Posts by Kevin Cody
Walk of Fame Inductees: Browning, Balzer and Nuuihiwa
Professional surfer and filmmaker Greg Browning, action sports photographer Mike Balzer and professional surfer David Nuuihiwa will be inducted into the Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame on Saturday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at the Hermosa Beach pier. On Friday, April 26, the South Bay Boardriders Club will host a reception for…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor 4-25-24
Outdoor dining tip Dear ER: This is so wrong on so many levels. One sentence in the article entitled “Outdoor Dining Implementation Estimated up to $20 Million (the title alone should give pause) should be bothersome to all Manhattan Beach residents (ER April 18). It states “The City’s finance department suggested the costs of the…
Read MoreUniversal Language at Resin celebrates artists, musicians
by Francziska Steagall “Universal Language,” is an art exhibit and fundraiser for Indivisible Arts (IA), which offers youth creativity and mental health programs. Both youth and adult artists have created pieces for the exhibit based on the themes of love, awe, math, light, and frequency. Young artists will discuss the seven creative wisdom tools —…
Read MoreAloha: Among the South Bay Surf community losses
Waterman, businessman Don Guild Don Guild was a waterman and skier who helped pay his way through USC by diving for lobster and selling them to neighbors. He continued windsurfing and skiing into his late 80s. Guild passed away of natural causes at his Hermosa Beach home in March 2023, at age 95. Guild and…
Read MoreHermosa Surfer Walk of Fame photographer Mike Balzer
by Kevin Cody In 2001, Surfer’s Journal editor Steve Pezman invited Hermosa Beach surf photographer Mike Balzer to bring his portfolio to the magazine’s San Clemente office. The Surfer’s Journal founder and former Surfer magazine editor was planning a photo spread on South Bay surfers. But after viewing Balzer’s portfolio, Pezman spiked the idea. Pezman…
Read MorePro surfer, filmmaker Greg Browning to be inducted in Hermosa Surfer Walk of Fame
by Kevin Cody Greg Browning talks about the Redondo Breakwall with the knowledge and enthusiasm of an elite skier talking about his favorite mountain. Breakwall is where a 14-year-old Browning confronted his fear of big waves. It’s where he established himself as a member of surfing’s Momentum Generation, commemorated in the early ‘90s, groundbreaking Taylor…
Read MoreShort term vacation rental fines raised
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach property owners who illegally rent short term vacation rentals (STVRs) in the residential parking district (west of Morningside and Loma drives) could lose their residential parking permits, under a motion approved by a 4-1 vote at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Councilmember Raymond Jackson introduced the motion. Councilmember Dean Francois opposed…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor 4-11-24
Redo redux Dear ER: This story is so sad (“Gallery redo delayed,” ER March 28, 2024). No start up date after nearly eight years have passed since this project was first discussed. Ray Bennning Redondo Beach Not again Dear ER: I join earlier voices protesting the Hermosa Beach city manager forcing the local residents…
Read More‘Hound of Heaven’ visits OLG Easter Sunrise service
by Kevin Cody Our Lady of Guadalupe pastor Fr. Paul Gawlowski chose the divinity of Jesus Christ for his Easter Sunday sermon during sunrise Mass on the beach just south of the Hermosa Pier. The sermon might have been directed at skeptical Catholics who attend Mass only on Catholic holy days, such as Easter (Easter…
Read MoreIsley climbed the highest mountains, dove the deepest seas
by Kevin Cody In July, 2020, Paul Isley Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Its 19,341-foot elevation makes it the highest mountain on the African continent. At the summit, the wind-chill factor was 29 degrees below zero, Isley recalled. The Manhattan Beach resident thought of the climb as the biggest challenge of his life, until he returned home.…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor 4-4-24
Book money Dear ER: Manhattan Beach is one of few cities that doesn’t have its own city library. We have an LA County Library (“County”), owned and operated by the County. The City has an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the County for the operation, maintenance and payment of the debt service for the building…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor 3-28-24
Alta Vista tennis in a pickle Dear ER: As a 40-year resident and homeowner in Redondo Beach, and an active member of Alta Vista Tennis Community I support the expansion of pickleball courts, but not at the expense of tennis courts at Alta Vista. We need additional tennis courts at Alta Vista, not fewer. The…
Read MoreBest of the Beach Retail 2024
Men’s Clothing Spyder Surfboard shaper Dennis Jarvis, Spyder Beach people have their own style of dress, and Spyder Surf is one of the reasons. Surfing drives beach fashions and locally, Spyder drives surfing. Co-owner Dickie O’Reilly is the director of the South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association (SBSSA), composed of 11 local high school surf teams.…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor 3-21-24
Two-thirds, plus 1 Dear ER: Our sincere thanks go out to the community of Manhattan Beach for the renewal of Measure MB, the parcel tax measure which supports our local schools. Last week, the result settled with just over the required two-thirds supermajority, with only a trickle of votes left to count. The Yes on…
Read MoreLearned Lumber in Hermosa Beach: 100 years of gratitude
Learned Lumber builds on a foundation of relationships stretching back 100 years by Kevin Cody Michael Learned began mulling over selling the family lumber yard he had run for four decades to his employees in the early 2000s. He and his brother Rick and sister Lynn were third generation owners. Learned Lumber was founded 100…
Read MoreHermosa Beach Council averts culture clash, offers artist street sign license
by Kevin Cody In 2007, Hermosa Beach Public Works Supervisor Mike Flaherty gave artist Daniel Inez 20 Hermosa Beach street signs that the city was replacing. Inez sold the signs that year at the Hermosa Beach Fiesta for $20 each. Over the ensuing years, Hermosa Beach street signs became a signature element in Inez’s art,…
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