Some residents think Hermosa Beach enforces too many rules. Others think the city doesn’t enforce enough. Choosing when to be stern and when to use discretion is the tricky task the city has in front of it in the coming months.
The City Council hosted a study session devoted to code enforcement last week, revealing significant concern from both residents and elected officials about the way that the city’s lengthy collection of municipal ordinances are put into action.
The discussion came amid an ongoing effort to improve safety in the city’s downtown, and planned changes to the process for reviewing compliance by individual businesses. A City Council subcommittee focused on Pier Plaza is expected to deliver recommendations later this fall, while the Planning Commission will discuss the Conditional Use Permit review process at its meeting next week.
Among the immediate changes is the status of the private security officers deployed on weekend nights on Pier Plaza. When Hermosa Beach Police Chief Sharon Papa initially brought their placement up for consideration, they were characterized as temporary, with the chief indicating they would be phased out sometime after the busy Thanksgiving weekend. However, HBPD Lt. Landon Phillips told the council that they would be permanent, paid for at city expense. About 3,000 people can be in and around Pier Plaza on an average weekend, and the burden is just too great on existing department resources, Papa said.
Mayor pro tem Jeff Duclos decried the expense.
“Our police department is contracting private security people to keep downtown safe. It’s inappropriate and we shouldn’t be doing it. It should be a business responsibility,” Duclos said.
But many residents bemoaned the idea that the city was pursuing what they characterized as inconsequential violations, costing both money and resources that could be better deployed elsewhere.
Luis Duran, a Hermosa resident who works for the County of Los Angeles with the Department of Regional Planning, said that he was dismayed at the prospect of the city pursuing enhanced code enforcement against bars and restaurants while other issues, like out-of-code construction sites, remain unaddressed.
“You’ve got bigger issues than hiring code enforcement to stop someone from having an extra beer at Sharkeez,” Duran said.
Other speakers included members of CrossFit studios who complained about not being allowed run outside during exercise classes. And several residents recalled attending or attempting to organize bar- or restaurant-based events, like a comedy or trivia night, that were shut down due to a lack of permits.
Staff disputed the characterization of code enforcement as a roving commission of measuring sticks and decibel meters, noting that it was policy to provide warnings, and that many of the citations issued stemmed from complaints from other residents. The city has two officers devoted to general code enforcement. (An additional employee works on building code issues, and another on fire inspection.)
“You have to realize, someone’s fun or fitness impacts someone else’s quality of life,” said Community Development Director Ken Robertson.
But, in line with a “broken windows” view of public safety, some on the council see a connection between smaller violations and more serious incidents. Councilmember Stacey Armato, who along with Mayor Justin Massey sits on the council subcommittee devoted to downtown safety, said that she was troubled by what she characterized as an increase in violent crime on Pier Plaza, including an incident last November in which an officer broke his arm after being shoved during a pursuit of a suspect.
These incidents, Armato said, not only impacted the city’s reputation for safety, but the bottom line of its budget.
“These issues have cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements and disability payments. And that’s all being paid for with tax dollars,” she said.
