Small Town Hermosa

David Cohn - Congratulations Killer!

2011-11-12T09:24:00.001-08:00

David Cohn, you ran an absolutely dirty campaign, and you made some impressive claims. You did not give any details during the election that made any mathematical sense. You criticized your opponent's rate of return without analyzing the risk exposure of the portfolio, which you as Managing Director at Diamond Capital Partners clearly understands is bullshit. So now we will see if you were lying. But either way, it is disgusting that your negative attacks on the incumbent John Workman clearly took their toll.

Daily Breeze - Longtime Hermosa Beach treasurer John Workman dies at 73

We will be watching to see if your election to Treasurer of Hermosa Beach was worth the cost.

David Cohn's Math Homework

2011-11-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I asked David Cohn, in a blog post, to give us more information about how he would earn the City of Hermosa Beach an extra $300,000 if we elect him to be the next Treasurer. He fleshes this out in his latest glossy junk mail. He plans to put the money in "Federally Insured Bank CD's [sic] and T-Bills."

Math:
$300,000 is 1.2% of the $25,000,000 Hermosa has banked.
Cohen promises to earn us that $300k over the 0.41% we currently earn. So he plans to earn us a total of 1.61%.
The highest 1 year CD rate currently offered on www. BankRate.com = 1.15%
The current yield on 12 month T-Bills = 0.10%

So David Cohn plans to earn us 1.61% by using two investments that each earn much less than 1.61% interest.

David Cohn, please tell us your secret!

_

Grandstanding City Council Right Here in Hermosa Beach

2011-11-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

WARNING - THIS BLOG CONTAINS A GRAPHIC PHOTO OF A CRIME BEING COMMITTED!

This is my favorite picture of the week. It was taken by me, at Hermosa Valley School, at around Noon on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

What's the big deal, you might ask? Leaf blowers are illegal in Hermosa Beach. Not only are they absurdly noisy and polluting, but they blow small particulate matter into the air where it poses a health risk to the user of the leaf blower (like this totally unprotected man pictured above), and to the general public. In this particular case, I was watching my son's soccer game, so at the scene of this crime, the general public consisted of 6 soccer teams of little kids, their brothers and sisters, and probably a hundred parents and relatives.

Anybody with eyes and/or ears knows that the ban on leaf blowers is 100% ignored in Hermosa Beach. And what that really means is that it is not enforced at all. It is a joke law written by grandstanding Hermosa Beach City Councilmen to make it appear as if they care about your health.

I find it ironic that the Hermosa Beach School District openly flaunts this health law. But the real reason that I bring it up now is that some of our Councilmen are trying to convince us that because they passed a law outlawing smoking outside, that they care about us. They do not. They care about our votes in the upcoming Hermosa Beach City Council Election. If they actually cared about us, they might enforce the leaf blower ban. I would bet that the one single leaf blower event pictured above negatively impacted the health of the 200+ children and parents at those soccer games more than 5 years worth of passive outdoor second hand smoke that might be absorbed by walking down Pier Avenue.

Thanks for nothing Councilmen Peter Tucker and Michael Divirgilio.

_

First David Cohn - Candidate for Treasurer - Hermosa Beach

2011-10-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

David Cohn is running for Treasurer of Hermosa Beach.
David Cohn says that he will (not will try, but will) bring in $300,000 more per year than the incumbent is currently bringing, without compromising financial safety.
David Cohn promises to "make the city's investment activities transparent."

Apparently he has no plan to make his campaign promises transparent. I cannot find, anywhere, how David Cohn plans to improve Hermosa Beach's financial returns without increasing risk.

Remember when Orange County went bankrupt in 1994 because Robert Citron, the Treasurer-Tax Collector of Orange County, in pursuit of fantastic returns, took fantastic risks and lost the citizens of Orange County a fortune?

I have looked for David Cohn's plan in the local papers and on his Facebook page and on Twitter (he doesn't seem to have a website), and I cannot find a plan. Here is from Twitter: "There are 9 investments we can go to to spread risk, we are only invested in one of them. We need to spread the risk." - David Cohn

What are "The 9 Investments"? Are we supposed to Tweet you with guesses? And of course, spreading risk is good, but it is not the same thing as increasing return.

David Cohn, please detail your plan to make us MORE MONEY, RISK FREE! (is it the all caps that make that sound really sketchy, or did I put that in all caps because it sounds really sketchy?) I will apologize profusely if you have already detailed your plan in writing somewhere, and I just don't have the internet skills to track it down.

And please don't be afraid you'll bore us with details. I like being bored by the details of low-risk/high-return investments.

-

Hermosa Beach City Council Elections are Coming!

2011-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

I will be laying into some of the following people soon:

City Council Election:
H.S. Fangary
Peter Tucker
Michael Divirgilio
Steve Powers

City Clerk:
Elaine Doerfling

City Treasurer:
David Cohn
John Workman

-

Community Gardens - on the Green Belt

2011-03-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is a quick post in response to the issue of starting community gardens in Hermosa Beach. I think it is a great idea.

To me, the most obvious place for a community garden would be the Green Belt. What is more green than a Community Garden? Not on the path in the center of course, but in place of some of the acres and acres of icicle plants that are currently there. Clearly parts of the green belt are too densely treed for an effective garden requiring sun, but other parts have no trees at all. I would not miss 10 acres of icicle plants in exchange for hundreds of garden plots. And the Green Belt stretches through the whole town. Using some of the icicle plant areas in addition to unused corners of other parks would seem like a good way to lose nothing and gain a great deal.

I hope that Jeff Duclos, Dency Nelson, Kris Lauritson and the others currently working on this project will consider this option if they haven't already.

What Kit Bobko Can Do For The Hermosa Beach Schools

2011-03-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Let me give you the punchline first. If Kit Bobko can solve the fiscal problems of the Hermosa Beach City School District, he will be a local hero. He will also show himself to be pro-education, and a roll-up-his-sleeves problem solver.

You can argue that it is not his job. I would counter that it is not my job to write about the subject, nor is it Russ Wilson's job to advocate for the Hermosa Beach schools on his blog Save Hermosa Schools. It is not politicians' jobs to kiss babies, but they spend a ton of time doing that. The point is that it is a big fat emotionally loaded subject that brings together fiscal policy, taxing and spending, the vague notion of education, and the specific picture of happy children and parents. So what is and isn't his job is of no relevance. His town and current constituency needs this problem solved, and he can earn plenty of praise and positive comments when the press comes to Small Town Hermosa to ask the residents how they feel about their home town boy.

