget cuts. Enrollment for the fall semester was slashed by 4,000 students, with another 6,000 reduction expected in the spring.

CSU officials conceded that the increased funding request could be a long-shot, noting that the state is already facing a projected $7 billion deficit heading into the next fiscal
year.

Despite that deficit, CSU financial officials wrote in a staff report that the university "has
legitimate funding needs in order to carry out its critically important missions for California."

They also note that state revenue could increase rapidly if the economic recovery "becomes more robust that currently forecast."

"Nevertheless, on balance, the consensus of state fiscal experts is that 2010-11 will be
another year of great difficulty," according to the staff report.

Reed indicated last week that if CSU doesn't receive its full funding allotment from the
state, more tuition increases could be considered. CSU fees were already increased by about 30 percent in the past year.

Tuition for full-time undergraduate students increased to $4,026. Average campus fees are $801, bringing the total average cost to $4,827 a year - - a rate that CSU officials said is still lower than many other university systems.

Pictures: (Top) David Perelmuter holds the letter he received from the White House. Pictured with David are his parents, school principal Christie Forshey and his grandmother. (Bottom) Students participate in a Korean bowing ceremony lead by parent Lori Eurich.  Photos courtesy of Mark Miller. 

Call it a lesson in patience.

After penning a note to President Barack Obama shortly after his inauguration, 7-year-old David Perelmuter received what he had been waiting eight months for: the president's response.

Although he won't be able to vote until 2020, the first grader at Riviera Elementary school in Torrance wrote a congratulatory letter to Obama while in kindergarten last Spring. In it, David wrote of his dream to be president one day. He also detailed an ambitious agenda should he get elected, writing of his desire to end wars and stop graffiti vandalism.

David's mother, Lauren, found the response with the Washington D.C. postmark in the family's mailbox on Friday, complete with the president's signature on White House stationary. Perelmuter gave the letter to her son after picking him up from school.

"When I showed him the letter he was jumping up and down," said Perelmuter, who added David had run out to the mailbox everyday for eight months to see if the letter had arrived. "It was so thrilling."

In Obama's response, David is thanked for taking the time to write and is encouraged to use his intellect and creativity to better his community. He read the letter at an assembly in front of the entire school Monday morning.

The letter arrived in time to coincide with the school's "International Week," when students learn about different languages and cultures by participating in activities and sampling international fare. The week cumulates on Friday, when students hold a international food festival.

After David read the letter, students performed a Korean bowing ceremony and a Hawaiian hula for their peers, teachers and about 30 parents.

"We talked about how kids are the leaders of the future, and how important it is to be active," said Christie Forshey, principal at Riviera elementary. "The students are very excited."

Talk about excitement: David was so estatic about the letter he hasn't let it out of his sight, Perelmuter said. Didn't matter that Obama probably didn't sit down to write the letter himself, she added. She thinks the simple act provided a lesson her son may never forget and credited Riveria's teachers and staff members for promoting civic participation among students.

"He carried the letter around with him for 24 hours," Perelmuter said. "He knows how special it is."

The family will frame the letter and put it next to a letter David's grandfather received while working in the Treasury Department from President John Kennedy.

If David does eventually decide to become president, he'll have some time to develop a political agenda: He won't be eligible to run until 2037.

Reporter's note:

Riviera Elementary school should not be confused with Riviera Hall Lutheran School, a private K-8 also located in Torrance, and the scene of visits by former President Bill Clinton in 2001 and 2008. (His nephew attended school there)

According to the press release, although education only represents 40 percent of the state budget, California public schools have been subjected to 60 percent of the cuts.

From the New York Times:

Over all, the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 8 percent to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008-9 academic year -- the largest percentage increase in more than 25 years, according to the report.
With the current recession, the influx of international students has been especially important to the American economy, according to Allan E. Goodman, president of the institute.

"International education is domestic economic development," Mr. Goodman said. "International students shop at the local Wal-Mart, rent rooms and buy food. Foreign students bring $17.8 billion to this country. A lot of campuses this year are increasing their international recruitment, trying to keep their programs whole by recruiting international students to fill their spaces."

In other China-related education news, Obama sat down and spoke with a large group of students Monday in Shanghai. Among the topics of discussion: Twitter and the world of social networking.

The foundation, a certified non-profit, works to promote health, education and cultural diversity across the globe. Chiappe is a member of the Hawthorne school board and a faculty member at the Centinela Valley Adult Education School.

The event will be held at Hanks Bistro, located at 14406 S. Hawthorne
Boulevard.

Here's the press release:

Concerned with the health and well-being of Pacific Islander American youth, the California State University, Dominguez Hills School of Health and Human Services has teamed up with members of the Pacific Islander community to present the "Pacific Islander American Youth Summit: Navigating and Empowering a Healthy Generation" on Friday, Nov. 13 in the Loker Student Union on campus.

Organizers say this summit represents a call to action for fundamental improvements in programs and services to address the unmet needs for Pacific Islander American youth in the Los Angeles region. The topics covered will focus on education, health, youth violence, cultural identity, and leadership.

