Business & Economy

by Garth Meyer In a matter of “ordinance housekeeping” as described by Redondo Beach City Manager Mike Witzansky, the city council Tuesday voted 5-0 to move forward to establish a faster permit process to install electric vehicle charging stations.  The action is the latest step for a 2015 state law that requires local jurisdictions to […]

by Gavin Heaney They took the stage unceremoniously, shadows in the dim smokey light. A rumbling bass dangerously starts in and its pulsing persistence quickens as primitive, pounding drums escalate the adrenaline. After an inordinately long intro, electric guitar comes scraping in with distorted, discordant swirls, chaotically adding dissonance to the deadly rhythm. Black Flag […]

by Mark McDermott    The Seeds of Knowledge, an art installation on Metlox Plaza that recognizes lifetime contributors to the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, added 13 new honorees at a ceremony in December.  MBEF Endowment president Roger Spencer that the “extraordinary generosity” of the donors, each who have contributed at least $100,000.   “It’s because of […]

On November 15, Madrecitas hosted a vibrant and festive Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser at the San Pedro Elks Lodge. Guests dressed in their finest purple and gold gilded apparel along with “Colombina” styled half masks decorated with feathers, crystals, gold and silver. Dinner was served followed by a jazz ensemble and dancing. Silent and live auctions […]

Lil’ Redondo restaurant named #1 Vegan in U.S.  Top Honors: Gourmets all over the world now know about ‘lil Vegerie, the tiny takeout-only cafe located in a Redondo strip mall on PCH. That’s because they were declared the #1 vegan restaurant in America in the October 24 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. The honor […]

City reaches “Functional Zero” homelessness “Functional Zero” means, for a given area, the number of homeless people placed in housing (interim or permanent) is higher than the number who become homeless in a six-month period. The South Bay Cities Council of Governments deemed that Redondo Beach reached the mark in 2024.  It is the first […]

by Kevin Cody Michael Keegan’s replacement of Justin Massey on the Hermosa Beach City Council, following the November 5 election, portends a change in the council’s direction.  Massey advanced a progressive agenda with majority support from fellow council members Mike Detoy and Raymond Jackson. But Massey did not seek reelection to a third term in […]

We started the year gazing out at the Mexico border from a pier three miles away in Imperial Beach, California and ended with another Photowalks expedition to glorious San Francisco. Along the way, hello Tijuana, Sicily and Barcelona, the West (Heber and Park City, Utah, Cody, Wyoming, Bozeman, MT and Victor, Idaho) a return to […]

by Bondo Wyszpolski With both sets of grandparents living on the Peninsula, James North was able to attend PV schools, and in 2009 he graduated from Peninsula High along with two fellow classmates, Ryan Patrick Brown and Austan Wheeler. Both would later star in North’s feature-length film, “Filthy Animals.” It’s a stunning debut, but edgy […]

by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council moved forward Tuesday night in its effort to open two cannabis stores in town, on a 4-1 vote. Councilman Scott Behrendt’s “no” came with the request that no stores appear on Artesia Boulevard between Aviation and Inglewood Avenues. He said it was a “red line” for him, […]

“The Count of Monte Cristo,” a new edition of this oft-told tale, adapted and directed by the team of Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellèreof, is a sweepingly romantic adventure full to overflowing with love, hate, greed, betrayal, revenge and resurrection. The villains are painted in the blackest blacks, but what makes it most […]

by Bondo Wyszpolski It’s largely in the presentation, and early this past November, when VEFA Gallery opened to the public, the presentation was well-nigh perfect. The acronym stands for Visual Effects Fine Art, and the spacious standalone on Hawthorne Blvd, across from Del Amo Mall in Torrance, is suddenly the most dazzling art venue in […]