The brilliant State of California makes it very difficult to fund schools except in very specific ways. It is my understanding that the three options are:

A Sales Tax which must be passed at the county level, which sounds almost impossible;
A Parcel Tax - this would come to a few hundred dollars per parcel for 5 to 10 years - small peanuts if your mortgage is $3000 to $15,000 per year;
Donations

So if Kit Bobko wants to show his ability to help his constituency, and his ability to loosen the purse strings of big money donors which is essential in any run for high office, then getting some big private and corporate donors to kick in $5 million to permanently fix the Hermosa Beach City School District budget would accomplish both of those goals. Make it $10 million and I will start a relentless campaign to have a sports field or some kind of school facility or maybe an entire school named after Kit Bobko. That would certainly provide some positive press coverage for a budding United States Congressman.

Hermosa Beach City Council
Peter Tucker     Mayor                        peter@electpetertucker.com
Howard Fishman    Mayor Pro Tempore kkfish@earthlink.net
Jeff Duclos             Councilmember        jeff@jeffduclos.com
Patrick "Kit" Bobko Councilmember        kit.bobko@gmail.com
Michael DiVirgilio   Councilmember         mdivir@gmail.com

Councilmembers' phone number (310) 318-0216
Councilmembers' fax number (310) 372-6186

Kit Bobko Running For Congress

2011-03-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Kit Bobko has announced that he will be running for Jane Harman’s seat which she is abandoning for her own selfish reasons, leaving tax payers to pick up the tab for another election just months after she ran and won for an Nth term. This will be a good test for Kit Bobko who now sits on the Hermosa Beach City Council. We get to find out if he continues to honor his obligations to Hermosa Beach, or whether he is exposed as an opportunist who will now entirely ignore Hermosa Beach while continuing to collect a pay check from us, in favor of focusing on advancing his own political career.

I will be writing about him on a frequent basis because I want him to remember that he has an obligation to this community. Hermosa Beach has significant fiscal problems, and the Hermosa Beach City School District is in such dire straights that its dissolution is being discussed. Education is a very hot topic, and someone who could fix the Hermosa Beach schools lock, stock, and barrel would earn serious consideration from this blogger and voter.

Kit Bobko can impress the voters in Jane Harman’s district by really doing good at home. And he owes it to us anyway, so I will be keeping tabs.

-

Strategic Planning Committee Meeting

2011-03-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

I attended the Strategic Planning Committee Meeting last night. It was the first public meeting I have attended, and it was interesting.

As a newcomer to this process I learned some things which you may know if you have been closely following the proceedings all along. This committee's sole purpose is to make recommendations to the Hermosa Beach City School Board. They have no power or function past that.

They claim to have not come to any conclusions or to have excluded any options thus far, which I find hard to believe given that they have been meeting for three months. What kind of person or group comes to no conclusions until the very minute they are asked to? Regardless, they would not reveal any preferences or any weighted possibilities for future outcomes.

Despite some praise back and forth between the committee and the public, the atmosphere was generally hostile. The chair was officious, and the committee members seemed to seriously begrudge the fact that public meetings are public. It was obvious that despite constant requests in public statements for public involvement, the committee had no interest in public involvement, at least at this stage of the process. I do understand that it probably gets tiring when new people keep entering the conversation and saying the same things over and over. But if one spokesperson for the committee could have communicated with the public in a less obnoxious way, I think the atmosphere would have been very much more positive.

For it's part, the public quickly became annoyed at the imperious manner of the chair. About 1 minute into the meeting the chair asked how many people wished to speak and one hand went up. But the chair and several committee members quickly annoyed the public, and the result was that 10 or 15 people spoke, which was nice.

Those people who spoke were almost completely unanimous in their support for a parcel tax. Several speakers reiterated the sentiment of my last post, which is that if you like Hermosa Beach the way it is now, then you have to support the schools so that they can stay the way they are now. Things change at the state level, and that needs to be treated like a natural disaster. Nobody begrudges having to pay to fix washed out roads after a flood, or collapsed bridges after an earthquake. Nobody should begrudge having to pay a very small parcel tax to shore up the schools after the unreliable State of California fails to take care of its citizens and schools. Take it out on the California Legislature for being short sited weasels, do not take it out on the children of Hermosa Beach.

The Strategic Planning Committee will present its recommendations to the Hermosa Beach City School Board at their meeting next Wednesday, March 9th at 7pm in the City Council Chambers.

To summarize, I was very pleased at the attitude of the public and the direction of their comments. There were some very passionate, articulate, and energetic people who clearly believe that a small parcel tax can be passed, and that Hermosa Beach's schools can be saved. And after the meeting, I believe the same thing.

-

Hermosa Beach Schools

2011-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight there is a meeting to help choose the future course of Hermosa Beach Schools, but also of Hermosa Beach itself. Let's say your are greedy and you don't care about children or the future health of Hermosa Beach, California, or the United States of America. And you also don't care if property values in Hermosa Beach tank the minute that the schools tank. There are clearly many millions of you in this nation, and you have considerable and growing power in newly formed political groups.

But ask yourself where you want to live in 3 years. If the Hermosa Beach schools go downhill for lack of public interest and funding, this town will change. I know families will definitely move out because my family will move out. I will not send my kids to an LAUSD run school or a state run school or any other kind of third rate detention center. So people with families will leave. There will be less support for parks and other city services, less opposition to the opening of many more bars, and suddenly Hermosa Beach becomes Potterville from It's a Wonderful Life ( That's it! Out you two pixies go... through the door, or out the window! ). Just a rotation of drunks aged 18 to 25 renting apartments 3 to a room. It will be great if you are a 21 year old college student from Michigan who will sleep like stacked cord wood in exchange for blistering sun burns and blistering hang overs for 3 or 6 months. Great if you own Sharkeez. Not so great if you like Hermosa Beach the way it is right now.

If you like Hermosa Beach the way it is now, you have to support the schools so that they can stay the way they are now. The state of California has screwed us, so we can either curl up into a ball and go down the gutter together, or we can each pitch in the cost of one McDonald's coffee per day and save the schools and the City of Hermosa Beach. You will literally make that decision.

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, March 3, 2011 @ 6:00PM

Hermosa Valley School, Multipurpose Room
1645 Valley Drive • Hermosa Beach, CA

Hermosa Beach City School District Ratings

2011-03-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

If the Hermosa Beach Schools were not worth saving then the people who are trying to save them might just be considered emotional or nostalgic or something other than logical. So let's take a look at the quality of the schools here.

GreatSchools.org ranks schools using a variety of test scores. Their relevant results are:
LAUSD ranking - 4 out of 10
Hermosa Beach Schools ranking - 10 out of 10

2010 Growth API Report
LAUSD - 709
Hermosa Beach City Elementary - 936
Manhattan Beach Unified - 926

LA Times:
LAUSD - why bother
Hermosa Valley Elementary

API Rank 10/10
API Index - 937
Math Proficiency - 86.8%
English Proficiency - 86.9%

Hermosa View Elementary

API Rank 10/10
API Index - 938
Math Proficiency - 88%
English Proficiency - 88%

Manhattan Beach - Pennecamp

API Rank 10/10
API Index - 957
Math Proficiency - 94.8%
English Proficiency - 89.3%

I don't know why there are differences in the rankings reported in different places. Manhattan Beach has five elementary schools, and I did not feel like doing more data entry. Manhattan beach outperforms Hermosa Beach in some rankings, and Hermosa ranks higher in others. LAUSD is a no show. Not worth even mentioning.

