REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Minutes
Redondo Beach City Council
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Closed Session – Adjourned Regular Meeting 4:00 p.m.
Open Session – Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m.
4:00 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 4:00 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 – 4:05 P.M.
F.1. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Brian Campbell, BC Urban
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PROPERTY:
100 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
130 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 7505-002-932)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Jeff Jones, Quality Seafood, Inc.
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
F.2. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Brian Campbell, BC Urban
PROPERTY:
102 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
104 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 7505-002-932)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Oscar and Froylan Arellanez, El Cinco De Mayo Mexican Food, LLC UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
F.3. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Brian Campbell, BC Urban
PROPERTY:
127 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 105 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite 106, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-908)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc.
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UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
F.4. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Larry Kosmont, Kosmont Companies
PROPERTY:
Monstad Pier: 110-151 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-934)
Kincaid’s and Pad 2: 500 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-933)
Pier Plaza: 103-131 W. Torrance Blvd., Redondo Beach CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-908)
Fun Factory: 123 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-908)
Joe’s Crab Shack: 230 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7503-029-903)
Portion of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot (a portion of APN: 7503- 029-900)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
James Kwon, HK Pacific, LLC
Landry's Restaurants, Inc.
Various Prospective Tenants
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
F.5. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Sec. 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Luke Smude, Assistant to the City Manager
PROPERTY:
3007 Vail Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(a portion of APN: 415-001-7931)
Parking Lot at the Corner of Felton Ln. and 182nd St., Redondo Beach, CA 90278 (APN: 415-803-3900)
715 Julia Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
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(portion of parcels APN: 750-702-0900 and APN: 750-702-1900) 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(APN: 404-900-8903)
807 Inglewood Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(a Portion of APN: 408-302-4900)
200 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 750-500-9902)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Dr. Nicole Wesley, Superintendent
Redondo Beach Unified School District
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Both Price and Terms
Motion by Councilmember Waller, seconded by Councilmember Kaluderovic, to move to Closed Session.
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, W.E.D. Director Greg Kapovich, W.E.D. Manager Katherine Buck, Outside Leasing Consultant Brian Campbell, and Real Estate advisors Larry Kosmont and Will Soholt.
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, Behrendt, Mayor Light Councilmembers Absent: Obagi
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Laura Diaz, Deputy City Clerk/Records Mgmt.
Coordinator
I. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
City Manager Witzansky stated there was no reportable action in Closed Session.
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J. ADJOURN TO REGULAR MEETING
Motion by Councilmember Waller, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to adjourn to the Regular Meeting at 6:02 p.m.
Motion carried 4-0-1 by voice vote. Councilmember Obagi was absent. 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
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Behrendt, Mayor Light, Obagi (arrived between 6:08 p.m. and 6:11 p.m.)
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Laura Diaz, Deputy City Clerk/Records Mgmt.
Coordinator
C. SALUTE TO THE FLAG AND INVOCATION
Mayor Light recognized any veterans and active-duty military for their service; led the salute to the flag and asked everyone to remain standing for a moment of silent invocation.
D. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/AB 1234 TRAVEL
EXPENSE REPORTS
Mayor Light reported no presentations or proclamations for that evening; announced he met with the Mayor of Hermosa Beach to see how their cities could cooperate better together and to possibly expand that to other beach cities; announced he will have a meeting later in the week to discuss water polo in their Harbor; announced the next Olympic subcommittee meeting would be held the week of the 21st but date TBA; mentioned a representative from the New Zealand sailing team will be touring their
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Harbor, San Pedro, and Long Beach to determine where their sailing team will practice for the Olympics; announced he will be meeting with the LA Galaxy to discuss ideas for their City, will be presenting at the Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday next week, and wanted to remind everybody that the South Bay Greek Festival starts on the 18th.
Councilmember Waller, District 1, announced the Greek Festival will be in his District and asked everyone to attend; publicly thanked Gerardo from the Public Works Department for showing up at the Keep the Esplanade Beautiful early Saturday morning after the 4th.
