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Brad Waller Newsletter — May 17, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, May 18, 2026
Hello Friends & Neighbors,
Your ballot may already be sitting on the kitchen counter. Mine is, too. The primary is fast-approaching, and in that envelope are races that will shape the South Bay for the next four years. On this week's calendar: a Council meeting Tuesday with the refuse rate hearing, the Mayor's Town Hall on Wednesday, the South Bay Medal of Valor luncheon on Thursday, and Memorial Day waiting at the end of the month at Veterans Park.
A quick programming note before we dig in. I spent Tuesday through Thursday in Sacramento at the California Community Choice Association conference as Redondo Beach's representative to the Clean Power Alliance. That trip meant missing the May 12 Council meeting, and I appreciate the patience of everyone who reached out about that. I will note where my colleagues advanced items in my absence. The energy work in Sacramento was worth the trip, and I will explain why below.
🗳️ Ballots Are Out. Here Is Where I Stand.
🔹 My endorsements for the June 2 primary. Ballots have landed in mailboxes, and I want to be straight-forward with you about who I am supporting. Scott Houston for State Assembly (AD66), Sion Roy for State Senate (SD24), Al Muratsuchi for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Ben Allen for California Insurance Commissioner. The strongest case for completing your ballot early is the one in your hand: drop it at one of the official drop boxes and you are done.
→ 🎯 My take: This is my personal endorsement, not the City's, and I do not take it lightly. The Insurance Commissioner race in particular has the South Bay's attention. As I sat in the Sacramento sessions last week and heard Senator Ben Allen talk about California's insurance crisis as fundamentally a question of risk, how we price it, reduce it, and build resilience against it, that framing lined up with the energy, wildfire, and coastal challenges Redondo Beach is already living with. Leadership that connects consumer protection with the bigger policy picture is what I want representing us.
→ ⚡ Why this matters here: Our State Assembly seat affects housing law fights, coastal questions, and wildfire policy decisions that touch this city every year. Scott Houston built the hardscaping program that has helped protect thousands of homes from wildfire across our region, and that practical, locally-tested track record is the kind of leadership I want in Sacramento for the South Bay.
🏛️ City Council, Tuesday, May 19
🔹 Refuse rate Proposition 218 public hearing. Tuesday brings the formal Prop 218 hearing on the proposed Athens Services solid waste rates and fees. The Council previewed the rate structure on January 20 and again on March 17, approved the draft franchise amendment terms on May 5, and Tuesday is the night residents have been pointed toward for the formal protest process. If a majority protest is not received, Council can act on the new maximum rate structure that evening.
→ 💡 What this means: This is the most directly wallet-relevant item on Tuesday's agenda, and it is the only chance to weigh in before rates can move. If you have a concern about the proposed structure or the bundling changes for multi-family and commercial customers, this is the meeting to make it count.
🔹 Budget Presentation kicks off the season. Tuesday is also the formal budget presentation, the start of the conversation that runs into June about how the City spends the money it has for the year ahead. I have said before that the Strategic Plan only matters when it translates into funding decisions, and budget season is where that translation actually happens.
→ 🎯 My take: Watch for the trade-offs. Every line is a choice, and every choice is a priority. I will be measuring proposed spending against the Strategic Plan the Council approved May 5.
🔹 5-Year CDP public hearing for the RV Dining Deck Program. Council will hold a public hearing on the 5-Year Coastal Development Permit for the Redondo Village Dining Deck Program. The deck program has changed how Riviera Village uses its outdoor space since the pandemic, and the 5-year renewal puts the framework on a stable footing.
🔹 Youth Commission year-to-date report. Our Youth Commissioners will present what they have been working on this year. The Youth Commission is one of the most underrated forms of civic engagement in this city, and the year-to-date reports are usually a reminder of how much our high school students are paying attention to local government.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: If you have a teenager interested in how a city actually works, this is the kind of presentation to watch with them. It is also the night when the rest of us get to see what they have been building.
👉 View the City Council calendar
🏛️ Mayor's Town Hall, Wednesday, May 20
🔹 State of the City at the Main Library, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Mayor Jim Light is hosting a Town Hall in the Main Library Meeting Room (second floor, 310 N. Pacific Coast Highway). State of the City remarks, questions, and a real chance to share what is on your mind directly with the Mayor.
→ 🎯 My take: Town halls work when residents show up with the questions they have been holding onto. If you have wanted to ask about housing, the budget, the waterfront, or anything else, this is your window. Bring the question, and listen to the answers.
👉 Visit the Mayor's office page
🚨 Public Safety & Community
🔹 Memorial Day at Veterans Park, Monday, May 25, 1:00 p.m. A week from today, the hometown observance returns to the Veterans Memorial at Veterans Park by the Pier. This year's keynote is Captain Blaine Pitkin, Commander of Navy Munitions Command at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, joined by Lindsey Sin, Navy veteran and Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. The Redondo Elks Lodge hosts the BBQ right after in their lot next to the park: complimentary for veterans, military members, and first responders, and a $5 plate for everyone else.
→ 🙏 Why an hour of your morning matters: Memorial Day is the day we set aside specifically for the people who never came home. Veterans Park is the right place to spend that hour. Bring family, bring kids, and stay for the BBQ.
