Manhattan Beach City Council Candidate Komatinsky doing the work
by Mark McDermott During candidate forums that tend to be long on verbage and short on actionable plans, Karen Komatinsky likes to remind herself of something outgoing Councilperson Steve Napolitano once advised her. “Remember,” he told her, “you’re going to govern very differently than you’re going to campaign.” This doesn’t mean Komatinsky’s campaign promises are […]
Hermosa Beach Council candidate Keegan wants course change
by Kevin Cody One of the most intractable problems in city government, and not only in Hermosa, is agonizingly long city council meetings. Council candidate after council candidate has promised to end meetings by 10 p.m. only to fail. Hermosa Beach City Council candidate Michael Keegan, a 38-year resident, and founder of Manhattan Bread and […]
2050 land use update arrives at Redondo Beach city council
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council held the first of three public hearings on the General Plan Update Tuesday night, a seven years in the making revamp of the city’s “constitution.” Tuesday focused on land use, much of it about one particular piece of land, the Beach Cities Health District Campus, for which […]
MB CITY COUNCIL: Outdoor dining pilot program nixed, Lot 3 demolition ok’d
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night rejected a proposed pilot program that would have extended the sidewalks outside three downtown restaurants. Later in the meeting, the Council also approved the demolition of Parking Lot 3 and the creation of 90 temporary parking spaces throughout the downtown area. The two issues were […]
Letters to the Editor 10-3-24
Fire department rescue Dear ER: In April 12, 2024, Citygate Fire & EMS delivered a “Deployment and Organizational Analysis” of the Redondo Beach Fire Department to the City Council. Taxpayers funded this top down, inside-out evaluation of our fire department in response to resident calls to preserve local control over RBFD. In a 125-page report […]
Hermosa Beach Mayor Francois bangs gavel to return order to council press discussion
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal will have final say on the contents of city press releases, City Council members will “refrain from direct contact with the media prior to City Council decisions,” and Council letters of support may be sent by the City Manager and the Mayor without council review under […]
Letters to the Editor: HB press policy, bonds away
Personal politics Dear ER: At a recent City Council meeting, Councilmembers Raymond Jackson’s and Justin Massey’s behavior took a regrettable turn during a debate over the City Communications Plan, a policy that aims to streamline how Hermosa Beach handles media relations. Their critique wasn’t just directed at the policy itself but devolved into personal attacks […]
Redondo Beach City Council: no ordinance needed for vacant properties
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council discussed vacant properties Aug. 20, part of a process for whether to add an ordinance on the subject to the city’s laws. Quality of Life Prosecutor Joy Ford laid out the current status. She told of the city’s watch list – for properties that get multiple reports […]
Redondo Beach City Council formalizes exception to street sweeping rules
The Redondo Beach city council voted 5-0 Tuesday night to adjust its municipal code to formally allow residents to re-park their cars during street sweeping hours after the sweeper and the city’s enforcement car has gone by. The amendment was proposed by Police Chief Joe Hoffman after he studied the issue, following the police department’s […]
Redondo chooses contractor for potential boat launch
by Garth Meyer In the latest chapter of a story begun in 1959, the Redondo Beach city council voted 5-0 to choose a contractor to design a boat launch in King Harbor, the city’s contribution not to exceed $650,000. Dave Sharobee, city senior management analyst, who drafted the request for proposals, set the stage at […]
Council picks ranked-choice voting for runoffs
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council voted 5-0 Tuesday to establish ranked-choice voting as its method for instant-runoffs in future elections. City voters approved instant-runoff last year, but it was left to the council to decide how specifically to go about it. At the Tuesday, Aug. 20 meeting, Councilmembers continued a discussion from […]
INFRASTRUCTURE: Bay Club, City of MB enter aquatic center agreement
by Mark McDermott The City of Manhattan Beach may have found an answer to the expensive quandary of its disintegrating public pool. The City Council last night entered an agreement with Bay Club, the high-end health club operator, to explore construction of a two-pool complex on City property adjacent to the Manhattan Beach Country Club, […]
Redondo Beach first city to sign “Good Neighbor Pledge”
by Garth Meyer The Redondo Beach city council voted 4-1 to sign a “Good Neighbor Pledge” not to move homeless people out of the city into others – in light of a June Supreme Court decision. The vote at the Tuesday, August 6 meeting was not conditional on neighboring cities singing the pledge. The document […]
Redondo council discusses whether/how to move forward with instant-runoff voting
by Garth Meyer “I’m going to throw up the B.S. flag on this,” said Mayor Jim Light Aug. 6 during a city council discussion about whether to send the question of instant-runoff voting back to voters, to decide the mechanism to conduct the runoffs. “You can game the system, and people try to,” he said. […]
Incumbent Detoy, challengers Keegan, Lange, Sheil, Worner qualify for November council race
Five Hermosa Beach residents have qualified as candidates for two city council seats on the November 4 ballot, City Clerk Myra Maravilla announced Wednesday. The seats are currently held by Councilmembers Mike Detoy and Justin Massey. Detoy was first elected in 2020, and is seeking reelection. Massey was elected in 2015 and again in 2020. […]
HB City councilmember Massey won’t seek 3rd term, Detoy and Worner qualified
by Kevin Cody Two-term Hermosa Beach City Councilmember Justin Massey will not seek a third term in the November 5 general election. “Hermosa is a better place than it was when I joined the Council, and I am happy to pass the baton while staying involved,” Massey stated in a press release on Monday. As […]