North Redondo Beach News

Happy New Year to one and all. Wishing you and your families the best of everything for 2015.

In addition to sales and economic updates both local and national, this issue brings you State of the City reports from the mayors from the cities of Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo Beach. All three cities have major happenings you will want to become more familiar with as the year progresses.

Please enjoy. Should your plans include real estate purchase and sales, please call or email with questions – and as always, thanks for your referrals!

State of the City:
Hermosa Beach / Manhattan Beach / Redondo Beach

Hermosa Beach: State of the City
Source: Beach Reporter December 30, 2014

Manhattan Beach: State of the City
Source: Beach Reporter December 30, 2014

Redondo Beach: State of the City
Source: Beach Reporter December 30, 2014

To see full article with sources click HERE

Bring your family and celebrate Spring at Redondo Beach’s annual SpringFest carnival and Community Festival. located in Aviation Park at the corner of Manhattan Beach Blvd. & Aviation Blvd, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd.

There’s ton’s of fun for the entire family!

• Carnival Rides
• Kids Zone
• Arts & Crafts
• Food Court and Food Trucks
• Community demonstrations
• and lots, lots more!

Admission and Parking is Free!

The 2nd Annual South Bay Art Auction is coming to the Shade Hotel on October 25th. You’re invited to an exclusive opportunity to purchase genuine, original art from local and renowned artists while also supporting the arts in Redondo Schools. Early bird discounted tickets are on sale now through October 11th. All proceeds will benefit the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation to provide inspiring arts experiences for Redondo Beach students. RBEF plans to send every 2nd & 3rd grader in the Redondo Beach Unified School District – approximately 1,400 children – to LACMA with the event proceeds. Tickets are on sale now at http://art90266.org and the early-bird price has just been extended.

Starting Monday, Oct. 2, some of Spain’s most sought-after flamenco gitano performers will come to Redondo Beach’s Performing Arts Center for Festival Flamenco Gitano USA 2012. The four-day event serves to celebrate the rich legacy of Spanish Gypsy music and dance and its essential role in flamenco’s evolution. Festival-goers will experience flamenco at its most grassroots form, with performances from multigenerational groups of dancers and musicians, including La Farruca the living matriarch of the Farruco family – the first family of gypsy flamenco dance- and her son, El Carpeta, the 14-year old Flamenco prodigy. Festival Flamenco Gitano USA 2012 runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 4 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. For ticket info, see .kalakoa.com.

As a city, Redondo Beach ranked 12th in total assessment values, according to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office. In Redondo Beach, the year-to-year change was an increase of 2.7 percent.  Redondo Beach ranked at No. 12 in the county with a total assessment of $12.372 billion. Neighboring Manhattan Beach ranked No. 11 with a total assessment of $12.713 billion. Between 2010 and 2011, the city saw its assessment values increase by 1.4 percent. The city with the highest year-to-year increase in the county was Beverly Hills, which had a 6.5 percent jump. Rolling Hills saw the second highest at 6 percent. The total assessment of properties in the county is more than $1.13 trillion, a $24.8 billion jump over last year, according to the Assessor’s Office. When tax-exempt assessments and state-funded homeowners’ exemptions are factored in, the county’s net assessment roll is $1.079 trillion, up 2.2 percent from last year.

“Cruise at the Beach.” every Friday night at Ruby’s Diner parking lot starting at 3 p.m. Redondo Beach is transformed into a car lover’s paradise. Vintage Cadillacs, Buicks, Corvettes, and every car in between. The car show began in 1997 with only 12 to 15 cars. Now, close to 250 show up every week. People from across the South Bay come to show off their cars, or drool over something they wish was parked in their garage. The show is open to everyone, you don’t have to own a pre-1970 to join the show, You can bring any car you want down here as long, as it’s nice. In the old days these cars had personalities – there are muscle cars, street rods, hot rods, and trucks. Each one of them with their own qualities.

Redondo Beach Unified School District students and employees may see up to 17 furlough days during the 2012-2013 school year if neither of two tax initiatives on the November pass. The two measures on the ballot—Proposition 30 and Proposition 38—both call for tax increases to support schools. Proposition 30, introduced by Gov. Jerry Brown, calls for a quarter-cent increase in the state sales tax and raises taxes on the state’s top earners. Molly Munger’s Proposition 38 increases state income tax rates for most Californians for 12 years. If either of the November ballot initiatives pass, there will be no additional furlough days, but if both of them do not pass, an there will be up to seventeen total furlough days, depending on the amount of cuts to the budget the school district will face. In addition to hoping that at least one of the two tax measures benefiting education on November’s ballot pass, the district also hopes that Redondo Beach residents will pass a $63 million bond to help indirectly close RBUSD’s $2 million budget shortfall.

It is hard to believe that we are already at the middle of 2012, time sure flies when you are having fun. We are also in the middle of a the prime home buying and selling season, and the good times are rolling. The mood in the market place has shifted, buyer are motivated to take advantage of record low interest rates, with that said homes are selling quickly and for more money. According to the MLS in Redondo Beach 87 transactions closed in May 2012, compared to 55 in May 2011. That is an increase of 58%. In June there we more homes in escrow in Redondo Beach than were listed for sale, that is someting we have not seen since the boom of 2005. The net result is that Redondo Beach real estate is appreciating

It’s never too early to plan for college. The Redondo Beach Unified School District wants to make that clear, and to get the message out, the district is hosting College Information Nights for parents of students in grades 3 through 8 on Thursday, and again on May 3. The College Information Nights will offer three workshops to parents: The Road to College, Paying for College and Financial Aid, and Preparing for College Now. The district’s goal is for 70 percent of students to become A through G completers, starting with this year’s junior class at Redondo Union High School. RBUSD College Information Nights are for parents of students in grades 3 through 8. Two events are planned; the first will take place Thursday at Washington Elementary School/Adams Middle School, 1100 Lilienthal Ave. in Redondo Beach. The second will be May 3 at Parras Middle School, 200 N. Lucia Ave., Redondo Beach