SCHOOL FINANCE: MBUSD will consider a $200 million school bond
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education is exploring the possibility of placing a $200 million school bond on the November ballot. The school board, at its April 18 meeting, heard reports both from its financial and election consultants. Each tentatively recommended placing a school bond on the November ballot, […]
City Manager Bruce Moe announces retirement
by Mark McDermott City Manager Bruce Moe, who has served the City of Manhattan Beach for 35 years, has announced his retirement. Moe, who was appointed as city manager six years ago and served as the City’s finance director before that, made the surprise announcement at the very end of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. […]
COMMUNITY: Ralphs most steadfast employee retires after 51 years
by Mark McDermott Pamela Muelot was 18 years old and about to graduate from Redondo Union High School. She figured that working at the local Ralphs supermarket might be good while she figured out what to do with her life. “It was a summer job,” Muelot said. “I was going to graduate Redondo, and I […]
The Golden State Wonder: Kyle Lu Joins a Basketball Dynasty
by Mark McDermott The dynasty was in its later stages but still possessed many of the elements that had given rise to its greatness. These included creative leadership, an attention to detail, an openness to fresh ideas, and the unparalleled gifts of the man a rival king, LeBron James, has described as the player who […]
LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Mayor Franklin declares State of the City “strong”
by Mark McDermott Mayor Joe Franklin’s late-starting and very local career in politics has been premised mostly on a single quality. His downright giddy love for his adopted hometown of Manhattan Beach. And so what was surprising about Franklin’s first State of the City address was certainly not its effusiveness but rather its brevity. For […]
MUNICIPAL FINANCE: City has an $11 million library surplus
by Mark McDermott The City Council last week grappled with an unusual problem. Its library fund has an $11 million surplus. The City of Manhattan Beach operates its own library, but the facility is a branch of the Los Angeles County Library System. Property taxes paid into the system by local residents far outpace the […]
PUBLIC ART: Council approves shark mural, sculptures, rejects anti-hate mural
by Mark McDermott The once-rejected 3-D shark mural reappeared at the Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night, and this time found a home. The mural, by artist Eric Snyder and originally proposed for the fire station, will be painted on the Civic Plaza parking lot wall. It was a night of artistic appraisal at the […]
ELECTION 2024: Measure MB will pass, saving 20 teacher jobs
by Mark McDermott Measure MB, the $225 parcel tax that generates $2.5 million for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, has been renewed. After another week of vote tallying by the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office, approval for the ballot surged well above the two-thirds threshold necessary for passage. On March 5 Election Day, Measure […]
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 […]
Measure 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 […]
ELECTION 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” […]
ELECTION 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 […]
EDUCATION: 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 […]
EDUCATION: 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 […]
ELECTION 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 […]
Manhattan 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 […]