City Council on 2023-05-16 6:00 PM - CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER Meeting Time: 05-16-23 18:00
eComments Report
Meetings Meeting
Time
Agenda
Items
Comments Support Oppose Neutral
City Council on 2023-05-16 6:00 PM -
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
05-16-23
18:00
77 10 7 3 0
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City Council on 2023-05-16 6:00 PM - CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER 05-16-23 18:00
Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral
H.12. 23-6028 APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT
WITH CREATIVE BUS SALES, INC. TO PURCHASE 5 CLASS H LOW FLOOR BUS ELDORADO NATIONAL PASSPORT EZ RIDER BRT II 32'
BUSES, UNDER THE FEDERALLY APPROVED COOPERATIVE
PURCHASE AGREEMENT WITH THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION
FOR COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION/MORONGO BASIN TRANSIT
AUTHORITY VEHICLE PURCHASING COOPERATIVE FOR AN
INCREASED PURCHASE AMOUNT OF $304,931.10
1 1 0 0
M.1. 23-6053 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING
SAFETY MEASURES FOR BIKES AND PEDESTRIANS AT THE PIER
3 3 0 0
N.1. 23-6054 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CITY'S
STRATEGIC PLAN
APPROVE THE TWELVE-MONTH STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVES
2 2 0 0
N.2. 23-5948 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE
PROPOSED CANNABIS LICENSING APPLICATION PROCESS AND
ASSOCIATED COST RECOVERY FEES
4 1 3 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.
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Agenda Item: eComments for H.12. 23-6028 APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH CREATIVE BUS SALES, INC. TO PURCHASE 5 CLASS H LOW FLOOR BUS ELDORADO NATIONAL PASSPORT EZ RIDER BRT II 32' BUSES, UNDER
THE FEDERALLY APPROVED COOPERATIVE PURCHASE AGREEMENT WITH THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FOR
COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION/MORONGO BASIN TRANSIT AUTHORITY VEHICLE PURCHASING COOPERATIVE FOR AN INCREASED PURCHASE AMOUNT OF $304,931.10
Overall Sentiment
Brianna Egan
Location:
Submitted At: 1:38pm 05-16-23
This comment is in regards to both H.11 and H.12. I'm glad to see BCT put forth a plan for converting to a zero emissions fleet and I recognize the challenges inherent in the transition, namely funding for new buses and updates to the Transit Maintenance Facility to accommodate charging equipment for electric vehicles. First, I'd like to urge the city/BCT to explore funding that might be available from the federal Inflation Reduction Act to make these infrastructure improvements. Next, I would like to know if the purchase of these 5 CNG buses is reflected in the rollout plan detailed in Item H.11? Or are the CNG bus purchases shown in the plan indicative of additional CNG buses that BCT plans to purchase? Finally, is there any way to accelerate the timeline of the purchase of the BEB buses to a date earlier than 2029? Thank you.
Agenda Item: eComments for M.1. 23-6053 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING SAFETY MEASURES FOR
BIKES AND PEDESTRIANS AT THE PIER
Overall Sentiment
Matthew Lawrence
Location:
Submitted At: 6:59pm 05-16-23
I support easing the restrictions on bike access to the pier and oppose installation of any physical barriers which can make biking more dangerous in the area.
Anneke Blair
Location:
Submitted At: 2:41pm 05-16-23
I support the lifting of the prohibition of bicycle riding along the bike path north of the restrooms and through the parking structure. I would suggest that in order to slow cyclists down through the area of concern that we add speed bumps. This will slow riders down significantly. I would also suggest that we include physical barriers to prompt the dismount at the restrooms on the south plaza as well as the entrance to the pier.
This would insure that cyclists dismount and stay dismounted through the area.
