Class in session: Complex ‘Seminar’ opens at Hermosa Beach’s Second Story Theater this weekend
By Ryan McDonald You can throw a kid in detention, but the reluctant adult learner is the real troublemaker. Those under 16, after all, don’t have much say about showing up for class. It’s later, as learning becomes a matter of greater choice and greater expense, that we start to wonder why we should listen […]
Award show coming to Hermosa sand
Between five and ten thousand teenagers are expected to deliriously scream for their favorite musicians and movie stars in the shadow of the Hermosa Beach Pier later this summer, with the city inking a deal to host the Teen Choice Awards. At a special meeting last Friday, Hermosa’s City Council approved a location agreement allowing […]
Manhattan Beach About Town
Hersman takes helm Nancy Hersman became mayor at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, taking the reins from Councilperson Steve Napolitano. Hersman is serving her first term on council. She praised Napolitano, a Manhattan Beach native, as “a tough guy to follow” especially given that her 20 years in town make her relatively new. “You know […]
Density Bonus: Can the South Bay learn to love more housing?
Second of two parts In the past year, South Bay residents have appeared at City Council meetings and invoked “density” as reason for concern over, among many other things, outdoor dining, commercial truck delivery schedules, and a proposed slackline park on the beach. None of these would have increased the number of people living in […]
City to christen bikeway to honor beloved cycling advocate
Julian Katz won’t be there when Hermosa Beach holds a dedication ceremony downtown next Thursday for the bikeway that now bears his name: he passed away last year due to complications from prostate cancer. But even if Katz were there, those who knew him best say he likely wouldn’t spend much time basking in the […]
State withdraws $3 million grant
The State of California has withdrawn a grant of more than $3 million that Hermosa Beach and other South Bay cities had planned to use to clean up water quality at local beaches, after opposition from South Hermosa residents blocked the project for which it was intended. The decision came last week in a letter […]
The house that baseball built
Appearing at Pages this weekend, architecture critic Paul Goldberger sets his sights on the national pastime with ‘Ballpark’ By Ryan McDonald Don DeLillo’s “Underworld” wraps the story of the second half of the 20th century around the seams of one of the world’s most famous baseballs: the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” Bobby Thompson’s famous […]
Remember the Alamo? Controversial state legislation forces hard look at South Bay housing
First of two parts By Ryan McDonald Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand keeps a well-worn piece of paper in his pocket. He pulls it out and unfolds it when he talks about housing, which, these days, is often. On the paper is a long, hand-written list of pending state legislation that would change the balance […]
Pursuit ends when truck crashes into duplex garage
A North Hermosa Beach home sustained major damage early Tuesday morning when a truck pursued by police officers crashed into its garage. No one was hurt in the crash, but two suspects were arrested on suspicion of felony evading arrest and other charges, police said. The pursuit began about 1:15 a.m. in Manhattan Beach […]
Eighth Street fixes to start in June
Hermosa Beach has chosen a contractor for a long-awaited Eighth Street improvement project, setting the stage for sidewalk fixes that have been years in the making. The council approved a $714,000 contract with Gentry General Engineering last week. The project will upgrade sidewalks along Eighth between Valley Drive and Hermosa Avenue to make them compliant […]
Hermosa Beach About Town
HBCSD head honored Superintendent Pat Escalante of the Hermosa Beach City School District was named a Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators, the district announced last week. The administrators organization, founded in 1971, is an advocacy group for public school students throughout the state, and has more than 17,000 members. […]
Slackliners face tightrope walk in quest for dedicated park
Before they can test their balance in a park of their own, Hermosa Beach slackliners will have to walk a line even narrower than the ones they cross for fun: local politics. Hermosa’s Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Board gathered information last week about slacklining and the possibility of creating a permanent park […]
Hermosa police help arrest AZ murder suspects
Hermosa Beach Police Officer Brent Zuber was on the beat in south Hermosa last Monday when he saw a young boy with a dog. The officer’s willingness to listen to that boy, police say, may have helped unravel a murder case. The boy had apparently traveled to the South Bay with Mesa, […]
Morris gets laughs from ‘Damage’
Keith Morris holds court at the Hermosa Museum Friday night in front of posters advertising shows that he played in as a member of Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. Morris started the evening by singing from memory the alma mater of Pier Avenue School, which once occupied the building where the Community Center […]
Manhattan Beach About Town
‘Editor’ author to Pages Steven Rowley, author of the lauded 2016 novel “Lilly and the Octopus,” will be coming to Pages bookstore tonight, to talk about his latest novel “The Editor,” which pairs a writer seeking his big break with Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis as an editor. Rowley, who for years tried to break into screenwriting […]
Hermosa Beach About Town
GWPOP focuses on youth Head down to the Hermosa Pier on Saturday, and you may be in for a rare sight: teenagers and 20-somethings turning off their cell phones. They’ll be attending Good World Power of Peace, an ambitious and diverse slate of events featuring food, music, yoga, and lyceum-style discussions about issues important to […]