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Hermosa Beach News for 2007

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Top Stories on This Webpage: Starting March 29, 2007

Read the complete news stories, just below on this webpage:

Carjack Attempt -

Hermosa Police made an arrest after a man allegedly cut two people with a knife or razor during a failed carjacking on Monday.  The incident began when house painters working on Ingleside Drive left their keys in their van, and then one of the painters’ found a man sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running at about 10 a.m., police said.  The man told the painter “I have a big truck coming through and you need to move your van.”  The man slid over, and the painter hopped in behind the wheel and drove about 10 feet.  Then the man pulled out a metal knife or razor and held it to the painter’s throat saying, “Keep driving or I will kill you,” a police report stated.   The painter hopped back out and another painter suffered a cut on his arm as he struggled with the man.  The man then tried to cut the first painter’s throat, injuring him on his arms and one hand, a police report stated. 

No spa drinking - The city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday turned thumbs down on beer and wine service inside the Glen Ivy Health Spa at the Hermosa Pavilion mall on Pacific Coast Highway. Glen Ivy was expected to appeal the decision to the City Council.  Glen Ivy representatives said they want patrons to be allowed to sip wine in the lounge rooms of the pamper place, which doles out massages, pedicures and the like. Planning commissioners said Glen Ivy’s plan would set a precedent that could expand alcohol service to other businesses. Hermosa currently allows alcohol service in restaurants, bars and a wine store inside the Pavilion.

Hermosa is told to reinstate officer fired in gun dispute - The Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission has unanimously ruled that the Hermosa Beach Police Department wrongly fired Officer Todd Lewitt, and must reinstate him with back pay. The ruling upholds an earlier decision in Lewitt’s favor by a commission hearing officer.  City officials said they were awaiting written notice of the ruling last Wednesday before determining whether to challenge it in Superior Court. Lewitt’s attorney, Corey Glave, said the city’s chance of a successful challenge would be “slim at best.”  The Civil Service Commission ruled that Lewitt’s firing was based on a false accusation that he tried to sneak a loaded handgun past an airport metal detector. Lewitt has said he believes police officials wanted to fire him as retribution for criticisms he has leveled against the department.  Lewitt was fired after he was accused of sneaking a handgun past security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Aug. 14, 2005. 

 

HB Nightspots move to police themselves - Owners of popular downtown nightspots are getting together to “police” themselves and cut down on excessive noise and rowdiness, in hopes of preventing stricter regulation by the city.  “What we’re doing is coming together to put down some ground rules we will follow,” said Fred Hahn, owner of Patrick Molloy’s on the Pier Plaza, a member of the Hermosa Beach Restaurant Association, made up of 15 to 20 mostly downtown restaurant owners.  Hahn said city officials’ concerns are reasonable. He said he would be concerned himself if he lived in a nearby Strand home and was subjected to loud noise at 2 a.m.  “We all understand that,” he said. “We are trying to curb it.”  The City Council last month began considering the new level of regulation, in the form of an entertainment permit each restaurant or bar would have to apply for. The permits would spell out what, if any, live entertainment an establishment would be allowed to offer, and list the allowable hours for entertainment as well. 

 

About Town - Raise for manager - The City Council has approved a three-year contract raising the salary of City Manager Steve Burrell to $200,000 for the final year. Burrell, who has served as city manager for 14 years, will see his current $170,000 salary raised $10,000 each of the three years.  Previously the council has renewed Burrell’s contract on a yearly basis. The move to a three-year pact was made for Burrell and other city employees to make the process less time consuming, officials said.

New restrictions approved for Club 705 - The city Planning Commission has moved to place restrictions such as a midnight closing time upon 705, formerly Saffire, a large restaurant on upper Pier Avenue across from the city skate park. The establishment has prompted police reports of excessive noise and fights, mostly before the current owner took over.  “This puts us out of business,” a visibly upset 705 owner Tim Moore said following the commission’s decision Tuesday night. “They have just fired 27 employees. This is so wrong.”  The commission voted 5-0 to move the latest legal closing time from 2 a.m. to midnight, ban “outside promoters” for entertainment events, and require the establishment to submit a detailed security plan for its portion of the large parking structure in the rear. 

Injuries follow dispute - At least one broken bone was suffered when four passengers emerging from a “party bus” were struck by a vehicle following a verbal dispute, police said.  According to a preliminary investigation, the incident began early Saturday morning when riders in a double-decker bus heading to downtown Hermosa got in a dispute with four people in a black Jeep Cherokee.  The bus parked in the area of Beach Drive and 11th Street to unload its passengers about 12:30 a.m.  The Cherokee drove by, and it occupants “flipped off” bus passengers, police said.  The Cherokee was driven away only to return, striking four people who exited the bus, police said.  Paramedics treated the injured people at the scene, and according to preliminary police reports, at least one person suffered a broken leg.  The Cherokee later was discovered parked on Valley Drive and the investigation is continuing. 

More condo offices planned, firefighters’ staffing studied - A city committee was scheduled to get a first look at another proposed office building in town, this one on the 900 block of Hermosa Avenue where Ocean View Cleaners now stands.  The city’s Staff Environmental Review Committee this week was scheduled to review a proposal for 21 condo-style offices in a 9,500 square-foot building, with basement-level parking below.  Other projects in various stages of development include 33 condo-style offices, a snack shop and an upscale restaurant on 19,000 square feet where Classic Burger and Hermosa Beach Donuts now stand, 53 condo-offices on Pier Avenue to replace the old “200 Building," and a 16-unit development at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway.   

 

Ruling: HBPD wrongly fired officer - Cleared in handgun incident - A hearing officer has determined that the Hermosa Beach Police Department wrongly fired Officer Todd Lewitt, and determined that Lewitt had been falsely accused of trying to sneak a loaded handgun past an airport metal detector, the officer’s attorney said.  The hearing officer for the Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission ordered Lewitt reinstated, and ruled out any disciplinary action by the department against him, said Lewitt’s attorney, Corey Glave.  “Todd looks forward to returning to the police department and continuing to be a productive member of the department,” Glave said. “It’s unfortunate the department chose to go this route, and we hope they will do the right thing and reinstate Todd right away.” 

 

KCBS TV - Channel 2 - Boy Hurt When Hit-And-Run Driver Crashes Into Home In Hermosa Beach - A gray Chevrolet pickup truck smashed into a house on Beach Avenue, injuring twin children.  Two people have been arrested.  Paul Dandridge reports.

See the News Video of this KCBS Channel 2 News Story:

http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=26355@kcbs.dayport.com

 

Pickup hits Hermosa home, hurts sleeping boy -  man and woman were being held after a pickup truck smashed through the wall of a home on quiet Beach Drive about 5 a.m. Friday, breaking the leg of a 5-year-old boy who had been asleep in his bed. The truck then sped away, bashing down several Beach Drive traffic barriers.  Both Ruben Vargas, 43, and Irma Lourdes Carder, 28, admitted driving the full-sized Chevrolet pickup during the getaway from the house near Ninth Court, and police were trying to determine who was driving when the truck when it hit the house, HBPD Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.  The pickup apparently had been parked in a small “parking alcove” opposite the house on the narrow, alley-like Beach Drive when it was thrown into a forward gear, traveled about 10 feet, and bashed into the house, Wolcott said.  The truck then was backed out and drove southbound through the barriers that are meant to slow and control traffic.  Hermosa police issued an all-points bulletin for the pickup, using the front license plate which had been wrenched free by the crash and left at the house.

 

Wrongful death claim filed in traffic death of teenager - The City Council on Tuesday rejected a claim for damages from the parents of a 15-year-old Hermosan who was struck and killed in a busy intersection in March. The administrative claim filed by William and Ellen Wright could be the first step in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.  The Wrights contend the city failed to install traffic lights or take other pedestrian safety measures at Pacific Coast Highway and 16th Street, where their son Ian was struck as he crossed PCH on a scooter.  A traffic light had been planned for some time before the accident, and was installed shortly after Wright was struck.  The Wright’s claim did not specify the amount of damages sought. The claim names Caltrans as a defendant along with the city of Hermosa Beach. 

 

HB bar plan a threat to public safety - This letter represents a plea that the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission and City Council exercise whatever influence they have to deny a permit for a 15,000-square-foot restaurant/bar at the Hermosa Pavilion. I currently own a business in Hermosa -- after 33 years in law enforcement for Los Angeles County. There was a time when I didn't think any city could have too many bars. What has happened to our little community shows me I was wrong.  The proposed monster bar at the Pavilion is not planned to meet the needs of the Hermosa drinkers. If every resident drank, we'd still have plenty of bars. It's an effort to draw drinkers and their wallets from out of the area. Make no mistake, that effort will be successful. As a former gang investigator, I found that every unsavory element imaginable between here and Riverside would find his way to the 91 freeway and drive toward the sun. That would drop them right here, about six blocks north of the proposed mega-bar.

 

Letters - Drink to me with thine ayes - The downtown drinking district continues to generate numerous quality of life issues and a negative image for our community.  Destruction is not limited to vandalism spilling into our neighborhoods.  On May 25, 2006 during a candidates’ forum a resident spoke of violence (drunken brawl) that occurred in front of their home.  The victim’s scream awakened residents in the early morning hours, as the assault was in process.  I was especially distressing to witness because the victim was a woman.  The atmosphere of public intoxication, which is encouraged pay no dividends.  How unfortunate, families and children who desire to visit the beautiful beachfront and pier have to pass a throng of bars.  Hermosa’s permissive drinking policies in the downtown bar district is having a debilitating effect on our community.  The erosion of public safety touches the lives of every resident and property owner. 

 

Letters - A tire iron to Hermosa’s downtown - Over the last several years the residents of Hermosa Beach who live west of Monterey Blvd. have had to survive beer bottles in their yards, public urination, and the destruction of private property. Last Saturday night at 3 a.m., my car and a neighbor’s car suffered the blows of a tire iron, resulting in broken windows and body damage. A few months ago the church on the corner of 16th Street & Manhattan Ave. had a brick thrown through a very expensive 80-year-old stained glass window. These are not isolated incidents. The list of vandalism, thefts, battery, loud and disorderly behavior, and DUI driving resulting in hit and run accidents is long and must be addressed and remedied. I am aware that with budget cuts and the magnitude of this problem the HBPD is already overtaxed with respect to available resources but a solution must be found. Last Friday night cost me $841 and I stayed home. Can anything be done?

