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Hermosa Beach News for 2007

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Top Stories on This Webpage: Starting April 12, 2007

Read the complete news stories, just below on this webpage:


 

KCBS-TV -- April 10, 2007 - Attempted Rapist Terrifies Beach Community - Hermosa Beach residents are urged to lock their windows and doors after a woman was attacked and nearly raped in her apartment.  Suzie Suh reports.  Aired on KCBS on 4/10/07.

View this KCBS-TV News Story at the following weblink:

http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=37332@kcbs.dayport.com

 

Hermosa home intruder described - Police release a sketch of a man who was driven away by the woman he attacked Easter morning.  "The suspect violently punched the victim and attempted to disrobe her," Wolcott said.  The sketch shows a man, either black or mixed race, in his early 20s, with soft, rounded features and smooth skin with no facial hair.  The 28-year-old victim helped police officers and a sketch artist create the drawing in the hope someone can identify him, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.  The attack occurred Sunday as the victim watched television at 2:30 a.m. inside her apartment in the 700 block of Monterey Boulevard. The woman noticed a reflection on her TV screen, turned around and found the man standing there. He apparently entered the woman's home through an unlocked door, police said.  Wolcott said Wednesday that the assailant acted in a focused, deliberate and methodical manner. 

 

Hermosa Police Release Sketch Of Man Who Tried To Rape Woman In Home

HBPD Sketch "Composite of Attempt Rape Suspect"  

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact

the Hermosa Beach Police Department @ (310) 318-0360.

 

Hermosa police arrest man for suspicion of carjacking after stolen van crashes -

A transient drove off in a painter's van Monday in Hermosa Beach but crashed into two cars in Manhattan Beach when police tried to stop him.

The man was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, theft and assault with a deadly weapon.  A transient drove off in a painter's van Monday in Hermosa Beach but crashed into two cars in Manhattan Beach when police tried to stop him.  The 51-year-old man, just four months out of prison, was arrested after the van rolled over in the middle of Rosecrans Avenue at Park Way, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.  The painter had been working in the 2900 block of Ingleside Drive in Hermosa Beach when someone got into his truck at midmorning and stole it.  He was held without the possibility of bail because he was on parole. The nature of his conviction and his name were not available.

 

HB Mother Robbed at Gunpoint in front of her children and at home -

Police identify suspects in Hermosa home invasion - Two men suspected of barging into a home and robbing a woman at gunpoint in front of her children are identified.  Two men suspected of barging into a Hermosa Beach home and robbing a woman at gunpoint in front of her children were identified today as Hawthorne residents.  Asi Muimui Sekona, 29, and his cousin, Fine Teumohenga Sekona, 36, were arrested Tuesday afternoon at the end of a chase in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.  Fine Sekona is suspected of putting a gun to the woman¹s head and demanding cash and jewelry after he and his cousin entered her 35th Street home in Hermosa Beach shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.  The Sekonas fled, but were caught when police gave chase into a dead-end street in Redondo Beach. Asi Sekona broke his leg when he smacked into a patrol car that blocked his path as he tried to run away. 

 

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

 

Robbery: 7:55 p.m. Feb. 5, 2300 block of The Strand.  The victim said he was taking a walk when three males 15 to 17 years old walking the other way surprised him.  Two of the males asked what he had in his pockets, then started grabbing at the pockets in his pants and jacket and demanded his wallet and money.  The victim began to walk backward away from the males and yelled for help.  The males ran without taking anything.

 

Sexual Battery: Approximately 4:30 p.m. Feb. 2, 1100 block of Aviation Boulevard.  A woman was pushing her 9 month-old daughter in a stroller when a man walking in front of her turned around and approached her.  The woman said the man grabbed her breast and kept on walking.  The man was described as white, in his early 40’s, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, brown eyes, brown collar-length hair, dark brown skin with a general dirty appearance, medium build, unshaven, a blue/gray jacket, blue shirt and blue pants.

 

Assault and Battery: 1 to 1:05 a.m. Feb. 4, 1700 block of Manhattan Avenue.  The victim said that, on the way to a restroom during a party, he was hit twice in the face by one of three males who confronted him.

 

Hermosa marketing executive sentenced in molestations - In plea deal, Palos Verdes Estates man will go to county jail for 80 weekends for sexual abuse of two boys.  A Hermosa Beach marketing research executive was ordered Wednesday to spend 80 weekends in jail for sexually molesting two young males for several years, beginning more than a decade ago.  Scott Douglas Alden, 55, of Palos Verdes Estates pleaded no contest to one count of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14. A plea deal was struck with prosecutors as his preliminary hearing was under way.  Alden was originally charged with four counts of committing a lewd act on a child and two counts of continuous sexual abuse. If convicted at trial of all those charges, Alden could have faced nearly 39 years in prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Lana Kim.  Torrance Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold sentenced Alden to eight years in state prison, but said he did not have to serve the time if he completes all the terms of his probation -- including the weekend stints in county jail. 

 

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

 

Force/Assault With a Deadly Weapon: 1:30 a.m. Jan. 15, 1000 block of Hermosa Avenue.  The victim was hit in the head with a hammer as he was trying to help a witness.  The witness was struggling with two men, one of whom had swung a hammer at the witness.  The men had threatened to hit the witness and his girlfriend with the hammer.

Battery: 10:54 p.m. Jan. 14 00 block of Pier Plaza.  The victim was pushed to the ground by an unidentified person, causing the victim to hit his head on the ground.  The victim was taken to a hospital, treated and released.

 

Trial is ordered in Hermosa Beach house crash - Suspect says he was not driving when pickup plowed into a home, injuring a 5-year-old boy. Child was hospitalized for two days following the crash and had surgery to repair a broken femur.  It was the dead of night, and Kimmy Kelca was sleeping with one of her 5-year-old twin boys in her Hermosa Beach home when she heard a vehicle peel out.  Then, she said through tears during a court hearing Thursday, she heard it crash through the wall of the room where her other son, Connor, was asleep in the bottom of a bunk bed.  She leaped out of bed and ran to her son's room.  "I saw a truck in the middle of his room," she testified. "I heard him screaming."  The front of the silver pickup truck, allegedly driven by Ruben Vargas, was on top of Connor, Kelca said.  "I could see my son," Kelca said. "His head was pinned. I could see his leg was broken. I thought he was going to die." 

 

5-year-old hurt when pickup plows into Hermosa home - Two Redondo Beach residents are arrested on felony hit-and-run after a license plate is found at scene.  A pickup truck carrying two Redondo Beach residents crashed through the wall of a Hermosa Beach house early Friday, injuring a 5-year-old boy asleep in his bunk bed in the wreckage.  Either Ruben Vargas, 43, or Irma Lourdes Carder, 28, -- police are trying to figure out who -- allegedly put the pickup truck in reverse, backed out of the debris with a stuffed toy penguin stuck in the windshield, and rammed through seven alley barricades to make a getaway, police and neighbors said.  Police officers tracked down the couple about seven hours later because they left behind a telling clue -- a license plate -- in the debris. Detectives on Friday afternoon were trying to figure out who was behind the steering wheel at the time of the 5 a.m. crash, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.  Department of Motor Vehicles records examined by the Daily Breeze showed that Vargas had repeated driver's license suspensions, including the failure to complete drug and alcohol programs for a driving under the influence conviction. 

 

KCBS 2 - Boy Hurt When Hit-And-Run Driver Crashes Into Home In Hermosa Beach - A gray Chevrolet pickup truck smashed into a house on Beach Avenue, injuring twin children.  Two people have been arrested.  Paul Dandridge reports.

 

See the News Video of this KCBS Channel 2 News Story

FOX 11 - Hit and Run into Home Injures Boy in Hermosa Beach - A pickup truck crashed into a Hermosa Beach home today and injured a 5-year-old boy who was asleep in his bed.  Firefighters freed the boy, who was trapped briefly in the wreckage, and paramedics took him to a hospital where he was treated for a broken leg.

