You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important From: Khatirah Nazif
To: Khatirah Nazif
Subject: FW: South Bay Forward: 2026–2027 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 1:16:00 PM
Attachments: South Bay Forward - 2026 Redondo Beach Priorities.pdf From: Alex Fineman <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2026 3:47 PM
To: James Light <[email protected]>; Brad Waller <[email protected]>; Chadwick B.
Castle <[email protected]>; Paige Kaluderovic <[email protected]>; Zein Obagi <[email protected]>; Scott Behrendt <[email protected]>; Mike Witzansky <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: South Bay Forward: 2026–2027 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach CAUTION: Email is from an external source; Stop, Look, and Think before opening attachments or links.
Dear Mayor Light, Councilmember Waller, Councilmember Castle, Councilmember Kaluderovic, Councilmember Obagi, and Councilmember Behrendt:
On behalf of South Bay Forward, I am writing to share our updated policy and budgeting priorities for the 2026-2027 legislative year.
As an organization dedicated to advancing housing abundance, high-quality transit, and safe active mobility, we have seen significant regional progress over the past year. We recognize and appreciate the action the City has taken on several of the items from our 2025-2026 priorities, including route improvements for BCT and advancing bike projects along Palos Verdes Blvd, Diamond St, and the MAT/Redondo Beach Blvd Bicycle Corridor. With each of you now well-established in your terms, Redondo Beach is uniquely positioned to transition from planning critical improvements to executing them.
Our members - who live and work across all five districts of the city - believe that strategic coordination between city leadership and community advocates is vital to making Redondo Beach more affordable, accessible, and sustainable. To that end, we have identified the following core pillars for the upcoming budget cycle:
Housing Affordability & Supply: Implementing the 6th Cycle Housing Element zoning updates, advancing a residential-heavy master plan for the AES site, and establishing robust renter protections to prevent displacement.
Transit Network & Regional Connectivity: Aggressively pursuing funding and expediting approvals for the K Line Extension to Torrance, collaborating with local cities and agencies to advance early work, exploring an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) to capture value near our transit stations, and ensuring gold-standard first-last mile connectivity between the Redondo Beach Transit Center and a future Hawthorne Blvd. station.
Active Mobility & Safe Streets: Advancing the construction of Class IV protected bike lanes along the MAT route and along Prospect Avenue, and implementing a comprehensive safety and infrastructure strategy to support the surge in e-bike ridership among our youth.
We have attached the full 2026–2027 Policy & Budgeting Priorities document for your review. We ask that you consider these items during your upcoming Strategic Planning sessions and Budget Cycle exercises.
We will be sharing this document with commissions and also participating in upcoming discussions.
To ensure these priorities are properly integrated into the City's Strategic Plan, we would like to request a formal meeting with Mayor Light and City Manager Witzansky to share these items and identify specific points of alignment. We also hope to meet with each Councilmember individually and look forward to discussing district-specific implementation.
Sincerely,
Alex Fineman
Vice Chair & Redondo Beach Lead
South Bay Forward
South Bay Forward’s 2026-27 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach South Bay Forward is an advocacy organization moving the South Bay region forward on housing, transit, and active mobility. We believe that regional coordination on these areas, as well as city-level policymaking, planning, and funding are crucial to a more affordable, accessible, and sustainable region for people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds.
Our membership includes nearly 150 engaged constituents in all five districts of Redondo Beach focused on working alongside community and city leadership to bring down the cost of living and build a thriving and welcoming city. Redondo Beach, like many cities in our region, faces complex challenges and opportunities. We have developed a list of priorities for policies, programs, and funding for the city and look forward to working on projects of shared interest. We ask you to consider these items in your upcoming Strategic Planning and Budget Cycle exercises.
Housing Affordability and Supply:
These priorities will improve affordability and equity in the city and ensure sustainable economic growth.
1. Leverage the City’s participation in the South Bay Regional Housing Trust to fund affordable housing development and rental assistance programs.
2. Implement 6th Cycle Housing Element revisions, including a transition from overlay zoning to high density and mixed-use designations, and codifying ministerial review on identified RHNA sites to ensure by-right development and state compliance in order to meet the City’s housing goals.
3. Facilitate delivery of projects which the City has already identified and approved, including 401 S.
PCH, 122 N. PCH, and the South Bay Galleria.
4. Plan for the AES site as a key parkland and residential infill project in the Coastal Zone to address regional housing needs and create a walkable new neighborhood.
5. Implement renter protections, including a Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and Rental Registry to provide transparency and protect vulnerable tenants from displacement. See examples from Santa Ana and Pasadena.
6. Implement Livable Communities Initiative-type policy changes to encourage small lot development and walkable urbanism in key districts such as Riviera Village, Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance Boulevard, and Artesia/Aviation.
7. Facilitate development of senior housing, affordable housing, and workforce housing in the city, including allowing the Beach Cities Health District to build senior independent and assisted living housing on their site to complement the existing memory care facility.
8. Continue your leadership on addressing homelessness and expanding temporary, RSO, and permanent supportive housing options, which has served as a model for other cities.
9. Expand Section 8 outreach activities for high-need households and landlords. Expand housing supply for voucher recipients to utilize vouchers.
10. Support and incentivize transit-oriented development near the Redondo Beach Transit Center and Redondo Beach K Line Marine Station and future Hawthorne Blvd. Station.
11. Affirmatively further fair housing by approving multi-family, mixed-income, and affordable housing in high-opportunity areas across the city.
