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Hermosa Beach News for 2007

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Top Stories on This Webpage: Starting January 18, 2007

- Read the full stories, just below:

Fireworks spectacular tops city’s 100th - Several thousand people oohed and aahed as fireworks lit the nighttime sky above the Hermosa Beach Pier for 25 minutes on Sunday, capping a day of speeches and ribbon cutting to mark the city’s 100th birthday.  Bundled against an unseasonable cold, Hermosans gathered on the Pier Plaza and the beach sand to watch the $30,000 spectacular, which some observers declared the best fireworks show the beach cities have seen, notwithstanding the efforts of Redondo and Manhattan.  Hermosa Mayor Sam Edgerton said it was important to top the rival city to the north, which put on a 25-minute show over the Christmas holiday.  “I timed Manhattan’s show,” Edgerton said. “Ours had to be 25 minutes. And ours was better.” 

HB Centennial - Happy birthday! - One hundred years in the making, Hermosa throws the party of the century this Sunday, marking the centennial of the city’s incorporation. Key festivities are: The formal reopening of the Hermosa Beach Historical Society Museum 2:30 p.m. on the ground floor of the Community Center, corner of Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, Mayor Sam Edgerton’s State of the City address 5 to 6:15 p.m. at the Beach House hotel, 1300 The Strand, hosted by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau along with Leadership Hermosa, The big birthday party 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. on the Pier Plaza with music by Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean, and the Stonebridge Band, topped off by fireworks “choreographed to music” at the pier at 8:30.

 

HB About Town - Vandalism charge dropped against HBPD sergeant - A judge has dismissed a misdemeanor vandalism charge against an off-duty Hermosa Beach Police sergeant who was accused of removing paint from another person’s car.  The charge against Sgt. Steve Endom, a 25-year veteran of the Hermosa police force, was dropped after the owners of the car declined to press charges. Sources said Endom paid about $5,000 in restitution. 

 

Centennial swag - Merchandise bearing the city centennial logo is available for purchase. Items include standard or fitted T-shirts, men’s and women’s tank tops and kids’ T-shirts for $15, and caps for $20.  Downloadable order forms can be found at www.hermosabch.org/
 

HB About Town - Chief says: Hermosa Beach Police Chief Greg Savelli urges extra vigilance while driving, as darkness comes earlier in the day and kids continue to be kids, playing in the streets, riding bikes and skateboards throughout town.  The Hermosa Beach Police Department also advises special care near school crossings, and reminds parents that the California Vehicle Code requires those under 18 years of age to wear helmets while riding bicycles, skateboards, skates and scooters.  


Public safety - City police and fire officials will be on hand at noon and 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13 to discuss holiday safety, Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch announced.  

 

HB About Town - Hand it over - Hermosans get a third chance to mark the city’s upcoming 100th birthday by placing their handprints in colorful paint on the walls outside the city skate park. The fund-raising event 9 a.m. to noon Saturday affords residents another chance to join hundreds of others whose colorful handprints — along with children’s footprints – already grace the skate park’s “Centennial Wall” at Pier and Ardmore avenues. Plans call for the handprints to remain up throughout the 2007 centennial.

 

HB Neighborhood Watch Public Safety - Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch sponsors two “Meet the Chief” events Monday, Nov. 13 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The first meeting will be at noon and the second at 7 p.m. Hermosa police and fire officials will discuss holiday safety.

 

HB About Town - Talkin’ crime – HB Police and residents in the area of Ardmore Avenue and Eighth Place will meet to discuss anti-crime measures and Hermosa’s growing Neighborhood Watch movement after a number of residents reported a man being beaten in a late-night incident.  Police received reports of a man being chased by as many as 20 people and then beaten after midnight on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7. Officers arrived within two minutes and 20 seconds, HBPD Chief Greg Savelli said, but any participants or victim had fled. 


One area resident told the City Council he heard “screaming and yelling,” saw a man running in front of a pursuing “stampede” of people, and then saw the man beaten to unconsciousness. The beating victim might have been placed in a car and driven from the scene.  The man said he called police, who arrived within “one or two minutes.”  Police had no further information on the incident.

 

Reviczky, Cullen are named chamber man, woman of year - The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau will name J.R. Reviczky and Jean Cullen Man and Woman of the Year at a luncheon ceremony 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club in Redondo.  Hermosa City Treasurer John Workman will emcee. Tickets are $45, or $360 for a table of eight; for reservations call 376-0951.  The award is presented annually to community volunteers whose involvement outside of their chosen professions or elected positions have benefited the community at large. The award has been a Chamber initiative since 1961. 

 

Hermosa mulls a Coke deal - City officials are considering an old beach cities mainstay — the Coke deal — to help pay for events planned for 2007’s year-long Hermosa Beach Centennial celebration.  A proposed agreement between the city and Coca-Cola would call for the beverage giant to donate $25,000 to the Centennial effort. In return Coke would be allowed to install nine vending machines at Hermosa parks and other locations for one year, with 30 percent of the machines’ proceeds also going to Centennial activities.  The city stands to get 41 cents per beverage sold from the vending machines, perhaps as much as $20,000 over the course of the year, in addition to Coke’s $25,000 donation, according to a report by Hermosa Beach Community Resources Director Lisa Lynn.  The machines would be tucked up against existing structures at Valley and South parks, the Clark basketball courts on Valley Drive, at City Hall and at the nearby Hermosa Beach Community Center, Lynn said. 

 

Appeals court backs school gymnasium - An appeals court has rejected arguments by opponents of a Hermosa Valley School gymnasium that the facility was improperly funded by a 2002 school bond measure.  “We feel vindicated and happy that this is over, but I wish we didn’t have to spend money on this when it should have gone to programs for students,” Hermosa School Superintendent Sharon McClain said.  The city school district has spent more than $100,000 fighting a multi-pronged lawsuit by the group Citizens for Responsible School Expansion, with some attorneys’ bills still outstanding, McClain said.  Last year a Superior Court judge struck down the opponents’ contentions that the school district failed to mitigate parking, traffic and noise impacts from the gym, and that a separate $1.5 million from a specialized state fund should not have been used for the gym. 

 

Hermosa shorts - The 2nd Annual Hermosa Short Film Festival takes place tomorrow through Saturday, with 50 independent films being premiered.  For those who can’t wait, there is a kick-off tonight at 5:30 p.m. with some of the best of the ‘04 Hermosa Shorts Festival being shown, with a filmmaker mixer party following at Sangria at 8 p.m. This will be an opportunity for the paparazzi and the public to meet mano a mano with the filmmakers. Ed Asner and his entourage are expected to show, since he is producing and starring in two films, as well as musicians/actors from Tool and Audio Slave. Friends of Film will host.

 

HB Council approves dance floor - The Hermosa Beach City Council Tuesday night voted to uphold a Planning Commission decision to amend the Conditional Use Permit of Fat Face Fenner's Fishack to alter its floor plan to allow for a dance area that will increase occupancy inside the establishment located on the pier plaza by 20 people.  "I came in thinking that this was going to be a lot bigger than it was, and now after listening to all the facts and understanding all the issues, I can support the motion," said Councilman Art Yoon.  The vote was 3-1 with Michael Keegan voting against the motion, stating that he would not vote for a request to amend a CUP from a business owner who is reported by the city as currently being in violation of it.

