“Bella Sera”, the local debut for Impress Entertainment was held on March 3rd atop Manhattan Beach Shade Hotel’s Sky Deck in sold-out event. The evening maintained a warm cocktail party atmosphere and comfortable vibe with sixteen hosts and hostesses facilitating introductions among the attendees. Guests began the evening with champagne toasts and passed hors d’oeuvres. An upscale dress code also proved to be a hit with ladies dressed to the nines and gentleman choosing jackets over more casual fare.

Attendees were invited through hosts, contacts, and networking for a more personal experience. “Everything I’ve heard has been positive; the level of class and comfort was really unmatched. When you bring that much quality into a single place the results are spectacular. We are moving forward with another in the works,” said organizer Reid Tomassi. “What really made the evening stand out was the cooperative effort of the hosts and hostesses; remarkable people from different professional backgrounds with sterling reputations – they connected everyone at the event.”

While Impress’ core business focuses on conceptual branding events for companies and non-profits, Bella Sera was a connectivity evening, “It was about bringing together good people and that was the premise behind it,” said Tomassi.

Bella Sera and Impress Entertainment can be found on Facebook.

“It’s the economy stupid…” took new meaning Feb. 10th when South Bay Brokers hosted a guest panel which included author James Flanigan, Bank of Manhattan Chairman Kyle Ransford, and Dr. Mark Schniepp – Director of the California Economic Forecast. All pointed to the 2000’s as the decade that most would like to forget. From the overhyped debacle of Y2K, to the tragedy of 9/11, Frannie and Freddie’s absorption – barely noticed then by a traumatized nation – but now is seen as the footfalls of impending financial doom, Katrina’s devastation of 2005, to two wars still dragging on the economy and psyche of the country.

The question is always when will things get better – and nothing like a room full of real estate agents sitting on pins and needles waiting to see if the go-go days that ended abruptly in 2007 would return. The answer is “not quite YET”. While Schniepp delivered a factual analysis that the recession is over, the bloodletting was very real. LA County average home prices fell 41.8% of their lofty peak. Median homes prices in gentrified Manhattan Beach are 37% off the high. Unemployment rates cling to double digits stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the data that argues a recession is through.

This pairs with a very new model for both the mortgage and banking industry, as regulators stepped in attempting to prevent past abuse. Gone are the days when a mortgage broker called a sympathetic appraiser, knowing a property would appraise at the number – whatever that may be. Now, appraisers are hired by the lenders, and the leash is much shorter, pulled by a risk-adverse master. The result has left appraisers undershooting values, stopping many refinances dead in their tracks. The amount of lenders has dropped from 120 to 20 in one brokers experience. Many banks simply no longer exist.

The relief that was supposed to come from in the form of loan modifications also hasn’t materialized. Not surprisingly, lenders didn’t respond to the crush of folks eager to wipe away the financial devastation of a devalued property. Unable to flat out reject the pleas for help, lenders did the next best thing, ignoring the need for additional staff, most loan modifications sit neglected with insufficient personnel to even process the formidable paperwork. This left the same companies, originally quite eager for bailout funds, tripping over each other to return the funds or risk really having to account for the bailout spending. Uneager to show their face in the ugly lights that come at the proverbial 2 a.m. of a congressional hearing, look to see major players paying back their parachutes quickly.

This is felt very dramatically in the beach communities where the median home prices for both Hermosa and Manhattan are in the 1.3 mil range. Well beyond the reach of a conforming mortgage which tops out at $417,000 – enough to buy a palace in many places in the country, but won’t even touch the bottom of the barrel at the beach. Even the brand new middle tier jumbo conforming clocking in up to $729,750 fails to buy the dirt of a beach market offering. But jumbo loans are an endangered species of the brave new mortgage industry. They are offered almost grudgingly, with down payments of nearly 30%, and lenders hoping to further sour the taste with shorter term 5-10 year ARM’s squeezing what used to be a long term relationship into a large front loaded transaction into a bandaid designed to be ripped off as quickly as possible. Only Tony Soprano collecting monthly payments could make the terms less attractive.

