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About Town: Hermosa Beach
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Hermosa Beach Mayor John Bowler (center) cuts the ribbon for the grand opening of Hawthorne Saving’s new branch in downtown Hermosa last Thursday. Joining the mayor is Hawthorne’s Dawn Wendle and branch manager Mari Gadman, chamber president Mike Ludwig, Redondo councilman John Parsons, Redondo chamber CEO Marna Smeltzer, El Segundo councilman Kelly McDowell, Hermosa chamber CEO Carla Merriman, Hermosa chamber’s Betsy McAlpin, and Hermosa community services director Mary Rooney. Photo by Kevin Cody |
Library gets computers
Hermosa Beach Friends of the Library have purchased two new computers for the local Los Angeles County Library branch on Pier Avenue at Valley Drive.
"The new computers are now up and running and waiting for the children of Hermosa Beach to use them," the fund-raising organization said in a prepared statement.
The group is campaigning for additional hours at the library branch, which is open 35 hours a weeks.
Hermosa officials continue to study the feasibility of wresting the cozy, 45,000-item library away from county officials, who use about $422,000 a year in Hermosa property taxes to run the facility.
The property taxes can be diverted back to the city thanks to Hermosa Beach City Attorney Michael Jenkins, who designed a bill allowing the diversion, then shepherded it through the state Legislature in 1996.
The library building could be bought from the county at little cost.
Although the books and most other items in the library belong to the county, a library takeover could be aided by businesses that create "turnkey libraries," restocking the shelves with the same materials, Mayor John Bowler has said.
Under the existing laws governing public libraries, Hermosa would not be able to complete a takeover until summer.
Open house
The Hermosa Beach branch of the Kiwanis service organization marks its 75th birthday by hosting an open house for its youth center, 2515 Valley Drive, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday. A buffet will be laid out, and a big band will play beginning 9 p.m.
For information call 318-7000. ER
Last week’s rains caused water to pool up more than a foot deep in a six-home section of the Marineland mobile home park, and the water flooded the floor of a Lexus automobile. Following complaints by city officials last year, owners of the 60-space park at the end of Bard Street installed a pump to carry water away from the low-lying area.