Councilmember Castle, District 2, reminded everyone that, on July 17th, he will hold his Community Meeting at the Library from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; noted his guest will be Jeff Jones from Quality Seafood, who is also the new president of the King Harbor Association.
Councilmember Kaluderovic, District 3, announced her Community Meeting will be online, Thursday, July 24th at 6:00 p.m. and will have a link on her City web page and will send out a newsletter.
Councilmember Behrendt had no announcements.
E. APPROVE ORDER OF AGENDA
No changes to the order of the agenda.
F. AGENCY RECESS - None
G. BLUE FOLDER ITEMS - ADDITIONAL BACK UP MATERIALS
G.1. For Blue Folder Documents Approved at the City Council Meeting Deputy City Clerk and Records Management Coordinator Diaz reported two Blue Folder items; read titles to J.1 and L.1.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to receive and file the Blue Folder Items.
Motion carried 4-0-1 by voice vote. Councilmember Obagi was absent.
H. CONSENT CALENDAR
H.1. APPROVE AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 8, 2025
CONTACT: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
Motion by Councilmember Castle, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to approve the
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Consent Calendar.
Deputy City Clerk and Records Management Coordinator Diaz reported no one online and no eComments.
Motion carried 4-0-1 by voice vote. Councilmember Obagi was absent.
I. EXCLUDED CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS - None
J. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
J.1. For eComments and Emails Received from the Public
Rick McQuillin, Manhattan Beach, wanted to give a quick update on CRT and SouthBayStreets.com; reported he sent an email with some screenshots from the beta site, which provided maps hub, some sample projects and goals/needs; hoped they would generate ideas; stated it is not fully functional and still in construction but it is a community site and they are invited into the process; stated the goal is to drive shopping back from online to local and worth doing; explained the purpose of the maps and noted that the Artesia map is there and the Galleria will be next; mentioned the maps will be activated to link customers with businesses; spoke of trying to develop relationships between visitors and the local merchants and explained further his intentions; noted he is still brainstorming and it may still appear confusing; requested that the Council help with some community outreach at some point during the process.
Councilmember Obagi arrived during Rick McQuillin’s public comment (between 6:08 p.m. and 6:11 p.m.)
Chad Kroeger stated they are on a journey to cure sadness and give young men meaning; introduced a man named Raymond and said he is suffering from shyness and the tariffs; JT Parr explained they had him go through a series of events to unlock his political nature but realized they were only having him do what they wanted; JT Parr felt it was within the RBPD’s jurisdiction to crack down on vape shops but noted that Council needs to keep in mind the obstruction to local culture; Chad Kroeger felt unlocking Raymond’s confidence is not by changing public policy but showing the world his music; presented Rack (aka Castle or Raymond) and he stated he wrote a song a month prior and played the song from his cell phone.
Robin Eisenberg mentioned she was kicked really hard at the last meeting; reported the doctor said it is a bone contusion; spoke of the rules of decorum in the Chamber and felt it should apply to when she speaks as well; noted she was asked if she wanted to make a report and declined to; stated California Penal Code 368 allows District Attorneys to prosecute when you batter a senior either as a misdemeanor or a felony; mentioned she thought about it over the last several days and realized talking about it will hopefully make the attacker feel like a “sissy”; reported nothing will keep her from speaking at Council meetings and quoted the late Patrick Swayze from Dirty Dancing, “Nobody puts baby in
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a corner.”; asked to submit a picture of the injury.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Kaluderovic, to receive and file the picture Robin Eisenberg submitted.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Mayor Light stated if anyone in the audience feels intimidated or is attacked during a Council meeting to please notify him, or the police officer attending the session, right away; apologized that she had to go through that.
