REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES - CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Minutes
Redondo Beach City Council
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
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, Behrendt, Mayor Light Councilmembers Absent: Obagi
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Emily Bodkin, Administrative Specialist/Liaison
Mathew Silver, Program Coordinator
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 Liaison Bodkin reported no eComments and no Zoom attendees.
F. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION – 4:34 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:
Matthew Ralston v. City of Redondo Beach, Officer Warren, and Doe Officers 1-10
Case Number: 26STCV00512
F.2. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR - The Closed Session
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is authorized by the Government Code Section 54956.8.
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Katherine Buck, Waterfront & Economic Development Manager PROPERTY:
Portions of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot and Seaside Lagoon (portions of APN #s: 7503-029-900 and 7503-029-903)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Allen Sanford, BeachLife Festival
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
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
Elizabeth Hause, Community Services Director
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director PROPERTY:
Portions of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot and Seaside Lagoon (portions of APN #s: 7503-029-900 and 7503-029-903)
Portions of Harbor Drive, Pacific Avenue, Catalina Avenue, Gertruda Avenue, Herondo Street, and Esplanade
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Kellie Hawkins, Englander Knabe & Allen on Behalf of Nike, Inc.
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
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
Elizabeth Hause, Community Services Director
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director PROPERTY:
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Portions of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot
(portions of APN #s: 7503-029-900 and 7503-029-903)
Portions of King Harbor turn basin and hand launch
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Adam Brzyski, Game On Live Studio, Water Polo Program Coordinator UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Price and Terms
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
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director Katherine Buck, Waterfront & Economic Development Manager PROPERTY:
230 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 7503-029-903)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
John Warner, Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, a non-profit corporation
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Terms
F.6. 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:
New Commune DTLA, LLC and Leonid Pustilnikov v. City of Redondo Beach and City Council of the City of Redondo Beach
Case Number: B336042
Liaison Bodkin read titles to be discussed at 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, W.E.D. Director Greg Kapovich, W.E.D. Manager Katherine Buck, Community Services Director Elizabeth Hause, Community Development Director Marc Wiener, Outside Legal Counsel Peter Pierce, and Outside Legal Counsel Diana Veret.
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Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to recess to Closed Session at 4:33 p.m.
Motion carried 4-0-1 by voice vote. Councilmember Obagi was absent.
G. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION
Mayor Light reconvened to Open Session at 6:04 p.m.
H. ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
Mayor Light reported that Councilmember Obagi showed up at 4:48 for Closed Session.
I. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
City Manager Witzansky reported that Outside Legal Counsel John Goetz joined for F.5 and that they will continue F.2, F.3, and F.4, which will become R.2, R.3, and R.4, after the Open Session; stated that Council unanimously authorized the City Attorney to defend the City in the matter for F.1.
J. ADJOURN TO REGULAR MEETING
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to adjourn to the Open Session at 6:06 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 6:06 p.m. by Mayor Light in the City Hall Council Chambers, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, California.
B. ROLL CALL
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Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
C. SALUTE TO THE FLAG AND INVOCATION
Mayor Light invited veterans and active-duty military to stand and be recognized for their service.
Nira, 5th grader at Beryl Heights Elementary School, led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mayor Light asked all to remain standing for a moment of silent invocation.
D. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/AB 1234 TRAVEL D.1. CITY CLERK ELEANOR MANZANO TO ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE TO
NEW SENIOR DEPUTY CITY PROSECUTOR RICHARD JOSEFSON
Mayor Light moved item D.2 before D.1.
City Clerk Manzano announced she was there to administer the Oath of Office to the new Senior Deputy City Prosecutor Richard Josefson; asked him to raise his right hand and administered the oath.
Richard Josefson thanked both Joy and Sydne for taking a chance on him; thanked his wife and mom for all they have done for him.
D.2. MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION OF FEBRUARY 2026 AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Mayor Light chose to do the proclamation for Black History Month before D.1.
Mayor Light announced the month of February as Black History Month; invited Dr. Marcus “Goodie” Goodloe and Councilmember Castle to the podium; stated that Dr. Goodloe is a Compton, CA native, nationally respected as a professional in leadership development, and has worked closely with the City of Redondo Beach leadership, team, and PD; reported that he is a Martin Luther King scholar, author, pastor, and educator and is widely recognized for fostering meaningful dialog, ethical leadership, and stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community; stated that the theme for this year’s National Black History Month is a Century of Black History Commemorations and marks
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the 100th anniversary of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s launch of Negro History Week in 1926; stated the City proudly recognizes the black leaders, educators, artists, business owners, and community advocates whose contributions strengthen and enrich their community; encouraged all residents to participate in education programs, cultural events, and meaningful conversations throughout the month; gave a brief shout out to Renee Michel for writing all his speeches and reported he was going to go off script; spoke about the need to keep celebrating Black History Month and MLK, noted that they have had recent incidents of white supremacy, and that the need to remind people that we still need to do better is not done; stated that he chose Dr. Goodloe to come that evening because he went to the public MLK celebration at the Surf Club that Dr. Goodloe put together and led and he was so moved by it that he wanted nobody else and commented that he would like to work with him more on what they could do to make a better place for everybody; proclaimed, on behalf of the City of Redondo Beach and the City Council, February 2026 as Black History Month in the City of Redondo Beach and presented Dr. Goodloe with the proclamation.
Dr. Goodloe accepted the proclamation on behalf of the legion of men and women, including his mom, Mary Forney Wagner, who have done so much for a country that often did not love them as much; stated from science to mathematics, engineering, literature, education, athletics, entertainment, music, politics and faith there is no aspect of American society and history that African Americans have not influenced; named several historical moments in time that African Americans have been instrumental in shaping America into a more perfect union, doing what was required in more moments when the nation was marred by conflict, chaos, and confusion; spoke of the African American term Sankofa, which describes a bird with its head facing backwards while its feet are moving forward to embody the idea of looking back while moving forward and compared that to African American History Month commemorating past contributions while urging people to move forward; stressed that we need human decency and that this moment in time calls for peacemakers, including those charged with protecting and serving, exercise restraint and de-escalation of violence, for elected officials to serve their citizens and uphold their oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and for citizens to protest peacefully; believed the nation’s moral character is being tested at this moment and at a minimum it requires seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God; thanked the Mayor and City Council for their hospitality and acknowledging the important month.
Mayor Light moved back to item D.1.
Mayor Light continued with item D; reported he had a travel report, he went to the US Mayors’ Conference last week from Tuesday through Friday; spoke of meeting other mayors from around the country, found they all have similar problems, and they were able discuss their solutions and perspectives on them; reported talking with industry partners, meeting Senators Padilla and Schiff and Congressman Liu’s staff; stated that he is already implementing ideas he brought back from the conference, they have set up a meeting with Google to talk about AI, and they have another company coming in to discuss some cost effective and cost earning backup power systems for the future that
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they don’t have to pay anything into and may help them with the new Police and Fire facilities; reported attending the dedication of the Sea Chatter Mural along Catalina and the Public Works Yard the day before, and before flying out to the US Mayors’ Conference attended the official ribbon cutting on the White Sea Bass Grow-Out Facility at the Harbor.
