MB Mayor Holds Online Coffee Events To Interact With Public

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — It's a practice he's found successful so when Richard Montgomery took the reins as mayor of Manhattan Beach for his third time in early March, he brought back his popular Coffee with the Mayor, only this time, thanks to the coronavirus, the biweekly event is online.

"The only difference was back then we could actually sit down at Peets Coffee (west side of MB) and Boba Loca Coffee (east side of MB) and enjoy real coffee!" he told MB Patch. Montgomery held those in-person coffee events in 2008 and 2012 and hit both sides of the city, east and west.

He holds the events "because residents and business owners have so many questions or they want to express frustration at the Governor and his rules. We have had over 70 participants/listeners per call. I give an overview of the city related to COVID-19, recent restrictions lifted and other city news (budget, mall reopening, etc.). The rest comes from the participants and covers any topic."

Montgomery wants the coffee events to offer a a gathering place where the interaction benefits those who attend and vice versa. "I've learned that many of our residents are struggling and need to get back to work both for financial reasons and mental health; that pushing the LA County Health Department to reopen the beach helped many by allowing access to the beach along with the city reopening The Strand for walking, and that reopening our parks and tennis courts have allowed our residents to begin to get to a rhythm of normal life - whatever the new normal will be," he said.

Montgomery plans to continue his Coffee with the Mayor events until Dec. 2. The next event will be held tomorrow (Wednesday, June 10) from 3-4 p.m. via Zoom. You can join the Zoom meeting via the internet on the direct URL: https://comb.zoom.us/j/9687375. The Meeting ID number is 968 7375 9873. To join the Zoom Meeting via phone and in "voice only" mode, call (669) 900-6833 and enter the Meeting ID number 968 7375 9873. Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing mayorscoffee@citymb.info or can be asked during Coffee with the Mayor.