Hermosa Beach Council candidate Sheil wants homeless helped
by Kevin Cody Brian Sheil pulled open his sports jacket to show he was wearing a black and white referee’s shirt when he introduced himself at a recent Hermosa Beach City Council Candidates Forum, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. “If you saw the last council meeting, you know the council needs a referee,” he […]
Hermosa Beach Council candidate Keegan wants course change
by Kevin Cody One of the most intractable problems in city government, and not only in Hermosa, is agonizingly long city council meetings. Council candidate after council candidate has promised to end meetings by 10 p.m. only to fail. Hermosa Beach City Council candidate Michael Keegan, a 38-year resident, and founder of Manhattan Bread and […]
Hermosa School Board candidate Shah stresses creativity
by Kevin Cody Vasudev “Dev” Shah grew up in Bombay, India. At 19, he received a scholarship to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He received his doctorate in mathematics and computer sciences at the University of California, Riverside. Shah currently oversees a $200 million website division of Amazon. He is running for one of […]
Hermosa Beach Council Candidate Lange brings Hermosa ‘cred’
by Kevin Cody Shortly after being appointed to the Hermosa Beach Parks and Recreation Committee 10 years ago, Jani (pronounced Yani) Lange took on “re-envisioning” the Hermosa Beach Surfers Walk of Fame induction ceremony. He invited 40 leaders from the surf community to bring their ideas to a meeting in the Hermosa Council Chambers. The […]
Letters to the Editor 10-10-24
Taxes for bricks Dear ER: I’m a 27-year resident of Manhattan Beach, and I am in favor of Measure RLS for our public schools. RLS is a $200 million bond measure. Unlike parcel taxes, which fund teacher’s salaries, bond measures can only be used on “bricks and mortar,” such as school facilities. RLS replaces existing […]
North Redondo Beach Business Association (NRBBA) Dine Around Artesia 2024
Letters to the Editor 10-3-24
Fire department rescue Dear ER: In April 12, 2024, Citygate Fire & EMS delivered a “Deployment and Organizational Analysis” of the Redondo Beach Fire Department to the City Council. Taxpayers funded this top down, inside-out evaluation of our fire department in response to resident calls to preserve local control over RBFD. In a 125-page report […]
Letters to the Editor 9-26-24
Fuel on Measure Dear ER: Redondo Councilmembers Zein Obagi and Todd Loewenstein are deliberately minimizing the average yearly property tax lien assessment on my home for the unknown cost of two new fire stations and a new police facility. Getting re-elected in March 2025 has entered their head space and they want voters to pass […]
Hermosa Beach 9-11 Wreath Laying Ceremony
photos by Kevin Cody
Letters to the Editor: HB press policy, bonds away
Personal politics Dear ER: At a recent City Council meeting, Councilmembers Raymond Jackson’s and Justin Massey’s behavior took a regrettable turn during a debate over the City Communications Plan, a policy that aims to streamline how Hermosa Beach handles media relations. Their critique wasn’t just directed at the policy itself but devolved into personal attacks […]
Election 2024: Measure HB sales tax increase divides current, former leaders
by Kevin Cody Current and past political leaders are taking opposing positions on Measure HB, on the November 5 ballot. The measure would add a 3/4% local sales tax to the current 9.5% sales tax. In February, the City Council voted, four to one, to ask voter approval of a 3/4% Transaction and Use Tax […]
Election 2024: Bond promises Hermosa Valley School science labs, athletic facilities, safety
by Kevin Cody Measure HV, the $28.7 million Hermosa Beach school bond on the November 5 ballot, was foremost among the subjects school leaders wanted to talk about to parents gathered in the bowl at Hermosa Vista School’s Back To School night last Thursday, August 5. But they couldn’t because political campaigning on school campuses […]
Hermosa Open volleyball tournament an old-school Olympian effort
by Kevin Cody One month after returning home to Hermosa Beach from the Paris Olympics, beach volleyball Olympians Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng, and Chase Budinger, and Miles Evans, brought home first place honors from the Hermosa Beach Open. It wasn’t the AVP Hermosa Open. It was an old-school Hermosa Open with fans cheering courtside, […]
Letters to the Editor 9-12-24
Champagne harbor Dear ER: Tear down an existing revenue generating business for a non revenue generating, $25 million dollar boondoggle that no one in Redondo wants (“Redondo Beach boat launch could mean teardown of restaurant,” ER September 5, 2024). That makes no sense. As a Redondo Beach homeowner and taxpayer, I don’t want a dime […]
Hermosa Beach second short term rental (STVR) fine waived, enforcement ongoing
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach will continue to enforce its ban on Short Term Vacation Rentals (STVRs) in the residential coastal zone despite agreeing to refund $8,000 in fines to two property owners cited for violating the ban, city officials said this week. The refunds followed appeals of the citations upheld by city administrative hearing […]
Letters to the Editor 9-5-24
Pool of trouble Dear ER: Public-private partnerships are nothing new. Usually, this is because the private entity is so enormously wealthy (billions) that the risk to public funds, where taxpayers are the investors, is minimal given the potential return on investment. However, this is not the case with Manhattan Beach’s proposed, $40 million pool project, […]