City Council on 2023-01-17 3:00 PM - SPECIAL MEETING
Meeting Time: 01-17-23 15:00
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City Council on 2023-01-17 3:00 PM -
SPECIAL MEETING
01-17-23
15:00
15 19 1 16 2
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City Council on 2023-01-17 3:00 PM - SPECIAL MEETING
01-17-23 15:00
Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral
F.1. 23-5355 For eComments and Emails Received from the Public 1 0 1 0 G.1. 23-5408 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING
WHETHER TO DECLARE VACANT THE DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL
SEAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE VI OF THE REDONDO BEACH
CITY CHARTER, AND ANY OTHER CITY OF REDONDO BEACH,
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES OR STATE OF CALIFORNIA
REGULATIONS THAT MAY PERTAIN TO THIS CONSIDERATION
18 1 15 2
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Agenda Item: eComments for F.1. 23-5355 For eComments and Emails Received from the Public Overall Sentiment
Mark Nelson
Location:
Submitted At: 9:20pm 01-16-23
Non-agenda Item Comment: Along with 100s of other residents, I am concerned that BCHD is yet again blindsiding the public as it works in the shadows with Redondo Beach Planning to propose PMB LLCs 100% privately developed/owned/operated project on Redondo Beach publicly owned and zoned land. From 2019 to 2020 to 2021 to 2022 BCHD blindsided the public by increasing the height of its proposed project from 60-feet to 76-feet to 103-feet to 107.5-feet in public filings (EIR NOP, BCHD BoD Meeting, Draft EIR, Pre-CUP filing, respectively.)
Both the City of Redondo Beach and BCHD have an obligation to pre-disclose the details of the proposal to the residents of Redondo Beach that will bear the damages from nearly 100 years of this private project.
Only 9% to a mere 3% of the project's 110-foot height and 300,000 sqft privately owned building will service residents of Redondo Beach. The overwhelming supermajority of damages will be caused by servicing private parties from outside the District, in direct opposition to the District's Superior Court filing that the District's benefits are for the "resident who reside" in the "District".
Agenda Item: eComments for G.1. 23-5408 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING WHETHER TO DECLARE VACANT THE DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL SEAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE VI OF THE REDONDO BEACH CITY
CHARTER, AND ANY OTHER CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES OR STATE OF CALIFORNIA
REGULATIONS THAT MAY PERTAIN TO THIS CONSIDERATION
Overall Sentiment
Anneke Blair
Location:
Submitted At: 5:01pm 01-17-23
As a District 1 resident, I frequently do not agree with Christian Horvath. I do think that had he been forthcoming with his situation, it may have avoided this entire situation. I can understand his apprehension however that does not mean he should not do what is right. I truly hope that the city councli leaves him in place & allows him to finish his term.
I also ask that you as a united council begin to clarify the resident requirement for our city. I also ask that you clarify the Mayor Pro Tem process so that everyone clearly understands the process & that no one has a perceived right to that position as it is not in our city charter today.
Lastly, I thank you Mayor Bill Brand & Mayor Pro Tem Nils Nehrenheim for doing your due diligence as is expected of you.
Kate Korman-Sooper
Location:
Submitted At: 3:31pm 01-17-23
It’s comical how Mr. Horvath is talking about the disenfranchisement of D3 voters. As a D3 resident, Rec & Parks Commissioner, & PTA board member @ a D3 elementary school, this is my personal experience w Mr Horvath:
when my husband decided to run for City Atty in RB in 2020, he received a call from Mr Horvath stating that running for CA “wasn’t done and the current City atty had already chosen his successor & would he please consider running for another position instead.” He proceeded to dub us “ROW people” simply bc we didn’t want to go along with the status quo. He could have stayed out of it but he’s a politician, or has surely become one during these 8 years. Mr Horvath likes to think he’s above the fray & political slinging even though he’s often in the center. Except recently. W only months left of his tenure & as minority on council, I bet he’s fed up w the drama & ready to move on w his new job & family life & I don’t blame him. Politics in this city is nasty business. Given the facts, any logical person would deduce that he most likely has not been solely residing @ his RB residence. He has a family & a job that’s way closer to his new residence. However, proving that he hasn’t been living there beyond a reasonable doubt is near impossible unless you had 24/7 surveillance. If you know anything about city politics, Nafissi will win her D3 election in March by a landslide. The minority on the council is not running a candidate & the woman running against her is new to the city and unknown by the community. ROW would have ZERO motivation to remove Horvath to replace w a candidate who will clearly win anyway. I’ve never met better people than the leaders of ROW. It is ridiculous to claim they are not looking out for the best interests of the city.
