HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/16/14Vision Statement
Original (Crafted by Community Working Group)
Hermosa Beach—where heritage, creativity, and sustainability intersect. Hermosa Beach is the small beach town
others aspire to be. Our cultural, environmental, and economic systems are aligned, sustainable and resilient. We
are a beacon for communities who desire to live, work and play locally.
We are connected by our love of the ocean environment. We balance our small town, beach culture with our
position as a regional and statewide coastal destination. Our vibrant economy capitalizes on our coastal
environment, unique Hermosa brand and high quality of life. Our welcoming gateways and eclectic districts and
architecture are a source of community identity and diversity.
Our environmental footprint is dramatically reduced. Virtually all energy is carbon-free. Our environmental
leadership attracts like-minded residents and visitors who embrace opportunities to enhance our sustainable
beach city brand.
The fading dominance of the auto has transformed the look and feel of the community and use of space,
enhancing quality of life and social connection. Connections between places are seamless with walking, biking
and other modes of transportation easily accessible by everyone. Our beach and open spaces are integrated into
the flow of the city and enhanced to create unique destinations that support our active lifestyles.
We take shared responsibility for catalyzing positive change in our community. We collectively tackle challenges
head on, employing vision and innovation to transform those challenges into opportunities.
Revised (Revised by Staff/Consulting Team based on input on November 6)
Hermosa Beach is a place where… heritage, creativity, and sustainability intersect. We live, work, and play
locally. Hermosa Beach is the small beach town others aspire to be. Our cultural, environmental, and economic
systems are aligned, sustainable, and resilient.
We are connected by our love of the ocean environment. We balance our small town, beach culture with our
position as a regional and statewide coastal destination. Our vibrant economy capitalizes on our entrepreneurial
spirit and small local businesses committed to enhancing our unique Hermosa brand.
We are committed to protecting our coastal resources, architectural heritage, and high quality of life. Our iconic
gateways, eclectic neighborhoods, and strong commitment to education and schools are a source of
community identity, diversity, and pride.
Our community and local leaders take a proactive, common-sense approach to dramatically reducing our
environmental footprint. Our sustainable beach city brand attracts residents and visitors who embrace
opportunities to live a low-carbon lifestyle.
Connections between places are seamless and accessible by walking, biking, automobiles, and shared
transportation modes, which enhances opportunities for social connection. Our beach and open spaces are
integrated into the flow of the city, creating unique places that support our active and healthy lifestyles.
We take shared responsibility for catalyzing positive change in our community. We collectively tackle challenges
head on, employing vision and innovation to transform those challenges into opportunities.
Guiding Principles
Original (Crafted by Community Working Group)
Small Town Beach Character
Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach lifestyle is an unrivaled coastal asset.
Creating a place where people can live, work and play locally is key to balancing economy, community and
environment.
Our beach, the ocean, green spaces and natural resources of all types are the foundation of our brand and high
quality of life.
Sustained progress and achievement of community goals requires community involvement, participation and
innovation.
Our high quality schools, as well as city fire, police, library and beach, shape our identify as first class municipality.
Diversified districts with local owned businesses that provide for the needs of residents as well as attracting visitors
support a robust and resilient economy.
Our city government, places and spaces are designed to be accessible and connect people of all abilities and
stages and walks of life
Vibrant Economy
Our sustainable, resilient economy is supported by keeping local dollars in the local economy and maintaining a
diversity of businesses and revenue streams.
Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries, locally owned business, and environmental
stewardship.
Our desire for a high quality of life requires balancing economy, environment, and community through a
‘sustainability lens’ and this attracts like-minded entrepreneurs.
Our diverse economy and revenue sources provide fiscal stability and support first class services.
Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents, while providing a quality experience for
visitors.
Our various business districts provide unique and differing goods and experiences.
People are engaged in a broad range of enterprises within the city and there are opportunities to live and work
locally.
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our ocean resources, open space, and other natural resources as
a healthy environment is the foundation of a more livable, sustainable city and high quality of life.
Climate action leadership and adoption of environmental targets and monitoring plan will set Hermosa Beach apart.
Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently planning to adapt to climate change will reduce greenhouse
gases, increase energy independence and resiliency.
City leadership will transform the environmentally conscious community where people individually and collectively
take responsibility for change.
A steady, common sense approach is necessary to advance a long-term goal of community-wide carbon neutrality.
Tackling environmental challenges early and proactively will maximize options and minimize costs.
Innovative, forward-thinking approaches to anticipating future lifestyles, transportation trends and environmental
realities are necessary for creating a durable sustainability plan and attracting like-minded residents, visitors and
others which seek positive change.
Reimagining our system of mobility and connectivity: a shared or “access” model, rather than an “ownership” model
– mobility, communications, resource use – will promote sustainability and livability.
Efficient water use, conservation, reuse, recycling and retention at the local level is necessary for a sustainable and
resilient city.
Revised (Revised by Staff/Consulting Team based on input on November 6)
Small Town Beach Character
Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach lifestyle is an unrivaled coastal asset.
Our high quality schools, as well as city fire, police, library and beach, shape our identify as first class municipality.
Our beach, the ocean, green spaces and natural resources of all types are the foundation of our brand and high
quality of life.
Creating a place where people can live, work and play locally is key to balancing economy, community and
environment.
Sustained progress and achievement of community goals requires community involvement, participation and
innovation.
Diversified districts with local owned businesses that provide for the needs of residents as well as attracting visitors
support a robust and resilient economy.
Our city government, places and spaces are designed to be accessible and connect people of all abilities and
stages and walks of life
Vibrant Economy
Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents, while providing a quality experience for
visitors.
Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries, locally owned business, and environmental
stewardship.
Our sustainable, resilient economy is supported by keeping local dollars in the local economy and maintaining a
diversity of businesses and revenue streams.
Our desire for a high quality of life requires balancing economy, environment, and community through a
‘sustainability lens’ and this attracts like-minded entrepreneurs.
Our various business districts provide unique and differing goods and experiences.
People are engaged in a broad range of enterprises creating a diverse economy and providing fiscal stability.
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our ocean resources, open space, and other natural resources as
a healthy environment is the foundation of a more livable, sustainable city and high quality of life.
Efficient water use, conservation, reuse, recycling and retention at the local level is necessary for a sustainable and
resilient city.
A steady, common sense approach is necessary to advance a long-term goal of community-wide carbon neutrality.
Tackling environmental challenges early and proactively will maximize options and minimize costs.
Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently planning to adapt to climate change will reduce greenhouse
gases, increase energy independence and resiliency.
Climate action and adoption of environmental targets will make Hermosa Beach a n environmental leader in
Southern California.
Innovative, forward-thinking approaches to anticipating future lifestyles, transportation trends and environmental
realities are necessary for creating a durable sustainability plan and attracting residents, visitors and others which
seek positive change.
City leadership will transform the environmentally conscious community where people individually and collectively
take responsibility for change.
Reimagining our system of mobility and connectivity: a shared or “access” model, rather than an “ownership” model
– mobility, communications, resource use – will promote sustainability and livability.
Community Workshop Summary
Hermosa Beach General Plan Update
November 2014
1
The City of Hermosa Beach hosted a public workshop on November 6 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the
Clark Building. The purpose of the event was to collect community feedback on a vision statement,
guiding principles, and potential solutions to key issues to guide the future of Hermosa Beach in the
context of the General Plan update.
The vision statement is intended to set the tone and direction of how Hermosa Beach would like to
change (or not change) over the next 20 - 30 years. The vision statement will be used as a
benchmark to ensure the goals, policies, and actions proposed in the General Plan/Coastal Land Use
Plan align with the community vision. The guiding principles support the vision statement by providing
more specific direction and detail in the three core areas of: small beach town character, vibrant
economy, and healthy environment and lifestyles.
The event began with a brief presentation, including an overview of the project and an explanation
of planned interactive activities. Participants were given a workbook and asked to provide their input
on a vision statement, guiding principles, potential solutions on key issues, as well as opportunities for
participants to add their own comments and ideas, through a series of seven activity stations. The
workbook included activity instructions and a summary of how participant feedback will be used to
further guide the General Plan update. Activity responses were either collected in the workbook or at
each activity station. Participants received a raffle ticket near the end of the evening and raffle
prizes donated by a variety of local businesses were distributed to the winners with much applause.
Executive Summary
The public workshop drew approximately 100
participants, including several families or people
with children. Participants were enthusiastic
about the activities and provided detailed input.
The following major themes emerged from
community feedback:
Vision Statement: Maintain the existing
small beach-town atmosphere, cultivate
local businesses that benefit residents
and the local economy, develop a more
sustainable city through a reduced
carbon footprint, and increase bicycling
and walking.
Guiding Principles: Invest in local
infrastructure and amenities, encourage a diverse, innovative, and resident-serving local
business mix, promote healthy activity and a high quality of life through stewardship and
preservation of natural resources, and achieve carbon neutrality through proactive, forward-
thinking transportation and environmental initiatives.
What can we do to ________ Solutions: Preserve the eclectic character of the city and create
a safe pedestrian/bicycle-friendly city. Invest in schools, energy-efficient infrastructure, the
arts, and green and local businesses. Promote sustainability by prioritizing waste reduction and
maintaining a clean, healthy beach environment.
Community Workshop Summary
2
Confirming the Vision Statement (Activity 1)
Participants were asked to read through the vision statement in their workbook and circle the top
words or phrases that should be part of the vision and strike through words or phrases that should not
be part of the vision. They were also asked to mark up a large poster containing the vision statement
by writing in the margins any missing ideas or concepts and placing stars next to star phrases or
concepts that they agreed were important. The complete vision poster with community workshop
input can be found in Appendix A.
The aspects of the vision that were most
circled/starred (supported) on the poster include:
Live, work, and play locally (12)
Sustainability (10)
Connected by our love of the ocean
environment (10)
Education and schools (10) – Written in
Reduced environmental footprint (9)
Biking (9)
Eclectic districts (8)
Environmental leadership (8)
Catalyzing positive change (8)
Heritage (7)
The aspects of the vision that were most
circled/starred (supported) in the workbooks include:
Connected by our love of the ocean
environment (9)
Small town beach culture (9)
Live, work, and play locally (6)
Virtually all energy is carbon-free (6)
Sustainability / reduced environmental footprint
(5)
Positive change (5)
Walking (5)
Biking (4)
Heritage and creativity (4)
The aspects of the vision that were most often crossed-
out (not supported) in the workbooks include:
“The fading dominance of the auto …” (4)
o Two people crossed out only the first
sentence of this paragraph, while two
others crossed out the entire paragraph.
o One participant noted that Hermosa
Beach would never be Amsterdam.
Another participant noted that this could be changed to “The increasing alternatives
for public transportation…”
“We take shared responsibility for catalyzing positive change… ” (3)
o Two participants crossed out this entire paragraph, while one participant only crossed
out the first sentence. One participant noted that nothing would get done if Hermosa
Beach takes this approach.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
3
The following ideas were written into workbooks as suggested additions to the vision statement:
Green space and recreation facilities
Recycling in public places
Complete streets
Bed and breakfasts / vacation rentals
Reduced water usage
Vision Statement Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to refine the vision statement and emphasize key phrases or words
from the vision statement that are of top importance to the community. The refined vision statement
will be presented to and reviewed by the City Council in December 2014, before the policy
framework for the General Plan update is developed.
Refining Guiding Principles (Activity 2)
Participant workbooks included a list of guiding
principles divided among three key topics: small
beach-town character, healthy environment and
lifestyles, and vibrant economy. Participants were
asked to add any words or phrases that were missing
and to strike through guiding principles that do not
align with their vision for Hermosa Beach. At the
station, color-coded buckets were arranged and
labeled with each guiding principle. Participants were
given five poker chips in total. They were asked to
vote for five guiding principles from the 22 guiding
principles that the City should prioritize by placing the
poker chips in the corresponding buckets. Tally counts
are provided in Appendix B.
Based on the bucket activity, the most supported
guiding principles in each category are shown below
in order of the number of votes received (people
voted for only five of the 22 total guiding principles):
Small Beach Town Character
Our high quality schools, as well as city fire, policy, library, and beach, shape our identity as a
first class municipality (41)
Our beach, the ocean, green spaces, and natural resources of all types are the foundation of
our brands and the high quality of life (30)
Creating a place where people can live, work, and play locally is key to balancing economy,
community, and environment (27)
Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach lifestyle is an unrivaled coastal asset
(26)
Vibrant Economy
Our sustainable, resilient economy is supported by keeping local dollars in the local economy
and maintaining a diversity of businesses and revenue streams (28)
Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents, while providing a quality
experience for visitors (23)
Community Workshop Summary
4
Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries, locally owned
businesses, and environmental stewardship (15)
People are engaged in a broad range of enterprises within the city and there are
opportunities to live and work locally (15)
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our ocean resources, open space, and other
natural resources as a healthy environment is the foundation of a more livable, sustainable city
and high quality of life (38)
A steady, common sense approach is necessary to advance a long-term goal of community-
wide carbon neutrality. Tackling environmental challenges early and proactively will maximize
options and minimize costs (22)
Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently planning to adapt to climate change
will reduce greenhouse gases and increase energy independence and resiliency (15).
Innovative, forward-thinking approaches to anticipating future lifestyles, transportation trends,
and environmental realities are necessary for creating a durable sustainability plan and
attracting like-minded residents, visitors, and others who seek positive change (14)
Based on the workbooks, the following guiding principles were crossed out by at least two or more
participants and generally received fewer votes at the activity station:
Our city government, places, and spaces are designed to be accessible and connect people
of all abilities, and stages and walks of life (2)
Climate action leadership and adoption of environmental targets and mentoring plan will set
Hermosa Beach apart (2)
Guiding Principles Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to understand which principles are the highest priorities for the
community so that the goals, policies, and actions in the General Plan reflect community priorities.
The guiding principles will be refined and reorganized in order of support/priority by the community
for Council review in December 2014.
Key Issues & Priority Solutions (Activities 3 – 5)
A series of three posters listed potential solutions to three
questions: For each solution, participants were instructed
to place stickers in one of three columns to indicate what
solutions the City “must do,” “should do,” or “should not
do.”
“Must do” indicates something the city should absolutely
take action on, “should do” means that there is support for
the idea but it is not the top priority, and “should not do”
implies an unsupported or unpopular idea. The “must do”
column for each potential solution received the most votes
overall, indicating that the community is interested in
seeing the City take action on many of the proposed key
issues and priority solutions.
The following sections list the solutions that were the most
and the least supported by category, and expound upon
areas of conflicting feedback. To view the complete data
set for these activities, see Appendix C.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
5
What can we do to Enhance & Protect Our Neighborhoods?
Must do – The following solutions received the most “must do” votes:
Allow people to rent their houses as vacation rentals (45)
Make streets more attractive for walking and biking (34)
Invest in Hermosa's schools (30)
Preserve historic or eclectic buildings (28)
Invest in PCH to make it more attractive and pedestrian
friendly (25)
Invest in a safe community (24)
Maintain the low scale of the city everywhere (21)
Should do – The following solutions received the most “should do” votes:
Allow apartments above some commercial uses (17)
Focus on beach activities and improvements that benefit
residents (11)
Design so people can "age-in-place" (11)
Plant trees along streets and in parking lots (11)
Should not do – The following solutions received the most “should not do” votes:
Allow taller buildings in some places, esp. where ocean views are not affected (27)
Reduce parking requirements to get better community design (15)
Reduce conversion of bungalows to large condos (13)
Conflicting – The following solutions received competing votes in the “should/must do” and “should
not do” categories:
Reduce conversion of bungalows to large condos (13 must do, 13 should not do)
Reduce parking requirements to get better community design (11 must do, 15 should
not do)
Allow some corner stores in residential areas east of PCH (9 should do, 11 should not
do)
What can we do to Enhance Our Local Economy?
Must do – The following solutions received the most “must do” votes:
Brand Hermosa as an innovative green city (30)
Maintain Pier Plaza/Downtown as an entertainment district (29)
Make the Cypress Avenue area into a "creative arts district" (25)
Invest in sewers, streets, telecommunications, infrastructure (25)
Invest in locally grown businesses (25)
Provide more retail uses and services that serve residents (24)
Provide more resident oriented services and shopping on Aviation Blvd. (20)
Create telecommuting infrastructure (18)
Should do – The following solutions received the most “should do” votes:
Add parking at the civic or community center (12)
Community Workshop Summary
6
Permit private events on limited portions of the
beach (10)
Should not do – The following solutions received the most “should not do” votes:
Attract big box retail uses along PCH (16)
Attract brand name businesses (13)
Conflicting – The following solutions received competing votes in the “should/must do” and
“should not do” categories:
Reduce parking requirements to incentivize new/expanded businesses (11 must
do, 15 should not do)
Develop hotels, places for visitors to stay (9 must do, 16 should not do)
What Can We Create a Healthier Environment?
Must do – The following solutions received the most “must do” votes:
Make it easier and safer to walk and bike in Hermosa (47)
Make a clean beach and healthy ocean environment a priority (28)
Add, expand, upgrade parks with diverse activities (23)
Require new buildings to be very resource efficient (23)
Focus on 'greening' city operations and facilities (22)
Maintain the city as a sustainability leader (20)
Should do – The following solutions received the most “should do” votes:
Reduce the need for a car or second car (12)
Retrofit buildings to reduce energy/ water/ waste (10)
Should not do – The following solutions received the most “should not do” votes:
Remove some parking to accommodate bike racks (18)
Create slow speed lanes for bikes, electric bikes, Segway’s, golf carts, etc. (17)
Provide walk/bike/stroller crossings over the Greenbelt (15)
Conflicting – The following solutions received competing votes in the “should/must do” and “should
not do” categories:
Create slow speed lanes for bikes, electric bikes, Segways, golf carts, etc. (21 must do, 17
should not do)
Provide walk/bike/stroller crossings over the Greenbelt (18 must do, 15 should not do)
Remove some parking to accommodate bike racks (16 must do, 18 should not do)
Key Solutions Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to inform the community’s preferred solutions to the issues that
currently or may face Hermosa Beach in the future and to identify other ideas and improvements the
community are interested in.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
7
Where would you like to see ____? (Activity 6)
Through this mapping activity, participants were
asked to identify locations where they would like
to see certain changes or improvements to land
uses and transportation. To assist in identifying
whether certain types of changes were needed
and if so where they should be located, a series
of stickers indicating the following types of
changes were provided to participants: bike
improvements, pedestrian improvements, parks or
community gathering spaces, shopping for
residents, residences above commercial uses,
private events at the beach, big box retail, add
public parking, remove public parking, corner
stores or coffee shops, office space, and new
housing. Blank stickers were provided for
participants to write in additional ideas. Tape
was also provided to indicate linear improvements such as bikeways or streetscapes.
In total, 260 stickers, comments, and ideas were provided through the mapping activity, including
more than 85 custom ideas generated by participants.
Participant responses and input on the map can generally be grouped by geographic area, along
corridors, within key districts, at parks or public spaces, and around neighborhoods.
Aviation Blvd. Corridor
Popular ideas for the Aviation Blvd Corridor included bike and pedestrian improvements (8
stickers), corner stores/coffee shops (5 stickers), and shopping for residents (4 stickers), and
residences above commercial uses (3 stickers).
A traffic circle, medians, and creative gateways were also recommended for this corridor.
Pacific Coast Highway Corridor
PCH received the most number of total stickers with 68 placed on or near this corridor.
The most frequent recommendations were bike and pedestrian improvements (23 stickers)
including specific recommendations to make it a more walkable shopping area and
connectivity ideas such as a pedestrian bridge. Six of the stickers were specifically placed at
the intersection of Pier Ave and PCH.
Shopping for residents (9 stickers), add public parking (6 stickers) residences above
commercial uses (5 stickers), and big box retail (8 stickers) were also popular responses.
The area surrounding the intersection of PCH and Artesia Blvd/Gould Ave had a particularly
high number of stickers and ideas, primarily focused on shopping and larger retail
opportunities.
Gateways, medians, and other streetscape improvements were also recommended along the
PCH corridor.
Civic Center Area
Pedestrian improvements near the greenbelt as it crosses Pier Ave. and additional public
parking were recommended in this area.
Community Workshop Summary
8
Cypress Area
Corner store/coffee shop (3 stickers), shopping for
residents (2 stickers), and arts district (4 stickers)
were the most frequent responses.
Mixed industrial (light), retail, and residential use
stickers were placed in this area.
Downtown
Residences above commercial uses (9 stickers),
shopping for residents (5 stickers), and add public
parking (3 stickers) were the most popular ideas for
Downtown.
Bike or pedestrian improvements and streetscape
ideas were focused around Pier Ave and Hermosa
Ave.
Ideas for Pier plaza focused on creating a more
family-friendly environment, reducing the number
of bars and noise, and adding appropriately
scaled structures.
Beach/Strand
Popular ideas for the beach and strand included
bike and pedestrian improvements along the
Strand (11 stickers) and private events at the beach (10 stickers). Associated with these two
activities were also notes to create bike parking
near Pier plaza, a separate bike path from
pedestrians, and volleyball lights. Stickers were also
placed to indicate a need for fewer volleyball
courts and no private events.
At the end of the pier, ideas were suggested to
add a coffee shop, attraction, and additional
seating.
Other ideas for the beach/Strand include free Wi-
Fi, an art mural at the entrance of the pier, artificial
reefs or attractions for scuba, and a summer beer
garden next to the pier.
Parks and Schools
The addition of public parking and expansion of
the skate park were identified for the Community
Center, while ideas for Clark Field included
concert events, dog park, keeping lawn bowling,
and pickle ball courts.
Other improvements at parks and schools
included addition of bathrooms, upgrade of
facilities, lighting, and additional public parking.
The former North School site was filled by stickers to
re-open/update the school, or as an opportunity for new housing.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
9
Eastside Neighborhood (east of PCH, excluding Aviation Blvd.)
Bike boulevards and improvements were the most frequent ideas generated for this
neighborhood.
Northwest Neighborhood (north of Downtown, west of PCH)
Popular recommendations included corner stores/coffee shops (4 stickers) and residences
above commercial uses (3 stickers) generally centered around areas where commercial
activity is already present such as Greenwich Village Dr. and 22nd St.
Bike improvements for this neighborhood were identified near Valley Park, the Greenbelt, and
along 24th St and 32nd St.
Southwest Neighborhood (south of Downtown, west of PCH)
Popular recommendations included corner stores/coffee shops (3 stickers) and shopping for
residents (3 stickers) generally at the southern edge of the City.
Bike improvements for this neighborhood were identified near South Park, the Greenbelt, the
Hermosa/Redondo border, and along 6th St.
Change Type
The ideas can also be categorized as a land use, monuments/art, transportation or programming
change. Most programming changes were identified at parks, schools, or the beach, while
monuments and public art ideas were typically identified at main corridors or entries into the City. The
land use and transportation changes were found throughout the districts, corridors, and
neighborhoods as described previously.
Participant Ideas by Type of Change
A full transcription of the input provided for this mapping activity is provided in Appendix D.
Mapping Ideas Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to identify the various land use and transportation changes the
community would like to see in Hermosa Beach. These ideas will be used in the identification of land
use and transportation changes, which will then be analyzed for their community, economic, and/or
environmental feasibility.
138
81
30
10
land use
transportation
programming
monuments/art
Community Workshop Summary
10
Big Ideas (Activity 7)
The final activity station asked participants to think BIG and share their ideas for transforming Hermosa
Beach. Participants were invited to write, draw, photograph, or videotape their big idea to share. A
full transcription of the BIG ideas are presented in Appendix E. Some recurrent ideas included:
Vacation rentals - Increase tourism and generate revenue by allowing, regulating, and taxing
vacation rentals (8)
Transit - Improve transit, such as a free shuttle, a transit hub for visitors, and increasing bus
access between the beach cities (3)
Arts - Promote the arts through craftsman celebrations/events, transforming the Cypress area
into a creativity district, and maintaining the eclectic, bohemian character of the city (3)
Parking - Improve parking by guaranteeing spaces to residents, creating new spaces for smart
cars and motorcycles, or requiring new developments to provide their own parking (3)
Bicycle & Pedestrian
o Better accommodate bicycles and pedestrians by improving infrastructure and
otherwise promoting a more walkable and bikeable city (3)
o Separate bicyclists and pedestrians and make bicyclists follow the laws (2)
Density - Allow residential units above retail uses, create live/work spaces, and keep houses
small (2)
Aesthetics - Underground utility lines (2)
Schools - Improve the school system (2)
Sustainability
o Solar - Make solar panels a requirement for government buildings and/or residential (2)
o Carbon Neutral - Make Hermosa Beach a carbon-neutral city (2)
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
11
Appendix A – Vision Poster with Community Markups
Appendix B – Guiding Principles Full Data Count
Community Workshop Summary
12
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
13
Appendix C – Key Issues & Solutions Poster Data
What can we do to Enhance and Protect our Neighborhoods? Must Do
Should
Do
Should
Not Do
Preserve historic or eclectic buildings 28 11 0
Provide activities in parks and Pier Plaza for people of all ages 15 8 0
Invest in PCH to make it more attractive and pedestrian friendly 25 7 0
Focus on beach activities and improvements that benefit
residents 16 11 0
Invest in the beach and ocean as essential to our identity 21 1 0
Invest in a safe community 24 5 0
Plant trees along streets and in parking lots 14 11 1
Make streets more attractive for walking and biking 34 4 2
Create more places for people to meet and socialize 14 9 2
Invest in Hermosa's schools 30 2 2
Maintain the low scale of the city everywhere 21 7 2
Allow apartments above some commercial uses 8 17 3
Design so people can "age-in-place" 15 11 3
Residences should front on the street, with garages placed
behind 3 10 5
Allow people to rent their houses as vacation rentals 45 11 9
Allow some corner stores in residential areas east of PCH 6 9 11
Reduce conversion of bungalows to large condos 13 6 13
Reduce parking requirements to get better community design 11 3 15
Allow taller buildings in some places, esp. where ocean views are
not affected 9 5 27
What Can We Do To Enhance our Local Economy?
Must
Do
Should
Do
Should
Not Do
Make the Cypress Avenue area into a "creative arts district" 25 6 0
Provide more resident oriented services and shopping on Aviation
Blvd. 20 6 0
Invest in sewers, streets, telecommunications, infrastructure 25 5 0
Invest in locally grown businesses 25 1 0
Provide more retail uses and services that serve residents 24 6 1
Provide new business incubator space 6 7 1
Allow more small-scale commercial development 13 4 1
Invest in our beach/ocean resources as a main economic driver 18 1 1
Balance resident/visitor uses 15 5 1
Enhance the tourist economy which supports services and our
'brand' 12 8 2
Add parking at the civic or community center 14 12 3
Brand Hermosa as an innovative green city 30 2 3
Create telecommuting infrastructure 18 5 3
Brand Hermosa as the best little beach city 9 2 4
Allow more events downtown or at the beach 13 8 4
Maintain Pier Plaza/Downtown as an entertainment district 29 0 5
Permit private events on limited portions of the beach 13 10 5
Create distinctive business districts 7 0 5
Community Workshop Summary
14
What Can We Do To Create a Healthier Environment?
