REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Minutes
Redondo Beach City Council
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Closed Session – Adjourned Regular Meeting 4:30 p.m.
Open Session – Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m.
4:30 PM - CLOSED SESSION – ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING
A. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
An Adjourned Regular Meeting of the Redondo Beach City Council was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Mayor Light in the City Hall Council Chambers, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, California.
B. ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Melissa Villa, Analyst/Liaison
C. SALUTE TO THE FLAG AND INVOCATION - None
D. BLUE FOLDER ITEMS – ADDITIONAL BACK UP MATERIALS - None E. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS ON CLOSED SESSION ITEMS AND NONAGENDA ITEMS Analyst Villa reported no eComments and no one on Zoom.
F. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION – 4:31 P.M.
F.1. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
Name of Case:
Hardaway, Leonard Steve v. Roxane Barrientos Camey; Aguido Modesto; City of Hawthorne; City of Manhattan Beach; City of Redondo Beach; and Does 1-50, inclusive
Case Number: 25TRCV01762
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
F.2. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
Name of case:
Estate of Jose Sosa, by and through his heir and successor in interest, N.R.; N.R., individually, by and through his Guardian Ad Litem, Michelle Rodriguez; Francisca Rodriguez, individually v. Redondo Beach Police Department, a public entity; City of Redondo Beach, a public entity; and Does 1-10, inclusive
Case Number: 2:25-cv-2547-PA-JPR
F.3. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
Name of case:
John Bell v. City of Redondo Beach, et al.
Case Number: 25-3578
F.4. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED POTENTIAL LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(4). One potential case F.5. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Elizabeth Hause, Community Services Director
PROPERTY:
309 Esplanade, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Made by Meg - Meg Walker
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Both Price and Terms
Analyst Villa read titles to items that would be covered in Closed Session.
City Manager Witzansky announced the following would be participating in Closed Session: City Manager Mike Witzansky, City Attorney Joy Ford, Assistant City Attorney Cheryl Park, Human Resources Director Diane Strickfaden, Community Services Director
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Elizabeth Hause, Deputy Community Services Director Kelly Orta, and Senior Deputy City Attorney Cristine Shin.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to recess to Closed Session.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
G. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION – 6:01 P.M.
Mayor Light reconvened to Open Session at 6:01 p.m.
H. ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Laura Diaz, Deputy City Clerk/Records Mgmt.
Coordinator
Melissa Villa, Analyst/Liaison
I. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
City Manager Witzansky reported, under Item F.1, F.2, and F.3, the Council unanimously authorized the City Attorney and the City Attorney office affiliates to defend the City.
J. ADJOURN TO REGULAR MEETING
Motion by Councilmember Castle, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to adjourn to the Regular Meeting at 6:01 p.m.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
6:00 PM – OPEN SESSION – REGULAR MEETING
A. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the Redondo Beach City Council was called to order at 6:02 p.m. by Mayor Light in the City Hall Council Chambers, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, California.
B. ROLL CALL
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Laura Diaz, Deputy City Clerk/Records Mgmt.
Coordinator
Melissa Villa, Analyst/Liaison
C. SALUTE TO THE FLAG AND INVOCATION
Mayor Light recognized any veterans and active-duty military for their service; invited up Vivian to lead the salute to the flag and asked everyone to remain standing for a moment of silent invocation.
Vivian, 4
th grader at Alta Vista Elementary School, led in the pledge of allegiance.
D. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/AB 1234 TRAVEL
EXPENSE REPORTS
Mayor Light reported he had some presentations for that evening.
D.1. MAYOR’S COMMENDATION TO REDONDO BEACH PUBLIC SAFETY SOUTH
BAY MEDAL OF VALOR AWARDEES
Mayor Light announced commendations for the Redondo Beach Public Safety staff for the awards they received at the recent Medal of Valor Awards presentations; stated they are recognizing the Redondo Beach Police and Fire Department personnel for the awards they received at the recent South Bay Police and Fire Memorial Foundation’s 49th Medal of Valor Awards; gave some background surrounding the event, noting they are an organization dedicated to providing financial support for families of fallen or disabled police and fire personnel from nine South Bay Cities; spoke about the $1,000 scholarship opportunities the foundation provides to 13 eligible applicants every year; announced, on May 22nd this year, six Redondo Beach Public Safety personnel were awarded in three different categories, including the Medal of Valor; called up Police Chief Joe Hoffman to speak about the awards his department received.
Chief Hoffman called up Officer Nicholas Villapudua; explained the situation that occurred on December 7th at 10:39 a.m. when Officer Villapudua responded to a call and found a resident unresponsive, not breathing, and had no detectable pulse; stated Officer Villapudua immediately began CPR until RBFD personnel arrived on scene and at that time was stabilized and transported to the hospital to recover; reported that Officer Villapudua saved that individual’s life that day and the Mayor awarded him with a
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
commendation; called up Officers Mario Gonzalez, Tyler Litchman, and Chintan Patel; described an incident, on May 7th shortly after 11:00 p.m., where a call came in for shots fired at a motel on South PCH and a man was suffering from a critical gunshot wound to the chest; reported, without knowing whether the shooter was still on scene, the officers developed a tactical plan to rescue the victim and saved the victim’s life; the Mayor awarded the officers with commendations.
Mayor Light invited Fire Chief Butler to tell everyone about this year’s South Bay Medal of Valor honorees.
Chief Butler recalled the incident, of November 2, 2024, where a call came in for a mayday vessel in distress; stated he jumped on the rescue boat with Captain Chad Smith and Brad Godinez and described the dire situation; stated that Smith and Godinez made a decision to keep searching farther out from Avenue C, where the vessel was last spotted, and went all the way to Palos Verdes until they saw a boat with five people clinging to the side; spoke of Specialist Godinez acting quickly to respond along with Captain Smith maneuvering the rescue boat so they didn’t collide with the victims’ boat; explained how heroic the incident was and that there was a sixth person that perished; noted that he was amazed at the response of Smith and Godinez and felt they really needed to be recognized; placed the Medal of Valor on each of them.
Mayor Light awarded them with plaques recognizing their bravery.
Mayor Light moved on to announcements; reported he presented the State of the City and will be posting it up on the website; stated he and the City Manager had a meeting with representatives of the Governor’s office and discussed local control; mentioned he was on a panel of Mayors in front of a realty group for a Q&A; attended the Riviera Village Festival, participated in a amateur ham radio event at Wilderness Park, and attended the Pride Paddle and luncheon at the King Harbor Yacht Club; reported they received word from the County Department of Health that they will hear the City’s appeal on Dominguez Park on July 23, 2025 and it will be held at Council Chambers so residents can participate.
Councilmember Obagi said he had no major announcements but that Mike Klein, Assistant Director of Public Works, had sent him a text that read, “I stopped off at 7 a.m. at Fire Station 2 to check in with Captain Jasen Brown and had a cup of coffee, but Engine 62 got called out for a heart patient issue. The patient went into a heart failure on a new paramedic but a paramedic on Jasen’s team had a defibrillator with paddles, saving her life. Jasen came back and told me from the call and told me what happened, but his tone was so matter of fact and normal that this is just what they do. I was so impressed with the candor and professionalism. He has shown me what RBFD has as a department, professionalism. Captain Brown and his team saved a life today before he even had his coffee. Who can say that?”; thanked the firefighters.
Councilmember Behrendt announced that the Economic Development Subcommittee has been moving forward with the Mayor and Councilman Castle, City Manager and staff; felt they are making good progress and will get it on the agenda so they can update
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Council with any status and any proposed interim recommendations they may have.
Councilmember Kaluderovic announced she would have a Zoom meeting for District 3, but open to the entire community, in late July TBD.
Councilmember Waller reported he attended the State of the City, the MIT Alumni Association of Southern California’s annual brunch, and was on a panel discussion with LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman and Costa Mesa Councilmember Arlis Reynolds; spoke about the Riviera Village Summer Festival that past weekend; attended the Pride Paddle and show; announced that upcoming Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at Esplanade and Avenue I will be the Keep the Esplanade Beautiful monthly Saturday sweep cleanup; mentioned he may have a Zoom or in-person meeting TBD in July.
Councilmember Castle reported he attended the State of the City, the Pride Paddle at King Harbor, and the Riviera festival; stated the District 2 Community Meeting will be on July 17th at the library, on the second floor, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.; noted Jeff Jones of Quality Seafood and the new president of the King Harbor Association will speak regarding the Pier and Waterfront at the meeting.
E. APPROVE ORDER OF AGENDA
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to approve the order of the agenda.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
F. AGENCY RECESS – 6:22 P.M.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to recess to the Regular Meeting of the Community Financing Authority.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
F.1. REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY FINANCING AUTHORITY CONTACT: STEPHANIE MEYER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
RECONVENE TO REGULAR MEETING FROM AGENCY MEETING – 6:27 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Laura Diaz, Deputy Records Mgmt. Coordinator/Sr.
