August 2008 Archives

I caught up with South Bay Rep. Jane Harman at the California delegation breakfast on Thursday morning. I walked up while she was doing a radio interview, snapped a picture of her with my phone -- which was my primary reporting device all week -- and then took out my notepad to ask her some questions.
An early supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, she said she was excited about watching Obama's speech that night.
"I was a kid in 1960 (when John Kennedy was nominated). The convention was at the L.A. Coliseum, and I got on the floor because I was an usher," she said. "Now 48 years later, we're in a very similar situation."
Harman may be interested to know that volunteering for menial labor is still a very popular method for getting into a convention floor. The Invesco Field pass was easily the most coveted ticket of the week -- well, up there with Kanye West anyway -- and motivated Obama supporters were pulling every string they had to get one. The crowd estimate was 84,000.
When she got out to the stadium, Harman told the National Journal that the atmosphere was a bit chaotic.
"I worry that this is a mosh pit and not a political gathering," she said. "But my kids understand that this is how you communicate in the 21st century."
Fair enough, but has anyone ever tried to crowd-surf to Michael McDonald?
I also caught up with Gardena Councilman Steve Bradford, yet again. He said he had been to the Kanye West party the previous night, which goes to show that he has better connections than I do. He reported that it was unreal, and I believe him.
No mosh pit there, presumably, but there were other parties in the neighborhood where you could dance to remixed versions of Obama speeches. L.A. Councilman Eric Garcetti was at one of those, and was really cutting loose on the "Yes we can!" refrain.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in the exploratory phase his campaign for governor in 2010. At the California delegation breakfast in Denver this morning, Newsom gave what might be an early version of his stump speech. 

He spoke about the frustration of having to defend California to people from out of state, especially as regards the budget standoff.

"Things aren't going as well as they should in the state of California," he said. "We have gotten very good at identifying problems. We're very good at finger-pointing."

But, he said, not so good at problem-solving. And that's where his record as mayor came in -- solving budget deficits, cutting carbon emissions while growing the economy, etc. If Newsom does decide to run, expect to hear a lot more along these lines.

The most interesting portion of the speech, however, was when Newsom called out an unnamed "superstar" of the Democratic Party who had criticized teachers unions at a panel the two were both on earlier in the week.

"What is that solving?" he asked. "What is that doing to educate children?"

Though Newsom did not name the perpetrator, he did share a panel earlier in the week with Newark Mayor Cory Booker. According to the Washington Post, Booker used the occasion to talk about his frustration with teachers unions, on issues such as merit pay.

"Cory is one of the best and the brightest," Newsom said later, arguing that he wasn't referring to anyone in particular. "It's naive to have the first line of attack be to go after the unions and teachers. I hate hearing Democrats say that. Unions could shut down reform if they want to. Why would you demonize people who are responsible for reform?"

With so many union leaders in the audience, Newsom seemed to be working to win labor endorsements for a gubernatorial run. Perhaps to that end, he drew a contrast between the "takeover" approach to school reform and partnering with schools, which he said was his preferred method in San Francisco. That could be interpreted as a reference to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who tried unsuccessfully to take over the L.A. Unified School District and who could be a rival for the governorship in 2010.

Villaraigosa, who also spoke at the breakfast, said he had not heard the comment because he was visiting with the New York delegation during Newsom's speech.

"Gavin and I are friends," he said.

Some rumors are just too good to pass up.

Bill Gates is looking for land to build a full-blown $5 billion, 12,000 student research university on the West Coast.  One of the locations that has been mentioned for exploration is the 500+ acre Zamperini Field (Torrance Airport) site.  One of his advisers mentioned the safe community, nice weather, ample stores and restaurants, and the proximity to potential medical-school partners in Torrance Memorial and Little Company of Mary.  The concept is more of a residential university instead of a commuter-school.  The hope is free room-and-board for undergrads would reduce the number of commuter students, therefore less resistance to the project because of traffic concerns.  Current Zamperini operations would shift to Hawthorne and Long Beach airports.   After leaving the CEO position at Microsoft, Bill is looking to focus on education and go the path of Leland Stanford by founding what he hopes will one day be the one of the world's great universities.

I'm used to seeing Tommie Williams on Tuesday nights at Carson City Council meetings. Why should things be any different in Denver?

I walked into a diner not far from the Denver Post offices about 10 p.m. Tuesday night, and there she was, getting coffee with two friends.

Tommie is known for speaking her mind during public comment periods, often by ripping Mayor Jim Dear. She said she had just flown in and was hoping to score tickets to Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field. (Isn't everybody?)

