[ San Pedro... ]
SAN PEDRO
Waterfront plans to be discussed
Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, will talk about the port’s plans for San Pedro’s waterfront development at an April 11 breakfast sponsored by the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
The 7:30 a.m. breakfast will be held at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel, 601 S. Palos Verdes St., and is expected to sell out due to the widespread interest in the topic. A question- and-answer segment will be included.
Early reservations are recommended. Tickets are $15 each. Call 310-832-7272 or go to www. sanpedrochamber.com.
COUNTYWIDE
Metro ridership is up nearly 6%
The number of boardings on Metro buses and rail lines increased by 5.74 percent — or 26.6 million boardings — from 2005 to 2006, officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Monday.
In 2005, there were about 464 million boardings systemwide. Last year, that number increased to more than 491 million.
The largest increase was on Metro rail lines, which saw ridership jump 8.1 percent from 2005 to 2006. On Metro buses, ridership was up 5.3 percent.
Nationwide, public-transit ridership increased 2.9 percent from 2005 to 2006. Since 1995, ridership on public transportation has increased 30 percent across the country, according to Metro officials.
“Public transportation is a proven way to meet our national, regional and local transportation goals,” said Metro CEO Roger Snoble.
SAN PEDRO
Fort Mac walking tour is slated
A historic walking tour of Fort MacArthur will be held at noon April 7 at the Fort MacArthur Museum, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro.
Participants will be able to see some of the areas that are normally off-limits to the public during the four-hour tour of the former base that protected the harbor from 1914 to 1982.
The museum, located in Angels Gate Park, opened to the public in 1986 and is located at the Battery Osgood Farley Historic Site. Leading the tour will be members of the Fort MacArthur Museum Association, a nonprofit established in 1990 to support the restoration and education efforts of the museum.
Participants are asked to wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes and to bring a flashlight.
Tickets are $10 each and include refreshments along the way. A limit of 150 tickets will be sold and early reservations can be made on www.ftmac.org.
Call 310-241-0846 for more information.
SOUTH BAY
Water district program is honored
The West Basin Municipal Water District has been honored by the WateReuse Association for having the Community Outreach/Public Education Program of the Year.
The WateReuse Association is a national organization that promotes water conservation and recycling.
The South Bay water district was recognized for its Planet Protector Water Explorations program, which brings area schoolchildren to the West Basin Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo to learn about water conservation.
The district also launched a series of workshops on drought- tolerant landscaping and other topics, and it conducts an annual Water Harvest festival to educate the public.
For information, go to www.westbasin.org.
SAN PEDRO
Aquarium sets grunion-run dates
It’s time for the grunion run in San Pedro again, with several program dates offered through the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive.
The program highlights mating season for these small sardinelike fish that are among the few species to actually come ashore to lay eggs on sandy beaches.
Each program begins with the aquarium’s exhibit hall opening at 8 p.m. followed by a film about grunion at 9 p.m.
After that, participants are invited onto the beach for a close- up look.
Cost is $5 for adults and $1 for senior citizens, students and children.
Program dates are March 21; April 4 and 19; May 4; June 2 and 18; and July 2 and 16.
Grunion may be caught by hand in March, June and July by those 16 and older who have a valid California state fishing license and photo identification.
In April and May, the grunion may be observed but not captured.
Call 310-548-7562 or visit www.cabrilloaq.com.
— From staff and news services
Correction
An article Thursday cited an inaccurate election-turnout percentage provided by the Gardena City Clerk’s Office.
The office put turnout for the March 6 vote at 29.5 percent. The office arrived at that figure by counting ballot cards — of which there were two per voter — instead of ballots, making turnout appear twice as high as it actually was. The correct turnout was 14.8 percent, low for a municipal election.
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