Once, San Pedro was a sleepy port...

Once, San Pedro was a sleepy port town where goods and people arrived--and promptly went elsewhere. In fact, the most exciting time of the day was when rival stagecoaches would pick up ship passengers and then race for the hotels of downtown Los Angeles, with riders on the rival lines betting heavily against each other.

Now, 120 years later, Southern California is in the midst of a real estate boom, and San Pedro is very much a part of it.

So much so that when Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores spoke to community leaders there Thursday, she got a little carried away and termed it a “State of the City” address. San Pedro is still just a part of Los Angeles.

Flores issued a three-pronged plan for controlling growth in the community, reminding local leaders that “we . . . need to be sure that San Pedro remains the unique place it is.”

One part of the uniqueness that few seem to want to retain, however, is the town’s one-time reputation as a favorite haunt of hard-living seamen.

Flores’ plan also calls for a ban on new liquor licenses along one of the main thoroughfares, Pacific Avenue.