We’ve all lost something in this pandemic: family and friends, jobs, the lockdown of restaurants, stores, churches, and other meeting places, no proms or graduations, the list goes on and on.

At a time when we most need a diversion from all the misery and discomfort — and our brains are fried from binge-watching Netflix — we realize how big a role sports plays in our collective consciousness.  

The closure of public and private schools, and the consequent loss of organized sports, has affected nearly everyone in one way or another. San Pedro High sporting events have been a regular part of many families’ schedules for more than a century. Athletics are every bit as important for those who are part of the Mary Star-Fermin Lasuen tradition. Harbor College has been a large part of the local sports scene for more than 70 years. The YMCA swim program, AYSO and Little League and all the other youth sports keep kids and parents busy year-round.

Until this year.

And sadly, there is no escape to be found in college or pro sports. As a mostly blue-collar town, San Pedro’s college loyalties are pretty much divided along the USC-UCLA fault line (with some Notre Dame holdouts), but the pandemic has pretty much wiped out this year. San Pedro’s affinity for pro sports goes back a long way — generations of Angelenos grew up listening to Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. For San Pedro, however, it became personal in the `60s when Trani’s Majestic became a stomping ground for L.A. Rams players and in the `70s when Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda would hold court there over a plate of linguine and clams. In the `80s, the Raiders gained an entirely new fan base by moving to Los Angeles. The San Pedro Sportswalk tapped into that enthusiasm, honoring athletic heroes of all stripes with plaques lining downtown sidewalks.

One wonders, however, how well the NBA, MLB, and NFL will weather the pandemic, with reduced schedules, the inability of fans to attend games, and the fact that in the eyes of many, the pro game has been poisoned by politicization.

Most keenly felt by all, however, is the shutdown of schools. You can Zoom education, but not high school sports.

Lefty Olguin, the founder of the San Pedro High Athletic Hall of Fame, has a unique perspective on 2020. He compares it to the WWII years when thousands of high school kids across the country quit school to enlist. High school athletics continued, but, minus most of the seniors, not on the same level. College sports were equally affected.  

The difference, of course, is that when the war ended, many of the young servicemen were allowed to return to high school and finish their academic and athletic careers.

Olguin, a former community college athletic director, believes the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic will be what used to be called junior colleges. With college athletes being given an extra year of eligibility, many high school athletes, even those highly recruited, will opt for community college because they’ll have improved chances of playing. He also sees that influx of quality athletes leveling the JC playing field, where the financial haves (El Camino) have dominated the financial have-nots (Harbor College).

Olguin also has a solution for the loss of athletes’ senior years, when so many get to showcase their skills for college scouts. Olguin would like to see high school graduates get to participate in something akin to the NFL’s pro day for those planning to enter the draft. Tim Ursich concurs with his old teammate concerning community colleges but sees a potential problem. Ursich, who started the spring as Mary Star baseball coach alongside Bobby Ramirez, said that without opportunities at D1 and D2 schools, “That rush of players would now impact the JC baseball programs (and other sports), and my guess is that they will become saturated so that the players that would otherwise be quality players at a JC would likely be cut and their careers come to an end.”

On the other hand, Ursich notes, with the reduction of the Major League draft from 40 rounds to five, “Those undrafted players have to go somewhere, and JCs are the logical endpoint.”

Both San Pedro High and Mary Star had championship aspirations in baseball this past spring, making the loss of the seasons even more painful. Olguin stressed, however, that the important thing for athletes and parents alike to keep in mind is that staying healthy takes precedence over everything else, including athletic careers.

“The community is in a depression for many reasons,” Ursich said, “but for the moment let’s stick with the pandemic. Sports have always driven the social schedule, especially here in San Pedro. Take it away for whatever reason, and you cut the heart out of the community.

“My fear is that removing sports will do more than depress the community. I fear kids, without the team concept, self- and team-discipline, could venture off into negative environments, lose focus and community interaction, lose drive and motivation, and become statistics.