 

Hermosa Beach man 36, is killed in late night traffic crash - A 36-year-old Hermosa man was killed when the 'pickup truck he was driving went out of control on Sepulveda Boulevard and smashed into a metal wall outside Hotel Hermosa shortly before 1 a.m. last Wednesday, police said.  Only minutes before, the man had plowed into parked cars on two Hermosa streets, police said. He then drove the 2001 Toyota Tundra into Manhattan and was making his way south on Sepulveda where he struck some concrete trashcans on the northwest corner of the intersection with Artesia Boulevard, police said.  The pickup also struck the concrete median and knocked over a traffic light pole. The vehicle skidded sideways across part of the intersection, flipped over and went the rest of the way upside down, a passing motorist told police.

 

The saddest rule of government - One of the maxims told to me about government when I was first elected to office was a simple, sad, and frustrating one: “You don’t get a crosswalk until a kid gets killed.”  The accident that occurred on PCH two weeks ago, killing a teenage boy trying to cross the street, was tragic not just because it was likely preventable. It is tragic because the need for a signaled crosswalk at that intersection has been known for years.

 

1.  Photos of Pedestrians Using The PCH and 16th St. Crosswalk

2.  Photos of Pedestrians Using The PCH and 16th St. Crosswalk

3.  Photos of Pedestrians Using The PCH and 16th St. Crosswalk

 

Teen was fun-loving, precocious, adventurous - A 15-year-old Hermosan who was struck and killed in an intersection last week was a sweet-natured, precocious, adventurous young man who loved surfing and rock climbing, family members said.  Ian Wright “was walking at nine months, and rock climbing at nine months and one day,” his mother Ellen Wright said.  The teenager also was a “voracious reader” who loved history and mythology, and fantasy offerings such as “The Lord of the Rings.”  Wright was crossing the six-lane highway going from east to west, within the painted crosswalk, and had cleared all but the final lane when he was struck by a southbound 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer driven by a 25-year-old West Covina woman, police said.

 

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 – March 29, 2007

Hermosa Beach - About Town

Carjack Attempt

Police made an arrest after a man allegedly cut two people with a knife or razor during a failed carjacking on Monday.

The incident began when house painters working on Ingleside Drive left their keys in their van, and then one of the painters’ found a man sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running at about 10 a.m., police said. 

The man told the painter “I have a big truck coming through and you need to move your van.”

The man slid over, and the painter hopped in behind the wheel and drove about 10 feet.  Then the man pulled out a metal knife or razor and held it to the painter’s throat saying, “Keep driving or I will kill you,” a police report stated. 

The painter hopped back out and another painter suffered a cut on his arm as he struggled with the man. 

The man then tried to cut the first painter’s throat, injuring him on his arms and one hand, a police report stated.

The man fled, and was found and arrested by Hermosa police officers.

Looking ahead

The City Council has agreed to study a proposal by Councilman Michael Keegan for a “specific plan” to more tightly manage future development downtown.

Some officials anticipate possible new development in the area with the death of Peter Mangurian, owner of downtown properties including Scotty’s restaurant on The Strand.  In addition, developers have show interest in downtown properties including the Sea Sprite motel owned by the Greenwald family.

Keegan said the plan would cover an area bound roughly by The Strand on the west, 10th Place on the south, Hermosa Avenue on the east and 14th Street on the north.

A specific plan would give city officials great leeway in deciding what sort of business could occupy the area, how much open space or parking would be required, or even what sort of building materials could be used.

The shaft

The City Council has rejected a $513,000.25 claim for damages from a Los Angeles man who said he fell about six feet down an open elevator shaft in Hermosa’s municipal parking garage on the afternoon of Oct. 14, 2006.

Such claims are sometimes followed by lawsuits.  The man wants $13,000.25 for medical expenses and $500,000 to cover other damages such as lost earnings.

Airport banners

City officials plan to revisit a proposal to stop airplanes towing advertising banners above Hermosa.  The City Council has shelved the proposal to await the outcome of court challenges in Honolulu and Huntington Beach, and officials said rulings in those cases apparently clear the way for the banner ban.

City Manager Steve Burrell told the council he has asked officials of neighboring cities to join in banning the banners.  ER

 


The Easy Reader – March 22, 2007

Hermosa Beach - About Town

No spa drinking - The city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday turned thumbs down on beer and wine service inside the Glen Ivy Health Spa at the Hermosa Pavilion mall on Pacific Coast Highway. Glen Ivy was expected to appeal the decision to the City Council.

Glen Ivy representatives said they want patrons to be allowed to sip wine in the lounge rooms of the pamper place, which doles out massages, pedicures and the like. Planning commissioners said Glen Ivy’s plan would set a precedent that could expand alcohol service to other businesses. Hermosa currently allows alcohol service in restaurants, bars and a wine store inside the Pavilion.

Building green - The commission approved a plan by Community Development Director Sol Blumenfeld requiring some “green design” features in new developments, with the exception of one-unit developments such as single-family homes.

Developers will be required to include at least one item from a “menu” of energy-saving features including post-consumer recycled insulation, a “cool roof” radiant heat barrier, solar panels, fluorescent lighting in place of incandescent lighting, or a programmable thermostat which costs as little as $100.

Great pumpkin! - The seasonal pumpkin patch and Christmas tree lot on PCH and 21st Street will give way to a 21-unit condo office building with 34 parking spaces, following approval by the Planning Commission.

The developers, a local partnership based in El Segundo, were directed to further study the design of the building’s driveway and garage after a handful of residents cautioned that traffic flow at the intersection already is clogged and should be carefully considered.

BMW site - The commission also approved a 16-unit condo-style office building with 39 parking spaces on land vacated by the old BMW dealership on PCH at 30th Street, in the northernmost stretch of town.

Commissioner Langley Kersenboom said the building’s multi-level, Mediterranean design, with natural stone and arched colonnades, will make it an attractive feature at the northern entry into Hermosa.

Eateries hit - Someone broke into The Spot vegetarian restaurant and Le Petite Café at Hermosa Avenue and Second Street on Sunday, taking cash and ransacking the Spot.

Peering into Pier - City officials urge residents and businesspeople to share their visions for upper Pier Avenue at a community workshop, 10 a.m. Saturday in the City Hall council chambers, 1315 Valley Drive. A city committee is studying possible long-range plans for the avenue. For info call 310-318-0211. ER

 


The Easy Reader – March 22, 2007

Hermosa Beach

Hermosa is told to reinstate officer fired in gun dispute

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

The Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission has unanimously ruled that the Hermosa Beach Police Department wrongly fired Officer Todd Lewitt, and must reinstate him with back pay. The ruling upholds an earlier decision in Lewitt’s favor by a commission hearing officer.

City officials said they were awaiting written notice of the ruling last Wednesday before determining whether to challenge it in Superior Court. Lewitt’s attorney, Corey Glave, said the city’s chance of a successful challenge would be “slim at best.”

The Civil Service Commission ruled that Lewitt’s firing was based on a false accusation that he tried to sneak a loaded handgun past an airport metal detector. Lewitt has said he believes police officials wanted to fire him as retribution for criticisms he has leveled against the department.

Lewitt was fired after he was accused of sneaking a handgun past security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Aug. 14, 2005.

In testimony before the commission’s hearing officer in Hermosa, Lewitt’s accuser, airport security screener Brett Kimball, acknowledged that some time after the incident he resigned from the federal Transportation Security Agency, while superiors were considering disciplining him for allegedly lying about his use of sick leave and for allegedly committing an off-duty assault.

In interviews Lewitt -- a 10-year law enforcement veteran with eight years on the Hermosa force -- said he had gone to the airport while off duty to pick up two young nephews who had flown in unescorted. He said he sought an “escort pass” to meet the boys in a secured area, instead of making them find their way through the airport to him.

Lewitt said he told an Alaska Airlines employee that he was a police officer and was carrying his personal handgun. He said he was sent to a TSA employee to whom he repeated that statement, and was told to walk through a metal detector where a screener then stopped him for the handgun.

In short, Lewitt said he simply followed the instructions he had been given. ER

 


The Easy Reader – February 1, 2007

Hermosa Beach

Nightspots move to police themselves

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

Owners of popular downtown nightspots are getting together to “police” themselves and cut down on excessive noise and rowdiness, in hopes of preventing stricter regulation by the city.

“What we’re doing is coming together to put down some ground rules we will follow,” said Fred Hahn, owner of Patrick Molloy’s on the Pier Plaza, a member of the Hermosa Beach Restaurant Association, made up of 15 to 20 mostly downtown restaurant owners.

Hahn said city officials’ concerns are reasonable. He said he would be concerned himself if he lived in a nearby Strand home and was subjected to loud noise at 2 a.m.

“We all understand that,” he said. “We are trying to curb it.”

The City Council last month began considering the new level of regulation, in the form of an entertainment permit each restaurant or bar would have to apply for. The permits would spell out what, if any, live entertainment an establishment would be allowed to offer, and list the allowable hours for entertainment as well.

Hermosa Police Chief Greg Savelli planned to begin informal meetings with owners of downtown nightspots this week. He said on Monday that he welcomes the self-policing effort by the owners.

“Our idea is to make it a safe environment, and if they can do that without us stepping in, that would be the best thing,” he said.

Amen, said Hahn.

“We hope they will say ‘Okay, that’s good enough, you police yourselves,’” Hahn said.

A Police Department report listed 507 responses by officers in the downtown in 2006, including 354 reported as disturbances, 42 as loud music, 41 as medical aids, 28 as batteries, 21 as theft, one as rape, one as kidnapping and one as assault.

City Council members had asked for the report in hopes of linking specific disturbances to specific businesses, but Savelli told them there was not enough information to do so. For instance, he said, an incident reported outside a nightspot might involve people who had come from other nightspots, not the one listed in police reports under the location of the incident.

Entertainment is currently governed by the establishments’ conditional use permits, which are more difficult for the city to modify or revoke. Redondo Beach maintains an entertainment permit system, and Hermosa officials said that system helped the neighboring city crack down on the former Club Moxie near the Redondo pier.

Following frequent disturbances, including a fight involving what police said were 50 to 100 patrons, and another fight that required the attention of 30 police officers, police issued an emergency suspension of the club’s entertainment. The council then voted 5-0 to revoke the club’s entertainment permit. Moxie closed soon after.