See the News Video of this FOX Channel 11 News Story

 

HB re-striping data doesn't line up - This is regarding Friday's story "Pier Avenue change? They hate it."  Hermosa Beach Public Works Director Rick Morgan is quoted as saying, "(Hermosa Beach residents) didn't like the traffic data and the video showing them anything different than what they felt. I realize the traffic counting is a science and then there's perception."  I vociferously disagree with Morgan. The traffic counts are indeed data, but they are not information. Nor was the data gathered scientifically. We cannot draw conclusions from the data alone.  The traffic counts are averages only, apparently collected only on Mondays through Thursdays, and are not a viable statistical sample of traffic flow. Traffic counts should include peaks and valleys, not just averages, as the design point for traffic flow must consider peak periods (warm weekends in summer), not just weekday commuting. 


What do you think of the Upper Pier Ave. Improvement Project?  

Do we need 2 lanes or 4 lanes on Pier Avenue?

Read the opinions of Hermosa Beach residents and include you own.



KCBS-TV -- April 10, 2007

Attempted Rapist Terrifies Beach Community

Hermosa Beach residents are urged to lock their windows and doors after a woman was attacked and nearly raped in her apartment.  Suzie Suh reports.  Aired: 4/10/07

 View this KCBS-TV News Story at the following weblink:

http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=37332@kcbs.dayport.com


The Daily Breeze – April 12, 2007

Hermosa home intruder described

 

Police release a sketch of a man who was driven away by the woman he attacked Easter morning.

"The suspect violently punched the victim and attempted to disrobe her," Wolcott said.


STAFF WRITER

Police released a sketch Wednesday of a smooth-skinned man wanted in the attempted rape of a Hermosa Beach woman in her home Easter morning.

The sketch shows a man, either black or mixed race, in his early 20s, with soft, rounded features and smooth skin with no facial hair.

The 28-year-old victim helped police officers and a sketch artist create the drawing in the hope someone can identify him, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

The attack occurred Sunday as the victim watched television at 2:30 a.m. inside her apartment in the 700 block of Monterey Boulevard. The woman noticed a reflection on her TV screen, turned around and found the man standing there. He apparently entered the woman's home through an unlocked door, police said.

Wolcott said Wednesday that the assailant acted in a focused, deliberate and methodical manner.

"The suspect violently punched the victim and attempted to disrobe her," Wolcott said.

The woman fought back, punching him and screaming. The attacker ran when he was unable to pull her pants off.

The victim went to a neighbor's house and called police. She was upset but unhurt physically.

"She's traumatized, obviously, but she's being very cooperative in the investigation," Wolcott said.

The victim told police that in addition to his soft facial features, the assailant had short black hair and dark eyes. He was 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weighed 160 to 180 pounds.

Wolcott said the crime appears to be an isolated incident, but the investigation is continuing.

 


Hermosa Police Release Sketch Of Man Who Tried To Rape Woman In Home

HBPD "Composite of Attempt Rape Suspect"

"Composite of Attempt Rape Suspect"

An unidentified suspect attempted to sexually assault

a 28 year old female victim inside the victim's home.

Suspect Description:

Sex:         Male

Race:       Appeared Black, However the victim described him as possibly mixed race

Age:         Early 20's

Hair:         Short/Black

Eyes:        Dark

Height:     5'-10" to 6"0"

Weight:    160-180 lbs.

Additional Information: The suspect has soft rounded features and smooth skin. No facial hair. He acted in a focused, methodical manner.
       
Details: On 04-08-07 (Sunday) at about 2:30AM in the morning a 28 year old female was attacked inside her home in 700BLK of Monterey.  The victim was sitting watching television when she noticed the male suspect standing behind her.  The suspect violently punched the victim and attempted to disrobe her.  The victim was able fight off the suspect and then escape to a neighbor's house where she telephoned police.  Responding officers checked the area and made broadcasts to surrounding law enforcement agencies.  It is unknown how the suspect entered the victim's residence, but there was no evidence of forced entry.  At this time, it appears to be an isolated incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact

the Hermosa Beach Police Department @ (310) 318-0360.


KNBC-TV Burbank – April 10, 2007

nbc4.tv

Police To Release Sketch Of Man Who Tried To Rape Woman In Home

Police planned to release a composite drawing Monday of a man who tried to rape a woman in her Hermosa Beach home.

The attempted rape occurred early Sunday morning in the 700 block of Monterey Boulevard, said Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott.

The man apparently entered the 28-year-old woman's residence through an unlocked door, possibly after following her home, Wolcott said. The man struggled with the woman, but she fought him off and he fled.


The Daily Breeze – April 9, 2007

Woman fights off rapist in Hermosa home invasion

 

Police say a man simply walked into a woman's apartment early Easter Sunday and attacked her. They are asking residents to keep their doors locked.


STAFF WRITER

Hermosa Beach police officers are asking residents to lock their doors.

A 28-year-old woman was nearly raped early Easter morning by a man who simply opened her unlocked apartment door and walked into her home, said officials.

The unidentified woman was sitting on her couch, watching TV and eating in the 700 block of Monterey Boulevard about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, said Hermosa Beach police officer Dean Garkow. She noticed the reflection of a person in her television screen and turned around, Garkow said.

A man she did not know was standing inside her apartment looking at her.

He hit her in the face and pulled her to the floor, said Garkow. He tried to take off her pants, but she punched him and screamed. Unable to take her pants off, he ran away, said Garkow. The woman was not physically harmed, but was very shaken up, he said.

The attacker escaped.

The victim described him as a 25- to 30-year-old black man. She said he is about 6-feet-1-inch tall and 160 pounds, and appeared clean-cut. He wore jeans and a white button-up shirt.

Garkow said the man would not have gotten into the victim's first-floor apartment if she had not left her front door unlocked.

"People have a false sense of security in Hermosa Beach," Garkow said.

Anyone with information about this crime should call the Hermosa Beach Police Department at 310-318-0360.

 


The Daily Breeze – April 9, 2007

- 2 suspects caught in purse-snatching

 

Two suspects were arrested minutes after police say they beat a woman and stole her purse as she was walking in Hermosa Beach.

A car pulled up to a woman walking in the 200 block of Bayview Drive late Saturday night, said Hermosa Beach police officer Dean Garkow.

A man and a woman got out of the car and approached the woman about midnight. The man wrestled her to the ground, stomped on her foot and stole her purse, Garkow said.

The woman called police, who reported the incident, and a description of the suspects and their vehicle to nearby police departments.

Manhattan Beach police officers spotted and stopped a car matching the victim's description, minutes after the purse snatching, near Aviation Boulevard and Marine Avenue.

Inside the vehicle, they found the victim's purse. The victim later identified the vehicle's occupants as the suspects, said Garkow.

A 16-year-old Hawthorne boy and a 36-year-old Los Angeles woman were arrested on suspicion of robbery, Garkow said.

 


The Daily Breeze – April 6, 2007

Hermosa city prosecutors drop charges from 2003 incident

 

Two men had been accused of resisting arrest in Pier Plaza incident. They had been acquitted on other counts.


STAFF WRITER

Hermosa Beach city prosecutors have dropped charges of resisting arrest and interfering with a peace officer against two men who claim they were roughed up by officers.

In December, a jury acquitted the two men, Christopher Briley and Justin Thomas, of some misdemeanor charges stemming from a July 4, 2003, incident at Pier Plaza.

However, the jury hung in favor of the men on the resisting arrest and interfering charges, and a judge declared a mistrial for those counts.

At a pretrial hearing Tuesday, the city announced it was dropping the remaining counts.

"I was quite surprised, to tell you the truth," said Thomas Beck, who represented one of the men.

Prosecutors did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

Briley and Thomas have a federal civil rights suit pending against the city and the officers over the incident. Beck said being cleared of criminal charges will only bolster their civil claims.

Briley claims officers attacked him after he got into a confrontation with someone in the crowd, and his finger was bent, he was hit and then kicked in the head and choked while handcuffed.

Thomas said he was choked as he tried to intervene on his friend's behalf.

The officers claim the men were trying to stir up trouble and incite the crowd against the officers, who were attempting to maintain order. Briley was accused of striking one of the officers.

This incident and others involving Hermosa Beach officers have reportedly spawned a federal investigation into the department, as well as several civil claims against officers.

 


The Daily Breeze – March 27, 2007

Police make arrest in MB after stolen van crashes

A transient drove off in a painter's van Monday in Hermosa Beach but crashed into two cars in Manhattan Beach when police tried to stop him.

The man was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, theft and assault with a deadly weapon.