Precarious Valley school gym project headed to court - The battle over plans for a gymnasium at Hermosa Valley School is headed to court Aug. 19 as neighbors and other opponents try to halt it. Meanwhile, the city school board continues to grapple with tight-money obstacles that could force the gym to be scrapped.  “Things are looking pretty tense,” School Board President Lance Widman said on Tuesday.  Before the Aug. 19 court date the School Board had begun to ask prospective contractors to freeze their current prices for building the gym project until the California Coastal Commission reviews and potentially approves the project about Aug. 10.

 

Cost of an ambulance ride shoots up - The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday agreed to raise fees for an emergency ambulance ride to $773, from the current rates of $281 for residents and $561 for nonresidents.  City Fire Chief Russell Tingley said about 85 percent of Hermosans carry health insurance that pays for ambulance trips, and council members said people with “financial hardships” can make arrangements with city officials if paying is difficult.

 

Assault with a Deadly Weapon with great bodily injury:  1:13 am June 4, 2600 block of Hermosa Avenue.  Someone hit the victim from behind in the back of the head while both were in the bathroom at the North End Bar.  The victim had gone into the bathroom to confront a man the victim believed had inappropriately touched his girlfriend.  The man was leaving the bathroom when the victim was hit.  The victim told police the man did not hurt him and he did not know who had hit him.  Paramedics treated the victim for a laceration to the back of his head and released him.

 

Pipeline - Velzy helped found modern Surfing in Hermosa.  I consider Dale “the Hawk” Velzy to be the father of modern surfing. Dale was nicknamed “the Hawk” because of his keen eye when shaping his famous surfboards. He started surfing in 1936 when surfboards were made from solid redwood. They were 13 feet in length and weighed upward of 100 pounds.  Dale changed surfing from a fad with just a select few musclemen to the popular sport enjoyed by millions today. Dale Velzy, 77, died last week from lung cancer.

 

HB Council nixes Wi-Fi again, moves on downtown noise - A deadlocked City Council once again beat back a proposal to spread a free wireless broadband internet signal throughout Hermosa.  The Council also firmed up a requirement for Pier Plaza nightspots to close doors and windows while amplified music is played inside, and added a requirement that no amplified music may be heard 80 feet from an area business, even if the doors and windows are closed. Council members noted that residential neighbors and some other businesses have complained about noisy Plaza nightspots.

 

HB Academic programs might get the ax.  Hermosa school budget - Fearing grim news, the Hermosa Beach City School Board will soon get its first clear-eyed look at the budget realities for the next school year. Educators are warning that possible cuts include the elimination of cherished music and science programs.  The School Board is scheduled to discuss money matters again on June 15, before adopting a final budget for the next school year on June 29. That will give state education officials time to fully digest the governor’s “May revision” of the California budget and pass along concrete funding information – good or bad – to local school boards.

 

Police hope to nail thieves hitting salons in South Bay - Group of suspects distracts proprietors or customers and takes purses from nail salons. Five crimes occurred recently in Hermosa Beach, Torrance and Redondo Beach, with as many as 10 reported previously.  Hermosa Beach nail salon proprietor Cindy Nguyen said she thought something was odd. The customer's toes were clean, even though she wore flip-flops.  It was as if the woman had just been to another salon.  And a couple of hours later, when Nguyen opened her purse and found her wallet was gone, she realized her suspicions were right.

 

Burglary suspect arrested following dragnet - The HBPD arrested a man suspected in more than 30 South Bay vehicle burglaries days after he slipped through a dragnet cast by officers from three cities, police dogs and a helicopter.  The suspect, a 33-year-old Redondo Beach man, was booked into the Hermosa Beach City Jail on suspicion of burglary and auto theft, with bail set at $90,000, police said.  The burglaries stretched from just before Christmas to last week.

 

Hermosa Beach Arrests hit an all-time high - The year 2004 saw a record number of arrests in Hermosa -- 1,388 -- topping the old record of 1,315 set the year before. Those high-water marks go back at least to 1991.

 

HBPD 2004 Crime Statistics - Show what crime categories have increased from 1998 thru 2004.

 

The Easy Reader – January 18, 2007

Hermosa Beach

Fireworks spectacular tops city’s 100th

 

by Robb Fulcher

 


The rockets' red glare wishes Hermosa a happy birthday. Photo by Daniel Sofer, hermosawave.net.

Several thousand people oohed and aahed as fireworks lit the nighttime sky above the Hermosa Beach Pier for 25 minutes on Sunday, capping a day of speeches and ribbon cutting to mark the city’s 100th birthday.

Bundled against an unseasonable cold, Hermosans gathered on the Pier Plaza and the beach sand to watch the $30,000 spectacular, which some observers declared the best fireworks show the beach cities have seen, notwithstanding the efforts of Redondo and Manhattan.

Hermosa Mayor Sam Edgerton said it was important to top the rival city to the north, which put on a 25-minute show over the Christmas holiday.

“I timed Manhattan’s show,” Edgerton said. “Ours had to be 25 minutes. And ours was better.”

Earlier in the evening Edgerton had delivered the mayor’s annual State of the City address at the nearby Beach House hotel, using the speech to emcee the daylong centennial party.

Edgerton thanked a long list of visiting dignitaries and centennial volunteers, to the enthusiastic applause of an overflow crowd:

County Supervisor Don Knabe! State Assemblyman Ted Lieu! Mayor Rodolfo Davis of sister city Loreto, Mexico! Centennial Committee founders Laura Raymond and Maureen Ferguson! Manhattan Councilman Richard Montgomery of the Beach Cities Toy Drive! Art Carney!

Edgerton turned to a projector show of photographs chronicling Hermosa’s first century: shoeless kids attending the old Pier Avenue School where the Community Center now stands, the 1904 wooden city pier where the concrete one now stands, the nine-story Surf & Sand Club that would become the Biltmore Hotel, where Noble Park now stands along the Strand.

Passing by in historical black and white were various surf and lifeguard icons, Body Glove’s Bob and Bill Meistrell, Hermosa Kiwanis founder Logan Cotton, and oil derricks from the 1930s, all greeted with applause and cheers.

The event was capped by a video showing yet more photos, accompanied by 81-year-old Hermosan Jim Gierlich’s adaptation of “What a Wonderful World,” the sentimental ballad popularized by Louis Armstrong.

As the photos rolled by, the soundtrack filled the banquet room with the voice of Gierlich, accompanied by a piano, as he sang:

Today we celebrate 100 years,

2007, bring on the cheers,

Our beautiful beach

Has no match in the world,

Fun loving families,

True joy unfurled,

And I share with you all

Hermosa’s wonderful world.

Looking out west

See our ocean blue,

People out surfin’,

Playing volleyball too,

In Hermosa we share

Our own wonderful world.

The colors of the sunset,

A sight to behold!

Those walks on the beach

Will never get old.

Lighthouse jazz left

Its mark on the scene

Night life on the Plaza

Is never serene…

We are all blessed

To be part of this town.

Bring on the laughter,

Away with the frown.

In Hermosa we share

Our own wonderful world.

Bring it home, Jim:

Yes I say to you all

It’s a wonderful world.


