What community?

Who is the voice of the South Bay?

By Garrison Frost

Not too long ago, I was browsing Rough & Tumble, the wonky hub of California political news, and something caught my eye. There among the 20 or so other ads for candidates and political consultants was a flashing photo of my Assemblyman, George Nakano, underneath which were the words "Do you know this man?"

Obviously, the impact of the ad depended on the viewing not having a clue who Nakano is, so it was equally obvious that he was selected because of the high probability that his face would elicit little or no recognition from anyone visiting the site. No surprise there. I wonder now many voters in Nakano's 53rd Assembly District could pick him out of a lineup. My guess is that not many would. Which isn't necessarily a dig on Nakano. After all, the state Legislature is hardly set up to brand personalities. You could stand next to the Speaker of the Assembly in line for a movie and not realize it. Really, the institution is a lot more about butts in seats than it is celebrities.

Nonetheless, the ad got me wondering who from the South Bay, if placed in that ad, would generate a substantial amount of recognition – if not from those around the state, perhaps just among those from the South Bay. It's an interesting question, not merely in the sense of celebrity, but also in terms of voices. Nakano is an elected representative. If we don't collectively recognize him as our voice, than who does fill that role? Who really speaks for the South Bay? Whose name is synonymous with what we're all about down here?

Obviously, we need not limit ourselves to politicians. But they're handy because they're actually people for whom we cast votes. If you look at the voting, however, you will see that these people are shockingly unrepresentative of their constituents. The easiest way to make this point is to look at the actual tallies for the officeholders themselves. None of them received the votes of anything close to half of the populous (This, after you compare actual votes to registered voters, and then compare that to actual number of voting-age people). But even if you did find an officeholder who garnered more than half the votes of the voting-age populous, you would be left to wonder if that was actually an expression of the public?s positive identification for that person. We vote for people for a lot of reasons not necessarily having to do with identification. Sometimes, we vote for people just because we hate the other candidate.

Besides, I'm not just looking for a popular candidate. I'm looking for the voice of the South Bay. Who is our Herb Caen, our Jimmy Breslin, our Garrison Keillor? Who is our populist touchstone? Who is it who expresses our feelings in a way that we can't express ourselves? Who is it who goes out beyond the South Bay and makes people think of us? When I think of Mario Cuomo, I think of New York. When I think of Ted Kennedy, I think of Massachusetts. More specifically, when I think of San Francisco, I think of Willie Brown. Of Oakland, Jerry Brown. For Los Angeles as a whole, there are a few obvious choices. Unfortunately, James Hahn isn't one of them. But perhaps Shaquille O'Neil does. Or maybe Magic Johnson or Tommy Lasorda. Outside of sports, I think of Steve Lopez, columnist for the L.A. Times – perhaps he's not as well known as some of his predecessors, but he gives it a game try.

But in the South Bay, I'm lacking for possibilities. John Bogert, columnist for the Daily Breeze, doesn't even come close. He writes as if he doesn't live here at all. As I've mentioned, no politician stands out. Former Hermosa Beach City Councilman Robert Benz had a shot at one time, but his ego kept him from really becoming a strong defining voice for the area. There are no definitive artists, either. We have no Victor Hugo, no Beats, no Picasso. The one pre-eminent artist we have, Raymond Pettbon, has been so unappreciated by his home area that he rejects direct association.

The South Bay is a wonderful place with lots of strong personalities and powerful industrial forces. It is a place that should be known. But it may not be known unless it has a voice.

(June 5, 2004)