Outgoing City Councilman Bill Brand has declared his candidacy for Mayor of Redondo Beach, challenging incumbent mayor and frequent policy opponent Steve Aspel. In the process, Brand announced that he will also recuse himself from voting on an appeal of the CenterCal waterfront redevelopment project when it comes before the Redondo Beach City Council.
Citing what he calls “a lack of leadership and vision,” Brand made his announcement to run in the 2017 municipal election during a conference at R10 Public House on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
“Mayor Aspel and I agree on more than we disagree on,” Brand said, noting that both prioritize quality-of-life issues in Redondo Beach, before drawing a line in the sand by citing Aspel’s record on major developments, such as his approval of the 2001 Heart of the City project, which would have rezoned the AES site to allow for up to 3,000 condo units.
In a subsequent press release, Brand also said that the majority of his City Council contemporaries are “rubber-stamping overdevelopment projects that continue to come before them,” adding that he and other concerned residents are providing alternatives that “prioritize our quality of life.”
In addressing his decision to recuse himself from an upcoming decision regarding the CenterCal Waterfront redevelopment plan, Brand wrote, “I cannot pretend I have not made up my mind and sit fairly as an impartial party of the quasi-judicial process weighing this project.”
The vote, which is likely to come before council in the next two months, comes after the Harbor Commission’s August 8 approval of the project’s Environmental Impact Report was appealed to the council by activist Jim Light. The commission, in a 4-2 vote, approved a version of the project that would redevelop approximately 523,939 square feet of development in and around Redondo Beach’s King Harbor and Redondo Pier.
Brand said he also chose to recuse himself, in part, to help protect the city from liability in a lawsuit that could result should the project be denied. But what most weighed on his mind, he said, was being honest with himself and the voters. He said that to claim he was impartial would be disingenuous.
Brand then accused fellow council members Laura Emdee and Christian Horvath of feigning neutrality and supporting the project. He cited attendance by Horvath and Emdee at a Hermosa Beach City Council discussion of the Waterfront project, which featured a presentation by CenterCal CEO Fred Bruning, asking “Why would they attend if not to support CenterCal?”
Horvath disputed the notion his attendence equated with support for the project.
“Councilwoman Emdee and I attended the meeting because [Hermosa Beach Mayor Hany Fangary] told me they were going to discuss potentially intervening in the project,” he said. “Just like I talk to residents and attend [activist] meetings, I try to stay abreast of what’s happening in our sister cities, because it leads to a more informed decision.”
More than 50 people turned out to support Brand in his announcements, including residents from both Redondo and Torrance’s nearby Hollywood Riviera.
“Out of all of the council people we have dealt with in our 40 years living here, Bill Brand has always fought for residents and for quality of life,” said Redondo resident Kathy McLeod. “We don’t want to give Redondo up to outsiders; there’s a balance, and Brand is our man for the residents.”
“Brand is one of the guys who has always stood up, and he’s taken a lot of flack for it,” said Jim McLeod, Kathy’s husband. “People have tried to slight and demean him, but he’s a stand-up guy.”
