San Pedro

I am a facts and data person, too. I don't know where "Former Pedro Mom" got her information because all data that San Pedro has is classified under the LA Police department "Harbor Division". Under that classification, it shares crime data with Wilmington, Harbor City and Terminal Island..several other cities as well as several more miles and thousands more included in population. The information she provided is quite skewed. San Pedro Mom wanted to give data as her "2 cents", but...she omitted a considerable amount of information.

I have lived San Pedro over a year, I live on 7th in the downtown area with all the new lofts and such. I have never been raped, robbed or had a car stolen. Just MY "2 cents".

I’m a facts-and-data type of person. Putting emotions aside, I make decisions based on sound information. While not a pessimist, I don’t see things through the haze of rose- tinted glasses, either.

Below is some data on SP, a relatively small area - only 12 square miles.

There are 6 active gangs in SP (not including cliques within these gangs), each has a unique loyalty that makes up part of SP and should be a clue as to what’s to follow.

Currently, there are 78 registered sex offenders that live in SP.

This past year there were:
56 reported cases of violent crimes, including vicious rapes, terrifying robberies, horrific assaults and murders.
68 reported cases of children and spouses who were beaten up by someone they once loved and trusted.
344 reported cases of cars being stolen and other types of burglary – property stolen after your hard work to earn them.

All of this within the confines of a mere 12 square miles that is known as SP. Extraordinary.

Someone on this board indicated that they’ve never known anyone who has been a victim of crime in SP. Statistically that is remarkable considering all of the reported crime that occurs within 12 square miles. How many residents know any of these people who were murdered within the past couple of years in SP:

Geissler Alfaro
David Medina
Daniel Castro
Ginie Samoya
Francisco Esparza
Gilbert Rodriguez
Lauri Leih Gilbert and baby
Miguel Osuna
Francisco Aguirre
Mario Sepulveda
Laterian Tasby
Jesus Valencia
Carlos Clavel
Christopher Davenport
Angel Montiel
Vernie Martello

Real estate data shows that families with financial means to purchase AND upgrade homes in SP have shrunk in the past 3 years, not increased. It appears that these types of families are not coming back to SP, but are fleeing. Trends indicate no urban renewal in SP in the foreseeable future, especially in traditional neighborhoods with single family houses.

These are some of the reasons why we decided to move out of SP after starting a family – it’s just not worth the risk to knowingly place our children in harms’ way. Some have said that you’ll find crime in any city, and I cannot argue that point. For us, it is about the ratio and degree of crime that we are willing to accept (or not).

Some parents are willing to raise children in a neighborhood like SP – I guess that’s a judgment call. We moved away from SP and into an area that will not tolerate the amount of crime that the majority of SP residents tolerate. We decided to live in an area where parents hold children accountable for their actions; where school is an extension of learning at home (as opposed to LAUSD standards); where neighbors truly look after one another, and where there are no gangs. Yes, these areas still exist, you just have to have the wherewithal to find them and move.

There are 1 or 2 jewels in SP, although you have to reach down into San Pedro’s rancid-filled cancerous bowels to find them.

I'd like to add something here - the many passionate opinions expressed here are exactly what makes San Pedro so unique and this loyalty should be the biggest clue as to the value of living here. It's a city within a city, yet still maintains the small town sensibility created before it was annexed by Los Angeles.

Every neighborhood in San Pedro is different, and the good ones far outnumber the small, older area of gritty ones. The poorer the neighborhood, the more transitional and susceptible it is to urban crime, and that's nothing new. Thank goodness for people who have started coming back in, renovating the beautiful Victorian homes on Vinegar Hill and other core neighborhoods. Complainers need not apply. Our waterfront areas and city center are undergoing major changes, so the surrounding gritty areas are shrinking every year - I've seen worse graffiti in many other cities around the nation. People don't let it stay here, that's what matters. To tell people that San Pedro is a lousy place to live, is like telling people to avoid Los Angeles because certain parts of it have crime.

