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Top Stories on This Webpage: Starting January 11, 2007
- Read the full stories, just below:
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.
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 11, 2007
Hermosa Beach HB About Town
Upper Pier peer -
A city-appointed
subcommittee will hold its first hearing to study possible improvements to
upper Pier Avenue 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, in Room 12 of the Hermosa Beach
Community Center, located at the corner of Pier Avenue and PCH. Interested
members of the public are urged to attend. |
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The Easy Reader – January 4, 2007
Hermosa Beach About Town
Keegans honored -
The National Restaurant
Association on Tuesday presented the 2006 California Neighbor Award to
Manhattan Bread & Bagel, which is owned by Hermosa Councilman Michael Keegan
and his wife Lynn Olson, a Superior Court judge (see photo page 15).
Manhattan Bread was singled out for its programs that benefit local schools.
One such program, “Cookies and Cash,” has provided more than $25,000 to
local schools over the past 10 years. Manhattan Bread also supports the
American Cancer Association’s Relay for Life, Manhattan’s Hometown Fair, and
the schools’ PTO and PTA groups.
School surfers get support – High school surf teams are getting a boost from local businesses Hennessey’s Taverns, and Dive N’ Surf. Hennessey’s, which sponsors the Hennessey’s International Paddleboard Series, has signed on as the title sponsor for the high school surf league’s Hennessey Cup Team Championships, to be held Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Hermosa Pier. On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3 and 4, Dive N’ Surf and surfboard manufacture Surf Tech will make 50 Surf Tec demo boards available for competitors in a high school and middle school contest at the Hermosa Pier. ER |
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The Easy Reader – December 21, 2006
Hermosa Beach About Town
Ball drop -
Big Band 2000 will kick it
Guy Lombardo style 8 p.m. to midnight and Mayor Sam Edgerton will count down
to zero hour as Hermosa Beach rings in 2007 with a family-friendly New
Year’s Eve celebration on the Pier Plaza. New Year’s Eve falls on New Year’s
Eve, and the Pier Plaza is located on the Pier Plaza. |
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The Easy Reader – December 7, 2006
Hermosa Beach About Town
Tree lighting -
The city’s Tree Lighting
Ceremony is 6 to 8 p.m. today (Thursday, Dec. 7) on the Pier Plaza. The
lighting of the city’s 25-foot tall Christmas tree takes place about 6 p.m.
with a “special visitor arriving directly from the North Pole.” Meanwhile,
area merchants will greet shoppers with food and beverages inside their
storefronts until 9 p.m. Strolling carolers and the mainstay Hyperion
Outfall Serenaders will entertain on Pier and Hermosa Avenues, and a
Christmas elf on stilts will greet the children. The family event is among
Hermosa’s most popular. |
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The Easy Reader – November 30, 2006
Hermosa Beach About Town
Young at Art -
Kids are invited to paint
their own “holiday ornaments” 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Buona
Vita Restaurant next to Klade Gallery on the 400 block of Pier Avenue. A $5
recommended donation goes to the Hermosa Valley School “Young at Art”
program. A “Holiday Show” runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the same day at Klade
Gallery. For more information call 310-374-0080. |
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The Easy Reader – November 30, 2006
Hermosa Beach Lanes to be added to Pier in 30 days
The City Council on Tuesday
determined to restore upper Pier Avenue to its traditional four lanes in 30
days. Officials will perform traffic-count studies before and after the lane
re-striping to aid in a study of long-term improvements to the town’s main
drag. |
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The Easy Reader – November 23, 2006
Hermosa Beach About Town
Corrections -
A story in last week’s
edition incorrectly identified the concert for which city officials are
attempting to book legendary ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson. City officials have
been negotiating to book him for an installment of the 2007 summer sunset
series. |
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The Easy Reader – November 16, 2006
Hermosa Beach Clock deal, Coke deal okayed
The City Council on Tuesday
decided to place a 15-foot pedestal clock on the Hermosa Avenue end of the
Pier Plaza, rejecting an alternate proposal to place the clock near the
middle of the Plaza. The council had once considered adding a concrete wall
to accompany the clock at the Hermosa Avenue end of the Plaza which would
potentially stop runaway vehicles. The wall plan was rejected after negative
reaction to the city’s erecting a plywood replica of the wall.
