Hermosa Beach Chamber President libel suit lifts veil on social media wars
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jessica Accamando, and her wife, Ashley Tull, have filed a libel lawsuit against Hermosa Beach residents Matt McCool and Kent Allen, seeking unspecified damages. McCool, a business consultant, and former Hermosa Beach Emergency Preparedness Commissoner, has been publicly critical of Accamando in her role as Chamber […]
Escalating e-biker confrontations trigger escalating e-bike restrictions in Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan
by Kevin Cody On opening night of the BeachLife Music Festival, two Fridays ago, May 3, a second generation Beach Cities business owner, and his girlfriend, a 20-year Beach Cities resident with two firefighter sons, left headliner Sting’s performance early to beat the exit crowd. As they were walking to their nearby condominium a group […]
BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach goes from blowout to blown out
by Kevin Cody Billy Gibbon’s long red beard was blowing so hard in the wind Sunday evening when he took to the LowTide stage at the BeachLife Music Festival that it looked like he might sail away. Half an hour later he did, along with his ZZ Top bandmates. Several thousand fervent fans dancing in […]
Manhattan team scores Rams Draft Experience videos
by Kevin Cody Two behind-the-scenes videos of last weekend’s Rams Draft Experience in Hermosa Beach were produced by the Manhattan Beach video production team of Travis Laubacher and Melissa Milo. Laubacher is a director of photography whose clients include AEG, and Nickelodeon. His instagram account (@cameraguytravis) also includes reels of South Bay life, including skateboarding, […]
Hermosa Beach Rams fans celebrate draft pick Jared Verse, and return of announcer Sam Lagana
by Kevin Cody To most of the thousand-plus fans cheering in front of the Rams Draft Experience stage on the sand, south of the Hermosa Beach pier Thursday afternoon, emcee Sam Lagana is the “voice of the Rams” at SoFi Stadium. But when Lagana welcomed Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey and fellow city officials to […]
Coastal Commission targets Hermosa Beach short term vacation rental ban
by Kevin Cody In 2016, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach city councils banned short term vacation rentals (STVRs) in residential neighborhoods. Both cities subsequently were sued by residential property owners with short term rentals in the coastal zone, where most of the cities’ hundreds of STVRs are located. The coastal zone extends 1,000 feet inland […]
Big Wave Challenge
Photos by Steve Gaffney (SteveGaffney.com) by Kevin Cody The South Bay Boardriders Big Wave Challenge for the largest wave ridden in the 2023-24 winter season had plenty of worthy entries. Photographer Steve Gaffney’s photos from the last week in December are among the contenders. The swell invited comparison to the swells that flooded the Hermosa […]
Patti Astor was ‘Queen of the Scene,” from NYC to Hermosa Beach
by Kevin Cody Patti Astor was the “Queen of the Scene” in New York City in the early 1980s, according to ARTnews; and for the past decade, a muse and mentor to the emerging Hermosa Beach’s art scene, according to ShockBoxx gallery owner Mike Collins. Astor passed away last week at her home in Hermosa […]
Short term vacation rental fines raised
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach property owners who illegally rent short term vacation rentals (STVRs) in the residential parking district (west of Morningside and Loma drives) could lose their residential parking permits, under a motion approved by a 4-1 vote at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Councilmember Raymond Jackson introduced the motion. Councilmember Dean Francois opposed […]
‘Hound of Heaven’ visits OLG Easter Sunrise service
by Kevin Cody Our Lady of Guadalupe pastor Fr. Paul Gawlowski chose the divinity of Jesus Christ for his Easter Sunday sermon during sunrise Mass on the beach just south of the Hermosa Pier. The sermon might have been directed at skeptical Catholics who attend Mass only on Catholic holy days, such as Easter (Easter […]
Isley climbed the highest mountains, dove the deepest seas
by Kevin Cody In July, 2020, Paul Isley Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Its 19,341-foot elevation makes it the highest mountain on the African continent. At the summit, the wind-chill factor was 29 degrees below zero, Isley recalled. The Manhattan Beach resident thought of the climb as the biggest challenge of his life, until he returned home. […]
SweeperGate ‘Bogus News,’ no sweeper ticket policy change, Hermosa Beach Police say [UPDATE]
by Kevin Cody A story posted on Easy Reader’s website and Facebook page last Wednesday, March 20, stated Hermosa Beach Parking enforcement is now ticketing cars parked on streets during street sweeping hours after the street sweepers have passed. The city website states parking is allowed after street sweepers have passed. The following day, Thursday, […]
Hermosa Beach Council averts culture clash, offers artist street sign license
by Kevin Cody In 2007, Hermosa Beach Public Works Supervisor Mike Flaherty gave artist Daniel Inez 20 Hermosa Beach street signs that the city was replacing. Inez sold the signs that year at the Hermosa Beach Fiesta for $20 each. Over the ensuing years, Hermosa Beach street signs became a signature element in Inez’s art, […]
Hermosa Beach partners with Rams on draft day beach watch party
by Kevin Cody In Monday’s Los Angeles Times, veteran NFL reporter Sam Farmer wrote a mock draft in which he predicted 338 pound Oregon Duck center Jackson Powers-Johnson will be the Los Angeles Rams’ first round draft pick. “This might not be a sexy pick…but it’s an important position to lock down,” Farmer wrote. Sexy […]
Skechers Friendship Walk delivers when it’s needed
by Kevin Cody The first Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, in 2009, drew 1,700 participants and raised an impressive $220,000. Last October 29, the 15th Annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship walk drew a crowd estimated at 20,000, and raised $3.1 million. The walk from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Hermosa Pier, and […]
‘Measure twice, pay once’ at center of Hermosa Council debate over new or renovated Civic Center
by Kevin Cody Plans for a new or upgraded Hermosa Beach Civic Center moved forward at a special meeting of the city council on Thursday, February 15. After a two hour discussion, the council voted 3 to 2 to hire a development consultant, and a community engagement consultant for the project. The divided council also […]