Must
Do
Should
Do
Should
Not Do
Add, expand, upgrade parks with diverse activities 23 7 0
Improve the efficiency of existing parking resources 15 7 0
Make a clean beach and healthy ocean environment a priority 28 4 0
Retrofit buildings to reduce energy/water/waste 17 10 0
Make it easier and safer to walk and bike in Hermosa 47 2 1
Focus on 'greening' city operations and facilities 22 2 1
Require new buildings to be very resource efficient 23 11 2
Use locally-produced renewable energy 13 8 2
Allow mixed land uses to make it easier to walk to services 14 8 2
Increase telecommuting or working locally 17 7 2
Increase opportunities for locally grown food 13 5 2
Incentivize use of electric and alternative fuel vehicles 20 9 3
Plan for climate change (storm surges/sea level rise affecting
downtown) 19 4 3
Reduce the need for a car or second car 15 12 3
Take actions that aggressively reduce greenhouse gases 15 3 3
Maintain the city as a sustainability leader 20 5 3
Allow small scale development without adding parking to the
city 17 3 7
Reduce the allocation of space in the City for parking 7 1 13
Provide walk/bike/stroller crossings over the Greenbelt 19 9 15
Create slow speed lanes for bikes, electric bikes, Segway’s, golf
carts, etc. 21 3 17
Remove some parking to accommodate bike racks 16 4 18
Add office space 4 7 6
Attract brand name businesses 1 2 13
Reduce parking requirements to incentivize new/expanded
businesses 11 4 15
Develop hotels, places for visitors to stay 9 5 16
Attract big box retail uses along PCH 5 4 16
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
15
Appendix D – Where Would You Like to See _____? Transcription
Area Sticker Location Change type
beach/strand add attraction pier programming
beach/strand artificial reef for scuba ocean programming
beach/strand bike improvements Strand @ 27th St transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Beach @ 21st St transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Beach @ 16th St transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Strand @ 11th St transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Strand @ 11th St transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Beach @ 9th St transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Strand @ 3rd Ct transportation
beach/strand bike improvements Strand @ 3rd Ct transportation
beach/strand bike parking beach @11th St transportation
beach/strand corner store/coffee shop pier land use
beach/strand fewer volleyball courts Beach @ 18th Ct programming
beach/strand free Wi-Fi beach programming
beach/strand gathering seating pier programming
beach/strand mural = we are "surf city" pier monuments/art
beach/strand No private events Beach @ 19th St programming
beach/strand no shark ocean
beach/strand park "lite" settings pier programming
beach/strand pedestrian improvements Beach @ 10th St transportation
beach/strand pedestrian improvements Strand @ 3rd St transportation
beach/strand pedestrian improvements Strand @ 4th Ct transportation
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 24th St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 23rd St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 15th St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 13th St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 10th St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 8th St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 7th St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 1st St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 1st St programming
beach/strand private events on the beach Beach @ 1st St programming
beach/strand separate bike path Beach @ 21st St transportation
beach/strand shopping for residents pier land use
beach/strand summer beer garden beach @11th St programming
beach/strand underwater sculpture ocean programming
beach/strand volleyball lights Beach @ 7th St programming
aviation big box retail Aviation Corridor land use
aviation big box retail Aviation @ Harper land use
aviation bike improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation bike improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
Community Workshop Summary
16
aviation bike improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation bike improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation bike improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation bikeway Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation corner store/coffee shop Aviation Corridor land use
aviation corner store/coffee shop Aviation Corridor land use
aviation corner store/coffee shop Aviation Corridor land use
aviation corner store/coffee shop Aviation Corridor land use
aviation corner store/coffee shop Aviation Corridor land use
aviation creative gateway Aviation @ Prospect monuments/art
aviation gateway Aviation @ Prospect monuments/art
aviation medians Aviation @ Prospect transportation
aviation
parks or community gathering
space Aviation @PCH land use
aviation pedestrian improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation pedestrian improvements Aviation Corridor transportation
aviation residences above commercial uses Aviation Corridor land use
aviation residences above commercial uses Aviation Corridor land use
aviation residences above commercial uses Aviation Corridor land use
aviation shopping for residents Aviation Corridor land use
aviation shopping for residents Aviation Corridor land use
aviation shopping for residents Aviation Corridor land use
aviation shopping for residents Aviation Corridor land use
aviation traffic circle Aviation @ Prospect transportation
PCH add public parking PCH @ 16th St land use
PCH add public parking Pier @ PCH land use
PCH add public parking Pier @ PCH land use
PCH add public parking PCH @ 2nd St land use
PCH add public parking PCH @ 2nd St land use
PCH add public parking PCH @ 2nd St land use
PCH big box retail North of Artesia land use
PCH big box retail North of Artesia land use
PCH big box retail PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH big box retail PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH big box retail PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH big box retail PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH big box retail PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH big box retail PCH @ 9th St land use
PCH bike improvements PCH @ Artesia transportation
PCH bike improvements PCH @ Artesia transportation
PCH bike improvements length of PCH land use
PCH bike improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH bike improvements PCH @8th St transportation
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
17
PCH corner store/coffee shop PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH corner store/coffee shop PCH @ 9th St land use
PCH enhance sidewalk appeal PCH @ 16th St transportation
PCH entertainment corridor PCH @ 4th St land use
PCH
Entry corridors "you are in Hermosa
now" PCH @ Herondo St monuments/art
PCH gateway PCH @ Artesia monuments/art
PCH green retail/green corridor PCH @ 4th St land use
PCH hotel retail etc parking PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH medians PCH @ 4th St transportation
PCH nice creative gateway PCH @ Artesia monuments/art
PCH office space North of Artesia land use
PCH office space PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH office space PCH @ 5th St land use
PCH
parks or community gathering
space PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH
parks or community gathering
space PCH @8th St land use
PCH
parks or community gathering
space PCH @ 2nd St land use
PCH pedestrian bridge PCH @ 16th St transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ Artesia transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ Artesia transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ Artesia transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ 21st St transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ 19th St transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements Pier @ PCH transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ 10th St transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ 7th St transportation
PCH pedestrian improvements PCH @ 5th St transportation
PCH residences above commercial uses PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH residences above commercial uses PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH residences above commercial uses PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH residences above commercial uses PCH @ 18th St land use
PCH residences above commercial uses PCH @ 18th St land use
PCH shopping for residents North of Artesia land use
PCH shopping for residents North of Artesia land use
PCH shopping for residents PCH @ Artesia land use
PCH shopping for residents PCH @ Artesia land use
Community Workshop Summary
18
PCH shopping for residents PCH @ 16th St land use
PCH shopping for residents Pier @ PCH land use
PCH shopping for residents PCH @ 7th St land use
PCH shopping for residents PCH @ 5th St land use
PCH shopping for residents PCH @ 3rd St land use
PCH
walk from east Hermosa to Vons
Plaza PCH @ 16th St transportation
PCH Walkable Shopping PCH @ 5th St land use
PCH Welcome to HB PCH @ Herondo St monuments/art
PCH whole foods PCH @ Artesia land use
civic center add public parking 11th Pl land use
civic center add public parking 12th Pl land use
civic center ped bridge greenbelt @ pier ave transportation
civic center pedestrian improvements greenbelt @ pier ave transportation
civic center pedestrian improvements greenbelt @ pier ave transportation
cypress art district
land use
cypress art district
land use
cypress art district South Park land use
cypress art district South Park land use
cypress corner store/coffee shop
land use
cypress corner store/coffee shop
land use
cypress corner store/coffee shop
land use
cypress lighting on valley greenbelt really dark transportation
cypress mixed industrial and retail space
land use
cypress no drilling
land use
cypress no oil
land use
cypress office space
land use
cypress
protect lite industrial + add mixed use + create and inviting
atmosphere. Retail where we produce since 1954 historic
legendary part of town = first surfboards created here. land use
cypress residences above commercial uses land use
cypress shopping for residents
land use
cypress shopping for residents
land use
Downtown add public parking 14th St @ Manhattan Ave land use
Downtown add public parking 11th St @ Manhattan Ave land use
Downtown add public parking Pier Plaza land use
Downtown artisan food court Pier Plaza land use
Downtown bike improvements Pier Ave @ Bard St transportation
Downtown bike improvements Pier Ave @ Bard St transportation
Downtown corner store/coffee shop Pier Plaza land use
Downtown corner store/coffee shop Strand @ 14th St land use
Downtown less bars Pier Plaza land use
Downtown no parking structure Pier Plaza land use
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
19
Downtown
parks or community gathering
space Strand @ 14th St land use
Downtown pedestrian improvements Pier Ave @Monterey Blvd transportation
Downtown pedestrian improvements Pier @ Manhattan Ave. transportation
Downtown performance space Strand @ 14th St land use
Downtown reduce noise + drunks Pier Plaza land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Bard St land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Loma Dr. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Loma Dr. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Loma Dr. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Loma Dr. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Bayview Dr. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Ave @ Bayview Dr. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses
Pier Ave @ Manhattan
Ave. land use
Downtown residences above commercial uses Pier Plaza land use
Downtown shopping for residents Pier Ave @ Cypress Ave land use
Downtown shopping for residents Pier Plaza land use
Downtown shopping for residents Pier Plaza land use
Downtown shopping for residents Pier Plaza land use
Downtown shopping for residents Pier Plaza land use
Downtown small profile structure Pier Plaza land use
Downtown streetscape
Hermosa Ave @ 15th to
8th St transportation
park or school add public parking community center land use
park or school add public parking community center land use
park or school add public parking community center land use
park or school add public parking community center land use
park or school expand skate park community center programming
park or school
parks or community gathering
space community center land use
park or school
parks or community gathering
space community center land use
park or school underground parking community center land use
eastside add public parking 1st St land use
eastside bike boulevard Prospect transportation
eastside bike boulevard 6th St transportation
eastside bike boulevard 21st St transportation
eastside bike improvements Prospect transportation
eastside bike improvements Prospect transportation
eastside pedestrian improvements Prospect transportation
eastside trash cans for dog waste Prospect land use
northwest bike improvements
Gould Ave @
Valley/Ardmore transportation
Community Workshop Summary
20
northwest bike improvements Valley @ 24th St transportation
northwest bikeway
32nd st. from Greenbelt to
Beach transportation
northwest bikeway
24th st @ Greenbelt to
Beach transportation
northwest corner store/coffee shop
Manhattan Ave. @ 32nd
St. land use
northwest corner store/coffee shop Manhattan Ave @27th st. land use
northwest corner store/coffee shop Greenwich Village Dr. land use
northwest corner store/coffee shop 26th St @ Hermosa Ave land use
northwest new housing Valley @ Oak St transportation
northwest pedestrian improvements
Gould Ave @
Valley/Ardmore transportation
northwest residences above commercial uses Hermosa Ave @ 15th st land use
northwest residences above commercial uses Hermosa Ave @ 15th st land use
northwest residences above commercial uses Hermosa Ave @ 22nd St land use
park or school add public parking valley park land use
park or school bathroom View School land use
park or school bikepath shared with walk path Valley Greenbelt transportation
park or school concert events Clark field programming
park or school dog + people restaurant Clark field programming
park or school dog park Clark field programming
park or school improve bike path on Valley Valley Greenbelt transportation
park or school lawn bowling stays here Clark field programming
park or school new housing North School land use
park or school new housing North School land use
park or school
parks or community gathering
space valley park land use
park or school
parks or community gathering
space South Park land use
park or school
parks or community gathering
space View School land use
park or school pickle ball courts Clark field programming
park or school pickle ball courts Clark field programming
park or school pickle ball courts Clark field programming
park or school remodel school View School land use
park or school school North School land use
park or school skate park South Park land use
park or school update View School land use
park or school update school North School land use
southwest bike improvements
Hermosa Ave @ Herondo
St transportation
southwest bike improvements 2nd St @ Greenbelt transportation
southwest bike improvements Valley @ 9th St transportation
southwest bike improvements Valley @ 9th St transportation
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
21
southwest bikeway
7th St @ greenbelt to
beach transportation
southwest bikeway 5th St @ PCH to Greenbelt transportation
southwest corner store/coffee shop Hermosa Ave @ 8th St land use
southwest corner store/coffee shop Hermosa Ave @ 2nd St land use
southwest corner store/coffee shop Ardmore @ 2nd St land use
southwest dog park Ardmore @ 4th St land use
southwest
Entry corridors "you are in Hermosa
now"
Monterey Blvd. @ Herondo
St. monuments/art
southwest
Entry corridors "you are in Hermosa
now"
Monterey Blvd. @ Herondo
St. monuments/art
southwest gateway sign (more creative)
Hermosa Ave @ Herondo
St monuments/art
southwest shopping for residents Hermosa Ave @ 8th St land use
southwest shopping for residents Hermosa Ave @ 2nd St land use
southwest shopping for residents Hermosa Ave @ Lyndon St. land use
Not Geographic facelift for the Clark building
programming
Not Geographic give the pickle ball players a place to play. programming
Not Geographic kids should ride bikes to school
transportation
Not Geographic many many more bike lanes
transportation
Not Geographic more "green store" type shops/cafes in residential areas land use
Not Geographic
need sidewalks on many streets some need wider sidewalks
many sidewalks are in need or repair transportation
Not Geographic no cars parked blocking sidewalks transportation
Not Geographic no more bike lanes
transportation
Not Geographic public transport station for visitors transportation
Not Geographic sidewalks for kids to Clark field from all directions transportation
Appendix E – Transcription of Big Ideas
1. Think BIG! Not small about how to distinguish HB as one of the most future-focused, progressive,
and relevant cities in this century!
a. Build more progressive schools that gain national attention for being on the forefront of
the current revolution happening in education (e.g., the Green Idea School, new
teaching methods, future-focused and future relevant curriculum)
2. “Celebrate Hermosa Beach Day” (a local event):
a. Non-commercial activities in parks, greenbelt, school grounds, and beach aimed at
appreciating our beachfront town and getting to know your neighbors and fellow
residents.
b. A vendor/business area for residents to hear and see what local businesses have to
offer.
3. Hermosa needs to maintain its eclectic, bohemian atmosphere. We need to let people be
who they are and not push individual ideas on the populace. We need to keep big, pushy
litigious businesses out of town. We need to lead in being an eco-conscious city. We need to
find a way to improve services without hurting the environment.
4. I would like to see the residents connect better with each other with communication through
the new way of technology inspiring each other to challenge the city and all residents to
Community Workshop Summary
22
make us all feel as “ONE.” The results make us all feel that everyone is contributing and being
productive in this great city.
5. Make the owners of vacation rental pay 10% city tax and business license.
6. VRBO & HomeAway: 1) Legalize vacation rentals, 2) establish city oversight, 3) charge a 10%
occupancy tax. This brings business to HB, restaurants, markets, tourism, promotes HB in a
positive way. It is very positive involvement.
7. Vacation rentals are the most lucrative idea yet. Helps economy and development!! Love
Hermosa.
8. Short of changing the world, I think allowing vacation rentals would be great for the area,
pushing up RE prices and providing more than enough funds to police bad apples.
9. 1) Legalize & tax vacation rentals like MB, 2) Build bike path along beach similar to Manhattan
Beach, 3) Reduce # of bars. Make Hermosa family-oriented again, not drunk city.
10. Vacation rentals (legalize), Keep Hermosa Hermosa! (Maintaining the Green Belt). I think it is
about time we regulate and license the use of homes as vacation properties.
11. Short-term vacation rentals by resident owners is environmentally friendly. Empty homes are a
waste of space and energy. Invite international visitors to rent our unused spaces (while we
explore the world and expand our vision) and generate tax revenues for the city at the same
time. Newport Beach made $1.7 million last year in tax revenues from short-term rentals.
12. Beach home rentals allow for increased tourism and revenue for businesses in the area. We
also advertise and promote Hermosa Beach and bring in tourists from across the USA to
Canada and around the world. We are prepared and should be regulated as well as taxed to
bring in revenue for the city to help with the many improvements needed in the future for
Hermosa Beach.
13. Allow vacation rentals and collect taxes.
14. Fix South Park please – NO drinking fountain. Schools are over-crowded.
15. Do not allow dogs on Strand. Limit to greenbelt and other open spaces.
16. Controlled beer and wine sales on the beach with music. City receives all profits. We own our
beach, let’s use it.
17. More events that serve the local arts, and community growth, i.e. Concerts in the Park,
Surf/Skate contests, regain our city’s heritage for music/surfing.
18. Bike/pedestrian bridge across PCH Strand.
19. Growing up in the area I understand that the beach area is a place where people exercise,
socialize, and enjoy the scenery. That said, I believe it is a hazard to have the bike path and
pedestrian walk on the same path. These should be separate to minimize incidents while still
allowing people to enjoy our incredible city.
20. Think 21st century in both concepts and words. Use words like complete streets, mobility, living
streets, sustainability (bikes, pedestrians, transit are integral).
21. I would like to see more connectivity between Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo. Run the
beach cities bus more often on weekends, add GPS tracking to buses so people know where
they are via phone app; need bike parking in Hermosa to encourage other beach cities
people to bike over.
22. Bicyclists should follow same laws as automobiles.
23. Make parking passes available (at a cost) for all residents! Make an artisan food court.
24. Revamp residential parking with motorcycle spaces, smart car spaces, find “lost” spaces due
to new driveways. Constrain Pier Plaza drinking – make bar owners pay for police services.
Stop providing cab space downtown. Individuals should drink and act responsibly. Limit
waiting lines on Plaza. Station police near parking to issue 502s.
25. New developments should provide their own parking. Not “buy” spaces. Do not OVER
develop downtown.
26. Visitor transport hub and long-term/short-term parking station.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
23
27. Improve and create a more livable walkable and bikeable city. Widen sidewalks, repair them,
and install where they are missing.
Free or very nominally priced shuttle throughout the city for residents. Will bring Eastside down
to beach and encourage more foot traffic to PCH and Eastside from Westside. Also, stop oil
project.
28. Use scientific research. This event is not legit.
Underground our utility lines!!! Replace our asphalt streets (direct rainfall into the ocean) with
interlocking pavers.
29. Begin implementing baby steps to underground utilities in Hermosa!
30. Make solar panels a requirement on all new commercial construction – give incentives for new
home construction to have solar panels.
31. Solar panels on ALL public buildings, bid out and have businesses and homeowners have the
opportunity to have solar panels. Allow movies/TV/commercials to be filmed in Hermosa
without so many restrictions. Give tickets for motorized vehicles on the Strand (except
handicapped). Give tickets for people on bikes and cars blowing through stops signs/lights.
Make Hermosa more friendly to the ARTS.
32. Become the leader of net zero energy business development.
Look at the trends – smaller housing instead of McMansions, live/work spaces, innovative
businesses rather than bars, community gardens, residents and businesses/property owners
accountability + responsibility.
Allow residential units over retail and commercial.
Transform the Cypress “Light Industrial” zone into an arts district, celebrate the
craftsman/music residents there, but building and celebrating around it in partnership with
local artists, musicians, creativity-oriented activities (art exhibits, shows). Art contest to change
all the businesses (paint murals, etc.)
33. Add/allow “retail” to light industrial zone in Cypress area… transform area into a creative
space/arts district (like other “forward-moving” cities are doing). Will enhance walkable
destinations for residents/visitors. Add limited quaint “coffee house/artisan food spots.” Get
creative with City gateway signs – no “arches”! Should be at entry points, not on pier.
No oil drilling. Keep Hermosa Hermosa! Regulate and tax vacation rentals, Newport Beach
vacation rental tax brings in $1.7 million a year!
34. I would like downtown and the Planning Commission to think about how it will develop. We
have hotels about to be built. It would be great if we could have a set of ideas of how
downtown will look. Some sort of homogeneity. Not have everything so different from each
other. So there is a feel and style for this town. It is weird when you have one big modern
building next to a 1920s building. We need to keep some style – not random!
Brand the City and become “the carbon-neutral city” to bring in businesses who want to have
their product on service carry the “Hermosa” Brand.
35. This study has not included the kids who are the future decision-makers for the city. What is the
point of planning 25 years ahead when most of us are not going to be the decision-makers?
Invite the kids (12 and up) to help educate them in their civic responsibilities and encourage
them to become the future leaders of Hermosa Beach.
Promote our beach culture accurately to the world!
Use best practices and lessons learned from other successfully thriving small coastal
communities as a catalyst to find the big idea. To stay vibrant, meaningful, and impactful the
town needs to attract new generation “family,” else it ages/times out. Being small has limited
intrinsic value by itself… being small and successful is a magnet. Interview/visit 3 – 5 “top”
small, coastal CA towns that have successfully reinvented …. And find out what they did, how
we can learn from them.
Community Workshop Summary
24
Appendix F – Comment Card Transcriptions
Tax more – we will pay
Fix schools
No need for countless meetings on how to improve city. We elect officials so let’s let them do
their work we elected them to do.
Congrats on a well-written summation of our planning vision. In addition to the inspiring
statements on environmental aspiration, I want to suggest making a strong statement on
architectural scale as a key element of our Hermosa heritage. Commercial buildings must be
limited on scale lest we lose the visual aesthetic that is integral to Hermosa.
Vote against E&B oil and their toxic emissions into land and air and 30 pipelines through our
sand and water.
No oil drilling. No oil debt.
The city needs more revenue. Stop the tearing down of our historic structures. This is changing
the face of Hermosa Beach. Our City should promote saving these structures. Redevelop Lot 1
(valuable property with ocean view) into restaurants, retail shops, and other services that
benefit the city and community.
Online Survey Summary
Hermosa Beach General Plan Update
November 2014
1
Following the public workshop on November 6, the City replicated the workshop activities in an
online format, providing those unable to attend in person with the opportunity to provide valuable
input and feedback. The online survey collected community feedback on a vision statement,
guiding principles, and potential solutions to key issues to guide the future of Hermosa Beach in the
context of the General Plan update.
The survey collected responses from November 13 through November 23 and was advertised through
the City’s Website, e-notify system, Nixle, and the General Plan Update email list. Over the course of
ten days, approximately 150 individuals provided input through the online survey.
Confirming the Vision Statement (Activity 1)
Survey participants were asked to read through the vision statement and indicate the words or
phrases that should or should not be part of the vision. They were also asked to identify any ideas or
concepts they felt should be added to the vision statement. The complete transcription of input can
be found in Appendix A.
The aspects of the vision that were most supported include:
Small beach town
Our love of the ocean environment
Where heritage, creativity, and sustainability intersect.
Oil drilling or Keep the ban on oil drilling (please note that neither are part of the vision
statement)
The aspects of the vision that participants thought should be added include:
Focus on high quality schools and education
Strong sense of community
Local economy and entrepreneurial spirit
Preservation of history or heritage
Protection of open space and parks
The aspects of the vision that were most often not supported include:
The fading dominance of the auto
Environmental footprint is dramatically reduced
Virtually all energy is carbon-free
We take shared responsibility for catalyzing positive change
Sustainability
Oil drilling (please note that this was not included in the vision statement)
Vision Statement Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to refine the vision statement and emphasize key phrases or words
from the vision statement that are of top importance to the community. The refined vision statement
will be presented to and reviewed by the City Council in December 2014, before the policy
framework for the General Plan update is developed.
Online Survey Summary
2
Refining Guiding Principles (Activity 2)
The survey included a list of guiding principles divided among three key topics: small beach-town
character, healthy environment and lifestyles, and vibrant economy. Participants were asked to vote
for five guiding principles from the twenty-two guiding principles that the City should prioritize. Tally
counts are provided in Appendix B.
The most supported guiding principles in each category are shown below in order of the number of
votes received (people voted for only five of the twenty-two total guiding principles):
Small Beach Town Character
Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach lifestyle is an unrivaled coastal asset
Creating a place where people can live, work, and play locally is key to balancing economy,
community, and environment
Our beach, the ocean, green spaces, and natural resources of all types are the foundation of
our brands and the high quality of life
Vibrant Economy
Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries, locally owned
businesses, and environmental stewardship
Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents, while providing a quality
experience for visitors
Our desire for a high quality of life requires balancing economy, environment, and community
through a ‘sustainability lens’ and this attracts like-minded entrepreneurs.
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our ocean resources, open space, and other
natural resources as a healthy environment is the foundation of a more livable, sustainable city
and high quality of life.
Efficient water use, conservation, reuse, recycling and retention, at the local level is necessary
for a sustainable and resilient city.
Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently planning to adapt to climate change
will reduce greenhouse gases and increase energy independence and resiliency.
Guiding Principles Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to understand which principles are the highest priorities for the
community so that the goals, policies, and actions in the General Plan reflect community priorities.
The guiding principles will be refined and reorganized in order of support/priority by the community
for Council review in December 2014.
Key Issues & Priority Solutions (Activities 3 – 5)
A series of three posters listed potential solutions to three questions: For each solution, participants
were instructed to place stickers in one of three columns to indicate what solutions the City “must
do,” “should do,” or “should not do.”
“Must do,” indicates something the city should absolutely take action on, “should do” means that
there is support for the idea but it is not the top priority, and “should not do” implies an unsupported
or unpopular idea. The “must do” column for each potential solution received the most votes overall,
indicating that the community is interested in seeing the City take action on many of the proposed
key issues and priority solutions.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
3
The following sections list the solutions that were the most and the least supported by category, and
expound upon areas of conflicting feedback. To view the complete data set for these activities, see
Appendix C.
What can we do to Enhance & Protect Our Neighborhoods?
Must do – The following solutions received the most “must do” votes:
Invest in the beach and ocean as essential to our identity
Invest in Hermosa’s schools
Invest in a safe community
Make streets more attractive for walking and biking
Should do – The following solutions received the most “should do” votes:
Provide activities in parks and Pier Plaza for people of all ages
Allow apartments above some commercial uses
Preserve historic or eclectic buildings
Create more places for people to meet or socialize
Focus on beach activities and improvements that benefit residents
Design so people can “age in place”
Should not do – The following solutions received the most “should not do” votes:
Allow taller buildings in some places, especially where ocean views are not affected.
Residences should front on the street with garages placed behind
Allow some corner stores in residential areas east of PCH.
Conflicting – The following solutions received competing votes in the “should/must do” and “should
not do” categories:
Allow apartments above some commercial uses
Reduce parking requirements to get better community design
Allow people to rent their houses as vacation rentals
Residences should front on the street with housing placed behind
What can we do to Enhance Our Local Economy?
Must do – The following solutions received the most “must do” votes:
Invest in sewers, streets, telecommunications, infrastructure
Invest in our beach/ocean resources as a main economic driver
Brand Hermosa Beach as an innovative green city
Invest in locally grown businesses
Brand Hermosa Beach as the best little beach city
Should do – The following solutions received the most “should do” votes:
Provide more retail uses and services that serve residents
Allow more small-scale commercial development
Make the Cypress Avenue area into a “creative arts district”
Provide more resident oriented services and shopping on Aviation Blvd.
Balance resident/visitor uses
Should not do – The following solutions received the most “should not do” votes:
Attract big box retail uses along PCH
Attract brand name businesses
Permit private events on limited portions of the beach
Develop hotels, places for visitors to stay
Conflicting – The following solutions received competing votes in the “should/must do” and “should
not do” categories:
Online Survey Summary
4
Add office space
Develop hotels, places for visitors to stay
Reduce parking requirements to incentivize new/expanded businesses
Add parking at the civic or community center
Maintain Pier Plaza/Downtown as an entertainment district
What Can We Create a Healthier Environment?
Must do – The following solutions received the most “must do” votes:
Make it easier and safer to walk and bike in Hermosa
Make a clean beach and healthy ocean environment a priority
Require new buildings to be very resource efficient
Focus on 'greening' city operations and facilities
Take actions that aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Maintain the city as a sustainability leader
Should do – The following solutions received the most “should do” votes:
Increase telecommuting or working locally
Add, expand upgrade parks with diverse activities
Improve the efficiency of existing parking resources
Allow mixed land uses to make it easier to walk to services
Should not do – The following solutions received the most “should not do” votes:
Reduce the allocation of space in the City for parking
Remove some parking to accommodate bike racks
Provide walk/bike/stroller crossings over the greenbelt
Conflicting – The following solutions received competing votes in the “should/must do” and “should
not do” categories:
Create slow speed lanes for bikes, electric bikes, Segways, golf carts, etc.
Provide walk/bike/stroller crossings over the Greenbelt
Remove some parking to accommodate bike racks
Allow small scale development without adding parking to the city
Key Solutions Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to inform the community’s preferred solutions to the issues that
currently or may face Hermosa Beach in the future and to identify other ideas and improvements the
community are interested in.
Where would you like to see ____? (Activity 6)
Through this activity, participants were asked to identify locations where they would like to see
certain changes or improvements to land uses and transportation. The following types of changes
were provided to participants: bike improvements, pedestrian improvements, parks or community
gathering spaces, shopping for residents, residences above commercial uses, private events at the
beach, big box retail, add public parking, remove public parking, corner stores or coffee shops,
office space, and new housing. Participants were also able to write in additional ideas.
Priority bike improvements were suggested along Pier Avenue as well as Valley/Ardmore and
interest in additional bike parking was expressed. Some respondents indicated they felt there
are enough bike facilities.
Participants were responsive to ideas for mixed-use along Pier and Hermosa Ave., around
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
5
downtown, and along PCH. Respondents also expressed concern over the infrastructure
capacity to accommodate additional housing or felt that residences above commercial uses
were not appropriate in Hermosa Beach.
Suggestions for areas appropriate to accommodate corner stores or coffee shops include
north Hermosa and east of PCH (Prospect/Aviation). Some did not feel that this was
appropriate in a residential community and others suggested that everyone should be able to
walk to a corner store.
Pier Ave and PCH/Aviation were the primary corridors along which participants felt there
could be more shopping for residents.
PCH was the most frequently identified location appropriate for office space, while Aviation,
Upper Pier, and Downtown were also mentioned. Others indicated that office space could be
accommodated on second floors or above existing businesses.
Of those that indicated a preference for more private events on the beach, the area around
the Pier was most frequently suggested. Many respondents did not feel it was appropriate for
additional events, or indicated a preference for non-commercial events, fewer events with
alcohol, or smaller events such as weddings.
Suggestions for parks and community gathering spaces generally did not identify new places,
but identified improvements (community garden, larger rental spaces, they would like to see
at existing parks or interest in South Park being redeveloped. Many respondents felt that the
current amount of park space was adequate.
The Civic center/community center and upper Pier were two locations identified as needing
additional parking. Many responses indicated there isn’t a need for more public parking or
expressed concern about how additional parking would impact traffic and increase visitors.
Decreasing public parking was generally not supported by respondents though some
indicated less space for parking in/around downtown and the beach may be acceptable.
Pedestrian improvements were suggested along PCH and near 8th st. Many indicated that
sidewalks specifically are needed to improve walkability.
Big box retail was generally not supported by respondents, though those that identified a
location where it may be appropriate either indicated PCH or Aviation.
Participants did not identify locations where additional housing may be accommodated.
Many expressed concern of overdevelopment of housing or additional condos should be
limited.
A full transcription of the input provided for this activity is provided in Appendix D.
Mapping Ideas Next Steps
Input on this activity will be used to identify the various land use and transportation changes the
community would like to see in Hermosa Beach. These ideas will be used in the identification of land
use and transportation changes, which will then be analyzed for their community, economic, and/or
environmental feasibility.
Big Ideas (Activity 7)
The final activity station asked participants to think BIG and share their ideas for transforming Hermosa
Beach. A full transcription of the BIG ideas are presented in Appendix E.
Online Survey Summary
6
Appendix A – Vision Poster with Community Markups
you support you think should be added you think should be removed
yes
"Our environmental footprint......beach city
brand."
community input
I think it is beautifully aligned with why we live here and our small community
captures the heart of people around the world.
Clean up Pier ave near the beach make it more family friendly. Less bars. Invest
more in our schools and expand them to meet the needs of the community
"eclectic" districts; where are they; lived
here since 1955 but they escape me. Also
may want to remove entire paragraph
referencing our environmental footprint if the
Oil Recovery vote passes. Last paragraph
replace "catalyzing" with "effecting"
All the bullshit about the environmental
footprint and carbon-free crap. And the
fading dominance of the auto.
We support individuals and families and believe a leading school system is
important to all
Increase fire crew to what it was
before the cutbacks. St. Pat's
parade was better when we had the
food court and shopping tents as it
gave people something to do after
the parade. Now I just go home.
The vision for PCH with center median.
Don't see how you can provide everything
and still keep 4 lanes unless you do away
with parking. Medians slow up fire trucks,
etc. Without medians, it is easier for them
to maneuver into oncoming traffic in
emergency situations. I'm sure that you
would not want slower response time to
your home if you had a fire. No smoking in
the outdoor patios on Pier. The purpose of
the outdoor patios was to give smokers a
place to smoke away from the non-smokers.
I no longer dine on the Pier.
