April 2009 Archives

Dial 9-1-1 from a cell phone while you're driving on the freeway, and you're likely to get put on hold for a few minutes until a California Highway Patrol dispatcher answers.

But, if you dial 9-1-1 from your cell while you're in the cities of Hawthorne, Gardena, Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach, someone will pick up by the second ring (at least, that's what a representative of the South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority told the Hawthorne City Council on Tuesday).

Not only will a dispatcher pick up almost immediately, but that person will be able to track where the caller is through his or her cell phone signal.

SBRPCA is owned jointly by Hawthorne, Gardena and Manhattan Beach, and has served the area since 1977.

Last year, it routed 223,712 9-1-1 calls, which was an 8 percent increase from 2007.  The call center also received a 32% increase in calls from cell phones.

The picture below is SBRPCA's control room. The building is in Hawthorne.

 

Jane Harman's new crisis consultant, Lanny Davis, is already hard at work.

This morning he called the Daily Breeze to take issue with this sentence near the bottom of today's Harman story: "The House Intelligence Committee has announced that it will investigate the Harman wiretapping."

Davis argued that that leaves the impression that the committee is investigating whether Harman engaged in a quid pro quo, when in fact the committee is only looking into the circumstances of the wiretap and the leak. He asked for a clarification.

The intelligence committee, however, has been vague about what exactly it is investigating. A spokeswoman told CQ: "In the context of the Harman incident, the committee is looking into the issue, including NSA involvement, as well as any other matter directly related to the committee's jurisdiction over the intelligence community."

The Breeze stands by its characterization.

Additionally, Davis argued that Harman is the victim of a "political kneecap move" by law enforcement officials or intelligence officials. He notes that the initial 2006 leak of the Harman-AIPAC allegations came three days after Harman released a report that was critical of Porter Goss' committee staffers' ties to disgraced Rep. Duke Cunningham.

There have already been several other indications that Goss had a grudge against Harman and that his allies may have had something to do with the leak, so add that one to the list. Also note the silence of Jeff Stein, the CQ reporter who initially broke the story, on the Goss hypothesis. Stein has felt free to comment on many other dimensions of the story, so his silence on the Goss angle is telling.

Also, thanks to commenter foofoo for posting a link to this video of a Harman campaign commercial from 2006. Here's a walk down memory lane:

Hang in there, readers. It's almost Friday.

A man fired a rifle into a crowd of people eating Wednesday night at a Lennox taco stand, killing one man and injuring five other people, including a 12-year-old boy. Sheriff's deputies have not yet determined the shooter's motive, and have released no description.

Chrysler will likely file for bankruptcy protection, but what about massage parlors in Torrance? City leaders there have placed a temporary moratorium on new massage parlors in town, citing a rise in the number of arrests for prostitution in town.

Despite rampant rumors, no swine flu cases have yet been reported in the South Bay, though the outbreak is putting a damper on local travel.

Jane Harman has hired a political consultant to fight back against her wire tapping scandal. Meanwhile, she's challenged the reporter who broke the story to a road race, after she and her staff competed in a 5 kilometer race Wednesday. Her team name? "Tapped Out."

North Torrance High's softball-ers eked out a win over Torrance High on Wednesday. Missed the game? No worries -- check out our pictures.

Why don't you mosey on over to the Breeze's Crime and Courts blog? Larry Altman, half of the duo behind that blogging powerhouse, received a Best of the West journalism award for his mad blogging skills. Wish Larry congratulations, but also say hello to Denise Nix, who does a fine job herself on the blog.

Chris Kelly, the chief privacy officer for Facebook, has formed an exploratory committee to run for attorney general in 2010.

So far, he has a Web site, but not, so far as I can tell, a Facebook page. UPDATE: Found it.

This stands in stark contrast mild contrast to Torrance Assemblyman Ted Lieu, who is also running for attorney general and has a Web site, a Facebook page, and a Twitter feed.

UPDATE: Now that I've found Chris Kelly's Facebook page, I can report that he has 205 supporters as of this moment, all of whom seem to have signed up today. Lieu, who has been running for several months, has 409 members of his Facebook group and 221 supporters on his Facebook page.

Plus, Kelly has harnessed the power of Facebook to generate a Chris-Kelly-for-Attorney-General application. I'd say Ted's in trouble.

Rep. Jane Harman, under fire since her wiretapped phone call was disclosed by CQ's Jeff Stein last week, is challenging Stein to a road race. Seriously.

First off, Harman and her staff are participating in an annual 5K race for Capitol Hill lawmakers today. She named her team "Tapped Out," a cheeky reference to the fact that she was secretly recorded by the NSA (or the FBI, depending on whom you believe). The team won the race's "best team name" award.

"Clearly, our sense of humor is intact," Harman said in a statement.

But then she tops it off with a challenge to Jeff Stein:

"I am challenging CQ's Jeff Stein, who got my age wrong and denigrated my previous race time in a recent blog post, to a road race. Bring it on, Jeff!"

For the record, Stein said Harman is 64.

Her actual age is highly classified.

Harman is an avid runner. The photo above is from the Marine Corps Marathon in 2005. Here's another one from 2005, which shows her taking a run on the Venice Beach strand with former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:

Come to think of it, this would be a great way for them to have a super-secret conversation without being wiretapped.

Also note: she appears to be running in the bike-only lane. These D.C. types sure do think they're above the law.

Today's headlines were about as cheery as yesterday's: "County declares emergency", the Daily Breeze declares.

The media (more so TV outlets than newspapers) has been at a fever pitch about the "pandemic" swine flu for days, with this morning's latest tragedy taking front stage -- a Mexican toddler who fell victim to the virus in Texas. Now, Los Angeles County health officials are investigating swine flu clusters in three schools including a San Pedro school.

As if the fear of airborne infection wasn't tangible enough, Tuesday's Daily Breeze featured this news: "Mosquito with West Nile found in Carson", alongside "Pandemic alert level raised over swine flu" and "South Bay officials take precautions".

While we should all take precautions to avoid viral infections, here's a few statistics to give some perspective on dangers to our health:

• In 2008, 39,800 people died in the U.S. in motor vehicle-related collisions, according to the National Safety Council.
• There were 1,200 reported cases of West Nile virus last year nationwide, and 27 deaths. Most people who contract the virus have no symptoms or adverse health effects.
• 53 people die each year in the country from "ladder deaths" (presumably falling off a ladder), according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 8,300 people are injured on ladders.
• Unconfirmed handfuls of people die each year around the world by spontaneously combustion, or bursting into fire for unknown reason.
• Thousands of deaths in America each year happen at work, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'  National Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries report says. The most dangerous jobs? Police officers, fishers, loggers, aircraft pilots and flight engineers, and iron and steel workers.
• About 700 people die per year due to carbon monoxide poisoning from incorrectly using heating or cooking appliances or vehicles.
• There were about 1,300 murders in California last year, according to preliminary statistics from the FBI.
• The American Lung Association reported today that Los Angeles has some of the most polluted air in the country, just behind Bakersfield and Pittsburgh.

Let's roll, readers:

Health officials today are investigating a possible swine flu case at a San Pedro school, a day after county and state officials declared a state of emergency.

A 50-year-old man died Sunday from burn injuries sustained while working at the Exxon Mobil Refinery in Torrance a few weeks ago. The Cerritos resident was scalded by steam April 11, and died Sunday at a Torrance hospital.  

A local solar panel installer has sued the city of Torrance for its restrictions over the installation of roof-top items in the city's Hillside Overlay Area, which has different rules than the rest of the city. Bradley Bartz believes the restriction violates state laws.

A transient suspected of downloading child pornography at the Redondo Beach library was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Tuesday for not registering as a sex offender after a previous child molestation conviction.

El Segundo High junior Hunter Hovland pioneered the school's volleyball program, and now is leading the team with an average 28 kills a match. Make sure you check out some pictures.

The Jane Harman story is nothing if not a complex tangle of hidden agendas and ulterior motives. Let's see how well "The Daily Show" can unravel it in five minutes:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Your Government Not at Work - Jane Harman Scandal
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took a moment out of his busy day to take a look at the Honda FCX Clarity. The vehicle was partially engineered at Honda's US headquarters in Torrance, and now about 200 of them are being leased to drivers in California and Japan.

This photo was taken up in Sacramento:

Hit it, readers!

South Bay schools, health workers and transportation officials are on alert for swine flu, though no local cases have arose.

More fear mongering: The first mosquito infected with West Nile virus in Los Angeles County this season was found in Carson during routine tests earlier this month, officials announced Monday.

Torrance Police have arrested Bill Stinson Bounsall, a prolific burglar once blamed for a South Bay crime increase in 2002. Looks like the San Pedro resident will go away for good now.

The Department of Transportation is worried about air traffic controller staffing levels at the Los Angeles International Airport Tower and Southern and Northern California radar facilities.

South Bay home prices in March dropped about 20 percent from the prices at the same time last year, according to new data.

Today, The Hill takes a look at whether Jane Harman is vulnerable to a primary challenge.

