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Brad Waller Newsletter — April 26, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, April 27, 2026
Neighbors,
The week was long, the wins were real, and most of them happened because people in this city kept showing up. A 4:30 a.m. drive to Sacramento ended in a 9-0 housing committee vote. Tuesday night brought a $11 million decision on Seaside Lagoon. North Redondo's first weekly farmers market opened on Wednesday. And Saturday started at Heritage Court for the city's 134th birthday and ended over plates of spaghetti at the Historic Woman's Club.
Below: how Tuesday's Council meeting moved Seaside Lagoon and Fulton Playfield from concept to construction, why I was at the State Capitol on Wednesday, what's coming next out of Riviera Village, and a weekend the whole city seemed to spend outside.
🏛️ City Council Recap, Tuesday, April 21
🔹 Seaside Lagoon's rebuild is officially approved. Council greenlit the upgraded Lagoon project at an estimated $11 million, which lands a bit higher than the $9.5 million figure we previewed last week as the design firmed up. The plan brings a new restroom, shower, and a recirculated-and-filtered water system that replaces the costly ocean-fed pumps that have caused failures and fines in recent years. The lap pool was scrapped to keep the project affordable, and the goal is to have construction wrapped before the May 2028 BeachLife Festival, with about ten months of work starting next April.
→ 💡 What this means: This is the most consequential capital project on the year's list. The City Manager called it that himself, and I agree. Seaside Lagoon is a signature asset, and the new system should be far cheaper to operate and far more reliable than what we've been patching together for years.
→ 🎯 My take: I voted for this because phasing was the right call. The original concept had to come down to earth on cost, but this version preserves the Lagoon, modernizes the infrastructure, and gives us a real path to having it ready when the world arrives in 2028. There's still a funding gap to close, and I'll be watching that closely.
👉 Read the Seaside Lagoon recap
🔹 Fulton Playfield's stormwater project is heading to bid. Council approved plans and authorized bidding for the $6.6 million Fulton Playfield Multi-Benefit Infiltration Project. The work upgrades the underground basin to capture, filter, and infiltrate stormwater before it reaches Santa Monica Bay, while keeping the playfield in use for South Redondo Little League and Pop Warner.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: This is the kind of project that doesn't put up a ribbon or make a headline. It's fully grant-funded, it cuts pollution heading into the ocean, and it leverages regional dollars to upgrade local infrastructure. Quietly important work.
👉 View the Fulton Playfield project page
🔹 BeachLife 2026 permit amendment passed 3-2. Council approved a one-year permit amendment for next month's festival, with a $100,000 use-of-property charge and shutdown times locked in for each night. The vote split because two of my colleagues wanted a long-term agreement instead of another one-year extension, which is a fair point. We've amended this permit every year for six years running, and that pattern is worth a real conversation.
→ 🎯 My take: A long-term deal would give the city more leverage, more predictability, and a clearer financial picture. I'm hopeful we can get there, especially now that the Lagoon rebuild gives BeachLife a much-improved venue to plan around.
👉 View the City Council calendar on Legistar
🏠 Housing & State Legislation
🔹 AB 2741 cleared its first committee with a 9-0 vote. Wednesday started at 4:30 a.m. and ended at the State Capitol. I testified in support of AB 2741, the bill that addresses the housing-law gap exposed by the New Commune v. Redondo Beach decision. The committee passed it unanimously, including the 270-day grace period for cities working in good faith and the retroactivity provisions that matter most to us here at home.
→ ⚡ Why this matters here: Redondo Beach has been doing the work on housing. We've followed the rules and submitted in good faith, and when the law cracked open in a way that put cities like ours at real risk, this bill became the fix. A 9-0 vote out of committee is a strong start, but there are more steps ahead. I'll keep showing up for them.
→ 🎯 My take: This is exactly the work I want to be doing as your councilmember. Cities are not just on the receiving end of state mandates. When the framework breaks, we have a responsibility to step up and help fix it. Wednesday was one of those days.
👉 View the Sacramento testimony post
🚨 Public Safety
🔹 Fire Service Day is two weeks out, Saturday, May 9. RBFD opens both stations to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Station 1 at 401 South Broadway and Station 2 at 2400 Grant Avenue. Live equipment demos, paramedic and extrication gear, and a real chance to meet the crews who answer the calls in this city around the clock.
→ 💙 Bring the kids: This is one of the best opportunities our firefighters have to get to know the neighborhoods they serve, and one of the best ways for families to see what the department actually does. If you've never been, this is the year.
👉 Visit the Redondo Beach Fire Department
💼 Economic Development & Local Business
🔹 A new tasting tour of Riviera Village is in the works. The Riviera Village Association has just opened a save-the-date list for Dine Around Riviera Village, a tasting tour featuring more than 20 eateries for a single ticket price. Tickets will be limited, and signing up early is how you get first dibs.
→ 🎯 My take: Riviera Village restaurants have been one of the hardest-working corners of our local economy, and an event like this puts neighbors in the door at twenty places they might never have tried. I want to see this kind of thing succeed.
👉 Sign up for first-dibs ticket access
🔹 North Redondo's first weekly farmers market is now open. The North Redondo Beach Farmers Market debuted on Wednesday afternoon at Green Lane next to the North Branch Library. Hours are 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Wednesday, and revenue from the market goes back into projects for the Artesia and Aviation corridors. North Redondo has been waiting on this for a long time, and it's now a permanent fixture on this side of the city's calendar.
👉 Visit the NRB Farmers Market
🎉 Around Town
🔹 Redondo Beach turned 134 on Saturday. Heritage Court was the place to be: community booths, face painting, a magician, plenty of cake, and RBPD pulling popcorn duty. Days like that are the easy reminder of what makes this place feel like a community and not just an address. Thanks to everyone who put it together and to every neighbor who turned up to celebrate.
👉 View the Heritage Court post
🔹 Woman's Club Spaghetti Dinner: a packed house and a great cause. Saturday night brought a community-night-out at the Historic Woman's Club for the 16th Annual Spaghetti Dinner. Great food, an enormous spread of desserts, and a silent auction loaded with deals, with every dollar heading back into local charities and the Redondo Firefighters' Community Relief Fund. The Woman's Club has been doing this work since 1908, and it shows.
👉 View the Spaghetti Dinner post
📅 Coming Up
🔹 Next regular Council meeting, Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 p.m. First Tuesday of the month, Council Chambers at 415 Diamond Street. Watch the calendar for the agenda when it posts late next week.
👉 View the City Council calendar on Legistar
🥕 Weekly Markets
Farmers' Market by the Pier (Veterans Park), Thursdays, 8am to 1pm. 309 Esplanade.
Riviera Village Farmers Market, Sundays, 8:30am to 1pm. Triangle Lot, 1801 S. Elena Ave.
North Redondo Beach Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 2pm to 7pm. Green Lane at Artesia.
📱 Access Redondo
Do you have a problem or need to report an issue to the city? Use the Access Redondo App.
🏖️ Redondo Roundup
Seaside Lagoon's rebuild is funded and approved. Fulton Playfield is heading to bid. AB 2741 cleared committee 9-0 with our story written into the policy. North Redondo's farmers market is no longer "coming soon," and Fire Service Day is two weeks away. The 134th birthday at Heritage Court showed up the way only this city does. A lot of progress in a short stretch, and most of it earned the hard way.
If anything in here sparked a question or something you want to share, hit reply. I read every message.
