Mask enforcement still an issue, so are bike thefts, chief says
by Dan Blackburn
A Hermosa Beach Police Detective driving to work Monday spotted a man exhibiting suspicious behavior. The man was questioned and subsequently identified as a suspect in mail robberies, Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron said during a report to the Hermosa Beach City council Tuesday night.
“I want to emphasize Hermosa Beach is a safe city,” LeBaron noted as he began his update on recent criminal activity. “But We are not immune to crime any more than other Southern California cities.”
Presently, the chief said, “We are seeing increases in bicycle thefts, car break-ins, thefts of catalytic converters and mail packages.”
He noted that crime statistics, posted on the police website, have alarmed some residents and those statistics “do show some increase from one month to another, but the percentages do not tell the entire story.”
“Nearly all of those who have been arrested on theft charges recently, I can tell you, are coming from outside the city,” LeBaron said, “and many have criminal records for serious offenses.”
LeBaron requested residents who have home security cameras “that face the public” to voluntarily inform his department of their locations. This would help provide a database for investigators, “a valuable tool” when seeking information on street crimes, he said.
The chief also discussed pandemic safety enforcement, which he said continues to be a problem in heavily-used areas of the city, particularly on the beach and Pier Plaza. He said people who are not in compliance with mask and distancing regulations “are being contacted.”
Often, he added, people have masks in their pockets, and put them on quickly when approached by compliance officers. “I see the need to remind people that masks do no good if they are not worn properly,” he said.
Another growing problem, the chief said, is dogs off leash doing their business in the sand and “creating this health hazard.” Citations have been issued to violating dog owners.
Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal, received a vote of confidence from the city council, in the form of a four percent pay increase. Photo by JP Cordero
City manager gets retroactive raise
Hermosa Beach’s City Council gave City Manager Suja Lowenthal a four percent raise Tuesday night, hiking her annual salary to $236,868. The increase is retroactive to last August and was approved by the council on a unanimous consent vote without comment.
Lowenthal’s performance was evaluated in a 2020 closed session, when her pay increase was approved. Funds for the raise, according to City Attorney Michael Jenkins, will come from “salary savings in (Lowenthal’s) department.” She has held the city’s top executive post since 2018.
Lowenthal reported to the council that local restaurants “continue to expand their outdoor dining decks into the spaces created by the City’s Lane Reconfiguration Project.” She noted that three eateries Radici, Zanes, and Paisanos, have expanded dining decks, and three more are in the process of expanding outdoor dining.
In other action:
The council discussed preparation of a letter outlining Hermosa Beach preferences regarding airfield and terminal modernization at Los Angeles World Airports. The council voted 3-1 to spend up to $1,000 to hire a consultant to write the letter. Council member Michael Detoy
dissented, calling the effort “unnecessary.” ER