Deputy City Clerk
Melissa Villa, Analyst/Liaison
F.2. PARKING AUTHORITY - REGULAR MEETING - CANCELLED
CONTACT: GREG KAPOVICH, WATERFRONT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR
G. BLUE FOLDER ITEMS - ADDITIONAL BACK UP MATERIALS
G.1. For Blue Folder Documents Approved at the City Council Meeting Analyst Villa reported Blue Folder Items for H.14, J.1, N.1, and P.1.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to receive and file the Blue Folder Items.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
H. CONSENT CALENDAR
H.1. APPROVE AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 1, 2025
CONTACT: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
H.2. APPROVE MOTION TO READ BY TITLE ONLY AND WAIVE FURTHER
READING OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS LISTED ON THE AGENDA
CONTACT: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
H.3. APPROVE THE FOLLOWING CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
A. JUNE 3, 2025 ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING
CONTACT: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
H.4. PAYROLL DEMANDS
CHECKS 30271-30290 IN THE AMOUNT OF $17,123.62, PD. 6/20/25 DIRECT DEPOSIT 296539-297200 IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,499,280.69, PD. 6/20/25 EFT/ACH $9,346.45, PD. 6/6/25 (PP2512)
EFT/ACH $471,134.70, PD. 6/16/25 (PP2511)
EFT/ACH $470,565.40, PD. 6/30/25 (PP2512)
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DEMANDS
CHECKS 120155-120369 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,861,040.00
EFT CALPERS MEDICAL INSURANCE $503,889.97
DIRECT DEPOSIT 100009532-100009621 IN THE AMOUNT OF $102,224.95, PD.7/1/25
REPLACEMENT DEMANDS 120153-120154
CONTACT: STEPHANIE MEYER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
H.5. APPROVE CONTRACTS UNDER $35,000:
1. APPROVE A SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH THE
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES FOR THE PROVISION OF INMATE FOOD
SERVICES BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
FOOD SERVICES UNIT AMENDING EXHIBIT A TO INCREASE THE UNIT COST FROM $3.26 PER MEAL TO $3.36 PER MEAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025- 26 CONTACT: JOE HOFFMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
H.6. APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF ONE NAUTILUS HD RIDER
SCRUBBER/SWEEPER VEHICLE FROM HAAKER EQUIPMENT COMPANY,
DBA TOTAL CLEAN EQUIPMENT, FOR USE BY THE PUBLIC WORKS
DEPARTMENT FOR A TOTAL COST OF $86,868
CONTACT: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
H.7. APPROVE A FREEWAY MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CALTRANS) FOR THE
INGLEWOOD AVENUE AND MARINE AVENUE UNDERPASSES BENEATH
INTERSTATE 405
CONTACT: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
H.8. APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH HF&H
CONSULTANTS, LLC FOR SOLID WASTE CONSULTING SERVICES TO
PROVIDE ANALYSIS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE CITY’S SOLID WASTE HANDLING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH ARAKELIAN ENTERPRISES, INC., DBA ATHENS SERVICES, INCREASING THE CONTRACT AMOUNT BY $80,000 FOR A NEW TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED $120,000
CONTACT: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
H.9. APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF FIVE TAYLOR-DUNN 48 VOLT BIGFOOT
ELECTRIC CART VEHICLES FROM PAPE MATERIAL HANDLING, FOR USE
BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, HARBOR/PIER DIVISION, FOR A TOTAL COST OF $95,230
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
CONTACT: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
H.10. ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2507-047, A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA,
AMENDING THE OFFICIAL BOOK OF CLASS SPECIFICATIONS TO UPDATE
THE POSITION OF CHIEF DEPUTY CITY TREASURER
CONTACT: EUGENE SOLOMON, CITY TREASURER
H.11. APPROVE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE LOS
ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY TO RECEIVE MEASURE R 20% BUS OPERATIONS FUNDS, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2035
CONTACT: ELIZABETH HAUSE, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
H.12. ADOPT BY 4/5THS VOTE AND TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2507-048,
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING A FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 BUDGET
MODIFICATION TO APPROPRIATE $265,901 IN ADDITIONAL GRANT YEAR 2021 STATE HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM GRANT FUNDS TO THE
INTERGOVERNMENTAL GRANTS FUND AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF A 60-UNIT MODULAR ANTI-VEHICLE BARRIER SYSTEM WITH STORAGE AND
TRANSPORT TRAILER FROM ADVANCED SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES, LLC IN THE AMOUNT OF $171,660 THROUGH A COOPERATIVE PURCHASING
AGREEMENT AND UTILIZING STATE HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM (SHSP) GRANT AND SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES
(SLESF) FUNDS
CONTACT: JOE HOFFMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
H.13. ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2507-049, A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA,
AMENDING THE OFFICIAL BOOK OF CLASS SPECIFICATIONS TO CREATE
THE POSITION OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CREATOR AND ADOPTING
THE SALARY RANGE FOR THE POSITION
CONTACT: JOE HOFFMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
H.14. Pulled by Councilmember Behrendt.
Councilmember Kaluderovic wanted to make a comment about H.12; wanted to note this grant opportunity and purchasing the barriers will reduce costs for some of the City’s nonprofits who are running programs in the City (mentioned the Super Bowl 10K as an example); appreciated staff for exploring this item.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Councilmember Behrendt asked to pull H.14 but also wanted to have the Mayor present the work he and the Olympic subcommittee had done so far.
Mayor Light stated he will when they get to the Excluded Consent Calendar Items.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to approve all the Consent Calendar items except H.14.
Mayor Light invited public comment.
Analyst Villa reported no one online but one eComment against H.6, and one eComment in support of H.11.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Analyst Villa read adopt by title only Resolution No. CC-2507-047, adopt by 4/5th vote and by title only Resolution No. CC-2507-048, and adopt by title only Resolution No. CC2507-049.
I. EXCLUDED CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS
H.14. APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL LLC FOR THE PROVISION OF SPECIFIED 2028 SUMMER OLYMPICS MARKETING
DELIVERABLES FOR A ONE-TIME COST OF $40,000 AND THE TERM JULY 1, 2025 TO JUNE 30, 2026
CONTACT: JANE CHUNG, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
Mayor Light noted the Councilmember Behrendt wanted the Mayor to give a presentation on the item; stated it is a $40,000 contract for some Olympic marketing; provided a PowerPoint presentation which included:
• LA 28 Olympics – Background
o 5 Apr – Mayor Bass called Mayor Convening of all 88 Mayors in LA County ▪ Venue location
▪ Watch Party at all 88 cities
▪ Relayed briefing to staff and Council – formed subcommittee for RB • Subsequent conversations w/ Vic Nol, LA28 Director of Venue Relations o Watch parties to be funded by cities, requirements yet to be established o Cities are on their own for Watch Party logistics and funding o Cities on their own for attracting teams and nations to their towns o LA28 provides flat site where cities can list assets to attract teams • Discussions with Mayor O’Brian, Culver City
o Hospitality House for New Zealand Team
• Meeting of Olympic Committee – June 11
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
o 3 opportunities: Watch Party, Hospitality City, Training/Facility for participating nations
o Marketing required for sponsors and for attracting teams o Teams visiting LA in mid-late July
o Reported he announced before and after meeting date at CC meetings • La 28 Olympic Marketing
o 17 June – Council included $50K budget for Olympic marketing o 18 June – Meeting of Olympic Marketing Subcommittee
▪ Teams are coming in August
▪ Discussed need for Digital Marketing
▪ Asked for: asset listings and marketing resource listings o BeachLife and PSM requested to bid for the work
o Mayor Light put together SOW and incorporated comments from staff o 2 Bids: BeachLife was lower in cost and able to use previous BeachLife marketing
o Mayor Light provided a slide: Olympic Committee Make Up • Decision Tonight
o SOW and assessment of proposals by staff and Mayor
o Selection follows City processes
o Two bidders: PSM and BeachLife.
o BeachLife is qualified and is under budget
o Insufficient time for full RFP
o Decision if the City wants to have marketing ready for team visits in Aug. • New Zealand Rep Visit
o Timm Dodd spoke w/ Craig Monk about RB being ideal for New Zealand sailing team
o 23 June – Gave Craig Monk a tour of the harbor
o Representative of NZ Olympic Sailing Team will be visiting in two weeks Councilmember Behrendt thanked the Mayor and Jane Chung for the presentation and all the work done; mentioned it is important considering the FIFA World Cup will also be coming to LA; mentioned he had a few concerns and he has spoken to the Mayor, City Attorney, City Manager and Councilmember Zein Obagi regarding them; stated, with respect to the proposed contract in the process, good governance and transparency may have been overlooked due to the lack of time given; noted three items in question are: 1) the identities of the members of the Olympic Marketing subcommittee, noted that BeachLife is part of the subcommittee and is also one of the two RFP’s being recommended for approval and also mentioned the identities are now in the Blue Folder, 2) only in the rarest of circumstances, should a recommendation from a subcommittee, with members from Council, be put on the agenda without first getting input from all the councilmembers, asked that in the future all councilmembers are notified, and 3) referenced the bid from PSM and noted the bid was not presented to Council, asked that Council and the public be allowed to evaluate both bids to determine which is the better choice; spoke of other options, such as: opening up the process to other bidders and having a prompt, streamlined mini RFP with a quick turnaround time (felt August is not the ultimate deadline since the event is not for three years), can consider the PSM
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
contract tonight, or the Council can approve the BeachLife marketing contract; mentioned the new Social Media Content Creator may be able to play a role in the marketing; noted that whoever hosts a Watch Party on City property for profit should also share that benefit with the City.
Mayor Light asked the City Manager to clarify if the City puts every competing bid out to vote by the City Council.
City Manager Witzansky responded no, they do not always put competing bids out for a vote; mentioned sometimes they will if there are different metrics and evaluations to be considered, or they will circulate it via Blue Folder, and noted it is on a case-by-case basis.
Mayor Light said they have selected vendors that have more insight into the City before.
City Manager Witzansky stated it is not uncommon for local vendors that understand their community to utilize that knowledge to provide competitive pricing.
Mayor Light added with contracts of this size and expediency sometimes full RFPs are not done.
City Manager Witzansky agreed and noted there have been circumstances where the City has sought certain vendors or have solicited direct proposals depending on the situation.
More discussion followed using the boat ramp contract as an example, and that sometimes it is not time that is always the constraint, but each is handled on a case-bycase basis, and the Social Media Content Creator will play a role in the marketing.
Mayor Light mentioned that the City has a unique asset in their harbor and a unique location that will be attractive to teams and admin from other nations; worried that other cities are ahead of them in planning for this event; felt the August date is relevant and they need to act quickly to be considered.
Councilmember Castle commented that Councilmember Behrendt’s comments on good governance and transparency were good ideas and should be considered in all events; referenced Councilmember Behrendt’s other concern regarding compensation for use of City properties and stated he researched other cities that have hosted the Olympics in the past to see how they were profitable; noted that cities have been known to lose lots of money hosting the Olympics; spoke of Park City using a lot of their existing infrastructure and being the most profitable city to host in the history of the Olympic Games; reported speaking to the City Manager and the Community Services Director to see what assets the City has available and to make sure the City is compensated properly for the use of them, so at the minimum the City breaks even and ideally makes money; noted his initial thought is to invest in the marketing to get this going, but for the City to recover the costs when the Games actually happen.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Councilmember Obagi mentioned that Councilmember Behrendt made a good point in following best practices to guide the City going forward; appreciated that the Mayor has been proactive in getting the process for the Olympics going; felt that the Mayor did choose BeachLife, a known vendor that has had successful events in their City; noted that media and videos are expensive to create and since BeachLife has this content already it saves the City lots of costs; supported the Mayor and subcommittee’s choices for the Olympic events and encouraged them to move forward.
