Posts by Mark McDermott
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…
Read MoreRedondo 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…
Read MoreHopes 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…
Read MoreRestrictions 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…
Read MoreManhattan Beach restaurants set to resume outdoor dining on Friday
Skechers grant program continues, city loans begin
Read MoreManhattan 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…
Read MoreSkechers 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…
Read MoreDispatch 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…
Read MoreLocal 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…
Read MoreManhattan 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…
Read MoreLA 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreMBUSD hopes to begin TK-2 December 8, but teachers urge delay until after holidays
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District intends to welcome some of its youngest students back to part-time, in-person learning on December 8. But many teachers, concerned that parents are not following COVID-19 public health protocols, may not return to classrooms until after the holidays. Superintendent Mike Matthews in his weekly “Monday Message” email last…
Read MoreManhattan Beach to allow outdoor patio dining for diners with to-go orders
Diners with take-out orders from downtown Manhattan Beach restaurants will be allowed to sit at the restaurants’ outside tables, under a plan approved by the City Council.
Read MoreThe Great Hadley Debate: The politics of the pandemic cause a rift in Manhattan Beach
At the very end of a five hour Manhattan Beach City Council meeting on November 17, Councilperson Hildy Stern made a seemingly innocuous motion to add language to the heading on an agenda item for the December 1 meeting. The item was about the council’s reorganization of its mayor and mayor pro tem positions,…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Cases rise throughout Beach Cities
The Beach Cities this week experienced its largest increase in new COVID-19 since the summer, in keeping with trends throughout Los Angeles. El Segundo increased from 168 cases on November 17 to 182 cases November 24, Hermosa Beach increased from 303 to 327, Manhattan Beach from 465 to 497, Redondo Beach from 764 to…
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