Hello San Pedro

Hello friends! We have been MIA during the summer and we're here to give you a quick update. Not to worry, the podcast will return with regular episodes in September with our 2nd annual mini series focusing on local history. Be back soon!

Upcoming Events:

San Pedro Makers Market

Sat. Aug. 19th | 10-4pm

West Harbor (6th/Harbor. Blvd)

San Pedro on Film

Sat. Sept. 16th | 7pm

Warner Grand Theater.

478 W. 6th St.

San Pedro, CA 90731

Thank you to Rock Ashfield at Palm Realty Boutique for the generous recording space!

Rock Ashfield

*SEE BELOW FOR UPDATED MARINE MAMMAL CARE CENTER SUMMER HOURS*

As the final episode in our  Environmental Conservation mini-series we sit down with Dave Bader,  the Chief Operations & Education Officer of the Marine Mammal Care Center. He tells us about his SoCal upbringing and what eventually led him into his path as Marine Biologist.  After spending most of his career at the Aquarium of the Pacific, like many, the pandemic led him to the next step in his career which was at the Marine Mammal Care Center. The MMCC is a marine mammal rehabilitation center here in San Pedro that just celebrated its 30th year anniversary in 2022.  Listen to this episode to hear all the amazing things they do for our local marine life and for environmental conservation education! 

Discover the history of White Point Nature Preserve. Our guests for this episode are Zoe Allen, the Education Program Director, and Dave Pilon, the Chair of the Development Committee. They both work for the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy which operates a variety of conservation efforts across the Peninsula, including our beloved White Point Nature Preserve. Listen in as they reveal fascinating insights into the land's historical uses over time. Learn about the area’s past as a hot springs resort spa operated by the local Japanese fishing community and how it's now home to one of the rarest butterflies in the world. Don’t miss out on this captivating episode that will leave you wanting to explore the preserve for yourself.

As we wrap up our mini series focusing on kids and resources for young families we would like to introduce our new series on environmental conservation. It just so happens that we have the perfect guest  to help us transition us over into our next series; meet Jennifer Suzara-Cheng, a local children’s book author who writes about her most beloved subjects: Biology and Environmental Science. As a science teacher at San Pedro High School, Jennifer has already invested into our local youth, making a difference in our hometown by instilling the importance of taking care of our  environment at a young age.  Well, Jennifer thought she could do better, and she did!  She is now reaching our community at an even younger age with her environmental and science themed children's books. In this episode she shares what it was like growing up in the Philippines, how her curiosity for science started and how she ended up in San Pedro, CA. Jennifer has received the 2022 Teacher of the Year Award for the Los Angeles - Orange County Chapter and is also recognized for academic excellence in education and promotion of the Tagalog language. We loved her story and we know you will too!

As a continuation of our mini series about kids and local resources for families, we are highlighting a team of young engineers and coders who have recently made it to the WORLD  CHAMPIONSHIPS!  Meet the Taper Robotics team of 5th graders who have qualified to compete in the 2023 Vex Robotics World Championship in Dallas Texas; Irene, Simon, Sophia and today’s guests Enzo Molinari and Alex Parker. In this episode they share what it was like to be a part of Taper Elementary School’s first robotics team and compete on the local level, state level and now be invited to compete internationally. Also in the studio: Enzo’s parents, Ree and Jean-Philippe as well as Alex’s mom Marcia. As President of the Taper  PTO, Marcia has led the team’s fundraising efforts and also provides some additional context for this conversation.   The World Championship competition is on May 1st but there’s still time to support the team if you’re interested. See links below. 

The Taper Robotics Team wants to thank the community for all the support they’ve received in effort to get to the upcoming competition.  Big thank you! 

Not in this episode: Coach Ms. Daeshcner and Team Members Irene, Sophia and Simon. 