Councilmember Waller reported attending the League of California Cities Mayor and Councilmembers Academy in Sacramento two weeks ago; spoke of the various sessions he attended during the event; announced that he was appointed by the President of League of California Cities to be a representative on the Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee which met on the last day of the event; attended the Sea Bass Pen ribbon cutting and the Sea Chatter Mural dedication the day before; stated he would be attending the Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors meeting on Thursday; announced Keep the Esplanade Beautiful would hold their first sweep of the year on Saturday, and that Sunday would be the 48th Annual Super Bowl 5K/10K Run/Walk event, and that he would hold his Community Meeting on Saturday, February 14th at the Alta Vista Community Center.
Councilmember Castle reported that he would be attending the Chamber of Commerce Super Bowl 10K and starting the 5K that Sunday; attended the White Sea Bass Pen ribbon cutting and the Sea Chatter Mural dedication; reported two ribbon cuttings over the past week for Body Rock Pilates and Urban Edge Café.
Councilmember Kaluderovic reported attending the Metro Board Meeting and it was a unanimous decision that the alignment for the C-Line extension to Torrance would go down Hawthorne Blvd. and not down the ROW; spoke about the joint Community Meeting that Councilmember Obagi and she had, noted it was well attending; reported that Mr.
Bakaly from BCHD provided an update on some proposed development ideas happening on the campus and other good discussions were had.
Councilmember Obagi thanked some Lawndale residents who fought alongside them for the Hawthorne Blvd. option for the alignment of the C-Line extension to Torrance; stated they were the strongest advocates he has seen locally and named John and Chelsea Schreiber, Ray Holler, and Joshua Perkey; recognized Niki Negrete-Mitchell, Holly Osborne, Wayne Craig, and Mayor Light for their contributions; stated that although the directors of South Bay Cities Council of Governments stayed neutral in alignment, they did register the disagreement over the use of the ROW and also thanked the cities of Hawthorne and Hermosa Beach for their partnership; stated that Bill Brand told him that he had to fight for the Hawthorne option and that he had to go to Niki Negrete-Mitchell’s house to see how close the train would be to her house; thanked former Councilmembers Nehrenheim and Loewenstein for the roles they played in the fight and the current Council for their unanimous support, with the exception of Councilmember Behrendt who was recused; thanked the City Attorney, City Manager Witzansky, Luke Smude, and Councilmember Kaluderovic for all their contributions to the cause.
Councilmember Behrendt announced that Councilmember Obagi and him would be having a joint Community Meeting on February 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at the Redondo Beach
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Performing Arts Center; reported that the guest speaker would be Police Chief Sprengel who will be presenting his priorities for the Police Department and City; invited everyone to join the meeting.
Mayor Light shared that he received a bunch of handmade cards from the Parras Middle School students and stated it is one of the biggest rewards one can get as a public servant.
Councilmember Obagi went back to item D at 6:38 p.m.; stated that he forgot to thank the greatest power in the Hawthorne option which was Supervisor Mitchell; explained that Supervisor Mitchell made the motion to direct the train down Hawthorne Blvd.; thanked Mayor Butts for being the City’s representative on the Metro Board as well as Directors DuPont-Walker and Sandoval who seconded the motion.
E. APPROVE ORDER OF AGENDA
Mayor Light stated they would be moving item N.1 to before item H (Consent Calendar) because they had people from the Council of Governments there to speak.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Behrendt, to move N.1 before Consent Calendar.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
F. AGENCY RECESS
F.1. REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY FINANCING AUTHORITY CONTACT: STEPHANIE MEYER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
Motion by Councilmember Castle, seconded by Councilmember Waller, to recess to the Regular Meeting of the Community Financing Authority at 6:34 p.m.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
RECONVENE TO REGULAR MEETING FROM AGENCY MEETING – 6:38 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
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Joy Ford, City Attorney
Councilmember Obagi asked to go back to item D.
G. BLUE FOLDER ITEMS - ADDITIONAL BACK UP MATERIALS
G.1. For Blue Folder Documents Approved at the City Council Meeting City Clerk Manzano reported one Blue Folder item for J.1.
Motion by Councilmember Waller, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to receive and file the Blue Folder item.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Mayor Light moved to item N.1.
H. CONSENT CALENDAR
H.1. APPROVE AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 3, 2026
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. DECEMBER 16, 2025 ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING
B. JANUARY 6, 2026 ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING
C. JANUARY 13, 2026 ADJOURNED AND REGULAR MEETING
CONTACT: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
H.4. PAYROLL DEMANDS
CHECKS 30525-30537, $17,258.64, PD. 1/30/26
DIRECT DEPOSIT 306745-307371, $2,352,447.80, PD.1/30/26 EFT/ACH $10,968.52, PD. 1/2/26 (PP2601)
EFT/ACH $10,835.18, PD. 1/16/26 (PP2602)
EFT/ACH $472,387.79, PD. 1/26/26 (PP2601)
VOID DIRECT DEPOSIT CHECK 306492 (REPLACED WITH LIVE CHECK 30525): ($2,295.18)
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ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DEMANDS
CHECKS 123288-123445 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,395,799.98
EFT CALPERS MEDICAL INSURANCE $568,249.21
DIRECT DEPOSIT 100010154-100010239 IN THE AMOUNT OF $107,009.91, PD.1/30/26
CONTACT: STEPHANIE MEYER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
H.5. APPROVE CONTRACTS UNDER $35,000:
1. APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH MAXIMUS US SERVICES, INC. FOR PREPARATION OF THE CITY’S ANNUAL INTERNAL COST ALLOCATION PLAN IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $20,000 FOR THE TERM
FEBRUARY 3, 2026 TO DECEMBER 31, 2026
CONTACT: STEPHANIE MEYER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
H.6. APPROVE ADDENDUM NO. 2 TO TRANSFER AGREEMENT NO.
2022RPSSMB02 BETWEEN THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL
DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY
MANAGER, OR HIS DESIGNEE, TO CONDUCT ALL RELATED
NEGOTIATIONS, EXECUTE AND SUBMIT ALL DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO APPLICATIONS, AGREEMENTS, PAYMENT
REQUESTS, AND ANY OTHER GRANT-REQUIRED CORRESPONDENCE
WHICH MAY BE NECESSARY FOR COMPLETION OF THE FULTON
PLAYFIELD MULTI-BENEFIT INFILTRATION PROJECT, JOB NO. 60280, FUNDED AS PART OF THE DISTRICT’S SAFE CLEAN WATER PROGRAM CONTACT: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
H.7. RECEIVE AND FILE THE CITY ATTORNEY AUTHORIZATION REPORT FOR SETTLEMENTS IN AN AMOUNT UP TO $25,000
CONTACT: JOY A. FORD, CITY ATTORNEY
H.8. ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO CC-2602-006, A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA,
ADOPTING A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH AND THE REDONDO BEACH POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION FROM JANUARY 1, 2026 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2026 CONTACT: DIANE STRICKFADEN, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES H.9. ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO CC-2602-007, A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA,
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ADOPTING A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH AND THE REDONDO BEACH POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION - POLICE MANAGEMENT UNIT FROM JANUARY 1, 2026 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2026
CONTACT: DIANE STRICKFADEN, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES Motion by Councilmember Obagi, seconded by Councilmember Behrendt, to approve the Consent Calendar as written.
Mayor Light invited public comments.
City Clerk Manzano reported no eComments and no one online.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
City Clerk Manzano read title to item H.8, adopt by title only Resolution No. CC-2602- 006, and item H.9, adopt by title only Resolution No. CC-2602-007.
