Business attorney Behrendt to succeed Emdee in District Five
by Garth Meyer
An attorney and member of the Redondo Beach planning commission, Scott Behrendt, is soon to represent District Five on the city council.
He ran unopposed in the March 7 election to succeed Laura Emdee, who is finishing her second and maximum term. Behrendt and his wife moved to town 20 years ago, the couple’s two children go to Redondo schools.
“I love Redondo Beach. I want to represent the people here, the whole city. It’s a natural fit as an attorney, I represent my clients, now I get to represent my neighbors,” he said.
Mayor Bill Brand appointed Behrendt to the planning commission in the fall of 2021. Behrendt first became involved in city government while advocating for the homeless pallet shelters not to be placed in Aviation Park.
“I have very much enjoyed working with my fellow residents on planning, development and zoning; dealing with some of the most important issues in the city,” Behrendt said of his work on the planning commission.
Originally from Mar Vista, he went to U.C. Santa Barbara for a degree in business economics.
Law school followed at Loyola Marymount University’s Loyola Law School in downtown Los Angeles. While a student, Behrendt volunteered to work on criminal cases for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, City of L.A. and Orange County. He now works for the law firm Theodora Oringher, based in Century City and Costa Mesa.
Metro is a client of Theodora Oringher, so Behrendt two weeks ago recused himself from a planning commission discussion of the Metro Green Line Extension. He points out that Theodora Oringher has represented Metro on other projects, but not the Green Line Extension.
“I’m still keeping an open mind on the issues,” Behrendt said.
A longtime AYSO and Redondo Beach Little League coach, this was Behrendt’s first run for public office.
“It’s a beautiful beach community, wonderful people with not a lot of traffic, and it isn’t overly-crowded,” said Behrendt. “One of the reasons I ran is to keep it this way.”
He named public safety at the top of his list of priorities. He also talks about a desire to reduce car speeds in neighborhoods, revitalize Artesia and Aviation Boulevards, and to control “over-development and densification.”
Behrendt’s appointment to the planning commission followed the removal of two commissioners in a 3-2 city council vote. The move followed an ordinance passed by the city council two months before that gave the council authority to remove commissioners. ER