Posted on April 27, 2026 by Catherine Modesitt, RHA VP
This April, the RHA awarded our annual scholarships to South High seniors Luke Kim and Madelyn Lee. Luke maintained a 4.1 GPA while earning multiple Congressional Gold and Presidential Volunteer awards, coaching tennis, and developing Holoteach Inc. (which utilizes 3-D projection to aid visual learners). Madelyn is a founding member and officer of the nonprofit Hope Stitch (which raises money for those battling cancer), a volunteer at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Seaside Elementary, and Vice-President of the Apollo-Athena service club at South—and she manages all this while achieving a 4.6 GPA!
Both Luke and Madelyn are also athletes: Luke is co-captain of the playoff-bound Boys Tennis Team, while Madelyn has won national awards with South High Dance.
While Madelyn is still debating where to pursue biology (or neurobiology) as a college freshman and Luke is considering the best path forward for business, the RHA has no doubt that both of our scholarship winners will be successful on whatever college campus they ultimately choose.
Posted on April 19, 2026 by Catherine Modesitt, RHA VP
The RHA will hold its spring General Meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, starting at 7:30 PM. We will briefly share our 2026 activities, followed by a vote on the RHA Officer Slate for 2026-2028 (you must be a current RHA member for your vote to count). After the election, we will have guest speakers and Q&A sessions.
At the December 8, 2025, meeting of the Torrance Library Commission held at the Southeast Branch Library, City Librarian Heather Cousins shared the current status of the Open Plus program being used at the El Retiro Library. (Open Plus offers use of library collections and services beyond staffed operating hours and is available to patrons 18 years of age or older with a library account in good standing. Applications to the Open Plus program are available online here.)
The Library Administration is proposing to add four hours of Open Plus (non-staffed time) at El Retiro Library on Sundays. Staffed hours at El Retiro, as posted on the library website , will not be changing, and currently are:
The public is invited and encouraged to attend the next City of Torrance Library Commission Meeting that will be held to voice opinions, experiences and any concerns of “Open Plus” (also called “Extended Access”) at El Retiro Library. When: Monday, Nov, 10 at 6:00PM Where: El Retiro Library, 126 Vista Del Parque, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (Even though El Retiro Library has a Redondo Beach mailing address, it is a City of Torrance Library.)
Library Administration and The City of Torrance are proposing to increase the hours of Open Plus at El Retiro Library while decreasing the hours with staff present. The latest proposal is to have staff present at the library only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays for 8 hours per day. Otherwise the library would operate under Open Plus. That is where those over 18 years old who have a Torrance Library card can fill out a form, have a tour, and then can access El Retiro Library when no staff is present to obtain library materials for self check-out or to use the library facility during certain hours. Unlike other City of Torrance Libraries, El Retiro Library would have more library access hours without staff.
Please come to the Library Commission meeting Nov. 10 to voice your opinions, experience or/and concerns regarding “Open Plus” at El Retiro Library.
You will be allowed 1-2 minutes to speak. They require 10 copies of any handouts if you bring anything to pass out to the Commission.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: El Retiro Library, news | Comments Off on Staffing at El Retiro Library Being Discussed at Commission Meeting Nov. 10
The 3-way stop at Newton Street, 242nd Street, and Walnut Street has been problematic, and it was a topic of discussion at the recent Torrance City Traffic Commission meeting. Many neighbors attended and spoke about concerns regarding the Triangle Intersection and speeding on Newton Street.
Next steps that the Commission agreed upon include:
The City will study traffic speeds on Newton Street to better understand how fast and how many cars are using the route.
The City agreed to look into trimming overgrown trees at the pocket park to improve visibility on Newton Street and Walnut Street, and a sign to announce Walnut St. “Road Ahead”
The police department will collect more data on traffic and speed since no current data was available.
Bottom Line: The City is now focusing on gathering real data and prioritizing safety — an important step forward. Special thanks to the Newton Street Community Group for its engagement, support and continued follow up to ensure safer streets for everyone.
We rely on Member dues to fund our programs and events. PLEASE JOIN or RENEW today! Learn more here. Thank you for your patronage!
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Tuesday, May 19, 6:30pm, City Hall – Torrance City Council Meeting Agenda to include discussion on the Hillside Overlay. All interested parties are encouraged to attend. Public comments will be acknowledged – up to 2 minutes per speaker.
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Riviera Homeowners Association 