Beach Cities turn out for their local Kings during Stanley Cup parade

Fun times today with our Manhattan and Hermosa neighbors the Kings!

Beach cities turn out for their local Kings during Stanley Cup parade

GO KINGS GO!!!  -David

Mira Costa's Model U.N. program ranked nation's best

This is pretty impressive.  This article from The Daily Breeze leaves "No Debate" that Manhattan Beach' Mira Costa High School continues to achieve great things for students with the will to aim high. - David

Area STAR test scores show gains - The Daily Breeze

The results of the latest Area STAR testing are in, as reported in this article by the Daily Breeze.  The article features a convenient graphic that lets the reader easily compare scores by area, including California and LA County overall, plus South Bay area cities/school districts individually.

Outstanding proficiency scores in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach lead the pack, but Wiseburn and other locales have strong showings as well.  Don't miss Wiseburn School District (including the Holly Glen area of Hawthorne)!  It's a great price performer for first time homebuyers.

Note: The percentages shown are not average scores!  They are the percentage of students who scored "Proficient" or better.

Can the USPS Afford its Blockbuster Ways?

Thoughtful insights from MB resident David Hadley on the high cost and questionable survivability of institutions that refuse to evolve - The Daily Breeze.  We've lost several local service businesses of late in the South Bay to this very problem. - David

Skechers Steps Up

Skechers, headquartered in Manhattan Beach, steps up to teach students from inner-city middle schools with an inspiring after-school design program at their Sepulveda Blvd. offices. Nice job of giving back. - David

L.A. NFL stadium developers seek World Cup - The Daily Breeze

I had the opportunity to see the plans and an amazing mock-up of the proposed new NFL stadium the other day, courtesy of Majestic Realty's John Semcken. It's a pretty interesting plan backed by some very bright people, with the latest twist being NFL stadium developers seek World Cup. With all the entitlements already in place, I wouldn't put it past these guys to make it happen! - David

Daily Breeze: Torrance teacher bequeaths home to Boy Scouts (Listed by David)

Few things are as important as making a difference in a young person's life unless it's seeing the difference that same young person can make in the community, and in the lives of others. View Full Story - David

David Quoted in AP Mobile News story - Realtors object to proposed business tax

Your blogger weighs in on a proposed tax upon real estate agents in Manhattan Beach in this article picked up today by the AP:

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_8545/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=NDCx4K55

A couple of broader points were missed in the article, namely:

• Doing anything to further discourage the players in an industry whose work creates jobs for many others (contractors, repairmen, inspectors, appraisers, home improvement stores, appliance and entertainment vendors, schoolteachers, etc.) is narrowminded at best
• Property taxes are the largest single component of the city's revenues. The City's property tax revenues go up every time a home is sold, resulting in a new assessed value under Prop. 13.  The best agents aren't just order-takers, they prompt real estate transactions.  .  I'll save you the computatoins but the increased property tax annuity received by the City after a home sale is much greater than the tax in the short-sighted city staff proposal
• City staff would love to double-tax the real estate industry, but probably don't expect to get away with it.  So there's a proposed credit to brokers for commissoins taxed at the agent level. So why would City staff care who pays the tax?  Because assessing the tax at the agent level is a clever way of sidestapping the cap which comes into play at the broker level but never would at the agent level
• City staff mailed out letters announcing the new tax without first obtaining the permission, let alone the direction, of the City Council. This opaque approach to running city management was a trademark of our now deposed City Manager's administration.  It will be nice to see a few more chages in City staff once a capable new City Manager institutes policies of transparency to all and deferral to the Council which has long been absent. - David

15 South Bay elementary campuses named Distinguished Schools - The Daily Breeze

Congrats to the teachers, administrators, students, and involved parents of these award-winning South Bay elementary schools! - David

15 South Bay elementary campuses named Distinguished Schools - The Daily Breeze

Tales of The Plush Horse Inn - The Daily Breeze

Lived in So Cal for a long time?  In the South Bay?  Here's a memory flogger for you: Tales of The Plush Horse Inn. How about the Strand Supper Club?  Same place; your blogger even remembers seeing Maynard Ferguson there about 100 years ago! - David

The last piece of the Peninsula puzzle - The Daily Breeze

The land conservancy on the PV Penisula is now larger than NY's Central Park! - David

The last piece of the Peninsula puzzle - The Daily Breeze

Payments Adjusting Soon?

See what real estate attorney Barry Ross has to say about options available to homeowners facing significant payment increases on adjustable rate mortgages. - David