Coastal San Pedro’s own Soledad Garcia was honored by the Los Angeles City Council with a special resolution. The resolution was prompted by Soledad’s decision to step down after seven years as chair of the DWP Ratepayers’ Advocate committee. Citing just a few of the long list of public advocacy roles Soledad has held for decades, Councilwoman Janice Hahn called Dr. Garcia “The embodiment of what it means to be a public servant.”

Congratulations Soledad, and thank you!

Watch a video of the ceremony at City Hall.

Information about the construction of SRHS #15 at Angels Gate can be found at the following two websites:
http://www.laschools.org
http://www.srhs15.org
For complaints and inquiries, please use the following telephone hotline: 213-893-6810

 The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council is hosting a free pancake breakfast from 10:00 to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 8, at Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St, in San Pedro.

The public is encouraged to come visit the Cultural Center and enjoy pancakes and sausage while meeting members of the board to discuss topics and issues of local and citywide interest.

The Council will be giving away free tote bags and will be conducting free raffles throughout the breakfast.

Angels Gate Cultural Center is also having a studio artist art sale called the Crafty Vixens Holiday Sale in Bldg H from 11a.m. to 5p.m. and a new art show, Plain and Simple, will be opening in Gallery A from 2 pm. to 4 p.m. that day as well. Details available at www.angelsgateart.org.

For more information on the pancake breakfast, please call (310) 290-0049.

Media contact: John Stinson (310) 547-2528

LA County Metro will present a project update on the Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis (AA) in a series of upcoming public workshops being held between October 19 and 22. In the spring of 2009, Metro held public meetings to obtain public feedback on the four project alternatives to be carried forward through the duration of the study. Based on comments received at those meetings and more detailed technical analysis, Metro has completed the AA and will present the results at this next series of community meetings.  One specific interest to local residents is an alternative presented in the spring that included a light rail extension to San Pedro. 

Content presented at each meeting will be identical, so make sure to attend at the time and location most convenient for you.  Click here for the link to the Metro webpage with details on all dates and locations.

All stakeholders are invited to the next Board Meeting of the CSPNC on Monday 19 October 2009.

Get the agenda here.

Robert Greene, a long time neighborhood council observer, is an editorial writer at the Los Angeles Times.

At the Neighborhood Council Action Summit on October 3, 2009, he sharply examined neighborhood council significance to the Times and their potential, as yet not realized, to the neighborhoods of L.A. In essence, either continue to act as simply a student council carrying the water for City Hall and stay irrelevant, or become a force for change in your neighborhoods and the city by exercising your independence.

View Greene’s comments here.

The Action Summit was organized by Greg Nelson, former General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and community members. No public money was used.

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioner unanimously approved the Waterfront Project Tuesday (Sept. 29), attaching two key provisions to answer community complaints about the staff alternative. The commissioners ordered the staff to give priority to downtown projects and require that an initial Outer Harbor cruise expansion go in the East Channel not adjacent to Cabrillo Beach and the marinas, as staff had proposed.

The conditions matched the sentiment of speakers, who all pushed for Downtown First, with the majority calling on cruise ship expansion to be targeted to the East Channel. Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council had opposed any cruise ships in the Outer Harbor, but also suggested that if expansion went ahead, damage could be mitigated by placing the terminal facing the East Channel.

The East Channel condition, which was moved by Commissioner López Mendoza, requires KaiserPoint East to be done before Kaiser Point West. There was extensive discussion, before Commissioner Kim approved the motion. Testimony had discussed the potential for a west-facing berth to limit access to the  West Channel marinas, interfere with waterborne recreation and change forever the Outer Harbor and Cabrillo Beach.

The second condition was moved by Commissioner Miscikowski and provides that staff produce in 30 days a project implementation plan that shows how phasing of the waterfront project will do Downtown First. This is to assure that downtown is done first. The commissioners ordered staff to include the community in the discussions and create a mechanism for future monitoring, transparency and benchmarks to assure that the phasing is followed.

Commissioner López Mendoza argued in terms of protecting aesthetics and the value of good public relations with the community. López Mendoza said, "I'd like to tell the community that you did not sit here for several hours in vain. I'd like to take action on this tonight, since I don't know how long I'll be able to be on this commission."