Harman, of course, has had a tough week since it was disclosed that she was wiretapped promising to go to bat for two pro-Israel lobbyists facing espionage charges. But is that enough to threaten her political career?

The consensus answer seems to be no, at least for now.

"The issue is: Is there a second shoe that's going to drop here?" said California Democratic consultant Jim Ross. "She can weather what's out there now, but if this becomes a sustained scandal, then it's going to be a big problem for her."

The story quotes Marcy Winograd, who galvanized the local liberal community with her 2006 run against Harman. Winograd has been blogging at the Huffington Post while she mulls a rematch. At least one other blogger is thinking about a run as well, but local political consultant Allan Hoffenblum is skeptical about their chances:

"The whole West Side has a large concentration of Ed Asner progressive-type Democrats who have never been fond of Harman," Hoffenblum said. "But they couldn't do it last time, and back then, Bush was in power... I don't think they can do it, but I don't know."

This didn't make it into today's story, Homeless pets tug at heartstrings, but Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss (who is running for city attorney) made an appearance at Sunday's giant pet fair in Westchester.

He commented about the recent controversy that may have led to the resignation of Ed Boks from his post as L.A.'s animal services chief -- funding free spay and neuter services for low-income residents.

Boks found himself in a political firestorm after he trimmed the program from his tight budget, so he quickly reinstated it. But that didn't stop council members Dennis Zine and Richard Alarcon from saying they were outraged and disappointed in Boks. So, after 3 1/2 years at the job, he resigned.

Weiss said providing free spay and neuter services is more important in Los Angeles than public policy issues such as education, homelessness and health care.

"There's no public policy issue that is more important than funding the spay and neuter program," Weiss told a crowd of hundreds of animal lovers. "It's not their fault they can't afford it."

 

It's Monday, folks. And you know what that means: Tons o' news coming at you:

A Los Angeles photographer  has worked since 2006 to photograph as many World War II veterans as he can. Thomas Sanders' "Faces of WWII" will be on display at a Rancho Palos Verdes assisted-living home in July.

The Best Friends Animal Society tried to get 1,000 orphan pets adopted Sunday in Westchester.

Finally, the new $40 million Los Angeles Police Department's harbor station opened Saturday.

Planes leaving and arriving at Los Angeles International Airport struck birds 940 times in the last 18 years, according to a new database released to the public last week. Check out the database yourself.

A Baha'i' woman from Manhattan Beach reflects on a bittersweet time for the faith.

Check out pictures of children getting rides in airplanes at Hawthorne Airport this weekend.

Tyler Weathers won a mixed martial arts fight at Hangar Athletic Xchange (HAX) in Hawthorne's Century Business Center (next to the airport) on Saturday.

Sports Correspondent Mike Mitchell writes about how Weathers was crowned bantamweight champion by using "a few punches ... a kick or two and then ... charging (Jeff) Martin and putting him on his back".

Here's the story: Weathers reaches new heights in Hawthorne hangar.

Before this fight, there was a brief battle between the city and the owner of HAX over whether Total Fighting Alliance should be allowed to hold fights.

The city nearly filed an injunction against the venue for scheduling a March fight without first obtaining a permit.  The fight was postponed and, in the meantime, the permit was granted.

Here are some previous stories about the controversy:

Hawthorne KO's fights 

Letter to the Editor from a TFA representative about the previous story: Letter to the Editor

Hawthorne answers the MMA bell

CQ has another story up about Jane Harman this evening.

Its principal accomplishment is to add significantly to the list of Republicans who didn't think Harman's alleged quid pro quo actually amounted to much.

Recall that in the initial report, it was Alberto Gonzales who was blamed for blocking CIA Director Porter Goss' investigation into whether Harman traded favors with a "suspected Israeli agent."

Well, now we learn that in addition to Gonzales, several other high-ranking officials also didn't want to make a federal case out of it. The story lists three: John Negroponte, former national intelligence director; Dennis Hastert, former speaker of the House; and Michael Hayden, who succeeded Goss as CIA director.

A quick digest of today's story: Negroponte blocked Goss from investigating Harman, so a CIA "whistleblower" took the information to Hastert. Hastert asked for a briefing from Gonzales, but was told there was "really nothing here" to brief him about. As a courtesy, Hastert passed word to Nancy Pelosi, and then let the issue drop. When Goss was forced out in May 2006, he left Hayden a memo on Harman's conduct. But Hayden also let it drop. And that's where it stood until last week, when somebody finally leaked it to CQ.

I suppose there are actually two ways of looking at it. Either 1) there just wasn't much there; or, 2) the cover-up goes very deep. The CQ story doesn't exactly take sides on that question, but it does end by ruefully noting that former President Bush praised Harman at a swearing-in ceremony, so maybe it goes all the way to the top.

UPDATE: Talking Points Memo is going with Door #2:

Gonzales, Negroponte, and Hayden all appear to have deliberately worked to keep Congress in the dark about the wiretap. Was that because, as Gonzo reportedly believed, it continued to view Harman as an ally whose reputation needed protecting? Or because it wanted more broadly to limit the amount of information disclosed to Congress and the public about its wiretapping activities? Some combination of the two?

Or was it because they didn't think Harman did anything illegal?

When the Jane Harman wiretapping story broke last week, there was speculation that the disclosure had something to do with lingering animus toward Harman over her objections to waterboarding. There was also some discussion that the leak may have originated with former CIA Director Porter Goss.

Well, now Goss has helped us connect the dots a little by penning an op/ed that takes a swipe at Harman over her objections to waterboarding. 

The op/ed seems primarily concerned with refuting Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent claim that she had not been informed that detainees had been waterboarded. Goss, who was in the same briefings, is dumbfounded that anybody could have missed that point.

But he also seems to have a grudge against Harman, who got her first briefings on the interrogations after replacing Pelosi as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee in January 2003. The next month, Harman wrote a letter to the CIA expressing concern about the program. Here's what Goss thinks about that:

I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues. They did not vote to stop authorizing CIA funding. And for those who now reveal filed "memorandums for the record" suggesting concern, real concern should have been expressed immediately -- to the committee chairs, the briefers, the House speaker or minority leader, the CIA director or the president's national security adviser -- and not quietly filed away in case the day came when the political winds shifted. And shifted they have.

Harman's letter was declassified last year, as the debate over waterboarding intensified. (For her part, Harman says she could not do anything else to protest the policy because the briefings were highly classified.)

If there was any doubt whether Goss was still mad at Harman, he seems to have removed it.

Let's ease into the weekend with the best of today's Breeze:

Details over the renaming ceremony of of a portion of Lincoln Boulevard for Tommy Scott, the first airport police officer killed in action, has caused a squabble between the department and its police union.

A man was killed Thursday in Westchester when he was struck by a car as he awaited his morning bus.

Charges were filed Thursday over the sewage spill from a Marina del Rey-area condominium complex caused a beach closure last year.

Read all about Breeze business writer Muhammed El-Hasan's bump. Hey! I know it's Friday, but keep your minds out of the gutter, readers.

San Pedro High's baseball team walloped Narbonne on Thursday. Check out pictures of the game.

Another day, another Jane Harman story in the New York Times.

This one seems to confirm aspects of the original CQ story that Tuesday's A1 story did not. Specifically, the Times is now reporting that Alberto Gonzales did have a role in thwarting an investigation of Harman's wiretapped phone call and that he intervened at least in part because Harman was needed to help defend the warrantless wiretapping program.

Over at Capital J, Harman-friendly blogger Ron Kampeas parses the story and comes to this conclusion:

It looks as if the decision to target Harman was initiated by her old nemesis (Porter) Goss, the Intel committee chairman who had gone on to the top CIA job.

Initiated. As in, he apparently had the idea himself. As in, he apparently hated her guts.

Back to the Times account for a second: The story relies on a "person familiar with Mr. Gonzales' account," who, if it is not Gonzales himself, might as well be. This person explains that Gonzales didn't actually shut the Harman investigation down. He just wanted to hold off on telling Congress about it, primarily because he didn't want Harman to get tipped off. If that sounds like pro-Gonzales spin, that's because it is.

Gonzales also mentioned to Goss at the time that Harman had been helpful in lobbying the Times not to publish its wiretapping scoop, which explains where this whole story got started. At some point Porter Goss talked to somebody who talked to CQ and the NYT.

But anyway, why were they so eager to investigate Harman's phone call, which seems perhaps unsavory but probably not illegal?

"The view inside the intelligence community was that she was the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, she was too close to an individual who had been deemed an agent of a foreign power, and the matter needed to be investigated," said one former Bush administration official.

In other words, they wanted to wiretap a member of Congress to find out if she was an Israeli spy. Harman's claim that this was a "gross abuse of power" is starting to come into focus.

For more on the Goss vs. Harman backstory, check out Laura Rozen.

The New York Times reports today that Rep. Jane Harman is "weary of Congress" and may want to be appointed to an ambassadorship.

Of course there has been rampant speculation about a variety of posts that Harman might hold in the Obama administration, because her Congressional career appears to have hit a roadblock.