Down the street, I went to a party for "rising stars" in the Democratic Party, among them Controller John Chiang -- about whom I have already said quite a bit -- and Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

And lo and behold, who did I see there but two other Carson political figures: City Treasurer Karen Avilla and Lambert Adouki, a campaign consultant now working on Dear's recall. Such familiar faces made it feel like a regular Tuesday night in Carson, only with alcohol.

The party seemed like the place to be for California political figures. Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez was there, along with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Compton Councilman (and soon be Assemblyman) Isadore Hall, and, of course, Sean Penn.

The word is that Villaraigosa will be heading out to Pueblo, Colo., after the convention to stump for Obama, and has already been cutting Spanish-language radio ads targeted at swing states like Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. He'll have to campaign pretty hard to match the effort he put in for Hillary Clinton in the primary, but he's off and running already.

Here's Karen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Lambert:

 

 

 

L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks, who is running for the Second Supervisorial District in L.A. County, shared his impressions of the first night of the convention from the floor.

"Some of the analysts, and some of the media people thought it was meaningless," he said. "I thought it set the groundwork for the next several days. People didn't come here because they wanted to hear disparaging remarks."

Parks, the former chief of the LAPD, said he is ready to get back to work on his campaign against State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Ridley-Thomas won the first round in June by six points, but because he didn't get a majority, the two will face off again in November.

"We think it's gonna be a totally different campaign," Parks said. "Rather than field operations, it's going to be more about absentees."

Because of the budget stalemate, Ridley-Thomas isn't here. Parks said he hopes Ridley-Thomas and the other state legislators get a budget done soon, and that it doesn't involve raiding local funds.

 

Tina McKinnor, the president of the Lawndale Democratic Club, plans to spend much of her fall registering voters for Barack Obama oustide a grocery store on Inglewood Avenue.

But first she needed to come to Denver to get some advice from a pro: James Carville.

McKinnor ran into Carville in Denver, and buttonholed him for a few minutes.

"He gave me a tip on organizing," McKinnor said. "He told me bringing people together is the most important thing in my area."

I saw Tina on the concourse at the Pepsi Center, where she was hanging out with Steve Bradford.

 

Look who we ran into on the concourse of the Pepsi Center.

It's Gardena Councilman Steve Bradford.

Though he wouldn't smile for this photo, Bradford appeared to be enjoying himself thoroughly in Denver.

He said the best party he had been to so far was hosted by Planned Parenthood, but he also wanted to check out parties hosted by former Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., and Kanye West. 

Of Michelle Obama, still the talk of the town on Tuesday, he had this to say: "Michelle had a great presentation. Hers is an encouraging, inspiring American story that epitomizes the American dream."

Bradford was also chasing down rumors that some members of the California delegation were planning to make some noise on behalf of Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Rep. Maxine Waters was milling around nearby, but she was in too much of a hurry to stop and have her picture taken.

One more from Gene in Denver:

4:55 p.m. As promised, Chiang's speech was long on abstractions about America's
promise for the future and short on policy.

He had a tough act to follow in Dennis Kucinich, who ended with a rousing "Wake up America!" that had the convention hall in an uproar. He also started speaking before the California delegation had stopped cheering for him, which muddled his introduction, at least in the hall.

But the speech was short, clear and to the point. Chiang said he traded drafts with the Obama campaign until it was polished to a high sheen.

The most memorable part was the comparison of his family's story to that of Obama:

"His parents came from Africa. My parents came from Asia," he said. "Our parents had much in common. They were united by the values they taught their sons, that in America it doesn't matter where you come from, but where you are going."

Will that bring Asians and Pacific Islanders aboard? Who knows.

His closing line: "Let those values be our calling, and once again let's build a country that fulfills the greatest promise of all her people."

Who could argue with that?

Here's another one from Gene, who is out in Denver with computer problems and owes me $10 for doing his biddingblogging:

4:23 p.m. Richardson's predecessor, Juanita Millender-McDonald, flashes by on the video tribute to dearly departed Democrats. A slight round of applause from the California delegation

This just in from our political reporter Gene Maddaus, who is covering the Democratic National Convention in Denver and apparently is having technical issues:

4:10 p.m. Rep. Laura Richardson appears on stage with the Congressional Black Caucus. She does not speak.

School is almost back in session, but the tiny Hermosa Beach City School District is missing top administrators for one of its two campuses, as well as a superintendent.

Board members are ready to start their search, but they're hoping the public might have some ideas about what qualities they should look for in a principal and vice principal of Hermosa Valley School.

So, give your two cents at 5 p.m. Thursday in the multipurpose room of Valley School, 1645 Valley Dr.

