This Week's Top News in the South Bay

Redondo Beach

Anti-Power Plant Initiative Qualifies for March Ballot: The Power Plant Phase-Out Initiative—a measure designed to prevent AES from rebuilding its power plant on Harbor Drive—has qualified for the March ballot, power plant opponent Jim Light announced Wednesday evening in a blog post on Redondo Beach Patch.

Redondo Fire Chief to Retire at End of Year: You might never guess that this tan, fit man who runs the Redondo Beach Fire Department with such innovation and efficiency is a notorious practical joker. Playing elaborate pranks on city officials is just one of the things Chief Dan Madrigal, 55, will sorely miss when he retires his badge at the end of the year.

Police: Man Stole Truck With Child Inside: A 21-year-old man who allegedly stole a pickup truck in Lawndale with a 2-year-old boy inside was behind bars Tuesday, and the toddler was safely back with his family. The boy's 42-year-old father had just strapped the child into the truck when he returned to his apartment near 173rd Street and Grevillea Avenue—less than two blocks north of the South Bay Galleria.

Manhattan Beach

MB Man Listed as Third Top Delinquent CA Taxpayer: A Manhattan Beach resident owes the state millions of dollars in taxes. Find out how much money you have to owe to place third on the Top 500 list.

Police Search for Home Burglary Suspect: A juvenile finds an intruder in his home, prompting a helicopter and K9 units to search three streets in the Tree Section.

Two Home Burglaries in MB Monday Night: Burglars discovered inside two Manhattan Beach homes Monday night kept police busy and in search mode until about 11:30 p.m. One suspect is in custody and a search for the second suspect lasted late into the night Monday. Helicopters were used in both searches.

Board of Supervisors Endorse Proposition 30: Two supervisors don't agree with supporting the ballot initiative that would deliver much-needed funds to the state's public schools.

Sen. Feinstein Suggests Probe of State's Gas Crisis: The Democratic senator asks the Federal Trade Commission to look into a steady rise in gas prices not caused by "market fundamentls."

Hermosa Beach

Locals Finish Strong at Triathlon: Competitors from Hermosa Beach tacke The Day at the Beach Triathlon in Hermosa. Strong places come from four HB athletes.

Hermosa Council Narrowly Approves New Banking Contract: The Hermosa Beach City Council approved the city's new banking contract Tuesday in a vote that had two councilmen questioning the city's lack of formality and transparency in choosing the city's banking services.

Gov. Jerry Brown Orders Switch to Winter Gas To Dampen Price Spike:With gas prices spking intensely daily, the governor acts to stave off a bigger hit to consumers' pocketbooks.

Palos Verdes

PVPUSD Posts High API Scores: The Academic Performance Index score for public schools in Palos Verdes—summarizing students' performance on a series of tests—far exceeded the statewide average in 2011-12. The district's score went from 919 last year to 923. The statewide API score increased by 10 points, from 778 last year to 788, according to figures released Thursday by the California Department of Education.

Western Avenue to Be Narrowed Nightly: Western Avenue—also known as SR-213—between 25th Street and Avenida Aprenda in Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro will be narrowed to one lane in each direction weekday nights from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning while Caltrans repaves the road.