Such talk has also fueled speculation about who might run for Congress if Harman were to step down. Names that I've heard include L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn (who ran for Harman's seat when Harman ran for governor in 1998) and Torrance Assemblyman Ted Lieu (who is now running for Attorney General).

The Times also goes into some detail on the relationship between Harman and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including mention of a necklace that Harman bought for Pelosi on a trip to Jerusalem last year:

Ms. Pelosi, who favors bold chokers, was touched and has worn it several times since.

So now we know that.

There's a new addiction for some of us softies here in the Daily Breeze newsroom. There are cameras streaming live video from two bald eagle nests on Catalina Island. The West end camera gives endless viewing of two chicks and their parents as they come and go. Here's the link via LAist.

Everyone together now: Awwwwww.

And if you love Catalina and the outdoors, don't forget about the new Trans-Catalina Trail!

Readers, it's almost Friday! So let's push through and get to the news:

Union War Surplus -- a San Pedro institution that specialized in camping gear, weapons and mess kits -- has surrendered after 63 years. Now 84, longtime owner "Cheerful" Al Kaye says it's time to retire.

Jon Wilhite, the Manhattan Beach man seriously injured in the crash that killed another resident and Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart a few weeks ago, is improving but has months of rehabilitation ahead, his family said. This weekend brings two fundraisers to generate money for his medical bills.

Manhattan Beach gave its schools a $1.3 million bailout, and Carson has extended  $7.8 million to a struggling longtime car dealer in town.

OMG! Carson mayor Jim Dear finally got a council majority Tuesday when Councilman Elito Santarina broke ranks and voted with him.

Hawthorne now has two -- count 'em, two! -- Costcos. The new one caters to small businesses.

While national camera chains like Ritz go under, a Torrance photo shop is expanding.

Redondo Union High's boys track beat Mira Costa High on Wednesday for the first time in at least 45 years.

We got a fairly strong reaction to Tuesday's story on Bill Ramirez's illegal wind turbine up in Rancho Palos Verdes. Some endorsed Rameriz's green vision, others called the turbine ugly and said it shouldn't be allowed.

Regardless, reporter Nick Green was reminded of a link sent to him months after the controversy over a planned turbine at a Torrance elementary school. (That plan was dropped after a neighborhood outcry.)

A turbine on a high school campus in Ohio fell apart with a big bang back in February, according to a local news report.

One 4-foot section of a blade was found in the high school student parking lot, where it hit about 20 yards away from the pole, then skidded another 20 yards, Gunner said. Another was almost directly beneath the turbine, while the third piece sailed about 25 to 30 yards into the end zone of Perkins' football stadium.

No one was injured.

As for our local turbine in RPV ... here's a few additional pieces of information: No, Ramirez isn't hooked up to the SoCal Edison grid, a spokesman told me. Ramirez said he's powering equipment at his home and expects to eventually be able to feed back into the grid.

Because the turbine hasn't been up for that long, Ramirez said he's not exactly sure what the final effect will be on his bill, though the amount has gone down.

Wind energy advocates say a small wind system can cover 50 to 90 percent of a household electricity bill, but that of course depends on wind speed and turbine placement. There's some general info on "small wind" from lobbying group the American Wind Energy Assn.

Not sure yet when the RPV City Council will take up a possible policy change, since Tuesday's meeting was canceled due to lack of quorum. If you want to check out the staff report (fun stuff!) it's a PDFdownloan here.

Here's a brief digest of minor revelations about Jane Harman and wiretapping today:

1. The Washington Post reports it was the FBI, not the NSA, that taped Harman.
2. In yet another leak of wiretap transcripts, CQ says that Harman was overheard bemoaning the fact that efforts to lobby Nancy Pelosi had backfired. Illegal? No. Interesting? Depends on how much you care about Harman and Pelosi's three-year-old feud.
   
3. Nancy Pelosi says she was informed of the wiretap three years ago, but did not tell anybody else, including Harman.

Kids and teens ages 8 through 17 can ride in an airplane for free at Hawthorne Municipal Airport on Saturday.

To participate, show up with a parent at 11:30 a.m. at 12101 Crenshaw Blvd. (near Kornblum Ave. and 120th St.) to register.

 Orientation and pre-flight briefings will start at noon.

This is sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program. For more information, call Glen Parkison at 310-374-4812.

 

At a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing today, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher got into a squabble with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Dick Cheney's request for the release of more CIA interrogation documents, which he believes would show the administration's policies in a more favorable light.

In her answer, Clinton took a swipe at Cheney, saying "It won't surprise you that I don't consider him to be a particularly reliable source of information."

Rohrabacher said he wasn't interested in her opinion on Dick Cheney, and wanted to know what she thought about releasing the documents. He's still pretty hot about the exchange, and has put out the following statement:

"It is unconscionable that the Secretary of State called into question former Vice President Dick Cheney's integrity."

UPDATE: For Anonymous #1, who thinks "more" is a biased characterization of Cheney's request, here's exactly what Cheney is asking for:

"One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort," Cheney said.
"I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country," Cheney said. "I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was."

To your question: As a reporter, I generally prefer more disclosure rather than less. So yeah, let's see the memos.

By the way, I'm happy to talk about the news on this blog with folks, time permitting.

Full text of Rohrabacher's statement after the jump.

Gentle readers, let's get Breezy:

A trio of beach city residents have joined forces to simplify green building, offering up architecture and real estate expertise for people who want to build or renovate using sustainable materials and making other environmentally friendly considerations.

Speaking of the environment, do you have Earth Day plans? Check out our list of South Bay events. Some already happened, but others are coming up.

The Manhattan Beach City Council decided Tuesday to give its cash-strapped school district $1.3 million in assistance.

Rep. Jane Harman continues to fight allegations that she promised favors to pro-Israel lobbyists, calling her phone taps an abuse of power and calling on the Justice Department to release memos.

The two men charged with killing Sonia Rios Risken shot her execution style in her Lomita home's entryway while she was in her bathrobe and pajamas, according to a court affidavit released Tuesday.

The South Bay's caffeine supply will take a hit, as several area Starbucks are on a list of nationwide closures.

South Torrance High's boy volleyball players overtook North High by using a trio of star hitters Tuesday.

Manhattan Beach and Palo Alto have much in common: Both California cities are small-ish and well-heeled, and as of today have been sued for their respective bans on plastic bags.

Palo Alto Online is reporting that the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition filed suit Tuesday against the city over its ban Tuesday, two months after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge favored the Coalition in a similar suit against Manhattan Beach.

The complaint against Palo Alto looks pretty similar to the Coalition's issue with Manhattan Beach, chiefly that both cities should have fully studied the possible environmental consequences of such a ban.

There are some other similarities here: Like Manhattan Beach, Palo Alto approved the ban last month amid near promises of a lawsuit from the Coalition. Also, Palo Alto's attorneys thought the ban has a good chance of withstanding the suit, a sentiment Manhattan Beach shared at one time.

We'll soon see how a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge feels.

Meantime, Manhattan Beach is appealing its ruling, while also lending support to state legislation that would push people to use reusable bags and hoping to piggyback on a Los Angeles County study of the environmental consequences of banning plastic bags.

Jeff Stewart, El Segundo's former city manager, has job offers coming out of the woodwork it seems -- a problem plenty of folks would love to have these days.

The Orange County Register is reporting that Stewart has been tapped as the new city manager in Los Alamitos, just weeks after getting an an offer to serve as Rosemead's temporary city manager.

Stewart abruptly bailed from El Segundo about a year ago, offering no public explanation for his departure. He also ditched a $178,374 base pay there.

No word on Stewart's compensation in Los Alamitos. The Register reports its City Council will hash out the details of his contract next month, when he'll apparently take over the gig.

In addition to her appearance this morning on MSNBC, Rep. Jane Harman also went on NPR's All Things Considered and CNN today to discuss the wiretapping revelations. Both conversations were more combative than her appearance on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell, and the NPR interview was especially confrontational.

Harman did her best to parry the questions from Wolf Blitzer and NPR's Robert Siegel. Clearly she does not want to go into any detail at all about the wiretapped conversation. Ideally, she'd prefer not to confirm that it even took place, but she has asked for the transcript to be released, so it's hard to maintain that it may not exist.

She also said in both interviews that she knows she was speaking to an American citizen -- which raises the question of why the NSA would be involved, but also, again, confirms there was a conversation.

In both interviews, she tried to stick to her talking points, which are 1) that she is outraged by the abuse of power; 2) these are selective leaks of four-year-old conversations; 3) she wants the transcripts released; 4) she did not interfere in the AIPAC investigation; and 5) she is not worried about herself because she has a bully pulpit and can fight back; but 6) she is more concerned about whether other members of Congress or American citizens were wiretapped.

"This is a strange event," Harman said on CNN. "It's kind of an out-of-body experience."

This will fuel speculation about the timing of the Harman leak.

According to the Washington Post, federal prosecutors are considering dropping charges against two former AIPAC lobbyists accused of passing classified information.