“But I believe this community, more than any I have ever seen, is resilient and will recover. At what cost…that remains to be seen. This is a new experience for all of us, and there is no precedent to establish right or wrong in decision making. We need to hold together as a community, fight for our kids and pray as often as possible for guidance, which, by the way, is what San Pedrans have always done.”  spt

“Make change your friend, and you will have a friend for life.” Duffy Nelson

We’ve had some transitions in the faith community of San Pedro, so I’ll take a few months to introduce you to some of our newer leaders. This month, let’s welcome Rabbi Cassi Kail.

Pastor Nathan Hoff: Rabbi Cassi Kail, welcome to San Pedro and the South Bay! I’m especially glad that you have come since we are immediate neighbors across from one another on 7th Street near Weymouth Corners. When did you arrive at Temple Beth El and can you give some initial impressions of San Pedro?

Rabbi Cassi Kail: Thank you so much, Pastor Hoff, for inviting me to be a part of this article. I moved from New York to California this past July [2019], and the transition has been wonderful.  San Pedro makes me feel at home because it is so wonderfully diverse. In some ways, it feels like a small town; everyone seems to know one another. In others, it is bursting with cultural venues and entertainment.

Pastor: Can you share some of the Temple Beth El’s story with the SPT readers?

Rabbi: Temple Beth El (TBE) is one of the oldest Reform temples in Los Angeles. It began in 1922 when a few Jewish families came together to pray. The San Pedro Jewish Sisterhood began a year later, providing opportunities for socializing, serving people who were needy, and even acquiring the Temple’s first Torah scroll. From its humble beginnings, TBE was filled [with] people committed to foster[ing] a meaningful relationship. From its first Temple building on Cabrillo to its current home on Seventh Street, TBE has always been proud of its San Pedro roots. Under the leadership of phenomenal clergy, such as Rabbi Lieb, Rabbi Briskin, Cantor Davidson, and remarkable lay leaders, TBE has worked to develop strong bonds with religious neighbors and a myriad of organizations doing holy work in the region.

Pastor: Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Family? Your own call to serve as a rabbi?

Rabbi: I’ve known I wanted to [be] a rabbi since I was a teenager. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where I was blessed to fall in love with Torah, Jewish music, social justice, and — most importantly — the Jewish people. Now I’m fortunate enough to have a career that encompasses all of these passions. I’m grateful to be on this journey with my husband, Joshua, and our two wonderful children. 

Pastor: Give us a glimpse of a day in the life of a rabbi.

Rabbi: The blessing and challenge of being a rabbi is that every day is unique. I’m humbled to sit with people at moments of grief, illness and loss, and moments of new beginnings and great joy. I have the privilege of teaching Torah to people of all ages, leading a community in worship, and working with a phenomenal staff and lay leaders to create meaningful programs, opportunities [for] social justice work, and holiday celebrations. Most of all, I see my work as creating sacred connections.

Pastor: The Prophet Jeremiah wrote long ago, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29.7) When you think and dream about the peace and prosperity of San Pedro, what does that look like?

Rabbi: I believe that San Pedro’s greatest asset is its people. I have met some of the most generous, kind, intelligent people who truly care for our community. Given how polarized our world currently is, I dream about a San Pedro in which we don’t avoid talking about religion and politics, but rather we honestly and respectfully open ourselves up to one another’s truths. Given the huge homeless population, I pray that when we look into the eyes of a stranger, we see a sacred being deserving of dignity and respect. A prosperous San Pedro is one in which all residents have roofs over their heads and food in their stomachs. spt

More information about Temple Beth El can be found at bethelsp.org.

Early on a Sunday morning, Steve Gebhart, San Pedro High School’s new principal, is working to prepare for the first virtual school year. He has only been at the school for a few weeks, but his communication with the Pirate stakeholders out of the gate is informative, timely, and upbeat, just as he is as I interview him by phone.

