BLUE FOLDER ITEM
Blue folder items are additional back up material to administrative reports and/or public comments received after the printing and distribution of the agenda packet for receive and file.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
FEBRUARY 18, 2025
H.14 ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3287-25 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 6 TO TITLE 6 OF THE
REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO REGULATE COMMERCIAL CANNABIS BUSINESSES. FOR SECOND READING AND ADOPTION
ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3288-25 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING TITLE 10, CHAPTER 2 SECTION 10-
2.1626 OF THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO ALLOW COMMERCIAL CANNABIS ACTIVITIES INLAND ZONES OF THE CITY. FOR SECOND READING AND ADOPTION ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3289-25 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING TITLE 10, CHAPTER 5 SECTION 10-
5.1626 OF THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO ALLOW COMMERCIAL CANNABIS ACTIVITIES COASTAL ZONES OF THE CITY. FOR SECOND READING AND ADOPTION CONTACT: ELIZABETH HAUSE, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
• PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
• REDLINES OF UPDATED SECTION OF ORDINANCE NOS. 3288-25 AND 3289-25 1 Elizabeth Hause
From: Melissa Dechandt <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 11:56 AM
To: Nils Nehrenheim; Todd Loewenstein; Paige Kaluderovic; Zein Obagi; Scott Behrendt; James Light; Elizabeth Hause; Eugene Solomon; Michael Webb; Mike Witzansky Subject: Retail Cannabis in Redondo Beach
CAUTION: Email is from an external source; Stop, Look, and Think before opening attachments or links.
February 11th, 2025
Honorable Mayor Jim Light
Redondo Beach City Council Members:
District 1 Nils Nehrenheim
District 2 Todd Loewenstein
District 3 Paige Kaluderovic
District 4 Zein Obagi Jr.
District 5 Scott Behrendt
Redondo Beach City Treasurer Eugene Solomon
Redondo Beach City Attorney Michael W. Webb
Redondo Beach City Manager Mike Witzansky
Redondo Beach Community Services Director Elizabeth Hause Dear Mayor Light, City Councilmembers and City Staff,
I wanted to clarify several statements that I have heard from the dais.
Specifically, SB 1186, which became law in January of 2024, legalized medicinal cannabis in every city in CA. I have watched false information presented by city staff and at our city council meetings. This legislation did not legalize recreational cannabis, nor does it state that if Redondo Beach does not approve retail cannabis, the state will come in and create their own cannabis program.
At the February 11th, 2025 city council meeting, councilmember Nehrenheim read names of retail dispensaries who deliver to Redondo Beach, from what I assume is WeedMaps, which is publicly available and lists all delivery services throughout the state. There has been a lot of discussion and statements suggesting “massive amounts of cannabis” coming into our city, unchecked, origin unknown. To clarify, the only way to know how much, what products and from You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important 2 what retail dispensary are coming into our city is to access the CA state Track and Trace Dashboard. All of this information is readily available to our city, once a tax rate for medicinal delivery is passed by our city council. As I understand it, within 24 hours, our city officials will have access. This program requires a medical cannabis ID card and a CA ID at the point of delivery.
I have been urging our council, starting in August of 2024, to pass a tax rate for medicinal delivery and collect the tax revenue, tax revenue that our city has left on the table for 14 months thus far. I have also been urging our city council to reach out to other cities that have had successful delivery-only programs for their retail cannabis, such as Thousand Oaks, versus asking potential cannabis operators, from the dais, if delivery is successful.
The second item that I would like to address are the comments suggesting that our city must tighten and pass a retail cannabis ordinance to protect our city from an outsider coming in. This is patently false. Any individual or group may collect signatures and place an ordinance for the ballot in the March 2026, 2027…elections. The suggestion that another cannabis operator, after a cannabis operator supported four ballot measures voted upon in the 2022 elections (El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach) which all failed by very large margins, in this economic climate whereby the cannabis business revenues are steadily declining month after month over the last three years, is not likely.
I wanted to address the 2022 elections. All of the Beach Cities voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize and legalize marijuana. All of them voted overwhelmingly to not overturn bans on commercial cannabis. In essence, cities voted to legalize and decriminalize cannabis, voted overwhelmingly against storefront retail cannabis and for a “delivery only” model.
