January 2011 Archives

*** UPDATE: An earlier version of this blog reported that the pod of orca seen Saturday was part of the LA Pod, but experts actually believe they are transient killer whales.

A pod of killer whales was spotted not far from the Manhattan Beach shore on Saturday and Phil Garner, a local scuba diver, and his fiancee caught some great photos of them and the remains of smaller dolphins they left after a meal.

Here is Garner's blog at Diver.net with the photos. One of his photos is posted below.

Orca are most comfortable in the cool Arctic and Antarctic waters, but they can be found in oceans around the world. Transient killer whales -- ones that roam widely rather than staying put in the northeast Pacific Ocean -- are those most likely to be seen in our area, and experts believe the ones spotted Saturday are transients.

Garner said he spotted 3 adult orca and 2 juveniles as he and his fiancee, Merry Passage, drove their boat back toward Redondo Beach's King Harbor.

"We slowed and took it all in," Garner said in an e-mail. "I had only seen one orca in the wild before and that was fourteen years ago... We saw a red object on the surface and first thought it to be a placenta, then perhaps a flotation device from the Voyager (a whale-watching boat that was also there). One of the juveniles grabbed it and pulled it under water momentarily. We motored over to it and found it was a heart and lungs. The captain of the Voyager said the orcas had just killed a common dolphin."

Orcas were last seen here on January 12, according to the American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles chapter's annual whale census volunteers at Point Vicente. On that day, 8 to 12 were spotted.

The most recent sighting before that was on May 10, 2010. As many as 20 orcas were seen that day, according to the ACS-LA census. One of the whales seen that day was again spotted Saturday, according to Alisa Schulman-Janiger, who directs the annual census.

"I can confirm one of these killer whales," Shulman-Janiger wrote in an email about Saturday's sighting. "CA49, who has at least two offspring (1999 and 2005), and who was first photographed off Monterey (her primary area) in 1992. I have last documented her in May 2010 off Long Beach. This is only the second time that we have seen her this far south before!"

Currently, Pacific Gray Whales are seen on a daily basis off our coast as they make their annual migration from the Arctic to the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico to mate and give birth. Killer whales are the biggest predator for gray whales.

If two is company and three is a crowd, what is seven candidates for the 28^th State Senate District packing a large (and largely empty) debate hall Wednesday at Cal State University Long Beach?

At the very least, call it difficult to summarize a two-hour debate on substantive issues with anything that isn't divided by a lot of bullet points, as can be seen in The Daily Breeze's write-up of the mishmash ahead of the Feb. 15 special election to replace Sen. Jenny Oropeza, who died Oct. 20.

But this is the beauty of next-day blogging. It affords a second shot, and a more flexible forum.

The tone of the League of Women Voters-sponsored event was tame - at least compared to the bloodsport of presidential and gubernatorial debates - but it was not without its moments, such as when former Assemblyman Ted Lieu was asked about the receipt of $420,000 for his campaign from "PACs and lobbyists."

Lieu, a Democrat, answered deftly, pointing out that he supported the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, which would have established full public financing of the state's elections.

"I wish it was in place," said Lieu.

"The only money I do not take are from oil companies and tobacco," he added. "It's the way we run our system, it's all disclosed."

Records from Secretary of State Deborah Bowen - herself the former 28^th District senator - show that Lieu has two committees related to running for the district.

One, Ted Lieu for State Senate 2011, has $29,320 cash on hand as of Jan. 6. The other is named Ted Lieu for State Senate 2014, indicating that the former Torrance city councilman plans on running in three years. That fund has $327,344 as of Jan. 6.

The only other candidate filing a disclosure report is Bob Valentine, a Republican, who has raised $3,000 for the race and has $1,300 cash on hand as of Jan. 20.

After Lieu faced his grilling, the candidates were asked generally about unlimited funding in elections.

Opinion split roughly along ideological lines, with Republicans James Thompson and Martha Flores-Gibson speaking about the role of the U.S. Constitution and free speech in allowing corporations to spend freely in elections. Jeffrey Fortini, also a Republican, urged better access for all candidates regardless of funding.

Non-party candidate Mark Lipman and Democrat Kevin McGurk lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision rejecting corporate spending limits in elections. Lieu also disagreed with the high court's interpretation, though not as stridently.

