Xerox and Clinic Engage in the Great Copier War

The Harbor Free Clinic, which dispenses free medical care to area residents from its offices at the corner of 6th St. and Grand Ave. in San Pedro, is in a legal battle with the Xerox Corporation that puts the Clinic's ability to operate in jeopardy. According to local newspaper Random Lengths, Xerox emptied the Clinic's bank account last November after filing a lawsuit to recover money allegedly owed to Xerox for the lease of a copy machine. The Clinic's representatives argue that they believed the machine had been donated, and no money was owed.

In a telephone interview, Clinic Director Michele Ruple said this legal move means the Clinic will have difficulty paying salaries and other operating expenses. During the middle of January, however, reports Random Lengths ("Xerox Puts the Squeeze on Harbor Free Clinic," Jan. 20-Feb. 2, 2006), the Clinic received a reprieve from Superior Court Judge Peter J. Mirich when they agreed to pay some of Xerox's legal fees. Ruple acknowledged that will give the Clinic some breathing room, but there was no guarantee the non-profit organization could stay in business if Xerox continues to apply severe pressure. The total amount Xerox is now claiming it is owed is around $30,000. That amount does not include the Clinic's own legal fees.

Ruple claims she and members of her Board of Directors were stunned when notices arrived last Spring from Xerox demanding payment for months of unpaid bills. Several people in the organization, Ruple said, then attempted to contact Xerox, but were ignored. Random Lengths reports that the Clinic's chief financial officer, Rick Paares, had not received a single response to his telephone calls and letters. Several months later, Xerox turned the matter over to their collection agency and eventually filed a lawsuit.

Xerox representative Carl Langsenkamp, however, said the issue is not simply a case of a faceless corporation putting the screws to a hapless non-profit. Langsenkamp said Xerox "offered numerous times" to resolve the issue. "We feel we have negotiated in good faith," he said. Additionally, he said that it is "not the case that no calls were returned."

Langsenkamp added that though Xerox respects the financial needs of the Clinic, there should have been no confusion about whether the copier was leased or donated because the Clinic actually made some payments on the copier. Random Lengths quotes the Clinic's Paares as saying, "We never received a single bill." Director Ruple says the Clinic's location is relatively new, and the bills may have been sent to the current address while actual operations were still occurring at the old facility.

How can the two organizations make such conflicting claims? Part of the answer may lie in the Clinic's change of location and personnel. Former Clinic Director Louis Dominguez said he originally spoke to Xerox. The Clinic had received a copier that was far too big for their use, and so they approached Xerox about trading in for a smaller unit. At that time, says Dominguez, Xerox agreed to allow the Clinic to have the copier with the stipulation they would only pay for actual usage. It is possible the individuals who forged the original agreement no longer remain with either the Clinic or Xerox, and the details fell through the cracks in both organizations.

While the legal battle heats up, the Clinic will continue to provide free medical services to the people of San Pedro. As Director Ruple is quick to point out, it is the working poor who use the Clinic's services most frequently. These are men and women (and their families) who have jobs, but no health coverage. No matter who wins this legal struggle, these people--our neighbors--will still lack all but the most basic health care. And that is another story.

Temporary Homes for Permanent People

You can find them tucked up against the curb of almost any side street along the main drags of town. If you didn't know any better, you'd think San Pedro was a fabled RV graveyard where these elephants of the road went to die. These RVs aren't dead yet, though. They are just too old and worn out for the open road, and now provide temporary housing for people with few other options.

Yes, there are some that also function as mobile retail outlets selling drugs or prostitutes, but most are simply home sweet home for people like Greg Johnson. Johnson has been touring the South Bay in his weary motor home since 1998, and most of that time has been spent in San Pedro. Why does he prefer Pedro? "I don't get bugged by the cops," he says. He is currently hanging around town because he has business at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and he likes to use the San Pedro office.

Johnson came from Waimanalo, Hawaii to California, and still has two brothers there. Coming to the mainland was the beginning of his troubles. "I am up to my neck in problems," he said, sitting in his RV, classical music playing quietly in the background. He owned a gardening and landscaping business in the Pomona area before he fell in with the wrong person--his wife. They were married in 1981 and are still legally married, though they have been separated since 1985. Due to heart problems, he can no longer work and receives disability payments. He has also been suffering from bouts of anger lately. "I need to get counseling for that," he admitted.

Despite his problems, Johnson hopes to get back on his feet. He intends to become a veterinarian. "I want to move to Maui and work with horses on the ranches there." Johnson figures that a view of the green slopes of Haleakala must be a lot better than breathing in the exhaust from Pacific Avenue. For now, though, he has to settle for an old RV--temporary housing for a man with permanent dreams.

Scenes from the First Day of Winter

Today is the first day of winter according to the calendar. In San Pedro, we may not have snow or cold weather, but that doesn't mean we can't get all gussied up for the season. Take a look at these pictures taken today in downtown Pedro.



Residents of these second and third story apartments on 6th Street can simply look out their windows in case they have trouble remembering what season it is.






Everyone gets dressed up in Pedro for Christmas. La Conga Mexican Grill on 7th Street spared no expense in making this sandwich board festive.






Of course, this is Los Angeles, after all, so we must make sure both our parking meters and our cars are in the spirit (see below). It always puts me in the holiday mood when I give the city pocket change into one of these babies!






















And let me tell you, it is cold now that winter has arrived. The pedestrians are forced to bundle up, much like this one walking south on Grand Avenue.









This is one of the many antique stores on 6th Street.

Now this here's a tree!

There may be nothing scarier than a snowman with legs (except perhaps pigeons). And this freak dances, too.

Sixth Street, San Pedro

Merry Christmas!