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The Easy Reader – October 26, 2006
Hermosa Beach Modern office-eatery building okayed
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. |
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The Easy Reader – October 26, 2006
Hermosa Beach Hermosa officials eye court appeal in height dispute
Hermosa officials have
filed papers to keep the door open for a possible appeal in a courtroom
dispute with a restaurant over the city’s height limits for buildings. |
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The Easy Reader – October 19, 2006
Hermosa Beach Fireworks and parties mark centennial
People’s painted pinkies point past 2006 |
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The Easy Reader – October 12, 2006
Hermosa Beach Gym opponents file papers, might try Supreme Court
Opponents of a Hermosa
Valley School gymnasium have filed papers that could presage an appeal to
the California Supreme Court. |
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The Easy Reader August 25, 2005
The
2nd Annual Hermosa Short Film Festival takes place tomorrow through Saturday,
with 50 independent films being premiered. For those who cant 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.
Creative director Tom Kearny describes this event as experienced filmmakers
doing their own thing without studio interference; made from the heart, with
blood, sweat and yes, credit cards. Technical director Greg Watts says that last
years event went without a hitch. Event strategist and film commissioner Jeri
Reeder has designed each party as a feast of festivity, fun and la dolce vita.
The paramount film on Friday will be a feature film about Pier Avenues
historical landmark, The Lighthouse. It contains vintage film footage of jazz
artists in action from the 1950s onward. It screens at 5 p.m. in the Hermosa
Beach Playhouse and will be followed by two blocks of short films and then a
tribute to The Lighthouse. Immediately afterwards will be a 50s style Hollywood
party that takes place in the theater courtyard. Food will be supplied by The
Lighthouse, with wine courtesy of Fat Bastard and beer courtesy of Budweiser. On
hand will be a Frank Sinatra look- and sound-alike crooner. Tickets, $10.
On Saturday morning from 10 until noon the committee will host a free kids block
at the skateboard park on Pier and Ardmore. There will be a pro skateboarder
demo to teach tricks, followed by a pizza party from noon to 1, and then the
premiere of Grom, an action-packed film about daring snowboarders.
Screenwriter John Rainey will teach a workshop from 2 to 5 p.m. on
screenwriting, character development, and storyline advancement. Its suitable
to those who are new to the game or established. It will be followed by How to
Light a Set, a workshop from 3 to 5 p.m. by Dave Navarro, owner of Dream
Lighting. At 4 p.m., a Hands on Production workshop, given by Thomas Gurch,
will teach the fundamentals of setting up shots, working with top of the line
equipment, and getting the right shot.
Short films will be rolling from 3 to 10 p.m. The festival committee is excited
to preview Sleeping Dogs Lie, starring Ed Asner, plus a variety of films that
represent the gamut of the emotional psyche (Deliverance: The Musical) and the
collision of fate and freewill in an L.A. rainstorm (Shelter). Winners for top
film awards will be announced at 10 p.m., and someone will receive an ET
surfboard as the grand prize. The final wrap party will follow the awards
ceremony with a Polynesian luau from 10 p.m. until midnight. Itll feature the
Polynesian dance troupe Fire Poi, dancers, and spin master UGO. Food will be
supplied by Mediterraneano, wine by Fat Bastard, and Brew by Bud. Tickets, $10
while they last.
The film committee wants to thank Project Touch, a local organization that helps
troubled youth. These kids will be helping the event as ushers, waiters, and
general help. The Hermosa Short Film Festival is sponsored by the Hermosa Arts
Foundation, Charles Schwab, Disco Metro, Budweiser and some high profile forward
thinking local businesses. Day pass tickets, $10 general; $5 students, seniors
(films and workshops); all access day pass, $20 general; $15 students, seniors
(films, workshops, after party); all access all weekend pass, $30 general; $25
students, seniors (films, workshops, after parties). For other packages and
party information, 406-1960 ext. 1987.
The Easy Reader July 28, 2005
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 districts 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 Wednesdays
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, Im happy to be blamed for that, he
said.
If educators run out of money to build the gym they will use Comptons group as
a scapegoat, he said. Compton said McClain appeared to foreshadow such a
strategy at the School Board meeting, when she followed Widmans announcement
about the construction delay by turning to the Board and saying, Id like you
to know that the district is aggressively fighting this lawsuit. Our unchanging
opinion is that the lawsuit is without merit. They dont 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 gyms 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
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
dont 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 gyms
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
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 Tingleys 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 associations 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, Youre 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-20s. 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 boyfriends 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
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About 400 surfers paddle out in tribute to Hermosa Beach native who began surfing in 1936.
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'." |
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The Easy Reader - June 2, 2005
Street repairs and repaving
projects costing $1.6 million have been proposed for the upcoming fiscal year,
marking the most ambitious street improvement program in at least the last dozen
years, City Manager Steve Burrell said.
The money for the improvements is earmarked in Burrells proposed city budget,
which was unveiled this week. The budget calls for nearly $21 million in
spending, and is scheduled for approval in its final form by the City Council
June 14.