More than 200 youth and 100 adults are expected to take part in the summit, providing government and community leaders an opportunity to learn first-hand the key issues facing Pacific Islander American youth and engage in a dialogue with them on how their voices can be heard. The overall goal of the summit is to empower youth to live healthier, active lives, and to mobilize adult participants to identify the challenges facing this segment of the population and explore opportunities to impact health care reform at national and state levels.

The summit is being sponsored by WalMart, CSUDH School of Health and Human Services, Pacific Islander Health Partnership, and Tongan American Youth Foundation.

Cal State Dominguez Hills is located at 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson, 90747

"We are asking parents to make a commitment to the education foundation so that we know by January how much money parents can commit to the school district," said Susan Warshaw, the executive director of the foundation.

Typically, school districts begin their budgeting processes in January before final budgets are submitted in the Spring. Money donated to the foundation goes to preserving teaching positions and academic programs in the district. This year, foundation organizers are looking to raise $4.1 million. Last year, the same amount was raised and went to save more than 80 teaching and staff positions, district officials said.

Pledge drive events will be held this afternoon at district schools, and those interested in donating to the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation can visit www.mbef.org/givetoday or call Warshaw at 310-303-3342.

*Updated, with photo courtesy of Cindy McMahon. Eighth graders Savannah Sartini, Jina Stanfill, and Mandy McKeegan outside Manhattan Beach Middle School. The girls helped promote MBEF's Pledge Day.

Among the findings:

- 68 percent of those surveyed are against future student fee increases.

- 56 percent are unwilling to pay higher taxes.

- 60 percent rate the state's public university and community college systems as "good" or "excellent"

- Despite their attitude towards the state of education, Californian's have low marks for Sacramento politicians (28 percent approval for the Governor, 17 percent for the legislature).

From the survey:

While strong majorities believe state budget cuts (70%) and overall affordability (57%) are big problems, far fewer (21%) characterize the quality of California public colleges and universities the same way. Despite significant budget cuts in higher education, at least six in 10 Californians give good to excellent marks to the California Community College (13% excellent, 52% good), California State University (9% excellent, 52% good) and University of California (13% excellent, 49% good) systems. These grades are nearly as high as they were in 2007 and 2008, when about two in three Californians gave positive ratings to the three branches. Today, parents of California college students, current students, and alumni give the state's higher education institutions similarly high grades.
 
But residents have little confidence in the state elected officials who have authority over California colleges and universities. Californians give Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger a 28 percent overall approval rating that matches his record low in July 2009. They give the legislature an overall approval rating of 18 percent, near its record low (17%) from July. State leaders get even lower ratings for their handling of higher education: 21 percent for Schwarzenegger and 16 percent for the legislature. Both are new lows. And most Californians have very little (37%) or no (20%) confidence in state government's ability to plan for the future of the higher education system (8% have a great deal of confidence, 33% only some).

In the South Bay, most schools remained closed for the national holiday.

*Here's a link to John Bogert's Veterans Day column detailing how some local students are helping out soldiers overseas.

**And here's how some students in Long Beach acknowledged veterans in their community.

If you ever doubt this, take a look at the statistics about how many pet owners nowadays buy Christmas gifts for their critters (OK, so the gifts are really for us in a psychological sense).

So since you're going to buy something anyway, read about  some useful -- and funny -- pet toys and products you can pick up for your favorite furry friends this year.

There are dog and cat beds, organic treats and laser lights to drive them up the wall (literally). And be sure to check out the Crazy Cat Lady board game  from Archie McPhee for cat lovers on your list. There's also (yes, really) the Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure.

Santa holds Pug Fuch at the Robinson Town Center PetSmart in Robinson Township, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar,File) (GENE J. PUSKAR):

The annual holiday toy drive is asking people to donate items to help make life in the shelter a little easier for the dogs and cats awaiting permanent homes.

Among the items needed:

• Clay (non-scoopable) cat litter
• New, durable dog and cat toys
• New (or gently used clean towels and bedding
• Dog sweaters and coats.

The full list includes other things as well.

The drive continues through Dec. 31 and items can be dropped in a donation box at the South Bay SPCA shelter, 12910 Yukon Ave., Hawthorne.

John O'Hurley and David Frei will host the NBC Thanksgiving Day special "The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,"  naming one of America's show dogs as its 2009 champion. It's on from noon to 2 p.m. following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. The actual show was taped and took place earlier this month in Philadelphia.

The broadcast gets something like 20 million viewers every year, however, although I've usually only caught part of it as I'm on my way out of town for Thanksgiving dinner with family. More than 160 breeds vie for "Best in Show," including three new breeds: the Irish Red and White Setter, the Norwegian Buhund and the Pyrenean Shepherd.

Closer to home, the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship invitational  returns to the Long Beach Convention Center on Dec. 12 and 13. Included will be conformation, agility and obedience trials and competition.

Tickets are $20 (Saturday or Sunday daytime) and $15 (Saturday or Sunday evening) with special prices for seniors, military and youth.

Time to get a pet otter! Or maybe not. But boy is this cute or what?