STAFF WRITER

A transient drove off in a painter's van Monday in Hermosa Beach but crashed into two cars in Manhattan Beach when police tried to stop him.

The 51-year-old man, just four months out of prison, was arrested after the van rolled over in the middle of Rosecrans Avenue at Park Way, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

The painter had been working in the 2900 block of Ingleside Drive in Hermosa Beach when someone got into his truck at midmorning and stole it.

The painter struggled with him and was slightly injured.

A Manhattan Beach police officer tried to stop him, but the transient sped away, losing control of the van and striking two vehicles on Rosecrans. The van hit two traffic-signal boxes and rolled over, blocking the roadway, Wolcott said.

The suspect was not injured. The man was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, theft and assault with a deadly weapon.

He was held without the possibility of bail because he was on parole. The nature of his conviction and his name were not available.

One motorist suffered a minor injury in the collision.

 


The Daily Breeze – March 28, 2007

Suspect sought in Hermosa truck theft

 

Police searched around a Redondo Beach park early Tuesday for a man suspected of stealing a truck in Hermosa Beach.

A resident in the 3000 block of Ingleside Drive awakened about 1 a.m. to the sound of his diesel pickup truck's engine starting, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

He ran outside and watched someone drive away in it.

The resident got into another car and chased after his truck, following the suspect to Dominguez Park at Flagler Lane. The thief abandoned the truck and ran.

Police from Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach searched the area, aided by a Sheriff's Department helicopter.

The man was not found. The resident got his truck back.

 


The Daily Breeze – February 22, 2007

Police identify suspects in Hermosa home invasion

 

Updated: Two men suspected of barging into a home and robbing a woman at gunpoint in front of her children are identified.


Staff writer

Two men suspected of barging into a Hermosa Beach home and robbing a woman at gunpoint in front of her children were identified today as Hawthorne residents.

Asi Muimui Sekona, 29, and his cousin, Fine Teumohenga Sekona, 36, were arrested Tuesday afternoon at the end of a chase in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

Fine Sekona is suspected of putting a gun to the woman¹s head and demanding cash and jewelry after he and his cousin entered her 35th Street home in Hermosa Beach shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The Sekonas fled, but were caught when police gave chase into a dead-end street in Redondo Beach. Asi Sekona broke his leg when he smacked into a patrol car that blocked his path as he tried to run away.

A previously issued warrant for Asi Sekona¹s arrest listed him as an armed and dangerous felon, Wolcott said.

Asi Sekona was arrested on suspicion of parole violations, armed robbery, kidnapping, possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was in the hospital and held without bail.

Fine Teumohenga Sekona, the car¹s driver, was booked at the Hermosa Beach jail on suspicion of armed robbery. He was held on $1 million bail.

 


The Daily Breeze – February 21, 2007

Sean Hiller / Staff Photographer

A suspect in a Hermosa Beach home invasion robbery is handcuffed in Redondo Beach.

Police capture suspects in Hermosa home invasion

 

One man suffers a broken leg while running from police officers. Another man is found hidden nearby.


STAFF WRITER

Two men suspected of breaking into a Hermosa Beach house and robbing a mother at gunpoint in front of her children were captured Tuesday following a chase into Redondo Beach, police said.

One of the men broke his leg when he tried to escape on foot and smacked into a police car blocking his path, police said. The other was arrested hiding behind a Jacuzzi in a backyard, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

The mother was home with her young children on 35th Street near Manhattan Avenue when the two men burst in through her open front door shortly after 5 p.m.

"This is a random deal," Wolcott said. "They just barged right in."

One of the men put a gun to the mother's head as her children watched. They robbed her of jewelry and cash, Wolcott said.

The woman called police as the gunmen fled in a silver Ford.

A Manhattan Beach police officer spotted the car on Manhattan Beach Boulevard at Sepulveda Boulevard. The alleged robbers saw him and sped away, triggering a chase into Redondo Beach, Wolcott said.

The alleged robbers turned onto a dead-end street at Beland Boulevard and Johnson Avenue in north Redondo Beach. They abandoned the car and ran.

One collapsed to the ground when he hit the patrol car and his leg shattered.

Both were quickly arrested and identified by the victim.

Police recovered the alleged gun used in the crime, along with the victim's valuables.

The suspects' names were not immediately available.

 


The Daily Breeze – February 14, 2007

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

 

Robbery: 7:55 p.m. Feb. 5, 2300 block of The Strand.  The victim said he was taking a walk when three males 15 to 17 years old walking the other way surprised him.  Two of the males asked what he had in his pockets, then started grabbing at the pockets in his pants and jacket and demanded his wallet and money.  The victim began to walk backward away from the males and yelled for help.  The males ran without taking anything.

Sexual Battery: Approximately 4:30 p.m. Feb. 2, 1100 block of Aviation Boulevard.  A woman was pushing her 9 month-old daughter in a stroller when a man walking in front of her turned around and approached her.  The woman said the man grabbed her breast and kept on walking.  The man was described as white, in his early 40’s, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, brown eyes, brown collar-length hair, dark brown skin with a general dirty appearance, medium build, unshaven, a blue/gray jacket, blue shirt and blue pants.

Assault and Battery: 1 to 1:05 a.m. Feb. 4, 1700 block of Manhattan Avenue.  The victim said that, on the way to a restroom during a party, he was hit twice in the face by one of three males who confronted him.

 


The Daily Breeze – February 1, 2007

Hermosa marketing executive sentenced in molestations

 

In plea deal, Palos Verdes Estates man will go to county jail for 80 weekends for sexual abuse of two boys.


STAFF WRITER

A Hermosa Beach marketing research executive was ordered Wednesday to spend 80 weekends in jail for sexually molesting two young males for several years, beginning more than a decade ago.

Scott Douglas Alden, 55, of Palos Verdes Estates pleaded no contest to one count of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14. A plea deal was struck with prosecutors as his preliminary hearing was under way.

Alden was originally charged with four counts of committing a lewd act on a child and two counts of continuous sexual abuse. If convicted at trial of all those charges, Alden could have faced nearly 39 years in prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Lana Kim.

Torrance Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold sentenced Alden to eight years in state prison, but said he did not have to serve the time if he completes all the terms of his probation -- including the weekend stints in county jail.

Alden, who will be on probation for five years, must register as a sex offender, attend 52 weeks of sex offender treatment and stay away from all minors unless another adult is present.

Alden is the principal of Alden & Associates Marketing Research. According to the company's Web site, he has several degrees, including doctorates in marketing and urban planning from USC, where he has also taught marketing.

Deputy District Attorney Jodi Link said the weekends in jail ensure Alden will serve all the days he is required to. Otherwise, he could be released early because of jail overcrowding.

"It was very, very difficult for the victims, and this brings closure for the victims," Link said of the plea deal.

Alden's attorney, Bradley Brunon, said it would not be prudent for a man of Alden's age to risk the possibility of a long incarceration.

"It was an emotionally wrenching experience for everyone," Brunon said of the case. "It's better to get it over sooner rather than later."

The hearing began Jan. 10, but was continued until Jan. 19 and then Wednesday.

Neither of the victims is being identified because of their ages at the time of the crimes and the nature of the crimes. Their connection to Alden is also not being disclosed to protect their privacy.

The youngest of Alden's two victims, now 23, was very emotional on the witness stand Wednesday as he was pressed by Brunon for details about the molestations.

According to court transcripts, he said the first sexual act with Alden occurred when he was 10 years old. He said he was sleeping in the same bed as Alden, and awoke to find his hand on Alden's genitals and Alden's hand on his.

He also said incidents would occur when they were on trips and during showers.

Both victims said they showered with Alden nearly every other day during a time that they lived with him in Hermosa Beach for several years, starting in 1994.

The older victim, now 26, said Alden would masturbate himself during these showers.

He said it made him uncomfortable. "But, at the time, I trusted Scott and I was young," he added.

Neither victim could be specific about most of the dates and details of the incidents.

The older victim said he made a phone call last year to Alden under the supervision of a Hermosa Beach police detective, during which Alden apologized for the molestation and did not deny it.

During cross-examination, Brunon's questions suggested that the shared showers were done because they all needed to get dressed at the same time and there was not a lot of hot water.

He also asked the victims about their own backgrounds, including drug use and school problems, and falling-outs with Alden that made them angry.

