Will Manhattan Beach Mayor Hildy Stern show leadership in addressing the illegal BYOB mega-party at Bruce's Beach this Sunday?
also in this issue, Home Gatherings of Likeminded MB Residents continue to gain momentum with candidates
Party organizers target Bruce’s Beach Park to comemorate rumors of racism started by the Bruce’s Beach History Report.
Party organizers called 88th x 11mile (see link and go to home page) have organized a mega event called “Blacckkity Beach Festival” for this Sunday from 11 am-6 pm. An electronic invitation went out on social media via Event Brite. They do not have a permit.
The invitation emphasizes this is a free event open to the public, BYOB and food trucks will be on site. The organizers further state, “Anyone is able to come and enjoy the day. This is an inclusive event and not an exclusive! If you do not identify as a black man or woman please still attend but just remember to be respectful!”
But did the organizers respect the community’s concern of holding such a large event in a small venue nestled in the middle of a residential neighborhood and surrounded by private residences?
Posted on the February 1 city council consent calendar, which is reserved mainly for items that are usually passed by council with no discussion and no debate, was the issue to change the Parks & Rec's Special Events Policy by allowing Bruce's Beach park to hold large events. Who on council and in City Hall decided to place such an impactful decision to the community on the consent calendar where it wouldn’t get council discussion or resident’s input?
Fortunately, residents caught wind of this bad idea and wrote letters explaining how this change would negatively impact the neighborhood. The item was taken off the consent calendar and punted to Parks and Recreation for the moment.
Residents can argue their case by sending emails to the Parks and Rec Commissioners at prcommissioners@citymb.info, as well as staff liaison Mark Leyman (mleyman@citymb.info) and Linda Robb (lrobb@manhattanbeach.gov). Include City Council members in your correspondence citycouncil@manhattanbeach.com.
In the recent issue of MB Council Update Parks and Policing, Mike Michalski covered the issue and pointed to the obvious problems with large events in our small parks:
“In such a relatively confined space, the noise, particularly if amplified, and the increased traffic plus possible street closures would be a major disturbance for nearby homeowners as well as anyone trying to use the parks. Also, none of these (small) parks have dedicated parking and Bruce's Beach, as a beach access park, already suffers from a severe shortage of available parking just for the beachgoers.”
And what about toilets? A resident living close to Bruce’s Beach wrote a public comment to City Council on 2/1 and stated a man attending one of these events needed to use a toilet, walked uninvited into the resident’s home and helped himself to the restroom. This begs the question, in lieu of available toilets (and possibly a bathing suit), where else are the mega event attendees relieving themselves?
But the incentive to hold such an event at Bruce’s Beach is spawned by the falsities in the history report which is posted on the city website.
Michalski points to the neverending push to falsely paint MB as a racist city by the writers of the history report, turned local Far Left activists at MB United:
“You see, to MB United and those with similar fringe viewpoints, Bruce's Beach is hallowed ground, a symbol for the racism and white supremacy that they believe was systemically and deliberately embedded in Manhattan Beach long ago and which, in their view, thrives undiminished in our community today. They want to continue to highlight this false and defamatory narrative of race relations in our city with special events at Bruce's Beach.
In fact, to them, not removing the restriction on special events at Bruce's Beach is racist. As one of their members revealed, in a momentary lapse of candor, "Denial of special events permits at the Bruce's Beach location would only serve to perpetuate the negative reputation for our city.......Let us please honor rather than deny or whitewash our own local Black history."
Concerned residents from BruceBeachGetTheFacts@gmail.com (BBGTF) makes the case that the manipulation of the historical record in the Bruce Beach History Report has been the culprit of the misinformation about what actually happened at Bruce’s Beach.
Their desire to paint our history as racist has denied a truthful recording of the fact that there is not enough evidence to determine if the eminent domain decision regarding the purchase of the Bruce property, as well as over 20 other properties, including 5 other black property owners, was racially motivated or not. Given the facts, the question to this day remains unanswered and unprovable.
Thanks to the persistence of the residents at BBGTF for a factual recording of our city history, some of the embellishments and falsifications in the report have been removed, but many remain.
