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Brad Waller Newsletter — August 10, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, August 10, 2026
Hello, Redondo,
When I first moved to Redondo Beach 40 years ago, my first apartment was just a few blocks from the old library at Veterans Park. I read newspapers there, checked out books, and even cast a few votes inside those walls over the years. So when the ribbon fell on the restored Redondo Beach Historic Library on Thursday evening, the moment landed a little differently for me than most grand openings do.
The rest of the week did not slow down either. Our police officers spent Friday night waiting tables for a great cause, last Tuesday's Council meeting quietly handled items that touch your parking, your fish market, and your fire response, and tomorrow night's agenda includes a $250,000 check for affordable housing. Let's get into it.
📚 The Historic Library Is Officially Back
🔹 A nearly century-old landmark opened its doors again on Thursday. The grand opening celebration at Veterans Park drew a wonderful crowd to tour the beautifully remodeled indoor and outdoor spaces of the Redondo Beach Historic Library. I was glad to be there to celebrate, and to think about all the reading, browsing, and voting I did in that building over the years. Congratulations to Made by Meg, to the Redondo Beach Public Works crew whose handiwork you can see in every custom-built window, and to everyone who helped bring this space back to life.
→ 🎯 My take: A restored landmark is a win for history all on its own. A restored landmark that hosts weddings, celebrations, and corporate events steps from the sand is also a working asset for this city, and I am eager to watch it earn its keep for decades to come.
→ 📅 Want a look inside? The venue is hosting an open house on Sunday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., geared toward anyone planning a wedding, party, or special event. RSVPs are required, and there will be treats, coffee, music, and vendor displays throughout the building.
👉 See my post from the grand opening
👉 Explore the Historic Library venue site
🚨 Public Safety: Badges, Aprons, and Generous Tippers
🔹 Tip-A-Cop raised money for Special Olympics Southern California on Saturday night. Redondo Beach Police officers swapped their usual shifts for a night of taking orders and delivering plates, with every tip going to support Special Olympics athletes. It was a joy to see officers, athletes, and neighbors sharing one room and one purpose. Those tips become training, competition, and chances for athletes to show us what determination and sportsmanship really look like. Thank you to RBPD, the athletes and volunteers, and everyone who tipped like they meant it. If you missed the fun, you can still support the cause directly.
👉 See my Tip-A-Cop post
👉 Support Special Olympics Southern California
🏛️ Tomorrow Night at Council: Housing Dollars, Final Zoning Votes, and Commission Interviews
🔹 The Council meets Tuesday, August 11, at 6:00 p.m., and three items deserve your attention.
🔹 A $250,000 boost for affordable housing (D.1). Congressman Ted Lieu will present a ceremonial check for $250,000 in federal Community Project Funding to support the City's Affordable Housing to Lease Project. Housing is one of my priority issues, and federal dollars like these stretch what we can accomplish locally without leaning harder on our own budget. I am grateful to our congressional partners for delivering.
🔹 The General Plan update reaches a milestone (H.5). Two ordinances come back for second reading and adoption, aligning our zoning code and coastal land use rules with the updated General Plan Land Use Element. Importantly, this item does not include changes to Public Institutional zoning or the associated FAR standards. Those issues are not part of these ordinances. This is the procedural capstone on much of the land use work we have been doing all year, ensuring that the rulebook governing what gets built in Redondo Beach matches the plan this community shaped.
🔹 Commission applicants get their interviews (N.1). If you answered last month's call to serve, tomorrow is your moment: the Mayor and Council will interview commission applicants, appointments are expected to be proposed on September 1, and the Oath of Office follows on September 8. Watching residents raise their hands to serve never gets old for me.
You can participate in person, by Zoom, through eComment, or by email.
👉 View the August 11 meeting details
📋 Three Highlights From Last Tuesday's Meeting
🔹 Two new paramedic squads are on the way (H.6). The August 4 consent calendar included an agreement to purchase and outfit two 2027 Ram 4500 trucks as paramedic squads for our Fire Department, at a cost not to exceed $571,365. Emergency medical calls make up a huge share of what our firefighters do, and I will always support keeping their equipment modern and dependable.