They are amazing people with the very best of intentions. I don’t care whether Mr Horvath spends the rest of his term in his seat, quite frankly. I’d just want to make sure that the city wouldn’t run into legal trouble later if it’s found that a councilperson wasn’t legally allowed to be in his seat.
Liz Marcon
Location:
Submitted At: 3:18pm 01-17-23
I strongly oppose the District 3 seat vacancy and encourage Council’s FULL SUPPORT of Christian Anthony Horvath’s completion of term without reservation. There is nothing about Christian’s proof of residency in Redondo Beach that warrants this special meeting. This is an unnecessary and baseless meeting.
Fernando Garcia
Location:
Submitted At: 1:58pm 01-17-23
Hello, my name is Fernando Garcia. I am a resident of Redondo Beach, living in District 3. I am aware of a special meeting of our city council, wherein the Mayor and council will discuss vacating District 3's seat and potentially appoint an interim council member.
I am opposed to vacating the seat. There will be an election for the seat soon and I want it filled by the winner of an election, no matter who that may be. Appointing a new city council member will only serve to further weaken our faith in the democratic principles upon which our country is founded. The current occupant, Christian Horvath, was fairly chosen by our community. While I personally may not agree with all of his positions on the direction of our city, I am far more opposed to the erosion of our faith in elections—a process that is core to our American way of life, is particularly fragile at the moment and can only succeed if our citizens agree to its validity.
A city council seat may appear insignificant in the face of the greater national conversation over election fraud and the validity of our process, but I assure all of my neighbors and fellow community members that subverting the democratic process is meaningful. Every event where politicians use their power to sidestep the wishes of the people they serve damages our society, no matter the scope.
Please allow Christian Horvath to complete the remainder of his term. His successor, whomever it is, will enjoy my support in making our city the best it can be.
Michael Sachs
Location:
Submitted At: 1:47pm 01-17-23
Whether Councilman Horvath is a resident of District 3 seems debatable and would take some time to determine.
And being that we are currently in an election which ends Councilman Horvath's term in two months. I would hope that the council doesn't invest too much time on this specific issue and I hope this topic doesn't unintentionally undermine our current candidate's campaigns in district three. A larger question can be answered though. Is the charter specific enough when it comes to an office holder's residency? Can the charter be amended to tighten up the language so there is no doubt? Also, if an office holder is removed by three council people without a veto from the mayor because they believe an allegation is true, can the city be held liable if the allegation is proven false? In the future, will mayors and three council people abuse this process by using any allegation to remove an office holder with who they disagree? Cee-Cee Murphy
Location:
Submitted At: 12:44pm 01-17-23
This latest unsolicited personal attack on a termed out Council member is disgraceful. Instead of supporting Councilman Horvath and helping him through his challenges, the Council majority chose to try to find an excuse to vacate his seat a mere two months shy of his being termed out. Why? I’m guessing it’s presumably to replace him with one of their cronies. They can’t just wait two months for the RESIDENTS to choose his replacement? They are taking the power away from those who SHOULD have it: the residents of Redondo Beach. I have also heard rumblings that the majority Council wants to change the City Charter. One can only surmise it’s presumably so they can continue their stranglehold and control the goings-on in the City for the foreseeable future. Again, that takes away the voice of those they are supposed to be representing: ALL of the residents of Redondo, not just their followers. This attempt at a coup cannot happen as it sets a dangerous precedent and takes the power away from the residents and puts it in the hands of special interests. This will perpetuate the bullying and doxxing occurring in our City right now. It needs to stop. This cannot be allowed to happen, as Mr Horvath has satisfactorily proven his intent and residency, therefore this appears to be nothing but trumped up charges filed as a power grab by those desperate to maintain control. I’m guessing if this is approved they will insert one of their cronies (possibly the woman running for the vacant D3 seat). How convenient. And transparent. We see you. We do not approve.
Brianna Egan
Location:
Submitted At: 12:19pm 01-17-23
A note for commenters that eComments will not be read into the record. So if you can, please submit public comments on council matters to the city clerk or read them aloud in-person or over Zoom.