From these numbers it is very obvious that Hermosa Beach schools are very good. By one ranking I saw, they were in the top 30 in the state of California. Remember, that California has the 8th largest economy in the world, and Hermosa Beach City School District was ranked 30th in California. Worth saving?

Also remember that the difference between good schools and bad schools can be responsible for as much as a 30% difference in home prices. Are you interested in your kids' future? Are you interested in the future competitiveness and economic success of California and the United States? Do you care if your home falls in value by $150,000 to $1,000,000 ? Then let us all make sure that the Hermosa Beach schools stay solvent, successful, and really really good.

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, March 3, 2011 @ 6:00PM

Hermosa Valley School, Multipurpose Room
1645 Valley Drive • Hermosa Beach, CA

No New Ideas

2011-03-01T15:22:00.001-08:00

When I wrote about my idea for a patio smoking tax, I thought I was being original. Not exactly right. I just discovered that long time Hermosa Beach activist Jim Lissner is proposing, and has fleshed out quite nicely, a business tax on alcohol serving bars and restaurants. He has posted it on his site VivaHermosa.com .

They differ in that my business tax is on smoking and his is on alcohol, but any sin tax will do, as long as it helps to plug the hole in the Hermosa Beach City School District budget.

So we now have Hermosa Beach City Councilman and Mayor Peter Tucker proposing a parcel tax, and Jim Lissner proposing a revised business tax structure that would have alcohol serving establishments paying more than they do now. We also have Russell Wilson, whose article Hermosa Dad Asks Community to Invest in Schools and whose blog Save Hermosa's Schools advocate a parcel tax and a charter school approach to have the Hermosa school district become permanently solvent and totally decoupled from the country's terrible education environment.

It looks like people are starting to take this all seriously. That means there will be a solution.

Be sure to attend this:
STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE MTG
Thursday, March 3, 2011 @ 6:00PMHermosa Valley School, Multipurpose Room
1645 Valley Drive • Hermosa Beach, CA

-

Fourth Estate + One

2011-02-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that there is another blog now covering the Hermosa Beach school district financial problems:

Save Hermosa Schools

Russ, the blogger, has a more sober straight forward approach than mine. That is good. Hopefully between us the voters of Hermosa Beach will be able to find something they like.

I glanced at the numbers he has for the current Hermosa Beach City School District budget. I have been casually looking for these numbers for a week, but I could not find them on the official school district site for some reason. I have not dug into the data, but it looks to me like the school district will be short by $133,000 this year? Are we seriously calling this a problem? The leaders of Hermosa Beach can't figure out how to patch a $133,000 hole? That is only 1/5th of the Dog Catcher Budget!

Problem Solved

There are 7000 parcels and about 10,000 housing units in Hermosa Beach (please note that I am not even addressing the obligation of the business community, yet). So correct me if my math is wrong, but if we had a TAX (there, I said the T-word) of $13.30 per home or apartment per year, there would be no problem?

This almost seems like a joke to me. Nobody could be seriously considering allowing the value of the average home to fall by $150,000 or more (see studies in previous blog posts) in order to save $13 per year, could they?

Hermosa Beach City Council
Peter Tucker Mayor peter@electpetertucker.com
Howard Fishman Mayor Pro Tempore kkfish@earthlink.net
Jeff Duclos Councilmember jeff@jeffduclos.com
Patrick "Kit" Bobko Councilmember kit.bobko@gmail.com
Michael DiVirgilio Councilmember mdivir@gmail.com

Councilmembers' phone number (310) 318-0216
Councilmembers' fax number (310) 372-6186

-

Where There's Smoke, There's Money

2011-02-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

Let me share a secret - THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT IN HERMOSA BEACH RIGHT NOW IS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT !!!

To be more specific, I do not care about smoking on patios. I do care about the Hermosa School District being handed over to LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District), whose motto is Destroying The Future One Child At A Time.

Whereas Kit Bobko has spent his time sleuthing out hidden budget line items like $624,000 for a dog catcher, Councilmembers Jeff Duclos and Howard Fishman are spending their time trying to ban the burning of tiny tubes of leaves outside in the open air. Given that there are probably 5,000 barbecue grills, and 5,000 fireplaces in Hermosa Beach, the additional smoke that these cigarettes will add does not interest me. Furthermore, Hermosa Beach has a ban on leaf-blowers that is never enforced. If these pro-air quality councilmembers want to show their sincerity for saving us all, they should consider figuring out why I can count a dozen noisy illegal leaf blowers running on my block every single week. And they can explain why I can't drive anywhere in Hermosa Beach without seeing leaf blowers running 7 days a week.

But I digress. I have a solution to the Patio Smoking Issue. It is called the market system. Or you can call it Smoking Offsets. Whatever you call it, it involves charging money for patio smoking. Specifically, any bar or restaurant that wants to have smoking on their patio can pay $1.00 per day per unit of patio capacity. For example, a patio that has a legal limit of 30 people would cost that bar or restaurant $30/day, which is $10,950 per year, charged annually. This is just an example of course. Maybe $2 per person, or $3 per person would be the optimal number. The bars could just add it to the bottom of the bill and nobody would notice or care. Every penny of that money would go straight to the Hermosa Beach City School District. Any any bar or restaurant that is not paying, and is caught with smokers on their patio, would have to pay triple for that year.

Of course dyed in the wool Puritans who want to tell everyone what they can and cannot do will never be happy with a solution like this, but they don't want any drinking or any bars to exist at all, so who cares about them. They are not happy and they will never be happy.

Business owners should love this. Money is the language of business. The market system is the religion of small business owners. As a matter of fact, if they have any sense at all, they will make this their mission. If they can get Hermosa Beach parents and Hermosa Beach educators, and Hermosa Beach home owners on their side about the Patio Smoking Issue by using it to raise money for the schools, then they won't lose the right to have smoking on their patios. Otherwise, they had better realize that they can kiss their smoking patios goodbye, just like bars and restaurants in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Culver City, and Calabasas.

Hermosa Beach City Council
Peter Tucker Mayor peter@electpetertucker.com
Howard Fishman Mayor Pro Tempore kkfish@earthlink.net
Jeff Duclos Councilmember jeff@jeffduclos.com
Patrick "Kit" Bobko Councilmember kit.bobko@gmail.com
Michael DiVirgilio Councilmember mdivir@gmail.com
Councilmembers' phone number (310) 318-0216
Councilmembers' fax number (310) 372-6186

Kit Bobko Saves the Hermosa Beach School District?