The street improvements target roadways where the paving is in the worst
condition, Burrell said, to wit:
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Tennyson Place from 30th Street to Longfellow
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24th Place from Park Avenue to PCH
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24th Street from Ardmore Avenue to PCH
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19th Street from PCH to Rhodes
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Palm Drive from Monterey Boulevard to 21st
Street
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21st Street from Hermosa Avenue to Manhattan
Avenue
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19th Street from Monterey Boulevard to Loma
Drive
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Loma Drive from Pier Avenue to Manhattan Avenue
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Cypress Avenue from Pier Avenue to 11th Street
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Second Street from PCH to Prospect Avenue
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First Place from Barney Court to Prospect Avenue
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First Street from Barney Court to Prospect
Avenue
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Barney Court from First Street to First Place
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First Street from PCH to Barney Court
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Meyer Court, southern to northern end. ER
The Easy Reader - June 2, 2005
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.
A few years later Dale started shaping smaller, lighter, more maneuverable
surfboards from balsa-wood that everyone could carry to the beach and enjoy
riding. 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.
Dale Velzy was born 1927, and raised in Hermosa Beach, the son of a mechanic and
the grandson of a woodworker who built cabinets for U.S. President Teddy
Roosevelt. Steve Pezman, editor and owner of The Surfers Journal magazine said,
Dale could out-drink, out-shoot, out-ride, out-shape, out-sell, and out-finesse
everyone, and he made it all up as he went along.
He grew up on the beach watching surfers on their heavy hollow planks ride to
the sand at the Hermosa Beach Pier. Every time a surfer wiped out I ran and got
their board and brought it back out to them. After a while a few of the locals
let me borrow their boards and gave me a few pointers. By the time I went to
Pier Avenue Junior High School (now the Hermosa Beach Community Center) I was
ditching school every time the waves were good. I hated school because the waves
were always good in the mornings. As a last resort my parents sent me to a
military academy in nearby Long Beach. I was there for six days before going
AWOL over the fence and hitchhiking to Venice to stay and surf with my friends.
The truant officers caught me after a few days.
His parents were furious and shipped him off to Arizona to live on his uncles
ranch far from the surf. Being a cowboy sounds glamorous but the work was hard
digging post holes, stretching wire, and shoveling dung. World War II
started and at 16 Dale signed up with the Merchant Marines.
In the late 40s Dale was a member of the Hermosa Beach Surf Club and shaped
boards for the members underneath the Hermosa Beach Pier. Velzy was the first to
put his name on the deck of surfboards. It did not take long for Dales boards
to become popular and the city of Hermosa Beach to run Dale out from under the
pier. They had a fit because of all the wood shavings that blew out the door
and across the beach, he said.
Dale moved to Venice and opened up a shop where his popular Hot Curl, Sausage
and Pig shapes became legendary. Joe Quigg, another surfer/shaper legend of the
time said, It was Velzy and his gremmies who started the whole mass surfing
phenomena thing in California.
Some of the gremmies that Dale made boards for were Mickey Dora, Lance Carson,
Kemp Aaberg, Donald Takayama, Mickey Munoz, Mike Doyle and Dewey Weber. Dewey
was Dales favorite. He took Dewey under his wing and showed him everything from
shaping to running the shop. By the mid 50s Dale was happy to take on his
surfing buddy Hap Jacobs as his partner to help him keep up with all the orders.
Hap recalled, When ten new boards were done Dale would call up 20 surfers
waiting for their new boards just watch them fight over who got to take one of
the boards in the showroom.
By the end of the 50s, Velzy and Jacobs separated on good terms. By 1960 Velzy
had three shops cranking out 200 boards a week. The surfboards cost about $80
and were custom ordered. That meant they were paid for up front. With shops in
Venice, San Clemente and San Diego, Dale Velzy was the largest surfboard
manufacturer in the world.
Dale bought a new Mercedes and started hanging out in Hollywood with all the
stars. He made surfboards for Peter Lawford, David Niven, Paul Newman and
Newmans young bride Joanne Woodward. Dale was on top of the world and ready to
open a shop in Hermosa Beach when the IRS nailed him for back taxes. Dewey Weber
came from nowhere and took over with his own surfboard business. Dale never
forgave him.
The first time I talked with Velzy was in the mid 70s, late one night at Lance
Collins Wave Tool surfboard factory in Costa Mesa. Lance made my Hot Lip
Surfboards and I was checking on a 200 board order ready to be shipped to Japan.
Velzy was the only one in the factory. He was glassing these 10 beautiful
balsa/redwood surfboard clocks. Each one was about five feet long and shaped
like an island gun. I was elated to see my 200 boards waiting to be boxed and
shipped. Dale was quiet. He was very deep in thought glassing his clocks.
