📬 Brad Waller, District 1 Newsletter, March 16, 2026

Neighbors,

The Olympics are two years away, but the window for local businesses to get certified and positioned is open right now. That was the message at a North Redondo Beach Business Association meeting Thursday morning with LA County's Department of Economic Opportunity.

Getting into the room early, before the contracts are already spoken for, is exactly the kind of economic development that Redondo Beach businesses should be doing. And it was just one stop in a week that included a Chamber lunch, a Pier mixer, the Track Festival at RUHS, the Village Runner St. Patrick's Day 5K in Riviera Village, and a Knights of Columbus Fish Fry.

Full picture below, plus a packed stretch of ribbon cuttings, civic moments, and community events coming up.

💼 Economic Development

🔹 LA28, the Super Bowl, and what Redondo Beach businesses can do right now. Thursday morning, I joined a meeting at the North Redondo Beach Business Association with the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity to learn how LA County Small Business Certification can position local businesses to compete for contracting opportunities tied to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the upcoming Super Bowl, and other major events expected to generate billions in economic activity across our region. The DEO team offered hands-on guidance right there in the room for businesses ready to take the first step. I've been building businesses in this city since 1994, and I can tell you: the businesses that land these contracts will be the ones that prepared early. The NRBBA made it easy to start on Thursday.
👉 Explore LA County Small Business Certification
👉Book a Free APEX Accelerator Consultation Today

🔹 Business community check-ins across the city. Thursday also brought the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce Network Café at Riviera Mexican Grill: 30 seconds for members to introduce themselves, two minutes for me to share what's happening in Redondo Beach and what's ahead. That evening, Redondo Beach City Lifestyle Magazine hosted a mixer at Kincaid's right at sunset on the Pier. Three different rooms, three different groups, and the same energy: people who care about this city staying connected to each other all in one day.

🔹 State of the City: Tuesday, March 24, 7:00 a.m. Sonesta Hotel ballroom. Annual address from city leadership on where Redondo Beach stands and where we're headed. Worth setting the alarm.
👉 View State of the City event details

🔹 SBCCOG General Assembly: Let the Games Begin, Thursday, March 26, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Westdrift in Manhattan Beach. The South Bay Cities Council of Governments' annual gathering brings regional leaders together on the issues that cross city lines. Redondo Beach's own Elizabeth Hause will be on a panel. Worth attending if regional coordination and South Bay policy are on your radar.
👉 View the SBCCOG General Assembly

🏠 Housing & Zoning

🔹 Redondo Beach voted to join the South Bay Regional Housing Trust. At Tuesday's Council meeting, we took formal action to join this new joint powers authority, organized through SBCCOG, and designated Councilmember Kaluderovic to represent us on its board. The Trust gives Redondo Beach access to regional affordable housing financing tools and partnerships as we work to meet state housing requirements. To be clear: joining does not transfer zoning or land-use authority to anyone outside Redondo Beach. Those decisions remain with the City Council. But regional allies and regionally coordinated resources matter when the state is setting mandates we have to meet regardless.

→ 🎯 My take: State housing requirements arrive whether or not we have partners in the room. A South Bay-led, locally controlled tool for navigating those requirements is the smarter approach.

🔹 Artesia and Aviation corridor zoning updates approved. The Council moved forward with zoning amendments along both corridors as part of the General Plan Land Use Element update. The changes allow 1.5 FAR development and enable rooftop dining decks, tools designed to encourage reinvestment and revitalization in two of our most important commercial corridors. These decisions will shape development patterns for a long time. I'll be watching implementation closely.

🏙️ Around the Community

🔹 Hundreds of runners hit Riviera Village for the St. Patrick's Day 5K Saturday morning. The Village Runner race opened with a costume contest before the course filled up, and the energy throughout was tremendous. This year's event benefited South Bay Children's Health Center, with proceeds going toward programs that serve local kids and families. Our first responders and Public Works teams kept everything safe and clean from start to finish. That kind of behind-the-scenes work is what makes events like this look effortless.

🔹 The Redondo Track Festival brought more than 100 schools to Redondo Union High School last weekend. Student-athletes and coaches from across the Southwest competed Friday and Saturday on our track, in our community. Great for RUHS, great for Redondo Beach businesses and hotels, and a reminder that this city is a destination for competitors from across the region.

