Drill Baby Drill

"Drill Baby Drill. This has been a Republican mantra this year to help push for local development of oil reserves in the United States, and to increase the economy and employment. Unfortuntately, the Republican party has done a terrible job in framing how drilling locally is better for the environment. The Republicans should at least acqknowledge that people are concerned about the environment and that sacrificing our environment for the sake of money is not a good trade. And they should acknowledge that a good percentage of people believe that drilling to increase jobs is not a good trade either. Employeed people can afford to be picky about the type of new jobs being created. And most people have new jobs. This said, someone needs to make the case that drilling locally is actually better for the environment. If you believe in Global Warming, you believe that we are all connected. That carbon and toxins dumped in Iran affect our air and our water, and in effect harm our planet. Carbon emissions are a great example. CO2 (carbon monoxide) emmissions go into the air which affect everyone. Yes, there is a local footprint, but it is the impact to our ozone layer and upper atmosphere that matters. Now.... Wouldn't it be better to drill locally for oil? This way the oil can be drilled using tough American environmental standards instead of lesser standards across the Atlantic or Pacific. This way the environmental impact of shipping the oil overseas and transporting it from so far away would be eliminated. Many of these ships use cheap fuels which significantly pollute the environment with toxins (sulfer). In a perfect world, in a better world, Americans would move away from their need for oil and oil based products. But in the mean time, drilling locally would help the whole world's environment. It would be nice if the Republican party could simply state that "Drill Baby Drill" is not only an initiative to stimulate the economy and jobs, but to improve the environment. Drilling locally decreases the total environmental impact oil production has on the world. And though America should strive to decrease its dependence on oil, drilling locally is a good short term stop gap measure. Just a guy from Pedro.

Shrinking San Pedro

http://mysanpedro.blogspot.com is a great location for San Pedro history. Over the last year this Guy has been talking about the shrinking of San Pedro and the need for San Pedro to break free from the shackles of Los Angeles. This picture describes the shrinking of San Pedro better than words. Could you imagine the original Rancho San Pedro boundaries as its own city? No one could say it would be too small. No one could say that it would not be financially viable. No one could say that we could not find good leaders within our borders. The reality is that the return of Ranch San Pedro is unlikely, but one small step is to ensure that San Pedro does not get smaller and that we contine to stay Pedro proud.

City of San Pedro - 100 Largest City in CA

As Los Angeles continues to drive itself into debt, considers raising taxes and fees, and who's city planning department ignores local input, it is time to think about making San Pedro its own city. For a town with so much pride it is amazing how many think we couldn't be our own city. Here are some metrics: Los Angeles is the largest city in California - 3,800,000 The second largest is San Diego at 1,300,000 With a city population of 80,000 San Pedro would be the 95th largest city in CA. San Pedro is larger than Merced, Hemet, Chino, Menifee, Lake Forest, and Napa (77,000). Rolling Hills has 2000 people. Avalon in Catalina has 3100 people. Indian Wells has 5100 people. Solvang has 5200 people. Big Bear Lake has 6100 people. Rolling Hills Estates has 7800 people. We have three neighborhood councils and have a number of people like the Hahn's who have risen from our city. We have the leaders. We have enough people. We just need the will.

City of San Pedro Process

Making San Pedro its own city could be done. We have the leaders in town. And we have a lot more people than a ton of other cities. Heck, if we combined the Harbor corridor into one city and took the Port with us like Long Beach we could be formidable. Below is some information on what it would take for San Pedro to be its own city.

The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act applies to municipal annexation, or when one municipality requests to expand its borders, as well as in municipal incorporation, which is the creation of an entirely new municipality. Starting The Process:
o When residents of a certain area within California containing 500 or more people wish to incorporate their own municipality, they can go through one of two steps. The first method is a resolution for city incorporation by a government body which currently oversees the area in some form or another, either a city, county or other district providing a certain service like schools or other infrastructure resources. The second method is a petition signed by 20 percent of the people within the area that wishes to be incorporated into a new municipality

For a town like San Pedro we are looking at about 16,000 signatures to make our own city. Throw in one feasibility study and you are done.

Something to think about as Los Angeles seems like a separate universe where they levy their will on this small town and set up regulations that complicate business development.

Just a guy from Pedro

Vacant Lot 2 Parks

The economic downturn and housing market collapse has created a number of vacant lots in San Pedro. When I was younger these vacant lots were play yards. Now, owners put fences around the lots to avoid liabilities and to keep people from dumping on them. The lots with the fences actually look worse than the vacant lot because now you have an unkept vacant lot AND a cheap fence that usually has some tattered cloth on it.

