Hermosa Beach fire chief to retire early

Russell Tingley says his departure stems from an updated retirement package by ex-employer, not discord.

By Andrea Sudano
STAFF WRITER

Hermosa Beach Fire Chief Russell Tingley, the embattled leader of a fractious department, is retiring after seven years on the job. His last day is May 15.

Tingley, 56, came to Hermosa Beach in January 2000 after 23 years of service with the Upland Fire Department. He notified Hermosa city officials of his retirement this week, after learning the Upland City Council last week voted to hike retirement benefits for city employees.

"This was overnight a change in my life, because my goal was to reach the maximum in retirement," he said. "Now I'm topped out. That's like a gift to me."

Tingley had previously pledged to remain on the job until May 2008, when he was originally slated to become eligible for his full retirement benefits. His decision to step down earlier has nothing to do with any perceived strife within the department, Tingley said.

"Why work when you can make as much money in retirement and enjoy family now?" the Rancho Cucamonga resident said. "My family has put up with a lot and now I can give back to them at 56."

During his tenure as chief, Tingley often found himself in the middle of a longtime squabble between rank-and-file and management over staffing levels, facility conditions and pay rates.

The union took a vote of no confidence against Tingley in January 2005, alleging he either ignored or was incapable of leadership, management, decision-making and strategic planning needed in the department.

But Tingley said he and the department have moved past "that problem," as he called it.

"That was a big deal, but I still continued to come to work positively every day because that's part of the business," Tingley said.

The chief said he believes he's leaving the department in good shape now, citing as accomplishments an ongoing staffing study, personnel development training and a new agreement that allows Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach fire departments to share firefighters.

"Those aren't things that I did," Tingley said. "Those are things the men and women of the Hermosa Beach Fire Department accomplished under my watch."

Though he's retiring from the fire service, Tingley has not ruled out working in another field. He previously taught a college course on hazardous materials, and has been offered an opportunity to resume teaching, Tingley said.

In the next week or so, City Manager Steve Burrell will begin looking for an interim replacement for Tingley, and later follow with a search for a permanent replacement.

Beach cities' fire crews will share duties

Hermosa and Manhattan beach fire crews are swapping members to keep staffing up to snuff.

By Andrea Sudano
STAFF WRITER

Veteran Manhattan Beach Fire Department engineer Brian Yount wasn't quite sure Tuesday where things were around the station.

That's because he spent the day working at the Hermosa Beach Fire Department as part of a new agreement between the two cities that lets them share full-time firefighter/paramedics when either department has trouble filling a shift.

Yount is the first Manhattan Beach firefighter to substitute at the Hermosa Beach station under the agreement, which went into effect Sunday.

Instead of "force hiring" -- requiring a Hermosa Beach firefighter to stay on for another 24-hour shift to cover an open spot-- the department welcomed Yount to the Pier Avenue fire station Tuesday morning to fill the shift and earn a little extra cash.

"It's overtime for me, but it's primarily to help these guys out," he said. "These guys are away from home 72 or 96 hours at a time. It's hard when there's family, kids or a wife that's missing you. It's just something that we felt was the nice thing to do, to pick up some of the slack for them."

Currently, 13 firefighters struggle to fill 18 spots in Hermosa Beach, Chief Russell Tingley said. Borrowing firefighters from Manhattan Beach should help supplement the staff and also keep the firefighters from being overworked, he said.

But the deal is also reciprocal, Tingley said. Should the Manhattan Beach department find itself needing help, Hermosa Beach will send over one of its firefighters, he said.

Yount will still be paid from Manhattan Beach's coffers for his services Tuesday in Hermosa Beach, Tingley said. In turn, Manhattan Beach will bill Hermosa Beach for his time.

"Cost-wise, the firefighters are paid comparably," Tingley said. "Whether it's Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach working, it's a wash."

He added that the departments started working on the deal in the fall, when Hermosa Beach firefighters really began feeling a staffing crunch because of long-term injuries, vacations and other time off.

Manhattan Beach Fire Chief Dennis Groat said earlier in his career at the Huntington Beach Fire Department, a similar agreement was in place with counterparts in Fountain Valley. Groat said the arrangement worked well there, and he expects a similar result in Hermosa and Manhattan.

Both departments respond to emergencies in the other's jurisdictions, and they also share resources and equipment. So it seemed natural to share people as well, said Paul Hawkins, president of the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association.

"We tend to think we're all unique and different," he said. "Why not just drop this pretense that it's unique and different and let us work together on a routine basis? It's another way to share resources and, for us right now, with our current staffing crisis, hopefully it will take a little bit of the pressure off us."

While it's still early, Hawkins said he hopes that if the program is successful, it might be extended to include the Redondo Beach Fire Department, and possibly lead to a consolidation of the departments, a move favored by the union.

"Maybe it's going at it from the back door or at the ground level to convince the top it will work," he said. "We're going to start working together more and more and more. Why are there three separate fire departments if they share resources, equipment and personnel?"

HB police investigate ocean death

By Kristin S. Agostoni
Staff writer

Hermosa Beach police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in the surf Friday night between 8th and 9th streets.

Los Angeles County lifeguards were called to the beach about 7 p.m. after someone reported seeing a body floating in the water, police said. They pulled the body from the surf and determined the woman was dead.

Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said detectives do not believe foul play is involved.