 


The Daily Breeze – January 31, 2007

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

Force/Assault With a Deadly Weapon: 1:30 a.m. Jan. 15, 1000 block of Hermosa Avenue.  The victim was hit in the head with a hammer as he was trying to help a witness.  The witness was struggling with two men, one of whom had swung a hammer at the witness.  The men had threatened to hit the witness and his girlfriend with the hammer.

Battery: 10:54 p.m. Jan. 14 00 block of Pier Plaza.  The victim was pushed to the ground by an unidentified person, causing the victim to hit his head on the ground.  The victim was taken to a hospital, treated and released.

Theft: 7:47 a.m. Jan. 21, 600 block of Fourth Street.  The victim went inside for a few minutes, returned to the carport and found a female inside his unlocked SUV.  She dropped a drill case and left in a waiting black Chevrolet pickup with tinted windows.


The Daily Breeze – January 19, 2007

Trial is ordered in Hermosa Beach house crash

 

Suspect says he was not driving when pickup plowed into a home, injuring a 5-year-old boy. Child was hospitalized for two days following the crash and had surgery to repair a broken femur.

It was the dead of night, and Kimmy Kelca was sleeping with one of her 5-year-old twin boys in her Hermosa Beach home when she heard a vehicle peel out.

Then, she said through tears during a court hearing Thursday, she heard it crash through the wall of the room where her other son, Connor, was asleep in the bottom of a bunk bed.

She leaped out of bed and ran to her son's room.

"I saw a truck in the middle of his room," she testified. "I heard him screaming."

The front of the silver pickup truck, allegedly driven by Ruben Vargas, was on top of Connor, Kelca said.

"I could see my son," Kelca said. "His head was pinned. I could see his leg was broken. I thought he was going to die."

Kelca told Torrance Superior Court Judge Laura Ellison that she stood with her hand on the front of the truck, headlights in her eyes. The truck never stopped revving and lurching backward, she recalled.

Suddenly, the truck reversed and the driver took off, she said.

Vargas, 42, of Redondo Beach, was charged with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident in the Oct. 6 crash in the 900 block of Beach Drive.

After Thursday's preliminary hearing, Ellison determined there was enough evidence to hold Vargas for trial and ordered him to return to court Feb. 1. He remains free on $80,000 bail. If convicted, he would face up to three years in state prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Lisette Suder.

Vargas, who has repeated driver's license suspensions, including one for failing to complete a drug and alcohol program for a driving-under-the-influence conviction, denies he was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

His attorney, Robert M. Conley, unsuccessfully argued the case should be dismissed because someone else, Irma Carder, 28, was driving the truck.

A witness, who saw the heavily damaged truck in the seconds after the crash and wrote down a license plate number that was very similar to one found at the scene, testified that he saw a man driving. Victor Arrunadegui, however, said he couldn't be positive it had been Vargas because the man's hair was different, though he looked like him.

Sgt. Thomas Thompson said he used a license plate recovered in the wreckage to trace the truck to a residence on Amethyst Street in Redondo Beach.

Outside was the truck. It was severely damaged with bits of stucco in the windshield and a stuffed penguin trapped in the wipers, Thompson said.

Inside the home was Vargas, whom Thompson described as having a "fresh haircut."

Carder also was at the residence, and told police she was driving the truck at the time of the crash and panicked, so she and Vargas switched seats, Thompson said.

However, a jailer overheard her on the telephone telling her husband -- a soldier stationed in Korea -- that she was not driving, according to Thompson. Carder was not charged, Suder said.

Connor was hospitalized for two days following the crash and had surgery to repair a broken femur, which is now being held together by titanium rods, his mother said. She has never returned to the home where the accident took place.

 


The Daily Breeze – December 14, 2006

HB council OKs plans for Pavilion development

 

After lots of revision and discussion, owner Gene Shook can proceed with his upscale restaurant and carwash.


DAILY BREEZE

After a series of recent setbacks, the owner of the Hermosa Pavilion got a reprieve Tuesday, when the Hermosa Beach City Council approved an upscale restaurant and carwash for the embattled Pacific Coast Highway development.

The panel OK'd developer Gene Shook's unusual combination with a handful of conditions after spending more than two hours hashing out the proposals' finest details and hearing from residents worried about noise and traffic.

Conditions for the scaled-back 6,704-square-foot Stillwater Contemporary American Bistro on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and 16th Street and the car detailing shop inside the Pavilion's parking garage include:

• No live entertainment.

• A midnight closing time for the restaurant.

• 16th Street must be re-striped to limit cars waiting to enter the parking garage.

• The carwash can operate only from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

But the council also permitted some amenities that the Planning Commission took away in August, allowing the developer a 60-inch television in the bar and an outdoor waiting and smoking area.

Tuesday's approval was the first victory after a string of recent losses for Shook.

The council in October blasted Hermosa Pavilion's parking setup and required a new parking study before it would consider Shook's restaurant pitch.

In July, the council required Shook to provide two hours of free parking at the development's garage after surrounding residents complained that patrons park on their streets.

"(Tuesday) was a nice meeting for a change," Shook said. "You never know what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised."

Victory or not, it could be awhile before Shook gets his restaurant open. He's still waiting for the city to approve his plans and issue a building permit, he said.

About six months of construction would follow, and he must also get a license to serve alcohol from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "I don't make money in rent and profits until you start serving stuff," Shook said. "So, there's a strong incentive to get it done as quickly as possible."

A fine restaurant would become one of the development's more noticeable tenants.

A two-year remodel of Hermosa Pavilion was completed in June 2005. The major tenants are 24 Hour Fitness gym and Glen Ivy Spa.

Hermosa Pavilion has been plagued by problems since it opened in the late 1980s. The plaza's last major tenant, AMC Theaters, bailed in 1999, leaving the building vacant.

Shook bought the building in 1996.

 


The Daily Breeze – December 20, 2006

Hermosa Beach - Police Log

Disorderly Conduct / Assault: 12:59 a.m. Dec. 15, 1300 block of Hermosa Avenue.  A police officer saw four people fighting at Pedone’s Pizza, resulting in the arrest of a 23-year-old man who faces charges for assault, disorderly conduct and vandalism to a police vehicle

Robbery: 1:15 a.m. Dec. 15, 1000 block of The Strand.  A robber took a victim’s wallet after threatening him with a knife, threw the wallet to the ground and then fled with another male suspect.  The victim reported $100 missing.

Robbery: 2:46 a.m. Dec. 15, 800 block of Bayview Drive.  Someone pressed a hard object into the victim’s back, threatening him and demanding his wallet.  The robbers fled with cash.

Burglary: Midnight Dec. 16, to 8:30 a.m. Dec. 17, 1600 Bayview Drive.  Unknown suspect entered victim’s residence and removed money, Xbox games, DVDs and stereo equipment.

The Daily Breeze – December 13, 2006

Hermosa Beach - Police Log

Assault With a Deadly Weapon:1:40 a.m. Dec. 4, 00 block of Pier Plaza.  Someone at the Lighthouse threw a 12-ounce glass at the victim, hitting her in the face.  She required medical attention.  Co-workers of the victim, who was not working that night at the bar, told police a woman who was arguing with the victim threw the glass.

Commercial Burglary:6 p.m. Dec. 2 to 11 a.m. Dec, 1300 block of Hermosa Avenue.  No signs of forced entry; approximately 12 pieces of clothing valued at $2,000 was taken.

The Daily Breeze – December 6, 2006

Hermosa Beach - Police Log

Assault and Battery: 2:33 a.m. Nov. 25, 1100 block of Hermosa Avenue.  A participant in a fight was arrested on suspicion of fighting in public, public intoxication and resisting arrest for allegedly trying to attack another person involved in the incident as he was talking with police officers.  The report noted that the man had to be restrained when he resisted arrest when confronted by many police officers.

Obstruction: 2:33 a.m. Nov. 25, 1100 block of Hermosa Avenue.  A man was arrested on suspicion of resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer and public intoxication for allegedly disobeying an officer’s order to step back, yelling at officers to let a man under arrest go and slapping the officer’s are causing a minor injury while the officer was attempting to secure a perimeter at the scene of the fight.

