by Kevin Cody
Rob Saemann was a 15-year-old freshman at Lutheran High, near his home in the middle class community of Leimert Park, near the Los Angeles Coliseum, when he first visited Hermosa Beach with classmates in 1963.
“We went body surfing at the Pier and peeked inside the Insomniac Coffee House. I thought I had discovered a magical place, and knew that day that’s where I wanted to someday live,” Saemann told a gathering of high school friends, family and Hermosa Beach civic leaders Tuesday night.
The occasion was Saemann’s swearing in as Mayor of Hermosa Beach.
“Hermosa can never be like 1963 again. But it is still a magical place, and I hope it will be for generations to come,” he told the packed City Council chambers..
After high school Saemann earned his contractors license, and “with help from my wife Becky,” fulfilled his high school dream of living in Hermosa.
He served two years on the Hermosa Public Works Commission and 10 years on the Planning Commission before being elected to the City Council in 2022.
“Oftentimes an issue comes before us on Council, and I think, this sounds familiar. I remember dealing with a similar issue when I was on the Planning Commission,” Saeman said in an implied endorsement of council candidates who come up through the ranks of city commissions.
The Mayor’s gavel traditionally rotates among the five council members every nine months. Councilmember Michael Detoy was named Mayor Pro Tem.
Saeman assumes the Mayor’s seat at a time when the council is faced with an agenda packed with urgent, and challenging issues.
Among them, is the retirement of Police Chief Paul LeBaron, and the appointment of Police Captain Landon Phillips as the new chief. Saemann and Councilmembers learned of LeBaron’s retirement, and Phillips’ appointment Wednesday morning, during phone calls from City Manager Suja Lowenthal.
Other issues facing the council include a potential lawsuit over the city’s Short Term Vacation Rentals ban; a proposed five-story, 50-foot high apartment house on Hermosa Avenue that is opposed by neighbors, but exempt from the city’s 30-foot height limit; consideration of a new civics facilities center; and a council decision on whether to retain, or dismiss City Manager Lowenthal.
Saemann praised his fellow Councilmembers, saying, “Our diverse experiences make us wiser. There’s nothing we can’t do if we work together.”
Saemann succeeds Mayor Dean Francois, who was elected with Saemann in 2022, and will resume his position as a councilmember.
Saemann praised Francois for his efforts to “run meetings in an appropriate manner, bringing calm and peace to the council. It has been an honor to sit next to you.”
Tuesday night’s meeting was adjourned in memory of Kathy Midstokke, who passed away on Sunday. Midstokke served as City Clerk for two terms, beginning in 1984, and for one term as a Councilmember, beginning in 1989. ER