2011-02-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

We have good news, I think. The Beach Reporter reports that Kit Bobko has discovered some interesting numbers in the city's budget:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2011/02/24/hermosa_beach_news/news10.txt

It seems that Hermosa Beach spends $624,000 per year catching dogs, cats, and raccoons. Yes, that is $1,710 per day, 365 days per year.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the exact dimensions and demographics of Hermosa Beach, the city is 1.3 or 1.4 square miles, and it has a population of about 20,000 people. I would like to know how many furry critters are caught per year. Then we could figure out what we are spending per furry critter caught, and compare that to the amount that Hermosa Beach itself spends on each student in the Hermosa Beach City School District. If anybody has any statistics on this I would really like to see them.

I do not feel very threatened by cats, and I don't see why they need to be caught. If there is a raccoon problem that I have never noticed, having never seen a raccoon in Hermosa Beach (though I have seen very slow moving Possums), then maybe home owners and businesses should be fined for leaving their garbage cans uncovered, just like people are ticketed for blocking the street sweepers from cleaning my street 100 times per year. That could also head off any potential rat problem for which we might have to hire a Pied Piper to solve in the future. I have heard that hiring Pied Pipers can be tricky business.

And as for dogs, make the owners pay if their dogs need to be caught. Problem solved! We now have a spare $624,000 for the schools!

This does make me wonder what else we are spending money on. I know we inexplicably pitched in to buy an armored personnel carrier for the South Bay communities when defending the Surfer Statue against the terrorist onslaught was all the rage. What did that total waste of money cost? Has it ever been used? How much are we spending to maintain it?

Keep up the good work Kit Bobko! Digging into the city's finances may save us from having to sell out our children to LAUSD, the worst school district on Earth. Two-thirds of a million here and two-thirds of a million there, and pretty soon we'll be talking about real money.

Hermosa Beach City Council
Peter Tucker Mayor peter@electpetertucker.com
Howard Fishman Mayor Pro Tempore kkfish@earthlink.net
Jeff Duclos Councilmember jeff@jeffduclos.com
Patrick "Kit" Bobko Councilmember kit.bobko@gmail.com
Michael DiVirgilio Councilmember mdivir@gmail.com
Councilmembers' phone number (310) 318-0216
Councilmembers' fax number (310) 372-6186

-

Would a LA Unified School District Takeover of the Hermosa Beach School Really Be So Bad?

2011-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

In the last two post I have highlighted studies showing that the quality of the local schools is a huge factor in property values and home prices. These studies showed the results in different ways. For example one showed that a 1% change in pass rates resulted in a 1% change in property values, in the same direction of course. Other studies showed that people would pay a large premium to live in a neighborhood with good schools over living in a similar neighborhood with bad schools.

Then we must ask the question, would turning over the Hermosa Beach City School District to the Los Angeles Unified School District ( LAUSD ) be so bad? Let me give you some numbers.

The California Department of Education ranks schools using the Academic Performance Index, or API. There are different indices withing the API, and we will look at the API Growth Index. In 2010, Hermosa Beach Schools earned an API of 936! This is a great score, ranking the Hermosa Beach City School District in the very top of California schools. LAUSD earned a score of 709. LAUSD's API ranking was 24% lower than the Hermosa Beach City School District API ranking. Does that mean that handing over the Hermosa Beach schools to LAUSD will cause Hermosa Beach home prices to fall 24%? Maybe not. Maybe we will get lucky and home prices in Hermosa Beach will only fall by 15%! Or maybe we won't be so lucky and home prices in Hermosa Beach will fall by 30%.

If we really want to find out what will happen when the Hermosa Beach schools are gutted, all we have to do is nothing. As it is, the schools district doesn't have enough money, and our representatives don't have the ideas, motivation, or desire to do anything about it.

Home Value Estimate

Get this widget

So enter your address above, or go to Zillow's site ( http://www.zillow.com/ ). Type in your address, find out what your home is worth today, and play around with some numbers. Will your home fall in value by $100k? $300k? $500k? Is that OK with you? Then sit tight, because that is what is going to happen.

Hermosa Beach City Council
Peter Tucker Mayor peter@electpetertucker.com
Howard Fishman Mayor Pro Tempore kkfish@earthlink.net
Jeff Duclos Councilmember jeff@jeffduclos.com
Patrick "Kit" Bobko Councilmember kit.bobko@gmail.com
Michael DiVirgilio Councilmember mdivir@gmail.com
Councilmembers' phone number (310) 318-0216
Councilmembers' fax number (310) 372-6186

-

If The Hermosa Beach City School District Dies, Home Values Will Tank

2011-02-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

Every study I have been able to find comes to the conclusion that good schools increase property values. Furthermore, for those of you like to analyze these things, they find the relation to be causation, not just correlation. In other words, it is not a coincidence, or it is not caused by the socio-economic background found in good school districts, but it is the good schools themselves that actually increase property values.

Here is an article from Columbia Business Times siting several studies on the subject:

http://www.columbiabusinesstimes.com/8099/2010/05/28/superintendents-view-school-quality-home-value-and-industry/

"Several studies indicate that homeowners would experience a reduction of 2 to 10 percent of the value of their home should standardized test scores drop by 10 percent in public schools. Specifically, the Rand Corporation cites studies that have found that a 1 percent higher average reading or math score in Chicago and Massachusetts was associated with a 1 percent higher property value.

Other studies link the value of homes to the rating of the local school. Values for homes close to elementary and middle schools rated as good or excellent were 20 to 32 percent higher than similar homes located close to schools rated as average or poor. "

If that is not clear enough, that says that when LAUSD takes over the Hermosa Schools, property values will fall by a large amount. Hermosa Beach schools are currently excellent, the best in the state of California. And LAUSD is as bad as a school district can be. LAUSD is not average, it is poor or worse if there is a worse rating. Will Hermosa Beach home prices fall by 10% or 20% or 30% ? We will definitely find out if the Hermosa Beach School District is allowed to shut down.

Do you want to roll the dice just for fun to see if your property values fall by $100,000 or $250,000 or $400,000?

According to Zillow, the Median List Price of Single Family Homes in Hermosa Beach is a hair below $1.3 Million:

Hermosa Beach Median List Price

Hermosa Beach Home Values - Interactive chart

So, if home prices fall by only 10% after the handover to Los Angeles Unified School District, then the median list price for single family homes in Hermosa Beach should fall by a mere $130,000. But, if property values fall by 32% as the study says is possible, then the median list price will fall by $416,000 ! And that is for the median list price. Remember that half of the homes listed on the market are priced higher than the median by definition!

