City Council on 2022-04-19 6:00 PM - VIRTUAL MEETING
Meeting Time: 04-19-22 18:00
eComments Report
Meetings Meeting
Time
Agenda
Items
Comments Support Oppose Neutral
City Council on 2022-04-19 6:00 PM -
VIRTUAL MEETING
04-19-22
18:00
71 13 4 4 2
Sentiments for All Meetings
The following graphs display sentiments for comments that have location data. Only locations of users who have commented will be shown.
Overall Sentiment
City Council on 2022-04-19 6:00 PM - VIRTUAL MEETING
04-19-22 18:00
Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral
H.3. 22-3975 APPROVE THE FOLLOWING CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
A. MARCH 1, 2022 ADJOURNED REGULAR & REGULAR MEETING
B. MARCH 15, 2022 SPECIAL & REGULAR MEETING
1 0 0 0
J.1. 22-3992 For eComments and Emails Received from the Public 1 0 0 0 N.1. 22-4004 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE
ASSESSMENT OF THE REDONDO BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT
4 1 1 1
N.2. 22-3978 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE
COMPLETION OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE PROVISION OF
FIRE SERVICES IN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH BY THE
CONSOLIDATED FIRE PREVENTION DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES
COUNTY
5 2 3 0
N.3. 22-4012 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE
MOBILITY AND PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT ASSESSMENT IN THE
RIVIERA VILLAGE
1 1 0 0
P.1. 22-4035 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CHARTER REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. CC-2204-022, A RESOLUTION OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA,
ESTABLISHING A CHARTER REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
1 0 0 1
Sentiments for All Agenda Items
The following graphs display sentiments for comments that have location data. Only locations of users who have commented will be shown.
Overall Sentiment
Agenda Item: eComments for H.3. 22-3975 APPROVE THE FOLLOWING CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
A. MARCH 1, 2022 ADJOURNED REGULAR & REGULAR MEETING
B. MARCH 15, 2022 SPECIAL & REGULAR MEETING
Overall Sentiment
Michael Martin
Location:
Submitted At: 1:40pm 04-19-22
Section N.3 of 3/15 draft minutes should be revised to more accurately reflect motion status at approval, and remove appearance of intent to continue violation of Coastal Commission agreement.
The current minutes show
"… keep the slip for the City for their operation, and to open up a conversation…", Recommenced wording:
"… reassign the slip, and to open up a conversation…"
Agenda Item: eComments for J.1. 22-3992 For eComments and Emails Received from the Public Overall Sentiment
Mark Nelson
Location:
Submitted At: 8:32pm 04-18-22
I wish to commend the City and Planning Director for their transparency in California Public Records Act requests. The public has suffered a lack of transparency at the hands of other agencies, and it is so encouraging to see prompt and full sharing of written communications. Thank you to Ms. Forbes and her team, as well as the Mayor and Council for providing a environment that fosters transparency.
Agenda Item: eComments for N.1. 22-4004 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE ASSESSMENT OF THE REDONDO
BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT
Overall Sentiment
Donna Capraro
Location:
Submitted At: 6:49pm 04-19-22
Please keep our Fire Department Local. Do not go to LA County. This is not what is best for the residents of Redondo Beach
Lee Coller
Location:
Submitted At: 6:33pm 04-19-22
I wish to comment on the Harbor Patrol aspects of this report. It is important that we have 24/7 coverage of the harbor for on-the-water rescue. The weather doesn't take the night off and when a boat is in danger of going on the rocks, waiting for a response from an inland station is not going to work. I note that Baywatch, also present in the harbor, has a primary responsibility are the beaches and may not be available to handle emergencies inside the harbor. This is not an adequate substitute for a Harbor Patrol dedicated to the harbor. We also really need a Harbor Master who understand harbor operations. This should be referred to the Harbor Commission for public comments.
Mel Samples
Location:
Submitted At: 6:01pm 04-19-22
Mel Samples
District 5
Regarding Harbor Staffing:
As a matter of the City’s transparency process and trust in the public wisdom, this item continues to disappoint.
The tradition of the Council members having essentially inside information and arriving at their own decisions well in advance of any interested parties providing input appears to continue. The Council should refer this item to the Harbor Commission for input prior to considering its own decision but I am sure this will not happen here.
Much of the documentation for this item appears to be steeped in the as yet undisclosed Fire Department Assessment that has been in development for many months. Therefore, at best this is a premature discussion regarding a long-term issue that deserves further scrutiny.
