About Town
Limits lifted
The City council has voted to lift limits on campaign contributions for independent political action committees that are not affiliated with a political candidate.
The council acted on the advice of City Attorney Michael Jenkins, who said the $250 limit was vulnerable to a legal challenge on constitutional grounds. The city retains its $250 limit on contributions to candidates or committees they control.
Some council members cited a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Citizens United versus the Federal Election Commission, that corporations have the rights of citizens in campaign spending.
Nightlife reviews
The City Council has approved a set of criteria to review alcohol-serving establishments, to determine whether they are complying with city permits, and preventing excessive rowdiness and noise.
A combination of two violations of operating hours, serious crimes on the premises due to lack of security, or criminal citations of staff on the premises in a six-month period could trigger a hearing for a modification or revocation of an establishment’s conditional use permit.
However, the police chief and other officials can intervene and determine that the incidents are not serious enough to warrant the hearing.
Additional incidents that can trigger a use-permit hearing include one each of overcrowding or violating state regulations on ratios of alcohol and food sales.
Gastro-feller
Town Hall Gastropub, an eatery planned for upper Pier Avenue, can’t be called Town Hall Gastropub, because there’s already another restaurant by the same name, and it has a trademark on the name.
So, business documents filed with Los Angeles County have been updated with a new name for the eatery, The Rockefeller Grill. The grill is planned for the spot that was Ragin Cajun Café’s for nearly two decades.
Walk of fame
The City of Hermosa Beach is continuing to accept nominations for 2011 induction into the Surfers Walk of Fame on the municipal pier. The nomination period will close 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7.
Applications are available at the Community Resources Department, City Hall, the local branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library next to City Hall, or online at hermosabch.org.
For more information call the Community Resources Department at 310-318-0280.
In 2010 James “Tiger” Makin was inducted into the Walk with a bronze plaque on the pier. Makin, 58, was honored for an aggressive style and daring approach that earned widespread attention to his big-wave prowess, and brought him to competitive heights including a fifth-place finish in the U.S. Surfing Championships. ER