Most of San Pedro is made up of beautiful, safe neighborhoods, and people need to know this. 'Little Man' is telling us less about Pedro and more about who his family associates with, because no-one I know has or ever known anyone who has been assaulted, robbed, or, God-forbid, shot! Let's keep some perspective on these comments, please, and let the real Pedro shine through!

My parents moved my brother and I to San Pedro from Northern Ireland in 1987. We grew up there and were educated in American culture by our kind old landlord, John. He was like a grandfather to us. We went to school at Mary Star and found other kids who were like us... immigrants. My best friend was Korean. My classmates were Yugoslavian, Mexican, African- American, Italian and everything in between. It was a great place to grow up. We eventually moved to Ventura County, but I still consider San Pedro one of my hometowns. I try to get back whenever I can and i still have a faint notion that i might just end up going back.

Fascinating to read the comments here about our town, San Pedro. It is a city within a city, and yes, there are some poorer areas (as in any city), but this is a unique and vibrant place to be, and to raise a family. Having lived in a variety of wealthier, westside neighborhoods, I can appreciate the differences: Los Angeles can be an anonymous, self-centered place to live, where friendships are a challenge to make and maintain over the great that make up the southland sprawl. But here in this hilly seaside town, are true, old-fashioned neighborhoods, communities of involved and active members, connections to be made every day at the grocery store, the coffee shops, our unique mom-and-pop stores, and family-owned restaurants. Here you see children playing in the streets, multi-generational families with histories tied to the land and ocean in this area; hard-working trades people and college-educated professionals mix with ease. It is also a culturally mixed community, something America strives to be, and it represents a wide variety of attitudes, ethnicities, economic, and educational differences.

What San Pedro is not, is a class-exclusive, economically or culturally segregated enclave where residents can go about their business and ignore the challenges of living in a real city; where they can disconnect in the privacy of their manicured properties. In San Pedro, people feel pride in belonging to neighborhoods with a sense of history and connections to others, where they get involved in civic affairs because here, one person can and does make a difference.

And it is on the ocean! Our town beach is hidden from tourists, we see porpoises and whales, and hear the bouys and the cries of gulls and sea lions. This is no poor man's PV (have you seen some of our beautiful seaside neighborhoods?) - this is San Pedro, unique in its own right - a choice for urban dwellers who want to have a taste of what a city was like 100 years ago when the shopkeepers knew your name and gave treats to your kids. I have a choice, and could live anywhere in Los Angeles. I chose, as many thousands do, generation after generation, to live here in San Pedro.

Just a handful of comments here and I find somebody from grade school! That's a small town for you.

I felt like an alien growing up not-Croatian and not-Mexican in San Pedro, but I learned how to make mostaccioli and grill swordfish. School field trips were on retired trawlers out at sea. Our play forts were WWII navy bunkers. We kept our eyes open for rattlesnakes while rollerskating at Friendship Park. Raw bacon served as bait for catching crawdads at Averill Park. We were the cause of the aforementioned night racket and helicopters breaking up parties, and cops with a sense of humor would roust us from the beaches at night singing "The Party's Oooooover..." Friends with more money could teach you a lesson about generosity and friends with less could teach you about pride.

People seemed to be there for generations, doing the same jobs, and not seeing much point in the rest of the world. There was an appealing stability to that, but in a way it was like the LaBrea Tar Pits (another field trip destination).

As soon as I could I left, but there is always a San Pedro hoodie from the surf shop hanging by my door.

I moved away from San Pedro 3 years ago this month to Santa Barbara County. The fact that I'm sitting here reading about San Pedro after having "escaped" sais something about this wonderful part of Los Angeles.

When I was packing, I couldn't wait to get away from the bad air, the sirens, the dirt on Gaffey Street...the homeless. Bigger and better things awaited me. I was on my way to paradise...the central coast.

While I was not far off...the central coast is just about one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived in, I do make a point of going back to San Pedro whenever I'm in LA.