By contrast, Hermosa officials said, the process for dealing with alleged problems at Hermosa’s 705, on upper Pier Avenue, has been more time-consuming.

Last month the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission moved to impose a midnight closing time upon 705. The establishment has appealed the decision to the City Council.

Last month, the City Council heard from opponents of the proposed entertainment permit system, who said it could threaten businesses that cause no trouble, deny a business the right to appeal the city’s decision to a court, and give city officials too much power.

Mike Lacey, owner of the 28-year-old Comedy & Magic Club, said establishments would find it difficult to get bank loans because their future operations would be perpetually in doubt, and went so far as to say he would refuse to sign such a permit.

Steve Roberts, owner of Café Boogaloo, made similar comments and Jim Lissner, a City Hall watcher and frequent critic of Hermosa nightlife, criticized the permit idea as well. ER

 


The Easy Reader – January 25, 2007

Hermosa Beach

About Town

 

Raise for manager - The City Council has approved a three-year contract raising the salary of City Manager Steve Burrell to $200,000 for the final year. Burrell, who has served as city manager for 14 years, will see his current $170,000 salary raised $10,000 each of the three years.  Previously the council has renewed Burrell’s contract on a yearly basis. The move to a three-year pact was made for Burrell and other city employees to make the process less time consuming, officials said.

Happy birthday - Los Angeles Laker Kwame Brown gave four Laker tickets and dinner to a man who had accused the basketball player of swiping a birthday cake and flinging it at someone in a late-night incident on Hermosa Avenue.  Along with the tickets, Brown took the man and his guests to dinner at the Arena Club, which is within the Staples Center where the Lakers play, a team spokesman said. The man had reported his cake-related allegation to Hermosa police, and prosecutors declined to bake up any charges against Brown.

Trail ordered - A Redondo man was ordered to stand trial in connection with an October accident in which a pickup truck smashed through the wall of a home on Beach Drive, breaking the leg of a 5-year-old boy who had been asleep in his bed. The driver then sped away.  A Superior Court judge last week ordered Ruben Vargas, 43, to stand trial on a felony charge of leaving a traffic accident. An arraignment was scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1, and Vargas remained free after posting $80,000 bail.

Avenue study - The Hermosa Beach City Council is seeking five additional members to join a committee to study possible improvements to upper Pier Avenue.  The committee currently consists of Councilmen Pete Tucker and Kit Bobko, Public Works Commissioners Dan Marinelli and Janice Brittain, and Planning Commissioners Ron Pizer and Peter Hoffman.

Interested residents, business operators and property owners are urged to contact the city clerk’s office at 1315 Valley Dr., or 310-318-0204, for applications and information. The deadline for applications is 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12; postmarks not accepted.

Parking permits - Once again city officials are urging Hermosans to renew their residential parking permits by mail to avoid standing in line. The 2007-08 permit renewal forms were mailed to residents Jan. 18. Over-the-counter sales begin Feb. 5.  The cost of the permit is $37 and may be purchased at City Hall, 1315 Valley Drive, Room 101, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. A “grace period” is in effect until March 20, when enforcement begins at 8 a.m. For information call 310-318-0217 or 310-318-0251.

All you need - Saturday, Feb. 3, is the new date for the Fifth Annual South Bay Family Beatlefest starring The John Brown Band and The Couchois Brothers Band, 4 to 9 p.m. at Suzy’s Restaurant in Hermosa Beach. All ages are welcome. Musicians of both popular bands will come together to perform a wide variety of Beatles music commemorating the release of the legendary band’s “Love” CD, a mash-up album featuring music compiled and remixed as a soundtrack for the Cirque du Soleil’s current show playing in Las Vegas. 

Admission to the Beatlefest is $5 at the door, children 13 and under free. The restaurant menu will be available all day. Adults 21 and over are invited to stay for a Super Bowl Weekend Dance Party 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Members of both bands will perform dance, rock and soul classics, including more Beatles.  Part of the proceeds will benefit Fantasia Family Music, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality music education to families. Suzy’s is located at 1141 Aviation Blvd. ER

 


The Easy Reader – January 18, 2007

Hermosa Beach

New restrictions approved for Club 705

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

The city Planning Commission has moved to place restrictions such as a midnight closing time upon 705, formerly Saffire, a large restaurant on upper Pier Avenue across from the city skate park. The establishment has prompted police reports of excessive noise and fights, mostly before the current owner took over.

“This puts us out of business,” a visibly upset 705 owner Tim Moore said following the commission’s decision Tuesday night. “They have just fired 27 employees. This is so wrong.”

The commission voted 5-0 to move the latest legal closing time from 2 a.m. to midnight, ban “outside promoters” for entertainment events, and require the establishment to submit a detailed security plan for its portion of the large parking structure in the rear.

The commission also banned all live entertainment at 705 until it can be determined whether the restaurant has submitted a study of noise levels it produces. City officials said they had no such study on file, though 705 said it had submitted a study, and would submit it again.

More importantly, the restaurant plans to appeal the commission’s decision to the City Council for a final decision.

Hermosa attorney Albro Lundy, who represented 705 before the commission, said an eatery occupying such a large building could not survive without entertainment to bolster the revenue from food.

“It’s going to be a vacant building,” he said.

Nightspots have become sore spots for some Hermosa residents, who complain that establishments sometimes start out as upscale restaurants and then, faced with failing bottom lines, turn into nightclubs, focusing on entertainment and drinks instead of food.

The new owners of 705 have stressed that they plan an upscale sushi restaurant, and Lundy told the Planning Commission that he initially refused to represent 705 because of his concern over rowdy Hermosa nightspots.

A letter from Lundy to the commission stated that Moore and his partners in Maximoore Inc. took steps such as trebling the number of security guards after they began operating 705 in the summer, and complaints against the establishment dwindled.

At the commission meeting, six people asked for the restrictions on 705, and six others asked commissioners to let the establishment be. In addition, 18 other people stood in the audience to be counted as supporters of 705, at the request of one of the speakers.

The commissioners expressed various concerns about the future of 705, some saying that it could morph from a restaurant into a club, if not at the hands of the current owners, at the hands of a future owner. The commission placed the restrictions in 705’s conditional use permit, which would be passed to a future owner if the current owners sell the establishment. ER

 


The Easy Reader – January 18, 2007

Hermosa Beach

About Town

Laker takes cake?

The city prosecutor has declined to file charges after a man accused Los Angeles Laker Kwame Brown of swiping his birthday cake and flinging it at someone in a late-night incident on Hermosa Avenue.

The man had been celebrating his 30th birthday at the Shore restaurant and lounge on Friday, and walked out onto the avenue carrying his single-layer chocolate cake, according to a police report. The birthday boy saw Laker Ronny Turiaf and asked him to pose for a photo with him, and Turiaf did so.

Moments later, the man told police, Brown took the cake from his hands and gave it a toss, then left in a limousine.

The man reported that he saw Laker Lamar Odom emerge from Pedone’s Pizzeria and confronted him about the cake. The man complained that a person, possibly the bodyguard of a Laker, pushed him, but did not injure him. The man reported that Odom told the alleged pusher, “Calm down, he didn’t do anything.”

The man reported the value of the two-foot-square cake at $190. A spokesman for the Lakers was not immediately available.

Injuries follow dispute

At least one broken bone was suffered when four passengers emerging from a “party bus” were struck by a vehicle following a verbal dispute, police said.

According to a preliminary investigation, the incident began early Saturday morning when riders in a double-decker bus heading to downtown Hermosa got in a dispute with four people in a black Jeep Cherokee.

The bus parked in the area of Beach Drive and 11th Street to unload its passengers about 12:30 a.m.  The Cherokee drove by, and it occupants “flipped off” bus passengers, police said.

The Cherokee was driven away only to return, striking four people who exited the bus, police said.  Paramedics treated the injured people at the scene, and according to preliminary police reports, at least one person suffered a broken leg.  The Cherokee later was discovered parked on Valley Drive and the investigation is continuing.

Sand sponsors, Strand sponsors

The nonprofit Project Touch, a Hermosa Centennial participant, is putting out a call to local businesses for sponsorship of the 55th Annual Sand and Strand Run/Walk. Proceeds from the event benefit the youth and family programs of Project Touch.

The Sand and Strand, described as the second oldest such race in the LA area, is run 45 percent on the Strand and 55 percent on the beach sand. Last year more than 400 people took part, ages 4 to 80-plus. Also included is the popular Munchkin race for ages 10 and under. For information call (310) 379-5206 or see ptouch@earthlink.net. ER

 


The Easy Reader – January 11, 2007

Hermosa Beach

More condo offices planned, firefighters’ staffing studied

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

A city committee was scheduled to get a first look at another proposed office building in town, this one on the 900 block of Hermosa Avenue where Ocean View Cleaners now stands.

The city’s Staff Environmental Review Committee this week was scheduled to review a proposal for 21 condo-style offices in a 9,500 square-foot building, with basement-level parking below.

Other projects in various stages of development include 33 condo-style offices, a snack shop and an upscale restaurant on 19,000 square feet where Classic Burger and Hermosa Beach Donuts now stand, 53 condo-offices on Pier Avenue to replace the old “200 Building," and a 16-unit development at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

In other matters, the City Council on Tuesday agreed to hire a consultant to study fire department staffing issues, which have been the subject of contention between Chief Russell Tingley and rank and file firefighters. Paul Hawkins, president of the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association, told the council he feared that the study might be stacked against the view that more firefighters should be hired. The council responded by calling for input from the association in setting the parameters for the study, in an attempt to ensure the result would not be biased.

The council also agreed to buy a $10,000 system the city can use to call homes and businesses and even cell phones with prerecorded phone messages in the case of emergencies. Officials will be able to make 60,000 calls per hour, and can target fewer phones to alert sections of town about matters such as planned street closures.

And the council agreed to form an Emergency Preparedness Commission, and to arrange for the nonprofit Noah’s Wish animal rescue organization to feed and care for lost, abandoned and injured Hermosa animals in the event of a disaster. ER

 


The Easy Reader – January 4, 2007

Hermosa Beach

Ruling: HBPD wrongly fired officer

 

Cleared in handgun incident

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

A hearing officer has determined that the Hermosa Beach Police Department wrongly fired Officer Todd Lewitt, and determined that Lewitt had been falsely accused of trying to sneak a loaded handgun past an airport metal detector, the officer’s attorney said.