I. EXCLUDED CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS - None
J. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
J.1. For eComments and Emails Received from the Public
Pamela Verrinder stated she was there to talk about a fence ordinance for dangerous dogs; reported that the same dog she spoke about before, two and a half years ago, jumped over the fence and bit a man on Saturday; stated that the Police responded and her brother informed them that she had witnessed it so they told him they would go to her for a statement but they did not; spoke about tracking down the victim via social media to let him know she had witnessed it, that they did connect and recounted the incident, and that he does have injuries that require more treatment; mentioned that the videos have been provided to the Police and she doesn’t know what to do because it has been going on for years; noted that the owners refuse to do anything and are being negligent and that she just wants it on record so that is why she is there that evening.
Mayor Light asked her to send him an email with the details of the incident and the address of where it took place.
Niki Negrete-Mitchell, District 3, wanted to thank several people for their part in getting the Hawthorne Blvd. alignment approved which included: Councilmember Obagi, Councilmember Kaluderovic, Mayor Light, Bill Brand, Mike Witzansky, Joy Ford, and Luke Smude; mentioned John and Chelsea Schreiber had a great campaign and research contributors were: herself, Holly Osborne, Kevin Mitchell, Bill Hall, Matt Lewis, Barry and Pam Ogle and canvassers were: Jan Kurth, Kevin Mitchell, herself, Jeep Suddeth, Doug Boswell, Monica Olmos, Jennifer Dodge, Jill Love, and April Cuppy; thanked Janice Hahn
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for doing the motion with Supervisor Mitchell; asked that they as a City be involved in dialog with them about it and participate so they can have a say in what happens for the future.
Mayor Light recognized her for all she did to make it happen.
Colleen Villegas stated on behalf of Lawndale she wanted to publicly thank Redondo Beach for their support of the Hawthorne Blvd alignment instead of the Metro right-ofway.
Wayne Craig, District 1, spoke of the Metro decision to move the rail line along Hawthorne being the act of residents organizing and refusing to accept a harmful route through their neighborhoods; stated that it unified the community and also Redondo and Lawndale; mentioned that although they deserve a pat on the back they still need to have it built and approved; spoke about the need to bring the people back on board that had objections to it because he feels everyone does have the common goal of having the rail built; noted that there are a lot of things that need to be done to make it happen on Hawthorne Blvd.; suggested that an option would be to push for construction on the lower section from 190th down to Torrance to be started first since there is no debate on that location and then work on the details for the other connections; referenced the joint meeting that Councilmembers Obagi and Kaluderovic had mentioned that Caltrans will be giving some control back to Torrance and Redondo for parts of Hawthorne Blvd which may cause issues if Torrance doesn’t cooperate with them; urged that the City push to keep the project going; commented that he is really glad that everyone worked together to make it happen.
Holly Osbourne, District 5, stated in 2018 she noticed a lot of conflicts with the diagrams that Metro was presenting and said she told people at a meeting downtown, in 2018, that they were being deceived; spoke of doing measurements and stated people should trust but verify; stated that mathematical errors enrage her and not speaking the truth enrages her; said that she is grateful and that Councilmember Obagi summed it up with what Mayor Butts and Holly Mitchell said about quality of life.
Jeep Suddeth referenced the election of 2017 results changed the direction of the City in a positive significant way and he hasn’t felt that good about coming into the Council Chambers until that evening and felt the event at the Metro HQ is another case where something significant has happened; stated he felt the effort to deflect the direction was futile but noted because of the wonderful work of Holly, Nikki, Kevn, Chelsea and John Schreiber that things actually got turned; commented that the unanimous vote to support Metro and Hawthorne Blvd that happened in this Chamber is an example of the Councilmembers doing the right thing without being sure of the ultimate effect of their actions.
Mark Nelson (via Zoom) said he was impressed with what the ROW folks did and understood the battle to have agency spending your own money against you and felt they did a great job; wanted to discuss the Blue Folder item and mentioned that several people
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are documenting the “as is” condition of the Beach Cities Campus; noted that when the four 1.25 spot up zoning went through the Council asked the City Manager and the Planning Director to draft some protective zoning restrictions; stated that Beach Cities has hired the same lawyer that handled AES so the City needs to have things on record so that they don’t have to worry when litigation occurs; referenced information given in the Blue Folder item and stated if they contrast that with the winning bid that Beach Cities got from Mar Ventures they would find they want to put 60 foot buildings on the edge of the lot and they don’t really know anything about the buildings that would be there and reported that he forwarded that information to the City Manager; said the neighborhoods have bought the data they need to again show that several hundred million dollars have been lost due to the proximity to Beach Cities and, if they get a worse outcome than what is on that site now, the City will lose even more money and have negative health impacts.
City Clerk Manzano reported one eComment and announced one more speaker.
Carissa Robinson (via Zoom), District 3, congratulated the City and residents on Metro’s decision to move forward with the C-Line along Hawthorne; stated she was excited that the Dominguez Park Playground was competed and opened but disappointed and confused to learn that LA County ordered it closed shortly after the grand opening due to safety and health clearance requirements related to the site’s landfill history; reported that she witnesses people pushing the fence aside and using the playground daily, stated that she notified the D3 Councilperson in March of 2025 of it happening, and questioned the enforcement of the closure; voiced her confusion over the grand opening, to the quick closure, combined with the reality of people using it and said it raises questions for a lot of families; asked that the City provide some clarity especially on why the playground was opened to the public before final County clearance was in place, what specific steps are still required for County approval, what environmental testing or monitoring has been completed, what the City’s current expectations are for reopening, and a summary of the total project costs; said her intention is simply to understand and make sure the residents are getting accurate information.
City Clerk Manzano reported that concluded the public comments.
Motion by Councilmember Behrendt, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to take a 10- minute break at 8:10 p.m.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
RECONVENE TO REGULAR MEETING FROM RECESS – 8:21 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
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Officials Present: Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
K. EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS - None
L. PUBLIC HEARINGS - None
M. ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS AGENDAS - None
N. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION PRIOR TO ACTION – None
N.1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE FORMATION OF A
SOUTH BAY REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND (SBRHT) DISCUSSION AND
POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING APPROVAL OF THE FIFTH AMENDED AND
RESTATED JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT FOR THE SOUTH BAY CITIES
COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SBCCOG) TO ALLOW THE CITY OF LOS
ANGELES TO DESIGNATE A NON-ELECTED ALTERNATE
REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SBCCOG GOVERNING BOARD
CONTACT: JANE CHUNG, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
Jane Chung, Assistant to the City Manager, introduced the item and reported that Jacki Bacharach, Executive Director of the SBCCOG, would also be providing a separate presentation on the South Bay Regional Housing Trust Fund and joined by Kevin Umana, Housing Project Coordinator with SBCCOG, and Adam Eliason with Civic Home; provided an outline of the topics they would cover in the presentation: South Bay Regional Housing Trust Fund (SBRHT), Legal Concerns, Fifth Amendment & Restated Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), and staff’s recommendations for City Council.
Jacki Bacharach announced that Inglewood agreed to join the Housing Trust and pass the JPA; stated that the need four cities to make the Housing Trust a reality and currently have two cities that passed the JPA and one city that has approved joining but has not passed the document yet; reported that they are getting enough money from LACAHSA to provide the admin fees for the Housing Trust so they are not anticipating any City contribution to join the Housing Trust for the first year; introduced Kevin Umana.