The house for sale at 2260 Circle Drive is listed for $3,549,000. This is not the most expensive home for sale in Hermosa Beach by a long shot. If this house at 2260 Circle Drive falls in price by 32% after the Hermosa Beach City School District is allowed to die for lack of money, the value of this one house will fall by $1,135,680.

In other words, the value of this one single house would fall by so much that if the school district had that amount it wouldn't be in financial trouble and wouldn't have to consider surrendering to LAUSD.

Hermosa Beach Schools Going Bankrupt

2011-02-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Home buyers who are considering buying a home in Hermosa Beach should seriously reconsider. I have kids, and I therefore know lots of people with kids. Many of the people I know have moved to Hermosa Beach for the great schools. What many people probably don't know is that the Hermosa Beach School District is going to merge with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) if some serious funding doesn't appear soon.

According to this article on CNN's site ( http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/22/real_estate/homeguide_schools/ ), homes in cities with good schools may be worth 12% to 25% more than comparable homes with worse schools. LAUSD is as bad as it gets on Earth and a handover would result in lower standardized test scores. It is safe to say that if the Hermosa Beach School District is handed over to LAUSD, property values in Hermosa Beach should rapidly fall 10% or 20% or more. That is an immediate and permanent $100,000 to $250,000 decrease in price on a $1 million home.

Here are a couple quotes from the article:

Education is so important, say agents, that buyers without children should sit up and pay more attention to school."By going in areas where the schools are not as strong, you're essentially cutting out a potential group of buyers," , said RealEstate.com general manager Jeff Lyons.In his hometown, Charlotte, N.C., houses in school zones with higher test scores sold for an average of 12 percent more than similar houses in areas with lower test scores, based on research by UCLA and Dartmouth for sales between 1994 and 2001. That discrepancy is likely to be even greater today.In the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, buyers might pay as much as 25 percent more for a house in a desirable school zone, according to Jill Rudler, a real estate agent with HER Real Living. "I've always looked for property in areas where the schools are improving," she said. "I'm willing to pay a little more in taxes to ensure that my investment is solid.".....
"I was just working with a family looking for property in the $5 million range," said Meris Blumstein, a real estate agent with the Corcoran Group. "They insisted on being in a particular school district. That was their first criterion."

I will be dwelling on this topic until this issue is settled.

Hermosa Beach City Council
Peter Tucker Mayor peter@electpetertucker.com
Howard Fishman Mayor Pro Tempore kkfish@earthlink.net
Jeff Duclos Councilmember jeff@jeffduclos.com
Patrick "Kit" Bobko Councilmember kit.bobko@gmail.com
Michael DiVirgilio Councilmember mdivir@gmail.com
Councilmembers' phone number (310) 318-0216
Councilmembers' fax number (310) 372-6186

-

Breather

2009-11-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking a little breather to make up for the posting pace of the last two weeks. Don't panic, I'm not gone.

The 2009 Hermosa Beach City Council Election Results Are In

2009-11-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Thank God it's over. Congratulations to Howard Fishman, Jeff Duclos, and Kit Bobko. If my calculations are correct, something like 75% of the voters voted for Howard Fishman. That is a mandate.

Here are the official results: http://rrccmain.co.la.ca.us/0019_CityContests_Frame.htm

Michael Keegan lost. Or did slimy politics win? It's not possible to tell yet. If the three winners now bow down to Roger Bacon and rubber stamp everything he says, then we will have our answer. If none of the candidates will consider bringing the Hermosa Beach business tax rates into alignment with similar local towns, then we will have our answer.

For commenter "Hermosa", and anyone else who thinks that I am ignorant of economic issues, I will be updating my profile, and doing some posts to show you that I have made an attempt at understanding something about this difficult subject.

Now it is my job, for which I have volunteered and for which I receive no car allowance, or health insurance, to make sure everything stays clean. I look forward to working with Jim at www.VivaHermosa.com, Marianne at www.ThisIsHermosa.com, and of course Joy at Pure, Unadulterated Joy, to cover the issues and uncover the ulterior motives. All three of them have proven themselves to be dedicated to Hermosa Beach. I am the new kid on the block, and I am deeply grateful for how willing they have all been to reach out and help me. If it weren't for the dog and pony show of the elections, these three people should be the new city council.

Thanks for voting!

Roger Bacon's Change of Heart?

2009-11-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

The strangest thing happened this morning. At 6am I received a phone call. The confused excited voice on the other side of the line said, "Keith?" I said, "Yes." He said, "This is Roger Bacon, what day is it?" Confused, I said, "What?" He said, "What day is it, boy?" I said, "Why, it's Tuesday. Election Day, Sir." He said, "Of course. Yes, of course! They did it all in one night." I said, "They? It?" And then he explained how he had been visited by ghosts in the night. One ghost took him back 60 years to Hermosa Beach and to Torrance Beach and showed him what he looked like and how he acted back then. Another ghost showed him how all of his antics were perceived by the voters of Hermosa Beach today. And the last ghost pulled a mile long chain, with each link representing a lost opportunity to do good. And it was then that Roger saw how he would be seen in the future. Not as a person who had worked for the improvement of the community and people around him, but for a petty vengeful person who let greed and vendettas rule his every waking minute. And when he awoke, he knew he had to undo all the evil he had set in place.

Does Roger Bacon now support Michael Keegan and Democracy? He didn't say. But I hope the ghosts have pointed him the right direction. And I am thankful for the enormous goose that he left for my family's dinner.

Josh Ochs - cont.

2009-11-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

This post has been stripped of its original content in response to a request by Josh Ochs. The election is over, and it is not the purpose of this blog to punish people for running for office. Josh is no longer in the political arena, and he felt that this post might hurt his Hermosa Beach based business. The material was relevant only while Josh sought public office. It took courage to approach me in an open and forthright manner, and I will respect his wishes.

Josh Ochs

2009-11-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

I sent this letter to Josh Ochs yesterday. I have not heard back. (I noticed what might be an error in my letter - I believe he was registered to vote, but not in Hermosa Beach, though he says he has lived here for 5 years.)

Hello Josh,

I have some questions for you.

1. Joy Kennelly, on her blog Pure, Unadulterated Joy, said that you were not registered to vote before you decided to run. Is this true?
2. HermosaFamily.com has its first event listed as August 16, 2009, one month after the letter on your site, dated July 19, 2009, announced your candidacy. Was HermosaFamily.com set up specifically for your campaign?
3. Why did you remove your entire LinkedIn profile, as Joy reported on her blog?
4. Tell me about what you did at The Oak Tree Group, and why is it based in Wisconsin? I could not find any real estate projects related to that company.
5. What was your title and job at the Gordon Brothers Group?
6. Your LinkedIn profile says you spent 2 years at USC. Where else did you go to school?
7. Please feel free to tell me anything else you would like to tell me about your education, work history, and credentials.

