I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed ordinance changing the rules for Downtown bars and restaurants.
Our downtown businesses have had a hard enough time getting through COVID and now that the end is in sight, you are trying to move the goal posts. The City should focus on enforcing existing rules and regulations and if specific changes are needed they should be made incrementally. Creating an additional bureaucratic license procedure in addition to everything else that these businesses have to deal with is a waste of everyone's time.
As a long-time resident of Redondo Beach (since 1994) I've spent a hours with family and friends in Hermosa Beach on the Promenade. And while I understand and recognize the intent and reasons for the new ordinance, I do not personally support it for a few reasons.
1. If I have traveled to Hermosa and want to visit an establishment the last thing I want to do when I am greeted at the door is be told that I need to wait somewhere inconvenient such as my car or in a location "location away from the premises".
2. I enjoy live entertainment, whether it be on the beach or at the Lighthouse and preventing me from seeing a band because the seats are full is unfair and a very anti-business stance to take.
3. Although I do not own a business of my own, I find the whole approach to be very antagonistic to ANY business that resides in the promenade. How are they supposed to survive when their customers cannot come and enjoy the entertainment and night life offered?
STONGLY OPPOSE, with the other 100% of the commentators. At 2:55pm on May 13th, 5 minutes before the "Comment Window" closing I believe there are 246 people OPPOSING this nonsense and NO ONE supporting it. Maybe I missed one supporter as I quickly scrolled through this.
If any one of our council members dare to vote to spend one additional penny on further studies on this ridiculous power play of an ordinance we need to start a recall of them immediately! We need to stop wasting Hermosa Beach taxpayer dollars on something that would eventually cost millions to fight in the courts.
This ill conceived and horribly written plan seems purposely designed to destroy all bar and restaurant business in Hermosa, especially those on Pier. If your big concern is with patrons standing in line, there are easy remedies to fix that, however, this ordinance goes so far to the extreme that it would force places to close completely.
Due to the outpouring of comments opposing the restrictions, I would say we need to get more data on how the greater hermosa population feels about this issue. A handful of complaining residents or businesses does necessarily even approximate the views and desires the city population as a whole. So I can can not support an initiative when I am uncertain it is for the greatest good.
It seems to me this is not solely about police resources and safety but the cities desire to change the culture on the Plaza and move it away from a bar-like scene and into something more family friendly. I fully support that concept of a more upscale and cared-for downtown. This is long over due. I, however, do not agree that adding on additional regulation is going to do anything other than create bad feelings and cause economic harm to businesses on the Plaza. I instead of restricting business activity, I suggest we focus on how to create an ambiance that brings the customers that match our vision. Instead of regulation, would focus on investment.
Lastly, though I completely support the City's desire to "bring up" our shopping and dining areas, I think there are better ways to do this than regulating alcohol.
The restaurants have been struggling throughout this pandemic. They have accommodated every single rule imposed on them since COVID has started, most having to spend money to abide by these rules and keep their business afloat. I think it is unfair and unjust to penalize the restaurants in our city because of a pandemic they could not control. The restaurants are the heart of hermosa and bring a lot of business and revenue to the city. I don’t even understand why this discussion is on the table as these restaurants have complied with everything asked of them. If anything these restaurants should be allowed to permanently keep their added on patios, as the public likes them, and the patios have helped these businesses stay open. This pandemic has been hard for a lot of businesses. Letting everything go back to full capacity eventually should be a well deserved reward for fully complying with every city rule imposed thus far. I also don’t think I’m top of all these obstacles they have had to overcome this year, an added burden of making sure people don’t form lines on property that does not belong to the restaurant. That makes no sense. Please consider the jobs and lives you will be affecting.
I strongly this ordinance. This will hurt our Hermosa business beyond repair. We have so many empty storefronts now, we need to work on measures that will attract business to Hermosa. Let’s keep Hermosa, Hermosa. This ordinance goes against what we stand for as a city and a community.
Absolutely opposed! I've been a resident of Hermosa Beach for 16 years and this is ridiculous and unfair. Everyone I've talked to is not only opposed but appalled to do this to small business owners. What happened to supporting our local businesses? Put an end to this nonsense and stand up for our city, our businesses, and our residents.