Brianna Egan
Location:
Submitted At: 2:35pm 05-16-23
Editing and reposting my comment from the 4/18 discussion:
The Marvin Braude bike trail is a gem of bike and beach access along our coast. In addition to providing recreational use for locals and visitors, many people use the trail to commute via bicycle to jobs in El Segundo, Venice, Marina Del Rey, and Santa Monica. Redondo's portion of the bike trail provides a crucial connection to nearby beaches and reduces car traffic along surface streets. We should be incentivizing and encouraging the use of the bike trail for these uses, rather than actively discouraging it.
I strongly recommend against placing chicanes and physical barriers anywhere along the pier bike path. The recent "Walk Bikes" signs and electronic signboards displaying fines all create an ugly, hostile environment to people on bikes. People still bike through Hermosa's chicanes, and their weaving through creates more hazards rather than reducing them. This is not what I want Redondo's bike path to be known for.
I strongly agree with Jim Hannon's and Jim Light's recommendation letter and their specific recommendations.
Better signage, green paint, clear crosswalk markings, and programmed lights, would enhance the path, provide better safety, and still maintain flow. Specific designs after the South end of the parking lot could be added to ask people on bikes to dismount for a short period of time. Additionally, I would like to ask the city to look into installing an electronic bike counter at the path at the upper boardwalk area to quantify and measure the number of cyclists for data-gathering purposes. We should celebrate and enhance our bike facilities, not undercut or diminish them. It would be great to see more positive investment in our bike infrastructure overall.
Better DESIGN is always more effective than fines, barriers, and policing. Thanks.
Agenda Item: eComments for N.1. 23-6054 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CITY'S STRATEGIC PLAN
APPROVE THE TWELVE-MONTH STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVES
Overall Sentiment
Niki Negrete-Mitchell
Location:
Submitted At: 5:39pm 05-16-23
I’m happy to see that Greenline is on the strategic planning report. We also appreciate that there is some strategizing on the back end in the case of an unfavorable decision. However, as we uncover more information and connect more dots, we’re able to observe the dynamics shift that actually started since before our neighborhood walks and see how greatly it has evolved even further in our favor.
We are at a moment where if we take advantage of these extremely favorable conditions we can place our stake in the ground and make a victory happen for us. But the time is NOW.
What is the strategic planning on the front end PRE-DECISION? Through old reports we are seeing more failings that now make sense out of Metro’s behavior over the years & why its reps had always been so infuriatingly dismissive about how many homes are so greatly impacted next to the ROW in Redondo.
As it turns out Metro’s 2006 Harbor Subdivision studies just said there was an unfinished senior complex with NINETEEN UNITS, a flagrant error! So we weren’t exaggerating! There really are a TON of households! Niki Is Not Lying about that!
Very shortly after all that we hear Georgia Sheridan & Mark Dierking tell Torrance’s mayor at their council meeting "at that point Metro has no preference on alignment” and resisted every single talking point aggressively thrown at them.
Fast forward to now & we have Lawndale’s change of preferance to the Hawthorne Elevated alignment.
Throughout all of this evolution we’re also hearing from the Metro Board about their new objectives about focusing on communities and not ruining anymore lives. Metro’s Business Interruption Fund is on the agenda for their Construction Committee meeting this Thurs. so we’re tuning in to that.
As for stratgegic planning these are all factors that must be taken into account moving forward. Pls advise me on how I can ensure you all are armed with necessary backround and current conditions. Old undermining talking points about the ROW being cheaper but ready for the Olympics & the nonsense about walking across the parking lot from Hawthorne Blvd are officially DOA we can move forward with confidence toward a favorable outcome.
Brianna Egan
Location:
Submitted At: 2:29pm 05-16-23
Thank you for allowing the public to comment on the city's strategic plan. I am pleased that a strategic plan item that the community advocated for back in October 2020 has now become reality today: the first community garden in Redondo Beach. I'm excited to see the program develop and move forward. Thank you to the city, city council, and residents who have all made this happen!
With regards to the proposed strategic plan objectives, I would like to voice my support for the following items and add some additional commentary/requests:
1. FAR adjustment on the Artesia Corridor: An increase in FAR to 1.5 (and potentially greater) will go a long way towards promoting revitalization and walkability along Artesia. I think this is a smart step.
