Built it and they came
Dear ER:
In 1978, the Hermosa Beach School District sold the 4.7 acre Pier Avenue School to the city for $650,000. In exchange for selling the school for well below fair market value the city agreed to give the district the right of reentry for free for the next 50 years.
The school had 14 classrooms, a 500 seat auditorium, a gymnasium, tennis courts, and easy access to a baseball diamond and basketball courts. Today it is the Hermosa Beach Community Center. It sits virtually empty every school day.
The school district has never asked the city to reopen the school, according to Hermosa City Manager Tom Bakaly.
Certain mitigation measures may be needed to house students and to relocate some Community Center uses. However, it would cost much less than the $54 million bond the district is seeking to, in part, rebuild North School.
Chris Miller
El Segundo
Blow back
Dear ER,
E&B’s Amy Roth claims that the 1985 Ross for Less explosion in Los Angeles was caused by “decomposing organic matter” and that I failed to cite the source for my claim that the explosion was linked to drilling activities in the (Los Angeles) Salt Lake Oil field. (“Drilling down deeper,” ER Letters September 18, 2014).
She’s wrong on both counts.
My letter to the editor of September 4 cites the report titled Cause of the 1985 Ross Store Explosion and other Gas Ventings, Fairfax District, Los Angeles (1992). In it the authors, Douglas Hamilton, Principle Geologist, and Richard Meehan, Consulting Civil Engineer, reject biogenic gas as the cause of the explosion in favor of what they term the “oil field gas/intermittent fracture scenario,” which relates the explosion to drilling activities in the Salt Lake Oil field on which the oil island in question is located.
Roth failed to read my entire letter and she failed to examine the report I cited before taking me to task. I hope that kind of drilling down is not what she has in mind when she urges residents to “check the facts.”
George Schmeltzer
Hermosa Beach
Slogan economics
Dear Editor:
About 20 years ago, the Hermosa Beach City Council signed a contract with an oil company to drill for oil. At a later time, the council decided to back out of the deal. I’m not sure which deal was the smart choice because 20 years later we’re still fighting the same battle. In any event, the city finally figured out that it might lose the lawsuit and that could force it into bankruptcy. Hence, E&B arrived on the white horse to save the day, or so they thought. They fronted the money necessary to comply with the many environmental regulations on the chance that the voters would give them a shot at drilling on a postage stamp-size lot owned by the city in the industrial area of town. Yes, there are legitimate concerns with any operation involving extraction of oil. The BP oil spill in the Gulf is still fresh in our minds. “What if…” is always a possibility, but that doesn’t mean we should be paralyzed by fear. Let’s not be swayed by websites that show fireball explosions destroying our city and our beaches. I know that passions are running high and that our environment is important to all of us. “Pro- oil” does not mean “Anti-City.” This town runs on cash not platitudes. Being a “carbon neutral “ town is a great goal [maybe] but right now it’s a slogan and you can’t pay your bills and fix the streets and repair the sewer and storm drains with slogans.
Gary Brown
Hermosa Beach
Parking meter economy
Dear ER:
I am disappointed by the parliamentary maneuvering at September 9 Hermosa Beach city council meeting that derailed discussion of whether to raise taxes in Hermosa Beach. However, as a Machiavellian ploy it was first rate, so kudos.
Below I present one idea for increasing revenue in Hermosa Beach without raising property taxes.
Parking meters are currently $1.25 per hour. A fourfold increase raises this to the nice, round number of $5 per hour. The new annual parking income will be $14.4 million per year. A net increase of nearly $11 million.
The same fourfold increase in fines and towing increases revenue to $9.2 million per year for a net increase of nearly $7 million
By making just these two changes the city’s revenue will increase by $18 million per year.
Key point: just one year of increased parking revenue will more than cover the $17.5 million penalty the Hermosa Beach will pay if the oil project is not approved.
This is just the beginning. I have more suggestions for the UUT, TOT and Sales Tax, but I believe in small bites and baby steps.
Jim Sullivan
Hermosa Beach
Waterfront bluff
Dear ER:
The AES “Harbor Village” proposal will allow mixed-use and over-development, including 600 residential units in a small area. Those 600 units and commercial development will create thousands more vehicle trips per day in an already congested area. AES has spent millions of dollars planning and fighting for years to rebuild the plant. Why the about face and sudden appearance of this initiative? Because AES knows the odds of this plant ever getting rebuilt are near zero. AES has a losing hand and is bluffing. They say either accept this initiative or get a power plant. This plant will likely not be rebuilt, regardless. AES has applied to rebuild their three area natural gas plants, totaling 3400MW power. The CPUC has authorized contracts for only 1500MW of natural gas generation. With San Onofre shut down, their Huntington Beach and Alamitos plants are nearer to where power is needed. It is likely the CPUC would give contracts for those plants and not Redondo Beach. We can do better, smart development not over-development.
Jim Montgomery
Torrance
Driveway politics
Dear ER:
I recently received a warning letter from Hermosa Beach Police stating that vehicles blocking the sidewalk will be ticketed starting September 15.
My 1952-built house is a legal nonconforming structure with a one car garage. I’ve tried to park cars in the garage, but I literally cannot open the car doors. The setback in front of the garage is too short to park a car without encroaching on the sidewalk.
The limited street parking in my neighborhood is occupied seven days a week, all day long by employees of local businesses such as Floyd’s, Casey’s and the Hermosa Car Wash.
I’m currently serving on the City of Hermosa Beach General Plan Working Group and grew up in the Beach Cities. I understand the need for walkable streets and support the idea. However, I believe the police giving the citizens a month to change their behavior or face expensive tickets is short-sighted and heavy handed.
This is a planning issue, not just an enforcement issue. I believe there are at least a few 100 properties that will be affected.
Previous councils have tried and failed to fix the parking problem. Maybe you remember the mandatory residential garages inspections?
That did not go over well.
The city should look into more options, such as expansion of the residential permit parking programs and requiring businesses to have a parking plan for employees,with a long term goal of walkable streets as part of our general plan. Don’t punish the residents.
Mike Miller
Hermosa Beach