But as columnist James Flanigan said, California enjoys a Shangri-La type-setting combining weather, with a location as the Western Gem of the US, but the Eastern Jewel of the Pacific Rim. That location being prized to two very different cultures only leads to the amount of people wanting to chase the dream. And with that desire comes the promise and hope that riches will return, and in the background ears crane to hear the beginning strains of “Happy Days are Here Again…”

* Supports the education of Los Angeles area school children
* Helps to upgrade the beloved local landmark – the “jewel of Manhattan Beach”
* Creates positive association with the local environment
* Provides visibility to 100k + visitors a year

Fundraising Event – Save The Date
Please join the LMB 2010 team to help raise money and celebrate the jewel of Manhattan Beach, the Roundhouse Aquarium.
Wednesday March 24th, 2010
6:30 – 9pm
853 10th Street – Manhattan Beach
For ticket information, visit their website here

2012 Manhattan Beach Centennial
The Manhattan Beach City Council is forming a Centennial Celebration Committee, to be led by Mayor Pro Tem Richard Montgomery and Councilmember Nick Tell, with the purpose of planning the City’s 100th Anniversary Celebration for the year 2012. The Centennial will be an extraordinary milestone and we are looking for residents who would like to help plan the events to mark the year of celebration!

This committee will be responsible for developing the plan for major Centennial events, recommending the plan to the City Council, coordinating participation by all interested groups and individuals, budgeting, organizing event sponsorship, marketing the celebration…and, having fun along the way!

The City Council will appoint a 10-member committee based on a review of submitted applications. In order to promote diversity in participation, current Board and Commission members will not be eligible for selection. Please note that although the committee will form the core work group for the Centennial, ideas and input will be sought and welcomed by all.

If you are interested in participating on the committee, or know someone that would be, please check out the application (Word). Applications are due to the City by March 5th at 5:00 PM and may be returned by email, regular mail, fax or in-person. For more information, please contact:

Lindy Coe-Juell
Assistant to the City Manager
1400 Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 802-5054 (phone); (310) 802-5051 (fax)

Love INC (In the Name of Christ) announces its 20th Annual Dinner on Saturday, March 6th, 6:00 PM. The dinner will be held at Journey of Faith Church, 1243 Artesia Blvd., Manhattan Beach. Get ready to laugh with comedian Paul Aldrich and his hilarious observations and musical impressions. It’s pure comedy that rocks! Paul has performed on Showtime, at The Improv, World Youth Day and Comic Belief Tour, to name a few.

Guests may bid on Silent Auction items including a Marriott Getaway which includes golf, Lakers, Dodgers, Comedy & Magic Club tickets, a Sony Studios Tour and much more.

The funraiser dinner benefits the non-profit organization that helps to bridge the gap between helping hands and people in need in our community, giving a hand up, not a hand out.

Reservations are $40 per person. Credit cards are accepted. Anyone interested in attending should call Cecilia at 310-831-5683 x104 or send an email to info at loveincsb.org.

Checks should be made payable to Love INC and mailed to PO Box 6442,
San Pedro, CA 90734.

Hope to see you there!

Brent has been shooting photographs of the people, places and events across the South Bay for years. His slideshow consisted of concert/music, AVP, local volleyball tournaments, surfing and waves, local faces, non-profit events and more. Guest were treated to free appetizers and Primo Lager swag.

To see some of the images on display during the party or to learn more about Brent Broza and his photography, check out his website here.

Click on any picture below to enlarge:

Styrofoam is now recyclable in Manhattan Beach!
The City’s exclusive hauler, Waste Management, is now allowing clean Styrofoam in all residential and commercial recycling bins. Styrofoam products include (but are not limited to) take-out container trays and cups, packaging, and decorations.
Although the hauler is able to recycle Styrofoam, the City would like to encourage residents and businesses to utilize reusable containers and refrain from the use of Styrofoam whenever possible.
Visit the City’s website for a list of the items that can be placed in the recycling container.

