Issue No. 4 — MB rewrote its housing code 4-1, two charges on your tax bill, and the market split

The one thing. Manhattan Beach rewrote its housing code Tuesday (June 16), passing the state-driven ordinance 4–1 with Mayor Franklin the lone no. The change most likely to catch an ordinary homeowner: if you own two adjoining lots together — the parcel next door you bought for a bigger yard — state “no-net-loss” rules now require a home on that second lot. It also makes supportive housing “by-right” (approved without a council vote) in multifamily zones. This was a first reading; final adoption lands July 7, your last comment window. We read the whole meeting so you don’t have to. Our June 16 digest →

Your money. The 2026 federal tax changes are now locked into IRS guidance, and three reach a Beach Cities household: the standard deduction is $32,200 for joint filers, the per-person estate exclusion sits at $15M, and 100% first-year “bonus” depreciation is back for business property placed in service after Jan. 19, 2025. Whether any of it changes your return is a CPA conversation, not a rule of thumb. What changed, translated →

At City Hall. Two charges on your fall property-tax bill got locked in Tuesday, both 5–0. The storm-drain fee takes a routine 3% inflation bump; the streetlighting assessment stayed flat — but at a 1996 rate that now covers less than a third of its cost, with the general fund quietly backfilling about $270K a year. Hermosa’s turn is next: its citywide fee study, twice delayed, hits the June 23 council meeting (6 PM, 1315 Valley Drive). Doing business with the city? An eComment takes about two minutes once the agenda posts. Comment here →

The market. MB’s median sale price held at $3.75M over the spring (up 22% on the year), but Hermosa is telling the opposite story: $2.41M, down 4.3% YoY, even as its rents surge — the HB rent index jumped 5.7% in three months to $4,134. One town’s owners are watching equity climb; the other’s are watching it slip while renters pay more. The full MB picture →

Schools. MBUSD’s board was set to adopt its 2026-27 budget Thursday (June 18) after final teaching cuts settled at 14.8 positions, down from 40.4 in March once early retirements came in. The real swing factor is still out of the district’s hands: the state budget must be signed by June 30, and how it funds Prop 98 decides whether any cuts get walked back. The budget math →

The pulse. A clean southwest swell is holding around 3.6 feet on a long 17-second period this morning, beaches are clear, and there’s no shark advisory — the Shark Lab’s drone-and-tag system pings lifeguards when a juvenile white shark comes within about 100 yards of shore, which is a normal summer presence here. Nice note to close on: HBPD honored two officers this week for a CPR save at the department’s 50th annual awards.

This week.
• Sat 6/20: KOOKS surf art show, 5 PM, Cypress District (HB) — Easy Reader
• Sat 6/20: Jazz by the Sea, 4 PM, St. Peter’s by the Sea Church (HB), free — Eventbrite
• Wed 6/25: Mira Costa orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 8 PM (DTLA) — Mira Costa
• Tue 6/23: HB council — citywide fee study + commission appointments, 6 PM, 1315 Valley Dr — Agenda
• Wed 7/15: MB open house on 400 MBB + Lot 3 designs, 6–8 PM, Joslyn Community Center (MB) — MB calendar
• Jul 8–9: Free Shakespeare by the Sea, Valley Park (HB) — Shakespeare by the Sea
• Sep 5–7: Fiesta Hermosa, Labor Day weekend (HB) — Fiesta Hermosa

One question. A $3.75M median is the whole town averaged; it can’t see your street. If you’ve bought, sold, or shopped for a home in MB or HB lately, what did it actually feel like — bidding wars, or more room to breathe? Hit reply; we read everything.