2. Parking regulations and Parking Improvement District at Artesia/Aviation: This is also an important step to create a downtown-feel to the district. When looking into the revitalization of other downtown corridors such as Old Town Pasadena, one of the most important elements is implementing parking reform. Parking reform includes installing meter parking, creating parking permit programs in residential streets to reduce parking spillover, fostering a "park once" philosophy at designated paid parking lots, and promoting walking and biking over driving using street improvements such as wide sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and ample bike parking. All of these elements are important and I highly support a Parking Improvement District and parking permit program for this area.
3. Riviera Village Parklets: I'm glad the city council wants to make these outdoor dining parklets permanent, unlike other cities that are sadly doing away with them. I would like to suggest that the city also studies the permanent closure of Catalina Ave to cars from Vista Del Mar to Ave I to create a pedestrian and car-free dining district. There are many examples of successful pedestrian-only streets such as 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica and Main Street Moves in Ventura. I think this would be really interesting and fun for the area, and can at least be piloted.
Agenda Item: eComments for N.2. 23-5948 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE PROPOSED CANNABIS LICENSING
APPLICATION PROCESS AND ASSOCIATED COST RECOVERY FEES
Overall Sentiment
Robin Moser
Location:
Submitted At: 6:31pm 05-15-23
I am a Physician Assistant living Redondo Beach and a concerned mother of 3 teenage children. We do NOT want our culture of "healthy-living" here in the beach cities to be confusing for our youth! Why are we trying to advertise pot as a part of a wellness routine when the evidence is mounting that we are increasing: anxiety, hallucinations/psychosis, impaired driving, depression, drug interactions, worsening of respiratory conditions, and lowering the IQ of our youth? https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-marijuana/art-20364974 People are able to get pot from anywhere when they order it online now and we certainly do not need to have a store front where there will inevitably be marijuana-impaired drivers in our lovely beach city full of bikers/walkers and tourists.
It is a shame that we are not better educated about the dangers of pot in this time when our youth and elderly are being sold a lie that it is a healthy, alternative medicine. I see older patients frequently that have no idea this "supplement" can interact with their blood thinners, impair cognition and affect anesthesia during surgery.
Thank you for considering the future of our beach city by keeping the sale of this harmful substance in another location.
Robin Moser, PA-C
Heidi J. Swan
Location:
Submitted At: 5:02pm 05-15-23
My son graduated from RUHS. Redondo voters deserve an updated education about the current state of legal cannabis in CA. It's not what we were promised.
Do your residents know the data showing crime goes up in communities with legal retail? I volunteered with the campaign against Measure M in Hermosa. Increase of crime was our message, as it was in Manhattan. To the credit of the HB City Manager and the HBCC, an independent report was ordered. It confirmed what we said:
"The existence of a cannabis retail outlet has been associated with increases in nuisance-related crimes" https://www.hermosabeach.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/17785/638011684554917524 Pot shop smash & grabs are one such example. And completely avoidable. Recently, a beach town pot shop was hit twice within a month: "more than 12 suspects, and some were armed with assault-style rifles." https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/benicia-stiiizy-dispensary-burglarized-for-the-second-time-in-a-month/ Do RB residents know legal pot is failing in CA? Annual legal sales are down 8.2%:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2023/02/28/californias-cannabis-sales-declined-in-2022-the-first-timesince-legalization/?sh=33febe937af9 The LA Times has a Pulitzer Prize Nominated Series about the failures of legal weed: "Times reporters uncovered political corruption, an increase in illegal cultivation, rampant wage theft, and hazardous, sometimes deadly conditions for workers" https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2023-01-30/essential-californiacannabis-industry-investigation-essentialcalifornia#:~:text=Last%20year%2C%20the%20L.A.%20Times,sometimes%20deadly%20conditions%20for%20 workers.
