Ms. Lowenthal,

In the Hermosa beach staff directory the redesigned website seems to have done away with listing staff and leadership EMAIL ADDRESSES in favor of a very limited function web based contact form pictured above.

Not only is this form harder to use than just providing the public with an email address it does not provide residents with a record of what they sent!!!!

Residents deserve an audit trail of their communications with staff and city leadership and for good reason.

I sent a test email using the web form to Ann Yang and I received no record of what I sent.

Thats crazy in that it undermines a citizens ability to hold our city officials accountable for answering legitimate questions and answering the question(s)! that were actually asked. 😊

Not only that, I don’t seem to be able to attach photos or documents using the web form.

This seems like a step backwards In terms of a residents ability to communicate effectively or hold city officials accountable.

If that wasn’t the intent it’s certainly an effect.

No audit trail, no photos, no document attachments and that’s progress?

Well I’m here to tell you it’s not!

Also using the new web form email process I’m required to prove I’m not a robot which is just another hoop to jump through and is often very difficult if you are using a small phone for your communication.

I may be clumsy and thick but everytime I use one of those “not a robot” screens I’m sweating bullets.

My idea.... use standard email addresses in the staff directory like the city used to do.

These are easy to use and usually just open your email client when you click on the email address.

You then have a record of the communications and the ability to attach photos or documents in a way that is familiar to you.

Thank you Anthony Higgins

April 29th 2020

I have an idea I would like city officials to actually respond to and look for ways to accomplish rather than just looking for reasons they can’t be done and giving up.

First, given the just announced availability of free Covid 19 testing for LA County construction workers will our city officials require or strongly encourage CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES working at job-sites in our city to get their WORKERS tested?

I would suggest starting with all Erickson-Hall employees at the North School job site, all construction workers at the 5 corners project, all workers at the new boutique hotel & renovated shops across the alley at 15th ct and Hermosa Avenue and finallly new home construction on north side of 28th st between Morningside drive and Manhattan avenue.

—————-

Note: On May 1st I heard a radio report that LA COUNTY had reneged on an agreement with Mayor Garcetti to test asymptomatic construction workers for free.

However LA CITY will continue to offer Covid tests to these so-called “essential” construction workers to protect the public and prevent asymptomatic spread.

Accordingly, given the LA county’s refusal to test asymptomatic construction workers that are flooding Hermosa Beaches westside in the middle of a pandemic, Hermosa Beach needs to step up to protect its residents from asymptomatic construction workers flooding our westside.

All of these so-called “essential” construction workers should minimally have there temperatures taken on a daily basis. The city of Hermosa Beach could easily provide this service if it wanted too.

This point is amplified by the repetitive failure of construction companies to enforce masks and distancing. We have 25-50 construction workers working at 7 residential construction sites within a 1 block radius of my home near valley park. And that doesn’t even include the huge North School Construction Site.

On 27th street 30-40% of our homes are occupied by at risk populations yet the city has done nothing to effectively enforce the Covid safety rules at these jobsites. I’ve provided photo after photo over the past 4 weeks that prove the repetitive failures of the city to take effective action. —————-

In general, in Hermosa I’ve seen a significant change in the behavior of our residents and nearly everyone is trying to make it easy to practice distancing. I’m proud of our community. Our city government and staff has done some good things too.

But when it comes allowing non-emergency construction, improvements, maintenance , even gardening and tree plantings to proceed unchecked while Hermosa Beach lies in the states epicenter [LA County] of a deadly global pandemic; we’ll that defies all logic and reason.

A few weeks ago Mayor Richard Montgomery [Manhattan Beach] said the construction prohibition, which goes into effect beginning Saturday [3/17] was necessary due in part to the uniqueness of the city’s residential layout. 

“Manhattan Beach has a unique density where construction projects are close together and social distancing is very difficult to accomplish,” Montgomery said.

“Complying with orders to protect against the spread of COVID-19 is of utmost priority right now.

The city [Manhattan Beach] will continue to take actions to protect the public during this pandemic.