Residential Burglary: 10:35 to 10:39 p.m. Nov. 17, 1900 block of Manhattan Avenue.  A resident heard the voices of two males in the residence, shouted at them to leave and heard them leaving.  Police officers found a trail of muddy footprints and a screw driver that did not belong to the resident.  Entry appears to have been made through a window.

Theft: 6 to 6:15 p.m. Nov. 28, 700 block of Sunset Drive.  A man in a white older model van stopped his vehicle and took a backpack containing school books.  A boy had set the bag down as he was standing outside waiting for his mother to come home from work.

 


The Daily Breeze – October 7, 2006

5-year-old hurt when pickup plows into Hermosa home

 

Two Redondo Beach residents are arrested on felony hit-and-run after a license plate is found at scene.


DAILY BREEZE

A pickup truck carrying two Redondo Beach residents crashed through the wall of a Hermosa Beach house early Friday, injuring a 5-year-old boy asleep in his bunk bed in the wreckage.

Either Ruben Vargas, 43, or Irma Lourdes Carder, 28, -- police are trying to figure out who -- allegedly put the pickup truck in reverse, backed out of the debris with a stuffed toy penguin stuck in the windshield, and rammed through seven alley barricades to make a getaway, police and neighbors said.

Police officers tracked down the couple about seven hours later because they left behind a telling clue -- a license plate -- in the debris. Detectives on Friday afternoon were trying to figure out who was behind the steering wheel at the time of the 5 a.m. crash, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Paul Wolcott said.

Department of Motor Vehicles records examined by the Daily Breeze showed that Vargas had repeated driver's license suspensions, including the failure to complete drug and alcohol programs for a driving under the influence conviction. Carder's record was clean.

No one knows what Vargas and Carder were doing at 5 a.m. when the 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck parked in a "no parking zone" on Beach Drive lurched forward about 10 feet and plowed straight into the stucco wall of the back house of Ninth Court.

Five-year-old Connor Kelca was asleep in his bunk bed when the pickup truck barreled through the wall. His twin brother, Cameron, was not in the room; he had crawled into bed with his mother, Kimmy, in her bedroom.

Neighbors, who identified the family for reporters, said the boys' father, Brian Kelca, was out of town.

The pickup truck plunged deep into the structure, trapping Connor with its grille, covering him in crumpled plaster and his bed. One of his femurs snapped.

Neighbor Jacqueline Powels heard the clatter, looked out the window and said she couldn't believe what she saw.

"I saw the truck sticking out the front of the house," she said. "I didn't even imagine he was going to take off."

But the truck did. It backed out and accelerated away. Powels said she watched the truck bulldoze its way down Beach Drive, knocking out the metal pipe barricades that block traffic from driving through from Ninth Court to Second Street.

Inside the crushed bedroom, Kimmy Kelca went to her son's aid.

"It wasn't the kid that was crying, it was the mother that was crying," Powels said.

Paramedics took the boy to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for treatment. The mother and son had not returned home by late afternoon.

Police officers began searching for the hit-and-run pickup, and tracing the license number of the plate left behind.

Redondo Beach police officers soon found the pickup parked at Diamond Street and Maria Avenue in Redondo Beach, its front end heavily damaged.

A stuffed toy penguin remained caught in the windshield, Wolcott said.

The license plate showed the truck was registered to a Torrance man, but he had recently sold it, Wolcott said.

Officers soon had information leading them to nearby Amethyst Street in Redondo Beach, where they found Vargas and Carder and took them into custody.

Each was booked at the Hermosa Beach jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.

DMV records dating to 1997 showed Vargas with seven suspensions, including a current one issued in August for failing to appear in court on a driving under the influence charge.

Vargas' license was suspended for eight years beginning in 1997 for his failure to complete a DUI program, and again Sept. 11, 2001, when he refused to take a chemical test.

City officials, meanwhile, stapled a fluorescent sign on the large planks of plywood covering the smashed bedroom wall, asking the Kelcas to stay out of the room until the city can inspect the inside.

The bedroom's outside wall leaned sideways, its base separated from the ground. Bits of beige stucco had fallen off, revealing silver-colored chicken wire beneath.

Staff writer Andrea Sudano contributed to this story.

 


The Daily Breeze – September 26, 2006

Tuesday Letters to the Editor

HB re-striping data doesn't line up

This is regarding Friday's story "Pier Avenue change? They hate it."

Hermosa Beach Public Works Director Rick Morgan is quoted as saying, "(Hermosa Beach residents) didn't like the traffic data and the video showing them anything different than what they felt. I realize the traffic counting is a science and then there's perception."

I vociferously disagree with Morgan. The traffic counts are indeed data, but they are not information. Nor was the data gathered scientifically. We cannot draw conclusions from the data alone.

The traffic counts are averages only, apparently collected only on Mondays through Thursdays, and are not a viable statistical sample of traffic flow. Traffic counts should include peaks and valleys, not just averages, as the design point for traffic flow must consider peak periods (warm weekends in summer), not just weekday commuting.

Should the city decide to collect traffic data objectively through a method that passes statistical muster, we might learn something. The data Morgan collected, while accurate, does not serve any purpose in determining congestion on Pier Avenue or any other throughway in Hermosa Beach.

It is a shame that city officials continue to deceive us about the effects of their re-striping experiment.

-- ERIC BAILS

Hermosa Beach


The Daily Breeze – September 22, 2006

Hermosa's Pier Avenue change? They hate it

 

Test leading into the overhaul of a main artery draws mostly negative comments at a packed meeting.


Daily Breeze

If there was any confusion about how Hermosa Beach residents like a new configuration of Pier Avenue, it's likely been cleared up.

Nearly three dozen residents and business owners blasted the project Wednesday at City Hall, sending a strong message to city officials that a temporary reduction of the city's main artery from four lanes to two was not going smoothly.

"It's pretty dead to me," Public Works Director Rick Morgan said. "It's pretty clear where it's going."

The tone of the meeting was set quickly Wednesday, when the Public Works Commission chairman introduced the topic as "improvements" to Pier Avenue, and the audience responded with hearty and audible disapproval.

"I do not want to hear boos or jeers this evening," Chairman Victor Winnek told the crowd packed into the City Council chambers and the lobby.

But residents did have their say, and about 30 approached the dais one after the other to slam a project they believe has congested the city's main drag and forced more traffic onto neighboring streets.

As part of a test examining possibilities for an upcoming $2 million Pier Avenue overhaul, the city re-striped the thoroughfare from Bard Street to Hermosa Avenue in early June.

The change reduced two lanes of traffic in both directions to one each way, with a large center turn lane running down the east-west commercial corridor. A stop sign at Bard Street was also added.

Slight modifications were made just weeks later, but the complaints still poured into City Hall, many that were echoed Wednesday.

Residents of Eighth Street said their east-west arterial has become a detour for drivers hoping to avoid Pier Avenue congestion.

"Idling cars who now go from PCH to Ardmore (Avenue) make my house tremble," said Joan Arias, an Eighth Street resident.

Said resident Kathy Pinard: "Eighth Street residents are truly struggling. Eighth Street has taken a major hit. It's unbelievable."

Steven Domingue, owner of the Ragin' Cajun restaurant, said his business had already suffered from the project and it would likely worsen if Pier Avenue isn't changed back.

"It's going to hurt me and put me out of business," he said.

But some residents thought the new configuration, which also called for wider sidewalks, would actually benefit businesses at the expense of residents.

"It seems to me ludicrous," Ann Sullivan said. "This plan is for business owners to be able to expand. ... I avoid Pier Avenue like the plague."

In the minority, most of the Marineland Mobile Home Park homeowners association liked the change, President Janice Yates said.

"I love the re-striping, as a resident, pedestrian and cyclist," Linda Campbell said. "It's a small price to pay for safety."

Staff members presented results of a traffic study taken this week, and numbers indicated no significant increases on either Pier Avenue or Eighth Street. A real-time video of cars moving along Pier showed little congestion except for when emergency vehicles pulled into the fire station.

But most residents weren't convinced.

"They hated it," said Morgan, the public works director. "They didn't like the traffic data and the video showing them anything different than what they felt. I realize the traffic counting is a science and then there's perception."

Despite complaints, Pier Avenue will remain with two lanes until the City Council decides to change it back to its original configuration, Morgan said.