Short of my general comments listed above, and since I am reasonably sure the Council will act without said Harbor Commission input, the recommended option (5) is most palatable with one major exception: the Harbor Master should not be staffed, either full or part-time, by an existing police or fire officer, but rather that it should be created as a new, non-sworn position.
The position of Harbor Master requires distinct knowledge of boating and harbor operations. Though the Harbor Master needs work closely with, he/she needs to be independent of the policies and procedures dictated by the public safety organizations. This organizational structure is consistent with most other harbor/port operations throughout the country.
Thank you,
Mel Samples
Wayne Craig
Location:
Submitted At: 5:45pm 04-19-22
The Redondo Beach Fire Department Assessment Confirms Major Concerns In an eye-opening analysis by Acting Fire Chief Kauffman, with the expert assistance of retired LAFD Chief Deputy Joe Castro, the layers to the onion are finally peeled back. Our former Fire Chief was apparently a nonleader who left our valued first responders with the inability to recommend and effect changes so desperately needed. We should be alarmed our firefighters felt unsupported and silenced under his reign; alarmed that the City was kept in the dark (with a complicit, former City Manager and former majority councilmember block refusing to listen) regarding much-needed resources to truly have and operate a premiere Fire Department.
The independent report is shocking and shows everything first responders said in 2019 about the department operations was true and necessary steps toward fixing it.
It’s also shocking 2 councilmembers still in office were part of the process to hide the problems, make up an unverified financial analysis, and put public safety at risk. Even now one is still not being honest with us.
Here are some notable quotes from the rank and file in the report. “It seemed like the last chief was politically motivated and making decisions more on politics than true public safety."
“The former Fire Chief was hired by a different city manager to maintain the status quo.” “The former Fire Chief was ‘absentee’ in his last year." He was disconnected from the crews. We just never really saw him."
“Our manuals and operational books haven't been updated in many years. They've been replaced by a series of memorandums and letters that don't make any sense."
“Things get swept under the rug."
“Guys are handcuffed. They want to do more."
“Overtime is out of control.”
The report is only the first step in making much needed improvements to our Fire Department.
This time around our city council needs to do the right thing and support our First Responders.
Agenda Item: eComments for N.2. 22-3978 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE COMPLETION OF A
FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE PROVISION OF FIRE SERVICES IN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH BY THE CONSOLIDATED
FIRE PREVENTION DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Overall Sentiment
Charles Hammond
Location:
Submitted At: 8:41pm 04-19-22
LACFD does not have any ISO Class I districts, how could they possibly give us an apples to apples comparison? By LACFD’s own omission they are "underfunded and underresourced”, "falls short of national staffing standards” and is reporting the heartbreaking statistic of "more firefighters have lost their lives to suicide than in fires in recent years”. In my opinion, the thought of subjecting our firefighters to the conditions at LACFD is just cruel and getting a detailed quote from them is a waste of city resources, why are you even considering it? Why not request a quote from other Class I FDs in the South Bay, I know Torrance has a world class FD? Lezlie Campeggi
Location:
Submitted At: 8:38pm 04-19-22
This is not a popularity contest. Our City Council has both a public safety and fiduciary responsibility to ensure our City makes the best possible, best practices decisions, based on ALL quantifiable data. This is BUSINESS; not sentiment, not "Gee, we want our own department so that's the only path forward." Unlike other cities, Redondo Beach also has a HARBOR to maintain for public safety as well. Those skills are specialty, requiring different expertise than what falls under a “traditional” fire department. More analysis and consideration are needed to address these complexities.
The RBFA wrote a letter to the Mayor, Council and Staff, in support of finishing the fire studies. Yes, they are receptive and open to changes suggested by Chief Kauffman, but simultaneously, they’d still like the County fire study to be completed. They articulated that stance in their letter submitted to the Council today. As a community who loves them, we should support them in this endeavor.
While it’s interesting to hear that the proposed changes in the recent assessment report might cost “around” $1.5 million to implement, the substantive detail outlining those costs is missing from the assessment. Also missing is the cost to upgrade the fire station facilities. And for those who were led to believe that the recent Class 1 rating had to do with an in-depth, comprehensive, operational and financial analysis, that’s not what was rated. It’s an insurance rating that has to do with fire station proximity. Great that our insurance premiums are likely better as a result. But that Class 1 rating is NOT one that comprehensively rated our fire department based on its operations, sustainability, costs, resources, or future needs.
Again, this isn’t a popularity contest. I find it odd that people profess an undying LOVE for the fire department, but in the same breath, also per the assessment, say they “don’t know what our fire department does.” Please move forward with obtaining ALL the data so our Council can consider and make the best possible decisions for our City, whatever those FACTUAL realities may be. Complete the Feasibility Study with the County.
