Candidate for
Council Member; City of Hermosa Beach

Jeff Duclos has lived in Hermosa Beach for 30 years. His wife, Christine Duclos, has taught at our schools for more than 20 years. He is a homeowner and his two children were raised in this community. A communications specialist by profession, he established his current Hermosa Beach home-based business in 1998.

A first-time candidate for Hermosa Beach City Council in November, 2005, he was the highest vote getter in a field of 10 candidates not elected. Among his endorsements for the June 6, 2006, Special Election for City Council were the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association, Hermosa Beach Police Officers Association, Hermosa Beach Teacher Association, California Teamsters Local 911 and the Daily Breeze.

During the last Municipal Election (11/6/07), he was again narrowly eclipsed for a seat on the Hermosa Beach City Council.

The Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association and Hermosa Beach Police Officers Association have just announced their endorsement of his candidacy for City Council in the upcoming November 3, 2009 General Municipal Election.

A former member of the Board of Directors of the Surfrider Foundation, he led the effort to get the city to institute a "Pesticide Free Zone" within the Green Belt. For his work in eliminating an unnecessary health risk in one of the city's most heavily used open space areas, he was named recipient of VOICE's (Volunteers and Organizations Improving the Communities Environment) 1999 Environmental Hero Award. He is also the recipient of the Surfrider Foundation's 2006 Board of Directors Award for his many years of distinguished service in protecting our coastal environment.

In January, 2004, he spoke before the City Council in opposition to a staff recommendation to eliminate the posted 10 MPH speed limit on the Strand. He was successful in convincing the City Council to not only uphold the speed limit, but to reduce the posted speed to eight miles per hour. Jeff sees this as only a first small step in addressing an escalating safety issue in the City.

His first encounter with the inner workings of city government came in 1996, when he was hired by the city to generate a campaign to inspire community pride and support during the initial phase of the Pier Plaza development. This successful effort was known as the "Bear With Us" campaign.

He has long believed that it makes long-term business sense to ensure that environmental considerations are entrenched in our economic policymaking. This vision is consistent with the city's endorsement of the "Cool Cities" pledge in 2006. Jeff is a former member of Hermosa Beach's Green Building Committee, a forerunner of the current Green Task Force now working to fulfill the city's pledge to reduce greenhouse gas pollution in the city by 7% by 2012. He is a Board member of Hermosa Beach Art Walk and Leadership Hermosa Beach and member of the City's Volunteers in Policing (VIP) program. In addition, he was a member of the city's original Leadership Hermosa Beach class.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in San Diego, Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science degree from San Diego State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from UCLA. In addition to his business, Jeff currently teaches at California State University, Northridge and, for more than a decade, he taught at UCLA as part of the Journalism Division's Extension program.