Elected Official? Create newsletters in minutes, not hours.
Transparent, authentic, comprehensive newsletters to maximize constituent representation and civic engagement.
Brad Waller Newsletter — October 5, 2026
📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, October 5, 2026
Happy October, Redondo,
This past week ran from history to homework. Monday opened with the unveiling of three historical markers at the Ito Family Open Space, and tomorrow night the Council takes up the resolutions that will officially call our March 2027 municipal election. In between came a ribbon-cutting at the new Wilderness Park greenhouse, a $30 million milestone for the Marine Mammal Care Center, a new dog training business on Pacific Coast Highway, Friday night football at Redondo Union, and a Saturday morning sweep on the Esplanade. Some weeks are about policy, and some are about showing up. This one was both.
Before you scroll: the Council returns tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6, at 6:00 PM, with a consent item that moves Riviera Village walkability forward, a public hearing where your voice counts, and the official start of our next election. Details below.
🗳️ Tomorrow Night at Council: Riviera Village, a Height Appeal, and the March 2027 Ballot
🔹 Riviera Village walkability moves to the drafting table (consent calendar). The Council will consider an agreement with CR Associates for design services for the Riviera Village Pedestrian and Multi-Modal Enhancements Project, in an amount not to exceed $2,694,885, funded by Measure M, with a term running from October 6, 2026 through October 5, 2028.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: The Village is the heart of District 1, and safer crossings, smoother sidewalks, and better connections for people walking, biking, and rolling are good for residents and very good for the small businesses that line those streets. Measure M is the countywide transportation sales tax, so this is our regional dollars coming home to our own blocks.
👉 Review the Riviera Village design agreement
🔹 A public hearing on 38-foot tanks in an industrial zone (L.1). The Council will hear an appeal of the Planning Commission's denial of an exemption declaration and variance that would allow four bulk cryogenic storage tanks at approximately 38 feet, exceeding the 30-foot height maximum at an existing manufacturing facility in an industrial-commercial zone.
→ 💡 What this means: When the Planning Commission denies a variance, the applicant may appeal to the City Council, which holds a fresh public hearing before deciding. Because I sit as a judge of sorts on appeals like this one, I will save my analysis for the dais, where it belongs. If you have a view, this hearing is built for you: weigh in at the meeting, by Zoom, through eComment, or by email.
👉 Read the public hearing item (L.1)
🔹 The March 2, 2027 election gets its official start (N.2). The Council will consider resolutions calling an all-mail ballot general municipal election for Tuesday, March 2, 2027, consolidated with the Redondo Beach Unified School District Board of Education election, along with requests for Los Angeles County election services, regulations for candidate statements, and vendor agreements that include ranked choice voting services.
→ 💡 What this means: Every registered Redondo Beach voter will receive a ballot by mail, and ranked choice voting lets you rank candidates in order of preference rather than picking just one. The resolutions are the legal machinery that makes all of that run on time.
→ 🎯 My take: Having filed and run for office four times in Redondo Beach, I have been a candidate in these consolidated March elections myself, and I can tell you the unglamorous paperwork we approve now is exactly what makes voting feel effortless in 2027. Boring on purpose is a compliment in election administration.
👉 See the election resolutions (N.2)
🏠 Public Safety: A Free Alarm for Your Property Title
🔹 Five minutes of setup, years of protection. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk offers a free Homeowner Alert Service, also called e-Notification. Register your email, and you will be alerted whenever a foreclosure, transfer of title, or mortgage is recorded on your property.
→ 💡 What this means: Real estate fraud, such as a fraudulently recorded deed, tends to succeed quietly, and many owners discover it long after the paperwork is filed. An automatic alert turns months of silence into a same-week heads-up, when it is far easier to act. The County plans to add more features over time, including submittable forms.
→ 🎯 My take: I have spent my career putting technology to work for people, and this is my favorite kind of tool: free, simple, and protective of the largest investment most families have. If you own property anywhere in LA County, sign up this week.
👉 Sign up for the Homeowner Alert Service
🌊 Environment: $30 Million Closer to a World-Class Marine Mammal Care Center
🔹 Thursday's announcement put real money behind the mission. We celebrated $30 million secured toward the future Marine Mammal Care Center in Redondo Beach: $15 million in Proposition 4 funding that State Senators Laura Richardson and Ben Allen helped secure, matched by $15 million in private commitments, with CEO John Warner recognizing Richard and Melanie Lundquist and Blake and Stephanie Kennedy for stepping forward. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath spoke about what the center's work means for our entire coastline. About $34 million is still needed to finish the job.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: A facility for marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, education, research, and ocean conservation belongs in a city that takes its shoreline seriously, and it will also be a destination that brings visitors, and their dollars, to King Harbor. Environment and economy pulling in the same direction is exactly what I want for our waterfront.
