I know I promised a Manhattan Beach story only if they were under some sort of monster attack but here is some Manhattan Beach news.
Coming in via Anonymous email:
The Manhattan Beach community group has is now blocking any renters from being active members in the group. Which is leaving us without a say in our own community. It is completely unfair and I’m hoping someone will take notice.
These amendments have already passed and it looks like they are becoming more of a property owners association. It still seems unfair.
Update Coming in via Anonymous email: (at least there is cake)
This vote took place @ the last meeting, Feb 27, Kingsboro faculty dining room, where the next meeting will also be, on Mar 19, under the stewardship of new President Ira. The vote passed by a better than 2/3 majority. There was some 10 min of debate, but the room was mostly concerned with the possibility of : a.) someone paying the $25 per address dues to enroll every apartment dweller in MB as a member of MBCG, who might then try to change the summer parking rules. The number $6000 came up, so you do the math… I think this scenario is pretty far fetched. Even if you could bribe everyone to come to a meeting, how do you insure they vote the same way?
But the real fear in the room was : b.) we don’t want to be sued!! They believe only homeowners have a financial stake in the neighborhood, and so have a greater interest in the issues facing MB. Since last Dec., when one faction of the board served papers on the other board of directors over accusations of attempting to rig the vote w/ ballot box stuffing, the whole focus is ‘ how do we cover our asses from lawsuits’? The bylaws were changed after lawyers reading the existing bylaws suggested they be reworded to prevent future attempted vote tampering. The idea was, that from any given household, anyone with a $25 membership, even your pet Targ, could have a vote.
The internal division over this event has meant a power shift, the dissolution of the ‘quality of life’ committee (responsible for graffiti clean up & sanitation issues), as well as snippy exchanges and hostile snarkiness replacing civil discourse. But of course, you witnessed this firsthand last year, when they turned on you personally. The bad news is that the group is now turning on itself. The good news is that @ the Kingsboro faculty dining room, there’s free coffee & cake!