Broadcasting the inaccurate history report on the city’s website has perpetuated a false racist image of Manhattan Beach and damaged our city’s reputation nationwide. The rumors have taken on a life of their own.
The language in the invitation to the mega-event on Sunday proves that point:
“What is Blacckkity Beach Festival?? This event was inspired by the story of Bruce's Beach which happens to be a historical beach first owned by a black family. 100 years ago, this beach was illegally seized by the city government using wrongful legislation. Sometime last year that land was returned to the original founding family for the first time in 100 years. What better way to cap off Black History Month than to celebrate our blackness to the highest level on black own soil!”
FACTS: The property at present-day Bruce’s Beach went through a legal process of eminent domain in the 1920s. There was no “wrongful legislation” and the Bruce family received more than market value, a settlement they not only did not dispute, they were able to purchase 3 other properties in LA with the settlement and retire. The site of the Bruce’s Beach Lodge is owned by the County at the Lifeguard headquarters and the Festival site is owned by the City. In April 2021, the County announced plans to return the 2 lots purchased from the Bruce Family, but many hurdles remain, including finalizing an accurate history of the events surrounding the purchase.
BBGTF goes further to note that the writers of the History Report could be liable for the falsehoods they published and the harm they have caused and future harm to the residents and to the city. For a copy of the recent BBGTF newsletter, send a request to BruceBeachGetTheFacts@gmail.com and ask for their newsletter dated 2/25/2022.
Per BBGTF:
“People entrusted with a fiduciary duty who are found guilty of deliberately distorting the truth are liable for damages to residents of Manhattan Beach who suffer the emotional and financial impact of being falsely smeared as Racist.”
In summary, the responsibility for the well-being of the residents and our city regarding this unauthorized Festival depends on the leadership of Mayor Hildy Stern. With the potential of too many people and cars converging on the small neighborhood of Bruce’s Beach to party at a BYOB event, will she abide by her responsibility as Mayor to intervene on behalf of MB residents? And will she demonstrate leadership by making an about-face and push for a truthful recording of our city’s history?
This is an election year and Mayor Stern is up for re-election. Like-minded residents are watching extra close.
Home Gatherings of MB Moderate Democrats to Conservative Republicans Continue to Gain Momentum with Candidates
Another large Home Gathering of like-minded Manhattan Beach residents took place on Saturday 2/19 with over 100 guests in attendance.
With a dish to share in hand, guests arrived smiling and eager to meet other residents to talk about the serious issues we face in our beach city pushed by the local Far Left.
Several speakers gave updates on a variety of topics including the homeless problem, police chief search, the Bruce’s Beach debacle, and the decisions made by our Far Left school board that has failed our children, families, and community. The problems at the school board were of particular interest to the residents who do not have kids in school, which make up 70% of the MB population.
The ideological shift in the make-up of the school board members has created an institution to groom students as Social Justice Warriors for the Far Left upon graduation. No doubt this was never the intent of the voters when we elected these board members, but as the saying goes, elections have consequences. The only way to get our schools back on track is by electing 3 candidates in November who are not Far Left.
What the Far Left believes.
Students attending MBUSD are surrounded by educators who embrace the Far Left ideology that preaches white people are born with the original sin of white supremacy simply by virtue of their skin color, and people of color are forever their victims. They are convinced systemic racism is everywhere and white people are unknowingly racist. They see themselves as the enforcers to expose racism, and by instituting their “solutions” they claim they will eradicate it.
Impressionable youth surrounded for six hours a day by administrators, educators, and coaches who march in lock-step to the Far Left belief system have little chance of escaping this indoctrination.
MBUSD Board Member Jason Boxer, who asks students to use the pronouns they/them/theirs when addressing him, uses an Instagram account identified as MBUSD to reach students with his Democrat Socialist of America politics https://www.instagram.com/jason_mbusd/.
Although Mr. Boxer has every right to his membership with DSA, pushing his political beliefs on students is a violation of board bylaws. Boxer was elected to the board in 2020 and has two more years left in office unless the board asks for his resignation or he is recalled by the residents.