The presentation ended to booming applause as Gierlich, a retired engineering-firm owner, sat in the audience wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt with a faux tuxedo front.

Still earlier in the day, the Hermosa Beach Historical Society reopened its museum at the Community Center following a revamping that tripled the facility’s old size with an open, flowing layout and state-of-the-art lighting.

The 3,600 square-foot museum also features new wiring, walls and flooring, and a 250 square-foot vault for historical documents, photos and periodicals, with the temperature and humidity controlled by $10,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment.

Sunday’s big blowout marked the Jan. 14, 1907, incorporation of the city. A number of other events, including a big party in August, also are planned by city officials and volunteers. ER

 

The Easy Reader – January 11, 2007

Hermosa Beach

HB Centennial


Hermosa Beach Centennial.

 

Happy birthday!

One hundred years in the making, Hermosa throws the party of the century this Sunday, marking the centennial of the city’s incorporation. Key festivities are:

The formal reopening of the Hermosa Beach Historical Society Museum 2:30 p.m. on the ground floor of the Community Center, corner of Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway,

Mayor Sam Edgerton’s State of the City address 5 to 6:15 p.m. at the Beach House hotel, 1300 The Strand, hosted by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau along with Leadership Hermosa,

The big birthday party 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. on the Pier Plaza with music by Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean, and the Stonebridge Band, topped off by fireworks “choreographed to music” at the pier at 8:30.

Further centennial events are planned throughout the year.

Hundred hands - The Hermosa Beach Centennial Committee announces one more chance for residents to place their handprints, or children’s footprints, in colorful paint on the wall outside the city skate park at Ardmore and Pier avenues.

The event, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, benefits the city’s yearlong centennial celebrations. Donation is $5 per child and $10 per adult. The event is sponsored by Hermosa Beach Kiwanis, the Hermosa Beach Arts Foundation and Hermosa Beach MOMS Neighborhood Watch. For more see www.hermosa100.com/  ER

 

The Easy Reader – December 21, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Can future be read in Aviation palms?

 

by Robb Fulcher

 


Pooh-bahs, burghers, dignitaries and worker bees wield a ceremonial shovel to mark a project to plant about 70 queen palms along Aviation Boulevard. Photo by Robb Fulcher

About 70 queen palm trees will be planted along Aviation Boulevard in what could be the first step to spruce up one of the main entryways to Hermosa Beach.

The city Planning Commission has been studying possible aesthetic improvements to the Aviation sidewalks, and possible city code changes to allow the development of mixed-use buildings with housing and a business under one roof. The study also is covering how the corridor’s land is used, the “lack of retail” buildings, parking and traffic issues, and the pedestrian-unfriendly nature of stretches of the boulevard, according to a city memo.

At a shovel-turning ceremony to mark the palm tree project, Planning Commissioner Sam Perrotti called the Aviation corridor underdeveloped, pointing to a lot on the north side of the boulevard that has stood vacant for more than a decade, after a gas station was torn down.

Perrotti hastened to say that the Planning Commission was not considering any changes to the number of lanes on Aviation Boulevard. The commission had previously recommended temporarily reducing the number of lanes on upper Pier Avenue, an experiment that led to heated opposition from many members of the public.

“We’re not going to get into the street itself,” Perrotti said of Aviation.

City officials do plan to make repairs to the Aviation roadway, placing a “slurry seal” layer over some chewed-up sections early in 2007.

At a sparsely attended workshop, residents told planning commissioners they would like to see the boulevard “cleaned up,” Perrotti said. “And of course they would like to see the traffic speed reduced a little. Even the business owners would like that.”

Entering Hermosa

City officials have raised the possibility of a “now entering Hermosa”-type sign on Aviation, near the eastern city limit at Harper Avenue.

Roger Bacon, owner of the Ralph’s shopping center at Aviation and Pacific Coast Highway, said he would like to see a permanent sign spanning all four lanes of Aviation, similar to the street-spanning Redondo Beach sign at 190th Street and Catalina Avenue.

“How do you know when you’re entering Hermosa Beach?” Bacon said. “Then you go down to Catalina, and there’s a big sign saying Redondo Beach.”

Bacon said he envisions a Hermosa sign that would also bear the names of eight local businesses, which would pay monthly fees to cover the cost of the sign.

Palm patter

The palm trees will stand a little more than six feet tall at planting and will grow about a foot a year, city officials said. Some ficus and bottlebrush trees will be removed to make way for the palms, and workers must make repairs to an existing sprinkler system before the palm planting can begin.

Bacon said he wants white lights wound around the trunks of the trees, mirroring the look of the palms lining the Pier Plaza. The Plaza lights are paid for by the city, but Bacon said he and other merchants could pay for the palm lights on Aviation.

Neglected cousin

Some businesspeople have long described Aviation as a neglected cousin of Pier Avenue, which was given the sparkling pedestrian plaza at its western end and is the subject of much discussion for improvements along the rest of its length.

In 2002, a volunteer committee of Hermosans, with a wide variety of business and political backgrounds, suggested something of a second downtown centered at Aviation and Prospect Avenue, perhaps linked by trolley to the existing downtown centered at Pier and Hermosa avenues.

The 45-member group, led by commercial development expert Joe Mark, studied other attractive beach cities in an attempt to help chart Hermosa’s economic future.

The group suggested encouraging more pedestrian traffic around town by slowing auto traffic, widening sidewalks, promoting resident-friendly businesses, and adding more landscaping and bicycle lanes of travel. The group also urged city officials to pay more attention to “specific design criteria,” possibly designating parts of town where only certain architectural designs would be allowed.

The group also suggested placing landscaping along Pacific Coast Highway, and encouraging mixed-use buildings along Aviation. ER

 

The Easy Reader – November 16, 2006

Hermosa Beach

About Town

 

Vandalism charge dropped against HBPD sergeant - A judge has dismissed a misdemeanor vandalism charge against an off-duty Hermosa Beach Police sergeant who was accused of removing paint from another person’s car.  The charge against Sgt. Steve Endom, a 25-year veteran of the Hermosa police force, was dropped after the owners of the car declined to press charges. Sources said Endom paid about $5,000 in restitution. 

HBPD Officers sue - Four HBPD officers have filed a lawsuit against the city claiming their rights were violated when they were disciplined or criticized following internal investigations by their department superiors. 

Officers Timothy Turek, Dorothy Scheid and Scott Kansaku were all disciplined in the matter and have been denied timely administrative hearings to challenge the disciplinary actions, according to the lawsuit.  “By not affording officers with the opportunity for administrative appeals, [the officers] are being prohibited from challenging the factual correctness and propriety of these disciplinary actions,” the lawsuit contends. 

The lawsuit also contends that police superiors improperly conducted the internal investigations that led to the disciplinary actions.  Turek was suspended from duty for three days, and Scheid was ordered to receive counseling for allegedly covering a police car camera lens with tape, although she denies violating any departmental policy, according to the lawsuit. 

Kansaku was issued a written reprimand for alleged misconduct. Police officials upheld an allegation of misconduct against Officer Donovan Sellan, and recorded that decision within his personnel file without taking formal disciplinary action against him, the lawsuit states.

