Monday, August 19, 2013

Don't Re-Elect Kit Bobko For Hermosa Beach City Council

- Kit Bobko


Here Are List of Reasons Not To Re-Elect Kit Bobko . . .

11) 15 Ways Kit Bobko's Leadership Is Not Impartial To Oil Drilling

Read these letters to the Easy Reader Editor 

Out with Bobko

Hermosa Beach city councilman Kit Bobko’s affection for the limelight has clouded his judgment over and over. His recent press release to the newspapers about the selection of Police chief was wrong. His judgment and his critical thinking process are way out of whack. He seems to be more interested in his name being published in the paper and heard on radio or TV than performing the duties of his city council post. His ego caused the city to retain a public relations firm to the tune of $10,000 a month and the city council has spent over $200,000 on this public relations firm over the last 20 months. Bobko wastes money further by going outside this highly paid public relations group and issues his own personal press release, touting his Mayors position for his pick for new Police Chief.

In doing so he went against city policy, a code of ethics and the established procedure for this city hire. He misleads the public as though his title of mayor was voted upon, which it was not. His need for media attention superseded all common sense. Worse yet, he does not understand that his actions actually cost his favored selection the job. The city manager would have appeared to be a stooge of Bobko’s had he gone with Bobko’s press release candidate for police chief. The reason the city council does not get involved in the selection of department heads is that it would lead to a poor selection process. Bobko knows this. He is currently serving as ceremonial mayor at the pleasure of his four other council colleagues. In addition to a resolution of censure, he should be voted to be removed by his other councilmembers as the ceremonial mayor as soon as possible.

Hermosa Beach has no use for such self-promotion and abuse of the ceremonial title of mayor. In November, the electorate can elect some less publicity oriented persons onto the dais.

Michael Keegan

Pure poppycock 

Hermosa Beach Councilmember Kit Bobko’s self promotional letter about how he was instrumental in ensuring “that our City was not overrun on the 4th of July” is pure poppycock. First of all, he alone cannot authorize spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for 50-LA County Sheriff’s Deputies, a “35 foot ‘jail bus,’ and mounted horse patrol.” Secondly, the real reason such significant resources are required is because Bobko and his council colleagues have tolerated a party atmosphere with rampant drunkenness and out of control people for years. Moreover, when the city allows July Fourth to begin with the “Iron Man” event that violates Hermosa Beach’s prohibition of alcohol on the beach, it sets the “agenda” for a day of out of control partying and drunkenness. Residents should ask themselves if a more reasonable solution would be to close all our alcohol serving establishments at 6:00 PM on July Fourth and also cancel the illegal “Iron Man.” That would probably stop the city from being “overrun” on July and cost a whole lot less than the city is currently spending on public safety for July Fourth

Fred Huebscher

Here are the people endorsing Kit From His Web Site  . . . 
  • South Bay Chapter of the LA County Lincoln Clubs
  • Former Congressman Steve Kuykendall
  • Don Knabe, Los County Supervisor
  • Michael DiVirgilio, Hermosa Beach Mayor Pro Tempore
  • Jack Burns, Hermosa Beach School District Board Member
  • George Barks, Former City Council Board Member
  • Richard Montgomery, Former Manhattan Beach Mayor
  • Bob Holmes, Former Manhattan Beach City Council Member
  • Art Yoon, Former Hermosa Beach City Council Member
  • Greg Breen, Former Board Member, Hermosa Beach School District
  • Bill Sigler, Former Parks and Recreation Commission 
  • Steve and Susan Blaco
  • Danay DiVirgilio
  • Doug Gneiser
  • Bruce Greenspon
  • Dorothy Harley
  • Ken Hartley
  • Manny Serrano
  • Corinne Ybarra

Hermosa Beach Mayor Kit Bobko Offers No Apology & Smart-Ass Response


Bobko Offers No Apology & Smart-Ass Response To His Disruptive Behavior

George Schmeltzer Addresses Bobko Undermining Colleagues & City Manager

Kit Bobko Reprimand By City Council Colleagues For Destructive Behavior 

Kit Bobko Offers Censure Amendment "I Not Believe in the Easter Bunny"