Our "environmental footprint" and fading
dominance of the auto" is not
reduced/transformed the community until
we make most of Pier a walking street vs.
cars and any and all oil drilling is obsolete in
Hermosa.
Our schools are the finest in the
state and are supported by the
entire community--regardless of age
or family status. Our sense of
community is second to none,
based on community projects and
events.
"we are a beacon"--I believe you wanted to
convey "example" or "exemplification;" the
comma after "town" should be removed (We
balance our small town, beach culture..."
We need a "View Variance"!! HB is "overbuilding" houses & businesses, so that
many residents have lost their long-time ocean views! HB City Depts. are too intent
on making more money by packing us in like sardines! Long-time HB residents are
being pushed out by the over-crowding & loss of privacy that these "monster"
bldgs. bring. For yrs. residents have asked for "View Variances", but been denied
by City Council who states that "no one is interested". We just lost our ocean view
& privacy by 4 condos being "slammed in" behind us! When will HB City Depts.
listen to & stand up for the residents who already live here???
Entire paragraph that starts: "We take
shared responsibility for catalyzing positive
change . . . ."
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
7
historical HB embraced young
artists and a liberal philosophy -
unique town wedged between
larger traditional cities
"vibrant" economy - use different adjective.
HB hasn't had a vibrant economy for several
years.
Carbon free and fossil fuel hating.
Government overreach.
YES!!!!
too corny...Hermosa Beach is the small
beach town others aspire to be.
Carbon neutrality
Visionary leadership in Sustainability & Green building initiatives!
"green" city initiatives like city
vehicles being electric south park hockey rink tear down oil drilling, community garden for select few
all
all
All except noted below
Our development standards have
evolved in favor of our enjoyment of
the climate and views unique to our
coastal location. Virtually all energy is carbon-free.
All of it A stronger focus on families and high quality education
All of it
All of it!
Something about our sense of community - raising our children here, taking care of
our environment and each other, etc. Also something about our focus on health
and wellness
all of the above
create/maintain open spaces, implement view ordinances, reduce density, look at
traffic flow patterns on main streets as well as residential streets
All of the above
A focus on improved schools and especially on expanding options immediately as
Hermosa Valley is disruptively overcrowded
all of the above
all of the above
an oil-free city with
accountable leadership!!!
A city who holds its leaders
accountable
Remove the part that says we capitalize off
our environment
best beach town that others
want to emulate
supportive and nurturing for
entrepreneurs, small businesses
get rid of the anti-car and too many
sustainability comments - sounds like the
Greens wrote all this. Sure, it's a goal, but
not the main goal. Our eclectic
architecture??? In any case, all the small
beach bungalows are being torn down
replaced by McMansions. So something
there needs to be changed.
Carbon free
common sense decisions any reference to carbon neutral
Continued reduction of our
environmental footprint, and
our sustainable beach city
brand.
Maintaining the high quality of life in a small beach town, and not allowing oil
drilling which will negatively impact our environment and small beach town quality
of life.
Encourage walking, biking
around the city and reducing
car journeys for short
distances. Push for residents
to recycle more and be
conscious of consuming
products with excess
packaging. Plan should not include oil drilling in this small community.
environment, sustainability,
coastal destination, walking,
biking, positive change keeping heavy industry out of our town
Online Survey Summary
8
environmental and sustainable policies nothing
Environmental leadership as a catalyst for economic health.
environmental leadership,
inclusive community, beach
and family lifestyle, respect
and preservation of historical
& cultural features/structures
active lifestyle, embrace positive cooperation with south bay community,
sustainability, carbon neutrality & energy self reliance
everything said the environment is mentioned but little in the way of wildlife...and it shows
for a collaborative plan for the future
Heritage, sustainable,
connection between places
preservation of history (architecture,
documentation) Others aspire to be (It sounds arrogant)
Hermosa Beach is the small
beach town others aspire to
be.
Hermosa Beach has a rich music
history from jazz to punk rock.
The word "sustainability" is overused to the
point of meaningless, and will hopelessly
date your vision statement. Try to avoid
catch phrases.
I agree!
I like it.
Our environmental leadership
attracts like-minded residents,
BUSINESSES and visitors who
embrace opportunities to enhance
our sustainable beach city brand.
into the flow of the city and enhanced to
create (awkward)
I like this revised version of your vision statement: Hermosa Beach—
where heritage, and creativity intersect. Hermosa Beach is the small
beach town others aspire to be. Our cultural, environmental, and
economic systems are aligned and resilient. We are a beacon for
communities who desire to live, work and play locally. We are
connected by our love of the ocean environment. We balance our
small town, beach culture with our position as a regional and
statewide coastal destination. Our vibrant economy capitalizes on
our coastal environment, unique Hermosa brand and high quality of
life. Our eclectic districts and architecture are a source of community
identity and diversity. The community prides itself on keeping things
local which can enhance our quality of life and social connection.
Our beach and open spaces create unique destinations that support
our active lifestyles. Living in Hermosa Beach is living another day in
paradise
I do not like the words or connotations of
"sustainability", I do not like the words
"welcoming gateways", and I am totally
against everything in the 3rd paragraph. Not
loving the decline of the auto portion, we are
a mobile society and city, we will always
have cars. Have yet to see this "shared"
responsibility you speak of...how many
people have actually responded to this and
the previous fiasco survey and actually
attended your pre destined community
meetings?
I support
I support
I support all of this
I support the oil drilling project
in Hermosa beach
Hermosa should become leading
city in California in energy
independence
Remove the entire thing. It is biased
towards the green agenda. most people in
Hermosa beach don’t want that agenda.
I support this
I think this captured a lot of
the ideas that the city
committees presented to city
council during the 1st round.
Thanks for that.
I'd like to see some language about protecting our architectural heritage. We here
and throughout the US are quick to tear down and not protect and care for our
buildings.
Keeping Hermosa free from
oil drilling Of keeping Hermosa against big oil
less commercial, reducing
late night activity and all that
goes with it including crime,
probably prostitution, and
drug dealing.
more focus on home ownership,
and residential quality of life
present mindset of city council,
commissions, staff promoting more tourism
bar activities and lower quality of residential
experience
less density, less alcohol
serving, less government
a city focused on quality of
residential life first and foremost
all the meaningless and ambiguous stuff
about eclectic, and mixing of stuff, which
lowers the residential quality of life.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
9
less hotels and restaurants
less alcohol serving selling
more focus on residential, less on
commercial
vision statement is too broad and mostly
meaningless
love of ocean environment,
small town, live work play
locally CLEAN environment, resident friendly, safe transportation transitions
love of the ocean environment. others aspire to be
maintaining Hermosa as it is
today to strive for a greener and cleaner beach community
maintaining small town culture limit density; prohibit heavy industry
More outside dining.
a separate bike path on the beach...
Like MB has. Oil drilling
No oil drilling
no oil drilling in Hermosa
Beach responsible entertainment options any chance of oil drilling in Hermosa Beach
NO OIL DRILLING!!!! A parcel tax for the schools NO OIL DRILLING!!!!!
oil drilling better more successful schools
oil drilling
individual property rights,
capitalism, less government
intrusion
Our environmental footprint is dramatically
reduced. Virtually all energy is carbon-free.
Oil Drilling at the city yard. Oil drilling to bring in revenue. "The fading dominance of the auto"
Our beach and ocean culture,
our schools and
protecting/increasing our
property values and property
rights.
I love Hermosa Beach, because we
are a beach town not a beach city.
We are laid back and friendly but
successful and dynamic. We own
our beach, one of only two cities in
the USA who do. We love the
beach culture which includes
surfing, volleyball, walking and
biking on the Strand, etc. I love the
fact that we are a younger city, with
a strong family of families and that
we have excellent schools. The
children are our future. Our
property values are directly tied to
the performance of our schools.
Take out "fading dominance of the auto"
language because that is pie in the sky and
not reality in Los Angeles. Hermosa is small
enough that we can walk to pretty much
everything we need which is awesome, but
it feels like a bogus global warming mantra.
Reduce all the environmental/sustainability
mumbo jumbo as well. Those two fringe
subjects are mentioned much more than out
beach culture, our quaint friendly residents,
our town versus city mentality or our
heritage...whatever that means to
whomever wrote it.
Our Current Ban On Oil
our love of the ocean
environment. And do not
welcome pollution
We need to strive to keep our city
as it is, clean air, minimal pollution the last 2 sentences
Our welcoming gateways and
eclectic districts and
architecture are a source of
community identity and
diversity. Our beach and
open spaces are integrated
into the flow of the city and
enhanced to create unique
destinations that support our
active lifestyles.
A city that has a long history of
supporting and achieving a clean
and sustainable environment. A
city that has a long history of
supporting personal freedom and
the free exchange of ideas. We
know that a dynamic community
can only exist when it is open to the
free exchange of ALL ideas and
where individual freedoms are
protected.
"We are a beacon for communities who
desire to live, work and play locally." (I have
no idea what that is supposed to mean.
"Virtually all energy is carbon-free." (since
most of the cars and the vast majority of
electrical power in the city is carbon-based
and no existing ":green" power source has
been shown to be viable on a large scale,
this is a ridiculous claim) "The fading
dominance of the auto" (What evidence is
there in Hermosa or Southern California that
the use of autos is fading. This is just feel-
good, wishful thinking, nonsense. The new
emphasis on "self-driven" cars are about to
revolutionize driving and there is no
reference to planning for that)
overall I support this
protecting Open Space and
Parks which are very limited
strong protections of our limited Open Space and Parks. Changes to use of Open
Space and Parks should be approved only by voters.
Online Survey Summary
10
in our community
Recreational space protect green space and coast
small beach town
This statement is too long. It should be
something short that can be stated by all
and makes us unique. Please reference
HBS papers on how to write a proper vision.
Small beach town and carbon free goal
auto dominance vision...confusing,,it is a
beach town
Small town beach culture
small town, less bars, less
tourism visitors, more and
better residential, smaller
simpler government
small town, less bars, less tourism
visitors, better sidewalk and street
infrastructure, more and better
residential, smaller simpler
government
everything related to enhancing tourism,
visitor intensification and so forth
Smart development
Honor the past but plan for the
future
We are a beacon for communities who
desire to live, work and play locally.
strong community action
keeping the future as an important
aspect of present decision making nothing
Sustainable beach city Renewable energy in place of all carbon intensive energy sources
Taking care of the community
with less emphasis on
commercial other than on
Pacific Coast Highway.
That it is the residents that are most
important, and their homes.
every reference to eclectic and a
preoccupation with carbon neutral etc.
the above We do everything in our power to refrain from oil drilling.
the entire statement
the first sentence
focus on family. The main reason
people buy in Hermosa is for the
great schools and safe family
environment. This should be
emphasized.
The last sentence. It's overly broad and
doesn't really make sense to me as a
resident. What positive change to we really
catalyze?
the vision statement
this is great!!!
we take advantage of technological innovations to improve energy efficiency and
our way of life.
Walking friendly, environmental beach community Paragraph 3
We are connected by our love
of the ocean environment.
A focus on community engagement
in governance.
We balance our small town, beach culture
with our position as a regional and
statewide coastal destination. The fading
dominance of the auto has transformed the
look and feel of the community and use of
space, enhancing quality of life and social
connection. Our environmental footprint is
dramatically reduced. Virtually all energy is
carbon-free.
We are connected by our love of the ocean environment.
We are connected by our love of the ocean environment. We
balance our small town, beach culture with our position as a regional
and statewide coastal destination. Our vibrant economy capitalizes
on our coastal environment, unique Hermosa brand and high quality
of life. Our welcoming gateways and eclectic districts and
architecture are a source of community identity and diversity.
Hermosa Beach—where heritage, creativity,
and sustainability intersect. Hermosa Beach
is the small beach town others aspire to be.
Our cultural, environmental, and economic
systems are aligned, sustainable and
resilient. We are a beacon for communities
who desire to live, work and play locally.
Our environmental footprint is dramatically
reduced. Virtually all energy is carbon-free.
Our environmental leadership attracts like-
minded residents and visitors who embrace
opportunities to enhance our sustainable
beach city brand. The fading dominance of
the auto has transformed the look and feel
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
11
of the community and use of space,
enhancing quality of life and social
connection. Connections between places
are seamless with walking, biking and other
modes of transportation easily accessible by
everyone. Our beach and open spaces are
integrated into the flow of the city and
enhanced to create unique destinations that
support our active lifestyles.
we support
where heritage, creativity, and sustainability intersect;
where heritage, creativity, and
sustainability intersect.
Hermosa Beach is the small
beach town others aspire to
be. Our cultural,
environmental, and economic
systems are aligned,
sustainable and resilient. Invitation to businesses - why set up shop in Hermosa?
Wholeheartedly support
Working to make connections
between places seamless.
City divided by river of cars.
That we're committed to becoming
the things you say. We are no way
near therein some. Nothing
Yes
Appendix B – Guiding Principles Full Data Count
Small Town Beach Character: Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach
lifestyle is an unrivaled coastal asset.
63
Small Town Beach Character: Creating a place where people can live, work and play
locally is key to balancing economy, community and environment.
50
Small Town Beach Character: Our beach, the ocean, green spaces and natural resources
of all types are the foundation of our brand and high quality of life.
58
Small Town Beach Character: Sustained progress and achievement of community goals
requires community involvement, participation and innovation.
13
Small Town Beach Character: Our high quality schools, as well as city fire, police, library
and beach, shape our identify as first class municipality.
51
Small Town Beach Character: Diversified districts with local owned businesses that
provide for the needs of residents as well as attracting visitors support a robust and
resilient economy.
22
Small Town Beach Character: Our city government, places and spaces are designed to be
accessible and connect people of all abilities and stages and walks of life
16
Vibrant Economy: Our sustainable, resilient economy is supported by keeping local dollars
in the local economy and maintaining a diversity of businesses and revenue streams.
26
Vibrant Economy: Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries,
locally owned business, and environmental stewardship.
38
Vibrant Economy: Our desire for a high quality of life requires balancing economy,
environment, and community through a ‘sustainability lens’ and this attracts like-minded
entrepreneurs.
24
Vibrant Economy: Our diverse economy and revenue sources provide fiscal stability and
support first class services.
10
Vibrant Economy: Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents,
while providing a quality experience for visitors.
27
Vibrant Economy: Our various business districts provide unique and differing goods and
experiences.
9
Vibrant Economy: People are engaged in a broad range of enterprises within the city and
there are opportunities to live and work locally.
11
Online Survey Summary
12
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our
ocean resources, open space, and other natural resources as a healthy environment is the
foundation of a more livable, sustainable city and high quality of life.
67
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: Climate action leadership and adoption of
environmental targets and monitoring plan will set Hermosa Beach apart.
19
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently
planning to adapt to climate change will reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy
independence and resiliency.
26
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: City leadership will transform the environmentally
conscious community where people individually and collectively take responsibility for
change.
10
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: A steady, common sense approach is necessary to
advance a long-term goal of community-wide carbon neutrality. Tackling environmental
challenges early and proactively will maximize options and minimize costs.
16
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: Innovative, forward-thinking approaches to anticipating
future lifestyles, transportation trends and environmental realities are necessary for
creating a durable sustainability plan and attracting like-minded residents, visitors and
others which seek positive change.
21
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: Reimagining our system of mobility and connectivity: a
shared or “access” model, rather than an “ownership” model – mobility, communications,
resource use – will promote sustainability and livability.
3
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles: Efficient water use, conservation, reuse, recycling and
retention at the local level is necessary for a sustainable and resilient city.
35
Appendix C – Key Issues & Solutions Poster Data
What can we do to Enhance and Protect our Neighborhoods? Must Do Should
Do
Should
Not Do
Preserve historic or eclectic buildings 53 68 9
Allow apartments above some commercial uses 15 69 46
Make streets more attractive for walking and biking 68 55 9
Plant trees along streets and in parking lots 54 65 12
Reduce parking requirements to get better community design 15 58 46
Allow some corner stores in residential areas east of PCH 7 56 54
Provide activities in parks and Pier Plaza for people of all ages 32 72 18
Invest in PCH to make it more attractive and pedestrian friendly 58 54 13
Allow people to rent their houses as vacation rentals 26 52 46
Allow taller buildings in some places, esp. where ocean views
are not affected 12 20 97
Residences should front on the street, with garages placed
behind 10 48 63
Reduce conversion of bungalows to large condos 42 51 33
Create more places for people to meet and socialize 26 67 29
Design so people can "age-in-place" 40 63 20
Focus on beach activities and improvements that benefit
residents 51 64 10
Invest in the beach and ocean as essential to our identity 86 30 11
Invest in Hermosa's schools 72 44 8
Maintain the low scale of the city everywhere 67 39 11
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
13
Invest in a safe community 81 44 1
What Can We Do To Enhance our Local Economy? Must Do Should
Do
Should
Not Do
Provide more retail uses and services that serve residents 36 73 18
Provide new business incubator space 22 61 33
Add office space 8 56 43
Maintain Pier Plaza/Downtown as an entertainment district 35 48 42
Develop hotels, places for visitors to stay 14 53 57
Make the Cypress Avenue area into a "creative arts district" 31 72 29
Allow more small-scale commercial development 13 73 34
Reduce parking requirements to incentivize new/expanded
businesses 18 50 53
Provide more resident oriented services and shopping on
Aviation Blvd. 37 69 17
Attract big box retail uses along PCH 9 21 95
Add parking at the civic or community center 23 51 47
Invest in sewers, streets, telecommunications, infrastructure 73 55 2
Brand Hermosa as the best little beach city 60 35 27
Brand Hermosa as an innovative green city 63 36 30
Create telecommuting infrastructure 32 63 26
Allow more events downtown or at the beach 27 43 51
Enhance the tourist economy which supports services and our
'brand' 29 66 24
Permit private events on limited portions of the beach 22 49 58
Create distinctive business districts 11 62 42
Invest in our beach/ocean resources as a main economic driver 67 41 18
Invest in locally grown businesses 60 52 18
Attract brand name businesses 10 37 74
Balance resident/visitor uses 52 67 11
What Can We Do To Create a Healthier Environment? Must Do
Should
Do
Should
Not Do
Require new buildings to be very resource efficient 66 42 24
Use locally-produced renewable energy 45 50 28
Make it easier and safer to walk and bike in Hermosa 88 34 7
Incentivize use of electric and alternative fuel vehicles 50 48 30
Plan for climate change (storm surges/sea level rise affecting
downtown) 50 48 31
Add, expand, upgrade parks with diverse activities 43 62 21
Allow mixed land uses to make it easier to walk to services 42 57 25
Increase telecommuting or working locally 35 67 20
Allow small scale development without adding parking to the 23 48 50
Online Survey Summary
14
city
Provide walk/bike/stroller crossings over the Greenbelt 31 48 48
Improve the efficiency of existing parking resources 52 61 13
Increase opportunities for locally grown food 38 46 39
Reduce the need for a car or second car 44 51 30
Create slow speed lanes for bikes, electric bikes, Segway’s, golf
carts, etc. 40 43 42
Make a clean beach and healthy ocean environment a priority 92 34 5
Take actions that aggressively reduce greenhouse gases 58 34 37
Focus on 'greening' city operations and facilities 64 32 30
Reduce the allocation of space in the City for parking 18 31 73
Maintain the city as a sustainability leader 57 39 29
Retrofit buildings to reduce energy/water/waste 48 52 24
Remove some parking to accommodate bike racks 20 46 57
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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Appendix D – Where Would You Like to See _____? Transcription
Bike improvements
Hermosa Avenue has worked well I think
Safe bike lanes on streets heading to beach like 2nd,5th,8th
Valley and Ardmore (make 1 way and add bike path)
Pch especially around south end of Hermosa
More biking access/parking should be placed along PCH and aviation Boulevard to encourage local use.
fine as is
See seven-city bike master plan
bike lanes to travel from east Hermosa to beach
none
aviation and pch
Downtown/ Hermosa Avenue/ Pier/ PCH/ Aviation
Pier Ave, Valley/Ardmore
along streets, so sidewalks are not impacted
in parking areas near usage no more pavement
Valley & Ardmore: add bike lane on each; as lot of kids live in south Hermosa and they'd also like to safely bicycle to-from
school along those two streets
none, 3 out of 5 bikes already don't use the LEGAL access to places
bike path on greenbelt for kids to be able to bike, skateboard, scooter to school
The green belt
Bike path greenbelt
Bike lanes, bike racks @ all parks, public and commercial buildings.
subsidize bike rental, sales, and repair businesses
Pier Avenue sharrows
Signs saying that every lane is a bike lane like Inglewood does.
downtown parking lot next to the restrooms on the Strand near Pier Ave
Difficult to bike on Pier Ave, Valley and Ardmore-make share lanes
Enforce the laws for bike riders. I'm so tired of "sharing the road" with bike riders that blow thru every stop sign and signal!
Pier and each bathroom along the strand
enough already - cite bikers that don't mind rules
Bike path down the green belt
bike lanes on Valley
on Sepulveda/PCH
Yes!
none
Pier Ave
everywhere! We need to work with surrounding cities (especially to the east) to create proper bike paths so we can reduce
emissions by safely riding our bikes to work
Ardmore and Valley should be ONE-WAY streets with the bike lane opposite the parking side (so bicyclists can avoid
colliding with opening car doors)
More bike racks
Sharrow on Pier Ave and Valley Drive
beach, along the strand wall on the sand side
Create bike lane on Valley drive between Gould and Pier by eliminating curbside parking
beach, business restaurant areas
Add an additional bike path adjacent to Strand
Up and down pier from plaza to PCH-along PCH
Throughout the City
Along Valley/Ardmore
Everywhere
Bike lanes along Valley and Ardmore
Not a priority... maybe a few more bike racks
All city streets. Poles and signs are routinely placed in the middle of sidewalks with driveways on steep angles making
biking on sidewalks impossible. Streets are too narrow for bike lanes leaving the only option to make sidewalks more
accessible.
Online Survey Summary
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None
Bike lanes as much as possible along pch
mass bike parking in parking garages with shuttle to Green Line
strand - separate bike path
Pier Ave, 2nd Street, 22nd Street.
Biking in Hb is fine as it is.
bike path through green belt... valley park-south park
Implement bike path master plan, more bike parking for downtown and beach citywide.
On the strand
Along Valley/Ardmore
I bike ..we are good
Add a separate bike path on the s teams like Manhattan
write more tickets
by discouraging through town traffic on Hermosa Avenue by making one lane each way
The Strand
Aviation
not interested
this bike business is overblown let it happen naturally
not important, will happen as needed naturally
this can happen as needed
More racks around town
pier parking for bikes
overblown
no
Bike racks along Ardmore and Valley
education program that bikes can exist with cars
Mini-Kiosks along Bike Paths for Instant Fix-It services.
Residences Above Commercial Uses
Downtown along Southern Hermosa Avenue up in the Cypress area
no
Pch, aviation, pier ave
"Mixed-use" is a good idea whose time has come. Would encourage local patronage of businesses come.
support
nowhere
Downtown/ Hermosa Avenue/ Pier/ PCH/ Aviation
PCH, South Ardmore
Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Avenues
allow for residences above on pier/PCH/Aviation
Along Hermosa avenue; possibly along pch; encourage new development to be mixed use.
no, our current infrastructure is not able to carry the load for such places IE sewers, drought conditions means less
available water
Don't care
None
no
Pier Ave & aviation
don't allow
Freedom to determine your own use of your own property.
All along the 3 N/S streets intersecting Pier, 4 blocks each direction
On Aviation, Pier Ave., PCH and Hermosa Ave.
Upper pier ave and long PCH
downtown area
none
along pier avenue or Hermosa avenue
commercial areas
Hermosa Ave, Pier Ave (east of Hermosa Ave., PCH and AVIATION
Why not? If we want folks to live and work in Hermosa, what could be more practical?
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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Agree
on Pier, Aviation, PCH, Artesia
HB already has too many 2-3 level houses & buildings, that block residents' views! Don't need another reason to "build
up"!
edges of Hermosa Ave
not a good idea
any and all
None
None
All business corridors
OK above stores in Downtown/Pier area and along PCH
yes...European charm - living above a business
restrict to pier ave
Pier Ave., Hermosa Ave., Aviation Ave.
Pier Ave, PCH, Hermosa Ave
This should be carefully studied — it could be overdevelopment.
Not appropriate to our City's residential/Commercial mix
no opinion
Along Hermosa Ave and 1 block to north and south along Pier ave
pier Ave maybe but at height limit with parking possible?
No vacation rentals
no, we don't have the infrastructure
not in favor is mixing in more commercial, need to eliminate all the hodgepodge commercial already here as has been
happening the last 30 years
Downtown
Pier Ave and Hermosa Ave. and PCH
do not support
this is a means to higher density, not bright.
no
this would bring higher density not desired
wherever they can do it
Pier Ave, PCH, Aviation
bad idea
NO
We are smaller than Manhattan and Redondo and should focus on homeowners, family and community rather than trying
to create a business district. Hermosa Ave, Pier Ave and PCH should be the main business street with limited business
elsewhere.
small commercial (cottage businesses)
YES! Time-honored way to reduce crime & invite live/work locally!
Corner Stores/Coffee Shops
Hb Hill Section would be nice East of PCH
Every resident should be able to walk to a corner store
North Hermosa and east of PCH
Current
Doesn't have to be coffee, but good idea.
support
Downtown/ Hermosa Avenue/ Pier/ PCH/ Aviation
PCH, South Ardmore
north Hermosa
Encourage conversion of liquor stores to corner/eclectic/healthy corner stores: more Green Stores & Granny’s please!
Yes
anywhere we currently have zoning for business is fine with me
PCH
In business zones.
already exist, but allow when in demand
Cypress & 6th
Online Survey Summary
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It works so well in Paris, it can work here.
Zone widely to allow these
I would like to see small and more affordable restaurants (like Hermosa Mexican Cuisine) to balance out the higher priced
restaurants. I don't eat out in Hermosa much bc of inflated prices...and the food is not that great especially for the price
you pay.
On Aviation
east of PCH
downtown area or along Aviation
PCH, want small shops, get rid of CVS
anywhere in downtown Hermosa or along Hermosa avenue, or Manhattan or Monterey avenue
none
enough
No
Pier, Aviation, PCH, Artesia
?
Hermosa Ave
Up to individual neighborhoods
Wherever they fit
Along PCH and Aviation
O.K... maybe replace 1 or 2 of the many banks
Aviation should be cleaned up. It is an eyesore for people coming into out community. Hermosa extends beyond the
beach. We should take care of ALL of HB, not just west of PCH.
east of PCH
Valley Dr.
Pier Ave/Hermosa Ave
I like the idea but corner lots are expensive residential homes.
North Hermosa
Prospect, Aviation
anywhere
Adjacent to existing commercial streets
east of pch
Good for small convenience corner stores.
don't mess with "c potential" zoning
You cannot go back to the 1930s. Commercial does not belong here now.
Hermosa Ave
too many now
dumb idea in a residential community
no
too much of that sort of thing now
Businesses are businesses. Leave them alone and they will grow
anywhere
another bad idea
no
should be limited to Aviation, PCH, Pier Ave and Hermosa Ave
should be in approved zones (residential homes are in walking distance to commercial small city
Please offer Gluten-free (no wheat, rye or barley); some folks are allergic to most 'regular' bakery treats!
Shopping for Residents
sure
Right now most of our shops on Pier carry gifts, touristy goods or baby stuff. Need more shops like Becker’s that sell
useful goods for locals
pier
Current maybe more along PCH
There should be an emphasis on "need based “stores, incentivize and encouraged specific retail use. For example, where
can I buy socks/underwear in the mostly?
support
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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Downtown/ Hermosa Avenue/ Pier/ PCH/ Aviation
Manhattan Ave, Hermosa Ave, Herondo
pier ave
Streets are improving; More retail needs to be in mix not only for residents but also for visitors. More restaurants with
menus that have items that all ages would eat (egg: kids) would be awesome. Not everything is at the pier-give some love
to 2nd street and Hermosa (another great area for mixed use) to enhance synergy of existing Hermosa landmark
businesses there.
anywhere we currently have zoning for businesses is fine with me
Pier ave. PCH
PCH
good as is
Pier, Hermosa & Aviation Ave & north end
Love the farmer's markets.
Hermosa Ave., Pier, PCH and Aviation
Issue parking passes (even if we have to pay for them) to ALL residents to use on the yellow painted poles. Not just those
that live west of Monterey.
Aviation, Upper Pier ave, Hermosa Ave near pier
add boutiques to downtown/replace bars
on Aviation
pier avenue
pier ave
Pier Ave
better use of storefronts along PCH. Auto shops? Two tile stores?! The smutty corner on 8th St?! We were THRILLED
with the sidewalk displays and restaurant seating along Pier Ave when we first moved here. Now it's "illegal."
Yes
Pier, Aviation, PCH, Artesia
near accessible parking
Upper Pier & PCH
Pier/Upper Pier/ PCH
Aviation and PCG
Along PCH and Aviation
IZOD and Bass outlet stores, unique arts & crafts
Aviation
Downtown
east of PCH
Valley
Pier Ave/Hermosa Ave/PCH
Yes! And bring in others besides bar patrons.
North Hermosa
Upper Pier, Hermosa Ave in Downtown
everywhere
Hermosa Ave, Valley, PCH, Pier, prospect
free parking 11-2 is good
Above PCH
it's between landlord and tenant and what the market will bear
Residents are buying mostly online. Small retail is history except in major shopping areas. Does not belong here.
Downtown, Hermosa Ave
On PCH
not important, city too small
bad idea bringing more problems and costs than benefits
more commercial is not needed
not needed
plaza along pier ave
North Hermosa
sufficient already
keep your nose out landlord/tenant relationships
should be limited to Aviation, PCH, Pier Ave and Hermosa Ave
Online Survey Summary
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quality boutique shops, i.e. stationery, bakery, gifts
keep stores open until 9p.m.
Offer delivery services-- via Xtra-Cycle type Bike Couriers!