The organization DoGreatGood.com made the project possible.

You can read more about it at this Humane Society page  -- they have more pics also.

 H/T:

Critter News 

The Daily Breeze story on the same issue ran Thursday.

She reports that the original 14 bison were brought to the island in 1924 by a film crew working on a silent movie. The footage with the animals wound up on the cutting room floor, but decades later the bison's offspring still roam on Catalina. They once reached about 600 in number.

The conservancy is trying to reduce the annual growth of the herd from nearly 10 percent to 4 percent -- about equal to the mortality rate -- and has embarked on a birth control program that uses a vaccine for the females. That could avert having to ship excess animals off the island by stabilizing the numbers.

Read more about it in today's story headlined "Reining in the herd".

(And be sure to check out the accompanying online photo gallery.)

Photo above: The Catalina Island Conservancy is introducing a contraception plan for its female bison with a vaccine that will control the buffalo population. A male bison waits in a holding pen before the vets and scientists put it through a series of pens to draw DNA. (Scott Varley/Staff Photographer)

Here it is, that time of year again. Already. 

The first of several pets-with-santa photo sessions takes place this Saturday (Nov. 21) to benefit the Peter Zippi Fund for Animals.

It all happens at the VCA Coast Animal Hospital, 1560 Pacific Coast Highway, in Hermosa Beach. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bring your pets to pose for a professional photo session with Santa. Photos can be loaded onto CDs or used to make unique, one-of-a-kind holiday greeting cards.

The $15 donation supports the Peter Zippi Fund's work with homeless animals.

I don't know who will be playing Santa. But good luck to you, sir.

(Photo from Dogster )

The donation to GRACE Animal Rescue Inc. will help the nonprofit manage the population of 200 felines that has developed from household pets abandoned on the Chevron property.

"In today's economy, when it's actually cheaper to kill, they chose life," said Vanessa Bell, executive director of GRACE. "It made me rethink everything I used to think about oil companies."

From Justin Rudd's latest newsletter:

new opening of the Uptown Dog Park in Long Beach
located at the western end of Scherer Park, 4600 Long Beach Blvd., this Saturday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m.

And from our sister paper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

The Uptown Dog Park will provide separate areas for small and large dogs to play off leash. The fenced area is near picnic areas and a parking lot. Uptown Dog Park will be open from 5 a.m. to dusk; Scherer Park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information about the opening of the Uptown Dog Park, call 562-570-6685.

Here's a map.

The (9/20/09) comic strip "Off The Mark" by Mark Parisi

Senator Maldonado is a fine colleague, but I have grave doubts about filling this position with any sitting elected official for two significant reasons.

First, confirming Senator Maldonado will necessitate a special election to fill his Senate seat.  According to state elections officials, such an election would cost taxpayers more than $2 million.  Rather than using taxpayer money to pay for an avoidable election, it may be wiser to use that $2 million to defray recent fee increases in our higher education system.  For example, $2 million would significantly reduce the Winter/Spring 2010 fee increases for UC students, or it would cover the recent $6 per unit increase for 333,000 course units for community college students.  

Second, just months from now Californians will choose their own nominees for the job of Lieutenant Governor.  And the voters will elect a new Lieutenant Governor to a four-year term less than one year from now.  It may be both fiscally and politically prudent to permit the people to make their own selection for this statewide office next year and avoid the expense of a costly special election.

If Senator Steinberg acts promptly and confirms Senator Maldonado as California's next Lieutenant Governor within 84 days, the Governor will consolidate the 15th district's special election with the statewide June election to save tax payer dollars. If Senator Steinberg is concerned about state revenues and college tuition hikes he should stop fighting his own pay cut.

To fill the Maldonado seat, there will almost certainly be two elections:  1) a primary, and 2) a run-off.  It is only possible to consolidate one of those two elections with the June primary.  Thus, there will have to be at least one unconsolidated election for the 15^th SD, which would involve 5 separate county election offices.  The cost of administering one such election is estimated at $2 million.  That number is based on the most recent Senate special election to fill SD 26 (Curren Price) and what we've been told by the Secretary of State's office.

The Golden Princess and the Star Princess, each capable of holding
2,700 passengers, dropped off and picked up passengers bound for
Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. The Mariner of the Seas, capable
of holding 3,150 passengers, dropped off and picked up travelers
headed to the Mexican Riviera.

Here are some photos from the port:

Those said to be looking include Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Rep. Jane Harman of Venice (Los Angeles County), Controller John Chiang and Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

"A small business owner may not be aware of the process necessary to compete for state government contracts.  I hope that we can make that process more transparent and readily understandable."

Ultimately I think she is a very compelling candidate - not just for this office, but for California Democrats as a whole. Whereas Jerry Brown isn't willing to offer a clear progressive path forward for the state, it seems Janice Hahn is very much interested in doing that.

The video, which Hahn's campaign has placed on her Web site, lacks a certain something in the way of production values. But here it is:

I tried to be supportive but we were obviously doing the wrong thing. We obviously used the wrong strategy. The competence of the last administration in carrying out that war and building the peace was abysmal.