Fun, Fun, Fun - City officials have been negotiating with representatives of Brian Wilson in hopes of booking the legendary Beach Boy for Hermosa’s big outdoor centennial party Jan. 14. Cost has been an issue, but officials hope a deal can be reached to sign Wilson for the party, which will feature fireworks and music by Dean Torrance of the classic duo Jan and Dean, and the Stonebridge Band, a favorite of the city’s summer concert series.

Labor of love - The City Council on Tuesday formally honored Hermosa Arts Foundation Director Angelo Masino for refurbishing the Second Story Theatre at the Community Center for free, saving the city some $25,000. Masino’s work included painting and the installation of lighting and an audio system. ER

 

The Easy Reader – November 9, 2006

Hermosa Beach

About Town

 

Malone remembered - Hermosa Beach Friends of the Library holds a tree planting ceremony in memory of one of their leading lights, Charlotte Malone, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the Hermosa branch of the Los Angeles County Library on Pier Avenue west of Valley Drive.

Meet the chiefs - City Police Chief Greg Savelli and Fire Chief Russell Tingley will be on hand Monday, Nov. 13 for a “holiday safety community chat” at noon and again at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall, on the corner of Pier Avenue and Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch has announced.

Chief says: Speaking of chiefs, and of public safety, Savelli urges extra vigilance while driving, as darkness comes earlier in the day and kids continue to be kids, playing in the streets, riding bikes and skateboards throughout town.

The Hermosa Beach Police Department also advises special care in the area of school crossings, and reminds parents that the California Vehicle Code requires those under 18 years of age to wear helmets while operating bicycles, skateboards, skates and scooters.

Centennial swag - Merchandise bearing the city centennial logo is available for purchase. Items include standard or fitted T-shirts, men’s and women’s tank tops and kids’ T-shirts for $15, and caps for $20.  Downloadable order forms can be found at www.hermosabch.org/

Come together - South Bay mainstays The John Brown Band and Couchois Brothers Band will rock (and pop) the house as they bring the fifth annual South Bay Family Beatlefest to Suzy’s on Aviation Boulevard, 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9.  Musicians from the two popular bands will join to perform a wide variety of Beatles songs to honor “the 45th anniversary of the lads’ first full year of nightly gigs in and around Liverpool before they started recording original music,” stated a press release hand-delivered to the Easy Reader by Chef Milani, the Couchois’ noted keyboard player and a modern-day Derek Taylor as well.

Admission is $5 at the door, free for kids 13 and under. Suzy’s kitchen is open every day. The 21 and over crowd is welcome to stay for an additional set of dance, soul and Beatles classics 9:15 p.m. to midnight. Partial proceeds from the evening go to the nonprofit Fantasia Family Music www.fantasiafamilymusic.org/ .  Suzy’s is located at 1141 Aviation Ave. near Big Lots www.hermosasuzy’s.com/   ER

 

The Easy Reader – November 2, 2006

Hermosa Beach

About Town

 

Veterans honored - U.S. Navy combat veteran Herb Harry will deliver the keynote speech at the city’s Veterans Day Commemoration 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Hermosa Beach Veterans Memorial on the corner of Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.  Harry attended the old Pier Avenue School, now the site of the Veterans Memorial, in 1939.  Master of ceremonies for the event will be Hermosa Beach Councilman Kit Bobko, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and Taps will be played by Paul Verner of Vietnam Veterans of America, South Bay Chapter 53.  The event is sponsored by the city of Hermosa Beach, Vietnam Veterans of America, South Bay Chapter 53 and the Woman’s Club of Hermosa Beach.  

Memorial paddle-out - Longtime local surfer Jeffery Shaw passed away last Sunday at age 43. A paddle-out in his memory will be held Sunday at 10 a.m. on the south side of the Hermosa pier. All are welcome.

Sorry… An item in last week’s editions gave an incorrect date for the second annual Jazz Stroll Dedication, unveiling bronze plaques on the Pier Plaza to honor the history of jazz culture in Hermosa Beach.  The event, sponsored by the city’s Community Resources Department, will be 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5.   The event will feature the Navy Band Commodores, and plaques will honor musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Ernie Andrews and Barbara Morrison. Previously unveiled plaques honor the Lighthouse All Stars, Jazz Messengers and Cal Tjader.  For more information call 310-318-0280.

Chief says: Hermosa Beach Police Chief Greg Savelli urges extra vigilance while driving, as darkness comes earlier in the day and kids continue to be kids, playing in the streets, riding bikes and skateboards throughout town.  The Hermosa Beach Police Department also advises special care near school crossings, and reminds parents that the California Vehicle Code requires those under 18 years of age to wear helmets while riding bicycles, skateboards, skates and scooters.  

Public safety - City police and fire officials will be on hand at noon and 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13 to discuss holiday safety, Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch announced.  

Centennial swag - Merchandise bearing the city’s centennial logo is available. Items include standard or fitted T-shirts, men’s and women’s tank tops and kids’ T-shirts for $15, and caps for $20.  Downloadable order forms can be found at www.hermosabch.org/  ER

 

The Easy Reader – October 26, 2006

Hermosa Beach

About Town

 

Jazz it up

A U.S. Navy jazz band and the Hermosa Beach Jazz Alumni will play 3 p.m. Monday as plaques honoring the city’s jazz greats are unveiled on the Pier Plaza. For information call 318-0280.

Animal gala

VIP tickets to Jay Leno tapings will be among the silent auction items as the highly regarded Peter Zippi Fund for Animals holds its annual Holiday Open House/Fundraiser 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 at the remodeled VCA Animal Hospital, 1560 Pacific Coast Highway, north of Pier Avenue.

One-of-a-kind jewelry items, animal gifts, dining and entertainment items and animated cells will also be up for bid; the event also features a boutique and light brunch, and animal behavior specialist David Dickey to answer your dog and cat questions at 11:30 a.m.

In conjunction with the event, Hermosa Beach Mayor Sam Edgerton and state Sen. Debra Bowen were preparing proclamations honoring VCA veterinarian Alice Villalobos and the Peter Zippi Fund.

The Zippi organization, supported by the VCA staff, works hard at the rescue and adoption cats. Parking is available in the VCA back lot. For more info call 310-379-1264.

Hand it over

Hermosans get a third chance to mark the city’s upcoming 100th birthday by placing their handprints in colorful paint on the walls outside the city skate park. The fund-raising event 9 a.m. to noon Saturday affords residents another chance to join hundreds of others whose colorful handprints — along with children’s footprints – already grace the skate park’s “Centennial Wall” at Pier and Ardmore avenues. Plans call for the handprints to remain up throughout the 2007 centennial.

Showcase events to honor the 2007 centennial include a Jan. 14 Pier Plaza concert by Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean, with fireworks, marking the date of the city’s incorporation, an Aug. 5 Sunset Concert and Fireworks show with live music from 6 p.m. until sunset and fireworks about 8 p.m., and a September Jazz Concert and Time Capsule ceremony with live music by the Jazz Alumni including the Lighthouse All-Stars.

Ow-woooo!

The popular Hermosa PTO Halloween Carnival will be 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at Hermosa Valley School, 1645 Valley Drive. This year's event is on the Valley Field so bring blankets for the family style puppet show, haunted house, games and prizes, organizers added. Tickets are available for purchase on-site or presale at the school; for info call 310-937-6257. ER

 

The Easy Reader – October 19, 2006

Hermosa Beach

HB About Town

 

Talkin’ crime – HB Police and residents in the area of Ardmore Avenue and Eighth Place will meet to discuss anti-crime measures and Hermosa’s growing Neighborhood Watch movement after a number of residents reported a man being beaten in a late-night incident.