👉 See the funding announcement (Instagram)
🔹 A greenhouse with a citywide to-do list. Tuesday brought the ribbon-cutting for the new nursery and greenhouse at Wilderness Park, a partnership between the South Bay Parkland Conservancy and the City. The space will grow native plants destined for planting throughout Redondo Beach.
→ 🎯 My take: Growing our own natives means plants suited to our soil and our water budget, raised a short drive from where they will live. Environmental sustainability does not get more local than that.
👉 View the greenhouse post (Instagram)
🕰️ History: Three New Markers at the Ito Family Open Space
🔹 Monday opened the week with remembrance. I joined the unveiling of three historical markers at the Ito Family Open Space, recognizing an important piece of our community's history and the family whose name the open space carries.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Markers like these turn an ordinary walk through a park into a conversation between generations. A city that tells its whole story, including the difficult chapters, is a city that takes its future seriously. Thank you to everyone who worked to research, write, and place these markers where neighbors will actually see them.
🐾 Economic Development: Welcome to District 1, Love Ur K9
🔹 A new storefront, with wagging tails included. Friday I was glad to help welcome Love Ur K9, a new dog training and boarding business at 1212 S. Pacific Coast Highway, offering training, daycare, board-and-train, private classes, and behavior support for dogs and their families.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Growing city revenue through economic development sits at the top of my priority list, and it happens one storefront at a time. Every new business on PCH means jobs, services close to home, and sales tax that funds the city services we all count on. If your pup could use some polish, pay them a visit, and Thursday's South Bay Area Chamber of Commerce mixer was a good reminder that our local business community keeps growing right along with them.
👉 See my welcome post (Instagram)
☕ Civic Engagement: Coffee With the Candidates
🔹 The Chamber poured, and the candidates answered. This past week I attended the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce's Coffee with the Candidates, hearing directly from Sara Deen and Paul Seo, candidates for State Assembly, and John Erickson and Brian Goldsmith, candidates for State Senate, on the issues they see as priorities for Redondo Beach in particular.
→ 🎯 My take: With tomorrow's Council item setting our own March 2027 election in motion, this is the season to start doing your homework. Candidates give sharper answers when they know the room is paying attention, so keep paying attention. Thank you to the Chamber for bringing candidates and community together.
👉 Read my recap post (Instagram)
🏈 Schools & Service: Friday Lights, Saturday Brooms
🔹 The week ended the way good weeks do. Friday night meant football under the lights at Redondo Union High School, and Saturday morning meant gloves, grabbers, and neighbors at the Keep the Esplanade Beautiful community sweep.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Strong schools and clean public spaces are not line items; they are the reasons people love living here. To the students, families, and volunteers who filled both: thank you. And if you have never joined a sweep, the Esplanade views alone are worth the early alarm.
👉 See my full week in review (Instagram)
📅 Coming Up
🔹 City Council meets tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6, at 6:00 PM. My highlights are above, and you can participate in person, by Zoom, through eComment, or by email.
🔹 Indigenous Peoples' Day is Monday, October 12. A day to recognize the first stewards of this coastline and their continuing contributions to our region.
🔹 Hispanic Heritage Month continues through October 15. A fitting time to celebrate the neighbors whose culture, history, and contributions make Redondo Beach stronger.
🔹 Household Hazardous Waste and document shredding returns 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.
👉 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. This edition is full of notifications that work for you, from title alerts to agenda postings, and this app is the everyday version: one report sends your issue to the right department the first time, and every report becomes data that helps the City fix problems where they cluster.
👉 Download the Access Redondo App
🏘️ Redondo Roundup
Three markers honoring our history, three resolutions starting our next election, thirty million dollars toward a healthier coastline, a greenhouse full of future native plants, and a new business with very good dogs. My ask this week is simple: give tomorrow's agenda ten minutes tonight, and if an item moves you, send an eComment or come say it in person. Local government works best when the room is full.
Questions, ideas, or corrections: hit reply. I read every message. Enjoy the first full week of October, Redondo.
Brad Waller
City Council Member, Redondo Beach
