Jeff Duclos never imagined himself on the other side of the dais.
Duclos moved to Hermosa in 1979, and spent much of the next two decades in environmental activism. He grew up a surfer in San Diego, and wanted his kids to be able to enjoy an ocean with vibrant kelp beds and soaring sea birds. So he became deeply involved in the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, and often found himself at meetings of various local governments. But eventually, Duclos found another outlet for his energies.
“We were spending too much energy trying to change people’s opinions, as opposed to trying to replace them,” he said.
Years later, having won and lost Hermosa Beach City Council races, the same forces are powering his run for one of the two open seats in the Nov. 3 election.
Duclos first ran for city council ten years ago. In a crowded field of 11 candidates seeking three seats, he came up just short, the highest vote-getter not to get elected.
“I took it really hard; I saw it as a personal reflection of me,” Duclos said. “But I got over it, and said to myself, ‘I can get this.’”
He ran again, in 2009, this time winning a four-year term. Duclos used his time on the council to continue his push to protect the environment. When the Planning Commission was considering banning the use of herbicides on the entirety of the green belt, Duclos was instrumental in securing the commission’s approval, recalled Commissioner Michael Flaherty.
“He was very convincing,” Flaherty said. “He really spent time talking to me, not just walking around demanding things.”
But running for re-election in 2013, Duclos lost once again, this time falling short by seven votes.
At the time, Duclos said it would be his last race, no matter the outcome. He changed his mind, thanks in part to prodding from community activists.
One of those was Marie Rice, who is directing the effort to pass Measure H, the Transient Occupancy Tax that will also be on the November ballot. Rice said that the city council’s failure in April to put the initiative before voters convinced her that Duclos was needed. (The measure made it to the ballot through a subsequent signature-gathering drive,)
“His comments were dead-on,” Rice said. “He said, ‘It’s not your job to keep people from voting on something.’”
As with his first election, a sense that his voice was not being represented ultimately pushed Duclos back in.
“We should have a city government that we can trust, that listens, that reflects the best in us,” Duclos said.”ER