Police received reports of a man being chased by as many as 20 people and then beaten after midnight on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7. Officers arrived within two minutes and 20 seconds, HBPD Chief Greg Savelli said, but any participants or victim had fled.

One area resident told the City Council he heard “screaming and yelling,” saw a man running in front of a pursuing “stampede” of people, and then saw the man beaten to unconsciousness. The beating victim might have been placed in a car and driven from the scene.

The man said he called police, who arrived within “one or two minutes.”

Police had no further information on the incident.

Park o’ pumpkins - Hermosa Beach Friends of the Parks host its fourth annual Pumpkins in the Park fundraiser 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at Fort Lots O’ Fun on the corner of Sixth and Prospect.

The event will feature activities for children including games, cookie decorating, and a hot dog barbeque. A raffle will help raise additional funds for park improvements in Hermosa. Costumes are encouraged, but not required, and the kids get free pumpkins.

For info call 310-318-0280.

The nonprofit Friends of the Parks works to preserve, improve and promote the use of Hermosa parks and recreation programs.

Pancakes & women - The 15th annual Hermosa Beach Woman’s Club Pancake Breakfast -- always heavily attended by civic heavyweights who then walk away even heavier – will take place 8 a.m. to noon, Sunday, Oct. 22 at the Clark Building on Valley Drive between Pier Avenue and Eighth Street.

The event features a silent auction, raffles and games, and a jump house for the kids. Breakfast includes scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, juice, milk or coffee, and, um—oh yeah, pancakes!

Admission is $8 or $15 for two people, with kids 2 and under getting in free.

Helpful raffle - The nonprofit 1736 Family Crisis Center, which provides services to victims of domestic violence and runaway and homeless youth, is selling raffle tickets for a two-year lease on a Lexus IS250 for $25 each or five for $100. The winning ticket will be drawn on Oct. 14. Tickets can be purchased online at www.1736fcc.org, or at the 1736 office at 21707 Hawthorne Blvd., Ste. 300 in Torrance.

1736 Family Crisis Center’s emergency youth shelter at 1736 Monterey Blvd. in Hermosa, has been helping runaway and homeless youth for 34 years. Shelters for battered women and their children are confidentially located in the South Bay area. Donations and grants are crucial in keeping the Center’s doors open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ER

 

The Easy Reader – October 19, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Reviczky, Cullen are named chamber man, woman of year

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau will name J.R. Reviczky and Jean Cullen Man and Woman of the Year at a luncheon ceremony 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club in Redondo.

Hermosa City Treasurer John Workman will emcee. Tickets are $45, or $360 for a table of eight; for reservations call 376-0951.

The award is presented annually to community volunteers whose involvement outside of their chosen professions or elected positions have benefited the community at large. The award has been a Chamber initiative since 1961.

Reviczky served as a board member and construction coordinator for the Veterans Memorial at the Hermosa Beach Community Center, is a founding member of the annual Beach Cities Toy Drive and a member of the Sister Cities Association, Friends of the Library, Cub Scout Pack 860, AYSO Soccer, and the Hermosa Beach Baseball League.

As a member of the Hermosa Beach Historical Society, he has donated a significant amount of time wiring the new lighting for the expansion of the Historical Museum at the Community Center. He also flips pancakes for the annual Woman's Club Pancake Breakfast.

Cullen was president of the Woman's Club and is co-chairman of the Pancake Breakfast. She was an original cofounder of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1995, and is past president of the Sister Cities Association.

She is a member of Friends of the Arts, Friends of the Library, Citizens for Good Government, the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, Friends of the Parks, and the Beach Cities Toy Drive. She was a member of the PTO and volunteered for the Little League, Pop Warner Football and AYSO Soccer.

The chamber’s 2005 man and woman were Bob McEachen and Dorothy Yost.

McEachen, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Hermosa Beach, has worked tirelessly on community projects such as the Kiwanis’ popular fund-raising Christmas Tree Lot, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, and nonprofit fund-raising through the Fiesta Hermosa’s beer and wine garden. He has been active in the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation for 14 years, and is an active member of the Friends of the Library and the Hermosa Beach Historical Society.

Yost has contributed hours of service to the Woman’s Club of Hermosa Beach, and is currently first vice president of the group. She has performed integral roles in the annual pancake breakfast and the 80th anniversary celebration of the club.

She performs volunteer duties for the local Sister Cities organization, Kiwanis, Friends of the Arts, Friends of the Library, the “Last Saturday’s Puppet Show” and Beach Cities Toy Drive. She has been married 51 years to Dallas Yost, the chamber’s Man of the Year in 1993. ER 

 

The Easy Reader – October 12, 2006

Hermosa Beach

 HB About Town

Ow-woooo! - The popular Hermosa PTO Halloween Carnival will be 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at Hermosa Valley School, 1645 Valley Drive. This year's event is on the Valley Field so bring blankets for the family style puppet show, haunted house, games and prizes, organizers added. Tickets are available for purchase on-site or presale at the school; for info call 310-937-6257.

Man-woman! - The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau will name its man and woman of the year at a ceremony 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club in Redondo Beach. “The white Bill Cosby,” Hermosa City Treasurer John Workman will emcee. For reservations or info call 376-0951.

The 2005 man and woman were Bob McEachen and Dorothy Yost.

McEachen, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Hermosa Beach, has worked tirelessly on community projects such as the Kiwanis’ popular fund-raising Christmas Tree Lot, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, and nonprofit fund-raising through the Fiesta Hermosa’s beer and wine garden. He has been active in the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation for 14 years, and is an active member of the Friends of the Library and the Hermosa Beach Historical Society.

Yost has contributed hours of service to the Woman’s Club of Hermosa Beach, and is currently first vice president of the group. She has performed integral roles in the annual pancake breakfast and the 80th anniversary celebration of the club.

She performs volunteer duties for the local Sister Cities organization, Kiwanis, Friends of the Arts, Friends of the Library, the “Last Saturday’s Puppet Show” and Beach Cities Toy Drive. She has been married 51 years to Dallas Yost, the chamber’s Man of the Year in 1993.

Public safety - Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch sponsors two “Meet the Chief” events Monday, Nov. 13 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The first meeting will be at noon and the second at 7 p.m. Hermosa police and fire officials will discuss holiday safety.

Centennial swag - Merchandise bearing the city centennial logo is available for purchase. Items include standard or fitted T-shirts, men’s and women’s tank tops and kids’ T-shirts for $15, and caps for $20.  Downloadable order forms can be found at www.hermosabch.org/

Helpful raffle - The nonprofit 1736 Family Crisis Center, which provides services to victims of domestic violence and runaway and homeless youth, is selling raffle tickets for a two-year lease on a Lexus IS250 for $25 each or five for $100. The winning ticket will be drawn on Oct. 14. Tickets can be purchased online at www.1736fcc.org, or at the 1736 office at 21707 Hawthorne Blvd., Ste. 300 in Torrance.