I introduced myself and asked whom he was shaping for? Dale took a look around
at my big order and said Nobody. It is just not the same anymore. I could not
believe it. I asked him what he was going to do.
Dale smiled and said, I like making these. I said, You are a great surfboard
builder. How much do you get for these clocks? He said, $300 each. At that
time a good shaper made about $25 a board.
The next time I saw Velzy was in 2003 when we were both receiving our plaques on
Hermosas Surfers Walk of Fame. Dale was the first one to give me a big hug and
congratulate me. I always thought that North Shores Velzyland was named after
Velzy because he rented the only house on the beach there in the late 50s and
was the first to surf it.
I was wrong. In 1958 Bruce Brown was on the North Shore making Slippery When
Wet. He noticed the hollow peaks zipping off the razor sharp, shallow reef just
north of Sunset Beach. He talked Dewey Weber and Kemp Aaberg into surfing the
spot for his film. Kemp and Dewey both rode for Velzy so Bruce called the spot
Velzyland. The name stuck.
In the early 80s Velzy focused his energy on making paddleboards. My friend Tim
Ritter, captain of the Hennessey Paddleboard Team, said Velzy did the same for
paddleboarding in the 80s as he did for surfing in the 50s. His radical shapes
led to the re-birth of the sport. I will always remember Dale Velzy for his
cameo in John Seversons 1969 surf movie Pacific Vibrations. When John asked
him what he thought about surfing, Dale smiled and said, I remember when a
board was a board, a wave was a wave, and a buck was a buck.
Epic 86, 05 Breakwall to air on Surf
Central - Video from last Januarys big wave days at the Redondo
Breakwall, as well as video from the epic 1986 winter is airing on Adelphia
Cable channel 54 on Tuesdays at 11 p.m. and Fridays at 9 p.m. Featured surfers
include Scott Johnson, the Luhrson brothers, Chris Rodriquez, the Brewer
brothers, Milo Miurgia, Scott Dailey, Tracey and Matt Meistrell, Marcello
Malincko, Johnny Arnado, Mike Montoya, Terry Stevens, Jerad Lang, Greg Browning
and Leo Nordine. Surf Central was shot by Marty Tueling of MartyCam and
edited by Tueling, Vince Ray and Chris Rodriquez. Future programs will include
interviews with South Bay surfers and video of local breaks. ER
The Easy Reader - May 26, 2005
A deadlocked City Council once again beat back a proposal to
spread a free wireless broadband internet signal throughout Hermosa. The council
left in place an existing pilot program that gives the free signal to about a
quarter of the town near City Hall.
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.
On the wireless broadband front, Councilmen Sam Edgerton and Pete Tucker opposed
one more effort by Councilman Michael Keegan to offer free Wi-Fi throughout
Hermosa. This time Keegan asked his council colleagues to place a non-binding
ballot measure before Hermosa voters in November, asking if they want the free
internet service.
Once again Mayor JR Reviczky voted with Keegan. And once again Councilman Art
Yoon, who works as an executive for a cable TV company, cited a conflict of
interest and excused himself from the fray, leading once again to the 2-2
deadlock.
Edgerton, the most vocal opponent of Keegans plan, once again said that he
believes it would not be truly free, but instead would cost the taxpayers money.
Keegan and City Manager Steve Burrell have said that citywide broadband would
pay for itself through advertising and other means, as the pilot program does.
Edgerton said he received an email from a businessman who might offer free
wireless internet at no expense to taxpayers, and said he passed the email along
to Burrell. We might get this stuff for free
really for free, Edgerton said.
But Burrell and Keegan said the businessman has not offered to provide free
internet service to residents, although Burrell said the man might be induced to
do that. Keegan said the man offered to provide free internet service to City
Hall, which already uses Keegans pilot program for free.
Keegan said the man wants to buy the equipment used for the citys pilot program
and then sell internet service through an exclusive franchise. Keegan said
people now using the citys free pilot program would then have to pay the
businessman. ER
The Easy Reader - May 26, 2005
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 governors May revision of
the California budget and pass along concrete funding information good or bad
to local school boards.
The state provides local school districts with the bulk of their funding,
typically about 70 percent in Hermosa. For the next school year, Hermosa
officials anticipate that the state will provide about $300,000 less than it did
for the current year. The anticipated cuts from the state come in several
areas, including $130,000 to special education programs that the state
government requires Hermosa to provide. The anticipated cuts also come in
Sacramento-ese, a confusing language in which revenue decreases can be described
as increases.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that he has proposed to increase education
funding by $3 billion, but that comes after educators agreed to give up $4
billion they could have claimed under terms of the voter-approved Proposition
98. Educators and the governor continue to argue about whether he promised to
reinstate the funding as the economy improves, but the original suspension of
the Prop. 98 money is not in question.