I first became acquainted with Gebhart when I served as a volunteer for five years on the School Site Council at Dana Middle School when he was principal there. It was during that time that I learned that he valued a trauma-informed approach in leadership and operation at the school. It created an environment of support and understanding where students and staff could thrive. I saw firsthand how he put students first, had an open-door policy for anybody, treated people with respect, and made sure school communications were prompt and accurate. As a parent of two San Pedro High School students, there couldn’t be a better time to have strong leadership and reliable communication as the school embarks on virtual learning and a major construction project on campus.

Gebhart, a father of five and a San Pedro resident, taught at Gardenia High as a second career. He then became an English teacher at SPHS for eight years and later department chair and instructional coach serving on various committees. He was promoted to assistant principal at Los Angeles High School and most recently the principal at Dana Middle School for the last six years. 

Just a few days prior to our interview, Gebhart held his first SPHS Town Hall meeting via Zoom. He opened the meeting with over 500 attendees by talking about giving each other grace as we start the new school year. His message was a request for parents and students to give teachers a chance as they learn this new teaching platform and for the school to have grace for families as they learn to navigate school at home. 

When asked how families can be prepared for the new virtual year, Gebhart stated, “Regardless of the age of the student, structure is always important and one of the biggest challenges of this virtual format. We used to have clear lines of when we were at school or at home. Home and school life have become blended.” He adds, “Structure can be challenging depending on the home environment, and there is comfort in the routine for all of us. Routine has to be unique for each student. Never forget who your student is and what works for your home.”

The district has created the schedules for the schools to follow and an advisory class has been added as a way for students to check in with a teacher for any questions or concerns.

“For a lot of students, it has been five months since they have been to campus, and their biggest challenge during that time has not been school. For some, they have been stuck in a place where the school was once an escape or whatever it happens to be,” states Gebhart. “SPHS is working to create practices and processes that ensure that kids don’t disengage or are forgotten. The school is also providing social-emotional learning resources for teachers, so they can guide students who need additional services,” he adds.

For the last few years, Mr. Gebhart has stood in front of Dana Middle School every day as the students were leaving for the day. He was always there looking out for the students and knew most students and parents by name. As school starts remotely, Mr. Gebhart will be at San Pedro High School looking out for all the students like he did at Dana, but this time it will be more virtually until school opens up again. More than ever, San Pedro needs leaders like Mr. Gebhart who we count on to always be there for our students, the stakeholders, and the staff. Our local high schools are the cornerstone of the community and create future leaders that can change the world. spt

My goal before the quarantine was to see the ocean daily, usually Cabrillo Beach. I would either take my kayak out or walk by the beach. If I was too busy, I would drive by on the way home. The whole point of living by the ocean, in my opinion, is to enjoy it. Now I am exploring the local coast more intimately and discovering each day brings something new to learn or explore.  Some days, if I have the time, I may see the ocean three times a day now. It is helping me to stay positive and get out of my house when I get buried by work.

I like to swim at Cabrillo Beach especially when the water warms up between August and October, typically. Recently the water at outer Cabrillo Beach dropped from a chilly 62 degrees to 52 degrees in one day. There is a thermometer attached underneath a buoy at the outer beach. Swimming to the buoy is a tradition at Cabrillo Beach all year long, not just during the annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day. One of the local polar bears, a group of people who swim daily at Cabrillo Beach, mostly without wetsuits, had checked the thermometer and confirmed the temperature. 

Two hours after the polar bear read the temperature, the lifeguard posted the temperature at 55 degrees. It is not uncommon for the water temperature to fluctuate during the day depending on currents and other factors. The water temperature is something people are known to debate, as with anything in San Pedro.

I was at Redondo Beach the next day, and the water was almost 70 degrees. The lifeguard at Redondo explained that the beaches in the Santa Monica Bay (Torrance Beach to Santa Monica and all the beaches in between) can experience water temperature 10-15 degrees warmer than Cabrillo Beach at times. 

