Letters to the Editor 9-25-25

Constructive compromise

Dear ER:

The Sept. 16 Planning Commission vote was a victory for Hermosa Beach. But let’s be clear. If neighbors hadn’t stood up, we’d be staring at a 50-foot apartment building a block from the beach. From the beginning, the goal of Save Hermosa was simple: protect our community from this Builder’s Remedy project. Hundreds of residents turned up, signed petitions, wrote letters, and made their voices heard.

To their credit, the applicants listened and scaled back their original plans from 50 to 35 feet.

I’m proud of Hermosa for coming together, proving that grassroots voices matter, and showing that compromise is possible. This grassroots effort was an important reminder that we can shape the future of our beach town.

Elka Worner

Founder, Save Hermosa

Hermosa

Constructive criticism

Dear ER:

Critics are an essential part of our community and reflect the foundational American value of free speech. From what I’ve observed, our current Police Chief, Rachel Johnson, doesn’t shy away from criticism. Instead, she seems to treat it as part of her job, building outreach and transparency into the department’s everyday work. 

On September 18, 2024, I attended a public meeting that illustrated this approach. Chief Johnson brought forward roughly 20 officers from across divisions, including nearly her entire command staff. The goal was not only to address questions but also to explain protocols and invite public input. The issues ranged from beach lot loitering and downtown patrols to burglaries, coyote incidents, e-bikes, traffic, active-shooter preparedness, and prosecution protocols with the L.A. District Attorney’s Office. What stood out to me was that the staff spoke directly to these points and even encouraged residents to help through suggestions, video evidence, or neighborhood awareness. As the meeting went on, it seemed the audience was generally satisfied with the explanations and the facts provided. The use of social media, email, and volunteers adds another layer of accessibility. While crime problems change, it has become clear that the framework to address them has been in place for years.

Over the past two years, Manhattan Beach has seen a decrease in crime, with an 8% drop last year. At that time, Chief Johnson broke down the numbers in detail. What struck me then was how much of our crime stemmed from preventable causes, like leaving keys in cars or garages open. Looking at the crime data posted on the department’s website, it appears they are often working on issues well before they make headlines. That level of transparency helps the public understand the story behind the statistics.

From my perspective, if you’re concerned about crime in Manhattan Beach, the department welcomes participation in many forms. If you’d rather criticize, that’s also part of the process—and a right worth protecting. But facts matter, and we all benefit from a clearer picture of the truth. Thank you, Chief Johnson, for your leadership and for setting an example of transparency in our community.

Stewart Fournier

Manhattan Beach

Brand Park groundbreaking

Dear ER:

The groundbreaking for a new park will take place in Redondo Beach on Sept 30 at 3 pm. This will be a nature park, the first one of its size, in Redondo in decades, right off Herondo Street and Pacific Coast Highway. We should call it Bill Brand Park. Mayor Jim Light and the late Mayor Brand, along with the South Bay Parkland Conservancy worked hard to make this happen, and finally we have the necessary So Cal Edison approval on 2.5 acres of what will be beautiful parkland space.

The park will have meandering pedestrian paths with locations to sit. This is great news in our park-poor city and it would be fantastic to expand a greenbelt to the sea all along 190th Street. My hope, and I’m sure the wish of many, including Citizens for Redondo Trees led by Laura MacMorran and Mara Lang, is to have lots of trees there to provide much needed shade, and also act as nature’s air conditioners and purifiers. We need trees and parks need trees.

This is all especially exciting given it’s near the entrance to Redondo Beach, where the Redondo Beach/King Harbor sign is. So, it will be a welcome statement to all the residents returning home, and the first thing that greets visitors to our city. I recall Mayor Brand talking about trying to get the habitat of the lower part of this area back to what it once was, a marshland. He talked about re-wilding before re-wilding became the hot topic it is today.

The shutting down of the AES power plant and return of this area to its native state was championed for years by Bill Brand and the Parkland Conservancy he co-founded. Let’s honor Mayor Brand who worked tirelessly for more open public spaces for the residents of Redondo Beach and all who visit it. Bill Brand Park would be the most fitting name.

Lara Duke

Redondo Beach

Meant to be

Dear ER:

The Metro Green (K) Line was opened in the mid-1990s, with provisions to continue the line south from the Redondo station, via an existing freight railroad right-of-way that has existed for close to 100 years. Opposition arguments merely delay approval until the extension is not financially feasible. Meanwhile, the City of LA and other jurisdictions would be happy to grab all the funding otherwise allocated to improving the South Bay.

Rick Becker

ER FB comment

Bad idea

Dear ER:

Thank you for writing this project ! The SBEJA is pro–public transportation and wants to see Metro invest in a system that truly serves our communities for the next 100 years. But putting trains down the ROW (Right Of Way) through Lawndale and Redondo isn’t the right way to do it. This alignment would cut through neighborhoods, take away green space, and lock us into a short-sighted plan instead of a future-focused one. We need a solution that improves mobility, protects our environment, and actually works for the people who live here.

Chelsea Schreiber

Redondo Beach

Green green line

Dear ER:

The Metro right of way plan preserves old growth trees despite the claims by the opponents. It will create a park with bike trails, safety crossings, sound abatement, and segregated rail traffic. My wife also attended that meeting to hear out ROW opponents, but I wasn’t very impressed about their new stance on Bus Rapid Transit as their new preferred alternative…a weird pivot from their expensive Hawthorne plan push. I feel decades of foot dragging and stalling over this sensible ROW plan is causing needless delays over what is pretty much land owned by the railroads who don’t have any plans or motivation to upgrade that space. At least with this Metro plan, that railroad land becomes a dedicated shared space the public can access, complete with fencing to separate the rail traffic and the kids. Railroad traffic was always here in the South Bay and isn’t going anywhere no matter how hard you oppose it. Everyone benefits from better rail transit and yes everyone along the route as well. Make the best of this compromise and let’s go.

Paul Weir

ER News comment