Thank you,
Keith Hemstreet

To my critics who say I am not focusing on taxes enough, and that looking at details is unimportant, I will reiterate that if the voters of Hermosa Beach are told the truth and the whole truth, they can make their own decisions about for whom to vote. I just want full honest disclosure.

NOI TO TAYMAN KEEGAN

2009-11-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

(Thank you to Gigi for the heads up on the banners)

Oh, Good Lord. Does anybody else find all of this to be embarrassing? How grimy and petty can the Hermosa Beach City Council Election get? I took this picture at about 2pm Sunday, Nov 1st.

I wonder who paid to have TWO AIRPLANES pulling anti-Keegan banners on this fine Sunday?

Why? Why is this necessary? If there were actual issues at hand, isn't it possible that there might have been a better way to spread the word than Uni-bomber style diatribes, and giant banners hung from strip malls and airplanes? What can we look forward to tomorrow, the day before the election? Will there be dancing bears and fire eaters walking in procession around Ralphs parking lot? Barbershop Quartets? 25 Clowns in a really tiny car?

What is truly pathetic about this, is that if he believed for a second that there were facts that needed to get out, and that these facts would defeat Keegan, then with the $10,000 or $20,000 or more that he and his 6 man Coalition, and any other unfiled coalitions have spent, he could have built a fantastic web site for the education of the Hermosa Beach Voters. The site could have listed every vote done in the last decade, and how every Hermosa Beach Councilman voted. It could have made available every Form 460 for every candidate and special interest group that has been active in Hermosa Beach, to disclose where all the money has come from. It could have had videos of all of the debates. It could have archived every letter to the editor and every political article by every Southbay newspaper. And it could have fact checked every claim by every candidate to keep everybody honest and put everything into the light of day. It could have been the sort of thing that Bacon would have received awards for.

But no. We get sky writers and dancing bears. Because Bacon doesn't want disclosure, or educated voters. He wants to stick more pennies in his sweaty little pocket.

I hope you choke on your pennies, Roger.

Marc Schoonover

2009-11-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Marc Schoonover pulled out of the Hermosa Beach City Council Elections. He did so after the ballots were printed, so his name will appear on the ballots. But he is no longer a candidate, so if you vote for him you will be truly throwing away your vote.

Josh Ochs

2009-10-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

*** Thanks for the quick response Josh***

Josh, I wanted to email you before I posted about you, but I could not find an email address on your www.SupportJosh.com site. The Hermosa Beach City Council elections are next Tuesday, so I really can't wait. Please email me at SmallTownHermosa@gmail.com so I know where to email you.

Thank you,
Keith

The Coalition - Form 460

2009-10-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

I finally got my hands on the Form 460 for The Coalition. I got it yesterday, October 29th and it was filed late on October 28th. Roger Bacon bragged in a comment on this blog that he wasn't fined, which I find odd. The City of Hermosa Beach is having major budgetary problems, but Roger Bacon who inherited land worth a fortune doesn't have to pay a late fee for not filing his legal paperwork on time. You should all remember this the next time you get a parking ticket in Hermosa Beach for an expired meter or a forgotten street sweeping day. Being a dime short on the meter is more serious than concealing political contributions in Hermosa Beach. I would like to see the next city council raise the fine from $10/day to $1000/day and make it a felony to not file this paperwork at least 1 week before an upcoming election. And the fine should no longer be discretionary, it should be mandatory. Let's make it a real crime to subvert democracy.

Now, on to the Coalition. First a list of people who are not contributors to the Coalition:
- Dr. No
- Dr. Evil
- Dick Cheney
- Roger Eldon Bacon

You read that right, Roger Bacon is not listed as having given any money. There are only 6 people or businesses listed as having given money to the Coalition, and Roger is not one of them. And the Coalition lists only $3900 in cash receipts, and $3856.40 in cash payments. I'm no marketing / media expert, but it seems that sending a mailer to the voters of Hermosa Beach, and running at least 3 full page ads in the Easy Reader must cost more than $3856.40. Now this form is for activity through 10/17/2009, so was there major activity after this, or were the ads run by a different Coalition that isn't legally registered at all? If anyone understands the legal nuances of all of this, I would love to hear it.

And now I have to go Trick or Treating at my son's school. Democracy will have to wait.

Jeff Duclos' Response to My Previous Critical Post

2009-10-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Please see my post on Duclos to get the history. In a nutshell, I sent him an email with questions and received no reply. I sent similar information to Joy at Pure, Unadulterated Joy. Jeff Duclos then responded on her blog to the email he never received. The first I heard about Jeff Duclos' response was from Joy about 90 minutes ago in a post she made on this blog. As I added to my original post on Jeff Duclos, I was wrong in my speculation on his receiving tax payer paid health insurance from CSUN or from his wife's job as a teacher, and I apologize for that. The mystery of why Ron and D Williams Groups shows up when I try to sign up for his newsletter still stands. And the issue of him citing a 2006 Daily Breeze endorsement when the Daily Breeze does not endorse him in this election still stands (Daily Breeze Endorsements).

Below is Jeff Duclos' response:

"Thanks for the opportunity to respond.

I did not get your email, Keith. If you don't mind, please resend it to my jeff@jeffduclos.com address so I can make sure there is not a problem there.

To your questions: I currently have basic HMO coverage which I pay for. I am only a part time instructor, so I don't get the health care package offered full time Cal State staff. I'd love to have fully paid health care for myself and my family. I do not give this benefit up lightly. I can assure you, my wife is not happy about my decision. But it is not right to do so. To accept these overblown benefits at the taxpayers expense would make me another part of the problem, of a system that is over-compensating senior staff and attracting people to city government for the wrong reasons. My pledge to serve my community has nothing to do with acquiring paid benefits or political career building. It's about contributing to building a better city and giving back to Hermosa Beach for the life it has afforded my family for 30 years. That's the way the best of our council members from the pat looked at the job. We are about to have three new School Board members taking on a very tough and often thankless job. They are receiving no compensation. But I should ask for paid health care, a car allowance and retirement benefits for a position that is not, by definition, a career job?

As to your last question, I use a system called Constant Contact to distribute my email newsletters and messages. It is very efficient and affordable, but you do have to accept some advertising. I'll look into this company you mention. I was not aware of it on the email and thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Jeff"

Roger Bacon

2009-10-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

I really hope that Joy doesn't mind me linking to her blog. If you do let me know. But this is very interesting. In her post Big Business in Hermosa Beach, Who Knew it was so Ugly?, she points out a local dirty secret:

That's what I feel like after what I learned yesterday. When I realized that part of the reason poor, poor, poor Roger Bacon of the Ralphs shopping center is so against the tax hike isn't just because his store would get taxed, but all of a sudden the entire office complex that he collects rent from tax-free would incur a tax. No wonder this man is so upset.
He stands to actually have to pay for services he receives from the city for free right now. What a novel concept. Every other non-commercial landlord in this city pays a very small fee PER APARTMENT to the city for the privilege of being a landlord.
Why shouldn't poor, poor, poor Roger? I feel so sorry for him. Oh no, we won't pay more taxes. I'm making so little money from AN ENTIRE SHOPPING CENTER WITH NUMEROUS OFFICES that I can't afford to pay for my fair share of the city's services. ROGER - GIVE ME A BREAK!