Los Angeles Democratic Party Opposes Proposed Hermosa Beach Oil Drilling Project

Resolution Opposing Proposed Hermosa Beach Oil Drilling Project


WHEREAS, the City of Hermosa Beach is considering a proposal to slant drill from its City Yard up to 35 wells underneath the city’s homes, streets and businesses and into the Torrance Oil Field underneath Santa Monica Bay; and

WHEREAS, it is probable there will be negative effects on the health and safety of the citizens of Hermosa Beach and its neighboring communities due to this proposed drilling, and that this project is inconsistent with the city’s pledge to become carbon neutral,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party opposes the proposed Hermosa Beach Oil Drilling Project and any future oil drilling in Hermosa Beach; and strongly supports the City of Hermosa Beach’s pledge to become a “carbon neutral” city and to promote an alternative“carbon neutral” economy for the city; and

THERFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Los Angeles County Democratic Party send a copy of this resolution to the Hermosa Beach City Council and to Assemblymember Al Murastuchi and Senator Ted Lieu.

Author: Dency Nelson, 66AD

Passed By LACDP 8/13/13

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Videos From Oil EIR Scoping Meeting on July 24

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process has begun for the E&B oil production project proposed to be located in Hermosa Beach. This project is ultimately to be voted up or down by Hermosa voters sometime in the year 2014. The vote is to be had as a result of a settlement agreement made between the city and Macpherson Oil that supposedly ended the lawsuit brought against the city by the Macpherson Oil company as a result of the city’s ban on oil drilling that was voted by the people.

On Wednesday evening, July 24, an EIR “scoping” meeting, as part of the EIR process for E&B’s proposed oil-drilling, was held in Hermosa’s Community Center Theater with several hundred participants hearing a presentation of the EIR process, and then adding their “scope” of the EIR comments.

The city made a video recording and also a transcript of that meeting. You may now view the video on the city’s website. It is listed in the website’s video archives as the “E&B EIR Scoping Meeting Parts 1, Part 2, Part 3.   Or use this link to go directly to the video archive page:  or browse to https://www.hermosabch.org/ and then click on “agendas / minutes/videos” on the left side of the home page to arrive at the video-archive page. View the video titled Part 1 first as the three video parts may be displayed in reverse order.

The Hermosa Beach video servers are really bad so don't be surprise if your video viewing is choppy.  There are a lot of people interested in the topic and viewing the video.  Please be patient.  Sometimes the video works better using the browsers Firefox and Explorer.  Chrome does not work well.

You have until Monday, Aug. 12, to submit additional comments regarding concerns you desire to be included in the “scope” of the EIR. Submit those comments to the city by email (krobertson@hermosabch.org) or hand deliver them to Ken Robertson, Director of Community Development, city of Hermosa Beach.

We will be going through this video over the next few weeks and will publish highlights below. 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Hermosa Beach Mayor Kit Bobko Would Rather Drill For Oil vs Raise Hotel Occupancy Tax 2%


Raising the Hermosa Beach hotel occupancy tax would could bring in an additional $400,000 for the city, staff estimated. The current rate has been in place since 1990 and is expected to generate approximately $2 million in revenue this year. It accounts for more than six percent of the budgeted income. The TOT tax is imposed on all people staying in a hotel in the city for 30 days or less.

According to the city staff report, the South Bay area average TOT is 11.6 percent. Redondo Beach is considering an increase from 12 percent to 14 percent. Manhattan Beach collects 10 percent, but has the authority to charge 12 percent. El Segundo charges the lowest hotel tax in the area at 8 percent.

Mayor Kit Bobko said that he did not feel that the government had a better idea on how to spend a consumer’s money than the consumer, particularly when it comes to tax increases, and made incendiary remarks comparing it to burning money in a furnace. He championed budget cuts over tax increases.
comments powered by Disqus