Valley's principal will take the helm of Hermosa View School and its vice principal has relocated to the East Coast, said Lance Widman, the board's president.

Hermosa school board members this week could select a temporary replacement for outgoing Superintendent Sharon McClain, as well as a recruitment firm to find a permanent district leader, Widman added.

After serving Hermosa schools since 2003, McClain has accepted a similar position at Del Mar Union High School.

Here's a story about John Chiang that Gene wrote a couple weeks ago when Chiang was battling Gov. Schwarzenegger over paycuts for state employees. Here's an excerpt:

Chiang (pronounced Chung), 46, is no firebrand. He has long been a Democratic activist, but his policy interests tend toward issues like financial literacy and small-business tax credits. "I tend to be I like to call it `thoughtful,"' said Chiang, who began his career as a tax law specialist with the Internal Revenue Service. "Some people will say `technical' and `detailed.' It's the meat and potatoes of making improvement in people's lives."

The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Chiang graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in finance and received his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Torrance's own John Chiang  stopped by the media tent today.

The controller disclosed a few details of his convention speech, which will be delivered Tuesday evening.

Chiang won't get too far into the weeds of tax policy, much though he might wish to. Instead he will talk about how Barack Obama's story is representative of the American story.

"There's no red meat," Chiang said.

Chiang was elected to speak because he is the only Asian Democrat who holds a statewide office in the nation.

He was chosen over other, more prominent California Democrats, like L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

 

After teasing motorists for months now with a big pastel sign posted prominently along Pacific Coast Highway, the popular yet controversial Pinkberry is on its way to becoming a reality for the frozen yogurt lovers of Hermosa Beach.

Construction on the fro-yo shop -- set to make its home in a former car dealership and onetime doughnut shop just south of Aviation Boulevard -- has begun in recent weeks, and Hermosa residents should find sweet tooth satisfaction there in September, its franchise owner said.

But if you can't wait that long for the sort-of dairy Pinkberry goodness, Hermosa has a bunch of other options.

Weirdly, the town known mostly for its surf and drinking culture has a suddenly robust offering of frozen dessert choices.

In the past six months or so, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop and a gelato restaurant have popped up just blocks from each other on Hermosa Avenue.

By most accounts, Lotus Yogurt Bar and Paciugo Gelato are doing well in their respective locations, just a shimmy and shake away from the city's lively Pier Plaza.

Are low-calorie frozen desserts becoming Hermosa's new vice? How long until these spots come up with booze-flavored treats? Strawberry daiquiri? Mojito? Long Island Ice Tea? Hangover cure?

State Controller, Torrance resident, and Clinton supporter John Chiang is on the list of speakers for Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention. Here's John at a rally for Clinton in San Francisco in February:

There are about 30 speakers on the schedule on Tuesday, among them Hillary Clinton and keynoter Mark Warner. So naturally, Chiang's moment in the sun may not get wall-to-wall coverage in the major media. But that's what this blog is for. I'll try to get over to the Pepsi Center for Chiang's remarks.

If you are unfamiliar with Chiang, here's an appetizer:



Two points about that video:

1. Though it may seem like a dry subject to you and me, Ready Return is what prompted Intuit to pump a million dollars into trying to defeat Chiang in 2006. Intuit sells TurboTax software, which a lot of people use. By making tax preparation essentially free for many filers, Ready Return posed a threat to Intuit's business model. 
2. Andrew has probably been laid off by now.

Now this is more like it.

Add State Sen. Jenny Oropeza to the list of South Bay politicians who won't be attending the Democratic National Convention due to the budget stalemate.

"Jenny would love to go," says spokesman Ray Sotero. "But they're all on call, and they have to be within two hours of the Capitol."

Oropeza was supposed to be a delegate for Hillary Clinton. At left, Clinton greets Oropeza at the White House. Evidently this was several hairstyles ago for both of them.

In an earlier post, I included Assemblyman Ted Lieu on a list of South Bay politicians heading to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Unfortunately, he will be stuck in Sacramento waiting to vote on a budget.

"The speaker is letting us go if we want," said Lieu, D-Torrance. "But I'm not going to go."

But he can still participate in our running series of photos of local politicians with Barack Obama.

Continuing the theme of local pols with Obama:

Obama has not endorsed anybody in the Second District Supervisor's race, but you'd never know that from this mailer.

A group of Hawthorne residents who want to make the city a little better are meeting Saturday morning to figure out how to do a lot of heavy lifting: reduce gang activity and clean up the streets. 

Hawthorne police Sgt. Steve Romero started the group, Citizens of Hawthorne Action Team or CHAT, earlier this year. His goal was to get more people involved in the community. So far, several of the city's homeowner's groups have joined with Romero.