The council next month could opt to follow the commission's recommendation to terminate the test and return Pier Avenue to its former state, while retaining the stop sign at Bard.

It will also be asked to create a subcommittee to oversee the planned overhaul of the commercial corridor. At the earliest, construction won't begin until late 2007, Morgan said.

Paid for with funds from Proposition C, the 1990 countywide sales-tax increase for transportation improvements, the revamped Pier Avenue between Hermosa Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway will feature new paving, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, street lighting and palm trees at street corners.

 


The Beach Reporter – September 21, 2006

Hermosa Beach – Crime Watch

ASSAULT. Someone was allegedly stabbed while patronizing a pier plaza establishment between Sept. 9 and Sept. 10. After exiting the restroom of a bar, the victim allegedly noticed a crowd of people leaving the establishment in a hurried fashion. He reportedly noticed a warm feeling on his lower back some time after leaving the bar. After being driven to a local hospital, doctors treated his wound, which was 4 inches wide by 2 inches deep. The victim reportedly did not know when or where he was stabbed.

 

GRAND THEFT. Three individuals allegedly used deception to inappropriately obtain custody of another person's dog. The incident reportedly occurred at the Pier Plaza on Sept. 16 at 4:45 p.m. According to the official crime report, the victim recently purchased a new puppy for $1,000. While standing on the pier plaza, he was allegedly approached by three individuals inquiring about buying the puppy. After entering a discussion with the three individuals, the victim entered a plaza establishment, leaving his dog with an employee of the store. While gone, the three individuals approached the employee and obtained custody of the dog by indicating they were friends with the owner.

 

BIKE THEFT. Two bikes were stolen from a parking stall in Hermosa Beach between Sept. 5 and Sept. 10. The victim reportedly locked and secured his mountain bikes at parking stall No. 44 at 6 p.m. Sept. 5. When he returned Sept. 10, he noticed the cable lock had been cut and the bicycles were missing. The mountain bikes were worth approximately $1,100.

 

THEFT. Someone reportedly stole a victim's IRS refund check out of a parked car on 15th Street between 2 p.m. Sept. 11 and 10 a.m. Sept. 12. The check was allegedly placed in the victim's backseat of her unlocked vehicle. The vehicle was parked in the parking lot of the victim's apartment complex on 15th Street.

 

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY. Someone reportedly entered a residence on Second Street between Sept. 10 and Sept. 14 to remove a Compaq laptop from the building. The victim allegedly left for several days, leaving her French doors closed but unsecured. The laptop was allegedly sitting on her living room table, which was visible from the street. According to the crime report, no other items were taken from the premises and no ransacking was present. 

 


The Daily Breeze – September 20, 2006

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

Attempted Assault With a Deadly Weapon: 11:33 p.m. Sept 12, 00 block of Pier Plaza.  Employees of Dragon said a man, who was denied entry due to intoxication and who had threatened to stab employees with a pen, later entered the club as bouncers were otherwise occupied and struggled with employees as he was being physically escorted outside, where a wooden was knocked over.  The employees said that during the incident the man swung a money tray from the podium and a plastic chair from another establishment at them.  The man was arrested on suspicion of attempted assault with a deadly weapon and battery.  The officer said as he was arresting the man, the man grabbed and twisted one of his fingers.

 


The Daily Breeze – August 30, 2006

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

Robbery: 10:10 p.m. Aug. 24, 1600 block of Hermosa Avenue.  The victim was walking when two men asked him directions to Manhattan Beach.  After the victim replied, the men demanded the victim’s bag, wallet and watch at knifepoint.  The victim complied in fear.

Vandalism: 9 p.m. Aug. 25, to 11 a.m. Aug. 26, 00 block of The Strand.  A “large boulder” was thrown through the windows of a residence, landing in a living area.  A neighbor heard noise around 1:30 a.m.; the neighbor’s patio furniture was moved.

 

 


The Daily Breeze – September 6, 2006

Redondo Beach council revokes Moxie's permit

 

Embattled nightclub loses right to host live entertainment on pier premises following a unanimous council decision. Last straw was a fight among patrons Aug. 27.


DAILY BREEZE

Redondo Beach officials have revoked Moxie Nightclub's permit to provide live entertainment on the city pier, saying the business has had multiple chances to curb nuisance complaints but continues to put an unreasonable burden on the police force.

The City Council made its unanimous ruling with little discussion Tuesday night, a few hours after movers were spotted carrying boxes from the night spot facing the entrance to the pier.

Earlier that afternoon, owner Shadoe Gray seemed resigned to the fact that city leaders would deny her request to hire live performers and a disc jockey, saying "they're not going to approve it," and that she had no choice but to start packing.

Although staff members said Gray could continue to run the club without an entertainment permit, she has argued she could not operate a successful business without it. Gray was noticeably absent from Tuesday's meeting, and not one person spoke on the nightclub's behalf.

Most of the comments came from residents of the nearby Village condominium complex and Police Chief Joe Leonardi, who last week suspended the club's live entertainment privileges leading into the Labor Day weekend. A few days before on Aug. 27, 30 police officers from six South Bay cities responded to a melee outside Moxie in which four men and two women were arrested.

Several council members said that, despite Gray's attempts to control the crowds and hire more than the required number of private security guards, the system just hasn't worked.

"Moxie has had no shortage of opportunities to address the council and the community's concerns. We gave them every chance to do all that stuff," said City Councilman Don Szerlip. "I've come to the end of my rope."

Mayor Mike Gin said the situation had reached "a critical point," and that city officials had given the club "every opportunity, every chance" to make the provisions of the previous entertainment permit work. Staff members had recommended the council reject Gray's request for a new permit. A report released last week outlined more than 33 incidents that required police attention from March 2005 to April 2006, including fights, loud music and motorists driving under the influence.

Not counting the Aug. 27 melee, a memorandum written by Redondo Beach police Capt. Jeff Hink said police responded or took reports of eight "noteworthy" calls at Moxie Nightclub since May that included robbery, assault, fighting, excessive noise and sexual battery.

Moxie has been under close watch since the spring.

After hearing complaints about the business in May, the council denied Gray's request for later entertainment hours and agreed only to renew her entertainment permit for 90 days.

She was required to hire additional security guards, which she did, and return to the City Council for a 45-day review.

Leonardi's emergency suspension was supposed to be in effect until Sept. 12. Gray had the option of appealing his decision Tuesday, when she was also scheduled to seek a renewal of her permit.

 


The Daily Breeze – September 6, 2006

Wednesday Letters to the Editor


Put tighter controls on HB bars

In response to Howard Longacre's letter to the editor in Friday's Daily Breeze, I would like to suggest that denying liquor license approvals is not the answer to the late-night public safety problem in Hermosa Beach's bar district.

A better solution would be to put tighter controls and penalties on the bars that allow patrons to get drunk and rowdy. If they were shut down for a few days or their use permits pulled, it might help them clean up their act. It might also be a good idea to post bar closings in the paper, as is done with restaurants when they have vermin infestations.

-- CHARLIE DOHERTY

Hermosa Beach

 


The Daily Breeze – September 1, 2006

Friday Letters to the Editor


HB road-striping experiment a failure

Hermosa Beach's City Council, residents, businesses and visitors know well that the upper Pier Avenue two-lane road-striping re-configuration is a failure. Fifty thousand dollars in staff and implementation costs will have been expended, although it could have been an even more costly mistake had concrete been poured for the experiment. Many residents and business people indicated prior to this mistake that it was not a wise or necessary re-configuration.

Many also warned the council, in another experiment, that turning off a percentage of street lights was not a bright idea. Thousands of dollars were wasted on that trial, too. Hermosa's council often seems to have no use for what residents or even business people have to say as they're busy "moving the city forward." In fact, they are forcing ideas on the people and businesses regardless of whether they're wise or not, rather than dealing with the mundane of paving Hermosa's streets, most of which are in horrible condition, and reducing the escalating and costly necessity of policing Hermosa's bar district.

The council spends $100,000 every day. It fritters away $50,000 as if it were pocket change. It frittered away $45,000 in staff and consultant time to assess residents and mostly daytime businesses an additional street-lighting tax via a ballot measure that the property owners promptly voted down. That assessment was most likely to further subsidize the millions of dollars per year necessitated for late-night public safety of Hermosa's bar district.