Why $600? - The anticipated cuts from the state have prompted Hermosa
education fund-raisers to ask parents to donate $600 per student for the coming
year, to help fund academic programs that are presently threatened. The programs
include music, third- through fifth-grade science, and class-size reduction in
kindergarten through third grade.
The programs were spared for the current year by parents and others who gave a
total of nearly $288,000. That time the parents were asked to donate $300 per
student. Education fund-raisers are asking parents for double the donation for
next school year in hopes of covering the anticipated state cuts.
The parental donation method began in Hermosa in 2002, when parents and other
community members pitched in more than $120 per child in a rush effort to save
school programs. Other school districts are increasingly turning to parents for
donations as well. Six hundred dollars, thats a lot of money, a doubtful
Hermosa Beach School Superintendent Sharon McClain told members of the Hermosa
Valley School PTO, the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation and others at a
meeting to discuss the budget last week.
There will be cuts next year, McClain said. There is no way there will not be
cuts, unless we reach $600,000 which is a huge amount of money. In addition to
the hoped-for donations, the Parent Teacher Organization has pledged to raise a
separate $70,000 donation to throw into the pot.
On the block - A district committee including teachers, school district
officials and parents has compiled a list of programs recommended for the
chopping block next year, if cuts are needed in the roughly $7.4 million budget.
The School Board would make any final decisions. The committees list includes:
- $4,000 for a Valley School technical aide
- $7,400 for a Valley science aide for fourth and fifth grades
- $11,000 for two hours of operation for the Valley library
- $4,900 for an aide for the Hermosa View School Learning Center, which offers
targeted teaching to small student groups
- $18,700 for a Learning Center teacher for first and second grades
- $33,400 for teacher salary to achieve state-recommended class size reduction
in third grade
- $58,000 to replace K-5 music teacher Kris Basua, who is retiring
- $8,000 for two hours of operation for the View School library
- $94,600 for teacher salary to achieve state-recommended class size reduction
in first grade
- $14,000 for clerks
- $75,000 for a science teacher for third through fifth grades
- $47,000 for teacher salary to achieve state-recommended class size reduction
in second grade
- $18,000 for teacher salary to achieve state-recommended class size reduction
in kindergarten
- $38,000 to replace Valley School Assistant Principal Shawn Smith, who oversees
the differentiated instruction program aimed at allowing gifted students to do
more advanced coursework. He is moving to Illinois.
The list targets programs that are not required by the state government, and the
possible cuts are listed roughly in order of their likelihood. But McClain told
last weeks gathering that the list is preliminary. We may have a library
staffed with nobody, and teachers can bring their kids in. We might have to have
one principal who goes to both schools, she said. We are mandated [by the
state] to have teachers, nurses and a principal.
In addition, the class-size reduction situation could change depending upon how
many combination classes are formed of kids in two different grades, educators
said.
When it comes to class-size reduction, 20 and 30 are important numbers for
Hermosa educators. If the school district hires more teachers to get the size of
some classes down to 20 students, the state will pay part but not all of the
additional teachers salaries. If class sizes grow above 30 students, the
teacher must be paid more under the contract the local teachers union holds with
the district.
The gym question - School district said they probably would have to use
some of their funds to fight a lawsuit by residents seeking to block
construction of a gymnasium building, which also would include new classrooms, a
library and a science lab, educators said.
The school district sets aside about $70,000 each year for contingencies
including legal challenges, but has never had to use the full amount, Business
Manager Angela Jones said. The gym lawsuit could change that, educators said.
Facing future - McClain told those attending last weeks budget meeting
that Hermosas future could include a parcel tax on properties to fund
education. Some other districts, including Santa Monica and Palos Verdes, have
opted for parcel taxes to help fund local schools. Unlike standard property
taxes, 100 percent of parcel tax revenues are spent within the community that
pays them.
A proposal before the state Legislature would allow a 55 percent majority of
voters to approve a parcel tax, lowering the majority threshold from two
thirds. Im going to say the P word, McClain said. I know a lot of people
disagree with me, but if we dont get more money from the state we are going to
have to fund schools with a parcel tax. ER
The Easy Reader - May 19, 2005
TV
cameraman Dan Marinelli is on a roll. Just ask the producers of show NASCAR
Drivers 360 who praise his work in news interviews. Or the fans who have begun
flocking to Schooners bar in Manhattan Beach to watch the talked-about reality
show. Or the producers of Monday Night Football, who have hired the Hermosan to
stare down wide receivers close up as they catch the ball on the sidelines.