We need to find a way to turn these vacant lots into public use areas. Neighborhood Councils would be a great local resource for leading the effort to convert vacant lots into public use parks. The Neighborhood Councils already have a link to the City and can work the legal issues associated with transforming a private vacant lot into a public use park. The owner of the property could let the public use the property until he/she is ready to sell or develop the property. In turn, the city could limit the owner's liability from injury if the property is maintained. The Neighborhood Council could help maintain the property in exchange for its use. This would take some effort. But it is being done in other cities and it is helping to increase the quality of life in those cities as well as the property values of the surrounding neighborhood.

Just a guy from Pedro

Real Mayor for San Pedro

I was talking to someone the other day and they said that San Pedro would not work as a real city because there are too few leaders. However, looking at the latest Special Election form reveals Jayme Wilson, Joe Buscaino, Rudy Svornich Jr., and Pat MCosker (though I think he lives out of town right now though he is a local boy) all local people who could be mayor of San Pedro.

When you add up our leaders on the neighborhood councils, Business Improvement Districts, Port of Los Angeles, the ILWU, and the San Pedro City Council you can see clearly that San Pedro is not short of people who want to serve.

City of San Pedro. We should make that a reality, with a real mayor. The honorary mayor contest is great for our local charities. However, a real San Pedro city would provide us more of a voice in the larger Los Angeles County, and provide us more local control.

80,000 Should be a City

I know a study was done a few years back that indicated that San Pedro could not be financially self sufficient. But this does not compute. There are smaller cities than San Pedro. Heck, the City of Vernon does not even have any residents. They do have businesses though. So the real question is how to bring businesses into town.

Since the financial study a few years back, San Pedro has gained a Target and a Home Deopot. These additions should help make the possibility of San Pedro as an independent City more of a reality. In that light, I would like to propose that we add some businesses down by the new cruise ship terminal. Today, it is not strange for folks to arrive at the cruise ship early and to go for a walk. Maybe we need to bring the businesses to the cruise ships instead of the cruise ship customers to the businesses.

Having tollies to bring people down town is one way to foster business. But when you look at the businesses available downtown, why would them come? Who would buy art before the cruise. Who would want to go window shopping when half the stores are not open. Maybe we need a few simple stores down by the cruise ships to give the tourists some essentials and to provide them with a feel for San Pedro. Heck, lets move Utros down by the Cruise ship and add a place for fishing off a mini pier or to feed the fish, and then add an "I forgot shop" to sell things tourist always forget to pack. Throw in some Pedro shirts and all of a sudden you have a mini-destination. Utros is already isolated at the end of this fisherman's port. Move them to a more scenic spot closer to their old home overlooking the water, and we could have a win win.

80,000 Pedrans need their own city. Finding ways to bring in some more business can help get us there. What are your ideas.

Just a guy from Pedro

Perception is Reality in Downtown

The recent Navy week was a cruel wake up call for San Pedro. Once, San Pedro was a Navy town. We had Todd's ship yard and ships in the harbor. Now, the Navy is worried about the high drug traffic area downtown. This is no shocker unless you are the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce or Los Angeles City Council person or the city planning committee. Surrounded by the projects on one side, and halfway homes on the other downtown has an uphill fight to draw in the higher end clients and out of towners that it wants.

The truth is that downtown is a lot safer than the Navy led. At least it is safe for San Pedran's who know the good times and the bad times to be out and about. However, perception is reality when it keeps out of towners from visiting downtown.

There is some good work being done to bring Marymount College downtown, and to get more events at the Warner. However, unless someone actively addresses the projects and/or the halfway homes downtown will still be fighting an uphill battle.

San Pedro is a compassionate town for motivated people. This is one reason why we have the number of half way homes we have (besides LA dumping them here). But the projects are out of date and too large for our population. San Pedro is a town of about 80,000. We already have more than enough low income housing. Heck, anything below Pacific is low income. There should be a way to update and scale back the projects to better fit our San Pedro community.

I know people want a nice Promenade, but when you have to walk through the projects to get to events there, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that night time events are a non-starter.

Wake up San Pedro. Let us ask our leaders to address the projects. Scale them back and update them to meet the San Pedro community.

