North Western san pedro neighborhood council meeting

The Northwestern San Pedro Neighborhood Council, Land Use Planning and Public Works Committee held a meeting at Peck Park on Nov. 17. The meeting had discussions involving the new foods with genetically modified organisms testing and labeling state assembly bill that was recently proposed by state legislatures and how to solve leakage at the Rancho LPG  facility.

The new bill involving gmo testing is garnering much attention after its initial attempt on the ballot in 2012 resulted in a failure. This time, the bill has received backing from all state legislatures, except one. That one is our very own Joe Buscaino, who represents district 15 which San Pedro is a part of.

Those in attendance were somewhat perplexed and would like to know why Buscaino voted against the measure that would prohibit the growth and sale of plants or seeds which contain GMO's within the Los Angeles city  limits. According to a LA Times article, Buscaino stated that he thought this type of issue should be dealt with on a federal level and that his job was to assure that things on the streets of his district was taken care of.

“Let’s focus on streets and sidewalks," Buscaino told LA Times. "[The city] is not equipped to investigate or enforce this ordinance.”

The Rancho LPG  facility  came up again, as those at the meeting discussed the multiple leaks and minor accidents that have occurred  during the 42 years that residents have been fighting the facility's existence and location. Everyone also, with an astonished look wondered how they miraculously haven't been of a higher magnitude.

A lot has been done locally to contest the facility, such as letters from neighboring residents and organizations like Earth Justice, to the Environmental Protection Agency, the mayor  and city attorney. The council would love for the youth to become involved in the battle as well, giving the people any extra edge that it can get.

Once again, Buscaino says that this issue should be deferred to a federal level  and that there is nothing he can do about it. Still, this issue remains highly imminent  due to assumptions that the Pacific Rail line which is involved in a lot of transportations from the facility doesn't have enough insurance to cover a major accident.

These issues will be delved into more deeply at the Board and Stakeholders meeting on Dec. 9.

Visit www.nwsanpedro.org for more details, agendas and minutes from previous meetings.

Small Neighborhood Council Meeting Looking to do Big Things

The Northwestern San Pedro Neighborhood  Council Issues Committee is hosting a meeting Nov. 10 at Peck Park to discuss Mayor Eric Garcetti’s minimum wage proposal.
The committee hosted a similar meeting Oct. 22, where meeting focussed on the proposal, voter turnout in Los Angeles, various street repairs and alterations, truck's routes to the freeway from the Rancho LPG facility and the agendas for the two subsequent meetings.
Committee members are hoping for representatives from the mayor's office and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce  be present with open ears. The people most affected by the proposal are employees collecting minimum wage and the small business owners who will be paying it.
Another issue that was discussed was the low voter turnout here in Los Angeles. The city is thinking about aligning city elections with state and federal elections for convenience. The city is also proposing that the Los Angeles Unified School District host its elections simultaneously. The council also discussed the issue at an Oct. 29 meeting at the San Pedro City Hall building. 
Traffic 
One man in attendance commended the city's effort in filling potholes on north Gaffey Street. But, the bike lanes definitely hit the wrong way with a lot in the community.
Community members were displeased with the city not keeping the community aware and involved road diet and bike lane installations.  They were largely resigned to the fact that the bike lanes aren't going anywhere. They aid that more could have been done to ease traffic congestion. The council will try and take the issue to the Department of Transportation, which is responsible for implementing the lanes.
         In relation to slowing traffic down, the city is thinking about putting speed bumps throughout the city. Those who were in attendance seemed to have contrasting views, but one thing everybody agreed on is that traffic will slow down throughout the city. Emergency responders will have a tougher time maneuvering through traffic and these bumps have negative impacts on a vehicle's gas mileage because of how slow it will travel and how often the vehicle's brakes are used.
People in support of the speed bumps though, say that slowing traffic down is exactly the goal trying to be achieved in order to reduce accidents. Moreover, the question of, “How will everything involved in the bumps implementation be paid for?” remains. This subject will also be talked about more thoroughly at the Nov. 10 meeting.
Rancho  LPG 
The Rancho LPG  facility tanks and the transportation of liquefied natural gas to and from the facility was the last item on the agenda. Those in attendance expressed that they would like the trucks to use  the Anaheim or Pacific Coast Highway entrances instead of the Channel Street onramp, arguing that Channel Street was too narrow for truck traffic.
For more details vist http://nwsanpedro.org

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Grand Opening of Peck Park Skatepark

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Grand Opening of Peck Park Skatepark

    Skaters, elected officials and community members celebrated the opening of San Pedro’s new skatepark with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 15.
Skaters have already been enjoying the Peck Park skatepark since its completion, squeezing through or climbing over the surrounding fence. This pushed the city to open the skatepark earlier than they had initially planned.
    The $850,000 skatepark, was built to take the place of the Channel Street skatepark, which was closed ahead of pending expansion of the 110 Freeway overhead. Peck Park’s is the 24th skatepark to open in Los Angeles, with five more under construction. Channel Street skatepark founder and instrumental player in making the Peck Park skatepark happen, Andy Harris, was able to puff out his chest with an extra sense of pride at the ceremony.
    “Parks like this don’t get built in every city,” Harris said. “And, this park here is top notch, world class. You’ve got yourself a tourist attraction here.”
    The new skatepark looked like a very large swimming pool without water. Within it, there was a smaller about 7-feet deep bowl. Some skated the new bowl while others just relaxed and enjoyed the scene.
     “To see the excitement, the energy, to see kids young and old enjoying their new skatepark is incredible,” Councilman Joe Buscaino said.
    Buscaino thanked San Pedro for supporting the building of the skatepark, despite some of the negative stigma connected to skaters.
“Skateboarding has had a lot of ups and downs in its popularity and how it’s viewed by our culture,” Buscaino said. “Skaters have often been vilified and called anarchists… Well... today, in San Pedro, we welcome the skateboard community.
“Whether you call skateboarding a sport, or your art, or you don’t call it anything at all, we’re here today because there’s enough people that said yes to skateboarding in San Pedro.”
Buscaino pleaded with skaters to help take care of the park and to report others that would vandalize it with graffiti. In addition, Harris and his team pledged to keep the skate park free of graffiti using the paint supplies provided by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks.