Makoto Tanaka has maintained an illustrious career, to say the least. In addition to working as head chef at Spago during its early 1990s halcyon days, the Japanese native ran his popular Beverly Hills restaurant, Mako, for more than a decade until 2011. Most recently, Tanaka oversaw the kitchen as executive chef at Mélange inside the Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia hotel. Now the seasoned chef turns his attention to Seal Beach where he and his business partner, Joanne Kim, have quietly opened Mako Ramen, a small yet dynamic eatery that allows Tanaka to return to his roots. The ramen spot, which ..read more

A guided-missile destroyer pulled up alongside the pier at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach on Tuesday, April 9, marking new opportunities for the base. Primary construction recently finished to open the new pier that will allow multiple ships, and larger ships, to dock for loading up munitions supplies. The Seal Beach station is the primary munitions storage and maintenance installation for the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. “This new expanded pier facility provides destroyers and other fleet assets with expanded logistical capacity to arm faster and more efficiently,” said the base’s commanding o ..read more

A Sunset Beach-Surfside sand replenishment project aimed at providing a needed supply to north Orange County’s eroding beaches came up short, providing about a third less sand than expected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that kicked off in mid-December was able to deliver only 811,000 cubic yards of the 1.1 million cubic yards of expected sand, U.S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Dena O’Dell said in an email. The $23 million project was spearheaded by the federal government, which provided 67%, or $15.5 million, of the cost of the project, but was also a collaboration between l ..read more

An escalating wave of Starbucks worker victories continued this week when baristas at a Seal Beach store voted to join Starbucks Workers United. Their 9-3 vote marks the 32nd California location to unionize. Workers at the 12470 Seal Beach Blvd. store join more than 400 Starbucks stores nationwide that have unionized in their fight for higher wages, increased hours, consistent scheduling and a stronger voice on the job. “Winning this election is a huge confidence booster because for so long our issues and needs have been left unmet,” said Anaiah Hufstetler, who has worked at the Seal Beach cof ..read more

By Kiel Porter, Julie Johnsson and Siddharth Philip | Bloomberg Boeing Co. has been exploring the sale of at least two of its defense businesses, as the beleaguered aircraft manufacturer fights through its biggest crisis in years. Financial advisers have contacted potential buyers on Boeing’s behalf to gauge interest in several smaller units, according to people familiar with the discussions, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. The efforts have been underway for about a year, predating the Jan. 5 accident that has placed the planemaker under intense scrut ..read more

The wiggly fish get pushed up to the sand by waves for their moonlit spawning ritual, a spectacle that has long lured lookie-loos to the California coastline to get a glimpse at the unique sight. Sometimes, the grunion are a no-show or just a few fish show up for the fun. But other times, thousands of the tiny, silver fish can blanket the sand, bringing late night excitement to beaches across the region. Grunion season is getting ready to kick off Sunday, March 10, and happens twice a month through August. But before you head out armed with flashlights, there are new rules and regulations in r ..read more

Primary elections offer a snapshot of voter sentiment, and in the race for California’s open 47th congressional district the earliest tally suggests voters are leaning toward Republican Scott Baugh and Democrat State Sen. Dave Min as finalists in the Nov. 5 general election. A tally of mail-in ballots announced by the Orange County Registrar of Voters shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. showed Baugh, Min and Democratic challenger Joanna Weiss far ahead of seven others who hope to represent a district that runs along the coast from Huntington Beach through Laguna Beach and inland into Costa Me ..read more

Seal Beach has received a contribution from the county to help fund cleaning and raking services at the shore for a year and kickstart a study of how best to keep more trash and debris from flushing down the San Gabriel River to litter the sand and get into the ocean. Following storms, trash and pollutants from inland cities gets washed down rivers and channels to the shore up and down the coast, often covering beaches after a downpour. City crews keep busy compiling mounds of trash left along the shoreline following the winter storms in Long Beach. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SC ..read more

Baristas at a Starbucks in Seal Beach have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize with Starbucks Workers United. Weary of low pay, reduced hours and inconsistent scheduling, employees at the Seal Beach Boulevard store are among 21 Starbucks stores in 14 states demanding that company CEO Laxman Narasimhan recognize the union. Baristas from the 21 stores — including locations in San Jose and Antioch — expressed their frustration in a Tuesday, Feb. 20 letter to Narasimhan. More union news: UCLA, UC Riverside students petition to remove Starbucks from campuses “A ..read more

Sewage has made its way to the ocean in Seal Beach, prompting authorities to close the stretch of water from the San Gabriel River to the Anaheim Bay breakwater. The OC Health Care Agency closed the area “due to the occurrence of multiple sewage spills that were caused by weather-impacted surges on sewer mains in areas of Los Angeles County that border Orange County,” according to a news alert sent out Wednesday afternoon. “Out of an abundance of caution, the affected ocean water area will remain closed to swimming, surfing, and diving until the results of follow-up water quality monitoring me ..read more