Transit Network & Land Use:
These priorities will improve the city’s local transit system to shift travel from cars to transit, reduce traffic and parking burden, and create an interconnected transportation network.
12. K Line Extension Funding & Advocacy:
a. Aggressively advocate for federal and state capital funding for the K Line Extension to Torrance now that the FEIR has been certified.
b. Continue to partner with local cities, agencies, Metro Board members, and South Bay South Bay Forward’s 2026-27 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach Page 1 Cities COG for timely project delivery and funding.
c. Take necessary steps to facilitate commencement of construction of the K Line segment south from 190th St for a phased approach.
13. Explore establishing an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) (similar to West Hollywood) to capture property value and future tax revenues near transit stations under SB 79 to fill the $2 billion funding gap on the Hawthorne alignment.
14. Advance first-last mile improvement projects to access the Redondo Beach Transit Center, future Hawthorne Blvd. Station, and Redondo Beach Marine Station, to ensure strong bike, walk, and bus multimodal connections.
15. Reinvest and strengthen Beach Cities Transit:
a. Work with BCT staff and RBUSD to enroll BCT in Metro GoPass and LIFE programs to provide free transit rides to K-12 students and low-income residents. b. Direct staff to explore further route improvements for BCT Lines 102 and 109, including route changes and stop consolidation for efficiency.
c. Fund and increase service frequencies to make the lines more convenient and usable. d. Improve publicity and communications to advertise BCT use for residents and visitors traveling from Redondo Beach to Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, and LAX - similar to the successful trolley networks in Orange County beach cities.
16. Study and implement preferential permit parking or Parking Benefit programs in parking-impacted neighborhoods, especially near the Coastal Zone and business districts, to reduce parking pressures on local streets. For more on parking reform, see Parking Reform Network.
17. Advocate to the South Bay Cities COG on regional transportation projects in advance of the 2028 Olympics including:
a. Advance the concept for an I-405 Freeway Express Bus, as explored in the Metro Rail Network Integration Study (pg 37).
b. Advance a regional study of bus rapid transit in the South Bay, including bus lines and streets with the highest potential for bus rapid transit (other COGs have studied bus rapid transit including San Gabriel Valley COG and Westside Cities COG). c. Champion and host Open Streets events such as a CicLAvia event in Redondo Beach, in coordination with LA Metro, SBCCOG, and neighboring cities. d. Incorporate the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan into the COG’s Local Travel Network so that it can be more than a network of signage and sharrows. e. Oppose freeway and road widening projects in the South Bay which induce traffic and generate pollution in freeway-adjacent communities.
Active Mobility & Traffic Calming:
These priorities will ensure safe streets for walking and biking, better link neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion via mode shift, and reduce risk and liability associated with unsafe streets.
18. Support and advance in-progress bicycle infrastructure and traffic calming projects including:
a. Crosswalks and signals at Aviation Boulevard.
b. Palos Verdes Boulevard Class IV bike lanes.
c. Diamond Street circulation improvements at Redondo Union HS. d. Inglewood/Grant Ave bike hub, native garden, and bike lanes. e. Extension of newly expanded bike lanes on Grant Ave. f. Redondo Beach Blvd Bicycle Corridor from Dominguez Park to El Camino College. ■ Continue to advocate to Torrance and Lawndale city council to include Class IV bike lanes on their portions of the project for full corridor benefits.
19. Continue to prioritize the full buildout of the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan, including the 2024 Update which includes Class IV protected bike lanes to provide safety for people of all ages and abilities.
a. Prioritize safe bicycle infrastructure for the safety of all ages and abilities, even if it means repurposing car lanes or street parking such as on Prospect Ave or Artesia Blvd. b. Develop and implement an updated citywide Bike Implementation Plan that includes South Bay Forward’s 2026-27 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach Page 2 funding and staffing necessary to advance safer streets. c. Fund additional Public Works engineering positions to expand capacity, understanding that safer streets through engineering and design reduces burden on law enforcement.
20. Develop a Comprehensive E-Bike Strategy, including a focus on infrastructure-first solutions and public education regarding local and state e-bike safety laws.
21. Support new opportunities for bicycle infrastructure and traffic calming, including:
a. Purchase and install electronic bicycle counters at Harbor Drive and North Redondo Beach Bikeway to gather data on bike ridership.
b. Fund and install raised crossings for bikes at North Redondo Beach Bikeway to facilitate bike movement and slow down cars.
c. Commission a Prospect Avenue Mobility Corridor Study for protected bike lanes on Prospect Ave. See proposal developed by South Bay Bicycle Coalition Plus and supported by community organizations including South Bay Forward and Beach Cities Health District. d. Safety studies for improvements to the intersection of Aviation Blvd & Ford Ave e. Advance Safe Routes to Schools priorities to ensure students have safe routes to walk and bike to local schools, including "quick build" traffic calming (bollards, curb extensions) near Redondo Union High School, Parras Middle School, and Adams Middle School f. Install secure bike parking and charging hubs at the Pier, Riviera Village, and transit centers.
22. Support pedestrianization opportunities in commercial zones including in Riviera Village and the Artesia Corridor.
We believe these recommendations, if advanced, will significantly improve quality of life for all Redondo Beach residents. In the future, we support efforts in the city to carry out citywide polling and facilitate a participatory budget process for greater community input and objective data. In addition to the recently-implemented ranked choice voting, we would also support charter reform measures such as on-cycle elections to increase voter participation. Thank you for your dedication and leadership in the city.
South Bay Forward’s 2026-27 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach Page 3