Sportswalk: Bobby Balcena

The names of many famous athletes are bronzed and embedded in the concrete along the San Pedro Sportswalk. As you stroll down 6th Street from Pacific Avenue to Harbor Boulevard, you might walk over the names of Wilt Chamberlain, Tracy Austin, Don Drysdale or Lisa Leslie. This is the story, however, of a man whose name you probably wouldn't recognize: Bobby Balcena.

Not all the athletes honored on the Sportswalk have a natural connection to San Pedro, but Balcena does. He was born here in 1925, died at his home in Pedro in 1990, and even worked as a longshoreman here during the winters. His summers, however, were reserved for baseball. The 5'7", 160 pound Balcena played professional ball for 15 of his summers in places such as Mexicali, Seattle and Buffalo. Though he was well known in those minor league towns--he led the Sunset League in hitting for the Mexicali Eagles one season and was a beloved member of the 1955 Seattle Raniers team that won the Pacific Coast League pennant--most baseball fans never knew him.

In September 1956, Balcena became the first Filipino to play in the major leagues. The Raniers sent him to the Cincinnati Reds to help them compete for the National League pennant (they would finish 3rd). He didn't have many opportunities to contribute: only seven games, with two at bats and no hits. He did, however, score two runs, probably in appearances as a pinch runner since he only played in the field twice. Balcena never returned to the Reds or any other major league team, but instead went back to the minor leagues to finish his professional career.

Yet despite what many would consider a lackluster major league record, Balcena left a baseball legacy. His official Sportswalk bio calls him "one of the greatest athletes in San Pedro history," citing his talents for football and track as well as baseball. In his minor league career, he seemed to make his mark as a fan favorite in places all across the country. The Buffalo Bisons' official web site, for example, claims that "Balcena...impressed with his hustle and sharp hitting." He was apparently a bright light on the 1958 team that finished seventh.

Though it is only his name cast in static bronze that stands watch on 6th Street in San Pedro, Bobby Balcena's own flesh and blood carries on his legacy not far to the north in Westwood. He is the great-uncle of Jodie Legaspi, junior shortstop for the UCLA Bruins softball team. Today, Legaspi wears number 12, the same number Balcena wore as an outfielder for the Reds. She carries on another of his traditions, as well. She is the first Filipina in the UCLA softball program. Legaspi was also a member of the USA National team in 2004.

Balcena led an obscure baseball career, and he died an obscure death. On January 4, 1990, he sat in his chair in front of the television at his home in San Pedro, and he died. It was two days before anyone discovered the body. The Sportswalk remembered him with a plaque on 6th Street five years later.

Sacred Space

If you've ever been in Sacred Grounds late on a Monday morning, June probably knows your name. And what you do for a living. If you come in here two Mondays in a row, she'll get the rest of your life history out of you. And tell you hers.

"I like to know names," June said to me the first time we met.

June and her cohort of Monday morning coffee buddies are mostly women, but an occasional man is allowed to sit with them as long as he stays quiet. They aren't the only ones, however, to show up at Sacred Grounds. People from all over San Pedro, and not just the downtown area, find their way to this 6th Street coffeehouse between Pacific and Mesa.

The owner of Sacred Grounds, Dave Lynch, says people don't really come for the coffee. It's all about community. The coffeehouse is a gathering place, he says. In addition to June's group, people come in for business meetings, casual conversation, surfing the Net, live entertainment, or simply to read a newspaper and--gasp--drink coffee.

Raul Roman has probably made more coffee over the last eight years than any other employee of Sacred Grounds. He is usually found standing at the register wearing his Texas Rangers cap (we'll forgive him), ready to take your order. He prides himself on making anything the customer wants, but his personal favorite is the double mocha. Roman has come to know the regulars well, but also appreciates that the staff works well as a team.

Until about two months ago, the Sacred Grounds team was located less than one block to the east. Rapidly rising rent forced Lynch to look elsewhere. He didn't get far. The distance in atmosphere, though, between the old and new Sacred Grounds is considerable. The old site, according to Lynch, was more "beatnik and bohemian." The new looks more like what people expect of a coffeehouse. It is lighter and airier, and even the selections in the art gallery are new. The staff and eclectic mix of used tables and chairs from the old site, however, were allowed to move up the street.

But then, Sacred Grounds was never about the coffee in the cups, the art on the walls or the tables on the floor. It has always been about the people who gather inside. If you'd like to see exactly who comes to take their coffee here, and it just happens to be Monday morning, bring your resume. It will make June's job a lot easier.

Making Sense of the Place

The phrase "sense of place" is overused. It does, however, convey something real. Every city, town, neighborhood and street has its own feel. Each is as unique as a person. That is why we love--or can't stand--particular places.

San Pedro has a particularly strong personality. Its long history and the fact that so many families and cultures have become rooted here are the major contributors to its uniqueness. Pedro is also seasoned by a slew of recent immigrants, both foreign and domestic. Each element flavors life in this southern tip of the city of Los Angeles, so much so that people from Pedro believe they aren't from L.A.

Sixth Street is my attempt to understand and appreciate the character of this town. This blog will muse on Pedro's people, places and happenings, centering on the downtown area of 6th Street where I work. My job as a pastor puts me into contact with old timers and immigrants, businesspeople and the jobless, the known and the unknown, adults and children. I have an unusual vantage point. I have seen many new things since I came to San Pedro nearly four years ago, and I hope I can help the reader see something new.

Though I write in the hopes that others will actually read, Sixth Street is for me. I am a relatively recent addition to San Pedro, but I want to put my roots deeply into this place so my own family can be nourished by the community. I trust we will give something in return.