Jim Mueller referenced, at the last meeting, it was stated that Redondo could be as successful with cannabis retail as Hawthorne and noted that a conversation with Councilperson Montoya was cited; stated there is a question that should have been asked: What proportion of Hawthorne’s pot sales are to Hawthorne residents and how many are to commuters from industry complexes, around SpaceX, transient traffic on major cross city routes, and nearby freeway exits, as well as layover people from LAX; stated Redondo’s geography does not lend itself to that sort of traffic, and that is why Redondo Beach residents like the area; wondered if the sales potential of Redondo comparable to that of Hawthorne’s and do Redondo residents want those buyers tripping in their City; mentioned the 8-year long effort of the City government as the reason given to move forward with the RFP and felt that is not justification; stated that reason is a sunk cost and said no business person would use sunk cost to justify a future investment and only future net return should be considered; felt the pending risk of failure, risk to public health and safety, and the results of the survey poll will show retail cannabis is a bad investment and against the will of the people; wondered why the City has not devoted the 8 years to develop and encourage businesses that are thriving and less likely to involve law enforcement; stated that there is reason to question the City’s planning and community development effort; said reform is vital to the future of Redondo Beach.
Georgette Gantner, District 2, spoke about how spectacular the fireworks were; thanked animal control because she found a possum in her pool and called the City; stated they were there within 40 minutes of the call, and the possum was released and felt the story would brighten everyone’s day.
Darryl Boyd (via Zoom) reported there is no audio on Zoom and had to track it on YouTube; stated the residents of the 500-600 block of Prospect Avenue are waiting to hear how the City is planning to remedy the safety and noise issues on their street; said Mayor Light stated he had a plan and were executing on it; asked if the plan could be shared with the residents since they are not seeing it; reported the City is in violation of multiple state, county, and city codes and ordinances; mentioned he provided all the codes and ordinances via email to the Council last week; stated the California Health and Safety code 46000 is a big one and RB is out of compliance and named other code sections and subcode numbers they are in violation of and provided decibel levels, noted the decibel levels are unacceptable; spoke of the safety issues due to the lack of a barrier at the median; asked if they really do have a plan and if so, to please share it with them.
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Mayor Light asked if someone could look into the audio for Zoom.
Deputy City Clerk and Records Management Coordinator Diaz stated she messaged Mike Cook; it was reported it was working.
Mayor Light reported he has received several emails regarding Prospect; asked the City Attorney or City Manager if they are obligated to mitigate all traffic noise at every home in RB.
City Manager Witzansky stated not to his knowledge but if the Council would like to make it a discussion item they could make a referral.
Mayor Light wondered if DBs get above 65 if they are obligated to mitigate.
City Attorney Ford stated the municipal code states the higher of the ambient level or what’s in the City’s municipal code, so there has to be a study for them to determine what the ambient level is.
Mayor Light clarified that includes traffic driving by; stated there were misstatements on information and reported traffic down Prospect is down between 3% and 10% compared to 2009; noted Artesia, PCH, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and 190th have more than twice the traffic.
Mark Nelson (via Zoom) reported there is still no audio and he is using the closed caption; wanted to speak about the process at the Council and at the Commissions for residents; noted everyone knows it is written communication that may or may not get read, and then it is three minutes in public comment; felt three minutes is not enough time to get anything complicated across and used the intersection at Prospect as an example; spoke about having videos that clearly demonstrate what they are talking about and have sent the video links to everyone, noting that no one has viewed the videos since they can track that; stated they could demonstrate all the issues they are experiencing, show who the repeat offenders are, and could have provided a lot of facts when the intersection was redesigned and during the discussion at the Public Works committee; mentioned the parking problem is because there are only houses on one side of the Prospect frontage and there are 68 spots for 27 houses; stated there is no need to compromise safety to try to preserve one parking place that is in an intersection and faces the wrong way down a one-way street, felt this sends the wrong message to drivers; reported they have had discussions with Public Works, concluded they can’t put signs in that can’t be seen from Beach Cities because it would be confusing; stated there needs to be a No Left Turn sign so people don’t turn the wrong way; mentioned something needs to be fixed process-wise but doesn’t know the means to do it but opined the three minutes doesn’t seem to work; noted the plan has not been released yet but noted they will probably go to Council to oppose it.
Deputy City Clerk and Records Management Coordinator Diaz reported no other hands
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were raised.
J. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REFERRALS TO STAFF
Mayor Light stated he has two referrals for the Council; the first, he would like Council to agendize BCHD presenting an update on the Healthy Living Campus request for expression of interest and would like that after Non-Agenda Items.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Behrendt, to agendize BCHD presenting an update on the Healthy Living Campus request for expression of interest and to be placed after Non-Agenda Items.