And how it changes each time. The wonderful volunteers on the neighborhood councils, people who dedicate hours of their lives trying to keep San Pedro beautiful, have really made a difference. North Gaffey looks great! Also, driving up to South Gaffey from the freeway, the entrance to San Pedro has taken on a nice fresh look.

Its the people who love and believe in San Pedro that make it what it is...and that is different from any other neighborhood in LA. There is something about Pedro...that stays with you even after you leave. A sense of true community. You have to experience it to know what I'm writing about...but Pedro has a persona all its own that is very different...unique for such a large population. It has a small town feel, yet its not a small town.

To the NC members...keep up the great work, you are truly changing the face of your community into something that will endure. Thank you!

I bought a townhome on Grand Ave and Seventh. I have lived in San Pedro for a year and have had no problems. I walk at night downtown, shop, wine taste and walk my dog and I am female. Sure, sometimes you see a obvious knuklehead from time to time but, it's Los Angeles, not Mayberry. Most of the people are nice and say hello when I walk down the street. This city is a mix people and if a all white neighborhood is a decision quantifier for moving to San Pedro or not as a basis for safety, then the naysayers will not agree with me.

If you want a boring suburb that will stay boring forever without any possible better future, the valley is full of places to move to. San Pedro needs more positive people with vision to make it the diamond it should and will be. As a matter of fact, a new park is opening today!

Just moved in to a crappy apartment on 10th St near the water. It's scary. I got robbed on the street the second night I was there. Everyone I've talked to in the neighborhood is packing heat, and now I'm considering it too, though I've never owned a gun before. In the morning when I come outside, I'm pleasantly surprised to see my car still there.
But hey, the rent is cheap!

I moved away from San Pedro many years ago but it will always be home to me. My mither still lives there up by the YMCA. We grew up in the projects on 2nd & Beacon and boy those were the days. Going swimming down by the museum. Exploring Ports o Call Village. The Boys Club. High school football games at Daniels Field. I attended Barton Hill, Dana Jr. High, and San Pedro High all in the late 70's and early 80's. What great fun. It wasnt the best of times in those days but it sure was fun. Pedro rocks

first trip here in 59 turned me on to Pedro..had to go to mac.. im from midwest. came back here after my daughter turned 2..still loved the place.. but now must leave so that my daughter will not get shot down like so many of her and her sisters friends have been..new police station????where are they when the shooting starts????

Too bad some of the other people who took the time to write had such bad experiences. My take is that, like any place, there is good and bad. The area east of Gaffey can look, feel, and be a little rough. That said, we have some very good friends who live in that neighborhood and have had no troubles. (And by the way, if anyone wants to say that Gaffey is among the ugliest streets anywhere, they'll get no argument from me.)

The farther west of Gaffey you go, the better the neighborhoods -- and the views. Yes, there is some noise and yes, there seem to be a lot of sirens. But San Pedro has something a lot of neighborhoods don't seem to have, which is a sense of community. I have witnessed incredible commitment to community improvement, especially the Bridge To Breakwater project (long running). I've also seen great turnout for neighborhood watch meetings, the kind of turnout the cops tell us would be the envy of other communities served by the LAPD.

Downtown is slowly coming around, with a great wine shop, deli, gelato shop, British-themed tavern, a number of new loft developments, and the renovated Warner Grand theater. There are also a number of very good restaurants. Farther west on 8th Street is a great jazz venue -- Alva's -- which comes alive only on weekends, and has been praised by every single act I've seen there as unique in LA.

I walk everywhere in town, including at night, and have never had any real problems. Are there gangs? I wouldn't doubt it. Are there goofball kids? Absolutely. Are there peaceful, lovely neighborhoods? Yes. Is there a great mix of people? Yes.

What San Pedro has is a mix of small-town feeling that is, I believe, unique in this area, combined with a world-class port, some absolutely incredible views, one of the nicest parks I've ever seen (Averill Park) that is only one of many in this town and a real commitment to helping make and keep this town a better place.

If you want absolute safety, absolute peace and quiet, top-notch schools, etc. etc. then LA probably isn't for you. Beverly Hills, Malibu, etc. But for great housing with great views, a real mix of people and neighborhood feeling, all at what remain relatively reasonable prices, it's Pedro.