Office Space
sure
east of PCH
Hermosa ave, pch, aviation, pier ave
Support
add
Downtown/ Hermosa Avenue/ Pier/ PCH/ Aviation
PCH
anywhere
For prior question: if Abes Liquor was closed & that spot turned into a "green" bed & breakfast or tourist destination type
amenity would be positive improvement
I actually think we have tons of office space that doesn't generate a significant amount of city income thru a tax base, don't
add new
PCH
good as is
Pier Ave
don't allow
Living and working in the same place saves time.
Encourage a business entrepreneur office space
Don't we have too much office space already? I could be wrong about this but I feel like all they do is build office space
and hotels now.
Hermosa Ave., Pier, PCH and Aviation
PCH, upper pier ave, Hermosa ave around the pier
like what we have now expect poss. on Sepul/PCH
on Aviation
none, or on outskirts of town, along pch
aviation
Pier Ave
Yes
Pier, Aviation, PCH, Artesia
PCH
good idea
PCH
PCH
Along PCH and Aviation
Must have, but limit.
Aviation
PCH Aviation
east of PCH and on PCH
Pier Ave/Hermosa Ave/PCH
Yes! Let's make it Silicon Beach.
PCH and second level Pier Ave. and Aviation
2nd floor Upper Pier, 2nd floor Hermosa Ave in Downtown
limited
Hermosa Ave, Valley, PCH, Pier, prospect
On top of small business below. Stack business
it's between the landlord and tenant and what the market will bear
Not needed. Brings no revenue, just traffic.
No
definitely no more
town is too small and dense for adding offices
that's more density, no
not needed just adds density
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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Hermosa Avenue
only on the highway
keep your nose out landlord/tenant relationships
should be extremely limited
many businesses work from home offices cause parking demands
Construct with DAYLIGHTING, for naturally lit inner areas.
Private Events on the Beach
Absolutely
NO!
On beach
Anywhere
No, only for nonprofits not commercial use.
support
no
Near Pier
Near Pier and South at 1st St
with permits
Weddings/events with permits
Strategy/ plan for economic development and in support of tourism dollars: go after film production and "destination"
beach weddings! Will also help our local businesses.
don't like the idea, means more city money spent policing such things without compensation
North and south end of beach
possibly on small sections away from pier
don't allow
I love the beach concerts and events. Hermosa rocks.
On limited occasions and in rotating areas as to not always infringe on Strand owners rights. Perhaps provide incentives
for the owners and it should bring in enough revenue to the city to make it worthwhile.
everywhere
2nd street, weddings
by pier
south of the Pier
yes, on the sand
Adjacent to the pier only.
yes. Should be allowed just to either side of the pier or further down southside of the pier towards 2nd street
none
sure. nothing too sexy, not too often.
2nd st, Noble Park, 22nd Street
No
If the city gets a financial benefit
Never, elitist
HB already has enough bars/drinking in town! Don't need another excuse to bring more alcohol into our community!
NO
never for fundraising
Do NOT permit "monetizing" any public spaces
no way
We don't need more
None!
Weddings, memorials, competitions, but not parties
never allow
anywhere with size/noise/hour limits
Pier
10th - 14th Street
No! We already have it. It's called locals playing volleyball and we like it how it is.
No private events on the beach
No
ok
No
Online Survey Summary
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pier area if we get more parking
No more drinking and alcohol events
not a good idea
REDUCE REDUCE REDUCE THE EVENTS. Staff and council has been giving away the city.
too many events in city now
another very bad idea. who made up these questions?
that's more disruption on beach
this would mean more Iron Man events. Not right.
none
no way
no
Between the Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach pier
should be permitted for a fairly expensive fee as a way to get money for the city
need LCP events now need coastal commission approval
OMIT (with exception of Beach church occasional services)
Parks or Community Gathering Spaces
ambiguous question, not clear
anywhere we can
Anywhere we have parks
are important. upgraded play structures would be great
as many locations as possible
Buy up or encourage estates to give lots for use as simple green open space.
City hall area
Consider buying back vacant lots
Don't need more parks or community spaces
East of PCH
Everywhere, near beach
fire pits on the beach
Fix South Park, move forward with the plan
for who? Question is leading.
maintain
maintain what we have
more of them
More parking on the edge of the city - down near the power plant, for example
More public access to open spaces for small Gardening projects (food, etc.).
More visibility
Must have in every town
No need to build more gathering places
Noble park is a wasted space
none
our current parks and community gathering places are adequate, don't add more
Parks and City Buildings
Please create an area for a dog beach!!! Perhaps early morning and late evening if for a trial, eventually having a
permanent spot. Perhaps North of the Charthouse, there are very few beach goers there throughout the year
Plenty
Protect existing Parks
provide gazebos and seating and maintain parks more efficiently
question is somewhat leading to ?
Redesign Noble park. Do not immediately rush to hire a design consultant. Let's open it to new ideas/ like a contest.
Encourage participation from college/ others with fresh ideas: maybe design competition teams with sustainable
landscape designer, artist, community members etc.
redo South Park
rink in south park could be an ice rink during holiday season
South Park and Valley park - Create a small dog run. There is no place in Hermosa to take your dog off leash legally.
South Park is a marvelous place to find peace.
support
The parks are fine as is.
There is a need for a large rental space similar to the Clark Building but with amenities that are modern.
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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This is ambiguous in meaning
Valley Park
we are good
we are ok
We have a good balance of parks, would like to see a community garden or two come to fruition.
we have plenty
we need a large gathering place that allows alcohol!!!
we need a movie theater
What does this really mean?
Yes
Yes more please
Add Public Parking
Add at city hall, community center, schools
Add when project finally comes in at the Artesia and pch location (south east side). See what parking provisions will be
next door in Redondo waterfront: solicit bidders for electric or carbon free (peddle power) beach shuttles from RB to hb,
from all corners of city and neighboring hotels or large businesses
around city hall
at Community Center and other Sites adjacent to PCH
Aviation
Behind scotties multi level structure, at the community center, and on PCH with a beach shuttle
Charge more for permits when residents garages are used as storage
Community Center
Community Center
Community center at PVH
Community center, away from residential
Definitely needed but not next to existing parking
don't allow
Double decker parking on storage lot.
Downtown
Downtown area and surrounding residential streets
east of PCH with shuttle, Hope Chapel parking lot or Sketchers lot
for what purpose. question is leading.
for who" Alcohol drinkers, daytime, nighttime, leading question
green belt / scotty area
I don't know if it is necessary at this point, unless increased business would further deplete existing parking.
if public parking could be added without surpassing height limits do it, like the lot at the community center could certainly
be 2 stories without ruining views and air flow, and why not put the same layers of parking on the lot that serves behind
Sharkees and Treasure Chest now, as is on the opposite city lot currently by the Beach House
In a structure
in the storage rental area next to city hall
Incentivize electric, hybrid and small car parking
Lot "A" should be developed like Lot "C"
Make some Pkg. spaces SMALL (for Electric Scooters/Mini-Cars/Golf Carts).
Maybe add one big lot a block or two from downtown
more parking will help the economy, put in structures if possible
multilevel behind Pier on southside
Municipal building, city hall
na
need parking at city hall area to encourage walking thru business district
No
no
no
No
no
no as that would be used for more nightlife activity
NO STRUCTURE in LOT A, Add community center and City Hall
NO, just adds to problems
Online Survey Summary
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No, just brings in more riff raff
No. The most it does not need more traffic.
no. there are enough visitors coming in. they can uber or cab if they really want to come but wasting more space on
parking is not the answer
None
Only community center
Outside down town with free shuttle service
public garage east of PCH
Put in a triple decker parking garage behind Malloy's with a restaurant on the top deck
some
South of pier and north of pier next to the other structure. North of pier add parking and put commercial on the bottom
floor. Trader Joe's would be GREAT! Add parking behind the police sub station.
stop allowing for only residents to have parking passes.
Structure on lot behind B of A similar to that behind Starbucks
The Hermosa Avenue business corridor suffers from not having a continuous retail frontage on BOTH sides of the street.
This was partially fixed with the Beach House parking structure with retail frontage. The same treatment should be applied
to the lot behind Scottys.
This may be an issue with the Mermaid hotel location.
underground like Metlox plaza
upper pier,
We don't need more public parking. It just makes the beach more crowded and crazy then it already it is.
Why would you want to add parking. There's too many people in the city already.
yes
Yes! Make the lot behind pier avenue to the south a parking structure. or the lot along the green belt on valley a structure
Reduce Public Parking
Along Valley Drive between Gould and Pier
another leading question
Around library, city council building.
At the beach
Do not reduce public parking
Don't reduce, just reduce the price
Don't reduce; re-use! Convert space-wasters (ex.- Pier+Ardmore) to 2-levels.
Downtown near bars
East of Monterey
Encourage biking and walking by at least not increasing parking
Encourage more safe walking, biking, etc. but don't make it difficult for visitors either
everywhere
For visitors there should be limits on duration in residential areas without a visitors permit.
for what purpose. question is leading.
In Downtown
in Lot A. Use this valuable resource for commerce and community gathering.
Increase public parking for improved business and tourism.
na
need the parking, don't reduce
never
no
no
no
No
no
NO
no -- time for a structure
no place
no really
NO WAY
no way are you insane?
No, enhance it
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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No, instead clear garages not being used for intended purpose of parking
No, not at this point. I think it would discourage visitors from coming as they would most likely drive to HB.
NO!
No! Absolutely not.
NO! there are limited spaces as is
No.
Nowhere
OK as is
On residential streets
On the beach
on the beach! It is our prime real estate. Why have parking on the beach?
only on a need to do based on lack of usage
Please
See above
seriously?
That would be stupid
this is a catch 22 question
This would be ridiculous
ugly area behind Hennessey’s. allow storefronts on west side of Hermosa ave between bank of america and that burger
joint.
We can't find a place to park now, why would you reduce parking?
yes
YES - at the Pier garage structure increase costs
YES, reduce and improve residential quality of life.
YES!
Pedestrian Improvements
8th St and Hermosa Ave. cars aggressively dart around me all the time!
8th Street and other similar streets
8th street heading to beach from Valley drive
A bike and running lane
a bridge over pch near pier to bridge residents on the east of pch
All of Hermosa
along PCH
along PCH and Aviation possibly
along pch and other areas to make it a walk town
Ardmore
better crosswalks wit traffic lights are major arteries
better sidewalks north of Pier on Hermosa Ave.
bridge over pier at Ardmore/Valley & Gould
City Wide
Clean the dog urine/do-do off the strand--don't just wipe it w/ a street sweeper
Crossing green belt
Crosswalks that light up on demand like on Pier are terrific.
Downtown/ Hermosa Avenue/ Aviation
Enhance
everywhere
Fix inconsistent sidewalks, eliminate private encroachments and plantings on public streets
For school children walking across PCH.
good as is
Hermosa is pretty walking friendly already.
I walk the city all the time, I see no need to change any crossings or access, what we have is adequate for active people,
and still allow less active people to access our community
maintain safe sidewalks and add places to sit
Make it easier to walk across PCH. Huge opportunity to connect East Hermosa to West Hermosa - need elevated
walkways across PCH to make the services on the West more accessible to residents on the East.
Maybe we should make Pier Ave pedestrian only west of Valley! Better lighting on main walk streets at night
more crosswalks from valley and Ardmore to the green belt
Online Survey Summary
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More walk streets throughout Hermosa
More walking paths
Need new, wider sidewalks along South Ardmore and South Valley
no
No. Fine as is.
none
none
Pavement lights for the crosswalk stop signs
PCH
PCH & aviation
Pch south end
PCH, Aviation, Sidewalks near schools.
Pedestrians come last in this town just like residents
Pier Avenue west of Valley drive
Require residents to allow city to install uniform sidewalks on all streets.
Revamp/ redesign of center strip along Hermosa Avenue-get rid if large blocky concrete planters; figure out 8th street
Safer crossing on pch
seem o.k. as is expect maybe on PCH/Sepulveda
Separate Strand from Bike Path (as in Manhattan Beach)
shuttle from Green Line to HB Pier direct with no stops
Sidewalks sidewalks sidewalks
SIDEWALKS, SIDEWALKS, stop encouraging people to leave their garages unused and parking their cars across the
sidewalks
Strand
Stricter bike and car enforcement of stop signs
the intersection of pier was a good addition, that is enough
The Strand. Make it more like Manhattan Beach, separate walk and bike
The whole city is anti-pedestrian with bad or missing sidewalks
There needs to be a greater emphasis on axis for a handicapped persons. For example, many curb cuts are too high and
dangerous for wheelchairs. Also, there should be rails placed along any steps leading down to beach
Treat sidewalks the same as streets. Create an index and invest
Use tips from book, "Traffic" for traffic calming & safer pedestrian crosswalks.
Valley Dr.
Walkways and bike crossings thru the green belt
We need the police to enforce existing laws about bikers stopping for stop signs on Hermosa Avenue. I rarely see anyone
give a biker a ticket, and many are very aggressive with drivers
yes aviation, pch
yes for the residents mainly
yes, pedestrians, and residents are ignored by city officials
Big Box Retail
Along PCH
Are you nuts, where would that go?
are you nuts, who proposed this?
Aviation or Pch but parking possible?
Big boxes are for big cities.
do you mean Macy's or Home Depot, where?
don't allow
Encourage on PCH
Generally I don't like big retail but would love a Trader Joe's on Pier Ave by Vons
grocery only or PCH
if a big box store is what is desired by the landlord, and can be fit into our current parking requirements I say go for it, it
may keep more resident's money within the city, but don't give them some kind of deal to require less parking or tax
incentives or whatever and certainly do not limit the landlord's options and choices. A store should be able to make it on
their own behalf without incentives, or the city doesn't really gain anything
Like Walmart or Home Depot or 99cents store? NO
Maybe Hope Chapel site
na
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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never
never allow
Never!
no
No
no
no
no
No
No
NO
NO
No
No big box retail
No Never
no no no
No place
no thanks. ugly.
No way
no where - w/poss. exception of Sepulveda/PCH
NO!
No!
NO!
NO! There are plenty in adjoining cities, no need to clutter Hermosa
no.
No. We have enough that is close to us. We need to keep the small town independent feel of Hermosa
No. Where would that possibly happen? No Space in Hb for it. Better to keep jobs and income local.
None
none
None
None
None
none
NOOOOOOO
NOOOOOOO, please
normally I'd be opposed but PCH is already vacant and ugly as sin so adding some big box stores who are willing to pay
taxes and invest in nice storefronts would be good. smaller businesses are great but they don't have the resources to
actually maintain PCH which is why it looks like a slum.
Not downtown. On PCH is o.k.
not in downtown
not necessary
Not needed or right for city
nowhere
OMIT (Be the Best Little Beach Town; not another Big Box clone.)
On PCH
On PCH much added revenues
On PCH only
only on PCH and Aviation
Only Schlosky's (Texas chain)
PCH
PCH
PCH
PCH, Aviation, Artesia
PCH, Aviation
Perhaps some limited but small-scale additions on Aviation corridor and/or PCH - limited and small.
South PCH or at Hope Chapel
sure
There is no room for a big box in Hermosa.
Online Survey Summary
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This is being considered on very large lot. It will in essence be main "welcome" to Hermosa heading South on PCH. Let’s
work with developers to get more creative-big box in back with second floor-ocean view hotel & closer to streets local
more inviting retail and public art
Ugh no! Maybe okay on Aviation something like a Barnes & Noble
We don't need this, especially if the Oil Bill passes. Would change the character of town
Where would you put it and what big box retail is that dumb to locate at the coast.
New Housing
above retail
All Hermosa
Allow non-rentable "mother-in-law" units in R1
anywhere
As it is developed
Beautiful new homes are being built. Please continue.
build to sustainability can't restrict the build of homes based on current zoning
Development is widespread in Hb. Do not try to stifle property owners' rights.
happens all the time - city is full of housing
just to replace existing but on a smaller scale
Let people develop properties and make it easier to do so. Get someone to approve plans faster! Every developer I talk to
says the city is horrible cause it is outsourced and takes forever.
Like for like. No building 2 condos in place of a single-family residence. Anything to reduce residential density without
trampling private property rights--a tough nut to crack.
Limit building of mega-mansions and condominiums. This should reduce population density, influx of vehicles, limit
excessive water and energy wastage.
limit density; strict enforcement of zoning and building code
Limit it to no monster houses. Would like to see more garden/yards with new housing.
low density everywhere
Low to mid income only
Needed - much of the housing stock is ancient. Encourage upgrading via tax breaks
no
no
no increase in housing density
No more two-on-a-lot. Single residence only. Two-on-lot just creates crowing and parking problems.
no more, control condo development, preserve houses
No!
none
not necessary
Not sure what this means.
Of course
Offer Micro-Apts.; prefabricated eco-friendly units.
One story only
only on small scale
only to replace existing houses within the zoning restrictions
only to replace older but a lot smaller. i.e. 25-foot height limit citywide
over stores on Pier Ave., Aviation
Quality residential should be city's main focus
Reduce size, square footage
Replace dilapidated apartments with single-family homes/larger condos/town homes
Restrict high
Restricted
senior housing
should be limited to replacing older structures. I don't think we should be developing any more vacant spaces.
Stop allowing single-family residences or businesses to be replaced with 2 to 4 to 5 condos in south Hermosa. We can't
sustain the traffic and parking issues this causes!
stop knockdown of single-family houses with 3 unit townhouses
sure as long as it isn't condos
The town is crammed with housing. Need better housing not more.
This is occurring already, every day.
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Too much overbuilding! We need "View Variances"! Too many residents have lost ocean/natural views, & privacy due to
overbuilding! Stop allowing overbuilding of houses/condos which impact residents' views & privacy.
we are maxed out
we can not continue to turn current single family homes within a zone allowing denser population and expect our current
infrastructure to sustain itself, water mains are more likely to burst with more demand and sewers that weren't built for that
capacity will wreck havoc, not to mention streets being more heavily trafficked and requiring even more repair than at
present.
Where appropriate
yes
Yes but not as big as what is being built
yes, at 6th and Valley
Other Ideas
Add pay parking at the huge lots that are currently for sale on First Street, just east of PCH and provide electric
bus service from the parking to other parts of town.
Get rid of the ridiculous "Danger high curb signs" on 6th St. Walkstreet.
Allow for citizens use VRBO or AirBnB to rent their place out but pay a yearly permit fee and a hotel tax.
Allow for citizens anywhere in the city to buy a parking pass to park anywhere in the city as long as they obey
time laws for meters.
Raise hotel tax! It is incredibly low!
Artificial reefs for better waves
bring back the oil wells
lift the ban on oil drilling in the city
change zoning to decrease density
The city could make a fortune if it issued fines for all the violations on smoking, dogs on the pier, bikes on the
sidewalks, leaf blowers etc. etc. etc.
City yard should be used for oil drilling
other areas in town should be evaluated for oil drilling
get rid of any and all ideas for incentivizing
Concentrate on improving residential
Concentrate on phasing out the bar activity
Concentrate on returning downtown to small retail with only day and early evening restaurants.
Consider dumping overly specific laws in favor of "It shall be unlawful to endanger public health and/or safety
using the reasonable person standard".
Change the law from "no alcohol on the beach" to "don't drink and swim".
Consider runners who can't handle concrete and must run on the road.
Asphalt is not as harmful to runners or is as hard as concrete
Decrease the black ball areas for surfers up and down the coast. There are many days when no one is
swimming and too many surfers are packed into a small space. This is dangerous for the surfers.
Electric vehicles use power produced in other states. They move carbon production to other stares
Partner with a gas station on PCH to add a CNG filling station
finally got a doctor's office (Pier)
build dedicated bike lanes along Valley & Ardmore (use bark path space)
Hermosa is also becoming a Design" destination. Look at the new shops coming in. Embrace and support this
piece of our creative green community and identity. Public art.
Historic buildings and sites. Identify (e.g.: community center, the Lighthouse, historic bungalows)
Hotels Downtown
Family Restaurants Downtown
I'd love to see a botanical garden featuring indigenous plants.
spend more money on schools so parents don't have to self supplement so much through the PTA
improve aviation corridor
allow residents east of pch to purchase parking permits put view and open space for construction ordinance in
place
More consistent zoning, setbacks and smaller scale for everything
less focus on commercial and more focus on residential
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more focus on businesses closing before 11 pm and rolling back those closing after 11 pm with reduction of
taxicabs in city
more focus on quality of residential life, less on commercial and tourism. less tourism.
reduce cabs and drinking in the downtown. Reduce events. Reduce Fiestas to one a year like the one in
Manhattan Beach but put it by Clark stadium.
more outside dining
mire live music venues
beach bike only path
More small quality businesses...unique gifts or Ben Franklin
Much like a Comedy Store.... develop a new artist store Small, unique antique or interior furnishings stores
movie theater
more small wine bars
No more Mac mansions
No oil drilling
no oil
NO OIL DRILLING
Recover oil through on-shore oil drilling
Reduce 3 spaces/DU to 2 in all R zones
Reduce parking in Downtown to 0 for FAR 1.0 1st floor retail.
several designated dog poop areas . with self seal trash cans
Solar energy on parking lots
The focus should be on improving the residential quality of life and less on tourism, bars, and Hollywood style
nightlife. Stop destroying the environment with this stuff.
Just simple residential, good street paving, and good sidewalks, less traffic, less taxis, limos and that sort of
thing.
Smaller simpler government that responds mostly to residents and is not burdened my commercial that brings no
real revenue, but only traffic and costly impacts.
The parking lot behind Malloy’s could be very tall for a panorama view of the city and solve tourist parking needs
Could we have a Pinks hot dog stand right at the pier please!
If we had an In-N-Out Burger tourism would double.
This survey is full of leading questions
traffic flow on Gould, Pier improvements, school crossing
Trash & Recycling cans throughout town, esp. along Ardmore, Valley and the Greenbelt Stop adding "murals"
and paint over the handprints while repairing the wall under the tennis courts/skate park on Ardmore @ Pier
Improve/open South Park (what's that building for anyhow?) and Ardmore Park
use of school sites for more community meeting sites
Appendix E – Transcription of Big Ideas
1. Develop Public Relation Plans that reduces HB' image as a party town/get the taxi's off HB
avenue/limit bars and encourage more family friendly retail like back in the 50's and early
60's...visit Carmel and take notes
2. I would develop the maintenance yard and possibly the industrial park to its north; into a
cluster of six or eight five-story condos towers that are big enough for families..i.e. 4
bedrooms, 3.5 baths 2500sf each and lots of parking. Make them very nice, sell off two or
three of the towers and keep the rest forever as a leased investments which would help fund
city services and most importantly the schools.
3. I love living in HB. The one thing Id love is for people to do more is come together more
regularly to improve it ... Not just to make it healthier but also to build a better sense of
community. We have a lot of trash on streets and the greenbelt, dirty garages, old crap
sitting in yards, etc. Parts of our town are looking just awful. Can we make a day a few times
a year to help Hermosa? This could be to clean trash, plant trees, volunteer to fix schools,
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help older folks do things in their homes, anything to help our community or each other.
4. Maintain the oil-drilling ban.
5. Preserve our history and historical buildings including homes.
6. Take Hermosa off grid using wave energy, solar and wind. Put an elected Sheriff in charge
rather then PD and protect the residence sovereignty. Plant food along all public streets and
properties.
7. My idea is there must be greater access for handicap people and alternative vehicles, like
electric wheelchairs. Just because a person is disable shouldn't be a reason to deny him
access to beach.
8. Underground all utilities. Reduce Hermosa ave to single lane, widen sidewalks, add bike
lanes, center angle parking.
9. Build bridge over pch to allow safe crossing from Hermosa east to Hermosa west near
aviation/ pier area, place electrical wires below ground and to rent out our properties as
wanted through vrbo/ airbnb.
10. solution to overcrowding in schools and safe transportation paths for bikes and peds across
pch and down pier.
11. approve oil project prevent increase in residential property taxes
12. open space, reduce congestion
13. Replace all parking meters with credit card meters so we don't have to scrounge for
change anymore....
14. Take Lot A and turn this into a shopping, restaurant plaza with fountains and outdoor seating.
Think European plaza.
15. Immediately take back unused Hermosa School buildings to retrofit to accommodate
students grades 3 - 8, significantly incorporate more enrichment activities during and after
the regular school day, and increase eating, playing, exercise time during the school day -
even if it increases the length of the school day to better serve and maintain our children's
education & health.
16. allow the bars and restaurants to be bars and restaurants on the pier. bring dancing back!
encourage the development of family friendly places - ice cream shops, bookstores, coffee
shop/ wine bar so people of all ages can congregate on our pier area - right now there are
no options or opportunities for all ages after dark
17. I would restore the use of all public buildings for the use they were built. The community
center to be the school it was intended. The Parks and Recreation near the parks in the
building built for them. Better use of the Clark Building for community use. Return the
neighborhoods to walkable. If the residents used their garages the city would retrieve
hundreds of parking throughout the city. Allow for visitors to have parking passes available
during the summer months maybe for sale by parking attendants. I would encourage all
residents to see the city as their city. Care for the plants by watering, clean the streets and
sidewalks. Ask the residents to think of Hermosa as a place to share its beauty and
perfection.
18. I would love to see Aviation & prospect as a gorgeous gateway into the city of Hermosa with
outdoor higher end restaurants & independent shops, art galleries. Is like to see it as an
earthy version of abbot Kinney. No nightlife, just vibrancy. The walking tour would continue
north onto Pch & then lead to pier avenue.
19. Embrace our roots, protect the ocean environment & beach community-which is central to
our identity and why we alive and work here. A positive sustainable, creative, all ages
welcome-Hermosa. Hermosa was an Arts Colony. Other cities are reinventing themselves to
be now what we were with Creative/Cultural Districts a key component of a Healthy City. So
let's create our back to the future and designate Cypress as our Creative Arts District (small
scale creative spaces, showrooms, allow retail & incubator space. It will flow into South Park
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and enhance our city, as noted above mane us a Destination City (weddings , filming etc.,
Make sure we preserve key historic sites as noted previously-the Lighthouse, Community
Center which was designed by same designer as Hoover Dam. Do NOT re-zone Cypress area
from current "open space/m1" to "Industrial". Industrial designation zoning is a misuse of
zoning laws in this area. Not compatible.
20. Make us the best little beach town in Southern California
21. Promote city brand as green and carbon neutral
22. Under ground utilities would improve all residents quality of life and increase the beauty of
our idealistic city-however this is only my pipe dream, the costs and logistics will be a
nightmare for everyone. Speaking of pipe dreams, it would be extremely super if we could
see our future of the city as a debt free pension obligation. No city can sustain a defined
benefit pension system, make employees take responsibility for their own retirement-give
them a defined contribution benefit pension system.
23. I would clean up Pier ave and make it more family friendly less bars. I would add schools.
Our schools are extremely overcrowded and we need more space for our children to learn
safely and comfortably
24. I would sell seasonal beach tags and parking passes to residents and visitors. I would offer
services on the beach for chair rental, board rentals, and help with set-up similar to what
they have in Cape May, NJ. I would add a bike lane to the strand and to the greenbelt. I
would extend/expand the walk to school program all the way the 1st place.
25. flowers hung along the street lamps to detract from the amount of concrete we have here.
26. Remove the threat of any oil company take over. My children will inherit my home. My
home will be worth much less if E and B are allowed to proceed. Develop a plan for
repaying the debt to E and B which will enable us to restore our pride and independence
from this threat. we've been under this scourge for years. It's time to free ourselves.
27. Keep it small and unique, it's lovely as-is
28. Leadership in carbon neutrality to drive business growth.
29. Beautify the city with more palm trees; this is a beach city. Improve the sad look of PCH and
Aviation business fronts; downsize the number of bars on Pier Plaza; aggressively move to
enable the Community Center to reopen as a school! I attended Pier Ave. Junior High 1962
and 1963; great experience. Keep Oil drilling out of Hermosa Beach; most idiotic scheme
ever for our beautiful city. Considering contracting fire and police services with LA County;
or pursue a 3 or 4 city joint force for fire/police with Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and
El Segundo to curtail the cost of these service and lower future pension obligations for fire
and safety personnel. Finally put all utility lines underground with minimum costs to property
owners.
30. Keep oil drilling out forever
31. Put in a wind generator at the end of the pier to power Hermosa and become carbon
neutral. After a year the power is free then we sell excess power to Manhattan and
Redondo for a profit.
32. Don't think it needs transformed. Just needs sensible improvements to parks, pedestrian areas
especially children walking or biking to school.
33. Lowest taxes of any beach city, yet the best services. (Only doable if we get the Oil Money).
Easy to make happen.
34. Cypress area...in addition to turning it into an arts district have a few times a week various
food truck showcases to encourage people to visit this section of HB.
35. Recover oil through on-shore oil drilling. This country was founded on oil and we have an
opportunity to be a leader in this area. We need to begin drilling for oil. We own the mineral
rights.
36. This entire "survey" is a sham. There are leading questions that make this entire survey one-
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sided. Is this a joke?
37. Scrap this entire general plan crap as it is nothing but Agenda 21 propaganda.
38. No oil wells, strong school support and bring back a movie theatre within the city of
Hermosa. Refurbish the athletic fields and never sell any property the City or School District
owns. Land is too precious to let go!
39. DON'T allow them to change Ardmore and Valley to one-way streets to accommodate the
bike riders who aren't obeying the traffic laws anyway! Allow all residences access to
parking passes to use downtown. In South Park, the most used benches for parties etc. are
at the south end of the park and strangely, they are the only picnic tables that are set in the
dirt instead of on concrete pads like ALL the others. Please put concrete pads under those
tables too! Make the planning commission as tough in South Hermosa as it is in North
Hermosa. You don't see any tear downs in North Hermosa being replaced with 4 condos!
40. 1. I would utilize technology to automate processes as best we can. 2. Create a platform
that allows anyone or business to register their security camera on a city authorized website.