Bacon has what, $5000 or $10,000 or $20,000 (we don't know because as of a couple days ago he hadn't come clean and filed his "Coalition's" disclosure Form 460 - but don't worry, he may be fined up to $70 for hiding this information) to spend on kicking out one Councilman for trying to get him to pay his fair share of taxes. So how much is he sucking out of the City of Hermosa Beach and it's tax payers every year? If anyone has an idea of what he should be paying, let me know. I'll post it.

And by the way, Roger. If you hadn't sent me that ridiculous unsigned junk mail, I would not be doing any of this. I got your junk mail last Tuesday or Wednesday, and laughed at it. Then I saw the same thing printed in a full page ad in the Easy Reader, and I decided I was sick of slimy greedy special interests screwing up my country and my town. That is when I started investigating and writing. You brought this upon yourself. I really hate junk mail.

More to come

2009-10-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

I am researching, digging and writing as much as time allows. I have not covered all the issues and candidates yet, but we still have 5 days to go. I have received some great suggestions from Joy Kennelly at Pure, Unadulterated Joy, and from others, and I will be turning those into words ASAP.

When you are done reading what is here check back soon, or follow the site with one of the links on the right side of the screen.

Here's to fair elections, honest politicians, and an educated electorate!

Jeff Duclos Fails the Smell Test

2009-10-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

*** This is an addition to this post, with the original post below after the asterisks. Jeff Duclos posted a response to a comment that I made on Pure, Unadulterated Joy which criticized him along the lines of what I posted here below. He said that he never received my email, and I never received anything from him. I don't know why that would be, as my account says that it was sent, but such is life. I have just seen Duclos' response on Joy's blog to the letter he never received. In his response, which I will post it in its entirety as its own post, he says that he does in fact pay for his own health insurance, that he doesn't Lecture enough at CSUN to qualify for insurance, and that he pays for his own HMO coverage (Jeff, you should check with CSUN, because my research indicates that you only need to Lecture 6 hours per year to qualify for health insurance). My speculation to the contrary below is incorrect and I apologize to Jeff Duclos for that. I wish our emails hadn't vanished into the ether so that we would not have had this misunderstanding.

He said he does not know why Constant Contact references the Ron and D Williams Groups when I go to sign up for his newsletter through his site. My comment about his citing a 2006 endorsement from the Daily Breeze, when the Daily Breeze does not endorse him in this election was not answered. As the Daily Breeze does not endorse him, I hope he will put a prominent clarification on his site.***

(original post follows)

I sent this letter to Duclos asking him to clear up a couple points. I have not received a response:

I was on your election site and I have two questions. I tried to sign up for your newsletter, but it asked if I wanted info from RonandDWilliamsGroups. I did a search on the name and found political contributions from that name all over the country. Who is that?

Secondly, you make a point of saying that you don't accept health insurance from the Hermosa Beach taxpayers. Do you pay for your own health insurance, or do you get it from your job as a Professor?

I am very curious who pays for Jeff Duclos' health insurance. He makes a big point of not accepting tax payer supplied health insurance. But I have found that people are very willing to give up benefits they don't need. If he already has insurance from some other source, then making a big point of not accepting different insurance, which would have no benefit to him, would seem like disingenuous grandstanding. But he has not replied, so I don't know the answer.

His site says that he is a Lecturer for California State University, Northridge, and that "His wife, Christine Duclos, has taught at our schools for more than 20 years." Does Jeff Duclos get his health insurance from CSUN or from the Hermosa School District? If so, then he already gets health insurance from the tax payers, which would mean that he is lying when he says he won't accept health insurance from the tax payers. Again, I emailed him on this question, and he has not responded.

Next, on his site he lists his 2006 Endorsements for the City Council runoff election, one of which is the Daily Breeze. But the Daily Breeze does not endorse him in this election. Here is the link to their actual endorsements for this election:
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site577/2009/1022/20091022_050831_HBENDORSEMENTS.gif . This is totally deceptive.

So far, Duclos does not pass my smell test. He is evasive, deceptive, and possibly a flat out lair. And this I can say without even looking at his stands on anything. Call me old fashioned, but once I decide that someone isn't trustworthy, I am not interested in anything else he has to say.

If any of this is wrong, please tell me, and I will correct it and apologize.

General Hermosa Beach Election Information

2009-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Though this project started as a direct reaction to the negative campaigning that I have seen here in Hermosa, my goal is to provide more information than I can find in the very limited sources currently available.

Here are some links to information about the candidates for city council and school board:

Election Info Links

Hermosa Beach Elections:
City Council:
http://www.hermosabch.org/elected/elections/election20091103.html
http://www.smartvoter.org/2009/11/03/ca/la/race/01780000/

City Council Candidate Debate Video:
http://hermosabeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=927

Here is a brief writeup about the City Council candidates in the Daily Breeze:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/elections/ci_13646237

School Board Candidates
http://www.smartvoter.org/2009/11/03/ca/la/race/01420000/

Here is a brief writeup about the School Board candidates in the Daily Breeze:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/elections/ci_13613663

I am looking for more info, and I will update this page as I find it.

Update on Consequences of Not Disclosing Information

2009-10-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

The City Clerk's Office has informed me that the fine for filing the Form 460 late is $10/day, and is enforced at the discretion of the City Clerk. Remember that the Form 460, which is the Recipient Committee Campaign Statement, discloses who is involved in a political committee, including who has given money to that committee.

Here is a link to that form: http://www.fppc.ca.gov/forms/1-05forms/460.pdf

This means that this committee can conceal who is involved and where it gets it's money, and risk a fine of $70, since there are 7 business days between the filing deadline and the election. Yes, you too can subvert the democratic process for the low low price of $70. And you will only have to suffer that harsh consequence IF the City Clerk decided to fine you.

What is interesting is that it is my understanding that some of the candidates have not filed their Form 460. Who, and what are they hiding?

Legal Filings

2009-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

I spoke with the Hermosa Beach City Clerk's office today. The Clerk is out of town, and I am expecting a call back from the Deputy Clerk, but I was told The Coalition of 20 Words did not file its Form 460 by the legal deadline last Thursday. The Form 460 discloses the individuals involved and money contributions to groups that get involved in politics. I asked what the consequences were for not filing by the legal deadline, and I was told that there can be a small fine, but that the person may or may not get fined. If I park on the wrong side of the street on street sweeping day, there is a 100% chance that I will get a ticket. But apparently subverting the Democratic process of American Elections doesn't rise to the level seriousness of Obstructing a Street Sweeper. I guess the City has to choose it's battles.

