The lights of hundreds of candles will stretch across the South Bay’s shoreline next week, including on the Manhattan Beach pier, as part of a vigil called Lights for Liberty.

The vigil will be one of many across the globe on July 12 protesting conditions faced by migrants at the United States border.

Manhattan Beach Councilwoman Hildy Stern, who is helping organize her city’s event with an unofficial group of community members, brought the item before her colleagues Tuesday night, July 2, asking for a special permit and a waiver for the $2,164 in fees the city typically charges.The council allowed the vigil to go forward, and will not require fees.

“This effort is purely community-to-community, up and down the coast, throughout California, across the country and world,” Stern said during a prepared statement Tuesday. “All in attendance (will light) a candle and look up and down the coast to see the same lights in Redondo and Hermosa, in Santa Monica and Venice, knowing that all over this country and the world, thousands of people will be doing the same.”

Stern estimated a few hundred people will attend the event on the pier, which will include guest speakers.

“We will be discussing solutions,” Stern said. “We will have people from the community talking about their efforts and ways we can get involved.”

The fees for a special event permit, which Stern asked for on behalf of the local group planning the vigil, includes an application fee, fire inspection fee, two chief security officers and a sound permit.

“Please don’t let the inability to pay the fees be a barrier to supporting this humanitarian effort,” Stern said.

The vigil, however, doesn’t qualify as a special event based on the city’s current laws, said Parks and Recreation Director Mark Leyman.

“Per our policy, it really doesn’t fit,” Leyman said.

“It’s a bit challenging, a bit unique,” he added. “It doesn’t fit into any criteria we would look at for a special event.”

Leyman added that most vigil-type events are held more spontaneously and with less notice.

Councilman Richard Montgomery said groups looking to hold vigils typically show up without requesting permission for a permit.

“That night when we had the 9-11 memorial, people just showed up,” Montgomery said. “It wasn’t a permit.”

He added that more than 300 people came to Manhattan Beach for that vigil.

“It went perfectly. It was last minute, spur of the moment, no (Police Department) extra, no Public Works sitting there, it just happened,” he added. “So I don’t think a permit is a necessary key here.

“You want to assemble, it’s your right,” Montgomery continued. “Have at it.”

Councilman Steve Napolitano agreed.

“At that time of the day, I don’t see a couple hundred people being any more or less than what you would have on a summer evening down at the beach, down by the pier anyway,” Napolitano explained. “I’m fine with it going forward as is.”

Not all members of the panel were as supportive, however. Councilwoman Suzanne Hadley expressed shock and disappointment that her fellow leaders brought the topic to the dais.

“You do you, it sounds like it. We’re neither blessing nor condemning your free speech,” Hadley said. “I really just must go on the record here at my dismay of the personal use of this podium for clearly political agendas.

“Politics does not mean partisan. This vigil has literally nothing to do with the city of Manhattan Beach,” Hadley added. “We have wasted taxpayer time with the lengthy reading of your opinions, Councilmember Stern.”

Stern, for her part, said it was a grassroots effort — an argument backed up by residents who spoke at the meeting and said the event is currently being advertised at local churches and synagogues.

“This was a community effort and I hope that was clear to others,” Stern countered. “This is brought before the City Council because this is something that matters greatly to Manhattan Beach.”

Mayor Nancy Hersman, who requested the item be added to the agenda, said it was important to note that the vigil was apolitical and focused on the conditions happening at the border, not immigration issues.

“I do think that it is important for us to support vigils like this,” Hersman said. “Here we are on our Fourth of July and thinking about what it means to be an American.

“One of the number one things to me is our ability to tell our government we don’t like what they’re doing,” she continued. “That First Amendment right. I hope that the vigil will go ahead and go forward.”

Ultimately, the council voted to allow the local Lights for Liberty vigil to move forward without a permit — but also discussed the need to update Manhattan Beach policy to address events like this in the future.

“We should come up with some kind of protocol for this going forward,” Napolitano said. “We can’t waive fees for everybody for everything.”.