Councilmember Behrendt asked the City Manager or City Attorney if that had any issues with timing or otherwise substance.
City Manager Witzansky stated they made a request to present on the status of their RFI to get the word out so people are aware and this gives the Council opportunity to formally agendize that presentation.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Mayor Light stated the second referral is to agendize a report (possibly in video form) by The Friends of Redondo Beach Art of their past showing of their Reimagined Poetry Gallery after Consent Calendar.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Kaluderovic, to agendize The Friends of Redondo Beach Art giving a report of their Reimagined Poetry Gallery after Consent Calendar.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Motion by Councilmember Waller, seconded by Councilmember Kaluderovic, for a discussion item for staff to create an ordinance, similar to the City of Riverside, which allows the use of drones or unmanned aerial systems to help identify and enforce illegal fireworks; stated he read that they have a new ordinance and have municipal code sections that allow them to use drones and cite homeowners where illegal fireworks are being used.
Mayor Light wondered if the current ordinances cover that.
City Attorney Ford stated Councilmember Waller is referring to “social host” property owners and the current ordinances state possession of the fireworks is required.
Discussion followed on the clarification of the referral.
Councilmember Obagi stated it seems that there are two different things; asked if that
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means holding criminally liable the hosts of a sight that emits fireworks.
City Attorney Ford stated they would have to research different aspects of that.
Councilmember Obagi mentioned the second part would be the drones.
Councilmember Behrendt offered a friendly amendment to limit the drone surveillance to reports of firework activity.
Councilmembers Waller and Kaluderovic accepted the friendly amendment.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Councilmember Obagi mentioned last week they had made a referral to come back in year end to have a 4/5
ths discussion about the cannabis survey; mentioned they had left about $100,000, more than $50,000 of unallocated funds, in the last budget cycle.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Behrendt, for a discussion to come back in August for a 4/5ths approval of money for a survey to be conducted of the Redondo Beach residents on the cannabis issue.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Councilmember Behrendt shared a slide with a referral to staff to agendize for discussion a new, modernized, commission Police, Fire, and Homeless Services Commission with limited scope; reported speaking to the Mayor, Councilmember Obagi, the City Manager, and the City Attorney for input; noted it would be an on-call basis and its role would be to address, on a referral basis only, issues that are substantively impacting quality of life, public safety, privacy or other major concerns of City residents; stated powers would be quite limited, they would only consider matters specifically referred within the sole discretion and judgement of the departments that would be making the referrals, would be focused and solely an advisory board, written reviews and recommendations; read off more without going into the merits; mentioned his referral discusses no power or duty to agendize for discussion items not referred, demand that any particular City staff or personnel appear at a hearing, demand documents, interfere with operations, etc.
Motion by Councilmember Behrendt, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to have a discussion of this proposed commission and to receive input from the rest of the Council, and staff, as to what their feelings may be; noted it was inspired by the upcoming elimination of the Public Safety Commission.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES: Waller, Castle, Obagi, Behrendt
NOES: Kaluderovic
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ABSTAIN: None
Motion carried 4-1 by roll call vote.
Councilmember Kaluderovic (during the roll call vote) voiced concerns that as an advisory body they would end up coming to Council to change policy.
Councilmember Behrendt responded that he should have been clear the discussion would be about certain issues that may be best first vetted by residents.
Mayor Light interjected that it is either approve to discuss or don’t and returned to the roll call vote.
L. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION PRIOR TO ACTION
L.1. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL INTERVIEWS OF COMMISSIONER
APPLICANTS FOR APPOINTMENTS TO THE CITY COMMISSIONS
Procedures:
A. Conduct applicant interviews; followed by
B. Councilmembers submitting recommendations for appointments to the Mayor by Thursday, July 31, 2025;
C. The Mayor proposing Commission appointments at the regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 12, 2025; and
D. The City Clerk administering Oath of Office to new and reappointed Commissioners at the City Council Meeting of September 2, 2025, or before each Commissioner begins their term at the October Commission Meetings.