In this mini series focusing on kids and family resources, we are very excited to share with you this episode with guest Mike Lansing. Mike is the founder of the San Pedro Youth  Coalition, founded in 1988 which is responsible for so many popular places in our community for kids and families. He has  been the Executive Director at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor for over 29 years. Having grown up in San Pedro and being a young member of the San Pedro Boys Club, he saw the many benefits of having a place between home and school where he could develop new skills and be active. Since then the Boys Club has expanded to girls and in large part due to Mike’s efforts, the Harbor area clubs now also have more programs for teenagers and academic advancement.   Mike is a hero without a cape in this community and it's good to know that people like Mike are working to make this world a better place for our youth. You can also find more content from Mike Lansing from his columns in the San Pedro Today Magazine.

We begin a new series this week that features local programs geared toward kids. Our first series guest is Calia Knutson – founder and owner of Music Moves in Me. She discovered her passion for music early on, but it was after teaching young children that the idea to merge these two joys came about. Calia along with the teaching team at Music Moves in Me introduces young kids to music through fun, dynamic and developmental experiences. Children can explore various sounds, countless genres and numerous cultures through their mobile classes. In this episode, we talk all things music and the impact it has on our mind, mood and relationship with instruments. Calia shares how she came to first discover San Pedro and why it's her ideal place to call home. In this fun episode, Amanda and Jess reminisce over their first experience with music and rediscover the power music has.

In today’s episode we had the honor and privilege of interviewing local musician and woodworker  Harold Greene. You may remember him from the cover of the San Pedro Today Magazine back in August 2020 which we encourage you to read (linked below) as you may realize you might already be familiar with his work. In our conversation he shares with us his amazing journey as a musician, as a runner and, of course, as an expert craftsman in woodworking. From early childhood, to his education at  San Pedro public schools, to his time as lead guitarist in a local 70’s band called Titanic, and finally to his  journey as a woodworker that started at Dodson Jr.  High School and picked up again at the San Pedro public library when he borrowed a woodworking book, Harold tells us his incredible story.

This week’s guest has been on our list for quite some time. She’s well known in the community and has been highly recommended by other guests. We thought what better time to have her on the show than the beginning of the new year as part of our health and wellness series. Our guest is Dr. Ja’nae Brown, the owner and founder of Physical Therapy San Pedro.  In this episode she shares her journey to San Pedro, her business origin story and also inspires us to find an enjoyable way to keep our body moving.  Not only was her story intriguing but what she had to say about health and fitness was incredibly enlightening.

Happy New Year! We’re kicking this year off with a series on health and wellness. Our guest this week is Christian Ibarra of Under Pressure Nutrition. He co-owns the plant-based protein cafe with his wife, Zane Ibarra, and his mother, Rosalina Banuelos. Together they share the ingredients that helped each of them through their own hardships. Christian walks us through his personal journey with hardship, loss and addiction to discovering confidence, community and joy. Get ready to listen to a really inspiring person and for a burst of that new-year, good-vibes energy.

The year 2022  is in our rearview but we didn’t want to start the new year without  taking a look back at what a year it's been. There have been losses and milestones, missteps and achievements.  In this episode, Jess and Amanda discuss what the year has brought them, the lessons, the joys and what they can take into 2023. We’ve also invited some of our previous guests to get their unique perspectives on the year as well.

In Chronological order:

1. Coach Domenic Costa - San Pedro High School Varsity Assistant Head Coach
2. Sanam Lamborn - Eat in San Pedro
3. Pastor Nathan Hoff  - Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church
4. John  Bagakis - Managing Partner of Big Nicks, Owner of The Corner Store & SP Chamber of Commerce Board Member
5. Melissa Hay - Owner of Homemade By The Hays, Host of San Pedro Today Pop-Up Events & admin for San Pedro Small Business and Artisan Facebook page
6. Lee Williams - Head of Williams Group, Former Board Chair for the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce & active community member

We want to thank everyone who participated in this episode. It is because of amazing guests like these that have made the podcast  possible. They’ve all taken time from this busy holiday season to send in these wonderful messages (some even while being sick!). Thank you! We couldn’t be more grateful  for you.

We also wanted to take a moment to say thank you to our patrons who have supported this podcast and kept us going!