Purchased a house in SP about 5 years ago on the "nice" side of town (i.e. west of Gaffey), had a baby and started to raise her in our cute little Craftsman home.

When the police wouldn't let us drive into our alleyway because of the dead body located there as a result of a gang shooting, we decided to politely move out of SP – and Los Angeles for that matter.

Honestly, we tried to stick with it, even after I couldn’t park in my garage because of the drunken gentleman who was passed out in front of the driveway - twice.

I did, however, become a skilled painter. A lesson we learned early on was to keep a good supply of paint handy so that you can keep up with the Jones’ during the weekly graffiti cleanup. Seems that in LA, there is an acceptable amount of blight.

Aside from the gangs, dirty neighborhoods, ghetto-type people, lawless animal-like teenagers of disinterested parents, dead bodies, homeless vagrants urinating wherever they please (i.e. on the wall of the public library), local crackheads, housing projects, incessant noise of the infamous ghetto birds circling above (police helicopters), the many halfway houses, dinner punctuated with gunfire, LAUSD, and ubiquitous graffiti, it was fine.

One reason I’d briefly go back to SP is the Omelet and Waffle Shop (but only with wearing good quality body armor). Great Saturday morning breakfasts! Other than that, it’s pretty much a cesspool.

I have lived in San Pedro for about 12 years now. I am amazed at how many people here never leave home once they become adults. They lay around their parents houses doing absolutely nothing when they are not running around with their gang friends. They bring a girlfriend or boyfriend home, start their own families and sign up for public assistance. Their houses go into disrepair and they really do not care. Some areas of San Pedro are turning into slums. Its sad as there is so much potential in this unique little area.

I lived in San Pedro 20 years ago and still go back to visit. I was always amazed at the small-town feel of this community in one of the world's largest cities. If you go walking in Pt. Fermin, people always say "hello." If you are on a small cross street at stop sign wondering how you will ever get across Gaffey, you will soon have all four lanes of traffic come to a stop and motion you across. If you get a beer in Bessie Walker's Cafe, you sometimes get in a John Prine singalong, talk with the mayor, or get in a discussion about old Volvo 122s. What a wonderful place!

It was the first place i moved to after arriving from the u.k.

I would love to say it made me feel welcome and was a home from home.

It was not.

I saw a man hit by a car and no one stopped - that was my first day, and one of the best

Sorry to be down on it, but hey it was down on me

I lived in San Pedro all through the 1980's. I suffered with a derelict person camping in my back yard. My vegetable garden and fruit trees were picked clean before I could get home from work and have any for myself after toiling to raise healthy food. Every small animal that managed to get out was missing (presumably eaten). My landlord constantly raised the rent. The gangs rampaged the streets shooting up houses and beating the heck out of incoming immigrants. I was afraid to go out at night.

My kids were trained to walk on the side of the road that had parked cars in case a drive by happened, they would be able to hit the ground and have a little cover.

I went shopping at the Safeway one time and a sick person slid onto the floor to take a picture up my dress. Another time a gang of 6 full grown men followed me out of the Safeway to my car to steal my groceries and purse. Imagine their surprise when I turned around with a loaded gun and asked which one was first?

Oh yeah. The views are lovely in San Pedro. But it is a hard place to live.

I forgot to add, i played baseball for Bob Moulton as a Barton Hill Cougar, football at the Boys Club for Nick Trani, they were legendary coaches because they molded boys into men, as a teenager going to the dances at the Yogoslav hall, crusing on Pacific Ave as a car member of the Chessman, going to the movies at the drive-in, visiting my extended family ie cousins, aunts and uncles and alot of friends yea friends that i may not have seen for many years, but i know we are friends for life. yea im an old Pedro dog and Pirate for life. there is soooo much more that can said.

