Neighborhood voices
Dear ER:
Folks from Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach have finally discovered the impact of the growing number of state housing mandates. Complaining to city officials has no impact. Their hands are tied. Communities face even more draconian state overreach if their City Councils blatantly defy these state mandates. The problem is not city governments. The problem lies in the state legislature that is imposing these mandates on our cities, and it is out of control. Residents need to complain to our state legislators. There is another avenue that may be more effective in the long run. Our Neighborhood Voices is working to submit a statewide initiative aimed at preserving local control and preventing broad brush mandates that are contrary to good planning practices and fail to produce any meaningful amount of affordable housing. Residents should donate to and volunteer for Our Neighborhood Voices – it will likely be far more effective than complaining to our local state legislators.
Jim Light
Mayor
City of Redondo Beach
30 and out
Dear ER:
The State’s requirement to provide low income housing doesn’t take into account Hermosa Beach’s already high density. (“There goes the height limit,” ER Letters March 13, 2025). When it comes to low income housing, builders can ignore the city’s 30-foot height limit. But it doesn’t mean they should. We all need to live and work together. A proposed 50-foot structure on Palm Drive in Hermosa will destroy views for many blocks. Construction is always more acceptable when it isn’t your view that is at risk. Builders should be respectful of their neighbors and respect Hermosa’s 30-foot height limit.
Pam Tatreau
Hermosa Beach
Over there is here
Dear ER:
Every city has an excuse as to why it shouldn’t be them who provides more housing. Everyone points their fingers to “over there,” saying that’s where we should build. But greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco bay area, have been built out so far that “over there” is now impracticably far away. We have to start building “here.” There have been a lot of letters to this paper arguing against more housing in our community. It’s easy to block progress and continue this cycle of dragging down the state, but who else can step up and do the hard work of building enough housing?
Vincent Busam
Hermosa Beach
Time to move on
Dear ER:
I moved to Hermosa Beach in the late 1980s from San Diego. I rented at first, then bought a home in 2010, so I’m “invested” in this community. I’m retired now so I don’t have to live here for work. But I have lots of friends here and love my little beach town. But many things are now souring me on my beloved beach town: Here’s my beefs. I see by talking with friends, and neighbors I am not alone in my opinions on these issues:
- The state housing mandates that are potentially allowing seven and eight story apartment complexes in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, while multi-million-dollar mega mansions on The Strand go unoccupied for decades and are basically “land banks” for the uberwealthy. We have a state forcing Hermosa to house more people yet acres of billionaires’ homes are vacant for years on end! The middle class is getting squeezed.
- Enforcement of short-term vacation rentals regulations: Lawyers are running our city in the sense they are overturning our STVRs laws because they are not approved by the Coastal Commission. This is another example of State of California agencies and departments dictating the quality of life of our city — shouldn’t it be the other way? I don’t want to live next to a “party rental.”
- Parking permit regs. For the past two years I have had to change my car registration and mail delivery from a post office box to my street address to satisfy the City Council changing the requirements for getting parking permits. This year the requirements have changed again, and I now have to get a new driver’s license with a photo ID with my street address instead of the formerly acceptable post office box. I have a collection of over 30 years of Hermosa parking permits to prove I am not selling these on the black market. And the permit fees cost is now up 50%.
- Projects that the city embarks on without any known demand: where was/is the big demand to spend millions on a different walk path for part of the green belt. The chips weren’t good enough? The multi-million-dollar public bathroom that has solar panels. I should be lucky enough to have a bathroom like this at home! Don’t get me going on the “needs” for a new city hall — talk about ego driving stupidity!
I love this town, but I may soon vote with my feet southward to San Diego’s north county where every time I visit it, it seems to be calling me back (or are things in my beloved, adopted Hermosa pushing me out?)
Steve Magoffin
Hermosa Beach
GOATParade
Dear ER:
I want to thank The Hermosa Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the City of Hermosa Beach and Bell Events for bringing this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade to fruition. For almost 30 years it has been my honor to assist as a stage announcer. Our parade has always been a locally orientated treat for thousands of spectators and participants alike. Many of the participants have been friends for decades. This year was even more special and I am not sure exactly why. The weather, the vibe, the crowd whatever it was. Let’s just call it the ‘je ne sais quoi”(a quality that cannot be described easily). My friends and neighbors have gone out of their way to share with me what a wonderful experience it was for them this year, above and beyond past years. On top of everything else, it was a real pleasure working with a real professional like Rick Dickert as his co-announcer. Whatever it takes, let’s make sure our parade returns every year.
Rick Koenig
Hermosa Beach
Homeless discussions
Dear ER:
I am not a bad dog (“Dog on it,” ER Letters March 13, 2025). My family and I live in a car. Should I stay in the car all day even if it’s hot?
A Lassie
Anna Tattu
Hermosa Beach
Political revelation
Dear ER:
Running for Redondo Beach Mayor was challenging, revelatory, and life-changing. I was inspired to run because I wanted to continue to make a difference, as I had been doing for the past few decades, serving as a Public Art Commissioner, Chair of South Bay Hands on Art, and as President of Redondo Beach Art Group. I will continue to participate in City Council meetings and hope I and other residents can help facilitate future projects. Congratulations to the newly elected. Going forward, there is nothing more important than for our city officials to work together and make the best decisions for the good of the community, spending money wisely, and developing prudently.
I will be forever grateful to my dear friends and family who helped with my campaign. Let’s work together to help Redondo Beach realize its full potential, becoming a destination with the best restaurants and unique businesses, an art center, art galleries and public art.
Georgette Gantner
Redondo Beach
Call Elon
Dear ER:
As someone who has several family members suffering from health issues, I was glad to see lawmakers were close to passing crucial reforms to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) at the end of this past year. However, it was disheartening when this critical legislation fell through.
According to an Federal Trade Commission report from the summer of this past year, PBMs often steer patients toward higher-list-price medications, even if more accessible versions are just as effective. This is solely because PBM compensation is tied to the list price of prescription drugs. Patients who already see soaring out-of-pocket expenses at the pharmacy counter shouldn’t be forced to purchase pricier medications just so these PBMs can collect higher fees.
Furthermore, patients deserve to be able to use the critical rebates on prescription drugs that PBMs collect during their negotiations with drug manufacturers. These savings could help reduce the share of the cost families like mine experience at the pharmacy — that is, if PBMs were passing them down as they should be. Instead, most of those savings get put right back into PBM accounts.
California’s Congressional delegation should work to pass PBM reform during the March funding period, which could help fix this broken rebate system and curb harmful PBM practices that threaten patients in California and throughout the country.
Alexis Moore
Redondo Beach