The hearing officer for the Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission ordered Lewitt reinstated, and ruled out any disciplinary action by the department against him, said Lewitt’s attorney, Corey Glave.

“Todd looks forward to returning to the police department and continuing to be a productive member of the department,” Glave said. “It’s unfortunate the department chose to go this route, and we hope they will do the right thing and reinstate Todd right away.”

HBPD Chief Greg Savelli was awaiting a faxed copy of the written ruling Wednesday morning, but he had been told that the hearing officer’s decision favored Lewitt.

“There is a recommendation from the hearing officer that does not support termination,” Savelli said.

The hearing officer’s decision likely does not put the matter to rest. It will be presented to the full Civil Service Commission board for adoption or rejection, and city officials can argue their case a second time. Then, in many cases, a final decision by the board can be appealed to Superior Court.

Airport accusation

Lewitt was fired after he was accused of sneaking a handgun past security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Aug. 14, 2005.

In testimony before the hearing officer, airport security screener Brett Kimball, Lewitt’s accuser, acknowledged that he resigned from the federal Transportation Security Agency while superiors were considering disciplining him for allegedly lying about his use of sick leave, and for allegedly committing an off-duty assault.

In interviews, Lewitt -- a 10-year law enforcement veteran with eight years on the Hermosa force -- said he had gone to the airport while off duty to pick up two young nephews who had flown in unescorted. He said he sought an “escort pass” to meet the boys in a secured area, instead of making them find their way through the airport to him. Lewitt said he told an Alaska Airlines employee that he was a police officer and was carrying his personal handgun. He said he was sent to a TSA employee to whom he repeated that statement, and was told to walk through a metal detector where a screener then stopped him for the handgun.

In short, Lewitt said he simply followed the instructions he had been given.

Glave said the hearing officer found Lewitt’s account credible, and found that the security screener had reason to lie, either to receive a bonus for catching an undeclared gun, or to cover his mistake of sending the gun past a security station.

A Nov. 7, 2005, termination letter from then-Police Chief Michael Lavin accused Lewitt of bringing a concealed, fully loaded Kimber Ultra TGN II handgun into the airport and then claiming he had a metal hip to try to get the gun past a security screener in violation of federal law.

Lavin also accused Lewitt of lying to police superiors about the incident during an internal investigation. Glave said the civil service hearing officer cleared Lewitt of that accusation as well.

Lewitt has said he believes police officials wanted to fire him as retribution for criticisms he has leveled against the department. He is one of three officers who filed a lawsuit contending the HBPD illegally revisited an internal investigation that had cleared officers of wrongdoing during a misdemeanor arrest. ER

 


The Easy Reader – December 7, 2006

Letters to the Editor 

Mochas or Mercedes?

Dear ER:

The restriping of Pier Avenue to four lanes was approved on Oct. 10, 2006, at the Hermosa Beach City Council meeting. Councilmen J.R. Revicky and Sam Edgerton now appear to be employing a stalling tactic to extend the time to reinstall the four lanes with high hopes of maintaining the two lane striping configuration. Why are these two councilmen defying the overwhelming majority of the Hermosa Beach citizens? Do they have an agenda to keep the said two lanes with hopes of wider sidewalks providing more tables for enlarged cafes?

Sidewalks are for pedestrians use. Don’t they recall at the Hermosa Beach Public Works Commission meeting on Sept. 20, 2006, 25 Hermosa Beach residents spoke, 23 citizens were against the two lane configuration and only 2 were in favor of the new configuration? We do not need an extension of the lower Pier promenade to an upper Pier Avenue with more serious problems. The Hermosa Beach police and fire departments prefer the clean four lanes, more expedient emergency calls with faster results. The will of the Hermosa Beach residents has spoken. Put back the four lanes on Pier Avenue NOW! This is nothing more that a political maneuver for who’s benefit?

Roger Bacon

Hermosa Beach

 

Eyes on the $$$

Dear ER:

In November 2002, the voters of Hermosa Beach approved Bond Measure J which authorized the Hermosa Beach City School District to issue $13.6 million in general revenue bonds and to qualify for another $2 million in state funds for its school and classroom improvements and new construction.

As required by state law, the district appointed an independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (COC) to assure the funds are used for bond-approved items and not for teacher salaries, administrative costs, or operating expenses. Also, litigation expenses cannot be paid from bond funds.

The Citizens’ Oversight Committee consists of Sam Abrams, chair, a senior citizen; Gary Wayland, vice chair, a business organization representative; Lisa Arnett of the School Facilities Advisory Committee; Jim Caldwell, a taxpayer organization representative; Jim Hausle, a parent; Kelly Kinnon, member at large, and Cindy Smet of the PTO.

The COC issued its third annual report in November, stating that the district was fully compliant with the requirements of California law – none of the bond funds had been used for prohibited purposes. The latest independent auditors’ report (as of June 30, 2005) indicates that the district continues to be compliant.

The district, school board and staff have been very cooperative with the COC, sharing all construction planning data, all projected cost data and all payment information. The district has also been very helpful in providing administrative support to the COC.

The COC is concerned about the cost growth for the new construction and the scope reduction to help accommodate the increased costs.

The current estimated cost-at-completion of $19.1 million indicates a possible shortfall of approximately $3.5 million (a cost reduction of $500,000 was realized by removing two classrooms from the new construction contracts). Causes of the increased costs include delays, redesigns, rapidly rising construction costs, and an increase of approximately $1.7 million in the new construction re-bids that occurred while litigation by neighbors was pending.

To close the funds gap, the district plans to use state joint-use (gym) funds ($1.5 million), bond sale premium ($900,000), earned interest ($500,000), special reserve funds, and other revenue sources, as well as additional cost mitigation measures. The district has the resources to complete the work.

The Citizens’ Oversight Committee’s next meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the multipurpose room at Hermosa Valley School. The public is invited to attend.

Sam Abrams, Chair

Bond Measure J Citizens’ Oversight Committee

Hermosa Beach

 

Stealing from kids

Dear ER:

Enough is enough! It is time to stop draining money from much needed programs in our Hermosa Beach schools to pay for legal defense. I am writing to implore the supporters of the CRSE lawsuit to stop this constant legal action against our school system and to allow our tax dollars to be used for education in our community. Five times the anonymous CRSE supporters have been before the California courts to sue the district, to appeal lawsuits, or to request stop-work injunctions. All five times the courts have ruled in favor of the district. The money to pay for this legal defense comes directly out of the general fund of our budget-strapped school district. This general fund money should be financing vital programs like teacher salaries, music programs and class-size reduction.

A majority of Hermosans voted for the school construction and it is time to go with the majority opinion. The CRSE folks have exercised their legal rights to dissent several times. Now, let's allow democracy to work and go forward with the majority's wishes. Let's start working together to maintain and improve our wonderful school system. The construction is underway after a long democratic and public process. Because of CRSE delays, my children will not have the opportunity to use the gymnasium, the new library and media center, or the two new science classrooms, but thousands of future Hermosa students will enjoy these new school facilities.

I hope the people of Hermosa will not be fooled by the ongoing misinformation campaign and that the CRSE will drop their Supreme Court appeal -- which is doomed to defeat. The CRSE is continuing to cost our children money that would be much better spent on education.

Teena Moody

Hermosa Beach

 

 


 

KCBS-TV Channel 2 – October 6, 2006

 

Boy Hurt When Hit-And-Run Driver Crashes Into Home In Hermosa Beach

See the News Video of this KCBS Channel 2 News Story

October 6, 2006

 

A gray Chevrolet pickup truck smashed into a house on Beach Avenue, injuring twin children. 

Two people have been arrested.  Paul Dandridge reports.

 

See the News Video of this KCBS Channel 2 News Story 

http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=26355@kcbs.dayport.com


The Easy Reader – November 23, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Disabled man files lawsuit claiming battery by HBPD

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

A lawsuit by a disabled man claims that Hermosa police threw him from his wheelchair and kicked him in an August 2005 incident on a city street. A police report describes the man as striking an officer who tried to get him to clean up after his dog.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by David A. Nicholls claims that officers “grabbed and violently threw [Nicholls] out of his wheelchair, tackling him and repeatedly kicking him,” causing “serious bodily injury.”

The lawsuit alleges that officers realized Nicholls needed emergency medical aid, but denied him prompt attention.

The lawsuit claims unreasonable search and seizure, denial of due process under law, and assault and battery.

The City Council in February rejected an administrative claim against the Police Department by Nicholls, who claimed he suffered a concussion and injuries to his neck and arms in the incident.

The lawsuit describes Nicholls as a quadriplegic, while the administrative claim describes him as a paraplegic with limited use of his hands.

A police report states that Nicholls was arrested about 11:30 a.m. for allegedly striking an officer who was trying to persuade Nicholls to clean up after his dog.

According to the police report, the incident began when an employee of a downtown hotel flagged down the officer after failing to persuade Nicholls to pick up dog feces. Nicholls tried to wheel away from the officer who blocked his path and then was struck, according to the report. ER

 


The Easy Reader – November 23, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Tattoo you too

 

Judge dismisses tattoo artist’s lawsuit

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

A judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit by a tattoo artist who claimed he is illegally barred from setting up shop in Hermosa Beach. The artist, Johnny Anderson, filed a similar lawsuit against the city of Torrance, which was settled with Anderson receiving an undisclosed amount of money.

Robert Moest, an attorney representing Anderson, said the judge’s ruling in the Hermosa case has not been made final, and additional written arguments will be filed on behalf of Anderson next week, before the judge’s dismissal is scheduled to be formally finalized.

In his lawsuit against Hermosa, Anderson, who operates a tattoo shop in Los Angeles, claimed that the city violated his Constitutional rights by disallowing tattoo parlors within the city limits.

“Tattooing is prohibited in Hermosa Beach,” the lawsuit stated. “There is no zone in the city that allows the establishment of a facility devoted exclusively to tattooing.”

The Hermosa Beach City Council in 1995 considered amending the municipal code to allow tattoo parlors, but decided against it.

The lawsuit noted the popularity of tattoos, and states that the art form has overcome an “unseemly” reputation and enjoyed “a resurgence of interest and something of a rehabilitation” in the past 15 years.

