![Polly’s is still Polly’s on the Pier [restaurant review]](https://easyreadernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ValerieAndMikeDavisPollys-75x55.jpg "Polly’s is still Polly’s on the Pier [restaurant review]")
![Rooted in tradition: Radici in Hermosa Beach [restaurant review]](https://easyreadernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/20180607-Natalia.Balestra_CostoletteDAngelloAllaGriglia_By-JP-Cordero-5-75x55.jpg "Rooted in tradition: Radici in Hermosa Beach [restaurant review]")
South Bay support sought for fast-track of Metro rail project
by Ryan McDonald There are few places harder to reach from the South Bay than West Hollywood: no freeway passes through it, and those that will bring drivers near it are constantly packed. But with a bit of help from regional transportation officials, residents could be able to get there in less than 40 minutes […]
Ahead of the class: MBX Flex allows students to take summer school on their own time. But does it give an unfair edge to those that can afford it?
by Ryan McDonald In January, teachers in the Mira Costa High School Department of Social Sciences voted to change what it meant to be an “A” student. Although teaching practices would not change, starting with the winter semester of this school year, a cumulative average as low as a 78 would earn an A. […]
Mustangs’ depth pushes them past Sea Kings in walled waves
by Ryan McDonald After the horn sounded the end of the final heat, Mira Costa High School surf coach Tracy Geller told junior Alex Fry he was “making something out of nothing.” The “something” was the maneuvers Costa’s surfers managed to deliver in their victory over Palos Verdes High School. The “nothing” was the conditions […]
Sink or swim: Mira Costa alumnus Matt Warshaw’s online Encyclopedia of Surfing provides a one-of-a-kind look at the sport. Can it survive?
by Ryan McDonald Last year, the Oxford English Dictionary added the term “tandem surfing” to its store of more than half a million words. As is practice at the OED, which tracks not only the meaning of words but also their etymology and their usage, the editors sought the earliest possible appearance of the term […]
The Kid’s Alright: South Bay native Gavin Heaney has a new album shaped by the changes that have rocked his life
by Ryan McDonald Matich Heaney, not quite one year old, was sitting on the ground in the backyard of his Hermosa Beach home. His legs were extended wide in front of him, and his head was bobbing to some unheard music. The morning sun was peeking through the trees. Matich’s father, Gavin Heaney, sat at […]
Traffic Jam: Amid commuter angst over lane closures on Vista Del Mar, Metro is launching an ambitious expansion of public transit. Is it a solution for the South Bay?
by Ryan McDonald (Second of three parts) In June, after the Vista Del Mar lane closures prompted an outpouring of anger from Beach Cities residents, Manhattan Beach Mayor David Lesser and Councilmember Richard Montgomery reached out to Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin and to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Neither Bonin, in whose […]
Medal of Valor dinner in Redondo Beach honors L.A. County lifeguards
by Ryan McDonald As the night began, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn looked out over the assembled crew of watermen, and told them that her experience working with county lifeguards had taught her a few things. Among them: “Baywatch” was not to be taken as gospel. “[Lifeguarding] is not as glamorous as some of […]
End in sight for Vista del Mar lane closures
by Ryan McDonald After nearly two months of frustration from South Bay commuters, officials announced the imminent restoration of traffic lanes on Vista del Mar. Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin announced Wednesday evening that an additional lane in each direction on the popular artery would be restored within three weeks. Traffic light changes at […]
The rise of Ted Lieu: South Bay congressman emerges as a national leader of the Trump opposition
by Ryan McDonald Every two years, a lengthy tome entitled “Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual and Rules of the House of Representatives,” lands with a thud in the bays of the United States Government Publishing Office. The book contains the law of making laws in the lower chamber of Congress. And as a few days in Washington, […]
South Bay residents to discuss healthcare experiences at upcoming event
by Ryan McDonald Lori Furth thought she had explained her needs clearly. Years ago, the Manhattan Beach and her husband were planning to have another child. But Furth, who works as a voice actor, and her husband, who had recently left a corporate job, did not have employer-provided health insurance. So her OB-GYN […]
Savior or Albatross? Proposed desalination plant could decrease South Bay’s dependence on imported water, but has raised environmental concerns
by Ryan McDonald In April 2015, the City of Manhattan Beach made a sudden announcement that shook the twin pastoral pillars of suburbia, the automobile and lawn. Effective immediately, residents could not wash their cars at home, and instead had to take them to a commercial car wash. Watering lawns was permitted only on one […]
Helping hands: As voters head to the polls to decide on Measure H, cooperation is proving key to addressing South Bay homelessness
by Ryan McDonald Patrick sits on the staircase of a Aviation Boulevard stripmall, just east of Pacific Coast Highway. It’s a cold morning with persistent rain. His jacket, several sizes too big, envelops him. He keeps his head down, occasionally lifting it to glance at nothing in particular, and speaks just loudly enough to be […]
Chasing El Nino(full version), Surfing the 2015-2016 Season in the South Bay by Civic Couch
This is the full video released and produced by Civic Couch in association with the Easy Reader. This is the South Bay. This stretch of beach is known for its million dollar homes, beautiful people, beach volleyball and surfing. The South Bay consists of fickle surf spots. A slight change in the swell or […]