1736 Family Crisis Center’s emergency youth shelter at 1736 Monterey Blvd. in Hermosa, has been helping runaway and homeless youth for 34 years. Shelters for battered women and their children are confidentially located in the South Bay area. Donations and grants are crucial in keeping the Center’s doors open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ER

 

The Easy Reader – September 14, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Hermosa mulls a Coke deal

by Robb Fulcher

City officials are considering an old beach cities mainstay — the Coke deal — to help pay for events planned for 2007’s year-long Hermosa Beach Centennial celebration.

A proposed agreement between the city and Coca-Cola would call for the beverage giant to donate $25,000 to the Centennial effort. In return Coke would be allowed to install nine vending machines at Hermosa parks and other locations for one year, with 30 percent of the machines’ proceeds also going to Centennial activities.

The city stands to get 41 cents per beverage sold from the vending machines, perhaps as much as $20,000 over the course of the year, in addition to Coke’s $25,000 donation, according to a report by Hermosa Beach Community Resources Director Lisa Lynn.

The machines would be tucked up against existing structures at Valley and South parks, the Clark basketball courts on Valley Drive, at City Hall and at the nearby Hermosa Beach Community Center, Lynn said.

The machines would bear the colors of coke products Dasani bottled water and Minute Maid orange juice. The words “Coca-Cola” would not be splashed across any of the machines, Lynn said. The machines would also bear Hermosa’s centennial logo.

City officials have yet to determine which beverages Coke could sell in the machines. The candidates include Coca-Cola, Dasani water, Minute Maid orange juice, the caffeinated Rock Star energy drink, Powerade sports drink and green tea beverages.

Coca-Cola and possibly Rock Star might be barred from the machines at the parks and at Clark, where the city encourages healthy activity, Lynn said. Coke might be sold at City Hall and the Community Center, and Powerade and Rock Star might be sold at Clark, she added.

Parks and Rec Commissioner Steve Canella and Hermosan Ron Riggs got the beverage ball rolling by getting the Coke people together with the city people, and then Lynn negotiated the deal.

Lynn also negotiated a 2004 deal that resulted in American Express paying the city $75,000 for the privilege of sponsoring a Cheryl Crow concert in Hermosa, even though the concert was cancelled.

The Coke deal has been approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the City Council is expected to make a final decision in October. ER

 

The Easy Reader – September 14, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Appeals court backs school gymnasium

by Robb Fulcher

An appeals court has rejected arguments by opponents of a Hermosa Valley School gymnasium that the facility was improperly funded by a 2002 school bond measure.

“We feel vindicated and happy that this is over, but I wish we didn’t have to spend money on this when it should have gone to programs for students,” Hermosa School Superintendent Sharon McClain said.

The city school district has spent more than $100,000 fighting a multi-pronged lawsuit by the group Citizens for Responsible School Expansion, with some attorneys’ bills still outstanding, McClain said.

Last year a Superior Court judge struck down the opponents’ contentions that the school district failed to mitigate parking, traffic and noise impacts from the gym, and that a separate $1.5 million from a specialized state fund should not have been used for the gym.

The Superior Court judge also rejected the contention that the 2002 bond money, $13.6 million, should not have been spent on the gym because of the way the ballot measure was prepared. The opponents appealed that ruling, but a three-judge panel on the state’s Second District Court of Appeal has given them the same answer they got in Superior Court.

The opponents argued that the omission of the gym from a detailed list of construction projects on the 2002 city ballot meant the $13.6 million could not be spent on a gym.

School board members have said that was an oversight and point out that the gym was listed in ballot arguments for and against the bond measure. The appeals court agreed.

“Neither the state Constitution nor the [state] Education Code requires that the list of specific school facilities projects to be funded through a bond measure be included on the ballot,” according to the court’s written decision.

“The argument in favor of [school bond] Measure J stated that the measure would improve Hermosa Beach schools by ‘building a new gym/multipurpose facility for school and community use,’ while the argument against the measure several times criticized the use of bond funds for ‘a costly gym,’” the ruling reads. ER

 

The Easy Reader – July 28, 2005

Bids for Valley school gym are nixed

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

The city school board will wait until at least Sept. 19 to hire a construction contractor for a planned gymnasium building with classrooms, a library and a science lab at Hermosa Valley School. The delay means that some portions of the project might be sacrificed, Superintendent Sharon McClain said.  She blamed the delay upon a group opposing the gym, especially their spokesman Jerry Compton, who called the criticism unfair.

With construction prices continuing to rise and the school district’s building fund remaining the same, the School Board last week voted in closed session to reject the price bids they had received from prospective contractors and let the bids expire.  “The board has ordered the superintendent not to accept bids for the construction project,” School Board President Lance Widman announced when he and his colleagues returned to the regular, open portion of last Wednesday’s meeting. “That is the action we took in closed session.”  (School boards typically discuss price bids from competing private companies behind closed doors, as state law allows.)

In an interview, McClain said the district could begin seeking fresh price bids for the gym project no earlier than Aug. 19, if the project wins approval from the California Coastal Commission about Aug. 10, and a judge rules in favor of the school district at an injunction hearing Aug. 19.  The School Board would not be able to actually hire a contractor until at least a month later, about Sept. 19 at the earliest, McClain said.  Board President Lance Widman said “if all the planets align” and the project clears the Coastal Commission and courtroom hurdles, he believes the gym project could still go forward with every element intact.

Holdups? - McClain said gym opponents, especially neighboring property owner Compton, slowed the project throughout its lengthy planning phases, prompting educators to spend additional time on matters such as selecting a specific location for the gym.  Without the opposition, McClain said, the school district could have applied for and received Coastal Commission approval months ago, and would be overseeing actual construction by now.  “The lawsuit was threatened over two years ago,” she said.

Compton said he simply tried to hold educators to their word. For instance, during the campaign for school bonds to pay for the gym, proponents said they would try to buy land adjoining the school and build the gym there. Later they said adjoining land could not be purchased, and Compton said some of the planning discussions rightly focused upon issues of adjoining land.  “If Sharon is blaming me for them doing due diligence, I’m happy to be blamed for that,” he said.

If educators run out of money to build the gym they will use Compton’s group as a scapegoat, he said.  Compton said McClain appeared to foreshadow such a strategy at the School Board meeting, when she followed Widman’s announcement about the construction delay by turning to the Board and saying, “I’d like you to know that the district is aggressively fighting this lawsuit. Our unchanging opinion is that the lawsuit is without merit.”   “They don’t have enough money,” he said. “We have not cost them one day.”

The opponents’ lawsuit claims that the school district failed to properly address the gym’s effects on parking, traffic and noise in the neighborhood, and that school bond money approved by voters cannot legally be spent to build the gym.  The gym building as planned would stand 34 feet tall and cover about 26,000 square feet near the southwest corner of the campus on Valley Drive. ER

The Beach Reporter – July 28, 2005

Hermosa Beach News

 

HB Council approves dance floor (7/28)

By Whitney Youngs

The Hermosa Beach City Council Tuesday night voted to uphold a Planning Commission decision to amend the Conditional Use Permit of Fat Face Fenner's Fishack to alter its floor plan to allow for a dance area that will increase occupancy inside the establishment located on the pier plaza by 20 people.  "I came in thinking that this was going to be a lot bigger than it was, and now after listening to all the facts and understanding all the issues, I can support the motion," said Councilman Art Yoon.  The vote was 3-1 with Michael Keegan voting against the motion, stating that he would not vote for a request to amend a CUP from a business owner who is reported by the city as currently being in violation of it.