🔹 The Knights of Columbus Fish Fry. Their Riviera Village hall put on a great community evening, and if you missed it, the last one of the year is Friday, March 27, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 214 Ave I in Redondo Beach. Good food, good tradition, and the kind of gathering that makes a neighborhood feel like one.

🌿 Parks & Open Space

🔹 Alta Vista Pickleball Courts Ribbon Cutting, Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m. The courts are already being used, and it did not take long. The official ribbon-cutting is this Wednesday. Come see a smart use of Prop 68 funding on the ground. Pickleball continues to grow quickly in Redondo Beach, and Alta Vista Park is the right place to expand what's possible for players of all ages.

🔹 Wilderness Park Lower Pond Ribbon Cutting, Thursday, March 19, 2:00 p.m. The restoration is complete, and the site is ready. Wilderness Park is one of Redondo Beach's most special places, and each investment we make in it reflects a genuine commitment to the natural spaces that define this city. This one is worth attending.

🚨 Public Safety

🔹 Coffee with a Cop, Saturday, March 21, 9:00 a.m. to noon at Mickey's Deli. No agenda, no presentations. Just an informal morning to get to know the officers who serve our community over coffee. These conversations matter, and so does showing up for them. Our first responders are worth knowing.

📅 Coming Up

🔹 City Council Meeting Tuesday, March 17th, 6:00 p.m. At tomorrow’s meeting, the Redondo Beach City Council will begin with two recognitions: a Mayor’s Commendation honoring Lila Omura for receiving the Los Angeles County Commission for Women’s “Woman of the Year Award,” and a proclamation declaring March 2026 as Women’s History Month. The council will then hold a public hearing on creating a preferential residential parking zone for the southern portion of the 500 block of North Gertruda Avenue, limited to residents at 500–522 North Gertruda Avenue. Later in the agenda, the council will review a draft user fee study for the Community Development Department that evaluates whether planning, permitting, and inspection fees reflect the actual cost of city services. The meeting will also include the fiscal year 2025–26 midyear budget review, a status update on the city’s capital improvement projects, a discussion of potential cost-saving strategies for fiscal year 2026–27, and consideration of a resolution to modify the current year’s budget.

🔹 Cal Water College Scholarship. Deadline Thursday, March 26. Up to $80,000 in awards this cycle, including four $10,000 grand prizes. Applicants must live in a Cal Water service area (Redondo Beach qualifies) and plan to enroll full-time for 2026-27. A deadline worth sharing with any college-bound student in your network.
👉 Apply for the Cal Water Scholarship

🔹 ARTesia Public Art RFQ, Open through Monday, March 30. The City is building a pool of qualified artists for the ARTesia public art project. Know a working artist? Please pass this along.
👉 View the ARTesia project page

🔹 Springfest, April 16-19. Now in its 44th year, Redondo Beach's community carnival returns at the Performing Arts Center. Free admission. Rides, live music, food trucks, a student entrepreneur showcase, and a BeachLife Battle of the Bands performance.
👉 Get Springfest details

🥕 Weekly Markets

Farmers' Market by the Pier (Veterans Park), Thursdays, 8am–1pm. 309 Esplanade.
👉 Read more

Riviera Village Farmers Market, Sundays, 8:30am–1pm. Triangle Lot, 1801 S. Elena Ave.
👉 Read more

📱 Access Redondo

Do you have a problem or need to report an issue to the city? Use the Access Redondo App.
👉 Download App

Two ribbon cuttings on Wednesday and Thursday, Coffee with a Cop on Saturday, the State of the City the following Tuesday, and the SBCCOG General Assembly the week after that. The next stretch has a lot in it: parks, regional policy, and the businesses paying attention to what's coming with LA28. Worth staying close to all of it.

See you at the courts on Wednesday.

"I believe progress isn't one headline — it's how we treat each other at games, how we welcome visitors to our beach, and how we keep showing up for small, unglamorous work. Thanks for doing that work with me. 🤝"

Brad Waller
City Council Member, Redondo Beach
brad.waller@redondo.org