A Post First Published on One of My Other Blogs

I did promise with my last post at www.sanpedroissuestoponder.blogspot.com, that I would not mention you know what, you know where, and the fact that you know what presented by you know who, has seen its run extended.

Sure, I could mention to folks reading this earlier on Sunday, than 2:00 PM, but I wrote this post to let folks know what they witnessed at the very beginning of last night's Intermission, you know where.Ray, Kara, Bob, the 'you know where' House Staff and myself know a fellow who visits the Warner Grand Theater on a very regular basis to try and find paying work there.

This gentleman is also known in the local area and he has some difficulties dealing with some issues, including reality.

Our acquaintance was told to leave a bar local to the Warner Grand area as he was causing problems.

Local security guards on patrol were summoned to assist in the removal of the fellow, from the bar.

The bar patron left the bar before the security arrived and he then went to disturb and misdirect traffic from the middle of Sixth Street.

He may have known that the security guards were looking for him because during the first act of you know what at you know where, he slipped into the audience while attempting to hide from security and others.

Before the Intermission began, the person provided some disturbance to some audience members while security guards were looking for him and came into the theater, where he was located.

Just after I put up the "Intermission" (10 Minutes) slide, the security guards found the fellow and began attempting to extract him from the theater.

At that point, the guy did not need to have a wireless microphone on his person because his tantrum, shouting, and unruliness could be heard by everyone in the Orchestra Section, the Balcony, the Foyer and probably the basement areas of the you know where.

He shouted loudly that 'they' were hurting his finger while the guards were trying to get hold of the fellow.

As the person continued shouting, their was an audience member who witnessed everything going on and commented to the fellow that 'they' weren't even touching his finger.

The female audience member described, in detail, the events of the extraction of the drunk and disorderly human, and I took every word she said as the real truth.

It just so happens that I purchased two tickets to that particular performance for the woman and her husband as a gift for their 19th wedding anniversary that occurred on February 10.

The husband knows quite a bit about activities of live theater because for two decades he was the Stage Crew Teacher at San Pedro High School, a very close friend since 1973, and my brother-in-law.

Ruth Buono, my sister, gave me an account of things I could only witness from the balcony of you know where as I was changing tapes on two video cameras during most of the Intermission.

Now you know I couldn't end this post with reminding folks about you know what, you know where, by you know who. So here goes.......

Please click over the image to enlarge it.

New Production in San Pedro

This off-Broadway smash hit opens at the Warner Grand Theater on Friday February 13, 2009 and runs for just two weekends.

Presented by The Relevant Stage Theatre Company: www.therelevantstage.com, the troop of three actors, three actresses, two musicians, and a crew of remarkable folks brings this musical comedy to life with what promises to be an enjoyable evening for theater goers.

There are laughs throughout the evening's entertainment and even a bit of issues to ponder regarding relationships between men and women.

The Relevant Stage Theatre Company is beginning its second season and is starting out 2009 with a production that is timely, funny, and very entertaining.

Please come see, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"!

Tickets are very reasonably priced for an evening of enjoyment. A seasons worth of tickets is just $10.00 per show, if bought as a package.

There are discounts for seniors and students and there are even packages that combine a night at the theater with food and wine at a local hot spot.

When you visit the Relevant Stage's Web site, you will learn of upcoming productions including a popular work by Upton Sinclair based on the turmoils that occurred at San Pedro's own Liberty Hill.

For "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" you can purchase tickets online or at the door with cash. Sorry, no credit cards taken at the door.See you at the historic Warner Grand Theater!
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Publisher's note:The answer to the question posed in an earlier post regarding the newest member of The Relevant Stage Theatre Company is........me.

I have been involved in some forms of the entertainment industry since I was about three years old.
It was always my wish that after I did many of the things I accomplished earlier in my life, I would try my best to get back into the theater. I am taking this opportunity to remember from my past and work with other to help provide OUR community with another great performance group.

It is also my hope that all the theatre companies thrive in OUR community.

We should all support The Relevant Stage, Little Fish Theatre Company, Shakespeare By The Sea, Music By The Sea, the Warner Grand Vision Foundation, Alva's Music and Dance productions, and all the arts in OUR community.

We have a real opportunity to bring the best to our local area and that brings in folks from all over the Los Angeles area to attend performances, eat at local restaurants, and learn about our local businesses.

I think we all help downtown San Pedro and the rest of OUR community when we support the arts throughout San Pedro and the peninsula.

Ponte Vista Tries to Build Support

Here is an article from the Tuesday February 10 edition of The Daily Breeze.

Ponte Vista tries to build support

Facilitator offers stakeholders a chance to see new plans and voice their concerns.
By Donna Littlejohn, Staff Writer

With former frontman Bob Bisno now out of the picture, developers of the controversial Ponte Vista housing project in San Pedro this week are relaunching efforts to strike a community compromise.

A series of private meetings with more than 60 stakeholders will begin today with Jim Oswald, a facilitator who has been hired by the developers to get the project back on track in time for a Los Angeles Planning Commission hearing on April 9.

