South Redondo Beach News

Happy New Year to one and all. Wishing you and your families the best of everything for 2015.

In addition to sales and economic updates both local and national, this issue brings you State of the City reports from the mayors from the cities of Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo Beach. All three cities have major happenings you will want to become more familiar with as the year progresses.

Please enjoy. Should your plans include real estate purchase and sales, please call or email with questions – and as always, thanks for your referrals!

State of the City:
Hermosa Beach / Manhattan Beach / Redondo Beach

Hermosa Beach: State of the City
Source: Beach Reporter December 30, 2014

Manhattan Beach: State of the City
Source: Beach Reporter December 30, 2014

Redondo Beach: State of the City
Source: Beach Reporter December 30, 2014

To see full article with sources click HERE

Help transform the Redondo Pier into a beautiful concrete canvas over the water on September 6, 2014 beginning at 12:00 pm. Art, music and fun for the entire family! Since 2003, artists will create their very own underwater fanta-sea. This all-ages annual event is free and open to the public, and individuals; families and groups are encouraged to participate. Free chalk will be provided to the first 150 registrants. Prizes will be awarded in various categories. The Redondo Pier Association and the Redondo S.E.A. (Science, Education and Adventure) Laboratory will partner along with other sponsors and supporters to bring Fanta-Sea to life. Live music from the Free to be Me drum circle and Jimbo and the Bodacious Blues band will begin immediately after the Chalk Art Festival. Bring your own beach chair for better enjoyment of concerts. The Redondo Beach pier offers a wide array of dining, shopping and fun for the entire family.

The King Harbor Yacht Club presents the 22 Annual Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday, December 14. A longtime favorite of locals and visitors to the area, this hugely popular South Bay event gets under way at 5 p.m. in the main channel of King Harbor. Before the event you can enjoy a free concert on Redondo Beach Pier. The festivities start at 3:00 pm and go until 5:00 PM. Greet Santa as he arrives at the end of the pier with his surfboad! Live holiday music featuring High Tide, a surf rock band performing The Ventures Christmas album.  Stroll along the pier with The Boyz and Beez Holiday Carolers. As always, the Body Glove yacht Disappearance will lead off the parade. This year’s theme is Dive into the Season and boats participating in the parade will be judged by vessel type in several different categories. Awards will be given for Best Costumes, Best Lighting, Best Animation, Best Execution of Theme, Best in Fleet and the Overall Winner. If you plan to observe from shore, you can do so from any number of vantage points in King Harbor, from the Redondo Beach Pier and several restaurants with harbor views. The Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club, a parade sponsor, wants to remind everyone that the Portofino Lobby Lounge will be fully staffed and offering the full menu along with appetizers, cocktails, complimentary hot chocolate and the best view of the parade from the lobby. If you are unable to attend the Parade, you can watch a live video feed via Google Hangout at http://www.thesouthbayshow.com/king-harbor-holiday-boat-parade/

The red hot Redondo Beach housing market may be showing signs of a normal market. The median home price in July remained flat from last month. The slow down in appreciation came with a surge in the number of homes sold which indicates a growing supply of homes. 101 homes sold in Redondo Beach in July of this year compared with only 70 homes in July of 2012, an increase of 40%. The latest sales figures are the highest number of Redondo Beach homes sold in July since 2003. Sellers who had been on the sidelines waiting for better prices are now deciding it’s time to sell. If you noticed a lot of “For Sale” signs in the neighborhood, you were right. Even though interest rates have drifted upward, buyers remain anxious and homes are selling quickly, usually with multiple offers. I am working hard helping people make there real estate dreams a reality. Let me know if the time is right for you.

Help transform the Redondo Pier into a beautiful concrete canvas over the water. Dozens of children and a few quirky adults paint the pier with dazzling chalk designs in mid-August each year at the Redondo Beach Chalk Art Festival.   Art, music and fun for the entire family!  This all-ages annual event is free and open to the public.  Free chalk will be given to the first 150 pre-registrants. Artists of all ages and levels are invited to take part in this popular annual event on The Pier. This event is open to public viewing so even if you don’t plan to participate, take a stroll along the pier and see for yourself what these amazing artists can create with a slab of concrete and a little chalk! Prizes will be awarded in various categories.  Sign-up online and for more information, visit the website at www.redondopier.com.