This is great, Marinelli said of his upcoming primetime gig that fell into his
lap unexpectedly after years of hard work.
Marinelli was relaxing after months of toil on his second 360 season which
debuted Friday on the FX channel when he picked up a phone message at his
apartment. After the beep he heard the voice of Jennifer Doyle, who rides herd
on a wide variety of sports camera crews for ABC-TV. You have to return this
call within 15 minutes, Doyle said.
Marinelli pushed the buttons and reached Doyle, who told him to stand by his
telephone the next day, at 11 a.m. California time. He did, and thats when the
producer and director of Monday Night Football called.
Marinelli was one of four people recommended for an open spot on the 16-camera
crew for the upcoming season, the last one for ABC before Monday Night Football
goes over to cable and ESPN. After a half-hour on the telephone with Dan, the
bosses decided they didnt need to call the others on the list. I cant wait,
said the 39-year-old Marinelli, he of the firm handshake and upbeat outlook, as
he recalled the phone interview.
Marinelli will be on far side handheld camera 12, shooting from the sideline
opposite the press box and the majority of the TV cameras. Hell get footage for
replays, and live shots of coaches clapping yelling and players coming off the
field, pumped up with the thrill of victory or hangdog in the agony of defeat.
Marinelli also will be shooting player interviews, before the game and on the
sidelines with announcer Michele Tafoya, and hell go out and get those long
scenic shots of the St. Louis Arch or the San Francisco cable cars that are
shown before and after commercials.
After the game Marinelli will be shooting the Horse Trailer upon which photos
are plastered of the MVP or MVPs, as chosen by the broadcast team of Al Michaels
and John Madden. Im really looking forward to that, Marinelli said, looking
off into the middle distance the way people do when theyre looking to the
future. Ive got to get myself a picture of that thing.
A part of his assignment that holds special poignancy calls for him to roam
about each city before game day and get extra footage unique to the locale, so
that each game can be heavily peppered with local flavor on what amounts to an
ABC-Monday Night Football farewell tour. This is it, he said. After 35 years
its going to cable.
Marinelli, a Pittsburgh native, was four years old when Monday Night Football
made its debut. As he grew up, the primetime football show became increasingly
important to him. I remember begging to stay up late when the Steelers were
playing. It was such a big deal. All the office buildings were lit up, the whole
town was into it.
Edward Martino, a former sideline cameraman who now operates a robotic,
goalpost-mounted camera for Monday Night Football, said the trick to Marinellis
new job will be anticipating where youve got to be at just the right time to
get just the right shot.
Marinelli has worked sideline cameras for ABC college football broadcasts so
hes dealt with the pressure of anticipating the big shot. He said hes looking
to guard against the lesser pitfalls that can be caused by a myopic concern for
the big shot. You can get so caught up in the game action that you forget to
get the shot of the fans celebrating, or the one kind of crazy fan, or that
thing that is particular to the city youre in, he said.
Spanning the globe - Marinelli has
shot all manner of sport all over the world college football, Masters golf,
U.S. Open tennis, NASCAR and Formula I car racing, World Cup soccer, Olympic
figure skating and gymnastics. He shies away from picking a favorite. Each one
has its own special quality, he said. Theres the Saturday afternoon pageantry
of college football, the regal silence of figure skating, the roaring engines of
auto racing, the focused meditation of a big putt on the 18th hole of a major
championship.
The Easy Reader April 14, 2005
When you think homeland security, think Fiesta Hermosa. Well, that may be
stretching it, but the city has used part of a homeland security grant from the
federal government to buy large, plastic street barricades that fill up with
water. The big berms will get a test run at the next Fiesta Hermosa street fair
May 28-30.
Hermosa Beach Police Sgt. Tom Thompson said the barricades would go up at the
outskirts of the popular fair to prevent possible accidents such as a deadly one
at a Santa Monica farmers market that occurred when an incapacitated driver went
into the crowd. In addition to the police barricades, a large number were
secured by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau that
sponsors the Fiestas, Executive Director Carla Merriman said.
She said barricades would be placed in the areas of 13th Street and Hermosa
Avenue, 10th Street and Hermosa, and Manhattan Avenue and Pier Avenue. The
upside for the chamber is we will be able to add some Fiesta [craft] booths,
she said.
With Pier Avenue more securely blocked off to car traffic, some 24 extra booths
and four rolling food carts could be added, bringing in another $14,000 for the
chamber, which is funded primarily by the fairs.
According to a survey commissioned by the chamber, the street fairs prompt
visitors to make return trips and to spend their money in Hermosas restaurants
and shops. The November survey found that 53 percent of the visitors to the
three-day Memorial Day weekend Fiesta came from outside the beach cities and
Torrance.
