MANHATTAN BEACH : County Plea for Funds Rejected
The Manhattan Beach City Council turned down a request from Los Angeles County for more money to subsidize lifeguards and beach groomers on the county’s 31 miles of coastline.
Facing a $400,000 budget shortfall, the county Beaches and Harbors Department requested an increase in funding from area cities, including $200,000 from Manhattan Beach. The department hires lifeguards for the beaches owned by the state, county and cities.
The city already contributes $220,000 a year collected from parking meters. City Manager Bill Smith recommended giving an additional one-time payment of $100,000, but council members balked, saying that other cities in the county are not being asked to pay their share.
“Giving (county officials) more money enables them to waste more money,” Mayor Steve Napolitano said.
After the Hermosa Beach City Council reluctantly agreed in December to increase its contribution by $107,000 a year to pay for the services, county officials were hopeful that Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach would follow suit.
The Redondo Beach council voted Jan. 25 against boosting its contribution from $140,000 to $200,000.
However, Avalon officials agreed last week to increase its annual contribution for paramedic and lifeguard services from $46,000 to $300,000. It will reduce the county’s $400,000 budget shortfall by $254,000, said Ken Johnson, a spokesman for the Beaches and Harbors Department.
Johnson said he was unsure how the county Beaches and Harbors Department will offset the remaining shortfall.
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