📬 Brad Waller — District 1 Newsletter — March 9, 2026

Neighbors,

What a week in Redondo Beach. Sunday's Public Safety Open House brought families out to the Civic Center for K9 demonstrations, CPR training with the Red Cross, SWAT and rescue displays, and hands-on fire safety instruction. The day before, 60 volunteers hit the Esplanade with Keep the Esplanade Beautiful, pulling 23+ pounds of debris off one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Southern California. And Saturday afternoon, the 52nd Annual Kite Festival filled the sky and the beach with exactly the kind of color this community does so well.

Three different kinds of community strength in three days.

Here's the full picture, plus a meaty City Council agenda this Tuesday and a free vaccine clinic for your pets this coming Saturday.

🚨 Public Safety

🔹 The Public Safety Open House on Sunday was everything a community event should be. Families got up close with K9 teams, learned fire extinguisher technique, practiced Stop, Drop, and Roll alongside firefighters, and connected with the officers and emergency responders who keep Redondo Beach safe every day. Events like this aren't just educational: they are trust-building, and that trust makes our city work. Enormous thanks to the Police Department, Fire Department, the Red Cross, and every organization that set up a demonstration or booth.

🔹 Mayor Light has vetoed the City Council's vote to reinstate the Manhattan Smoke Shop's business license. The Council voted 3–2 on February 24 to reinstate the license with conditions, including a fine, updated signage, and strict compliance with the city’s smoke shop ordinance. At the hearing, I said I was torn. The investigation confirmed illegal flavored tobacco products were being sold, items that directly target youth, and those violations are serious. At the same time, the conditions approved by the Council were intended to impose meaningful consequences and ensure future compliance. I voted for reinstatement with those conditions because I believed the guardrails were strong and enforceable. I respect the Mayor’s decision to veto and the reasoning he outlined. Reasonable people can weigh the same evidence and come to different conclusions, and I appreciate the thoughtful way this issue has been handled.

→ 💡 What comes next: The veto keeps the revocation in place. It would take a 4-1 vote to overturn the veto.

🏛️ City Council Preview — Tuesday, March 10 | 6:00 p.m.

Council Chambers, 415 Diamond Street. Stream live on Spectrum Ch. 8 or Frontier Ch. 41, YouTube, and the City’s livestream portal.

🔹 Should Redondo Beach join the South Bay Regional Housing Trust? Tuesday's agenda opens a formal discussion on whether to join this new joint powers authority, organized through the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, and designate a city representative to its board. The Trust is designed to help finance and support affordable housing projects in member cities. Two cities, Inglewood and Lawndale, have already joined. The deadline to participate in the initial round is the end of March. Joining the Trust would not give it authority over zoning or land-use decisions in Redondo Beach. Those decisions would remain with the City Council.

→ 🎯 My take: State housing mandates keep arriving whether we have regional allies or not. A South Bay-led, locally controlled tool to help cities address those requirements is worth serious consideration, and I’m inclined to support joining.

🔹 Beach Cities Transit youth ridership — analysis and planned improvements. Staff will present data on how young residents are currently using Beach Cities Transit and what route modifications and service improvements are being considered. This matters beyond the transit system itself: if teenagers can't independently get to jobs, school programs, or activities without a car, that shapes how they experience growing up in Redondo Beach.

🔹 Zoning amendments for Artesia and Aviation Boulevards. The Council takes up the Planning Commission's recommendations on draft zoning changes along both corridors as part of the General Plan Land Use Element update. These are major mixed-use zones, and the decisions we make now will influence development patterns for a generation. I've been engaged with General Plan work since my years on the GPAC, and I'll be paying close attention.
👉 View meeting details on Legistar

🌿 Environment & Outdoor Fun

🔹 60 volunteers. 23+ pounds of trash. One cleaner Esplanade. The March 1st Saturday Sweep with Keep the Esplanade Beautiful drew the RBUSD leadership team and school board members alongside neighbors from across the community. I serve on the board of Keep the Esplanade Beautiful because I believe protecting our coastline is part of the job, not a side project. Small actions by a lot of people add up to something you can actually see. Next sweep: first Saturday of April.
👉 Join a 1st Saturday Sweep

🔹 The 52nd Annual Kite Festival hosted by the Redondo Beach Pier Association made for a stunning Saturday on the waterfront. It was one of those afternoons where you're reminded that our beach isn't just scenery; it's a gathering place. Beautiful weather, great community turnout, and a sky full of kites. Hard to beat.

🚲 Mobility & Community Moments

🔹 The North Redondo Beach Bicycle Path Extension is officially open. Thursday's ribbon cutting at Felton and Rockefeller brought together Lawndale Council Member Bernadette Suarez, Mayor Light, Council Member Zein Obagi Jr., and Metro representatives to celebrate this long-anticipated regional connection. With a concrete path, decomposed granite, native plantings, and LA Metro funding, this is real infrastructure that connects neighborhoods in a tangible way. I’m looking forward to seeing it used.

🔹 A Redondo Beach community moment went national. Last week's celebration of a local World War II veteran's 100th birthday, which I was honored to attend alongside our Police and Fire teams, was featured on NBC Nightly News as part of their "Good News Tonight" segment. He told us he'd already walked two miles that morning. A centenarian. A member of the Greatest Generation. Recognized on a national stage. This city has some remarkable people in it.

🔹 On Thursday, March 5, our round table heard directly from the Redondo Beach Fire and Police Departments. Regular, substantive dialogue between community leadership and our first responders is one of the things that makes local government actually functional. Good discussion.

📅 Coming Up

🔹 🐾 Free Pet Vaccine Clinic — Saturday, March 14, 4:00–5:30 p.m. Blue Line Dogs and Friends of Redondo Beach Dog Park are hosting a free rabies vaccination clinic for both dogs and cats at the dog park (190 Flagler Ln). They are also offering $99 vaccine packages covering Bordetella, Parvo, Deworming, and Lepto-4. Mark it, share it, bring your pets.
👉 See vaccine package options at VaccineVets

🔹 Alta Vista Pickleball Courts Ribbon Cutting — Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m. The new courts are complete and ready for play. Pickleball continues to grow quickly in Redondo Beach, and Alta Vista Park is a natural place to expand opportunities for players of all ages. Looking forward to seeing the courts in use.

🔹 Wilderness Park Lower Pond Ribbon Cutting — Thursday, March 19, 2:00 p.m. The restoration is complete, the site is ready, and this is one worth attending. Wilderness Park is one of Redondo Beach's most special places, and each investment in it shows.

🔹 Cal Water College Scholarship — Final 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 (that's us) and plan to enroll full-time for 2026–27. If you know a college-bound student in our district, please pass this along. From my years on the school board, I know what a difference it makes.
👉 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? Share the opportunity.
👉 View the ARTesia project page

🥕 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

Tuesday's Council meeting covers housing, transit, zoning, and public safety enforcement — a full agenda. If any of this week's items raised a question or sparked something you want the Council to hear Tuesday night, hit reply. I read every message.

See you around the city.

"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