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by Dan Blackburn Two venerable and historic Palos Verdes Peninsula venues currently face threats that could result in their closures. Operators of the Norris Theater and its Performing Arts Conservatory are enmeshed in a dispute over parking at the Promenade Mall, and La Venta Inn owners are confronting neighborhood complaints about noise from wedding events. […]
by Dan Blackburn Council candidate Daniel Godwin doesn’t just oppose the proposed city sales tax increase, Measure B. He wrote the opposing ballot argument. A program manager, and major in the Air Force Reserve, Godwin seeks one of three vacant council seats with an effort to beat down Measure B, and a promise to “restore […]
by Dan Blackburn Jeff Raedy is a candidate for one of three vacant council seats who recognizes an eccentric, but vital, side to the community’s identity. “There are times when Hermosa Beach can be a little rough around the edges,” he said at a recent local candidate’s debate, “but jazz isn’t music that started in […]
by Dan Blackburn Rob Saemann has an idea that might revolutionize outdoor dining in downtown Hermosa Beach. The candidate for one of three open seats on the Hermosa Beach City Council on the November 8 ballot, Saemann has proposed that restaurants be allowed to create rooftop dining of the kind found in many, often larger, […]
by Dan Blackburn Hermosa Beach City Council member Ray Jackson has two primary objectives before him: earning reelection and pushing a new sales tax. Jackson captured his council seat vacated by Hany Fangary two years ago, besting four other candidates in a special election to serve the balance of Fangary’s term. Now the incumbent finds […]
by Dan Blackburn Four busy Hermosa Beach intersections soon will be under the gaze of local police officers, following City Council unanimous approval Tuesday of purchase and installation of automated license plate readers at the sites. The intersections are Pier Avenue at Valley Drive; Hermosa Avenue at 14th Street; Gould Avenue at Pacific Coast Highway; […]
by Dan Blackburn Accused killer Joshua Dirnu will remain in jail as he awaits trial for the beating death of Hermosa Beach resident Jeffery Woods last year, a Superior Court judge decided Monday, refusing to lower the suspect’s $1 million bail. Dirnu also was denied a bid to move his case out of Los Angeles […]
by Dan Blackburn An ongoing effort by the Hermosa Beach Police Department to identify local bars responsible for sending drunks onto the streets has been “largely ineffective,” according to the city commissioner who suggested the practice. Since 2017, officers arresting individuals for driving under the influence or drunk in public would ask where the arrestee […]
by Dan Blackburn Former Hermosa Beach City Council member Hany Fangary may be able to avoid or reduce the $24,000 penalty levied by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) for alleged campaign fund violations, following a decision Wednesday by the state panel to delay action on the assessment. The commission voted to continue the matter […]
by Dan Blackburn A $24,000 fine has been levied against former Hermosa Beach City Council member Hany Fangary, his wife Dina Fangary, and two funding committees by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), ending a years-long investigation. The FPPC “did not find any evidence that (the Fangarys) intended to conceal, deceive, or mislead the […]
by Dan Blackburn Hermosa Beach’s City Council decided to delay until May 10 a decision on the city’s response to a retail marijuana sales initiative until an ongoing community survey is completed. The survey, according to City Manager Suja Lowenthal, covers a variety of issues, one of which addresses the prevailing community view of allowing […]
by Dan Blackburn The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission held a special meeting last Wednesday to discuss a lengthy staff report on updating the city’s zoning ordinance. It was last updated in 2017. The commission will vote at a future date to send the proposal on to the city council for public hearings and possible implementation. […]