Sunset magazine’s choice of Manhattan Beach as the location for their 2014 Idea House was met with surprise around the state. Most media outlets were sure to distinguish this home as Sunset’s “first-ever Los Angeles Idea House.” That’s because the magazine typically chooses northern locals, such as Healdsburg in 2012 and Seabrook and Washington in 2013. 
This year’s Idea House, however, is a beach house so we think choosing Manhattan Beach was a pretty easy and obvious decision for the editors.
The Idea House is a Sunset magazine concept that they undertake every year as they collude with an architect, a builder, interior design team, and a landscape architect to create what they call their “Idea Home.”
This year, the 4,600 square-foot house, situated on a 50 by 200-foot lot, is said to epitomize “the sophisticated and eclectic modern aesthetic of this Southern California beach town.”
The architects, builders, designers, etc. took their inspiration from both the Pacific and the coastline, with lots of light throughout, wide-planked oak floors, cabinetry stained black to provide a backdrop for the gorgeous soapstone kitchen counters and retractable glass doors in the adjoining great room. These retractable doors allow the outdoors to merge with the indoors.
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The 1980’s were a decade of complaints, law suits, and general negativism for the Manhattan Beach Police Department, however the majority of the community thought the force was doing an excellent job. It was felt that officers were truly dedicated and professional when it came to enforcing state criminal statutes and traffic laws, exercising courtesy, and exhibiting friendliness when patrolling the city streets.
In-house, however, there was a great deal of controversy. In the fall of 1986, a Manhattan Beach officer was arrested on suspicion of raping a 23-year old female prisoner while she was incarcerated in the Manhattan Beach jail. The charges against him followed several weeks of investigation by a special task force of the district attorney’s office, which found enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. After all was said and done the officer plead no contest and resigned from the Manhattan Beach Police Department.
Budget cuts during the same time frame were another cause of concern for citizens in Manhattan Beach. Contract negotiations with the city over both pay and benefits found the 49-member Police Association frustrated and angry. There had also been a no-confidence vote of the new Police Chief. On September 20, 1988, more than two-dozen association members picketed outside City Hall as council members and city staff arrived for a city council meeting. The “angry blue line” announced a wide range of job actions, one of which included no ticket writing.
To offset the frustration of the department, promotional posters were produced to put across a positive profile of the men and women law enforcement officers. Slogans such...