These are the same lobbyists whom Harman is alleged to have promised to help back in 2005. Here's what the Washington Post is saying today:

The review of the case against Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman was triggered by a series of recent court rulings that make it harder for the government to win convictions, the sources said. Those included an appeals court decision allowing the defense to use classified information at trial and a judge's ruling that said prosecutors must show the two men knew the information they allegedly disclosed would harm the United States. That set a high bar for prosecutors because criminal intent can be difficult to prove.

So, if the DOJ was considering dropping the case, might the investigators closest to it have some incentive to leak an incendiary detail about it? Would that make it more politically difficult to drop the case?

In a follow-up to his Jane Harman scoop yesterday, CQ Politics' Jeff Stein says he doesn't believe the story will generate any official investigations:

Where does it go from here?

"I think it's safe to say that investigations will be underway shortly," blogger Ataru ventured at the Blog for Democracy.

If he means a Justice Department or congressional investigation, I doubt it.

People: Jane Harman is a Democrat. Last time I checked, the White House and Congress were in the hands of the Democrats.

And tell me this: How will the Republicans reopen this can of worms when one of their own wriggling at the bottom is Alberto Gonzales?

They can't.

Meanwhile, Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News, a Web site of the Federation of American Scientists, wonders if there's any there there:

What makes the quid pro quo allegation questionable is that neither side of the reported conversation seemed to need an inducement to act as described.  Of all potential candidates for chair of the House Intelligence Committee (Harman, Hastings, Reyes), Harman's views have probably been closest to those of pro-Israel lobbyists.  Their support of her was not in doubt.  Nor did Rep. Harman require extraordinary incentives to be concerned about the prosecution of the former AIPAC officials.  That case has drawn widespread criticism (including from Secrecy News) for its over-broad reading of the Espionage Act that would make even the receipt of classified information a crime.

Ironically, the single identifiable crime in this whole story is the unauthorized disclosure of the classified contents of an intelligence intercept to CQ, and then to the New York Times.

Also, here's the transcript of Harman's appearance on MSNBC.

An institution in downtown San Pedro for 63 years, Union War Surplus -- where shoppers could by everything from World War II mess kits to cast iron skillets and double-kneed overalls -- is closing up shop.

Founder and owner Al Kaye, now 84 and in failing health, made the decision about a month ago, said Tom Thomas, a former business partner whose parents lived next door to Kaye. Thomas, 45, went to work at the store in 1976.

"I've been sick to my stomach over it," Thomas said. "I was raised in that store, I worked there for many, many years. The store is very dear to me."

A 40%-off sale will be launched May 1. Many of the work clothes will be transferred to the stock of Urban Feet, which Thomas owns.

The 1920s era store at 355 W. Sixth St., formerly housed a Woolworths. The building is owned by Kaye's nephew and Thomas isn't ruling out a revival of the business down the road.

But until then, many will miss the working-class store that stocks jeans, jackets, camping gear, knives, boots and fishing lures.

"I hate to see a place that's been around so long, somethng that's a real staple of the downtown -- and there aren't many of them -- go out," said David Lynch, owner of the Sacred Grounds coffee house up the street.

"It's an icon in San Pedro," Thomas said. "There are three generations of people you can talk to who will tell you their father brought them into the store when they were kids."

 

 

Some key quotes from Harman's interview on MSNBC:

I think this is a gross abuse of power.

I've had a long friendship with AIPAC. I didn't need to cut some deal with AIPAC for any reason.

No deals were cut with any groups for any reason ever.

If there are tapes out there, bring it on... I don't know whether they were legally made or not.

I never called White House officials, Justice Department officials, any officials, the press, anyone. I did not intervene.

I'm just very disappointed that my country -- I'm an American citizen just like you are -- could have permitted what I think is a gross abuse of power in recent years. I'm one member of Congress who may be caught up in it, but I have a bully pulpit and I can fight back. I'm thinking about others who have no bully pulpit and may not be aware -- as I was not -- that right now somewhere someone is listening in on their conversations and they're innocent Americans.

Yesterday, New York Times Editor Bill Keller said in a statement Jane Harman had never spoken to him about the warrantless wiretapping story. That was taken as evidence that Harman had not helped delay the story's publication.

Well, it turns out the NYT was holding back a little:

Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement Monday that Ms. Harman called Philip Taubman, then the Washington bureau chief of The Times, in October or November of 2004. Mr. Keller said she spoke to Mr. Taubman -- apparently at the request of Gen. Michael V. Hayden, then the N.S.A. director -- and urged that The Times not publish the article.

"She did not speak to me," Mr. Keller said, "and I don't remember her being a significant factor in my decision."

Interesting, but not terribly surprising. When the article was published a year later, Harman said publicly that she supported the program and vehemently opposed the publication.

Discussion question: How much longer will Harman be haunted by the 2002-2006 era?

Rep. Jane Harman is calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to release transcripts of her recorded call in which she was heard discussing the AIPAC espionage case.

This abuse of power is outrageous and I call on your Department to release all transcripts and other investigative material involving me in an unredacted form. It is my intention to make this material available to the public.

That might seem like a long shot, but Harman has had some success with this tactic before. She asked the CIA to declassify her letter urging the agency not to destroy interrogation videos, and the CIA obliged. But this is a little more sensitive than a letter.

Text of the full letter after the jump.

Stephen Walt, co-author of the highly controversial book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," has weighed in on today's Harman story:

If true, this incident is another vivid reminder of the problems created by the "special relationship," to include the web of connections between pro-Israel lobbyists, politicians who are beholden to them, and (allegedly) Israeli intelligence. One might say the similar things about the illegal payments that American businessman Morris Talansky allegedly made to former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert: It just ain't healthy when influential people start engaging in a lot of backroom deals and under-the-table interference in another country's domestic politics, and when the political clout of these individuals (or groups) makes politicians reluctant to speak honestly about it.

On the other hand, Walt says the idea of the NSA taping a member of Congress "gives me the willies."

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is asking for a probe of Rep. Jane Harman over allegations that she agreed to lobby prosecutors to go easy on two former AIPAC officials.

CREW alleges the CQ Politics report could include evidence of crimes or ethics violations:

Rep. Harman may have committed bribery and may have violated House rules prohibiting members from engaging in ex parte communications with executive or independent agency officials on the merits of matters under their formal consideration; failure to uphold the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and acting in a manner that does not reflect creditably on the House.

CREW filed complaints with both the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Congressional Ethics.

"As plum a position as the chair of the Intelligence Committee may be, the political gamesmanship necessary to win it must stop well before the grand jury's door," says CREW's Melanie Sloan.

Last year, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-Arizona, was given a light admonishment by the Senate Ethics Committee for lobbying to have a U.S. Attorney fired. He is now facing a federal grand jury probe into potential obstruction of justice.

Harman, for her part, denies she ever called anybody at the DOJ about the AIPAC case.

UPDATE: Here's a counter-argument from Bill Pascoe, also at CQ Politics:

So the question then becomes, did what she did violate any laws?

After all, there is no allegation that money, or anything else of tangible "value," exchanged hands, or even was promised, in exchange for her official action.

The chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee is "valuable" to a certain small segment of the population -- but it's an intangible value. How would one attach a tangible, or monetary, value to it?

And if one cannot attach a monetary value to the thing offered in exchange for the official action -- even if the official action appears to have taken place at the behest of a foreign power -- did a crime occur?

If a crime didn't occur, then obviously failing to investigate and prosecute it wouldn't be much of a scandal either.

Jeff Stein has completed his livechat on the Harman story.

Among other details, he clarifies that the NSA wiretap was approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, and that Harman was not the target:

Mark Regan from Fairbanks: If it's a gross invasion of privacy for the Government to wiretap Rep. Harman, isn't it an even grosser invasion of privacy for you to publicize the results, even if the results have news value?

Jeff Stein: She was not the object of the tap.

The New York Times' denial of one element of the story has prompted some to question the accuracy of Stein's sources:

J.D. from D.C.: But if you take the Times at face value, somebody lied - either Harman lied to Gonzales, Gonzales lied to Goss, or your sources - for this part, clearly close to Gonzales and/or Goss - lied to you. Aren't you worried that your sources lied to you about this especially given the bad history that Goss and Harman have?

Jeff Stein: I guess the shortest way to answer this question is to say that that if I thought my sources were lying to me, I wouldn't have written the story. For sure, sources bring various motivations to the table, but in this case I really think they were all disturbed about the system not being able to take its course, and that that the available public record was not complete. Thx for writing. 

Perhaps most notably, Stein seems to be agnostic on whether or not a crime was committed, but suggests a full FBI investigation could have gotten to the bottom of that:

Robert - Seattle: Is this Illegal and can any legal remedies be brought to bear? Thank you.

Jeff Stein: Thx. The FBI was called in to investigate that very question, but never got a chance. We must remember that, from a legal standpoint, she is innocent until proven guilty.

[snip]

Jeff Stein: The acts described in my story may not have even been illegal. That was for the FBI and DoJ to decide.

