A gunman opened fire on a crowd of people standing outside Hermosa Beach's Zen Lounge early Sunday morning, injuring one man and shaking up the local community. Several men began fighting outside the nightclub at 705 Pier Avenue around 2am, and one man pulled out a 9mm gun and yelled, "Long Beach Insane," before firing six times at the men. more ›

A ban on smoking in Hermosa Beach took effect yesterday, meaning that those who enjoy a nice inhale of nicotine will find themselves either quarantined off to sad, tiny areas or fined between $100 and $500, reports NBC Los Angeles. more ›

Things are getting rough for smokers in Hermosa Beach -- a new ordinance has banned them from sucking down their beloved carcinogens in any outdoor place that people congregate, according to the Daily Breeze. The new regulation, which was approved by the town's City Council in a 4-0 vote on Tuesday night, is expected to go into effect on March 1, 2012. more ›

If you plan on drinking at restaurants in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, now would be a bad time to forget your ID. Restaurants there are probably going to be especially wary, after police cited four restaurants for serving liquor to young'uns during an alcohol sting last week. more ›

Gold diggers, pack your bags. You're going to Manhattan Beach, baby. The sophisticated South Bay beach town assumes the number one spot on CNNMoney's "Best places for the rich and single," list. Though 30.2% of Manhattan Beach residents are single, the city boasts a median family income of $154,860. more ›

If you're headed to the shores of Redondo Beach, Torrance, or Hermosa Beach, get ready for some gross-out potential: "An invasion of insects has turned a trip to the beach in parts of Southern California into a major summer bummer," explains the Associated Press. Those insects are black kelp flies, which are hanging out on trash cans and lifeguard stands. more ›

Seismologists say a 3.1-magnitude earthquake centered in the Pacific Ocean approximately four miles west of Hermosa Beach shook up the cities of Santa Monica Bay at 8:52 a.m. this morning, reports the USGS. No injuries or damages have been reported. Did you feel it? For context, that puts the quake 5 miles from Manhattan Beach, 6 miles from Redondo Beach, 8 miles from Torrance and 19 miles from the Los Angeles Civic Center. more ›

It's accepted that regular surf sessions are responsible for mellowing many a dude, but can serious surf time make you happy too? Manhattan Beach native Ryan Pittsinger has studied the link between surfing and mental health and has found that just 30 minutes of riding waves can significantly decrease negative feelings, according to the Hermosa Beach Patch. more ›

If you live in Los Alamitos, and you're contemplating getting some ink done, a rubdown, or some permanent eyeliner put on, think outside the lines. As in, outside the city lines, since the Los Alamitos City Council "voted last night to extend a 45-day moratorium on new tattoo parlors, permanent make-up salons and massage services until September 2011," according to the OC Register. more ›

Are tattoos bad news for Hermosa Beach? The ink you get on your own skin is protected by the First Amendment as free speech, but the City of Hermosa Beach is still looking for ways to contend with their tattoo parlors. more ›

Merchants and locals are grumbling loudly over the seemingly endless Pier Avenue Improvement Project as construction crews rush to make sure there will at least be sidewalks for the large crowd expected to attend this weekend's Fiesta Hermosa. more ›

A small earthquake, described by some as a "quick jolt," occurred just a few miles off shore of the South Bay this morning. The 3.6 magnitude shaker struck at 2:17 a.m. 3 miles from Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, according to the USGS. It only took a few minutes before a 1,000 tweets blew by. "Nothing like going to bed and having mother nature rock you to sleep with an earthquake," said softpipes. Up here in the Valley, nothing was felt at LAist's Studio City headquarters. Some reported feeling it as far as Pomona, Simi Valley and Irvine. Did you feel it? more ›

Need an excuse to head to Hermosa Beach for some fun this weekend? You've got one in the form of the annual Fiesta Hermosa, a nearly four-decades running Memorial Weekend Festival that puts the party right by the shore. more ›

Following in the footsteps of West Hollywood (and South Tahoe), the city of Hermosa Beach unanimously approved an ordinance banning the sale of cats and dogs in the first of two hearings, according to the Daily Breeze. The second and final hearing--ordinances must be voted upon twice--will be in April. No pet stores are currently within city limits so there will be no immediate effects. "This is thought to provide the beginning of the emphasis on cutting down on the number of puppy mills and cat factories in various places" that supply retail pet stores, City Manager Steve Burrell told the City Council. more ›

Hermosa Beach won a ruling last month from the Second District Court of Appeal, allowing them to have the “discretionary power” to deny oil-drilling permits, but they still stand a chance to lose in the end. At issue is a 1.3-acre property owned by Macpherson Oil Company, which wants build up to 30 oil drills and other related infrastructure. The court decision throws back the final decision to a jury, but finding that too risky, city officials are petitioning the California Supreme Court to end the battle. “This appeal seeks to end the oil company’s 11- year legal fight to strip away the most fundamental of a city’s rights and obligations - the right and obligation to protect the health and safety of its residents,” Mayor Michael DiVirgilio said today. If Hermosa loses, the oil drilling could proceed and the city could be liable for $700 million, 20 times the city budget. more ›

South Bay eats can be tricky. I once heard someone describe a Hermosa Beach restaurant as “like what you would find in LA.” That made me scratch my head and walk the other way -- right to Hermosa’s “The Chicken Shack,” which boasts claims “the best chicken around.” (They do have the best car around.) While they may not have the best chicken in LA, they do have some of the best around... the South Bay. This is a good thing. more ›

