City Council on 2023-04-11 6:00 PM - CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER Meeting Time: 04-11-23 18:00
eComments Report
Meetings Meeting
Time
Agenda
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Comments Support Oppose Neutral
City Council on 2023-04-11 6:00 PM -
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
04-11-23
18:00
62 17 2 15 0
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City Council on 2023-04-11 6:00 PM - CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER 04-11-23 18:00
Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral
N.1. 23-5859 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A
FEASIBILITY STUDY BY THE CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION
DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY (DISTRICT) FOR THE
PROVISION OF FIRE PROTECTION, PARAMEDIC, MARINE, AND
INCIDENTAL SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH
DIRECTION TO PROCEED WITH EXECUTION OF A
REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE DISTRICT TO PERFORM
PHASE 2 OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SURVEY CITY FACILITIES
AND EQUIPMENT AND DETERMINE THE COST TO CONVERT FIRE
AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) OPERATIONS TO
DISTRICT SERVICE
DIRECTION TO HIRE A THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANT TO REVIEW THE
CITY'S FIRE/EMS OPERATING MODEL/COSTS AND THE DISTRICT'S
PROPOSED OPERATING MODEL/COSTS
17 2 15 0
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 N.1. 23-5859 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A FEASIBILITY STUDY BY THE
CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY (DISTRICT) FOR THE PROVISION OF FIRE
PROTECTION, PARAMEDIC, MARINE, AND INCIDENTAL SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH
DIRECTION TO PROCEED WITH EXECUTION OF A REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE DISTRICT TO PERFORM PHASE 2 OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SURVEY CITY FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT AND DETERMINE THE COST TO CONVERT
FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) OPERATIONS TO DISTRICT SERVICE
DIRECTION TO HIRE A THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANT TO REVIEW THE CITY'S FIRE/EMS OPERATING MODEL/COSTS AND THE
DISTRICT'S PROPOSED OPERATING MODEL/COSTS
Overall Sentiment
Peter Aziz
Location:
Submitted At: 7:27pm 04-11-23
There are members of this current council majority which contradict their representation of the people's will on this issue. Nil's has a direct conflict of interest as he works for LACFD and this motion seeks to only benefit him.
Obagi, contradicts every thing he platformed during his two campaigns stating he would not be getting rid of our great local fire and safety, while his actions not just on the dias but during the recall of former CM Gran because of this issue and further lying to residents about the associated costs we as residents would be saving. Hypocrisy at best, but sheer negligence. I hope those watching and reading are privy to what's taken place right before your eyes over the last few years. I think our council has forgotten who they work for, and I think our fire and safety service personal also forgot in which city they have the pleasure to serve.
We pay the taxes here in Redondo which prides itself on its charter, yet it's unintelligible council majority, particularly nil's has forgotten why the individual charter exists. ' rules for thee but not for me' business as usual.
Only suitable when it conveniently fits your narrative. I urge the council to actually use the logic and precedence set by other south bay cities which have chosen to not contract with the county. Manhattan is prime example of great service as is Redondo if you allow it to be. We already get access to county coast service funding why go the extra mile to put the burden on resident to fork over more of their property taxes for a. Less than perfect service with the county. You don't save anymore than you seek to loose on quality service with county fire.
Erika Lieser
Location:
Submitted At: 7:19pm 04-11-23
I would like to understand how LA County will be able to respond when the lifeguards have a call outside of King Harbor. Redondo Beach has done an incredible job of serving our community and it would be a huge loss moving to LA County. What geographical areas will this new consolidated department service and what happens when LA County is short staffed?
Anneke Blair
Location:
Submitted At: 5:55pm 04-11-23
Thank you for allocating the time & resources needed to complete your due diligence with such an important decision. The council will have all the facts available to them. Public safety, quality of life & career for the brave men & women who serve our community should be the priority.
I appreciate you taking the time to fully understand the options available by completing this study.
Brad Waller
Location:
Submitted At: 3:40pm 04-11-23
Redondo Beach prides itself on independence. We are a charter city and have fought to be able to determine our own destiny. If the city of Redondo Beach decides to convert fire and emergency medical services operations to LA County, it would lose control over the services' delivery. LA County would take over, and the city will lose much of our say in how the services are delivered. This could lead to a loss of autonomy and flexibility in decisionmaking.
The current fire and emergency medical services operating model in Redondo Beach are delivering high quality services. Having witnessed issues with LA County based fire and sheriff services in other local cities and having conversations with other elected representatives when I was serving on the RBUSD Board of Education I strongly oppose any outsourcing of city services.
Linda Marr
Location:
Submitted At: 10:15am 04-11-23
There is absolutely no reason to consolidate with LA County that will benefit Redondo Beach. It's absolutely ridiculous that the council is considering this. I can only believe the move would be to benefit various members of the RB fire department in terms of pay, vacation, etc., certainly not to benefit the community. Also, please explain why a member of the City Council who is connected with the fire department is not recusing himself.
Cynthia Burgess
Location:
Submitted At: 7:29am 04-11-23
If the feasibility study showed a cost savings to contracting with the County for fire and paramedic services, I would still oppose this action. The health and safety of local residents is paramount. Local control is important.
Let’s find somewhere else to cut costs.
Pam Spear
Location:
Submitted At: 8:57pm 04-10-23
Keep our Fire Department. It's one of the greatest parts of Redondo Beach having our own Fire Department.
Diane Lewis
Location:
Submitted At: 5:48pm 04-10-23
I would like to keep our fire department and NOT go county... Please keep our fire department local! As far as I am aware most Redondo Beach folks would like to keep the fire department local.