CONTACT: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
Mayor Light went over the process for this item; stated they will do the interviews that night, the Councilmembers are due to submit their recommendations to the Mayor by the 31st of July, then he will make his final proposed appointments, and the Council will approve or disapprove his appointments at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 12th and once that is done the Oath of Office will be administered on September 2nd; reported he would call each one up one by one.
Candidate – Commission they are applying for:
Lisa Falk – Harbor – stated she has been on the Harbor Commission for about a year and a quarter, spoke of having a long background of paying attention to what’s going on in the City and especially the Harbor (since 2000), noted she was on the South Bay Parkland Conservancy Board, been active in the King Harbor Yacht Club, had a boat in the Harbor since 2001, was on the King Harbor Boaters Advisory Council from 2006 to 2010; felt she understands the issues and things that need to be addressed; spoke about
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her current experience on the Commission and said she would love to continue serving on it.
Mayor Light clarified that she is filling the local government experience position; she stated he was correct.
Councilmember Behrendt asked what her vision is for the Waterfront and what her top concern is at the Harbor.
Lisa Falk said her vision is for people to realize that the City has something that nobody else on the coast has, and that is an onramp to Santa Monica Bay; spoke about how much the Waterfront and Harbor have to offer and felt the economic development in the Harbor will bring more people to the area; stated her top concern are that rules are not being followed and would like to have the Harbor Master and Harbor Patrol pay more attention to help lower the incidences of problems.
Councilmember Obagi asked if she had ever felt like the staff was not responsive and hypothetically, if she didn’t feel she was getting the level of response she wanted how would she address that.
Lisa Falk responded that the staff has been amazing and is thrilled with their level of support; said if she did feel she was not getting the level of support she needed she would come to the Council to request their input and advice.
Councilmember Castle asked if the issues she mentioned earlier were in the water or on land.
Lisa Falk responded the people on the land going into the water.
Brian Garcia – Public Safety – stated he has been a personal injury attorney for 24 years; mentioned he normally gets cases after a person gets hurt but his goal is to prevent people from getting hurt, to be of service to communities and add value to a community he loves.
Mayor Light referenced the conversations they have had of dissolving the Public Safety Commission but that it is up for discussion and asked if he would be interested in the “oncall” Public Safety Commission or another commission.
Brian Garcia said he just wants to help so if they feel he is suited for another commission he would be interested.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked how he would balance conflicting interests among residents and if he is comfortable making tough decisions.
Brian Garcia said he is very comfortable making tough decisions and does it daily in his line of work.
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Councilmember Waller asked if he is prepared to listen to unhappy people that are not getting enough time with Council and go to the commission meeting to voice their issues or ideas.
Brian Garcia said he is fine with that and enjoys listening to people’s issues and hopes to remedy what is needed and is fine talking through issues.
Mayor Light asked if he would have the time to devote to monthly attendance for meetings and do the homework for the meetings.
Brian Garcia said yes but no calls after 9:00 p.m.
Robert Gaddis – Planning – said he is there to ask for another term on the Planning Commission; spoke of his experience working with Bill Brand on various land use and other issues; stated Bill Brand wanted to create a Planning Commission with his vision of the City in mind; noted he has served as Chair, has served for over 4 years, and would like to continue; mentioned he also served on the GPAC for 6 to 7 years.
Councilmember Obagi asked what he has learned over the years in the Planning Commission.
Robert Gaddis said he has learned a lot about the constraints that are put on their decisions, mandated by a lot of different things; stated he is very active on Our Neighborhood Voices, which illuminates the impact of the creation of new laws that take away local control of land use decisions.
Councilmember Obagi asked how he would address staff stonewalling the Commission or not advancing the Commission’s priorities or his priorities as a Commissioner.
Robert Gaddis mentioned he has experienced the Commission being constrained because they can only deliberate if the Council wants them to deliberate but he has had no issues with staff; noted that staff are very competent and that staff are always forthcoming with what they ask for.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked if he felt the Commission is now representative of the vision Bill Brand had.
