Posted on September 15, 2020 by Riviera Homeowners Association
Please save this date:
Wednesday October 14th 2020 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.
Join us for our first ever online Zoom RHA General Meeting!
We’ve planned a great event, with guest speaker Mike Griffiths (Torrance City Council Member), who’ll discuss the impact of recently passed bills to your block, our City and State. And we’ll give all you need to know on how to vote in November, highlight a couple of the 12 ballot measures, and provide the latest on Butcher-Solana.
This will be new for all of us, but we’re positive we can make it a success—especially if you are with us! We hope to see you online on the 14th and don’t forget to join or renew your RHA membership now! Whether tracking statewide bills that greatly affect our neighborhood, donating to our local school programs or giving scholarships to college-bound seniors, we’re still here. And, we need your help with dues that enable us to do these things, plus keep you informed, via newsletters and meetings (that we hope will return before too long). We need you to renew or join today!
Posted on July 24, 2020 by Riviera Homeowners Association
Lawmakers from the San Francisco/Bay Area have decided that they know better than our local officials, how our zoning laws and housing should be handled. As a result, over the past two years, there’s been a push to gut the CEQA (Environmental) and local zoning controls that are currently, have been, and MUST remain, in the hands of each City.
Our representatives head back to Sacramento Monday, and begin to vote on a slate of bills that will remove local controls. Unfortunately, these bills are being presented under the pretext of fixing the affordable housing and homelessness crisis; but they do nothing of the sort! In fact, some of them even reduce the required numbers of affordable units developers must include in order to get density bonuses and height breaks. (One of the bills even allows rescinding of voter-approved ballot measures, some as old as 108-years!) These bills remove open space requirements, parking space minimums, height restrictions, and single-family zoning, all challenged by state Senator Scott Weiner (SF). Here’s a great article that sums up the overreach problem very well.
For an overview on the 9 Worst Bills, see LivableCalifornia.org (ACT NOW page). You’ll be able to get a synopsis of the worst bills there: SB 1120, SB 902, SB 995, SB 1085, AB 725, AB 1279, AB 2345, AB 3040, AB 3107. You’ll also be able to click on one link, and instantly have a letter of opposition sent to the appropriate lawmaker of each bill.
Time is of the essence! Because virtually all news coverage has been on the life and death issues of CoVid, and the hugely important protests, Legislators are able to fly under the radar, with folks understandably more focused on saving lives and livelihoods.
Please WRITE and/or CALL TODAY! Once these bills get passed, it will likely be too late for our Cities to have the power to do anything about it!
Daily Breeze letters@dailybreeze.com [Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.]
LA Times https://www.latimes.com/opinion/submit-letter-to-the-editor [Fill in your full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address. Submissions that do not include this information cannot be published. They typically run 150 words or less and may be edited. You will be contacted if your letter is a candidate for publication.]
Beach Reporter tbrnews.com [Once there, click on “Opinion” then “”Submit a Letter” to get direct submission form.]
Posted on June 18, 2020 by Riviera Homeowners Association
On Friday, our CA State Senator Ben Allen will vote on the latest in the long line of zoning changes that will be terrible for our City and our State.
SB 902 is yet another terrible zoning bill that diminishes local control of our own cities. Call him at (310) 318-6994 to say, “VOTE NO on SB 902.”
SB 902 allows nullification of already-approved voter initiatives in order to open up protected lands and shorelines, all for San Francisco Senator Weiner’s dream of 10-unit luxury apartments almost everywhere.
Under SB 902, municipalities would be empowered to undo decades of voter-enacted citizen initiatives that restrict land use. This anti-democracy clause went unnoticed for months, due to the complex wording.
This does nothing towards gaining AFFORDABLE HOUSING. All it does is take away our rights as voters!
Posted on March 28, 2020 by Riviera Homeowners Association
Dear RHA Members and Riviera Residents,
Well, not quite sure where to begin this note…
While life (apparently) goes on, it sort of feels like nothing has meaning until we get thru this surreal experience.
That said, there are clearly situations that affect us all, that we assume you’ll want to be kept aware of.
While we have no new info about things like the Butcher-Solano or Legado developments (yes, our government has deemed that building is an essential job, and must continue), other issues will have an even more immediate impact on your daily life.
It seems unlikely that the Riviera Homeowners Assn. will be able to hold a final general meeting in what would traditionally be before the end of the school year. And so, it’s even more important than ever before for us to be able to communicate with residents, quickly, efficiently.
This is a great time to verify your email address, so we don’t have to rely on mailing a printed copy of a newsletter or bulletin to your home. Not only will that save the RHA expenses that can be better spent on other things (college scholarships, anyone?), but it will get information to you in a far more timely matter. And, if we’ve learned nothing else, things are happening very quickly!
If you are getting this notice by email, please forward it to interested friends and family. To subscribe to the RHA blog on our home page HollywoodRiviera.org – enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.
Please stay at home, to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe and healthy. Talk to you soon!
California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov
Big announcements from Torrance and Redondo Beach
As of today, both Torrance and Redondo Beach have announced closures of beach and Esplanade parking, walkways, trails, playgrounds, beach access points, and park sites.
Street Sweeping and parking
As of March 16th, Street Sweeping and parking enforcement in the City of Torrance is temporarily suspended until further notice. Please work with your neighbors if additional street parking is creating issues.