Councilmember Kaluderovic thanked the Mayor for taking the initiative in regards to the Olympics; highlighted that protocols for subcommittees should be followed for all events and purposes; noted communication can be lost within the Brown Act and appreciated the discussion tonight; thanked Councilmember Behrendt for bringing up the discussion; stated she agreed with Councilmember Castle in regards to Redondo having a lot of opportunity and not being a loss leader; asked the Mayor to make the material not unique to only the Olympics but for use in any marketing for the City going forward.
Councilmember Waller thanked Councilmember Behrendt for bringing up the matter; felt if the two Councilmembers on the subcommittee were given the information he was fine with that; noted given the compressed timeline that being prepared for the August visit was very important and that an RFP was not feasible given the time constraint; agreed with Councilmember Kaluderovic’s suggested of having evergreen content for future use and mentioned having the ability to cater it to specific events.
Councilmember Obagi asked City Attorney Ford if she has been able to review the contract and approve it as a form.
City Attorney Ford stated yes, and she is comfortable with the City moving forward.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to approve the contract.
Councilmember Behrendt asked the City Manager if they still had the Stifel video, bond underwriting video that was made a few years back; mentioned it covered a lot of content and was a good investment; wanted to show that video to the City’s Social Media Content Creator and for other use as needed.
City Manager Witzansky stated they retrieved it from the archives and will circulate it to the committee and to the vendor that is chosen.
Councilmember Behrendt asked in the BeachLife proposed contract if the City will get actual invoices for the work being done so they can track if the work they are doing is actually being done and asked if the Blue Folder had that information.
City Manager Witzansky stated that the Blue Folder only contained the signature and no other changes to the contract; mentioned Exhibit A provides the scope of the work, Exhibit
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
B gives the terms and time of completion of the contract and Exhibit C provides the compensation.
Mayor Light stated the contract itself does not spell out the detailed invoices but the offer and the proposal does and it was attached to the contract and referenced.
Councilmember Behrendt read the reference to providing detailed invoices if requested and asked the City Attorney if that means it is incorporated into the contract.
City Attorney Ford stated yes, if that states it, it is incorporated into the contract.
Mayor Light thanked staff for jumping through hoops to get this done; stated he would not normally do this without more briefings to the Council and mentioned there will be more items he will bring back to Council once they know more about what is being requested; spoke about finding ways for the City to be profitable during the events; noted that had the City hosted one of the events it would have been tough to recoup the costs; felt if they do it right any of the events coming to LA can make money for the City.
Mayor Light invited public comment.
Wayne Craig spoke about government being transparent in how money is spent and how policies are made, which includes budgets, projects, committees and contracts; mentioned he learned about the Olympic marketing subcommittee formation through a newspaper article which also stated certain groups were invited to participate; felt the timing and release of the attendees names in the Blue Folder suggest that staff knew some lack of transparency was a concern to the public; noted he is troubled that two members on the committee that recommended the contract were also bidders for the contracted work; stated that has the appearance of impropriety and a conflict of interest; voiced his concerns over the lack of transparency and closed door decision-making.
Joan Irvine, District 1, mentioned the new president of Keep the Esplanade Beautiful is out of town but they were going to announce the new Chair of their Marketing Committee; spoke of the organization wanting to join the City in planning events for the Olympic LA28, the Super Bowl and the World Cup; stated she was surprised to hear about the subcommittee formation as well; reported their Chair of Marketing has over 30 years of experience in advertising and asked if he could be considered for the subcommittee.
Eugene Solomon, District 1, voiced his disappointment over the City having meetings without public input and making decisions with no minutes, no presentation to the Council or the public about who would be members of the committee, how they were selected, and the composition of the committee; stated it is not okay; understood the urgency and stated he is not upset about the item but about the process; said the end does not justify the means and that a lengthy RFP process was not needed; explained the City has done several quick RFIs and RFPs in the past and the way this was done was not okay; stated this is why he got into government because there were too many times where meetings and decisions were made without the proper processes; said it is a learning experience
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
for everyone and felt the Mayor and Councilmembers will improve the process going forward after the receive the input and suggestions tonight; hoped the way it was done tonight will not be repeated; in regards to the contract with PSM, felt PSM would have plenty of marketing material because they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to market the City; spoke of the urgency of the process preventing the subcommittee from exploring all the ideas; hoped that the next time a situation such as this occurs, the City will do it properly with minutes, public input and a synopsis printed as part of the agenda.
Mark Hansen, King Harbor boater and member of both subcommittees, gave more details on his background and involvement in the City and Yacht Club including being the representative for the United States Sailing Association for the four southwestern states; spoke of his meeting with Timm Dodd and Craig Mock and noted the urgency of the situation; stated the sailing events were announced the day before.
Councilmember Behrendt clarified that Mark Hansen is on both the Olympic Subcommittee and the Olympic Marketing Subcommittee; asked if he is recommending approval of the BeachLife contract over the PSM contract.
Mark Hansen voiced his approval and stated BeachLife has a lot of content including aerial videos and they know the specific part of the City that is being promoted.
Leslie Campeggi, District 2, thanked Councilmember Behrendt for bringing up the subject; mentioned she was surprised at the expediency of it all; spoke about the lack of transparency and the timing of the items in the Blue Folder; suggested that the Mayor and City Council take more time to compare the contracts and not rush into a decision; felt they did not follow protocols and processes as they should have and allowed the timeline to rush them; mentioned that the Code of Conduct should have been put in place as quickly as this contract was; voiced her opinion about the proposed contract and her concerns about it being awarded to a member that sits on the committees; felt the whole situation is not on the “up and up”.
Andy Porkchop felt there was zero transparency; opined that no city or country has made a profit on the Olympics and the conflicts between the Russians and the U.S. has affected it ever since; stated he has not watched Olympics in decades; suggested the City should keep their money and not waste it on the Olympics.
Marcy Guillermo agreed with the previous speakers that the City needs transparency and needs to practice due diligence.
Analyst Villa reported on one online and four eComments: one neutral and three against.
Mayor Light stated he would like to comment; stated he was amazed that the community was not rejoicing that the City is moving forward expediently on this item; mentioned that teams are coming out in August and there is no way to turn around a marketing campaign in zero days; stated that he is working with City staff and following processes; noted they intended to have more meetings and brief everything but when they received the schedule
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
they needed to move quickly; stated the City approves dozens and dozens of contracts without going through any of the stuff the speakers are asking about, the City has internal City committees that put together RFPs, send out RFPs, have source selection committees, and there are proposals that never get published for everyone to inspect in the City’s agenda; noted that if they did that, the City would get nothing done; stated he is transparent, he has put all the data up for people to see, and this is the first opportunity since the 18th when they held the marketing meeting; reported that both PSM and BeachLife were at the marketing meeting, both proposed bids, and the subcommittee chose the lower bid; stated there is nothing nefarious and they would just like to create the best opportunity for the City to have a great Olympic experience; mentioned the City is not only trying to hold a “Watch Party”, but that three opportunities are available to them, and two require marketing by August; reported that the $50K was approved by the Council and he had been speaking about the committees since the meeting with the Mayor of LA; stated they are working on some organizational constructs to ensure that there are checks and balances on the money side and they will make that public once they come up with something they can recommend; noted that they had no control over the timeline; asked the Council for their support on moving forward with this so the City can put their best foot forward when the teams come out in August.
Councilmember Behrendt asked if he could hear the opinions of the two City Councilmembers who are on the subcommittee.
Councilmember Kaluderovic stated she is in favor of moving forward with the contract as presented; noted it was the lower of the bids, they know the product they produce, BeachLife knows the City well, and she is confident they will provide material that will be universal going forward.
Councilmember Castle felt they should approve the contract; he hears the concerns of transparency and openness, but due to time constraints to get a product out before teams arrive in Southern California, they had to make decisions more quickly; noted that the other vendor not chosen was also part of the Olympic committee and provided input as well.
Councilmember Behrendt commented that the Council approved the funding, and it is under budget, the two Councilmembers on the subcommittee are in favor, everyone is committed to better processes going forward, and he is in favor of moving forward with the contract as recommended.
Mayor Light called the vote.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
J. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
J.1. For eComments and Emails Received from the Public
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Georgette Gantner, District 2, asked permission to disperse packets to Council.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to receive and file the submission by Georgette Gantner.
Motion carried 4-0-1 by voice vote. Councilmember Kaluderovic was absent for the vote.
Georgette Gantner stated, in the last month or so, she presented some suggestions to the Cultural Arts Commission in terms of what direction they should possibly go since it was changed from Public Arts Commission to the Cultural Arts Commission; gave some input as to what entities should be included and reported that is in the packet she submitted; stated her interpretation of the Commission being Cultural Arts is that the City may sponsor some of the groups interested in participating and has spoken to different groups that want to be a part of it; reported that she met with the Redondo Beach Ballet and they submitted a statement in support which is included in the packet; noted she met with Jack Meyer, the Cultural Arts Manager, who has also spoken to that organization; stated the submission has examples, ideas and inspirations that she hopes the Council finds useful.
Rick McQuillin, Manhattan Beach, wanted to give the Council an update on the CRT of South Bay streets; reported he published a beta version, in May, which has storefront directories and can add public art and Redondo historical sites; spoke of working with Sophia Pasta at the Galleria to develop directories for the Galleria; mentioned it is more of a portal into what he calls “Community Commerce” and people can go take a look and see what is there; quoted G.K. Chesterton, who said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”; and said you have to start somewhere; stated the idea is that both merchants and customers can define larger projects for commerce and that customers can allow merchants to solve their problems; hoped to get shopping back from online to in-person and have a lively Artesia Boulevard; mentioned, in addition to local businesses, he will be asking Skechers, Target, and Macy’s if they will do a little annex; hopes it will attract people from all around and will want to copy it.
Jim Mueller, District 5, mentioned he is the only citizen that attends the Budget & Finance Commission meetings; reported attending the June Commission meeting regarding the 25-26 Proposed Budget, where the City Manager provided a presentation which was the same presentation he gave the Council; noted that the City Manager told the B&F Commission not to analyze data for specific programs, implying the core budget was set in stone, and the variable items were the decision packages; spoke of searching for financial data on the decision packages and not being able to find significant financial data for each package; noted there is little possibility to analyze the cost benefit of any specific project or task; stated the B&F Commission has asked for financial data on the City’s homeless program for months and the Finance Director gives one excuse after another; mentioned the latest excuse is that they are short-staffed; spoke of OpenGov, which was used by the Finance Department to support the financial transparency section in the City’s website, being cancelled and now the website only goes to FY 21-22; stated there is no financial transparency for the homeless program; reported that the Proposed 25-26 Budget doc only shows specific cost data for two people and the clinician assigned
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
to homelessness, no mention of pallet shelter, maintenance, public works cleanup, or police time spent on homeless cases or Fire Department’s emergency call time; urged the Council to encourage the City Manager to get the B&F Commission the data they need to do the job they are meant to do.
