📬 Councilmember Ray Jackson | Hermosa Beach | March 16, 2026

Dear Hermosa Beach community,

This is the first edition of my weekly newsletter. My commitment is straightforward: keep you informed about what is happening at City Hall, on our coast, and in our community, every week, with clarity and transparency. No spin. No filler. Just the information you need to stay engaged with the city we all call home.

This week included a difficult public safety incident on The Strand, a significant milestone for California's coastline, several important decisions from Tuesday's City Council meeting, and a community celebration 30 years in the making. Here is what you need to know.

🚨 Public Safety

🔹 Homicide investigation on The Strand. On Saturday, March 14, HBPD officers responded to a welfare check at a residence on the 500 block of The Strand. Upon arrival, they encountered an uncooperative individual who barricaded themselves inside and indicated they may be armed. SWAT units from Manhattan Beach PD, El Segundo PD, and Hawthorne PD responded to assist. After several hours of crisis negotiation, the individual was safely taken into custody. Officers then executed a search warrant and located an adult male victim deceased inside the residence. The LA County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau has assumed the investigation. It remains active and ongoing.

→ 💡 What this means for residents: This is an open investigation and details remain limited out of respect for the process and the victim's family. If you were in the area on Saturday and observed anything relevant, I encourage you to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau directly or call Crime Stoppers at 213-628-2013. I want to be clear: HBPD and every South Bay partner agency that responded handled this with the professionalism and discipline our community deserves. We are grateful for their service.

👉 HBPD Programs and Public Safety Resources

🌊 Environment & Protecting Our Coast

🔹 The California Coastal Commission met this week in Ventura, and I was honored to be there. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act, which was born from Proposition 20 in 1972, a voter-led initiative that established a foundational principle: the California coast belongs to the public. That principle has guided land use, environmental protection, and public access policy along our shoreline for half a century.

→ 💡 For context: As a California Coastal Commissioner serving through May 2029, I participate in decisions that directly affect how land and water along our coast can be used, developed, or protected. For a city like Hermosa Beach, where our identity and economy are inseparable from the shore, this role carries real weight. I do not take it lightly.

I will continue to report on Coastal Commission actions as they relate to our community. Residents who want to follow the Commission's work or receive meeting notifications can sign up directly through the Commission's website.

👉 California Coastal Commission meeting information and agenda

🏛️ City Council & March 10 Recap

City Council convened for a Special Meeting on Tuesday, March 10. The meeting ran past 10 PM. Below is a summary of the key actions taken.

🔹 "After Dark Tour LA 2026" half marathon: negotiations to continue. Council voted 5-0 to continue discussions on a proposed nighttime half marathon through Hermosa Beach in partnership with Nike, with a preferred event date of October 24, 2026. This item will return to Council at the April 14 meeting before any final approval is granted.

→ ⚡ Why this matters: A vote to continue negotiations is not a vote to approve. Before this event moves forward, the details must work for our residents, our neighborhoods, and our city operations. I supported bringing it back for further review because the questions around community impact deserve thorough answers. The April 14 meeting is the appropriate time for public input.

👉 View the full March 10 City Council Meeting recap

🔹 Encroachment fee reduction for small businesses near Pier Plaza. Council voted 5-0 to reduce the encroachment fee for retail food businesses without table service or alcohol sales located off Pier Plaza, lowering the rate from $2.50 to $1.00 per square foot, applied retroactively to January 1, 2026. Staff was also directed to return with a proposed framework for retail businesses both on and off Pier Plaza.

→ ⚡ Why this matters: Hermosa Beach's small businesses are central to what makes this city function and feel like home. Reducing an unnecessary cost burden, particularly one applied retroactively to the start of the year, is the kind of responsive governance I believe in.

🔹 Hermosa Beach joins the South Bay Regional Housing Trust. Council voted 5-0 to join this regional joint powers authority, which enables South Bay cities to collectively finance affordable housing development and preservation projects.

→ 💡 For context: Housing affordability along the coast is not a problem any single city can solve in isolation. The Trust provides access to financing tools, including pooled funds, revolving loans, and construction bridge funding, that are more difficult to deploy at the individual city level. The first Trust meeting is scheduled for April 23. I will keep you updated as this body begins its work.

👉 South Bay Cities Council of Governments regional housing information

🔹 ADU and JADU ordinance update introduced. Council introduced an ordinance to bring Hermosa Beach's regulations for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs into compliance with current state law. A second reading is required before final adoption.

🔹 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) code update introduced. Council also introduced updates to the City's hotel and short-term rental tax ordinance to clarify definitions, application of the tax, and the appeals process. This too returns for a second reading.

👉 View city agendas and meeting videos

🤝 Community

🔹 30 years of the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Saturday's parade through downtown Hermosa Beach marked three decades of a tradition organized by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce. Thirty years of community turnout, local participation, and civic pride is worth acknowledging. I was glad to be part of it and grateful to the Chamber for continuing to invest in what makes this city a place people genuinely want to be.

🔹 Recognizing Hermosa Valley Middle School's volunteer coaches. Mark Wyly and Laurence Simon have been giving their time to coach soccer at Hermosa Valley Middle School, and the impact of that service goes well beyond any scoreboard. Volunteers who invest in the character of our young people are doing some of the most important work in this city. It deserves recognition.

📅 Upcoming

🔹 Tuesday, March 17 — St. Patrick's Day. 🍀

🔹 Tuesday, March 24, 6:00 PM — Regular City Council meeting. Agendas are posted in advance. Members of the public may attend in person, submit written comments, or participate by phone.

👉 View upcoming agendas and meeting information

🔹 Tuesday, April 14 — City Council takes up the "After Dark Tour LA 2026" half marathon proposal for further deliberation. Public comment is welcome.

🔹 Thursday, April 23 — First meeting of the South Bay Regional Housing Trust.

📱 Stay Connected

If you have a service issue to report, the Go Hermosa! app is the most direct way to get it to the right department at City Hall.

👉 Submit a service request via Go Hermosa!

For community updates and commentary between editions, you can follow me on Instagram.

👉 Follow @RayForHermosa on Instagram

This is edition 1 of what will be a weekly newsletter from me. I believe informed residents make better communities, and I intend to continue earning your trust with consistent, accurate, and straightforward updates each week.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Hermosa Beach and look forward to hearing from you. Reach out anytime with questions, concerns, or information you believe I should know.

Working together to build an ever better Hermosa Beach.

Ray Jackson
Councilmember, City of Hermosa Beach
rjackson@hermosabeach.gov