Press Corps

The monthly Beer & Politics discussion tonight will focus on a planned civilian trial for a 9/11 terrorist suspect. The special guest will be a local attorney who worked in Guantanamo Bay. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Gallagher's Pub & Grill, 2751 E. Broadway. Read the details from the B&P announcement below.

Speaking on the issue of moving the 9/11 terror trial for Khalid Sheik Mohammed to civilian court in New York City will be Long Beach Assistant City Prosecutor Timothy L. O'Reilly.  Mr. O'Reilly was a Long Beach criminal defense lawyer and is a career Army National Guard officer who spent a year in Guantanamo Bay.  He ensured the safe and humane treatment of all terror detainees in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.  Mr. O'Reilly will discuss the military commissions, war crimes tribunals, and some implications of transferring the terror suspects to federal criminal court.

In case you were itching to head down to City Hall tonight, remember that there is no City Council meeting this week because it's the last Tuesday of the month. In fact, with Thanksgiving this week, there's very little action at all down there. No meetings at all, actually.

Long Beach Airport officials announced today that an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday at the airport and will depart Wednesday. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive and depart during the morning hours, after 9 a.m.

The Antonov 124 is a large, Russian-made aircraft, usually white with blue markings, and will be noticeable as it passes overhead, the airport statement says. The noise footprint of the aircraft is similar to a C-17.

Should be pretty cool to watch, too.

As reported in the Cunningham Report, an estimated 1,000 Oakland port truckers may soon be out of work because they can't afford to retrofit their older rigs with diesel particulate filters required for access to port terminals beginning Jan. 1.

According to the report, the drivers have not received expected grant money from regional air quality regulators to help pay for the exhaust retrofits - which cost $11,000 to $20,000 each.

"More than 100 drivers showed up at a meeting at the Port of Oakland last week to ask for more grant money," Cunningham noted. "The Port of Oakland contributed $5 million toward the $22 million pot of funds that the (Bay Area Air Quality Management District) used for the grants. The drivers also asked for more time to retrofit their rigs. Neither request was granted."

The report kind of underscores the argument being made by the Port of Los Angeles, which is seeking concession deals requiring trucking companies gradually take ownership of the rigs dispatched to its waterfront.

L.A. argues most drivers don't earn enough to properly pay for, maintain and insure new rigs without continual financial assistance, while companies are well-capitalized to handle the burden - now and in the future.

Not surprisingly, the L.A. plan is being sued in federal court, where trucking companies, retailers and shippers - who publicly bash the port as a lackey of organized labor - are arguing that contract drivers, who comprise more than 90 percent of the truck workforce in the harbor, should be permitted to shoulder the expense for new rigs required under the Long Beach-Los Angeles Clean Truck Plan.

Former Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill has endorsed candidate Pauline Gonzalez Stenberg for the 3rd District school board seat in the Long Beach Unified School District, Gonzalez Stenberg's campaign announced Friday.

The coveted endorsement by one of Long Beach's most popular politicians makes Gonzalez Stenberg a strong contender in the field of five candidates seeking to replace former board member Michael Shane Ellis, who resigned in September. The special school board election is scheduled for Dec. 29.

Gonzalez Stenberg has also been endorsed by three of the district's four current school board members -- Mary Stanton, Jon Meyer and Felton Williams. Other endorsements include 6th District City Councilman Dee Andrews and former 7th District Councilman Mike Donelon. Gonzalez Stenberg's greatest opponent may be Richard Lewis, who has been endorsed by several council members and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gonzalez Stenberg, 66, recently retired from her family's sheet metal fabrication business. She is a 42-year Long Beach resident and a past PTA president of Newcomb Academy and Millikan High School.

Customs officials report capturing a cache of glass bongs estimated at $2.6 million and disguised as Christmas ornaments on a ship from China.

Agents said it's illegal to import, build or sell such paraphenalia, frequently used to smoke marijuana and widely available at tobacco shops throughout the Southland.

Read the full story here...http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_13825210?nclick_check=1.

The Airport Advisory Commission meeting will get an update today on the progress of construction at the Los Alamitos air base, which has forced the military to use Long Beach Airport for many air operations. The extra military aircraft have contributed the noise from the airport, which hasn't made neighbors too happy.

The commission meets at 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 2640 N. Lakewood Blvd., in the Redondo Board Room on the 12th floor, not in the commission's normal meeting place at Skylinks Municipal Golf Course.

Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) has announced that the Museum of Latin American Art of Long Beach will receive a grant for $141,120 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to produce solar electricity at the museum.

This grant, which is being awarded through the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is intended to support the generation of electric, mechanical or thermal energy from renewable resources and create and preserve jobs in the construction and operational stages of the project.

Proposed "no-fishing zones" off the local coast have been posted online at http://resources.ca.gov/mlpa_scrsg/. A blue-ribbon panel adopted the restrictions Nov. 10 following months of public hearings.

The proposals now needs approval from the California Department of Fish and Game Commission. The restrictions are designed to protect underwater marine life as part of the 1999 state law known as the Marine Life Protection Act, or MLPA.

Information is also available at http://www.marinemap.org/marinemap/.

To read the full story, visit http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_13621894. The adopted proposal is a mix of the three maps depicted in the story, with expanded restrictions around Catalina, Laguna Beach and less restrictions (as depicted in Map 2) at Rocky Point off Palos Verdes Peninsula - a popular spot for local commercial and recreational anglers.

City Council members Tonia Reyes Uranga and Patrick O'Donnell are endorsing Third District Long Beach Unified School Richard Lewis, his campaign announced today.

Lewis seems to be the chosen one for this seat to replace Michael Shane Ellis, who resigned. Council members Robert Garcia, Suja Lowenthal and Val Lerch, and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce have also endorsed Lewis in the Dec. 29 special election.

Lewis, a financial controller, is a member of the Downtown Long Beach Associates' executive board and president of the East Village Association.