Jess Money, District 3, suggested Council consider revising the schedule of items on the agenda; felt that Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items should come before Consent Calendar; reasoned that Non-Agenda Items are normally announcements, and gave examples such as fundraisers or clean-ups, and when Consent Calendar Items are pulled often times the discussions become very lengthy.
Jonatan Cvetko featured a McDonald’s bag and mentioned he hoped the Council would pay attention to it later; stated the City has not come through with what was hoped for in terms of hemp products; mentioned earlier that day, despite all of the efforts at previous Council meetings, he was able to purchase two hemp joint from the Sandbox in District 4 for $11, purchase vape cartridges and a disposable THC pen in District 1 at the Riviera Village, and purchased vape cartridges from a smoke shop in District 3 from brands that have stated they want to apply in RB when it comes to cannabis; stated he would be happy to turn over any of the receipts so that the City could prosecute the shops accordingly; wanted to emphasize that the City has a weak foundation in being able to handle this market; felt if the City intends to build upon this foundation with a legal cannabis market it will fail.
Austin Carmichael spoke about a series of tragic experiences that led him to being pulled over while driving his friend’s Tesla; mentioned the police officer asked him who’s car it was and he said his friend Dan’s and the officer said it belonged to a Daniel; wondered how the officer could not understand that Dan and Daniel may be the same person; stated the officer proceeded to open an investigation in case the car was stolen; explained how the police officer, the Mayor, and City Council had made that ordeal horrible.
Andy Porkchop apologized that he misinformed everyone of Gregory Allen’s salary and said it was not $420,000 but it was $460,000; reported he went to Riviera Village last week and was counting all the cameras and people found it offensive and called the police; reported the police were nice and they spoke to the people that called them to tell them everything was fine; spoke about an individual speaking poorly about him and mentioned he would give more details next time.
Joan Irvine stated the Summerfest was fantastic and wanted to thank the Riviera Village for doing such a good job.
Julie Hernandez (via Zoom) spoke regarding the neighborhood requests for a wall for safety and noise reduction on the median on Prospect; felt they are being ignored and the trees planted will not provide any protection from noise or cars flipping over the median; disappointed by the poor planning, noted the traffic will only get worse as years go by; felt what has been done is only a band-aid and a waste of tax payer dollars; noted multiple code violations exist; urged the Mayor to spend the money to fix the situation.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Darryl Boyd (via Zoom), resident of 500-600 North Prospect Avenue block, stated the City of Redondo Beach is out of compliance and in violation of several codes and ordinances; read aloud the California Health and Safety Code 46000, California Civil Code 3479 and Los Angeles County Code Section 12.08.390; stated there are six more Code Sections
12.08.210, 12.08.230, 12.08.250, and Mr. Boyd ran out of time before finishing.
Carlos Menendez (via Zoom) spoke about Andy Porkchop, mentioning his real name is Andras Turda; stated the reason why he calls in is because Mr. Turda barrages neighbors with obscenities similar to what he did at the Council meeting last time.
Mayor Light interjected to ask if the person had anything to address the Council within their purview.
Mr. Menendez continued his rant and Mayor Light stated he is in violation of the City’s Rules of Conduct and asked if he has anything he would like to address the Council with.
Mr. Menendez asked why the City does not arrest Mr. Turda and why they allow him to be above the law.
Marcy Guillermo requested an update from the City regarding the amount of money collected from permitting landlords to rent their properties; stated she knows for a fact many landlords are operating without permits in the City; asked the City when the last time rental permit fees were updated, how many rental properties are there in RB, how much revenue has been generated over the past 10 years, and how much could the City collect if they were able to secure permits from at least 95 or more landlords; requested the City provide an update in future meetings and let the residents know where to find the information on the City website.
K. EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS
L. PUBLIC HEARINGS
M. ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS AGENDAS
N. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION PRIOR TO ACTION
N.1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON INITIATION OF THE CITY’S
COMMERCIAL RETAIL CANNABIS PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS
AUTHORIZE RELEASE OF THE CITY’S REQUEST FOR COMMERCIAL
RETAIL CANNABIS PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS AND DIRECT STAFF TO PREPARE RESOLUTIONS IMPLEMENTING THE CITY’S PROCESS
INTEGRITY GUIDELINES POLICY AND SETTING THE CITY’S CANNABIS
APPLICATION/PROCESSING FEES
CONTACT: JANE CHUNG, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Assistant to the City Manager Jane Chung introduced the item, reviewed the outline of her presentation and presented the PowerPoint presentation:
• Background
o March 2025 – City Council approved three ordinances to update the City’s Commercial Retail Cannabis (CRC) Regulatory Program
▪ Ordinance No. 3287-25, 3288-25, and 3289-25
o Updated Buffer Map
▪ GIS Map: Retail Cannabis Property Locator
• Key changes included limiting the number of cannabis retail storefront operations to one per zip code in the City, prohibiting any retail storefront operations along Artesia Blvd west of Felton Lane, maintaining a 1000 ft. buffer, clarifying the definition of schools within the ordinance language, and the exclusion of sites with a known history of illegal cannabis or drug related activities
• Timeline
o Should the City Council choose to move forward with initiating the RFA process, a tentative timeline outlining the sequence of events was provided on a slide.
o Staff is aiming to return to the City Council on July 15th to present two key resolutions
o If approved, staff would then move quickly to publish the RFA in the first week of August
o Once the RFA is live, applicants will have a 60-day window to submit materials
o Applicants have 10 days to file a Notice of Appeal to contest the decision, the appeal would be scheduled between 30 – 90 days of the receipt of the Notice of Appeal
• Application Requirements
1. Commercial Retail Cannabis Permit App
2. Financial Responsibility, Indemnity and Consent to Inspection Terms Agreement;
3. Agreement on Limitations of City’s Liability and Indemnification to City;
4. Application Fee and Background Check Fee(s)
5. Property owner consent/Landlord affidavit;
6. Zoning Verification Letter
• Application Review & Evaluation
o Evaluation Committee – comprised of reps from: Community Development, Economic Development, Financial Services, Fire, and Police o Two-part scoring system
▪ Scoring matrix: 445 points – assessed across multiple criteria ▪ Interview assessment: 300 points
• Next Steps: Two Resolutions
o Process Integrity Guidelines
o Fee Schedule
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
• Recommendation(s)
o Discussion and possible action on initiation of the City’s commercial retail cannabis permit application process
o Authorize release of the City’s request for commercial retail cannabis permit application process and direct staff to prepare resolutions implementing the City’s process integrity guidelines policy and setting the City’s cannabis application/processing fees
City Manager Witzansky added some remarks; stated it is a milestone eight years in the making and has gone through three assigned staff members; noted Jane Chung would be the assigned permit administrator to oversee the RFA process if it is initiated by the Council; mentioned the timeline is adjustable and what they laid out would be the fastest the RFA could be issued; mentioned they have spoken to a couple neighboring cities and reported Culver City has an operator that is generating over $600,000 a year in annual tax for the city, as well as the City of Hawthorne; stated it is ultimately up to this Council to decide on whether to move forward with this decision.
Mayor Light asked the City Manager if he was advocating moving forward with it.
City Manager Witzansky noted it has been eight years to get it to this point, and it would be a shame not to see it through.
Mayor Light mentioned receiving input from people that wanted the Mayor and Council to reopen the Ordinance, but it is not agendized for that evening.
City Attorney Ford agreed Council would have to agenda the matter.
Mayor Light stated that the public and everybody else needs to contain this to whether the Council release an RFA.
Councilmember Behrendt questioned if it is the right time to issue an RFA; understood it did not have to be done tonight; felt there is a lot on the Strategic Plan and this item will take a lot of head space of staff, Police, Fire, Public Works, W.E.D, and Jane Chung (mentioned by City Manager Witzansky); stated there are economic development initiatives that he would prefer Greg Kapovich and staff to remain focused on and mentioned Measure FP; voiced concerns that this may not be the right time for it and spoke of the item being put more firmly on the Strategic Plan next year; went on to talk about the market being economically unstable, an increase in the state cannabis tax, the safety pause, and no urgency from residents to get it done; stated there are other items that have more urgency such as Prospect; noted there is a very good ordinance in place and this can be moved forward at a later date; wanted to hear from the residents.
Councilmember Waller stated he has looked at comments online, received emails, text, phone calls and the ratios are normally against the item; reported what he is hearing is the residents aren’t clamoring for this and a lot are against it; suggested having a professional survey done similar to what the City did for Measure FP before they move
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
forward with the RFA.
Councilmember Kaluderovic stated she made this referral so that a discussion could be made with the community just about this application process; felt the ordinance put in place provides the protections she would want as a parent but would like to hear from the residents; reported she sent out an email letting residents know about the discussion and most of the responses were opposed; stated she is confident in the Ordinance they have put together should they decide it is not the right time for the RFA; mentioned she is more concerned at addressing the illegal products in the City.
Councilmember Castle stated he has received a handful of emails and in looking at the objections many of the concerns have been addressed in the Ordinance that was passed; noted that, due to the Ordinance, there are very few locations within District 2 that would allow a shop; asked to hear from the public as well.
Mayor Light invited public comment.
Melissa DeChandt stated she is opposed to retail cannabis and asked that everything be paused; suggested it be put on a ballot or for the residents to be surveyed; mentioned the residents voted to not do it; spoke about how much the industry has changed and how obvious it is that there is no ability at this time for the regulatory body to regulate the safety of cannabis going into the community and there are no funds for enforcement; spoke about the illegal activity at the BeachLife Festival, normalization of cannabis for kids, and the seriousness of mental health issues related to cannabis use.
Nikki Vazquez, District 3, speaking on behalf of the Redondo Beach Council of PTAs, spoke of a resolution adopted on May 5, 2024, that asks PTA units, councils, and districts to seek and support legislation to protect youth by encouraging and adherence to safety messaging about the risks of youth cannabis in dispensaries and any location where cannabis products are sold, and to discourage use in lounges, restaurants, and cafes where all ages are present; spoke about community education and discouraging unlicensed cannabis retailers; stated for the reasons she detailed out, the Redondo Beach Council of PTAs opposes any storefront retail cannabis in RB until such time that the community has been sufficiently educated on the dangerous impact upon youth and has the opportunity to provide input.
