South Bay Pipeline

Check out this 9-minute You Tube video below touring the USS Iowa battleship in the Port of Richmond.

Exterior painting begins today on the ship, which is expected to be towed to Los Angeles sometime this spring. Supporters plan to have it open for tours at Berth 87 on San Pedro's waterfront -- the ship's permanent home between the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and the Vincent Thomas Bridge -- this summer.

The state of Iowa also recently handed over a $3 million donation for the project.

The video was shot in February and gives viewers a close-up look onboard the ship, which has been open for limited public tours on weekends while it's been in Richmond.

We spotted this blog post with photos by Wilhelm Arcturus who recently visited the USS Iowa battleship in the Port of Richmond in Northern California and thought San Pedro readers might be interested since the ship will be here within a few months. It gives you an idea of how the ship looks and what work still needs to be done.

Here's the author standing next to the ship's 16-inch guns.

And, to give you an idea of the work needed on the deck:

Photo by Wilhelm Arcturus

From his post:

Part of the problem, as it was explained to us, was that teak, the traditional wood used for the deck surface, and which holds up well in salt water conditions, was unavailable at some point, and so pine was substituted.  Pine, it seems, rots and lets the water through.  So there is a lot of scraping and painting to be done on the deck.

Check out the full post, it's worth a read -- and there are more photos.

Meanwhile, we reported in a Sunday story in the Daily Breeze that the SS Lane Victory, a World War II merchant ship, will be taking passengers onboard to go meet up with the Iowa (around the Santa Monica Bay area) and escort the ship on the last leg of its tow south.

There are no firm dates yet, but it's looking like the ship could be brought down sometime around late May. The website for Pacific Battleship Center offers updates and news about the ship which will become a permanent tourist attraction in the Port of Los Angeles.

Tickets to ride along on the SS Lane Victory are $250 each (for everyone, adults and kids alike). They think they'll have room for about 650. While tickets aren't being sold yet, Anthony Broude, president of the board, told me today they've been getting a lot of calls (310-519-9545).

It appears dogs will continue to have their days at Rancho Palos Verdes Beach.

After a discussion that lasted more than three hours, the City Council late Tuesday voted 4-1 to direct the Planning Commission and staff to work toward a pilot program and permit system that would allow dog owners to legally run their dogs off-leash on Rancho Palos Verdes Beach near Trump National Golf Club.

That would presumably help bring in revenue to enforce whatever system is put in place, something several dog owners Tuesday said they would be willing to pay for. Options could include designated hours for dogs - and just people - at the beach or perhaps a fence separating the two.

And in the meantime, the city plans to crack down on unlawfully unleashed dogs at Founders Park, three nearby parking lots and on trails leading to the beach. At least one dog interrupted a foursome on the golf course recently and patrons of the luxurious links had their not inconsiderable green fees reimbursed, city officials said Tuesday night.

Those who currently walk their dogs on the five-acre, mile-long beach in violation of municipal law may apparently continue to do so, however; city officials said nothing about stopping dog walkers.

"I feel dogs are marginalized," said golden retriever owner Cornelia Bernstein, who added that she has walked on Rancho Palos Verdes Beach three times a week for the last three years. "There's nowhere for them to go. There are so few places dogs can not only run, but swim."

She was one of more than 20 people who spoke at a meeting covered by Los Angeles television stations, something of a rarity on The Hill, underscoring how many thousands of county dog owners could potentially descend on the isolated beach that city officials acknowledged lacked parking, restrooms or vehicular access for police or fire units.

Those were among the issues that alarmed long-time residents, including some who owned dogs.

"We're creating a problem for us that might be difficult to address down the road," said resident Eric Johnson. "This isn't a man verses dog issue. ... It's a public safety issue."

Until recent months it had long been a local secret, but much like Manhattan Beach's Sand Dune Park, word was spreading sparking the need for additional regulations or enforcement.

It would become only the second such beach in Los Angeles County.

Councilman Jim Knight, a long-time environmental voice in the community, cast the lone dissenting vote.

Seeing a dog take a leak in a tide pool and excrement on trails leading to the beach last weekend convinced him the idea was not environmentally friendly.

"I have a real problem changing the existing regulations that we have." he said. "I'm afraid it could get out of control."

Read more on the story online later today and in Thursday's Daily Breeze.

Returning to the office from a few days vacation today, I found an unusual number of voice mails and emails from readers in such disparate South Bay cities as Manhattan Beach, Lomita and Hawthorne reacting to Monday's story in the Daily Breeze about Southern California Edison's maintenance - or lack thereof - of street lights.

The sentiment against the utility was universal, however, regardless of where readers lived,which suggests SCE has a major public relations issue.

Incidentally, I understand from a very good source that the staff of the Public Utilities Commission were most interested in the story.

I'm guessing they will similarly be interested in this sampling of reader responses (with names removed) I received:

"Over the last 4 years we have, at least once a year, had a transformer blow next (to) our (Lomita condo) unit.