🔹 Heads up: city-wide parking rates adjust on August 20 (H.13). The hourly rate at the Pier and Plaza parking structures and the Marina lot moves from $2.00 to $2.25, matching the effective date of the citywide parking meter rate increase adopted earlier this year. Nobody loves a rate change, so consider this your two-week notice before your next harbor visit.
🔹 Quality Seafood is staying on the Boardwalk (H.18). A new lease keeps this beloved institution at 100-130 International Boardwalk through June 30, 2036. A decade of certainty for one of the pier's signature businesses is exactly the kind of steady, revenue-generating waterfront activity I want more of.
👉 View the August 4 meeting details
🌊 Harbor Watch: Breakwall Repairs and Tonight's Harbor Commission
🔹 The King Harbor Breakwall repair is heading toward the finish line. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work in June, with crews and a barge moving to different sections of the breakwall as the project progresses and a staging area set up on Mole B. Completion is expected in September 2026. Until then, please keep clear of the breakwall during active construction, give the equipment and vessels a wide berth if you are on the water, and expect reduced parking near Moonstone Park. The Corps has committed to keeping Moonstone Park accessible and the Lanakila Outrigger Club operating throughout the project.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: That wall of rock is the reason our harbor, our boats, and our waterfront businesses stay protected when the ocean gets moody. And with the possibility of a Super El Niño ahead, this work is doubly important. Short-term inconvenience for long-term resilience is a trade worth making.
👉 Read the City's breakwall update
🔹 The Harbor Commission meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber. If the waterfront is your happy place, this is the room where its details get discussed.
👉 View tonight's Harbor Commission details
🎒 Education: Nine Days Until Backpacks
🔹 The first day of school for RBUSD is Wednesday, August 19. The summer countdown is officially in single digits, so now is the time to sort out schedules, supplies, and morning routines. You’ll also notice new enhanced pedestrian-safety crosswalks and traffic-calming improvements near several of our schools, designed to make students more visible and encourage drivers to slow down. Please build in a few extra minutes near school zones that first week, watch for the new markings, and keep your eyes up around every corner.
🔹 The City's after-school program has a fresh agreement behind it (H.17). Last Tuesday's agenda also included a memorandum of understanding with the Redondo Beach Unified School District for use of elementary campuses for the City's after-school program. At just $10,000 to cover every school site for the entire year, this is a great deal the school district is providing to the City. When the City and the school district row in the same direction, working families feel the difference, and this partnership is one I am always happy to support.
👉 See the RBUSD school year calendar
📅 Coming Up
🔹 Dine Around ARTesia's WEST night is Thursday, August 20, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. This is the final night of the North Redondo Beach Business Association's all-you-can-taste stroll down Artesia Boulevard, with local artists showing their work along the route. The EAST night sold briskly, so grab wristbands before they are gone.
👉 Get WEST night wristbands
🔹 The summer concerts are entering their final stretch. Free concerts continue at Fisherman's Wharf on Thursdays and Saturdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. through August 29, and classic cars keep rolling into the Redondo Beach Marina for Cruzin' the Lagoon on Fridays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. through September 11. Three more weekends of live music over the water. Enjoy them.
👉 See the Summer of Music schedule
🥕 Weekly Markets
Farmers' Market by the Pier (Veterans Park), Thursdays, 8am to 1pm. 309 Esplanade.
👉 Read more
Riviera Village Farmers Market, Sundays, 8:30am to 1pm. Triangle Lot, 1801 S. Elena Ave.
👉 Read more
North Redondo Beach Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 2pm to 7pm. Green Lane at Artesia.
👉 Read more
📱 Access Redondo
Spotted something around town that needs the City's attention? While the Access Redondo app finishes its rebuild, the City website is the place to file those requests, and it works smoothly from your phone. After a career spent shipping software, I can tell you the wait for a well-built relaunch is always worth it.
👉 Report an issue to the City
🏖️ Redondo Roundup
It was a full week. A landmark that holds some of my own history opening a new chapter, officers earning tips for Special Olympics athletes, a breakwall getting stronger by the week, and a Tuesday agenda that touches housing, zoning, and the residents who will serve on our commissions. If you do one thing this week, make it tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m.: come to the Chamber, hop on Zoom, or send an eComment, because a $250,000 affordable housing check and the final General Plan votes deserve an audience.
If anything in here sparked a question or something you want to share, hit reply. I read every message. Have a wonderful week, Redondo.