“More than 20 percent of American adults have one or more tattoos, including movie stars, policemen, lawyers” and others, the lawsuit stated. “The designs that are applied have become enormously varied and complex, reflecting kinship, artistry, the communication of messages, and self-expression.”

Anderson, who co-owns a tattoo parlor on Vermont Avenue in LA, “has a number of regular customers, many of whom come from Hermosa Beach and other South Bay cities, most of which prohibit the establishment of tattoo parlors, and it is his desire to establish a tattoo parlor in Hermosa Beach,” according to the lawsuit.

“He has received training in the safe application of tattoos, both in a yearlong apprenticeship and from the Los Angeles County Health Department, from which he received certification that allows him to practice in most of the county,” the lawsuit stated.

“During the years he has practiced his art, he has been careful to adhere strictly to the sanitary and health guidelines advocated by leading tattoo artist associations and the county Health Department, and, although he has applied thousands of tattoos, he has done so without health-related incident,” according to the lawsuit.

Hermosa Mayor Sam Edgerton was among the City Council majority that rejected tattoo parlors in the mid-1990s. He said the possibility of a beach cities tattoo haven in Hermosa drew the attention of many tattoo artists.

Edgerton noted that the wearing of tattoos has moved into the pop culture mainstream, but questioned whether tattoo parlors “fit” in Hermosa.

Councilman Michael Keegan called Anderson’s lawsuit premature, saying the tattoo artist turned to the courts before trying the simpler route of applying for a city permit. ER

 


The Easy Reader – October 12, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Pickup hits home, hurts sleeping boy

 

by Robb Fulcher

 


Pieces of a bed lie among the rubble piled outside a Beach Drive house the day after a pickup truck smashed through a wall, injuring a child. Photo by Robb Fulcher

A man and woman were being held after a pickup truck smashed through the wall of a home on quiet Beach Drive about 5 a.m. Friday, breaking the leg of a 5-year-old boy who had been asleep in his bed. The truck then sped away, bashing down several Beach Drive traffic barriers.

Both Ruben Vargas, 43, and Irma Lourdes Carder, 28, admitted driving the full-sized Chevrolet pickup during the getaway from the house near Ninth Court, and police were trying to determine who was driving when the truck when it hit the house, HBPD Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

The pickup apparently had been parked in a small “parking alcove” opposite the house on the narrow, alley-like Beach Drive when it was thrown into a forward gear, traveled about 10 feet, and bashed into the house, Wolcott said. The truck then was backed out and drove southbound through the barriers that are meant to slow and control traffic.

Hermosa police issued an all-points bulletin for the pickup, using the front license plate which had been wrenched free by the crash and left at the house.

Redondo police found the truck parked along a city street with a stuffed penguin toy still stuck to the hood. Officers arrested Vargas and Carder at a Redondo home about 1:30 p.m., Wolcott said. The two were being held in the Hermosa Beach Jail on suspicion of felony hit and run, with bail set at $50,000 apiece, police said.

“It was so unbelievably self-centered for those people to crash into the house and just back out without checking on the residents, then go crashing through those barricades,” Wolcott said.

“Imagine how scary that must have been for the 5-year-old who is asleep in bed when the pickup comes crashing through the wall and breaks his leg,” Wolcott said. ER

 


The Easy Reader – September 14, 2006

Hermosa Beach

Wrongful death claim filed in traffic death of teenager

Robb Fulcher

The City Council on Tuesday rejected a claim for damages from the parents of a 15-year-old Hermosan who was struck and killed in a busy intersection in March. The administrative claim filed by William and Ellen Wright could be the first step in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

The Wrights contend the city failed to install traffic lights or take other pedestrian safety measures at Pacific Coast Highway and 16th Street, where their son Ian was struck as he crossed PCH on a scooter.

A traffic light had been planned for some time before the accident, and was installed shortly after Wright was struck.

The Wright’s claim did not specify the amount of damages sought. The claim names Caltrans as a defendant along with the city of Hermosa Beach.

At the time of the accident police said the teen was not wearing a helmet as he crossed the six-lane highway within a painted crosswalk on a “Razr” scooter, and crossed when it was unsafe.

Wright was crossing east to west, and had cleared all but the final lane when he was struck by a southbound 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer driven by a West Covina woman, police said.

City police officers and Fire Department paramedics treated Wright at the scene and rushed him to UCLA-Harbor General Medical Center. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office listed head injuries as the cause of death.

The intersection was one of the most dangerous in town, and police said they expected the traffic light to ease safety issues there. HBPD Sgt. Tom Thompson said the intersection had become more troublesome after a 24 Hour Fitness facility opened in the Hermosa Pavilion, and people began parking along the east side of PCH and crossing to the mall, sometimes at the crosswalk and sometimes not.

Wright had been attending ninth grade at Village Glen School for autistic students in Culver City and was on track for advanced placement courses that would help him get into college. He had Asperger Syndrome, which the National Institutes of Health describes as an “autism spectrum disorder,” often causing some impairment of communication skills. ER

 


The Daily Breeze – July 21, 2006

Letters to the Editor

 

HB to decide eatery's closure time

Next week, the Hermosa Beach City Council will decide whether Mediterraneo restaurant is to close at 2 a.m., the hour the owner would like, or midnight, the hour the Planning Commission gave him.

It will be a tough decision for council members. Most of the other restaurants on Pier Plaza enjoy the 2 p.m. closure time. If the public upholds the Planning Commission's midnight time, it would be a turning point in Hermosa. An old precedent will have been broken, and a new one set.

The hearing will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. The public can attend and speak to the item.

-- JIM LISSNER  Hermosa Beach

 


The Daily Breeze – July 16, 2006

Sunday Letters to the Editor

 

HB bar plan a threat to public safety

This letter represents a plea that the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission and City Council exercise whatever influence they have to deny a permit for a 15,000-square-foot restaurant/bar at the Hermosa Pavilion. I currently own a business in Hermosa -- after 33 years in law enforcement for Los Angeles County. There was a time when I didn't think any city could have too many bars. What has happened to our little community shows me I was wrong.

The proposed monster bar at the Pavilion is not planned to meet the needs of the Hermosa drinkers. If every resident drank, we'd still have plenty of bars. It's an effort to draw drinkers and their wallets from out of the area. Make no mistake, that effort will be successful. As a former gang investigator, I found that every unsavory element imaginable between here and Riverside would find his way to the 91 freeway and drive toward the sun. That would drop them right here, about six blocks north of the proposed mega-bar.

This proposal represents a huge public safety issue ripe for a citizen's backlash. Weekend policing/patrols and 911 response times are already seriously compromised by the Pier Plaza bar scene, even when things are going smoothly. Between 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., I have to assume the majority of drivers here in Hermosa are drunk and trying to find their way out of town.

This bar is being planned and bankrolled by a truly interesting character, and local officials know it. He has relied on brinkmanship and foot dragging on other issues with the Pavilion, and the notion of a real, viable, restaurant is laughable. If the restaurant doesn't make him money -- which it won't -- he'll have a bigger bar. If he has entertainment, he can charge a cover, which is cash and under the radar as to reportable revenue.

In terms of planning, let's make some plans for our kids and their kids. This is not Moreno Valley. The folks who can afford to live here are bright, successful and obviously did something right with their lives, or have a trust fund. Please don't allow our elected officials to turn their backs on these people and pander to the developer and an army of horny twenty-somethings who will descend on our community. They will not be driving down here for dinner.

-- RICHARD HALLIBURTON

Hermosa Beach 

 


 

The Easy Reader – June 29, 2006

 

Hermosa Beach – Letters to the Editor

 

Audit ‘em

 

Dear ER:

 

I read with great interest last week’s letter “Drink to me thine eyes.”  I am in complete agreement with the writer’s scathing disapproval of what is happening in Hermosa Beach’s downtown bar district.  As a Hermosa Beach home owner, I am disgusted and appalled at what our fair city has become. 

 

All of our cops are down in the bar area.  You never see police around the rest of the city Thursday thru Sunday nights.  I hope my house isn’t being robbed because there would not be any police watching out for me.  They are all downtown stopping the fights, urinating, underage drinking, and doing their own share of checking out the chicks and admiring groupies.  It is pathetic.  Recent figures show that residential burglaries in Hermosa rose in 2004 from 137 in 2004 to 187 in 2005.  That is a whopping 36 percent.  It is no wonder, as our cops are all downtown where the fights and scenery are.

 

I heard recently that one homeowner who lives up the street from the pier awakened at midnight to strange noises outside his house and after looking out his window, discovered a young couple exploring their carnal knowledge on his front yard.  He turned the sprinklers on and that ended it.  He didn’t even report it to the cops.  How much of this sort of thing isn’t even added to the list of published statistics?

 

If I want to go downtown in my own city for a dinner on Friday night after working hard all week, I would have to wait in line behind a screaming bunch of tiny-bobs and gang bangers who live everywhere but here to get into a restaurant where the decibel level approaches the level of a jack hammer.  And then when I did get out of there with my lady without being thrown up on, leered at, and commented about, I could go home to my peaceful neighborhood…maybe.

 

Do I have to go to a neighboring city to eat on weekends?  Have we ever asked the ABC Board to audit those Pier bars to see if they are even paying their fair shared of city taxes?

 

Anonymous

Hermosa Beach

 

 


The Daily Breeze – June 25, 2006

Sunday Letters to the Editor

HB lane changes will benefit bars

"Where but in Hermosa Beach would upper Pier Avenue, the central access to its downtown bars, be reduced to one lane each way to allow for still more alcohol dispensing businesses on widened public sidewalks, while causing bar patrons in their cars, cabs and limos to use residential side streets as the alternate access to that bar district?"

That's quoted from a letter to the Daily Breeze 10 years past when Hermosa's City Council took the first legal step toward a single-laned Pier Avenue.

The single lane is to promote more alcohol-dispensing establishments along upper Pier Avenue. Tiny Hermosa Beach is alcohol-, cab- and parking-saturated at night and needs not one more alcohol outlet of any kind to swagger or stagger past. City residents have been impacted and damaged enough by incredibly dumb council approvals regarding alcohol. Have they nor the council no limit?

