While officials in several cities continue to pay lip service to reigning in the real estate/development industry, condo projects and mansionization will continue unabated.

At least one school board or special district election will be canceled – and the incumbents reappointed – because potential challengers were not made aware of filing deadlines.

The city of Redondo Beach will do nothing to upgrade its harbor area while murmurs in official circles spread about reviving the Heart of the City plan.

Reggie – the alligator in Harbor City's Lake Machado – will not be caught.

Cost overruns on Manhattan Beach's new police/fire facility will shock even the most ardent proponents of the project.

Debra Bowen will be elected California Secretary of State.

Continued public disturbance issues in its downtown area will quickly dampen any excitement about the completion of Hermosa Beach's pier/Strand plaza.

Traffic will get much, much worse.

A South Bay news website (not this one) will rise and fiercely compete with local print media.

Thanks to the new Torrance Art Museum, Gallery C, Angels Gate Cultural Center and the Palos Verdes Art Center, interest in the South Bay art scene will increase significantly.

Despite the AVP's efforts to expand both the Manhattan Beach Open and the Hermosa Beach Open, the number of people in the South Bay who actually play beach volleyball will continue to dwindle.

Despite heavy rhetoric opposing Lawndale's massive sign on the San Diego Freeway, other South Bay cities will move to build their own signs, prompting a competition to see who has the biggest, most ugly electric billboard.

Hermosa Beach will finally get a wi-fi system for residents.

Longshot prediction: The Daily Breeze will be sold.

(Jan. 3, 2006)

© Copyright 1999-2006 The Aesthetic