I missed the 12 pm deadline to send my comment to the clerk and may not be able to attend over Zoom, so I am sharing my comment here nonetheless:
The premise of this special meeting to consider declaring the D3 seat vacant is baseless and like many others, I question the intentions of Mayor Brand and the council majority in bringing this forward. Mr. Horvath has clearly outlined how the accusations of non-residency are false and that he intends to reside in Redondo Beach for the remainder of his term to uphold his duties as councilmember. There is legal precedent in California for having multiple residences and holding office in the city of one's primary residence. Forcing Mr. Horvath out of office not only sets up the city for lawsuits, it lends suspicion that the council is carrying out the agenda of a special interest group to stack the council, undermines the voters of District 3 who twice elected Mr. Horvath, and erodes trust in local democracy. I hope you recognize that by propping up Rescue Our Waterfront and its acolytes who tout "transparency" and "resident-focus" but instead wage campaigns of propaganda while silencing rational discourse, you are simply substituting one political machine for another. I urge you to denounce the harmful and toxic Facebook pages built by your supporters that spread deceit and hate behind anonymity (Redondo Chamber Unmasked, Batsh#t Crazy Redondo, D4 Deserves More than Tonya McKenzie). I urge you to work on building consensus, reach across the aisle, listen to those who disagree with you, and absolve yourselves of political vendettas. Redondo residents can think for themselves and are paying attention.
Lisa Youngworth
Location:
Submitted At: 11:47am 01-17-23
I finding it shocking that council member Horvath could be living in Torrance while acting as council member for Redondo Beach. If this is true, the city council needs to investigate it thoroughly and per the Redondo Beach city charter declare the seat vacant if Horvath refuses to resign. This is too serious to occur unchecked as it could set legal precedent going forward. "The Time is Always Right to do What is Right" (MLK) Peter Aziz
Location:
Submitted At: 8:15am 01-17-23
The council majority has gone to extreme lengths to try to preserve something untenable for our city. The fact that our council majority is taking direction from a small minority, a self-proclaimed watchdog known as ROW, has continued to stunt the growth of our city. Our Council Majority should act independently from this group's influence, determining the city's fate for the rest of us who must suffer from their actions. The City Charter no less does not allow for this interpretation, leaving the city to continue to open itself again to more lawsuits simply for pushing an agenda that is not what most residents want. Now we are seeing the removal of a dually elected councilman, Horvath, from his D3 seat to plant one of their own. Who was unable to win an election on her own twice. Let Councilman Horvath continue to serve the remainder of his term, as he has demonstrated throughout his two terms, appropriately and accurately servicing his district and the City with great respect, unlike the current council majority. This Council Majority has wasted enough of our tax dollars; frankly, some of them should consider resigning based on their current track records.
Matthew Hinsley
Location:
Submitted At: 10:52pm 01-16-23
Matthew Hinsley, resident of District 3. Even considering this action on the agenda during a special meeting at 3:00pm is not a good look for this city council. Trying to vacate the District 3 city council position after Council member Horvath has been elected by the people of District 3 twice is the wrong thing to do. Especially when there is a vote of the people for a new city council member in just 2 months. What is the point of this waste of city time, resources and energy? Let Councilmember Horvath finish the last few weeks of his 2 terms and let the people of District 3 choose their new representative in March without this cloud. You didn’t like it when previous city councils made decisions just before the people had a scheduled vote to have their voices heard so don’t make the same mistake by attempting this action. Cease this action, let Councilmember Horvath finish the last few weeks of his term and return the council to doing work that matters for the city of Redondo Beach. For the record, rest assured that as recently as this month Christian is in fact still residing at his residence in Redondo Beach as I have seen him living there as I pass his house in District 3 regularly driving in and out of our neighborhood.
Mark Nelson
Location:
Submitted At: 9:13pm 01-16-23
I support the first paragraph of Dana Matsuno's comment to the Council. Let the facts be faithfully determined and let the decision follow the facts. It seems that most commenters and bloggers are calling for outcomes based on facts that are, as of yet, not determined. Please use objective criteria to make any determination of residency from CM Horvath and only proceed to the question of removal from office if there is an unequivocal finding that his residency is no longer in D3. Thank you.
Lisa Rodriguez
Location:
Submitted At: 4:49pm 01-16-23
I strongly oppose the District 3 seat vacancy and encourage Council’s FULL SUPPORT of Christian Anthony Horvath’s completion of term without reservation. There is nothing about Christian’s proof of residency in Redondo Beach that warrants this special meeting, with exception to the malfeasance, deliberate political power grab. Not to mention Brand’s dismissal of Commissioners whom don’t agree with him, Nil’s self-nomination as Mayor Pro Tem or Zein’s, Todd’s, and Nil’s special election stunt and perpetual breach of trust.
Vacating this seat will only magnify the cronyism and corruption under Brand’s regime.
Alisa Beeli
Location:
Submitted At: 4:18pm 01-16-23
Council Member Horvath has served Redondo Beach, our community and District 3 admirably and honorably for many years. To remove him for what ultimately amounts to a clerical error is shameful. He explained what happened. He fixed the issue with the Registrar. He should be allowed to finish out his term, as the residents of District 3 elected him to do.
