Rickety ramp

Dear ER:

I’m writing as a longtime resident seeking help in understanding what’s happening to the pedestrian beach access ramp at Avenue A and the Esplanade in Redondo Beach. The  temporary wood fence is rotting, the concrete is deteriorating and the old lead paint is peeling and baking in the sun. Talk about a biohazard. All this exists while eco-friendly volunteers work tirelessly to encourage native plant growth in the area. 

Fred Koch

Redondo Beach

No confidence vote

Dear ER:

In response to Marie Puterbough’s letter last week, if the Beach Cities Health District is so important to the community, why did the November 5 Bond Measure BC fall 20 points short of the vote needed for approval. (“Letters to the Editor, The popular vote winner,” ER August 12, 2024)? Measure BC needed two-thirds approval, but received only 47% of the votes. Voters were well aware that Measure BC was funding for an allcove building and preparation of the campus for PMB, a private developer. The electorate rejected both the funding and the plans to build an allcove building and to turn over three acres for 95 years to a private developer.  

Mark Nelson

Redondo Beach

‘Tis the season

Dear ER:

As an L.A. County Commissioner, a former two-term Manhattan Beach Mayor and a longtime community volunteer, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all public safety responders, health care workers and volunteers serving our community. I know firsthand how they improve our residents’ quality of life and public safety, especially during the holidays. I encourage everyone to volunteer your time and resources to our many outstanding community organizations and our exemplary schools. Also, please patronize our local, independent businesses and restaurants, especially those that support our community organizations and schools. 

Wayne Powell

Manhattan Beach

Green washing

Dear ER:

The non-profit Keep The Esplanade Beautiful was named by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce the Non-Profit Profit of the year. Three of its board members are running for office in the Redondo Beach March 2025 election. Perhaps one of these candidates can enlighten the public with answers to these three questions: 1. How much money has Keep The Esplanade Beautiful raised each year, for the last 8 years? 2. How was the money spent? 3. Besides picking up trash, what else does Keep The Esplanade Beautiful do?  

Wayne Craig

Redondo Beach 

Surfer archive

Dear ER:

I’m an 88 year-old, longtime surfer who grew up in Los Angeles and raised my family in Malibu (“Memories of Hermosa Beach pioneer surfer and surfboard builder Hap Jacobs,” by Mike Purpus. ER December 20, 2021). During my Sunday visits with my daughter and her husband in Manhattan Beach, I enjoy reading the Beach Reporter and Easy Reader. Your article this week brought back fond memories of buying my first very board from Hap Jacobs, which happened to be his personal surfboard. Having  “picked up water,” it was heavy and slow. To close the deal, Dale Velzey, Hap’s partner, took me across the street from their shop on Ocean Boulevard in Venice and had me paddle in the oil slough. There were oil derricks there in those days. It was the ‘50s long before the EPA. When Dale was satisfied it would float and I could catch a wave on “the sinker,” I coughed up the cash. I surfed that board for the next 2 years and surfed for the next 30. I’ve sure learned a lot since.

Tom Mead

Malibu

Sand Box

A city of ‘New,” or “No”

Dear ER:

Often in life, we are content when people are simply “doing their jobs.” But every so often, it becomes clear that “just doing the job” isn’t enough to meet the moment. Right now, Hermosa Beach has an opportunity to shape Hermosa Beach’s downtown for the next 30 years—a time when many of us will no longer be here, but when the decisions we make today will profoundly affect future generations. This is not the time for arbitrary restrictions or an overly cautious approach that could stifle the vibrant character and economic potential of our beloved city.

As I read through the December 16 City Staff events report to the Planning Commission, and its suggested policies—such as prohibiting amplified music or speech at events and restricting minor special events on major holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and the Fourth of July—I cannot help but question the tone of these proposals. 

The report proposes the following restriction for temporary entertainment permits: “No music or speaking shall be amplified at any time and event noise cannot be audible at the property line.”

They appear to reflect a mindset of limitation rather than innovation, one that runs contrary to the guiding principles of the city’s general plan, Plan Hermosa.

Plan Hermosa reminds us to “be a catalyst for innovation,” to embrace a balance of economy, environment, and community through a sustainability lens, and to cultivate a business culture of creativity and environmental stewardship. It challenges us to take forward-thinking approaches that anticipate future lifestyles and trends. Yet these proposed restrictions seem to move in the opposite direction, limiting the very vibrancy and creative spirit that make Hermosa Beach unique.

Restrictions like these are not just minor policy decisions. They are defining choices about what kind of city we want to become. Will Hermosa Beach be a place that attracts entrepreneurs, artists, and forward-thinking residents, or will it become a city of “no”—a place where innovation and cultural vitality are constrained by excessive rules?

I urge Hermosa’s leaders to lean into the vision of Plan Hermosa and resist unnecessary limits. Let us honor the principles of sustainability and innovation by fostering policies that support local businesses, celebrate our unique culture, and invite economic and creative growth.

Let us ensure that those who inherit Hermosa Beach look back and see a legacy of bold, thoughtful leadership rather than hesitation or fear. Let us be the city that says “yes” to opportunity, creativity, and the future we all want to see.

By inviting open dialogue, we can better evaluate whether these policies align with the community’s best interests, now and the future.

Ed Hart is a downtown Hermosa Beach business and property owner.