This Week's Top News in the South Bay

Here are the stories that made headlines this week locally in Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Palos Verdes:

MANHATTAN BEACH

Panga Boat Arrives Bearing Almost a Ton of Pot; DHS Arrests 2: U.S. Customs and Homeland Security agents nabbed two would-be Mexican drug smugglers in the predawn hours Saturday and seized their panga boat filled with nearly a ton of marijuana, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman told City News Service. The arrests took place shortly before 3 a.m. at El Porto in Manhattan Beach.

Gun Shots, Hostages Report Initiates Multi-Agency Police Response in Manhattan Beach: Manhattan Beach police are investigating a false report of a hostage situation that Thursday night sent police officers from multiple agencies, police K9 teams and a helicopter on a fruitless mission, said Sgt. Matt Sabosky of the Manhattan Beach Police Department. The investigation into who made the false report, which is a crime, is ongoing.

City to Pay School District $550,000 Annually For Facility Use: The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved an agreement that will produce $550,000 for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. The agreement stems from months of talks between the two entities as they tried to develop terms that would reimburse the school district for city use of school district property.

MB Post Named to Best Restaurant List: Manhattan Beach Post, Chef David LeFevre's hot spot in downtown Manhattan Beach, has taken another honor, this time being named to L.A. Times Food Critic Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Restaurants list. MB Post comes in at No. 50. No other area restaurants in Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach or on the Palos Verdes Peninsula made the prestigious list.

REDONDO BEACH

Aspel to Be Next Redondo Beach Mayor: The final count of vote-by-mail and valid provisional ballots Monday revealed no changes in the winners of last Tuesday's election.

Former District 1 City Councilman Steve Aspel is the new mayor of Redondo Beach, while Jeff Ginsburg will represent District 1 and Steve Sammarco will represent District 4. Termed-out District 4 Councilman Steve Diels and activist Dawn Esser will compete in the July runoff, which will be to be an all-mail ballot.

Beach at Redondo Pier on 'Beach Bummer' List: Though Santa Catalina Island's Avalon Harbor topped Heal the Bay's list of the most polluted beaches for a fourth time and the water at the Redondo Beach Pier still scores poorly, overall water quality at Los Angeles County beaches showed definite improvement, with the bulk of beaches receiving A or B grades in the environmental group's annual report released today.

Ernie O'Dell: The Man Behind the Monument: Ernie O’Dell got the idea for a new veterans memorial in Redondo Beach back in 1995, about the time he was elected Redondo Beach City Treasurer. What had passed as a memorial up to then was nondescript circle of stones on the far side of Veterans Park, a lush, seaside landscape dotted with Moreton Bay fig trees and cypress pines.

City Celebrates Perry Park Re-Opening: Redondo Beach city officials hosted a grand re-opening ceremony for Perry Park and unveiled a bronze plaque dedicated to the many people and organizations who donated to the project.

HERMOSA BEACH

Fines Levied Against City, Driller, Consultant: Each of the three parties cited by the county public health department for failing to get a permit to conduct groundwater testing in Hermosa Beach have been issued a $260 bill.

The offenders, the City of Hermosa Beach, J&H Drilling Co. of Santa Ana and Brycon, LLC of Costa Mesa, have until June 17th to pay for the "notice of violation and order" listed in the "Cost Recovery and Expense Billing Notice," according to documents from the county's Environmental Health, Drinking Water Program.

Hermosa Beach Pier Re-Opens After Closure For Repairs: The Hermosa Beach Municipal Pier has re-opened as of Thursday, said Frank Senteno, city public works director. Pier access was closed on April 8th for 40 days' worth of repair work, according to the city, with a re-opening deadline of Memorial Day weekend per a California Coastal Commission permit.

Food Network Show Films in Hermosa Beach: Food Network TV Chef Anne Burrell descended on Hermosa Beach for two days of filming her show "Chef Wanted" at Abigaile. More than 100 diners participated in the show Wednesday, dining on cuisine prepared by chef contestants on the show. Abigaile closed Tuesday and Wednesday so the show could film.

City May Add Police Officer to FY 2013-2014 Budget: Hermosa Beach City Council will discuss the preliminary fiscal year 2013-2014 budget and Capital Improvement Program Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. in council chambers, 1400 Highland Ave. City Manager Tom Bakaly's proposed budget adds a full-time police officer and two part-time weekend community services officers for parking enforcement until 2 a.m., according to the online budget document.

PALOS VERDES

2 Dog Attacks Reported in PVE: Two dog attacks were reported in Palos Verdes Estates in the past week and a half, according to the weekly crime report from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department. In the first, which occurred May 14, the victim was walking in the roadway in the 1600 block of Via Arriba when he heard the dog barking.

Lock Your Cars, Deputies Say: Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lomita Station spent Thursday evening patrolling the Soleado neighborhood in Rancho Palos Verdes, searching for vehicles that could be targets for thieves. As part of Operation Lock It Up, seven deputies, eight explorer scouts, and eight Sheriff's Volunteers on Patrol tried door handles and looked in car windows to find unsecured vehicles and valuables left in plain view, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

Trump Can Plant Christmas Tree Hedge Now, RPV Council Decides: The Trump National Golf Course can plant its New Zealand Christmas tree hedge before the tree species is approved by the California Coastal Commission, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council decided Tuesday night. The hedge row, which was proposed to be over 6 feet tall, along the western edge of the driving range was first approved in 2012

Students Give Socks to Soldiers: U.S. troops in Afghanistan will soon have warmer feet, thanks to the efforts of students at Mira Catalina Elementary School in Rancho Palos Verdes. Earlier this month, the school presented a trio of active-duty California National Guard troops and representatives from San Pedro Packages for Patriots with more than 10 boxes of socks the students collected.