To our listeners and the entire San Pedro community, we love you and wish you an amazing new year! May this year bring true unity and lots of joy for us all.

Happy holidays!

This week we have a special episode brought to you by the kids of San Pedro. Earlier this month, we parked outside Rok 'N’ Ell Baby Boutique and recorded live from the 31st annual Candy Cane Lane at Weymouth Corners. We asked the kids of San Pedro to share some of their holiday traditions and wishes. So grab a cup of hot chocolate, gather with a loved one and get ready for some charming, funny and wise responses from the kids of San Pedro. We thank and appreciate every brave kid who allowed us to interview them.

Have a wonderful holiday and the merriest of wishes from yours truly, Amanda and Jess.

PS. Big thank you to Carolina Brown for hosting us and allowing us to record outside of Rok 'N' Ell!

You’ve probably seen this week’s guest on Instagram sharing incredible random facts about Los Angeles. His name is Evan Lovett and his “L.A. in a Minute” videos have  blown up on Tik Tok and Instagram. As fans of his videos and what he’s doing, we invited him to share his story on our podcast. As a born and raised Los Angeles native, with a journalism background, he was itching to do something creative at a time when screens were capturing his kid’s attention. So he did! He’s also done a few San Pedro related videos.

In this episode hear about his upbringing in Los Angeles, what he loves about San Pedro, and what he’s found most interesting since he’s been doing L.A. in a Minute.

As part of our nonprofit series, we sit with Kevin Wallner, a former personal trainer who now runs a nonprofit serving people who are currently unhoused. His journey from Washington to San Pedro involved overcoming some physical and mental challenges, meeting his soulmate and lots of personal growth. He found friendship and support in an unexpected place which led him to start The Restoration Project which actively serves our unhoused neighbors in the Wilmington Community.  His teams approach to serving is not about fixing the problems of those on the streets but being available to them when they're in need. Currently they are a pop up event that takes place twice a month in Wilmington, serving food, providing clothes and hygiene products as well as free haircuts. The next big thing for The Restoration Project is funding a day center to provide additional resources for the unhoused community. 

We really enjoyed our conversation with Kevin and hope you enjoy this episode. 

For this week’s episode, we chat it up with the magnetic Sarah Brega, the bossbabe behind the downtown clothing boutique Roundtrip Collective. Sarah opens up about her journey leaving the fashion corporate world, one of the meanings behind her boutique name, Roundtrip, and how rediscovering her why is a good practice. She reminded us of why listening to your intuition is such a fruitful power we all hold. In our conversation she shares what it was like for her to open in February  2020 just before a global pandemic and how her small business defied all odds of survival in its first years by bringing much needed women’s apparel to San Pedro.

***EVENT ALERT***

HOLIDAY BAZAAR - TOMORROW Nov. 26th, 12 - 5pm @ The Sardine

Cahoots has  invited you to join them at their 2nd annual Holiday Bazaar. Shop small this holiday season and support  local vendors selling home decor, art, jewelry, clothing, ceramics, surf + skate and more. There will  be food and drinks so you can hang out all  day and shop till you drop.

In this episode we meet Marisa Hirtzel and  Rachel Wilkerson, co-founders of Cahoots. Together they organize local events with the goal of cultivating the small town feel in our community.  Both grew up in the Southern California and shared many things in common when they met by chance at The  Sardine in the early months of Covid and have been friends ever since. A partnership soon blossomed into what we know now as Cahoots. We hope you enjoy their story as much as we did.

We kick off a new series focused on local nonprofits in San Pedro. We want to highlight the capeless heroes who dedicate their time and energy giving back to causes they are passionate about.

Happy Halloween! We are super excited about this Halloween weekend and we thought it was the  perfect time to finally have Rosemary and Mitchel Wilson on the show. Not only do they love Halloween but they are the couple behind Subterranean Hair, an innovative hair space located in downtown San Pedro that prioritizes individuality and quality. In this episode Rosemary and Mitchel Wilson share their love story and how Subterranean came to be. This interview is long overdue and we are glad to finally have them on the show to share their story.