El Segundo 56% voted “NO” on Measure W 61% voted YES on Proposition 64* Manhattan Beach 77% voted “NO” on Measure MB 62% voted YES on Proposition 64** Hermosa Beach 71% voted “NO” on Measure M 71% voted YES on Proposition 64* Redondo Beach 75% voted “NO” on Measure E 65% voted YES on Proposition 64 *indicates a “delivery only” model
**indicates a ban on all retail cannabis
I once again urge you to pause all cannabis activity. The city began its initial process of developing its own cannabis program at a time when the cannabis industry was very different. Cannabis revenues were high, the taxation was reasonable, consumers were assured of the safety of a regulated cannabis industry and funds for drug prevention were ample. None of these are true today. Profits continue to decline rapidly and steadily by $98 million dollars over the past four years per the CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA).and the overly burdensome taxation is set to increase in July of 2025. As of today, there is no assurance from the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) that supplies are being properly tested and not contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, fentanyl and other contaminants. The Tier 3 funding for drug prevention programs, funded by tax revenue that is currently 3 tax years overdue by the amount of $30 billion dollars, is dangerously low, prompting tax increases. Note, the Redondo Beach City Council Cannabis ordinance does not have any infrastructure for collecting monies for drug education and prevention.
Opinion and anecdote are not fact or evidence. Retail cannabis and advertising normalizes youth use and exponentially increases the risk of early use, often as young as 6th grade; the peer-revive data also clearly shows that our youth access legal and illegal retail cannabis at the same rate. All of the potential locations in D4, D5, D2 and D1 are “safe school routes” for our award winning, destination school district, where our youth will walk, bike, run or drive by retail cannabis establishments daily. That is normalization, and retail cannabis increases youth use by at least 26%.
I urge you to please listen to resident concerns.
3 Thank you,
My best regards,
Melissa TM DeChandt
District One Resident
From: Delia Vechi
To: Nils Nehrenheim; Todd Loewenstein; Paige Kaluderovic; Scott Behrendt; Jr. Zein Obagi; CityClerk; James Light Subject: Cannabis stores
Date: Monday, February 17, 2025 8:17:18 PM
CAUTION: Email is from an external source; Stop, Look, and Think before opening attachments or links.
Ms Leonor Manzano:
Please read during the Council Meeting:
DO Not allow cannabis stores in our city!!!
No other beach city allows them. Why? because
they protect the children, the quality of life of the
residents and the value of their properties.
Thanks for the attention to my concern,
Delia A Vechi District 2
Redlines to Location Requirements Section of Ordinance Nos. 3288-25 and 3289-25 d. Location Requirements.
A. Cannabis retailers shall be permitted only in commercial and industrial zones, specifically limited to the C-1, C-2, C-2A, C-2B, C-2PD, C-3, C-3A, C-3B, C-3PD, C-4, C-4A, C-4B, C4PD, C-5A, CR, I-1, I-1A, I-1B, I-2, I-2A, and IC-1 zones. Cannabis retailers are prohibited in Coastal Commercial zones. Cannabis retailers are prohibited in any publicinstitutional zones and zones where residential is permitted.
B. No retailer shall be established or located within 1,000 feet, measured from the nearest property lines of each of the affected parcels, of any other cannabis retailer.
C. No retailer shall be established or located within 1,500 feet of any School that is a public or private high school or middle school, measured from the nearest property lines of each of the affected parcels.
D. No retailer shall be established or located within 600 feet from any School that is a public or private elementary school, Day Care Center, or Youth Center, measured from the nearest property lines of each of the affected parcels.
E. No retailer shall be established or located within 150 feet of Dale Page Park, measured from the nearest property lines of each of the affected parcels.
F. No Council District shall have more than one (1) cannabis retail site.
G. No permitted cannabis retailer may operate from a location where illegal cannabis-related or drug-related activity has occurred, for a minimum of 5 years from the passing of this ordinance or from the date of the violation, whichever is later.
H. No retailer shall be established or located in more than one zip code, specifically limited to one (1) retailer per zip code (90277 and 90278).
I. No retailer shall be established or located on Artesia Blvd. west of Inglewood Avenue.