Resident Spotlight: Paul Gross

Name: Paul Gross.

Occupation:  Mostly retired. 

How long have you lived in Manhattan Beach? 49 years.

What is the city's most important issue? "Our biggest issue in town is to get balance between groups. For instance, the newer groups have different things done than the people who have been here a long time. Sometimes that's called between rich and poor, but that is not necessarily the same thing. In a similar vein, getting a balance between different interest groups on a bunch of issues—like Sand Dune Park as an example—that have one point of view because they are close to it, versus the broader interest of the whole community."

Where do you stand on the issue of Sand Dune Park? "First of all, you should know that I am a [Parking and Public Improvements] commissioner, and I'll say the same thing that I recommended in the last commission meeting on the subject. And that is that it be opened but that the use be more like it was somewhere between 15 to 25 years ago. And the idea behind that is that if you go back that far, most of the houses have turned over, so that when the people bought their houses, say from '90 on, they bought their place knowing that the park was there and probably even thinking it was an advantage. And the staff is fully capable of knowing how many people were on the hill on any of those dates. So I say pick a date back there, and tell the staff to make it be like then. And I think that is fair. It's become very heated, and some of the most vocal people want something better than that, something better than they had when they bought their home. They want it closed. And I don't think that is fair to the rest of the community. There needs to be a balance there. But there was, before we closed the park, way too much activity."

Where is your favorite place in town to eat, shop or relax? "I live very close to the pier, so I just walk to everywhere here in the downtown area."

Describe Manhattan Beach in three words: "Wonderful, life, sun"