It took a great deal of money to infuse this ideology into our schools and they want more.
At a recent meeting, the School Board gave a doom and gloom budget presentation, painting a picture of financial ruin unless the residents agree to fork over more money by means of an annual parcel tax which is significantly more than what residents pay now (analysis of the budget to follow in a subsequent newsletter).
They engaged local Far Left activists MB United to sell the idea to the residents and succeeded in putting it on the June ballot.
For several weeks, MB United (many are former members of the Bruce’s Beach Task Force which accused MB of systemic racism) affixed the parcel tax petitions to their clipboards and approached parents as they dropped off their kids for school. Pleading for signatures to get their idea on a June ballot, their mantra of “do it for the kids,” and “save our schools” was repeated regularly at every school entrance in MB.
What they didn’t say is how expensive it is to flip a school district from a focus on Academic Excellence to a Social Justice education. This is the agenda of the Far Left for schools across the country.
Some of the five MBUSD board members are unabashedly Far Left, as is the new Superintendent they hired, Dr. John Bowes, as well as the Teacher’s Union Representative/English teacher Ms. Shawn Chen, and many of our teachers.
To a school board like ours at MBUSD, the ways to drain the coffers for political and social justice plans are endless: consulting fees to firms committed to flipping schools; student surveys obsessed with race and gender; weekly student Social and Emotional Learning costs; a new position created for a Public Relations Administrator, presumably to counter the criticism they have received; and costs related to supporting the plans from the Equity, Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion Committee which was created in Dec. 2020.
But spending taxpayer money on their agenda hasn’t been the only problem. Losing funding is also an issue.
MB families are moving to cities and states with better schools. That used to be the reason families moved to MB. According to the MBUSD enrollment charts, the district lost hundreds of students over the last 4 years with an 11% drop in enrollment. For every seat vacated by an MB resident, the district loses Federal and State money.
Furthermore, the MB Education Foundation, which for years has been a very successful fundraising entity for our schools, has lost donor funding. Financially contributing to Far Left ideology in our schools goes against the values and principles of many MB residents, a fact the leaders have been unwilling to consider.
Between declining enrollment and reduced funding, the board is in a financial pickle.
The board’s ideological direction has affected areas other than finances.
Teachers who are not true believers in the Far Left doctrine remain silent, hoping to keep their jobs. The brave few who spoke up have been called into the principal’s office and given a stern warning.
Parents who raise their hands in objection are either ignored, called “dissenters” by board members at meetings, or bullied with a Cease and Desist letter telling them to shut up. Which board member issued the order to use taxpayer dollars to send C&D legal letters to concerned parents? This is a question the board and superintendent have still not answered.
Then there are the books, the infamous books that made headlines in the local papers and in national news. By any definition, some recommended books at the middle school and high school level are explicitly pornographic.
Not surprisingly, Far Left educators have defended pornography by stating the definition of pornography is “subjective.” There simply is no oversight in our schools.
Foregoing describing the sexually explicit graphics in some of the new literature, we’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Viewer discretion is advised.
Use the photo app on your phone to capture the QR code to a link that presents the sexually explicit cartoons in the book, Gender Queer.
Moderate democrats to conservative republicans recognize that the Far Left ideology is Marxism repackaged with catchy marketing slogans of unity, diversity, and kindness.
Using the force of government-run public schools to indoctrinate students to view others not as individuals, but as members of a group with a rigidly fixed mindset, is reminiscent of mid-20th century Europe. This ideology fuels the worst in mankind, invariably leading to the breakdown of a community and the rise of a controlling leader or political party.
If MB residents want a stellar school district once again focused on Academic Excellence, where we teach our youth how to think critically and to learn from history, then replacing the three board members who are up for reelection in November is the first step.
Serving as a school board member is not as hard as you think! It requires common sense and a willingness to provide our students with an academically excellent education. To get information on running for school board and attending Home Gatherings, send an email to MBStong2021@gmail.com.
To learn more about MBStrong, click here: About MBStrong