This sends a charged high voltage line falling down across our common driveway sometimes causing a fire, sometimes causing damage to our electrical system, and a few times it has also fallen on the walkway between units. This could have been fatal if someone was on that walkway at the time for sure.

The last time this happened, just a few months ago, I asked one of the workers what they were going to do to fix this so it would stop happening. He said he could not lie, he had been to our condo complex several times to repair fallen power lines, but he didn't know what was going to be done.

We are trying to get answers, but it's hard getting anyone at SCE to talk.

Here's another from a Hawthorne resident:

"It happens that the street light right in front of my house went off several weeks ago.

"I have called Edison 5 times and always get the same response: the repair team will take care of the light in 5 days.After waiting for too long, I requested to talk to a supervisor and all I got was that the operator will send a note to him.

"Another promise of repair was given to me about 10 days ago and just a few minutes ago around 5:30 p.m. another agent told me that she does not know what the problem is, since she is not in the repair, department. She told me to call again in the morning, and by the tone of voice she used, I can translate that they are not taking issues very seriously."

And here's another from a Torrance resident:

"Fine story on the SCE issue. ... The problem with SCE is they are profit driven and all the big decisions go way up. It's sad the regional managers have little firm information. The replacement light pole situation is a perfect example. No respectable corporate business would go before a city body, ask for permission and make a commitment without a business plan in place. Then essentially disappear."

Following up on the suggestion of one of those readers who left a voicemail message, I'd love to hear from SCE how much they've spent on maintenance - not repairs to something that broke, but proactive maintenance to prevent something from breaking in say, Torrance in the last few years.

Edison, over to you.

Subtitle: Proof Councilman Bill Sutherland possesses not a shred of rhythm in his entire body (we kid, we kid).

Check out more Torrance Centennial events ">here.

Kudos to the San Pedro Convention & Visitors Bureau which announced today that the USS Iowa Veterans Association will be staying in San Pedro this summer after all. Final details were nailed down just last night.

We ran a story late last year about how the group wasn't able to find enough centralized space in any of the San Pedro hotels. So they were likely going to take an offer from one of the Long Beach hotels and plan to shuttle across the harbor to San Pedro where the historic ship is expected to be open for some tours.

Enter Scott and Katherine Gray who founded the convention and visitors bureau in 2009. They worked through the holidays pulling together hotel and other packages to rival Long Beach, eventually winning the group over. 

From Scott Gray of the bureau:

"The reunion coming here is the result of a great deal of hard work -- especially after we were told that it would be going to a neighboring town. We did all we could to ensure that the veterans were presented with a package of services and accommodations that met their needs."

From U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Jerry Gneckow, president of the association:

"We wanted to be as close to the ship as possible. This is a great opportunity to express our appreciation to the people of San Pedro and the people that made it possible for the ship to come to San Pedro as a memorial and museum."

Councilman Joe Buscaino was called in to meet with one of the veterans' group members as part of the winter-long campaign to woo the sailors to San Pedro instead of Long Beach.

The week-long July 2012 reunion will be headquartered at the Doubletree Hotel at the Cabrillo Marina (and using rooms in other San Pedro hotels as well) with the bureau providing "all ground arrangements and destination management services."

But that's not all.

This is planned as a key piece of an overall Independence Week celebration being put together by the bureau, designed to draw other visitors from around the country.

"We're talking about destination travel," said Dave Behar, chairman of the bureau's advisory board. With the veterans deal sealed last night, "all of the other pieces of the puzzle" will now become the focus, he said.

"This will be a full Independence Week celebration," Behar said. "The veterans are centric to that, but this is meant to involve people from all over. We're talking about a national holiday and a destination tourism-driven event. This is really an awesome thing for the town."

The USS Iowa is expected to arrive in San Pedro sometime around March or April, according to the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center. The ship, which is planned to be at Berth 87 near the fireboat station in the Main Channel along Harbor Boulevard near First Street, is still undergoing restoration but a tentative grand opening is planned for July 4.

We often need their help. Now they want ours.

The firefighters at Fire Station 1 in Redondo Beach have entered a nationwide contest to win a new kitchen.

The Rescue Remodel contest pits firehouses from around the country against each other, and the station with the most votes will receive a kitchen renovation valued at $25,000. The contest is sponsored by Ikea, the Swedish home furnishing giant, and The Family Handyman, a home improvement magazine.

Votes can be cast by visiting rescueremodel.com and be made until Feb. 28. There are five firehouses competing and by Tuesday afternoon the Redondo Beach station was in third place with 20,310 votes. Palos Fire Protection District Station #1 in Palos Park, Illinois ,was in the lead with more than 53,800 votes.

But support for the Redondo Beach station has been building thanks, in part, to social media. Links to a video the firefighters put together - a rendition of Rihanna's "We Found Love" called "We cook our food in a hopeless place" - have been posted on Facebook and Twitter.