The police is the only one that has access. They would be able to click on a map and see
where the camera is and the direction it is pointed. Then they can click and get the contact
information so they can ask for access to the video footage. Any business that serves
alcohol has to have video cameras on entrances and exits that the city can have access to
the footage per request. The city should look at adding cameras to parks where there are
bathrooms so we can see who is going in and out. This will allow us to have cameras
throughout the city for next to nothing. This can speed up the process to capture any
criminals. It can also help to convict any criminals which can save money. 3. Create a
social media command center that has real time feeds about Hermosa Beach to see if
anything is happening anywhere in real time. This is actually low cost to do. It takes a
computer and a few LCD TV Screens. Then you can get a few services for a couple hundred
a month to provide that information. 4. Allow citizens to purchase parking passes no matter
where they live in the city. This allows them to park anywhere in the city without having to
pay the meter. They still have to obey the various restrictions like time and street sweeping.
5. Increase the hotel tax to 14% at least. There are more and more hotels going into the city
and rooms are more expensive. No tourist ever asks what the hotel tax is and or cares. LA has
a 14% tax rate already. This is easy passive revenue for the city where it can be used in any
fund. 6. Allow owners of properties to do VRBO or AirBnB. They would need to pay a permit
fee based on square feet, bedrooms, bathrooms. They would then need to pay the hotel tax
of 14%. This allows the hotels to be on even ground with VRBO and AirBnB. Those two
companies allow cities to register their city so the city gets the money directly. SF just did
something with AirBnB to manage the revenue automatically. 7. Put solar on all public
buildings. We have infrastructure that will not go away anytime soon and that is an easy
long-term return on investment. 8. Put LED lights on all city street, strand, and park lights to
reduce energy usage. 9. Promote an email registration system to all of the public that is
incredibly easy to sign up and call out reasons why they should register. 10. Look at ways
to reduce compensation for parking meter staff. There is no reason they should
compensated over $100k/year. That is 2x+ more than our teachers who have 6+ years of
higher education while these officers have 3 weeks of education. 11. Build a parking
structure south of the pier. Put a commercial space on the bottom floor. Trader Joes would
be great there! Allow for M-F businesses to lease out spaces on the top floor. Add more free
electric parking with solar to pay for it. 12. Build a parking structure north of the pier by
good stuff. Lease out parking to M-F businesses. Parking is the biggest issue in Hermosa
Beach. We need more if you want people to come to the city. Parking is a cheap form of
revenue. Add more free electric parking with solar to pay for it. 13. When a person leaves a
parking meter it should automatically reset. You should not get free parking. 14. Add new
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credit card meters to the entire city so everyone has the ability to pay the meter easily.
Nobody pays via coins. This also reduces the amount of times people need to collect from
the meter. Allow people to use an app to pay the meter! 15. Add a dog run at south and
valley park. There is zero places to take your dog off leash in Hermosa Beach. If you want to
give people a ticket for taking their dog off leash there needs to be a place to legally let
them play. There are a ton of dogs in Hermosa Beach and most people do not have a
backyard. Dog parks are a great place for citizens to meet one each other. I have met a
ton of people walking my dog on the greenbelt. 16. Attract more businesses like Torrance
Memorial. I spoke with the guys there and they said their opening was delayed because of
the city planning approving their plans. I don't know the truth but I have heard that time and
time again. We should make it easier for people trying to build quality businesses in the city
to get live faster! It is tax revenue. 17. Build a better city website. Ours is horrific. Make sure it
is responsive so it works on all mobile and tablet devices. 18. Buy HermosaBeach.com,
HermosaBeach.org, and HermosaBeach.city. Spend the money and get it. You can use an
independent third party to purchase it so the owner does not know it is the city of Hermosa
Beach buying it.
41. Allow boutique hotels with basement parking, not exceeding current height limit at Mermaid,
Sea Sprite & 15th/Hermosa Ave. Use taxes to pay off oil then help schools. Add parcel tax to
help schools now.
42. The plaza is starting to look terrible - rusted light posts, ugly concrete blocks, broken worn
benches, homeless that aren't held to the same laws that residents and visitors are... It's due
for a big upgrade. If it's to be the focal point of the city it needs better policing, better
maintenance, and a better mix or retail / restaurant. The kiosk parking system is terrible and
needs an overhaul. We have to take full advantage of the opportunities that exist to make
downtown Hermosa Beach a beacon. As it stands it's a relative ghost town thru the
weekdays in winter months and it can be tough to be proud of during the summer months -
especially after 8pm. We must do a better job enforcing the existing laws so as to entice
families and local residents to make more use of the plaza and downtown.
43. Increase ways for residents and visitors to get around without cars: parking at city gateways
(parking on Valley serves this function well), better access to the Green Line; Incentivize
installation of solar and wind power, upgrades to reduce water.
44. Raise money for the city via events on our Beach; Beer and wine sales via permit on the
beach. Move the Fiesta Hermosa Beer garden to the beach and charge to enter. Increase
the number of beer garden events per year. All profits go to the city.
45. Kick E&B out of town, they are ripping the town apart, and even after they are gone the
town will never be the same, we will always know the names of those who are trying to sell
the community out
1. Create an independent solar energy plan to create a self-sustaining power supplies. 2.
Restore some areas of our beaches with natural dune systems to help reduce impacts of sea
level rise and it would improve coastal ecology, increase in natural wildlife. 3. Create
regulation and zoning barriers to reduce the types of hazardous materials used and
transported through the City. 4. Eliminate commercial aircraft traffic
46. Stop the oil drilling
47. Entertainment venues for "hip" older residents. By private entities or city hall or combo.
48. keep Hermosa as a beach destination where people can relax and walk to restaurants and
shops. Small town
49. Use common sense. This sounds like liberal nut jobs designed this.
50. Drivers who stop for stop signs...sometimes they barely slow down. Bicyclists who ride on
sidewalks, ride against traffic, don't obey traffic laws are a big complaint. Ex; stop sign at
Pier and Ardmore SE corner by skate park. Bikes speed down the hill by the skate park. They
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
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are either on the sidewalk or against traffic. They don't stop for the sign and sometimes use
the pedestrian crosswalk. A driver can't see around the skate park wall and they are looking
for slow pedestrians and not a bike that is speeding by and not stopping. Bikes had to follow
certain Rules of the Road when I grew up, like walking a 26" bike on the sidewalk, ride with
traffic, etc. Maybe it will take an accident for something to happen?
51. I would create a dog beach ... simple but with so many dog owners in Hermosa, it would
bring a sense of community and open a place for people to meet.
52. capitalize on our vintage vibe. promote filming. moratorium on demolishing original beach
cottages!!! allow owners to rent out their homes to vacationers. cameras on the pier. fine
smokers.
53. REDUCE the amount of governmental regulation and interference in the daily lives of our
responsible, intelligent, and mature citizens who DO NOT need local officials determining
every aspect of how they live their lives. Hermosa has always been a place that celebrates
its iconoclastic residents. We celebrate DIVERSITY of opinion! We DO NOT need a bunch of
do-gooder councilmembers deciding how we should live our lives. There are MANY citizens
who like Hermosa THE WAY IT IS and does not need a lot of tinkering by newly arrived
outsiders or small cabals of environmental extremists trying to remake OUR town to fit THEIR
radical vision.
54. I would have my police team AGGRESSIVELY enforce driving laws. I would also replace the
seemingly useless four way stops along Pier Ave and replace them with traffic lights. I would
make safe biking paths, separate from the roadways. I would also replace the light that is
across from Hermosa Valley School and put in a real light which allows for cars to turn either
left or right at all times.
55. eliminate worry about oil drilling in our city
56. Keep big oil out no matter what. Have walk and bike only days downtown without cars.
57. Raise Hermosa tax structure for business to be the same as surrounding cities. Hermosa
residents have a history of not wanting to "pay" for the city we live in. Good thing I'll only
have the job one for day since I'll be fired.
58. Get rid of oil drilling in Hermosa Beach. Get rid of tsunami signs too..we joke about stepping
across Monterey to be safe.
59. Hermosa Beach does not need to be transformed, but preserved.
60. Leave it alone. It doesn't need a transformation.
61. Create a "View Variance" that protects existing residents from contractors and overbuilding.
Loss of view & privacy has become the norm in HB! Long-time residents like HB as a small
town, not an overbuilt, crammed together drinking town, that's only geared for '20s-'30s
people! HB has lost its quaint, beachy feeling that most residents moved here for! There's no
housing available for "mature" adults who can't physically live in 2-3 story houses! This is "age
discrimination", and HB is catering only to the tourists & the "young crowd".
62. Reduced parking would be my biggest issue in our town...less parking places would mean
people would have to use their own driveway or garage ....yes very hard to sell this concept
but over time I think we have to figure this out because more cars in this town is not a good
thing....so more parking is not a good thing and wasting space to park cars is also not a
good thing. ...thank you for making this survey available on line.
63. Focus on citizen cooperation to beautify city, enforce codes for trash, residential uses and
continue to attract family friendly and resident business. Encourage a community where
visitors and residential owners show respect for their neighbors.
64. A "Celebrate Hermosa" local holiday. Involve schools, businesses. We had a successful
Centennial celebration about 10 years ago. Builds cohesion and community pride.
65. Reverse notion that Hermosa is a destination for getting drunk by reducing number of bars,
and enforcing present cups.
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66. Allow drinking in public!
67. I would move Hermosa away from the " college kids get drunk spot" and transform the pier
plaza and area into a place where it feels more like an Italian Piazza, filled with wonderful
wine bars and restaurants- appealing to a more sophisticated crowd. I would have live
music on Sat. & Sunday mornings on the Pier Plaza. Mix it up- jazz, classical, etc. I would also
move the farmers market right in the middle of the plaza. And up pier a little bit. I would
also bring in a little movie theater. Not block busters- art house stuff. Could be at community
center.
68. Bring foot traffic up there and make use of PCH shopping etc
69. Strong protections of our greenbelt, parks, beach. Major changes in any Plan should be
approved by voters and not just City Council as Council members will always change over
time. Improve streets making more pedestrian and bike friendly.
70. Preserving our limited Open Space and Parks; creating bike lanes; increasing street and alley
cleaning. Hire more janitorial and street cleaning services. Our community center is dirty and
graffiti throughout. The fence surrounding the skateboard park is full of trash.
71. Widen Ardmore and Valley by cutting into greenbelt a bit. Also, pedestrian bridges above
Pier/Valley/Ardmore intersection to help traffic flow. A light at Pier/Valley/Ardmore because
it's become too dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians with just stop signs.
72. Remove the ugly telephone poles/wires along PCH. Do not obsess about curbing citizen
rights. Reduce fees for small businesses. Keep the town clean and safe.
73. Never allow a commercial event to take place at the beach. Beach for only recreational
purposes and never for monastery gain.
74. Survey residents about desired business mix
75. Making sure there is no oil drilling in Hermosa Beach. Make it more walk and bike friendly
76. Connect HB with the rest of LA by adding a direct shuttle from the Pier to Green Line.
Residents can access the rest of the city without the need of a car and visitors can come to
spend money and play without increasing vehicle traffic.
77. Policies making us the greenest city in the U.S.
78. Zip line from the Community Center to the Pier.
79. Focus on diversifying local businesses away from bars and restaurants and instead incentivize
new retail and office space development so we have more people living and working here
in the city instead of commuting into LA every day. Ease parking restrictions for businesses by
developing car-free transportation and rideshare programs to offset our limited parking so
employees can get to work without taking up spaces that patrons could use instead.
Replace parking meters with smart meters. Get rid of the lawn bowling area and build a
public pool there that would get a thousand times more public use (the seniors will love it!).
80. Solar panels on all homes
81. No frocking or oil drilling. Keep Hermosa environmentally safe. Protecting our environment is
the most important thing to me.
82. Once the general plan/vision is finalized, actually create a city architect's visual image of
what our small-scale, locally owned and local-access businesses look like in key areas such
as Pier Plaza. And then provide that vision to businesses wishing to establish in HB with the
proviso that their concept must comply.
83. Citywide integrated and enhanced pedestrian network including at least 2 pedestrian
bridges over PCH, lane reduction for PCH & Aviation, and limited auto access pedestrian
zone for downtown.
84. Put the Power lines under ground and build a bridge over PCH at Aviation
85. Make Pier Ave sidewalks wider and encourage restaurants and outside dinning.
86. Improve cleanliness/and smell of sidewalks by requiring dog walkers (private & commercial)
to pickup after pets...assign a fine to those who don't. Our city would be much more
Hermosa Beach General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Rewrite
37
welcoming if people didn't have to constantly dodge "piles". Perhaps add "sandbox/litter
boxes for pets" to confine mess and include disposable bags w/repositories.
87. HOLD the line...we have banned oil drilling and high rise buildings. That doesn't need
transforming so don't entertain them.
88. No oil drilling please.
89. Put a diving bell at the end of the pier.
90. Many of the questions on this form can be interpretted too many ways. The questions
seem to be oriented for the most part toward getting a particular kind of answer no matter
how people make their selections. Thus the value of this survey is questionable. Regarding
being Mayor for a day a Mayor should never under any circumstances have such power.
This is a nonsensical question.
91. I think HB has a reputation of being a party city and it's almost impossible for residents to
enjoy holidays and 3-day weekends with all the drunks, public urination and rowdiness. This
needs to be address. I think house owners need to be responsible for having noisy tenants.
Some of these homes have large parties which disrupt the neighborhood. There should be
enforced regulations on noise. Hermosa Beach has a noise pollution problem. Some cars,
trucks and motorcycles are extremely loud and should be ticketed.
92. Affordable Housing
93. Elimination of all commercial west of Pacific Coast Highway. Rezoning to residential,
maintaining a simple Pier and setting zoning to bring entire small town into consistency.
Adding sidewalks everywhere. Changing town to elect officials from 4 or 5 quadrants, and
adding term limitations to all elected officials of 2 consecutive terms. Appointed officials to
8-year limits. Limiting contracts for City Managers and City Attorneys to flat 10 years.
94. This is a simple question. Merge with Manhattan Beach, Eliminate the duplicity of an
extremely expensive city staff. Phase out all the non-PCH commercial and convert it to
residential. Improve the quality of life for the residents. Hermosa's staffing costs are going
through the roof for a 1 square mile town. It's time to merge for and take the savings to
improve both cities.
95. Recognize that the number one economic engine are residents, their homes, their children.
commercial, downtown drinking, is costly to government, police, fire, paramedics, brings
crime, rapes, DUIs, poisons life in entire city. This survey is addressing most things that will just
add more of the same.
96. less use of term eclectic less use of "best little beach town" the town is not small. It has 20
thousand residents who are mistreated by govt.
97. Stop with the petty feel good city council motions Being a carbon neutral city is such a bill
item when we have: Old schools Old city buildings Old city infrastructure Lots of real
problems. Stop taking bribes from special interest groups to ban Styrofoam containers.
Focus on real problems and the other stuff will sort itself out
98. NO MORE OIL IN HERMOSA BEACH!! Also - clean up crime and reduce riff raff and foreign
visitors. I think Hermosa Beach would benefit from being more exclusive than inclusive to
visitors. A lot of the crime comes from people who don't live here.....New sidewalks and LED
light posts all across the city. A new library. Look at Manhattan Beach. Why won't Hermosa
have a library like that? New computers.... It sounds like you guys are thinking about ways to
be more innovative.... I think at this point we just need to catch up to the times. Get rid of the
old computers and get some MAC and new PC computers up in the library. Invest in
technology...... What happened to the city wide WIFI that we used to have? Broadcast free
wifi that spans the whole city. How great would that be? Lots of areas for opportunity here.
Let's start with the BAN ON OIL.
99. We need to be SURE E&B does not bully their way into our city, ruining our air quality, traffic
flow, and our over all healthy enjoyable lifestyle...!
Online Survey Summary
38
100. Take inventory of all infrastructure improvements and schedule them to reduce costs and
improve efficiencies, i.e., replace aging water, gas, and sewer pipes, then, repave the
streets. Unlike some cities which repave and then dig for buried utility improvements. This
could save millions, but would require coordination with the utilities.
101. Stop wasting money trying to figure out how to add more commerce involving thousands of
people / visitors and return city to residents. We believe this survey is trying to make the
people answer questions leading to more bar and tourist stuff. Who wrote survey.questions?
102. Since the sewers have to be replaced anyway, underground all the utilities at the same time.
103. I believe that it is essential to the health of the beach and ocean to reduce the city's
consumption of all carbon-intensive energy sources. Incentivizing the installation of solar
panels and the use of electric vehicles are two ways to change the source of energy being
consumed. Reducing overall energy use is the most cost efficient way to reduce the city's
carbon footprint. I would heavily incentivize any actions taken by businesses and residents
that reduce consumption of energy and water.
104. I would bury power lines. The effect is transformative. I have no problem paying for it myself
but our neighbors seem opposed to it because of the cost. I would love it if the city could
do this for residents. I think it would increase property value and make us feel more like a
small beach town instead of a congested urban place that happens to be by the beach.
I've heard E&B resources is exploiting people's desire for this by promising to bury power lines.
If the city did it, it would be a moot point.
105. Continuing to innovate and bring in family owned restaurants, grocery areas and
entertainment that is family-oriented and keep residents around on the
weeknights/weekends.
106. Provide self sufficient economy without reliance on bars or hotels
107. Keep the current life style of Hermosa while upgrading to keep pace with changing
technology and install a structure on the pier head to give Hermosa a symbol of our
community to preserve our quality of life
108. Best little beach town! Proud to be a healthy & diverse community, eco-pioneers, fun to
live/work in & visit, & above any misguided yuppie taunts of "beach trash." yuppie slights.
109. Take control of the Strand front ( a specific plan area) zoning so as to make clear what we
want there
General Plan/Coastal
Land Use Plan Update
2
Key Issues Report
Contents
Introduction ................................................................ 3
General Plan Update Process ....................................... 5
How Can You Participate? ............................................ 6
Key Issues Structure ................................................... 7
Small Beach Town Character ....................................... 8
Vibrant Economy ........................................................ 12
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles ................................ 16
Efforts to Address Key Issues ...................................... 19
3
Introduction
General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update
1
With many important decisions ahead for Hermosa
Beach, the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan
Update is an opportunity to ensure the policies that will
guide the city’s future are designed to reflect local
conditions and achieve the community vision.
The City last adopted a General Plan and Coastal Land
Use Plan in the early 1980’s. While conditions and
issues affecting the city have changed, and the
community’s vision has evolved, the policies and
action plans to guide the city’s growth and
development have not been comprehensively updated.
The community’s desire to advance sustainability,
enhance economic vitality, and preserve the eclectic
beach character, were reinforced through the
Community Dialogue process. The community engaged
in setting the vision and defining the unique qualities
for Hermosa Beach over the course of several months
in 2013 and 2014. The Community Dialogue process
culminated in the creation of a Decision-Making tool to
enhance the transparency and effectiveness of
decisions made by Council and City leaders.
2
In 2013 and early 2014, Hermosa Beach was awarded
grants by the California Strategic Growth Council and
the California Coastal Commission to comprehensively
update the City’s General Plan and Coastal Land Use
Plan, resulting in a Local Coastal Program. These
grants were awarded based on the City’s priority
objective to transform these plans into the City’s
“Comprehensive Blueprint for Sustainability and a Low
Carbon Future”. The integrated plan will be developed
under a broad sustainability framework that aims to:
•Link environmental performance with
economic vitality;
•Enhance coastal protection and sea level rise
best practices;
•Leverage collaborative partnerships; and
•Advance implementation of sustainability and
greenhouse gas reduction legislation (AB 32
and SB 375).
4
Once updated and adopted by
the City Council, the integrated
Plan will form the City’s
overarching framework, with
subsequent plans, programs,
and activities designed to carry
out the community’s vision,
goals and policies.
The City’s goals for the General
Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan
Update include:
•Address economic and
demographic changes.
•Create updated policies for
land use, community
design, transportation,
infrastructure, quality of
life, economic vitality, and
other key topics.
•Create a framework and
road map for sustainability
and carbon neutrality as
defined by Hermosa
Beach.
•Engage our community
members in achieving our
vision for the city’s future.
•Make the Plan a relevant
and easy to use document
on a day-to-day basis.
•Serve as a model for other
California cities.
•Meet the requirements of
State law for these
mandated planning
documents.
The updated Plan will guide
how the city should develop and
change, and where funds and
resources for infrastructure,
services and programs should
be directed.
5
Existing Conditions and Key Issues
The assessment of existing conditions and identification of the key issues facing the community are designed to provide an on-the-
ground understanding of activities in the city today. By reviewing historic trends and changes or comparing community attributes
to other similar communities in the region, a sense of what makes Hermosa Beach unique or different begin to emerge. The
quantitative and qualitative information collected through the existing conditions analysis is then synthesized into a set of issues
and opportunities to be addressed.
Visioning
The visioning process is designed to identify principles or priorities
for the city’s future. Community input on their ideas or ideals for
the future of Hermosa Beach is solicited through a series of
workshops, stakeholder interviews, and technical working group
meetings to craft a vision statement and guiding principles. The
crafted vision and guiding principles, are supported by the existing
conditions analysis, and lead the policies and technical elements of
the General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan updates.
Alternatives
After the guiding vision is established, alternatives are considered
and evaluated. The alternatives analysis looks at the fiscal,
physical, and environmental aspects of the proposed changes
needed to meet the community vision and evaluates whether there
are alternative scenarios in which the community vision can be met.
Draft Plan
The Draft Plan is the resulting collection of policies needed to
achieve the community vision. The General Plan policies are a
culmination of the existing conditions, vision, and alternatives
analysis. The Draft Plan is evaluated and reviewed before being
adopted by the City’s decision-makers.
Environmental Review
The General Plan Update and Coastal Land Use Plans are subject to environmental
review under the California Environmental Quality Act to assess whether any adverse
environmental impacts may occur through implementation of the General Plan or Coastal Land Use Plan. This
assessment provides full disclosure to the community and can better inform decision makers on the potentially adverse
environmental impacts of the General Plan Update.
General Plan Update Process
The General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update process includes a series of defined phases or steps to
ensure the adopted Plan addresses the community needs, goals, and vision in a comprehensive and
integrated manner. The process for the Hermosa Beach General Plan Update includes these major steps.
6
How can you
participate?
Community involvement is
needed at key points
throughout the process to
ensure the creation of a
General/Coastal Land Use
Plan that reflect the values of
the community and is
supported by the City and
stakeholders.
Opportunities to provide your
input throughout the process
include:
•educational forums
•a website
•community meetings
•workshops
•environmental process
•public hearings
Technical and community
working groups will review
early products, followed by
broad community input and
policy board direction
throughout the process.
You can contact City staff at
any time for more information
or with questions at:
310-318-0242.
7
The key issues identified to date cover a wide array of topics, concerns, and challenges facing the community. These issues to
be addressed as part of the General Plan update generally fall into one of three categories: small beach town character,
vibrant economy, and healthy environment and lifestyles, which collectively create the sustainability framework for the General
Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan update.
Small Beach Town
Character
Vibrant
Economy
Healthy
Environment &
Lifestyles
Key Issues Structure
The key issues were identified through an analysis of existing conditions, interviews with community stakeholders, discussions
with the General Plan Working Group, meetings with the technical working groups, and a series of community workshops. This
Key Issues Report has been crafted to serve as a discussion tool for the Visioning and Alternatives analysis, and to inform the
General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan policy recommendations.
Each topic identified in this report includes an issue statement, a brief description of the issue, how it may affect Hermosa
Beach, and potential policy or program options for addressing the issue within the integrated General Plan/Coastal Land Use
Plan. Additionally, the plans, programs, or General Plan element relevant to each issue are identified to provide information on
existing policies and programs, and indicate the plan or element where new policies may be included.
8
1
Changing Demographics
A change in housing types and commercial services may be needed to meet
the needs of the community’s shifting demographics.
Between 2000 and 2010, there was a negligible increase in the number of
households, but a 5.1 percent increase in population. This corresponds to a 5
percent increase in average household size, with 2.04 people per household
(2.42 for owner-occupied households). The median household income,
$104,000 in 2012, also continues to increase. The increase in average
household size may be related to the growing number of families living in
Hermosa Beach or increased housing costs which result in larger non-family
households to defray costs. Recent and continued changes in city
demographics are an important consideration to ensure the services, land
uses, and amenities are meeting the changing needs of Hermosa Beach
residents, as well as visitors.
Land Use Mix
There is a desire to offer more retail, office and service uses to support
greater economic diversity of the community.
With over 10,000 housing units covering roughly 81 percent of land in the
City, commercial, office and service uses are limited to key corridors and
nodes within the city. Prioritization of retail services and office uses over
residential uses within key commercial corridors or industrial neighborhoods
of Hermosa Beach will be important to providing a balance of uses to serve
the residential and visitor community.
Lack of Available Land
With limited vacant land, Hermosa Beach has limited room to accommodate
new development and must look to infill projects, underutilized land or
redevelopment if new development is to occur.
Of the vacant land in the city, the majority of parcels are currently zoned for
residential uses, placing greater pressure on underutilized commercial land to
redevelop or densify. While redevelopment of underutilized spaces is a viable
option, consideration of context and community character need to be
considered so that new uses and development area consistent with the
existing or preferred urban form of the city.
Development Pressure and Constraints
Both regulatory and market conditions place pressure, as well as constraints,
on new or additional development in Hermosa Beach.
Both residential and commercial development in Hermosa Beach can be
constrained by parcel sizes, parking requirements, high land values, and a
limited supply of vacant land. These constraints can make it more difficult,
time-consuming, or costly to invest in or develop new uses in Hermosa Beach
compared to nearby communities.
Key Issues
Report
9
Small Beach
Town
Character
2
Residential Type and Neighborhood Character
New structures tend to be larger single-family units or high-end
condominiums in neighborhoods traditionally filled with smaller beach
cottages.
With the limited amount of vacant land, most new housing units involve
demolition and/or renovation of existing structures. The new structures are
often built to maximize the use of space, resulting in larger, taller
structures that are often not oriented toward the street. Without a
concerted effort by the City to ensure context sensitive designs are
incorporated into new structures in existing neighborhoods, the character
of the street or block can and in many areas has changed dramatically.
Pacific Coast Highway Corridor Revitalization
The city’s primary corridor and entry point, Pacific Coast Highway, could
be less focused on the automobile and more people friendly.
The PCH/Aviation corridor in Hermosa Beach serves as the primary entry
point into Hermosa Beach, though like many aging corridors, it lacks
features that make the street safe and enjoyable for all users. Existing
challenges include: an auto-oriented focus; lack of pedestrian or bike
safety, lack of green space, street trees, and medians; limited cohesive
design or identity; and position as barrier between east and west Hermosa;
as well as Caltrans ownership. The revitalization of the PCH/Aviation
corridor will enhance the economic activity of both businesses along the
streets and the City as a whole.
A conceptual Master Plan for the PCH/Aviation corridor focusing on
aesthetics was approved by the City Council in 2014. The Master Plan
proposes to increase pedestrian safety and amenities, adding new
crosswalks and enhancing existing crosswalks and street trees along the
corridor. The Master Plan also identifies preliminary concepts to develop
new gateways or monuments and directional signage to bring better
identity to Hermosa Beach.
However, the plan does not address existing and future land uses and their
relationship to the corridor.
Pedestrian-Friendly Environment
Pedestrian safety and accessibility can be improved throughout the
community through small-scale safety improvements and amenities.
The city’s grid street system, walk streets, and Greenbelt trail provide a
great foundation for creating an enjoyable pedestrian environment. Wide
rights-of-way along the main commercial corridors (80+ feet) matched with
limited streetscape improvements (benches, sidewalks, public art, etc.) can
deter pedestrian activity along the corridors, thereby reducing potential
economic activity. Commercial areas that are more walkable would
encourage shoppers to park and walk, increasing activity and the potential
for sales and attracting new business. The renovation of Pier Plaza to
exclude vehicle traffic and streetscape improvements along Pier Avenue
are successful examples of streetscape improvements to enhance the
pedestrian atmosphere.
10
3
Beach visitors represent a large customer base (over 900,000 beach
visitors in 2010). Thus it is important to attract people going to the beach
and using The Strand and encourage them to walk or bike up Pier Avenue.
Streetscape improvements can improve curb appeal and walkability,
increasing foot traffic in commercial areas.
Parking Demand
Limited parking and few alternative transportation options challenge the
City’s ability to provide parking for residents and visitors in downtown and
near the beach.
The commercial downtown has limited parking supply to adequately meet
the needs of shoppers and beachgoers. Street parking in these areas is
regulated by parking meters and one-hour time limits.
Even with public parking north and south of Pier Plaza and metered parking
along Hermosa Avenue, residents and weekend visitors can fill up spots
quickly, limiting public beach access, and deterring visitors from spending
time and money in Hermosa Beach. However, there is a concern that more
parking will bring more visitors to the beach, events and downtown
generally. The Downtown Core Revitalization Plan proposes a
comprehensive approach to parking supply, adding more spaces along
Hermosa Avenue and structured parking to support economic development
while adding visitor parking at the Civic Center or Community Center.
School Capacity
Recent growth in school-aged population has now exceeded the physical
capacity of the City’s two public schools.
With recent changes in the city’s demographic composition, Hermosa
Valley and Hermosa View enrollments have grown from 671 and 395,
respectively in the 2005-2006 school year, to 939 and 469 students
during the 2012-2013 school year.
With more than 1,400 students enrolled and physical capacity (at state
acceptable levels) to hold just 1,000 students, Hermosa Beach City School
District (HBCSD) has added portable classroom buildings and is using
multi-purpose rooms for temporary classrooms, leading to fewer shared
spaces. To address these issues, HBCSD prepared a Long Range Facilities
Master Plan to evaluate alternatives to provide additional classroom and
recreational/support facility space at each campus, including reopening
the North School campus, currently leased to other parties. The HBCSD has
placed a bond measure on the November 4th ballot to address the needs of
the local student population through new construction, modernization and
renovation projects at the District’s schools, including re-opening North
School at the southwest corner of Valley Park.