The 37-year-old woman was a known transient, he said. Police have declined to release her name until family members are notified. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office on Sunday night could not provide details about the woman's cause of death.

Anyone with information is asked to call Hermosa Beach police at 310-318-0360.

Hermosa Beach is ordered to reinstate fired police officer

By Denise Nix
Staff Writer

Adopting a hearing officer's recommendations, the County Civil Service Commission has unanimously agreed that former Hermosa Beach police officer Todd Lewitt should be reinstated to his job and receive back pay.

Lewitt, 41, was terminated in November 2005 on grounds he tried to sneak a gun through security at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, and lied about it. Lewitt, though, claims he was actually fired because of his public battle with department management.

In findings issued in January, a hearing officer said he believed the allegations against Lewitt were not true after testimony was taken from airport security workers and department employees.

The city objected to the hearing officer's findings, but the commission voted Wednesday to adopt the officer's recommendations and ordered that Lewitt get his job back.

"We hope that the department does the right thing and brings Todd back to work," said Lewitt's attorney, Corey Glave. "At this point, it's all on the city's dime, whatever their decision is."

Police Chief Greg Savelli said the department is waiting until it receives the written order, and then it will decide whether an appeal will be filed or Lewitt will be reinstated.

Police say HB thieves took classy approach

By Andrea Sudano
Staff Writer

Knocking over coin-operated laundries may be a low-rent crime, but two alleged thieves arrested Thursday by Hermosa Beach police are suspected of doing it in style.

Hermosa Beach officers said they discovered a thick wad of $1 bills and up to $300 in loose quarters inside a stolen, brand-new Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle the men allegedly were using.

The men were booked on suspicion of auto theft and detectives were working to tie in burglary charges against the pair.

Considering the nature of the loot -- a variety of tools commonly used in burglaries and empty laundry bags recovered from inside the vehicle -- police suspect the men had been burglarizing Laundromats, Detective Steve Saylor said.

"One of the guys had $311, with $86 in $1 bills," he said. "If you've ever seen that before, it looks like a big wad of cash. ... It's indicative of that kind of burglary."

Arrested were Carson resident Norbert Navarro, 26, and Peter Resmer, 32, of Santa Monica.

Around 2 a.m., an officer spotted the two men walking out from behind a closed business in the 500 block of Pacific Coast Highway, Saylor said.

The two men then went into a convenience store, bought something and left. When they noticed a police officer across the street, they threw something in a trash can.

The officer detained the men and found one had a crowbar and one had tossed a key to the luxury vehicle parked nearby, Saylor said.

The four-door 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML had recently been reported stolen to the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division, Saylor said.

A delivery van for an area Laundromat was recently stolen, and investigators are looking into whether the men could be involved, Saylor added.

South Bay briefs

Activist: Pier Plaza parking unfair

A Hermosa Beach resident has launched a referendum drive to challenge a city ordinance that eases parking requirements for Pier Plaza businesses.

The City Council gave final approval Tuesday to the ordinance that exempts those businesses from having to provide a certain amount of on-site parking as long as they pay fees to the city.

Activist Jim Lissner now has 30 days to gather signatures from about 10 percent of registered voters in town -- about 1,400 people.

A longtime opponent of bars in town, Lissner argued that the ordinance would ease the way for more taverns to build in town and should be limited to other types of businesses like offices and retail stores.

He also said Planning Commission and City Council discussion of the ordinance was not properly publicized.

MANHATTAN BEACH

Beach cities crews contain blaze

An overnight blaze ripped through a backyard and briefly threatened neighboring homes late Tuesday in Manhattan Beach.

The fire in the 700 block of Rosecrans Avenue started around 10 p.m. A couple watching television there reported hearing a popping sound in the backyard just as "American Idol" finished, and found that an electrical line had come down.

The couple has been preparing to renovate their home and had moved some of their possessions or some building materials into the backyard. The fire spread quickly, and the first fire crews to arrive found flames billowing from treetrops and threatening to jump to neighboring yards.

Firefighters from throughout the beach cities responded to keep the fire from spreading. They had it knocked down within about 15 minutes, Battalion Chief Chuck Wilson said. Damage was limited to the backyard and the back of the house, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, though a damaged connection with a power line has been ruled out, said fire Inspector Michael Morrey. Nobody was hurt.

Robber strikes South Bay banks

Irreconcilable Differences Bandit was at Torrance and Hermosa branches Friday. His nickname is a nod to story he told during first crime.

By Sandy Mazza
STAFF WRITER

A man who looks more like a golf pro than a bank robber and who police dubbed the Irreconcilable Differences Bandit has hit the South Bay, officials said Monday.

Authorities are seeking the public's help in identifying the man. He has salt-and-pepper colored hair, and appeared to be about 50 years old and clean cut in eight robberies since December.

He robbed banks in Torrance and Hermosa Beach before lunchtime Friday, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. On Monday he struck again, robbing a Union Bank of California branch in Encino.

Eimiller said the bank robber got his nickname from his first bank robbery in Beverly Hills on Dec. 14.

"He said he had to make a wire transfer," Eimiller said. "He went into an explanation that he had to make the transfer in such a way that his wife wouldn't find out."

She said he told the teller he was getting a divorce, and wanted to hide the transfer from his wife and her attorney.

While talking about his wife, he handed the teller a note demanding money, Eimiller said. He also said he had a gun and a bomb.