Dear Mayor, City Council, City Manager, and Staff,
I have worked a long side many of you to achieve a more “Business-Friendly” Hermosa. For those community members who are not aware, during a Joint City Council and Planning Commission meeting in March 2020, Council Member Campbell (Mayor at the time) suggested we form an Economic Development Committee (EDC) to assist our community in creating a more vibrant and thriving environment for us all. As part of that effort, a cross section of stakeholders were asked to participate in an Advisory Group to provide feedback on a variety of ideas and strategies the city was developing. As a member of the Advisory Group, I appreciated the feedback loop and partnership that was developing within our city that was sorely missed at the time. In our discussions on being “Business-Friendly,” it was shared from our city staff that this notion included:
1) Make businesses feel valued through improved customer-facing policies
2) Engage regularly
3) Be accountable
4) Implement transparency and reliability in rule making
Up until this point, I believe our city was on the right path towards becoming a more “Business-Friendly” city but with this “Draft Ordinance” on our Downtown Businesses, as we emerge from shutdowns and devastating restrictions from a once in a lifetime Pandemic, they fall short of “transparency and reliability in rulemaking.” If our city officials want to work together with the business community to not only create a vibrant future they must also utilize all portals of communication to solicit feedback when problems arise, otherwise, trust and reliability on how rules are made is broken.
There are many concerns that I have with the Kosmont Report (2017) which the “Draft Ordinance” appears to be the rationale for these restrictions. First, it uses data from 2014-2015 to establish a cost-benefit analysis for the downtown area even though fifty percent (50%) of the businesses in the report don’t even exist today. Second, city officials do not appear to support the findings of this report which state,
“the downtown area generates direct municipal revenues equal to or greater than the expenses it directly incurs; however, this finding is based on the current deployment of police resources, with its long-standing, disruptive atmosphere and corresponding negative impacts. The analysis did not take into consideration the cost of deploying additional resources needed in downtown to address the disruptions, negative impacts and nuisance activity through an enforcement only model.”
If this is indeed true, where is the transparency and access to the data to support these assumptions? If our city officials are paying good money for a consultant to write a report from 2017 using data from 2014-2015, and then use these findings as justification for restrictions in 2021, well not only is that a leap, but I want to see the data for contradicting said report.
Third, and there we have it...access to the data. According to the report, “All crime data for the past ten years is available and reported on the city’s website: hermosabeach.gov.” When I went on the city website, the link to the “Ten Year Crime Statistics” doesn’t provide data based on location. I guess I’m suppose to assume some percentage of these crimes happened in our downtown area. It’s unknown from this chart. On further inspection, I noticed the “Monthly Crime Statistics” for 2021 are not available due to a Department of Justice new reporting system called NIBRS. Bad luck I guess. So I then tried the “Weekly Crime Logs” and bingo we had our incidents based on location. Well, I guess if I didn’t have a business to run I could do some forensic analysis on this data. Good luck to anyone who wants to try.
Finally, and probably most importantly these proposed restrictions in the “Draft Ordinance” will have a deeply negative and adverse affect on the health, mindset, and livelihood for our business community, residents, and visitors. If we want to promote Hermosa Beach as a “Business-Friendly” city it will be dead on arrival. Already, one of our current businesses in the downtown would have never opened up if they knew this ordinance was coming down the pipe. In fact, another potential new restauranteur commented, “I've been looking for opportunities to purchase a bar or restaurant in the Hermosa Beach area for a couple of years now. This legislation, if passed, would greatly discourage me from pursuing any investment near the pier.”
With all this mind, I oppose the "Draft Ordinance" as currently written. Let us not undo the incredible momentum we have made this past year in becoming a more “Business-Friendly” city. If we have any hope of turning the tide, now is the time to make it clear to our community where we stand. I recommend we work together as partners to creatively solve any underlying issues that are before us. Let us come together as we have in the past to create a brighter future for all.
I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed ordinance changing the rules for Downtown bars and restaurants.