Robert Gaddis said he does feel it does; went into more detail on the makeup of the Commission.
Councilmember Kaluderovic stated she asked that because she feels there should be different points of view about many things and the Planning Commission should have different perspectives and not the same; asked how he would conduct himself at a Commission meeting where Council disagreed with them.
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Robert Gaddis pointed out that happened recently in regard to recommendations they provided to Council and commented that the Commission served their purpose and did their job and from there it is up to Council to take it or not.
Councilmember Waller asked what if the current Mayor’s vision is different than that of Former Mayor Bill Brand.
Robert Gaddis didn’t mean to imply that the Commission is made up of unanimous votes; stated that everyone can share a vision but have different ideas or not agree on specific subjects; felt he put people on the Commission that shared his priorities and not because they wanted to please him but because they all had common values.
Elizabeth Kebschull – Public Safety – said she would be interested in other commissions as well; reported she is a recently retired licensed clinical social worker; gave her background and experience on crisis services and wants to offer her services and collaborate with others.
Councilmember Castle asked what the focus was when she worked at USC with campus police.
Elizabeth Kebschull said it was mostly with students that were in crisis or suicidal.
Councilmember Waller asked if she would be interested in serving on the new committee; she said yes or any other commission.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked, given her background, if she is familiar with Allcove and BCHD; felt she has skills that would fit well with the things they do.
Mayor Light asked, if they found another way for her to contribute, would she be interested; she responded positively.
Linda Marr – Planning, Budget & Finance, Housing Authority - spoke of her background including nonfiction writing and producing and running a news magazine show; reported she has been nominated for Emmys and won Tellys; wanted to bring Redondo together as a whole community and not think of it as North and South Redondo.
Councilmember Obagi asked how she would characterize the differences between North and South Redondo.
Linda Marr mentioned she has a friend that is renting in South Redondo and she said it really does feel different down there and mentioned she lives in District 3; spoke about the Galleria and the businesses in North Redondo and how compact South Redondo feels; stated she was very vocal on Facebook about Artesia and then realized she really didn’t know the City well enough and what the problems are and how to solve it and that is when she became interested in the Planning Commission.
Councilmember Waller asked, if she doesn’t make it on a commission, if she would be
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willing to volunteer to help Rick McQuillin on Artesia; she responded favorably.
Benjamin Morse (via Zoom) – Harbor - spoke about growing up in Manhattan Beach and then moving to Redondo Beach; shared that he sat on the Public Safety Commission for almost 10 years, was twice elected as the Chair, and was Vice Chair at some point; stated he is a 4th generation boater and also has a business that services boats in the marinas of Redondo Beach; said his focus is safety and development and code enforcement; mentioned there are several unlicensed people doing business in the marinas and he is concerned with the liability of the City, marinas, the marina owners and lessors, and for the owners of the boats; felt he has a different perspective on the awareness of safety, the legality, and not just development.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked about the business he owns.
Benjamin Morse stated it is called Cabin Cleaners, and it is a yacht cleaning, repair, and management business based in RB; mentioned he is also a yacht broker and has an office at Shoreline Yacht Group at Portofino.
Councilmember Behrendt asked what his vision is for the Harbor, what the middle ground is for him, and his view on revenue generation in the Harbor and Waterfront.
Benjamin Morse noted that the Waterfront is unique but he does not think a 5-story parking structure and a movie house on the sand are the right route and having a lot of empty decrepit buildings are either but he thinks there is an opportunity for a middle ground; spoke of not having a specific vision but with the right direction from Council he would be all for it; stated he would not like it to be overly commercialized and would want to consider the traffic and environmental impact, support small businesses; felt revenue generation is important in the Harbor and Waterfront but there also needs to be a balance environmentally and sociologically for homeowners or traffic in the area; said he believes the Planning Commission, and the Harbor Commission can work hand in hand along with the City Council to come up with a balance that does meet that middle ground.
Councilmember Behrendt pointed out his hiatus from serving on a commission and asked the reason and why he is back.
