About Town Redondo: Murder charge after crash, city council start time, allcove song contest
Man charged with murder following crash
The driver of a vehicle that crashed on Beryl Street in Redondo Beach on July 30, who subsequently died, had been stabbed during an altercation earlier, according to a Redondo Beach Police investigation.
The driver was treated at the scene and taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, RBPD Lieutenant Jeff Mendence said.
The driver has been identified as Brett Lloyd Spencer, 62, of Torrance. His alleged assailant was Donavon Lamont Walter, 29. The attack took place in a parking lot by Seaside Lagoon.
Walters has been charged with first degree murder and is being held in L.A. County Jail on $2 million bail.
City council confirms earlier start time
A new 5 p.m. start time for city council meetings was approved by the City Council at its Aug. 18 meeting. City councilman Nils Nehrenheim proposed 5:30 p.m. — down from the regular 6 p.m. – which drew support from Councilman Todd Loewenstein, but not from the Council Members Scott Behrendt, Zein Obagi, Jr. or Paige Kaluderovic.
“I’m two-thumbs up on this,” said Behrendt. “I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to October.”
Behrendt, who put forth the earlier-start idea, proposed that the council handle routine items at the start of each meeting.
“Some things aren’t as ‘routine’ as you say,” Loewenstein countered.
Nehrenheim also motioned to hold a fourth council meeting in months with five Tuesdays.
The start-times vote was taken after midnight.
“Tuesday’s gone, it’s now Wednesday,” Behrendt said.
“Our next council meeting is September 5, and it will be loaded,” said City Manager Mike Witzansky. “I suspect we’ll be into Wednesday on the fifth as well.”
Audience to write lyrics at allcove song contest
Indivisible Arts and allcove Beach Cities will hold an “emerge & see” songwriting competition Aug. 26. Participants will be given lyrics, and an hour to compose a melody. The winner will be invited to perform at next May’s BeachLife music festival.
The 10 youth musicians at allcove will work with lyrics written by the audience. After writing their songs, the participants will perform them. The audience chooses the winner.
“This emerge and see contest is a great example of how creative outlets can give young people a chance to express themselves, and support their overall well-being,” said Ali Steward, Chief Partnership Development Officer for Beach Cities Health District and one of the leaders of allcove Beach Cities.
“This is the first of its kind, an original songwriting competition which shows young people that writing a song is an accessible way to express yourself, with everyone welcome to be a part of the experience,” said Rafael McMaster, founder of Indivisible Arts. “The message we want to share is that writing a song is a power that we all have, even for those who do not consider themselves musicians.”
The event begins at 5 – 8 p.m., at allcove, 514 N. Prospect Ave. , #400, Redondo Beach. ER