Parks commission continues LA Kings beach event review to April 1 over unanswered questions, event-limit concerns

The Hermosa Beach Parks and Recreation Commission on a unanimous vote continued its public hearing on a proposed LA Kings beach activation until its April 1 meeting, citing unanswered producer questions and concerns that the proposal would push September well past the city's special-event limits.

Staff described the 2025 proposal as largely the same event that had been slated for September 2024 before the Kings cancelled and sought to move the activation to 2025. The producer sought to use the beach south of the pier for setup on Monday, Sept. 15'Wednesday, Sept. 17; event days Thursday, Sept. 18'Tuesday, Sept. 23; and teardown on Sept. 24. Coca-Cola would be a partner and would seek on-beach sampling of Smartwater and Coke Zero on Friday through Sunday during the event. Staff said the Kings expected about 500 participants and 1,000 spectators on event days.

The proposal would exceed the special-event monthly cap for September. Staff told the commission approving the Kings event as proposed would yield roughly 25 event days in September versus the policy's 15-day cap. Approving the event in its current form would also produce three events on Saturday, Sept. 20 (the city's Coastal Cleanup Day with Heal the Bay, the annual GlowRide, and the Kings event), which requires a policy exemption and a council decision.

Staff advised that because the planned Coca-Cola sampling is promotional product sampling, that portion of the activation better fits the Pier Plaza promotion program and would be charged the applicable promotion fee. Staff also explained an amplified-sound constraint: the Kings would be required to limit announcements and eliminate music by 5:30 p.m. on days that would overlap with the GlowRide to avoid concurrent amplified sound.

Commissioners pressed staff for operational details that were not yet available: parking counts, an exact list of tents and activations, clarity on plaza programming, outreach to other event producers (for example, GlowRide organizers), and whether the Kings and Coca-Cola had committed to local sponsorships for other late-September events. Staff said much of the permitting work had been done during the 2024 review cycle and reiterated that some details still needed producer confirmation; staff also said it would notify GlowRide organizers and other stakeholders as part of the review process.

Because representatives of the LA Kings and the event producers were not present for questioning, several commissioners said they lacked the necessary detail to make a recommendation to council. After discussion, the commission voted unanimously to continue the public hearing to the commission's April 1 meeting so event producers could appear and answer questions. Staff said if the commission forwards a recommendation it would appear on the City Council agenda for its March 25 meeting; staff also said the council could act before the commission's April review if council chose to put the matter on its March agenda.

No final approvals or exemptions were granted by the commission at the meeting; the continuation preserves staff's ability to complete the permitting review and to return with producers present or to present a refined event plan for the commission's April 1 meeting.