Well don’t the conditions in Manhattan Beach parallel Hermosa?

Are we not even more densely packed in many of our neighborhoods?

This past Thursday within 100 yards of my house there were 7 active home construction projects going on. I counted 23 construction workers working at close quarters and this didn’t include the 20 or so construction workers I saw at north school who were not practicing distancing.

The very nature of construction and home improvement easily defeats attempts at physical distancing. Contractors often need to work in close quarters on common surfaces. 

Apparently our city manager needs to be instructed take proactive steps to protect our health and safety during this pandemic. She has taken the absurd position that all home and business construction, home improvements constitute emergency work on critical infrastructure and all cities in our state are at equal risk.

Her waiver even allows for crews, hoists and cranes to plant a large trees. See attached picture of someone’s home on Monterey just east near 22nd street.

Per a recent LA Times article: “LA County is the states epicenter of a very deadly pandemic.”

Finally, please consider this straw-man policy and adopt something similar immediately:

Residential and commercial construction projects that are substantially complete may continue to completion. For all other Hermosa Beach residential or commercial construction projects limited activities may continue to the extent necessary to stabilize the site, temporarily prevent weather damage, or make emergency repairs only. Projects that are “substantially completed” are those projects that have been issued a final occupancy permit.  All other work is prohibited. 


No new residential business or city construction projects may be started."

Thank You, Anthony Higgins

Dear City Manager, Dear CouncilMembers,

I hope someone is asking how we can choose the right police chief for the job, if we haven’t even determined whether to outsource the HB police dept?

Isnt one related to the other?

How deep into the Chief’s selection process are we?

Don’t you think the public deserves an answer as to where the cities decision makers stand on outsourcing the HBPD; and why they have taken their respective positions.

How long was the chief out on medical leave?

It’s not like the city didn’t have time to evaluate the pros and cons of HBPD outsourcing before entering into the chief’s hiring process.

And if the city has made a decision on outsourcing, one way or another, and we have not heard any informed public comment on this; can we really say things are changing for the better?

If citizens have not heard, in OPEN SESSION, the pro’s the cons, the opinions, considerations and decision points of council and city manager and they have not heard our informed public comment, how can that be the good governance and with the transparency the city needs.

Also don’t you think the public deserves an analysis of the dismal crime statistics cited in the recent HB police association flyer?

Were those statistics real or were they just a method to establish a negotiating position.

My idea is that someone in authority respond substantively to these issues.

Thanks Anthony Higgins

Mayor Campbell,

If it’s true the city passed a motion that effectively bypassed the normal mayor Pro-tem rotation; and did so without giving the public a chance hear any debate on the underlying reasons or offer public comment in advance of the decision, well that’s a bad decision that, whether it runs afoul of the brown act or not, should be revisited.

I’m sure most citizens believe the decision to select councilman Massey as mayor pro-tem should be vacated until it can be agendized and debated in the open session and the public is given a chance to speak on this.

Anthony Higgins

Mayor Stacy Armato has vigorously touted the benefits of the parade of special events sponsored by for-profit organizations that now dominate the landscape of our plaza area beaches and downtown area 6-8 months a year.

Why don’t we just cut to the chase and have a vote to extend the plaza area central business district all the way to the High-Tide Line?

Commercial banners, for profit tent stores, and for-profit services are now common place on our beaches and in our public parks.

I know, it draws in lots of tourist dollars and usage fees fund our burgeoning city payrolls.

The formula is grow the business district, grow the city payroll and extract wealth and quality of life from vulnerable neighborhoods to pay for it.

My idea - Keep Hermosa Hermosa!

Anthony Higgins

Plastic haters, it's time to brace yourselves. A bunch of studies find that paper bags are actually worse for the environment. They require cutting down and processing trees, which involves lots of water, toxic chemicals, fuel and heavy machinery. While paper is biodegradable and avoids some of the problems of plastic, Taylor says, the huge increase of paper, together with the uptick in plastic trash bags, means banning plastic shopping bags increases greenhouse gas emissions. That said, these bans do reduce nonbiodegradable litter.