BLUE FOLDER ITEM
Blue folder items are additional back up material to administrative reports and/or public comments received after the printing and distribution of the agenda packet for receive and file.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
August 4, 2026
H.8 APPROVE A SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH MNS ENGINEERS, INC. FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND INSPECTION
SERVICES TO SUPPORT ADMINISTRATION OF THE CITY’S HOUSING PROGRAMS FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $59,805
CONTACT: ELIZABETH HAUSE, WATERFORNT AND COMMUNITY
SERVICES DIRECTOR
• Public Communications
From: Bryan Stone
To: CityClerk
Cc: James Light; Paige Kaluderovic; Brad Waller; Chadwick B. Castle; Zein Obagi; Scott Behrendt Subject: Agenda Item H.8 – Request to End Federal Housing Programs and Phase Out the Redondo Beach Housing Authority
Date: Monday, August 3, 2026 4:44:31 PM
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Dear Mayor Light and Members of the City Council:
I am writing as a resident of Redondo Beach to urge the City to end its participation in federal housing programs administered by the Redondo Beach Housing Authority and to begin winding down that agency’s role in managing Housing Choice Voucher and related federal programs.
I request that the City:
Disband or phase out the administrative structure of the Redondo Beach Housing Authority that exists primarily to administer federal rental subsidy programs;
Stop accepting new or continuing funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for these purposes; and
Transition away from government-run rental assistance systems and instead rely on voluntary community support.
These federal programs are funded through compulsory taxation. Continuing to accept and administer them requires the City to enforce a system of forced redistribution rather than allowing residents to decide freely how to help one another.
The attached conditions also reduce local autonomy by subjecting Redondo Beach to federal rules, inspections, reporting mandates, and ongoing compliance costs that the community did not independently choose.
In addition, these subsidies distort the housing market by artificially increasing demand without expanding supply. This can raise rents for residents who receive no assistance while creating long-term dependency and reducing incentives for selfreliance, work, or mobility. Large government programs of this kind also tend to crowd out private charity, mutual aid, and neighborhood-based solutions.
A more community-centered approach offers clear advantages. Voluntary efforts by neighbors, local charities, faith communities, and private individuals are often more flexible, personal, and accountable than distant federal programs. Relying on mutual aid keeps decision-making closer to the people being helped and avoids the impersonal bureaucracy and top-down rules that can accompany federal funding.
Returning full control to Redondo Beach would also free the City from external mandates so residents and their elected representatives can focus on the root causes of housing challenges in ways the community itself prioritizes.
Ending participation would reduce unnecessary administrative overhead and fiscal burdens while strengthening genuine local responsibility and community bonds. I ask the Council to begin a clear process of ending the City’s role as an administrator of these federal housing subsidy programs and to encourage voluntary, communitybased alternatives instead.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Bryan Stone
22511 Fisk Lane
Redondo Beach