I quoted Harman's full response in a previous post. I have also asked Harman's staff for an interview on this subject.

One of the claims in today's CQ Politics story is that Jane Harman had helped persuade the New York Times to delay publication of its warrantless wiretapping scoop.

But in a statement today, NYT Editor Bill Keller says Harman did not have a role in that decision:

Ms. Harman did not influence my decision. I don't recall that she even spoke to me.

CQ Politics attributed that claim to anonymous officials, who attributed it to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales supposedly made the claim to CIA Director Porter Goss as he was urging Goss not to investigate Harman.

Goss, it should be noted, was a former House Intelligence Committee chair. Not clear why he would go along with opening a wiretap investigation of a former Congressional colleague. You'd think he'd cherish Congressional prerogatives.

Rep. Jane Harman just issued a statement on the CQ Politics story. Mostly it is a firm denial that she did anything improper regarding the AIPAC case. But she also says this about the revelation that she was taped by the NSA:

If there is anything about this story that should arouse concern, it is that the Bush Administration may have been engaged in electronic surveillance of members of the congressional Intelligence Committees.

Full statement after the jump.

At 12:30 p.m. there will be a live chat with Jeff Stein, who wrote the story about the NSA wiretapping of Rep. Jane Harman.

Submit your questions for Stein here.

The news that Rep. Jane Harman was taped by the NSA is pinging around the blogosphere. It seems to have a particular resonance among liberal bloggers, who are especially drawn to the idea that Harman was either corruptly protected by the Bush administration or just flat-out blackmailed by it.

For example, Calitics' David Dayen says:

This looks just terrible for Jane Harman.  There's a trail of reporting on this going back to 2006, but the new material concerns Abu Gonzales stepping in to squash the investigation so Harman could parrot the Bush Administration line on warrantless wiretapping.  And there's an even larger trail of reporting on Harman's fronting for Bush.  The point is that the pieces all fit together... It's a classic espionage story, right down to the part where Harman hangs up the phone with the Israeli agent after saying "This conversation doesn't exist." 

Slightly more circumspect, Talking Points Memo says some of this sounds like it's from a "bad novel," and asks some questions:

High on my list would be finding out more about the circumstances under which a member of Congress ended up having her phone conversations recorded by the NSA. The article suggests it was a by-the-books wiretap -- part of a highly-classified probe of Israeli agents in the US, which led to the indictments of two AIPAC employees -- and not one of the 'warrantless' ones. But we've seen so much funny business on that front that I'm not sure that's enough information. Next, is it possible Harman knew these tapes existed and was compromised vis a vis the administration?

Salon's Glenn Greenwald has some questions, too:

But obviously, given all the very serious issues this story raises -- involving what seem to be credible allegations of very serious wrongdoing by a key member of Congress, the former Attorney General and one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the country -- full-scale investigations are needed, to put it mildly.

There is also loose talk about running another primary challenge against, her a la Marcy Winograd:

If you are looking for a way to support the progressive cause, you don't have to look any further than the next primary in the 36th District of California. If Harman does not resign in disgrace, she must be defeated by a progressive in the next primary.

But not so fast, says JTA's Ron Kampeas, who has some questions about the motives of CQ's anonymous leakers:

Its sources seem to have it in for Harman, yet their supposedly damning leaks are rehash - and the story's major news is not about her alleged misdeeds, but that the National Security Agency was listening in on her call, and that the CIA boss wanted to get a tap on her.

CQ Politics is out with a report today alleging that in 2005, South Bay Rep. Jane Harman was taped promising to help lobby the Justice Department to go easy on two former AIPAC officials.

Harman was recorded by the NSA telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would "waddle into" the espionage case against the two officials "if you think it'll make a difference." In the same conversation, the suspected agent vowed to help lobby Nancy Pelosi to appoint Harman as chair of the House Intelligence Committee, CQ says.

These allegations were reported before, though with fewer details, in Time. Here's how Time phrased it in 2006:

The sources say the probe also involves whether, in exchange for the help from AIPAC, Harman agreed to help try to persuade the Administration to go lighter on the AIPAC officials caught up in the ongoing investigation. If that happened, it might be construed as an illegal quid pro quo, depending on the context of the situation.

Like the Time story, CQ's account relies on anonymous national security officials. Here's Harman's reaction:

"These claims are an outrageous and recycled canard, and have no basis in fact... I never engaged in any such activity. Those who are peddling these false accusations should be ashamed of themselves."

According to CQ, Justice Department officials determined that Harman had committed a "completed crime" in the wiretapped conversation. But the story does not make it clear what crime that would be. One of the anonymous sources hedges a bit on that at the end of the story:

"It's a story about the corruption of government -- not legal corruption necessarily, but ethical corruption."

OK then. Stay tuned.

An activist of sorts demanded this week that Hermosa Beach set aside a portion of its beach for people who want to sunbathe nude, raising an issue the city has sort-of broached before.

"Basically, we're here to ask you to set aside maybe 10 percent of Hermosa's beach for handicapped people, for people who need an even tan, people who are suffering skin diseases, people who need sun on parts of their body that may offend you," Timothy Beck said Tuesday in what was probably the sexiest public comment period seen in a long time at a Hermosa Beach City Council meeting.

You can hear the dialogue yourself here, but scroll to about 10:50 to get to the good part.

Beck, who belongs to an apparent advocacy group called Heal the Harbor, said the sun has medicinal properties that kills ocean-found bacteria, and the city shouldn't discriminate.

"In Europe, it's cusomary for people to go to the beach as a family and not be hysterical about killing bacteria or getting an even tan," he said.

If the council didn't seriously discuss loosening its stance on nudity, Heal the Harbor would work to get some of its members out of office in the next election, Beck said.

"We will take you down and put you out of office as enemies of western society," he said. "Western civilization was defended by Greeks who did no wear clothing, who exercised, who had the olumpucs without clothes."

About 10 years ago, Hermosa caused a media frenzy when one councilman suggested eliminating wording in a badly-written ordinance that made thong bathing suits, topless bathing and public nudity illegal.

The proposal was part of Councilman Bob Benz' larger effort to eliminate unenforceable laws, and subsequent meetings on the topics drew swarms of television media, as well as a woman who bared her breasts inside the council chambers.

Rep. Laura Richardson today responded to critics who asked why she and other members of a Congressional Black Caucus delegation failed to meet with dissidents during their recent trip to Cuba.

Many Members on the trip have met with Cuban dissidents in the past and will do so in the future.  I hope Cubans, Americans and dissidents alike are encouraged by our 5 days of activities that have already eclipsed decades of stalemate policies.

Full statement after the jump.

Also see previous story.

For months, the Hawthorne City Council railed against the state legislature's late budget and then, once the budget passed, they bristled at its spending cuts and tax increases.

The council decided to step up to the plate and make a public announcement that it is dissatisfied with the legislature's failures. To express its discontent, the council decided to write Assembly Speaker Karen Bass an angry letter.

At a meeting in January, Mayor Larry Guidi described the council's plan as a bold stand against an oppressive state government, saying "It's better to live like a lion for one day than sheep for a hundred years."

A letter was drafted, revised, and then -- on Tuesday -- thrown away.

Readers, it's Friday. Let's roll:

More than 500 people gathered Thursday at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach to pay tribute to Henry Pearson, the graduate killed last week in the crash that also killed an Angels rookie and left another Costa grad hospitalized.

Make sure you look at some pictures of the outdoor ceremony.

A Redondo Beach resident was killed Thursday in the shooting rampage at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Kelly Hales, 56, was the executive director of the pharmacy at the hospital's outpatient center.

We have more details on the San Pedro incident that led to a man shooting a pit bull that attacked a cat.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office is investigating Hawthorne Police's alleged use of excessive force in a rough arrest that led to a $1 million civil lawsuit settlement.

Get your green on: See what South Bay cities are planning to celebrate upcoming Earth Day.

Bryan DeSena traded pitching baseball for pitching stories to journalists as a Palos Verdes Estates public relations executive.

North Torrance High's Kevin Mai is the Daily Breeze's wrestler of the year, and his coach, Brian Notch, takes the leadership crown. Check out pictures of the entire All Area team.

It's been a while now since San Pedro's downtown parking meter fees jumped from a quarter an hour to $1 an hour. It was all part of the mayor's budget approved last year by the Los Angeles City Council. The vote was unanimous, with local rep Janice Hahn voting in favor.

Downtown merchants and shoppers, though, are still feeling the sting.

"A lot of it is just the principle," said David Lynch, owner of Sacred Grounds Cafe on Sixth Street.

And this from Andrew Silber, owner of The Whale & Ale Pub on Seventh Street: "The whole thing kind of stinks. These are real issues to people. I'm convinced this is about increasing ticket writing revenue."

We're checking out a tip that the council office has managed to put a temporary moratorium of 60 or 90 days on the evening hours for the meters. Along with the 4-fold increase in fees, the hours on the meters were expanded and now don't go off until 8 p.m., causing a disruption to area restaurants and the Warner Grand Theatre programming.

