The Long Beach District Weekly

MARCHESE IS RUNNING, BUT NOT HIS MOUTH

Dave Wielenga — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:19:57 +0000

Thomas Marchese, whose candidacy for the 3^rd district’s seat on the Long Beach City Council was reported Friday by LBreport.com, confirmed today that he will oppose incumbent Gary DeLong in next April’s election. But the typically talkative activist rather uncharacteristically declined to say much more.

“I haven’t officially announced, but I will issue a press release soon,” Marchese told The District Weekly in a brief telephone interview this morning. “Friends and I believe this might be the next logical step in my advocacy, and I’m honored and humbled by the individuals who have asked me to do this. I believe our district deserves much better representation than it has been getting.”

Marchese was cited as “Best Whistle-Blower” in The District Weekly’s Best of Long Beach issue last month for the toilet trove of information he flushed out about the sleazy relationships at work among some high-level city officials and politically connected developer Tom Dean while they were negotiating a public-for-private land swap. That story was first reported in The District Weekly.

Marchese, a lifetime resident of Long Beach, is a longtime activist. He is currently vice president of the University Park Estates Homeowners Association and sits on the board of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. His opposition to recent commercial development of land at the intersection of Studebaker and Loynes as a Home Depot and the land swap with Dean have put him at odds with DeLong.

Marchese’s public appearances this week included comment at the Nov. 3 city council meeting, where in the wake of the fatal shooting of Wilson High student Melody Ross he called for greater funding for the Long Beach Police Department. Marchese also testified at the just-concluded meeting of the California Coastal Commission regarding a case in which a landowner had scraped Huntington Beach wetlands of vegetation without permission; Marchese suggests that the case is similar to that which occurred in Long Beach last March, when local developer Sean Hitchcock ravaged a wetlands-area parcel near Studebaker and Loynes.

The other announced candidate in the 3^rd district council race is Terry Jensen.

TO DO: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS RECEPTION

Ellen Griley — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:00:49 +0000

Día de los Muertos Artists’ Reception
Given its comparatively sprawling space and charming backyard, 2nd City Council Art Gallery turns normally quaint art receptions into engaging evenings worthy of a trip for the whole family. The upcoming reception for “Día de los Muertos” is no exception: featuring Cola’s calavera facepainting, an ofrenda workshop with Daniel Martinez and a performance by silky-voiced rocker and John Doe collaborator Lysa Flores (named by Newsweek as “one of 20 young Latinos to watch”), it’s enough to make you forget about the art on the walls. Here’s a tip: don’t.

2nd City Council Art Gallery, 435 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach 90802. 562.901.0997. Sat 7-9pm. 2ndcitycouncil.org.

NOVEMBER 7, 2009

Miles Clements — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:10:31 +0000

Veterans Day Parade: Celebrate our veterans and participate in a Freedom Walk w/our troops. 9am.
VISIT lbveteransdayparade.com for more info.

Neighborhood Cleanup: Help clean up the beach. Materials provided. 9am-Noon.
MEET AT Termino Ave and Ocean Blvd, Long Beach 90803. litterfreelb.org.

Autumn Festival: The arts, cuisines, cultures and marine environments of Asia. 9am-5pm
AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach 90802. 562.590.3100; aquariumofpacific.org.

LB Symphony Orchestra POPS!: Season opener. 8pm.
LONG BEACH ARENA 300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach 90802. lbso.org.

Judah’s Pride: With Los Conejos. 9pm. $5. 21+.
PUKA BAR 710 W Willow St, Long Beach 90806. myspace.com/pukabar.

TO DO: EXTREMELY SORRY

Ellen Griley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:15:09 +0000

Extremely Sorry Screening
There exists a kind of Zen in skateboard videos: the clicks and claps of decks hitting everything in existence is rendered nearly rhythmic, joined by soundtracks compiling your fave indie/underground artists. Flip Skateboards’ Extremely Sorry strays a little in this regard, featuring an entirely original soundtrack by UK producer/DJ Baron (now living in Belmont Shore along with Flip rider and Extremely Sorry director/star Geoff Rowley). The screening will be preceded by a set from Baron, and Flip riders will be in attendance.

The Red Room, 1227 E Fourth St, Long Beach 90802. 562.432.4241. Fri 9pm. volcoment.com/flipsoundtrack.

TO DO: WRITE NOW POETRY SOCIETY

Ellen Griley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:30:48 +0000

Elephant Engine High Dive Revival
Write Now Poetry Society (the non-profit, pro-poetry arts organization co-founded by actress/poet Amber Tamblyn and everywhere woman/poet Mindy Nettifee) breaks in its new digs inside the Immanuel Center for Conscious Living (a repurposed Baptist church that’s among the more gorgeous former places of prayer along Third Street’s Worship Row) with the Elephant Engine High Dive Revival, a powerhouse poetry show featuring city son Derrick Brown, Buddy Wakefield, Anis Modjani, Shira Erlichman and Nettifee herself.