The idea of putting sharrows on Los Angeles streets has been on the books since Council President Eric Garcetti introduced a motion in June 2008. The motion was simply for a pilot program--not even citywide--to see how they work. The original motion asked for them to be along Vermont Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and 4th Street as well as Fountain Avenue between the 101 freeway and Hoover Street. more ›

If "Smokey and The Bandit" featured Colonel Sanders .... He seems to call The Chicken Shack home. We hear their Peruvian chicken is pretty tasty too. FYI: LAist loves Peruvian chicken. more ›

Mike Radke bought Maui Rose in Hermosa Beach about a little over a year ago, and serves up the finest Hawaiian fusion and Asian cuisine this side of the 405 freeway. Even though he has delicious food, a great location, and cooking skills, times are tough. more ›

Southbay photographer and Flickr user jakerome explains the fun of parking in Hermosa Beach: more ›

For the second time this year, Improv Everywhere releases a video of them pranking the Los Angeles area -- this time they go out to a random little league game in Hermosa Beach acting like it's the Major Leagues with a NBC sports broadcase, the Good Year blimp and hardcore fans who knew the players' names along with made up nicknames (TNT!). They even went as far as holding a press conference afterwards (video below). Last month, Improv Everywhere hit the Baldwin Hills Mall with a Food Court Musical. more ›

• The feds are cracking down on undocumented immigrants who reenter the country after being deported, the LA Times found. Attempts to nab the offenders makes up more than one-third of all prosecutions in Los Angeles and surrounding counties. The logic behind the push, feds say, is to keep the more dangerous elements off the street but some public defenders who represent the undocumenteds are calling BS on them.
• Attention 11th and 12th graders: the University of California is considering dropping the SATs from admission requirements. Smart move, UC. The test has proven to be racially and economically biased and does not test intelligence but test taking skills. Oh wait, college is sort of like that too.
• Police in Hermosa Beach arrested a man who allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's apartment and stabbed her current boyfriend multiple times. Current boyfriend is alive but in serious condition while ex-boyfriend and current madman surrendered to cops after a stand off in the apartment.
• The Kodak Theater could be the site of this year's MTV Video Music Awards. Kodak might be an unusual choice due to its relatively small number of seats, compared to past venues. Especially because each musician needs two seats: one for himself and for his ego.
• A man in Palm Springs is counting his lucky stars today, having been rescued after falling about 200 feet from Mount San Gorgonio Saturday afternoon. That'll teach him for falling.
• The Washington state Department of Corrections has agreed to pay $2.25 million to five children who were wounded or traumatized when a parolee from Washington fired 70 rounds into the Granada Hills Jewish community center, wounding five before killing a mail carrier in August 1999. The families of the boys argued the state should have done more to check up on the parolee which, had they done so, would have revealed the dude was stashing weapons in his house. The families originally sued for $15 million. Therapy ain't cheap, people.
• Two people were shot in Sun Valley this morning during an apparent case of road rage. Five people in one car fought with two people in another, each eventually pulling guns. What happened to the good ol days when rivals would just have dance offs in alleys and have names like Jets and Sharks? more ›

Big Business, Red Fang, The Cops @ Spaceland (Tho Cops reviewed on LAist, 3/20/06) more ›

Cisco Adler protégé and collaborator, Shwayze (seen to the left), is hitting up Redondo Beach tonight with his happier sounding indie hip-hop. He grew up in a trailer park... a trailer park in Malibu that is. “To me, it was the nicest trailer of all time," the 22-year-old musician says. He and Adler play at the Venezia Italian Grill and you can start your night in Malibu, riding the bus down with the gang (RSVPs required, see the MySpace flier). more ›

If you're looking for 20-25 ft. waves, you better at least head up to Point Conception or past Eureka for even higher ones. If 7-14 ft. waves are your style, then stay LA.The surf will build throughout today and tonight, peaking Wednesday. By Thursday, the swell is expected to diminish into the 5- to 7-foot range, Seto said. A rainstorm from the Northwest is expected Thursday through Saturday, bringing more than an inch of... more ›

Fiesta Hermosa This weekend Hermosa Beach will once again host it's 3-day arts festival formerly known as Fiesta del Artes. It's going to be a hot one, so the cool breezes will make this festival the place to be. The arts and crafts on sale are irresistable, so bring money. The food vendors are not that impressive; I prefer the local restaurants, and the beer garden really gets out of control. That can be... more ›

Maxwell Lemuel Roach was born on Jan 10, 1924 in New Land, NC. He would go on to become one of the all-time great masters of rhythm. Max Roach's command of instrument, and his musicality as a drummer -- anchored and accelerated the evolution of jazz and moreover everything that is good music. A primary catalyst of the progression of bebop to hard bop -- Max Roach made the drums the hottest instrument on... more ›

If your not ready for the races mentioned in our Alt Races Guide, then maybe you are up to a race of a different breed: Nike's 5-mile Run Hit Remix: The PowerSong Edition featuring live performances along the route by Naughty by Nature, Sir Mix-A-Lot, The Sugarhill Gang, Dawn Robinson of En Vogue, and a finish line concert by MC Hammer on September 15th at 9 a.m. (you might also spot Caroline on Crack... more ›

As Guest Day Editor, Siel, a.k.a Green LA Girl, will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout today. Read her interview here and check out her site. more ›