Kerianne Lawson, Chief Programs Officer and interim Clinical Director of the Allcove Beach Cities Center for BCHD, reported she represented the BCHD eight years ago on the City Manager’s task force and the subcommittee that formulated the ordinance; mentioned they pushed for as restrictive an ordinance as they could get and noted BCHD is opposed to retail cannabis; spoke more about the dangers of having alcohol and cannabis existing in the community and the struggles young people face when that is the case; asked Council to recognize starting cannabis in RB is going in the wrong direction and signaling to their youth that it is accessible and adults think it is acceptable.
Jim Mueller spoke of the AUMA Law that was passed and how excited California cities and their voters were permitting retail cannabis and how that turned into regret for many;
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
mentioned the purpose of retail cannabis was supposed to be to drive out the illegal dealers but instead it has done the opposite; stated law enforcement costs have forced many cities into deficit situations; reported of the 19,000 CA licenses issued so far, more than 60% have been surrendered or are inactive; spoke of the negative atmosphere of cannabis retail stores and other businesses not wanting to be near them; noted that those who seek the health benefits of cannabis can still receive it via home delivery; questioned whether RB wants to be known as “Beach weed city”; urged Council not to issue the request for permit application and instead focus the City’s development efforts on attracting businesses that are thriving, profitable, and family friendly.
David Rosenfeld, Redondo Beach resident, stated he is a partner in one of the proposed applications; wanted to speak on behalf of the 193 people that signed the Change.org petition to move forward with this item; felt they have come a long way and compared it to being as safe as alcohol or liquor stores; mentioned respecting the oppositions parents have for the substance but that adults understand the dangers; stated that the City needs the tax revenue and with two stores could be over $1 million in tax revenue; felt confident that they can do it prudently and safely; compared it to controlled pharmaceuticals since it puts the product behind a counter and it is regulated; hoped the City would move forward with the item.
Tijen Loubert stated she is a resident of District 1, has three children in RBUSD, and is an active member and leader in the PTA; urged Council to pause all cannabis activity with the City and to ban retail storefront dispensaries; noted there have been numerous data driven studies showing direct correlations between youth exposure and normalization from retail cannabis plus an increase in likelihood of future use and harm; mentioned data also points to a declining industry and does not make sense financially for the City; encouraged the City to either conduct a survey of all residents in RB, or to put this issue on the ballot before opening up an RFP for storefront cannabis applications.
Ivan Iniguez, District 1, stated he is a father of a 15-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter and is there to protect them and their friends against the dangers of marijuana dispensaries; spoke about the process being undemocratic; gave a scenario of the dangers of cannabis use and how the City should not invite crime into the City; felt allowing cannabis dispensaries into the City would damage the coastal treasure of RB; reported data rejecting cannabis dispensaries from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Torrance; noted that those cities gave their residents ballots to vote and a voice to shape their cities; wondered why RB would deny that right; mentioned the RCV that RB led but is not doing the same with this item; stated the only benefit would be to the drug peddlers pushing the dispensaries; urged Council to stop the ordinances, follow MB and HB and put dispensaries to a public vote; asked them to protect the kids and the neighborhoods.
Jonaton Cvetko noted that he has probably spent more time on this issue than any staffers; felt the agenda was missing two things: facts and data; reported he brought those to share and it will show Council how unstable the foundation is; urged Council to pause the allowance of cannabis activities in RB for two critical reasons: 1) there is not public
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
health benefit and, 2) there is no economic incentive; listed reasons why there are no health benefits and gave details as to why they pose health risks; noted that the state’s outdated testing and lax regulations fail to protect consumers and instead shows there is no difference between the unlicensed and legal markets at this time; reported a 27% increase in cannabis excise tax was imposed that day and that the industry fails to fund youth and drug prevention programs as required; provided more negative data regarding cannabis sales and the reality of the City making $500,000 to $1 million in sales; warned the Council not to be blinded by the rosy projections but to listen to the facts and the people; asked to submit packets to the Mayor and Council.
Motion by Councilmember Waller, seconded by Councilmember Obagi, to receive and file Jonatan Cvetko’s packets.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Daniella Wodnicki, member of the Public Safety Commission, speaking as a 40-year resident; stated the City has 15 smoke shops in which three were found non-compliant with their business licenses, seven were found o be selling flavored tobacco, and three were found to be selling THC products by a recent compliance check done by uniformed officers in April; urged Council not to move forward with opening up this application process since it has been proven that the City can not even regulate tobacco within the City; questioned how they would regulate cannabis and be able to show residents that they can trust enforcement will be done.
Myles Peck thanked the Council for the years of work that went into the City’s cannabis ordinance; voiced his support for the agenda item and his investment in the community; spoke about viewing the process as an opportunity to implement a highly regulated, professionally operated program that serves the City’s public policy goals; mentioned that cannabis has well-established medical benefits and can improve the quality of life for some that suffer from illnesses; stated as a retail operator they are sensitive to the City’s interest and their planned storefront will be architecturally consistent with the surrounding environment; noted a study published by Jama Pediatrics found that legalization of retail cannabis was not associated with increased adolescent use; felt this is an economic opportunity for the City; urged Council to move forward with the RFA; felt with the limited license structure the City has put forward, there will be successful operators that will come out of the rigorous process that Council has spent years preparing.
Robin Eisenberg stated she does not want to be lectured by failed cannabis dealers; noted that 50% of restaurants don’t work but people don’t stop them from operating; spoke about cannabis having less contamination and pesticides than coffee and kids line up for coffee at Starbucks every day; stated she trusts the Council but urged them to speak to the cannabis dealers directly and to not only listen to the anti-cannabis people.
Joan Irvine stated she has been coming to cannabis meetings for eight years; felt the Council continues to “kick the can down the road”; mentioned that the City decided to spend an extra $300,000 on SCE Park because it had been going on for years and they
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
didn’t want to second guess the prior City Council’s decision; stated that set a precedent; noted she has highlighted the benefits of reducing the black market access for kids, providing products to seniors, creating jobs, and generating much needed revenue; stated their decisions are fear-based and went into more detail regarding her background in child protective services; pointed out incidents of fentanyl and child abuse and pornography; urged Council to move forward in accepting applications.
Jess Money, District 3, mentioned they have heard from a lot of parents tonight, worried about their children and cannabis; wondered how sincere they are and referenced MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) to prove his point by saying there’s no MAPS (Mothers Against Pot Smokers); said the reason is because the gateway to drug addiction is alcohol and not marijuana; suggested that parents remove all the alcohol in their homes and never buy anymore.
Robert Moore, District 3, mentioned he is retired, he does not have kids to worry about, but if he was voting he would say no; stated there are too many smoke shops and would like to cut down on those; reported he has two friends that use cannabis for medical reasons but have no problems getting it from other dispensaries; felt RB is not the right place for dispensaries; mentioned Council wanted to hear from the public and his suggestion is to put it on the shelf in case they every need it but to vote no and move on.
Georgette Gantner pointed out that RB is trying to attract people for the Olympics and other events, and want to change their image on Artesia; asked why would they want dispensaries, why would they want to bring in another substance that is possibly addictive, and why would smoking be good for anyone’s health; mentioned her husband was addicted and it enhanced his depression.
Gilbert Escontrias gave his perspective as a law enforcement officer at 26 years old; mentioned for eight years he was undercover; stated this business leads to other issues such as crime, sex trafficking, and things of that nature; mentioned it will end up costing the City more in the long run; provided several examples of drug related incidents; noted that many stores go into non-regulated products so they can avoid taxes; urged them to look at all the problems this industry can bring into the City; noted that if someone can not drive 5-20 minutes to buy the product, maybe they should not get high; stated this is not the place RB wants to go.
Austin Carmichael, District 5 and Chair of the Public Safety Commission, suggested the Council send this item to the Public Safety Commission to listen and take in all of the feedback, summarize it, and present it to Council; stated if that is done, they can start the application process in good faith, doing as the community requested, and hearing what the community had to say.
Karen Reed (via Zoom), District 3, stated the majority of voters in the City do not want retail cannabis; noted that when Measure E was defeated by 75%, most people incorrectly assumed that meant retail cannabis would not be in RB; quoted the Measure, “Repeal the City’s ban on non-medical marijuana businesses and allow up to three
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
marijuana retailers in Redondo Beach.” ; realized what voters did not understand is that just meant they would not have three stores; stated now the City is trying to bring in two stores by way of an ordinance and not a vote; felt the City has spent significant money and time on this issue but it is still not reason to proceed; mentioned the number of cities that still do not want retail cannabis in their cities and questioned why RB would want to; noted many people spoke about the need to think about the youth but her issue is the impact on the commercial development of the City; felt the solution for RB is not retail cannabis but should focus on revitalizing areas such as Artesia, the Pier, PCH, and The Galleria; opined retail cannabis will drive other businesses out; stated it is okay to switch direction on this ordinance and eat the money spent if that is what is better for the City’s future; suggested if there is any doubt it should be put to a vote, surveyed, and the community should be informed and heard.
Mariam Butler (via Zoom) informed the Council that there are 55 eComments and only 5 are for cannabis; mentioned she has been very vocal about the need to improve revenue for the City; spoke about the need to improve the mall, and the Artesia Blvd corridor which would then attract businesses to RB; felt the moratorium on smoke shops was the right direction and they should stay on that route and avoid dispensaries; stated she agrees with the facts laid out by previous speakers tonight that were opposed to storefront retail cannabis; encouraged the Council to put a pause on all cannabis activity within the City of RB, to ban retail storefront dispensaries, to conduct a survey, or to put this issue on the next ballot.
Grace Peng (via Zoom), North Redondo Beach resident, spoke of living in Colorado when that state legalized cannabis and witnessed the rise of traffic fatalities; explained that when people use cannabis they lose the ability to sense whether or not they are drunk; stated she primarily bikes everywhere and is terrified to think of more people being under the influence and driving; stated she is a supporter of medical marijuana but under a doctor’s supervision and opposed to the recreational use.
Marcy Guillermo, District 1, stated she is strongly opposed to any retail store for cannabis in RB; urged the Council and City to listen to the voters and help make the City strong.
Hirsh Jain read from the Journal Pediatric Reports, “In the past decade, during which time 24 states legalized adult use marijuana sales, the percentage of eighth graders, 10th graders, and 12th graders who reported having consumed cannabis declined by 32%, 37%, and 23% respectively.”; mentioned there has been a significant decrease in youth marijuana use between 2011 and 2021 in regulated markets; urged Council to look at the facts and know that youth will access cannabis and other terrible substances through unregulated channels.
