Community News

Hearts of Hermosa, Saturday March 24, 2012 is the biggest fundraiser for the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation. The event takes place the Hermossa Beach Community Centerat 710 Pier Ave, and doors open at 5:45pm. Join us for a night of cocktails, dinner, live & silent auctions and dancing at the 16th Annual Fundraiser “Hearts of Hermosa” to benefit Hermosa Beach Public Schools. HBEF for years has covered about 10 percent of the operating costs for the city schools, keeping numerous academic programs afloat.The HBEF is a fund-raising organization for Hermosa Beach public schools. Operated entirely by volunteers, the focus is to meet the school district’s educational needs by funding instructional programs in science, technology, foreign language and the arts. The HBEF enhances our schools by restoring programs cut by the state.

Redondo Beach parents and teachers got a surprise in their inbox last week after Superintendent Steven Keller sent out an email outlining the district’s budgetary predicament and underlining the relationship and finite future of forty temporary teachers in the district. Forty temporary positions including temporary teaching positions and any position that has a specific start and end date may not be renewed for the following school year. Those contracts, when initially signed, clearly stated a start and end date. All of the positions will be open for re-application or potentially eliminated. Keller stressed that there will be no formal lay-off notifications presented to the Board of Education on March 15, and that the school district’s budget is tight and that district and employees must plan for a worst-case budget in the upcoming year. Read the full story at the Easy Reader: Click Here

Crews will begin demolishing the old Red Onion building on Harbor Drive on Sept. 1 to make way for the much anticipated new, eco-friendly Shade Hotel. The Shade Hotel is part of the $25 million first phase of renovations to the Redondo Beach waterfront. The three-story Shade Hotel will cover 36,000 square feet, feature at least one restaurant and hold 45 guest rooms, according to plans submitted. The $20 million project is expected to be completed in mid-2014.Michael Zislis, the developer behind the project, said he wants the hotel to achieve a LEED Platinum certification—the most stringent of all environmentally friendly certifications. As part of the process to attain the certification, he plans to use timber salvaged from the Red Onion building’s demolition to construct bed frames and other furniture, as well as remove the hotel from the state’s electrical grid by installing solar panels. Click Here

The Charlie Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament at the Manhattan Beach pier,   is the week of the International Surf Festival. The beach volleyball tournament named for former resident and city employee has been a South Bay tradition for a half century.  In years past, registration for Manhattan Beach’s 6-Man volleyball tournament was so competitive teams camped out overnight waiting for a chance to sign up. But with an earlier registration deadline this year and the popular tournament’s move to a mid-week time slot, far fewer players are rushing to join. Manhattan Beach and the company that markets the 6-Man have put out a call to would-be volleyball teams. The registration deadline has been extended  from March 5 to April 2. Anyone interested in signing up for the 6-Man can visit www.citymb.info.

It’s the season for the grunion run. The silvery fish were set to make their first appearance of the year Thursday night, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. From now until about August, the grunion will wriggle ashore to spawn. One of the main landing spots for the grunion has been in Hermosa Beach, near 33rd Street. This ritual takes place the night of full or new moons, and continues for about three nights following, according to the state department. This doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world, and it’s a very unique experience. During a grunion run, the fish leave the ocean to spawn on beaches. The females create nests in the sand, where they deposit eggs. The males follow, curving around the females to fertilize the eggs. Look for the shorebirds—they always know where to find the grunion

South Bay residents may have spotted Tyler Lucas running along The Strand or playing volleyball on the beach, but they may not realize that he’s running for a greater purpose. Tyler is one-half of “Team Lucas.” The other half is Tysen, his brother. Tysen has a medical condition known as spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, in addition to epilepsy and scoliosis, which keeps him confined to a wheelchair most of the time, but that doesn’t keep the team from entering 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons. While Tyler pushes the wheelchair, Tysen provides the motivation. The brothers have competed together in nine races in Southern California, starting with a 5K in Redondo Beach in 2007. Their next race will be the Hollywood Half Marathon. Learn More about Team Lucas: Click Here

The Hermosa Beach 4-Person Coed Volleyball League begins Tuesday, March 20. Games will be north of the Hermosa Beach pier from 6-8 p.m. Format is best 2-out-of-3 each evening, then two weeks of playoffs after the six-week season. Registration must be made at the Community Center, 710 Pier Ave. in Hermosa Beach prior to league start date. Register early as this league will sell out due to our cap of 44 teams. Individuals must contact us to be placed on a team for registration. 6 weeks of regular season play with 2 weeks of playoffs. Cost is $240 per team plus $5 per non-HB resident. Register online at HermosaBCH.Org Adult Leagues. will be no late registrations at the beach. For questions, contact Bill Sigler, bill@smacksportswear.com and/or Chris cyj@prankmonkey.org.

Treat yourself to an experience you will never forget—a day immersed in culinary education with South Bay icon Michael Franks of Chez Melange, who will share the wisdom of years over the course of a day of culinary education. The days events will be followed by a 25th year Gala Dinnera benefit celebrating Cancer Support Community-Redondo Beach. Guests will enjoy a silent Auction and cocktail reception to begin at 5PM as they bid on exciting auction items including a weekend at the Bristol Hotel in Paris. All proceeds to benfitCSC-RB’s mission is to support, education and hope for cancer patients and their families. Spaces are still available for student chefs and for members of the public who wish to taste the fruit of their labors – phone 310-376-3550, extension 26, for more info…

American Martyrs School, along with Nike Reuse-A-Shoe and Soles4Souls, is holding a shoe drive through Feb. 25, the day of the school’s annual 5K Run. To prevent outdated or worn shoes from being sent to landfills, Nike will take worn-out athletic shoes and recycle them into new places to play — playgrounds, running tracks, football fields and basketball courts. Soles4Souls will take new or wearable shoes of any style and save them from early death by cleaning them and shipping them to needy people around the world, who will treasure the gift for years to come. For more information on their program, visit www.giveshoes.org. The shoes can be dropped off at the school’s office, located at 1701 Laurel Ave. in Manhattan Beach, and at the school gym lobby at 701 15th St. The school asks that you also donate $1 per pair for the cost of shipping. Shoes can also be brought to the school the day of the race. For more information, contact Lynne Hook at (310) 796-0321.