The man demanded large bills in a note written on a deposit slip, and said he had a gun when he robbed Citibank, at 2700 Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance, at about 11:24 a.m. Friday, Eimiller said.

Shortly after that, at noon that day, he walked into Union Bank of California, at 1401 Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, wearing a blue blazer, a blue scarf and a blue baseball cap.

"He said, 'I need large bills for this', and then he presented the note," she said.

The man has been alternately apologetic and aggressive during the robberies.

At one bank, Eimiller said, he told a teller: "It's payday. Give me the money." Elsewhere, he explained, "I'm sorry I have to do this. If I really didn't need the money, I wouldn't do it."

He is also suspected in bank robberies in Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Brentwood. Officials also believe he robbed a woman at gunpoint on the street in Beverly Hills on Dec. 14.

Anyone with information about the Irreconcilable Differences Bandit should call Special Agent Steve May at the FBI's Los Angeles office at 310-477-6565.

Crime overall is rising in the South Bay's cities

After years of decreases, crime rates have increased in some categories. Homicides, burglaries and auto theft have increased in some cities. Crime is still at half the rate it was from 1992 to 1994.

By Larry Altman
STAFF WRITER

After three years of major drops, overall crime rates throughout the South Bay and Harbor Area flat-lined in 2006, and actually showed increases in homicide, burglaries and auto thefts in some cities.

Overall, the region experienced a small increase -- 0.1 percent -- in 2006 in reported homicides, rapes, robberies, burglaries, aggravated assaults and auto thefts, categories used in California to track rates of major crime.

Crime, however, remains at half the level approached at its height from 1992 to 1994.

The tiny increase in 2006, however, is the first since 2002.

Cities with increases were Carson, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Torrance. The Harbor Area's crime rate also went up.

Cities with decreases were El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Redondo Beach and Rolling Hills Estates.

Lomita stayed even.

The year was marked by several high-profile crimes, led by the Dec. 15 killing of Cheryl Green, a 14-year-old middle school student. Police said Latino gang members gunned her down near her Harbor Gateway home because she was black.

Her death triggered a massive political response. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton vowed to stamp out the 204th Street gang, using it as an example for other gangs throughout the city.

By January, police vowed to dismantle 10 other gangs throughout Los Angeles.

"Every officer has had enough of going to crime scenes in the aftermath of gang shootings, seeing the distraught families, and of being shot at, disrespected and endangered," Bratton wrote in his March "Message from the Chief" e-mail Thursday.

"We are going to attempt, with our limited resources, to turn the tide and make it increasingly difficult for these murderers to operate their illegal drug-fueled enterprises on our streets."

The Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division has joined with other agencies, including the Carson sheriff's station, the FBI, District Attorney's Office and Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, to battle the problem.

In the South Bay:

• Carson and Gardena reported increases in homicide. Carson's rate doubled from seven to 14. But Carson sheriff's Capt. Todd Rogers said the seven in 2005 was low, and the 14 was more in line with what normally occurs. Carson's homicides included the killings of two employees during a robbery at a service station in November, and the brutal stabbing of a Harbor Gateway gang associate suspected by his peers of ratting them out to police about the Green killing. Gardena's total included the double-slaying of a brother and sister, allegedly by her former boyfriend.

• Robberies rose overall as some police stations received increased reports of teenagers robbing other teenagers for cellular telephones and MP3 players.

• Carson, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Lomita, Palos Verdes Estates and the Harbor Area each reported increases in burglaries.

• Auto thefts rose in Carson, Gardena, the Harbor Area, Hawthorne, Lomita, Rancho Palos Verdes and Torrance.

Following is a rundown of what's happening in each South Bay community:

REDONDO BEACH  -2.4%

Redondo Beach posted a 2.4 percent decrease because of a large decline in auto thefts, but experienced increases in robberies and assaults.

"Statewide, stolen cars this year were down everywhere," Redondo Beach Police Chief Joe Leonardi said. "The trend is running everywhere."

Robberies were up, largely because of juvenile-on-juvenile crime, and a home-invasion crime.

Police arrested a group of teens who drove near Redondo Union High School and robbed other teens of their cellular telephones and MP3 players, he said.

In June, police arrested a parolee suspected of bursting into a Redondo Beach house, terrorizing a family and robbing it.

They caught him because he pressed his forehead against a window as he looked to see if the coast was clear. The sweat from his brow resulted in a DNA match.

Robberies also rose because some shoplifting incidents turned into more serious crime. Shoplifting is a petty theft unless the thief resists store security officers, which then makes the crime a robbery, Leonardi said.

EL SEGUNDO  -13.1%

El Segundo Police Chief David Cummings said he was pleased with the city's 13 percent drop in crime, but was not ready to explain it or take credit for it.

"A small change next year could put us up significantly," Cummings said. "These things go up and down."

The city, however, is at one of the lowest rates in decades.

"We've had a lot of success in arresting burglars and clearing burglary series," Cummings said.

Cummings said the Police Department will soon face an influx of people during the day when commercial developments are completed east of Sepulveda Boulevard. He believes the department can handle the daytime population increase without adding officers.

Police also emphasized taking drunken drivers off the streets, he said.

Sharkeez expansion hits bump with panel

Structure will be rebuilt, but commission's decision limiting outdoor area's hours may alter plans.