Our downtown businesses have had a hard enough time getting through COVID and now that the end is in sight, you are trying to move the goal posts. The City should focus on enforcing existing rules and regulations and if specific changes are needed they should be made incrementally. Creating an additional bureaucratic license procedure in addition to everything else that these businesses have to deal with is a waste of everyone's time.
As a long-time resident of Redondo Beach (since 1994) I've spent a hours with family and friends in Hermosa Beach on the Promenade. And while I understand and recognize the intent and reasons for the new ordinance, I do not personally support it for a few reasons.
1. If I have traveled to Hermosa and want to visit an establishment the last thing I want to do when I am greeted at the door is be told that I need to wait somewhere inconvenient such as my car or in a location "location away from the premises".
2. I enjoy live entertainment, whether it be on the beach or at the Lighthouse and preventing me from seeing a band because the seats are full is unfair and a very anti-business stance to take.
3. Although I do not own a business of my own, I find the whole approach to be very antagonistic to ANY business that resides in the promenade. How are they supposed to survive when their customers cannot come and enjoy the entertainment and night life offered?
STONGLY OPPOSE, with the other 100% of the commentators. At 2:55pm on May 13th, 5 minutes before the "Comment Window" closing I believe there are 246 people OPPOSING this nonsense and NO ONE supporting it. Maybe I missed one supporter as I quickly scrolled through this.
If any one of our council members dare to vote to spend one additional penny on further studies on this ridiculous power play of an ordinance we need to start a recall of them immediately! We need to stop wasting Hermosa Beach taxpayer dollars on something that would eventually cost millions to fight in the courts.
This ill conceived and horribly written plan seems purposely designed to destroy all bar and restaurant business in Hermosa, especially those on Pier. If your big concern is with patrons standing in line, there are easy remedies to fix that, however, this ordinance goes so far to the extreme that it would force places to close completely.
Due to the outpouring of comments opposing the restrictions, I would say we need to get more data on how the greater hermosa population feels about this issue. A handful of complaining residents or businesses does necessarily even approximate the views and desires the city population as a whole. So I can can not support an initiative when I am uncertain it is for the greatest good.
It seems to me this is not solely about police resources and safety but the cities desire to change the culture on the Plaza and move it away from a bar-like scene and into something more family friendly. I fully support that concept of a more upscale and cared-for downtown. This is long over due. I, however, do not agree that adding on additional regulation is going to do anything other than create bad feelings and cause economic harm to businesses on the Plaza. I instead of restricting business activity, I suggest we focus on how to create an ambiance that brings the customers that match our vision. Instead of regulation, would focus on investment.
Lastly, though I completely support the City's desire to "bring up" our shopping and dining areas, I think there are better ways to do this than regulating alcohol.
The restaurants have been struggling throughout this pandemic. They have accommodated every single rule imposed on them since COVID has started, most having to spend money to abide by these rules and keep their business afloat. I think it is unfair and unjust to penalize the restaurants in our city because of a pandemic they could not control. The restaurants are the heart of hermosa and bring a lot of business and revenue to the city. I don’t even understand why this discussion is on the table as these restaurants have complied with everything asked of them. If anything these restaurants should be allowed to permanently keep their added on patios, as the public likes them, and the patios have helped these businesses stay open. This pandemic has been hard for a lot of businesses. Letting everything go back to full capacity eventually should be a well deserved reward for fully complying with every city rule imposed thus far. I also don’t think I’m top of all these obstacles they have had to overcome this year, an added burden of making sure people don’t form lines on property that does not belong to the restaurant. That makes no sense. Please consider the jobs and lives you will be affecting.
I strongly this ordinance. This will hurt our Hermosa business beyond repair. We have so many empty storefronts now, we need to work on measures that will attract business to Hermosa. Let’s keep Hermosa, Hermosa. This ordinance goes against what we stand for as a city and a community.
Absolutely opposed! I've been a resident of Hermosa Beach for 16 years and this is ridiculous and unfair. Everyone I've talked to is not only opposed but appalled to do this to small business owners. What happened to supporting our local businesses? Put an end to this nonsense and stand up for our city, our businesses, and our residents.
Strongly opposed. This is a needless over-correction. Do better, be better.
Strongly oppose. Will kill already struggling businesses.
Complete and udder madness. This is laughable that it’s even being brought to a formal decision.
