Posts by Mark McDermott
HISTORY – Velzy plaque claiming “World’s First Surf Shop” is reconsidered
by Mark McDermott One day in 1949, 13-year-old Bing Copeland was bodysurfing just down from his family’s house, which was at 9th and Highland, when he happened to look up towards the Manhattan Beach pier and behold something he’d never seen before. Men were standing atop boards, riding waves. “Oh my god, look at that,”…
Read MoreTo Be Frank – A short film distills the warmth and wisdom of ‘surf familia’ godfather Frank Paine
by Mark McDermott Anna Wilder Burns was new to the area, and to surfing, when she encountered a heavily mustachioed man sitting on his surfboard south of the Hermosa Beach Pier. He scared the wits out of her. It was late summer 2021, and Burns had recently relocated from the East Coast. She was 22.…
Read MoreCITY COUNCIL – Stormwater rate increases heads for public vote
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach City Council on Tuesday night moved to conduct an all-mail vote proposing rate hikes to both stormwater and wastewater fees paid by residents. The increases are intended to address ongoing General Fund subsidies to both programs that, if left unchanged, would erode all the reserves the City must, by…
Read MoreMB About Town: New planning director
City Manager Bruce Moe announced the appointment of Talyn Mirzakhanian as Community Development Director. Mirzakhanian had served as interim director since the departure of Carrie Tai earlier in January and as the City’s planning manager since November 2020. She will now oversee the Community Development department’s five divisions: building and safety, planning, code enforcement, traffic…
Read MoreMoving forward in place. The Tour de Pier keeps growing
by Mark McDermott A little more than a decade ago, Jon Hirshberg returned to an alumni program at Harvard Business School. He’d followed in his father Ron’s footsteps and was CEO of a successful sporting equipment and design company, JR286, that was named in honor of him and his dad and their off-shore racing boat,…
Read MoreIN REMEMBRANCE – Manhattan Beach matriarch Bettelu Beverly passes
by Mark McDermott When she peacefully departed life on April 11, Bettelu Beverly was just a week from her 98th birthday, an age at which, aside from her family, most of those who knew just who she was and what she’d meant to Manhattan Beach had already preceded her in death. But Councilman Steve Napolitano…
Read MoreSounds of summer – Concerts in parks, piers, beaches, and cliffside
Summer is a time of song and celebration everywhere, but no place does it quite like the South Bay, where concerts take place on piers, in parks, on beaches, and perched upon a cliffside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Summer Concerts at the Redondo Beach Pier Free concerts take place at the Redondo Beach Pier’s Fishermens…
Read MoreRaising glasses, lifting classes
The Manhattan Wine Auction helps maintain the excellence of MBUSD classrooms by Mark McDermott One night each spring, something genuinely beautiful occurs in Manhattan Beach. Just off Rosecrans Avenue, six tennis courts are converted into a small village of joyous people with a shared intention. A community comes together to ensure that local education retains…
Read MoreCITY COUNCIL – Budget projection shows reserves tapped in 5 years
Mark McDermott City of Manhattan Beach finance director Steve Charelian gave his initial budget report to the City Council Tuesday night, and it mostly showed the City in robust financial health. Revenues are up nearly across the board, enough that the City was able this year to both significantly add to its police force, further…
Read MoreREMEMBRANCE John Britton, longtime ECC soccer coach, passes
by Mark McDermott Ten years ago, John Britton lost his right leg. As a lifelong athlete and coach of both the men’s and women’s El Camino College soccer teams, this could have been seen as a devastating loss. But not for Britton, a man who rarely, if ever, passed on a chance for a laugh. …
Read MorePUBLIC ART – Bo Bridges ‘Midnight Blues’ mural unveiled on City Hall
by Mark McDermott Photography has taken Bo Bridges to many of the world’s most beautiful places among some of the world’s most spectacular athletes. He has been in a 100 ft. wave with Garrett Mcnamara in Nazare, Portugal, alongside Kelly Slater in Teahupoo, on the sidelines with Tom Brady, and Rocky Mountains backcountry with Shaun…
Read MoreManhattan Beach police beat 4-27-23
Week in crime The Manhattan Beach Police Department reports that from April 13 to 19 740 calls for service took place, including 14 arrests, four traffic collisions, and 38 crime reports taken. One burglarly took place that resulted in damage to the security doors of a business but no entry and, as a result, no…
Read MoreEDUCATION – MBEF to unveil ‘Seeds of Knowledge’ monument
by Mark McDermott Five years ago, when Manhattan Beach Education Foundation executive director Hilary Mahan first began investigating how other ed foundations created art installations celebrating community support for education, the idea was just that — to erect a “recognition wall” naming community members who helped bolster education in local schools. But sometimes things seem…
Read MoreHolmes Honored
Manhattan Beach Police Beat
Six Burglaries Six burglaries took place in Manhattan Beach during the first week of April, including three the police believe may be related due to their similarities. All six burglaries took place between March 30 and April five. The three that appear to have been related all happened between 7 and 9 p.m. All three…
Read MoreCITY COUNCIL – Juneteenth at Bruce’s Beach nixed this year
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night considered a City-sponsored Juneteenth celebration at Bruce’s Beach Park this year but instead opted to wait a year in hopes of organizing a larger, more citywide event. Councilperson Steve Napolitano said he favored a Juneteenth celebration perhaps beginning with speakers at Bruce’s Beach Park and…
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