Most disingenuous was the council's June 13 attempt at deception in bragging that $4 million will be spent repairing Hermosa's neglected residential streets. In fact, more than half of that is for this single lane paving and expansion of the alcohol district onto widened upper Pier Avenue fancy sidewalks, and at no cost to the commercial property owners to benefit there. Less than half will go for any residential street repair in the other 96 percent of the city, and that after virtually nothing was spent this current year.

The city's public safety costs of nil-city-revenue producing alcohol businesses are drinking the city treasury dry, so why does the Hermosa's council desire more alcohol-dispensing businesses anywhere in city?

-- HOWARD LONGACRE


The Easy Reader – June 8, 2006

 

Hermosa Beach – Letters to the Editor

 

Drink to me with thine ayes

 

Dear ER:

 

The downtown drinking district continues to generate numerous quality of life issues and a negative image for our community.  Destruction is not limited to vandalism spilling into our neighborhoods. 

 

On May 25, 2006 during a candidates’ forum a resident spoke of violence (drunken brawl) that occurred in front of their home.  The victim’s scream awakened residents in the early morning hours, as the assault was in process.  I was especially distressing to witness because the victim was a woman.

 

The atmosphere of public intoxication, which is encouraged pay no dividends.

 

How unfortunate, families and children who desire to visit the beautiful beachfront and pier have to pass a throng of bars.

 

Hermosa’s permissive drinking policies in the downtown bar district is having a debilitating effect on our community.  The erosion of public safety touches the lives of every resident and property owner. 

 

Remedial action in the bar district is essential and will require significant policy changes.  The answer is not to saddle residents with more costs to support a highly undesirable section of town.

 

Name withheld by request

Hermosa Beach

 

 


The Easy Reader – May 25, 2006

A tire iron to Hermosa’s downtown

Dear ER:

Over the last several years the residents of Hermosa Beach who live west of Monterey Blvd. have had to survive beer bottles in their yards, public urination, and the destruction of private property. Last Saturday night at 3 a.m., my car and a neighbor’s car suffered the blows of a tire iron, resulting in broken windows and body damage. A few months ago the church on the corner of 16th Street & Manhattan Ave. had a brick thrown through a very expensive 80-year-old stained glass window. These are not isolated incidents. The list of vandalism, thefts, battery, loud and disorderly behavior, and DUI driving resulting in hit and run accidents is long and must be addressed and remedied. I am aware that with budget cuts and the magnitude of this problem the HBPD is already overtaxed with respect to available resources but a solution must be found. Last Friday night cost me $841 and I stayed home. Can anything be done?

Rick Koenig

Hermosa Beach


The Easy Reader – April 27, 2006

     Hermosa Beach News

Man is killed in late night traffic crash

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

A 36-year-old Hermosa man was killed when the 'pickup truck he was driving went out of control on Sepulveda Boulevard and smashed into a metal wall outside Hotel Hermosa shortly before 1 a.m. last Wednesday, police said.

 

Only minutes before, the man had plowed into parked cars on two Hermosa streets, police said. He then drove the 2001 Toyota Tundra into Manhattan and was making his way south on Sepulveda where he struck some concrete trashcans on the northwest corner of the intersection with Artesia Boulevard, police said.

 

The pickup also struck the concrete median and knocked over a traffic light pole. The vehicle skidded sideways across part of the intersection, flipped over and went the rest of the way upside down, a passing motorist told police.

 

The pickup struck the wall and came to a stop upside down. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he died from his injuries about 6:15 a.m., Manhattan Beach Police Sgt. Bryan Klatt said.

 

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office identified the man as Lance Juracka.

 

Hermosa police first began getting calls when the pickup hit a parked vehicle near 16th Street and Hermosa Avenue, Sgt. Tom Thompson said. As police rushed to find the motorist they got further calls saying the pickup had bashed into a parked car at about 22nd Street and Manhattan Avenue. A witness to the second crash said the parked car was pushed 50 feet down the roadway.

 

"All three crashes happened within six minutes of each other," Thompson said.

 

"We were getting calls left and right."  Some of the initial callers reported that the pickup was heading south, unintentionally throwing off police a little. Just the same, officers arrived at Artesia and Sepulveda/Pacific Coast Highway about the time the pickup got there, Thompson said. Long streaks of paint were seen at two of the crash sites, and police said the pickup appeared to be equipped for painting jobs. ER

 


The Easy Reader – March 30, 2006

On Local Government

 

The saddest rule of government

by Bob Pinzler

 

One of the maxims told to me about government when I was first elected to office was a simple, sad, and frustrating one: “You don’t get a crosswalk until a kid gets killed.”

The accident that occurred on PCH two weeks ago, killing a teenage boy trying to cross the street, was tragic not just because it was likely preventable. It is tragic because the need for a signaled crosswalk at that intersection has been known for years.

But, before you start blaming the city for the lack of movement on this issue, it is important to note that very often the driving force in keeping structures like a traffic signal from being installed are the people who live in the neighborhood. In this specific case, neighbors have long been concerned that a light at that intersection would make it easier for people to go around the crowded intersection at PCH and Pier, thus bringing more traffic to their streets.

No question about it, traffic in the South Bay has become a nightmare. During rush hours, a driver can be backed up long enough to miss green light after green light. Little is more frustrating than being in one of those jams. However, so long as we try to live within our present infrastructure while adding more people in to use it, traffic will get nothing but worse.

No easy answer or, for that matter, not even a difficult solution is on the horizon. Public transportation in this area will never reach the point that people will leave their cars in large enough numbers to make a significant difference. In addition, secondary highways, the official title of streets such as PCH, can only be widened so much, especially in areas where merchants are reliant on street parking for the success of their businesses. But still the people come.

Many of the highways and local roads in our area carry more than twice the traffic they were designed for, especially during peak-use hours. It is expected to get worse, causing more driver frustration. That brings us back to our stoplight on PCH. The primary rationale for installing one must be safety, particularly since adding one more light to PCH will do little to help, or hinder, traffic flow.

The problem is not exclusively ours. In another South Bay city, residents on two sides of a major street are fighting over a traffic light that CalTrans has said is necessary to reduce traffic accidents. The two sides of the street are in different cities. One says the light is needed. The other is concerned that, by introducing a traffic light, more “cut-through” traffic will occur in their neighborhood. In the meantime, while this impasse is going on, people are being injured and property is being damaged.

We are stuck in a problem without a good solution. In those cases, we need to do what we can until someone … anyone … comes up with something new.

 


1.  Photos of Pedestrians Using The PCH and 16th St. Crosswalk

2.  Photos of Pedestrians Using The PCH and 16th St. Crosswalk

3.  Photos of Pedestrians Using The PCH and 16th St. Crosswalk

The Easy Reader – March 23, 2006

Hermosa Beach News

Teen was fun-loving, precocious, adventurous

 

by Robb Fulcher

 


Ian Wright.

A 15-year-old Hermosan who was struck and killed in an intersection last week was a sweet-natured, precocious, adventurous young man who loved surfing and rock climbing, family members said.

Ian Wright “was walking at nine months, and rock climbing at nine months and one day,” his mother Ellen Wright said.

The teenager also was a “voracious reader” who loved history and mythology, and fantasy offerings such as “The Lord of the Rings.”

Wright had been attending ninth grade at Village Glen School for autistic students in Culver City and was on track for advanced placement courses that would help him get into college.

He had Asperger Syndrome or AS, which the National Institutes of Health describes as an “autism spectrum disorder” often causing some impairment of communication skills.

Wright’s mother said AS is sometimes called “high-functioning autism.” Her son was good at taking in information but sometimes found it difficult to grasp “subtlety and nuance,” and faced challenges in communicating what he knew.

His AS sometimes appeared in social interactions as well.

“He would walk up to a perfect stranger in a grocery store and ask if he knew about [the Egyptian god] Osiris,” Wright’s mother said.

Wright was an organ donor, and after his death organs were removed for donation, his mother said.

Fatal accident

Wright died Friday night, one day after he was struck about 5 p.m. as he crossed Pacific Coast Highway at 16th Street, one of Hermosa’s most dangerous intersections, on a “Razr” scooter, police said.

Wright was crossing the six-lane highway going from east to west, within the painted crosswalk, and had cleared all but the final lane when he was struck by a southbound 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer driven by a 25-year-old West Covina woman, police said.

City police officers and Fire Department paramedics treated Wright at the scene and rushed him to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office listed head injuries as the cause of death. Police said Wright was not wearing a helmet and tried to cross PCH when it was unsafe to do so.

New stoplights

Workers had begun installing traffic lights at the intersection this week, paid for by the developer of the refurbished Hermosa Pavilion mall that stands at the intersection. City Manager Steve Burrell said developer Gene Shook offered to pay for the traffic signal in 2003, and worked with Caltrans to get it installed.

As the installation neared, a number of people living east of the intersection told the City Council that the signal might contribute to traffic problems in their neighborhood. The council continued to back the installation, but promised that city officials would take steps to fix any unintended problems if they occur.

Hermosa Beach Police Sgt. Tom Thompson said he expects the traffic light to ease the safety issues at the busy PCH intersection. He pointed to a another troublesome intersection at PCH and Fifth Street where left-turn signals were added to the traffic lights about six months ago, making it safer to cross the street.

“We engineered the problem away and the same thing will happen at 16th Street, we believe,” Thompson said.

He said the 16th Street intersection had become more troublesome after a 24 Hour Fitness facility opened in the Hermosa Pavilion, and people began parking along the east side of PCH and crossing to and from the mall, sometimes at the crosswalk and sometimes not.

Most years pass in Hermosa without a traffic death. The last time a pedestrian was killed was several years ago at PCH and Pier Avenue, in an accident caused by the pedestrian, Thompson said.

In addition to Wright’s mother, who works as director of aviation technology at LAX, he is survived by his father Bill Wright, owner of Wright Productions independent film and video production company and part-time master at Dive N’ Surf, and his sister Katie, a senior at Mira Costa High School.

A funeral service was scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach. Wright’s remains were to be cremated and scattered at sea. ER

 


The Easy Reader – March 2, 2006

Police claims nixed, Edison hammered by the HB City Council

By Robb Fulcher

The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday rejected two administrative claims against the Hermosa Beach Police Department, including one by a man who claimed he was forced from a wheelchair and suffered a concussion and injuries to his neck and arms when he was “violently” arrested.

The council also sharply criticized cost increases and engineering delays in a proposed project to bury overhead utility lines, at the expense of property owners, in an area of town spreading northeast from Ralph’s Shopping Center.