As opponents of the decision did then, they took issue with the idea that a corporation is a person.

The word "corporation" is nowhere in the Constitution, McGurk said. "Clearly, when one steps back, it's a perversion of the American political system."

McGurk had a lot to say when it came to reforming California's justice system.

Among his suggestions was suspending California's death penalty - which hasn't put anyone to death in so long, a convict has requested death row sentences for the improved lodgings - in order to save $1 billion over five years.

"I've got more where that came from," McGurk said.

Indeed, not only did McGurk have a lot more, but all the candidates had more than could be said within the confines of traditional media.

Approximately 30 people attended the debate, and that's probably counting people associated with the campaigns and at least a few who were writing about the event.

There was 465,278 registered voters in the 28^th Senate District in November. How many will head to the polls next month?

One expert predicted 9 to 14 percent voter turnout.

The debate was interesting for its contrast - the American political process at work, with seven candidates trying to make their case to a public that, by the attendance, didn't seem interested.

In an eyebrow-raising moment, Lieu even gave out his cell phone number to illustrate his accessibility to the public.

It should be noted that Coffee Party member Michael Chamness of Venice was unable to attend due to a work conflict. There are eight candidates running for the 28th District senate seat.

The last word goes to Lipman, who closed his night by quoting Gore Vidal.

"'Politics' is made up of two words, 'poli,' which is Greek for 'many,' and 'tics,' which are blood-sucking insects."

Sarah Sikich, coastal resources director for Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay, says she considered quitting the grueling, emotional and lengthy process that led to the creation of nearly 400 square miles of marine protected areas off the Southern California coast.

In a blog post, Sikich writes that the Marine Life Protection Act initiative was her biggest professional challenge, one that brought her to tears. I know local fishermen who participated who were also drained by the process -- which involved many meetings lasting hours upon hours -- as well.

Last month, the state Fish and Game Commission approved a plan that will limit or halt fishing in some of the most prime waters between the Mexico border and Point Conception in Santa Barbara County. That includes about 20 square miles off the Point Vicente and Abalone Cove -- but not the most prized area surrounding Rocky Point.

Sikich describes one particular emotional negotiation over Point Dume protected areas in Malibu, which were strengthened by a state panel in exchange for keeping Rocky Point open.

One day we spent several hours arguing over a 1,000-foot stretch of
Malibu coastline. Our facilitator calmly kept the conversation going,
while we stakeholders got heated about where the MPA boundary lines
should be drawn. I got more and more frustrated as the boundary got
farther away from where I thought it should go from a conservation
perspective. But those representing fishing interests felt the same way
about the area being protected. Eventually, we found a middle ground
that everyone could live with, and the facilitator called for a quick
break.

I stepped outside with a colleague and friend and immediately burst
into tears. She asked what was wrong, and I explained that I was
emotionally exhausted and felt like we had just given so much towards
compromise. My immediate reaction was disappointment. Had I given in too
much? She understood my frustration, but also put things into context
when she said all that discussion centered on less than a ¼ mile of
coastline, and we burst into hysteric laughter.  Of the entire 2,355
square miles of ocean in the South Coast being considered for MPAs, we
were arguing for hours about a mere fraction of that area (0.0005% to be
exact!)

She draws a list of lessons learned from the contentious process: be creative; be a partner; be emotional. Worth a read.

 

Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery and Laura Bush (Photo courtesy of Montgomery)

The former first lady was in town this week to speak at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. She spoke at the center on Monday and stayed at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach.

 

Mayor Richard Montgomery had the chance to welcome her to the seaside community.

"She is a very gracious lady and I thanked her for all that she has done to benefit people all over the world in promoting her cause of education, women's health and human rights," Montgomery said. "After one minute of small talk I invited her to come back and visit Manhattan Beach when she has more time to enjoy the beach and local flavor."

That's Torrance resident Bryan Ikemoto in the above photo.

He contacted the Daily Breeze via e-mail to see if we would run a picture of him and we were more than happy to oblige.

Ikemoto said he went to West High, but graduated in 2009 from South High "at the last minute."

The infantryman said he's been in Logar Province in Afghanistan since Oct. 31 and deployed out of Fort Polk, La., with the 10th Mountain Division, 2-30 Infantry Battalion.

"I come home next November," he said. "I enjoy working out and being a patriot."

