Riviera Homeowners Association

The RHA had the honor of presenting our 66^th District Assemblyman, Al Muratsuchi, to the audience at our September 20^th General Meeting, attended by dozens of local residents and co-hosted with the Seaside Neighborhood Association.  After speaking at length about statewide as well as local issues, Mr Muratsuchi took questions from the audience in a quite intimate opportunity to share ideas with our Sacramento representative. 

We heard about initiatives to improve education and make it more affordable, the challenges in balancing the urgent need for more housing with preserving quality of life and the character of our neighborhoods.  Mr Muratsuchi has been involved with statewide moves to require better monitoring of refineries, including our own here in Torrance, and also looking at alternative technologies to the use of MHF for gasoline production.

Members of the RHA Board and residents impacted by traffic along PCH present Representative Al Muratsuchi with a certificate of thanks for his help in getting funding for the new fencing and trees along PCH that were installed this summer.

In a departure from the usual, our meeting was co-hosted with the Seaside Neighborhood Association, who gave a rundown on their recent activities, including their “no signs, no fines” initiative to challenge the city on the new No Parking signs installed throughout the city.

Finally, we received a much-needed briefing on the proposed Butcher-Solana development at Hawthorne Blvd and Via Valmonte from Pete Verenkoff, a longtime Riviera resident who has compiled a comprehensive study of the planned project and  has been working with the city’s Community Development Department to understand the lengthy approval process and relay concerns that residents have about the density, traffic impact, and zoning implications.  A guide to the project’s expected timeline and progress is now available on our website, at https://hollywoodriviera.org/butcher-solana

Dolphin Developments

You might have seen or heard that the beloved dolphin statue at Miramar Park has suffered in recent years and has been in a state of terrestrial disrepair.  Jamie Davis, a local contractor, has stepped forward to refurbish the unnamed delphinidae, and a number of other nearby residents have funded the replacement of the rubber padding underneath.  The city will soon allow work to progress, and we can once again allow the children ‘all aboard’ our icon of the sea.

Dolphin rescue underway!

Dee Hardison 1938-2017

We share the sad news that former Mayor Dee Hardison passed away last night, September 30, 2017.  City Manager LeRoy Jackson commented, “Dee was so much a part of Torrance and our organization and really who we are.  She is someone who had such an impact on this community and our City family.”

The website below includes a bio of Dee and provides an avenue to share comments with the family.

https://yourcaringhouse.org/meet-dee-hardison/

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The RHA is pleased to announce, along with nearby Seaside Neighborhood Association, this fall’s General Meeting featuring Al Muratsuchi, our California Assembly District 66 assembly member in an update and Q&A who will bring news from Sacramento and legislative impacts on local issues.

Al will deliver remarks and provide a chance to answer questions from the audience.  Questions and comments will be limited to 1 minute per, to provide the most opportunities for feedback.

Along with our featured guest, there will be updates on local issues such as the Butcher-Solana proposal for housing at Hawthorne and Valmonte, the new no-parking signs and fines, trees and views, and more.  And refreshments!

Wednesday September 20 7:00 – 9:00pm
Richardson Middle School
Come early to get a seat

State of our City

The annual State of the City will be delivered by Mayor Patrick Furey next week, Friday September 22 at 11:30 am – 2:00 pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton  21333 Hawthorne Blvd. For more information click here or contact the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce at 310-540-5858.

Membership drive

If it’s September, it must be membership renewal time!  We thank all of our neighbors who have contributed to the ongoing work of the RHA.   We hope a low annual contribution of $25.00 comes back to you many-fold with the peace of mind that citizen volunteers are looking out for your interests in this big city of Torrance, and making a difference in our landscapes, our schools, our real estate values, and our influence at city hall.  Imagine the monthly homeowner association fees if you lived in a condo or townhouse.

We make it easy to submit your annual contribution with a few clicks, starting here, and thank you for doing so.  We also welcome your feedback and would treasure your willingness to spend time working with the RHA Board.

Don’t be in a School Daze

As the years go by, we sometimes forget how the effort to get to and from school can be fraught with danger and anxiety.  Here are some back to school safety tips courtesy of the Torrance Police Department to remind you drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians alike what to do to make sure all our students get to and from school safely.

The Riviera Reporter

For almost 50 years, one band or another of RHA volunteers  published this newsletter as a service to our community.  Did you get your latest edition last week?  To read it online (day or night!) find it here.

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We want to let all Riviera residents know of an important meeting this week regarding the largest development in recent memory so close to our borders.

The Butcher Hill plan (aka Butcher-Solana Residential Project) calls for 248 apartments to be built on the flats in front of the old quarry hillside, with parking entrances and exits on Hawthorne Blvd. and Valmonte Drive. Some of the proposed buildings would be 5 stories tall.

This would have a huge impact on traffic and population density in our area.  It is already difficult to get up and down Hawthorne during commuter hours, plus there is danger from the particulate matter from the diatomaceous earth that would become airborne during construction, plus we lose one of the few open spaces still left in the Riviera area.