Eighty-four percent of the total visitors to the Memorial Day Fiesta went to
Hermosa restaurants and shops, according to the survey. During the Fiesta
weekend, 24 percent of the respondents said they would spend $100 or more at the
Fiesta and local businesses combined, and 21 percent said they would spend about
$50.
A similar survey done by the same firm in 2003 also showed that 84 percent of
the respondents visited Hermosa shops and restaurants. Like this year, 24
percent said they would spend $100 or more, and 21 percent would lay out around
$50.
In the latest survey, slightly more than half of the respondents said they
return to Hermosa five times or more during other times of the year, 18 percent
said they return four times a year, and 16 percent said they return twice. Just
like in 2003, 72 percent categorized themselves as diners and travelers, and 58
percent said they come to shop. Eighty-seven percent carry at least one major
credit card.
Sixty-three percent of the respondents said they had come to previous Fiestas
and 94 percent said they planned to return to the Fiesta in the future, exactly
as they did in 2003. Fifty-two percent specified they wanted to receive
information on upcoming Fiestas and other events in Hermosa.
Turning to local residents, the survey found that 17 percent of the Fiesta-goers
came from Redondo Beach, 12 percent from Hermosa, 8 percent from Torrance and 7
percent from Manhattan Beach. The figures were the same in 2003. One percent of
the respondents came from out of state, and 2 percent would not say where they
lived.
The survey was conducted by the Strategic Alliance Marketing firm, which
collected information from 730 Fiesta visitors as they registered for a chance
to win a sports car. About half the respondents were homeowners and the other
half renters. ER
The Easy Reader April 14, 2005
Botox
bandits -
On April 1 a local cosmologist notified police that 18 vials of Botox were
missing from her office. Botox is used to eliminate facial lines by paralyzing
facial muscles. The cosmologist told police she felt it was very odd that so
much Botox had been used in such a short time. Police believe the backdoor,
which is unlocked during the night, could have been an entry point for the
suspect.
Liquor run - Three suspects with
nine bottles of Cazadores and two bottles of Chivas Regal in their clothing fled
Ralphs on April 1 after being confronted by an employee. The employee chased
the suspects after noticing that sensor tags had been discarded in liquor aisle,
a police report said. When the suspects realized they were being pursued they
dropped seven bottles, which broke on the asphalt, and drove away. Two unbroken
bottles of Cazadores were found in the parking lot after the suspects fled. The
employee had returned the remaining intact bottles to the shelf by the time
police arrived on the scene. ER
The Daily Breeze March 2, 2005
Police hope to nail thieves hitting salons in South Bay
|
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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. Nguyen, owner of Angel Nail & Hair Design on Hermosa Avenue, said her Valentine's Day was ruined. She learned from police that she had become the victim of a trio of women targeting employees' purses at nail salons throughout the South Bay. Five crimes have occurred in recent weeks in Hermosa Beach, Torrance and Redondo Beach, police said. Ten similar crimes were reported from March 2002 to February 2004. In each, thieves posing as nail salon customers distract the employees and steal their purses or wallets left at their work stations. "They stole in front of you," Nguyen said. "It's so sad." Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said the thieves operate in groups of two or three. They walk into nail salons without appointments. One or two ask for services, while the others mill about the salon looking for unattended purses near nail stations or in employee lockers near the restrooms. "The suspects have also been known to enter a salon through an open rear door and steal purses from back rooms," Wolcott said. "They are looking for targets of opportunity." Nguyen said the women entered her business shortly after noon on Feb. 14. Two sought services. The third moved from chair to chair. They spoke in Spanish at one point and quickly decided to leave. One said they were cleaning houses and had to hurry back to work. Later, when Nguyen went to put a customer's tip into her purse, she realized her wallet was gone, along with about $250. She suddenly had to protect herself from identity theft, replace her driver's license and cancel credit cards. When it came time for Valentine's Day dinner, she wasn't in the mood. "They are distracting you, keeping you busy," she said. Other affected businesses were: · Redondo Nail & Spa, 316 S. Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach, where a purse was lifted after two women sought services on Feb. 10. · Happy Nail of Redondo, 1815 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach, where thieves entered a rear door and removed purses on a shelf Feb. 10. · Holly Nails, 4657 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, where a worker performing a manicure returned from the restroom to find her purse and customers gone Jan. 26. In one crime on Feb. 15, the thieves apparently did not find what they wanted or failed in a burglary attempt at Starlight Nails, 3928 Sepulveda Blvd., Torrance. They moved to a nearby video store, slipped into the back room and stole a purse containing $6,000 in receipts as the manager aided customers. "It was really, really upsetting," the manager said. "They got my purse and all my IDs. I can't believe they had the nerve to do that." The manager, who asked that her name not be published, urged business owners to lock their purses away. "You trust people that walk in the store," she said. "The nerve of these people to actually just walk back and do this." The thieves are described as three Latinas. Two are 40 to 50 years old, heavyset with short dark hair. The third is 15 to 25 years old with short dark hair. A getaway driver might wait in a car near the salon. Wolcott urged business owners to keep their valuables in sight or locked away, and asked anyone with information about the crimes to contact police. If caught, the thieves would be charged with commercial burglary. "It's an organized crime ring," Wolcott said. "As small as it is and as low-tech as it is, it's still organized crime. They are conspiring together to commit the burglary." |
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The Easy Reader - February 24, 2005
Police 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.
