Get vaccinated against COVID, or get fired, Hermosa Beach Council tells city employees
by Dan Blackburn Hermosa Beach employees must be vaccinated by November 12, or they will no longer be allowed to work for the city, unless they have a medical or religious exemption. The policy was adopted by the City Council on a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, following a long discussion Apart from full- and part-time […]
Vista School traffic plan a traffic school for parents
by Dan Blackburn Getting students efficiently and safely to and from the newly modernized Hermosa Vista School (formerly North School) has been the subject of formal studies and formation of a plan – which has now been put into action. With mixed results during the 25th Street school session’s first few days, according to some […]
Hermosa Beach Chamber seeks balance between traditional fiesta, Fiesta Locale
by Dan Blackburn A “reconfigured” Fiesta Hermosa Locale with a considerably smaller footprint, and customized to accommodate pandemic restrictions proved popular with many downtown business owners and residents. But the four-day event over the Labor Day weekend likely will return to its “traditional,” more expansive format of past years, according to Jessica Accamando, president of […]
Homeland Security grant to buy surveillance camera trailer for Hermosa police
by Dan blackburn A $31,192 grant from State Homeland Security will allow the Hermosa Beach Police Department to purchase a closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance camera trailer. The city council approved the purchase by 5-0 vote on the consent calendar Tuesday. The bid by Wireless WCCTV, LLC, was the lowest, according to a report by […]
Hermosa Beach Public Works director arrives from Santa Monica
by Dan Blackburn Joseph SanClemente, a former City of Santa Monica transportation planner, started his new job Tuesday as the city of Hermosa Beach’s public works director. SanClemente will supervise the city’s 26 planning department employees and earn an annual salary of $167,028 plus benefits. San Clemente replaces former public works director Marnell Gibson, who […]
Redondo wants Hermosa to pay back money for Herondo drain
by Dan Blackburn Hermosa Beach city officials are bracing for a lawsuit in a years-long spat over an unpaid bill allegedly owed to neighboring Redondo Beach. The lawsuit centers around a faltering flood control project. Ted Semaan, Redondo Beach’s public works director, sent a “notice of default” earlier this month to his Hermosa Beach counterpart, […]
HBPD at full strength with new recruits
by Dan Blackburn Higher pay and signing bonuses have attracted a new crop of Hermosa Beach police recruits, five of whom now have begun on-duty patrols with training officers. The five are Luis Pineda, who graduated from the Golden West Police Academy: and Keaton Dadigan, Stephanie DeAndrade, Kevin Jones,and Ryan McBride who graduated from the […]
Hermosa council proposes relaxing parking requirements
by Dan Blackburn With little discussion and much expressed enthusiasm, the Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously approved first reading of an ordinance amending off-street parking in commercial zones that officials believe will enhance small business opportunities. Planning officials said the amendments were proposed after businesses suggested parking was a major impediment to redeveloping and attracting […]
CrossFit gym a $1 million ‘nuisance’ to Hermosa Beach
by Dan Blackburn Hermosa Beach residents have learned their contribution to the battle against a Cypress Avenue fitness gym has cost them more than $1.25 million. The city paid CrossFit Horsepower $950,000, authorized by the city council Tuesday; legal costs paid to City Attorney Michael Jenkins’ firm, Best, Best & Krieger, have so far added […]
Hermosa taps out in match against CrossFit Horsepower
by Daniel Blackburn Hermosa Beach will be paying a cash settlement to owners of a now shuttered fitness gym following an agreement approved in closed session May 25 by the city council. Notice of the currently-confidential agreement was filed in federal court on June 15. The city’s amount to be paid to Jed Sanford and […]
Parking deck dining and street reconfiguration good ‘til 2022
by Daniel Blackburn Outdoor dining, widely initiated during the pandemic, will be continued locally to the end of the current year, the Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously decided Tuesday. Related street lane reconfiguration in the downtown district on Pier Avenue and Hermosa Avenue also will be extended. Business owners and residents weighed in on the […]
Hermosa Beach Mayor attacked after challenging litterer
by Daniel Blackburn Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey was physically attacked Sunday evening by a man Massey chastised for littering. In an email to Easy Reader, Massey said he was walking with his family near Cypress Avenue and 8th Street around 7:30 p.m. when “I saw trash being thrown onto 8th Street from a parked […]
Hermosa Beach Eviction ban extension plan
by Dan Blackburn An effort by city officials to balance the rights of commercial and residential landlords and their tenants during the pandemic recovery will be extended following Tuesday’s meeting of the Hermosa Beach City Council. The city’s existing commercial and residential eviction moratorium incorporates the state’s procedures for eviction protection, set to expire June […]
Councilman Jackson ready for action after private swearing in ceremony
by Dan Blackburn Raymond Jackson, newly elected to the Hermosa Beach City Council, took his oath of office May 28 in a private ceremony he said was “entirely” his idea. The City Hall event was attended by family and few others, said Jackson. Several longtime city residents said they could not remember a similar ceremony […]
CITY COUNCIL: Armato holds up alcohol sales at H20 Hermosa hotel
by Dan Blackburn Brushing aside a wave of vocal local support, Hermosa Beach City Council member Stacey Armato single-handedly temporarily blocked an effort by boutique hotel H2O Hermosa to serve beer and wine to guests. Hotel officials sought an amendment to their business conditional use permit (CUP) to “provide onsite sale, service, and consumption of […]
Hermosa Beach Schools superintendent’s rap recitation puts political correctness to test
by Dan Blackburn The law made him do it, said Jason Johnson, superintendent of the Hermosa Beach City School District, reflecting on his live reading during a board meeting last Wednesday of a rapper’s obscenity-laden lyrics into the public record. And he articulated the words of Carli B’s wildly-offensive “WAP” offering with nary a nuanced […]