Look for a story in the Daily Breeze.

Dana Rohrabacher is now staying in touch with his constituents via Twitter. Here are some recent tweets:

What America needs now is a miracle and Easter reminds us that miracles are indeed possible.

Going surfing.

Had lunch with President & PM of Kosovo; we can be proud that we stood with the Kosovars in their quest 4 freedom & self determination.

Meanwhile, Rohrabacher is going after the Department of Homeland Security for warning law enforcement authorities about the risks of "rightwing extremism." In an article in the Washington Times, Rohrabacher calls it a bid "to vilify mainstream conservatism":

"The last time a liberal left administration tried to increase public apprehension about alleged right-wing extremism, they ended up with tragedies like Waco while ignoring the increasing presence of radical Islamic terrorists on American soil that ended up with 9/11," he said

He also has a social networking site.

Hawthorne City Council's decision this week not to allow business owner and longtime litigious city foe Jerry Jamgotchian to erect a billboard on his retail strip (see today's article: Hawthorne sign law may face court test) may lead to a legal battle.

But, city attorneys say it could prevent future law suits because - while a sign was at the location for more than 40 years - the city code no longer allows the signs in that part of town.

Had the City Council voted to violate its own code, other advertising companies could have sued to put their own billboards up where they're not currently allowed.

Billboards draw at least $14,000 a month in rent, making them big business and spurring big turf battles among advertising companies who would happily put billboards on every corner if allowed. In the 1980s, cities nationwide began imposing strict regulations to curb the proliferation of the big, grey signs.  But advertising companies continue to fight back.

Let's get to it, readers:

A man was stabbed to death and another one badly beaten Wednesday night after they confronted two men peering into a car in Hawthorne.

The owner of the South Bay Pavilion in Carson, as well as several other Southern California malls, has filed for bankruptcy.

A San Pedro man shot and killed a pit bull that turned on him after attacking a neighbor's cat Wednesday.

Rancho Palos Verdes planners have rejected elements of Marymount College's expansion plans.

A judge has denied a request to block the Clean Trucks Program in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Hundreds of people gathered at Dockweiler Beach to protest tax hikes Wednesday, as part of a nationwide "Tea Party" tax protest. Check out pictures of the local rally.

Mira Costa High's baseball team overtook West High in Wednesday's season opener. Why don't you browse some pictures of the game?

Here's some photos from the Tea Party today at Dockweiler State Beach.

Taxpayers are staging Tea Parties across the country today. One of those protests is happening now at Dockweiler State Beach.

The South Bay Tax Day Tea Party is being organized by Nathan Mintz, who apparently wrote a political column during his time at Stanford. Here's one of them from 2005:

Let me be emphatic on this point: the same people calling for Terri Schiavo's starvation are also advocating euthanasia and infanticide. This is the world that the forces pushing to kill Terri Schiavo are paving the way for: according to a study by the American Society for Suicide Prevention, in the Netherlands euthanasia has skyrocketed to fully 9 percent of the deaths in that country since its legalization in 1990 -- furthermore, half of the procedures were performed without the consent of the patient. Statistically speaking, this would be the equivalent of 100,000 incidents of involuntary euthanasia a year in the United States. There is a word for this sort of thing -- mass-murder.

Check tomorrow's Breeze for a full account of today's rally.

UPDATE: Out of fairness, here is a more recent Mintz quote.

Our own government has paved this path, with our elected leaders leading a massive decade long spending orgy, the consequence of which sits as a yolk (sic) upon the neck of our children and grandchildren.

Orgies can be messy, but I think he meant "yoke."

Here's what's happening this morning, readers:

Have you filed your taxes yet? If not, here's a list of local post offices that will be open late to enable your procrastination.

As a sort of related matter, protesters will rally today against increasing state and federal taxes at several California locations, including Marina del Rey and Dockweiler state beach.

More than 250 port workers were kept from their jobs Tuesday when they didn't have the correct identification required under a new security program that just kicked in.

The Los Angeles city attorney is going after real estate agents and loan brokers who allegedly scammed a Harbor Gateway couple, as part of a larger mission to reach out to homeowners who have been victimized by shady agents and lenders.

We have more details on Clelia Flores, the El Segundo woman accused of operating a $23 million Ponzi scheme that targeted Latino investors.

Add another one to the list: Z Gallerie, a Gardena-based home goods store, has filed for bankruptcy.

North Torrance High's Andre Turoldo is the Daily Breeze's boys soccer player of the year. His coach, Matt Chavez, takes the crown for coaching duties, and see pictures of the All-Area team here.

The Breeze is on Day 4 of no working office phones. If you need us, send an E-mail. Here's a list of all newsroom contacts.

Happy Monday, friends. Let's get to it:

A Gardena woman is accused of stabbing to death her boyfriend with a kitchen knife inside their trailer this weekend.

Struggling to survive in this economy? Take a lesson from these San Pedro twins.

Two men are turning the spotlight on Gardena by producing a documentary that traces the Freeway City from its agricultural roots to whatever it is these days.

Carson could bail out one of its struggling car dealerships.

Wendy Rogers will be featured in a national campaign designed to bring attention to Lupus. The Torrance resident was diagnosed nine years ago and needs a kidney transplant.

Some Boeing employees raised about $1,000 to buy 500 pairs of new shoes for Lawndale school children. See some pictures of Friday's giveaway orchestrated through nonprofit Shoes That Fit.

San Pedro's waterfront fountain, which debuted last summer, is gearing up to add 5 new songs to its repertoire. If you're around Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street, stop by and enjoy watching the choreographers at work on their computers, putting together movements to the new music. Not sure of their exact schedule, but a friend and I found them at work Thursday night, at around 7 p.m. or so, and they were back at it late Friday afternoon at around 5 p.m.

The hearing for the latest Ponte Vista housing development plan was a slightly raucus event Thursday morning for the usually staid Los Angeles Planning Commission, as hundreds of emotional San Pedrans filled the council chamber at Los Angeles City Hall.

The story ran today: Commission turns down Ponte Vista plan, but here's some more color from the three-hour hearing.

Dozens of union workers in bright orange shirts were a visible presence, asking the commission to move quickly in allowing 1,950 homes to be built on the 62.5-acre site near Green Hills Memorial Park.

"Housing is sorely in need," Richard Slauson, executive director of Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, said. "We want to build new housing. We want to create jobs."

Supporters on both sides had to be quieted several times by the clerk, as they broke out in claps and cheers when someone said something they liked, like when one of the union members said: "Some of us every day see the faces of the unemployed. This project will create about 1,600 good union jobs."

Several South Bay chambers of commerce were represented in support of Ponte Vista.

Camilla Townsend, CEO of the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, said:

"We commend this new development team. It's going to remove a blighted area that's been long ignored."

Community member Gloria Lockhart said: "We need housing for our seniors, homes for our working families, good jobs and economic development... The current tactics by the opposition appears to be to delay..."

On the other side of the issue, opponents of Ponte Vista begged the commission to deny the application. 

"We're not opposed to the project. We want to make sure it's done right," said neighborhood council member John Greenwood.

Pat Nave said, referring to the high price the developer paid for the land: "You're being asked to bail out a government speculator."

Many opponents complained about the already snarled traffic on Western Avenue, which could be exasperated by the new development.

"Recently ... I found myself on Western Avenue in the middle of the afternoon. I was gridlocked for 20 minutes to go a mile to my home," one man said.

Jerry Gaines said: "The street is very impacted before this project was even on the horizon..."

Bruce Horton said the opponents are not against the new jobs the development will create.

"I'm a lifelong union member," Horton said. "We've never taken an anti-union stand. We just want it smaller."

 

Happy Friday, readers:

The crash that killed Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart also claimed the life of a Mira Costa High School graduate, and seriously injured another format student at the Manhattan Beach school.

The Los Angeles Planning Commission has rejected San Pedro's controversial Ponte Vista housing project until developers make some modifications.

South Bay educators aren't holding their breath for the $5 billion in federal stimulus money the Governor has promised local schools.

The California Coastal Commission has approved West Basin Municipal Water District's plans to build a water desalination plant in Redondo Beach.

A Hawthorne man will likely face attempted murder charges for stabbing a weight-lifting patron at a local gym. That'll get your blood pumping.

Large commercial drugstores left Annabell Kim cold, so she started her own small pharmacy in Hermosa Beach.

El Camino College's baseball team sure has had a rough week. See some pictures here.

The Aluminum Overcast B-17, a World War II-era bomber, will be on display this weekend at Torrance Airport. Columnist John Bogert got a ride this week.

An editorial writer for the Miami Herald tees off on the seven Congressional Black Caucus members -- including Rep. Laura Richardson -- who visited Cuba this week:

Certainly the Clueless Seven, led by Rep. Barbara Lee of California, didn't make a fuss about 50 years of the Castro brothers' rule, the human rights violations or the escalating and disproportionate number of black Cubans held behind bars. Indeed, Rep. Bobby Rush, a former Black Panther, could only show his empathy ''for the suffering of political prisoners,'' as he referred to the five spies.