If you love contrast, you'll love San Pedro: a community with both a small town and big city feel, where fishingboats and sailboats bob alongside container and cruise ships of the great Port of Los Angeles. Against a backdrop of concrete and bougainvilla, community neighborliness competes with big city noise and traffic. If you live here, you must accept the noise: helicopters, sirens, car alarms (frequently set off by the over loud motorcycles), barking dogs, weekend partying, and the folks who'll use their garages for anything but cars. And, how many leaf blowers does it take to maintain yards the sizes of postage stamps?
But, should you manage to garner enough peace and quiet to read, there's a fun and friendly library, the wonderful and historic William's Book Store, and delightful Little Fish Theatre. Marvellous views of the ocean and the hills abound. There's lots of talent: check out the First Thursday Art Walks, and Angels Gate. Visit nature in Peck and Friendship Parks, and Point Fermin. Or take a sweet evening stroll by the dancing fountain in the romantic harbor lights. Salt water taffy and other surprises can be had found at Ports o Call: tourists treats can even be found in the drugstores. At night, bask in the glow of the humungous yellow LIQUOR sign, or and the big lit-up, red chicken bucket; visible even in the thickest fog! By day, enjoy the roses, ducks, wedding parties, and great city-ocean views from Averill Park! With the right vision, (and laws and law enforcement structured to represent a community instead of the city of L.A.) San Pedro, city of color and contradictions, could be as charming as San Francisco!

I was born in San Pedro some 54 years ago (I grew up in Compton). I've lived in Colorado Springs, CO for over 20 years now, and it's also a nice place to live. But I ALWAYS come back to "Pedro" whenever I'm in town. I'll always have fond memories of San Pedro, it was so much nicer than Compton. Going to Cabrillo Beach, hanging out at Peck Park, and working during summer at "Fort Mac" are things you just can't do everywhere in Southern Calif.

I grew up in Pedro, went to Dana and SPHS and was in the class of W48 of just over a hundred. I entered the Coast Guard there and married there.

Coming from a protected society in Annapolis Md in the mid 1940s, I was introduced to many ethnic cultures.

Some were harsh, some molded my character and made me who I am today.

Pedro was good school for entering the world of people and the many sided cultures.

It changed my racial prejudicial views so that I married the grestest Latino woman I have ever known and have stayed in that marriage for 50 years.

Landmarks? I was all over that town, walking and biking in those days and later busing everywhere. Cabrillo Beach was my home in high school.

Pedro holds more memories, than Ventura, Mesa Arizona or now Littleton Colorado, good and bad, for me.

Thanks for the lessons Pedro.

Bob Garrison

Does anyone else know where you can be one block from an ATM, book store, coffee shop, two great restaurants, an Italian market, some art galleries, and a liquor store? Downtown SP is the only place I know in LA where you can do that, that I know in the LA area. I hear there are dangerous people that live in SP -- so totally unlike Downtown? ;). I appreciate the community too. Croatian longshoremen are much more authentic than yuppies.

San Pedro has the same East Coast ambience of a NYC or Baltimore neighborhood. If I couldn't live in Santa Monica or Pasadena, I'd definitely go back to San Pedro; and it's more affordable with a great commute to LA Central.

PS: I'm not in CA any more. I built my home in Mexico.

Heavy concentration of alcoholics and addicts. The kind of place where some of the people have never even been out of state and the mentality that goes with it. If it ain't San Pedro, it don't exist to them. Old Town 6th Ave looks charming at first but most shops remain closed most of the time, not that they offer much anyhow, and the food at the restaurants is sub par. Worst air quality w/ LA Port and geographical layout. All in all a nice view of Catalina from Pt. Fermin, but that's about it.

I grew up in San Pedro as a child into adulthood, left pedro in the mid 70's. parents,siblings, cousins burried at Green Hills, yea i have a lot of very fond memories of San Pedro, i think i walked every street, played ball at block field, avirell park, peck park. went swimming at all the public pools and in the summer went fishing for bonita of 22nd street. went to barton hill elem. school, dana junior high school and sphs. Loved every moment, it was as close as Mayberry as one could have lived. I dont live there anymore, but i still LOVE SAN PEDRO!

