Hermosa Pier attraction
Dear ER:
Before last week, I’d never seen anyone catch a shark at the Hermosa pier (“Shark Week: Hermosa Beach,” ER News April 10, 2026). Then, after the widely publicized catch and release of a Great White on April Fools Day, it’s apparently become a “thing” to come to Hermosa and catch a shark. Do we need Fish & Wildlife to stake out the pier and end this illegal and potentially dangerous practice? We surf, swim and paddle next to the pier. The Redondo High surf team practices there three times a week. Even other anglers on the pier are concerned. Hermosa shouldn’t be known as the place to catch sharks.
Frank Paine
ER News comment
Silent friend
Dear ER:
While the developers are at fault for not protecting Sally’s Tree, as required in Manhattan Beach’s tree ordinance, the City is too for not enforcing their tree protection code (“Sally’s Tree is coming down,” ER April 9, 2026). A tree is needlessly dying due to a lack of will, and this is only one story we know of. Developers are allowed to run roughshod over the city and this seems to be true of other beach cities too. Concerned neighbor Gaston Moraga asked a planning staffer about the tree protection and was told the developer can do what they want. He then talked to someone else who said the tree is protected, followed by the tree not getting protected. The code enforcer should have gone to the site to see the damaged roots and shut down the project right then. Instead, everyone coasted along, likely fully aware that the play will be to say that the damage is done, the tree will now be unsafe to residents, yank it out, end of story. It reinforces that cities need to play hardball with unethical developers, in the way Santa Monica and Palo Alto do: shut down the project and fine them in the tens of thousands of dollars. This is the only deterrent.
I thought it was timely as well as sad that Sally Palm’s daughter Vicky said, “I know my mom thought of the tree as a friend.” There’s a movie out that the South Bay Film Society is playing soon called “Silent Friend,” in which the central “character” is an old ginkgo tree connecting the stories of people from three different time periods, touching on the theme of human connection to nature. Maybe it should be required viewing for all South Bay City Staffers and the big money developers who hold sway over them.
Lara Duke
Redondo Beach
Landscape scraping
Dear ER:
Our neighborhoods will turn into a neutered version of every town at this rate. Development is stripping us of nature, whimsy, character, and our skyline. That’s the future of our landscape. Thanks to these nameless developers who have no interest in retaining what made these neighborhoods valuable in the first place. Shame on all of us for letting this happen over and over again.
Emily Blair
Manhattan Beach
Mutual insanity
Dear ER:
Hermosa Beach is fortunate to have a police department that exercises restraint and professionalism. By all accounts, officers responded quickly to last week’s “takeover,” and the fact that the situation did not escalate further is a credit to their approach (“/Beach takeover’ Instagram post draws hundred to the beach, ER April 9, 2026).
That said, I was surprised by Hermosa Beach Police Chief Landon Phillips’ characterization of the organized fights as “mutual combat.” There may be laws recognizing “mutual combat,” but there is a meaningful difference between two individuals voluntarily sparring and what occurred on our beach.
This was not a spontaneous, one-off altercation, or two friends agreeing to spar. It was a structured series of fights involving underage teenagers, with a crowd of hundreds cheering, filming, heckling and encouraging participants. Pairs of fighters were rotating in, including both pairs of girls and boys, with individuals in the crowd acting as de facto announcers.
At that point, we are no longer talking about casual, consensual sparring. We are looking at an organized activity that carries obvious risks and massive liability for the city, particularly when minors and alcohol are involved. At least one fist fight was filmed on the Strand shortly after police arrived.
Despite Chief Landon’s take, California recognizes “mutual combat” primarily within self-defense law, not as a free-standing right to fight. It may limit a self-defense claim but does not legalize organized fighting, and California courts generally do not protect public, crowd-driven fights like those seen here.
Hermosa Beach should absolutely remain welcoming and accessible but clarity matters. Labeling what occurred as “mutual combat” stretches that concept beyond its intended meaning. When organized, crowd-driven fights involving minors are framed the same as isolated, consensual sparring, it risks normalizing behavior that is inherently volatile, dangerous and far more likely to escalate. We can appreciate the department’s measured response while still being clear-eyed about what occurred and what we want to prevent going forward.
Raymond Dussault
Hermosa Beach
Financial wake-up call
Dear ER:
Hermosa Beach faces a sobering reality: Residents are facing $50 million in high-priority, unfunded Capital Improvement Projects including $20 million for a new City Yard, $10 million to $15 million for a renovated Police Station, $5 million to $15 million for deferred maintenance at Civic Center building and $10 million for essential Pier and City Hall upgrades.
Most of the unfunded projects have existed for years, without clearly identified funding strategies, reliable cost estimates or realistic project timelines.
This may have been understandable in the past as staff was instructed to focus on completing funded projects.
But our new City Manager has been on the job for about a year and it’s time for him to present budgetary estimates, funding strategies and project timelines for the above projects in the upcoming April & May budget planning sessions.
Where is the money coming from and when is it needed?
Compounding our capital budget problems is a projected $14.2M operating budget deficit by 2031.
On top of this, Mayor Mike Detoy signaled that the newLos Angeles County Fire and Lifeguard contracts add more to this deficit and could threaten the city’s solvency.
Then consider operating expenditures are growing at three times the rate of revenue according to the Hermosa Review website.
Once again, where is the money coming from and when is it needed?
Anthony Higgins
Hermosa Beach