 

According to the city's Community Development Department, the owners of the Fishack were required to conduct and submit an acoustical study if they decided to host live entertainment, which they have, but have yet to complete the study. Councilman Sam Edgerton, who arrived at the meeting late, was unable to discuss or vote on the matter since he was not present to hear public testimony.  "I cannot support the motion because they are not in compliance with their CUP. Otherwise why do we bother placing all of the regulations which are not supposed be enforced but rather adhered to?" said Keegan.

 

According to the Community Development Department, the restaurant "...will continue to provide live entertainment ... Also, the conditions include a requirement that the applicant prepare a new acoustic study pursuant to current noise ordinance requirements and implement any recommendations of the study in the building," states its staff report.  "An acoustical study was required in 1999 only if amplified live entertainment is provided," stated Community Development Director Sol Blumenfeld. "However, no such study has been submitted pursuant this condition and live entertainment has occurred from time to time at the business."

 

Blumenfeld also noted that the establishment's other CUP violations are the use of temporary banners or signs, and that its outside corridors are places where people are allowed to drink which is not only a violation of a CUP, but also the California Building Code and the Alcoholic Beverage Control.  "I feel that the Fishack is one of the few bars that is a true restaurant and bar," said resident Barbara Ellman. "It serves food, good food, and it's the type of place the city should want to keep down there."

 

In late June, the commission, in a 3-2 vote, agreed to the modification under two conditions, which are that the owners hire an expert to conduct an acoustical sound study and another expert to complete a fire evacuation plan. Both Commissioners Ron Pizer and Peter Hoffman voted against the amendment. Gary Vincent, who is president of the Fishack, spoke on behalf of all the Fishack owners.  "We had the 3-2 vote primarily because two of the commissioners were concerned about turning a restaurant into a bar. Let me tell you, on the weekends, we keep our kitchen open up until midnight, sometimes even past midnight," said Vincent. "I've got a business on the plaza with an increase of occupancy due to an addition of a dance floor and I feel I am not asking for anything that hasn't already been provided to businesses that have numerous violations."

 

The restaurant and bar, known as the South Bay home to Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fans, is split into two patron areas by the kitchen and its preparation stations. It is located on the second floor in the smaller Loreto Plaza on the north side of the plaza. The proposed location for the dance floor will be at the restaurant's northerly section.

 

According to the staff report drafted by Senior Planner Ken Robertson, the Planning Commission approved a CUP amendment to allow for on-sale alcohol, live entertainment and extended hours for the site formerly known as Casablanca restaurant in 1998. In 1999, the City Council granted a CUP amendment and parking plan to allow for the expansion of the restaurant to the south.

 

According to the Uniform Building Code, a dance floor is considered an assembly use, which is calculated at a higher occupancy load than dining uses. Based on current plans, sit-down dining areas represent 75 percent of the northern section of the restaurant and with the amendment it will represent less than 50 percent. The approved amendment is contingent upon the submission and approval of both the fire evacuation plan and the acoustical study. Owners of the Fishack will create the dance floor from about 10 or 11 p.m. to closing time by moving several bar tables and stools out of the way.

 

"The proposed occupancy changes will impact the exit discharge from the building, which must be evaluated by a qualified licensed design professional," wrote Robertson is his report. "Both the Fire Department and the Building Division have reviewed the new seating and occupancy plan, and found there may be potential problems with the current exiting configuration of the building and the proposed new occupant load derived from the added assembly use."  All matters that go before any of the city commissions can be appealed at the City Council level, which reserves final judgment.

The Easy Reader – July 21, 2005

Precarious Valley school gym project headed to court

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

The battle over plans for a gymnasium at Hermosa Valley School is headed to court Aug. 19 as neighbors and other opponents try to halt it. Meanwhile, the city school board continues to grapple with tight-money obstacles that could force the gym to be scrapped.  “Things are looking pretty tense,” School Board President Lance Widman said on Tuesday.

Before the Aug. 19 court date the School Board had begun to ask prospective contractors to freeze their current prices for building the gym project until the California Coastal Commission reviews and potentially approves the project about Aug. 10. But the School Board might have to scrap that plan, Widman said, and the board was scheduled to weigh that decision this week.

If the legal and regulatory hurdles facing the gym cause the School Board to seek a new round of price bids from contractors, the contractors almost certainly would ask higher prices, Widman said. Construction prices have been rising sharply here and around California.  Asked if the School Board could still afford to build the gym after a fresh round of price bids, Widman said, “I don’t know.”

Last month Sam Abrams, chairman of a committee overseeing Hermosa school bond expenditures, also said the gym might have to be scrapped if fresh price bids must be sought.

Talks stalled - Settlement talks stalled after only one meeting between the School Board and Citizens for Responsible School Expansion, a group made up mostly of school neighbors. Now attorneys for the two sides are preparing to argue their cases before a Superior Court judge.

If the gym opponents are granted an injunction, the project would be stalled until a sweeping lawsuit against the project is resolved. Proponents of the gym must keep that from happening if they are to remain on their already tenuous schedule.  “We want to get this in front of a judge as soon as possible,” said Jerry Compton, spokesman for the gym opponents. He and his wife Suzy own a house near the third-through-eighth grade school on Valley Drive. “The sooner we do that the better for all parties.”

The lawsuit claims that the school district failed to properly address the gym’s effects on parking, traffic and noise in the neighborhood, and that school bond money approved by voters cannot legally be spent to build the gym.  The building planned by the school district would house a science lab, library and classrooms as well as the gym, but the lawsuit targets only the gym portion.  Widman blamed the gym opponents for ending the settlement talks and described the opponents as intransigent.

Compton denied that the gym opponents ended the settlement talks and said it was the school district that would not budge. However, last month he said his group was not planning to meet with school district officials a second time, while district officials were saying they wanted a second meeting.

In interviews last week and this week, Compton said his group is willing to return to the negotiating table before the lawsuit reaches the courtroom.  Following the lone settlement meeting, Widman said, an attorney for the gym opponents made “nonnegotiable settlement demands” that the school district relocate the planned gym from the southwest corner of the campus to a parking lot on the southern boundary, eliminate after-hours use of the gym by non-school groups, or scrap the gym.

Widman said building a gym on the parking lot would cost the school precious parking spaces, and banning after-school uses of the gym by non-school groups would violate a state law governing publicly funded facilities, Widman said.  Compton said those options were not presented as nonnegotiable demands.  “Their attorney asked ours if we would put together a list of things that we would definitely settle on,” Compton said. The hastily prepared list was intended as a starting point for further discussions, Compton said.

The school district started out with $15.6 million in local and state bonds for the construction and for an overhaul of plumbing, electricity, safety features, handicapped access, heating, air conditioning and technology-lab features at Valley School and the K-2 Hermosa View School.  Most of the money was spent on the upgrades, which cost more than expected because of the rising construction costs that have plagued projects across California.  The gym building as planned would stand 34 feet tall and cover 26,000 square feet. ER

The Easy Reader - June 16, 2005

Cost of an ambulance ride shoots up

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday agreed to raise fees for an emergency ambulance ride to $773, from the current rates of $281 for residents and $561 for nonresidents.  City Fire Chief Russell Tingley said about 85 percent of Hermosans carry health insurance that pays for ambulance trips, and council members said people with “financial hardships” can make arrangements with city officials if paying is difficult.