By Andrea Sudano
STAFF WRITER

In a contentious meeting Tuesday, the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission approved a plan to rebuild a charred cantina bigger than ever, but also ordered a condition that Sharkeez proprietors said could make expansion plans all for naught.

Co-owner Greg Newman says he will appeal a requirement that a proposed open-air second-story eating area must close at midnight while the rest of the bar below can stay open until 2 a.m., an order he said makes it impossible to expand the nightspot by nearly 50 percent as planned.

If the City Council sticks with the commission's decision, Newman said he would likely scrap the expansion plans and rebuild Sharkeez to match its original configuration before an early morning blaze ravaged the Pier Plaza bar May 9.

"It doesn't make sense to close it at 12 just from a logistical standpoint," he said. "How are you going to book New Year's Eve? Have people there and tell them at 11:30 they need to leave?"

Plans for the tavern called for a taller and wider two-story structure, nearly 2,000 square feet larger than before. A retractable skylight would have allowed for alfresco dining on the second floor.

While concerned about noise and disturbances, commissioners approved most of Newman's plans, including the condition for the skylight as well as a requirement that an outdoor patio could have television sets only if it were enclosed from the rest of the plaza.

If the council denies his appeal, Newman could opt to redraw plans to include a second-story eating area that doesn't require a rooftop opening, he said.

But a decision to stick with the familiar and keep the tavern the same as before could save money and time.

Expanding Sharkeez would cost Newman almost $600,000 in in-lieu parking fees to the city, as well as a trip to the California Coastal Commission.

"The nightmare was kind of over when we knew we could build back what we had," he said. "We were just trying to build something better."

The public hearing got heated when, witnesses said, co-owner Ron Newman yelled at one speaker, Public Works Commissioner Michael DiVirgilio.

Ron Newman said he was upset after several speakers presented inaccurate data to the commission, particularly over the number of disturbance calls police received from his bar in the past year. He denied yelling at anyone.

"People were coming up giving false information," Ron Newman said.

"I just said, 'It's easy to come up and say whatever you want, but there has to be some responsibility. I didn't get loud, just said that if you're going to report something, then report the facts."

Tuesday's testy meeting and the commission's decision is another setback in a long road for Sharkeez owners and the city to get a new structure to replace the rubble piled in the heart of Pier Plaza for nearly 10 months.

Owners and city officials squabbled over how much of the building was salvageable after the fire, a figure that could have considerably altered costs for new construction.

But in November, the council passed a law allowing damaged nonconforming commercial structures -- like Sharkeez -- to rebuild as was, without meeting new standards for parking.

"I guess at the end of the day when you have a fire like this happen to you, it puts everything in perspective," Greg Newman said. "I'm happy to open again the way our business was before. I guess that's what we might have to do."

Makeover in the works for Pier Plaza's Sharkeez

The owner of the burned-out bar wants to increase its size and add a retractable skylight. Commissioners will vote on the matter tonight.

By Andrea Sudano
STAFF WRITER

After nine months of darkness, a once hot Hermosa Beach nightspot could rise from its ashes bigger than before if proprietors get their way tonight.

The city's Planning Commission will decide if the owners of Sharkeez can rebuild the fire-ravaged cantina and increase its floor space by more than 50 percent.

Plans call for a taller and wider two-story structure with a reconfigured interior, including a retractable skylight on the second floor to allow for outdoor dining.

But much of the extra 2,000 square feet will be devoted to larger, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathrooms and elevators, and a staircase, owner Greg Newman said.

New usable space for patrons, including an outdoor bar and patio that can be completely closed off from the rest of Pier Plaza to muffle noise, amounts to about a 30 percent increase in size for the originally 3,600-square-foot tavern, Newman said.

An early morning fire destroyed the popular Pier Plaza bar and restaurant in May, and Newman saw the new larger-scale plans before the city as a smart business move, and way of turning a tragedy into something positive for the community.

"If we're going to build the building back from scratch, obviously, we're going to build out the entire footprint. Otherwise, we'd be idiots," he said. "We'd be terrible business owners if we didn't use all of it. We won't have another chance."

Once devoted chiefly to storage and office space, Sharkeez's second story would be more upscale and possibly geared toward an older crowd also looking for a good time, Newman said.

A revamped exterior and spruced-up interior might inspire other Pier Plaza business owners to improve their look, too, he said.

Just days after firefighters extinguished the flames that devoured Sharkeez last spring, Newman vowed to rebuild.

But the charred remnants have remained largely undisturbed in the heart of the plaza while the owners and city officials haggled over how much of the building was salvageable, a detail that would considerably affect costs for new construction.

The dispute was put to rest in November, when the City Council passed a law allowing damaged nonconforming commercial structures -- like Sharkeez -- to rebuild as was, without meeting new standards for parking.

The deal saved Newman from paying nearly $800,000 in in-lieu parking fees to the city.

But he won't get away cost-free this time around.

Because the structure will not be built as was, as the November ordinance established, owners must still ante up some cash for parking spaces to cover the additional 2,000 square feet. The new tab is a somewhat more palatable $578,000.

If all goes well for Newman tonight, he'll next seek approval from the California Coastal Commission, and then rebuilding can start.

At the earliest, Newman said construction could begin sometime in the summer and last about six months, a timeline that would bring patrons back to Sharkeez about a year from now.