Kevin Umana stated, in 2024, LA County voters passed Measure A which is a half sales tax increase to fund homeless and affordable housing services; reported that is projected to bring about $1 billion a year and does not sunset and that a portion of that funding goes to an county agency called Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency or LACAHSA; stated that LACAHSA provides funding to eligible jurisdictions like the SBCCOG to provide homeless prevention assistance and also affordable housing production, preservation, and ownership activities; showed a slide that broke down the mandated funds meant for affordable housing; emphasized that the funds must be used 100% towards affordable housing; explained that San Gabriel Valley (SGV) and Gateway
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Cities Council of Governments both formed housing trusts and, in 2025, when LACAHSA was formed both their Housing Trusts were able to incorporate LACAHSA’s funds into their trusts; stated that since the SBCCOG has never invested in affordable housing they are not set up to maximize LACAHSA’s portfolio activity so the question for them is should they continue to do it in the COG where they are limited, or should they utilize LACAHSA funds in a housing trust where it can be maximized; went over the Housing Trust structure which stated no dues for the first year and the future Housing Trust Board would decide if there will be dues after the first year; reported that currently the SBCCOG is limited to only providing grants to new projects and provide rental and operating subsidies to existing projects; showed a list of activities that they cannot currently provide but explained it’s possible to do all of those activities with a Housing Trust; stated that grants are not favorable to affordable housing developers because they create a tax liability and when developers apply for federal tax credits the projects reduce and weaken the application; reported that the SGV Housing Trust has generated over $230,000 a year in interest and loan fee revenue and commented that currently they cannot do the same since they do not have a Housing Trust; stated if the City does not want to develop affordable housing they could still participate in LACAHSA’s PPO Funds and Housing Trust for preservation of existing affordable housing, master leasing rent and operating subsidies, first time homebuyer assistance programs, and income verification of existing low income housing.
Mayor Light asked if acquiring an existing building and refurbishing it as affordable housing or subsidized housing would apply.
Councilmember Kaluderovic added that the City needs family housing so the City has thought about purchasing an apartment building, refurbishing it, and having that be 100% affordable, dedicated to family housing.
Kevin Umana responded that it would apply to that scenario; continued the presentation which went into Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH); spoke about Gardena having an 81 unit apartment building listed with below market rents, explained that Housing Trust can intervene and prevent investors from buying buildings and increasing rents and preserve units for affordable housing and refurbishment; spoke of private equity firms buying single family homes and increasing rents and creating unaffordable communities for residents and said ideally Housing Trust would intervene in those markets by purchasing the homes.
Councilmember Behrendt asked if the Housing Trust would intervene in those markets and purchase homes at the market rate and then subsidize lower rates.
Adam Eliason stated that the Trust is a financing entity that partners with various local developers to effectuate some of the activities and those developers are buying properties, but the financing comes from them with low deferred loan payments, and when that project gets recapitalized money comes back which they revolve back out to another project; reported that their JPA document mandates that no project can move forward with financing from the Trust unless the city approves the project in the community.
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Some discussion followed.
Kevin Umana continued the presentation; showed information that provided data that no city is immune to financial stress; pointed out that in 2024 Redondo Beach faced 106 eviction filings and that the need for 100% affordable housing has never been greater; showed evidence that it is difficult to build a natural pipeline of affordable housing without a Housing Trust but that SGB Housing Trust has built a pipeline of 875 units; wrapped up his presentation by stating the question is should they continue to limit what the COG can do or should they form a Housing Trust where the LACAHSA funding opportunities and activities could be maximized.
Jacki Bacharach stated that the actual JPA and the organization would be the conduit to which the City would be able to do the flexible funding and provide technical assistance; explained that the governing board would be made up of one member from each member city and two Trust board members would have to be housing experts and those experts are chosen by the City Managers; spoke about how staffs operate in other regions and that some of the work is contracted out; stated that the legislation that forms the Housing Trust requires an advisory committee.
Mayor Light asked for clarification regarding the two board members and how they are chosen.
Jacki Bacharach provided a slide with information on the Trust Formation and Implementation Goals which had seven items and briefly mentioned them; stated that their Trust is a little different because it was formed under legislation; reported that they currently have four cities but that they don’t have all the signed JPAs yet and the effective date of the JPA is the date of approval of the fourth city to join the Trust; commented that she needs to look into the legal language to find out if she needs all the signed agreements or not; provided a slide with the Limitation on Powers and emphasized that the Trust cannot do anything that the City in which the property is in doesn’t approve of and are only there to assist, not override local control; reinstated who the board consists of but also that withdrawal can be done at any time with a 90 day notice prior to the end of a fiscal year and with payment of administrative fees (which they do not currently have); reported that their goal is not to start right when they have four cities but when they have the maximum number of cities for the JPA; said she has explained to city managers and the Board that they have given a deadline of March 31st to make a decision and designate a delegate or member for their city; said she anticipates the first meeting to be held on April 23rd at 4:00 p.m. where a Chair will be elected and other formation matters will take place; said that for the first couple of meetings she would like to schedule study sessions where they cover things that the Trust will need to be addressing and how they can all learn together.
Mayor Light commented that the elected officials appointed to the Board would not be able to handle day-to-day stuff and asked how the day-to-day administration would be funded.
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Jacki Bacharach stated that the administration would be staffed at the COG and they will probably contract with specialized firms which will be decided by the Trust Board; spoke of an amendment that Senator Allen put together that would allow for a non-elected alternate chosen by the city to be placed on the Board.
Mayor Light asked if the contractor hired to administer would be paid through the $7.3 million.
Jacki Bacharach responded yes, they have money for administration and they are also getting from LACAHSA administrative and technical assistance money that should cover it.
More discussion followed.
Councilmember Kaluderovic spoke of the City’s current affordable housing situation and that they are trying to figure out ways to manage it and wondered if the COG has a tool that could help them do that as part of the Housing Trust assistance.
Jacki Bacharach stated that the Housing Trust could assist with income verification but her understanding is that they can only help with the administrative burden if the building was built with LACAHSA funds and stated she would like to argue that point; felt that they would be able to do it less expensively for the whole region because they will need that for the LACAHSA funded project.
Councilmember Kaluderovic felt they could make the argument that it is a process of preserving affordable housing.
Jacki Bacharach said the question for them is, can they find other funding sources, or can they just tell LACAHSA they have to change their guidelines.
Councilmember Kaluderovic mentioned Measure A and felt those are important questions and the County needs to recognize that the rules need to be working for them too; stated that is one of the things they need to make sure to push through.
Councilmember Obagi asked if the Measure A money that goes to Redondo Beach needs to go to the COG.
Jacki Bacharach stated, by ordinance, it either needs to go to the COG or to the Trust.
Councilmember Obagi asked Councilmember Kaluderovic if she would be interested in being the City’s resident expert on housing and serve as a delegate.
Councilmember Kaluderovic said she was open to the suggestion.
Councilmember Obagi stated one concern he has is that if the majority of cities don’t join
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the Trust then the majority would actually be outside the Trust of the COG and controlling the amount of money that the Trust receives.
Adam Eliason said they looked at that and identified three different scenarios: 1) Least expensive staffing, 2) middle range staffing, and 3) the most expensive staffing; explained what he meant by those scenarios and said the most expensive would be that some cities are part of the Trust and some are not and they end up doing double the administrative efforts for the COG and the Trust.
More discussion followed.
Councilmember Obagi voiced his support for joining the Housing Trust and explained his reasons; stated he might want to condition the City’s agreement to join the Trust upon 50% of the COG members joining the Trust; said he would want them to end up with a scenario where a majority are actually outside the Trust and controlling how much money is going to be allocated within the Trust or outside the Trust.