Torrance was Hacked
In case you haven’t heard, Torrance was hit by a city-wide computer attack on March 1st. As a result, they’ve had to make many changes, so in order to access all necessary postings, up-to-date changes, etc, please visit https://www.cityoftorranceca.com/
CoVid 19 Test Location
If you feel you have symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection, and no other current health care provider, give Make You Well Urgent Care and Family Practice a call at 424-292-4060. You can be tested and treated for any symptoms you are experiencing. Make You Well is located at 23365 Hawthorne Blvd. Their practice accepts all PPO insurances, and is in network with many HMO’s. PLEASE CALL FIRST FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
We’re trying to get the most updated lists of store hours and restaurant rules, but the info keeps changing so rapidly.
Stronger together – six feet apart!
Please do your part to STAY AT HOME and avoid unnecessary travel or close physical contact with your neighbors. Please DO reach out to your friends or neighbors for support via our miraculous electronic devices. Plant a garden, learn a language, finish that book or paint job – seize the day!
Posted on February 1, 2020 by Riviera Homeowners Association
There will be a joint Community Meeting with the Riviera Homeowners Association and the Seaside Neighborhood Association on Wednesday, February 5th at Richardson Middle School, from 7-9pm.
Speakers/topics will include:
The March 3rd ballot measures, including the tax ballot Measure X specifically
Torrance Community Development will go over the revised ADU (additional dwelling unit) laws
A presentation on the US Census
New voting rules, locations (and a voting booth demo, if possible)
A post-mortem on SB 50 and possible future developments
Update on the local Butcher-Solana project status and the Legado construction timetable.
Candidates Forum
Beginning in 2020, Torrance City Council elections will transition from at-large voting to district-based voting. The City consists of six districts and only voters residing in the district will decide who represents that district. While the Hollywood Riviera, in district 5, will not be voting for a candidate until 2022, all future City Council members will continue to guide policy and make decisions for the good of the entire community. It is in all of our best interest to know who the candidates are, even if we’re unable to cast a vote!
Thursday, February 13, 2020 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Torrance Cultural Arts Center – Garden Rooms – 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance 90503 (Max Capacity 40 – will be taped and posted on several outlets)
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM: George Nakano Theatre – 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance 90503 Sponsored by Torrance League of Women Voters
In addition to the Candidates’ Forums, you can also do research about the local candidates running for office AND THE 4 TORRANCE BALLOT MEASURES at: www.TorranceVotes.org.
Note that these ballot measures will be discussed during the Feb. 5th community meeting at Richardson Middle School, at 7pm.
Memorial Services for Former Mayor Ken Miller
Service arrangements are being provided by the family …
Ken Miller is remembered as ushering in an era of good governance in the City of Torrance & was an ardent advocate for the acquisition and preservation of open space. He served as City Council member from 1962-1970 and Mayor from 1970 to 1978. During his tenure as Mayor, the City’s parkland grew from less than 100 acres to around 300 acres: Columbia, Wilson, Delthorne, Sunnyglen, and De Portola Parks are part of his legacy and he promoted the Sister City program w/the City of Kashiwa, Japan in 1973.
Legado remake gets underway
Here is a letter recently sent to nearby homeowners describing the Legado project demolistion and construction, which was set to begin Wednesday, Jan 29th:
Please note the phone numbers if you have any concerns regarding the ongoing construction work. The Legado Redondo complex will have 115 units and ground-floor retail at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Boulevard. The developer also agreed to refurbish a hotel on the property, the former Palos Verdes Inn.
Butcher-Solana update for Feb 5th meeting.
Per Torrance city staff:
“In mid-December, the applicant [ReyLenn Properties] responded to staff’s request for an update to let us know that the project is still on hold. At this time, the project and its EIR remain on hold.“
In response to our question of whether there’s any deadline, etc that they’ll have to adhere to: “As the application for the project is still considered to be incomplete, there are no additional time limits that we are aware of.”
This update is current as of January 22nd, per Torrance Community Development office. More information may be forthcoming at the upcoming February 5 community meeting.
Nov 6 General meeting recap
Our November 6 General Meeting at Richardson Middle School featured Torrance city officials Patrick Sullivan, City Attorney and Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk who spoke on the issue of voting – in general and specifically for City Council members. As we learned this year, the city has moved toward District-based council districts. The Hollywood Riviera, being in District 5, will be able to vote next for our City Council member in 2022. They also reviewed new expanded voting opportunities coming available next year, such as voting-day registration and no-party-preference registration. Visit the California Secretary of State’s website for more information.
City Attorney Patrick Sullivan and City Clerk Rebecca Poirier answer questions posed by Riviera residents
We also received a lot of good information from Leo Oorts of the Torrance Community Development department regarding Short-term rentals and new regulations allowing more leeway in building and renting “additional dwelling units” (ADUs).
Leo Oorts describing the ins and outs of ADUs
The RHA forum provided a great opportunity to interact with city officials, which we plan to provide in the future, as we have in recent years. We also replenished our coffers with memberships gratefully accepted from our members. If you would like to find out your membership status, and donate your voluntary annual dues, please visit our membership page.
Lots of interest at the Nov 6 2019 general meeting
Trash talk
The City of Torrance has a new telephone number 855-354-5623 for ILLEGAL DUMPING (you’ll frequently see abandoned furniture at the start or end of each month, when renters move in/out). Call the city at that number for safety and a cleaner neighborhood.
You can also contact the city for a pickup for your own large item discards. Click here for more information. Help keep the Hollywood Riviera beautiful.
Happy New Year to all Hollywood Riviera residents from your Riviera Homeowners Association!
We rely on Member dues to fund our programs and activities. To learn more about RHA Membership, click here. Thank you for your patronage!
_____________________
Calling High School Seniors who live in the Riviera: check out RHA’s College Scholarship Program. Due dates and application info found here!
_____________________
Have questions about a community-related topic? Let us know by clicking on the link below! Ask the RHA!
Riviera Homeowners Association 