After the fire, much of Sharkeez's staff was relocated to other locations in Manhattan Beach, Huntington Beach or Newport Beach, but many grew tired of the long commutes and quit, Newman said. About 25 percent have hung on, waiting for a chance to work again in Hermosa Beach, he added.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, as fire investigators have not been able to get into the building until demolition dates are arranged.

The Planning Commission will discuss the remodel plans tonight at 7. Mayor Sam Edgerton, who first pitched the November ordinance that allowed Sharkeez to rebuild, was pleased the project was back on track.

"I just want the place cleaned up," he said. "I wanted it cleaned up like yesterday. ... It is blight."

AVP scores with decision on beach volleyball ticket sales

Coastal panel's ruling on charges in Hermosa Beach could affect Manhattan decision.

By Andrea Sudano
Staff Writer

The California Coastal Commission decided Wednesday that owners of the Hermosa Beach Open can charge 90 percent of attendees admission at the annual volleyball tournament this summer, a decision that could also affect admission to the Manhattan Beach Open.

The decision squeaked by the commission on a 6-5 vote.

After long complaining tournaments were not profitable on South Bay beaches and threatening to abandon the area completely, the Association of Volleyball Professionals proposed to charge all spectators admission fees at the tournament scheduled for July 20-22.

The commission staff initially balked, though, recommending instead that the panel stick with an admission ratio of 25 percent paid, 75 percent free.

After hearing public testimony, Commissioner Larry Clark, also a Rancho Palos Verdes city councilman, immediately suggested charging three-quarters of attendees admission and letting the rest in free.

Discussion ensued, but just before the vote, Commissioner William Burke made a friendly amendment, upping the ante to a 90 percent paid-admission policy.

"Beach volleyball grew up in Southern California," Clark said.

"It's part of what makes Southern California beaches what they are today. (AVP has) told us if there aren't adjustments, they'll leave. I think that's what's going to happen here."

The commission's decision for the Hermosa Beach tournament should reverberate next week in Manhattan Beach, when its City Council decides whether to allow the AVP to pursue full paid admission this summer at its tournament, the so-called Wimbledon of beach volleyball.

Manhattan Beach City Councilman Richard Montgomery was pleased with the commission's decision Wednesday, seeing it as an indication that his city might get more local control of its beaches.

In January, Montgomery and his colleagues began the process of allowing more seating by initiating an amendment to its Local Coastal Plan, a set of guidelines for coastal use that the commission must later approve.

Knowing a decision regarding Hermosa's tournament would come Wednesday, the council intended to use the panel's ruling as a barometer for what might fly in Manhattan Beach.

Should the commission approve a similar admission level for the Manhattan Beach Open, the City Council can then set its own admission ratio -- whether that means charging 90 percent of attendees or sticking with the original 25 percent, Montgomery said.

"Our issue was local control," he said. "That's the way we look at it. It was never, 'Yippee, you can increase paid seating.'

"They just wanted control of the beach itself rather than going to the Coastal Commission."

But South Bay free beach advocates were not pleased with the commission's decision.

"It's very serious for the future of our coast, and who's to say this won't happen with surfing contests?" said Dean Francois, who traveled from the South Bay to the San Diego meeting. "The commission really had no finding to come up with this number of 90 percent."

AVP has long complained Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach tournaments were the biggest financial duds of all the tour stops, and argued charging admission to a quarter of attendees was not enough for solvency.

The Manhattan Beach Open has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars every year since 2001, with a loss of about $509,000 at last year's tournament alone, Chief Executive Leonard Armato told the Daily Breeze last month.

With AVP executives unavailable for comment, it was unclear Wednesday how admission prices will break down at the Hermosa Beach tournament.

But the original 100 percent admission ratio proposed a mix of tickets going for $20 and $40 each, depending on where the spectator sat and on which court.

andrea.sudano@dailybreeze.com

What's Next?

The Manhattan Beach City Council next week will decide whether to amend its Local Coastal Plan to allow more paid admission at the Manhattan Beach Open tournament. If the council gives the OK, the changes must be approved by the California Coastal Commission. The City Council meets Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1400 Highland Avenue.

Letters to the Editor

Condo project lacks adequate parking

Hermosa Beach is digging an even deeper downtown-parking deficiency hole with the Planning Commission's "rubber stamp" approval of a 30-plus-feet-tall, four-level, flat-roofed, 35-unit commercial condominium project at 15th Street and Hermosa Avenue.

Among a litany of concerns is the city's day/night shared parking calculation requiring less than one net parking space on site per business or restaurant condo contained therein. Two of the 35 condos are in fact restaurants; one is 3,000 square feet, the other 1,500 square feet. Thus, 35 condo owners, two being the restaurant condo owners, will have less than one parking space each.

Two other projects have an intensified-building-usage shared parking concept; however, those are each under single ownership and have better on-site parking in the first place. This project, with 35 independent owners crammed in, has no practical opportunity for 35 owner-controlled shared parking plans. The developer and city are burying their heads in the sand rather than facing the reality that this project lacks sensible parking and sets a terrible precedent for future development citywide.

Hermosa Beach, essentially acting as a prostitute, is extorting from the developer $200,000 as payment for seven nonexistent parking places the city will never supply given the shortage of parking already waiting for a years-away parking garage. The developer is foolish to participate in this extortion.

