This Week's Top News in the South Bay

Here is a look at what made news in our communities this week:

Hermosa Beach

: Hermosa Beach Police believe they know the identity of the male who allegedly jumped off the Hermosa Beach Pier late last month, launching a massive nighttime search, said HBPD Detective Mark Gaglia. The search included a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, Los Angeles County lifeguards and HBPD.

: Hermosa Beach Detective Mark Gaglia Tuesday characterized the death of Trina Marie Heard-Broughton, 53, of Long Beach as sad, saying, "She was a really nice lady." Though the coroner's official report on the cause of death, which will include a toxicology report, is not completed yet, Gaglia said that foul play is not suspected.

: Under the bright glow of spotlights, lifeguards from across southern California battled it out Saturday night at the Southern California Lifeguard Championships hosted at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The evening's events included the Judge Taplin lifeguard medley relay which, according to the event's website, is the most prestigious lifeguard event in the United States and started in 1936.

Redondo Beach

: A Redondo Beach police officer was involved in a crash with an alleged drunk driver on Inglewood Avenue at the intersection of 170th Street in Lawndale shortly after midnight Saturday. The driver of the pickup truck, Lawndale resident Timothy Lindley, 41, was arrested under suspicion of felony DUI charges and was being held on $20,000 bail, sheriff's deputies said.

: A man who publicly claimed responsibility for vandalizing a Torrance Chick-fil-A restaurant with the words "Tastes Like Hate," in protest of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy's comments against same-sex marriage, was taken into custody, police announced Thursday.

: The took a small step toward an all-out ban on operating leaf blowers within the city limits during Tuesday night's council meeting. Though the discussion item on the agenda involved reducing the number of hours in which people could operate leaf blowers, councilmen quickly asked for an outright ban.

Manhattan Beach

: The Manhattan Beach Little Junior All Stars beat a Central East Maui team 1-0 to take the Western Region championship Tuesday night and secure a berth in the Little League Junior World Series in Taylor, Michigan. World Series competition begins Sunday.

: The Manhattan Beach Unified School District announced during its Wednesday night board meeting that it plans to have an iPad in the hands of every Manhattan Beach Middle School student by the time school starts on August 29.

Palos Verdes

: Some of the biggest animals ever to roam the earth have returned to the area in what is becoming an annual visit to the waters in the South Bay and off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

: A man is reported to be ok after slipping on the rocks and hitting his head near in Rancho Palos Verdes Monday afternoon, prompting initial reports of a search operation.

Also in the News:

: A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Southern California at 11:23 p.m. Tuesday, followed shortly by 13 aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor's epicenter was about 2 miles north-northeast of Yorba Linda, Calif., putting it about 29 miles east-southeast downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

: Less than 12 hours after a magnitude-4.5 earthquake in Yorba Linda rattled the Southern California, another temblor with a magnitude of 4.5 shook the same area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by a magnitude-3.4 aftershock that hit in the same area at 9:51 a.m.

: There are now more breweries in the U.S. than before Prohibition, and the South Bay is contributing to that growth. Take a look at this guide to South Bay breweries.

: Dead pelicans are becoming a more common sight on piers and public beaches of Los Angeles this summer. Although a high pelican mortality rate is typical in the months following breeding season—many young pelicans starve to death while learning to forage on their own—more birds are dying because fish, their main source of food, are moving offshore, experts said.