A pitch for Jansen
Dear ER:
Love Kenley (“Kenley Jansen honored by Redondo Beach City Council,” ER November 24, 2016). The Dodgers need him to get to the playoffs next season and should do whatever it takes to keep him. At the same time it’s better for Jansen and his family to stay since they want to raise their kids here. Redondo Beach is a laid back very cool community.
Ty Parker
Website comment
Hermosa home run
Dear ER:
For the first time in the 110-year history of Hermosa Beach, a person who was elected to the Hermosa Beach City Council has been elected to a higher office (e.g. State Assembly, Congress). Former Hermosa Beach Councilmember Nanette Barragan has been elected to Congress to represent the 44th Congressional District — which runs from San Pedro to South Gate. Barragan’s opponent, State Senator Isadore Hall, III, attacked her for moving into the District to run, and for owning a home in our city as well as having served on the Hermosa Beach City Council. Apparently, the voters of the 44th District disagreed. Her election shows that being an elected official from our city is a plus. It seems our city is respected by voters in other areas of Southern California. I know that many of us in the South Bay supported Barragan. I hope that Hermosans are proud that “one of our own” was elected to Congress and I am sure many of us wish her well in her new career.
Fred Huebscher
Hermosa Beach
Manhattan sinker
Dear ER:
As a member of the Manhattan Beach community and core downtown resident I am asking the city council not to allow the commercial intensification of our downtown community (increased building heights, increased tenant frontage, private dining in public right of ways and second floor, outdoor dining) adversely impact our quality of life and put at risk our community’s integrity and soul. These proposed specific plan changes are in direct conflict with preserving and enhancing the small town character of Manhattan Beach. It is inconceivable to me and a misrepresentation to say “we support and value a relaxed (noise free), charming, walkable, pedestrian oriented clean and safe environment” while planning for a downtown with increased intensification.
James Quilliam
Manhattan Beach
Fast one
Dear ER:
On Tuesday, December 6,The Manhattan Beach City Council will make decisions on the Downtown Strategic Plan (DSP). The most significant recommendations before Council are the following:
- Second story outdoor “dining.” The definition of dining includes outdoor sports bars. If the Council were to approve second story outdoor eating and drinking our Downtown will be more like Hermosa. The frustrating thing is that the tax revenue realized from outdoor dining will not offset the cost of extra policing that would be required. Where are restaurant employees going to park? Even further into our residential neighborhoods? Additional restaurants will mean more oversized trucks delivering food and beer, driving on our narrow streets and cutting through our residential neighborhoods. The designated delivery loading zones are not sufficient for the current volume of delivery trucks. Additional trucks idling Downtown only increases congestion and noise while at the same time polluting our fresh marine layer air as it moves inland. If the police are spending a disproportionate amount of time with Downtown violent crime, they will have less time to patrol all of the rest of our city.
- There is a proposal to increase the height of commercial buildings by two-feet so that businesses could have higher ceilings, changing our village look.
- The DSP proposes a turnaround for cars at the base of our Pier, which is likely to result in more congestion and traffic back-up further up Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Tell Council what you think. Email them at CityCouncil@citymb.info. or even better attend the December 6 Council meeting.
Kathy Clark
Manhattan Beach
Hi pitch
Dear ER:
The Manhattan Beach Downtown Specific Plan would urbanize the downtown by increasing heights, allowing for exceptions to the height limits and failing to mitigate environmental issues. The plan evolved from a perceived need to eliminate first floor real estate and bank offices because city council members thought doing so would attract better tenants. I and other residents wish to eliminate any additional restaurants in the downtown because they cause more traffic than bank or real estate offices.
Bill Victor
Manhattan Beach
Coleman knuckleball
Dear ER:
This may come as a shock to some, but we’ve crunched the numbers and plugged in the data and Eric Coleman has won the 2017 Redondo Beach Mayoral Race. The most recent polls have him in the lead by 20 points with less than a 3 percent margin of error. It’s a landslide folks. Every conceivable demographic is projected to turn out for Coleman’s victory. This should come as a welcome relief to some others who were planning to run for the seat. All the money and manhours will no longer need to be wasted as Coleman is the clear winner. Coleman’s supporters and friends, recommend those who were going to run instead take some time off. Enjoy retirement. Play golf. It will probably be for the best. All kinds of messy stuff could have come out. Bad stuff. Stuff like complicity in the ’88 conspiracy to burn down the Redondo Beach Pier. Now is not the time to speak of such misdeeds. Now is the time to heal and Make Redondo Great Again and Build That Theme Park.
Eric Coleman
Presumptive Mayor
Redondo Beach