The City’s role in school capacity planning is to ensure that development
standards and other land use patterns do not constrain the District’s ability
to meet the growing capacity needs of the community and to support
expansion of shared use facilities such as fields and playgrounds to meet
the community’s recreational and physical activity needs.
Key Issues
Report
Key Issues
Report
11
Small Beach
Town
Character
4
Visual Obstructions
Power lines, telephone poles, streetlights, and traffic signals along streets
and obstruct views of the Pacific Ocean and other scenic vistas.
Views of the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains
and Palos Verdes Peninsula are valuable scenic qualities in Hermosa
Beach. The community has taken steps to protect these qualities by
adopting height limitations, however, overhead lines, telephone poles, and
other infrastructure can obstruct or diminish these scenic vistas.
At this time, areas of the community wishing to remove overhead power
lines can do so by establishing and paying into a lighting or underground
utility district. These districts currently cover Hermosa Avenue, Pier Avenue,
Myrtle Avenue, Loma Drive, Beach Drive, and Bayview Drive.
Zoning Code and Development Standards
Development standards such as height or density limits, while designed to
protect community character, can constrain development potential at key
locations in the city.
Development standards for both residential and commercial development
in Hermosa Beach can simultaneously protect the community character
and limit new investment opportunities by prescribing height, intensity, and
use requirements that reduce the financial viability of a project. Striking a
careful balance between protecting community character and scale and
overregulating new uses will be considered in the General Plan update.
Historic Resources
Historic and potentially historic resources need to be identified,
designated and protected as key landmarks of the community’s history.
While a large segment of Hermosa Beach buildings are over 50 years in
age, only a limited number have been identified as historic or potentially
historic resources. The City’s existing Historic Resources Preservation
Ordinance provides protection to identified resources only under limited
conditions. This has left some potentially historic resources undocumented,
threatened by new development or modification, or subject to inconsistent
application of historic resource evaluations. As part of this General Plan
Update process, the City conducted a survey, which preliminarily identified
close to 30 additional sites as historic or potentially historic resources. The
General Plan will identify additional opportunities to protect, preserve, and
enhance the community’s historic resources.
Coastal Access
The coast is a statewide resource and adequate coastal access and
resource protection is required as part of the California Coastal Act.
The California Coastal Act relies on local governments to ensure access,
visitor services, and recreational opportunities are available to all
Californians and the State’s visitors. With almost half of the city located
within the Coastal Zone, Hermosa Beach must prepare and implement a
Local Coastal Program (LCP) that protects the coastal resource and
12
1
Economic Diversity
There is a desire to diversify the city’s economic base beyond the tourism
industry and make the local tax base more resilient to economic fluctuations.
The combination of beach access and dominance of coastal-dependent or
coastal-supportive establishments in Hermosa Beach results in a local
economy that is heavily reliant on the tourism industry. Within the downtown
area, the concentration of bars and nighttime uses have taken up space for
office, retail, and other daytime uses needed to support a more diverse local
economy.
Additionally, residents are primarily employed in the professional, scientific,
and management industries, while the majority of jobs available in the City are
in the arts, accommodation, and food service industries.
This mismatch of local employment opportunity, in combination with a lack of
tenant diversity in the downtown area, leaves the local economy more
susceptible to economic downturns.
Employment Patterns
There is a mismatch in employment industries between employees and
residents, creating high commute rates in and out of the city.
The largest employment sector measured by number of workers in Hermosa
Beach is the accommodation and food service industry, accounting for 31% of
all jobs in 2011. However, only four percent of Hermosa Beach residents work
in this industry. Contrarily, there are 1,026 financial, information, and
professional jobs in the city, but over 4,700 residents employed in this sector.
The mismatch leads high numbers of residents leaving the community for
work each day (95%), which results in a disconnect in the local economy,
traffic congestion, and less free time to spend with family, all of which are
important quality of life indicators for the community. Without sufficient office
space and job opportunities to match the skill set of residents, many will
continue to commute to other places for work.
Higher Housing Costs
High housing costs can make Hermosa Beach an unaffordable place to live
for many, especially those employed in the city.
The lack of available vacant land, and high land and development costs drive
up housing costs in Hermosa Beach. In 2013, DataQuick reported a median
sales price of homes in Hermosa Beach of $1.4 million. The high cost of
housing limits the ability of many young professionals, seniors, and service
workers to live in Hermosa Beach without spending a disproportionate share
of their income on housing.
Balanced Visitor and Resident Uses and Needs
Visitors and residents have different and sometimes competing needs for
local services and uses.
With a changing residential population and a tourism-based economy, the
market needs and demands of residents and visitors can sometimes be in
Key Issues
Report
13
Vibrant
Economy
2
conflict with one another. Given the limited amount of commercial land
and space available and high land costs, this effect may be magnified in
Hermosa Beach. As a regional coastal destination, the City is also
obligated to ensure that access to the coast and visitor-serving uses are
maximized in the Coastal Zone.
In addition to increased lodging options, additional retail and commercial
uses that can serve residents and visitors alike would increase local tax
revenues and decrease resident and visitor spending outside of the
community.
Downtown Evolution
As a primary commercial area of the community, the downtown core
requires special attention to ensure future uses balance economic
development, beach access, and community character goals.
In 2013, the City initiated a process to identify opportunities to increase
the economic vitality of the downtown, focusing on how City assets,
including the civic center property and parking lots, could be leveraged in
conjunction with redevelopment of key privately held sites for increased
economic vitality. The Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy identifies
commercial tenanting, continued streetscape and Pier Plaza
improvements, hotel development, parking, and zoning changes as key
strategies to revitalize downtown.
Implementation of the strategies will help to make positive changes in and
around downtown, transforming the area into more a family-friendly
atmosphere, and a more economically balanced business district.
Entertainment and Nightlife
While a vibrant economic draw for the city, drinking establishments and
nightlife activities result in alcohol-related nuisances and crime, requiring
additional public safety resources.
With a number of nightclubs and bars downtown, Hermosa Beach has
established a reputation as a party town and attracts visitors from all over
the region to spend time at many of the community’s beachfront
establishments. While there are benefits to this vibrant nightlife, it can
create a place that is not welcoming to many segments of the community,
and poses noise and character concerns that are incompatible with the
changing demographics and nearby residential areas and result in an
increased need for public safety resources to handle the higher rate of
alcohol-related nuisances and crime.
Lodging Demands
Additional opportunities to provide visitor lodging, including low and
moderate-cost options, are needed to support the volume of visitors to
Hermosa Beach.
The provision of a variety of lodging options to ensure Californians and
visitors of all income levels can enjoy the California coast is a top priority of
the Coastal Act and California Coastal Commission.
14
3
Within the Coastal Zone area of Hermosa Beach, there are currently three
small-scale hotels, Grandview Inn, Beach House Hotel, Sea Sprite Motel,
and one hostel, Surf City Hostel, some of which are moderately priced.
Additional moderately priced lodging options can be found just outside of
the Coastal Zone with Hotel Hermosa, Hampton Inn, Quality Inn, and a
Holiday Inn Express all located along PCH or Aviation Boulevard. In the
South Bay region, hotel occupancy rates have hovered around 75% since
2011.
Proposed hotel projects in the downtown have the potential to provide
additional lodging opportunities within the Coastal Zone while concurrently
increasing sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenues. While there are
several moderately priced hotels in Hermosa Beach, additional lodging
options are scarce in the City. Vacation rentals are not allowed in the city
outside commercial zones, although they exist and can pose neighborhood
compatibility issues (VRBO, airbnb, etc.).
Retail Leakage
The retail competition among beach cities leads to residents and visitors
leaving Hermosa Beach to spend money outside of the community.
There are over 5 million square feet of competitive retail space within 10
miles of Hermosa Beach, in downtown, open air, and enclosed mall format.
The two main competitive destinations are the downtown districts, or other
areas of Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. The retail rents and
vacancy rates in Manhattan Beach have out-performed Hermosa Beach,
with downtown rents of $6.74/sq. ft./month and an overall retail vacancy
rate of 1.5 percent, compared to $4.27/sq. ft./month and 3.2 percent in
downtown Hermosa Beach.
As reported in the Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy, the downtown is
also less competitive in terms of ‘livability and walkability,’ than
surrounding regional competitors. The absence of a pedestrian friendly
public realm and spaces and destinations for a diversity of people with safe
pedestrian walkways, outdoor seating and attractions, reduces foot-traffic
and appeal of the downtown and Pier Plaza for daytime residents and
visitors.
When businesses compare location options, rents and vacancies are key
factors. Higher rents and lower vacancy rates in Manhattan Beach,
illustrate the appeal for new business, as developers perceive a potential
for greater return on their investment.
Beach and Event Programming
The number of programmed or organized events at the beach and in the
downtown can limit public access and enjoyment.
As a key part of the Southern California beach culture, there are a number
of social and recreational events that occur on the beach or Pier Plaza
throughout the year. These events range from volleyball tournaments,
parades, summer concerts, surf festivals, beach clean up days, and street
fairs. These events can draw several thousand visitors, with recent events
like the Discovery Channel’s FinFest attracting an estimated 15,000
Key Issues
Report
15
Vibrant
Economy
4
attendees, the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade attracting 30,000
spectators, and the Fiesta Hermosa events on Memorial Day and Labor
Day weekends attracting 150,000 visitors over the course of the three-day
weekend.
While these events are a major economic driver, and attract many visitors
to the community, they can also constrain parking capacity, divert public
safety resources, and crowd local restaurants and services, which may limit
the use and general enjoyment of the beach by members of the public and
residents.
Oil Drilling
The March 2015 ballot measure regarding whether to lift the citywide ban
on oil drilling for a proposed oil drilling and production project has the
potential to affect the City’s fiscal resources in years to come.
As a result of a Settlement Agreement, the electorate will vote on whether
to lift the ban on oil drilling and allow an oil drilling and production project
at the City Maintenance Yard. There are concerns in the community of the
potential environmental, health impacts and fiscal impacts that may result.
16
1
Carbon Neutrality
Achievement of the City’s carbon neutrality goals will require careful thought
creative solutions and persistence.
In March of 2010, the Hermosa Beach City Council established a goal to
become carbon neutral staring with municipal operations. The City has
continued efforts to define what carbon neutrality means for Hermosa Beach
and a timeline and road map. The programs and policies necessary to
achieving carbon neutrality in Hermosa Beach will need a strong commitment
from City leadership and the community, which generated 134,253 metric
tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent) in 2007. The largest generators are
transportation and building electrical demand. With few successful examples
to model its efforts on, Hermosa Beach will need to be a local and regional
leader by identifying, funding, and implementing creative solutions and
possibly advanced technologies.
The General Plan Update can assist this process by embedding the vision,
goal, policies and actions to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the Plan,
influencing how the city develops and redevelops, and how people live, work
and play, in a way that is acceptable to the Hermosa Beach community.
Natural Hazards
Tsunamis, earthquakes, and natural hazards must be evaluated to ensure
the built environment and vulnerable populations of Hermosa Beach are
adequately protected.
As noted in the City’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, there are several public,
quasi-public, or private facilities located in Hermosa Beach and nearby
Torrance that are critical to health and safety of Hermosa Beach. These
facilities include hospitals, water towers, pump stations, public safety
facilities, the community center, supermarkets, local shopping district,
schools, and areas with vulnerable populations such as assisted living
facilities, and a motor home park. Of the critical or essential facilities in
Hermosa, all are susceptible to damage from earthquakes and windstorms,
and six of these facilities are in the downtown area and are susceptible to
flooding or tsunamis.
Though environmental hazards such as flooding, tsunamis, and earthquakes
cannot be prevented from occurring, the City can ensure risks to buildings,
infrastructure, and residents are minimized through land use siting, building
standards, preparation courses, and emergency response protocols.
Climate Change
Sea level rise and climate change must be carefully considered for their
potential effect on the built environment and vulnerable populations.
Climate scientists anticipate average temperatures to increase between
3.2o F and 5.6o F, sea levels to rise as much as 65 inches, and precipitation to
decrease approximately 20 percent over the next century. The combination of
these changes may result in more severe drought conditions, number of days
of extreme heat, and more severe weather, sea level rise, higher storm
surges, increased flooding, increased air pollution, reduced water supplies,
Key Issues
Report
17
Healthy
Environment
& Lifestyles
2
and other conditions, all of which can affect infrastructure systems, public
and private property, and the local population. Current state planning
documents indicate the low-lying areas of the downtown will become most
vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. Especially vulnerable populations
may be at higher risk to the detrimental health effects or reduced ability to
take action to cope or adapt.
The effects of climate change have the potential to increase the severity of
hazards and number of facilities susceptible to damage. New natural
hazard event threats, such as extreme heat or precipitation events that
have not been previously considered in emergency operations planning in
Hermosa Beach may occur. The resiliency of the city’s population,
infrastructure and economy are important considerations. While these
effects may seem long-term, planning and incrementally adapting land use
patterns, infrastructure and the built environment may provide the most
options and the most efficient course of action.
Auto Reliance Vehicle Trip Reduction
While considered a walkable community, the high rate of employment
inflow/outflow and lack of transit options results in high vehicle trip rates.
The dependence on other communities to meet the employment and retail
service needs of Hermosa Beach residents results in more frequent and
longer trips and a higher rate of auto-dependence. Per capita, Hermosa
Beach residents drive 72.6 miles per day (higher than the LA County
average, though lower than nearby cities) and approximately 80 percent of
residents commute to work in single-occupant vehicles. The limited transit
system coverage and frequency also contribute to higher rates of auto
travel. With residents traveling further for retail services or as part of daily
commuting, the potential for traffic congestion, accidents, and vehicle
emissions increase.
Alternative Modes of Transportation
Walking and biking rates and use of local or regional transit and
neighborhood vehicles are limited by user perception of convenience and
safety and a need for infrastructure to support alternative modes.
Convenient and safe routes are needed within Hermosa Beach to facilitate
higher rates of biking and walking. The city not only has a high rate of
pedestrian and bicycle collisions along primary arterials, but users’
perception of unsafe conditions due to high speeds and volumes of
vehicles can also inhibit biking or walking. Infrastructure and educational
efforts provided by the City, school district, organizations, or regional
entities can help to increase walking and biking rates.
The use of electric bike, Segway’s, neighborhood vehicles and similar
vehicles to get around locally would benefit from slow speed lanes.
Alternative fuel vehicles require infrastructure planning to ensure quick and
available refueling capabilities. Beach Cities Transit, LADOT Commuter
Express, and LA County Metro provide transit service in Hermosa Beach.
These operators provide fixed-route services with 30 to 60 minute
headways during peak periods. Improvement of both motorized and non-
18
3
motorized transportation mode options are needed in Hermosa Beach in
order to meet community character and sustainability goals to decrease
auto reliance.
Public Health and Physical Activity
An increasing rate of children and adults are vulnerable or suffer from
preventable causes of chronic illness.
The Beach Cities Health District statistics on public health and physical
activity show that obesity is affecting a higher rate of children, and that
nearly 40 percent of adults do not meet federal guidelines for daily
physical activity. Stress, sun exposure and older child bearing age are also
elevated health concerns in the city. The trend toward an older population
also has health consequences. Infrastructure improvements, land use
pattern, the built environment and program offerings play a role in
encouraging residents to be more physically active and lead healthier lives.
Parks and Open Space
The demand for parks and open space, specifically sports fields, has
increased in recent years.
While the City provides a high rate of parks/open space per resident (5.7
acres), more than half of the 112 acres is the beach, and park space
across the city is not evenly distributed among neighborhoods, especially
those east of PCH. The public facilities designed to serve the community
include buildings like the Community Center and Clark Building, as well as
parks and trails like the Hermosa Valley Greenbelt and The Strand.
Available meeting or gathering space capacity ranges from 20 people to
500 people, however adequate space is often lacking.
Though the City has maximized the efficient use of limited available space,
the public facilities and parks do not meet the recreational or programming
needs or desires of the community, particularly the needs for recreational
programming and activities such as a swimming pool, track, or sports
fields. The largest barrier to full implementation of the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan is a lack of physical and fiscal resources.
Infrastructure
Many of the city’s aging infrastructure systems do not meet current design
specifications or public health and safety standards and regulations.
As health and safety standards associated with stormwater discharge, and
water and air quality, have evolved over time, infrastructure system
designs and operations in Hermosa Beach have not kept pace. Upgrades
to these infrastructure systems are costly and often happen on an as-
needed repair basis rather than as a comprehensive upgrade. The
Community Dialogue Financial/Fiscal Report identified key systems that
need replacement or major upgrades, including the sewer system, storm
drain system, police, fire and city hall, park and community building, with
an estimated cost exceeding $100 million. The City Council’s Strategic Plan
has started to systematically address each of these. These affect property
values, economic vitality, and health.
Key Issues
Report
19
Efforts to Address Key Issues
While many of the key issues identified and discussed as part of this report are not new, the City and
regional agencies have developed various plans and programs aimed at addressing these key issues.
To date, these plans and programs have been implemented to varying degrees. The plans and
programs relevant to each of the key issues are identified in the matrix below. The General Plan will
serve as a unifying document, identify approaches and solutions that can be implemented to address,
resolve, or mitigate many of the key issues that face Hermosa Beach now and in the years to come. Existing General PlanExisting Coastal Land Use PlanMunicipal CodeDowntown Core Revitalization StrategyPCH/Aviation Corridor Master PlanParks and Recreation Master PlanSustainability PlanCarbon Neutral Scoping PlanNatural Hazard Mitigation ProgramEmergency Operations PlanSouth Bay Bicycle Master PlanSustainable South Bay: Integrated Land Use & Transportation StrategyBeach Cities Livability PlanChanging Demographics X
Land Use Mix X X X X
Lack of Available Land
Development Pressure and Constraints X X
Residential Type and Neighborhood Character X
Pacific Coast Highway Corridor Revitalization X X X
Pedestrian Friendly Environment X X X
Parking Demand X X X X X
School Capacity X
Visual Obstructions X X X
Zoning Code and Development Standards X X X X
Historic Resources X
Coastal Access X X
Coastal Development Permitting Authority X X
Economic Diversity X X X
Downtown Evolution X X
Entertainment and Nightlife X
Higher Housing Costs X
Balanced Tourist and Resident Uses and Needs X X
Lodging Demands X
Oil Drilling
Retail Leakage X X
Beach Programming X X
Employment Patterns X X X X X
Carbon Neutrality X X X X X
Natural Hazards X X X X
Climate Change X X X
Auto Reliance X X X X X
Alternative Modes of Transportation X X X X
Public Health and Physical Activity X X
Parks and Open Space X X X X
Infrastructure X X
Energy Use X X X X
Relevant Plans and Programs
Small Beach Town CharacterVibrant EconomyHealthy Environment & Lifestyles
Prepared for the City of
Hermosa Beach
By Raimi + Associates
Define existing conditions,
issues, opportunities, and create
an overarching vision for the
future of Hermosa Beach.
Spring – Fall 2014 Fall 2014 – Spring 2015
Identify and evaluate alternative
futures, and establish policy
framework with direction from
the City Council.
The policy framework will create
an action plan for implementa-
tion of the General Plan/
Coastal Land Use Plan.
Summer – Fall 2015
Starting in 2016
General Plan
& Coastal
Land Use Plan
Existing
Conditions Key
Issues
Vision &
Guiding
Principles
Alternatives
Analysis
Preferred
Land Use Plan
Policy
Framework
The General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan and Environmental Impact Report, will
move through the formal public hearing process to adopt the new Plan including:
Trends
Planning
Commission
Hermosa Beach
City Council
Coastal
Commission
General Plan/Coastal Land Use PlanUpdate Process & Schedule
We are here!General Plan Update Schedule
City of Hermosa Beach
General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update
November 6, 2014 Community Workshop
Activity Workbook
Tonight’s Agenda
6:15 - 6:30 Welcome & Sign In
6:30 - 7:00 Introductions & Project Overview
7:00 - 7:05 Meeting Logistics
7:05 - 8:20 Activity Stations:
1. Vision Statement
2. Guiding Principles
3. Key Issues & Priority Solutions: Small Town Beach Character
4. Key Issues & Priority Solutions: Vibrant Economy
5. Key Issues & Priority Solutions: Healthy Environment
6. Mapping Activity
7. One Big Idea
8:20 - 8:30 Wrap Up & Raffle Drawing
Station 1: Vision Statement
Purpose
The vision statement sets the tone and direction of how Hermosa Beach would like to change (or not
change) over the next 20 - 30 years. The vision statement will be used as a benchmark to ensure the goals,
policies, and actions proposed in the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan align with the community vision.
Activity Instructions
In your workbook...
• Read through the vision statement (on opposite page).
• Circle the top words or phrases that you agree should be part of the vision.
• Strikethrough words or phrases you do not think should be part of the vision.
• Highlight one sentence or phrase from the vision that you feel best captures Hermosa’s future.
At the station poster...
• Write in the margins, any phrases, ideas or concepts that should be added into the vision statement.
• Place a star next to phrases, ideas, or conecpts included or written by others that you agree are im-
portant.
How your input will be used
Your input on this activity will be used to refine the vision statement and emphasize key phrases or words
from the vision statement that are of top importance to the community. The refined vision statement will be
presented to and reviewed by the City Council before the policy framework is developed.
Hermosa Beach—where heritage, creativity, and sustainability intersect. Hermosa Beach is the
small beach town others aspire to be. Our cultural, environmental, and economic systems are
aligned, sustainable and resilient. We are a beacon for communities to live, work and play, locally.
We are connected by our love of the ocean environment. We balance our small town, beach
culture with our position as a regional and statewide coastal destination. Our local economy
capitalizes on our coastal environment, unique Hermosa brand and high quality of life, which
captivate the innovative spirit of our residents, visitors, and entrepreneurs.
Our environmental footprint is dramatically reduced and virtually all energy is carbon-free. Our
mix of uses and focus on local goods and services enable many people to both live and work
in town, creating leisure time for active healthy lifestyles and soaking up the beach culture and
pristine coastal environment. Our environmental leadership attracts like-minded residents and
visitors who embrace opportunities to enhance our sustainable beach city brand.
The auto is no longer dominant, allowing for other ways and spaces in which to get around, con-
nect and recreate. Connecting between places is seamless with walking, biking and other modes
of transportation easily accessible by everyone. Our beach and open spaces are integrated into
the flow of the city and enhanced to create unique destinations that support our active lifestyles.
The fading dominance of the auto has transformed the look and feel of the community and use
of space, enhancing quality of life and social connection. Our welcoming gateways and eclectic
districts and architecture are a source of community identity and diversity. Pier Plaza, unrivaled as
a gathering space for family fun and events consistent with our identity; our Downtown pedestrian
district, and Cypress Junction as creative district.
We take shared responsibility for catalyzing positive change in our community. We collectively
tackle challenges head on, employing vision and innovation to transform those challenges into
opportunities.
Station 2: Guiding Principles
Purpose
The guiding principles, support the vision statement by providing more specific direction and detail in the
three core areas of: small beach town character, vibrant economy, and healthy environment and lifestyles.
Activity Instructions
In your workbook...
• Read through the guiding principles for small town beach character, vibrant economy, and healthy
environment (on next three pages)
• Add any guiding principles or ideas you think are missing.
• Strikethrough any guiding principles that you don’t feel align with the vision for Hermosa Beach.
At the station...
• Vote for your top five guiding principles by placing your poker chips in the buckets for each principle.
How your input will be used
Your input on this activity will be used to understand which principles are the highest priority for the com-
munity so that the goals, policies, and actions in the General Plan reflect those priorities.
Small Town Beach Character
Maintaining HERMOSA’s small town, beach character and lifestyle requires vision, intention
and innovation.
• Our Home: Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach lifestyle is an unri-
valed coastal asset.
• Sustainable Environment and Economy: Creating a place where people can live, work
and play locally is key to balancing economy, community and environment.
• Outdoor Recreation: Our beach, the ocean, green spaces and natural resources of all
types are the foundation of our brand and high quality of life.
• Mindful Community: Sustained progress and achievement of community goals requires
community involvement, participation and innovation.
• Outstanding Schools: Our high quality schools, as well as city fire, police, library and
beach, shape our identify as first class municipality.
• Boutique Shopping and Dining: Diversified districts with local owned businesses that pro-
vide for the needs of residents as well as attracting visitors support a robust and resilient
economy.
• Accessible: Our city government, places and spaces are designed to be accessible and
connect people of all abilities and stages and walks of life.
Vibrant Economy
• Our sustainable, resilient economy is supported by keeping local dollars in the local econ-
omy and maintaining a diversity of businesses and revenue streams.
• Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries, locally owned busi-
ness, and environmental stewardship.
• Our desire for a high quality of life requires balancing economy, environment, and com-
munity through a ‘sustainability lens’ and this attracts like-minded entrepreneurs.
• Our diverse economy and revenue sources provide fiscal stability and support first class
services.
• Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents, while providing a
quality experience for visitors.
• Our various business districts provide unique and differing goods and experiences.
• People are engaged in a broad range of enterprises within the city and there are oppor-
tunities to live and work locally.
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
• Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our ocean resources, open space, and
other natural resources as a healthy environment is the foundation of a more livable, sus-
tainable city and high quality of life.
• Climate action leadership and adoption of environmental targets and monitoring plan will
set Hermosa Beach apart.
• Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently planning to adapt to climate
change will reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy independence and resiliency.
• City leadership will transform the environmentally conscious community where people in-
dividually and collectively take responsibility for change.
• A steady, common sense approach is necessary to advance a long-term goal of commu-
nity-wide carbon neutrality. Tackling environmental challenges early and proactively will
maximize options and minimize costs.
• Innovative, forward-thinking approaches to anticipating future lifestyles, transportation
trends and environmental realities are necessary for creating a durable sustainability plan
and attracting like-minded residents, visitors and others which seek positive change.
• Reimagining our system of mobility and connectivity: a shared or “access” model, rather
than an “ownership” model – mobility, communications, resource use – will promote sus-
tainability and livability.
• Efficient water use, conservation, reuse, recycling and retention at the local level is neces-
sary for a sustainable and resilient city.
Stations 3, 4, & 5: Key Issues & Solutions
Purpose
The key issues and potential solutions have been identified through an analysis of existing conditions and
trends within Hermosa Beach. Issues range from school capacity to sea level rise and there are a wide
array of solutions that can be employed to address each issue.
Activity Instructions
In your workbook...
• This activitiy will be completed at the station posters for each topic area.
At the station...
• Take a sheet of stickers for each station.
• In thinking about the issues facing Hermosa Beach, consider whether the solutions on each sticker are
things the City must do, should do, or should not do to:
• Enhance and protect our neighborhoods?
• Enhance our local economy?
• Create a healthier environment?
• On a blank sticker, write any other ideas the City must, should, or should not do to address key issues.
How your input will be used
Your input on this activity will be used to determine the community’s preferred solutions to the issues that
are or may face Hermosa Beach in the future.
Station 6: Where would you like to see ______?
Purpose
The General Plan will identify a preferred set of land use and transportation changes or improvements to
be made over the next 20 to 25 years. The first step in identifying land use and transportation changes is
identifying the range of potential improvements.
Activity Instructions
In your workbook...
• This activitiy will be completed at the station poster.
At the station...
• On the first map, show us on the map where you live.
• On the first map, add up to 3 stickers of where you would like to see new uses (i.e. restaurants, shop-
ping, housing) in Hermosa Beach.
• On the second map, using the string/markers/etc. show us what routes and modes you already or
would like to take to get to various existing or new destinations in town.
How your input will be used
Your input on this activity will be used to identify the various land use and transportation changes the
community would like to see in Hermosa Beach. These ideas will be used in the identification of land use
and transportation alternatives, which will then be analyzed for their economic and/or environmental
feasibility.
Station 7: What is YOUR Big Idea?
Purpose
The goal of this station is to think BIG and share your ideas for transforming Hermosa Beach.
Activity Instructions
In your workbook...
• Imagine you’ve been elected the Mayor of Hermosa Beach for a day. Without worrying about fund-
ing constraints, political pressure, or what your neighbors think...
• Identify (write or draw) your one big idea for transforming Hermosa Beach.
At the station...
• If you’d like to elaborate on your big idea, you can take a photo or short video, telling us how your
big idea could help to transform the future of Hermosa Beach.
• If you don’t want to take a video or photo, please leave your workbook at this station when you’ve
finished participating in the different stations.
How your input will be used
Your input on this activity will be used to generate the big, bold ideas that may shape the goals, objectives
or policies of the General Plan or Coastal Land Use Plan.
Additional Comments?
Tell us here!
CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH :: DECISION-MAKING TOOL
This decision-making tool is designed to:
1. Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our government.
2. Identify & optimize opportunities for residents and businesses to improve our quality of life in Hermosa Beach.
3. Create a culture of innovation, so that our challenges become our opportunities and our opportunities enhance our
community brand.
4. Ensure the values & priorities of all residents & business owners are considered during the analysis & deliberation
of actions.
5. Deliver transparency to the decision-making process so that the public can make informed decisions.
Small Beach
Town
Healthy
Active
Lifestyle
Economic &
Environmental
Sustainability
Vision
&
Innovation
Safe & Mindful
Community
Environmentally
Conscious
Community
Business
Friendly
Community
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
+ 0 - Does it enhance / preserve open
space?
+ 0 - Is it in line with Hermosa Beach’s
carbon neutral goal?
+ 0 - Does it positively affect the health
of the community?
+ 0 - Does it protect Hermosa Beach’s
natural resources?
+ 0 - Does it keep the beach and
ocean clean?
+ 0 - Does it promote walkability/
bikeability?
QUALITY OF LIFE IMPACT
+ 0 - Does it enhance our beach culture?
+ 0 - Does it enhance outdoor
recreation?
+ 0 - Is it family friendly?
+ 0 - Does it positively impact the health and safety of residents?
+ 0 - Does it bring the community
together?
+ 0 - Does it serve the diversity of our
population?
+ 0 - Does it acknowledge our cultural heritage?
+ 0 - Is it an appropriate scale for
Hermosa Beach?
+ 0 - Is it aesthetically appropriate?
