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Brad Waller Newsletter — October 19, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, October 19, 2026
Hello, Redondo,
Fair warning: the next two weeks are the busiest stretch of the fall, and most of it runs right through District 1. A nighttime half marathon sweeps through Riviera Village this Saturday, we cut the ribbon on a whole new way to get around town on Thursday the 29th, and on Halloween, Catalina Avenue fills with thousands of costumed kids. Meanwhile, annual parking meter permits went on sale this morning, the Council meets tomorrow night with farmers markets and our economic playbook on the agenda, and I just published answers to the Measure ART question South Redondo homeowners ask me most. Saturday's car show and chili cook-off at the Elks turned out to be the calm before a very fun storm. I promised a bunch of you my ballot recommendations, but I’m not done yet. Stay tuned and watch my website. Here we go.
🏛️ Tomorrow Night at Council: A Year-Round Market, Gas Station Groceries, and Our Economic Playbook
🔹 The North Redondo Beach Farmers Market could go year-round (N.2). The Council will discuss continuing the Wednesday farmers market on Green Lane between Artesia Boulevard and Vanderbilt Lane as a year-round program.
→ 🎯 My take: I list all three of our farmers markets in every single edition of this newsletter, so you can guess where my heart is. Markets feed families, anchor neighborhoods, and send foot traffic to nearby businesses. Making this one permanent is an easy case to make.
👉 Read the farmers market item (N.2)
🔹 A playbook for recruiting new businesses (N.1). The Council will receive the AREAS study on identifying and recruiting new development and businesses to the Artesia and Aviation corridors, and will give input on the City's draft Economic Development Workplan.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Growing city revenue through economic development is the first priority I ran on. Studies and workplans are not glamorous, but they are how a city stops waiting for investment to show up and starts going out to get it. I want this plan specific, measurable, and busy.
👉 Read the AREAS study item (N.1)
🔹 Gas station groceries, round two (L.1). The public hearing on updating our zoning rules for general food sales at service stations continues tomorrow night after being opened earlier this month. Public hearings exist for exactly one reason: your input. Weigh in at the meeting, over Zoom, through eComment, or by email.
👉 Read the public hearing item (L.1)
🔹 Also on the agenda: a proclamation declaring October 28, 2026 as National First Responders Day (D.1), the selection of artists for Phase I of the Artesia Boulevard Strategic Art Plan (N.3), and a micromobility status report I cover below. The meeting starts at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, October 20.
👉 View meeting details
🏘️ Housing: Your Measure ART Questions, Answered for South Redondo
🔹 The question I hear most right now: what does Measure ART mean for PCH and Torrance Boulevard? Most of the attention has focused on Artesia and Aviation in North Redondo, but the measure also makes targeted changes in South Redondo. I wrote a detailed blog post this week walking through exactly which properties are affected. The 2026 amendments would raise the allowed floor area ratio from 0.5 to 1.0 on 40 existing commercial properties along PCH, about 18.4 acres in four specific segments. The 2024 amendments would convert certain properties from residential to commercial zoning, including 28 properties along PCH between Ruby Street and Knob Hill Avenue, and six properties on Torrance Boulevard between South Irena and South Juanita Avenues.
→ 💡 What this means: Floor area ratio is just the amount of building allowed relative to lot size. On a 10,000-square-foot commercial lot, a 0.5 FAR generally allows about 5,000 square feet of building, and 1.0 allows up to 10,000, still subject to height limits, setbacks, and parking requirements. The FAR changes apply to properties that are already commercial. The residential-to-commercial conversions are a separate piece, and they are the one that raises real questions for homeowners.
→ 🎯 My take: I do not believe someone who has lived in their home for decades should lose the ability to improve or rebuild it because the City changed the zoning underneath them. That is why we are advancing separate ordinance changes to protect existing homeowners' ability to maintain, improve, and rebuild under their previous residential zoning standards, which also addresses the insurance uncertainty that comes with rebuilding questions. The Council reviewed that language on September 1, I expect one more reading before final approval, and I will keep supporting it. My post covers the maps, the page numbers in the ballot text, and the property rights details.
👉 Read my full Measure ART explainer for South Redondo
🅿️ City Services: Annual Parking Meter Permits Go On Sale Today
🔹 The sale opened this morning, Monday, October 19, and it is all online. Three things to have ready: an online account, your valid California vehicle registration uploaded, and any outstanding Redondo Beach parking citations paid in full. The permit is $220, and payment can be made by credit card through the portal. Pickup is in person at 200 N. Pacific Coast Highway at the Police Annex Building, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 to 11:30 AM and 1:00 to 3:00 PM, with a valid ID.
→ 💡 What this means: No standing in line to buy. I have spent my whole career moving services online, and putting city services where residents actually are, which is on their phones and laptops, is one of my core priorities. The FAQs and a step-by-step user guide are on the City's permit page if you get stuck.
