Awards honor Hermosa Beach’s emerging leaders
“South Park Moms” Arcadia Berjonneau, Jessica Guheen, Cammie Herbert and Beth Rohrer embrace while Jani Lange holds their Emerging Leader award. Photo
Surveying the crowd at Leadership Hermosa’s annual emerging leader awards ceremony, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) noted that the nominees represented much “of what makes Hermosa Beach so special.” Muratsuchi pointed out faces in the crowd, and mentioned following the quest of nominee Morgan Sliff to surf for 366 days in a year (and counting).
“Believe me, it made me want to be out there surfing, rather than working in Sacramento,” Muratsuchi joked.
Leadership Hermosa’s fourth annual Beach BALL (Bringing all Local Leaders together) made clear being a leader doesn’t have to mean doing something dull or boring. The event, held Saturday night at the Standing Room, honored those who have made promising contributions to Hermosa in three categories: adult, youth and business/nonprofit.
Although officially designated the 2016 awards, many of those nominated have long been involved in the community, and their contributions go beyond a single year. Among them, for example, was Gloria Cadena, who books jazz acts at the Lighthouse; Cadena, the mother of former Black Flag guitarist Dez Cadena, has been an advocate for jazz music in the city for over 40 years.
“Though you are nominated for this year, a lot of the things you have been doing have been going on for years,” said Mayor Hany Fangary, speaking of the nominees in general.
Casey Rohrer was named the winner in the youth category. Rohrer, a Mira Costa freshman with cerebral palsy, recently wrote and performed in a play, “Once Upon a Road Trip.” The play, which sold out its fall run at the Hermosa Community Theater, was inspired by a road trip he took when he was unable to use his Tobii, an eye tracking device that turns his movements into speech. At Saturday night’s ceremony, Rohrer addressed the crowd using his Tobii, and said he felt fortunate to be able to “explain what it’s like to be a kid like me.”
“There are so many talented youth in Hermosa. I’m honored to be among them,” Rohrer said.
In the adult category, Marie Rice took the honors. In addition to serving on the Planning Commission, Rice led the charge for Measure H, the Nov. 2015 ballot measure that boosted the transient occupancy tax levied on hotel rooms in the city by two percentage points.
“Measure H won an overwhelming victory. It now contributes about half-a-million dollars in revenue each year,” said Councilmember Stacey Armato, accepting on Rice’s behalf. With the H20 Hermosa hotel under construction, and the larger Strand & Pier project looming, that figure is expected to rise further.
From left, Councilmember Stacey Armato, HBPD Chief Sharon Papa, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi and Mayor Hany Fangary pose with the certificate honoring Marie Rice, winner in the adult category. Photo
The local business/nonprofit category produced a tie for the first time in awards’ history: the Hermosa Educational Renewal Operation (HERO), and the South Park Moms.
HERO, a community group founded after the defeat of school bond Measure Q in Nov. 2014, dedicated itself to providing information on education and school facility issues, and played a key role in the passage of Measure S in June of last year.
Measure S cleared the 55 percent margin required for school bonds, but engendered fierce opposition and ongoing debate. Addressing the measure, HERO co-founder Christine Tasto said the group worked to be inclusive, and was proud of its accomplishments.
“At the end of the day, we were happy we got the chance to do something really good for the community. We love you all,” Tasto said.
And the South Park Moms, a quartet consisting of Arcadia Berjonneau, Jessica Guheen, Cammie Herbert and Beth Rohrer, were honored for their decade-long effort to redesign and rebuild South Park as one of the first “universally accessible” parks in the county. The park opened in February of last year, with fundraising for Phase II still ongoing.
Rohrer credited son Casey, winner that evening in the youth category, and said that the park was now an example for green spaces up and down the West Coast.
It’s a real jewel, not just of the South Bay, but all of L.A.,” she said.
The awards are put on by Leadership Hermosa, a nonprofit organization designed to increase civic engagement. Each year’s class of participants selects and carries out a project intended to better the community. Last year’s class beautified utility boxes around town, covering them with images reflecting Hermosa’s history and culture.
Saturday’s winners will be honored and receive their official awards at the Hermosa City Council meeting on Feb. 14.