Jacki Bacharach pointed out that four cities will create the Trust and if they decide not to join then they will not have influence on any of the Trust programs.
Adam Eliason stated that regional Housing Trusts have been around long before Measure A and reported that there are 78 in California right now; spoke of being the Trust Manager for Orange County’s Regional Housing Trust and how much funding they brought into the Trust and how many projects they funded; wanted to emphasize that it is not just about Measure A and that it is recurring with no sunset; noted that the Trust will be working with legislators at the state level when funding is available and gave examples of funds that were given to cities with Housing Trusts; stated he wanted to make sure Council understood they are about helping the City staff find ways to carry out the types of affordable housing the City wants to do.
Councilmember Obagi asked Jacki Bacharach if they do join the Trust, do they lose their seat on the COG to make the decisions that the COG will make relative to where the money is going to be allocated.
Jacki Bacharach stated that the legislation actually names the Trust so if they did have a conflict with the Trust, the Trust could ask for the money directly from LACAHSA but at this time the COG would control that money and how much the Trust is receiving.
Councilmember Obagi asked the City Manager if he had any concerns because he did not see any downside.
City Manager Witzansky said he doesn’t see a major downside with the ability to withdraw on a 90 days’ notice; voiced concern, as well, regarding the possibility of the majority of the COG cities not participating and felt that might be a reason to wait until the March deadline to sign the JPA; felt as long as the majority of the COG controlling directors are supportive of the Trust and participatory in the Trust, the Trust is where the City should be.
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Councilmember Waller asked if the interest and loan fee revenue could be used for administrative costs or would it go back into the programs.
Adam Eliason responded that the interest income goes back into administration of housing programs that the Trust takes care of and has to be all affordable housing within the guidelines that LACAHSA has established.
Councilmember Waller spoke about the 90-day withdrawal and mentioned fees could apply in the future; voiced his support for the Housing Trust and noted that a lot of things cannot be done without the Housing Trust; commented that the Police Union spoke about needing affordable housing closer to where they work and this would give them those options; stated that he is not in support of non-elected directors but understood it would be up to the JPA to decide that.
Councilmember Behrendt referenced a previous slide that showed an apartment complex and asked if that was one of the property type options that the Trust could purchase for affordable housing.
Adam Eliason stated that they are not owners of properties, but they will work with developers and city staff to make sure that projects are what they want and provide the financing and technical support.
Councilmember Behrendt asked if all public entities with the JPA are prohibited from owning properties and limited to only financing.
Adam Eliason said he would have to look into that since there are some exceptions in the JPA that allow short term ownership for benefits that are to the Trust; to answer Councilmember Behrendt further, he explained if the Trust goes alone on the property, they would put affordable covenants on the property, provide the financing to the city, and take care of the compliance.
Councilmember Behrendt asked if Measure A funds could be used to maintain properties that are acquired by a developer through the financing of the Trust.
Adam Eliason responded that those terms are usually baked into the front end of the deal.
More discussion followed regarding the financing, deferred payments, and how the maintenance fees could be built into the agreement.
Councilmember Behrendt explained the reason he is asking is he would not want a situation where the Trust financed the acquisition of a property that was currently suitable for affordable housing and then the property is not maintained then it becomes a deteriorated “slumlord” type property.
Jacki Bacharach stated that is why they hire people that have done the type of negotiated
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loans they are discussing.
Adam Eliason added that there is language that addresses maintenance without the Trust where a private developer buys the property then there is no control except code enforcement.
City Manager Witzansky stated, from what he has read in the JPA draft document, the Trust gives them, as a collective, the ability to own, operate, and construct but whether the funding through LACAHSA allows them to do that type of thing is another matter; noted they will have the JPA limits and the funding limits.
Councilmember Behrendt asked the City Attorney if there was anything in the Admin Report in respect to the JPA that they should be concerned about.
City Attorney Ford stated the indemnity clause would be what concerns her the most; noted that would put the City at the most liability if a claim was made against the City.
Jacki Bacharach announced that they had asked all city attorneys to look at the JPA agreement before that coming Friday so that they have one document and not several different changes along the way.
City Attorney Ford added that the indemnification clause protects the JPA but puts the City at more risk of having to pay legal fees.
Councilmember Behrendt provided more thoughts on how they proceed.
City Manager Witzansky stated it needs to come back, they are not prepared to execute that evening plus other edits will be made; recommended the Council signals how they feel about it so that Jacki Bacharach has some idea of what to tell other prospective member agencies, and then, in March, they would come back with the necessary documents for approval and execution.
More discussion followed regarding the edits and revisions that will be made to the master JPA for the Trust.
Councilmember Obagi asked Jacki Bacharach about issues mentioned at the COG meetings regarding conflict between the city 15 councilmember and COG staff and wondered if those had been resolved.
Jacki Bacharach explained that the situation has been resolved and that member understands his role.
Councilmember Kaluderovic asked what happens if the LACAHSA funds are not spent within the time period allowed.
Adam Eliason commented that there are various timelines on committing the funds and
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went into more detail on the timelines; stated they are living by the regulations that LACAHSA puts on them with Measure A.
Councilmember Kaluderovic stated it was mentioned that there is no benefit if they are one of less than four cities that have joined the Trust but commented that there is no downside to that either.
Adam Eliason said that those cities will still have a Trust and they will get technical assistance directly from the Trust staff, they will get the opportunity to receive other funding that the Trust brings, and non-member cities will only have Measure A funding.
Councilmember Kaluderovic spoke in support of joining the Trust and being one of the first members so they could help shape how it will function; mentioned all the work the City has done in the scope of homelessness and stated affordable housing is also a focus for them.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Obagi, to join the Housing Trust in the early stage of the formation.
Mayor Light commented that it feels like they are just forming another organization that will be very political and there is potential for cities to band together to prevent others from getting an equitable distribution.
Councilmember Kaluderovic agreed but stated it is like anything else and there needs to be someone to advocate for the things they need; referenced that Councilmember Obagi sits on the body for Measure M and asked him if they have discussions about equity throughout the cities.
Councilmember Obagi stated that there is a list of things that the COG could do with the Measure A money and a list of greater things the Trust could do with the money and that is what it comes down to for him; commented that they want to be able to do the maximum number of things with the tax money that is being collected and that the Trust gives them the greatest ability to do that; stated that not joining the JPA or Trust would only harm the City in their ability to subsidize affordable housing projects; spoke of having the ability to have a response for those renters concerned about rent increases and rent control; commented that they have an option to partner with an affordable housing developer who acquires a market rate apartment complex, and will turn it into affordable housing by virtue of the subsidy provided through the Measure A money through the Trust.
Some discussion followed.
Mayor Light pointed out that they have a briefing from the City Attorney and they should listen to that before they vote on the motion.
City Attorney Ford stated what she is pointing out is not to persuade them one way or another but just so they are aware of what the JPA states; provided a slide with Legal
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Concerns and voiced that her main concern is with the indemnification clause as it is currently drafted states that the JPA would have the ability to determine how it recovers collateral in the event of a loan default by a developer; briefly went over the other concerns such as: the staff expenditures are allowed prior to the Council approval of a project so the staff could invest a lot into a project before the Council approves it, the administrative fees are approved by a majority of the membership at the time the budget is passed regardless of operation costs, and they have a duty to cooperate and are obligated to share documents, make staff available, and that may limit their management of litigation, insurance claims, or settlements if there are any conflicts with the JPA or the Trust.
