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Brad Waller Newsletter — August 2, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, August 3, 2026
Good afternoon, Redondo,
If you have passed a school corner recently and wondered why the pavement is suddenly wearing school colors, you are not alone. The questions and comments on my recent posts made it clear that these new intersection features deserve a proper easy-to-understand explanation, so that is exactly how we will start this week.
It was also the International Surf Festival this weekend in the South Bay, which brought two very different highlights: an awards ceremony honoring genuine lifeguard heroism, and a volleyball tournament that taught me some humbling lessons on the sand. Add tomorrow night's Council meeting and Thursday's grand opening of the Historic Library, and August is off to a very full start. Let's get into it.
🎨 School Colors on the Street: How the New Crossing Improvements Work
🔹 Traffic-calming upgrades are going in near school zones this summer. As part of the updated School Crossing Guard Program, the City and the Redondo Beach Unified School District are pairing consistent guard staffing with permanent engineering improvements. Crews have installed striped curb extensions that highlight crosswalks and reinforce the daylighting zones next to them, and the painted areas match each nearby school's primary color. School mascot stencils will be added inside the colored zones, similar to the asphalt art we already have in Riviera Village.
→ 💡 How the design works: The painted extensions visually narrow the intersection, which encourages drivers to slow down and make sharper, more controlled turns from the through lane instead of cutting close to the curb at speed. The raised elements near the centerline discourage fast, shallow turns that drift diagonally into opposing lanes. A slower turn shrinks the area where vehicles and pedestrians can conflict, and it makes drivers far more likely to yield.
→ ⚠️ One important clarification: The colors are not new traffic rules. Stop signs, crosswalks, lane markings, and the requirement to yield to pedestrians all apply exactly as they did before.
→ 🎯 My take: After my years on the RBUSD Board of Education, I can tell you that student safety conversations too often start after a close call. This program flips that: engineering that works around the clock, backed by data, education, and continued evaluation. We may add flexible posts or bollards in some painted areas to reinforce the curb extensions, but we will weigh maintenance and street-sweeping impacts first. Paint and posts never replace attentive driving, so please keep your eyes up near every school zone. Families, take a few minutes now to review the FAQ and the updated crossing guard map so you are ready for the 2026-27 school year.
👉 Explore the crossing guard FAQ and map
👉 See my intersection explainer
🚨 Public Safety: Courage Worth Celebrating
🔹 The 2026 Lifeguard Medal of Valor Awards honored extraordinary bravery. I had the honor of attending this past week as Los Angeles County recognized its finest. Medal of Valor recipients included Section Chief Olivier O'Connell, who was off duty when he entered a burning home and rescued two people, and Ocean Lifeguard Specialists Hogan Inscore and Sam O'Hare, who went into the unstable wreckage of a collapsed balcony to help save four critically injured victims. Ocean Lifeguard Sarah Foley earned the Distinguished Service Award for her rapid response to a severely injured bodysurfer, and retired Senior Rescue Boat Paramedic Captain John Stonier was celebrated for a lifetime of service and innovation in ocean rescue. Supervisor Janice Hahn and Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker joined elected representatives from across the South Bay in saying thank you.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Millions of people visit our beaches every year, and most will never know the names of the professionals watching over them. We should. Congratulations to every honoree, and my gratitude goes to all the lifeguards who keep our coastline safe every single day.
👉 See more of the awards ceremony
🏐 Out and About: Humbled on the Sand
🔹 On Sunday I played in the Charlie Saikley 6-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament. My team paired me with elected representatives from El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Torrance, and I can confirm that no council meeting prepares you for six-man beach volleyball. The biggest thrill was sharing the court with legends Bruk Vandeweghe and Randy Stoklos. I did my best to keep up, and every muscle I own has been filing complaints ever since. A huge thank-you to Dave Behar for organizing the team and inviting me. The Charlie Saikley 6-Man is the premier six-person beach volleyball tournament in Southern California, drawing tens of thousands of spectators each year, and playing alongside neighboring cities' leaders was regional collaboration at its sandiest. Absolutely worth the soreness.
👉 See my video of the tournament
📚 Thursday: The Historic Library Comes Back to Life
🔹 The grand opening celebration is Thursday, August 6, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Park. After the ribbon cutting, guests can tour the newly remodeled indoor and outdoor event spaces of the Redondo Beach Historic Library while enjoying complimentary light bites and beverages by the beach. The ADA accessibility improvements were supported by funding from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District through Measure A.
→ 🎯 Why I'm excited: This is a District 1 landmark getting a second life. Restoring a historic building is the right thing to do on its own, and beautifully remodeled event spaces steps from the ocean also mean rental activity that brings the City revenue without touching a resident's wallet. That is exactly the kind of economic development I fully support. RSVPs are encouraged, and I hope to see you there Thursday evening.
👉 Read the City's announcement
🏛️ Tomorrow Night: Council Is Back in Session
🔹 The City Council meets Tuesday, August 4, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber. The agenda posts to the Council calendar ahead of the meeting, and you can participate in person, by Zoom, through eComment, or by email. Your voice genuinely shapes these discussions, so if an item touches your street, your business, or your family, tomorrow night is the time to weigh in. I will share highlights in next week's edition.
📅 Coming Up
🔹 Bill Brand Gateway Park is officially open. Last Tuesday's ribbon cutting at Herondo Street and PCH marked the opening of our city's first new park in decades. If you missed the ceremony, the native plants and walking path are ready whenever you are. Go take a stroll.
🔹 Dine Around ARTesia's WEST night is Thursday, August 20. The North Redondo Beach Business Association's all-you-can-taste evening returns to Artesia Boulevard with local artists showing their work along the way. Wristbands went quickly for the EAST night, so plan ahead.
🔹 The summer series keep rolling. 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 fill the Redondo Beach Marina for Cruzin' the Lagoon every Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. through September 11.
👉 See the Summer of Music schedule
🥕 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
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.
🏖️ Redondo Roundup
Fresh paint making school corners safer, medals for lifeguards who ran toward danger, a historic library about to reopen its doors, and a new park welcoming its first visitors. Weeks like this remind me why I love this job, sore muscles included. Your next step is an easy one: RSVP for Thursday's library celebration, or bring your voice to the Council Chamber tomorrow night.
If anything in here sparked a question or something you want to share, hit reply. I read every message. I hope you enjoy a wonderful start to your week.
