City Council Strategic Planning Summary April 2025 | Page 1 City of Redondo Beach
City Council Strategic Planning Meeting Summary
Conducted by Jane Harrington, Leading Resources Inc. | April 2025 In April 2025, the City Council dedicated a special session to strategic planning, as they have regularly in recent years. Captured below are some of the outputs of that meeting, along with a revised strategic plan, which is captured in a separate document. Video of the session is archived on the City’s website.
Agenda
1. Welcome
Introductions
2. Overview of the Strategic Planning Process
3. Recap of Accomplishments from the Previous Six Months Invite comments about accomplishments
4. SWOT Analysis
Facilitate discussion of City strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
5. Revisit the City’s 3-Year Strategic Goals
Discuss strategic goals
Invite public comment
6. Establish Measurable Objectives for Each Identified Goal
7. Break for Dinner
8. Establish Measurable Objectives for Each Identified Goal – Continued Invite public comment
9. Conclusion
Determine next strategic planning dates
Review next steps
Accomplishments
The Mayor, City Council and Executive Team listed accomplishments since the last planning session in September 2024.
1. Passing of Measure FP
2. Improvements to Waterfront (Skate Park,
Pavers)
3. Recruiting and retaining excellent staff,
including city manager and all that has
been accomplished on the strategic plan
4. Community Services Department got all
kids off wait list
5. Teen center
6. Police Enforcement on Ford Ave (violent
criminals, graffiti)
7. Functional Zero for Homeless
8. Public works successfully applied for
significant grant funding for expansion of
north RB bike path; city applauded as
advance city for bike master plan
City Council Strategic Planning Summary April 2025 | Page 2
9. Cannabis Selection Process
10. International Boardwalk Improvements
11. Seaside Lagoon 30% Design Review
12. Boat Launch Pre-design; two critical
studies obtain funding
13. Hired critical positions in city hall,
contracts and waterfront Economic
development, point person for FP
14. Fire Dept proven heroes fighting LA fires
15. Obtained second new engine, sent two
strike teams and kept coverage here
16. Implemented General Plan changes
17. Police w state agencies cracking down on
smoke shops selling illegal products
18. Hired new finance director, assistant to
city manager, special projects manager
19. Playground replacement project
20. Bike path improvement throughout the
city; bike coalition praised city
21. Another round of street scape
enhancement
22. Hardscape improvements to courtyard
23. First ranked choice voting, successful
March election
24. Passed 6 charter changes in November
25. Harbormaster position added
26. Pavers International Boardwalk complete
and Riviera
27. Successfully implemented boater alert
network
28. Enhanced harbor code enforcement efforts
29. Wi-Fi at the harbor, public Wi-Fi at the pier
30. Increase, more than double revenue from
Beach Life festival this year
31. CDD assisted CA surf club with completion
32. Recovered over $200k by not having
holiday parking for the entire month of
December
33. Police responded to 59,000 calls, resulting
in 2,000 arrests
34. Secured state funding to get enhance
emergency medical dispatch and replace
911 equipment
35. Modify street sweeping ordinance
36. Implement GIS mapping system for public
for street sweeping
37. Police Dept hosted 17 community events
38. E-bike enforcement and education,
continuing to good things, community
generally happy with direction
39. Grant for first responder mental health
services
40. Doubled summer reading and attendance
41. Digitized local newspaper
42. Upgraded all public computers, print and
scanning enhanced
43. Over 500 programs for community for all
ages, 20000 in attendance
44. Installed first city commissioned mural
45. Social media pages followers doubled
46. Onboarded brand new transit team, RFP
for new transit operator
47. Youth commission up and running,
reopening of teen center
48. Housing able to pull 100 people off waitlist
49. Fire, 10 strike teams across the state, 6000
hours, 34 staff; Palisades
50. EMS upgraded to paramedic engine
51. 99% of state mandated fire inspections
(schools, residential with 3+)
52. Assisted CDD with firework show
53. Promoted 3 staff to deputy harbormaster
54. Responded to 8000 response fire
55. Engineering, 1600 permits issued; 4300
Public Works Inspections completed, 18
projects, Spent $12.1m of capital funds
expended on improvements; filled 2
vacant positions and made 2 promotions
in the Division
56. Public Works, enhance walking paths,
access
City Council Strategic Planning Summary April 2025 | Page 3
57. Continued with fleet to purchase
equipment, PW new truck
58. Assisted through mutual aid other cities
with lending staff and equipment
59. HR: recruitment, key hirings mentioned,
processed 6000 apps, 54 full 71 part;
workers compensation since 2022 a 22%
reduction; getting insurance premium
reduction
60. Investigated 50 liability claims, 40 workers
compensation
61. Implement vendor requirements, training
for staff
62. Labor relations negotiated and finalized 2
new MOUs
63. 12 employment relations training for city
employees
64. Finance: produced balance Budget, GFOA
award, turned to regular budget timeline,
processed payroll, produced 5000 checks,
EFT payment, 700 new business licenses;
14 external reports from bond compliance
to transit and housing
65. Increased accounting capacity, two senior
accountants
66. With CDD, establish connection with
Measure 8 Funding, $2.5M parks
67. Assisting with Measure FP including
financial advisor
68. Cooperating with other dept for new
permitted system, upgraded financial
system
69. Implementation of housing element,
70. Set the stage for comprehensive general
plan update, includes EIR
71. Ordinances: several go to council, EV
charging, electric signage, smoke shops
72. Completed Org assessment, developed
action plan to improve operations,
prepared strategic plan
73. Launch new permitting system, going
really well, potential with the system, will
have data on it
74. Waterfront: new boat launch, Seaside
Lagoon
75. 50-year option agreement
76. Private donations for 4th July
77. Shark buoy donated to CSU
78. Riviera Village BID raise rates to increase
available funding to support the area
79. Intl Boardwalk, signage, landscaping,
mural, railings
80. Grant money to remove 15 abandoned
boats from harbor; apply for more
81. Attention to Basin 1, maintenance plan
with leaseholder, progress with public
safety, and fixing utility boxes
82. City Attorney, 250 assignments from staff
including contracts, resolutions, etc.
