Action on Hermosa Video Sales Delayed

The Hermosa Beach City Council, acting on a recommendation from its former interim city attorney, has delayed action on a proposed ordinance that would restrict video sales and rentals to the commercial strip along Pacific Coast Highway.

Stanley Remelmeyer, who relinquished the interim post after undergoing heart surgery, suggested the delay to allow time for his successor, Charles S. Vose, to review the proposed ordinance. No date was set for receiving Vose’s opinion.

Former City Atty. James Lough had advised the council that the measure, which would ban video sales and rentals from neighborhood commercial (C-1) and restricted commercial (C-2) zones, might be unconstitutional.

The issue arose early this year when some residents complained that Hermosa Video, a new store on Hermosa Avenue in the downtown area, was renting adult movies. Scott Gallagher, the store’s owner, said that he had a legal right to offer his customers a selection of adult-rated movies to compete with other outlets. Adult movies make up only about 8% of his stock, he said, and as a result it does not fall under zoning restrictions that bar adult-oriented businesses.

“We’re taking it a day at a time until we hear what the new city attorney has to say,” Gallagher said Wednesday.