El Segundo, CA – Vistamar School, a co-ed independent high school serving the greater Los Angeles region, has received an anonymous matching grant of $1.6 million. Each new campaign contribution that Vistamar receives in 2010 will be matched, on a dollar for dollar basis, by a gift to the school’s endowment for financial access. This matching grant is the third major endowment gift Vistamar has received since it incorporated in 2002 and will bring its total endowment to $6.6 million.

“Endowment gifts are a tremendous vote of confidence for Vistamar, providing a secure financial base from which income for the school can be drawn in perpetuity,” said Head of School Jim Buckheit. Vistamar’s endowment income is reserved for financial access awards, which are supplemented by multi-year pledges from philanthropists who consider Vistamar an ideal partner in extending educational opportunities to talented and motivated students who could not otherwise afford independent school tuition.

“A vigorous financial access program ensures that Vistamar’s ability to enroll the strongest students is not restricted by their family finances,” said Buckheit. “That’s how we’ve been able to develop a school culture where civility, achievement, and respect for diversity are norms.”

Vistamar School is currently in its fifth year of operation and has already graduated 49 students who have enrolled in competitive universities throughout the country and overseas. The school owns its building, located on the corner of Aviation and Hawaii in the easternmost section of El Segundo, and continues to add classrooms and facilities as it grows. Vistamar’s Board of Trustees has responded enthusiastically to this new matching grant by collectively donating nearly $700,000 to launch the $1.6 million matching grant’s fundraising effort.

The next phase of construction, planned for the summer of 2010, will add classrooms, labs and activity spaces that will allow the student body to grow from a current enrollment of 204 to approximately 300. Ultimately, its enrollment will be 384 students, with individual classes remaining at their small size of 16 students or less. Students and alumni are invited to be involved in both the architectural and design plans for Vistamar. According to Lisa Fukushima, ’11, “It’s awesome that the administration asked for our input and that they are actually taking it into account. We talk about the details, the colors, the aesthetics, the design, even the very effect it will have on our minds. I think the fact that Vistamar listens and incorporates what we, as students, want, is astounding in its level of respect and collaboration.”

Student input is a critical part of Vistamar’s culture and reflective nature. Development Director Erin Tyner sees this new matching gift opportunity as another way to ensure that the best and the brightest students can continue to enroll at Vistamar. “Every new contribution we receive from parents and friends this year to continue the build-out of our campus will also help us build our endowment through this generous matching grant. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Vistamar, and the students are the biggest winners,” said Tyner.

Vistamar School, located at 737 Hawaii Street in El Segundo, provides an engaging academic program for grades 9-12 that empowers students to excel in higher education and in life. The curriculum, emphasizing global perspectives (including four years of Mandarin Chinese and Heritage Spanish), prepares students to embrace lives of learning, integrity, and purpose. For more information about Vistamar, visit www.vistamarschool.org.

The Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau hosted the event which included a 5k run/walk, a 10k run/walk and a Baby Buggy 10K. Other festivities included: costume contest, health & fitness expo, beer gardens, live music and more.

Monder Rizki had the fastest time of the day for the 10k, finishing with a time of 31.05.1 . Kara June of San Luis Obispo won the women’s division finishing with a time of 34.40.3. You can view all of the race results here.

Click on any image below to enlarge.

City Council also proclaimed April 17-23rd as Manhattan Beach Earth Week to honor the 40-year anniversary of Earth Day. The City will organize a series of activities to raise environmental awareness throughout the community. The Earth Week celebrations will kick off with our annual Earth Day Festival in Polliwog Park on Saturday April 17th, and will be followed by green events all week long. You will be able to find out more information on activities and events at the City’s Earth Week Tent at the Farmer’s Market on Tuesday, April 20th, and on the City’s Going Green website as the date approaches.