Chain Envelops Independent Newspaper

No it’s not an April Fools Day joke. The 40-year-old independent newspaper, the Marina del Rey Argonaut, has been sold to a newspaper chain, Southland Publishing, Incorporated.

The Argonaut was founded by David Asper Johnson, who was its owner-publisher until his death in 2006. He willed the paper to Argonaut employee Carol Hector, who ran it until her death in 2010.

Hector willed the paper to her spouse and long-time partner Arlene Ruiz.

According to a Sept. 8, 2010 article in the Argonaut, “Johnson, who founded The Argonaut in November 1971, said he wanted to assure the public that The Argonaut would continue to be locally owned as an independent local newspaper, and new publisher Ruiz says it was Hector’s wish to continue Johnson’s legacy. Hector had left instructions concerning the future of the paper that would assure its continuing as a locally-owned and -operated independent community newspaper, Ruiz added.”

What happened?

Whatever it was, Southland Publishing, Inc. is now in control. The corporation seems to specialize in L.A. Weekly-type tabloids. Its most popular newspaper was L.A. CityBeat, which went out of business in 2006. It continues to publish Pasadena Weekly, San Diego CityBeat, and Inland Empire Weekly, among others.

Whether the Argonaut is facing a make-over or changes in its appearance or editorial policy is unknown at this time. However, it is noteworthy that Southland has appointed its vice president of operations rather than a journalist as its new Argonaut publisher.

Underground Methane – A Ticking Timebomb

By John Davis

The Four Kings and One Queen who call themselves the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the California Coastal Commission joined forces November 3 to wipe out hundreds of small boat slips, erect private buildings on public parking lots, put a shopping mall on our launch ramp, and allow luxury development on top of an undisclosed, highly pressurized underground methane gas storage field. Only one Commissioner, Esther Sanchez, saw right through the whole fraud and voted no.

The Government planners also failed to report MDR is in a State Seismic Hazard Zone subject to Tsunami, Liquefaction, Subsidence, and Seiche (harbor wave). The existence of an active geologic fault just off the harbor entrance was covered up.  This is shown in the County General Plan but the County suppressed the vital evidence to promote development. Ballona Creek overtopped its banks and flooded the whole area in the 30s. What about 50 and 100 year flood events and the rise of sea level? Did they forget about Mother’s Beach liquefacting in the 1994 Quake?

What were the planners and Commissioners thinking? Was this incompetence, misconduct, or outright negligence? When the public revealed these major environmental concerns at the hearing, almost 100 miles from MDR, the CCC ignored the public safety factor in lock step with its staff, the County, and developers.

When a Local Coastal Plan (LCP) is amended, the Geologic Hazard section of the LCP should be thoroughly updated to avoid placing the public in harm’s way according to the CCC document entitled Managing Coastal Hazards. All Commissioners sign an oath to uphold the Coastal Act. Except for commissioner Sanchez, their collective word is not worth the paper the oath is written on. The Chair of the Coastal Commission, Mary Schallenberger, even jested about the entire process. Perhaps she forgot about the danger of methane explosion and the tsunami that reached Marina del Rey this last spring. Or, more likely, she simply does not care about public safety in the Coastal Zone and chose to follow the money.

While County and Coastal staff emphasized urgency in giving developers an illegal, market-rate foothold in this valuable Federal Project (see U.S. Public Law 780), the matter of the Public Health and Safety was not even discussed by the decision-makers. When I spoke with Deputy Director John Ainsworth at the meeting, he said he did not have the time to propose any update to the hazard section of the LCP.

This outright failure of the CCC can be considered the match that lit the fuse. They chose to please major corporate developers by refusing to consider the clear and present threats to public safety presented by geologic hazards, as the Coastal Act Section 30253 requires. The Commission, which implements the U.S. Coastal Zone Management Act, is required by federal law to investigate geologic hazards as well.

Only Coastal Commissioner Burke remarked upon the methane dangers in the Marina, but he failed to propose any mitigation to reduce or eliminate threats to human health and safety.

Having met with Coastal Commission staff prior to the completion of their staff report and recommendations, I presented evidence to Deputy Director Jack Ainsworth and Planner Al Padilla showing that pressurized methane was now stored below the Marina.
A gas well at Fisherman’s Village, located just feet away from residences, was demonstrated to have 820,000 parts per million by volume of methane 9ft below the ground at the well pad.  The Upper Explosive Level of Methane is 15 parts per million by volume. Methane gas migrates to the surface and may get trapped under buildings. High voltage electrical vaults are attached to the structures. Did the CCC forget the San Bruno and L.A. Ross Dress-for-Less explosions? The well is named Del Rey 10 and is located right next to the harbor.

A gas well at Mariner’s Village, located just feet away from residences, was demonstrated to have 820,000 parts per million by volume of methane 9ft below the ground at the well pad.