Dear Mayor, City Council, City Manager, and Staff,
I have worked a long side many of you to achieve a more “Business-Friendly” Hermosa. For those community members who are not aware, during a Joint City Council and Planning Commission meeting in March 2020, Council Member Campbell (Mayor at the time) suggested we form an Economic Development Committee (EDC) to assist our community in creating a more vibrant and thriving environment for us all. As part of that effort, a cross section of stakeholders were asked to participate in an Advisory Group to provide feedback on a variety of ideas and strategies the city was developing. As a member of the Advisory Group, I appreciated the feedback loop and partnership that was developing within our city that was sorely missed at the time. In our discussions on being “Business-Friendly,” it was shared from our city staff that this notion included:
1) Make businesses feel valued through improved customer-facing policies
2) Engage regularly
3) Be accountable
4) Implement transparency and reliability in rule making
Up until this point, I believe our city was on the right path towards becoming a more “Business-Friendly” city but with this “Draft Ordinance” on our Downtown Businesses, as we emerge from shutdowns and devastating restrictions from a once in a lifetime Pandemic, they fall short of “transparency and reliability in rulemaking.” If our city officials want to work together with the business community to not only create a vibrant future they must also utilize all portals of communication to solicit feedback when problems arise, otherwise, trust and reliability on how rules are made is broken.
There are many concerns that I have with the Kosmont Report (2017) which the “Draft Ordinance” appears to be the rationale for these restrictions. First, it uses data from 2014-2015 to establish a cost-benefit analysis for the downtown area even though fifty percent (50%) of the businesses in the report don’t even exist today. Second, city officials do not appear to support the findings of this report which state,
“the downtown area generates direct municipal revenues equal to or greater than the expenses it directly incurs; however, this finding is based on the current deployment of police resources, with its long-standing, disruptive atmosphere and corresponding negative impacts. The analysis did not take into consideration the cost of deploying additional resources needed in downtown to address the disruptions, negative impacts and nuisance activity through an enforcement only model.”
If this is indeed true, where is the transparency and access to the data to support these assumptions? If our city officials are paying good money for a consultant to write a report from 2017 using data from 2014-2015, and then use these findings as justification for restrictions in 2021, well not only is that a leap, but I want to see the data for contradicting said report.
Third, and there we have it...access to the data. According to the report, “All crime data for the past ten years is available and reported on the city’s website: hermosabeach.gov.” When I went on the city website, the link to the “Ten Year Crime Statistics” doesn’t provide data based on location. I guess I’m suppose to assume some percentage of these crimes happened in our downtown area. It’s unknown from this chart. On further inspection, I noticed the “Monthly Crime Statistics” for 2021 are not available due to a Department of Justice new reporting system called NIBRS. Bad luck I guess. So I then tried the “Weekly Crime Logs” and bingo we had our incidents based on location. Well, I guess if I didn’t have a business to run I could do some forensic analysis on this data. Good luck to anyone who wants to try.
Finally, and probably most importantly these proposed restrictions in the “Draft Ordinance” will have a deeply negative and adverse affect on the health, mindset, and livelihood for our business community, residents, and visitors. If we want to promote Hermosa Beach as a “Business-Friendly” city it will be dead on arrival. Already, one of our current businesses in the downtown would have never opened up if they knew this ordinance was coming down the pipe. In fact, another potential new restauranteur commented, “I've been looking for opportunities to purchase a bar or restaurant in the Hermosa Beach area for a couple of years now. This legislation, if passed, would greatly discourage me from pursuing any investment near the pier.”
With all this mind, I oppose the "Draft Ordinance" as currently written. Let us not undo the incredible momentum we have made this past year in becoming a more “Business-Friendly” city. If we have any hope of turning the tide, now is the time to make it clear to our community where we stand. I recommend we work together as partners to creatively solve any underlying issues that are before us. Let us come together as we have in the past to create a brighter future for all.
Oppose!!
👎🏼
Bad call. Will nuke local businesses.
Strongly Oppose.
Oppose.
Strongly oppose!!!!
Not necessary
This is completely unnecessary. I strongly oppose.
This proposed ordinance is completely not necessary.