This week we meet our next candidate for CD15 Council Member, Tim McOsker. Tim is a  San Pedro  native whose family has multi-generational roots within the San Pedro community.  Having previously served as Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy City Attorney for former Los Angeles Mayor  James K. Hahn, he comes to  the race with  plenty of city government  experience. Tim also served as CEO of  Alta Sea, an environmentally conscious organization that focuses on  finding sustainable solutions for ocean related  problems.

In this episode he shares with us a little about his San Pedro upbringing, why he’s  running for City Council  and the issues that  are important to him.

** Please keep in mind this interview was recorded on Friday, September 9th, 2022 and does not include any conversation about recent events regarding the current city council members and their office.

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If you live in the area you are probably aware of the Los Angeles Council member race for the 15th District, which is usually a pretty big deal for this community. The 15th District includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor  City, Harbor Gateway North, Harbor Gateway South and Watts. You may have noticed candidate lawn signs in our neighborhoods in the last few months, so we wanted to take the next two weeks to introduce you to the final contenders.

This week we meet Danielle Sandoval;  a Los Angeles native, community leader, former President of the Harbor City Neighborhood Council and the area’s Budget  Advocate.  In this  interview we  hear about her Los  Angeles upbringing, her interest growing up and why she  decided to run for city  council as well as  the issues she’s passionate about.

** Please keep in mind this interview was recorded on Monday, September 12, 2022 and does not include any conversation about events that may have occurred in the last month.

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Today’s episode will conclude our mini series on local history in honor of Angela Romero. We sit  down with Gina Bellous who is courageously restoring an old San Pedro Victorian home to its former glory. You may know her project by its instagram name @Victorianbythebay . She tells us a little about how she acquired the house and the many challenges she’s faced along the way.   Gina is also part of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society which goes hand in hand with her passion project.  We love what she’s doing and appreciate anyone who invests their own time, money and sweat into restoring and preserving our local history.

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Continuing in our series on local history, in honor of the late Angela Romero, we sit down with Emma Rault, a writer, literary translator, a newbie to San Pedro and the originator of the petition that sparked a local movement to help Walkers Cafe be recognized as a local historical landmark. This past August Walkers Cafe was voted a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

Since Emma had only moved to  San Pedro in 2019 you might wonder why someone  so new to San Pedro would fight so hard to have one of its cherished local businesses preserved.  In this episode Emma shares with us her many travels throughout Europe and the United States and why Walkers Cafe mattered so much to her, causing her to take action as soon as she heard it had closed its doors.

Hi friends! We are continuing our series on local history this week in an episode with John Bagakis, the new owner of The Corner Store which just celebrated its 75th anniversary in July. As new owner he is continuing its legacy as the neighborhood staple in the San Pedro palisades area, not only a place to grab coffee and snacks but he also envisions it someday as a place to have wine, a Mediterranean meal and enjoy live music in the evenings. He shares with us the multiple transitions the store has had over the years and walks us through the transition that's happening now. 

We love to see a beloved local business stay in the Pedro family and have a chance to thrive in this new era of transition we embark on.  

In the first week of September, we heard about the professional works of Angela Romero and the significance of her work to the San Pedro community. In this episode we wanted to give you a more personal introduction to her in celebration of her birthday on September 16th.  You'll hear from a handful of those who were closest to her, including her sisters Regina Ritter and Emily Romero, and four of her closest friends, old and new. 

Guests of today's episode in order of sequence: 

Sanam Lamborn 

Carla Muldoon 

Casey Muldoon 

Caitlin Muldoon 

Emily Romero 

Regina Ritter 

We want to give a big thank you to all those who contributed to this episode. We know it was not easy. Thank you! 