Mayor Light asked that they add to the motion to reconsider.
Councilmember Kaluderovic commented that Jacki Bacharach said that coming Friday comments are due and then there would be a discussion with their attorney about the JPA.
City Attorney Ford reported that Cristine Shin has had extensive discussions with their attorney and from her understanding their attorney is not willing to agree to any of the recommendations that Ms. Shin has given; noted that since other attorneys are looking at it she is not sure where that will lead to.
City Manager Witzansky commented that is why he feels it will take several weeks for the final draft JPA agreement and that is why he felt it made sense for them to bring it back in March; mentioned that JPA cities don’t typically get every provision they want.
Mayor Light asked if it was possible to share their concerns with the other cities.
City Manager Witzansky felt they could circulate it to other cities; noted that it seemed that the Council is in support of joining and that was the primary focus that evening then they could work on the final documentation and wait to hear how it takes shape; stated they would come back with an item in March to allow for final execution of partnership; pointed out for the COG Director’s standpoint it is the component of how the COG ends up directing its per capita resources from LACAHSA that is critical; mentioned the only downside would be if the majority of cities don’t participate but didn’t feel that would happen.
More discussion followed regarding what cities may be joining.
Councilmember Kaluderovic added to her motion to ask the COG to revisit or look at the issues they raised one more time.
Councilmember Obagi agreed to the revised motion.
Clarification was made by the City Manager and Councilmember Kaluderovic that the motion was to move forward with expressing support for the City’s participation in the Trust with direction to staff to return with final consideration and possible execution of the
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JPA agreement in March and reconsideration of the City Attorney’s point along with proposed edits as suggested.
More discussion followed.
City Manager Witzansky asked if Council could recommend approving the fifth amendment to the restated JPA with the COG governing Board.
Councilmember Kaluderovic added that to her motion.
Councilmember Obagi accepted that revision.
Mayor Light invited public comments.
City Clerk Manzano reported no eComments and no one online.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Mayor Light went back to item H (Consent Calendar).
N.2. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE CITY’S TRANSIENT
OCCUPANCY TAX RATE AND PROPOSED DRAFT BALLOT MEASURE
LANGUAGE DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A
POSSIBLE UPDATE TO THE CITY’S UTILITY USERS TAX ORDINANCE CONTACT: STEPHANIE MEYER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
Finance Director Meyer provided a PowerPoint presentation and stated she would provide an overview of the follow up items from the November TOT discussion, share some draft ballot measure language, present the City’s Utility Users Tax information, and give next steps and recommendations for election timing; recalled that in November staff brought a TOT measure to Council, Council directed staff to return with ballot measure language and ordinance revisions to increase the TOT up to 15%, and provide additional information on election details, hotel feedback, and the hotel worker wage potential impact for the City; said staff included the election detail in Council’s report but stated broadly about 40% of the measures passed by 70% or more and of that about 20% passed with 50% to 60% approval rating; stated they spoke specifically with the owners of the Marine Avenue hotels and they did not feel the proposed TOT increase was a significant issue; said they looked at the City of LA hotel worker wage, noted it is an ordinance that the City of LA passed in 2025 which sets a wage of $22.50 an hour for hotel workers at properties of 60 or more rooms and increases annually to reach $30 per hour for hotel workers in 2028; said her conclusion, after reviewing the research on the impact of local wage measures to surrounding areas, is that it would likely put upward pressure on hotel wages in Redondo Beach but that all their neighboring cities will have the same pressure so they will not be at a competitive disadvantage and staff does not feel it’s a significant factor in considering whether to move forward with the TOT increase;
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recalled that in the November meeting staff presented June 2026 as the opportunity to place a TOT measure on the ballot but found Prop 218 requires a tax measure to be placed on the ballot at a regularly scheduled general election for the local governing body, so it needs to be the City’s, which would be March 2027; stated that an exception could be made if Council chooses to declare unanimously an emergency but that staff does not recommend that action and recommend March 2027; stated that Council asked staff to prepare an ordinance update and draft ballot measure language and it has been included in the report and provided a slide with the language on the screen; highlighted: general services, general tax, refer to the amount raised and who pays the tax; noted it is a draft for Council review and input; shared information related to utility users tax (UUT) including that there may be some additional application for the City’s utility users tax, specifically their video tax, to apply to streaming services; noted that UUT is called the Telephone, Gas, Electricity, Water, and Video Users Tax Law in the City’s municipal code; provided a brief overview of the Santa Barbara case in 2022 where Santa Barbara invoiced Disney and other streaming providers for unpaid UUT based on their video tax law, the companies appealed, and in December the Court of Appeals ruled in the city’s favor; said it could serve as a precedent moving forward and the deadline for any appeal is in March; noted the opportunity for the City to look at their own ordinance to see if the application to streaming services would need an update to the City’s ordinance; stated they would need to evaluate whether a vote would be required under Prop 218 and staff’s proposed recommendation would be for Council to direct staff to review the City’s ordinance and propose changes, if needed, for the City to tax potential streaming services.
Councilmember Castle asked if Director Meyer had any idea what sort of revenue will come from updating the ordinance.
Finance Director Meyer and the City Manager said they do not have the number but from their estimates it is in the hundred thousands and potentially more but that would be information they would come back with.
Finance Director Meyer restated that they are recommending March 2027, the City’s general election, for the proposed TOT measure and potentially UUT, if directed and if required, and the alternate option is to unanimously declare a fiscal emergency and present the TOT measure to voters earlier, but staff does not recommend the second option.
Mayor Light asked, since revenue is tight, why would staff not recommend a fiscal emergency.
City Manager Witzansky said there are a few factors, but the short answer is they would need to take that action very seriously, declaring a fiscal emergency is a substantive item and would potentially affect the City’s credit worthiness with credit agencies.
Councilmember Castle stated the documents are to approve a TOT increase of up to 15% but if the City Council were to make a determination to make it, for example, 14%, then it would be effective immediately after the March 2027 election.
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City Manager Witzansky confirmed that to be correct, but the idea would be that voters would clear the cap, the Council would act immediately to set that rate thereafter.
Finance Director Meyer continued with the last slide; stated that staff’s recommendations were to receive and file the report, direct staff to prepare a ballot measure for the 2027 election, review and provide edits on the draft ballot measure language provided, and direct staff to monitor the final outcome of the Santa Barbara case and review the City’s ordinance for potential modifications.
Mayor Light asked the City Treasurer to opine on the matter.
City Treasurer Solomon agreed with the City Finance Director and the City Manager’s office on their assessment and recommendations for the changes to both the TOT and the UUT.
Councilmember Obagi thanked the City Treasurer for his call yesterday to discuss the matter; stated he expressed concern about the City’s current ordinance potentially holding up and that it seems like it addresses video services on point; said from his own reading of it, it seems it would capture streaming services and asked if he still thought that the City needs to revise the UUT ordinance.
City Treasurer Solomon responded that would be part of staff’s review if Council directs them; noted that the Santa Barbara ruling has two main contentions for the City’s ordinance: What is a channel? and What is considered video streaming services? Stated with those two items being better defined, and going through the appeals and court process, they can determine if their language needs to be revised along with a conversation with the City Attorney’s office to see if they feel it would be upheld in a challenge.
Mayor Light asked about music streaming services and the law regarding it.
