Hermosa Beach Council swearings-in a peaceful transition
by Kevin Cody A special Hermosa Beach Council meeting last Thursday, December 5, to swear in newly elected councilmembers Mike Detoy and Michael Keegan began on a light note when Mayor Dean Francois called for “a peaceful transition of power.” Councilmember Justin Massey was stepping down after serving two terms. In a nod to Hermosa’s […]
Boundary pushing Hermosa Museum seeks legitimacy
by Kevin Cody Of the more than 35,000 museums in the United States, only 1,113 are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). By this time next year, the Hermosa Museum hopes to join their ranks, making it the only AAM accredited museum in the South Bay. In all of Los Angeles County there […]
Letters to the Editor 12-12-24
An educated vote Dear ER: I would like to join with the Redondo Beach teachers in expressing gratitude to our community for approving Measure S, the $278 million Redondo Beach school bond on the November 5 ballot (“Redondo Beach election results,” ER November 7, 2024). There is nothing more important to society than educating our […]
Cafe Stories: How the Hermosa Beach Museum got its lifeguard tower
by Kevin Cody A blue, beach lifeguard tower stands in the middle of the Hermosa Beach Museum, separating the Main Room’s Tongva native and Hermosa civic exhibits from the Beach Culture room’s surfing, volleyball and lifeguard exhibits. Last month, during a Museum “Cafe Stories” talk, retired Los Angeles County Lifeguard Captain Shannon Carr-Davey, and her […]
Letters to the Editor 11-28-24
Too young Dear ER: Manhattan Beach school’s e-bike safety program is a great idea (“MBUSD launches e-bike safety program,” ER November 14, 2023). However fourth and fifth graders are too young to be riding e-bikes in traffic with automobiles, and trucks. These bikes are nothing more than electric motorcycles. We license youths to drive cars. […]
Power politics: Gene Rodrigues, DOE Assistant Secretary of Electricity, pushes Biden-Harris clean air policy
by Kevin Cody “It’s not politics that is driving the transition to a clean energy economy. It’s the march of inevitability. It’s where the world is headed,” Gene Rodrigues said in March 2023, in his keynote address to the South Bay Cities Council of Governments Annual Assembly. During the talk, he described the United States’ […]
Letters to the Editor 11-21-24
HV a victory for kids Dear ER: Hermosa Beach City School Bond Measure HV passed with well over 60 Percent of those voting in the November 5 election. Passage of Measure HV by the citizens of Hermosa will give much needed investment to Hermosa Valley and to our children’s future. We were proud to deliver […]
Veterans Memorial Sundial celebrated on 30th anniversary
photos by Kevin Cody
Hermosa City Manager Lowenthal gets raise over the Mayor’s objection
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal received a 3% salary increase and a 7% bonus for the current fiscal year on a 4 to 1 vote of the City Council at its Tuesday, November 12 meeting. The raise brings her salary to $281,376. The bonus is $19,122. Lowenthal joined the city in […]
Hermosa Beach Little League swings for the fences, dogs may run free
A Parks Master Plan proposes upgrades for Hermosa’s nine parks by Kevin Cody A “field of dreams” at Clark Stadium, a park where dogs run free, swim lessons, new pickleball courts, and restoration of the historic, 1936 lawnbowling clubhouse are among the top goals of the Hermosa Beach Parks Master Plan presented to a joint […]
Letters to the Editor 11-14-24
Al appreciation Dear ER: Deepest gratitude to Al Muratsuchi for always doing what is right, moral, and ethical (“Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi elected to fifth and final term,” ER November 7, 2024). Best wishes to him after his Assembly days are over. Barbara Epstein Redondo Beach Hope for change Dear ER: Congratulations to all the […]
Hermosa Beach Voters reject sales tax increase Measure HB
by Kevin Cody Measure HB, a .75% sales tax increase meant to offset projected city budget shortfalls, was rejected by voters on Tuesday, by a margin of 3,199 (43%) to 4,269 (57%). The measure was supported by four of the five councilmembers, but opposed by five former councilmembers, among them Michael Keegan. Keegan served on […]
Measure HV promises $27.8 million for Hermosa Valley School
by Kevin Cody Wednesday morning, preliminary voting results indicate Hermosa Valley School will get $6.8 million for classroom modernization, including two new science labs to be built next to the gym. Valley will also get $6.2 million for new athletic facilities, including a $3.9 million athletic field, and running track. The funds will come from […]
Hermosa Beach Civic Center open house shows deficient work facilities
by Kevin Cody “Why do cops like donuts?” Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBarron asked the approximately 50 residents attending the Civic Center open house last Wednesday, October 24. The chief’s answer was more factoid than funny, but it was the evening’s most light-hearted moment. Answer: In decades past, cops on night shifts wrote their […]
Letters to the Editor 10-31-24
Be a true sport Dear ER: This must stop now. I’m talking about the scheduling of children’s sport activities on Sunday mornings between breakfast and noon, when they could just as well be scheduled after lunch. Those hours are just the hours we go to church as families. The lessons learned there help our families […]
Letters to the Editor 10-24-24
All politics is local Dear ER: Hermosa Beach Worse Than The Taliban? There has been discussion about a recent Hermosa Beach City Council meeting where [Council candidate] Elka Worner, on the eve of 9/11, suggested that Hermosa Beach’s government is worse than the Taliban. Worner saw fit to compare access to City officials and the […]