Residents and business people for years have warned Hermosa's council members in public and private that they were creating a late-night policing headache for the city with their gratuitous liquor approvals, but again the council simply did not appear to listen to the people as they were busy "moving the city forward."

-- HOWARD LONGACRE

Hermosa Beach

 


The Daily Breeze – August 30, 2006

SOUTH BAY -  Man charged in slaying attempt

 

An ex-convict was charged Thursday with attempted murder of a sheriff's deputy in Malibu and robberies in Redondo Beach, El Segundo and Carson.

Charles Terreal Washington, 47, faces 14 felony counts, including assault on a peace officer, evading an officer causing injury, possession of a firearm by a felon, nine robberies and one attempted robbery, Deputy District Attorney Keri Modder said.

The complaint also includes the special allegations of personal use of a handgun, causing great bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon.

Washington allegedly robbed the Wells Fargo Bank, 23361 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, on Monday. As the robber made his getaway, he ran down motorcycle deputy James Mulay.

Mulay suffered massive chest fractures, internal bleeding, a hemorrhaged liver and a fractured spinal cord.

Washington was arrested Tuesday by El Segundo police. He was linked with fingerprints to a holdup Sunday of a Cold Stone Creamery on Grand Avenue, as well as robberies of a Big Lots store and Subway sandwich shop in north Redondo Beach, authorities said.

He also allegedly robbed a Starbucks in Carson.

Washington, who has convictions for robbery, has two strikes on his record. He was held on $2.5 million bail.

 


The Daily Breeze – August 2, 2006

Hermosa Beach – Police Log

 

Battery: 1:45 a.m.  July 21, 800 block of Bay View Drive.  The victim said he was walking and talking on his cell phone when he was attacked by two males, one of whom punched the victim and demanded his phone.  The victim was able to run away.

Battery: 1:52 a.m. July 22, 1600 block of Hermosa Avenue.  The victim was shot in the buttocks with a yellow paint ball, startling her and causing her to fall to the ground.  The victim and a witness both saw a dark colored four-door sedan leaving the area.

Battery / Public Intoxication: 1a.m. July 21, 00 block of Pier Plaza.  The victim was ignoring a man trying to talk to her when he struck her in the head.  A friend of the victim told her that the man had struck her, too.  The man was placed under private person’s arrest and taken into custody by police.

Battery: 8:30 a.m. July 19, 1000 block of the beach. The victim, a 16-year old girl, was walking along the water when a man, described as at least 19 years old, tried to strike up a conversation with her.  She turned back toward her summer camp group.  The man then attempted to give her his business card and said he wanted to see her feet.  The girl continued walking toward her summer camp group when the man grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.  She pulled away and quickly walked away.  The man left.

Burglary: 1:30 p.m. July 20 to 8:15 a.m. July 21, 1000 block of Hermosa AvenueSomeone broke a window in a garage door and took construction tools and equipment from the garage.  An interior door leading to the house had been kicked in.

Identity Theft: Feb. 3 to July 25, multiple locations.  On July 25, the victim discovered four unauthorized charges on his bank statement, ordered back copies of his statement and discovered approximately 70 unauthorized purchases ranging from $30 to $70 many at gas stations.

 


The Daily Breeze – July 28, 2006

 Friday Letters to the Editor

 

HB won't reap much from restaurant

Recently, Hermosa Beach began hearing a request from the developer of the Hermosa Pavilion on Pacific Coast Highway. He desires to increase his restaurant there to 8,000 square feet, an area larger than three 25-foot-by-100-foot home sites, and to have on-sale liquor, too. Eighteen residents spoke against his plan.

Speaking in favor, though, was the salaried spokesperson of the Hermosa Chamber of Commerce business lobby, of which the developer is also a director.

The chamber's spokesperson ludicrously stated that sales and property tax from the Pavilion and similar restaurant/bar businesses is a major revenue contributor to Hermosa's general fund. In fact, the city is receiving little more than some under-priced annual business license fees, tax on utilities and no sales tax of consequence from the few businesses in the Pavilion.

Also, the assessor's Web site indicates that including all of the supplemental assessments for remodeling done to date, the city is now receiving a mere $39 per day from its 21 percent share of the Pavilion's annual property taxes.

Interesting to note is that 10 townhomes, assessed at $900,000 each, bring the city treasure more total annual revenue than can be expected from the entire Pavillion, even if the City Council forever gifts the developer full on-sale liquor and his proposed mammoth restaurant/bar. Additionally, the city's finance director confirmed that total sales tax revenue to the city from all the restaurant/bars citywide which have on-sale liquor is just $780 per day. That's less than 2 percent of the $43,000 per day Hermosa Beach spends on police and public safety. And all know where much of that expensive necessity has to be focused.

-- HOWARD LONGACRE

Hermosa Beach

 


The Daily Breeze – July 9, 2006

One house -- many lives

 

Residents across 100 years at this Hermosa Beach home share a special bond, having lived in its antique charm.


Daily Breeze

Growing up in the 1950s, Susan Collins and her four sisters spent hours hidden away from the world in a tiny passageway inside her Hermosa Beach bedroom.  In that same room in the early 1970s, Robin Balchen tap danced to her heart's content on the hardwood floors, much to her mother's irritation downstairs.

These days, 19-year-old Aimee Cook finds a haven from the pressures of college life in her childhood bedroom at 1040 Manhattan Ave.  And so it has been for 100 years now: child after child, family after family -- about a dozen so far -- making the same home their own with new carpet, paint and memories.

The property's value meanwhile has skyrocketed. The house was built on land worth $200 in 1906. Now valued at nearly $2 million, a snug beach house has become a retirement fund.  But owners through the years say what built them the most equity were the tragedies and comedies, first and last steps, and intangible details of everyday life in those 1,500 square feet -- meaningless to the world outside, but monumental to the families inside the house.

Through property and tax records, and interviews with previous owners, the Daily Breeze helps these walls talk, giving a voice to the ghosts and memories of this old house.

Collins recently set foot in her childhood home for the first time in more than 30 years.  "You just stand there," said Collins, whose parents rented the home from 1957 to 1967. "Everything seemed smaller. Going upstairs was eerie because that hasn't changed as much as the downstairs. ... Gosh, it was exactly the same."

One of the first homes in the area, the house with wood siding was built on sand when nothing stood between it and the ocean.  Today, towering monoliths surround the home, leaving the pier timidly peeking out from behind their roofs.

But while the world swirled around Manhattan Avenue, the house has remained a constant. Little has changed about it, save for some aesthetic modifications and a modernized kitchen and bathroom.

A Dutch Colonial with a gambrel roof, the house was one of just 20 scattered along the shore when it was built.  Builder Ralph Matteson and wife Charlotte had their choice of three bedrooms -- two upstairs, one down. A good-size living room, dining room, kitchen and sun room rounded out the rest of the home.

Eventually, the Mattesons wanted a bigger and fancier house, so the couple commissioned plans for a new abode a half-mile north at Manhattan Avenue and 19th Street, said Matteson's grand-nephew Rick Koenig, a lifelong Hermosa Beach resident.  They moved in 1921, starting the chain of owners and tenants who would make the two-story house on Manhattan Avenue a home.

In the early 1970s, Robin Balchen awoke one morning to blaring Mariachi music. From the base of the steep, dark staircase, she peered into the living room to find her father, Art, dancing passionately.  He had just installed new carpet atop the old hardwood floors and was celebrating.

The avocado-green covering was a steal -- leftover scraps of shag from a nearby apartment complex cobbled together with masking tape, Art Balchen said.  "I turned it upside down and masked it all together and it looked great," he said.

Twenty years later, a pregnant Michelle McBride and her surgeon husband moved in to the rickety beach house -- the couple's first home.

They loved the seaside locale and large back yard. But they hated Art Balchen's beloved carpet.  "When we got it, there was a crunchy, crusty shag carpet," said McBride, who now lives on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. "We pulled it back and found wood floors. So, we refinished all the wood floors in the house."

The large living room was often a neighborhood gathering spot, said Art Balchen, now a retired engineer living in Ojai. Neighbors buzzing with excitement filled the room during major news events, like man landing on the moon.  "It was a very close-knit community," he said. "Gee whiz, everyone was there. When something big like that happened, everyone would run into our house. There was a lot of room to be mesmerized."

