South Bay Echo for Nov 11
Marina evictions called off, Veterans remembered, BeachLife clubhouse opens
Hello friends… Welcome to the 11th edition of South Bay Echo, your source of local hometown news with a real estate angle.
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Marina lease owner reverses course
After my blog post last week about impending evictions for liveaboards in King Harbor Marina, it seems this little substack got shared around quite a bit. FoxLA Reporter Christina Gonzalez came across the post and decided to do a story that aired last night. Gonzalez contacted me on Tuesday and I helped her reach people.
During her live broadcast on the 6 p.m. news, Gonzalez delivered a thrilling update: the owner of the master lease for the marina, Dr. Allen Ginsburg, has agreed not to go forward with evictions anytime soon. Pressure from city officials and the Redondo Beach Harbor Commission also played a role.
Longtime liveaboards Rick and Dennis, both featured in the story who each moved onto vessels in the early 70s, could not be more happy about the outcome. It’s just a shame that Ginsburg, who is in his 90s and has done very well in life, would even consider displacing low income folks who have been living in the marina for decades. But maybe I don’t understand the purpose of life I guess.
When I started this substack, it was really just a way to stay in touch with the community, continue my contributions as a local journalist and to promote my new real estate venture. I never imagined that it could actually make a difference.
In journalism, the victories are few and far between. After more than 20 years in the profession I learned this well. Even this particular blog post last week was greeted with some criticism. I wasn’t sure if I did the right thing airing this grievance. Then came vindication and actual change. Thanks to everyone who shared the post and mostly thanks to Christina Gonzalez for elevating this story to television news. It seems a little media pressure still goes a long way.
Veterans Day ceremony returns to Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach will once again put on its renowned observance of Veterans Day at its very own Veterans Park beginning at 1 p.m. today, Thursday Nov 11. During the pandemic last year, the city held a reduced ceremony broadcast on the Internet. The Redondo Beach remembrance has become one of the most elaborate in all of Los Angeles complete with the 40th Infantry Division Band of the California National Guard. There will be many veterans in attendance from wars that span the decades along with some military vehicles for viewing.
As my father who served in World War II used to say, the best way to honor our veterans is to not start anymore wars. I think he got that from someplace else, but they are still very wise words in my opinion. Thank you veterans everywhere for your service. For more visit RBVeteransMemorial.com.
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Billionaire shatters home price record
While most people in American have seen their wages stagnate and prices rise across the board, while families struggle to afford rent and have pretty much given up on ever owning a home in Los Angeles, a billionaire venture capitalist has shattered the mark for the most expensive home purchase in California.
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen paid $177 million for a seven-acre compound on the ocean in Malibu, according to the LA Times, breaking past the next highest valued home purchased by Jeff Bezos last year for $165 million.
Has there ever been a time where the wealth in this country was so disproportionately held and the rich were this out of touch? I don’t know about you guys, but what made America great was a thriving middle class, which is only made possible by commensurate wages and an upper class society with an inkling of self-conscious.
BeachLife kicks off new clubhouse with ping-pong event
BeachLife Festival has expanded its operations to what looks to be a year-round affair out of the former On the Rocks location (and many other things) right next to Ruby’s (or what used to be Ruby’s) in King Harbor. The second event of the BackYard Games features a ping-pong tournament on Nov 20 sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Team pairs can register here and compete for a chance to win awesome prizes and generally have a great time.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and as always, if you like it please share it.