The developer would do much better by submitting a common-sense, less-intensive design, with realistic parking, rather than being hustled by Hermosa Beach. The city has screwed up many developments and created the city's parking problems with its lax parking requirements. The project will be a parking pain for its 35 condo-owners, the current downtown businesses and residents long suffering from the severe parking shortage there.

City Council, are you also going to be "rubber stamping" this project?

-- HOWARD LONGACRE

Hermosa Beach

Hermosa Beach

Modern office-eatery building okayed

by Robb Fulcher

The green light has been given to a plan to replace two decades-old buildings in the downtown area with a contemporary building housing as many as 33 condo-style offices, a snack shop and an upscale restaurant.

The approval by the City Council on Tuesday allows the 19,000 square-foot building to be constructed, but a separate approval will be required before the 2,800 square-foot restaurant would be allowed to open.

The plans by locally-owned Cardinal Investments call for a three-story building wrapped around a courtyard, replacing the 50-year-old Hermosa Beach Donuts building and the 30-year-old Classic Burger building on Hermosa Avenue near 15th Street.

Fifteenth Street resident Roy Casey expressed concern that a restaurant open at night, coupled with a courtyard, could add to neighborhood noise, and that another downtown-area restaurant could become a “nightclub.”

Council members assured Casey that a restaurant operator would face public hearings before the Council and the city Planning Commission before getting permission to open.

Cardinal partner Mike Flaherty, a Hermosa Avenue resident, said after the council meeting that the group wants the restaurant closed at midnight, courtyard seating cut off at 10 p.m., and wants no dance floor, cover charge or live entertainment at the eatery. He said Cardinal wants those conditions to be formally imposed by the city, and included in legal covenants with the eventual restaurant operator.

Flaherty said he hopes the restaurant will attract a clientele older and quieter than the college-age crowds that frequent many downtown establishments at night.

(He is not the same Mike Flaherty who serves as public works superintendent for the city of Hermosa Beach.)

The building’s offices will be sold to their occupants rather than leased, and will be laid out in three stories wrapped around the courtyard. Each office will be just over 400 square feet, most with ocean views down 15th Street and 15th Court, Flaherty said.

City planners have praised a recent trend toward condo-style office development, saying the daytime office use will help offset a night-owl trend prompted by numerous successful bars and restaurants. City officials say the owner-occupants of the offices will go to there in the daytime, boosting stores’ and restaurants’ daylight customer base, and leave by night, when increased auto traffic would be less welcome.

Cardinal’s plans call for a beach-contemporary building with large amounts of glass and natural wood, designed to fit in with existing Hermosa architecture. The ground-level courtyard will be repeated on the second and third floors, allowing passersby to look up “though the building” to the sky, he said. The building will not exceed the city’s height limit, Flaherty said.

The building is being designed by the highly regarded Shop architects of New York with help from Hermosa architect Larry Peha to keep the look Hermosa-friendly and help guide the project through the city planning process.

The building will feature storage space for surfboards and bicycles, men’s and women’s lockers and showers, and a 34-space subterranean parking garage with an entrance on 15th Street. Office owners will use the garage during the day and restaurant patrons would use it at night, Flaherty said.

Other condo-office projects under way include a 53-unit development on Pier Avenue to replace the old “200 Building," a three-story office monolith that has been torn down, and a 16-unit development at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway. ER

Hermosa Pavilion gets away mostly clean with carwash plans

By Andrea Sudano
DAILY BREEZE

A Hermosa Beach developer got a break this week when the city's Planning Commission approved his pitch for a carwash inside his embattled Pacific Coast Highway shopping center.

Hermosa Pavilion owner Gene Shook's plan for a car-detailing service inside the parking garage of his complex squeaked past the commission Tuesday on a 3-2 vote with a handful of conditions.

Among the commission-imposed restrictions, the carwash cannot discharge water or fluids into storm drains, and the business must limit its hours to 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Shook and his opponents alike seemed surprised by the commission's decision, especially after the City Council last week told the developer to study parking usage in the garage before it would approve a large restaurant in the development.

"I'd love to get a break," Shook said.

Residents opposed to the project cited environmental, parking, traffic and noise concerns as reasons to hose the carwash.

"I live right next door and, all of a sudden, they come up with this carwash thing," said Ron Miller, an Ardmore Avenue resident. "That's the issue: noise and traffic. The main thing is the traffic going in and out of the garage."

According to a city report, staff members don't believe the service would generate more car trips to the garage or present environmental problems.

The wash, which uses steam instead of water, will occupy just four parking spaces near the garage's 16th Street entrance, which would be difficult for patrons to park in anyway, Shook added.

"If you come to the gym or work at the building or you're there for some reason, it's just a nice amenity to have (your car) washed or detailed," he said. "You're not taking it separately to a place to get it done."

While the City Council has the right to re-examine -- and reverse -- the commission's decision, the initial go-ahead marks the first victory after a handful of recent setbacks for the developer.

Shook said the parking study required by the council could cost up to $80,000 -- enough to make him consider other uses for the Pavilion's vacancies.

"I've wasted enough money -- hundreds of thousands of dollars -- (on this development), and I'm not going to continue to waste it," he said.

At that same meeting, residents' concerns about the Pavilion ranged from patrons drinking too heavily at a restaurant to noisy rooftop fans.