And I have confirmed that Roger Bacon, stripmall owner, is behind the Coalition. More to follow on him.

Wow

2009-10-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is less of a mystery now. A picture says a thousand words. Though the COALITION OF PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY HERMOSA BEACH BUSINESSMEN AND RESIDENTS OPPOSING THE ELECTION OF MICHAEL KEEGAN FOR CITY COUNCIL 2009 (or the Coalition of 20 Words as I will abbreviate it) gives no information about itself in its mailings or full page newspaper ads, the telephone number leading to the Ralphs Shopping Center and this not-too-subtle banner indicate to me that maybe I'm on the right track.

Does Hermosa Beach not have any sign ordinances? It seems that in the middle of a recession, Hermosa Beach businesses should not be telling people from Chicago to go home. Does somebody hate Michael Keegan because he is from Chicago? I do not know what to make of this. So do businesses from Hermosa Beach hate all people who are not from Hermosa Beach? If so, just say so. We can add it to the little Hermosa Beach signs around town.

As far as I can tell, this group hates Michael Keegan, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Chicago. But wait, the Coalition of 20 Words' mailing address is in Redondo Beach. I do not know what to make of this at all. This is a puzzle. If anyone would like to enlighten me, I would love to hear the story.

While We Wait for the Hermosa Beach City Clerk ...

2009-10-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

While we wait for the Hermosa Beach City Clerk's office to open on Monday, here are some interesting questions:

Who is "Locals Rule", and why was this organization registering voters on Pier in front of Sharkeez? And why was a young woman who said she works at Sharkeez, and claimed to be "volunteering" to register these voters, telling people that individuals and businesses from outside of Hermosa Beach, from faraway places like Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, are trying to influence the Hermosa Beach Elections? And who is Keith Crenshaw and what is his relationship with Locals Rule and with Sharkeez?

And does a Hermosa Beach School Board candidate's wife really have a Palin Power sticker on her car? Palin Power and education wouldn't seem to mix very well.

These are young mysteries. I've only dug them up in the last day from some hot tips. If anyone can shed any light on these issues, let me know.

COALITION OF PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY HERMOSA BEACH BUSINESSMEN AND RESIDENTS OPPOSING THE ELECTION OF MICHAEL KEEGAN FOR CITY COUNCIL 2009

2009-10-23T07:26:00.001-07:00

In researching this 20 word Coalition, the only information on the California Fair Political Practices Commission site about the Coalition is a Filer phone number. This phone number turns out to be the phone number of Park Pacific Shopping Center, the home of Ralphs Groceries at the corner of PCH and Aviation in Hermosa Beach. No other information is available on the state's site. A phone call to the office, and I learned that since it is a city election, the required paperwork and legal disclosures have to be filed with the Hermosa Beach City Clerk. The Hermosa Beach City Clerk told me, at 4:05pm on Thursday, October 22, 2009, that the 20 word Coalition had not filed its paperwork, but that they probably would that day because that was the deadline for filing. The office closes at 6pm on Thursdays. The City Clerk's office is closed on Fridays, so I do not know if anybody from the 20 word Coalition ran from Park Pacific Shopping Center into the Clerk's office in the last 2 hours before the legal filing deadline. I'll be calling first thing Monday morning to find out. If they have not, I will file a complaint. If they have, then I will be getting a copy of the filing from the nice people at the Clerk's office, which anybody can do for 10 cents per page. And this can be done anonymously if anyone so chooses. Then we will all learn who is behind this mysterious 20 word Coalition that hates Michael Keegan.

Weasel Watch !!!

2009-10-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

I received a large postcard in the mail from Coalition of Pacific Coast Highway Hermosa Beach Businessmen and Residents a couple days ago, and today (October 22) I see the same postcard reprinted as a full page ad in the Easy Reader on page 3.

My Google search on "Coalition of Pacific Coast Highway Hermosa Beach Businessmen and Residents" yielded ZERO results. To get zero hits, this group has no site and has also never been mentioned before. Interesting.

The group has a P.O. Box in Redondo Beach, which is also interesting since the group criticizes candidate Michael Keegan for doing business outside of Hermosa Beach. I guess this group doesn't feel obligated to support Hermosa Beach itself.

Who are these mysterious junk mailers? At the top of the postcard, right under the group's name which is clearly stated as Coalition of Pacific Coast Highway Hermosa Beach Businessmen and Residents, is the following: FPPC ID Number 1322096. A search on FPPC gives me the California Fair Political Practices Commission. I type in 1322096 and I get an entry for: COALITION OF PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY HERMOSA BEACH BUSINESSMEN AND RESIDENTS OPPOSING THE ELECTION OF MICHAEL KEEGAN FOR CITY COUNCIL 2009.

This is not just a group of businessmen and residents. This is a group of businessmen and residents who don't want Michael Keegan on the City Council. I can honestly say that I do not know anything about Michael Keegan, and maybe I don't want him to win either. But this postcard and article are so over the top, the arguments so absurdly hyperbolic and heavy handed, and the style reeks so badly of the campaign that the owner of Sharkeez ran to bully the city into letting him build an even bigger and uglier bar (I am not opposed to bars, just cheap looking ugly stucco bars) that I am now looking into all of this more closely.

Please stay tuned.

The Elections are Coming

2009-10-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hermosans,

We have two weeks until election day. Check in here for analysis of the issues.

First Post - Small Town Hermosa

2008-04-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

I could write a lengthy essay about why I started this blog. But instead I will share the quote that got it off the ground. In last week's April 2008 "Beach," a magazine published by the Easy Reader, there was an article entitled "Banking on the Beach." The first lines in that article read, "Hermosans have long reconciled themselves to development rendering their post World War I and II downtown unrecognizable."

I thought, "how pathetic, that Hermosa Beach residents are so impotent that they hang their heads and just accept that their social betters and their elected officials push them aside, ignore their wishes, and plunder the town for their own profit." And then I thought that I should make an effort to stop this.

Last year, when the city council rubber stamped a bill allowing bars on Pier to double in size, the only thing that stopped it was the monumental effort of Jim Lissner, who spent over $10,000 out of his own pocket and took the issue straight to the voters. When given a direct voice, the voters spoke out and stopped this uncontrolled growth. But that's not usually how it works. Usually these bills and issues move through government unnoticed by the busy people who live here. And once the destructive consequenses are seen, it's too late. And one more part of what makes Hermosa a great place to live has been turned into yet another no-character profit center for a developer.

The purpose of this blog is to take these issues straight to the voters in the spirit of Jim Lissner's signature campaign. But rather than making a huge expensive last minute push to stop one piece off bad legislation, I hope to make the voter's wishes clear from day one.