Hermosa Beach Council to decide a new Surfer Walk of Fame location

by Alessandra Haddick

The Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame has been a source of pride for the community since the first inductions in 2003. That year, bronze plaques were installed on the pier to commemorate legendary surfers and surfboard builders Hap Jacobs, Greg Noll, Dale Velzy, Dewey Weber, Mike Purpus, Bing Copeland and Rick Stoner.

“The Walk of Fame is extraordinarily important,” Parks and Recreation Commissioner Barbara Ellman said. “It allows the surfers to be appreciated. Previously, people thought ‘What’s the big deal about surfing.’ Surfing is an important part of Hermosa history.”

But the Surfer Walk of Fame has also been problematic, not only because of the characteristic walk of fame controversies over who should, and shouldn’t be inducted.

One plaque is missing, and presumed stolen. Five that were loosened have been removed out of fear they would be stolen. And plaques for the most recent six inductees were never installed, for fear they would be stolen.

Another problem posed by the Walk of Fame, according to city officials, is the plaques compromise the pier’s structural integrity because their installation requires cutting shallow holes in the pier deck, which allow water to seep into and corrode the pier.

As a result, the Hermosa Beach City Council will discuss moving the Walk of Fame at its Tuesday, March 24 meeting.

“We have to figure it out,” Ellman said. “But it’s hard in this small little town for people to reach an agreement.”

The city staff has proposed placing plaques along the railing that run the length of the pier.

“I hate that idea,” said Spyder Surf owner and Surfer Walk of Fame inductee  Dennis Jarvis (SWOF 2015).

“The pier railings are like an iPad for taggers. Not to mention the fish guts that we already see on the railings,” Jarvis said.

“It’s called the Walk of Fame,” he said. “It deserves to be on a main thoroughfare, like Huntington Beach’s Surfer Walk of Fame, and the Hollywood Stars Walk of Fame.”

Jarvos proposed the plaques fan out from the Pier Plaza palm trees. He noted the Plaza already has plaques commemorating legendary musicians who performed at the Plaza’s Lighthouse Jazz Club.

Former Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jani Lange, who coordinates the Walk of Fame induction ceremony, proposed memorializing the inductees by inscribing their names on a wall at the foot of the pier.

Inductees Derek Levy (SWOF 2015) and Mike Balzer (SWOF 2024) believe the walk of fame should remain on the pier.

“When locals say, ‘They’re on the pier,’ everyone knows what that means. It means they’re in the Surfers Walk of Fame,” Levy said.

“The pier location is epic,” Levy added. “You’re standing over the ocean, looking at the surf. It’s great for tourists to walk out there and read about the exploits of local surfers.”

“The cool thing with being on the pier is you’re over the surf. If it gets moved somewhere else, if it’s just on land, I think that does change it a little bit,” Balzer said.

Lange said he hopes the City Council recognizes the significance of the Walk of Fame during its deliberations.

“With LA28 around the corner, we have an opportunity to tell the story of Los Angeles surfing. It’s important we do it properly,” Lange said.

This year’s Hermosa Surfer Walk of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday, August 25. The 2026 inductees are surfers Laurie Wilson, and Lonnie Argabright, surfers/shapers Tyler Hazikan and Pat Rawson, and surf artist (“Endless Summer”) John Van Hamersveld.

The Walk of Fame inductions will be followed in the afternoon by Spyder Fest, and on Sunday, April 26, by the Tower 12/SB Boardriders surf contest. ER