The administrative claim by David A. Nichols, described as a paraplegic with limited use of his hands, alleges that he was forced out of his wheelchair when he was arrested August 21, 2005.

An attorney retained by Nichols was not immediately available for comment.  A police report states that Nichols was arrested about 11:30 a.m. for allegedly striking a HBPD officer who was trying to persuade Nichols to clean up after his dog.

The incident began when an employee of a downtown hotel flagged down the officer after failing to persuade Nichols to pick up dog feces, the report stated.  Nichols tried to wheel away from the officer who blocked his path and then was struck, the report stated.

In the other claim Donald Morgan of Lomita alleged that the Hermosa Beach police falsely arrested him August 26, 2005 and seized tools belonging to him, costing him a job.

With the rejection of the claims by the City Council, the two men can file civil lawsuits against the city if they choose.


The Easy Reader – February 16, 2006

Hermosa About Town

 

Arrest brings lawsuit - A civil rights lawsuit has been filed by three local residents who were arrested by Hermosa police on misdemeanor charges in 2004 and later exonerated in a Superior Court trial.  The federal lawsuit claims that Hermosa officers roughed up Robert Nolan of Hermosa and Joel Silva of Lawndale and made false statements in police reports after Nolan, Silva and Michelle Myers of Hermosa were arrested for allegedly blocking a police cruiser as it made its way across the Pier Plaza pedestrian promenade.  The FBI also opened an inquiry into allegations that police violated the civil rights of the three.

Gym appeal - Opponents are seeking to appeal a judge’s decision allowing construction of a gymnasium building at Hermosa Valley School, a project for which ground was formally broken late last month.  A lawsuit by the opponents, including some school neighbors, contended that the school board did not properly address concerns about noise, traffic and parking near the campus on Valley Drive north of Pier Avenue. The lawsuit also contended that the 2002 ballot measure for the school bonds did not include the gym in a list of projects to be funded.  Gym opponents also said they would continue to challenge $1.5 in special state funds the school board secured for the project last year.

School board vacancy - Hermosa Beach City School Board members were leaning toward appointing a replacement for board member Linda Wolin – rather than calling for a fresh election – after she announced she will leave her post to move to the San Francisco area.  Although no formal vote was taken board members last Wednesday said they plan to seek applicants for Wolin’s position, then choose among them, after she formally resigns. Wolin has said she would resign about March, leaving about two years of her term unfilled.  Wolin announced last month that her husband Jon has accepted a new position in Northern California. The family’s move also created a vacancy on the Beach Cities Health District board, of which Jon Wolin was a member.  The Health District board also opted to appoint rather than elect a replacement, and plans to consider applicants for Wolin’s position Feb. 22.  The Health District provides programs such as the Center for Health and Fitness, the AdventurePlex health and fitness center for youth; emotional and logistical support to the elderly; and mental and emotional health classes and seminars for the general public. ER
 

Star search - Anyone interested in producing a public access TV show can call the Adelphia Communications cable company at 406-1960, ext. 1986 to enroll in free classes to learn the technical aspects of getting a program onto the air. Classes are upcoming and the sizes are limited. ER


KCBS-TV – February 8, 2006

Former Teacher Acquitted Of Sexual Assault Charge

 (CBS) TORRANCE, Calif. A Torrance Superior Court jury acquitted a former Catholic school teacher Wednesday of sexually assaulting another educator in Hermosa Beach.

Aran Delaney’s first trial ended in October 2004 after the jury deadlocked on three counts of sexual assault. The present jury acquitted 29-year-old Delaney of one count of penetration by a foreign object, deadlocked 11 to one on a rape count and 10-2 on a sodomy charge, both in favor of acquittal.

Torrance Superior Court Judge William Hollingsworth declared a mistrial and ordered the attorneys and Delaney back to court March 9 to discuss the future of the case.

Delaney was a fourth-grade teacher at American Martyrs Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach in late June 2003, when the alleged attack occurred. The alleged victim, then 33, taught at another South Bay school.

The alleged victim testified that she met Delaney at the North End Bar and Grill, where they left feeling intoxicated. She testified that Delaney sexually assaulted her on a walk-street near the bar.

Delaney said the sex was consensual and denied sodomizing her.

Delaney’s parents were sentenced to 16 months in pirson in December 2004 for trying to dissuade the alleged victim from testifying against their son. The pair pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, witness intimidation, trying to bribe a witness and threatening a witness, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

 


The Easy Reader – December 22, 2005

Suspected meth lab is raided on PCH

About 250 empty 10 ounce cans of butane were found in the home’s outdoor trash cans.

By Rob Fulcher

Hazmat-suited authorities on Tuesday swooped down on a purple, 1920’s-era house in the 1800 block of Pacific Coast Highway and carried away chemicals allegedly used to cook methamphetamine.

Authorities also recovered about tow pounds of marijuana and found a room in the house “dedicated to growing weed,” Hermosa Beach Police Detective Sgt. Steve Endom said.

The purple house with green trim near 18th Street was searched after its two residents were pulled over in a vehicle nearby about 3 a.m., police said.  The officer who stopped the vehicle found evidence of possession of marijuana for sale, Endom said.

Men from the California Department of Justice and LAPD strapped oxygen tanks onto their backs over full-length white protective suits, and strode past a front porch trellis in to the chemical-infested home.

Down below on the sidewalk detectives described the lab as a smaller, typically Hermosa-sized one.  Still, Endom said, based on the amount of chemicals, a lab that large is found in Hermosa only about once a year.

“It’s an unusual occurrence for us,” he said.  The lab was not in use at the time and no meth was recovered, police said.

The pot room also appeared to be between crops, police said.  Only a few live plants were found, Endom said, along with pots, lighting and irrigation equipment used to grow plants without soil.

One wall of the pot room, covered with a huge poster of the late reggae star and marijuana exponent Bob Marley, was visible through the home’s front picture window.

As Marley smiled down onto the street below, a plastic Target store bag sat just outside the front door containing low-quality “shake” pot that apparently had been discarded by the growers, police said.

About 250 empty 10 ounce cans of butane were found in the home’s outdoor trash cans, indicating that that amount of the highly flammable substance had been processed inside the house over about a week, Endom said.

As authorities continue to investigate, a young woman paused on her way to visit a friend living next door to the purple house.  “What happened?” she asked a detective.  “They had a meth lab,” the detective answered.

“Shut up!” the woman blurted.

She had come to retrieve a dress from her friend’s home but was not allowed to cross the yellow crime-scene tape.  Instead a burly detective went up the driveway and returned carrying a dress on a hanger in one hand and a pink Victoria’s Secret bag in the other.

“Thank you so much,” the woman said, then cast another look at the purple house and expressed concern for her friend, the neighbor.  

“This is very scary, I want her to come stay with me,” the woman said.

The two people who were arrested, a 29-year old man and 28-year-old woman, did not own the home, police said.  Both were booked into the Hermosa Beach Jail, he on suspicion of possessing pot for sale and she on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and possessing pot for sale, police said. ER


The Beach Reporter – December 22, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

 

VANDALISM. A car parked in the 1300 block of Bayview Drive was reportedly burglarized Nov. 17 around 3 a.m. The victim, who reported the incident Dec. 12, said that he heard a loud noise outside the front of his apartment building. He then called 9-1-1 and assumed the police were handling a disturbance call. The man returned to his car a few hours later and discovered a trash can on top of it. He talked with one of his neighbors who said that she heard the noise as well and when she went outside to see about it she saw another neighbor. She said that he was drunk and has consistently harassed her, but that she did not see him throw the trash can.

 

CREDIT CARD FRAUD. An unknown person reportedly used a bank credit card belonging to a woman living in the 600 block of Fourth Street to make fraudulent transactions between Nov. 23 and Dec. 11. The victim checked her bank account online and discovered numerous unauthorized charges, the first one at a Shell gas station for $75. She learned that other charges had been made at gas stations in California, Texas and Arizona and the last purchase in Pomona. The total amount of unauthorized charges total $1,510.

 

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY. Two men reportedly tried to rob another man in the 3300 block of The Strand Dec. 7 at 9:45 p.m. The victim was walking on The Strand during his evening exercise when he noticed two subjects in hooded sweatshirts walking toward him from the opposite direction. The victim made eye contact with one of the suspects as they passed and he then forgot about them. Shortly after, the two men grabbed the victim from behind and he turned around and saw the two subjects. The suspect whom he gave eye contact to said, “Give me your money.” The man then pointed a black revolver into the victim’s abdomen at point blank range. The victim said he did not have any money and the suspect added, “Give me your wallet, give me your watch.” The suspect then began to search the victim’s waistband for valuables. The victim, afraid for his safety, handed the suspects over an inexpensive watch to the robbers. The suspect examined it and handed it back over. The suspects then fled the scene.


The Beach Reporter - December 1-15, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

CHURCH WINDOWS. Two church widows were reportedly smashed between Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 9 a.m. One of the windows was stained glass while the other was made out of glass that was amber in color for a total value of $800. A cinder block and a red brick that were used to break the windows were found inside the church.

BATTERY. A man was reportedly assaulted by a group of men near Hermosa Avenue and 14th Street Nov. 27 at 1:45 a.m. The victim was kicked out of a nearby bar and was very upset about it. He walked around to “cool down” when he heard someone yelling at him. He was still mad so he yelled back. He then saw the main suspect running rapidly toward him who then started punching him in the face with his fists. The victim dropped to the ground and covered his head. The suspect was with five other men, and the victim wasn’t sure exactly who was hitting and kicking him.

ROBBERY / STABBING. A man was reportedly stabbed and robbed of his wallet in the 1000 block of Bayview Drive Oct. 15 between 3:30 and 3:43 a.m. The man was walking to his car parked in the 500 block of Eighth Street after going to the bars on the pier plaza. The car was parked near an apartment complex he visited earlier that day. Two men wearing dark clothing approached the man and demanded his wallet. The men then grabbed the man and tried to wrestle his wallet away but the victim fought back by grabbing it by both hands. One of the suspects hit the man who felt a pain in his lower abdomen and realized he had been stabbed. The man let go of the wallet, and the two men removed an unknown amount of cash and possibly some credit cards and dropped the wallet. The man told police that he did not see the men get into a car. He was apparently in shock when he talked to police and was transported to a nearby hospital by paramedics.


