This Week's Top News in the South Bay

Here is a look at what made news this week in the Beach Cities and Palos Verdes:

Redondo Beach

: A Redondo Beach man who set his Esplanade apartment on fire and ran away with a machete Thursday morning was scheduled to be evicted that day, according to Division Chief Steve Hyink of the Redondo Beach Fire Department.

Power Back on for Most After Outage: Around 2,600 north Redondo Beach residents were without power Sunday morning following a traffic accident that knocked down power lines and power poles, according to Southern California Edison.

• Related: What to do After a Power Surge

CenterCal Hosts Waterfront Redevelopment Workshop: The workshop, held at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, allowed people to tell the CenterCal developers what Redondo Beach residents wanted to see on the waterfront property, which includes the Redondo Beach Pier and Pier Plaza, International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach Marina and Seaside Lagoon.

'Reach Me' Movie Films in Redondo Beach: The indie movie Reach Me has been filming at multiple Redondo Beach landmarks over the past two weeks. On Monday, the production filmed scenes in Veterans Park in South Redondo Beach. The movie stars Sylvester Stallone, Elizabeth Henstridge, Kyra Sedgwick, Kelsey Grammer, and Lauren Cohan, among others.

Hermosa Beach

PETA Files Lawsuit Against Hot's Kitchen: An animal rights group filed a lawsuit against a Hermosa Beach restaurant for allegedly trying to skirt the state's ban on selling foie gras, the organization announced Wednesday.

Council to Discuss Treasurer Cohn's Suspension at Next Meeting: Following an alleged extortion attempt against him, a proposal to discuss the possible suspension of City Treasurer David Cohn as an emergency agenda item Tuesday failed to attract the necessary two-thirds majority vote from the Hermosa Beach City Council and will instead be discussed at the Dec. 11 regular City Council meeting.

City Treasurer's Silence Causes Concern: The issue? Whether or not City Treasurer David Cohn's interaction with a female masseuse, who allegedly was involved in stealing his iPad and attempted to extort $6,000 from him so she would delete the content on it but keep the iPad, and her boyfriend has jeopardized city finances; and whether or not citizens want someone with such judgment in the position of handling city finances, Council member Michael DiVirgilio told Patch hours before Tuesday night's 7 p.m. meeting.

Palos Verdes

Teacher in RHE Police Chase Changes Plea: A Southeast Middle School teacher who drove over an embankment in Rolling Hills Estates and crashed into a tree when he was chased by police pleaded guilty Monday to felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child and evading an officer.

Cliff Jumper to Represent Himself at Sentencing: A judge agreed Tuesday  to let a man convicted of killing his wife and disposing of her body by cooking it over four days at his Lomita restaurant to act as his own attorney while he awaits sentencing.

Southbound Gray Whale Migration Begins: One of the season's first southbound gray whales was spotted Wednesday morning off the coast of the South Bay, marking the beginning of the gray whale Mexican migration season.

RPV to Reduce Waste-Hauling Rates: Households in Rancho Palos Verdes will pay a little less for waste hauling this year, the RPV City Council unanimously decided during a Nov. 20 vote. Waste fees will be reduced by an estimated $18 annually per household.

Manhattan Beach

: A Good Samaritan and MB Fire Department Captain Dave Shenbaum are being credited with rescuing a "female in the water yelling for help" off the end of the Manhattan Beach Pier Saturday night, said David Carmany, Manhattan Beach city manager, Wednesday.

Mira Costa Coach Bob Fish's Death Announced: Bob Fish, a teacher and coach at Mira Costa High School, died on Sunday after a brief battle with cancer, according to the school's website. Fish taught English and coached cross country and track and field at the high school.

Surfers Enjoy High Surf at El Porto Beach: Surfers took advantage of the large swell and offshore winds Thursday afternoon at El Porto in Manhattan Beach as the National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory for much of area.