I love san pedro because I found my love there. It's such a hidden treasure after you drove throuhg the vincent thomas bridge and landed the the end of 25th street. Away from the smog and city noise, you walked to the beach without encountering a soul, in a hot summer night, with the ocean breeze whispering in your face, the moon above you, holding hands with your lover, all you hear is the waves pounding on the cliffs. It's like walking into a secret garden. Only one thing I don't like about San Pedro is the schools aren't no good by any standard. I'm in real estate business and lots of parents shy away because of the poor quality school system. That's why they say san pedro is poorman's P.V.

San Pedro is home. Pure and simple. Even though I don't live there any more, it is still, and always be where my heart lies. South Shores was a new development when we moved there in 1959. South Shores elementary was where I met friends that I still communicate with. Dana Jr. High brought new friends and experiences. SPHS, what can I say, I'm a Pirate for life!
It will always be home.

Kathy O'Haggarty Stanfield
SPHS Class of W '68

San Pedro is the last bastion of affordable housing close to the waterfront. It hosts the greatest mixture of classes, ranging from the elite in South Shores to the incoming immigrants on 1st and Pacific. What other town would have public housing adjacent to the waterfront? Some might think its bad planning, but I believe its what makes San Pedro home. Its the last downtown that's not cluttered with chain restaurants like Chili's and Islands, so that it can host gems like Nico's and the Brew Co.

The potential for San Pedro is tremendous. Too bad that its shackled to the City of Los Angeles.

Bring back the drive-in movie theater!!!

I bought my house for almost a million dollars. Instead of crying about the economy I made smart improvements to insure my "investment". In so doing, I found a new appreciation for San Pedro. Sure there are tough people here but I grew up in East L.A. and will bring the hammer down if the need arises. I used to live in Redondo and laughed as the millionaires played in the street with their kids for lack of a yard!..I have a yard, cool nieghbors and an awesome ocean view.

I see nothing wrong with crafters hawking their wares in downtown Pedro. Crafts are cooler than art now anyway. Always were now that I think of it.

I don't how long the previous poster expects to live, but in my lifetime I expect to see downtown Pedro get to be a lot more like West Washington, er, Abbott Kinney, in Venice.

While other communities may have scenic views of ocean or cityscape, San Pedro has that and more. It overlooks a working harbor that is always changing with the comings and goings of cruise and cargo ships, tugs, and private watercraft. Watch huge cranes unload shipping containers and muse about what they might contain, our consumer society, and the nation's trade deficit. Buy a scanner radio and listen to tugs communicating with arriving ships. Try to guess the nationality of the arriving captain based on his accented english. Watch a prominent cruise ship like the Queen Mary 2 come into port for a day and wonder who's on board, what they will see in L.A. on their day ashore, and what you would pick to show them from an Angeleno's perspective.

For me, San Pedro is mostly about views and reflection.

San Pedro is at the end of a narrow strip of LA freeway and with the port as its economic hub and its simultaneous nemesis, the town is insulated from typical LA life. Some would say backwater because the generations tend to stay here and settle - many of my children's friends went to school with kids whose grandparents attended the same school. Pride of place is stronger here than anywhere else I've lived. Jobs have been plentiful and lucrative (till lately) with the strong union contracts for longshoring. You don't need a lot of education to pull down a good paying job so people buy lots of toys and don't require cultural outlets unless it involves beer and blues or rock.

I deplore the lack of competitive fine food restaurants. We have plenty of cafes, ethnic and steakhouses but the best food is prepared in home kitchens. There are many good LA artists in residence in strorefronts and homes but they tend to stay underground while the wannabes and crafters take over the visible arts district commercial sites and open their doors for First Thursday events. The port keeps its eye on the major prize - shipping commerce - and grants lip service to change for downtown. But downtown was ruined in the late 70s and won't come back in my lifetime judging by the lack of progress beyond planning to plan and more planning. Still, it is spectacularly beautiful along the coast and the "lost in time" atmosphere suits a poet's soul so here I'll stay.