Under an ornate gas light fixture, the Mattesons likely ate nightly in the dining room at the center of the house.  Today, beneath the original light fixture now converted to electric, a wooden cabinet holds pictures of Cook and her parents, Tom and Gina Nyman, and an old scrapbook filled with the Mattesons' pictures.

Long associated with family gatherings throughout the years, the dining room is a fitting place to store memories.

McBride remembered a special introduction made after her newborn daughter Elizabeth came home from the hospital in 1991.  "My grandfather met my daughter there -- the first great-grandchild in my family," she said. "He died very shortly after. We loved the house. We had big family gatherings. There are great memories there."

A cycle of holidays has turned through the home like clockwork every year.  The Nymans routinely host Easter and Christmas gatherings in the home. One Thanksgiving, previous owner Duncan McBride stopped by for an impromptu visit, Gina Nyman recalled.

Christmas trees have sat in the front window, or decorated the sun room, or nestled neatly on the side of the living room. The delicate shingles lining the house's facade make hanging holiday lights difficult.  For years, festive feasts have been prepared in the spacious kitchen, overhauled in the late 1970s to include more floor space and a Wolf range, said previous owner Donald MacPherson.

Today, the Nymans play chef in a bright and airy kitchen with plenty of cabinet space, new tile and a large bay window looking out into the back yard.

But there's no more Wolf range.  Michelle McBride coveted it so much that she took it with her when the family moved to Rolling Hills in 1995.  "I feel guilty," she said. "It's a neat old (stove). I loved that stove so much. ... Oh, I'm such a bad girl."

Surrounded by lots filled with multiple condominiums and apartments, the century-old house has a large back yard that is an anomaly in the neighborhood. The yard is remembered fondly by all former owners.

Longtime Hermosa Beach resident MacPherson, who owned the house in the 1980s, believes the large, green back yard is one of the few of its size in town.  With brickwork carved through the tall trees and bushes, the yard makes a perfect spot for parties and get-togethers, Nyman said.

The Balchens pinned tails on donkeys there, and McBride's friends and family hosted her baby shower in the yard.  "That's why it was so special," she said. "You could have a little oasis in the back there. It was so unusual in those areas. You could have a little gardening, too."

To a young Robin Balchen, her back yard was like a jungle, massive and thick with greenery. But after sneaking a peek through the fence several years ago, she was amazed by how much smaller the yard really was.  "I used to go in the back yard and make mud pies for my cat," said Robin, now a social worker in San Jose. "I'd chase her around the palm tree with palm fronds. ... I thought she liked it."

A wooden deck wraps around the side of the house, giving lawn chairs a spot to rust in the sea air and an old Jacuzzi a place to bubble.  The hot tub was a more recent addition, Art Balchen said. After he sold the house in 1976, he left the new owners some money to repair the original foundation -- instead they installed the whirlpool.

Living in a 100-year-old house built in one of California's priciest real estate markets can be difficult, the current owners said.

The money is tempting, but the Nymans know any buyer would raze their dream house and put up two in its place.  "The house itself, any developer would blow it up," Tom Nyman said. "I'm not sure anyone would pay that kind of money to live here. There aren't that many people who would appreciate a 100-year-old house."

So, the couple, who bought the house in foreclosure for $375,000 about 10 years ago, painstakingly protect the structure. Every August, they tackle a new improvement project, hoping to keep the house fresh but true to its period.  "We have a huge responsibility to save it," Gina Nyman said.

If they ever sell, the couple will likely take the house with them. There's too much to lose otherwise, said Koenig, the original owner's grand-nephew.  "It speaks volumes of a time past," he said. "Hermosa Beach has always been a special place. (The house) brings back memories. It's like watching an old movie. It helps us remember a kinder time."

The house has bonded a dozen families through the years -- a banker, an engineer, oil company executive, radio advertisement salesman, a neurosurgeon, a television producer.

What unites these caretakers are the same four walls and the same small, parallel memories that keep the old house's foundation strong.  "This is not just any old house," Robin Balchen said. "1040 Manhattan Avenue was not forgettable. ... I think it had so much charm. In older houses, you can feel the history."

 


The Daily Breeze – May 26, 2006

3 Hermosa Beach city council candidates boycott a forum

 

One says the Q & A format "didn't feel right." Janice Brittain was the sole contender to attend the session.


DAILY BREEZE

Three of the four Hermosa Beach City Council candidates vying for the vacant seat in the June 6 election said they would not attend a candidates forum held by a community group Thursday night because they were not comfortable with the format.

The Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Association, a community watchdog group founded by resident Al Benson, announced its first candidates forum this year.

But as it turned out, it ended up as a question-and-answer session between one candidate, Janice Brittain, and the audience.

Candidates Jeff Duclos, Patrick "Kit" Bobko and Jeff Maxwell took a pass on the event.

Brittain is the only candidate in this election who did not run in November. In the fall contest, Duclos finished fourth behind incumbent J.R. Reviczky, Bobko finished fifth and Maxwell was seventh among 10 candidates vying for three seats.

Howard Fishman, who collected the most votes in November, declined to take office after his wife was diagnosed with a serious illness. It is this seat that will be filled in the June 6 election.

Maxwell said he was overwhelmed with the amount of information Benson sent him to prepare for Thursday's debate.

"The questions were leading," he said.

It was after another local debate held by the League of Women Voters that the candidates met briefly and discussed Thursday night's forum, Maxwell said.

"I think we felt that it wasn't a debate forum, but a personal forum for Mr. Benson," he said. "It just didn't feel right."

Brittain said she had made a commitment to Benson that she would attend.

But Brittain said she shares the other candidates' feelings.

"In most debates, questions are open-ended," she said. "Here, it feels like we're writing a research paper."

Benson, himself a City Council candidate in November, said his intention was not to overwhelm candidates.

"The council packets are usually the size of two phone books," he said. "So you'd think they'd get used to seeing a lot of information."

The questions were meant to be "direct and pointed," Benson said.

"I'm worried about public safety issues," he said. "I'm worried about our Police Department, the bars, the alcohol and our quality of life."

Duclos said the candidates' decision not to attend was nothing personal against Benson.

"There were some issues in relation to the tone and direction of this debate, which was enough to influence our decision on whether to participate," he said.

Benson said all he wanted was to give candidates time to prepare their answers and asked for their responses so he could ask follow-up questions.

"I'm not disappointed they're not coming," he said. "I'm disappointed that they had this little powwow on this issue and made a collective decision behind my back."

 


The Daily Breeze – February 9, 2006

3 file suit against HB police over 2004 incident

 

Complaint alleges that two officers attacked at Pier Plaza, filed false statements and lied under oath.


Copley News Service

Three people who were acquitted last year on public intoxication and resisting arrest charges have filed a lawsuit against the Hermosa Beach Police Department, claiming officers roughed up two of them, filed false reports and lied in court about the arrests.

Michelle Myers, Robert Nolan and Joel Silva filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, claiming Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Raul Saldana and officers Michael Frilot and Todd Lewitt violated their civil rights.

The allegations stem from a May 23, 2004, incident at Pier Plaza. The lawsuit contends that Saldana approached Myers, Nolan and Silva from behind in a patrol car "maliciously blasting his air horn to frighten plaintiffs."

The suit said the three jumped away, "condemning Saldana for his juvenile behavior." Saldana then drove past them and directed the other officers to go after Nolan.

The lawsuit contends Nolan was "attacked, choked, knocked down and maliciously struck and injured by Lewitt."

Lewitt later kicked Silva and struck him in the head, according to the complaint by lawyer Thomas Beck, who has filed several lawsuits against the department stemming from incidents at Pier Plaza.

Myers, Nolan and Silva were arrested and charged. They complained about the officers' conduct to department officials, but a sergeant investigating their allegations called them "whiners," the lawsuit states.

Last year, the three were acquitted on the misdemeanor charges after a jury trial. The lawsuit contends Saldana, Frilot, Lewitt and other officers "gave knowingly perjured testimony" during the trial.

The lawsuit does not seek specific monetary damages from the city.

Hermosa Beach City Attorney Michael Jenkins said he has not seen the complaint but was familiar with the case.

"The city is very familiar with the facts and is very familiar with the circumstances," Jenkins said. "The city intends to defend the case vigorously."

 



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