Benjamin Morse stated he had moved to Torrance and moved back, plus he has been compelled to do something because of the situation down at the marina; said he has spoken to code enforcement, and they explained the process needed to prove there are illegal actions happening.
Councilmember Waller noted there are criteria for the Harbor Commission; explained that there are 12 or 13 different areas that a person can represent and there can only be one representative per group; stated there is an existing business owner and a boat owner already and asked if he would fill any of the other missing criteria.
Mayor Light stated tonight is not the time to go through the criteria; mentioned he does
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that process when he makes a recommendation and will make sure the person fills one of the 12.
Discussion followed that he could follow up with an email to the Mayor to find out if he fulfills one of the slots.
Mayor Light asked if he can commit the time to the Commissions he applied for and will do the homework needed; Benjamin Morse responded affirmatively.
Councilmember Obagi asked him what he would do if he were on a commission and was not getting the support he wanted from staff.
Benjamin Morse said he would send an email to the head of staff, and if that did not work, he would email his District 1 Councilmember.
Trent Turner – Budget & Finance – gave some background on himself and stated he is a financial advisor by profession.
Councilmember Waller asked if he had any specific degrees and/or training in finance.
Trent Turner stated he has an associate’s degree from El Camino College, his area of studies from Rutgers University was in economics, is a certified Exit Planning Advisor, and is a Chartered Retirement Planning Specialist.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked if he would have the time to commit with young children; Trent Turner responded positively.
Discussion followed on what is expected of being a Commissioner and Councilmember Castle stated to treat it as a profession even though it is a volunteer position.
Councilmember Obagi brought up a situation with the Budget & Finance Commission; explained they wanted more details about the homeless program expenditures and didn’t feel like they were getting the information they requested; asked Trent Turner how he would address that situation if he was on the Commission.
Trent Turner mentioned he is unexperienced in the protocols of local government but felt with any budget there should be some kind of information to understand where the monies were spent; said if he was not getting the information he wanted, he would escalate it to whatever extend to find the necessary information.
Jerry Woodham – Budget & Finance – stated he is applying for another four years on the Commission; reported he has served for six years; spoke of being involved in the CalPERS debt refinancing and how momentous it is to be a part of something like that on a volunteer basis; mentioned the homeless issue and the difficulty they are facing is coming up with the numbers on time spent by staff; spoke more about CalPERS and their work on the item and then went into detail on the work the Commission is doing on the
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City’s retirement benefits for employees; noted he would like to continue work on the Commission for the next four years.
Councilmember Waller asked about his financial qualifications.
Jerry Woodham listed several positions he held as a consultant, Chief Investment Officer, treasurer, and his MBA is from Chapman; noted that he is retired.
Councilmember Obagi asked how he felt his fellow Commissioners have handled the requests of staff to dig into the homeless expenditure data.
Jerry Woodham said it is a work in progress; explained the difficulties of what has been requested; felt everyone understands the time it takes for staff to break that expense out and they know that is where the delay is but felt they are being diligent.
Julie Young – Planning – stated she is a District 4 resident and has served on the Planning Commission for the last couple of months; felt it is a good fit for her and gave some background on her experience as a Redondo resident; mentioned she bought her house through the Affordable Housing Program offered and wanted to give back to the community and keep programs like that going; spoke of her interactions with a Planning Commissioner and Councilmember Obagi; stated she is more than able to commit to being present for meetings.
Councilmember Obagi asked what has challenged her in the Planning Commission meetings she has attended at this point.
Julie Young said she has realized many of the Commissioners bring more knowledge and experience to the table and she needs to work to get to a higher level of understanding.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked if she viewed her role as a Commissioner/representative of the City inside the Chamber as well as outside the Chamber; noted that social media can be unproductive.
Julie Young stated yes, especially after she completed the Ethics Training.
Nancy Skiba – Public Safety/Planning/Harbor – gave some background on her professional experience in the film industry and as a private investigator; noted she is retired and a cancer survivor; spoke of her time on the Public Safety Commission and helping people; hoped there would be a way to save the Public Safety Commission but would be interested in Planning or Harbor as well; stated she just wants to contribute to the community.
