South Bay Echo for Sept 2
Watering ban, Redondo's housing plan, Fiesta Hermosa, and school district pays for bully
Welcome to the 38th edition of South Bay Echo, your source of local hometown news with a real estate angle.
This Substack is brought to you by Rosetree Real Estate, a full service real estate brokerage dealing in residential and commercial properties to both own and lease. For more information visit RosetreeRealEstate.com. DRE# 02145024
Watering ban takes effect this week
Roughly 4 million Los Angeles County residents, including those in the South Bay, are being asked not to run sprinklers or do any outdoor watering for two weeks from Sept 6 to Sept 20.
The ban was enacted so the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California could perform repairs on a critical pipeline delivering water from the Colorado River. Areas affected include Torrance, as well as areas served by the West Basin Municipal Water District, which includes the beach cities, El Segundo and all four cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Such restrictions could become more common as the region deals with an historic drought that does not show any signs of letting up. Remember, Southern California gets 2/3rds of its water from imported sources.
Redondo housing plan approved
In recent reports about the newly proposed plan to develop the AES site with 2,300 housing units, various real estate sources reported that Redondo was out of compliance on its housing element with the state.
By falling into default, the reports stated, Pustilnikov and company could take advantage of an obscure and not-yet-used aspect of the law called a builder’s remedy. In that way, a developer could circumvent various approval processes and zoning requirements.
Redondo Beach City Councilman Todd Loewenstein put those reports to rest on Friday when he posted a letter dated Sept. 1 from the Department of Housing and Community and Development stating that Redondo was in full compliance.
Loewenstein pointed out that none of the new units were added to the AES site for the 2021-2029 cycle. The developers could still try an end-around using SB 330, so we’ll just have to keep following this one.
California issues power warning
Gov. Gavin Newsom has big green dreams, but questions remain about electricity capacity in the state. California’s Independent Systems Operator, which runs the power grid, warned this week that the current heat wave could lead to blackouts. It went on to ask Californians to conserve power.
The warning came two days after Newsom made international news by announcing that California would outlaw gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Call me cynical, but the ISO has been known to play a fiddle for the energy industry, claiming there is an impending shortfall when there is none.
The California Public Utilities Commission heeded the ISO warnings when they recommended in recent years to keep the aging and dirty Redondo Beach power plant running. Regardless, California does have a lot of work to do in making it’s green ambitions come to fruition as explained here by CalMatters.
Newsom’s homeless CARE Court
A bill that will provide court-ordered treatment for homeless people struggling with mental health and drug addiction secured victory on Wednesday when it passed the state legislature. The program, known as CARE Court, sounds similar to Redondo’s homeless court, which has been a model regionally.
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the statewide program will likely serve 7,000 to 12,000 homeless people. While that might be a drop in the bucket to address California’s roughly 151,000 homeless residents, it’s a mighty good move in the right direction.
Fiesta Hermosa this week
The weather will be spectacular this Labor Day weekend for Fiesta Hermosa. The 3-day event starts Saturday and runs through Monday. You know the drill. Live music, food, drinks, crafts, clothes. Don’t forget the live beach concerts and the chill Java Man stage.
The carnival will once again be located at the Community Center parking lot behind the tennis courts. It’s not clear where the art section will be. I really hope they decide to put it back on Pier Plaza where all the people are located rather than up on PCH. There will also be a cat adoption for those looking for a new furry friend.
Visit FiestHermosa.net for more information.
School district pays $1 million for bullying
In a story that made national news this week, the El Segundo Unified School District was ordered by a jury to pay $1 million for failing to protect a middle school student who was bullied.
The lawsuit detailed how teachers failed to act after finding out about a petition to kill the 13-year-old. Then school officials dismissed her parents’ concerns saying it was just teen drama. Well, that teen drama just cost the district $1 million.
It’s an interesting case that could have implications for how school districts everywhere deal with similar situations. I could see it leading to much more intrusive actions by school officials as they fear a lack of action.
All for now… thanks for reading.
Your article on Newsom’s homeless CARE Court was an answer to my prayers. It came in time to help some family members dealing with this exact sleepless cry for help for one of our own. Thank you David! Nice reporting!
El Segundo schooled district. A petition to kill the girl? Good gravy. I've always said if I were going to form an army it would be comprised strictly of teenage girls. They make Attila the Hun look like a camp counselor. Were the parents of the mean girls told? I can't imagine letting a kid get away with that. We would have been grounded until we graduated high school.