This whole situation is just another example in a long and growing list of examples of the Council majority putting their own personal vendettas and petty politics above the will of the people and what's best for Redondo Beach.
You're tearing our city apart with your divisive tactics and "gotcha" attitudes. Enough already. Do the right thing.
Let Council Member Horvath continue to serve his constituents until the end of his term in March. Thank you.
Mariam Butler
Location:
Submitted At: 4:06pm 01-16-23
Councilmember Horvath’s domicile remains In Redondo Beach. His intent to move after this term is up is completely irrelevant. Owning more than one home is also irrelevant. He can have a house in Torrance, Hermosa, Manhattan, Guam, wherever he wants. His domicile is in RB.
This is going to end up in a lawsuit. The city has enough of those. You’re infringing on Horvaths rights and the citizens that voted him into office’s rights. After wasting 200K on a special recall election on a Wednesday in October that could have been put on the November ballot for 34K, we can’t afford to keep throwing our taxpayer dollars in the trash.
Dana Matsuno
Location:
Submitted At: 10:21am 01-16-23
Dear City Council. Thank you for considering my comment. I truly believe that we should stick the facts in this situation. if Councilman Horvath is in fact still living in his Redondo Beach residence, even though his family may have moved to another city, then there really should be no discussion on this topic. He has taken every effort to maintain his residency with the purpose of completing his term. Thus, he should be allowed to complete his term without any further distraction.
This is not about people's opinions or speculation, but about the facts in this situation. For the council and its members to consider anything else is a big issue. The council has more important issues to deal with before the city and its time and resources is better used to handle those matters, rather than try to remove a fellow council member. In additional to the fact there is an upcoming election in less than two months, and Councilman Horvath will not be in office much longer, this just makes it more of a waste of time and resources. Please allow him to finish his term that he was elected to, regardless of if you agree with his views.
Furthermore, this seems like a significant risk to the city and would open the city up to negative publicity or lawsuits for improperly removing a city councilman. I personally do not want to see my city resources spent on these types of inappropriate actions. Again, this is a factual matter, and as I understand the facts, Councilman Horvath continues to reside in the city of Redondo Beach.
Oscar Pichardo
Location:
Submitted At: 9:06am 01-16-23
An incredible waste of City time money and resources. Mr. Horvath is being targeted by Brand and his cronies since he opposes the narrow self serving agenda of this special interest group . There is an election on March 7th and Mr. Hovarth is termed out, so there will be a new representative for District 3, which makes this dog and pony show moot.
Makes one wonder what is the hidden reason to remove Mr. Horvath and his vote from the city council at this late date... this action does not pass the smell test!
Linda Marr
Location:
Submitted At: 8:48am 01-16-23
The majority on the council has pursued it's own agenda with disregard for residents of D5 & D4 and I can only assume this is an attempt to get yet another person sympathetic to SR and it's agenda on the council as quickly as possible.
The idea that the majority of the council -- D1, D2, D4, plus the mayor -- would bypass rules to suit their own interests makes this "special meeting" absurd. For example, you bypassed D5 for mayor pro tem, you spent over $200,000 of the city's money to hold another "special vote" so that you could link the woman running to take over D4 with the pot guy, you constantly dump everything SR doesn't want into NR making us more and more industrial. And just FYI, I don't know the woman who also commented, but I completely agree about the Brand Army. She said it much nicer than I would, but it's the truth.
There are quite a few RB residents who believe that if you go ahead with this it will solidify the fact that this is not a democracy who looks out for RB as a whole, this is simply a council massaging the rules to suit themselves and their agendas.
Keep Horvath in office. It is widely known that the woman who will run to take his place is sympathetic to the Brand Army. The idea that you are calling this "special meeting" with only a few months left on his term is despicable.
Marie Puterbaugh
Location:
Submitted At: 4:37pm 01-13-23
When I voted for Bill Brand, I was unaware he came with a "Brand Army" ready to ruthlessly attack any opposition. The number of people targeted, and hurt, by this "watchdog" group is literally front-page news (LA Times). Living in Redondo is getting scary; if one dares to disagree with the army, the watchdogs humiliate them into submission. It is better to be a loyal soldier so you can rest assured all will be forgiven when it is your turn in the barrel. As a resident it is unsettling; it simply does not feel safe to disagree.
I believe Horvath and hope he can serve the short remainder of his term. I hope Council shows they are not ruthless creeps who will squash those who disagree with them. I used to respect our Council, but the “Brand Army’ has gone too far, too often. Even if this freaky army is technically right, the tactics used are plain wrong. I see no benefit to the residents of Redondo Beach to vote Horvath out, rather the negative publicity of this entire issue is another embarrassment to Redondo.