👉 Learn more about the ceremony
🔹 50th Annual South Bay Medal of Valor, Thursday, May 21. The South Bay Police and Fire Memorial Foundation hosts its 50th Annual Medal of Valor luncheon at the Torrance Marriott (3635 Fashion Way), with a reception at 11:30 a.m. and lunch and awards beginning at 12:00 p.m. Medal of Valor, Distinguished Service, and Lifesaving awards recognize police officers and firefighters whose actions went above and beyond their normal call of duty.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: The South Bay's nine cities run their own police and fire agencies, and the Memorial Foundation is how the region thanks the officers and firefighters who do the work, and how it supports the families who carry the cost when something goes wrong. The fiftieth annual is a milestone worth marking.
👉 View the Medal of Valor event details
🔹 Citizens Police Academy Class 53 graduated Friday. Friday night was the graduation of Citizens Police Academy Class 53, and it was a real pleasure to be there with a new group of residents who put in the hours to learn how RBPD actually works. Twenty-six and a half years ago I graduated from Class 12 in 1999. That was before PTA, before the School Board, and before City Council. Looking back, the Citizens Police Academy was one of the first experiences that pulled me into community service in this city.
→ 🎯 My take: Programs like the Citizens Police Academy do something no flyer or policy memo can do. They put residents and officers in the same room for long enough to build the kind of relationships that change how a community feels about public safety. Thank you to RBPD for keeping this going.
👉 View the Class 53 graduation post (Instagram)
🧠 Youth Mental Health
🔹 allcove Beach Cities broke ground Saturday. Saturday morning was the groundbreaking for the new standalone allcove Beach Cities facility, a 9,500 square foot center coming to Beryl Street and Flagler Lane. allcove provides young people ages 12 to 25 with a welcoming space for mental health services, peer support, medical care, substance use support, and career and education assistance. Accessible, stigma-free, and built right here at home.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Youth mental health is one of the hardest, most under-resourced challenges facing every Beach Cities family right now. A purpose-built facility that meets young people where they are is the kind of investment that pays back over decades.
→ 🙏 Thanks to the partnership that made it possible: Representative Ted Lieu secured a $1 million federal grant to help launch the center. Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Janice Hahn championed youth mental health support and helped secure $4.5 million over three years to sustain services and expand the model across Los Angeles County. Federal, county, and local partnership at its best.
👉 View the allcove groundbreaking post (Instagram)
🌿 Clean Energy, Sacramento, and Why I Was There
🔹 Three days at the CalCCA Conference. Tuesday through Thursday, I was in Sacramento at the California Community Choice Association annual conference as Redondo Beach's representative to Clean Power Alliance. The sessions covered grid reliability, wildfire mitigation, battery storage, state energy policy, electrification, and how community choice agencies can keep delivering affordable, reliable power for residents and businesses across California.
→ 💡 What stood out: The most striking session was Kal Penn's keynote on communication and public trust. His point: policy alone is not enough. People need information that is clear, honest, and relatable. That message lands in this city, too. Whether the topic is the refuse rate, the housing element, or the energy bill, residents deserve plain explanations, not bureaucratic translations.
→ 🎯 My take: These conferences are not field trips. The decisions made in those rooms shape energy costs, reliability, and sustainability for Redondo Beach families and businesses for years to come. Being there is part of doing the job.
👉 View the CalCCA conference post (Instagram)
🎉 AAPI Heritage Month
🔹 May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Across the country and right here in Redondo Beach and the South Bay, AAPI residents, families, business owners, educators, artists, civic leaders, students, and volunteers have shaped the character of our region for generations. From the businesses that serve our neighborhoods to the schools, cultural traditions, community organizations, and public service that make the South Bay stronger, those contributions are part of our local story.
→ 💙 What this month is for: A chance to celebrate the legacy, honor the people behind it, and keep building a community where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued.
📅 Coming Up
🔹 Cruisin' the Lagoon kicks off Friday, May 22. The car cruise-in returns to the Redondo Beach Marina every Friday from May 22 through September 11, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. All makes and models welcome. No awards, no raffles, just great cars, great restaurants, and good company in one of the best marina settings in Southern California. Marina parking is $2 per hour or $6 flat for the three hours.
🔹 Household Hazardous Waste and Document Shredding, Saturday, May 30. Free HHW collection and document shredding for Redondo Beach residents at the Performing Arts Center parking lot (1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd), 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Bring proof of residency. Pack HHW in a sturdy box in your trunk with a 15-gallon or 125-pound limit. Shredding is capped at 5 boxes per trip.
🔹 America 250 Library Fundraiser, Saturday, May 30, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The Friends of the Redondo Beach Public Library celebrate America's 250th birthday at the Main Library with the Pennyroyal Players' "Salute to America in Song and Story," a silent auction, refreshments, and free parking under the library. Pay what you can.
🥕 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
Your ballot is the most consequential thing on this week's agenda, with Council on Tuesday for the refuse rate hearing, the Mayor's Town Hall on Wednesday, the 50th Medal of Valor on Thursday, and Memorial Day at Veterans Park a week from today. Saturday's allcove groundbreaking is the kind of investment we will be telling stories about for decades, and Friday's Citizens Police Academy graduation was a quiet reminder of why I got involved in this work in the first place. A full week, and one where showing up at the ballot box, the meeting room, and the park all matter.
If anything in here sparked a question or something you want to share, hit reply. I read every message.
