Chang brings International Flamenco Festival with piano to Redondo
by Laila Freeman/JAI The powerful rhythmic strumming of Flamenco guitars, the stamping of boots, the clapping of hands, the pounding of piano keys. Wait a second. Piano? “I think people are going to be really shocked when they see a piano player opening the show,” said Mitchell Chang, producer of the Los Angeles International Flamenco […]
Geofencing proposed to stop speeding on Hermosa Beach Strand
by Kevin Cody Geofencing e-bike rentals was among the options for slowing e-bikes on The Strand that the Hermosa City Council discussed at a special council meeting on Thursday, February 15. Mayor Justin Massey and Councilman Raymond Jackson also suggested banning e-bikes altogether on The Strand and Pier Plaza. The ban was opposed by Councilmember […]
Police Beat: Manhattan Beach Macy’s hit, BevMo burglars caught, Hermosa white collar crime, more car burglaries in Redondo
Manhattan apprehends retail robbers The Manhattan Beach Police Department dealt with multiple retail thefts earlier this month, including two incidents at the Macy’s, one of which involved juvenile suspects. On Feb. 15, MBPD officers responded to a call regarding a theft in progress at Macy’s involving six juvenile suspects. When MBPD officers arrived on scene, […]
Ching wins first place twice at Lanakila Outrigger Club Classic in King Harbor
Photos by Ken Pagliaro (Ken Pagliaro.com) Nearly 200 paddlers competed in the Lanakila Classic 2024 on Saturday, February 24, at Seaside Lagoon in King Harbor. Lanakila coach Danny Ching placed first in both the 10-mile outrigger canoe and surfski race, and in the 5 Mile stand-up and prone race. The first place woman finisher in […]
Surfing Santa, surf camp director Vince Ray remembered with paddleout at Hermosa Beach pier
As director of the Hermosa Surf Camp from 1991 to 2024, Vince Ray shared the stoke of surfing with more groms than anyone else in South Bay history. Each summer over 400 kids attended his camp in front of the 10th Street lifeguard tower, just south of the Hermosa Beach pier. Kids learned not only […]
‘Measure twice, pay once’ at center of Hermosa Council debate over new or renovated Civic Center
by Kevin Cody Plans for a new or upgraded Hermosa Beach Civic Center moved forward at a special meeting of the city council on Thursday, February 15. After a two hour discussion, the council voted 3 to 2 to hire a development consultant, and a community engagement consultant for the project. The divided council also […]
Manhattan Beach’s Purcell, Lamb claim top two spots in the inaugural Todos Santos Thriller at Killers Big Wave Contest
by Ed Solt Photos by Ryan Versfelt Manhattan Beach big wave surfers Cody Purcell and Nic Lamb took first and second place at the inaugural Todos Santos Island Thriller at Killers big wave contest on Sunday, February 18. Todos Santos is an island 12 miles off of Ensenada. The deep wave spot only breaks a […]
Hermosa Beach Bank of America closes. Future use of century old bank building unknown
by Kevin Cody What appeared to be graffiti artists tagging the downtown Hermosa Beach Bank of America Wednesday morning were actually Sunset Sign workers hired to remove the bank’s signs. Their black spray can paint was meant to cover up all vestiges of the Bank of America name, a worker said. The building, which has […]
Civic center, sales tax, e-bikes, permit fees, public comments all in a night’s work for Hermosa Beach Council [UPDATE]
by Kevin Cody A new civic center, a new sales tax, a new e-bike ordinance, new Conditional Use Permit fees, and new public comment guidelines are all on the agenda for a special Hermosa Beach Council meeting to be held Thursday, February 15. Community input sought on new civic center At top of the Thursday, […]
Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand leaves big shoes to fill. And we must.
by Bob Pinzler It is ironic that Bill Brand, the Mayor of Redondo Beach who died over this last weekend, got his start fighting a project called “Heart of the City.” To many, he was exactly that heart, giving years of his life, including those when valiantly fighting the cancer that ultimately killed him, to […]
Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand: His public service in photos
Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand passed away Friday, February 9, following a four-year battle with stage four lung cancer. He was 65. According to a statement from the City of Redondo Beach, he died at home surrounded by his wife, Diedre, and family and friends after a “sudden turn of health” in the few days […]
Dodgers chill at Manhattan Beach Polar Bear Swim [Updated]
Photos by Steve Zaw by Kevin Cody A new Manhattan Beach community signature event, and a new Los Angeles Dodgers team building exercise were introduced Sunday morning, February 3, at the Manhattan pier with the advent of the First Annual CT3 Foundation Polar Bear Swim. Nearly two dozen Dodgers players, and coaches, participated in the […]
Plein air artist Tom Redfield exhibit at Easy Reader
An exhibit by Peninsula artist Thomas Hunter Redfield will feature his plein air work, much of it painted along the Peninsula coastline. The exhibit will also include his painted cigar boxes, with scenes from his travels around the country. The exhibit opens Saturday, February 3, at the Easy Reader/Peninsula magazine office. 5 p.m. to 8 […]
Hermosa Person of the Year presented posthumously to Kevin Sousa
by Kevin Cody This year’s Hermosa Beach Person of the Year Award, for the first time since the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce created the award in 1959, was awarded posthumously. The award was accepted by psychologist and Shock Boxx Gallery owner Mike Collins on behalf of Hermosa therapist Kevin Sousa. In addition to a […]
Woman found on beach, near water’s edge, by Manhattan Beach Pier
Los Angeles County Lifeguards recovered the body of a woman this morning, Friday, Jauary 26, on the sand, near the ocean waterline, a block north of the Manhattan Beach Pier. The woman had been staying with two male friends at a rental in the 2300 block of The Strand, according to a neighbor. Manhattan Beach […]
Hermosa schools financially healthy, relatively speaking
by Kevin Cody The Hermosa Beach City School District (HBCSD) is financially healthy by comparison to neighboring school districts. Its REU (Reserve for Economic Uncertainty) is 26%, well above the 3% the State requires, according to a budget update presented to the school board last month by HBCSD Business Manager Paula Montalbo The Redondo […]