83. Case management system, allowed to start
charging
84. Homeless housing navigator recognized
85. Invited to speak with Leage of cities on
homelessness, and code enforcement
86. New quality of life prosecutor
87. Return of prosecutor
88. Conclusion of hardware replacement
including laptop, monitor, phone, tablet,
printer, copier
89. Cybersecurity, replacement of backup
infrastructure, network firewalls
90. Adding Wi-Fi to International Boardwalk;
historic museum, Wilderness Park
91. Move from On-prem to Cloud,
92. Team to advocate on green line
93. Instituted attendance for boards and
commissions, real-time data access
94. Consolidate and transition to different
commission structure, combined 4,
eliminated boards, integrated into existing
bodies
City Council Strategic Planning Summary April 2025 | Page 4 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
The City Council and Executive Team conducted an environmental scan, brainstorming the internal City’s strengths and weaknesses along with external opportunities and threats.
Strengths
• Very strong department heads and staff
• Public safety (Even if call non-emergency
lines, pick up in 2 rings
• Capital resources
• Responsiveness to public (crime, public
works, across all); Partnership with Trash
collector
• Cutting edge tech to enhance responses
• Momentum on revitalization across city
• Positive relationships with member
associations
• Consensus on council, for example
economic development
• Active volunteerism in community
• Education experience high level especially
for smaller city
• Passing of FP
• High success rate accomplishing our goals
• Great relationship with school district
• FP polls, trust and respect with public
• Homeless programs brought us
recognition from state and county
• Waterfront community went from being
skeptical of city to excited
• IT replacement program
• Strong and appropriate relationship
between city and chamber of commerce
• Attractive employer (based on # apps)
• Staff and management act as a team
• Will for depts to achieve, willing to help
one another
• Quality of our leadership throughout
different depts, that comes through when
we have challenges, when we pull
together, comes down to the depth of
leadership and staff
• Amazing partners in school district give
us access to parks at good rate
Weaknesses
• Relationship with chamber and business
is a weakness
• Perceived response to the public is a
weakness
• Economic situation
• Continued to receive $0 from our amazing
school district for crossing guards
• Recent hiring means young tenure, loss of
experienced people
• More projects and tasking than we have
people to do them; have prioritization
and overwork issues
• Hired great new staff but have some
weaknesses in specific disciplines to
support those projects
• Identified areas of improvement, creating
enhanced systems for contract
management
• No good inventory of every building asset
and its condition
• Infrastructure demands from aging and
updating perspective
• Greater desires than can afford to satisfy
around community service
Opportunities
• Lean into active transportation, more
grant money, build out structure
• Grant opportunities for facilities like
shooting range
• Community that enjoys contributing time
City Council Strategic Planning Summary April 2025 | Page 5 • Enforcement with e-bike if state can come
through
• Best locations in the world, tourism
potential
• Superbowl, Olympics, world cup
• Economic development opportunities,
revitalization,
• Remodeled teen center and new teen
program
• Potential for enhanced prosecution due to
leadership changes at LA DA, new DA
• Definition of grave disability has changed
(mental health or substance use), the
opportunity is to act on that
• Outcome of AES site (also threat
depending on outcome)
• Improve the regulatory framework
around Artesia Blvd
Threats
• Unfunded mandates
• Cuts in funding
• All federal programs (have been alerted
about section 8 funding cuts)
• Unknowns with new administration
• Weak state budget
• Unknown of a New organization with
county on housing and homelessness
• Economic environment
• Overdensification of our city, impact that
could have on flow of traffic and parking,
key quality of life; capacity and
infrastructure
• RHNA housing allocation formula
• Climate change, environmental threats
• Labor and material shortage due to fires
• Uncertainty of costs of goods (tariffs and
not) more than double in the last year
• Tariffs and reconstruction in Palisades
• Reduction in travel and sales
• Economic environment could impact
ability to stretch $ on FP
• Tax exemption under the law for
municipal bonds
• Green Line
• Legislative mandates, laws and bills that
affect ability to provide services
• Possible impact on crime rates (cost of
goods and theft, ex)
• Homelessness encampment
• Economic changes can lead to more
medical aid needs
• Challenges city of LA faced and fallout of
that and confidence that some have in city
govt regionally
• Continued inaction at the galleria site
• Lukewarm funding market, interest rates
• Conversion of commercial into residential
Revising Goals and Objectives
The Mayor and Council reviewed the existing goals:
Goals from September 2024-April 2025.
1. Modernize City’s Technology and Systems
2. Vitalize Commercial Areas of the City
3. Increase Environmental Sustainability
4. Invest in the City's Infrastructure
5. Maintain a High Level of Public Safety
6. Enhance the Delivery of City Service
The goals were revised to be more specific and measurable. (See revised planning matrix.)