Manhattan Beach Community Group President [MBCG] Ira Zalcman has big dreams of transforming the Manhattan Beach Bathhouse into a solar power plant capable of powering the entire community, but the hottest thing on the group’s agenda this week continues to be the future of the Beachside Security Patrol.
At the last meeting of the MBCG held at P.S. 195 on Irwin Street, Zalcman fired the latest salvo in the organization’s ongoing power struggle with Beachside Security Patrol director Albert Hasson.
With the overwhelming support of the MBCG membership, Zalcman called on Hasson to supply the organization with the name of Beachside’s insurance company and how much coverage is costing dues-payers.
“If we don’t have that within 10 days we’ll act accordingly,” Zalman said.
Hasson – who quit the MBCG and is a member of the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association [MBNA] – has been wrestling over the control of Beachside ever since the MBNA broke away from the MBCG earlier this year.
“He kidnapped it to the other group,” Zalcman said. “Beachside has always been one of our committees with one of our directors running it.”
While Zalman says he is “optimistic” that the feud with Hasson can be worked out for the benefit of the community, he also says that it is “absolutely” possible that the MBCG could hire an entirely new security force to patrol the streets.
Longtime resident Ed Eisenberg says he was an original dues-paying member of the Beachside Neighborhood Patrol but recently quit because he became disenchanted with the service.
“I just didn’t like it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s all that it’s cracked up to be. The best idea [for security] is a noisy neighbor.”
Zalcman says that he would much rather focus on his solar energy bid and issues involving children’s education.
The MBCG president is expected to present a business plan for transforming the Manhattan Beach Bathhouse at the organization’s next meeting on October 29 at P.S. 195.
“We’re moving ahead,” Zalcman said. “We have a shot of getting some funding from the 2009 [City Council] budget. There’s a real possibility of making this happen.”
