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Brad Waller Newsletter — August 24, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, August 24, 2026
Happy Monday, Redondo,
What do a playground full of first-day jitters, four Olympic water polo teams, and an owl named Al have in common? They all crossed my path on the same Wednesday, and that one day says more about this town than any speech I could give.
This week's newsletter also brings some genuinely satisfying news: an arrest in the South Bay Hardware burglaries, a new citizens' committee to watch over public safety bond dollars, and a survey that lets you help design how the South Bay gets around. And before you file this email away, circle Saturday morning on your calendar, because I would love to see you at Alta Vista.
🗣️ This Saturday: Bring Me Your Questions
🔹 The next District 1 Community Meeting is this Saturday, August 29, at 9:00 AM at the Alta Vista Community Center. I will share the latest from City Hall, and then the floor is yours: questions, concerns, ideas, and anything happening in District 1 or across Redondo Beach. No agenda required, just bring yourself. Thirty minutes of direct conversation with neighbors teaches me more than a stack of staff reports, and it keeps this job honest. Hope to see you there.
👉 See the meeting announcement
🚨 Public Safety: An Arrest in the South Bay Hardware Burglaries
🔹 RBPD detectives followed the evidence for two months, and it paid off. After an extensive investigation into the two burglaries at South Bay Hardware on Artesia Boulevard, detectives identified and arrested a suspect and recovered evidence believed to be connected to the crimes while serving a search warrant in Long Beach. The investigation continues, and the case now heads to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration. Longtime readers know South Bay Hardware is one of my regular stops, and watching our officers stand up for a neighborhood institution like this makes me proud. This is what patient, diligent police work looks like. Thank you, RBPD.
🏛️ Council Recap: A Bond Watchdog and Letters to Sacramento
🔹 Your eyes on Measure FP dollars (N.1). Last Tuesday's Council meeting took up a resolution creating the Measure FP Citizens' Oversight Committee, a resident body that will review and report on expenditures from the general obligation bond proceeds funding the rebuild and renovation of the City's key public safety facilities.
→ 🎯 My take: When voters trust the City with bond dollars, the City owes them receipts. Independent resident oversight is transparency working exactly the way it should, and I hope some of you will consider serving when those seats open up.
🔹 Housing bills, local voice (H.9). The consent calendar authorized letters to state lawmakers: support for AB 2296, which would give cities more time to process their housing elements, and opposition to AB 1751, which would require ministerial approval of townhomes under three stories in multifamily and vacant single-family zones regardless of whether a city's housing element is certified, and to SB 1117, which would limit the impact fees cities can collect for accessory dwelling units larger than 750 square feet.
→ 💡 What this means: Redondo Beach did the hard work of adopting a state-certified housing plan. These letters ask Sacramento to respect that work, so cities that follow the rules can keep planning for housing thoughtfully instead of having one-size-fits-all approvals imposed from above. We can add housing and keep local judgment in the process at the same time.
🔹 Quick hits worth knowing. The consent calendar also extended our EV charging agreement with ChargePoint through December 2027 (H.5), quiet and practical sustainability I will always support, and renewed the transit agreements with Hermosa Beach and El Segundo that keep Beach Cities Transit Line 109 rolling (H.8). The Council also discussed the business license tax process and fee structure for special event vendors (N.2), because the small operators who bring our street festivals to life deserve a process that is simple and fair.
👉 View the August 18 meeting details
🌱 Help Design the South Bay's Next Mobility Hubs
🔹 Five minutes of your input, years of better short trips. The South Bay Cities Council of Governments is studying mobility hubs: places that bring transportation options, community amenities, and welcoming public spaces together in one convenient spot. Think shade, seating, bike parking, transit connections, travel information, and safer walking and biking facilities. The City shared the survey link last week, and SBCCOG wants to hear which features would actually make your everyday trips easier.
→ 🎯 My take: Last week I wrote about the turtle signs and the Local Travel Network. Mobility hubs are the natural next piece of that puzzle. If most South Bay trips are three miles or less, then the places where those trips start and end deserve real design attention, and you should be the one telling the planners what belongs there.