In a letter posted on the Rescue Remodel website, Steve Hyink, Fire Division Chief of Operations, said the kitchen was there when he was assigned to the station 28 years ago. It has survived leaky roofs and floods. Each time firefighters save up enough money for a remodel, something more important needs to be fixed, or more life-saving equipment needs to be bought. Redondo Beach Fire Station Number 1 was built in the early 1950s and designed to last 40 years, Hyink wrote.

"We don't like to ask for help, but it would really be appreciated if we could just get some cabinets and a new counter," Hyink added.

The
Redondo Beach Fire Department has three stations, including the
harbor patrol facility in King Harbor.

Update: Here's the councilman's response:

Councilman Buscaino's motion to decrease the parking meter rates in San Pedro and Wilmington by 50 percent is meant to provide immediate relief to businesses who are suffering from tough economic times and are concerned that the current rates will deter customers form patronizing their businesses.

Former Councilwoman Janice Hahn's motion to remove the meters is still in committee. Buscaino is working on identifying additional funding that can replace the more than $500,000 in revenue when the meters are removed.

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Wow. That didn't take long.

Two days after Councilman Joe Buscaino was sworn into office as the Harbor Area's representative on the Los Angeles City Council, the San Pedro Politics site -- a closed Facebook group page -- is giving him heat on what they're saying is a "flip flop" on a promise to remove downtown's parking meters.

The proposal to take out the unpopular meters actually was introduced by Buscaino's predecessor, Janice Hahn. Last we heard, it was still languishing somewhere inside city hall where transportation officials were studying it.

Buscaino supported the measure but since being sworn in has said one of his early goals is to lower the meter rates.

Not good enough, say some downtown merchants and boosters. Wrote one person:

Sorry, but the merchants I talked to today do not find Joe Buscaino's proposal to lower parking to 50 cents acceptable. They want the meters out and the two-hour limit strictly enforced. Best December in years under those conditions. Might just work for the long term.

By the way, it might be good to let Joe Buscaino know how you feel about his flip flop on the parking issue. Most effective means is by telephone. The numbers are: Downtown City Hall (213)473-7015
Harbor District Office (310) 732-4515

So is Buscaino's honeymoon over? Already?

We're awaiting the response from the council office and will post it when we have it.

Our questions: Will city officials really allow the meters to be completely removed? Won't other smaller communities in the sprawling metropolis then only demand the same? What are the chances of a parking structure being built anytime soon to relieve some of the pressure anticipated with the coming waterfront developments and the arrival of the USS Iowa?   

Meter rates in downtown San Pedro spiked in 2009 as part of a citywide budget measure, increasing the hourly rates from 25 cents to $1. It's been a thorn in the side of merchants and customers alike ever since.

Democrat Janice Hahn, (D-San Pedro), released this statement today:

"I was pleased the President addressed the end of the Iraq war and how we should use that money to invest here at home. The President did an excellent job of describing an American economy that provides equal opportunity while asking for shared responsibility. As he explained, an economy in which a few reap vast wealth while everyone else struggles isn't a country built to last.

"The President also reminded Congress that we have to work together to get things done. I had the pleasure of sitting with my Republican friend Ted Poe last night. Together we have started the bipartisan PORTS caucus which will advocate for safer and more economically vibrant ports which are crucial to creating jobs here in San Pedro and across the country."

Republican Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) had this perspective:

"The American people should be disappointed that instead of conducting a serious discussion with the nation, President Obama instead demonstrated his political agility by taking a stand on both sides of every major issue.

"He profusely praised the military yet he is the strongest advocate for cutting the military. He pledged himself to an 'all of the above' policy to make America energy independent but just a few days ago nixed the Keystone Pipeline, one of the country's most important energy projects. He bragged about bailouts early in the speech and by the end of the speech proclaimed there should be no more bailouts. He puffed out his chest on Iran yet was demonstrably absent when not too long ago the Iranian people marched for democracy in the streets of Tehran.

"The fact the president's speech was filled with new agenda items is certainly reason for skepticism. Although he'd like us to, we should not forget, in his first two years as President, the Democrat party controlled both houses of Congress when he could have enacted any of the agenda items he advocated this evening. Yet he chooses to skirt responsibility and place blame everywhere else but on himself for his policy failures.

"Perhaps most disturbing was the President's attempt to pit Americans against each other along economic lines. President Obama has put the American people $5 trillion more in debt even while there's been a shameless enrichment of political cronies under this administration. It's enough to make Ulysses S. Grant blush.

"This speech was a missed opportunity. The country needs leadership and statesmanship and tonight we got political posturing."

Rancho Palos Verdes officials are warning motorists that road work is expected to cause "significant" traffic delays on Palos Verdes Drive South near Schooner and Conqueror drives from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

Motorists are encouraged to use alternate travel routes.