Don’t miss this Wednesday’s GENERAL MEETING at Richardson Middle School with Lawndale Councilmember Jim Osborne and his fantastic collection of rare and vintage photos of the South Bay.  The program starts at 7:00 PM but doors open at 6:30. There will be refreshments and updates on matters of concern to the Riviera community. This will be a fun one, so come in and meet some new neighbors and see some remarkable scenes.

We continue to keep you updated on the efforts to (over-)develop PCH:

Thurs. Nov. 19 there will be a public Hearing to consider adopting the revised Legado Companies’ design at the old Bristol Farms site (149 apartments, 3 stories) at the Redondo Beach Planning Commission meeting. 7:00 PM, 415 Diamond St. Redondo Beach.

Trees + views: ordinance on the horizon?

Note this date: Thursday, January 14, 7 PM. The Planning and Design Committee will hold a workshop to discuss a TREE AND VIEW ORDINANCE for the Hillside Overlay at Torrance City Hall chambers.  If you are interested or concerned about view obstruction from trees, come to this meeting!

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Our first General Meeting of the new year featured a lively moderated debate among the 4 candidates for the TUSD School Board. The RHA Board presented questions to the candidates, who were also allowed time for statements.  Turnout at Richardson Middle School was excellent.  A debt of thanks to Mr. Joe Petito, technology teacher at Richardson, for facilitating the evening.  A great exercise in participatory democracy, brought to your doorstep by the Riviera Homeowners Association.  Do your part to learn the candidates’ positions, and vote!

L to R: candidates Don Lee, Terry Ragins, G. Rick Marshall, Clint Andrew Paulson

Dues diligence

With the beginning of the 2015-16 RHA fiscal year, we remind you that your voluntary dues for the year will help keep the RHA going, serving your community as it has for over 60 years.  Keep an eye out for the next newsletter, and view our membership page to check whether you’re up to date.

While you’re at it, check our landscape page, for all the summer’s awards, given to your neighbors (or you!) for the wonderful care devoted to these front yards.  When you see our signs planted in a monthly winner’s front yard, stop to thank those neighbors for keeping our Riviera beautiful.

Ongoing efforts:

Stay tuned soon for news on the Legado development, the proposed tree and view ordinance, the PCH beautification project, and the upcoming November General Meeting

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Fall General Meeting

Our first General Meeting of the 2015-16 “RHA Year” is scheduled for this Wednesday, Sept 16th, 7PM at Richardson Middle school.
At this RHA meeting, we’ll give an update on the status of both the Cape Point/Sea Breeze project at PCH and Prospect, as well as the Legado (Bristol Farms) mixed-use developments.

The main event will feature a candidates forum with each of the four people running for the open Torrance Unified School District Board of Education.  If you don’t know much about our school board, here are some useful references:

• TUSD Board of Education
• Ballotpedia – election information

The Riviera Homeowners Association Board will host this forum.  There will be three general questions each candidate will be asked to answer, then there will be a period of Q&A from the audience.  You may come to the microphone or fill out a 3×5 card with your question.  Please keep your questions short and relevant, and be respectful towards the candidates and fellow residents.  We expect considerable discussion, but will try to wrap up by 9:00PM.

Important  Redondo Beach City Council meeting set for Sept. 15!

Tuesday, Sept 15th, 6PM presents an opportunity to speak up about the Cape Point / Sea Breeze mixed use development at PCH off Prospect.  (This City Council Meeting takes place at Redondo Beach City Council chambers, 415 Diamond Street, off PCH).
For Tuesday’s agenda click here and look for item L.2:

[CONTINUED] PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER AN APPEAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION DECISION APPROVING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT… FOR FIFTY-TWO (52) RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM UNITS AND APPROXIMATELY 10,552 SQUARE FEET OF GROUND FLOOR COMMERCIAL SPACE LOCATED WITHIN A MIXED-USE (MU-3A) ZONE AT 1914-1926 S. PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY.

Artist’s rendering of Sea Breeze Plaza development at 1914-1926 S. PCH

Please attend if you wish to learn more about the project, or weigh in with your opinions.

Fall?  Doesn’t feel like fall!

Our El Retiro Library hosts a wonderful program at the end of this month:

Fabulous Fall Story & Craft
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM  Wednesday September 30
El Retiro Library, 126 Vista del Parque
Admission is free
For questions about this program and other youth and adult programs
offered by the library, please call 310-375-0922

Did you know?