According to Jim DePompei, Programs Director of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, “The south-facing Cabrillo Beach gets an eddy, which is swirling water currents that can travel long distances before dispatching. The cold-water currents come down from the north where [they mix] with warmer water from the south,” he states. “When the eddy goes beyond Palos Verdes, it spins and curls and cuts into Cabrillo. Our water temperature is always a little cooler than South Bay or Orange County,” adds DePompei. 

According to DePompei, the two different water currents bring species of fish and marine life from both the cold and warm water climates. Cabrillo is unique because there are multiple habitats within walking distance of each other, including a saltwater marsh, tide pools, and mudflats. There are also two different beaches, including a protective inner beach with low wave activity, eelgrass, and a view of the harbor. The outer beach is an open ocean with a view of Catalina Island. There are different animals, birds, algae, and habitats at each of the locations. The tidepools are the beginning of the rocky shore from San Pedro to Rat Beach, which is mostly rocky. 

Cabrillo has many varieties of birds, sand dollar beds, fossils in the rocks, and grunions who lay their eggs in the sand. It is truly a special place that relies on the city and the community to keep it clean. Tidepool etiquette promotes leaving sea life, rocks, and shells alone so others can enjoy them as well. More than ever, we need local leaders who are focused on marine conservation and a community that advocates for the protection of the sea. Ultimately, the birds, dolphins, and marine life will benefit from our efforts. spt

Outdoor dining in the historic core of Downtown San Pedro is something that our town has wanted for many years. Councilman Joe Buscaino has been a driving force of the concept and has worked closely with the Property Owners’ Alliance to develop a program. Though his efforts, the commitment of the Alliance and ironically, the COVID-19 crisis, outdoor dining is here to stay. For the past several months, the Alliance has been working with the City and local businesses to develop several parklets in Downtown San Pedro on 5th, 6th and 7th streets.  

First, two questions: What is the “Alliance?” And what is a “parklet?”  

First answer: The San Pedro Property Owners’ Alliance is also known as a Business Improvement District, a creature of state law formed to provide services to benefit its members. The Alliance members are the downtown property owners, and they collect money from themselves — not city funds — and spend them on essential services to supplement city services, things like safety and security, tourism, and marketing of Downtown San Pedro. The development and promotion of outdoor dining, for example, is one such service that would benefit all members of the Alliance by improving the vitality of Downtown San Pedro.  

Second answer: a parklet is a parking space in a commercial zone that is sectioned off with a safe barrier and built out with a level deck and decorative walls to be used as a sitting and dining area. It is repurposed public space. The idea of parklets is not new. Communities all around us have developed some version of them in the shopping, dining and commercial zones of their cities.  

Before we ever heard of COVID-19, the Alliance was working closely with Councilman Buscaino and the City of Los Angeles to develop an outdoor dining program of parklets in Downtown San Pedro. The plans and permits were well in progress and nearly in final stages before COVID-19. 

Then, the pandemic hit. First and foremost, we are in the midst of a health crisis. But our response to the health crisis — our efforts to control further outbreak and spread — creates an unprecedented economic crisis. At the center of the economic crisis are small, family-owned businesses, restaurants and shops that are tenants of locally-owned properties, all of whom employ our neighbors and friends and keep our economy going. 

In this COVID-19 economic environment, parts of the original outdoor dining program that the City had planned were not feasible, at least not in the short run. Earlier in the year, with the economy running strong and businesses open for normal operations, it made sense to invest in parklets of a certain design and cost. Once the economy shut down, it became a much more difficult proposition to invest in the proposed designs and construction.  

Initially, all retail and dining were closed. As the economy reopened, we applied strict rules on the numbers and spacing of customers. Those spacing requirements had a significant impact on smaller, local businesses, especially dining establishments. 

That was when Mayor Garcetti introduced an emergency plan called LA Al Fresco. The plan allowed for restaurants to reopen with seating on the sidewalks in front of the business (and maintain access for pedestrians). LA Al Fresco also said that local business associations and community groups could apply for temporary use of the street parking to create parklets for outdoor dining during the remainder of the summer.

