HERMOSA BEACH : County Deadline on Beach Services Extended

After threatening to suspend county beach services in Hermosa Beach after Labor Day, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week voted 4 to 0 to give the city a 60-day reprieve.

The supervisors decided last month to cut off its lifeguard and beach maintenance after the Hermosa Beach City Council refused to pay more for the services. But the supervisors agreed to extend its deadline to Nov. 7 because city officials, who contend they already provide the county with substantial subsidies for lifeguard and beach cleaning services, said they would consider additional cost-sharing proposals.

“The city has shown a real interest in trying to negotiate a deal,” said Dean Smith, chief of administrative services for the county Department of Beaches and Harbors. “We are certainly hopeful, and have every intention to reach some kind of agreement that will allow us to continue services.”

City officials were relieved by the supervisors’ decision.

“It was a great ray of hope for us,” said Hermosa Beach acting City Manager Mary Rooney. “The Sept. 7 deadline would not have been in the best interest of public safety. It would have been unreasonable to expect the city to be able to mobilize any kind of plan to address lifeguard withdrawal in that amount of time.”