Posts by Mark McDermott
PUBLIC SAFETY: City of MB, Assemblyman Muratsuchi join forces in legislative effort to override DA
by Mark McDermott The City of Manhattan Beach, thwarted at every turn by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office in its hopes of prosecuting non-violent crimes the DA no longer pursues, is taking another route. The City will try to go beyond the DA’s authority. The City Council last week unanimously agreed to sponsor…
Read MoreMeasure MB parcel tax renewal nears approval
by Mark McDermott Ongoing vote tallies have brought Measure MB to the brink of approval, but the margin remains so thin that its passage is still uncertain. The ballot measure, a $225 annual parcel tax that would provide $2.5 million in revenue for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, was just shy of the two-thirds…
Read MoreELECTION 2024: Napolitano finishes first in judicial race, faces runoff
by Mark McDermott Manhattan Beach Councilperson Steve Napolitano finished first among a field of four candidates in the race for Judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles Seat 39. He will now face the second place finisher, Jacob Lee, in a runoff election in the November election. Napolitano said he was “honored and humbled”…
Read MoreELECTION 2024: Measure MB election results are too close to call
by Mark McDermott Measure MB, the proposed renewal of the local parcel tax meant to stave off teacher layoffs, finished election night just below the required two-thirds vote total for approval. But hope was very much still alive among the ballot measure’s supporters because several batches of votes have yet to be counted. Campaign co-chairs…
Read MoreEDUCATION: School board authorizes up to 38 employee layoffs
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education authorized the layoffs of as many as 38 employees, including 33 teachers, at its February 28 meeting. Twenty of those layoffs were hoped to be rescinded if the Measure MB parcel tax was successful at the March 5 election. Trustees expressed sadness and…
Read MoreEDUCATION: Measure MB parcel tax extension goes to a vote
by Mark McDermott Tyler Morant saw something he’d never seen before shortly after arriving in Manhattan Beach 14 years ago. As he works on behalf of the Yes on MB campaign, that image often comes to mind. It was a large group of kids, accompanied by a few parents, walking to Grandview Elementary School together…
Read MoreELECTION 2024: Manhattan Beach Councilperson Napolitano seeks election as Superior Court judge
by Mark McDermott He wasn’t planning it, but when Steve Napolitano looks back at his career as a public servant, he can’t help but believe each step was almost the perfect preparation for what he hopes is his next position. He is running to serve as a judge on the LA Superior Court. The Manhattan…
Read MoreManhattan Beach outdoor dining proposal would extend sidewalks
by Mark McDermott A permanent plan for outdoor dining was presented to the City Council last week that would extend sidewalks in the downtown and North Manhattan Beach business districts. But the plan arrived without a price tag, and the Council deferred making a decision until City staff can provide a cost estimate. “I want…
Read MoreMira Costa Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame seeks nominations
by Mark McDermott The list is unlike any you will see elsewhere. It includes surfers, Olympian volleyball players, CEOs, writers, actors, a punk rocker, an asteroid hunter, a U.S. Army brigadier general, an Ivy League linebacker, and an array of influential educators. The Mira Costa High School Hall of Fame is only a little more…
Read MoreMission Accomplished: Bill Brand did what he came to do. But his final message was that the fight for the Redondo waterfront is not over
by Mark McDermott Mayor Bill Brand knew the finish line was approaching. He’d had a frank conversation with a palliative care doctor not long after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in both his brain and lungs. Brand was an engineer and thought like one, both in his unlikely political career and in his approach…
Read MoreCITY COUNCIL: City will launch a non-profit to fundraise for Begg pool
by Mark McDermott The LoveMB Foundation had a messy birth at Tuesday night’s Manhattan Beach City Council meeting, but by night’s end, the City’s own non-profit was alive and kicking — very specifically, as it turned out, towards a new Begg Pool. An ad hoc committee that grew out of discussion betweens the Council and…
Read MoreThe Orca Hunt: A mysterious pod of killer whales feeds off the PV Coast
by Mark McDermott The word spread frantically among whale watchers on the afternoon of January 2. The orcas were back. A pod of 10 orcas had first appeared off the Palos Verdes coast on December 11. They were not usual visitors. The pod, which included two mothers who appeared to be leading the group, and…
Read MoreLAW ENFORCEMENT: K9 Koa retires after an illustrious career
Online only K9 Koa and his handler Officer Dave Gibbons working together in a police dog competition. by Mark McDermott Manhattan Beach Police Department Officer Dave Gibbons experienced the most eerily quiet work week he’s had in seven years two weeks ago. Not a single bark emanated from his patrol car.…
Read MorePOLICE BEAT: Bruce’s Beach plaque is stolen for its bronze
by Liz Mullen The Manhattan Beach Police Department does not believe the theft of a bronze plaque at Bruce’s Beach Park was hate crime or racially-motivated, but rather part of a wave of bronze being stolen from cemeteries and monuments all over the greater Los Angeles area. The Bruce’s Beach Park plaque was stolen sometime…
Read MoreINFRASTRUCTURE: Stormwater drain ballot measure narrowly passes
by Mark McDermott A ballot measure that will steeply increase storm drain utility fees was approved by Manhattan Beach property owners in a mail-in election. The votes were tallied earlier this week and results officially announced late Tuesday, with the ballot measure earning 52.65% approval versus 47.35% against. “The support for the storm drain measure…
Read MoreHOME SALES: Local real estate market continued an historical drop in 2023
by Mark McDermott Manhattan Beach home sales sharply declined in 2023, dropping from 322 sales in 2022 to 253 last year, while median sale price also dropped from $3.1 to $2.8 million. The decrease in sales, based on sales data reported to the Multiple Listing Service database, continues a precipitous two-year drop from 518 sales…
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