👉 Take the mobility hub survey
👉 Read the City's announcement
🌊 Economic Development: Olympians, Merchants, and One Memorable Owl
🔹 King Harbor went Olympic. The first Queens of the Harbor water polo tournament brought the Women's Olympic teams from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan to our waterfront, and I got to watch world-class athletes compete a few steps from the pier. With the 2028 Games coming to Los Angeles, events like this put Redondo Beach on the world's radar while filling our harbor, restaurants, and parking structures. That is city revenue with a splash. Congratulations to the @gameonls team on a fantastic first edition.
🔹 Riviera Village merchants closed out my Wednesday. After the school gates and the water polo, I wrapped up the day at the Riviera Village merchant mixer, where the most memorable introduction of the evening technically involved talons: Al the Owl was holding court. Strong merchant associations are how our business districts stay healthy, and a room full of local owners comparing notes is economic development in its most caffeinated form.
🔹 Dine Around ARTesia took its final bow. Thursday's WEST night wrapped up the North Redondo Beach Business Association's all-you-can-taste stroll for the season. Thank you to every restaurant, artist, and hungry neighbor who turned out across both nights. Every wristband was a small investment in Artesia Boulevard, and it showed.
🎓 Education: The Backpacks Are Officially Back
🔹 Wednesday morning, the school year began. I was at Alta Vista and Tulita for the first day of school, where the tears I spotted mostly belonged to the parents. Everyone made it safely through the gates and into the 2026-27 school year. Please keep building extra time into your mornings near school zones, and give our crossing guards your full attention.
🔹 A crossing guard heads-up worth two minutes of your time. The City and RBUSD have posted updated crossing guard and traffic safety information for the new school year. Several guard locations have been adjusted based on traffic patterns, pedestrian activity, and staffing, which means some intersections staffed last year may not have guards this year. After my years on the school board, my ask is simple: review your child's walking or biking route this week, not after a close call.
👉 Read the back to school safety notice
🔹 Educators, AI, and the year ahead. Last Monday I joined the RBUSD community for its annual Back to School Welcome, where keynote speaker Jean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise spoke on "The Age of Human Intelligence." The theme that stayed with me: AI's opportunity in education is not replacing teachers, creativity, or human judgment, it is strengthening them. After a career spent building technology, I could not agree more. Here's to a great year, RBUSD.
👉 See my Back to School Welcome post
📅 Coming Up
🔹 It is commission week at City Hall. The Public Works, Safety and Sustainability Commission meets tonight at 7:00 PM, the Harbor Commission meets tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25, at 6:30 PM, the Cultural Arts Commission meets Wednesday, August 26, and the Budget and Finance Commission meets Thursday, August 27. These rooms are where city details get shaped, and you are always welcome in them.
👉 View the Harbor Commission details
👉 View the commission calendar
🔹 The City Council returns Tuesday, September 1, at 6:00 PM. Commission appointments are expected to be proposed that night, with the Oath of Office following on September 8. To everyone who interviewed this month: good luck, and thank you for raising your hand.
🔹 Last call for the Summer of Music. The final free concerts at Fisherman's Wharf are this Thursday, August 27, and Saturday, August 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Cruzin' the Lagoon keeps the classic cars rolling at the Redondo Beach Marina on Fridays from 3:00 to 6:00 PM through September 11. Do not let the season end without one more evening of live music over the water.
👉 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
The set is complete: Access Redondo is now available for Android and iOS users alike. As someone whose day job is shipping apps, I can tell you that getting both platforms live is the milestone that matters. Do you have a problem or need to report an issue to the city? Use the Access Redondo App. Both stores, one city, and zero excuses not to report that pothole.
👉 Download the Access Redondo app
🏘️ Redondo Roundup
An arrest that backs up our local businesses, a new committee of residents watching every bond dollar, Olympians in the harbor, owls at the mixer, and the first school bells of the year. If you do one thing this week, take five minutes for the mobility hub survey. If you do two, come see me Saturday at 9:00 AM at Alta Vista, coffee optional, questions encouraged.
Questions, ideas, or gentle corrections: hit reply. I read every message. See you Saturday, Redondo.