Please don’t smoke in Marina del Rey, especially at Mariner’s Village!

Hydrogen Sulfide can be deadly when breathed and affects the young and elderly in small doses. Part of a concrete foundation in Mariner’s Village was replaced because it was destroyed by Hydrogen Sulfide. What can it do to humans?

There is an oil production line and a gas line, which the California Division of Oil and Gas and Geothermal Resources diagrams show as being hooked up to Del Rey 10, then running along Via Marina, Admiralty Way, and across the wetlands.

One of the lines leaked about 100 gallons of oil next to the sidewalk in 2004. HAZMAT showed up with a giant pump truck. The LA County Small Craft Harbor Commission has twice promised to follow up on the line’s status but has not. It is currently unknown if these lines are contaminating the soil and groundwater near the newly-approved development because the County and CCC suppressed the evidence from public view, even though the law requires full disclosure.

Currently Sempra Energy Corporation, (The Gas Company), is abandoning Del Rey 10 without letting the residents know a potentially dangerous situation may exist, without notifying the County, and without notifying the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services if it is the responsible party for the gas release. Sempra was the responsible party for the pipeline leak in 2004, but failed to report it as State and Federal law requires.

This stealthy abandonment helps cover the track of the release of deep thermo-genic gases to the surface near densely populated multi-story buildings.

The buildings have no methane protection in place. Other gases such as deadly Hydrogen Sulfide, Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene have all been associated with the Playa del Rey Oilfield. A California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) map from the Safety Branch shows odor, health, and cancer complaints as of 1997. What has happened since? The map also demonstrates well emission complaints, respiratory complaints in the wetlands, and a reported cancer cluster in Playa del Rey. The South side of basin D in the Marina indicates a Hydrogen Sulfide cloud exposure complaint. The map also shows occurrences of problem wells.

Many buildings in the County and the City are located directly over former wells that may be subject to leakage.

When former City Councilperson Cindy Miskowski’s Corporation demolished Deauville Marina, soil/gas samples from the Environmental Impact Report showed extremely high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide at a test site, which remained high through subsequent testing. Their solution was to test a hole somewhere else. So building continued anyway and the Coastal Commission ignored the threat to public safety.

At the Freshwater marsh/retention basin near the bluffs just South of MDR a U-Tube Video demonstrates a methane gusher gurgling up without stopping near the newly constructed Playa Vista public school. The City ignored this potential danger to students and teachers leaving them in the dark. The California Division of Oil and Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) produced the video and conducted the testing: http://bit.ly/un6t8R.

The Playa del Rey Field is where Sempra Energy pumped and now stores pressurized methane gas underground. We should think of a huge inner tube full of small holes filling up with air when it is inflated. Now think of the same thing with explosive gas under your residence.

The holes in the storage field in this case are old oil and gas wells, which may not have been properly abandoned, and can leak like straws to the surface, along with faults, and geologic fissures.

Originally the Government operated the underground storage field and it was maintained at reasonable pressures and not under residences.

Private use of the 240-acre storage field was approved by the City of Los Angeles via a Conditional Use Permit for 240 Acres South of Ballona Creek in 1955. Since that time the State has become owner of most of the land.

The Subterranean Gas Storage Field has now expanded beyond its original City of Los Angeles permitted boundary according to the CPUC map. The Gas Company likes to call it a leak. Owing mineral rights is not the same as owning the right to store explosive methane gas under people’s homes!

CD 11 Councilperson Bill Rosendahl was contacted for comment. Staff Attorney Norman Kulla stated to me on November 23 that he would advise the Councilperson not to comment and that the Councilperson would not look into the Conditional Use Permit to determine exactly what it approved and if it was in fact still valid. The 1955 City Plan Case is No. 6162. Rosendahl may be reached at 213-473-7011 if you have any questions about your safety in regard to the underground methane gas storage. But, you should be prepared for him to provide No Comment.

The CPUC map reveals that the methane gas is now stored under residences in Marina del Rey, the Venice Peninsula, and under Playa del Rey. At least the Gas Company has promised not to pressurize the gas over 2400 pounds per square inch under Venice, as that is of any solace to those on living on top. You can also contact the California Public Utilities Commission Safety and Reliability Branch to find out if gas is now stored under your home. 213.576.7000

In February, DOGGR issued an Order to Stop the Gas Company from Injecting Gas, (Order 1008), except for testing because stored gas came to the surface at the facilities wells near Playa del Rey. The geologic formation is perforated by oil and gas wells both active and abandoned.

Grass Roots Coalition, a local non-profit, sued Sempra and the settlement agreement became law. It requires the Gas Company to conduct extensive testing and to alert the public of gas field emissions. Whether the Gas Company is operating under this law is now being questioned.

