Letters to the Editor 2-6-25

Ballots on the way

Dear ER:

Residents of Redondo will be getting a ballot in the mail for a very important March election. 

I strongly encourage District 1 residents to vote for Brad Waller. He is endorsed by over 25 community leaders, including every Redondo Beach Unified School District school board member. He is a successful business owner who has earned these numerous endorsements through hard work, cooperation and leadership. You can trust Waller to cooperate with fellow city council members. Redondo needs a transparent, competent, and honest leaders on the Council, and that choice is clearly Brad Waller. Additionally, the clear choice for City Attorney is Joy Ford. Redondo Beach is a leader in firmly and compassionately helping our homeless community. Ford has been a large part of that incredibly successful effort. Like Waller, she has numerous endorsements, which she has earned by working with current City Attorney Mike Webb protecting residents in Redondo for the last decade. 

Keep Redondo safe and solvent by voting for Brad Waller and Joy Ford! 

Marie Puterbaugh 

Redondo Beach 

 

Mayoral legacy

Dear ER:

As the one-year anniversary of the late Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand approaches, I am reminded of his tenacity, his grit to lead a resident-focused city and his relentless pursuit to keep Redondo Redondo. He was persistent. Effective. And earned the respect of people locally and statewide.It is important Redondo moves in a resident focused direction. There is only one Mayoral candidate I believe who is going to exhibit the grit and passion that Mayor Brand exuded—Nils Nehrenheim. (He is also endorsed by the former mayor’s wife, Deirdre Brand). Nehrenheim has eight years of supporting small business. He has nearly a decade of experience that he can protect the residents from Legado, the Waterfront interests, The Galleria and Metro.   

He has enhanced the parks my children play in, installed bike lanes my son uses to bike to school and fought to make developers pay their fair share when they overdeveloped this town.  His leadership has impacted my family in such a monumental way– I have a vested interest in ensuring our city is led by passionate and effective leaders. Nehrenheim is the only candidate who has not accepted a dollar from special interests, employee unions,  or people who hold contracts with the city. His interests are squarely with the people of Redondo Beach. Vote for Nils Nehrenheim for Mayor of Redondo Beach on March 4.

Candace Allen Nafissi, MPA

Redondo Beach 

 

Housing element redo

Dear ER:

I thought the last Manhattan Beach City Council and City Staff did a commendable job in obtaining timely approval of their 6th Cycle Housing Element. That Council and their City Staff were under incredible pressure from the State to do so. As for the sites selected, they did the best they could under such a strict timeline. Now, with more time to reflect and deliberate, it would be prudent and in the best interests of our residents to reconsider the location of the housing element sites.

I don’t believe the Sepulveda Corridor is suited to high rise residential apartment development.  First, it’s a State Highway with heavy traffic. Second, high rise residential apartments will negatively impact the adjacent neighborhoods. Third, trash pick-up and other residential services are challenging in the Sepulveda Corridor. Fourth, our City’s low-profile character will be destroyed.  

I believe the Rosecrans Corridor is ideally suited and holds great promise for high rise residential and mixed-use development. In fact, Kinecta has already proposed a 582 Unit multi-family high rise apartment development at their location on Rosecrans. The office building just east of Kinecta on Rosecrans is also well suited for such development. The two shopping centers on Rosecrans need to be redeveloped and a mixed-use development with the ground floor remaining retail and the upper floors being residential would be ideal.

By moving the Residential Overlay District to the Rosecrans Corridor rather than having it on the Sepulveda Corridor, the City will be providing developers greater incentive to consider such developments without any negative impacts to our City’s adjacent residential neighborhoods.

The fact of the matter is the Rosecrans Corridor is a much more appropriate location for any high-rise development. It’s too bad the last Council didn’t have sufficient time to make the best decision. Our current Council has that time, and they can amend the 6th Cycle Housing Element to do so.

The last Council just about flipped out when they reviewed the first proposed sites by City Staff since those sites were dispersed throughout the City with sites located on Highland, Morningside, Manhattan Beach Blvd. west of Sepulveda, El Porto area and other westside locations. Council outright rejected these recommendations, leaving City Staff with very little time to assess new sites. The fact of the matter is the Sepulveda Corridor sites were put together in haste. Now, with more time and time to fully consider all options, I believe the Rosecrans Corridor is a far superior option.

Let’s hope our City Staff and new City Council get it right by moving the Residential Overlay District to the Rosecrans Corridor where it belongs.  

Mark Burton

Manhattan Beach

 

For whom the meters ticket

Dear ER:

For whom does the Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal work? Certainly not the residents, property owners, or city council. The City Manager took away the two free, green zone parking spots on Pier Avenue, in front of the Post Office, so now residents must pay the city to run into the Post Office to pick up mail from our boxes. 

Mark Wayne Davis

The Strand

Hermosa Beach

 

Planespoke

Dear ER:

H.L. Menken had it right more than a century ago: “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” H. L. Menken, The Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

Gary Hartzell

Manhattan Beach

 

Local focus

Dear ER:

Trump and Musk are looting and wrecking the Federal Government while Ed Hart is laser focused on the City of Hermosa Beach (“Go ask Grandpa,” Letters to the Editor, ER 1/30/2025).  

Anna Tattu

Hermosa Beach

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