Commissioner Miscikowski expressed concerns over cost. Staff had indicated that the extra $14 million to do Kaiser East first might affect the ability to implement the promenade. Commissioner Kim responded that this was not an appropriate trade off, since downtown would be done first, and the extra money needed for Kaiser would therefore not come from the downtown budget, but could be worked out later, if there was business for Kaiser.  At one point, Commissioner Krause seemed to skeptical about funding Kaiser at all.

The staff to draft an implementation plan to be brought before the board in a meeting in about 30 days. The meeting ended at 1:30 AM Wednesday and there was no discussion at htat point of how to involve the community and business leaders in developing a phase-in plan.

• The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council (CSPNC) approved testimony on the San Pedro Waterfront Plan Monday night (Sept. 20) at its board meeting and much of it was endorsed by the Los Angeles Times in an editorial on Sept. 29.  (attached below )
  
• The CSPNC maintained its support for the long-awaited waterfront project but continued to oppose the staff alternative, which would put two cruise terminals in the Outer Harbor. CSPNC and others in San Pedro continue to press for three terminals and berths downtown, including a second terminal at Berths 92–87 to accommodate at least two Freedom Class ships or their equivalent.
  
• It also reiterated its request to the Board of Harbor Commissioner for permission to give extended testimony at the hearing 6 p.m Tuesday Sept. 29 in San Pedro (at the Boys and Girls Club at Harbor and 5th St.) and supported efforts by the Northwest San Pedro NC and the Port Community Advisory Council to extend comment on the Waterfront Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for 30 days. The EIR was released Sept. 17.
• Central SP NC approved the waterfront project at its Tuesday meeting (Sept. 21), but voted that if an Outer Harbor terminal is necessary, it should be in the East Channel not next to Cabrillo Beach and Cabrillo Marina. At the same meeting, Port staff reported that the Outer Harbor terminals will cost $175 million, while the Port will spend $40 million on the downtown terminals. A staff member stated that there will be one ship a week at the Outer Harbor terminal, probably on Sundays.
  

CSPNC strongly supports the San Pedro Waterfront Plan, as well as cruise ship expansion near downtown. We oppose cruise ship terminals in the Outer Harbor. Cruise ships in the Outer Harbor would have a severe negative impact on a unique and irreplaceable resource for the people of Los Angeles and California. We support the Sustainable Waterfront Plan (SWP), which includes:

• Modern terminals near downtown with space for simultaneous berthing of the largest cruise ships, including at least 2 Freedom Class ships or their equivalent.
• Ports of Call rebuilt and expanded with a convention center.
• Red car, walking, bicycle & shuttle routes linking the waterfront and downtown.
• A promenade all along the waterfront with no highway by the sea.

* Please click on the attachments below to read the rest of the testimony, view a map of berthing for the largest cruise ships in downtown and read the LA Times editorial.

For information: Peter M. Warren, Port and Environment, Chair. 310-548-5329.

Sept. 20, 2009

Here are the headlines:

1. Port Community Advisory Committee seeks extension of 30 days to study 8,000-page EIR, which was received Thursday, Sept. 17.
2. Port refuses request from CSPNC to present 10 minutes of testimony at Sept. 29 hearing on SPWP
3. Analysis of Port staff's rush to expand cruise industry to Kaiser Point, which will become Disney Point: Port won't do downtown terminal expansion; the "luggage tent" stays.
   
4. San Pedro needs dramatic improvements to its waterfront. Downtown businesses need the growth that will come from attracting more consumers to our beautiful city. The plan should go forward now. The staff alternative of putting a cruise terminal in the Outer Harbor right away is a bridge too far. Cruise passenger volumes are off 30% from their peak in 2005. They are not predicted to return to that level for 14 years, if ever. A better result and the same impact on the cruise industry can be had for much much less money. Focus on downtown first.
5. Kaiser/Disney Point terminal facing Cabrillo Beach threatens recreational boating and limits access to Cabrillo marinas.

Please click on the attachment below to read the details.

For information: Peter M. Warren, Port and Environment, Chair. 310-548-5329.