South Bay Echo for Jan 9
Monster swell lands, Saint Rocke saved, BeachLife lineup, Redondo councilman registered in Torrance
Welcome to the 46th edition of South Bay Echo, your source of local hometown news with a real estate angle.
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Monster swell hits South Bay
Every 10 years or so the ocean has a way of showing us who’s boss. It rises up and swells in magnitudes we don’t see on typical years. For the most daring among us, the waves over the past four days offered the opportunity of a decade, a chance to test their moxy on an avalanche of water. For many others, the dramatic sets rolling in remained a spectator sport.
The images and videos at the height of the swell on Thursday night and into Friday morning almost resembled a tsunami with the bike path along the Avenues completely covered by water and sand.
Whitewater crashed over the breakwall in front of King Harbor Yacht Club like it was barely there, damaging the dock and washing boats away that were tied up. So much water spilled over the wall into the parking lot that the asphalt peeled away like a jigsaw puzzle, leaving a scene that resembled the surface of another planet. In Manhattan Beach, the Christmas trees on the pier had seen better days after an all night sea spray.
At breakwall on Friday morning, two surfers — Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy Griffen — braved the mega conditions. The tide brought seawater clear into the parking lot where onlookers scrambled for dry footing. Photographers and spectators looked on in amazement as they managed to ride what may have been the largest waves of the swell. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these guys win the South Bay Boardriders Biggest Wave Contest this year.
At Lunada Bay and Malaga Cove surfers had the time of their lives. And in El Porto it barely resembled itself as an army of set waves marched toward shore like a regiment of soldiers. It was, without doubt, an epic winter swell.
Saint Rocke has been saved
When Saint Rocke owner Allen Sanford announced recently that Jan. 5 marked the club’s final live performance, it was not clear what fate would ultimately bestow this South Bay establishment. Well, it appears that in the final hours a buyer for the club has come through.
It’s not entirely clear what the hold up was. Maybe there was some last minute negotiating. Neither side is sharing. It seemed from the Daily Breeze article that Sanford was as surprised as anyone that a deal was finally made.
The new owner, Dani Grant, is an investor from Colorado with several other live venues under her belt. She plans to keep Saint Rocke much the way it is with maybe some upgrades soon. A soft opening is planned for March with a grand re-opening in April. Here’s to many more years of live music in the South Bay.
BeachLife announces killer lineup
Speaking of live music, Sanford’s BeachLife Festival announced recently its new lineup for the May event and it appears to my semi-trained eyes to be the best lineup yet. Starting off the first night with headliners The Black Keys along with Pixies and Modest Mouse would be enough for pure musical satiation. Add to that Gwen Stefani and a special set from Sublime members on Saturday. And finally to cap it off you got The Black Crowes and the one and only John Fogerty.
This will be incredible.
Did Redondo Councilman Christian Horvath move to Torrance?
Newly obtained voter registration records show that Redondo Beach City Councilman Christian Horvath now lives in Torrance and not his District 3 address. The records, obtained by Rescue Our Waterfront, show that in Oct 8, 2022 Horvath registered to vote using a Torrance address.
Rumors have been circulating that Horvath and his family might have moved, but without a voter registration confirming this it would be difficult to prove. Yet for some reason he decided to change it.
Horvath responded Sunday night through a Facebook post stating that his wife, three kids and father-in-law did move last year out of their North Redondo home and into a larger home in Torrance. Horvath said he responded to a notice from the county registrar stating that he still lived in North Redondo (he claims to stay there now with roommates) but the county mistakenly changed his voter registration to the Torrance address.
Horvath only has eight more council meetings before his term expires, though I wouldn’t be surprised if action is taken now to remove him.
Redondo Beach State of the City
If you didn’t catch it, Redondo Mayor Bill Brand published his State of the City address in the Daily Breeze this week. In it, Brand details the recent draft plans for the waterfront that includes exciting plans for Seaside Lagoon and a new boat launch. He also mentioned the city has signed a new lease for the Ruby’s location where the owners of Quality Seafood will be opening a new restaurant. That’s fantastic as I was just discussing how Redondo needed more seafood restaurants. Work on the Galleria too should be starting soon.
All for now… Thanks for reading
Great newsletter as always!