Arrogance of Man

Global warming and now the relabelled Global Climate Change is an amazing concept. In the best of cases computer models and historical data are used to provide a trend forward that the world will be irreversibly altered in the years ahead. There is no doubt that the world will be forever changed by the presence of man. But these people use linear thinking in a non-linear world. Yes models and historical data can be used to help predict the future. However, like any investment product will warn you, the past performance does not ensure future success. The same is true for Climate change. Just because we have been on a recent path does not mean it will continue, and it does not mean that we have not been down this path many many years ago. What makes the latest rhetoric about global warming more questionable is the non-linear nature of our world. For example, the recent volcano eruptions, the earthquakes, tornadoes, and forest fires are unplanned events that change the course of environment moving forward. It is these non-linear events that will determine where we go, and where our climate ultimate. Man is arrogant to believe that mother nature (and our Lord) do not have a part to play in this world. The arrogance of man believes that they are the center of the universe and can predict the future. The Milena has shown that Man is just one part of a major cog of this great universe that we have been blessed to be a part.

American Economy Gambit

It is amazing how Republicans cannot convince Americans and the Media that the latest round of Government spending is bad. Instead, the Media rolls out stupid economist who say that the Government needs to hire (thus spend more) to create jobs. Though this is true, the Media and their stupid economists, fail to explain that when the Government does this it is like people living off their credit cards.

Many regular folks who have been laid off or have been working low paying jobs use credit cards to help them get buy. This is a necessity for many. But for a lot of people during the real estate bust this is what got them into trouble. Now, the Government is repeating this mistake.

What the Republicans fail to explain is that all the Government spending is like people living off their credit cards. In the Government's case they are actually gambling that the economy will recover prior to the need to pay the debt. Unfortunately no one is calling our the Government on their gambit. And no one has explained this to the American people. It is now June, the latest GDP numbers are being revised down, the May unemployment numbers were dismal, and the housing market is still stagnet. The Gambit is looking like a loser.

Just a guy calling a gambit a gambit.

Taste In San Pedro Move

After years of the Taste In San Pedro being at Pointe Fermin park, it is now moving. I understand the move. LA is putting the squeeze on the use of our parks. Charging us to use the resources we pay taxes on. I also understand the desire to hold the event where it highlights the new promenade. I just do not know why they did not hold it at Ports O Call. It already has parking, is set up for big events (as the circus is held their regularly), and provides a better walking venue to other shops. Holding the Taste at Ports O Call would help people get reacquainted with the shops down there. Maybe they are concerned that those shops would compete with the Taste, but this is a San Pedro Chamber of Commerce event. Why not use it to help highlight our local businesses.

I do understand that the new Taste In San Pedro location down by the fire boat station will be tied into down town. And downtown can use some help as well. However, it is one thing to walk over to a shop in Ports O Call that is on the harbor, compared to walking or taking a tram downtown. Hopefully the downtown shops will be open during this event. Since we have so many independent shops there are no set hours for downtown and it is a hit or miss when shops are open. Also, if I am to take my family to an event, it is one thing to park and go to the event. It is another thing to go walking around the projects across the street from the chosen site.

Just a guy from Pedro

Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council Bias?

After reading the latest Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council newsletter I have to ask why the bias towards Mary Star of the Sea High School? The council donated $5000 of their precious resources to POLA High School. No funds for San Pedro High School, or a school directly in their neighborhood, Mary Star of the Sea High School (MSHS).

I know the council is working on trying to lower the density of the old Ponte Vista project, which would help Mary Star. But the logic against the density is all about traffic. Not about community. One only needs to look at the Vue and the condos down town to realize that the large number of condos will mostly become rentals. More transient (less than a few years) makes the community less stable, less Pedro like where people stay for generations. I wish someone would just lay it out there that Pedro is too dense already and that we have tons of low income housing already, jsut look below Pacific.

Maybe next year the council will donate to MSHS or Pedro High. Maybe the council will state clearly that the high density will affect the quality of the community. Inconsistent with the feel of Northwest San Pedro. It should point to the wider San Pedro community as meeting the housing requirements of greater LA.

Just a guy rambling.

Target Pot Holes

Having a Target in town has been a boon. But the entrance into the parking lot has been less than stellar. Even when Eastview little league was at the site water would pool along Capitol, not draining towards the strom drain. Target unfortunately put a driveway right where the water pools. As a result, we end up with big pot holes in the entrance of Target. Besides some cars bottoming out, this is an eye sore.

It seems to me that Target should work to fix the pot holes by creating a concrete entrance. Similar to the way we use concrete at the bus stops to keep the road from eroding, we should cement the part of Capitol in front of the entrance way. This would provide the extra strength needed to handle the increased traffic. I think this is the best option. The other option would be to move the entrance into Target up the street where the water does not pool as much.

Let me know what you think.

Just a Guy from Pedro