Investigators said the man would stake out specific locations, targeting women
driving expensive cars. He would wait for a woman to exit her car, then look
into the vehicle for property to steal. Then he would break into the car using
various means and steal whatever was in plain view, police said. The break-ins
would occur throughout the day, sometimes in plain view of passing traffic.
Dragnet
Police said the mans burglary
career hit a snag after a car was broken into Wednesday morning in Manhattan
Beach. A witness called Hermosa police and was able to partially describe the
car that was driven away by the suspect. Later that day an officer spotted a car
matching the witness description. Just as the officer spotted the car, he was
flagged down by a person who had just seen another burglary near Hermosa Valley
Park.
The officer went after the suspect, who was driving a car that had been stolen
in Redondo Beach, police said. The man abandoned the car in the 500 block of
25th Street in Hermosa and fled on foot. The officer chased the man on foot
through several yards, as officers from Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne
and Inglewood joined the search. Despite the use of police dogs and a Los
Angeles County Sheriffs Department helicopter, the man got away.
Hotel visit
Hermosa Police Detective Lance McColgan began a coordinated investigation
involving the Redondo and Manhattan police departments, and the 33-year-old
Redondo man was identified as a suspect in the burglaries. Officers searched his
North Redondo Beach home and found property taken in some of the burglaries,
Hermosa Police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.
An arrest warrant was issued and authorities tracked their man to a hotel on
Artesia Boulevard in Redondo, where he was arrested on Friday without incident.
ER
The Easy Reader - February 3, 2005
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, when the
Hermosa Beach Police Department began keeping detailed arrest records, Chief
Mike Lavin said.
The downtown area with its active and sometimes rowdy nightlife has contributed
to the increased arrests, Lavin said. That is a reflection, I would have to
say, of the downtown. We have so much activity there, he said.
In addition to those figures, which cover the arrests of adults, police also
made 20 arrests of juveniles last year, down from 28 the year before. Parking
citations soared from 46,800 in 2003 to 51,137 last year.
As usual, the most serious types of crime occurred seldomly. Reported sex crimes
dropped from 11 in 2003 to seven in 2004. Incidents of robbery by force or fear
rose from 13 to 20.
As in most years, no murders occurred in Hermosa in 2004. One murder occurred
the year before when a 25-year-old Hermosan was shot as he sat behind the wheel
of a car at Pacific Coast Highway and Pier Avenue. That crime, which occurred in
March 2003, remains unsolved.
The number of assaults rose barely in 2004, from 140 the previous year to 143.
Burglaries of buildings and cars dropped from 143 to 140. Theft, which covers
the grabbing of stray bicycles and the like, dropped from 388 to 359. Auto theft
decreased from 56 to 45.
DUI arrests dropped from 285 to 164, a decline for which officials could offer
no immediate explanation. In another possibly downtown-related development,
misdemeanor citations ballooned from 989 to 1,419. Disturbance calls to police
rose from 3,025 to 4,201.
Once again there were no fatal traffic accidents in Hermosa. ER
Hermosa Beach Crime Statistics - 1998 to 2004
Criminal Adult Total Calls Disturbance
Burglary Robbery Assaults DUI Citations Arrests For Service Calls
1998 -- 113 17 77 150 562 608 19,951 3,199
2004 -- 140 20 143 164 1,419 1,388 30,215 4,201
Crime Categories That Have Shown an Increase from 1998 thru 2004
Criminal Adult Total Calls Disturbance
Burglary Robbery Assaults DUI Citations Arrests For Service Calls
Up Up Up Up Up Up Up Up
23.9 % 17.6 % 85.7 % 9.3 % 152 % 128 % 51.4 % 31.3 %
Source: The Hermosa Beach Police Department Activity Reports
The Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Association
City of HB Info HBNA Photo Gallery HB Crime Info HB Weblinks