Make a Difference in Manhattan Beach: This Week's To-Do List
Jun 08, 2020 02:08PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Want to make a positive difference in Manhattan Beach? We've got a quick to-do list for you this week.
1) Respond to the 2020 Census: Yes, your voice is important! Current records show that only 63.2 percent of Manhattan Beach residents have responded to the census. Remember that census results are critical because they lay the groundwork for funding for public safety, school lunches, infrastructure projects and more.
2) Tell the city how you feel about outdoor dining: The Manhattan Beach City Council has been discussing a plan
to allow temporary outdoor dining and business uses within public
parking spaces for restaurants and businesses to accommodate social
distancing measures.
Major eligible areas include parking spaces adjacent to businesses in Downtown Manhattan Beach and in the North End. Let the city know how you feel by taking this brief survey.
3) Voice your opinions about school re-opening: The Manhattan Beach Unified School District is holding town halls live on its YouTube channel tonight and tomorrow night from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. To submit questions for the board about elementary schools, click here. To submit questions about secondary schools, click here.
4) Volunteer to help at the Manhattan Beach Farmers' Market: The Downtown Manhattan Beach Farmers' Market has re-opened on Tuesdays, thanks to the help of generous community volunteers. Will you be one of them? Sign up for a two-and-a-half-hour shift here.
5) Join in on the Coffee with the Mayor: Ask questions of Manhattan Beach Mayor Montgomery (or just listen in) to his Zoom conversation with residents on Wednesday, June 10 at 3:00 p.m. A phone-in option is also available.
5) Call the governor about education funding: Manhattan Beach schools are suffering from deep cuts in state education funding. As the fate of the education budget gets hammered out this week, you can make a difference: Call Governor Newsom's office and ask him to restore cuts to education. You can call his office at 916-445-2841 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. Here's a sample script:
"Restore the cuts to education so schools can open in the fall. Our students need to get back to learning and school districts need to focus on learning loss and safety for their school communities. Our school districts have to plan now and are required to do their budgets by the end of June for the next 3 years. Cuts that occur later this summer and into the fall will not only put districts into insolvency, but will also force massive classified layoffs and a return to distance learning. Do the right thing and protect our public schools."
