Inside Hermosa Beach's Capital Improvement Program, where the fault lines between what we might want for city infrastructure and what we can afford are really starting to show
Southern California's beaches grew by over 2 million square meters in 40 years — contradicting chronic erosion warnings. The problem isn't sand shortage, says a new federal study, but that coastal structures block sediment from reaching beaches that need it most.
A commissioner resigned. A neighbor locked the gates. Tennis balls with hostile messages were lobbed at a nearby house. And now, after an $826,000 renovation, Hermosa Beach is ready to do it all again.
Nike's global women's night race series wants to run 10,000 runners through Hermosa Beach. The city has to figure out whether the event is worthy of the disruption to residents and businesses.
The Coastal Commission is quietly using building permits to force Hermosa Beach toward charging walk street and Strand homeowners annual fees for front yards they've maintained for generations. And finishing the city's Local Coastal Program is unlikely to save them.
