Racial Reckoning: Manhattan Beach City Council stops short of issuing a Bruce’s Beach apology
by Mark McDermott The recommendations of the Bruce’s Beach Task Force came to the City Council Tuesday night with a backdrop that included not only the century-old, racially-inspired and city-backed misdeed that resulted in the taking of an African-American beachfront resort, but national attention on just what Manhattan Beach now intends to do to address […]
Building a Better Redondo prevails over city, CenterCal, awarded $760,000
by Mark McDermott Resident activist group Building a Better has prevailed once again in its legal battle with the City of Redondo Beach and developer CenterCal. An appeals court last week upheld a 2018 ruling by a trial court judge in which BBR argued that the Environmental Impact Report on CenterCal’s Waterfront Project was flawed […]
Manhattan Avenue closure ends, ending outdoor dining experiment
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Avenue outdoor dining experiment is over. The city on Tuesday afternoon issued a brief statement saying the closure of two downtown city blocks that allowed restaurants to expand outdoor dining to the street would end later that afternoon. Mayor Suzanne Hadley, who was an ardent proponent of the street closure […]
School board presidents ask LA County to prioritize education workers for vaccines
The board presidents from six local school districts have issued a letter to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Supervisor Janice Hahn asking that education workers be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations.
SMALL BUSINESS: Mayor launches program to recognize young entrepreneurs
by Mark McDermott When Suzanne Hadley ran for City Council two years ago, she used her experiences as a mother of four kids and as a former small business owner as her platform. She said at the time that both roles gave her valuable lessons in fiscal restraint and managerial responsibility. “I’m not going to […]
Redondo Beach mayoral candidates confront AES powerplant, waterfront, and Galleria redevelopment
Bill Brand: a mayor with a mission by Mark McDermott Bill Brand is a bit weary of hearing he’s against things. It’s true he was against the CenterCal project, and long before that, the Heart of the City plan for the redevelopment of the Redondo Beach waterfront. He’s also against the AES power plant remaining […]
Hopes for Manhattan Beach vaccine site dashed by state vaccine shortage
by Mark McDermott Manhattan Beach’s bid to host a vaccine site, which appeared on the cusp of occurring in late January, has run into a problem. County officials informed the city on Monday that not enough vaccines are available. Councilperson Richard Montgomery, who as mayor last year helped obtain approval for the city to host […]
Restrictions begin to lift, but Manhattan Beach’s death toll increases
by Mark McDermott Los Angeles County has lifted its Stay at Home public health order, allowing outdoor dining, private gatherings with people from households outside their own, and personal care businesses to resume. The health order was issued on November 30, after ICUs throughout the County reached zero capacity due to an influx of COVID-19 […]
Manhattan Beach restaurants set to resume outdoor dining on Friday
Skechers grant program continues, city loans begin
Manhattan Beach registers two new COVID-19 deaths; Mayor questions if deaths are out of the norm
Two more Manhattan Beach residents have died as a result of COVID-19, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The deaths were reported in LAC DPH’s daily data releases on January 8 and January 10 and bring the total COVID-19 deaths in Manhattan Beach to six. The city also saw its […]
Skechers fund contributes $680,000 to struggling Manhattan Beach restaurants; Supervisor Hahn starts grant program
The Skechers Restaurant COVID relief fund has raised $680,000 and disbursed 28 grants to restaurants in downtown and north Manhattan Beach. But Skechers president Michael Greenberg hopes that this is only the beginning of the effort. Greenberg, who headquartered his company in Manhattan Beach three decades ago after making the city his adoptive hometown, last […]
Dispatch from an ICU: “We see no end in sight.”
by Anita Sircar, MD, MPH EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Sircar is an infectious disease specialist who spent the last two decades working internationally, including work with the Center for Disease Control fighting Ebola in Africa. She works at three area hospitals, including Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, and at a clinic. At […]
Local ICUs are overrun, bracing for another surge
On Christmas Day, the doctors, nurses, and technicians in the ICU at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center tried to inject a little cheer into their workplace. They held a staff potluck, but the ICU was so busy the food went largely untouched. Seven patients passed away from COVID-19 that day. “We were […]
Manhattan Beach, with record increase in COVID-19 cases, closes outdoor seating used for dining
The City of Manhattan Beach released the following press release Saturday night: As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Manhattan Beach and across the County of Los Angeles, the City is closing outdoor seating spaces on public property, effective Sunday, January 3, at 10 p.m. Tables and chairs located in the […]
LA County says Manhattan Beach is violating outdoor dining ban
The City of Manhattan Beach’s attempt to help local restaurants by repurposing outdoor dining decks into city-controlled, public seating has come under direct fire from Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis. Davis sent a letter to City Manager Bruce Moe that said the city’s repurposing of the dining decks “violates both the […]
The COVID-19 surge experts saw coming and the public ignored
The week before Thanksgiving, public health experts throughout California not only implored people to forgo family gatherings but provided data points and projections showing what might happen were that advice ignored. In Los Angeles County, forecasts from three respected public health institutions — Johns Hopkins University, UCLA, and UCSD — each projected an unprecedented spike […]