Verena Thompson, District 2, urged Council to stop the pursuit of cannabis dispensaries and to listen and honor the will of the people; stated the only voices who expressed a desire to move forward are those with a vested economic interest in opening dispensaries; urged Council to survey the community.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Analyst Villa reported no other hands raised online but there were 55 eComments of which 5 were in support of, 45 opposed, and one neutral.
Mayor Light felt the outcome was similar to their other meetings; voiced that he is torn on this issue, grew up in the military and had a clearance so never used pot and had no intention in the future since he does not like to be impaired; explained he was torn because being in the military meant he upheld the vote of the people; spoke about Measure E not being a valid measure; mentioned he attended the BeachLife Festival and he witnessed many RUHS students smoking pot and vaping; felt there is a negative stigma with getting up publicly and supporting pot as a resident; stated if the Council really wants to act based on the people a survey or an election is the only way but questioned the cost and timing of it; asked the City Manager how much a survey would cost.
City Manager Witzansky estimated it would cost $20,000 to $30,000 for a survey to be conducted and used FP as an example; estimated an election would cost $280,000 but if they bundled it with another, then the incremental cost would not be too much but that would be a two-year delay.
Councilmember Obagi asked City Manager Witzansky if it is true that they can’t toggle this RFA as well as everything else with this Strategic Plan and Measure FP.
City Manager Witzansky stated they were anticipating this workload as the next logical step to all of the prior years of work; noted it is in Jane Chung’s work plan but it will have impact to whomever they assign from other departments; felt they will not have as many applicants as they once thought due to the prescriptive nature of the ordinance.
Councilmember Obagi agreed with everything the Mayor said; reported he was there when Measure E came around and that is exactly what all five Councilmembers told the public: Don’t vote for Measure E, it is designed to serve that proponents interests, we, The Council, are working on a better ordinance, and it will be better because they are working with a task force, and will be able to modify it by a vote of the Council and will not need to do another vote of the people; spoke of the fact that nobody had mentioned, on either side of this issue, what if the City does not move forward with this and the repercussions if that happens; felt if that happens, somebody from the cannabis industry would come in and go forward with another Measure E and make the Council look like liars; stated he is not trying to fear monger everyone; mentioned that RB has not regulated alcohol or tobacco with any semblance of authority but instead followed state law and if they have police resources enforce it; pointed out the struggles the City has in enforcing smoke shops and the lack of resources to do it; stated they need to raise revenue and get push back on all the things they suggest such as charging for paramedic responses and noted people don’t want their taxes raised; stated they need to figure out better ways to fund the public safety responses that RB wants and cannabis is just one option that they have thoroughly thought through; mentioned they have looked to regulate alcohol or tobacco shops in RB and said they should use the same regulations that they adopted for this cannabis ordinance because they spent so much time on getting it right; agreed the youth need to be educated on substance use; stated he can see a difference from his
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
own experience in high school in students who used pot and those that didn’t; noted they do not have the money for youth education but some money could come from a successful cannabis operation; stated the system the City developed would specifically run audits and figure out who’s up on their taxes and who’s shown stamina to survive; noted that Measure CT, the cannabis tax, passed by a greater percentage than Measure E was defeated; spoke of nobody having a problem signing a document to get Measure E on the ballot and nobody had a problem signing for a recall and said residents will sign for anything to get on a ballot for people to decide on; agreed with the Mayor that there is a stigma associated with cannabis; felt the majority expect them to do what is right for the City’s financial future and said their revenue sources are insufficient; told parents that Council has blocked cannabis from coming anywhere near the schools or on Artesia Blvd west of Felton; stated they do not have the resources to go after all the unlawful operations on a regular basis and need some revenue.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi to authorize the release of the City’s request for commercial retail cannabis permit application process and direct staff to prepare resolutions implementing the City’s process integrity guidelines policy and setting the City’s cannabis application processing fees.
Councilmember Castle reiterated Councilmember Obagi’s points and added that the ordinance that was put together incorporated all the issues people raised in terms of distance from schools and certain stretches of Artesia Blvd and has made it very limited; reported he heard from one cannabis company that decided to pass on applying because the process is so onerous; felt that what the City Council and staff have done created a workable ordinance; stated that the permitting process is actually a temporary process that comes up for renewal so that if there were any issues, the City could cancel and be out of the cannabis business.
Councilmember Castle seconded the motion made by Councilmember Obagi.
Mayor Light reported they have been debating this for two hours and unless one of the Councilmembers has an alternate motion, he is going to call for the vote.
Councilmember Behrendt said he doesn’t have an alternate motion but stated he doesn’t see this as the time to issue an RFP.
Councilmember Obagi said he respected Councilmember Behrendt’s opinion but added that he spoke to Councilmember Alex Montoya, from Hawthorne, at the last COG meeting and he asked how his budget process went; stated Councilmember Montoya said great and reported they generate much of their revenue from sales tax from cannabis shops and that it has not affected the youth in his community; noted that is what has given him some confidence that they have put together a good process.
Mayor Light wanted to call the vote but Councilmember Waller asked to make a substitute motion.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Councilmember Waller made a substitute motion to perform a survey of residents prior to letting out the RFA.
Discussion followed on where to find the money for the survey, does it require a 4/5th vote, and the cost being about $34,000 to $40,000 if not more for the survey.
Councilmember Behrendt seconded the substitute motion made by Councilmember Waller.
Councilmember Obagi suggested a friendly amendment to make it an advisory ballot measure so it could be added to their special election for their general plan amendment.
Councilmember Waller did not accept the friendly amendment.
ROLL CALL VOTE
AYES: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Behrendt
NOES: Obagi
ABSTAIN: None
City Manager Witzansky responded to Councilmember Behrendt and stated he will get a quote back from three companies to do the survey and will bring it back to Council at year end, which is November or December; stated there will be year-end funds and Council can decide if they want to appropriate the money to support the survey and go from there.
Motion carried 4-1 by roll call vote.
Motion by Councilmember Behrendt, seconded by Councilmember Castle, for a 10- minute break at 9:40 p.m.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
RECONVENE FROM RECESS – 9:53 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic (returned at 9:54 p.m.), Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Melissa Villa, Analyst/Liaison
O. CITY MANAGER ITEMS
City Manager Witzansky reminded everyone that Closed Session would be starting at
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
4:00 p.m. next Tuesday and Open Session will be interviews exclusively for commission applications; reported 16 applications at the moment.
P. MAYOR AND COUNCIL ITEMS
P.1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION RELATED TO UPDATES TO THE
STRUCTURE OF CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, INCLUDING
POTENTIAL ELIMINATION OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION AND
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE YOUTH COMMISSION
Mayor Light spoke about the Youth Commission and felt the staff report covered the adjustments and composition of the Youth Commission well; felt it was not controversial and noted it was done by the youth and adult Commissioners, staff, Councilmember Kaluderovic, and himself; moved on to focus on the Public Safety Commission, stated it is more controversial; reported he had complaints from the Commissioners, the public, and staff along with reported misuse of title, inaccurate and inappropriate social media posts, and more; noted the complaints were not what instigated this item but it was because he was asked to put together Rules of Conduct which included the purviews of the commissions; stated in the process he sat down with the City Manager, Police Chief and the Fire Chief; discovered that the Public Safety Commission no longer brings any value due to other services such as Community Services Officers, volunteer policing, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Neighborhood Watch, and Comcate being added to City services; reported they also found the Public Safety Commission topics overlap with the PWSC and had not provided any good meaningful advice to the Council; noted input from the Youth Commission was better than what the Public Safety Commission provided for the Budget and Strategic Plan this year; spoke of the Public Safety Commission delving into areas beyond their jurisdiction defined in the ordinance and gave examples; mentioned the Commission even asked the City Council to direct the City Attorney and she is an elected official, asked for a joint session with PWSC, and made statements about fraud and audits; read aloud the Public Safety Commission’s published jurisdiction and noted it is not an oversight commission; stated he looked at other cities and no other beach city surrounding RB has a Public Safety Commission; mentioned Santa Monica and San Francisco have Public Safety Commissions but set up for different reasons; reported speaking to the City Manager and the Police and Fire Chiefs and they stated there has been no meaningful input from that Commission; asked the Police and Fire Chiefs to give their perspectives.
Police Chief Hoffman stated this is not about reducing community input but about modernizing and strengthening it; reported he has worked with the PSC for 20 years and has seen the changes over the course of time; thanked all the Commissioners for their service and dedication but noted it no longer functions as originally intended when it was created in 1996; spoke of the PSC not being efficient or effective in advancing public safety, that it has no oversight or decision-making authority, it creates confusion amongst the public since the PSC references their ability to oversee, their recommendations have had minimal if any impact on the City Council policy or Police Department operations; noted that technology has had a great impact on how the PD gathers input, engages the
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
community and operates transparently; summarized the tools the PD have adopted for engagement and transparency which includes 15 different types of resources, platforms, dashboards, survey results, drone activity, searchable data, and more; noted they have ZenCity for public sentiment analysis which provides reports to the PD that allow them to see what the actual citizens in the community are concerned about, the use SpiderTech for direct communications and surveys with people that have requested police services, and they have a very active social media presence; mentioned the PD has committed to participating in City Council and District meetings; spoke of their Quality of Life Unit where anybody can reach out and it goes to all the Support Services Bureau, Operations Bureau, and the Quality of Life Unit; spoke of Comcate and its ability for people to reach out and how they have been providing presentations to the City Council on tops of community interest, and they receive items from the Strategic Plan; stated that the methods he mentioned are more timely, more flexible, and are reflective of how residents prefer to communicate today; noted that the new methods offer two way communication, increased transparency, and much faster feedback than commission meetings; reported that the officer who is the liaison for the PSC spends 12.5% of his monthly working hours committed to work for the PSC and another lieutenant that spends eight hours a month at just the meeting and 3 hours working with the liaison to clarify meeting notes; stated that is a significant amount of time and redirecting that staff time towards frontline services would improve overall efficiency and impact for the PD.
Fire Chief Butler mentioned his experience working in another city that had 96 neighborhood councils and each council had a Public Safety Committee and noted they had a lot of duplication of effort and oversight; stated his experience with the RB PSC is they create an expectation beyond the scope of their legal authority and often offer operational input; felt the PSC is a significant draw on resources and staff work; added that information from the commission meetings are old since now communication can be done in real time with the public; stated there is a lot of legal oversight that bars them from going into further discussion and because there is mission creep from the Commission it can create some liability for the department; spoke of the times changing and that there are better ways that the City now communicates; stated that he does not see the value of the PSC and that both the Police and Fire are more integrated with the community.