👉 Visit the Annual Parking Meter Permit page
🚲 Environment: A New Way to Get Around Town Launches October 29
🔹 The Local Travel Network gets its ribbon-cutting Thursday, October 29, at 1:00 PM at Dominguez Park. Here is a number worth remembering: 70 percent of trips in the South Bay are 3 miles or less. The LTN connects neighborhoods, parks, and businesses using lower-speed streets, with new pavement markings and wayfinding signs so you can navigate without staring at your phone. The Council approved it in 2025, and now it is real. Bring your neighborhood electric vehicle, e-bike, or bicycle and join us for the celebration.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Every short trip that happens on two wheels instead of four is less congestion, less parking pressure, and fewer emissions. Environmental sustainability works best when the sustainable choice is also the convenient one, and that is exactly what this network is built to do.
👉 Learn about the Local Travel Network
🔹 The timing could not be better. Tomorrow night's consent calendar includes a status report on the City's Bicycle Master Plan and Micromobility Network (H.6). If you want to see where the connected-streets work goes next, start there.
👉 Read the micromobility status report (H.6)
🎃 Riviera Village: A Marathon, a Halloween Tradition, and One Last Étouffée
🔹 Nike After Dark is this Saturday, October 24. I gave you the full preview and closure map last week, so consider this your final boarding call: a live band plays from 5 to 8 PM, the Village gets special lighting and cheer zones, and road closures begin at 4 PM, so plan ahead. Come early, grab dinner, and cheer for runners who came from around the world to discover our shops and restaurants.
👉 Read my Nike After Dark preview
🔹 The Riviera Village Trick or Treat returns Saturday, October 31, from 3 to 8 PM. Get those costumes ready. This South Bay tradition draws thousands of kids each year for a safe, outdoor Halloween, with shops handing out candy until 6 PM while supplies last. Catalina Avenue will be closed to traffic from Avenue I to S. Elena Street, and this year the street closure extends all the way to 8 PM. My tip from experience: make your dinner reservations early and turn it into a whole evening in the Village.
👉 View the Trick or Treat event page
🔹 A bittersweet goodbye to Redondo Beach Grill. Their doors close October 30, so we went in for our favorites, the étouffée combo and the fried chicken, and I am hoping to squeeze in one more visit before the end. Every local restaurant is somebody's tradition. If this one is yours, you have less than two weeks to say goodbye properly.
👉 See my farewell post (Instagram)
🤝 Around Town: Cars, Chili, and a Walk Between Piers
🔹 The Elks car show delivered on all cylinders. Saturday morning I was at the Redondo Beach Elks for their annual car show, with more than 40 cars, a chili cookoff, and lunch with neighbors. Thank you to the Elks for putting on a morning that had something for everyone, including those of us who will happily stand next to a well-kept classic for far too long.
👉 See my car show post (Instagram)
🔹 Walkers filled the sand between the piers on Sunday. The 18th annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk stepped off Sunday, October 18, continuing a tradition that has raised millions for children with special needs, public education, and college scholarships since 2009. To every Redondo family who laced up and represented our schools: thank you. That is community spirit you can measure in miles.
✍️ A Personal Note
🔹 Meet MyLoc Dinh this Saturday, October 24. Wearing my personal hat, clearly labeled as such: I invite you to join us Saturday to meet MyLoc Dinh and learn about her campaign for the El Camino College Board. Having served on the Redondo Beach school board and the SoCal ROC board, I can tell you community college governance quietly shapes the career paths of thousands of local students. RSVP for location details, and expect a few more election recommendations from me before November 3.
👉 MyLoc Announcement flyer (Instagram)
📅 Coming Up
🔹 City Council meets tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20, at 6:00 PM. My highlights are above, and you can participate in person, by Zoom, through eComment, or by email.
🔹 Household Hazardous Waste and document shredding, Saturday, October 24. Performing Arts Center parking lot, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with proof of residency. Full details ran in my September 21 edition.
🔹 National First Responders Day is Wednesday, October 28. Tomorrow night's proclamation makes it official here at home. If you see our police officers, firefighters, and paramedics that day, a thank-you goes a long way.
🔹 Local Travel Network ribbon cutting, Thursday, October 29, 1:00 PM at Dominguez Park. Details above. Bring wheels.
🔹 Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and Measure ART is on your ballot. I shared why I am voting yes last week, and today's edition covers what it means for South Redondo. Do your homework, then vote.
👉 View the meeting calendar
🍅 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
Do you have a problem or need to report an issue to the city? Use the Access Redondo App. With street closures, construction, and busy event weekends ahead, this is the fastest way to flag anything on your block. One report goes to the right department the first time, and every report helps the City spot patterns and fix problems where they cluster.|
👉 Download the Access Redondo App
🏖️ Redondo Roundup
A ballot measure explained street by street, a farmers market making its case to go year-round, a parking permit you can buy from your couch, and a Village about to host runners, trick-or-treaters, and one last plate of étouffée. The thread running through all of it: the decisions shaping Redondo Beach are on your calendar, not just mine. Send an eComment on tomorrow's agenda, read the Measure ART explainer before your ballot arrives, and cheer loudly on Saturday.
Questions, ideas, or corrections: hit reply. I read every message. Have a wonderful week, Redondo.
Brad Waller
City Council Member, Redondo Beach