Wayne Craig
Location:
Submitted At: 7:10pm 04-19-22
_-______ ____ __________ __________ __ _ ________ _______:
1) The former Fire Chief along with a complicit, former City Manager stunted growth, progress and morale for the department
2) The rank and file comprise excellent, dedicated first responders who deserve much better leadership and resources
3) The mechanism from which to achieve premier status MUST be thoroughly explored which includes a thirdparty independent cost analysis and a cost and resource analysis from the Los Angeles County Fire Department 4) No new Fire Chief should be hired until both analyses are properly completed and presented to the City 5) The City decision on the best path forward should not be made with incomplete data _____ ________ _________ ___ ______, __ ____ ____:
“…________ ___ _______ _______ ____ __ _________. ________ ___ _______ ________ ______ __ _____ ___ ______ ____ _____ ____ __ _________. ________ ____ ____ _________ ___ ________ _____ ____ ____ _____ ____ ___________ ___ _____ ____ __ _________. _______ __ __ ____ __ _________, ____ ____ ___ _______ _____ ____ __________ ____ ____ _____ ___ _______ ____ ___ ___ ______ ____ ____ _________ ________.” It is clear from this comment by acting Fire Chief Kauffman and the Firefighters themselves more needs to be done. This means a full review of the department by an independent outside agency such as LA County Fire.
With that information in hand the city can make a fully informed decision on how to move forward in the best interest of public safety and not for political reasons Peter Aziz
Location:
Submitted At: 7:01pm 04-19-22
Seems our council has come full circle. Was this not the pretext of why Obagi choose to file the recall of the former district 4 councilmember. Sure spending 30,000 of the tax payer dollars on continuing a study might seem like a good idea in retrospect to ensure we are getting our money's worth. But, we already know this idea was largely unpopular because it ends up being a zero sum game here, and again at the expense of residents. Keep Redondo Beach Fire Department local.
Mariam Butler
Location:
Submitted At: 6:27pm 04-19-22
We need to keep our local fire department! Having a local fire department is highly advantageous. I can understand the argument that this is “just a study,” but we all know the intention behind it is to eventually outsource to LA Fire. We do NOT want that! Keep our RBFD!! Agenda Item: eComments for N.3. 22-4012 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE MOBILITY AND
PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT ASSESSMENT IN THE RIVIERA VILLAGE
Overall Sentiment
Brianna Egan
Location:
Submitted At: 7:44pm 04-19-22
I support the improvements to pedestrian mobility in Riviera Village as outlined here with raised pedestrian street crossings and 4-way stop signs. I also support enhancements to Catalina Ave that will increase and enhance pedestrian and bicycle mobility in Riviera Village. We have seen outdoor dining activate the Village in new ways, allowing us to rethink the supposed importance of car-parking in favor of outdoor human-scale spaces. On weekend evenings, especially, the few bike racks are filled, and nearly all outdoor tables are also filled with diners.
Cars driving down Catalina Ave seem out of place and unnecessary (given so many other routes they can take).
I would encourage the city to go a step further to plan and authorize wider pedestrian sidewalks and dining decks, and to eliminate car movement entirely along the portions of Catalina Ave that span Riviera Village. A two-way bicycle track could replace the car thoroughfare, and there would still be plenty of room for pedestrians, dining decks, and bike parking. A car-free Catalina Ave would be wonderful for public safety and community enhancement. It would open up opportunities for live music, water features, street trees, and parkette enhancements with planters. Barcelona, Spain has transformed streets into parks using simple bollards, planters, murals, tables and chairs (https://www.dezeen.com/2020/11/19/barcelona-eixample-masterplan-streets-greenspace/). A proposal for Telegraph Ave in Berkeley is similar (https://www.telegraphforpeople.com/ourvision/streets-regimagined). Car-free streets are climate action at the street level.
This could be trialed with pilots over the weekends, for example. Consider conducting a survey of Village visitors and business owners exploring the interest in a car-free Catalina or pilots. I think this assessment is a great first step, and more can be done to create a truly safe and vibrant Riviera Village.
Agenda Item: eComments for P.1. 22-4035 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CHARTER REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. CC-2204-022, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING A CHARTER REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
Overall Sentiment
Eugene Solomon
Location:
Submitted At: 2:39pm 04-19-22
Please also allow consideration of reforming language in the code related to the HAPLA position on the Harbor Commission as HAPLA for all intents and purposes no longer exists. Perhaps broaden the appointment eligibility to include successor organizations or some other language that would still represent harbor interests but is not limited to one organization that may or may not sustain beyond it's current formation.