A community open house to unveil project plans, expected to be scaled back from the 1,950 homes currently proposed, is tentatively scheduled for 4to8p.m. March 12 at Peck Park Community Center.

"I think it's fair to say we know it's going to be a smaller project," said Tim McOsker, who is serving as an adviser to the developer.

Oswald said he has a "cursory" knowledge of the development and intends mostly to listen to those he interviews.

"I'm going out on behalf of the developer to talk to the community and find out more about what the specific concerns are and what the developer needs to do to make changes," Oswald said.

The private meetings -- with individuals or small groups -- will continue through February and possibly into early March.

Among those to be interviewed today is John Greenwood, who served as the chairman of the Ponte Vista Community Advisory Committee appointed by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

"They have to start over with a new application,"Greenwood said, calling the earlier application "fatally flawed."

Oswald said he anticipates traffic on Western Avenue and housing density to be the key issues raised in his sessions.

Los Angeles city planners recommended that 775 to 1,200 condominiums should be built on the site.

While many opponents remain staunch supporters of holding the line at the site's current single-family home zoning -- limiting the number of homes to just over 500 -- Hahn said she's supportive of the city's recommendations.

"That's a lot more than what some people would like to see there, but it's over 50 percent less than what was originally proposed," Hahn said.

Hahn said the developers appear willing to "go through a process of listening to the community and starting over to design a project that San Pedro can be proud of."

Developers, however, have indicated they believe the existing environmental report should still be usable.

Hahn said she's requesting a list of people the developer wants to meet with to ensure a broad spectrum is included.

"I just want to make sure they handpick people from all viewpoints," Hahn said.

"One of the things I stressed to Jim Oswald was that he was coming into a very sophisticated community. This is a community that has spent a lot of time studying this project."

Participants have been selected largely by Ponte Vista spokeswoman Elise Swanson, and come from neighborhood councils, the community advisory committee and other stakeholders.

The 30- to 45-minute interviews will include some formal questions, Oswald said, but also some open-ended discussion.

Oswald said his goal is to identify what most of the concerns are and where the developer can make changes to better satisfy those concerns.

"I'm not going in with an agenda," Oswald said. "My agenda is their (the community's) agenda."

Whether a consensus is possible, though, remains to be seen."A lobbyist's dream is to be able to go to the City Council and Planning Commission and say everybody likes our project," said Ponte Vista spokesman Steve Arr.

"I'm probably not going to be able to say that."In the end, he said, "We'll probably have new supporters and new opponents."

Hahn said the project, first proposed in 2006, fell off course when the developer failed to listen to community concerns during the process in which a formal advisory committee tried to work toward a solution.

"They met for a year and it was a good group of people," Hahn said. "They were really open-minded and sat down with Bob Bisno for what was really to be a give-and-take. But that never happened."Bisno finally agreed to lower housing numbers, but only from 2,300 to 1,950.

"That was the point when it went bad," Hahn said of the process. "That that group had been so disrespected that he came down only a couple hundred units was an insult.

At that point the community lost trust. Bisno was ousted from the project's development team in December.

But the same core developer -- DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, a subsidiary of Credit Suisse -- remains in place.

The poor economy in some ways is an asset, developers said, noting that by the time anything is ready to be built the nation's financial picture should be better.

donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
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I have been given some information that Mr. Oswald seems to be a fair person, willing to listen to all sides. This is encouraging, finally.

I do feel that all the 'formal question' Mr. Oswald poses should be placed on the Ponte Vista Web site, Your Ponte Vista.com, on my blog so the largest number of stakeholders have a chance to respond to those questions.

60 interviews out of a great number of residents of San Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, Harbor City, Lomita, Wilmington, and other communities seem like too small of a number, in my opinion.

I would also like to see Ms. Swanson offer a way for any and all of us to write our opinions that could be forwarded to Mr. Oswald.

Ms. Swanson already has a copy of my 'dream' proposal for the Ponte Vista at San Pedro site and there really should be thousands of 'dream' proposals that Mr. Oswald and the Outreach Team can review.

I still contend that there are no longer 'supporters' and 'opponents' regarding Ponte Vista. We all get a do-over where we should be able to voice our own ideas, without being placed into a category.

The one thing that really needs to be accomplished soon is the removal from consideration of the current application and that there is no reasonable way to amend that application to find approval of anything that may come out of Mr. Oswald's interviews and future plans.

OUR community and the Ponte Vista at San Pedro team have the opportunity to start from scratch and find ways to provide the best new project for OUR community.Let's work with everyone to achieve that result.

Marymount Expansion Project News

Welcome new readers.

I am going to provide a temporary source for information and comments regarding the Marymount College Expansion Project with specific regards to Concerned Citizens' Coalition/Marymount Expansion (CCC/ME) while they work on establishing their own Web site.

This blog will offer information and I will be most glad to answer any and all questions anyone has about the Project, CCC/ME and how we are all connected together in Rancho Palos Verdes.

If you have a specific question, please Email me at: mrichards2@hotmail.com or write a comment to any post and if I don't know the answer, I will ask individuals who I know have the answers to your questions.

