I wrote at the end of December that San Pedrans should prepare for a rough 2026, and here we are, in March, and we’ve already lost four institutions.
The first was The Bike Palace, in the 1600 block of Pacific Avenue, consumed by fire on December 23. Opened in 1973 by San Pedro luminary Matty Domancich, The Bike Palace, along with the nearby King’s Bicycle Store, was the go-to place for all things bicycle-oriented.
The second institution was El Taco, the fast-food eatery that’s been on the corner of Ninth and Pacific since 1958, which closed its doors for good at the end of the year. I can’t personally vouch for the food (my high school hangout was the Taco Bell at Crestwood and Western). Still, El Taco was a mainstay for generations of San Pedrans craving something quick and spicy or just satisfying a case of the munchies.
The third loss was Danny Bondon, an institution in San Pedro’s sports history. Bondon, a classmate of mine at Dodson and San Pedro High’s class of W‘69, died in December at the age of 75. Bondon was one of the Pirates’ all-time stars in football and baseball; the San Francisco Giants took him 17th in the first round of the 1969 draft. His catch of a pass from Dave Garasic to beat Carson in a 1968 game at El Camino Stadium is a part of San Pedro High gridiron lore.
And January ended with another devastating fire, this time consuming the long-abandoned Union Baptist Missionary Church building at First and Harbor Boulevard. One of San Pedro’s oldest structures, probably built more than a century ago, it was once the home of San Pedro pioneer William S. Savage (1840-1930). A Civil War veteran, the Irish-born Savage became an attorney and served in the California Assembly and Senate.
Enough with the bad news. There are still many good things to read about San Pedro as I continue my exhaustive list of literature about our town, its people, and its history.
SPORTS
The Upset by Leonard “Pokey” Olguin. Story of San Pedro High’s 1962 football game against rival Banning.
Once a Pirate Always a Pirate: Legends of the San Pedro Rats by Lefty Olguin. A sports memoir by one of San Pedro’s best-known athletes (and Pokey’s cousin).
The Boys of `62: The Inspiring Story of the San Pedro Little League Champions by Tim Ursich.
Football in the South Bay by Don Lechman. Every school, every team.
Hit the Line: 100 Years of San Pedro High Football by Sam Domancich. Matty’s younger brother, an educator and columnist, published this in 2006.
A Diamond Dynasty: Four Decades of History of the 17-Time CIF-Los Angeles City Section Champion San Pedro High School Softball Program by Jamaal K. Street.
Mexican American Baseball in the South Bay, edited by Fermin Lasuen grad Ron Gonzales and Richard A. Santillan.
Baseball’s Unlikely: A Constant, Game 1 by Scott Parker. A second volume, Game 2, is now available on Amazon.
Thin Ice on the Gridiron by Nick Trani. Famed coach writes about the “miraculous” 1960 Mary Star High football team.
Thru the Tunnel by former USC quarterback Paul McDonald and San Pedro filmmaker Jack Baric.
Turning of the Tide: How One Game Changed the South by Don Yaeger, with Sam Cunningham and John Papadakis. The epic story of USC’s 1970 victory over Alabama.
NOVELS
A New Day Yesterday by Peter Adum. San Pedro High graduate’s “American Graffiti” story set during the last week of old Beacon Street in 1973.
All Involved by Ryan Gattis. San Pedrans live and die during 1992’s Los Angeles riots.
Theresa’s Blessings by David G. Freligh. Historical drama based on family stories of the San Pedro High graduate.
Harbor Nocturne by Joseph Wambaugh. Best-selling author sets crime story in the underbelly of San Pedro.
They Call It the City of Angels by Joshua A. Triliegi. First novel by San Pedro resident, founder of Bureau of Arts and Culture Magazine.
The Breaking: Book One of the Abram Trilogy by Peter Churness. San Pedro-born minister envisions life before biblical patriarch became Abraham.
A Poppy in Remembrance by Michelle Ule. WWI-era romance by prolific San Pedro High grad.
The Property by Cynthia Engh McCoy. Rancho Palos Verdes resident’s first novel is a mystery-romance set in the 1940s.
Terminal Island: A Jack Liffey Mystery by John Shannon. Famous fictional private eye reaches the Harbor Area.
Still to come: History, Biography, and Anthology. spt
San Pedro native Steve Marconi began writing about his hometown after graduating from high school in 1969. After a career as a sportswriter, he was a copy editor and columnist for the News-Pilot and Daily Breeze for 20 years before joining the L.A. Times. He has been writing monthly for San Pedro magazines since 2005, and in 2018 became a registered longshoreman. Marconi can be reached at spmarconi@yahoo.com.
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