Nobody wants to admit releasing gas, especially the Gas Company. The State Coastal Commission and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors are pretending not to smell it even though Commissioner Burke admitted to getting a whiff at the hearing.

This fact should have been disclosed and investigated before new development on a Federal Project was approved. The U.S. Government was not even notified. That is the purpose of Environmental Planning Processes. The Coastal Commission Federal Consistency Staff was not consulted. Without a full picture and proper Agency notification and review, inferior decisions have been made, which endanger the public on public lands, with the full knowledge of the decision makers.

Further Information is available at wearemdr.com.

Snoopin’ Around – The Story of David Asper Johnson and The Argonaut

Reviewed by Jim Smith

Sometimes those who report the news have the biggest influence on shaping the news in the first place. Probably no one had a bigger influence on the the development of Marina del Rey than Argonaut founder and publisher Dave Johnson.

David  Asper Johnson and the newspaper he founded were inextricable linked with Marina del Rey. The small craft harbor began in the 1960s and the Argonaut was not founded until 1971, but from that day the newspaper reflected, for better or worse, our unusual neighboring community to the south.

Before dredging began, it was a swamp, a wetlands, as was Venice many years before. The natural environment was destroyed, as was 99 percent of the wetlands in Los Angeles County.

Snoopin’ Around, the title of the book – subtitled The Story of David Asper Johnson and The Argonaut - was also the title of Johnson’s long-running column. In it, and in the news stories carried by The Argonaut, is chronicled the 50-year journey that changed the Marina from a small-boat harbor into a mega-development that even attracts Saudi princes, and is L.A. County’s cash cow. In fact, the major topics of concern in The Argonaut, as reflected in Johnson’s columns are proposed new developments, not all of which were successful, and airport noise. The low rumble of giant jet aircraft that we sometimes hear in Venice could be a deafening roar in the neighborhoods of Playa del Rey and Westchester which were served by The Argonaut.

 

During the 1970s, many of us in Venice cast a wary eye on the Marina. The culture clash between bohemian Venice and swinging-singles Marina was extreme. There was even a popular tee shirt, “Venice Is Not Marina del Rey.” But even while we were condemning the high-rises sprouting in the Marina and the “straight” lifestyle of the thousands pouring into new waterside apartments and condos, many of us trooped off to work in the “swamp.” Venice women worked in the many expensive restaurants, and I still remember, not so fondly, waxing boats to make ends meet.

It’s always good to know your neighbors, and the Marina has been Venice’s neighbor, for better or worse, for nearly half of our town’s lifetime. The building of the Marina put more pressure by developers on Venice. The upwardly mobile have been trying to slice off Venice neighborhoods and call them part of the Marina for decades. Many newer residents of Venice’s Oxford Triangle and the Peninsula think of themselves as residents of the County’s boat harbor, instead of Venetians whose neighborhoods have a long history as part of Venice. Johnson noted this, and called Washington, “the Mason-Dixon Line.” Indeed, Marina signs can be found up and down Lincoln Blvd. and the large hotel a block south of Windward was until recently called the Marina-Pacific Hotel.

The Argonaut has never been as partisan as the Beachhead, yet by simply shining the light of publicity on outrageous development schemes, the Argonaut helped to quash them. There was a plan for a 13-story Holiday Inn at Lincoln and Mindanao, recurring Marina Bypass freeways, and a yacht harbor in the Venice canals. Johnson calculated how many more boats would be entering the Marina’s main channel from the canals, creating the specter of traffic jams. He reported on Dow Chemical’s former dump site that lies under some of the plushes homes in the Silver Strand. Even though a Republican, Johnson supported the drive for decriminalization of marijuana back in 1972. He also reported favorably on a petition drive for Venice cityhood in 1990.

At the same time, Johnson was an unabashed capitalist wannabe. He purchased a chain of newspapers in the South Bay, and moved his main office to Hermosa Beach. The papers folded a short time later. In 1980, Johnson invaded Venice in partnership with Tom Victory who wrote a chatty column in their short-lived paper called the Ocean Front Weekly. The Beachhead countered with a satirical column by “Dawn Defeat.” In his last couple of decades Johnson focused on the Argonaut, and made it a going concern.

At all times, the competition between the Argonaut and the Beachhead was friendly. So much so that when Johnson died in 2006 he was eulogized in this paper by none other than Carol Fondiller, usually our most caustic writer. But Fondiller, who had been with the Beachhead off and on since 1968 had nothing but high praise for the humor and integrity of the Argonaut’s publisher. If only corporate media had those qualities.

For those who are interested in the history of the Marina and Venice, this is a book to have. Helga Gendell, a Marina historian, has done a fine job researching and editing the book.

 

Snoopin’ Around can be purchased on-line at www.lulu.com. Carol Fondiller’s insightful article can be found at http://bit.ly/tuHUUG.