Hermosa Beach Election 2022: Commissioner Saemann says ‘Yes’ to rooftop dining, ‘No’ to M
by Dan Blackburn
Rob Saemann has an idea that might revolutionize outdoor dining in downtown Hermosa Beach.
The candidate for one of three open seats on the Hermosa Beach City Council on the November 8 ballot, Saemann has proposed that restaurants be allowed to create rooftop dining of the kind found in many, often larger, cities.
The longtime member of Hermosa Beach’s Planning Commission is taking his first shot at elected office, and promises to bring “fresh ideas” to the panel if elected.
“I proposed rooftop dining” at a recent commission meeting, he said, and the reception was “very encouraging.”
Saemann, along with five fellow candidates, opposes a proposed city sales tax of .075 cents.
“That might not sound like much, but honestly, that means a lot of money when you buy something like appliances or a car,” he said. “People say, ‘Visitors will be paying most of it.’ Not true; we’ll be paying it year around. I think we should spend the money that we have more wisely than we are now, and not increase the tax. Our city makes plenty of money.”
“We need to look at what we’re spending our money on. Consultants and surveys and studies that cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s far too much money to spend on these things. And that money will pay for new services.”
City officials have been critical of a so-called “downtown liquor problem,” requiring additional police resources in certain areas at night. Saemann thinks the issue is overstated.
“I don’t think people for the most part are that aware of it, to be honest with you. It’s (a situation) that has come and gone a bunch of times and maybe it’s back again. When you have too many people in a room and you can’t control that, you can’t see who’s drinking and so on. And that needs to be fixed.”
He noted bars and restaurants are bound by conditional use permits (CUPs), which can be used to enforce rules. Also, he added, better communication between business owners and city officials will “help work out something and get it done.”
The candidate “is very much against Measure M” (to allow marijuana sales in the city.)
“This is an initiative that was not written by the city. It’s the same initiative that’s up before Redondo, and Manhattan, and a number of other cities. This is written by the cannabis industry, and it’s slanted toward them. That’s the problem. This initiative is a terrible thing for our city. If you want to buy pot, you could drive 5 minutes or 10 minutes outside Hermosa Beach, and buy it and bring it home, and use it at home. That’s the law.”
But, he said, “Without a CUP, we have nothing, we have no real control over these businesses. And I think that’s critical. So I’m urging people to say no on Measure M.”
Saemann said he “wasn’t sure” why Hermosa Beach has a bigger problem with homeless populations than other cities, and he cited Beverly Hills as an example.
“They’re almost five times as large as us and we have the same number of homeless,” he said. “How do they do that? What do they do? In our town, we have two programs that work really well.”
Saemann said his motives for running for council are simple: “I care about this city. I love this city. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent nine and one half years of my life working on different commissions. I’m against overdevelopment. I’m very much against state overreach.” ER