As mentioned in our previous episode, September is our History Month in honor of Angela Romero, and in this first episode of the series Amanda visits her childhood church Trinity Lutheran Church which just celebrated its centennial this summer. Pastor Nathan Hoff who has  been with the church for seventeen years as head pastor and Sue Scott, retired Deaconess and long time member, share with us Trinity Lutheran’s fascinating origin story. Trinity Lutheran, originally founded in 1921 in San Pedro, has deep roots in our early Norwegian fisherman community. Pastor Nathan also shares the theology and basis behind Lutheranism, its role in the Christian denomination spectrum and also addresses what he refers to as “church hurt”.

You’ll also hear some personal stories from Sue Scott about her introduction to Trinity in 1980 as an intern where she met her husband Tobiah Scott. The Scott family has been part of Trinity Lutheran since the late 1950’s when Bob Scott, Tobiah Scott’s father spearheaded the renovation of the church facade which is still standing today.

A few months ago in April, our  community lost an amazing woman to health complications after fighting cancer for nearly a year, Angela “Romee” Romero.  She was an active learner and preserver of our local history, a story teller of the history she discovered and an educator to anyone with a curiosity about this town.  Her work will continue to impact how we move forward in this new era and her last and most ambitious endeavor, the San Pedro Heritage Museum, a vision of  hers we hope will be realized one day, will be a lasting legacy for this town.  It is in her honor  that we are starting a  new series of episodes in the month of September focusing on local history; This month she would have celebrated her 44th birthday. In this episode Amanda sits down with two  good  friends of mine, but more importantly, two good friends of hers who know her and her work very well, Megan Barnes and Joshua Stecker. We discuss a bit of her biography, review her professional work and really get into her love and passion for San Pedro’s history and culture. Our dear friend may be gone, but with your  help, may her legacy last generations. 

In this final episode of our mini series focusing on small pop-up vendors in the San Pedro community we speak with Kelly Main, the creator and operator of Common Soul Collective, an aromatherapy product company. Like many others small vendors we have spoken to, this business was also born out of the pandemic and has been an endeavor that has brought her and family closer together. Kelly runs this business with her daughters and they each use their strengths to contribute to its success. This conversation highlights the value and importance of mothers in society and address the often little regard in which we hold them in.  In this episode she tells us what it was like to grow in San Pedro in the Pt. Fermin area as a young girl. She also shares her personal journey to self-care which is a value that has inspired the brand.  

We absolutely loved our conversation with Kelly and she has inspired us in so many ways. We hope you enjoy also!

As we continue our series on amazing pop-up vendors that have emerged out of the pandemic, it is  our pleasure to introduce to you the creators behind the local pop-up business What the Succulent: Brittany Herrera, Antonina Herrera and  Angela Andrews. Unfortunately, only Brittany and Angela could join us for this episode but their stories will hit home with many of our European immigrant community. Angela tells us how her family immigrated from Sicily, Italy over the course of five years nearly fifty-one years ago. She describes what it was like settling into San Pedro and starting school as a young girl without speaking English. Brittany shares what it was like  growing up in a large Italian family here in San Pedro and how this community will always be her forever home.  Both women work professionally in other fields, Brittany as a social worker with Los Angeles County and Angela as Operation Project Specialist for Rainbow Services, and operate What the Succulent with their third partner Antonina as a business that grew from a beloved hobby.

In our continued series featuring San Pedro vendors, we welcome Amber Onorato, a local crafter and owner of Twenty-Two Crafts. In this week’s episode, we learn about Amber’s San Pedro upbringing plus her multi-generational roots in this town. Amber and Amanda inform newbie Jess about the sunken part of Paseo Del Mar’s iconic ocean-view drive that connected Royal Palms to the other side of White Point Nature Center. Amber shares what it was like working from home during the pandemic with her husband and how the slower pace of life at the time allowed her to reprioritize her time and return to what she loves – crafting. We chat about what it truly means to shop local and prioritize quality and longevity. With her business Twenty-Two Crafts,  Amber made it a point to donate a percentage of sales to charities dear to her and her customers. From hand-crafted garlands to homemade gifts and personalized home decor, Amber’s crafts are special and cherished by her customers.