The RHA, in partnership with the Riviera Garden Club, gives a monthly Landscape award to a different homeowner each month.  To see the latest awards, and those going all the way back to 1989, click on our website’s Riviera Landscapes page.
Do you know of a front yard landscape that beautifies our Riviera, even your own, that should win this coveted award?  Email our landscape chairperson, and make a case for it.  Please provide an email address or phone number along with the street address.

And now for this important announcement:

All the activities – landscape awards, general meetings, scholarship awards, the Riviera Reporter newsletters –  of your Riviera Homeowners Association -are funded by your gracious donations.
This is the time of year when we seek your voluntary membership dues so we can continue the effort to support the preservation and advancement of the Hollywood Riviera.  So please take a minute to print and send in this membership form with your dues, or you can easily use our safe Paypal connection at your discretion.

Click on form for a larger copy, then print

Thank you, and see you in the neighborhood!

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A short letter of gratitude recently sent by RHA Co-president Amy Josefek:

Honorable Mayor Furey and City Councilmembers:

I’m not sure how often residents come to you with good news or compliments.  I’m happy to be here for that reason!
I’m sure we were all terribly saddened upon hearing news of the horrific banner tow plane crash at the Compton airport earlier this month.
I know how relieved I was that this fatality did not occur in the Hollywood Riviera, or at Torrance Airport or anywhere in the city of Torrance.
I recently received confirmation that the owner of the doomed plane was none other than the Aviad corporation of Massachusetts. I simply want to express my thanks to City Council for looking out for our safety by having cancelled Aviad’s Torrance airport contract this past year, thereby stopping them from towing banner planes over our homes.

Movie in the Park reminder – this weekend

Everyone’s invited for a Family Movie Night August 29 at El Retiro Park. Picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs are welcome as the park turns into movie theaters! Movie begins at dusk (around 8:00 p.m.). So bring your warm clothes, popcorn, cocoa, and snacks; and join in watching Happy Feet!
Movies in the Park brought to us for free by the Torrance Community Service division (more gratitude).
For more information, please call (310) 618-2930.

September General Meeting / Candidates forum

Save this date for the first General Meeting for our 2015-16 year.  Primarily, this will be a candidates forum  for the 2 open TUSD School Board positions.  We hope to have all four candidates present to present their ideas and answer your questions.  Please spread the word to your school PTA, parents, and neighbors.

7:00 PM Wednesday September 16
at the Richardson Middle School Cafeteria,
23751 Nancy Lee Lane

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There have been two (fascinating) hearings in the past couple of weeks, over the two most pressing projects that will affect our neighborhood for decades to come. You may have seen coverage in Daily Breeze, Beach Reporter and Easy Reader. If not:

July 16, Planning Commission re Legado –

Commissioners agreed that even the newly reduced plan for 149 rental units (down from 182) is still far too dense and out of character for this location, and that suggestions offered for reducing traffic issues will not only do virtually nothing to mitigate already major problems, but only increase the already overburdened intersections.

In addition, the outreach conducted by developer’s reps was deemed woefully insufficient, and residents concerns were basically ignored in revision of plans.

What’s next?  Planning Commission will meet on August 20^th (7 pm) to make their decision on whether they can deny the project as recently presented.

July 21, City Council appeal hearing re Cape Point –

Council members agreed with the main argument that using the alley off Prospect for resident entry and exit would be terribly dangerous to motorists and pedestrians alike.  That, along with concerns that this mixed-use development of 52 condos would further increase area traffic.

Councilman Brand echoed our call for a true vision for the future of this community, plus a moratorium on such projects until such a sustainable plan is presented.

What’s next?  A 3-2 decision led to a continuance until September 1st (6 pm), at which time a vote will be taken on whether to allow this project to proceed as planned.

NOTE: Neither of these developers will give up easily, and anything can still happen with both of these projects. But, we have shown that Commissioners and Council members DO LISTEN when residents show up and speak out!

Please put these dates — Aug 20 and Sep 1 — on your calendar. Come to RB City Hall to support your neighbors in our opposition to these projects as currently planned. While told there will not be opportunity at either for additional public testimony, we must show a continued presence, reminding both the Planning Commission and City Council of their earlier decisions and our opposition.

The Save the Riviera group is working for the benefit of us all, to support development that enhances our quality of life, not detracts from it.

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