Under the plan proposed by Tingley and approved by the council, city officials also will hire a private company to take care of ambulance-related billing.  The two changes are designed to raise about $284,000 for the hiring of three additional firefighters, a move Tingley’s rank and file has strongly urged. The new hires would increase staffing by one firefighter per shift and allow the Fire Department to operate one additional engine at any given time.  However, the council agreed to allow Tingley to wait a year to make the hires, to ensure that the fee and billing changes do indeed raise the needed money.

With the vote, which was 4-1 with Councilman Art Yoon absent, the council rejected a plea by the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association to hire the additional firefighters without delay.  The association’s Aaron Marks told the council that Tingley has been slow to respond to concerns such as staffing, creating a “disconnect” between the association and Fire Department management.

Marks said that the plan approved by the council “does address many of the concerns we have, but not the concern over staffing.”  In January Tingley received a vote of no confidence from his 18-member department, in part over the staffing issue. ER

Assault, Battery and Vandalism in Hermosa Beach neighborhoods.

The Daily Breeze - June 15, 2005

Police Log - Hermosa Beach

Assault with a Deadly Weapon with great bodily injury:  1:13 am June 4, 2600 block of Hermosa Avenue.  Someone hit the victim from behind in the back of the head while both were in the bathroom at the North End Bar.  The victim had gone into the bathroom to confront a man the victim believed had inappropriately touched his girlfriend.  The man was leaving the bathroom when the victim was hit.  The victim told police the man did not hurt him and he did not know who had hit him.  Paramedics treated the victim for a laceration to the back of his head and released him.

Assault and Battery: 2 to 2:15 am June 12, 1800 block of Monterey Boulevard.  The victim and his girlfriend were walking when they passed a man who was urinating between two houses.  The man finished, turned to say hello and wanted to shake hands with one of them.  That person refused, angering the man, who began to follow them.  The man, who was joined by three others, ran up to and tackled the victim.  The victim said that throughout the attack the man was yelling things like, “You’re from Simi Valley, right?”  The victim got up and was then “sucker punched” by a second man.  The victim said all four men then were punching him, but he got away.  All four men were described as white and in their early to mid-20’s.  The urinating man was further described as 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds with thick curly brown hair, a thin build and wearing sandals, a gray shirt and tan pants.  The second man was further described as 5-foot-7, 200 pounds with a heavy build, thick blond hair and a goatee, wearing a green baseball cap, a green shirt and jeans.  One of the other men was further described as having blond hair and wearing a blue and white shirt and jeans.

Assault and Battery: 11:50 pm June 8, 600 block of Manhattan Avenue.  The victim said she walked from Pier Plaza to her boyfriend’s residence and when she reached his door she was knocked to the ground by a mail described as tall and wearing a baseball cap and sweatshirt.  The victim said she landed on her back and the male either sat or laid down on her.  The victim said she screamed that her boyfriend behind her in an attempt to frighten the man and kicked and punched at him.  The victim said he fled north on Manhattan Avenue in a vehicle.  The victim, who police said smelled of alcohol, refused medical attention for what appeared to be a cut on the side of her nose.

Motor Vehicle Vandalism: Sometime after midnight June 12, 300 block of Pier Avenue.  Someone shattered the windshield of a 2000 silver Jeep Wrangler.

The Daily Breeze - June 16, 2005

'Tribe' gathers to salute South Bay legend Dale Velzy

 

About 400 surfers paddle out in tribute to Hermosa Beach native who began surfing in 1936.

By Terry Rodgers
Copley News Service

Surfers called it "the greatest-ever gathering of the tribe."

An estimated 2,000 admirers, including many of surfing's greatest heroes, attended a memorial service this week for Hermosa Beach native Dale Velzy, a master surfboard shaper whose raucous spirit and eclectic lifestyle helped create Southern California's beach culture.

Velzy, who some say opened the nation's first surf shop in Manhattan Beach more than half a century ago, died of lung cancer May 26. He was 77.  "Velzy stood head and shoulders above the rest of us," said Woody Ekstrom of Encinitas, 78, a pioneer California surfer. "He was Mr. Surf and Mr. Beach."

Rory Wicks, an attorney from San Diego, took the day off to participate in the ceremony Tuesday. He was awestruck by the number of surfing superstars and legends in attendance.  "This is like Woodstock for old surfers," Wicks said.

Nearly 400 joined in the traditional paddle-out ceremony at Doheny State Beach. As paddlers formed a circle in the water nearly a quarter-mile in diameter, a P-51 airplane flew tree-top-high over the crowd. A floating wreath was filled with sand from Velzyland, a surf spot on Oahu named in Velzy's honor by filmmaker Bruce Brown of "Endless Summer" fame.  In a final farewell, the paddlers raised their arms in a celebratory gesture known in sports arenas as "the wave."

Velzy, who was born in Hermosa Beach, began surfing in 1936 during an era when surfboards were made of wood and men were made of iron. He began making balsa surfboards around 1949 and a year or two later opened what many historians believe was the first surfboard shop in the United States. The store was in Manhattan Beach.

By the late 1950s, he was the surf industry's version of Sam Walton -- the late founder of Wal-Mart. He controlled an empire of two manufacturing plants and five surfboard shops.  By the end of the decade, however, the fast-talking, hard-drinking, tax-evading surfboard magnate had lost everything when the IRS seized his assets and sold them at auction.

Despite his setbacks, Velzy was incapable of pessimism and always had a new plan for staging a comeback.  "He made his own rules and lived life the way he wanted. He did it his way," said Mike Doyle, a champion surfer during the 1960s whose first job was working at Velzy's surf shop in Venice. "He was a hell of a craftsman."

Velzy was a mentor and father figure to many of surfing's first entrepreneurs when surfboard makers switched to polyurethane foam in the late 1950s. The students included Oceanside's Donald Takayama, big-wave pioneer Greg Noll of Crescent City and Bing Copeland of Ketchum, Idaho.

Velzy was comfortable in the surf and on the turf. He loved riding horses as much as surfboards. Although he stopped surfing in the early 1960s, Velzy rode horses until his final days.  "His love was surfing, but his life was cowboying," said Spencer Croul, co-founder of the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente.

Velzy, who lived in San Clemente for the past 27 years, also was a lifelong hot-rod builder and collector. At the memorial service, friends who put together a display of his many surfboard styles also placed atop one of his longboards a chrome dual intake manifold for a flathead Ford V-8 hot rod.

Velzy's cousin, singer Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, opened the memorial service with a heartfelt rendition of the Eagles' "Desperado." Instead of the traditional moment of silence, Velzy's friend and ceremony emcee Allan Seymour led the overflow crowd in hollering a raucous cowboy yell.  Opening a half-pint of vodka and taking a sip, Holmes pointed skyward and offered a toast: "Dale Velzy, knowing you was bitchin'."

 

The Easy Reader - June 2, 2005