2050 land use update arrives at Redondo Beach city council
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council held the first of three public hearings on the General Plan Update Tuesday night, a seven years in the making revamp of the city’s “constitution.” Tuesday focused on land use, much of it about one particular piece of land, the Beach Cities Health District Campus, for which […]
DeLamare, Street win Dine N’ Surf’s annual Lobster Mobster 2024
by Garth Meyer A total of 149 SCUBA and free divers turned in lobsters on opening day of the 2024 season, Sept. 27, for Dive N’ Surf’s 48th annual “Lobster Mobster” contest. Prizes were given to the top three participants in each category. SCUBA diver Dave Delamare brought in the largest lobster at 14.7 pounds […]
About Town Redondo: Sea bass project, Muratsuchi bill, “Blessing of the Animals”
Sea bass grow-out project to resume in King Harbor The Redondo Beach city council voted Tuesday to approve a contract, not to exceed $67,000, for Coast Construction Group (Lancaster) to design and build a new grow-out facility for white sea bass in King Harbor – a project advocated by the Harbor Commission to return after […]
Author Matt Sterling, Mad Men in a wheelchair
Author Matt Sterling recalls navigating the challenging world of New York advertising, in a wheelchair by Garth Meyer Matt Sterling worked at LINTAS advertising in New York City. Its offices were in the One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza building, named for the second secretary general of the United Nations. Sterling was a young assistant media planner, […]
Peninsula dad Keith Murphy and the science of school bonds
CORRECTION: The original (print and online) version of this article stated that, if the bond passes, as well as State Proposition 2, then Palos Verdes Unified School District would be “earmarked” for $80 million in state matching funds. The correct term is “eligible for,” not “earmarked.” The $80+ million figure is according to a […]
Short film “Regarding Rose” shot in the South Bay hits the Silicon Film Festival
By Garth Meyer Past the Warren Beatty handprints and up two escalators, then a stairway, to a row of screening rooms at the former Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the Silicon Beach Film Festival continued Sept. 12 with a short film shot in the South Bay. The 33-minute “Regarding Rose” was written and directed by […]
Restaurateur-commissioned study questions Redondo Beach boat launch plans
by Garth Meyer Chris Bredeson is a co-owner of Captain Kidd’s and the new Riviera Mexican Cantina, just across the parking lot from each other in the section of the Redondo waterfront known as Mole D. This is where the city has proposed building a long-sought boat launch. Last month, city councilmembers approved the hiring […]
About Town: 33 Redondo Beach police officers hired, Coastal Cleanup, Bond forums
City hiring: 177 employees in past year, 33 sworn police officers Diane Strickfaden, Redondo Beach Human Resources Director, reports that, in the past year, 5,362 job applications were processed in the city, with 177 new employees hired. The city has a turnover rate of 12%, she said during a Sept. 10 strategic planning session. “In the […]
Mike Cook, Redondo Beach I.T., wi-fi projects proliferate
by Garth Meyer Mike Cook, Redondo Beach I.T. director, gave a report during city strategic planning last week. Wi-Fi was put into the community building at Wilderness Park, he said. “We’ve replaced every printer in the city, every copier, every iPad,” Cook added. He was hired for the city’s head I.T. job in May 2023 […]
BeachLife Nights to debut in October
By Garth Meyer BeachLife Festival organizers have announced BeachLife Nights, taking place Oct. 18-19 at Seaside Lagoon, a reggae-adjacent and barbecue event featuring Michael Franti, Spearhead and The English Beat, among six other acts. Chef Curtis Stone of West Hollywood’s Gwen restaurant and butcher shop will host a barbecue-tasting behind the main stage each night […]
Redondo Beach City Council closes in on rules for retail cannabis
by Garth Meyer In the eighth hour of the Redondo Beach city council meeting Tuesday night, the council concluded a discussion about how to license two cannabis stores, charting progress for what rules are used to evaluate applicants — company benchmarks, site distance from youth centers, tax rate, and which city entity hears appeals. What […]
ELECTION 2024: Redondo Beach city charter vote: allow school board pay or not?
by Garth Meyer Since 2005, Redondo Beach Unified School District board members have been receiving a stipend of $250 per month, even though the Redondo Beach City Charter states that boardmembers will serve “without compensation.” Measure SD would remove the prohibition against compensation from the city charter and allow the board, if it chooses, to […]
ELECTION 2024: Redondo Beach seeks $93 million for two new fire stations, police station
by Garth Meyer Redondo Beach voters will decide on Nov. 5 whether to approve a $93 million bond for two new fire stations, a new police station and refurbishment of the police annex. The annex – next to Redondo Union High School auditorium – is “office space,” as described by Police Chief Joe Hoffman to […]
ELECTION 2024: Redondo Unified seeks $278 million for facilities
by Garth Meyer A $278 million Redondo Unified School District facilities bond will go before voters Nov. 5. The school board voted in July to move ahead after months of study, including six special meetings. The bond’s main elements are $60 – $70 million to tear down the two-room “bingo building” at the high school, in […]
About Town Redondo: Pier vacancy interest, Muratsuchi book bill
City reports “lots of interest” in two Pier vacancies Greg Kapovich, Redondo Beach waterfront and economic development director, reports that the about-to-close Craig’s Hot Dog On a Stick should give way to a new tenant on the Pier. “Hey, not to worry, I don’t expect it to be vacant for long,” said Kapovich, describing what […]
Redondo Beach City Council: no ordinance needed for vacant properties
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council discussed vacant properties Aug. 20, part of a process for whether to add an ordinance on the subject to the city’s laws. Quality of Life Prosecutor Joy Ford laid out the current status. She told of the city’s watch list – for properties that get multiple reports […]