Just once, I'd like to see a delegation of muckety-mucks see the real Cuba. Sure, talk with Tío Fidel, as three of the Clueless reportedly did during their trip that ended Tuesday. But also go see opposition members, feel their pain.

Reality got nasty Wednesday night for Natalie Pack, the 19-year-old Rancho Palos Verdes woman competing on television for the title of "America's Next Top Model."

Natalie's competitors called her a snob because she wouldn't help wash dishes after a giant feast in their New York City apartment. (Apparently, these models actually eat.)

Instead of helping with the clean-up, Natalie reclined in an armchair and dismissively told the other women they were doing a "good job" with the dishes.

Needless to say, that didn't go over so well.

"And she wonders why people think she's snobby," one of the women said.

Natalie, who insisted she was kidding, (sort of) apologized: "I'm sorry I live in a nice community and you don't," she told one of the gals. "Can I help where I'm from? No, just like you can't where you're from."

Later to the camera, Natalie elaborated: "I'm from Palos Verdes. It's a really wealthy community. ... I feel like these girls are just whack."

The other women's beef with Natalie apparently extends beyond her providence.

"She feels as though she's better in this competition," one said. "She's prettier, taller, thinner. She's very arrogant -- that's the perfect word for her."

The Top Model powers-that-be weren't too impressed with Natalie, either, though she did survive this week's cut.

Jay Manuel, the models' mentor, said Nat's performance in a Cover Girl commercial was just average.

"It wasn't genius," he said. "It wasn't terrible."

And host Tyra Banks said Nat's spokesmodel attempt wasn't memorable or cute or flirty, apparently critical qualities in hawking mineral foundation.

Here's what's happening today, readers:

How low can you go? A Hawthorne resident is among a pair of women indicted for taking out life insurance policies on imaginary people, faking their deaths and funerals and then cashing in their policies. Wow.

A rare astronomical event that's also significant in Judaism occurred yesterday as an added bonus on the beginning of Passover.

Rep. Laura Richardson gives some more details on meeting former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a nice man, she says.

On the public art front, Manhattan Beach is getting a sculpture garden, and Redondo's new fountain  on Pacific Coast Highway still has no water.

Get geared up for girls' high school track and field season with our big preview.

Answer: Taylor Branch's trilogy on Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fidel Castro put out a statement on yesterday's meeting with three members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Reps. Laura Richardson, Barbara Lee and Bobby Rush. At the end, he notes that he asked Rush for recommendations for books about Martin Luther King Jr.

Finally, I asked him about which of the books published in English in the U.S. about Martin Luther King were the best and whether they were translated into Spanish.  The three of them spoke to me about Taylor Brecht's (sic) trilogy, as the most interesting among them, and of: "Letters from Birmingham Jail".  They were not sure about their translation into Spanish and they promised to send me the pertinent material.

"Parting the Waters," the first volume of the trilogy, has been translated into Spanish. You can purchase it and ship it to Castro by clicking here for the low-low price of $61.08. The bookseller is in Spain, so there shouldn't be any embargo issues.

As far as I can tell the second and third volumes, "Pillar of Fire," and "At Canaan's Edge" have not been translated into Spanish. But surely somebody can get right on that.

Looks like a former El Segundo city manager has landed at the helm of Rosemead, reports Daily Breeze sister paper the Pasadena Star-News.

As you might remember, former top executive Jeff Stewart bailed from El Segundo rather abruptly last April, offering no public explanation.

The Rosemead City Council offered Stewart an interim leadership spot after firing its old city manager Tuesday.

The newly elected body said voters in the March 3 election wanted the old executive out.

Rosemead offered Stewart a $200,000 in annual salary, a pretty sweet raise from the $178,374 base pay he earned in El Segundo.

Stewart worked in Rosemead before coming to the South Bay about nine years ago. And that familiarity might come in handy, as it sounds like the political climate in Rosemead isn't so, uh, rosy.

 

Outgoing Redondo Beach City Councilman Chris Cagle rattled off a long list of goodbyes and thank-yous last night before giving up his leather swivel chair to newly elected Councilman Bill Brand.

For Cagle, who is termed out, the lengthy speech before a packed house was a departure from his normally quiet and succinct style on the dais -- and at least one colleague took notice.

"You talked more up here (tonight) than you have for the last six years," Councilman Steve Aspel joked at one point. "Please, stay away from the council meetings."

As usual, the city's post-election changing of the guard festivities involved hand-shakes, hugs, corny jokes and sugary sheet cake with the city logo. And gifts.

City Manager Bill Workman gave Cagle a green Redondo Beach street sign bearing his name. And Cagle handed out CDs from country western singer Chris Cagle, who sings "My Love Goes On and On" -- "so you can play that when you're missing me," the Redondo Beach Cagle said.

His seat didn't stay empty for long.

Brand, who last month dodged a runoff election by beating his three opponents, including Cagle's wife, received loud applause after taking his oath with family members by his side.

He mentioned four reasons why he believes District 2 voters elected him, including his pursuit of a park and open space around the waterfront AES plant.

"It's going to be a big complicated project," Brand said. "It's going to take a long time. But Redondo Beach can do it."

Also getting sworn in last night were a handful of familiar faces: District 4 Councilman Steve Diels, District 1 Councilman Aspel, City Attorney Mike Webb and Mayor Mike Gin, who ran unopposed.

Shall we, readers?

Passover begins tonight at sunset.

Here's some good-ish news for you: Deaths from heart surgeries at local hospitals ranked about average, according to an annual state report released this week.

Looks like a familiar face is coming to the Port of Los Angeles: former state Assemblyman Wally Knox is set to be the port's new general manager.

Torrance police are embracing technology -- and a $5,000 reward -- to help find the culprits behind a rash of BB gun-smashed windows. The department is using Twitter to spread the word for information about the crimes as @TorrancePD.

Speaking of Twitter, are you following Daily Breeze staffers yet? Check us out:

Editor Phillip Sanfield: editorbreeze
Managing Editor Toni Sciacqua: dailybreezeME
Assistant City Editor (and pets blogger) Josh Grossberg: dbdog
Crime Reporter Larry Altman: dbreezecrime
Courts Reporter Denise Nix: dbreezecourts
Beach Cities Reporter Andrea Woodhouse (That's me!): akwoodhouse
Gardena, Lawndale, Hawthorne Reporter Sandy Mazza: dailybreezeSM
Harbor Area Reporter (and pets blogger) Donna Littlejohn: dbbark
Copy desk chief Jack Mulkey: jacko75
Copy editor Megan Lasswell: MegMegMegMeg
Prep sportswriter Tony Ciniglio: breezepreps
Arts Editor Leo Smith: dailybreezearts
Torrance reporter and soccer columnist Nick Green: lasoccerblog

We have some pictures of the aftermath of a fire that evacuated the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel early Tuesday morning here.

Get a head start on South Bay high schools' boy's track and field season.

Rep. Laura Richardson was one of three Congress members who met with Fidel Castro today -- his first meeting with American officials since falling ill three years ago.

Here's what she said about it:

"He listened. He said the exact same thing" about turning the page "as President Obama said," said Richardson.

Richardson said Castro knew her name and district. "He looked right into my eyes and he said, 'How can we help? How can we help President Obama?'"

Let's pause for a moment and reflect that two years ago, she was making land-use decisions in Long Beach.

Earlier we mentioned that Fidel Castro had quoted one of the Congressional Black Caucus members as saying that despite the election of Barack Obama, America remains a racist society.

Well perhaps there was some confusion in the translation, because now Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says flatly: "That did not happen."

Who you gonna believe?

Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Long Beach, was among the members of Congress who met with Cuban President Raul Castro yesterday. (See update below.) Today, a smaller group met with his brother Fidel.

It's not clear what they talked about, but Fidel Castro has issued a lengthy statement praising the Congressional Black Caucus, and disclosing some of what has been discussed on the trip.

According to Castro, several members of the delegation told Cuban officials that they believe the election of Barack Obama presents a unique opportunity to improve relations with Cuba. However, they also cautioned that lifting the embargo would be politically difficult, and could jeopardize Obama's chances of reelection.

The overall impression from Castro's missive is that the Black Caucus was highly sympathetic to Cuban concerns. If you read Spanish, here is a flavor of Castro's prose:

Por último, otro congresista expresó en el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, con gran franqueza, que Estados Unidos no debe perder la oportunidad de reconocer que su política respecto a Cuba ha sido un total fracaso. Añadió que su gobierno debía pedir perdón a Cuba por todos esos años de hostilidad y por la política de bloqueo, pues solo así estaríamos en condiciones de avanzar juntos en la solución del diferendo bilateral.

(Roughly, in English: A member of Congress said that the U.S. should recognize that its Cuba policy has been a total failure, and should apologize to Cuba for all the years of hostility and for the blockade, because that's the only way to improve relations.)

In other words: they sympathize.

Naturally, the issue of race came up as well:

Un cuarto miembro del Caucus dijo que a pesar de la victoria de Obama, la sociedad norteamericana continúa siendo racista.