The Alliance, in partnership with the councilman, immediately applied for outdoor dining and a parklet plan for multiple spots in and around 5th, 6th and 7th streets. We called it San Pedro Al Fresco, and the application was approved. The plans were redrawn for a quicker buildout, and the Alliance made a commitment to invest in San Pedro Al Fresco through its existing security, tourism and marketing budgets. 

Outdoor dining is a good idea at any time, but it becomes critically important in this pandemic response. Recent studies have shown that activities conducted outdoors are a safer alternative to indoor operations because of the natural breeze and movement of air.  

When the City allows the use of a public right-of-way for dining, it is allowing us to repurpose property and create new dining and leisure space, providing for safe social distancing in the open air and stimulating much-needed economic activity. 

That is why the Alliance is invested in the program. Working with the City, the Alliance looks forward to developing and expanding the outdoor dining opportunities throughout the historic core of San Pedro. While these first parklets are temporary, the hope is to make them a permanent part of the Downtown San Pedro experience. The Alliance encourages everyone to visit Downtown San Pedro and enjoy safe and fun outdoor dining. Come see it. The vitality and success of our downtown will depend upon your responsible participation. As always, be safe and well. spt  

I’ve been told that my views concerning the social unrest currently sweeping the country come from being out of touch because I live in a bubble and am “tone deaf.”

San Pedro is indeed a bubble — thankfully. Where else in the country is there a community of comparable size where so many different ethnicities and cultures live side by side in relative harmony?

But living in a bubble doesn’t mean I exist in a bubble. Putting aside the experiences and personal relationships gained over seven decades of life, I have a computer, the internet, Google, a big-screen TV, a smartphone, a daily newspaper. I’ve traveled. I’m a member of the ILWU, probably the most diverse workforce in the country.   

If I’m “tone deaf,” it’s because I don’t believe what I hear and read from most of the mainstream media and Twitterverse. Neither should you. I know “how the sausage is made,” having worked in the newspaper industry as a reporter and copy editor for more than 32 years. So when I tell you there was “fake news” long before it became a popular catchphrase, it comes from firsthand knowledge.

When I started my journalism career in the early ‘70s, reporting was still objective — just the facts, ma’am, as Joe Friday would say — and opinion was kept to the Op-Ed pages. By the time that career ended at the L.A. Times in 2004, advocacy journalism had taken over, and media reportage was reflecting the reporter’s and editor’s agendas — an agenda that was almost always one-sided.

For instance, what do you know about Black Lives Matter? It’s in the news daily, but are you getting the truth about it from the mainstream media or on social media? In the interest of saving space, I would simply direct you to the Black Lives Matters’ own website (blacklivesmatter.com). Click on About and What We Believe. Make sure and read it all — it speaks for itself.

Truth matters, and it has been said that the first casualty in war is truth. And if you don’t think we’re at war in America today, you’re not paying attention. We are at war with a deadly virus, and the culture war that started in the ‘60s — up to now mostly contained to verbal combat — has broken out into violence on several fronts. Much of it involves the role of law enforcement. Much of it also involves the simple act of saying something that may “offend” someone.

Whatever the issue, from the wearing of masks to the tearing down of statues, you are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts. In a world of 24/7 news, it’s important to keep that in mind whenever you hear an “expert” pontificate on his/her field of knowledge. For every topic currently making headlines, from police brutality to COVID-19, no adage has ever been more relevant than, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” That’s the less politically correct way of describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly how statistics are used — or ignored — to bolster weak arguments.

Consider the use of presentism in an effort to tear down, almost literally, America’s history. If you haven’t heard of presentism — and most people haven’t — it is the historical term for judging past events or people by today’s standards. No one is asked to ignore or overlook the bad in a nation’s history, but it needs to be kept in perspective because attitudes and cultural values change over time. On the microscale, San Pedro has its own sordid past that includes a chapter of the KKK, the internment of Japanese Americans in WWII, and racial tensions and discrimination. But look where we are today.

