Councilman Howard Fishman said he will pursue smoking bans for outdoor dining, city parks and perhaps the Pier Plaza, renew a push to augment police with private security guards on the Plaza’s weekend nights, and seek funding to beautify Pacific Coast Highway and Aviation Boulevard, as he accepted Hermosa’s rotating mayoralty on Tuesday.
In an interview, Fishman said he was impressed with information on the dangers of second-hand smoke presented by Beach Cities Health District officials and others at a recent Town Hall meeting.
He said he wants to work with businesspeople to structure a ban on smoking in areas such as Pier Plaza restaurant patios, which stand on city-owned land that is leased by the businesses.
At the Town Hall, some concerns were raised about patrons moving their smoking off the patios and onto the common Plaza, littering it with butts, and Fishman said he would consider a smoking ban on the entire Plaza.
He said the City of Santa Monica bans smoking on its popular Promenade, and most area cities ban smoking in their parks, but Hermosa does not. Hermosa does ban beach smoking.
“To incrementally ban cigarette smoking, I think, is the right way to go,” he said at the council meeting.
Fishman also wants to resurrect his “Project Hush” plan, which would see private contractors patrolling the Plaza and guiding inebriated people to taxicabs. Residents have complained police officers are not in their neighborhoods because they must focus on the Plaza, Fishman said.
He acknowledged that Project Hush “didn’t get too much support” when he proposed it previously.
Fishman pledged to get funding for improvements on the busy and revenue-generating commercial corridors of Pacific Coast Highway and Aviation Boulevard, also the subject of a recent Town Hall meeting.
Proposals to spruce up the corridors include gateway signs welcoming people to Hermosa, and new lighting, landscaping and bus benches.
Some businesspeople in the area complain that they have been neglected as City Hall focused on building the Pier Plaza and then remade upper Pier Avenue.
Fishman said he also will concentrate on working with Councilman Peter Tucker to find ways to slow down motorists and reduce traffic congestion on narrow Prospect Avenue.
Residents have long complained that people speed along the north-south avenue and run its numerous stop signs. Police periodically stake out the avenue and write tickets.
Fishman said steps should be taken to encourage motorists to forego Prospect for PCH.
“Each of these goals is aimed at making improvements in our city that will have a direct impact on people’s lives and health,” Fishman said. “Working together, we can achieve these goals and ensure a better future for all who live and work in Hermosa Beach.”
At the same meeting, the council took a first step toward hiring an economics expert to study the city’s long-term pension costs. Councilman Kit Bobko proposed a formal discussion of the matter at a later meeting, and he was backed by Tucker and Councilman Michael DiVirgilio.
Three council members are needed to place a matter on an agenda for a future meeting, and no vote is taken. Fishman said hiring a consultant for $15,000 might not be necessary; he said the information Bobko seeks might be revealed in an annual audit the city must undergo.
