Hermosa Beach council interviews nine for Parks & Rec seats as dog park, pool and July volleyball scheduling top discussion

Hermosa Beach City Council members interviewed nine applicants on June 24, 2025, during a special meeting to fill three terms on the Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Commission that expire June 30, 2029. Councilmembers Francois, Keegan and Jackson and Mayor Seaman led the interviews; the council postponed appointment votes to a later regular meeting.

Candidates repeatedly raised a small set of recurring issues from the parks master plan and community petitions: a proposed dog park, renewed discussion about a municipal swimming pool or shared pool use, scheduling conflicts for beach volleyball tournaments in July (including AVP and junior leagues), and court use and hours for pickleball. Several applicants also proposed broader ideas for outreach, youth engagement and using the 2028 Olympics as an opportunity to showcase Hermosa Beach.

Why it matters: park amenities and recurring special events affect residents’ daily use of public space, local businesses and peak-season traffic. Several initiatives mentioned by candidates are citizen-driven (yard signs and petitions for a dog park; a petition and media coverage around a pool proposal) and are not currently funded in the city’s capital improvement program. Councilmembers made clear that final appointments and any policy actions will come later in a regular meeting and through the commission’s formal review process.

Candidates’ priorities and positions

Thomas Moroney, an incumbent applicant, emphasized implementation work on the parks master plan and community outreach done by the commission. Moroney noted the commission’s survey work — “they came back over 70% right number of events” — and said he wants to continue work on three master-plan priorities the commission has already advanced: a dog park recommendation, a pool joint-use agreement and improvements at Clark Field. Moroney also described outreach efforts he runs on social media and said, “I love this job.”

Multiple applicants urged a practical approach to the July volleyball scheduling conflict that has pitted two long-running junior leagues against the AVP professional event and a professional junior tournament. Several applicants said they would try to broker scheduling compromises or explore calendar changes rather than let leagues skip years. Commissioner and applicant Yanni Lang, citing experience working with event organizers, urged giving the commission more time to negotiate: “Give us more time. Let us meet regularly,” and suggested meeting more frequently — proposing twice-monthly commission meetings — to resolve event-calendar disputes.

On the dog park and pool questions, applicants differed on near-term feasibility. Several applicants supported the dog-park idea as a locally popular, relatively lower-cost amenity and noted Valley Park or the track area behind South Park as possible locations. Applicants who addressed the pool said a municipal pool would be valuable but emphasized the high maintenance and funding requirements; several proposed exploring shared-use agreements with nearby cities or schools rather than immediate city construction.

Other ideas raised

- Youth and volunteer engagement: Some applicants proposed a youth commission, a teen seat on Parks & Rec, or greater outreach to engage younger residents in programming and civic education. - Events and economic development: Multiple candidates said they wanted to sustain or expand large events and concerts that bring visitors in shoulder seasons; one applicant described a goal to restore the city-produced “Concerts on the Beach” series and to leverage Olympic-related attention in 2028. - Access and small improvements: Candidates noted smaller items — benches for seniors, improvements to the greenbelt and court repairs — as wins that matter to residents and argued the commission should pursue a mix of short-term fixes and long-term projects.

Process notes and next steps

The City Clerk announced one withdrawal: Commissioner Lauren Pizer Maine asked staff to relay that she was withdrawing her application for personal reasons and requested that the council consider reappointments of experienced candidates. The council did not take appointments at the special meeting; members said formal votes will occur during an upcoming regular meeting. Several applicants and council members said the commission should continue conducting public hearings and subcommittee work before recommendations reach council.

What was not decided

No formal votes or motions on appointments, dog park siting, pool funding or event scheduling were taken at the special meeting; those substantive policy actions remain to be considered by the commission and council at future public hearings.

Several candidates asked for more commission meeting time and for clearer, earlier engagement with stakeholders to reduce issues reaching the council. Councilmembers signaled they expect the commission to continue studying the items and bring forward well-developed recommendations before any binding council action.

Ending

Appointments will be scheduled for the council’s regular meeting; until then, the commission and staff will continue work on items from the parks master plan and on citizen petitions that surfaced during the interviews.