Posts by Mark McDermott
New pandemic surge arrives in the Beach Cities
by Mark McDermott The new surge in COVID-19 cases that is occurring globally due to combination of the highly contagious novel coronavirus Delta variant and lingering unvaccinated populations has reached the Beach Cities. Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach all experienced a significant uptick in COVID-19 over the past two weeks. Redondo Beach registered…
Read MoreManhattan Beach City Council debates Bruce’s Beach plaque language
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach City Council on Tuesday night sent proposed new language for plaques at Bruce’s Beach back to the History Advisory Committee, a group of residents tasked with providing a more accurate telling of what occurred when racially-motivated city leaders in the 1920s utilized the power of eminent domain to condemn…
Read MoreManhattan Beach: Outdoor dining costs waived until September
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach City Council on Tuesday night waived its costs for allowing dining decks on the public right-of-way downtown through September. A staff report showed that the city is losing $734,597 annually due to the 78 metered parking spaces now occupied by dining decks. This cost includes parking meter and…
Read MoreThe survival of Bruce’s Beach: the memory of a Black resort that refused to fade
by Mark McDermott fourth in a series Bruce’s Beach left behind a lot of memories. For nearly 15 years beginning in 1912, the resort represented an almost magical destination for Black residents of Southern California, an oceanfront haven where one could experience, if briefly, a different sort of world. A place of peace and celebration…
Read MoreBruce’s Beach, Manhattan Beach: Dispossession
Third in a series by Mark McDermott By the first years of the 1920s, Manhattan Beach was coming together. In the decade since its founding, what had been mostly a scattering of sandswept shacks emerged as an actual town. A city hall was built and residents approved bonds to construct both a waterworks and a…
Read MoreEDUCATION: John Bowes named new Manhattan Beach schools superintendent
by Mark McDermott John Bowes, an education leader known for creative curriculum and financial expertise, has been named superintendent of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. Bowes, who is expected to be officially approved by the school board at its July 7 meeting, has served as superintendent of the Davis Joint Unified School District since…
Read MoreHELP NEEDED: Hometown Fair memorabilia is lost in burglary
by Mark McDemott Forty-eight years of memories in physical form have gone missing after the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair’s storage bin was broken into last week. Fair organizers, preparing for the 49th annual Hometown Fair this October and its 50 year milestone next year, are asking anyone with memorabilia to contribute in order to rebuild…
Read MoreEDUCATION: Manhattan Beach Ed Foundation Wine Auction hopes to restore programs for this fall
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation has a uniquely crucial goal for its 27th Annual Manhattan Wine Auction on June 12. The hope, as always, is to meet fundraising goals, but what is attached to those goals this year is whether or not students will return to classrooms that are as rich with…
Read MoreThe second life of Bruce’s Beach
by Mark McDermott First of two parts Willa Bruce bought oceanfront land between 26th and 27th Street in Manhattan Beach on February 15, 1912, 10 months before the city was incorporated. She had a vision for the property as a respite for Black folks during an unjust time, “a little breathing space at the seaside…
Read MoreMichael Lang named MB fire chief
by Mark McDermott The City of Manhattan Beach Thursday morning announced the appointment of Michael Lang as its new fire chief. “I am humbled and honored to be trusted with the responsibility of leading the Manhattan Beach Fire Department,” said Chief Lang. “I am grateful for the support of the City Manager and City Council…
Read MoreManhattan Beach City Council considers charging for outdoor dining decks
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach City Council spent much of the last 14 months grappling with how to handle the pandemic locally. Now, as the pandemic wanes but its impacts linger, the Council is faced with a new set of challenges. On Tuesday night, at its first meeting conducted in-person since March of last…
Read MoreBLACK LIVES MATTER: Bruce’s Beach legislation passes Senate unanimously
by Mark McDermott The legislation intended to pave the way for the return of Bruce’s Beach to the Bruce family reached the California Senate Floor Wednesday afternoon, and passed in a resoundingly quick and unanimous 37-0 vote. Even supporters of the bill were surprised at the pace of SB 796’s progress. The bill passed through…
Read MoreBruce family representative ticketed on ‘BLK MAN AVE’
by Mark McDermott Chief Duane Yellow Feather Shepard was in Manhattan Beach last Tuesday, visiting Bruce’s Beach, the property owned by his family nearly a century ago. The taking of that property and Los Angeles County’s attempt to give it back, combined with the City of Manhattan Beach’s refusal to apologize for its racist-inspired use…
Read MoreLOCAL HISTORY: Former mayor Jan Dennis recognized for 60 years of business
by Mark McDermott A lot happened in 1961. John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly in space, the civil rights activists known as the Freedom Riders took buses into the South to challenge segregation, and East Germany began construction…
Read MoreBeachLife Festival to bring music back to Seaside Lagoon, Redondo Beach
by Mark McDermott Seven hundred and thirty eight days ago, Willie Nelson stood on the main stage at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach. The sun had just gone down over King Harbor, forming a spectacular, multi-hued backdrop behind the legendary singer that, like the festival itself, seemed almost too joyous to be real. Musical…
Read MoreANIMAL LIFE: Manhaattan Beach considers fate of local beekeepers, pigs, roosters
by Mark McDermott After a year contending with COVID-19 surges, the City Council last week was faced with reports of a potentially nettlesome but altogether different kind of surge. Of beekeeping. At the behest of Council, city staff launched an investigation into animal-related nuisances and specifically examined existing regulations governing bees, pigs, and chickens in…
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