In July, the council forced Shook to offer two hours of free parking after residents complained patrons parked on their streets rather than pay for garage use.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "I'm upset. ... I really do feel that they're treating me to a different standard."

First opened in the late 1980s, Hermosa Pavilion has been plagued by problems -- parking and otherwise -- for much of its existence. The plaza's last major tenant, AMC Theaters, bailed in 1999, leaving the building vacant for years.

A renovation began in 2003 and didn't finish until June 2005.

The 100,000-square-foot development now features a 24 Hour Fitness and Glen Ivy Spa.

142 votes win Bobko a spot on HB City Council

"I thought it was gonna be close," said the victor, who will take over the vacant seat in July.

By Gene Maddaus
Daily Breeze

Patrick "Kit" Bobko emerged with a narrow victory to capture the vacant seat on the Hermosa Beach City Council, beating his closest competitor by 142 votes.

Bobko, who finished behind Jeff Duclos in November, won 40.7 percent of the vote Tuesday to runner-up Duclos' 36.2 percent. He is expected to take office in mid-July.

"I thought it was gonna be close," Bobko said. "I can't say I was expecting to win."

For Duclos, it was "always the bridesmaid, never the bride." Duclos finished fourth in the race for three council seats in November. When the second-place finisher, Howard Fishman, stepped aside to care for his ailing wife, two council members wanted to appoint Duclos to fill the vacant seat.

The other two objected, prompting Tuesday's special election.

"When we were forced into this special election, I had $187 left in my campaign funds," Duclos said. "I knew I was never going to be able to spend what my fellow candidates did. I'm really proud of the campaign we ran. It was an old-fashioned grass-roots effort."

Bobko, 36, is a municipal attorney and former Air Force captain. Duclos, 61, is a home-based communications consultant. Bobko said he hopes to work on improving infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and public safety during his term on the council.

"The council makes decisions too much based on personality," he said. "The first thing I want to do is bring a sense of optimism and enthusiasm back to the council."

Duclos, a longtime Hermosa Beach resident, said he was disappointed by Bobko's campaign.

"I'd be less than truthful if I didn't express my disappointment in him for his deceptions at the end of the campaign," he said. "It was a little too much old-school Hermosa Beach politics."

Contract lawsuit at center of council candidates' concerns

All four Hermosa Beach candidates say the action brought by Macpherson Oil Co. must be resolved. They differ on the most effective way to do that.

By Deepa Bharath
DAILY BREEZE

Just how to handle an oil company's $500 million breach of contract lawsuit against the city of Hermosa Beach has emerged as a central issue in the race for a City Council seat.

All four candidates in the June 6 special election said the suit by Macpherson Oil Co., which could potentially bankrupt the city, is one of their main concerns, and they don't agree on how to best resolve it.

Jeff Maxwell said he would settle, while Janice Brittain would not. Patrick "Kit" Bobko said he wouldn't rush into a settlement; he would wait for now. Jeff Duclos said he would like to see a resolution to the suit, but couldn't say if he would settle now, not without knowing the terms.

Macpherson acquired oil drilling rights in 1992 through lease arrangements with the city. Before any drilling started, voters in 1995 passed Measure E to ban oil drilling in town. The Hermosa Beach City Council voted in 1998 to deny Macpherson drilling permits based on a consultant's opinion that it would be unsafe.

Later that year, Macpherson filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract. In 2002, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge upheld Measure E as an effective and legal end to a slant-drilling lease held by the Santa Monica-based petroleum company. But an appellate court overturned that decision last summer. The city appealed to the state Supreme Court, which denied the appeal in November.

Bobko, a municipal attorney who prosecuted cases for Hermosa Beach from 2000 to 2004, said the city should "watch and wait" on the Macpherson case.  "This is like buying a used car," he said. "You can't go in and tell the salesman you're going to buy, no matter what. Settlement is always an option, but it's important to be patient."

Maxwell said he sees the Macpherson issue "as a time bomb waiting to explode."  "There's a 50 percent chance here that we'll go bankrupt," he said. "If I were on the City Council, I'd look to settle."

Brittain said she would be reluctant to settle.  "I think the city should stick with the process," she said. "I don't think that we should give up and settle for the big amount (Macpherson Oil) seems to be asking for."

Duclos said he, like most others, is looking for a resolution to the conflict that has been raging for the past 15 years or so.  "The numbers that have been thrown out make it a significant issue for the city," he said. "But that said, I don't think the numbers are anywhere near realistic."

Duclos said apart from the Macpherson lawsuit, he only sees two major issues in Hermosa Beach.  "Public safety and infrastructure," he summarized. "Our quality of life in this town largely depends on those two factors."

The city must find a way to allocate money to keep its streets and key facilities in good shape, Duclos said.  "Our fire facility is in a state of disrepair," he said. "Our City Hall seems worse than a World War II bunker. We keep doing patchwork here and there. We fix stuff, but we're not enhancing or building our community in any way."

Maxwell said his primary goal as a councilman is to remain accountable to his constituents.  "I don't think there's much accountability right now," he said. "People are not getting answers to their questions. I'd like to change that."

Keeping the beach clean is also high on his priority list, Maxwell said.  He said neighboring Manhattan Beach got its wake-up call in January with a massive sewage spill that flooded homes and discharged 2 million gallons of raw sewage onto the sand.  "I think we need to be alert and work toward avoiding situations like that," Maxwell said.