Immanuel Center for Conscious Living, 3215 E Third St, Long Beach 90814. Fri 7:30pm. $5-10. writenowpoets.org.

TO DO: ESPERANZA SPALDING

Sean O'Connell — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:00:38 +0000

Esperanza Spalding
At just 25 years old, bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding has a rich history of performing with jazzbo legends Donald Harrison, Joe Lovano and Stanley Clarke. Few people even attempt to front a band and hold down the bass simultaneously, but Spalding has an effortless poise to her bossa beats, her sweetly-tinged vocals hanging above churning grooves that few artists can rival. With a host of upcoming high-profile appearances (Carnegie Hall!), Spalding is slated to conquer the world with just four strings and a set of pipes.

Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa 92626. 714.556.2787. Fri-Sat 7:30 & 9:30pm. $43. ocpac.org.

PREPARE FOR A VERY MOVIE-ING EXPERIENCE AT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Dave Wielenga — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:16:55 +0000

A pair of double features—we’ll do the math: that’s a … quadruple feature—by pioneering mid-20^th century film documentarian Pare Lorentz will be screened this weekend at the Historical Society of Long Beach in Bixby Knolls. By sad historic coincidence, that’s not far from the sites where the unforgettably-glorious-but-long-gone Crest and Towne movie theaters stood during the mid 20^th century. But we digress.

The four Lorentz documentaries kick off a mini film festival that will span most of the next three weekends at the Historical Society—4260 Atlantic Ave., 562.424.2220—which was chosen by the International Documentary Association to play host to this traveling show of groundbreaking movies from around the world. All screenings begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $10, kids under 5 free.

This weekend’s schedule begins Saturday with Lorentz’ 1936 Great Depression Dustbowl chronicle, “The Plow That Broke the Plains,” a short film made in response to a personal request from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to show the event’s natural and man-made devastation. It will be followed by Lorentz’ gripping account of the 1948 Nazi war crimes trial, “Nuremburg: It’s Lesson For Today.

On Sunday comes another Lorentz double feature—his 1938 short, “The River,” will be followed by 1941’s “The Fight For Life,” a collaboration with author John Steinbeck.

And we’ll the Historical Society’s press release take it from here:

The following weekend (Nov. 14-15), the series will move into the modern world of documentary film. The three feature-length films to be screened are all winners of the International Documentary Association’s Pare Lorentz Award, which the IDA gives each year to the one documentary which “best represents the activist spirit and lyrical vision of the acclaimed Pare Lorentz.”

The schedule:

Saturday: “The Plow That Broke The Plains,” (1936); and “Nuremburg – It’s Lesson For Today,” (1948).

Sunday: “The River” (1938); and “The Fight For Life” (1941).

November 14: “Garbage Warrior” (2008).

November 15: “Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation” (1997).

November 21: “Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness” (2000).

NOVEMBER 6, 2009

Miles Clements — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:10:59 +0000

Farmers Market: Fresh for the weekend. 9am-2pm.
DOWNTOWN SAN PEDRO Sixth St, San Pedro 90731.

Suzanne Sumner Ferry: Signing copies of her children’s book “Corinna the Christmas Elf.” 6pm.
EAT. PLAY. GROW 4228 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach 90807. 562.427.8600.

Cooking Class: Tuscan kitchen. 6:30pm. $75.
PREP KITCHEN ESSENTIALS 12207 Seal Beach Blvd, Seal Beach 90740. prepkitchenessentials.com.

D.J. Bonebrake Syncopators: The other outside, inside. 10pm. 21+.
THE PIKE BAR 1836 E Fourth St, Long Beach 90802. 562.437.4453; myspace.com/thepike.

Mondo Celluloid: Screening “Metropolis” w/a live soundtrack by Creative Artists Collective. 11:55pm.
ART THEATRE 2025 E Fourth St, Long Beach 90814. arttheatrelongbeach.com.

SUSPECT IN MELODY ROSS KILLING HAD ATTENDED WILSON

Theo Douglas — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:57:48 +0000

Contrary to what was earlier believed, it’s now apparent that the 16-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting Wilson Classical High School student Melody Ross Friday night had previously attended Wilson.

Here’s coverage from the Press-Telegram, and LBPost.com.

CAL STATE’S DAILY 49ER NEWSPAPER TURNS 60

Theo Douglas — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:43:51 +0000

Cal State Long Beach’s Daily 49er newspaper—which I wrote for when earning my Bachelor’s in Journalism at CSULB—turns 60 years old this semester, and will mark the anniversary with two events Nov. 13.

That’s next Friday. Friday the 13th.

The newspaper will host an open house that day in its newsroom from 12-1:30 p.m. (where I never remember the door being closed); and will follow that with a celebration from 2-4 p.m. in the Pyramid Annex.

Perhaps fittingly for a gathering of reporter-types, no RSVPs are necessary.