Hermosa Beach City Manager resigns, council left to mend cultural divide
by Kevin Cody During a late January Hermosa Beach City Council meeting, City Manager Suja Lowenthal interrupted an exchange between Mayor Dean Francois and Councilmember Rob Saemann about the proposed new civic center. “Would it be okay if I addressed some concerns Mayor Pro Tem Saemann raised….? Perhaps I can just add some perspective,” Lowenthal […]
Letters to the Editor 5-15-25
Requiem for a heavyweight Dear ER: There is a troubling shift in Hermosa Beach, a city I am proud to represent and call home. As we are seeing at the national level, our political climate has become toxic, poisoned by misinformation, racism, and personal attacks. No one locally has borne the unfair brunt of this […]
Letters to the Editor 5-8-25
Dial HB Dear ER: Thank you to the City of Hermosa Beach for providing the Dial-a-Text service for our seniors. This service is a blessing and is administered very well. Please even consider expending the areas to which the services apply. My elderly father would welcome not having to wait quite so long for pick-up […]
21st Annual Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame inductions span modern surfing history
by Kevin Cody The history of modern surfing, as seen from the perspective of Hermosa Beach, was on exhibit at the 21st Annual Hermosa Beach Surfers Walk of Fame inductions on Pier Plaza on Saturday, April 26. The first and oldest of this year’s four inductees was the underrecognized, hugely influential Tak Kawahara. Kawahara grew […]
Saemann named Hermosa Beach mayor amid challenges, controversies
by Kevin Cody Rob Saemann was a 15-year-old freshman at Lutheran High, near his home in the middle class community of Leimert Park, close to the Los Angeles Coliseum, when he first visited Hermosa Beach with classmates in 1963. “We went body surfing at the Pier and peeked inside the Insomniac Coffee House. I thought […]
Letters to the Editor 5-1-25
Speak out Dear ER: There’s something profoundly heartbreaking happening in our small Hermosa community—something that stands against the very values we all hold dear. I want to be very clear: this letter is not about personal attacks. City Manager Suja Lowenthan has always been kind and respectful toward me. This is not about her character. […]
Hermosa City Manager review triggers protest from civic leaders, staff, residents
by Kevin Cody The simmering divide between Hermosa Beach City Councilmembers who support, and who oppose City Manager Suja Lowenthal erupted with a public protest at Tuesday night’s special council meeting. The council chambers and chamber foyer were filled with over 100 city manager supporters, including city staff, school and religious leaders, and residents. Supporters […]
Hermosa Beach Mayor praises volunteers during State of the City
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach Mayor Dean Francois underscored his theme of “Connect, Collaborate and Celebrate” by honoring resident volunteers, and recognizing improved cooperation among his fellow councilmembers during his State of the City in the Community Theater on Thursday, April 10. The Mayor also praised the city staff for the progress they made over […]
Letters to the Editor 4-24-25
Don’t get Encinita-vized Dear ER: I grew up in Manhattan Beach, surfing, playing volleyball and living the California dream. I was lucky to live in a small-town beach community whose coastal charm set the tone for how generations have wanted to live their lives. Even though I now live in Encinitas, I attended the April […]
Hermosa Valley school trip to Museum of Tolerance becomes unplanned ‘learning moment’
by Kevin Cody Seven Hermosa Valley Middle School students were disciplined after what Valley Principal Jessica Bledsoe described in a February 20 letter to school parents as “inappropriate and disrespectful behavior both at the museum, and on the bus.” The incident during a field trip to the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance attracted little attention […]
Parker Herriott fought beachfront hotel, that is now Noble Park
by Kevin Cody Parker Herriott, a relentless Hermosa Beach activist credited with blocking hotel development on the Hermosa Beach Strand, on the site of the former Biltmore Hotel, passed away last week at 86 from natural causes. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Herriott led the fight against six City Council-supported general election ballot measures, […]
Letters to the Editor 4-17-25
Dias bias Dear ER: Re: March 25 City Council Meeting April 11, 2025 After hearing comments from Councilmember Raymond Jackson in the March 25 Hermosa Beach City Council meeting regarding my short-term rental ban lawsuit, I am compelled to respond to him (“Hermosa Beach signals intent to fight short-term rentals challenge,” ER March 27, 2025). […]
British Open winner’s trophy rises from Altadena fire ashes
by Kevin Cody Mo Martin won the 2014 Woman’s British Open in one of the most fabled finishes in the prestigious tournament’s four-decade history. The Redondo Beach resident began the final round at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England three shots behind, in a six-way tie for seventh. She finished the final round […]
Best of the Beach 2025 Dining & Entertainment
American BBQ Willingham 443 S Pacific Coast Hwy #A Redondo Beach (424) 390-4300 willinghambbq.com Asian Fusion RYLA 1220 Hermosa Avenue Hermosa Beach (424) 247-9881 eatryla.com Bar Food Shellback Tavern 116 Manhattan Beach Blvd Manhattan Beach (310) 376-7857 shellback-tavern.business.site Brunch Martha’s Hermosa Beach 25 22nd Street Hermosa Beach (310) 376-7786 marthashermosabeach.com Breakfast […]
Letters to the Editor 4-10-25
District border not a wall Dear ER: The primary service recipients of Beach Cities Health District, its programs, and its services have always been – and continue to be, now and in the future – the residents of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach (“Shing light in the district, ER Letters April 3, 2025). […]
Decoupling policy proposed to defuse pickleball disputes in Hermosa Beach
by Kevin Cody Tracey Tozser lives across the street from the Kelly Courts pickleball courts on Valley Drive in Hermosa Beach. By Tozser’s calculations, she hears 900 pickleball pops per hour, per court, every day except Sundays and Mondays when the courts are closed. “You do the math,” Tozser told the Hermosa Beach Parks and […]