Brittain said her main concern is communication.  "I don't think city officials are communicating very well with the public," she said. "The city needs to clarify their policies to people."

Brittain gave the example of the issue of lot mergers that came up recently with a property owner on Prospect Avenue.   The owner had gone through the planning process with the understanding that he could build two homes on his lots, but was told later that the lots must be merged.  "That should've never happened," Brittain said. "City policies and regulations must always be clear and well communicated."

Bobko said his big issues apart from the Macpherson case are public safety, parking, density and "infusing optimistic leadership" into the council.  "Our Police Department is going through a crisis," he said. "We need to go through the process of strengthening not only our Police Department, but also our Fire Department and improve our level of disaster-preparedness."

Bobko said he would also be eager to create a "fertile business environment" in the city, which he said is one of the best ways to increase city revenue.  "By creating a business corridor in Hermosa Beach, we'll increase our sales tax base," he said.

Three out of the four candidates -- Bobko, Duclos and Maxwell -- ran, and lost, in the November council election. Howard Fishman, who was elected to the council in November, declined to take his seat after his wife was diagnosed with a serious illness. It is this seat that the candidates are vying for in the June election.

3 Hermosa Beach city council candidates boycott a forum

One says the Q & A format "didn't feel right." Janice Brittain was the sole contender to attend the session.

By Deepa Bharath
DAILY BREEZE

Three of the four Hermosa Beach City Council candidates vying for the vacant seat in the June 6 election said they would not attend a candidates forum held by a community group Thursday night because they were not comfortable with the format.

The Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Association, a community watchdog group founded by resident Al Benson, announced its first candidates forum this year.

But as it turned out, it ended up as a question-and-answer session between one candidate, Janice Brittain, and the audience.

Candidates Jeff Duclos, Patrick "Kit" Bobko and Jeff Maxwell took a pass on the event.

Brittain is the only candidate in this election who did not run in November. In the fall contest, Duclos finished fourth behind incumbent J.R. Reviczky, Bobko finished fifth and Maxwell was seventh among 10 candidates vying for three seats.

Howard Fishman, who collected the most votes in November, declined to take office after his wife was diagnosed with a serious illness. It is this seat that will be filled in the June 6 election.

Maxwell said he was overwhelmed with the amount of information Benson sent him to prepare for Thursday's debate.

"The questions were leading," he said.

It was after another local debate held by the League of Women Voters that the candidates met briefly and discussed Thursday night's forum, Maxwell said.

"I think we felt that it wasn't a debate forum, but a personal forum for Mr. Benson," he said. "It just didn't feel right."

Brittain said she had made a commitment to Benson that she would attend.

But Brittain said she shares the other candidates' feelings.

"In most debates, questions are open-ended," she said. "Here, it feels like we're writing a research paper."

Benson, himself a City Council candidate in November, said his intention was not to overwhelm candidates.

"The council packets are usually the size of two phone books," he said. "So you'd think they'd get used to seeing a lot of information."

The questions were meant to be "direct and pointed," Benson said.

"I'm worried about public safety issues," he said. "I'm worried about our Police Department, the bars, the alcohol and our quality of life."

Duclos said the candidates' decision not to attend was nothing personal against Benson.

"There were some issues in relation to the tone and direction of this debate, which was enough to influence our decision on whether to participate," he said.

Benson said all he wanted was to give candidates time to prepare their answers and asked for their responses so he could ask follow-up questions.

"I'm not disappointed they're not coming," he said. "I'm disappointed that they had this little powwow on this issue and made a collective decision behind my back."

3 file suit against HB police over 2004 incident

Complaint alleges that two officers attacked at Pier Plaza, filed false statements and lied under oath.

By Matt Krasnowski
Copley News Service

Three people who were acquitted last year on public intoxication and resisting arrest charges have filed a lawsuit against the Hermosa Beach Police Department, claiming officers roughed up two of them, filed false reports and lied in court about the arrests.

Michelle Myers, Robert Nolan and Joel Silva filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, claiming Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Raul Saldana and officers Michael Frilot and Todd Lewitt violated their civil rights.

The allegations stem from a May 23, 2004, incident at Pier Plaza. The lawsuit contends that Saldana approached Myers, Nolan and Silva from behind in a patrol car "maliciously blasting his air horn to frighten plaintiffs."

The suit said the three jumped away, "condemning Saldana for his juvenile behavior." Saldana then drove past them and directed the other officers to go after Nolan.

The lawsuit contends Nolan was "attacked, choked, knocked down and maliciously struck and injured by Lewitt."

Lewitt later kicked Silva and struck him in the head, according to the complaint by lawyer Thomas Beck, who has filed several lawsuits against the department stemming from incidents at Pier Plaza.

Myers, Nolan and Silva were arrested and charged. They complained about the officers' conduct to department officials, but a sergeant investigating their allegations called them "whiners," the lawsuit states.

Last year, the three were acquitted on the misdemeanor charges after a jury trial. The lawsuit contends Saldana, Frilot, Lewitt and other officers "gave knowingly perjured testimony" during the trial.

The lawsuit does not seek specific monetary damages from the city.

Hermosa Beach City Attorney Michael Jenkins said he has not seen the complaint but was familiar with the case.

"The city is very familiar with the facts and is very familiar with the circumstances," Jenkins said. "The city intends to defend the case vigorously."