USS Iowa and SS Lane Victory Should be Together

It is exciting to have the USS Iowa coming to San Pedro. The old Todd shipyard employed many Pedro people and put the Navy front and center at our port. Before the Air Force moved in we had Navy housing and a strong Navy presence. Over the years with the downsizing of our military and the consolidation of its sites we have lost touch with the Navy. It will be good to have them back. However, though our community leaders did a good job lobbying to bring the USS Iowa to town, I think the Port of Los Angeles did us a disservice by keeping the USS Iowa and SS Lane Victory separated. I appreciate that the two might be right down the street and a red car ride away. But imagine the synergy of having visitors park in one lot, with the ability to easily visit both. If we want San Pedro to be a destination town we need to make it easy for people to see the great items in our town. Keeping the SS Lane Victory and USS Iowa separate makes no sense.

Better Land Use in San Pedro

When you drive around San Pedro there are lots of vacant lots and undeveloped property. In some cities the local neighborhood works with the property owner to adopt the lot. The neighborhood also works with the city to post the correct signs about no dumping, etc. A great opportunity for San Pedro is to have the Dalmation American Club and the Muller House team up to clean up the lot on 16th and Beacon. A simple lot clean up could improve parking for both of these valuable local institutions. And if they chipped in for a single light post the parking would be more secure for night time events. San Pedro is a great town, we can make it better by cleaning up and re-using the vacant lots.