Bring a beach chair down to the Redondo Beach Pier buy food on the pier, and enjoy good vibrations every Thursday and Saturday evening throughout the summer from 6 to 8 p.m. This yearly event is a great time for families in particular to enjoy the beach, the sunset, the sand, the food on the pier and a wide variety of music. Best of all, the free concerts last all summer from starting in July until September. With music from local bands and lesser known groups, the styles range from Blues to Country, Island jams, Latin, Pop, Rock and Roll, and the popular offshoot of Rock known as Surf that was born on the California coastline.  It’s no surprise that the free summer concerts at the pier draw a large crowd, so it’s best to get there early.  Bring a kite, a volleyball, a surfboard or body board and there’ll be plenty of things to do while waiting for the concert to start. And as the sun starts to set behind the pier into the ocean, you’ll be glad that you came, if only for the view of the sunset.  Enjoy the time with family and friends while you unwind with the cool tunes and ocean breeze.The concerts are free community events sponsored by the Redondo Beach Pier Association. For more information about what’s happening at the Redondo Bech Pier this summer, visit their website.

Start your summer fun with the all  time popular Riviera Village  Summer Festival, begining Saturday June 25 and runs through Sunday, June 26, 2011 at the corner of Catalina and Avenue I in Redondo Beach. The festival is sponsored by the  Riviera  Village Association and is celebrating its 35th year.  The festival features beer gardens with live bands, carnival rides with free kidz zone, arts and crafts, international food  and more than 250 vendors.The festival is a  family affair with entertainment for all ages and admission is FREE. The event runs from 10 am to 7 pm Saturday & Sunday. This year  ride your bike to a “No-cost Bike Corral” valet service on Catalina & Ave I run by the Beach Cities Cycling Club. Parking and free shuttles will be available at the West High parking lot on Victor Street. For more information check out the event website www.rvsummerfestival.com

The 7th Annual Redondo Fireworks Show returns to the Seaside Lagoon this 4th of July with its most dramatic pyrotechnic display in the location’s history. The goal is to create a focal point and setting where locals can celebrate the 4th of July and their community with family, friends and neighbors. The Fireworks show will feature stirring patriotic music and a wide variety of fireworks perfectly matched and timed to the music – a true pyromusical production launched only 300 yards away. Through the pyrotechnic mastery of Fireworks America, this year’s show will firmly establish the Redondo Beach 4th of July show as one of the premiere fireworks displays in Southern California.The Redondo Beach Fourth of July fireworks show is the finale to a full day of fun at the Seaside Lagoon. Residents of the South Bay can make a full day of their Fourth of July celebration by reserving a table. Guests can enjoy the day swimming in the warm, lifeguard-protected lagoon, building sand castles on the beach, and stand-up paddling in the lagoon. For the kids there will be an inflatable obstacle course, arts and crafts and the popular Freedom Kid’s Parade. If the South Bay Drum Circle doesn’t get everyone up and out of their seats dancing, the live music of Moondog Wolf and Shari Puoto Band definitely will. Everyone will have a spectacular view of the fireworks accompanied by stirring, patriotic music. Tables always sell out early so don’t delay. Visit www.redondofireworks.com for more information and to purchase seats online.

A final workshop is planned Thursday night on the planned revitalization of the Redondo Beach waterfront. The Waterfront is primed for a once-in-a-generation revitalization opportunity, expecting as much as $200 million in public and private investment. Many Waterfront business owners have committed to significant renovations over the next three years.  The City is also investing in public facilities in the area. The forum is set from 6-8 p.m. at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center at Aviation and Manhattan Beach boulevards. Project developer CenterCal will show its latest vision for the waterfront and take public comments. The mission of the project is to create one of California’s most dynamic and historic waterfront experiences and that’s going to bring the greater Redondo community back. For more information on the revitalization, go to redondobeachwaterfront.org.

This FREE family friendly community event is open to the public and features over 60 local participating organizations. Now in its sixth year, the Sea Fair promotes safe boating practices and environmental awareness, while highlighting recreational opportunities in our harbor. Enjoy free Outrigger Canoe and Sail Boat rides, Coast Guard demonstrations, Baywatch and Harbor Patrol Boat Displays, savor ‘A Taste of Redondo’ provided by Local Restaurants, and listen to live music by the Big Torpedos, are just some of what you can expect to enjoy.   U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Halibut, home ported in Marina Del Rey, and crew will be featured at this year’s Sea Fair. The boat will be open for tours from noon to 5pm. The kids area features lots of fun crafts along with a rain gutter regatta. Face painting and balloon artists will be on hand to add to the festivities. New this year are the Aqua Smart Puppet show and a visit from Coastie. For you boating enthusiasts, bring your expired flares at 10am – North of the Harbor Patrol office for Flare Day to Moonstone Park, 280 Marina Way, Redondo Beach.  Hands on training will be provided on how to properly use aerial and hand held marine distress flares as well as the correct use of fire extinguishers.  Learn more visit the website www.khbf.org/seafair/info/