Parking lot drama, wedding crashers Parking dispute between Norris, Promenade; noise dispute between La Venta, neighbors

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.…

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Godwin wrote tax measure No argument 

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…

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Hermosa Beach Election 2022: Raedy wants HB lifestyle protected

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…

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Jeffery Woods’ suspect Joshua Dirnu bail not reduced

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…

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Drunks not reliable, Hermosa Beach city commissioner says, for naming where they drank

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…

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No harm intended, but Fangary still fined $24,000 by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)

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…

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The Hermosa Beach Cannabis Advisory group opposes cannabis sales, but if approved, wants tax 

by Dan Blackburn The Hermosa Beach Cannabis Advisory Group expressed unanimous opposition to an initiative on the November ballot that asks to legalize retail cannabis sales in Hermosa Hermosa Beach. The initiative, proposed by resident Colton Chacker, if approved by voters, would require the city to allow two cannabis retail stores. Hermosa currently bans marijuiana…

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