Q&A with Judy Baron: President of the Manhattan Beach Community Group

Judy Baron has lived in Manhattan Beach with her husband for 40 years. She raised a son and daughter here and said the most beautiful part of it is the Manhattan Beach Park, which houses a beach and a playground. The Manhattan Beach Community Group is now in its 74th year and has more than 100 members.

What initially attracted you to the neighborhood?

As a child I was always told how wonderful and beautiful Manhattan Beach is and I wanted my kids to be raised here. It’s a suburban-like community and we liked that it was not far away from the city. I can walk to the park or to the beach quickly.

Are there any challenges to living here?

We were really affected by [Superstorm] Sandy. Our biggest challenge is to make sure that the [flood] water stays out of here. We want the state to put check valves on the sewer system here because when the storm hit, we had sewer water in our homes.

What‘s the best thing about living here?

The ambiance and living in an area where we feel safe. I think what’s most telling about this neighborhood is that people stay for years and there’s a sense of community here.