+ 0 - Is it a complementary use of public and private space?
ECONOMIC IMPACT
+ 0 - Is it business-friendly?
+ 0 - Does it support our schools?
+ 0 - Does it improve our infrastructure?
+ 0 - Does it improve property values?
+ 0 - Does it promote our Brand?
+ 0 - Is it entrepreneurial?
+ 0 - Does it serve the local market?
+ 0 - Does it reduce cost, waste or
reliance on city resources?
+ 0 - Does it balance public and private
interests?
+ 0 - Does it increase tax and other
revenues going to the community?
CATALYST FOR INNOVATION
Is this a potential catalyst for strategic, transformative and differentiated development, or is this “business as usual”?
Will this define and enhance the City brand to attract businesses, investment, tourists and like-minded residents?
Will this activate community involvement, participation, and innovation?
HERMOSA BEACH
GENERAL PLAN /COASTAL LAND USE PLAN UPDATE
FOR SUSTAINABILITY & LOW CARBON FUTURE
Joint City Council / Planning Commission Study Session December 16, 2014
Purpose of a General Plan
Long-term policy document
Serves as City’s “constitution”
“Blue print” that provides direction on the physical
layout of a community
Addresses topics of local concern to residents along
with state required topics
Every city and county in California is required to have
a General Plan
And they should be kept current to reflect current
issues and goals… (Hermosa’s is from 1979!)
General Plan Update Process
Building off Existing Efforts
City Council Strategic Plan
Community Dialogue: Decision-MakingTool, Quality of Life & Fiscal Team Reports
Sustainability Plan & Related Programs
Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy
Economic Development Plan
Bicycle Master Plan, Livability Plan
PCH/Aviation Corridor Improvement Plan
Adopted General Plan, Coastal Land Use Plan
Other Programs & Policies
Community Input to Date
7/13 – Kick Off Event
4/14 – Educational Series
5/14 – Community Workshop
11/14 – Community Workshop
& Online Survey
And…
Community Working Group
Technical Advisory Committee
Boards and Commissions
Vision Statement Purpose
The vision statement sets the tone and direction of
how Hermosa Beach would like to change (or not
change) over the next 20 - 30 years.
The vision statement will be used as a benchmark
to ensure the goals, policies and actions proposed
in the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan align
with the community’s vision for the future.
Vision Statement (Draft)
Hermosa Beach is a place where… heritage, creativity, and sustainability intersect. We live, work,
and play locally. Hermosa Beach is the small beach town others aspire to be. Our cultural,
environmental, and economic systems are aligned, sustainable, and resilient.
We are connected by our love of the ocean environment. We balance our small town, beach
culture with our position as a regional and statewide coastal destination. Our vibrant economy
capitalizes on our entrepreneurial spirit and small local businesses committed to enhancing our
unique Hermosa brand.
We are committed to protecting our coastal resources, architectural heritage, and high quality of
life. Our iconic gateways, eclectic neighborhoods, and strong commitment to education and
schools are a source of community identity, diversity, and pride.
Our community and local leaders take a proactive, common-sense approach to dramatically
reducing our environmental footprint. Our sustainable beach city brand attracts residents and
visitors who embrace opportunities to live a low-carbon lifestyle.
Connections between places are seamless and accessible by walking, biking, automobiles, and
shared transportation modes, which enhances opportunities for social connection. Our beach and
open spaces are integrated into the flow of the city, creating unique places that support our active
and healthy lifestyles.
We take shared responsibility for catalyzing positive change in our community. We collectively
tackle challenges head on, employing vision and innovation to transform those challenges into
opportunities.
Alignment with the Council Strategic Plan
Strategic
Plan
Goals
Commitment to a
Safe Community
Financially Sound
City Government
High Performing
City Providing 1st
Class Services
More Livable,
Sustainable Beach
City
Enhanced Economic
Development and Revitalized
Downtown and
Entry Corridors
Alignment with the Decision Tool
Guiding Principles Purpose
The guiding principles support the vision statement
by providing more specific direction and detail in the
three core areas:
Small Beach Town Character
Vibrant Economy
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
The guiding principles also provide a framework of
values and principles by which goals and policies can
be developed.
Guiding Principles (Draft)
Small Town Beach Character
Our small scale, eclectic architecture and vibrant beach lifestyle is an unrivaled coastal asset.
Our high quality schools, as well as city fire, police, library and beach, shape our identify as first class municipality.
Our beach, the ocean, green spaces and natural resources of all types are the foundation of our brand and high quality of life.
Creating a place where people can live, work and play locally is key to balancing economy, community and environment.
Diversified districts with local owned businesses that provide for the needs of residents as well as attracting visitors support a robust and resilient economy.
Our city government, places and spaces are designed to be accessible and connect people of all abilities and stages and walks of life.
Guiding Principles (Draft)
Vibrant Economy
Our business mix serves the daily and leisure needs of our residents, while providing a quality experience for visitors.
Our business culture cultivates innovation, the arts/creative industries, locally owned business, and environmental stewardship.
Our sustainable, resilient economy is supported by keeping local dollars in the local economy and maintaining a diversity of businesses and revenue streams.
Our desire for a high quality of life requires balancing economy, environment, and community through a ‘sustainability lens’ and this attracts like-minded entrepreneurs.
People are engaged in a broad range of enterprises creating a diverse economy and providing fiscal stability.
Guiding Principles (Draft)
Healthy Environment & Lifestyles
Hermosa Beach will be a responsible steward of our ocean resources, open space, and other natural resources as a healthy environment is the foundation of a more livable, sustainable city and high quality of life.
Efficient water use, conservation, reuse, recycling and retention at the local level is necessary for a sustainable and resilient city.
A steady, common sense approach is necessary to advance a long-term goal of community-wide carbon neutrality. Tackling environmental challenges early and proactively will maximize options and minimize costs.
Moving to carbon-free energy sources and concurrently planning to adapt to climate change will reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy independence and resiliency.
Climate action and adoption of environmental targets will make Hermosa Beach an environmental leader in Southern California.
Innovative, forward-thinking approaches to anticipating future lifestyles, transportation trends and environmental realities are necessary for creating a durable sustainability plan and attracting residents, visitors and others which seek positive change.
Where do we go from here?
•Sets the direction and prioritizes
community values Vision & Guiding
Principles
•Identifies and evaluates the physical
changes needed to achieve the vision
Land Use &
Transportation Scenarios
•Establishes the mechanisms in which
the vision and guiding principles will be
achieved
Goals, Policies, and Actions
•Assigns responsibility and timeframes
for implementing policies and actions Implementation
Plan
The Way Forward: What’s Next?
•Develop a series of land use and transportation
scenarios December
•Evaluate and analyze each scenario
•Refine alternatives with Working Group input January
•Seek community input on the alternatives and
analysis February
•Present the draft Land Use and Transportation
Plan to Commissions and Council March
Info online: www.hermosabch.org - General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Update
Discussion Questions
1.Is the vision in line with your understanding/thoughts about the direction the
community should take over the next 20-30 years?
2.Are the ideas emphasized (bold) in the vision the most important aspects to
prioritize when it comes to developing policies?
3.Are the guiding principles in line with your thoughts about the beliefs and
values by which future development should be weighed?
4.Are there principles that seem to be missing? Any fatal flaws?
5.Are the principles listed first in the guiding principles the most important
aspects to prioritize when it comes to developing policies?
6.Are there ideas or concepts for Hermosa that you envision for Hermosa’s
future that are not included in the vision or guiding principles?
From: Main1 [mailto:main1@me.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 6:18 AM
To: Elaine Doerfling
Subject: For the December 16, 2014 Hermosa Beach City Council and Planning Commission Joint Study
Session, agenda item 1a
Elaine Doerfling
City Clerk Hermosa Beach
edoerfling@hermosabch.org
Re: For the December 16, 2014 Hermosa Beach City Council and Planning Commission Jint Study
Session, Agenda item #1a
Dear Elaine,
Could you please include this e-mail and the 2 pdf attachments for this “Agenda Item 1a” as part of
the December 16, 2014 Hermosa Beach City Council and Planning Commission Joint Study Session
1. CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON JOINT STUDY SESSION
(a) GENERAL PLAN/COASTAL LAND USE PLAN UPDATE: DIRECTION ON VISION AND
GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND WAY FORWARD. Memorandum from Community Development
Director Ken Robertson dated December 9, 2014.
* OVERVIEW OF PURPOSE AND PROCESS: Raimi + Associates
* DIRECTION ON VISION STATEMENT: Public Comment; Commission Comments; Council
Direction
* DIRECTION ON GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Public Comment; Commission Comments; Council
Direction
* NEXT STEPS
Thank you.
Sheryl Main
Questions for the Hermosa Beach City Council and Planning Commission Joint Study Session:
1. Are past land use decisions in Hermosa Beach causing the high rates of violent crime, compared
to the violent crime rate in Manhattan Beach?
2. If there is little or no change to the business mix in the Hermosa Beach downtown, are the high
rates of violent crime, pretty much baked into the cake and not likely to change.
3. What is causing the high rate of violent crime in Hermosa Beach and what are the possible
solutions to reduce the high crime rate.
Comparison of Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach
for per capita crime rates for:
Part 1 Rape, Part 1 Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault and Part 1 Robbery
For the period of January 2014 to September 2014
Crime data collected from:
Monthly Report
Hermosa Beach Police Department
September 2014
http://www.hermosabch.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=4757
and the Manhattan Beach Police Department.
__________________________________________
Hermosa Beach population – population 2010 U.S. Census - 19,506
Manhattan Beach population - population 2010 U.S. Census – 35,135
35,135 / 19,506 = 1.8012
Manhattan Beach has a population that is 1.8 times larger, compared to Hermosa Beach.
Manhattan Beach is 1.8 times larger per capita, compared to Hermosa Beach.
Part 1 Rape
Hermosa Beach Rape - YTD September 2014 – 5
Manhattan Beach Rape - YTD September 2014 – 1
5 x 1.8 = 9 9 / 1 = 9
Hermosa Beach has 9 times the Part 1 Rape per capita,
compared to Manhattan Beach for YTD September 2014.
Part 1 Aggravated Assault
Hermosa Beach Aggravated Assault - YTD September 2014 – 18
Manhattan Beach Aggravated Assault - YTD September 2014 – 12
18 x 1.8 = 32.4 32.4 / 12 = 2.7
Hermosa Beach has 2.7 times the Part 1 Aggravated Assault per capita, compared to Manhattan
Beach for YTD September 2014.
Simple Assault
Hermosa Beach Simple Assault - YTD September 2014 – 66
Manhattan Beach Simple Assault - YTD September 2014 – 68
66 x 1.8 = 118.8 118.8 / 68 = 1.747
Hermosa Beach has 1.74 times the Simple Assault per capita,
compared to Manhattan Beach for YTD September 2014.
Part 1 Robbery
Hermosa Beach Robbery - YTD September 2014 – 9
Manhattan Beach Robbery - YTD September 2014 – 11
9 x 1.8 = 16.2 16.2 / 11 = 1.472
Hermosa Beach has 1.47 times the Part 1 Robbery per capita,
compared to Manhattan Beach for YTD September 2014.
__________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Monthly Report from the
Hermosa Beach Police Department
for October 2014.
From page 1 at this HBPD web link:
http://www.hermosabch.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=5031
Sex Crimes / Part 1 Rape –
October YTD 2013 Total of 5 Sex Crimes / Rape
October YTD 2014 Total of 7 Sex Crimes / Rape
A 40% increase in Sex Crimes / Rape from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
Part 1 Robbery –
October YTD 2013 Total of 6 Robberies
October YTD 2014 Total of 9 Robberies
A 50% increase in Robbery from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
Part 1 Aggravated Assault –
October YTD 2013 Total of 16 Aggravated Assaults
October YTD 2014 Total of 18 Aggravated Assaults
A 12.5% increase in Aggravated Assault from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
Simple Assault –
October YTD 2013 Total of 67 Simple Assaults
October YTD 2014 Total of 75 Simple Assaults
A 11.9% increase in Simple Assault from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
Misdemeanor Citations -
October YTD 2013 Total of 743 Misdemeanor Citations
October YTD 2014 Total of 917 Misdemeanor Citations
A 23.4% increase in Misdemeanor Citations from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
_____________________________________________________________
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports –
DATA From Investigative Interview regarding the DUI arrestee’s response to the COMING
FROM? Question, on Line 9 of the Investigative Interview at the bottom of the DUI arrest report.
From the following HBPD DUI arrest reports – From January 1, 2014 to September 19, 2014 at this
weblink:
http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=6&event_id=1378&meta_id=169787
HBPD DUI Arrest Reports from 2014, Response to COMING FROM? Question.
Total Reponses to: COMING FROM? Rank
1. Sharkeez – Total Responses - 18 Ranking 1
2. Patrick Molly’s – Total Responses - 9 Ranking 2
3. American Junkie – Total Responses - 6 Ranking 3
4. Ocean Bar / Abigaile’s – Total Responses - 5 Ranking 4
December 10, 2014
Honorable Mayor and Members Special Meeting of
of the Hermosa Beach City Council December 16, 2014
TENTATIVE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
DECEMBER 18, 2014 @ 6:30 PM
CITY COUNCIL HOLIDAY DINNER: THE BOTTLE INN
DECEMBER 19, 2014 @ 8:00 AM
CITY COUNCIL RETREAT: THE BEACH HOUSE
JANUARY 13, 2014 @ 6:00 PM
STUDY SESSION: EVENTS POLICY (CONTINUED) AND FIESTA DISCUSSION
JANUARY 13, 2015
PRESENTATIONS
HERMOSA BEACH LIBRARY BOOKMARK CONTEST WINNERS
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Letter from Raymond Dussault
CONSENT CALENDAR
Recommendation to receive and file the action minutes of the Public Works Commission meeting of
November 19, 2014
Public Works Director
Recommendation to receive and file the action minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Community
Resources Advisory Commission meeting of December 2, 2014
Assistant to the City Manager
Strand/Pier EIR Contract (Continued from meeting of November 13, 2014) Community Development Director
Comprehensive City Facilities Master Plan – Award Assessment Contract Public Works Director
Lease Agreement for Self Storage 552 11th Street Finance Director
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Events Policy (Continued) and Fiesta Discussion Assistant to the City Manager
Compensation Study and Policy Direction Assistant to the City Manager
Downtown Core Revitalization Strategy Catalyst Project (Continued from meeting of November 25,
2014)
Community Development Director
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND REPORTS - CITY MANAGER
Strategic Plan Action Agenda Quarterly Update Management Analyst
2
JANUARY 27, 2014 @ 6:00 PM
CLOSED SESSION: QUARTERLY LITIGATION UPDATE
JANUARY 27, 2015
CONSENT CALENDAR
Recommendation to receive and file the action minutes of the Emergency Preparedness Advisory
Commission meeting of November 3, 2014
Fire Chief
Recommendation to receive and file the action minutes of the Planning Commission meeting of
January 20, 2015
Community Development Director
Storm Drain Maintenance Contract Public Works Director
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Oil Project Update Community Development Director
Carbon Neutral Municipality:
A. Final SCAG Report: Setting Target, Action Plan, Funding – Employee Commute
Program
B. Net Zero Carbon Policy for City Facilities and Service Delivery Analysis
C. Renewable Energy Policy for City Facilities and Service Delivery
Environmental Analyst
Free Parking Program Evaluation and Possible Action Management Analyst
Minutes Discussion City Manager
Procurement Policies – RFP City Manager
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND REPORTS - CITY MANAGER
Priority Based Budgeting Update Finance Director
Public Information and Communications Plan Adoption City Manager
Strategic Plan – Quarterly Update City Manager
PENDING ITEMS
Consideration of reduction of business license fee request from Carol G. Weiss, Ph.D. Finance Director
Green Zone Recommendations and the Installation of Silver and Green Meters Downtown Police Chief
Ethics Policy City Manager & Finance Director
SCE Update City Manager
Food Trucks – Policy Discussion Community Development Director
Pier Plaza Smoking Enforcement & Underage Ordinance Police Chief
National Citizen Survey Overview Assistant to the City Manager
Public Information and Communications Plan Adoption City Manager
PCH/Aviation Aesthetic Signage Public Works Director
Hope Chapel Development City Manager/Economic Dev Officer
Skechers Development City Manager/Economic Dev Officer
FEBRUARY 2015
Oil Project Update – Feb 24, 2014 Community Development Director
Planning Code Amendments Community Development Director
Business Improvement District (BID) for Pier Plaza – Assist in BID Proposal Economic Development Officer
Mid-Year Budget – Feb 24, 2014
- Police/Fire Building Design Funding in Capital Improvement Plan
- Police Permanent Positions (3), Fire Permanent Positions
- Budget Decision on Code Enforcement/Fire Marshall
- Develop Fire Staffing Plan w/ Standards/Learning from History with Fire
- Staff/Performance Measures
- Finalize Report/Plan with Options and Recommendations
- Council Presentation: Fire Staffing Plan with Recommendation/Standards
- Council Decision: Budget Decision on Fire Position, Standards
Finance Director
633 W. 5`h Street, Suite 1700 Deborah J. Fox
Los Angeles, California 90071 Attorney at Law
tel (213) 626-2906 dfox@meyersnave.com
fax (213) 626-0215
www.meyersnave.com
meyers ~ nave
A Commitment to Public Law
December 4, 2014
VIA ELECTRONICAND U.S. MAIL
Mayor Peter Tucker and City Councilmembers
The City of Hermosa Beach
1315 Valley Drive, Room 101
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Re: Planning Commission's Semi Annual Review and Report of CUP --
American Junkie
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers:
Meyers Nave represents American Junkie located at 66-68 and 58-60 Pier Avenue in
Hermosa Beach ("the City"). We offer this letter to provide the City Council with
additional information regarding American Junkie's compliance with its conditional use
permit ("CUP") for the period between January and June 2014 ("the Review Period").
This letter supplements our prior letter addressed to the Planning Commission dated
October 21, 2014 and is in direct response to the Council's notice that it intends to review
American Junkie's record as to police incidents, code enforcement actions, Department
of Alcohol Beverage Control ("ABC") actions and other related information. During this
noted time period the only code enforcement action for our establishment related to a
"hosing" infraction; accordingly, we believe that this added review is premised on faulty
perception, misinformation or disparate treatment from other similar establishments on
the pier.' We hope to clarify any confusion regarding the need for further review.
American Junkie has developed a well branded and nationally recognized business model
which started with its first restaurant in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona back in 2008. It
has since expanded its operations to locations in Newport Beach and River North
Chicago. Its name is inspired by national pride; similar to such businesses as Surf Junkie,
Despite only incurring one administrative citation during the Review Period and
incurring no other "points" under the City's current review criteria giving rise for
review, the Council has called up American Junkie for potential review. The Council
has not called up other restaurants which have indeed exceeded the review threshold -
- one with four citations and another with six citations.
A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION OAKLAND LOS ANGELES SACRAMENTO SAN FRANCISCO SANTA ROSA FRESNO
Honorable Mayor Peter Tucker and City Councilmembers
December 4, 2014
Page 2
Yoga Junkie, Cake Junkie, Freedom Junkie, Caffeine Junkie, Burger Junkie and Dance
Junkie, the word junkie denotes an enthusiastic loyalty. In American Junkie's case, its
name denotes enthusiasm for the United States. In keeping with that theme, all of its
locations, including Hermosa Beach, are adorned with Americana decor.
American Junkie opened its Hermosa Beach location in 2012. It is the largest
establishment on the Hermosa Beach Pier and totals 6700 sq. ft. — 900 sq. ft. is the exterior
patio and 5800 sq. ft. of interior space. It has approximately 100 employees with a total
capacity of 366. American Junkie has been recognized for its commitment to serving high
quality food and providing an overall welcoming dining experience. The recent
November review by the Daily Breeze recognizing the Truly American Experience
offered here is attached.
American Junkie is subject to a CUP issued by Planning Commission Resolution No. 96-
23 on June 18, 1996. We have expended substantial resources in good faith reliance on
the CUP expending upwards of $700,000 in remodeling the space. As such, American
Junkie has a vested interest in this CUP. (See Goat Hill Tavern v. City of Costa Mesa
(1992) 6 Ca1.App.4th 1519, 1530 [holding that "[w]here a [conditional use] permit has
been properly obtained and in reliance thereon the permittee has incurred material
expense, he acquires a vested property right to the protection of which he is entitled"].)
Any review or modification to the CUP must take into account this vested right. As the
facts illustrate, the City simply has no basis to seek to modify or revoke American
Junkie's CUP.
American Junkie Hczs Not Met The Threshold For Possible CUP Review
At the Planning Commission's October 21, 2014 meeting, the Commission accepted
the recommendation of Police Chief Sharon Papa and Community Development
Director Ken Robertson not to review American Junkie as part of its six month review
and report on conditional use compliance for on sale alcoholic beverage
establishments, because American Junkie had not exceeded the established threshold
for possible CUP review. Rather, American Junkie received only one administrative
citation during the relevant Review Period. American Junkie experienced no serious
crime/police activity indicative of lack of security or poor management, no ABC
actions, and no other activity giving rise to review:
AMERICAN JUNKIE'S RECORD OF INCIDENTS FOR THE REVIEW PER~~OD
SERIOUS CODE ABC ACTIONS OTHER
CRIME/POLICE ENFORCEMENT
ACTIVITY ACTION
0 1 0 0
Initially, American Junkie mistakenly had been included on a list of three
establishments, along with Hermosa Saloon and Patrick Malloy's, to be discussed at
A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION OAKLAND LOS ANGELES SACRAMENTO SAN FRANCISCO SANTA ROSA FRESNO
Honorable Mayor Peter Tucker and City Councilmembers
December 4, 2014
Page 3
the October 21, 2014 Commission Meeting. Its initial inclusion was based on an
April 1, 2014 Administrative Citation Number 1412 under Hermosa Beach Municipal
Code § 9.44.060 for hosing its front patio2 and two police reports for assault that were
improperly attributed to American Junkie.
Upon Chief Papa's review of the police reports, it was clear that the incidents should
not have been included in the City's assessment of American Junkie's compliance
with its CUP. Chief Papa determined that the assaults did not occur due to
insufficient security at American Junkie. To the contrary, American Junkie's staff
and security handled these incidents precisely the way in which the City had
instructed (i.e. having an open dialogue with the police and requesting assistance
when needed). Staff has clear instructions regarding how to proceed if a patron
becomes disruptive or unruly. We employ only licensed security guards, who train
with our security manager, and ensure that each guard is familiar with the established
security plan. In the two isolated instances in which individuals were arrested at or
near American Junkie, security guards and staff complied with the security plan and
worked in conjunction with the police to minimize the result of inappropriate
behavior.
Specifically, the police reports reveal that in one instance a female patron refused to
leave the restaurant and assaulted staff. American Junkie immediately contacted the
police department to intervene. After the woman's arrest, it was determined that she
was mentally unstable and subject to a 72 hour 5150 psychiatric hold. The other
incident also involved an assault after a patron was asked to leave. Again, American
Junkie staff immediately called the police in keeping with the Department's urged
protocol.
Based on these facts, Chief Papa and Community Development Director Robertson
provided a supplemental report to the Commission indicating that American Junkie
had not exceeded the threshold for review. A copy of the supplemental report is
attached. At the October 21, 2014 Meeting, Chief Papa explained that the matrix
noting the number of violations was revised to delete the assaults. She explained:
"I pulled all the police reports and calls for service and took a look at
all of them, and we couldn't change the matrix to not say assaults
occurred which is why you got a supplemental report that came in to
you probably late this afternoon. In looking at it we are working hard
to build a good working relationship with the businesses and to make
sure that the bouncers and doormen are comfortable calling us when
they have a problem instead of saying we are not calling the police
2 This citation was not for a late night violation but was issued at 10 a.m. in the
morning.
A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION OAKLAND LOS ANGELES SACRAMENTO SAN FRANCISCO SANTA ROSH FRESNO
Honorable Mayor Peter Tucker and City Councilmembers
December 4, 2014
Page 4
because this will get tagged to our business and then we will be
hauled in front of the Planning Commission. So I went through to
make sure that the assaults most of them when we read the reports are
the bouncers trying to do their job ejecting somebody and then they
are the victims in some cases. So we looked at those, we read
through those, and so that's why you had a different recommendation
and it took two of the entities off your list."
The Planning Commission reviewed the establishments and concurred with the
recommendation of Chief Papa and Director Robertson. They determined that under
the City's review protocol, it was not appropriate to further review American Junkie
based on the one administrative citation.
American Junkie's Safety Ancl Compliance Measures
American Junkie is committed and has worked hard to become a vital member of the
Hermosa Beach community. It understands and shares the strong interest held by the
City of Hermosa Beach in insuring that the Pier is a robust area that is safe for all visitors.
Towards that end, ownership and staff have worked closely with your Police Department
and greatly appreciate the working relationship that has developed.
American Junkie has expended significant resources to maintain a highly qualified staff.
American Junkie is mindful of the need for solid employees who are properly trained and
can make sure that the dining and entertainment environment is both safe and fun for all.
In addition to American Junkie's security protocol previously described, American
Junkie requires that all its bartenders and servers take Licensee Education on Alcohol and
Drugs (L.E.A.D.) and Responsible Beverage Service training as outlined by the
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. It is of paramount importance to
American Junkie's operations that staff have the requisite tools to spot potentially
intoxicated customers and know the pertinent ABC rules and regulations. This training is
evident; within the Review Period, American Junkie passed an ABC operation in which
underage decoys tried to purchase alcoholic beverages. Seven other local restaurants
failed these same operations.
Additionally, American Junkie has taken several additional steps to minimize noise on
the Pier and ensure its compliance with the City's Municipal Code. The efforts
include:
• Obtaining a new rollup door on the front face of American Junkie that
borders the Pier. This will be closed at all times when there is live
music and will alleviate any noise issues. This new roll up door,
required an approximately $18,000 expenditure and provides a sound
barrier at the front of the restaurant. The investment has paid off and
A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION OAKLAND l05 ANGELES SACRAMENTO SAN FRANCISCO SANTA ROSA FRESNO
Honorable Mayor Peter Tucker and City Councilmembers
December 4, 2014
Page 5
and successfully eliminated any noise emanating from the restaurant. A
photograph of the rollup door is attached.
• Instituting a policy that the security guard stationed at the door will be
charged with monitoring the waiting line to make sure that the queue
does not cross into the center of the pier but instead runs in an easterly
direction along the fence fronting American Junkie. Should the line
grow beyond our fence then we will have the line double back and that
way make sure that the line does not extend past any other business. We
will task the security guard stationed at the door to interface with Code
Enforcement officers and other City staff to make sure that the entry line
is properly managed and maintained.
Those efforts are not static and American Junkie continues to improve the property to
ensure it is able to comply with all of its safety and code obligations while providing an
invigorated venue for its patrons.
We ask for your careful consideration of the information offered both verbally and in
writing at the Council meeting and urge your concurrence with the Commission that there
is no basis to move forward with a further review for American Junkie.
Thank you in advance for your due consideration and the opportunity to offer additional
information for the Council's thoughtful evaluation.
Very truly yours,
~~~~.
DEBORAH J. FOX
cc: Michael Jenkins, City Attorney
Police Chief Sharon Papa
Ken Robertson, Community Development Director
2365436.2 1671.002
A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION OAKLAND LOS ANGELES SACRAMENTO SAN FRANCISCO SANTA ROSA FRESNO
November 28, 2014
A Truly American Experience: American Junkie
Gastro pabs are dic hot-
~cst thing in the resinu-
r~nt business. American
Junl:ic u~ Hcrn~osa Bcuch
is a good e~umpic of tl~c
Cvoh~ing genre. Q~en for
2 112 ycnrs on ico~iic Picr
r1~~c.. thcr bill dtcros~l~•cs
t~s a "modern intcrprc-
tation 4f tl~c tr~duional
g~stra pub." Tlic}~ strive
Io be true to their n~tne
b}• using ancf scrvinb 9S%
products m~dc in the red.
ti~~l~ilc and bloc USA.
Puns of the resmurant
ti~°ere 6ui1! ~~~ilh reclaimed
items from. U.S. history.
They have positioned
~hcrosch-cs as not only
a 1'ricndly spat £or gaud
food but ~Iso a fun place
io ►•ie►►• ilie ln~cst sport-
ing c~•cnts. Another big
plus is the menu. Not
onh~ does it reflect tl~e
best oFAmcricau cuisine
s~ ith updated fare put
i0gCl11C~ bt' A 11C~~' CxCC-uti►~c chcC but notl~ins is
priced a~~cr ~ 1 i.(~p.
You can clefinncl~ find :c
fine bnrgcr licrc. Lcadui~
the pack is s~ new offer-
iag.the Wcslcrn BBQ
Burger. A quality Angus
beef patty is nccompa-
nied b}~ cheddar cheese,
lettuce. tomato mtd savon~
house-made BBQ sauce.
Another hi~l~light is die
cf~ickcn brings. Thcrc arc
seven ~vnys you can order
them: bulTilo, clwrred
b4~iTalo. teriyaki, SCIfiiCI11
roasted garlic. BBQ, spia~•
honey and ~lomic ghost
chili. All of tho appetizers
~~R,~' . ..
arc grcut far sharing like
Peruvian Rock Sl~rii~~p
($9.i)~) that arc tossed iii
Pcruvinn s++.:ct Aji chili.
Ccvichc is a compelling
collection of tresh shrimp,
scallops and salsa served
~.•iU~ house made corn
tortilla chips. Anoihnr
starter is c~-cr-po~fular
artichoke spinnch dip
dclivcr~ccl ~~-iih chips.
Hpnd-tossed picas will
keep your group Hell fed.
A~•Ailublc in hvo sizes (I~F
or l8 inches) ten com-
binatians me a~~nilnUlc.
Along «ith the traditional
cheese and pcpporoni
is the Junkir Supreme.