The city of Torrance has called a “Scoping meeting” which will take place at City Hall 3031 Torrance Blvd. in council chambers at 6:30 PM on Thursday August 10.  It has been reported that if an issue is not brought up at this meeting then it will not be included or examined in the EIR.

The Scoping meeting details can be found here:
https://www.torranceca.gov/our-city/community-development/planning/butcher-solana
where there is a link to the project’s Initial Study among other relevant documents.

Aerial photo showing location of Butcher-Solana Residential Project

If you have concerns about the size, impact, traffic, pollution, aesthetics, safety,or anything else, please attend this meeting on Thursday August 10 to voice your concerns.  As you know, the more people that show up to voice their views in person, the bigger the impact we will have.

Save the date:

Next RHA GENERAL  MEETING
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017, 7 PM
Richardson Middle School

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Driving PCH will be a little more pleasant, and homeowners living along PCH will be a lot happier, now that the long awaited landscaping is underway.  City crews, having completed the new fencing and safety improvements, have been spending the summer laying in irrigation pipes and now planting hundreds of podocarpus trees on this stretch of highway across from South High school.  With the help of the RHA, nearby residents have worked with the city to resolve this long-standing eyesore, which will improve homeowners’ health and home values along the PCH access road.  We look forward to the project being completed very soon.  At some point in the future, the irrigation system will be retrofitted for reclaimed water.

Early June: Installation of a water meter and preparation for a new irrigation line.

Early July: Podocarpus trees to block the noise and dust coming off PCH

 We value your support

As the current 2016-17 year comes to a close, we thank all our neighbors who’ve given generously to the RHA in support of our efforts to keep you informed, and represented, here in our treasured corner of Torrance.  Our membership page (click here) should reflect your current status, and if you are behind in your voluntary annual dues contribution, you may update that there.

Another way to contribute is to consider placing an ad in our Riviera Reporter newsletter, which will next be issued before September.  If you have a business, or a service, that you would like to promote, an ad is a superb way to reach all residences within the Hollywood Riviera.  To place an ad, please contact us by email at president@hollywoodriviera.org

Marker project on hold

The committee working on a  marker to mark the entry to the Hollywood Riviera are still working with the City on a “break away” style sign design being requested.   They are exploring alternative styles acceptable to the City and will keep the RHA posted. Thank you for your patience! We hope to be able to post good news and a “go ahead” decision soon.

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Hello again!
Last week’s RHA General Meeting was full of interesting and valuable information.  The city of Torrance provided two excellent speakers on matters of concern to many Hollywood Riviera residents: coyote threats and the new view ordinance. Concern over these issues was evident from the high attendance, as well as the questions thrown at the invited guests.

Lt Jennifer Uyeda, accompanied by Christina Szczypkowski of the Torrance PD Community Affairs Division, gave a detailed exposition of the steps the city has taken, guided by the city council and citizen input, to address the persistent coyote problem.  While coyotes are not brand new to the city, a growing population and adaptation to urban settings has created many problems for residents, who have lost pets and had frightening confrontations with the canny canids.  Lt Uyeda laid out the steps the city has taken, in conjunction with other southern California government bodies to best understand and control the coyote problem, and especially inform residents what they can do to avoid attracting and dealing with the wily wildlife.  As communities across the US have learned, coyotes are not going away.

Torrance PD Lt Uyeda and Services Officer Szczypkowski review city efforts to combat coyote confrontations

Resources on how to coexist with coyotes, including instructions on reporting, viewing maps of coyote sightings, and most importantly – what to do when in the presence of coyotes – were made available at the meeting, and can be found online here.

The RHA encourages all residents to study and share this material with their families and neighbors.  If you don’t know what “coyote hazing” means, you should find out!

Coyote concerns by Riviera residents were expressed during a Q&A

View Equity Ordinance explained

Our other speaker that evening was Ana Fernandez, Planning Associate for the Torrance Community Development Department. Having just been passed by the City Council, the “View Equity” Ordinance seeks to balance the interests of tree and vegetation owners with those who have valuable views and seek to protect those views.

Ms Fernandez details the working of the new View Equity Ordinance and answers some tough questions from residents
Seated at left: Linda Cessna, Community Development Department

Congratulations and thanks to all those who made passage of this ordinance possible, it has been a long-standing goal of the RHA to make this a reality.

For all the information about the ordinance, please visit the city’s website for it here.  There is the 12-page ordinance, a 2-page summary, and additional resources.

The RHA would like your help

Got a little time?

There are a number of ways, large and small, to assist your neighbors with keeping up with developments.  Volunteers are welcome to email the RHA with your availability and interests.  We’ll be sure to get back to you ASAP!

Got a little money?

If you’ve not yet surrendered your voluntary (!) dues for the 2016-17 membership year, please consult our membership page for all the easy ways to keep yourself in good standing.  We thank you for your support!

Rains bless the Riviera

See our Landscape page for another way we keep busy
(and encourage Riviera residents to make their
yards the best they can be!)
Those above are just the monthly awards given this year.

Latest Riviera Reporter

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