City Manager Witzansky noted this is a difficult issue and that everyone needs to look deeper and understand the issue structurally; stated that everybody on the PSC has had the community’s best interests at heart and want to do good work; stated two things stood out to him when evaluating the Commission structure: 1) RB is one of a very small number of cities throughout the State of California that had a double digit number of commissions and noted they consolidated a few commissions but there is not enough substantive work to keep them busy; went on to explain that the City Council and Mayor already provide oversight and critique operations and communicate them to him and that they are very active in doing so; felt the PSC in its current construct is set up to fail because they can only evaluate retrospectively and in some cases takes years before any constructive dialog can be made if there is a civil case pending or an active internal affairs investigation and they can not address publicly; explained what happens in those cases, where they
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
can’t give the Commission information, the Commission has to seek alternative value but it isn’t constructive to public safety operation or policy advice to the City Council, which is their primary charge; stated that the City does not do commissions, the Council does commissions but the City will support them, staff them, and liaison them to the best of their ability; spoke about the Commission being set up in 1996 where the era was different but times have changed and the technology of today is 100-fold better today; felt that it has reached the end of its useful life; noted they are not targeting a particular group and it is an objective comparison of the value it provides.
Mayor Light agreed with the City Manager that the construct of the PSC is not needed anymore and that much of what they have dug into lately falls under the PWSC since it deals with traffic safety mitigation issues; opened the item up to the Council.
Councilmember Waller gave some background on his experience with public safety and mentioned watching the technology change; stated there is a mismatch in the mission; asked the City Manager what the direct or indirect costs are for this Commission.
City Manager Witzansky responded that it is roughly $50,000 for the staff time and $10,000 for the division chief and costs for the minutes secretary and other time and energy to support it.
Councilmember Waller spoke of the PSC not being an oversight commission and it has been a big misunderstanding; felt the Council has not sent anything to the PSC in many years asking for their help.
Mayor Light pointed out that they have not had to send anything to the other commissions either and they all operate within their purview.
Discussion followed.
Gil Escontrias, Public Safety Commissioner, stated he is well aware that they are not an oversight commission but that the Council has never spoken to them about being out of their lane; said he lives under the Police Officer Bill of Rights; said everyone talks about HIPAA but no one knows what it means and they have never been asked about HIPAA violations; noted that lots has evolved as the Police Chief mentioned and said he has been involved in law enforcement for almost 45 years; felt the Council stonewalled them and that they have questions that never get answered; mentioned he was told if he complains he would be ignored; stated he pays taxes in the City and deserves better and if they want to abolish the Commission do it for a good reason.
Daniella Wodnicki, Public Safety Commissioner, came under the auspices that the PSC were being considered for dismantling because of HIPAA violations; gave some background into why she applied to the PSC; stated her mom was on the Library Commission and she grew up in a home of public service and has dedicated her career to public service; said she respects the concerns raised by the Chiefs but felt they were misleading and misguided; believed that it points to a greater need for clear
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
communication, structure, and guidance not elimination; noted that with Measure FP implementation, a metro station, and cannabis dispensaries on the horizon, an expansion of the City’s pallet shelters, and events such as the Olympics and World Cup it is not time to reduce civilian engagement on public safety; stated transparency in government and public safety is more important now than ever; mentioned she has worked in local government for the last 20 years; spoke of the system that the Chiefs mentioned being complex and that people come to the Commission when they are confused; stated that not one member of this Council has come to the Commission for advice and mentioned she has authored a set of cannabis regulations for another town.
John Perchulyn stated that the Public Safety Commission is the only municipal body to take a genuine interest in the safety issues the residents have identified along Palos Verdes Blvd and Prospect Ave and listed the issues; spoke of when Jeff Gaul was the Chair of the PSC, he recommended that the residents attend a PSC meeting; stated the residents were heartened that the Commission listened to all their concerns and felt they had a comprehensive understanding of the traffic safety challenges of the area; noted that the issues still persist today; spoke of the collective experience of the neighborhood demonstrates that the PSC is invaluable and its dissolution would leave no standing forum dedicated to addressing the safety issues that threaten the children, pedestrians, and quality of life.
Melissa DeChandt, District 1, stated she didn’t really know what this Commission did; mentioned that the traffic around Toledo is treacherous and she had been trying for seven years to get the District 1 Councilmember to respond to her; reported she attended a PSC meeting for an unrelated item and saw them actually taking action on this issue; said she was told to go to the PSC to talk about cannabis and was happy to have a body who would be looking at data and inform policy; stated she would love to see the Commission remain but perhaps with a different mandate.
Jess Money, District 3, said Jim Light said there is no valuable input from the PSC; understood that is because they are stonewalled on the information they want in order to make recommendations; stated cops hate being questioned about anything and implied they are corrupt; reported that the City Charter limits campaign contributions to any one candidate in any one election cycle to $2,700 and the Police Officers Association gave an illegal $11,300 to Jim Light’s campaign for mayor, the mayor is the subject of a FPPC complaint and said the Chiefs appeared in uniform in violation of state law and that is why oversight is needed; felt the PSC serves a necessary and vital role and should be retained; spoke more about the illegal nature of the pallet shelters and Homeless Outreach Programs run out of the City Attorney’s office.
Nancy Skiba, Public Safety Commissioner, spoke about the Commission members and their backgrounds; said they have strived to encourage people to participate at their meetings; mentioned visiting Fire Station 1 and speaking to Brian Regan and having meetings with John Perchulyn, Lila Omura, and others so they can have communication and make contributions to the City; stated they have had many referrals to staff and that their liaison, Officer Kyle Lofstrom, has said he is too busy and it gets left for months;
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
went on to provide other instances where they have requested information and Officer Lofstrom has stated it is confidential but when pushed he told them to do a PRR; hoped the Council would not destroy the PSC.
Austin Carmichael, Chair for the Public Safety Commission, stated he was told of this issue in a very inappropriate personal way; told the Council not to be intellectually dishonest; said he read the Administrative Report that said the reason the PSC needs to dissolved is because of HIPAA and operational interference; voiced his frustration that the City Manager, Fire Chief and Police Chief spoke about the PSC being obsolete; stated the public relies on the PSC because many people do not know about Comcate, or how to read X,Y, and Z, and they call into their meetings or appear to ask for explanations; noted that Council does not respond to all of their emails and asked for stats on how many emails they receive and how many they respond to or how many phone calls they receive and how many they respond to; asked how many users on Comcate in relation to how many people live in the City; stated the PSC is the voice; noted that the only operation interference they are aware of is that they insisted the FD interview and hire a female firefighter; wanted her to know that she is there because of them; stated that when it comes to HIPAA both the HR person and he have 70 years of experience and they are professionals on the Commission and understand the law; urged the Council to make a credible decision.
Jonatan Cvetko said it is incredibly complicated when connecting governments with residents since there are limited time and resources; felt it isn’t right to look at abolishing a committee such as the PSC when it provides a platform for the residents to have interactions with this government; encouraged Council to not look for a solution tonight but to come back to discuss and try to make a process that works for everyone; stated the PSC gives residents another touchpoint to connect with the Council.
Andy Porkchop stated he goes to the commission meetings too and it gives people a chance to speak and voice their problems; spoke of an incident he had with PD and wished there was an Police oversight committee; claimed they violated his rights; said the PSC is important and that the Council never answer their emails.
Carissa Robinson (via Zoom), District 3, asked that the Council reconsider the proposal to eliminate the PSC; stated the Commission has been the independent citizen voice on Police and Fire issues in RB for 30 years; spoke that the dismantling of the Commission is ironic given the comments and criticisms voiced earlier in the evening; understood that the Commission has not delivered as much value as hoped but felt they should modernize and improve it rather than remove it; felt that just because no other beach city has a PSC doesn’t mean it is unnecessary and pointed out RB is the only city using RCV; noted the legal and operational challenges but felt solving those would be better; stated eliminated this Commission sends a clear message that independent public input on safety is being sidelined and risks eroding community trust; stated programs led by departments are valuable but they are not the same as independent citizen oversight and don’t replace a dedicated forum where residents can bring forward concerns and questions; urged Council to consider reforms that would modernize and strengthen the Commission
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
instead of eliminating it.
Marcy Guierrmo (via Zoom) said she finds it troubling to read the title of item P.1, especially in the context of ongoing concerns from the community; noted the impacts to the Police and Fire from the BeachLife Festival, the potential release of a cannabis RFP, homelessness, short term rentals, and other issues coming before the Council; stated the PSC was established as a platform for residents to report and be heard on public safety issues impacting quality of life; mentioned she has emailed the Quality of Life Prosecutor and has never heard back; said the new technologies may work well for some but not for all residents; felt that the Chief’s statement to have the current Commissioners serve in more efficient and productive ways was inappropriate and they serve the residents; recommended the City investigate where all the concerns are coming from and analyze how their operations are working and said it is not in the best interests of the residents to eliminate the PSC.
Jill Klausen (via Zoom) stated she was upset with this City Council and voiced her thoughts; spoke of the bad decisions made by Council such as the $277,000 60-unit, modular, anti-vehicle barrier system, the Homeland Security Program, and the salary of a full-time social media person; asked if the Council is hiding something; felt they are using their power to disband the PSC on completely bogus charges in order to prevent public access to legally allowed information; reported she has notified the LA County DA’s office and will follow up with them; stated she will take note of who votes to disband the PSC and do everything she can to make them accountable; disagreed with the Chief’s comment that eliminating the PSC will improve public safety; reprimanded Mayor Light for calling in Chair Carmichael on the day he buried his niece; said she is tech savvy and has never heard of Comcate.
Analyst Villa reported no other hands raised but there were 12 eComments opposed.
Mayor Light wanted to address some issues that were brought up; stated oversight was brought up several times and said there is nothing today or that existed in the past that was about oversight committee of the PD; the PSC is to advise the Council on broad public safety and crime prevention issues; stated that truck traffic, traffic, and bike paths are under the purview of the PWSC; stated that PRRs has nothing to do with PSC and anyone can request a PRR.
Austin Carmichael spoke out of order stating he was told that he filed too many PRRs; the Mayor warned him that he was speaking out of turn and out of order and needed to correct his behavior but agreed he had too many.
