Hermosa Beach council elects Robert Seaman mayor, names DeToy mayor pro tem

The Hermosa Beach City Council elected Council member Robert Seaman as mayor and Council member DeToy as mayor pro tem at a special meeting on April 29, 2025, voting 5-0 on the nominations and approving related committee reassignments.

The change is a routine council reorganization carried out under Resolution 20-72-65, which allows the council to elect a mayor and mayor pro tem to serve 9.6-month terms. Council members approved the meeting agenda by voice vote at the start of the session and heard no public comments on the item.

Nominations opened during the reorganization. A council member nominated Mayor Pro Tem Seaman for mayor and Council member DeToy for mayor pro tem; a second was recorded. The council then conducted a roll-call vote that Commissioners recorded as five affirmative votes, producing a unanimous 5-0 result. The council immediately updated committee assignments to reflect the new leadership.

The council also approved a motion appointing the mayor to serve on the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee and to serve on the South Bay City Sanitation District Board of Directors, with a council member to act as alternate director. The motion specified that the outgoing mayor, Dean Francois, would serve as the alternate to the sanitation district and that Council member Keegan would be included for the city selection committee. That motion also carried 5-0 in roll-call voting.

Outgoing Mayor Dean Francois addressed the council before the reorganization, thanking colleagues and staff and highlighting actions taken during his term, including changes to e-bike rules and a stricter ordinance addressing homelessness. Francois said the council focused on “bringing more civility and professionalism to our meetings,” and the council presented him with several ceremonial recognitions following his remarks.

In his first remarks after being elected, Mayor Robert Seaman said he regarded the role as a leadership position rather than a purely ceremonial one. “I think as mayor, it’s my duty, it’s my responsibility to provide leadership and to promote an environment in which the city council can meet the challenges that come our way,” Mayor Robert Seaman said.

The council adjourned the special meeting at 6:52 p.m. in honor of Kathleen Midstoke, a former mayor and longtime city official who died earlier that day.

Votes at a glance: approval of the agenda — motion carried 5-0; election of mayor (nomination of Mayor Pro Tem Seaman as mayor and Council member DeToy as mayor pro tem) — carried 5-0 (roll call); appointment of mayor as delegate to LA County City Selection Committee and to South Bay City Sanitation District Board with Dean Francois as alternate and inclusion of Council member Keegan on the city selection committee — carried 5-0 (roll call).