Arnette Travis
Location:
Submitted At: 5:40pm 04-10-23
RBFD is a top tier fire department, while LAFD is not. LAFD has a multitude of issues ranging from slow response times to financial deficiencies. Why spend more money studying how to lower fire & emergency services to Redondo residents?
Marie Puterbaugh
Location:
Submitted At: 4:58pm 04-10-23
According to a March 2023 Eyewitness News report (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Fire Department is busier than ever; there was the COVID-19 pandemic, then add to that the homeless crisis, the rise in fentanyl overdoses and an uptick in violent crime. Last year, the LAFD responded to nearly 500,000 incidents, 46,000 more incidents than the average between 2016 and 2019 prior to the pandemic - which is about 10% higher. "We are over worked," said LAFD paramedic Jonathan Valenzuela. By contrast, Redondo’s fire department earned a Class 1 rating by the national Insurance Services Office (in its current five-year cycle). This puts Redondo Beach among the nation’s top 400 fire departments. Of the department’s 7,200 calls per year, 70 percent are medical. 1.3 percent are actual, reportable fires. Losing our local fire department could likely lead to unnecessary loss of life given an aging population and the fentanyl crisis. It also could potentially degrade Redondo, specifically North Redondo, as our local infrastructure is in need of repair. Why move to a beach city that does not have a robust local fire department? By losing our local department, Redondo could be less attractive versus other beach cities with better infrastructure and comparable schools.
Mariam Butler
Location:
Submitted At: 4:28pm 04-10-23
Redondo Beach residents want to keep our fire department local. Local control is always better. We also spent over a million dollars on a new truck. If we go to County, all our resources go to County. We will never be able to restore a local fire department. What’s next? Losing our police department to LAPD? Losing RBUSD to LAUSD? The level of service we receive from our RBFD is unparalleled. When somebody calls for an emergency, they are there within moments. The majority of the calls the fire department respond to are medical. You cannot put a price on peoples health and safety.
Alisa Beeli
Location:
Submitted At: 3:15pm 04-10-23
Please keep our Fire Department local. Redondo residents do not want our beloved RBFD to go to LA County. In 2022 RBFD was upgraded to a Class 1 rating, making it among the nation’s top 400 fire departments. A move to LA County Fire would likely result in longer response times for our community and the potential loss of our North Redondo station.
Our Redondo Beach Fire Department personnel are extremely well trained and professional. They service an incredibly high number of calls and their response times are extremely low.
I live in District 5 and I have asked our leaders and RBFD personnel how a move to County Fire would benefit residents of District 5. No one has been able to provide one benefit. That is extremely concerning. Fiscal responsibility is important, but the safety and well-being of residents is not a place to cut corners.
Thank you,
Alisa Beeli
Karan Millan
Location:
Submitted At: 2:21pm 04-10-23
Opposed to this Phase 2 of the Feasibility Study. Most in the community would like to keep our emergency services controlled by the city. The Fire and Safety departments along with the School district are Redondo's greatest resources and pride. The majority on the board rally against outsiders to our city, yet in the instance it appears the majority is willing to outsource our greatest assets.
Cee-Cee Murphy
Location:
Submitted At: 12:15pm 04-10-23
Please do not get rid of a beloved, valuable resource: our RBFD. I find it very concerning that this issue is coming up again. The Mayor and his council cronies tried to wrongfully vilify (and unseat) John Gran over this a few years ago, and now that they have a majority voting block they seem to be trying to slip this one by us again. I would hope at the very least Council member Nehrenheim recuses himself from the vote since he is an employee of LA County and this presents as a conflict of interest. The residents of Redondo should have a say in the matter; the Council are merely representatives of the citizens of the City, not unilateral decision makers.
Steve Goldstein
Location:
Submitted At: 9:12am 04-10-23
Please stop trying to slip this by the voters. We are OPPOSED to outsourcing our local Fire Department to the County. This is a public safety issue and the voters, your constituents, have spoken!! Paul Moses
Location:
Submitted At: 8:20am 04-10-23
The City Council must stop it's scheme to eliminate our local fire department.
The community has been very clear, they strongly oppose losing control of our local fire department.
Redondo residents want to keep local control.
Councilman and ROW Founder, Nils Nehrenheim is an employee of the LA County Fire Department, he has an obvious conflict of interest. He must recuse himself from all deliberations of this agenda item. It is a breach of ethics for him to remain on the dais.
Redondo residents do not want anything to do with County services.
Our Redondo Beach Police Department is the pride of the Community, residents do not want them to go to the County Sheriff's department.
Our Redondo Beach school district is one the best in the Southern California, residents do not want it to go LA Unified School District.
Our Redondo Beach Fire Department is one of the best in the nation. The residents have been very clear, residents want to maintain local control of our fire department as we have since 1907.
The City Council must stop it's scheme to eliminate our local fire department.
David Martin
Location:
Submitted At: 8:00am 04-10-23
I support the councils decision to conduct a feasibility study and continue through phase 2 with LA County. I hope everyone can keep an open mind regarding the many benefits that LA County Fire Department offers our city. Not only do we gain expertise with firefighters specifically assigned to Hazmat and search and rescue but we gain resources from surrounding cities that la county covers. This lowers response times and ensures coverage when incidents are prolonged. Large incidents require large numbers of first responders that la county would be able to assist with. A large incident would strip our city of resources and affect our neighboring cities. I only see the positives since we have numerous la county firefighters that have grown up in the South Bay that would love to work in their hometown. I ask two things from our council. Lets not have localism cloud our judgement where we have to have our fire trucks say Redondo Beach. The fire service is professional no matter which agency it is and they take the same path to serve their community. Second, ask the fire union their thoughts on this matter. There are also benefits for them professionally in regards of promotions as well as quality life for their families. Thank you for your time.