(In English: a fourth member of Congress said that despite Obama's victory, American society continues to be racist.)

Not sure who said what, because Castro left out the names.

UPDATE: Richardson was quoted in the state-run media, which noted that she was the youngest member of the delegation, and quoted her saying she would propose legislation to improve U.S.-Cuba relations, which would not "get bogged down in the hatred of the past":

La representante Laura Richardson, la más joven del grupo, rememmorò que muchos estadounidenses no habían nacido al triunfo de la revolución en Cuba y se comprometió a presentar proyectos de ley relativos a las relaciones entre los dos pueblos "que no arrastren el odio del pasado."

Let's get it started, readers:

A 16-year-old Palos Verdes Peninsula girl plays the harp for ailing patients at Little Company of Mary in San Pedro. Check her out here.

Speaking of which, cardiologists at Little Company of Mary accomplished last week treated a patient suffering heart failure 2,000 miles away on a cruise ship. Doctors at the Torrance facility guided the boat's physicians by phone and fax.

A woman has alleged that a Torrance police officer coerced her into performing sex acts as a way to get out of a traffic violation. She's suing the city, he got fired and he's also suing the city as well.

The peninsula's Marymount College is gearing up for a vote on its expansion plans by upping their public outreach, efforts that include having a political consultant go door-to-door.

One Redondo Beach resident racked up a nearly $34,000 hospital bill for a scare that turned out to be nothing. And he had insurance. Why exactly is health care so expensive? We explain how hospitals bill here.

Don't worry if you missed Saturday's Surfers Walk of Fame induction ceremony in Hermosa Beach. We have lots of pictures here.

Rep. Laura Richardson is spending her Congressional recess on a fact-finding mission in Cuba.

According to Radio Nuevitas, a Congressional delegation met on Saturday with the Cuban foreign minister and toured a science lab.

At issue is the decades-old travel ban, which a handful of Senators want to lift.

In the photo, the Congress members are paying homage to Martin Luther King, Jr., on the 41st anniversary of his assassination.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher spoke out about President Obama's plans for Afghanistan today, calling them "non-democratic":

"The ideas being presented will not work. The situation will not get better ... the [government] structure that I have been told about, the structure that I have seen in 'classified briefings', the structure that we are supporting, is a non-democratic structure for Afghanistan," said Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

The last time Daily Breeze photographer Sean Hiller and I traveled to Catalina Island, it was under vastly different circumstances than our trip there this week to hike the new Trans-Catalina Trail. It was the day after the start of the May 2007 brush fire, and he and I were nearly alone but for a few news crews on the early Catalina Express ferry. We disembarked to a deserted, smoky Avalon and could feel nothing but sadness for the destruction to the blaze caused to the paradise get-away.

 (Bob Rhein and me on the way out of town - all photos by Sean) Tuesday's journey for today's story on the opening of the Trans-Catalina Trail was a vastly different, upbeat, unique and beautiful Catalina Island experience. Sean and I met with Catalina Island Conservancy spokesman Bob Rhein at the terminal in Long Beach, and sat with him atop the ferry for the hour-long ride to the island. We were treated like first-class visitors upon our arrival, as a conservancy staff met us at the dock and whisked away in his golf cart to the Conservancy House. From there, another staffer took us more inland to the Nature Center, where we claimed a four-wheel drive open-air Jeep as our transportation for the day.

 

(Sean)

We knew we were going to the interior to hike a stretch of the trail. We didn't know that it was nearly an hour-long ride along twisting and turning mountain roads without guard rails and steep, treacherous drops. The rickety jeep made the ride seem all the more treacherous. I was trying to be brave and pretend I wasn't sick, although I was.

The difficult ride, though, was totally worth it. It was stunning to see the charred and blackened brush silhouetted against the lush, new green grass covering the mountain side in the burn areas. At every turn, Rhein had a story to share with us having to do with the island's rich history or ecology. The conservancy, he explained, wants people to come and see the interior. Understanding, he said, could only lead to more support of their mission of conservation, education and recreation.

Long before we hit the trail, we were treated to sweeping ocean views and lush trees and plants. About half-way to Black Jack Campground, we encountered a family of bison at a small reservoir along the side of the road. Sean and I jumped out to take pictures. It was exhilarating to see them up close, and only the first of several bison viewings we had that day.

We made it to the serene campground and met up with Kevin Ryan. The 40-year-old Oregon native has lived on Catalina since 2000 and worked for the conservancy for two years. Before that, he helped with the removal of the wild goats and pigs from the island. Between the two jobs, he thinks he's covered every square inch of the island. He led Sean and I on the hike, stopping to point out native plants and flowers.

The path was a little challenging, but not bad. There was a little slip-sliding on loose dirt, but nothing dangerous. At the end, we met up with Rhein and the dreaded Jeep at the reservoir, along with a herd of bison taking a siesta under a grove of oak trees. Ryan, Sean and I snuck up the hill and got pretty close to take some photos. The bison greeted us with some low base moans before getting annoyed and sauntering off. We were thrilled.

 

Environment reporter Kristin Agostoni filled in the information about the trail and it's importance to the island, Sean put together a wonderful gallery of pictures and a slideshow and Graphic Artist Paul Penzella designed the map and legend that accompanies the story. It's a fine package we hope you'll enjoy - be sure to see it all here. 

Get it while it's hot, readers:

Ready your hiking boots and day packs because a 37-mile trail spanning the entire length of Catalina Island opens this weekend. The historic trail will give hikers a chance to see parts of the island never before officially accessible, and hopes to business owners of increased tourism.

We took a sneak peek of the trail this week, and have some amazing pictures and a slideshow to prove it.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn told off the Port of Los Angeles this week in response to rumors that the governing board would yank its $100,000 annual donation to the local Boys and Girls Club. You go, girl!

We have some more details on the longshoreman now charged with murdering a San Pedro man earlier this week.

Soak up some of Hermosa Beach's rich surfing culture this weekend, when the city adds two more athletes to its Surfers Walk of Fame. Starting with a surf film tonight, the weekend is chockablock with surfing festivities.

Daily Breeze business guru Muhammed El-Hasan looks for signs of economic improvement at a San Pedro cigar shop.

Use modern technology to learn about local history with our new blog, South Bay History, written by Breeze archivist and baker extraordinaire Sam Gnerre.

Here's what's happening today, readers:

Lingering vacancies at San Pedro's new high-rise condominium building have lead developers to lease some of the homes. Get a tour of the Vue here.

South Bay school districts will get $12 million in federal stimulus money. Torrance Unified tops the list with an expected $2.6 million.

Some Hermosa Beach teens have tapped out their free beer supply. A homeowner there has set up a camera to catch the booze burglars who kept sneaking into his backyard to pilfer pilsners from a refrigerator.

A new documentary chronicles a Manhattan Beach couple's journey to raise a child with an Austism-like syndrome.

Banks aren't doing so hot right now, but that's not stopping John Polen from opening a new depository in Rolling Hills Estates this summer.

Bishop Montgomery's Justin Cobbs is the Breeze's boys basketball player of the year, and Westchester's Ed Azzam takes the coach's title. See pics of the All Area Team here.

Rep. Laura Richardson has long been an avid basketball player. During her brief tenure in Sacramento, she earned a reputation as a baller in a few pick-up games with fellow legislators.

Now that she's in Washington, she has moved into a leadership role, coaching fellow Congress members to victory last night against some law professors from Georgetown.

Politico was there and put together this video. Richardson, D-Long Beach, appears in extreme close-up at the 4:21 marker.

Gardena Councilman Steve Bradford appears to be an all-but-declared candidate for the 51st Assembly District, which will become vacant once Curren Price officially wins election to the state Senate.

Bradford has set up a Web site and a blog, which so far consists of a quote from an L.A. Times story and this coy remark:

One thing is for sure, one way or another I look forward to continuing to serve the people of California, now whether it be as a councilmember or a State Assemblymember, only time will tell.

Right. That's why the Web site is called electstevebradford.com.

Bradford, of course, nearly beat Price in 2006, falling short by about 100 votes. Last year, he considered a run for the state Senate seat now held by Roderick Wright, before deciding that it was not the appropriate moment.

South Bay, I'm playing it straight today. No jokes. Just news.

South Bay city leaders have just given up on providing residents with basic services. Get rid of your own trash. Police crime yourself, and extinguish your own fires. Columnist John Bogert gives us the scoop on the "mother of all cutbacks."

Hawthorne elementary school teachers' jobs are safe. The district has rescinded the 119 pink slips it sent to teachers recently.

Did you get your shop on before new tax hikes took affect today? Some South Bay folks sure did, giving some local businesses a big boost yesterday.

Speaking of which, I wonder what the tax would be on diamond dog collars a Torrance-based business is offering.

Hazel Ramirez, a point guard for Inglewood High's girls basketball team, is the Daily Breeze's player of the year. And her coach, Tony Scott, takes top leadership honors. See pictures here of the Hazel, Scott and the rest of the All Area Team.