Stay safe, Bryan.

And if you're serving in Iraq or Afganistan and want to e-mail us a similar picture we'll try and run it.

No guarantees (depending on the volume received), but send us a little info about you and any family in the South Bay and we'll see what we can do.

Send your e-mail to newsroom (@) at dailybreeze.com

A controversial proposal to increase fees for Hermosa Beach residents and their guests parking in some of the beach town's most crowded neighborhoods has been postponed indefinitely by the City Council.

The plan to increase permit fees for the city's preferential parking program would have raised the resident parking permit fee to $100 for the first permit, $100 for the second permit, $200 for for the third permit and $300 for each additional permit. Guest permit fees would have increased to $300.

Permits for residents and their guests are currently $40.

City officials said the decision stemmed from a need to curb the area's parking problem, rather than to raise revenue for the city.

City Hall was flooded with nearly 200 e-mails protesting the possible fee increase, and scores of residents attended Tuesday's city council meeting to speak out against the proposal.

"In no way was it ever our intention to increase taxes on any of you as residents of this city," said City Councilman Patrick "Kit" Bobko. "I believe as a state and as a city we are taxed to the gills. This was not something was intended. I am pleased, in kind of a strange way, that all of you took the time to come down here tonight to exercise your rights. It shows that the process does work and we heard you."

In addition to not raising the permit fees, the City Council also voted to delay discussing a proposal to increase fees for one-time driveway parking permits and daily passes. A proposal to prohibit permits to vehicles registered out-of-state also awaits the council's discussion.

The preferential parking program includes the city's "sand section" and stretches from the norther tip of the city to the southern end, bound by the Strand to the west and Loma and Morningside Drive to the east. Parking spaces on the west of Cypress Avenue between 11^th Street and Pier Avenue are also included.

Look for a full story in Thursday's Daily Breeze.

 

Incidentally, a spokesman for the publishers of the New York Times bestseller, Random House, said word of the deal was "leaked a little prematurely."

We'll have more "once the ink is dry," on the deal, as the spokeswoman put it.

Read the story here.

Cleaning the contaminated soil below hundreds of homes at Carson's 50-acre Carousel tract will be a massive effort. But agreeing to a cleanup plan could be even harder, as polluters are contending with attorneys seeking damages for residents who claim to have been made ill by the contamination.

A status conference in Los Angeles Superior Court scheduled for Wednesday was continued to March 16, in a lawsuit that charges that Shell Oil Corporation should pay residents for their homes and alleged damages. Environmental regulatory agencies overseeing the cleanup plan have said the adverse health effects posed by underground oil-drenched soil is relatively slight, but testing is still ongoing.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Highberger told attorneys on Wednesday that they should consider ways to streamline the case, which is bogged down with hundreds of plaintiffs.
"Do the parties have any intention of trying formal mediation or other (alternative dispute resolution) ... to resolve these issues so that they can eliminate the huge uncertainty that the pendency of this suit must produce?," Highberger said Wednesday.
The main suit - filed in October 2009 - names 337 plaintiffs and has six other related lawsuits that name another 1,221 plaintiffs. Los Angeles law firm Girardi and Keese is representing them. Attorneys claim that polluters, of which the main responsible party is Shell Oil Corp., should immediately relocate residents and pay damages.

The current problems stem from a Shell Oil tank farm that stored crude oil in reservoirs on the site from 1924 to 1966. The Carousel neighborhood's 285 single-family homes were constructed there by Lomita Development Co. in 1967.
The oil tanks left unknown amounts of hydrocarbons such as benzene
and methane clinging to the soil under the neighborhood's
neat rectangular lots. But the chemicals weren't a concern when the
property was sold because government environmental protections
had not yet been implemented.

As the area was settled and couples moved in to raise families in the Los Angeles-adjacent community, the property's oily history was forgotten. About two years ago, soil tests discovered the contamination. Last summer, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, which is overseeing the remediation, outlined a tentative cleanup plan that calls for the top 10 feet of soil across the entire property to be dug up and cleaned. Revisions to that plan are scheduled to be released later this month.

Carson city officials have scheduled a community meeting about the cleanup plan and the process of revision and submitting resident input for 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13 at Carson's community center, 801 E. Carson St.

** The photo above depicts soil testing in the front yard of a home in the Carousel tract.