Hermosa Beach News

In preparation for beach season, SHAPE, the #1 women’s active lifestyle magazine, is thrilled to announce that its fourth annual Summer Beach Tour, (formerly Bikini Body Tour) will once again hit the hottest beaches, starting with Hermosa Beach, on June 2, 2012 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. The SHAPE Summer Beach Tour will be filled with exhilarating fitness classes, summer fashion shows, interactive beauty cabanas, product-packed gift bags and so much more!  The tour is dedicated to helping women and men get in shape for beach season with fun-filled fitness classes led by LA’s most talented fitness instructors, including two classes taught by Hollywood Trainer Jeanette Jenkins. Guests can sweat it out with a variety of heart-pumping classes including, Jeanette’s Bikini Bootcamp or ride the waves with a surf class taught by the experts of the Jimmy Miller Foundation.  After you get your workout on, head over to the SHAPE runway and check out the hottest looks for summer straight from the covers of SHAPE, in an exclusive all-day fashion show. Plus, try your luck at the famous spin and win wheel and visit SHAPE’s beach cabanas for the latest trends and products in beauty, fitness and more! For more details check out the event website: Click Here

The City of Hermosa Beach has received a $410,000 grant from the State’s Strategic Growth Council to create a long-term plan toward reducing and eventually eliminating the city’s carbon footprint. The funding will be used to hire experts who will update and integrate the city’s General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan to create a “Comprehensive Blueprint for Sustainability and a Low Carbon Future”. The funding will be used to hire experts who will update and integrate the city’s General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan to create a “Comprehensive Blueprint for Sustainability and a Low Carbon Future. Hermosa Beach has been a leader in environmental protection, becoming one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to pledge to become carbon neutral in 2010. It was the first South Bay city to sign onto the ‘Cool Cities’ pledge and to make the city’s operations carbon neutral by reducing its carbon dioxide emissions and supporting other efforts that take carbon dioxide out of the air, such as planting trees.

The first beach soccer tournament of its kind to be held in Hermosa Beach and the only one of its kind in the Los Angeles-area, the Sand Soccer Showcase promises to be one of the premier beach soccer tournaments in all of Southern California this summer. The tournament will be governed by the National Governing Body of Sand Soccer and hosted by the Los Angeles Galaxy and Soccer in the Sand. The LA Galaxy Sand Soccer Showcase announced the first-ever beach soccer event which will kick off what promises to be an exciting summer of soccer The event, which will hit the beach on June 29 through July 1, will be the first beach soccer tournament of its kind in Hermosa Beach and the only one like it in the Los Angeles area. Soccer in the Sand and LA Galaxy are excited to present the new competition, which will be governed by the National Governing Body of Sand Soccer and played in accordance with FIFA Beach Soccer rules. Teams will be comprised of four field players and a goalkeeper using a specially designed beach soccer ball. Each game will be divided into three, 11-minute periods with short stoppages between periods. Learn more and register: Click Here

A walk down the Hermosa Beach Plaza and you will notice there is a transition under way. Fifteen years after Hermosa’s herculean attempt at revitalizing the Downtown, it’s doing it again, but this time with no city or state funds, no fanfare, and no parking or planning wars. Hermosa is getting a major facelift, store by store, all funded by the downtown business owners, both old and new.

Sangria, a downtown icon and one of the sentinel points of Hermosa’s 1995 revitalization, is surrounded by 25-foot high boards. Hammering sawing, stuccoing and welding are plainly audible on the Plaza. The new stone and sand colors of Sharkeez next door. A newly refurbished Patrick Molloy’s stands steps away from the orange Planning Commission sign affixed to The Lighthouse, signaling yet another renewal project. A few steps further west and you will see that Hennessey’s has refinished its storefront. Waterman’s has revamped the former Dragon and features skateboard racks, clear, glassy epoxy tables and imported teak from Indonesia.

On the north side of the Plaza, check out the new Palmilla, offering of boutique tequila brands and educated Mexican flavors. Upstairs, Fat Face Fenner’s sports a new front face and signage. Mediterraneo, just a few short years ago, the new kid on the block, now stands as a stable watermark of Greek-Roman architecture, still with clean lines and blue and white colors of the Mediterranean.

Why all this renewal in the face of tight credit markets and a still nascent economic recovery? The maturation of the food market is driving many of the changes. Young, passionate kitchen crews are manning the grills at almost every new (and some older places as well) restaurant and restaurant/bar: Chef Melba, Mediterraneo, Hot’s Kitchen, Abigaile, The Rockefeller, Rok Sushi, Waterman’s, Palmilla. The newer chefs have all been to culinary institutes or hotel schools. New look and new blood have made many Hermosa restaurant community members confident that the time is right to move forward.

New Hermosa Beach Mayor Jeff Duclos proposes an ambitious project to build a pedestrian bridge across Pacific Coast Highway. Duclos’ appointment as mayor comes at a busy time for the city. Longtime city manager Steve Burrell retired last month and the City Council has embarked on a search for his replacement. Furthermore, the council is currently negotiating new contracts with city employees. Hermosa Beach leaders also recently reached a settlement in the Macpherson Oil lawsuit, and an environmental review of a newly proposed oil drilling project is expected to begin within the next year. The bridge, Duclos said, would be a symbolic structure linking two sides of the city, while serving as a gateway welcoming visitors and residents crossing the beach town’s main thorough fare. It would also provide a safe crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists. He said that a bridge – or bridges – can be constructed over Pacific Coast Highway with little or no funding. Referencing Dana Point and Santa Monica as an examples of cities that have successfully built pedestrian crossings above major thoroughfares.

The Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch is encouraging residents to think about how they will act in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. Most residents are not aware that in the event of a major earthquake, Hermosa Beach is at significant risk of being drowned by a tsunami. So the group is pushing Tsunami Preparedness Week, which is this week, encouraging residents to be aware that if a major earthquake displaces the ocean floor off the Southern California coast, residents in Hermosa Beach may have only seconds to get to higher ground – and city emergency services won’t have time to send out reverse 911 or similar alerts. While there won’t be any festivals or meetings, the California Emergency Management Agency will be having a webcast on March 29 at 2 p.m. on what to do.

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.

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

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.