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Ray Jackson Newsletter — July 26, 2026
📬 Councilmember Ray Jackson | Hermosa Beach | July 27, 2026
Good afternoon, Hermosa Beach,
I spent part of my Sunday afternoon at The Deck for Brian Sheil's Sing-A-Long, and it gave me the kind of moment that no agenda item can. I caught up with my old friend Jennifer Palmer, who has fought an incredible battle against cancer with courage, resilience, and grace. Seeing her smiling and singing along reminded me why we do all the quieter work in this newsletter: the zoning rules, the budgets, the street repairs. It is all in service of a town where neighbors can gather on a summer afternoon and sing.
Speaking of that quieter work, this is a big week for showing up. Planning staff host Zoning Code Update office hours this afternoon, Council returns to the dais tomorrow night, and there is good news from the sand and the storefronts in between. Here is what you need to know.
🏛️ City Hall This Week
🔹 Zoning Code Update office hours are this afternoon. Today, Monday, July 27, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall, 1315 Valley Drive, City planning staff will walk residents, business owners, and property owners through proposed updates to commercial zoning regulations and development standards. It is an informal, drop-in format: ask a question, share an idea, flag a concern. If today does not work, a virtual session follows on Wednesday, August 5 from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: The rules we write for our commercial districts will outlast every one of us on the dais. Whether you run a shop, lease a storefront, or simply care what our business blocks look like in twenty years, an hour of your time today can shape decades of outcomes. Feedback offered now, while the update is still taking shape, carries far more weight than objections raised after a draft hardens.
👉 View the Zoning Code Update office hours details
🔹 Council returns to the dais tomorrow night. Our next regular City Council meeting is Tuesday, July 28 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, 1315 Valley Drive. It is our first regular meeting since late June, which means a full plate of city business after the midsummer break. The agenda is posted online at least 72 hours in advance.
→ 🎯 My take: A month between meetings makes public input more important, not less. I would much rather hear from you before a vote than after one. Scan the agenda, and if an item touches your street, your business, or your wallet, come Tuesday night or send us your thoughts in writing.
👉 View City Council agendas and meeting information
🌊 Environment & Protecting Our Coast
🔹 Californians just gave coastal protection a resounding vote of confidence. In a new statewide survey released this month by the Public Policy Institute of California, 82 percent of adults said the California Coastal Commission, made permanent by the Coastal Act of 1976, has been mostly a good thing for California. The same survey found large majorities continue to oppose new oil drilling off our coast, and six in ten Californians say Marine Protected Areas are very important.
→ 🎯 My take: From my seat on the Commission, numbers like these are both humbling and motivating. In a state where we seem to disagree about nearly everything, protecting the coast and keeping it open to everyone still unites us. The iconic shoreline we enjoy today did not happen by accident. It was defended, hearing by hearing, for fifty years, and that work continues every month.
👉 Read the PPIC survey findings
💰 Budget & Finance
🔹 Last call: the new parking citation amounts start Saturday. I have flagged this in each of the last few editions, so consider this the final boarding announcement. Beginning Saturday, August 1, most parking citations, including expired meters and time limits, will be $75, and street sweeping violations will be $55. A citation left unpaid for 21 days will incur a late fee equal to 100 percent of the original fine.
→ 💡 Plain English: This is the last newsletter before the change takes effect. Check the sweeping signs on your block, keep the meter fed, and handle any citation within its 21-day window. Every dollar of avoided fines stays exactly where I want it: in your pocket.
👉 Read the City's parking citation announcement
💼 Economic Development
🔹 The big scissors came out for Good Neighbor. On Thursday, Hermosa officially welcomed Good Neighbor with a ribbon cutting, and my thanks go to Kiana, Matt, and the whole team for brewing up more than coffee: they are building community and connection, one cup at a time. The name fits the mission perfectly.
→ 💡 Why it matters: Opening a small business takes real courage, and choosing to open it here says something about this community's future. The best welcome we can offer a new neighbor is simple: stop in, introduce yourself, and give them a strong first month.
👉 View the ribbon cutting post (Instagram)
🔹 The Beach Volleyball Capital does it again: the Hermosa Beach Open returns September 10 to 13. Announced this past week, Wedbush is back for a third straight year as title sponsor of the third annual Wedbush Hermosa Beach Open at the Pier, and athlete registration is now open. The tournament brings 32 men's and 32 women's teams into a true double-elimination format, with qualifying on Thursday and the main draw Friday through Sunday, all competing for a $150,000 prize purse, one of the largest independent purses in professional beach volleyball. Admission is free all four days.
→ 🎯 My take: Beach volleyball was born on this sand, and hosting world-class competition at the Pier is exactly how a town honors its heritage: not with a plaque, but with a tournament. It is also four days of visitors filling our restaurants and shops at the tail end of summer. Mark your calendars, and we will see you on the sand.
👉 Visit the Hermosa Beach Open site
👉 View the announcement (Instagram)
🇺🇸 A Moment of Remembrance
🔹 Until Valhalla. Earlier this week I shared a tribute to a fallen service member, two words that carry a lifetime of meaning for those who have worn the uniform. After nearly thirty years in the Army, I carry the memory of comrades who never made it home, and I believe the truest way to honor them is to live in a manner worthy of the freedom they defended. Rest easy. We have the watch.
👉 View the tribute (Instagram)
📅 Dates & Community Events
🔹 Monday, July 27, 4:30 to 6:00 PM: Zoning Code Update in-person office hours. Council Chambers, City Hall, 1315 Valley Drive.
🔹 Ongoing weekdays, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM: Citywide crack sealing and slurry sealing continues into week two of a six-to-seven-week schedule. Watch for posted no-parking signs on your block.
🔹 Tuesday, July 28, 3:00 PM: Bill Brand Gateway Park ribbon cutting along Herondo Street in Redondo Beach. A wonderful way to honor a mentor and friend.
🔹 Tuesday, July 28, 6:00 PM: Regular City Council meeting, Council Chambers, 1315 Valley Drive.
🔹 Saturday, August 1: First Saturday cleanup at the Hermosa Beach Veterans Memorial, and the day the new parking citation amounts take effect.
🔹 Wednesday, August 5, 5:00 to 6:30 PM: Zoning Code Update virtual office hours.
🔹 Wednesday, August 12: California Coastal Commission meeting at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro, the Commission's closest stop to the South Bay this year.
🔹 Thursday, September 10 to Sunday, September 13: Wedbush Hermosa Beach Open at the Pier. Free admission all four days.
👉 View the City calendar of events
📱 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 week hands you two easy chances to shape your city in two days: office hours this afternoon and a Council meeting tomorrow night. Democracy in a town of 1.4 square miles is not a spectator sport, and it rewards the people who walk through the door. Thank you for reading, thank you to everyone keeping our summer safe and welcoming, and if there is something on your mind, hit reply. I read every message, and I hope to see you in Council Chambers on Tuesday.