City Treasurer Solomon stated he had not seen music streaming addressed.
City Manager Witzansky said he had not come across it as a possible component of a UUT.
More discussion followed.
City Treasurer Solomon suggested in reviewing the ordinance and any discussion they include the current iterations of delivery and future by inference incorporated within a catch all provision including advancing technologies.
Councilmember Waller commented that there needs to be a balance and the residents would be paying the tax so it is not free money but also agreed that it is something they need to consider; stated that he would feel more comfortable making sure the ordinance is ironclad and they would not be hit with lawsuits; spoke of the tax not being a new tax
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but a restorative tax that the City should have been collecting years ago.
City Manager Witzansky stated he and City Treasurer Solomon spoke about the ballot measures; reported that City Treasurer Solomon found Measure A had the specific title of modernizing the City’s current UUT and it was approved by almost 75% of their voters; said they have not acted on it but Santa Barbara’s success may be on point for their situation but he still recommends they do the review but they potentially have checked the Prop 218 box, checked the ordinance update box, and if Santa Barbara fails the City may be able to successfully collect.
More discussion followed regarding the timeline of the review and the Santa Barbara case.
Councilmember Waller reported speaking to the City Manager and that one thing that is unknown is how the tax gets collected and it may not be something the residents have to pay; felt they should wait for the resolution of the Supreme Court, do their review, and see if any modifications need to be made.
City Treasurer Solomon, to answer Councilmember Waller’s question, the providers would collect the tax, remit a report to the City, then the report and the funds are deposited to the City; noted a consultant would be active within the City to audit the payments retrospectively to ensure accuracy.
More discussion followed.
Councilmember Behrendt thanked Finance Director Meyer for speaking with the individuals at the Marine Avenue hotels and the research she conducted; stated he went and spoke with a hotel in his district to a potential TOT increase would affect them and he did get any opposition from that smaller hotel; voiced support on the UUT and on staff’s recommendations.
Motion by Councilmember Behrendt, seconded by Councilmember Obagi, to receive and file the report, direct staff to prepare the TOT ballot measure for the City’s March 2027 election, Council will come back and review and provide edits for staff on the draft ballot measure language, direct staff to monitor the final outcome of the Santa Barbara case on the UUT, review the City’s ordinance for potential modifications to collect tax on video streaming services.
Some discussion followed.
City Clerk Manzano stated she would call the election in October for the candidates and then either add measures then or right after that; noted all measures must be in by the first week of December.
Councilmember Obagi seconded the motion but had some clarifying questions; asked Councilmember Behrendt what he would be directing staff to do if the Santa Barbara case
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goes pending on appeal.
Councilmember Behrendt said staff will need to come back and report on that so they will need to wait to see what happens.
City Manager Witzansky agreed that they don’t need to make a decision right now and what they may determine in their review is that the Measure A vote in March 2009 coupled with the current language in the City’s video services portion of the UUT is sufficient; stated the timing of the implementation would be dependent on the nature of the review and the outcome of Santa Barbara.
Councilmember Obagi asked if part of staff’s consultation on the ordinance be with lawyers at the firm to get their opinion; asked, if there is a revision made to their ordinance, would it need to be approved by the voters.
City Manager Witzansky said it depends on how the legal team views the action of Measure A and if it covered the modernization of the ordinance because if it did then the voters already approved it but that will be part of their review.
Councilmember Obagi asked City Attorney Ford if that was her opinion as well.
City Attorney Ford stated they will review it as directed.
Mayor Light commented that the 911 emergency response concerns him; noted that the public is just learning that they would be charged for emergency response and they are already being charged if the Fire Department responds to the call.
City Manager Witzansky stated, if that is the general sentiment, they could modify that to suggest Police and Fire services or emergency services and drop the 911 reference.
More discussion followed regarding the ballot language for it and that they have until November to offer any suggestions; noted that the most persuasive language to increase the chances that it passes is the goal.
Councilmember Obagi pointed out that they have recently asked the residents for funding for Measure FP; noted that Measure FP was for structures and this is for services.
City Manager Witzansky said they could leave it as “maintain critical City services” and not provide any examples but they cannot limit the example to one particular service type because that would undermine that it is a general service tax; stated they also must included “and for general government use” and they have an obligation to provide some estimate of its impact fiscally.
City Clerk Manzano reported no eComments and no one online.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
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N.3. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE CITY’S EFFORTS
TO DIGITIZE AND IMPROVE OPERATIONAL PRACTICES RELATED TO CITY
RECORDS
CONTACT: MIKE COOK, IT DIRECTOR
ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
IT Director Cook reported that the item stemmed from conversations had during the annual Strategic Planning process last year and they talked about the amount of physical paper and hard copies that the City has; stated that the City Clerk and him met with all the departments and came up with high level goals to make information easier for the public to access; provided the goals as: create an easy to use online public portal, electronic internal processes, preservation of official City records, and strengthen record retention practices; spoke of the current processes and the need to have physical signatures which generates paperwork; reported that they have City records that are in excess of 100 years old sitting in storage; provided an example of what they are aiming for which is what the City of La Quinta currently has posted; stated that they are using the same exact tools the City is using but they have it expanded out to many departments and Redondo Beach does not; said one early goal the City has is to get all the building permits digitized and available online and noted it would also reduce the number of public records responses as well; provided information on the current state of the City, noted that Laserfiche is used heavily by the City Clerk office and the Police Department and nearly every other department is doing some form of manual process; reported that PDFs and shared drives are used heavily and that actual record retention is 100% manual; hoped that they could effectively expand the use of Laserfiche into every department in the City; spoke about recruiting a Laserfiche expert that has helped them rebuild and prepare for handling an additional dozen departments and the millions of documents they are looking to add; stated that they have modernized and upgraded the program to the most current version and now have a test environment; reported that they have also implemented a trusted backup provider which is key to them getting rid of paper, explained that in order for them to get rid of paper original files they need to meet certain criteria and they are doing that now in all of their environments; mentioned that the City Clerk’s office has added a number of part-time and temporary positions that are helping departments go through documents and they are also able to scan in-house as well.
City Clerk Manzano referenced the picture of the vault, noted that there are 4-5 rows of banker boxes and that they are hoping to go through all of them and get rid of the hard copies; reported that the retention schedule has been updated and they are hoping to destroy what should be destroyed; stated they are also reviewing the historical permits and architect plans which have specific guidelines because they are copyrighted; turned the floor back to IT Director Cook.
IT Director Cook listed recent accomplishments as:
- 987 boxes destroyed in the last 6 months – mentioned there are boxes piled up in
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people’s offices and then about 900 more in the vault.
- Proof of value with Amazon Web Services – spoke of tools Amazon Web Services offers that helps identify key information to make the document searchable; reported that Amazon is footing the bill on the service. - Active scanning and electronic ingestion underway
- Reviewed 272K of 444K pages of historical building permits - Extensive review of building permits and related documentation - Began import of over 33K permits for 2020-2024
IT Director Cook stated they are planning on doing an Amazon Web Services tools pilot with the Fire Department and they have about 36,000 plans for buildings in the City that are all unscanned and in large format paper version at this time; noted they are looking for a scanning vendor for the City to help with the pilot and they will bring that to Council hopefully in the next month; stated if the pilot goes well with the Fire Department they will expand it to Waterfront, Planning, Transit, and possibly HR but they are not sure they want to allow a vendor to touch HR records; explained they are also working on not perpetuating the creation of paper by moving departments to use electronic forms inside of Laserfiche and moving departments to using the new tools and not printing paper; said they are also bringing Turbo Data online soon with an online portal for the public to handle their parking permits; emphasized how large of a project it is and noted that the have 2.5 million documents in Laserfiche, 3.7 million documents in phase one, and about 6.7 million more in the vault; spoke about the extra care they would need to take with certain documents and that it would be a year’s long project; stated that they have sufficient funding to get through the pilot and phase one but will most likely ask for additional funding in upcoming budget years; recommended that Council receive and file the project status update.