CHAT will meet Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Hawthorne Memorial Center, 3901 W. El Segundo Blvd.  Every Hawthorne resident is welcome.

Romero said that they will divide into action committees on Saturday, with groups focusing on disaster preparedness, philanthropy, crime eradication, networking and structure.

A lot of South Bay politicos, that's who. Among the local delegates:

Gardena Councilman Steve Bradford (Obama)
State Sen. Jenny Oropeza (Clinton)
L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn (Clinton)
Assemblyman Ted Lieu, of Torrance (Obama)
State Controller John Chiang, of Torrance (Clinton)

We're sending three journalists to the Democratic National Convention in Denver to help shore up the ranks of The Denver Post, another MediaNews paper. The Post is planning extra coverage and special sections during next week's big show, so a few months ago the editors put out a plea for help to the rest of the chain. And, of course, we're team players. Here's who we're sending to help carry the load for the Breeze:

• Gene Maddaus, reporter, covers politics and Carson for us
• Sean Hiller, photographer
• Walter Hammerwold, copy editor and page designer

We don't know what their assignments in Denver are going to be just yet, but I've asked them to keep an eye on the South Bay attendees and report in on this blog.  

Yesterday we ran a story on Laura Richardson's house troubles. It quoted Richardson (D-Long Beach), but we didn't have room for her full statement. Now, thanks to the miracle of blogging, here it is, unedited and uncensored:

In less than one year, Congresswoman Richardson has solidified valuable House Committee assignments, to benefit the 37^th Congressional District, exceeded funding for critical district programs, conducted a rare freshman led national hearing regarding the improvement of air quality and infrastructure;  therefore, daily responses to non-legislative  misrepresentations or implications verified as false such as notices of public records by the City of Sacramento Code Enforcement  ---- were NOT sent to Congresswoman Richardson but rather to Mr. James York, of Red Rock Mortgage (the owner of the property according to county records) distort the fact that Congresswoman Richardson is fully prepared, WHEN full transfer of the property is made and re-instated, to manage and maintain the Sacramento property.  When further information is available, Congresswoman Richardson will make it available to the public.

Stay tuned.

Here's your chance to test your knowledge of the Carson recall!

Mayor Jim Dear is facing a recall election on Sept. 16. This is the front of the first mailer to go out attacking him. How many recall supporters can you identify?

Supporters of a new Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor will be coming through the area in the coming weeks to give preview presentations. 

The $52 million project breaks ground at the end of this year (to be finished in 2010) and will feature a campus-like setting with new buildings and shaded walkway. It basically expands the existing memorial (designed for 750,000 people) where more than 1.3 million people now visit annually.

A presentation will be given in San Pedro at 10 a.m. Aug. 30 (a Saturday) at the Fort MacArthur Museum in Angels Gate Park, 3601 S. Gaffey St.

Other meetings are planned for Santa Monica (1 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Santa Monica Public Library), the Ontario Airport Marriott (2 p.m. Aug. 30) and at the Japanese American National Museum (11 a.m. Aug. 31).

An article with photos ran recently in the Honolulu Advertiser.

 

The trash will continue to get taken out in Hawthorne -- and in the same bins.

After a year of haggling, the former and current residential trash haulers have settled on a price to buy about 31,000 trash bins that have been caught in the cross-hairs of a legal battle.

Allied Waste Services got the trash contract last year, after H & C Disposal was pushed out in May 2007 for failing to pay about $1.5 million in city franchise fees. H & C was not happy about losing its contract after 50 years, and demanded $1.3 million for the bins. Allied offered $210,000.

In May, H & C decided to liquidate its assets and agreed to sell the bins for $155,000.
Earlier this month, the City Council agreed to a 3 percent trash fee increase to residents, bringing the average customer's monthly cost from $17.35 to $17.84. The increase was approved earlier this month but will be retroactive to July 1.

The transition from H & C to Allied has been rocky. H & C was badly managed and left Allied with incomplete records.

Part of H & C's problems was that at least one of its former managers was allegedly embezzling money from the company. Les Wixon is accused of stealing $80,000 while he worked as operations manager there in 2005 and 2006. Several other employees are also suspected of stealing.

Wixon will be in court later this month for a scheduled preliminary hearing.

Daily Breeze reporters and editors will be blogging here to give you a deeper understanding of what's happening in the South Bay. We'll let you know what we're working on, follow up on stories we've told in the past, answer your questions and link you in to what other media are reporting about our cities. We'll give you some behind-the-scenes observations, and we'll post a lot of things you won't see in print. Welcome to the South Bay's new information Pipeline.