Have residents been informed about the report recently released showing the devastating mental health toll of today's highly concentrated THC products? https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/young-men-highestrisk-schizophrenia-linked-cannabis-use-disorder How would an increase of schizophrenia worsen our homeless crisis? Imagine something like this in the Galleria. https://www.facebook.com/reel/554300890117458 Educate RB voters about this recent data. Take a pause. It's not what we were promised. carolyn petty
Location:
Submitted At: 2:43pm 05-15-23
As a Redondo Beach taxpayer, I care about the safety of this city. Continuing down the path of legalizing dispensaries as more information becomes available surrounding the illicit market, the harms to the environment from cultivation as well as the associated crime makes it appear that the council cares more about the possibility of money than the safety and welfare of the Redondo Beach community. Cannabis shops do not improve a community.
The staff report presents the possibility of significant money accruing to the city, but doesn't acknowledge the associated impacts. Did anyone vet the numbers? The staff report states that a single cannabis shop could bring $500k to $1M annually to the city in tax revenues. Think about what they are really saying. At a tax rate of 10% (including the 1% from state sales tax), assuming a $50 average sale, a shop bringing in $1M to the city would have an average of 547 customers per day. At a tax rate of 4%, a shop would have an average of 1,369 customers per day. Where is the discussion of the impacts? Traffic, parking, congestion, associated crime – have the neighbors been notified? So either those numbers are seriously inflated or they are NOT, which means the impacts are being completely dismissed and disregarded.
By the way - why is the zoning map not clearly found as part of the 23 attachments? Why is that not very obvious to all?
The other implication – that the city will be able to charge an applicant anywhere from $12k to $16k implies another money making scheme for the city. However, you all must know that it is illegal for a city to profit on fees.
Even if this is outsourced, it is NOT a revenue generator. Are you aware that cannabis operators that do NOT win a license typically sue cities? Where is the analysis on that in the staff report? It is an easy search on the internet to see how often this happens - again, why was this possible cost not in the staff report? The Integrity Guidelines should include consequences such as termination or resignation, if it is an elected official. It should be unanimous, and if it is not, the RB community should take notice and be deeply concerned.
Sarah Armstrong
Location:
Submitted At: 10:53am 05-15-23
To: The Honorable Members of the Redondo Beach City Council From: Sarah Armstrong JD
Re: Council Meeting of May 16, 2023 – Agenda Item No. N.2 Relating to Cannabis Licensure File No.:23-5948 Date: May 15, 2023
Dear Honorable Members of the Redondo Beach City Council:
Americans for Safe Access is deeply grateful that you have persevered in your efforts to bring safe access to the South Bay.
We hope that you will continue to move forward, so that all medicinal cannabis patients have access to their cannabis medicine in Redondo Beach. It should be noted that Redondo Beach Cannabis Retailers will be the only access patients will have in the South Bay, something patients have been waiting for since 1996, a period of 27 years. Your efforts are nothing less than historic as well as being deeply compassionate.
It's been the experience of our organization, that carefully written ordinances such as your own, coupled with extensive State regulations ensure that cannabis storefronts are clean quiet places, which cause no quality of life problems for nearby businesses or residences. We believe you will be pleasantly surprised as to the quality of applicants your cannabis program will attract.
With this in mind, we hope you will consider enlarging your program to include additional retailers. Small municipalities such as West Hollywood, Long Beach and Port Hueneme have all enlarged their retailer pool, with no adverse effects.
In addition to creating a more competitive atmosphere which encourages better pricing for patients, enhanced tax revenues and diversity of ownership are ancillary advantages which will benefit the community.
We realize that enlarging your cannabis program is a big step, but we hope that you will at least create a mechanism to enlarge your program quickly and easily as it becomes clear that additional shops would benefit not only your community but patients throughout the South Bay.
Once again, thank you for your historic and deeply compassionate decision to create a cannabis program in your community.
Sincerely,
Sarah Armstrong JD
Outreach Chair Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
Americans for Safe Access