There are thousands of residents of Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, and other communities who are interested in or concerned about the Marymount College Expansion Project.

Everyone who uses Western Avenue should be interested in learning about the Proposed Project.

The city of Rancho Palos Verdes, on their Web site: http://palosverdes.com/rpv/ has a large amount of information about the Project.

You can click onto the "Current Topics & Projects" link and scroll down to "Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project to access a wealth of information.

CCC/ME is the largest group of residents organized to oppose the construction of on-campus housing for students and also opposes the construction of a large Athletic complex that has been shown to be problematic in many ways.

Please check back to this blog from time to time to learn more about the Expansion Project what CCC/ME feels you may want to know.

Information to Pass Along Regarding the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project

Here are some facts you may find interesting that I have recently collected regarding the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project.

First, here are two aerial illustrations of the Marymount College site.

The first is what the site looks like today. Please click over the image to enlarge it for better viewing.

The second illustration is an overhead view of the conceptual illustration of the Expansion Project as supported by Marymount College officials and supporters.

Click over image to enlarge.

Currently the College has approximately 658 students, with 99% of the student body being full-time students. This fact is quite different than most junior colleges around the country.

The maximum number of students allowed at the campus is currently 793 students.

The College is a private institution and is not part of the Los Angeles Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church.

An original permit was granted for the construction of on-campus student housing in 1978. Since that time the permit was simply extended four more times.

When the original permit for on-campus housing was approved, a condition was imposed that stated that nuns would be the supervisors of the on-campus housing during the time it was an all-female junior college.

The current Preferred Project calls for two buildings for on-campus student housing to be constructed for a total population of 250 students and 5 supervisory persons.

To have the Project built out as proposed, there would need to be a number of variances approved of to municipal code that currently exists.

The number of parking spaces proposed for the Preferred Project would see a fewer number of parking spaces than the Rancho Palos Verdes City Parking Codes demand.

The next meeting of the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission to continue the hearing on the Marymount College Facilities Project is scheduled for March 10, 2009.

If the Planning Commission does not vote to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report or fails to vote on the variances called for in the Project's documentation, they may vote to approve or disapprove the project at their meeting in April.

It is expected, according to the Rancho Palos Verdes Staff person managing the Project that it would take another month to write up all the resolutions and other paperwork necessary for the Planning Commission to send the matter to the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council.

There is some expectation that the Planning Commission will finally be done dealing with the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project during it May meeting, if they do not hold special meetings in the interim period to get all the measures done with.

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will then take up the issues.

Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Larry Clark is recusing himself from the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project because he resides within an area that is very close to the campus.

Dr. Peter Gardiner, a member of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council is making progress on recovering from a long illness and it is hoped he will participate in the discussions, debates, and votes on the matters.

If Dr. Gardiner is not able to participate, only three of the five members of the City Council will be able to vote on the matters.

Three voting members is the minimum number of Council Members who can decide the fate of the Project.

More information about the Project will be provided in forthcoming posts.

Anyone is invited to submit a post of their own to be published on this blog. All one needs to do is Email me you contribution of a post to the address at the top of this blog.

Everyone is also encouraged to discuss and debate the issues by making comments to any of the posts viewed on this blog.

Thank you.

A Community Celebration of Black Heritage Month

History in the Making

A Community Celebration of Black Heritage Month

2:00 PM Sunday / February 8

Warner Grand Theatre

(a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs)

478 W. Sixth St. / San Pedro, CA 90731

(corner of Pacific and 6th)

Admission: F R E E

Speakers & Performers Include:

California State Senator Rod Wright, 25th District

California State Assemblyman Isadore Hall III, 52nd District

The Luminaries

The SGI Taiko Drummers

Raymond Lee Parker Quintet

The Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Choir

Gloria Lockhart, President Toberman Neighborhood Center

Ms. Gill's Fifth Grade Class at Marcus Garvey School

Lindsey Mixon, David Meinke and Jeanette-Louise Yaryan from the cast of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"

California State Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, 54th District

Jerry Quickley, KPFK Radio Host

Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn, 15th District

SPONSORS:

Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council

San Pedro Democratic Club

Peninsula Harbor Republican Club

The Relevant Stage Theatre Company

Random Lengths News

Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

Click over image to enlarge

Normally we have to wait until the Summer to enjoy live theater in San Pedro on a large scale.

The Relevant Stage Theatre Company is changing that up a bit with a free performance for everyone aged 55 years or older to the Company's newest productions.

Reservations are required and all one has to do is drop the Theatre Company and Email at:info@therelevantstage.com and then plan on having a wonderful afternoon being entertained, informed, and social.

Paid performances begin on later on the evening of Friday February 13, 2009.

For information and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.therelevantstage.com/.

"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change was an off-Broadway hit for years.

The Relevant Stage Theatre Company adds yet another fine Company of actors, technicians, entertainers, and socially conscious folks joining with our own great Little Fish Theatre Company to provide San Pedrans and others with even greater opportunities to gather with other like-minded souls to enjoy wonderful theater experiences in OUR community.

The two Companies, along with Shakespeare By The Sea provide different works in different venues for the pleasure of all who attend.