SERVING CATALINA ITS MAINLAND FRIENDS
every week - since 1914
VOLUME 98, ISSUE 17
F.,o.v April 27, 2012
Film Festival announces
lineup and guests
The Catalina Film Festival will
run from May 4-6 this year. The
Festival features more than 60
films, industry panels, networking
and special events. Scheduled
guests include Stan Lee, Rachael
Leigh Cook, and Adam Sinclair.
See story, page 7
City meetings go online
-The city of Avalon has announced
that all City Council and Planning
Commission meetings can be
viewed through live streaming on
the new Avalon website starting
Tuesday, May 1, www.cityofava-
Ion.com.
July 4 Parade theme contest
The Recreation/Community
Services Department is hold-
ing a contest to help decide the
theme for its annual Fourth of July
Parade. To enter: come up with a
theme that embodies the essence
of the holiday or Catalina and
send to: recreation@cityofavalon.
com. Entries due by Friday, May
11. The winner gets tickets to the
Museum's British Invasion event.
Chamber Day
Chamber Day 2012, a fund-
raiser for the Catalina Hyperbaric
Chamber, will be held Wednesday,
May 2. For more information, call
(310) 652-4990 or visit www.
chamberday.org.
Island Co Movie Passes
The Santa Catalina Island
Company's discounted Islander
Movie Passes are now available
for purchase at Golf Gardens
Miniature Golf. To qualify, you
must present a city of Avalon sub-
sidy card and photo ID. Passes
are $80 for eight movies.
CERT volunteers honored
The Los Angeles Sherriff's
Department's Avalon Station
recently honored 31 civilian vol-
unteers who are part of the local
CERT team. They contributed over
1,200 hours of volunteer time last
year. See story, page 8
Seabass Championship set
for mid-May
Organizers are accepting entries
in for the 2012 WON/Yamaha
Catalina Island White Seabass
Championship scheduled for
Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20
at Two Harbors. See story, page 6
Catalina Classic skateboard
event hits town May 6
The first Catalina Classic long-
board skateboard race was held
in 1977. Now, 35 years after the
original Catalina Classic, the long-
board skateboard race is coming
back to Catalina Island.
See story, page 6
Mariners
Outreach
Foundation, is a
group of Marina
Del Rey boat-
ing enthusiasts
whose primary
mission is to
provide Catalina
Island's elemen-
tary through
high school
students with
field trips on
the mainland.
Their first trip
was with two
second grade
classes and a
group of special
needs students
from Avalon
Elementary
-School. The
children were
taken to the
Aquarium of the
Pacific in Long
Beach.
Lionssponsor screening unit
BY BURNEY RAMMING
In a typical year, the Avalon
Lions Club donates approximately
$40,000 to the Citizens of Ava-
lon. Most of this money is given
to student scholarships, family as-
sistance and youth group support.
The money donated to the Avalon
Community is raised through the
various fund-raisers put on by the
Avalon Lions.
Avalon Lions Club dues, the 50
Mile Buffalo Run, Two Harbors
Beer Fest and Catalina Conservan-
cy Event Aid Station support are
examples of how money is raised.
Sometimes the Avalon Lions Club
is lucky enough to do something
to call attention to the year-round
community service work the mem-
bers accomplish. The 2012 Health
Fair was one of those events.
The Avalon's Lions Club
screened 104 Avalon residents or
visitors for blood pressure, eye
health and hearing problems at the
Avalon Health Fair.
The screenings took place in
the Southern California Lions
Mobile Screening Unit, * which
was parked in front of the Casino
Building. Several people were di-
agnosed with eye or •hearing issues
-and have been referred to the.Li-
ons Sight and Hearing Foundation
in Los Angeles. These professional
Lions District Health Services are
free to anyone who needs them
and cannot afford them.
Catalina Island residents who
need a hearing test and/or hearing
aid, an eye exam and/or glasses in
the future wili be glad to know that
the Avalon Lions Club will pay for
these services as well as the trans-
portation to and from the exami-
nation on the Mainland for people
who cannot afford the cost. Cata-
lina Island residents may contact
Avalon Lion Burney Ramming at
(310)422-1406 for assistance with
this program,
The Southern California Lions
Mobile Screening Unit is 38 feet
long, 13 feet high, 8 1/2 feet wide
and weighs 26,000 pounds. The
Unit has on board electrical power,
a hydraulic self-leveling system
and expands to 14 feet wide. The
high tech piece • of equipment was
sponsored at the Avalon Health
Fair by the Avalon Lions Club.
Complicated arrangements were
necessary to have the unit driven
Lions, page 5
JUDGE OPPOSES
CATALINA WATER
RATE INCREASE
Administrative law judge
would pass $10. 7 million cost
to mainland electricity users.
Public Utility Commission to
make final decision
BY CHARLES M. KELLY
A judge intends to decide against
Southern California Edison's request
to increase water rates on Catalina,
according to apress release issued
by attorneys representing opponents
of the Edison request. The ruling, if
approved,' could result in mainland
electricity customers helping to pay
for Catalina's water. The electric bill
increase would be temporary and last
only for one year. The alternative to
raising Catalina water fees was part
of Edison's rate increase request.
The California Public Utilities
Commission will have the final
say on the matter. Administrative
Law Judge Robert Barnett issued
his proposed decision in the Edi-
son General Rate Case on Mon-
day, April 23. Southern California
Edison sought to more than double
the water rates charged to Catalina
Island ratepayers.
In reaching his decision to pass
$10,700,000 of Edison's Rate Base
to electric ratepayers, Barnett said
that the "water system primarily
serves.., visitors," and that Cata-
lina ratepayers, who currently are
paying the highest rates in Califor-
nia, facing a doubling or more of
their current bills, "would welcome
Rates, Page 4
"Cap" on an underwater
pioneer's career
BY JON COUNCIL
Editor's note: The following
is Part 1 of a series on diving
legend Cap Perkins
"Yesterday,. Dec. 7, 1941--a
date which will live in infamy--
the United States of America was
suddenly and deliberately attacked
by naval and air forces of the Em-
pire of Japan."
Those stunning words, spoken
by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in response to the Japanese attack
,on the. U.S. Naval base in Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, ushered in a new
direction for the United States of
Mysterious Island is on vacation for
two weeks. It will return on May 11.
America. Suddenly the U.S. found
itself fighting in World War II in
Europe and the South Pacific.
Jim Perkins, a young naval en-
listed man, was stationed in Pearl
Harbor during the attack.
A half-world away in upstate
New York, Jim's younger brother
Cap Perkins was a strapping 15-
year-old living with his mother.
During December, Cap's typi-
cal day included skiing down
the hill to attend a single room
Perk/m, Page 9
Diving legends Zale Parry and Cap Perkins
