Hollander shaped the retail surf industry
Personal and business friends gathered from throughout Southern California Saturday at the Hermosa Beach pier for a paddleout in memory of Becker Surf founder Dave Hollander. Hollander and partners Phil Becker and Steve Mangeli founded Becker Surf in 1980 and built it into one of the country’s largest surf companies, with seven Southern California shops. […]
Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue photography contest winners
A photography contest whose sole subject was the Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue at the Manhattan Beach pier was hosted last month by the South Bay Boardriders Club, Paul’s Photo and Easy Reader. The statue was dedicated in August (at no cost to Manhattan Beach), after seven years of planning and fundraising by the Boardriders […]
Letters to the Editor 12-7-23
Schools never learn Dear ER: I had to shake my head in dismay after reading about another problem the Manhattan Beach Unified District has to address. (“MBUSD administrator investigated after teacher complaints,” ER November 29, 2023). I too had to deal with arrogant “helicopter” administrators back in the days when I was a teacher and […]
Pioneer beach Volleyball players command CBVA Hall of Fame stage
by Kevin Cody Three beach volleyball players, all Olympians, were inducted into the CBVA (California Beach Volleyball Association) at the Hermosa Beach Community Center on Saturday, November 4. The players were Jake Gibb, with four Olympic appearances, and Nicole Branagh and Stein Metzger, with one appearance each. Also inducted this year was Sam Lagana, “The […]
Letters to the Editor 11-30-23
A flood of tax money Dear ER: Please Vote No on the Manhattan Beach’s unconstitutional stormwater tax increase, from $19 annually to an average of $129 annually. Over a thirty-year period, Measure W passed in 1996, will raise $7.5 billion, countywide, in parcel taxes to fund stormwater projects. Manhattan Beach property owners will pay over […]
Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue photo contest – $1,000 in prizes
The deadline is approaching for a photography contest whose sole subject is the Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue at the Manhattan Beach pier. Prizes include $1,000 in credit at Paul’s Photos. The contest is being hosted by the South Bay Boardriders Club, Paul’s Photo and Easy Reader. The statue was installed in August to commemorate […]
Letters to the Editor 11-23-23
Blue belt for men/women in blue Dear ER This is great (“Hermosa police train in martial arts,” ER November 16, 2023). Every law enforcement officer should be required to have at least a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. I guarantee you will see a huge decline in excessive use of force complaints. Kyle Thompson […]
It’s all beach volleyball, all July, even with no AVP Hermosa Open
by Kevin Cody The Hermosa Beach City Council wasn’t happy with the city staff’s proposed beach volleyball scheduling for 2024, 2025 and 2026. Nor were representatives of the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals), and the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). “We shoved all the events into July. It’s just too much. The public can’t get to […]
26th Annual Manhattan Beach Veterans Day Ceremony
Photos by Kevin Cody
Hermosa Beach police train in martial arts to protect public, arrestees and themselves
by Kevin Cody Shortly after Jon Sibbald joined the Hermosa Beach Police Department in 2002, the six-foot-tall, 200 pound officer found himself drawing on his martial arts training in situations where other officers used pepper spray, Tasers and batons. Sibbald trained in hapkido while at Redondo High, and subsequently trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. […]
Hermosa Beach honors veterans at Veterans are Timeless Memorial Sundial
Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Masey was joined by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi in leading a wreath-laying ceremony at the Veterans are Timeless Memorial Sundial at the Community Center on Veterans Day. Redondo Union High Marine ROTC cadets Rylie Hamilton, Delany Ferrero, Landon Silsby, and Rowan Bernberg opened the ceremony with a presentation of colors, followed by […]
Letters to the Editor 11-16-23
Without representation… Dear ER: The Citizens of Redondo Beach deserve the right to elect their City Attorney, who is independent of the City Council (“City attorney ballot decision moves ahead,” ER November 9, 2023). A City Attorney appointed by the City Council would be in the Council’s hip pocket. If he/she disagreed with the City […]
Becker Surf co-founder Dave Hollander led surfing through its retail ‘Golden Era’
by Kevin Cody Dave Hollander’s first surf job was at the Bing Surfboard factory on Surfboard Row (Cypress Avenue) in Hermosa Beach. The striking pinstriping work on the garage boards the 15-year-old had made had landed him the job. His mom, Joanne, dropped him off. When his mom picked him up at the end of […]
TK at heart of Hermosa’s State of the Schools
Photos and story by Kevin Cody “The Hermosa Beach School District should not exist. It’s too small. But try telling that to Hermosa Beach parents, and watch the claws come out,” Superintendent Jason Johnson observed during his State of the Schools address last Thursday, November 2, at the newly remodeled View School. He took the […]
Witches return for annual Halloween season paddle out
An estimated 200 witches, many enlisted by Michelle and Jeremy Godo Kiss’s Olympus Board shop, set off from the newly rebuilt King Harbor hand launch Sunday morning to bewitch boaters and spectators. The annual coven of stand-up paddlers was first convened four years ago by Erin Hanson, known on social media as Harbor Vibes. In […]
Winning rule keeps pumpkin carving contest alive
Stories and Photos by Kevin Cody Fifty Halloweens ago six ordinarily amiable neighbors on tree-lined 24th Place in Hermosa Beach got into a quarrel over who was the best pumpkin carver. Fearing the quarrel would end with smashed pumpkins, Dave Garret, a builder on the block, convinced his fellow pumpkin carvers to line up their […]