I blame much of the turmoil our country is currently experiencing on presentism and the widespread acceptance of revisionist history (see 1619 Project). Our public schools and universities have produced at least two generations of Americans with a skewed view of their country, and we’re seeing the natural outgrowth of that today in irrational attacks on almost every aspect of our past. Philosopher George Santayana, who would be appalled at the efforts to eradicate American history from the public square, understood the dangers inherent in that type of behavior. He said more than a hundred years ago, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That’s why I continue my efforts to memorialize San Pedrans who have died in war; why Jews have been so adamant in the wake of the Holocaust that we should never forget.  

Between the lockdowns, protests, rioting and increasingly divisive political atmosphere, the past few months have given us many reasons to be depressed and pessimistic about our nation’s future. But two of my favorite axioms provide a glimmer of hope if taken to heart. In 2007, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, while coordinating military relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, told cynical reporters, “Don’t get stuck on stupid,” a comment even more apropos today. Two thousand years earlier, the Apostle John put it much more profoundly: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” spt

The congregation is gathered at the beginning and commissioned at the conclusion of every Sunday liturgy. After the benediction and closing song, from the back doors, I cry out, “Go in peace and serve the Lord!” They respond, “Thanks be to God!” Then people get prayer for healing and a million other things. They make commitments. They catch up. They do a little business. They hug. They linger. Some take off as quickly as possible. I miss that — all of it. I miss the introverts plotting their getaway. I miss the extroverts who don’t take the extinguished candles and turned off lights and me standing by the security touchpad as hints that it is time for lunch. 

The back doors of the church are holy, like the font and altar and pulpit are holy. All are encounter places where God meets the world. That is why I stand by those doors and cry, “Go in peace and serve the Lord.” Serving the Lord happens on both sides of the stained-glass windows. We worship and give our offerings and our thanksgivings inside. But God is the one doing most of the serving in there. Forgiving sins. Freeing captives. Revealing love. Washing, feeding, and speaking. But when we move outside, it is as if God says, “Now it is your turn.” In our down-to-earth vocations, God resources us to meet real-life needs. Teaching, healing, longshoring, defending, first responding, grandparenting, filmmaking and 80,000 other vocations in San Pedro’s 12 square miles all serve the world in unique ways.

One group that I really miss is a residential recovery group from Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro. Sometimes one or two and sometimes six, they walk up the alley and into the sanctuary, and God serves them the same thing he serves the rest of us — forgiveness. Sometimes it seems like they treasure it more. They have a holy vocation too. They have been called to freedom from addiction for their own sakes and for the sake of the people around them. My favorite preaching compliment came from one of them. 

Usually when I’m standing by those back doors, I get some feedback about my preaching. “Great sermon, pastor.” “I wish my spouse was here; they really needed to hear that.” “Pastor, that was more of a hostage situation than a sermon.” I’m working on tightening up my too-often-too-long messages. Often, I share out of my own vulnerabilities. The Apostle Paul said, “In my weakness, he is strong.” (2 Corinthians 12.9-11) That Sunday, as the congregation was sent out with the “Go in peace and serve the Lord,” one of the recovery folks pulled me aside, winked at me and said, “You’re a drunk too, aren’t you?” I wish I had something more clever to say. But I responded, “Pretty much.” Takes one to know one. 

It isn’t the bottle or the syringe where I’ve looked for salvation. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t looked many other places, drunk with desperation. So, yes, I’m a drunk too. But like the woman at the well, I have tasted from the One who says, “Whoever drinks what I give will never thirst again.” (John 4.14) And I relate to Martin Luther who said, “We are all mere beggars showing other beggars where to find bread.” Or, like the twelfth step in recovery, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Thanks be to God.

If you would like to know more, contact me at nathan@trinitysanpedro.org. If you would like to take a step towards freedom from addiction, visit aa.org. spt