Councilmember Waller asked if the Public Safety Commission were revamped, and was more on a demand basis, would it be her first choice; mentioned to send qualifications to the Mayor regarding the Harbor.
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Nancy Skiba said it would be high on her list but would also like to serve on the Harbor.
Paul Samaras – Planning – provided some background for the Council including being a 20-year resident of RB and worked as a professional city planner for almost 25 years; reported he is the principal planner for the City of El Segundo; mentioned he is involved with the General Plan update, and the Land Use Element for El Segundo and also served on the GPAC Committee in RB; spoke of the many things he has volunteered for throughout the years; reminded everyone of the Greek Festival coming up.
Councilmembers made several positive remarks about Paul Samaras.
Mayor Light asked his feelings on the state mandates.
Paul Samaras felt that it is a lot of work for people that work in planning; mentioned they are constantly trying to amend the El Segundo’s City codes to keep up with all the changes that the State Legislature passes down; felt they are not doing it precisely and just doing a quick sweep trying to fix problems, but they create others.
Councilmember Behrendt asked if he could give an example of a recent state housing law he disagreed with.
Paul Samaras stated he disagrees with a number of them, mentioning a law that forces multiple ADUs on properties with little, to no, regulation, which causes density issues; mentioned another law that allows the Builders Remedy or allows people to propose residential even in commercial zones.
Councilmember Behrendt asked him to expand on the two examples he gave.
Paul Samaras felt the ADU law should be more regulated and it is being done in a haphazard way; regarding the Builders Remedy, believes there is a way to add density to a community but it needs to be well thought out and planned to fit the environment and this law allows the builder to contradict what cities have worked hard to build.
Councilmember Obagi thanked Paul Samaras for his honest answers; asked him how he would handle a situation where he felt staff weren’t providing direction, communication, or answers the Commission was requesting.
Paul Samaras responded that he would follow the chain of command, and if that did not have results, he would contact his district Councilmember and the Mayor.
Mayor Light concluded the interviews for that evening; reminded the Councilmembers to provide their feedback to him by July 31st and he would come forward with appointments for the meeting on August 12th.
M. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION - None
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M.1. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Brian Campbell, BC Urban
PROPERTY:
100 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
130 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 7505-002-932)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Jeff Jones, Quality Seafood, Inc.
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
M.2. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Brian Campbell, BC Urban
PROPERTY:
102 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
104 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 7505-002-932)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Oscar and Froylan Arellanez, El Cinco De Mayo Mexican Food, LLC UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
M.3. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Brian Campbell, BC Urban
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PROPERTY:
127 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite 100, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 105 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite 106, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-908)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc.
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
M.4. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Larry Kosmont, Kosmont Companies
PROPERTY:
Monstad Pier: 110-151 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-934)
Kincaid’s and Pad 2: 500 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-933)
Pier Plaza: 103-131 W. Torrance Blvd., Redondo Beach CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-908)
Fun Factory: 123 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7505-002-908)
Joe’s Crab Shack: 230 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (a portion of APN: 7503-029-903) Portion of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot (a portion of APN: 7503-029-900)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
James Kwon, HK Pacific, LLC
Landry's Restaurants, Inc.
Various Prospective Tenants
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Lease Status, Price, and Terms
M.5. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session is authorized by the Government Code Sec. 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Luke Smude, Assistant to the City Manager
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PROPERTY:
3007 Vail Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(a portion of APN: 415-001-7931)
Parking Lot at the Corner of Felton Ln. and 182nd St., Redondo Beach, CA 90278 (APN: 415-803-3900)
715 Julia Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(portion of parcels APN: 750-702-0900 and APN: 750-702-1900) 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(APN: 404-900-8903)
807 Inglewood Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(a Portion of APN: 408-302-4900)
200 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 750-500-9902)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Dr. Nicole Wesley, Superintendent
Redondo Beach Unified School District
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Both Price and Terms
N. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION - None
O. ADJOURNMENT – 8:14 P.M.
Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to adjourn the meeting at 8:14 p.m.
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 15, 2025, in the Redondo Beach City Hall Chambers, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, CA.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
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