Mayor Light reported he had a witness in the meeting with Austin Carmichael and was told he filed the PRRs as a member of the public; continued to address the issues and mentioned bike lanes are also under PWSC; stated he has been there for three different Strat Plan sessions and two budget sessions and there has been nothing within the PSC purview or anything of value from the PSC and he knows they reached out; noted they received more from the Youth Commission than from the PSC; stated this Commission seems devoid of communicating with the Mayor and Council; reported that they receive
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
letters from other commissions but nothing from them; stated the comparison to other cities was not the only basis for this discussion, and that input was given from City Council and other issues that the Commission has taken on such as manhole covers, directing the Council to direct the City Attorney, microchipping cats, giving awards, asking for a joint session with PWSC for items directly under their purview, and looking for fraud and audit; noted they are not getting anything out of this; said if the Council would like to have the Mayor write it up as an oversight committee, they can change the whole structure and formalize it but they would need to look at the budget impact; mentioned that the PSC directed the Fire Chief to interview someone which is against the City Charter.
Councilmember Behrendt asked if the solution to modernize it, tighten it up, make the purview leaner, more focused on assigned tasks and reign in the duties and maybe limit the meetings to quarterly or every other month to address the time and staffing issues; looked at the ordinance and read “Public Safety Commission shall help serve as the citizen’s voice and public safety affairs and perform other duties as directed by City Council.” ; wondered if as a City Council they need to direct it that way; felt there had to be a way for citizens to interact with the Public Safety Department in a formal setting; spoke more about what is important and how the residents can have a voice; mentioned the crime reports and how to view trends and what he looks at; felt the analysis is not in the reports and it is important for citizens to be able to ask; spoke about a code for removal if a member is going outside the scope of their assigned duties, stated they can be removed by a vote of the majority of members of the Council; stated the Charter has the reasons for the commissions and that they have the power to rewrite the powers and duties of the commissions; talked about having too many commissions and maybe they need to review what each does and if they should combine them; asked to hear from other Councilmembers and the City Manager.
City Manager Witzansky stated those options are available; mentioned what you see in cities is a combined, and most have a traffic commission; noted that RB has a PWSC and stated Lomita’s is a Public Safety and Traffic Commission and the liaison is the Public Works Department; spoke of RB having two commissions that, in some instances, have run in parallel course; said they could merge some of the functions into a single commission and cover most of the issues; spoke of the need to narrow down what they want to be their focused purview or desired scope and be very specific; noted that Austin Carmichael is not wrong when he said public safety could be just about anything.
Councilmember Behrendt interjected to point out that what City Manager Witzansky is saying it is very defined.
City Manager Witzansky continued to say the key is are we asking them to be ambassadors for how the City operates or conducts business or special events; noted how it is currently orchestrated can be interpreted to mean just about anything.
Councilmember Behrendt interrupted the City Manager and said to be clear, for the minutes and record, what’s written within the municipal code 2-9.803 powers and duties of the Public Safety Commission is way off; it needs to be modernized and tightened up,
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
as Councilmember Waller noted earlier.
City Manager Witzansky touched on the topic of frequency and whether there is enough workload to address the level of specificity and the cadence would need to be readjusted.
Councilmember Behrendt mentioned monthly or quarterly.
Mayor Light noted it would be a big ripple change in the ordinances but could be accommodated; said it states every commission meets every month.
City Manager Witzansky mentioned this is where the process started, consolidating, looking into structure, determining where the City can be more effective, merging where appropriate, making sure work is not duplicated, etc.; spoke of an advisory commission not being able to provide constructive, meaningful input in a retrospective commission function to the Fire and Police Chiefs.
More discussion followed.
City Manager Witzansky noted the duplication with the cannabis ordinance since the Planning Commission already spent lots of time and energy on it and the topic of crossing guards was already addressed by the PWSC; mentioned if the Council goes down this path, they must think of specificity, appropriateness, and duplicated work effort and then who ultimately is the right liaison.
Councilmember Behrendt stated those were his thoughts and thanked the City Manager for addressing it.
Councilmember Obagi opined that there’s a lot of lack of deference for our sworn firefighters and police officers including the City’s two Chiefs by the Commissioners and felt that this is part of the problem; referred to what Nancy Skiba said earlier that Division Chief Regan didn’t want to come back to the PSC meeting and wondered why.
City Manager Witzansky said they had assigned two officers to be supportive, to try to provide a broader perspective, and to provide the Commission with real-time information.
Councilmember Obagi pointed out that the City and Council has done everything to try to make this Commission successful; noted they have gotten zero work product from the PSC on the Strategic Plan and the budget and instead get individual emails from them with various topics or complaints; reported he had Public Safety Commissioners at his house for dinner to discuss how to make it better and it still did not change; spoke of the Police and Firefighters out and about being available to the public and interacting; gave examples of events where they engaged with the community; felt the City is not getting the bang for the buck for the amount of money that is going in for staff time with this Commission; noted that the current structure allows for mission creep and the feeling to go beyond their authority since other commissions have so much authority; felt the members are all valuable and he would like to see them involved elsewhere on other City commissions and they should have priority when the next interviews come up; said he
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
does favor dissolving the PSC and making the Youth Commission adjustments that have been described in the staff report.
Councilmember Kaluderovic referred to the PSC as being the citizen’s voice and mentioned there are other ways for citizens to have a voice such as Coffee with a Cop, social media, Citizen’s Academy, new software when someone requests PD services, etc.; stated she has invited the Chief to speak at her meetings about community statistics and he would be able to do that again; felt the Commission has morphed into being the Council’s voice and that is not the intention; stated they have discussed absorbing or changing this Commission but she hasn’t heard a single topic listed that would be specific to their purview; stated she wouldn’t want to put a burden on the City and Council just to get them assignments and they are just searching for things.
Councilmember Castle spoke of Chief Butler saying there is a disconnect between what the public thinks that the Commission does, what the Charter says it does, what the Council expects them to do, and then what the actual Commissioners have each in giving their perspective on what their role is; stated those are all very different things and that is part of the big problem; spoke of the PSC covering what is covered in the purview of other commissions, that the public’s perception of the Commission’s role is wrong; said he could see dividing up the role of the PSC but also figuring out a way to give the public a voice to address concerns; stated that he felt all of them try to get back to their emails as quickly as possible.
Councilmember Obagi added to what Councilmember Kaluderovic said about the City staff being willing to talk to the public and they make themselves available anytime they request them to be.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Kaluderovic, to adopt the staff recommendation or the Mayor’s recommendation to eliminate the Public Safety Commission and adjust the composition of the Youth Commission as described in the report.
Councilmember Behrendt offered a substitute motion to continue the hearing to further discuss narrowing the scope of the duties of the Public Safety Commission and/or combining certain public safety duties of the Public Safety Commission and to come back on that, while at the same time approving the recommendations on the Youth Commission tonight.
Councilmember Waller seconded the substitute motion.
Mayor Light opined that the one thing Councilmember Behrendt came up with that wasn’t covered by another commission is statistics and trends for crime and accidents in the community and maybe periodic updates from public safety to them on changes.
Discussion followed.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Mayor Light called for the vote on the substitute motion.
Substitute motion did not pass by voice vote. Councilmember Behrendt and Councilmember Waller were ayes. Mayor Light called for a third yes with no answer.
Mayor Light then reverted to the original motion.
Mayor Light called for the vote on the original motion.
Original motion carried by 3-2, by voice vote. Councilmember Obagi, Councilmember Kaluderovic, and Councilmember Castle were ayes. Councilmember Behrendt and Councilmember Waller were noes.
City Manager Witzansky stated, in order for this to be ultimately implemented, they need to come back with an introduction of an ordinance that would effectively modify the City’s municipal code to reflect the elimination of this particular Commission that has a First Reading and then requires a Second Reading and adoption.
P.2. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CREATION OF A CITY COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE TO ADDRESS THE CITY’S CROSSING GUARD
PROGRAM
CONTACT: LUKE SMUDE, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
Assistant to the City Manager Luke Smude stated this was a referral from, at the time, Mayor Pro Tem Kaluderovic on June 10th to bring back a discussion item to discuss the creation of a City Council subcommittee to discuss the City’s Crossing Guard Program; mentioned she had some potential ideas for staffing and to discuss in an open forum and move forward as directed.
Councilmember Kaluderovic nominated Councilmember Behrendt because he has been so vocal on the topic.
Councilmember Behrendt spoke about the program and what he would like to do and accepted the nomination and nominated Councilmember Kaluderovic.
Mayor Light stated there can only be two.
Councilmember Obagi suggested, since they are from District 3 and District 5, they should include on the subcommittee residents from the other districts so that all can move objectively through the topics and give perspectives from all.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to form the subcommittee with Councilmembers Kaluderovic and Behrendt.
Analyst Villa reported no one online and no hands raised.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Councilmember Behrendt spoke more on the topic of crossing guards and that he would involve the School District and the residents.
Q. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REFERRALS TO STAFF - None
R. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION
R.1. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
Name of Case:
Hardaway, Leonard Steve v. Roxane Barrientos Camey; Aguido Modesto; City of Hawthorne; City of Manhattan Beach; City of Redondo Beach; and Does 1-50, inclusive
Case Number: 25TRCV01762
R.2. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
Name of case:
Estate of Jose Sosa, by and through his heir and successor in interest, N.R.; N.R., individually, by and through his Guardian Ad Litem, Michelle Rodriguez; Francisca Rodriguez, individually v. Redondo Beach Police Department, a public entity; City of Redondo Beach, a public entity; and Does 1-10, inclusive
Case Number: 2:25-cv-2547-PA-JPR
R.3. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
Name of case:
John Bell v. City of Redondo Beach, et al.
Case Number: 25-3578
R.4. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED POTENTIAL LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(4). One potential case R.5. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Elizabeth Hause, Community Services Director
PROPERTY:
309 Esplanade, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Made by Meg - Meg Walker
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Both Price and Terms
S. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION
T. ADJOURNMENT – 11:35 P.M.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to adjourn the meeting at 11:35 p.m.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
The next meeting of the City Council of the City of Redondo Beach will be an Adjourned Regular meeting to be held at 4:00 p.m. (Closed Session) and a Regular meeting to be held at 6:00 p.m. (Open Session) on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in the Redondo Beach City Hall Chambers, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, CA.
All written comments submitted via eComment are included in the record and available for public review on the City website.
Respectfully submitted:
Eleanor Manzano, CMC
City Clerk