DESCRIPTION:
Brandon Evans – a licensed clinical social worker from San Pedro’s local hospital, Little Company of Mary Providence – brings a wealth of information about their three programs dedicated to serving people with behavioral, mental and addiction struggles. In this episode, we discuss the hardships any person can face that may lead to experiencing homelessness, addiction and/or mental health disorders as well as the signs of when an undiagnosed struggle may need treatment.

WARNING: Although this episode contains lots of resources for those seeking help with mental and behavioral health struggles, we understand that it may be triggering for those who need space to prepare mentally, physically or otherwise before listening to it.

DESCRIPTION:
In this episode, we sit with Nicky Saunders who is bringing a bit of Spain to San Pedro with his pop-up restaurant experience, Bodega Raval. Nicky explains where the name comes from and how he recognized the similarities a neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain had to San Pedro. We also chat about his journey to San Pedro and how he has fully embraced the town’s culture and diversity.

In this episode I am joined by Cindy Bradley owner of San Pedro City Ballet and Julianne Thompson owner of The Dance Factory.   We discuss the rapidly changing climate for small businesses and the need for continued adaptation.  Due to the pandemic more and more small businesses are closing every day, but Cindy and Julianne have found that the best way to move forward is together. 

LINKS:

San Pedro City Ballet Website:

June flew by, we're now in July, what happened to PRIDE? That was my little Dr. Seuss moment but in all seriousness, did we really skip PRIDE?

A year ago San Pedro held its very first PRIDE On the Port event right on Harbor Blvd, in front of our beloved Battleship USS IOWA. But this year, due to the pandemic and civil unrest, PRIDE across the nation has taken a back seat. Today on the show, now two-time guest, Ryan Blaney, Secretary of the Board of Directors for Bridge Cities Alliance, invites us to this year's virtual PRIDE On the Port event taking place on July 25th online from 6 - 9 p.m.

LINKS:

Get tickets to Pride On the Port - Event Link:

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!  Today on the show Joe of Joe's Vegan Shop is telling his story. Hear how he has overcome personal health problems by changing his water, his diet and lifestyle. His amazing health journey inspired him to share his food with others in hopes of helping others in their health journeys.  Now he is the most popular vegan food pop-up shop currently occupying the kitchen at The Sardine. 

LINKS:  

Joe's Vegan Shop - Website

In today's episode of Hello San Pedro's "Pedro & Corona" edition of the podcast, Joshua Stecker joins me in discussing Phase 3 reopenings.  We catch up on life during the pandemic and how crazy of a year 2020 has been and we're not even half way through.  

SPONSOR: 

San Pedro Today 

In this episode I bring on local leader, Chairman of the Board for the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce and repeat guest, Lee Williams. Together we discuss the events that spark a national and global wave of protests in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and how San Pedro responded.  Some key topics? Big Nick's apology, "All Lives Matter", White Privilege and this past weekend's Unity March put on by NAACP in partnership with Council. District. 15 and LAPD Harbor Division. 

SPONSOR: 

San Pedro Today

Over the weekend, protests and riots broke out across the nation over the death of George Floyd.   In the intro I give some context to all that followed his death and address how it has impacted us locally.

I've turned to spiritual leaders in the South Bay community for some guidance in the midst of this chaos, Pastors Josh & Bunmi Canales, senior Pastors of Mission Eben-Ezer Family Church.

LINKS: 

Mission Eben-Ezer Family Church 

On today's episode Joshua Stecker and I check in with each other to see how we are doing.  Josh is still recovering from deadline week with the magazine but on the bright side the June issue of San Pedro Today is out and ready to be read! Our local economy is slowly opening up and we ask that everyone supports their local businesses. We also go over. the current case numbers for our community and while it seems like the number of coronavirus cases keeps growing, in actuality it's likely that we can expect that the most have recovered. 

We get into sports, or lack thereof, family gatherings,  2020 graduates and even our high school reunions. 

We give shout outs to local restaurants in the San Pedro Today May issue's "Take-Out and Delivery Guide" which can be found on the back page of the May issue. 

SPONSOR: 

San Pedro Today