Unlian sausage, pcpper-
oni, sAlnnti, prosciutto.
griUcd pc}~pers, anions,
tomato sauce and moryn-
rclla arc a ~vciconic sight
Cor the epcs ns it urriscs.
The Veggie (~ 1 I AI))
is A ~rcen d~li~ht wills
green peppers, red onion.
mushmoms,l~esh tomu-
!o, spinach, green alive.
tomato sauce mid Ii~l~t
ricotta C11c;CSC. T11CrC i5
even n Cliiekcn Wing pie
~vi~h pulled chicken com-
bincd with moixarelln.
red onion. but~'alo snucc
and eanch.
A quintet ofs~u~d~r•iches
ticill keep you coining
back. Thcrc is n honey
jnl~pcno chicken ~~ersion
(~ 1 U,UU). Grilled chick-
cn, pcpperjuck cheese,
barn», IcltucC, lom~to and
honicmodc honed jAla-
peno sauce sit bct~sccn a
ses~mc aced bun. A classic
Turkey Club is a ~~~arthy
combination of rot~stcd
turkey topped ~ti~ith bacon.
Ictiucc. tomato. u~rocudo.
pcsta aioti and a fried cgs
Headed in n bum. A ~~en•
{wpular non-sand~rich is a
tcrivu~i bo►v1 Qiat comes
1v1111 1 ChtlICC 0~
grilled chicken.
turkc~~ or tofu
wi~L ~~cggics,
a~~oc~~do and
taasled sCSamc
scads sitting on
top o1' bro~~~n
rice.
Wt»t ~~~auld
a bnstro pub 6c
wilhaut 3u~~orV
locos? Thcrc
es a compcl-
fi»glist licrc►~~i~it options
like shrimp, chicRcn or
buja fish. 7hc tuner is
highlighted n•iIh tempura
til~pi~, cAbb~yc sla« end
chipode mayo. The C~inic
Astida ►~crsian includes
morrnrcll~, grilled anions
and rousted salsa,
Fresh-col fries arc ovail-
nbtc with a choice of hco
sauces including ~vhitc
~rulllc kctcliup and rons~cd
aioli garlic.
Salads can nlsfl be
ardcrcd ~s ~ernps. Slra~~~-
bcrr} Walnut 09.00} is
o croAti~c u~i~ oFgrillcd
cIiickCn, a scnsanal scicc-
tion of greens, candied
~ealnu~s, fresl~ stra+~~-
~crrics. clicrrc cheese
and rns{~bcrn• iarrngon
tiinaigrottc. Organic Chop
is a modern blending oi'
b~b~ nn►gula. tricolor
quiuoa. As~strngus, roasted
tomatoes. pcpitAS. golden
raisins mtd nsiago cheese
plus tntplc dressing.
Ti~'o desserts me con-
~~crsalion pieces. Thcrc is
Half Baked (S7.U(~}, A bolt
pound ofchocolatc chip
cookie dough is bnkcd in a
deep dish gm~. II is topped
~~~ith ~aniil~ ice cream
and ~~arm cGt~colatc
s~~rup. Cap'n Cr~uich
Milk 5Hake is made
~~~ith sniaoth end popular
Qrc~ Cr's iCC CrCalu.
~Vcckcnd Brunch is in
session from IU:OUAM to
2:0t1PM. Hucvas Rancho
ros is ~~iccly co~~stnictad►ritl~ Itiro oti~er-ensp e~,gs
SiltlRg AIOp lAtCr lots with
tomntillo sauce and Pico
do gUllo, Chcdd~r cheese
Acid a~•ocodv nrC inCludCd.TI►c Bnrcclona Omelette
[~9.Ugy Features an cspan-
s;<<c list o!'ingredicnts tike
sausflsc. bacan.lomAto.
onia~s, mushrooms,
bell pepper And clacd-
dar cLcc+e ~~~ith Pico do
gallo and patAtocs. The
Zcn t3o►~d ~~ ill get ►~aur
~~cckc~~d rolling. Tt~~o
tg~s. fl cl~nicc of chicken
or ground luri:cy, spinach,
muslvaams; green oninns
and pepperjnck ohctse arc
ull sarnmbled tobcil►cr and
pluccd an pop of succulem
brnti~~n rice, A SunriseSundti~•ic]► thnl iiicludcs
c~;gs. brcnki'ust meats and
Chef's s~ucc is stuiled
u~sidc sourdough b~Ad.
Check out Facebook
for daif► specinls and tho
]u~~kic VlP Nc~vslcttcr
can be obtninecl b}~ sign-
iug up on-line.
Our country's cuUurc is
nli~•c And ~~~cll at Amcri-
cnnJunkie.
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From: Main1 [mailto:main1@me.com]
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2014 7:29 PM
To: Elaine Doerfling
Subject: For tFor the December 9, 2014 Hermosa Beach City Council meeting, Municipal Matters 6d
agenda item: Please include this e-mail as well as the Word document and the 2 pdf attachments.
To Elaine Doerfling
edoerfling@hermosabch.org
City Clerk of Hermosa Beach
Re: For the December 9, 2014 Hermosa Beach City Council meeting, Municipal Matters 6d agenda
item: Please include this e-mail as well as the Word document and the 2 pdf attachments.
Dear Elaine,
I am requesting to have this word document
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports COMING FROM_DATA.docx
as well as these 2 pdf attachments titled:
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports 14_0004 to 14_1751.pdf
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports 14_1753 to 14_3153.pdf
as part on Municipal Matters 6d:
(d) REVIEW OF PLANNING COMMISSION RECORD CONCERNING SEMI-ANNUAL REVIEW OF
CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS ALLOWING ON-SALE ALCOHOL IN CONJUNCTION WITH A
RESTAURANT PERTAINING TO AMERICAN JUNKIE AND PATRICK MALLOY’S LOCATED AT 50A
AND 58-60 PIER AVENUE, RESPECTIVELY, AND DETERMINATION OF WHETHER TO SET
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT(S) MODIFICATION/REVOCATION HEARING
Thank you.
Sheryl Main
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports –
DATA From Investigative Interview regarding the DUI arrestee’s response to the COMING
FROM? Question, on Line 9 of the Investigative Interview at the bottom of the DUI arrest report.
From the following HBPD DUI arrest reports – From January 1, 2014 to September 19, 2014 – in the 2
pdf’s titled:
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports 14_0004 to 14_1751.pdf
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports 14_1753 to 14_3153.pdf
The DUI arrestee’s responses to the: COMING FROM? Question and the data is included in the Word
attachment.
Here at the top 4 Restaurants listed in the COMING FROM? Question, in the HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest
Reports
HBPD DUI Arrest Reports from 2014, Response to COMING FROM? Question.
Total Reponses to: COMING FROM? Rank
1. Sharkeez – Total Responses - 18 Ranking 1
2. Patrick Molly’s – Total Responses - 9 Ranking 2
3. American Junkie – Total Responses - 6 Ranking 3
4. Ocean Bar / Abigaile’s – Total Responses - 5 Ranking 4
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sharkeez-286753-small-drunken.html
From: Orange County Register – February 2, 2011
State investigating H.B. Sharkeez DUIs
Huntington Beach police chief wrote letter to California Alcoholic Beverage Control citing concerns about
drunken driving arrests stemming from downtown bar and grill.
H.B. has most DUI crashes in California
By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 2, 2011 Updated: Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.
The state is investigating Baja Sharkeez in downtown Huntington Beach after the city's police chief
expressed concerns about the number of DUI arrestees coming from the bar and restaurant.
Police Chief Kenneth Small sent a letter to the California Alcoholic Beverage Control saying he was
concerned about the drunken driving arrests coming from Sharkeez on Main Street. Small wrote the letter
in November and an investigation was launched on Jan. 21, the Huntington Beach Independent first
reported.
However, one of the owners of Sharkeez says the information is inaccurate and the effort is part of a
bigger plan to squelch further development and growth in downtown, an area that has been both revered
and criticized for its robust night life.
"In all our meetings with the local police they've always said we do a better job (with DUI prevention) than
everybody else," said owner Ron Newman. "This is very shocking to us."
Small's letter says Sharkeez saw 72 drunken driving arrests in 22 months. The data is collected when
officers make an arrest because they ask drivers where they are coming from, Small said.
Small said Sharkeez is aware of the problem.
"Every time somebody mentions an establishment by name, we send them a letter about the arrest," he
said. "So they got lots of letters from us."
Newman said he doesn't know what the ABC plans to do in their investigation but added that he believes
there was some misinformation in collecting the data.
Newman, one of the owners of the five Sharkeez locations, said he believed some of the arrests came
from the Newport Beach location. He said he plans to request the files of each of the arrestees to see
what each of their individual situations were regarding his restaurant.
"When we got the numbers, we saw the Newport Beach location had zero DUIs," he said. "The
information isn't even right."
Newman also questioned the method for collecting the data. Downtown Huntington Beach is an area that
lends itself to bar hopping and so nailing down one location isn't always possible, Newman said.
"We serve about 15,000 customers a month for food and drinks," he said. "As a business, our job is to not
serve anybody that is obviously intoxicated and we've never been written up for (that)."
Small said he believed the number of DUI arrests out of Sharkeez was significantly higher than other
places in downtown, which prompted him to write the letter. The next highest number of arrests came out
of Hurricanes Bar and Grill with 52 drunken driving arrests, he said.
"It's been my experience when somebody is in the hot seat they try to find an excuse," Small said. "I think
Sharkeez in Huntington Beach has a problem."
A heavy focus has been placed on deterring drunken driving in the downtown area in recent years. Police
in July released a 16-page report that said the city has a "significant" problem with drunken driving.
H.B. has most DUI crashes in California
Police have issued a downtown foot patrol, applied for more DUI checkpoint grants and education
outreach for local bars and restaurant.
The city also recently considered putting the name of habitual drunken drivers on the police department's
Facebook page but that effort was denied by a council majority in January.
_____________________________________________________________
Monthly Report from the Hermosa Beach Police Department
for October 2014.
From page 1 at this HBPD web link:
http://www.hermosabch.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=5031
_____________________________________________________________
Sex Crimes – October YTD 2013 Total of 5 Sex Crimes
October YTD 2014 Total of 7 Sex Crimes
A 40% increase in Sex Crimes from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
_____________________________________________________________
Robbery – October YTD 2013 Total of 6 Robberies
October YTD 2014 Total of 9 Robberies
A 50% increase in Robbery from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
_____________________________________________________________
Aggravated Assault – October YTD 2013 Total of 16 Aggravated Assaults
October YTD 2014 Total of 18 Aggravated Assaults
A 12.5% increase in Aggravated Assault from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
_____________________________________________________________
Simple Assault – October YTD 2013 Total of 67 Simple Assaults
October YTD 2014 Total of 75 Simple Assaults
A 11.9% increase in Simple Assault from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
_____________________________________________________________
Misdemeanor Citations - October YTD 2013 Total of 743 Misdemeanor Citations
October YTD 2014 Total of 917 Misdemeanor Citations
A 23.4% increase in Misdemeanor Citations from YTD October 2013 to YTD October 2014
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports – DATA From Investigative Interview regarding the
DUI arrestee’s response to the COMING FROM? Question, on Line 9 of the
Investigative Interview at the bottom of the DUI arrest report.
From the following HBPD DUI arrest reports – From January 1, 2014 to September
19, 2014 – in the 2 pdf’s titled:
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports 14_0004 to 14_1751.pdf
HBPD 2014 DUI Arrest Reports 14_1753 to 14_3153.pdf
DUI Arrestee’s Response to the following question.
COMING FROM? ______________________
On Line 9 of the Investigative Interview.
Total Reponses to: COMING FROM? Rank
1. Sharkeez – Total Responses - 18 Ranking 1
2. Patrick Molly’s – Total Responses - 9 Ranking 2
3. American Junkie – Total Responses - 6 Ranking 3
4. Ocean Bar / Abigales – Total Responses - 5 Ranking 4
5. Hennessey’s – Total Responses - 1
6. Poop Deck – Total Responses - 1
7. Barnacles – Total Responses - 1
8. Fat Face Fenner’s – Total Responses - 1
Sharkeez – Total Number 18 – Ranking 1
Book # from arrest report
1. 140302
2. 140355
3. 140430
4. 140743
5. 140812
6. 141151
7. 141531
8. 141753
9. 141758
10. 142098
11. 142045
12. 142181
13. 142416
14. 142515
15. 142640
16. 142703
17. 142699
18. 142786
Patrick Molly’s – Total Number 9 – Ranking 2
Book # from arrest report
1. 140844
2. 14791?
3. 141089
4. 141078
5. 141317
6. 142174
7. 142185
8. 142303
9. 142632
American Junkie – Total Number 6 – Ranking 3
Book # from arrest report
1. 14300?
2. 140522
3. 141181
4. 141295
5. 141390
6. 141823
Ocean Bar / Abigaile’s – Total Number 5 – Ranking 4
Book # from arrest report
1. 140062
2. 141332
3. 142133
4. 141751
5. 142802
Hennessey’s – Total Number 1
1. 140357
Poop Deck – Total Number 1
1. 140004
Barnacles – Total Number 1
1. 142157
Fat Face Fenner’s – Total Number 1
1. 141852
1
December 15, 2014
Honorable Mayor and Members of the Adjourned Regular Meeting of
Hermosa Beach City Council December 16, 2014
SUBJECT: BROWN ACT COMPLAINT FILED BY RAYMOND DUSSAULT
Recommendation: Adopt one of the options set forth under Conclusion below and direct City
Attorney to send a letter to Mr. Dussault as appropriate.
Background:
A. The Brown Act
The purpose of the Brown Act (which is found at Government Code Section 54950, et seq.) is to
ensure that the deliberations of local governmental legislative bodies are conducted publicly and
their actions are taken openly. The City Council is subject to the Brown Act. All City Council
deliberations and actions must be made in public, and all meetings must be open, except for
properly noticed "closed sessions" as allowed by the Brown Act.
Under the Brown Act, a meeting is "any congregation of a majority of members of a legislative
body at the same time and place to hear, discuss, or deliberate upon any item that is within the
subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body or the local agency to which it pertains." In plain
English, this means that a meeting is any gathering of a majority of City Councilmembers to hear or
discuss any item of City business or potential City business. As a result, three Councilmembers
may not get together outside of a properly convened meeting to discuss or to develop any ideas for
the Council’s activities or to otherwise discuss a matter that may come before the Council.
Subject to certain exceptions set out in the Brown Act, if a majority of Councilmembers are in the
same room and merely listen to a discussion of City business, then they will be participating in a
meeting that requires notice and an agenda in accordance with the Brown Act. If the “meeting” has
not been properly noticed, the Councilmembers will be in violation of the Brown Act.
A “meeting” need not occur all at one time as a “gathering” of a quorum of the body. Rather, it also
includes communication among a majority of a legislative body regarding an item of city business
outside of an actual gathering. It can occur in a serial fashion through a series of telephone calls,
emails or other communications by which a quorum of the body's membership ultimately is
involved. This is known as a “serial meeting.” Serial meetings can occur directly among
councilmembers or through either one or more persons acting as intermediaries or through use of a
technological device (such as a telephone answering machine, or e-mail or voice mail), even though
a majority of members never gather in a room at the same time. Serial meetings commonly occur in
one of two ways: either a staff member, a member of the body, or some other person individually
2
contacts a majority of members of a body and shares ideas among the majority (“I’ve talked to
Councilmembers A and B and they will vote ‘yes.’ Will you?”) or, without the involvement of a
third person, member A calls member B, who then calls member C, and so on. A quorum of the
body may never discuss or appear to discuss city business outside of a public meeting or a properly
convened closed session.1
Under the Brown Act, a councilmember who attends a “meeting” with "wrongful intent and where
the member intends to deprive the public of information to which the member knows or has reason
to know the public is entitled . . ." is guilty of a misdemeanor. The criminal penalty is limited to
those meetings where "action" is taken. The District Attorney or any interested person may
commence a civil action in Superior Court to stop or prevent violations or threatened violations of
the Brown Act, or to determine whether the Act applies to "actions or threatened future action," and
that person may recover the costs of litigation including attorneys' fees.
If any interested person believes that a majority of the members of the City Council have engaged in
a serial meeting, he or she may make a written demand on the City to cure or correct the violation.
A written demand for a cure is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit.
The Brown Act also provides that any interested person may challenge a practice of the City
Council that allegedly violates the Act by first filing a written demand of the Council to cease and
desist in the future from engaging in the activity alleged to have been taken in violation of the Act.
This written demand must be filed within nine months of the alleged violation (Gov’t Code Section
54960.2(a)(2). Mr. Dussault’s demand is made pursuant to this section.
B. Dussault’s Demand for A Cure
Raymond Dussault delivered a letter to the Mayor by email dated December 11, 2014 pursuant to
Government Code Section 54960.2 demanding that the City Council cease and desist from a
practice alleged to violate the Brown Act.
The City is not required to respond to this demand, but in order to avoid a mandatory award of
attorney fees against the City, Section 54960.2(b) provides that the City Council must determine
within 30 days of receipt of the demand whether it will issue an unconditional commitment to cease
and desist from the alleged activity violating the Act should the City decide to issue an
unconditional commitment after the lawsuit is filed. If the City Council does not act within 30 days,
the complainant may file a lawsuit seeking a declaration from the court that the Council’s past
action violated the Act; and, if he or she prevails, is entitled to an award of attorney fees. Tonight’s
meeting is within the 30-day period for response. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54960.2(c),
the Council must determine whether to issue a letter agreeing to cease and desist from engaging in
the past activity that allegedly constitutes the violation.
The full text of Section 54960.2 is attached to this staff report (Attachment 1) as is a copy of Mr.
Dussault’s letter (Attachment 2).
1 City business would not include public statements outside of a public meeting regarding how a Councilmember
intends to vote on Measure O.
3
The letter asserts the following violation of the Brown Act:
Mr. Dussault demands the following:
4
Discussion:
A. The letter does not allege a Brown Act violation because a majority of the Council was not
alleged to be involved in a serial meeting.
The December 11, 2014 demand is timely; the letter alleges that the violation occurred on
December 5, 2014, well within the nine month period allowed by Section 54960.2(a)(2).
As an initial matter, the demand is not entirely accurate. The letter alleges that on December 5,
2014 Councilmember Barragan posted on Facebook a message concerning Councilmember
Fangary’s agenda item to direct staff to return with a resolution of the City Council opposing
Measure O. In fact, that message was posted by a third party, Stacey Armato. The letter does,
however, accurately quote Councilmember Barragan’s comment posted in response to Ms.
Armato’s original post of the same date at 10:49 a.m.: “Thanks, Councilmember Fangary and I
have already discussed this item, I will be the second but would be nice to get a third vote so please
reach out to other councilmembers. Thanks.”
The demand is accurate insofar as it alleges that Councilmember Barragan disclosed to an unknown
number of persons who access that Facebook page of her intention to support Councilmember
Fangary’s agenda item and solicited those persons generally to lobby the remaining
Councilmembers to support the item as well. However, the alleged violation involves only two
members of the City Council. Except for the unauthorized disclosure of information acquired during
closed session, the Brown Act regulates the actions of a majority of councilmembers.
The letter alleges a violation of Section 54952.2, which reads in part as follows:
(b) (1) A majority of the members of a legislative body shall not,
outside a meeting authorized by this chapter, use a series of
communications of any kind, directly or through intermediaries, to
discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item of business that is
within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall not be construed as preventing an employee
or official of a local agency, from engaging in separate
conversations or communications outside of a meeting authorized by
this chapter with members of a legislative body in order to answer
questions or provide information regarding a matter that is within
the subject matter jurisdiction of the local agency, if that person
does not communicate to members of the legislative body the comments
or position of any other member or members of the legislative body.
(Emphasis added). The letter alleges that Councilmember Barragan violated Section 54952.2(b)(1)
by communicating her position on the upcoming agenda item and “using a series of
5
communications” through intermediaries to communicate with her colleagues and urge them to join
her in supporting the item.2
There is no evidence or allegation as to whether anyone who read the Facebook post actually served
as an intermediary in direct response to Councilmember Barragan’s solicitation. The letter
describes circumstances that may lead to a serial meeting prohibited by the Brown Act but does not
set forth facts sufficient to conclude that an actual violation occurred. A violation occurs only if “a
majority of the members of a legislative body” use serial communications, directly or indirectly.
Section 54960.2 authorizes any interested person to file an action to determine the applicability of
the Brown Act to “past actions of the legislative body.” Basically, the allegation is that
Councilmember Barragan created intermediaries and armed them with information about how two
Councilmembers would vote, creating the circumstances under which a Brown Act violation could
occur; if an intermediary communicated the Councilmembers’ positions, a serial meeting would
occur. The Dussault letter alleges that an illegal serial meeting results merely from a
Councilmember communicating her and another councilmember’s views and urging others to lobby
the other three Councilmembers to support her position. But the allegation involves only two
Councilmembers; the Brown Act regulates the conduct of a majority of members, as set out above.
Because the letter does not allege that a third Councilmember received the information in
Councilmember Barragan’s post – either directly or indirectly – Mr. Dussault does not allege an
actual violation of the Brown Act.
B. The safest course for the City is to adopt a policy to assure compliance with the Brown Act and
maintain the highest standards of transparent government.
Mr. Dussault’s letter does raise important and unsettled legal questions with respect to the Brown
Act. As discussed above, the underlying objective of the provisions of the Brown Act is to limit the
conduct of City business (including discussion of the City business) by decisionmakers to open and
public meetings where the public may participate. The basic statutory framework was developed in
the 1950s, long before social media and long before the innovation of multitudes of methods of both
mass and instant communication. Many cities have developed social media policies that regulate
the use of social media for the conduct of city business by decisionmakers subject to the Brown Act.
That is something the Council should consider doing.
Can a Facebook group be an intermediary within the meaning of the Brown Act? The Brown Act
does not address the question whether a councilmember’s general appeal to the public (or a segment
of the public) to communicate a specific message to her colleagues is an indirect communication
within the meaning of Section 54952.2(b)(1). No appellate court decision has yet addressed the
issue.3 Consequently, it is uncertain whether an “intermediary” must be a specific, identifiable
2 The letter also alleges a violation of Paragraph (b)(2) of this section. Paragraph (b)(2) expressly provides that
substantive briefings of members of a legislative body by staff are permissible, as long as staff does not communicate
the comments or positions of members to any other members. This subparagraph is inapplicable to the facts raised in
the letter. 3 Although California appellate courts have not yet addressed this specific scenario, they have opined on the extent to
which a person serves as an “intermediary” in illegal serial meetings. In Wolfe v. City of Fremont (2006) 144
Cal.App.4th 533, the court defined an intermediary as a “go-between,” who at a minimum makes councilmembers aware
6
person or whether it could be any person who happens to read and then act on the councilmember’s
appeal. The intent of the Act, however, is clear: to preclude a majority of councilmembers from
communicating with one another about agenda items outside of a meeting, regardless of how they
do it and to limit those communications to public meetings. Thus, it is entirely possible that
someone reading Councilmember Barragan’s post could take it upon him or herself to serve as
Councilmember Barragan’s emissary and proceed to communicate her position to other
Councilmembers and urge them to support the Fangary agenda item. That makes the practice of
communicating how a councilmember will vote before a meeting potentially dangerous. In
addition, the third Councilmember could be drawn into the illegal serial meeting unwittingly. The
Brown Act does not require that the councilmembers intend to communicate through intermediaries
in order to violate the Brown Act. The purpose of the Act is to protect the public’s right to
participate in meetings, including councilmember deliberations. That right to public participation is
compromised, even if the third councilmember was not soliciting the information.
C. The City Council may agree to “cease and desist” conduct that could lead to a serial meeting or
it may decline to take any responsive action due to the inadequate factual contentions supporting the
alleged violation.
The City has no evidence that communications by an intermediary for Councilmember Barragan
with a third Councilmember occurred. The solicitation alone, without evidence of consummation of
a communication involving a majority of the Council, is insufficient to prove a violation of the Act.
Nonetheless, the combination of Councilmember Barragan’s public disclosure of her position and
solicitation of others to communicate a specific message to her colleagues raises a risk of a violation
of the Brown Act. The public disclosure of a councilmember’s intention and the exhortation of the
public to lobby each separately raises potential issues under the Brown Act; the combination of the
two in a public utterance creates a potential for violation of the Act and puts the entire Council at
risk.
The Dussault letter demands that the Council issue a letter that broadly commits the Council not to
engage in serial meetings in violation of the Brown Act. While such a commitment would be
consistent with the requirements of the Act, it is far broader than warranted by the factual
circumstances described in the letter. While Section 54960.2(c)(4) makes clear that issuance of an
unconditional commitment does not constitute an admission, the substance of any such letter should
conform more closely to the circumstances at issue. A commitment merely to comply with the law
is not a meaningful commitment, and while not harmful, serves no real purpose; if the Council is to
agree to making an unconditional commitment, it should be a commitment to avoid a specific
practice.
Conclusion:
In light of the foregoing, the Council has the following options:
1. Receive and file both the Dussault letter and this report.
of each other’s views. A complaint alleging a Brown Act violation must allege facts sufficient to establish that such a
role was undertaken.
8
ATTACHMENT 1
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE
54960.2. (a) The district attorney or any interested person may
file an action to determine the applicability of this chapter to past
actions of the legislative body pursuant to subdivision (a) of
Section 54960 only if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The district attorney or interested person alleging a
violation of this chapter first submits a cease and desist letter by
postal mail or facsimile transmission to the clerk or secretary of
the legislative body being accused of the violation, as designated in
the statement pertaining to that public agency on file pursuant to
Section 53051, or if the agency does not have a statement on file
designating a clerk or a secretary, to the chief executive officer of
that agency, clearly describing the past action of the legislative
body and nature of the alleged violation.
(2) The cease and desist letter required under paragraph (1) is
submitted to the legislative body within nine months of the alleged
violation.
(3) The time during which the legislative body may respond to the
cease and desist letter pursuant to subdivision (b) has expired and
the legislative body has not provided an unconditional commitment
pursuant to subdivision (c).
(4) Within 60 days of receipt of the legislative body's response
to the cease and desist letter, other than an unconditional
commitment pursuant to subdivision (c), or within 60 days of the
expiration of the time during which the legislative body may respond
to the cease and desist letter pursuant to subdivision (b), whichever
is earlier, the party submitting the cease and desist letter shall
commence the action pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 54960 or
thereafter be barred from commencing the action.
(b) The legislative body may respond to a cease and desist letter
submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) within 30 days of receiving the
letter. This subdivision shall not be construed to prevent the
legislative body from providing an unconditional commitment pursuant
to subdivision (c) at any time after the 30-day period has expired,
except that in that event the court shall award court costs and
reasonable attorney fees to the plaintiff in an action brought
pursuant to this section, in accordance with Section 54960.5.
(c) (1) If the legislative body elects to respond to the cease and
desist letter with an unconditional commitment to cease, desist
from, and not repeat the past action that is alleged to violate this
chapter, that response shall be in substantially the following form:
To ______________________:
The [name of legislative body] has received your cease and desist
9
letter dated [date] alleging that the following described past action
of the legislative body violates the Ralph M. Brown Act:
[Describe alleged past action, as set forth in the cease and
desist letter submitted pursuant to subdivision (a)]
In order to avoid unnecessary litigation and without admitting any
violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the [name of legislative body]
hereby unconditionally commits that it will cease, desist from, and
not repeat the challenged past action as described above.
The [name of legislative body] may rescind this commitment only by
a majority vote of its membership taken in open session at a regular
meeting and noticed on its posted agenda as "Rescission of Brown Act
Commitment." You will be provided with written notice, sent by any
means or media you provide in response to this message, to whatever
address or addresses you specify, of any intention to consider
rescinding this commitment at least 30 days before any such regular
meeting. In the event that this commitment is rescinded, you will
have the right to commence legal action pursuant to subdivision (a)
of Section 54960 of the Government Code. That notice will be
delivered to you by the same means as this commitment, or may be
mailed to an address that you have designated in writing.
Very truly yours,
________________________________________________
[Chairperson or acting chairperson of the legislative body]
(2) An unconditional commitment pursuant to this subdivision shall
be approved by the legislative body in open session at a regular or
special meeting as a separate item of business, and not on its
consent agenda.
(3) An action shall not be commenced to determine the
applicability of this chapter to any past action of the legislative
body for which the legislative body has provided an unconditional
commitment pursuant to this subdivision. During any action seeking a
judicial determination regarding the applicability of this chapter to
any past action of the legislative body pursuant to subdivision (a),
if the court determines that the legislative body has provided an
unconditional commitment pursuant to this subdivision, the action
shall be dismissed with prejudice. Nothing in this subdivision shall
be construed to modify or limit the existing ability of the district
attorney or any interested person to commence an action to determine
the applicability of this chapter to ongoing actions or threatened
future actions of the legislative body.
(4) Except as provided in subdivision (d), the fact that a
legislative body provides an unconditional commitment shall not be
construed or admissible as evidence of a violation of this chapter.
(d) If the legislative body provides an unconditional commitment
as set forth in subdivision (c), the legislative body shall not
thereafter take or engage in the challenged action described in the
10
cease and desist letter, except as provided in subdivision (e).
Violation of this subdivision shall constitute an independent
violation of this chapter, without regard to whether the challenged
action would otherwise violate this chapter. An action alleging past
violation or threatened future violation of this subdivision may be
brought pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 54960, without regard
to the procedural requirements of this section.
(e) The legislative body may resolve to rescind an unconditional
commitment made pursuant to subdivision (c) by a majority vote of its
membership taken in open session at a regular meeting as a separate
item of business not on its consent agenda, and noticed on its posted
agenda as "Rescission of Brown Act Commitment," provided that not
less than 30 days prior to such regular meeting, the legislative body
provides written notice of its intent to consider the rescission to
each person to whom the unconditional commitment was made, and to the
district attorney. Upon rescission, the district attorney or any
interested person may commence an action pursuant to subdivision (a)
of Section 54960. An action under this subdivision may be brought
pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 54960, without regard to the
procedural requirements of this section.