The Easy Reader – December 1, 2005

Deadline looms to replace council member

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

If City Council members cannot decide how to replace Howard Fishman, who resigned from the council citing a family illness, state law calls for a special election so Hermosa voters can choose his replacement.  Last week Fishman announced that he would not take the council seat he won in the Nov. 8 election, leaving his four-year term up for grabs.

The four remaining council members will meet Dec. 13 and discuss whether to hold an election or appoint someone to replace Fishman. They could reach a decision then, so the council can hardly be described as deadlocked at this point.

But those same four council members have found themselves in at least one major 2-2 deadlock before, and if they don’t make a decision by Jan. 12 they’ll find themselves there again.  In that case a 30-day window would close and California Government Code section 36512 would call for an election to choose a replacement for Fishman, City Attorney Michael Jenkins said. Under the law the four sitting council members would be required to replace Fishman by a vote of the electorate.

In interviews Councilman Sam Edgerton and Mayor Pete Tucker have stressed the benefits of appointing a replacement for Fishman. Councilman Michael Keegan stressed the benefits of having Hermosans elect a replacement, and Councilman JR Reviczky said he wanted to consider the options.  If potential swing vote Reviczky sides with Keegan and the positions harden a deadlock would result, amounting to a win for those who want a fresh election.

The lineups - It was Edgerton and Tucker on one side and Keegan and Reviczky on the other in a recent, notable council deadlock that occurred over a plan for free citywide wireless internet. (Potential swing vote Art Yoon, who Fishman was set to replace on the council, declined to vote on the Internet issue because he works as a telecommunications executive.)

Edgerton and Tucker ran as allies in the 2003 election that swept Tucker into office and returned Edgerton for a fourth term. In the campaign for this year’s election Keegan praised Reviczky’s “steady leadership;” Keegan was returned for a second term and Reviczky was returned for a fourth term.

Replacement options - Edgerton has said the four sitting council members should replace Fishman by appointing Jeff Duclos, who received the most votes among the losing council candidates on Nov. 8.  “We have a fourth-place finisher who came in close to the pack of three [winners],” Edgerton said.

Edgerton said a special election would cost $30,000 to $40,000, a cost the public might not embrace.

City Clerk Elaine Doerfling said she was looking into the costs of holding a “stand-alone” city election, or placing the matter on city ballots for the statewide June primary election, or holding an election by mail.

“I hope we don’t engage in the usual politics and we just appoint the next guy [in the Nov. 8 balloting] and get on with the business of the city,” Edgerton said. In a 10-candidate field Duclos pulled down 1,804 votes or 13.3 percent.

During the race Edgerton contributed $250 to Duclos’ candidacy. Keegan, who butted heads with Edgerton on the Internet issue, spoke with praise of Patrick “Kit” Bobko, who supports Keegan’s Internet position. Bobko finished one position behind Duclos with 1,367 votes or 10 percent.

Edgerton said he would have supported an appointment of the next runner-up whether it was Duclos or another candidate. “I would have appointed the fourth person even if it was Fred Huebscher,” he said, referring to a nemesis from a previous council race.

Keegan described Bobko and Duclos as qualified candidates but said his opinion is immaterial; it’s the voters who should decide among whoever would run.  “I will always defer to the people in choosing their leaders,” Keegan said.

He said that is especially important considering Fishman’s replacement will serve a full term on the council and then enjoy the advantage of incumbency in an election four years later.  “My interest lies in letting the people decide rather than appointing someone to a four-year term that can turn into multiple terms,” he said.

Keegan said vacancies in the state Senate and Assembly and county board of Supervisors are filled through elections, emphasizing the importance of voting people into office.  Keegan said a statewide election in June would draw a large turnout, allowing a large number of Hermosans to choose their next council member, and said the cost to the city would be about $5,000 to $10,000 for its spot on the ballot.

Tucker said he was weighing the options of appointing versus electing Fishman’s replacement, adding that an appointment would be quicker and would avoid possible tie-vote stalemates on the council.

Drum roll…- Potential swing vote Reviczky last week said he was keeping an open mind, adding, “The question boils down to: do you appoint the next highest vote getter or hold an election.”

This week he speculated that on Dec. 13 he and his colleagues would agree to seek applications from Hermosans who want to replace Fishman. Reviczky said he would be eager to examine the credentials of any applicants and he suggested that Duclos could apply and be passed over.  “If you appoint, the idea is to appoint the best person, not necessarily the next person,” Reviczky said.  Based on the council’s regular meeting schedule, the four sitting members would have one meeting on Jan. 10 to choose the winning applicant or place the matter before the electorate.

Reviczky said he also wanted to examine the costs of placing an election item on the ballot. “I’ve heard estimates from $5,000 to $80,000,” he said. “I’d like that narrowed down a little.”   Reviczky said he did some research looking for precedents and found one case in 1960 of the City Council appointing a member to fill a term that was vacated eight months after it began. In that case the council appointed K.R. “Pat” Anderson to replace Jim Karnes, who had resigned.

Measuring E - Gary Brutsch, spokesman for the failed Measure E on the Nov. 8 city ballot, said he did not know whether another attempt would be made to place the citizens-initiative measure on a possible special election ballot. Brutsch said he thinks the measure would be important to protect the beach and greenbelt from possible future construction. ER


The Easy Reader – December 1, 2005

On Local Government

 

by Bob Pinzler

 

Finding a replacement

The Hermosa Beach City Council must, within 30 days of the certification of the last election, deal with the stunning and sad news that Howard Fishman will be unable to take office because of the illness of his wife. It is stunning because of its suddenness and sad because Howard would have made a fine councilman, with his depth of government experience in the South Bay.

The Council is faced with two choices to fill the seat. They can appoint someone to the position or call for a special election. There are arguments for both sides, but these unusual circumstances clearly call for a new election.

Generally, when vacancies occur in elected bodies, the period of time to be filled is limited. In this case, however, that period of time could be as much as four years. That makes this situation unusual.

One might think that with the vote to fill the seat so recent, the fourth place finisher in the contest to fill three seats, in this case Jeff Duclos, should be awarded the seat. However, that assumes that, had Fishman not been on the ballot, everyone would have voted the exact same way.

People vote in multiple candidate races in odd ways. Not everyone votes for the full complement of possibilities. Some people vote for just one person. This is known as “bullet voting.” In any case, without Fishman, the dynamic of the race could have been completely altered. An alternative father down the list, with views more like Fishman’s than Duclos’, might have prevailed.

So, having an election is, to me, the right way to go. However, there are competing scenarios in this as well. In a city like Hermosa Beach, which contracts with the County to run its elections, the cost of a special election could be high. In addition, because of the timeframe required for getting signatures to be on the ballot, printing election booklets with candidate statements, etc., a minimum of three months would pass before an election could occur anyway, taking us into March or April.

On June 6, 2006, California will conduct a primary election. For the city, this should dramatically reduce the cost of running the election.

However, if they wish to run their own election, the city has the option to run a mail-only ballot. In this case, there would be no costly and cumbersome polling places. Every registered voter would receive a ballot, just like an absentee would. The voter must sign the return envelope to prevent fraud.

This system has been used in many California localities and is in operation throughout the state of Oregon. Without polling places there are no poll workers to train, no equipment to deliver and recover and would provide a near immediate result, since most of the ballots would be returned prior to Election Day. Under the law, these ballots can be processed up to seven days prior, but not reported until the close of balloting.

The city can decide whether the “close of polling” means that either all ballots must be received by a certain time, or they can be postmarked by that time. The latter would mean that some ballots would come in a few days after voting closes.

An election to replace Fishman is preferable to appointing. Waiting until June is preferable to running a special election, even if that means appointing someone to fill the seat until then. But, if a special is necessary, making it as voter-friendly as possible should be the way the city goes. ER


The Easy Reader – December 1, 2005

Police, presents and polar bears

 

Volunteers set to round up holiday toys in the thousands

by Robb Fulcher

 

Volunteers have plucked bulk wrapping paper from a garbage dump and received at least one police escort on Christmas Eve to bring thousands of toys to kids of all ages throughout the South Bay.  And they’re getting ready to do whatever it takes all over again as the popular Beach Cities Toy Drive shakes the snow out of its beard and awakens for another holiday season.

Volunteers announced that they have begun accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys at the Hermosa firehouse on Pier Avenue at Valley Drive.  In addition volunteers were inviting all comers to the annual toy wrapping party 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Hermosa Beach Community Center gymnasium, Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. It usually takes about three hours to wrap all those presents.

Organizers were reminding wrapping-party volunteers to bring wrapping paper and tape, especially needed this year since a 200-pound roll of paper “rescued” from a garbage dump by Hermosan Phyllis Ramsey finally ran out last year.

Hermosa Councilman JR Reviczky is among those who have made Santa-like deliveries on Christmas Eve of toys that are donated after the wrapping party. One year he placed a man-sized stuffed polar bear on the passenger seat of his car, buckled it in and began driving it down the 405 Freeway (not in the carpool lane).

Other motorists honked and waved, and a California Highway Patrol officer gave JR and the bear special attention.  “He pulled up alongside of me and looked, then he pulled ahead of me and turned on his lights and everything and gave me an escort for about five miles,” Reviczky said.

The toy drive nets about 4,000 to 5,000 toys a year and works with organizations such as Richstone Family Center and 1736 Family Crisis Center to get them to kids of all ages by Dec. 25. For more information on the toy drive call 379-6267 or 372-4460. ER


The Easy Reader – December 1, 2005

Police seek help after home attack

 

Hermosa police were seeking witnesses after a man broke into a home in the 3500 block of Manhattan Avenue about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 29 and fled when a woman resident screamed, and hit and scratched him.

Police urged anyone who might have seen the man flee to call Hermosa Beach Police Detective Bob Higgins at 318-0341.

The man was described as 6 feet tall and athletic wearing a long-sleeved, button-down shirt and possibly khaki pants.

He entered the home, possibly through an unlocked door, police said. The woman was awakened by a sound, shouted, and confronted the man, who was wearing a smooth, latex, skin-colored mask, in a hallway. The man grabbed her throat and she fought back, police said.

Police are hoping witnesses might have seen the man running from the home. ER


The Easy Reader - February 3, 2005

HB Arrests hit an all-time high

 

by Robb Fulcher

 

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

 



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