Sing Hermosa
Dear ER:
Hermosa means beautiful. Not just in translation, but in intention.
Yet for years, a familiar thought echoes through this town—Hermosa has no vision. That the world has changed, that something has been lost along the way. But the more I sit with that idea, the more it begins to soften… and then dissolve.
Because the truth is, Hermosa has always had a vision.
It was never loud. Never forced. It didn’t need to be written in bold plans or spoken in big promises. It revealed itself quietly in the way we live, in what we value, in what we return to again and again.
Beauty.
You can see it in the morning surf, in volleyball on the sand, in the rhythm of people choosing movement, health, and connection as a way of life. You can feel it in the salons, the wellness spaces, the small personal care businesses that line our streets, not just about appearance, but about presence. About feeling good in your own skin, in your own town.
Even the words at the community center—“where there is no vision, the people perish” feel less like a warning and more like a reminder. The vision is already here. It always has been.
The question now is simple: how do we express it?
As a part of the business community in downtown Hermosa, we see this as an opportunity not to create something new, but to reveal what’s already true. With the world soon turning its eyes toward Los Angeles for global events, our downtown becomes more than a place—it becomes a feeling, a first impression, a reflection of who we are.
And what if that reflection was unmistakable?
As simple as string lights woven through palm trees. Hanging flower baskets softening the edges of our streets. Small, thoughtful touches, not excessive, not complicated but enough to shift how a place is felt.
Because that’s what people remember.
Not just where they went, but how it made them feel.
A little slower. A little more connected. A little more alive.
Hermosa has always been beautiful.
This is simply an invitation to let that beauty be seen, to let it breathe just a little more into the spaces we share. Why not!
Ed Hart
Hermosa Beach
Hermosa slam
Dear ER:
When Hermosa Beach Councilmember Raymond Jackson accuses someone of racism, it’s fair to ask whether it reflects — reality or a pattern of turning disagreements into personal attacks.
Jackson’s propensity for turning disagreement into personal grievance is not limited to one individual. He has alienated multiple members of the current council through personal attacks and an unwillingness to engage respectfully with those who disagree with him.
When his preferred City Manager was replaced and the city took a new direction, Councilmember Jackson invoked racism and misogyny without evidence. Previously, he used a similar tactic of misrepresentation with then council candidate Elka Worner, claiming her comments about access to city staff were a comparison to the Taliban.
Now, in his accusations against Councilmember Michael Keegan, it’s the same playbook, escalated. Jackson raises serious charges like racism without any indication of when the alleged statements occurred. Jackson has not engaged with Keegan in any substantive way during his time on the council, making clear the incident was not recent, if it occurred at all.
Jackson’s pattern of behavior makes it difficult to take any of his accusations at face value.
Moreover, Councilmember Keegan has lived and worked in this community for decades as a local business owner and former council member. Claims of this magnitude, raised only after political disagreement, are more than a little questionable.
Hermosa Beach is in the midst of a positive shift toward a more open, collaborative, and responsive city government. Disagreement over policy or direction does not justify turning every conflict into a personal attack or charges of racism.
Our city deserves better. We deserve leaders who engage, even in disagreement, with honesty and respect, not manufactured outrage. Words like “racism” should not be leveraged as a convenient response to disagreement.
Raymond Dussault
Hermosa Beach
Oil shucks
Dear ER:
It’s too bad Hermosa Beach ran out of E & B Oil out of town 10 years ago. If the City had allowed the oil recovery project to proceed, the City would have received nearly a half billion dollars in royalties over the last decade. Plenty of funds to rebuild the pier without raising any taxes. Plus R&B oil offered to rebuild facilities for the police and fire departments.
Gart Williams
ER News comment
Back to the future
Dear ER:
The City of Redondo Beach, the community, and AES spent three years developing the Heart of the City Plan “AES sells Redondo Power Plant to Black Rock,” ER March 26, 2026). It was approved by the City Planning Commission and City Council. Maybe BlackRock will have an interest in revisiting this option.
Pat Ervin
ER News comment