City Clerk Manzano added that they will be training departments on Laserfiche.
Mayor Light spoke about his experiences in looking for items and noted that it is almost impossible to find things and looked forward to the project’s progress; asked how the City currently stores something in soft format and used AutoCAD as an example.
IT Director Cook stated typically when the City stores something it would not be in the original editable format and that normally it is a final submission that is signed off and stamped.
Mayor Light asked about the City’s own facilities.
IT Director Cook said when it comes to the City’s own facilities or trying to maintain editable formats, they would use the typical traditional file servers and storage locations that are on-site or in the cloud.
More discussion followed regarding RFPs and construction projects that grow and staff noted it would stay in AutoCAD; Mayor Light spoke about missing sections of documents that he has looked at and voiced some concern about getting rid of hard copies.
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Mayor Light asked about the process for historical documents that should be kept because they are historical.
IT Director Cook responded that when they get to the vault they will figure out what needs to be preserved and not preserved.
City Clerk Manzano added that there are a lot of historical things in the vault and when the time comes a decision will need to be made on what is really important or just might be really interesting to keep; mentioned that the vault is also set up not to disintegrate paper.
Mayor Light mentioned at the US Mayors’ Conference they spoke about records and automating records and applying AI using Boston as an example; reported that Boston had a one-size-fits-all form and they applied AI to past approved stuff and they got 26 primary forms of permits and that is how they automated their permit process.
IT Director Cook expanded on the tools they have been test driving.
Mayor Light spoke of issues he has in trying to find pictures taken at events or at Council meetings and wondered if staff was looking at a type of filing system where those could be stored and accessed by departments.
IT Director Cook spoke about the naming of categories and the difficulty in trying to understand how the public think when they do searches; stated they try to put together single interfaces for multiple searches and as they build it they will continue to put themselves in the shoes of the customers.
More discussion followed on types of searches and how data can be found.
Councilmember Behrendt thanked Director Cook for all that has been done so far and for engaging with Amazon; thanked City Clerk Manzano for the allocation of funds for the project.
Motion by Councilmember Behrendt, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to receive and file the project status update.
Councilmember Waller emphasized the amount of paper that has been identified, stating it could fill a 40-foot container; asked if staff had an estimate for the kind of budget they are looking for over the next five years for the project.
IT Director Cook reported that phase one with the pilot is about $100,000 - $150,000 but they would need to do the math on the other departments, and it also depends on how much they can handle in a given period.
City Manager Witzansky added that as they get to the more aged documents that will be more sensitive and they will need to go at a much slower pace which may also affect
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budget; estimated about $200,000 over the next couple of years.
IT Director Cook noted that certain document types they may elect to preserve in their current format, especially the bound books because those are very difficult to scan and digitize.
Councilmember Waller voiced his support for the item.
Councilmember Obagi mentioned that City Clerk Manzano said it was a priority for her in the last budget meeting and was glad to see progress made; referenced the Public Records page on the City’s website, under Agendas & Staff Reports, and said he wasn’t able to pull up what he was looking for and wondered if he doesn’t know how to query it; asked if there was a way to put a legend or a weblink.
IT Director Cook said he would need to do some homework and get back to him; commented that the search is customizable so they can improve on it.
City Clerk Manzano added that they can and they will need to talk to Laserfiche about adding things to the program.
More discussion followed; Mayor Light commented that Council meetings are easy to search but Commission meetings are difficult.
City Clerk Manzano reported no eComments and no one online.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
O. CITY MANAGER ITEMS
City Manager Witzansky noted that they had a few items to go back in Closed Session, they have a City Council meeting next Tuesday on the 10th and one on the 17th which includes the 401 South PCH project appeal that is scheduled and noticed; stated they have a public hearing scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on February 24th to hear an appeal on a recent business license revocation, which is a Special Meeting with a single item.
Discussion followed regarding clarification on items R.2, R.3, and R.4.
P. MAYOR AND COUNCIL ITEMS - None
Q. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REFERRALS TO STAFF
Councilmember Obagi asked City Clerk Manzano to bring back an item next meeting replacing Councilmember Waller with him as the delegate to the South Bay COG and putting him as an alternate.
More discussion followed and Councilmember Obagi clarified he would like it done so
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that he could take a year off and let Councilmember Waller get experience as the delegate.
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:
Matthew Ralston v. City of Redondo Beach, Officer Warren, and Doe Officers 1-10 Case Number: 26STCV00512
R.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 Katherine Buck, Waterfront & Economic Development Manager PROPERTY: Portions of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot and Seaside Lagoon (portions of APN #s: 7503-029-900 and 7503-029-903) NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Allen Sanford, BeachLife Festival
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Price and Terms
R.3. 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
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director PROPERTY:
Portions of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot and Seaside Lagoon (portions of APN #s: 7503-029-900 and 7503-029-903)
Portions of Harbor Drive, Pacific Avenue, Catalina Avenue, Gertruda Avenue, Herondo Street, and Esplanade
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Kellie Hawkins, Englander Knabe & Allen on Behalf of Nike, Inc.
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UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Price and Terms
R.4. 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
Greg Kapovich, Waterfront & Economic Development Director PROPERTY:
Portions of the Redondo Beach Marina Parking Lot
(portions of APN #s: 7503-029-900 and 7503-029-903)
Portions of King Harbor turn basin and hand launch
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
Adam Brzyski, Game On Live Studio, Water Polo Program Coordinator UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Price and Terms
R.5. 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 Katherine Buck, Waterfront & Economic Development Manager PROPERTY:
230 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(a portion of APN: 7503-029-903)
NEGOTIATING PARTIES:
John Warner, Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, a non-profit corporation
UNDER NEGOTIATION:
Terms
R.6. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION - The Closed Session is authorized by the attorney-client privilege, Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1).
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Name of case: New Commune DTLA, LLC and Leonid Pustilnikov v. City of Redondo Beach and City Council of the City of Redondo Beach Case Number: B336042
Motion by Councilmember Waller, seconded by Councilmember Castle, to recess to Closed Session at 9:31 p.m.
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, and W.E.D. Manager Katherine Buck.
City Clerk Manzano read title to items to be discussed in Closed Session.
Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
S. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION – 10:43 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Waller, Castle, Kaluderovic, Obagi, Behrendt, Mayor Light
Councilmembers Absent: None
Officials Present: Mike Witzansky, City Manager
Joy Ford, City Attorney
City Manager Witzansky reported no reportable action from Closed Session.
T. ADJOURNMENT – 10:44 P.M.
Motion by Councilmember Kaluderovic, seconded by Councilmember Obagi, to adjourn the meeting.
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 4:30 p.m. (Closed Session) and a Regular meeting to be held at 6:00 p.m. (Open Session) on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, in the Redondo Beach City Hall Council Chamber, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, California.
All written comments submitted via eComment are included in the record and available for public review on the City website.
Respectfully submitted:
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Eleanor Manzano, CMC
City Clerk